And to get us hyped for the event, Dana White recently released one of his patented Danavlogs in which he catches Urijah Faber ogling over himself while on the set of TUF 15. It makes TOTAL SENSE if you don’t think about it. We gotta admit though, watching The Baldfather giggle like a school girl at Urijah’s expense makes us long for the days of his shock pen pranks that we came to know and love. [*looks over shoulder nostalgically and sighs*]
And to get us hyped for the event, Dana White recently released one of his patented Danavlogs in which he catches Urijah Faber ogling over himself while on the set of TUF 15. It makes TOTAL SENSE if you don’t think about it. We gotta admit though, watching The Baldfather giggle like a school girl at Urijah’s expense makes us long for the days of his shock pen pranks that we came to know and love. [*looks over shoulder nostalgically and sighs*]
And while we’re on the subject of pranks, specifically those of the shock pen variety, check out this video of two Brazilian television show hosts attempting to prank Chael Sonnen with the combination of a fake nose and an aforementioned shock pen. Perhaps there’s some kind of language/cultural barrier here, but in our opinion, it did not go as planned. Skip to the 5:20 mark for the “prank” in question.
Before you tell us; we know its a slow news day. Just enjoy the videos you sons a’ bitches.
After somewhat disappointing results in its first two installments, the UFC will try its hand at network television again. This Saturday UFC airs on FOX 3 with a lightweight bout between Nate Diaz and Jim Miller headlining the card.The undercard fights…
After somewhat disappointing results in its first two installments, the UFC will try its hand at network television again. This Saturday UFC airs on FOX 3 with a lightweight bout between Nate Diaz and Jim Miller headlining the card.
The undercard fights will take place on Facebook and Fuel TV, with FOX airing the four main-event-level battles. Although Diaz is a solid fighter, this card lacks the star power that the other FOX events have had. With that said, though, there is a good chance that this could be the best of the bunch as there is plenty of depth throughout the lineup.
UFC needs some top-flight contests in order to get some momentum behind the UFC on FOX concept, and this may be just the card to do it. Many fighters will be out to make a name for themselves, as the national exposure provides them a golden opportunity to do so. It remains to be seen if they will grab the brass ring, but there is undoubtedly plenty of potential.
Here is everything you need to know about UFC on FOX 3, complete with when and where to watch every fight as well as an entire fight card for your perusal.
Where: IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J.
When: Saturday, May 5 (main card starts at 9 p.m. ET)
Watch: FOX, Fuel TV, Facebook
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Roland Delorme vs. Nick Denis
Mike Massenzio vs. Karlos Vemola
Preliminary Card (Fuel TV)
Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Johnson
John Dodson vs. Tim Elliott
John Hathaway vs. Pascal Krauss
Louis Gaudinot vs. John Lineker
Danny Castillo vs. John Cholish
Dennis Bermudez vs. Pablo Garza
Main Card (FOX)
Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller
Josh Koscheck vs. Johnny Hendricks
Rousimar Palhares vs. Alan Belcher
Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson
Keys to Diaz Victory
Although his latest victory over Donald Cerrone came by way of unanimous decision, Nate Diaz is not a fighter who benefits from going the distance. He has lost just seven times over the course of his career, and six of those have come via the judges’ scorecards. Diaz fares much better in shorter fights, so his goal should be to end this one within the first two rounds.
Diaz is a submission specialist who possesses a devastating array of guillotine chokes and armbars, so he’ll need to do everything in his power to keep Miller close to the mat. Miller is a great submission fighter in his own right, meaning Diaz can never feel too safe, but if he can maintain the upper hand in grapples on the canvas, then Diaz will be in excellent shape.
Keys to Miller Victory
With a career record of 21-3, Miller is the more experienced and slightly more successful fighter at this point, and he will need to use that to his advantage on Saturday. Miller is at his best on the mat just like Diaz, but he may be best off sticking mostly to strikes in this match. While going for submissions would play into his own strengths, it would be beneficial to Diaz as well. When it comes to fighting in an upright position, though, Miller is the better competitor.
