All posts by Chris Huntemann

halo-halong militar sining, UFC, pambabae MMA

UFC 185: Showtime!

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Credit Larawan: Joe Camporeale / USA Today Pampalakasan

Sa kabila ng kaguluhan nakaranas ng UFC sa ngayon taon na ito, mula sa Nabigo ang pagsusuri sa droga ng mga bituin tulad ng Jon Jones, Anderson Silva at Nick Diaz, sa reshuffling ng UFC 184 dahil sa isang pinsala sa middleweight kampeon Chris Weidman, ang kumpanya ay inihatid sa Octagon sa ngayon sa taong ito. Sa kabila ng pinsala Weidman ni, UFC 184 ay isang mapanira tagumpay salamat sa isa pang nangingibabaw pagganap sa pamamagitan ng bantamweight kampeon ng kababaihan Ronda Rousey pa rin.

Ngayon UFC 185 Nandito, may isa pang nakasalansan card na dapat magsaalang-alang sa sandaling muli. Ang card na ito ay anchor sa pamamagitan ng TWO fights pamagat, pagkuha ng mga tagahanga pabalik sa isang panahon na ang UFC ay regular Nag-aalok isinalansan away card bago ang mabilis na pagpapalawak sa ilalim ng kanilang pakikitungo sa FOX tila lumikha ng isang oversaturated produkto.

Narito kung nag-iisip ako lumilitaw nagwagi sa puno ng talent-card.

Chris "Kamikaze" Cariaso (17-6) vs. Henry "Ang Messenger" Cejudo (7-0) (Flyweight - 125 lbs.)

Cariaso ay darating off ang isang pagkawala pagsusumite sa flyweight kampeon Demetrious Johnson huling tag-init. Ngunit upang maging patas, lahat ng tao ay nawawalan sa Johnson mga araw na ito, at siya ay malapit sa paglilinis ang flyweight division. Cejudo pa nakakaranas ng pagkatalo at tangkilikin ang isang lubos na nagkakaisa desisyon tagumpay sa kanyang UFC pasinaya late na noong nakaraang taon.

Cariaso ay naging UFC at World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) matagal na sa serbisyo para sa huling limang taon at rode isang 3-away panalo magbahid bago ang kanyang pagkawala sa Johnson. Cejudo Sinusubukan ng isang batang tuta upang makagawa ng isang pangalan para sa kanyang sarili sa UFC, ngunit Cariaso gagamitin ng kanyang beteranong savvy upang makuha ang overeager mandirigma para sa isang tapusin.

Ang nagtagumpay: Cariaso sa pamamagitan ng pangalawang-ikot TKO

Roy "Big Bansa" Nelson (21-10) vs. Alistair "Ang Reem" Overeem (38-14-1) (Matimbang - 225 lbs.)

Kukunin ko umamin up harap na hindi ako isang malaking Roy Nelson tagahanga. Siya ay isang mahuhusay na mandirigma na naghahatid ng mga kapana-panabik na fights at ay isang nakaaaliw na personalidad. Ngunit mula pa nang siya debuted sa UFC at hindi na season 10 ng "Ang Ultimate manlalaban,"Feasted siya sa mas mababang-ranggo na heavyweights tulad Stefan Struve, Brendan Schaub at Matt Mitrione. Ngunit kapag naitugmang up sa mga piling tao heavyweights tulad ng Fabricio Werdum, Junior Dos Santos at Daniel Cormier (bago siya ay bumaba sa liwanag matimbang), Nelson ay regular na outclassed at mga inaabusong.

Nabigo rin Overeem ay upang mabuhay hanggang sa ang hype na kasama ng kanyang pagtalon sa UFC. Pagkatapos siya demolisado Brock Lesnar sa 2011, isang shot pamagat ay hinahanda laban pagkatapos-kampeon Junior Dos Santos. Ngunit paglaban hindi kailanman materialized dahil sa pinsala at Overeem nagdusa back-to-pabalik knockout pagkalugi sa Antonio Silva at Travis Browne.

