Donald “The Cowboy” Cerrone’s violent career in the UFC and the WEC is one of brilliant flash.He’s considered to be one of the most exciting fighters in the lightweight division because of his Muay Thai style and brass, balls-to-the-wall mentality out …
Donald “The Cowboy” Cerrone’s violent career in the UFC and the WEC is one of brilliant flash.
He’s considered to be one of the most exciting fighters in the lightweight division because of his Muay Thai style and brass, balls-to-the-wall mentality out of the cage.
With piston right hands and flexible, swerving hips, Cerrone has created memorable moments with his striking under the Zuffa brand. The same can be said about his opponent Anthony Pettis, as both highly touted strikers will engage this Saturday on UFC on Fox 6.
So before these two WEC veterans and top UFC lightweight contenders square off on network television, let’s go back and take a quick look at Cerrone’s brightest moments.
From dominant victories against Jeremy Stephens, Charles Oliveira and Dennis Siver in the UFC to his emotional encounters with the likes of Jamie Varner in the WEC, Cerrone has had quite the storied MMA career. But what are his greatest moments in the WEC and UFC?
No matter how big or how small the fighters are, title fights draw in combat sports.With what seems to be a successful new formula exemplified by the UFC, the company now advertises its free cards on FOX with one word—championship.This four-sylla…
No matter how big or how small the fighters are, title fights draw in combat sports.
With what seems to be a successful new formula exemplified by the UFC, the company now advertises its free cards on FOX with one word—championship.
This four-syllable word transcends to any fight fan. When two fighters fight for a championship belt, that normally means that they are the two best in the world at that weight class. Common sense, right?
That generates interest for fans who have no idea who they may be watching. It’s much easier to skip over a random fight rather than a title fight, while flipping through the channels on a lonesome Saturday night. That’s almost guaranteed if that person happens to be a male drinking his favorite brew.
Nonetheless, using championship fights is a great marketing tool for the UFC. Heck, it certainly helped the UFC on FOX 5’s ratings, as Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz peaked at 5.7 million viewers.
So can the UFC continue its momentum going into this UFC on FOX 6 card this Saturday night? Well, with a championship plastered on the marquee for UFC on FOX 6, odds are that it will.
What? Not convinced because it’s a flyweight title fight?
Look at the card as a whole. This is easily a pay-per view caliber card, but it’s also a card that was created out of strategy. It’s a strategy that’s sure to gain great viewership and maybe even blow all of the other UFC on FOX ratings out of the water.
First, let’s start with the main event as we dissect this bad boy.
Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson
Here we are again with the word “championship.”
If you’ll notice on most of the UFC on FOX promos airing during network programming, analysts tend to refrain from saying flyweight championship. Also, commercials seem to just put championship fight in large bold letters rather than flyweight championship bout.
No coincidence here. That’s because the general public doesn’t care about two 125-pound fighters going at it. Little do they know, the lighter weight classes tend to be more exciting. But they wouldn’t know, because they lack the knowledge possessed by hardcore fans like you and me.
So the UFC and FOX used this tactic to create a buzz around the event. This catches the eye of casual fans, as well as garnering the attention of the hardcore ones. Step one: complete.
Anthony Pettis vs. Donald Cerrone
The casual fans are intrigued by the main event because of, well, you should know by now. But UFC matchmaker Joe Silva needed to come up with a fight that would make this fight card irresistible to those who love the sport of MMA.
He did just that with Anthony Pettis vs. Donald Cerrone. Can you say Fight of the Year candidate?
If you call yourself a fight fan and your adrenaline isn’t rushing through your body at the thought of seeing these two great strikers throw down, well, you must be going through some sort of midlife crisis.
Pettis and Cerrone are two guys that love to stand in the middle of the cage/Octagon and put on a show for fans. This should be a crowd-pleaser that die-hard fans will drool over.
Rampage Jackson vs. Glover Texeira
Finally, the UFC capped off its brilliant card with one of the biggest names in MMA history, Rampage Jackson.
Once the title fight sparks a sense of awareness for casual viewers, they will most likely look up the fight card to see who else is fighting.
Seeing Jackson on the card should elevate their interest. And as for the hardcore fans, you can’t miss Jackson’s swan song (most likely) in the UFC.
Plus, Silva matched him up with a hungry, future contender in Glover Teixeira. Is there any more bite left in Rampage? Or will Teixeira steamroll him like he demolished Kyle Kingsbury? Is this card considered can’t-miss by everyone yet?
