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mixed martial arts, UFC, kvinners MMA

UFC 185: It’s Showtime!

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Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale/USA Today Sports

Despite the turmoil experienced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship so far this year, from the failed drug tests of stars like Jon Jones, Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz, to the reshuffling of UFC 184 because of an injury to middleweight champion Chris Weidman, the company has delivered in the Octagon so far this year. Despite Weidman’s injury, UFC 184 was still a smashing success thanks to another dominant performance by women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.

Now UFC 185 is here, with another stacked card that should entertain once again. This card is anchored by TWO title fights, taking fans back to a time when the UFC would routinely offer stacked fight cards before rapid expansion under their deal with FOX apparently created an oversaturated product.

Here’s who I think emerges victorious on this talent-filled card.

Chris “Kamikaze” Cariaso (17-6) vs. Henry “The Messenger” Cejudo (7-0) (Flyweight – 125 lbs.)

Cariaso is coming off a submission loss to flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson last summer. But to be fair, everyone is losing to Johnson these days, and he’s close to cleaning out the flyweight division. Cejudo has yet to experience defeat and enjoyed a unanimous decision victory in his UFC debut late last year.

Cariaso has been a UFC and World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) veteran for the last five years and rode a 3-fight win streak prior to his loss to Johnson. Cejudo is a young pup trying to make a name for himself in the UFC, but Cariaso will use his veteran savvy to catch the overeager fighter for a finish.

Vinner: Cariaso by second-round TKO

Roy “Big Country” Nelson (21-10) vs. Alistair “The Reem” Overeem (38-14-1) (Heavyweight – 225 lbs.)

I’ll admit up front that I’m not a big Roy Nelson fan. He’s a talented fighter who delivers exciting fights and is an entertaining personality. But ever since he debuted in the UFC and won season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” he feasted on lower-ranked heavyweights like Stefan Struve, Brendan Schaub and Matt Mitrione. But when matched up with elite heavyweights like Fabricio Werdum, Junior Dos Santos and Daniel Cormier (before he dropped to light heavyweight), Nelson was routinely outclassed and battered.

Overeem has also failed to live up to the hype that came with his jump to the UFC. After he demolished Brock Lesnar in 2011, a title shot was in the works against then-champion Junior Dos Santos. But the fight never materialized due to injuries and Overeem suffered back-to-back knockout losses to Antonio Silva and Travis Browne.

Overeem has alternated wins and losses since then but is coming off a first-round knockout of Struve. Nelson was knocked out in his last fight against Mark Hunt, which despite Nelson’s usually iron chin, does not come as a shock, given Hunt’s incredible punching power.
Overeem may not have Hunt’s power, but I think he will batter Nelson for a rather lopsided decision victory. At this stage in his career, Nelson is a gatekeeper. But “The Reem” doesn’t need to prove himself against a brawler like Nelson.

Vinner: Overeem by unanimous decision

Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks (16-3) vs. Matt “The Immortal” Brown (21-12) (Weltervekt - 170 lbs.)

Speaking of brawling and battering, this fight has all the makings of a Fight of the Year candidate. Hendricks dropped the welterweight title to Robbie Lawler last year and should he win this fight, a rematch with Lawler is all but assured – assuming Lawler gets past Rory McDonald later this year.

Brown also lost to Lawler in his last fight and was also on the receiving end of a brutal beating. Hendricks and Brown tend to just slug it out and ask questions later, which should result in an entertaining fight for the fans. Hendricks seems to have renewed his commitment to MMA following his loss to Lawler and he seems driven to get his belt back. Brown is as game as they come, but Hendricks will prove to be too much.

Vinner: Hendricks by second-round TKO

Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza (11-2) vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (8-0) (Women’s Strawweight Title – 115 lbs.)

Esparza made her UFC debut with a bang by winning the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” to feature all female fighters, and in the process become the UFC’s first women’s strawweight champion. She effectively derailed the Rose Namajunas hype train to win the belt, when some were dubbing Namajunas the next Ronda Rousey in the strawweight division.

Jedrzejczyk derailed a favorite in her own right, defeating highly regarded Claudia Gadelha last year by a close decision when many thought Gadelha would be Esparza’s first title defense. Jedrzejczyk is a grinder who thrives in an ugly fight in close quarters. Esparza used her wrestling to neutralize Namajunas’ quick-striking offense, so getting into an ugly fight with Jedrzejczyk shouldn’t faze Esparza one bit. Esparza will take Jedrzejczyk down early and often and ride her wrestling to a decision victory.

