Tag: UFC 178

Barnburner Alert: Donald Cerrone vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov Reportedly Booked for UFC 178 in September [UPDATE: GOD DAMN IT]

(Video related. / Self-props: The CP tumblr)

UPDATE: “20 minutes after Khabib-Cerrone fight was signed, Khabib blew his knee out and the fight is off UFC 178 card” — Kevin Iole. WHY MUST YOU MOCK US, GOD???

Feel free to stop reading at this point. An amazing fight was booked, and we were struck down for our hubris. End of story.

*****

According to a tweet by semi-retired MMA journalist Mike Chiappetta, lightweight gunslinger Donald Cerrone and Dagestani bear–wrestler Khabib Nurmagomedov will face off at UFC 178: Jones vs. Gustafsson 2, September 27th in Las Vegas.

Not only is it a fantastic matchup, it could potentially produce a title contender, as both men are currently hovering around the top of the 155-pound division. Cerrone’s knockout of Jim Miller on Wednesday was his fourth-straight victory, with all wins by stoppage (and all wins earning him a performance bonus).

Nurmagomedov is a perfect 6-0 in the UFC, and 22-0 (!) overall. He most recently out-pointed Rafael Dos Anjos in April, then decided to take the summer off due to Ramadan. After Cerrone’s win over Miller, Nurmy tweeted out the following:


(Video related. / Self-props: The CP tumblr)

UPDATE: “20 minutes after Khabib-Cerrone fight was signed, Khabib blew his knee out and the fight is off UFC 178 card” — Kevin Iole. WHY MUST YOU MOCK US, GOD???

Feel free to stop reading at this point. An amazing fight was booked, and we were struck down for our hubris. End of story.

*****

According to a tweet by semi-retired MMA journalist Mike Chiappetta, lightweight gunslinger Donald Cerrone and Dagestani bear–wrestler Khabib Nurmagomedov will face off at UFC 178: Jones vs. Gustafsson 2, September 27th in Las Vegas.

Not only is it a fantastic matchup, it could potentially produce a title contender, as both men are currently hovering around the top of the 155-pound division. Cerrone’s knockout of Jim Miller on Wednesday was his fourth-straight victory, with all wins by stoppage (and all wins earning him a performance bonus).

Nurmagomedov is a perfect 6-0 in the UFC, and 22-0 (!) overall. He most recently out-pointed Rafael Dos Anjos in April, then decided to take the summer off due to Ramadan. After Cerrone’s win over Miller, Nurmy tweeted out the following:

While the fight will certainly be scheduled for three rounds, that’s more than enough time for Cowboy and the Eagle to put on an all-out war. Who ya got?

The Jones/Gustafsson 2 card will also feature Dominick Cruz’s return against Takeya Mizugaki, Cat Zingano’s return against Amanda Nunes, and Tim Kennedy defending our liberties against Yoel Romero. Daddy likey.

John ‘Doomsday’ Howard vs. Brian Ebersole Added to UFC 178

One of the most well-traveled journeymen in mixed martial arts will fight for the first time in 2014 at UFC 178. The promotion announced on Sunday via its official website that a welterweight fight between Brian Ebersole and John “Doomsday”…

One of the most well-traveled journeymen in mixed martial arts will fight for the first time in 2014 at UFC 178. The promotion announced on Sunday via its official website that a welterweight fight between Brian Ebersole and John “Doomsday” Howard has been added to the stacked September 27th event in Las Vegas.

Ebersole, who trains out of Tiger Muay Thai, made his UFC debut in 2011 after 62 professional fights and won his first four bouts before suffering back-to-back decision losses to James Head and Rick Story.

Doomsday made his return to the UFC a successful one last August when he won a unanimous decision bout over Uriah Hall in his hometown of Boston. That middleweight fight was less than spectacular, and Howard made the drop back down to welterweight for his next outing.

The Wai Kru product followed that up with another decision victory over Siyar Bahadurzada but came up short against Ryan LaFlare in Abu Dhabi this past April. Howard was competitive in the fight until an accidental low blow visibly affected his performance. He was campaigning for a rematch with LaFlare, but the promotion  decided against that, in favor of Howard facing off with Ebersole instead.

The welterweight fight is the latest addition to the robust UFC 178 card, which is headlined by the light heavyweight title fight rematch between champion Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson. The event also features the long-awaited returns of top bantamweight contenders Dominick Cruz and Cat Zingano.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Yoel Romero vs. Tim Kennedy: An Early Head-to-Toe Breakdown

UFC 178 will play host to a big-time middleweight tilt between No. 6-ranked contender Tim Kennedy and No. 11-ranked Yoel Romero on September 27.
Kennedy is riding a four-fight win streak into the matchup with three of the wins coming inside the Octagon…

UFC 178 will play host to a big-time middleweight tilt between No. 6-ranked contender Tim Kennedy and No. 11-ranked Yoel Romero on September 27.

