Luke Rockhold looked good Saturday night. Really good, in fact, as he choked out a tough Tim Boetsch in just over two minutes.
While many were quick to brush off the former Strikeforce champion following his loss to Vitor Belfort, the middleweight divi…
Luke Rockhold looked good Saturday night. Really good, in fact, as he choked out a tough Tim Boetsch in just over two minutes.
While many were quick to brush off the former Strikeforce champion following his loss to Vitor Belfort, the middleweight division’s chips have fallen in such a way that Rockhold is in the thick of title contention even with that loss. That makes pondering potential matchups for him quite the interesting exercise.
So who could (and who should) we see Rockhold face off with next? What fights make the most sense for the UFC as it tinkers with the ever-shifting middleweight division?
UFC 172 marked the return of Joseph Benavidez, who fought for the first time since his failed title bid back in December. Benavidez took on Tim Elliott, a guy that wasn’t that close in the rankings.
The Team Alpha Male product took less than a round in…
UFC 172 marked the return of Joseph Benavidez, who fought for the first time since his failed title bid back in December. Benavidez took on Tim Elliott, a guy that wasn’t that close in the rankings.
The Team Alpha Male product took less than a round in beating Elliott, using a late guillotine choke to force a tap and jump back into the win column.
The win for Benavidez really puts him in a tough situation. He has already fought Demetrious Johnson twice for the belt without taking it from him. Their most recent scrap saw Johnson down Benavidez with a vicious first-round knockout that likely dashed Benavidez‘s title hope for a long time.
Basically, Benavidez is caught between a rock and a hard place.
He has beaten almost all of the top guys in the 125-pound division. His only career losses, though, come to Dominick Cruz twice and Johnson twice. Johnson is the champion of his current division, and Cruz was the champion of the 135-pound division.
He already owns wins over Jussierda Silva, Ian McCall and YasuhiroUrushitani, all of whom were top 10 when he beat them. Outside of guys like John Dodson and current challenger Ali Bagautinov, there aren’t many challenges other than a title fight for the Team Alpha Male product.
Basically, Benavidez has become like his friend and training partner Urijah Faber, where he wins every fight but the fight for the belt. Plus, the fact that he has recently fought Johnson and took a nasty finish means Benavidez is out of the title picture for an extended period of time.
It’s going to take a major winning streak against quality opponents for Benavidez to earn another nod from the UFC brass. He will have to fight a murderer’s row of flyweights to even be in consideration for a championship fight.
For now, he is a novelty act. He will win fights and win fights, but not advance his stock much.
Looking forward, there are plenty of options that don’t include Johnson in terms of fights he can take. Perhaps the winner of John Dodson-John Moraga or Zach Makovsky could be a good fight for Benavidez next.
Another title shot is not impossible or out of the question. However, for now, Benavidez will continue to fight just to fight until he can put together an impressive enough streak to gain relevance at 125.
Ever have one of those weeks?
You’re not feeling great about your job, your boss is giving you a hard time, you don’t know where to turn or what to do.
It’s like the whole world is against you, every choice you make is wrong, and the ones that seem rig…
Ever have one of those weeks?
You’re not feeling great about your job, your boss is giving you a hard time, you don’t know where to turn or what to do.
It’s like the whole world is against you, every choice you make is wrong, and the ones that seem right blow up in your face.
In general, it just kind of sucks.
Yeah, you’ve had one of those weeks. Everyone has. All you can do is put your head down and give it a shake, then hope that the next week shapes up a little better.
You know who can sympathize with you, at least based on his UFC 172 experience? Light heavyweight contender Phil Davis. There’s a pretty good chance that, wherever he is in the world right now, he’s got his head down and he’s giving it a shake. He’s waiting for next week to start, hoping that it shapes up a little bit better.
Because fight week, for him, sucked.
It all started when Dana White decided, relatively unprovoked, to point a finger of blame at him for a perceived lack of fire. He ragged on Davis for being a perennial contender based on merit but never getting over the hump due to mental shortcomings.
Davis, for his part, embraced that idea. He made it clear that White’s message, though perhaps erroneous, was received.
When it came time to promote UFC 172, Davis was a wild man. He said as much outrageous stuff as he could muster, most of it directed at UFC champion Jon Jones. There was almost no mention of his actual opponent, Anthony Johnson, but instead a nonstop stream of vitriol for Jones, who was serving as the event’s headliner.
