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John Lineker Ready to Be Next Flyweight Title Challenger Should He Get by McCall

In recent weeks the Ultimate Fighting Championship has been quick to announce No.1 contenders for their stable of champions. Rory MacDonald is poised to face the winner of the bout between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler at UFC 181 (via ESPN), while Conor McGregor seems to be the next in line for a shot at the featherweight title against the man carrying the belt after UFC 179 (via MMA Fighting). This should excite John Lineker as he prepares to face Ian McCall in a few weeks. Another big win and “Hands of Stone” may find himself tapped as the No. 1 contender to the UFC flyweight title.

Demetrious Johnson is reigning like a true king over the 125-pound division. His win over Chris Cariaso at UFC 178 gave him his fifth title defense in less than two years. While “Mighty Mouse” seems to be improving each time he steps into the Octagon, he has shown a weakness against men who can catch him with a hard shot. John Dodson was able to drop the champion in their title bout at UFC on Fox 6. Since then, Johnson has been a dynamo when he steps into the cage.

Enter John Lineker. The Brazilian native has shown an ability to land with power at any moment. At 24 years of age he’s a very experienced fighter with 12 of his 24 wins coming via knockout. His last victory against Alptekin Ozkilic was perhaps his most impressive when he finished his opponent with nine seconds left in the fight.

Back in 2013 UFC President Dana White even went on record to say that Lineker was in line for a title shot if he could get his weight issues in order.

“He’s so good that if he had made weight on the three times he’s missed, he’d probably have a title shot right now,” White said in a piece by Matthew Roth of MMA Mania.

With his recent win it seems that he has grabbed control of that struggle. His reward is a fight that has been dubbed a title eliminator against McCall (via MMA Mania). “Uncle Creepy” has already faced Johnson twice so a victory for Lineker would give the organization a chance to promote a new challenger for a dominant champion.

As mentioned, Lineker has shown the ability to present a question to Johnson that he’s struggled with in the past. If John has learned how to better pace himself in a fight and lands a big shot, the UFC may end the night with a new flyweight champion. When Dodson had the champion hurt, he was unable to capitalize and struggled to keep the pace through the remaining rounds. Johnson will have the advantage when it comes to five-round experience but, that will not keep him completely safe from Lineker‘s power.

The weight issues that threatened John Lineker‘s run at flyweight seem to be behind him. When he steps into the cage opposite of Ian McCall at UFC Fight Night: Rua versus Manuwa on November 8, he will be fighting for an opportunity to face Demetrious Johnson for his title. A position that seemed so far out of his reach just a year ago is now within the grasps of the fighter known as “Hands of Stone.”

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David Mitchell Now Healthy for the First Time in Years Ready for UFC’s Best

It has been almost three years since anyone had seen David Mitchell even near full strength, but when he returned at UFC on Fox 6 it was like a dark cloud finally lifted and he could see the sun again. Mitchell returned to action and defeated Simeon Th…

Mitchell returned to action and defeated Simeon Thoresen in the opening bout on the entire card, but it didn’t matter when, where or how he got back in the cage to compete. He was just happy to be there.

While his actual time out of fighting was just about 17 months, Mitchell hadn’t been himself since a neck injury prevented him from gaining real power on one side of his body for the better part of three long years. He finally had surgery to repair the impinged nerve that was causing him to lose power to the left side of his body, and even though he’s still not fully recovered, he feels better now than he has in years.

“It feels good I’m still rebuilding the strength. I can see in some of the pictures that the left shoulder is still smaller, but a couple more months of working out and getting the in gym it should be back to 100-percent. It didn’t give me any pain, it felt good,” said Mitchell when speaking to Bleacher Report.

“Looking at the tape I’ve watched it maybe a dozen times now, I definitely felt like I should have finished in the second round, but Simeon’s (Thoresen) is a tough guy and he didn’t want to give it up. It felt good either way. A ‘W’ is a ‘W’.”

Prior to losing two fights in a row in the UFC, Mitchell was one of the top welterweight prospects in all of mixed martial arts. He had won eleven fights in eleven tries, and beaten some notable names including current UFC lightweight Bobby Green, Tim McKenzie and the fighter formerly known as Jon Koppenhaver, better known today as War Machine.