Vinner: Esparza by unanimous decision

Anthony “Showtime” Pettis (18-2) vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (23-7) (Lightweight Title – 155 lbs.)

Pettis has been absolutely dominant as of late, not only winning the lightweight title from Benson Henderson in quick and exciting fashion with a first-round armbar but routinely displaying his amazing athleticism and using it to quickly shoot himself up the best pound-for-pound fighter list.

But Dos Anjos is not to be taken lightly. He too finished Henderson in the first round and earned his title shot by absolutely dismantling Nate Diaz late last year. Dos Anjos is tough and will know that Pettis is looking for a quick finish. He won’t get it, but Pettis’ freakish athleticism will make its presence felt eventually and overcome Dos Anjos and solidify Pettis’ case as one of the best lightweight fighters of all time.

Vinner: Pettis by second-round submission

Chris Huntemann skriver om mixed martial arts i delstaten Maryland. Han deler også sine tanker om UFC, Bellator, og World Series of Fighting. Sjekk ut hans blog, eller følge ham på Twitter: mmamaryland.

mixed martial arts, UFC, kvinners MMA

Ronda Rousey- The Cleaner

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Photo Credit: Esther Lin / MMA Fighting

Given that it’s tax season, it’s a good time to remember that are there three guarantees in life: death, taxes and Ronda Rousey once again showing why she is the best female fighter on the planet with a first-round demolition of her opponent.

Rousey’s performance at UFC 184 last month was her finest to date. She submitted Cat Zingano, widely regarded as Rousey’s biggest challenge, i 14 sekunder. While Rousey was aided by an absolutely horrible strategy by Zingano, her virtuoso performance led to another discussion of who has what it takes to dethrone Rousey. It also led to a ridiculous conversation of whether or not Rousey could compete against and defeat male fighters in the UFC’s bantamweight division. The less time spent on that absurd notion that accomplishes nothing but trying to discredit the great fighter Rousey is, the better.

Selvfølgelig, the first name that always comes up is Cris “Cyborg” Justino, the Invicta FC featherweight champion. She is expected to drop to 135 pounds for a fight with Invicta this summer before moving on to a fight with Rousey. Men, Cyborg attempted a drop to bantamweight last year and abandoned those plans. So I wouldn’t hold my breath on the long-awaited grudge match between Rousey and Cyborg happening anytime soon.

Rousey recently expressed a desire to fight Bethe Correia, who battered two of Rousey’s “Four Horsewomen” teammates and has been calling Rousey out ever since. Jessica Eye has also staked her claim to a title shot, but neither of these women pose a real threat to Rousey. During UFC 184’s postfight coverage, Daniel Cormier floated the idea of his colleague Miesha Tate getting a third crack at Rousey.

Besides the fact I think trilogies should be reserved only when each fighter has a victory over the other, I see no reason why third time would be a charm for Tate. While she is the only woman to go further than the first round with Rousey, Tate has plateaued as a fighter while Rousey has gotten better. If the two were to fight a third time, I see no reason to believe the result would be any different.

So where does this leave Rousey? Etter min mening, she has cleaned out the UFC women’s bantamweight division. There is no one who poses a credible threat to her. If Zingano adjusted her strategy and received another shot at Rousey, she might have a chance of winning. Beyond that, if Rousey decided to go out on top and build on her burgeoning film career, I don’t think anyone would hold it against her.

Rousey is currently on a run akin to Anderson Silva’s run atop the UFC’s middleweight division. He dominated everyone in his path and except for his first fight with Chael Sonnen, made it look easy. Rousey’s hardest fight to date was against Liz Carmouche, when she had Rousey in a rear naked choke in the first round of their fight in 2013 before Rousey was able to escape and secure another armbar victory.

Silva’s reign atop the middleweight division came to an end when the previously unknown Chris Weidman came along and showed no fear and took the fight to Silva. Maybe that’s what needs to happen with Rousey. She needs to find an opponent who will get right in her face, give her no quarter and take the fight to her. Zingano attempted that at UFC 184, but her overzealousness ended up costing her dearly.

Until Rousey finds her own Chris Weidman, we can add another superlative to the many that are already attached to the women’s bantamweight champion: cleaner. Rousey is fresh out of worthy challengers to her crown, a task she accomplished by cleaning out her division.

