First off, this fight won’t be like the last fight. A lot of people don’t remember, but Leonard Garcia took the previous clash at The Ultimate Fighter Finale 12 on short notice, as a replacement for Alex Caceres.He didn’t have a training camp, so…
First off, this fight won’t be like the last fight. A lot of people don’t remember, but Leonard Garcia took the previous clash at The Ultimate Fighter Finale 12 on short notice, as a replacement for Alex Caceres.
He didn’t have a training camp, so most of his eight days leading up to the fight were spent trying to get from 172 pounds down to 145 pounds.
In light of this, Nam Phan should come into the fight knowing that this isn’t the same guy that he lost to in an extremely controversial decision. Garcia will have better conditioning, and, undoubtedly, his striking will be sharper.
Garcia knows that Phan is looking to take him down to neutralize his powerful striking and will look to get out of the wild exchanges that Garcia loves. Phan will need to disguise his takedowns and set them up with technical striking.
Since he will be looking for takedowns, Phan should look to apply some ground and pound, but not tire himself out too much. Garcia can definitely take a punch—as evidenced in all of his fights, including the fight-of-the-night classic against Chan Sung Jung at WEC 48.
Garcia has never been knocked out in 23 professional fights, and Phan should think that he has the knockout power to be the first to do it.
Phan should instead utilize his takedowns, transition on the ground and do damage in close quarters.
With this in mind, Nam Phan should be able to avenge his loss against the “Bad Boy” Leonard Garcia at UFC 136.
For fans of Jens “Lil Evil” Pulver, it should come as no surprise that the former UFC lightweight champ has chosen to blaze his own path when it comes to anything related to the sport of mixed martial arts. Pulver’s latest endeavor is his participation…
For fans of Jens “Lil Evil” Pulver, it should come as no surprise that the former UFC lightweight champ has chosen to blaze his own path when it comes to anything related to the sport of mixed martial arts.
Pulver’s latest endeavor is his participation in the 505 Games/Kung Fu Factory video game Supremacy MMA. The game is a departure from previous fighting games put out by the UFC and EA Sports. The game caters to fans of the arcade style of gaming and can be likened to Tekken or Mortal Kombat in many ways.
One of the game’s features is a story mode that follows each of the fighter’s careers. The story of Pulver starts with his rough childhood. The animated version of Pulver is seen with a gun in his mouth with his fighting proclaiming, “You’re not even worth the bullets.”
Pulver’s life and career have seen their ups and downs, as portrayed in the game. The UFC, Pride, and WEC veteran has made a number of changes following a tough stretch. While demoing the new game, Pulver sat down to talk with Bleacher Report. “Yes, I lost a lot,” Pulver explained. “But there was life after the WEC.”
The rejuvenation of his career is in large part due to a new camp and a drop to the bantamweight division. The veteran fighter is 3-1 over his last four fights, including a recent TKO win over Coty Wheeler in August.
In the fight, Pulver delivered a number of strikes that hurt Wheeler before the referee intervened. “At first, it shocked me. I hadn’t dropped anybody in a while,” proclaimed the 135-pound fighter with a laugh.
After Wheeler hit the canvas, Pulver begged the referee to step in, but had to deliver more punishment to his opponent. Looking back, Pulver regretted his actions, “I shouldn’t have been trying to win a merit badge.”
The recent success has been, in large part, due to a new approach. “The hardest part of training, which no one ever asks me about, is the mental side,” said Pulver. “This was the first time in my career where I truly grasped that concept.”
Fighting out of Chicago and training with Team Curran, Pulver is easily making the weight cut to the bantamweight division. “I walk around at 144 because I’m on a juice diet,” the former champion described. “I’m living that gym life, which I’ve never done before. It’s lonely, but I need it.”
Pulver hopes to fight again in late November or early December. The fighter knows that his time in the sport is limited, but he’s accepted that. “More than just being competitive, I want to quit the right way. I’m living the life of a fighter and I’m going to walk out a better person,” declared Pulver.