Then he got the long awaited call to come to the UFC, but he did so with the knowledge that he was going to compete against the best in the world at way less than 100-percent.

“I would say I fought Paulo Thiago at maybe 50-percent. I really had no strength in my left side, pain just from someone touching my neck, but now I don’t really have those problems anymore. However, I need more time to rebuild and just get back to 100-percent and evolve into a better fighter. Hopefully next time I’ll be all the way at 90 or 100-percent,” said Mitchell.

“In the future hopefully people will get to see the real David Mitchell. When you saw me fight Bobby Green or War Machine when I was on top of my game.”

Now just because Mitchell got back in the cage and won a fight doesn’t mean it’s mission accomplished all of a sudden. He’s still got a losing record overall in the UFC, and he’s not going to be satisfied until that’s rectified.

The biggest thing in David Mitchell’s mind right now is the fact that he’s physically feeling better than he has in years, and that in turn has put his mind back on the right track.

“Right now, I’m still 1-2 in the UFC. The overall record of 12-2 sounds good, but my next goal is to bring that UFC record to an even .500, go out there and get another win hopefully some time in the summer. I’m looking for good fights, I’d obviously love a rematch against Paulo Thiago or even T.J. Waldburger once I get back to 100-percent because I definitely feel like I can hang with those guys and more,” said Mitchell.

“I kind of have to look at it as a new start. The physical handicap became a mental handicap. I had won eleven fights in a row, now I’m in the UFC and I’m all messed up. It got in my head and then I didn’t train well, and I had a lot of stress about it. This is a fresh start.”

Damon Martin is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

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‘UFC on FOX 6? Ratings Update: Flyweights Pull Strong Numbers, Fall Just Short of Henderson vs. Diaz

(The average new viewer tuned in for 5 minutes and 54 seconds before realizing they weren’t watching ‘America’s Best Dance Crew.’ Photo via Tracy Lee/Cagewriter.)

For those of you who thought that the UFC’s decision to headline a FOX card with 125-pounders was promotional suicide, it’s time to eat some crow. According to the final ratings numbers, UFC on FOX 6: Johnson vs. Dodson drew an average of 4.4 million viewers last Saturday, peaking at 5.2 million viewers for the flyweight championship main event. That’s only a slight decrease from the viewership of the last FOX card, which attracted 4.4 million average viewers with a peak of 5.7 million for the Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz lightweight title fight.

Judging from the data here and here, Johnson vs. Dodson’s 5.2 million viewer peak would place it around #13 on the list of the most-watched MMA fights of all time in the United States. It’ll be interesting to see how the next UFC on FOX event on April 20th stacks up, as it features a returning star in Benson Henderson — and an excellent heavyweight feature adding weight to the main card — but won’t benefit from the frequent promos during NFL broadcasts that UFC on FOX 6 received.

For a quick comparison of the average viewerships for each UFC on FOX card so far, check out the numbers after the jump…

(The average new viewer tuned in for 5 minutes and 54 seconds before realizing they weren’t watching ‘America’s Best Dance Crew.’ Photo via Tracy Lee/Cagewriter.)

For a quick comparison of the average viewerships for each UFC on FOX card so far, check out the numbers after the jump…

UFC on FOX 1 (Velasquez vs. Dos Santos): 5.7 million average viewers
UFC on FOX 2 (Evans vs. Davis): 4.7 million
UFC on FOX 3 (Diaz vs. Miller): 2.4 million
UFC on FOX 4 (Rua vs. Vera): 2.4 million
UFC on FOX 5 (Henderson vs. Diaz): 4.4 million
UFC on FOX 6 (Johnson vs. Dodson): 4.2 million

Judge Defends 30-27 Score in Guida vs. Hioki, Despite Being FB Friends with Clay

On Tuesday, a Bleacher Report article revealed that UFC featherweight Clay Guida is Facebook friends with judge Gabriel Sabaitis, which obviously doesn’t mean a whole lot on its own. That’s just the tip of the iceberg though, as Sabaitis was a jud…

On Tuesday, a Bleacher Report article revealed that UFC featherweight Clay Guida is Facebook friends with judge Gabriel Sabaitis, which obviously doesn’t mean a whole lot on its own.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg though, as Sabaitis was a judge in Clay Guida‘s UFC on FOX 6 featherweight debut against Hatsu Hioki, which took place at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Despite fans and analysts universally finding the fight to be very close, with many feeling Hioki got shafted with a split decision loss, Sabaitis scored the fight 30-27 in “The Carpenter’s” favor.

