TUF Latin America PLUS Velasquez vs. Werdum Announced

UFC fans, I am pleased to report that the UFC is finally trying it's hand at the Latin American community as the will finally be hosting a season of the Ultimate Fighter Latin America.  This season will feature fighters from various countries in the Latin America region.  The show will beginning filming very shortly with May 12th as the estimated date to begin filming.  UFC Heavyweight Champion, Cain Velasquez and #1 Contender, Fabricio Werdum are going to be coaching against each other and are expected to face off against each other at UFC 180 in Mexico City, Mexico on November 15.  This will be the UFC's first fight card taking place in Mexico in the company's 20 year existence.  This TUF season will feature fighters from smaller weight classes as featherweights and bantamweights will compete for a coveted spot in the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster. 

The Latin region is a hot bed for talented fighters in combat sports especially boxing.  Though boxing is the largest combat sport in Latin America, MMA is growing at a rapid speed and we are beginning to see more Latin fighters competing with the best in the world in MMA.  Latin fighters tend to have a in-your-face exiting style that always leaves fans wanting more.  If you don't believe me, go watch a Erik Perez, Roger Huerta or Leonard Garcia fight and you'll thank me.  I think that this season will be a great move the UFC and will offer more talent for two the UFC's weakest divisions in my opinion.  The Featherweight Division has a decent talent pool, but there is nothing exciting about the UFC's bantamweight division if you mention it without the name Renan Barao.  Hopefully this season is able to bring two fighters that can give Jose Aldo, Renan Barao and Nova Uniao a run for their money.

I have a great deal of optimism for this season of the Ultimate Fighter and hope that it will be as successful as the Ultimate Fighter Brazil and similar TUF foreign spinoffs.  I can't wait to see the title fight between Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum in November.  I like the idea of seeing a huge fight between Cain and someone who is as dynamic as he is.  Before a loss to dos Santos during his first run, Werdum was so close to a title shot and we could have possibly seen he and Velasquez possible fight earlier in their careers.  I feel that Werdum presents probably the biggest challenge to the Heavyweight Champion to date.  He has faced hard-hitting strikers such as Junior dos Santos and Cheick Kongo and great wrestlers like Brock Lesner and Ben Rothwell, but he has never faced a fighter with a high-level BJJ pedigree such as Werdum.  Not only great jui jitsu is possessed by Werdum, but a scarily improving stand-up game that proved to be too much for a KO artist in Travis Browne.  Also it has been about 3 1/2 years since we saw Velasquez face a  fighter that is named Junior dos Santos or Antonio Silva and it is refresshing to see him face a new  challenge.

I feel that Cain Velasquez can beat Werdum, but I think that he will truly be challenged for the first time in his career as the champion.  I am thrilled at the announcement of the new season of TUF and the announcement of the coming title fight in November.

Velasquez Returns Before End of Year;Faces Werdum/Browne Winner

UFC Heavyweight Champion, Cain Velasquez, is expected to make his return back to action before the end of this year according UFC President Dana White.  We haven't seen Velasquez in action since UFC 166 in November 2013.  It was expected that Velasquez was to make his next defense against Fabricio Werdum in Mexico in April, but a shoulder injury has caused the champion to stay sidelined since November.  There was also a TUF Mexico/Latin America that was expected to be coached by Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum before there title fight that was also haulted due to the injury.  Fabricio Werdum didn't want to sit around and wait for the title fight, so he now faces Travis Browne this weekend and the winner of that bout will get Velasquez when he returns.  If everything goes as planned, the UFC wants Velasquez to return before the end of the year and face this weekend's winner in Mexico for the UFC's first show in Mexico.

Cain Velasquez Foresees a November Return

UFC Heavyweight Champion, Cain Velasquez has been on the sidelines for a few months due to suffering a shoulder injury that required surgery.  Velasquez had a successful surgery this past December and is still in rehab for the shoulder, so he is unable to train at the moment.  He has stated that the rehab is going well and hopes to get cleared to train shortly so then he can get back to doing what he loves.  He predicts that he should be back to training and ready for another fight by November of this year.