Chris Huntemann skriver om mixed martial arts i delstaten Maryland. Han deler også sine tanker om UFC, Bellator, og World Series of Fighting. Sjekk ut hans blog, eller følge ham på Twitter: mmamaryland.

mixed martial arts, UFC

UFC og PEDs: Hvor skal vi gå herfra?

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Photo Credit: Esther Lin / MMA Fighting

Vanligvis når jeg ber om at spørsmålet, det er i kjølvannet av en pay-per-view og jeg lurer høyt på hva som er neste for jagerfly som konkurrerte på det. Denne gangen rundt, Jeg snakker om noe som berører alle mixed martial kunstnere i Ultimate Fighting Championship.

UFC kunngjorde denne uken at det vil iverksette langt strengere, langt mer omfattende narkotikatesting i kjølvannet av jagerfly som Anderson Silva og Hector Lombard sviktende tester for prestasjonsfremmende midler (PEDs), mens Jon Jones og Nick Diaz mislykkede tester for kokain og marihuana, henholdsvis.

Økt drug testing og strengere straffer kan bare hjelpe UFC, og mixed martial arts generelt. Men hva brakt på denne økningen i mislykkede tester? PEDs har vært en del av idrett lenge før MMA jagerfly begynte å ta dem, og de har vært et problem i MMA før den siste måneden-og-en-halv.

Men flere jagerfly synes å være å bli fanget. Som i de fleste idretter, det er en enorm mengde press for å utføre i MMA og i UFC. Hvis du ikke utfører, du i utgangspunktet ikke får betalt. Den økede etterspørsel etter UFC programmering i kraft av sin avtale med FOX kan også være en faktor. De gikk fra å være på Spike TV – der de bare kringkaste "The Ultimate Fighter" en gang i året og to eller tre live-kampen kortene årlig – til praktisk talt å ha to live kampen kortene en måned og lufting "The Ultimate Fighter" to ganger i året på FOX kanaler.

Økningen i programmering betyr et behov for flere organer til å fylle det programmering. Det betyr også at flere jagerfly trener for flere kamper, noe som kan føre til flere skader. PEDs, i tillegg til å gi deg et konkurransefortrinn over motstanderen, tillate deg å gjenopprette fra skader raskere. Med behovet for flere jagerfly for å fylle flere kampkort, Jeg tror det er mulig den tilsynelatende økningen i mislykkede narkotika tester kan i det minste delvis tilskrives at.

UFC økte narkotika-testing tiltak trer i kraft juli 1. Hva kan vi forvente når den gjør? Her er noen av de retningslinjer UFC present.

Selv UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta innrømmet under denne ukes pressekonferanse at ting "skulle bli verre før de bedre" med ny testing. Mer, det gjenstår å se hvor mye av dette vil faktisk holde en gang juli 1 ruller rundt. UFC tidligere vurdert å utvide sine narkotika testing innsats før, men trakk seg tilbake, siterer kostnads og tidligere mislykkede forsøk på å gjøre det.

Men, med utslett av høyprofilerte stjerner som Silva, Jones og Diaz sviktende tester, kostnaden kan ikke anses som en hindring og UFC må være årvåken. Browsing min Twitter-feed følge pressekonferansen, det var farlig stille. Nesten ingen jagerfly veid i utgangspunktet. Det er sannsynlig at var bare et biprodukt av pressekonferansen som finner sted på en onsdag ettermiddag, når folk flest jobber eller antagelig har andre ting å gjøre i tillegg til innlegg på Twitter. Men det var fortsatt ganske talende. Det virker som dette har fanget jagerfly oppmerksomhet, som det skal.

Hva tror jeg vil skje? Det vil bli en økning i mislykket test når de nye tiltakene trer i kraft juli 1, Jeg er ganske trygg. Men gitt at UFC støtter harde straffer for dem som gjør mislykkes – inkludert et forbud på inntil fire år – Jeg forventer de skitne jagerfly til slutt sykle seg ut og de som konkurrerer ren (som er de fleste av dem, formodentlig) å ta en mer fremtredende rolle.

Økt narkotika testing er lang forfallen i UFC. Sporten av mixed martial arts i seg selv er fortsatt i sin barndom, spesielt i forhold til andre idretter som fotball, basketball og baseball. Men akkurat som baseball er fortsatt utvinne fra sin egen krise med PEDs, disse siste mislykkede narkotika tester har rystet grunnlaget for UFC og har harkened tilbake til de dager da det ble referert til som "menneskelig cockfighting."

