UFC 168 | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Chris Weidman ‘Doesn’t Care’ Which Anderson Silva Shows Up at UFC 168

Most of the juiciest talk leading up to UFC 168 has had nothing to do with middleweight champion Chris Weidman.
As usual, the industry at large remains in the thrall of Anderson Silva.
We’ve puzzled over Silva’s monosyllabic answers to medi…

Most of the juiciest talk leading up to UFC 168 has had nothing to do with middleweight champion Chris Weidman.

As usual, the industry at large remains in the thrall of Anderson Silva.

We’ve puzzled over Silva’s monosyllabic answers to media inquiries and what they could possibly tell us about his motives, his future and his mindset.

We’ve openly speculated which version of the former champion will show up to Saturday’s hotly anticipated rematch.

Everybody wants to know whether we’ll see a return to the energized, focused version of Silva who terrified the 185-pound division for a dozen years or if—once again—we’ll get the dancing, taunting fool who messed around and got himself unceremoniously knocked out in July at UFC 162.

Well, everybody except Chris Weidman.

Weidman doesn’t give a damn.

“To be honest, I don’t really care,” says the 29-year-old New Yorker, who, after 10 professional fights and less than half a year as champion, already shrugs off questions like a world-weary veteran. “I don’t care what he does, it doesn’t matter. Hands down, hands up, handstands, butt-scooting, it doesn’t matter.”

If that sounds like the trite, superficial jibber-jabber of a professional athlete preparing for competition, well, it probably is.

On the other hand, it also gives you a penetrating glimpse into the secret of Weidman’s success.

By the time he steps in the cage this weekend, it’ll be nearly six months since he landed the left hook that turned the MMA world on its ear, and while Weidman hasn’t been totally ignored as champion, he hasn’t exactly been celebrated, either.

Media types and hardcore fans have had trouble connecting with him as a personality, and are still reluctant to view him as the best in the world. The former, because he’s a man of few words; the latter, because the circumstances of his victory over Silva have led some to reject him as as one-hit wonder

Weidman, though? He seems unperturbed.

He couldn’t care less that few people are talking about him. He doesn’t care that on the eve of their second fight he’s the underdog again and that the lion’s share of the attention has been heaped on Silva.

No, it’s not exciting—it’s downright boring, if you listen to the criticism of his short tenure as titlist thus far—but this is the attitude of a man who wins.

For the rest of us, it’s fine to wonder aloud if his first meeting with Silva was sort of a fluke. It’s OK to dismiss his KO of the previously untouchable, unbeatable champion as cagefighting’s answer to a Doug Flutie Hail Mary.

For the man who wins, however, that thought never enters his mind. As far as Weidman and his closest advisors are concerned, they went into UFC 162 with a game plan—fully prepared for the champion’s antics—and emerged with a victory.

Nothing freakish about it.

“Does it bother me?” Weidman says, when asked if it gets under his skin that people so carelessly write off his championship victory. “No, not really. It’s about what I expected.”

As for the million-dollar question of the week: Whether at UFC 168 Silva will prove to have learned his lesson, or whether he’ll once again try to dance his way to victory, Weidman is also playing it steady and cool.

“It’s what he’s been doing for years, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all,” he says. “In fact, I’m going to say he definitely does it. Especially because he might think that I’m thinking that he’s not going to do it.”

During the run-up to the first fight, most of the questions and naysaying about Weidman concerned his inexperience. He was unbeaten in nine outings (five of them in the UFC) and for years his camp had been saying he’d be champion someday, but conventional wisdom said he wouldn’t be ready for Silva.

As it turned out, he didn’t shrink from the bright lights of his first UFC title shot.

He didn’t overthink the fact he was in there with the longtime best in the world.

He didn’t get psyched out when Silva started mocking him, when the champion turned his palms up and barked trash-talk or when he did a fake shimmy pretending to be hurt by a right hand early in the second round.

Instead of being in awe of the great man, Weidman stepped up and punched him in the face.

That’s the attitude of the man who wins. If you’re looking for a snapshot of who he is as a person, and as a fighter, that’s your highlight, right there.

Chad Dundas is a lead writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 168 Free Fights: Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami, Chris Weidman vs. Mark Munoz, Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche [VIDEOS]

(Fight starts at the 12:05 mark)

The UFC, in its infinite grace, has released three more classic fights featuring UFC 168 headliners. Above, you’ll see Anderson Silva‘s second-round TKO of Yushin Okami from UFC 134 back in August 2011. The fight marked Silva’s ninth middleweight title defense, and his first UFC appearance in his home country of Brazil.

Below: Chris Weidman‘s savage knockout of Mark Munoz at UFC on FUEL 4 in July 2012, which earned the All-American his fifth UFC victory and a shot at Anderson’s belt the following year. After the jump: Ronda Rousey‘s historic title-fight against Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 in February, which ended (unsurprisingly) in Rousey’s seventh-consecutive first-round armbar — or her ninth, if you count her ammy record. Can she make it a perfect 10 this Saturday?

