Honesty may not always be the best option. At least that may hold true if Josh Thomson loses his lightweight tilt with former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson at UFC on Fox 10.
Thomson recently gave some details to MMA Junkie about his cu…
Honesty may not always be the best option. At least that may hold true if Josh Thomson loses his lightweight tilt with former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson at UFC on Fox 10.
Thomson recently gave some details to MMA Junkie about his current training camp in the lead-up to the Henderson bout. Spoilers: It’s not good.
Falling into focus, falling out of focus, falling back into focus. This has quite possibly my worst camp ever in my whole career, but before people want to criticize and say I’m looking for a way out, you’ve got to remember, I said the same thing about the first time I fought Gilbert Melendez. That was the worst camp I had up until this time.
If you’ll recall, Roy Nelson recently said the same thing about his bout with Daniel “DC” Cormier. Nelson then went on to look absolutely terrible against Cormier.
Although the talent gap may not be as large as the one between Cormier and Nelson, nobody would want to have a bad camp in preparing to fight the second-best lightweight on the planet.
Yet that’s where Thomson finds himself heading into Chicago.
Thomson has had durability issues (in regards to injuries) in the past but is in prime position to reach a UFC title shot with only two fights in his Octagon return. He also has the reassurance of training with one of the best camps and groups of coaches at American Kickboxing Academy.
If Thomson wins, you can bet the UFC public relations machine will go into full overdrive in showing Thomson as a guy who overcame the odds. If Thomson loses, fans will be quick to point out the fact Thomson was already “making excuses” prior to the fight.
Even if it turns out to be Thomson making an excuse, I like that a fighter is being open and honest with fans. It’s a nice change from the politically correct mundane responses we’ve become accustomed to.
Despite the fact it’s not good for a fighter in terms of PR, I hope more competitors are just as honest in the future.
Gabriel Gonzaga is no stranger to the deeper waters of the UFC heavyweight division.
Over a span of the past eight years, “Napao” has experienced all facets of the fight game while competing under the most visible banner in mixed martial arts. The 34-y…
Gabriel Gonzaga is no stranger to the deeper waters of the UFC heavyweight division.
Over a span of the past eight years, “Napao” has experienced all facets of the fight game while competing under the most visible banner in mixed martial arts. The 34-year-old has seen the fruits of his success materialize into title contention and later a championship opportunity, but the Brazilian grappling ace has also experienced the rapid fall that comes with a nasty backslide.
After losing back-to-back fights against former champion Junior dos Santos and Brendan Schaub in 2010, Gonzaga was released from the organization. While he started his time inside the Octagon with a four-fight winning streak and earned a title fight against future Hall of Famer Randy Couture at UFC 74 in 2007, once he came out on the business end of his bout with “The Natural,” things began to come apart at the seams.
While there was no doubting his versatile talents, elements of his game appeared to vanish against high-profile competition. He easily defeated relative unknowns like Josh Hendricks and Chris Tuchscherer but struggled to perform against Shane Carwin and Fabricio Werdum.
By the time the UFC released Gonzaga, he had lost five of his last eight, and the next wave of rising talent had seemingly passed him by. That said, he believed he had much more than he was showing and set about earning his way back to the sport’s biggest stage. Fortunately for the jiu-jitsu black belt, it only took one win outside of the promotion for him to rejoin the UFC, and he vowed to make the most of the second chance.
And he has by all measurable standards.
Since returning to the UFC in 2012, Gonzaga has found victory in four of his five showings, finishing every opponent but one along the way. The only setback came at the hands (and elbows) of current contender Travis Browne when the two heavyweights squared off at The Ultimate Fighter 17 finale last April.
While the loss stunted some of the momentum he had built, Gonzaga picked up what he had lost and then some by scoring back-to-back first-round knockouts over Dave Herman and Shawn Jordan. With the Brazilian dishing out punishment against top-level competition, the UFC tapped him to face another rising talent in Stipe Miocic.
The former Cleveland State University standout has quickly risen through the ranks of the division and will face a stern test in Gonzaga next Saturday night at UFC on Fox 10 in Chicago. The Ohio native has built an impressive resume during his short time in the UFC and has shown a versatile game that revolves around striking, footwork and a solid wrestling base.
Gonzaga knows Miocic will present some interesting challenges, but he’s planning on stopping the Croatian-American’s momentum at the United Center.
