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thesportssoundoff · 5 years

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“Still Trying To Figure It Out” UFC on ESPN Debut

Joey

Feb 10th, 2019

Sometimes a card is just weird. Sometimes you're presented a show that you just kind of can't figure out and this ESPN debut card from Arizona seems to fall into that mix. On paper, this is a really good card. The main card has a big boy headliner featuring a former UFC champion and a rejuvenated hype train that everybody will care about, the rest of the main card is all action fights on paper and the prelims are well matched and put together. You've got some damn good fights at bantamweight, some fun stuff at strawweight, some relevant 145ers and a big boy main event. Despite all that, I still don't have a great grip on how good this card is or whether it's a fools gold. It was in JULY (so not even eight months ago really) where Francis Ngannou threw nothing for fifteen minutes vs Derrick Lewis and Cain has been gone so long that it's worth remembering that we didn't have two weight classes (women's flyweight AND featherweight) the last time he fought. Debuts can be tricky so Kron vs Caceres could be awful, Felder vs Vick has no reason to not be fun but I've been hoodwinked before and the rest of the card can be hit or miss as well. There's also probably not one real stand out co-main event which doesn't help some folks but personally I think this is one of those rare cares (in today's MMA scene at least) where there's enough good up and down to create the illusion of a deep stacked card. I'm with it, let's see if anybody ELSE is with it along with me.

Fights: 13

Debuts: Kron Gracie

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 1 (Lauren Murphy OUT, Andrea Lee IN vs Ashlee Evans Smith)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 10 (Francis Ngannou, Cain Velasquez, Andre Fili, Jimmie Rivera, Paul Felder, James Vick, Cynthia Calvillo, Alex Caceres, Jessica Penne, Renan Barao)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 3 (Renan Barao, Jessica Penne, Jodie Esquibel)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: 6 (Alexandra Albu, Vicente Luque, Aljamain Sterling, Manny Bermudez, Scott Holtzman, Aleksandra Albu)

Main Card Record Since Jan 1st 2017 (in the UFC): 27-15

Francis Ngannou- 4-2 Cain Velasquez- 0-0 Paul Felder- 3-1 James Vick- 4-1 Courtney Casey- 2-2 Cynthia Calvillo- 4-1 Alex Caceres- 2-2 Kron Gracie- 0-0 Andre Fili- 2-2 Myles Jury- 2-2 Vicente Luque- 3-1 Bryan Barberena- 2-1

Fights By Weight Class (yearly number here):

Women’s Strawweight- 3 (4) Bantamweight- 3 (7) Lightweight- 2 (9) Women’s Flyweight- 1 (5) Heavyweight- 1 (3) Featherweight- 2 (5) Welterweight- 1 (6)

Middleweight- (4) Flyweight- (4) Light Heavyweight- (3)

2019’s Records We Keepin Track Of:

Debuting Fighters (2-10): Kron Gracie

Short Notice Fighters (1-4): Andrea Lee

Second Fight (10-2): Andrea Lee, Benito Lopez

Cage Corrosion (Fighters who have not fought within a year of the date of the fight) (3-1): Cain Velasquez, Alexandra Albu, Jessica Penne, Benito Lopez

Undefeated Fighters (3-7): Kron Gracie, Alexandra Albu

Fighters with at least four fights in the UFC with 0 wins over competition still in the organization (0-1): Nik Lentz, Renan Barao

Weight Class Jumpers (Fighters competing outside of the weight class of their last fight even if they’re returning BACK to their “normal weight class”) (4-4): Paul Felder

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- Who is under MORE pressure? Is it Cain Velasquez or is it Francis Ngannou? Cain's been gone for over two years now, has battled injury after injury after injury and had a few out of the cage squabbles with the UFC. It's worth remembering that Cain has fought just twice since the end of 2013 and even those two performances come with a ton of caveats (Travis Browne was cooked, the Werdum fight was at high altitude after a year and change off). On the other hand, Ngannou's 2018 couldn't of been more complicated. He started the year having brief flashes in a blow out loss vs Stipe Miocic where his takedown defense and cardio were "exposed" for five rounds. Even if you could forgive Ngannou for being a touch too green for a major title fight (which he had earned), the Derrick Lewis performance was unforgivable. He came out scared vs Lewis and for fifteen minutes, they put on the worst fight in the history of mixed martial arts. JUST when you might be ready to cash out on Ngannou, he blitzed and finished Curtis Blaydes in China in November. I don't know which fighter is under more pressure to perform at this point.

2- Does Ngannou get a title shot if he beats Cain? Could Francis Ngannou vs Daniel Cormier headline in April or June?