Training with Curran has led Pulver to evolve his ground game, something he can relate back to the video game. While Pulver’s character has a boxing pedigree, he knows that in real life he needs more than his boxing to succeed. Each fighter has a base in the game, whether it’s wrestling, judo, Muay Thai, boxing or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Another feature of the game is the ability to play as Muay Thai superstar Malaipet or K-1 veteran Jerome Le Banner, as well as a number of other characters. In Pulver’s words, “It’s like an arcade game.”
Departing from the simulation style of the other games on the market, Supremacy features finishing moves. Something that Pulver thinks adds to the fun of playing the game. “Some people think that gives the sport a bad name, but you don’t give the sport a bad name this far down the road. I was there when it had a bad name, this ain’t it,” stated the fighter.
More than anything, Supremacy MMAis an opportunity for fans to sit down and have some fun; a perfect scenario for someone like Pulver. Watching the legend of the sport play the game, you know he’s having as much fun playing it as he does when he’s inside the cage.
Rob Tatum is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at TheMMACorner.com. For anything related to MMA, you can follow Rob on Twitter @RobTatumMMA.
Filed under: NewsJamie Varner says he’s had all he can stand, and he can’t stand any more.
After a unanimous decision loss to Dakota Cochrane on Saturday night at Titan Fighting Championships 20, Varner said via Twitter that he intends to retire from…
Jamie Varner says he’s had all he can stand, and he can’t stand any more.
After a unanimous decision loss to Dakota Cochrane on Saturday night at Titan Fighting Championships 20, Varner said via Twitter that he intends to retire from mixed martial arts.
Varner left the Titan cage bloodied after a 30-27 sweep by Cochrane, who took the fight on just two days notice, and moments later Tweeted his announcement. But a little while later, the Tweet was removed from Varner’s timeline.
“I gave fighting another shot I need 2 thank u guys 4 ur support! But I just don’t have it anymore. Love u all but ull never c me fight again,” Varner said initially on Twitter before the message was removed, indicating the fighter may have reacted rashly after his loss to Cochrane, a heavy underdog in the fight.
A message left for Varner by MMA Fighting seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Varner (17-6-1, 2 NC) now has just one win in his last six fights, a submission of Tyler Combs in Jeff Curran‘s XFO promotion in May. That was his first bout after being cut from Zuffa and the WEC last December, and it came in a temporary move to welterweight.
Varner won the WEC lightweight title against Rob McCullough at WEC 32 in February 2008 and defended it twice against Marcus Hicks and Donald Cerrone. The Cerrone fight was a split decision that ended because of an illegal knee from Cerrone – and touched off one of the most heated rivalries in MMA history.
But injuries suffered in that fight kept Varner out for nearly a year. And once he returned, it’s been mostly downhill.
Varner lost his WEC lightweight title to Ben Henderson at WEC 46 in January 2010. He returned six months later, but settled for a draw with Kamal Shalorus. And in a highly anticipated rematch with Cerrone, he was dominated in a 30-27 sweep.
Varner then took a fight with Shane Roller at WEC 53, the final show in the promotion’s history – and in his backyard in Glendale, Ariz. But he was submitted in the first round and Zuffa cut him loose.
Varner started his career 11-1 with a pair of no contests, mostly in his native Arizona, before signing with the UFC in 2006. His UFC debut was a submission loss to Hermes Franca at UFC 62. At UFC 68, Varner submitted Jason Gilliam, then signed with the WEC, where he would win the lightweight belt in his second fight in the promotion.
During the illustrious eighteen-year history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, we’ve witnessed countless brutal beatings, killer knockouts, and spectacular submissions. Simply put, we’ve witnessed a ton of holy $&*% moments!
I’m sure you have your favorites that you’ll share with your grandkids when you’re sitting in the old man’s chair. But have you ever stopped and asked yourself which moments in the past two decades were the biggest on a large scale? Well I did and I went to the largest scale imaginable: the almighty Google and here’s what I found. Remember, Google doesn’t have emotional or monetary interest at stake here. These moments are the ones that have generated the most web traffic via searches, not which ones impacted the sport the most.
