UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen Aftermath – New Beginnings


(Photo courtesy of Josh Hedges via Getty Images.)

By George Shunick

On paper, UFC Fight Night 26 – or UFC on Fox Sports 1 1, or UFC Fight Night: Sonnen vs. Shogun, or whatever else people were calling this card – looked to be one of the strongest of the year. Usually those cards tend to be solid, but still fall a little short of the hype. This wasn’t one of those cards. All but one or two fights delivered in some form, often with jarring, violent finishes. It was all the UFC could have hoped for to cap off its run on Fox Sports’ new network.

Let’s start at the top; Chael Sonnen managed to control Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the majority of the first round before shocking everyone by finishing Shogun with a guillotine choke. For Sonnen, this was a big win; it legitimizes his jump to 205, and he managed to submit an opponent with very high level submission grappling ability. It also netted him an extra $50,000 for one of the UFC’s Submission of the Night bonuses. Now everyone from Lyoto Machida to Vitor Belfort is chomping at the bit to get a shot at him. He’ll probably move on to fight either one of them, or Wanderlei Silva in a gimme matchup. As for Shogun, he was eulogized elsewhere before the fight. The hard truth is he hasn’t been the fighter he was since his third knee surgery after the second Machida fight, and getting hammered by Jon Jones and Dan Henderson probably didn’t help matters. Getting finished by Sonnen in the first round is evidence of that. It’s not quite time to hang up the gloves, but that day is drawing ever nearer for the 31 year-old.

On a slightly more enjoyable note was the shocking ending to the Travis Browne-Alistair Overeem co-main event. Overeem held the edge in power and technique, and it showed from the beginning. Overeem hammered Browne with shots from all angles, but particularly knees to the midsection. Browne was dropped a number of times but was never out of it, always maintaining an intelligent, if not necessarily effective, defense. But Overeem, as he is wont to do, began to tire. As he plodded forward, Browne unleashed a front kick that, while lacking the snap found in Anderson Silva’s or Lyoto Machida’s, was still sufficient to drop Ubereem. Browne followed with hammerfists and Mario Yamasaki stepped in. It was slightly premature, though Overeem had no complaints.


(Photo courtesy of Josh Hedges via Getty Images.)

By George Shunick

On paper, UFC Fight Night 26 – or UFC on Fox Sports 1 1, or UFC Fight Night: Sonnen vs. Shogun, or whatever else people were calling this card – looked to be one of the strongest of the year. Usually those cards tend to be solid, but still fall a little short of the hype. This wasn’t one of those cards. All but one or two fights delivered in some form, often with jarring, violent finishes. It was all the UFC could have hoped for to cap off its run on Fox Sports’ new network.

Let’s start at the top; Chael Sonnen managed to control Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the majority of the first round before shocking everyone by finishing Shogun with a guillotine choke. For Sonnen, this was a big win; it legitimizes his jump to 205, and he managed to submit an opponent with very high level submission grappling ability. It also netted him an extra $50,000 for one of the UFC’s Submission of the Night bonuses. Now everyone from Lyoto Machida to Vitor Belfort is chomping at the bit to get a shot at him. He’ll probably move on to fight either one of them, or Wanderlei Silva in a gimme matchup. As for Shogun, he was eulogized elsewhere before the fight. The hard truth is he hasn’t been the fighter he was since his third knee surgery after the second Machida fight, and getting hammered by Jon Jones and Dan Henderson probably didn’t help matters. Getting finished by Sonnen in the first round is evidence of that. It’s not quite time to hang up the gloves, but that day is drawing ever nearer for the 31 year-old.

On a slightly more enjoyable note was the shocking ending to the Travis Browne-Alistair Overeem co-main event. Overeem held the edge in power and technique, and it showed from the beginning. Overeem hammered Browne with shots from all angles, but particularly knees to the midsection. Browne was dropped a number of times but was never out of it, always maintaining an intelligent, if not necessarily effective, defense. But Overeem, as he is wont to do, began to tire. As he plodded forward, Browne unleashed a front kick that, while lacking the snap found in Anderson Silva’s or Lyoto Machida’s, was still sufficient to drop Ubereem. Browne followed with hammerfists and Mario Yamasaki stepped in. It was slightly premature, though Overeem had no complaints.

There have been people who said Overeem paid for disrespecting his opponent again. That’s not true; Overeem has a history of gassing himself out and being unable to handle getting hit [Ed. Note, Part 1: I’m not saying…]. This is merely the latest manifestation of those flaws, which are exacerbated by fighting well above his natural weight [Ed. Note, Part 2: …I’m just sayingSF]. At this point, he’s one of the UFC’s most spectacular busts (but not the only one on this card!) with a drug bust and two consecutive KO losses. He’ll get one more chance to redeem himself, but I wouldn’t hold out hope for a title run in his tenure. As for Browne, the man can take a beating. That said, Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos won’t be so likely to let him off the hook should he face them. He’s got work to do as well. But I bet those ribs of his feel better after winning one of the UFC’s two KO of the Night bonuses.

