Lesnar vs. Velasquez Slated for UFC 121 in Anaheim
After UFC president Dana White shot down rumors that UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar would next defend his title against Cain Velasquez at UFC 119 in Indianapolis, many wondered when the fight would take place. That speculation can end as White confirmed that Lesnar will face Velasquez at UFC 121 in Anaheim this October.
Lesnar and his wife are expecting their second child soon, and he was hesitant to jump right back into another training camp so quickly. The scheduled October fight will give the champion some time off with his family before he has to start another training camp.
The UFC was anxious to get the Lesnar/Velasquez fight signed due to the layoff that Velasquez has already had. He last fought at UFC 110 in February, where he was very impressive in stopping former champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the 1st round via TKO. The win improved Velasquez’s record to 8-0, including a 6-0 run to begin his UFC career.
The Lesnar/Velasquez fight is an interesting contest on paper. Velasquez was an excellent wrestler at Arizona State, and was named an All-American after both his Junior and Senior seasons. He also has shown progressive improvements in his striking game, battering both Ben Rothwell and Nogueira in his last two outings. His conditioning was tested in a three-round unanimous decision win over Cheick Kongo at UFC 99, so he probably won’t gas out as quickly as Shane Carwin did.
Another difference between Velasquez and Carwin is their size. Whereas Carwin was almost as big as Lesnar when the two fought, Velasquez will come into the fight at a 20-25 lb disadvantage. He was asked about trying to get a little bigger before the Lesnar fight, but Velasquez maintains that his normal weight of 240-245 is his optimal fighting weight, and that he’s not concerned about a size differential in the title fight.
UFC 121 is scheduled to take place on October 23rd in Anaheim, CA.
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Mir/Nogueira II To Headline UFC 119
The UFC has confirmed that a rematch between heavyweights Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will headline UFC 119, scheduled to take place in Indianapolis, Indiana in September.
The two previously clashed at UFC 92 in December of 2008, where Mir shocked many by battering Nogueira over two rounds before getting the TKO victory. After the fight, Nogueira revealed he had been battling a nasty staph infection prior to the contest, and while showing respect to Mir for the victory, made it known that he would like a rematch down the line. It finally comes in late September.
It will be interesting to see how Mir comes into this contest. After his loss to Brock Lesnar at UFC 100, Mir decided that he needed to add bulk to compete with the bigger heavyweights. After weighing close to 245 for his fight with Nogueira, Mir came into recent fights against Cheick Kongo and Shane Carwin at close to 265 pounds. Despite the added bulk, Mir still looked noticably smaller than Carwin prior to the fight, and Carwin was able to use his superior strength to hold Mir against the cage while delivering punishing blows. Mir has said recently that he will likely try to shed most of the muscle mass he added in the past year, and will likely try to get back to around 245 pounds.
This fight is a must-win for both fighters to remain relevant in the UFC’s heavyweight division. Even the winner will have a hard time getting back in line for a title shot, but for the loser, the chance may never come around again.
In the co-main event of the evening, Nogueira’s twin brother, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, will face off against Ryan Bader in a light heavyweight contest. Rogerio is coming off a surprisingly difficult split-decision win over Jason Brilz at UFC 114 in May. Bader is an impressive 11-0 in his career, and is 4-0 in the UFC. He most recently beat Keith Jardine via KO at UFC 110 in February. The winner of this contest will be in prime position for a future title shot.
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UFC 116 Post-Fight Thoughts
UFC 116 was, quite simply, one of the most exciting MMA Pay-Per-Views of all time. From the prelims to the main card, nearly every fight provided great finishes, exciting back-and-forth action or fantastic comebacks. Here are some of my post-fight notes.
- Brendan Schaub has the hands and the power to reach the middle of the UFC’s heavyweight division. His quick 1st round KO of Chris Tuchscherer was impressive. He’s still young enough and talented enough to improve on his ground game, which is something he’ll have to do to ever compete with the best heavyweights in the world.
- George Sotiropolous is definitely closing in on a lightweight title shot. He controlled much of the first two rounds against Kurt Pellegrino, and showed improved striking. His ground game is still one of the best in the UFC’s lightweight division, though his takedown defense still needs work. He’s probably one more win away from being in the title shot conversation after improving his UFC record to 6-0 with the unanimous decision win.
- The Stephan Bonnar/Krzysztof Soszynski fight was far from pretty, but was extremely entertaining. Bonnar got a much needed win. No one ever doubted his guts, and he showed a ton of them on Saturday night.
- Chris Lytle likes to downplay his ground credentials, but he used them to notch a submission win over Matt Brown. The armbar was probably headed to submission of the night status, until the next two fights happened anyway.
