Tag: UFC on Fox 7

Tim Means Plans on Drowning Jorge Masvidal in Deep Waters at UFC on Fox 7

Injuries can happen in the strangest ways sometimes. It could just be putting a foot down and in an instant an ankle or a knee may pop out of joint. For UFC lightweight Tim Means, he never imagined in a million years the type of injury that would force…

Injuries can happen in the strangest ways sometimes.

It could just be putting a foot down and in an instant an ankle or a knee may pop out of joint. For UFC lightweight Tim Means, he never imagined in a million years the type of injury that would force him out of his last fight at UFC on Fox 5.

Literally just hours away from weighing in to face Abel Trujillo in Seattle, Means was doing what a lot of fighters were doing that day—cutting weight.

What happened next, no one could believe—least of all Tim Means.

“I woke up early like usual at 5:30 and got down to the sauna,” Means explained when speaking to Bleacher Report.  “The sauna wasn’t hot enough so I jumped in the Jacuzzi. My teammate Donald Sanchez went and turned up the sauna.  I jumped out of the Jacuzzi, jumped back in the sauna and started to sit down and get comfortable and as I laid down the sauna still wasn’t hot enough. 

“So I sat up and went to jump up abruptly to go check the temperature and turn it up a little bit more, and I just missed my hand placement. Wound up hitting my head off the corner of the bench and at first I thought somebody ran in and cheap shotted me.  I got all fuzzy.  I’ve never knocked myself out or went unconscious, but everything did get warm and fuzzy.  I felt the back of my head and I had a pretty big lump behind my ear.”

The crack to the back of his head left Means feeling dizzy and disoriented, which meant he was going to have to see the doctor.  Just a few hours later, Means was ruled medically unable to continue, and he had to be pulled from the UFC on Fox 5 card.

Overall, it was a rough few months for Means because he was also supposed to fight on the UFC 151 card in early September.  That show was cancelled altogether after the main event bout between Jon Jones and Dan Henderson had to be scrapped when Henderson suffered a knee injury just days away from the fight.

Now with his return to action set for Saturday night at UFC on Fox 7, Means is more than happy to forget the last few months of 2012 ever happened.

“It was heartbreaking,” Means explained.  “I’m extremely happy to put that time behind me and look forward to this next fight.”

Means says that instead of sitting around and sulking about the fact he didn’t have a fight, he put his frustration to use back in the gym.  Training under coach Tom Vaughn in New Mexico, Means pushed harder everyday to get better in the areas he was perceived to have weaknesses.

Now 10 months after his last trip to the Octagon, Means is happy to get back to the business of fighting. 

“No looking back, I just have to keep my head down and keep moving forward,” Means said.   “The slip and fall in Seattle is a blessing in disguise. It couldn’t have come at a worse time for me, but it also couldn’t have come at a better time.  I’m letting it motivate me and push me forward.”

This weekend in San Jose, Calif., Means takes on former Strikeforce lightweight contender Jorge Masvidal in a battle of two very hungry competitors.  Masvidal has also been on the shelf for an extended period of time and wants to impress in his UFC debut.

Means doesn’t plan on allowing Masvidal much of a celebration for his first UFC fight.  It may end up being a pretty rude welcome, actually, once Means finishes with him on Saturday night.

“I just really believe nobody’s really gotten in Masvidal‘s face and gone after him.  He’s a good counter puncher and he’s good at keeping fights at his pace. I’m going to see if I can’t get him into deeper waters and drowning him,” said Means.   “It’s going to have to be about getting him out of his realm and making him uncomfortable.”

The sauna that did him in at UFC on Fox 5 was definitely one of the stranger moments in Means’ professional career, but he’s seen much worse.  His plans now are to stay healthy and as busy as the UFC will allow him in 2013.

“This is the longest break I’ve had being out 10 months,” said Means.   “When I was in prison, I was fighting on a regular basis and when I got out prison in 2009, I ran my record to 22-1-1 to this point, so I’m staying extremely busy.  I’m ready to get in there and leave everything in the cage.”

