MFC Continues Roster Expansion; Castillo vs. Southern Added to 36th Event

David Castillo (left) lands a left hook on Ricky Musgrave (right).
Photo via Sherdog.com 

The Maximum Fighting Championships continue their major additions to the roster with two new signings to their already stacked lightweight division.

Kurt Southern, a 10-3 Canadian prospect, was signed to a multi-fight contract with the Canadian promotion a few weeks back. He is a very welcome addition as he brings a very dangerous ground game and a very promising future to the MFC.

Southern’s debut will not be against an easy opponent though. David Castillo, a 30 year old veteran who holds wins over Gordon Bell and John Gunderson, also signed a multi-fight deal with MFC. He also trains out of Elite Performance with UFC vets like Jason Brilz, DaMarques Johnson, Travis Wiuff, and MMA legend Jeremy Horn.

Castillo brings one of the more impressive records to the ever-growing Maximum Fighting Championships with 22 fights and a 16-5 record. He’s won 6 of his last 9 fights and is coming off of a 3^rd round TKO loss to UFC vet and Alpha Male product in Justin Buchholz.

Southern, on the other hand, is riding a three fight win streak, including a first round submission win over Mukai Moromo, who will be fighting for the vacant lightweight title on the same card.

David Castillo vs. Kurt Southern is bound to produce fireworks wherever the fight goes as they both provide a well-rounded MMA game. The winner could also be granted a title shot against the winner of Mukai Moromo and Graham Spencer.

Castillo/Southern will be opening the main card of MFC 36 on February 15^th live on AXS TV. 

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UFC on Fuel TV 5 Prelim Recap

Gunnar Nelson finishing DaMarques Johnson

The UFC continues to deliver on their smallest scale of fight nights on the obscure Fuel TV. This event had brutal knockouts, slick submissions, big upsets, and the emergence of some extremely promising fighters. Fuel TV continues to deliver exciting UFC events, which is sad because no one is really watching these fights. Anyway, let’s head into this event and take a look at some possible matchups for the winners and losers of this event.

Robbie Peralta vs. Jason Young: There isn’t much to say about this fight. It only lasted 23 brutal seconds. Peralta went out there and put his hands on him instantly. He landed a huge right hand and dropped “Shotgun”. A few punches followed and Young was as unconscious as unconscious gets. Peralta has emerged as a highly underrated contender at 145 pounds. And with this, Young is now 1-3 in the UFC, leading to the inevitable pink slip.

Possible matchups for Peralta: Peralta showed on Saturday that he has some of the best power for 145-pounds. He has a solid ground game that is overlooked as well. Another fighter who has similar skills, with technical boxing and a solid ground game, Nam Phan is coming off of a huge win over Cole Miller, a fight in which he easily outpointed the much larger Cole. This fight would show who is ready for that big step up in competition.

DaMarques Johnson vs. Gunnar Nelson: Gunnar Nelson’s UFC debut was one of the most anticipated UFC debuts in years. Many consider him to be the future of MMA as he sports a highly refined all around mixed martial arts arsenal. His first round submission win over DaMarques Johnson showed exactly why he is such a hyped fighter. He started out with an unorthodox karate stance, much to that of Lyoto Machida, and landed a nice headkick in the opening seconds. He then took him down and slowly worked his way to the back of Johnson and into a rear naked choke. It was a flawless performance and the sky is truly the limit of the 24-year-old Iceland native. And sadly, with this being the third loss in a row in which he was finished, DaMarques Johnson has to be done.

Possible matchups for Nelson: As I just mentioned above, Gunnar Nelson is one of the most promising fighters in the UFC today. Sporting a perfect 10-0-1 record, with the one draw being his MMA debut, Nelson is ready for a huge step up. Another winner on this card whom has a very bright future in the UFC is John Hathaway. Hathaway won a highly lackluster bout against John Maguire in a fight that I have no interest in recapping. Both these guys should fight and depending on how the fight goes, it will be quite telling on the future of the welterweight division.

