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Friday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Friday
3:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC From All Angles
Former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.
4:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson
Demetrious Johnson takes on John Dodson for the flyweight title; Quinton Jackson vs. Glover Teixeira; Anthony Pettis vs. Donald Cerrone; Ricardo Lamas vs. Erik Koch. From Chicago.
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Submissions 2
8:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Chan Sung Jung vs. Dustin Poirier
From Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va.
11:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Renan Barao vs. Michael McDonald Weigh-in
From London.
12:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le
Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le; Stanislav Nedkov vs. Thiago Silva & more. From Macau, China.
3:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic
Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic; Dan Hardy vs. Amir Sadollah; Brad Pickett vs. Yves Jabouin; Paul Sass vs. Matt Wiman; John Hathaway vs. John Maguire; Che Mills vs. Duane Ludwig. From Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England. (Card subject to change)
6:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman
Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman; Brandon Vera vs. James Te Huna; Jon Fitch vs. Aaron Simpson. From San Jose, Calif.
9:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Chan Sung Jung vs. Dustin Poirier
From Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va.
9:00 p.m. ET AXS: Inside MMA
EPISODE: 279 UFC Light Heavyweight Dan Henderson joins Kenny and Bas; Ron Kruck talks with UFC Bantamweight Michael McDonald.
10:00 p.m. ET AXS: AXS Maximum Fighting Championships 36
Reality Check Mukai Maromo vs. Graham Spencer; Elvis Mutapcic vs. Sam Alvey.
10:30 p.m. ET The Score: The Score Fighting Series
The Score Fighting Series (SFS) features fighters from North America and beyond with a focus on exciting match-ups and developing the next generation of great fighters. Tune in for non-stop action from events across the country.
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet Ontario: UFC Primetime
UFC 157 Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet East: UFC Primetime
UFC 157 Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche
12:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Fight Night
Thiago Silva vs. Alexander Gustafsson from Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Read more -
Sunday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Sunday
3:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: Best of PRIDE Fighting Championship
Fighters that successfully transition from UFC to Pride.
8:00 a.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage: Greatest KO's 10
The best collection of knock outs ever caught on camera and featuring some of today's biggest stars in MMA.
9:00 a.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage
11:00 a.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage: Classics Vol. 11
A historic collection of matchups.
12:00 p.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage
1:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: Ultimate Answers
UFC fighters' takes on topics from the hard-hitting to the totally random.
2:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic
Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic; Dan Hardy vs. Amir Sadollah; Brad Pickett vs. Yves Jabouin; Paul Sass vs. Matt Wiman; John Hathaway vs. John Maguire; Che Mills vs. Duane Ludwig. From Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England. (Card subject to change)
5:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Best of Jon Jones, Jon Jones & Rashad Evans face-off looking ahead to UFC 145; All access with Jones and Evans.
5:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Primetime
Inside the day-to-day lives of first-ever UFC female champion Ronda Rousey, and her challenger Liz Carmouche.
8:00 p.m. ET The Score: Bellator Fight Night
Bellator Fighting Championships is the world’s fastest growing MMA organization. “Bellator” is Latin for warrior and was created by sports marketing visionary Bjorn Rebney. The core belief of the organization is that title shots must be earned, not given. Fighters compete in single-elimination tournaments for a shot at the Bellator title and a $100,000 prize.
9:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 17 Episode 2: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen: Ambush Fourteen middleweights move into the house and training begins; a fighter gets emotional after his team shows serious doubts about his readiness; two fighters face off in the first preliminary fight.
10:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 17 Episode 3: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen: Embrace the Suffering A fighter responds after being called out; coach Sonnen gives advice to a fighter lacking confidence; coach Jones bonds with his team during a house visit; two fighters deliver explosive action.
11:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Johnson vs. Dodson
Demetrious Johnson takes on John Dodson for the flyweight title; Quinton Jackson vs. Glover Teixeira; Anthony Pettis vs. Donald Cerrone; Ricardo Lamas vs. Erik Koch. From Chicago.
11:00 p.m. ET Sportsnet East: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 17 Episode 3: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen: Embrace the Suffering A fighter responds after being called out; coach Sonnen gives advice to a fighter lacking confidence; coach Jones bonds with his team during a house visit; two fighters deliver explosive action.
