UFC 206 Picks: Will Cowboy Outduel The Immortal One?

The new co-main event will likely be just as exciting as the featherweight featured bout. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone is set to do battle with Matt “The Immortal” Brown in a welterweight match up that could answer a great deal of questions about each man’s future in the division. Where a win for Cowboy could thrust him into title contention, a loss for Matt Brown could possibly spell the beginning of the end of a career that has been a true roller coaster ride.

The post UFC 206 Picks: Will Cowboy Outduel The Immortal One? appeared first on Cagepotato.

The new co-main event will likely be just as exciting as the featherweight featured bout. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone is set to do battle with Matt “The Immortal” Brown in a welterweight match up that could answer a great deal of questions about each man’s future in the division. Where a win for Cowboy could thrust him into title contention, a loss for Matt Brown could possibly spell the beginning of the end of a career that has been a true roller coaster ride.

Many were skeptical of Donald Cerrone having a chance at beating the elite at welterweight but his last few performances have shed some light on the fact that Cowboy’s skills are far sharper at a heavier weight. In this fight with Brown, and perhaps most fights he’ll have at welterweight, Cowboy is likely to have a speed advantage that he can exploit. His last few bouts show cased just how accurate, fast, unpredictable, and powerful Cowboy can be once he finds his grove. He’ll have to be on the look out for the initial bull rush from Brown who can throw people off their game with his pressure. Both men are great when coming forward, but Cowboy has more weapons that he utilizes at short range with his step knee, front push kicks, and lead hand upper-jabs. He’ll need to utilize all those tools if he hopes to come out on top in the fight. Wrestling when Brown gets too aggressive may be huge key to victory here.

After falling to Jake Ellenberger in his last bout, Matt Brown has some real soul searching to do. That search has led him to Duane Ludwig’s tutelage. A wizard of striking, Ludwig should be able to add some new wrinkles to Brown’s game heading into this match. What “The Immortal” will have to do in this match up is to put pressure on Cerrone early and often. Rather than allow Cerrone get into his groove, Brown should aim to crowd Cerrone by closing the distance with punches and force his way into the clinch where he always does great work. From in close, elbows and knees are Brown’s best friends. Brown needs to use his size advantage and make Cerrone feel uncomfortable in close quarters.

Oddly both men often take damage to their midsections. Whoever begins to score there first could be on their way to victory. With more ways to get it done, the pick is Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone by TKO.

Do you think Cowboy can overcome The Immortal?


Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

The post UFC 206 Picks: Will Cowboy Outduel The Immortal One? appeared first on Cagepotato.

Matt Brown Vows To ‘Expose’ Cowboy Cerrone At UFC 206

Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone has been on quite the tear since making the jump up to 170 pounds since being a longtime top contender in the UFC’s talent-stacked lightweight division. The dynamic fan-favorite Cerrone is loved and adored my many mixed martial arts (MMA) fans around the world, but no such love is held for the

The post Matt Brown Vows To ‘Expose’ Cowboy Cerrone At UFC 206 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone has been on quite the tear since making the jump up to 170 pounds since being a longtime top contender in the UFC’s talent-stacked lightweight division.

The dynamic fan-favorite Cerrone is loved and adored my many mixed martial arts (MMA) fans around the world, but no such love is held for the former 155-pound title-challenger by his opponent this Saturday (December 10, 2016) Matt ‘Immortal’ Brown. Brown recently spoke to MMA Fighting to discuss his upcoming bout with Cerrone, stating that he doesn’t like the way ‘Cowboy’ carries himself:

“I didn’t see him yesterday, but I will give him the cold shoulder,” Brown said at the media scrum. ” I mean, I’ve talked to him before, but that doesn’t make him a friend. So, I don’t care for him, I don’t care for his personality. Even when I talked to him I didn’t want to talk to him, I was just being cordial. I don’t have any good feelings towards him at all. I don’t like the way he acts, I don’t like the way he carries himself, and I don’t like the way he represents the sport.”

Brown believes Cerrone’s ‘alpha male’ personality stems from those around him hyping him up and singing his praises, giving Cerrone a false sense of confidence that he plans to expose come fight night:

“No it’s just his personality, you can see the way he talks,” he said. “He wants to be an alpha male and he really wants to portray himself as something special. And I think it’s all these yes men he’s got around him, I think he’s just being lied to by them telling him, ‘Donald you’re the champion man, you’re so good, you’re so great, you’re going to be this and that.’ Really he’s just being lied to. It’s my job to come in there and expose that truth out of him.”

matt_brownWhile Brown is usually very cordial and respectful to those who he shares the Octagon with, this time he plans on going into his fight with the ‘bully’ Cerrone with an intent on knocking him off of his foundation that he believes is made off lies:

“Most of my opponents I’m really respectful to, and I think they’re respectful to me, but I take…I don’t know if he means it or not, I don’t know maybe he’s just a douche bag of a person, but I get that feeling when he’s talking to other people, especially other fighters, he feels like he’s above other people,” he said. “And he’s kind of bully, you know what I mean? You watch his fights where he lost where he got bullied back, and he didn’t like that. That’s what I got to do to him.

