The UFC has a lot riding on this Saturday’s pay-per-view event.
With Chris Weidman set to defend his middleweight title against Lyoto Machida and Ronda Rousey putting her women’s bantamweight championship on the line against Alexis Davis, UFC 175 figur…
The UFC has a lot riding on this Saturday’s pay-per-view event.
With Chris Weidman set to defend his middleweight title against Lyoto Machida and Ronda Rousey putting her women’s bantamweight championship on the line against Alexis Davis, UFC 175 figures to be the fight company’s biggest PPV of the year, at least so far.
Questions abound regarding this card. Does Weidman really deserve to be the 185-pound champion? Has Rousey given this training camp enough attention, as she’s been off making movies? Do either Machida or Davis stand a chance of taking the straps off two of the UFC’s next-generation stars?
Ordinarily, you’d have to wait for the event itself to find the answers. Not this time. Bleacher Report MMA lead writers Chad Dundas and Jonathan Snowden are here, they brought their far-eyes and they’re ready to look into the future.
Here are their bold predictions for what will happen at UFC 175…
It took all of five minutes and one jaw-dropping knockout against Adam Cella in his second fight on The Ultimate Fighter for MMA fans to buy into Uriah Hall as the frontrunner to win the 17th season of the tournament.
A quick knockout over Bubba McDani…
It took all of five minutes and one jaw-dropping knockout against Adam Cella in his second fight on The Ultimate Fighter for MMA fans to buy into Uriah Hall as the frontrunner to win the 17th season of the tournament.
A quick knockout over Bubba McDaniel and a TKO against Dylan Andrews in his next two fights had fans buying into Hall as a genuine contender in the division once ruled by pound-for-pound great Anderson Silva.
Hall had people thinking less of how he would fare against fellow TUF finalist Kelvin Gastelum in the finale and more about how soon the Jamaican-born fighter would find himself standing across the Octagon with a dude wearing gold around his waist.
He was a contender.
Back-to-back split-decision losses to Gastelum and John Howard had most people, including UFC president Dana White, questioning their original judgments and wondering what happened to the guy that was flattening his opponents out just a few months prior.
“I love Uriah Hall,” White said in his media scrum after Hall’s loss to Howard at UFC Fight Night 26 last August. “I have a great relationship with this kid. He’s one of the nicest human beings you can ever meet. He’s not a fighter, man.”
Whether it be the jitters from being surrounded by thousands of fight fans or the step-up in competition, one thing was certain: Hall was quickly becoming one of the biggest disappointments in TUF history.
He was quickly re-dubbed a pretender.
White was quick to point to Hall’s nice demeanor inside the cage as the crux of his disappointing performances.
“It’s a mental thing. He was this killer that everybody was afraid of on TUF and then he comes into the big show where it all really matters and where you’re going to make, you know, this is going to make your livelihood and everything else and he turns into this different person. This super nice guy.”
White went on to elaborate on why being a nice guy like Hall doesn’t pay off in this business:
“You’re in a fight. You’re here to use your martial arts to win this competition and move forward. You’re not here to high-five and hug. That’s great. It’s one of the things I love about the sport—the sportsmanship that’s displayed, sometimes before, during and after a fight. But, it gets to a point where it gets ridiculous and that’s not what people are sitting at home to watch, that’s not what people paid to come into this building to watch.”
It hasn’t been all bad for Hall inside the UFC cage—he managed to stop Chris Leben back at UFC 169. Though most would be quick to disparage the victory—arguing it had more to do with a past-his-prime Leben realizing he was two years beyond his retirement age than Hall’s performance itself—it’s worth noting that this was the first time Hall seemed comfortable under the bright lights that only the UFC can flash.
Hall has an opportunity to ride this newfound wave of comfort further this Saturday at UFC 175 when he squares off against a 9-2 Thiago Santos. A loss, whether it be a split decision or knockout, would all but eliminate the “pretender or contender” discussion. A win keeps it alive.
