All Eyes on Uriah Hall

While watching this week’s episode of the Ultimate fighter, I’m sure everyone half expected the “devastating knockout” that we all heard so much about, wouldn’t like up to the hype. Luckily, that wasn’t the case.

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While watching this week’s episode of the Ultimate fighter, I’m sure everyone half expected the “devastating knockout” that we all heard so much about, wouldn’t like up to the hype. Luckily, that wasn’t the case . Uriah Hall landing a spinning head kick that rivaled that of Edson Barboza’s knockout of the year award, leaving spectator in disbelief. This knockout win really validates what Dana White and Chael Sonnen have commented on, with regards to Uriah Hall being one of best fighters in this TUF season, if not the best fighter. There’s only a handful of knockouts in the UFC that have been as impressive, but none of them have occurred during any TUF season.

As on this moment, I can’t see how any other fighter could possible beat Hall out for knockout of the season. However, the winner is determined by votes. So just like the MMA awards, this too gives the fans the chance to screw it all up with their bias opinions. If I was one of the fighters, I’d still be taking Dana White’s advice and focusing on winning either submission of the season, or fight of the season.

This TUF season is looking extremely promising early, with only two fights in the season, we’ve seen two stellar knockouts. Match ups have all favored Team Sonnen thus far, as they lead 2-0, so Team Jones will have to do something spectacular if they want to regain control. Unfortunately, Team Sonnen’s Kevin Casey, a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt, is fighting next. Defeating Casey will be much easier said than done, so Team Jones’ Collin Hart will have to be on his A game.

 
– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli

@FightFreek

UFC 156 : A Night of Upsets

Even in past fights that had a number of upsets, never before has there been a UFC event in which the best predictions were barley over fifty percent. MMAfix.com recorded forty five total predictions from.

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Even in past fights that had a number of upsets, never before has there been a UFC event in which the best predictions were barley over fifty percent. MMAfix.com recorded forty five total predictions from numerous different MMA websites that gave their picks for all eleven bouts. After a bad night of predictions, I’m too disappointed seeing the most
correctly predicted number of fights was six.

After an impressive debut over Dustin Pague at UFC 150, most people he would only be more comfortable in his second fight and had have an even better performance. After a close two rounds, Camus was arguably ahead on the judges scorecards, but then Kimura took his back and sunk in the choke. After the proficient submission defense Camus showcased in his fight with Dustin Pague, it was surprising to see him succumb to a rear naked choke.

Whether you disagree with the decision or not, Isaac Vallie-Flagg really took the fight to Yves Edwards in the first and third rounds. The MMA veteran of over sixty fights had a dominating second round performance, but the judges saw the other two rounds for Vallie-Flagg in a close split decision. Not too many fans thought the Edwards would fall at the hands of a lesser known opponent, especially after coming off a stellar knockout of Jeremy Stephens.

Jacob Volkmann did exactly as everyone predicted, and smothered Bobby Green with his wrestling… in the first round. In the second, Volkmann seemed to have lost his edge and found himself on his back, which is an unusual spot for him to be in. As the fight progressed, Volkmann’s performance worsened and he just crumbled under the pressure of Green until the he was finished by the rear naked choke.

I don’t want to call this next fight an upset, because Jon Fitch and Demian Maia had equal chance of winning this fight, but the fact is Fitch was a slight favorite and Maia absolutely annihilated him. No one has dominated Fitch in such fashion since Georges St-Pierre at UFC 87.

I’m counting my lucky stars that I went against my better judgment to put some money on Alistair Overeem to win. After securing a two round lead, Overeem got complacent and it cost him. Nearly everyone forgets that Bigfoot is a Karate black belt because of his outstanding Jiu-Jitsu skills, and Overeem learned the hard way that if you don’t respect the striking of Silva, he will knock you out off your feet, literally. So much for the Reem getting a title shot.

Now for the biggest upset of the fight, with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira defeating former light heavyweight champion, Rashad Evans. At -450 betting odds, Evans was the biggest favorite on the card, but that didn’t stop Little Nog from getting his hand raised. In a fight that wasn’t nearly as exciting as the most of the other bouts, Evans struggled to secure a takedown, and when he did, Nogueira got right back to his feet. All other attempts to take the fight to the ground were stuffed by Nogueria and he landed counter strikes on the exit. Seeing that talented wrestlers such as Ryan Bader and Phil Davis were able to take and hold down Nogueira, it was quite surprising that Evans wasn’t able to do the same. This win for Nogueira has dramatically shifted the rankings in the light heavyweight division.

It was a rough night of predictions for all MMA website, but I’m sure we’ll all shack it off, go back to the drawing board, and prepare for a much more successful night at the next UFC event in two weeks, UFC on Fuel TV: Barao vs. McDonald.

 
– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli

@FightFreek

Alan Belcher vs. Michael Bisping

UFC 159 will mark the date when Alan “The Talent” Belcher will get his long time wish and fight Michael “The Count” Bisping. The two fighters have exchanged words, so fans can only assume that.