While Diaz will desperately be trying to end the fight early, Miller should try to prolong it. He probably isn’t going to get Diaz to tap out anyway, so standing toe to toe and slugging it out would be a good idea. It may not be Miller’s first choice, but he is more than capable of doing it, and I like his chances of beating Diaz in a fight that goes the distance.
Prediction
Diaz is coming off a big victory over Cerrone and I expect him to keep his momentum rolling. If Diaz can keep Miller in a controlled position on the mat for the majority of the fight, even if he doesn’t get him to tap out, it will score him a ton of points. Diaz seems like the better fighter currently and because of that he gets the nod.
Last year ended with a bang when UFC welterweight contender Johny Hendricks (12-1) knocked out his upcoming opponent’s former teammate in just 12 seconds at UFC 141. Going into his fight with former title challenger Jon Fitch, many thought Hendricks wa…
Last year ended with a bang when UFC welterweight contender Johny Hendricks (12-1) knocked out his upcoming opponent’s former teammate in just 12 seconds at UFC 141.
Going into his fight with former title challenger Jon Fitch, many thought Hendricks was taking too big of a step up in competition from his previous opponents, which included fighters like Mike Pierce, T.J. Waldburger, Rick Story and Charlie Brenneman.
With a knockout set on his mind, the former NCAA Division I wrestler unloaded a left hand that put his opponent down and out in the opening seconds of the fight. Some follow-up punches were landed, but not needed.
It was the first Fitch fight to end before the final bell in his last nine fights, and was only his second loss in the UFC with the other having come against UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.
Now, Hendricks will take on another former title challenger in Josh Koscheck (17-5), who is also known for his one-punch knockout power and wrestling ability. His wins include those over Pierce, Matt Hughes, Paul Daley, Anthony Johnson and Chris Lytle.
Even if a title shot with GSP isn’t on the line, a top contender’s match is.
UFC on FOX 3 goes down this Saturday and features a four-bout main card with Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller, Koscheck vs. Hendricks, Rousimar Palhares vs. Alan Belcher and Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson.
Other bouts on Fuel TV include Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Johnson, John Dodson vs. Tim Elliot and John Hathaway vs. Pascal Krauss.
The UFC returns to national television on Saturday night with “UFC on FOX 3: Miller vs Diaz.” With many apologies to Super Fight League and their Sunday event headlined by Bobby Lashley vs. James Thompson, the FOX event is the biggest thing going this …
The UFC returns to national television on Saturday night with “UFC on FOX 3: Miller vs Diaz.” With many apologies to Super Fight League and their Sunday event headlined by Bobby Lashley vs. James Thompson, the FOX event is the biggest thing going this week. The main event features a fight with implications on the lightweight division; even if the winner doesn’t receive a title shot, they’ll certainly be placed high “in the mix,” as Dana White is so very fond of saying.
With that in mind, this week’s edition of 3 Questions is focused squarely on UFC on FOX. Let’s dive in.
Will UFC on FOX 3 Deliver Exciting Fights?
The first two installments of UFC on FOX were long on star power. The first edition featured the heavyweight title fight between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, and the second featured Rashad Evans, Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping.
Yeah, there were plenty of stars. But the fights didn’t deliver in terms of excitement, leaving fans with an underwhelming feeling once the shows ended.
The UFC is taking a different approach with the third network television event. Instead of using stars to drive interest in the show, the matchmaking here seems to be geared more towards creating exciting fights. Jim Miller and Nate Diaz aren’t the biggest names in the company, but they should combine for an awesome fight. The same goes for Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson and Rousimar Palhares vs. Alan Belcher.
It’s an interesting deal. The lack of star power may hurt the show, but the sacrifice in ratings for this show would be worth it if the fights deliver great action. It’ll create more interest for future shows.
I think it’s a great idea on paper, but it will be interesting to see how the new direction plays out on television.
Will Lack of Activity Hurt Alan Belcher?
