MMA Combat - UFC 138 Main-Event Features Leben vs. Munoz
Middleweight contenders Chris "The Crippler" Leben (26-7-0) and Mark "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" Munoz (11-2-0) will headline UFC 138, in Birmingham, England, at the National Exhibition Centre on November 5, 2011. UFC officials announced the bout on Tuesday, also confirming details for the event which is scheduled to air free on Spike TV. It was initially thought that November 5's show would be titled UFC Fight Night 25, but later it was determined that the date would have a traditional title, moving back Velasquez vs. dos Santos one number to UFC 139, scheduled for November 19.
Leben last appeared earlier this month, July 2, at UFC 132 - Faber vs. Cruz II where "The Crippler" devastated former PRIDE FC middleweight king, Wanderlei Silva, with a series of short uppercuts that ended "The Axe Murderer's" night 27 seconds into the contest. Leben has posted wins in four of his last five outings, losing only to Brian Stann on January 1 during that stretch when "The All-American" blitzed him in the first round with a barrage of strikes that overwhelmed the soon-to-be 31 year old Portland, Oregon, native.
Munoz is a winner in three consecutive bouts since his decision loss to #1 contender Yushin Okami at UFC Live 2 in August of 2010. Known for his ferocious power and top-notch wrestling ability, the Oklahoma State University alumnus is 6-2 since joining the UFC ranks. Munoz last appeared at UFC 131 - dos Santos vs. Carwin in Vancouver, Canada, June 11, where he salvaged a unanimous decision win over one-time title challenger, Demian Maia. The contest at UFC 138 is reported to be the UFC's first five round non-title fight.
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Showing posts with label brian stann. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brian stann. Show all posts
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Friday, 15 July 2011
MMA Combat - Demian Maia vs. Jorge Santiago at UFC 136
Although the promotion is yet to confirm the news, multiple outlets have reported that Brazilian talents Jorge Santiago (23-9-0) and Demian Maia (14-3-0) will meet at UFC 136, October 8, 2011, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Both middleweights are coming off recent losses and will look to stay relevant at the top of the 185lbs division this fall.
Maia last appeared at UFC 131 - dos Santos vs. Carwin in Vancouver, Canada, where the highly decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black-belt fought Mark Munoz for three hard rounds, but could not gain the upper hand on the judge's scorecards, losing a unanimous decision despite a strong first round. Maia is 8-3 since joining the UFC in 2007.
Departing from the UFC in 2006, Santiago went 11-1 fighting mostly in Japan, until earlier this year when the 9-year veteran of the sport re-signed stateside as a top-ten ranked middleweight. Making his second debut with promotion on May 28, at UFC 130, Santiago took on Brian Stann, but was [T]KO'd by "The All-American" with a flurry of punches in the second round. With 32 professional fights on his resume, Santiago hopes to recapture some of the thunder accompanied by his signing with an impressive performance against the one-time title challenger, Maia.
Other confirmed bouts for the event include:
Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann
Dave Herman vs. Mike Russow
Demian Maia vs. Jorge Santiago
Josh Grispi vs. Matt Grice
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Thursday, 7 July 2011
MMA Combat - Sonnen's Return vs. Stann This Fall
UFC middleweight contenders Brian Stann (11-3-0) and Chael Sonnen (25-11-1) have verbally agreed to a bout anticipated to take place at UFC 136, October 8, 2011, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The match-up has not been formally announced by the promotion, but Sonnen will be eager to get back into action after recently being cleared to compete by the California State Athletic Commission; Sonnen's suspension was determined to be indefinite when the Oregon-based fighter had a test flagged for elevated levels of testosterone following his championship bout against Anderson Silva at UFC 117.
Sonnen (34) has made waves with his mouth once again this week, picking another Brazilian in Lyoto Machida to antagonize; but rumors of a fight between the two promptly fell through with reports of this latest development. The Team Quest representative is 3-2 in his second stint with the promotion (4-4 overall) with notable wins over title contenders Nate Marquardt and Yushin Okami.
