Kingdom MMA preview UFC Fight Night 42 - The Main Card

UFC Fight Night 42 Henderson vs Khabilov preview and predictions

by Alex Dillon @_alexdillon_

We look ahead and offer a detailed preview on this weekend’s upcoming UFC Fight Night 42 card taking place at the Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico which includes an intriguing main event lightweight clash between Benson Henderson and Rustam Khabilov.

Main card (FS 1 BT Sport 1)

Bantamweights: Erik Perez (14-5, 4-1 UFC) vs Bryan Caraway (18-6, 3-1 UFC)

This bantamweight matchup has all the makings of a good fight on this card. Perez only 24, has won 9 of his last 10 fights with that one loss coming to Takeya Mizugaki last August. He responded well by defeating Edwin Figueroa in his last UFC outing.

Caraway had a similar fate as he also lost to Mizugaki before bouncing back to a win in his last fight over Johnny Bedford. Whilst Caraway has the edge on the ground as a noted submission specialist, Perez has the edge on the feet and also is the younger of the two and more well rounded.

Prediction : Perez    

Lightweights:  Yves Edwards (42-20-1, 10-8 UFC) vs Piotr Hallmann (14-2, 1-1 UFC)

Edwards should be riding a 3 fight losing streak if it wasn’t for Yancy Mederios post fight drug test fail. Having only won 2 out of his last 7, Edwards an MMA veteran of 63 fights, will likely be cut if he loses this one.

Hallmann 1-1 in his UFC career so far was dominated last time out against Al Iaquinta but Edwards isn’t getting younger and tends to fade in later rounds based on his most recent performances which should work in Hallmann’s favour.

Prediction: Hallmann

Lightweights:  Rafael Dos Anjos (20-7, 9-5 UFC) vs Jason High (18-4, 2-2 UFC)

Rafael Dos Anjos was on a roll in the UFC riding a five fight win streak until he came up against lightweight stand out Khabib Nurmagomedov. Overwhelmed when it came down to it but to be honest most lightweights at the moment could suffer the same fate.

High is on a two fight winning streak with notable wins over Anthony Lapsley and James Head. Both fights were in the welterweight division and this will be High’s first fight since his move down to lightweight so it’ll be interesting to see how strength factors into this affair. Regardless of this, Dos Anjos is the better skilled fighter, carrying crisp striking in his arsenal as well as being a BJJ black belt should mean he can deal with High in any area of MMA.

Prediction: Dos Anjos

Flyweights:  John Dodson   (15-6, 4-1 UFC) vs John Moraga (14-2, 3-1) 

A real interesting flyweight matchup serves as the third fight on the main card with Dodson and Moraga squaring off against each other for the second time in their careers. Dodson won the first encounter so Moraga will surely be out to prove a point this time around.

Both fighters have also fought for the flyweight title against champion Demetrius Johnson with Dodson coming the closest to capturing the belt. Dodson is coming off a KO victory over Darrell Montague where as Moraga is coming off a somewhat questionable split decision victory over Dustin Ortiz.

Dodson is the better skilled out of the two and should fancy himself wherever the fight goes and ultimately dispatch Moraga, in my opinion, Dodson is still Johnsons biggest threat in the flyweight division and we should soon see him fighting for the flyweight strap again.

Prediction: Dodson 

(Co- main event)

Lightweights:  Diego Sanchez (24-7, 13-7 UFC) vs Ross Pearson (15-6, 7-3 UFC)

Call this co-main whatever you want... barnburner, slobber knocker, war, one thing’s for sure these two will come to put on a fight. This for me is the leading candidate for fight of the night honours. You often see fighters tweeting about how hard they are training for a fight but all I’ve seen lately is these two both at it. They both seem very up for this fight indeed which promises to be a great scrap.

Sanchez on a two fighting losing streak has been outclassed in his last two outings against Melendez and Jury, blaming food poisoning for his disappointing performance against the latter you have to question whether he has it at the top level anymore. One thing you can count on with Diego is his undeniable heart in any fight, he will look to take Pearson to hell and back if he brings his A game which he should considering its in his hometown.

Before fighting Melvin Guillard in a bout which ended up being ruled a no contest due to an alleged illegal knee from Guillard then pulling out of the rematch due to an injury, Pearson had knocked out his last two opponents in Ryan Couture and George Sotiropoulos and looked to have gain some consistency back in his career.

This is a great matchup for both fighters and gives them the opportunity to push themselves back up the ladder in the lightweight division. If Sanchez can’t get to Pearson and take him down he runs the risk of ultimately, being outboxed by the better more efficient striker. Whatever the outcome, this fight has the potential to steal the show.

Prediction: Pearson 

(Main event)

Lightweights:  Benson Henderson (20-3, 8-1 UFC) vs Rustam Khabilov (17-1, 3-0 UFC)

This lightweight main event could easily turn into a wrestling match rather than an MMA one. Both fighters have proven wrestling pedigree in an MMA cage which poses a lot of questions heading into the fight. Which fighter can take who down first? Which fighter can hold the other down/ get back up?

There’s a possibility that because either fighter knows the other is as good a wrestler as them that they may turn it into a striking affair. However, in my opinion this fight will be decided via wrestling.

Henderson is the former WEC and UFC lightweight champion and has won 9 out of 10 fights when gone the distance which says a lot. Beating Josh Thomson in his last outing, he’s ultimately on a collision course to get another shot at Anthony Pettis lightweight strap, third time lucky maybe, having fallen short the two previous times the foes have met inside a cage.

Khabilov is on a convincing 3-0 streak in the UFC and is part of the so called ‘Russian invasion’ into the organisation which has seen him and fellow lightweight Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov dominate and maul their opponents in impressive fashion. Khabilov made a statement last time out against Jorge Masvidal when he simply ragged him around the octagon on his way to victory.

In Henderson though, he faces a former champion with much more experience, strength and pedigree to his game and quite possibly too big of a step up for him. The way I like to describe Benson Henderson is that he is an amazing fighter but he’s kind of the Junior Dos Santos of the lightweight division, he can keep trying but he’s never going to beat Anthony Pettis in my opinion. However, if you beat him you are probably going to be in line for the title but then again you’re probably not going to beat him.

Prediction: Henderson

Brad Scott talks to Kingdom MMA before his fight at UFC London

Kingdom MMA catch up with Bradley Scott during his fight camp in Arizona

by Ben Heather @benheather

Bradley "Bear" Scott returns to action in the Octagon on March 8th as the UFC returns to London, ahead of that fight Brad took some time out of his busy schedule to talk to Kingdom MMA from Arizona where he is preparing for his fight at The MMA Lab. Brad is set to face Brazilian fighter Claudio Henrique da Silva that night. Today we caught up with Brad to discuss what he has been doing since his last fight, the performances of his team mates from The Lab recently and many more subjects.

Ben: At UFC on Fox 10 two of your MMA Lab team mates, Benson Henderson and John Moraga were in action in close fights. How did you score the fights?
Brad: In both cases people have been disputing the outcome but I think Benson won personally. Look at the fightmetric stats as well, I know that doesn't always show clearly the fight but personally I think Benson won 3 of the 5 rounds. People whinge that he only wins split decisions but I don't give a shit. He is fighting the best guys in the world, its going to be a close fight. Benson is a beast, I spar with him at The MMA Lab and he goes harder there than he does in his fights as well.

As for John Moraga, it makes me mad. John did a lot more damage, John even dropped the guy. Personally I believe that in a fight you're trying to do damage if you think about it. I know we all train MMA as a sport but at the end of the day you're trying to do damage and I don't like the idea that John was doing all the damage and all that guy did was simply hold him down. He didn't do anything, he didn't go for any submissions, no ground and pound, all he did was lay on him and cuddle him and that is not how you do damage. John left without a scratch on him, the other guy got dropped and John clearly won the fight in my eyes. John Moraga is a scary dude.

