Tag: UFC on Fox 2

UFC on FOX 2 Results: Chael Sonnen ‘Wouldn’t Be Complaining’ If Bisping Won

UFC on FOX 2 was a night that has likely created two future pay-per-view main events. One bout will feature Jon Jones and Rashad Evans, but the more highly anticipated contest has to be the expected upcoming rematch between UFC middleweight champion An…

UFC on FOX 2 was a night that has likely created two future pay-per-view main events. One bout will feature Jon Jones and Rashad Evans, but the more highly anticipated contest has to be the expected upcoming rematch between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and No. 1 contender Chael Sonnen.

Sonnen and Silva battled it out in the UFC 117 main event with Sonnen dominating the majority of the fight, only to have Silva slap on a triangle with only moments remaining in the fifth round, securing an impressive, come-from-behind submission victory in a bout that looked like he was surely going to lose.

Since his return to the Octagon following a suspension, Sonnen has been borderline obsessed with getting the rematch against Anderson Silva and after victories over fellow top contenders Brian Stann and now Michael Bisping, he is now set to get that rematch.

But it didn’t happen that easily. In fact, Sonnen himself wasn’t even convinced that the judges were going to award him the win over Michael Bisping.

“If I would’ve lost that fight, I wouldn’t be complaining,” Sonnen told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani on a post-fight interview.

The unanimous judges’ decision which saw two judges score the bout 29-28 and one judge score the bout 30-27 for Sonnen was met with much controversy online from fans who believed that Bisping may have been robbed.

“He hit me so hard in the first round that I didn’t fully understand what we were doing,” Sonnen added. “My body still doesn’t feel right.”

But regardless of how it was done, according to UFC president Dana White, Sonnen is now penciled in for a rematch with Silva in June. The bout will apparently take place in Silva’s home country of Brazil which has recently exploded as a venue for the UFC.

“I’d rather it wasn’t in Brazil. I prefer to fight in Las Vegas, every time,” he said.  “But I won’t pass up that chance.”

Though he is still not completely convinced that the fight will take place due to supposed hesitation from the Silva camp, Sonnen is taking his boss at face value in this instance.

“Dana’s a man of his word and either way, I will be getting a title shot,” Sonnen said. “We have a major opportunity to break every record in the history of MMA and to have this fight looked at for generations to come.”

For more MMA news, fighter interviews and opinions, follow Nick Caron: .

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UFC on FOX 2: Why Demian Maia Must Go Back to Using His Jiu-Jitsu

Demian Maia suffered a tough loss tonight at UFC on FOX 2, dropping a unanimous decision to up-and-coming prospect Chris Weidman.It was a relatively unimpressive showing from both fighters, who were noticeable gassed by the end of the first round, but …

Demian Maia suffered a tough loss tonight at UFC on FOX 2, dropping a unanimous decision to up-and-coming prospect Chris Weidman.

It was a relatively unimpressive showing from both fighters, who were noticeable gassed by the end of the first round, but Weidman managed to sway the judges’ decision using his takedowns.

Weidman’s lackluster performance was understandable, as he took the fight on just 17 days notice, but Maia’s performance was particularly disappointing, given that he had a whole camp to prepare for this fight.

The fight was originally announced as a split-decision win for Weidman, but it was later discovered that one of the scores had been added wrong and that all three judges had in fact given Weidman the decision.

Maia is now 4-4 in his last eight fights with the UFC and seems to have lost the spark that he had when he first entered the UFC.

Maia came into the UFC as a jiu-jitsu specialist, winning his first five fights by submission.

However, Maia eventually ran into a fighter who he couldn’t take down, Nate Marquardt. Marquardt knocked Maia out seconds into the first round, in what was one of the most devastating one-punch knockouts in the UFC history.

Since that loss Maia has worked diligently on improving his striking and focused much less on his jiu-jitsu.

While his striking has improved by leaps and bounds, he has strayed from the technique that gave him success in the first place.

It’s great that Maia has rounded out his game because it’s good to be comfortable anywhere a fight goes, but it’s time for him to go back to what he is best at.

Maia has arguably the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the UFC—he should be using that to his advantage whenever possible.

Let’s look at it this way:

Anderson Silva is the best striker in the UFC. He also has great jiu-jitsu. He uses that jiu-jitsu when he needs to, but whenever possible he uses his striking skills.

