UFC on Fox 5: Henderson vs. Diaz Main Card Recap

Rory landing a vicious headkick on BJ.
Photo via sportsnet.

From top to bottom, this card was one of the best in UFC history. With several “Fight of the Night” contenders, three vicious knockouts and a great submission, fans are unbelievably lucky to have been able to receive this event for free. Every fight but one was on network television for millions to witness an amazing night of fights.

Mike Swick vs. Matt Brown: This was exactly how the UFC wanted to start off the best fight card in network television history. And we may just have a new contender at 170 pounds. Brown started off this fight in typical Matt Brown style with lots of aggression and even landed a takedown and cinched up a D’arce choke, but he didn’t exactly know how to finish it as he went on his back and pulled guard rather than on his side with his butt scooted out. Swick ended up getting out of it because of that but Brown went right for a really tight triangle choke. Swick defended well and slipped out. In the second round, Brown came out and landed a two punch combo that put Swick stiff and unconscious. It was a shocking and brutal finish.

Possible matchups for Brown: Wow, I am seriously impressed by Matt Brown’s performance. His submission game and standup looked better than ever and I really look forward to see how much more he can progress. A fight with Siyar Bahadurzada would be one of the best fights of the year. It would certainly produce a barnburner.

Possible matchups for Swick: This was a terrible loss for Swick. He was looking to continue his career comeback on a good note but that was a no go. Perhaps a fight with Yoshihiro Akiyama could be a good fight for both men.

BJ Penn vs. Rory MacDonald: MacDonald impressed on so many levels in this fight, the potential that he holds is truly insane. Like the skills that he could one day possess is almost incomprehensible. I felt that going into this fight Penn would have a significant standup advantage but MacDonald completely and utterly dominated the legend. From beginning to end Rory landed jabs, body punches, and head kicks and easily won the biggest fight of his career over one of the best fighters to ever live. Thanks to BJ for an amazing career and all the amazing moments in his UFC career.

Possible matchups for MacDonald: This fight puts the 23 year old in the top-5 in my opinion. After the fight, he called out the former interim welterweight champ, Carlos Condit for a rematch. Now that is a matchup that I love. MacDonald has matured as a fighter and as a person since their fight back at UFC 115.

Shogun Rua vs. Alexander Gustafsson: I was pretty confident in my prediction of Gustafsson going into this fight, but Shogun made me nervous on several occasions. He landed a lot of huge overhand rights to the temple of Gustafsson, but those made me more impressed by Alex for a great chin. We haven’t really seen his chin tested before this fight, it certainly was this fight, and it looks solid. In the second and third round, it was a different story. Gustafsson dominated the former champion en route to a unanimous decision win.

Possible matchups for Gustafsson: Before this fight, Dana announced that the winner would receive a title shot against the winner of Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen. Gustafsson undoubtedly deserves a title shot after this fight.

Possible matchups for Rua: Time is definitely starting to close in on Shogun, but he is definitely still one of the top guys at light heavyweight. Lyoto Machida and Dan Henderson are fighting in a number one contender bout themselves at UFC 157. Shogun should fight the loser for either a rubber match with Machida or a rematch to one of the greatest fights of all time. Either way, the fans will be happy.

Ben Henderson vs. Nate Diaz: I was extremely confident going into this fight that Diaz was going to handily defeat Henderson. Not only did the champ prove me wrong, he made me look stupid for picking Diaz. From the beginning of the fight, to the last bell, Henderson out grappled, out struck, and even dropped the durable Diaz on multiple occasions, both with leg kicks and punches. There was only one time that I remember where Diaz was in control was when he had Henderson’s leg and was working both a heel hook and a toe hold. But other than that, Henderson completely dominated the younger Diaz brother for all five rounds, even to the point that one of the judges gave it a 50-43 for the champion.

Possible matchups for Henderson: I feel that it is pretty clear that the winner of Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis at UFC on Fox 6 will be a number one contenders bout. Either a rematch to Anthony Pettis or a third fight with Cerrone will make an amazing fight.

Possible matchups for Diaz: Now that Diaz has finally received his title shot and lost very definitively, it’s time for him to take a step back. Even though technically Gray Maynard is 1-0 against Diaz, Diaz had a win over Maynard on the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter by submission. I’m sure that they feel they are 1-1 against each other and I’m sure they would love a rubber match.

Click here for prelim recap.

UFC on Fox 5 Predictions

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Ben Henderson vs. Nate Diaz: This event is absolutely ridiculous. The amount of awesomeness that it exudes is overwhelming and this is the perfect fight to cap it off. Many people believe that Ben Henderson should not be the champion and I am certainly one of those people, I personally felt it was quite obvious that Frankie won that second fight. But anyways, Nate Diaz has looked insanely good in his last three fights, and I mean like he completely changed as a fighter. After the ill-advised trip up to welterweight, Diaz came back down to lightweight and absolutely dominated his next three opponents. But those weren’t just any opponents, he destroyed Takanori Gomi everywhere the fight went, landed the most significant strikes in a three round fight against Cerrone, and became the first ever person to finish Jim Miller after destroying him for one and a half rounds. Henderson is the type of fighter who is almost impossible to finish.  Diaz certainly has the skills to be able to finish him, but the chances are slim. Diaz has the better technique and striking, but the grappling department is hard to choose. Diaz has the much better submissions and Judo while Henderson is extremely strong with very solid wrestling. This is simply Nate Diaz’ time and he will continue to dominate = Diaz via unanimous decision. My 1st pick for FOTN!

