Shogun vs Hendo rematch announced for UFC Fight Night 38

Shogun vs Hendo II announced as the main event for UFC Fight Night 38

by Chris Marzella @ChrisMarzella

A UFC fight for the ages is set be revisited as Dan Henderson (29-11) and Shogun Rua (22-8) get set to meet again at UFC Fight Night 38. It was announced on Thursday that the two veterans will square off in Brazil on March 23.

The pair first met in an instant classic back at UFC 139 in November 2011 in which Henderson came out on the right end of a hard fought decision in what many considered to be the fight of the year. Since then, both men have gone on to suffer a down turn of fortunes.

Henderson has lost three straight since then, most recently suffering the first knockout loss of his career to Vitor Belfort. Before that he lost two controversial decisions to Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida.

Rua has similarly been struggling for form, failing to string a winning run together. He spectacularly knocked out James Te Huna in little over a minute back in December. Prior to that he lost successive fights to Alexander Gustafsson and Chael Sonnen.

The fight sees Henderson return to the UFC after entering free agency after his fight with Belfort. It also sees Henderson head south, back to Brazil, to have another attempt at picking up a win.

It remains to be seen how Henderson can bounce back after being brutally knocked out back in November.

Whilst Rua was victorious in his last outing, as always, it all depends on what kind of condition he can get himself into ahead of this rematch.

The fight is between the number six and seven ranked light heavyweights, but it would seem that both men, at least Henderson at 43-years-old, could very well be about to begin their final attempt at a run in the UFC.

If history has taught us anything it's that rematches of legendary fights very rarely live up to the expectation, but the fact is we will be getting Henderson vs Shogu II. All we can do is accept that and hope that the rematch gets close to the first fight in terms of excitement.

UFC Fight Night 38 takes place on March 23 from the Ginasio Nelio Dias, Natal, Brazil.

Review of UFC Fight Night 33 - Hunt vs Silva

Event Review: UFC Fight Night 33 Hunt vs Silva

by Sam Heard @SamHeard_

The UFC’s latest international event from Brisbane, Australia was a card that went beneath many people’s radars; overshadowed by its close proximity to the crazily anticipated UFC 168 and headlined by one fighter with perhaps the worst MMA record in his division and the other coming off a loss in one of the most one-sided title fights you’re ever likely to see. However, the event proved to be anything but forgettable, featuring arguably one of the best Heavyweight bouts of all time, the renaissance of one of the sport’s legends and the emergence of some very promising fighters making their UFC debuts. Here’s a rundown of the fights.

Mark Hunt (9-8-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) vs. Antonio Silva (18-5-1 MMA, 2-2-1 UFC)

Perhaps one of the reasons MMA is so appealing to we Britons is that the amount of football we watch makes us yearn for a sport with a definitive winner. Though this fight ended in a rare ‘Majority Draw’ ruling when it hit the judge’s scorecards, the feeling after witnessing this Heavyweight war was worlds away from the usual disappointment when a contest fails to produce a winner. Most people expected this fight to end in the first round. Either Hunt’s massive fists would connect with the even bigger head of Bigfoot or the Brazilian would manage to take Hunt down and exploit the Kiwi’s undeveloped ground game. As is often the case in MMA these pre-fight speculations were completely off. Mark Hunt scored several takedowns and effectively reversing Silva against the cage (comparable to Gustafsson’s outwrestling Jon Jones) while Bigfoot had success on his feet, dropping Hunt in the very first round. No one anticipated just how tough these two guys are. On several occasions both fighters were close to being stopped; at the end of the 4th round Bigfoot had his notoriously terrifying full mount on Hunt and I feared the fight would be stopped with just 15 seconds until the bell while there were several occasions were Hunt had Bigfoot severely rocked on the feet. Overall the draw was probably a fair result as the momentum shifted so many times during the five round war. Without a doubt a late entry into the Fight of the Year race.