Hopefully the champ is able to make his return by November.  He is one of the most dominating fighters in UFC history who has the ability to make great fighters look average with his diverse skill set.  We wish him a full recovery and look forward to seeing him face the winner of Fabricio Werdum and Travis Browne.

Dos Santos Wants a Fourth Fight with Cain, Plans Summer Return

Former UFC Champion, Junior dos Santos is expected to make his UFC return sometime in this summer, but there has not been an opponent announced.  The UFC offered Alistair Overeem as an opponent for him, but Overeem turned down the fight due to an injury.  Junior dos Santos wants to pick up a few more wins so that he can feel that he is truly deserving of a title shot and challenge the current Heavyweight Champion, Cain Velasquez.

The two men have already fought a total of three times. Dos Santos took the title from Velasquez in the very first UFC on Fox event. Dos Santos was able to TKO Velasquez very shortly after the start of the first round. The two men then met for a second time at UFC 155 in which Velasquez punished dos Santos for five rounds with great wrestling and clinch-striking. Velasquez then followed up with another punishing victory that led to a TKO stoppage at UFC 166.

If asked if I would love to see the two men fight again, I would probably say yes. Contrary to some of the fans believing that Cain's victories over JDS were boring, I saw them as complete demonstrations of power and skill on by Velasquez.  It would be interesting to see if dos Santos is able to improve to a level that he is able to avoid taking so much punishment and neutralize Cain's wrestling.  There are a few matches to make if the Overeem fight doesn't ever materialize. I wouldn't mind seeing the loser of the matchup between Fabricio Werdum and Travis Browne.  JDS holds a win over Werdum that single-handedly pulled Werdum out of the title picture when he was making his first run at the title. I would love to see a rematch between the two of them, but I also wouldn't mind seeing a striking match between dos Santos and Browne. I think Browne's speend and footwork could frustrate dos Santos amd pose an interesting challenge.  I also wouldn't mind seeing a red-hot and hungry Stipe Miocic trade blows with JDS.

Velasquez Out for a While

UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez will be sidelined from action until the late part of 2014 due to injury.  Now Fabricio Werdum is possibly looking at taking on the winner of Josh Barnett and Travis Browne. It appears that the TUF Mexico idea may not come into fruition for quite some time.

Jon Jones Wants Velasquez in 2014 and Retirement at 30

With Georges St-Pierre talking about possible retirement, fellow UFC Champion Jon Jones is speaking about his retirement as well, but he isn't finished yet.  Jon Jones, who is 26, is looking to retire by the time that he is 30.  Before doing that, he would like to put on a super fight against Cain Velasquez before the end of 2014.  With the Silva super fight pretty much diminished, Jones has admitted that he has really been considering a fight with Cain Velasquez, the current UFC Heavyweight Champion.

A fight with Anderson Silva was something that the UFC was seriously considering if both Silva and Jones had survived their recent title defenses, but Silva failed to defend his title against Weidman.  A fight with Cain Velasquez could be another great move for the UFC to make to get people to tune in. It will be a while before this fight could happen considering both men have contenders lined up in front of them already and both men having injuries.

Which Superfight would you prefer to see Jon Jones in?--Tough Spar MMA

Jon Jones vs. Cain Velasquez

Jon Jones vs. Anderson Silva

Other

Please Specify:

Poll Maker

Fights for the Winners of UFC 166

UFC 166 was a spectacular night of thrilling finishes and dominating decisions. The first match of the main card was between John Dodson and Darrell Montague in the Flyweight division. Dodson defeated Montague in the first round via a vicious left hand that sent Montague face first into the mat. For Dodson there are two matches that I think could work. I think that a bout between Dodson and Ian McCall or a bout with Dodson and Chris Cariaso.  I think that both of these matches make sense for Dodson seeing as both men are coming off of victories in there outings. A fight with McCall would be a good main card bout seeing as both men are top names and draws for the division.  A fight with Dodson and Cariaso would be a fight between two powerful flyweights coming off of knockout victories.

