After a weekend without any major MMA events (likely due to all the brouhaha surrounding Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao), we are back to our regular scheduling, with the second UFC Fight Pass exclusive card of the year.  Fight Night 65: Hunt vs Miocic will be broadcast from Adelaide, Australia and is headlined by an awesome heavyweight matchup.   Despite as weak an undercard as one might expect from a Fight Pass event, the main event alone is enough to bring the net value of Fight Pass subscription into the green for the year.   And with the main card start time of 11 PM (US Eastern Time) – which is not far from the usual start time of UFC events, you don’t even have to stay up till wee hours to watch the fights, as is often the case with live events broadcast from abroad.  Between all of this, I am actually enticed to sign up for Fight Pass to watch this card.  Or at least start with a free trial subscription…

Main Event: [#5 HW] Mark Hunt vs [#9 HW] Stipe Miocic

Worth: $20.00

Why: As mentioned above, this is an awesome fight.  The late career resurrection of Mark Hunt has been very fun to watch, culminating in a shot at the interim title against Fabricio Werdum, where Hunt gave Werdum all he could handle before being knocked out by a vicious knee.  He now has to take on Stipe Miocic – an opponent who is almost 10 years younger, and is one of the few bright prospects on the shallow and shop-worn heavyweight roster.   The winner of this fight may be in line for the next title shot, especially if Cain Velasquez successfully defends his title against interim champion Werdum.  Should Werdum retain the title, then the next shot probably belongs to Junior Dos Santos – UFC’s perennial #2, who already holds wins over Hunt, Werdum, and Miocic (first two by knockout, the latter by a somewhat controversial decision).   Either way, this fight might show that Mark Hunt still has plenty of fight left in him at 41, or it could be a career-defining performance for Stipe Miocic which will solidify him as a contender.  And no matter what happens, it’s virtually guaranteed to be an exciting slugfest.

Keep Reading

UFC 186… what can I say about it?  Well, this card has it all.  And I don’t mean that in a good way.  A main event cancelled due to an injury, a mismatch of a title bout, a fighter pulled out of a scheduled bout due to a legal injunction, a couple of fights with that are virtually guaranteed to go to a dull decision, a matchup that looks like it came from a time machine tuned to 2005, and a handful of fighters you’ve never heard of.  Oh, and don’t forget the long-awaited UFC return of Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson… oops, strike that.  Bellator filed a lawsuit to dispute Jackson’s contractual status, and an injunction was granted to stop Rampage from fighting on this card.  Instead, we get the long awaited UFC debut of retired Canadian minor-league hockey enforcer and MMA fighter Steve Bosse… oops, strike that again. The injunction has been lifted by an appellate court, and now Rampage is back on the line-up.  Le sigh… this is why I try to publish these blogs at the last minute, and even that doesn’t always guarantee that all the fights will actually take place as scheduled.  Yeah, this card pretty much has it all.

Main Card (Pay-Per-View)

Main Event: (C) [#1 FLW] Demetrious Johnson vs [#8 FLW] Kyoji Horiguchi for the UFC Flyweight Title

Worth: $10

Why: This PPV was originally planned with two title bouts, but an injury prevented the bantamweight champ TJ Dillashaw from defending his title against Renan Barao, marking the second time that a scheduled rematch between the two fell apart and bumping the flyweight title fight to the main event slot.  I’ve grown to enjoy watching ‘Mighty Mouse’ fight over the years; while some champions stagnate and fight not to lose after they’ve held the title for a while (Georges St.Pierre and Tim Sylvia come to mind), DJ has been improving ever since dropping down to 125 lbs and winning the inauguaral title.  So I now look forward to his fights… I just wish UFC could find him a good challenger.  Kyoji Horiguchi is not it.  The 24-year old is 4-0 in the UFC, but his competition so far has been nowhere near championship level. Like several other recent flyweight challengers, he is only getting the title shot because Johnson has to fight someone… preferably someone he hasn’t already beaten.  So when Ian McCall lost to John Lineker, who in turn failed to make weight for the fight and was banished to bantamweight, that left us with Horiguchi as the only viable Top-10 opponent.  I just don’t see the guy who went the distance with Luis Gaudinot in his last fight as presenting much of a threat or challenge to Johnson.  Barring a huge upset, this fight’s purpose is to keep DJ warm until a rematch with John Dodson, or until Henry Cejudo can be built up as a contender.

