Joseph Benavidez Looking to Achieve George Washington Status at UFC 152

Ask most Americans who the second President of their country was and you’ll likely get a blank stare in return. That’s why Joseph Benavidez (Pictured) is looking to become the UFC flyweight division’s George Washington. While Benavidez isn’t interested in having his face plastered across any currency, he is seeking to have his name etched [...]

Source: http://www.5thRound.com/127426/joseph-benavidez-looking-to-achieve-george-washington-status-at-ufc-152/

Leonard Garcia Andrew Gardner Tiki Ghosn Dennis George

Ben Henderson retains belt in controversial split decision: The UFC 150 Main Card Rundown

When they first met, they went the distance and the judges gave it to Benson Henderson.  But this time, when former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar and reigning champ Henderson scrapped, it seemed just a little more clear-cut, and it appeared as if "The Answer" had done enough in their five rounds of hard-fought conflict to reclaim that precious belt that was once his.  But the judges ? in their infinite wisdom, or lack thereof ? disagreed.  That's the story of UFC 150's main event.  More after the jump.

  • The youngest man on the UFC's roster also just happens to possess a wicked body shot, as TUF veteran Justin Lawrence found out much to his dismay.  In the bout between 20-year-old striker Max Holloway and 22-year-old striker Lawrence, there was zero grappling on the ground and tons of lightning-quick exchanges on the feet, with both fighters dinging each other up throughout all of the first and most of the second round.  But Holloway was relentless in his pressure, and when he softened Lawrence up with a knee to the body, then followed it up with a pair of hooks to the ribs, Lawrence folded in pain against the cage.  The ensuing storm of punches had referee Josh Rosenthal stepping in and making the TKO official at 4:49 of Round 2.

  • Buddy Roberts established early on that standing and trading with him would be a very dangerous prospect ? established with hard jabs, crosses and kicks that clearly hurt ? so former middleweight contender Yushin Okami made every effort to make this match a ground war.  And he was successful, pulling Roberts down and punishing him with punches from back-mount at the end of the first round, and doing the same early on in the second.  The American had no answer for the predicament Okami put him in, and the referee was forced to end it at 3:05 of the round, giving the Japanese fighter the win via TKO.

  • For some odd reason, Ed Herman felt that his best chance at beating Jake Shields was to pretend the walls of the Octagon were a giant cheese grater and the former Strikeforce champ was a piece of cheese.  That was the uneventful story of Round 1, and Shields avoided being the cheese in Round 2 by taking the TUF runner-up down and trying to methodically jiu-jitsu him to death.  The third round was pretty much the same as the second, and though it was the furthest thing from an exciting, crowd-pleasing battle, for Shields, it got the job done.  He took the unanimous decision (29-29, 30-27, 30-27) when time ran out.

  • It was quick, but damn was it fun.  In the lightweight co-main event between former teammates Donald Cerrone and Melvin Guillard, Cerrone came out full of confidence and walked into a left hook that had him stumbling and in grave danger of going to sleep.  But even though Guillard pursued him and tried to land the coup de grace, Cerrone recovered ? at least, well enough to clip the "Young Assassin" with a high-kick and finish him with a devastating right.  Guillard was out cold at 1:16 of the first round, and while it lasted, this one was a thriller.

  • Whenever Henderson and Edgar fight, they're destined to go five rounds.  No ifs, ands or buts about it.  That's simply what they'll do.  Round 1 saw the former champ eating low-kicks to the calf that had him stumbling and falling, and though he scored a takedown in the late seconds of the frame, Edgar was caught in a tight guillotine.  He survived, and in Round 2, he dropped Henderson with a right and threatened with a guillotine of his own while sprawling away from the champ's takedown attempt.  With Henderson and Edgar picking and choosing their shots and neither really hurting the other, the third was extremely tough to score, but "The Answer" made it a little easier in the fourth by landing a takedown.  If we've learned anything from watching these two fight for so many rounds, it's that they'll never make it easy for the judges, and Round 5 was true to form, as both pecked at each other and neither took the definitive lead.  However, when it came to scoring, his unerring right hand seemed to be at least racking up points, it did seem like Edgar took the round  The end result?  A split decision (46-49, 48-47, 48-47) in favor of Henderson, who retained his belt but was showered by boos from a crowd that thought Edgar had deserved the "W."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ben-henderson-retains-belt-controversial-split-decision-ufc-050451883--mma.html

