MMA Combat - UFC 136 - Edgar vs. Maynard III, Pick 'Em

MMA Combat - UFC 136 - Edgar vs. Maynard III, Pick 'Em

Click above link to see our picks for UFC 136!

MMA Combat - UFC 136 Adds Pettis vs. Stephens

MMA Combat - UFC 136 Adds Pettis vs. Stephens

The UFC announced Saturday the addition of a lightweight bout to their growing UFC 136 lineup; former WEC 155lbs champion Anthony "Showtime" Pettis (13-2-0) will collide with heavy-hitter Jeremy "Lil' Heathen" Stephens (20-6-0) at the event, which also includes Gray Maynard vs. Frankie Edgar III for the lightweight championship, and Kenny Florian vs. Jose Aldo for the 145lbs title.

Roufusport product, Anthony Pettis, was a winner in four consecutive outings heading into his highly anticipated promotion debut June 4, at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale. Promised a title-shot, the conclusion of Maynard vs. Edgar II saw Pettis' opportunity pushed back further into the year with a pending rematch on the horizon between the two. "Showtime" elected to take a fight against surging lightweight contender Clay Guida rather than stay dormant, and was upset over three rounds of action as "The Carpenter's" wrestling chops and furious pace proved the difference once again. Pettis will look to pick up his first UFC victory when he tows-the-line against 12-time UFC veteran Stephens this fall.

"Lil' Heathen" is riding a two-fight winning streak coming into the contest, most recently defeating Daniel Downes by unanimous decision at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale, June 4. Stephens has won 14 fights in his professional career by way of [T]KO, and is appreciated for his exciting style inside the octagon. The Iowa native is 7-5 in his UFC tenure with notable wins over Cole Miller, Rafael dos Anjos, and Sam Stout.

UFC 136 is scheduled to take place October 8, 2011, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.


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MMA Combat - Maynard vs. Edgar III, Florian vs. Aldo Added to UFC 136

MMA Combat - Maynard vs. Edgar III, Florian vs. Aldo Added to UFC 136

The UFC announced Friday the addition of two title fights to their UFC 136 lineup, scheduled for October 8, 2011, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. First it was decided that Gray Maynard (10-0-1) and Frankie Edgar (13-1-1) would settle the score in the third installment of their highly competitive rivalry at the event; then shortly after, news broke that Jose Aldo Jr. (19-1-0) would defend his featherweight belt against two-time lightweight title challenger, Kenny Florian (14-5-0).

155lbs champion Frankie Edgar, has met challenger Gray Maynard twice before without salvaging a victory against the powerful D-1 wrestler. Maynard remains the only man to defeat the defending lightweight champ who boasts an effective mix of pace, boxing, and wrestling talent. With his ever evolving game, most consider "The Bully" to be Edgar's biggest threat as the Xtreme Couture representative possesses a similar skill-set to that of the champ, but brings his size and strength advantage into the contest. The heart of the champion could never be questioned however, as the Renzo Gracie product overcame a dire situation the last time both men appeared at UFC 125, as Maynard dropped Edgar on numerous occasions in the first round, effectively punching himself out of energy, before "The Answer" mounted an unlikely comeback to capture a unanimous draw on the judge's scorecards. Be sure to catch the conclusion of this thrilling trilogy this coming fall.

Featherweight king Jose Aldo Jr. has been nothing short of brilliant in his tenure with Zuffa. The former WEC lightweight champion, and current UFC title holder has perhaps the most dangerous stand-up attack in the sport today with 12 [T]KOs in 19 career wins, and 12 consecutive victories on record. At UFC 136 he will face a man who has been there before, but came up short in each of his title opportunities to-date. Florian, not unlike the previously discussed bout, possesses a skill-set, akin to the champion's own; his Muay Thai is more than adequate against the majority opponents put in front of him, and his Jiu Jitsu is among the division's best; but could that be the X-factor in this upcoming challenge? It's unlikely he'll get the better of the standing action, and his wrestling has done him few favors throughout his career. A surprise to some, Jose Aldo's wrestling was effective against an unsuspecting Mark Hominick in April... Florian will have his work cut-out for him.


