Tag: UFC on Fox 1

UFC on FOX: What We Learned from Cub Swanson vs. Ricardo Lamas

Highly anticipated featherweight bout Cub Swanson vs. Ricardo Lamas has just come to an end, with Lamas winning the bout via second-round arm triangle choke.Swanson started off the fight strong, pushing the pace and putting Lamas in some bad positions,…

Highly anticipated featherweight bout Cub Swanson vs. Ricardo Lamas has just come to an end, with Lamas winning the bout via second-round arm triangle choke.

Swanson started off the fight strong, pushing the pace and putting Lamas in some bad positions, but the successful first round made him a bit too confident, perhaps, and Lamas was able to capitalize on that.

There are still several fights left on this evening’s card, but right now this fight could be the front-runner for Fight of the Night.

 

What we’ll remember about this fight

Cub Swanson is a wild man.

Lamas walked away with victory, but Swanson put on the more memorable performance.

Swanson set a furious pace in the fight and stayed active no matter what position he was in.

Throughout the fight he through some unorthodox strikes, went for a standing guillotine, almost locked up an omoplata, and even tried to finish the fight with a scissor choke.

The fans love to see a fighter who is looking to finish the fight from whatever position he is in and Swanson fit that description tonight.

 

What we learned about Swanson

He’s got crazy skill, but lacks focus.

Swanson was able to clearly win the early goings of the fight, but the success went to his head and he got too confident.

In the second round, Lamas managed to plant Swanson on his back, after Swanson charged forward looking to land a combination.

Once on the ground, Lamas took Swanson’s back, but Swanson did not seem phased by it.

Swanson did improve his position and went for a guillotine, but in doing so left himself vulnerable to the arm triangle choke that ended the fight.

Swanson needed to be more focused on being defensive and less focused on being offensive.

Not showing respect for his opponents skills cost him this fight.

 

What we learned about Lamas

He’s a gamer, he’s got skill, and he may be relevant at the top of the featherweight division.

Lamas could very easily have been discouraged after being handled by Swanson in the first round of this fight, but instead he came out in the second round ready to bounce back.

He also showed skill both offensively and defensively by fighting out of some tight submissions and then submitting his opponent.

Swanson has only lost to high-level fighters in the past, so this win could mean that Lamas is ready to face the best at 145 lbs.

 

What’s next for Swanson

Swanson is still a relevant force in the featherweight division and can expect a well known fighter in his next fight.

Leonard Garcia or the loser of Mark Hominick vs. Chan Sung Jung are potential next opponents.

 

What’s next for Lamas

Conveniently enough, this fight is right beside another featherweight fight on tonight’s card: Dustin Poirier vs. Pablo Garza.

After tonight’s performance, I think Lamas deserves to be matched up with the winner of that fight.

 

Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC on FOX. B/R is your home for complete coverage of the November 12 fight card, from pre-fight predictions, to in-fight coverage, results and post-fight analysis, which you can find out at our event hub page.

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8.

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UFC on FOX Results: What a Clay Guida Win Means to the Lightweight Division

Tonight at UFC on Fox 1 Clay Guida and Ben Henderson will face off for the No. 1 contender spot in the lightweight division. The fight is sure to be exciting and is extremely hard to predict. Clay Guida has been a contender in the division for quite so…

Tonight at UFC on Fox 1 Clay Guida and Ben Henderson will face off for the No. 1 contender spot in the lightweight division.

The fight is sure to be exciting and is extremely hard to predict. Clay Guida has been a contender in the division for quite some time but has really started to shine since joining Greg Jackson’s gym.

If Guida walks away with the victory, it will be the first time he’s had a shot at the title. Many people don’t expect it to happen, but it would certainly set up some exciting events in the lightweight division.

If Henderson losses this fight, it could very likely set up another fight between himself and Anthony Pettis. Henderson and Pettis met in an extremely exciting fight in the former WEC organization.

It was a fight that many people missed, and a second one would be great to see.

If Clay Guida wins and gets the title shot against Frankie Edgar, it could very well be the first time we see a fighter who actually outpaces the champ.

Guida has insane pacing in his fights and never stops moving around making him hard to hit, even for a great boxer that is Edgar.

Edgar is known for having great conditioning, but putting him up against Guida would be a test unlike any other he’s had in the past. Edgar would most likely need to utilize his great wrestling if he couldn’t get Guida’s timing down.

A win from Guida would also mean that one of the UFC’s biggest fan favorites would finally be in title contention. Edgar would very likely be receiving more boos than he’s accustomed to.

No matter what happens, no one should miss this fight, but a win from Clay Guida would certainly set up some extremely interesting situations in the division.

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UFC on FOX Results: Alex Caceres Dominates Cole Escovedo

Alex Caceres and Cole Escovedo were both coming off of two straight losses heading into their UFC on Fox 1 bout at bantamweight.It was Caceres’ first fight at bantamweight, and after his two previous losses to Mackens Semerzier and Jim Hettes, Caceres’…

Alex Caceres and Cole Escovedo were both coming off of two straight losses heading into their UFC on Fox 1 bout at bantamweight.

It was Caceres’ first fight at bantamweight, and after his two previous losses to Mackens Semerzier and Jim Hettes, Caceres’ potential as a fighter seemed all but finished.

