Tag: UFC 174

UFC 174: Fighters in Desperate Need of a Victory

Sometimes, spectacular things happen when there’s a level of desperation involved. Fans can only hope that’s the case this Saturday at UFC 174.The main event will feature a title defense by UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson again…

Sometimes, spectacular things happen when there’s a level of desperation involved. Fans can only hope that’s the case this Saturday at UFC 174.

The main event will feature a title defense by UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson against Ali “Puncher” Bagautinov. Johnson should use his speed and quickness to overcome the Russian challenger by decision, but as we all know, anything can happen in the Octagon. 

Win or lose, both Johnson and Bagautinov still have decent futures ahead of them in the UFC.

The same can’t be said as assuredly for the next three men.

 

“Supernatural” Tae Hyun Bang

Beginning a UFC career 0-2 is the last thing a fighter wants to do. Supernatural would be staring at that unfortunate reality were he to lose to “Ragin” Kajan Johnson during the FX preliminaries on Saturday.

Supernatural came to the UFC having faced a good number of recognizable and respected fighters like Jorge Masvidal and Takanori Gomi while fighting in Sengoku and other promotions. But he wasn’t able to grab the victory in those bouts.

He’s 2-4 in his last six fights and has had layoffs of 32 and 21 months in that span of time. 

With that recent track record, a loss on Saturday could leave him dangling on the UFC cut line.

 

Mike “The Hulk” Easton

At one time, Easton looked like he was destined to rise through the bantamweight ranks and earn a title shot. That hasn’t happened, and heading into his scrap with Yves Jabouin on Saturday, Easton has lost three fights in a row.

In his defense, the losses have come against real studs.

Newly crowned champion TJ Dillashaw won a unanimous decision over The Hulk in January to set up his title shot against Renan Barao.

Easton also lost to Brad “One Punch” Pickett and Raphael Assuncao, who beat Dillashaw and hasn’t lost in over three years.

Still, losing is not good.

Easton needs to handle Jabouin if he wants to have a prayer of re-establishing momentum. He appears to be in good shape, per this tweet prior to weigh-in.

Easton probably isn’t flirting with the cut line, but he could fall so far out of contention that he may as well be.

 

Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski

As big names go amongst active fighters, there aren’t many who carry the weight that Arlovski does. He has competed against and beaten legends of the sport dating back to the early days of the UFC.

After a six-year hiatus, Arlovski is back with the big promotion with the little name and taking on Brendan “Big Brown” Schaub.

Because of the anticipation created with his return, there’s a lot of pressure on Arlovski to perform well. While he may not be immediately released if he loses, the shine of his return will wear off really quick if Schaub dominates him.

Marc Raimondi of Fox Sports believes Arlovski fits the current heavyweight division, win or lose.

We probably won’t see a new Arlovski on Saturday. He’s likely to be the same impressive boxer with knockout power and good defensive wrestling. Schaub is obviously a tough foe. But no matter what happens in that bout, Arlovski probably has a place in the UFC’s relatively thin heavyweight division. He’s determined to prove that all over again.

That’s probably true, but performing well on Saturday will decide whether or not he’s a joke to fans moving forward.

 

Follow me. I dig combat sports.

@BMaziqueFPBR

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Demetrious Johnson vs. Ali Bagautinov: How Puncher Can Pull Huge Upset

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson is one of the most dominant champions in the UFC. He has ruled the flyweight division since its inception in 2012.More impressively, he has gotten better with each bout. Most recently, he knocked out Joseph Benavidez i…

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson is one of the most dominant champions in the UFC. He has ruled the flyweight division since its inception in 2012.

More impressively, he has gotten better with each bout. Most recently, he knocked out Joseph Benavidez in the first round of their rematch back in December 2013. 

On Saturday at UFC 174 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Johnson will defend his title against Russian contender Ali Bagautinov. 

The challenger brings a ton of power into the Octagon—as evidenced by his five wins via KO—and the weight of a nation’s expectations on his shoulders.

When asked about what it was like to carry the Russian fighting banner in the UFC by E. Spencer Kyte of The Province, Bagautinov said:

“First and foremost, it’s a lot of responsibility. It’s a huge responsibility and I feel it — I want to do my best not to let down my supporters, my fans and I want them to enjoy when they watch us.”

Even though Bagautinov has put together a nice run in the UFC (3-0), one look at the odds, per OddsShark, and there’s no doubt who the favorite is.

