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Marquardt-Palhares Bout a Clash of Styles
Video courtesy of UFC.com. Read more -
Primer: UFC Fight Night 22
By: Jake Rossen
Nate Marquardt file photo: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com
A little nip and tuck here and there and it’s entirely possible the UFC will one day be broadcasting biweekly or weekly fight cards, completing their assimilation of pro wrestling marketing. Shave down those 10- or 11-bout pay-per-views, absorb the WEC and recruit some of the global talent they’re grooming for international expansion, and you’ve got at least 26 weeks of programming.
Until then, you’ll have to settle for Wednesday’s broadcast of UFC Fight Night 22, headlined by Nate Marquardt mixing it up with Rousimar Palhares. Marquardt was last seen suffering a debilitating, contender-nicking loss to Chael Sonnen; Palhares drew some heat for cranking a submission on Tomasz Drwal after a tap. While Palhares has only lost to Dan Henderson in the Octagon, his other opposition has been less than stellar: Marquardt represents a quantum step in competition since Henderson. The story of how Palhares responds to those new demands on his ability is probably the most intriguing of the night.
What: UFC Fight Night 22, a 10-bout card from the Frank Irvin Center in Austin, Texas
When: Wednesday, Sept. 15, at 8 p.m. ET on Spike Read more -
5 Questions: UFC 109
By: Jake Rossen
D. Mandel/Sherdog.com
Is Couture/Coleman a wrestling or boxing match?
The last thing two wrestlers typically like to do in a mixed-style fight is wrestle: their advantage negated, their gas tanks run dry -- and quickly -- in the clinch and while jockeying for position. They resort to trading, and the best boxer-in-the-wrestler tends to win.
Neither Couture nor Coleman will be confused for kickboxers anytime soon: their three-round main event Saturday may come down to who gets tired first and eats the majority of combinations they’re too fatigued to avoid.
Is Couture’s fight frequency a factor?
While fighters generally sit on their hands, fighting only two or three times per year, Couture has hit the pedal on his remaining time in the cage: this will be his third fight in five months, with two having gone the full fifteen minutes. Read more -
Marquardt Now Playing the Pain Game
In his last three fights, Nate Marquardt has shown a killer instinct he wasn’t thought to have. He finished all three bouts and he attributes those wins to a different mindset.
“Going into the fights, I’m looking for the finish (now),” Marquardt told Sherdog’s Mike Sloan in this exclusive video interview. “I’m looking to hurt my opponent.”
Check out the video to hear Marquardt’s thoughts on his matchup against Chael Sonnen on Saturday at UFC 109. Read more -
UFC 109 Countdown: Marquardt vs. Sonnen
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Primer: UFC 109
By: Jake Rossen
D. Mandel/Sherdog.com
Like health care reform, most of the coverage surrounding UFC 109 is fixated on the plight of the senior citizen: Randy Couture is 46, Mark Coleman is 45, and the two combined have roughly 27 years of prizefighting experience accrued. That kind of time punched in tends to stir a lot of emotion in audiences -- and not all of it positive.
In having occupied MMA for over a decade, both Couture and Coleman have far exceeded the typical life expectancy for a combat sports athlete, a job that frequently turns young men old and old men into dust. Couture put on a brave front against the monstrous Brock Lesnar as late as 2008; Coleman defied expectations to decision Stephan Bonnar last summer. Fans seem to delight in that perseverance while simultaneously resenting their prolonged status as leading attractions. (Couture in particular lost some steam in a bout with Brandon Vera, which was more self-defense demonstration than fight.)
If fan enthusiasm is dull for Saturday’s card, it might be blamed on mis-measured expectations: standards that apply to 25-year-olds should not be heaped on men nearing 50 who have fought as frequently as some athletes have sparred. If you expect to watch Couture/Coleman and be dazzled by radical, hyper attacks, you will quickly grow disappointed; if you accept that two veterans will engage in a game where nasty tricks and a takedown or two can alter the outcome, then you’ll probably walk away satisfied. Read more -
Poll: Marquardt-Sonnen Pick 'Em
By: Mike Fridley
The map below displays regional data for the current poll. Refresh (F5) to update:
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Marquardt Most Dangerous Between the Ears
Video courtesy of UFC.com. Read more -
New Questions
By: Jake Rossen
Should Vitor Belfort get a title shot against Anderson Silva?
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Only in combat sports could a guy win a 195-pound fight and immediately get thrown in as a middleweight contender. The problem is that Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt -- the two guys who are far more deserving at the moment -- wouldn’t excite fans as much as a Belfort fight, and probably need to fight each other to avoid giving Silva multiple rematches. (One is more than enough.) There’s also the issue of capitalizing on Belfort’s current wave of durability before he fades against another contender.
Should “Cro Cop” hang up the checkered shorts? -
Silva-Belfort, Henderson-Marquardt in the Works
By: Greg Savage Dave Mandel
UFC president Dana White spoke about a potential matchup between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and former light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort after the latter pounded out Rich Franklin in the main event of UFC 103.
Speaking at the post-fight press conference, White said he felt Belfort was ready for the challenge and that it made sense to put him in with Silva right away. Belfort admitted he is friends with Silva, but feels he is ready to fight for the championship.
Silva’s manager Ed Soares informed Sherdog.com that Silva would indeed be going under the knife in the near future, Read more
