Where does Urijah Faber go following his loss at UFC 169

What's next for the California Kid?

by Chris Marzella @ChrisMarzella

Not many mixed martial artists can claim to only ever falter in major championship fights. Whether or not that is a slight on him or praise is a separate issue, but Urijah Faber is the enduring title challenger of the UFC, always falling shy in his attempts to win the big one.

The California Kid has looked spectacular over the past year, scoring win after win and doing so impressively. However, this past Saturday night he fell at the final hurdle, not for the first time, as he lost another championship fight at the hands of UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao.

In 2013 he notched up wins against Ivan Menjivar, Scott Jorgensen, Iuri Alcantara and Michael McDonald. Had it not been for the returning Dominick Cruz he would in all probability been the number one contender. When injury struck and Cruz was forced out of the Barao showdown, only one man would have sufficed. Faber.

He seems to have been the perennial title challenger at 145lbs and 135lbs for pretty much his entire career. But has he used up his quota of title fights?

At featherweight he was the small guy, fighting against giants, well relatively speaking. A glance over the UFC rankings and there's only one guy he can't beat, possibly two. Renan Barao has his number, it remains to be seen if Dominick Cruz does too. Everyone else? Well, it's been proven, they don't beat Faber.

In effect you can split the bantam weight division into three sections. Barao and Cruz, then Faber, then everyone else.

He has now lost to Barao twice, Cruz once and destroyed everyone else. However, following his most recent loss in a title fight he was quick to shoot down the notion of permanently going back up to featherweight, only for a big fight.

He's not going to get Jose Aldo who seems destined for a collision course with lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. Besides, Aldo already beat Faber in the WEC days.

It would seem then that Faber finds himself cast in the Chael Sonnen role. He won't win the title in any of the weight classes he has fought in, although it's undoubted he will fall into that number one contenders spot again somehow.

It's time to simply make fun fights happen.

At bantamweight, where he has spent his UFC tenure doesn't jump out as containing real fun fights we could see Faber in. At featherweight? Yes.

Faber has to be considered the most popular UFC fighter to never hold a UFC title and featherweight holds an array of potential match ups which would prove just as popular as he is.

Anyone who has read this far will already have guessed the match ups which would be nothing but pure gold.

Firstly, what about Urijah Faber vs Cub Swanson or the Korean Zombie? Maybe not the biggest fights available or big enough to tempt Faber up, but it would be a sure fire winner with the fans.

These next two potential fights however certainly address the issue of big fights. Be warned, you may get giddy with excitement just at the prospect.

BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar coach the next season of TUF and face each other later in the year in BJ Penn's featherweight debut.

Any combination of these three guys has to happen. The possibilities of Faber vs Penn or Faber vs Edgar sounds far more appealing than a trilogy with Barao or Cruz.

Faber and Penn are far and away the two most popular fighters south of welterweight and Edgar may well be clear in third.

Yes, you read that correctly, Faber vs BJ Penn. After all, Faber did say a huge fight could tempt him up a division.

Kingdom MMA review of UFC 169

UFC 169: Barao vs Faber II

by Sam Heard @SamHeard_

Boasting two title fights with a brace of the UFC’s most dominant champions topping off a stacked card, UFC 169 certainly promised a lot and in many ways failed to live up to this lofty expectation. Not only were UFC records broken for the most fights to go to decision – ten of the twelve fights would hit the judge’s scorecards – but the night ended in an unsatisfactory manner with a questionable referee stoppage. The disappointing nature of the night is reflected in the distribution of the bonuses with one fight taking all the honours. The Trujillo/Varner matchup would pick up not only the Knockout of the Night bonus for Trujillo but also an augmented Fight of the Night bonus as a result of the lack of a ‘Submission of the Night’ – a whopping $125,000 in bonuses for Abel Trujillo.

Renan Barao (32-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) VS. Urijah Faber (30-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC)

The UFC’s marketing of this fight was such that Faber had a 50% chance of toppling the newly crowned undisputed Bantamweight champion. Not only did Joe Rogan explicitly say this in the promo but they were also very shady about revealing the fact that the two had fought before and that Barao in his decision victory Barao had outscored Faber 50-45 on one judge’s scorecard.

In their second match-up it was all too clear that since they last met in the Octagon, Barao is the more improved of the two fighters. The first two or so minutes of the fight saw some fairly even striking exchanges between the two fighters with Faber’s tutelage under Duane Ludwig clearly giving him the confidence to kick-box with the dangerous Brazilian fighter. However, standing with Barao proved to be a mistake as a solid straight right connected directly with Faber’s jaw, dropping him and allowing Barao to swarm all over him. Somehow Faber was able to get to his feet but the Brazilian blitz continued, a typhoon of knees, uppercuts and body shots. The relentless pressure from Barao paid off as he once again dropped the dazed Alpha Male captain. Faber clung to Barao’s leg and was guarding the Brazilian’s rapid hammerfists but Herb Dean had seen enough, despite Faber having given him the thumbs up. In fairness to Faber, he did seem like he was able to continue and after the fight was stopped he was immediately up challenging the controversial decision.

This ending was undesirable to both Bantamweights – Faber was denied the opportunity to continue in the fight while Barao, who had looked amazing in the fight, couldn’t get the definitive stoppage he may have needed to get his name right up the p4p rankings.

Result: Renan Barao def. Urijah Faber via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:42

Jose Aldo (24-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) VS. Ricardo Lamas (13-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC)

Some have expressed disappointment in Jose Aldo for not picking up a victory in the distance. I am not one of these people. While he failed to stop Lamas, Aldo looked completely dominant in his unanimous decision victory and showed some of the most technically appealing combinations of strikes I’ve ever seen.

Aldo chained together long, accurate combinations throughout the fight which nearly always finished with one of his renowned thunderous leg kicks. The Brazilian champ also displayed exceptional takedown defence to ruin Lamas’ strategy to outwrestle him. Lamas was mostly unable to threaten Aldo – the only round he won on the judges’ scorecards was the fifth where he was fortunate enough to find himself on top of Aldo in a scramble. Even in this position he didn’t really trouble Aldo who was clearly content to remain on his back and let the judges give him his sixth consecutive UFC win. Critics of Aldo will attribute his losing the fifth round to his tendency to fade towards the end of fights. I tend to disagree with this as he hadn’t slowed down at all until being taken down.

At the post-fight press conference it was revealed that now Aldo has defeated all the top featherweight contenders he would be interested in moving up to 155-lbs to fight Pettis for his Lightweight belt.

Result: Jose Aldo def. Ricardo Lamas (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)

Frank Mir (16-9 MMA, 14-9 UFC) VS. Alistair Overeem (37-13 MMA, 2-2 UFC)

In what was probably the most disappointing fight on the main card we saw one of the least competitive heavyweight fights in recent memory. Most expected Overeem to come out, rock the shaky chin of Mir immediately and finish him for a quick return to the dressing room. We saw domination of a very different, far more boring kind, however. Clearly in fear of getting tagged as he has been in his past two fights, Overeem fought ultra-conservatively despite having several openings to easily finish Mir. Instead, he lay on top of Mir for large sections of the fight landing just enough ground-and-pound for the ref to not stand it back up. What could have been one of the most exciting fights on the card turned out to be boring and highly uncompetitive. Bad match-making on the part of the UFC.

Result: Alistair Overeem def. Frank Mir via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Ali Bagautinov (13-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) VS. John Lineker (23-7 MMA, 4-2 UFC)

This clash of two rising flyweights certainly seemed to be a fight for the number 1 contender spot, pitching the world-class sambo of Bagautinov against the brute power of John Lineker.

