Tag: UFC on Fuel 9

UFC on Fuel TV 9: Latifi vs. Mousasi Fight Card, TV Info and Predictions

The UFC Fuel 9 main event received a major change when Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson was ruled out due to a nasty cut above his eye, per Franklin McNeil and Josh Gross of ESPN. Although fans would have loved to see the Mauler in action against Gega…

The UFC Fuel 9 main event received a major change when Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson was ruled out due to a nasty cut above his eye, per Franklin McNeil and Josh Gross of ESPN.

Although fans would have loved to see the Mauler in action against Gegard Mousasi, he has been replaced by Ilir Latifi.

The 29-year-old Swedish light heavyweight stands 5’8″ and carries the nickname Sledgehammer.

He will be making his UFC debut against Mousasi, who is also fighting in the UFC for the first time. The man they call the Dreamcatcher is one of the best fighters to come to the UFC from Strikeforce.

He hasn’t lost a fight since April 2010 and carries an impressive MMA record of 33-3-2 overall. He had hoped to make his debut against a young, highly touted fighter like Gustafsson, but he’ll get Latifi instead.

While he obviously doesn’t carry the same name recognition as Gustafsson, he does offer some intrigue as an unknown commodity.

He has a record of 7-2 and with the fight taking place at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, he will likely have his share of supporters.

Get to know the Sledgehammer:

Per Bleacher Report’s own Jeremy Botter, Mousasi is looking for a shot at a title or at least a meeting with Lyoto Machida. But first, he must deal with Latifi.

Here is how you can catch this fight and the rest of the Fuel 9 card.

 

When: Saturday, April 6, at 2 p.m. ET

Where: Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden

TV: Fuel TV

Live Stream: Preliminaries on Facebook

 

Main Card on Fuel

  • Gegard Mousasi (33-3-2) vs. Ilir Latifi (7-2)
  • Ross Pearson (14-6) vs. Ryan Couture (6-1)
  • Matt Mitrione (5-2) vs. Phil DeFries (9-2)
  • Brad Pickett (22-7) vs. Mike Easton (13-2)
  • Diego Brandao (15-8) vs. Pablo Garza (12-3)
  • Akira Corrasani (10-3) vs. Robbie Peralta (16-3)

 

Preliminary Fights on Facebook

  • Reza Madadi (12-3) vs. Michael Johnson (12-7)
  • Tor Troeng (15-4-1) vs. Adam Cella (4-0)
  • Chris Spang (5-1) vs. Adlan Amagov (11-2-1)
  • Marcus Brimage (6-1) vs. Conor McGregor (12-2)
  • Benny Alloway (12-3) vs. Ryan LaFlare (7-0)
  • Michael Kuiper (12-1) vs. Tom Lawlor (8-5)
  • Papy Abedi (8-2) vs. Basem Yousef (8-1)

 

Predictions

* indicates more information below

Matchup

Coverage

 Weight Class Hype Favorite – Per Fight Bet Network

My Pick

Benny Allaway vs. Ryan LaFlare

 Facebook

Welterweights

 Low LaFlare -175 LaFlare

Marcus Brimage vs. Connor McGregor

Facebook Lightweight Moderate McGregor -160 Brimage

Michael Kuiper vs. Tom Lawlor

 Facebook Middleweight Moderate Lawlor -175 Lawlor

Papy Abedi vs. Besam Yousef

Facebook

 Welterweights Low Abed -127 Abedi

Chris Spang vs. Adlan Amagov

 Facebook

Welterweights

 Low Amagov -155 Amagov

Tor Troneg vs. Adam Cella

 Facebook Middleweight Low Troeng -215  Troeng 

Reza Madadi vs. Anthony Johnson

Facebook

Lightweight

 Moderate Johnson -225 Madadi*

Akira Corassani vs. Robbie Peralta

Fuel TV

Featherweight

 Moderate

Peralta -333

Corassani

Diego Brandao
vs. Pablo Garza

 Fuel TV Featherweight Moderate Brandao -200 Brandao

Brad Pickett vs. Mike Easton

 Fuel TV Bantamweight High Pickett -149 Pickett*

Matt Mitrione vs. Phil DeFries

 Fuel TV Heavyweight High Mitrione -302 Mitrione*

Ross Pearson vs. Ryan Couture

 Fuel TV Lightweight High Pearson -376 Couture

Gegard Mousasi
vs. Ilir Latifi

 Fuel TV Light Heavyweight High -1000 Mousasi*

 

