Johny Hendricks and Matt Brown fought at UFC 185.
That sentence alone should make any MMA fan dance around with excitement.
This fight promised fireworks from the second it was booked. Arguably the hardest-hitting slugger in the division ve…
That sentence alone should make any MMA fan dance around with excitement.
This fight promised fireworks from the second it was booked. Arguably the hardest-hitting slugger in the division versus a man who can absorb punishment like none other and has never lost via TKO?
Yes, please.
In execution, Hendricks vs. Brown didn’t quite live up to the billing. This is the unfortunate world of mixed martial arts, friend.
While Hendricks’ power is significant, he comes from a wrestling-first background, and he showcased that lifelong skill set at UFC 185, grinding out a unanimous-decision win primarily through his takedowns and top control.
We didn’t get a slugfest, but we got a clear-cut victory Saturday nonetheless.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
We’ll remember the disappointing nature of this fight.
Fans wanted blood and punches, but they got takedowns and grabbing instead. Disclaimer: I love the ground game. I really do. But Hendricks wasn’t looking to finish once the fight hit the mat. He didn’t pass guard or go for broke with his ground-and-pound. He just…maintained position.
That’s no fun for anyone.
Thanks to his sensational takedowns and Brown’s inability to do anything against them, Hendricks turned a Fight of the Night contender into a forgettable affair.
What We Learned About Hendricks
Hendricks can wrestle and eat strikes. Nothing new there.
Unfortunately, we learned little to nothing about Hendricks’ game in this one. There were moments where he flashed some nice leg kicks and some more-polished hands, but for the most part, this was a standard Bigg Rigg victory.
Move along, folks.
What We Learned About Brown
Brown continues to struggle against grappling wizards.
He could not slow Hendricks’ wrestling attack in Round 1 and was exhausted after more of the same in Round 2.
Nine of Brown’s 12 career losses came via submission, a result of his inability to keep stronger grapplers from pressuring and overwhelming him on the mat.
Now, he’s lost a 13th time as a professional mixed martial artist, and the reasoning is mostly the same. His opponent wouldn’t stand and bang with him, and The Immortal didn’t have a viable Plan B.
This loss and the method in which it happened should come as a surprise to precisely no one.
We didn’t learn much about Brown’s specific skill set, but we did learn that he’s not a title contender at welterweight. Toughness can only take a fighter so far, and Brown has already stretched that limit.
What’s Next for Hendricks
Hendricks should get the winner of the UFC 189 welterweight title showdown on July 11 between champion Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald.
With another win under his belt now, Hendricks will almost certainly get a chance to reclaim his 170-pound strap.
What’s Next for Brown
Brown is still arguably the most fun welterweight in the UFC…when he’s not being smothered.
There are a select few guys in the division who can grind The Immortal into the canvas, but every one of them resides in the top 10 and will keep Brown from ever reaching gold.
He should face Tarec Saffiedine next, and let’s see who deserves to stick around at the top of the division.
In the only heavyweight clash showcased on UFC 185’s stacked main card, divisional mainstays Roy Nelson and Alistair Overeem aimed to pad their respective title runs.
With a combination of raw punching power and elite striking technique, the heavyweigh…
In the only heavyweight clash showcased on UFC 185‘s stacked main card, divisional mainstays Roy Nelson and Alistair Overeem aimed to pad their respective title runs.
With a combination of raw punching power and elite striking technique, the heavyweight throwdown was pegged as a potential show stopper.
Luckily for fight fans watching around the world, the titanic clash lived up to the hype.
Overeem’s striking ultimately reigned supreme, but Nelson did land a few flush shots to cause concern.
Here is what we learned from Saturday’s heavyweight bout and Overeem’s impressive unanimous-decision victory.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
As hard as it is for veterans to adopt fresh tendencies, Overeem’s patient and calculated striking continues to evolve.
Unfortunately for Nelson, Saturday was just another step in The Reem’s process of becoming a bona fide heavyweight title contender.
From leg kicks to oblique strikes, from quick jabs to body strikes, Overeem pounded Nelson like he was kneading bakery dough.
While Nelson landed his fair share of right hands and uppercuts, the Dutchman avoided any seriously dangerous situations. He demonstrated the overall versatility and focus to push through a true knockout artist.
And for that, Overeem’s performance was one to remember.
What We Learned About Overeem
Like an old dog learning new tricks, Overeem continues to prove that he can adapt to the talent-rich heavyweight division.
