Tag: UFC 186

Rampage Jackson vs. Fabio Maldonado: What We Learned from UFC 186 Tilt

Against all odds, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Fabio Maldonado actually happened at UFC 186. While it seemed like a courtroom battle between Jackson and Bellator MMA that would scuttle the fight, a surprise ruling in New Jersey’s appellate court …

Against all odds, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Fabio Maldonado actually happened at UFC 186. While it seemed like a courtroom battle between Jackson and Bellator MMA that would scuttle the fight, a surprise ruling in New Jersey’s appellate court brought the fight back to life…much to the chagrin of Maldonado.

From the first buzzer, Jackson pressed the action, swinging his heavy punches and threatening Maldonado along the cage. For the most part, the Brazilian had no real answer to that. Both men would tire as the minutes wore on, but Rampage never really lost control of the fight.

Jackson would take the victory via a fairly decisive unanimous decision. So what did we learn from this fight?

 

Fans Shouldn’t Get Too Attached to Rampage

While Rampage may have made his way back to the UFC for this fight with Maldonado, there is a serious likelihood that he will be back with Bellator by the end of the year. While the preliminary injunction that initially blocked Jackson from competing at UFC 186 was lifted, he will still be appearing before a judge to determine whether or not he will stay.

It was a huge shock to those in the know that Jackson wound up fighting at UFC 186 at all, and it feels even less likely that he will wind up back with the UFC permanently.

Jackson willy-nilly leaving Bellator for the UFC while still under contract would represent a major shift in the dynamics of the promoter-fighter relationship, and Bellator’s claims of irreparable damage are likely justified. Because of that, we’re far more likely to see his next fight be in a circular cage than the Octagon unless the UFC hurries him back into the cage before the next hearing.

 

Neither Man Is a Serious Top 10 Fighter

Maldonado and Jackson, on-paper, were fringe Top 10 fighters. While there was plenty of reason to question either man’s staying power when it comes to the top of the division, this fight basically proved all the doubters correct.

In spite of his 3-0 run with Bellator, Rampage remains a technically unremarkable fighter who has questionable cardio and an arsenal limited to devastating haymakers. Maldonado, on the other hand, is still the guy who was gift-wrapped a win over Joey Beltran. 

Are they the worst fighters in the world? Far from it. But both men should be labeled as “sideshow” rather than “contender.”

 

Rampage Jackson Is Still a Huge Complainer

Jackson is yet to cross a bridge that he hasn’t burned. He had an ugly breakup with Pride. He had an ugly breakup with the UFC. Now he’s having an ugly breakup with Bellator.

But even as he tries to rebuild his relationship with the UFC, he can’t help but air his dirty laundry. Before and after the fight, Jackson couldn’t help but complain about his first UFC run. The problem, for those who don’t remember, wasn’t money, or promotion or anything of that sort. 

The problem was that he didn’t (and still doesn’t) like to fight wrestlers. Fighting wrestlers is hard. You see…Jackson wants to play real-life Rock’em Sock’em Robots.

That’s still a serious issue, of course. Light heavyweight remains chock-full of high-level wrestlers, and while there are more Maldonados and Manuwas these days, the “money” fights for Jackson remain guys such as Rashad Evans and Daniel Cormier. Not good.

 

You’ve Got to Feel Bad for Steve Bosse

Seriously. Steve Bosse went from fighting on a pay-per-view main card in his UFC debut to…not actually having a UFC debut. It’s a crappy break for the former hockey enforcer, but those are the breaks with MMA promotion. 

This card needed Jackson vs. Maldonado a lot more than it needed Maldonado vs. Bosse. You can’t fault the UFC for scrambling to put the fight back together…but you can feel bad for him, getting his hopes up only to have them dashed without a second thought.

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Rampage vs. Maldonado Results: Winner, Scorecard and Reaction from UFC 186

For the first time in four years, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson picked up a victory in the UFC with a unanimous-decision win over Fabio Maldonado at UFC 186 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. 
Bleacher Report MMA tweeted Saturday night’s result:

Jackso…

For the first time in four years, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson picked up a victory in the UFC with a unanimous-decision win over Fabio Maldonado at UFC 186 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. 