UFC vedtatt slagordet "The Time Is Now" for 2015, og jeg kunne ikke vært mer enig. Klokken er nå for dem å ta ledelsen i å rydde opp sporten mixed martial arts.

Chris Huntemann skriver om mixed martial arts i delstaten Maryland. Han deler også sine tanker om UFC, Bellator, og World Series of Fighting. Sjekk ut hans blog, eller følge ham på Twitter: mmamaryland.

mixed martial arts, UFC, kvinners MMA

Dana White and the Women

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Photo Credit: Esther Lin / MMA Fighting

Lørdag, Februar. 28, is going to be a landmark day for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. All the fighters on the pay-per-view card that day will pass their pre-fight drug…….never mind. That’s too easy.

That day will be the first time a UFC card features women’s bouts in both its co-main event and main event. After middleweight champion Chris Weidman was forced to withdraw from his fight against Vitor Belfort due to injury, the new main event at UFC 184 is Ronda Rousey defending her women’s bantamweight belt against Cat Zingano. I co-main event, much-heralded prospect Holly Holm will make her UFC debut against Raquel Pennington in another women’s bantamweight fight.

As I’ve mentioned before, UFC has come a long way from when Dana White told TMZ that women would “never” fight in his organization. Rousey will main event her third consecutive February PPV and Holm is widely believed to be the next in line for a shot at the title, should she defeat Pennington. Holm is still very raw in mixed martial arts, but trains with the world renowned coaches Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn.

Rousey is carrying the flag for women’s MMA and for women in the UFC. Other female fighters have followed her into the Octagon, including Miesha Tate, Liz Carmouche and Alexis Davis. What do those three have in common? They all also fell to Rousey – Tate twice in Strikeforce and the UFC, and Carmouche and Davis both in the first round at UFC PPVs in 2013 og 2014, henholdsvis.

Rousey and Tate’s feud is well-chronicled. It led to the two being coaches on The Ultimate Fighter, which included female fighters for the very first time who greatly outshined their male counterparts on the show that season.

Given that season’s success, the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter featured ALL female fighters and the debut of the UFC’s newest division, women’s strawweight. Carla Esparza, the former Invicta FC strawweight champion, won the inaugural UFC version of that belt after defeating Rose Namajunas.

So in the span of four years, UFC goes from having no female fighters and White emphatically stating that it never will, to being home to TWO female weight classes and undoubtedly the promotion’s biggest star right now in Rousey. Don’t believe me? Did you see the third Expendables movie? Or do you plan on seeing the film version of Entourage this summer? You might notice a familiar face.

So where does women’s MMA go from here? I am personally a big fan of female fights, as they tend to be among the more entertaining and action-packed fights on a UFC card. As I previously stated, female fighters are more than capable of outshining their male contemporaries. Why is that? Maybe female fighters feel they have more to prove inside the Octagon and always go for broke. Maybe they go into the Octagon with more of a “go for broke” mentality and actively seek a finish as opposed to “playing it safe.”

The fight between Rousey and Zingano on Feb. 28 will also go a long way toward determining the future of women’s MMA. Should Rousey defeat Zingano – which all signs indicate she will – she will have essentially cleaned out her division, with only unknown challengers like Holm and Bethe Correia left. If Zingano pulls the upset, then the division has a fresh batch of exciting matchups waiting.

But who knows what would have happened if Dana White kept his promise to TMZ?

Chris Huntemann skriver om mixed martial arts i delstaten Maryland. Han bidrar også sine tanker til nettstedet vårt på UFC, Bellator, og World Series of Fighting. Sjekk ut hans blog, eller følge ham på Twitter: mmamaryland.

Fox Sports 1, mixed martial arts, UFC, kvinners MMA

UFC 183: Hvem vil dukke opp?

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Photo Credit: UFC

The Ultimate Fighting Championship har truffet den ut av parken så langt i 2015, med sine første to store kort av året lever opp til hypen av sine viktigste hendelser. Lett tungvekt Jon Jones dominert Daniel Cormier å bevise at han er den pound-for-pound beste fighter i verden på UFC 182, og ved UFC live kortet i Boston, Mass., i januar, Conor McGregor sikret en fjærvekt tittel skutt mot José Aldo og kastet ikke bort tid på å komme i hans neste motstander ansikt.

