Tag: UFC 131

UFC 131 Was A Very Good Event That Seemed To Suffer Because Of An Overpopulated MMA Market

The sport of mixed martial arts has seen an explosion in popularity over the last five years. UFC, in particular, has become the biggest and most profitable MMA organization in the still very young history of the sport.

But with that surge in popularity has come a market that is oversaturated and, as a result, much less interested in the events that occur each month. Just take a look at your calendar and you will see that the sport has become so big that many of the events don’t feel as big as they used to.

Over the course of four weeks, UFC and Strikeforce will have run four different events – starting with UFC 130 on May 28, The Ultimate Fighter Finale on June 4, UFC 131 on June 11 and Strikeforce: Overeem vs Werdum on June 18.

Must Read: UFC 131 Results: Ten Burning Questions Heading into UFC 132

These events have all suffered from a lack of mainstream interest because they are bunched so close together. Hardcore fans are going to watch every event no matter what, but the reason that buyrates and ratings for these shows have been down this year is because they don’t feel like something special because you can see them every week.

The really big events, like UFC 129, are going to draw because they are made to feel special, but those events are few and far between anymore.

UFC has created a monster that is actually hurting them more than it is helping. It’s great to see the sport as popular as it is, but because there is so much of it out there, people aren’t as invested in what’s going on.

It would be in the best interest of UFC to scale back the events that they do in order to give the shows that special feeling that they once had. But with the acquisition of Strikeforce and having so many fighters under contract means that we will get more shows than ever before, especially with Dana White talking about wanting to have shows on every single week.

–Published By Bleacher Report’s Adam Wells

UFC 131 Results Look At Shane Carwin’s Options Following Another Loss

Shane Carwin’s long layoff did not end up producing the results that he was looking for, as Junior dos Santos completely ripped him apart over the course of three rounds at UFC 131 on Saturday night.

The same problems that plagued Carwin in the Brock Lesnar fight at UFC 116 showed up again at UFC 131 against Junior dos Santos. Unlike the Lesnar fight, however, dos Santos caused Carwin to exhaust all of his energy just trying to stay in the fight following a first-round beatdown.

Carwin, the former UFC interim heavyweight champion, was left a bloody mess after the opening five minutes, but he didn’t give in. He was able to stay alive for three rounds, though I wouldn’t exactly say that he was in the fight at any moment.

Must Read: UFC 131 Results: Ten Burning Questions Heading into UFC 132

Given all that Carwin and his body have been though over the last year, it had to feel very rewarding to just step foot in the octagon again. That will have to be the biggest positive that he takes away from this fight because it was not one that will go on his “Greatest Hits” DVD in the future.

UFC’s heavyweight division is really deep right now, and if Alistair Overeem and/or Fabricio Werdum enter the mix it will get deeper, and Carwin has lost two consecutive fights. Granted those two fights were against two of the best heavyweights in the world, but two losses are crippling in a deep division.

It’s going to be a long time, if ever, before we see Carwin back in the heavyweight title picture. The comeback story will have to be enough for him to take from this event on Saturday night because his performance inside the cage left a lot to be desired.

–Published By Bleacher Report’s Adam Wells

UFC 131 Results See Junior dos Santos Rip Apart Shane Carwin, Can He Do The Same Against Cain Velasquez

Junior dos Santos has earned a date with destiny following a dominant performance against Shane Carwin at UFC 131. The man known as “Cigano” will challenge Cain Velasquez for the UFC heavyweight championship later on this year, though the official date has yet to be determined. So what can we expect when these two goliaths step into the octagon with each other?

Dos Santos, traditionally, has been a one-dimensional fighter inside the octagon. He has great cardio and technical ability, but he just uses his boxing skills, which are outstanding, to beat his opponents into oblivion. Last night, however, he used a more well-rounded approach to fighting by using takedowns and leg kicks to wear Carwin down.

Must Read: UFC 131 Results: Ten Burning Questions Heading into UFC 132

To be fair, though, it’s not like dos Santos was able to do anything when he got Carwin down, but at least he showed he could take an opponent down.

Velasquez is the best all-around heavyweight in the world. In the past there were questions about his ability in the striking game, so he went out and knocked out the last two opponents he has faced – Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. His wrestling and stamina are fantastic, so working the ground and lasting for 25 minutes isn’t a problem for him.

I think that if this fight stays standing, dos Santos has a great chance of winning because he is so good with his hands and moving in and out. If the fight is up and down over the course of all five rounds, Velasquez has a distinct advantage in wrestling and grappling as well as submissions.

The Champion should go into the fight as the favorite, though he isn’t right now, and based on what I have seen from dos Santos, I would give Velasquez a slight edge to retain the title when these two lock horns later on this year.

–Published By Bleacher Report’s Adam Wells