Tag: UFC on Fox 4

Hector Lombard vs. Brian Stann Head-to-Toe Breakdown

Hector Lombard is set to make his long-awaited UFC debut at UFC on FOX 4 in August. The former Bellator middleweight champion enters the cage with a 31-2-1 record and an active 20-fight win streak.Opposite Lombard is Brian Stann. Following a knock…

Hector Lombard is set to make his long-awaited UFC debut at UFC on FOX 4 in August. The former Bellator middleweight champion enters the cage with a 31-2-1 record and an active 20-fight win streak.

Opposite Lombard is Brian Stann. Following a knockout performance in Sweden over Alessio Sakara, the former United States Marine returns stateside to welcome Lombard to the show. Stann is not unaccustomed to welcoming fighters to the division. In 2011 he welcomed Jorge Santiago back to the UFC with a TKO in the second round.

The fight versus Stann is sure to be a step up in competition for Lombard. While any 20-fight win streak is impressive, the caliber of his competition has left something to be desired. Sixteen of the 20 fights ended in stoppages. Lombard is one of the most ferocious and intense fighters in the game today.

A victory on FOX will catapult the winner of the fight into top-contender status—something both fighters will leave everything on the line for.

While we are still a couple months away from the action, let’s break down the fight between the two potential contenders in the UFC’s middleweight division.

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Phil Davis Draws Undefeated Wagner Prado as Replacement at UFC on Fox 4

When it rains it pours.In a day filled with news and fight announcements, Phil Davis has received a new opponent for UFC on Fox 4. Davis was originally scheduled to face Chad Griggs on the main card but injury has forced Griggs out of the bout without …

When it rains it pours.

In a day filled with news and fight announcements, Phil Davis has received a new opponent for UFC on Fox 4. Davis was originally scheduled to face Chad Griggs on the main card but injury has forced Griggs out of the bout without explanation.  

MMAWeekly was the first to break the news that Phil Davis was booked against a new opponent. The mystery fighter is an undefeated prospect named Wagner Prado. Prado is a member of Team Nogueira and holds a professional record of 6-0.

In Davis, he will face a young fighter who happens to be one of the best the light heavyweight division has to offer. Phil Davis will be making his return to the octagon following the first defeat of his career at the hands of Rashad Evans at UFC on Fox 2 in Chicago. It was the kind of defeat that could cause a young fighter to question his skills. Hopefully in Davis’ case it will fuel his drive to improve as a fighter.

 Davis recently spoke with MMA Fight Corner and had this to say about his loss to Evans. 

“I just needed more time in the gym,” he said.  “[Rashad’s] polished, you know, in all the ways I’m not.  I just need to stay in the gym and work on my overall game.” 

UFC on Fox 4 takes place August 4 in Los Angeles. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 146: 5 Opponents to Get Lavar Johnson Back on Track

Lavar Johnson was on pace to have a 2010 Chris Leben-like resurgence. He knocked out Joey Beltran in his UFC debut. He followed this up with a first-round TKO of Pat Barry. Then, he got called in to take on Stefan Struve after Mark Hunt withdrew from U…

Lavar Johnson was on pace to have a 2010 Chris Leben-like resurgence. He knocked out Joey Beltran in his UFC debut. He followed this up with a first-round TKO of Pat Barry. Then, he got called in to take on Stefan Struve after Mark Hunt withdrew from UFC 146 with a knee injury.

He was in position to put together a three-fight win streak, something that almost no fighters in the UFC’s heavyweight division have right now.

He was in position to claim a spot on top-10 heavyweight lists.

He was in position to make his back-to-back losses to Shane del Rosario and Shawn Jordan in Strikeforce a distant memory.

Then he got caught by an awkward Stefan Struve armbar only a minute into the fight. This is an undeniably harsh change for somebody that had rocketing stock, and could have had one of the best single years for a fighter, ever.

Now that Lavar Johnson has been slapped back into reality, the question then turns to who should he try and make a comeback against? There are a few good options available for him at this time.

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Dust Off the Cobwebs: Mike Swick to Return to Action (Hopefully) at UFC on FOX 4 in August


(Needing to decided upon his future in the UFC, Swick galloped into a wooded glen, and after punch-dancing out his rage and suffering an extremely long and very painful fall, he realized what had to be done.)

To quote David After Dentist, “Is this real life?”

Outdated reference? Sure, but to give you some perspective, the last time anyone saw UFC welterweight Mike Swick in action, that little SOB’s anesthesia adventure was the biggest Youtube sensation going. It has really been that long.

But it seems the man known as “Quick” will finally step back into the octagon before his mid-life crisis hits him, as he has been scheduled to take on TUF 9 alum Damarques “Darkness” Johnson at UFC on FOX 4, which goes down at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on August 4th.


(Needing to decided upon his future in the UFC, Swick galloped into a wooded glen, and after punch-dancing out his rage and suffering an extremely long and very painful fall, he realized what had to be done.)

To quote David After Dentist, “Is this real life?”

Outdated reference? Sure, but to give you some perspective, the last time anyone saw UFC welterweight Mike Swick in action, that little SOB’s anesthesia adventure was the biggest Youtube sensation going. It has really been that long.

But it seems the man known as “Quick” will finally step back into the octagon before his mid-life crisis hits him, as he has been scheduled to take on TUF 9 alum Damarques “Darkness” Johnson at UFC on FOX 4, which goes down at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on August 4th.

