After three weeks out of our lives, the UFC returns this Saturday. UFC on Fuel 9 broadcasts live from the very cool-sounding Ericsson Globe Arena in The City That Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, Stockholm, Sweden.Even if Sweden native Alexander Gustafss…
After three weeks out of our lives, the UFC returns this Saturday. UFC on Fuel 9 broadcasts live from the very cool-sounding Ericsson Globe Arena in The City That Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, Stockholm, Sweden.
Even if Sweden native Alexander Gustafsson can’t make it because of injury, there’s plenty of intrigue on the card, in my opinion. If light heavyweight Gegard Mousasi stays on the card, I’ll be interested to see what the semi-phenom does in his UFC debut.
So where are the locks on the card? What do we know will happen on Saturday night? Let’s take a look, why don’t we?
Ross Pearson has had an up-and-down run during his UFC career. Pearson entered the UFC as the winner of the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter, earning that title by defeating Andre Winner via unanimous decision. Since that time, he has gone 5-…
Ross Pearson has had an up-and-down run during his UFC career. Pearson entered the UFC as the winner of the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter, earning that title by defeating Andre Winner via unanimous decision. Since that time, he has gone 5-3 in the UFC, with his only two consecutive victories coming in his first two bouts after the TUFfinale.
On April 6, Pearson will get an opportunity to string two wins together when he faces Ryan Couture in the co-main event of the UFC on Fuel 9 card.
Pearson is coming off a third-round TKO victory over George Sotiropoulos in his last bout and seems to be looking forward to his fight with Couture. Couture, son of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, will make his UFC debut in the bout, coming over from Strikeforce where he put together a 6-1 record, including wins over his last four opponents.
Couture may not be a top-10 opponent and he may be a bit of an unknown to some, but Pearson is not taking the fight lightly. Pearson admits that early in his career his arrogance may have had him walking into this fight with more of a cavalier attitude, but time spent in the UFC has made him aware that there are no sure things once you get to the top promotion in the sport of mixed martial arts.
Pearson recently spoke about the upcoming bout, offering his take on what both he and Couture bring to the bout and how his time spent with the fighters at Alliance MMA has allowed him to grow during his time spent at that gym.
The UFC on Fuel 9 headlining bout is in serious jeopardy after Alexander Gustafsson suffered a major cut in training, according to a report by MMA Mania. “The Mauler” was set to headline the show, which takes place in his native country of Sweden,…
The UFC on Fuel 9 headlining bout is in serious jeopardy after Alexander Gustafsson suffered a major cut in training, according to a report by MMA Mania.
“The Mauler” was set to headline the show, which takes place in his native country of Sweden, against Strikeforce, Dream and Pride veteran GegardMousasi.
The initial news came from Swedish media outlet Sportspegeln, but few details are available other than the fact that it does not appear that Gustafsson will be able to compete Saturday. Should the report be accurate, the timing couldn’t be much worse for Gustafsson, the victor in his past six fights, who was promised a title shot with a win over “The Dream Catcher.”
The lanky striker last competed at UFC on Fox 5 in December, earning a convincing unanimous decision over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
Meanwhile, Mousasi is on a 5-0-1 run in his past six bouts, most recently finishing Mike Kyle with a rear-naked choke at the Strikeforce finale in January.
Mousasi boasts one of the best records in professional MMA with a mark of 33-3-2, though it’s been years since he’s been tested by truly elite-level competition at 205 pounds.
No word if there is any hope of another light heavyweight stepping in to face Mousasi, ranked No. 10 in the UFC’s rankings, on very short notice.
The co-headlining bout for UFC on Fuel 9 is currently a lightweight scrap between Ross Pearson and Ryan Couture, so there is always the possibility that matchup could be promoted to the main event if no one steps up to face Mousasi.
UFC bantamweight Mike Easton tasted defeat for the first time inside the Octagon last December when the ringside judges unanimously agreed that his opponent, Raphael Assuncao, did enough work to best him. “The Hulk” hopes to parlay the experience …
UFC bantamweight Mike Easton tasted defeat for the first time inside the Octagon last December when the ringside judges unanimously agreed that his opponent, Raphael Assuncao, did enough work to best him.
“The Hulk” hopes to parlay the experience of losing into improvement and will look to rebound on April 6 when he takes on MMA veteran Brad Picket at UFC on Fuel TV 9.
During a recent interview with UFC.com, Easton explained how his match with Assuncao will help him to grow as a mixed martial artist.
“(He) got me in a situation where I had to chase him down, and you don’t want to have to be in that situation,” he noted. “It makes for a boring fight. He played his game plan, and I learned a lot from it. It was a good experience for me.”
Easton went on to identify what he could have done differently—what he can do differently next time—when an opponent slows the pace.
“Sometimes I need to calm down a little bit,” he admitted. “I felt I was a little too amped or too hyped; I could have slowed the pace down a little bit. I feel like if I didn’t chase him, and he had to keep coming to me, it would have been a totally different fight.”
