||||Octagon Mania

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (10-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) is set to make his middleweight debut against the Brazilian striker, Vitor Belfort (20-9 MMA, 9-5 UFC) at UFC 142 in Brazil. Johnson wrote in a twitter message “Ppl question why the move to 185? 1st its a challenge, 2nd because I want to, 3rd why not? What is life without challenges and trying something new? Life would be boring then!!! 170 is Still my home’’

This is a big test for Johnson, and if he can get past Belfort he’ll definitely be able to create some waves at 185 lbs. This move has been discussed for some time, given Johnsons history with making weight. He’s probably the biggest 170 pounder around and will even probably be one of the larger middleweights. For the rest of the UFC 142 rumors, check it out after the jump.

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We’re counting down the hours to tonight’s UFC 137 PPV, which takes place live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

It’s been a long road to Vegas, and overall, this could probably be described as one of UFC’s ‘cursed’ events, in which we’ve seen several significant changes to the fight card, including a reshuffling of the main event.

From Nick Diaz’s press conference disappearances, to the unfortunate training injury sustained by the champion Georges St Pierre, the event has also been marred by Tim Credeur being “forced out” of his bout with Brad Tavares for reasons that are still not clear. After Dustin Jacoby was wheeled in to replace Credeur, Tavares himself then pulled out of the fight due to injuries sustained during training, being replaced by the undefeated rookie, Clifford Starks.

In the final last minute twist, Tyson Griffin failed to make weight for his featheweight fight against Bart Palaszewski. After a change to ‘catchweight’ status and a hefty financial penalty for Griffin, the fight will, however, be going ahead tonight.

Remember to catch the first portion of the prelims for free on Facebook, including Brandon Vera vs Eliot Marshall (I’m calling Vera by submission), before switching over to SPIKE TV for Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski (I’m calling Griffin by TKO) and Dennis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone (I’m calling The Cowboy by TKO).

Then, in the words of Bruce Buffer himself, “It’s time!”

Here’s my breakdown for tonight’s card…

Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop
Prediction: Hatsu by submission
The Japanese Hatsu crossed the ocean tonight for his first fight in the USA. A submission specialist and former SRC Featherweight champion, Hatsu brings with him and impressive record.

In the other corner, George Roop will be looking for some of the knockout ability that took out both Gripsi and Chan-Sung in recent fights. His mixed success so far in the UFC makes this an important fight for the 29 year old.

I see Hatsu catching Roop in the third round and tapping him out.

Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran
Jorgensen by split decision
Unlike some of his WEC counterparts, Jorgensen made the transition to the UFC quite smoothly with an impressive first round knockout of Ken Stone at The Ultimate Fighter Finale back in June, and the charismatic fighter brings with him an impressive reputation from his WEC days.

Jeff Curren returns to UFC after seven successful years travelling around such organizations as PRIDE, WEC, XFO and Bellator, even mounting an unsuccessful challenge against Urijah Faber for his WEC Feathweight Championship.

Both men tend to favor submission victories if they can get them, yet the majority of their combined fights have headed to the judges. I predict the same here, with Jorgensen leading the fight and controlling the cage, but in the end, this one will go all three rounds.

Roy Nelson vs. Mirko Filipović
Prediction: Nelson by unanimousdecision
Both guys really need a convincing win at this stage. ‘Big Country’ is fresh off to major losses to Junior Dos Santos and Frank Mir, despite being able to show his impressive ability to withstand a beating, especially against JDS when his heart and stamina won over the crowd and helped him survive a three round onslaught.

Cro Cop is also coming away from losses to Mir and JDS, except both guys were able to finish Filipovic decisively with a KO and submission respectively. The fact that neither man could finish Nelson, but had little trouble putting down Cro Cop could be an indication of what we will see tonight.

Nelson could end this fight with a well placed punch and earn a ground and pound victory. Cro Cop would have to hope to wear Nelson down and go for a submission, but I personally see both fighters playing this one somewhat cautiously and heading to the judges for a Nelson victory.

Matt Mitrione vs. Cheick Kongo
Prediction: Mitrione by split decision
Kongo continues to be a somewhat unpredictable and inconsistent fighter, which makes it difficult to make clear predictions in his fights. After the crazy ‘Knockout of the Night’ victory over Pat Barry back in June (which some fans feel Kongo owed to a very lenient referee and a generous recovery time), Kongo looks to be a formidable opponent for Mitrione. However, when we look at how Kongo struggled against Travis Browne and Frank Mir in recent fights, the uncertainty returns.

