Tag: ufc136

The Forward Roll: UFC 136 Edition

Filed under: UFCJust in case UFC president Dana White had any doubts about what he would do next with the middleweight division — and before UFC 136, he seemed a bit torn — Chael Sonnen made his case with his actions and his mouth. Afterward, it seem…

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Just in case UFC president Dana White had any doubts about what he would do next with the middleweight division — and before UFC 136, he seemed a bit torn — Chael Sonnen made his case with his actions and his mouth. Afterward, it seemed clear that White would grant Sonnen his wish for a rematch with division champion Anderson Silva.

According to White, it’s a matchup that Silva wants, too, because, as he told MMA Fighting, Silva “hates him with a passion.” The funny thing is, Silva should love Sonnen. He should send him thank you cards. And 20 years from now, he’ll probably feel that way. Because regardless of his words, Sonnen has helped to raise Silva’s profile and to define his career.

Years from now, when Silva is old and we have a stronger grasp of MMA history, the win over Sonnen will be seen as the defining one of his career. It was a victory that only a champion could have pulled out. Silva was fighting with a severe rib injury, and was trailing badly on the judges’ scorecards — 40-34 on one judge’s card. The fifth round started much the same as the first four, with a Sonnen takedown. But Silva somehow willed one last gasp triangle that caught Sonnen and forced a tapout.

Of course, master fight promoter Sonnen barely waited to begin talk of a rematch. It was at the post-fight press conference that same night when he said, in Silva’s presence, “Here’s the truth: if the commission would sanction it and Dana would move, I would fight him again right now.”

If we’ve learned anything about White over time, it’s that he loves a fighter who proactively campaigns for opportunities. Passion moves him. Whether you love or hate Sonnen, you can’t deny his passion. And after his first performance against Silva, you can’t deny he has a chance to win. That should mean big interest in the fight, and big business for the event, and even Anderson Silva should be able to appreciate that.

Frank Edgar
Edgar has spent the last two years of his life focused on two fighters: BJ Penn and Gray Maynard. He has to be thrilled about moving on. And he also has to be thrilled about finishing his toughest opponent after nearly 12 rounds of war, earning a decisive conclusion.

Edgar will take off the next two weeks or so, and he won’t be back in the cage until early next year. Gilbert Melendez has been mentioned, but for now it seems like Melendez’s status is up in the air. That makes it a toss-up as to whether Edgar will face him next, or a UFC lightweight.

Prediction: Edgar faces the winner of UFC on FOX 1’s Ben Henderson vs. Clay Guida fight

Gray Maynard
Maynard seemed heartbroken after UFC 136, and you can’t blame him. He came within a punch or two of winning the lightweight title in two different fights and couldn’t close it out.

There is a silver lining though, as his competitive performances have shown that he is clearly capable of giving the world’s best a run for their money. And after having been tied up with Edgar so long, there are plenty of fresh matchups out there for him.

Prediction: He faces the loser of UFC on FOX 1’s Henderson vs. Guida fight

Jose Aldo
Aldo received some criticism for his win over Kenny Florian from those who believed he was too conservative with his offense. But with the way Florian was attacking him, Aldo did the right thing. Florian was looking to take away Aldo’s explosiveness by either taking him down or grinding him against the cage. By FightMetric’s count, Florian tried 19 takedowns (and only completed one).

Even if you didn’t watch the fight, from those number you can surmise that Florian didn’t give Aldo much room to operate. Aldo had to worry about defense for good reason, and he did a great job with it. It may not be any easier in his next fight.

Prediction: He faces unbeaten Chad Mendes in early 2012.

Kenny Florian
At least in the immediate aftermath of UFC 136, Florian looked like a man who was done with fighting. Verbally, he wouldn’t commit to either continuing or retirement, and rightfully, Florian should take time to consider all his options. At 35 years old, Florian is still a very good fighter, and he could certainly continue on and seek out intriguing matchups if he so chose. But Florian has always said his goal was a UFC championship belt, and now it appears that will never happen. That leads me to wonder if he will have the proper motivation to go through the grind of training camps. Hopefully he makes a decision he can embrace wholeheartedly.

Prediction: Florian retires and continues his strong work in broadcasting

Chael Sonnen
Sonnen’s performance Saturday night was nothing short of systematic destruction. Sonnen finished off Stann with the arm triangle choke and got up off the canvas with a stoic, focused look on his face. It seemed like there was something on his mind other than Stann, and we quickly found out what it was. Bring on the rematch.

Prediction: Silva-Sonnen II

Brian Stann
Stann is a strong, powerful dude, but he had no prayer of stopping Sonnen’s takedowns. He’ll always be a tough matchup for strikers, but wrestlers are always going to try to follow the blueprint laid by Sonnen and Phil Davis. Fortunately for Stann, there aren’t an overwhelming number of wrestlers. Anyway, it’s time to retool and reload for Stann.

Prediction: Stann might have a bit of a wait until his next fight. I’m thinking he could face Mark Munoz if Munoz should lose to Chris Leben next month, or if not, Stann gets someone like a returning Alessio Sakara.

Joe Lauzon
Lauzon has some of the best finishing instincts in the UFC, fearless in his attempts to close out a fight. His win over Melvin Guillard was a shocker, entering the fight as a massive underdog. Despite the big win, Lauzon’s only 3-2 in his last five, so it’s hard to figure exactly where he fits in the lightweight hierarchy.

Prediction: TJ Grant looked very good in his lightweight debut. Sounds like a good matchup.

