UFC 152 Main Card Recap

Jones applying the fight ending Americana on Belfort (Photo by bleacherreport.com)

Cub Swanson vs. Charles Oliveira: This was one of the fights that people we're looking forward to the most. Both of these guys have recently hit their stride in their careers and were looking to make themselves top title contenders at 145 pounds. Oliveira took Swanson down early but Cub has a highly underrated ground game. He got up almost instantly and started to land some solid shots on Oliveira. He eventually landed a sick liver punch that stunned "Do Bronx". He followed it with a monstrous overhand right. It took a second, but Oliveira eventually fell down unconscious. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if it turned out he got a broken orbital bone and was unable to continue.

Possible matchups for Swanson: This win easily makes Cub a top-10 featherweight. Three (T)KO's over 3 really good fighters equals at least top-10 status, if not top-7 or 5. A top fighter that has yet to rebound from his most recent loss is BJJ expert and Japanese star, Hatsu Hioki. Due to the fact that Hioki is still a top-10 featherweight, he will continue to fight top-10 featherweights. If Cub can continue his hot streak against Hatsu Hioki, he could even receive a title shot afterwards.

Possible matchups or Oliveira: Despite the fact that all of his losses in the UFC have come in the first round, you have to remember, Charles Oliveira is only 22 years old still. He still has a lot of time to grow and to mature as q person, not just a fighter. Another fighter that is also just 22 years old is Justin Lawrence. He is coming off a brutal TKO loss at the hands of arguably the most promising fighter in MMA, Max Holloway. Therefore, they are both looking for rebound fights, and this fight could very well be awesome.

Matt Hamill vs. Roger Hollett: Sigh, I really, really don't want to talk about this fight. Absolute garbage. Hollett had no business being in the Octagon. His standup is rudimentary, his wrestling is weak, and he has no submission skills. Like I said, he has no business in the Octagon. Hamill should retire now that he has that last win and Hollet should be immediately cut, if that isn't already clear.

Michael Bisping vs. Brian Stann: I have to admit, this fight surprised in more ways than one. The main thing that surprised me was the fact that Brian Stann did so well. He easily won the first round, which was something that I really didn't expect. When Stann landed that huge right hand at the end of the first that almost finished Bisping, I went crazy and so did the Toronto crowd surrounding me. After that though, Bisping utilized his highly underrated wrestling to land some huge double legs and score a tough unanimous decision win. Brian Stann did a lot better than people were expecting.

Possible matchups for Bisping: I felt that Bisping would dominate this fight and earn a title shot against Anderson Silva. Bisping wasn’t impressive enough. It's too bad though, because Bisping has been doing so well and has been with the UFC for so long. The fight that honestly makes the most sense at this point is Bisping fighting the winner of Chris Weidman and Tim Boestch. That winner will get their shot at Silva.

Possible matchups for Stann: Brian Stann looked great against Bisping. Seriously looked awesome. You could possible even make a case for a decision win for him. He is still one of the top middleweights in the UFC. If Bisping fights the winner of Weidman and Boestch, Stann should fight the loser.

Demetrious Johnson vs. Joseph Benavidez: This fight could end up going down in history as the most underrated fight of all time. I personally thought that this fight was amazing. The technical prowess was incredible, the mistakes were few and far apart, the action was constant, and the speed was blinding. Joseph Benavidez was the highly favored fighter heading into this championship bout and was even in the top-10 of most people's Pound-for-Pound list. I thought that Benavidez would dominate everywhere that the fight went. I thought he had superior striking, wrestling, and submissions. The one thing that I didn't take into account was the speed advantage in which Johnson would have. He would easily go in and out with strikes and dodge Benavidez' attacks. I scored every round for Johnson minus the 3rd round. That round, Benavidez almost finished Johnson with a mounted guillotine. But Johnson used amazing defense as he did this sweep I have never seen before, maybe cricket legs or something. Anyway, Johnson looked amazing and he deserves to be the first ever UFC flyweight champion more than anyone.

Possible matchups for Johnson: Now that he has the belt, he needs to defend it against the best (obviously). John Dodson and Jussier da Silva are fighting at UFC on FX 5. That fight has to be a number one contenders bout.