Urijah Faber proved yet again why he’s one of the best fighters in history – perhaps the best – to never hold UFC gold. Despite getting mounted by Iuri Alcantara within ten seconds of the first round, Faber maintained his poise and battle through submission attempts and back mount before gaining top position and raining elbows from the guard. From there on, it was all Faber. Alcanatara was a very legitimate opponent, but he simply couldn’t match Faber’s pace, wrestling and scrambling abilities. There are few who can. Another Faber title shot is probably as inevitable as the sun rising.

In what promised to be the Battle of the Gritty White Dudes, Matt Brown ended Mike Pyle’s night in under a minute. After dropping Pyle with a right to the temple, Brown unloaded on his adversary with brutal rights as he stood over him, separating Pyle from his senses and winning the other KO of the Night bonus. Brown, on a six-fight win streak with virtually every fight being eminently watchable, called out GSP after the fight. He’s not quite there yet, but give him the winner of Condit-Kampmann and we’ll see how he handles himself there. Pyle, on the other hand, has never quite managed to translate his fearsome gym reputation into the octagon. It’s unfortunate, and at 37, it’s unlikely to change at this point. Still, he’s talented enough to hang around for a while longer.

I mentioned Overeem wasn’t the only bust on this card. Well, the other honor belongs to TUF 17 sensation – and, as many people seem to forget, runner up – Uriah Hall. After a decent first round against late replacement John Howard, who is a natural welterweight, Hall seemed to fade. Not as a byproduct of conditioning so much as dismay stemming from the fact that his opponent simply wasn’t going to be intimidated. As a result, Hall simply seemed to withdraw into himself. There were rare moments of brilliance, such as when he almost took Howard’s back in the second round, but by and large he allowed Howard to push the pace and land shots. As a result, he deservedly lost a split decision in a relatively dull fight – perhaps the only one on the card – and will undoubtedly face the ire of the UFC should he lose again. His back’s against the wall, and if his fights are any indication, he might not respond too well to that

Finally, Michael Johnson showed improved striking in dispatching a sluggish Joe Lauzon. Lauzon was dropped twice in the first round and never seemed to figure out Johnson. Faced with a superior striker, he made no real effort to drag the fight to the ground, even as Johnson began to tire later in the fight. It wasn’t his best performance to say the least, but it was just the opposite for the mercurial Johnson. Johnson’s always been inconsistent as a fighter, but the overall trend of his fights show that he’s been improving. If he can maintain the level he showed last night – and avoid the ground at all costs – he’s got the ability to go places.

Just to touch on the preliminary card, Michael McDonald and Brad Pickett won fight of the night for their brutal two round scrap. McDonald scored a 10-8 first round, dropping Pickett multiple times. It’s a testament to Pickett’s toughness that he made it to the second, and a testament to McDonald’s mental toughness that he didn’t let that dissuade him. A bit fatigued, though, he found himself losing the second round to Pickett, on his back. In the blink of an eye, the tables turned as McDonald snatched a triangle choke from nowhere and, after some maneuvering, secured the tap and one Submission of the Night bonus as well. He’s a thought; have him go toe-to-toe with Uriah Faber.
Other than that, Conor McGregor had an excellent showing against Max Holloway, but possibly blew out his knee in the process. Hopefully not; the hype behind the man is, by all appearances, justified. Steven Siler scored a brutal knockout of former WEC Champion Mike Brown. And Diego Brandao managed to win an entertaining but progressively slow fight, living up to his reputation as someone who tends to gas after round one.

From top to bottom, almost every fight on this card delivered in some fashion. The decisions were exciting, the finishes were violent and shocking. The production was, by and large, professional and streamlined. Granted, we didn’t have Goldberg bellowing “IT IS ALLLLLL OVER!”, but maybe that’s something you need to ease a network audience into over time. All in all, this was the card the UFC wanted to have for its debut on Fox Sports 1, and it could not have gone better.

UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen — Main Card Results & Commentary


(Personally, I’d stay away from any mortgage service that advertises on Chael Sonnen’s butt-cheeks, but hey, that’s just me. / Photo via MMAFighting.com)

The UFC is going all-in for their big debut on FOX Sports 1. Tonight’s UFC Fight Night 26 main card broadcast features a former UFC light-heavyweight champion (Mauricio “Shogun” Rua), a three-time UFC title challenger (Chael Sonnen), a former Strikeforce/DREAM/K-1 champion (Alistair Overeem), a former WEC champ (Urijah Faber), one of the two most bonus-decorated fighters in UFC history (Joe Lauzon), the man responsible for ending the Griggs Era (Travis Browne), an American hero who pre-emptively shattered a terrorist’s nose (John Howard), the owner of the greatest knockout in TUF history (Uriah Hall), and that gritty son of a bitch Matt Brown. If only all UFC card were this stacked and this free.