Ben: At UFC 169 we also saw another fighter from The MMA Lab Andy Enz, who has been one of your sparring partners during this camp. What did you make to his performance?
Brad: He is tough as fuck, and he doesn't give a fuck who you are either, He just stood toe to toe with a dangerous striker and he just kept going. He improved so much in his time at The Lab and was a lovely guy as well. I genuinely wanted him to win, I really like him and its savage that he lost.

I thought he won the last round as well, plus if you look at the way he landed when he got dropped he put his hands down so he must have regained consciousness as he went down.

I was not impressed with Clint, I would break his soul if he didn't knock me out in the first 2 minutes. I nearly called him out after the fight too.

Ben: Sticking with the recent UFC 169 event another English middleweight, Tom Watson was in action. How did you rate his performance and what do you think is next for Kong?
Brad: The fight was crap, it was like he was fighting not to lose. I personally think both me and Luke Barnatt would beat him and he is ranked above us both. Look at his UFC career, first of all he was given way to tough of an opponent in his debut in Brad Tavares. From Jack Marshman to Brad Tavares it was like welcome to the UFC that wasn't great match making in my opinion. Then his next fight against Stanislav Nedkov he went out and was trying to finish the fight and did. He rightfully got the Fight of the Night and Knockout of the Night bonuses for that fight.

Then I don't know whats happened, I like Tom a lot. I used to look up to him a lot. I just don't know whats gone on, just throwing leg kicks is asking to be taken down. I hope he gets another shot and he just comes out and tears it up.

Ben: Now lets look back at your fight in Manchester and the events after, do you feel that after your fight in Manchester you got the credit you deserved for the win? It seemed to me that other guys seemed to get a lot more air time and publicity after the fight.
Brad: It doesn't bother me if I am honest with you. In all fairness Luke (Barnatt) got the Fight of the Night bonus which was quite impressive. It was quite cool when he landed the upper cut on Craig, put his hand in the air and walked away and Andrew Craig was still on his leg trying to take him down. That was pretty funny.

I believe a lot of it is because my fight wasn't televised. From what I have heard I had one of the biggest cheers of the night. I couldn't believe the reception I got, I was chuffed to bits and wasn't expecting that. Plus, in all fairness my fight wasn't the most exciting fight though was it. It was a couple of exchanges which I feel I got the better off. I landed a good upper cut put him against the fence and choked him out. Once I knew I had the choke I cranked on it so hard I hurt my back.

I was happy with the credit I got. When I beat the next guy then I will be more satisfied.

Ben: Did it annoy you that when your fight was announced for UFC London the fans were commenting negatively and wanting bigger names and better fights on the card?
Brad: No I'm on the undercard anyway so that doesn't bother me. I think they were more interested in the main card but they should be happy with what they get on the prelims. I could understand if I was on the main card, but not with me on the prelims. I think everyone on the whole card is awesome.

I do know what the fans mean though, they want big big names. They want guys that they have seen on a regular basis on the bigger shows but on the prelims its the guys working there way up the ladder that's why they are called the prelims. Due to the time zones you're not going to get Jon Jones and the fans should be happy that the show is being headlined by Gustafsson. As fans if you want to see the best unfortunately for us Brit's you've got to travel.
England does not have a big enough fan base yet which is why the UFC are trying to promote it in England by putting English fighters on the card. Beyond The Octagon is a fantastic show they are trying to promote a big show, trying to build the sport and promote English fighters and the fans moan, come on give em a chance.

I would be happy to be on the prelims for the next 5 fights and I would not care. I genuinely mean that, I think the pressure goes up as you go up the card and people expect more but people will be impressed by my next fight. I'm going to light Claudio up.... touch wood.

Ben: The win last time proved you were justified to go up in weight, what was your reasoning behind moving up a weight class?
Brad: Food. My whole life depended on dieting but now I can eat what ever I want as long as my performance is good I can eat what I want. My only worry was being dwarfed by people but I was a bigger build than Andy Enz, I move faster than a lot of middleweights and its a reason why John Crouch and everyone at the MMA Lab has been trying to get me to move back down to 170. When I go in there and get absolutely man handled that's when I will consider going back down in weight but until then I'm staying at 185.

Ben: For this fight did you ask for a specific fight?
Brad: All I did was ask to be on the London card then they gave me Claudio da Silva and as soon as that name come through I knew exactly who it was and took it. It could have been anyone mind I would have taken it but I said yeah 100% I know who he is, I know what he is good at, I've seen him fight he's a jui jitsu master.

Ben: Your back at the Lab for this fight, is that something you intend to do for every camp now?
Brad: The Lab is awesome, I know its predominantly a lightweight gym but there is a lot of heavier guys there as well and they are all good. We are all learning the same, we are all drilling the same, we're all getting our hard sparring in. It doesn't matter what size you are you can still share the same gym. I do a lot of sparring with Benson, hard sparring because Benson is the same height as my next opponent but he is fucking stronger than my next opponent. Benson is a freak of strength, he lifts me clean up and slams me but he hasn't managed to keep me down or submit me yet.

Ben: Being at The MMA Lab seems to have a family atmosphere do you agree?
Brad: Yeah its the same as Dragonslair, I think that's why I get on so well. Everyone helps each other, great sparring, two of my sparring partners are all American wrestlers. One of them is good at jui jitsu as well, he won the worlds at blue belt and I know people may say its only blue belt but its the world championships so its legit.

Ben: Last time out you promised me a win by knock out, whats the plan for this fight?
Brad: Yeah I fucked up didn't I. I really doubt I am going to submit this guy, I want a knockout... not a TKO, I would love something horrific where his teeth hit the back row in the binocular seats. We will see what happens, I have to keep it tight stop him from locking anything on if he gets me down and then let him have it when we are stood up.

Ben: Did you find going back to The MMA Lab easier as you knew everyone?
Brad: I knew everyone and sparred the first day I got back, I felt personally I went back a better fighter. I had been drilling all the things I had been told to while I was away and I returned 10x the fighter I was the first time I went to The MMA Lab. I have added another boxing coach back in the UK, both of them are completely different styles and I am blending them up so I will be devastating people.

Ben: What was it like to walk out in the UFC in UK?
Brad: What compared to Australia, fucking awesome. I got spat on in Australia. I couldn't believe the cheer I was getting. It gave me goosebumps.

Thank you for your time, we really appreciate it and hope you have a safe trip back to the UK and we will see you in action as the UFC returns to London on March 8th.

Kingdom MMA review UFC on FOX 10

UFC on Fox 10: Henderson vs Thomson

by Sam Heard @SamHeard_

The UFC on FOX 10 card was arguably never that highly anticipated with many noting the lack of title fight compared to most other UFC on Fox cards. Nonetheless, there was certainly enough here to generate interest; the former Lightweight champion facing off against the ex-Strikeforce champ, two heavyweights causing a storm in the big-boy leagues, the never dull Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone and the decimating power of Jeremy Stephens. The main card had quite a few stellar moments but overall the undercard stole the show – too bad for the big-wig ringside ticket holders who only show up for the main card! It was certainly a decent night of fights overall, but had yet another main event ending in controversy over a contentious judge’s decision, leaving some fans with a sour taste.

Benson Henderson (19-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) VS. Josh Thomson (20-5 MMA, 3-1 UFC)

Another Benson Henderson main-event, another highly-debated, controversial judges’ decision. The fight overall was a dream for any grappling fans with plenty of high level wrestling and groundwork and fairly little in the striking department. In the opening two rounds, Thomson arguably had the edge. In the first round he was able to take Benson down at will and take his back before locking in a body triangle and going for numerous submission attempts.