The man known as “Meathead” during his Ultimate Fighter run is currently enjoying a clean 5-0 record in the UFC, but it can be argued that Kongo will be his toughest challenge to date.

I see Mitrione by decision, this one will probably go all the way. That being said, I can also see Mitrione catching Kongo for a 2nd round TKO, but I’m going with the decision win.

B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz
Prediction: Penn by 3rd round submission.
This one all depends on which Penn shows up tonight. The Prodigy looked out of it, and almost bored, during his two fights with Frankie Edgar that ultimately ended up in losses. After rumors began to swirl that Penn’s heart just wasn’t in the fight game anymore and he was about to call it a day, Penn returned at UFC 123 for a stunning first round knockout of Matt Hughes. The recent draw with Jon Fitch at Australia’s UFC 127 left things somewhat in the air as far as Penn’s current fighting standard. In my opinion, this is Penn’s fight to lose.

Overall, if we see the UFC 123 Penn, fired up and focused, with his conditioning in the right place, I think Diaz will be outclassed by The Prodigy.

In less than two weeks, Georges “Rush” St. Pierre (22-2 MMA, 16-2 UFC) will look to defend his 170 lb. title for the 7th straight time. Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit (27-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is the man he must defeat in order to preserve his legacy. GSP has come under fire lately for a precieved inability to finish his opponents (9 decisions overall, 6 in his last 7), while Condit has finished 26 out of his 27 opponents. Will Condit be the man to dethrone the dominant champion? Will GSP come out and simply dominate, or will he come out looking to end the fight early? Let’s take a closer look.

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By Darnell Myrick

Today at the special press conference in Las Vegas, Dana White announced that will not be headlining the card next month against Georges St. Pierre for the UFC Welterweight Championship. Georges St. Pierre will now defend his Welterweight Championship against former WEC Welterweight Champion, Carlos Condit. (more…)

By Darnell Myrick

Two weeks of negotiations have finally landed former Strikeforce and DREAM Heavyweight Champion, , a contract with the UFC. The terms of the contract haven’t been revealed, but his first fight has been made. Overeem will make his UFC debut on December 30 in Las Vegas against former UFC Heavyweight Champion, . This fight will headline the December 30 card which will be the last UFC fight of 2011. (more…)

written by James Maldonado

One of the (if not, the) biggest announcement in MMA history was made on August 18th, 2011. The UFC and Fox announced that they made a 7 year broadcast deal to air programming on Fuel TV, FX, and Fox. A joint press conference was held at Fox studios where the terms of the deal were laid out. The press conference started with a promotional video that would give any MMA fan goose bumps. It should be a clear indication of things to come, because the UFC on Fox is going to transcend the UFC to a whole new level.

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Josh Catania and James Maldonado will be breaking down the upcoming fights for UFC 134, roundtable style. The big event of course being Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami.

Josh Catnia: I can’t wait to see Thiago Tavares vs. Spencer Fisher. These fighters are fighting for their livelihood in the cage and this should be an exciting battle. We can definitely expect to see some fireworks. Spencer Fisher’s intensity and fitness are great, but he’s been showing his age in his past few fights. Thiago is a young, spry BJJ specialist who should get the submission win Saturday night. Thiago by submission, round 2.

I’m hoping to see some good action in the fight between Luiz Cain and Stanislav Nedkov. Luiz is coming off a great tune-up fight aginst Eliot Marshall and I think that he’s got this one in the bag. Even though Nedkov has is undefeated, he hasn’t fought in a year and I’m not sure coming from some smaller promotions right into a main event is good for his nerves. Luiz by TKO, round 2.

I’ve got a bad feeling about Ross Pearson vs. Edson Barboza. Edson is a great fighter and very exciting with his striking. My fear is that this will be a repeat of Pearson vs. Winner in the Ultimate Fighter 9 finale with Barboza being clinched and taken down for a majority of the fight without very much damage being done. Barboza always has a puncher’s chance, and he definitely has a shot at getting a lucky punch, but I don’t think it will be enough. I’m taking Pearson by UD, 29-28 by all the judges.

Two fantastic heavyweights are going to be clashing in a battle of old vs. young when Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Brendan Schaub step in the cage Saturday night. If you ask me, I think this is an easy pick. Unless Nogueira has changed his game plan from blocking punches with his face, I don’t think there will be anyway that Schaub doesn’t come out with a win. Schaub by KO, round 2.