Overeem ay alternated na panalo at pagkalugi mula noon ngunit darating off ang isang unang-ikot knockout ng Struve. Nelson ay knocked out sa kanyang huling labanan laban sa Mark Hunt, na sa kabila ng karaniwang bakal baba Nelson ni, Hindi dumating bilang isang shock, ibinigay na hindi kapani-paniwala kapangyarihan pagsuntok Hunt ni.
Overeem ay hindi maaaring magkaroon ng kapangyarihan ni Hunt, ngunit sa palagay ko ay siya gumulpi Nelson para sa isang halip tagibang desisyon tagumpay. Sa yugtong ito sa kanyang karera, Nelson ay isang tanod. Ngunit "Ang Reem" ay hindi kailangan upang patunayan ang kanyang sarili laban sa isang taong basag-ulero tulad ng Nelson.

Ang nagtagumpay: Overeem sa pamamagitan ng lubos na nagkakaisa desisyon

Johny "Bigg Rigg" Hendricks (16-3) vs. Matt "Ang walang kamatayan" Brown (21-12) (Welterweyt - 170 lbs.)

Nagsasalita ng brawling at battering, ito labanan ang lahat ng mga kailangang katangian ng isang labanan ng kandidato Taon. Hendricks bumaba ang welterweyt pamagat sa Robbie Lawler noong nakaraang taon at dapat siya manalo ito labanan, isang rematch sa Lawler ay lahat ngunit panatag - kung ipagpalagay na Lawler nakakakuha nakaraan Rory McDonald ibang pagkakataon sa taong ito.

Brown mawawala din sa Lawler sa kanyang huling pakikipaglaban at noon ay din sa pagtanggap ng dulo ng isang brutal pagkatalo. Hendricks at Brown ay may posibilidad na pagong lamang ito at magtanong sa ibang pagkakataon, na dapat magresulta sa isang nakaaaliw na lumaban para sa mga tagahanga. Mukhang Hendricks sa na-renew ang kanyang pangako sa MMA sumusunod na ang kanyang pagkawala sa Lawler at siya ay tila hinimok upang makakuha ng kanyang belt pabalik. Brown ay ang mga laro tulad ng mga ito ay, ngunit Hendricks ay patunayan na maging masyadong marami.

Ang nagtagumpay: Hendricks sa pamamagitan ng pangalawang-ikot TKO

Carla "Cookie Halimaw" Esparza (11-2) vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (8-0) (Pamagat ng Kababaihan Strawweight - 115 lbs.)

Esparza ginawa sa kanya UFC pasinaya sa isang putok sa pamamagitan ng panalong ang unang panahon ng "Ang Ultimate manlalaban" upang itampok ang lahat ng mga babae fighters, at sa proseso maging unang strawweight kampeon ng babae ang UFC ni. Siya ay epektibo diskarilado ang Rose Namajunas hype tren upang manalo sa belt, kapag ang ilang mga taba para sa balat Namajunas sa susunod Ronda Rousey sa strawweight division.

Jedrzejczyk deskarilado isang paborito sa kanyang sariling karapatan, daig lubos na itinuturing Claudia Gadelha nakaraang taon sa pamamagitan ng malapit na desisyon kapag maraming naisip Gadelha ay magiging unang pagtatanggol pamagat Esparza ni. Jedrzejczyk ay isang tagagiling na thrives sa isang pangit paglaban sa malapit na quarters. Esparza ginamit ang kanyang pakikipagbuno sa neutralisahin mabilis-na-kitang-kita na pagkakasala Namajunas ', kaya nakukuha sa isang pangit paglaban sa Jedrzejczyk hindi dapat faze Esparza isang bit. Esparza Dadalhin Jedrzejczyk down na maagang at madalas at sumakay sa kanyang pakikipagbuno sa isang desisyon tagumpay.

Ang nagtagumpay: Esparza sa pamamagitan ng lubos na nagkakaisa desisyon

Anthony "showtime" Pettis (18-2) vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (23-7) (Magaang Pamagat - 155 lbs.)

