05/30/2012
Stipe Miocic is the Best Prospect in the Heavyweight Division
Let’s get used to seeing Stipe Miocic (9-0) getting his hand raised in the Octagon.
Miocic’s credentials precede him: He’s a Golden Gloves boxer and he holds Division I wrestling experience. His MMA game verifies those glittering credentials, evidenced by the accurate punches and clever takedowns he used to dispatch Shane del Rosario on Saturday.
In a duel of ascending prospects, Miocic sank Shane del Rosario with a barrage of ground strikes in Round 2, thereby stratifying himself as the UFC’s crowning heavyweight prospect.
In victory, the Ohioan showcased tenacity and sound tactics. Upon eating a steady diet of kicks from SDR, Miocic grounded the Muay Thai master and rendered Shane a mere plaything, a smart gambit indeed. He disarmed Shane’s most threatening weapon.
Stipe’s wrestling grants him that coveted ability: the ability to dictate where his fights take place.
That ability to ground an opponent at will is shared among many dominant fighters; it grants them total control of positioning. As per UFC.com, the Croatian-American has succeeded with six takedowns against being grounded only once.
Against lesser fighters, Stipe won’t need to employ takedowns since his staggering punching power is enough to carry him past most comers. His punches stayed strong on Saturday.
Among his nine victories, the Cro Cop worshipper holds eight (T)KO wins.
Miocic is relatively inexperienced in MMA and he’s already 29, but the newcomer’s impressive credentials testify to his skills. In a division thin on rising prospects, Stipe is the brightest in the division.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
UFC 146 Results: Roy Nelson Fighting Uphill Battle for Promotional Support
Ever since joining the UFC following his victorious stint on TUF 10, Roy “Big Country” Nelson has been getting publicly criticized by UFC boss Dana White. But there is no arguing with Nelson's knockout of Dave Herman at UFC 146 in just 51 seconds.
Nelson’s own adopted persona makes him an easy target. With his atrocious mullet, mountain man beard, and trademark big belly, he leaves White no shortage of avenues from which to attack him.
Those attacks, however, have nothing to do with a personal dislike or a lack of respect. White is on record stating how he respects Nelson’s fighting spirit, and how he only wishes “Big Country” would have dedicated himself to MMA.
Still, White constantly making public criticisms about one of his fighter’s physical appearance makes the feud seem personal.
With a 4-3 UFC record, Nelson isn’t exactly knocking on the door to a title shot, but he is a consistent presence in the heavyweight division, and most importantly he’s become a fan favorite by putting on exciting performances oozing with heart and guts.
And of his seven Octagon appearances, four have resulted in ‘Fight Night’ bonuses (TUF 10 Finale, Ultimate Fight Night 21, UFC 143 and UFC 146).
At the end of the day that’s what matters.
Fans like “Big Country” not only for his heart, but because he’s a walking, talking underdog they can relate to. The average person is more likely to have a body type that resembles Nelson than, say, Alistair Overeem. Someone who looks like Nelson isn’t supposed to be a great fighter. He’s supposed to be a plumber.
Dana White wants marketable fighters, and traditionally that means in-shape, muscled guys who shine in photo shoots. Nelson just isn’t that guy, and he never will be. But that hasn’t stopped him from endearing himself to MMA fans.
He’s just gone about it in a different way. “Big Country” is not the athlete you look up to. He’s the athlete you relate to. He’s the guy you want to have beer and wings with, and in a way that’s a more special connection.
Dana White needs to realize this and let Nelson be who he is. Because whether White likes it or not, Nelson's style just works. It's effective with the fans and, as demonstrated at UFC 146, it's effective in the Octagon.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1200236-roy-nelson-fighting-uphill-battle-for-promotional-support
MMA: Invicta Fighting Championships 2; Fight Card Announced
Invicta Fighting Championship's lineup has been set for their sophomore card. The event will take place July 28, 2012 in Kansas City, Kansas at Memorial Hall.
