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Post UFC 159 Match ups

The results for UFC 159 are in, with only half of the fighters taking a step backwards, while the other half go on to continue their success in the octagon. Here are the match ups.

The results for UFC 159 are in, with only half of the fighters taking a step backwards, while the other half go on to continue their success in the octagon. Here are the match ups that the UFC needs to put together for the winners and losers of Saturday night.

1.) Ovince St. Preux vs. Vinny Magalhaes

You might be asking why anyone would think Magalhaes could handle the stiking of OSP after being picked apart on the feet by a wrestler, but this makes for an interesting fight due to St. Preux’s weaker takedown defense. This fight wouldn’t be seeing the final bell, as OSP would KO the Brazilian, or get caught in a submission.

2.) Alan Belcher vs. Chris Camozzi

Belcher didn’t exactly live up to the hype of his fight, and Bisping certainly worked him over. The only thing I can credit to Belcher with, is having a good chin. Bottom line, he didn’t look like himself. Camozzi has been creeping through the UFC middleweight division, and has a similar style to Belcher. Camozzi is filling in for the injured C.B. Dollaway at UFC on FX 8. Whether he wins or losses to Cezar Ferreria, he should face off with Alan Belcher in his folowing fight. Luckily Camozzi’s fight will be in two weeks, so filling in for Dollaway shouldn’t affect this match from taking place.

3.) Roy Nelson vs. Travis Browne

I know that Dana white had announced a possible fight with Daniel Cormier or Mark Hunt ( if he can beat Junior dos Santos), but I think the UFC is ranking Nelson far to high on their list, and a fight with Travis Browne would be far more appropriate. Also, I have no idea what the hell Dana White is thinking if Mark Hunt isn’t awarded a title shot for beating JDS. If Hunt losses his fight, then yes, Match Nelson with Hunt. But only if JDS is the victor.

4.) Michael Bisping vs. Yushin Okami

Both fighters have recently bested Alan Belcher, and are in the top five of the UFC’s middleweight division, so this fight just makes sence. Bisping has been trying and trying to get his title shot, and a win over Okami could get him closer to that goal, if not secure it. I’m curious to see how Bisping would fair against a strong wrestler who has improved diligently on his striking. But it goes both ways, and maybe Bisping is able to showcase strong takedown defense like in his fight with Chael Sonnen. Either way, a fight between two elite middleweights is always one fans will be eager for.

5.) Pat Healy vs. Gilbert Melendez

Last time I checked, submitting Jim Miller meant enough to get a fighter a title shot. I’m not pushing for that, but Healy had one hell of a UFC debut, and I see no reason why he couldn’t fight the most recent title challenger. Healy was supposed to fight Melendez in Strikeforce for the belt, but unfortunately, Melendez got injured and pulled out of the fight. This is the perfect opportunity to put a fight back on the books, and it’s not like there are more available opponents in the lightweight division at this time, so this fight makes perfect sense.

– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli’

@FightFreek

NEW MMA Lightweight Rankings

With a knockout victory over Nate Diaz, Josh “The Punk” Thomson has propelled himself among the top ten MMA lightweights in the world. As always our rankings display our top eleven per weight class, the.

1.) Benson Henderson
2.) Gilbert Melendez
3.) Anthony Pettis
4.) Gray Maynard
5.) Josh Thomson
6.) Nate Diaz
7.) Michael Chandler
8.) Eddie Alvarez
9.) Jim Miller
10.) Donald Cerrone
11.) TJ Grant

Feel free to give your own opinions on the rankings.

– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli

@FightFreek

Josh Thomson Won’t Recieve an Immediate Title Shot

At UFC on FOX 7, Josh Thomson accomplished what no other fighter could, knock out Nate Diaz. Many thought this victory would propel Thomson to the top for the next shot at the lightweight belt,.

At UFC on FOX 7, Josh Thomson accomplished what no other fighter could, knock out Nate Diaz. Many thought this victory would propel Thomson to the top for the next shot at the lightweight belt, however, Dana White announced that the number one contender would be the winner of the Gray Maynard / TJ Grant fight. Not to say that the winner of that bout wouldn’t be deserving of a title opportunity, but I don’t know how knocking out the recent title challenger doesn’t place you in the front of the line. This is a situation that would be a damn shame if Thomson takes another fight, and loses.

