Posts Tagged ‘Dana White’

UFC 154 in Main Card Montreal Fight Recap

Posted: November 18, 2012 in Combat Sports, UFC
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

By Jonathan King The Clinch Report

MARK HOMINICK VS. PABLO GARZA

Pablo Garza was able to withstand some vicious Mark Hominick flurries early, and was able to establish his jab frustrating Hominick into lunging assaults. Off balance Garza was able to take Hominick to the ground in the second and third rounds. Once in position continuously landed the more significant strikes, although Hominick did provide great resistance.

Winner: PABLO GARZA (29-27, 30-26, 29-28)

 

MARK BOCEK VS. RAFAEL dOS ANJOS

Originally set to be on the preliminary card, this fight was moved up  to replace the loss of the Nick Ring v Costantinos Philippou, bout was scrapped after Ring fell ill and was unable to pass pre-fight medical exams. Bocek stated that he would use his superior take-downs to control Dos Anjos, however the exact opposite is what occurred.  Dos Anjos systematically broke down Mark Bocek with excellent wrestling, and ground and pound. Dos Anjos never lost control of the fight cruising to a unanimous decision.

Winner: Rafael dos Anjos  via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

 

TOM LAWLOR VS. FRANCIS CARMONT

Francis Carmont was able to withstand a relentless grappling attack of Tom Lawlor, by utilizing effective range-establishing strikes, and excellent wrestling defense. Lawlor was able to control Carmont for most of the fight, consistently pressuring the big middleweight up against the fence. Carmont was able to survive two guillotine attempts that appeared to be locked in tight towards the end of the first and second rounds. Very close fight. When the decision was read for the hometown favorite, the crowd began to boo, obviously thinking that Lawlor had won the fight.

Winner: Francis Carmont via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

 

JOHNY HENDRIKS VS. MARTIN KAMPMANN (#1 Contender spot on the line)

After a few seconds of pawing and feeling each other out, Hendriks led with a right hook that was followed immediately by his notorious left hand. Kampman was out instantly, falling backwards Hendriks followed with a vicious shot on the ground that was hardly necessary.  The entire bout lasted only .46 seconds, as Johny Hendriks cemented his position as the #1 contender in the Welterweight division.

Winner: John Hendriks via Knockout (0:46) Rd 1

 

GEORGES ST. PIERRE VS. CARLOS CONDIT (Welterweight Title Unification Bout)

In one of the most memorable matches in UFC history, Georges St. Pierre was able to utilize his superior wrestling skills to ground the versatile attack of Carlos Condit. Even though Condit was on his back for most of the fight, he was able to give St. Pierre all he could handle. Condit used effective striking from the bottom to soften up the champion. In the third frame Condit ducked under a hook, angled out and landed a kick to the head of the champion that sent him to the canvas. Valiantly Condit tried to finish the fight with tactical ground and pound striking, however St.Pierre was able to recover, reestablish position, and then spent the remainder of the round in control on top. The rest of the fight went pretty much the same way. George St. Pierre has now become the most dominate Welterweight Champion in UFC history. (Moving ahead of Matt Hughes in title fight victories)

Winner: Georges St. Pierre via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)

UFC on FUEL TV 5 Main Card Analysis and Predictions!

Posted: September 27, 2012 in Combat Sports, UFC
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Stipe Miocic (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) vs. Stefan’ Scrapper’ Struve (24-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC)

At 6-11 Heavyweight Stefan Struve is quite a sight ,he possesses elite kick boxing skills and a vicious submission game.With is combined skill set he has submission victories over Pat Barry, and Lavar Johnson. In between those bouts, he knocked out Dave Herman. He will need to maintain the distance to capitalize, and try to set up takedowns with his long jabs. Miocic is undefeated as a professional with impressive wins over Shane Del Rosario, Phil De Fries, and Joey Beltran. A dynamic striker, Miocic is capable of trading punches with anyone in this division. His weakness is obviously on the ground, and he will need to avoid that position at all cost against the savvy Struve. He will certainly be looking to end this fight early with a barrage of strikes.

Prediction: Struve 2nd rd submission. If he can bait the aggressive Miocic in, Struve should be able to get the fight to the ground, where the pugilistic specialist Miocic has very little chance of winning.

Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy (24-10 MMA, 5-4 UFC) vs. Amir Sadollah (6-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC)

With the fight being in his homeland of England, ‘The Outlaw’ will most certainly have the crowd in his favor. He should also possess the edge on striking, over the lesser experienced Sadollah. Hardy will as always avoid the ground like it’s the plague, and hope to out strike his opponent with his vicious kicks, and explosive left hook. Amir Sadollah is one of the only fighters who has only competed as a professional under the UFC banner, and for good reason. His well-rounded skill set makes him dangerous in any position. His Muay Thai standup style has improved with each fight, and on the ground his jiu-jitsu is extremely polished. Sadollah’s goal will be to maintain position control over Hardy, whose only comfortable standing. On the feet Hardy maintains an edge in striking, however Sadollah has more weapons in his arsenal.

Prediction: Sadollah via 2nd round submission

Yves Jabouin (16-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC) vs. Brad ‘One Punch’ Pickett (21-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC)

Both fighters are incredible strikers, with very different styles. Jabouin has the classic kick boxer/boxing style. He sets up his strikes with movement, popping in and out landing on the entrance, and looking for the counter on the exit. Pickett is known as ‘One Punch’ for a reason. At 145 lbs, there is little competition for him in the power striking department. Pickett has a history of starting fast. He also has one of the fiercest guillotine chokes, in the MMA world. Both fighters have seen there share of decisions lately, however this one may not get that far!

Prediction: Pickett rd 1 TKO The England Native pleases the crowd!

John Hathaway  (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC)  vs. John Maguire  (18-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC)

This will certainly be a fan favorite, as both fighters are English sons. John Hathaway may be the divisions most heralded young fighter. With wins over Diego Sanchez, Paul Taylor, and Rick Story his name was thrust to the top of the division. After losing a close decision to Mike Pyle, Hathaway was able to string together two wins, is looking for a another to keep moving forward towards a contender spot. Standing in his way is John Maguire, who is making his third appearance in the UFC. Maguire is coming off of an impressive victory over DaMarques Johnson via armbar.  He will be looking to continue to make waves himself, as he attempts to take out the young contender Hathaway. This fight should be a very well rounded back and forth display of all elements of MMA. Both fighters are capable of winning from virtually any position. However, Hathaway will have a clear experience advantage.

Prediction: Hathaway via Unanimous Decision

Duane ‘Bang’ Ludwig (21-13 MMA, 4-4 UFC) vs. Che Mills (14-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC)

Knockout losses often motivate seasoned fight veterans. With both fighters coming off of  losses, this is the fight I predict will win the coveted ‘Fight of The Night’ bonus. Both fighter have incredibly precision striking, with Ludwig having a distinct advantage in the power area. Owner of the UFC’s fastest KO, ‘Bang’ Ludwig is looking to return to form, to make one last run at the top of the division. Mills will have to rely on his leg kicks, and in and out style to avoid the power in Ludwig’s hands.

Prediction: Ludwig via Unanimous Decision

Injuries in UFC offer Unique But Fleeting Opportunity.

Posted: September 16, 2012 in Combat Sports, UFC
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

by Jonathan King The Clinch Report

With the recent rash of injuries in the UFC, many intriguing match-ups have arisen only to disappear. Jon Jones (16-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) the current light heavy weight champion of the world was offered his title shot because of an injury. When Rashad Evans (17-2-1 MMA, 15-2-1 UFC) was unable to compete against Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua (21-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) because of an injury, Jones accepted the title shot and went on to dominate Rua becoming the promotions youngest UFC champion in history. Since then other opportunities have been offered, some accepted, some refused, but none were as successful as Jones.

Recently with injuries to both Georges St Pierre (22-2 MMA, 17-2 UFC) and Dominick Cruz (19-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and as in the past, the UFC decided to implement ‘Interim’ champions. Currently both Carlos Condit (28-5 MMA, 6-1 UFC), and Renan Berao (29-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) hold these titles in the welterweight and bantamweight division respectively. Both fighters are obligated to unify their titles once St. Pierre and Cruz are healthy enough to compete again.