Handling the main card play-by-play for the UFC’s return to Boston is our man Oliver Chan (aka “O Chan”), who will be hand-delivering “UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen” live results after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and keep the conversation poppin’ in the comments section. Thanks for being here.


(Personally, I’d stay away from any mortgage service that advertises on Chael Sonnen’s butt-cheeks, but hey, that’s just me. / Photo via MMAFighting.com)

The UFC is going all-in for their big debut on FOX Sports 1. Tonight’s UFC Fight Night 26 main card broadcast features a former UFC light-heavyweight champion (Mauricio “Shogun” Rua), a three-time UFC title challenger (Chael Sonnen), a former Strikeforce/DREAM/K-1 champion (Alistair Overeem), a former WEC champ (Urijah Faber), one of the two most bonus-decorated fighters in UFC history (Joe Lauzon), the man responsible for ending the Griggs Era (Travis Browne), an American hero who pre-emptively shattered a terrorist’s nose (John Howard), the owner of the greatest knockout in TUF history (Uriah Hall), and that gritty son of a bitch Matt Brown. If only all UFC card were this stacked and this free.

Handling the main card play-by-play for the UFC’s return to Boston is our man Oliver Chan (aka “O Chan”), who will be hand-delivering “UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen” live results after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and keep the conversation poppin’ in the comments section. Thanks for being here.

Please stand by…

Ladies and Gentlemen, Worcester Mass’s very own Oliver “Double Bacon Cheese” Chan returns to his hometown for FS1′s UFC Debut.  And by return home, I mean on my buddy’s couch watching it in Brooklyn.  But I digress… Already we’ve seen some great fights on the prelims, some sick camera angles, Vegas odds, new real-time fight stats, and a :50 second knockout that made me feel dizzy… I don’t know about you, but I’m giddy.

Here’s what we’ve seen thus far:

James Vick def. Ramsey Njem (guillotine, Rd 1 at 0:58)
Ovince St. Preux def. Cody Donovan (KO, Rd 1 at 2:07)
Manvel Gamburyan def. Cole Miller (UD, 30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Diego Brandao def. Daniel Pineda (UD, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Steven  Siler def. Mike Brown (KO, Rd 1 0:50)
Conor McGregor def. Max Holloway (UD, 30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Michael McDonald def. Brad Pickett (Triangle Choke, Rd 2 3:43)

Now let’s get to the good stuff shall we? Leading off the main card is Joe Lauzon (who has a striking resemblance to Nick Stahl from Sin City) taking on TUF alumnus, Michael Johnson.
My prediction: Lauzon 3rd round submission arm-bar
My buddy’s:  Lauzon 2rd round submission Rear-Naked

Joe Lauzon vs. Michael Johnson

Rd. 1

Johnson and Lauzon square off trading jabs and low kicks.  Both guys circle around the enter of the Octagon.
Johnson lands a hard left to Lauzon.  He goes down, but gets up.  He’s still dazed, a bit wobbly and looking to take Johnson to the ground.  Johnson is aggressive with his follow-up, but Lauzon recovers.  Stat tracker shows Lauzon is just being picked apart by Johnson on the striking department.
Johnson’s combos is just too much for Lauzon.  Johnson knocks Lauzon down again! Lauzon wants Johnson in the guard, but Johnson doesn’t want that.  Johnson continues to t-off on Lauzon knocking him down again and J-Lau is saved by the bell.
My call:  10-9 Johnson

Rd. 2
More circling and squaring off.  J-Lau works Johnson against the cage.   Johnson gets away and the two continue circling.  J-Lau controls the center of the Octagon.  J-Lau looks to have Johnson on the run, but Johnson quickly counters with some tight combinations.  Johnson gets J-Lau against the cage and grinds it out.  J-Lau pushes it off.  Johnson is starting to look a bit gassed out.  The two trade a few more on the center of the ring.  MJ takes down J-Lau and gets some GnP against the cage. He might have sealed up that round with the take-down.

My call: 10-9 Johnson

Rd. 3
Third round starts with MJ circling around J-Lau in the center of the cage.  Johnson throws some combos and leg-kicks.  MJ is starting to pick apart J-Lau with the combos.  Failed take-down attempt by J-Lau.  MJ is just picking J-Lau apart with quick jabs.  J-Lau really needs to step it and get the finish if he wants the win.  Johnson has almost doubled J-Lau’s strikes.  With 30 seconds left, Johnson gets J-Lau on his back and gets some more GnP from J-Lau’s guard.

My call:  MJ 10-9

Official Decision coming up…

Official Decision
30-27, 30-27 and 30-25 in favor of Michael Johnson

And there’s LB and Spaz from 107.3 WAAF.

Next up, John “Doomsday” Howard (aka the all ‘Merican Terrorist Beater-Upper) vs. yet another TUF Alumnus Uriah Hall.  Remember him?

Buddy’s quote of the night: “Howard is so hood, you got to wonder how he started Muay-Thai? He got no tooth!!”