Johnson Will Fall to Madadi

Michael “The Menace” Johnson has been anything but menacing in his latest bouts. He was dominated by Myles Jury at UFC 155, and he seems to falling into a very non-aggressive pattern.

He doesn’t have big power and he appears content with simply surviving on the ground.

Madadi lost a controversial split-decision to Cristiano Marcello at UFC 153, but prior to that he had won seven fights in a row. I see him applying the same type of pressure to Johnson that Jury did.

Johnson won’t be knocked out, but expect to see him bloodied again from top control and ground and pound from Madadi.

 

Easton‘s Intimidation Factor is Gone

For a while Mike “The Hulk” Easton‘s aggression and big-time KO power was intimidating many bantamweights, but I think Raphael Assuncao’s shut-out victory over Easton at UFC on Fox 5 may have created the blueprint for stopping the Hulk.

Assuncao’s movement and unpredictable striking gave Easton a problem.

The veteran Pickett will do his best to employ this strategy, but he also packs quite a punch himself. He’s coming off a thrilling split-decision defeat to Eddie Wineland at UFC 155, but he will rebound with a win over Easton.

 

Mitrione will Be the Latest To Blast De Fries

I’ve never been overly impressed with Mitrione, but I’ve been even less impressed with De Fries. He looked scared to death against Todd Duffee at UFC 155.

Duffee is more athletic than Mitrione, but they both use a similar all-out assaulting style. De Fries has been vulnerable to the big powerful striker in his career.

Duffee knocked him out in the first round and Stipe Miocic put him to sleep in the first 43 seconds of their fight at UFC on Fuel 1. Mitrione will join that list.

 

Home-Field Advantage Won’t Help Latifi

Despite getting an opportunity to make his UFC debut in front of his hometown crowd, Latifi will be defeated by Mousasi.

UFC fans that aren’t aware of Mousasi‘s ability will learn first hand on Saturday night why he is highly regarded in the sport. He is a very well-balanced fighter, and in this fight he will use his five-inch height advantage to tag Latifi from distance.

Even if the fight goes to the mat, Mousasi is more than capable of finishing his opponent there as well. He has 11 submission victories in his career.

This should be a nice showcase for him.

 

Follow me, because Royce Gracie started me on this MMA path, and now I’m out of control.

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Alexander Gustafsson on UFC on Fuel 9 ‘Worst Time of My Career’

UFC light heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson has spoken of his bitter disappointment in being forced out of this Saturday’s UFC on Fuel 9 event in his home country of Sweden. In an interview with Fighters Only Magazine, he described it as the &ldqu…

UFC light heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson has spoken of his bitter disappointment in being forced out of this Saturday’s UFC on Fuel 9 event in his home country of Sweden.

In an interview with Fighters Only Magazine, he described it as the “worst time of my career.”

“It’s been terrible, been the worst moment in my life in my career so far. I lost once in my career but this is even worse. It’s been a circus. It’s been a rollercoaster,” said Gustafsson.

The Swedish title prospect was scheduled to fight former Strikeforce and DREAM 205-pound champion Gegard Mousasi in the latter’s first appearance under the UFC banner. A win in the match could have potentially launched him straight into a title fight against division champion Jon Jones, who’s currently training for a match again Chael Sonnen later this month.

“After I got the stitches the doctor said here in Sweden they’re very sensitive when it comes to blood and everything,” said Gustafsson.