The story caused enough of a stir that Sabaitis defended himself on the matter when he spoke to mixedmartialarts.com on Wednesday.

“I felt all 3 rnds were real close. Guida has an awkward style to score. I felt his aggression and TD out weighed (barely) Hioki‘s effective striking in the 1st. I also marginally gave him rnds 2&3…barely. But there’s no half point scoring in MMA! There’s 3 Judges for a reason. If both Judges gave it 29-28 Hioki and I gave it 30-27 Guida, then YES!! I am the new Cecil Peoples! But one DIDN’T!! And he’s one of the most experienced Judges in the business!! He had it 29-28 Guida!! So that means he agrees with me more than the other Judge!! But this fight was so close it could’ve been 29-28 Hioki, no doubt. I respect everyone who believes Hioki won. I’m an open minded Judge, but I stand by my decision and it was made by using The MMA Judging Criteria NOT favoritism! My brother could be fighting and still wouldn’t give him an undeserved decision!!!”

Guida was outstruck 16-26 in the first round, and did little, if any, damage after he scored a takedown late in the opening frame.

Even those who believe the cardio-machine won the fight would have a tough time arguing that he won the first round.

In an exclusive interview with MMA Weekly, Hioki blamed his lack of takedown defense and submission skills for the loss, not poor judging.

“I hear a lot of people criticizing Guida’s strategy to lie on top; however, it was ultimately my lack of skills to get back on (to my) feet, stop these takedowns and submit an opponent who was staying tight while being on top to put myself on the losing end. I say this again: Guida won the fight fair and square. He was better than me at that night.”

Was allowing Sabaitis to officiate the fight of one of his fellow Illinois-natives a poor move by the athletic commission or not a big deal at all?

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UFC on Fox 6 Updated Ratings Released, 5.2 Million Tuned in to Main Event

UFC on Fox 6 drew an even larger audience than previously reported. Initially, the event’s rating stood at 1.8, with a peak of 3.75 million viewers, but updated data suggests a much larger audience tuned in to watch the action unfold inside the Oc…

UFC on Fox 6 drew an even larger audience than previously reported.

Initially, the event’s rating stood at 1.8, with a peak of 3.75 million viewers, but updated data suggests a much larger audience tuned in to watch the action unfold inside the Octagon.

Fox Sports recently released numbers that show a peak of 5.2 million viewers during the night’s main event between flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and challenger John Dodson, good for an average rating of 2.4.

For comparison, here are the numbers for average viewership during the previous installments of UFC on Fox.

UFC on FOX 1: 5.7 million (most watched UFC event ever)
UFC on FOX 2: 4.7 million
UFC on FOX 3: 2.4 million
UFC on FOX 4: 2.44 million
UFC on FOX 5: 4.4 million
UFC on FOX 6: 4.2 million

These numbers for UFC on Fox 6, which account for the varying time zones across the United States, are considerably higher than the originally released metrics, and they suggest that the event was even more successful than previously thought.

In somewhat of a shocker to UFC fans, the night’s main event showed the highest viewership with an average rating of 3.1, beating out the night’s co-main event between MMA legend Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Glover Teixeira, which showed an average rating of 2.5.

This suggests that people tuned in to the fights, stayed tuned in and invited friends or persuaded others to join in the experience. The high marks are a testament to the UFC’s marketing team and the quality of fights on display.

Some people, myself included, felt that the exceptional preliminary ratings were caused by Rampage’s presence on the card, but that is clearly not the entire case after examining the new data.

Johnson and Dodson lived up to their main-event status and drew the largest crowd of the evening. That is a huge victory for the UFC and the flyweight division as a whole.