(Fight starts at the 12:05 mark)

(Fight starts at the 11:17 mark)

UFC 168 Tweet-Sized Stats & Facts: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

(Image via @spideranderson. Click to view full-size.)

By Reed Kuhn

Note: Reed’s book ‘Fightnomics’ is available now on Amazon (in Kindle and paperback versions), featuring 336 pages of statistical analysis on UFC fighters and the “hidden science” behind their fights. If you’ve been a fan of his Databomb columns, pick up a copy today. A full description of the book is at the end of this post.

While cranking through some statistical analysis of fighters competing at next weekend’s UFC 168 event, I came across a few tidbits that fit the character limit for tweetability. Tweet ‘em all you want, I’ll make more.

The Good:
• Anderson Silva has the highest Knockdown Rate of any fighter at #UFC168. 16% of his landed power head strikes cause a knockdown.

• In terms of Knockdown Rate, #UFC168 fighters Robert Peralta (14%) and Travis Browne (12%) are also way above average.

• Tibau vs Johnson at #UFC168 will be a rare Southpaw vs Southpaw matchup, or what I call a “Cyclone fight” due to the clockwise spin.

• Mostly likely to attempt takedowns at #UFC168 is Ronda Rousey who attempts 4 TDs per 5 min. round. Not that her rounds ever last that long.

• The most active standup striker at #UFC168 is Dennis Siver, who outworks his opponents by 59% in volume while standing.

• Hardest fighter to hit at #UFC168 is Anderson Silva, who avoids 82% of all head strikes thrown at him. Still, Weidman may only need one.

• Highest takedown defense at #UFC168 are Weidman & Browne, both 100%. Neither have been taken down despite each facing 7 attempts.

(Image via @spideranderson. Click to view full-size.)

By Reed Kuhn

The Good:
• Anderson Silva has the highest Knockdown Rate of any fighter at #UFC168. 16% of his landed power head strikes cause a knockdown.

• In terms of Knockdown Rate, #UFC168 fighters Robert Peralta (14%) and Travis Browne (12%) are also way above average.

• Tibau vs Johnson at #UFC168 will be a rare Southpaw vs. Southpaw matchup, or what I call a “Cyclone fight” due to the clockwise spin.

• Mostly likely to attempt takedowns at #UFC168 is Ronda Rousey who attempts 4 TDs per 5 min. round. Not that her rounds ever last that long.

• The most active standup striker at #UFC168 is Dennis Siver, who outworks his opponents by 59% in volume while standing.

• Hardest fighter to hit at #UFC168 is Anderson Silva, who avoids 82% of all head strikes thrown at him. Still, Weidman may only need one.

• Highest takedown defense at #UFC168 are Weidman & Browne, both 100%. Neither have been taken down despite each facing 7 attempts.

• The best takedown defense at #UFC168 is really Gleison Tibau at 92% against 62 total opponent attempts; he ranks #2 all-time behind GSP.

• Ronda Rousey has 0.72 submission attempts for every minute she has spent on the ground; closest 2nd at #UFC168 is Jim Miller at 0.37.

• Jim Miller has more total submission attempts in the UFC than any other fighter at #UFC168 with 29. One more & he wins an Octagon toaster.

• Denis Siver has the biggest pace advantage at #UFC168. He averages 12.8 Significant Strikes attempts/min, while Gamburyan averages 5.4.

• At 80.5” Uriah Hall will have the longest reach of any fighter at #UFC168, and >7” reach advantage over his opponent Chris Leben.

The Bad:
• Women’s champion Ronda Rousey will have the shortest reach of any fighter on the #UFC168 card at 66 inches. #irrelevant

• Weidman, Camoes, Brandao & Hall will all be facing southpaws. Generally, orthodox fighters fare a little worse when facing southpaws.

• The lowest paced standup striker at #UFC168 is Diego Brandao, who throws >40% fewer standup strike attempts than his opponents

• Lowest takedown defense at #UFC168 is Miesha Tate who only defended 1/5 attempts for 20%. Camoes not far behind (25%). But small samples.

• When fighting on the ground, Michael Johnson, Robert Peralta and Anderson Silva all mostly end up on their backs #UFC168

• Jim Miller and John Howard have both been swept for a ground position reversal 6 times by opponents, more than other fighters at #UFC168.

• 170’er William Macario is the only #UFC fighter ever who actually goes by the name “William.” There were 3 “Will”s though, and a “Willamy.”

The Ugly:
• Worst head striking defense at #UFC168 is Bobby Voelker, who only defends 57% of head strikes by opponents. Anderson Silva’s is best (82%).