"The All-American" Brian Stann has stopped eight of his opponents by way of [T]KO. The Jacksonville, North Carolina native is 5-2 inside the octagon with consecutive wins over Mike Massenzio, Chris Leben, and Jorge Santiago; Stann (30) is undefeated since dropping to 185lbs and will look to pass a stern test in Sonnen as his most recent defeat came at the hands of another wrestling-based fighter in Phil Davis. At present, no fights have been officially confirmed for the card.
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Thursday, 23 June 2011
Leben Relishes in Opportunity to Fight Silva
In an interview with MMA Junkie, the fan favorite who is credited with countless unforgetable moments inside the octagon both in victory and defeat, had the following to say:
"It's more to inspire my kids at my gym and say, 'If I can do it, you guys can do it, too,'" said Leben. "As long as my body is going to let me, I don't see why I wouldn't (fight) because I see how much motivation it gives a lot of the people around me."
July 2, 2011, Leben (21-7-0) will square off with legendary slugger Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva (33-10-1) in what promises to be a 'fight of the year' (or KO of the year) candidate. While Silva is coming off a win in his most recent appearance, the former PRIDE FC middleweight champion has not competed since February of 2010 when he defeated Michael Bisping via unanimous decision at UFC 110 - Nogueira vs. Velasquez. When discussing his opponent this Sunday, Leben had nothing but praise for the man he once emulated.
"Honestly, I'm so excited to fight Wanderlei. He's one of my heroes... Believe it or not – I really don't want to tell him this – but he's one of the reasons I started. When I very first started fighting, I used to go get bootleg PRIDE videos and watch them, and in some ways try to emulate some of the stuff he did."
2010 saw "The Crippler" enjoy a defining year in a career that has spanned nine years. Leben defeated Jay Silva, Aaron Simpson and Yoshihiro Akiyama, before Brian Stann caught Leben in their January 1st encounter at UFC 125, stopping him on first round strikes. Leben anticipates a different result in next week's bout, and talks about the butterflies that accompany him heading into fight night.
"For me to be able to fight one of my heroes, man, I'm so stoked," Leben said. "It's the passing of a torch is what I'm hoping for, and a little fear is good. I might be a little worried, but I'm going to get in there and do what I do because that's what we do. We look it in the eye. We look our issues in the eye and then we conquer them."
UFC 132 - Cruz vs. Faber II, is headlined by a bantamweight title fight where reigning champion Dominick Cruz will look to defend his 135lbs belt and avenge the only professional loss of his career against former WEC featherweight champ Uriah Faber. Be sure to follow the action next Saturday, July 2, on PPV television or UFC.tv.
Other bouts on the card are found below:
Matchups:
UFC Bantamweight Championship
Dominick Cruz (No. 1 BW) vs. Urijah Faber (No. 3 BW)
Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben
Brian Bowles vs. Takeya Mizugaki
Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Brad Tavares vs. Aaron Simpson
Rafael dos Anjos vs. George Sotiropoulos
Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader
Matt Wiman vs. Dennis Siver
Melvin Guillard vs. Shane Roller
Andre Winner vs. Anthony Njokuani
Erik Koch vs. TBA
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Thursday, 26 May 2011
MMA Combat - UFC 130 Pick em'
MMA Combat - UFC 130 Pick em'
UFC 130 takes place this Saturday, May 28, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is headlined by a light heavyweight tilt between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (31-8-0) and Matt "The Hammer" Hamill (10-2-0).
Here is our pick em' feature for the main-card of the evening:
Brian Stann (10-3-0) vs. Jorge Santiago (23-8-0)
Jorge Santiago has had a very successful run since his departure from the UFC in December of 2006, after being knocked out by Alan Belcher. 11-1 in that stretch, Santiago was only stopped by the hard-hitting Polish National, Mamed Khalidov in November of 2009. Santiago is as well rounded as they come, with solid Muay Thai technique, great Jiu Jitsu, and a strong Judo base; but he does have a tendency to get tagged during exchanges and while working off his back.
