King of the Cage News

King of the Cage joins forces with Talking Stick Resort and Casino Arizona to perform a series of Mixed Martial Arts events in the Phoenix / Scottsdale Market.

King of the Cage Inc. strikes a multi-event contract with one of the nation’s top casino groups, Salt River Community Gaming Enterprises DBA Talking Stick Resort and Casino Arizona. KOTC will be performing events throughout 2013, with the first to be held on January 19th. Quoting Terry Trebilcock, CEO and Founder of KOTC, "We are very excited to finally expand into the Scottsdale/Phoenix market. Having event destinations in all of the surrounding markets, it was a natural progression of our brand to be there, and Talking Stick Resort was at the top of our list. We look forward to bringing our level of fighting events to Arizona."

King of the Cage makes its weekly broadcast available in over 50 million homes nationally. The weekly broadcast can be viewed on cable and satellite channel MAVTV in English on Wednesdays and network television channel Azteca America in Spanish on Saturday nights

ONE FC return to Kuala Lumpur

ONE FC: Return of Warriors

Putra Indoor Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Feb 2nd, 2013

ONE FC's latest announcement for the show in Kuala Lumpur - Return of the Warriors promises much excitement especially for fans of local fighters.

Also at this bout was an announcement about TuneTalk sponsorship of the event, you can read our exclusive interview with TuneTalks CEO Jason Lo HERE

The big bout is between URCC Champions - Lightweight champion Honorio Banario and fellow Philippine (although Malaysian based) ex URCC Featherweight Champion Eric Kelly. This will be for the ONE FC Featherweight Championship belt.

It seems strange that ONE FC would have a fight between two of the Philippines most popular fighters in Malaysia, surely a chance missed for a future ONE FC in Manila event. But the Philippines loss is our gain.

Kelly has just recovered from a tough bout at the recent celebration of ten years of the URCC: URCC 22 Dekada. In this bout Kelly fought a very tough Brad Terrey and was taken to a deciding third round by which time Kelly was fighting with one eye completely closed, somehow he managed to pull off and armbar showing once again why he is one of the best fighters in Asia, his record still stands at a perfect 9-0.

Barario rocks a 7-1 record and sits at 1-1 in ONE FC with a loss (ONE FC 2 Feb 2012) to Bae Young Kwon as his only loss in his career. Kelly beat Kwon at ONE FC 4. Banario however has a soilid record and is a submission specialist. This should lead to an explosive match-up.

Also announced was the bout between big Malaysian favorite Peter Davis who will be fighting the Indonesian Leo Krishna a man who I am sure will be expecting a massive barrage of boos as he walks to the cage as the Malaysian crowd will be right behind Davis.

Gianni Subba burst onto the MMA scene at ONE FC 6 when he defeated Singapores Bruce Loh in just 33 seconds, now he faces  Saiful Merican is an established Mauy Thai fighter.

There is also to be a four man 145lbs tournament featuring four Malaysian warriors.

Melvin Yeoh will make his debut against Raymond Tiew, this will be an interesting fight as Yeoh is a very well respected MMA coach who has already defeated Tiew back in September 2011 at the Malayisan Fighting Championship 2.  Since then Yeoh has gone 4-1, but his step up into the ONE FC cage whilst long deserved will be a major step up. He may have beaten Tiew once, but, Tiew has gone 3-1 since then as well, his only loss being on his ONE FC debut at ONE FC 2.

The winner of that fight will face the winner of:

AJ Vaa vs Jian Kai Chee. Vaa is a well known and respected MMA coach from Malaysian Borneo who will be looking to put on a good show after suffering a first round loss to Mitch Chilson at ONE FC 4. He has been training hard and also has been part of fast rising PXC fighter Mark Striegl (12-0) coaching team, so expect to see a different AJ Vaa facing Chee. Chee has fought a high level of opponents including losses to Ole Laursen, Arnaud lePont and Eddie Ng. All of his wins come at the Malaysian Fighting Championship, it will be important for him to prove that he can actually step up and compete at a higher level. These two are well matched.

That's all that is known of the Fight Card for now, as with all these things expect changes and additions over the coming weeks, we will try to keep you up to date.