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

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UFC on Fox 7: Can Frank Mir Back Up His Trash Talk Against Daniel Cormier?

When talking about fighters who excel at promoting fights, MMA fans usually mention Chael Sonnen.  But a fighter who doesn’t get enough praise in the fine art of selling fights is Frank Mir, who faces Daniel Cormier at UFC on Fox 7 on Saturd…

When talking about fighters who excel at promoting fights, MMA fans usually mention Chael Sonnen.  But a fighter who doesn’t get enough praise in the fine art of selling fights is Frank Mir, who faces Daniel Cormier at UFC on Fox 7 on Saturday.  Mir knows a thing or two about selling fights, having been in the main event of the biggest pay-per-view card in UFC history, UFC 100 vs. Brock Lesnar. 

Mir doesn’t use the WWE style or go over the top.  He simply says exactly what he feels about his adversary.  It’s not so much talking trash as much as it is an articulate, honest and matter-of-fact assessment of a particular matchup.

As a former WEC color commentator, Mir reports his advantages and disadvantages as smoothly as any expert analyst on a pre-fight show.  He doesn’t necessarily throw around a barrage of verbal insults, but he won’t hesitate to make a certain fighter’s weakness a point of topic.  He also doesn’t shy away from discussing his own.

The former UFC heavyweight champion isn’t one to spare words or shy away from saying what he can do to an opponent.  As an almost 12-year veteran of the UFC, he has traveled a road filled with peaks and valleys and has experienced everything a fighter can in MMA.

He was around in the days when fight cards had nicknames, such as his debut at UFC 34: High Voltage.  He has witnessed more than 10 UFC heavyweight champions and has seen countless others vanish from the division.  He almost joined them after a serious motorcycle accident nearly cost him his career.

Competing on the world’s biggest stage of MMA, fighting in five title fights, continuing to face top-level competition and remaining relevant at his age in the heavyweight division are no small feats. They have earned him the right to speak, but can he back up his words this time around when he faces Cormier at UFC on Fox 7?

Without a doubt, he can. Mir may be a +325 underdog going into this fight (according to Bovada), but he has plenty of advantages over Cormier.  He not only has the edge in experience against UFC-level competition, he will also enter the Octagon five inches taller than Cormier, with an eight-inch reach advantage and a 20-pound weight advantage. 

It goes without saying that Mir can walk the walk and talk the talk when it comes to applying his Brazilian jiu-jitsu acumen to any fight.  He is as comfortable on the ground as he is breathing.

The Las Vegas native owns the record for most submission wins in the UFC with eight.  Along with those eight submissions have come three broken arms, two by armbar and one by a kimura.  The last of those was suffered by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira—who was given the edge on the ground in that fight by many experts. 

Yes, Daniel Cormier has Olympic-caliber wrestling, but if the fight goes to the ground, he is not going to be in a good place.  Dealing with Mir’s guard can be like walking into a hornet’s nest.

Many will favor Cormier should these two combatants end up in the clinch.  Maybe so wrestling-wise, but Mir has the ability to throw fight-ending knees from the clinch, as evident in his KO win over Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović at UFC 119.

Most people see Cormier having the distinct advantage in the stand-up striking department.  Mir has gotten caught before, yet so have many heavyweights.  Junior dos Santos made Mir look silly at UFC 146, but Cormier is not on dos Santos’ level.  Cormier does have heavy hands and can certainly catch Mir, hurt him and end his night early.

However, Mir has that ability as well, and he will have a considerable reach advantage.  If he does win the fight, it probably won’t be with a knockout, but that doesn’t mean he can’t hold his own in the stand-up.

Cormier trains at one of the best camps in MMA, at the American Kickboxing Academy with current UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez.  Before this fight camp, we could not say the same about Mir, but now that he has joined the highly praised Jackson’s MMA Gym, we can.