John Howard vs. Uriah Hall
Howard has an excellent beard.  I want one.  Well, I want the ability to grow a beard, but I want that too.  Our ref is Mario Yamasaki

My call:  Doomsday by UD
My buddy’s:  Hall First Round KO

Rd. 1
Uriah hall immediately goes for the take-down.  Interesting move from a fight we thought would be stand-up.   Uriah hall lets Howard stand.  Hall is noticeably taller than Howard.  Howard throws a nice leg-kick.  Hall answers with some tight jabs.  Uriah with a spinning round-house that Howard ducks.  Howard tries to get inside, but Hall holds pushes him back.

The two square off a bit more and circle each other.  Howard gets Hall with a nice shot and pins Hall against the cage.  Hall reverses and goes for a take-down.  Doomsday throws some punches while against the cage.  The two engage in some dirty boxing.

They separate and Doomsday throws another powerful leg-kick and Hall answers with a knee.  Hall goes for a take-down, Howard defends and goes for a single.  Hall is pinned against the cage.  Hall throws a knee and escapes.  Hall goes for a spinning heel-kick and wiffs.  Round ends.
Hall 10-9, but it was close.

Rd. 2
They touch gloves and we’re on.  Hall throws some nice left-kick combos.   Hall is doing a great job managing the distance.  Hall goes for the take-down and Doomsday gets Hall in a guillotine.  Hall gets out and Howard throws a nice combo.  Doomsday has taken control of the pace and now has Hall pinned against the cage and works the take-down.

Hall reverses and now has Doomsday against the cage.  Mario separates them and they square away.  Doomsday catches Hall’s knee and works the single leg with Hall against the cage.

Hall goes for the Kimura and is the two scramble up. Hall has control of Doomsday’s back.  Howard is now looking for the kimura and now Doomsday has Hall on the run.  Howard gets the take-down away from the cage and starts work some rabbit punches and now strong body-shots.  Howard looks to pass the guard and really lands some hard shots.

Round ends, Howard took that one 10-9.

Rd. 3
The two touch gloves and here we go! Hall goes for a take-down, but Doomsday shrugs it of.  Howard wifs on a leg-kick and Hall goes for a fancy spinning kick, but doesn’t really connect.  Doomsday goes for the overhand left, but Hall blocks.  Doomsday goes for a take-down, but Hall shrugs it of. Hall connects with a nice knee.  Hall goes for a take-down and has Doomsday against the cage.  Doomsday throws some light punches against Hall while against the cage.  Mario separates them.

They touch gloves and square off again. Head-kicked blocked by Doomsday.  Hall gets taken down and has Doomsday in the halfguard.  Hall gets to his knees.  They get to the feet, Doomsday has control of Howard’s back.  He’s got the right hook in, but Hall gets Doomsday against the cage and takes him down.  Doomday gets up and Hall has his back.  They separate and Doomsday starts riling up the crowd and now they both agree to just stand-up (I’m guessing).  Hall gets for some weird spin kicking thing, Doomsday does that Hendo diving punch on Bisping thing… and now the two start bro-ing out.

Another close round, I’m going with my home-town guy, 10-9, but I’m thinking either way, we’re looking at a split-decision.

Official Decision
30-27 Howard, 29-28 Hall, 29-28 Howard

I called it.  Welcome back Doomsday.

Next up, we got a guy with a mullet and a guy who will F-you up if you screw with his dip.  We got Mike Pyle vs. Matt Brown.  This is so red-neck I feel the need for some Skoal, Skynard, and ‘Shine… Moonshine.

Quick observation, this “World’s End Movie”… Is this the same thing as “Shaun of the Dead”, but with aliens instead of zombies.

Mike Pyle vs. Matt Brown 
We both got Brown by decision

Rd. 1
They touch gloves and here we go.

Brown chases Pyle with some strong strikes and knocks Pyle down.  He gets one shot in and Pyle is OUT.  A few extra shots and it’s all over.  Hell of a KO by Brown.

Well then, hope you didn’t blink.

Official Decision
Matt Brown, 1st Round KO at 0:29.  And Brown says Pyle is better tan GSP… Interesting.  Rogan doesn’t buy it. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but you don’t knock a dude out in :30 and say he’s better than the current Welterweight champ… That’s just my opinion.

And there’s Shawn Thorton.  He’s a Boston Bruin.  He’s awesome.

Shameless plug by Oscar De La Hoya where I think he’s really trying hard to think boxing and cardio-boxing can co-exist.

Next up

Uriajah Faber vs. Iuri/Yuri Alcantara

My prediction Yuri by 3rd Rd RNC
Buddy’s Prediction:  Faber by UD

Rd. 1
They touch gloves and we’re on.  Faber charges and Yuri counters with a nice judo toss.  Gets the mount and works the arm-bar .  Faber loos for the leg-lock  Yuri takes Faber’s back, both hooks in and throwing some nice effective strikes.  Faber canot escape the back.  Yuri is just working Faber.  Faber throwing punches while watching himself on the screen (Patrick Batemen reference).   Faber cannot escape from the back control.  Yuri tries to attack Fabers arm.

