UFC 138 was the highest grossing event in the history of the LG Arena – generating $1.5 million
10,823 were in attendance
Bonuses Awarded:
Terry Etim – Sub of the Night
For his 17 second stoppage of Edward Faaloloto
Che Mills – Knock Out of the Night
After TKOing Chris Cope in 40 seconds flat
Brad Pickett vs Renan Barao – Fight of the Night
Barão defeated Pickett via rear naked choke at 4:09 of round 1
Quotes etc. after the jump
Nice guys don’t always finish last. A statement redefined by The Filipino Wrecking Machine with three solid wins in his last three outings. Appearing calm and confident at today’s UFC 138 press conference, one thing was clear right off the bat: this fight is for number one contender status.
Munoz surely makes the better claim with Leben faltering recently against Stann, compared with his own impressive win-streak in an intriguing Middleweight division. Leben emphatically made his pitch to be at the top of the pile with a win on Saturday but the Filipino discussed his thoughts more discretely but was adamant nonetheless.
“This is for number one contender, I’d be surprised if it was anything else. With the run that I’ve had, I beat the last number one contender in Demian Maia and Chris Leben’s got a big win over Wanderlei Silva. I had a four-fight winning streak and my last loss was to Yushin Okami, who fought for the title.
“I’m right there, I’m at the top of the heap and there’s nowhere else for me to go. I want to be world champ and I’ve written that goal on my wall so I see it every day. I train accordingly and I think accordingly.”
A calm and collected Mark Munoz (Steven Bond)
East London born and raised, Jason “Shotgun” Young faces Japanese veteran Michihiro Omigawa on Saturday night in Birmingham. After a hard fought decision loss Dustin Poirier at UFC 131 in Vancouver, Canada, Young faces an experienced Omigawa who likely has more cause for concern over his place in the organisation after consecutive losses to Chad Mendes and Darren Elkins.
Shotgun, who earned his moniker from his buddies at the local barber shop, is so named because of his hard-hitting and energetic style and will get his chance to prove these attributes on the Facebook prelims. Cage Junkies caught up with the young British prospect in the midst of being followed for an extensive and in depth feature for FHM UK. Decked in casual sports attire with his now familiar jauntily-angled mohawk, Young spoke about where his head was at following on from his debut loss.
“As I see it now there’s no option other than to win. I took a short notice fight against a fight ranked sixth in the world (Poirier). It was a really hard fight but I went the distance with a guy ranked sixth. In my head that’s a confidence booster.”
“I just feel like I’ve got all the tools. I’ve got to the UFC training out of a normal gym in London, with average guys but for this fight I’ve spent time in America. I’ve been to Canada with Mark Hominick, Sam Stout and Chris Horodecki. I went down to American Top Team with Gleison TIbau, Mike Brown, Thiago Alves and Hector Lombard. Every one of these guys is high level and I’ve never trained like this for a fight before. You’re going to see a different fighter.”
Jason Young defeats Jordan Miller at UCMMA 3 (via Mirror.co.uk)
It would be easy to think that such a paradigm shift in training partners and regimen could be an overhwleming adjustment for the young Featherweight, but Young has grown in confidence from the training camp.
“I’m a better fighter. I’m more wary. I’m thinking how I’m going to win these fights instead of just trying to bang someone’s head off. So now I want to get takedowns and be known as a more well rounded fighter.”
“I looked at the program yesterday and it said “Jason - 100% striker”. I thought to myself, we’re gonna change this, I’m gonna show people. I promise that.”
In concocting a gameplan that extends beyond a display of his favoured Muay Thai style, Shotgun has been persistently putting in hours on the mat, honing his BJJ and straight wrestling.
“Even my back hurts now” explained Young. “I’ve never wrestled so much in my life! I really rate Omigawa but it doesn’t matter who’s in front of me. He switches his stance a lot and he’s a very unorthodox fighter, but I’ve got a 4 or 5 inch reach advantage. He boxes well but he doesn’t throw any leg kicks and my striking is crisp. I’ve got knees and elbows too.”
Gameplanning for a fight is one think but when Young was quizzed about his aspirations beyond Saturday night it was clear he wasn’t overlooking his opponent.
“I’ll just get this fight out of the way, with a win, and if the UFC give me another top fight then that’s my job. This is what I love to do.”
If I could sum up my sentiments about UFC 138 in a single statement it would be this: a weak card doesn’t mean poor fights. The UFC’s return to the UK shores is drawing a lot of criticism from limeys like myself - but - when it comes down to it we can all be sure that Birmingham’s LG Arena will be electric. Packed with thousands of Mixed Martial Arts fanatics who paid to see the sport they love, played out at the highest level, it will be noisy and it will be glorious.
The storyline of Leben/Munoz just about ties in with the shuffling around in the upper echelons of the decision. Munoz has proved his grappling to be top drawer stuff with recent wins over decent wrestlers Dolloway and Simpson before his tough battle with an ultra elite BJJ blackbelt in the form of Demian Maia.