Seeing Gray Maynard and TJ Grant won’t be fighting until the end of May, I doubt that Thomson will wait for the next title shot, or that the UFC will even give him that option. So the big question is who should Thomson fight next. Not only will he need to ensure a win, but also that it’s an opponent respected enough to secure a title shot.

Gilbert Melendez is always an option, but I seriously doubt will want to put together a fourth fight between the two so soon. Unfortunately, Joe Lauzon is the only other top ten UFC lightweight not currently committed to another fight. Athony Pettis, Gray Maynard, Jim Miller, Donald Cerrone, TJ Grant, Rafael dos Anjos, and Khabib Nurmagomedov are all wrapped up in other bouts. At first glance, I’m not to fond with this potential match up, but Lauzon has fought many fighters who have been eyeing a title shot. George Sotiropolous, Melvin Guillard, and Anthony Pettis were all nearing a title shot when they were matched up with Lauzon. In fact, it was Lauzon who spoiled Guillard’s hopes for a title shot when he forced Guillard to tap in the first round via rear naked choke. Jamie Varner wasn’t exactly one fight away from challenging for the belt, but he was coming off a win over lightweight prospect Edson Barboza, and Lauzon was able to submit him. Jim Miller was matched against Lauzon after his loss to Nate Diaz, and even though he won a decision, Lauzon made it an extremely competitive fight. This is proof enough that Lauzon would be an adequate opponent, plus there’s also the fact that options are extremely limited.

If Thomson doesn’t get matched up with Joe Lauzon, the UFC might just have him wait until after UFC 160 to find him a suitable opponent, seeing five other top lightweights will be fighting on that card. While I’m not thrilled to see Thomson get matched with Khabib Nurmagomedov if he wins his fight, he’s still a top ten lightweight who would be available. However, I’m sure fans would rather see him fight the loser of Gray Maynard / TJ Grant, or the winner of Donald Cerrone / KJ Noons. The decision of which fighter the UFC could select as Thomson’s opponent will most likely depend on how those bouts play out.

Personally, I think Thomson’s best chance of securing the next title shot is if Donald Cerrone has an impressive win over KJ Noons, and then he defeats Cerrone. Two wins over two elite lightweights should put him next in line after the Maynard / Grant winner. I’m just hoping the UFC doesn’t drag him along like they’re doing to Johny Hendricks.

– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli

@FightFreek

UFC on FOX 7 Facebook Prelims Play by Play

– Clifford Stark vs. Yoel Romero (Round 1) Starks throws his jab early trying to get his range, but Romero lands a few leg kicks and even throws a head kick. The two circle around.

– Clifford Stark vs. Yoel Romero

(Round 1) Starks throws his jab early trying to get his range, but Romero lands a few leg kicks and even throws a head kick. The two circle around looking for angles, when Romero throws a flying knee. It drops Starks and he is out cold after Romero land a few follow up punches. Yoel Romero wins via Knockout.

– Anthony Njokuani vs. Roger Bowling

(Round 1) Bolwing imediately throws a leg kick but misses. The two look for angles and Bowling thrw a straight left followed by a body kick. The action is paused as both fighters continuously look for angles and Bowling land another straight left. He’s really showcasing his power, and continues to pressure. Another body kick thrown by Bowling, but doesn’t land flush. Now looking for leg kicks, Bowling lands one, but Njokuani avoid the following two. Bowling mixes things up by shooting in for a takedown; he gets it. Njokuani uses the cage to get back to his feet, and land a nice combo on the break; knee, straight right, head kick. Another straight right, head kick combo for Njokuani. In the final ten seconds of the round, Njokuani lands several punches. MMAFix sees the first round for Roger Bowling for early agression and a strong takedown.

(Round 2) Bowling starts the round with a leg kick that Njokuani catches it and trips Bowling to the mat, but Bowling bounces right back to his feet. Bowling trying to push the pace, but not really landing anything significant. Njokuani throws a body kick, it’s blocked, but you can hear the power behind that kick. Now using his reach, Njokuani keep Bowling on the outside with his reach. Bowling tries to fire back, but Njokuani is using good movement and counter striking. Bowling land a hard leg kick and comes in with punches. Njokuani circles away and both fighters miss on a few strike attempts. Njokuani using good head movement and foot work to land several counter strikes, Bowling rushes forward and he is caught by a left hook that drops him. It’s over. Anthony Njokuani wins via knockout.