However, between the first and second rounds Josh reported to his corner that he’d broken his hand and this was painfully evident for the remainder of the fight where Thomson threw very few punches and struggled to pursue the takedown as he was unable to clasp his hands together. This was where Bendo came into his own. The strength advantage he had over Thomson anyway combined with Josh’s injury meant he was able to have his way for much of the fight, particularly in the third round. He also used his trademark calf kicks to wear Thomson down even more. I always find it strange watching Benson that such a large, muscular Lightweight has so little finishing power.

Despite the balanced nature of this fight, many had Thomson up three rounds to one going into the fifth, meaning Benson would need a stoppage to be victorious. I personally had it two-two going into the fifth round, and with Benson edging it in the fifth for me I gave it 48-47 to the former champion. However, one of the judges (Sal D’Amato) scored it 49-46 to Henderson which many online found to be a particularly egregious call.

In the post-fight press conference Thomson revealed that he was considering retirement while Dana stated that Benson’s performance would not be enough to get him a shot at the belt.

Result: Benson Henderson def. Josh Thomson via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 49-46)

Gabriel Gonzaga (16-8 MMA, 11-7 UFC) VS. Stipe Miocic (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC)

In a departure from form, we saw a heavyweight fight which actually hit the judges’ scorecards – the first one since the epic battle between Mark Hunt and Bigfoot Silva (by far the more entertaining fight).

The first round was very even and highly entertaining, pitting the good boxing and footwork skills of Miocic against the brutal leg kicks and takedown threat of Gonzaga. However, after the opening five minutes, Gonzaga’s gas tank emptied quickly and he just covered up his face for large expanses of the fight, leaving Stipe free to pick him apart with his jab. Gonzaga tried on multiple occasions to get Stipe to the ground where he could implement his high level BJJ-game but Stipe was able on all-but-one occasion to stuff the takedown. I can’t help but question Stipe’s lack of power with his inability to stop a completely exhausted Gonzaga.

Result: Stipe Miocic def. Gabriel Gonzaga via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Donald Cerrone (22-6 MMA, 9-3 UFC) VS. Adriano Martins (25-7 MMA, 1-1 UFC)

This highly anticipated matchup saw Donald Cerrone, who looked exceptional in his last fight against Evan Dunham, take on Adriano Martins who looked none-too-shabby himself against Daron Cruikshank.

Cerrone’s fights are always interesting – sometimes he comes out looking unbeatable while other times Cowboy can seem a little tentative and flat. Interestingly, in the opening exchanges in this fight Cerrone wasn’t looking at his best in my opinion. Given the circumstances in which the fight finished this must sound like the statement of a madman, but in my opinion it looked like Martins was getting the better of Cowboy on the feet. Martins was landing some dangerous looking overhand rights and absorbing Cerrone’s leg kicks without taking any visible damage. Cerrone hit a takedown from which the BJJ Blackbelt was able to immediately get back up. However, seemingly from nowhere, Cerrone threw a right head kick which connected perfectly with the Brazilian sending him straight to the mat. Knowing that his technique had been picture perfect, Cerrone didn’t follow up the assault on his unconscious opponent – what a class act.

Result: Donald Cerrone def. Adriano Martins via knockout (head kick) – Round 1, 4:40

Darren Elkins (17-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) VS. Jeremy Stephens (23-9 MMA, 10-8 UFC)

This looked to be one of the most balanced fights on the main card; a classic grappler versus striker matchup pitting ultra-tough Darren Elkins against hard-hitting Jeremy Stephens. Since dropping to featherweight, Jeremy Stephens has experienced a renaissance which certainly continued into last night’s matchup. In the past Stephens has ran into difficulty when facing good quality wrestlers but the takedown defence he displayed against Elkins shows exactly why Stephens’s name is now being discussed alongside Featherweight contenders.

Elkins’ offence was mainly neutralised by Stephens’ exceptional takedown defence. Some fairly questionable fight IQ from Stephens where he engaged Elkins on the ground meant he found himself in a fairly tight Guillotine choke late in the third round, but Elkins didn’t have the time to force the tap. Elkins ate some huge uppercuts from Stephens – whose only level seems to be full power – showing why people consider him to be so tough. Overall, an impressive display from the Lil Heathen.

Result: Jeremy Stephens def. Darren Elkins via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Highlights from the Undercard

Alex Caceres (10-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) VS. Sergio Pettis (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC)

Caceres would win not just the Submission of the Night award for his Rear Naked Choke victory over young Sergio Pettis deep into the third round but the fight would also win Fight of the Night honours. Some brilliant stuff from both combatants.

Daron Cruickshank (14-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) VS. Mike Rio (9-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC)

A master class in striking from Cruickshank against Mike Rio. Rocked him in a magnificent display in the first before finishing him in the second. The best Cruickshank we've seen in the Octagon.

Fighter vs Writer - UFC on FOX 10 - Nurmagomedov vs Heather

Fighter vs Writer: Khabib Nurmagomedov - UFC on FOX 10 

by Ben Heather @benheather

Welcome to another Kingdom MMA fighter vs writer challenge.

For this challenge we challenge some of the biggest names from the world of MMA to give us their picks and fight outcomes for specific MMA events. Then they will be challenged by one of our writers, who will make their own predictions. Previously we have challenged the likes of Luke Barnatt, Jim Alers, Mike Wilkinson, Phil Harris, Cathal Pendred, JoJo Calderwood and Dustin Poirier. Last time out at UFC 168, JoJo Calderwood defeated Sam on his first attempt at a fighter vs writer, so this time I will be trying to regain our pride.

This weeks opponent needs no introduction. He is one of the biggest names in the Lightweight division and is currently ranked #7 in the UFC official rankings. He is the man nobody wants to fight, with all the top stars supposedly turning fights down with him and the lesser ranked fighters trying to call him out to make a name for themselves. He is of course our breakthrough fighter of 2013, the one, the only, "The Eagle" Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The Scoring
If you predict the correct winner of the fight you will get one point and if you predict the correct method of victory you will get an extra point. However, if the fight ends in a stoppage and you predict the round as well the method you could earn a third bonus point. If the fight goes the distance you can only earn a maximum of two points.

The Predictions

Benson Henderson vs Josh Thomson

Khabib's Prediction: Josh Thomson

Heather: I really am looking forward to this fight, it has been the first main event which really excites me in 2014. Thomson finally made it back to the UFC last year and certainly made an impact becoming the first man to knock out Nate Diaz.... Something that Henderson couldn't do when he fought Nate although he did everything but, in a dominant display.

I think Benson will be looking to get back in the win column and prove to the world once again that he is an exciting fighter, now he has lost his title. People have said that he shouldn't have won all the fights in the UFC and i agree they were all very close fights but at this level of MMA that's what I want to see and I think we will see that again on Saturday night. However, I think it will be Benson who gets his arm raised as the smarter fighter. Thomson may take some risks in the fight and I think Benson will be able to exploit these when it happens.

Prediction: Benson Henderson - Unanimous Decision

Gabriel Gonzaga vs Stipe Miocic

Khabib's Prediction: Stipe Miocic

Heather: Stipe has to keep this fight standing if he is going to win the fight, I think if he keeps it standing he will be able to showcase his strikes and start to breakdown Gonzaga before finishing him later in the fight.

That being said, Gonzaga does have one punch KO power and some amazing kicks. Certainly if this fight goes to the ground then Gonzaga will be in his element and in my opinion certainly has the edge at this part of the fight. The only problem is, the only time I see Gonzaga hitting the mat is just after Stipe lands his power punches and finishes the fight

Prediction: Stipe Miocic - TKO Round 3

Donald Cerrone vs Adriano Martins

Khabib's Prediction: Donald Cerrone

Heather: For me going in to this fight I don't know too much about Martins other than his finish against Cruickshank in his UFC debut but I feel the jump in opponent between Daron and the cowboy will be too much for him. Cerrone is one of the best lightweight fighters in the world..... on his day and proved that in his last fight he is back. I think he will carry on his good form in this fight and pick up the win.