Hall’s split-decision losses in the Octagon thus far are not inherently frustrating—they were close fights that could have just as easily seen his hand raised at the end. That’s not who fight fans wanted to see, though—they wanted the guy who was making us feel sorry for the guy standing across from him.
Until people see that guy return, videos (like the one below) that showcase his above-average hand movement and lightning-quick spinning back-kicks won’t matter much to anybody—they’ll forever brand him a pretender in the UFC’s middleweight division.
Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA.
Mixed martial arts is a sport filled with uncertainties and few are more familiar with this reality than Stefan Struve.
Five years ago, the rangy Dutchmen came to the UFC and quickly established himself as a fighter of potential and promise in the heav…
Mixed martial arts is a sport filled with uncertainties and few are more familiar with this reality than Stefan Struve.
Five years ago, the rangy Dutchmen came to the UFC and quickly established himself as a fighter of potential and promise in the heavyweight ranks—a division in desperate need of young talent. While there were setbacks along the way, “The Skyscraper” proved there was legitimacy behind the expectation, as he bounced back strong time and time again.
It didn’t take long for Struve to become a staple on the heavyweight scene and 2012 came to a close with the 26-year-old on an impressive run where he had collected four consecutive victories, all coming by way of the finish. There was no doubting that Struve was a man on fire and winning six out of seven showings had him positioned for much bigger things.
As the Beverwijk-native set out to begin his 2013 campaign, there was talk of title contention, which signaled the talented young prospect had finally made good on his transition to become a championship contender. The only thing standing between him and a coveted spot in the divisional upper tier was one of the premier knockout artists in the fight game and it was a challenge Struve looked forward to.
He would step in against Mark Hunt in what would be a memorable tilt at UFC on Fuel TV—and despite everything that seemed tangible on the road just beyond the “Super Samoan”—the aftermath of that night in the Japan would see his entire world flipped upside down.
While the broken jaw Struve suffered at the end of a brutal left hand from Hunt took some time to recover from, things would take a much drastic turn later that year when doctor’s discovered he was suffering from a heart condition. The news stopped the surging heavyweight in his tracks as everything he’d worked and sacrificed toward, was in jeopardy of being over. News of Struve‘s condition shocked the MMA community as his health—not his ability to fight—swept across the sport’s landscape.
In one quick turn, everything Struve knew was unsettled and he found himself fighting a much different type of opponent.
“It was a little overwhelming,” Struve told Bleacher Report. “I was not only busy with that, but a lot of other things too that took my attention off it. I just went with what the doctors told me and I told them from the very beginning this was not going to be the end of my career. This is something I’ve been doing and working hard at for so long and I wasn’t going to have it taken away from me. It wasn’t going to be the end for me. I told them to find a way and we were going to make it happen. And that’s basically what I did.
“Going through that situation only made me better and makes me more comfortable going into this fight. Going through what I went through last year makes three five-minute rounds not look like much. It’s just another fight and I do this every single day in the gym. I’m ready to do this.”
Nevertheless, Struve remained positive throughout and an improving condition continued to feed his hope of returning to the Octagon. That hope turned to full-fledged motivation in April of this year as his doctors signed off on a full bill of health and he was cleared to resume his training regimen. It was the news waiting patiently to hear—and once back inside the gym—Struve immediately set his sights on regaining his footing in the heavyweight ranks.
As he returned to sharpening his skills inside the gym, the love he received during his time away became fuel of a different variety.
“It felt really good to get so much support and to see how many people appreciated the work I do,” Struve said. “Not only were people telling me how much they loved my fights, but people reached out to tell me they thought I was an awesome person as well. That really meant a lot because it showed how much the things you do mean to people. It showed me that people appreciate what I do and that I had taken the right direction with my life.”
The opportunity he’s been waiting for will come this Saturday night when the resurgent striker squares off with Matt Mitrione at UFC 175. When Struve steps into the Octagon in Las Vegas, 17 months will have passed since he last stood under the bright lights, and he doesn’t plan on wasting a single minute on getting back to business.