Faber gets up and slams Yuri down.  Yuri working the triangle.  Faber passes tinto the third guard.  Staples Yuri’s right leg and works some GnP.  Yuri tries to sweep, but Faber maintains the position and drops bombs.  Yuri recovers the full-guard.  More GnP by Faber.  Here is the U-S-A Chants… Yep, it’s Boston.  I got nothing.

Yuri looks to control Faber from the guard, but Faber is still able to land some strong shots.

Faber stole that round in the end, 10-9

Rd. 2
The two go right at it.  Interesting back-roll by Faber, he recovers and Faber is able to take down Yuri and is in Yuri’s guard against the cage.

Faber looks to pass the guard.  Yuri eats a knee to the chest.  Faber in the half-guard looks for the guillotine.  Yuri replaces the guard.  Faber grinding into Yuri.  Faber gets some elbows in.  This is text-book ground and pound, folks.  Faber stands up and passes the guard.  He starts working guillotine again.  Thus far Faber has out-strucken (is that a word) Yuri 37-1.

While in the half-guard Faber is throwing some strong elbows and stronger punches.  Yuri gets up, but Faber is looking for a Judo takedown.  Faber has Yuri against the cage, they move away, Faber takes him down.  Faber in the guard and continues with the GnP.

If this isn’t a 10-8 round Faber, then we need new judges.

Rd. 3
Faber fakes (?) a take down.  He fakes another take-down and lands an overhand right.  Little scramble, the two continue to square off.  Faber doing some very Guida-esque dancing.  He charges in but Yuri is able to defend.  Yuri with a high kick and Faber blocks.  Faber shoots for the take-down and Yuri sprawls out.  The two continue to circle around.

Faber takes down Yuri.  Yuri sweeps, but Faber maintains control and grinds Yuri against the cage while in the guard.   Faber continues his GnP assault on Yuri.  Yuri looks to control Faber’s left arm.  Faber is able to stand up in Yuri’s open guard.  Faber back in Yuri’s closed guard and continues to grind it out.

Yuri looking for the Oomaplata and Faber defends.  Yuri transitions to the triangle and is back into the oomaplata hold.  Faber steps over and butter-flies Yuri’s arms, he is able to escape and takes control of Yuri’s back and holds him down to end the round.

Solid attempt by Yuri to score a late-minute submission, but Faber has this one 10-9.

Official Decision
Faber gets the UD (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)

Faber says he might have some jaw damage. But I’m sure the ladies still love him.

There’s Bob Kraft… Bob, let’s get another Super Bowl, it’s been a while.

Next up, the heavyweights… Not those heavyweights

Alistair Overeem vs. Travis Browne 

My prediction:  Overeem by 2 RD KO
Buddy’s prediction: Overeem by way of “horse-meat”

If Overeem loses, specifically gets KO’d, I think it’s safe to say we’ll probably see him fighting Anthony “Welterweight” Johnson at the WSOF

Rd. 1
Touch gloves and here we go.  Overeem stalks and gets Brown against the cage with some knees to the body.  Overeem controls Brown, but Brown is able to get Overeem back to the center.

Flying knee by Browne.  Overeem goes for a guillotine attempt.  Overem is getting some hard shots to Browne against the cage.  Strong knee to the Browne.  It looks like Overem got a knee to the the head with Browne’s knee down.  They are both on the feet and Overeem works from the clinch getting solid knees to the body.  Travis Brown is taking some devastating blows by Overeem.

Overeem gets a pretty sloppy take-down but Brown gets up.  Browne goes for a couple front-kicks to the face.  Overeem takes control of Browne against the cage.  Another front-head kick by Browne.  Browne goes for the spinning round-house, but misses.  Browne has Overeem in the clinch, but is against the cage … Another front-kick and Overeem goes DOWN.  Browne gets a couple shots in from the guard, but it is all over!!!!

For those of you who not watching… It looked like this. For those of you not with me right now, here’s our reaction.

Official Decision
Travis Brown 1st Round KO (4:08)

Browne shows much love to Boston.

So is this the last we’ll see of Overeem?

Ladies and gents, we’re coming up to our main-event of the evening.

Chael Sonnen vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

My Prediction:  Shogun 2nd round TKO
Buddy’s Prediction:  Shogun 2nd round mounted guillotine

Chael Sonnen has a pink-ribbon on his shirt.  If you Google Chael Sonnen and Cancer, you get a lot of articles about Lance Armstrong.  Just a random fact I’ll put there.

Buffer is on FIRE tonight.

RD. 1
Herb Dean is our ref for the main-event.

No touch of gloves, Chael goes for the take-down and gets in Shogun’s half-guard.  Shogun gets to the feet and gets Chael down and is in Chael’s butterfly guard.  Chael has one butter fly-hook in and Shogun transitions into the half-guard.  Chael goes for the guillotine.  Shogun gets to his feet and the two clinch up.