If you recall, Swick has been out of action for over two years, dealing with more injuries and diseases than you could shake a stick at. We last saw him at UFC 109, where, after eating a counter left in the second round of his fight with Paulo Thiago, he was promptly Brabo-choked unconscious. The following September, Swick was misdiagnosed with a stomach disease which limited his diet to such a degree that he was unable to pack on any weight for his anticipated reinstatement in the middleweight division. His condition was later determined to be an esophageal spasm, and after undergoing treatment, Swick was expected to return in early 2011.

However, Swick was booked for his original return (now back at welterweight) against David Mitchell at UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 in January of 2011. Mitchell was forced to pull out from the bout with a back injury, and when given the option of taking a last minute replacement, Swick opted to take more time off to ensure that his condition fully healed. Swick’s run of Paul Taylor-esque bad luck continued just weeks before his scheduled contest with Erick Silva at UFC 134, as he suffered a knee injury in training that kept him on the shelf for the rest of 2011.

Johnson, on the other hand, has seen his own set of ups and downs as of late, going win-loss in his last six UFC appearances. Most recently, Johnson fell victim to a brilliant second round armbar at the hands of John Maguire at UFC on FUEL 2 in April. The loss followed a brutal first round knockout of Clay Harvison at the inaugural UFC on FOX card, but Johnson will more than likely be looking to take the fight to the ground against a lightning striker like Swick, whose infamous knockouts of Alex Schoenauer and Gideon Ray earned him his “Quick” nickname.

You know the deal, who you got Potato Nation?

-J. Jones

Phil Davis to Meet Chad Griggs at UFC on FOX 4

At UFC on FOX 4, Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis will face off against current heavyweight Chad “The Grave Digger” Griggs. Griggs, a former Strikeforce resident has acceded to take the plunge, and thus, try his hand at the light heav…

At UFC on FOX 4, Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis will face off against current heavyweight Chad “The Grave Digger” Griggs. Griggs, a former Strikeforce resident has acceded to take the plunge, and thus, try his hand at the light heavyweight division.

Davis, a former Penn State NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division I standout, was last seen at UFC on FOX 2 vying for a top-ranked spot against friend and former UFC 205-pound champion “Suga” Rashad Evans—a contest which he lost via unanimous decision.

Had Davis (9-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) been victorious, a shot at the current division’s linchpin Jon “Bones” Jones was one, maximum two, fights away.

However, as things stand, he’ll have to work his way back into title contention and impress while he’s at it. The first stop is Griggs, who himself is on the road to redemption following a less-than-impressive debut for the Zuffa-based promotion.

In the opening stanza at UFC 145, Travis Browne threw a spanner in the works of his coming out party via an arm triangle choke.

The Arizona native, who has notable wins against former pro-wrestler Bobby Lashley and Valentijn Overeem, is caught between a rock and a hard place—he desperately needs to get back to winning ways, but more importantly, the 33-year-old Griggs (11-1 MMA, 3-0 SF, 0-1 UFC) needs to register his maiden victory, or else, he’ll go 0-2 in the firm.

UFC on FOX 4 is scheduled for Aug. 4, 2012, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

 

For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Chad Griggs, God Help Him, Will Drop Down to Light-Heavyweight to Meet Phil Davis in August


(Chad’s the dead guy in the background.)

After getting utterly demolished by the much-larger Travis Browne during his Octagon debut at UFC 145, heavyweight prospect Chad Griggs has decided to drop to 205 pounds for his follow-up UFC appearance. Griggs was only 228 pounds when he hit the scales before his UFC debut — about as heavy as Jon Jones’s walking weight — making this a wise career choice on paper. The question is: Will Chad’s decision turn out to be good, bad, or ugly?

The Grave Digger certainly won’t be getting an easy welcome in his new division. According to MMA Weekly, Griggs will be returning at UFC on FOX 4 (August 4th, Los Angeles) against light-heavyweight contender Phil Davis, who suffered the first loss of his career in a decision against Rashad Evans in January. Before that, Davis had used his wrestling and grappling skills to dominate such tough competition as Brian Stann, Alexander Gustafsson, Tim Boetsch, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. In other words, Griggs’s takedown defense had better be airtight if he wants his puncher’s chance to be worth the fist it’s printed on.

UFC on FOX 4 is shaping up to be a real crowd-pleaser; the current lineup is after the jump…


(Chad’s the dead guy in the background.)

After getting utterly demolished by the much-larger Travis Browne during his Octagon debut at UFC 145, heavyweight prospect Chad Griggs has decided to drop to 205 pounds for his follow-up UFC appearance. Griggs was only 228 pounds when he hit the scales before his UFC debut — about as heavy as Jon Jones’s walking weight — making this a wise career choice on paper. The question is: Will Chad’s decision turn out to be good, bad, or ugly?

The Grave Digger certainly won’t be getting an easy welcome in his new division. According to MMA Weekly, Griggs will be returning at UFC on FOX 4 (August 4th, Los Angeles) against light-heavyweight contender Phil Davis, who suffered the first loss of his career in a decision against Rashad Evans in January. Before that, Davis had used his wrestling and grappling skills to dominate such tough competition as Brian Stann, Alexander Gustafsson, Tim Boetsch, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. In other words, Griggs’s takedown defense had better be airtight if he wants his puncher’s chance to be worth the fist it’s printed on.

UFC on FOX 4 is shaping up to be a real crowd-pleaser; the current lineup is after the jump…

Brian Stann vs. Hector Lombard (MW)
Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader (LHW)
Ben Rothwell vs. Travis Browne (HW)
Phil De Fries vs. Oli Thompson (HW)
Matt Mitrione vs. Rob Broughton (HW)
Joe Lauzon vs. Terry Etim (LW)
Phil Davis vs. Chad Griggs (LHW)