Tag: UFC 164

Henderson vs. Pettis 2: Why Pettis vs. Aldo Should Be the Next Superfight

MMA fans have waited four long years for a superfight, and there is no reason to keep them waiting any longer, especially when it involves a potential blockbuster between Anthony Pettis and Jose Aldo.
After defeating Benson Henderson and winning the li…

MMA fans have waited four long years for a superfight, and there is no reason to keep them waiting any longer, especially when it involves a potential blockbuster between Anthony Pettis and Jose Aldo.

After defeating Benson Henderson and winning the lightweight title, Pettis wasted little time in challenging Aldo to a champion vs. champion superfight.

“Jose Aldo we’ve got some unfinished business. Your belt or my belt,” Pettis said during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan on Saturday night at UFC 164.

Initially, Pettis was slated to challenge Aldo for the featherweight title at UFC 163, but plans fell through when he suffered a knee injury in training that forced him to withdraw from the bout.

As fate would have it, he healed up in time to step in for an injured TJ Grant against Henderson for the lightweight title in front of his hometown fans in Milwaukee.

Once again, UFC president Dana White finds himself in a tough position between doing what’s fair or giving the fans what they want.

Grant deserves the next lightweight title shot, and there is simply no way around it. He is on a five-fight win streak and coming off a shocking first-round knockout win over perennial contender Gray Maynard.

With that said, there have been far too many failed promises of superfights to let another one slip through the cracks. Along with Grant, there are some serious contenders at lightweight and featherweight. It would be disappointing if either Aldo or Pettis lost, flushing another potential champion vs. champion clash down the drain.

There hasn’t been a legitimate superfight in the UFC since BJ Penn ruled over the lightweight division and moved up to challenge welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre.

It isn’t just about the idea of champion vs. champion. Stylistically, Pettis vs. Aldo on paper is one of the most exciting fights in recent memory. Who wouldn’t want to see a potential five-round battle between two of MMA’s most creative and dangerous stand-up artists?

There is still the question of whether or not Aldo feels ready to make the move to 155 pounds. Plenty of talent still remains at featherweight, and he may decide to linger and clean out the division.

As for UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, Pettis just made his job a lot easier.

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Henderson vs. Pettis 2: Why Potential Rematch Must Happen Eventually

When Anthony Pettis (17-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) defeated Benson Henderson (19-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) via submission Saturday night at UFC 164, the possibility of a third bout had the fans of the sport salivating.
Dana White and the UFC matchmakers must make this supe…

When Anthony Pettis (17-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) defeated Benson Henderson (19-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) via submission Saturday night at UFC 164, the possibility of a third bout had the fans of the sport salivating.

Dana White and the UFC matchmakers must make this superfight happen.

There will be no immediate rematch as both fighters contend with injuries. Henderson’s elbow “popped” during the submission finish, and Pettis is dealing with knee issues, per UFC. The company would likely not give Henderson the first shot anyway despite his seven wins in a row coming into Saturday.

This now marks the second time Pettis has defeated Henderson—the new champion beat him at WEC 53 for the title in 2010—and officials will want the former titleholder to earn his way back into the No. 1 contender picture. 

With both of the previous installments in this feud being instant classics with entertaining endings, there is no downside for the UFC when making another potential battle happen.

The key will be Henderson staying focused and winning his way back into contention. If Pettis and Henderson square off again for the title, the circumstances will be much different.

Pettis has always been the man chasing the title, but the next fight would feature the new champion coming off at least one successful title defense. Henderson would have to fight in a title eliminator before getting another shot and should be refocused on regaining his championship.

The best possible scenario for the UFC would be a full role reversal. The fans would love to see what would happen with each man at a different position in their respective careers and how the matchup would unfold compared to the other two installments.

Trilogies are always easy to sell, and while this isn’t the typical three-part series (each fighter usually gets a win before the rubber match in the third bout), the fans would have no problem getting behind a guaranteed battle.

While it could be a year or more before Pettis and Henderson battle again, the eventual war in the Octagon would be a marquee bout that the UFC officials dream about.

 

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[VIDEO] UFC 164 Post Event Press Conference

(Dana White & the stars of UFC 164 hold court last night after the fights in Milwaukee | Video via UFC Youtube)

Watch the video above to see what UFC President Dana White, and some of UFC 164’s top fighters had to say about all the action from last night’s pay per view event. New champion Anthony Pettis talked about his dramatic first round submission of Benson Henderson, Frank Mir and Josh Barnett talk about their controversial heavyweight clash and Chad Mendes discusses his fourth straight knockout win.

