Tag: UFC News

Strikeforce – Barnett vs. Cormier: Thoughts and Opinions

Strikeforce – Barnett vs. Cormier: Thoughts and Opinions –Saturday night’s Strikeforce card was much better than advertised. Especially by me. It featured the arrival of Daniel Cormier as a major contender and a fight between.

Strikeforce – Barnett vs. Cormier: Thoughts and Opinions

–Saturday night’s Strikeforce card was much better than advertised. Especially by me. It featured the arrival of Daniel Cormier as a major contender and a fight between Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thompson that proved all of us who said we had no interest in seeing this rivalry become a trilogy wrong. Unfortunately, it doesn’t leave us with much to anticipate going forward. Melendez has no one else in the division to fight. Yes, he could fight Pat Healy. But in reality, Healy is clearly the third best 155 pounder in Strikeforce after Melendez and Thompson. Cormier has even less competition. And by that, I mean no competition. If he doesn’t move to the UFC, Strikeforce is going to have to sign someone just to get him a fight. The only interesting fight to be made after this card is Rafael Cavalcante vs. Gegard Mousasi, which brings me to my next point.

–The UFC appears to be continuing its strategy of purchasing, pillaging and disbanding its competition. And with their ridiculous success over the last ten years, I don’t blame them for sticking with the gameplan. But I think they might be ignoring one aspect of running a professional athletics empire. They are clearly modeling their organization more on successful team sport endeavors like the NFL and NBA than on the combat sports model created by boxing. They want to be the one venue where the best athletes compete for the most important championships. And to a large extent, they have already achieved that. But before those athletes are ready to be amongst the best in the world, they need to develop their skills somewhere. The NHL and MLB both have extensive minor league systems where young players compete to earn the right to play at the highest level. The NBA and NFL both use the NCAA for the same purpose. With collegiate MMA an unlikely proposition any time in the near future, the UFC is going to need a developmental system for young fighters who are not ready for the octagon. My suggestion to the UFC would be to use Strikeforce for that purpose. Make Strikeforce the proving ground for fighters trying to earn their way into the UFC. This model would create an interesting dynamic by adding a promotion/relegation element to MMA and MMA discussion. When is an emerging star ready for the big show? Should a struggling veteran be “sent down” to Strikeforce? The counter argument to this of course is why should the UFC pay to develop talent when smaller promotions are perfectly willing to do the work for them? My answer is that a clear pattern is emerging. It goes like this. Non-UFC organization X signs young fighters with raw talent for a minimal investment. Over time, several of those fighters develop as projected and begin to gain recognition. Those fighters have a sense of loyalty to the organization that gave them an opportunity. The organization rides those fighters to financial viability and begins to make enough noise that the UFC is forced to acknowledge them. The UFC attacks Organization X directly by scheduling competing events and luring away fighters. Organization X’s growth slows or plateaus, which causes financial issues. The UFC swoops in and buys out Organization X at a good price to eliminate competition. I don’t know what this process is costing the UFC but instead of going through this every few years, why not just be proactive in eliminating competition by having a place for emerging talent to compete instead of allowing that talent to sign elsewhere and being forced to deal with the problem on the back end? Even if you only break even or take a slight loss in raw financial numbers, isn’t the increased strength of the monopoly and brand singularity worth the investment?

–I have a feeling that this is going to become a consistent theme of this column for as long as I’m allowed to write it but I feel compelled to address another judging issue. And by “issue,” I mean the absurdity of lazily copycatting boxing’s system. MMA should not be scored on a 10-9 round by round system. Based on the judging criteria, Melendez won the first three rounds last night and Thompson won the last two. But Melendez barely won those three rounds and did no damage to Thompson. In the final two rounds, Thompson completely controlled the fight and came the closest to finishing it. I know that damage isn’t everything but Thompson obviously inflicted a significantly greater amount than Melendez. That has to count for something. We’re scoring a fight. Damage matters. If you ask me to assess who won that fight without regard for any scoring system, I’d be adamant that Thompson won. But within the confines of the scoring system currently in place, Melendez won. And to me, that’s a problem. We need a mechanism that allows for greater flexibility. I don’t know exactly what that is but I do know that Thompson was robbed on Saturday night. Not by the judges, who did a great job throughout the event, but by the framework within which they were forced to operate.

-Alan Wells

Is Jon Jones’ character in question?

MMA fighters, like any athlete, are criticized for poor performance outside of the octagon. They are made into a spectacle and any mistakes are magnified due to their vast exposure and impact on the industry..


