Tag: UFC on FX 8

UFC on FX 8 Fight Card: Matchmaking for Injured Manny Gamburyan’s Return

Manny Gamburyan has hit some speed bumps outside the Octagon since breaking out of a three-fight losing streak with a decision win over Michihiro Omigawa in August.After being forced out of a scheduled bout with Chad Mendes due to injury, Gamburyan has…

Manny Gamburyan has hit some speed bumps outside the Octagon since breaking out of a three-fight losing streak with a decision win over Michihiro Omigawa in August.

After being forced out of a scheduled bout with Chad Mendes due to injury, Gamburyan has now been removed from a previously expected UFC on FX 8 fight with Hacran Dias (via MMAJunkie.com). The matchup would have given Gamburyan an opportunity to earn consecutive wins for the first time since April 2010, but he will now have to be shelved until he recovers and another opportunity arises.

Gamburyan is now likely looking at around a one-year absence since his most recent appearance against Omigawa. For that reason, it’s unlikely the TUF runner-up would meet a top-10 featherweight contender, but he should be paired with a big name coming off of a win.

That narrows Gamburyan‘s list of potential foes considerably. 

Rani Yahya and Mike Brown are on the short list of notable featherweights outside the top 10 who won in their most recent outing. 

While a fight with Brown brings the intrigue of a rematch, it wouldn’t do much for Gamburyan until Brown picks up another win or two and gets people talking about him again. Gamburyan scored a first-round knockout in his first fight with Brown, who has gone a modest 3-2 in his five fights since.

Meanwhile, Yahya has won three of his past four fights, including a decision victory over Brown. 

With back-to-back wins, Yahya is deserving of another step up in competition and needs to be tested by an opponent who is capable of shutting down his takedowns. A judo black belt, Gamburyan is that opponent and would benefit from having the opportunity to score a statement knockout against a somewhat one-dimensional opponent.

Should Gamburyan‘s unknown injury be a minor one, it’s possible a matchup between the former WEC title challenger and Yahya could help bolster the UFC 162 preliminary card. Headlined by a middleweight title fight between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman, UFC 162 is scheduled for July 6 in Las Vegas.

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UFC on FX 8: Nik Lentz Replaces Manny Gamburyan, Will Fight Hacran Dias

Manny Gamburyan has been removed from a second straight scheduled bout, as an injury has forced him out of a UFC on FX 8 matchup with Hacran Dias. Having also been bounced from a scrap with former featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes, Gambur…

Manny Gamburyan has been removed from a second straight scheduled bout, as an injury has forced him out of a UFC on FX 8 matchup with Hacran Dias. 

Having also been bounced from a scrap with former featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes, Gamburyan has not appeared since besting Michihiro Omigawa by decision in August. That win brought an end to a three-fight losing streak for the TUF runner-up, who is looking to return to title contention.

Nik Lentz will be replacing Gamburyan at UFC on FX 8. Having recently moved to the division, Lentz is undefeated in two fights at 145 pounds. 

Most recently, Lentz utilized his wrestling to dominate Diego Nunes on the ground. An impressive win over the highly ranked Brazilian has made Lentz a borderline featherweight contender, so a win over the surging Dias could push “The Carny” further up the 145-pound rankings.

Dias has only won once inside the Octagon, but he owns an extremely impressive 21-1-1 record and stunned a tough opponent in Yuri Alcantara when making his UFC debut in June.

UFC on FX 8 will be held in Jaragua, Brazil on May 18. Following Gamburyan’s removal from the event, this is how the entire fight card now stacks up:

 

Main Card (FX at 9 p.m. ET)

  • Vitor Belfort vs. Luke Rockhold
  • Costa Philippou vs. Ronaldo Souza
  • Rafael dos Anjos vs. Evan Dunham
  • Cezar Ferreira vs. C.B. Dollaway

 

Preliminary Card (Fuel TV at 6 p.m. ET)

  • Hacran Dias vs. Nik Lentz
  • Francisco Trinaldo vs. Mike Rio
  • Gleison Tibau vs. John Cholish
  • Paulo Thiago vs. Lance Benoist
  • Marcos Vinicius vs. Yuri Alcantara
  • Fabio Maldonado vs. Roger Hollett

 

Preliminary Card (Facebook at 4:30 p.m. ET)

  • John Lineker vs. Azamat Gashimov
  • Jussier Formiga vs. Chris Cariaso
  • Lucas Martins vs. Jeremy Larsen

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UFC on FX 8 Confirms 14 More Fighters for Vitor Belfort vs. Luke Rockhold Card

UFC on FX 8, headlined by Vitor Belfort vs. Luke Rockhold, got some much needed additions to the fight card. The already announced co-main event of the evening is another important middleweight clash. Strikeforce veteran Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza takes on…

UFC on FX 8, headlined by Vitor Belfort vs. Luke Rockhold, got some much needed additions to the fight card.