Asia's King of Matchmaking The URCC's Will Carlos

An Exclusive Interview With The URCC's Will Carlos

Matchmaker Extraordinaire

We are very pleased to have an exclusive interview with Will Carlos the King of Asian matchmakers (IMHO). Will works at the URCC, Asia’s longest established MMA organization based in that hotbed of MMA the Philippines.

I have only met Will briefly on one occasion but he was such a warm and welcoming guy and he has always been happy to keep in touch. 

He informed me that this is the first ever interview he has been asked to do. I must say that firstly I am very surprised to hear that, but also very pleased that we can go some way towards raising his profile to  MMA fans beyond the Philippines.

One of the biggest pluses of this interview is that Will was willing to actually spend some time answering the questions in depth, for that we are very grateful.

It's much harder to discover talent than it is to just buy it in and Will Carlos CAN spot talent.

So without further ado it's time for:

Ten Questions with Will Carlos:

#1 The URCC has just celebrated ten years as an MMA Organisation to what do you attribute this success?

I can attribute the success of the show, to the MMA fans in the Philippines, without them there would be no growing interest in the sport of MMA, and the Teams and fighters, no matter how limited the resources are, they are still able to improve on their MMA knowledge and apply it to their training.

Every show I see great improvements on how our local fighters handle themselves in the ring. These improvements may not be leaps and bounds but it is really improving every time.

MMA is a living art, it breathes and it has its on life, same with Jiu JItsu. It is not a dead art, it is in constant flux.

Every year in the BJJ Mundials for example you will see new moves being used in the tournament that you have never seen before, the same with MMA, every time the coaches and fighters find new ways on how to finish their opponent in a more efficient way.

#2 You are widely regarded as one of, if not the best matchmaker in Asian MMA why do you think that is?

Wow. Thanks for that. I would really like to think so. Actually, Alvin (Aguilar) and I are regarded as MMA royalty here in the Philippines by some sport writers and MMA bloggers.

I never thought my name would be included together with Alvin's. And I dont really know what that means, but it sounds good so why the hell not. Hahaha.

Like I said before matchmaking is not really regarded as an integral part of an MMA promotion that is for the regular MMA fan.

But for the aficionados and those who follow the sport, the matchmakers are the ones that get the blame or praise from the people who follow the sport.

No matter what, it is good the fans and sport critics are taking notice of the match making in every event.

Actually, I do take my inspiration from these opinions and try to absorb it and make it as part of my process in making my cards.

But like you said haters will always be there, we can't please everyone. When you said this to me, it really stuck and I stopped feeling bad hahaha. Thank you for the extra "Cajones" now I have 3. Hahahaha.

Anyway, going back to the topic why am I the best? It is because, due to my limited resources. I guess I am I able to find talent where no one else would bother looking.

I' d like to think of my self as a treasure hunter of sorts. I do not have the resources to get famous MMA fighters and put them in our show to be able to pull fans. I am able to put unknown fighters in the ring and make them speak for themselves after the fight.

Then you have a new URCC star in the making. One recent example is from the top of my head, Andrew Benibe, as I took the match making duties in the URCC, the board and past match makers before never took notice of the potential of these fighter.

But I saw him as an underrated MMA fighter. I started giving him more fights and once I again I was right on the money. South East Asia took notice and OneFC picked him from my roster for their show in Manila.

Now Mr. Benibe is given due respect and admiration he deserves. Another would be "The Phenom" Alvin Ramirez. I picked him out to fight in one of our Black Tie events. He was a flashy, cocky, and exciting amateur mma fighter.

But I saw an opening for him to show me if my gut feel is spot on. So I put him against one of our veterans if not the best and toughest MMA fighter during that time. Mr. Charlie Angel. This fighter knocks out all his opponents and has a cinder block for a skull.

As I had predicted, it went the distance and my new discovery put up a good show, not minding who he was up against. Ramirez lost that fight. But still I knew I have stumbled upon something that would bring the young MMA enthusiasts back in our arms.

Later that year , I put him up against our Pinweight Champion Roy Docyogen. Ramirez with a no win record against a 8-0 champion, what the hell was I thinking?

I had to convince the URCC board to let me do this fight. And thank god they did. But the following week was hell for me because the writers and critics were up my ass until the event day.

It was an obvious "tomato can match-up" hahaha, i never knew that term until then. Hahhaa.

And so event day, before their match as co-main event I through up twice because it really got to me.