Prediction: Donald Cerrone - Sub Round 2

Darren Elkins vs Jeremy Stephens

Khabib's Prediction: Jeremy Stephens 

Heather: I like the underdog in this fight, Elkins has beaten some really tough opponents but came unstuck against Chad Mendes, who is arguably the best featherweight in the world not called Jose Aldo. So that result was nothing to be ashamed by. He then bounced back defeating the highly regard Hatsu Hioki in August and I think he will pick up the win again on Saturday night before looking to the top 10 for his next opponent.

Stephens looks to have got his career back on track with back to back wins since dropping to featherweight following three losses in a row to end his career at lightweight. Last time out he scored a highlight reel knock out over Rony Jason which really put him on the map in the featherweight division but I think Elkins

Prediction: Darren Elkins - Unanimous Decision


So that's our predictions for the fights, we will be live tweeting on Saturday night as always and we will keep you all informed as to how the challenge is going with latest scores throughout the main card.

Thanks again to Khabib for providing us with his picks for this weekends fights and it just leaves me to say.... May the best man win!!

Kingdom MMA Awards 2013: Submission of the Year

Kingdom MMA Submission of the Year Award 2013: Anthony Pettis
By chris Houten - @mrhouts

2013 has been a year full of great submissions. From Rose Namajunas submission of Kathina Catron at Invicta 5 to Takuya Eizumi submission of Teppei Masuda at Pancrase 250, fans have been left in the kind of awe that makes you show up at the local BJJ academy scratching for your first lesson, in a way only a drug addict would. 

With so many great submission in 2013 including the aforementioned, the staff at Kingdom MMA found it difficult to agree on winner of submission of the year with several championing Rose Namajunas’ flying armbar, and Eizumi getting a well deserved vote for his hip toss reversal into belly down arm bar. In the end though one man came out on top – Anthony Pettis for his UFC 164 submission victory over Benson Henderson, which earned him the UFC lightweight title.

Strange choice you may say, when you compare a regular old armbar which happens week in week at many events around the world, to a flying armbar, but in the end it was the magnitude of the victory, and the quality of his opponent which earned Pettis sub of the year.

Going into the fight with Pettis, the lightweight champion Benson Henderson was on a 7 fight win streak and was looking pretty cosy at the top of the lightweight division. What makes Pettis submission of Henderson even more impressive is the fact that Bendo has just earned his BJJ blackbelt a few months before, and had been competing and winning in high level BJJ tournaments for most of the summer.

As one of the best strikers in all of MMA, Pettis was given the advantage standing by fans and pundits a like; its fairly safe to say that not many people would have backed a Pettis submission at the bookies, even with Pettis’ notoriously active guard. And that’s what makes Pettis' victory even more impressive, he tapped out one of the finest lightweights of all time with ease, a feat that caused absolute hysteria in Pettis’ home town where the fight took place. Sometime its not the just the method of victory that makes a finish great it’s the complete packagage, and this one had it all.

By tapping out Henderson, Pettis becomes only the second man in 22 fights to submit Benson Henderson, earning himself the UFC Lightweight title, and Kingdom MMA’s 2013 submission of the year award – Pettis we salute you.

Benson Henderson vs Josh Thompson Set for UFC on FOX 10

Benson Henderson vs Josh Thompson Set for UFC on FOX 10
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Following the recent injury to UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis, John Thompson will now meet Benson Henderson at UFC on Fox 10, the bout will serves as the main event.

UFC on Fox 10 takes place at the United Center in Chicago on Jan 25, and will be the 3rd straight January the venue has hosted a Fox show.

Former lightweight champion Benson Henderson (19-3, 7-1 UFC) fights for the first time since losing his title to Anthony Pettis at UFC 164 via first round armbar. Prior to his loss at UFC 164 Henderson had put together a 7 fight win streak including successful title defenses over Nate Diaz, Gilbert Melendez, and Frankie Edgar.

His opponent, former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh Thompson (25-5, 3-1) fights for the 2nd since rejoining The UFC when Strikeforce dissolved into The UFC. In his last outing Thompson knocked out former contender Nick Diaz with a spectacular head kick which earned the fighter knock out of the night and a lightweight title shot to go with it, when TJ Grant who was originally meant to challenge for the title suffered the effects of a concussion that took him out of the fight with Henderson, as well as a fight with Pettis who was brought in as a replacement for Grant when he was unable to fight Pettis.

Now in his second stint with the UFC, Thompson has has fought all over the world including Pride.

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for more on UFC on FOX 10.

The Bradley Scott Blog - Episode 2

My life training at The MMA Lab

by Bradley Scott @Bradleyscott89

The MMA Lab

Last week was a tough week, it was probably one of the harder weeks we have done. I was absolutely exhausted by the end of it, absolutely fucked. The strength and conditioning was probably the reason for it. We did three solid strength and conditioning sessions, they were really long winded as well.

To keep you all up to date with my routine for the past couple of weeks, this is what I have been doing.

Last Monday (26th August)
Kickboxing - working on our technique so it was quite tame but focused on specific techniques.

Tuesday
Wrestling and Grappling - which was pretty difficult

Wednesday - It was tough we did a really hard conditioning session and then after that we had stand up sparring.

Thursday
In the morning I did Jui Jitsu, then in the afternoon we just rolled for like an hour and a half. It absolutely killed me.

Friday Morning ON MY DAY OFF
I had to do conditioning again which absolutely annihilated me, but I had the rest of Friday off.

Then on Saturday I had sparring, proper MMA sparring which is the hard sparring session at The MMA Lab but I was so fucked I could hardly spar, I still managed to get four good five minute rounds in. I was destroyed mentally by the end of the week.

Monday (2nd Sept)
This week, conditioning has been upped a notch as the Americans have had a day off on Monday called Labor Day which is like one of our bank holidays back home. So we had an hour and half to two hour MMA practise doing Kickboxing drills. Lots and lots of kicks and lots of defence from kicks obviously this was as a result of Anthony Pettis and how his fight with Benson turned out.

Tuesday
We had a fucking horrible conditioning session, it was the worst conditioning session ever. Oh my god, it was fucking hell. I had to leave early as I had to have my eyes tested and so he just crammed as much shit in to an hour and half session as he could and it just fucking killed me. Loads and loads of biometric stuff, the vertimax machine which ties you to the floor with all the elastics. It was a fucking nightmare it caught me off guard massively and completely destroyed my soul and my will to live.

Then on Tuesday night I was hoping for some technique work, we did wrestling mixed with a little bit of jui jitsu and then we rolled at the end for another thirty minutes or so. It was another hour and half workout by the end so that was pretty savage as well but it was really good.


All the guys are so good and I am learning so much. Ive been working a lot with a brown belt in Jui Jitsu called Ishmael (I cant remember his second name) but he is really good and is kicking my arse on the floor. I'm currently a blue belt, second degree not that makes any difference. So I need to hurry up and get to a purple belt otherwise I cant compete.... you got to be a high belt in Jui Jitsu its like the law so I think I'll get my black belt in a couple of months I expect. Do a couple of backward rolls, couple of forward rolls, a couple of triangles and that should get me my black belt..... god if only it was that easy!!

I have been getting destroyed on the floor here they are so good. Its the ones that look like nothing who are the most dangerous ones, well except for Ishmael who is shredded. He is really athletic and has good stand up, good wrestling in fact he is good at MMA. He is also a pro but I don't know what organisation he fights for, but he is really good.

We also have Augusto Mendes he is a 4x World Brazilian Jui Jitsu champion and a ADCC winner so he is really good and so fast but he is only little so he can help and he is a damn sight better than me. He is quick on the floor, not so good stand up or wrestling but great on the floor.

