Frank Mir has been there before. His back is against the proverbial wall. He has heard all about the hype of his opponent. He knows that he is being overlooked by the masses of fans and experts alike. On April 20th, 2013 in the co-main event, Frank Mir…
Frank Mir has been there before. His back is against the proverbial wall. He has heard all about the hype of his opponent. He knows that he is being overlooked by the masses of fans and experts alike. On April 20th, 2013 in the co-main event, Frank Mir will once again step into the fabled Octagon to do battle with Daniel Cormier, the heavyweight division’s supposed next superstar.
Though Cormier isn’t exactly the young gun on the block—the 34-year-old will be making his UFC debut after surprisingly winning the Strikeforce Grand Prix as a replacement by defeating Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Josh Barnett. Cormier also boasts a tremendous wrestling pedigree; he represented the United States twice as an Olympic wrestler.
Mir enters this contest knowing that if he doesn’t win, he will be pushed to the back half of the top 10. A win over Cormier puts him right back into title contention while a loss all but ends his title fight aspirations.
Though he is coming off a championship loss at the hands of then-champion Junior dos Santos, Mir has never lost back-to-back fights in his career. With Mir’s age and bearing in mind how few times the UFC heavyweight title is actually defended, Mir knows that a loss to Cormier would all but eliminate his chances of competing for the championship anytime in the near future, if ever again at all.
Mir has responded to this adversity by challenging himself and distancing himself from what he is familiar to. Mir chose to hire one of the most successful MMA trainers, Greg Jackson, to take his training seriously again and maybe to a whole other level. Jackson’s camp has produced a plethora of top-ranked fighters and champions from various weight classes and is acknowledged for expert game-planning and strategy.
Fighting a guy with Cormier’s hype is not unfamiliar territory to Mir—he is no stranger to this type of adversity. He was supposed to be little more than a speed bump in the career of a returning Tank Abbott. Then Mir was sent out to be the sacrificial lamb in the debut of former WWE superstar Brock Lesnar. Simply put, Mir answered the challenge each time with a stunning submission victory.
Mir is one of the most well-rounded fighters on the UFC heavyweight roster. Mir will have an eight-inch reach advantage multiplied by a five-inch height advantage over Cormier and a very dangerous ground game in terms of submissions. One of the most important and possibly overlooked factors in this showdown is that this will be Mir’s 21st fight in the Octagon compared to Cormier making his first appearance in the UFC. Mir has the skill to defeat Cormier, but once again, Mir’s conditioning will be his biggest question mark.
Cormier enters this fight ever-so confidently as he has delivered a perfect record of 11-0 in his MMA career.
With all of the chatter about Cormier competing in a championship fight at either light-heavyweight or heavyweight, the best strategy for Cormier would be to not overlook Frank Mir because as it is said, the most important fight is your next fight.
A win for Cormier will push him to a title fight as has been repeatedly mentioned, and that fight would more than likely take place against Jon Jones.
A loss, though, would really be a giant set-back for Cormier. His résumé would not be very strong to keep him near the top five in the heavyweight division and would eliminate all of his momentum. A loss in that situation might only leave him an opportunity at light-heavyweight for climbing into a title fight but would require multiple wins. Another question is that at 34, would he be able to acquire a winning steak worthy of a title fight?
The most intriguing question, though, is how Daniel Cormier will decide to fight. Will he stand and trade with Mir as he has shown he is capable of doing, or will he take his chances with the most dangerous submission artist in the heavyweight division by attempting to take him to the canvass?
While Cormier is known for being an Olympic wrestler, he doesn’t appear to be the takedown artist people think of him as (executing only 43% of his attempts). His wrestling appears to be more defensive because taking him down is a much different story. Cormier has defended opponents’ takedown attempts 100% of the time.
With each man having so much to lose and gain depending on the outcome of this fight, it should be easy to predict that this fight will deliver in terms of entertainment. In the end, though, there can only be one winner.
On the heels of his victory over Ian McCall at UFC 156, Joseph Benavidez could have easily made the case to get a rematch with flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. But rather than step back into the Octagon with “Mighty Mouse” in quick fashion, the T…
On the heels of his victory over Ian McCall at UFC 156, Joseph Benavidez could have easily made the case to get a rematch with flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. But rather than step back into the Octagon with “Mighty Mouse” in quick fashion, the Team Alpha Male staple thought it best to take another route entirely.
