Living up to expectations can’t be easy.
Coming into their bout at UFC 170 on Saturday night in Las Vegas, Stephen Thompson looked to be the favorite over Robert Whittaker, mainly based on his accomplishments in the kickboxing world. Whittaker wo…
Living up to expectations can’t be easy.
Coming into their bout at UFC 170 on Saturday night in Las Vegas, Stephen Thompson looked to be the favorite over Robert Whittaker, mainly based on his accomplishments in the kickboxing world. Whittaker won the welterweight tournament on The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes and was looking to make his name, like so many others before him.
Both men had something the other wanted, and they no doubt expected more from themselves than we did.
Thompson was a proven striker with a 20-0 kickboxing record. With only one loss in MMA, from a technical standpoint, it looked like this fight could be his chance to prove he could impose his skills against a heavy hitter while proving he could handle the pressure of being on the main card.
For Whittaker, he had an equal opportunity to prove that his power and aggression were equalizers that should not be ignored.
After the fight ended, we learned that desire, when coupled with power and pressure, could enable technique with devastating results.
Thompson looked every bit as good as the hype, utilizing a fierce body attack in the beginning before going upstairs and landing with hard punches to the head. Whittaker did his best to stay inside and eliminate the potent kicks of Thompson, but in doing so he stepped into punching range.
As game as Whittaker was, he simply couldn’t handle the effective aggression of Thompson, who finished the fight via first-round TKO after hurting him with a hard right hand.
Thompson looked very good in the role of main card fighter, acting and reacting with poise and purpose.
Of course, we still don’t know how well Thompson is going to handle stiffer competition given he was only in action for less than five minutes, but that is coming soon. What we do know is that he is a fighter who can utilize a varied striking attack with brutal results, which is going to give his next opponent a lot to think about.
If his takedown defense is up to the task, he could make a lot of noise in a division that is full of strong grapplers who possess some serious power in their punches.
UFC 170 featured a six-bout preliminary card that was capped off by a Top Five matchup between two of the best women’s bantamweights.
No. 3-ranked Alexis Davis battled No. 5-ranked Jessica Eye to a split-decision win.
Also on the undercard, Rapha…
UFC 170 featured a six-bout preliminary card that was capped off by a Top Five matchup between two of the best women’s bantamweights.
No. 3-ranked Alexis Davis battled No. 5-ranked Jessica Eye to a split-decision win.
Also on the undercard, Raphael Assuncao inched closer to a bantamweight title shot with a decision win over Pedro Munhoz.
All in all, it was another lackluster undercard for 2014. Five of the six bouts went to the scorecards. This is shaping up to be the year of the decision.
What else did we take away from the prelims? Let’s check it out.
What We’ll Remember About the Prelims
Erik Koch’s first-round destruction of Rafaello Oliveira is one of the few memorable bits from the preliminary card. He moved back up to 155 and made a statement in the fight. It could lead to bigger and better things in the very near future for one of the dynamic young guns of the UFC.
Sadly, that was nearly the only memorable moment on the preliminary card.
What We Learned About the Title Contenders
Zach Makovsky controlled his bout with Josh Sampo, but he didn’t do so in an exciting or outright dominating manner. He will move up the flyweight rankings, but he still has work to do before becoming a true title contender.
Raphael Assuncao had a potential title shot on the line against UFC newcomer Pedro Munhoz. He took a very workmanlike approach and won a decision.
Will it earn him a title shot? Perhaps, but not because he is exciting. If he gets the next title shot, it is because the UFC has no other option for Barao’s next opponent.
No. 3 Alexis Davis and No. 5 Jessica Eye went to battle in the preliminary card’s main event. Neither fighter showed her best, and Davis’ strategy could be called into question. If she gets the title fight, she will be in a lot of trouble. Regardless, it was a fun, close fight between two of the division’s best.
