The UFC appeared on Fuel TV for the second of six events to be broadcast on the cable network in 2012. Headlining the card was a light heavyweight bout between rising contender Alexander Gustafsson and Brazilian Thiago Silva. In the co-main event, midd…
The UFC appeared on Fuel TV for the second of six events to be broadcast on the cable network in 2012.
Headlining the card was a light heavyweight bout between rising contender Alexander Gustafsson and Brazilian Thiago Silva. In the co-main event, middleweight Brian Stann battled Alessio Sakara.
The event took place from the sold-out Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
Let’s take a look at how the night’s performances affected the stock of some of the combatants.
UFC on Fuel TV 2 is in the books. There were some very important matchups on the televised portion of the card that had divisional importance. Because of the outcomes, there will be some very interesting fights to be made in the future. Alexander …
UFC on Fuel TV 2 is in the books. There were some very important matchups on the televised portion of the card that had divisional importance. Because of the outcomes, there will be some very interesting fights to be made in the future.
Alexander Gustafsson impressed, as he systematically picked Thiago Silva apart for three rounds to win a unanimous decision. There was some hinting during the broadcast that he could be the next man to face Jon Jones, but those thoughts are way too premature.
The biggest surprise of the card was Siyar Bahadurzada putting Paulo Thiago to sleep with a right hand. It was as vicious a knockout as we’ve seen in the UFC, and Baha is the current front-runner for Knockout of the Year honors.
There were some big winners and even bigger losers Saturday night, so find out who impressed and who didn’t in the UFC’s first show in Sweden.
Fifty thousand dollars. That’s the reward the bantamweights Brad Pickett and Damacio Page earned for their electrifying opening bout of the UFC on Fuel TV 2 broadcast. The “Fight of the Night” performance is nothing unexpected for fans who followed the…
Fifty thousand dollars. That’s the reward the bantamweights Brad Pickett and Damacio Page earned for their electrifying opening bout of the UFC on Fuel TV 2 broadcast.
The “Fight of the Night” performance is nothing unexpected for fans who followed the now-defunct WEC. Although it’s been over a year since the promotion was absorbed by its big brother, its former fighters still fly under the radar to a large majority of the UFC’s viewing audience.
The back-and-forth battle that Pickett and Page engaged in was a testament to how special the lighter weight classes truly are.
In addition to the typical level of skill that fighters in the UFC exhibit, the pace that flyweights, bantamweights and featherweights can maintain is amazing. You’d be hard-pressed to find fighters in any of the aforementioned divisions who struggle with cardio issues.
Take the opening round, where the two fighters managed to score three takedowns—returning to the feet each time—inside of the first two minutes. And that was just the grappling.
In the second frame, Pickett rocked Page with a left hook and sent him crashing to the mat. However, Page survived Pickett’s onslaught and brought the fight back to the feet.
Ultimately, Pickett would force Page to give up his back and submit him, but the nine minutes that the fighters spent in the cage were undoubtedly the most exciting of the event.
And that’s just one fight.
Every time lighter weight fighters step into the Octagon, you can expect some of the most exciting action of the night.
UFC on Fuel TV 2 is now in the books.”All-American” Brian Stann turned in one of the most impressive performances of the evening— knocking out Alessio Sakara in the first round.Stann turned in the type of performance that we have grown accustomed…
“All-American” Brian Stann turned in one of the most impressive performances of the evening— knocking out Alessio Sakara in the first round.
Stann turned in the type of performance that we have grown accustomed to seeing from the former Marine. Stann took the center of the octagon early and looked to strike with the former professional boxer and displayed impressive power in earning the finish.
With the win, Stann takes the first step in regaining the momentum he had before falling to Chael Sonnen at UFC 136.
With yet another win over a mid-tier middleweight, Stann will once again be looking to step up in competition and become a contender in the division.
Here are some possibilities for Stann’s next fight.
Kickboxing specialist and former top 10 lightweight Dennis Siver made his featherweight debut against Diego Nunes in Sweden. In a closely-contested fight, Siver took home a unanimous decision victory over the Brazilian. Siver’s performance leaves somet…
Kickboxing specialist and former top 10 lightweight Dennis Siver made his featherweight debut against Diego Nunes in Sweden. In a closely-contested fight, Siver took home a unanimous decision victory over the Brazilian.