Bleacher Report MMA tweeted Saturday night’s result:

Jackson came out as the aggressor from the opening bell, looking to close the distance and pin Maldonado against the cage. After some early success in the clinch, he was more willing to create some separation and do his damage from close range. A barrage of knees, kicks and punches showed off diverse arsenal that Jackson doesn’t always bring to his fights. 

MMA Fighting noted how well Rampage mixed things up:

The second round saw Maldonado become the aggressor as he took his turn to pin Jackson against the cage. His offense was less diverse than Jackson’s as he went to the body with some dirty boxing on the inside. Once again, the fighters spent the latter half of the round fighting at distance. Unfortunately for Maldonado, that also meant more effective striking from Jackson.

Any concerns about Rampage’s fitness were answered in the third and final frame. Despite some attempts to work the body from Maldonado, Jackson was the much more active fighter in the third round. He continued to pepper his opponent with a variety of strikes en route to a decisive decision victory. 

The sight of Jackson having his hand raised in a UFC bout is one that seemed nearly impossible just a year ago. Rampage was putting on the finishing touches of a three-fight stint in Bellator. After openly disparaging the UFC in the past, it appears the light heavyweight has changed his tune about the organization.

“Honestly there’s a lot worse shows out there than the UFC.” Jackson said, via Chuck Mindenhall of MMA Fighting. “People think that MMA fighters have been treated bad and stuff like that…there are people out there that don’t care about your one bit. At least in the UFC you can earn a pretty good living. Other places, I don’t see you earning no living like you earn in the UFC.”

With the previously disgruntled star’s rocky relationship with the organization apparently mended, this shouldn’t be the last we see of him in the Octagon. 

Those who think this win is a steppingstone to bigger and better things might want to pump the brakes a bit, though. His lengthy hiatus from the UFC doesn’t cover the fact that he jumped to Bellator in the midst of a three-fight losing streak.

His three-fight win streak in Bellator and this win over Maldonado may prove that he’s in a better position to fight his way up the rankings again, or it could be a testament to the talent gap that exists between Bellator and the UFC. 

Joey Beltran, Christian M’Pumbu and Muhammed Lawal isn’t exactly a murderers’ row of opponents. Even Maldonado matched up perfectly for Rampage. The Brazilian is a straightforward striker who rarely looks to take down opponents. 

As Reed Kuhn of Fightnomics noted, Rampage didn’t even have to worry about leg kicks heading into the fight:

Ultimately, this fight told us little about Rampage’s long-term stock in the UFC. Whether or not he can climb his way back to being a legitimate Top 10 light heavyweight is still up in the air. 

For now, fans of Rampage can sit back and enjoy at least one more UFC win for one of the sport’s most recognizable stars. 

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Michael Bisping vs. C.B. Dollaway: What We Learned from UFC 186 Tilt

Michael Bisping and C.B. Dollaway put on a show at UFC 186.
The fight went all three rounds, and both men got in their offense. It was closely contested through the final minute of action. Both fighters benefited from the fight, and the fans did too.

…

Michael Bisping and C.B. Dollaway put on a show at UFC 186.

The fight went all three rounds, and both men got in their offense. It was closely contested through the final minute of action. Both fighters benefited from the fight, and the fans did too.

Bisping pulled out the narrow decision victory. His high-output style was too much for The Doberman on Saturday as the American faded in the later rounds. Even so, Dollaway came away as a winner on the evening.

This is what we learned from the action.

 

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

No one thing was memorable, but it was a good fight. The fighters went back-and-forth with each man shining.

Dollaway‘s most notable moment came in the first round when he dropped Bisping but failed to finish. The Count recovered well by keeping Dollaway off him with his active guard. Bisping used his cardio to outwork Dollaway down the stretch by keeping a high pace.

It was a fun fight.

 

What We Learned About Dollaway

Dollaway had moved up the ranks with a few underdog wins, but this performance in a losing effort against Bisping proved he belongs.

We have seen great improvements from Dollaway, and he learned a lot from this fight against Bisping. We may see an even more dangerous Dollaway when he returns to the UFC for his next bout.

 

What We Learned About Bisping

This was a classic Bisping performance, so we didn’t learn anything new about his skills, but this outing confirmed he will never contend for the UFC Middleweight Championship.

Father Time catches up to us all, and he has passed by Bisping.

The middleweight division has gotten a lot better since The Count first debuted in the UFC. It is no longer a shallow division where you are a title contender if you win three fights. The top end of this division is filled with animals with severe killer instinct. Bisping learned that when Luke Rockhold tore him apart.

