Latest Round of UFC Roster Cuts

It's been no secret that the UFC has been making a statement lately that 'any fighter that does not perform will not hold a place on their roster'. This statement has been followed by a series of high-to-low-profile roster cuts spanning almost every division. 

It goes without saying that the most criticized and controversial cut was perennial UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch, following a unanimous decision loss to Demian Maia. Many debated that Fitch dug his own grave with his lacklustre fight style which was referred to as 'grapplehumping'. Another cut that was seemingly self-inflicted was French heavyweight Cheick Kongo who following a KO loss to Roy 'Big Country' Nelson was 1-2 in his last three bouts in the octagon.

Anyways, without further ado, here is the latest installment of fighters to be handed their marching orders within the UFC mass-layoff:

- Karlos Vemola

- Nah-shon Burrell

- Anthony Smith

- Eddie Mendez

- Roger Hollett

- Leandro Silva

Until next time,
Peace!

Cro Cop vs. Emelianenko: The Rematch

Just when you thought you'd seen the last of Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic and Aleksander Emelianenko, Eastern European MMA promotion: Legend MMA have gone booked the pair for a rematch.

The two originally faced off 9 years ago back at PRIDE: Final Conflict where Emelianenko fell victim, in the first-round, to the very head kick that 'Cro Cop' was renowned for back in his prime. The win set Filipovic up for a superfight against Aleksander's older brother (and at one time arguably the best heavyweight MMA fighter of all-time) Fedor Emelianenko. 

Fast forward 9 years to 2013 and we find ourselves facing the very real booking of a rematch between two heavyweights who are arguably pushing to keep the curtains open on careers that should have essentially closed a long time ago. My reasoning behind my last statement is that, neither fighters have attained the level of success that they found once upon a time in the 'PRIDE FC' organisation in Japan. Aleks Emelianenko is coming off a fight against perennial pushover Bob Sapp and Cro Cop has returned to kickboxing following a very disappointing stint in the UFC where he was (at one stage) trying to comeback from three back-to-back(-to-back lol) KO losses. 

BLACKZILLA's TIP: I don't think history will repeat itself, Mirko Cro Cop has looked sluggish and slow lately, and i very highly question the ability of his chin's ability to defend against the hands of the younger Emelianenko whilst wearing 4-pound MMA gloves. Emelianenko by KO.

Dylan Andrews to Fight on UFC on FS1 2 Card

Picked last by Team (Jon) Jones on season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter, Dylan 'The Villain' Andrews, took solace in the fact that he'd been underestimated by every coach and competitor on the show. The NZ native, who currently resides in the Gold Coast, Australia, took everyone by surprise fighting his way through to the semi-finals eventually losing to heavily-favoured Urijah Hall.

After an impressive performance throughout the show, Andrews was invited to fight fellow contestant Jimmy Quinlan at the TUF17 finale in Las Vegas. The Villain overcame Quinlan defeating him via TKO (due to punches) at 3:22 of the very first round.

It was recently announced, that following his previous victory, Dylan 'The Villain' Andrews will fight fellow middleweight Papy 'Makambo' Abedi on the UFC on FS1 2 card. The fight scheduled for August 29th will be at Bakers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The 2nd UFC on FS1 card also features Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann: 2, Court McGee vs. Robert Whittaker and Sara McMann vs. Sarah Kaufman.

Andrews enters the fight sporting a 16-4 record with a current win-streak of 5 fights, while Abedi enters sporting a 9-2 record and being 2-1 in his last 3 fights.

BLACKZILLA's TIP: Abedi hasn't had that strong a run in the UFC winning his last fight by split decision and losing the prior 2 fights by submission (both in the first round). I'm gonna stick with my boy Dylan Andrews to stop this fight early. Andrews by TKO (due to punches) in the 1st stanza.

Until next time,
Peace!

Pettis Out, KZ Gets Title Shot

Anthony 'Showtime' Pettis has been ruled out of his debut in the UFC's featherweight division. Pettis was originally slated to drop to the 145-pound weight class to take on division king Jose Aldo in a title fight that has been drenched in controversy since its conception. 

