UFC Fight Night 98 Prediction: Rafael dos Anjos vs Tony Ferguson

So the time has finally come. The biggest event of the year, in UFC history is just right around the corner. As in next weekend. This weekend however is a bit of a primer for what’s to come at UFC 205 on November 12. While it may not sport the craziest line up out there, […]

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So the time has finally come. The biggest event of the year, in UFC history is just right around the corner. As in next weekend. This weekend however is a bit of a primer for what’s to come at UFC 205 on November 12. While it may not sport the craziest line up out there, UFC Fight Night 98 features a compelling lightweight main event as former champion Rafael dos Anjos attempts to get back to his winning ways against the streaking Tony Ferguson.

Rafael dos Anjos was being touted as the most fearsome lightweight in the UFC when he was matched up against Eddie Alvarez this past July. Many picked Rafael to dominate, but was instead met with a vicious looping right hand that put him on roller skates and out of the fight. If Rafael wants to get back on track he’ll have to tangle with Tony Ferguson who is a difficult style match up for most everyone in the division. If Rafael dos Anjos hopes to get back to his winning ways he’ll have to employ a low kicking game as well as get the fight into the pocket. Ferguson’s come forward style will also leave him open for the takedown. When the fight hits the ground Rafael will have to deal with scrambles and will need to explode to stay on top. The best chance for victory would be for the former champion to pressure him up against the cage and beat up Ferguson’s legs and body.

On the other side of the equation, Tony Ferguson will want to keep his usually high paced style to confound dos Anjos. Ferguson utilizes his length well when he resorts to using his front kicks like a jab. As he pushes forward though he often finds himself with his back against the cage which could lead to a well timed takedown from the former champion. Ferguson’s ability to create chaos is a key factor in this match up as his high pace and funky techniques could force dos Anjos to get wild. The more wild the fight becomes, the more it favors Ferguson and it’ll be up to his opponent to either counter or suffer falling prey to a well timed cross or a scrambling submission.

All in all this is a pretty fun fight with no clear winner. Both are pressure fighters but employ their methods in different ways, dos Anjos being the patient stalker and Ferguson the wild ball of energy. Ultimately the wild pace that Ferguson puts on dos Anjos will prove to be the former champion’s undoing. Look for Tony Ferguson to secure a fight ending submission in the fourth round.

Who do you think will be victorious?


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

 

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UFC Fight Night 98 Weigh-In Video & Results

Serving us the first dose of UFC action in 20 days is UFC Fight Night 98 this Saturday November 5. Taking place in Mexico, the card also serves as The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 finale. Filling the top spot on the card is a pivotal lightweight battle between the former champion and a potential

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Serving us the first dose of UFC action in 20 days is UFC Fight Night 98 this Saturday November 5. Taking place in Mexico, the card also serves as The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 finale. Filling the top spot on the card is a pivotal lightweight battle between the former champion and a potential future king. Returning for his first fight since being blasted by Eddie Alvarez, Rafael dos Anjos meets streaking Tony Ferguson in the main event. The crowds in Mexico City will see ‘El Cucuy’ try and win his ninth straight fight against the dangerous Brazilian grappler/striker.

Martin Bravo and Claudio Puelles will clash for the title of this season’s lightweight winner, with a contract in the UFC up for grabs. Another tilt at 155 features fan favorite Diego Sanchez, as ‘The Nightmare’ welcomes Bellator crossover Marcin Held to the octagon. Ricardo Lamas takes on Charles Oliveira in a likely lively affair in the featherweight division, and Erick Perez meets Felipe Arantes in the feature prelim bout. Look out for Sam Alvey on Fight Pass taking on Alex Nicholson at 185 pounds.

credit: Sherdog
credit: Sherdog

The live stream for the UFC Fight Night 98 weigh-in will start at 6 PM ET, with the results from the early weigh ins added throughout the day. Join us here at LowKickMMA for the dos Anjos vs. Ferguson coverage from Mexico City this weekend.

Event: UFC Fight Night 98: “Dos Anjos vs. Ferguson”
Date: Sat., Nov. 5, 2016
Location: Arena Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico
Broadcast: FOX Sports 1, UFC Fight Pass

MAIN CARD (FS1, 10 p.m. ET)

Rafael dos Anjos (156) vs. Tony Ferguson (154)

Marcin Held () vs. Diego Sanchez (156)

Ricardo Lamas (146) vs. Charles Oliveira ()

Martin Bravo (155) vs. Claudio Puelles (156) – “TUF 3: Latin America” lightweight tournament final

Beneil Dariush (156) vs. Rashid Magomedov (156)

Heather Jo Clark (116) vs. Alexa Grasso ()

PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1, 8 p.m. ET)

Felipe Arantes () vs. Erik Perez (136)

Marco Beltran (139) vs. Joe Soto ()

Max Griffin (171) vs. Erick Montano (170)

Henry Briones (136) vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade (133)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1, 6:30 p.m. ET)

Sam Alvey (186) vs. Alex Nicholson (186)

Marco Polo Reyes (155) vs. Jason Novelli (156)

Chris Avila (146) vs. Enrique Barzola (146)

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UFC Fight Night 96: John Lineker vs John Dodson AKA The Battle of The Hard-hitting Little Guys

UFC 205 has had everyone in a bit of a frenzy this week. Since the announcement of Conor McGregor’s bid to challenge Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title, there has been nonstop talk from every media source, including this one, about how enjoyable and historic the event will be. So when the revelation that John Lineker versus John Dodson was occurring this weekend, you can understand that I was a bit surprised. It’s an event that not many are talking about and that’s a huge mistakes as two of the hardest hitting bantamweights under 5’6″ tall will be trying to take each other’s heads off.