“I have let my opponents get comfortable and maybe do their thing a little too much in the first round, but by the second round, they don’t really know what happened because I took over,” Struve said. “That’s what I need to do in this fight. I need to fight at the level I’m capable of fighting from the start. He’s going to break and I’m going to win.
“I think I have the advantage wherever the fight goes. I think I’m better than him on the feet. He may be a little stronger, but I think I’m better than him on the ground as well. If he wants to turn this thing into a wrestling match by coming into the clinch with me, that might not be the smartest thing for him to do. I think I’m better than him anywhere this fight goes and I really need to push myself to fight at a higher level than I did in the past.
“I lost that fight against Mark Hunt but I lost more to myself than I did to Mark,” he added. “My body just wasn’t able to do what it should have been able to do. If I had been 100 percent, I do believe I would have won that fight and finished it in the first round, but my body shut down. It was at point where it’s telling me it won’t go any further than this—and if I did—bad sh** was going to happen. I want to pick up where I left off when I beat StipeMiocic. I want to start winning fights and finishing my opponents again.”
While Struve and Mitrione will battle to determine who rises and falls in the heavyweight picture, their meeting will come on with a tinge of animosity between the two fighters. Shortly after the bout was announced in early May, Struve did an interview with MMA Weekly where he explained the curious manner in which the heavyweight tilt came together.
In the interview, Struve blasted Mitrione for specifically asking matchmaker Joe Silva for the fight, even though he had yet to be cleared for the heart condition that had sidelined him for more than year. Struve deemed The Ultimate Fighter alum’s methods to be of the shady variety, but he is no longer concerned with how things came to be.
The only thing he’s focused on is giving Mitrione what he asked for and he plans to do that in a big way on Saturday night.
“I’ll explain what happened with that situation,” Struve recalled. “I wasn’t even cleared yet and I talked to Matt a couple of months before that. I explained everything I was going through and told him things were going good, but I still needed to get cleared. I had been out with a heart condition for over a year and I’m finally in L.A. in the doctor’s office ready to get checked out and cleared, and Joe Silva calls my manager Nima asking if I want to fight Matt Mitrione. I told him I would fight him and anyone they wanted me to, and Joe said that Matt specifically asked for me. I thought that was a little weird.
“With me being gone for so long, why would he ask for a fight like that? I was asked about what went down in an interview I did, they made headlines out of it, and to be honest with you….I couldn’t care less if he called me out. I just found it a little odd. Like I said, I couldn’t care less. I’m going to try to hurt his feelings this Saturday and he’s going to try to hurt mine. I don’t give a sh**.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Alexis Davis is a walking study on the dynamic contrasts that exist in combat sports.
Outside of the cage, the Ontario native falls on the quieter side of the spotlight, nearly to the point of the shy variety. She is quick to produce a smile and …
Alexis Davis is a walking study on the dynamic contrasts that exist in combat sports.
Outside of the cage, the Ontario native falls on the quieter side of the spotlight, nearly to the point of the shy variety. She is quick to produce a smile and the ever-polite wave, as she takes in those elements that move at a rapid pace around her. It’s not that Davis can’t keep up with the speed her career is moving at, but more along the lines she’s learned the value of observation.
Yet, once the cage door closes, she’s as gritty as they come. The California transplant has a career littered with rock em’ sock em’ affairs, and on those nights—like her action-packed tilt with Sarah Kaufman back in 2012—Davis has no trouble donning the crimson mask of battle, just as she is equally comfortable with handing them out to her opposition.
Davis simply loves to scrap. There is something that comes alive inside of her when the conflict begins, and she has no problem leaving the trash-talking and Twitter beefs for those are perhaps better suited.
The 29-year-old knows it is what happens inside the Octagon that matters, and her efficiency inside the cage has allowed her to climb the ranks of the women’s bantamweight division. Davis’ tenacity has earned her three consecutive victories under the UFC banner, and that run has brought her to the doorstep of the biggest opportunity of her career in a showdown with superstar Ronda Rousey.
