Tag: UFC 183

Thales Leites Is UFC 183’s Hottest Fighter

Though one-time middleweight title challenger Thales Leites defeated Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch at UFC 183, the Nova Uniao staple’s face told the real story.
Leites won his second straight Performance of the Night bonus following his gritty second-rou…

Though one-time middleweight title challenger Thales Leites defeated Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch at UFC 183, the Nova Uniao staple’s face told the real story.

Leites won his second straight Performance of the Night bonus following his gritty second-round arm-triangle finish over Boetsch.

Leites submitted The Barbarian to earn his fifth straight Octagon victory and his eighth win in a row. The pair engaged in a back-and-forth stand-up battle in the first frame before Boetsch began to gain confidence throwing his right hand.

Boetsch’s power triumphed over the Brazilian’s for the entirety of the fight, which led to an eventual takedown by Leites. From there, the 34-year-old Boetsch was stranded in Leites’ world.

The 33-year-old Leites achieved the mount quickly. He failed on his initial arm-triangle attempt but made good on his second try. For that, he walked away with two post-fight bonuses and an extra $100,000 in his wallet, according to Fight Corner‘s Heidi Fang.

Leites’ victory puts him on track to receive a top-10 opponent with his next venture into the cage, as he has now finished his last three opponents in the second round or sooner. Since his release from the UFC in 2009, the Brazilian has amassed an 11-1 record.

The win over Boetsch is also Leites’ third by arm triangle during that span.

Though his hands weren’t capable of dispatching the durable wrestler, Leites has made great strides in the striking department. Early in his Octagon career, he would fall back on the strength of his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, failing to take the next step in other phases of his offense.

Lackluster losses to former middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Alessio Sakara led to his Octagon dismissal.

His 45-second TKO of Trevor Smith at UFC Fight Night: Abu Dhabi was the culmination of something special brewing within the confines of the esteemed Nova Uniao camp. Andre Pederneiras, the team’s head coach, saw a gap in the middleweight’s game.

“Sometimes during a fight when I hit my opponents strong and they feel my punch, I was going to take them down,” Leites told UFC.com in August. “He (Pederneiras) came to me and said ‘Thales, you have heavy hands; when you hit your opponent, move forward and try to knock him out.'”

Prior to his Octagon days, Leites defeated only two men via knockout. In 2014, he scored two quick knockout wins. Of his eight victories in a row, only three have gone to a decision.

Leites also avenged his lone loss to UFC/Bellator veteran Matt Horwich during the span since his initial departure, submitting him with an arm triangle in the second round.

His stagnancy in the stand-up aspect of his repertoire plagued him in 2009 bouts against Silva and Sakara. Now, Leites is ready and willing to trade with the brutes of the 185-pound division.

“I’m a jiu-jitsu fighter and I’ll always represent Brazilian jiu-jitsu,” said Leites. “But this is MMA and you have to be ready for every situation. The feeling of the knockout is great, but the submission, for me, is wonderful.”

Leites made a wonderful change to his approach coming out of his corner in the second round against The Barbarian. After failing to best Boetsch on the feet, the BJJ black belt completed a takedown and did what he does best by finding a choke.

His takedown defense probably isn’t where it needs to be. His striking may still be relatively green compared to middleweights Lyoto Machida and Luke Rockhold, but there’s no holding back the ever-improving Leites.

Al Iaquinta might have just scored the biggest win of his budding Octagon career and survived an onslaught of offense from Joe Lauzon, but his 6-2 record pales in comparison to the roll Leites is on.

It’s time for UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby to turn Leites loose on the division’s best.

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UFC 183 Results: 3 Fights for Kelvin Gastelum at His New Weight Class

Kelvin Gastelum missed weight for his showdown with Tyron Woodley at UFC 183 by eight pounds.
That’s unacceptable, and the UFC has taken action.
Per a report by Combat (h/t to Guilherme Cruz of MMA fighting), UFC president Dana White has ordered Gastel…

Kelvin Gastelum missed weight for his showdown with Tyron Woodley at UFC 183 by eight pounds.

That’s unacceptable, and the UFC has taken action.

Per a report by Combat (h/t to Guilherme Cruz of MMA fighting), UFC president Dana White has ordered Gastelum to move back up to middleweight, a weight class the 23-year-old once called home en route to winning The Ultimate Fighter Season 17.

