Tag: UFC Fight Night 108

10 Great UFC Cards That No One Watched In 2017

With Ronda Rousey now having all but retired from the sport and Conor McGregor essentially having taken a year out to focus on his boxing superfight with Floyd Mayweather, there’s been a general feeling that the UFC has been running at a low ebb in 2017. However, while it’s undoubtedly true that there’s nowhere near […]

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With Ronda Rousey now having all but retired from the sport and Conor McGregor essentially having taken a year out to focus on his boxing superfight with Floyd Mayweather, there’s been a general feeling that the UFC has been running at a low ebb in 2017.

However, while it’s undoubtedly true that there’s nowhere near the same buzz, excitement, and enthusiasm surrounding the sport as there was a year ago, the reality is that there’s still been a lot of UFC events this year that delivered big in the entertainment category with plenty of memorable knockouts, slick submissions, stand-out performances and all-out wars.

The problem is that without those superstar names topping the bill, these events have often slipped under the radar, resulting in those talented fighters who have been putting it all on the line each week not getting the audience and attention that they deserve.

With that in mind, in this article, we’ll endeavor to shine a spotlight on 10 of the best UFC fight cards in 2017 that no one bothered to watch.

UFC On FOX 23: Shevchenko vs. Pena

After an exciting end to the previous year, MMA’s New Year hangover seemed to last all month long in January, with there being a distinct lack of enthusiasm for the end of month UFC on FOX 23 card, which slipped under many people’s radars and barely scraped above 2 million viewers.

However, those paying attention would have noted that the four main card match-ups always looked like they could deliver a fun night of fights.

Valentina Shevchenko secured a bantamweight title shot in a strong main event showing, proving that she was more than just a striker with a well-executed armbar finish against former TUF winner Julianna Pena.

The co-main event featured what should have been a must-see welterweight encounter between in the in-form Donald Cerrone and Jorge Masvidal, and it was exciting stuff for as long as it lasted, with ‘Gamebred’ flooring ‘Cowboy’ late in the first round and then finishing him off early in the second.

Fans also got to witness major heavyweight prospect Francis Ngannou notch up the most significant win of his career to date with a TKO finish in 92 seconds against Andrei Arlovski, while the main card opener got the proceedings on ‘big’ FOX off to a good start with Jason Knight, aka ‘Hick Diaz,’ outgrappling Alex ‘Bruce Leeroy’ Caceres for a second-round submission finish.

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Best UFC Fight, Knockout, Submission From Month of April

While we sit back and wait for the spectacle that will be UFC 211, let us take a look back at what went down in the month of April inside the Octagon. Three events were completed, with several worthy contenders for “Fight, Knockout and Submission of the Month” being up for consideration. After going back […]

While we sit back and wait for the spectacle that will be UFC 211, let us take a look back at what went down in the month of April inside the Octagon. Three events were completed, with several worthy contenders for “Fight, Knockout and Submission of the Month” being up for consideration. After going back […]

Cub Swanson Broke Hand In Thrilling Win Over Artem Lobov

Surging featherweight contender Cub Swanson may have put him self dangerously close to earning a title shot with his thrilling win over Artem Lobov last weekend in the main event of UFC Fight Night 108, but he didn’t exit the bout unscathed. In fact, Swanson recently revealed that he broke his hand during the fight:

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Surging featherweight contender Cub Swanson may have put him self dangerously close to earning a title shot with his thrilling win over Artem Lobov last weekend in the main event of UFC Fight Night 108, but he didn’t exit the bout unscathed.

In fact, Swanson recently revealed that he broke his hand during the fight:

“Unfortunately, I just got back from the doctor’s (office), and I don’t know when, but I broke my hand at some point (in the fight),” he told FOX Sports’ PROcast (via YouTube). “That’s the 10th time I’ve broken my hand now, so it’s been a little bit of a problem.”

Swanson was able to pick apart Lobov over the course of five rounds, peppering “The Russian Hammer” with a wide variety of exciting techniques and attacks. He did, however, admit that as the fight dragged on, he began to feel pain in his hands when he would hit Lobov:

“But I was only throwing single shots because he had the hardest head,” Swanson said. “Every time I was hitting him by the third, fourth and fifth rounds, every time I hit him, my hands were just aching. Turns out one of my hands was broke.”

