UFC 156 Main Card Recap

Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian McCall: When will the flyweights put on a boring fight? These two put on an incredible scrap, technical back and forth slugfest. It was extremely close, but the difference was the fact that Benavidez landed more and landed harder. McCall should have gone for more takedowns, which really could have won him the fight. He had him on the ground at the end of the second and showed his superior grappling. Benavidez did end up winning by decision, but it was such a close fight that McCall is still very relevant in the title picture.

                                                               

Possible matchups for Benavidez: With this huge win over McCall, Benavidez has earned himself a rematch with the champion, Demetrious Johnson.

Possible matchups for McCall: A record of 0-2-1 in the UFC is never good, in fact, it’s terrible. And yet McCall is still somehow one of the top contenders in the UFC. Right now, due to the lack of depth in the UFC’s flyweight division, there aren’t a lot of fights for a person in McCall’s position. I would say the fight that makes the most sense would be against John Dodson, who is coming off of a very close loss to Demetrious Johnson.

Jon Fitch vs. Demain Maia: Maia just defined the word relentless. He was Velcro; Fitch just couldn’t get Maia off of him. It was impossible. Maia kept on going in for the takedown without losing a step. He had Fitch’s back for about thirteen and a half minutes of the total fifteen. It was complete dominance and it launches Maia into the top of the division.

Possible matchups for Maia: A win over Fitch launches you into the top of the welterweight division, no matter how dominant. With a performance as dominant as Maia’s, he is probably one or two wins away from a title shot. He needs to fight a top contender, so he should fight the loser of Jake Ellenberger and Johny Hendricks.

Possible matchups for Fitch: This was an absolutely devastating loss for Fitch. It puts him back pretty far in the welterweight title ladder. I would like to see him fight Dan Hardy to get back on track. Hardy is coming off of a very impressive win over Amir Sadollah, where he showcased a much improved grappling game.

Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva: I was really disappointed at the first two rounds of this fight. The first two, the third though, not so much. Bigfoot came out into the third realizing he might be down by two rounds. He started to land violent hooks left and right. Overeem started to fade off and Bigfoot knocked the K-1 legend completely unconscious. Dave said before the fight, “If Bigfoot can land a solid punch on Overeem, he will go against the cage and try to run away.” Guess what happened.

Possible matchups for Silva: Who do you give this guy? Overeem were guaranteed a title shot if he won and Bigfoot knocked him out. I would like to see him in a number one contender’s bout with Junior dos Santos. That would be a very interesting bout.

Possible matchups for Overeem: There aren’t a lot of choices for Overeem now. The heavyweight division is similar to the flyweight division in its lack of depth. I would like to see him fight the winner of Mark Hunt and Stefan Struve. A fight with Mark Hunt would be especially amazing.

Rashad Evans vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: This fight was absolutely terrible. Despite the fact that Nogueira pulled off the huge upset, both fighters didn’t look particularly great, but Rashad looked especially bad. Nogueira didn’t win this fight; Rashad lost it. I’m very happy that Noguiera won though and I look forward to see who he gets next time out.

Possible matchups for Noguiera: This was an enormous win for the younger Nogueira brother. It puts him right there in the top of the light heavyweight division. I would like to see him fight Glover Teixeira in a fight that would put the winner in a number one contender’s bout.

Possible matchups for Evans: Rashad Evans needs to drop down to middleweight, now. He obviously isn’t going to be fighting Anderson Silva, but I would love to see a fight against Vitor Belfort. That could be a fantastic fight and a potential number one contender’s bout at middleweight.

Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar: This was the exact fight we were all envisioning going in. A back and forth barnburner that ended in controversy. I mean, is that last statement even needed for a Frankie Edgar fight? Unsurprisingly, the first two rounds were very dominant for Aldo. He showed incredible speed and unparalleled accuracy. He rarely missed his target. The leg kicks and jabs were starting to wear down Frankie, but Edgar showed that Jersey toughness. He came out to the third round the fresher fighter and started to find his groove. Edgar was landing solid combinations as Aldo began to visibly tire. Aldo did do much of the same in the third round as he did in the first round, though, as he landed lots of powerful leg kicks and combinations. Once this fight entered the championship rounds, Edgar really began to pick up the pace. He was tagging Aldo with tons of combinations and was really starting to surprise Aldo with some leg kicks as well. The last ten minutes of the fight were Edgar landing lots of solid strikes. But ultimately, Aldo won the very close decision over Frankie.