3- Last year fighters who took a year off or more between fights started the year at an ugly 1-8 while this year, small sample size and all, are 3-1. Can Cain keep those good vibes going or nah?

4- The best division in MMA nobody seems to give any sort of a shit about rolls onward as bantamweight has three damn good fights on this card. Unfortunately all of those fights are on the televised prelims (or ESPN+ for that matter) so here we are. Alex Caceres vs Kron Gracie had to be on the main card :/ We can begin with Aljamain Sterling vs Jimmie Rivera; a stupendous fight between fighters with similar strengths and weaknesses. Sterling finished Cody Stamman last time out while Jimmie Rivera cruised to a decision win over Jon Dodson. Both guys can commiserate over Marlon Moraes blow out first round losses. Benito Lopez vs Manny Bermudez is an A+ fight featuring two really different undefeated prospects. Lopez is super raw but exciting while Bermudez is a bit less raw but comes with the one stop shop finishing ability on the ground (as well as some developing pop on the feet). Lastly you have the kinda sorta really sad return of Renan Barao who has lost every bit of his uniqueness/athleticism at this point. Just no point for him to be fighting at 135 lbs anymore.

5- Any Kron Gracie opinions? I got none. Lack any sort of answers here.

6- Paul Felder vs James Vick is an interesting fight that's hard to care about unfortunately due to the fact that this division is such a messy state. James Vick had his four fight winning streak snapped violently at the hands of Justin Gaethje which is rough when you consider how hard and long it took Vick to get himself into a main event spot. Vick remains a dude who always seems one bad shot away from getting rocked, wobbled and finished despite his immense array of skills. Conversely Paul Felder had HIS modest three fight winning streak snapped when he went up in weight to face off against Mike Perry on short notice. Sandwiched in between that and the start of 2018, Felder had a fight taken from him at UFC 223, lost the opportunity to potentially fight for a title and ALSO lost a fight with James Vick potentially in a co-main event spot. Felder's really strong at 155 lbs and he's matured a little bit, picking his spots a bit clearer after being a dude who just loved to do spinning shit over and over. The winner is one of those dudes who gets to hang around the bottom half of the top 10 a bit longer.

7- Courtney Casey vs Cynthia Calvillo is a really good fight that could be the quintessential showcase bout for Cynthia Calvillo if it hangs around on the ground for a while. I'd almost say this fight is co-main worthy but Courtney Casey seems like she's 0-10 on UFC main cards.

8- Imagine having a dude like Vicente Luque and opting to have him fight friggin' Bryan Barberena. A rankings fight that doesn't make a single lick of sense.

9- I am really really excited to see the fight between Scott Holtzman and Nick Lentz. Holtzman has been getting better with each performance and while he's still super flawed and has at least one stretch per fight where he puts himself in a bad spot, there's some serious strides being made by Holtzman. His domination of Alan Patrick last time out should at the very least open some doors on whether or not he still has more upside hidden somewhere. 155 lbs continues to be a very loaded division as more dudes have late breakouts.

10- Not gonna lie I totally thought Jessica Penne got cut at some point.

11- That two year run with Barao at the helm of the division from like 2012 to 2014 was kinda cool, riiiight?

12- First card of the year with no 205 lb fight on it. I'm disappointed!

#MMA #UFC #Fight Night #Ngannou #Velasquez

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astro-onechampionship · 4 years

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What Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Has Taught Alex Silva

For over 20 years, Alex “Little Rock” Silva has been a devoted Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) practitioner. Like a compass, “the gentle art” has shown Silva his True North.

BJJ helped the former ONE Strawweight World Champion navigate a trying childhood fraught with bullying and poverty. It gave him direction, it gave him drive, and it gave him purpose. But also, it gave him a path.

That path has led to a second shot at the ONE Strawweight World Title – Joshua “The Passion” Pacio’s to be exact. And on Friday, 31 January, at ONE: FIRE & FURY, the Brazilian will try to exit the Mall Of Asia Arena wearing gold once again.

Ahead of his showdown with the current strawweight king in Manila, Philippines, Silva reveals why just a year ago a second run at the World Title seemed impossible.

Silva was in the midst of a three-bout skid and had even lost his World Championship in a rematch to rival Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito at ONE: GRIT & GLORY in May 2018.

“It was a bad period for me from 2018 to 2019,” he recalled. “There was definitely pressure on my shoulders to win.”

More than a year had passed since Silva last recorded a submission, and “Little Rock” knew it was time to return to his roots in BJJ.

“It’s only normal that when you are not doing well, like when I had three straight defeats, to constantly be overthinking what you can do better or what you did wrong,” he said.