But of course my intuition never failed, since then Ramirez has put up one the greatest fight in MMA history. He didn't win but URCC has a new superstar. I f you look at the crowd that night nobody was watching Docyogen , all eyes where on this kid from nowhere.

So after that night I raised my middle finger even higher to those critics. But I still have respect for them.

Another is "The Saint" the 47-year-old Dentist, Dr. Angelito Manguray who I was able to give a championship title shot which he won. And also was give an international fight against USA's Shane Wiggand. And the dentist or I mean "The Saint" proved me right once again.

#3 Please explain the process of putting a fight card together?

Hmmm.... i don't think I have a clear-cut process on how I put together my fight card. But I will try ...

First off I put together my main event and two co-main events and work my way to fill in the 8 slots. For balanced matching, I really do not look at the stats it's just secondary.

I look at the videos and past opponents and decide from there. Basically for me its all gut feel. I wish I could share more but that's how I put my fight card together. hahahaha. 

#4 How difficult is it in Asian MMA putting cards together when so many of the fighters are from different areas of martial arts and have no professional MMA records?

Ahhh... this is where my talent and gut feel comes in (Hahahaha). Like I said all is based on my intuition and how I see the fight happening in my head.

Since from the start I knew I had limited resources on how to match them up based on stats so I rely on video's of fighters. And of course I also look at how the crowd reacts to a certain fighter. 

#5 Given the dominance of gyms such as Team Lakay, what do you think is the special ingredient that makes one gym better than another in producing fighters?

For me it all comes down to the fighter themselves, if the fighters are dedicated and disciplined into putting 100% of their time and effort in their training, the team is well off on it's way into dominating any team they encounter.

#6 You have seen many Philippine fighters pass through the URCC over the years. Could you please list your top three and explain what makes then stand out?

My top three:

1. Andrew Benibe - because he was underrated and I knew he had great potential and I gave him the exposure that he needed when I took over the match making duties for URCC.

2. Richard "The Dancing Devil " Lasprilla - He was there in the infancy of the URCC and dominated the flyweight division until he lost to Kevin Belingon then the new era of Philippine MMA was born. 

3. Eduard "The Landslide" Folayang - What else can I say, Eduard is a hard worker, and I still believe he has not reached his full potential as a fighter. He needs to work on other aspects of his game. It was always his conditioning that gives him the victories but I believe his skills should follow suit, soon and I mean as soon as possible. Cross training is key.

7) What is it like working with Alvin and Bubbles? What makes them work so well together?

I practically grew up with the couple; Alvin has been my best friend since we were in preparatory school all the way into college. The key ingredient that they work so well together is because they share the same vision on where they want to take the URCC. And I share the same vision with them. 

#8 There have been rumours that the URCC are planning to run a show in America, are we any nearer to that becoming reality?

Yes there are rumors but I think Alvin would be the best person to answer that question. 

#9 Where do you think the URCC could be in ten years time?

Wow tough question... I think URCC will still be going strong with fighters even better than before, and I guess by that time we have already sent a couple of home-grown Filipino fighters to the UFC.

By this time I think I would still be doing the matchmaking I love what I do, and I love giving fighters a shot at their dreams of either fighting in the URCC or even becoming MMA champions. 

10) What are the benefits of working with ONE FC in your opinion?

The benefits of working with ONE FC? My network seems to grow even wider. People are taking notice of what I do. And ONE FC recognizes my knowledge in MMA for putting me as one of the core judges in their events. And I thank the ONE FC for recognizing that. And Alvin is proud of me for achieving such status in Asian MMA.

 You can read more from Will Carlos on his Blog HERE

The URCC Website is HERE

96% of UFC fighters have earned less than $100K

Bisping has earned more than GSP also Anderson Silva and Randy Couture!

MMA fighters as a Majority still lag way behind almost all pro sports in wage terms.

HERES THE TOP TEN

In an interesting article on mma manifesto recently we find out just how much UFC fighters have earned throughout their careers.

OK first let's put what this does and does not include so that I don't get the dumb answers the readers of MMA Manifesto got. These figures include: Earnings from UFC 46 onwards. Only cover reported salaries, fight of the night, knockout of the night and submission of the night bonuses. It does not include "Discretional  Bonuses" Nor does it include any pay per view percentage deals. And of course it does not include Sponsorship Money from any source which could easily outstrip any numbers shown here for the top names in the sport.