It was obvious that he was playing some sort of trumped-up character version of the man White wanted him to be, but it was pretty enjoyable for everyone involved. All he had to do was beat Johnson, and there was a pretty good chance he’d have talked himself right into title discussions.
But when it came time to walk the walk, Davis faltered. Johnson routed him with alarming ease, returning to the UFC for the first time in 28 months and stepping over the No. 4-ranked Davis in shocking fashion.
Davis didn’t look bad by his own standards, he looked bad by any standards applicable to mixed martial arts. He couldn’t get off, got beat up on the feet and couldn’t score a takedown. He simply looked lost.
The work he’d done to become a trash-talker with an eye on the title was unraveled by the part he’d historically excelled at: the fighting. No one would have predicted that, but he sure picked a bad time for the worst showing of his career.
It was all bad enough for Davis, destined to leave Baltimore a loser and a disappointment in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of MMA, but the parting digs of the press conference served to twist the knife that much more.
Sitting at the dais, Jones high-fived Johnson goofily and congratulated him on the considerable trouncing he’d laid on Davis earlier in the night. He mocked Davis and his lack of focus, suggesting that the Penn State alum was “somewhere pouting.”
It was an undeniably tough way for Davis to end what has to be among the worst weeks of his life. Certainly of his professional life.
His job was unsatisfying, his boss threw him under the bus, he caught a quality beating at the office and then his nemesis mocked him on his way out the door (while basking in his own glory, no less).
All he can do about it is let the wounds heal and come back stronger—but boy, was this one forgettable.
UFC 172 was chock-full of exciting bouts and impressive finishes. This is especially true of the prelims where there were three finishes and a ton of excitement.
Obviously, most of the attention in the aftermath of UFC 172 is on the biggest names, like…
UFC 172 was chock-full of exciting bouts and impressive finishes. This is especially true of the prelims where there were three finishes and a ton of excitement.
Obviously, most of the attention in the aftermath of UFC 172 is on the biggest names, like Jon Jones, Anthony Johnson and Luke Rockhold. Although that is all well deserved, there were some men on the prelims who should get some attention for their work last night.
So, who were the three stars that emerged from the undercard? Let’s examine, based on performances and impressiveness.
Chris Beal
Chris Beal seemed to catch a tough break when he was not invited back to the UFC following The Ultimate Fighter 18. He was one of the brightest prospects on the show with an inspiring story, and his loss came against eventual winner Chris Holdsworth.
However, when UFC 172 needed to fill some sports on the card, Sean Shelby gave Beal a chance to prove himself against fellow promotional newcomer Patrick Williams. Beal did not disappoint.
In fact, he exceeded expectations. Early into the second round, Beal unleashed a picture-perfect flying knee that landed on the head of Williams, rendering the latter unconscious.
It earned Beal a post-fight bonus for his performance and a ton of fans in the process.
Danny Castillo
Danny Castillo has consistently performed in the UFC but has continued to float under the radar. After his destruction of Charlie Brenneman, fans are going to recognize Castillo for his talents more than before.
Castillo, known for his wrestling and grinding attack, did not allow Brenneman to get anywhere near the judges. Instead, the Team Alpha Male product decimated Brenneman with extreme prejudice by way of a one-punch knockout.
It was a shocking end to a bout that many people thought would be a strategical matchup. Instead, Castillo saw the door cracked just a bit and punched his way through that door.
Fans, take notice.
Bethe Correia
It wasn’t pretty and it won’t be winning Fight of the Year any time soon. However, Bethe Correia greatly boosted her stock with a win over Ronda Rousey teammate Jessamyn Duke at UFC 172.
Correia, who was a flyweight before coming to the UFC, is now 2-0 with the company. In a division not even close to overflowing with contenders, every win puts you very close to the title picture. Correia, who has also beat the gritty Julie Kedzie, can now demand fights in the top 10.
She has a mean attitude to her and can mean mug with the best of them. She has definitely brightened her star following her outstanding performance at UFC 172.
The standoff has come to an end with at least one of the Diaz brothers. UFC President Dana White announced on Saturday that Nate Diaz is finally ready to fight again.
Diaz was in Baltimore on Saturday night cornering Yancy Medeiros in his fight against…
The standoff has come to an end with at least one of the Diaz brothers. UFC President Dana White announced on Saturday that Nate Diaz is finally ready to fight again.
Diaz was in Baltimore on Saturday night cornering Yancy Medeiros in his fight against Jim Miller at UFC 172. Fans haven’t really heard from the lightweight contender since he requested to be released from his UFC contract while in search of a significant pay raise.