“But then, I realized before all of this, I didn’t think. I just went out there and did what I know.”

In times of turbulence and difficulties, Silva could always rely on his BJJ acumen, but it became an afterthought with all the doubts clouding his mind.

“I got sidetracked with all the different stuff I was trying to bring into my game, like striking, when actually it didn’t have to be that complicated,” he said.

“I had friends who reminded me, ‘You’re the best grappler I know,’ and that made me realize I had turned my back on what I always had inside, which was my BJJ skills.”

This epiphany reignited Silva’s confidence in his abilities, and the 37-year-old righted the ship. He refocused on training BJJ, and his efforts were soon rewarded.

In his next match against notable grappler Stefer “The Lion” Rahardian in August 2019, Silva dominated on the ground and finished his Indonesian opponent in the second round with a slick armbar.

Just three months later at ONE: EDGE OF GREATNESS, the BJJ master reminded everyone of his lethal ground skills with an improvised armbar to submit Peng Xue Wen in the second round.

Silva had finally gotten back in his groove and was feeling like his old self.

“Little Rock” has also learned much from his recent experiences, and he now carries those lessons with him every day.

“Now that I’m back and in a great place in my life, I feel happier,” Silva said.

“I used to rush everything, but now I just focus on one day at a time, one match at a time. That is how I earned this title shot.

“BJJ has taught me more than just skills on the ground, it’s also my experience as a competitor, failing and trying again and never giving up. I am grateful for all that has happened, good or bad.”

“All I have to do now is to go to Manila, do what I do best, and win.

Will Silva complete his comeback with a World Title triumph?

To find out, catch ONE Championship’s ONE: FIRE & FURY next Friday, 31 January, in Manila, Philippines.

Download the ONE Super App to catch all the action live and for free.

Top UFC 245 content

• Covington’s divisiveness hits home • Urijah Faber at 40 • Why Usman’s grappling is key

Order UFC 245 now

Aside from being one of the best fighters in the world, Covington is known for being one of the UFC’s greatest villains. He is skilled at incendiary — and sometimes crude — trash talk.

And it’s not just with opponents. Over the last few months, Covington’s divisiveness has shaken the walls of American Top Team. He has publicly feuded with several teammates, including former friend — and perhaps the hottest act in the UFC — Jorge Masvidal. The Covington-Masvidal beef has defined the growing tension within the gym and put a spotlight on ATT that will grow more intense should the teammates eventually become opponents.

In the meantime, Covington will challenge Kamaru Usman for the UFC welterweight title in the main event of UFC 245 on Saturday in Las Vegas. In his corner will be coaches from a gym — the only gym Covington has known as a pro — where at least one of its stars wants him to lose.

“I don’t feel comfortable,” Covington says. “I feel like I always have to look over my shoulder. I have to watch my back. I don’t know if people are gonna come up and try to attack me. I’ve had people yelling in the gym at me, creating scenes and stuff. It’s not a good environment for me there.”

But some argue it’s an environment Covington helped create.

“Colby doesn’t need to watch his back at our gym,” says Dan Lambert, owner of American Top Team and Covington’s agent. “He might need to watch his back just about anywhere else he goes as a result of what’s happened. … There’s pros and cons to being who Colby is and that just might be one of the things he needs to deal with moving forward.

“I think Colby thrives on that chaos,” Lambert continues. “[‘Chaos’] is his nickname and appropriately so. I think it pushes him to go harder at those people and at the gym.”

It was Oct. 28, 2017, when Colby Covington reinvented himself in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He said he became a showman for business reasons, but not everyone saw it that way. Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

How Covington went from afterthought to one of the sport’s most polarizing figures dates back to June 17, 2017, when he beat Dong Hyun Kim. UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby told Lambert after that fight that the UFC had no interest in re-signing Covington when his contract was up after his next fight.

Lambert says he told Covington he shouldn’t alter his fighting style, but “there’s some other s— you can change.”

2 Related

After decisioning former title challenger Demian Maia on Oct. 28, 2017, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Covington called Brazil a “dump” and its fans “filthy animals” while standing in the Octagon.

Covington’s new identity had come to life. And it was drawing attention. Covington’s ATT teammate Amanda Nunes lashed out at him on social media. Another Brazilian fighter, former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, threw a boomerang at Covington a few weeks later during a fight week in Australia.

The strategy worked. The UFC re-signed Covington, and his next fight was for the interim welterweight title, which he won by beating Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225 on June 9, 2018.

If not for the sudden turn, Covington says he would have been out of a job, “just another guy nobody cared about.” Against Maia, he says he made $30,000. Against dos Anjos in his next fight, Covington says he took home $200,000.