The decision of the Swedish MMA Federation (SMMAF) to refuse to licence the fighter after inspecting the injury, has been highly controversial. UFC president Dana White has called it “the worst decision I have ever seen to pull [a] fight.”

Gustafsson agrees.

“I’ve been fighting the whole week me and my team to just get this fight, to make this happen. Just few days ago this wasn’t a problem. In my wildest fantasies I would never believe this would be happening…But now it’s happened and everything went so fast, I’ve been training my ass off, it’s been the best camp in my career, I’m in the best shape ever, I’m ready for fighting 10 rounds. I’m super hungry to fight.”

This is, indeed, a huge blow to the Swede who has only ever lost once in his entire 16-fight MMA career, and is currently riding a six-fight win streak. That has taken him closer to the title than almost anyone else in the division, and on Saturday, against Mousasi, he was ready to make his case. That is all left for an uncertain future now which, in the shifting sands of the UFC, could mean a title prospect is a long way off.

Jones is due to take on Sonnen at UFC 159 on April 27. Should the champion win, he could face Lyoto Machida in a rematch, after the Brazilian defeated former No. 1 contender, Dan Henderson, earlier this year.

However, that fight isn’t certain either, since Machida is eager to get back in the cage in a pre-title fight, perhaps at catchweight, against a different opponent. It may end up that the winner of Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans at UFC 161 in June gets the nod instead—even though Evans has also faced and lost to Jones before.

There are certainly plenty of options for the UFC, if its 205-pound kingpin does in fact get past Sonnen in a couple of weeks. That’s why it’s imperative for Gustafsson to get back in the cage as soon as possible and make his case.

The Swedish fighter says he has no idea when he’ll be able to fight next, but he has been told to let the injury heal for a further two weeks.

Mousasi, meanwhile, is now facing Gustafsson’s teammate, the little known—and little fancied—Ilir Latifi.

Of his replacement, the Swede says, “He’s a great person and a great athlete. He’s very serious and he’s a strong guy. He’s going to give Gegard a fight on Saturday, that’s for sure.”

The match takes place in Stockholm on April 6.

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UFC President Dana White Lashes out at Fans over UFC on Fuel 9, Gustafsson

Several fans aren’t happy about losing Alexander Gustafsson vs. Gegard Mousasi as the UFC on Fuel 9 main event, but Dana White doesn’t want to hear it.After all, the card is “free” on Fuel TV.But with Gustafsson officially benched due to a cut about hi…

Several fans aren’t happy about losing Alexander Gustafsson vs. Gegard Mousasi as the UFC on Fuel 9 main event, but Dana White doesn’t want to hear it.

After all, the card is “free” on Fuel TV.

But with Gustafsson officially benched due to a cut about his left eye, Mousasi is now in a risky situation, facing a virtual unknown in Swedish fighter Ilir Latifi, a 29-year-old prospect with just 10 total bouts on his professional MMA record.

As more people have voiced their displeasure to Dana White on Twitter, the UFC president has fired back at some of his detractors, apparently fed up with the feedback:

Even though Swedish website MMA NYTT had reported on March 31 that Gustafsson would likely not be medically cleared to fight, White spent April 1 re-assuring fans that “The Mauler” was still scheduled to meet Mousasi in Stockholm, Sweden.

Fans were left with nothing but confusion in the wake, even falling for an April Fools’ Day prank by Wanderlei Silva, who claimed that the UFC asked him to step in on short notice. Many outlets reported Silva’s statement, with even Mousasi saying that he would accept the fight.

Of course, the whole thing turned out to be a ruse.

According to Mousasi (via MMA Junkie), even former UFC champion Vitor Belfort was rumored at one point to be a potential candidate for a last-minute replacement, but that plan apparently never came to fruition.

Instead, the main event spot eventually wound up going to Latifi—Gustafsson’s sparring partner at the Allstars Training Center.