Possible matchups for Aldo: Last weekend, Ricardo Lamas demolished Erik Koch, the original number one contender, in the second round. If Lamas doesn’t get a title shot (which would be criminal), then Aldo should move up and fight the winner of Ben Henderson and Gilbert Melendez.

Possible matchups for Edgar: Because this fight was so close and entertaining, I believe Frankie will be one win away from a title shot. Chad Mendes and Manny Gamburyan are fighting at UFC 157 so I would like to see Frankie fight the winner of that fight.

MMA Flyweight Rankings: September Edition

As we here at CR continue our rankings, we are heading into the UFC’s smallest division: flyweight.

I was ecstatic when the UFC finally announced that they were bringing in the 125-pound division. It holds some of the best talent in the world and they were going unrecognized, that is, until now.

Since starting the 125-pound division, the UFC has signed several of the biggest names with in that weight class including Yasuhiro Urushitani, Jussier “Formiga” da Silva, Ulysses Gomez, and fan-favorite, Ian McCall. There are still a few left that have yet to be signed.

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

10. John Moraga – This guy exploded onto the UFC scene. Going into his fight with former top-10 ranked Ulysses Gomez at UFC on Fox 4, he was a sizable underdog and a relative unknown. That all changed within 3:46. He blitzed Gomez and knocked him out in the first round. The guy looked like a world-beater and is definitely a guy to look out for in the coming years.

Look at that afro. Just look at it.

9. Mamoru Yamaguchi – Mamoru Yamaguchi is awesome. Enough said. The guy is one of the flashiest fighters in the world today and he is still a top-10 fighter. He holds a win over Yasuhiro Urushitani and has been fighting the best in the world for years now. He hasn’t fought since his last decision loss to Jussier da Silva back in August of 2011, but no news has reached of his retirement. Let’s hope he fights in the UFC before he hangs ‘em up.

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

8. Darrel Montague – Darrel Montague is extremely well rounded. With a record of 11-2, he has 5 (T)KO wins and 4 submission wins. With his only two losses being to Ian McCall and the oversized Robbie Peralta, Montague still has world-class skills. He holds wins over Ulysses Gomez and Jeremy Bolt and has also had championship experience as his win over Gomez got him the belt at Tachi Palace fighting. He is the main guy in which the UFC still has yet to sign.

Photo via ProMMANow.com

7. Chris Cariaso – “Kamikaze” is insanely under appreciated. The guy was a solid bantamweight and fought fighters much larger than him like Takeya Mizugaki, Michael McDonald, Will Campuzano, and above all, Renan Barao. He beat both Mizugaki and Campuzano and his fight with McDonald was extremely close, no one would have argued if Cariaso won. After his win over Josh Ferguson in his flyweight debut, Cariaso should be only one win away from a title shot.

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

6. Yasuhiro Urushitani – Although his UFC debut was far from impressive, Urushitani is still one of the best fighters in the world at 125. He holds wins over Yuki Shojo, Mamoru Yamaguchi, John Dodson, and two draws with Shinichi Kojima. He has amazing Muay Thai that should never be overlooked and although he lacks finishing ability (only 5 finishes in 19 wins) he has the skill to put anyone away at any moment.

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

5. John Dodson – Although his last win over Tim Elliott wasn’t particularly spectacular; John Dodson is still one of the best in the world in his division. He’s beaten Tim Elliott, TJ Dillashaw, and John Moraga. With his incredible hand speed that also holds a ton of power, Dodson is one of the top guys up for a title shot. His next fight against Jussier da Silva is undoubtedly a top contender fight.

4. Jussier da Silva – When the news broke that Jussier da Silva was signed to the UFC, hardcore MMA fans around the world were saying to themselves, “finally”! Everyone expected him to be in the tournament that they held instead of Urushitani. He easily holds the best BJJ at 125 including wins over Michael William Costa (twice), Alexandre Pantoja Passidimo, Jose Maria Tome, Shinichi Kojima, Danny Martinez, and Mamoru Yamaguchi. His only loss in his 15-fight career is a decision loss to Ian McCall.

