UFC Fight Night 35 Medical Suspensions: Derek Brunson Out Indefinitely with Broken Jaw

UFC Fight Night 35 Medical Suspensions: Derek Brunson Out Indefinitely with Broken Jaw
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Derek Brunson and Yoel Romeo went to war at UFC Fight Night 35 with Romeo coming back from 2 rounds down to knock out Brunson in the final frame. Both men earned 50k extra as a reward for their Fight of the Night performance, but this will come as little compensation to Brunson who had his jaw broken in the process, and as a result has been issued an indefinite suspension by the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment commission.

UFC president Dana White confirmed via his twitter account that the Middleweight underwent surgery following the bout, and will now require doctor clearance before he can fight again:

Just went to the hospital to see @DerekBrunsonMMA he has a fractured jaw. He is waiting to have surgery.
— Dana White (@danawhite) January 16, 2014

Other extended suspension from UFC Fight Night 35 include Cole Miller who has been suspended for 45 days due to a broken hand, as well as Costas Philippou, Mike Easton, Sam Sicilia, Isaac Vallie-Flagg, Trevor Smith, and Justin Edwards who have all been suspended for 30 days.

A full list of UFC Fight Night 35 suspensions can be found below:

Derek Brunson: suspended indefinitely due to broken jaw, requires physician clearance
Cole Miller: suspended 45 days due to broken hand
Costas Philippou: suspended 30 days
Mike Easton: suspended 30 days due to laceration over left eye
Sam Sicilia: suspended 30 days due to swollen left eye
Justin Edwards: suspended 30 days due to laceration over left eye
Isaac Vallie-Flagg: suspended 30 days due to laceration over left eye
Trevor Smith: suspended 30 days due to laceration on forehead

The following fighter have been suspended 7 days for precautionary measures
Luke Rockhold, Brad Tavares, Lorenz Larkin, T.J. Dillashaw, Yoel Romero, John Moraga
Dustin Ortiz, Ramsey Nijem, Elias Silverio, Brian Houston, Louis Smolka, Alptekin Ozkilic
Vinc Pichel, Garett Whiteley, Beneil Dariush, Charlie Brenneman

UFC Fight Night 35 Rockhold vs Philippou Predictions

Kingdom MMA: UFC Fight Night 35 Main Card Predictions

by Ben Heather @benheather and Sam Heard @SamHeard_

On Wednesday night the UFC goes back to home soil for the first event in the USA of 2014 and the fans are treated to some great matchmaking in most of the fights on this card. Which will lead to us all being able to watch some high calibre fighting..... even if it is on a school night.

A lot is on the line at the top of the card as well, both Luke Rockhold and Costa Philippou could put themselves in the mix with a win on Wednesday but more importantly a loss for either fighter would severely damage their reputation and chance at ever getting a shot at middleweight gold.

Below you can find the predictions for what some of the guys at Kingdom MMA expect to happen on Wednesday night.

Luke Rockhold (10-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) vs Costas Philippou (12-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) 

Sam: I found the fact that Philippou had been given this main event given how disappointing he was in his last fight where he was dominated by Francis Carmont. Philippou is the sort of fighter who can beat the Jorge Rivera's and Riki Fukuda's of the world but as soon as he moves up the ladder to fighting tougher competition he falls short. Luke Rockhold can certainly be placed in this category of ‘tougher competition’. I fully expect Rockhold to have his way with Philippou here and beat him inside the distance. Rockhold has fought in five round fights multiple times while Philippou has not, Rockhold’s ground game is far better than that of Carmont which was able to stifle Philippou in his last outing and Rockhold has a reach advantage to keep Philippou on the outside on the feet. I think a lot of people overestimate Philippou’s knockout power and I really think Rockhold will be able to showcase his full arsenal of skills here after his disappointing UFC debut against Belfort.

Prediction: Luke Rockhold by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in Round 4

Ben: this is one of the few times a UFC main event is between two fighters coming off a loss, recent events i can remember that also both came in off a loss were Diaz vs Maynard and Shogun vs Sonnen in August. That being said I only see one winner in this fight. 