- What can you really say about Chris Leben? Not only did he take the fight against a really tough opponent in Yoshihiro Akiyama on very short notice only 2 weeks after his last fight, but he was the one who was able to dig down deep to latch onto a triangle only seconds before the bell. Leben combines one of the toughest chins in all of MMA with an obvious abundance of heart and has now won two fights in two weeks. Akiyama, meanwhile, needs to get his conditioning up to par. He looks like a more natural welterweight in the Octagon, and that is where his future may be.
- Shane Carwin impressed me in the first round. His all-out blitz of Brock Lesnar was a little shocking to witness, but proved that what everyone said about his power was true. However, that was all completely undone as he was unable to finish a clearly hurt Lesnar, and came out in the second round completely gassed. His cardio had been a question coming in, and remains one after the fight.
- Brock Lesnar proved that he can take punishment from one of the biggest and hardest hitters in all of MMA, and still had the heart to fight on. His cardio was impressive, as he came out in the 2nd round much fresher than Carwin. He was able to get the takedown, and patiently worked for the submission. Lesnar had already proven that he was the most dominant heavyweight in the UFC, but this victory answered many questions that people had about him, namely his ability to recover from adversity during a fight.
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UFC 116 Preview and Predictions
UFC 116 features one of the most anticipated heavyweight fights of all-time as Brock Lesnar takes on Shane Carwin for the heavyweight title. The undercard has some significant fights as well.
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UFC 116 Open Workout Highlights
Great video with some of the highlights of the UFC 116 open workouts. Notice Lesnar going with the southpaw stance in some of the footage? Some reports indicate that Lesnar will use that stance come Saturday night, believing that it helps his wrestling.
Thanks to heavy.com for the video:
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Shane Carwin Predicts KO of Brock Lesnar on ESPN
Shane Carwin was a guest on Sportscenter yesterday, and predicted a KO win over Brock Lesnar:
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UFC 114:Rampage vs. Evans Preview and Predictions
The main event of UFC 114, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Rashad Evans, has been in the works for quite awhile. Just as the rivalry between the two reached a fever pitch, the fight was put on hold as Jackson pursued a role in the upcoming “A-Team” movie. All the trash talking will finally come to an end (or will at least pause) on Saturday as the two former light heavyweight champions will finally square off.
Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway: Sanchez will make his return to the UFC’s welterweight divison after losing a lightweight title fight against B.J. Penn at UFC 107. Prior to the loss against Penn, Sanchez had reeled off four consecutive wins, including two wins in the welterweight class. He first contemplated the move to lightweight after consecutive losses to Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch. In his career, Sanchez is 23-3, with an impressive 10-3 record in the UFC. He mixes decent striking with solid wrestling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills as well as a motor that is constantly in high gear. Hathaway will be fighting in the United States for the first time in his professional career. He owns a 3-0 UFC record with wins over Thomas Egan, Rick Story and Paul Taylor, all at events that took place in Europe. Needless to say, he’s making a big jump up in competition in this one. That’s not to say that he isn’t a capable opponent. He’s very effective from top position, though it’s going to be difficult for him to get that position on Sanchez, who is a better wrestler and is good in scrambles. Hathaway’s striking game doesn’t compare with Sanchez’s either. He’s a tough fighter and can probably hang in for awhile with Sanchez, but I think his chances of winning this fight are slim to none. Hathaway is only 22 and will continue to improve, but he’s not at Sanchez’s level yet. Sanchez via submission in the 2nd.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Jason Brilz: Nogueira was originally scheduled to take on Forrest Griffin in the co-headlining bout, but a shoulder injury forced Griffin to pull out of the contest. Brilz took the fight on short notice. Nogueira made his UFC debut at UFC 106, impressively beating Luis Cane in the 1st round via TKO. He was scheduled to return against Brandon Vera at UFC 109, but a broken ankle forced him off that card. Nogueira is 18-3 in his MMA career, with victories over Alistair Overeem, Dan Henderson, Sakuraba, and Cane among others. He’s similar to his heavyweight twin brother Antonio Rodrigo in the fact that they are both black belts in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and also accomplished boxers. His boxing allowed him to completely pick apart Cane before he finished him off in their contest. He is a serious threat to make a run in the UFC’s light heavweight divsion. Brilz is an impressive 18-2 in his MMA career, though he hasn’t fought anyone anywhere near the class of Nogueira. He comes from a wrestling background, though the rest of his game needs a lot of work. I don’t see this fight lasting very long. Nogueira will outclass him in every aspect. Brilz should be commended for taking this fight on short notice against a top-tier light heavyweight, but this one could end violently. Nogueira via TKO in the 1st.
