Öll innlegg eftir Chris Huntemann

UFC 185: It’s Showtime!


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.

Sigurvegari: 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.

Sigurvegari: Overeem by unanimous decision

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

Sigurvegari: 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.

Sigurvegari: 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.

Sigurvegari: Pettis by second-round submission

Chris Huntemann skrifar um blandaðar bardagalistir í Maryland-fylki. He also shares his thoughts on the UFC, Bellator, og World Series of Fighting. Skoðaðu hans blogg, eða fylgdu honum á Twitter: @mmamaryland.

Ronda Rousey- The Cleaner


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, í 14 sekúndur. 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, betri.

Að sjálfsögðu, 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. Hins, 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? Að mínu mati, 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 skrifar um blandaðar bardagalistir í Maryland-fylki. He also shares his thoughts on the UFC, Bellator, og World Series of Fighting. Skoðaðu hans blogg, eða fylgdu honum á Twitter: @mmamaryland.

UFC and PEDs: Where do we go from here?


Photo Credit: 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 og Hector Lombard failing tests for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), meðan Jon Jones og Nick Diaz failed tests for cocaine and marijuana, sig.

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 TVwhere they only broadcast “The Ultimate Fighter” once a year and two or three live fight cards annuallyto 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. Meira, 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.

Hins, 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 failincluding a ban of up to four yearsI 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.

Chris Huntemann skrifar um blandaðar bardagalistir í Maryland-fylki. He also shares his thoughts on the UFC, Bellator, og World Series of Fighting. Skoðaðu hans blogg, eða fylgdu honum á Twitter: @mmamaryland.

Dana White and the Women


Photo Credit: Esther Lin/MMA Fighting

Laugardagur, Febrúar. 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. Í sam-aðalkeppni, 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, sig.

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 skrifar um blandaðar bardagalistir í Maryland-fylki. Hann leggur einnig fram hugsanir sínar á síðuna okkar á UFC, Bellator, og World Series of Fighting. Skoðaðu hans blogg, eða fylgdu honum á Twitter: @mmamaryland.

UFC 183: Hver mætir?


Photo Credit: UFC

The Ultimate Fighting Championship hefur slegið það út úr garðinum það sem af er 2015, með fyrstu tveimur stóru spilunum á árinu sem lifa upp í uppnám aðalviðburða þeirra. Léttþungavigtarmeistarinn Jon Jones drottnaði yfir Daniel Cormier til að sanna að hann væri besti bardagamaðurinn í pund í heimi hjá UFC 182, og á beinu korti UFC í Boston, Mass., í janúar, Conor McGregor tryggði sér fjaðurvigtarskot gegn José Aldo og eyddi engum tíma í að komast í andlit næsta mótherja síns.

Sem færir okkur til UFC 183 kvöld, og aðalviðburður sem er álitinn draumamótleikur af mörgum. Anderson Silva snýr aftur til Octagon eftir að hafa meiðst illa á fæti í síðasta bardaga sínum gegn UFC millivigtarmeistaranum Chris Weidman í 2013. Nick Diaz snýr einnig aftur til UFC eftir að hafa tapað síðasta bardaga sínum gegn fyrrum veltivigtarmeistaranum Georges St.. Pierre í 2013.

Kort kvöldsins er þó ekki án annarra söguþráða. Par af merkilegum slagsmálum undir kortum eiga sér stað undir nokkrum deilum, þar sem fluguvigtin John Lineker kom í yfirvigt fyrir bardaga sinn gegn Ian McCall, sem gert er ráð fyrir að ákvarði næsta nr. 1 keppinautur um fluguvigtartitilinn. Í sam-aðalkeppni, Kelvin Gastelum kom inná 9 pundum of þung fyrir bardaga sinn gegn Tyron Woodley, sem þýðir 30 prósent af baráttutösku Gastelum fer í raun til Woodley. Talaðu um móðgun við meiðsli.

Að sjálfsögðu, það er alltaf villikortið með Diaz líka. Hann spilar eftir eigin reglum, að hafa ekki sýnt opnar æfingar fyrr í vikunni. Mun hann í raun mæta í búrið fyrir aðalviðburðinn í kvöld? Það á eftir að koma í ljós, þó flest allir haldi að hann muni.

Svo, búinn að segja allt það, hver held ég að vinni í kvöld?

Miesha “Cupcake” Tate (15-5) vs. Sara McMann (8-1) (Bantamvigt kvenna - 135 lbs.)

