Tag: UFC 177

Can Shayna Baszler Stop Bethe Correia’s Horsewoman Vendetta?

Shayna Baszler is set to make her UFC debut at UFC 177. She was a member of The Ultimate Fighter 18 cast that put women in the spotlight for a full season.
She was submitted in the first round of action by eventual winner Julianna Pena, but she co…

Shayna Baszler is set to make her UFC debut at UFC 177. She was a member of The Ultimate Fighter 18 cast that put women in the spotlight for a full season.

She was submitted in the first round of action by eventual winner Julianna Pena, but she continued to train with her TUF coach Ronda Rousey after the show ended. Baszler, Rousey, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir became close friends and dubbed themselves the “Four Horsewomen” of MMA.

Bethe Correia created a stir in her last victory. She defeated Jessamyn Duke at UFC 172 and proceeded to put the Four Horsewomen on notice. She held up four fingers and proceeded to put one down. It was a clear message, and one that made people talk.

The UFC was quick to capitalize on the notion and booked Correia against Baszler. Can she topple the talented Brazilian?

Correia is 8-0 as a professional and currently ranked as the No. 10 contender in the women’s bantamweight division. A win against Baszler will continue to move her up, and the Horsewomen storyline could place her as one of the most intriguing contenders for Rousey‘s belt.

Baszler is a veteran of the sport. She is an excellent grappler with solid submissions. She has extensive training under Josh Barnett and now Rousey. She is 15-8 in her storied career, but that win-loss record is quite deceiving. She has never backed away from a fight.

The American has big-fight experience against Alexis Davis, Sara McMann, Sarah Kaufman and even Cris “Cyborg” Justino.

This is a pivotal fight for both women.

Correia has momentum on her side, and the oddsmakers have her as a slight favorite (via OddsShark). However, Baszler cannot be counted out of this fight. She is simply too crafty to discredit. Her experience will be a major plus in this fight.

Baszler has failed to beat the top tier in the division time and time again. A win for Correia shows that she is of that caliber. Baszler can play the role of gatekeeper for Rousey‘s title while trying to make a run herself.

Correia has only finished one of her fights, and this is by far her toughest task to date. It would appear, on paper, that Baszler will have the full 15 minutes to try and find a submission. That is plenty of time. Fourteen of 15 career wins by Baszler are from submissions.

The Queen of Spades’ unique catch-wrestling game will be an interesting matchup for Correia, and we have no idea how much Rousey has influenced her game. Baszler will be able to surprise Correia with how much she has improved, and if she has, then it could be a big win for her debut.

Baszler has been a presence around the Top 10 of the bantamweight division in the past, and she can re-enter the rankings with a win Saturday. She is a tough out for anyone, but she has more to prove against Correia thanks to the smack talk.

She can pull off this slight upset and reinsert her name among the best veterans of the sport.

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5 Reasons to Watch UFC 177

I get it. UFC 177 isn’t the best pay-per-view the UFC has ever presented. I think that’s obvious.
Injuries have ravished the 177th numbered show from the prelims to the main events. It has seemingly taken the wind out of the sails of a once-promising e…

I get it. UFC 177 isn’t the best pay-per-view the UFC has ever presented. I think that’s obvious.

Injuries have ravished the 177th numbered show from the prelims to the main events. It has seemingly taken the wind out of the sails of a once-promising event, as we now scrounge the bottom of the barrel for entertainment.

I am here to tell you, UFC 177 is still watchable. That’s right, I said it. UFC 177 is a show you can still watch. You may just have to go to the bar to watch it if you don’t want to spend over $50.

You may be pessimistic, but I am a half-glass-full guy. So, you want some reasons to watch UFC 177?

It’s not going to be easy, but I give you those reasons right now.

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Dillashaw: ‘I Don’t Know If Barao Had Enough Time to Recover from May’s Beating’

UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw certainly isn’t lacking confidence heading into his UFC 177 title defense against Renan Barao. 
The first UFC titleholder in Team Alpha Male history, Dillashaw questioned if his Brazilian counterpart was read…

UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw certainly isn’t lacking confidence heading into his UFC 177 title defense against Renan Barao. 

The first UFC titleholder in Team Alpha Male history, Dillashaw questioned if his Brazilian counterpart was ready to fight him again based on his comments on Twitter. 

Dillashaw met Barao at UFC 173 in May, where “The Baron” was riding an incredible 33-fight unbeaten streak. 

While oddsmakers had it down as a quick finish for Barao, “The Viper” had other plans, effortlessly outstriking the champ for four-and-a-half rounds. 

Halfway through the fifth and final round, Dillashaw dropped Barao with a headkick and finally finished him off with subsequent punches on the ground. 

As expected, the matchup was awarded “Fight of the Night” honors, while Dillashaw was predictably awarded a second “Performance of the Night” bonus. 