Chael gets the take-down and works the GnP from the half-guard.  Shogun is looking to sweep from the half.  Chael flattens out Shoguns shoulders.  Shogun works to get on his side.  Chael continues to work some strikes.  Shogun gets the butterfly hooks in.  The Boo-birds are coming out… As always let’s see you guys do this.

Chael stands up Shogun goes for an upkick.  Chael back in the half-guard and working the strikes.  Chael continues to smother Shogun.  Shogun works to his feet and Chael has a DEEP GUILLOTINE.  Shogun is working the escape… HE TAPS!!! SHOGUN THE BJJ BLACKBELT TAPS!!!!!

Shogun is devastated that he tapped.

Quick observation, Chael has a Mortgage lender website as a sponsor… Do they really know who they are pairing their brand with?

Official Decision
Chael Sonnen wins by tapout via Guillotine (4:46)

Chael shows support for those fighting cancer (since Chael won via BJJ I only feel it appropriate to plug Nick Newell’s favorite charity TapCancerOut)… Shows some of his poetry skills… And as classic Chael does, calls out Wanderlie Silva in his classic fashion.

Despite what Deadspin says, this was a great night of fights.   You go to Boston, you’re guaranteed a good show.  My picks were pretty bad, but I still had fun doing this and hope you all did too.

Don’t forget to check back here for Condit vs. Kampman.

Have a great night all, now I need a beer.

In Which We Discuss Urijah Faber vs. Yuri Alcantara, The Head-Scratchingest Matchup of 2013


(CagePotato was sent, anonymously, this picture with this not-so-subtle note attached, “Dear CagePotato, This is Yuri Alcantara.” Photo via MMAWeekly.)  

You might not know this, Potato Nation, but last week it was announced that the already stacked UFC on Fox Sports 1 card picked up another big name in the form of Urijah Faber, the former WEC kingpin and much-beloved UFC bantamweight title challenger. All the major MMA media outlets reported his booking on the August 17th-scheduled card, yet next to no one seemed to be discussing it. You might be asking yourself, “How could one of the WEC’s biggest stars (if not the biggest) — a former title challenger, TUF coach, and ambitious entrepreneur who has his own honorary day in Sacramento — be so unjustly overlooked on such a monumental card?”

The answer is simple: Nobody, including Faber himself, has the slightest idea who his opponent is, or why the fight was booked in the first place.

We are speaking of Yuri Alcantara, the one-fight WEC and five-fight UFC veteran who, even in light of this fight booking, is all but completely unknown by many of the sports casual fans. Hell, even the diehards would probably have to consult Sherdog before pretending to know who Alcantara is. We’re talking about a guy whose most notorious UFC moment came when his opponent faked an injury at UFC on FX 7 and screwed him out of a victory for crying out loud. So he scores a quick KO over a UFC noob last month and suddenly he’s ready for a fighter of Faber’s caliber? Bitch, meet please.


(CagePotato was sent, anonymously, this picture with this not-so-subtle note attached, “Dear CagePotato, This is Yuri Alcantara.” Photo via MMAWeekly.)  

You might not know this, Potato Nation, but last week it was announced that the already stacked UFC on Fox Sports 1 card picked up another big name in the form of Urijah Faber, the former WEC kingpin and much-beloved UFC bantamweight title challenger. All the major MMA media outlets reported his booking on the August 17th-scheduled card, yet next to no one seemed to be discussing it. You might be asking yourself, “How could one of the WEC’s biggest stars (if not the biggest) — a former title challenger, TUF coach, and ambitious entrepreneur who has his own honorary day in Sacramento — be so unjustly overlooked on such a monumental card?”

The answer is simple: Nobody, including Faber himself, has the slightest idea who his opponent is, or why the fight was booked in the first place.

We are speaking of Yuri Alcantara, the one-fight WEC and five-fight UFC veteran who, even in light of this fight booking, is all but completely unknown by many of the sports casual fans. Hell, even the diehards would probably have to consult Sherdog before pretending to know who Alcantara is. We’re talking about a guy whose most notorious UFC moment came when his opponent faked an injury at UFC on FX 7 and screwed him out of a victory for crying out loud. So he scores a quick KO over a UFC noob last month and suddenly he’s ready for a fighter of Faber’s caliber? Bitch, meet please.

Not since Mendes vs. McKenzie (fine, Sonnen vs. Jones) have we seen a fight so transparently tilted in one fighter’s favor. The fact that Faber is coming off a pair of dominant performances against a former WEC title challenger in Scott Jorgensen (currently “ranked” #7 by UFC.com) and Ivan Menjivar (ranked #9) only adds to the confusion. It’s also a discrepancy that Faber took note of when he was originally made aware of his next opponent (via MMAJunkie):

The face didn’t pop into my head when they said his name, but I remember seeing the guy fight, and he’s very tough…but that’s where I’m at in my career – where I’m not necessarily gaining a ton from this fight other than the fight itself.

The hard part on my side is, nobody knows who the heck he is and there’s nothing really to gain. 