But while Easton is seeking growth though approaching his attacks more methodically, he has no intention of reinventing his style. In fact, the 3-1 UFC vet is hoping to put on a show for the ages at UFC on Fuel TV 9, and he believes that his adversary will indulge him.
“I expect it to be an action-packed fight, and he expects it to be an action-packed fight,” Easton said of Pickett. “I’m a pocket fighter just like he’s a pocket fighter; we both like to fight on the inside….”
The pairing certainly has the makings of a memorable show, as both fighters are noted for pressing the action. And if both guys come out with the attitude that they can each hang in the pocket, well, that may just spell Fight of the Night when it’s all said and done.
But truth be told, the accolade of Fight of the Night and its accompanying bonus wouldn’t be enough to satisfy Easton.
“I want this to be the fight that goes down as Fight of the Year,” he said.
If Easton indeed gets his wish, that will mean the fight is an instant classic. To beat out Dennis Bermudez vs. Matt Grice for Fight of the Year, well, Easton vs. Pickett will have to be absolutely spectacular.
Competing on the most prominent stage in mixed martial arts comes equipped with an automatic amount of pressure.For some, simply stepping into the Octagon is a dream realized and validation for years of hard work spent grinding out victories for s…
Competing on the most prominent stage in mixed martial arts comes equipped with an automatic amount of pressure.
For some, simply stepping into the Octagon is a dream realized and validation for years of hard work spent grinding out victories for smaller promotions, where others are looking to prove they belong competing with the best fighters in the world.
In a realm as competitive as the UFC, the battles come on multiple fronts. The notion of a fighter only being as good as his last showing, while cliche, rings with an element of truth. When a fighter finds himself on a losing skid, the weight of the circumstances at hand become an unavoidable reality.
That being said, each competitor handles pressure differently, and UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione is prepared to face every aspect of of his current situation head-on.
The former NFL defensive tackle-turned-mixed martial artist will be looking to stop a two-fight skid when he steps in against Phil De Fries next Saturday at UFC on Fuel TV 9 in Stockholm, Sweden, headlined by top light heavyweights Alexander Gustafsson and Gegard Mousasi.
Having his back against the wall is unfamiliar territory for the former Purdue University standout, as he got off to a red-hot start in his first four showings under the UFC banner.
The 34-year-old’s early success positioned him to take a step up in competition. But after coming up short against Cheick Kongo at UFC 137 and suffering a first-round defeat to his former TUF housemate Roy Nelson last December, the urgency and intensity surrounding Mitirone’s career have increased.
The Indiana-based fighter is fully aware of what could be waiting on the other side of a loss in Sweden, but “Meathead” intends to use the pressure as motivation to get the job done against De Fries.
“Oh, for sure there is pressure and my head is definitely on the chopping block here,” Mitrione told Bleacher Report. “I don’t know if it will get cut off or not, or the UFC will pull a Dan Hardy and keep me around, but if I lose then I’m definitely subject to being cut. And I acknowledge that.
“Honestly, it doesn’t really affect me because in the UFC you can have one bad fight and get axed out.
“That is not any additional pressure but it is a realization that I could get cut if I lose. I pride myself with being as honest with myself as possible, and this is a situation where there definitely is peril if I lose this fight. But I’m not going to lose, so I’m not worried about it.
“There are some things I look forward to, and this fight is definitely one of them. My head is on the chopping block, there is a little bit of pressure on externally, and let’s go out there and see what I got. Let’s go out there and see what happens, baby.
“I’m no spring chicken and everybody knows that,” Mitrione added. “I started late in the game and I’ve been in the UFC for three and a half years now; it’s time for me to do something. I have seven fights under my belt and it’s sink or swim now. It’s sh** or get off the pot. It’s go time right now and either I do it or I don’t.”
In the matchup with De Fries, Mitrione is facing an opponent in a similar position. The Team Alliance fighter came out on the business end of his most recent outing against powerhouse Todd Duffee, bringing his record to 2-2 under the UFC banner.
On paper, the bout between the British grappler and the heavy-handed slugger would appear to be a classic stylistic tilt. That being said, having learned from past experiences, Mitrione is ready for anything that could possibly come his way.
“From the way it looks, Phil doesn’t have the best chin in the world,” Mitrione said. “I have pretty heavy hands and I’m not afraid to stand in the pocket and trade, and I think from the way it looks to most people, he matches up poorly against me and I match up very well against him.
“But in that same breath, Phil has some takedowns and he is a solid grappler. I feel people will say if the fight goes to the ground, I’ll be in trouble, so it’s vice versa for both of us in a sense. But honestly, I feel my ground game is pretty damn good; I just never show it.
“Even before I came down here to South Florida and trained with Thiago Silva and Braulio Estima, I was training with Coach Neil Melanson. I was training with some really good guys. It is just a matter of time before I get in a spot where I’m grappling during a fight and showing my ground-and-pound, top control and everything else. I’m excited about it.
“My fight IQ is getting better and I’m excited about learning. I made a couple of mistakes in my fight against Roy Nelson. I stopped using my feet, stopped moving around, and said screw it, I’ll just trade off with Roy. I wasn’t afraid of his power and thought f*** it, let’s just see what happens. But the biggest mistake I made was that I got too far over on my front leg and I flared my elbow out on my straight left.