Possible matchups for Benavidez: The final decision for the championship fight was a split decision, even though I thought Johnson definitely won the fight. The Team Alpha Male fighter should be immediately put in a number one contenders bout with Ian McCall. That fight would be a brawl.

Jon Jones vs. Vitor Belfort: Who would have ever thought that the biggest underdog to fight Jones would actually be the fighter that came the closest to beating him? The 30-45 seconds in which Vitor had that armbar, the arena went absolutely bonkers. There were a couple Brazilian guys in front of us and I thought they were going to go insane. The armbar was so close to finishing the fight that his arm was actually cracking and popping, but Jones showed something that we have yet to see from him (mainly because there was never an opportunity) and that was the heart of a champion. Most fighters would tap out if they felt that their arm was breaking. But once Jones shook his way out of the armbar, he started to dominate the fight. Vitor kept on pulling guard, much to the Brazilian fans in front of us' chagrin, and it added to our confusion. He did it again in the 4th round and was almost immediately submitted by an Americana that looked like his arm was about to be ripped off. Jones truly is one of the best fighters in the world and of all time.

Possible matchups for Jones: This is the next big question. Who is the next number one contender at light heavyweight? Dana announced that Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida have to fight one more time before they get a crack at the 205 belt. But the next big light heavyweight fight that is coming up is between Alexander Gustafsson and Shogun Rua. I feel that the winner of that should fight Jones.

Possible matchups for Belfort: I really highly doubt that Vitor will stay at 205. He was really starting to hit his stride down at 185. Before he accepted his fight with Jones, he was scheduled to fight Wanderlei Silva but had to pull out due to an injury. Although the fight doesn't make sense, it didn’t before and I think that fight could be extremely fun.

For Prelim Recap click here

UFC 152 Prelim Recap

Vinny subbing Igor (Photo by bloodyelbow.com)

UFC 152 was one of the best events of this year. With upsets, brutal KOs, slick submissions, and bloody all out wars aplenty; UFC 152 fired on all cylinders. There are some big matchups to make after such a huge event, so let us dive in.

Charlie Brenneman vs. Kyle Noke: The opener on this card was a quick and surprising one. Noke was becoming one of the more promising fighters to come from the 11th season of the TUF. Following two more wins cemented that fact but he then ran into Andrew Craig and Ed Herman. I felt that a drop down to welterweight was a smart idea. But when the UFC announced that Brenneman would welcome him back I felt that Brenneman would easily out grapple him en route to a unanimous decision win. Noke's standup looked improved by leaps and bounds, and it showed through his 40 second TKO victory over "The Spaniard". Some would say it was a premature stoppage, but Brenneman went limp more than once. He will most likely be released following this loss, as it was his 3rd in his last 4 fights.

Possible matchups for Noke: The Australian looked amazing on Saturday. He is typically pegged as a grappler but his striking looked crisp and powerful. Claude Patrick still hasn't had his next fight announced and this fight could prove to be a good grappling match, or even an underrated standup fight.

Walel Watson vs. Mitch Gagnon: These guys are two promising fighters that came out to tonight to prove a point following their recent losses. Watson had a clear reach advantage that he was looking to utilize, but wasn't able to. Mitch countered a superman punch of Watson's and dropped him. Mitch followed it up with some nasty ground and pound from the back. Once Watson nearly made it to his feet, Gagnon literally dragged him to the ground with a choke. It wasn't necessarily technical, but it was pretty awesome. Gagnon cinched up the RNC in only 69 seconds. The Canadian really got the crowd going then. Sadly, this is the 3rd loss in a row for "The Gazelle" and his release is inevitable.

Possible matchups for Gagnon: Two of the most promising bantamweights in the UFC right now are both Gagnon and Chico Camus. Camus was an underdog in his UFC debut against Dustin Pague and he dominated that fight. A fight between the two could be a fight of the night and would show us who's ready for a step up.

Seth Baszynski vs. Simeon Thoreson: Simeon Thoreson was another rising prospect on the UFC 152 card. He was really utilizing his reach advantage over Seth and was winning the standup. But, MMA is the most unpredictable sport in the world and Seth landed an uppercut and dropped the Norway native and finished him off with a couple more punches. Thoreson was unconscious for awhile but this will be a big learning experience for him.

