Tag: UFC 165

Dropping Knowledge: Kenny Florian Breaks Down UFC 165

The team of analysts for the UFC on Fox Sports 1 and Fox broadcasts have been providing the most in-depth coverage mixed martial has seen in its 20 years of existence.
With a collection of seasoned fight veterans and a handful of well-versed hosts at t…

The team of analysts for the UFC on Fox Sports 1 and Fox broadcasts have been providing the most in-depth coverage mixed martial has seen in its 20 years of existence.

With a collection of seasoned fight veterans and a handful of well-versed hosts at the helm, the people working the pre- and post-fight shows for the UFC have consistently raised the bar.

For the next installment of “Dropping Knowledge,” former multi-divisional contender Kenny Florian sits in to give his thoughts on the upcoming card for UFC 165.

“Ken Flo” has traded leather with some of the best fighters to have ever stepped inside the Octagon, and while he is recently retired from scrapping it out on the sport’s biggest stage, Florian brings a unique angle to his fight analysis.

The Massachusetts native competed in four divisions throughout his UFC career, making title runs in two of them before hanging up the gloves for good in 2012. While Florian may not be competing inside the cage, he certainly stays busy outside of the action as he co-hosts UFC Tonight with Chael Sonnen and works the commentator table for Fight Night events alongside Jon Anik.

This is what Florian told Bleacher Report about Saturday night’s UFC 165 event in Toronto.

 

Let’s start with the main event. Jon Jones is facing Alexander Gustafsson for the light heavyweight title and so much has been made about the reach each fighter brings into this fight. How much stock are you putting into that particular aspect of this tilt?

It becomes extremely pertinent if the person knows how to control the range, and Jon Jones certainly knows how to do that. As does Alexander Gustafsson to a certain extent. However, having the kind of strength Jon Jones has with his wrestling as well makes things even more interesting. That range is going to be a difficult thing for anyone that faces Jon Jones. Not only is he a master of range, he has the range advantage and can keep you on the outside, but when either they or Jones decides to close that gap, it brings it into his realm. He really creates a dilemma for a lot of fighters.

 

It’s so strange to say these days with a fighter we’ve seen compete so many times, but I still don’t think we’ve seen the best Jon Jones. Is that something you would agree or disagree with?

I absolutely agree. He’s a guy who is still very young and still has time to fill in those tiny little holes and improve. Take his power for example. He’s not a knockout power guy. He’s a fighter who throws beautiful combinations and is very dynamic. He’s very diverse with his attacks but certainly has things in his game he can improve.

Another example is his ground game. He’s submitted great guys already, but I think what makes Jon Jones so great right now is his mind. He believes in his technique, but I think when he gets those other skills to that place, he’s going to be even scarier. It’s unbelievable when you think about what kind of potential he has. 

So many people are writing off Gustafsson before he ever steps into the Octagon and that could be a big mistake if Jones is of that collective. In your opinion, what does Gustafsson have to do to beat Jones on Saturday?

First and foremost, I think he needs to have a good first round. I think it’s very important that he take away any momentum from Jon Jones early. If Jon Jones has momentum, he’s going to run away with it. Gustafsson isn’t going to have a prayer. Gustafsson has to find a way to hurt Jones or make him respect his striking early.

Whether it is stopping a few of his takedown attempts early and get into Jones’ head that way, he needs to get off to a great start early. He also has to stop the wrestling. If he can stop the wrestling of Jon Jones, he gives himself a chance. He’s still not safe, because Jones is such a great striker, but it gives him a chance. Gustafsson hits harder than Jones, and I’m not sure if he’s faster, but he’s right there with him as far as speed goes. I also think Gustafsson has a tiny advantage in the footwork department.

 

If Jones wins at UFC 165, he will break Tito Ortiz’s long-standing record for title defenses in the light heavyweight division. Other than the history books, how does this fight with Gustafsson affect Jones’ legacy?