Pettis ay ganap na nangingibabaw bilang ng late, hindi lamang winning ang magaan pamagat mula sa Benson Henderson sa mabilis at kapana-panabik na fashion sa isang first-ikot armbar ngunit regular na pagpapakita ng kanyang mga kahanga-hangang athleticism at paggamit nito upang mabilis na shoot up ang kanyang sarili ang pinakamahusay na pound-for-pound listahan manlalaban.

Ngunit Dos Anjos ay hindi mahilig sa basta-basta. Masyadong tapos siya Henderson sa unang round at kumita ng kanyang pamagat kinunan sa pamamagitan ng ganap pagtatanggal-tanggal Nate Diaz late na noong nakaraang taon. Dos Anjos ay matigas at malalaman na Pettis ay naghahanap ng isang mabilis na tapusin. Hindi siya ang makakakuha ito, ngunit Pettis 'nakakatakot athleticism ay gagawing nadama presensya nito sa huli at pagtagumpayan Dos Anjos at patigasin Pettis' kaso bilang isa sa mga pinakamahusay na magaan fighters sa lahat ng oras.

Ang nagtagumpay: Pettis sa pamamagitan ng pangalawang-ikot pagsusumite

Nagsusulat Chris Huntemann tungkol sa halo-halong militar sining sa estado ng Maryland. Nagbabahagi rin niya ang kanyang saloobin sa UFC, Bellator, at World Serye ng Pag-aaway. Tingnan ang kanyang blog, o sundin kanya sa Twitter: mmamaryland.

halo-halong militar sining, UFC, pambabae MMA

Ronda Rousey- The Cleaner

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Credit Larawan: 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, sa 14 segundo. 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, ang mas mabuti.

Oo naman, 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. Gayunman, 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? Sa aking opinyon, 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.

Nagsusulat Chris Huntemann tungkol sa halo-halong militar sining sa estado ng Maryland. Nagbabahagi rin niya ang kanyang saloobin sa UFC, Bellator, at World Serye ng Pag-aaway. Tingnan ang kanyang blog, o sundin kanya sa Twitter: mmamaryland.

halo-halong militar sining, UFC

UFC and PEDs: Where do we go from here?

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Credit Larawan: Esther Lin/MMA Fighting

Usually when I ask that question, it’s in the wake of a pay-per-view and I’m wondering aloud at what’s next for the fighters who competed on it. This time around, I’m talking about something that affects ALL mixed martial artists in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The UFC announced this week that it will implement far stricter, far more comprehensive drug testing in the wake of fighters like Anderson Silva at Hector Lombard failing tests for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), habang Jon Jones at Nick Diaz failed tests for cocaine and marijuana, buong galang.

Increased drug testing and harsher penalties can only help the UFC, and mixed martial arts in general. But what brought on this increase in failed tests? PEDs have been a part of sports long before MMA fighters started taking them, and they have been a problem in MMA prior to the last month-and-a-half.

But more fighters seem to be getting caught. As in most sports, there is a tremendous amount of pressure to perform in MMA and in the UFC. If you don’t perform, you basically don’t get paid. The increased demand for UFC programming by virtue of its deal with FOX could also be a factor. They went from being on Spike TV – where they only broadcast “The Ultimate Fighter” once a year and two or three live fight cards annually – to practically having two live fight cards a month and airing “The Ultimate Fighter” twice a year on the FOX channels.

The increase in programming means a need of more bodies to fill that programming. It also means that more fighters are training for more fights, which can lead to more injuries. PEDs, in addition to giving you a competitive advantage over your opponent, allow you to recover from injuries more quickly. With the need for more fighters to fill more fight cards, I think it’s possible the apparent increase in failed drug tests can at least be partly attributed to that.

The UFC’s increased drug-testing measures take effect July 1. What can we expect once it does? Here are some of the guidelines the UFC presented.

Even UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta admitted during this week’s press conference that things “would get worse before they better” with the new testing. Pa, it remains to be seen how much of this will actually stick once July 1 rolls around. UFC previously considered expanding its drug-testing efforts before but pulled back, citing cost and a previously botched attempt at doing so.