Dillashaw has won six of his past seven contests, with his sole blemish during that 18-month span being a controversial split-decision loss to Raphael Assuncao in October 2013.

UFC 177 is headlined by Dillashaw vs. Barao II and takes place this Saturday at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre in California.  

Will Barao be able to prove the first fight was a fluke, or will Dillashaw cement himself as the best male fighter at 135 pounds with another convincing victory?

 

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

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UFC 177: Renan Barao Driven by Revenge, Redemption

When a fighter goes more than a decade without experiencing the bitter taste of defeat the way Renan Barao had going into UFC 173 back in May, there is a sense of complacency that can settle in.
Not to say the former bantamweight king had overlooked th…

When a fighter goes more than a decade without experiencing the bitter taste of defeat the way Renan Barao had going into UFC 173 back in May, there is a sense of complacency that can settle in.

Not to say the former bantamweight king had overlooked the young upstart in T.J. Dillashaw in any way, but a run of dominance can lead a fighter to believe he’s invincible, where every opponent who steps into the cage across from him is going to crumble eventually.

On that night in Las Vegas, not only did the Team Alpha Male standout not wither or fade, he defied the odds with a near-flawless performance. Up until that point, no other fighter had backed Barao into troubled waters, but at UFC 173, Dillashaw was pouring it on and not letting his foot up off the gas.

The end result was one of the biggest upsets in recent UFC history and seeing a fighter who had rapidly ascended into the pound-for-pound rankings being turned back in punishing fashion. That said, combat sports are a realm where second chances can yield remarkable turnabouts, and “The Baron” is determined to take back what was lost at the hands of Dillashaw.

The Nova Uniao-trained former champion has his focus locked on reclaiming the 135-pound strap and resuming his run atop the bantamweight division when the two fighters collide at UFC 177 this Saturday night in Sacramento, California. The 27-year-old Natal, Brazil, native took the loss against Dillashaw as a wake-up call that he has used to light the fires of motivation on his charge back to the top.

Barao intends to return to the Octagon this Saturday night and unleash a man possessed on the newly minted champion—and in the process of doing so get back the bantamweight title that brought him to the pinnacle of the sport.

“That belt means everything to me,” Barao told Bleacher Report. “It means everything for my whole career. It is my dream to have the belt, and it represents what fighting is about to me. Being the champion means everything.

“I’m a completely different fighter now with my motivation. I’m more focused and sharp with my training and far more motivated to get my belt back. But in the fight, I’m going to be the same Renan Barao as always. I’m going to enter the Octagon and move forward looking to knock him out and get my belt back.”

There has been a rift between the two fighter’s camps for several years now as leading members of the respective squads have squared off a handful of times in high-profile tilts. Immediately following Dillashaw‘s upset over Barao, associates of the TAM camp took to social media and other avenues poking fun at the fallen champion’s performance. These barbs immediately sparked the ire of Barao‘s close friend and teammate, featherweight champion Jose Aldo, and a back-and-forth began on social media.

While Barao admits he did his best to keep his head above the fray and keep his attention locked on preparing for the rematch, the slights certainly provided an additional spark to a desire for redemption that was already raging.

“I’m always trying to not focus on things like that,” Barao said. “I’m always trying to focus on my training camp, but of course, their trash talking only motivated me to train harder. That’s it. At the end of this fight, I will have my arm raised, and I will be the true champion once again. You’ll see.”

 

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

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UFC 177 Will Show TJ Dillashaw Has Renan Barao’s Number

It’s funny what conclusions people will jump to when consuming modern media, where click bait abounds and reading a headline is akin to reading the thousand words that follow it in the minds of many.
You needn’t look any further than May’s UFC 173 lead…

It’s funny what conclusions people will jump to when consuming modern media, where click bait abounds and reading a headline is akin to reading the thousand words that follow it in the minds of many.

You needn’t look any further than May’s UFC 173 lead-up, in which a particular intrepid columnist pondered the challenge of one TJ Dillashaw for the bantamweight title. Though the headline suggested Dillashaw had no hope of snatching gold at that event, the argument that followed did nothing to suggest he never would.

In fact, that piece suggested that Dillashaw looked very much like a man who could one day be a champion. That suggestion was made almost verbatim, in fact:

Dillashaw is good. Like, really good. “Potential champion” good.

Now, again, in a world where many believe reading a headline is the equivalent of reading, comprehending and forming an opinion on the argument that follows it, it’s easy to see how some confusion could exist.

When you suggest a man has no hope but save the argument as to why for after, it’s inevitable some people are going to be lost. It’s likely because they couldn’t focus beyond 50 words or so, but so it goes.

Yet the real reason that argument was wrong didn’t come to light until Dillashaw was punching and kicking Barao with considerable ease and frequency at UFC 173. The reason the argument was wrong had nothing to do with ignorance or a vendetta or simply being blind to the facts of life entering that fight. The reason was far more simple than any of that: TJ Dillashaw arrived early.

