The UFC always ups its game for Independence Day weekend. This year is no exception.
Despite what seems these days to be the inevitable angel’s share—injuries, drug test failures and the dilution of talent because of a new abundance of events&mda…
The UFC always ups its game for Independence Day weekend. This year is no exception.
Despite what seems these days to be the inevitable angel’s share—injuries, drug test failures and the dilution of talent because of a new abundance of events—exacting its cut off the top, UFC 175 still looks and feels like a glamorous card.
The whole thing goes down Saturday from that little MMA oasis in the desert, Las Vegas. Anchoring the event are two title fights: Chris Weidman defends his middleweight strap against Lyoto Machida, and Ronda Rousey looks to fight off another challenger in Alexis Davis.
Perhaps the depth isn’t what it normally is for a marquee UFC. Chael Sonnen failed a drug test and was pulled from his fight with Vitor Belfort. An injury to Junior dos Santos resulted in a match between Daniel Cormier and Dan Henderson moving to another card bolster it in dos Santos’ absence.
But UFC 175 is still very solid. Here’s a look at the full slate, from Fight Pass to finale, including information capsules, viewing coordinates and predictions for each and every contest.
The UFC’s second double-header on Saturday, featuring Fight Night 43 and 44, is over and done with. The results are as follows (h/t MMAFighting.com):
Fight Night 43
Main Card
Nate Marquardt def. James Te Huna via submission (armbar) at…
The UFC’s second double-header on Saturday, featuring Fight Night 43 and 44, is over and done with. The results are as follows (h/t MMAFighting.com):
Fight Night 43
Main Card
Nate Marquardt def. James Te Huna via submission (armbar) at 4:34 of Round 1 Jared Rosholt def. Soa Palelei via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Charles Oliveira def. Hatsu Hioki via submission (modified D’arce/Peruvian neck tie) at 4:32 of Round 2 Robert Whittaker vs. Mike Rhodes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary Card
Jake Matthews def. Dashon Johnson via submission (triangle choke) at 3:16 of Round 3 Richie Vaculik def. Roldan Sangcha-an via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) Vik Grujic def. Chris Indich via TKO (punches) at 4:55 of Round 1 Neil Magny def. Rodrigo Goiana de Lima via TKO (punches) at 2:32 of Round 2 Dan Hooker def. Ian Entwistle via TKO (elbows) at 3:34 of Round 1 Gian Villante def. Sean O’Connell via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Fight Night 44
Main card
Cub Swanson def. Jeremy Stephens via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) Kelvin Gastelum def. Nicholas Musoke via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Cezar Ferreira def. Andrew Craig via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) Ricardo Lamas def. Hacran Dias via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Clint Hester def. Antonio Braga Neto via split decision, (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Joe Ellenberger def. James Moontasri via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Preliminary card
Carlos Diego Ferreira def. Colton Smith via submission (rear-naked choke) at 0:38 of Round 1 Cody Gibson def. Johnny Bedford via TKO at 0:38 of Round 1 Marcelo Guimaraes def. Andy Enz via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28) Ray Borg def. Shane Howell via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:17 of Round 1 Oleksiy Oliynyk def. Anthony Hamilton via submission (neck crank) at 2:18 of Round 1
Topped by two championship bouts, the card features Chris Weidman and Ronda Rousey as they attempt to build their legacies at the expense of Lyoto Machida and Alexis Davis, respectfully. Unfortunately, the ever-evolving three-way scandal between Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva robbed this card its most intriguing fights and overshadows it in many ways.
Still, there is a lot to look forward to on Saturday. So what should you be talking about for the next week? Find out right here!
(This picture is great in retrospect. / Photo via Getty)
Remember when Chael Sonnen failed his random drug test not too long ago (and was removed from UFC 175 and subsequently retired?) Well, he failed the second drug test the Nevada Athletic Commission issued too…and failed it BIG. MMAFighting.com was the first to report the news.
Get more details after the jump.
(This picture is great in retrospect. / Photo via Getty)
Remember when Chael Sonnen failed his random drug test not too long ago (and was removed from UFC 175 and subsequently retired?) Well, he failed the second drug test the Nevada Athletic Commission issued too…and failed it BIG. MMAFighting.com was the first to report the news.
Sonnen failed the second test for human growth hormone (HGH) and recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO). The former is a well-known drug that needs no introduction. The latter is a substance aiding production of red blood cells, which increases a fighter’s vitality and energy. Sonnen also tested positive for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is used to kickstart testosterone production. Perhaps he’ll explain this test failure the same way he explained the last one.
Sonnen failed his first drug test due to testing positive for the banned substances anastrozole and clomiphene. With both drug tests combined, Sonnen had a veritable pharmacy flowing through his veins. Damn.