“I’m trying to be a high-paid fighter,” Covington says. “I’m not trying to fight for 20 grand the rest of my career, getting my brains knocked in, lose brain cells and not have something to show for it at the end of my career. You see a lot of these guys at the end of their career, they’re brain dead, they have no money, they’re doing GoFundMe accounts. It’s sad, dude. After I’m done, I want to be set, man. I don’t want to have to work another job.”

After seeing early returns, Covington accelerated his transformation.

Things may already have started to go south in their relationship by the time Jorge Masvidal worked Colby Covington’s corner for his fight against Rafael dos Anjos on June 9, 2018. Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Mixed martial arts is an individual sport, but in gyms and training centers all over the world, athletes and coaches work as teams to help fighters prepare and evolve. Many fighters say they wouldn’t be where they are without their teammates, sparring partners and coaches.

Covington upset many with his comments in Brazil, but turning against Masvidal fractured the gym.

“You never talk bad about your teammates, doesn’t matter if you like them or not,” former UFC strawweight champion and ATT veteran Joanna Jedrzejczyk said.

It’s one thing to be controversial, but to some fighters at American Top Team, Covington sold his soul for headlines.

Not long ago, Covington and Masvidal were more than teammates. They were friends and roommates.

Covington says the beef started after he beat Maia, because Masvidal lost to Maia earlier that year. Covington says Masvidal became jealous.

Masvidal says the falling-out started when Covington stiffed one of their mutual coaches, Paulino Hernandez, on a payment for working the dos Anjos fight.

But hard feelings were kept private. Masvidal worked Covington’s corner when he faced dos Anjos and celebrated his teammate’s win. Covington would later say that although Masvidal worked the corner, he didn’t help Covington make weight and, in fact, abandoned him.

But when Masvidal knocked out Ben Askren in a UFC-record five seconds on July 6, Covington posted on Instagram about always having each other’s backs.

Both would later say the relationship had soured by then. The fracture started becoming more public in late July, when rumors circulated that Masvidal could fight for Usman’s crown ahead of Covington, who was quoted on July 30 saying it would be crazy if Masvidal landed a title shot despite being 2-2 in his last four fights.

Masvidal and Covington had words in the audience at UFC 241 on Aug. 17 and security stepped in at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

The feud boiled over two days later on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, after Covington joked that Masvidal was trying to improve his seating by getting closer to Covington in the first row. Masvidal said Covington told UFC president Dana White that Masvidal was going to assault him — and that White then warned Masvidal about getting into a confrontation.

Masvidal grew agitated during his interview with Helwani and referred to “some stuff” between Covington and one of the coaches, likely the payment issue. Masvidal said Covington knew what gym he’s at and when he’s there, and he said he could be there the following day.

Within the next few weeks, Masvidal and Covington had a verbal altercation at American Top Team.

“I said, ‘If you don’t pay him, I’m going to F you up,'” Masvidal said on The Dan Le Batard Show. “My coach got in between it.”

Lambert says he sat down for a meeting with Masvidal after that altercation, and Masvidal agreed not to come to blows with Covington inside the gym out of respect for the team. Masvidal has called ATT home for 15 years.

“They’re gonna act like professionals,” Lambert says. “They’re gonna coexist. They’re gonna do what the coaches tell them to do. Or they’re not gonna be there. … I don’t think you’ll see problems inside the gym, because they respect it.”

Masvidal told ESPN he wasn’t interested in talking more about a subject that could further divide American Top Team. Both Covington and Masvidal said they would never leave the gym, even if they sign to fight each other.

“We’re better than that,” Masvidal says of his teammates. “Maybe some shady s— has gone down. But we’re not slimeballs. I’m ATT until the day I die.”

Covington and Masvidal are both welterweights, ranked No. 2 and 3, respectively, by ESPN. The possibility of them fighting is real, and it’s something Covington wants.

“You never talk bad about your teammates, doesn’t matter if you like them or not.”

Joanna Jedrzejczyk

“It’s a big opportunity businesswise for both of us — and for the gym,” Covington says. “The type of hype around that fight? Honestly, that would probably be one of the most sought-after pay-per-views in the history of the UFC.”

If Masvidal and Covington do end up booked to fight each other, Lambert says protocols would be put in place at the gym to ensure the best possible environment for both.

“It’s not my favorite situation to be in, but I guess at the end of the day it’s probably a good problem to have,�� Lambert says. “It means the gym is doing something right.

“We’ll deal with it. We’ll keep them separated. They’ll train at different times. They’ll train in different parts of the gym. They’ll train with different training partners and different coaches. They’ll both get the best possible training, they’ll come in ready and it’ll go one way or the other.”

