On Saturday, Chris Weidman’s first title fight against an opponent other than Anderson Silva let fans down.
Early on, Weidman was beating Lyoto Machida by moving forward patiently and mixing in takedowns. After seemingly dropping the first three rounds…
On Saturday, Chris Weidman‘s first title fight against an opponent other than Anderson Silva let fans down.
Early on, Weidman was beating LyotoMachida by moving forward patiently and mixing in takedowns. After seemingly dropping the first three rounds on the scorecards, Machida came out more aggressive in the fourth stanza and began turning things around.
Despite Machida‘s late push, Weidman was able to weather the storm. A takedown in the fifth round helped Weidman seal the win and defend his middleweight title for the second time in a row.
With another UFC fight card in the books, here are the bouts that should be next for Weidman, Machida and the rest of the UFC 175 competitors.
A few months ago, Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino vowed to retire Ronda Rousey the same way she did Gina Carano, and she isn’t backing down from that promise.
Rousey, who knocked out Alexis Davis in 16 seconds at UFC 175 on Saturday night,…
A few months ago, Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino vowed to retire Ronda Rousey the same way she did Gina Carano, and she isn’t backing down from that promise.
Rousey, who knocked out Alexis Davis in 16 seconds at UFC 175 on Saturday night, is bathing in the spotlight as a UFC champion and the current face of women’s MMA. As UFC President Dana White once put it in an interview with Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com, the women’s bantamweight division is the “Ronda Rousey show.”
But it wasn’t always that way.
Before blonde was in style, there was a beautiful brunette stealing hearts and climbing the MMA ranks. Carano, who is widely considered the original face of women’s MMA, used her world-class skills and charming personality to set the wheels in motion for the mainstream popularity of women’s MMA.
The now-defunct Strikeforce promotion even made the bold move of featuring the undefeated Carano in the main event of a major fight card against Justino. Even current UFC stars like Gilbert Melendez, Fabricio Werdum and Gegard Mousasi took a backseat to the pivotal showdown between the top two women in the sport.
After watching Carano dominate the other opposition, it was immediately clear that she ran into an absolute buzzsaw in Justino. Two years of hype was stomped out viciously in just five minutes by TKO. After the fight, Carano called it a career and took up acting in Hollywood.
In a statement released to Axs.tv’s Inside MMA back in February, Justino said she would do the same thing to Rousey:
In reference to Ronda’s statement that I am looking for a payday so that I can retire, you’re right, I am looking for a payday to retire you like I did Gina Carano. But to show it’s not only about money, I challenge you to a fight – winner takes all. Or better yet let’s fight for FREE. ANYTIME! ANYWHERE! Ask your daddy Dana to make it happen.
Shortly after Rousey’s win over Davis, Justino dug into the throwback album and tweeted a picture as a stern warning of what Rousey could expect in a fight.
The back-and-forth verbal jabs between Cyborg and Rousey have gone on for years.
Perhaps the time has finally come to put an end to the hype and give fans the biggest fight in the history of women’s MMA.
JordyMcElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
Perennial UFC middleweight contender Vitor Belfort feels he’s been waiting on the sidelines for too long and is ready for another crack at UFC gold.
Following 185-pound champ Chris Weidman’s hard-fought win by decision over Lyoto Machida at UFC 1…
Perennial UFC middleweight contender VitorBelfort feels he’s been waiting on the sidelines for too long and is ready for another crack at UFC gold.
Following 185-pound champ Chris Weidman‘s hard-fought win by decision over LyotoMachida at UFC 175 Saturday night, “The Phenom” was quick to make it known on Twitter that he wants the next shot at “The All-American”:
Now I want what I deserve, MY TITIE SHOT!!! Don’t run away!! No excuses!! Agoraeuquero o q eu… http://t.co/wZYj8OBVAT
Belfort was originally set to headline UFC 173 against Weidman in May, but was replaced by Machida shortly after the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced a ban on testosterone replacement therapy in February, per FOX Sports.
The Phenom was later pitted against ChaelSonnen in a light heavyweight contest at UFC 175, but “Uncle Chael” was removed from the card after failing a pre-fight drug test for anti-estrogenic drugs, per Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com.