Some of the numbers shown are accurate guesstimates because certain athletic commissions don't report fighters salary info, so the numbers were based upon previous and future purses.

The list was updated up to the recent UFC on Fuel in Macau Card - Franklin vs Le.

The list covers some 772 fighters ~ Here's the Top Ten:  

Top of the tree is #1 Chuck Liddell with US$4,320,000

#2 Tito Ortiz $4,075,000

#3 Quinton Jackson $3,240,000

#4 Michael Bisping $3,135,000

#5 George St-Pierre $3,102,000

#6 Randy Couture $3,045,000

#7 Anderson Silva $2,871,000

#8 Brock Lesnar $2,825,000

#9 Rashad Evans $2,697,000

#10 BJ Penn $2,650,000

The obvious question to be asked is how the hell did Brock Lesnar earn only lightly less than Anderson Silva one of the greatest fighter in MMA history?  Lesnar may have made it to Champion, but let's be totally honest he wasn't a good champion, more of a school yard bully who gave up once he got hit back!

Of course the other thing to note is that top Boxers will still earn more than these numbers in ONE fight and often ten times more. MMA may be the fastest growing sport in the world but it is nowhere near Boxing in earning terms. Imagine what Manny Pacquaio earned last weekend!

Of course the other call is that boxers at the lower end of the scale don't earn much. Well people, I know many MMA fighters who live hand to mouth, there is NO money at the bottom of any sport.

At #29 is Brandon Vera the last on the list to break six figures with $1,051,000 That means that 96% of fighters at the UFC have earned less than $100,000.

At #70 is Takanori Gomi on $500,000

At #253 we find Steve Cantwell with $100,000. Below him are those who have yet to break the six figure earnings barrier that's 67% of UFC fighters!

 

At #349 is the joke that was Kimbo Slice on $50,000 it's shocking to find that 54% of the fighters on this list earned less than him!

At #447 is Reza Madadi the last fighter to break $20,000 that means a shocking 42% of the fighters on this list earned less than $20,000.

At #589 comes Wagner Campos with just $10,000 - that means that almost 183 of 772 UFC fighters on this list have earned less than $20,000 that's 23% of all UFC fighters.

However considering the fact that the UFC is the "top of the tree" in the sports terms and that many of the fighters on this list would have been battling for years in small regional events to think that 50% of UFC fighters have only managed to earn $36,000 total, is shocking in the extreme.

For all the coverage that MMA gets, take it from me people your Son would earn much, much more playing almost any other professional sport. 

A soccer player in the fourth tier of the English football league would earn more than 50% of the fighters on this list annually and yet be practically unknown beyond his own club and for every step up the ladder their wages would rise massively, plus think on this there are approximately 4500 spots for professional footballers in England alone, world wide that figure is massive. 

A top professional in the English Premier League would earn in one season more than Chuck Liddell has earned through out his UFC career.

Not to mention what an American NFL, NBA or MLB player would earn annually. MMA fighters are still very much doing it because they love the sport it's not a great career choice for a massive majority of the fighters out there.

Tunetalk's CEO - Jason Lo Exclusive Interview

Jason Lo CEO of Tunetalk Gives Rear Naked News An Exclusive Interview 

He talks about Tunetalks proposed involvement in Malaysian MMA ~ Sponsoring Eric Kelly, ONE FC a new Malaysian Event and much more.

During this interview we try to find out exactly what is and isn't true about Tunetalk's involvement in Malaysian MMA for 2013 and hopefully beyond.

Here's what Jason kindly told us:

Tune Talk will be presenting OneFC in Kuala Lumpur this year. The details of which will be revealed at a press conference this thursday. 

We will also be launching our own Amateur MMA event called MIMMA. (Malaysian Invasion Mixed Martiall Arts) This is a tournament which will span about 6 months from Jan onwards and involve any or all gyms in Malaysia who will be able to put local Malaysian fighters forward. 

There will be a trials round in KL, followed by a ladder, quarters, semis and a main event Final which will feature 7 weight category Malaysian Invasion Champions, as well as 3 superfights between top Malaysian MMA fighters. There will also be prize money at each round. We'll have a press conference for this in early Jan to explain more but we're mega excited about it. 