The fight was extremely back-and-forth throughout: Bagautinov, as we had seen in his last fight, was comfortable enough on his feet to throw combos at the Brazilian while mixing in takedowns while Lineker was able to cause some visible pain to the Russian, particularly with body shots in the second. Despite this, it was an easy fight to score in the end with Bagautinov’s domination on the mat able to comfortably win the first and third rounds while Lineker’s power shots in the second frame won him a round back. Bagautinov certainly seems like a worthy challenger to take on Mighty Mouse next – he was able to make a man who has been knocking out talented flyweights left, right and centre look slow, plodding and one dimensional.

Result: Ali Bagautinov def. John Lineker via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Abel Trujillo (12-5 MMA, 3-1 UFC) VS. Jamie Varner (21-9-1 MMA, 3-4 UFC)

This fight was easily the most entertaining on the whole card and there really isn’t much which can be said about it other than that you should watch it as soon as you get chance.

Imagine two Wanderlei Silva clones slugging it out in the Octagon if you want the best description of this bout. The two had each other hurt on multiple occasions and indeed it seemed Varner had all but beaten Trujillo until he got caught by a massive counter-right which sent him down immediately like a felled tree.

Once again, if you haven’t watched this fight yet, watch it.

Result: Abel Trujillo def. Jamie Varner via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 2:32

What's next for Renan Barao?

A look at the UFC's 135lb division

by Chris Marzella @ChrisMarzella

If you didn't already know, Renan Barao is one of the very best mixed martial artists on the planet.

Despite the very much controversial conclusion to his first UFC bantamweight title defence at UFC 169 against the always game Urijah Faber, all that really happened was Barao chalked off yet another contender for his crown, again.

Barao spent so much time as the interim champion, knocking off the top contenders in the absence of Dominick Cruz, that as champion now he has already defeated many of the top contenders.

Take a second and think who is next in line for a crack at the exhilarating Brazilian. Michael McDonald? Been there, done that. Eddie Wineland? Same. Faber? Again?

The problem is, Barao was too good for everyone before he was the champion. How likely is that to change now that he is the undisputed bantamweight champion?

The rankings are always a good place to start when considering future contenders. From the list of guys not already humbled by Barao we have Raphael Assuncao, Urijah Faber's stablemate TJ Dillashaw and of course former champion Dominick Cruz.

From that list the next challenger seems to be fairly obvious.

Dillashaw, despite the ringing endorsement issued by Faber in the aftermath of UFC 169, has already lost to Assuncao back in October at UFC Fight Night 29, so Assuncao should and in all probability will be ahead of him in the line.

All that seems fine and well, apart from the fact there's only one fight everyone wants to see at 135 pounds. The countdown is on until the former champion is healthy again.

The highly anticipated unification match that never quite materialised needs to happen, if not for anything other than to solidify the belief that Barao is the premier bantamweight on the planet.

And with that, there is a problem. When a champion dominates his division, fairly often they defend their title against people who, quite frankly, don't belong in title fights, just look at some of the challengers Anderson Silva faced over the years.

Barao has beaten the top contenders in his division, with the exception of a couple, so the list to choose from if fairly narrow.

The only fight that matters though is with Dominick Cruz. We have been teased with this prospect for the last two years and I'm fairly certain that it is the only fight anyone really wants to see next.

The quicker Cruz gets himself fit the sooner we can see the best possible bantamweight fight on the planet.

UFC 169 predictions

Kingdom MMA predictions for UFC 169

by Ben Heather @benheather and Chris Marzella @ChrisMarzella

For this event we will be predicting the fights for UFC 169 including a write up for the big 3 fights on the card and then picking our winners for the rest of the card. Let us know if you agree with our picks.

Barao vs Faber

Chris: The UFC always tends to really stack this card and I'm glad to see this year is no exception. I was disappointed when Dominick Cruz had to pull out, but it says a lot that there is still a buzz about this card. Faber just may be the most popular UFC fighter to never hold the title and I can't really see that changing come Saturday night. Renan Barao is special. I mean seriously, who goes on a 31 fight winning streak? That is ridiculous.

I'm going to go with a Barao decision in this one.

Ben: I really have been struggling to pick a winner for this fight, my head says Barao but my heart is picking Faber. I would love nothing more than to see Urijah Faber crowned the champ he has been on a tear and beats 99% of the division. I think he knows this is probably his last shot and I think it may well be the time that Team Alpha Male finally have a champion in the team.

I'm not confident at all but will go with Faber by decision.

Aldo vs Lamas

Chris: In the co-main event I can't see past Barao's stablemate. Aldo is quite simply a cut above anyone else at 145lbs. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Ricardo Lamas fan and his shot has been a long time coming, but I don't see a specific area of his game where I think he's better than Aldo. Aldo is about as devastating a striker as we have in the sport right now and it'll be interesting to see how Lamas copes with that.

My money has to be an Aldo TKO, probably in the second or third round.

Ben: I agree completely with Chris, I like Lamas and love seeing him fight. However, right now there is two divisions within the featherweight division.... Jose Aldo and everyone else. It wouldn't matter to me who Aldo was fighting if its at 145lbs I am backing him. As i predicted at the start of the year, I think Aldo will end the year as the UFC lightweight champion and on Saturday night we will see him defeat Lamas and then vacate his title. As he moves up for the super fight against Anthony Pettis.

It has to be Aldo by TKO Round 2

Mir vs Overeem

Chris: The most intriguing fight on the card for me has to be Frank Mir vs Alistair Overeem. Billed as a looser leaves town match I really think, with a loss here, we may see the last of Mir. Overeem still has a point to prove and just needs the win more. If Josh Barnett can do what he did to Mir with strikes, I fear what Overeem may be able to do.

I predict an Overeem KO.

Ben: Since Overeem has been in the UFC we have not seen him tested on his back, if Mir gets the fight down he will surely have an advantage as he does against most guys in the division but I just don't see the fight getting there. I think like Chris that Overeem is going to come in to this fight so focused and his preperation in Thailand will be put to get use on Saturday night.

Overeem by KO Round 1.

Predictions for the remainder of the Card

Bagautinov vs Lineker

Chris: Bagautinov    Ben: Lineker

Varner vs Trujillo

Chris: Trujillo          Ben: Varner

Makdessi vs Patrick

Chris: Patrick          Ben: Makdessi

Cariaso vs Martinez

Chris: Martinez        Ben: Cariaso

Catone vs Watson

Chris: Watson         Ben: Watson

Iaquinta vs Lee

Chris: Iaquinta         Ben: Iaquinta

Hester vs Enz

Chris: Hester           Ben: Hester

Martin vs Magomedov

Chris: Martin           Ben: Magomedov

Magny vs Umalatov

Chris: Umalatov      Ben: Magny

Dominick Cruz Injured, Vacates title; Urijah Faber in Against Renan Barao at UFC 169

Dominick Cruz Injured, Vacates title; Urijah Faber in Against Renan Barao at UFC 169
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

UFC President Dana White appeared on ESPN's SportsCenter this afternoon to confirm Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz (19-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has been forced to withdraw from his UFC 169 champion vs champion unification bout with interim champion Renan Barao (31-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) due to a groin tear. Former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber (20-6 MMA, 6-2 UFC) will replace Cruz against Barao.

“Renan Barao’s been tearing through everybody,” White said. “But Faber’s been on a tear, too, with four straight wins against the best of the world. Not only is he ready for this, the guy’s an absolute stud and is taking the fight on three weeks’ notice.”

Having not fought for over 2 years due to a series of knee injuries and surgeries, Cruz will now vacate his bantamweight title making Barao now the UFC's undisputed 135lb Champion. Whist Cruz was sidelined from injury, Barao won the interim title by beating Faber at UFC 149. Barao then defended the title with a submission victory over Michael McDonald at UFC on Fuel 7 in London, and TKO victory over Eddie Wineland, who he defeated by turning side kick at UFC 165 in September.