The Brazilian slugger was again removed from the card when no suitable replacement could be found on short notice.
Whether or not Belfort was actually going to get his fighter’s license from the Nevada State Athletic Commission remains a topic of discussion, since—by his own admission—he failed a random drug test in February for elevated testosterone levels.
Belfort was one of the most well-known users of testosterone replacement therapy prior to the controversial treatment banned by the NSAC.
The legitimacy of the 37-year-old’s usage was a hot topic in the fight community due to his winning ways and muscular physique—not to mention that the former UFC light heavyweight champ failed a drug test for an anabolic steroid in October 2006, per MMA Weekly.
For the record, Belfort hasn’t fought on American soil since August of 2011 and had a TRT usage exemption for his five fights contested after that date, a fact that isn’t lost on fellow middleweight contender Tim Kennedy:
Leave @vitorbelfort out of title contender discussions. He hasn’t fought clean in a decade or in the US in 3 years. #PED#TRT#UFC175
Is Belfort the most deserving of the next UFC title shot at 185 pounds, or will he be passed up again for someone like Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, Kennedy, Luke Rockhold or GegardMousasi?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
There were many who expected Saturday’s UFC 175 pay-per-view to be one of the best shows of the year, and the action in the Octagon lived up to MMA fans’ high expectations.
While many eyes were focused on women’s champion Ronda Rousey as sh…
There were many who expected Saturday’s UFC 175 pay-per-view to be one of the best shows of the year, and the action in the Octagon lived up to MMA fans’ high expectations.
While many eyes were focused on women’s champion Ronda Rousey as she dominated Alexis Davis via first-round knockout, the best fight of the night featured defending middleweight champion Chris Weidman squaring off against LyotoMachida.
Here is a full table of the UFC 175 results and a recap of the main event.
Breaking Down Chris Weidman’s Win Over LyotoMachida
There are several fighters in the UFC who are part of the exclusive upper echelon, but with a dominant decision victory over LyotoMachida (49-45, 48-47, 49-46), defending middleweight champion Chris Weidman proved he is a top star.
Machida deserves immense credit for his move to middleweight and the five-round thriller fans were treated to on Saturday, but Weidman’s relentless attack was enough to earn him the victory via the judges’ scorecards.
After years of fighting at light heavyweight, Machida may be better suited at middleweight.
As well as Machida performed, he was no match for the elite wrestling skills and heavy striking of the middleweight champion. Weidman took Machida down five times and landed straight right hands early and often in the bout.
Weidman dominated the first three rounds, but Machida bounced back in the fourth and looked to be in control with his elite kicks and accurate strikes. While the champion was clearly stunned by the punches, he recovered in time and withstood the offensive assault.
Former UFC star Kenny Florian talked about what makes Weidman so dangerous:
The fifth round was the perfect end to the brawl, as both men got in their parting shots before it ultimately went to the judges.
After the victory, Weidman spoke to Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com about his thoughts on Machida and the nonstop chatter about his first two wins over former champion Anderson Silva:
He’s as good as I thought. Quick. When you think he’s going to do something, he does the opposite. He’s real tricky and tough as nails.
I don’t mind having Anderson Silva’s name attached to me as long as it does. He’s the greatest of all time. The more I’m winning, the more people talk about him. I don’t mind him staying in the picture. He deserves it.
While Machida fell to 21-5 for his career, Weidman stayed undefeated (12-0) and proved that he is the top performer in the middleweight division right now. As with most fighters, though, the fans have already started asking what is next.
All signs point to a battle with veteran VitorBelfort (24-10), according to UFC president Dana White:
For many fans, the idea of Weidman squaring off against Belfort is less than ideal. After being removed from the UFC 173 card due to the outlawing of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), there are many who wonder what kind of fighter Belfort will be without the assistance of drugs.
Since his loss to Jon Jones in 2012, Belfort has earned three wins, all of which have come via knockout and have earned him Knockout of the Night awards. Now that TRT is banned, though, there are questions about what kind of fighter should be expected next time.
Regardless of who Weidman faces or when his next fight is, the American champion is one of the best fighters in the sport and will look to stretch his reign out as long as he can.