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UFC 205 has had everyone in a bit of a frenzy this week. Since the announcement of Conor McGregor’s bid to challenge Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title, there has been nonstop talk from every media source, including this one, about how enjoyable and historic the event will be. So when the revelation that John Lineker versus John Dodson was occurring this weekend, you can understand that I was a bit surprised. It’s an event that not many are talking about and that’s a huge mistakes as two of the hardest hitting bantamweights under 5’6″ tall will be trying to take each other’s heads off.

John Lineker has officially become a dark horse at bantamweight. Ever since giving up on his flyweight title aspirations due to weight cutting issues, Lineker has moved up a weight class with devastating results. He’s been knocking out bantamweights left and right with the same tactics ever time. His forward pressure, head movement and ability to cut off the cage while throwing hard hooks eventually pushes his opponents back to the fence. With their backs against the cage opponents usually feel compelled to come forward with strikes, which usually never works out well for them. Either you’re forced to move to the left where a Lineker right hook will be waiting or to your right where the left hook is also sure to call problems. Much like every other bout, Lineker should use his high pressure style to give Dodson few escape routes. Dodson’s speed will give Lineker problems, so targeting the legs with hard kicks should definitely be an option.

John Dodson has also failed to capture gold at flyweight, but unlike Lineker was able to challenge the champion Demetrius Johnson. Unfortunately for Dodson, Johnson had too many different tools at his disposal causing Dodson to fall flat at his second title challenge. Dodson is still extremely dangerous and talented with a number of striking tools that should give Lineker trouble. Firstly, Dodson has a great deal of speed in his strikes as well as in his footwork, abilities that he must use to secure victory. While lateral movement is something to focus on when fighting a wrestler or grappler, Dodson needs to do the same to avoid Lineker’s nasty power strikes. When he does decide to commit to his strikes, throwing two or three at the most is ideal as well as exiting off on an angle. Staying too long in the pocket with Lineker is a dangerous gamble and Dodson has the speed to land shots and get out of harms way with the quickness. A pot shorting game will suit Dodson best in this fight, following up with kicks after probing with the hands.

This fight is sure to be an insane display of movement with both men landing their fair share of shots. If Dodson decides to get into a brawl with Lineker than it will surely prove to be his undoing. If Dodson instead chooses to play the outside game then victory can be in sight. Look for John Dodson to play the long game as he defeats John Lineker by unanimous decision.

Who do you think wins at UFC Fight Night 96?

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UFC Fight Night 96 Weigh-In Video & Results

UFC Fight Night 96 goes down in Portland, Oregon this weekend. The lighter weight divisions are in focus at the Moda Center on October 1, with bantamweight headliners John Lineker and John Dodson on show. ‘Hands of Stone’ and ‘The Magician’ have fierce reputations as dangerous strikers with granite chins, making this 135-pound burner one

The post UFC Fight Night 96 Weigh-In Video & Results appeared first on LowKick MMA.

UFC Fight Night 96 goes down in Portland, Oregon this weekend. The lighter weight divisions are in focus at the Moda Center on October 1, with bantamweight headliners John Lineker and John Dodson on show. ‘Hands of Stone’ and ‘The Magician’ have fierce reputations as dangerous strikers with granite chins, making this 135-pound burner one to watch. At lightweight we have the nine-fight win streaking Will Brroks fighting Alex Oliveira.

The tall Brazilian will hope to rain on the ex-Bellator champion’s parade, but with Brooks’ wrestling pedigree and heavy hands we could have a real feisty scrap on our hands. Josh Burkman will hope to bounce back from his recent loss to Paul Felder, taking on Zak Ottow also on the main card.

John Lineker

Louis Smolka was originally set to face Sergio Pettis to open the main card. When a ‘minor injury’ struck Pettis from the fight, Brandon Moreno stepped in on short notice to take on ‘Da Last Samurai’ at flyweight.

The most notable scraps from the prelims include Nate Marquardt vs. Tamdan McCrory, and Hacran Dias vs. Andre Fili. The early weigh-ins results will start flooding in at 9 PM PT, but the traditional show does not start until 4 PM PT. Join us right here for either the updated results, the weigh-in show’s live stream, or both!

You can watch the video courtesy of UFC.com.

