Tag: UFC 166

There Will Be Bear Hugs: Erick Silva vs. Dong Hyun Kim in the Works for TBD October UFC Event

(Yup, that’s Kim and Sexyama appearing in the most intricately choreographed, not to mention dark, pop music video since “Thriller.” Koreans, man.)

After suffering his first career setback at the hands of Jon Fitch last year*, Brazilian up-and-comer Erick Silva — who has always reminded me of one of those impossibly good-looking antagonists from an 80’s fight movie, just sayin’ — bounced back into the win column with a first round SOTN-earning reverse triangle armbar of Jason High (who just cannot catch a f*cking break in the UFC) at UFC on FUEL 10 in June. According to SporTV Globo, Silva will now face notorious grapplefucker Dong Hyun Kim at one of the UFC’s October scheduled events. Hint: It’s probably the one in Brazil.

In his past two contests, Kim has clung to Paulo Thiago and Siyar Bahadurzada like a shower curtain in a slight breeze en route to a pair of UD victories, improving his UFC record to 8-2-1 NC with exactly 1 stoppage victory. So let’s hope that Silva has drastically improved his takedown defense since the Fitch fight, or we’ll surely be in for another grip-n-trip clinic. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

*And by the transitive property of MMA Math, a 10-second submission to Josh Burkman as well.

–J. Jones


(Yup, that’s Kim and Sexyama appearing in the most intricately choreographed, not to mention dark, pop music video since “Thriller.” Koreans, man.)

After suffering his first career setback at the hands of Jon Fitch last year*, Brazilian up-and-comer Erick Silva — who has always reminded me of one of those impossibly good-looking antagonists from an 80′s fight movie, just sayin’ — bounced back into the win column with a first round SOTN-earning reverse triangle armbar of Jason High (who just cannot catch a f*cking break in the UFC) at UFC on FUEL 10 in June. According to SporTV Globo, Silva will now face notorious grapplefucker Dong Hyun Kim at one of the UFC’s October scheduled events. Hint: It’s probably the one in Brazil.

In his past two contests, Kim has clung to Paulo Thiago and Siyar Bahadurzada like a shower curtain in a slight breeze en route to a pair of UD victories, improving his UFC record to 8-2-1 NC with exactly 1 stoppage victory. So let’s hope that Silva has drastically improved his takedown defense since the Fitch fight, or we’ll surely be in for another grip-n-trip clinic. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

*And by the transitive property of MMA Math, a 10-second submission to Josh Burkman as well.

–J. Jones

Hector Lombard: UFC Asked Me to Cut to Welterweight, I Would’ve Stayed at 185

Former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard announced back in April that he would be testing the waters at 170 pounds for the first time in his 38-fight career. 
Since then, he’s been booked to face former Strikeforce welterweight titleho…

Former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard announced back in April that he would be testing the waters at 170 pounds for the first time in his 38-fight career. 

Since then, he’s been booked to face former Strikeforce welterweight titleholder Nate Marquardt at UFC 166 in October. 

On Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour yesterday afternoon, Lombard hinted that the UFC gave him an ultimatum to drop to welterweight or be handed his pink slip after going 1-2 at middleweight inside the Octagon (transcription via Mixedmartialarts.com). 

“That wasn’t my plans, UFC wanted me to go to 170. They believe that I have, that I will perform better at 170 than 185. I have to do what the bosses say you know. Can’t argue with the bosses. If it were up to me, I would have stayed at 185. I have to be disciplined and I have to do what they want me to do. I’ve been training hard and I think I will be able to make it and I will be able to perform better that way.”

After an incredible 25-fight unbeaten streak (24 wins, 1 draw) between February 2007 and November 2011, it made sense that “Lightning” was the hottest free agent on the market. 

Naysayers who said that the Cuban-Australian Judoka faced weak opposition during that time frame were arguably right, as Lombard dropped split decisions against Tim Boetsch and Yushin Okami inside the Octagon. 

However, he did score a vintage knockout over dangerous submission specialist Rousimar Palhares in December of last year, which occurred in between the two aforementioned losses. 

Marquardt, also an ex-Pancrase middleweight champion, has lost back-to-back bouts to Tarec Saffiedine and Jake Ellenberger, so the loser of Marquardt vs. Lombard this fall will more than likely be handed their walking papers.

Has welterweight been the proper home for Lombard all along, or will the drastic weight quick hinder his cardio and devastating KO power? 

 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show.

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Battle of the Bulge: Big Country Nelson vs. Daniel Cormier a Go for UFC 166


(How fucked up is it that *this* is the #1 search result when you type “Roy Nelson clean shaven” into Google? Photo via Getty.) 