Hvilket bringer oss til UFC 183 i kveld, og en main event som er ansett som en drøm matchup av mange. Anderson Silva returnerer til Octagon etter lider en grusom etappe skader i sin siste kamp mot UFC mellomvekt mester Chris Weidman i 2013. Nick Diaz gjør også hans tilbake til UFC etter å ha mistet sin siste kamp mot tidligere weltervekt mester Georges St. Pierre i 2013.

Kveldens kortet er ikke uten sine andre historier om. Et par av betydelige undercard kamper foregår under noe kontrovers, som fluevekt John Lineker kom i overvekt for hans kamp mot Ian McCall, som forventes å bestemme den neste uten. 1 kandidat til fluevekt tittel. I co-main event, Kelvin Gastelum kom i 9 pounds overvektig for sin kamp mot Tyron Woodley, som middel 30 prosent av Gastelum kamp vesken faktisk går til Woodley. Snakk om fornærmelse til skade.

Selvfølgelig, Det er alltid den wild card med Diaz også. Han spiller etter sine egne regler, har ingen viste de åpne treningsøkter tidligere denne uken. Vil han faktisk møter opp til buret for kveldens main event? Det gjenstår å se, selv om de fleste alle tror han vil.

Så, sagt alle, som jeg tror vinner i kveld?

Miesha "Cupcake" Tate (15-5) vs. Sara McMann (8-1) (Kvinners bantamvekt - 135 lbs.)

Dette er faktisk den viktigste hendelsen i den foreløpige kortet på Fox Sports 1. Tate bedt om å konkurrere på denne delen av kortet i stedet for pay-per-view-kort, ta en side fra Uria Fabers playbook. Tate er også ivrig for en tredje kamp med Ronda Rousey for kvinnenes bantamvekt tittel. Begge disse kvinnene led Rousey vrede, spesielt McMann, som ble revet av Rousey i omtrent et minutt i fjor.

McMann er en ren bryter med svært lite annet å repertoaret hennes, mens Tate bygget på hennes etablerte bryting ferdigheter til å bli en effektiv spiss. Jeg tror hun vil ting McMann forsøk på å ta denne kampen til matten og bruker henne langt overlegne slående ferdigheter til å holde McMann forvirret på vei til en dominerende seier.

Vinner: Tate ved enstemmig avgjørelse

Jordan "Young Gun" Mein (29-9) vs. Thiago "Pitbull" Alves (25-9) (Weltervekt - 170 lbs.)

Alves har vekslet seire og tap i sine siste seks kamper, mens Mein rir en to-kamp seier strek. Alves er alltid farlig med sin Muay Thai og slående, mens Mein landet en første runde TKO seier i sin siste kamp. Dette bør være en spennende stand-up kamp med verken fyr villig til å vike en tomme. Jeg tror Alves er mer farlig fighter her, og vil lande en god sjanse til å banke Mein dum.

Vinner: Alves etter andre runde TKO

Thales Leites (24-4) vs. Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch (18-7) (Mellomvekt - 185 lbs.)

Leites kommer inn i denne kampen på en rull, etter å ha vunnet sine siste syv kamper, med de to siste som kommer i form av TKO. Boetsch har vekslet seire og tap i sine siste fire kamper, inkludert en TKO seier i sin siste kamp mot Brad Tavares.

Boetsch er en langsom, plodding bruiser best kjent for avsporing av Hector Lombard hype toget når han først gjorde sin UFC-debut. Leites er en durkdreven, farlig fighter som kan fullføre deg med hendene eller ved innsending. Jeg tror Leites vil unngå Boetsch makt og vente på Boetsch å gjøre en feil, hvor Leits vil kapital.

Vinner: Leites etter tredje runde innsending

Joe Lauzon (24-10) vs. Den "Raging" Iaquinta (10-3-1) (Lett - 155 lbs.)

Du vet hva du får med en Joe Lauzon kamp. Du kommer til å se det spennende, actionfylte bout som vil mest sannsynlig ende med ham låsing i en sleip innsending eller, i tilfelle av kampen mot Jim Miller, lider en gnarly kutt som vil garantere en blod kamp.