While MMA can condemn Sonnen all it wants for the recent drug test failure, the fact of the matter is that he retired after he failed the first one, so what can really be done now?
We are made aware that a second random test conducted earlier this month resulted in a positive test for additional banned substances,” Sholler stated at the post-fight press conference. “Chael [Sonnen] will have an opportunity to appear in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission later this month, and through a statement released to the media, he has pledged to cooperate.
We will support the commission and continue to ensure that all UFC competitors complete on an even playing field free of performance enhancing drugs and banned substances.
There’s no love lost between UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and Invicta FC featherweight titleholder Cristiane Justino, but it sounds like the bad blood is boiling over with the “Rowdy” one.
At a media lunch in Los Angeles on Frid…
There’s no love lost between UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and Invicta FC featherweight titleholder Cristiane Justino, but it sounds like the bad blood is boiling over with the “Rowdy” one.
At a media lunch in Los Angeles on Friday, the former Olympic bronze medalist seemed to get visibly angry when asked about a superfight with “Cyborg,” per Dave Doyle of MMA Fighting.
I wanted to fight her, but the thing is, she’s the one that ran away. They announced out of competition drug testing in the UFC and within 24 hours she asked for her release. … Then she started saying that ‘Oh I won’t be able to make 135, because then it will be much harder for me to have kids.’ Then I was I like ‘you didn’t give a flying f— about how having steroids would have affected her kids, let’s put an over/under on your miscarriages now just based on that.’
Justino, a former Strikeforce champ, was technically under UFC contract in early 2013 after Strikeforce folded. The UFC’s parent company, ZuffaLLC, purchased Strikeforce in March 2011.
However, after the UFC could not come to terms for a Justino vs. Rousey fight, Cyborg asked for her release from the company in 2013, which was granted, per MMA Weekly.
Justino (12-1-1), who hasn’t lost since her professional debut in May 2005, tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol after a quick TKO over HirokoYamanaka in December 2011.
As a result, the Brazilian slugger was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission for one year and fined $2,500, and the victory over Yamanaka was changed to a no-contest, per MMA Junkie.
Justino, who has fought as heavy as 151 pounds, has never made the 135-pound bantamweight limit before but has stated she can, and will, make the cut if it means joining the UFC ranks, per MMA Mania.
Rousey (9-0) looks to continue her winning ways at UFC 175 next week when she defends her title against Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Alexis Davis in the co-main event of the evening.
Is Rousey vs. Cyborg still an intriguing UFC title fight, or has the timing of this matchup come and gone?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
After a four-month hiatus, the colorful UFC veteran Don Frye returns to give his UFC 175 edition of “The Predator’s Predictions.”
“In honor of Independence Day, I’d like to thank all the men and women in the U.S. military and their families … not tho…
After a four-month hiatus, the colorful UFC veteran Don Frye returns to give his UFC 175 edition of “The Predator’s Predictions.”
“In honor of Independence Day, I’d like to thank all the men and women in the U.S. military and their families … not those dirtbag politicians. The men and women in the military do it all. Thank you and God bless you,” Frye says at the beginning of the video.
UFC 175 is the company’s annual Fourth of July weekend card, taking place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 5.
After making a World Cup reference that only Don Frye can, he picks Russell Doane to upset Marcus Brimage in the first main card bout since Brimage “looks like a crackhead ice skater in a hurricane.”
Obviously, the UFC 8, as well as Ultimate Ultimate 96, Tournament winner is not impressed with Brimage‘s foot work.
After showing a clear disdain for middleweights Uriah Hall and Thiago Santos due to their propensity to go to the judges’ scorecards, he again goes with the underdog and selects with Santos to come out on top.
Frye would prefer to see a heavyweight scrap between himself and UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, despite seeming intrigued by the matchup between Stefan Struve and Matt Mitrione, but he picks himself to take Velasquez instead of ever choosing a winner between Struve and Mitrione.
“Women’s bantamweight title fight,” Frye says while shaking his head. “You know how I feel about women fighting … Ya’ know, I’d rather jump a tall fence and catch my scrotum on a nail … I think it would be more enjoyable.”
Ouch. “My prediction for the fight? Go with Herb Dean for the early referee stoppage.”
Seems safe to say Frye has not been eagerly anticipating Ronda Rousey vs. Alexis Davis in the co-main event of the evening.
Backtracking for a moment, Frye picks Urijah Faber, or the “Fa-Bieber” as he calls him, to easily dispatch Alex Caceres in the main preliminary card fight on July 5.
“Since dropping to middleweight, Machida‘s done an outstanding job, like a whole new fighter. But unfortunately, Weidman‘s the champion and he’s going to stay champion for a long time,” Frye explains.