I feel Costa Philippou may be one of the more over rated fighters on the books of the UFC and a loss against Rockhold will take him back to fighting the calibre of fighters I feel he should be fighting. 

Luke Rockhold has fought the better opponents and has experience of fighting and winning 5 round battles beating top fighter Jacare and Tim Kennedy back in Strikeforce. I believe on Wednesday night we will see the Rockhold the fans enjoyed watching fight in Strikeforce and he will become the first man to finish Philippou.

Prediction: Rockhold by Submission Round 3

Lorenz Larkin (14-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) vs Brad Tavares (11-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) 

Sam: Larkin looked very impressive in his last fight and I fully expect him to get the win here. His high-level striking should be more than enough to chip away at Brad Tavares to get the decision win, though I don’t think he is a natural finisher. Tavares will be looking to get takedowns early in the round and neutralise Larkin’s striking by keeping him there. The issue with this is that Larkin has very good takedown defence. I don’t expect this fight to be hugely competitive and I can’t see Tavares troubling Larkin.

Prediction: Lorenz Larkin by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Ben: This is my big underdog pick. Tavares has been on a roll of late picking up four wins on the roll and now is stepping up the level of opponent. Last time out he continued his decision win streak making that four in a row as he beat Bubba McDaniel without doing too much or being tested himself. It ended up being a bit of a give me fight and this time out he really will be tested.

Larkin comes in to this fight having fought a far greater calibre of fighters and this may well be the difference in this fight. If he can use that experience he may well be able to nullify the game plan of Tavares.

I still believe Larkin should have a perfect record and the judges scored his fight wrongly against Carmont but I don't think it will be his night on Wednesday.

Prediction: Brad Tavares by Split Decision

T.J. Dillashaw (8-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) vs Mike Easton (13-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) 

Sam: A clash of two of the UFC’s rising Bantamweights who have recently hit ruts in their career. While I think both these fighters are promising, Mike Easton can sometimes be worryingly inactive which is a problem against someone like Dillashaw who likes to push the pace. This has resulted in Easton losing his last two fights by decision. I don’t expect him to break this losing streak on Wednesday. Dillashaw is a high-tempo fighter and – like the whole of Team Alpha Male – is bound to have benefited with more time training under Ludwig.

Prediction: T.J Dillashaw by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Ben: I think TJ is a great fighter and he will be looking to bounce back from a very close loss to Asscuncao in Brazil towards the end of last year. TJ has the makings of a potential future champ at 135lbs and with the backing of Team Alpha Male he could go all the way.

Mike Easton is a fun fighter and always comes to put on a show for the fans and I think this fight with TJ will allow him the opportunity and the opponent to do that with. I just feel that as the younger fighter TJ will be able to get the better of these exchanges.

Prediction: T.J Dillashaw by Unanimous Decision

Yoel Romero Palacio (6-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) vs Derek Brunson (11-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) 

Sam: This is an awful match up for Brunson. Though he won his last fight on the feet, Brunson is normally a wrestler who tends to smother his opponents; he is very unlikely to be able to beat the Olympic wrestler at his own game. I also think Romero has a big advantage on the feet where he is stronger, faster, more creative and generally much more athletic than the somewhat sluggish Brunson. I think Romero should have little trouble continuing his record of TKO wins in this fight.

Prediction: Yoel Romero by TKO (strikes) Round 2.

Ben: Romero is an absolute wrecking machines 6 wins, 6 knockouts!! Unfortunately for Brunson I don't see his win/ KO ratio changing as he makes it 7-7 on Wednesday night.

Prediction: Yoel Romero by KO Round 1

John Moraga (13-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) vs Dustin Ortiz (12-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) 

Sam: In what is in my opinion likely to be the FOTN, two extremely exciting flyweight prospects meet. Though bookies have Moraga down as a reasonable sized favourite I believe this fight could be a lot closer than what we might think. Ortiz looked very impressive in his UFC debut, however Moraga is a big step up in competition for him. Clearly Moraga was not ready for his title shot as he came up short against Demetrius, though credit has to be given to him for surviving till the 5th round. I think he will look to avoid Ortiz’ power shots by taking him down and looking for the submission but will ultimately win a competitive decision.