Result: Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva declared majority draw (48-47 Hunt, 47-47, 47-47)

Mauricio Rua (22-8 MMA, 6-6 UFC) vs. James Te Huna (16-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC)

Astoundingly there were very few people giving Shogun a chance in his fight against Australia’s own James Te Huna. Granted, Te Huna is visually the larger, stronger man and many had speculated that the numerous wars Shogun has found himself in throughout the years had finally had an impact on his reflexes and fight technique. It seemed that either retirement or a drop to 185lb loomed for Shogun. You can never count out a former champion like Shogun and for the duration of the one minute fight he looked sharper then the favourite, stuffing his takedown attempt and throwing some nice leg kicks into the mix. Just when Te Huna thought it was his time to seize control of the fight with the Brazillian’s back against the cage, he walked on to a stiff left hook, instantly sending him to the canvas. Shogun tried to follow up with a Henderson-esque right which fortunately missed the already unconscious Australian. Is Shogun back? I think so.
Result: Mauricio Rua def. James Te Huna via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 1:03

Ryan Bader (16-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) vs. Anthony Perosh (14-8 MMA, 4-5 UFC)

In what was perhaps the most predictable bout on the card, Bader got a Unanimous Decision victory over Anthony Perosh, bossing the Australian for the entirety of the fight. It seemed a certainty that Bader was going to get a stoppage in the very first round, rocking Perosh several times on the feet, knocking him down and bullying him on the ground. As was to be expected, Bader was the faster and stronger of the two fighters, beating Perosh to the punch on all exchanges. As Bader noted in his post-fight interview, Perosh is a sickeningly tough creature. Bader has revealed that he broke his right hand during the fight which is probably why he wasn’t able to get the stoppage. Perhaps the most surprising thing to come out of this fight was that but a single judge ruled one round to be 10-8 when, in my opinion at least, both the 1st and 3rd rounds were as deserving of a 10-8 as any.
Result: Ryan Bader def. Anthony Perosh via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Pat Barry (8-7 MMA, 5-7 UFC) vs. Soa Palelei (20-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC)

Once again, this fight ended with the uncomfortable footage of Pat Barry unconscious on the mat – perhaps it is time for HD to re-evaluate his position in the UFC’s heavyweight division… This time the knockout would come by the hands of Soa Palelei, a fighter many were surprised to see return to the Octagon. Barry’s game plan should have been a simple one; avoid Palelei’s initial rush, keep it standing and then exploit the Australian’s abysmal conditioning. Instead, Barry threw a questionable flying knee which allowed Palelei to catch him and get the takedown before mounting him and hammering his lights out. The power of these shots never seemed that devastating so it seems Barry’s chin is done.
Result: Soa Palelei def. Pat Barry via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:09

Dylan Andrews (17-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) vs. Clint Hester (9-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC)

TUF 17 housemates came out immediately throwing bombs at each other in the first round of this Middleweight bout. With friends like these who needs enemies, eh? Andrews got the better of the opening exchanges until attempting a guillotine choke. When this failed, Hester found himself in half guard and was able to rough Andrews up with some vicious elbows from top. The theme of Hester dominating with ground and pound continued into the second round. After round two Andrew’s corner pulled him out of the fight due to a suspected dislocated shoulder. The replays afterwards revealed that Andrew’s shoulder does indeed pop-out as he throws an overhand right at Hester. Gut-wrenching.
Result: Clint Hester def. Dylan Andrews via TKO (injury) – Round 2, 5:00

Bethe Correia (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) vs. Julie Kedzie (16-13 MMA, 0-2 UFC)

The intense weigh-in stare down between these female Bantamweights promised an exciting fight which certainly delivered. Both women demonstrated some high-level striking and rigorous cardio. Kedzie’s losing via split decision is in part to blame on Greg Jackson who gave the (incorrect) advice that she was two rounds up heading into the third. Even when a fighter is up on rounds I believe it’s detrimental to let them know – we all know that you cannot trust the judges and Kedzie’s intensity certainly diminished in the third. After this loss Kedzie has announced her retirement from MMA, a great shame as she is still a very competitive fighter with a particularly nice kicking game.
Result: Bethe Correia def. Julie Kedzie via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Highlights from the Undercard

Alex Garcia’s R1 KO of Ben Wall. Jheez – Hector Lombard Mk II.