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MMA Combat - UFC 131 - Results and Bonuses

MMA Combat - UFC 131 - Results and Bonuses

UFC 131 went down Saturday, June 11, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and featured a heavyweight title eliminator in the main-event when Shane Carwin battled division #2 Junior dos Santos for a shot at promotion champion Cain Velasquez later this year.

The Team Blackhouse representative was simply too diverse and precise when standing for the one-time title challenger Carwin to get comfortable. Scoring with jabs and hooks both upstairs and down throughout the fight, dos Santos cruised to a unanimous decision victory and now turns his attention to AKA standout Velasquez with his eye on heavyweight gold.

In the co-main event, veteran Kenny Florian took a unanimous decision victory over a game Diego Nunes in the Brazilian's first UFC appearance, and now lines himself up for a shot at featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo. Nunes pressed the action early, landing the bigger shots and grounding Florian with a big left hand late in the first; Florian dug deep however, putting his man up against the fence while scoring with multiple take-downs in the second and third rounds. Finding his rhythm on the feet, Florian was able to mix more technical combinations with well-timed shots down the stretch to realize the decision win.

The bonuses for the evening's card were captured by Sam Stout, Chris Weidman, Dave Herman and John Olav Einemo. Each pocketed an extra $70 000 for their efforts Saturday night with stunning finishes in their respective bouts. Sam Stout caught veteran Yves Edwards with a thudding counter left hook, keeping his man down for several minutes after the conclusion of the fight. The lightweight out of London, Ontario looks forward to a move up the 155lbs ladder with the knockout of the night performance. Chris Weidman tapped Jesse Bongfeldt with a standing guillotine choke at 4:54 of the first frame to earn submission of the night, while Dave Herman stopped Golden Glory submission specialist John Olav Einemo on third round strikes with both men earning fight of the night honors.

Other results from UFC 131 can be found below:

1 Darren Elkins def. Michihiro Omigawa via Decision (Unanimous) rd3 5:00
2 Joey Beltran def. Aaron Rosa via TKO (Punches) rd3 1:26
3 Dustin Poirier def. Jason Young via Decision (Unanimous) rd3 5:00
4 Nick Ring def. James Head via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) rd3 3:33
5 Krzysztof Soszynski def. Mike Massenzio via Decision (Unanimous) rd3 5:00
6 Chris Weidman def. Jesse Bongfeldt via Submission (Guillotine Choke) rd 1 4:54
7 Sam Stout def. Yves Edwards via KO (Punch) rd1 3:52
8 Donald Cerrone def. Vagner Rocha via Decision (Unanimous) rd3 5:00
9 Dave Herman def. John Olav Einemo via TKO (Punches) rd2 3:19
10 Mark Munoz def. Demian Maia via Decision (Unanimous) rd3 5:00
11 Kenny Florian def. Diego Nunes via Decision (Unanimous) rd3 5:00
12 Junior dos Santos def. Shane Carwin via Decision (Unanimous) rd3 5:00


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UFC 131 Pick 'em

UFC 131 will go live, Saturday, June 11, from Roger's Arena in Vancouver, Canada and will be headlined by a heavyweight title-shot eliminator when Shane Carwin goes toe to toe with Team Blackhouse star Junior dos Santos.  

The co-main event will feature Kenny Florian's debut at featherweight as he battles Nova Uniao standout Diego Nunes.  With the performance, Florian will become the first fighter in UFC history to compete in four divisions, but he'll have his hands full with the once beaten WEC veteran.

Below you will find our main card picks for UFC 131 - Carwin vs. dos Santos.  Tune in at 9pm EST, on UFC.tv or Pay-Per-View television to catch all the action live from Vancouver!

Donald Cerrone vs. Vagner Rocha

As Rocha has stated in recent interviews leading up to the contest, this match is really a no-win for "The Cowboy," as he takes on a promotion new comer with a fraction of the experience he has in the sport.  Rocha has stopped four of his seven opponents by way of submission, and will pose a threat in that department; however, Cerrone owns twelve of his fourteen career victories by that same method and should have no problems neutralizing Rocha's ground attack while picking him apart with superior stand-up technique.  Cerrone turned a corner in his rematch with Jamie Varner, proving to the mixed martial arts community that he is willing to develop perceived weaknesses in his game after out-wrestling the former champ en-route to a unanimous decision win.  Cerrone will take this one as well, 3rd round TKO stoppage is the call.