What We Learned About the Prospects
The evening opened with an interesting prospect in Yosdenis Cedeno, but he underperformed. Ernest Chavez took the split-decision victory and put a damper on what was supposed to be an exciting debut. Cedeno has a lot of ground work to improve upon.
Cody Gibson vs. Aljamain Sterling was featured on the Fox Sports 1 prelims, and the bout was competitive and fun. Sterling won a unanimous decision that was noticeably different from a lot of the decisions that we have seen thus far in 2014. These two showed a wide array of techniques but also how green they are. The stirring contest will make both prospects interesting to watch in the future.
What’s Next for Davis, Assuncao and Makovsky?
The three potential title contenders will all earn marquee bouts in their next outings.
Davis and Assuncao likely earned title shots. The UFC could easily move them into title eliminators if other plans arise, but right now, there are no other contenders for those two 135-pound straps.
Makovsky should have earned a title-eliminator bout. The flyweight division needs another contender for later this year, and he has done well in his two UFC bouts. The UFC’s best move is to line him up with a Top Five-ranked flyweight with a title shot on the line.
This prelim card at least gave us a look at three top-tier fighters who have their eyes on gold.
Round-by-round results from the UFC 170 main card will be after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and shoot us your own thoughts in the comments section.
Round-by-round results from the UFC 170 main card will be after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and shoot us your own thoughts in the comments section.
Preliminary Card Results
– Alexis Davis def. Jessica Eye via split-decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
– Raphael Assuncao def. Pedro Munhoz via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Aljamain Sterling def. Cody Gibson via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Zach Makovsky def. Josh Sampo via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)
– Erik Koch def. Rafaello Oliveira via TKO, 1:24 of round 1
– Ernest Chavez def. Yosdenis Cedeno via split-decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Robert Whittaker vs. Stephen Thompson
Naturally, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson comes out to “Wonderboy” by Tenacious D. Whittaker shows love to Australia by walking out to AC/DC’s “Hells Bells.”
Round 1: Thompson opens with a side kick. Whittaker sticks the jab. Whittaker throws a high kick. Thompson marches forward with punches, then lands a leg kick. Body kick then a leg kick from Thompson. He tries an outside axe kick that scores him style points if nothing else. Great head movement and counters from Thompson. Truly, he is the white Machida. A hook kick from Thompson lands. Whittaker pops the jab. Thompson drops Whittaker with a dead-on right straight, then swarms as Whittaker tries to get to his feet. Thompson clinches, fires in some knees, and clubs Whittaker down to the mat again. Thompson with a frenzy of ground and pound until Mario Yamasaki calls a stop to it. Impressive, violent finish from Wonderboy. Stephen Thompson def. Robert Whittaker via TKO, 3:43 of round 1.
Mike Pyle vs. TJ Waldburger
And now Waldburger is coming out to “TNT” by AC/DC. What the hell. He’s not even Australian. And Mike Pyle is rocking the mullet tonight. Waldburger is already dead.
Round 1: Waldburger lands first with a leg kick. Pyle lands a kick but almost eats a big overhand left in return. Pyle fires a pair of leg kicks. They trade leg kicks. Pyle dashed forward with punches. Pyle grabs a clinch and Waldburger pushes him against the fence. Pyle escapes with ease. Waldburger slips while throwing a kick and Pyle chases him when he gets up but can’t capitalize. Waldburger lands a right, then a left, then a leg kick. Pyle tries a front kick to the body, Waldburger grabs him, Pyle sweeps him to the mat and gets on top. Then, Pyle transitions into side control. Very slick work by Pyle tonight. But then Waldburger powers up to his feet and escapes. They clinch against the fence. Knees to the body then to the head from Pyle. Waldburger throws a pair of knees to Pyle’s leg as the round expires. 10-9 Pyle.
Round 2: Uh…I think my dog just erased everything I wrote for this round when he ran across my laptop. WTF. Short version: It was a much closer frame…Waldburger may have had a slight edge in the striking total, but Pyle had some good grappling moments and bloodied Waldburger’s face with knees.