In a nutshell, Maia has not been playing to his strengths and that’s no way to win fights.

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter @AndrewBarr8

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UFC on Fox 2 Results: Dunham Surprised, Disappointed Fight vs Lentz Was Stopped

On a night that was headlined by six top-10 fighters in their respective weight classes, it was an undercard bout between lightweights Evan Dunham and Nik Lentz which stole the show and won a decisive “Fight of the Night” bonus from the UFC on FOX 2 ev…

On a night that was headlined by six top-10 fighters in their respective weight classes, it was an undercard bout between lightweights Evan Dunham and Nik Lentz which stole the show and won a decisive “Fight of the Night” bonus from the UFC on FOX 2 event. 

Never one to back down from a challenge, Lentz stepped into the fight against Dunham on short notice, just a month and a half after his most recent bout against Mark Bocek at UFC 140. Lentz let his hands fly perhaps more than we have ever seen him do in his UFC career, but ended up on his back where he took a huge elbow from Dunham that opened up a large cut under his left eye.

The fight was eventually stopped between the second and third rounds as Dunham was declared the winner by TKO. 

“I was surprised by it,” Dunham told MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani after the bout, regarding the stoppage. “Honestly, I wanted the fight to continue. I felt momentum was building majorly in my favor and I was very confident I was going to put him away in the third. I was a little bit disappointed when they stopped it because I wanted to keep fighting.”

Dunham did admit that he would have probably given the first round to Lentz if he was a judge, but it didn’t end up mattering whatsoever as he was able to finish the fight with the elbows. It will be interesting to see where this highly skilled and motivated lightweight goes in 2012. 

“I’d really like to fight the winner of the [Joe] Lauzon and [Anthony] Pettis fight,” Dunham said. 

Whoever his next fight is, Dunham will be riding some serious momentum after this impressive victory. 

For more MMA news, fighter interviews and opinions, follow Nick Caron:

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UFC on Fox 2 Results: Michael Bisping Is Due Some Respect

Michael Bisping may have gotten a raw deal with the judges scoring, but he should be getting plenty of respect from MMA fans following his performance on the UFC on Fox 2 event.Bisping stepped in on short notice to take on the No. 2 middleweight in the…

Michael Bisping may have gotten a raw deal with the judges scoring, but he should be getting plenty of respect from MMA fans following his performance on the UFC on Fox 2 event.

Bisping stepped in on short notice to take on the No. 2 middleweight in the world in Chael Sonnen and performed very well.

Most MMA fans were already previewing a Sonnen rematch with Anderson Silva and expecting Bisping to simply be a sacrificial lamb. Good thing “The Count” didn’t get the memo.

The Brit stopped a handful of Sonnen takedown attempts and even held the Olympic-caliber wrestler against the cage for a considerable amount of time. When Sonnen was able to get the fight to floor, Bisping worked hard to get back to his feet.

Sonnen said in the post-fight press conference that he never really felt comfortable in the bout and looking back, it’s clear that Bisping did everything he could to throw Sonnen off balance.

I’m sure the last thing Sonnen expected out of Bisping was for him to hold him against the fence and beat the wrestler at his own game. Even if Sonnen managed to take Bisping down, “The Count” either maneuvered back to his feet or looked to slap on a submission.

When Bruce Buffer began reading off the judge’s scores, you could see Bisping grimace after hearing the scorecards being read. He knew he was going to get screwed and shouldn’t have let it to the judges.

Regardless of the loss, Bisping deserves a lot of respect for this fight. His stock in the company likely won’t dip too far, if at all. It may even rise given the fact Bisping took the No. 2 middleweight to his limit and did so on short notice.

Both men were cordial with each other at the post-fight press conference and when asked if he thinks Bisping is title-worthy, Sonnen praised his former adversary.

Bisping was one fight away from realizing his goal but he won’t fall off the face of the Earth. Other than Sonnen, it would be a tough task to argue anyone outside of Bisping deserves the next title shot.

It seems as most fans agree with this sentiment as well judging by the online reaction after the official decision was read. Maybe Bisping has turned the corner with fans and can still be his brash self and have a strong fan base a la Nick Diaz.

Hopefully Bisping can use the loss to motivate him for his next bout while keeping his exciting fighting style.

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UFC on FOX 2 Results: What’s Next for Michael Bisping?