It’s an interesting question to the point where some people are questioning whether or not Jon Jones is motivated going into this fight. I know some people who are close to him that are kind of a little nervous about whether or not he’s actually motivated for this fight. Then of course there is the UFC record on the line in this fight. 

Jon Jones has the opportunity to take this sport to the next level with as great as he is. He is the full package. Here is a guy who good looking, charismatic and exciting to watch. These are the guys as former fighters, we have to root for because they can take the UFC and mixed martial arts to that next level. Much like GSP has done, Jon Jones could take it even further.

He can bring a whole new legion of fans into this sport. He can bring the same kind of attention Muhammad Ali brought to boxing. He has all that potential. For me, that’s truly what’s on the line. It goes beyond Jon Jones. It matters for the sport. I’m not sure that’s fair to put on a guy like Jon Jones who is only 26 years old, but that’s the reality.

 

Moving on to the co-main event where interim champion Renan Barao puts his title on the line against Eddie Wineland. What are the keys to victory for both fighters in this matchup?

The more Eddie Wineland can fight at a boxing range, the better off he will be. I think he puts together some of the most beautiful combinations we’ve seen in mixed martial arts. He has good head movement and the kid can counter-wrestle. He also has a lot of experience, and he needs to fight Barao in that boxing range and hurt Barao. 

On the other hand, Barao doesn’t have any real weaknesses anywhere. Barao is going to have a big advantage if he’s able to get on top of Wineland and if he can make it a kickboxing match. If he can keep Wineland on the outside, that is really going to work to his benefit. Barao is going to have to mix things up, his takedowns and his strikes, and really show a mixed bag of MMA in there. Wineland is going to have to make it a scrappy fight because the more technical the fight is, the more it favors Barao.

 

Renan Barao is a product of the Nova Uniao camp in Rio de Janiero where he trains alongside featherweight phenom Jose Aldo. You have personal experience from being in the cage with Aldo, and in your opinion, what makes these guys so dangerous?

They are so well-rounded. Brazilian fighters used to get a lot of slack for not having the best wrestling pedigree, and that’s true when you compare them to the Americans and Russians. But they have done such a great job of using their athleticism and strategy to avoid the takedowns of very good wrestlers. Whether it’s using the cage, or their speed and footwork, it’s really making them such complete fighters. They don’t have any glaring weaknesses anywhere.

Of course, they come from Brazilian jiu-jitsu backgrounds and are always going to be strong there, but we are seeing some of the best Muay Thai in mixed martial arts come from that camp now. Andre Pederneiras is doing such a great job, they almost all look the same when you are talking about the guys under 155 pounds. They are all so similar and so good. They have a solid game and don’t make a lot of mistakes. That is what makes them so difficult to face.

 

The heavyweight matchup between Matt Mitrione and Brendan Schaub presents some interesting story lines. Both had momentum to begin their UFC runs, but after suffering losses, their profiles cooled off considerably. Do you believe the winner of this bout goes up to the next tier while the loser takes a step toward irrelevancy?

It’s tough because the heavyweight division has become so competitive, and this is an extremely important fight for both. They have the opportunity to break out of that middle of the pack section of the division, and it’s definitely an important fight. Especially in the way the fight is won. If the winner does so impressively, it can turn some heads and draw some attention their way. 

 

In the middleweight division, Costa Philippou has been quietly climbing the ladder. I know it’s cliche to say that every fight is important, but when a fighter lacks a certain amount of name recognition, does that make every outing that much more crucial?

It absolutely does. It comes down to the fighter being exciting, getting those exciting wins and getting the fans behind them. By that I mean, you can’t do it only with your performances. You have to be able to market yourself. You have to be able to make a name for yourself and get attention. It’s frustrating for me when I watch it from the commentator’s booth and these guys have the opportunity when they get the mic in their hands and they do nothing with it.