11:00 p.m. ET Sportsnet Ontario: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 17 Episode 3: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen: Embrace the Suffering A fighter responds after being called out; coach Sonnen gives advice to a fighter lacking confidence; coach Jones bonds with his team during a house visit; two fighters deliver explosive action. Read more -
Saturday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Saturday
3:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Preview all the official news, views, and action for FOX 6: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson.
3:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Overeem; Koch; Evans; Pettis Behind the scenes at Alistair Overeem's photo shoot; 24 year old Erik Koch; Rashad Evans defines the warrior code; Anthony Pettis shows off his signatures moves.
3:30 a.m. ET Sportsnet Pacific: The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen
Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen - Enter the Octagon Twenty-eight middleweights arrive in Las Vegas for a shot at a UFC contract; coaches Chael Sonnen and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones evaluate the winners of 14 elimination fights.
3:30 a.m. ET Sportsnet West: The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen
Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen - Enter the Octagon Twenty-eight middleweights arrive in Las Vegas for a shot at a UFC contract; coaches Chael Sonnen and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones evaluate the winners of 14 elimination fights.
4:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: Inside MMA
EPISODE: 276 Preview of the UFC and Lion Fight Muay Thai events; interviews with Dana White and Quinton Jackson.
5:00 a.m. ET Sportsnet ONE: UFC Wired
Joe Rogan hosts this UFC highlight show featuring some of the best bouts from years past.
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC on FX 7: Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping
Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping; C.B. Dollaway vs. Daniel Sarafian; Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ben Rothwell; Thiago Tavares vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov. From Sao Paulo, Brazil.
8:00 a.m. ET fuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Belfort the Blackzilian; Faber Family Holiday; TUF17 Riff Vitor Belfort gained a 2nd one in the Blackzilians; Urijah Faber celebrates Christmas; Joe Rogan riffs on the upcoming season; Anthony Pettis watches Octagonside.
8:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Overeem; Koch; Evans; Pettis Behind the scenes at Alistair Overeem's photo shoot; 24 year old Erik Koch; Rashad Evans defines the warrior code; Anthony Pettis shows off his signatures moves.
9:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC on FOX 6: Road to the Octagon
UFC's main event fighters train for their upcoming bout inside the Octagon on January 26th.
12:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Best of 2012: The Year in Review
Relive the thrilling action of the best bouts, the greatest knockouts and submissions.
3:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC on FOX 6: Road to the Octagon
UFC's main event fighters train for their upcoming bout inside the Octagon on January 26th.
4:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson Weigh-in
From United Center in Chicago.
5:00 p.m. ET Sportsnet ONE: UFC Preliminary Fights: UFC Live Prelims
Pascal Krauss vs. Mike Stumpf; Shawn Jordan vs. Mike Russow; Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Ryan Bader; Josh Janousek vs. Michael Kuiper; Hatsu Hioki vs. Clay Guida; Matt Wiman vs. T.J. Grant. From Chicago.
5:00 p.m. ET UFC: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson Preliminaries
Pascal Krauss vs. Mike Stumpf; Shawn Jordan vs. Mike Russow; Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Ryan Bader; Josh Janousek vs. Michael Kuiper; Hatsu Hioki vs. Clay Guida; Matt Wiman vs. TJ Grant. From Chicago.
8:00 p.m. ET Sportsnet ONE: UFC Live Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson
10:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Post-Fight Show
UFC: Postfight show for FOX 6: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson, featuring Jay Glazer and top MMA analysts.
11:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Post-Fight Show
Postfight show for FOX 6: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson, featuring Jay Glazer and top MMA analysts. Read more -
Thursday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Thursday
3:00 a.m. ET Sportsnet Pacific: The Ultimate Fighter
Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson
3:00 a.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage: Classics Vol. 6
A historic collection of match ups.
4:00 a.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage: Greatest KO's 5
Some of the best knockouts in the history of King of the Cage.
4:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight'12 Review; '13 Preview
Relive the year's best moments in UFC; look ahead to UFC in 2013, with a preview of what's in store.
4:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Flashback Seattle; Heavyweights Collide Experience UFC on FOX 5 from a new perspective; The comeback of Cain Velasquez; Randy Couture analyzes the Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez championship fight.
5:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
UFC 143 Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit; UFC 142 Rousimar Palhares and and Mike Massenzio; Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon at UFC 144.
5:30 a.m. ET Sportsnet ONE: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Fuel for the Fire Long Island native Chris Weidman tours the town he loves; Alexander Gustafsson sits down with Jon Anik; Nate Diaz's submission game; Chad Mendes' dominating performance.
6:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Alexander Gustafsson's San Diego training; Joe Lauzon's signature moves; Arianny Celeste poses.
7:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Flashback Seattle; Heavyweights Collide Experience UFC on FOX 5 from a new perspective; The comeback of Cain Velasquez; Randy Couture analyzes the Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez championship fight.
7:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC 155: Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez II - Prelims
Chris Leben vs. Derek Brunson, Brad Pickett vs. Eddie Wineland, Leonard Garcia vs. Max Holloway, Michael Johnson vs. Myles Jury, Philip De Fries vs. Todd Duffee, Byron Byron Bloodworth vs. Erik Perez from Las Vegas, Nev.
10:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight'12 Review; '13 Preview
Relive the year's best moments in UFC; look ahead to UFC in 2013, with a preview of what's in store.
11:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Part one of The Top 50 Moments of 2012. From one-punch knockouts to amazing submissions to come-from-behind victories, UFC TONIGHT's Kenny Florian takes us through moments 50-26 in this week's special.
11:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Top 50 UFC Moments in 2012 Part 2 Relive the Top 50 UFC Moments in 2012, from 25 down to number one, as we count down the year's greatest events in mixed martial arts.
12:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz
Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz; Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson; Josh Koscheck vs. Johnny Hendricks. From New Jersey.
2:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic
Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic; Dan Hardy vs. Amir Sadollah; Brad Pickett vs. Yves Jabouin; Paul Sass vs. Matt Wiman; John Hathaway vs. John Maguire; Che Mills vs. Duane Ludwig. From Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England. (Card subject to change)
5:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman
Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman; Brandon Vera vs. James Te Huna; Jon Fitch vs. Aaron Simpson. From San Jose, Calif.
8:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le
Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le; Stanislav Nedkov vs. Thiago Silva & more. From Macau, China.
10:00 p.m. ET SpikeTV: Bellator 360
The Lightweights are highlighted with guest Michael Chandler.
11:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann
Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann; Mackens Semerzier vs. Daniel Pineda. From Sydney, Australia.
11:00 p.m. ET SpikeTV: Bellator 360
The Middleweights Read more -
Tuesday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Tuesday
5:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman
Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman; Brandon Vera vs. James Te Huna; Jon Fitch vs. Aaron Simpson. From San Jose, Calif.
8:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Mauricio Shogun vs. Brandon Vera
Mauricio Rua vs. Brandon Vera; Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader; Joe Lauzon vs. Jamie Varner; DaMarques Johnson vs. Mike Swick. From Los Angeles. (Card subject to change)
10:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic
Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic; Dan Hardy vs. Amir Sadollah; Brad Pickett vs. Yves Jabouin; Paul Sass vs. Matt Wiman; John Hathaway vs. John Maguire; Che Mills vs. Duane Ludwig. From Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England. (Card subject to change)
1:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Travis Browne vs. Antonio Silva
Travis Browne vs. Antonio Silva; Jake Ellenberger vs. Jay Hieron; John Dodson vs. Jussier Formiga; Josh Neer vs. Justin Edwards. From Minneapolis.
3:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le
Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le; Stanislav Nedkov vs. Thiago Silva & more. From Macau, China.
6:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz
Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz; Alexander Gustafsson vs. Mauricio Rua; Rory MacDonald vs. B.J Penn; Matt Brown vs. Mike Swick. From Seattle.
8:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson
Rousimar Palhares vs. Hector Lombard; Norman Parke vs. Colin Fletcher; Bradley Scott vs. Robert Whittaker; George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson. From Queensland, Australia. (Card subject to change)
10:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Top 50 UFC Moments in 2012 Part 2 Relive the Top 50 UFC Moments in 2012, from 25 down to number one, as we count down the year's greatest events in mixed martial arts.
10:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Alexander Gustafsson's San Diego training; Joe Lauzon's signature moves; Arianny Celeste poses.
11:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Countdown
155: Leading up to the Heavyweight title fight UFC 155: Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez II.
12:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz
Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz; Alexander Gustafsson vs. Mauricio Rua; Rory MacDonald vs. BJ Penn; Matt Brown vs. Mike Swick. From Seattle. Read more -
Friday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Friday
3:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic
Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic; Dan Hardy vs. Amir Sadollah; Brad Pickett vs. Yves Jabouin; Paul Sass vs. Matt Wiman; John Hathaway vs. John Maguire; Che Mills vs. Duane Ludwig. From Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England. (Card subject to change)
9:00 a.m. ET MTV2: Bellator Fighting Championships 82
From Soaring Eagle Casino in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., Lyman Good vs. Andrey Koreshkov; Alexander Sarnavskiy vs. Tony Hervey; Rickels vs. Fischer and Hose vs. Marshall.
10:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC 154: Georges St. Pierre vs. Carlos Condit - Prelims
John Makdessi vs. Sam Stout; Rodrigo Damm vs. Antonio Carvalho; Chad Griggs vs. Cyrille Diabate; Alessio Sakara vs. Patrick Cote. From Bell Centre in Montreal.
1:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
UFC 144: Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson Relive the action from UFC 144 at Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo.
4:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz
Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz; Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson; Josh Koscheck vs. Johny Hendricks. From New Jersey.
6:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Road to the Octagon
Inside the training camps of six UFC fighters as they get ready for UFC Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz
7:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Benson Henderson vs.Nate Diaz - Weigh-in
Benson Henderson vs Nate Diaz at Key Arena in Seattle, Washington.
7:00 p.m. ET MTV2: Bellator Fighting Championships 83
From Caesars in Atlantic City, N.J.; Rad Martinez vs. Shahbulat Shamhalaev; Zach Makovsky vs. Anthony Leone; Zoila Gurgel vs. Jessica Eye.
8:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Presents Benson Henderson: Rising Up
Benson Henderson's mother, brother, girlfriend, coach and Benson, himself, reveal the motivations and desires that drive him.
9:00 p.m. ET AXS: Inside MMA
EPISODE: 269 Randy Couture; Greg Jackson; Tank Abbott; Nick Newell; an underground MMA event.
9:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson Lightweight title fight between Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson at UFC 144; featherweight face-off between Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway at UFC 143; UFC 142's battle between Vitor Belfort and Anthony Johnson.
10:00 p.m. ET AXS: XFC 21 Night of Champions II
Nick Newell vs. Eric Reynolds.
10:00 p.m. ET FX: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 12: Semifinal Showdown Two semifinal fights determine which two men will move on to fight in the finale for a UFC contract.
10:30 p.m. ET The Score: The Score Fighting Series
The Score Fighting Series (SFS) features fighters from North America and beyond with a focus on exciting match-ups and developing the next generation of great fighters. Tune in for non-stop action from events across the country.
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet Pacific: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news. Read more -
UFC ‘Fight for the Troops 2’ Analysis: The Main Card
By: Tim Leidecker
Patrick Barry (top) file photo | Sherdog.com
On Saturday, the UFC put on its second “Fight for the Troops” show to support severely wounded military personnel. While the first event in December of 2008 had many former U.S. Armed Forces members on the fight card itself, that theme was dropped this time around. Instead, “FFTT2” mostly featured the lighter weight classes, with plenty of 135-, 145-, and 155-pound action alongside a pair of heavyweight bouts.
Below, an in-depth look at Saturday’s five main card matches and which fights are likely to be made in the near future for the 10 participants.
Matt Wiman def. Cole Miller -- Decision (Unanimous)
What happened: Long known only as a very confident -- perhaps overconfident -- contestant from “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5, Wiman effectively emancipated himself from his “Handsome” moniker by turning in a career-defining performance over fellow “TUF 5” alum Cole Miller. From the opening bell, both men fought in the way one would want two fighters in the UFC’s ultra-competitive 155-pound division to engage. Midway through the opening round, Miller lost interest in standing and trading with Wiman, who was getting the better of their exchanges. Miller instead tried to pull guard, but was slammed to the mat for his efforts.
