Despite coming in as a heavy favorite against Michael Bisping, the long-time No. 1 Middleweight contender, Chael Sonnen, got all he could handle last Saturday on UFC on FOX 2. In the end, Sonnen was able to earn his long awaited rematch against th…
Despite coming in as a heavy favorite against Michael Bisping, the long-time No. 1 Middleweight contender, Chael Sonnen, got all he could handle last Saturday on UFC on FOX 2.
In the end, Sonnen was able to earn his long awaited rematch against the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, Anderson Silva, a man he came within 100 seconds of defeating a few years ago.
With the rematch set to happen this summer in Brazil, Sonnen will need to focus on improving and closing the gaps in his game if he is to finally and truly win UFC gold.
Here are just five things that the All-American wrestler needs to do to beat the champ, Anderson Silva.
After a three-year absence, the UFC returned to Chicago for their inaugural Fox event, showcasing a “tripleheader” with exciting specialists like Chael Sonnen, Michael Bisping, Demian Maia and Rashad Evans. A day after the event, fans are split on…
After a three-year absence, the UFC returned to Chicago for their inaugural Fox event, showcasing a “tripleheader” with exciting specialists like Chael Sonnen, Michael Bisping, Demian Maia and Rashad Evans. A day after the event, fans are split on whether or not the top billings lived up to the hype leading into the show.
Many say the fights were simply boring, lacking any finishes from guys more than capable. Others claim the three main event bouts were dictated on a higher technical level that’s harder to appreciate if you’re not a hardcore fan.
Regardless, two out of the three decision victories for two undisputed No. 1 contenders have caustic implications for the 185 and 205 pound divisions. It will be determined later this year if the middleweight and light-heavyweight titles will switch hands. But after watching UFC on Fox 2 last night, will the Chael Sonnen and Rashad Evans who showed up in Chicago be enough to topple their respective foes in Anderson Silva and Jon Jones?
These two current champions are the most devastatingly dominant titleholders—along with Jose Aldo—on the UFC roster. Each man has defended their titles in such a convincing manner with unmatched brilliance that many pundits truly believe they are the only true challenges left each other, despite being in different—cleaned out—divisions.
Top-notch challengers like Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort, Shogun Rua, Rampage Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Yushin Okami have all fallen victim to Silva and Jones’ greatness. That’s a list of who’s who in the business. In fact, the only person to come close to dethroning Silva was Sonnen over a year and a half ago, a feat which has continued to cement his status as the middleweight division’s irrefutable number two.
And, let’s not forget about Evans’—a former UFC champion—impeccable run in the UFC. He has only lost once in the UFC to Machida and redeemed a draw against former champ Tito Ortiz. There’s no guessing why the MMA world sees both Sonnen and Evans as deserving challengers to the belts.
Nevertheless, this sentiment may be on shaky grounds after Evans turned in a safe lackluster performance against an outclassed opponent with only nine professional fights on his record and Sonnen’s strengths in wrestling, strength and tenacity were essentially nullified by a smaller and inferior wrestler in Bisping.
Sonnen got quickly derailed from his game plan in the first round by a damaging strike from Bisping, which really set the downward spiral into motion. For the remaining rounds, Sonnen uncharacteristically failed to overpower his opponent in the clinch and only got to enjoy the fruits of his takedowns momentarily before Bisping popped up to his feet.
Another worrisome observation for Sonnen fans was how often Bisping was landing short quick combos. The British challenger didn’t seem to have much trouble landing through Sonnen’s boxing defense throughout the entire fight. That’s something Sonnen will not be able to get away with against Silva, especially if his takedowns prove to be ineffective and can’t be smoothly mixed within his own striking.
What’s equally disheartening for Rashad supporters is his inability to pull the trigger in high-pressured situations. Ever since getting knocked out by Machida, the former champ has fought comparatively conservative against the likes of Thiago Silva and Rampage Jackson and continued that winning streak by earning a technical knockout over Tito Ortiz, who is clearly past his heyday.
In addition, as we saw last night, Evans played it safe and had issues capitalizing on openings from a more inexperienced and overall inferior fighter in Davis. By the end of the final round, both men were noticeably tired as well. The lasting thought of Evans’ performance left many fans wondering how he’ll avoid being target practice for Jones, who has comparable wrestling skills, much longer reach and a highly unpredictable striking arsenal.
