Category: Mixed Martial Arts (Page 18 of 64)

      UFC 127 Predictions: Fitch to take down Penn?

      February 26, 2011 /

      UFC 127 takes place tonight from the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. While the card doesn’t have any blockbuster bouts, all the fights are intriguing and should be somewhat competitive. Here is my take on tonight’s PPV bouts.

      UFC Welterweight Bout – B.J. Penn (16-7-1) vs. Jon Fitch (26-3) – I think this fight plays into Fitch’s style as he should be able to execute a similar plan to what Georges St. Pierre did to Penn back at UFC 94. Look for Fitch to clinch and grapple and put his weight on Penn to tire him down and eventually score takedowns to earn another decision victory.

      UFC Middleweight Bout – Michael Bisping (21-3) vs. Jorge Rivera (18-7) – Rivera has talked a lot of trash leading up to this bout in hopes of making Bisping let his emotions go during the fight, but I see Bisping staying composed and bringing Rivera to the ground where he can overwhelm him with ground-and-pound striking. I see Bisping finishing off Rivera in the second round by TKO.

      UFC Lightweight Bout – George Sotiropoulos (14-2) vs. Dennis Siver (17-7) – Siver can win this fight is he takes advantage of a slow-starting Sotiropoulos, but I see George being able to survive the early flurry and finding a way to get the fight to the ground where he will lock up an arm submission against Siver in the third round.

      UFC Welterweight Bout – Chris Lytle (40-17-4) vs. Brian Ebersole (46-14-1) – Lytle is riding a big wave right now and seems to be the best he has ever been. Ebersole has a lot of experience but is making his UFC debut, which always seems to be problematic. Look for Lytle to control the fight and win by submission in the later rounds.

      UFC Middleweight Bout – Kyle Noke (18-4-1) vs. Chris Camozzi (14-3) – Noke is fighting in front of his home country and is being showcased for a push in the UFC, but I see that as a lot of pressure on a relatively new UFC fighter. Camozzi has nothing to lose in this fight and I think he will pull off an upset by decision with the use of his grappling.

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      Learning to appreciate B.J. Penn

      February 25, 2011 /

      Spencer Kyte of HeavyMMA.com believes it’s time to stop arguing about B.J. Penn’s legacy and just enjoy the ride.

      Every time B.J. Penn prepares to enter the Octagon, the same string of stories and commentaries surface, describing the former multi-divisional champion as “an enigma” or “polarizing,” discussing whether not “the real B.J. Penn” will show up.

      I should know, having followed those paths half-a-dozen times myself here at HeavyMMA.com.

      While all of those angles are valid and a result of a career spent alternating between amazing and underwhelming, there comes a time when you have to step back from wondering what could have been or what might come next, and simply enjoy Penn for what he is, a truly one-of-a-kind fighter.

      This new way of looking at Penn is a shift in perspective for me, having spent a long time being frustrated by the duality that is “The Prodigy,” a fighter who can go from unbeatable to uninterested from one fight to the next. That possibility still exists; he could just as easily follow up his 21-second knockout win over Matt Hughes with a sub-standard showing against Jon Fitch on Saturday.

      Read the full article.

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      Jon Fitch chasing B.J. Penn’s legacy

      February 24, 2011 /

      Jon Fitch is chasing B.J. Penn’s ghost at UFC 127 but as Spencer Kyte of HeavyMMA.com writes, he plans on finishing the legend and getting one more crack at the welterweight title.

      Long before Jon Fitch became a part of the team at American Kickboxing Academy, the man he’ll face at UFC 127 was working with the same trainers who have helped make him one of the best fighters in the sport today.

      Though the image many people have of B.J. Penn preparing for a fight has been crafted by various UFC Countdown specials showing the former two-division champion training in his native Hawaii, Penn indeed trained in San Jose, and Fitch has heard all the stories and uses them as motivation.

      “It’s like chasing ghost almost, hearing stories about a guy you’ve never gotten to work with or train with or anything. When I first came to AKA was shortly after B.J. had left, and everybody who had trained him or trained with him was still around, and he was a pretty amazing athlete, so you’ve got a lot of stories about some of the things he’s done and what he’s capable of.

      Read the full article.

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      UFC 127 News: Bisping angered by Rivera’s antics

      February 23, 2011 /

      According to HeavyMMA.com, Michael Bisping is not happy with Jorge Rivera’s antics leading up to their UFC 127 showdown and plans to do his talking inside the Octagon.

      Michael Bisping is not a happy camper.

      The smack talk and videos Jorge Rivera has produced leading up to their UFC 127 showdown has angered the British middleweight.

      Bisping had been uncharacteristically quiet leading up to this weekend’s event, but that all changed during the UFC 127 pre-fight press conference on Tuesday.

      “For me, I’ve got a big fight to prepare for. I’m fighting in the premier fighting organization in the world, and I’m trying to act accordingly,” said Bisping. “I’m a professional fighter. I’m not an idiot in the schoolyard making up silly rhymes and jokes and making stupid videos.”


      Read the full article.

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      HeavyMMA Rankings: Bantamweight to Heavyweight

      February 22, 2011 /

      HeavyMMA.com released their latest MMA rankings for the month of February. This time around, they’ve ranked fighters from bantamweight all the way up to heavyweight.

      HEAVYWEIGHT

      1. Cain Velasquez
      Velasquez will be on the mend for the foreseeable future after undergoing a medical prodecure, but he has returned to light cardio work at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose. Of course, “light cardio” for Cain Velasquez is about 10 times longer than we’ve ever run in our entire life.

      2. Brock Lesnar
      You’d never know it to be true, but Lesnar is still in Vegas and is said to be enjoying his time coaching The Ultimate Fighter a great deal. Once he finishes the coaching gig, he’ll return to Minnesota and begin preparations for Junior dos Santos.

      3. Fabricio Werdum
      Werdum meets Alistair Overeem in the final leg of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix. We don’t know when and we don’t know where, but we’re pretty sure the fight is happening. And with Fedor’s loss, Werdum’s road to the grand prix title suddenly got a lot easier.

      Check out their complete rankings.

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

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