Although he may be an unknown to most of the people tuning in on August 17th, to say that Alcantara does not pose some possible threats to Faber would simply be foolish. For starters, he’s a BJJ black belt and five-time Muay Thai state champion, according to his UFC profile. He was also the inaugural lightweight champion of longtime Brazilian promotion Jungle Fight and currently holds an equal knockout to submission ratio in his 28 victories at 12 apiece.

He’s a dangerous guy is what we’re saying, but “The California Kid,” at least on paper, is on an entirely different level. So much so that you might also ask why Faber accepted a fight that 90% of his-caliber fighters would turn down in today’s MMA landscape. Well, the answer to that question is simple as well:

There wasn’t much out there for me. So I can just be thankful I have a fight – I get paid when I have a fight, my name’s out there when I have a fight, I get to do what I love when I have a fight. So as long as I approach it like that – the thing to gain here is another win on my record and one step closer to getting that belt, which is my goal, and putting on a great show for the fans. That’s what this means. 

I want to stay active. This is what I do, and I’m here to fight. That’s why I’ve dedicated the last 10 years of my life to mixed martial arts. That’s what I do, so sign me up, and I’ll scrap.

As has become the norm with Faber, his reasoning is not only straightforward and sound, but incredibly humble as well. A win is a win, and that’s all that Faber is concerned about. Rightfully so.

But still, when faced with such a…peculiar matchup, we as fans can’t help but question the ulterior motives of the UFC. Are they hoping to provide Faber with enough momentum to finally get his trilogy-securing fight against Dominick Cruz? Does the UFC assume that Cruz will best Renan Barao when the two eventually meet? Will Cruz ever be able to put in a full training camp without suffering a debilitating injury? Fuckin’ magnets, how do they work?

Obviously, we are getting ahead of ourselves a little here. Who knows if Faber and Alcantara will even make it to the fight without one of them suffering an injury? For now, we should just appreciate the fact that these two will most likely put on a great show (that ends in Faber choking this poor bastard unconscious inside the first round) come August 17th. At least, that’s how Faber views the opportunity:

At this point in my career, I’m fighting to put on amazing fights to climb the way to the top. This guy, they think the world of. And even though nobody knows who he is, it’s going to be a very tough and competitive fight. But I’m going to win.

Does anyone else see this fight going down any differently? If so, please raise your hand so we can make sure not to give you a gold star for the day.

J. Jones

UFC Booking Roundup: These UFC on Fox Sports 1 Cards Are Downright Stacked


(Stacked enough to mandate a *formal* paisley vest.)

If you somehow still aren’t excited about the UFC on Fox Sports 1 cards, then perhaps this new batch of fight booking announcements will be enough to change your mind. Let’s start off with what is reportedly the co-main event of UFC on Fox Sports 1: Condit vs. Kampmann (aka UFC on Fox Sports 1:2). It appears that top lightweights Donald Cerrone and Rafael dos Anjos have been booked for that honor.

After a rough start to his UFC career, dos Anjos will be riding a four fight win streak into this bout. His last fight was just over two weeks ago, where he edged out Evan Dunham in a very close fight at UFC on FX 8. Likewise, Cerrone last competed almost two weeks ago at UFC 160, where he absolutely dominated KJ Noons on his way to a unanimous decision victory.

This looks like a great fight that will have a direct impact on the UFC lightweight division. If you disagree, well, just realize that not every fight can be Fitch vs. Askren. Sometimes, people like to watch fights because they’ll be fun and entertaining.

Speaking of UFC on Fox Sports 1 booking updates…


(Stacked enough to mandate a *formal* paisley vest.)

If you somehow still aren’t excited about the UFC on Fox Sports 1 cards, then perhaps this new batch of fight booking announcements will be enough to change your mind. Let’s start off with what is reportedly the co-main event of UFC on Fox Sports 1: Condit vs. Kampmann (aka UFC on Fox Sports 1:2). It appears that top lightweights Donald Cerrone and Rafael dos Anjos have been booked for that honor.

After a rough start to his UFC career, dos Anjos will be riding a four fight win streak into this bout. His last fight was just over two weeks ago, where he edged out Evan Dunham in a very close fight at UFC on FX 8. Likewise, Cerrone last competed almost two weeks ago at UFC 160, where he absolutely dominated KJ Noons on his way to a unanimous decision victory.

This looks like a great fight that will have a direct impact on the UFC lightweight division. If you disagree, well, just realize that not every fight can be Fitch vs. Askren. Sometimes, people like to watch fights because they’ll be fun and entertaining.

Speaking of UFC on Fox Sports 1 booking updates…

– UFC on Fox Sports 1: Condit vs. Kampmann will have yet another top ten showdown on the card, as it has been announced that undefeated female bantamweight Sara McMann will take on former Strikeforce champion Sarah Kaufman at the event. McMann won her UFC debut by first round TKO back at UFC 159, while Kaufman recently got back in the W column by picking up a split-decision over Leslie Smith at Invicta FC 5 this past April. I’d write that the winner is in line for a title shot, but with Cat Zingano getting the next title shot when she returns from her knee injury, who the hell knows for sure?