One of the most popular fighter in all of MMA, Faber enters the bout of the back of a 4 fight win streak that has seen the California kid go undefeated in 2013. With impressive victories over Ivan Menjivar, Scott Jorgensen, Yuri Alcantara, and most recently Michael McDonald, Faber was one of the best performing athletes in all of MMA in 2013. One which has prompted some fans to declare Faber as 'Fighter of the Year' for 2013.

 UFC 169 takes place Feb. 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. As well as a title fight between Barao and Faber, Jose Aldo will also defend his Featherweight title against Richardo Lamas.

With the change to UFC 169, the card is now includes:

Main Card
Renan Barao vs. Urijah Faber - For The UFC Bantamweight Title
Jose Aldo vs. Ricardo Lamas For The UFC Featherweight Title
Frank Mir vs. Alistair Overeem
Ali Bagautinov vs. John Lineker
Abel Trujillo vs. Jamie Varner

Preliminary Card
John Makdessi vs. Alan Patrick
Chris Cariaso vs. Kyoji Horiguchi
Nick Catone vs. Tom Watson
Al Iaquinta vs. Kevin Lee
Andy Enz vs. Clint Hester
Rashid Magomedov vs. Tony Martin
Neil Magny vs. Gasan Umalatov

Roundtable: 2014 End of Year UFC Champion Predictions

Roundtable: 2014 End of Year UFC Champion Predictions

by Chris Houten - @mrhouts, Tommy Strong - @strong_tea, Ben Heather - @benheather, Sam Heard - @SamHeard_

As we start a new year Kingdom MMA are taking a look in to the future with all of our magical crystal balls to predict who will be the champions in the UFC on the 1st January 2015. Once you have read our thoughts on each weight class, let us know if you agree with them and if not who you think will be champion.


FLYWEIGHT

Chris Houten: Demetrious Johnson
Possibly the easiest division to predict in all of the UFC, I generally don't see anyone touching Johnson at the moment. He is sharper than everyone else in the division, quicker than everyone else in the division, a better boxer than everyone else in the division and one of the best wrestlers at 125 as well. 

Tommy Strong:  Demetrious Johnson
Mighty Mouse has shown over the last year he's a cut above the current crop of fighters in the flyweight division, with three title defences in 2013 beating John Dodson, John Moraga and recently a stunning KO over Joseph Benavidez. Though it was Dodson who gave DJ his toughest fight to date, his speed and power gave Johnson real trouble.  But he still found a way to win.

With the arrival of Brad Pickett to the division, who is 1 of 2 people to beat Johnson, it shall be very interesting if they get to face each other again.

Though I predict DJ still being the champion by the end of 2014.

Ben Heather: Demetrious Johnson
Simply put Demetrious Johnson is the best flyweight on the planet!! He has already beat the top contenders in the division and I don't see him being troubled this year. I would love to say Brad Pickett could be champion, but at the minute he is still an unknown having not fought in the flyweight division yet, so I will stick with Mighty Mouse.

Sam Heard: Demetrious Johnson
No one imagined that Mighty Mouse had the power to put away long time #1 contender Joseph Benavidez, let alone in the first round. Johnson has now seen off the division’s top competition in style and I believe he should be able to continue his reign in 2014. His confidence must be sky-high. 


BANTAMWEIGHT

Chris Houten: Renan Barao
2014 will be the biggest year in bantamweight history, with Renan Barao taking on Dominick Cruz in a champion vs champion unification bout. While I wouldn't be surprise if Cruz comes out on top, I think Barao might be too much for Cruz who hasn't fought in over 2 years.

Tommy Strong: Renan Barao
It'll be over 2 years since Dominick last fought back in October 2011 defeating Demetrious Johnson to retain his Bantamweight title. It will be interesting to see if the time out with the ACL injury will take its toll on Cruz or make him a better fighter for the time off. Facing Renan Barao in February will be a very interesting fight, and Barao the current holder of the bantamweight interim title has all the tools and more to get his hands on the title.

Ben Heather: Urijah Faber
Man, Urijah Faber has to be one of the best fighters in the UFC to never hold a title. He wins every fight he has that isn't for a title but I think once Barao vs Cruz has unified the division, Faber will get his chance to get revenge against whoever is champion, a chance I feel he will come good on.

Sam Heard: Urijah Faber
Like a fine wine, Faber just keeps getting better and better with age. I thought his last fight against McDonald would be a difficult test for him but Faber was unchallenged as he picked up another submission win. Though he has already lost to Barao, that fight was very close and Faber seems to be the more improved since the two last fought (assuming of course that Barao beats Cruz).

 
FEATHERWEIGHT

Chris Houten: Jose Aldo
While it wouldn't surprise me if Aldo beats Lamas and commits to a move up to 155, I personally don't think it will come until the end of the year. I don't see anyone at 145 troubling Aldo.

Tommy Strong: Jose Aldo
I'll keep this very short and sweet! Jose Aldo is a beast for this weight. The only way I see Aldo not holding this title is if he decides to move up to Lightweight for new challenges!

Ben Heather: Cub Swanson
This is my most risky pick. The reason I have picked Cub gives away my next pick. I think Jose Aldo will vacate his title and move up to Lightweight in 2014 leaving a stacked division chance to move forward and the first fight to make should be Cub vs Chad Mendes in a rematch to decide the vacated title. I think Cub will get the better of that fight and become the next Featherweight champion.

Sam Heard: Jose Aldo
Even with an injured foot in his last fight against the Korean Zombie Aldo looked as good as ever. This year his biggest test will be the inevitable rematch against Chad Mendes whom he already overcame once in the very first round. Though knockout-machine-Mendes has looked vastly improved, I still believe the Featherweight division will be Aldo-town in 2014.


LIGHTWEIGHT

Chris Houten: Khabib Numagamedov
The lightweight division is a bit of a mess right now with 3 fighters in the division who can lay claim to being the number one contender - TJ Grant as was meant to fight for the title at UFC 164, Josh Thompson who was also meant to fight for it at UFC on FOX 9, and Gilbert Melendez who Dana White claimed was the number 1 contender after his epic battle with Diego Sanchez at 166.

So where does Khabib Nurmagomedov fit into all of this? Simple, with Pettis out injured the division will have to continue to fight each other. Sure it will take a lot for Numagamedov to get the title shot, but I expect Benson Henderson to beat Josh Thompson, knocking Thompson out of contention. I feel Grant may struggle with ring rust on his return. That would only leave Melendez who is rumoured to be fighting Nurmagomedov in the first quarter of the year. With a win over Melendez, Nurmagomedov would become no. 1 contender.

Tommy Strong: Benson Henderson
"Showtime" Pettis showed that his first win over then current lightweight champion Benson Henderson wasn't a fluke by defeating him via first round armbar! This division is stacked with talent, and on any given day we could see 3 or 4 different champions.

This is one of the hardest for me to try and predict, I'm sticking my neck on the line here: and the new Lightweight Champion: Benson Henderson.

Ben Heather: Jose Aldo 
As I said before I see Aldo moving up in weight. However I do not only think he will move up in weight but I think he will then get his shot and begin his reign over the lightweight division. This will lead to a lot of big fights at lightweight which will be great fun for all of us fans.

Sam Heard: Gilbert Melendez
The UFC’s most talented division’s title picture will be put on hold as champion Antony Pettis is out injured until mid-2014. Melendez, in my opinion, already did enough to earn championship gold with his (incorrect) split-decision loss to Bendo; this adversity should reinforce his determination to get another title shot with a different outcome.


