Following UFC on Fox 8 in Seattle, the welterweight division has offered a new possible top contender at 170 to kingpin Georges St. Pierre. Unfortunately for the participants, they are teammates from Tristar gym, as Rory MacDonald defeated Jake Ellenbe…
Following UFC on Fox 8 in Seattle, the welterweight division has offered a new possible top contender at 170 to kingpin Georges St. Pierre. Unfortunately for the participants, they are teammates from Tristar gym, as Rory MacDonald defeated Jake Ellenberger to earn that right.
In addition to MacDonald winning at 170, Robbie Lawler continued his career resurrection with a destruction of Bobby Voelker. The former UFC prodigy launched a devastating head kick that earned him Knockout of the Night.
Here are the top 10 welterweights in the UFC in the aftermath of UFC on Fox 8.
UFC on Fox 8 proved to be another solid card from the UFC.
Demetrious Johnson defended his flyweight crown, Rory MacDonald jabbed his way to a win, and Robbie Lawler announced himself as a serious contender in the welterweight division.
The main card d…
UFC on Fox 8 proved to be another solid card from the UFC.
Demetrious Johnson defended his flyweight crown, Rory MacDonald jabbed his way to a win, and Robbie Lawler announced himself as a serious contender in the welterweight division.
The main card delivered on action, and the undercard wasn’t too shabby either. Several of the earlier bouts went to the judges’ scorecards after back-and-forth action, but several of the early bouts didn’t provide memorable performances.
Over the course of 12 fights, we witnessed some solid performances, as well as some less-than-stellar ones.
These are the most impressive performances from UFC on Fox 8.
Liz Carmouche got back on the winning track at UFC on Fox 8 with a TKO stoppage of Jessica Andrade.
Andrade came in as one of the top prospects, and she fought admirably against the No. 5 bantamweight in the world.
Carmouche got the takedown early in t…
Liz Carmouche got back on the winning track at UFC on Fox 8 with a TKO stoppage of Jessica Andrade.
Andrade came in as one of the top prospects, and she fought admirably against the No. 5 bantamweight in the world.
Carmouche got the takedown early in the second round and used her strong top game to pummel Andrade. The young Brazilian did well to survive for as long as she did, but eventually referee Herb Dean saw enough to stop to the action.
The win makes Carmouche‘s next move interesting. Four of the top six fighters are already booked in fights, and No. 1 Cat Zingano is injured.
Here are five possibilities for Carmouche‘s next fight.
On the night of July 27, Jake Ellenberger and Rory MacDonald met in the co-main event of UFC on Fox 8. The announced title eliminator proved to be a dull affair, as the duo had few meaningful exchanges at any point in the fight.
After 15 mo…
On the night of July 27, Jake Ellenberger and Rory MacDonald met in the co-main event of UFC on Fox 8. The announced title eliminator proved to be a dull affair, as the duo had few meaningful exchanges at any point in the fight.
After 15 mostly dull minutes in the cage, Ellenberger was forced to watch as MacDonald was awarded a decision victory.
Last summer, Ellenberger was on a seven-fight winning streak. Now, The Juggernaut has dropped two of his last four contests and has seemingly faded out of the title picture.
So, what is next for the wrestling stud after his discouraging defeat?
Plenty of options
The good thing about the welterweight division is that the rankings are always changing. That leaves Ellenberger with a lot of different opponents whom he has yet to face.
In fact, The Juggernaut has only faced three members of the current divisional top 10.
Prior to Saturday night, Jake was the No. 4 contender in the division. Although a drop in rank is expected, Ellenberger‘s history of success suggests that fighting a ranked opponent isn’t off the table.
An Evening with Kos
At the ill-fated UFC 151 event, Ellenberger was originally slated to fight Josh Koscheck. When The Ultimate Fighter alumnus was forced from the event, the matchup faded away into the darkness.