In the weeks leading up to his scrap with Stipe Miocic at UFC 161, it appeared as if Roy Nelson would be headed for the greener pastures of an MMA promotion that wasn’t run by a guy who hates his fat ass. In the days following Nelson’s three round trouncing at the hands of Miocic, it was the general consensus that Bellator was a CHICK’N Crisp sandwich away from luring in one of MMA’s top heavyweights at a steal of a price. So how does Nelson now find himself in line to fight Daniel Cormier, a former Strikeforce champion who is coming off a (tepid) win over Frank Mir in his UFC debut?

Perhaps we should step back for a second. You see, prior to UFC 161, Nelson had strung together a nice little three-fight win streak (all via KO) and was looking to break himself off a piece of that Daniel Cormier hype. Imploring the classic UFC strategy of declaring that the fight “wouldn’t make sense,” then trying to turn it into a #1 contender fight for another division’s title, then bringing race into the equation, Nelson was able to successfully troll his way into a fight with Cormier despite coming off a loss. Huzzah! The likelihood of this fight coming to fruition is all dependent, of course, on how Nelson’s contract negotiations with the UFC go, according to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports.

Then again, you could argue that Nelson was more impressive in defeat than Cormier was in victory based purely on the amount of shots he was able to absorb without being knocked out. It would be an insane argument to make, but hey, Tim Sylvia would probably have your back. In either case, the pair is tentatively set to throw down at UFC 166, which goes down on October 19th in Houston, Texas.

In other fight booking news…


(How fucked up is it that *this* is the #1 search result when you type “Roy Nelson clean shaven” into Google? Photo via Getty.) 

In the weeks leading up to his scrap with Stipe Miocic at UFC 161, it appeared as if Roy Nelson would be headed for the greener pastures of an MMA promotion that wasn’t run by a guy who hates his fat ass. In the days following Nelson’s three round trouncing at the hands of Miocic, it was the general consensus that Bellator was a CHICK’N Crisp sandwich away from luring in one of MMA’s top heavyweights at a steal of a price. So how does Nelson now find himself in line to fight Daniel Cormier, a former Strikeforce champion who is coming off a (tepid) win over Frank Mir in his UFC debut?

Perhaps we should step back for a second. You see, prior to UFC 161, Nelson had strung together a nice little three-fight win streak (all via KO) and was looking to break himself off a piece of that Daniel Cormier hype. Imploring the classic UFC strategy of declaring that the fight “wouldn’t make sense,” then trying to turn it into a #1 contender fight for another division’s title, then bringing race into the equation, Nelson was able to successfully troll his way into a fight with Cormier despite coming off a loss. Huzzah! The likelihood of this fight coming to fruition is all dependent, of course, on how Nelson’s contract negotiations with the UFC go, according to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports.

Then again, you could argue that Nelson was more impressive in defeat than Cormier was in victory based purely on the amount of shots he was able to absorb without being knocked out. It would be an insane argument to make, but hey, Tim Sylvia would probably have your back. In either case, the pair is tentatively set to throw down at UFC 166, which goes down on October 19th in Houston, Texas.

In other fight booking news…

Fresh off a first round submission of fellow TUF 17 castmember Adam Cella at UFC on FUEL 9, Tor Troeng has been booked to take on Rafael Natal at UFC on FOX Sports 1:3. Since getting KTFO by Andrew Craig at UFC on FUEL 4, Natal has scored back-to-back wins over a couple of UFC newbies at UFC on FOX 6 and UFC on FX 8. When aliens are trying to piece together human history after it has been wiped off the face of the earth, do you think they’ll wonder why we insisted on making our UFC events as indistinguishable from one another as possible? COMING SOON, UFC on FOFX 1: 00101101 — Velasquez vs. Dos Santos IV (part II). Prelims to be broadcast on FUELbook.

–J. Jones

Hector Lombard vs. Nate Marquardt: Head-to-Toe Breakdown

At UFC 166, former Bellator middleweight champ Hector Lombard will make his welterweight debut against UFC and Strikeforce veteran Nate Marquardt.
Both fighters will ostensibly be fighting for their jobs when they step into the Octagon for their showdo…

At UFC 166, former Bellator middleweight champ Hector Lombard will make his welterweight debut against UFC and Strikeforce veteran Nate Marquardt.

Both fighters will ostensibly be fighting for their jobs when they step into the Octagon for their showdown in October.

Lombard came into the UFC riding a 25-fight unbeaten streak and seemed well on his way to securing a title shot. However, since his signing, “Lightning” has not met expectations by going 1-2 at middleweight. He dropped close decisions to Tim Boetsch and Yushin Okami.