Michael Bisping put forth possibly the most impressive performance of his career at UFC on FOX 2, although it was in a losing effort.Bisping, who was originally scheduled to fight Demian Maia at this event, instead took on No.2 ranked middleweight Chae…

Michael Bisping put forth possibly the most impressive performance of his career at UFC on FOX 2, although it was in a losing effort.

Bisping, who was originally scheduled to fight Demian Maia at this event, instead took on No.2 ranked middleweight Chael Sonnen, after Sonnen’s original opponent, Mark Munoz, withdrew due to injury.

Going into the fight, Bisping was a huge underdog, but you wouldn’t have known it from watching. It was a competitive matchup throughout and a solid performance from both fighters.

When the fight was on the feet, Bisping got the better of most exchanges, though both men were frequently landing clean shots.

Sonnen had surprisingly little success with his takedowns, but was able to achieve them often enough to win on the judges scorecards.

Despite the loss, it was an impressive performance for Bisping, who put up a much better fight against Sonnen than most of the UFC’s top middleweights.

Though he didn’t get the win, it is likely that Bisping will finally start to get some respect from the fans, as he has proved he belongs in the cage with the best middleweights in the world.

So, what’s next for Michael Bisping?

Chris Weidman, who also fought on the card tonight could be next. He took Bisping’s place against Demain Maia and was able to defeat the crafty Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist.

Another possibility is that Bisping could face the very fighter he replaced tonight, Mark Munoz.

Other possible opponents include Rousimar Palhares and Vitor Belfort, assuming Belfort gets passed Wanderlei Silva later this year.

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter @AndrewBarr8

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UFC on Fox 2 Results: Chael Sonnen Slides Past Bisping to Earn Title Rematch

It wasn’t easy or pretty for Chael Sonnen, but in the end, the UFC Middleweight Division contender did just enough to earn a unanimous decision victory over Michael Bisping at UFC on Fox 2 and score a championship rematch with Anderson Silva.As is so o…

It wasn’t easy or pretty for Chael Sonnen, but in the end, the UFC Middleweight Division contender did just enough to earn a unanimous decision victory over Michael Bisping at UFC on Fox 2 and score a championship rematch with Anderson Silva.

As is so often the case in the UFC, these two fiery adversaries weren’t supposed to fight each other on Saturday night in Chicago. Sonnen was originally scheduled to meet Mark Munoz in the Octagon, but Munoz pulled out earlier this month on account of an injury. With Munoz out, UFC president Dana White filled the opening with Bisping, who’d been expecting to face Demian Maia. 

Chris Weidman, Bisping’s replacement, defeated Maia by unanimous decision.

Bisping displayed some serious moxie throughout the match, grappling with Sonnen against the cage for much of the first two rounds. Sonnen attempted several times to take “The Count” down but found the Briton difficult to keep down on the mat.

The fight largely fluctuated between slow struggles along the fence and furious strike showdowns in the middle of the Octagon through Rounds 1 and 2.

It wasn’t until Round 3 that Sonnen found room to thrust his preferred style firmly on the fight. With the two combatants noticeably drained, Sonnen went straight for the takedown, keeping Bisping on the ground for the bulk of the frame.

Sonnen spent plenty of time on top of Bisping, engaged in full mount but found it difficult to get much of a sustained ground-and-pound going against Bisping’s expert defense. At one point, Sonnen resorted to lifting Bisping up slightly and slamming him into the mat.

Still, Bisping couldn’t quite weasel his way out of Sonnen’s control until the final minute of the fight. Bisping was ultimately able to get back to his feet and even score a takedown of his own on Sonnen, though it was abundantly clear by that point that Sonnen had forced the judges to make a tough decision.

In the end, the folks at ringside favored Sonnen, 30-27 29-28 29-28, though Bisping had nothing for which to be ashamed. He gave the No. 2 middleweight all he could handle through three grueling rounds, never allowing Sonnen to completely impose his will and getting in some rather surprising maneuvers of his own.

Even so, the night and the fight belonged to Sonnen, and deservedly so. Sonnen’s gritty effort earned him a rematch with Anderson Silva, whom he nearly upended back in August of 2010 before “The Spider” forced him into submission with a triangle arm bar at the 3:10 mark of the fifth round.

Now comes the really difficult part for Sonnen—improving upon that effort against the man who may well be the best mixed-martial artist in the world today.

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