It’s difficult news to swallow considering Gastelum was carving out a nice home at 170 pounds, but he can’t go on with missing weight and over-depleting himself just days before competition.

In any case, the evolving 23-year-old will attempt to re-establish his credibility among bigger and stronger opponents.

Here are three fights for Gastelum to take next as he makes yet another divisional move:

 

Tim Kennedy

Kennedy is a huge step up from the welterweights that Gastelum is used to fighting, but he’s also coming off a very disappointing loss and looking to re-establish himself within the division.

The UFC may want to see how Gastelum fares with a move back up in weight before pinning him opposite a juggernaut like Kennedy, but Gastelum‘s track record speaks for itself, and it’s unlikely that he wouldn’t be ready for a fight of this caliber.

As for the fans, this is one heck of a matchup.

With Gastelum‘s in-your-face pressure and Kennedy’s undying resolve, this is easily one of the better matchups the middleweight division has to offer.

 

Tim Boetsch

Like Gastelum, Boetsch was unable to capture victory at UFC 183.

After landing vicious uppercuts and powerful hooks, he ultimately fell victim to Thales Leites‘ dangerous submission game.

Now while Boetsch vs. Gastelum isn’t the sexiest matchup on paper, it makes a whole lot of sense.

The Barbarian is a very recognizable name in the division and a formidable opponent to test Gastelum and see what the youngster can do upon his divisional return.

 

Uriah Hall

Is there any fight fan out there who wouldn’t want to see this rematch?

Having upset Hall to capture TUF 17 finale rights back in April of 2013, Gastelum knows exactly what it takes to stifle the exhilarating striker.

And even though Hall has done more in the division over the past few years to potentially leap frog a rematch with a guy who is coming off a loss (in a different division to boot), I’m sure he’s aching to get his hands on Gastelum and finish what he started.

Both guys have evolved since their initial meeting and Hall has seemingly come out of his nice-guy shell, making this an intriguing matchup that would do well on a stacked pay-per-view card.

 

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Thiago Alves at UFC 183: “Guess Who’s Back?”

Lots of love was sent from all over the mixed martial arts world toward the oft-injured, former top contender Thiago “The Pitbull” Alves following his debilitating second-round knockout of welterweight up-and-comer Jordan Mein at UFC 183. 
Th…

Lots of love was sent from all over the mixed martial arts world toward the oft-injured, former top contender Thiago “The Pitbull” Alves following his debilitating second-round knockout of welterweight up-and-comer Jordan Mein at UFC 183. 

The Pitbull notched his second win in a row and earned a Performance of the Night bonus when he landed a right body kick that shut down Mein. Alves didn’t obtain the victory, though, without paying a price. The muay thai wrecking ball was battered and bruised by Mein uppercut and hooks for the majority of the fight’s opening round. 

Speaking with commentator Joe Rogan afterward, the longtime American Top Team star promptly announced his thunderous return to the welterweight division after his first victory over a ranked opponent in over four years:

Alves‘ win over the No. 13-ranked Mein was important for other reasons. The win marked the first time the Brazilian won back-to-back bouts since he defeated Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck in 2008. It also marked the first time Alves had fought more than once in a one-year span since 2011. 

The 31-year-old has also won back-to-back performance bonuses for wins over Seth Baczynski and Mein.

Alves sustained a litany of injuries that have forced him out of multiple fights over the last two years. 

Couple his injuries with a string of underwhelming, mistake-filled performances against Rick Story and Martin Kampmann, and the Brazilian’s best days seemed well behind him. But with his latest two victories in tow, Alves has every reason to be feeling good about his chances of making another run toward a title, even if it’s in the crowded 170-pound division. 

However, if he wants to fight the elite, he’s going to need to come up with a better game plan that doesn’t involve falling behind on the judge’s scorecards. Alves‘ slow starts against Mein and Story would not slide against the likes of Hector Lombard or Rory MacDonald. 

The ATT mainstay will also need to shore up his shaky wrestling, which has been a thorn in his side in the past. Without a doubt, Alves is indeed due for an upgrade in opponent and could potentially draw dangerous strikers like Dong Hyun Kim and Tarec Saffiedine in his next outing. 

Kelvin Gastelum, one-half of the pay-per-view’s co-main event, also comes to mind after his loss to Tyron Woodley, though it looks like Gastelum will be moving up a weight class in the near future.