That's is literally all I have been doing so far and I am hanging out of my arse. Everyday I come home and drink this special water "Essentia Water" Its super hydrating water and is quite expensive but it tastes quite good as water goes. Its fucking lovely, them and chocolate almonds they get me through.

I weighed myself yesterday and I'm 200lbs so that's well ahead of schedule. Its where I want to be a week out so I will just try and stick to it now if I can. It was after training though so I was probably a little dehydrated so I'd probably say I was more like 203lbs I expect.

Hanging out with the guys from The MMA Lab
On Saturday night I didn't actually get to see the Benson fight as we all got together for a local event which was about an hour away, still in Arizona. We had three wins out of three fights all of them really quick. Two of them were guillotines, one in about 30 seconds the other in a minute and a half. Then the other fight was a third round TKO but it was a massacre so that was really good and it proved what a real winning attitude The MMA Lab has.

As for the UFC fights I know Jamie Varner didn't win but I haven't seen the fight yet but I would have liked to see Jamie Varner win, he is a really cool guy.

I know Benson will be back as well and will hopefully get another shot at Pettis to earn revenge, he will probably have to take a couple of fights before but then hopefully get another shot. He walks around deceivingly close to weight and is still in good shape now. He is fucking shredded.

In the next blog I will continue to give more details of my training and touch on my game plan and some specifics that I have been training on ready for the fight so stay tuned to Kingdom MMA for the next instalment.

The Bradley Scott Blog - episode 1

My thoughts on my fight announcement and my first week at the MMA Lab

by Bradley Scott @Bradleyscott89

By now you all know that I am back.

This is the first instalment of my blog which will only be available on Kingdom MMA, I will talk you through my life as I train towards the big fight in Manchester on October 26th against Michael Kuiper. So keep reading over the coming weeks as I tell you about my life as a UFC fighter.

My opponent Michael Kuiper
 

The fight was officially announced on Thursday that I will be fighting in Manchester on October 26th against Michael Kuiper. I have been watching some videos of him and he looks a pretty good Dutch kick boxer, not up there with the likes of Andy Souwer but he is definitely skilled.

I imagine come fight night there will be a lot of punches thrown, I am certainly hoping to finish him I don't want to go the distance. I will be going in there to get the KO/ TKO obviously, the only way I will get a submission victory is if its handed to me on a plate. I'm talking if he grabs my arm and wraps it around his throat and squeezes it for me that's the only way it will be a submission victory. There is no ifs or buts it will be an exciting fight. Loads of punches thrown, loads of blood, claret and shit everywhere I'm just hoping its in my favour.

Training at The MMA Lab
 

For this fight I have decided to go to train in America, I have been training at The MMA Lab in Pheonix, Arizona. I came out to America at the start of last week and last Tuesday (13th August) I had my first training session. It is certainly an experience to say the least, this week has been my induction week and I am just trying to get used to it here. I'm getting starstruck just seeing current UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson and people like that walking around. Joe Riggs is my training partner and its quite an experience. All of these guys which I am used to seeing on TV thinking wow what a legend and here I am training in the same room as them.

Since I have arrived I have been working a lot on my ground game, doing a lot of wrestling at the minute as my striking is pretty good. So I am trying to learn as much as I can, there are so many great wrestlers here. The ground level is just insane here, everyone is a good wrestler.

Training with John Crouch
 

John Crouch is an awesome coach, he looks at all the nitty gritty details. He doesn't care he will make time for you, even if he doesn't have any time he will make the time available for you. Even though Benson's title fight is just over a week away I have been working loads with John. He even set a whole session around me just to help me learn a certain technique. It's really technical here, I like the set up and they only have one hard sparring session a week so you're not really hurting all the time but we do do a lot of sparring.

Benson Henderson
 

He is still training here everyday, he is an absolute fucking monster. People don't understand how hard he trains and he certainly is better than everyone else here and you can see why. His dedication and his training ethics are amazing. He trains everyday and the other day he did 5x five minute rounds and he looked better in the fifth than he did in the first. The guy is a freak!! When I first saw him I was surprised how big he is, he is fucking huge and absolutely shredded. I don't know how much weight he has to cut but I do know he will make weight he is a professional, everything he does is professional.

My initial thoughts on the biggest differences so far between a UK gym and the Lab
 

In the UK most of the gyms I train at I am normally one of the top five fighters at the gym but here I am probably like in the top twenty maybe and that I am getting to train with some top fighters which all forms a good experience.

My first session was an experience, they spar hard here. They only do small sessions like 3 x 5 minutes or 4 x 5 minute sessions and that's your whole day done but its hard. Its also very clever as we don't get hurt or pick up any silly injuries, everyone has got that experience of having a fight. Another big difference is that when you spar everyone else watches so you have about 50 or 60 guys watching you which makes it feel like a real fight, its hardcore.

When was the last time someone like Benson Henderson or Jamie Varner pulled out of a fight due to an injury.... The guys here know what they are doing. Speaking of Jamie Varner, he is awesome. He's massive as well, he's built like a pitbull!! Joe Riggs is obviously built like a tank as well, he's huge. I sparred with him yesterday. The guy is a beast, he's got a fractured orbital bone but he puts a head guard on and then throws down still.... The guys a fucking freak!! He's fast as well and believe me he can bang. Like I said the guys a freak.

The quality of the food and stuff is better over here as well. I'm eating much better foods, there is a lot better variety of foods and I am getting better advice from people and advice of the other pro's here.

My weight
 

Another thing I have noticed is I have lost 10lbs since I have been here (10 days). I'm really struggling, I think a lot of it is to do with the amount of water I am drinking over here. I'm drinking about 8 litres a day due to me sweating so much from the two training sessions and I am having to have loads and loads of Gatorade and electrolytes just to keep me from cramping. So I am forcing myself to eat and am adding in high calorie foods such as nut butter and I am having fattier meats just so I can get the calories in and I am still losing loads of weight. I'm actually under 200lbs at the minute which for a middleweight is fuck all. Just look at Joe Riggs he weighs 210lbs and he is a fucking welterweight.

Everything is going right, making weight is not going to be a problem in fact I am trying to put weight on.

The British Invasion at the Lab
 

I've got two more English guys here as well, Andrew Fisher is here "Copper Bollocks" as I call him he's fucking lovely. There is another guy too but he is a amateur. I was the first Brit here and then all of a sudden two days later two more turn up. We have invaded over here, we are taking over.


In the next blog I will be able to give more details of my game plan and some specifics that I have been training on ahead ready for the fight so stay tuned to Kingdom MMA for the next instalment.

Benson Henderson v Anthony Pettis 2 is on

Benson Henderson set to face Anthony Pettis at UFC 164

by Jack Broadey @J3cK_b

The lightweight title fight we all wanted is on. Albeit in controversial fashion. Anthony Pettis was due to face Jose Aldo at UFC 163 on August 3rd. He will now fight at UFC 164 on August 31st. He was forced to pull out of the Aldo fight with a minor injury on doctors orders. A mere 4 weeks later he will instead face off for the Lightweight title.

Pettis is no stranger to the title controversy. Pettis entered the UFC as the reigning WEC lightweight champion after Zuffa merged the companies. He was originally scheduled as the No1 contender in early 2011 until Frankie Edgar battled Gray Maynard to a draw. With no one winning the fight the rematch was scheduled straight away. Leaving the Pettis situation up in the air. He decided not to wait around and battled Clay Guida to a tough split decision loss. That loss cost him his number 1 contender status. 

Ben Henderson will know all about Anthony Pettis and will relish his chance to take revenge. Henderson was struck by the now infamous show time kick. Pettis launched himself off the cage to land a flying kick to Henderson face and drop in the 5th round off the last ever WEC bout. The fight was awarded fight of the year 2010 and the rematch is a long time coming. 