Unlike previous performances, The Reem kept his cool, picked his shots, maintained distance and utilized his mixture of speed and technique. It’s a deadly combination for any future opponent to face and one that was simply overwhelming for a one-punch finisher like Nelson.
Look for Overeem to build off this victory and improve on his already elite striking skills even more.
What We Learned About Nelson
At this point in his career, it’s becoming evident that Nelson is a one-trick pony.
With some of the best power punches in the UFC today, especially his overhand right, Big Country has the ability to finish a fight at any time.
But when he’s matched up with a superior striker like he was at UFC 185, things tend to take a turn for the worse. He just doesn’t possess the all-around game to push the pace and score points when he’s behind on the scorecards.
And because of that, Nelson is going to have a tough time capturing victory in the future outside of first-round knockouts.
What’s Next for Overeem
The time has come.
Overeem has finally done enough within the UFC heavyweight division to garner serious consideration for a title shot sometime in 2015.
He most likely has to win one more fight before challenging the winner of Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum, but The Reem is so close he can smell it.
A future showdown with Junior dos Santos makes the most sense at this time.
What’s Next for Nelson
On the heels of two straight disappointing defeats, Nelson will be forced to come out swinging the next time he steps inside of the cage.
The 38-year-old’s professional window is closing as we speak. However, with elite punching power, Nelson is always one punch away from proving his worth in a rather shallow division.
A fight with Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva is the most logical matchup to make right now.
Anthony “Showtime” Pettis will defend his UFC Lightweight Championship on Saturday against Rafael dos Anjos in the main event at UFC 185. It will be Pettis’ second defense as he defeated Gilbert Melendez in Dec. 2014 at UFC 182.
In the co-feature, wome…
Anthony “Showtime” Pettis will defend his UFC Lightweight Championship on Saturday against Rafael dos Anjos in the main event at UFC 185. It will be Pettis’ second defense as he defeated Gilbert Melendez in Dec. 2014 at UFC 182.
In the co-feature, women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza faces Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Before the event’s festivities move to the main card, there are some intriguing preliminary fights on tap. Here’s a look at the full card with results that will be updated as the event progresses.
Just below the table is a breakdown of each fight.
Fight Pass Prelims
Target Practice
Germaine “The Iron Lady” de Randamie gave Larissa Pacheco a sound beating to open the Fight Pass prelims. The talented kickboxer hit Pacheco almost at will with nasty uppercuts and powerful right hands. De Randamie out-landed Pacheco 52-15 in significant strikes and was never threatened in the one-plus rounds the fight lasted.
Pacheco deserved credit for being game and tough, but it was good to see the referee rescue her from a more severe beating. De Randamie’s striking was so on point, MMA Mania compared her to a Street Fighter legend:
After one of the shots de Randamie landed, I could have sworn I heard her scream “tiger uppercut!”
Boom! Head Kick
In the first round, the impressive Joseph Duffy continued to show just how dangerous he can be in the lightweight division. He delivered a titanic head kick that sank Jake Lindsey’s battleship just less than three minutes into the fight. You can see how flush the shot landed in the image above from Vendetta Fighter on Twitter.
Duffy followed up with hard punches to the body before the referee stepped in to call an end to the assault.
The UFC’s Twitter account gave Duffy props:
After the bout was over, Duffy warned that there is more to come from him:
Duffy is an impressive prospect. He improves to 13-1 with the win and continues to solidify himself as one to watch. Although he is primarily known for his submission skills after forcing Norman Parke and Conor McGregor to tap out in 2010, Saturday’s display proves Duffy has a lot of weapons at his disposal.
Great Left Hook, Horrible Sportsmanship
Sergio Pettis was dominating Ryan Benoit for almost two rounds, but this is combat sports, and everything can change in an instant. Benoit dropped Pettis with a nasty left hook and then went in for the stoppage.
After the fight was stopped, Benoit erased some of the glory he earned from the comeback win with a deplorable show of sportsmanship.
Once the referee got between the fighters, Benoit kicked a downed Pettis in the butt in a disrespectful move. MMA Mad caught the act in this quick GIF:
Benoit will undoubtedly be hearing about this move for a while and deserves to face some disciplinary action. He did apologize afterward, but that was really tough to excuse.
After getting the boot from Benoit, Pettis is going to be kicking himself if he ever looks at the statistics from the fight. In the first round, Pettis out-landed Benoit 27-18 in significant strikes and spent one minute, 34 seconds in control compared to just 16 seconds for his opponent.
FX Prelims
Rosholt Beats Up the Cuddly Bear
After a first round that featured both Jared Rosholt and Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland landing big shots, the former took the fight to the ground, where he dominated.
