Filed under: UFCThe former Ultimate Fighter winner Kendall Grove may be on the way out of the UFC after being completely dismantled by Tim Boetsch Saturday night at UFC 130.
Boetsch, who moved down from 205 pounds to 185 pounds for this fight, showed …
The former Ultimate Fighter winner Kendall Grove may be on the way out of the UFC after being completely dismantled by Tim Boetsch Saturday night at UFC 130.
Boetsch, who moved down from 205 pounds to 185 pounds for this fight, showed for all 15 minutes that he has great strength at middleweight, easily overpowering Grove on the way to a unanimous decision victory, scored 30-27 on all three judges’ cards. Boetsch grabbed Grove and threw him to the ground within the first 30 seconds of the first round, and that’s basically what he did for the entire fight.
“I’m certainly glad I did (drop to middleweight),” Boetsch said. “I felt great in there, I felt very strong.”
Grove has now lost two fights in a row and three of his last four, and it’s easy to see the UFC cutting him after Saturday night’s performance. Grove, whose career record now stands at 12-9, hasn’t had an impressive showing in a long time, and he doesn’t look like he’s getting any better.
Boetsch, who improved to 13-4, looked very good. He might not be a complete enough fighter to compete at the highest levels of the middleweight division, but 185 pounds is clearly the right weight class for him, and he should have some big fights coming up. He looked great on Saturday night.
MMA Fighting has UFC 130 results for all of the May 28 fights, plus live coverage from Las Vegas, live blogs of all the fights and live UFC 130 twitter updates.
In the main event, former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will battle Matt Hamill. Also, Frank Mir will take on Roy Nelson in the co-main event.
Check out the UFC 130 results below.
Pay-Per-View Bouts
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Matt Hamill (live blog)
Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson (live blog)
Stefan Struve vs. Travis Browne (live blog)
Jorge Santiago vs. Brian Stann (live blog)
Thiago Alves vs. Rick Story (live blog)
Preliminary Bouts
Miguel Torres vs. Demetrious Johnson (live blog)
Michael McDonald vs. Chris Cariaso (live blog)
Gleison Tibau vs. Rafaello Oliveira (live blog)
Tim Boetsch vs. Kendall Grove (live blog) Renan Barao def. Cole Escovedo via unanimous decision (live blog)
MMA Fighting has UFC 130 results for all of the May 28 fights, plus live coverage from Las Vegas, live blogs of all the fights and live UFC 130 twitter updates.
In the main event, former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will battle Matt Hamill. Also, Frank Mir will take on Roy Nelson in the co-main event.
Check out the UFC 130 results below.
Pay-Per-View Bouts
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Matt Hamill (live blog)
Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson (live blog)
Stefan Struve vs. Travis Browne (live blog)
Jorge Santiago vs. Brian Stann (live blog)
Thiago Alves vs. Rick Story (live blog)
Preliminary Bouts
Miguel Torres vs. Demetrious Johnson (live blog)
Michael McDonald vs. Chris Cariaso (live blog)
Gleison Tibau vs. Rafaello Oliveira (live blog)
Tim Boetsch vs. Kendall Grove (live blog) Renan Barao def. Cole Escovedo via unanimous decision (live blog)
LAS VEGAS – Of all the fighters in the UFC’s reasonably stacked light heavyweight division, Matt Hamill is among the hottest.
And despite five straight wins, he doesn’t seem to mind being a little overlooked – for now. Sure, one of those wins was a disqualification victory against Jon Jones, Jones’ only loss, on a technicality in a fight he was dominating. But Hamill has been asking for the kind of fights that will move him from middle-of-the-pack fighter to top contender.
Against Quinton Jackson on Saturday in the main event of UFC 130, a win would quickly elevate him in the division. Jackson is a nearly 3/1 favorite, but that doesn’t bother Hamill (10-2, 9-2 UFC).
“I’ve probably been the underdog for the last five fights,” Hamill said at Wednesday’s pre-fight press conference at the MGM Grand. “I love to be the underdog.”