Given this latest injury, it’s currently unclear what’s next for Swanson, but 145-pound champion Jose Aldo will put his title on the line against interim titleholder Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 212 on June 3, 2017.

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Al Iaquinta Trolls Sage Northcutt In Hilarious Twitter Outburst

Only a day after he drew the attention of the MMA world by telling UFC President Dana White to ‘shut his f***ing mouth’ (among other things), rising UFC lightweight Al Iaquinta continues to go off on his employers and everyone remotely close to them. Today, Iaquinta took to his Twitter page to blast Reebok with

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Only a day after he drew the attention of the MMA world by telling UFC President Dana White to ‘shut his f***ing mouth’ (among other things), rising UFC lightweight Al Iaquinta continues to go off on his employers and everyone remotely close to them.

Today, Iaquinta took to his Twitter page to blast Reebok with some well-timed tweets full of questionable spelling, claiming the UFC’s apparel company was trying to work out some sort of deal with him:

Apparently ‘Raging Al’ thought they were against him, calling them out for choosing Sage Northcutt to be their representative instead of him and adding that he’d take out ‘little bitch’ ‘Super’ Sage:

Iaquinta then seemed to come back down to earth somewhat, actually praising Reebok’s products with more slightly ineligible words:

Sounds like he was trying to say “I’ll give that to them,” but either way, it’s more solid gold from an increasingly more notorious fighter who has become famous more for his outspoken crusade against the “Big Brother”-like UFC brass despite his actual performances in the cage, where he’s won his last five fights including four by stoppage and eight of his last nine overall.

Iaquinta returned from over two years away from the sport selling at last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 108 from Nashville, demolishing longtime fan favorite Diego Sanchez with an absolutely vicious right hook and a follow-up straight that could legitimately be dubbed the hardest punch of the year. But he was ultimately noncommittal about ever returning to the UFC after complaining about his pay for years and arguing with the company to pay for a knee surgery he had during his hiatus.

He also ‘raged’ on a good portion of the lightweight division, first calling out rising prospect Kevin Lee, whom he defeated at UFC 169 in January 2014, for not being able to throw a shot like he can:

‘Ragiing’ Al must have then caught wind that he was misspelling a few words, correcting himself with the actual name he wanted to throw Lee’s way:

He didn’t let up on Lee, either, further mocking his striking prowess:

Iaquinta then shifted his focus to Mitch Clarke, who submitted him at UFC 173 in May 2014:

He wouldn’t stop there, giving Bobby Green credit for being able to punch but calling him mentally weak in his own unique way with a sassy new hashtag:

For a man who said it was probable he wouldn’t fight again, he’s certainly calling out a lot of fighters, and for someone who has been publicly blasting his employer for years, he did something incredibly strange by offering to fight all the fighters he just trolled for free:

It wouldn’t seem like Iaquinta is truly out of the game just yet whether he likes his contract or not, and his latest rant makes it look like he wants to get hype rolling for his next bout.

With that perhaps in mind, Iaquinta had only one reaction for someone who asked him about fighting the winner of Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier at May 13’s UFC 211:

At the end of the day booking Iaquinta in a high-profile bout is probably what’s best for both Iaquinta and the UFC, because he currently looks like one of the most dangerous knockout sluggers in the extremely talented UFC 155-pound landscape, and could benefit from a step up in competition.

The company has a potential star on their hand for the rapidly-developing New York market, and all they have to do is pay him a little more money that would pale in comparison to the massive sum they paid for the UFC – and the amounts they’re saving by cutting loose a large portion of the former staff and hordes of competitors.

The UFC could kill two two birds with one stone in doing so, as well, alleviating some of the massive pressure they’re feeling from the backlash of fans that have made rating plummet during a horrific start to 2017.

But their actions would suggest they simply don’t care, so Iaquinta will most likely continue to be at odds with his bosses for the foreseeable future.