All in all, we were privy to a vulnerable side of Sonnen and Rashad that now poses question marks that weren’t necessarily present when pairing them up against their division’s respective champs as early as a year ago. Of course, every fight is different and there’s no guarantee these issues are reasons to be concerned. They both will have plenty of time to improve on any shortcomings before their title fights. But, if they fight like they did last night at the United Center, in front of millions watching on Fox 2, they will be in for a long night at the office.
Sure, both men should still be seen as the rightful challengers to the belts, but again after last night, their chances of actually winning it have fallen substantially in the minds of some.
UFC on Fox 2 was a mixed bag, for better or worse.The preliminary card had several good fights and entertaining finishes, but three straight decisions in the main Fox show has MMA fans asking, “Was this show a success?”And now once again it…
UFC on Fox 2 was a mixed bag, for better or worse.
The preliminary card had several good fights and entertaining finishes, but three straight decisions in the main Fox show has MMA fans asking, “Was this show a success?”
And now once again it’s time to ask: What’s next? What does the future hold after what could be considered a step back in the UFC/Fox relationship?
Here’s my answer to just that: a new edition of my “What’s Next for the Winners and Losers” series of articles, now featuring “UFC on Fox 2.”
What’s Next for Demian Maia?
Although this was a big win for Chris Weidman, it wasn’t that big of a loss for Demian Maia.
Maia’s status in the UFC remains mostly unchanged after this bout, in my opinion. Maia will continue to be a good, but not great, UFC fighter, and he’ll continue to be the UFC’s go-to gatekeeper at Middleweight.
What’s Next for Chris Weidman?
There’s a chance that Weidman will draw Michael Bisping, just to see if Weidman can go from “the bottom of the top” to a top-ranked athlete. Then again, it’s more likely that Bisping will get a top opponent as recompense for what many believe to be a bad decision.
If that’s the case, Weidman may find himself against a returning Mark Munoz once Munoz gets healthy from his injury.
What’s Next for Michael Bisping?
With Sonnen getting his shot at Anderson and with Mark Munoz on the sidelines healing an injury, the only fight that makes sense for Bisping right now is a fight against Vitor Belfort.
A big KO win over Bisping would be the one final push Belfort needs to convince everybody that he’s ready for a rematch with Anderson Silva, and a big win over Belfort would immediately put Bisping right back into title contention.
It’s a win-win for all involved and it’d be a fantastic fight, so I hope it happens.
What’s Next for Chael Sonnen?
Anderson Silva, of course.
It’ll be the biggest rematch in years, and my money is on it taking place inside of a soccer stadium in Brazil. My money is also on Anderson Silva removing the only blemish of his spectacular UFC run and making Sonnen eat his words.
The first fight had the odds stacked against Silva, what with Silva’s broken ribs and Sonnen on steroids.This rematch is going to end the way all us Silva fans expected their first fight to end: Silva will make Sonnen eat his words by making Sonnen eat a whole lot of kicks and fists.
What’s Next for Phil Davis?
I like Phil Davis. My prediction for Phil Davis remains mostly unchanged: He’ll be a star in two years, maybe even one.
Trust me, this loss will be one of the best things that’s ever happened to Phil Davis if he learns from it correctly. Davis will get a rebuilding fight against a Light Heavyweight gatekeeper, and depending on the outcome of that fight, we’ll know for sure where Phil Davis is headed in 2012 and beyond.
The much-hyped, long-delayed showdown with Jon Jones.
This is the fight we’ve all been waiting for, and I can say with confidence that I know it’s going to live up to the hype. Evans is going to attack Jones at all angles, and he won’t stop attacking. It’ll be a war, and it may end up going the full five rounds.
At this point, my promise to never again bet against Jon Jones remains unbroken. But I will say this: If anyone can beat him, it’ll be Rashad.
And that’s what I think, fans and friends.
Oliver Saenz, also known as PdW2kX, is a freelance journalist, opinion columnist, hardcore MMA fan, and lifelong video game nerd. For more news, views, previews, and reviews on all things Mixed Martial Arts as well as video games, be sure to visit FightGamesBlog.net.