Make no mistake about it: UFC gold is the ultimate goal for Benavidez. But having learned from past experiences, the Las Cruces native understands that rushing into opportunities may not always be the best course of action.
It wasn’t all that long ago when Benavidez was ranked as one of the top bantamweight fighters in the world. While competing under the now-defunct WEC banner, the 28-year-old had battled his way to the top of the ladder in the 135-pound weight class. But after coming out on the losing end of a No. 1 contender’s bout with Dominick Cruz and then being edged out in a split-decision loss when he contested “The Dominator’s” title a year later, Benavidez suddenly found himself in a strange position.
Despite Benavidez being one of the top 135-pound fighters under the Zuffa banner, having two losses to the current champion put him in a limbo of sorts. Even after racking up three consecutive victories over solid competition in Wagnney Fabiano, Ian Loveland and Eddie Wineland, Benavidez was nowhere to be found on the title radar.
Ultimately, his fortunes would change when the UFC made the decision late in 2011 to implement a flyweight division in the coming year. The new weight class gave the once undersized Benavidez the chance to compete at a weight better suited for his frame and a chance for the Sacramento-based fighter to re-ignite his dream of becoming a UFC champion.
Unfortunately, Benavidez would fall short of his goal of becoming the organization’s first flyweight titleholder, but he believes the setback is temporary. While Johnson may have earned the nod in their first encounter at UFC 152, Benavidez is confident the 125-pound title will one day be his.
That being said, where his ambition once drove him to jump back into a title shot impulsively, this time around, Benavidez is willing to take a few extra steps to ensure the next time he competes for the UFC title, he will be able to take full advantage of the opportunity.
The first of which will come against Darren Uyenoyama at UFC on Fox 7, and Benavidez is excited to get back to work in quick fashion.
“I was just being practical with my decision-making and looking at what was best for me,” Benavidez told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview. “I feel I’m getting better with every fight, and the more fights I can get in before stepping in for another title shot is all the better for me. I have no doubt I’ll get there again, but I kind of learned from the situation I was in at 135 pounds.
“I fought Dominick Cruz and lost, then he became champion. I only fought two times in between my rematch with Cruz. Yeah, they were two great performances where I was aggressive, but I didn’t have a ton of time in between, and I took another fight against Cruz for the title. And I was in limbo after that. I could have certainly gotten better during that time. But I jumped back into it.
“Now the situation with D.J., it would have been a five- or six month turnaround between fights. I just want to get better, and I think it’s great for the 125-pound division to develop a little more. It’s great and I’m honored that I probably could have gotten another title shot. That’s awesome but I wanted more time.
“It’s good for the division that they matched D.J. up with John Moraga because that’s another name people are going to be forced to know,” Benavidez added. “Plus, it allows me to go out there and fight someone else. I feel it can only help the division to get these other names out there. Like I said, I believe I’m going to fight for the title again, but I wanted to get better.
“It was too quick of a turnaround. If they would have made me do it, of course, I would have done everything in my power to go out there and get the job done. But I thought the smarter thing to do would be to take a little more time, improve my skills and let everything play itself out.”
The matchup with Uyenoyama will come 10 weeks after Benavidez’s most recent showing against Ian McCall at UFC 156 on Super Bowl weekend. While it is undoubtedly a quick turnaround, Benavidez believes he is making up for time he has lost over the past two years.
“I’m just trying to be active,” Benavidez said. “I’m still getting real comfortable in the flyweight division. I’ve gone five rounds with Mighty Mouse, which helped in the last fight with [Ian] McCall. But the more time I can get in the cage, the better. I feel I improve with every fight. The more fights I can get before I get another shot at the title is great.
“In both of the last two years, I only got to fight twice in each year. I like to fight at least three times a year and four would be great. I’m just trying to make up for that. I had a big break in between my fight with [Yasuhiro] Urushitani and my title fight against Johnson, and an even bigger break between my last bantamweight fight and waiting for the flyweight tournament to start.
“I train every day anyway, and I’m going to be fighting in the gym against animals like Urijah Faber, T.J. Dillashaw, Chad Mendes, Danny Castillo and Lance Palmer. I’m going to be training hard against those guys so why not beat somebody up and get paid for it?”