Copeland couldn’t stop Rosholt from taking him down in the second or third round. The last takedown proved to be Copeland’s undoing as Rosholt pounded him until referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in to stop the bout.
Sherdog’s Jordan Breen talked up Rosholt’s ground-and-pound:
Rosholt’s chin was checked a bit in the first round, but he fought through it by landing the two big takedowns that were the difference in the fight.
Dazzling Dariush
Coming into the bout, most would have told you that Daron Cruickshank was a better striker than Beneil Dariush. On Saturday, we were reminded that there’s a difference between flash and substance.
Cruickshank has beautiful high leg kicks, but Dariush proved to be the more sound, cerebral and effective striker. He used a nasty left-leg body kick to wear down Cruickshank in the first round. When the second round rolled around, Cruickshank was gassed and hurt.
He started pursuing the takedown, and that was a bad idea. Dariush’s grappling and submission skills are elite. He wasted no time showing his superiority, transitioning from move to move before taking Cruickshank’s back and securing the rear-naked choke.
Fox Sports: UFC gave credit where it’s due:
After three straight wins, Dariush looks ready for a top-10 opponent.
The Spartan Spanks a Silverback
Elias “The Spartan” Theodorou doesn’t have an aesthetically pleasing game, but like DJ Khaled, all he does is win. He improved to 11-0 after he secured the second-round TKO win over Roger Narvaez.
A relentless diet of kicks broke down Narvaez…literally. In the second round, Narvaez attempted to block a kick from Theodorou and might have broken his arm in the process. From there, Theodorou went in for the finish and got it.
Theodorou landed 39 significant strikes to just 16 for Narvaez en route to the win. Submission Radio caught Theodorou’s slick reference to Joe Rogan’s television past during the post-fight interview:
Never Hook with a Hooker
The old-school boxing adage was proved true in the final FX prelim fight.
Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson vanquished Sam Stout with a destructive left hand to close out the preliminary fights on the card. Stout was throwing his own left hand at the time, but Pearson’s found the mark first, and Stout went down.
He was out when he hit the mat, but Pearson had to drop another bomb to get the referee to stop the bout.
Pearson’s win made it a perfect seven stoppages in the prelim fights. Ever the historian, Fox Sports’ Ariel Helwani said Saturday’s bouts hearken back to UFC 14:
The main card has some tough acts to follow.
Main Card
Cejudo Calms the Kamikaze
It wasn’t a stoppage, but Henry Cejudo’s win was as dominant as any victory that happened before it on the card. The 2008 Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist took Chris Cariaso down whenever he wanted to. In total, Cejudo secured six takedowns in all.
It wasn’t just his wrestling that was dominant; his striking was exemplary as well. His 50 significant strikes dwarfed Cariaso’s 11 in the bout.
After having some issues making 125 pounds, Cejudo has finally arrived in the flyweight division. It’s early, but he looks like a real player. Josh Gross of Sherdog seems to agree:
The flyweight division is beginning to get interesting.
Overeem Shrinks Big Country
In one of the best showings of Alistair Overeem’s career, the Dutch heavyweight picked Roy “Big Country” Nelson apart with a diversified striking performance.
He stayed away from Nelson’s big right hand and landed a plethora of hard knees to the chest and chin. Overeem did get dropped in the third round on a left hook in the final 30 seconds, but Nelson didn’t have the juice to follow up.
Overeem landed 66 significant strikes to just 48 for Nelson. Shaun Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting praised Overeem but acknowledged his questionable chin:
If Overeem could erase the last 15 seconds of the fight with Nelson, his night would have been flawless. Nonetheless, he has now won two in a row.
Hendricks Slams Brown
Johny Hendricks served notice to the rest of the welterweight division. He easily defeated Matt Brown on Saturday on the strength of spectacular wrestling.
The former 170-pound champion had nine takedowns and he spent 11:26 in top control. Brown is known for his brawling style, but Hendricks stamped out any wild exchanges with timely takedowns.
Henry Cejudo is on the quest for gold again, only this time he’s chasing the dream inside the UFC Octagon.
The 2008 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling won his first fight as a UFC flyweight at UFC 185, and he made a serious statement in…
Henry Cejudo is on the quest for gold again, only this time he’s chasing the dream inside the UFC Octagon.
The 2008 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling won his first fight as a UFC flyweight at UFC 185, and he made a serious statement in the process.
He’s here. He’s dangerous. Get used to it.
Taking on former flyweight title challenger Chris “Kamikaze” Cariaso, Cejudo showcased everything one could want to see from a top MMA prospect.