Anthony Pettis
When the UFC announced Pettis vs. Jeremy Stephens, no one was expecting a slow grind of a fight. And while it wasn’t Pettis’ best performance, he proved he could go in there against a rugged, powerful striker and win. Ultimately, Pettis isn’t going to win a title with his wrestling, so I don’t expect him to employ the same kind of game plan against anyone. Let’s get him back in there against another striker.

Prediction: Pettis faces Sam Stout

Stipe Miocic
You may or may not have seen the debut of Miocic, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound heavyweight who outlasted the always tough Joey Beltran during the prelims. Miocic looked good but not great against a guy who is among the UFC’s most durable heavyweights. But even though he has plenty of work to do, it was a positive first step.

Prediction: He faces Mark Hunt

 

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A Journey Into the Mind of Chael Sonnen

Filed under: UFCHOUSTON — I am supposed to write something about Chael Sonnen. I know this. I keep reminding myself of it. But nothing comes.

It is not writer’s block. I am simply confused by him. This is not a shocker. Sonnen is a bright guy, but he…

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Chael SonnenHOUSTON — I am supposed to write something about Chael Sonnen. I know this. I keep reminding myself of it. But nothing comes.

It is not writer’s block. I am simply confused by him. This is not a shocker. Sonnen is a bright guy, but he says lots of things, many of which are not compatible with others. He says things that are funny, if not always 100 percent true. But mostly, he says things with feeling. And feelings are hard to quantify in words.

This is a hard fight for him, you can tell.

First, there is a lot at stake. Sonnen has blood, sweat and tears invested into this matchup, not for what it is, but what it could be. He needs another chance to fight Anderson Silva, that much is obvious. And the only way to get there is by winning at UFC 136.

Second, he likes Brian Stann. For real. He was at Stann’s first fight back in 2006. Sonnen was the ringside announcer, and Stann fought his teammate Aaron Stark. Sonnen had trained with Stark long enough to know how good he was. And Stann ran through him. That memory stuck. Stann later came out to train with Sonnen and the Team Quest guys for a while. There is a tangible friendship there. When they got approached about the fight, Sonnen reached out to Stann. Let’s do it, they both decided.

Third, he’s been away. He got put in the corner. And training for the future isn’t the same as training for a fight, he says. He believes in ring rust, he says. He’s not excited about fighting, he says.

Chael Sonnen says these things and he sounds something we haven’t heard before. He sounds vulnerable.

This is crazy, I think to myself. I have been covering MMA for several years now, and yet somehow, I had never crossed paths with Sonnen in person before this week. Like most of you, I’ve seen him evolve into a soundbyte-machine, and I came to town expecting that Chael.

He didn’t disappoint, but the trademark brashness wasn’t there.

On Thursday, I asked Sonnen how he expects to be received by the crowd. And at first he gave a political answer.

“I only ask the crowd to do two things: be present and be loud,” he said.

But then, he went on.

“When I’m a fan, I show up to boo,” he said. “I don’t show up to cheer, I show up to heckle. So what comes around, goes around, and I fully expect it.”

OK, fair enough, but what about the fight? Well, Sonnen couldn’t even bring himself to say he would beat Stann on Saturday. This from the man who called Anderson Silva a “fraud” before facing him. This from the man who said he was going to “throw [Silva] on his back and beat a hole in his face.”

Here’s what he said this time around: “Brian can beat me, and I can beat him. I like those odds, 50-50, and it doesn’t matter either way. Either way, you’ve got to move forward.”

I didn’t know what to make of it. Sure, it’s an honest answer, but isn’t a fighter supposed to believe 100 percent he is going to win? I mean, this is Chael Sonnen?

Maybe it really is Sonnen being vulnerable, and at his most candid. There is no way you can tell for sure. But there is no way you can go through what he went through — problems that resulted in a suspension from his fight career and a legal conviction in his personal life — and walk away unscathed.

Sonnen admitted as much this week, saying that he did have doubts about this whole return.

“What fun would this be if you knew the outcome?” he said. “What fun would this be if it wasn’t all on the line? That’s how I want it. I love dealing with that adversity. I love going to the ring hurt or sick or tired and trying to figure out how to win anyway. That’s just the way it goes. I saw the ride and bought the ticket anyway. So I’m on board for it. I don’t care.”

This week, the brashness was muted and the honesty was turned up. That struck me. It’s almost like he was bracing himself. Or maybe the wound is still open. Or maybe I’m reading too much into it. But Sonnen has something to prove, and his mouth can’t do it.

Less than two years ago, Sonnen said that he wanted to be “king of the mountain,” otherwise, he said, he’d move on in life. He is 15 minutes away from another crack at Anderson SIlva. He is also 15 minutes away from sliding back down the mountain. And even for someone who is known for his wit and humor, that, my friends, is a heavy situation.

 

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Next UFC Fan Expo Set for Oct. 7-8 in Houston

Filed under: UFC, NewsTORONTO – Not yet halfway through its first UFC Fan Expo in Canada, the promotion was ready to spring loose the early details on its next fan event.

UFC president Dana White announced Friday during a question-and-answer session …

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TORONTO – Not yet halfway through its first UFC Fan Expo in Canada, the promotion was ready to spring loose the early details on its next fan event.

UFC president Dana White announced Friday during a question-and-answer session with fans at the Toronto UFC Fan Expo that Houston will host one on Oct. 7-8. The promotion had not previously made any announcement for its next fan event.

The UFC has not yet made official a fight card for that weekend in Houston. Sources with the promotion could not yet confirm on Friday to MMA Fighting that the weekend will also play host to a pay-per-view. But all the other UFC Fan Expos have been lead-ins for pay-per-views, and the belief is that the Houston Fan Expo will be no different – possibly UFC 136.