Gabriel Gonzaga faced Shawn Jordan in the heavyweight division in a fight that also ended in the first round. Gabriel Gonzaga won by TKO due to strikes as knocked Jordan to the ground and then used hammer fists to finish the stunned heavyweight.  I think a great test for Gonzaga would be a match with Stipe Miocic who recently defeated Roy Nelson at UFC 161 by unanimous decision. It would be a great clash of two elite heavyweights.

After that match was perhaps one of the best fights in quite some time. A complete stand up war between Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez. Both men gave 100% in that fight, but Gilbert Melendez was the better of the two men and showed why he dominate the Lightweight division for years in Strikeforce.  There are two possible opponents that make sense right now for Gilbert Melendez.  The first one is a bout between Rafael dos Anjos, who has won his last five UFC bouts and is on his way to being in the mix for a UFC title shot and a win over Melendez would solidify his place in the top ten.  Inversely a win over dos Anjos for Melendez would mean that he can still fight off the other young, hungry challengers who aim for having his spot at the top of the heap.  It is a fight that could decide the next man to face the champion after TJ Grant's return.  Another man also on a five-fight win streak and also a 21-0 professional record and possible opponent would be Khabib Nurmagomedov.  Nurmagomedov as another top ten opponent in the division that is making his way to the top of the rankings.  I think this fight would be more challenging for Melendez and could guarantee Melendez a title shot.  The win for Nurmagomedov would get him to be 1 fight away from a title shot.

The co-main event was a heavyweight clash between Roy Nelson and Daniel Cormier.  Daniel Cormier was able to out-perform in every area of the fight.  He out-grappled, out-struck and out-did Cormier for three whole rounds.  Daniel Cormier has been preparing himself for a move to the UFC's Light Heavyweight Division to prevent having to face his AKA training partner Cain Velasquez in the future.  I think that the best match up for Daniel Cormier before he gets his hands on Jon Jones would be a match between another highly decorated wrestler in the division, Phil Davis.  Phil Davis is knocking on the door to a title shot and I think it would be interesting to see how well Cormier fairs against another ultra-talented wrestler in the form of Davis.

The main event for the evening included another savage beating being suffered by Junior dos Santos by the hands of Cain Velasquez.  Cain punished Junior for over twenty minutes before the referee finally put dos Santos out of his misery.  Now that the saga is over (for now anyways), the only man left to challenge Velasquez is Fabricio Werdum.  Werdum is riding a three fight win streak in the UFC upon his return to the organization and picking up where he left off before he was derailed by Junior dos Santos.  He is the only fighter who I feel wouldn't fear Velasquez's takedown or grappling. As a matter of fact, Werdum might welcome it.  I believe that Werdum is definitely the only man outside of dos Santos who poses a real threat to the throne of Cain Velasquez.

UFC 166 Results

Main Card:

Cain Velasquez def. Junior dos Santos via fifth-round TKO
Daniel Cormier def. Roy Nelson via unanimous decision
Gilbert Melendez def. Diego Sanchez via unanimous decision
Gabriel Gonzaga def. Shawn Jordan via first-round TKO
John Dodson def. Darrell Montague via first-round KO

Preliminary Card:

Tim Boetsch def. C.B. Dollaway via split decision
Hector Lombard def. Nate Marquardt via first-round KO
Jessica Eye def. Sarah Kaufman via split decision
KJ Noons def. George Sotiropoulos via unanimous decision
Adlan Amagov def. TJ Waldburger via first-round KO
Tony Ferguson def. Mike Rio via submission (D'Arce choke)
Andre Fili def. Jeremy Larsen via second-round TKO
Kyoji Horiguchi def. Dustin Pague via second-round TKO

What a night of fights tonight at UFC 166! The night began with John Dodson squaring off with UFC newcomer, Darrell Montague in the UFC Flyweight Division.  John Dodson was able to outwork Montague on the feet dropping him to the canvas before inevitably being KO'd in the first round.

The night then went from the lightest division in the UFC to the heaviest division.  Shawn Jordan and Gabriel Gonzaga met in the center of the cage to engage in a stand up war in the Heavyweight division.  The match had a feeling out process until Gonzaga connected with the hands and landed on Jordan and also earning a first round KO in his fight tonight.