His striking was clean and powerful. His wrestling was smothering and technical, as expected. He ate a few big shots and defended a few submissions without flinching.
The dude is for real.
In the shallow flyweight class, Cejudo looks every bit the part of a future title contender and, perhaps, even more.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
Cejudo has repeatedly failed to make the 125-pound limit throughout his mixed martial arts career, so when he tipped the scales at 125 on the button Friday before UFC 185, he put the entire MMA universe on notice.
The world-class wrestler with surprisingly effective kickboxing finally dedicated himself to his craft and to making weight. A division sorely lacking in legitimate contenders gained one of the finest athletes in the game today.
What we’ll remember about this fight is that it represented the moment Cejudo finally cut away all the nonsense, put the scales behind him and showed us who he is and who he can be as a fighter.
And that man is pretty damn good.
What We Learned About Cejudo
Cejudo can make weight at flyweight, and he can destroy former 125-pound title challengers.
That’s big. His wrestling skills will always be there for him, but we continued to see the evolution of his striking game against Cariaso.
Cejudo‘s hands were fast, his defense was passable, and he blended both phases of the game—grappling and striking—seamlessly.
After three rounds of pure domination, we learned Cejudo has the overall skill set and the gas tank to match to contend with the big dogs. It still feels like he has another gear he hasn’t quite hit, but there’s no doubt that his ceiling is high and his future is bright.
What We Learned About Cariaso
Cariaso is not quite an elite, top-five flyweight.
Despite challenging for champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson’s title at UFC 178, Cariaso hasn’t look like a top-flight 125-pound fighter of late.
Cejudo had his way anywhere the fight went, and Cariaso simply had nothing in return. Save a few solid body kicks and some flailing submission attempts, Cariaso had little to offer.
We learned that, despite his impressive resume, Cariaso is not a man with UFC gold in his future.
What’s Next for Cejudo
Cejudo was unranked at flyweight before this fight, but he will receive a top-10 or top-five matchup next. He deserves it.
His low ranking was a product of his inability to make weight and his relative inexperience. It was not a reflection of his skill level.
Now that he’s shown he can make the 125-pound limit and perform, the UFC will throw him to the wolves where he belongs.
I don’t expect him to get a title shot right away, but a fight against No. 5-ranked JussierFormiga or No. 6-ranked Ali Bagautinov makes all kinds of sense for him moving forward.
What’s Next for Cariaso
Cariaso can fight. He’s just not a top-five flyweight in the world, and that’s OK.
Kamikaze will stick around in the UFC for the time being, but I don’t expect him to make another run at the title. In the short history of the flyweight division, Cariaso will represent one of the first true gatekeepers.
Look for him to separate the contenders from the pretenders for years to come. The first step on that journey can come against Tim Elliott, a loser of three straight inside the Octagon.
Not many people are giving Rafael dos Anjos a chance to defeat UFC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis on Saturday at UFC 185 in Dallas, Texas. Sherdog.com’s Mike Sloan polled 26 current and former professional fighters, and only one picked …
Not many people are giving Rafael dos Anjos a chance to defeat UFC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis on Saturday at UFC 185 in Dallas, Texas. Sherdog.com’s Mike Sloan polled 26 current and former professional fighters, and only one picked dos Anjos to come out on top.
Current bantamweight contender Urijah Faber said this:
I think Pettis is going to come away with it. Dos Anjos is looking great, but I think the dynamic style of Pettis is just going to be too much for him. In my opinion, the most creative and exciting fighter in the UFC is Pettis. He’s got a solid ground game, and he’s got those incredible kicks and pinpoint punches.
Faber’s assessment of Pettis is spot on. It’s difficult to find a weakness in the champion’s game.
He’s an explosive striker and opportunistic submission artist. He’s shown the ability to end the fight in an instance with a head kick or by submission. Because dos Anjos can’t match Pettis‘ speed, he’ll have to look for counter-punching opportunities.
These will have to come against Pettis‘ leg kicks and will be necessary for dos Anjos to have a chance to win.
Dos Anjos‘ Keys to Victory
Check and Strike
Perhaps the most effective sequence of maneuvers dos Anjos can employ against Pettis is to check and strike. Pettis usually fires leg kicks early in his fights. If dos Anjos can time them—which is much easier said than done—he might be able to check the strike and fire the right hand that dropped and finished Benson Henderson.
Even if it doesn’t land, the move could still serve as a deterrent to Pettis‘ lower-body attack.