Keep Reading

Flyweight Championship (125)
[#1/#5DD/#4P4P] Demetrious Johnson (21-2-1) vs. [#8] Kyoji Horiguchi (15-1-0)
Demetrious Johnson is the All-Time #4 ranked Flyweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Demetrious Johnson (3-0-0)
2014-09-27: W vs. [#21FLY] Chris Cariaso (17-8-0) via Submission (Kimura) in 2:29 of round 2
2014-06-14: W vs. [#11FLY] Ali Bagautinov (13-3-0) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
2013-12-14: W vs. [#2FLY] Joseph Benavidez (21-4-0) via KO (Punches) in 2:08 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Kyoji Horiguchi (3-0-0)
2015-01-03: W vs. [#81FLY] Louis Gaudinot (6-4-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
2014-09-20: W vs. [#270FLY] Jon delos Reyes (7-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:48 of round 1
2014-05-10: W vs. [#75FLY] Darrell Montague (13-4-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Demetrious Johnson 210, Kyoji Horiguchi 112
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.

Middleweight (185)
[#11] C.B. Dollaway (15-6-0) vs. [#12] Michael Bisping (25-7-0)
Michael Bisping is the All-Time #23 ranked Middleweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: C.B. Dollaway (2-1-0)
2014-12-20: L vs. [#4MW] Lyoto Machida (22-6-0) via TKO (Kick to the Body and Punches) in 1:02 of round 1
2014-05-31: W vs. [#19LHW] Francis Carmont (23-10-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
2014-03-23: W vs. [#67MW] Cezar Ferreira (8-4-0) via KO (Punches) in 0:39 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Michael Bisping (1-2-0)
2014-11-07: L vs. [#2MW/#8DD] Luke Rockhold (14-2-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 0:57 of round 2
2014-08-23: W vs. [*] Cung Le (9-3-0) via TKO (Knee and Punches) in 0:57 of round 4
2014-04-16: L vs. [#9MW] Tim Kennedy (18-5-0) via UD (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: C.B. Dollaway 126, Michael Bisping 169
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 1 win(s) against common opposition.
.

Heavyweight (215)
[#9LHW] Quinton Jackson (35-11-0) vs. [#29LHW] Fabio Maldonado (22-7-0)
Quinton Jackson is the All-Time #19 ranked Absolute fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Quinton Jackson (3-0-0)
2014-05-17: W vs. [#15LHW] Muhammed Lawal (15-4-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-02-28: W vs. [#199MW] Christian MPumbu (18-7-1) via KO (Punches) in 4:34 of round 1
2013-11-15: W vs. [#39MW] Joey Beltran (16-11-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:59 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Fabio Maldonado (2-1-0)
2014-10-25: W vs. [#76LHW] Hans Stringer (22-6-3) via TKO (Punches) in 4:06 of round 2
2014-05-31: L vs. [#9HW+] Stipe Miocic (12-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 0:35 of round 1
2014-03-23: W vs. [#33LHW] Gian Villante (13-5-0) via UD (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Quinton Jackson 343, Fabio Maldonado 182
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 1 win(s) against common opposition.
.
Keep Reading

Middleweight (185)
[#2/#7DD/#8P4P] Lyoto Machida (22-5-0, +115) vs. [#6] Luke Rockhold (13-2-0, -139)
Lyoto Machida is the All-Time #12 ranked Absolute fighter.
Luke Rockhold is the All-Time #13 ranked Middleweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Lyoto Machida (2-1-0)
2014-12-20: W vs. [#11MW] C.B. Dollaway (15-6-0) via TKO (Kick to the Body and Punches) in 1:02 of round 1
2014-07-05: L vs. [#1MW/#1DD/#3P4P] Chris Weidman (12-0-0) via UD (49-45, 48-47, 49-46)
2014-02-15: W vs. [#4MW] Gegard Mousasi (36-5-2) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)

Last 3 Fights: Luke Rockhold (3-0-0)
2014-11-07: W vs. [#12MW] Michael Bisping (25-7-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 0:57 of round 2
2014-04-26: W vs. [#17MW] Tim Boetsch (18-8-0) via Submission (Inverted Triangle Kimura) in 2:08 of round 1
2014-01-15: W vs. [#13MW] Costas Philippou (13-4-0) via KO (Kick to the Body) in 2:31 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Lyoto Machida 119, Luke Rockhold 162
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.