Facing such a skilled and dominant champion only makes the task of carrying the Russian flag all the more difficult for Bagautinov.

I know what it says in the headline of this article, but don’t read this as an endorsement for the challenger in Saturday’s main event.

Let’s make it plain—Johnson can and should successfully defend his title, but that doesn’t mean Bagautinov doesn’t have a plan of attack that will give him the best chance for success.

Here’s what the challenger must do to dethrone Mighty Mouse.

 

Pick His Spots

Johnson is perhaps the fastest man in the UFC. Bagautinov doesn’t have a prayer of keeping pace with him step for step. He has to try and time the champion and attempt to disturb his rhythm.

This is obviously easier said than done—especially while attempting to defend against strikes—but it’s imperative to Bagautinov‘s cause.

If he does find an opening during an exchange, he has to make his punches count. He doesn’t figure to have a ton of opportunities.

 

Make it Ugly

If Bagautinov allows this fight to be fought pretty, he’ll lose. Johnson’s movements and agility are beautiful to watch. He’s truly graceful in combat, but Bagautinov has to find a way to muck up the action.

Leg kicks, clinches, knees on the inside and double-leg takedowns are all potential strategies he could employ to control the identity of the fight.

The smoother the action, the bigger the lead Johnson will have on the scorecards.

 

Follow me. I dig combat sports.

@BMaziqueFPBR

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UFC 174: Bold Predictions for Main Card

It’s bold prediction time for UFC 174. The event will be Saturday at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.The main event is a flyweight bout for the UFC title. Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson will defend against Ali “Puncher” Baga…

It’s bold prediction time for UFC 174. The event will be Saturday at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The main event is a flyweight bout for the UFC title. Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson will defend against Ali “Puncher” Bagautinov. 

The co-feature is a welterweight clash that could have title-shot implications. Rory” Ares” MacDonald takes on Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley. 

Let’s talk about predictions for these two bouts and the other fights on the main card.

Picking winners is a tough deal on most cards, but as UFC commentator Jon Anik attests, it is even more difficult with this card.

While the predicted winner of each fight may not qualify as a “bold” prognostication, the specificity of the prediction should.

In my Mike Goldberg voice: “here weee go!”

 

Mighty Mouse Will Romp in a Clear Unanimous-Decision Win

Speed and defense are the name of the game for Johnson. Though he proved he has the ability to strike with power when he stopped Joseph Benavidez with one lightning quick right hand in his last defense, Johnson’s ability to make opponents miss is his best attribute.

Against Bagautinov, the champion will enjoy a significant speed advantage. 

The challenger has big power, but Johnson’s speed and elusiveness will allow him to frustrate Bagautinov all night. Taking Johnson down is usually a futile move. He’s extremely skilled and squirmy on the mat.

Despite his smallish frame, he’s also very strong.

Johnson will not only retain, but he’ll pitch a near shutout in the process.

The judges’ scorecards should look something like this: 50-45 (twice) and 49-46, all in favor of Johnson.

 

Woodley Will Overpower MacDonald

This my friends, is a bold prediction. MacDonald has long been viewed as nearly perfect from a technical standpoint. He’s run into a couple buzz saws in the form of Carlos Condit and Robbie Lawler, but has handled almost everyone else with relative ease.

Woodley is 3-1 in the UFC, having lost a split decision to Jake Shields in June 2013. However, he owns victories in his career over the likes of Condit, Josh Koscheck, Jay Hieron, Paul Daley and Tarec Saffiedine.

He seems to get better and more explosive with each fight.

The explosiveness is the trait that MacDonald will have the most trouble with on Saturday. Ares likes to use his length advantage over opponents as a primary weapon. Speed is a great counter for reach.

Woodley has plenty of that. 

On top of being the faster fighter, he should also prove to be the most powerful. He has night-changing pop in his right hand, just ask Hieron.

Woodley closes space so quickly, MacDonald won’t be able to counter him.

In the second round, Woodley will land a hard strike that sends MacDonald to the mat. Before he can get his bearings, Woodley will pounce and pound him out for a second-round TKO victory.

 

Bader‘s Wrestling Will Be Too Much for Cavalcante

Despite the fact that Rafael Cavalcante trains with Team Noguiera, his grappling isn’t on the same level as Ryan Bader‘s.