• Both Rousey & Tate have very low head strike defense, meaning if they stand and trade they’re both going to look less pretty. #UFC168

• Denis Siver has suffered 6 knockdowns in his UFC career, more than anyone at #UFC168, despite having above average head strike defense.

• At 38.7 years old, Anderson Silva is the oldest fighter at #UFC168, meaning he is less likely to be submitted, but more likely to be KO’d.

• The worst Knockdown Resiliency rating at #UFC168 is Miesha Tate at 91%. She has suffered 3 knockdowns in Strikeforce/UFC.

• Despite having been KO’d by Weidman, Silva is still a -150 favorite at #UFC168, on par with when he fought Henderson -145 & Marquardt -150.

• Fabricio Camoes has the worst relative striking overall at #UFC168. His stats are below average in accuracy, power, pace & cage control.

• The final prelim bout pits some of the best head strike defense (Hall) vs some of the worst (Leben). Lots at stake in that fight. #UFC168

**********

Book description, via Amazon:

Fightnomics quantifies the underlying drivers of the world’s most exciting and fastest growing sport through deep analysis of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competition. Part Freakonomics and part Moneyball, Fightnomics is a statistical spotlight on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and the fighters who compete in the Octagon.

Does size matter?

Is the Southpaw Advantage real for MMA?

Is it better to be young or experienced in a fight?

How is the UFC Tale of the Tape lying to us?

What makes a strike significant?

What about Ring Rust, Octagon Jitters, or the Home Cage Advantage?

Just how accurate are betting odds?

Theories about how MMA works get put to the test with a little bit of science, and a whole lot of numbers. Fightnomics is the deepest and most complete analysis to date of historical UFC data that answers common, yet hotly debated questions about the sport. The fight game will never quite look the same once you’ve learned what really matters in a cage fight, and even a few surprising things that don’t.

UFC 168: Rousey vs. Tate 2 Betting Odds and Predictions

Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey (7-0) squares off Saturday, Dec. 28, against Miesha “Cupcake” Tate (13-4) in the co-main event of UFC 168 and there will be plenty of fireworks in this UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship showdown.
This is…

This is the second fight in the rivalry between these two MMA women. The first bout took place in the Strikeforce promotion for the company’s women’s title and ended in the first round when Rousey forced Tate to submit via her signature armbar.

Now, after serving as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 18, the two combatants will go head-to-head once again with the championship on the line. The resulting in-ring war has fans genuinely excited about UFC 168 and its co-main event.

Here is all the vital viewing information and a full preview of Rousey vs. Tate 2.

Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas

When: Saturday, Dec. 28, at 10 p.m. EST

Watch: Pay-per-view

Live Stream: UFC.com

Co-Main Event Preview and Prediction

There is serious hype around the UFC Middleweight Championship rematch between Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva, but there is just as much talk surrounding the women’s bantamweight title fight.

Rousey vs. Tate 2 should be a great co-main event.

These two MMA veterans first met March 3, 2012, in one of the highest-profile women’s fights in the sport’s history. With both stars drawing mainstream notoriety due to their elite ability and good looks, each has helped put the sport of women’s MMA on the map.

The rematch is also coming at the perfect time.

After the success of The Ultimate Fighter 18, Tate and Rousey have successfully told a backstory to this fight that even casual fans can enjoy. Rousey came off as a bully during the production of the competition show, and Tate looked like the down-to-earth person fans could relate to.

Rousey spoke to Jim Rome about why her opponent was put in this fight:

Miesha has a nice ass and she has an ongoing rivalry with me and that’s the only reason she was picked for this fight. The rivalry is why she is even around. It’s not because of her athletic merit. She really has to play that part of it up (rivalry) because that’s all she really has. She has to make it personal because you can’t make it an athletic rivalry because there really is no comparison. I’m an Olympic athlete and she’s a high school wrestler.

With weeks of interaction and tension, the frenzy over the title fight has reached a fever pitch. UFC fans have been forced to take sides in this match due to all of the well-publicized, pre-fight banter.

As much as this fight will draw fans to buy UFC 168, the action in the Octagon will not live up to the hype. Tate deserves credit for her elite wrestling, striking and submission work (it helped earn her 13 career wins), but there is no fighter in the sport more dominant right now than Rousey.

Rousey has seven career victories. While that doesn’t feel overly impressive, all have come via submission due to an armbar. Most credit her ability to force her opponents to tap out to her elite work in the sport of judo.

As one of the best female judoka in the world, Rousey will match Tate’s wrestling ability and use her momentum against her. If the challenger doesn’t shift her game plan of taking the fight to the ground early to a more stand-up-oriented mentality, the champion will dominate this fight as she did the first.

Tate is a great fighter, but Rousey is the most dangerous woman in the world.

Predicted Winner: Ronda Rousey via first-round submission.

Follow @Donald_Wood

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 168: What Makes Ronda Rousey’s Armbar so Dominant?