Stann is one of those guys, particularly at 185, that you cannot afford to get tagged against; with 10 wins on his resume, "The All-American" has 7 [T]KOs to his name including his most recent work against the notoriously hard-headed Chris Leben, whom he stopped on strikes in the very first round of their January 1, 2011 contest. This will be a competitive fight, with both men threatening at times, but it is Brian Stann's power that will make the difference in this one as he stops Santiago late on strikes, spoiling his promotion return.
Travis Browne (10-0-1) vs. Stefan Struve (21-4-0)
It is no secret that Travis Browne, with 8 [T]KO stoppages to his name, hits very hard. The 6'7" Californian last appeared at UFC 120 where he battled French kickboxer Cheick Kongo to a unanimous draw. Before that he managed a TKO victory over under-sized TUF alumnus James McSweeny at the Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale; but considering his competition to this point in his career, which is collectively well under .500 as a group, it's difficult to say how Browne will hang with the battle-tested, young veteran of the sport that is Struve.
Struve also has difficulty with defense standing, and while that's bound to improve, he has been hit and hit very hard in many of his fights. But the Dutchman has showed incredible heart throughout his UFC stay, amassing a 5-2 record since February of 2009 when Junior dos Santos welcomed him to promotion with thudding hooks en route to a TKO stoppage. With 14 submission victories thus far in his career, the 6'11" "Skyscraper" utilizes his long-limbs well to tie opponents up and I expect that he'll discover that knack again his weekend with a submission win.
Rick Story (12-3-0) vs. Thiago Alves (18-7-0)
Rick Story is a powerhouse welterweight with 5 consecutive wins since his June 2009 loss to John Hathaway. His pressing style will not allow Alves to rest or set his feet and I do expect him to secure more than one takedown throughout the fight with his solid wrestling base. Since 2008, Story has won in 11 of 12 appearances and has an ability to grind on opponents, taking them deep into fights; with impressive wins against Jake Ellenberger and Johny Hendricks in that span, Story is a proven warrior against top flight competitors.
Alves looked phenomenal against John Howard, but that match-up was tailor-made for the one-time title challenger. Howard never presented a takedown threat, and was the noticeably smaller man in that bout, allowing "Pitbull" to get off with combinations from range. One aspect of Alves' training that appears to be back on track is his weight-cut with the help of the ever-popular Dolce Diet, which the American Top Team representative has become a big endorser of. Alves has succeeded against wrestlers in the past, toppling both Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck, but has also fallen short against two of the division's best in champion Georges St. Pierre and Boilermaker Jon Fitch. How effective Alves is with kicks early will dictate the outcome of this match, but don't be surprised to see Story pull off the upset with two of three ringside judges giving him the nod in a razor close split decision win.
Roy Nelson (15-5-0) vs. Frank Mir (14-5-0)
Roy Nelson has established himself as more than just a gate-keeper in the UFC's heavyweight division since making his promotion debut in December of 2009; despite being dubbed underwhelming by UFC president Dana White, Nelson has managed 8 [T]KOs in his seven-year professional career. "Big Country" possesses a strong understanding of submissions with more-than-adequate boxing skills when paired up with the majority of the division. His decision loss to Junior dos Santos at UFC 117 was an admirable effort, and prior to that contest, Nelson had stopped both Stefan Struve and Brendan Schaub on strikes.
Mir has traditionally bounced back strong from disappointing results - or when his back is up against the wall - and regardless of his result against Mirko Filipovic at UFC 119, Mir was heavily criticized for the performance by the man in charge, Dana White. The former heavyweight champion also boasts strong boxing ability with a submission game to match, but has been known to wilt when the going gets tough and his wrestling ability has never been strong. A telling stat, is that all of Mir's 5 professional losses have come by [T]KO and the longer this fight goes, the more it sways in Nelson's favor. The loser of this match could very well be fighting for a chance to stay in the promotion in their next bout, a position neither man wants to find himself in, but it will be Nelson's perseverance that seizes the day in this one as he takes it on all three judges scorecards in a competitive match that sees opportunities on both ends.
