Boxing News, MMA, UFC, Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather
Boxing News, MMA, UFC, Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira looked terrible against Frank Mir
However, eight months after the Mir debacle, Nogueira looked like one of the
top mixed martial artists on the planet in dominating Randy Couture.
Nogueira won a clear-cut unanimous decision against the UFC legend.
When people think of pioneers in the sport of MMA, Frank Shamrock’s name is not usually mentioned. The names Royce Gracie, Randy Couture, Ken Shamrock (Frank’s brother via adoption), and Chuck Liddell—just to name a few—are much more prominent.
So Floyd Mayweather is going to fight Manny Pacquiao? Awesome. Finally, there is a fight that the sports world and beyond could really get into.
Two promotions are set to go head-to-head on Saturday night.
Strikeforce and WEC will face off with live shows. The main event of the Strikeforce card will be Cung Le vs. Scott Smith. On the opposing side, WEC headlines with Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliff.
Frankie Edgar wants to be next.
After Diego Sanchez and BJ Penn fight for the UFC lightweight championship. Edgar wants to fight the winner.
Fabricio Werdum has moved himself to the on-deck circle for Fedor Emelianenko.
Werdum overcame first round troubles to grind out the close unanimous decision over Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.. Silva took the early edge and rocked Werdum in the first round, but he was unable to finish the contest.
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers
Is there any possible way not to take Emelianenko in this fight? No, there isn’t. I’m tired of hearing “well, Rogers has a puncher’s chance” because so did every other fighter that Fedor stepped in the ring with. They all lost. There’s a reason for that, and it is, simply put, Fedor is the best fighter in the history of the sport. Rogers will not make history. He’ll be history. Fedor wins by first round submission.
In his first main event, Ben Henderson will be fighting for a title that will not exist very long.
That’s because Henderson is taking on Donald Cerrone for the “interim” WEC lightweight championship. As soon as the “regular” champion, Jamie Varner, returns from injury, he will reclaim his throne atop WEC’s lightweights.
Rich Franklin vs. Vitor Belfort (195)
Even though no title is at stake, the main event of Belfort vs. Franklin is a very important fight. With a victory, Belfort could find himself at the top of the list for the next middleweight title shot (if Dan Henderson goes to 205 and Nate Marquardt doesn’t get the chance). If Franklin wins, he could be in the middle of a suddenly depleted light heavyweight division. Once the bell rings, the fight will be an exciting, stand-up war. Belfort has more power, but Franklin has more skill. On his recent five-fight winning streak, Belfort has not been tested. He will be tested against Franklin. He won’t pass. Franklin wins fight of the night by unanimous decision.
Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard (155)
Guillard is the brash, trash-talking, talented striker, and Diaz is the brash, trash-talking jiu-jitsu stud. The two fighters are polar opposites in the octagon, but they are very similar outside of it. They are also both street-tough fighters that will go for the finish. Once the bell rings, Guillard is going to go for the knockout. He’ll throw as many haymakers as he can (until tiring), but I don’t think he’ll have the ability to KO Diaz. On the other hand, over the course of three rounds, the fight will eventually go the mat, and I don’t see Guillard being able to get up from there. Diaz is too skilled on the ground. The best part is that we’ll get hear a Diaz post-fight interview. Diaz wins the fight of the night by third round submission.
Starting a mixed martial arts promotion is not an easy thing to do.
Gary Shaw, one of the best boxing promoters in the history of the sport, tried and failed with Elite XC. Affliction Clothing, one the fastest growing clothing manufacturers in the country, also went up in flames.
The upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter is easily the show’s most anticipated. The main reason is simple: Kimbo Slice. Slice is the polarizing figure that garnered mass attention just two years ago. First, he rocketed up Youtube’s most popular list for his Internet street fights. Then, he embarked on a main event run with the ill-fated EliteXC.
Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Hwt.)
Randy Couture finally takes on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a battle of MMA heavyweight legends. What does Nogueira have left after the loss to Mir? He looked terrible in the defeat, but soon after the fight, rumors started circulating amount Nogueira having multiple ailments including a staph infection that should have precluded him from fighting. However, we shouldn’t forget that Nogueira also looked poor against Tim Sylvia before pulling off the submission. It’s impossible to question Nogueira’s heart or, for that matter, his MMA skill. He’s fantastic on the ground, and he is a technically sound boxer. On the other hand, Couture is an awesome MMA fighter. He has no glaring weakness except for submissions, and he prepares extremely well for all of his fights. Couture’s edge is going to be standing where he’ll have the ability to strike or slow the fight down by pushing Nogueira into the cage. Based on their past few fights, Couture is just in better shape than Nogueira. For that reason, the pick is Randy Couture by unanimous decision.
Champion vs. champion?
As Anderson Silva and Lyota Machida continue to tear through the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, Dana White addressed the possibility of the two champions and friends meeting up in the octagon.