Iaquinta har vært på en rull siden hans tid på The Ultimate Fighter Live-, har bare tapt én gang på sine siste seks kamper. En seier mot Lauzon ville være en flott fjær i hatten, og kan drive ham til tittelen contendership diskusjon. Men Lauzon er en av de beste innsending spesialister i UFC, og jeg tror den crafty veteran har et eget brev i ermet.

Vinner: Lauzon etter andre runde innsending

Tyron "The Chosen One" Woodley (14-3) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (11-0) (Weltervekt - 170 lbs.)

Som ovenfor nevnt, Gastelum veide inn 9 pounds over for denne kampen og vil miste 30 prosent av sin pung direkte til Woodley. Det ble rapportert at Gastelum brukt tid på sykehuset leder opp til denne kampen, noe som bidro til at han kommer i overvekt.

Woodley vil være sint i denne kampen, og med rette. Det er ikke rettferdig at hans motstander vil ha en vektfordel på grunn av sin egen manglende evne til å gjøre hva han skulle gjøre. Gi Woodley kreditt for å ville fortsette å kjempe når det ville ha vært helt forståelig å utsette det.

Woodley vil kanalisere sitt raseri i en blitzkrieg lovbrudd ved Gastelum, og sløv og trolig fortsatt skadet Gastelum vil ikke ha noen svar.

Vinner: Woodley etter andre runde TKO

Anderson "The Spider" Silva (33-6) vs. Nick Diaz (27-9-1) (Mellomvekt - 185 lbs.)

Dette er ett av flere hoved hendelser som har slåss fans summende i 2015. Mange trodde ikke Silva noen gang ville gå igjen etter sin skade beinet mot Weidman, enn si komme tilbake til UFC å kjempe. Matchup stil av Diaz som ønsker å presse tempoet, komme i motstanderens ansikt og suger ham inn i handels slag mot Silva ubestridte elusiveness vil være interessant å se på.

Diaz sa han ikke ville kaste snakk Silva under denne kampen ut av respekt. Men hvis Silva holder dupper og veving og unnvike Diaz slag, vi får se hvor lenge Diaz forplikter seg til at. Jeg tror vi vil se vintage Silva i denne kampen, gjør Diaz se dumt på noen flekker mens landing godt timet streik som vil forvirre og frustrere Diaz, som vil tillate Silva å lande enda mer.

Diaz er for tøft å fullføre, men denne kampen vil vise at Silva har det fortsatt, og er det langt bedre fighter.

Vinner: Silva etter enstemmig beslutning

Chris Huntemann skriver om mixed martial arts i delstaten Maryland. Han bidrar også sine tanker til nettstedet vårt på UFC, Bellator, og World Series of Fighting. Sjekk ut hans blog, eller følge ham på Twitter: mmamaryland.

mixed martial arts, UFC

UFC Fight Night: The Swedish Are Coming!

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Photo Credit: Esther Lin / MMA Fighting
Photo Credit: Esther Lin / MMA Fighting

In a land once popularized in a Tom Green (remember him?) song – “Lonely Swedish (The Bum Bum Song)” – the Ultimate Fighting Championship brings a Fight Night card that will hopefully bring more attention than a song about a Canadian’s ass.

The first FOX card of the new year, UFC Fight Night: Sverige, brings the national stage of FOX overseas and gives America a glimpse into the UFC’s ongoing overseas expansion. But unlike previous UFC overseas cards, this one is not short on star power. Let’s see if a clear-cut no. 1 contender for Jon Jones’ light heavyweight title will emerge.

Akira Corassani (16-4-1) vs. Sam Sicilia (13-5) (Featherweight – 145 lbs.)

This is a matchup of The Ultimate Fighter alumni, with both guys coming off losses and Corassani coming off back-to-back losses to Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier. Corassani’s also been finished early in both fights, while Sicilia is coming off a submission loss. In a crowded featherweight division, a knockout or submission victory would go a long way toward boosting either of these gentlemen’s stock. I like Sicilia to finish Corassani and possibly give him his walking papers after three straight losses.

Vinner: Sicilia by second-round TKO

Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis (13-2) vs. Ryan “Darth” Bader (19-4) (Light Heavyweight – 205 lbs.)

Both of these guys are poised for another run at the top of the light heavyweight division. Both of these guys are coming off victories and actually faced each other in college when Davis wrestled for Penn State and Bader wrestled for Arizona State. Davis uses his wrestling to smother opponents and grind out unanimous decision victories, while Bader uses his wrestling when necessary but also has lethal knockout power.