Quinton Jackson (31-8-0) vs. Matt Hamill (10-2-0)
The main-event, although under-anticipated by the masses of main-stream fans, will prove to be every bit as exciting as the one that preceded it, before lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard had to pull out of the event with injuries suffered in training.
"Rampage" has great hands, although often lacks a jab that could better set-up those powerful hooks. As confidence in his boxing grew, so did Jackson's tendency to plant his feet, relying less on the explosive clinch work and grappling that made him a star during the PRIDE years. Still, at any given moment Jackson has the ability to turn Hamill's lights out with his devastating power. How badly he wants to make another title run for the 205lbs belt he once possessed remains to be seen, but "The Hammer" will answer a lot of questions.
Hamill at 10-2 is just that in this commentators eyes, although the results against Jon Jones and Michael Bisping respectively would be different. The fight against Jones should have been stopped, with Hamill a battered mess barely able to defend himself from the onslaught that was, until Jones - in an effort to land clean and finally get his stoppage - threw that illegal elbow that saw him disqualified; but the champ has done that to everyone in his path thus far. Rich Franklin came too early in Hamill's professional career, and I think we can all agree that Michael Bisping did not defeat Hamill at UFC 75 in Manchester, England. Expect Hamill to push the pace against "Rampage", using his pawing jab to keep him at bay while effectively scoring with a couple important takedowns en route to a unanimous decision nod.
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UFC 130 takes place this Saturday, May 28, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is headlined by a light heavyweight tilt between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (31-8-0) and Matt "The Hammer" Hamill (10-2-0).
Here is our pick em' feature for the main-card of the evening:
Brian Stann (10-3-0) vs. Jorge Santiago (23-8-0)
Jorge Santiago has had a very successful run since his departure from the UFC in December of 2006, after being knocked out by Alan Belcher. 11-1 in that stretch, Santiago was only stopped by the hard-hitting Polish National, Mamed Khalidov in November of 2009. Santiago is as well rounded as they come, with solid Muay Thai technique, great Jiu Jitsu, and a strong Judo base; but he does have a tendency to get tagged during exchanges and while working off his back.
Stann is one of those guys, particularly at 185, that you cannot afford to get tagged against; with 10 wins on his resume, "The All-American" has 7 [T]KOs to his name including his most recent work against the notoriously hard-headed Chris Leben, whom he stopped on strikes in the very first round of their January 1, 2011 contest. This will be a competitive fight, with both men threatening at times, but it is Brian Stann's power that will make the difference in this one as he stops Santiago late on strikes, spoiling his promotion return.
Travis Browne (10-0-1) vs. Stefan Struve (21-4-0)
It is no secret that Travis Browne, with 8 [T]KO stoppages to his name, hits very hard. The 6'7" Californian last appeared at UFC 120 where he battled French kickboxer Cheick Kongo to a unanimous draw. Before that he managed a TKO victory over under-sized TUF alumnus James McSweeny at the Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale; but considering his competition to this point in his career, which is collectively well under .500 as a group, it's difficult to say how Browne will hang with the battle-tested, young veteran of the sport that is Struve.
Struve also has difficulty with defense standing, and while that's bound to improve, he has been hit and hit very hard in many of his fights. But the Dutchman has showed incredible heart throughout his UFC stay, amassing a 5-2 record since February of 2009 when Junior dos Santos welcomed him to promotion with thudding hooks en route to a TKO stoppage. With 14 submission victories thus far in his career, the 6'11" "Skyscraper" utilizes his long-limbs well to tie opponents up and I expect that he'll discover that knack again his weekend with a submission win.