We perceive that MMA is building in Malaysia and the community is growing larger as a result. We're really into building communities, as we have with music and QPR related events and MMA is the next one we plan to rock! This in turn will keep our brand young, edgy, on our toes and hopefully cooler than all the other prepaid telcos out there who rip off their customers like no tomorrow!

I asked Jason how long Tunetalk would be in involved in MMA in Malaysia and his answer was great news for the sport.
We are in everything for the long term. To grow MMA and to grow with MMA in Malaysia and possibly the region. 

How do you see Tunetalks image when it is involved in sponsoring MMA in Malaysia where the Malaysian TV censors often censor MMA shows. Is this a concern or just a fact of life in Malaysia?

If the sport falls flat on it's face in appeal or gets banned: these are the only possible end dates we can foresee. However, we did plenty of research, connected with the people in the sport to decide that's unlikely to happen. So we hope to be a big part of Malaysian MMA for the future. 

Unless of course, no one remotely connected with the sport buys our simcards or uses our services. Then, I may have trouble justifying our investment to the board. 

Is Tunetalk also considering sponsoring individual fighters and if so would they be Malaysian based foreigners or would you only consider Malaysian born fighters?

Yes we are and we are in discussions with some MMA professionals who are Malaysians. We are also talking to Eric Kelly as he is one hell of a fierce fighter. 

What brought Tunetalk to the thought that MMA in Malaysia would be a great marketing opportunity?

Aside from a friend of mine Dax, introducing me to some local key people in the sport, I'm also a fan of MMA and watch UFC. Even went to UFC 67 for Anderson Silva vs Lutter, watched Cro Cop, Rampage Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Roger Huerta (who I also watched in OneFC 4 endure a soccer kick which knocked him out against ZoroMoreira) 

I was so impressed with what OneFC was doing that we contacted Victor and got moving. We then started to hear about LegendFC and RoadFC and realized the sport is at a turning point in the region with more visibility in the media. 

Will Tunetalk also consider sponsoring smaller regional MMA events in Malaysia such as Johor's 'Ultimate Beatdown' or Muayfits (KL) "Malaysian Fighting Championship"?

We are open to looking at anything. We never close doors. We prefer to open them. 

Does Tunetalk have specific marketing expectations (targets/metrics) that it aims to achieve with this sponsorship?

Lots of subscribers!!

What do you see as the biggest weakness in present day Malaysian MMA?

Probably the fact that there is no one real unifying body for the sport. Also that perception is very weak. Not many people understand MMA in Malaysia. Ironic, given the fact that we are a melting pot of martial arts in the region. Not quite Thailand or Japan ok, but we should have more tournaments by now. 

And there's no dedicated media. But it's coming slowly as more money drifts into the sport. 

This is like watching the gladiators of old. All you need is a cage or a ring, a couple of good fighters and a great story. Huge opportunity is out there and I think that's our biggest strength. All the pieces are around us. 

Thank you very much Jason.

----------------------------

So, there you have it a whole bucketful of positives for MMA in Malaysia.

Take this simple fact on board: By Tunetalk getting involved with MMA in Malaysia they will help to open the market to wider coverage and bigger better events. They will bring something desperately needed in Malaysia as their professional Marketing team knows how to build a brand and access the media.

Tunetalk are taking a brave and exciting step and hopefully that should enable the marketing people at other major Malaysian based companies to feel safe enough to get on board with their marketing dollars.

 After all regardless of what has up to this point been the case in Malaysia, MMA is the world fastest growing sport and anybody that witnessed all the happenings in Malaysian MMA in 2012 must be positive that things are changing and growing and that NOW is the time for Malaysian MMA to really build on all the recent ground work.

After all this year we can look forward to shows in KL by two of Asia's biggest MMA organisations ONE FC will have their second show and Legend FC will have their first. Both of these shows of course will have plenty of Internet coverage and gossip and more importantly International TV coverage.

The MIMMA which Jason mentions above sounds like it will make a big splash in Malaysia this year and the press conference for that is due later this month. It could totally grab the full spectrum of Malaysia's press and really make a big noise. Best of all it also sounds as though it will bring a real professional outfit into what up until now has been a very amateur field. 

Marketing in Malaysian MMA has been a disaster, frankly a joke and with Tunetalk on board I cannot see that being tolerated, this is big business and with it will come big business requirements, I look forward to seeing how others respond to seeing how marketing should be done.