Possible matchups for Baszynski: Seth Baszynski was asking for a top 15 welterweight following his last win over Lance Benoist. I thought it was time for him to take a step up and Thoreson isn't really a step up from Benoist. John Maguire and John Hathaway are fighting this coming Saturday and the winner of that will most likely become a top 15. Baszynski should fight the winner of that.

Possible matchups for Thoreson: Is was too bad to see such a promising fighter be completely knocked unconscious like that, but I'm sure it will be a huge learning experience. Another welterweight who is coming off a loss is Kenny Robertson. Simeon could easily win this fight if he took it to the ground. 

Jimy Hettes vs. Marcus Brimage: This fight was the second most surprising to me. I, and many others, believed that Hettes was going to easily just wipe the floor with Brimage. Brimage easily won the fight from beginning to end, minus the second round. Marcus landed some solid shots that would put most middleweights out but Hettes showed off one of the best chins we’ve seen in some time. Brimage also showed an improved ground game as he escaped some really close submission attempts. Brimage ultimately won two of three rounds and proved he is both one of the most promising prospects in MMA and one of the most underrated fighters in the world.

Possible matchups for Brimage: As I just said, Brimage is possibly the most underrated fighter in MMA today. He was a massive underdog in his last two fights and won them both. How can we count him out anymore? Max Holloway is another fighter that really deserves a step up but with both of these guys on their way up the ranks, a fight between the two would show who's ready for that step.

Possible matchups for Hettes: Despite this loss, Hettes still has a lot of time to grow and can still become a great fighter. His main problem is his standup. It's very bad. His ground game is fantastic but his standup is atrocious. He needs a fight to rebound and Cody McKenzie is just the fighter to do that.

Sean Pierson vs. Lance Benoist: Although this fight wasn't particularly great, it was nice to see the Canadian get the win in his hometown. Pierson had a clear boxing advantage which was shown right off the bat. Benoist had a lot of trouble trying to get inside and land some shots. The only time he was really able to do that was in the third, and he actually almost won the fight. Benoist was dangerously close to making a great comeback but Pierson is a vet and a tough SOB and maintained composure until the final bell.

Possible matchups for Pierson: Originally, Pierson was slated to fight the elder Miller brother, Dan. But, fortunately (yes, fortunately) Dan Miller pulled out of the fight due to his son getting a successful kidney transplant. All the best to his family! Anyway, this fight still makes perfect sense.

Possible matchups for Benoist: This is a second decision loss for Benoist now under the UFC banner. He's starting to cut it close to being released by the promotion. It's a shame because he is a promising young fighter. Rich Attonito still has yet to have his next fight set up so once he heals from his most recent injury, these two guys should try and rebound from their most recent losses.

TJ Grant vs. Evan Dunham: I really felt that this fight was going to be a rather boring grappling affair. Whoever would have expected this fight to be one of the best slugfests so far this year. From the very beginning, Grant was the aggressor and was constantly throwing knees and crazy flurries and Dunham tried to counter them with punches but wasn't exactly having the best of luck. Dunham did get takedowns at the end of each round but I felt that Grant did enough in the standup to win at least two of the three rounds. It was quite the bloodbath.

Possible matchups for Grant: Grant has been one of the more underrated fighters under the Zuffs banner. Constantly a top 20 or 15 fighter, Grant finally showed everyone why he is a solid fighter and has really hit his stride as a lightweight. Another one of the most underrated fighters in the world is Rafael dos Anjos. These guys should fight and the winner would get a top-10 lightweight.

Possible matchups for Dunham: This was a really tough loss for Dunham. It was a close, bloody war and he was on the losing end of it. Another fighter coming off of a tough decision loss is Anthony Njokuani. They both need rebound fights and this would be a fun striker versus grappler matchup.

