Cody McKenzie is one weird dude. That’s been known since his days on The Ultimate Fighter, but the owner of the McKenzie-tine may have just upped the ante of being weird at the UFC on Fox 9 event.
It started with his fight with Sam Stout, in which…
Cody McKenzie is one weird dude. That’s been known since his days on The Ultimate Fighter, but the owner of the McKenzie-tine may have just upped the ante of being weird at the UFC on Fox 9 event.
It started with his fight with Sam Stout, in which McKenzie came into the contest wearing a pair of basketball shorts with the price tags still on. Bloody Elbow has the full breakdown of the story, and it’s clear that UFC president Dana White wasn’t happy.
Yeah how did ya like that one? That was fantastic right? What that was was UFC amateur hour. We have a guy backstage that polices all the things, when you got a guy going out there…first of all, if it’s not bad enough that he’s out there with basketball shorts on, how about that he’s still got the price tag on the shorts during the fight! Yeah, so it was pretty embarrassing.
Even worse for the UFC, as White would point out, this happened on a Fox show, not a pay-per-view. It’s not exactly the way you want to portray your sport as being professional.
Here’s a screenshot, in case you missed it. Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports explained that McKenzie forgot his fight shorts at the hotel and had to run across the street to buy a pair of shorts to prevent the fight from being delayed.
The struggling fighter also had no sponsor banner and only one man in his corner.
That’s strange enough, but of course it wouldn’t be a story about McKenzie if the weirdness stopped there.
Oh, and if McKenzie were hoping to return the shorts for a refund, it would’ve helped had he remembered his shorts.
Truly a weird series of events that has somehow made McKenzie one of the most talked-about fighters following UFC on Fox 9 despite losing a unanimous decision on the prelims. He’s 3-4 in his UFC tenure, and the UFC may decide McKenzie’s strangeness isn’t worth the trouble.
Demetrious Johnson was back to silencing critics in a UFC on Fox 9 rematch with Joseph Benavidez on Saturday.
Heading into his previous title defense against John Moraga, Johnson had seen seven straight fights go to the scorecards. That led many …
Demetrious Johnson was back to silencing critics in a UFC on Fox 9 rematch with Joseph Benavidez on Saturday.
Heading into his previous title defense against John Moraga, Johnson had seen seven straight fights go to the scorecards. That led many to question the flyweight champion’s finishing ability, but he responded with a submission win over Moraga at UFC on Fox 8.
Still, Johnson’s knockout power was being questioned prior to his appearance at UFC on Fox 9. “Mighty Mouse” answered those questions with a devastating knockout of Benavidez in the first round.
Johnson’s next fight is unknown right now, but it’s safe to say he’s going to be looking to keep proving people wrong as he builds his legacy as 125-pound champion. Here are the fights that could be next for Johnson, Benavidez and the rest of the UFC on Fox 9 competitors.
For an event that was initially much better on paper and seemed certain to disappoint, UFC on FOX 9 came through. The card was entertaining and ended in one of the best knockouts in recent memory.
Zach Makovsky defeated Scott Jorgensen via decision. Interestingly enough, Makovsky—a former Bellator champ—didn’t have to prove himself in WSOF to get a shot in the UFC. Funny how things work out like that, isn’t it?
Pat Healy dropped a unanimous decision to Bobby Green. The crowd booed the announcement (or maybe they were saying boo-urns). The decision wasn’t horrible although it was pretty clear Green didn’t win all three rounds (but somehow 2/3 judges thought he did).
Edson Barboza vs. Danny Castillo elevated the card’s energy level. In the first round, Castillo ran over Barboza like a freight train. He floored the Brazilian striker, unleashed vicious ground-and-pound, and nearly choked him out. Somehow, Barboza survived the torrent of offense and even managed to reverse his fortunes in the second round. In that frame, Barboza made use of leg and body kicks to stymie Castillo and nearly finish him. The third round was a little closer and slower-paced. Barboza walked away with a majority decision.