If the byproduct of a successful gym is occasionally having two fighters face each other, the downside of a beef like the one between Covington and Masvidal is the atmosphere it would create.

“It’s just gonna be like Team Colby and Team Masvidal,” Harrison said. “It’s gonna literally divide the gym and divide the coaches. Nobody wants that.”

But a potential matchup is further away than some think, according to Masvidal’s manager, Abe Kawa. Masvidal has mentioned Conor McGregor or Nick Diaz as potential next opponents because they could produce bigger paydays.

“As of right now, he’s not in our plans,” Kawa says of Covington. “We’re so far ahead of that. Usman and Colby are fighting for the right to possibly face Jorge. Jorge is the ticket — he’s the A-side.”

It’s not unusual for a fighter to work out alone before a big fight, but for Covington, the isolation could have a deeper meaning. Marc Raimondi

On Saturday night, Covington could be considered the A-side for the main event of a card that features three championship fights. That’s a long way from worrying about getting released by the UFC.

And while ATT teammates Masvidal, Jedrzejczyk and Dustin Poirier dislike Covington — Jedrzejczyk said she hopes Usman will “beat his ass” — there are those who understand his motivation, and even respect it.

“He’s accomplished more in a short period of time than a lot of guys that have been in the industry forever,” says Thiago Alves, a UFC veteran out of Brazil, a team leader and fighter-coach. “You can’t hate the recipe. You don’t have to like it, but you have to respect it. I respect the dude and I like him. … I’m ATT, man. Forever. And he’s a great kid. Never disrespected me. Yeah, say some s— to sell it. But even with everyone here, he’s always been super respectful.”

Nunes was one of the first to criticize Covington on social media after his “filthy animals” comment about Brazilians. Now they share a head coach, Conan Silveira, and Nunes says she harbors no ill will toward Covington.

Silveira, also a Brazilian, says he has not taken any of Covington’s remarks personally and understands what Covington’s goals are by talking trash. He says hard feelings within an MMA gym are not rare, but they shouldn’t be a problem as long as everyone stays professional about it.

“Do you get along with everyone in your family?” Silveira asked. “Colby at American Top Team is a completely different guy. He’s a part of the family. … Of course I’m gonna support him. It’s never that I’m gonna turn my back on him. I say that on behalf of me and them. We’re never gonna do that.”

Covington believes those who knew him before what pro wrestling fans would call a “heel turn” should see that he is just trying to maximize his income in a cold, dangerous sport.

“It shows me their true colors and it shows me who they really are inside,” Covington says. “They can’t understand I’m doing this because of business? They’ve seen me for the last eight years at the gym. And they know who I really am deep down inside. But when a camera turns on, when a mic is put in front of my mouth, it’s a different story, because I’m doing business at that point. And that’s how I look at it.”

Not everyone differentiates between the trash talk of a showman and real bad blood.

“All these words, they do have consequences,” Masvidal told Le Batard. Askren, a noted trash-talker himself, found out the hard way. After knocking out Askren, Masvidal added a couple extra shots and later called them “super necessary.”

Covington embraces the challenge.

“[There’s] a unique element to it where I do actually enjoy and thrive in people wanting to see me get knocked out, people wanting to see me lose and fail,” Covington says. “There’s something really nice that I like about it that makes me want to just prove them all wrong and shut them all up.”

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flauntpage · 6 years

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UFC 218 – Preview and Predictions for a Sneaky-Good Card

No, this card isn’t as good as 217, but most aren’t going to be. We don’t get three title fights at Madison Square Garden. We don’t get a Thug Rose upset and the return of an all-time great, Georges St-Pierre.

What we do get is a salvaged card featuring a rematch of one of the year’s better title fights and a heavyweight co-main that should provide some divisional clarity. There’s a Philly angle with Eddie Alvarez on the card and intriguing flyweight and strawweight fights as well.

Featherweight: Max Holloway (C) vs. Jose Aldo

This was supposed to be a title fight between Holloway and Frankie Edgar, who had to pull out due to injury.

So Aldo, who lost to Holloway just six months ago, gets another crack at reclaiming the title he originally lost to Conor McGregor back at UFC 194. He looked rough at weigh-ins Friday morning, struggling with a short-notice weight cut. Max didn’t look too healthy either.

That said, Holloway is in the best form of his career right now. He was comfortable and focused in his first win against Aldo, beating the former champ on his home turf in Rio. Aldo, after a strong bounce-back win over Edgar last year, just didn’t seem like himself in the last outing. He looked a bit burdened in front of the Brazilian crowd and didn’t throw the savage leg kicks we’ve seen him utilize in the past, apparently because he had a leg injury he hid during build-up to the fight. I wonder if the short preparation and trip to Detroit is actually a boon for Aldo this time around for pressure purposes, and I wonder if the leg is 100%.