Dana White's decision to approve Pettis' wish to drop to featherweight and challenge Aldo for the belt was a surprise for a number of reasons, but mainly due to two factors. 1. Pettis had been campaigning for a title shot against UFC Lightweight champion Benson 'Smooth' Henderson for months.

2. The featherweight division already had worthy contenders in: Chan Sung Jung and Ricardo Lamas (to name a couple).

Either way, a slight tear to the miniscus has sidelined Pettis temporarily and resulted in him being pulled from the August 4 fight only to be replaced by arguably the best replacement choice in 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung.

Jung is coming off an extended lay-off, recovering from surgery to get him back to fighting fit following an impressive submission victory over Dustin Poirier that earned him  both fight and submission of the night honours. 

Aldo vs. Jung will headline UFC163 on Sunday 4th August and will be joined on the card by Lyoto Machida vs. Phil Davis and Demian Maia vs. Josh Koscheck as well as other bouts.

BLACKZILLA's TIP: I'm pretty bloddy excited to see this main event. I think KZ is one of the few featherweights in the UFC that pose a legitimate threat to Aldo's reign at the top of the division. I'll take KZ by Split Decision.

Until next time,

Peace!

Big Country Sets New UFC Record

Not everything that came out of Roy 'Big Country' Nelson's UFC161 loss to Stipe Miocic was negative. Despite Big Country dropping a disappointing Unanimous Decision loss to Miocic, he set a new UFC record. Now as much as I am not a fan of Nelson (let's face it, I really don't have much positive to say about the guy) I did think this particular record was worth a mention (...and you'll see why in a second). 

Roy 'Big Country' Nelson set a new record for absorbing the most amount of punches in UFC history, without getting knocked out. Roy has eaten 437 significant strikes (in total) during his fights against Junior Dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum, Frank Mir and most recently Stipe Miocic. The figure was released by UFC president Dana White at the press conference following the mostly lacklustre UFC161 fight card.

I don't know about anyone else, but this just makes me want to see him get knocked out even more. Maybe a fight against Mark Hunt is on the cards in the near future?

Until next time,

Peace!

Back Again...

Ok! Firstly apologies for the small delay in posts, it’s been somewhat of a busy week for me, but not to worry, I’m back for my next post this time coming straight out of the departure lounge in Queenstown Airport, New Zealand awaiting my 9:40am flight home.

Considering the temporary change in location, I figured it might be fitting to do a quick feature on some of the fighters in the UFC that hail from this country more popularly known as ‘The Land of the Long White Cloud’.

When looking at Kiwi representatives that have made an impact inside the UFC, you really can’t look any further than 205-pounder James Te Huna and heavyweight veteran ‘The Super Samoan’ Mark Hunt. The pair have been key figures in a movement that has put the Oceania region on the MMA map. The movement has gained a huge amount of momentum and drawn a huge international fan base especially within the Southern Hemisphere.

Hunt, a Pride FC veteran and former K1 world kickboxing champion who is  4-2 in his 6 UFC bouts, only took up the sport after a nightclub bouncer witnessed him handle an altercation against four other men. The 39 year old former South Auckland resident is well-known for being a man of few words with a granite chin and boulder-like fists. Despite sporting 2 losses on his record (one against Sean McCorkle in Hunt’s 2010 UFC Debut, the other to former UFC world champion Junior Dos Santos just recently) Hunt has displayed an exciting ‘juggernaut-esque’ style of attack with two fight night bonuses to support that claim.

Te Huna, a native of New Zealand and a former Cage Fighting Championships Light Heavyweight grand prix winner, has held the light heavyweight strap in the King Of The Cage promotion and proved to be a tough competitor within the octagon. The Maori fighter is 5-2 in his 7 UFC fights with his only losses coming at the hands of current UFC 205-pound contenders Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Texeira. Both of these losses came by way of submission which UFC fighters from Australia/New Zealand aren't famous for defending effectively against higher level opponents.

While Te Huna and Hunt weren’t and aren’t the first fighters from down south to make it to the big leagues, they have arguably been two of the more noteworthy figures that have inspired fighters of Kiwi/Maori heritage much like TUF: Smashes winner Robert Whittaker and TUF17 semi-finalist Dylan 'The Villain' Andrews who are already making an impact in the octagon.