MMA fighters, like any athlete, are criticized for poor performance outside of the octagon. They are made into a spectacle and any mistakes are magnified due to their vast exposure and impact on the industry. Frequent examples of such negative exposure include failed drug tests, violence, and alcohol related charges. Jon Jones has been suspected of the latter. While driving in his Bentley in New York at 5:00 a.m., Jon Jones completely totaled the vehicle and was then arrested on the spot. According to police reports, he hit a pole, and due to the severity of the damage to his car, and his manner at the scene, they suspected him of drunk driving. He was bailed out later that day when his mom came to the Broome County Sheriff’s department.

According to spectators on the scene, Jones left with a bloody nose and two girls who were in the car with him suffered facial injuries. The air bag prevented Jones from suffering further serious injuries. While no one knows why he was driving around that early in the morning with two girls in his car, the main concern at the moment is their recovery.

The real twist to the story is that Jones shot a video with the same law enforcement officers earlier in the year discussing police training and protocol.

Yesterday following the incident Malki Kawa, Jones’ manager, stated, “I can confirm that Jon Jones was arrested early this morning on suspicion of DUI. While the facts of this situation are still being gathered and situated, First Round Management fully supports Jon, and we are asking for fans and media to respect the privacy of Jon and his family during this time.”

While it hasn’t been verified if Jones was actually driving under the influence of alcohol, all this negative exposure has put Jones’ character into question. Jones is notorious for setting an example of integrity for others, and seeks to be a role model. While he has maintained a primarily pristine image in the face of the media, a mistake was bound to have been made. Unfortunately, this could ultimately hurt him with future sponsorship opportunities. A fan can only hope that this will not affect the UFC light heavyweight champion in the long run, whose next fight is approaching September 1. Whether or not the UFC decides to take action against him to use as an example for others, his fans support or disapproval, undoubtedly, will be the real testimony to his offense.

-Emily Kapala

Second champion down, second Interim belt on the line (Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber)

As we all know, one of the most exciting aspects in the sport of mma is the bitter feuds between rivals. As an avid mixed martial arts enthusiast, one can only hope that two rivals.

As we all know, one of the most exciting aspects in the sport of mma is the bitter feuds between rivals. As an avid mixed martial arts enthusiast, one can only hope that two rivals may contend toe to toe in the octagon, to try and determine who was all talk, and who packed a punch, literally, behind their words. The most exciting fight though between rivals is that of a rubber match, the third fight to determine who really comes out on top.

This is the case with Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber. As reigning UFC Bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz has seen only one loss in his career: the likes of Urijah Faber. They first met at WEC 26. Faber won the fight due to guillotine choke, and successfully defended his title. Years later, after the WEC merged with the UFC, Faber fought against Cruz for Cruz’s championship belt in UFC 132. This time, by unanimous decision, Cruz came out on top.

Now, all UFC fans have been anxiously waiting for the rubber match between these two fighters at UFC. The anticipation and thrill of deciding the ultimate victor is almost too much to bear. I personally had already ordered my ‘Team Cruz’ shirt, put aside my money for pay-per-view, and was already clearing my schedule for the fight. Then while watching The Ultimate Fighter Live on FX, it was announced that Dominick Cruz was out on ACL injury. I was utterly mortified.

One of the frustrating aspects of mma is injury. It happens to the best of fighters, and is a condition that even the best of fighters may face. At UFC 148, Faber will now get the chance to fight for the interim belt. But against who? No one quite knows yet. Not only is this a huge upset for fans, but also for Faber and his training team. He now has to re-focus on a new fighter, a new strategy, and someone with different fighting skills. The only problem is he still has no idea what this entails. As a true gentleman of the sport, he has already stated he does not care who is scheduled to fight him, and he shows no favoritism towards any one fighter to go against.

We can only hope that an opponent is chosen soon for the previous WEC champion. My bet is that Michael McDonald will be slated to fight Faber in July. Whoever his opponent is, one can only hope that Faber does win the fight. Any avid fan of the feud between these two bantamweights can hope to finally see who will come out on top. As their running record stands 1-1 in fights between each other, we are forced to wait for Cruz to heal until we will finally get the privilege to see the ultimate champion between these remarkable fighters.

-Elise Kapala

UFC on Fuel TV 3 – The Crisper’s Betting Recap

Man that Korean Zombie really f’d up what was looking like a great betting night in the UFC. Here is a recap of the bets and results: TJ Grant (-460) – This one was like.

Man that Korean Zombie really f’d up what was looking like a great betting night in the UFC. Here is a recap of the bets and results:

TJ Grant (-460) – This one was like takin candy from a baby ….Grant took control from the onset and dominated all phases. It’s nice when you’re laying so much to never really feel nervous at any point during the fight. PUT ONE IN THE COOKIE JAR!….. + 1 unit.