Ah, an awesome rematch in Forrest Griffin vs. Shogun Rua. There’s been a lot of talk about Forrest’s determination coming into this fight. I think he’s just being Forrest and he’s going to do just fine. I think he’s got the skills to beat on Shogun for 3 rounds. Forrest by UD, 29-28 from all the judges.

And it’s the main event! Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami, a rematch of a fight that ended with Silva getting DQ’d because of an unusual kick from guard that managed to knock out Okami. I expect similar results Saturday night, but perhaps not from the guard position this time. I’m thinking that Anderson plays with Okami for a bit in the first, softens him up in the second and sends him home packing with a knockout win in the third. Silva by KO in the third.

James Maldonado: Luiz Cane v Stanislav Nedkov is the first PPV fight of the night and will showcase two individuals who love to finish their opponents. Cane comes in at 11-3 overall, losing 2 out of his last 3 fights. He started his career in the UFC with 3 wins (and 1 DQ) before losing to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Cyrille Diabate. He won via TKO vs. Eliot Marshall in March and is looking to make it two in a row. Nedkov is making his UFC debut. He is undefeated at 11-0 and has finished all but 2 of his opponents. Cane is going to have the size advantage, and since he’s making his 8th UFC appearance he’s going to have the big stage experience as well. Someone is going to get finished here, and I think Cane will take it in the first round.

Edson Barboza v Ross Pearson is the second fight of the night. Pearson comes in with a record of 12-4 and has won 5 out of his last 6 fights. Barboza enters the fight undefeated and is looking to extend his UFC winning streak to 3. He’s a devastating striker and a very talented prospect. I think Barboza takes his fight by being a better, faster striker. I’m going with Barboza by TKO in the 3rd round.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira v Brendan Schaub is the third fight of the evening and is the only heavyweight fight of the night. Schaub is 8-1 and is on a 4 fight winning streak. He’s shown a lot of improvements in his striking with stoppage victories over Cro Cop, Chris Tuchscherer, and Chase Gormley. Big Nog is coming off an 18 month long layoff, multiple surgeries, and a KO loss to champ Cain Velasquez. He has an overall record of 32-6-1 and is 4-2 in his last 6. Schaub is probably going to keep the fight standing and try to land his big right hand. Nog needs this fight on the ground where he can use his years of experience on the mat. I really would love to see Big Nog get the win here, but picking with my heart never works. I think Schaub will take this fight by TKO in the 2nd round.

Forrest Griffin v Mauricio Rua ia the co-main event of the evening and is a rematch of their bout at UFC 76. Griffin won that fight via late 3rd round submission. Shogun gassed during the fight and was simply outworked by the bigger better conditioned Griffin. Forrest is 18-6 overall and is riding a 2 fight win streak. Shogun is coming off of his championship loss to Jon Jones. He has an overall record of 19-5 and has finished 16 of his opponents. The big questions here are, which Shogun will show up? and, is Griffin still motivated to fight? Both will be answered on Saturday night, and I think I’m going to go with Shogun via TKO in the 2nd round. I think he’ll be more motivated than ever and will come in with a smart game plan and in great shape.

Anderson Silva v Yushin Okami is the main event of the night and is another rematch. They first fought in January 2006 in a fight that saw Anderson lose via DQ. Okami comes into this fight at 26-5, 10-2 in the UFC, and is successful in 6 out of his last 7 fights. He’s a strong wrestler with improved striking and in order to win this fight he needs to bring the fight to Silva. Make him work from the clinch, put him on his back, and make it an ugly fight. Anderson needs no introduction and his record speaks for itself. He’s 13-0 in the UFC with 8 title defenses. He’s coming off an impressive win over Vitor Belfort by way of front kick to the face KO. Anderson Silva wins this fight, he’s going to control the distance and implement the same plan as their first fight. Stay on the outside, use a lot of leg kicks, pick his strikes and end the fight. Silva wins this late in the 2nd or sometime in the 3rd.

By Darnell Myrick

After defeating Fedor Emelianenko in July, current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, Dan Henderson maybe on his way back to the UFC to face a current champion. Henderson is at the end of his Strikeforce contract and he has expressed interest to fight again in the UFC in champion vs champion match against the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. The way that the top of the UFC Light Heavyweight division looks with Rampage Jackson, Jon Jones, and Rashad Evans, that match likely will not happen. On the other hand, another champion vs champion match might happen for Henderson. (more…)