Round 3: Hard right hand from Pyle and he smells blood. They clinch, Pyle shoulder-checks im in the face then lands a hard left hook. And then a spinning back elbow. Pyle is on fire. He lands two nasty elbows in the clinch then fires punches until Waldburger stumbles to the mat. Pyle almost gets a guillotine but Waldburger pulls out. Pyle bears the ever-loving fuck out of Waldburger with punches and elbows from the top. Joe Rogan asks Herb Dean why he’s not stopping the fight. This beating…it just keeps going. Okay, now Herb stopped the fight. Mike Pyle def. TJ Waldburger via TKO, 4:03 of round 3.
Rory MacDonald vs. Demian Maia
Round 1: They meet in the center of the cage and trade haymakers. Demian Maia shoots once, MacDonald defends. He tries it again and single-legs MacDonald to the mat. Maia trying to pass guard. He throws down an elbow. And boom, Maia scores mount. Maia softening MacDonald up with punches to the head and body. MacDonald tries to shrimp out and almost does it. Maia in half-guard now. MacDonald uses double-butterfly guard, trying to prevent the mount again. MacDonald kicks him off and gets up. Maia shoots and Rory defends. The two fighters start brawling and Maia lands the harder shots. MacDonald is bloodied. The round ends, and it’s an easy 10-9 for Maia.
Round 2: Maia landing some serious power punches, but MacDonald comes back with a series of head kicks that have Maia hurt. Maia shoots and fails. McDonald with a hard body kick and Maia shoots in desperation. MacDonald is having a lot of success with his kicks right now, which are landing at all levels. MacDonald lands a head kick as Maia is shooting in. MacDonald has Maia rocked with punches and kicks. MacDonald using his range really well, landing long jabs and straights. Overhand left from Maia, kicks to the body and leg from MacDonald. MacDonald with a kick to the body, a kick to the head. He tries a superman punch. MacDonald measure up Maia and stings him with a cross. He lands another body kick as the round ends. That round was all MacDonald, 10-9. We’re even heading into round 3, but Rory has the momentum.
Round 3: MacDonald with more long punches. Maia lands a left straight. MacDonald with more kicks to the body and head. MacDonald with another clean right hand. Maia shoots, unsuccessfully once again. MacDonald punches him in the face for it. MacDonald thoroughly outboxing Maia. Maia shoots for a single. Then he grabs both legs and slams MacDonald to the mat. Maia on top, MacDonald pushes him off and scrambles away. MacDonald fends off another takedown attempt. And another. MacDonald with a body punch before stuffing another takedown. MacDonald with a front kick to the body. MacDonald stuffs a takedown and makes Maia pay, landing a nice uppercut. MacDonald with jabs and another big uppercut. And a right straight. MacDonald stuffs one last takedown before the bell. Pretty clear 10-9 for Rory as far as I’m concerned. After a couple of back-to-back stinkers, that was a fantastic performance from Rory MacDonald. Hey look, all the judges got it right! Rory MacDonald def. Demian Maia via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3). “The animal is back,” MacDonald says. “I’m ready to kick some ass, I’m ready to kill…I want that belt.”
Ladies and gentlemen, we have now entered the “squash match” portion of the evening…
Daniel Cormier vs. Patrick Cummins
Round 1: Cormier takes the center of the cage. Cummins lands a sharp leg kick. He shoots, Cormier defends. Cummins with a nice body kick. Cormier lands a hard uppercut. Some hockey-fighting from the clinch. Cummins literally turns his back and runs away. Cormier follows him and throws bombs. An uppercut from Cormier glances off the side of Cummins’s head, and Cummins hits the mat. Cormier starts throwing down bombs. Cummins rolls and turtles. More big, nasty shots from Cormier and it’s all over. Cummins tries to get to his feet. He looks disappointed with the stoppage, but come on bro, you were gonna get killed out there. Daniel Cormier def. Patrick Cummins via TKO, 1:19 of round 1.