Like anyone, there are things that UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey isn’t good at, and there are things that she is.
Apparently, being fake is something she’s not good at.
Winning fights is.
Being civil with rival Miesha Tate ou…

Like anyone, there are things that UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey isn’t good at, and there are things that she is.

Apparently, being fake is something she’s not good at.

Winning fights is.

Being civil with rival Miesha Tate outside of the cage, apparently, is something she’s not good at either.

Finishing fights by armbar is.

The trend that’s emerged in that modest list of examples is clear: She hates Tate for real, she’s never lost a fight, she’s tired of being “instigated” outside of the cage, via Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie, and she’s going to try and finish her by armbar (again).

Truthfully, you’d be more than a little crazy to think there’s not a good chance of that happening. Rousey is 10-for-10 as a mixed martial artist, stopping seven pro opponents by armbar and three more as an amateur. It’s hard to imagine Tate, who is on that list so gruesomely and memorably already, will have the answer this time.

But what makes Rousey‘s armbar so dominant? What makes it so unstoppable?

It’s a combination of things: some preparatory, some technical and some beyond the realm of either.

To begin, Rousey is ruthless in her preparation, a tireless athlete with Olympic-level qualifications and the work ethic to match. She may or may not be a one-trick pony, but it’s irrelevant because she continually needs only one trick to secure victory.

She knows more ways to set up an armbar than most of us know words in our native language. She knows how to close the distance to force a clinch, how to get an opponent to the mat and how to snatch an arm when she’s there.

Once she is, there simply isn’t a more technically sound armbar in the business.

Whether she starts on top or rolls underneath to secure a position, Rousey is as close to flawless as there is. She has a thousand setups to isolate the arm once she’s on it and keeps incredible pressure with her hips at all times.

The ability to isolate the arm from any ground position and adjust both her weight and the weight of her opponent is a crucial element of Rousey‘s success as well, as most defenses to an armbar involve some manipulation of one or the other. Most commonly, one would press their weight into the opponent to relieve pressure on their arm or stack the opponent’s weight back onto them so the opponent cannot extend their hips and lock the arm in place.

With Rousey, she has perfect control of her own weight and an uncanny ability to manipulate the weight of her opponent, which renders many escapes essentially useless.

The other two contributing factors to Rousey‘s unprecedented submission success are more abstract but undeniably influential: experience and level of competition.

It’s no secret that she’s been doing armbars since she could walk, with the stories of her mother attacking her in bed with shouts of “always be ready!” as a kid developing into folklore now. Think of the things you’ve been doing since you were a kid that you take for granted now—walking, writing your name, feeding yourself—that’s the comfort level Rousey has with her armbar.

Related to that is the fact that, as much as we’re all enjoying it, women’s MMA simply isn’t as evolved as men’s MMA at this stage in the game. The fights are often spectacular, but the athletes simply aren’t there yet. If they were, there would be more than a single women’s division with one more on the way.

This leads to underequipped women going in without the tools required to have a chance against Rousey. There are high-level men that she’s catching whenever she wants in training. What chance are midlevel women going to have?

Even the best fights she’s had in Tate and Liz Carmouche were cases of delaying the inevitable, varying degrees of offense from challengers who then survived as long as toughness would allow. They’re both great fighters in the current women’s MMA landscape, but they’re not on the level of an Olympian who devoted her whole life to mastering a specific skill.

What could they, like any other person, possibly learn in a 10-week training camp that could prepare them for that level of expertise? Likely not much. Certainly, as the fights proved, not enough.

And so it goes that Rousey continues to lay waste to opponents by latching onto an arm whenever she wants to and then contorting it on her way to a win. The combination of the way she prepares, the level of technique she’s developed and the intangible elements of it all have combined to make it almost an inevitability.

Saturday, Dec. 28 marks the next attempt to prove otherwise at UFC 168.

Doesn’t seem likely, does it?

Follow me on Twitter @matthewjryder!

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 168: Josh Barnett vs. Travis Browne Head-to-Toe Breakdown

Before two of the most anticipated title rematches in mixed martial arts history unfold, opposing heavyweights will do battle at UFC 168 this Saturday.
In what many consider a colossal collision of momentum, conflicting skill sets and overall bravado, …

Before two of the most anticipated title rematches in mixed martial arts history unfold, opposing heavyweights will do battle at UFC 168 this Saturday.

In what many consider a colossal collision of momentum, conflicting skill sets and overall bravado, resurgent Josh Barnett will take on red-hot Travis Browne in a true barnburner.

As two of the biggest heavyweights in the division who possess unforgiving power and precision, “Hapa” and “The Warmaster” have a chance to put on a Fight of the Night performance.

So, for a showdown that holds ultimate title implications, here’s a head-to-toe breakdown for one of the most intriguing fights of the year.

Begin Slideshow