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Tuesday night Ariel Helwani tweeted Edgar will not move down to 145 even if he is not granted a rematch, but Dana White says not so fast. This could turn into a hot topic for the UFC.  Continue reading this post »

Friday on UFC on FX 2: Alves vs. Kampmann the flyweight tournament starts. Who will come out on top? In the tournament there are two UFC vets and two unknowns making their debuts. Both Benavidez and Johnson will finally be fighting at their natural weight and for most fans should be the favorites to fight for the title, but Ian McCall is no slouch.

McCall has been fighting at flyweight since after his WEC days and holds the flyweight title in the Tachi Palace organization. He defeated who was regarded as the top flyweight in the world in Jussier da Silva. He will be fighting Demetrious Johnson and it’s probably the toughest bout to get in the finals. It will definitely be a high paced, technical bout and it’s tough to call a favorite on this one. I would give McCall the edge based on his length and experience at 125 compared to Johnson who has been fighting at 135 pounds most of his career.

Benavidez has the relatively easier fight against Urushitani, but he won’t walk through him. Urushitani has been fighting at flyweight his whole career, has knockout power and defeated the explosive John Dodson. Benavidez is a Team Alpha Male member and has been fighting top competition for years, his wrestling background will help. In this bout Benavidez should be favored as he is the better wrestler and generally Japanese fighters haven’t had much success in the UFC.

In a title bout between McCall and Benavidez all I can say is get the popcorn ready. Five rounds between two explosive 125ers will be a fight to watch and a great way to introduce fans to the division. Benavidez is obviously the better wrestler and training at Team Alpha Male improves your stand up and they’re known for outstanding guillotines. Look for a battle, but Benavidez will grind out a decision.

There you have it Joseph Benavidez will be the UFC flyweight champion and as the division develops slowly it will get bigger and better. Flyweights generally haven’t been introduced in America so it will be interesting to see how it develops, but with fighters like  John Dodson coming up there will be fights to see.

Let me start of by saying I absolutely love Rampage. He’s hilarious, a great showman and an impressive fighter, but there comes a time where every athlete needs to retire. Rampage came in six pounds overweight and other than the slam had a poor showing Saturday. Jackson has been a part of all the big organizations and done great in them all. He was UFC champion and fought for the Pride bout too and gave us the memorable knock outs of Ricardo Arona, Wanderlei Silva and gave us some black on black crime (sorry always wanted to type that). It seems his time may be behind him.

Recently, Rampage just hasn’t looked like the fighter he used to be and maybe it’s due to all the wear and tear from 42 professional fights, but it’s not the same. Ever since the time off to film the A-Team he hasn’t fought with the same intensity that he had before. Remember when he fought Silva in the UFC? He was so pumped for that fight he had to be pulled off him after the knockout. We don’t see that same fight anymore. He’s had big wins since then against Machida and even fought Jones for the title, but it hasn’t been the same.

I don’t want to see a mediocre Rampage in the UFC. I want the fighter that power bombed and took fighters heads off not the one that gets taken down and ground out to decisions. Maybe it’s that fighters have figured out he wants to put on a show so bad that he leaves openings to be taken down, but we don’t see that intensity we saw before. Rampage needs to go out and remembered for what he was not what he’ll be if he fights in mediocrity. We’ve reached a point in UFC history where most of the older fighters are going out, whether it be Liddell, Hughes, Penn, Franklin or Wanderlei we are reaching a new point in the UFC. It’s happened before with Liddell, do fans remember him as the champ or a guy who lost his chin and was on the receiving end of brutal knockouts? Let’s not remember Rampage that way and have him go out as the fighter we loved to watch not the one we wished would’ve hung it up sooner.

Wow! That’s all I can say about the main event of Edgar vs. Henderson. There’s now a new lightweight champ in the deepest and most exciting division of the UFC. I had the fight three rounds to two rounds Edgar, but believe me I’m not screaming robbery on this fight, unlike Shields-Akiyama, but I digress.