Alexander Gustafsson vs. Shogun Rua: This fight is fairly easy to predict in my opinion. Shogun looked horrible in his last fight against Brandon Vera while Gustafsson has barely shown a blemish in his last 5 victories. Shogun’s gas tank has shown to be pretty terrible in his last few fights while Gustafsson hasn’t shown much of a problem in that department. I see Gustafsson picking Shogun apart from the outside while his much longer reach en route to a dominant unanimous decision victory = Gustafsson via unanimous decision.

BJ Penn vs. Rory MacDonald: I am so pumped for this fight. It’s great to see BJ come back for one last fight before calling it quits to one of the greatest careers the MMA world has ever seen. But the main thing I am looking forward to in this fight is how Rory will do against the very best fighter he has ever fought. Many people could argue that the best fighter he has fought is Carlos Condit, but that was the fight before Condit really turned up his game and became a top welterweight. BJ has shown unbelievable motivation for this fight and looks to be in the best shape of his entire career. MacDonald will certainly have his hands full but he will simply be the hungrier, stronger, and larger fighter = MacDonald via unanimous decision.

Mike Swick vs. Matt Brown: BARNBURNER ALERT – Now this is the way to kick off this Fox card. Matt Brown never disappoints in putting on barnburners and Fight of the Night contenders and with a similar fighter in Mike Swick, this will be even better. If this fight stays standing I personally believe that Brown will win this fight, but once it goes to the ground Swick has a significant advantage. Swick’s last performance wasn’t very good for a reason, he had been out for over two years. Now that he has most of his ring rust gone, he will look much better in this fight. This will be a war from the beginning and I see Swick securing a late guillotine for the finish = Mike Swick via 3rd round submission (guillotine). My 2nd pick for FOTN! MY pick for SOTN!

Prelims

Yves Edwards vs. Jeremy Stephens = Stephens via 3rd round KO.

Raphael Assuncao vs. Mike Easton = Easton via unanimous decision.

Ramsey Nijem vs. Joe Proctor = Nijem via unanimous decision.

Daron Cruickshank vs. Henry Martinez = Cruickshank via unanimous decision.

Marcus LeVesseur vs. Abel Trujillo = Trujillo via 3rd round TKO.

Nam Phan vs. Dennis Siver = Siver via 2nd round KO. My pick for KOOTN!

Scott Jorgensen vs. John Albert = Jorgensen via 3rd round submission. My 3rd pick for FOTN!

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Ben Henderson vs. Nate Diaz: Wow what a fight! I rarely pick against champions. The two most recent times were JDS over Cain and Frankie over Ben Henderson. So I’m 1-1 recently when picking against champions. Here I hope to make it 2-1. I truly think Nate Diaz has perfected his game and has entered into his prime. The way he tore apart Gomi, Cerrone and Miller blew my freaking mind! He made it look easy! He has become an elite killer and I have to pick him here. Diaz’s takedown defense is not great but his grappling skills are ridiculous and I think Henderson will have to be on top of his submission defense. This is how the fight will go: Diaz is beating Henderson on the feet, Henderson gets the takedown and is almost submitted a few times. He decides he rather try and land that one big bomb instead of being submitted. Diaz continues to win on the feet and takes it by a close decision. = Diaz by unanimous decision. 

Alexander Gustafsson vs. Shogun Rua: Another amazing fight. This pick has a lot to do with Shogun’s last performance. Shogun barely won a fight against Brandon Vera. Gustafsson is infinitely better than Vera. Gustafsson will use his reach and technically superior striking to stay out of Shogun’s range. But never ever count out Shogun. He has enough power to KO anyone at 205 but I think Gustafsson is going to own this match and take a huge step in his career. = Gustafsson by unanimous decision. 

BJ Penn vs. Rory MacDonald: And another crazy fight! I agree with Sam that this will be Rory’s hardest fight to date. I think he will struggle in this one more than any other fight. I know that BJ’s name alone with scare Rory a little bit but nothing he can’t handle. I think BJ will have the better standup, I really do. But Rory is so rangy and hard to control. I think Rory’s best bet to win is to get the takedown and stay out of trouble. BJ never submits anyone off his back so I think Rory will be ok. Rory is a big welterweight and I think he will be able to get the takedown after a couple attempts. Luckily Rory has great coaching and they will once again find a way for one of their fighters to win against Penn. = MacDonald by unanimous decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!

Mike Swick vs. Matt Brown: Another fun fight. I think this fight will be crazy close. I think Brown is better on the ground and has more power in the striking department. But Swick is more technical and much faster. He will have to use that speed in a major way but I think Brown can make it an ugly fight and drag Swick to the ground and grind it out. = Brown by unanimous decision.

Prelims

Yves Edwards vs. Jeremy Stephens = Stephens by KO in round 2. My Pick for KO of the Night!

Raphael Assuncao vs. Mike Easton = Assuncao by unanimous decision.

Ramsey Nijem vs. Joe Proctor = Nijem by unanimous decision.

Daron Cruickshank vs. Henry Martinez = Cruickshank by unanimous decision.

Marcus LeVesseur vs. Abel Trujillo = LeVesseur via split decision.

Nam Phan vs. Dennis Siver = Siver by unanimous decision.

Scott Jorgensen vs. John Albert = Jorgensen by unanimous decision.

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.