TUF The Smashes Finale

Australia vs Great Britain ~ TUF ~ The Smashes 

Final Fight Night Details

UFC on FX 6 - Gold Coast Convention Centre, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. December 14th 2012

If you are an MMA fan and you didn't watch the Smashes, well shame on your it was available for free on the internet and provided a lot of entertainment.

The two teams led by the Aussie, George Sotiropoulos (7-2 in the UFC) and the Brit, Ross Pearson (5-3 in the UFC) had quite a few adventures along the way and plenty of controversy and horse play.

Finally though the four finalists are ready to go.

Much to many of my Aussie friends annoyance the Brits already one the first part of the competition and are guaranteed at least one winner as the Lightweight Finale will be an all British affair as the very experienced Norman Parke (16-2) takes on a guy that was the most amazing character I think I have ever seen on a TUF show Colin "Freakshow" Fletcher (8-1) who belied his outrageous looks, make-up and outfits by proving to be a tough competitor but a caring human being. I am sure he got a lot of fans from the show. I would love to see Freakshow in the UFC he is a real character!

For the Welterweight Finale it's Team Australia's, Robert Whittaker (9-2) vs the Brit, Brad Scott (8-1).

Of course we also get to see the coaches fight each other. Well, much as I like to watch Sotiropoulos in a cage he would not win any IQ or comedy awards outside of it. His lack of mental speed often left him clutching at dead air trying to find a witty retort, often standing dumbly with a stupid grin on his face. In the game of the Tuf Smashes Pearson walked all over him.

However, this is the UFC and George Sotiropoulos is plenty fast and decisive enough to pose a huge challenge to Pearson. Much as I don't want to bet against my fellow countryman, I think on this occasion that Sotiropoulos can take Pearson.

The rest of the card promises much entertainment as well.

Heres a quick rundown:

Bout 1:

Nick Penner (11-2) vs Cody Donovan (7-2)

Bout 2:

Brendan Loughnane (5-0) vs Mike Wilkinson (7-0)

Bout 3: 

Manuel Rodriquez (9-3) vs Ben Alloway (12-3) 

Bout 4:

Mike Pierce (15-5) vs Seth Baczynski (18-8) 

Bout 5: 

Ignor Pokrajac (25-9) vs Joey Beltran (14-8) 

Bout 6:

Chad Mendes (12-1) vs Hacran Dias (21-1-1) 

Bout 7: 

Colin Fletcher (8-1) vs Norman Parke (16-2)

Bout 8:

Brad Scott (8-1) vs Robert Whittaker (9-2) 

Bout 9:

Hector Lombard (31-3-1) vs Rousimar Palhares (14-4) 

Bout 10:

George Sotiropoulos (14-4) vs Ross Pearson (13-6)

To purchase tickets or for more information visit the Gold Coast Box office or go HERE:

The Smashes will air live on FX on Dec 15 2012

Pacific X-Treme - Growing Fast

Pacific X-Treme Announce Some Impressive Figures

The guam based MMA organisation Pacific X-Treme Combat (PXC) have just released some impressive figures that demonstrate just how much MMA is growing in the Philippines.

Yes that is Big John!

Since the first Philippine PXC show (PXC 24) when they SOLD 700 tickets to the recent PXC 34 event which was held at the SMART Araneta Coliseum had 3,779 tickets SOLD.

A look at the shows between these two show a steady impressive climb in the numbers show on show. The total growth of tickets sales in just a year and a half is something north of 400% an incredible growth.

They of course also are shown on TV in the Philippines on AKTV. The first show the numbers were 187,603 viewers just eighteen months later  at the last show (PXC 34) the number was already an amazing 667,218. Something like 250% growth.

Of course it should not be forgotten that the last show (PXC 34) was also available on a stream outside of the Philippines on Sherdog.com. This would have helped further with the worldwide recognition of the brand as of course would the fact that at the recent UFC event in Macau PXC veteren Jon Tuck made a winning debut.

PXC are on the map in a big way.

UFC on Fox 5 Preview - Pt 2

UFC on FOX 5 Preview – pt. 2

(by The Coffee Boy)

Bout 7: 

Yves Edwards vs Jeremy Stephens

Yves Edwards has fought over 60 professional mixed martial arts bouts, and is one of the more well-rounded UFC fighters around. Coming off of a loss to Tony Ferguson back in December of last year, his fight against the always game Jeremy Stephens will be a true test of his will to stay in the sport.