Igor Pokrajac vs. Vinny Magalhaes: There was a lot of hype formed around Vinny's return to the UFC. After his release, he went on to become the M-1 light heavyweight champ and had a few amazing submission wins, including the highly rare gogoplata. Pokrajac is a stiff test for anyone but Vinny made it look easy. He won the first round with his highly superior BJJ game. But in the second round, Pokrajac oddly took Vinny down and walked right into an armbar. Now, when the armbar happened live, I thought it was nice, but I didn't realize the detail in it. When it showed a better angle, I actually got chills from just how amazing that armbar was. The sweep... Oh man, it's hard to put into words the amount of intricacies was in that submission. Vinny was seriously screwed out of a "Submission of the Night" bonus.

Possible matchups for Magalhaes: With this win, Vinny is instantly one of the top-15 guys in the UFC's light heavyweight division. Not a lot of people were able to do what Vinny was able to do to Igor. Brandon Vera was just in a potential number one contenders bout with Shogun and he actually did really good. These guys should fight and the winner should get a top-10 fighter.

Possible matchups for Pokrajac: "The Duke" was on an impressive 3 fight winning streak and it was snapped by an armbar (sorry, I hate puns too). He is still a very talented fighter but he definitely went down rankings with this loss. Chad Griggs and Cyrille Diabate are fighting soon so Igor should fight the winner of this fight.

For the Main Card Recap click here

UFC 152 50% off Ticket Giveaway!!!

We have an extra ticket for Saturday’s fights. It is only $120 which is half off the original price paid. The seat is in section 104, so the seat is amazing! You will be sitting with us, the writers of CR!

If you want the ticket contact us in the comments section! We will accept cash only (no change, exact amount only). We will be getting there very early so, if you can’t make it on time (5:30pm) then don’t bother.

Once it is all settled we will let you know where to meet us at Air Canada Centre.

You only have one day to let us know and we already have people interested so hurry up!!

(FYI once it is sold we will let you all know on here)

MMA Light Heavyweight Rankings: September Edition

As we at CR continue our rankings, we head into one of the most stacked divisions in MMA led by the polarizing Jon Jones: light heavyweight. The weight class is filled with legends and very promising prospects that could be champions for a long time. Let’s check it out.

10. Rampage Jackson - Rampage is an interesting man, to say the least. But let’s not focus on the negative but rather the positive. He is one of the best fighters of all time. I don’t like the guy, but it’s true, how can you deny it? He was a Pride legend and is also a UFC legend. If it weren’t for his poor relationship with Dana, he would be a shoe-in for the Hall-of-Fame.

Photo va MMAJunkie.com

9. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira - The smaller of the MMA legend twins that are the Nogueira brothers has been rocky since entering the UFC. He entered with a dominating TKO victory over Luiz Cane and followed with a very controversial win over Jason Brilz. He ended up losing to two wrestling powerhouses in Ryan Bader and Phil Davis. But with his last win via 1^st round destruction over Tito Ortiz; he’s looking to make it towards a title shot.

8. Ryan Bader - “Darth” is an awesome wrestler. He reminds of Chuck Liddell with his great wrestling and incredible overhand right. Although he was absolutely destroyed by Lyoto Machida in his last fight, his last win over Rampage still has him up there as a top guy.

Photo via MMAWeekly.com

7. Phil Davis - “Mr. Wonderful” is still one of the most promising fighters in the UFC. His first two fights under the Zuffa banner were a dominating decision over Brian Stann and a first round submission over Alexander Gustafsson. He then followed that with wins over Rodney Wallace, Tim Boetsch, and ‘Lil Nogueira. Despite his boring decision loss to Rashad Evans, he will still be challenging for the title in the next two years.

Photo by MMAJunkie.com

6. Alexander Gustafsson - Speaking of Mr. Gustafsson, since that loss to “Mr. Wonderful”, he has become a star in the UFC and one of the top guys to beat Jon Jones. His standup is vicious and his ground game underrated, which was shown in his Matt Hamill win. His next fight against Shogun is definitely a number one contenders match.

5. Mauricio Rua - Shogun is an awesome fighter. He is the perfect example of a Pride fighter. Always fighting to the bitter end and when he has the chance to finish, he finishes brutally. I truly hope he is inducted into the Hall-of-Fame and a win over Gustafsson could cement that.