At UFC 175 this Saturday night in Las Vegas, she will attempt to dethrone the reigning queen of the 135-pound fold and take her shot at being the first person to derail the rocket-fueled trajectory of the former Olympic judoka turned MMA phenom. So far no one has even come close, but all things are said to have their moment, and Davis believes hers will come on Saturday night.
A shot at championship gold is an opportunity years in the making, but Davis still feels like she’s just getting started.
“It does feel like a long time coming, but at the same time it doesn’t,” Davis told Bleacher Report. “I’ve put in a lot of work to get where I am, but how many people can say they have been in the UFC for a year and earned a title shot? This will be my fourth fight for the UFC and I’m already fighting for the title.
“This has all been kind of surreal. When I first started in a small town of Four Corners, Ontario, Canada—most people don’t even know where that is—to living in California and fighting for a world title. It has just been crazy, and you almost have to pinch yourself sometimes.”
While the women’s bantamweight division is still relatively new to the UFC stage, the fighters involved have wasted no time in making it a weight class to watch. In addition to Rousey‘s dominance, a handful of competitors have consistently engaged in high-caliber bouts that have kept stride with—and in some cases eclipsed—their male counterparts on various fight cards.
Of that collective, Davis is certainly a member, and her three wins inside the Octagon steadily carved out her place in the title picture. Yet, in a game where self-promotion can serve to rapidly elevate a fighter’s profile, Davis has been content to do the work in the belief that the biggest opportunity will materialize as the result.
Although she never shouted from the rooftops for a title shot, Davis never took her eyes off the prize at the top of the mountain.
“I’ve always looked to fight the best people possible because that is what I got in this for,” Davis said. “That’s why I got into this sport. I don’t just want to fight anybody…I want to fight the best. I want to fight whoever is at the top, and I’m going to get that opportunity at UFC 175.
“I’m so excited for this fight because she is exactly the type of fighter you want to face. I want fights like the one with Sarah Kaufman where it’s going to bring out the best in me, and I know this is one of those fights. I know she’s going to bring it. I know she’s going to be coming forward regardless.”
While the matchup between Rousey and Davis will feature two high-level grapplers, Davis isn’t necessarily set on the idea that the champion is a “one-trick pony.” Throughout her title reign, Rousey has shown an ever-evolving striking attack and an increasing willingness to trade leather on the feet.
Those skills were certainly on display in her most recent title defense, as she scored a first-round stoppage victory over Sara McMann after she landed a vicious knee from the clinch that put her fellow Olympian on the canvas. The win over McMann was Rousey‘s first of the non-armbar variety, and Davis believes it is a sign of the how rapidly the champion’s game is evolving.
Davis knows she has to be ready for anything on Saturday night, and she’s confident she’ll be ready for whatever Rousey brings.
“I almost feel like you don’t know what to expect from her anymore,” Davis said. “Of course everyone is always saying armbar, armbararmbar, but she’s put a ton of work into her boxing and clinch work. She is coming off a knockout victory in her last fight, so it’s a case of having to be ready for everything. I’m going to have to be fully prepared for this fight to go anywhere and I’m confident that I am.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Alexis Davis is a walking study on the dynamic contrasts that exist in combat sports.
Outside of the cage, the Ontario native falls on the quieter side of the spotlight, nearly to the point of the shy variety. She is quick to produce a smile and …
Alexis Davis is a walking study on the dynamic contrasts that exist in combat sports.
Outside of the cage, the Ontario native falls on the quieter side of the spotlight, nearly to the point of the shy variety. She is quick to produce a smile and the ever-polite wave, as she takes in those elements that move at a rapid pace around her. It’s not that Davis can’t keep up with the speed her career is moving at, but more along the lines she’s learned the value of observation.
Yet, once the cage door closes, she’s as gritty as they come. The California transplant has a career littered with rock em’ sock em’ affairs, and on those nights—like her action-packed tilt with Sarah Kaufman back in 2012—Davis has no trouble donning the crimson mask of battle, just as she is equally comfortable with handing them out to her opposition.