We saw exactly why Frankie Edgar is regarded as one of the top pound for pound fighters in the world as he is generally fighting one or even two weight classes above what he should or could be. This is the true test for a fighter, he’s 5’6″ walks around at a little over 155 and normally has a 20 pound disadvantage by the time he steps into the ring. He has the heart of a champion and showed through his past three title fights he has a chin to fight anybody. I’m not sure about anyone else, but I still want to see a fight against Jose Aldo or Dominick Cruz.

Edgar has the wrestling to take anyone down, but the issue against Henderson was that he was too big for Edgar to keep down. Henderson is the most athletic fighter in the lightweight division and I hope Edgar gets a rematch before he hopefully moves down a weight class.

Frankie Edgar will be a fan favorite for a long time to come and will probably try to fight a few more times at lightweight before dropping down. I believe he has the skills to compete at 155, but as athletes get bigger and better it will get harder for him. Even after the loss to Henderson I’m still not counting out Edgar in any fight and can’t wait for a rematch or a fight with Aldo.

UFC 144 is tonight with an unprecedented seven fight PPV card and already Japan has seen some craziness. Huge fan favorite Rampage Jackson missed weight by six pounds and will have to forfeit 20% of his purse. We’ll see how the weight cut affects him in our predictions.

Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon

Pettis and Lauzon are both riding some momentum after beating big names Jeremy Stephens and Melvin Guillard. While J-Lau has the jiu-jitsu advantage I believe that Pettis is better in all other aspects. If it gets taken to the ground Lauzon can catch him with something, but look for it to go to the judges.

Prediction: Pettis by Unanimous Decision

Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski

Hioki is ranked No. 2 in the world by Sherdog at featherweight, but won a controversial split decision to George Roop. He’s fighting in his native country and wants to show that Japanese MMA is not dead. Palaszewski is no slouch and this could be a title eliminator bout to face Jose Aldo.

Prediction: Palaszewski by Unanimous Decision

Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch

Okami is fighting for the first time since his loss to Anderson Silva against up and comer Tim Boetsch. Thunder is one of the top middleweights and has gotten much better at his wrestling since training with Chael Sonnen. Boetsch on the other hand has been throwing people around since he moved down to 185. Okami will want to negate Boetsch’s wrestling and beat him on the stand up.

Prediction: Okami by Unanimous Decision

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields

Akiyama is dropping down to welterweight and gets no slouch in Jake Shields. Shields has lost two straight and will be highly motivated against Sexyama. This will be Akiyama’s fight for a roster spot as he has lost three straight. Maybe a move down in weight will help, but he’s fighting a motivated Jake Shields.

Prediction: Shields by third round submission

Mark Hunt vs. Cheick Kongo

This is a bout that should probably be lower in the card, but Hunt is actually looking like a decent mixed martial arts. He will never fight for a title, but he’s being competitive in the UFC. This is a huge step up in competition against Kongo, who can knock out anyone at any time and has improved his wrestling.

Prediction: Kongo by first round TKO

Rampage Jackson vs. Ryan Bader

It’s already got off to an interesting start as Jackson missed the light heavyweight limit and will have to forfeit 20% of his purse. Bader looked in great shape and will look to go back to his roots, but Rampage is in Japan and will want to put on a show. Look for the heavy handed Jackson to try to finish Bader early.

Prediction: Jackson by first round KO

Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson

Frankie Edgar is looking to defend his title for the fourth time and will take on the always exciting Ben Henderson. Edgar has great boxing and wrestling, but takes on an unreal athlete in Henderson. Smooth has all the skills to beat Edgar, but the champ has the heart and chin to beat anyone.

Prediction: Edgar by unanimous decision

Frankie Edgar defends his lightweight title Saturday against Frankie Edgar and this is his toughest fight to date. Henderson is a huge lightweight with great wrestling, impressive standup and underrated jiu-jitsu. This is a fighter that has a very good shot to takedown the champion. Continue reading this post »

Ryan Bader will fight Rampage Jackson Saturday in a light heavyweight bout. Both will be looking to get closer to the title, especially Jackson, who is one fight removed from a title shot of his own. He lost his fight against Jon Jones in four rounds, but that’s the longest anyone has lasted with the champ. Assuming Jones holds them belt for a while the fight would be a rematch for both, as Bader was submitted in two rounds.