I just see two guys moving in different directions right now, with the 25-year-old Holloway on an 11-fight win streak and the 31-year-old Aldo looking mortal after so many great years.

prediction: Holloway wins via unanimous decision

Heavyweight: Alistair Overeem vs. Francis Ngannou

Ngannou is still a relative newcomer but viewed as the eventual challenger to Stipe Miocic. He hits like a truck and is a freak athlete overall, but he really hasn’t beaten anybody yet. He’s coming off of three straight first round wins against Andrei Arlovsky, Anthony Hamilton, and Bojan Mihajlović.

Overeem is the grizzled vet, well past his prime but the winner of six of his last seven fights. The only loss was his title shot against Miocic, a bout in which he knocked the champion to the ground but couldn’t finish the job.

So if Ngannou wins, it sets up a fresh matchup for the belt. If Overeem wins, we’re back to square one, with Miocic already holding wins over the other top contenders in the division. It’s a division begging for new blood.

prediction: Ngannou wins via 2nd round TKO

Flyweight: Henry Cejudo vs. Sergio Pettis

A good matchup between flyweights overshadowed by the dominance of Demetrious Johnson.

I don’t think there’s a ton of buzz regarding that, since it looks like UFC is trying to set up a Johnson/T.J. Dillashaw superfight. Cejudo lost to Johnson awhile back and Pettis could use a solid win to justify a title shot against Mighty Mouse.

I agree with this:

Henry cejudo vs Sergio Pettis is such an interesting fight. If Pettis wins Mighty Mouse can make a legit argument that Pettis is next not Dillashaw. If Cejudo wins then there is no option other than a Dillashaw superfight at 125.

— MMA All Day (@fightoftheday) November 30, 2017

Pettis is the underdog but has a height and reach advantage here. Cejudo is more experienced and the favorite going in, but I could see the fight going either way. I think it comes down to whether or not Pettis can assert himself over Cejudo and stay on his feet.

prediction: Cejudo wins via unanimous decision

Lightweight: Eddie Alvarez vs. Justin Gaethje

I always want to see Eddie win, but he’s got his hands full with the unbeaten Gaethje.

This fight is gonna be violent and probably out of control. Gaethje is a monster brawler who will fight through damage and keep throwing. Eddie isn’t much different, as we saw in his last fight against Dustin Poirier, where he got rocked but recovered. That fight was ruled a no contest after Alvarez hit Poirier with a couple of illegal knees, but it could/should have easily been ruled a disqualification instead.

I thought Eddie was disappointing against Conor McGregor last December, but it is what it is. Conor is Conor. I felt like Eddie’s game plan, or execution of it, just wasn’t there. He’s due for a bounce-back performance, but I think Gaethje is the better fighter in 2017.

prediction: Gaethje wins via 2nd round TKO

Strawweight: Tecia Torres vs. Michelle Waterson

Torres is 9-1 with a win and loss against current champion Rose Namajunas. Waterson is 8-2 since 2010 with one of those losses also coming from Namajunas.

Tecia is a volume striker and solid athlete. Waterson is better on the ground and a smart submission artist.

It’s a stylistic clash that I think Torres wins if she plays her game correctly.

prediction: Torres wins via split decision

UFC 218 – Preview and Predictions for a Sneaky-Good Card published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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thesportssoundoff · 6 years

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“Prospects, Newbies and an old school TV card” The UFC’s 25th Anniversary (but not quite) in Denver

Joey

November 4th

Well folks, we've got a mere TWO months left in this Fox deal. That shakes out to two PPVs, four FS1 events, one Fight Pass Fight Night and one Fox event remain. Our first FS1 trip takes us to Denver, Colorado for a UFC Fight Night anniversary deal. In many ways, this event DOES feel like a throwback to the past. If you cut this show down to a four fight main card with no televised prelim slate, this would be a killer Fight Night. Yair vs Zombie is a fantastic main event on paper that should be an absolute gas while it lasts, the same goes for the action fighter vs action fighter clash as Mike Perry takes on Cowboy Cerrone and then the card is rounded out by two very intriguing battles between proven fighters and former title contenders (one champion!) in GDR vs Rocky Pennington and Ray Borg vs Joe Benavidez. It's not though and so plenty of folks will look at the lack of recognizable names and say "WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE!?" which while fair, also neglects how many top flight prospects they've got on this undercard. It's a four fight great card and then a combination of prospects vs prospects and newbies vs proven gatekeepers. It's actually a not bad fight card even if it's not the love affair many UFC fans probably want for their 25th Anniversary show. We've also got to get a face to face look at what seems to be a two month long farewell tour at 125 lbs as well. I'm not saying you HAVE to watch it but you'd be pretty darn happy TO watch it.