Davis simply loves to scrap. There is something that comes alive inside of her when the conflict begins, and she has no problem leaving the trash-talking and Twitter beefs for those who are perhaps better-suited.
The 29-year-old knows that what happens inside the Octagon matters, and her efficiency inside the cage has allowed her to climb the ranks of the women’s bantamweight division. Her tenacity has earned her three consecutive victories in the UFC, and that run has brought her to the doorstep of the biggest opportunity of her career in a showdown with superstar Ronda Rousey.
At UFC 175 this Saturday night in Las Vegas, she will attempt to dethrone the reigning queen of the 135-pound fold and take her shot at being the first person to derail the rocket-fueled trajectory of the former Olympic judoka turned MMA phenom. So far no one has even come close, but all things are said to have their moment, and Davis believes hers will come on Saturday night.
A shot at championship gold is an opportunity years in the making, but Davis still feels like she’s just getting started.
“It does feel like a long time coming, but at the same time it doesn’t,” Davis told Bleacher Report. “I’ve put in a lot of work to get where I am, but how many people can say they have been in the UFC for a year and earned a title shot? This will be my fourth fight for the UFC and I’m already fighting for the title.
“This has all been kind of surreal. When I first started in a small town of Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada—most people don’t even know where that is—to living in California and fighting for a world title. It has just been crazy, and you almost have to pinch yourself sometimes.”
While the women’s bantamweight division is still relatively new to the UFC stage, the fighters involved have wasted no time in making it a weight class to watch. In addition to Rousey’s dominance, a handful of competitors have consistently engaged in high-caliber bouts that have kept stride with—and in some cases eclipsed—their male counterparts on various fight cards.
Of that collective, Davis is certainly a member, and her three wins inside the Octagon steadily carved out her place in the title picture. Yet, in a game where self-promotion can serve to rapidly elevate a fighter’s profile, she has been content to do the work in the belief that the biggest opportunity will materialize as the result.
Although she never shouted from the rooftops for a title shot, she never took her eyes off the prize at the top of the mountain.
“I’ve always looked to fight the best people possible because that is what I got in this for,” Davis said. “That’s why I got into this sport. I don’t just want to fight anybody…I want to fight the best. I want to fight whoever is at the top, and I’m going to get that opportunity at UFC 175.
“I’m so excited for this fight because she is exactly the type of fighter you want to face. I want fights like the one with Sarah Kaufman where it’s going to bring out the best in me, and I know this is one of those fights. I know she’s going to bring it. I know she’s going to be coming forward regardless.”
While the matchup between Rousey and Davis will feature two high-level grapplers, Davis isn’t necessarily set on the idea that the champion is a “one-trick pony.” Throughout her title reign, Rousey has shown an ever-evolving striking attack and an increasing willingness to trade leather on the feet.
Those skills were certainly on display in her most recent title defense, as she scored a first-round stoppage victory over Sara McMann after she landed a vicious knee from the clinch that put her fellow Olympian on the canvas. The win over McMann was Rousey’s first of the non-armbar variety, and Davis believes it is a sign of how rapidly the champion’s game is evolving.
Davis knows she has to be ready for anything on Saturday night, and she’s confident she’ll be prepared for whatever Rousey brings.
“I almost feel like you don’t know what to expect from her anymore,” Davis said. “Of course everyone is always saying armbar, armbar armbar, but she’s put a ton of work into her boxing and clinch work. She is coming off a knockout victory in her last fight, so it’s a case of having to be ready for everything. I’m going to have to be fully prepared for this fight to go anywhere and I’m confident that I am.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
At this point, it’s one of our sport’s most persistent jokes.
Five years after the UFC broadcast team prematurely bellowed the dawn of a new day in the light heavyweight division, the “Lyoto Machida Era” has become the “Rickson …
At this point, it’s one of our sport’s most persistent jokes.
Five years after the UFC broadcast team prematurely bellowed the dawn of a new day in the light heavyweight division, the “LyotoMachida Era” has become the “Rickson by armbar” of squandered potential.