With the flyweight division entering its second year under the UFC banner, fans are still adjusting to the new faces in the weight class. Whereas veterans like Benavidez, Johnson, and McCall have established names in the fight game, a new batch of future contenders are looking to establish themselves with the organization’s fanbase.
While Uyenoyama may not have the biggest name in the division, Benavidez is fully aware of the dangers his opponent presents. He is expecting the 33-year-old California native to come out aggressive, and he can’t wait to mix it up with the former Strikeforce veteran.
“Darren is someone I’ve been looking at for a while,” Benavidez said. “I knew once he dropped down to 125 pounds it wouldn’t be long before he was a contender. All it was going to take was a big fight against a guy with a name and it just so happens that guy is me. I think it is going to be an awesome fight.
“He has a good win over Kid Yamamoto and got a finish in his first fight at flyweight and looked good doing it. He’s mainly a jiu-jitsu guy, but I think the thing that separates him from most jiu-jitsu guys is that he can also wrestle. He also has some great striking and is super aggressive. He’s going to go out there and try to bring it. This is a big opportunity for him, but I’m looking at it as a big opportunity for me as well. I’m going out there to make a statement and I’m just going to keep going. I’m having fun with these fights.
“One thing I’ve realized, especially since the title fight, is that it’s not life or death out there,” Benavidez added. “This is just what I do and I need to go out there and have fun. I kind of thought like that up to every fight in my career and treated it like it was just another day. But with the title fight, I treated it like it was life or death and didn’t go out there and perform as good as I could have. I needed to go back to my old way of thinking and I’ve done that. I’m having fun and realizing I can’t control the result. I need to go out there and have a great time. With Darren, I have a great opponent to do that against and I’m going to go out there to have fun.
“Whether it is for the title or not, a fight is always important. If I can’t beat one of the lesser known guys, then I don’t deserve to be fighting for the flyweight title. This is just going to make me better for the next time I get there and I have every intention to get there again.”
The bout with Uyenoyama will mark the fourth appearance for Benavidez at 125 pounds, and it is a process the former bantamweight contender is still getting used to. After competing for the majority of his career in the 135-pound weight class, Benavidez is beginning to see the advantages of competing against opponents who are closer to his size.
In addition to the physical differences, Benavidez is seeing his skill set reach its full potential in his new weight class. Where he once had to make adjustments to compete with larger opponents, at 125 pounds Benavidez can utilize his versatile arsenal to the fullest extent.
“Everything is going good as far as the physical things, but it is really just a luxury to fight guys my own size and not having to compromise my style because of the size difference,” Benavidez said. “I’m a pretty powerful guy, but just because I can hit hard, at 135 pounds I didn’t necessarily want to stand in front of a guy like Eddie Wineland and trade punches.
“A lot of the bigger guys I fought I had to compromise my style and get in and out as quickly as possible. I need to be putting pressure on people and getting on top of my opponents. It was a lot harder for me to take people down at 135 pounds and probably easier for them to take me down. But fighting at flyweight, I don’t have to compromise my fighting style to make up for size.
“I can use my speed, power, striking and technique to its fullest advantage because I’m going against guys my size. When I was fighting bigger guys, all those skills I work at on an everyday basis could never reach their full potential because I couldn’t use them the way I wanted to. Now I can fight the way I need to fight and I love it.”
Benavidez’s dreams of becoming a UFC champion remain as highly charged as they’ve ever been. The biggest difference this time around is his ability to allow his ambition to yield to the process needed to carry it out. The ultimate goal is to replace the framed picture of a UFC championship belt on his mantel with the official 12 pounds of gold that comes with being the best fighter in his division.
While Benavidez has chosen to take the longer road back to a title opportunity, he believes the hard work he puts in along the way will only make him that much more prepared when the moment to compete for the flyweight strap arrives.
Until then, he will continue to put on exciting fights and showcase the high-paced action that has become a trademark of the flyweight division.
“I’m going to take chances and bringing high activity,” Benavidez said. “I’m always going out there to finish someone. Whether it’s throwing a home run punch or jumping to my back to lock up a guillotine; I’m going to go for the finish. I am always going to bring excitement and people can count on me going 100 percent every time I step into that cage.