Prediction: John Moraga by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Ben: I see Moraga using his skills which earned him a title shot to win this fight. He has proved in his three fights in the UFC that he can finish fights with wins by KO and submission in the UFC. He also lasted nearly the full 5 rounds against Demetrious Johnson, although it wasn't close for most of the fight. I think in this fight we will see Moraga return to showcase why he got that shot.

Ortiz like Moraga made a big impact on his UFC debut winning by KO, beating Jose Maria Tome. I think though that the step up between Tome and Moraga may be too much although I think it certainly has the ability to be a fun fight for the fans between two flyweights who have knockout power. It's not everyday you hear that about a flyweight bout.

Prediction: John Moraga by Unanimous Decision

Sam Sicilia (12-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) vs Cole Miller (20-8 MMA, 9-6 UFC)

Sam: For some reason there is an awful lot of hype around Miller at the moment leading to him being the bookies favourite but I must say my lean is Sicilia here. Not only does Sam in my opinion have the better wrestling but he certainly has a huge advantage in hitting power. Historically when Miller has faced heavy handed guys he gets tagged early and – while not being finished – fights too tentatively for the remaining rounds. As long as Sicilia can deal with Miller’s sizeable reach advantage and if he does go for a takedown remains wary of Miller’s superior submission game I believe he’ll get the win here.

Prediction: Sam Sicilia by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Ben: If Sam can get inside the big reach advantage that Miller will have then he will be able to get off a few clean shots in the first round. Once he has felt the power of Sicilia he won't want to be involved in that again and back up which is where the wrestling advantage of Sicilia will come in to play as he gets the fight to the ground keeping Miller there while controlling top position with ground and pound to bring home a unanimous decision victory.

The only way I see Cole Miller winning this fight is if he manages to get the fight on the ground and repeat what he did to Andy Ogle where he didn't do much but enough to keep the fight on the floor for two rounds. I just don't see this happening.

Prediction: Sam Sicilia by Unanimous Decision

UFC Fight Night 35: Rockhold vs Philippou Preview

Kingdom MMA Previews UFC Fight Night 35

by Sam Heard @SamHeard_

Wednesday night will see the UFC’s first event on home shores of the year with UFC Fight Night 35: Rockhold vs Philippou, live from Duluth, Georgia. Though this card may not on the surface look as stacked as some of the oncoming events in terms of title fights or superstar fighters, there are several matches whose outcomes will have a great effect on the divisions in question. Here is Kingdom MMA’s take on the main card’s match-ups, what to look out for and what a win will mean for the fighters involved:

Sam Sicilia (12-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) vs Cole Miller (20-8 MMA, 9-6 UFC)

It took just 1:42 for Sam Sicilia to put an end to his two fight skid by getting the TKO win over Godofredo Castro in Brazil, in a fight he probably needed to win to avoid being cut from the UFC. Now he will meet Cole Miller whose stock has also risen after putting a bold full-stop on a losing streak.

After Cole Miller’s win over Andy Ogle in Manchester he tried calling out huge-prospect Conor McGregor; instead he has been pitted against Sicilia, though a win here will definitely bring the towering Featherweight a step closer to the fight he asked for.

John Moraga (13-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) vs Dustin Ortiz (12-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC)

Until a few days ago former flyweight title-contender John Moraga had been demoted to the Prelims on what is a fairly mediocre card. This seemed a little harsh on a fighter who survived 4 rounds with Demetrious Johnson who is now considered to be a top five p4p fighter – indeed Joseph Benavidez survived for only a minute in the cage with Mighty Mouse and it would be inconceivable to see him on the undercard. Thankfully now the well rounded lightweight has been moved up to the main card. In a division which is becoming increasingly stacked with talent Moraga needs a win to keep himself in top 10 contention.