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

3. Ian McCall – The former number-1 flyweight in the world, Ian McCall is quite a character. With the best mustache in MMA, possibly the world, Ian McCall’s skill is right up there with his mustache. He holds wins over Coty Wheeler, Dustin Ortiz, Darrel Montague, and Jussier da Silva. In his first fight with Demetrious Johnson, many people believe that he won, showing that he could also hold a win over the former number one contender at 135. With his only losses to the aforementioned Johnson, Charlie Valencia, and UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, Ian McCall is still one of the best fighters in the world at 125.

Photo via FightLink.com

2. Demetrious Johnson – Although his first fight with McCall was very controversial, the second meeting wasn’t. Johnson wasn’t necessarily very dominant, but Ian McCall was the number-1 guy at flyweight and Johnson beat him. His next fight with the number-1 guy will show who is the first flyweight champion in UFC history.

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

1. Joseph Benavidez – Now, although Johnson did beat the number-1 guy at 125, his performance wasn’t extremely impressive in either fight. Benavidez was unbelievably impressive in his flyweight debut. Yasuhiro Urushitani was arguably top-3 and Benavidez dominated him and knocked him out at 11 seconds in the second round. Benavidez will be fighting Demetrious Johnson at UFC 152 for the first ever flyweight title in UFC history.

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

5 Flyweights the UFC Needs to Sign Part I

The flyweight division is the most recently added weight class to the UFC. It ranges from 116 lbs. to 125 lbs. So far, the UFC has failed to sign any of the best flyweights outside the UFC despite Yasuhiro Urishitani and Ian McCall. Not only is the weight class possibly the most entertaining in combat sports, but it also holds some of the best fighters in the world.

I am making a list of all the flyweights that the UFC should sign as soon as they have the chance, not only to make the class deeper, but to also let these guys join the biggest MMA promotion ever and show why they are considered the best in their division. I will also give a rating of 1-10 in how much they need to sign them with 10 being the best and 1 being the worst

Photo by Sherdog

Jussier da Silva: Easily the best flyweight outside the UFC, whom holds a record of 13-1 with wins over Mamoru Yamaguchi, Danny Martinez, and Michael William Costa (twice) along with training at Nova Uniao. He was once ranked as the #1 flyweight in the world until Ian McCall came and scored a huge upset. Da Silva not only holds, arguably, the best BJJ game at 125, but he also has very underrated striking. Personally, I was surprised to see Urishitani in the tournament, rather than Jussier da Silva. The UFC needs to sign him the first chance they get. Rating: 10/10

Photo by MMATKO

Mamoru Yamaguchi: Most of the time when a fighter is known for constantly being a very flashy and crazy fighter inside the cage, they typically aren’t very good. Yamaguchi is an exception. He not only has one of the best afros you will ever see, ever, but he also is immensely talented and experienced. In fact, he may be the most experienced fighter at 125. He holds a record of 26-6-3 and wins over both Yasuhiro Urishitani and Fumihiro Kitahara and 10 KO’s overall. Although he may be old for the weight class, 35, he still is one of the most entertaining, and powerful, fighters at 125. Rating: 10/10

Photo by Bleacherreport

Darrel Montague: The former Tachi Palace flyweight champ is a young gun with a bright future ahead of him if the UFC decides to sign him. He is only 24 years old with an impressive record of 11-2 with the two losses coming to Ian McCall and the oversized Robbie Peralta. He defeated Ulysses Gomez to take the belt, something that is not easy to do, but then lost it to Ian McCall. Montague will be challenging for the UFC title in the coming years after they sign him. Rating: 9/10

Photo by Sherdog

Nam Jin Jo: Although he holds a very unimpressive record of 6-5, most of those losses come at bantamweight, in which he is undersized. He ranks among the top 10 of flyweights in the world and even holds a decision win over fellow top 10 flyweight, Shinichi Kojima. He is very well rounded as he holds 2 TKO wins and 3 submission wins. He made his pro debut at 17 years of age and amateur when he was only 14! He is only 21 now and has a lot of time to improve as a mixed martial artist and deserves a contract with the UFC once he racks up a couple wins, for he just lost a split decision at bantamweight. Rating: 8/10