Fights: 13

Debuts: Maycee Barber, Hannah Cifers, Thiago Moises, Julian Erosa, Devin Smith, Bobby Moffett

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 6 (Frankie Edgar OUT, Yair Rodriguez IN vs Chan Sung Jung/Ricardo Ramos vs Ricky Simon CANCELLED/Chris Greutzmacher OUT, Thiago Moises IN vs Beneil Dariush/Maia Stevenson OUT, Hanna Cifers IN vs Maycee Barber/Alonzo Menifield vs Saparbek Sarafov CANCELLED/Jordan Espinoza OUT, Joby Sanchez IN vs Mark De La Rosa)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 9 (Chan Sung Jung, Yair Rodriguez, Mike Perry, Donald Cerrone, Germaine De Randamie, Rocky Pennington, Ray Borg, Joe Benavidez, Beneil Dariush)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: (Ashley Yoder)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: (Germaine De Randamie, Davi Ramos)

Main Card Record Since Jan 1st 2016 (in the UFC): 26-11

Yair Rodriguez- 1-0 Korean Zombie- 3-1 Mike Perry- 5-3 Donald Cerrone- 5-4 GDR- 2-0 Rocky Pennington- 3-1 Ray Borg- 2-2 Joe Benavidez- 2-1 Maycee Barber- 0-0 Hanna Cifers- 0-0 Mike Trizano- 1-0 Luis Pena- 1-0

Divisional Breakdown:

Lightweight- 4 Flyweight-3 Women's Strawweight- 2 Featherweight- 2 Welterweight- 1 Women's Bantamweight-1

Too Low- Beneil Dariush vs Thiago Moises

Let us begin with this fight, sitting comfortably at the very opening of the televised prelims. On a card full of debutantes, high level prospects and four really really good fights, this is one prelim fight that sort of kind of should be a lot higher and potentially as high as the main card. Thiago Moises is a pretty solid regional lightweight who got called up after a spot on the Dana White's Contenders Series in Brazil. At the very least, this has the potential to be a very fun back and forth grappling contest. It's far better than just assuming that these prospects in their debut won't have a slip up or get lost in their nerves.

Too High Up- Maycee Barber vs Hannah Cifers

Okay so this is actually a really good fight. I had a chance to watch Hannah Cifers throughout her Titan Fighting run. She's an articulate striker who often combines precision offense with pressure. She didn't do a ton of grappling in those fights but I'm going to bet she'll be okay there as well. There were basically three fighters given ample hype time going INTO the second season of the Contenders for Dana White; Greg Hardy, Nick Newell AND Maycee Barber. Barber walked through Jaimee Colleen who has a win over Danielle Taylor and outnumbered in her terms of experience. Barber has something different about her and it's not a surprise she's getting the O'Malley treatment given her age, talent level and the need for more fun things at 115 lbs. It just FEELS like you're asking a lot of her here and the same for Ciphers on short notice.

Stat Monitor for 2018:

Debuting Fighters (Current number: 27-35-1): Maycee Barber, Hannah Cifers, Thiago Moises, Bobby Moffett, Julian Erosa, Devonte Smith

Short Notice Fighters (Current number: 28-23): Hannah Cifers, Thiago Moises, Joby Sanchez, Yair Rodriguez

Second Fight (Current number: 36-28-1): Mike Trizano, Luis Pena, John Gunther

Cage Corrosion (Current number: 21-36): Yair Rodriguez, Korean Zombie, Germaine de Randamie, Ray Borg, Chas Skelly

Undefeated Fighters (Current number: 30-21-1): Maycee Barber, Mike Trizano, Luis Pena, John Gunther

Keeping An Eye On But Not Really:

The UFC Win Check Test The records of fighters who have 4 or more UFC fights (or three full calendar years in the organization) but 0 wins against people still in the UFC: Amanda Bobby Cooper