Bisping can still be a fun fighter who tests the up-and-comers. He is serviceable, but that’s it.

 

What’s Next for Dollaway

The UFC should rebuild Dollaway with guys outside of the Top 15. Chris Dempsey makes a lot of sense for that line of thinking.

Dempsey came away with an impressive victory against Eddie Gordon at UFC on Fox 15, and the matchup with Dollaway will test both fighters. It’s a win-win situation for the UFC.

 

What’s Next for Bisping

No one in the current Top 10 makes sense for Bisping. And that’s not a bad thing. 

Roan Carneiro would be my selection. He returned to the UFC in fine form but is sitting at No. 15. It’s still a ranked fight for Bisping against someone who makes sense. If Bisping can get past Carneiro, then the UFC can give the Brit another Top 10 opponent to see how close he can come to title contention.

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UFC 186 Results: 4 Stars from the Prelims

UFC 186 hit Montreal on Saturday, but before the five-fight main card unfolded, seven bouts got the night started.
The prelims offered a good mix of veterans and prospects in competitive matches. The matchmakers know what they are doing, and we saw sev…

UFC 186 hit Montreal on Saturday, but before the five-fight main card unfolded, seven bouts got the night started.

The prelims offered a good mix of veterans and prospects in competitive matches. The matchmakers know what they are doing, and we saw several quality performances that set things up well for the future. Of the seven bouts, four stars stood out from the pack.

We saw a potential title contender come out of the prelims and a veteran shine with one of his most complete performances to date.

The undercard started the night off with fun fights.

Here are four stars from the preliminary action at UFC 186.

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UFC 186 Results: Winners and Scorecards from Johnson vs. Horiguchi Fight Card

UFC 186 isn’t the most star-studded card on the UFC’s calendar this year. Events anchored by Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey and the like have certainly received more hype, but that doesn’t mean we should overlook Saturday’s card.
Chief amon…

UFC 186 isn’t the most star-studded card on the UFC’s calendar this year. Events anchored by Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey and the like have certainly received more hype, but that doesn’t mean we should overlook Saturday’s card.

Chief among the reasons to tune in is the opportunity to watch Demetrious Johnson work. Mighty Mouse is among the most dominant champions in the sport, even if he never dominates the headlines.

Then there’s the return of one of the UFC’s most recognizable stars in Rampage Jackson. After a three-fight stint in Bellator that saw him get back on the winning track, he’ll make his return against Fabio Maldonado.

With Michael Bisping and C.B. Dollaway also set to square off, this card has more than one quality scrap on deck. Here’s a live look at the results as they happen throughout the night.  

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UFC 186: Live Results, Play-by-Play and Fight Card Highlights

This Saturday, April 25, the Octagon visits the Bell Centre in Montreal for UFC 186.
The main event of the evening is a flyweight title match between champion Demetrious Johnson and challenger Kyoji Horiguchi. Johnson is defending his title for the six…

This Saturday, April 25, the Octagon visits the Bell Centre in Montreal for UFC 186.

The main event of the evening is a flyweight title match between champion Demetrious Johnson and challenger Kyoji Horiguchi. Johnson is defending his title for the sixth time, while Horiguchi has yet to taste defeat in four UFC contests to date.

In the co-main event of UFC 186, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson returns to the Octagon to take on Fabio Maldonado. This on-again, off-again pairing marks Jackson’s first UFC action since 2013.

The full UFC 186 cards looks like this:

 

UFC 186 Main Card

  • Demetrious Johnson vs. Kyoji Horiguchi
  • Quinton Jackson vs. Fabio Maldonado
  • Michael Bisping vs. C.B. Dollaway
  • John Makdessi vs. Shane Campbell
  • Yves Jabouin vs. Thomas Almeida 

 

Prelims on Fox Sports 1

  • Patrick Cote vs. Joe Riggs
  • Alexis Davis vs. Sarah Kaufman
  • Chad Laprise vs. Bryan Barberena
  • Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. David Michaud

 

Prelims on UFC Fight Pass

  • Nordine Taleb vs. Chris Clements
  • Jessica Rakoczy vs. Valerie Letourneau
  • Aisling Daly vs. Randa Markos

Join us here when the show begins for Bleacher Report’s live play-by-play coverage of UFC 186.

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