Tag: UFC 181

UFC 181 Cannot Get Here Soon Enough: Very Early Preview and Predictions

2014 has been a trying year as an MMA fan. We have been given a plethora of fight cards, but many have come up short on excitement. Those that have delivered have not been big on drawing power.
The current shortlists for Fight of the Year and Fighter o…

2014 has been a trying year as an MMA fan. We have been given a plethora of fight cards, but many have come up short on excitement. Those that have delivered have not been big on drawing power.

The current shortlists for Fight of the Year and Fighter of the Year are not as deep and compelling as year’s past, but one name that is on both is Robbie Lawler—the challenger in the UFC 181 main event. And his previous fight against Johny Hendricks for the UFC welterweight gold is on that Fight of the Year shortlist.

In the co-main event, The Ultimate Fighter season 20 coaches Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez get in the cage to battle for Pettis‘ lightweight belt. Pettis has been out of action for some time thanks to injuries and filming the reality show, but now fans get to see him back in action.

And the fun doesn’t stop there. The UFC put a violence-ensured heavyweight scrap and the debut of Holly Holm on the main card. And no one should gloss over potential Fight of the Night: Tony Ferguson vs. Abel Trujillo.

Yet, we have not touched the group of prospects on the undercard that is headlined by Urijah Faber. UFC 181 is top to bottom one of the best offerings of the year by the UFC.

It sets everyone up nicely heading into 2015, where we should see the return of numerous top names and fantastic fights. The troubling 2014 is almost over, and to close it out we will get to see a phenomenal event.

Let’s take an early peek at the event and hope nothing bad happens between now and December 6.

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Urijah Faber vs. Francisco Rivera, Renan Barao vs. Mitch Gagnon Booked for December UFC Cards


(Barao prepares to unleash another super uncomfortable victory celebration on poor, poor humanity. / Photo via Getty)

Two of the biggest names in the UFC’s bantamweight division will be back in action this December. First up, Urijah Faber — who still hasn’t lost a non-title fight, ever — will compete at UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II (December 6th, Las Vegas) against Francisco Rivera. UFC officials confirmed the matchup last night.

Faber is coming off his submission victory over Alex Caceres at UFC 175 in July, while Rivera most recently lost a decision to Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 173, snapping a two-fight win streak. I’m not exactly sure how this booking makes sense, but the opportunity to watch Faber strangle somebody just outside the top ten is the kind of gift that you don’t question.

In other booking news, former 135-pound champ Renan Barao goes back to being a regular-joe contender, when he fights Mitch Gagnon at UFC Fight Night 58: Machida vs. Dollaway (December 20th; Barueri, Brazil); the booking was also confirmed last night.

Barao was supposed to rematch TJ Dillashaw at UFC 177, but then passed out during his weight cut, and was pulled from the event and publicly shamed. Barao will have a chance to redeem himself against Gagnon, a Canadian up-and-comer who has won his last four (although against a relatively low level of competition).

So: Easy wins for the big names, or do you smell an upset cookin’?


(Barao prepares to unleash another super uncomfortable victory celebration on poor, poor humanity. / Photo via Getty)

Two of the biggest names in the UFC’s bantamweight division will be back in action this December. First up, Urijah Faber — who still hasn’t lost a non-title fight, ever — will compete at UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II (December 6th, Las Vegas) against Francisco Rivera. UFC officials confirmed the matchup last night.

Faber is coming off his submission victory over Alex Caceres at UFC 175 in July, while Rivera most recently lost a decision to Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 173, snapping a two-fight win streak. I’m not exactly sure how this booking makes sense, but the opportunity to watch Faber strangle somebody just outside the top ten is the kind of gift that you don’t question.

In other booking news, former 135-pound champ Renan Barao goes back to being a regular-joe contender, when he fights Mitch Gagnon at UFC Fight Night 58: Machida vs. Dollaway (December 20th; Barueri, Brazil); the booking was also confirmed last night.

Barao was supposed to rematch TJ Dillashaw at UFC 177, but then passed out during his weight cut, and was pulled from the event and publicly shamed. Barao will have a chance to redeem himself against Gagnon, a Canadian up-and-comer who has won his last four (although against a relatively low level of competition).

So: Easy wins for the big names, or do you smell an upset cookin’?

UFC 181 Adds Meeting Between Urijah Faber, Francisco Rivera

UFC 181 picked up another bout with some drawing power on Wednesday evening.
No. 3-ranked bantamweight contender Urijah Faber will take on No. 11-ranked Francisco Rivera at the December 6 event.
UFC 181 already has been lined up with title fights in th…

UFC 181 picked up another bout with some drawing power on Wednesday evening.