Alan Belcher has only fought twice since January 2010. He made his return to the cage last September after suffering an eye injury that nearly ended his career. He returned in fine form, beating Jason MacDonald into submission.
But now Belcher is taking a significant step up in competition—at least from MacDonald—when he faces Rousimar Palhares, master of leg locks. Palhares is one of the meanest fighters in the sport; he’s not above twisting your foot off your leg if need be. Belcher will need to be wary of Palhares and his takedown attempts, because the ground is the one place you don’t want to be with the Brazilian.
Belcher has always been a talented fighter. He has many advantages over Palhares. But he’s spent so little time in the cage over the past two years, and I can’t help but wonder if that’s going to hurt him against better competition.
Is Johny Hendricks the Real Deal?
Outside of a loss to Rick Story at the tail end of 2010, Johny Hendricks has been perfect in his MMA career. A two-time NCAA champion, Hendricks has one of the best wrestling pedigrees in the sport. He’s combined that with a deadly boxing game; all you need to do is watch Hendricks and his knockout of Jon Fitch to understand just how much power Hendricks has in his hands.
“Big Rig” is one of the best prospects in the welterweight division—and let’s be honest, that’s one of the best nicknames in mixed martial arts—but he’s facing an opponent with the kind of game to nullify any advantages Hendricks may have in the cage. Koscheck is a phenomenal wrestler, having notched four All-American awards during his time at Edinboro University. In many ways, both fighters are mirror images of each other. They’re fantastic wrestlers, but both guys prefer to stand and trade power punches whenever possible.
A win over Koscheck would be a big deal for Hendricks’ fighting career. It would also legitimize him, taking him from prospect to contender. There’s a lot riding on this fight, and a potential title shot could be waiting for the winner.
UFC on Fox 3 comes to you live this weekend, with preliminary bouts on Facebook and Fuel TV and the main card on Fox. Headlining are lightweight contenders Nate Diaz and Jim Miller.Additionally, several bouts with major implications in their respective…
UFC on Fox 3 comes to you live this weekend, with preliminary bouts on Facebook and Fuel TV and the main card on Fox. Headlining are lightweight contenders Nate Diaz and Jim Miller.
Additionally, several bouts with major implications in their respective divisions will take place. In the welterweight division, Josh Koscheck and Johny Hendricks will meet, while in the middleweight division, Rousimar Palhares will square off with Alan Belcher.
After the WEC merged with the UFC in early 2011, most MMA fans were quick to write off the competitors in its lightweight division, claiming that they would simply be outmatched by their UFC counterparts. The success of current lightweight champ Ben Henderson, along with that of guys like Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis quickly disproved this notion, but one fighter who has gone almost completely unnoticed at 155 has been that of Danny Castillo. The Team Alpha Male standout’s record currently stands at 3-1 in the UFC, including a win over former number one contender Joe Stevenson in his promotional debut. On the heels of a split decision victory over noted striker Anthony Njokuani at UFC 141 in December, Castillo will be looking to build on his current two-fight win streak against Strikeforce veteran and submission savant John Cholish on the preliminary card of next weekend’s UFC on FOX 3 event. We were recently able to snag an interview with “Last Call,” who dished on everything from TRT to his stance on teammates fighting teammates. Enjoy, and make sure to follow Danny and all his Alpha Male cohorts on Twitter.
CAGEPOTATO.COM: Thanks for interview opportunity, Danny. I was wondering if we could first talk about your UFC 141 victory over Anthony Njokuani. How would you assess your performance in that fight?
Danny Castillo: “I would rate my performance about a D+. It wasn’t the best fight of my career. I was able to get a victory on four weeks of training, and I had just fought prior to that in November against Shamar Bailey. I pretty much went in there with the gameplan to wrestle the whole time; I knew that that was one of the flaws in [Njokuani’s] game. He’s a dangerous fighter. He was one of the most exciting fighters in the WEC, and he’s probably one of the top five strikers inside the UFC. On four weeks notice, I wasn’t prepared to necessarily stand with him or to sit in the pocket against his strengths. His ground game was greatly improved, and now that I’ve done some training with him I understand why; he’s got a phenomenal Jiu-Jitsu coach in Sergio Penha. As far as I’m concerned, I think I won the first and the third round. I probably had about six takedowns throughout the fight, and I think I did enough to win the fight.”