Middleweight (185)
[#3] Ronaldo Souza (21-3-0, -1113) vs. [#36] Chris Camozzi (21-9-0, +731)
Ronaldo Souza is the All-Time #8 ranked Middleweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Ronaldo Souza (3-0-0)
2014-09-05: W vs. [#4MW] Gegard Mousasi (36-5-2) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 4:30 of round 3
2014-02-15: W vs. [#19LHW] Francis Carmont (23-10-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
2013-09-04: W vs. [#21MW] Yushin Okami (30-9-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:47 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Chris Camozzi (2-1-0)
2015-03-06: W vs. [#112MW] Wes Swofford (10-6-0) via in of round 1
2014-11-21: W vs. [#141MW] Jeremy Kimball (9-5-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:33 of round 1
2014-09-05: L vs. [#29MW] Rafael Natal (19-6-1) via SD (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Ronaldo Souza 225, Chris Camozzi 43
Previous Match-up Record: Ronaldo Souza leads 1-0-0
Wins Against Common Opposition: Ronaldo Souza leads 2-1
.

Featherweight (145)
[#6] Cub Swanson (21-6-0, -148) vs. [#13] Max Holloway (12-3-0, +129)
Cub Swanson is the All-Time #12 ranked Featherweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Cub Swanson (2-1-0)
2014-11-22: L vs. [#2FW/#6DD] Frankie Edgar (18-4-1) via Submission (Neck Crank) in 4:56 of round 5
2014-06-28: W vs. [#17FW] Jeremy Stephens (23-11-0) via UD (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
2013-07-06: W vs. [#25FW] Dennis Siver (22-10-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:24 of round 3

Last 3 Fights: Max Holloway (3-0-0)
2015-02-14: W vs. [#39FW] Cole Miller (21-9-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
2014-10-04: W vs. [#71FW] Akira Corassani (12-6-0) via KO (Punches) in 3:11 of round 1
2014-08-23: W vs. [#38FW] Clay Collard (14-5-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:47 of round 3

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Cub Swanson 147, Max Holloway 63
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Cub Swanson leads 1-0
.
Keep Reading

Ah, Fight Pass.  The red-headed stepchild of the UFC broadcasting family.  At this point it’s pretty clear that since I am only considering live UFC fights and not the additional content that Fight Pass has to offer, the value will not be worth the subscription price.  Especially with Fox Sports 1 gobbling up Fight Pass-worthy cards such as Maia-LaFlare, and sometimes even showing the lowest of the prelims, e.g. Fight Night 63.

This leads us into the first Fight Pass-exclusive event of the year: UFC Fight Night 64, live from Krakow, Poland.  As these cards usually tend to be, it has very few recognizable names or highly ranked fighters, and is mainly designed to appeal to the local crowd.  There are usually one or two interesting fights at the top of the card, but in this case UFC decided to cap it off with one of the most pointless rematches in the history of the organization.

Main Event: [#23 HW] Gabriel Gonzaga vs  [#27 HW] Mirko Filipovic

Worth: $1

Why: For some odd reason, the UFC match makers really love rematches.  After all, if the first fight between the two fighters was great, why not do it again, right?  While sometimes a rematch makes all the sense in the world, unfortunately this is not one of those instances, because in 2015 this fight makes no sense at all.

When these two first met at UFC 70 back in 2007, Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic was near the very top of the heavyweight heap. Fresh off winning the Pride 2006 open-weight Gran Prix, capped off by a knockout win over Wanderlei Silva and a TKO stoppage of Josh Barnett, Cro Cop was  ranked #2 in the division, and predicted by most fans to run over the UFC heavyweights when he joined the promotion.  Despite scoring a first-round TKO against a deer-in-the-headlights Eddie Sanchez, Mirko looked a bit tentative in his UFC debut.  This was attributed to the infamous ‘Octagon jitters’ and he was still on a collision course with then champion Randy Couture – until Gabriel Gonzaga spoiled his plans with a bit of ground-and-pound followed up by the kick heard around the world.