Ronda Rousey’s the best there is, and that’s all there is to it.
Maybe there’s a worthy challenger out there, but that’s a definite “maybe” after Rousey demolished Alexis Davis in only 16 seconds in UFC 175’s co-main event.
In so doing, Rousey retained…
Ronda Rousey‘s the best there is, and that’s all there is to it.
Maybe there’s a worthy challenger out there, but that’s a definite “maybe” after Rousey demolished Alexis Davis in only 16 seconds in UFC 175‘s co-main event.
In so doing, Rousey retained her UFC women’s bantamweight title and moved to 10-0 in professional MMA. The former Olympic medalist in judo is still only 27 years of age.
The action began very quickly, with Rousey grabbing ahold of Davis in the center of the Octagon after a brief exchange of jabs. Rousey executed a hip toss, flipping Davis over her body and landing in side control with a side headlock to boot.
With her free hand, Rousey immediately began landing short strikes right in the center of Davis’ face. Despite their quickness, the blows still generated plenty of force, and the referee was forced to call the stoppage when Davis briefly went limp.
It was a testament to Davis’ lack of awareness that she wrestle the referee for several seconds after she regained consciousness:
Alexis Davis is standing in front of us here on press row, and I gotta say, those arms look pliable.
—Chuck Mindenhall (@ChuckMindenhall), July 6, 2014
The official end came by knockout at 16 seconds in the first round.
“I box six days a week,” Rousey told broadcaster Joe Rogan in the cage after the fight in regard to her striking skills, which have improved markedly in recent fights. “I grapple and wrestler four days a week altogether, so I have more to catch up on on my striking, so I do that the most.”
The performance was especially scary given Davis’ credentials. She is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and was riding a five-fight winning streak coming into UFC 175. However, Rousey treated Davis as the most elementary of challengers.
It will be interesting to see who the UFC puts in front of Rousey next. The most logical choice is Cat Zingano, who was originally supposed to coach opposite Rousey on The Ultimate Fighter and then face the champion in the cage before a major knee injury sidelined her for an extended period of time. Zingano has recently resumed training and might have the physical tools to contend with Rousey.
Another option is Brazilian wrecking machine Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, though Justino is not under contract with the UFC and the two sides have had repeated difficulties at the negotiating table.
Chris Weidman solved the Rubik’s Cube that is Lyoto Machida at UFC 175 on Saturday, but according to the middleweight champ, a horrible training camp and pre-existing injuries prevented him from putting on his best showing.
When speaking wit…
Chris Weidman solved the Rubik’s Cube that is Lyoto Machida at UFC 175 on Saturday, but according to the middleweight champ, a horrible training camp and pre-existing injuries prevented him from putting on his best showing.
When speaking with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, Weidman called his training camp the “worst camp of his life.” He mentioned that his knees were still bothering him from recent meniscus surgery, and he was also dealing with a sprained ligament in his hand, which prevented him from punching the last couple of weeks.
Ironically, most would consider Weidman’s performance on Saturday night the best so far in his young career.
The first three rounds of the fight were all Weidman, who cut off Machida’s angles and kept him backpedaling. Machida struggled early to find separation and be his usual creative self in the open. Through constant pressure, Weidman was able to beat the former light heavyweight champ to the punch and set up multiple takedowns.
It wasn’t until the championship rounds that things slowly began to tip in Machida’s favor. After three dominant rounds, Weidman came out a bit sluggish in the fourth, and Machida was able to make up some points on the scorecards.
Both men were completely exhausted by the time the final round rolled around, but Weidman’s ability to dig deep and gut out the last five minutes earned him the decision nod and his second consecutive UFC title defense.
While much isn’t known about the severity of Weidman’s hand injury, Helwani vouches for the champ’s ongoing knee problems after seeing him on a plane ride back in May.
This situation will be monitored closely in the coming weeks. There is always the potential for Weidman to be sidelined for an extended period of time if he goes under the knife again.
If not, he’ll likely take some time off and begin preparing for a possible showdown with Vitor Belfort.
JordyMcElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
A few months ago, Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino vowed to retire