A closer look at Hamill’s history with the oddsmakers reveals that this is only the fourth time he’s been an underdog in the UFC – and the first three were against his Season 3 housemate on “The Ultimate Fighter,” Michael Bisping, Rich Franklin and Jon Jones. Along with Jackson, underdog status is understandable for all those fights.
But Hamill’s point is not lost – he’s kicked around in the middle of the division, and he’s ready to make the leap. Count UFC president Dana White as someone who has noticed.
“Obviously Rampage Jackson is one of the best in the world at 205 pounds,” White said. “This is a huge fight for Matt Hamill. He’s had some good wins – he beat (Keith) Jardine, (Mark) Munoz, Tito (Ortiz). A win over Rampage would be huge. This is one of those career-defining moments for Matt Hamill should he be able to pull off the win on Saturday night.”
But Hamill last week alluded to the stair-step mentality he has taken in his career. His dominant unanimous decision win at UFC 121 last fall over Ortiz, his coach on Season 3 of TUF, is what he believes pushed him to the level that has him a shot against Jackson, a former light heavyweight champ, on Saturday.
“It’s going to help me improve my career,” Hamill said through his translator. “Beating Tito definitely put me in line to get some big fights like this, and I knew I was ready for the next level. I’m just really glad I’m here.”
It was a fight that Jackson initially didn’t want much to do with, and Hamill said he understood why and didn’t blame him – that Jackson should be taking on fighters in the Top 5. But when Hamill said his goal was to break Jackson’s will, Jackson emerged from the land of apathy and got into the fight.
“I think Matt made a mistake when he actually said that he’s going to break my will and that I’m going to overlook him,” Jackson said. “It actually lit a fire up under my ass and made me try a little bit harder just so I can break his will – so I can make sure I outclass him. That’s why I worked a lot on my wrestling, a lot extra on my cardio and extra on getting up off my back just in case he does take me down.”
That’s just where Hamill plans on taking the fight, saying he believes Jackson has become too reliant upon his standup game through the years and less focused on his wrestling. “That’s why I want him,” Hamill said.
Six straight wins in the light heavyweight division, a feat matched right now only by Phil Davis thanks to Jones’ DQ loss, would be enough to put the upper echelon of the class on notice. Forget questions about Jackson’s motivation for the fight. Hamill has his own motivation.
“I figured Rampage would be eying Rashad Evans or a rematch with Forrest Griffin or what have you,” Hamill said. “I thought that Rampage would believe that this match is not in his league. But it’s my next chance to prove that I am in his league.”
LAS VEGAS — MMA Fighting was on the scene for the UFC 130 weigh-ins, held Friday afternoon at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Check out the highlight video below.
LAS VEGAS — MMA Fighting was on the scene for the UFC 130 weigh-ins, held Friday afternoon at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Check out the highlight video below.
Filed under: UFC, NewsLAS VEGAS – The near-lovefest that has become UFC 130 came to a partial stop Friday at the official event weigh-ins at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Main event fighters Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt Hamill each weighed in at …
LAS VEGAS – The near-lovefest that has become UFC 130 came to a partial stop Friday at the official event weigh-ins at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Main event fighters Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt Hamill each weighed in at 205 pounds for their bout, then engaged in the afternoon’s most intense staredown. It was a stark contrast to Wednesday’s press conference, where the two shared a couple light moments on stage even before their staredown photo op.
When the fight was booked, Jackson was vocal about not having much interest in the fight. But after Hamill said he planned to break the former light heavyweight champion’s will, Jackson took a new level of motivation. And Wednesday’s cordiality went out the window Friday in favor of a forehead-to-forehead showcase, Hamill’s hands up and Jackson’s at his sides.
Hamill told emcee Joe Rogan that the fight against Jackson will be the most important fight of his career.
“This is the biggest opportunity for me to help my career,” Hamill said. “I know from Day One he didn’t want to fight me, but I promise you one thing – it’s going to be a good fight.”
Jackson, who doesn’t have a knockout win since his UFC 92 victory over Wanderlei Silva, promised fans he’s looking for a finish against Hamill, and that Hamill’s comments about breaking his will got him amped up.