Per usual, the “…of the night” bonuses were announced by White at the post presser. Mendes won KO of the night, Pettis won submission of the night and Hyun Gyu Lim and Pascal Krauss won fight of the night. All fighters involved took home an extra $50,000 for the honors.

– Elias Cepeda


(Dana White & the stars of UFC 164 hold court last night after the fights in Milwaukee | Video via UFC Youtube)

Watch the video above to see what UFC President Dana White, and some of UFC 164′s top fighters had to say about all the action from last night’s pay per view event. New champion Anthony Pettis talked about his dramatic first round submission of Benson Henderson, Frank Mir and Josh Barnett talk about their controversial heavyweight clash and Chad Mendes discusses his fourth straight knockout win.

Per usual, the “…of the night” bonuses were announced by White at the post presser. Mendes won KO of the night, Pettis won submission of the night and Hyun Gyu Lim and Pascal Krauss won fight of the night. All fighters involved took home an extra $50,000 for the honors.

– Elias Cepeda

UFC 164 Results & Video Highlights: Pettis Wins Title, Barnett Stops Mir

(Anthony Pettis becomes the new UFC lightweight champion by submitting Benson Henderson in the first round at UFC 164 Saturday night | All videos via FoxSports Youtube)

Full UFC 164 Quick Results:

Anthony Pettis submits Benson Henderson with an arm bar from the bottom in the first round.

Josh Barnett TKO’s Frank Mir in the first round.

Chad Mendes wins with a third round TKO over Clay Guida.

Ben Rothwell beats Brandon Vera in the third via TKO.

Dustin Poirier defeats Erik Koch with a unanimous decision.

Gleison Tibau wins a split decision over Jamie Varner.

Tim Elliott beats Louis Gaudinot with a unanimous decision.

Hyun Gyu Lim defeats Pascal Krauss via first round TKO.

Chico Camus wins a unanimous decision over Kyung Ho Kang.

Soa Palelei defeats Nikita Krylov via TKO in the third round.

Al Iaquinta wins a unanimous decision over Ryan Couture.

Magnus Cedenblad defeats Jared Hamman via guillotine choke submission.

Video highlights of Barnett vs. Mir, Mendes vs. Guida and Poirier vs. Koch after the jump


(Anthony Pettis becomes the new UFC lightweight champion by submitting Benson Henderson in the first round at UFC 164 Saturday night | All videos via FoxSports Youtube)

Full UFC 164 Quick Results:

Anthony Pettis submits Benson Henderson with an arm bar from the bottom in the first round.

Josh Barnett TKO’s Frank Mir in the first round.

Chad Mendes wins with a third round TKO over Clay Guida.

Ben Rothwell beats Brandon Vera in the third via TKO.

Dustin Poirier defeats Erik Koch with a unanimous decision.

Gleison Tibau wins a split decision over Jamie Varner.

Tim Elliott beats Louis Gaudinot with a unanimous decision.

Hyun Gyu Lim defeats Pascal Krauss via first round TKO.

Chico Camus wins a unanimous decision over Kyung Ho Kang.

Soa Palelei defeats Nikita Krylov via TKO in the third round.

Al Iaquinta wins a unanimous decision over Ryan Couture.

Magnus Cedenblad defeats Jared Hamman via guillotine choke submission.

Video highlights of Barnett vs. Mir, Mendes vs. Guida and Poirier vs. Koch after the jump.


(Josh Barnett stops Frank Mir in the first round)


(Chad Mendes stops Clay Guida in the third round)


(Dustin Poirier wins a unanimous decision over Erik Koch)

– Elias Cepeda

UFC 164: Where Saturday’s Biggest Losers Go Moving Forward

Now that UFC 164 is completed, the frenzy over the spectacular night of fights has shifted to what’s next for the Saturday’s biggest losers.
With huge names in the sport handed hard-fought defeats, the talk about what’s next for each fighte…

Now that UFC 164 is completed, the frenzy over the spectacular night of fights has shifted to what’s next for the Saturday’s biggest losers.

With huge names in the sport handed hard-fought defeats, the talk about what’s next for each fighter is imperative to the future success of these brawlers.

 

Benson Henderson

On the biggest stage of his career, former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson was handed yet another tough loss to longtime foe Anthony Pettis via first-round submission (armbar).