Final Assessment
When it comes to predicting ratings for UFC on FOX 6, it’s easily justifiable to believe the UFC will trample previous UFC on FOX ratings.
It’s even easier to predict the UFC continuing its momentum from its 4.4 rating from UFC on FOX 5.
Gather ’round, boys and girls. With cowboys, mighty mouses and magicians taking center stage on FOX this Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET, you can bet your bottom dollar it’ll be “Showtime.”
On Saturday night, two of the UFC’s top light heavyweights will collide in Chicago as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson squares off with Glover Teixeira at UFC on Fox 6. While the matchup may not claim top billing on promotional posters, the throwdown between …
On Saturday night, two of the UFC’s top light heavyweights will collide in Chicago as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson squares off with Glover Teixeira at UFC on Fox 6. While the matchup may not claim top billing on promotional posters, the throwdown between the former light heavyweight champion and rising Brazilian star has all the makings to be the biggest fight on the card.
The bout comes under interesting circumstances, as both men are standing at a crossroads in their respective careers.
Teixeira has been labeled the “next big thing” in the 205-pound weight class and has the potential to become a dominant force in the UFC’s premier division. At the other end of the spectrum, Jackson has become disenfranchised with the sport’s biggest promotion, and all indicators point to the bout with Teixeira being his curtain call inside the Octagon.
That being said, the fight will undoubtedly be the perfect opportunity for Teixeira to prove he belongs in the conversation of top light heavyweights on the planet. It is a moment he’s been working toward his entire career, and the 33-year-old has every intention of making a statement at Jackson’s expense.
“I trained so hard for this fight,” Teixeira told Bleacher Report. “Saturday night will be another step toward my dream. I get to fight a big-name opponent in the co-main event of a big show. It is a great thing. This is my time and I’m ready to go. I’m ready to show the world what I can do.”
In addition to the storylines, which have built a buzz leading up the fight, the stylistic differences between the two fighters presents several interesting angles. Both are heavy-handed sluggers with the potential to end a fight with one clean shot and both have a proven track record of separating their opponents from their consciousness.
Where Teixeira would appear to have the biggest advantage is when the action hits the canvas. The John Hackleman-trained fighter has a solid submission game and has used his strength in the past to out-muscle his opponents on the ground.
While the Brazilian’s grappling credentials are well known, Jackson has proven to have some of the best takedown defense in the light heavyweight division. Teixeira understands the challenges Jackson presents, but believes his well-rounded skill set and desire to win will ultimately prove too much for his opponent.
“I think I bring more tools to the fight,” Teixeira said. “Rampage has good wrestling and jiu-jitsu. We have seen how good his takedown defense is in past fights, and he has fought other guys with good jiu-jitsu and has defended a lot of submissions. He’s no joke and you have to be ready in all areas of the fight. I think my cardio, speed and the fire I have inside of me to keep fighting are going to be the difference.
“In this fight, it is going to be an aggressive Glover Teixeira who is coming in looking for the finish at all times.”
A victory over Rampage would solidify Teixeira’s place in the upper tier of the light heavyweight division and put him within striking distance of a title shot. That being said, it will be his toughest test to date inside the Octagon. Should Teixeira find success on Saturday night in Chicago, the hype surrounding the Brazilian wrecking machine will not only become validated, but it will become a reality as well.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Just when you thought that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson had nothing else to complain about, he goes ahead and surprises us all, denouncing the “oblique kick” as being too dangerous for mixed martial arts. For those who don’t …
Just when you thought that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson had nothing else to complain about, he goes ahead and surprises us all, denouncing the “oblique kick” as being too dangerous for mixed martial arts.
For those who don’t know, an oblique kick is essentially a sidekick aimed at the opponent’s knee, with the seeming intention of hyperextending the joint. Anderson Silva and Jon Jones—who used it effectively against “Rampage”—often utilise the technique.
Speaking to ESPN, Jackson explained that, as he sees it, the kick has the capacity to cause long-term injury:
It should be banned and it shows a lot about the fighter’s character that he would throw it. How would he like it if somebody threw it at him and stopped him working for a year?
Admittedly, the move does have the potential to injure the knee joint. But, at the risk of sounding cold, that fact is irrelevant.
There are many techniques employed in mixed martial arts that are dangerous. In fact, almost all of them are used with intent to injure.
Whether the goal is to concuss or disable a limb, fighters use these techniques with the express purpose of causing harm.