The past month has been especially rough with both title contenders and title holders being injured. After Dan Henderson (29-8 MMA, 8-2 UFC) injured his knee and was unable to fight Jon Jones several people had the opportunity to rise to the occasion, only no one did. Fighters only have a small window of time before these injuries take their toll. The cliche ‘better to have tried and failed, then to have never tried at all.” seems to be apropos.

As the UFC roster expands more contenders will surely emerge. Hungry young fighters that would relish the opportunity to reach the limelight are moving up the ranks. Fighters such as Chris Weidman, (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) Glover Texiera (18-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Steven ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson (6-1 MMA , 1-1 UFC), and Alexander Gustafsson (14-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) are certainly going to be looking for the opportunities that Lyoto Machida (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) willing let go. Now that Machida is set to face Henderson, it seems obvious that title shots disappear quicker and easier than they are offered.

The Middle Weight Mouth Michael Bisping

Posted: September 15, 2012 in Combat Sports, UFC
Tags: , , , , , ,
0

 

Many people think Chael Sonnen to be the greatest talker in MMA. However, this is a subject that is up for debate. Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping (22-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) also has the gift of gab. For some reason though, his banter never receives the attention, or the results that the affable Sonnen does. For many Bisping is easy to hate. He is brash, he talks smack, he is unapologetic and at times just a horses ass, but he has been a middleweight contender for five years now so his skill must be respected.

Bisping exploded on to the scene during the Ultimate Fighter by winning the season 3 light heavyweight tournament, and then later enforced his status as a coach against Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller season 14. The exposure on television provided ‘The Count’ with a stage. His heel character seemed to develop naturally. Unlike the Sonnen who at times appears charming, Bisping’s antics seem to infuriate fans. He has started numerous feuds. Even recently with the entire Alpha Male team on twitter:

Bisping @bisping
@ufc urijah favour,Joseph benavidez and the rest of the munchkin crew talk s— cos theyre stuck in the body’s of pre pubescent boys
and I’ll take the Pepsi challenge with smug faced little shit any time.

Faber then responded:

Urijah Faber @UrijahFaber
Thought we were buddies @bisping I know u can dish it out but can’t take it back @ufc ur like a spoiled 3rd grader. Grow up.

Then later on he decided to take aim at the rest of the middleweight division. With Chris Weidman being declared the #1 contender the British fighter was vexed. “He knocked out a fat Mark Munoz, who was out of shape and coming back off a long layoff because of injury,” Bipsing recently told MMAjunkie.com  “He elbowed a fat Mark Munoz and now he’s the great white hype? Just because he elbowed an out-of-shape fat man? ” Only Bisping can anger two legitimate contenders with one sentence.

Apparently, Bisping embraces his role as the most hated fighter in MMA. However he never seems to get the shot. Other trash talkers such as Josh Koscheck, and Chael Sonnen were able to parlay their hype-based talk into title shots. Why has Bisping been unable too? The answer is simple. His brash attitude lacks the jovial charisma that the other fighters possess. Sonnen’s ridiculous claims, fake title belt, and Ali-like rhyming schemes make people laugh. His over the top claims are impossible to believe, yet charming. Josh Koscheck’s seems to enjoy the hate, and that in itself is charismatic. He acts like the Ric Flair of MMA, and his skills and mouth have earned him the title shots.

Unlike those two, Bisping comes off as a bully. His brash talk and unapologetic manner are not endearing to fans, or fight makers. Simply put, he is a tough guy to like. However his skills cannot be denied, his record against the best fighters in the world enforces his claims. Maybe he should close his mouth and earn the fight the old fashioned way. One has to wonder if it would have already happened. had he done so earlier in his career.