Brad Tavares vs. Tom Watson: This fight was screwed out of the “Fight of the Night” in my opinion. This was a back and forth brawl between two highly touted middleweight prospects, including the long awaited debut of Tom “Kong” Watson. I really felt that going into this fight that Tom Watson was going to win the standup in this fight and stop any takedowns that Tavares went for. I, including many others, was wrong and underestimated the skills of the 24-year-old Tavares. Tavares out struck Watson, using pinpoint accurate jabs and solid combinations with leg kicks and takedowns mixed in. He used a much more versatile attack that ultimately won him the split decision, although it should have been a easy unanimous decision, as I scored every round for Tavares.

Possible matchups for Tavares: I truly believe that we have found a new contender at 185. Tavares has looked better in every one of his performances. Now that he is sporting a 4-1 record with the UFC, he could even be 5-0, he is now ready for the next level of competition. Chris Leben and Karlos Vemola are fighting at UFC 155 and the winner of that should fight the ever-improving Brad Tavares.

Possible matchups for Watson: Although he gave a spirited effort, Watson thoroughly disappointed many hardcore MMA fans around the world. He had one of the most anticipated MMA debuts, and he fell flat. If he wants to stay with the UFC, he has to impress in his next fight. One fighter that has yet to have his next fight set up is Clifford Starks, who is extremely athletic. Watson would have to win that fight to stay with the UFC.

Andy Ogle vs. Akira Corassani: Before this fight, I really disliked Akira. After this fight, I vehemently dislike him. He is an extremely dirty fighter, like a seriously grimy person. Not only that, but Goddard didn't even warn him on anything. It was enraging. Corassani lands a groin shot, head butt, highly illegal soccer kick that no one is talking about, and a huge haymaker that dropped Ogle that was thrown way after the bell. The guy is gross. And on top of all this, I scored the fight an easy 29-28 for Ogle. Akira ended up winning by split decision. Enraging is the perfect word to sum up this fight. Akira didn't deserve this win; Andy Ogle did. 

Possible matchups for Corassani: I have no interest in to where Akira goes. Cool, he has powerful standup, but his ground game and cardio sucks. Milton Vieira is coming off of a draw to Felipe Arantes. I want Vieira to go and submit him instantly.

Possible matchups for Ogle: I really hope that the UFC doesn't release Andy. He really got screwed with this loss. I thought he easily won. I think a fight with Cole Miller would be really fun.

Kyle Kingsbury vs. Jimi Manuwa: Jimi Manuwa was one of the many fighters making their UFC debut under a ton of hype. He both highly impressed and didn't. Although the first round was most likely a 10-8 for "The Posterboy", he was easily out grappled in the beginning of the opening frame. But once Manuwa made it to his feet, he lit up Kyle Kingsbury so bad that Kyle looked like Sloth from "The Goonies". It was both disgusting and hilarious. Manuwa seemed to have gassed out midway through the second round, so it was probably a lucky break that the fight was stopped after the second round. Kingsbury's eye was completely closed shut. This is now the third decisive loss in a row for Kingsbury, it's a shame but he will most likely receive his walking papers from the UFC.

Possible matchups for Manuwa: It's always a good thing to start off with an impressive debut over a solid veteran in the UFC. Although Jimi Manuwa gave us the formula for which you defeat him, take him down and smother, he still showed some of the best power in the light heavyweight division. He seems to be he perfect fighter to set up exciting matchups. Igor Pokrajac is coming off of a submission loss to Vinny Magalhaes and a fight with Manuwa would be an absolute slugfest.

Main card recap here.

UFC on Fox 4 Main Card Recap

The Dragon is back.
Photo by MMAFighting.com

The fourth event that the UFC has held was the most underwhelming on paper leading up to it. It ended up as one of the better events the sport has had in some time. With all of the main card fights being finished and two of them being absolute wars. Not only is this the type of event that you would show to haters of the sport, but also it just happened to be shown on one of the most watched channels in the world. Joe Silva and Sean Shelby knew what they were doing with the matchups on this card.

Possible matchups for Swick: Swick is back, although the first round wasn’t all that great for, now that he has the first fight under his belt, Swick will be much better in his second outing. Thiago Alves is still looking for an opponent in his next fight and Swick’s win certainly put him back up in the upper echelon of 170 pounds.

Mike Swick vs. DaMarques Johnson: After 2.5 years from fighting, Mike Swick finally made his return after a string of nearly career ending injuries. His ring rust wasn’t evident through the first minute of the fight as he was continually rocking Johnson with punches. DaMarques got the fight to the ground and easily won the first round after nearly being finished. Swick came out much stronger in the 2nd and knocked out Johnson after a takedown. Swick followed it up with one of the more emotional post fight interviews as he was in tears asking if we remembered him. Yes we do.