In the last preliminary fight, rising star and late replacement Ryan LaFlare carved up Court McGee‘s face with pinpoint striking. The Long Islander outworked McGee until the third round, where he started to gas a little bit. But LaFlare’s work in the first two rounds was enough to secure a unanimous decision.
For an event that was initially much better on paper and seemed certain to disappoint, UFC on FOX 9 came through. The card was entertaining and ended in one of the best knockouts in recent memory.
Zach Makovsky defeated Scott Jorgensen via decision. Interestingly enough, Makovsky—a former Bellator champ—didn’t have to prove himself in WSOF to get a shot in the UFC. Funny how things work out like that, isn’t it?
Pat Healy dropped a unanimous decision to Bobby Green. The crowd booed the announcement (or maybe they were saying boo-urns). The decision wasn’t horrible although it was pretty clear Green didn’t win all three rounds (but somehow 2/3 judges thought he did).
Edson Barboza vs. Danny Castillo elevated the card’s energy level. In the first round, Castillo ran over Barboza like a freight train. He floored the Brazilian striker, unleashed vicious ground-and-pound, and nearly choked him out. Somehow, Barboza survived the torrent of offense and even managed to reverse his fortunes in the second round. In that frame, Barboza made use of leg and body kicks to stymie Castillo and nearly finish him. The third round was a little closer and slower-paced. Barboza walked away with a majority decision.
In the last preliminary fight, rising star and late replacement Ryan LaFlare carved up Court McGee‘s face with pinpoint striking. The Long Islander outworked McGee until the third round, where he started to gas a little bit. But LaFlare’s work in the first two rounds was enough to secure a unanimous decision.
The once-much-better main card began with a mismatch (though it was fun to watch). Joe Lauzon brutalized the hopelessly outmatched Mac Danzig for 15 minutes en route to a unanimous decision victory. It was a bloody affair. Lauzon tempered his intensity with caution, not over-pursuing any finishes. Instead, he remained content with control and moderate amounts of damage that snowballed into the end result: Danzig’s face looking like it had gone through a wood chipper.
Chad Mendes and Nik Lentz faced off next. Mendes was his normal studly self early on, but succumbed to the fight’s pace. He won the fight via UD. It wasn’t the prettiest performance though. During a post-fight news blurb on FOX, Ariel Helwani claimed Mendes had a sinus infection (I think that’s the first time we’ve heard that excuse), so maybe that explains it.
The co-main event of the evening pitted Urijah Faber vs. Michael McDonald. The 22-year-old McDonald was out of his depth. Faber took the first round easily enough. In the second, “The California Kid” stunned McDonald and swarmed him. After a few punches against the staggered McDonald, Faber scored a guillotine finish. It was an excellent display of killer instinct. Faber became an animal when he saw McDonald was hurt.
The main event ended in unbelievable fashion. Demetrious Johnson landed a right hook that lawnchair’dJoseph Benavidez in the first round. It’s undoubtedly the most incredible KO in flyweight history and will likely stay that way for quite some time.
TL;DR – UFC on FOX 9 was supposed to be an incredible free card that demanded our attention. It was still fun due to the performances on the main card, but it could’ve been so much more had the plague of injuries never happened.
Complete Results:
Main Card
Demetrious Johnson def. Joseph Benavidez via KO (punch), 2:08 of Round 1
Urijah Faber def. Michael McDonald via submission (guillotine), 3:22 of Round 2
Chad Mendes def. Nik Lentz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Joe Lauzon def. Mac Danzig via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary Card
Ryan LaFlare def. Court McGee via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Edson Barboza def. Danny Castillo via majority decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Bobby Green def. Pat Healy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Zach Makovsky def. Scott Jorgensen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Sam Stout def. Cody McKenzie via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Abel Trujillo def. Roger Bowling via TKO (strikes), 1:35 of Round 2
Alptekin Ozkilic def. Daren Uyenoyama via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Coming into UFC on Fox 9, fans and observers weren’t convinced that the best flyweight fighters in the world could finish a fight.