I expect Davis to try and get this fight to the ground early, and if he succeeds I think he can use his reach advantage and athleticism to keep Bader down. Bader must keep this fight standing to have a chance, and I think he will avoid the temptation to avenge his college loss to Davis by engaging in another wrestling match. I like Bader to land more shots and score an upset victory.

Vinner: Bader by unanimous decision

Dan “Hendo” Henderson (30-12) vs. Gegard Mousasi (35-5-2) (Mellomvekt - 185 lbs.)

Henderson returns to middleweight after a mostly ill-fated run at light heavyweight, including being tossed around like a rag doll and submitted by Daniel Cormier in his last fight. Simply put, if Henderson can’t land his patented “H-Bomb” right hand for a knockout, he’s easily susceptible to defeat.

I think the wars of years past are finally catching up to Henderson. He will go down as one of the greatest fighters ever not to hold a UFC title, but he simply can’t keep up with the sport’s elite any more. He will leave himself open when wanting to drop the H-Bomb, and Mousasi will take advantage.

Vinner: Mousasi by third-round submission

Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson (16-2) vs. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (18-4) (Light Heavyweight – 205 lbs.)

The winner of this fight will receive the next shot at light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and it would represent a rematch for Gustafsson. He took Jones closer to defeat than anyone else has during their epic 2013 matchup. Depending on who ask, some people think the Swede actually won that fight.

Johnson is rapidly ascending the 205-pound ladder after knocking out Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and scoring an upset win over Phil Davis to begin his climb. Johnson also has devastating knockout power and if he lands one such shot on Gustafsson, the Swede’s road to redemption is derailed. But I think Gustafsson uses his reach advantage (which is nearly identical to Jones) to keep Johnson at bay and make Johnson go a full five rounds.

Gustafsson’s striking in the 205-pound division is second to none, and I like him to land enough of those to secure a rematch with Jones later this year.

Vinner: Gustafsson by unanimous decision

Chris Huntemann skriver om mixed martial arts i delstaten Maryland. Han bidrar også sine tanker til nettstedet vårt på UFC, Bellator, og World Series of Fighting. Sjekk ut hans blog, eller følge ham på Twitter: mmamaryland.

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Photo Credit: Keith Mills / Sherdog.com

Av Chris Huntemann, Spaltist

Blandet kampsport er en morsom ting. Noen mennesker som konkurrerer i det kan bli instant stjerner etter en kamp. Alt de trenger er en mulighet til å vise hva de kan gjøre. For Maryland MMA fighter Ron “Choirboy” Stallings, denne muligheten kan komme søndag kveld på UFC Fight Night-kort i Boston.

Stallings, som trener med Team Lloyd Irvin i Camp Springs, Md., enige om å gå inn på en ukes varsel til ansikt Uriah Hall på søndag kveld kortet. Hall er en veteran av sesongen 18 av “The Ultimate Fighter” og er kjent for høydepunkt reel knockouts, spesielt denne ene.

Stallings bærer en registrering av 12-6 inn i hans kamp med Hall med anfall i flere regionale organisasjoner og på Strike Challenger serie under beltet. Han er, men, kommer av en enstemmig avgjørelse tap for sin kamp på søndag kveld. Men, når UFC kommer ringer med en mulighet, det spiller ingen rolle om du har vunnet eller tapt den siste kampen. Du dra full nytte av det.

Flere medier nevnt Stallings stepping i å møte Hall, Inkludert MMA Fighting og FOX Sports. Jeg nådde ut til Stallings personlig for å se om han kunne bidra med noen tanker om sin første UFC utseende. Hvis jeg får et svar, Jeg skal legge dem på denne bloggen.

OPPDATERING: Stallings delte noen tanker med meg via Twitter fredag ​​kveld gjennom en av hans lagkamerater, som håndterer sine sosiale medier kontoer.

“Opplevelsen har vært stor så langt og UFC har behandlet meg veldig bra,” Stallings sa. Stallings’ trener, Master Lloyd Irvin, lært at Hall tidligere motstander droppet ut og kontaktet Sucker Punch Entertainment, som tilrettelagt Stallings stepping i å møte Hall.

“Denne muligheten er virkelig en drøm som går i oppfyllelse for meg, laget mitt og min familie. Jeg ser virkelig frem til å kjempe på søndag,” Stallings sa.