Over the next two rounds, Wiman continued to use his strength advantage and tenaciously came after Miller, putting tons of pressure on the American Top Team fighter with vicious ground-and-pound. Read more -
UFC 115 Postmortem: Liddell’s Finale, ‘Cro Cop’ Comes Back, More
By: Jake Rossen
Rory MacDonald File Photo: Sherdog.com
If you ever needed any proof that a fight isn’t over until it’s over -- and in Paul Daley’s case, not even then -- UFC 115 should be plenty proof enough.
Rory MacDonald was controlling Carlos Condit on the ground, looking every bit the prospect he was made to be, until Condit turned it around late in the third and wound up getting a stoppage seconds before MacDonald would’ve gotten the decision; Patrick Barry beat Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic to the punch, even knocking him down twice in the first, until Mirko found a stationary target in a fatigued Barry and sunk in a choke; Chuck Liddell defied industry wisdom that he was cooked and looked the best he had in years -- until Rich Franklin threw a short, awkward right that flipped his fuse, his fight, and his career.
The most common explanation for these rallies is that there are simply too many ways to lose in mixed martial arts. But it’s not just that: it’s that there are too many decisions to be made in the heat of the moment, and any one of them could wind up scalding you. Fighters are heckled when they have an opponent hurt and don’t go in for the kill (Barry simply stared at Mirko after dumping him on his butt), but racing in and committing to an attack has problems of its own (Liddell ate that KO right after trying to swarm a stumbling Franklin).
Anyone can strategize over a period of days or weeks, but making the right commitments in the moment is what separates the contenders from the stepping stones. If MMA is “kinetic chess,” as some say, it’s really more a game of speed chess, with no luxury of time involved. Having skill is only as important as being able to deliver it at velocity.
That’s one of many reasons Liddell will never see the inside of the Octagon again. (His retirement is really the first among the Zuffa-era box office attractions.) It’s easier for some fighters to walk away when the money is blue-collar and the audience is lukewarm; it’s going to be harder for men like Liddell who will miss the adrenaline dump of having 15,000 or 20,000 fans happy to see him. It’s not the competition they love so much as the arena.
Some styles age well, and some don’t. Liddell’s does not. Hopefully the peers that will keep him out of the ring tomorrow will have the same conviction a year or two from now.
Next for Liddell: Retirement, unless the UFC wants to be perceived as sadistically as Pride and Dream have been for allowing Kazushi Sakuraba a wheelchair-accessible ramp to the ring.
Next for Franklin: If he wants a proper run at the 205-pound title, fights with Ryan Bader or Jon Jones would be a start.
Next for Barry: Less of the gee-whiz reverence toward opponents and more of the killer instinct he delivers sermons on (“I don’t hit hard -- I hit scary”). Fighting Todd Duffee would guarantee one of them gets back on track.
Next for Filipovic: He looked good but not great against Barry; a rematch with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is more their speed at this point. Read more -
5 Matches to Make After UFC 115
Dan Hardy File Photo: Stephen Albanese/Tailstar.com
If the Gods deem my pleas worthy, these are the fights that will be next on the horizon for some of the notable notables from UFC 115.
Rich Franklin vs. Forrest Griffin
A title eliminator match between Lyoto Machida and Quinton Jackson could be inevitable at this point, which means Franklin’s road to a title shot will be long, winding and full of scary men wishing to cause him grievous bodily harm.
After his gutsy knockout of Chuck Liddell, Franklin deserves a quality matchup. No man fits the bill better than Griffin. While it’s far from a guaranteed win for the reformed math teacher, it would be a fun scrap and the sort of fight Franklin needs to win if he’s to be considered a serious contender.
Martin Kampmann vs. Dan Hardy
Until Josh Koscheck and incumbent champion Georges St. Pierre go through the motions on the next season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” the UFC welterweight crown is on hold. This means Kampmann will likely need at least two wins to solidify himself as the division’s No. 1 contender.
Logic and a love of violence say match him up with Hardy and let the winner fight whoever walks away from the Thiago Alves/Jon Fitch rematch in one piece. Not only does this set up a sellable matchmaking narrative, it also gives us a fascinating style clash between Kampmann and Hardy.
After losing to Paul Daley via TKO at UFC 103, Kampmann needs to prove he can hang with the division’s elite strikers and Hardy will give us an answer to that question one way or another. Read more