Until next time...

Peace!

Fitch To Make Debut At World Series Of Fighting 3

UFC veteran Jon Fitch will make his debut for Nevada-based promotion 'World Series of Fighting' (WSOF) at their third fight night on June 14th at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. Fitch joined the WSOF roster after being cut from the UFC in February of this year following a Unanimous Decision loss to Brazilian fighter Demian Maia. The loss and subsequent cut was the catalyst for much debate in the MMA world with many people calling the UFC's 'fighter retention policy' into question after Fitch was the first fighter to be cut following a single loss. What added even more fuel to the media fire was that Fitch was still a top 10 ranked welterweight with an overall UFC record of 14-3-1 following the loss.

Jon Fitch and WSOF President Ray Sefo announced the signing of a four-fight contract in March with Fitch's promotional debut to come at the WSOF3 main event on June 14th against former UFC veteran and The Ultimate Fighter season 2 contender Josh Burkman in a rematch from their UFC days where Fitch won by rear naked choke.

Burkman is coming off two straight wins (one by unanimous decision against TUF alumni Gerald Harris at WSOF1 and one by KO/TKO against Aaron Simpson at WSOF2) and is looking to continue his winning form against Fitch.

BLACKZILLA's TIP: This fight will go one of two ways. 1. Josh Burkman will knock Fitch out in the 2nd round, or 2. Jon Fitch will lay all over Burkman and wrestle his way to a boring Unanimous Decision. As much as I hope that the former eventuates, I'm inclined to lean the way of the latter option.

The WSOF3 fight card is as follows:

Preliminary Card:

- Dan Lauzon vs. John Gunderson.

- Kendrick Miree vs. Krasimir Mladenov.

- Jeff Smith vs. Jerrod Sanders.

- Carson Beebe vs. Joe Murphy.

Main Card:

- Jacob Volkmann vs. Lyle Beerbohm.

- Brian Cobb vs. Justin Gaethje.

- Tyson Steele vs. Steve Carl.

- Jon Fitch vs. Josh Burkman.

It'll be interesting to see how the promotional change will affect not just Jon Fitch but Jacob Volkmann who was also cut from the UFC earlier this year. There is really only one way to find out as we see them and fellow former UFC fighters Josh Burkman and Dan Lauzon (Brother of top 10 UFC lightweight Joe 'J-Lau' Lauzon) throw down at World Series of Fighting 3 at the Hard Rock Hotel on June 14th.

Until next time,
Peace!

In Other News...

UFC Bans 'Pretorian Hard Sports' Brand

Earlier this week, the UFC sent out a memo to its contracted fighters and their management teams stating that fighters will no longer be allowed to wear or display the  'Pretorian Hard Sports' brand on any of their belongings/clothing at any UFC events (fight nights, pay-per-views, press conferences etc.). The brand has been at the centre of a 'sponsor tax' dispute with the UFC and the fighters contracted to the promotion that they sponsor/represent. Needless to say, this is a major setback for the brand as well as the UFC fighters that they sponsored.

Cerrone To Face Rafael Dos Anjos @ UFC on FS1: 2

Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone has just found out his next opponent. At the 2nd UFC on Fox Sports 1 card, Cerrone will look to gain a second consecutive victory, this time against Brazilian Rafael Dos Anjos. Cerrone enters this upcoming bout sporting an overall 20-5 professional MMA record going 7-2 within the UFC. Dos Anjos on the other hand is sporting a 19-6 overall record with a 8-4 UFC record and is looking to move up in the lightweight division (he is currently ranked #14) by beating the #11 ranked lightweight Cerrone. The fight features alongside Robert 'Bubba' McDaniels vs. Brad Tavares, Kelvin Gastelum vs. Paulo Thiago and main event Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann.

And In Other Unrelated News...

Just a quick shoutout to the 'Let's Go Lakers' Facebook page for giving us a promo on their page. Don't be a stranger and go check them out for all the latest on the LA Lakers and the NBA at large. 