Donald Cerrone (-250)– Cowboy uses his reach advantage to completely outclass a good fighter in Lil Heathen Stephens. Stephens couldn’t even play dead in a western on this night. He had no chance and Cerrone never let him breath, give the Crisper another one!…… + 2 units.

Jorge Lopez (+110) – Just read Alan Wells’ recap on this fight in UFC on Fuel Random Thoughts. We got SCREWED by the judges and I am none to happy about it. Cost us money. Bullshit. Anyway….take a half a unit and stick it up the judges asses……+1.5 units

Dustin Poirier (-325) – All I can say is, when you lay on a big favorite and he gets his ass kicked, for the betting man it feels like getting your nuts kicked in. Korean Zombie took it to our boy, and there was really never a doubt. It looked like Poirier started to turn a corner in the 3rd by establishing his jab, but Zombie turned the tables and finished him off. That result completely ruined our night giving back 3.25 units……-1.75 units

This brings our total on posted picks to -1.025 units. Check back this weekend for Crisper Picks on Strikeforce Saturday night May 19th!

UFC on Fuel TV 3- Random Thoughts and Opinions

–After UFC on Fuel TV 3, no one is allowed to claim that Chan Sung Jung’s career arc has more to do with entertainment than fighting. His first fight with Leonard Garcia was legendary and.

–After UFC on Fuel TV 3, no one is allowed to claim that Chan Sung Jung’s career arc has more to do with entertainment than fighting. His first fight with Leonard Garcia was legendary and his nickname might be the best ever. But those things are now overshadowed by his arrival at the highest level of the 145 pound division. The UFC recognized this and he has been given the opportunity to fight the winner of the upcoming championship bout between Jose Aldo and Eric Koch. After his knockout loss to George Roop, he said he was adjusting his style and last night was further evidence of that transition. His striking is still aggressive and tends to come in brawling flurries but he times those flurries and doesn’t stay in the pocket waiting to be countered. His unorthodox ground game is becoming one of the best in the division. And as Kenny Florian mentioned on the Fuel TV broadcast, he looks to finish with every move. Every strike has finishing power. Every movement on the ground is an attempt to lock on a submission. Whether he has the technique to compete with a top three pound for pound fighter like Aldo is still unknown but he has earned the opportunity to prove that he does. And based on his growth over his past few fights, he’s making it increasingly difficult to pick against him.

–On the opposite end of the spectrum is Dustin Poirier. He’s the prospect with overwhelming potential who was supposed to earn his first title shot. He’s the twenty three year who was handed a golden opportunity on a silver platter. And for the first time in the octagon, he was the loser. Poirier was emotional and disappointed after the fight, which is an appropriate response from a young man who lost the biggest fight of his life. But the great thing about being twenty three years old is that he has plenty of time to have a career full of fights much bigger than the one against Jung. Some will argue that this was a blessing in disguise because it will give him more time to develop without having to face the pressure of a title fight. But that isn’t true. It would have been better for him to win. It would be better to have a title shot early and feel what the best in the world have to offer. But that moment has passed. He’s on a different course now and he’ll have to work harder to get that first title shot. Based on what he’s shown thus far, does anyone think he won’t?

–Donald Cerrone is awesome. If anyone was looking for a training video on how to finish combinations with leg kicks, he just provided it. Jeremy Stephens is a highly respected fighter but Cerrone outclassed him badly. A weaker fighter might have been finished by Cerrone’s leg kicks but Stephens showed his heart by staying in the fight. That said, his left leg might have something to say to his heart because I can’t even imagine what it looked like after the fight.

–Judging in MMA is still an issue. This becomes especially apparent when the sport leaves its strongholds like Nevada and California. Amir Sadollah’s victory in particular was questionable. We don’t know how the judges scored the fight other than their totals but one would have to suspect that Lopez won the first round and Sadollah the second. Neither fighter was dominant enough to be overly upset about the decision but I scored the third round in favor of Lopez and thought he was the better fighter on the night. When one considers the mystery stand up by the referee at the end of the final round, Lopez’ case gets even stronger. But that wasn’t the only time the judging was brought into question. Both Brad Tavares and Igor Pokrajac received favorable scoring. I scored the Tavares fight in favor of his opponent, Dongi Yang and based on the reaction to the scoring, a large portion of the crowd had an issue with it as well. The fight between Pokrajac and Fabio Maldonado was another close fight and I’m surprised none of the judges scored the bout 29-28 for Maldonado as I did. While I don’t think anyone can have a major issue with a 29-28 Pokrajac score because the first round was so close, I do think the judge who scored the fight 30-27 showed a fundamental lack of understanding on how to score the sport because Maldonado clearly won the second round. That kind of mistake should not be made at this level of the sport.