Henderson has now defended his UFC lightweight strap 3 times after controversially winning the title from Frankie Edgar. He edged another controversial Edgar decision before dominating Nate Diaz. He went back to the normal with another controversial decision this time over Gilbert Melendez. Henderson has been there and seen it all. He will hope his title experience will help in this much anticipated rematch.

TJ Grant gets his lightweight title shot at UFC 164

Benson Henderson vs TJ Grant title fight announced at UFC 164

by Tommy Strong @Strong_tea

UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson will be putting his belt on the line for the fourth time against number one contender in the division TJ Grant. Its been announced the fight will take place at UFC 164 on Aug 31st in Milwaukee, and will be the main event of the evening.

Benson (19-2) who is yet to lose a fight since signing with the UFC, will enter the octagon on a 7 fight winning streak with all fights coming via decision. Since beating Frankie Edgar to win the lightweight title, he went on to defend his belt in a rematch with Edgar in what many thought was a controversial split decision win. Next in line for Benson was Nate Diaz who he brushed aside in dominating fashion, this is often forgotten though when people say Benson is always in close decision contests.

Last time out Benson defeated Gilbert Melendez at UFC on Fox 7 in April, which proved to be an epic back and forth battle. Benson finally came out victorious to take a very close split decision win .

TJ Grant (21-5) has shot up the rankings in recent time, currently ranked number 3 in the official UFC Rankings. Grant was announced as the number one contender following a devastating knockout of Gray Maynard at UFC 160 in May. In the process he became only the second fighter to ever stop Maynard. Now its his turn to get a shot at the title. Can he be the first man to beat Benson Henderson in the UFC.... we will find out in August.

Grant will return to the octagon in August in a very confident mood, having won 5 fights on the bounce and his last two fights via KO with wins over Wiman & Maynard.

Lets hope this doesn't come down to the judges score cards and we're not talking about another close decision win that could have gone either way. I feel its time Benson pulled out all the stops and went for a stoppage inside the distance.

Also on the card we will see the return of Josh Barnett who will be taking on Frank Mir in a heavyweight bout. Josh will be making his first appearance in the UFC since March 2002 where he defeated Randy Couture to win the Heavyweight title at UFC 36. Only later to be stripped of the title due to testing positive for banned substances and released from the UFC.

The Merits of Super Fights

Super fights, should they happen??

by Jack Broadey @J3cK_b

Are there any real super fights?
This has suddenly become quite a big topic. GSP vs Anderson Silva has always been Mooted and more recently everyone wants to see Jon Jones vs Anderson Silva. But now we also have Benson Henderson wanting to step up to fight GSP. Aldo wants to go up to 155. GSP possibly wants to avoid Hendricks again to finally fight Anderson.

This should not be allowed in my opinion. People like Hendricks fully deserves his title shot. Where is the incentive to take difficult fights if you are not rewarded? If you can just trash talk your way to a title shot instead of actually earning one.

It makes a mockery of the sport if people that earn title shots don't actually get them. If Henderson or St Pierre want to test themselves against another champion then that's fine, but you have to vacate the belt. Without a full ranking system implemented that seems the only fair option to me. Super fights should only occur when there is no viable contender to give the division time to work itself out.

GSP was out for 18 months recovering from injury. This put the division on hold. He came back and legitimately defended against Carlos Condit. He then held up the division again by taking the Nick Diaz fight who did not deserve a title shot. If he decides to fight Anderson next he's putting the division on hold again for another year. How can this possibly be fair?

I think the UFC need to put in place some rules for its champions. We all want to see the best fighting the best. That is the UFC's major pulling point over boxing, we don't want politics to affect title shots. At a push I can understand how team mates don't want to fight each other, but if that's the case then they should go up or down in weight to avoid that happening. That is where the politics should end in my opinion.

In my opinion the UFC also need to look at a rule for its champions in case of injuries. The fact Dominic Cruz is coming up to 2 years out and is still the UFC Bantamweight champion, is in my book ridiculous. At the minute no one knows where we stand though. I believe going forward with a rule in place it would be better for everyone involved and lead to people thinking one fighter is being treated differently to another if they are both in the same position.

UFC on Fox 7 - A final thought - Fights to make after UFC on FOX 7

Fights to make after UFC on FOX 7

by Ben Heather @benheather and Chris Houten @Houts4thewin

Benson Henderson

Benson Henderson vs winner of TJ Grant vs Gray Maynard has been announced so we expect this to be the next time we see Henderson defend his belt in the octagon.

However, I want to see Henderson vs Melendez 2. Although the winner of TJ Grant and Gray Maynard is expected to get the next shot at the lightweight belt, this is the fight to make at the top of the lightweight pile now. Why, because it was so damn close – the fans just need to see it again.

Don't get me wrong, I'm the last guy you will hear saying that champ/ challenger should get an immediate title shot, they clog the division up and kill off top contenders – just see what happened with Pettis vs Guida, but as a fan how can we all be happy with Melendez going away to fight his way back up the contender ladder when he should actually be the champion right now depending on who you ask.

 For me this fights a no brainer and I'm sorry for the Grant vs Maynard winner but you are simply going to have to get in line with the Pettis' of this world and wait for your shot.

Gilbert Melendez

If Melendez doesn't get the rematch (which at this time is looking very unlikely) then I think that Melendez should fight another champion, this time the former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez.

Yes, I know what you are all thinking Alvarez has not signed with the UFC yet and I agree at this point in time it needs everything to align perfectly for this fight to happen but I think not only could it happen it has the name power to easily headline a UFC event.

In any other division the thought of putting two legitimate contenders in the cage together could be thought of as lunacy as your eliminating a top name from the title picture but in a stacked division like the lightweight division anything could happen.

Daniel Cormier vs A Top Light-Heavyweight

Cormier's victory over Frank Mir was impressive, not so much for the way he won the fight, but for the way he was able to control the two time UFC heavyweight champion Mir for most of the fight. But one has to think “Cormier isn't prepared to fight Cain Velasquez that is the frigging point”!

If anything the Mir fight has introduced Cormier to a larger audience and that's about it. I feel now is the time to either step up and say “I'll fight anyone” Jon Jones style when presented with the possibility of fighting Rashad Evans or get on the phone to Mike Dolce, and work out how your gonna get down to 205, while avoiding the same problems with his Kidneys he did during the Olympics.

All things at present indicate to the latter, which if I'm honest suits me, Jon Jones is crying out for challengers at the moment (and not those that fight at MW). I'd like to see Cormier take on the winners of either Henderson vs Evans or Shogun vs lil Nog. Both options would give Cormier a real telling warm fight whether he deserves a shot at the Light Heavyweight belt.

If Daniel Cormier stays at Heavyweight

If however Cormier stays at heavyweight and agrees in the long run that him and Cain would fight I want to see him fight the winner of the Werdum vs Big Nog fight. The winner of that fight should then become the next heavyweight number 1 contender.

Frank Mir

The next time we see Frank Mir enter the octagon a fight vs Overeem would makes sense, both are coming of losses but are still very marketable guys. In a styles vs styles match up the winner of Mir vs Overeem would be back on track at making a run in the heavyweight division. This fight would make a great co-main of any numbered event.

Josh Thomson

Although I predicted a Josh Thomson victory on Saturday night, the manor in which it came was far from to be expected.

Thomson looked awesome, and of all the Strikeforce guys on the card that night he quite possibly showed himself to be the biggest stand out going into the so called big leagues.

The Lightweight division is a stacked division right now and a fight between the winner of Miller vs Healy would not only work in terms to scheduling, it would also be a fight which would take the winner one step closer to a title fight.

Realistically Thomson has just beat the #4 ranked guy in Nate Diaz and a fight versus the winner of this weekends showdown could be made for the next number 1 contender. If Henderson is set to fight either Maynard or Grant than this could be made on the same card to make the next challenger. If not, Thomson vs Miller would make a great fuel headliner if you ask me.