Cavalcante is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but he prefers to stand and trade. If he can engage Bader in a stand-up war, he’ll have a better chance to win. 

Bader is a veteran who knows how his own limitations and can best assess where he’ll have an advantage.

Against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Bader knew a stand-up battle was not in his best interest, so he took Jackson down every chance he had.

Bader hit four-of-nine takedown attempts against Jackson and dominated the bout en route to a unanimous decision win.

Against Cavalcante, he’ll use his wrestling to control the bout, but because he needs to make a statement, he’ll look to pound out Cavalcante from top position. 

Bank on another second-round stoppage and a TKO win for Bader.

 

Brendan Schaub is Too Skilled for The Pit Bull

It’s good to see Andrei Arlovski back in the Octagon, but Schaub is going to make sure he doesn’t last very long in this bout.

In a Q&A session with his Twitter followers, Schaub said this about his approach:

 

“Big Brown” has steadily added to his repertoire. That’s the reason he can be so ambiguous about his strategy for a fight.

On Saturday, a KO will happen.

It probably won’t happen early, as Schaub will respect the punching power of the Pit Bull. In the third round, when the veteran starts to tire, Schaub will take advantage. 

Big Brown will stop an exhausted Arlovski with body kicks and ground-and-pound.

 

OSP Will Smash The Big Deal

Ovince Saint Preux is a monstrous striker who recently showed his grappling prowess.

He beat submission specialist Nikita Krylov at UFC 171 with a shoulder choke, but he’s at his best when he’s standing.

Jimmo has big power as well. He decked Anthony Perosh with one shot in the first round in his UFC debut and did the Robot in the middle of the Octagon.

Because he does have striking prowess and he’s fighting in his home country, he’ll want to make a statement. That approach will get him knocked out.

OSP‘s length and explosiveness will tranquilize Jimmo with a well-placed head kick in the first round. It might just earn him a Performance of the Night.

 

Follow me. I dig combat sports.

@BMaziqueFPBR

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UFC 174: Ryan Bader Plans to Make Triumphant Return Against Rafael Cavalcante

Injuries are common in mixed martial arts, and the fighters who succumb to these setbacks can easily be pulled out of the competitive mindset during their layoff, but Ryan Bader hasn’t allowed his six-month layoff to break his fighting spirit. 
Wh…

Injuries are common in mixed martial arts, and the fighters who succumb to these setbacks can easily be pulled out of the competitive mindset during their layoff, but Ryan Bader hasn’t allowed his six-month layoff to break his fighting spirit. 

While drubbing Anthony Perosh at Fight Night 33 last December, The Ultimate Fighter season eight winner suffered a broken hand en route to earning the lopsided unanimous decision victory. Yet, despite being forced to the sidelines while he recovered from surgery, Bader was determined to remain on the proverbial grind in whatever fashion he could muster.

The Power MMA leader kept a diligent presence inside his Phoenix-based training facility and effectively worked around his injured hand. Where he could have slipped out of the fighting realm until he was fully recovered, Bader‘s motivation to push forward was based on keeping his mental focus locked in a competitive mindset.

The 31-year-old believes the elements in his MMA game are rising to the levels they need to be, and he wasn’t going to let a physical setback detour his progress.

“This was the first time I have ever broken my hand,” Bader told Bleacher Report.

“I injured my knee before, and when you first come back, you are a little gun-shy because grappling and being on the mat requires you to work it pretty hard. But with my hand it was completely different. As soon as I got the pins pulled out and was given clearance to work with it, I jumped right back in and didn’t feel a thing. In fact, it has never felt better. I went from not using it at all for a few months, to going 100 percent in just a few days, and it’s been out of my mind for awhile now. It is a total non-issue.

“I really don’t feel like I took a lot of time off because I’ve been in the gym the entire time. Even when I couldn’t do anything with my hand, I was still in there doing what I could. Whether it was lifting or cardio; I was working every day. Once the pins came out, I turned everything up. I’ve been training the entire time since my last fight and I feel great. I feel like I haven’t missed a step.

“It’s just my personality, but I couldn’t sit around and cry about my hand,” he added. “I was in there lifting one-handed, doing squats and working whatever I could. I kept myself in the fighting mentality. My last fight was ways back, but it doesn’t feel that way to me. I feel more confident than ever, and I’m going to keep it rolling.”