4. Lyoto Machida – For those of you who don’t know, Lyoto Machida is my favorite fighter currently fighting (my all time being Cro Cop). His last win over Ryan Bader is a perfect example why. He is so amazing to watch, simply mesmerizing. He dodges and the opponent misses by an inch, he then knocks you out instantly. It’s truly incredible. There are rumors circulating that he and Dan Henderson will be fighting in a 1 contenders match.

3. Dan Henderson – Henderson is another one of the perfect examples of a Pride fighter. His last fight with Shogun is one of the greatest fights of all time and will most likely be in the top-3 fights of all time, forever, quite honestly. If Dan Henderson isn’t inducted into the Hal-of-Fame, there shall be a riot, and if there isn’t one, I will start one. The guy is a natural middleweight and knocked out the greatest heavyweight of all time (Fedor) in the first round. I mean, that’s pretty ridiculous.

Photo by MMAJunkie.com

2. Rashad Evans – What makes Rashad ranked over Dan is the fact that he has done the best against Jon Jones. He won the first round in most people’s books and went to a decision. His only other loss is to Lyoto Machida and has beaten so many top contenders recently its crazy. Rashad is also one of the most well rounded fighters in MMA. A drop down to 185 could prove to be an amazing choice.

1. Jon Jones – Joe Rogan said it perfectly; Jon Jones could very well be the greatest talent we have ever seen in the UFC. No one has been able to hurt him. The worst anyone has done was when Machida had him backpedaling twice in the first round. Sure, he’s cocky, but he has a reason to be.

So what do you guys think? Let us know in the comments on what you either agreed or disagreed on.

UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort Predictions

We are going to this event live and the weigh-ins so be ready for some extra coverage! And let us know what your predictions are!

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Jon Jones vs. Vitor Belfort: What a crazy ride it’s been! But here we are with Jones vs. Belfort and we get to see it live! I’m pumped to see Jones fight live again. I can see myself telling my kids when they are grown that I saw Jones fight live (at least twice) and met him (at least 3 times). I think he can become one of the top 3 biggest legends of our sport and it’s a privilege to see him live. I think Belfort has the same chance to win this as anyone else Jones has faced and that is a big overhand bomb landing. But if Anthony Johnson can outwrestle Belfort then Jones will throw him around like a ragdoll. I see Jones taking him down and finishing it there. I love Vitor and it is a honor to watch him live but this will be ugly. = Jones by KO in round 1. My Pick for KO of the Night!

Joseph Benavidez vs. Demetrious Johnson: Oh baby! This is the fight I am most pumped about. I have absolutely loved every single flyweight fight so far in the UFC and this will be the best so far. I think Benavidez will be stronger, have better striking and will be able to out grapple Johnson. I think Benavidez will win this fight and be champion for a very very very long time. = Benavidez by unanimous decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!

Michael Bisping vs. Brian Stann: What a blast this fight will be! I love Brian Stann. I met him recently and he was such a cool guy. Standing next to him, you almost feel not worthy. This guy is literally a hero in every sense of the word. He didn’t just kill our countries enemy. He had to in order to protect innocent people and in a way that sounds impossible. But anyway, I think Bisping is better than him in everyway except for punching power. Bisping could take this to the ground or out-point Stann on the feet. Stann’s only chance is a big bomb but Bisping is usually very good and avoiding those. So, I see Bisping jabbing and landing combos and Stann getting desperate and swinging for the fences and leaving openings for Bisping to land shots. I want Stann to win but I don’t see it happening. = Bisping by unanimous decision.

Matt Hamill vs. Roger Hollett: This fight is the hardest to predict for me because I don’t know a lot about Hollett and Hamill hasn’t fought in over a year due to a short-lived retirement. The fact that he left due to retirement scares me. It is one thing is it was an injury where he would still eat well and work out in any way possible. Retirement can sometimes contain sloth and gluttony. I’m sure Hamill will be prepared but it still worries me. Before his retirement Hamill fought and defeated better competition that Hollett so I am going with him. = Hamill by unanimous decision.