Kennedy is riding a four-fight win streak into the matchup with three of the wins coming inside the Octagon. Romero posts his own four-fight win streak with all four coming under the UFC umbrella.

The middleweight division is in flux, and that will open the door for new challengers to the title. Champion Chris Weidman will be seeking new opponents in the near future, and this middleweight clash will put the winner in the cross hairs.

The former Strikeforce middleweights are on the brink of breaking through to the upper echelon. UFC 178 will see one of them complete that mission.

Let’s break down this important middleweight bout.

Begin Slideshow

UFC 178: Is Tim Kennedy Wise to Face Yoel Romero?

Since entering the UFC, former Strikeforce title contender Tim Kennedy has wanted nothing more than a tough opponent with a big name who could rocket him to the top of the middleweight division. He got that in his last outing when he stepped into the c…

Since entering the UFC, former Strikeforce title contender Tim Kennedy has wanted nothing more than a tough opponent with a big name who could rocket him to the top of the middleweight division. He got that in his last outing when he stepped into the cage with No. 8-ranked Michael Bisping.

Kennedy is scheduled to step back into the cage at UFC 178 in September against a satisfyingly tough, but low-ranked Yoel Romero.

Romero, the former Olympic medalist, carries a four-fight winning streak into the cage with him against Kennedy. Owner of seven TKOs in eight of his total victories, the Cuban-born wrestler has been on a steady course toward the middleweight crown since first participating in the sport in 2009.

Even at 37, nobody ranked above Romero, including Kennedy, should ever want to fight him—he’s an ever-improving striker who has the luxury of reverting to his world-class wrestling whenever needed.

Don’t let the numbers fool you. Romero’s low ranking among the UFC’s middleweights speaks less about his talents as a fighter and more about the pool of talent the UFC currently harbors at 185 pounds. Of the top six fighters, two have held the UFC middleweight title, two have held the UFC light heavyweight title and two held the Strikeforce middleweight title.

No. 6-ranked Kennedy wasn’t being foolish when he accepted the fight, though. Anderson Silva is still recovering from his leg injury, Vitor Belfort is still dealing with licensing issues, Lyoto Machida and Chris Weidman were busy duking it out at UFC 175, Jacare Souza is busy preparing for his bout with Gegard Mousasi and Luke Rockhold is preoccupied with a broken toe.

Literally nobody ranked higher than Kennedy was available to fight.

And literally none of the available fighters below Kennedy, except for No. 11-ranked Romero, was worth fighting.

It’s possible that a decisive victory over a fighter such as Romero could help Kennedy move closer to the belt. He would be just the second man ever to defeat him and the first one to do so inside the Octagon. Even a less-than-exciting victory over Romero could prove valuable to the Greg Jackson-trained fighter, assuming it’s a grappling-filled victory over an Olympic-caliber wrestler.

It’s absolutely certain that any kind of loss, even a split decision, would all but spoil Kennedy’s immediate hopes at a shot for the belt and move Romero into the top 10.

 

Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dominick Cruz Return: What the Ex-Champ Must Do to Return to Glory

Dominick Cruz was once considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the face of the planet. Victories over former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber, current UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and flyweight contender Joseph Benavi…

Dominick Cruz was once considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the face of the planet. Victories over former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber, current UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and flyweight contender Joseph Benavidez cemented Cruz as the best bantamweight fighter in the world. 

His two knee surgeries effectively removed him from the “pound-for-pound best” conversation. A groin injury suffered before a title unification bout with former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao would remove the belt from his waist. 

But after almost three years outside of competition, Cruz is set to make his return at UFC 178 against No. 5-ranked Takeya Mizugaki. 

“I’m excited to finally be back,” Cruz told ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto. “It’s been a long time coming, but I feel great and I’m already training hard. Mizugaki is tough and he’s been on a roll, but I’m ready to get back in there and prove that I’m the best bantamweight in the world.”

Think about it, the last time Bruce Buffer announced Cruz’s name Frankie Edgar had yet to rid himself of Gray Maynard, Cain Velasquez was still enjoying his first run as the heavyweight king, Jon Jones was merely one title defense into his now-historic run, Georges St-Pierre was still dominating, Anderson Silva was still making dudes pay and only diehards knew anything about Ronda Rousey. 

It’s been a long road back to the Octagon, but that doesn’t mean it should be a long road back to the title. 

Here’s what the former champ needs to do in order to regain his status as the best fighter at 135 pounds:

 

Listen to His Mind

“Dominick Cruz: The Fighter” showed us that he had a future in fighting; “Dominick Cruz: The Analyst” showed us that he had a future after fighting. 

He hasn’t necessarily had the charismatic success that Chael Sonnen or Kenny Florian have had on Fox Sports 1’s UFC Tonight, but he’s certainly made a name for himself as one of the best on-screen analysts out there.

Whether it’s explaining how Chris Weidman was able to dethrone the middleweight king on two separate occasions, why Alexander Gustafsson gave Jones so much trouble in their first bout or why nobody in the bantamweight division—including Barao, Faber or TJ Dillashaw—can keep Cruz from regaining the title, the Dominator simply needs to continue watching the tape as he prepares for his comeback.