Gayunman, with the rash of high-profile stars like Silva, Jones and Diaz failing tests, cost can’t be considered a hindrance and the UFC must be vigilant. Browsing my Twitter feed following the press conference, it was eerily quiet. Almost no fighters weighed in initially. It is likely that was just a byproduct of the press conference taking place on a Wednesday afternoon, when most people are working or presumably have other things to do besides post on Twitter. But it was still pretty telling. It seems like this has grabbed fighters’ attention, as it should.

What do I think will happen? There will be an increase in failed test once the new measures take effect July 1, I’m fairly confident. But given that the UFC is supporting harsh penalties for those who do fail – including a ban of up to four years – I expect the dirty fighters to eventually cycle themselves out and the ones who compete clean (which is most of them, presumably) to take a more prominent role.

Increased drug testing is long overdue in the UFC. The sport of mixed martial arts itself is still in its infancy, especially compared to other sports like football, basketball and baseball. But just like baseball is still recovering from its own crisis with PEDs, these recent failed drug tests have shaken the foundation of the UFC and have harkened back to the days when it was referred to as “human cockfighting.”

UFC adopted the slogan “The Time Is Now” for 2015, and I couldn’t agree more. The time is now for them to take the lead in cleaning up the sport of mixed martial arts.

Nagsusulat Chris Huntemann tungkol sa halo-halong militar sining sa estado ng Maryland. Nagbabahagi rin niya ang kanyang saloobin sa UFC, Bellator, at World Serye ng Pag-aaway. Tingnan ang kanyang blog, o sundin kanya sa Twitter: mmamaryland.

halo-halong militar sining, UFC, pambabae MMA

Dana White and the Women

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Credit Larawan: Esther Lin/MMA Fighting

Sabado, Pebrero. 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. Sa co-pangunahing kaganapan, 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 at 2014, buong galang.

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?

Nagsusulat Chris Huntemann tungkol sa halo-halong militar sining sa estado ng Maryland. He also contributes his thoughts to our site on the UFC, Bellator, at World Serye ng Pag-aaway. Tingnan ang kanyang blog, o sundin kanya sa Twitter: mmamaryland.

Fox Sports 1, halo-halong militar sining, UFC, pambabae MMA

UFC 183: Who will show up?

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Credit Larawan: UFC

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has hit it out of the park so far in 2015, with its first two major cards of the year living up to the hype of their main events. Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones dominated Daniel Cormier to prove he is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world at UFC 182, and at the UFC’s live card in Boston, Mass., sa Enero, Conor McGregor secured a featherweight title shot against José Aldo and wasted no time getting in his next opponent’s face.

Which brings us to UFC 183 mamayang gabi, and a main event that is considered a dream matchup by many. Anderson Silva returns to the Octagon after suffering a gruesome leg injury in his last fight against UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman in 2013. Nick Diaz also makes his return to the UFC after losing his last fight against former welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre in 2013.

Tonight’s card isn’t without its other storylines though. A pair of significant undercard fights are taking place under some controversy, as flyweight John Lineker came in overweight for his fight against Ian McCall, which is expected to determine the next no. 1 contender to the flyweight title. Sa co-pangunahing kaganapan, Kelvin Gastelum came in 9 pounds overweight for his fight against Tyron Woodley, which means 30 percent of Gastelum’s fight purse actually goes to Woodley. Talk about insult to injury.

Oo naman, there is always the wild card with Diaz too. He plays by his own rules, having no-showed the open workouts earlier this week. Will he actually show up to the cage for tonight’s main event? It remains to be seen, though most everyone thinks he will.

Kaya, having said all that, who do I think wins tonight?

Miesha “Cupcake” Tate (15-5) vs. Sara McMann (8-1) (Women’s bantamweight – 135 lbs.)