But with the Crippler… we don’t even have a win streak to speak of. With a single win in recent months against an ageing Wanderlai Silva, he formerly lost in devastating fashion to Brian Stann. And that particular American hero just got dealt his own “red, white and blue ass whooping” from the P4P King of Trash Talk, Chael Sonnen.
Confused?
Well, in short this isn’t a game changing fight and it’s unlikely to be a memorable stand up exchange with Munoz looking for takedowns and effective use of his wrestling.
Munoz’s smart gameplanning with clinch this bout, leaving a frustrated brawler in his wake, possibly summoning a finish at some point in the third.
“One Punch” Pickett finally gets to fight in the UFC after a very respectable WEC run, including that notable win over Demetrious Johnson. Barao has already racked up one win in the Octagon against Cole Escovedo, but failed to make a lasting impression in the eyes of the fans.
With two well rounded and frantic Bantamweights getting their opportunity to shine, this should be one of the more entertaining fights of the whole night.
I see Brad Pickett transitioning effectively between his solid striking game and clinch-work. If he doesn’t manage a TKO by the end of the 2nd then a unanimous decision should be in the bag.
Casual fans can be forgiven for being unfamiliar with the career of Papy Abedi. And at 33 his UFC debut hasn’t come soon enough - but is he being thrown to a very hungry wolf?
Thiago Alves is a big Welterweight and he knows how to throw his weight around when it comes to Muay Thai. As an awesome striker Alves has only faltered in the past 8 years against decent wrestlers - most recently Fitch, Story and of course GSP at UFC 100.
Please God can we have a full on kickboxing war? At least in loving memory of K1. These guys are more than capable of showcasing high level MMA striking and Abedi may be in for a surprise with zero losses to date.
I’ve got Thiago Alves kneeing and shinning his way to a brutal TKO in the 1st or 2nd with both guys uncorking early on. Accompanied by an arena full of giddy and delighted Brits.
This glorious fight week I’m privileged to be reporting for CageJunkies.com. Set up by ex-UFC fighter and TUF 4 alum Charles McCarthy, the site is looking sharp and really gained some traction in recent months.
Tonight I’m putting pen to paper for my breakdown of the top 3 fights and I’ll pick the best of the rest.
Tomorrow I’ll be snapping and tweeting from the press conference and more of the same at the Friday weigh-ins. Saturday is when it all goes down. Watch this space and check back to CageJunkies.com to get a serious MMA fix.
The long and winding road to 137 has taken many twists and turns. Despite the champ’s injury setbacks we’ve been left with a pretty damn awesome main event and another piece in the Welterweight contender puzzle. Two high-level Jiu Jitsu players with ace boxing is a decent recipe for a sick fight.
Guessing which BJ shows up to fight has in itself become meme-worthy, but this is Nick’s fight to lose with his tentacle reach and solid gas tank.
Diaz takes this one by sheer tenacity - the accomplished triathlete will grind out a convincing decision win.
Mitrione has only 5 wins, but a clean sheet to boot. If he can dip, duck and dodge the inevitable groin whalloping that Kongo has patented - then he may just make it 6. Matt looks fitter, better and stronger with every outing. Though Cheick hasn’t threatened to become a serious contender, even with his most impressive wins, he has rocked the champ and there’s not doubt either of these guys could end this fight in a heartbeat. But…
Vive le Meathead - Matt has no trouble letting his hands go and could manage a TKO against the big French dude before they reach the third.
It’s hard to imagine this being anywhere near the “loser leaves town” match that their records may indicate. It could be true for a hundred other fighters in the roster but these guys are surely going to stick around after Saturday night, win, lose or draw.
Nelson’s loss to JDS was respectable enough in that he kept swinging and showed a great deal of heart. But the respect he garnered was hemorrhaged with a poor showing against Mir. Roy attributed put his gassing down to sickness but we’ll get a surer indication of his gas tank if this one goes to the scorecards, which is quite likely.
A healthy Roy could take this with a decent boxing performance but could end up playing it safe with a hefty losing streak at stake.
However… Mirko seems to want this badly enough. And I want to see him take this so badly that I admit my judgement may well be impaired. There’s (some) life left in this old dog and it’s enough to strike sharper and more effectively in the judge’s eyes.
Frankie & Gray set the bar high on New Year’s day, putting one the most stunning 5 round wars ever witnessed in the Octagon. This trilogy has become more compelling with each round, especially as their first outing didn’t seem to have much bearing on the Lightweight division. Now facing each other once again, we’re all poised to see how the storyline plays out in the UFC’s most stacked weight class.
I just cannot imagine another 10-8 round either way but I do reckon these guys will go hard again until they call time. I think Frankie’s speed and transitional skills will be too much for the larger Gray.
