Dana White UFC 159 Post-Fight Media Scrum

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UFC 159 Results, Gifs

UFC 159 played out with only a couple of genuine surprises, and the fights with top billing played out more or less how most people predicted. However, there were a few things that caught the eye (and not just wayward fingers).

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship – Jon Jones def. Chael Sonnen via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:33 

Everyone expected Jon Jones to win this fight handily, but perhaps not quite with such completely ruthless efficiency.

Sonnen came out and took the fight to Jones right out of the gate, but the champion tackled that by countering fire with fire, and taking the fight to the mat.

The challenger put up a spirited fight for a short time, but once Jones really let loose with ground and pound the fight was always going to be moments from its climax. Some observers complained that the stoppage was a little swift, but Sonnen was going nowhere and he was only going to eat more and more devastating shots.

As a little caveat to the fight, Jones fought with this nasty little injury, only realising his toe was hanging off once Jo Rogan stepped in to interview him. Then, he even went and completed his post-fight press conference obligations. He has stones for sure, and I could be wrong, but I think fans are finally starting to warm to him. Not before time too.

Jones is the greatest light heavyweight of all time, and is surely not far away from building a resume that compares to Anderson Silva’s or Georges St-Pierre’s.

Michael Bisping def. Alan Belcher via technical unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Again, the way this fight played out was entirely expected with Bisping out-landing Belcher on the feet.

What was unexpected was Belcher’s strategy of holding his hands down and just allowing Bisping to punch him repeatedly in the face.

The Brit was unlikely to get the KO, but that did not matter as he racked up punch after punch.

Of course it was unfortunate the fight had to end with that gruesome eye poke. I hope that Belcher can recover soon, because for all of his flaws, he is still an exciting fighter, and belongs just outside the middleweight top 10.

Roy Nelson def. Cheick Kongo via KO (punch) – Round 1, 2:03

Cheick Kongo doesn not have the best chin. Roy Nelson is good at stepping inside and connecting his hayeymakers with people’s chins.

Combine those two ingredients and you get this fight, entirely predictable.

Big Country will never win the UFC belt, but he’s going to knock out all but the division’s elite and remain a beloved and entertaining figure while he’s at it.

Phil Davis def. Vinny Magalhaes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Another disappointingly predictable fight. Phil Davis kept the fight standing for the most part and used his superior (though still far from outstanding) striking to out-point the BJJ ace.

Pat Healy def. Jim Miller via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:02

Now this was a shock. Jim Miller was the hot favourite, a top-10 ranked lightweight with an outstanding record and level of consistency.

He came out of the gate as you might have expected, taking control of the fight and winning the first round.

The second round started, and it was like a switch had been flicked. Miller had no answer for the striking and grappling of Healy, and the New Jersey crowd was silenced as the new arrival from Strikeforce controlled position, and battered his opponent from bell to bell. There was no let up in round number three, and all chance of a turn in the tide were suffocated by ‘Bam Bam’.

He closed the show with a submission that Miller was powerless to stop, and secured himself a nice double fight and submission of the night bonus.

Prelims

The  preliminary fights didn’t provide too many highlights, but there were a couple bright spots in a series of bouts marred injury weirdness dull MMA.

Sara McMann suggested she could be a major player in the women’s 135lb division with dynamite wrestling and a impressive killer instinct. Once she had Sheila Gaff locked in that mounted crucifix she rained down a barrage of punches that forced the finish.

The other extremely impressive performance on the undercard was that of Bryan Caraway. I didn’t give him much of a chance against Johnny Bedford, who had lived up to his ‘Brutal’ moniker very nicely so far in his UFC appearances. I was shocked to find that the shy, retiring, often nervous wreck of a fighter that had often appeared when Caraway stepped into the octagon was nowhere to be seen as he completely dominated his opponent, and secured the finish with seconds to spare.