Regardless of his competition, Alves‘ fire has reignited; which is the most important thing. 

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UFC 183 Results: 3 Fights for Thales Leites to Take Next

It’s difficult to consistently win on any level of mixed martial arts, let alone in the UFC’s evolving middleweight division.
But on the heels of a return to the promotion back in 2013 after a four-year hiatus, former middleweight title challenger Thal…

It’s difficult to consistently win on any level of mixed martial arts, let alone in the UFC’s evolving middleweight division.

But on the heels of a return to the promotion back in 2013 after a four-year hiatus, former middleweight title challenger Thales Leites is creating noticeable ripples every time he steps inside of the Octagon.

His submission victory over a hard-nosed Tim Boetsch at UFC 183 not only displayed his resilience in the eyes of a fearless brawler but ultimately extended his current UFC win streak to five, which includes three finishes.

Needless to say, the 33-year-old Brazilian has never looked better and is easily one of the top names to watch in 2015.

But is he ready to scale the division’s Top 10 and work his way back toward a title shot?

You better believe it.

Here are three fights for Leites to take next as he continues to impress:

 

Tim Kennedy

This is probably the most logical matchup for Leites moving forward.

Having just dropped a tough loss to Yoel Romero back in September at UFC 178, Kennedy is in need of a victory to re-solidify his spot in the middleweight title picture.

He’s most definitely a tougher matchup for the Brazilian than the other potential suitors on this list, but Kennedy is a big name in the division and a guy Leites could use to launch himself to the top of the crop.

It would be a showdown of two of the more active submission experts in the division, who also like to throw heavy hands.

 

Kelvin Gastelum

Following an egregious weigh-in on Friday, having missed the acceptable welterweight mark by eight pounds, Gastelum has been ordered by Dana White to move back to middleweight, per Combat (h/t to Guilherme Cruz of MMAfighting.com).

That leaves a fantastic matchup on the table between Leites and Gastelum, especially considering the 23-year-old was just one clean weight cut and decisive victory away from a potential title shot at 170 pounds.

Gastelum is already a big enough name in the sport to where a victory for Leites would further increase his chances of fighting a Top Five name by the end of 2015.

However, the UFC rarely pits fighters together who are coming off a respective win and a respective loss.

 

Winner of Michael Bisping vs. CB Dollaway

Bisping vs. Dollaway at UFC 186 is an interesting matchup in itself, but a potential showdown with The Count is the ideal scenario for Leities in 2015, should he miss out on Kennedy.

With all due respect to Dollaway, Bisping is simply the bigger fight.

He’s fought nearly every middleweight under the sun not named Anderson Silva and serves as a great opportunity for Leites to add another big name to his resume and move up the ranks.

That’s easier said than done considering Bisping is as game as they come, but Leites should be able to utilize his evolved striking and potent submission skills to extend his win streak to six.

 

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Silva vs. Diaz and Why ‘Superfights’ Need to Be Chosen More Carefully

Saturday night, UFC 183 went down from Las Vegas and featured a main event between a legend and a cult hero. I am, of course, talking about the bout between Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz.
The fight was heavily advertised by the return of the Anderson Si…

Saturday night, UFC 183 went down from Las Vegas and featured a main event between a legend and a cult hero. I am, of course, talking about the bout between Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz.

The fight was heavily advertised by the return of the Anderson Silva, and it was clear this was a showcase fight for his return from injury. Silva took his fight as his comeback, and Diaz took this as a payday.

However, when all things are considered, this was a “superfight” between former world champions in different weight classes. Silva is the former UFC Middleweight Champion, while Diaz is the former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion and a former UFC Welterweight Championship contender.

It was not advertised this way, but that’s really what this was. After years of fans calling for superfights in every weight division, this is what we were given. And although it was a serviceable fight, it showed that the UFC needs to choose these types of fights more carefully.

When you think about superfights that have been called for, fans oftentimes bring up Silva vs. George St-Pierre, Jon Jones vs. Cain Velasquez and a few others.

Most of the time, superfight ideas are on the money. They should be between the best fighters and champions who have cleared out their divisions. That’s why Silva-Diaz didn’t make much sense, other than it being the showcase fight it was for Silva.