The already announced co-main event of the evening is another important middleweight clash. Strikeforce veteran Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza takes on Costa Philippou in a meeting of Top-10 185-pound fighters.

The UFC recently announced seven additional bouts for the card. Each of the bouts features at least one Brazilian.

“This is the fourth Brazilian state that we have the joy of visiting and another great achievement for the UFC,” said Grace Tourinho, spokesperson for UFC in Brazil. “Brazilian fans still have many good things to expect from us in 2013, including live events, the next season of The Ultimate Fighter Brasil and the opening of a UFC headquarters in the country.”

Three of the seven bouts take place in the UFC’s lightweight division.

Rafael dos Anjos vs. Evan Dunham, Francisco Trinaldo vs. Mike Rio and Gleison Tibau vs. John Cholish all look to make moves at 155 pounds.

In Dunham’s most recent outing, he defeated Gleison Tibau by split decision. Now he will look to potentially crack into the Top 10 of the UFC’s official rankings when he meets the eighth-ranked dos Anjos. It is the evening’s most significant lightweight scrap.

Middleweights Cezar Ferreira and CB Dollaway battle inside the Octagon in what will be Dollaway’s second straight bout in Brazil. He defeated The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil standout Daniel Sarafian in January by split decision.

Flyweights get in on the action when John Lineker and Azamat Gashimov exchange leather. Gashimov lost his UFC debut to Ivan Menjivar by tapout, and now he drops to 125 pounds against the heavy-handed Brazilian. Lineker rebounded from his UFC debut loss by defeating Yasuhiro Urushitani last November. An impressive showing by either man would rocket them up the flyweight ladder.

Paulo Thiago returns to the cage for the first time since suffering his second consecutive loss, a decision to Dong Hyun Kim, to take on Lance Benoist. Also, Fabio Maldonado and Roger Hollett meet in a light heavyweight fight.

The additional seven scraps make nine total fights for the card.

UFC on FX 8 comes to you from Santa Catarina, Brazil on May 18, live on FX.

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Evan Dunham vs. Rafael Dos Anjos Head-to-Toe Breakdown

At UFC on FX 8, dark horses of the lightweight division collide when Evan Dunham and Rafael dos Anjos meet in the center of the Octagon. Both fighters have won three of their last four contests, and each are ranked according to various sources.In the o…

At UFC on FX 8, dark horses of the lightweight division collide when Evan Dunham and Rafael dos Anjos meet in the center of the Octagon. Both fighters have won three of their last four contests, and each are ranked according to various sources.

In the official UFC rankings, Rafael dos Anjos is the No. 8 contender for champion Benson Henderson, while MMAJunkie.com’s rankings show Evan Dunham as the No. 10 lightweight contracted to Zuffa.

Who will win this clash between rising stars? It’s hard to say. However, by taking a look at their fighting styles, strengths and weaknesses, we can make an educated guess as to how the action will go down.

Here is a head-to-toe breakdown of Evan Dunham vs. Rafael dos Anjos.

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Strikeforce Neva Die, Either: Tim Kennedy vs. Roger Gracie Booked for UFC on FX 8 in Brazil [UPDATED]


(“Laundry day. Shit. It’s still only laundry day.”)

In a booking that will surely spur flashbacks of Mauro Ranallo shrieking into a microphone, two of Strikeforce’s top middleweight talents will be making their Octagon debuts against each other at the UFC’s next Brazilian event. As first reported by MMAJunkie, Tim Kennedy and Roger Gracie are slated to face off on the UFC on FX 8: Belfort vs. Rockhold card, which goes down May 18th at the Arena Jaraguá in Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil. [Update: GracieMag says the fight will instead take place at an event on July 6th.]

Kennedy compiled a 4-2 record in Strikeforce, with both of his losses coming in five-round title fights against Ronaldo Souza and Luke Rockhold. He most recently choked out Trevor Smith at Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine in January, and has been trying to stir up interest in a fight against Gracie since last July.

Gracie, who began his MMA career at heavyweight before dropping to light-heavyweight when he entered Strikeforce in 2010, has gone 2-0 during his current stint as a middleweight, scoring wins over Keith Jardine and Anthony Smith. For Roger, the fight with Kennedy is an opportunity to not only secure his place on the UFC roster, but to snap a UFC losing streak for the legendary Gracie clan. During the Zuffa era, the Gracies have gone 0-3 in the Octagon, with Royce Gracie and Renzo Gracie getting beat up by Matt Hughes, and Rolles Gracie Jr. shitting the bed against Joey Beltran.