Photo by MMAJunkie.com

Dustin Ortiz: An underrated and well-rounded mixed martial artist, Dustin Ortiz has fought to two close decision losses to Josh Robinson and Ian McCall. Although he has lost 2 of his last 3, he is still one of the bigger names at 125 and is a very well rounded mix martial artist. With 8 wins, he has 4 KO/TKO and 4 submission wins, showing he is also very entertaining with finishing ability. He would make an immediate dent at 125 in the UFC. Rating: 8/10

UFC on FX 3 Predictions

Photo by MMAWeekly.com

Sam's Picks

Main Card

Ian McCall vs. Demetrious Johnson: I am seriously excited for this fight. Their first outing is one of the best fights that I have ever seen and if it weren’t shrouded by controversy, then a majority of the fans would agree. The first round of their first fight was a very close one. McCall scored an early inside trip but eventually Johnson reversed with McCall standing up shortly thereafter. Johnson was landing more shots but McCall once again scored another trip takedown. After they stood up again, Johnson landed a solid hook and hurt McCall but didn’t do anything to really capitalize on it. It could have gone either way but I scored it 10-9 McCall based on his takedowns. The second round was close again. Johnson was the busier striker, like the first, but he was landing more sold shots, though none of them hurting McCall. McCall was not able to score any takedowns this round and due to this, I gave the second round to Johnson, 10-9. The third round was another story. Remember, heading into this flyweight tournament, there was a 4^th sudden victory round incase of a draw. So in this round, McCall came out as the busier fighter. He was landing more combinations and getting better of the exchanges. McCall eventually tied up and did a mini supplex to get the back of Johnson. He was pounding on him for about 15 seconds and eventually Johnson escaped back to his feet. McCall continued to win the standup and repeated the supplex and got his back again. He almost finished the fight but Johnson was saved by the bell. The third round was an easy 10-8 for McCall. Therefore, my score for the fight was 29-27 for McCall, but the commission really dropped the ball on this one. It was supposed to be a majority draw, but instead they announced it as a split decision for Johnson. I said before that it was close but I thought to myself that there is no way that Johnson won that fight. Well, I was right. Johnson didn’t win the fight. Dana White’s worst nightmare came true as the fight was a draw despite the fact that they had the 4^th sudden victory round. So this is why I am excited for this fight. The first was amazing and I would not mind seeing another scrap between these two flyweights. I believe that this fight will be similar but with McCall actually winning this one = McCall by unanimous decision. My 1^st pick for FOTN!

PS: I am now a huge Uncle Creepy fan. One of my favorites!

Charlie Brenneman vs. Erick Silva: Erick Silva is finally taking a step up in competition. And it isn’t an easy one. Brenneman is a very good wrestler with a shocking upset against one of the (at that time) fastest rising prospects in MMA, Rick Story. He took the fight in less than 24-hour notice and dominated the fight. Luckily, he was fighting someone else at the time so he was already prepared. But the one thing that has really been something that has haunted Brenneman is his chin. Both Anthony Johnson and Johny Hendricks have finished him. Silva is a finisher and he is the new thing at WW = Silva by 2^nd round TKO. My pick for KOOTN!

Mike Pyle vs. Josh Neer: BARNBURNER ALERT: It seems that almost every single one of Neer’s fights are always extremely entertaining. This one will most likely be no different with Pyle involved. It will also most likely a close fight, too. Pyle is one of the more underrated and underappreciated fighters at welterweight and this is most likely because of his losses to both Ellenberger and MacDonald. Out of these two, Pyle has fought the better competition and I believe that it will show = Pyle by 3^rd round RNC.

Scott Jorgensen vs. Eddie Wineland: BARNBURNER ALERT: These guys are 135 pounds of excitement. But the sad part about this fight is the fact that it’s the type of fight in which they are both trying to keep themselves relevant at bantamweight. Wineland was the first bantamweight champ in the WEC and Jorgensen has always been right around that area in the title talks. Hopefully neither of them will be cut if hey lose because they never fail to put on a good fight, plus they both have had some tough competition in their UFC careers. I see this fight being close in the standup but with Jorgensen edging him out with being a busier striker = Jorgensen by unanimous decision. My 2^nd pick for FOTN!