Superfights are supposed to be fights between the best that fans have a hard time choosing who will win. A fight between UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis and UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo would make more sense, as they are the best and fans would have a hard time deciding the winner.

Most, if not all, expected Silva to win. Everyone knew Diaz was tough and would hang around, but Silva was generally the universal pick to win. That’s why it made basically no sense.

And even though we may have enjoyed the nostalgia of having both men in the cage, it didn’t do much of anything for either man. A superfight should establish the alpha male among the best, and that didn’t happen here.

For the most part, the superfight talks need to calm a bit, as they are once-in-a-while treats that should be picked more carefully. They should be special bouts that pit the best against the best and lead to classic showdowns.

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UFC 183 Results: 3 Potential Fights to Keep Nick Diaz Around

As memorable and anticipated as UFC 183 was, Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz was easily one of the weirdest Octagon matchups of all time.
From Diaz immediately mocking Silva’s unwillingness to push forward in Round 1 to Silva doing everything he could to …

As memorable and anticipated as UFC 183 was, Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz was easily one of the weirdest Octagon matchups of all time.

From Diaz immediately mocking Silva’s unwillingness to push forward in Round 1 to Silva doing everything he could to shake off what rust he had accumulated over the past 13 months, Saturday’s main event was full of quirks.

But through the thick fog that was Silva’s historic return to the cage, Diaz stood bloodied and still convinced that he did enough to win the fight, per MMA Junkie’s Steven Marrocco.

While this post-fight self-assurance is becoming the norm for the former welterweight contender, Diaz was able to do a lot of things that many true middleweights and light heavyweights before him couldn’t—he stood in front of The Spider and took every bit of punishment offered.

So even though Silva’s technique, timing and overall fluidity seemed slightly off, Diaz looked great for a guy who hasn’t fought in nearly two years—let alone a guy who was making his return to the cage against the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.

With that said, if Diaz decides to remain active and get back into action as soon as he can, who will be there to welcome him?

Here are three fights for Diaz to take next in order to preserve his relevance and top billing.

 

Winner of Johny Hendricks vs. Matt Brown

While this matchup at UFC 185 could easily produce the next challenger for welterweight champion Robbie Lawler’s belt, Diaz has done enough over the past few years to warrant a shot at the winner.

Now while Hendricks is obviously the bigger draw than Brown—and probably the quickest road to a future title shot—both welterweights match up well against Diaz.

Stylistically, Diaz vs. Brown would possibly be one of the most violent fights ever. With a primal ability to push through pain and attack his opponents, Brown would not shy away from throwing down with one of the best boxers in the sport.

As for Diaz vs. Hendricks, assuming Bigg Rigg doesn’t opt for the takedown early, this is a matchup between a fighter who throws devastating power punches for quality and a fighter who throws countless combinations for quantity.

You also have to consider the reach advantage that Diaz (6’0″) would have opposite Hendricks (5’9″).

In any case, this is the quickest way for Diaz to work his way back into the welterweight division while satisfying his need to fight big names in the sport.

 

Carlos Condit

There is no timetable for Condit‘s return to action since tearing his ACL opposite Tyron Woodley back at UFC 171 nearly one year ago, but you better believe that Diaz would love to get another shot at The Natural Born Killer when he’s ready to go.

Having lost to Condit back at UFC 143 for the interim welterweight title, Diaz has unfinished business with one of the most potent strikers in the division.

Now while Diaz vs. Condit II would be a huge co-main event for any upcoming pay-per-view, it probably wouldn’t serve Diaz all too well when it comes to fighting for a title as quickly as possible.

Condit hasn’t fought since March of 2014 and remains a mystery as to how efficient and intact he’ll be when he finally returns to the cage.

But considering his track record and the two fighters’ five-round history, this is a matchup that everyone wants to see again.

 

Georges St-Pierre

This is obviously one of the unlikeliest matchups to happen in the near future, but it is possible.

Having already gone five rounds with the former welterweight kingpin, Diaz knows all too well what it would take to welcome GSP back to the Octagon and ultimately defeat him.

While the biggest obstacle for a rematch between the two would be St-Pierre’s decision to finally give fighting another go, the UFC would probably throw so much money at him that he wouldn’t know what to do with it.

As for Diaz, this would allow him to enact vengeance on the one guy he’s openly hated the most over the years—not to mention the circus-like media attention and PPV buys this fight would produce the second it was announced.

 

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