WELTERWEIGHT

Chris Houten: Carlos Condit
While Johny Hendricks vs Robbie Lawler will see one of them crowned champion I don't expect either to hold the belt at the end if the year. While it really wouldn't surprise me to see Nick Diaz make a comeback in 2014 to fight for the belt, which I feel he could win. I actually expect Carlos Condit to be the champion of the welterweight division at the end of 2014.

With the retirement of GSP, Condit is the most well rounded fighter in the division. I expect Hendricks to beat Lawler to become champ, only to lose the title to Condit before the years out, with Condit picking up where he left off in round 3 of their first fight.

Tommy Strong: Johny Hendricks
With the devastating news that GSP will be taking an indefinite leave of absence. The UFC have announced that Johny Hendricks will take on Tom Lawler to decide who will become the new champion.

I'm pinning my hopes of Hendricks taking the win and holding the title he deserved in a controversial loss to GSP.  Again, this is another division that it wouldn't surprise me if it changed hands a couple of times this year.

If Hendricks can win the title, I think for 2014 he has the skills and power to hold onto the belt.

Ben Heather: Carlos ConditAt UFC 171 Hendricks will become the new welterweight champion. That same night Condit will get chance for a rematch when he wins the number 1 contender fight. Later in 2014 the two will meet and over 5 rounds I think Condit will be able to get his wish and not just be called interim champ but the undisputed welterweight champion.

Sam Heard: Carlos Condit
The likely winner of the vacant belt has got to be Hendricks. However, had his match against Carlos Condit been a five-round fight I firmly believe Condit would have won as he clearly had more left in the tank. Therefore if he gets a title shot I think he’ll get the W over Bigg Rigg. He first has to overcome Tyron Woodley which is no small task but if anyone can do it its Carlos.


MIDDLEWEIGHT

Chris Houten: Lyoto Machida
The middleweight division is by far the most intriguing going into 2014, with at least 4 or 5 fighters who could potentially be champion at the end of year. Regardless some of the fans thoughts, Chris Weidman is a worthy champion, and although he faces a tough test in Vitor Belfort, I expect Weidman to pass the test.

With a big win over Mousasi, I feel Machida could earn a shot as the middleweight title, and I think he has the skills to dethrone Weidman. Machida is a far better striker that Weidman and I think Chris Weidman would struggle to take Machida down. It really wouldn't surprise me either if Machida, knocked out Chris Weidman.

Tommy Strong: Vitor Belfort
Whatever you say about Weidman, he's champion and deserves to be. Beating Silva not once, but twice is no mean feat. With Silva going to be out for some time, and no word if he will return.

Up next for Weidman is Vitor Belfort, this In my opinion is an even harder test than Silva. Vitor has 3 knockouts in 2013 with victories over top ranked fighters, Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and then the granite chinned Dan Henderson.

If this fights takes place in Brazil then Vitor has to be a firm favourite. I hope this happens in Las Vegas so we get to see a 'clean' Belfort and not one that has an advantage of being able to use TRT.

Ben Heather: Vitor Belfort
Even with his title fight against Weidman being in Vegas I think Belfort will pass all the required drugs tests. After all, we have just seen Antonio Silva fail a drugs test and if Vitor was still abusing the system he would have failed a test by now. I think Vitor's rise will continue and he will become a ufc champion again in 2014.

Sam Heard: Vitor Belfort
There is something preventing me jumping on the Weidman bandwagon and I don’t believe he will be the champion this time next year. Belfort had the best year of any fighter in 2013, consistently making some of the best fighters in the world look subpar. His hyper-aggressive style is probably as different a match-up to Silva as is humanly possible and I believe he can overwhelm Weidman.


LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT

Chris Houten: Jon Jones 
With injuries to Pettis and Velasquez,  GSP retiring, and Anderson Silva out for at least a year if not for good, I expect 2014 to a busy year for Jon Jones, who the UFC will look to push in absence of some of the promotions stars. I expect Jones to run though his next opponent, Glover Texeria, and should be able to make the adjustment to beat Gustafsson.

I expect Daniel Cormier to provide Jones with his biggest challenge this year, but I think Jones wins this one also before committing to a move to heavyweight.

Tommy Strong: Jon Jones   
Jon Jones had the toughest fight of his career when he fought Alexander Gustafsson back in September winning via UD, which many thought was a very close fight and our fight of the year! Next up for Jones is the heavily hyped Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 in April. Glover known for his power and submissions will be up against it facing bones who has a reach and height advantage.

This one was a little easier for me to predict - Jones remains Champion.

Ben Heather: Jon Jones 
This is the easiest choice out of every division. Jon Jones is the pound 4 pound best fighter in the world and will still hold both that title and his UFC belt come this time next year.

Sam Heard: Daniel Cormier
DC will be making his overdue debut into the 205lb division this year and I believe that if he takes well to the weight-cut he possesses the tools to dethrone the current p4p #1 Jon Jones. DC’s Olympic-class wrestling is supplemented by his decent striking and athleticism. A win over Rashad who has himself looked fantastic of late should be enough to get him a title shot.


HEAVYWEIGHT

Chris Houten: Cain Velasquez 
I predicted earlier in the week in My Bold Predictions for 2014 that I don't expect to see Velasquez fight this year and I'm sticking to it. The champions injury seems pretty bad, and Velasquez has a history of delayed recoveries. Should Velasquez return to the octagon this year however, I do rather fancy Werdum's chances against Velasquez, should Werdum beat Travis Browne.

Tommy Strong: Cain Velasquez
Cain has surprised me since his defeat to JDS. After that defeat, I didn't think we would see him get even better. With two stunning and brutal victories in his rematches to JDS no one in the division will be relishing the prospect of fighting the Mexican.

Cain was due to fight Fabricio Werdum at UFC 172, though was forced to pull out due to an injury. With JDS unlikely to get a rematch anytime soon, and maybe the only fighter that could possibly give him a tough fight is his training partner (Daniel Cormier) and he is moving down to light heavyweight. I Think Cain will hold onto the belt for at least another year or two. But as we all know in the heavyweight division, it only takes one punch for things to change!!  

Ben Heather: Cain Velasquez
I don't see Cain fighting in 2014. I think his injury is worse than the UFC have let on. So therefore he will still be the champ.

However, in his absence I think a interim champ will be crowned and that man is Travis Browne. Whether it be against Werdum or somebody else I see his great run of form carrying on in to 2014.

If Cain is back I think Browne will get a shot at Cain but Cain gets the win in that fight to keep his title.

Sam Heard: Cain Velasquez
Perhaps the most stable champion in the entire UFC. The Mexican was steps ahead of JDS at UFC 166; the second best heavyweight is himself head and shoulders better than the rest of the heavyweight competition so this demonstrates just how good Cain is. The likelihood is his first test of the year will be Werdum who I am not massively impressed by.
 

STRAWWEIGHT (WOMEN)

Chris Houten: Carla Esparza
A lot of people are gunning for Jo Jo Calderwood to win TUF 20 and go on to be the Strawweight champion. I do see her doing particularly well, however I feel Carla Esparza has the wrestling background to neutralise the striking of Calderwood, gain top position and grind out a decision, should the two meet at some stage in the tournament. 

Tommy Strong: Carla Esparza
With the announcement of the UFC introducing a new women's 115b strawweight division, TUF 20 ( 'TheUltimate Fighter') will have a new look this year, with the winner of the show being crowned the new champion of the division.

I really can't wait for this. They have shown since the arrival of the bantamweights, they belong here and brought new excitement to the fans.

With 11 of the 16 cast named, we are yet to know who the other 5 might be. Of the 11 named, we are in for a real treat with the likes of Carla Esparza, Claudia Gadelha, Felice Herrig to name a few. We might even see the first British fighter crowned as a UFC champion in Joanne Calderwood.

