DFN Sports MMA Blog

Mixed Martial Arts talk online by the staff of DFN Sports.

28 May

UFC 114 Predictions: Rashad Evans vs Rampage Jackson

Posted in UFC on 28.05.10

UFC 114 takes place on Saturday night, May 29 in Las Vegas featuring one of the most eagerly anticipated matchups in years with Rashad Evans fighting Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The two former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions met after Rampage’s win over Keith Jardine at UFC 96 with a war of words that started in the cage for the live PPV audience to see. The two then met on The Ultimate Fighter 10 as coaches of the heavyweight cast and the verbal battles continued. Now the two finally get to settle the score at UFC 114 and our predictions for the event are below. Also be sure to check out ProFighting-fans.com, your leader for the top UFC news, for a live UFC 114 blog on Saturday night as well as the UFC 114 results as each fight becomes official.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Rashad Evans

Two former light-heavyweight champions meet in the UFC 114 main event to become the new # 1 contender in the 205-pound division as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (30-7) takes on TUF 10 coaching rival Rashad “Suga” Evans (14-1-1). Evans won at UFC 108 in January over Thiago Silva and Jackson won over a year ago at UFC 96 via unanimous decision against Keith Jardine.

Jackson, 31, is a former collegiate wrestler who now trains at the Wolfslair MMA Academy in England. He was a PRIDE star up until his PRIDE 31 victory over Dong Sik Yoon. He joined the UFC in February 2007 with a UFC 67 victory over Marvin Eastman and then won the 205-pound belt at UFC 71 over Chuck Liddell. He defended his title once in a September 2007 unanimous decision victory over Dan Henderson, but lost in his very next fight at UFC 86 against Forrest Griffin. He has since won back-to-back bouts over Wanderlei Silva and Keith Jardine.

Evans, 30, is a Greg Jackson’s-trained fighter who made his pro debut in April 2004. He churned out five straight victories before winning the TUF 2 heavyweight contest. He immediately dropped to light-heavyweight afterwards and went undefeated in eight bouts that followed, becoming the champ at UFC 92 in December 2008 with a victory over Forrest Griffin. He lost the belt at UFC 98 after getting knocked out by Lyoto Machida, but won his UFC 108 bout via decision over Thiago Silva.

Prediction – Logon to the UFC 114 predictions @ ProFighting-fans.com to see the Rashad vs Rampage prediction!

tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

No Comments »

28 May

UFC 114 Predictions: Michael Bisping vs Dan Miller

Posted in UFC on 28.05.10

UFC 114 takes place on Saturday night, May 29 in Las Vegas featuring one of the most eagerly anticipated matchups in years with Rashad Evans fighting Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The two former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions met after Rampage’s win over Keith Jardine at UFC 96 with a war of words that started in the cage for the live PPV audience to see. The two then met on The Ultimate Fighter 10 as coaches of the heavyweight cast and the verbal battles continued. Now the two finally get to settle the score at UFC 114 and our predictions for the event are below. Also be sure to check out ProFighting-fans.com, your leader for the top UFC news, for a live UFC 114 blog on Saturday night as well as the UFC 114 fight results as each fight becomes official.

Michael Bisping vs. Dan Miller

Former middleweight contender Michael Bisping (18-3) is looking to get back on track against tough-as-nails Dan Miller (11-3, 1 NC) in a UFC 114 co-main event bout. Bisping lost at UFC 110 in February dropping a unanimous decision against Wanderlei Silva. Miller dropped a UFC 109 bout in February against Demian Maia.

Bisping, 31, debuted in 2004 and won his first ten bouts before showing up at The Ultimate Fighter 3. He won the TUF 3 contest and four of his five light-heavyweight bouts before dropping to middleweight. He won his first three middleweight bouts, however recently has taken a fall losing two of his last three. He dropped bouts against Dan Henderson and Wanderlei Silva within the last year.

Miller, 28, is a New Jersey-born fighter who trains at AMA Fight Club. He debuted in 2005 and won eight of ten while fighting in Cage Fury FC, Reality Fighting, IFL, and Ring of Combat organizations. He won his first three UFC bouts as well, but has lost back-to-back bouts since. He dropped bouts to Chael Sonnen and Demian Maia, the former at February’s UFC 109.