Bader had a rough 2011. He lost his first two fights of his career, one against Jones, but the other against an over the hill Tito Ortiz. The former TUF winner got back to his winning ways with a quick knockout over Jason Brilz, but another loss could put him on the hot seat. This is an uphill battle for Bader. Rampage has been a fan favorite in Japan since his days in the Pride organization and this is his first fight back since. Jackson has the best one punch knockout power in the division and is an underrated wrestler in his own right. Bader’s strength is in his wrestling and he would be smart to utilize it. If Bader was caught by Tito Ortiz there’s no way Jackson won’t put him to sleep.

If Bader wants to win this fight he will need to go back to his wrestling roots from his days back at Arizona State. Standing with Rampage is the worst idea especially for a fighter like Bader who has been caught by lighter strikers. While he has an uphill battle in this fight there are ways for him to win. Rampage has been taken down and is susceptible to submission if Bader can do this he can win this fight.

Mark Hunt and Cheick Kongo will fight Saturday at UFC 144 in one of the most stacked cards so far this year and one question is lingering why does it matter? Just two fights ago Hunt was on a six fight losing streak and was one of the lowest in the heavyweight divison. The UFC even tried to buy out his contract so he wouldn’t fight, but Hunt wanted to prove himself. After a submission loss to Sean McCorkle in his UFC debut Hunt has won two straight fights and looks very improved. He knocked out Chris Tuchscherer in one punch and then fought his way to unanimous decision victory against Ben Rothwell. Now he looks like a legit fighter in the UFC.

Kongo on the other hand is one of the scariest looking fighters in the UFC. If fights were decided on intimidation he would win them all, but he’s been inconsistent throughout his career. He hasn’t lost in four fights and is beating up and comers like Matt Mitrione. The Frenchman is a great kick boxer and is getting better at wrestling. He looks to finally be putting it altogether and will be a force in the heavyweight division with those heavy hands.

This fight could launch either fighter higher in the ranks and give them a bigger name, possibly a Stipe Miocic or Stefan Struve. If Hunt loses it puts him back under .500 and could put him back on the chopping block. Hunt-Kongo has Knockout of the Night written all over it and should be a brawl. Look for both to test each other’s chin and this bout won’t go to decision.

Joe Lauzon and Anthony Pettis square off Saturday night at UFC 144 and both are looking to get back into title contention. Lauzon won his most recent fight agains Melvin Guillard in a shocking upset. While Pettis may be most well known as the guy who kicked Henderson off the cage, he’s won five of six, but is only 1-1 in the UFC. Continue reading this post »

A new division for the UFC is nearly upon us and it brings us more little guys. The UFC will host a four man tournament to crown its inaugural flyweight champion. The competitors are Demetrious Johnson, Ian McCall, Joseph Benavidez and Yasuhiro Urishitani.

The biggest question is what to expect from the division. It should contain a lot fast paced, technical fights and definitely will never be boring. If you saw what happened when the UFC integrated the 135 and 145ers into the UFC there were great fights, Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz gave us a fight of the year candidate and the war between Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick. Expect more the same from the flyweights too. While it’s a relatively shallow division currently don’t be surprised if guys drop down from bantamweight. John Dodson has already made that decision after winning The Ultimate Fighter and he should be a force at his natural weight.

For the first title I would predict a bout between Benavidez and Johnson, but Mighty Mouse-McCall is a toss up. These will be amazing bouts and something that should be a memorable first fight for the UFC. When the title does come it will probably be on a card with another fight on it too, but eventually it will headline a card. For now the UFC has to slowly integrate the flyweights into the UFC so fans can get used to the fighters and familiar with the names. It currently doesn’t have a lot of name value, but as it grows it could become as big as the lightweight division. Right now fans just need to watch the fights and worry less about the names, there are big names like Johnson and Benavidez, but also unknowns like McCall Urishitani. There will be high paced fights and something fans will learn to love.

There are uneducated fans who will think they can kick the flyweights asses because they’re small, but trust me this division is no joke. I’m excited to see the little guys and others should be too just based on how well the bantamweights and featherweights have done since being integrated.