Edgar by Unanimous Decision - and finally getting some long overdue props
Such an irony that there is much talk of Aldo’s struggle to make 145, when the former middleweight is discretely pressing on with his second outing to Feather.
Jr. has not only made this division his home, his 12 fight win-streak is a testament to his dominance and experience at the top. With 20 fights apiece, the Brazilian has only lost one bout, though Florian (suffering 5 losses) has arguably faced more elite competition in the UFC.
10 years in age seperates these guys and I’m fascinated to see if Kenny can anywhere near keep up with the pace the 25 year old will set. I highly doubt it.
Aldo will lumberjack Florian for 2.5 rounds before a TKO finish
A match up that seems less clear cut, but likely boils down to wrestling and Duracell endurance. Actual wrestling credentials are invalid as this is MMA and the former title contender has a portfolio of outmuscling and outworking whoever is in front of him… with improved sub defence he would be a certified beast.
Sonnen will remind people that he’s not actually that exciting and rarely finishes fights. Stann will absolutely be set to seek and destroy but will find that KO all too elusive.
Chael by Unanimous Decision - smother & smash
Event draws crowds as gyms do battle at the Bay
Words and picture by Steven Bond
Over 30 fighters performed at a packed event on Saturday night but it wasn’t the sort of ‘art’ you would expect to find in a gallery or concert hall. Colwyn Bay Leisure Centre was the stage for hordes of Martial Artists as they clashed with rival gyms from across the region.
The 16 bouts were comprised of either full-contact kickboxing or Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), said to be one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Combatants are at liberty to engage in stand-up fighting or attempt submission moves to end the fight via “tap out”.
Ducking and Weaving… the Ice Man and Humphreys square up
Reporting for the North Wales Pioneer.
Saturday night’s Battle in the Bay fight night saw scores of competitors test their skills against opponents from across the region and beyond. A packed-to-capacity crowd at Colwyn Bay’s Leisure Centre queued up to see 19 bouts of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and kickboxing action.
Props: MMA Fighting.com’s exclusive interview with Dana white here. The more frequently Dana cites “business as usual”, the less believable it sounds. It’s all too familiar thinking back to the purchase of Pride FC by UFC parent company Zuffa LLC in 2007. Where are they now? Granted, in dealing with Strikeforce and their Showtime TV deal, Dana and the Fertitas won’t be getting into bed with anyone nearly as shady as the likes of the Yakuza. Aside, perhaps, from Frank Shamrock. Some say it was the Japanese Mafia who were the catalyst behind the downfall of Japan’s premier MMA organisation, but the Pride-never-dies fanatics still protest that the UFC were just happy to eliminate their #2 competition. Is this deja vu? Time will tell. What’s for certain? This truly is a game changer. What to watch? Chinese expansion will be key. DFW couldn’t hide the $ signs behind his eyes when he mentioned the viewing numbers for Zhang Tie Quan’s recent win in the UFC 127 prelims. Zuffa cannot win Monopoly in a world swelling with grass-roots MMA promotions but they have passed Go yet again and now truly dominate the board. —-Steven Bond
Published on Thu Nov 18 15:21:14 GMT 2010 NOTTINGHAM’S Team Rough House tasted disappointment on Saturday, when the Ultimate Fighting Championship visited Germany for the second time. Mixed martial artists Andrew Winner and Nick Osipczak were both in action, against German and American opposition. Lightweight knockout artist Winner was convingly stopped in the first round by evolving German striker Dennis Siver. The home crowd erupted as Winner was dropped with a punch and endured the subsequent barrage of heavy-handed blows. Siver promptly wrapped up the Leicester based fighter with achoke, using his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to trap an arm while he manoeuvred for the finish. Later in the evening team-mate Osipczak faced notorious American kickboxer Dane ‘Bang’ Ludwig. The fight that was bumped up to the main fight card and what emerged was a gruelling three round battle. The London-born welterweight was expected to look to his ground game to push the Muay-Thai expert out of his comfort zone, but was outworked to a unanimous decision victory. Slick’s personal Twitter page simply cited that he was “absolutely gutted”. Both Rough House fighters featured on 2009’s MMA reality TV show, The Ultimate Fighter when Winner shone all the way to the live finale and Osipczak impressed the UFC enough to earn a contract. Now with losing streaks marring their records, their future in the top MMA promotion is uncertain. Fellow Brit Mark Scanlon had his seven-fight win streak halted by Germany’s own Pascal “Panzer” Krauss on Saturday night. Fighting out of Liverpool’s Team Kaobon. “Scanno” went the full three rounds with the young German prospect, who elevated himself to 10-0 and poster boy status for the home fans. Inside the Konig-Pilsener Arena, the loudest voices were those of the US troops. The Las Vegas based UFC showed its support for their overseas military by showering them with huge group reductions and complimentary tickets.
My coverage of UFC 122 in Oberhausen, Germany.