After the main event Saturday night in Sacramento, Calif., in which Demetrious Johnson knocked out Joseph Benavidez in th…
Coming into UFC on Fox 9, fans and observers weren’t convinced that the best flyweight fighters in the world could finish a fight.
After the main event Saturday night in Sacramento, Calif., in which Demetrious Johnson knocked out Joseph Benavidez in the first round to retain the UFC flyweight title, perhaps some people saw a more convincing case.
About halfway through the opening round, Johnson blindsided Benavidez with a right hand that felled the challenger. A few relatively academic strikes later, and Johnson had defeated Benavidez by knockout at 2:08 of the very first round.
For Johnson, it’s the third consecutive defense of the UFC flyweight title. “Mighty Mouse” is the only fighter ever to hold UFC gold at 125 pounds.
This was the second time Johnson and Benavidez have squared off in the UFC. The first time, it was in 2012, and it was the finals of the UFC flyweight tournament, the winner of whom would become the promotion’s inaugural champion in that fledgling weight class.
Johnson won that fight by split decision. Though Benavidez threatened Johnson earlier in their original match, Johnson outlasted Benavidez down the stretch to earn the decision victory.
In the rematch Saturday night at UFC on Fox 9, Benavidez never had a major chance to leverage his strengths, as a result of the blow Johnson landed.
The loss by Benavidez rendered Benavidez‘s training camp, Team Alpha Male, 2-2 for the evening. The camp, founded by Urijah Faber, has met with major success recently in the UFC. As a result of its home base in Sacramento, it could be said that Team Alpha Male was the informal “host” of UFC on Fox 9.
In the co-main event, Faber used his signature move, the guillotine choke, to finish Michael McDonald in a bantamweight fight. Team Alpha Male member Chad Mendes defeated NikLentz by decision in a featherweight bout held earlier on the main card.
On the preliminary card, Team Alpha Male member Danny Castillo lost by decision to Brazilian EdsonBarboza in a lightweight bout.
But the star of the evening was Johnson. To watch the handiwork of Mighty Mouse, check out this video footage, courtesy of our friends at Fox Sports.
The road to the UFC bantamweight title still runs through Urijah Faber.
Just in case we forgot, we were reminded of that fact in emphatic fashion on Saturday night as Faber battered and tattered 22-year-old upstart Michael McDonald en route to a second…
The road to the UFC bantamweight title still runs through Urijah Faber.
Just in case we forgot, we were reminded of that fact in emphatic fashion on Saturday night as Faber battered and tattered 22-year-old upstart Michael McDonald en route to a second-round submission victory at UFC on Fox 9.
The win was important for Faber on at least three fronts. Not only did it secure probable No. 1 contender status and give him a big lift in his hometown of Sacramento, but it proved that at 34 years old, he’s still as good as anyone in the world at 135 pounds.
Well, almost anyone.
If there’s one thing that could keep Faber from claiming the next shot at the bantamweight strap, it’s that he’s already lost to both champion Dominick Cruz and interim champ RenanBarao. It would also take a bit of sitting on the sideline for Faber, since Cruz and Barao are scheduled to meet Feb. 1 in a title unification bout.
To hear him tell it, Faber wouldn’t mind the wait.
“I would love to fight either of those guys…,” he said at the post-fight news conference. “I’m ready to fight anyone at any time. Dana (White) knows that, everybody knows that. I’ll fight Godzilla, I’ll fight King Kong, I don’t care. I’m a little delusional about stuff (like that).”
Indeed, Faber has done everything he could to distance himself from those losses during 2013. His victory over McDonald capped a year that saw him go 4-0, including three impressive stoppages. In a bantamweight division not known for its depth, his popularity alone will make him a compelling option for UFC brass.
“Faber’s in this Vitor (Belfort) zone right now,” said White at the presser. “The older he gets, the better get gets. If you look at how good McDonald really is—and people were so excited for this fight—he literally shut Michael down for the entire fight.”