Defeating Cro Cop with his own biggest weapon marked one of the most memorable, jaw dropping finishes in history of the sport.  The win secured a title shot for Gonzaga, and marked the begging of Mirko’s decline: though he went 8-6 with 1 NC since then, he has never again beaten an elite opponent.  Gabriel Gonzaga hasn’t fared much better, amassing an 8-8 record with his biggest win coming over Ben Rothwell in 2013, after a very brief retirement.  It’s very unlikely to expect a Mark Hunt-like late career resurrection from the 40-year-old Mirko, and just as unlikely that Gonzaga will ever be more than a gatekeeper for the elite: though at 35 he might have a few more good years left in his career, his lack of conditioning, porous striking defense, questionable chin, and non-existent game planning cancel out his world class grappling and immense striking power.  Cro Cop, on the other hand, is still essentially a one-dimensional striker who complains about his dislike for elbow strikes in MMA and thinks that the ground game should be limited in the UFC.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Gonzaga takes it based on age advantage, psychological advantage from the first fight, and besides that simply having more ways to win.  But really no matter how this fight goes, anything short of a flying gogoplata will be a disappointment compared to the outcome of their first bout.  I understand that Mirko wants to end his career in the UFC and avenge the most brutal loss he has suffered, but would much prefer both fighters to face someone else.  Sometimes it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie, and let old fight results stand.  There was no need for a do-over in this one, and I have very little interest in seeing it.

Keep Reading

Heavyweight (265)
[#23] Gabriel Gonzaga (16-9-0, -167) vs. [#27] Mirko Filipovic (30-11-2, +139)
Mirko Filipovic is the All-Time #8 ranked Heavyweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Gabriel Gonzaga (1-2-0)
2014-12-13: L vs. [#13HW+] Matt Mitrione (9-3-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:59 of round 1
2014-01-25: L vs. [#9HW+] Stipe Miocic (12-2-0) via UD (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
2013-10-19: W vs. [#33HW+] Shawn Jordan (17-6-0) via KO (Punches) in 1:33 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Mirko Filipovic (2-1-0)
2014-12-31: W vs. [#73HW+] Satoshi Ishii (12-4-1) via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) in 5:00 of round 2
2014-08-23: W vs. [#73HW+] Satoshi Ishii (12-4-1) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 2:37 of round 2
2013-11-08: L vs. [#15HW+] Alexey Oleinik (55-9-1) via Submission (Neck Crank) in 4:42 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Gabriel Gonzaga 119, Mirko Filipovic 101
Previous Match-up Record: Gabriel Gonzaga leads 1-0-0
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.

Light Heavyweight (205)
[#17] Jan Blachowicz (18-3-0, +136) vs. [#18] Jimi Manuwa (14-1-0, -165)

Last 3 Fights: Jan Blachowicz (3-0-0)
2014-10-04: W vs. [#30LHW] Ilir Latifi (9-4-0) via TKO (Kick to the Body and Punches) in 1:58 of round 1
2013-03-16: W vs. [#39LHW] Goran Reljic (14-4-0) via UD ()
2012-09-15: W vs. [#82LHW] Houston Alexander (16-11-1) via UD ()

Last 3 Fights: Jimi Manuwa (2-1-0)
2014-03-08: L vs. [#6LHW] Alexander Gustafsson (16-3-0) via TKO (Knee and Punches) in 1:18 of round 2
2013-10-26: W vs. [#24LHW] Ryan Jimmo (19-4-0) via TKO (Leg Injury) in 4:41 of round 2
2013-02-16: W vs. [*] Cyrille Diabate (19-10-1) via TKO (Retirement) in 5:00 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Jan Blachowicz 189, Jimi Manuwa 399
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.

Middleweight (185)
[#103] Garreth McLellan (12-2-0, +113) vs. [#165WW] Bartosz Fabinski (11-2-0, -147)

Last 3 Fights: Garreth McLellan (3-0-0)
2014-08-30: W vs. [#327MW] Dricus Du Plessis (5-1-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in ? of round 3
2014-03-27: W vs. [#354MW] J.P. Kruger (6-2-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in ? of round 1
2013-10-10: W vs. [#664WW] Jeremy Smith (8-3-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 0:00 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Bartosz Fabinski (3-0-0)
2014-10-18: W vs. [#457WW] Alik Tseiko (7-4-0) via SD ()
2014-06-08: W vs. [#821MW] Alexey Repalov (6-6-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 1:54 of round 1
2014-05-09: W vs. [#366MW] Gregor Herb (14-8-0) via UD ()

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Garreth McLellan 224, Bartosz Fabinski 175
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.
Keep Reading