-Alan Wells

UFC on Fuel TV 3- Post-Fight Recap

With his victory over Dustin Poirier last night at UFC on Fuel TV 3, Chan Sung Jung established himself as an elite fighter in the 135 pound division.  He didn’t turn the fight into an.


With his victory over Dustin Poirier last night at UFC on Fuel TV 3, Chan Sung Jung established himself as an elite fighter in the 135 pound division.  He didn’t turn the fight into an impossible to score brawl.  He didn’t catch Poirier with an early punch.  He was clearly the better fighter from the opening bell until the fourth round when he finished with a D’arce choke after dropping Poirier with an uppercut followed by a flying knee.  Poirier did well with his jab and may have won the third round with it but Jung was always the more dangerous fighter and never seemed to be in any danger.  The only weakness Jung showed was in his stamina as he appeared to tire toward the end of the third round.  He mentioned before the fight that he struggled with the weight cut.  He and his team will need to figure out a way to improve on that process to allow him to maximize his stamina for five round fights in the future.  But aside from that, his performance makes it impossible to consider him as anything other than one of the top featherweights in the world.  The win puts him no more than one fight away from a title shot and at the moment, he looks to be one of the few fighters in the division willing to face Jose Aldo.  Jung now has consecutive victories over top ten featherweights in Mark Hominick and Poirier and adding that to his entertainment value and marketability makes him the most likely candidate to face Aldo, provided he defeats Eric Koch at UFC 149 in July.  
 
Donald Cerrone didn’t have to prove that he was one of the best in the world in his weight class because we already knew he was.  But he did remind us just in case we had forgotten by dominating Jeremy Stephens for fifteen minutes.  By the second round, Cerrone seemed to be playing with Stephens and treating the fight more like a sparring match.  He used his kicks to maintain his reach advantage and Stephens was never able to close the distance enough to land punches.  Cerrone repeatedly battered his opponent with punching combinations punctuated with brutal leg kicks.  By the third round, he was even able to land a knockdown with a low kick.  Stephens hung in the fight and continued to throw punches, which if they landed, could have done some damage.  But he couldn’t get inside Cerrone’s reach and often led himself into counter knees to the body.  Cerrone belongs in the title discussion but with Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar scheduled to fight in August and Nate Diaz already next in line, Cerrone is going to have to continue to fight through the absurd gauntlet of the UFC lightweight division if he wants a shot at the belt.
 
In other action on the card, Amir Sadollah earned a win with a questionable split decision over Jorge Lopez.  Neither fighter was overly impressive and both had chances to assert themselves and earn a clear victory.  Because they did not, the judges were left with a difficult fight to score and in that scenario, the fighters have only themselves to blame if they lose.  Lopez won the first round and Sadollah the second with the third being the round in question.  Two of the judges gave it to Sadollah based on his striking in the middle of the round and that was enough to earn him the win.  Despite the win, Sadollah will need to bring more to the cage in his next fight if he hopes to fulfill his promise as an Ultimate Fighter winner.
 
Yves Jabouin dominated Jeff Hougland and did everything except finish the fight.  Hougland showed a strong heart and could have allowed the fight to be stopped multiple times but forced to Jabouin to earn the stoppage, which Jabouin was unable to do.  Jabouin dropped Hougland in the first round with a spinning back kick to the body but was unable to finish.  He repeated the feat in the third round with a left hand to the jaw but once again, Hougland fought through and got back to his feet.  Basically, Jabouin did exactly what one would expect from him when facing an overmatched opponent.
 
In the slugfest of the night, Igor Pokrajac defeated Fabio Maldonado via unanimous decision.  Pokrajac showed growth building on his knockout of Krzysztof Soszynski.  He made the fight competitive on the feet landing knees from the clinch and punches on the outside.  When necessary, he mixed in takedowns and controlled Maldonado on the ground.  Had he simply taken Maldonado down and kept the fight on the ground, the fight would not have been nearly as close.  His willingness to stand with a professional boxer could have cost him the fight but he managed to absorb the punishment and earn the victory.
 
In the main card opener, Tom Lawlor knocked out Jason MacDonald early in the first round.  Both fighters started aggressively with MacDonald shooting for a takedown.  Lawlor stuffed it and landed a left hand to the chin, a right to the temple, another right on the ground and the fight was over.  The knockout gave Lawlor a much needed win and an opportunity to build some momentum going forward.
 
– Alan Wells