Follow us after the jump for Castillo’s thoughts on the TRT debate, the possibility of fighting a teammate, and more.
After the WEC merged with the UFC in early 2011, most MMA fans were quick to write off the competitors in its lightweight division, claiming that they would simply be outmatched by their UFC counterparts. The success of current lightweight champ Ben Henderson, along with that of guys like Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis quickly disproved this notion, but one fighter who has gone almost completely unnoticed at 155 has been that of Danny Castillo. The Team Alpha Male standout’s record currently stands at 3-1 in the UFC, including a win over former number one contender Joe Stevenson in his promotional debut. On the heels of a split decision victory over noted striker Anthony Njokuani at UFC 141 in December, Castillo will be looking to build on his current two-fight win streak against Strikeforce veteran and submission savant John Cholish on the preliminary card of next weekend’s UFC on FOX 3 event. We were recently able to snag an interview with “Last Call,” who dished on everything from TRT to his stance on teammates fighting teammates. Enjoy, and make sure to follow Danny and all his Alpha Male cohorts on Twitter.
CAGEPOTATO.COM: Thanks for interview opportunity, Danny. I was wondering if we could first talk about your UFC 141 victory over Anthony Njokuani. How would you assess your performance in that fight?
Danny Castillo: “I would rate my performance about a D+. It wasn’t the best fight of my career. I was able to get a victory on four weeks of training, and I had just fought prior to that in November against Shamar Bailey. I pretty much went in there with the gameplan to wrestle the whole time; I knew that that was one of the flaws in [Njokuani’s] game. He’s a dangerous fighter. He was one of the most exciting fighters in the WEC, and he’s probably one of the top five strikers inside the UFC. On four weeks notice, I wasn’t prepared to necessarily stand with him or to sit in the pocket against his strengths. His ground game was greatly improved, and now that I’ve done some training with him I understand why; he’s got a phenomenal Jiu-Jitsu coach in Sergio Penha. As far as I’m concerned, I think I won the first and the third round. I probably had about six takedowns throughout the fight, and I think I did enough to win the fight.”
Let’s move on to your upcoming fight with John Cholish at UFC on Fox 3. Do you see yourself as the underdog coming into this fight, and if so, are you the type of fighter who relishes that role?
“I’m not really sure if I like the role of being the underdog, but I’ve been the underdog my whole career so I’m kind of used to it. As far as John Cholish is concerned, I view him as one of my toughest fights to date, mainly because any fight that I have is my toughest fight. For someone who doesn’t get a lot of respect from the UFC, a loss could be detrimental to my career, especially to an unnamed guy like Cholish.”
How do you prepare for, as you said, a relatively unknown guy like Cholish?
“I know he’s a tough dude; he’s a solid wrestler, he comes from a great Jiu-Jitsu background, he’s got great foot work, and his striking doesn’t seem to be that bad. Losing to him would be horrible for my career, so I view it as a really tough fight. I’ve only got footage of two of his fights; one of his fights was two years ago. It seems like young fighters have huge changes in their careers from month to month because they’re still learning and improving. From his fight against Marc Stevens to his last fight in the UFC, I’ve just seen a huge improvement in him. I’m sure the pressure’s on him to step his game up, so I guarantee he’s been training like this is the toughest fight of his career, which it will be.”
Without revealing too much, how do you see this fight going down?
“I’ve been working a lot on my stand up. I got booed for wrestling in my last fight, so I’d like to repay the fans with a standup fight and sit there and bang with this kid. I think it might be one of his holes in his game. I don’t think he has a lot of power and I think I got a lot of power. I don’t see any knockouts on his record and I have a few knockouts in my career, so I’d like to stand with him. How I see the fight going is [Cholish] attacking my legs for fifteen minutes and me stuffing the takedowns, you know, just sprawlin’ and brawlin’.”