No. 3-ranked bantamweight contender Urijah Faber will take on No. 11-ranked Francisco Rivera at the December 6 event.

UFC 181 already has been lined up with title fights in the lightweight and welterweight division respectively, a big heavyweight tilt and the debut of Holly Holm. Now Faber joins the mix to help the UFC close out the year with another stacked PPV card.

After failing to capture the UFC bantamweight belt, Faber got back in the win column with a July submission victory against Alex Caceres. Faber was then speculated to face off against Masanori Kanehara at UFC Fight Night 52, but he was pulled from that meeting.

Rivera is coming off a loss to Takeya Mizugaki in May, but he is 5-1 with one no contest in his last seven bouts. Four of those victories have come by way of TKO or KO. The last time Faber defeated an opponent by way of those means, it was 2006.

This bout is a huge opportunity for Rivera to make a statement within the 135-pound division, but he will almost certainly be a huge underdog in this fight. Faber has never lost a non-title bout.

The current titleholder is Faber protege TJ Dillashaw. He will defend his championship against Faber’s longtime rival, Dominick Cruz, at a later date. Meanwhile, former champion Renan Barao just signed on for a bout against Mitch Gagnon at UFC Fight Night 58, per MMA Fighting.

In the murky title picture, the California Kid can continue his bid for another title shot with a win, but it is unlikely he will earn a shot just by defeating the No. 11-ranked fighter in the division.

A win for Rivera would put him in line for a contender’s fight in 2015.

This is a thrilling addition to the already stacked fight card.

UFC 181 takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The bout order has yet to be drawn up, so we’re yet to see if Faber lands on the PPV portion of the card or on the television prelims.

Bleacher Report will keep you up to date on all of the happenings with the UFC 181 fight card. 

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John Lineker Ready to Be Next Flyweight Title Challenger Should He Get by McCall

In recent weeks the Ultimate Fighting Championship has been quick to announce No.1 contenders for their stable of champions. Rory MacDonald is poised to face the winner of the bout between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler at UFC 181 (via ESPN), w…

In recent weeks the Ultimate Fighting Championship has been quick to announce No.1 contenders for their stable of champions. Rory MacDonald is poised to face the winner of the bout between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler at UFC 181 (via ESPN), while Conor McGregor seems to be the next in line for a shot at the featherweight title against the man carrying the belt after UFC 179 (via MMA Fighting). This should excite John Lineker as he prepares to face Ian McCall in a few weeks. Another big win and “Hands of Stone” may find himself tapped as the No. 1 contender to the UFC flyweight title.

Demetrious Johnson is reigning like a true king over the 125-pound division. His win over Chris Cariaso at UFC 178 gave him his fifth title defense in less than two years. While “Mighty Mouse” seems to be improving each time he steps into the Octagon, he has shown a weakness against men who can catch him with a hard shot. John Dodson was able to drop the champion in their title bout at UFC on Fox 6. Since then, Johnson has been a dynamo when he steps into the cage.

Enter John Lineker. The Brazilian native has shown an ability to land with power at any moment. At 24 years of age he’s a very experienced fighter with 12 of his 24 wins coming via knockout. His last victory against Alptekin Ozkilic was perhaps his most impressive when he finished his opponent with nine seconds left in the fight.

Back in 2013 UFC President Dana White even went on record to say that Lineker was in line for a title shot if he could get his weight issues in order.

“He’s so good that if he had made weight on the three times he’s missed, he’d probably have a title shot right now,” White said in a piece by Matthew Roth of MMA Mania. 

With his recent win it seems that he has grabbed control of that struggle. His reward is a fight that has been dubbed a title eliminator against McCall (via MMA Mania). “Uncle Creepy” has already faced Johnson twice so a victory for Lineker would give the organization a chance to promote a new challenger for a dominant champion.

As mentioned, Lineker has shown the ability to present a question to Johnson that he’s struggled with in the past. If John has learned how to better pace himself in a fight and lands a big shot, the UFC may end the night with a new flyweight champion. When Dodson had the champion hurt, he was unable to capitalize and struggled to keep the pace through the remaining rounds. Johnson will have the advantage when it comes to five-round experience but, that will not keep him completely safe from Lineker‘s power.

The weight issues that threatened John Lineker‘s run at flyweight seem to be behind him. When he steps into the cage opposite of Ian McCall at UFC Fight Night: Rua versus Manuwa on November 8, he will be fighting for an opportunity to face Demetrious Johnson for his title. A position that seemed so far out of his reach just a year ago is now within the grasps of the fighter known as “Hands of Stone.”

