Tag: UFC 170

UFC 170 Results: Projecting What’s Next for Saturday’s Biggest Winners

Despite a lackluster card below two solid co-main events, UFC 170 on Saturday night was a thrilling show that featured several top names who continued to cement their spots toward the top of their divisions.
The UFC is all about building top stars, and…

Despite a lackluster card below two solid co-main events, UFC 170 on Saturday night was a thrilling show that featured several top names who continued to cement their spots toward the top of their divisions.

The UFC is all about building top stars, and with women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey proving her superiority and Daniel Cormier dominating in his light heavyweight debut, UFC 170 was a success for president Dana White and company.

Here is what’s next for Saturday’s biggest winners.

 

Ronda Rousey

While Ronda Rousey did not rely on her patented armbar submission to finish her UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship bout against Sara McMann, she used a series of punches and knees to the body to force an early stoppage.

Rousey has proved once again just how dangerous she really is.

As great as the champion looked on Saturday night, there are questions about the depth of the division and the legitimacy of her competition. Those who question her reign should get a viable contender next after Alexis Davis defeated Jessica Eye via a hard-fought decision victory.

Davis has won each of her last five fights and eight of her last nine bouts, and she has looked dangerous standing up, on the ground and in the clinch. While Rousey still has the advantage as the unquestioned best fighter in the division, a battle against Davis would be a true test.

I’d still bet my money on the champ, though.

 

Daniel Cormier

As one of the most dominant heavyweights in Strikeforce when the company closed its doors, Daniel Cormier came to the UFC with an undefeated record and high expectations.

The wrestling extraordinaire beat Frank Mir and Roy Nelson via decision in his first two fights, but he made the decision to cut his weight and move down to the light heavyweight division.

After fighting the best heavyweights in the world for years, Cormier dominated Patrick Cummins via a first-round TKO and proved to the world that the move to the lighter weight class was the correct one.

While most fans would love to see Cormier take on his friend Rashad Evans in a battle for a No. 1 contender’s spot, the knee injury to Evans has spoiled that plan. Now, Cormier should be preparing for the winner of the Anthony Johnson vs. Phil Davis fight at UFC 172.

Regardless of which fighter comes out of that battle victorious, Cormier showcased his ability to use his wrestling to open up his striking. He will earn a shot for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship with another victory.

Cormier is the real deal at 205 pounds.

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 170 Results: Is Rory MacDonald Ready to Fill Georges St-Pierre’s Shoes?

Rory MacDonald is only three months removed from a loss to welterweight title challenger Robbie Lawler, but is he already back in the running to reclaim the 170-pound strap for Canada?
At UFC 170, he returned to the win column with a masterful performa…

Rory MacDonald is only three months removed from a loss to welterweight title challenger Robbie Lawler, but is he already back in the running to reclaim the 170-pound strap for Canada?

At UFC 170, he returned to the win column with a masterful performance against jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia. With the victory, MacDonald showed he’s prepared to fill the void left by his Tristar Gym teammate Georges St-Pierre, who vacated the welterweight championship following a win over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167.

Despite his somewhat short break between fights, MacDonald showed marked improvement on the ground from his bout with Lawler to his meeting with Maia on Saturday.

Perhaps more importantly, he showed more composure in a clutch situation. The matchups with Lawler and Maia both saw the Canadian in a pivotal third round after he split the first and second stanzas on the scorecards. This time, despite facing an even more skilled grappler, MacDonald won a key scramble on the ground to secure victory.

At UFC 167, Lawler rolled MacDonald over on a double-leg takedown. Instead of neutralizing the situation by turning into Lawler, MacDonald turned away and tried to stand, giving up his back in the process, which played a role in his decision loss.

Flash forward a few months.

MacDonald found his role reversed after being taken down by Maia in the third round.

After being thrown to the canvas, “Ares” was able to create some space, but he didn’t panic and turn his back to Maia in an attempt to stand. Instead, he secured underhooks and a butterfly guard, which he used to elevate the Brazilian over his head, creating enough space to escape freely.  

Training with St-Pierre at Tristar Gym, MacDonald was bound to develop some stylistic similarities to the greatest welterweight in MMA history. However, his well-rounded abilities and constant signs of improvement are what make him a true candidate to fill St-Pierre’s shoes as the 170-pound king.

Still only 24 years old, MacDonald is going to keep getting better. And it is worth noting that St-Pierre didn’t begin his most notable welterweight title run until a month prior to his 27th birthday.