They have the opportunity to reach out to millions of people and say what they want to say. Chael Sonnen is a perfect example of this. Get some attention, call out somebody and get people talking. When they ask you what you want next, don’t say it’s up to the UFC. We already know that. Of course it’s up to the UFC. Call out the fighter you want next. If you want a shot at the title, then make it known. That’s what is going to get people behind you. Whether they want to see you win or lose, that is what is going to draw attention to yourself as a fighter.

 

There is a great lightweight matchup at UFC 165 between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Pat Healy. In the four outings he’s had thus far under the UFC banner, Nurmagomedov has been able to manhandle the opposition. Healy, on the other hand, is a huge fighter for the 155-pound weight class. Does “The Eagle” have his way with Healy or does the gritty veteran find a way to win this fight?

This is an exciting fight. Khabib Nurmagomedov has been extremely impressive with his performances thus far. He’s showing that he may have some of the best wrestling in the 155-pound division, period. Not only that, but he also has tremendous knockout power, as well, which has been a nice wrinkle to his game. But we haven’t really seen him tested.

Pat Healy looked great in his return to the UFC against Jim Miller, and he’s a tough guy. Whoever wins this fight, and if they do so in impressive fashion, they could be contending for the belt in the near future. I don’t think this win will do it, but I could definitely see the winner of this fight being two fights away and knocking on the door.

 

Outside of the main card, are there any other fights that you are excited to see and think fans need to keep an eye on?

I really like the Myles Jury versus Mike Ricci fight. I think these are two guys with a tremendous amount of potential. I’ve trained with Mike Ricci in Montreal, and this kid is a specimen. Physically, he’s very impressive with a lot of athletic potential. I think he’s starting to mature as a human being as well and starting to take his training more seriously.

Myles Jury is someone I’ve been looking at since day one. I’ve been talking about him for a long time and a lot of people thought I was crazy saying this kid hasn’t done anything and whatnot. For me, it’s just the way that he fights. He’s very technical, smart and takes his training very seriously. He’s been nothing but impressive. Also, his wins have come in a variety of fashions. He’s not just winning by one thing. He’s winning with his ground game. He’s winning with his wrestling. In his last fight, he won by knockout. He’s been very impressive, and one of these kids are going to make a big name for themselves. I think they are going to do big things.

Actually, I think both of them have bright futures. I don’t think this is a one and done kind of fight, but I think the winner of this fight moves up significantly, and we are going to see great things from them. 

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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Jon Jones: The Greatest of All Time?

In the fight world, there is a grotesque fascination with one phrase: The Greatest of All Time.
Type it into Google and I am sure that you will find forum threads from all over the internet on whether Joe Louis or Muhammad Ali was the Greatest of All T…

In the fight world, there is a grotesque fascination with one phrase: The Greatest of All Time.

Type it into Google and I am sure that you will find forum threads from all over the internet on whether Joe Louis or Muhammad Ali was the Greatest of All Time. Then someone will bring up Rocky Marciano, or an elitist will bring up Jack Johnson or even Sam Langford and say that they could paste the fighters of today.

Not a day goes by that I do not receive a question along the lines of, “Hey Jack, who would you say is the greatest fighter at x of all time?” These range from the open and vague to the bizarrely specific. “Who is the greatest right-handed southpaw in lightweight history?”

And why shouldn’t fans have this fetish for absolutes? One on one combat is the single most absolute of activities. Fights decide who is the better of two men; if you lose you are the weaker man, and if you win you are the stronger.

Of course, that is not how fighting really works. A fight is a one-off event and a lot more enters the cage than the men seen walking into it. Hundreds of man hours are put into each fighter’s performance; not just his own, but his team’s man-hours.

The question which comes up in forums time and time again, and the question which I am concerned with today, is whether Jon Jones is the greatest light heavyweight, or even the greatest fighter, in this sport’s short history.

It all depends on what you’re ranking—skill, athleticism or achievement?

There are only a few light heavyweights whom one could argue exceeded Jones in any area and those would, for most people, be Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva and perhaps Mauricio Rua and Quinton Jackson. 

