Tag: UFC on Fox 7

3 Reasons Daniel Cormier Doesn’t Present a Real Threat to Jon Jones

Daniel Cormier is an absolute monster in the heavyweight division. After manhandling Frank Mir in the co-main event of UFC on Fox 7, “DC” now holds a profession record of 12-0 and additional wins over the likes of Josh Barnett and title contender Anton…

Daniel Cormier is an absolute monster in the heavyweight division. After manhandling Frank Mir in the co-main event of UFC on Fox 7, “DC” now holds a profession record of 12-0 and additional wins over the likes of Josh Barnett and title contender Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.

Due to his shorter stature, talks of Cormier moving to light heavyweight have been heard since his Strikeforce debut. However, after the Olympian called out champion Jon Jones in January, fans have been calling for a title shot as soon as possible.

But Daniel Cormier simply doesn’t have what it takes to be a real threat to the reigning champion. Here is a look at three reasons why.

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UFC on Fox 7 Results: 5 Fights for Benson Henderson to Take Next

UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson just barely held on to his title on Saturday night, taking a razor-thin split decision over challenger Gilbert Melendez.Emerging once again as the victor, Henderson adds another big name to his list of victims, as…

UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson just barely held on to his title on Saturday night, taking a razor-thin split decision over challenger Gilbert Melendez.

Emerging once again as the victor, Henderson adds another big name to his list of victims, as he’s taken out most of MMA‘s elite 155ers during his tenures as a WEC and UFC champ. Slowly but surely, “Smooth” is clearing out the cluttered division, but with so many challengers, that means Henderson still has a lot of potential matchups ahead of him.

One bout that seems to be on the immediate horizon is the winner of the upcoming battle between Gray Maynard and T.J. Grant, as UFC President Dana White announced at last night’s post-fight press conference.

Whether it’s Maynard, Grant, or another top lightweight name, let’s take a look at some potential future matchups for the reigning champ.

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UFC on Fox 7: Memorable Moments from San Jose

UFC on Fox 7 was billed as one of the more stacked cards since the UFC-Fox partnership began, and for the most part, it didn’t disappoint.The main card got off to a furious start with Matt Brown and Jordan Mein going punch for punch with one another. T…

UFC on Fox 7 was billed as one of the more stacked cards since the UFC-Fox partnership began, and for the most part, it didn’t disappoint.

The main card got off to a furious start with Matt Brown and Jordan Mein going punch for punch with one another. The pace continued with Nate Diaz and Josh Thomson putting on an interesting scrap.

Daniel Cormier used his superior wrestling skills to avoid Frank Mir’s strikes and his jiu-jitsu game en route to a victory, and Benson Henderson edged Gilbert Melendez in the evening’s main event.

It was a solid event for the UFC, but as always a few moments stood out from the rest and were by far the most memorable from UFC on Fox 7.

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Henderson vs Melendez: Breaking Down the FightMetric Numbers

Gilbert Melendez got robbed on Saturday night! Or did he?Fans who attended UFC on Fox 7 in San Jose were very vocal about their disagreement with the judges decision to award Benson Henderson a split-decision victory.The controversy grew even more when…

Gilbert Melendez got robbed on Saturday night! Or did he?

Fans who attended UFC on Fox 7 in San Jose were very vocal about their disagreement with the judges decision to award Benson Henderson a split-decision victory.

The controversy grew even more when Fox commentators Chael Sonnen and Brian Stann both told the home audience that they scored each of the first three rounds for Melendez.

However, thanks to the stat-counting website FightMetric, we can take a look at the numbers and see whether or not the judges got it right. 

In terms of strikes attempted, we can see that Melendez was the more active fighter in four of the five rounds, but he did not outscore Henderson in terms of landed strikes in any of the rounds.

Let’s take a look at the scoring criteria for UFC contests: 

  • Effective striking
  • Effective grappling
  • Octagon control
  • Effective Aggression

Of the strikes that technically scored for Benson Henderson were his series of leg kicks that were thrown in all five rounds. However, Melendez did a fantastic job of countering those kicks by catching the leg and countering with a trip or strike.

For that reason, it’s difficult to suggest that Benson clearly won any of the early rounds, despite his margin of victory in significant strikes.

In terms of effective grappling, we see that Henderson went 0-for-4 in takedown attempts throughout the fight. Meanwhile, he was taken down by Melendez in Round 1 and tripped at several points. That leans us towards Melendez in terms of effective grappling throughout the contest.

Then when you consider that Melendez spent a healthy portion of the contest pushing the pace and going toe-to-toe with the champion, it’s hard to justify El Nino not pulling ahead in the areas of Octagon control or effective aggression.

However, the numbers dictate that Henderson did enough to earn the victory by allowing Melendez to score less than 10 significant strikes in each of the final three frames. In a fight that was largely contested on the feet, that is fairly damning evidence.

What do you think about the decision? Tell us in the comments below.

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UFC on Fox 7 Results: 5 Fights for Jordan Mein to Take Next

For the first time in his young career, Jordan Mein looked his age at UFC on Fox 7 on Saturday night.After impressing in his UFC debut, the 23-year-old prodigy found himself completely overwhelmed by surging welterweight contender Matt Brown.Part of th…

For the first time in his young career, Jordan Mein looked his age at UFC on Fox 7 on Saturday night.

After impressing in his UFC debut, the 23-year-old prodigy found himself completely overwhelmed by surging welterweight contender Matt Brown.

Part of the problem was Mein‘s striking defense. Instead of keeping his hands up and circling out of danger, Mein constantly dropped his hands in panic mode and moved straight back.

This eventually cost him in the second round, as Brown opened up with knees from the clinch and finished with elbows on the ground to earn the TKO stoppage.

Mein has a wealth of experience considering his age. He has competed in well over 30 professional MMA bouts. His coaches should be able to chalk this up as a learning experience and go back to the drawing board.

There is plenty of time for Mein to make the necessary adjustments to come back as a much improved version of the fighter who stepped into the cage on Saturday night.

Here are the five fights he should take next.

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UFC on Fox 7 Results: 5 Fights for Nate Diaz to Take Next

On Saturday night, lightweight bad boy Nate Diaz returned to the Octagon for the 18th time. Unfortunately for the Stockton, Calif., brawler, things didn’t go his way. Unable to stop the head kicks thrown from opponent Josh Thomson, Diaz suffered the fi…

On Saturday night, lightweight bad boy Nate Diaz returned to the Octagon for the 18th time. Unfortunately for the Stockton, Calif., brawler, things didn’t go his way. Unable to stop the head kicks thrown from opponent Josh Thomson, Diaz suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

Diaz is no chump though. Although his game plan never seems to vary, he learns from every loss and comes back stronger than ever before. 

Here is a look at five fights for Nate Diaz to take upon his return.

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