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- Are we TOO optimistic about this main event? On paper, Yair Rodriguez vs Chan Sung Jung is a fight for the ages. The all pressure power punching Zombie vs the super flashy Mexican star seems like the sort of shit you'd get excited about. There are just three key aspects about this fight that I'm having a tough time getting my hands around. The FIRST is the location. Yair Rodriguez has fought at altitude countless times before so it'd be unfair to assume he can't do it BUT it is worth remembering that he was absolutely dead tired in Mexico both times and he slowed down quite a bit in the 4th or 5th rounds in Utah. The Korean Zombie has never struck me as a dude who has had issues with his conditioning but that was a military assignment and a few knee surgeries ago plus I don't think he's ever had a real big altitude fight like this one. The second aspect is just the all around concern or confusion on Yair Rodriguez's mindset. Yair was crushed by Frankie Edgar in his sole UFC loss and that was in May of 2017. He admittedly opted to take a year off to heal up/get better/train around before getting cut from the UFC for a short spell due to Yair either turning down a succession of fights or just not wanting to get bullied into taking a fight. He took a fight vs Zhabit in September, pulled out due to injury and now he's back in early November with no mention of the injury. When Dana was asked about Yair after he pulled out of the Zhabit fight, Dana implied in so many words that Yair was a guy who just didn't want to fight. I think wondering where his head is at relative to taking a fight like THIS one is worthy of asking. Lastly, I think it's 100% fair to say we're not going to see the best version of either dude. The Zombie has fought just ONE time since 2013 and he's now officially beyond 30 years old. Injuries and a military service took him away from MMA for a looong time now and against Bermudez, he looked pretty rusty before he snapped back into it to end the show early. Yair Rodriguez is taking this fight on short notice plus a year away plus the questions around his career plus the fact that the last time he saw him, Edgar was punching his face into the canvas. I'm not saying this fight will suck, I'm saying we should temper our expectations a bit.

2- How valuable will Yair Rodriguez's kicks be if he's to pull off this upset?

3- So much of Donald Cerrone vs Mike Perry feels like a matter of determining how washed up Donald Cerrone is vs how much you believe Mike Perry can improve under the watchful eyes of Jackson-Wink. Cerrone is what he is and he was able to fight at a frenetic pace against Leon Edwards, giving us an occasional glimpse of what he's good at while reminding us of all the things he's been bad at for his entire career. Mike Perry's upside is of the Chris Leben variety; a high level fun brawler who is going to throw down until the sun goes down on him. That said you'd have to hope an elite gym can iron out some of the weaknesses he's got, primarily his over aggresiveness and his defensive lapses. Would be the hope, riiiight?

4- If you read this and you're rooting for Cerrone to win so you can get Diego vs Cerrone? Shame on y'all, man.

5- Anybody feel really bad about Ray Borg vs Joseph Benavidez? On paper, this is a really intriguing fight between the inconsistent Borg and the declining Benavidez; the sort of fight that could get Borg back on the winning track or maybe open the door for Benavidez to have one last run to the title. The problem is that there may be no title---and the problem may be that a really good fight on paper will be meaningless because the division is gone. That draws the air out of the building so much for me. The same goes for all three of these fights. Are the winners basically fighting for spots in the 135 lb division?

6- The Contenders Series is really about churning out quantity with some hype vs turning out future champions BUT they've got a few guys on here who could at least be in the conversation of potential title contenders. Maycee Barber is just 20 years old, undefeated and blessed with all sort of skills. Devonte Smith is getting a put together short notice fight vs Julian Erosa to pad the card but he's VERY good and figures to show out against a quality journeyman (fighting out of his weight class). Lastly Thiago Moises could develop into a quality lightweight who can be relied on to draw fights in Brazil.

7- Davi Ramos has won two straight in the UFC, both by submission. Normally that gets you a nice step up but the reality is that it's not happening here. He's getting John Gunther in what feels like an opportunity to run Gunther out of the UFC after his awful win vs Allan Zuniga.

8- GDR totally disappeared off the face of the Earth after her win vs Holly Holm, citing hand problems and an unwillingness to fight Cyborg to go along with a pull out of a fight vs Marion Reneau. She returns against Rocky Pennington who had an equally lengthy lay off prior to her fight vs Amanda Nunes. This feels like a last chance fight for two ladies with different issues.

9- Why is Amanda Bobby Cooper vs Ashley Yoder the featured prelim? Is there some sort of Mackenzie Dern victim prize at stake?

10- Chas Skelly vs Bobby Moffet is the Spiderman pointing meme of this card.

11- The TUF Undefeated Season was...something. It was a grueling watch live and the finale is easily the worst TUF finale I've ever seen. This is a big bounce back opportunities for guys like Mike Trizano and John Gunther. Luis Pena got hurt and was pulled off the show but dominated Richie Smullen so he's sort of safe. Trizano vs Pena is going to be a very interesting fight worth keeping an eye on.

12- Would there be any interest in Holm vs GDR 2 if she wins?

#MMA #UFC #Denver #Fight Night #Borg #Cerrone #Benavidez #GDR #Pennington #Perry #Yair Rodriguez #Korean Zombie

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