Take It Deep
Pettis utilizes a lot of movement, which could be tiring if the fight lasts into the later rounds. Yet no one has been able to test Pettis‘ stamina. That’s something dos Anjos will want to explore. In the third, fourth and fifth rounds, there’s a chance that Pettis will slow down.
That would help to close the speed gap between the two men.
Pettis‘ Keys to Victory
Patience
According to Matt Parrino of UFC.com, Pettis hears the critics who question his mettle as a champion:
“I definitely hear and see; it’s impossible not to hear it and not to see it,” Pettis said. “People calling me injury prone and paper champion, but I just take the higher route.”
Pettis must continue to let the irrational criticism roll off his back. If he goes in looking to make a statement and abandons the game plan, he could make himself vulnerable.
Against a strong and rugged veteran like dos Anjos, Pettis must remain patient while allowing the fight to come to him.
Limit Unnecessary Risks
Part of Pettis‘ appeal is his dynamic move set. However, he can’t get caught showboating. It’s smart to mix in some unorthodox techniques to keep dos Anjos guessing, but gambles are the quickest ways to make this fight more competitive than it has to be.
If Pettis varies his attack and keeps his poise during grappling sequences, he should win by submission.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
UFC has been on a roll lately with incredible fight cards and compelling main events, a trend that seems destined to continue on Saturday night at UFC 185. The card is headlined by Anthony Pettis and Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight championship.&n…
UFC has been on a roll lately with incredible fight cards and compelling main events, a trend that seems destined to continue on Saturday night at UFC 185. The card is headlined by Anthony Pettis and Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight championship.
One selling point for this card is the main event figures to go a little longer than 14 seconds, though it might be more interesting if either Pettis or Dos Anjos ended the fight in Ronda Rousey-like fashion.
The main reason this has the makings of a special event is a loaded undercard, which features a women’s strawweight title fight and a heavyweight showdown between two of the most powerful punchers in the business, Roy Nelson and Alistair Overeem.
As the final predictions roll in for UFC 185, here’s a look at the card and a breakdown of what the experts are saying will happen.
Main Event Prediction
There are moments in certain athlete’s careers where they go from being good at what they do to a true superstar. These are the franchise players, ones who move merchandise and bring eyeballs to their sport regardless of who they are taking on.
Anthony Pettis seems poised to take that next step, as he’s been one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in mixed martial arts for years and has won his last five UFC fights since losing to Clay Guida in his debut with the promotion.
As Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports wrote, Pettis has been on a Rousey-esque run in his last four victories:
In his last four fights, he’s won by knockout twice and submission twice and never once entered the third round. More impressively, those wins came over Joe Lauzon (first-round KO by head kick); Donald Cerrone (first-round TKO by body kick); Benson Henderson (first-round submission by arm bar) and Gilbert Melendez (second-round submission by guillotine choke).
Dos Anjos isn’t exactly a slouch in the Octagon, having won his last three fights, with victories over Jason High and Benson Henderson using an impressive barrage of punches to score knockouts. That’s a key point for this fight since striking used to be a liability for the Brazilian star.
Yet there are certain fighters who tend to operate on another level. Anderson Silva was there at his peak, Georges St-Pierre was there before he walked away, Jon Jones is living in that world right now and Pettis isn’t far behind.
UFC lightweight Ross Pearson, who predicts a win for Pettis, believes this is the kind of fight that will allow the champion to show all the things that make him special (via ESPN.com):
I think this is a great fight for him, stylistically, to go out there and put on a show. So, yeah, my money is on Pettis to do something pretty fancy. I don’t think dos Anjos moves a lot. I don’t think his defense is that good.
His offensive and power striking is very good, but I think he’s a sitting duck. He’s a little flat; he needs angles. Pettis is all about movement, and I think the shots will be there for him.
UFC isn’t hurting for stars right now, especially with Rousey turning into a crossover star like few fighters have been able to in the past, but it never hurts to have depth in that area. Pettis should already be at that level given his history, only being 28 years old and having a terrific personality.
A win in this spot, especially if he continues to dominate the way he has the last four fights with only one reaching the second round, puts Pettis on that next level. There’s nothing that Dos Anjos does which Pettis can’t counter.
Dos Anjos isn’t a great striker, despite adding some power as he’s gotten older, and he has been passive at times by letting opponents come toward him instead of staying on the attack. If that happens against Pettis, it’s going to be a short fight.
Regardless of what this fight turns into, a slugfest or methodical mind duel, Pettis is going to come out on top because he’s better and a more complete fighter.
Johny Hendricks and Matt Brown fought at UFC 185. 