Why it’s ranked: Jake Shields left Strikeforce as champion so essentially casual fans and mainstream media alike viewed this as the first major inter-promotional, champion vs. champion fight. Georges St. Pierre, reigning UFC Welterweight champion and winner of nine straight came out on top of Shields who was riding a fifteen-fight win streak over the past five years.
The UFC went all in on this one hyping this event with the normal Countdown shows in addition to a pretty sweet commercial, the Primetime series, and a flyer in my mailbox reminding me to order the PPV. It was a huge moment in both men’s career primarily because it was the first tough competition either had faced in quite some time up to that point. The underlying reason this mattered so much is that we all wanted to see the GSP vs. Silva super fight.
By CagePotato contributor Jason Moles
During the illustrious eighteen-year history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, we’ve witnessed countless brutal beatings, killer knockouts, and spectacular submissions. Simply put, we’ve witnessed a ton of holy $&*% moments!
I’m sure you have your favorites that you’ll share with your grandkids when you’re sitting in the old man’s chair. But have you ever stopped and asked yourself which moments in the past two decades were the biggest on a large scale? Well I did and I went to the largest scale imaginable: the almighty Google and here’s what I found. Remember, Google doesn’t have emotional or monetary interest at stake here. These moments are the ones that have generated the most web traffic via searches, not which ones impacted the sport the most.
Why it’s ranked: Jake Shields left Strikeforce as champion so essentially casual fans and mainstream media alike viewed this as the first major inter-promotional, champion vs. champion fight. Georges St. Pierre, reigning UFC Welterweight champion and winner of nine straight came out on top of Shields who was riding a fifteen-fight win streak over the past five years.
The UFC went all in on this one hyping this event with the normal Countdown shows in addition to a pretty sweet commercial, the Primetime series, and a flyer in my mailbox reminding me to order the PPV. It was a huge moment in both men’s career primarily because it was the first tough competition either had faced in quite some time up to that point. The underlying reason this mattered so much is that we all wanted to see the GSP vs. Silva super fight.
Why it’s ranked: This was Brock Lesnar‘s first fight since giving Diverticulitis the F5. (Too bad it was only a two count.) No one knew what to expect. How much cage corrosion would Lesnar have? What about his cardio? Would Shane Carwin win another fight in the first round? That was all answered in the first five minutes as ‘The Engineer’ laid out the blue print for not only how to beat the UFC heavyweight champion, but also what a 10-8 round looks like.
Looking back, it was such a noteworthy night because it capped off, or so we thought, the trials and tribulations of the biggest draw in MMA and left us all with a warm fuzzy feeling. Not Shane, though, he was still sucking wind worse that Roy Nelson a few weeks ago. Regardless, the first round and the shocking result raised a lot of eyebrows, hence it’s spot on the list.
Why it’s ranked: Finally! Something that actually deserves to be on this list, right? I know, I know, settle down scooter. Remember, Google analyzes what EVERYONE is searching for, not just the hardcore fans that spend their free time commenting on a niche website trying to provoke a flame war. Now where was I? Oh yeah, this is the first moment that actually has long-term significance to most of us.
The WEC was home to some of the best fighters in the game today and sadly, they were gobbled up by the UFC like the last piece of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. Usually when one promotion is consumed by another, much larger and well known promotion, heads turn and people seek out any little nuggets of truth they can. It marked the beginning of a new chapter for the mma world as a whole. Little did we know at the time that the WEC was just the appetizer.
Why it’s ranked: Honestly, I think it’s high on the list merely because some crackpot former pseudo badass named Steven Seagal claimed to have taught UFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva the single most lethal front kick in all of combat sports. Seriously, WTH? It was a joke. No, no it wasn’t. It was just a media stunt to get more attention. For real now, I most definitely taught him that kick and to prove it I trained my dragon to do the same thing.