Marquardt has also hit a rough patch in his MMA career. The one-time middleweight contender was cut from the UFC in 2011 but re-emerged in Strikeforce a year later. Marquardt knocked out Tyron Woodley to claim the vacant welterweight title; however, he has lost his last two fights including a first-round KO to Jake Ellenberger at UFC 158.

Here is the head-to-toe breakdown of two fighters not only trying to hang onto their roster spot but also looking to make a statement in the crowded welterweight division.

 

All statistics were obtained via Fightmetric. 

 

Begin Slideshow

Booking Alert: Gilbert Melendez Taking on Diego Sanchez at UFC 166

(Listen to Stephan Bonnar‘s last line to Diego Sanchez in this classic TUF: 1 clip and tell us the guy doesn’t belong in the UFC Hall of Fame.)

The UFC 166: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos 3 card (October 19th, Houston) is starting to fill out. In addition to the heavyweight title fight rubber-match and the Lombard vs. Marquardt welterweight bout, a fight between former #1 lightweight contenders Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez is the latest booking to be confirmed for the fall event at the Toyota Center.

Melendez is coming off of a razor-thin decision loss to champion Benson Henderson at UFC on FOX 7. Despite the ‘L’ on his record, the former Strikeforce champion lived up to the hype in his UFC debut and looks to get back into title contention ASAP by facing Sanchez.

“The Dream” has won three out of his last four bouts, including his victorious return to the lightweight division this past March when he earned a decision over Takanori Gomi. Melendez looked better than ever in his last bout, but Sanchez has a tendency to make any fight a competitive scrap…most of the time, at least. Who do you pick in this one, ‘Taters?

– Elias Cepeda


(Listen to Stephan Bonnar‘s last line to Diego Sanchez in this classic TUF: 1 clip and tell us the guy doesn’t belong in the UFC Hall of Fame.)

The UFC 166: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos 3 card (October 19th, Houston) is starting to fill out. In addition to the heavyweight title fight rubber-match and the Lombard vs. Marquardt welterweight bout, a fight between former #1 lightweight contenders Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez is the latest booking to be confirmed for the fall event at the Toyota Center.

Melendez is coming off of a razor-thin decision loss to champion Benson Henderson at UFC on FOX 7. Despite the ‘L’ on his record, the former Strikeforce champion lived up to the hype in his UFC debut and looks to get back into title contention ASAP by facing Sanchez.

“The Dream” has won three out of his last four bouts, including his victorious return to the lightweight division this past March when he earned a decision over Takanori Gomi. Melendez looked better than ever in his last bout, but Sanchez has a tendency to make any fight a competitive scrap…most of the time, at least. Who do you pick in this one, ‘Taters?

– Elias Cepeda

Hector Lombard vs. Nate Marquardt Welterweight Bout Booked for UFC 166, Oct. 19th in Houston


(Farewell, brick shithouse. / Photo via Getty)

Not only does does the UFC pay Hector Lombard an outrageous amount of money, the promotion also lets him do his own matchmaking, apparently. Two weeks after the Cuban slugger publicly called out Nate Marquardt for his first bout at 170 pounds, a fight between Lombard and Marquardt has now been confirmed for the UFC 166: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos 3 supporting card, October 19th at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Formerly one of the UFC’s top middleweight contenders, Nate Marquardt has lost his last two outings as a welterweight, including a first-round knockout at the hands of Jake Ellenberger at Marquardt’s UFC return fight in March. That loss was the first time Marquardt had been stopped since his TKO defeat against Anderson Silva six years ago.

Considering that Lombard is one of the UFC’s most expensive busts in recent memory — with only one win in the Octagon in three attempts at 185 pounds — this fight could be a must-win for both men, and you can bet that Lombard will be swinging for Marquardt’s off-button, at least until he gets tired in the second round. Got any predictions?


(Farewell, brick shithouse. / Photo via Getty)

Not only does does the UFC pay Hector Lombard an outrageous amount of money, the promotion also lets him do his own matchmaking, apparently. Two weeks after the Cuban slugger publicly called out Nate Marquardt for his first bout at 170 pounds, a fight between Lombard and Marquardt has now been confirmed for the UFC 166: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos 3 supporting card, October 19th at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Formerly one of the UFC’s top middleweight contenders, Nate Marquardt has lost his last two outings as a welterweight, including a first-round knockout at the hands of Jake Ellenberger at Marquardt’s UFC return fight in March. That loss was the first time Marquardt had been stopped since his TKO defeat against Anderson Silva six years ago.

Considering that Lombard is one of the UFC’s most expensive busts in recent memory — with only one win in the Octagon in three attempts at 185 pounds — this fight could be a must-win for both men, and you can bet that Lombard will be swinging for Marquardt’s off-button, at least until he gets tired in the second round. Got any predictions?