Fighters Only

Issue 124

January 2015

Morsels of Fighters Only musings on everything MMA.

WEIDMAN-BELFORT AND ROUSEY-ZINGANO MOVED TO UFC 184

Two UFC championships will be on the line at UFC 184 in February as Chris Weidman defends his middleweight strap against Vitor Belfort and 135lb queen Ronda Rousey takes on Cat Zingano.

The fights, which were announced by UFC president Dana White on Instagram, were moved several times due to injuries and commission issues. Weidman and Belfort were originally supposed to face each other at UFC 173 in May, but Belfort had to pull out due to the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s ban on TRT from competition.

Belfort claimed to not have enough time to adjust to being off the medication and the fight was rescheduled for UFC 181 in December. Then champion Weidman broke his left hand, which ruled him out of that date.

Rousey and Zingano were supposed to coach against one another on TUF 18 and fight at UFC 168, but those plans were scuppered when Zingano suffered a knee injury, putting her out of action for 17 months. ‘Alpha’ made her return to action in September and defeated Amanda Nunes via TKO in the third round to reclaim her title shot.

FO SCORE: Due to those unfair MMA gods, fans have had to wait patiently for these fights for a long time. The injury bug crippled the UFC at times in 2014. However, if all four fighters make it to the Staples Center injury-free come fight night, the UFC could be in for huge PPV numbers.

CARLOS CONDIT TO RETURN IN EARLY 2015

Former interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit is looking to get back into the Octagon early next year. The Jackson-Wink trained fighter said his recovery from a torn ACL and meniscus that he suffered in March against Tyron Woodley is on track and he’s slowly getting himself back into the rigours of training.

“I’ve basically been cleared to start doing some sparring and training as long as it’s light,” Condit told Bleacher Report. “I have to be cautious of anything explosive – movement-wise – or doing anything too quickly. I can run, hit mitts and do plenty of other things. I just can’t go 100% on anything yet.”

FO SCORE: Condit has been sorely missed. His all-action style and ruthless aggression made him a firm fan favourite. Could a fight against fellow scrappy striker Matt Brown be in the former WEC champ’s future? We’d certainly like to think so.

FRANKIE EDGAR BELIEVES TITLE-SHOT IS IN HIS FUTURE

After dismantling Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night 57, Frankie Edgar thinks he should get another shot at the 145lb strap.

The former UFC lightweight champion, who was defeated by featherweight king José Aldo at UFC 156 in February 2013, said he should be next in line seeing as his vanquished foe would have been in contention had he won their scrap at UFC Fight Night: Austin.

“This had a little more implications just because that title shot’s looming, and certain people were promised it,” Edgar said on Fox Sports 1’s post-fight show. “I just beat the guy who was promised it, so I’m hoping I take that spot.”

FO SCORE: ‘The Answer’ made a strong case with such a dominant performance, but Conor McGregor is likely to seize the next 145lb title shot if he can get past Dennis Siver in Boston on January 18.

ON THE RADAR

Three red-hot prospects worth keeping an eye on...

Hector Sandoval, 8-1

Much like the rest of his Team Alpha Male teammates, Sandoval is a very good wrestler. His power and athleticism allow him to shoot in on takedowns quickly and from there he’s got good ground ‘n’ pound – mixing up strikes to the body and head of his opponents. The flyweight tends to use his strength to power out of submissions and load up on shots instead of using combinations. However, he has a lot of the tools needed to be dangerous in a developing flyweight division.

Alex Enlund, 11-2

We here at FO love a fighter who can finish fights consistently and that’s what the new Cage Warriors featherweight champion is known for. Alex Enlund is a bit of a submission specialist with a penchant for the rear naked choke. His striking isn’t spectacular but it’s improving and utilized to help get the fight to the floor where he’s constantly looking for the finish.

Luke Sanders, 9-0

Bantamweight heavy hitter Luke Sanders has gradually made his way through the regional scene in the States. Every time he steps into the cage he seems to have grown significantly as a fighter. He trains out of The MMA Lab in Glendale, Arizona alongside Rick Story, Alex Caceres and former UFC 155lb champ Benson Henderson, and recently won the RFA 135lb title when he knocked out another top prospect in Jarred Mercado. With the UFC’s penchant for picking up RFA champions we could see Sanders in the Octagon very soon. His most recent victory, a two-round strikes win over six-fight WEC vet Marcus Hicks,is likely to have turned heads among top-tier matchmakers.

QUOTES

“For me to go out there and be anything but perfect, I get angry if I’m not. I made a couple of mistakes during the fight. I wasn’t able to compete the way I wanted to compete. I came up short.”

Former Bellator champ and current UFC lightweight Eddie Alvarez was understandably hard on himself after losing his promotional debut against Donald Cerrone.

“Piotr Hallmann says he’s innocent. Cung Le says he’s innocent. I don’t believe either. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Everyone else on those cards’ test results came back negative. Except the people everyone suspected was taking something. Give ’em a polygraph or something.”

Does UFC lightweight Al Iaquinta have a point?

“Styles make fights and I am 100% confident that I will finish this guy within five rounds – make him give up. But the thing is, I like this guy. He gets under my skin in a positive, motivating way.”

Has Conor McGregor’s twitter trash talk inadvertently brought back the Diego Sanchez ‘Yes!’ enthusiasm?

“I think I can offer this next generation of Brazilian talent real insight into what it takes to succeed in the UFC. I will bring everything I know about the martial arts and my own values of what it means to be a martial artist to my team.”

Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva certainly has high expectations for his team of fighters.

“Us fighters put our lives on the line to entertain the fans that watch. Look at Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller, War Machine. I’m not defending anything they did. Everything they did was wrong in their own right, but a lot of these fighters take a lot of head trauma, head damage, as you see in professional football.”

Bellator’s Tito Ortiz makes a good case for the mental health issues of fighters within the sport.