Possible matchups for Swick: Swick is back, although the first round wasn’t all that great for him, he now has that first fight under his belt, Swick will be much better in his second outing. Thiago Alves is still looking for an opponent in his next fight and Swick’s win certainly put him back up in the upper echelon of 170 pounds.

Possible matchups for Johnson: Johnson is undoubtedly close to being released. If he wants to stay with the UFC, he should fight Chris Clements who is also coming off a loss if he wants to keep his job.

Joe Lauzon vs. Jamie Varner: This fight is easily in the lead for Fight of the Year. Jamie Varner nearly finished Lauzon in the first round more than once but Lauzon came back in the second, which was the round that they swung for the fences. They connected on each other multiple times and the ground game was back and forth as they consistently swept each other. Eventually in an amazing scramble, Lauzon caught Varner in a triangle to finish the fight. The fight was amazing and was the perfect fight to show to millions of new viewers to the sport.

Possible matchups for Lauzon: Lauzon’s cardio looked great in this fight. Typically that is his Achilles heel and this time around, that wasn’t the case. Rafael dos Anjos is also coming off a big win over Anthony Njokuani and this fight would send the winner straight into title contention.

Possible matchups for Varner: This fight is still a win in many people’s eyes for Varner. He looked great and deserves a full fight camp against a top guy. The loser of the Cerrone/Guillard fight would make a lot of sense, especially if it’s Cerrone.

Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader: Lyoto Machida arguably has the most technical striking in all of MMA. He is so masterful and beautiful in his counter striking. This performance was absolutely incredible and that second round KO definitely solidifies a title shot.

Possible matchups for Machida: He is already announced to be fighting the winner of Dan Henderson and Jon Jones.

Possible matchups for Ryan Bader: James Te Huna is the next big thing at 205 and Ryan Bader continues to look like a gatekeeper. That fight would be great and huge fight for Te Huna.

Mauricio Rua vs. Brandon Vera: Shocking. That is the only word to sum this fight up. It’s not only shocking that Vera did so well, almost finishing Shogun in the second, but the fact that it is also a frontrunner for Fight of the Year. I personally expected this fight to be rather boring. It was anything but. Vera realized that this was his fight to lose and he came out with a fire in his eyes. He came out as the old Brandon Vera, the one people considered to be the next champion in more than one weight class simultaneously, and he showed more heart than the average UFC champion. Although they both showed cardio issues, they looked amazing and they both showed why they are considered title contenders. Truly shocking.

Possible matchups for Shogun: The fight that everyone has been talking about is Shogun vs. Alexander Gustafsson as a number 1 contender’s match. Yes please.

Possible matchups for Vera: When Vera originally came back to the UFC, there were talks of him and Thiago Silva having a rematch. If Brandon Vera could come out to that fight the same way he did for this fight, he would most likely win.

Click here for the prelim recap.

UFC on Fox 4: Shogun vs. Vera Predictions

UFC on Fox 4

Sam's Picks
Main Card

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Brandon Vera: The fact that the UFC made this the main event of a Fox card is just plain bizarre. The last time that Vera won against anyone who was anywhere near close to be considered a title contender was an out of shape, just recovered from a major motorcycle accident, and nervous Frank Mir. That was back at UFC 65 and he won via first round TKO. After that, he went 4-5 and if you want to count the Thiago Silva fight: 4-6. Shogun’s career himself is winding down and isn’t near a title shot in most people’s opinion. Shogun literally has the advantage anywhere this fight goes: the ground, striking, and the clinch. And when I think about it, Vera doesn’t have the power for a puncher’s chance; therefore, there is quite literally no chance for him to win. It would be awesome to see him win though to resurge his career = Shogun by 4^th round TKO.  My pick for KOOTN!

Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader: This fight is tough to pick. Bader has looked very good since his last loss to Tito and Machida looked like the old Machida in the first round against Jones back at UFC 140. Although, Bader’s last win wasn’t all that impressive due to the fact that it was a unanimous decision win over an extremely under motivated Rampage Jackson, it was still a win over a former champion and that certainly counts for something. But the one thing that I haven’t seen anyone talk about yet is the fact that this fight may have title implications on the line. Machida’s sole purpose in life is to be a champion, if this fight has a title shot at the end of it for the winner, then Machida is going to be one of the best fighters in the world due to motivation = Machida by 3^rd round TKO.