In the night's main event top prospect Sara McMann (5-0) will face off against Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler (14-6).
The two opponents are not unfamiliar with one another. They have trained with one another in the past. This will be McMann's toughest task to date and will go a long way to show where she stands in her MMA career.
For Baszler, it is a chance to elevate her status in the division by taking out the popular prospect.
The co-main event of the evening features Strikeforce standout Alexis Davis (11-5) as she takes on vaunted grappler Hitomi "Girlfight Monster" Akano (18-9).
Davis is coming off of a defeat to current No. 1 contender Sarah Kaufman while Akano suffered a setback against headliner Sara McMann in January. Both bring an excellent submission game into the cage.
The remainder of the main card is just as strong. Liz “Girl-rilla” Carmouche (6-2) will take on Kaitlin Young (7-5-1). Young is coming off of a fight of the night performance at the first Invicta FC card.
Amanda Nunes (6-2) will return to action for the first time since her Strikeforce loss to Alexis Davis to fight Milana Dudieva (8-1).
Kelly Kobold (18-3-1) is set to fight Vanessa Porto (14-4).
Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak (5-2) and Bethany Marshall (4-0) will make their Invicta FC debuts in a Super Flyweight (125 pounds) clash.
Julia “The Jewel” Budd (2-2) and Elina Nilsson (2-2) will meet in a Featherweight scrap.
And in the opening bout Carla Esparza (6-2) will meet Sarah “White Tiger” Schneider at Flyweight (115 pounds).
The second Invicta FC card will once again be streamed live via their website www.invictafc.com. Tickets go on sale Friday and start at just $25.
Invicta FC 2 Main Card:
Bantamweight: Sara McMann (5-0) vs. Shayna Baszler (14-6)
Bantamweight: Alexis Davis (11-5) vs. Hitomi Akano (18-9)
Bantamweight: Liz Carmouche (6-2) vs. Kaitlin Young (7-5-1)
Bantamweight: Amanda Nunes (6-2) vs. Milana Dudieva (8-1)
Bantamweight: Kelly Kobold (18-3-1) vs. Vanessa Porto (14-4)
Super Flyweight: Barb Honchak (5-2) vs. Bethany Marshall (4-0)
Featherweight: Julia Budd (2-2) vs. Elina Nilsson (2-2)
Flyweight: Carla Esparza (6-2) vs. Sarah Schneider (6-5)
Preliminary Card:
Atomweight: Angelica Chavez (4-1) vs. Kikuyo Ishikawa (7-3)
Bantamweight: Sarah Moras (2-0) vs. Raquel Pennington (1-0)
Bantamweight: Jessamyn Duke (0-0) vs. Suzie Montero (1-0)
Super Flyweight: Jocelyn Lybarger (0-0) vs. Cheryl Chan (0-0)
Atomweight: Jessica Philippus (0-0) vs. Liz McCarthy (0-0)
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1200277-invicta-fc-2-fight-card-announced
05/29/2012
UFC 146 Aftermath: Five Fights, Five Finishes
By Elias Cepeda
Props: MMAFighting.com
Junior dos Santos is a walking, terrifying public relations smashing machine. Not only did he Babe Ruth it and fulfill his prediction of winning by 2nd round stoppage over former two-time champion Frank Mir Saturday night, but he also provided the best feel-good photo op of the year so far.
Junior trains out of Luis Carlos Dorea’s Champion Boxing gym in Brazil which, in addition to being headquarters for world-class fighters, is home to a vibrant youth boxing program. After training one day, the UFC Primetime cameras caught one of the little tikes hanging asking Junior to take him with him to the states for his title fight.
At the time, Junior said, “we’ll see.” But he ended up bringing the 9 year-old kid and his family to Vegas to watch him win. After beating Mir, he lifted the lucky young fighter onto his shoulders and posed for the cameras along with his coaches.