Jon Olav Einemo Per Eklund Jason Ellis Aleksander Emelianenko

Knockout of the week: Joe Benavidez earns spot in flyweight finals

At UFC 152, Joe Benavidez will face Demetrious Johnson for the first-ever UFC flyweight (125-pound) championship. How did Benavidez get to the finals? Watch and learn.

Off the bell to start the second round, Benavidez scored a quick knockout over Yasuhiro Urushutani. Will he have the same magic against Johnson on Sept. 22? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/knockout-week-joe-benavidez-earns-spot-flyweight-finals-160857311--mma.html

Logan The Pink Pounder Clark  Steve The Snake Claveau  Rich No Love Clementi  Mark The Hammer Coleman

The Ultimate Fighter 16 ? Episode 1: Opening Round Fights and Team Selection

The Ultimate Fighter 16 debuted tonight live on FX. Tonight's card featured 16 fights as the original cast of 32 fighters was whittled down to 16 house members. The fights took place at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The welterweights brought a strong balance of knockouts, submissions, and decisions in the opening round of TUF 16. SPOILERS INSIDE

MMAFrenzy.com

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/30368/the-ultimate-fighter-16-episode-1-opening-round-fights-and-team-selection/

Ba Te er  Ryan Bader  Siyar Bahadurzada Bao Ligao 

Bruce Buffer explains ?It?s fight time?

During recent UFC events, you may have noticed UFC Octagon announcer Bruce Buffer changing up his signature call of, "It's tiiiiiiiiiime" to "It's fight tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime."

I was confused by this. Why would Buffer mess with such announcing perfection? "It's time" is so well known that fans usually yell the phrase along with him. It's become as well known as his brother Michael Buffer's familiar "Let's get ready to rumble," which the other Buff rattles off at boxing events.

So what's the deal, Buff?

"I was trying some new things. I'm going through some marketing aspects, and that's all I can say right now. I wanted to try it for marketing purposes, but it's time is mine. We all know that. That's basically where it's at."

Buff, if you want to cover your fancy suits in logos, go for it. If you want to rename your signature move the Mickey's Malt Liquor 180, do it. Get that paper. But please please please don't change "It's Time."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/bruce-buffer-explains-fight-time-174055101--mma.html

Alexander Gustafsson Jaime Gutierrez Dave Gomez Keith Hackney

Knockout of the week: Dan Henderson introduces Wanderlei Silva to his fist

For the Knockout of the Week, we jump into the DeLorean and head back to 2007 for Dan Henderson's last Pride fight. Here, he is fighting fellow Pride star Wanderlei Silva, and shows the "Axe Murderer" just what the H-Bomb looks like.

When the UFC swallowed up Pride, it took many of its fighters and its fight footage, but left behind its pageantry. Example one: the confetti that came down at the end of Henderson's win. What do we need to do to bring confetti back? It will add an air of festivity that is sorely missing from the end of fight nights.

What's not missing from the UFC is Henderson hitting people in the head really hard. He'll get another chance to show off that H-Bomb on Sept. 1 against Jon Jones. Is he the guy who can stop Jones? Tell us in the comments, on Twitter or on Facebook.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/knockout-week-dan-henderson-introduces-wanderlei-silva-fist-164320507--mma.html

Mike Brown  Junie Browning Paul Buentello  Josh Burkman 

Georges St-Pierre: ?I want to finish because of the criticism.?

Over the past five years few fighters have been more dominant at their craft than UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre. However, while GSP has won nine consecutive clashes since a loss in April 2007, the 22-2 St-Pierre has beaten six of his opponents on scorecards rather than in the center of the Octagon before the [...]