Ronda Rousey vs. Sara McMann
Round 1: Rousey storms to the center of the Octagon, and McMann lands multiple punches to Ronda’s dome as she’s coming in. They clinch against the fence and Rousey lands a hard knee to the body and a sharp elbow. They trade knees. Rousey lands another knee to the liver and McMann drops to the mat and covers up. Herb Dean steps in…just as McMann grabs a leg and tries to recover. The crowd boos the stoppage as premature. But what are you gonna do, McMann dropped like a corpse. Ronda Rousey def. Sara McMann via TKO, 1:06 of round 1. So that’s what it looks like to see Ronda win by something other than an armbar…interesting.
Well damn, the main card is over in two hours, and it doesn’t look like they’re going to replay any of the prelims. Are Goldberg and Rogan going to have to kill time for a full hour? I want no part of this. Good night, all.
LAS VEGAS — Ronda Rousey, women’s bantamweight champion of the world, returns to the Octagon Saturday night for her second title defense in three months.
In the opposite corner will stand Sara McMann, a former Olympic silver medalist in…
LAS VEGAS —Ronda Rousey, women’s bantamweight champion of the world, returns to the Octagon Saturday night for her second title defense in three months.
In the opposite corner will stand Sara McMann, a former Olympic silver medalist in wrestling. Many are pegging her as the toughest opponent of Rousey‘s career. She’s still a sizable underdog, but there’s a sense of belief among many in the audience that McMann might be able to get the job done.
There is no such belief in Patrick Cummins, the 4-0 coffee barista tabbed to replace Rashad Evans on just one week’s notice against Daniel Cormier. Cummins is a historic underdog. But the nature of mixed martial arts is that anything can happen, and sometimes it does. It is not expected, but stranger things have happened.
This is my ongoing UFC 170 Notebook, where I’ll provide you with backstage news and notes in addition to ongoing fight coverage. The aim here is not to describe what happens in the Octagon; there are many places you can turn for that. My goal is to peel back the curtain a bit and give you a peek into the madness that is fight night.
Every world champion in MMA, past or present, possesses a quality that makes his title reign one to pay attention to or one to remember.
Some champions destroyed their opponents and broke their wills in one fell swoop during title defenses, while …
Every world champion in MMA, past or present, possesses a quality that makes his title reign one to pay attention to or one to remember.
Some champions destroyed their opponents and broke their wills in one fell swoop during title defenses, while others took to showcasing something new in every bout by either dominating their opponent in their own realm or forcing their opponent’s foot off the gas as the bout progressed.
A select few even represented themselves not only as unstoppable forces who accumulated lengthy winning streaks but also as enigmas who nobody figured out for years.
These days, the term “enigma” seems to suit UFC women’s bantamweight champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey, yet at this point, everyone knows her modus operandi. She wants to impose her strength, implement her judo, dominate on the ground and work her way to the armbar.
On paper, it sounds easy to either take Rousey down and control her on the ground or avoid the ground game altogether, but fights don’t always play out that way.
This may explain why Rousey holds the favorite over fellow undefeated Olympian and top title contender Sara McMann, who challenges for the title on Saturday night at UFC 170.
Much like Liz Carmouche and Miesha Tate, McMann’s edge on paper comes if she can force Rousey out of her element by using her wrestling game to nullify Rousey’s judo and her persistent control in all aspects of the grappling game.
McMann’s top control, if implemented in a similar way to how she controlled Sheila Gaff, would force Rousey to seek a different way to work her game plan—knowing that McMann would pose an answer to the champ’s various armbar attempts from any and every position possible.
It all works well until you realize the difference between claiming that McMann can control Rousey on the ground and McMann actually doing it. The challenger stands a chance, but so did Carmouche, Tate and former Strikeforce champion Sarah Kaufman.
Heck, just about every fighter in the UFC’s women’s bantamweight class who is on a winning streak can claim to have a chance against the champion, but once the cage door closes, it becomes a different battle altogether.