Dos Santos definitely appears to have the Wanderlei Silva nice guy/maniac fighter balance down pat. Try as I might, that image warms my cynical heart, and I don’t give a damn how orchestrated it may or may not have been. Who doesn’t like watching a kid’s dream come true before their eyes?
Mir’s dream of becoming the second ever three-time UFC heavyweight champion came crashing down on him, however, when he could not drag dos Santos down to the mat. Mir eat huge hellacious shots to the dome in the latter part of the first and into the second, until the final hammer fist prompted the ref to step in and stop the action.
It has been easy for this writer to continually underestimate dos Santos in some of his biggest bouts on account of his “only” having his hands. What are the chances, I’ve often found myself thinking, that he can go a whole fight without getting put on his back? Well, so far, those chances are much less likely than the chances that his opponents can go an entire fight without being hit by him.
When dos Santos touches an opponent, they drop. That’s the way it goes, we’ve come to learn.
Who’s next for him? How about a rematch with the man he beat to win the title, Cain Velasquez?
Cain got back on the winning track by dominating and brutalizing Antonio Silva, stopping him in the first round with ground strikes. Cain made Silva bleed his own blood, a lot of it, with elbows and punches, and by the end of the brief bout he looked like he was trying out for a horror flick.
He was trying out for a title shot, and I think he earned it. The only guy I’d rather see get it next, his AKA teammate Daniel Cormier, will be out for a long time with a broken hand.
Yeah, Velasquez vs. dos Santos would be a rematch but so what? Elite fighters often hang around the top of divisions together and, if we’re lucky, we get to see the best of the best go at it over and again.
Cain lost quickly to dos Santos last fall, but before that he was unbeaten and devastated the, at the time, invincible-looking champion Brock Lesnar. Modern-day Antonio Silva only loses to the best guys out there, like Fabricio Werdum, Velasquez and Cormier, and recently dominated Fedor Emelianenko. Taking him out so impressively counts for a lot, and with the timing working out, it is time for dos Santos vs. Velasquez II.
Roy Nelson found the mark with his over hand right early and knocked Dave Herman silly. He went in to add to the punishment on the ground but thankfully the ref got in there fast and stopped it. Only way Nelson could have added to the damage would have been to eat Herman, and we all know he’s watching his boyish figure these days.
Dan Hardy showed why he was still employed after four-straight losses in beating solid veteran Duane Ludwig via first round TKO. Hardy always come in shape, always gives an entertaining fight and has only lost to the best in the welterweight division. It has to feel good for the “Outlaw” to finally get back in the win-column. Now he can go get high as a kite. Hardy joined Nelson as a “knockout of the night,” bonus check recipient.
To pull guard in MMA you have to either be suicidal or a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu boss. Paul Sass and Stefan Struve were the latter in securing submission wins off of their back at UFC 146. They shared “submission of the night,” honors. All bonus winners earned extra $70,000 checks. No “fight of the night” bonuses were given.
Jamie Varner showed why he is a former world champion by beating formerly unbeaten wrecking-ball Edson Barboza via TKO after taking the fight on short notice. Way to make a re-entry to the big leagues, Jamie. Perhaps the biggest underdog of the night, scored the huge upset.
Jason “Mayhem” Miller pleaded with the UFC to give him another fight in the organization after losing badly to Michael Bisping and he got one, against C.B. Dollaway. Miller fought well and lost a close decision to Dollaway. But still, looks like, he gone. Reports are that he pulled a stunt backstage after the fight that sealed his fate. Maybe he ran into Team Cesar Gracie.
One final note, Glover Teixeira looked great in his long-awaited UFC debut. He submitted Kyle Kingsbury with an arm-triangle choke in the first round. Is it too soon to want to see Glover against some of the best in the 205lb division?
Source: http://www.cagepotato.com/ufc-146-aftermath-five-fights-five-finishes/
Tonyrikard
Mixed Martial Arts Ultimate Fighting Championship
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