“I think it’s an interesting matchup,” Gonzaga told Bleacher Report. “[Miocic] is tall and fast and has long arms. He likes to exchange, but I like to exchange too. I will bring my striking and my ground game and let’s see where this fight goes. Wherever it goes, I will be prepared. When a guy moves, it’s very important that you move together. If you make the mistake of following him, then you are always going to be a step behind and right where he wants you. But I feel confident in my stand-up game and I have prepared to handle his movement.
“I’ve put a lot of work into my striking. I’ve been training my boxing since 1999 and I’ve put a lot of time into developing those skills. I’m getting better in that part of my game and I will look to keep improving those skills.”
While both fighters have a proven ability to level the opposition with a single clean shot, one area that separates them is the ground game. Gonzaga has ended several fights by submission, while Miocic has yet to test his jiu-jitsu under the UFC banner. That of course is a credit to Miocic’s defensive wrestling, but Gonzaga believes he’ll have a clear advantage if the fight hits the mat.
“I definitely believe the ground game is a place where my skills are ahead of his,” Gonzaga said. “But he has shown he is not easy to get on the ground, so I have to be ready with my striking and my wrestling. When a guy moves well, it is hard to put him down. But I don’t care if I’m able to put him on the ground or not because I’m ready for anything.”
This fight will impact the landscape of the heavyweight division. Coveted spots in the upper tier are up for grabs, and Gonzaga is eager to get back into title contention.
That said, his motivation comes from more of a personal perspective, which outweighs what ambition brings to the table. He is confident he will get where he’s looking to go as long as he puts in the hard work.
“When I go there to the fight, I go there to finish my opponent and win my fight,” he said. “I do that for myself, my family and my fans.
“I think I’m getting close,” he added in regard to a future title shot. “But if I keep putting in the hard work and winning my fights, I’m going to get another opportunity to fight for the title.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Beneil Dariush def. Charlie Brenneman, submission (Round 1, 1:45)
Next up is UFC on Fox 10. Headlined by the critical lightweight bout between Josh Thomson and Benson Henderson, the card is an interesting experiment that seems to try to test how many fans will tune in for a fairly weak card.
Still, there is plenty to talk about here. So what should you be wondering about in the next couple of weeks? Find out here!
Pettis vs. Caceres becomes the 12th fight added to the Bendo vs. Punk card card — which also includes such notable scraps as Gonzaga vs. Miocic, Cerrone vs. Martins, and Rosholt vs. Oliynyk — though its exact placement on the lineup has yet to be announced. Shoot your predictions in the comments section, and swing by Fightland to read about the time Caceres trained with the real Bruce Leroy before his UFC debut, which turned out to be a terrible decision on every level.
Pettis vs. Caceres becomes the 12th fight added to the Bendo vs. Punk card card — which also includes such notable scraps as Gonzaga vs. Miocic, Cerrone vs. Martins, and Rosholt vs. Oliynyk — though its exact placement on the lineup has yet to be announced. Shoot your predictions in the comments section, and swing by Fightland to read about the time Caceres trained with the real Bruce Leroy before his UFC debut, which turned out to be a terrible decision on every level.
UFC on Fox 10’s preliminary card is starting to become a bit more interesting with news breaking that a bantamweight tilt between Sergio Pettis and Alex Caceres has been added to the already big card. Gary D’Amoto from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel re…
UFC on Fox 10‘s preliminary card is starting to become a bit more interesting with news breaking that a bantamweight tilt between Sergio Pettis and Alex Caceres has been added to the already big card. Gary D’Amoto from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported the story out on Twitter:
Sergio “The Phenom” Pettis of Milwaukee has reached a verbal agreement to fight Alex Caceres on the UFC on Fox 10 card Jan. 25 in Chicago.
Sergio Pettis, brother to UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, was regarded as one of the hottest prospects in the flyweight division. He made his UFC debut at UFC 167 as a bantamweight opposite UFC and WEC veteran Will Campuzano and took a hard-fought but decisive unanimous decision victory.
While there was some speculation regarding whether he would remain a part of the UFC’s bantamweight division or drop back to flyweight, it appears the 20-year-old is content at 135 pounds.
Alex Caceres, meanwhile, has flown under many radars. The TUF 12 heel began his UFC career with back-to-back losses, but has been on fire as a bantamweight. He currently owns a 4-1, 1 NC record in the UFC as a bantamweight, but could very easily be 6-0 (a harsh two-point penalty against Edwin Figueroa and failed drug test contributed to the loss and no contest on his record).