Rustam Khabilov def. Yancy Medeiros via TKO (thumb injury) – Round 1, 2:32
Ovince St. Preux def. Gian Villante via majority technical decision (30-28, 30-29, 29-29)
Sara McMann def. Sheila Gaff via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:06
Bryan Caraway def. Johnny Bedford via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 3, 4:44
Cody McKenzie def. Leonard Garcia via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Steven Siler def. Kurt Holobaugh via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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UFC 159 Post-fight Press Conference

All your usual post-fight fun with the big winners from UFC 159.

There’s a bit missing from the start, but blame the UFC for that, not me.

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UFC 159 Countdown video

You know the drill.

Nicely produced, slightly formulaic extended previews of Saturday’s big fights.

Four fights get the countdown treatment. The first is the big light heavyweight title fight between TUF coaches Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen.

The second is Michael Bisping vs. Alan Belcher, an exciting sounding middleweight tilt which comes on the back of some amusing smack talk.

Then we’ve got Phil Davis vs. Vinny Magalhaes

Finally Jim Miller welcomes Strikeforce stand out Pat Healy into the UFC.

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UFC 159 Conference Call: Bisping and Belcher save the day

This Sonnen vs. Jones hype has really run out of steam. Their chat on this conference call was limp, lifeless and uninteresting.

Enter Michael Bisping and Alan Belcher to trade barbs and bring the conference call to life. Thank goodness

“No-one gives a fuck about Alan Belcher”

Bisping a man of measured comments as usual.

I think Bisping will win on Saturday, but he has to be careful. Not only is Alan Belcher very dangerous, he will have some serious egg on his face if he doesn’t back up his trash talk.

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UFC on FOX 7: Belated post-fight thoughts

Josh Thomson, apparently rather pleased after his UFC on FOX 7 win

As I’m so late with this thanks to so many work/life commitments, I had planned to keep this short.

However, UFC on FOX 7 was so great, I think I’ve really got to comment on just about every fight. I’ll try to keep it as pithy as I can though.

Benson Henderson def. Gilbert Melendez via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) 

This was a great, great fight, by two of the best pound for pound fighters in the world in my opinion. It was so, so close as well. I can’t bring myself to cry foul over the decision, but there was definately a valid argument from everyone who felt that Melendez deserved the win.

This was the kind of title fight that the 155lb division breeds in spades thanks to its extraordinary depth of talent. Both fighters locked horns in the closest way to the literal sense as you can get. They were constantly moving forward and exchanging with each other on the feet in ferocious clashes, mixed up with some of the highest level, most evenly matched grappling you are likely to see.

The two warriors clash. This could have been at any point in the fight

My only quibble with the fight was Melendez’s corners insistence that he was ahead in the fight. Unless GSP is fighting, you can pretty much NEVER be sure that you’re ahead on points, and sadly this is largely because of suspect judging. I actually thought the judging wasn’t too bad here, but perhaps if Melendez thought he needed to win this round emphatically then he might have pulled it out of the bag.

I hope Melendez gets another shot at the belt. He belongs at the very top of this division. In the mean time, I can’t wait to see who he fights next, though it will be bizarre to see him fight in a three-round fight.

Daniel Cormier def. Frank Mir via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

I was surprised that this fight ended up being the lull in action on the main card.

Dan Cormier admitted nerves got to him, and he largely won this fight in the clinch, happy to stay out of danger on the ground, but hesitent to throw the wild strikes that felled Barnett and Silva.

I have no doubt that if he had, Mir would have crumbled, but maybe he just needed to get this fight out of the way before he comes back and reaches his full potential in his next outing.

Josh Thomson def. Nate Diaz via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 3:44

Wow, just wow.

The Diaz brothers simply do not get stopped under normal circumstances, but Josh Thomson absolutely flattened Nate Diaz.

His strategy in this fight was perfect. He stayed well out of danger in all areas, and landed punishing shots whenever he stepped up to mount some offence.