“I have an awesome opponent in Darren and it’s going to be great to fight in California again. I have teammates on the card and it’s an inspiration being able to fight with some of the guys who are on the card. Ben Henderson and Gilbert Melendez are two of my favorite fighters to watch, and every time I fight on a card with guys like that it is inspiring. I get to see how good those guys are and they set the bar. You get to see what is possible and what the best fighters in the world look like.
“It inspires me to go out there and want to be put in the same category as they are in. People can expect to see another exciting fight from me because I go out there and put my balls on the line every time. It’s going to be a good fight.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
It seemed like a pretty normal week for UFC welterweight Dan Hardy as he was going through his medical examinations ahead of his UFC on Fox 7 showdown against Matt Brown scheduled for April 20 in California. All fighters are required to go through test…
It seemed like a pretty normal week for UFC welterweight Dan Hardy as he was going through his medical examinations ahead of his UFC on Fox 7 showdown against Matt Brown scheduled for April 20 in California.
All fighters are required to go through testing before being licensed to ensure full health with things like a blood test, physical and other examinations.
This time around, however, as Hardy was fighting in California, the commission also required an EKG (electrocardiogram), and the results ended up forcing the British fighter off the card.
Late Thursday night, after the UFC announced that Hardy was injured, he actually revealed the true nature of the ailment that was keeping him off the card and out of his fight with Brown.
Since that time, Hardy has actually changed his Twitter handle to “Wolfheart,” which references the name of the affliction that he suffers from. The California State Athletic Commission did not feel comfortable enough with his condition to clear him to fight.
On Friday, Hardy’s manager Wad Alameddine released a statement to Bleacher Report (originally posted on AddictedMMA.com) that explained what happened and why the former welterweight title contender will not be fighting at UFC on Fox 7.
There’s been a lot of speculation online in the last 24 hours or so regarding Mr Hardy being forced out of his fight with Matt Brown next month, so I wanted to clarify the situation and provide some details.
On Tuesday this week Dan went and had his medicals done as per normal, however because the fight is in California there was an EKG performed as well as the usual standard medicals done in every other states (normally; blood work, physical, MRI, etc).
On Wednesday his EKG results came back showing an irregularity, which has been diagnosed as Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome, which incidentally my wife also suffers from. However unlike my wife who has symptoms of the syndrome (including heart palpitations and tachycardia), Dan has never shown any symptoms of the syndrome and therefore it has come as a surprise to us all as this is something you are born with, rather than develop.
Since this news, Dan has been back to hospital and had several tests run on him with a cardiologist, which included an Ultrasound as well as a high-level stress test to study his heart and how it responds to exercise. To say Dan has a very strong and healthy heart would be an understatement! The tests he did not only showed he has a phenomenal resting heart rate of 42bpm, but he also broke the record for the stress test he did which was held by a marathon runner for over a year.
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is regarded as “a heart condition in which there is an abnormal extra electrical pathway of the heart. The condition can lead to episodes of rapid heart rate” (per the A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia, h/t PubMed Health). While the disease is not life-threatening in most cases, it can cause serious heart issues in some sufferers.
Unfortunately, the California State Athletic Commission opted to err on the side of caution and deny Hardy a fight license, which effectively pulled him from his UFC on Fox 7 fight with Matt Brown.
Sadly the commission will not clear him for the fight with Brown so the UFC were forced to draft in Jordan Mein as a replacement for Dan. It’s a great shame that the athletic commission simply take a reading from an EKG and decide whether he can or cannot fight, rather than looking at the evidence of the last 30 years of Dan’s life without a single symptom of the syndrome, the 10 year sports career he’s had, and the tests he’s also performed this week amongst other things.
As you can imagine with everything (we felt) stacked in our favour, the “not cleared to fight” message we received was a very big shock, particularly after 10 years of competition and no issues. Anyway right now we’re talking to the UFC about what’s next and we’ll keep everyone updated as and when we have further information.
Hardy will continue to deal with the UFC as he looks to gain clearance and return to action sooner rather than later.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
As a competitor, Benson Henderson has never shied away from setting his personal levels of expectation at the highest tier. The MMA Lab-trained fighter has continuously demanded the most out of himself, and this unique sense of drive and determination …
As a competitor, Benson Henderson has never shied away from setting his personal levels of expectation at the highest tier. The MMA Lab-trained fighter has continuously demanded the most out of himself, and this unique sense of drive and determination has fueled his run to become the top 155-pound fighter in the sport.