Jamie Varner vs. Joe Lauzon: This fight is another hard one to pick because Varner looked amazing in his last performance and Lauzon showed that he is capable of being KO’d in his. If Varner can come out with the same aggressiveness that he did against Barboza, then he should be able to win this one. Lauzon fights like such a veteran though. He’s patient and always finds a way to win. I really want to go with Varner but Lauzon is the much more careful pick = Lauzon by 2^nd round submission (choke). My pick for SOTN and 2^nd for FOTN!!

Mike Swick vs. DaMarques Johnson: I am super happy to finally see Swick making his comeback. After two and a half years of absence, he is returning in a big fight. The first fight on Fox is extremely important and both Johnson and Swick are highly entertaining fighters that love to bang. I see Swick winning this fight wherever it goes = Swick by unanimous decision.  My 3^rd pick for FOTN!

Prelims

Cole Miller vs. Nam Phan = Miller by 1^st round submission (triangle choke)

Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado = Davis by 1^st round submission

Josh Grispi vs. Rani Yahya = Yahya by 3^rd round submission

Phil De Fries vs. Oli Thompson = De Fries by split decision

Manny Gamburyan vs. Michihiro Omigawa = Gamburyan by split decision

Ulysses Gomez vs. John Moraga = Gomez by 2^nd round submission (RNC). My 1^st pick for FOTN!

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Brandon Vera: This fight is weird and makes no sense in a lot of ways. Shogun has been fighting big names and 3 fights ago he was a champion. Vera is 1-2 in his last 3 but also lost a fight to Thiago Silva, but that was turned into a no contest when Silva tested positive for steroids. Vera has had a weird and up and down UFC career. However he finds himself in a title contender match against a guy who does not deserve one himself. Everyone is making a big deal that Vera should not get a shot at the title; well I am saying Shogun should not either. Shogun is only 4-4 in the UFC and is coming off a loss. Shogun beat Mark Coleman (8 years past his prime) in one of the sloppiest fights ever. He then beat Chuck Liddell (2 years past his prime). Then received a title shot and lost a close decision. Then KO’d Machida in an instant rematch for the title. Then lost the most one-sided title fight in which the champion lost that I have ever seen in MMA. Then he KO’d Forrest Griffin (2 years past his prime). Then he lost to Dan Henderson. What about this plus beating Vera equals a title shot? I don’t understand it. This fight might be fun or boring based on Shoguns aggressiveness. But I see Shogun being able to dominate in the clinch but I wouldn’t mind seeing resurgence in Vera. = Shogun by unanimous decision.

Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida: Now this fight will be a fun one. Bader is going to have a hard time getting this to the ground. I think Bader is a tailor made opponent for the elusive Machida and I see Machida winning a decision that hopefully turns his career back around. = Machida by unanimous decision.

Joe Lauzon vs. Jamie Varner: This fight will be a ton of fun. Both of these guys go for it from bell to bell. I think Lauzon will have the advantage on the ground but Varner will have the advantage standing. I think if Varner can get out of the first round and wear Lauzon down he can take 2 out of the 3 rounds. = Varner by unanimous decision.  My Pick for Fight of the Night!

DaMarques Johnson vs. Mike Swick: If Swick didn’t miss two and a half years due to injuries then I would pick him to win in a heartbeat. Swick is faster, stronger and has better striking. Johnson might have the advantage on the ground. He looked good grappling against John Maguire before getting submitted. This one is hard to pick for me but I am going with Swick because he comes from a great camp with training partners that are much better than Johnson = Swick by unanimous decision.

Prelims

Cole Miller vs. Nam Phan: Miller by unanimous decision.

Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado: Davis by unanimous decision.

Josh Grispi vs. Rani Yahya: Yahya by unanimous decision.

Phil De Fries vs. Oli Thompson: De Fries by unanimous decision.

Manny Gamburyan vs. Michihiro Omigawa: Omigawa by split decision.

Ulysses Gomez vs. John Moraga: Gomez by split decision.