The next fight was between two talented UFC Lightweights, Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez.  It was a fight in which Melendez began the first round out-classing Sanchez in a very dominate round.  In the second and third rounds of the fight, both men went into complete brawl mode with both men swinging for the fences.  The difference between the two fighters was Melendez seemed to never lose his technical edge even during the wild exchanges, Melendez was still connecting with his clean boxing and great movement. If there was one word to describe the third round of the fight, it would be fireworks!  Melendez won a unanimous decision in a classic fight in the UFC Lightweight Division. "That's the greatest fight I've ever seen in my life," were the word that came out of the mouth of Joe Rogan after the fight.

Next was a fight between to top Heavyweights as Roy Nelson would be set to fight undefeated heavyweight Daniel Cormier.  Cormier was able to out-grapple Nelson for all three rounds and even use his speed to actually beat Nelson on the feet as well.  Cormier won an obvious unanimous decision.

In the final fight of the evening we saw a battle between the perfect forms of both of the main event fighters as the clashed for the third time in the UFC.  Cain Velasquez used the same strategy that he used in their second fight.  Cain used his amazing rappling to pin Junior against the cage for over 20 minutes but showed improved striking to help aid him in taking out the documented better striker.  Dos Santos showed improved wrestling by defending most of Velasquez's takedowns.  After a grueling 20 plus minutes of battling, Velasquez was able to pull off a TKO victory due to strikes.

UFC 166 Weigh-in Results PLUS Predictions!

Main Card:
Junior Dos Santos (240) VS Cain Velasquez (241)
Roy Nelson (249) VS Daniel Cormier (224)
Diego Sanchez (156) VS Gilbert Melendez (156)
Shawn Jordan (255) VS Gabriel Gonzaga (257)
Darrell Montague (126) VS John Dodson (125)

Preliminary Card:
Tim Boetsch (186) VS CB Dollaway (186)
Hector Lombard (169) VS Nate Marquardt (171)
Jessica Eye (135) VS Sarah Kaufman (135)
KJ Noons (156) VS George Sotiropoulos (155)
Adlan Amagov (171) VS TJ Waldburger (170.5)
Mike Rio (156) VS Tony Ferguson (155)
Jeremy Larsen (145.5) VS Andre Fili (148.5)
Kyoji Horiguchi (135) vs Dustin Pague (135)

UFC 166 is going to be a HUGE night for the UFC Heavyweight division with the final chapter of the Velasquez-Dos Santos saga scheduled for tomorrow night at 10pm eastern time.  Velasquez and Dos Santos have exchanged the UFC title between the two of them over the last two years.  Tomorrow night only one man can leave as the UFC Heavyweight Champion.  In October of 2010, Cain Velasquez defeated Brock Lesnar to gain the UFC Heavyweight Championship.  A year later in the same city where he won the title, a hungry Junior Dos Santos came in and took the title from Velasquez in his first match after winning the title.  A year later the UFC granted Velasquez the opportunity to prove that his title win was not a fluke and Cain Velasquez did more than deliver in the rematch in which he strategically dismantled Dos Santos for 25 whole minutes.  After that meeting last year, Junior Dos Santos took on and knocked out fan favorite Mark Hunt, which earned him another chance to face Velasquez.  If this match turns out to be everything that it could be, then we are in for a real treat.  The question becomes, will it be Dos Santos' power punching or Velasquez's cerebral approach that will win the fight?

Predictions for the Event via MMATakedown.net:

Cormier's Last Fight at Heavyweight

Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion, Daniel Cormier has announced that after his fight with Roy Nelson he will no longer compete at heavyweight in the UFC.  Win, lose or draw Daniel Cormier will be dropping to 205 lbs and has the intent on competing for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.  Daniel Cormier wants to be a world champion in the UFC but will not fight his friend and AKA training partner, UFC Heavyweight Champion, Cain Velasquez, so he has decided to drop down to 205 to achieve his dream in the UFC.