When Machida meets Chris Weidman on Saturday at UFC 175, it may not only represent his last opportunity to recapture a world title but also his final chance to avoid going down as the butt of one of MMA’s cruelest memes.
In other words, this is likely Machida’s sole remaining shot at finally becoming the man he was always supposed to be.
In retrospect, it was terribly unfair—but understandable—to anoint the 31-year-old Brazilian karate master the future of the 205-pound division when he posterizedRashad Evans at UFC 98. It had been just over two years since Chuck Liddell’s dominant run ended, and the UFC’s glamour division was desperate for a new hero.
At 15-0 and coming off stoppages in three of his last four performances, The Dragon appeared to fit the bill. He’d achieved near mythic status on Internet message boards before even arriving in the Octagon, putting together wins over UFC mainstays Stephan Bonnar, BJ Penn and Rich Franklin in Japan. By the time he finally parted ways with legendary promoter Antonio Inoki and made his way stateside, he was a star waiting to happen.
Seven straight wins to begin his UFC career—capped by that championship victory over Evans—was all the confirmation we (and his bosses) needed. After four title changes from May 2007 to May 2009 he was the odds-on favorite to bring stability back to the grand old 205-pound ranks.
But we all know how that turned out. About as well as the time the NBA cast Penny Hardaway as its new Michael Jordan.
The Machida Era fizzled after just one successful (but iffy) title defense against Shogun Rua at UFC 104. A knockout loss to Rua in their rematch six months later began a tumultuous period that saw Machida go 3-3 during his next six fights.
His flash-in-the-pan title reign and regression into the pack of light heavyweight also-rans hardly made him unique. A herd of other 205-pounder hopefuls—including Rua, Evans, Forrest Griffin and Quinton Jackson—all proved just as incapable of becoming the new Liddell. Machida was no more or less a failure than any of them, and with the benefit of hindsight, we now recognize they were all just keeping the seat warm for Jon Jones, anyway.
Under different circumstances, Machida’s fumbling of the 205-pound championship might not have been seen as so debilitating. Heck, to simply be included on the honor roll of UFC titlists would be good enough for most guys. But for Machida, more was expected.
When you go ahead and name a whole era after a guy and then he botches it? That’s going to stick with him. It’s going to follow him through his entire career, unless he can somehow do it one better.
Not that the typically enigmatic fighter would ever let on that he’s worried about something as trivial as his own place in history as he prepares to face Weidman.
“I don’t think about that too much,” Machida told MMA Fighting.com’s Dave Doyle this week. “I don’t think about the result. I think about what I have to do. Focus on the objective and go out there and win that title.”
It’s been so far, so good for him at 185 pounds. The suddenly re-energized 36-year-old toppled Mark Munoz with a first-round high kick last October and breezed through a five-round unanimous decision over GegardMousasi in February. He was always a small-ish light heavyweight, and the cut to middleweight appears to have only helped his natural speed, elusiveness and power. When VitorBelfortpulled out of his scheduled bout with Weidman at UFC 173, Machida was the no-brainer replacement.
It’s odd to think that after six years and one failed legacy in the UFC this fight amounts to a complete wild card for Machida. We still don’t really know how good he can be at middleweight. He’ll go off as the underdog on Saturday night, but that feels more like an educated guess than a real prediction of the outcome.
It remains to be seen if his frustrating, hunt-and-peck striking style will be the antidote to Weidman’s straight-ahead power and wrestling. Machida could fall short, just as he did in previous title fights against Rua and later against Jones. But if he goes out and dances away Weidman’s championship—or just KOs him, a la Munoz—nobody will be that surprised.
It would make him just the third fighter in UFC history to claim a title in two different weight classes. Perhaps the most shocking thing about it, though, would be that it would grant him a bit of late-career redemption in a sport not known for getting more forgiving the older you get.
It could save him from being remembered as the guy who was supposed to be great, but then wasn’t.
This time, though, maybe we could hold off on proclaiming it the second Machida Era.
It took all of five minutes and one