You can reach them here at: Let's Go Lakers Facebook Fan Page

That's it for now guys...

Until next time,

Peace!

Sonnen And Shogun Confirmed

It's finally been made official. Chael Sonnen will be Shogun Rua's replacement opponent for the UFC on Fox Sports 1 main event. Sonnen is coming off two losses (one each to UFC Middleweight champion Anderson 'The Spider' Silva and 205-pound king Jon 'Bones' Jones) while Shogun is coming off a loss to Swedish fighter Alexander 'The Mauler' Gustafsson. 

The stacked UFC on FS 1 card will also feature the return of heavyweight Alistair Overeem who will face Travis Browne, Matt Brown who will face Thiago Alves and Joe Lauzon who will face Michael Johnson amongst other exciting bouts.

BLACKZILLA's TIP: Shogun to beat Sonnen by some slick submission in round 2 after Sonnen hypes the fight like it is the coming of the Third World War. 

I can't wait for this card!

Until next time,

Peace!

Rampage Signs With Bellator

Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson's time with the Ultimate Fighting Championships has officially come to an end. After three straight losses (to UFC Light-Heavyweight champion Jon Jones, Ryan Bader and Glover Texeira, respectively), it didn't look like the UFC figureheads were too keen on extending his contract with them, not that Rampage hadn't been actively looking for a way out in recent years anyways. 

Many marked this as the end of his professional MMA career which had seen him become an extremely famous celebrity in Japan through his days fighting in Pride Fighting Championships before moving on to fight in the World Fighting Alliance and the UFC.

In a move that surprised most of the MMA world, Rampage Jackson signed with Bellator (seen as currently the best MMA promotion in the world, second only to the UFC). It is unsure when he will make his debut for the promotion, however he enters the organisation with a 32-11 record and is rumoured to have signed a contract similar to 'King Mo' Lawal who's contract allows him to make regular appearances on the Total Non-stop Action (TNA) wrestling programme.

I'm not yet sold on whether or not this is a good idea for the former UFC Light-Heavyweight champ, but either way i guess this'll lead most definitely in an interesting direction for him career-wise.

Until next time,

Peace!

Lil Nog Pulls Out Of Shogun Fight, Sonnen To Replace?

Antonio Rogerio 'Lil Nog' Nogueira has just announced his withdrawal from his upcoming bout with Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua at UFC161 due to a back injury. UFC Correspondant Ariel Helwani confirmed this via his twitter account not long after. This now leaves Rua without an opponent for his co-main event bout and possibly even without a bout.

But not to worry... 

*cue cheesy superhero entrance music*

It seems Chael Sonnen has put his hand up to take this fight on short notice, and just 7 weeks after losing his light heavyweight title fight to 205-pound king Jon 'Bones' Jones. Chael is coming off two losses from two title fights in two different divisions (middleweight and light-heavyweight) while Rua is coming off a disappointing loss to fellow light-heavyweight contender Alexander Gustafsson. 

Whilst Sonnen has thrown his hand up for this fight, it has to be noted that the UFC haven't confirmed him to be Rua's replacement opponent.

So until then... Rua remains without an opponent....

Anyways, I'll keep you all updated on whether or not this possible fight becomes official as well as any other events within the world of the UFC or the MMA world at large.
Until next time...
Peace!

Upcoming Card Changes/Additions

As we all know, there are a whole bunch of exciting UFC match cards coming our way very, very soon. We also know that cards aren't always finalised and set in stone in one fell swoop and that they are also subject to any number of changes/additions.

That being said, here are the latest changes/additions to upcoming UFC cards...

Change: Dave Herman vs. Gabriel Gonzaga @ UFC162

UFC162: Silva vs. Weidman was originally slated to have 'the man who claimed brazilian jiu-jitsu didn't work' Dave 'Pee Wee' Herman fight Shane Del Rosario in a 3-round heavyweight matchup. Unfortunately, Del Rosario was injured (not exactly sure how or when it happened though) and has subsequently been ruled out and replaced by 4th Degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Gabriel 'Napao' Gonzaga. 