Þetta er í raun aðalatburður bráðabirgðakortsins á Fox Sports 1. Tate bað um að keppa á þessum hluta kortsins í stað borgunarkortsins, að taka síðu úr leikbók Urijah Faber. Tate er einnig áhugasamur um þriðja bardaga við Rondu Rousey um titilvigt kvenna. Báðar þessar konur urðu fyrir reiði Rousey, sérstaklega McMann, sem var rifinn af Rousey á um það bil mínútu í fyrra.

McMann er hreinn glímumaður með mjög lítið annað á efnisskránni, en Tate byggði á staðfestri glímuhæfileika sinni til að verða árangursríkur framherji. Ég held að hún muni troða tilraunum McMann til að taka þennan bardaga á mottuna og nota mjög yfirburða sláandi hæfileika sína til að halda McMann flækjufullum á leið til yfirburðasigurs.

Sigurvegari: Tate með samhljóða ákvörðun

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

Alves hefur skipt um sigra og tap í síðustu sex bardögum sínum, meðan Mein hjólar tveggja bardaga sigurgöngu. Alves er alltaf hættulegur með Muay Thai sinn og sláandi, meðan Mein landaði TKO sigri í fyrstu umferð í síðasta bardaga sínum. Þetta ætti að vera spennandi uppistandsbardagi þar sem hvorugur strákurinn er tilbúinn að gefa tommu eftir. Ég held að Alves sé hættulegri bardagamaðurinn hér, og mun lenda einu góðu skoti til að knýja Mein kjánalega.

Sigurvegari: Alves eftir aðra umferð TKO

Thales Leites (24-4) vs. Tim „Barbarinn“ Boetsch (18-7) (Millivigt - 185 lbs.)

Leites kemur í þennan bardaga á rúllu, hafa unnið síðustu sjö bardaga sína, með síðustu tveimur sem koma með TKO. Boetsch hefur skipt um sigra og tap í síðustu fjórum bardögum sínum, þar á meðal sigur TKO í síðasta bardaga sínum gegn Brad Tavares.

Boetsch gengur hægt, hrópandi marblettur sem þekktastur er fyrir að hafa farið útaf sporinu í Hector Lombard hype lestinni þegar hann frumraun sína í fyrsta skipti í UFC. Leites er slægur, hættulegur bardagamaður sem getur klárað þig með höndunum eða með uppgjöf. Ég held að Leites muni forðast vald Boetsch og bíða eftir að Boetsch geri mistök, þar sem Leits mun eignast.

Sigurvegari: Leites með uppgjöf þriðju umferðar

Joe Lauzon (24-10) vs. Al „Raging“ Iaquinta (10-3-1) (Léttur - 155 lbs.)

Þú veist hvað þú ert að fá með Joe Lauzon bardaga. Þú munt sjá spennandi, aðgerð pakkað bardaga sem mun líklegast enda með því að hann læsir í klókri uppgjöf eða, ef um er að ræða bardaga hans gegn Jim Miller, þjást af gnarly skera sem mun tryggja blóðbardaga.

Iaquinta hefur verið á róli síðan hann var í The Ultimate Fighter Live, að hafa aðeins tapað einu sinni í síðustu sex bardögum sínum. Sigur gegn Lauzon væri algjör fjöður í hans höfði og gæti knúið hann í umræðu um titilkeppni. En Lauzon er einn besti sérfræðingur í uppgjöf UFC, og ég held að slægur öldungur sé með aðra uppgjöf í erminni.

Sigurvegari: Lauzon með uppgjöf í annarri umferð

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

Sem fyrr segir, Gastelum vó 9 pund yfir fyrir þennan bardaga og mun tapa 30 prósent af tösku sinni beint til Woodley. Greint var frá því að Gastelum eyddi tíma á sjúkrahúsinu aðdraganda þessarar baráttu, sem stuðlaði að því að hann kom í ofþyngd.

Woodley verður reiður í þessum bardaga, og réttilega. Það er ekki sanngjarnt að andstæðingur hans hafi þyngdarkostnað vegna þess að hann brestur ekki það sem hann átti að gera. Gefðu Woodley heiðurinn af því að vilja halda áfram að berjast þegar það hefði verið fullkomlega skiljanlegt að fresta því.

Woodley mun beina reiði sinni í blitzkrieg af broti á Gastelum, og slakur og líklega enn slasaður Gastelum mun ekkert svara.