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2012/09/13/georges-st-pierre-i-want-to-finish-because-of-the-criticism/

Jason Ellis Aleksander Emelianenko Fedor Emelianenko Yasubey Enomoto

The Agony of Defeat and How Three Fighters Have Dealt with It

Watch a fighter's face when he's won and the story is all there ? the relief, the elation, the euphoria.  And yet, what of the other half to that equation?  What of those who've been forced to swallow the bitter pill of defeat?  It's an inescapable truth that, for someone to be the victor, someone else must lose, and that karmic flipside is what makes the sport a cruel and harsh mistress to all who dare strap on four-ounce gloves and step into the cage.  To compete is to flirt with a very particular, very exacting kind of agony.  For the sake of examining further what it means to be on the losing side of things, Cagewriter tracked down a trio of accomplished fighters to get their perspective.  The three all share two common denominators: they're very, very good at what they do, and they've all dealt with defeat.

 

Tom DeBlass, UFC Fighter

In 2003, New Jersey native Tom DeBlass fought his first amateur bout.  He'd been a track star in college, and had only three months of martial arts training, but hey, what the heck, right?  Unfortunately, his opponent was veteran kickboxer and experienced mixed martial arts fighter, and things didn't go so well.  So DeBlass went back to the drawing board and sought to gain the skills necessary to succeed.  By the time he made his return to the cage, he was now a black belt under Ricardo Almeida, with successful runs as a competitor in everything from the Jiu-Jitsu Worlds to the Pan-Ams to the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Championship Trials.  He was, quite literally, a completely different person.

"I lost my first fight as a youngster because I really just ? I didn't even train jiu-jitsu, I didn't even know anything," says the 30-year-old DeBlass.  "With that skill set, I would've lost a hundred out of a hundred times, because I didn't know any better."

It took only seven pro fights in New Jersey's Ring of Combat promotion for DeBlass to earn his shot in the UFC's Octagon ? seven fights in a little over a year and a half, each one flawless and won by quick submission or knockout or protracted war.  But when that shot came, it was for a UFC on Fuel TV held in Sweden, and it was on short notice against a vastly more-experienced Cyrille Diabate.  No one says no when the UFC comes calling, so DeBlass took the fight; he lost via majority decision ? his first defeat as a pro and his first loss in nine years.

"This one with Cyrille, it hit me pretty hard," says DeBlass.  "I was pretty upset.  Just because I know, with all respect to him, I'd finish him probably fairly quickly if I was in a full training camp.  This was one fight where I was really, really out of shape.  Usually in between fights I stay in shape, but I'd hurt my ankle.  I'd pulled out of a Ring of Combat fight, and I was letting my ankle heal.  I was on vacation with my fiancée the week before, and I got fat and I got out of shape.  I knew that, so it was kind of a terrible feeling going into a fight knowing you're not prepared for it.  But I still thought I could win.  And you know, the fight was going my way.  Not even just going my way, it was an easy fight.  I was dominating.  Then I just had nothing left.  I was so exhausted.  And when I lost, I was just very disappointed ? I'm still very disappointed."

What did DeBlass do to cope?  "Right away, as soon as possible, I tried to find the positive," he says.  "I changed my whole training.  As much as I was doing before, I'm doing things differently now, working on different aspects.  And everything happens for a reason, man.  In this sport, you've got to be ready for anything."

The UFC already had DeBlass scheduled to fight on another UFC on Fuel TV, but the bout was cancelled when his opponent got injured.  Regardless, DeBlass ? who's moving down to middleweight for the first time ? fully anticipates being ready for anything when the UFC calls again.  Just as he did after losing that first amateur bout all those years ago, he's making the adjustments necessary to assure future success.

 

James Jenkins, Ring of Combat Fighter

Things were going great for James Jenkins until he walked face-first into a nose-breaking right hand.  Up to that point, the 26-year-old Matt Serra/Ray Longo product was beating all comers in Ring of Combat ? so much so that, to give Jenkins someone to fight for the promotion's featherweight belt, an opponent was flown in from Chicago.  Still, Jenkins was the heavy favorite going into the bout.  But all it takes is one mistake in this game.  One mistake.