In the end though, I think Carla Esparza has the tools to become the first Womens 115lb champ.

Ben Heather: Joanne Calderwood
Whoever wins the TUF 20 series will be the champ at the end of the year and I think Jojo is the British hope the UFC has needed to bring home a championship title. She is certainly a top contender and with a bit of luck in the house we could see her have that belt placed around her waist by the end of the year.

Sam Heard: Carla EsparzaArguably one of the harder classes to call as we can’t predict how the inhabitants of the all-new strawweight division will fair on the big stage that is the UFC. However, the former Invicta Strawweight champion looked comfortable at the top, dispatching an array of world-class opponents so she is the most prudent pick to be the champion come year’s end


BANTAMWEIGHT (WOMEN)

Chris Houten: Cat Zingano 
2014 is going to be the busiest and toughest year to date for current champion Ronda Rousey. Up first for Rousey is fellow Olympian Sara McMann who should provide a stern test for Rousey but one which I think she will pass. Waiting in the wings though are the winner of Davis vs Eye and Cat Zingano.

Having watched every fight Rousey has had as a pro I still feel she has flaws in her striking - particularly her defense, and I expect someone to be able to take advantage of these flaws awfully soon. 

Rousey is open to be hit and if Zingano catches her the same way she did Tate, it will be game over.

Tommy Strong: Ronda Rousey
Love her or hate her, Ronda is great for the UFC and MMA in general. If not for her, maybe we still wouldn't see women's mma within the UFC. The women have brought a breath of fresh air to the UFC and long may it continue.

Ronda is coming off a spectacular victory over her arch enemy Miesha Tait last Saturday via her trademark armbar. Great to see her back in action so soon, with the announcement straight after the fight that Ronda would face Sarah McMann a former Silver Medallist at the 2004 summer Olympics. If anyone can withstand Ronda's take downs it surely has to be Mcmann?

Though Sarah hasn't fought the calibre Ronda has, and not been in the spotlight with all the attention like Ronda. If Mcmann can't beat Ronda, I fear unless we see Cyborg fight, the title will be hers for as long as she wishes. 

Ben Heather: Ronda Rousey
I see Rousey defending her title a few times in the year and adding some more arms to her collection. UFC 170 will certainly be her toughest test to date though as McMann may be able to defend her incredible take downs.

Sam Heard: Ronda Rousey
After her recent victory at UFC 168 it would take a bold man to predict the end of the Rousey-era in 2014. Despite losing her streak of first-round victories, Rousey’s grappling and judo throws looked awesome against Tate. Although her striking still clearly isn’t world-class, I believe her amazing ground game will be enough to keep her on top.

Is UFC on FOX 9 the Best Free Card Ever?

Is UFC on FOX 9 the Best Free Card Ever?
by Jack Broadey - @j3cK_b

In all my time watching the UFC this is not only the best free card the UFC and Zuffa have produced it is probably the best single card they have produced full stop. It has everything. Title fights, fights with title implications, comeback fights and just generally very good stylistic match ups.

The main event sees Anthony Pettis defend his lightweight strap for the 1st time. With TJ Grant still unavailable the next viable contender steps up to the plate, that man is Josh Thomson. This is a better stylistic fight and should be all out war in a standup battle. On any other card you would expect this fight to be a solid fight of the night contender, it still is but has some serious competition. I will be bold and predict the fight of the year will come from this card.

The only slight criticism if the co main event you can have is that it's only 3 rounds long. When that's the biggest concern you have of a fight then your onto something. The co main event will see Urijah Faber v Michael McDonald battle it out. With Dominic Cruz status still unknown this could very well find the next bantamweight contender. Both men are stuck in the Vitor Belfort position in that they've suffered recent damaging losses to the champion. Barao has pretty much cleaned out his division now so the winner of this fight will more than deserve there rematch.

The next fight on the card is dairy similar to the above. Carlos Condit V Matt Brown has violence written all over it. It can't fail to deliver. This will win something of the night and possibly year. Condit is in a similar position that Faber and McDonald find themselves in. A win over Brown is serious news now though after the tear he's been on. Brown has serious incentives here. A win almost certainly guarantees a title shot. The only shame here again is that it's not a main event and as such will only be 3 rounds. That's 2 fights i am already kicking myself that this isn't a 5 rounder. That's the consequence for building such a fantastic card.

The next fight might not stand out as much or look as thrilling on paper. Lentz-Mendes is however a fantastic fight and had serious title implications. Lentz has looked amazing since his drop to featherweight and both men have been tearing through the division. Mendes is again in that position of having recently lost to the champion and that's still fresh in the mind. He's done everything in his power to set that right though and knocking Clay Guida out is a serious statement. This is very important fight to figure a lot of things out in the featherweight division.

We won't go as in depth into the rest of the card but if we have a glance through you will realise the top end action doesn't end here. Ian McCall snapped his losing streak winning impressively in Brazil. He has an interesting fight on his hands as he takes on Scott Jorgensen making his flyweight debut. Only 1-3 in his last 4 but those losses coming to some of the very best, the same as McCall in a way. The winner moves into contention at flyweight as the division is still very shallow in its early days. 2 lightweight fights next as we have the perennial 'of the night winner Joe Lauzon back in action against Mac Danzig and Danny Castillo v Edson Barboza. Lauzon tends to always be in very exciting fights with his last outing being the anomaly. Barboza has looked fantastic so far in the UFC and looks to keep gaining experience in his quest to win gold.

The latest announced fight is perhaps the closest to call. Both men winning different seasons of TUF we have Court McGee against the youngest ever 'ultimate fighter' Kelvin Gastelum. Both men have amazing heart and have come through as serious underdogs. Can they be any more than gatekeepers. They have to win this to move up I the division and only one man can do that. It's a great fight so low down on a card and it just adds to what should be a fantastic night. I could quite easily see any one of these fights being spectacular enough to earn fight of the year honours. The top 3 fights on the card are as loaded and stacked as you will ever find. What's your prediction for fight of the night? Will it be good enough to earn fight of the year? I can't wait to find out.

Fighter vs Writer: Cage Warriors Champion Cathal Pendred predicts UFC Fight Night 26 (THE RESULTS)

Fighter vs Writer: Cage Warriors Cathal Pendred predicts UFC Fight Night 26 (The Results)

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Saturday night Cage Warriors Welterweight champion Cathal Pendred stepped in to the hot seat to challenge Kingdom MMA in the latest Fighter vs Writer feature.

This week we put forward the big man himself, the man who started it all, our Editer and Co Owner Chris Houten. Not to put any more pressure on Chris than he already had facing a very talented competitor but we hoped he could do better than he did last time out against another Cage Warriors Champion in Jim Alers. In Chris' previous appearance on Fighter vs Writer he lost in what is still Kingdom MMA's only defeat.
Below you will be able to see the results as the fights happened. It was a closely contested battle and Cathal certainly proved to be a respectable opponent for Chris.

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.

