Tag: UFC on FUEL 1

UFC on FUEL 1 Results: What We Learned from T.J. Dillashaw vs. Walel Watson

Fans learned that they should watch T.J. Dillashaw in the future, and they learned that Walel Watson can take punishment like few in the sport can.There was precious little else learned about Watson tonight.He was drilled, stretched, slammed and beaten…

Fans learned that they should watch T.J. Dillashaw in the future, and they learned that Walel Watson can take punishment like few in the sport can.

There was precious little else learned about Watson tonight.

He was drilled, stretched, slammed and beaten for three rounds. The fact that he saw the verdict was impressive enough. The fact that he went for submissions like an armbar or leg lock in the final round is also impressive.

Dillashaw needed the win too. He was already 0-1 in the promotions and was facing Watson who was 1-1 in the promotion and had lost his last fight. Whenever a fight like this is made, there is only one reason…

To make room in the roster for a new acquisition.

Both men seemed to sense it during the fight, but it was Dillashaw who was more urgent in his desire to not be released.

Dillashaw beat Watson badly and gave every impression of a man trying to make sure that the decision didn’t reach the judges. He wanted to make sure he won. Now with a victory, he can breath a little easier, though a loss would make him 1-2 with the promotion and easily mean a pink slip.

Watson should expect one of them at the end of the night or in the next coming days. He has lost his last two fights for the UFC with the only reason against it being that he lost a split decision to Yves Jabouin.

That may be enough to save his job but don’t be surprised if the UFC hands Watson his walking papers thanks to the beatdown Dillashaw gave him.

Dillashaw should expect a jump up in class now that he has proven he can not only hang but handle the lowest level of competition in the UFC.

Hopefully, he is prepared for it.

 

Matthew Hemphill writes for the MMA and professional wrestling portion of Bleacher Report.  He also hosts a blog elbaexiled.blogspot.com that focuses on books, music, comic books, video games, film and generally anything that could be related to the realms of nerdom.


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UFC on FUEL 1 Results: What We Learned from Aaron Simpson vs. Ronny Markes

Aaron Simpson lost his fight against Ronny Markes, but he still has a chance at being a serious contender. He just isn’t ever going to be a champion.Simpson lost a close fight with decent striking and slow grappling which some could argue that he won. …

Aaron Simpson lost his fight against Ronny Markes, but he still has a chance at being a serious contender. He just isn’t ever going to be a champion.

Simpson lost a close fight with decent striking and slow grappling which some could argue that he won. While he will have to bounce back, having lost to the unknown Brazilian, it could have been worse.

He could have lost a clear-cut decision or have been submitted or knocked out.

Simpson was able to start strong, but the fight got tougher as it went on, and he started making mistakes. Simpson might have allowed the pace to slow, or at 37, it might have been what he was capable of doing.

Letting his opponent have some breathing room was a terrible choice, and it gave Markes the chance he needed to convince the judges that he won.

Simpson just isn’t going to ever be a champion. He may one day be a contender, but with struggles, he showed against a relatively young fighter like Markes it’s clear that he just doesn’t have the time to learn what he needs to.

Not so late in the game.

It isn’t fair, but looking at Simpson’s record, he started fighting in 2000. He then took a seven-year sabbatical. He had his chance to attain MMA greatness, and he passed it up. It may be rude to say it, though that doesn’t make it untrue.

Simpson can recover from the setback of the Markes loss. He can work his way onto the main card and into the middleweight division’s top bracket.

But time isn’t on his side, and tonight, neither were the judges.

When the first runs out, he’ll find that MMA is a young man’s game.

And he just didn’t have enough.

 

Matthew Hemphill writes for the MMA and professional wrestling portion of Bleacher Report. He also hosts a blog elbaexiled.blogspot.com that focuses on books, music, comic books, video games, film and generally anything that could be related to the realms of nerdom.


Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on FUEL 1 Results: What We Learned from Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger

Jake Ellenberger is a top welterweight and the next opponent for the eventual winner of Carlos Condit and Georges St-Pierre.He proved tonight that he is just too talented to be anything else than a No. 1 contender, and that he should be mentioned with …

Jake Ellenberger is a top welterweight and the next opponent for the eventual winner of Carlos Condit and Georges St-Pierre.

He proved tonight that he is just too talented to be anything else than a No. 1 contender, and that he should be mentioned with the rest of the sport’s elite.

While the fight stayed on its feet most of the time, even when it went to the floor, Ellenberger was in charge. From raining blows down on Sanchez’s head to staying on top and winning ground control, he excelled.

The only scare was in the third round when Sanchez had him on the ground and was pummeling him with punches. Ellenberger showed the one thing that fans look for in a contender.

He showed determination.

He didn’t finish the round while in a negative situation and just let the clock run out. He pushed hard to regain his control and finish strong.

Making a mistake may cost him against fighters like Condit, who Ellenberger already has a split decision loss from, or Georges St-Pierre. The ability to come back from those mistakes and stay calm is what makes him a worthy challenger and a good matchup.