Where the former Arizona State University wrestling standout came to the UFC relatively “green” back in 2008, the five years he’s spent competing inside the Octagon have been a “trial by fire.” Five of his 11 showings have come against opposition that have either held, challenged or went on to win the light heavyweight championship.

While there have certainly been setbacks during his run up the 205-pound ranks, Bader has chalked every step up to education through experience.

He will take the next step on his journey this Saturday night when he faces Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante at UFC 174 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Much like Bader, the heavy-handed former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion is well regarded for his knockout power, and the Arizona representative is expecting the leather to fly with bad intentions when the cage door closes on Saturday.

“Cavalcante is a tough fighter, and he has a very powerful right hand. He has good hips on the ground, is a black belt and all that good stuff, but I’m looking to go in there and make it my fight. I have power in my hands as well. I plan to use my wrestling in this fight, and I believe those things will be the keys to victory against Cavalcante. 

“There are a couple knocks on him. He’s been taken down in a few fights. He’s been knocked out a few times and has gassed out a couple times as well. I’m looking to push the pace in this fight and test his gas tank. I also have solid power in my hands, so if I connect on him, he’s going out. At the same time, I have to respect that about him. He’s a powerful puncher, and he’s put a lot of people away. He’s always dangerous; it doesn’t matter if it is the first or the third round. I need to go in there and implement my game plan. I respect him as a fighter, and it’s going to be a good one.”

“You are never going to get an easy fight per se in the UFC, and Cavalcante is a tough guy,” he added. “He’s a former Strikeforce champion, and I believe he’s a bit underrated. But I’m definitely bringing the power in this fight, and I’m confident I will get the job done. Beating him is going to get me that much closer to where I want to be. After I defeat him, I could get a guy in the top five and keep going up. I want to be the champion, and I’m going to keep working hard until I get there.”

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand, unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 174 Live Results, Play-by-Play and Fight Card Highlights

UFC 174 is now in the books.
Demetrious Johnson defended his flyweight title with relative ease, outclassing challenger Ali Bagautinov. The win puts even more distance between himself and the rest of the division, and solidifies his position as one of …

UFC 174 is now in the books.

Demetrious Johnson defended his flyweight title with relative ease, outclassing challenger Ali Bagautinov. The win puts even more distance between himself and the rest of the division, and solidifies his position as one of the very best fighters in the sport.

Also impressive tonight was Rory MacDonald, who stated his case for a title shot at 170. He beat fellow challenger Tyron Woodley in convincing fashion on Saturday night, much to the delight of the Vancouver crowd. 

For a complete summary of all the night’s action, check out the quick results below.

UFC 174 Main Card on Pay-Per-View

  • Demetrious Johnson def. Ali Bagautinov, unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
  • Rory MacDonald def. Tyron Woodley, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Ryan Bader def. Rafael Cavalcante, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Andrei Arlovski def. Brendan Schaub, split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Ovince St-Preux def. Ryan Jimmo, TKO (Round 2, 2:10)

 

Prelims on FX

  • Kiichi Kunimoto def. Daniel Safarian, submission (Round 1, 2:52)
  • Valerie Letourneau def. Elizabeth Phillips, split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Yves Jabouin def. Mike Easton, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Tae Hyun Bang def. Kajan Johnson, knockout (Round 3, 2:01)

 

Fight Pass Prelims

  • Michinori Tanaka def. Roland Delorme, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Jason Saggo def. Josh Shockley, TKO (Round 1, 4:57) 

For a more thorough account of each UFC 175 match, scroll down to find our play-by-play synopses.

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UFC 174: 6 Fighters Making Their UFC Debuts

On Saturday night the UFC makes its way to the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada. UFC 174 features a flyweight title fight between Demetrious Johnson and Ali Bagautinov, a welterweight fight between Rory MacDonald and Tyron Woodley and much more.
The U…

On Saturday night the UFC makes its way to the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada. UFC 174 features a flyweight title fight between Demetrious Johnson and Ali Bagautinov, a welterweight fight between Rory MacDonald and Tyron Woodley and much more.

The UFC is also bringing former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski, who will be facing Brendan Schaub on the pay-per-view card.

This will be Arlovski’s first UFC fight since March 2008 when he knocked out Jake O’Brien in the second round.

This may not be his UFC debut, but six other fighters will be stepping into the Octagon for the first time on Saturday night. Let’s meet them.

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