Right now, Ares is probably Canada’s best hope to reclaim UFC gold. Considering he has already evolved since narrowly losing to a fighter who could claim the 170-pound championship next month, MacDonald’s time might not be very far away. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 170: Is Mike Pyle Better Than Ever, Demian Maia Done as Contender?

Outside of the quick finishes put forth by champion Ronda Rousey and top contender Daniel Cormier, UFC 170 offered some good, old-fashioned veteran action.
Two of those recognizable names were welterweights Mike Pyle and Demian Maia.
Both coming off th…

Outside of the quick finishes put forth by champion Ronda Rousey and top contender Daniel Cormier, UFC 170 offered some good, old-fashioned veteran action.

Two of those recognizable names were welterweights Mike Pyle and Demian Maia.

Both coming off their own heart-breaking and frustrating defeats, each UFC mainstay was aiming to impress and start off 2014 on a good note.

Unfortunately, only Pyle escaped Saturday’s Las Vegas main card with a victory, ending TJ Waldburger late in the third round. Maia lost to Rory MacDonald via unanimous decision.

Now, while neither welterweight is close to challenging for a title—even though Maia was recently considered a fathomable option to do so—it’s still important to understand their careers may be heading in opposite directions.

On one hand you have Pyle, a true veteran of the sport who often excels late into fights by tapping into an endless holster of experience and raw gusto.

Since the beginning of 2012, “Quicksand” has sunk every one of his opponents besides the red-hot Matt Brown back in August. His resurgence over the past two years has included three TKOs and one knockout, which stands as one of his most impressive stretches of finishes in his lengthy career.

Waldburger isn’t a top threat in the division, but a win over him not only proved Pyle can rebound from a crushing defeat so late into his career, but it proved he could out-craft a younger and more athletic opponent.

His victory was truly a step in the right direction as he works his way to the welterweight’s Top 10.

On the other hand we have Demain Maia, a Brazilian submission specialist well known for his ability to grind an opponent down to sheer bone.

But what became evident at UFC 170 when Maia was defeated by MacDonald—even despite his recent success as a newly positioned threat in the welterweight division—is that the 36-year-old is on the last legs of his career.

Coming into his fight with MacDonald, a superior athlete who pushes the pace from the first round to the last, Maia had to know his conditioning would be called into question. He had to know he would need to be in the best shape of his life.

Unfortunately for Maia, in a loss that showcased his inability to maintain fluency and consistency following an early fight energy dump, he was more than likely in the best shape of his career and still looked like a suffocating catfish.

So what does this mean? It’s pretty simple. Another defining defeat at the hands of a more athletic competitor and the Brazilian will start to be scratched off many lists around the sport.

 

For more UFC news and coverage, .

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 170: 5 Takeaways from Las Vegas

Despite losing big-time draw Rashad Evans to injury and seeing both the main event and co-main event end in a matter of minutes, UFC 170 still delivered.
As only the second card of all time to be headlined by a women’s title fight, the Las Vegas throwd…

Despite losing big-time draw Rashad Evans to injury and seeing both the main event and co-main event end in a matter of minutes, UFC 170 still delivered.

As only the second card of all time to be headlined by a women’s title fight, the Las Vegas throwdown seemed to do everything well.

A lot of antsy onlookers were highly invested in not only Ronda Rousey’s Olympic grudge match with Sara McMann but also Daniel Cormier’s quest to punish Pat “The Coffee Maker” Cummins.

All in all, it was a great night of fights.

Here are five takeways from the event and what each key performance means to its respective division.

Begin Slideshow

3 Fights for Patrick Cummins to Take Next

At UFC 170, Patrick Cummins played the sacrificial lamb.
The UFC newcomer stepped up on short notice to give Daniel Cormier a chance to compete in the light heavyweight division. It was hardly an ideal situation, but the matchup gave “DC” a 205-pound w…

At UFC 170, Patrick Cummins played the sacrificial lamb.

The UFC newcomer stepped up on short notice to give Daniel Cormier a chance to compete in the light heavyweight division. It was hardly an ideal situation, but the matchup gave “DC” a 205-pound warm-up and Cummins a ticket into the world’s top MMA promotion.

Despite being bowled over by Cormier on Saturday, Cummins will get another chance inside the Octagon. That was confirmed by UFC president Dana White following the fights this weekend:

Obviously, a step down in competition is in order for Cummins. Here are some more suitable opponents for the 33-year-old.

 

Robert Drysdale

Like Cummins, Robert Drysdale has a lot of good tools on the ground, but he is also getting a late start to his UFC career at 33 years old.