Ellenberger didn’t just prove himself to be a great mixed martial artist.

He proved that he is on the top of the division and punched his card to the main events and top billings that have eluded him thus far.

He did it by putting on an exciting fight and showing that every aspect of his game is honed and ready. While it will need some sharpening to stay ready for the unified welterweight champion, whoever that might be, he has sent a message to fans and future opponents.

Don’t overlook him or you’ll regret it.

Message received.

 

Matthew Hemphill writes for the MMA and professional wrestling portion of Bleacher Report.  He also hosts a blog elbaexiled.blogspot.com that focuses on books, music, comic books, video games, film and generally anything that could be related to the realms of nerdom.


Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on FUEL 2: 10 Truths

UFC on FUEL 1 has hit the archives, and now is the moment where we all try to find a way to squeeze our anticipation for the UFC’s return to FUEL TV somewhere between now and April 14th.With UFC 144 coming next week from Saitama, Japan, it might be a b…

UFC on FUEL 1 has hit the archives, and now is the moment where we all try to find a way to squeeze our anticipation for the UFC’s return to FUEL TV somewhere between now and April 14th.

With UFC 144 coming next week from Saitama, Japan, it might be a bit difficult to recall that UFC on FUEL TV 2 features a light-heavyweight bout between Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The card also features co-main event featuring Brian Stann and Alessio Sakara, the debut of Siyar Bahadurzada, and the world premiere of Scandinavian MMA on the UFC stage. But, if tonight’s card was any indication, the second go-round is looking like it could be every bit as great as the first time out.

So, even though we’re just coming off of a UFC on FUEL card right now, let’s taken a scrap-happy stroll through the UFC’s Swedish card and establish ten truths about what’s going down at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm on April 14th live on FUEL TV!

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UFC on Fuel TV Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Sanchez vs. Ellenberger

The UFC made its debut on Fuel TV earlier this year when the channel played host to the preliminary fights prior to UFC on FOX, but Wednesday night was the first time when Fuel TV got its own full fight card. The event headlined by welterweights Jake …

The UFC made its debut on Fuel TV earlier this year when the channel played host to the preliminary fights prior to UFC on FOX, but Wednesday night was the first time when Fuel TV got its own full fight card.

The event headlined by welterweights Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez lived up to the quality of a typical UFC event as there were numerous impressive finishes and exciting bouts.

In the end it was Jake Ellenberger who was the big winner of the night, earning a victory in the main event and further cementing himself as one of the top welterweight contenders in the sport.

He wasn’t the only winner, though, and a few of the biggest winners and losers didn’t even compete on the February 15 fight card. Let’s take a closer look at who the real winners and losers were from UFC on Fuel TV.  

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UFC on Fuel TV Results: What’s Next for Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez?

The main event at UFC on Fuel 1 was Jake Ellenberger’s from the opening bell until about two minutes left in the final round. Fighting before his home crowd, Ellenberger bloodied Sanchez with powerful shots in the standup and ground phases as well…

The main event at UFC on Fuel 1 was Jake Ellenberger’s from the opening bell until about two minutes left in the final round. Fighting before his home crowd, Ellenberger bloodied Sanchez with powerful shots in the standup and ground phases as well as weathered a frenzied last-minute comeback from the always-electric Sanchez to capture a unanimous-decision win.

So what’s next for these two? 

The victory (which should earn Fight of the Night honors for the event) leaves little doubt that Ellenberger (27-5, 6-1 UFC) is a certified top contender for the welterweight belt. However, there is more than a little doubt over when, where and against whom the next title bout would happen.

Welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre isn’t scheduled to resume fighting until November, and there are indications that interim belt-holder Carlos Condit’s return will track to GSP’s. After Nick Diaz’s positive drug test nixed a Diaz-Condit rematch, UFC President Dana White said Condit will not fight again between now and St-Pierre. The length of Diaz’s suspension hasn’t yet been announced, but if it’s one year, he could be returning just in time to face the winner. I’m going to go out on a limb and say there would be interest in either option. 

It could be well into 2013 before all that dust settles, meaning that even if Ellenberger is the No. 1 contender, he may want (or need) to take another fight (or two) in the meantime. It’s probably something the UFC will push with its top three welterweights already on ice.

If White really is going to keep Condit shelved and in the process and withhold Ellenberger’s rematch with the only man to defeat him in the Octagon, Ellenberger’s obvious next choice is fellow hard hitter Johny Hendricks, who received his contender’s card (and probably a few dozen long-stem roses from White) when he flattened Jon Fitch at UFC 141. Hendricks will face Josh Koscheck at UFC on Fox 3 in May. The winner of that bout (especially if it’s Hendricks) probably presents the stiffest challenge to Ellenbergers’s No. 1 contender status. So here’s your true title-eliminator.

As for Sanchez, he should face the loser of March’s tilt between Martin Kampmann and Thiago Alves. Can you believe Sanchez and Alves have never fought? And if Kampmann loses, it would be a rematch of one of the closest and most exciting welterweight fights in recent memory (a blood-soaked Sanchez won by decision).

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