Rousey performs on a much different level than Gaff or any other woman in the game at 135 pounds.
Still, do not sleep on the undefeated silver medalist. While Rousey knows how to hook armbars in ways most fans don’t, McMann’s true edge may come mentally, and to understand why that might hold the key toward her success, we must recall Rousey’s road to this point.
Sure, we could beat it to the ground that every past opponent thought she would be the one to snap the champ’s streak, but remember that almost every MMA fan in the world, at one time or another, felt that one Rousey opponent would emerge as “the one.” She used that to push herself to become the top women’s bantamweight in the world, and it showed when she submitted Tate in their UFC 168 rematch.
Remember that fight? Some in the MMA world thought that if Tate pushed Rousey past the first round, the champ’s supposed lack of cardio would show and Tate would prevail. She pushed Rousey hard for three rounds, but someone forgot to tell Rousey that she needed to slow down and gas out.
As a result, Rousey took control, earning the first third-round submission win of her career.
Now, no one questions whether or not McMann can go beyond the first round. Three of the first six fights of McMann’s career ended in unanimous-decision wins, and when it comes to submissions, she possesses skills of her own as well. Still, she holds the underdog status because seven women have tried and failed against Rousey.
So what makes McMann think she’ll even last five minutes, let alone five rounds, with the champ?
Maybe that’s just the reason why she’ll compete harder than any oddsmaker, fan or expert expects her to. Nobody expects her to compete with Rousey—just like nobody thought Rousey would beat Tate the first time.
Just like nobody thought Rousey would be the reason why women’s MMA would make it to the UFC, and just like nobody anticipates her getting the “former champion” tag on her name unless she vacates the belt or retires undefeated.
When the critics entered Rousey’s mind, it motivated the champ to prove them all wrong. What would stop McMann from shocking the world if she took the same approach on Saturday night?
If McMann can say or do anything about it, nothing will stop her from at least making a fight out of it, whether anyone saw it coming or not.
Headlined by women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and fellow Olympian Sara McMann, UFC 170 is set to go down this weekend.
Rousey has successfully defended her UFC title in back-to-back bouts, but McMann co…
Headlined by women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and fellow Olympian Sara McMann, UFC 170 is set to go down this weekend.
Rousey has successfully defended her UFC title in back-to-back bouts, but McMann could be her toughest test stylistically. The former freestyle wrestling silver medalist could be the first fighter who is capable of forcing Rousey to stand.
Additionally, Daniel Cormier will make his light heavyweight debut on Saturday. DC was originally scheduled to meet Rashad Evans in the co-main event, but he’ll now meet replacement opponent and UFC newcomer Patrick Cummins in what looks to be a warm-up fight.
Furthermore, welterweight contenders Rory MacDonald and Demian Maia will battle to get back into the win column. Despite their recent losses, both fighters are very much in the hunt for a shot at the currently vacant 170-pound championship.
Here is how MMA fans can watch every portion of the UFC 170 fight card.
UFC 170 Main Card (10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view)
Ronda Rousey vs. Sara McMann
Daniel Cormier vs. Patrick Cummins
Rory MacDonald vs. Demian Maia
Mike Pyle vs. TJ Waldburger
Robert Whittaker vs. Stephen Thompson
The UFC 170 pay-per-view can be ordered through the above video player.
UFC 170Prelims (8 p.m ET on Fox Sports 1)
Alexis Davis vs. Jessica Eye
Raphael Assuncao vs. Pedro Munhoz
Cody Gibson vs. Aljamain Sterling
Zach Makovsky vs. Josh Sampo
Click here for more information on how to watch Fox Sports 1 on your television.
UFC 170 Online Prelims (7 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass)
Rafaello Oliveira vs. Erik Koch
Ernest Chavez vs. Yosdenis Cedeno
The UFC 170 online prelims will be available on UFC Fight Pass. Click hereand sign up to take advantage of the free trial period running through February.
Living up to expectations can’t be easy.