Takeya Mizugaki vs Nam Phan. A great back and forth stand-up battle. Mizugaki wins via UD.

'Shogun' Rua vs James Te Huna Announced for Fight Night 33

FIGHT NIGHT 33 GETS A LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE

By Tommy Strong @strong_tea

Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua will get the chance to bounce back from defeat to Chael Sonnen last month, when he takes on New Zealand's light heavyweight, James Te Huna. The fight is scheduled to take place at Fight Night 33 which is being held in Australia on December 7th.

Rua (21-8) will be coming into a fight for the first time ever, with back to back losses on his record with defeats to Alexander Gustafsson and more recently losing to Chael Sonnen via submission inside the first round at last months UFC on FOX Sports 1 launch event.

Te-Huna (16-6) had his four fight winning streak snapped, when he fought top light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira at UFC 160 in May, losing in the first round via submission.

UFC Fight Night 33 will be main headlined in a heavyweight battle that sees Mark Hunt vs Antonio Silva.

What’s next for the losers of UFC 160

Fights to make for the main card losers at UFC 160

by John Haigh @JohnBJayHaigh

After last weekends UFC 160 it set up a couple of matches with new number one contenders announced for both the lightweight and heavyweight divisions in the UFC. Today I will discuss what I think should be the next match ups for the losers on the main card. If you have any opinion on these be sure to comment at the bottom.

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva

After what I thinks was a bit of a controversial stoppage in his title fight against Cain Velasquez I think he deserves a top opponent to have a chance to get back into title contention as soon as possible. A fight against the loser of the upcoming Big Nog vs. Werdum at UFC on Fuel TV 10 could do just that, both fighters have being kicking around the top of the heavyweight for years and both would be a good victory for Bigfoot to get on his record.

Mark Hunt

After his disappointing performance against the now number one contender Junior Dos Santos I’d like to see Hunt vs. Big Country. It was mentioned before the fights of UFC 160 and is sure to be a fight that will get the fans excited. If this fight is to take place it will mean Hunt having to wait a while though due to Nelson recently being scheduled to fight Stipe Miocic. Also, this may be good timing as Mark Hunt recently revealed on twitter that he broke his toe in the Junior Dos Santos fight.

Even a fight against Stipe Miocic I think would be a good match up. Miocic had been unbeaten until his fight against Stefan Struve who Hunt beat and broke his jaw. Hunt had been on a great run up the division with four straight victories before getting knocked out by Junior Dos Santos and a win for both fighters could leave them a couple of wins away from a title contention.

James Te Huna

This is the hardest one for me to pick an opponent for but after a lot of thought and studying I’d like to see a fight against Ryan Bader. Bader has got back to winning ways and holds some impressive victories over opponents like Rampage and little Nog. He was also unbeaten until he fought now champ Jon Jones. I think if Te Huna wants to make a big impact in the division a winner over Bader wouldn’t be a bad way to do it.

Gray Maynard

Maynard has been a bit hit and miss lately having come so close to the UFC lightweight title but drew the first attempt and lost the second against Frankie Edgar. Maynard had a perfect unbeaten record prior to his 2nd and 3rd fight with Edgar but has not been able to get back to his previous dominance since.
A fight against Matt Wiman could be a possibility, both have had ups and downs recently. Wiman has a few more loses than Maynard but has had 6 more fights and has fought some top opponents over the years. Both fighters were also on Team Penn on season 5 on The Ultimate Fighter. Both fighters also have lost to TJ Grant in the first round so this fight could be interesting.

K.J. Noons

I don’t think Noons next opponent or fight will be in the UFC, he’s lost four straight and five of his last six fights. With the UFC roster stacked at the moment I think the axe will fall again. It’s no secret that the UFC want to cut the amount of fighters under contract down to a more reasonable number and Noons may be one of the next ones to be released.