Rick Story (12-3-0) vs. Thiago Alves (18-7-0)
Rick Story is a powerhouse welterweight with 5 consecutive wins since his June 2009 loss to John Hathaway. His pressing style will not allow Alves to rest or set his feet and I do expect him to secure more than one takedown throughout the fight with his solid wrestling base. Since 2008, Story has won in 11 of 12 appearances and has an ability to grind on opponents, taking them deep into fights; with impressive wins against Jake Ellenberger and Johny Hendricks in that span, Story is a proven warrior against top flight competitors.
Alves looked phenomenal against John Howard, but that match-up was tailor-made for the one-time title challenger. Howard never presented a takedown threat, and was the noticeably smaller man in that bout, allowing "Pitbull" to get off with combinations from range. One aspect of Alves' training that appears to be back on track is his weight-cut with the help of the ever-popular Dolce Diet, which the American Top Team representative has become a big endorser of. Alves has succeeded against wrestlers in the past, toppling both Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck, but has also fallen short against two of the division's best in champion Georges St. Pierre and Boilermaker Jon Fitch. How effective Alves is with kicks early will dictate the outcome of this match, but don't be surprised to see Story pull off the upset with two of three ringside judges giving him the nod in a razor close split decision win.
Roy Nelson (15-5-0) vs. Frank Mir (14-5-0)
Roy Nelson has established himself as more than just a gate-keeper in the UFC's heavyweight division since making his promotion debut in December of 2009; despite being dubbed underwhelming by UFC president Dana White, Nelson has managed 8 [T]KOs in his seven-year professional career. "Big Country" possesses a strong understanding of submissions with more-than-adequate boxing skills when paired up with the majority of the division. His decision loss to Junior dos Santos at UFC 117 was an admirable effort, and prior to that contest, Nelson had stopped both Stefan Struve and Brendan Schaub on strikes.
Mir has traditionally bounced back strong from disappointing results - or when his back is up against the wall - and regardless of his result against Mirko Filipovic at UFC 119, Mir was heavily criticized for the performance by the man in charge, Dana White. The former heavyweight champion also boasts strong boxing ability with a submission game to match, but has been known to wilt when the going gets tough and his wrestling ability has never been strong. A telling stat, is that all of Mir's 5 professional losses have come by [T]KO and the longer this fight goes, the more it sways in Nelson's favor. The loser of this match could very well be fighting for a chance to stay in the promotion in their next bout, a position neither man wants to find himself in, but it will be Nelson's perseverance that seizes the day in this one as he takes it on all three judges scorecards in a competitive match that sees opportunities on both ends.
Quinton Jackson (31-8-0) vs. Matt Hamill (10-2-0)
The main-event, although under-anticipated by the masses of main-stream fans, will prove to be every bit as exciting as the one that preceded it, before lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard had to pull out of the event with injuries suffered in training.
"Rampage" has great hands, although often lacks a jab that could better set-up those powerful hooks. As confidence in his boxing grew, so did Jackson's tendency to plant his feet, relying less on the explosive clinch work and grappling that made him a star during the PRIDE years. Still, at any given moment Jackson has the ability to turn Hamill's lights out with his devastating power. How badly he wants to make another title run for the 205lbs belt he once possessed remains to be seen, but "The Hammer" will answer a lot of questions.
Hamill at 10-2 is just that in this commentators eyes, although the results against Jon Jones and Michael Bisping respectively would be different. The fight against Jones should have been stopped, with Hamill a battered mess barely able to defend himself from the onslaught that was, until Jones - in an effort to land clean and finally get his stoppage - threw that illegal elbow that saw him disqualified; but the champ has done that to everyone in his path thus far. Rich Franklin came too early in Hamill's professional career, and I think we can all agree that Michael Bisping did not defeat Hamill at UFC 75 in Manchester, England. Expect Hamill to push the pace against "Rampage", using his pawing jab to keep him at bay while effectively scoring with a couple important takedowns en route to a unanimous decision nod.
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