Skill and Technique

In terms of skill, we are living in a different era from the days of Liddell and Silva. When those men were dominating on different sides of the world, they were considered incredible strikers because they had knockout power. 

The attrition tactics which Jones and so many other UFC champions use today—low kicks and body shots, especially—were barely present at all when Silva and Liddell took their titles, and were only starting to become more popular when PRIDE was bought out. 

It is easy to forget that when Silva and Liddell excelled in PRIDE and the UFC, respectively, it was more than enough to simply be good at two areas of the mixed martial arts game. Because Liddell could stay on his feet and had heavy hands, he was untouchable. Similarly, Silva was an ultra-aggressive striker with enough of a ground game to get by. 

Today’s mixed martial arts competition has turned into a real tactical battle. Each fighter can do well enough in each area of combat (for the most part) to have a good go at each, and should the fight be going south in one area, they may attempt to transition the entire fight to another.

Jones is, along with Georges St. Pierre, the most well-rounded fighter to grace MMA to date. Not only can he wrestle better than anyone in his division, he can out-strike the best there, too.

Wanderlei Silva was never in complete control of where the fight was taking place, which necessitated his aggression when the bout was actually on the feet. Chuck Liddell could control where the fight took place against grapplers, but often his takedown defense involved him opening up his defenses on the feet. 

The two outside contenders for “greatest of all time” consideration, Mauricio Rua and Quinton Jackson, suffered similar deficiencies, particularly later in their careers. Shogun was a whirling dervish on the feet and had some neat trips and great ground-and-pound, but he could not stop a takedown to save his life. Jackson could keep his hands high to box and still stuff even Jones’ takedowns, but was absolutely stifled if he could not get into swinging range. 

Jon Jones is the first great light heavyweight who is in complete control of where the fight takes place. One of the reasons that my Killing the King: Jon Jones was so difficult to write was that there is no simple answer to his effective use of reach and great wrestling.

In technical ability alone, as you would expect in a rapidly evolving sport, Jon Jones is by far the best-rounded light heavyweight to date. His ability to fight to a different gameplan in each fight is also something which could not be seen so readily in the fights of Silva or Liddell.

Athleticism and Build

This is an interesting one to consider. Obviously, there hasn’t been a light heavyweight built like Jon Jones. There aren’t even that many human beings built like Jon Jones with his Sonny Liston-esque wingspan. 

An 84-inch reach on a 6’4″ frame is certainly disproportionate and unique, but also Jones is incredible athletically. His success as a wrestler will testify to that, but his brothers, Arthur and Chandler, with whom Jones obviously shares a huge amount of his genes, are both successful players for NFL franchises. 

When Jones began to excel in MMA, we were fed the lines about super-athletes and how they were now coming to MMA. In truth, Jones could be the first of many, but there just isn’t enough money here to draw athletic youths away from more lucrative career paths from which they will get more esteem or the chance of a scholarship.

Compared to the wild young man from Curitiba who got into fighting because he was short and fat, Jones is obviously more in line with a traditional sports star. 

Jones is, athletically and physically, a big fish in a small pond in today’s mixed martial arts picture.

Young men who can compare to him in athleticism or physical gifts will simply not be forthcoming unless they truly love fighting more than the prospect of excelling in another sport, or until purses in the UFC become more respectable.

Achievement and Competition Fought

This, more than anything else, is what most people think of when rating a fighter pound for pound or claiming that they are the greatest. 

Considering that Jon Jones is now suffering from having cleared out all the familiar names in his division, it is fairly safe to say that he is accomplished against top level competition. Jones demolished Shogun, Jackson, Machida and Evans—undoubtedly the biggest names in his division.

Recently, however, Jones has been given the kind of irrelevant tune-up fights that Wanderlei Silva is so often criticized for receiving in PRIDE. Of course, Chael Sonnen and Vitor Belfort are a little bit more dangerous than Kanehara ever was, but the matches were still irrelevant and did little to improve Jones’ list of accomplishments.