Charles Oliveira vs. Cub Swanson: Both of these guys have really come into their own lately. Oliveira has looked scary good lately, especially against Brookins. Cub has rebounded nicely since his lost to Ricardo Lamas with 2 straight TKO’s. Anything can happen in this fight. Oliveira is only 22 years old and that is a scary thought. I think this fight will mostly be a standup battle but Oliveira should have the advantage on the ground. I’m going with my gut on this one but anything is possible. = Oliveira by split decision.

Prelims

Vinny Magalhaes vs. Igor Pokrajac: Vinny by submission in round 3. My Pick for Submission of the Night!

Evan Dunham vs. T.J. Grant: Dunham by unanimous decision.

Lance Benoist vs. Sean Pierson: Pierson by split decision.

Marcus Brimage vs. Jim Hettes: Hettes by submission in round 1.

Seth Baczynski vs. Simeon Thoresen: Seth by unanimous decision.

Mitch Gagnon vs. Walel Watson: Gagnon by unanimous decision.

Charlie Brenneman vs. Kyle Noke: Brenneman by unanimous decision.

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Jon Jones vs. Vitor Belfort: I loved Jon Jones. I was supporting him in his Rashad fight saying he isn't as bad as people are accusing him for. I can't anymore. The whole 151 debacle had me lose lots of respect for him. I really want Vitor to win. I love Vitor and have for a very long time. He's a great human being and an MMA legend. The main problem is the wrestling aspect. Anthony Johnson was easily out wrestling Belfort and that is going to be the deciding factor. This is going to be similar to Jones vs. Matyushenko. It would be good to have Vitor win because Jones needs a GSP/Serra fight to wake him up = Jones via 1st round TKO. My pick for KOOTN!

Joseph Benavidez vs. Demetrious Johnson: This is so awesome. Seriously, I have been looking forward to the UFC having the flyweights come and this is the second best possible fight. The first would be Benavidez vs. Ian McCall for marketing reasons. But this fight is an awesome matchup. The speed in this is going to be blinding. Benavidez has the better submissions and standup. So what does that tell you? = Benavidez via unanimous decision.  My 1st pick for FOTN!

Brian Stann vs. Michael Bisping: This is going to be a war! I'm very excited for this. Michael Bisping is, sadly, better than Stann in every aspect of MMA. His standup is crisper and more technical; while Stann holds some devastating power in both of his hands. Sure, Michael Bisping was KO'd by Dan Henderson, but Stann isn't a Dan Henderson. Bisping is going to dominate this fight and most likely earn a title shot vs. Silva = Bisping via unanimous decision. My 2nd pick for FOTN!

Matt Hamill vs. Roger Hollett: I agree with Dave on the fact that this fight is very hard to pick. Hollett is a promising prospect and Hamill is coming out of retirement. Hamill was a wrestling powerhouse but was dominated in his last two fights. Hollett is very promising and I think he's going to win with superior striking = Hollett via split decision.

Cub Swanson vs. Charles Oliveira: It's great to see these two guys making there way up to title contention. Oliveira is looking like an elite fighter since his drop down to 145. His reach is devastating for the weight class and his ground game is world class. Seriously. His last two submissions can be considered for SOTY, especially the calf slicer over Eric Wisely. Cub Swanson's standup has also looked world class lately, but Oliveira should be able to take it to the ground and finish it = Oliveira via 2nd round submission. My pick for SOTN!

Prelims
Vinny Magalhaes vs. Igor Pokrajac: Vinny via 1st round submission.
Evan Dunham vs. T.J. Grant: Dunham by unanimous decision.
Lance Benoist vs. Sean Pierson: Benoist by split decision.
Marcus Brimage vs. Jim Hettes: Hettes via 2nd round submission. My 3rd pick for FOTN!
Seth Baczynski vs. Simeon Thoresen: Seth via split decision.
Mitch Gagnon vs. Walel Watson: Watson via split decision.
Charlie Brenneman vs. Kyle Noke: Brenneman by unanimous decision.

MMA Middleweight Rankings: September Edition

Another division that has had a long reigning champion is the middleweight division. Anderson Silva is the king but let us check out the whole division.