His unnamed female companion in the video, an obvious fan of “The All-American,” weighs in on the championship bout instead of Frye.
“My future ex-husband, Chris Weidman, for the win,” she says.
Weidman puts his perfect record (11-0) and middleweight strap on the line in the UFC 175 main event, while Machida looks to make it 3-0 since cutting down to 185 pounds after a long, successful career at light heavyweight.
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
The UFC, in its ever-increasing attempts at expanding its brand around the globe, is running a lot of shows.
This is an unarguable point. Whether or not you believe it is running too many events comes down to your own personal preference. Some of you c…
The UFC, in its ever-increasing attempts at expanding its brand around the globe, is running a lot of shows.
This is an unarguable point. Whether or not you believe it is running too many events comes down to your own personal preference. Some of you can’t get enough mixed martial arts, and you’ll gladly watch two events in one day (like the UFC has planned for this Saturday). For some of you, two events in a single day—and four events in the span of eight days—is simply too much of a good thing.
The massive amount of fight cards the UFC is pushing results in a watered-down product. On Saturday, Nate Marquardt and James Te Huna headline an event from New Zealand that will air exclusively on Fight Pass. Marquardt and Te Huna are a combined 0-5 in their last five bouts. Sure, there are some decent fights on the New Zealand card, but there are a lot of fights filled with competitors most of us have never heard of.
The same goes for the Fox Sports 1 card from San Antonio later in the day. Cub Swanson vs. Jeremy Stephens is a stellar television main event, and there are other intriguing bouts on the card. But there is plenty of filler, too.
Just for fun, I thought it would be interesting to pretend like we’ve gone back in time a few years, to a time when the UFC ran one pay-per-view and perhaps one television show each month. What would those pay-per-view cards look like if we got rid of the fluff and kept the good fights? How stacked would they be?
It’s an interesting idea, and it is one I’ll be exploring on a monthly basis here at Bleacher Report.
Each month, we’ll pretend as though the UFC is running one pay-per-view and one free television event. We’ll combine the rest of the events, keeping the best fights for the pay-per-view cards and tossing the rest on the junk pile.
For this month, our focus is UFC 175. We’ll take the best fights from this weekend’s two events and create our own fantasy version of the pay-per-view. At the end, I’ll give you the opportunity to vote on which card you’d rather see: the real UFC 175, or the fantasy one we’ve constructed from the ashes of three events.
Let’s get started.
PAY-PER-VIEW
Chris Weidman vs. LyotoMachida (Middleweight title) Ronda Rousey vs. Alexis Davis (Women’s bantamweight title) Stefan Struve vs. Matt Mitrione Urijah Faber vs. Alex Caceres Cub Swanson vs. Jeremy Stephens
I’ve kept three of the original UFC 175 pay-per-view fights: Weidman vs. Machida, Rousey vs. Davis and Struve vs. Mitrione. The two title fights are obvious choices, and Struve vs. Mitrione is interesting because of Struve‘s recent medical issues.
Swanson vs. Stephens moves to the opening fight on the pay-per-view. It’s impossible to imagine it being anything less than thrilling, and the UFC likes to open pay-per-view events with exciting fights. Swanson vs. Stephens fits that bill, and it has some importance because of the title implications involved.
I’ve also moved Urijah Faber vs. Alex Caceres from the Fox Sports 1 card to the pay-per-view. Faber has never appeared on a preliminary card in his WEC or UFC career, and there’s no reason to put him there now.
FOX SPORTS 1
HatsuHioki vs. Charles Oliveira Uriah Hall vs. Thiago Santos Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nicholas Musoke Ricardo Lamas vs. Hacran Dias
Hioki vs. Oliveira is an interesting featherweight fight, so I’ve moved it from the New Zealand card to the headlining spot on the preliminary card. Hall vs. Santos drops from the pay-per-view to Fox Sports 1, and Gastelum vs. Musoke moves from Fight Night 44.
FIGHT PASS
Nate Marquardt vs. James Te Huna Andrew Craig vs. CezarFerreira Marcus Brimage vs. Russell Doane
Marquardt vs. Te Huna moves to the Fight Pass prelims instead of headlining Fight Night 43. It’s a spot much more fitting for two fighters who are 0-5 in their last five fights. Joining them is Craig vs. Ferreira and Brimage vs. Doane.
So, what do you think? Do you want to watch three UFC events, or would you rather take the cream of the crop and combine them into one pay-per-view? Would you rather see the original UFC 175 pay-per-view, or my fantasy version? Let me know by voting in the poll over on the right, and I’ll see you next month for our fantasy version of UFC 176.
The UFC, in its ever-increasing attempts at expanding its brand around the globe, is running a lot of shows.