“I just think his whole thing is based on lies. A lot of people fall into that, but I ain’t falling into it.”

Cerrone and Brown will meet in the co-main event of UFC 206 live on pay-per-view (PPV), from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Saturday (December 10, 2016).

The post Matt Brown Vows To ‘Expose’ Cowboy Cerrone At UFC 206 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC 206 Embedded Episode 3

UFC 206 is just days away and the episode 3 of UFC 206 Embedded was released on the UFC’s YouTube channel. In the episode, welterweight Matt Brown does some last-minute media training with his son Hunter. Featherweight title contender Anthony Pettis trains to sync his brain and his body. In the Denver airport, coach Trevor

The post UFC 206 Embedded Episode 3 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC 206 is just days away and the episode 3 of UFC 206 Embedded was released on the UFC’s YouTube channel.

In the episode, welterweight Matt Brown does some last-minute media training with his son Hunter. Featherweight title contender Anthony Pettis trains to sync his brain and his body. In the Denver airport, coach Trevor Wittman shows off his mixed martial arts craft skills. Welterweight Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone arrives in Toronto and reveals the true extent of his eye injury, then says hello to teammate and UFC 206 middleweight Tim Kennedy. Featherweight title contender Max Holloway starts his fight week duties, and featherweight opponents Cub Swanson and Dooho Choi get settled in.

You can watch it here:

The post UFC 206 Embedded Episode 3 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC 206: Open Workouts Featuring Anthony Pettis, Max Holloway

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGAcissesVM&t=37s[/embed]

Open workouts for Saturday’s UFC 206 event in Toronto took place Wednesday featuring Anthony Pettis, Max Holloway and others.

Pettis and Holloway got in some work with the pad…

ufc-206

Open workouts for Saturday’s UFC 206 event in Toronto took place Wednesday featuring Anthony Pettis, Max Holloway and others.

Pettis and Holloway got in some work with the pads, while others like Donald Cerrone embraced the fans.

Donald Cerrone: Dana White Saved My A**, I Should Have Called Him

Last week former Bellator President and CEO Bjorn Rebney and five of the UFC’s biggest stars in mixed martial arts (MMA) today, including No. 5-ranked welterweight Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, announced the formation of the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association (MMAAA), in effort to fight for better working conditions for fighters in the UFC. The announcement comes

The post Donald Cerrone: Dana White Saved My A**, I Should Have Called Him appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Last week former Bellator President and CEO Bjorn Rebney and five of the UFC’s biggest stars in mixed martial arts (MMA) today, including No. 5-ranked welterweight Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, announced the formation of the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association (MMAAA), in effort to fight for better working conditions for fighters in the UFC.

The announcement comes at the horizon of ‘Cowboy’s’ scheduled meeting with Matt Brown at this weekend’s (Saturday December 10, 2016) UFC 206 pay-per-view (PPV) event from Toronto, as Cerrone is on an impressive three-fight finishing streak since making the jump up to 170 pounds.

During a recent media scrum after the open workouts at Massey Hall earlier today (Wednesday December 7, 2016), courtesy of MMA Fighting, Cerrone stated that he didn’t know he was sitting on a board when he accepted the invitation from Georges St-Pierre and Tim Kennedy to be a part of the MMAAA:

“As far as the Association goes man, Georges [St-Pierre] and Tim [Kennedy] called me and asked me to be part of it,” Cerrone said. “I didn’t know I was sitting on a board. That kind of took me by surprise, sitting there like, oh wow. I spoke to Dana [White] today on the phone. He’s coming to town, and we’re going to go out to dinner and talk. There’s a lot of things I think this sport needs, you know, retirement pension, health care, things I think we need.”

Cerrone still plans to stand beside his MMAAA brethren and fight for better work accommodations from the UFC such as health care and retirement pension. Despite this, ‘Cowboy’ claims that he and the UFC’s relationship is still a great one and that he is on good terms with UFC President Dana White who he revealed at one point paid for ‘the best lawyers you can pay’ and got him out of a ‘bind’ he found himself in:

“I wasn’t sitting there saying, ‘we’re moving forward today, we’re going on strike, we need more money,” he said. “That wasn’t coming out of mouth at all. There were a couple of people that were there that I don’t plan on working with and being a part of, not mentioning any names. I was there mostly just, not saying I’m leading a board or I’m sitting on a board, but more voicing my opinion of what this sport needs.