Todd Duffee vs. Mike Russow: Duffee makes his return to the Octagon following his impressive debut at UFC 102, where he knocked out Tim Hague in seven seconds. He’s 6-0 in his career, with all 6 wins coming via stoppage. He’s an extremely powerful heavyweight with improving all-around skills. He doesn’t really have much of a wrestling background, but has made a name for himself with his pure strength and athleticism. Russow bounced around regional promotions in the Chicago area, and is also a Chicago police officer. He’s 12-1 in his MMA career, and won his UFC debut over Justin McCully at UFC 102. He mainly utilizes his wrestling skills, though he’s also won eight of his fights via submission. The level of competition of the opponents he’s submitted is a large factor however. I think he’s going to have big problems if he tries to stand and strike with Duffee, and I’m not convinced that Russow’s wrestling background is strong enough for him to control Duffee that way either. Russow is a tough opponent, but even though I think the Duffee hype-machine is way out of control, Duffee should find this a winnable fight. Duffee via TKO in the 2nd.
Michael Bisping vs. Dan Miller: This bout got bounced up to co-main event status due to the injury to Forrest Griffin forced him out of the contest with Nogueira. Bisping has dropped two of his last three fights, with a victory over Denis Kang sandwiched between the KO loss to Dan Henderson, and a unanimous decision loss to Wanderlei Silva at UFC 110. Overall, Bisping is 18-3 in his MMA career, and boasts a strong 8-3 UFC record. He’s mainly known for his striking. Although not exactly powerful, his style allows him to outpoint most of his opponents. Additionally, Bisping has shown much better grappling skills in recent fights. He may not be a danger to submit anyone off his back, but he’s learned how to use his Brazlilian Jiu Jitsu to keep himself out of danger and more importantly, get himself in better position to get the fight back standing. Miller has dropped his past two fights in the UFC. He lost to Chael Sonnen at UFC 98 and Demian Maia at UFC 109, both via unanimous decision. Bisping doesn’t have Sonnen’s wrestling skills or Maia’s BJJ skills, but he does possess enough of an all-around game to give Miller problems. I think Miller will get outclassed on his feet, and though he is a better grappler than Bisping, he’s not quite good enough there to submit Bisping. Miller’s a tough competitor and has enough skill to pose a threat, but in the end I think Bisping will get the nod. Bisping via unanimous decision.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Rashad Evans: As one of the most hyped “grudge matches” in UFC history, this fight has a lot of buzz going for it right now. Jackson is coming off filming for the “A-Team” movie, which has had some question his training and mindset for this fight. He was last seen in the Octagon at UFC 96, where he defeated Evans’ teammate Keith Jardine. Jackson has fought some of the best light heavyweights in MMA, defeating the likes of Chuck Liddell (twice), Ricardo Arona, Wanderlei Silva, and Dan Henderson in his career. He posseses vicious knockout power to go along with decent boxing technique and underrated takedown defense. He claims to be in great shape and looks to be focused, but the questions about his motivation and training will persist until the fight.
Evans recovered from the KO loss to Lyoto Machida to defeat Thiago Silva via unanimous decision at UFC 108. In that fight, he mainly utilized his wrestling background, but was staggered and nearly finished by Silva in the 3rd round. It was later revealed that Silva was battling an injury going into the fight, so it’s possible a healthy Silva could have finished Evans in the third round. Evans is 14-1-1 in his MMA career and held the light heavyweight championship after beating Forrest Griffin at UFC 92 before losing the belt to Machida at UFC 98. I’ve always thought that there were many aspects of Evans’ game that are overrated. He is a solid wrestler and comes from a collegiate wrestling background, but he is far from elite in that department. His striking is often overrated because of his vicious knockout of Chuck Liddell at UFC 88, but he was getting beaten on his feet by Griffin before catching a leg kick and dropping him and was blown out by Machida in their title fight. Being outstruck by Machida is nothing to be ashamed of, but Evans barely even landed a punch in that fight. His footwork and head movement are often praised, but in reality, it’s mostly useless and inefficient movement. His footwork often leaves him flat footed and unable to counter skilled strikers. Those flawed aspects of his game could prove fatal against Jackson, who besides being very powerful, is also a pretty skilled boxer. Jackson’s defensive wrestling is very solid, and I don’t think Rashad will have much success in that department either. As you can tell, I’m having a hard time finding a way that Evans can win this fight. I think all signs point to a dominating performance from Jackson, and most likely a victory via stoppage. Evans’ chin is closer to glass than it is granite, and I expect it to be tested in this one. All this hype and trash talking will come to a crashing halt with one hook from Rampage. Jackson via KO in the 2nd.
Preliminary Card Predictions:
Dong Hyun Kim over Amir Sadollah via unanimous decision
Efrain Escudero over Dan Lauzon via TKO in the 2nd
Melvin Guillard over Waylon Lowe via TKO in the 1st
Luis Cane over Cyrille Diabate via TKO in the 2nd
Aaron Riley over Joe Brammer via unanimous decision
Ryan Jensen over Jesse Forbes via submission in the 1st
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