During the post-fight media scrum for UFC 172, White was asked whether he had an opportunity to meet with Diaz and discuss the contractual dispute.
“I didn’t, no,” White told reporters. “I think Joe Silva did, and Nate said he’s ready to fight, so, he told Joe to call him.”
The request for a pay increase came at a relatively odd juncture in Diaz’s career. Despite a stellar showing in his knockout win over Gray Maynard at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale, Diaz is 1-2 in his last three fights.
The sudden interest in a pay raise for Diaz likely stems from his teammate Gilbert Melendez’s blockbuster deal with the UFC. After testing the market, Melendez received a serious offer to jump ship to Bellator, but the UFC swiftly matched Bellator’s offer sheet to retain the services of the former Strikeforce lightweight champ.
Diaz’s request for a raise came only a few days after Melendez signed his new deal with the UFC.
The UFC has also run into similar problems with Nate’s older brother, Nick Diaz. The former Strikeforce welterweight champ retired from MMA over a year ago after losing back-to-back title fights to Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit.
White recently offered Nick a shot at top welterweight contender Hector Lombard, but Nick refused to fight anyone other than UFC welterweight champ Johny Hendricks unless offered a $500,000 payout.
All I said was, What am I getting paid? And [Dana White] said, Let me check your contract. And the last text I got from him was what I would be fighting for. I didn‘t consider fighting for that kind of money. I didn‘t say anything back to him, right, but usually that means something. I’m not considering even for a second fighting any of those guys for less than $500,000. There’s no way.
While White seems sure of Nate’s return, Nick is a completely different story. The former welterweight contender is a polarizing figure that would undoubtedly serve as a major boost to UFC’s pay-per-view numbers.
But then again, how can anyone expect White to give a title shot and a pay raise to a fighter coming off back-to-back losses?
“No Nick,” White confirmed at the post-fight media scrum. “Nick’s got a lot of money, man. I think Nick’s just going to kick back until he has to fight.”
JordyMcElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
Anthony Johnson made a successful return to the UFC Saturday night, as the recent World Series of Fighting poster boy took a dominant decision over Phil Davis. The win took Davis out of contention and launched Johnson into potential title consideration…
Anthony Johnson made a successful return to the UFC Saturday night, as the recent World Series of Fighting poster boy took a dominant decision over Phil Davis. The win took Davis out of contention and launched Johnson into potential title consideration.
Johnson’s fortunes come after a successful WSOF stint that came as a result of his expulsion from the UFC. Johnson had issues making weight, so Dana White and company decided he needed some time in the minor leagues to get his act together.
Now, Johnson is fighting at light heavyweight and has looked great in doing so.
In the aftermath of Johnson’s UFC 172 win, let’s look at three fights he can take next in moving forward with his UFC career.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
If Antonio Rogerio Nogueira can ever get healthy, he would be a good matchup for Anthony Johnson. This is especially true since both men are close to the top of the division but not the top contenders.
Nogueira hasn’t fought in over a year but is currently on a two-fight winning streak over the likes of Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans. Those two wins have put Nogueira in good position, but his lack of activity is also a setback for him.
Stylistically, this would be a very interesting fight. Johnson is a power kickboxer with wrestling to back him up, while Nogueira is a boxer with a strong jiu-jitsu game in his back pocket. This fight could throw one man into title contention and the other back to the drawing board.
Glover Teixeira
Glover Teixeira was unsuccessful in his quest to grab the UFC title off of Jon Jones. He needs a rebound, but he doesn’t need to take a huge step down in competition.
Teixeira represents another fighter who would match up well with Johnson, as both men have bricks for hands and love the dogfight on the feet.
Both men are obviously top-10 fighters, making this matchup a potential no-brainer. It also has Fight of the Night written all over it if Joe Silva pulls the trigger on it.
Daniel Cormier/Dan Henderson Winner
Alexander Gustafsson is the most obvious choice to challenge Jon Jones next. That means that the winner of Daniel Cormier vs. Dan Henderson would have to expect a long layoff to get their title shot.
Fighters need to stay busy and not sit on the sidelines to wait for a title shot. So, whoever wins the fight between Cormier and Henderson should fight Johnson in a top contender’s match.
In a smart booking scenario, whenever Jones-Gustafsson gets booked, Joe Silva could put the Cormier-Henderson winner in the co-main event against Johnson. That way, everything is sorted out before our eyes.
Ever have one of those weeks?