"I felt absolutely horrible," says the Long Island, N.Y. native.  "I felt like I had a great shot in front of me and I had worked hard to get this far.  I didn't have any regrets as far as training hard, I didn't take him lightly ? I could be fighting a 13-year old and I wouldn't take him lightly."

Says Jenkins: "I'm a prideful guy.  I don't take losing? I couldn't lose at a game of Monopoly.  So this was pretty rough.  It was hard.  A lot of bad feelings.  I don't want to have to feel it again for ? well, if I could have my way, never."

What was it like for Jenkins after the fight?  "I get down to the locker room, and I was just trying to wash the blood off my face and everything," he says.  "I think for a few days I did nothing but think about it.  I'd be sitting in a car with my girlfriend and I was just start zoning out thinking about it.  For a while, I had this feeling like I could just go back in time.  Like if I could just think about it hard enough, I could go back in time and I could fix it and I could make it all better.  I had to sit there and really tell myself, 'You can't go backwards.  What's done is done.  The only thing I can do is work for the future.'  That's the only thing you can do when [expletive] goes wrong, you just have to work to make sure it doesn't happen again."

What's next for the still-rising featherweight star?  "I took a little time off to be with my friends and family, but now I want to be back in the gym and fighting at the next Ring of Combat.  I want to come out with a strong showing.  I really think that's the only thing that will take away some of the bad feelings.  You know, to get a win."

When Cagewriter interviewed Jenkins, it was outside of former UFC champ Matt Serra's gym, right before a training session; clearly, Jenkins is already on his way back to the cage.

Dan Miller, UFC Fighter

There are few fighters in the UFC ? or even the world ? who can impress in defeat like the veteran middleweight-turned-welterweight Dan Miller.  In eleven fights in the Octagon, Miller has amassed a 6-5 record, and those five losses were after hard-fought scraps against the likes of Chael Sonnen, Demian Maia, Michael Bisping, Nate Marquardt and Rousimar Palhares ? tough guys, one and all.  Still, the New Jersey native knows of the sting a fresh "L" on your record can leave.

"It is tough," he says.  "I going into every fight believing that I can win, and wanting to win, but it's part of the sport and somebody has to lose."  He adds: "The way I feel is, as long as I put everything I had into it and got beaten by a better fighter that night, it makes it a little easier." 

"For me it was never okay.  I never walked out of the ring not disappointed in myself.  But again, it's something that sucks, but it's not the end of the world.  I go into the gym and it makes me work harder.  Every time I lost I just tried to get better and improve myself."

Miller's advice to any young bucks out there who find themselves on the inevitable losing end?  "Keep your head up and learn from it, basically.  Pretty much everyone is going to lose at some point in their career, and it's one of those things where you're going to have to learn from it.  If you didn't learn from it, then it's bad."

*          *          *          *

That's it for me, folks.  It's been a blast writing for Cagewriter, and hopefully you'll see me again.  Follow me here on Twitter; this is where I blog about local fights shows of both the sanctioned and unsanctioned variety; this is the book I wrote on underground fighting.  I've been writing about MMA since 2001, and I sure as hell ain't stopping now!

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/agony-defeat-three-fighters-dealt-003155154--mma.html

José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida 

Bellator Heavyweight Champ Cole Konrad Reportedly Retires From MMA

Bellator heavyweight Cole Konrad is reportedly hanging up his MMA gloves in favor of a business suit. A local Minnesota sports site has reported that Konrad is retiring from fighting to become a financial trader for North Central Trading, a company specializing in the sale of dairy products. The former Golden Gopher wrestler, where he was a [...]

MMAFrenzy.com

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/30333/bellator-heavyweight-champ-cole-konrad-reportedly-retires-from-mma/

Patrick The Predator Côté  Randy The Natural Couture  Dan Cramer Alberto Crane