Last night the UFC presented its second-ever event on the nationally-broadcast Fox network, “UFC on Fox 2: Evans vs. Davis.” The main event between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis was actually supposed to be a main event of a Pay-Per-View a few…
Last night the UFC presented its second-ever event on the nationally-broadcast Fox network, “UFC on Fox 2: Evans vs. Davis.” The main event between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis was actually supposed to be a main event of a Pay-Per-View a few months back, so expectations were high for this event.
Did it deliver? The answer to that, and even the question itself, is open to interpretation. So here’s what I think: Here are the full results as well as some early commentary for “UFC on Fox 2: Evans vs. Davis”.
Rashad Evans defeats Phil Davis by unanimous decision. Chael Sonnen defeats Michael Bisping by unanimous decision. Chris Weidman defeats Demian Maia by split decision. Evan Dunham defeats Nick Lentz by TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2.
Mike Russow defeats Jon Olav Einemo by unanimous decision. Cub Swanson defeats George Roop by TKO (punches) at 2:22 of Round 2. Charles Oliveira defeats Eric Wisely via submission at 1:43 of Round 1.
Michael Johnson defeats Shane Roller by unanimous decision. Lavar Johnson defeats Joey Beltran by knockout (punches) at 4:24 of Round 1. Chris Camozzi defeats Dustin Jacoby by submission (front choke) at 1:08 of Round 3.
Note: According to reports just released today, Weidman actually won by unanimous decision while Sonnen actually won by split decision.
Due to some scheduling conflicts on my part, I came into the “UFC Prelims” mini-event rather late, and in fact was only able to see the excellent Evan Dunham/Nick Lentz fight.
I’ve since caught a few of the matches on the web, and I can say that once again the prelims live up to the hype I’ve given them: they really are “the best MMA you’re not watching.” So watch!
In particular, I really wanted to highlight Nik Lentz as someone that did a complete 180 on me. After Nik Lentz’s supremely boring decision win against Andre Winner a while back, I was ready to write him off as just another lay-and-pray wrestler too afraid of getting KO’d to do anything with his takedowns or to risk the fight staying on its feet for more than a few seconds.
That’s certainly not the Nik Lentz that showed up at the UFC prelims last night.
I don’t know what lit a fire under his ass, but I hope it stays lit. Win or lose, Nik Lentz has been very entertaining lately. His wrestling is still good, but he’s gotten a lot of confidence in his striking and he’s no longer afraid to stand and bang.
He even hit Dunham with some good clean shots a few times. I hope this tough loss doesn’t rattle his confidence, because I’d hate to see him revert back to lay-and-pray tactics now that I’m this close to legitimately calling myself a Nik Lentz fan.
In regards to the main card…I got two out of my three picks right, but I still had a very mixed bag of emotions. I don’t fault Chris Weidman for gassing in his fight against Demian Maia—I actually expected him to.
I just didn’t think Maia would gas as badly and as quickly, given the fact that he did get a good training camp in. Then again, he got a good training camp in preparing for a striker, and not a wrestler like Weidman. It is what it is…it was certainly a lackluster bout, but these things happen in MMA.
In regards to Bisping/Sonnen…my early reaction is that Bisping got robbed. I had Sonnen winning this fight and I still think Bisping got robbed.
Bisping really impressed me with his ability to neutralize Sonnen’s takedowns for two out of the fight’s three rounds. I think Bisping won the first two rounds due to his stand-up and his ability to neutralize Chael against the cage.
And in the main event, Rashad Evans proved to me that he’s ready for Jon Jones even though he didn’t dramatically finish Phil Davis as expected.
Evans put on a mostly-complete performance, and I think Evans could possibly be the biggest threat Jon Jones has ever faced.
Overall, it’s tough for me to brand “UFC on Fox 2” as a letdown. It certainly wasn’t Pay-Per-View quality, but I’ve seen worse UFC events, whether they were “Fight Night Live” events or even full-fledged Pay-Per-Views.
This was a mediocre event, but mediocre doesn’t mean bad. Hopefully everyone, from the Fox fanbase to the MMA fanbase to the folks pulling the strings behind the curtain, realizes and remembers this fact.
Oliver Saenz, also known as PdW2kX, is a freelance journalist, opinion columnist, hardcore MMA fan, and lifelong video game nerd. For more news, views, previews, and reviews on all things Mixed Martial Arts as well as video games, be sure to visit FightGamesBlog.net.