In other UFC on FX 8 booking news…


(“Laundry day. Shit. It’s still only laundry day.”)

In a booking that will surely spur flashbacks of Mauro Ranallo shrieking into a microphone, two of Strikeforce’s top middleweight talents will be making their Octagon debuts against each other at the UFC’s next Brazilian event. As first reported by MMAJunkie, Tim Kennedy and Roger Gracie are slated to face off on the UFC on FX 8: Belfort vs. Rockhold card, which goes down May 18th at the Arena Jaraguá in Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil. [Update: GracieMag says the fight will instead take place at an event on July 6th.]

Kennedy compiled a 4-2 record in Strikeforce, with both of his losses coming in five-round title fights against Ronaldo Souza and Luke Rockhold. He most recently choked out Trevor Smith at Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine in January, and has been trying to stir up interest in a fight against Gracie since last July.

Gracie, who began his MMA career at heavyweight before dropping to light-heavyweight when he entered Strikeforce in 2010, has gone 2-0 during his current stint as a middleweight, scoring wins over Keith Jardine and Anthony Smith. For Roger, the fight with Kennedy is an opportunity to not only secure his place on the UFC roster, but to snap a UFC losing streak for the legendary Gracie clan. During the Zuffa era, the Gracies have gone 0-3 in the Octagon, with Royce Gracie and Renzo Gracie getting beat up by Matt Hughes, and Rolles Gracie Jr. shitting the bed against Joey Beltran.

In other UFC on FX 8 booking news…

Like it or not, it looks like they’re just gonna keep throwing CB Dollaway against dudes who competed on TUF Brazil. Fresh off his split-decision victory over Daniel Sarafian at UFC on FX 7, Dollaway will make his next appearance against the guy who actually won that season’s middleweight bracket, Cezar Ferreira. “Mutante” hasn’t competed since he won the show with a unanimous decision over Sergio Moraes — Sarafian’s injury replacement — which brought Ferreira’s pro record to 5-2.

On paper, Dollaway should be a solid favorite once again. And it begs the question: Is this the plan now? Will all new Brazilian middleweight prospects be forced to spend three rounds defending takedowns against Dollaway before they’re allowed into the UFC? Or do the Brazilian fans just need another American villain to photoshop into humiliating posters?

UFC on FX 8 Fight Card: Ronaldo Souza vs. Costa Philippou Early Prediction

After finishing his Strikeforce career with a win over UFC veteran Ed Herman, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza has an opponent set for his Octagon debut.On May 18, Souza will meet Costa Philippou in a middleweight matchup that could put the winner near the front…

After finishing his Strikeforce career with a win over UFC veteran Ed Herman, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza has an opponent set for his Octagon debut.

On May 18, Souza will meet Costa Philippou in a middleweight matchup that could put the winner near the front of the line for a shot at the UFC’s 185-pound title. The bout will take place in Brazil at an event expected to be titled UFC on FX 8 (via Tatame.com, h/t MMAFighting.com).

Souza lost only once in his three years with Strikeforce, and that defeat came in a narrow decision against Luke Rockhold, who stole the Strikeforce middleweight belt away from “Jacare” with that win.

Meanwhile, Philippou has gone on a run of five straight wins since losing to Nick Catone in his first UFC appearance.

Against a world-class grappler like Souza, it will be important for Philippou to keep this fight standing. Despite being a former pro boxer, Philippou has shown some solid takedown defense, stopping 83 percent of his opponents’ attempts to take him to the ground.

However, Philippou has not faced an opponent with half the ground game possessed by Souza, a former jiu-jitsu world champion who also holds a black belt in judo. 

If Tim Boetsch and Nick Catone could take Philippou down, then Souza should have little problem in doing the same, provided he can get his hands on the Serra-Longo Fight Team member.

Souza began his MMA career as a one-dimensional grappler, but he’s grown as a striker and has only been knocked out once in his career. It should also be noted that Souza‘s lone stoppage defeat came via a Gegard Mousasi upkick and not a typical boxing-style strike like those that will be thrown at him by Philippou.

Though he probably still doesn’t have the skill to beat Philippou in a stand-up brawl, Souza is good enough on his feet to evade and lock up with his Cyprus-born opponent. And once he does, this fight will go to the ground one way or another.

While Philippou has not been submitted, he also hasn’t spent much time on the ground, and he certainly hasn’t rolled with anyone like Souza.

“Jacare” is on a whole other level than most MMA fighters on the ground. As long as he avoids an early flash knockout, which he should, Souza will find a way to catch Philippou on the ground and force him to tap.

After he does, Souza will be right up there with the top contenders in the middleweight division, and a rematch with Luke Rockhold is still a bout that intrigues many who watched that September 2011 title fight between the former Strikeforce champions.

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