For some fighters, claiming the ever-elusive title of UFC champion would be enough to satisfy the fires of ambition. But Henderson is a different breed of competitor, and after defeating Frankie Edgar at UFC 144 last year in Japan, the new lightweight champion marked the next chapter of his career by unleashing a new set of goals to be pursued.
Staying true to form, the 29-year-old set his sights on eclipsing one of the most impressive records in the UFC history books. Middleweight king Anderson Silva has amassed a legacy as the greatest mixed martial artist to ever enter the Octagon, and one of his greatest accomplishments along this journey has been setting the record for title defenses.
“The Spider” has successfully defended the 185-pound strap on 10 consecutive occasions, an accomplishment that becomes all the more remarkable when considering the highly competitive landscape in the current realm of mixed martial arts.
While Henderson may only be slightly north of a year into his reign as UFC champion, his push for greatness remains strong. The UFC lightweight division is by all means a shark tank where the talent is deep and suitable contenders are lined up at the ready to compete for Henderson’s position atop the divisional mountain. These circumstances only serve to provide further motivation for Henderson as he is prepared to handle all comers who oppose his lightweight title.
Chasing Silva’s record may be a mountain of a task, but Henderson is willing to give all he has to accomplish his goal of becoming the most dominant champion in UFC history.
“I’m going to continue to work hard to reach my goals,” Henderson told Bleacher Report. “Anderson is now at 10 title defenses so my goal is to get 11. If he gets another title defense then I’ll have to set my goal even higher. Those are the goals I set and reaching that goal is not just about setting the record. Reaching that goal is about confirming I am the best fighter on the planet. I just want to be the best fighter on the planet. There have been plenty of fighters—who at the time were known as the best fighter on the planet—but they didn’t have a 10-title defense streak and didn’t have all the records.
“I feel at one time BJ Penn was definitely the best fighter on the planet. Did he have a 10-fight win streak? No he didn’t. Did he have an undefeated streak where he won 16 fights in a row? No he didn’t. But at the same time, everyone knew and understood he was the best fighter in the world.
“I feel having that streak is my way of cementing the fact I am the best fighter on the planet. That is ultimately my goal. If it comes by winning a bunch of fights in a row and having an amazing win streak, then cool. I’ll take it. I guess I don’t really have to have that, but it is my ultimate goal. I want to be the best fighter I can be and be the best fighter on the planet.”
With two successful title defenses under his belt, the next challenge on Henderson’s path will come next month when he squares off with the last man to hold the Strikeforce lightweight championship—Gilbert Melendez.
The “clash of champions” will mark Melendez’s long-awaited Octagon debut, and Henderson is looking forward to mixing it up with the Skrap Pack leader in San Jose.
“I think it’s a really good matchup stylistically,” Henderson said. “The more and more I watch film on Gilbert, he does a great job of sticking to his game plan. From what I’ve seen his coaches come up with a great game plan and he does a wonderful job of sticking to that game plan as the fight goes on. That is probably one of the best things he does. His coaches come up with a good game plan and he stick to it throughout the entire fight.
“But stylistically I think it is a great matchup. We think he’s more than likely going to walk forward as he’s done in a lot of his past fights. There have been some fights where he hasn’t done that as much because the game plan was to be a little more elusive. But most of his fights he is pretty aggressive and he walks forward. We think he is going to come forward against us. I’m also going to walk forward and we are going to see who is better that night. I think it’s going to be a great fight for the fans to watch.”
The championship tilt with Melendez will come as the headlining bout at UFC on Fox 7 on April 20 in San Jose. The bout will mark the second consecutive time “Smooth” has been featured in the main event of a Fox card, with his most recent showing coming in a dominant victory over Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox 5 last December in Seattle.
It is an interesting turn of events for the top lightweight fighter in the world where the UFC on Fox cards are concerned.
His first showing at a UFC on Fox event, came in an untelevised scrap against former contender Clay Guida. Henderson and “The Carpenter” put on what many heralded as the night’s best fight, but because the the UFC’s debut on the Fox network was structured to only feature the heavyweight title bout between champion Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, Henderson’s fight was push to the Facebook portion of the card.