This is a classic example of what a holy $&*% moment is because when you first see it your instinct is to yell out “Holy $&*%!!!” and then look at the guy next to you and repeat. Unforgettable moment + delusional B-list Hollywood celeb = mass hysteria.
The single biggest moment in UFC history according to Google is (drum roll please)…………..
Why it’s ranked: UFC 100 was the biggest, baddest, most heavily promoted fight card up to that point and it smashed records left and right including gross revenue, tickets sold, and PPV buys. Two title fights including transcendent fighters Brock Lesnar and GSP plus the culmination of Michael Bisping writing a check his chin couldn’t cash after an entire season of trash talking Dan Henderson on The Ultimate Fighter. Everyone and their mother heard something about the epic event thanks to ESPN and others mentioning it leading up to fight night. Oh yeah, there was that little incident after the main event that got a little attention too.
It seemed like the mma community was stricken with an ailment that prevented the poor soul from acknowledging anything outside of UFC 100 the week of and after the event. We just couldn’t help ourselves. It was our Super Bowl, granted it didn’t kick0ff an annual pop-cultural mega event, but it was significantly larger than anything else we had seen. There’s just something magical about the number 100. We did it, err, they did it. They fought the politicians, PPV blackouts, and the economy while nearly going bankrupt in the process. MMA soared out of the shadows and boldly announced its presence that night putting everyone on notice; in case you weren’t aware, MMA is here to stay.
I know. You know. I know you know. I know you know I know. Don’t get all pissy at me, I didn’t make the list. All I did was try to make sense of what the data said and make you laugh in the process. Double fail, right? But go ahead; tell me what should have been on this list in the comments. Do you want a follow up with what CagePotato thinks are the biggest moments in UFC history? How about the biggest moments in PRIDE FC’s history? Strikeforce? Ah, who am I kidding? You stopped reading after you saw Steven Segal mentioned.
Filed under: UFC, WECLAS VEGAS – On Thursday, Clay Guida was asked after his workout if the lightweights that merged over from the WEC – and most importantly, his opponent Anthony Pettis – were worthy of the UFC.
LAS VEGAS – On Thursday, Clay Guida was asked after his workout if the lightweights that merged over from the WEC – and most importantly, his opponent Anthony Pettis – were worthy of the UFC.
“He’s got four or five wins over some pretty worthy opponents,” Guida said after a workout at The Palms in Las Vegas. “Are they UFC-worthy? We’ll find out in the next couple months. Is he UFC-worthy? We’ll find out in the next couple days. He didn’t fight any slouches, (but) we’re going to see what he’s made of.”
Pettis didn’t do anything to make anyone think he doesn’t belong in the UFC on Saturday night, despite a 30-27 unanimous decision loss to Guida at “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 13 Finale. But he said after the fight he now knows he has some work to do.
“I feel I had some holes in my game, and Clay Guida and (coach) Greg Jackson did of a good job of having a good game plan,” Pettis said after saying he had no regrets for taking the fight instead of waiting out a lightweight title shot that had been promised him in December. That shot was put on hold after a draw between champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, who now are recovering from training injuries before a rematch later this year.
Guida was able to control the fight using an offense that consisted primarily of takedowns and ground control. He took Pettis down five times in the fight and passed his guard four times – three times in the third round. And according to FightMetric, he also outstruck Pettis.
Pettis said it was that control by Guida, which kept him on top much of the fight, that earned him the win. Pettis worked repeatedly for triangles and armbars from guard, but Guida was able to stay busy enough to keep out of imminent danger.
“I think control-wise, he was on top and he did a good job staying on top,” Pettis said. “I couldn’t get my submissions off – I attempted a lot, I hit him a lot, but I understand how the game works. He controlled things, and he won. I knew I had to get off my back to deal with Clay. But I’ll work on it and come back stronger.”