UFC 160 Main Card Predictions

Kingdom MMA: UFC 160 Main Card Predictions

by Chris Houten @KingdomMMAChris, Tommy Strong @Strong_tea and Jack Broadey @J3cK_b

On Saturday night we will see the UFC heavyweight title on the line as Cain Velasquez will try and defend his title against Antonio Silva at UFC 160 in Las Vegas.

It's hard to forget the first fight between the pair as Cain left Silva a bloodied mess when he finished him in the first round after a very one sided fight. Can this rematch be any different? We will find out on Saturday night.

On top of that we have a number 1 contender fight in the lightweight division between Gray Maynard and TJ Grant and a potential number 1 contender fight between Junior Dos Santos and Mark Hunt. This is the fight a lot of fans have been talking about, can Mark Hunt go from the UFC offering to pay him out of his contract to number 1 contender. We will find out tomorrow night.

Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva

Jack: I will keep this one short as I think it's very easy to predict. Velasquez may not get Silva down as quickly as last time but he will find a way and pound Silva out eventually.

Prediction: Velasquez by TKO Round 1

Tommy: The UFC are trying to promote this fight, but failing to do so! Bigfoot was destroyed in their first fight inside a round. I just don't see anything changing this time around.
Silva is very lucky to be getting this title shot. He beat a one legged Travis Browne who was dominating until the injury. Then fought Overeem who took Silva too lightly and paid the price for it. I know I'm being harsh on Silva, but I just don't rate him at all. He will be found out again by Cain and I don't expect it to last two rounds.

Prediction: Velasquez by TKO Round 2

Chris: A lot of people have completely wrote Silva off due to the absolute battering he took in the first fight to the point where they don’t even want to see this fight, but I can see this one being a little bit more competitive than the last.

The facts are Big Foot lost the first fight due to a tactical error… leg kicks against a world class MMA wrestler, really Big Foot?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely not saying Big Foot is gonna shock the world and pull off another huge upset to go with his collection – Fedor and Overeem. All I’m saying is while he is still swinging those big Christmas Ham sized hands you never know, however it's more than likely Velasquez with his speed and ridiculous cardio who will try to push the pace and win the striking exchanges to the point where Big Foot can’t keep up.

Prediction: Velasquez

Junior dos Santos vs. Mark Hunt

Jack: This is quite intriguing as at least in my mind Hunt has the edge in terms of power. JDS likely has the technical edge as well as a huge speed advantage. He's also well versed in BJJ but as of yet has yet to show it in the UFC. I wonder if he feels he needs to take this fight to the floor. I think after he tasted a shot from Hunt he will attempt and succeed in getting the fight to the floor.

Prediction: Dos Santos by Submission Round 1

Tommy: A fight the fans have been calling for a while now. Its one that really interests me. JDS coming of the back of a beating by Cain will be looking to bounce back and show he's one of the best in the heavyweight division. Mark on the other hand is on a four win tear up and after his devastating knockout of Stefan Struve which resulted in leaving Struve with a broken jaw.

If JDS can keep Mark at range , using his superior boxing skills it could be a comfortable night for him, though if Mark can get close and land one of his bombs we could see an upset on the cards.

Prediction: Dos Santos by Unanimous Decision

Chris: I love the resurgence of Mark Hunt. Less than 3 years ago the guy was on a 6 fight losing streak and was actually being offer money by the UFC not to fight, now he is arguably one (Dangerous) fight away from a title shot.

Realistically Hunt has a punchers chance in this one, but as have so many before him. Sure Hunt has Knockout anyone with one punch, in fact he is so good doing it he even knows when to walk off before his opponent hits the mat, but that one punch (The overhand punch) is so predictable.
I like Dos Santos to use his hand speed and greater array of striking to beat Hunt to the punch, It also wouldn't surprise me if JDS puts Hunt way by countering the Overhand, with an uppercut.