Now as Henderson prepares to headline another UFC on Fox event, he can’t help but feel a sense of validation for the work he has put in to reach premier showcase status.
“It’s a really good feeling,” Henderson said. “Fox is the biggest platform with the most viewers for the UFC. Five-and-a-half million people tuned in to the last Fox card and it’s cool knowing there are going to be that many people watching and knowing that the UFC and Fox picked Gilbert and I to the be the representatives of their brand. It’s nice to know that. It’s great to have that feeling.
“I love being on free TV. I love being on a platform where it’s not the core demographic of fans who are tuning in to watch the fights. It’s not just the 400,000 or 600,000 people who tune in to watch the UFC and are males in the 18-34 demographic. It’s not 500,000 people but 5.5 million who tuned in to watch. That’s awesome. Those are people who aren’t in the usual demographic and that is broadening the range of viewership. I like being able to fight on a bigger stage and a bigger platform and I think that’s awesome.
“The geek in me and the kid inside of me is stoked because the first UFC on Fox card was a big huge deal, with a ton of press and media, just a completely different thing and another animal unto itself,” Henderson added. “It was the UFC on Fox but Clay Guida and I were not on Fox. It was two heavyweights. Then my last fight headlined a Fox card which was awesome, and now for this card, Gil and I are the main event and there are two heavyweights as the co-main event below us.
“The kid in me gets a little geeky about that. I was with Frank Mir a couple of weeks ago in San Francisco and I was giving him all kinds of grief about how heavyweights always get the most love. They are always paid the most money and everybody’s always talking about them because they are big, huge guys who go after it. And I understand that but it’s cool to see us little guys, the little 155-pounders, getting to headline above the heavyweights. I like that.”
As Henderson’s title run continues, his visibility in the sport has increased leaps and bounds. Where he was once a hungry young fighter determined to climb the ladder, he is now in a place where his views and thoughts are rapidly shared throughout the MMA community.
A recent example came during his appearance at a Q & A session for UFC Fight Club members, where the champion was asked to share his personal thoughts on fighters who use performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) and Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT). While Henderson spoke his mind on the matter, the quote he provided quickly hit headlines across the MMA media landscape, making it seem as if the Arizona-based fighter was leading a crusade across the sport.
Henderson feels the articles which followed were misinformed, and he wanted to set the record straight on the matter.
“No, not at all,” Henderson answered when asked if he felt his status as a UFC champion was an important platform to speak out on the issue of PEDs and TRT. “Actually, to be honest, I feel that report was taken a little bit out of context. That question was brought to me on how I feel about the matter. If you want to take PEDs or TRT then by all means go ahead. I personally don’t even care. It’s fine and I’m not really against PEDs.
“That is the way it was worded incorrectly. I’m not against PEDs. I’m not against TRT. If you want to do that and if you choose to do that—by all means go ahead. I’m still going to beat you though. Whether you are on PEDs or TRT, I’m a pretty confident fighter, a confident person and I feel I’m pretty skilled. I’m in my prime and I feel I can beat anybody. If you are on PEDs or not on PEDs; I feel I can beat you. If you are on TRT or not on TRT; I feel I can beat you. It doesn’t really matter.
“I’m not really against PEDs so to speak. I think the way some people took it is that I’m out there preaching against PEDs and TRT. I don’t really care to be honest. It’s whatever. If you want to use those things then go ahead. If not then that is whatever too.”
While other things outside the cage will come and go from the forefront, the fact remains that Henderson’s attempt for greatness inside the Octagon will continue. The champion knows he has a formidable opponent in Melendez waiting for him in San Jose, and he will do everything in his power to make sure the performance he puts on at UFC on Fox 7 shows gained improvements from the last time he stepped into the cage.
At the end of the day, the process of progress is what matters most to Henderson. Despite having the championship belt in his possession, the former WEC-turned-UFC-lightweight titleholder is focused on making sure his skills continue to improve each and every time he steps into action.
For all the talent and confidence he exudes, it is the belief that hard work will make even the loftiest goals achievable. This is perhaps what sets Henderson apart from the rest of the pack. And as he often shares with his fans on Twitter, getting one percent better in the gym every day makes producing amazing results possible.