UFC Fight Night 26 Results

Conor McGregor Def. Max Holloway by Decision

• Cathal Pendred: McGregor by TKO Rd 1 - Score 1
• Chris Houten: McGregor by TKO Rd 1 - Score 1

Score after the 1st fight: Cathal Pendred - 1 Chris Houten - 1

Michael McDonald Def. Brad Pickett by Sub RD2

• Cathal Pendred: Pickett by Decision - Score 0
• Chris Houten: Pickett by Decision - Score 0

Score after the 2nd fight: Cathal Pendred - 1 Chris Houten - 1

Michael Johnson Def. Joe Lauzon by Decision

• Cathal Pendred: Lauzon by Sub Rd 1 - Score 0
• Chris Houten: Lauzon by Sub Rd 1 - Score 0

Score after the 3rd fight: Cathal Pendred - 1 Chris Houten - 1

John Howard Def. Uriah Hall by Decision

• Cathal Pendred: Hall by TKO Rd 2 - Score 0
• Chris Houten: Howard by Unanimous Decision - Score 2

Score after the 4th fight: Cathal Pendred - 1 Chris Houten - 3

Matt Brown Def. Mike Pyle by TKO RD1

• Cathal Pendred: Pyle by Sub Rd 2 - Score 0
• Chris Houten: Pyle by Unanimous Decision - Score 0

Score after the 5th fight: Cathal Pendred - 1 Chris Houten - 3

Urijah Faber Def. Yuri Alcantara by Decision

• Cathal Pendred: Faber by Unanimous Decision - Score 2
• Chris Houten: Faber by Sub - Score 1

Score after the 6th fight: Cathal Pendred - 3 Chris Houten - 4

Travis Browne Def. Alistair Overeem by TKO RD1

• Cathal Pendred: Overeem by TKO Rd 1 - Score 0
• Chris Houten: Browne by Unanimous Decision - Score 1

Score after the 7th fight: Cathal Pendred - 3 Chris Houten - 5

Chael Sonnen Def. Shogun Rua by Sub RD1

• Cathal Pendred: Sonnen by Unanimous Decision - Score 1
• Chris Houten: Sonnen by Unanimous Decision - Score 1

Score after the 8th fight: Cathal Pendred - 4 Chris Houten - 6

FINAL SCORE CATHAL PENDRED - 4 CHRIS HOUTEN - 6

Kingdom MMA would like to thank Cathal Pendred once again for his participation in Fighter vs Writer and would all like to wish him good luck at trying to get in to the house for the next series of TUF. For more on Cathal Pendred, check out and follow Cathal on Twitter - @PendredMMA

UFC on FOX SPORTS 1 Main Card Predictions

Kingdom MMA: UFC on FOX Sports 1 Main Card Predictions

by Ben Heather @benheather, Tommy Strong @Strong_tea and Jack Broadey @J3cK_b

This weekend is the launch of Fox Sports 1 in the USA and the UFC will be a massive part of the launch with the highlight being the UFC Fight Night 26 Shogun vs Sonnen. This card has been dubbed the best free to air (in the USA) card in MMA history. At first I was sceptical but now when you look down the fights that will take place on Saturday night you come to realise that this card is absolutely stacked!!

You just need to look at the names on show to realise how good this card is. Obviously you have Chael P Sonnen and Shogun Rua in the main event but when you look a bit further down and see names like Overeem, Faber and Pickett to name a few. On top of that you need to add in the always exciting Joe Lauzon and Matt Brown who I don't believe have ever been in boring fights.

With everything being said I believe the UFC has hit the nail on the head and I can't wait for Saturday night to witness the best free card in MMA history.

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

Chael Sonnen (27-13-1) vs Shogun Rua (21-7) 

Jack: The five round factor of the main event could be key here. Can Sonnen keep Shogun on his back for five rounds? I'm not so sure he will need to. He will put him there enough for Shogun to become desperate and either tire or force a mistake. I think Shogun can hang around to see the end of the fight but I see Sonnen winning a relatively comfortable decision.

Prediction: Sonnen by Decision

Tommy: This is such a sick card! The fans will be in for a real treat here with so many 50/50 fights! So here goes my predictions:

I'll be pleased when we see Sonnen back at this natural weight, Middleweight. He just isn't a light heavyweight and size again will be the difference come Saturday night. 18 of Shoguns 21 victories have come via knockout and at some point I see him catching Sonnen and finishing him inside two rounds.

Prediction: Shogun by TKO Round 2

Ben: I think Sonnen has been criticised far too much about the fact he hasn't won a fight since he beat Bisping in Jan '12. Yes its now over 18 months since he last won but how many guys fight Anderson Silva and then Jon Jones.... not many guys will be coming out of those with even one win.

As for this fight I think Jack has summed it up perfectly. Shogun has not looked the same fighter recently, in my opinion Sonnen will be able to control the fight to begin with in the first couple of rounds and this will tire out Shogun. Then when it gets in to the championship rounds it will start to become easier for Sonnen.

Yes, if Shogun catches Sonnen he could easily end the fight but I don't see it happening.

Prediction: Sonnen by Unanimous Decision

Alastair Overeem (36-12-1) vs Travis Browne (14-1-1) 

Jack: An intriguing battle. Overeem has to win to get back into contention. Browne is kind of an unknown quantity at this stage. He lost to Bigfoot Silva but that was due to him blowing his knee out. I quite like the way Browne matches up with Overeem and I will take him for the win. 

Prediction: Browne by TKO Round 2

Tommy: Seeing Bigfoot knockout Overeem back in February still brings a smile to my face, though I don't see Overeem underestimating Travis Browne having learnt a harsh lesson last time out.
I really rate Browne but this isn't a great match up for him. I hope he wins , though I just don't see it.

Prediction: Overeem by TKO Round 3

Ben: I have been going back and forth with this fight, both fighters have the ability to finish the fight at any stage of the fight. However, after being embarrassed by Bigfoot in his last fight I believe "the Reem" will be coming in to this fight having put everything in to his camp to make sure he does not gas again.

That being said, I don't think it will be a decision. I see Overeem finishing the fight in the second round after picking apart Browne in the first.

Prediction: Overeem by TKO Round 2

Urijah Faber (28-6) vs Yuri Alcantara (28-4-1) 

Jack: This is a great matchup on a card full of amazing fights. This being only a 3 round fight negates Faber's experience advantage. He should however have the overall advantage in this fight and he still seems hungry for UFC gold. It should be a close fight but I see Faber just edging it.

Prediction: Faber by Split Decision

Tommy: I'll keep this very short and sweet! Faber destroys anyone in the division except Cruz and Barao, this will be no different.

Prediction: Faber by a very one sided Unanimous Decision

Ben: I was disappointed when this fight was made. The fight I wanted to see was Faber vs Pickett and I am hoping with a win for both that we can still see that fight next. As for this fight as Tommy said I think Faber will be able to beat Alcantara in any area he wants.

If he wants a submission victory I believe he can pull it off or if he wants to beat him on his feet I am sure he can cruise to a decision victory.

Prediction: Faber by Unanimous Decision

Matt Brown (17-11) vs Mike Pyle (25-8-1) 

Jack: This is a strange fight and could play out a number of ways. Brown and Pyle are both on really hot streaks right now and whilst Brown is getting the attention I'd argue Pyle has beaten the better competition and in better fashion. Brown fights in clusters on the feet whereas Pyle throws power shots. Should the fight hit the ground Pyle has a big advantage there. In a pick em fight I like the look of the underdog here.

Prediction: Pyle by Submission Round 1

Tommy: This fight has me licking my lips!! If you don't like this match up you shouldn't be anywhere near MMA. This has fight of the night written all over it! Brown has TKO/KO'd four of his last five opponents, Pyle has knocked out three of his last four.
Toss the coin and see where it lands on this one! Though I'm edging towards Brown taking a UD in a back and forth battle!

Prediction: Brown by Unanimous Decision

Ben: This is my prediction for KO of the night. I think Matt Brown will pick up yet another finish via KO. I expect him to come out quick like he did in his last fight against Jordan Mein and pressure Pyle before finding his range and finishing the fight in style.


Prediction: Brown by KO Round 1

Uriah Hall (7-3) vs John Howard (20-8) 

Jack: Hall is the biggest favourite on the whole card. I can see why, but Howard is no mug. If he spots an opportunity he will take it. It will be interesting to see what tactics are employed by both men here.