Where Silva went on a four-year undefeated streak against names such as Dan Henderson, Kazushi Sakuraba, Hidehiko Yoshida and Quinton Jackson, there were also a great many filler fights in that time.

In the meantime Chuck Liddell was being fed grapplers who wouldn’t trouble him on the feet so that he could continue to sprawl on people and knock them out when they got tired or desperate. 

But then two of Jones’ biggest wins are over men who had been through more than a decade of fighting before they met him. Certainly they had proven themselves in the division at the time, but equally, how weak is a division if the same names can be in the Top 10 for so long with so few notable new fighters coming through.

Jones was part of a batch of new light heavyweights who got us all excited, yet so many of the others utterly failed. Who remembers Luis Cane or Sokoudjou? 

Is Jones the greatest light heavyweight in MMA history, then? Certainly he’s held the belt for the longest since the UFC bought out PRIDE. He has a more impressive set of skills and ability to fight to a gameplan than any previous champion, and he’s beaten many of the old favorites. It’s hard to argue against those credentials.

On a bittersweet note, however, Jones’ success highlights not only the lack of athletically gifted young prospects coming to MMA, or the changing nature of the game, but the remarkably stagnant nature of the light heavyweight division. With so few young light heavyweights coming up, we have to wonder where Jones goes if he can keep wiping out named opponents.

Pick up Jack’s eBooks Advanced Striking and Elementary Striking from his blog, Fights Gone By.

Jack can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

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Eddie Wineland vs. Will Campuzano Fight Video

This Saturday, September 21, Eddie Wineland will challenge Renan Barao for the interim UFC bantamweight title at UFC 165.
After beginning his UFC tenure with a pair of unsuccessful performances, Wineland has turned the corner by winning back-to-back bo…

This Saturday, September 21, Eddie Wineland will challenge Renan Barao for the interim UFC bantamweight title at UFC 165.

After beginning his UFC tenure with a pair of unsuccessful performances, Wineland has turned the corner by winning back-to-back bouts in impressive fashion. The American has officially righted the ship and now hopes to get back into championship form.

Wineland became the first bantamweight champion of the now defunct WEC promotion by defeating Antonio Banuelos at WEC 20. After capturing the strap, he went on to post a 4-2 record with the promotion, ending on a run of four straight victories.

Among those victories was a memorable one over Will Campuzano that ended with a brutal knockout. 

The finish was over a minute in the making, with Wineland keeping his composure and keeping the pressure on at the same time. After delivering a bevy of hard shots, the UFC 165 co-main event competitor landed a nasty blow to the body before stopping his foe on the ground.

It was a cringe-worthy ending, but an entertaining scrap that is more than worth revisiting.

As luck would have it, you can do exactly that. 

In anticipation of Wineland‘s UFC 165 bout, the UFC has made Wineland vs. Campuzano available, posting the fight video to YouTube.

And because it can be painfully difficult to type in a URL, search for a video, find the video and then click the video…I’ve gone and done the noble thing by just bringing it right here for you to watch.

The seconds I’ve saved you are a gift. Use them wisely.

Enjoy the video. It’s a reminder of the type of power Wineland wields. Though he’s an underdog against Barao for a reason, anyone who hits like he does has a very real chance in any fight.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Eddie Wineland vs. Will Campuzano Fight Video

Saturday, Sept. 21, Eddie Wineland will challenge Renan Barao for the interim UFC bantamweight title at UFC 165.
After beginning his UFC tenure with a pair of unsuccessful performances, Wineland has turned the corner by winning back-to-back bouts in im…

Saturday, Sept. 21, Eddie Wineland will challenge Renan Barao for the interim UFC bantamweight title at UFC 165.

After beginning his UFC tenure with a pair of unsuccessful performances, Wineland has turned the corner by winning back-to-back bouts in impressive fashion. The American has officially righted the ship and now hopes to get back into championship form.