Stephens is riding a 2-fight losing streak, having won only 2 out of his last 5 bouts. He is definitely in need of a win and while he does possess heavy knockout power, Edwards is well-rounded and dangerous enough on his feet to be able to put away the much younger man. I don’t expect fireworks, but I do expect Edwards to take this fight by decision.

Bout 8: 

Mike Swick vs Matt Brown

Swick is one of the UFC’s babies, coming out of the very first season of The Ultimate Fighter and remembered for his TKO victory over Ben Saunders, and guillotine choke victories over UFC veterans Joe Riggs and Steve Vigneault. After being plagued with injuries for nearly 2 years, Swick made his comeback in impressive fashion by knocking out DaMarques Johnson back in August.

Brown is currently riding a 3-fight win streak, defeating the likes of Chris Cope, Stephen Thompson, and Luis Ramos. While these wins aren’t over the most well-known of fighters, a win over Swick would certainly do him some good to potentially put himself up there in title contention, if he can do it convincingly.

The biggest problem Matt Brown has is that he is rather inconsistent – from 2008 to 2010, he won 3 in a row (including a victory over well-known Pete Sell), and then for the remainder of 2010 lost 3 in a row all by way of submission.  I’m expecting this to be a tough fight for both fighters, but I see Swick coming out hard and fast, knocking Brown out in the second round.

Bout 9: 

Rory MacDonald vs BJ Penn

MacDonald is a beast – there’s no doubt about that. He represents the new breed of fighters, the kind of mixed martial artists that up-and-comers should seek to be. With only one loss on his record, to Carlos Condit who made a late comeback, he is riding a 3-fight win streak and looks unstoppable at this point, being able to out-strike and out-grapple anyone who gets in his way.

Penn is undoubtedly one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. The question remains, and it’s almost cliché – does he still have it in him? Winning only 1 of his last 5 fights, he may very well be past his prime (despite him strongly suggesting otherwise). He has world-class Jiu Jitsu on his side, and better-than-average boxing in MMA. Will it be enough?

Honestly, I predict this fight to be a one-sided beating, with MacDonald dropping the bombs on a helpless BJ Penn. While it would be a good comeback story, something a movie could be made out of, I just don’t see a scenario where BJ Penn doesn’t get absolutely destroyed. A late comeback submission, perhaps? Possibly. But I wouldn’t put my money on it.

Bout 10: 

“Shogun” vs Alexander Gustaffson

Shogun was one of the best to come out of Pride, back in their glory days, and is a former Lightheavyweight Champion. He is always a pleasure to watch, possessing lightning-fast striking and a ton of heart. That said, however, his victory over Brandon Vera makes one wonder how much he still has left in him. He did not look his usual self, and despite being a heavy favorite, it took him 4 rounds to put Vera away. Was that heart on Vera’s part? Maybe. But it’s more likely that Shogun is slowly on his way down.

Alexander Gustaffson, like Rory MacDonald, is one of the new breed of fighters. He can strike, he can grapple, and with 5 wins in a row, a win over Shogun could very well catapult him into title contention.

This fight has ‘Fight of the Night’ honors written all over it. It’s a tough one to call, and I’d rather keep my mouth shut then look like a fool come this weekend.

Bout 11: 

Benson Henderson vs Nathan Diaz

Benson Henderson is a true warrior, having beaten some of the best lightweights the UFC has to offer such as Clay Guida and Frankie Edgar. His spirit is never lacking, his technique is sharp, and his gas tank is always full. He has the wrestling advantage going into this fight, and the ability to absorb shots taking in minimal damage, something that could come in handy for him against Diaz.

Diaz, since dropping back down to the lightweight division, has been on an absolute tear. He walked right through Takanori Gomi, both out-striking him and then submitting him by switching from a triangle choke to an armbar. He put on a boxing-clinic against the tough-as-nails Donald Cerrone, managing to pull Cerrone into his own world. And then he pulled Jim Miller into his own game, effectively out-boxing him and eventually putting on a nasty guillotine choke to secure the victory.

Henderson is the favorite here, and deservedly so. That said, Diaz has looked spectacular lately, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he could pull off a late submission. This fight could honestly go either way, so don’t blink.