Prediction: Hall by KO Round 1

Tommy: Uriah will be wanting to put the disappointment of the TUF 17 finale behind him and losing to Kelvin Gastelum in an awful performance we haven't been accustomed to.

Howard will have home advantage being a Boston born , and making his comeback to the UFC since being released in 2011. If Hall turns up like he did against Gastelum, I see Howard winning. Though I think that was a one off and we will see the best of Hall and getting him back in the winning column.

Prediction: Hall by KO Round 2

Ben: I'm going to go for the underdog in this fight again. I called Kelvin beating Uriah in the TUF Finale when everyone thought I was crazy and I am calling it again today.

I think the hype behind Hall from his days in the TUF house was crazy. Some people were even calling for him to jump straight from TUF to fighting Anderson.... Seriously what the fuck were these people thinking!! In the TUF house at no point was he tested, he didn't get put on his back and he certainly didn't come up against somebody with the same striking skills as Howard.

I feel its going to be a pretty decent fight but I believe Howard's experience will be able to get him a win in his hometown.

Prediction: Howard by Unanimous Decision

Joe Lauzon (22-8) vs Michael Johnson (12-8) 

Jack: Lauzon is never in a dull fight, Johnson is prime to be submitted. Lauzon will walk away with yet another fight bonus.

Prediction: Lauzon by Submission Round 1

Tommy: Johnson coming into this fight on the back two losses is very much up against it facing Joe Lauzon. Lauzon is one of my favourite fighters to watch and rarely comes out of the octagon without a fight of the night or submission of the night award.

Six of Johnson's eight losses have come via submission, something that Lauzon excels at. This will be his undoing.

Prediction: Lauzon by Submission Round 2

Ben: Now let me ask you a question, if you had to pick one person to open up the main card on potentially the biggest UFC card ever who would it be? If Joe Lauzon is not one of the first names you would pick then I am shocked. Every single Joe Lauzon fight you can guarantee one thing and that is excitement. Win or lose you will know by the end of the fight Lauzon has given his all (and probably most of his blood)

Michael Johnson is in serious need of a victory and is fighting for more than just a win on Saturday night. The bit which will work against him more though is exactly the point Tommy made. 75% of Johnson's losses have come by being submitted. For this reason I think it will be a long night for Johnson before he gets caught in yet another submission.

Prediction: Lauzon by Submission Round 2

Now we will also predict a couple of important fights for the UK fans. These don't feature on the main card but are the last two prelim fights.

Brad Pickett (23-7) vs Michael McDonald (15-2) 

Jack: This fight should have been on the main card. All the potential to be a barn burner and it really is a pick em. McDonald should have the edge standing but Pickett's movement and level changes are fantastic. He will try to mix it up constantly and keep McDonald guessing. This is my fight of the night pick. Both fighters will have there moments and I guess this will be difficult to score.

Prediction: McDonald by Split Decision

Tommy: I'm a little disappointed this hasn't made the main event, with both fighters at the top of their game so we are in for a barn burner here! My heart would love Pickett to win though my head rules on this one. I think McDonald just has a little to much for Pickett and it pains me to say that.
On this one I really really hope I'm wrong!

Prediction: McDonald by Unanimous Decision

Ben: Unlike the other two I am picking Brad here. I think he still wants to prove he can beat the best in the division and his two losses in the UFC are against Barao and Wineland. They are competing for the belt later this year and I see that driving Brad on thinking..... That should be me!!

I see Pickett come out swinging as he always does and I think the fight will carry on this way for the full three rounds. McDonald is a very game fighter and I hope he also does the same, if he does this will surely be the fight of the night. I am not sure if I think Pickett will get the finish but I really feel he will have enough to get the victory.

Prediction: Pickett by Unanimous Decision

Conor McGregor (13-2) vs Max Holloway (7-2) 

Jack: The Irish sensation is back in action and I can't see him being troubled at all here. Holloway will try to keep this standing and that's a huge mistake. Brimage offered more in the stand up than Holloway does and he was dealt with easily. This looks like the UFC are trying to create a highlight reel for McGregor as they are really pushing him in anticipation of an upcoming Dublin card in 2014.

Prediction: McGregor by KO Round 1

Tommy: I've been outspoken about Conor aka hype train and I'm yet to believe in him. A win over a wrestler who decides to stand with a striker isn't the evidence I need to be convinced.
Holloway only being 21 has a bright future, he was very unlucky not to have got the decision win last time out when he fought Dennis Bermudez in May.
If Conor can take Holloway out in fashion, I might just buy a ticket and climb aboard the train! Though I think this will be a harder test for Conor than the odds suggest!

Prediction: Holloway by Unanimous Decision

Ben: I like watching Conor fight. I wouldn't go as far as saying I believe in all the hype that has been thrown around about him as I still feel he has not been tested against a top talent and I don't think that will happen again on Saturday night.

I like Max as a fighter and have enjoyed his fights too but I wouldn't say he is the finished article yet. I think Conor is the better fighter and I think it will be a fairly easy fight for Conor. If the fight makes the second round I will be very surprised.

What I am looking forward to though is that hopefully after a good win on Saturday night we could see Conor fight on the Manchester card against a serious contender. I would love to see the fight against the winner of Koch vs Poirier which takes place at the end of the month.

Prediction: McGregor by TKO Round 1

Our Predictions for Post Fight Bonuses are:

Fight of the Night - Pickett vs McDonald (Jack & Ben) Brown vs Pyle (Tommy)
KO of the Night - Conor McGregor (Jack) Uriah Hall (Tommy) Matt Brown (Ben)
Sub of the Night - Joe Lauzon (all)

Faber meets Alcantara at UFC on Fox sports 1

Urijah Faber vs Yuri Alcantara scheduled to fight in August

by Jack Broadey @J3cK_b

Urijah Faber will take his third fight of 2013 against rising star Yuri Alcantara. Faber is trying to get back into title contention after two submission wins both by rear naked choke already this year. The California Kid is very active lately as he had no other option to get some wins under his belt after his recent losses in title fights. It seems the only time he loses is in title fights and there is only so many times he can get the shot again, but he certainly is on a roll lately.

Alcantara on the other hand will feel he deserves a fight of this magnitude. He blasted his last two opponents out early on with one being wrongly overturned to a no contest due to strikes to the back of the head. This is a big step up in competitor for him but it is one he needs for us to gauge his current level. A win over Faber will put him right in with the top contenders in the UFC's bantamweight division.

UFC on Fox Sports 1 is shaping up to be a massive event for Zuffa. When the deal was announced by Lorenzo Fertita he promised the best free card the company had ever produced. The addition of this fight to the already stacked card certainly helps with that theory.

UFC The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale Main Card Results - Urijah Faber vs Scott Jorgensen

Urijah Faber defeats Scott Jorgensen by Rear Naked Choke Round 4, 3:16

by Ben Heather @benheather

Urijah Faber keeps himself in title contention and within touching distance of yet another title shot. It seems that nobody (without a title around their waste) can knock him far enough down the ladder to the point he is no longer talked about as a title challenger.

 "The California Kid" is 0-5 in his last five cracks at gold, but I think if he can win another fight he might get yet another chance to win a belt especially if Cruz makes his long awaited return and bests Barao/ Wineland in a unification bout.

On Saturday night however, Faber finished his second straight top 10 opponent, Scott Jorgensen to tap out to a rear naked choke at 3:16 of the fourth round.

Faber controlled the first round with a variety of striking attacks and he very nearly got Jorgensen to tap to a guillotine, Jorgensen however recouped at the end of the round and his corner got him back into it with excellent adjustments.

Jorgensen began throwing combinations moving forward and keeping Faber on his heels. By the start of the third it seemed as though he was very much back into the fight and putting fans on notice for yet another upset on the card.