Guida said Pettis’ game from guard gave him problems, as did several highlight-reel kicks that just missed, bringing back memories of his kick off the cage against Ben Henderson when he won the last WEC lightweight title in December.
But if Guida had any doubts on Thursday whether Pettis was ready for the UFC, they were answered Saturday. Guida seems to think so.
“He must have thrown 10 or 12 triangles and armbars,” Guida said. “And he hit me lights-out a couple times. Punched me, elbowed me – tough as nails. He’s got a real tricky guard, and he’s a real talented kid.”
As the Extreme Sports channel continues to wind its repetitive way through a dozen WEC shows, we’re going to take a look at their 38th instalment, where Donald Cerrone challenged Jamie Varner for the lightweight title.The broadcast began in the f…
As the Extreme Sports channel continues to wind its repetitive way through a dozen WEC shows, we’re going to take a look at their 38th instalment, where Donald Cerrone challenged Jamie Varner for the lightweight title.
The broadcast began in the featherweight division as Jose Aldo faced Rolando Perez.
Both of these guys were lightning fast with their strikes and kicks, with Aldo just edging it in the speed stakes.
So when it looked like it could go either way, Perez went for a left, only for Aldo to connect with a knee to the chin that sent Perez down.
Aldo went down for a few more strikes before the referee stepped in to give Aldo the TKO win.
Then it was up to welterweight, as Danillo Villefort took on Mike Campbell.
This was a great back-and-forth battle. After a brief feeling-out period, Campbell scored with the takedown. Villefort countered with the rubber guard so Campbell picked him and slammed him down.
Villefort came back with some nice ground work, going for a couple of leg locks. The fight then went up and down before finally returning to the ground, where Villefort took control, took Campbell’s back and secured the ground-and-pound TKO win.
Bantamweight action followed, as Scott Jorgensen went up against Frank Gomez.
Gomez began his night with a couple of kicks, which Jorgensen countered with a takedown. He immediately went for a guillotine, switching it to a power guillotine before Gomez succumbed to the inevitable.
Then it was onto the big rematch in the featherweight division, as Urijah Faber faced Jens Pulver.
This was another step on Pulver’s downward spiral. Little Evil began with a takedown but Faber quickly got back to his feet.
Seconds later Faber connected with a left to the body that rocked Pulver. Faber went in for the kill, eventually taking the fight down and synching in a guillotine for the submission win, handing Pulver his third successive defeat.
The main event saw Donald Cerrone challenge Jamie Varner for the lightweight title.
This was one of the best spirited fights I’ve ever seen. These two showed each other a tremendous amount of respect, but that didn’t stop them from having a great battle.
For just over four rounds we saw an exciting back-and-forth battle. Each man had their moments. Varner put on a great display of ground-and-pound and striking, while Cerrone’s ground work and kicks looked lethal.
But in the early stages of the fifth, Cerrone caught Varner with a knee to the head while the champion was still grounded.
With the blow ruled an unintentional foul and Varner unable to continue, it went to the scorecards, with Varner taking the win by technical split decision. An unfortunate ending to what was a great fight.
In conclusion: Out of the three WEC shows I’ve seen, this has been the best of the bunch.
There was plenty of great action on offer here, with Faber’s destruction of Pulver the highlight of the night for me, although the Varner/Cerrone encounter would have edged it had it not been for the early ending.
So in all, WEC 38 gets the thumbs up from me. But don’t worry if you live in Britain and you haven’t seen this one yet, because it will definitely be repeated soon.
Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com. I’ve just posted some of my old fiction there!
First off, this fight won’t be like the last fight. A lot of people don’t remember, but Leonard Garcia took the previous clash at The Ultimate Fighter Finale 12 on short notice, as a replacement for Alex Caceres.
Jamie Varner says he’s had all he can stand, and he can’t stand any more. 
LAS VEGAS – On Thursday, Clay Guida was asked after his workout if the lightweights that merged over from the WEC – and most importantly, his opponent Anthony Pettis – were worthy of the UFC. 