Sigurvegari: Woodley eftir aðra umferð TKO

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

Þetta er einn af nokkrum aðalatburðum sem hafa baráttuaðdáendur að surra í 2015. Margir héldu ekki að Silva myndi nokkru sinni ganga aftur eftir meiðsli á fæti gegn Weidman, hvað þá að koma aftur til UFC til að berjast. Matchup stíll Diaz sem vill ýta undir hraðann, komast í andlit andstæðings síns og soga hann í viðskiptahögg gegn óviðjafnanlegri fimleika Silva verður áhugavert að fylgjast með.

Diaz sagðist ekki ætla að rusla við Silva í þessum bardaga af virðingu. En ef Silva heldur áfram að vippa og vefa og forðast högg Diaz, við munum sjá hversu lengi Diaz skuldbindur sig til þess. Ég held að við sjáum vintage Silva í þessari baráttu, að láta Diaz líta út fyrir að vera kjánalegur á sumum stöðum á meðan hann lendir vel tímasettar verkföll sem munu rugla Diaz og pirra, sem gerir Silva kleift að lenda enn meira.

Diaz er of sterkur til að klára, en þessi bardagi mun sýna að Silva á það ennþá og er gífurlega baráttumaðurinn.

Sigurvegari: Silva með samhljóða ákvörðun

Chris Huntemann skrifar um blandaðar bardagalistir í Maryland-fylki. Hann leggur einnig fram hugsanir sínar á síðuna okkar á UFC, Bellator, og World Series of Fighting. Skoðaðu hans blogg, eða fylgdu honum á Twitter: @mmamaryland.

UFC Fight Night: The Swedish Are Coming!

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: Svíþjóð, 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.

Sigurvegari: 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.

Sigurvegari: Bader by unanimous decision

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

Sigurvegari: 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.

Sigurvegari: Gustafsson by unanimous decision

Chris Huntemann skrifar um blandaðar bardagalistir í Maryland-fylki. Hann leggur einnig fram hugsanir sínar á síðuna okkar á UFC, Bellator, og World Series of Fighting. Skoðaðu hans blogg, eða fylgdu honum á Twitter: @mmamaryland.

Sláðu inn “Choirboy”

Photo Credit: Keith Mills / Sherdog.com

By Chris Huntemann, Dálkahöfundur

Mixed Martial Arts er fyndna. Sumir sem keppa í henni geta orðið augnablik stjörnur eftir einn berjast. Allt sem þeir þurfa er eitt tækifæri til að sýna hvað þeir geta gert. Fyrir Maryland MMA bardagamaður Ron “Choirboy” STALLINGS, sem tækifæri komi Sunnudagur nótt á Fight Night kort UFC í Boston.

STALLINGS, sem þjálfar með Team Lloyd Irvin í Camp Springs, Md., samþykkt að stíga inn á viku fyrirvara til að takast á Uriah Hall á korti Sunnudagur nótt. Hall er fyrrum hermaður af árstíð 18 af “The Ultimate Fighter” og er þekkt fyrir hápunktur spóla rothöggi, sérstaklega þetta.

STALLINGS ber skrá yfir 12-6 í baráttu sinni við Hall með viðureign í mörgum svæðisbundnum stofnunum og á Challenger röð Strikeforce er undir belti sér. Hann er, þó, koma af einróma ákvörðun tap fyrir baráttu sinni á sunnudaginn nótt. En, þegar UFC kemur starf tækifæri, það skiptir ekki máli ef þú hefur unnið eða tapað síðustu baráttu þína. Þú tekur fullur kostur af það.

Margar fjölmiðlar getið STALLINGS stepping í að takast Hall, Ásamt MMA Fighting og FOX Sports. Ég náði til STALLINGS persónulega til að sjá hvort hann gæti stuðlað nokkur hugsanir á fyrsta UFC útliti hans. Ef ég fá svar, Ég staða þá að þessu bloggi.

UPDATE: STALLINGS miðlað hugsunum með mér í gegnum Twitter föstudagskvöld í gegnum einn af liðsfélögum sínum, sem annast félagslega fjölmiðla reikninga sína.

“Reynslan hefur verið mikill svo langt og UFC hefur meðhöndlað mig mjög vel,” STALLINGS sagði. STALLINGS’ þjálfara, Master Lloyd Irvin, lært að fyrri andstæðingurinn Halls hætti og hafði samband sogskál Punch Skemmtun, sem auðveldað STALLINGS stepping í að takast Hall.

“Þetta tækifæri er í raun draumur koma sannur fyrir mér, mitt lið og fjölskylda mín. Ég hlakka til að berjast á sunnudaginn,” STALLINGS sagði.