This fight, though, the potential seen of Caceres when he competed as a lightweight on The Ultimate Fighter 12 came back and helped him pull out a unanimous decision victory over the former WEC 145 pound champion, Escovedo.

From start to finish, Caceres dominated Escovedo both in the striking department and on the ground. Even from the bottom, Caceres fought for submissions against Escovedo.

With triangles and armbars, Caceres at one point seemed close to securing an omoplata. He fought and fought for each submission, but the experience of Escovedo on the ground got him out of each position.

Escovedo was even able to fight off a securely locked armbar from Caceres, but was unable to make any sort of progress.

Now with three straight losses, Escovedo could be facing the axe from the UFC. But with his losses coming to Renan Barao and Takeya Mizugaki—both either top 10 or borderline top 10 bantamweights—and now Caceres, it could be possible to see him one last time.

For Caceres, this is a huge win in his young career and looked good in his debut at bantamweight. Every part of his game looks much improved and could find success at his new home.

 

Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC on FOX. B/R is your home for complete coverage of the November 12 fight card, from pre-fight predictions, to in-fight coverage, results and post-fight analysis, which you can find out at our event hub page.

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UFC on FOX: 7 Ways Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez Could End

In a mere five hours, the UFC will make its debut on FOX, as the world’s best heavyweight Cain Velasquez will make his first title defense against number one contender Junior Dos Santos in what could potentially be the greatest heavyweight fight in Mix…

In a mere five hours, the UFC will make its debut on FOX, as the world’s best heavyweight Cain Velasquez will make his first title defense against number one contender Junior Dos Santos in what could potentially be the greatest heavyweight fight in Mixed Martial Arts history.  

Both men are known for their explosive power, blinding speed and general well roundedness and ability to take the fight wherever it may go. 

Like so many in the sport are saying, this is one fight where you have the two very best in their division putting it all on the line in a fight that is guaranteed to go down in the history books as one of the best fights ever. 

So on the sport’s biggest stage yet, the two best heavyweights in Mixed Martial Arts will put it all on the line in a fight that could very well end anywhere, any way and at any time. 

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UFC on Fox: Henderson Will Maul Guida to Become No. 1 Contender

Ben Henderson will run through Clay Guida tonight en route to gaining his first shot at the UFC lightweight championship. Both Henderson and Guida push a fierce pace with Guida being the best in the lightweight division when it comes to cardio, but car…

Ben Henderson will run through Clay Guida tonight en route to gaining his first shot at the UFC lightweight championship.

Both Henderson and Guida push a fierce pace with Guida being the best in the lightweight division when it comes to cardio, but cardio won’t come into play when these two square off.

Henderson will finish Guida with a submission in the second round, and with the victory, he’ll solidify his No. 1 contendership for Frankie Edgar’s belt.

I wanted to pick Guida in this fight, but I’ve seen this story before. Time and time again, Guida will make these spurts and get close to fighting for the championship. That is right before he ends up getting defeated.

Guida had his chance to state his claim when he fought Diego Sanchez in 2009, but Sanchez won the fight, and then Guida lost another against Kenny Florian.

Guida’s track record for getting that No. 1 contendership, and Henderson’s previous performance, have me thinking that Henderson will run right through Guida.

Guida’s a great fighter, don’t get me wrong. He’s as tough as they come, but Henderson looks like he’s really finding his groove. His loss to Anthony Pettis could have been the greatest thing to ever happen to him.

He looks refocused, re-motivated and basically looks like hell on wheels.

The way he dominated Jim Miller is something fight fans have never seen before. Sure, Miller has lost to both Gray Maynard and Edgar in the past, but not in that fashion.

It was a straight-up beatdown, with Henderson announcing to the rest of the world that he’s here, and he’s here to stay.

I just think Henderson has the better standup between these two, and the better submission skills. Guida’s no slouch in either department, but Henderson is going to show the world that he’s in another class.

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UFC on FOX Predictions: What a Win Would Mean for Ben Henderson

The past year has shown that former WEC lightweight can compete in the UFC’s 155-pound division. Now, it is up to Ben Henderson to prove that those lightweights who have merged into the UFC can become serious lightweight contenders.With a win over Glay…

The past year has shown that former WEC lightweight can compete in the UFC’s 155-pound division. Now, it is up to Ben Henderson to prove that those lightweights who have merged into the UFC can become serious lightweight contenders.

With a win over Glay Guida at UFC on Fox 1, Henderson would earn a title shot against UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. This chance comes less than one year after Henderson missed out on a UFC championship fight by losing to Anthony Pettis in his final WEC appearance.

Beyond earning a fight with Edgar, a win over Guida would earn Henderson the label of a top lightweight in the sport, a label that he has deserved for quite some time, but his lack of exposure in the WEC prevented him from receiving it.

This fight is also Henderson’s opportunity to prove that he learned from his mistakes in his loss to Pettis, which was a pivotal fight in the 27-year-old’s career. Henderson was extremely emotional after the loss, which robbed him of going down as the final WEC lightweight champion.

At UFC on Fox 1, Henderson will be fighting for more than a title shot. Henderson will be fighting to legitimize himself in the eyes of MMA fans and pundits.

 

Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.

Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC on FOX. B/R is your home for complete coverage of the November 12 fight card, from pre-fight predictions, to in-fight coverage, results and post-fight analysis, which you can find out at our event hub page.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com