Nate Diaz

For me I can only see one fight which has to be made next for Nate Diaz, that's Diego Sanchez.

Diego started calling for the fight with Nate after he beat Takanori Gomi in Japan saying how he has already beat Nick and wants to be the first person to beat both Diaz brothers. Plus, if both turn up and bring their A games then it will be an incredible fight!! The fact that Nate is now coming off back to back losses makes this fight a possibility again. When Sanchez called him out it didn't look likely but now I really want to see this fight.

However Chris would like to see, Nate Diaz vs Matt Wiman.
I know Diaz has flirted with a move to welterweight citing their are no challenges for him at the weight anymore, but that excuse doesn't go down to well after you get knocked out. Diaz didn't really look himself on Saturday and maybe that can be attributed to the fact that two of his training partners have had the biggest fights of their careers just weeks apart of each other.

No doubt about it Diaz is one of the best lightweights in the world, but at this stage he is on a two fight losing streak and should take a step down in competition. Enter the fighter formally known as handsome - Matt Wiman.

 A fight with Wiman makes a lot of sense. Both guys would enter the fight coming off loses, Wiman gives Diaz the step down in competition he needs right now but still has a good enough record to make the fight sellable. This fight feels like a war!

Matt Brown

I want to see Matt Brown fight Dong Hyun Kim in a rematch of their UFC 88 battle which finished in a split decision win for Kim. The fact Kim has only lost to Condit and Maia and is now on a 2 fight winning streak makes the timing for this fight very good and could easily push the winner in to contendership and well inside the top 10.

Another possibility would be for Brown to fight the Hathaway vs Erik Silva winner.
I had a little chuckle on Saturday night when Bruce buffer introduced Matt Brown as a technical brawler, but damn that dude is on a tear! Now on a 5 fight winning streak having bounced back from losing 3 on a bounce, Matt brown is proof that the UFC should stick by their fight.

Matt brown has knocked out his last 3 opponents as part of his win streak and in any other division it's be hard to argue with a title shot, but if Johnny Hendricks can't get a title shot what hope does Matt Brown have? I'd like to see Matt Brown take on the winner of next months welterweight match up between prospects John Hathaway and Erik Silva.

The winner of this fight will prove a stern test for Brown as he looks towards a title fight, and likewise a fight with Matt Brown will show what the future will hold in the careers of either Hathaway or Silva.

Jordan Mein

Jordan Mein vs Brian Ebersole, Jordan Mein was expected to beat Matt Brown on Saturday and unfortunately it looks like the hype train has been derailed ever-so-slightly. He's young and there is still plenty of time to break the top 10. It's likely Mein will find himself on the undercard of PPV even, or possibly the main card of a fuel / fx card and a fight with Brain Ebersole would make sense - similar skillsets, position in the rankings and both coming off losses.

UFC on FOX 7 Main Card Results - Benson Henderson vs Gilbert Melendez

Benson Henderson defeats Gilbert Melendez by Split Decision

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Saturday night Benson Henderson retained his UFC lightweight world championship with a split decision victory over Gilbert Melendez.

The first round started and it was Melendez who seemed to settle in to the fight better and it looked like the occasion of his UFC debut and finally fighting for the UFC title had not got to him. Henderson was coming out with the leg kicks but after the first couple Melendez caught one and threw him to the floor where a ground battle started. Henderson managed to get back up but not before Melendez landed a knee which was perfectly timed as Henderson got back to his feet. Again Henderson carried on with the kicks and although some landed Melendez did a good job defending them catching a couple more and again throwing Henderson to the floor with 30 seconds of the round remaining where he charged in with a knee to the body as Benson landed on the floor.

The Second round starts off much like the first to begin with Melendez has control of the fight beating Henderson to the punch. Henderson switches things up a bit and now starts throwing some knees to the body to try and stop having his kicks caught and this seems to have some reward. Most of this round is very even with some attacks by both men, but with 60 seconds left on the clock Benson starts to open up. In the centre of the octagon both start swinging and its Benson who lands a couple of big standing elbows and timing it perfectly. This for me was enough for him to take the round as it was so close before this.

Next we go to the third where the momentum of the end of round two is now firmly with Benson Henderson. He keeps working the leg kicks and early in the third lands one sweetly which takes Melendez clean off his feet. Not long after Henderson goes in for the first takedown of the fight and although Melendez does a pretty good job defending it, Henderson still manages to get him down. It doesn't stay on the ground for long and Melendez does a good job getting back to his feet. Again from here most of the round is very even with both taking and dishing out some good shots. Just before the buzzer Henderson lands another great leg kick and this time both men drop to the floor with Henderson scrambling on top of Melendez. From here the two exchange some good shots and the buzzer goes but the two don't stop until Big John pulls Henderson off Melendez. By this point I now score the fight 29-28 to Henderson.

Round four starts and both come out fairly defensively with it taking 30 seconds for the first real exchange to take place. Benson now tries to take the centre of the octagon and go after Melendez, the first real time he attempts to go for Gil is with a body shot but again like he has most of the fight Melendez does a good job defending it and catches the kick. A good scramble between the two happens just before the midway point of the round with Gilbert defending the take down very well and coming back with some good counter shots. With just under two minutes of the round left Benson goes back to the legs landing two side kicks to the thigh of Melendez which by now looks to have taken a lot of damage.

It looks like Melendez is starting to slow now and with 90 seconds left on the clock. Benson goes for another leg kick and times it perfectly just as Melendez attempts a kick of his own, this results in Benson sweeping Melendez's standing foot and taking him to the ground again where he jumps on his back but not for long as Gilbert gets straight back up again. I again scored this round to Henderson putting him up 3-1 and 39-37 on my scorecard.

The 5th round starts and its Melendez who is bossing the centre of the cage trying to trap Henderson on the outside where he starts swinging at every opportunity but is unable to trap Henderson. He is certainly doing all he can to track down Henderson but never really puts Henderson in a tricky position. He clearly did enough to take the round but for me it wasn't enough to win the belt as Benson Henderson retains his title.

Again, some people have been saying that this Benson Henderson win was controversial just like two of his last three fights but in my opinion I don't think it was. Yes it was very close but for people to come out and say it was controversial is a joke!! I can see how it could be scored both ways, that was because it was a close fight.... just because its a close fight if you don't like the decision it doesn't make it controversial.

I think overall on the night the right decision was made on Saturday night. I gave Melendez rounds 1 and 5 and gave Henderson 2, 3 and 4. The round which in my opinion decides the fight is round 2. The 1st and 5th were Gil's rounds and the 3rd and 4th Henderson did more work and won in my opinion. Leaving how you scored the second round as the decider and it was a very close round.

People should stop talking about Controversy and just enjoy the fight for what a was, a closely contested battle between two of the undisputed top lightweights in the world and I am sure down the line Melendez will get his rematch.

UFC on Fox 7 Main Card Predictions

Kingdom MMA: UFC on FOX 7 Main Card Predictions

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Saturday night it will mark the 7th time that the UFC will be on FOX and this fight card has a real UFC vs Strikeforce feel to it all the way through. I really like how the UFC has put this card together and if the introudction most of the Strikeforce fighters have put on up until now is anything to go by, we will be in for a treat on Saturday night.

Below you will find the predictions from all the guys at Kingdom MMA for the main card.

Benson Henderson (18-2) #1 LW vs. Gilbert Melendez (21-2) #2 LW

Scott: There are not many who can significantly challenge Ben Henderson for his UFC lightweight title with Jose Aldo and Anthony Pettis heading up this group. Unfortunately for Saturday's main event Gilbert Melendez is not in this group. Henderson is stronger than him everywhere and his skills are to the point where he is proving to be an innovator within the sport. Melendez was lucky to come away with the Strikeforce lightweight championship in a closely fought fight with Josh Thomson and Henderson is a huge step up in quality that I don't think he'll be able to handle.