Gina Carano vs. Cris Cyborg (for Strikeforce 145-pound women’s title)
Needless to say, this is a historic fight for women’s MMA. By pitting Carano against Cyborg, Strikeforce also has the fighters that can deliver on the hype. The fight should be a stand up war for as long as it lasts. In the end, Cyborg’s power and aggressiveness will overwhelm Carano. I’d take Carano in the rematch once she adjusts to Cyborg’s style, but in this fight, Carano won’t be prepared for the tornado that is coming. Cyborg wins by first round TKO.
When Affliction canceled its “Trilogy” pay-per-view, many fighters became the unfortunate casualties. Two fighters that avoided the avalanche were Gegard Mousasi and Renato “Babalu” Sobral.
Anderson Silva’s next match
With a dominating victory against light heavyweight Forrest Griffin, Anderson Silva proved that he is still one of the top fighters in the sport. Now, the question for the UFC is who will the middleweight champion go up against next?
BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian (lightweight title bout)
BJ Penn returns to lightweight for his first title defense since becoming the undisputed lightweight champion in May 2008. To become undisputed champ, he dismantled Sean Sherk. Now that Penn’s fight Georges St. Pierre is out of the way, he returns to the weight class that he has a chance to truly dominate. Skill wise, Penn has virtually no weaknesses. His stand-up is flawless. His jiu-jitsu is top notch, and his wrestling is excellent. Florian is also very talented in all areas, but he just isn’t as good as Penn in any of them. Unfortunately for Florian, he could very well be remembered as the best lightweight never to win a title. He’ll have Penn to thank for that. Penn wins the fight of the night by unanimous decision.
Of all the fighters to recently exit the UFC, Andrei Arlovski was the guy that Dana White stated he was not pleased to see depart.
No dream match
One of the matches fans have been talking about for the past few years is a potential superfight between two current UFC champions. Since both fighters have beaten almost all of the top contenders in their weight classes, Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre seemed headed for a meeting in the octagon.
Frye is a true pioneer in the MMA world. He has fought for over 13 years for almost every big promotion on the planet including seven times each for the UFC and Pride. But what makes Frye even more appealing to the fans are his colorful opinions. He has expressive thoughts on everything – from fighting to pro wrestling to movies to people’s love lives. There’s nothing that Don Frye can’t help someone with.
Fedor and the UFC
With his decisive TKO victory over Frank Mir, Brock Lesnar is clearly the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. However, the question remains: is he the best heavyweight in the world?
Brock Lesnar defeated Frank Mir by TKO at 1:48 of round 2 to retain the UFC heavyweight championship.
Yoshihiro Akiyama defeated Alan Belcher by split decision. The three judges scored the fight 30-27 Akiyama, 29-28 Belcher, and 29-28 Akiyama.
In his career, Henderson has fought seven fighters that have worn UFC gold. From Carlos Newton to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (twice) to Murilo Bustamante (twice) to Vitor Belfort to Quinton Jackson to Anderson Silva to Rich Franklin, Henderson has taken on some of the best fighters in the history of the promotion. He boasts a 6-3 record against those top-level fighters.
Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir (to unify the UFC Hwt. & Interim Hwt. Titles)
He is one of the most-popular American athletes ever to fight in Japan. Yet, he is still relatively unknown in his own home country, but in just a few days, Bob Sapp returns to fight in the United States.
Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva (catch weight: 195)
The matchup pits two guys who train as hard as anyone else in the sport, but both guys are in the midst of very rough stretches in their careers. Silva has only won one of his last five fights and Franklin is only 2-2 in his last four. Unfortunately, Silva has taken a great deal of punishment in his fights while Franklin has really only suffered in the Anderson Silva fights. It’s hard to see the “Axe Murderer” returning to his former self. I think Silva is the more talented fighter, but the damage he has taken is too much. Franklin wins by second round TKO.
What truly defines a comeback?
Is it when someone returns from over a year absence from the sport? Is it when someone returns from multiple serious injuries? Or is it when someone returns from a long suspension?
UFC light heavyweight title bout: Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida
Is Lyota Machida the most unbeatable light heavyweight fighter in the world? No. He’s not. Rashad Evans is. Much has been made about how difficult Machida’s style is to figure out, but Evans has been just as unstoppable since he perfected his striking game a few years back. Evans dominated both Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin in successive fights. He also trains at one of the best camps in the world – led by Greg Jackson. Nevertheless, Machida is supremely talented and very awkward to prepare for, but I wonder how he’ll do against a fighter that is so much faster than him and a much better wrestler. Also adding to Evans’ chances is that Evans is more of counter-puncher, which means he’ll be less likely to make a strategic mistake. I don’t see the fight ending quickly, but once Evans figures out Machida, I expect him to finish the fight. Rashad Evans retains the title by fourth round KO.