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UFC Fight Night 108 Medical Suspensions: Four Fighters Face Long Layoff

With every decision comes a consequence and for those fighters who took part in battle at UFC Fight Night 108, it’s their time to faces those consequences in the form of medical suspensions. A featherweight bout between Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov headlined the event while Al Iaquinta vs. Diego Sanchez in a lightweight bout

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With every decision comes a consequence and for those fighters who took part in battle at UFC Fight Night 108, it’s their time to faces those consequences in the form of medical suspensions.

A featherweight bout between Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov headlined the event while Al Iaquinta vs. Diego Sanchez in a lightweight bout served as the co-main event. Rounding out the main card were Ovince Saint Preux vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima in a light heavyweight bout, John Dodson vs. Eddie Wineland in a bantamweight bout, Joe Lauzon vs. Stevie Ray in a lightweight bout and Jake Ellenberger vs. Mike Perry in a welterweight bout.

Some of the more notable suspensions include Lobov being suspended 60 days or until cleared by physician and 30 days no contact for right foot, Marcos Rogerio de Lima being suspended 60 days or until cleared by physician and 30 days no contact for cut and Mike Perry being suspended 180 days and 180 days no contact or until cleared by physician for nose.

Here are the entire medical suspensions:

Cub Swanson: suspended 7 days with 7 days no contact

Artem Lobov: suspended 60 days or until cleared by physician and 30 days no contact for right foot

Diego Sanchez: suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact

Marcos Rogerio de Lima: suspended 60 days or until cleared by physician and 30 days no contact for cut

Eddie Wineland: suspended 60 days and 60 days no contact or until cleared by physician

Joe Lauzon: suspended 60 days and 60 days no contact or until cleared by physician for cut

Stevie Ray: suspended 30 days with 14 days no contact for cut

Mike Perry: suspended 180 days and 180 days no contact or until cleared by physician for nose

Jake Ellenberger: suspended 60 days with 45 days no contact

Sam Alvey: suspended 180 days and 180 days no contact or until cleared by physician for left ankle

Dustin Ortiz: suspended 60 days with 45 days no contact

Scott Holtzman: suspended 180 days and 180 days no contact or until cleared by physician for possible right foot fracture

Michael McBride: suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact for hard bout

Cindy Dandois: suspended 180 days and 180 days no contact or until cleared by physician for possible right foot fracture

Joe Proctor: suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact

Matt Schnell: suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact

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UFC Fight Night 108 Sees Big Drop In Viewership Numbers

With the questionable main event that the UFC served its fans with on Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee with UFC Fight Night 108, the promotion as well as FOX Sports shouldn’t be surprised with how the viewership numbers were when they were made available on Tuesday morning. The main card drew 745,000

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With the questionable main event that the UFC served its fans with on Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee with UFC Fight Night 108, the promotion as well as FOX Sports shouldn’t be surprised with how the viewership numbers were when they were made available on Tuesday morning.

The main card drew 745,000 viewers on FOX Sports 1, which is down from the UFC Fight Night 106 event’s main card that did 946,000 viewers. The prelims drew 320,000 viewers on FOX Sports 2, which was also down from UFC Fight Night 106 prelims that drew 830,000 viewers. The prelim numbers are still good as the average UFC Fight Night prelims on the TV Network were 730,000.

A featherweight bout between Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov headlined this event while Al Iaquinta vs. Diego Sanchez in a lightweight bout served as the co-main event. Rounding out the main card is Ovince Saint Preux vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima in a light heavyweight bout, John Dodson vs. Eddie Wineland in a bantamweight bout, Joe Lauzon vs. Stevie Ray in a lightweight bout and Jake Ellenberger vs. Mike Perry in a welterweight bout.

The pre-fight show did not crack the top 150 shows on cable. The post-fight show did 204,000 viewers, which is a sign that people were not interested in sticking around for fight analysis or interviews. UFC Fight Night 108 was the lowest viewership Fight Night event that the promotion has done since UFC Fight Night 101, which drew 686,000 viewers.

Fight fans will have to take a break from action as the UFC does not hold an event until May 13th, but that card is stacked. A UFC Heavyweight Championship bout between current champion Stipe Miocic and former champion Junior dos Santos is expected to serve as the main event of UFC 211.

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