Mir needed to get out of his element and make adjustments to improve himself after last year’s loss to dos Santos.  He now has training partners like Jon Jones, Travis Browne and Andrei Arlovski as well as one of the smartest game planners in the business in Greg Jackson.  This could prove to be the difference in the fight and push Mir to a victory on Saturday night.

Mir has fought the best of the best for almost 12 years.  He has faced Lesnar, Shane Carwin, Nogueira and the best in the division.  Cormier has not. 

Cormier’s toughest opponents have been Josh Barnett and Antonio Silva; the rest of his resume is littered with names like Dion Staring, Devin Cole and Gary Frazier. Not to mention, his first fight in the UFC will be Mir’s 21st.

Cormier is the favorite.  He called out Mir and then called out Jon Jones as if beating Mir were inevitable.  The pressure is squarely on his shoulders.  Mir will be in a place where he’s been 20 times before and will be comfortable.

The time for talking will be over on Saturday night. Mir has said plenty and will prove he can back it up.

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UFC on Fox 7 Weigh-in Results for Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez Card

The main event on UFC on Fox 7 will feature a champion-versus-champion bout as UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson puts his crown on the line against final Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez.The co-main event isn’t too shabby…

The main event on UFC on Fox 7 will feature a champion-versus-champion bout as UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson puts his crown on the line against final Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez.

The co-main event isn’t too shabby, either. Strikeforce World Heavyweight Grand Prix champion Daniel Cormier will meet former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir. 

If that’s not enough to whet your appetite to tune in, there’s Nate Diaz versus Josh Thomson, two fighters that fought in title bouts in their last contests. Also on the Fox card, up-and-coming welterweight Jordan Mein steps in on short notice to face Matt Brown. 

 

UFC on Fox 7 Full Weigh-In Results

Benson Henderson (155) vs. Gilbert Melendez (154)

Daniel Cormier (235) vs. Frank Mir (257)

Nate Diaz (156) vs. Josh Thomson (155)

Matt Brown (171) vs. Jordan Mein (170)

Darren Elkins (145) vs. Chad Mendes (146)

Francis Carmont (186) vs. Lorenz Larkin (186)

Myles Jury (156) vs. Ramsey Nijem (156)

Joseph Benavidez (125) vs. Darren Uyenoyama (125)

Jorge Masvidal (156) vs. Tim Means (156)

T.J. Dillashaw (136) vs. Hugo Viana (135)

Roger Bowling (156) vs. Anthony Njokuani (155)

Clifford Starks (185) vs. Yoel Romero (185)

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UFC on Fox 7: Ben Henderson Will Prove That Gilbert Melendez Is Overrated

For years, Gilbert Melendez has resided near the top of most lightweight top 10 lists circulating the web. Now that the UFC has introduced rankings of its own, giving some semblance of authenticity to rankings, Melendez has “officially” been classed as…

For years, Gilbert Melendez has resided near the top of most lightweight top 10 lists circulating the web. Now that the UFC has introduced rankings of its own, giving some semblance of authenticity to rankings, Melendez has “officially” been classed as the second-best 155-pounder in the organization.

That he has never fought in the UFC before should give anyone pause before accepting him as the promotion’s No. 1 (highest ranked after the champion) lightweight in reality. Countless stars who have built their reputation outside the UFC have jumped into the mainstream, only to be stalled somewhere near the middle of the pack. 

Judging where a fighter will fit into the UFC based on external accomplishments is a guessing game, and one that more often produces heightened expectations instead of realistic ones.

Nevertheless, it’s not fair to say Melendez is overrated just because guys like Hector Lombard, Hatsu Hioki and Jake Shields recently joined the UFC to disappointing results. Their failures are completely isolated from anything Melendez will do under the promotion’s banner.

I only mention the trend as an overture to the real issue—that being, Melendez simply isn’t that good of a mixed martial artist. He’s good. He’s just not THAT good.