Fast forward one year and neither man has any momentum working in his favor. At this point, a high-profile win is necessary in order to get back on track.
Booking this fight once again pits two high-level wrestlers with dynamite in their hands against one another.
UFC on Fox 8 wasn’t the most anticipated card in UFC history, but it did provide several fighters with the platform to raise their stock in a big way.
Fighters like Demetrious Johnson, Robbie Lawler and Liz Carmouche all came out on top in front …
UFC on Fox 8 wasn’t the most anticipated card in UFC history, but it did provide several fighters with the platform to raise their stock in a big way.
Fighters like Demetrious Johnson, Robbie Lawler and Liz Carmouche all came out on top in front of a national television audience on Fox—a feat that is sure to be noticed when Dana White and Joe Silva sit down to determine their next opponents.
One of the most fun things to do after a card is to play the role of matchmaker, so let’s take a look at what the future might hold for the card’s biggest winners.
Liz Carmouche
Carmouche needed to make good on her opportunity to fight on the main card. After all, few fighters lose their debut fight and still wind up on the main card of a Fox event.
The former title challenger capitalized on the chance, though. After a back-and-forth first round that saw both fighters threaten with submissions, Carmouche took over in the second. She achieved multiple dominant positions, eventually raining down enough strikes to force the referee stoppage.
While she would probably like to think that the win puts her back in line for a title shot, that would be a little premature. As Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report pointed out before the fight, Carmouche had not beaten an opponent with a winning record before Saturday night.
It was a nice win, but watching her take on the winner of August’s Sara McMann vs. Sarah Kaufman bout would be a much better gauge of her title hopes. McMann is undefeated at 7-0, while Kaufman already owns a win over Carmouche.
Robbie Lawler
Most people expected either Rory MacDonald or Jake Ellenberger to emerge as the biggest winner in the welterweight division.
Instead, Robbie Lawler head kicked that idea into oblivion with his dominant second-round TKO win over Bobby Voelker.
It was probably the best version of the 31-year-old veteran we’ve seen. Voelker was a tough, underrated opponent, and Lawler looked crisper than usual as he picked him apart in the first round before sealing the deal in the second.
Many would love to see him get a rematch with Nick Diaz, but until he’s officially unretired, that’s not an option.
What is an option is pairing Lawler with Rory MacDonald. It’s unlikely that the fellow UFC on Fox 8 winner will fight Georges St-Pierre, and no one in the division is hotter than Lawler after this win.
Demetrious Johnson
This was by far the finest fight that “Mighty Mouse” has turned in since dropping down to flyweight. Any critics who said the champion couldn’t finish a fight were proved wrong. The 125er went for and got the submission victory in the fifth and final round.
Johnson could have sat on his lead on the scorecards—the first four rounds were unquestionably his, and John Moraga rocked him toward the end of the fourth round. Johnson went for the finish anyway and earned his first stoppage win as a flyweight.
With a win over everyone in the top four of the division, it’s likely Johnson is giving someone a rematch.
Joseph Benavidez makes the most sense. Their first bout for the title was a split decision, and he has since defeated Ian McCall and Darren Uyenoyama.
UFC on Fox 8 delivered numerous exciting bouts and featured Demetrious Johnson defending the UFC Flyweight Championship against John Moraga.
The co-main event of the evening saw Rory MacDonald jab his way to victory over Jake Ellenberger. The fight did…
UFC on Fox 8 delivered numerous exciting bouts and featured Demetrious Johnson defending the UFC Flyweight Championship against John Moraga.
The co-main event of the evening saw Rory MacDonald jab his way to victory over Jake Ellenberger. The fight didn’t live up to the billing, but MacDonald picked up the W anyhow.
Ten other bouts filled out the card. The majority of favorites won, and there was not a big shock on the card. Regardless, some fighters improved their stock on Saturday with their performances, while others hurt it. UFC on Fox 8 helped sort out the divisional riffraff.
On the night of July 27, Jake