“It motivated me to train extra hard,” Jackson said. “I was already training hard ’cause it’s been a while since I knocked anyone out. But I’m ready to put on a show for you guys and get a knockout.”
Co-main event heavyweights Frank Mir and Roy Nelson, though, continued to be almost playful about their fight. The two Las Vegas residents, who share many mutual friends and sometimes train together, each weighed in at 260 pounds, and fought back smiles as they squared off.
Making his return to the UFC after an absence of four and a half years, Jorge Santiago, who most recently was Sengoku’s middleweight champion, weighed in at 185 on the nose for his middleweight fight with military hero Brian Stann. Stann was 186 on a Memorial Day weekend card that he has said will be emotional for him as a veteran. That bout opens Saturday’s pay-per-view.
And despite trouble making weight in the past, Thiago Alves weighed in at 170 pounds for his welterweight bout against Rick Story, who was also 170 and brings a five-fight winning streak into the event.
UFC 130 airs live on pay-per-view at 9 p.m. Eastern on Saturday and is preceded by a pair of fights on Spike TV at 8 p.m. In addition, three preliminary card fights will air on Facebook at 6:20 p.m.
The official weigh-in results are below:
Main Card
Quinton Jackson (205) vs. Matt Hamill (205)
Frank Mir (260) vs. Roy Nelson (260)
Stefan Struve (255) vs. Travis Browne (247)
Thiago Alves (170) vs. Rick Story (170)
Brian Stann (186) vs. Jorge Santiago (185) Spike TV Prelims
Miguel Torres (135.5) vs. Demetrious Johnson (135.5)
Kendall Grove (185) vs. Tim Boetsch (186) Facebook Prelims
Gleison Tibau (155) vs. Rafaello Oliveira (155)
Michael McDonald (136) vs. Chris Cariaso (135)
Renan Barão (135) vs. Cole Escovedo (135)
Filed under: UFCWith UFC 130 just a day away, we look at what constitutes a main event, what becomes of former champs in both victory and defeat, and so much more.
I. “Rampage” Jackson could be auditioning for a title shot, not just fighting for one. …
With UFC 130 just a day away, we look at what constitutes a main event, what becomes of former champs in both victory and defeat, and so much more.
I. “Rampage” Jackson could be auditioning for a title shot, not just fighting for one. It’s still unclear who will get the first crack at UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, but it’s not hard to imagine that a Jackson victory on Saturday and an Evans loss (or even mediocre victory) in August could result in a Rampage-Bones title fight in the fall. But in order to effectively sell Jackson as legitimate competition for Jones, the UFC needs a convincing performance out of him here. If Jackson barely squeaks by Hamill (who Jones destroyed so thoroughly he ran out of legal strikes to hit him with) the way he barely squeaked by Machida, how many people are really going to be interested in seeing him fight the champ? Jackson can always sell a fight with his mouth – when he feels like it, anyway – but with three straight decisions under his belt, it’d be nice for him to show that he can still sell one with his fists, too.
II. Is Miguel Torres tired of fighting guys who come up to his nipples in the pre-fight staredown? At 5’9″, Torres is practically the Stefan Struve of the bantamweight division. Demetrious Johnson will be the fourth straight opponent he’s faced who hovers in the 5’3″ range (Joe Benavidez is officially listed at 5’4″, but then Shane Carwin is listed at 6’2″, so go figure). Last time out Torres was content to hide behind his long jab and ride it all the way to the scorecards for an easy win. It wasn’t his most popular effort, however, which makes you think that this time he may be tempted to mix it up more for the sake of the crowd. Against the speedy little “Mighty Mouse,” that could be a dangerous, though perhaps necessary gamble. Torres has two straight wins under his belt. The third could be the charm, as long as it’s not another snoozer.