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UFC 159 will mark the date when Alan “The Talent” Belcher will get his long time wish and fight Michael “The Count” Bisping. The two fighters have exchanged words, so fans can only assume that more trash talk is to come, and few people do that as well as Bisping. Both Belcher and Bisping are both coming off losses, but a win could propel either fighter back into the mix as an elite contender.

Calling it counting your chickens before they hatch, but I like Belchers chances in this fight. He’s an outstanding Muay Thai Striker who also possess a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Bisping has an effective “punches in bunches” style, but if Belcher implements a smart gameplan, Bisping will be fighting outside the boxing range, where Belcher can unload the same heavy kicks that knocked out Jorge Santiago. Bisping is a proficient wrestler and can always look to take the fight to the canvas, but any time Belcher gets a hold his opponents neck, it’s guillotine city.

In his last fight, Belcher faced wrestling expert, Yushin Okami, so he was tentative on throwing kicks for fear of the takedown. Against Bisping, he won’t have to worry as much about being taken down, which will allow him to throw a plethora of kicks, to the legs, to the body, and to the head. Bisping is certainly no push over, as he made it a competitive first round against the Phenom, Vitor Belfort. Bisping isn’t afraid to throw crafty kicks of his own, as he showcased in his fights with Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen.

I’m praying that both fighters have a smooth training camp, because it would be devastating if either one of these fighters have to pull out of this bout due to injury. The winner of this fight could easily set themselves up with a serious contender, such as, Costa Philippou, Cung Le, or Tim Boetsch. Regardless of who is ultimately victorious, this is a fight that diehard MMA fans are craving to see and it most certainly won’t disappoint.

 
– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli

@FightFreek

What’s Next for Teixeira

After a dominant unanimous decision victory over Rampage Jackson, the big question in Glover Teixeira’s future is who should he fight next? The Brazilian top contender has made it very clear that he wants to.

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After a dominant unanimous decision victory over Rampage Jackson, the big question in Glover Teixeira’s future is who should he fight next? The Brazilian top contender has made it very clear that he wants to stay active, and that he does not believe that he is the number one contender. With the majority of the Light Heavyweight division’s top contenders busy, there aren’t too many options that will bring Teixeira to a title shot. One option would be a man who fought on the Fox 6 card, and that is Ryan Bader. Bader is two and three in his last three, with the only loss coming to Lyoto Machida. Bader is undoubtedly a top ten fighter, but the question is will this fight bring Teixeira closer to a title shot. In my opinion, no. Another option would be Mauricio Shogun Rua. This fight was supposed to happen a while back, but Shogun thought it was too much risk for so little reward. There is no doubt now that this fight would be a war, and Shogun can’t deny that Teixeira has made a name for himself. Other than that, Glover would have to wait for some other fights in the coming months to resolve. With the way that fighters have been getting injured, if I were Teixeira I would be staying in shape in case the UFC comes calling for a replacement. Regardless I think that Teixeira will probably get Bader or he will wait for maybe the loser of Henderson vs. Machida, or Gustafsson vs. Mousasi.

Let me know what you guys think in the comment section.
– Josh Leduc.

TJ Grant is Ready for a Top 10 Opponent

Matt Wiman came into this fight riding a significant amount of hype after coming off his submission win over submission specialist, Paul Sass, and for that reason, many of the prediction experts picked him to.

Matt Wiman vs TJ Grant

Matt Wiman came into this fight riding a significant amount of hype after coming off his submission win over submission specialist, Paul Sass, and for that reason, many of the prediction experts picked him to extend his win streak. However, Grant had other plans to derail the hype train, and prove that for good reason, he was the favorite to win the fight. What was thought to be one of the most closely contested fights on the card, ended up being the most devastating finish of the night, and TJ Grant’s UFC career.

In a performance that was so obviously robbed of knockout of the night honors, Grant displayed his newly found Muay Thai striking, incorporating a plethora of elbows and knees from the clinch. Wiman’s chin held up for some time, but eventually he was unable to take anymore punishment, as he crumbled under the vicious strikes of Grant that lead up to the inevitable knockout.

His improved Muay Thai makes him one of the most well rounded fighters in the division, as his wrestling and submissions are outstanding. It’s difficult to fathom a fighter who ranks outside of the top ten that will be able to make for a competitive fight if matched against Grant. Now riding a four fight win streak, Grant is due for a bout with a top ten lightweight for a chance to prove that he is among the division’s elite.

There are several potential opponents that would make excellent fights, such as Joe Lauzon, Nate Diaz, or Donald Cerrone, but for the most intriguing and potentially exciting fight, I have to suggest Jim Miller. Both Grant and Miller aren’t afraid to stand toe to toe and throw punches, but also have exceptional grappling skills. This bout has fight of the night written all over it.

Whether or not he fights Miller, Cerrone, or any top ten contender, Grant will look to showcase his well rounded skills against any opponent the UFC puts in front of him in a diehard attempt to pursue a title fight.

 

– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli

@FightFreek