For their work and the work of the other fighters on the card, UFC on Fox 6 easily captured first-place honors over all prime time competition on Jan. 26, showing that the UFC has a bright future on the biggest stage in sports.

For fans of MMA, heavy metal or general absurdity, Follow @HunterAHomistek.

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The Judge Who Scored Guida vs. Hioki 30-27 Is Also Clay’s Facebook ‘Friend’

Ever wonder what an athletic commission considers a conflict of interest?It’s a question running amok in my brain as I type and mull over last weekend’s featherweight bout between Clay Guida and Hatsu Hioki.Guida took home a split decision …

Ever wonder what an athletic commission considers a conflict of interest?

It’s a question running amok in my brain as I type and mull over last weekend’s featherweight bout between Clay Guida and Hatsu Hioki.

Guida took home a split decision nod over Hioki after three tough rounds.

The bout was certainly a closely contested match. But by the 10-point must system in which the UFC abides, it’s relatively easy to understand how Clay Guida exited the cage victorious, despite being out-struck by a tally of 74-40 (according to Fightmetric) and having half of his takedown attempts thwarted.

Clay obtained and secured top position for extended stretches of the fight, and regardless of how active a fighter is or isn’t from his back, the common misconception among uninformed judges is that the man on top is winning the fight by default.

Fair enough, I’m not outraged by the outcome, despite having scored the fight in Hioki’s favor by one point. I can understand why Guida was afforded the win, whether I agree with it or not, and I’m not out to slight Guida or his in-cage efforts.

However, one must wonder: at what point does an athletic commission, or those assigned the task of overseeing a MMA event, examine the deeper relationships between appointed judges and the fighters whose fights they score?

Both Gabriel Sabaitis (the judge who scored the bout a clean sweep, 30-27 in Guida’s favor) and Clay Guida are Illinois representatives. Fair enough, UFC on FOX 6 was hosted by the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. It’s not baffling to know that the Chicago Sports Commission would employ the services of a local judge.

But the relationship between Guida and Sabaitis stretches a bit more. See, Sabaitis and Guida are also “Facebook friends.” Big deal, you ask? Maybe, maybe not.

From a neutral stance, it seems a bit questionable that a man assigned the task of judging two fights on one card would just so happen to draw a bout featuring a hometown favorite. It also seems a bit questionable that no one would question the depth of Sabaitis and Guida’s relationship, given their online status as acquaintances.

Does Gabriel really know Clay? It’s tough to say. For all we know, the two may have never shared any communication other than a “friend accept” in the vast expanse of the interwebs. But if a commission aims to ensure fair judging, it seems as though a hint of research might ensue prior to assigning judges specific tasks.

Questionable situations such as the one we currently eye could easily be avoided with a few Google searches.

Standing here, on the outside looking in, I’m forced to admit that appointing Gabriel Sabaitis as one of three judges set to score Clay Guida’s fight looks a little suspect. Sabaitis’ questionable scoring (again, a reminder that Gabriel was the only judge who seemed to feel Hatsu Hioki didn’t do enough to secure a single round) only raises further question marks and eyebrows.

Did Gabriel give Hatsu a fair shake? Furthermore, did the commission afford Hatsu a fair shake?

I’m not here to accuse anyone of misconduct. Don’t misconstrue this piece. This is about raising awareness in regards to the judging system (and not just in Chicago) worldwide. Fighters invest every ounce of their being in the sport, the preparation for competition, competition itself and every subplot of the assignment (i.e., press, travel, public appearances, etc.) in between. I think they certainly deserve to have an unbiased eye overseeing their work in the cage.

The question now becomes this: did Hatsu Hioki receive three pairs of unbiased eyes to judge his bout with Clay Guida, or only two?

For the record, all information revealed in this article, including the image, are publicly available. If you’ve got a Facebook page, you can view Gabriel’s page publicly, and you can view his friends as well. You’ll spot Clay in the lineup, and if he happens to disappear in the wake of this release, well, you’ve got an attached image that proves the two are FB buddies.

Follow me on Twitter. To my knowledge, neither Clay nor Hatsu and I are “friends.”

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