Since none of the other bouts in the Fuel TV event were suitable as an alternate headliner, some MMA pundits have argued that the card is far less appealing without a “name” fighter like Gustafsson. That doesn’t fly with White, who says there’s little reason to complain:

Unless prominent MMA journalists fail to press the issue, White may have to field questions about how he handled the entire debacle during the remainder of fight week.

Overall, it’s not unusual behavior for the bombastic and sharp-tongued UFC president, who often uses his Twitter account to interact with nearly 2.5 million followers. Over the years, Dana White hasn’t been shy about frequently trading thoughts, opinions and insults with many of his fans—and UFC on Fuel 9 is no exception.

 

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist. His work has appeared in NVision, PC World, Macworld, GamePro, 1UP, MMA Mania & The L.A. Times.

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UFC on Fuel 9: Who’s on the Hot Seat on Gegard Mousasi vs. Ilir Latifi Card

UFC on Fuel 9 will go down on Saturday from the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. In a very unfortunate change of plans, the original main event between Alexander Gustafsson and Gegard Mousasi has given way to Mousasi versus injury replacement…

UFC on Fuel 9 will go down on Saturday from the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. In a very unfortunate change of plans, the original main event between Alexander Gustafsson and Gegard Mousasi has given way to Mousasi versus injury replacement Ilir Latifi.  That change was necessitated when Gustafsson was cut in training and removed from the fight.

The late change shines a spotlight on Mousasi, putting him in the position of being the guy that’s supposed to walk right over the unheard-of opponent.  You know, no pressure or anything. 

Mousasi is not the only fighter on the card that will be facing scrutiny. Some will be in a must-win situation because of their record, while others will be in that spot because of the hype that will accompany them to the Octagon.

What follows are the fighters on the proverbial hot seat heading into Saturday’s fight card.

Begin Slideshow

Rashad Evans Wrong in Criticizing Way Alexander Gustafsson Handled Injury

The UFC has seen its fair share of injuries over the last few years. Some of these injuries have come with plenty of time to spare before the event, while others, like the recent one to Alexander Gustafsson, have come darn close to fight night. The Gus…

The UFC has seen its fair share of injuries over the last few years. Some of these injuries have come with plenty of time to spare before the event, while others, like the recent one to Alexander Gustafsson, have come darn close to fight night.

The Gustafsson injury is a hot topic among MMA fans right now, and who can blame them? When you go from looking forward to a bout that could have title-shot implications to one that you have to do some deep digging to find out anything at all about the fighter, tongues are going to wag.

And that’s the situation we find ourselves in here. Gustafsson is out of Saturday’s UFC on Fuel 9 main event against Gegard Mousasi, and the pretty much unknown Ilir Latifi is in, according to MMAJunkie.com.

The reason that Gustafsson is out is simple: The Swedish MMA Federation ruled that the cut the fighter suffered while training would not allow him to be cleared for the fight and ruled him ineligible to compete on Saturday. In stepped Latifi on short notice.

MMA being MMA, things are never that simple.

On the April 2 edition of Fuel TV’s UFC Tonight, hosts Kenny Florian and Rashad Evans were discussing the incident when the question was raised if Gustafsson made the right call by talking to the SMMAF. Evans replied:

Whenever you fight, whatever the case may be, you want to make sure you are the best that you can be going into the cage, but I mean, you have three stitches. You don’t have to tell the commission about it, you’re volunteering information that you shouldn’t be. I know guys that had stitches going into it and as long as they make it past the physical on Friday before the fight then they’re good to go, but I mean, three stitches?  Maybe it’s deeper or worse than it looks and he wouldn’t have been able to fight. I don’t know.

In short, Evans was saying roll the dice and hope for the best. I think this is dangerous and reckless advice coming from a former UFC champion.