“By now I know my fans understand and realize I’m not one of those guys who needs extra motivation,” Henderson said. “I don’t need to say, ‘Oh this guy is talking crap about me and he thinks my teeth are jacked up. He doesn’t like my hair. He thinks I’m a paper champion and doesn’t think I really have the belt. Or this guy talked crap about my momma. Or this guy doesn’t like my toe nails.’ I don’t need that extra motivation.
“Every time I step into that Octagon I’m going to give 100 percent and put on a show. That’s just who I am and what I’m going to do. I’m always going to be fully prepared. I’m always going to be 100 percent physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually prepared as I can be. I will step into that Octagon and give 100 percent and all of my heart. I will give it all out there and not hold anything back. All my fans who know that, much love and appreciation goes out to them. Hopefully for the next Fox card, and the seven million people who tune in will see that and recognize that as well.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
And being that Mein was able to come away from the fight practically untouched, it was announced earlier today that “Young Gun” will now being making a quick turnaround against Matt Brown at UFC on FOX 7, as Brown’s original opponent, Dan Hardy, has been forced to withdraw from the fight due to injury. Barns, they will be burned.
So, Potato Nation, do you have Mein by murder or Brown by…murder?
[UPDATE]
Turns out Hardy wasn’t injured; he was not given medical clearance for the fight due to a pre-existing condition. Hardy gives us the details via his Twitter after the jump.
And being that Mein was able to come away from the fight practically untouched, it was announced earlier today that “Young Gun” will now being making a quick turnaround against Matt Brown at UFC on FOX 7, as Brown’s original opponent, Dan Hardy, has been forced to withdraw from the fight due to injury. Barns, they will be burned.
So, Potato Nation, do you have Mein by murder or Brown by…murder?
[UPDATE]
Turns out Hardy wasn’t injured; he was not given medical clearance for the fight due to a pre-existing condition. Hardy gives us the details via his Twitter after the jump.
Dan Hardy was to have a big opportunity at UFC on Fox 7.Beating Matt Brown would have given him a third straight win and a chance to make a statement on network television.Unfortunately, Hardy suffered an injury and was forced out of his scheduled bout…
Dan Hardy was to have a big opportunity at UFC on Fox 7.
Beating Matt Brown would have given him a third straight win and a chance to make a statement on network television.
Unfortunately, Hardy suffered an injury and was forced out of his scheduled bout with Brown (via MMAJunkie.com). Strikeforce veteran and budding prospect Jordan Mein will take the Englishman’s place on the April 20 fight card.
Details were not given on Hardy’s injury, but there is not yet reason to believe the former top welterweight contender will be out of action for an exceptionally long period.
Should Hardy be capable of returning to training within the next month or two, he could climb back into the cage quickly against an opponent who fought recently or will compete soon. One potential matchup of particular interest would be a fight between Hardy and another former UFC title challenger in Patrick Cote.
Cote recently made his UFC welterweight debut at UFC 158, where he picked up a narrow decision win over Bobby Voelker in his home country of Canada.
A bout between Hardy and Cote would make sense competitively, as both fighters have recently got back on a winning track after going through some struggles following their respective title shots against Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva.
However, what makes a fight between Hardy and Cote even more intriguing is the way the 170-pound competitors compare stylistically.
Hardy and Cote are solid boxers who are not often hesitant to enter into wild exchanges. The potential for a knockout in a bout between the two would be high. Even in the event that neither fighter is able to finish, a bout between Hardy and Cote would almost certainly turn into a Fight of the Night candidate.
Cote only received a 14-day medical suspension following his win over Voelker, so he should be ready to go again by late-summer or early-fall. Assuming Hardy did not suffer some type of career-altering injury, it’s not out of the question that he’d be ready to go within that same general timetable.
In an ideal world, this fight serves as a preliminary card headliner or main card opener at the UFC’s debut event on Fox Sports 1, which will take place on August 17.
Frank Mir has been there before. His back is against the proverbial wall. He has heard all about the hype of his opponent. He knows that he is being overlooked by the masses of fans and experts alike. On April 20th, 2013 in the co-main event, Frank Mir will once again step into the fabled Octagon to do battle with Daniel Cormier, the heavyweight division’s supposed next superstar. 