– As for UFC on Fox Sports 1: Shogun vs Sonnen (UFC on Fox Sports 1:1), bantamweight contests Brad Pickett vs Michael McDonald and also Urijah Faber vs. Yuri Alcantara have both been added to the already strong card. If you thought Dana White was just hyping up the launch of Fox Sports 1 when he promised us a “SICK card” to celebrate it, then this is his way of walking towards the coffee pot and declaring that he is not fucking with you.

Here’s a list of the announced bouts for UFC on Fox Sports 1: Shogun vs. Sonnen, which goes down on August 17th from the TD Garden in Boston:

Mauricio Rua vs. Chael Sonnen
Alistair Overeem vs. Travis Browne
Urijah Faber vs. Yuri Alcantara
Matt Brown vs. Thiago Alves
Uriah Hall vs. Nick Ring
Joe Lauzon vs. Michael Johnson
Brad Pickett vs. Michael McDonald
Mike Brown vs. Akira Corassani
Daniel Pineda vs. Diego Brandao
Andy Ogle vs. Conor McGregor
Cody Donovan vs. Ovince St. Preux
Ramsey Nijem vs. James Vick

The only questions that remain are, will Fox Sports 1:1 be as good as it looks on paper? And when both cards fill up, which card will have the better fights? Let us know in the comments section what you think.

@SethFalvo

UFC on FX 7 Results: Pedro Nobre Embarrasses Himself vs. Yuri Alcantara

Pedro Nobre was booed on his way out of the Octagon at UFC on FX 7, holding the back of his head like he’d been hit with a baseball bat.However, the real truth is that Yuri Alcantara seemed to barely touch him.During their bantamweight bout on the…

Pedro Nobre was booed on his way out of the Octagon at UFC on FX 7, holding the back of his head like he’d been hit with a baseball bat.

However, the real truth is that Yuri Alcantara seemed to barely touch him.

During their bantamweight bout on the FX undercard at Ibirapuera Arena in Sao Paulo, Nobre gamely fought off one of the longest, more grizzly kimura attempts in MMA history.

Midway into the first round, Alcantara nearly completed that submission attempt, even locking his leg over Nobre’s face before losing the advantage and taking Nobre’s back.

What followed afterward was absurd.

Alcantara, visibly measuring his punches’ accuracy to avoid a foul, found himself stopped by veteran referee Dan Miragliotta as Nobre complained about illegal punches to the back of the head.

Upon viewing the replay, though, it all seemed to be an act.

Alcantara barely seemed to hit anywhere close to the illegal “mohawk” area on the back of Nobre’s head, with color commentator and retired UFC fighter Kenny Florian pointing out that the strikes barely had any force to them.

But Nobre continued to act like he’d been hit with a gunshot, prompting ringside officials and his cornermen to carry him out the ring. Fans visibly booed the “wounded” fighter, with even UFC president Dana White calling out Nobre for his antics:

“It couldn’t be more clear,” Florian added. “Landed right on the ear.”

Fortunately, Alcantara won’t draw a loss for his so-called foul shots.

Although Nobre may have been looking for a win via disqualification, Miragliotta ruled the match as a “no contest” result.

Nobre didn’t win any fans in his UFC debut, as his performance was ridiculed by an audibly angry Brazilian crowd. But Alcantara is arguably worse off, as he left the cage without the possibility of a victory to make up for his time and training.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Omigawa vs. Alcantara, Arantes vs. Carvalho Added to UFC 142

Filed under: UFC, NewsThe UFC has added a pair of intriguing featherweight fights to its return to Brazil.

Michihiro Omigawa vs. Yuri Alcantara and Felipe Arantes vs. Antonio Carvalho have been added to UFC 142, which is scheduled to take place Jan. 1…

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The UFC has added a pair of intriguing featherweight fights to its return to Brazil.

Michihiro Omigawa vs. Yuri Alcantara and Felipe Arantes vs. Antonio Carvalho have been added to UFC 142, which is scheduled to take place Jan. 14 in Brazil. An exact city and venue has yet to be announced.

Most considered Japan‘s Omigawa (13-10-1) a lock for the UFC’s return to Japan in February, but after picking up his first UFC win earlier this month against Jason Young at UFC 138, the organization decided to book him against the 26-3 Alcantara, who defeated Felipe Arantes at UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro.

Speaking of Arantes (13-4), he will look to rebound against the debuting Carvalho, who was supposed to fight Alcantara at UFC 134 before an injury forced him to pull out of the bout. Carvalho will enter the Octagon for the first time with an identical 13-4 record and has defeated the likes of Takeshi Inoue, Hatsu Hioki and Doug Evans en route to the UFC.

UFC 142 will be headlined by another pair of featherweights — featherweight champion Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes — as well as Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson.

 

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