Dustin Ortiz showed none of the Octagon jitters often shown by UFC newcomers as he displayed the knockout power which got him his place in the sport’s premier promotion with a third round TKO win over Jose Maria Tome. A bout against a man coming straight off a title-fight represents a huge step up in competition for him – if Ortiz is able to pick up a win he will doubtless be considered in the top ten 10 flyweight mix.

Yoel Romero Palacio (6-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) vs Derek Brunson (11-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC)

Yoel Romero has been impressive in the UFC, picking up both his wins in the distance via TKO. In his last fight he showed some creative striking to compliment his Olympic-wrestling pedigree. However, question marks were raised over his cardio, as well as some dangerous disregard for his opponent. For the first time in his career Romero found himself in the third round and had certainly slowed down a great deal – it is hardly surprising given his huge muscular frame. If Romero picks up another win he should be given a stab at fighting a top middleweight.

Derek Brunson last fought on the Early Prelims of the same card as Romero and was able to quickly submit athletic youngster Brian Houston after rocking him on the feet. Brunson has clear power in his striking which could be pivotal if Romero continues to showboat and drop his hands as he did in his last outing. Though Romero isn’t the biggest challenge Brunson has faced as he fought (and lost to) Jacare in Strikeforce, a win here would really put him on the map.

T.J. Dillashaw (8-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) vs Mike Easton (13-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC)

Team Alpha Male’s T.J. Dillashaw looks to get his career back on track after picking up his second career loss after a narrow split-decision went to Brazilian veteran Raphael Assuncao. If Dillashaw wishes to keep his #9 Bantamweight ranking on Sherdog he really needs the win; he will seek to do this by mixing up the heavy hands and explosive wrestling skills which have come to define Team Alpha Male fighters.

Dillashaw and Mike Easton share the dubious record of having been on the wrong side of the judges’ scorecard when fighting Raphael Assuncao, though Easton’s loss was deemed a unanimous one. His last fight was a split-decision loss to the immeasurably tough Brad Pickett. Easton, whose fight career started way back in 2003, needs a win here to avoid the dreaded 3 fight skid and probable expulsion from the UFC.

Lorenz Larkin (14-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) vs Brad Tavares (11-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC)

Hugely talented striker Lorenz Larkin will be looking to get his first UFC stoppage in this next Octagon outing. In his UFC debut Francis Carmont was able to out wrestle Larkin and ‘lay-and-pray’ on his way to an unexciting decision while in his most recent fight Larkin got a decision victory over Chris Camozzi in a fight many people believed he would be able to win in the distance. Larkin will hope to step-up his game in this co-main event context to finally pick up a KO in the UFC.

Brad Tavares will doubtless have studied Carmont’s victory over Larkin with the hope of implementing a similar game plan against the dangerous striker. Since 2012, Tavares has built up a great deal of momentum winning four out of four fights and will seek to make it five against a more difficult opponent.

Luke Rockhold (10-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) vs Costas Philippou (12-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC)

We all remember Luke Rockhold’s disappointing UFC debut where he suffered a first round highlight-reel worthy knockout to Vitor Belfort in a fight were bookies believed him to be the favourite. Rockhold is at a weird junction in his career; he is very much the forgotten man in the middleweight division as people are more excited about the likes of Jacare Souza and Tim Kennedy even though Rockhold has beaten both these Strikeforce vets. A win in this main event, particularly in impressive fashion, will have people talking about Rockhold again for the right reasons and should secure him a top-level opponent in his next fight.

Much like Lorenz Larkin, Costas Philippou is another dangerous striker to have found himself laid upon by Francis Carmont en route to a decision loss. Philippou will have to be wary as Rockhold is arguably a more versatile wrestler than Carmont and has a slick submission game to accompany it. Philippou will be looking to defend Rockhold’s takedown attempts and try to test the chin which looked so vulnerable against Belfort. Philippou, who was once an amateur boxer, is heavy handed and could certainly pull off the upset against the former Strikeforce champion. 

UFC on FUEL TV 9 Main Card Results - Brad Pickett vs Mike Easton

Brad Pickett defeats Mike Easton by Split Decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)

by Scott Cumming - @tummidge

Pickett takes decision win in Fight of the Night vs. Easton

This fight had the most relevance in terms of rankings at Saturday's event and this was evident in how the fight went down. It was a brilliant spectacle of technical and competitive MMA that was there to be admired. It was also a fight that left you feeling sorry for judges - just a tiny bit.