TUF Semi-finals Recap

Semi-finals are over, and now there are only two left. It’s no surprise that early favorite, Uriah Hall, would make it to the finals, but he’ll be facing the youngest TUF competitor ever, Kelvin Gastelum. Not only is Gastelum the youngest fighter in TUF history, but he was also team Sonnen’s last pick. This match up should make for one hell of a TUF finals bout, possibly better than the one most fans thought would happen, Uriah Hall vs. Josh Samman.

So I went 1-1 in my TUF semi-final predictions, but if I was going to get one wrong, I definitely would have been picking against Kelvin Gastelum. Even in his first fight, it was obvious that his picking order on the show didn’t reflect his true skills. The talented Josh Samman had finished all of his opponents via knockout, which was probably why it was widely believed that he would be moving to the finals. However, Gastelum had other plans, and he controlled Samman on the ground until he sunk in the finishing rear naked choke.

Dana White had already stated that Uriah Hall is the most dangerous fighter in tough history, and that was only further proven in his fight with Dylan Andrews. Hall picked Andrews apart for the better part of two rounds, but even when Andrews took him down, Hall overwhelmed Andrews with strikes from off his back. Andrews couldn’t amount any offense and was swept by Hall to finish the fight with a barrage of punches from the mount.

There’s a lot of hype and momentum surrounding Uriah Hall, but it’s foolish to count out Kelvin Gastelum. Even their coach, Chael Sonnen, stated that they’re closely contested in practice, so by no means will this be a walk in the park for either fighter. Ultimately, I like Hall’s chances of winning it all, and utilizing a similar game plan to the Dylan Andrews fight. The striking and footwork will prevent Gastelum from taking control with his wrestling, which will be his key to victory and a six figure contract with the UFC.

– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli

@FightFreek

Part One of TUF Quarter-finals Complete

For those of you who read my TUF quarter-finals predictions, you know I had Kelvin Gastelum beating Collin Hart, and Luke Barnatt beating Dylan Andrews. So I may have only called one of the fights.

For those of you who read my TUF quarter-finals predictions, you know I had Kelvin Gastelum beating Collin Hart, and Luke Barnatt beating Dylan Andrews. So I may have only called one of the fights correctly, but I nailed it. Either way, the last two picks of this TUF season are stepping up and really proving themselves worthy of being a top contender.

So let’s get the fight that I was dead wrong out of the way. Luke Barnatt is the tallest fighter of the tough season, and can strike, take his opponent down, and is pretty crafty on the ground. Unfortunately for him, the takedown came pretty easy for Dylan Andrews, and Barnatt’s attempts to reverse position or lock up submissions were in vain. The only close takedown attempt of Barnatt’s was countered, and he wound up on his back with Andrews in side control. Though Barnatt had a much more successful second round, the second half of the round was more of the same, with Andrews on top and finding himself in better positions. That judges ultimately gave Barnatt the round, but I leaned more towards Andrews in the second round as well. Regardless, he whipped away all doubt that he deserved to win by displaying his Muay Thai striking, and knocking out the number one pick of the season.

Now for the fight that I was dead on, and this fight certainly didn’t last too long. The wrestling was going to be close between Kelvin Gastelum and Collin Hart, but it was the striking than made the difference. Hart couldn’t get Gastelum down, which translates into him having to stand and bang with a fighter with plenty of knockout potential. It was an inevitable finish, with Hart being on the wrong side of the knockout.

As if the fights weren’t exciting enough, the lovely, yet bad ass Ronda Rousey. She coached a session with team Sonnen, I enjoyed watching her threw some of the fighters on their ass. Now as exciting as that was, it was her words of inspiration that stood out. “No on has the right to beat you.” That may have been some of the best coaching that I’ve heard in quite some time. She credited her words of wisdom to her mother, who would tell her the same thing before a fight.

We still have Josh Samman vs. Jimmy Quinlan, and Bubba McDaniel vs. Uriah Hall, in part two of the quarter-finals. Of course, I will be give my prediction for both bouts in the near future.

As always, your comments are welcome, positive and negative. That’s right, bring it!

– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli

@FightFreek