This is the second time Pettis has beat Henderson (two of Henderson’s three career losses), and there is no doubt that a rematch must happen eventually. The problem is that both men are dealing with injuries, per UFC’s Twitter account:

Henderson is coming off a seven-fight winning streak and undoubtedly deserves another shot at the championship he formerly held. Depending on how long Pettis is out, though, the UFC must have a backup plan.

If the knee injury for Pettis is serious, Henderson should go one-on-one with the man that was scheduled to fight for the title before, T.J. Grant. With the added caveat of being a title eliminator, this is the kind of marquee fight that could make up for an extended absence from the champion.

 

Clay Guida

There are few fighters that get the kind of reaction from the crowd that Clay Guida has over his UFC career, but the lack of success recently is alarming.

Since beating Pettis during The Ultimate Fighter 13 finale, Guida has watched his career take a steady downward trajectory. He managed a win against Hatsu Hioki in his previous fight, but a tough TKO loss to Chad Mendes Saturday and three losses in his last four fights is a bad omen.

While there are plenty of options in the stacked featherweight division, the veteran’s next fight should come against another man looking for redemption, “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung.

Jung and Guida are both coming off heartbreaking losses, and a matchup of the two experienced brawlers would result in an instant classic and a chance for the winner to resurrect their career.

 

Frank Mir

Frank Mir is the shell of the heavyweight fighter most fans thought he would become, and his loss to Josh Barnett proves the end of the road could be close for the divisional gatekeeper.

Whether Mir feels that he was robbed of his chance at victory or not, the veteran is now on a three-fight losing streak.

The former UFC champion had an illustrious career that has lasted over a decade, but this should be the end of the road.

Mir will always be remembered for his victories over Brock Lesnar, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and others, but unless he walks away from the sport now, the fan favorite could be remembered for the losses to Barnett, Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos.

 

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Henderson vs. Pettis 2: Lessons Learned from UFC 164 Main Event

Benson Henderson was a lightweight king on the verge of making history, but when the lights dimmed and it was showtime, Anthony Pettis proved once again to be a major roadblock in “Smooth’s” path to greatness.
Boxing legend Muhammad A…

Benson Henderson was a lightweight king on the verge of making history, but when the lights dimmed and it was showtime, Anthony Pettis proved once again to be a major roadblock in “Smooth’s” path to greatness.

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali once said: “It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”

At UFC 164, Pettis proved to be more than just a pebble in Henderson’s shoe. A better example would be a nightmare that never seems to go away.

It was déjà vu on Saturday night as Pettis defeated Henderson for a second time to claim the UFC lightweight title. There weren’t any flashy kicks off the cage that warranted a top spot in the Sunday morning highlights. It was technical efficiency and grappling brilliance from Pettis, who finished the fight with an armbar in the waning moments of the first round.

“I felt his arm pop, and I heard him say, ‘Tap, tap, tap,’” Pettis told UFC commentator Joe Rogan after the fight.

The main lessons learned in the Pettis and Henderson rematch is the heavy influence of past letdowns and the mind’s ability to cope with those losses.

On paper, Henderson seemed to be the more improved fighter of the two. He was on a seven-fight win streak and was one win away from surpassing BJ Penn’s record for most successful UFC lightweight title defenses.

While Pettis also enjoyed UFC success, he had a minor hiccup against Clay Guida nearly two years ago, which brought about some skepticism of his chances against Henderson in a rematch.

It’s almost eerie hearing Pettis claim he knew he was “in Henderson’s head” during the UFC pay-per-view’s opening segment.

Henderson, who typically comes out aggressive, gave Pettis more respect than he’s given anyone in the UFC. He appeared tentative on the feet and unsure of himself at times, which opened up Pettis’ ability to impose his will with vicious body kicks.

Even on the ground, Henderson made an uncharacteristic mistake in letting Pettis control his arm for an extended period of time and clear the shoulder with his leg to lock up the armbar finish.

Sure, there is a lesson to be learned in technical efficiency that even a highly respected black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu like Henderson can take away from this fight. Despite his grappling prowess, he has a history of being overzealous and sloppy in grappling transitions.

People typically brag about all of the close submissions he’s been able to escape, but no one has ever questioned why he keeps getting caught in such bad positions in the first place.

The brunt of the credit belongs to Pettis for demonstrating versatility in submitting a world champion who also happens to be one of the best BJJ artists in the lightweight division.

If kryptonite exists, then Pettis is the glowing green rock to Henderson’s Superman.

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