This is actually the main event of the preliminary card on Fox Sports 1. Tate requested to compete on this portion of the card instead of the pay-per-view card, taking a page from Urijah Faber’s playbook. Tate is also eager for a third fight with Ronda Rousey for the women’s bantamweight title. Both of these women suffered Rousey’s wrath, particularly McMann, who was demolished by Rousey in about a minute last year.

McMann is a pure wrestler with very little else to her repertoire, whereas Tate built on her established wrestling skills to become an effective striker. I think she will stuff McMann’s attempts to take this fight to the mat and use her vastly superior striking skills to keep McMann befuddled en route to a dominant victory.

Ang nagtagumpay: Tate by unanimous decision

Jordan “Young Gun” Mein (29-9) vs. Thiago “Pitbull” Alves (25-9) (Welterweyt - 170 lbs.)

Alves has alternated wins and losses in his last six fights, while Mein rides a two-fight win streak. Alves is always dangerous with his Muay Thai and striking, while Mein landed a first-round TKO victory in his last fight. This should be an exciting stand-up battle with neither guy willing to give an inch. I think Alves is the more dangerous fighter here, and will land one good shot to knock Mein silly.

Ang nagtagumpay: Alves by second round TKO

Thales Leites (24-4) vs. Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch (18-7) (Middleweight – 185 lbs.)

Leites comes into this fight on a roll, having won his last seven fights, with the last two coming by way of TKO. Boetsch has alternated wins and losses in his last four fights, including a TKO victory in his last fight against Brad Tavares.

Boetsch is a slow, plodding bruiser best known for derailing the Hector Lombard hype train when he first made his UFC debut. Leites is a crafty, dangerous fighter who can finish you with his hands or by submission. I think Leites will avoid Boetsch’s power and wait for Boetsch to make a mistake, where Leits will capitalize.

Ang nagtagumpay: Leites by third round submission

Joe Lauzon (24-10) vs. Al “Raging” Iaquinta (10-3-1) (Lightweight – 155 lbs.)

You know what you’re getting with a Joe Lauzon fight. You’re going to see an exciting, action packed bout that will most likely end with him locking in a slick submission or, in the case of his fight against Jim Miller, suffering a gnarly cut that will guarantee a blood battle.

Iaquinta has been on a roll since his time on The Ultimate Fighter Live, having only lost once in his last six fights. A win against Lauzon would be a real feather in his cap and might propel him into title contendership discussion. But Lauzon is one of the best submission specialists in the UFC, and I think the crafty veteran has another submission up his sleeve.

Ang nagtagumpay: Lauzon by second round submission

Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley (14-3) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (11-0) (Welterweyt - 170 lbs.)

As mentioned above, Gastelum weighed in 9 pounds over for this fight and will forfeit 30 percent of his purse directly to Woodley. It was reported that Gastelum spent time in the hospital leading up to this fight, which contributed to him coming in overweight.

Woodley will be angry in this fight, and rightly so. It’s not fair that his opponent will have a weight advantage due to his own failure to do what he was supposed to do. Give Woodley credit for wanting to keep fighting when it would have been perfectly understandable to postpone it.

Woodley will channel his rage into a blitzkrieg of offense at Gastelum, and the lethargic and probably still-injured Gastelum will have no response.

Ang nagtagumpay: Woodley by second round TKO

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

This is one of the several main events that have fight fans buzzing in 2015. Many didn’t think Silva would ever walk again after his leg injury against Weidman, let alone come back to the UFC to fight. The matchup style of Diaz wanting to push the pace, get in his opponent’s face and sucker him into trading blows against Silva’s unrivaled elusiveness will be interesting to watch.

Diaz said he wouldn’t trash talk Silva during this fight out of respect. But if Silva keeps bobbing and weaving and dodging Diaz’s punches, we’ll see how long Diaz commits to that. I think we’ll see vintage Silva in this fight, making Diaz look silly in some spots while landing well-timed strikes that will confuse and frustrate Diaz, which will allow Silva to land even more.

Diaz is too tough to finish, but this fight will show that Silva still has it and is the vastly superior fighter.