Brad Pickett and Mike Easton are top 10 ranked bantamweights and the winner of this would surely keep themself in title contention as both looked to rebound from decision losses in their last fights. The first two rounds followed a similar pattern as both fighters traded punches, kicks and takedowns with neither fighter stepping off. In the final seconds of round two it descended into a brawl too as both fighters looked to land the significant strike that would sway the fight in their favour. At that point it was anyone's fight.

In round three, Pickett definitively picked up the round by displaying a wrestling game that is not often associated with British fighters as he managed to reverse an Easton takedown and hold him down for a fair portion of the round getting into a decent half guard and landing some punishing ground and pound. Things got crazy in the last few seconds of this round too, but neither fighter did telling damage.

The internet scoring was all over the place with this one and I felt Easton might have done enough to pick up the victory, but Bruce Buffer announced a split decision win for Pickett, who keeps himself in the top half of the bantamweight rankings and will get another big fight next time out as he looks for a title shot in the division. Even in defeat this was the best we have seen from Mike Easton, but he stands on rocky ground after two consecutive defeats and will need to pick up a W next time out.

UFC on Fuel TV 9 Main Card Picks

UFC Stockholm 2013 Main Card Picks

by Ben Heather @benheather

Gegard Mousasi vs Ilir Latifi

Chris: By all accounts Latifi has pretty descent wrestling, and has been able to translate his skills to MMA with good effect, but Mousasi is one of the best 205ers in the world. Sure, if he does have a weakness its his takedown defence but Mousasi showed his improvement in this area of his game in the Jardine fight, and I doubt very much Latifi's wrestling is on Lawals level.

While I can image the Swedish fans who love a Rocky style victory, I cant see it happening – Mousasi by first round TKO.

Prediction: Mousasi TKO Rd 1

Ben: Before we get to the prediction of this fight (which will come as no surprise) I would like to say that I have got so much respect for Latifi. For a fighter to step up on 4 days notice and not only fight in the UFC for the first time but to headline the card in your home country takes some balls and I hope Dana rewards him for this fact and gives him another fight after this.

But for this fight I struggle to see anything other than Mousasi dominate until he finally finishes Latifi, I cant see anyway in which Mousasi loses this fight unless he gets in the cage and just is not focused on the fight. I predict heart alone will see Latifi get out of the first round but then I see Mousasi finishing him in the second with a TKO.

Prediction: Mousasi TKO Rd 2

Ross Pearson vs Ryan Couture

Chris: Fact – Ryan Couture is not on Ross Pearson's level. Sure he is durable, and hasn’t done too bad so far in his MMA career (certainly better than I expected), but I don't see how he wins this fight. Pearson has fought, and finished better fighters and I expect him to do the same in this bout.

Prediction: Pearson

Ben: Some people have said that Ryan is being punished by Dana because of the beef between Dana and his dad. I don't think that is the case however I really do think that Pearson will be too powerful for Couture. Just look at the last fights of both fighters, Couture won on the final Strikeforce card but that was a split decision win over K J Noons (a fight which many thought Noons should have got the decision win). Now compare that to the last fight Pearson had where he destroyed George Sotiropoulos. Ross did not rush in when he had George rocked in the first round but instead kept a cool head and knew he had him beat it was just a matter of when.

I accept that Couture is a very good wrestler and may be able to test Pearson in that area but i think that Pearson will come in to this game with a plan for that which give him another third round TKO win and back to back wins for the first time since 2010. Pearson's experience in the UFC will prove ultimately too much for him.

Prediction Pearson TKO Rd 3

Matt Mitrione vs Phil De Fries

Chris: I know Ben isn't keen on this fight, but I can see this one being a pretty descent battle, one which could ultimately prove to be a loser goes home fight. I know most people are backing Mitrione going into this one, making him a sizeable favourite with the book makers, but I like De Fries to stay in Mitrione's face, push him against the cage, work for takedowns and grind out a unanimous decision.