Anyone who’d written Faber off in recent years—he went 5-5 from 2008-12—got served another reminder that he’s more than just a pretty face as he drubbed McDonald, who came into the fight as a consensus top-five bantamweight.
Prior to the bout, McDonald said he expected to have the edge everywhere, but instead Faber proved to have the far better all-around game. His best weapon was a winging overhand right, which he landed with authority early and often.
He visibly hurt McDonald for the first time a minute and 13 seconds into the second round, sticking him with a right hand and a grazing front kick that momentarily put him on the run. As Faber pursued, McDonald blunted his attack with a right hook of his own and managed to recover.
Two minutes later he was not so lucky. Faber stumbled an advancing McDonald with another overhand to the temple, then unloaded with a series of rights as he pushed a dazed McDonald into the cage. When McDonald hit the ground, Faber caught him with a guillotine choke that elicited a tap.
The win over McDonald pushed him to 30-6 and preserved his bragging rights for having never lost a non-title fight. Dating back to Nov. 2008, however, he’s 0-5 in championship bouts.
If he gets a sixth, the former WEC featherweight king will have to approach it assuming it’s his last chance at UFC gold.
For now, though, Faber still holds more cards than any other contender in the bantamweight division.
Challenger Joseph Benavidez (19-4) and champion Demetrious Johnson (19-2-1) both loaded up big right hands about two minutes through the first round of their flyweight title fight.
Only one connected.
Johnson hit his opponent squarely. Benavidez o…
Challenger Joseph Benavidez (19-4) and champion Demetrious Johnson (19-2-1) both loaded up big right hands about two minutes through the first round of their flyweight title fight.
Only one connected.
Johnson hit his opponent squarely. Benavidez only hit air. Then he hit the mat, awakening to find officials surrounding him—a bitter way to learn he failed in a second attempt to win UFC gold.
The challenger, in truth, never saw it coming. Eyes closed, he had only his own right hook on his mind. After all, it’s one of his best weapons—a shot that can finish a fight if it lands.
Power was thought to be Benavidez’s big advantage in this bout. If anyone was ending the fight with one punch, it was going to be Benavidez. Johnson, conventional wisdom proclaimed, had to be perfect for 25 minutes on his way to a decision.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
One wrong for each of the punches that Johnson landed on the ground. He delivered them with lighting speed and efficiency in the heartbeat between knocking Benavidez to the floor and referee John McCarthy arriving on the scene to remove the challenger from harm’s way.
So much for Johnson not being a finisher.
In fairness, it was a reputation that he earned in the cage. Seven consecutive Johnson fights between 2011 and 2013 went to the judges’ scorecards. But after he has now finished two in a row, perhaps it’s time to rewrite the book on the flyweight kingpin.
They say speed kills. If that’s true, Johnson may just be the most dangerous man in UFC history. Beating his opponent to the punch has been a way of life for him. But he’s done it while maintaining constant motion, often landing punches that were more for the judges than to end the fight.
Sitting down on his punches for the first time in his career and looking to generate more power, Johnson looked like a new man. This was a different approach, but one that makes sense in today’s mixed martial arts.
“Tonight was a great moment for my career, but in reality it’s just another fight,” Johnson said. ”My goal is to keep evolving and displaying my skill set to fans and having them enjoy my fights.”
The question surrounding Johnson, at this point, is the talent of the division that is slowly being built around him. Benavidez was widely considered the top contender. Johnson has now beaten him twice. While the UFC could throw other guys in with him, no one else in the division generates much interest.
Perhaps after this highlight-reel knockout, Johnson can provide a little box-office juice of his own. As pre-fight host Curt Menefee mentioned, the champion has fought his last three bouts on Fox.
That’s not a good thing for Johnson.
While it has exposed him to millions of fans, it also means the UFC doesn’t quite trust him to headline a successful pay-per-view. And the promotion was probably correct—Johnson wasn’t ready. But with a few more right hands, it’s not too hard to see him standing tall alongside his fellow champions.
The road to the UFC bantamweight title still runs through 