What I find most curious about “Rampage”’s complaint is his sudden aversion to causing injury. After all, we are talking about a fighter who, when he competed for Pride FC, had no qualms about soccer kicking and stomping on his opponent’s head.
I have no empirical data to back this up, but I suspect that most fighters would accept a sidekick to the knee before they would consent to having a 220-pound man attempt to punt their head into the front row.
It’s just a hunch.
Of course, we needn’t go as far back as the Pride days to witness “Rampage” Jackson showing disdain for the long-term health of his foes.
At UFC 144, in February of last year, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, apparently unburdened by this recent addition to his conscience, hoisted Ryan Bader up into the air and dumped him on his head in a move that could have crippled the former Arizona Sun Devil.
How does one reconcile that action—repeated throughout his career—with a concern for oblique kicks? Such an inversion of priorities is almost pathological.
Lest this article be mistaken for an attack on someone who just wants to make the sport safer, let me be clear that this piece is intended to highlight the hypocrisy of Jackson’s claim.
I am all for making the sport safer through all reasonable means. What I am not for is banning sidekicks to the knee, while allowing techniques that have potentially severe consequences.
Whether “Rampage” truly believes what he says is up for debate, but it speaks to his waning charm that these eccentric claims are becoming increasingly less tolerable as time goes on.
Although the flyweight division takes center stage on Saturday’s UFC on Fox 6 event, it is the heavyweights who will collide on the preliminary card when Mike Russow and Shawn Jordan go toe-to-toe.Russow had won 11 consecutive fights, including four in…
Although the flyweight division takes center stage on Saturday’s UFC on Fox 6 event, it is the heavyweights who will collide on the preliminary card when Mike Russow and Shawn Jordan go toe-to-toe.
Russow had won 11 consecutive fights, including four inside the Octagon, when he was stopped by Fabricio Werdum last June. He looks to rebound against Jordan, who also suffered his first UFC loss over the summer.
Jordan came up short against Cheick Kongo at UFC 149 in a bout that he took on short notice. The performance was critically panned due to the clinch-heavy strategy utilized by “The Savage,” and some called for his UFC release after the loss.
Both men are in need of a win on Saturday night, but unfortunately, only one man can have his arm raised.
Here is a head-to-toe breakdown of Mike Russow vs. Shawn Jordan.
These “Quick Breaks” are short breakdowns of upcoming fights. In a summed up focus of strengths, weaknesses and variables; this will analyze what could happen in the fight, and end with this writer’s prediction. The UFC will be …
These “Quick Breaks” are short breakdowns of upcoming fights. In a summed up focus of strengths, weaknesses and variables; this will analyze what could happen in the fight, and end with this writer’s prediction.
The UFC will be putting on its sixth FOX event and will be bringing the first Flyweight title defense to headline the card. Demetrious Johnson will be taking on up and comer John Dodson in hopes of truly establishing himself as the rightful king of the hill. UFC on FOX returns to Chicago, Ill. on Jan 26, and will be live on FOX at 8:00 p.m. EST, with prelims prior on FX.
In the blue corner you have John Dodson. The TUF winner will look to take his fast career to the next level and attain UFC gold this Saturday. Dodson has shown some great power in his hands, and will be looking to definitively put away the champ. Dodson is riding a five-fight winning streak, and has great momentum going into this bout; paired with the confidence of never being finished in the cage so far in his career.
In the red corner you have Demetrious Johnson. “Mighty Mouse” has had an incredible career so far, and similar to Dodson, has only lost via decision inside the cage. Johnson has a speed and relentless pace that he sets that creates a very unique challenge for anyone who steps in front of him, and he will look to use that quickness to get the better of Dodson. Johnson is a very well-rounded fighter, and can dictate the fight wherever it goes.
The key aspects in this fight are the speed of Johnson, and the power of Dodson. Johnson has found incredible success with his agility and his stamina, and what has ultimately given him a lot of his decision wins. However, his ground game is where he has the advantage in this fight. Dodson has the striking advantage here; or at least in the power department. It will come down to if Dodson can catch Johnson flush, or if he gets frustrated and attempts to take the fight to the ground. Johnson may have a submission answer for him, but Ian McCall showed a hole in that part of Johnson’s game, and it may be something Dodson may try to exploit.
Prediction: Demetrious Johnson wins via Unanimous Decision.
No matter how big or how small the fighters are, title fights draw in combat sports.