“Moving forward, I’m still going to stand strong with those and say this is what I believe we need. I believe as a whole we need health care, we need some kind of pension for retirement. The UFC has been nothing but great to me. I can’t complain, they give me what I want. And like Dana said, I called him and he helped me out. That’s true, man. I was in a bind, he got the best lawyers you can pay, and saved my ass.”

Donald-Cerrone-[1]‘Cowboy’ says he has spoken to White since the announcement of the MMAAA was made public, and that the UFC President wishes he would have called him first instead of being ‘back-handed in the face’ by the announcement out of left field:

“He said, listen kid, you can do anything you want. We have a good relationship him and I, and he’s right I probably should have called him and said, ‘hey man, I’m going to do this,’ instead of getting back-handed in the face.”

For now Cerrone’s focus will be set on Brown for their co-main event collision this weekend, which could have title implications if the dominoes fall down correctly, and will resume his fight alongside the MMAAA afterwards.

Cerrone and Brown will meet in the co-main event of UFC 206 live on pay-per-view (PPV), from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada this Saturday (December 10, 2016).

The post Donald Cerrone: Dana White Saved My A**, I Should Have Called Him appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC 206 Picks: Can Cub Swanson Out Scrap Doo Ho Choi?

UFC 206 is coming this weekend and though we may have lost the stellar main event of Daniel Cormier versus Anthony Johnson, the replacement main event is just as intriguing as the light heavyweight title match would have been. Max Holloway versus Anthony Pettis has potential to be a true barnburner of a fight and for the interim featherweight title no less. But the other featherweight match up on the main card looks to be just as intriguing as Christmas comes early for Doo ho Choi who gets his wish of fighting his idol Cub Swanson.

The post UFC 206 Picks: Can Cub Swanson Out Scrap Doo Ho Choi? appeared first on Cagepotato.

UFC 206 is coming this weekend and though we may have lost the stellar main event of Daniel Cormier versus Anthony Johnson, the replacement main event is just as intriguing as the light heavyweight title match would have been. Max Holloway versus Anthony Pettis has potential to be a true barnburner of a fight and for the interim featherweight title no less. But the other featherweight match up on the main card looks to be just as intriguing as Christmas comes early for Doo ho Choi who gets his wish of fighting his idol Cub Swanson.

A twelve year veteran in the sport, Cub Swanson is a savvy striker with a ton of experience under his belt. Known as a grappler in the earlier phases of his career, it was evident that Swanson put a tremendous amount of focus in improving his striking. His six fight win streak showed just how versatile he has been on the feet. That is until he bumped into Frankie Edgar and Max Holloway. Now with a new streak going Swanson looks to batter Doo Ho Choi at UFC 206. The biggest issue he’s going to have to overcome is avoiding the temptation to just stand and bang. If he hopes to keep his future in the sport alive he’ll have to mix up his game. Choi is seasoned, but the kind of experience that Swanson has obtain means that he’s smart enough to take the fight to the ground or even slow down Choi’s pace by putting him against the fence. Neither man likes to kick much, but a healthy dose to Choi’s legs would be a good plan of action for Swanson. What Swanson absolutely cannot afford is to get into a wild slug fest where his younger opponent is likely to excel.

Doo Ho Choi has become a very intriguing addition to the UFC featherweight division, one that has been outclassing his opposition thus far in the octagon. Now he meets Cub Swanson who is sure to present different obstacles that Choi has yet to face thus far in his career. Choi has disciplined boxing but has some defensive flaws like overthrowing his shots when he feels he closes in for the kill, but for the most part he stays composed and ready to counter. Feeding Swanson some long range jabs and straights to the body with eventually start to keep Swanson guessing. Choi has some really explosive movement, especially when he’s on the counter and can cover distance well if need be. He has to get Swanson to react and either counter the counter or put Cub into a defensive shell to deter him from coming forward. If Swanson over commits an uppercut, left hook, or right straight will likely greet him on the counter.

While Cub Swanson still has plenty left in the tank Doo Ho Choi presents a striking threat that could see the veteran getting clipped with a well timed counter. Expect Doo Ho Choi to prove the hype is all real as he captures a KO victory in the first round of a fun striking contest.

Who do you think wins at UFC 206?


Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

The post UFC 206 Picks: Can Cub Swanson Out Scrap Doo Ho Choi? appeared first on Cagepotato.