 

Trust in His Knee

After two knee surgeries to repair a torn ACL, everybody on the outside looking in almost expects Cruz to be a little hesitant in his first appearance back inside the cage. 

It isn’t a completely uncommon injury in sports. NFL athletes suffer this injury about as often as fighters are left counting sheep. But for every spectacular Adrian Peterson-like recovery you see, you’re bound to get dozens of dispiriting recoveries akin to the one Robert Griffin III had. 

Unlike Peterson or Griffin, Cruz didn’t rush his recovery to meet any sort of season-opening deadline—he spent three years out of the cage to ensure he would be healthy enough by his own decree. 

Three years out of the Octagon should rarely ever be celebrated for any fighter. At its worst, it could bring the most potent ring rust any marquee fighter has ever seen. At its best, though, it should give Cruz all of the certainty that his knee will hold up just fine as he faces Mizugaki. 

 

Remember His Feet

Take a second to consider this: Even Johnson, the flyweight champion, couldn’t keep up with Cruz’s footwork in their matchup at UFC on Versus 6. 

Take a second second to consider this: Dillashaw—the man who successfully denied Barao from taking his 32-fight winning streak any further—credited Cruz’s footwork as part of the reason Dillashaw stands atop the bantamweight division.

“I knew that Dominick [Cruz] had the footwork to beat [Barao],” Dillashaw told Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter after UFC 173. “So, having that in my mind, I knew I had to step up my footwork, use good angles and keep him confused.” 

It was the way Cruz danced around his opponents, peppering jabs and confusing them with faints that kept his opponents guessing and the belt around his waist. He never got caught up in a brawl or his head in position for his opponent to make contact. He was quick to come in, and quicker to get out—he was about as untouchable as a fighter could be in MMA. 

 

Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Cat Zingano Returns! Faces Amanda Nunes on Honest-to-God Stacked UFC 178 Card in September

(WE’VE EARNED THIS!!!!)

Fresh off a 14-second flying armbar victory over some broad at a UFC Fan Expo, Cat Zingano finally has her return fight booked. The former #1 contender will take on hard-hitting Amanda Nunes on September 27th at UFC 178: Jones vs. Gustafsson II, which despite having just 4 fights booked, is already more stacked than any PPV card we will see before or after it (*laughs, then cries into whiskey glass*).

Zingano’s placement on the card seems both highly fitting, given that UFC 178 will also feature the return of Dominick Cruz from *his* ACL/groin injury, and a hell of a gamble on the UFC’s part, if you ask me. Oh well, I’m sure everything will work out fine.

The fight will be the first in what has been an emotionally and physically trying 18 months for Zingano, who has been forced to deal with both the ACL injury that removed her from the title picture and the unexpected and shocking suicide of her husband/coach, Mauricio. Should she defeat Nunes in triumphant fashion, expect a Lifetime movie at the very minimum to be made in “Alpha’s” honor — something like Not Without My 4 oz. Gloves or Uncaged Passion: The Cat Zingano Story. 


(WE’VE EARNED THIS!!!!)

Fresh off a 14-second flying armbar victory over some broad at a UFC Fan Expo, Cat Zingano finally has her return fight booked. The former #1 contender will take on hard-hitting Amanda Nunes on September 29th at UFC 178: Jones vs. Gustafsson II, which despite having just 4 fights booked, is already more stacked than any PPV card we will see before or after it (*laughs, then cries into whiskey glass*).

Zingano’s placement on the card seems both highly fitting, given that UFC 178 will also feature the return of Dominick Cruz from *his* ACL/groin injury, and a hell of a gamble on the UFC’s part, if you ask me. Oh well, I’m sure everything will work out fine.

The fight will be the first in what has been an emotionally and physically trying 18 months for Zingano, who has been forced to deal with both the ACL injury that removed her from the title picture and the unexpected and shocking suicide of her husband/coach, Mauricio. Should she defeat Nunes in triumphant fashion, expect a Lifetime movie at the very minimum to be made in “Alpha’s” honor — something like Not Without My 4 oz. Gloves or Uncaged Passion: The Cat Zingano Story. 

Nunes has also been out of action for a significant, albeit much shorter period of time than Zingano as well. After kickstarting her UFC career with two decisive first round TKOs in 2013, Nunes was offered the chance to fill in for an injured Shayna Baszler against former title challenger Sarah Kaufman at the TUF Nations Finale back in April. She accepted, only to be similarly struck down with a dislocated thumb five days later. The Zingano fight will make for her first since November of last year.

Will Zingano pick up where she left off? Or will Nunes prove to be the next challenger worthy of a Ronda Rousey ass-whippin’? Will we ever stop inserting this video of Zingano stretching into every last post about her, no matter how unnecessary it is? Tune into UFC 178 to find out! (except for that last question, the answer to which is no.)

–J. Jones