Former Michigan State Spartan wrestler “Sugar” Rashad Evans has finally earned his shot at the title again.After winning the belt in 2008 against Forrest Griffin, Evans lost it in his next fight against Lyoto Machida.It was no easy task on …
Former Michigan State Spartan wrestler “Sugar” Rashad Evans has finally earned his shot at the title again.
After winning the belt in 2008 against Forrest Griffin, Evans lost it in his next fight against Lyoto Machida.
It was no easy task on the road back to the belt for Evans. He defeated Thiago Silva, and Rampage Jackson. After the Jackson fight, Evans earned a title shot against Shogun Rua.
Rua however would hurt his knee, forcing Evans to wait almost a year for his shot. A few weeks before the title bout Evans himself hurt his knee forcing him to miss his opportunity.
One of Evans’ best friends and training partners took the title shot himself—Jon Jones.
Jones has since then dominated the division while Evans has had to sit back and watch his former friend wear the belt. Evans left his training camp and has feuded publicly with Jones over the last year because of it.
The two were set to meet in 2011 but due to a hand injury, Jones withdrew from the bout between him and Evans.
Tired of waiting, Evans, booked a fight against former champion Tito Ortiz, and about a week later Jones’s hand, which was thought to require surgery, apparently didn’t need it anymore, angering Evans once again because he was already set to fight Ortiz.
Evans went through with his plans with Ortiz and was able to earn a TKO victory in the Round 2.
After Jones defended his belt against Jackson, it looked like the two former training partners would finally meet. However during the fight against Ortiz, Evans suffered a broken hand which would push the bout between himself and Jones a few weeks back.
Unwilling to wait a few weeks, Jones took a fight against Machida. Wanting to fend off ring rust, Evans, took a fight against Phil Davis which leads us to where we are now.
Last night, in a dominating fashion Evans manhandled Davis for five rounds, winning each round on all three judges’ score cards for a 50-45 unanimous decision victory.
Jones and Evans will FINALLY meet up at UFC 145 in one of the most anticipated fights in UFC history. The two truly hate each other, and there is a lot of understandable bitterness from Evan’s camp.
When the two do meet up in April, you can guarantee someone will get finished. This will not go to the judges.
UFC on Fox 2 will be remembered for producing two immediate No. 1 contenders. Both Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen were able to beat their opponents on the judges’ scorecards to secure the big, lucrative fights they’ve been longing for.That being said, t…
UFC on Fox 2 will be remembered for producing two immediate No. 1 contenders. Both Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen were able to beat their opponents on the judges’ scorecards to secure the big, lucrative fights they’ve been longing for.
That being said, they weren’t the biggest winners of the night. Michael Bisping was.
Bisping, who hasn’t always been the most liked fighter, especially in the United States, may not have earned a title shot but he did finally earn respect.
Besides Bisping’s brash personality and controversial post-fight actions, the knock on him has always been that he has been coddled when it came to matchmaking and didn’t win when actually challenged with top-tier opponents.
Despite losing to Chael Sonnen, Bisping took a huge step forward in shaking that reputation and proving he belongs in the conversation as a top five middleweight. The Brit was able to go the distance with Sonnen and handled Sonnen’s grappling in a way very few have been able to do.
In the postfight press conference, Sonnen himself admitted that he never felt comfortable in any position when he was on the ground, and any time he created space Bisping was able to stand back up.
While Bisping masterfully stalled Sonnen’s usually relentless ground and pound, he wasn’t able to sustain enough offense throughout the bout to win on the cards and that’s something he can work on and improve.
So while Sonnen won the fight and now claims the coveted title shot, Bisping did more for his career and standing in the division with this loss than he has with any of his previous wins in the middleweight division. Bisping went toe to toe with the No. 2 guy in his weight class and didn’t blink.
In fact, many felt that he won the fight, and being on the losing end of a controversial decision could just find him being the fan favorite for once.
Even in defeat, Bisping has punched his ticket for more marquee fights against top level competition because he has shown he can compete with the best.
That has him closer to a title shot than ever before, and while Evans and Sonnen have had shots at the belt Bisping hasn’t, that makes him the biggest winner of UFC on Fox 2.
After a three-year absence, the UFC returned to Chicago for their inaugural Fox event, showcasing a “tripleheader” with exciting specialists like Chael Sonnen, Michael Bisping, Demian Maia and