He won;t get the next title shot, but after his razor-close loss to Gil Melendez, and a performance of this magnitude, he has to be in the running with one more high profile win.

Matt Brown def. Jordan Mein via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:00

Matt Brown is the FOX king after winning this war. The action in this was absolutely relentless and I was on the edge of my seat for the full six minutes.

Lesser fighters would have been finished multiple times under the weight of the heavy leather that was being thrown, but Brown and young-gun Mein stayed in there thorough the opening frame. I was sure Mein’s body shot would have finished Brown, but he is a hard bastard, and made it to his stool, ready to fire back after a minutes respite.

And fire back he did. He threw punches to kill, and once Mein’s nose was smashed I guess the pain just became too much and he crumbled under the immense pressure.

Mein will be back, and he has a long career ahead for sure. Brown has now won five on the spin, and could have a top-10 opponent in his future. I’d guess he’d lose, but on this role, who knows. Stranger things have happened

Chad Mendes def. Darren Elkins via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:08
Joseph Benavidez def. Darren Uyenoyama via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:50
TJ Dillashaw def. Hugo Viana via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:22

Team Alpha Male crushed their opposition.

Noone looks like they have a prayer at the moment with these guys, particularly Chad Mendes, who has now demolished three opponents in less than four minutes.

TJ Dillashaw is still on his way up, but Joseph Benavidez and Mendes have firmly established themselves as the #1 contenders at flyweight and featherweight respectively  It might be a tricky sell to grant them rematches no, given the recency of their defeats to their divisions’ champions, but if they keep performing like this Sean Shelby will have no option.

Benavidez particularly has every chance of beating Demitrious Johnson (Mendes will probably get iced by José Aldo again, but hey).

Myles Jury def. Ramsey Nijem via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:02
Anthony Njokuani def. Roger Bowling via TKO (punch) – Round 2, 2:52
Yoel Romero def. Clifford Starks via knockout (strikes) – Round 1, 1:32

Three more fun knockouts. I was particularly impressed by Myles Jury, who continues to impress improbably after coming of a fairly unspectacular series of TUF. It’s not every day you see TUFfers come off the show and begin solid win streaks, but he is doing just that.

That Yoel Romero knee though. Damn

Francis Carmont def. Lorenz Larkin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

An effort needs to be made to make sure this guy loses a fight by decision. Once again he won on points when he did not deserve to. It’s enough to make you weep for Lorenz Larkin.

Jorge Masvidal def. Tim Means via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Decent performance from Masvidal in his UFC debut. However, I DEMAND VIOLENCE FROM THIS MAN. Watch this space though. If he has the fight style match up sparks will fly

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UFC on Fox 7 Post-fight Press Conference

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UFC on FOX 7 Henderson vs Melendez – Quick preview

Champions Ben Henderson and Gilbert Melendez stare down at yesterday’s weigh ins

UFC on FOX 7 is just hours away, and it is a very promising fight card, top to bottom.

From the first cross-promotion, champion vs. champion title unification bout since Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson, to the exciting lighter weight scraps on the undercard, there is a lot to look forward to, and a lot that should keep the FOX brass pretty happy about the UFC product they have invested so heavily in.

Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez 

I’m finding this tough to call, and that is just one of the things that make this fight so appealing.

Both fighters fight best coming forward, and they do that more often than not. Both fighters pack silly power, dominating top-position grappling and fight at a relentless pace, tending to overwhelm their opponents. In addition, not are incredibly durable and are very unlikely to get finished.

However both fighters have shown some weaknesses recently, making this even more intriguing. Henderson showed that he is absolutely hittable in his fights with Frankie Edgar, and Melendez will pack a bigger punch than that.

Melendez lost his last fight to Josh Thomson in the eyes of many people, getting taken down repeatedly. Give Ben Henderson the chance to rain down ground n’ pound, and he could be in considerable danger.