Prediction: De Fries UD

Ben: As Chris said I am not really a fan of either of these fighters and i really believe that this is a fight between two guys who's jobs are on the line. The loser in my opinion will be cut from the UFC, and if they are not then they certainly should be. De Fries started his career 8-0 but now finds himself 9-2 after a 1-2 run in 2012 with defeats to Stipe Miocic and Todd Duffee. As for Mitrione, who has only ever fought for the UFC as a professional fighter, he also started his career with a 5-0 run but has lost his last 2 fights and is now 5-2. Mitrione's last win in the octagon was way back in June 2011. 

I believe De Fries has the better chance of winning this fight but it is not a fight that i am looking forward to going in to this card and the fact it is the third from last fight on the card proves the card doesn't have much depth to it. I predict this fight as a good time to go and refill your drinks or pop to the toilet and wait for the Pearson fight. I do however think that De Fries will have enough to eek out a Unanimous Decision victory.

Prediction: De Fries UD

Brad Pickett vs Mike Easton

Chris: Mike Easton is a talent guy, but is it me or does it feel like he holds back in his fights? Not taking anything away from Easton, I think this fight could go either way, both guys are great on the ground, but Pickett is definitely the better boxer – he has better movement and throws better combinations.

Prediction: Pickett

Ben: This is my prediction for fight of the night, we all know all Pickett wants to do is get in to a scrap and have a stand up war, if this happens I think will win the fight and potentially even finish Easton.

However Eddie Wineland proved how to beat Pickett in his last fight so if Easton comes out and does the same again it will ultimately be very disappointing for the crowd and all the fans watching around the world.

I still think that Easton will want to come out and put on a show so this will be great for all of us fans, just not so good for him in my opinion.

Prediction: Pickett TKO Rd 3

Diego Brandao vs Pablo Garza

Chris: This is a flip a coin fight for me. Part of me can see Brandao going out there and absolutely destroying Garza, another part of me can see Garza weathering the storm, using his experience and awkward frame, tiring Brandao out and getting the decision – either way I see this fight as a fight of the night contender. I'm picking Brandao. I think he look great against Joey Gambino, he can credit Jacksons MMA for his ever improving game (takedown defence), and as a rule of thumb I find it hard to back against Brazilians.

Prediction: Brandao

Ben: After seeing Diego fight on the ultimate fighter i thought this guy was going to be a real contender and then his first fight after the show he came out the blocks flying before getting tired early which cost him the fight vs Darren Elkins. I cant see Diego letting that happen again especially against Garza.

Garza ended a two fight losing streak with his win against Mark Hominick but i think this fight will see Brandoa steam roll through Garza and pick up the first round KO. This fight also has a lot of potential to put on a show for the fans and should be a fun fight.... while it lasts.

Prediction: Brandao KO Rd 1

Akira Corassani vs Robbie Peralta

Chris: While it appears Corassani has come a long way since his time on the ultimate fighter – his ground game is greatly improved, I wasn't too impressed with him in his win over Ogle, a fight which I scored for Ogle. His opponent Peralta is a fast, aggressive fighter who enter the bout unbeaten in his last 9 fights. While the home town crowd with be all over the Swede Corrassani, I like Peralta to spoil the parade just as he did in Nottingham either winning by TKO or decisive unanimous victory.

Prediction: Peralta

Ben: Both of these fighters last fought at UFC on Fuel TV 5 and on that night they both picked up wins but in very different circumstances. Peralta won via a 23 second knock out in the very first fight of the night which got people talking about his power. Whereas Corassani won a split decision against Andy Ogle in a fight which i still think Ogle won.

Seeing those fights live, being in the arena in Nottingham was a great experience and it changed my opinion on both of these fighters. If this fight took place 12 months ago I would have predicted Corassani to win but after seeing how powerful Perelta was i cant look past that. I see this fight going the distance but Peralta will disappoint the home crowd in Stockholm and take a Unanimous Decision win.

Prediction: Peralta UD

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