Wineland became the first bantamweight champion of the now defunct WEC promotion by defeating Antonio Banuelos at WEC 20. After capturing the strap, he went on to post a 4-2 record with the promotion, ending on a run of four straight victories.

Among those victories was a memorable one over Will Campuzano that ended with a brutal knockout. 

The finish was over a minute in the making, with Wineland keeping his composure and keeping the pressure on at the same time. After delivering a bevy of hard shots, the UFC 165 co-main event competitor landed a nasty blow to the body before stopping his foe on the ground.

It was a cringe-worthy ending, but an entertaining scrap that is more than worth revisiting.

As luck would have it, you can do exactly that. 

In anticipation of Wineland‘s UFC 165 bout, the UFC has made Wineland vs. Campuzano available, posting the fight video to YouTube.

And because it can be painfully difficult to type in a URL, search for a video, find the video and then click the video…I’ve gone and done the noble thing by just bringing it right here for you to watch.

The seconds I’ve saved you are a gift. Use them wisely.

Enjoy the video. It’s a reminder of the type of power Wineland wields. Though he’s an underdog against Barao for a reason, anyone who hits like he does has a very real chance in any fight.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Eddie Wineland vs. Will Campuzano Fight Video

This Saturday, September 21, Eddie Wineland will challenge Renan Barao for the interim UFC bantamweight title at UFC 165.
After beginning his UFC tenure with a pair of unsuccessful performances, Wineland has turned the corner by winning back-to-back bo…

This Saturday, September 21, Eddie Wineland will challenge Renan Barao for the interim UFC bantamweight title at UFC 165.

After beginning his UFC tenure with a pair of unsuccessful performances, Wineland has turned the corner by winning back-to-back bouts in impressive fashion. The American has officially righted the ship and now hopes to get back into championship form.

Wineland became the first bantamweight champion of the now defunct WEC promotion by defeating Antonio Banuelos at WEC 20. After capturing the strap, he went on to post a 4-2 record with the promotion, ending on a run of four straight victories.

Among those victories was a memorable one over Will Campuzano that ended with a brutal knockout. 

The finish was over a minute in the making, with Wineland keeping his composure and keeping the pressure on at the same time. After delivering a bevy of hard shots, the UFC 165 co-main event competitor landed a nasty blow to the body before stopping his foe on the ground.

It was a cringe-worthy ending, but an entertaining scrap that is more than worth revisiting.

As luck would have it, you can do exactly that. 

In anticipation of Wineland‘s UFC 165 bout, the UFC has made Wineland vs. Campuzano available, posting the fight video to YouTube.

And because it can be painfully difficult to type in a URL, search for a video, find the video and then click the video…I’ve gone and done the noble thing by just bringing it right here for you to watch.

The seconds I’ve saved you are a gift. Use them wisely.

Enjoy the video. It’s a reminder of the type of power Wineland wields. Though he’s an underdog against Barao for a reason, anyone who hits like he does has a very real chance in any fight.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 165: Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson Head-to-Toe Breakdown

At UFC 165, Jon Jones will take aim at the UFC record for consecutive light heavyweight title defenses.
Currently tied with Tito Ortiz at five straight title defenses, Jones will look to further cement himself as the greatest 205-pound fighter ever by …

At UFC 165, Jon Jones will take aim at the UFC record for consecutive light heavyweight title defenses.

Currently tied with Tito Ortiz at five straight title defenses, Jones will look to further cement himself as the greatest 205-pound fighter ever by beating Alexander Gustafsson. Following back-to-back title defenses over Chael Sonnen and Vitor Belfort, a pair of middleweights who moved up to challenge him, Jones will finally meet an opponent of comparable size in Gustafsson.

Since suffering the lone loss of his career to Phil Davis, Gustafsson has won six straight fights. Most recently, the Swedish light heavyweight defeated former champion Mauricio Rua to earn his first shot at UFC gold.

As this potentially history-making matchup approaches, it’s time to take a look at how Jones and Gustafsson stack up against one another in all areas.

 

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