Granted you are successful, are there any specific opponents at 155 that you’d like to face next?
“There’s no one in particular that I’d like to face, but I’ve got four losses to UFC opponents, and two of them are in the top ten. I’d like to have those losses back; a lot of those losses were earlier in my career and I feel like I’m a completely different fighter. I know my identity, so getting those fights against those opponents I lost to would be good for me. That would be a fight that I’d be fired up for, but as far as I’m concerned, any fight that pushes me up the lightweight division is a fight that I want.”
Being one of the select guys brought over from the WEC, do you feel any additional pressure going into a fight, like you have something to prove on behalf of the promotion that you built your name upon?
“I can’t speak for the rest of the guys, but for me there was a lot of pressure. My first fight was against one of the UFC vets in Joe Stevenson. Fighting a tough veteran that I had been watching before I even thought about getting in the cage was really tough for me. Not only being my first fight in the UFC and all that pressure mounting up, but fighting a tough veteran like [Joe], the pressure was really high. But I was able to pull out the victory against a really tough dude, so I was happy with that and I’m happy with the way that my career has gone so far in the UFC.”
Dana White has been adamant in the past about the willingness of teammates to fight one another. Guys like Jon Fitch, however, have repeatedly stated that they would rather retire than fight a teammate. Where do you stand on this issue?
“Fortunately, in team Alpha Male there’s only a couple lightweights, and none of them are in the UFC, so I don’t have to really worry about that. I have some training partners that I’m good friends with, like Nate Diaz, and I don’t see myself fighting them. I know the hot topic is ‘teammates should be able to fight teammates,’ and Dana White hates when teammates don’t fight each other, but I view my friendship with Nate and his brother and everyone at Cesar Gracie’s, you know, I value that friendship more than a few thousand dollars.”
While we’re discussing some of the current hotbed issues in MMA, what are your thoughts on the TRT controversy that has seemed to divide fans and fighters alike?
“I think it’s terrible. I’ve never cheated at anything in my life, sports-wise at least, and I don’t see myself doing that. I’m 32 years old, I know a lot of guys that are doing HGH and testosterone, it seems like everyone in the sport is doing something. I’m just not that guy. I’ve been able to train my butt off and get great results in terms of being strong and not having to use performance enhancing drugs. I’m totally against it. I think random testing for steroids would be the way to go and I’m all for it. You can test me year round and I have nothing to worry about, and I think that’s how the fighters I fight against should be as well. It’s only fair.”
You hold a victory over Dustin Poirier, who could be looking at a future title shot at 145 is he is able to defeat Chan Sung Jung. How would you asses the current featherweight landscape and who do you think presents the biggest challenge to Jose Aldo?
“Dustin Poirier is a tough, young, hungry kid. I fought him earlier in his career; it’s a big win and I’m happy to have it. I would say I’m friends with Dustin after the fight. My girlfriend and his wife are friends as well, so I like the kid and I know how hungry he is. As far as him getting a title shot, I think it’s deserved, but in terms of anyone that can beat Jose Aldo; the only person in the world that can beat Jose Aldo is Chad Mendes. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t really get to see the fight play out; Chad was taking him down, he grabbed the fence, and right after that Chad got knocked out. I think that takedown could have changed the whole dynamic of the fight, but we’ll never really know. I think Chad’s the number two dude at featherweight, and the number three, four, and five guys, not sure who those guys are, but I think Chad’s light-years ahead of them and he’ll just smash anyone of those dudes.”
Thanks for the interview opportunity.
“Thanks for having me. After I beat this dude up, I’d definitely like to come on again.”
Make sure to swing by CagePotato this Saturday, as yours truly will be liveblogging all the UFC on FOX 3 action, starting at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT.
After somewhat disappointing results in its first two installments, the UFC will try its hand at network television again. This Saturday UFC airs on FOX 3 with a lightweight bout between Nate Diaz and Jim Miller headlining the card.