A two-time NCAA All-American wrestler, Cummins might be willing to go to the ground with Drysdale. The UFC isn’t going to find many fighters who are willing to roll with Drysdale, who is among the best jiu-jitsu practitioners in the world, so that alone makes this potential fight interesting.

With Cummins and Drysdale both having fairly big names for UFC newcomers now, it is also a bout that could quickly push the winner up the light heavyweight ladder.

 

Loser of Francimar Barroso vs. Hans Stringer 

Outside a matchup with Drysdale, things get less spectacular for Cummins. His most likely opponent would be another UFC newcomer who lost in his first trip to the Octagon.

At UFC Fight Night 38, Hans Stringer will be making his UFC debut against Francimar Barrosso. Should the 26-year-old Blackzilian fall in that matchup with Barrosso, he’d be one of the top candidates to face Cummins.

While a loss to Drysdale would probably leave Cummins with a third and final opportunity to prove himself at the UFC level, this bout against Stringer would put the UFC 170 loser in a must-win situation right away.

 

Loser of Ryan Jimmo vs. Steve Bosse 

Steve Bosse is another fighter who will be joining the UFC ranks shortly. The Canadian is set to meet fellow countryman Ryan Jimmo in April.

Already coming off a loss to Jimi Manuwa, Jimmo will be one loss away from being released if Bosse defeats him at UFC Fight Night 41. Like most UFC newcomers, Bosse will also likely need to win one of his first two UFC bouts in order to stick around with the organization.

So, if the UFC decides to place Cummins in a loser-leaves-town match, he could meet the loser in the bout between Jimmo and Bosse.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 170: Ronda Rousey Wrecks Sara McMann, Can Anyone Stop the Champion?

Superstars are hard to come by.
Athletes like Peyton Manning, LeBron James and Clayton Kershaw only come around once in a lifetime.  It’s truly a blessing in disguise for a sport to possesses these undying entities.
This rings just as true in mixe…

Superstars are hard to come by.

Athletes like Peyton Manning, LeBron James and Clayton Kershaw only come around once in a lifetime.  It’s truly a blessing in disguise for a sport to possesses these undying entities.

This rings just as true in mixed martial arts. But in MMA—a sport often defined by a fighter’s most recent performance—superstars are scarcer than elephants on a golf course.

So when a polarizing figure like Ronda Rousey comes along, uncertainties begin to rear their ugly heads. Can she prolong greatness? Can she maintain superstar status among the UFC’s best?

These are questions that every top fighter in the world must answer from time to time, but no UFC competitor is more spotlighted than the women’s bantamweight champion.

Entering Saturday’s UFC 170 main event opposite a very formidable Sara McMann, Rousey was starting to be pegged as the UFC’s next big ticket. With top salesmen like Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva away from the game, Rousey seemed like the logical choice to pick up the pieces and pad her bank account.

Well, “Rowdy” seems like she’s on her way to doing exactly that.

After Rousey landed a record-breaking blow for the quickest knockout in divisional history, McMann‘s liver closed up shop thanks to a perfectly timed and even more perfectly executed left knee by the champ.

The early first-round finish meant more than just another title defense for Rousey. It showcased her budding stand-up skills, which everyone has been hearing about over the past few months. The stories of her folding world-class boxers during training now seem like a well-defined truth.

Now, while Rousey‘s prior in-cage excellence suggested McMann would have to pull off the impossible to defeat her, nobody would have thought the challenger would get swarmed so early. 

Because after the dust settled and Rousey claimed her first finish not by armbar, it was evident what she had done. It was evident that McMann had been left wrecked like an abandoned ghost ship without its crew.

Her efforts were surely admirable, and she seemed to have something for Rousey had the fight lasted longer, but at the end the challenger was unable to deflect the champ’s world-class preparation, precision, persistence and sheer athleticism.

So that leaves the question as to whether or not Rousey can be stopped. And the answer to that very generic inquiry is an emphatic no.

Well, maybe—just not yet.

As for now, top contenders like Cat Zingano, Alexis Davis and Amanda Nunes stand in Rousey‘s way from pulling off a GSP and knocking off every relevant threat in her weight class.

Sure, each fighter offers some sort of test for the champ and their own means of pulling off a miraculous upset, but when it really comes down it, McMann was the one who possessed the defining skill set needed to dethrone a queen. And look what happened to her.

It took Rousey such little time to pick apart an undefeated Olympic standout that it seems as if she’ll never meet her match.

However, if Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino happens to find her way to the world’s biggest MMA outlet, Rousey will truly have her hands full with an athlete whom many consider the best female fighter in the world.

 

For more UFC news and coverage,

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com