Alan Belcher (Photo my MMAjunkie.com)

10. Alan Belcher – Belcher has had an up and down career that seemed to be over when he suffered detached retinas. But he overcame that and since that has been on a roll; most recently TKO’ing Rousimar Palhares in the 1^st round. His next fight is against Yushin Okami. A win over Okami will catapult him up the rankings and bring him closer to that title shot.

Brian Stann (Photo by MMAjunkie.com)

9. Brian Stann – The war hero with a ton of power in his punches is coming off a big KO win of Alessio Sakara. That win earned him a #1 contender match against Michael Bisping; which takes place this Saturday (September 22^nd) and we get to see this one live. If Stann wins he will most likely fight Anderson due to how well that fight would sell in America.

Mark Munoz (Photo by MMAjunkie.com)

8. Mark Munoz – Munoz is one of my favorite fighters. However, he is coming off of a humiliating loss to #2 Chris Weidman. Munoz was utterly destroyed (thanks to a late stoppage by the ref) and it was so bad I looked away. However, Munoz is an OSU man and they have the hearts of lions and will come back strong. Munoz can beat almost anyone at 185 and I can’t wait to see him back in there.

Luke Rockhold (Photo by Fight! Magaxine)

7. Luke Rockhold – Rockhold has not lost since 2007 and has looked unbeatable since joining Strikeforce. He is coming off of a huge win over Tim Kennedy and is going to defend his title again in November against Lorenz Larkin. Rockhold should be able to submit him without a hitch.

Time Boetsch (Photo by MMAjunkie.com)

6. Tim Boetsch – What is going on? “The Barbarian” is not only back in the UFC, not only dropped down to 185 but is beating the best of the best at 185. So, weird but so awesome. Boetsch is a blast to watch (except his last fight). I am very happy to see him doing so well. He is coming off of two huge wins over top #15 middleweights Hector Lombard and Yushin Okami. He now has a date against #2 Chris Weidman; which will certainly be the hardest fight of his life. However if he wins he will certainly fight for the title setting up a true Hollywood style career comeback.

Michael Bisping (Photo by mmaweekly.com)

5. Michael Bisping – “The Count” is the most underrated fighter in the UFC. The guy has a very technical and advanced boxing game and an exceptionally underrated ground game. He has an amazing 12-4 UFC record and is coming off an extremely close decision loss to Chael Sonnen that many people thought he won (including us here at CR). He has a #1 contender match this Saturday against #9 Brian Stann. If he wins that he will meet Anderson Silva.

Vitor Belfort (Photo by mmaweekly.com)

4. Vitor Belfort – The legend has stepped up to the plate and will be facing #1 light heavyweight Champion Jon Jones this Saturday in Toronto. I cannot wait to see this fight live and in person. What a whirlwind of craziness to have this fight happen. But if Vitor wins it will be one of the biggest upsets of all time. But Vitor will have the fan support and he feeds off of that. If he wins he will be light heavyweight champ again, reclaiming the belt for the first time since 2004.

Chael Sonnen (Photo by MMAjunkie.com)

3. Chael Sonnen – The loud mouth is now 2-2 in his last 4 fights with one of them being a highly controversial win over #5 Michael Bisping. Granted both those losses are to the best fighter alive in any sport. But with the way he talks you would think he was 45-0 in MMA. But Sonnen decided to move up to light heavyweight and will be fighting Forrest Griffin in December which will not help his career at all.

Chris Weidman (Photo by MMAjunkie.com)

2. Chris Weidman – possibly the most exciting prospect in the UFC, Weidman has been straight up destroying everyone in his path. He is 9-0 with 3 wins by (T)KO, 3 by submission and 3 by decision; which shows you he is versatile and can fight smart. He is coming off a humongous win over #8 Mark Munoz and has earned himself a #1 contender’s match against #6 Tim Boetsch  in December.

Anderson Silva (Photo by MMAjunkie.com)

1. Anderson Silva – What can you say about this guy? He is the best fighter who ever lived in any combat sport. No one can touch him but it will be interesting to see #2 Chris Weidman fight him. But until he is dethroned he will be #1 for yet another 6 years.

185 is at a very interesting time! So what do you guys think? Let us know in the comments on what you either agreed on or disagreed on.