Issue 087
April 2012
7
Number of first-round finishes in a row when combining the last four fights of UFC 142 and the first three bouts of UFC on FX: Guillard vs Miller. The amazing stretch came immediately after lightweight Edson Barboza’s insane spinning wheel-kick KO of Terry Etim.
1-7
Non-Brazilians went a dismal 1-7 during the UFC 142 card in Rio. The lone winner from outside the samba nation was Mike Pyle; he stopped late replacement Ricardo Funch with a brutal knee and punches in the first round.
15
Middleweight Jorge Rivera had 15 UFC bouts in his career; Rivera retired after a great come-from-behind victory over Eric Schafer at UFC on FX: Guillard vs Miller. The win brought Rivera’s UFC record to 8-7. He first appeared with the promotion way back at UFC 44 in 2003, a decision win over David Loiseau.
4
Light heavyweight star Rashad Evans achieved four wins in a row after dominating Phil Davis at UFC on Fox 2. It was back in May of 2009 when he lost the light heavyweight belt to Lyoto Machida. Now Evans gets a chance to reclaim the belt against current champ Jon Jones at UFC 145.
1
Number of seconds left in round one when José Aldo knocked out Chad Mendes to retain his UFC featherweight belt, becoming the first UFC title holder to do so in 2012.
19
Number of pounds Keith Jardine had to cut in the 24 hours before he weighed in for his middleweight debut against Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs Jardine.
2
Luke Rockhold wobbled Keith Jardine in the first round of the main event at Strikeforce in January, scoring the knockout at 4:26 of the first. Immediately afterward, commentators Pat Miletich, Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo argued whether the stoppage was late. “How many fights have you been in Mauro?” Shamrock asked. “Two of them, and I lost both of them… to women! Thank you,” Mauro replied with a laugh.
16
Strikeforce welterweight Jordan Mein was just 16 when he made his pro MMA debut. In that fight, in 2006, he lost to another youngster, UFC star Rory MacDonald. At Strikeforce: Rockhold vs Jardine, Mein suffered a split-decision loss to the 10-0 Tyron Woodley. In between these losses Mein had much more success, going 23-6.
44
Just 44 seconds after Adlan Amagov landed an illegal knee on a downed Robbie Lawler at Strikeforce in January, Lawler answered with a flying knee of his own. It grazed Amagov and lead to a TKO stoppage at just 1:48 of round one. The win snapped a two-fight losing streak for Lawler and resulted in Amagov’s first loss since dropping his MMA debut in 2007.
17
‘King Mo’ Lawal delivered 17 consecutive right hands to Lorenz Larkin to cause referee Kim Winslow to stop their fight at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs Jardine. However, the bout was later ruled a no contest after Lawal failed a post-fight drugs test.
The Highs and Lows of Chael Sonnen
Part outspoken ‘American gangster,’ part no nonsense ground ‘n’ pound closer, mixed martial arts’ most polarizing man could well be UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen. Primarily, the 26-11-1 Oregon-based wrestler is adored and condemned for his venomous quips and self-promotional speeches, though the man’s dominating ‘chopping wood’ grapple-heavy performances are equally responsible for fans’ ire and praise. A former number-one contender for a world middleweight championship on two occasions, Sonnen’s failure to capture title gold have marked lows in the 34-year-old’s highly respected career…
2003
With a pro record of 6-1-1, Sonnen fights fellow future UFC regular Forrest Griffin as part of a one-night eight-man IFC tournament. Sonnen taps to a Griffin triangle in the first round.
April 2004
Caps off four 03–04 wins with a first-round flying knee KO over Justin Bailey at Rage on the River in California.
2005
Strings together two sub-four-minute TKO wins to earn an invitation to the UFC. Faces off with ‘Babalu’ Sobral at UFC 55: Fury, tapping to a triangle choke in the second round.
2006–2007
A UFC Fight Night 4 win over Trevor Prangley is undone by a loss to Jeremy Horn at UFC 60, the third of Sonnen’s career. Between the short-lived BodogFight a return to Matt Lindland’s SportFight, Sonnen chalks four stoppage wins and one decision victory over names like Tim Credeur and Amar Suloev.
2007
Is pushed directly into a fight for the WEC middleweight title against Paulo Filho at WEC 31. Controversy ensues when Sonnen shouts in pain during a Filho armbar, though he does not tap out the shout is interpreted as a verbal submission. An immediate rematch is scheduled for February.
2008
When Filho drops out of the rematch Sonnen is forced to decision Bryan Baker. When the two finally face off in November their clash is downgraded to a non-championship bout when Filho comes in over weight. A delirious Filho talks to imaginary figures during the bout and loses a decision.
February 2009
Returns to the UFC at UFC 95 in London and submits to a Demian Maia triangle, set up from the mount, at 2:37 of the first.
February 2010
Follows up 2009 decisions over Yushin Okami and Dan Miller with a three-round routing of Nate Marquardt to put him in arm’s length of a title shot.
August 2010
High-profile criticism of 185lb king Anderson Silva lands Sonnen a UFC 117 title shot. Sonnen’s ground-based offensive dominates Silva for nearly the entire bout before Sonnen submits to a last-gasp triangle choke.
Late 2010
Drugs tests taken as part of Sonnen’s title challenge show a high level of testosterone due to undisclosed hormone therapy. Ultimately, Sonnen is handed a six-month suspension, which is extended after he is convicted of money laundering.
2011
Returns from suspension to tackle former Marine Brian Stann at UFC 136. A dominating performance on the mat leads to a Sonnen arm triangle victory in the second round.
2012
Sonnen takes on Michael Bisping in the co-main event of the second-ever UFC card of mainstream broadcaster Fox. He bests the Brit for a three-round decision and the chance to tackle champ Anderson Silva in Brazil.
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