Prelims

Leonard Garcia vs. Matt Grice = Grice by 2^nd round submission.

Mike Pierce vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha = Pierce by split decision.

Seth Baczynski vs. Lance Benoist = Baczynski by 3^rd round submission (choke).

Dustin Pague vs. Jared Papazian = Papazian by 1^st round TKO. My 3^rd pick for FOTN!

Tim Means vs. Justin Salas = Means by 3^rd round TKO. (Our exclusive interview with Means here)

Caio Magalhaes vs. Buddy Roberts = Magalhaes by split decision.

Bernardo Magalhaes vs. Henry Martinez = Martinez by unanimous decision.

Jake Hecht vs. Sean Pierson = Hecht by 2^nd round TKO.

Dave's Picks

Main Card

Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall: Well, we got a repeat of a fight of the year candidate. Now, most people complained about the outcome because people thought McCall won (I thought he did too) but if it results in these two fighting again, then how can you be upset?! I am so pumped for this fight. When it comes to predicting the fight you obviously have to use their first fight to help determine who might win. Johnson did catch McCall a few times with solid punches but for the most part McCall dictated where the fight went and dominated on the ground. McCall now knows exactly what he needs to do and I think Johnson will not be able to fix that much in order to win. McCall literally did whatever he wanted on the ground and if he can repeat that he can win. If McCall fights smart and outwrestles Johnson then he takes this. = McCall by unanimous decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!

Charlie Brenneman vs. Erick Silva: This fight is the hardest one to pick for me. Charlie Brenneman is a legit fighter with good wrestling and control. Brenneman has way more experience on the big stage and has been successful going 4-2 and even defeating Rick Story on short notice. Silva on the other hand, has been too good. He has won 2 times (yeah, I am counting the Prater fight as a win) in 1 minute and 9 seconds. Now both of those guys are not as good as Brenneman but Silva has beaten some serious competition in Brazil. This fight is hard to pick because I haven’t seen enough of Silva but man is he a killer! That should be his nickname: “The Killer”. The dude goes out to finish people. I think this will be Silva’s chance to show the world that he is ready to go to an elite level. If Silva is able to destroy Brenneman, then the sky is the limit and we could see him fighting for the title one day. = Silva by TKO in round 2. My Pick for KO of the Night!

Josh Neer vs. Mike Pyle: Now both these guys are pretty similar. They are long time vets with good ground games. However, Pyle has just been facing, and for the most part defeating, a higher level of competition. Pyle has recently beat Funch, Almeida and destroyed John Hathaway. Neer has recently defeated Duane Ludwig, Keith Wisnieski and Blas Avena. Not even close. But don’t get me wrong. Neer is a very dangerous fighter who can beat almost anyone if he is on. But I see this fight going Pyle’s way. It won’t be one-sided but Pyle should take this one. = Pyle by unanimous decision.

Scott Jorgensen vs. Eddie Wineland: What a great way to start off the main card! I am a huge Scotty Jorgensen fan. I love watching him fight and I have met him three times and he is a super cool and chill dude. This fight might be close they; are both wrestlers with good standup. However, I see Jorgensen being able to dictate the pace and where the fight goes. They are both in their prime and anything is possible in this one but I am going with the guy who has the more refined skills. = Jorgensen by unanimous decision.

Prelims

Leonard Garcia vs. Matt Grice: Garcia by unanimous decision.

Mike Pierce vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha: Pierce by split decision.

Seth Baczynski vs. Lance Benoist: Baczynski by submission in round 1. My Pick for Submission of the Night!

Dustin Pague vs. Jared Papazian: Papazian by unanimous decision.

Tim Means vs. Justin Salas: Means by TKO in round 2. (Our exclusive interview with Means here)

Caio Magalhaes vs. Buddy Roberts: Roberts by unanimous decision.

Bernardo Magalhaes vs. Henry Martinez: Bernardo by split decision.

Jake Hecht vs. Sean Pierson: Hecht by split decision.