Prediction – Bisping by decision

tags: , , , , , , , , ,

No Comments »

28 May

UFC 114 Predictions: Todd Duffee vs Mike Russow

Posted in UFC on 28.05.10

UFC 114 takes place on Saturday night, May 29 in Las Vegas featuring one of the most eagerly anticipated matchups in years with Rashad Evans fighting Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The two former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions met after Rampage’s win over Keith Jardine at UFC 96 with a war of words that started in the cage for the live PPV audience to see. The two then met on The Ultimate Fighter 10 as coaches of the heavyweight cast and the verbal battles continued. Now the two finally get to settle the score at UFC 114 and our predictions for the event are below. Also be sure to check out ProFighting-fans.com, your leader for the top UFC news, for a live UFC 114 blog on Saturday night as well as the UFC 114 fight results as each fight becomes official.

Todd Duffee vs. Mike Russow

Todd Duffee (6-0) will return after recording the fastest KO in UFC history against PRIDE veteran Mike Russow (12-1, 1 NC) in a UFC 114 main card heavyweight bout. Duffee earned the historic feat at UFC 102 in August defeating Tim Hague. Russow earned his UFC debut victory on the same card defeating Justin McCully via unanimous decision.

Duffee, 24, is an Indiana-born heavyweight who trains out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. He debuted as a pro in 2007 after winning five straight in Jungle Fight, Beatdown Fight Party, and Crazy Horse Fights organizations. He then made his UFC debut with his 7-second KO of Hague in August at UFC 102.

Russow, 33, made his debut in April 1998 and went on to fight for XFO, PRIDE, Yarennoka, and Adrenaline organizations. He won eleven of thirteen bouts with notable victories over Roman Zentsov and Jason Guida. He debuted at UFC 102 with a unanimous decision victory over Justin McCully.

Prediction – Duffee via submission

tags: , , , , , , , , ,

No Comments »

28 May

UFC 114 Predictions: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs Jason Brilz

Posted in UFC on 28.05.10

UFC 114 takes place on Saturday night, May 29 in Las Vegas featuring one of the most eagerly anticipated matchups in years with Rashad Evans fighting Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The two former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions met after Rampage’s win over Keith Jardine at UFC 96 with a war of words that started in the cage for the live PPV audience to see. The two then met on The Ultimate Fighter 10 as coaches of the heavyweight cast and the verbal battles continued. Now the two finally get to settle the score at UFC 114 and our predictions for the event are below. Also be sure to check out ProFighting-fans.com, your leader for the top UFC news, for a live UFC 114 blog on Saturday night as well as the UFC 114 fight results as each fight becomes official.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Jason Brilz

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (18-3) remains on the UFC 114 main card after veteran light-heavyweight Jason Brilz (18-2-1) fills the position left for an injured Forrest Griffin. “Little Nog” won in his November 2009 UFC 106 debut earning “KO of the Night” honors against Luiz Arthur Cane. Brilz won his UFC on VS bout in March defeating Eric Schafer by decision.

Nogueira, 33, is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boozing ace who made his debut nearly a decade ago. He was brought up through the PRIDE organization winning eight of his ten bouts over a course of six years. He bounced around after PRIDE was absolved into the UFC picking up five consecutive victories. His UFC 106 debut was a successful one; he earned a 1 st round TKO of Luiz Arthur Cane.

Brilz is a North Dakota-born fighter who now trains in Nebraska with Elite Performance. He debuted in 2000 and fought seventeen times in several mid-level organizations including KOTC, Ring of Fire, and Extreme Challenge before his 2008 UFC Fight Night 15 debut. He earned back-to-back victories over Brad Morris and Tim Boetsch before losing at UFC 103 against Eliot Marshall in September 2009. He bounced back at UFC on VS against Eric Schafer winning by unanimous decision in March.

Prediction – Nogueira by TKO

tags: , , , , , , , , ,

No Comments »

28 May

UFC 114 Predictions: Diego Sanchez vs John Hathaway

Posted in UFC on 28.05.10

UFC 114 takes place on Saturday night, May 29 in Las Vegas featuring one of the most eagerly anticipated matchups in years with Rashad Evans fighting Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The two former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions met after Rampage’s win over Keith Jardine at UFC 96 with a war of words that started in the cage for the live PPV audience to see. The two then met on The Ultimate Fighter 10 as coaches of the heavyweight cast and the verbal battles continued. Now the two finally get to settle the score at UFC 114 and our predictions for the event are below. Also be sure to check out ProFighting-fans.com, your leader for the top UFC news, for a live UFC 114 blog on Saturday night as well as the UFC 114 fight results as each fight becomes official.

Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway

Diego Sanchez (21-3) will try and make his return to the welterweight division a triumphant one when he meets undefeated British up-and-comer, John Hathaway (12-0) in a UFC 114 main card bout. Sanchez lost in December at UFC 107 after being pummeled by BJ Penn in a lightweight title fight. Hathaway won in November at UFC 105 defeating Paul Taylor by unanimous decision.

Sanchez, 28, is a New Mexico-born fighter who trains in San Diego with The Arena fight team. “The Nightmare” debuted in 2002 and was undefeated after eleven bouts (mostly in KOTC organization) before appearing on TUF 1. He won the TUF 1 middleweight contest and his first six bouts overall in the octagon before being dealt back-to-back losses against Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch. He put together two more welterweight victories before turning to the 155-pound division where he won bouts over contenders Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida. He earned a title shot at UFC 107, but was battered around the octagon by BJ Penn, finally losing via TKO due to a cut in the 5 th round.

Hathaway is a British-based fighter who trains with London Shootfighters in his homeland. He debuted in 2006 and went 9-0 over his first two years as a pro. His organizational debut came in January 2009 at UFC 93 with a TKO victory over Thomas Egan. He has since added unanimous decision victories over Rick Story (UFC 99/June 2009) and Paul Taylor (UFC 105/November 2009).

Prediction – Sanchez by TKO

tags: , , , , , , , , ,

No Comments »

28 May

UFC 114 Predictions: Amir Sadollah vs. Dong Hyun Kim

Posted in UFC on 28.05.10

UFC 114 takes place on Saturday night, May 29 in Las Vegas featuring one of the most eagerly anticipated matchups in years with Rashad Evans fighting Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The two former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions met after Rampage’s win over Keith Jardine at UFC 96 with a war of words that started in the cage for the live PPV audience to see. The two then met on The Ultimate Fighter 10 as coaches of the heavyweight cast and the verbal battles continued. Now the two finally get to settle the score at UFC 114 and our predictions for the event are below. Also be sure to check out ProFighting-fans.com, your leader for the top UFC news, for a live UFC 114 blog on Saturday night as well as the UFC 114 fight results as each fight becomes official.

Amir Sadollah vs. Dong Hyun Kim

TUF 7 winner, Amir Sadollah (3-1) will try for his third victory in a row when he meets undefeated South Korean Dong Hyun Kim (12-0-1, 1 NC) in a UFC 114 preliminary card welterweight bout that can be seen on Spike TV. Sadollah’s last action came in January at Fight Night 20 when he bested Brad Blackburn by unanimous decision. Kim hasn’t fought since his July 2009 UFC 100 unanimous decision victory over Canadian TJ Grant.

Sadollah, 29, is a New York-born welterweight who trains in Las Vegas with Xtreme Couture. His pro debut came in the TUF 7 finale when he arm–barred CB Dollaway to earn the tournament crown. He was knocked out in his sophomore bout by Johny Hendricks at UFC 101, but has since posted victories over Phil Baroni (UFC 106/November 2009) and Blackburn (Fight Night 20/January 2010) to get back to his winning ways.

Kim, 28, is a CMA Korean-trained fighter who debuted as a professional in 2004. He fought in the South Korean Spirit MC organization and the Japanese-based DEEP promotion before venturing to the UFC in 2008. He debuted with the UFC at UFC 84 by defeating Jason Tan and then earned a tight split decision victory over Matt Brown four months later. He originally lost his UFC 94 bout against Karo Parisyan but was overturned to a “No Contest” after Parisyan failed a post-fight drug test. He picked up a UFC 100 victory over Grant in his latest bout last July.