MAIN CARD (FS1, 11 p.m. ET)

John Lineker () vs. John Dodson ()

Will Brooks () vs. Alex Oliveira ()

Josh Burkman () vs. Zak Ottow ()

Louis Smolka () vs. Brandon Moreno ()

PRELIMINARY CARD (FS2, 9 p.m. ET)

Joachim Christensen () vs. Luis Henrique da Silva ()

Hacran Dias () vs. Andre Fili ()

Shamil Abdurakhimov () vs. Walt Harris ()

Keita Nakamura () vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos ()

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 7:15 p.m. ET)

Nate Marquardt () vs. Tamdan McCrory ()

Ion Cutelaba () vs. Jonathan Wilson ()

Curtis Blaydes () vs. Cody East ()

Kelly Faszholz () vs. Ketlen Vieira ()

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BJ Penn’s Return Will Air During The Day From Manila

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS4Rd–UgN4[/embed]

The return of former UFC champion BJ Penn will get a special start time, as UFC Fight Night 97 goes down October 15 from Pasay, Manila, Phillipines.

Beginning with prelim action at 6:45…

bj-penn-3

The return of former UFC champion BJ Penn will get a special start time, as UFC Fight Night 97 goes down October 15 from Pasay, Manila, Phillipines.

Beginning with prelim action at 6:45 a.m. ET, the main card is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. ET inside the SM Mall of Asia Arena. The entire card streams live on UFC Fight Pass.

Penn, who has held both lightweight and welterweight gold, returns to action to take on Ricardo Lamas in a featherweight affair. The event also features Derrick Lewis vs. Marcin Tybura and Cole Miller vs. Mizuto Hirota.

MAIN CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 10 a.m. ET)

Ricardo Lamas vs. B.J. Penn
Derrick Lewis vs. Marcin Tybura
Janel Lausa vs. Yao Zhikui
Mizuto Hirota vs. Cole Miller

PRELIMINARY CARD (6:45 a.m. ET)

Sam Alvey vs. Alex Nicholson
Mehdi Baghdad vs. Jon Tuck
Ryan Janes vs. Dongi Yang
Seo Hee Ham vs. Danielle Taylor
James Moontasri vs. Alex Morono
Ali Bagautinov vs. Kyoji Horiguchi

Bad Stoppages, The Ruining Of Potential Classics, And The Thankless Job Of Refereeing


Yes the Uriah Hall and Derek Brunson bout took place a few days ago in Hidalgo, Texas. Yes it is Tuesday, so I’m aware of how much time had passed since then so I’m sure some of you will make it a point to let that fact be known. Nevertheless, there are still some talking points to discuss on the subject no matter how long ago the event took place. The subject that that must be discussed is the thankless job of refereeing.

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Yes the Uriah Hall and Derek Brunson bout took place a few days ago in Hidalgo, Texas. Yes it is Tuesday, so I’m aware of how much time had passed since then so I’m sure some of you will make it a point to let that fact be known. Nevertheless, there are still some talking points to discuss on the subject no matter how long ago the event took place. The subject that that must be discussed is the thankless job of refereeing.

It’s one of those jobs that are extremely important to the survival and enrichment of our sport. The responsibility of referees in MMA is a simple yet complex affair. They have to ensure that fighters are performing within the confines of the rules while at the same time ensuring fighter safety. Sure, a ref can make nine great calls out of ten, but with one slip up all their good work can be undone, at least in the eyes of the fans.

This past Saturday, one the most well respected referees in the game, Herb Dean, made in the eyes of some a terrible gaff. The co-main event of UFC Fight Night 94 saw the aforementioned Hall and Brunson locked horns. Just moments into the fight Brunson landed a crushing left hand on Hall, flooring the latter. Brunson follower up with some ground and pound and the fight was soon waved off by Dean. Sounds cut and dry right. Too bad that Hall seemed to recover extremely quickly. Thus sparks the minor controversy involved in the co-main event.

There’s no reason for a fighter to take unnecessary punishment which was likely Dean’s thought process as he called the match. Unfortunately Uriah Hall appeared to have gotten his sea legs back and was ready for more. Or at least that’s the argument that Hall and others are using. The truth is that for Herb Dean and all the other referees in MMA there is a different kind of pressure at hand when overseeing fights. Where boxing has a pause in the action, MMA is a sport where for the most part combatants don’t get to take a breath. An MMA fighter must be able to battle nonstop for five minutes, but if severe enough damage is inflicted then you can bet the ref is going to have no choice but to stop things before they go too far. No pause, no restart. Once a decision is made, it must stand.

But that unfortunate rule means that potential classics could be sacrificed because of a suspect call from the referee to end things prematurely. Sure, the good news is that Uriah Hall didn’t receive unnecessary damage. But we have to take under consideration the fact that Hall prepared himself for war. While fighter safety is important, it must be said that even when a fighter received damage they must be allowed to at least have a chance to battle back. These fighters know the risk at hand with becoming a professional pugilist. With that in mind we shouldn’t look for fighters to be throughly brutalized before fights are stopped. But at the same time we must allow fighters to at least try to pull themselves back from the brink of defeat particularly when they still have some fight left in them. Refereeing is a thankless job indeed.

Do you think Herb Dean made the right call last Saturday? What other fights do you think were stopped prematurely?


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

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