At a time when the whole sport still saw him as a guy who could fight for a title in 2015 or 2016, he was in the gym working on things no one dared to see coming. People still believe now that he’ll be fighting for a title in 2015 or 2016, but they’re inclined to think he’ll be defending it instead of challenging.

The first Barao fight was a culmination of hard work and dedication to his craft, one that saw Dillashaw marry his natural physical gifts of speed and athleticism with a perfect game plan and an opponent on whom he could unleash it all.

He walked into Las Vegas that night with the looseness and confidence of an uncrowned champion, and it took him less than 25 minutes of work to yank away the crown and legitimize himself.

That’s why Saturday’s main event is so intriguing: this idea that Dillashaw is simply the best guy out there at 135 and Barao no longer is.

Perhaps UFC 173 wasn’t a fluke, but instead the final step in a rise that was evident but was expected to take longer than it did.

Perhaps, for whatever excuses are out there, Dillashaw is the man now and Barao is only five short rounds away from being banished to contendership purgatory alongside guys like Benson Henderson and Junior dos Santos.

Perhaps Dillashaw simply has Barao‘s number.

He certainly looked like a man who does when he became one of the greatest underdog title-winners in UFC history a few months back. He looked like that and everything more.

And even if that’s not the case, no one is going into UFC 177 claiming he doesn’t have a hope. Considering how much of an improvement that already is with fans and pundits, if his performance Saturday is also appropriately improved, you’d have to think it may be Barao who doesn’t have a hope this time.

But we won’t go that far, will we?

 

Follow me on Twitter @matthewjryder!

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Get to Know UFC Newcomer Henry Cejudo

Henry Cejudo joins the growing lists of UFC competitors who are looking to add a title belt to their mantle that includes an Olympic medal. Scott Jorgensen will welcome Cejudo into the Octagon at UFC 177 and attempt to be the first man to add a blemish…

Henry Cejudo joins the growing lists of UFC competitors who are looking to add a title belt to their mantle that includes an Olympic medal. Scott Jorgensen will welcome Cejudo into the Octagon at UFC 177 and attempt to be the first man to add a blemish to the 27-year-old’s career. MMA fans should be interested in the debuting combatant who has the opportunity to add some excitement to the still-growing flyweight division.

In 2008 Henry Cejudo earned himself an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling to become the youngest American to ever earn the honor. He would attempt to continue his career in the world’s games but fell short in the 2012 Olympic Trials. After his final defeat he would remove his shoes and toss them into the crowd to signify that he was walking away from wrestling. At that point, he transitioned into mixed martial arts, where he has continued his winning ways. After six professional bouts he has been welcomed into the UFC with open arms.

“It feels good to be part of the UFC family finally,” Cejudo said to Thomas Gerbasi of the UFC.

Cejudo brings an interesting background story into the UFC that is quite different to that of other standout wrestlers. Unlike other big-name wrestlers in the sport, Cejudo did not take the traditional route in wrestling through collegiate mats before making it to the Olympics and mixed martial arts. As a high school wrestler Cejudo won four state titles. Instead of going to college to compete as most wrestlers do, Cejudo elected to train with USA Wrestling in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This training would help him build the abilities needed to reach the Olympic levels that he would see in his career.

Since his MMA debut in 2013 he has won six bouts and stopped the first four competitors that he faced. He won his last two bouts in Legacy Fighting Championship which brought the attention of not only the UFC but the World Wrestling Entertainment organization as well. Cejudo recently revealed that he had met with the WWE to discuss plans to bring him into the largest wrestling promotion in the world.

“It was something that was actually in the works,” Cejudo told Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie. “One of their talent scouts saw me, met me and wanted to bring me in for an audition or whatnot. They had reached out to me and wanted to get a feel of it.”

However, Cejudo would instead sign with the UFC to join other Olympic medalists such as Ronda Rousey, Sara McMann, Yoel Romero and Matt Lindland to compete in the Octagon. His move didn’t shock many within the MMA world, but everyone did not express excitement over the development.

Former UFC competitor Damacio Page has released some harsh statements about Cejudo before his debut at UFC 177. Page was supposed to fight Cejudo at LFC 31 for the organization’s flyweight title but Cejudo pulled out of the bout for personal reasons as reported by Tristen Critchfield of Sherdog.com.

“His personal reason was that I was going to knock his [expletive] out,” Page told Critchfield in a follow-up interview with Sherdog. “Of course he’s gonna dodge me. Because I’m gonna hurt his value if he does get to fight me, and I knock him out. Then he’s not as marketable for the UFC.”

The stage is set at UFC 177 to welcome Henry Cejudo into the promotion’s 125-pound division. A victory over Scott Jorgensen will be a great way to kick off his run under the Zuffa banner for the former Olympic champion. The gold medalist has potential to be a force within the division but has a true test waiting for him on August 30.

 

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