Prediction – Kim by decision

tags: , , , , , , , , ,

No Comments »

28 May

UFC 114 Predictions: Efrain Escudero vs Dan Lauzon

Posted in UFC on 28.05.10

UFC 114 takes place on Saturday night, May 29 in Las Vegas featuring one of the most eagerly anticipated matchups in years with Rashad Evans fighting Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The two former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions met after Rampage’s win over Keith Jardine at UFC 96 with a war of words that started in the cage for the live PPV audience to see. The two then met on The Ultimate Fighter 10 as coaches of the heavyweight cast and the verbal battles continued. Now the two finally get to settle the score at UFC 114 and our predictions for the event are below. Also be sure to check out ProFighting-fans.com, your leader for the top UFC news, for a live UFC 114 blog on Saturday night as well as the UFC 114 fight results as each fight becomes official.

Efrain Escudero vs. Dan Lauzon

TUF 8 lightweight winner, Efrain Escudero (13-1) will try and get back on the winning side when he takes on Dan “The Upgrade” Lauzon (12-3) in a UFC 114 preliminary card bout that can be seen on Spike TV. Both fighters are coming in off of losses, Escudero lost at UFC Fight Night 20 after being submitted by Evan Dunham; Lauzon lost via 1 st round submission against Cole Miller at UFC 108.

Escudero, 24, is a Mexican-born fighter who trains out of the Arizona-based Southwest MMA. He debuted in 2006 and won his first ten bouts, mostly in the Rage in the Cage organization, earning a position on TUF 8. He won the TUF 8 tournament with a unanimous decision victory over Phillipe Nover in December 2008. He also picked up a TKO victory over Cole Miller at UFC 103 before falling in his UFC Fight Night 20 bout against Dunham.

Lauzon, 22, is the younger brother of UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon. He also debuted in 2006, and after only four victories, found himself on a UFC 64 card. He was dismantled by Spencer Fisher in his organizational debut, and was handed his pink slip shortly after. He turned it around by winning eight straight fights via stoppage and resigned with the UFC. He dropped his first bout since his return at UFC 108 this January after a 1 st round submission from Cole Miller.

Prediction – Escudero by TKO

tags: , , , , , , , , ,

No Comments »

24 May

MMA Update for May & June 2010

Posted in MMA General, Strikeforce, UFC on 24.05.10

The month of May will conclude with one of the most anticipated bouts in recent memory as two bitter rivals will do battle at UFC 114 on May 29th. After Rampage Jackson defeated Keith Jardine at UFC 96 in Columbus, OH, Rashad Evans entered the cage to help hype their upcoming duel. It quickly became heated and unlike many verbal confrontations, the animosity seemed genuine. Their disdain for each other was put on display during their stints as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter Season Ten: The Heavyweights which premiered in September, 2009. The trash-talking Jackson and quick-witted Evans created substantial buzz for their bout which was scheduled for UFC 108 on January 2nd 2010. Despite the buildup, Rampage decided to take the role of BA Baracus in the remake of the classic television show, The A-Team (scheduled to open in theatres on June 11th). UFC President Dana White lambasted Jackson for his decision as did many others. This resulted in heated words and eventually the retirement (although brief) of Rampage Jackson. Instead of facing Rampage Jackson at UFC 108, Rashad faced a tough opponent in Thiago Silva. Evans got the victory, Rampage came out of retirement and now the stage is set – enough drama for you? Yes, the theatrics are outstanding but don’t forget that both of these fighters are tremendously talented. This bout should be extremely entertaining. If you cannot watch on pay-per-view follow a live blog at ProFighting-fans.com.

The same night, Dream 14 will be held in Japan. Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz will be on display as will the extremely talented Joachim Hansen. The most intriguing bout of the night will feature Ralek Gracie against legendary Kazushi Sakuraba (nicknamed The Gracie Killer). The event will be broadcast on HDNET.

The Bellator Fighting Championship tournaments continue on Fox Sports Net every Thursday evening. This promotion features some extremely talented fighters. If you are a MMA fan you should be watching these events and Pro Fighting Fans is staying on top of all Bellator MMA news.

June features a battle of legends UFC 115 as Chuck Liddell will face Rich Franklin on June 12th atop the UFC 115 fight card. Strikeforce: Los Angeles is slated for June 16th and will feature the best fighter on the planet, Fedor as he battle Jiu-Jitsu ace Fabricio Werdum @ Strikeforce: Fedor vs Werdum. There will be more coverage to follow here and at ProFighting-fans.com in the coming weeks.