Gustafsson’s cut wasn’t one of those nagging little injuries that almost every fighter has going into a bout—this was a cut on his face that needed medical attention to be closed. To think that the physicians wouldn’t notice some fresh, raw scar tissue on Gustafsson’s eyebrow and inquire about it is foolish. There’s no way a credible physician doesn’t look at that, question it and seriously debate whether or not to let the fight go on, judging by where the damage was.

The best-case scenario is that Gustafsson passes the physical and can fight, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief, but what if the best-case scenario doesn‘t play out?

What if Gustafsson had rolled the dice and got caught, and the fight is then cancelled the day before the event? Does the UFC have a contingency plan?

Nope, because essentially no one knew he was hiding a potentially fight-ending injury. Does the UFC let Gustafsson slide with a “hey, you were trying to do the right thing, no worries”?

That’s doubtful. The reality is, had Gustafsson tried to get away with something and got caught, all blame would have been focused on him. Don’t think that’s the case? Ask Jon Jones about that one. 

Gustafsson did the right thing, he did the safe thing and no one should question that—especially not another fighter who knows how swift and ugly the repercussions can sometimes be if you mess with the UFC.

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UFC on Fuel 9: Gegard Mousasi Says Vitor Belfort Wanted to Replace Gustafsson

Just a week away from UFC on Fuel 9, top light heavyweight fighter Gegard Mousasi was without an opponent for the card as Alexander Gustafsson found himself injured.Now, Mousasi is facing Swedish prospect Ilir Latifi on just a few days’ notice, co…

Just a week away from UFC on Fuel 9, top light heavyweight fighter Gegard Mousasi was without an opponent for the card as Alexander Gustafsson found himself injured.

Now, Mousasi is facing Swedish prospect Ilir Latifi on just a few days’ notice, confirmed Tuesday by Dana White via Twitter.

If you’re wondering who Latifi is, you’re not alone.

From a promotional standpoint, it’s unfortunate for the famous Mousasi to risk a three-round main event against a last-minute replacement with no name value, but as MMA Junkie reports, former UFC champion Vitor Belfort had been an option at one point:

“Vitor Belfort stepped up, and there were talks with my manager, and he wanted to take the fight on short notice,” said Mousasi, who isn’t sure what ultimately happened with the possibility. “So we would have gladly accepted that fight.”

Belfort last competed in Brazil against Michael Bisping at UFC on FX 7, where “The Phenom” defeated “The Count” with a highlight reel head kick in the first round.

However, Belfort’s next move is unclear, as the UFC decided against offering him a rematch against middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

Bisping, on the other hand, actually had a long-sought title shot against Silva promised to him if he somehow managed to overcome Belfort.

(Belfort is 3-1 since his loss to Silva, including a competitive effort against light heavyweight Jon Jones at UFC 152.)

Following his win, Belfort instead called out Chael Sonnen and Jones in a frantic, rambling post-fight interview, but the two Ultimate Fighter 17 coaches are currently deadlocked for their title fight at UFC 159 in New Jersey.

Belfort has recently come under scrutiny for his admitted use of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), which the 36-year-old fighter claimed to Brazilian publication TATAME (via Bloody Elbow) was known to the UFC all along:

The UFC always knew that I use, do not do it to cheat. I have medical monitoring and UFC also accompanies it. Never broken through anything, always acted cleanly. Do blood tests every week to equal the testosterone levels of a person my age. Many people are averse to treatment. I am not. I am in favor of people being open and fair in what they are doing.

It’s currently unknown why Belfort was not allowed to step into the main event in Stockholm, Sweden, but Mousasi says that he’s happy to still be fighting (via MMA Junkie).

Betting books currently have the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion and two-division DREAM champion pegged as high as a -1350 favorite to win (via BestFightOdds). Mousasi carries a 33-3-2 record from various MMA promotions, with his only loss in over five years coming against former Strikeforce champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal.

 

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist. His work has appeared in NVision, PC World, Macworld, GamePro, 1UP, MMA Mania & The L.A. Times.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com