“Roy saw that a couple times and it was something they had practiced quite a bit. He knew I was expecting his overhand right and when I flared out my elbow and had my eyebrow tucked into my bicep; he threw an uppercut.
“It was something I never saw coming and it was because I telegraphed what I did and put too much weight forward. If I would have put my weight on my back foot, like I’m always supposed to, by the time I would have stepped into my punch, his punch would have been six or seven inches short of my face. He never would have thrown it, but I messed up.
“It is things like that I learn the most from. It sucks to say it but you have to lose in order to learn some times. You just have to. If you win, you think you are doing everything right but if you lose, then you see all the dumb sh** you do. It sucks but I feel like my fight IQ. has really increased and I feel like I’ve become a more intelligent fighter because of what happened.
“I would like to think this next fight is a great opportunity to show that progression but Phil could come out there and do something that throws me for a loop,” Mitrione added. “He could do some things I’ve never seen before, put me in a bad spot and win the fight. You never know.
“But I am going to do every thing in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen. I’m going to use everything I’ve been working on in training and you never know what I’m going to do. Hell, I never know what I’m going to do and that’s the fun part of it.”
Despite the circumstances lingering overhead, Mitrione has kept his signature brand of humor intact. The IFA gym owner and Team Blackzillians fighter doesn’t shy away from the reality of his situation, much the same way as he doesn’t back down from trading leather inside the Octagon.
For Mitrione, the fight game is all or nothing, and he intends to give De Fries everything he has next Saturday at Ericsson Globe Arena. Whether that will be enough to earn the victory remains to be seen, but one thing Mitrione can guarantee is that he’s going to bring the ruckus directly to his British counterpart.
“I’m bringing the same old me into this fight. There has never been one fight where I fight harder than any time before it. I’m not brand new and improved. I didn’t go back to the drawing board. I’m just learning the same things I was learning before. I’m going to be the same douchebag who is probably going to smile in the middle of the fight because I enjoy what the hell I do. I’m going to get out there and do work like I always do.
“Another thing fans are going to see for sure is a tan Matt Mitrione. I go to the tanning bed on the regular and while I look a little bit hairy, I’m going to be tan. That’s for damn sure. I also have a beard that I’ve never sported going into a fight before. I’m not going to shave it and I’m going to be grimy and gutter in Sweden. I’m excited about it.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Although the UFC almost exclusively airs fights with title implications on Fox or pay-per-view, the promotion has surprisingly relegated the April 6th matchup of top 10 light heavyweights, Alexander Gustafsson and Gegard Mousasi, to the headliner …
Although the UFC almost exclusively airs fights with title implications on Fox or pay-per-view, the promotion has surprisingly relegated the April 6th matchup of top 10 light heavyweights, Alexander Gustafsson and GegardMousasi, to the headliner at UFC on Fuel TV 9.
Light heavyweight has always been one of the most talent-rich divisions in the UFC, but with Jon Jones sitting atop the heap, it has left the other fighters the unenviable task of jockeying for that No. 1 contender spot.
Swedish striker Alexander Gustafsson will be entering the cage riding a six-fight win streak, with his most recent victory coming against former UFC light heavyweight champ, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, back in December.
For GegardMousasi, this fight marks his first appearance inside the Octagon, but don’t expect there to be any fight-night jitters. Mousasi is a true veteran of the game, having previously competed in Pride, Dream and Strikeforce. In his MMA career, he has racked up 33 wins, most notably over the likes of Mark Hunt, Hector Lombard and Renaldo “Jacare” Souza.
There is little doubt that Gustafsson and Mousasi will put on a Fight of the Night-caliber performance, though it remains unclear what a win will do for each fighter’s standing in an already crowded division.
In a February 13th MMAjunkie.com article, UFC President Dana White made an effort to clarify exactly what’s at stake for both fighters.
“If Mousasi beats Gustafsson, he skyrockets right to the top of that division,” White said, “And as far as Gustafsson goes, if he beats Mousasi in that fight, he’s in line for a title shot.”
Even though Machida is 3-3 in his last six fights and is coming off a less-than-stellar split decision win over Dan Henderson at UFC 157, he still got the nod to fight the winner of Jon Jones and ChaelSonnen, who are scheduled to lock horns at the end of April.
This situation underlines the fact that title shots in the UFC aren’t always solely awarded on the basis of fight performance. This poses a serious problem for Gustafsson and Mousasi, who are both dynamic fighters but lack the name recognition or presence outside the cage needed to sell a pay-per-view main event.
With their fight airing on Fuel TV, which is currently only available in 36 million American households, it is all the more imperative that the fighters make a definitive statement that will reverberate throughout the MMA community.
And while a highlight-reel knockout or submission victory will definitely move either Gustaffson or Mousasi up the divisional ladder, it will still probably leave the winner needing to defeat one more top 10 opponent before truly securing that elusive title shot.
The