I’d give a slight edge to Henderson to defend his title on points after the way he looked in absolutely dominating Nate Diaz in his last performance. On the other hand, this is about as close a title fight as I can remember and I would not bat an eye is the Strikeforce champ was the one to unify the belts..

Daniel Cormier vs. Frank Mir 

While it is true that Frank Mir has submitted better grappler than Dan Cormier, I feel that the former Olympic wrestler is a horrible style match up for the BJJ ace.

Cormier brings the quick, aggressive striking that has brought Mir down in flames early on in previous fights, and I’m predicting a quick finish, and shouts for a title shot for the Strikeforce grand prix champion.

Nate Diaz vs. Josh Thomson 

Another pick-em fight for me.

Diaz struggles against good wrestlers, but I couldn’t say for sure whether Thompson will want to do too much grappling because of his opponent’s high-level, black-belt BJJ.

Neither of these men are afraid to throw punches either, and they often provide some of the best entertainment value in the most talent-rich division in the sport.

I’ll take Diaz by decision, but I certainly won’t be putting money on it.

Matt Brown vs. Jordan Mein 

Matt Brown looks to continue his remarkable career renaissance and four-fight win streak, but he will have his work cut out against this young Canadian.

This is a battle between two durable welterweights, but the way Mein was able to come back in his last fight against Dan Miller, and then dominate his veteran opponent separates him as the clear favourite in my eyes.

I would not be shocked to see a similar dynamic in this fight, with Brown coming out aggressive early, but with Mein surviving and turning it on as Brown slows down to take a decision victory to kick off the main card.

Prelims

Watch out for Team Alpha Male’s Benavidez, Mendes and Dillashaw flexing their grappling muscles and running a train over their opponents. Mendes in particular is facing a very good opponent, but that has not stopped him from being the biggest favourite tonight. Mendes and Benavidez are arguably the #2 fighters in their divisions, and Dillashaw is improving rapidly, and it will take some effort to beat them.

Elsewhere, I’ll be looking out for Jorge Masvidal. He is only 28, but he has fought everywhere in the MMA world and built up a extensive record. Although he is wildly inconsistent, he almost always brings a major ruckus, and is a great be for fight of the night against Tim Means, who delivered violence in spades in his UFC debut.

Darren Elkins vs. Chad Mendes
Francis Carmont vs. Lorenz Larkin
Myles Jury vs. Ramsey Nijem
Joseph Benavidez vs. Darren Uyenoyama
Jorge Masvidal vs. Tim Means
T.J. Dillashaw vs. Hugo Viana
Roger Bowling vs. Anthony Njokuani
Clifford Starks vs. Yoel Romero

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UFC on FOX 7: Henderson vs. Melendez weigh in results and video highlights

Main Card

Benson Henderson (155) vs. Gilbert Melendez (154)
Daniel Cormier (235) vs. Frank Mir (257)
Nate Diaz (156) vs. Josh Thomson (155)
Matt Brown (171) vs. Jordan Mein (170)

Prelims

Darren Elkins (145) vs. Chad Mendes (146)
Francis Carmont (186) vs. Lorenz Larkin (186)
Myles Jury (156) vs. Ramsey Nijem (156)
Joseph Benavidez (125) vs. Darren Uyenoyama (125)
Jorge Masvidal (156) vs. Tim Means (156)
T.J. Dillashaw (136) vs. Hugo Viana (135)
Roger Bowling (156) vs. Anthony Njokuani (155)
Clifford Starks (185.5) vs. Yoel Romero (185)

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UFC on FOX 7 Henderson vs Melendez pre-fight interviews

Here’s all of the pre-fight interviews from MMAFighting.com for tomorrow’s UFC on FOX 7 card.

All of the main card fighters and Dana White are featured in advance of this event, which has evolved into a UFC vs. Stikeforce event, with each fight on the main card featuring a Strikeforce fighter making their UFC debut (or in Josh Thonpson’s case UFC return) against an established UFC competitor.

Gilbert Melendez

Benson Henderson