Since 2009, Melendez has posted a 7-0 record. It’s an impressive feat, but less so because of the fighters he’s beaten. Josh Thomson is the highest-regarded opponent Melendez has dismissed over that period, and, of course, he is no pushover. In fact, he’s probably a fringe top-10 competitor in the UFC, though I’d have him on the outside, as does the UFC rankings.

Of course, there still must be something else to Melendez’s ranking. Winning a couple decisions, the most recent one split, over someone who enters the UFC as a mid-teens fighter doesn’t get you to No. 2 in the promotion’s deepest weight class.

Melendez also beat Shinya Aoki via five-round decision, something only maybe 15…20 UFC lightweights could accomplish. You could argue me down from that number, but I’d steadfastly proclaim at least 10 could finish, let alone convincingly defeat Aoki, more often than not.

He also beat Tatsuya Kawajiri and Jorge Masvidal, fighters that probably rank somewhere near the back end of the teens when compared to the UFC roster. They certainly rank behind Thomson.

So while Meledenz’s streak is a fine accomplishment, nothing about it screams No. 2 lightweight in the UFC.

But to be fair, rankings aren’t all about accomplishments. They also factor in how well a fighter has looked during competition and consider upside. Perhaps this is where Melendez’s ranking spawns from?

“El Nino” is billed as a well-rounded fighter with strong wrestling and dangerous stand-up. And while the wrestling part is accurate, the prevailing perception of his stand-up is overly generous.

Sloppy, limited and inaccurate aptly describe Melendez’s striking, something confirmed by his subpar 33 percent connection rate. And when you consider that his current win streak is void of anyone with particularly strong striking, his precision seems all the more underwhelming.

Throw in that Melendez has very little submission game to speak of, and once again, we return to the baffling question of why Melendez is ranked where he is.

He is not better than Anthony Pettis, Gray Maynard or Jim Miller. I’d also take T.J Grant, Rafael dos Anjos and Khabib Nurmagomedov to beat him.

Stylistically, Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone should not fare well against Melendez, a wrestling powerhouse, but I wouldn’t be shocked if either handled him in a match. 

All this not to mention Benson Henderson, who has asserted himself above all those listed. He is the one tasked with welcoming Melendez to the UFC, and he is the one who will crush the misconception that Melendez is an elite fighter.

Whether “Smooth” finds a finish or simply wrecks Melendez for five rounds is a question worth pondering. Whether he will retain his lightweight title is not. That is a foregone conclusion.

Between his latter WEC matches and his more recent UFC tenure, Henderson has been taking on far better opponents than Melendez has, and he’s looked more impressive doing it.

There is a significant gap between the two, one that will be exposed this Saturday night.

After being taken down a peg by Henderson, Melendez will fade back into the lightweight fray and stay there. Because while he is skilled enough to stay relevant, his talent hardly stands out at 155 in the UFC.

When it comes down to it, Melendez is a good fighter, but good fighters aren’t ranked No. 2 in the UFC. Great fighters are ranked No. 2. 

The prestige of Melendez’s name should never have made it so far, but it is poised to rescind. Even if losing to a fighter ranked above him does not drop him in ranking, perception will alter. From there, all it will take is a loss to a lesser-regarded fighter—a loss that will come, and not far off—before Melendez’s official status mirrors his real place in the picture.

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UFC on Fox 7: Fighters That Must Win Saturday Night

When UFC on Fox 7 kicks off on Saturday night from HP Pavilion in San Jose, the nationally televised event will feature several big-name fighters that must walk away victorious.MMA stars like Daniel Cormier, Nate Diaz and Joseph Benavidez are looking t…

When UFC on Fox 7 kicks off on Saturday night from HP Pavilion in San Jose, the nationally televised event will feature several big-name fighters that must walk away victorious.

MMA stars like Daniel Cormier, Nate Diaz and Joseph Benavidez are looking to further their UFC careers with huge wins in front of a large television audience.

All of the following stars are not only looking to continue their success in MMA for themselves, but trying to push the sport forward. A win for each of these fighters would provide the UFC with the best outcome it could ask for.