This fight will be very similar to Henderson's previous versus Melendez teammate Nate Diaz as we will see another superb display of technique and aggression from "Smooth" that will overwhelm the challenger. Henderson won't lose his tag as having on average the longest fights in the UFC, but who cares when he is such a joy to watch.

Prediction: Henderson by Unanimous Decision

John: This will be a close one to call, Henderson is the champion but to be honest he's never really impressed me that much. I still don’t think he beat Edgar either time. On the other hand Melendez was the Stikeforce champion and is coming in off a seven fight win streak, so he's defiantly got some momentum going. I think the fight will go to a decision and I see Melendes edging it.

Prediction: Melendez by Split Decision

Ben: I predict only one thing in this fight, a Henderson victory!! I don't think Henderson gets anywhere near the credit he is due. In his first fight with Edgar he clearly won the fight in my opinion and their shouldn't have been a rematch. The rematch was a lot closer but I still gave him the win. This guy has beat a who's who of lightweight contenders on the way to getting his shot and now as champ has beat Nate Diaz and Frankie Edgar twice.... who else can say they have done that. Nobody!!

I agree with Scott, I am not sure if he finishes him but I do know he will put on a show as he always does.

Prediction: Henderson by Unanimous Decision

Chris: Melendez is an excellent fighter, who can definitely cut it with top 5, top 10 guys in the world, but I'm not as enthusiastic about his chances in this fight as some of his supporters .

Both fighters have similar skillsets but I think Henderson has a wrestling advantage, handles offensive pressure better, and definitely has more kicks in his arsenal.  I think this fight will be a little bit closer than the Diaz fight was, but I think Henderson takes this one quite easily.

Prediction: Henderson by Unanimous Decision

Frank Mir (16-6) #5 HW vs. Daniel Cormier (11-0) #3 HW

Scott: Daniel Cormier came out of almost nowhere to win the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix and announced himself to the world in a big fashion. So much so that he goes into his UFC debut as a heavy favourite against veteran Frank Mir. Cormier's striking has looked on point in his recent fights and I think he'll have the advantage there over Mir. The big question is whether Cormier will utilise his excellent wrestling game against the division's best submission artist. Cormier wasn't afraid to go there with Josh Barnett, but Mir is a different proposition. Cormier will dictate this fight, but there is always the chance of a flash of inspiration from Mir a la his brutal submission of Big Nog in December 2011.

Prediction: Cormier by Unanimous Decision

John: I’m picking this out for fight of the night. Cormier comes in unbeaten and Mir comes in off a loss and will be desperate to get the win so with that I see this being a war. Both fighters have great stand up and are both comfortable on the ground so it will be hard for either fighter to get an advantage. I see this fight going back and forth going the distance with Cormier getting the decision.

Prediction: Cormier by Unanimous Decision

Ben: I think I must be the only person (as i was last week when i predicted that Kelvin would beat Uriah Hall) who thinks that Frank Mir has a decent chance. The odds for this fight baffle me... Yes Cormier has looked very good in his days in Strikeforce and has possibly the biggest hype train of any fighter making his debut in the UFC. But he has not fought anyone with BJJ like Mir.

I predict one of two things, either Mir tries to get Cormier down and in the process gets knocked out or the more likely happening in my opinion. Mir gets hold of one of Cormiers limbs and forces the submission victory. Welcome to the big show Cormier.

Prediction: Mir by Submission Round 2

Chris: I don't see how Cormier loses this one if I'm honest. Sure Frank Mir is an excellent opponent, and one of Cormiers toughest to date, but when you look at the 3 core skills in MMA - wrestling, striking, ju-jitsu, Cormier has beaten guys who are better than Mir in each facet: Striking: Silva and Poa, Wrestling: Barnett and Ju-jitsu: Jeff Monson. I like Cormier to keep this fight on the feet, using his speed advantage to win a Unanimous decision

Prediction: Cormier by Unanimous Decision

Nate Diaz (16-8) #5 LW vs. Josh Thomson (19-5)

Scott: These two bellicose fighters could well put on the night's best fight in what is sure to be a fast paced encounter. Both are holders of BJJ black belts and could cancel each other out in that department bringing things down to the striking and wrestling departments. Thomson likely has the better wrestling, but will he want to risk taking Diaz to the ground. Ben Henderson did, but he had to do a lot of work to escape submission attempts when he wanted to pour on some ground and pound. Diaz has the striking advantage here and I think this will be the most important aspect of the fight and Thomson could well play into Diaz's hands (no pun intended) here as he looks to go toe-to-toe with him.

Prediction: Diaz by Unanimous Decision

John: This one's easier for me to pick, I think Diaz will bounce back from his loss to Benson Henderson and defeat Thomson and make another run for the title. Thomson has been a bit inconsistent over the last few years so I see Diaz winning this one.

Prediction: Diaz by Submission Round 2

Ben: Thomson pushed Melendez all the way in the fights they have had and so has a good reputation and rightfully so. However I feel in this fight, like in the main event it may be a rude awakening and a case of welcome to the UFC. I am predicting that Diaz picks his shots and keeps Thomson at range then when he see's the opportunity he goes for a submission.

Prediction: Diaz by Submission Round 3

Chris: Josh Thomson might be flying under the radar a little bit to the casual fan down to injury problems in the past, but he has beat some quality opponents - Gilbert Melendez, Pat Healy, Dauane Ludwig, Hermes Franca and stands a really good chance here.

Thomson goes into this bout with a clear cut wrestling advantage and if he can exercise a similar game to that of Rory MacDonald or Ben Henderson when they fought Diaz, its conceivable Thomson can win this fight. Sure, it wont be easy, Thomson will need to avoid stay on the outside where Diaz can pick him apart with his much better boxing. He also has to be careful not to fall into the guard of Diaz but if he can do that, I see Thomson walking away with the upset.

Prediction: Thomson by Unanimous Decision  

Matt Brown (16-11) vs. Jordan Mein (27-8)

Scott: Matt Brown has come back from three consecutive defeats and an inevitable release to post a 5-1 record in his last 6 fights winning the last 4 in a row. The self proclaimed "technical-brawler" will find his toughest test to date on that run as he faces Jordan Mein who has fought 35 times professionally at only 23. Both will be ready for an absolute war and Brown's iron chin will be significantly checked by Mein who became the first man to finish Dan Miller in his last bout. Brown's achilles heel is his submission game as he has been finished 9 times by this method and Mein could capitalise on this shortcoming and continue to make a name for himself in the UFC.

Prediction: Mein by Submission Round 2

John: I’m going Jordan Mein for this one, I don't see it being a long fight and don't think it will get out the first round. Mein steps in for an injured Dan Hardy, I think that would have been a lot better fight. However  even with Mein stepping in and having less time to prepare for a tough opponent I think Mien will come in stronger and win in the first round.

Prediction: Mein by KO Round 1

Ben: Again for the second time on this card I am picking the underdog. I think Matt Brown has been on a roll and I dont see it stopping. The way he has finished Swick on Fox 5 impressed me so much and I predict he will do the same against Mein.

Mein did look very impressed and the big stage did not get to him when he finished Dan Miller only a few weeks ago but I think coming in on short notice and against Brown on the run he is on is a combinatin for failure.

Prediction: Brown by KO Round 2

Chris: Fair play to Matt Brown, from a 3 fight losing streak, and 1 fight away from being cut from the UFC, he goes on a run winning 4 of 5, and picking up some impressive KO's along the way. Unfortunately I don't see him being able to continue that run against up-and-coming Jordan Mein. I expect Mein to be able to control the fight from the outside with his crisper striking, and I can see Mein overpowering Brown when he does go inside or in the clinch.

Prediciton: Mein by KO Round 2