Caceres was slated to face Mitch Gagnon at UFC Fight Night 33, however, visa issues prevented Gagnon from being able to enter Australia and the bout was scuttled.
UFC on Fox 10 takes place on January 25, 2014, and is headlined by Benson Henderson vs. Josh Thomson. Pettis vs. Caceres is the 12th fight on the card and likely represents the final bout to be added.
Stipe Miocic is on the verge of doing big things in the UFC heavyweight division.
The Cleveland-based fighter has been one of the organization’s best heavyweight prospects since making his promotional debut in 2011. The Croatian-American made a strong …
Stipe Miocic is on the verge of doing big things in the UFC heavyweight division.
The Cleveland-based fighter has been one of the organization’s best heavyweight prospects since making his promotional debut in 2011. The Croatian-American made a strong introduction by defeating veteran Joey Beltran at UFC 136 in Houston, then followed that up with back-to-back impressive stoppage victories over Phil de Fries and Shane Del Rosario.
Three wins out of the gate put Miocic on the radar in a division that was becoming increasingly competitive.
When he was matched up with Stefan Struve in the main event of UFC on Fuel TV 5, the table was set for the former baseball and wrestling standout from Cleveland State University to breakthrough into the next tier of the weight class. Unfortunately that night in Nottingham, England didn’t prove to be his night as he suffered the first setback of his professional career at the hands of the Dutch Skyscraper.
While rebounding from a loss on sport’s biggest stage is never easy, Miocic was determined to right the ship and get things back on track. He was originally slated to face returning veteran Soa Palelei at UFC 161 in Winnipeg, a shake up at the top of the card that created a huge shift in the fight line up.
When the main event bantamweight interim title bout between Renan Barao and Eddie Wineland was scrapped due to injury, and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua versus Antonio “Lil Nog” Nogueira was pulled for the same reason, the UFC was forced to find a bit more star power for the card.
As the result of the shake up, the bout between Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans was moved to the main event slot and the highly touted prospect was given a new opponent in Las Vegas-based knockout artist Roy Nelson. Big Country provided a much different challenge than what Miocic had prepared for in Palelei, but it was a test he handled impressively.
“Winning that fight was fantastic,” Miocic told Bleacher Report. “It was a fight I had to win and I went out and did it. I think it was a great game plan that my coaches put together and had me do. It worked out very well.”
The win over Nelson in June had Miocic riding the high tide of momentum, and it appeared as if he would draw another high-profile opponent before the year’s end. While there were several rumored opponents floating about, nothing materialized and he was forced to end his 2013 campaign with only one showing inside the Octagon.
“I think they were trying to find the right opponent for me and where I was at in the division,” Miocic said. “The cards just didn’t play out. Some guys I could have fought already had fights or were hurt. That’s just the way it happens some times, you know?”
Following his win over Nelson, the Ohio native once again returned to the doorstep of the next tier of the division.
While defeating the former Ultimate Fighter winner helped Miocic rebound from the Struve loss, it was still going to take him one more big victory to hit the top 10 rankings. And when the UFC called with a matchup against Gabriel Gonzaga, the opportunity he had been waiting for materialized.
The Brazilian grappling ace had experienced a rough patch, losing three out of four showings, which resulted in his release from the promotion at the end of 2010. “Napao” responded to the situation with vigor and has made the most of his return to the UFC by winning four out of his five outings since reclaiming his roster spot in 2012.
Miocic is fully aware of the caliber of fight he’ll have on his hands and he’s very much looking forward to mixing it up with the former title challenger.
“This guy is super-tough. He’s fought for a title and been there before. Now, he’s working his way back up again. He has great jiu-jitsu and he hits hard. He’s a big heavyweight just like everyone else in this division. We’ve had some good time to prepare for him and my coaches have a great game plan put together to beat him. I’ll be ready to go on Jan. 25.
“I hope a win over Gonzaga will put me up there but that’s not up to me,” Miocic added in regard to climbing the divisional ladder. “I won’t say a win in this fight is going to put me anywhere for certain, but he’s a good fighter who has accomplished a lot in this sport. I’m just enjoying working my way up the ladder and I’m working to get better everyday. I’m really looking forward to this coming year. Come on 2014!”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