III. With no more title fight at UFC 130, time for the UFC to make chicken salad out of chicken…well, you know. Let’s face it, fans are being asked to pay main event prices for a show that’s essentially all undercard. Don’t get me wrong, there are still some exciting scraps lined up for Saturday. Jackson-Hamill? Nelson-Mir? Those fights both feature former champs, and both have future implications…probably. At the same time, neither can be confused for a true, honest to goodness, call-in-sick-to-your-own-wedding type of main event. For some fans, that’s also going to mean it’s not worth the fifty bucks to stay home on a holiday weekend Saturday night and watch it. The UFC has to expect that, but injuries happen, so what are you going to do? The answer, I suspect, is take this one on the chin and move on to Vancouver. Sometimes you eat the chicken salad, and sometimes, well, the chicken salad eats you. I think that’s how the saying goes, anyway.
IV. If Frank Mir can’t beat Roy Nelson, then what? Mir is a former heavyweight champ who poses serious problems for most of the big men on the UFC’s roster, but he’s also a train that may be running out of track. He’s been beaten by both Lesnar and Carwin. He holds victories over also-rans like Kongo and faded legends like Cro Cop and Big Nog. If he can’t beat “Big Country,” he can pretty much forget about a heavyweight title shot any time soon. Mir just turned 32, so it’s not as if he can afford to wait around in the division until the wind shifts again. It’s strange to think that the situation might be so dire when he’s coming off a knockout victory, but then again, how bright can Mir’s future in the UFC really be if he loses on Saturday?
V. Rick Story is about to take a serious leap up in competition. The question is, is he ready for it? His five-fight win streak inside the Octagon is impressive, but who’s the best welterweight he’s beaten so far? Johny Hendricks? Brian Foster? No offense to those guys, but Alves is in an entirely different class. Two men can claim victories over “Pitbull” in the last half-decade: Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch. Alves is a solid little ball of muscle who’s tough to takedown (unless you happen to be one of the two best takedown artists in all of MMA) and who can kick your legs into jelly if you stand with him. So how does Story – who is not a Fitch-level wrestler or an Alves-level kickboxer – win this fight? I have no idea, but it should be interesting to see what he comes up with.
VI. On paper, anyway, Matt Hamill is riding a five-fight win streak. Of course, that includes the DQ win over Jones, and even the popcorn venders in the cheap seats could tell he wasn’t going to be celebrating that one at the after-party. Still, imagine he wrestles his way to a decision over Jackson. Imagine he’s got six consecutive W’s on the scoreboard. Imagine what it says about the real meaning of this fight that he still wouldn’t even be in the conversation about potential title contenders at that point, and we all bloody well know it.
VII. What does an MMA heavyweight look like? From the corpulent, straight-outta-the-trailer-park look that Roy Nelson has cultivated, to the extremely tall, pale, and Dutch-as-he-wanna-be Stefan Struve, there’s a range of heavyweight body types on display this weekend, with Frank Mir and Travis Browne hitting the points in between. Maybe somewhere in there is a look at the future of MMA heavyweights. Or maybe that’s just what happens when a weight class spans sixty freaking pounds and a foot or so in height.
VIII. Just maybe, Brian Stann is the UFC’s real American hero at middleweight, and right when it needs one. You look at the former Marine with the square jaw, the ‘aw shucks’ demeanor, and a fighting style that ensures someone will probably get his face broken, and you start to wonder if the UFC didn’t order him straight from central casting. The guy is practically a walking cartoon character of a butt-kicking, Apple pie-eating boy next door. He is, in other words, a godsend for the UFC. Imagine the perfect pro wrestling-esque storyline the writes itself as soon you match Stann against someone like Michael Bisping. Stann salutes the flag while helping old ladies across the street. Bisping dons a soccer jersey and begins sneeringly referring to Stann as a ‘colonial.’ I’m telling you, that kind of theatre is so priceless, the fight is almost secondary. First though, Stann has to get past Santiago, which is where things could veer wildly off-script. The former Sengoku champ can still swat – just ask Kazuo Misaki. It’s a tough draw, but if Stann pulls out the win, look for the big push to start the moment his hand gets raised in the Octagon.
MMA Fighting has 
LAS VEGAS – Of all the fighters in the UFC’s reasonably stacked light heavyweight division, 
LAS VEGAS – The near-lovefest that has become 
With