 

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Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington Official For UFC 181 on December 6th

(Holm’s most recent performance — a 5th round starching of Julianna Werner at Legacy FC 30)

At long last, Holly Holm‘s UFC debut has been made official, with an opponent and everything! According to a press release sent out by the UFC last night, Holm will in fact be making her promotional debut at UFC 181 on December 6th. As previously reported, it appears that Holm’s potential bout with Russian scrapper Milana Dudieva has been passed over in favor of a bout with TUF 18 semifinalist Raquel Pennington.

Currently 1-1 in the UFC and 4-4 overall, Pennington’s only appearances on the big stage have resulted in an incredibly lackluster decision victory over Roxanne Modafferi at the TUF 18 Finale and a split decision loss to Jessica Andrade at UFC 171. Holm, on the other hand, is 7-0 as a professional with 6 stoppage victories by way of TKO. Expect the odds in this one to be Silva vs. Bonnar-esque.

Said Holm after signing with the UFC:

When I first started doing MMA, people asked me what my goal was in this, and my goal is to be the first female that has titles in both MMA and boxing because nobody’s done that. And it’s totally doable, and that’s my plan.

How do you see this one ending, Potato Nation? A body shot KO victory for Holm, or a head kick KO victory for Holm?

–J. Jones


(Holm’s most recent performance — a 5th round starching of Julianna Werner at Legacy FC 30)

At long last, Holly Holm‘s UFC debut has been made official, with an opponent and everything! According to a press release sent out by the UFC last night, Holm will in fact be making her promotional debut at UFC 181 on December 6th. As previously reported, it appears that Holm’s potential bout with Russian scrapper Milana Dudieva has been passed over in favor of a bout with TUF 18 semifinalist Raquel Pennington.

Currently 1-1 in the UFC and 4-4 overall, Pennington’s only appearances on the big stage have resulted in an incredibly lackluster decision victory over Roxanne Modafferi at the TUF 18 Finale and a split decision loss to Jessica Andrade at UFC 171. Holm, on the other hand, is 7-0 as a professional with 6 stoppage victories by way of TKO. Expect the odds in this one to be Silva vs. Bonnar-esque.

Said Holm after signing with the UFC:

When I first started doing MMA, people asked me what my goal was in this, and my goal is to be the first female that has titles in both MMA and boxing because nobody’s done that. And it’s totally doable, and that’s my plan.

How do you see this one ending, Potato Nation? A body shot KO victory for Holm, or a head kick KO victory for Holm?

–J. Jones

Browne to Schaub: ‘Opinions Are Like A——s, You Should Keep Them to Yourself’

As if he didn’t already have his hands full with UFC heavyweight contender Travis Browne, Brendan Schaub fanned the already roaring flame of “Hapa” during a September episode of The Joe Rogan Experience (NSFW language; h/t Jesse Holland of MM…

As if he didn’t already have his hands full with UFC heavyweight contender Travis Browne, Brendan Schaub fanned the already roaring flame of “Hapa” during a September episode of The Joe Rogan Experience (NSFW language; h/t Jesse Holland of MMA Mania).

Two months before his fight with the third-ranked Browne at UFC 181, the unranked Schaub talked about Hapa‘s decision to leave Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA to train at the Glendale Fighting Club with Ronda Rousey‘s coach, Edmond Tarverdyan.

“Obviously, I know Ronda very well, and I know that camp pretty well,” Schaub said. “I’m not going to go into detail, but I think it’s a great thing for me that he’s training there. I’ll put it like that. I think it’s a good thing for me.”

Schaub’s comments regarding Hapa‘s change in camps apparently irked the colossal Hawaiian, who offered the following advice to “Big Brown” during Friday’s UFC Fight Night 54 Q&A (NSFW language; h/t Adam Guillen Jr. of MMA Mania).

“Honestly, I don’t want to knock him out,” Browne said. “I want him to feel what it’s like to go three rounds with me. And I’ll tell you right now, this guy, a lot of people don’t rub me the wrong way, but opinions are like a——s, you need to keep them to yourself. That’s exactly what he needs to do.”

Browne’s impressive three-fight winning streak ended in his last bout when he suffered a lopsided loss to Fabricio Werdum (unanimous decision) in a title eliminator fight at UFC on Fox 11 in April.

Prior to his setback to Werdum, Browne (16-2) scored three straight KO wins and three straight “Knockout of the Night” bonuses in less than a nine-month span in 2013.

Schaub (10-4), on the other hand, has dropped three of his last five fights, including a controversial split-decision loss to Andrei Arlovski at UFC 174 in June.

Big Brown holds a 6-4 UFC record with just two of this victories coming via decision.

 

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