Gonzaga is 3-1 in his last 4 fights, the only loss coming at the hands of Travis 'Hapa' Browne in what was one of the more controversial finishes to a fight we've had so far this year.

Herman is 1-3 in his last 4 fights and is looking to bounce back from consecutive losses to Stefan Struve, Roy Nelson and Minotauro Nogueira.

BLACKZILLA's TIP: With both fighters looking to get back into the 'win' column, you can expect this fight to be exciting and that they'll both be looking to finish this convincingly. Despite, Gonzaga's ground game being on another level in comparison to Herman's, I think Gonzaga will take this by late 1st round KO/TKO.

Addition: Thales Leites vs. Tom Watson @ UFC163

UFC163: Aldo vs. Pettis marks the return to the octagon for Brazilian Thales Leites after a 4 year extended hiatus away from the UFC. Leites boasts a 20-4 professional MMA record with a UFC record of 5-3 and will make his return against fellow middleweight Tom Watson. 

Watson is looking to continue on his winning ways up the middleweight ladder coming off a victory at UFC on Fuel 7 against Stanislav Nedkov while Leites looks to make a triumphant return in front of a home crowd at HSBC Arena in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

BLACKZILLA's TIP: Leites to claim a Split Decision over Watson.

Addition: Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann @ UFC on FS 2

'The Natural Born Killer' vs. 'The Hitman'. Condit and Kampmann are set to face off again, this time as the headliner for the UFC's second card on the new Fox Sports 1 channel. The younger pair fought for the first time in 2009 with Kampmann earning a close split decision victory. 

Four years later and while the fighters are the same, the circumstances are different and the stakes are higher. Both Carlos Condit and Martin Kampmann are coming off losses. Carlos Condit is coming off two decision losses to Johnny Hendricks and UFC Welterweight king Georges St. Pierre. Kampmann on the other hand, is coming off a knockout loss suffered at the hands of the Johnny Hendricks.

BLACKZILLA's TIP: Carlos Condit by early 2nd round KO/TKO.

Addition: Conor McGregor vs. Andy Ogle @ UFC on FS 1

Irish fighter Conor McGregor is set to face British TUF15 alumni Andy Ogle in Boston after being granted the fight as a result of his quick demolition of TUF14 contender Marcus Brimage at UFC on Fuel TV 9.

McGregor isn't the only one coming of an impressive victory as his opponent Ogle is coming off a gutsy decision victory over Josh Grispi at UFC on Fuel TV 7 and will be looking to make another statement against McGregor despite a lot of people favouring the Irishman in this bout.

BLACKZILLA's TIP: I'm gonna go out on a limb and favour the Englishman Andy Ogle to grind out a Split Decision.

Other Additions to the UFC on FS1 card:

- Mike Brown vs. Akira Corassani.

- Nick Ring vs. Urijah Hall.

So there you go... Updates a plenty.

Until Next Time,

Peace!

Matt 'The Terror' Serra Calls It A Career

From winning 'The Ultimate Fighter Season 4: The Comeback' to knocking out GSP and claiming the UFC Welterweight champion in one of the biggest upsets in MMA History, Matt 'The Terror' Serra has enjoyed a fulfilling MMA career. Boasting a 17-7 win-loss record (despite being 7-7 in the UFC) 'The Terror' has brought and given his all in his wars against the likes of Shonie Carter, Karo Parisyan, Matt Hughes, Georges St. Pierre or Din Thomas (to name a few) and has earned himself a devoted fan base with his 'never say die' attitude, his gracie jiu jitsu background as well as the "bricks in his gloves" (Joe Rogan's humorous praise of Serra's punching power) in the octagon.

Serra's retirement comes as the result of a culmination of a number of factors, the main reasons being his growing family and his health condition which left a bit to be desired following his recent 'thoracic outlet syndrome' scare which left him needing surgical removal of a rib to ease pressure on his lungs. The retirement has left him with more time to concentrate on his family as well as his two jiu jitsu schools in Long Island, New York.

Despite leaving the octagon with an equal win-loss record, Serra will always be remembered as the man who knocked out GSP... lol.

Until Next Time,
Peace!