The Clinch Report Quick Editorial on the Jon Jones situation:

Posted: August 24, 2012 in Combat Sports, UFC
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
0

Listen above to Dana White speak to the media this morning when he canceled UFC 151

After being a pedestrian during the conference call this morning that shocked the MMA world, it took a while to organize any coherent thought about this situation. Immediate reaction was sadness, for Dan Henderson who obviously is not getting any younger, sad for the fighter who sacrificed, and lost extremely important revenue both from sponsorship’s, and from fight purses. Slowly that emotion evolved into anger directed directly at Jon Jones, and Greg Jackson. Not because of the outlandish things Dana White said, but because they were in a position to satisfy their ultimate boss (the fans), and they refused to answer the call. The very same call that Mauricio Rua answered, that led to Jones becoming the champion.
Rashad Evans was slated to fight for the championship originally but a knee injury forced him out. Rua was offered Jones;  and like a champion he accepted. Now Jon Jones is refusing to do the same. Apparently Jones must has a very short memory, and now an even shorter fan base. The UFC already has enough heels, that are actually really good at playing the bad guy. Kosheck, Nelson, Diaz act universally, they never stray from who they are. Jon Jones does not seem content with either role. Great fighters, want to fight. The fact that Jones did not even want to negotiate terms (ie make it a non title fight, 3 round fight, more money etc) leads me to believe one of two things. First either Jones himself sustained an injury, and this is a convenient way out of the fight. Or he is getting bad advice from his handlers. Either way the damage is done. Jon Jones who once had the potential to achieve Chuck Liddell like status, has assured with one move, that he never will! Fight fans forgive fighters who get beat, who give lackluster performances. However they are historically very tough on paper champions.Fight fans are loyal to their sport first and the fighter second. Jon Jones lost a tremendous amount of respect in the fight community today. Respect that may not ever be earned back. For now, and for some time to come, he will undoubtedly be known as the fighter who choose not too fight too fans, and the employee who let a large number of colleagues, and other workers down!

UFC 144 Fight Predictions and Analysis part 1 and Dana Whites Video Blog!

Posted: February 22, 2012 in Combat Sports, UFC
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
2

UFC 144 Fight card Analysis Part 1

by Jonathan M. King

Yoshihiro Akiyama versus Jake Shields

Jake Shields is looking to break out of the fighting and life doldrums. Following his title loss to St. Pierre, Shields lost his father and manager Jack suddenly at the age of 67. Jack Shields was a great mentor and friend to several of the Cesar Gracie fighters, and his loss is still being felt. After the death of his father, Shields then saw his contenders position smashed away by Jake Ellenberger knees. In just 53 seconds, Shields for the first time lost consecutive fights. He will be looking to rebound against Yoshihiro Akiyama who is coming down in weight, following his 3 consecutive losses at the 185 lbs weight class. Although on the later end of his career “SexyYama” is still a dangerous striker. Prediction: Shields submission rd 1

Yushin Okami versus Tim Boetsch

Yushin Okami posesses that rare combination of pedigree, performance, and longevity in MMA, he earned his ass whooping at the hand of Ander son Silva. Tim Boetsch has been grinding out wins, by his whole career. Grappling himself either into a decision win, or submission victory in 5 of his last 6 wins. In his last 16 fights Yushin Okami has lost to Jake Shields, Anderson Silva, and Chael Sonnen, and Rich Franklin; with the Silva fight being the only one that ended early. With his history of fighting on big stages, Prediction: Okami via Decision

Hatsu Hioki versus Bart Palaszewski

After winning in his octagon debut against George Roop, Hatsu Hioki is looking to continue his rise to the top of the division. This time Hioki will stand toe to toe with Bart Palazewski. Palazewski is coming off an impressive octagon debut of his own, seeing him knock out UFC vet Tyson Griffin in 2:45. This bought is another classic showdown between striker and submission fighter, however the submission fighter (Hioki) has never been knocked out! Prediction: Hioki via submission rd 2

Anthony Pettis versus Joe Lauzon

First of all, this is my prediction for fight of the night. With 21 wins in his MMA career, Joe Lauzon seems to always be the underdog. His last fight against Melvin Guillard was meant to be a launching point for Guillard’s title shot. However, 47 seconds into round 1, Lauzon dropped and choked out those fiery title hopes. Anthony Pettis has fought and beat just about everyone he has been in front of, including the man challenging for the division title, Benson Henderson. Prediction: Pettis via decision

 


UFC 139 Dana Whites Video Blog

Posted: November 17, 2011 in Combat Sports
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Behind the scenes for the history making UFC on Fox debut! Dana White gives us an inside view of the UFC.

Newer Entries