Cincinnati‘s Local MMA Scene:

Absolute Action MMA is scheduled for June 5th at the Drawbridge Inn in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky. Highly touted amateur Marcus Finch will be in action as will talented local Shaun Asher. For more on the event visit www.aamma.net.

The ICF reopens its doors on June 5th at Midwest Hoops in Florence, KY. The event features amateur and pro fights. For more information visit Intimidation Cage Fighting‘s to check out the ICF 20 fight card.

Finally, congratulations to local product Roger Bowling. Bowling showed the nation what everyone in the area already knew; he is an extremely talented fighter with rare athleticism. Bowling dominated Bobby Voelker throughout and got the victory at Strikeforce Challengers 8 in Portland, Oregon.

For coverage of the entire world of MMA visit ProFighting-fans.com.

Scott Dryden is the Editor-in-Chief of ProFighting-fans.com and a Sports Columnist for The Peoples Defender.

No Comments »

24 May

Roger Bowling scores victory at Strikeforce Challengers

Posted in Strikeforce on 24.05.10

Roger Bowling remains undefeated. Making his Strikeforce debut on Friday night at Strikeforce Challengers 8, Bowling faced an experienced Bobby Voekler. After two dominating rounds that featured Bolwing battering the face and body of Voelker, the two went into the 3rd round with Voelker needing a finish. But with the two ties up by the cage the referee separated Bowling & Voelker with Bowling taking a finger or glove to the eye in accidental fashion. Without the ability to open his eye the remainder of the fight and for several hours afterward, the doctors would not allow Bowling to continue as he won a technical unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28.

The Strikeforce welterweight prospect improved to 8-0 in his brief MMA career and he impressed many in voctory. While the eye injury was unfortunate and the fans booed him loudly, he nonetheless opened the eyes, parden the pun, of true MMA fans who watched him batter and bruise a strong fighter in Bobby Voelker.

tags: , ,

One comment »

08 May

UFC 113 Predictions: Lyoto Machida vs Shogun Rua

Posted in UFC on 08.05.10

UFC 113 takes place on May 8, 2010 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and will be headlined by a rematch of the thrilling UFC 104 main event bout between UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. In addition, Josh Koscheck faces Paul Daley and Kimbo Slice is back in action taking on fellow TUF 10 contestant Matt Mitrione.

UFC 113 is sure to be a classic event and our UFC 113 predictions are posted below for select fights from the event. Be sure to check out the UFC 113 results after the fights are complete as all of our UFC coverage is sponsored by Intimidation Clothing, makers of high-quality, discount MMA apparel.

UFC 113 Main Event: Mauricio Rua vs Lyoto Machida

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (18-4) will try for a second time to overtake light-heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida (16-0) in a main event title bout at UFC 113. Rua and Machida met at UFC 104 in a controversial decision that went the champion’s way, although many believed that Shogun should have been the victor.

Machida, 31, is a karate-style Black House fighter who made his pro debut in May 2003. He won his first eight defeating Stephan Bonnar, Rich Franklin, and BJ Penn in organizations like the WFA, K-1, and Jungle Fight. He made his UFC 67 debut in February 2007 by defeating Sam Hoger, and had little trouble with opponents David Heath, Kaz Nakamura, Sokoudjou, Tito Ortiz, and Thiago Silva following that bout. He won the 205-pound title in May 2009 at UFC 98 with a KO victory over Rashad Evans. He then defended it with his UFC 104 win over Shogun.

Rua, 28, is a Brazilian-born fighter who completes his training in his homeland with Universidad da Luta. He debuted in 2002 and went 4-1 prior to joining the PRIDE organization. He won his first eight in PRIDE defeating top fighters like Quinton Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alistair Overeem, and Ricardo Arona on his way to the 2005 middleweight grand prix title. Overall, he lost one bout in thirteen PRIDE fights losing only to Mark Coleman. He fell in is UFC 76 debut submitting to Forrest Griffin, but, won his next two defeating Chuck Liddell and getting redemption over Mark Coleman. His last action was at UFC 104 losing to Lyoto Machida in a light-heavyweight title bout.

Prediction – Check out the UFC 113 predictions @ ProFighting-fans.com for the Machida vs Shogun 2 pick!

tags: , , , , , , , , ,

No Comments »