Prediction: Dos Santos

Glover Teixeira vs. James Te-Huna

Jack: Both guys have proved they have great chins and are willing to stand and trade. Teixera's wrestling could be the key here as he can mix up his game to win rounds if he can't find the knockout blow.

Prediction: Teixera by Decision

Tommy: With a combined 43 fights between them, only 7 of their fights have gone to a decision. This fight really has me licking my lips! Glover has been in against better opposition than Te Huna and has a better all round game. Both are very durable and I fully expect an exciting fight.

I have a bad habit of writing off Te Huna , though Glover will be too strong for him and I can see Glover taking him down and submitting him later on in the fight.

Prediction: Teixera by Submission Round 2

Chris: All day I have been deciding whom I fancy in this one. I think Teixeira is the better MMA fighter; he has crisper, varied striking than Te Huna, and is better in the wrestling / jui-jitsu department.

What worries me about Teixeira is the brief moments in bouts where he loses discipline. He almost has that Amir Khan factor to he him where he needs to prove he is man enough to go toe-to-toe with his opponent, and if Te Huna can drag Teixeira into a dogfight, I think he can make him pay, the way Fabio Maldonado almost did.

That being said I can only judge the fight on skills alone, and Glover Teixera is the better fighter.

Prediction: Teixera

Gray Maynard vs. T.J. Grant

Jack: This is a great fight and will decide the next contender for Benson Henderson's lightweight crown.

Grant should have the edge in the standup game and will be looking to bully "the bully" and possibly look for the clinch to do some damage. Maynard's game has come on leaps and bounds but you would assume he will be looking for the takedown here. I think he gets it but can he keep Grant controlled for 3 rounds? Possibly not. This looks like a back and forth war and who wants it more?

Prediction: Maynard by Decision

Tommy: With the winner of this fight likely to fight Ben Henderson for the belt (still trying to figure out why) this fight could be very entertaining or very boring! Though its not often we see Maynard in a boring fight.

TJ will have an advantage on the ground, though getting Maynard there will be a different matter! Maynard with the better wrestling will dictate where the fight goes, so I can see this fight being a stand up fight.
If that's the case, I give a major advantage to Maynard to out strike TJ and work his way to a comfortable points win.

Prediction: Maynard by Unanimous Decision

Chris: In the build up to the Edgar vs Maynard fight, I was convinced Maynard was going to become The UFC Lightweight champion, and while he allowed Frankie back into the first fight, and ultimately lost the rematch, I'm still of the belief Maynard can hold UFC gold.

On paper Grant is the better fighter. He has considerable submission skills, and a proactive striking game, but I think Maynards wrestling pedigree will be too for Grant.

I like Maynard to control the fight, and untimely take a decision victory.

Prediction: Maynard by Decision

Donald Cerrone vs. K.J. Noons

Jack: Cerrone really is the better fighter pretty much everywhere. If he turns up in shape and ready to go I see no way he can lose this fight. He should dominate start to finish and he has the arsenal to stop Noons.

Prediction: Cerrone by Submission Round 2

Tommy: KJ Noons will be coming into this fight on the back of two losses and only having won one in his last 5 fight (outside of the UFC), he will be looking to stop the rot to keep his UFC career alive.
Cerrone on the other hand lost last time out in by 1st round TKO at the hands of Anthony Pettis. KJ will come into the fight as an underdog but I really like the match up for him here. I feel KJ will have enough to keep the fight standing and if he can will have the advantage.

I'm going against the odds here, and picking KJ to deliver a good performance and to beat Cerrone.

Prediction: KJ Noons by Unanimous Decision

Chris: This fight is basically Cerrone's to lose.

If he can keep his distant, mix up his striking, and not allow Noons to jab his way in he should take this one comfortable. From their I'd like to see Cerrone vs Pearson

Prediction: Cerrone

We will see if any of the guys can predict the results correct. Last week was a great week for the guys predictions as between the four guys who predict the fight results we went 49-3 with Tommy and Ben predicting all 13 fights correctly.