Ang nagtagumpay: Silva by unanimous decision

Nagsusulat Chris Huntemann tungkol sa halo-halong militar sining sa estado ng Maryland. He also contributes his thoughts to our site on the UFC, Bellator, at World Serye ng Pag-aaway. Tingnan ang kanyang blog, o sundin kanya sa Twitter: mmamaryland.

halo-halong militar sining, UFC

UFC Fight Night: The Swedish Are Coming!

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Credit Larawan: Esther Lin/MMA Fighting
Credit Larawan: 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: Sweden, 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.

Ang nagtagumpay: 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.

Ang nagtagumpay: Bader by unanimous decision

Dan “Hendo” Henderson (30-12) vs. Gegard Mousasi (35-5-2) (Middleweight – 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.

Ang nagtagumpay: 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.

Ang nagtagumpay: Gustafsson by unanimous decision

Nagsusulat Chris Huntemann tungkol sa halo-halong militar sining sa estado ng Maryland. He also contributes his thoughts to our site on the UFC, Bellator, at World Serye ng Pag-aaway. Tingnan ang kanyang blog, o sundin kanya sa Twitter: mmamaryland.

halo-halong militar sining, UFC

Ipasok ang “Choirboy”

Mag-iwan ng komento

Credit Larawan: Keith Mills / Sherdog.com

Sa pamamagitan ng Chris Huntemann, Tagapamahala

Mixed militar sining ay isang nakakatawang bagay. Ang ilang mga tao na makipagkumpetensya sa ito ay maaaring maging instant star pagkatapos ng isang away. Ang kailangan lang nila ay isang pagkakataon upang ipakita kung ano ang magagawa nila. Para sa Maryland MMA Fighter Ron “Choirboy” Stallings, na pagkakataon ay maaaring dumating Linggo ng gabi sa UFC ng labanan Night card sa Boston.

Stallings, sino ang mga tren sa Koponan Lloyd Irvin sa Camp Springs, MD., sumang-ayon sa hakbang sa paunawa sa isang linggo upang harapin Uriah Hall sa card gabing Linggo. Hall ay isang beterano ng panahon 18 ng “Ang Ultimate manlalaban” at kilala para sa highlight reel knockouts, lalo na ang isang ito.

Stallings ay nagdadala ng isang talaan ng 12-6 sa kanyang paglaban sa Hall sa bouts sa maraming rehiyonal na samahan at sa mga serye Challenger Strikeforce sa ilalim ng kanyang sinturon. Siya ay, gayunman, darating off ang isang lubos na nagkakaisa desisyon pagkawala para sa kanyang paglaban sa Linggo gabi. Pero, kapag ang UFC ay pagtawag ng pagkakataong, hindi mahalaga kung nanalo o nawala ang iyong huling labanan. Dadalhin ka nito nang husto ito.

Maramihang mga outlet ng media nabanggit Stallings stepping sa harapan Hall, kasama MMA-aaway at FOX Sports. Naabot ko out upang Stallings personal upang makita kung kaya niyang mag-ambag ng ilang mga saloobin sa kanyang unang UFC hitsura. Kung nakakuha ako ng tugon, Magpo-post ko ang mga ito sa blog na ito.

I-UPDATE: Stallings nagbahagi ng ilang mga pananaw sa akin sa pamamagitan ng Twitter Biyernes ng gabi sa pamamagitan ng isa sa kanyang mga kasamahan sa koponan, sino ang paghawak ng kanyang mga social media account.

“Karanasan ay inalisan ng mahusay na ngayon at ang UFC ay itinuturing nang mahusay sa akin,” Sinabi Stallings. Stallings’ coach, Master Lloyd Irvin, Natutunan na naunang kalaban Hall ng drop out at ugnay pasusuhin Punch Aliwan, na facilitated Stallings stepping sa harapan Hall.

“Pagkakataon na ito ay talagang isang panaginip ay para sa akin totoo, aking koponan at ang aking pamilya. Talagang tumingin ako inaabangan ang panahon na laban sa Linggo,” Sinabi Stallings.