 

Daniel Cormier

There is no fighter on Saturday’s card that needs a win more that former Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix champion Daniel Cormier. In his first fight in the UFC, Cormier must beat Frank Mir and prove his worth to Dana White and the MMA world.

Mir is a former interim heavyweight champion and has been a gatekeeper for the division for years. If Cormier wants to prove the critics wrong that say he can’t hang with the big boys of the UFC, he must win in spectacular fashion.

Cormier was known as a wrestling specialist in Strikeforce—six straight gold medals at the United States Championships (2003-08)—but it should be his powerful strikes that set the tone for a knockout in this fight.

As talented as Mir is as a fighter, this is Cormier’s time to shine.

 

Nate Diaz

As one of the most popular fighters in the UFC, it is very important for Nate Diaz to bounce back from his loss to Benson Henderson for the lightweight championship in December and beat Josh Thomson in his return to the company.

Thomson became a staple of Strikeforce, and while the UFC merged with most of the elite talent from the now-defunct company, this will be one of the best battles MMA fans get from the merger.

For UFC officials and fans, it’s imperative that Diaz picks up this one.

The excitement that Diaz brings to every bout will undoubtedly make this a Fight of the Night candidate, and as long as he stays away from the power of Thomson, there is no doubt the UFC staple will walk away victorious.

 

Joseph Benavidez

While other fighters will get more love than Joseph Benavidez during the build to UFC on Fox 7—he has been relegated to the preliminary card on FX—it is important to the future of the company’s flyweight division that he beats Darren Uyenoyama on Saturday.

There is no questioning how much talent Uyenoyama possesses, but it was Benavidez that gave flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson the ultimate test in the tournament finals for the division’s first title.

The flyweights don’t get as much respect as they should, but a rematch between Benavidez and Johnson—the first fight was the inaugural flyweight bout in the UFC—would be a major pay-per-view draw for the company.

Everyone knows this will be a five-round war.

Even if Uyenoyama takes the loss, he still has a chance to be a star. However, for the betterment of the UFC and MMA in general, Benavidez needs to come out on fire and earn a shot at the UFC Flyweight Championship.

 

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Nate Diaz Returning to Welterweight After UFC on Fox Fight with Josh Thomson

Big changes are in store for Nate Diaz. It is being reported that the TUF5 winner and former lightweight contender will be leaving the lightweight division following his fight with Josh Thomson this Saturday. His destination? The welterweight division….

Big changes are in store for Nate Diaz.

It is being reported that the TUF5 winner and former lightweight contender will be leaving the lightweight division following his fight with Josh Thomson this Saturday. His destination? The welterweight division.

This will not be Diaz’s first foray at 170 lbs. He posted a 2-2 record during his last go in Georges St-Pierre’s realm.

While he initially started well, defeating Rory Markham and Marcus Davis, once he began facing top competition, Diaz’s lean, lanky frame became a liability against bigger welterweights, rather than the asset it is for his Brazilian jiu-jitsu at 155 lbs. Both Dong Hyun Kim and Rory MacDonald bullied Diaz en route to unanimous-decision victories.

Even though Diaz has enjoyed great success as a UFC lightweight (he currently owns a 9-4 record), this move actually makes a lot of sense. The headline on the upcoming UFC on Fox event is Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez.

Diaz fought Henderson on the UFC on Fox 5 event, losing convincingly to Henderson’s effective mix of wrestling and Taekwondo. If Henderson wins, a rematch is extremely unlikely, as with a hyper-competitive lightweight division, Diaz is sitting at the back of a very long line.

Meanwhile, if Melendez wins, both parties will likely outright refuse to fight each other. Melendez, Nate Diaz, Nick Diaz (Nate’s brother) and former Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields make up the core of the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu team, and that foursome’s friendship is as fierce as any in sports.

There is no shortage of young, talented welterweights that would love to fight a recognizable name like Diaz’s. Whether or not this move will work out for Diaz is a mystery, however, as there is no question that the fighters at 170 lbs. have only gotten better since he left.

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