Demian Maia vs. Mark Munoz

Demian Maia, a one-time title challenger, has the ability to submit any man when the fight hits the mat as demonstrated by his five fight winning streak that began with his promotion debut at UFC 77.  Maia stopped all five opponents by way of submission, including notables Jason MacDonald and Chael Sonnen.  Recently, the highly decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blackbelt has worked diligently to improve his other skill-sets, with good results against the likes of Kendall Grove.  "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" will prove too difficult a test however as this match-up simply does not stack up well for Maia.  Munoz has big power in his hands, and without question is the more comfortable striker in the pocket.  Coupled with his wrestling chops out of Oklahoma, which will dictate where this fight takes place, the pick here is Mark Munoz via KO victory or convincing unanimous decision.


Jon Olav Einemo vs. Dave Herman

In a battle of heavyweights making their promotion debuts, wrestler Dave Herman takes on ADCC world champion Jon Olav Einemo.  6'6" Einemo from Oslo, Norway is also a grappler of the highest order, but has not competed in mixed martial arts competition since his armbar submission victory over James Thompson in November of 2006.  Boasting a record of 6-1 with five submission stoppages, Einemo trains out of the Golden Glory gym in the Netherlands, notorious for putting out top-level strikers.  Ring-rust could very well be the deciding factor in this one, as "Pee-wee" has twenty-two professional fights on his resume with only two defeats and fourteen [T]KO victories in that span.  I look for him to be the more comfortable standing, and although a stoppage might be hard to come by, the Bellator and Sengoku veteran will come out with a comfortable win on the judges cards.

Kenny Florian vs. Diego Nunes
Any time you go up against a Nova Uniao fighter, you know you're in tough.  The camp is without question at the pinnicle of fighter development in Brazil, and has traditionally been strongest in the lighter weight classes.  Cue Diego Nunes, a 16-1-0 twenty-eight year old coming off three consecutive victories under the WEC banner, going 5-1 overall in the promotion.  Nunes' last victory was perhaps his most impressive to date, topping former 145lbs champion Mike Thomas Brown via unanimous decision at UFC 125 on January 1st.  His opponent, Kenny Florian, is a man who needs no introduction when he steps into the octagon.  Entering the UFC through the Ultimate Fighter Season 1, losing the finals to Diego Sanchez at 185lbs, Florian will now compete in his fourth weight class, setting a promotion record in doing so.  The 13-5-0 two-time lightweight title challenger has a tendency to show his best when his back is up against the wall; coming off a loss to Gray Maynard in his most recent performance, and re-inventing himself at featherweight, I expect that kind of display from Florian come Saturday night.  Look for Florian to keep this fight standing, while executing a more diverse array of strikes.  The call is "Kenflo" via unanimous decision nod.

Shane Carwin vs. Junior dos Santos
Another tough bout to call, the main-event at UFC 131 is exactly the kind of fight that fans want to finish the evening.  Both of these heavyweight contenders have made their names by knocking people out, and while the similarities appear to end there, that is the one trait that will make this fight a blockbuster from start to finish.  dos Santos, being the younger, quicker man will look to utilize that advantage standing, while putting on a display with his slick combinations.  Carwin's potential to end the fight with one punch cannot be ignored however, and the Brazilian star will have to be wary of this.  The one tipping factor for myself heading into this contest, as I am a fan of both competitors, is that I can't help but feel dos Santos has been slightly 'spoon fed' his opponents so-to-speak.  When looking back at his list of victims since joining the UFC, while impressive, there hasn't been one strong wrestler in the bunch and the strikers he has toppled are well beyond their prime years.  Dropping twenty pounds of weight since his last appearance, I'm willing to bet the supposed 'cardio issues' Carwin was dubbed to have were little more than a fighter furiously punching himself out over four minutes, in a championship bout.  Carwin took a valuable lesson away from that loss to Lesner, the only time he has ever been outside of the first round... to pick his shots more wisely when gaining a dominate position.  Carwin will use his wrestling base and strength advantage to stifle dos Santos throughout the contest; "Cigano" will have his moments, and certainly threaten on the feet, but the Grudge Training Center product will walk away with his hand raised.

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