Siver’s performance leaves something to be desired from the German-Russian fighter.
As evidenced by the fact that he weighed in over the 146-pound limit initially, dropping the additional 10 pounds was a tougher endeavor than he had anticipated. Although he did not show significant cardio issues during the bout, his output was slower than past Octagon appearances.
After defeating Nunes, many are throwing Siver’s name into the featherweight title picture. However, that’s a bit hasty—even in a division void of legitimate challengers.
While the decision victory was not controversial, an argument could be made that Nunes was equally deserving of the nod on the judges’ scorecards.
Couple that with the fact that Siver was dominated by Donald Cerrone in his last outing at lightweight and was on the receiving end of a questionable decision over Matt Wiman before that, and Siver is anything but a contender.
Many will point to his 8-2 record over his last 10 fights, but his last three performances reveal a fighter that would be demolished by current 145-pound kingpin Jose Aldo.
Siver was able to withstand the striking attack of Nunes—who has only five finishes by strikes in 20 fights—but against a fighter like Aldo, Siver would be overwhelmed in much the same manner he was by Cerrone in his last outing at 155.
There’s no doubt that the UFC needs depth in the featherweight division and the veteran Siver provides that. In fact, the win over Nunes certainly puts him in the top 10, but until he strings together a few more wins in his new weight class, he’s nowhere near ready for Aldo.
UFC has just completed it’s second edition of UFC on Fuel and its first ever fight card in Sweden. Once again, the UFC knocked it out of the park. What a night of fights!So, now that the dust has settled, the burning question in everyone’s minds: How c…
UFC has just completed it’s second edition of UFC on Fuel and its first ever fight card in Sweden. Once again, the UFC knocked it out of the park. What a night of fights!
So, now that the dust has settled, the burning question in everyone’s minds: How close does his win over Thiago Silva put Alexander Gustafsson to a title shot?
Without question, Alexander Gustafsson is an up and coming talent at 205 lbs. Gustafsson, Ryan Bader, Phil Davis and probably Thiago Silva: These are the up-and-coming talents that are the cream of the crop of the rising Jon Jones generation of Light Heavyweight fighters.
The trouble is, none of this new generation of fighters has the tools it will take to beat the current champion, Jon Jones.
Mark my words, the man that beats Mr. Bones Jones will be some young phenom who we haven’t heard of yet.
And contrary to popular speculation, Jonny “Bones” Jones has absolutely no reason to leave the 205 lbs division anytime soon. Why leave when you’re the reigning champion? More importantly, if you are not yet the most dominant champion your division has ever seen, the job just ain’t done yet. Until Jones has at least six title defenses, don’t expect Jonny to fight anywhere outside of 205 lbs.
The hard truth is that Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida are the only real threats to Jon Jones right now. Any one of them will have to get lucky to beat Jones and all three are getting closer and closer to retirement.
So having said all that, does Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson get a shot at Jon Jones’ title?
Yes he does. Right now, Gustafsson is just one big win away from a title shot and here is your short list of names that would be big enough to make it happen: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida, Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson and ironically enough, a rematch with “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis.
Shogun and Machida are available, but I think Alexander would lose to either man. Avenging his only loss against Phil Davis would be the best option in my opinion, and that’s no easy fight either. If Gustafsson faces and beats any one of these three fighters, he gets to fight for the title.
That would put him next in line after Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson.
Barring an unexpected upset, Jon Jones will still be the reigning champion if and when it is Gustafsson’s turn to fight for the belt. That will be a very short night for “The Mauler.” Jones will likely finish him by brutal ground and pound or submission in the first round.
So why schedule the fight at all?
Just because we don’t think a fighter can beat the champion does not mean you don’t make the fight happen anyways. You never know when “the challenger who can’t possibly win” turns out to be the next Frankie Edgar or the next Cain Velasquez. If a fighter has earned a shot at the title, just schedule the fight and let the chips fall where they may.
After challenging Jon Jones for the title and getting beaten in devastating fashion, Mr. Gustafsson will fall back into the ranks of elite Light Heavyweights. Expect “The Mauler” play the same role as Shogun Rua did in Pride FC: The elite non-champion high octane fighter who puts on some of the most exciting fights the UFC has ever seen. Alexander is just 25 years old, so we can expect him to be a big name in the UFC for years to come.
UFC has just completed it’s