The fourth round began much the same way for Jorgensen, but that soon ended as Faber enforced his will and grappling advantage. The finish came off a scramble as Faber's speed allowed him to get to Jorgensen's back. At that point, a hand fight ensued with Faber getting his choking arm under Jorgensen's chin and soon after the fight was all over for his 16th career submission.

Jorgensen certainly made a fight of it but Faber has now won six straight non title fights, improving his record to 28-6. Jorgensen however is now 14-7.
"I've known for a long time how tough Scott is," Faber said after the TUF 17 Finale main event. "He got me with some good punches. We were going back and forth. It's incremental things at the highest level. He made one mistake and I was able to capitalise."

Keep checking Kingdom MMA for all the latest news from the world of MMA.

TUF 17 Finale: Weigh in results

Weigh in Results for The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 - Finale

by Ben Heather @benheather

 Tomorrows The Ultimate Fighter season 17 finale live from the Mandalay Bay Events Centre in Las Vegas Nevada, is now set after the weigh ins have now made the fights official. The finale between Uriah Hall and Kelvin Gastelum is the co-main event of the night and both men weighed in within the 186lbs limit.

In the main event, a bantamweight battle between Urijah Faber and Scott Jorgensen. Both men weighed in under the 136lbs limit at the weigh ins, and will now clash in a bid to bid to move a step closer to a potential title shot.

Also on the main event, is the second ever women's bantamweight fight in the UFC. A fight between Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano. Dana White announced that the winner of this fight will get the next title shot in the UFC's women's division and will also be a coach on the next series of The Ultimate Fighter coaching against Ronda Rousey.

All of the other fighters made weight when they stepped on to the scales, with the exception of Maximo Blanco who failed to make the weight for his facebook prelim fight against Sam Sicilia. Blanco was given an extra hour to lose the 1lb he had to lose to make weight.

Full list of results from today's weigh in can be found below.

Main Card - Live on ESPN at 2am Sunday 14th April 2013

Urijah Faber (136 lbs) vs Scott Jorgensen (135.5 lbs)
Uriah Hall (185 lbs) vs Kelvin Gastelum (186 lbs)* - For The Ultimate Fighter 17 Title
Miesha Tate (135.5 lbs) vs Cat Zingano (136 lbs) - For the chance to coach on TUF 18
Travis Browne (239 lbs) vs Gabriel Gonzaga (261 lbs)
Bubba McDaniel (184.5 lbs) vs Gilbert Smith (185 lbs)

Prelims - Live on UFC.tv

Josh Samman (184.5 lbs) vs Kevin Casey (185 lbs)
Luke Barnatt (185 lbs) vs Collin Hart (184.5 lbs)
Dylan Andrews (186 lbs) vs Jimmy Quinlan (185 lbs)
Clint Hester (185 lbs) vs Bristol Marunde (185.5 lbs) -

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Cole Miller (146 lbs)* vs Bart Palaszewski (145 lbs)
Sam Sicilia (146 lbs) vs Maximo Blanco (147 lbs)**
Justin Lawrence (145 lbs) vs Daniel Pineda (145 lbs)

* Had to use the towel to make weight
** Missed weight 1 hour to weigh in again

Kingdom MMA: TUF 17 Finale Main Card Picks

 Kingdom MMA TUF 17 Finale Main Card Picks

 by Ben Heather @benheather

Urijah Faber (27-6) vs. Scott Jorgensen (14-6)

Scott: These two set aside their friendship to battle it out in what should be an exciting encounter. Both fighters have a good all round skillset, but Faber's game is honed to a higher level with him being a veteran of a number of title fights. Jorgensen will put up a spirited battle, but we have seen him out-gunned by Renan Barao and Eddie Wineland in the recent past and he doesn't seem to have the quality to break the top 5 of the division. Like Faber's recent non-title fights, we'll be reminded why he should still be considered one of the top bantamweights in the world.

Prediction - Faber by Submisson Round 3

John: In recent fights both fighters have pretty similar records and will be both desperate to score back to back wins for the first time in two years. I see Jorgensen just edging this one. In recent years I have found Faber to fall just short of the mark and get any real momentum going since he lost the WEC featherweight title for the first time.

Prediction - Jorgensen by split decision

Ben: I think this fight is a great match up, both guys like to put on shows and are exciting fighters. My Dad even loves Jorgensen from his WEC days and he is one of the fighters he knows by name. As far as the outcome of this fight, I can only see Faber winning. I think it will be a great war and both guys are very well skilled but i think Faber is a little bit better in all areas. I dont think we will see a finish in the fight though and it wont be through them not trying but we will be treated to an absolute war. I see Faber doing just enough in every round to pull of the victory.

Prediction - Faber by UD

Kelvin Gastelum (4-0) vs. Uriah Hall (7-2)

John: I don’t think this fight will make it to the second round. I know Kelvin Gastelum is undefeated but having seen Uriah Hall’s KO power I just don’t see him maintaining it.
Even thought hall has been defeated twice in the cage both were by credible now UFC fighters and think it will be him that gets the contract.

Prediction - Hall by KO Round 1

Ben: Well I may be the only person who will say this out loud, but i think Gastelum has a half decent chance in this fight. He proved in the house that people underrated him and he is now in the finale not them.

Obviously Hall has got crazy power in his hands and can land kicks that others can only dream of pulling off, but he has not been tested on this show and how good is he on his back. Yes, in the semi final he finished the fight from his back but in all honesty he had already broken Andrews well before that point and it was only a matter of time before he finished him.

 I think if Kelvin can get him down early and work the ground game we could have a big shock here, but at the same time I wouldnt be surprised if we saw a 10 second 1st round KO by Hall.

Prediction - Gastelum by Submission Round 2

Scott: Forget the main event - this is the Uriah that everyone wants to see. Uriah Hall has a lot to live up to after his fights in the house delivering devastating KO after devastating KO. His performances make me think this will be nothing but a similar win for Hall, but there is just a shade of doubt creeping into mind and it's all down to the performnces of Gastelum in the house. He has been the underdog in every fight and whilst not being the most technically sound fighter has always come away with the finish. His only chance in my mind is to get in Hall's face from the opening bell and make the fight a real grind. I don't see it happening though, but there is always that shadow...

Prediction - Hall by TKO Round 2

Miesha Tate (13-3) vs. Cat Zingano (7-0)

Ben: In this fight i see Tate being a step up in competition for Cat and am not sure how she will cope. I think we will see Tate put on a performance and impress on the biggest stage of all in only the 2nd womans fight in the UFC. The prize which awaits the winner of this fight is exactly what Tate has been calling for since she lost to Rousey. Tate has more experience in the cage and on bigger shows so I think we will see the best Tate come saturday night. I hope we get the same from Cat, if we do they will put on a great fight but I think Tate will pick up the win.

Prediction - Tate by UD

Scott: No disrespect to the TUF finalists, but the rewards for the winner of this fight are bigger than any other. A Zingano win is much more interesting proposition in terms of gaining another contender in the UFC's fledgling women's bantamweight division, but I think she'll have her hands full with Tate who I think has the edge grappling wise. Tate can also call on her big fight experience from her time as the Strikeforce champion and should take the W.

Prediction - Tate by UD

John: I’m really looking forward to this fight, I think it will be a close one and turn into a submission battle. While Zingano comes into the fight undefeated, Tate has won 7 of her last 8 fights. And that one defeat was to now UFC women’s Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and the way she’s destroying the women’s division, its hard to hold that against her. With that in mind and Tate having more fight experience I thin she will just edge this fight.

Prediction - Tate by Submission Round 3

Travis Browne (13-1) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (14-6)

Ben: I really felt for Browne in his last fight, I think if he was fit and not picked up the injury early in that fight he could have caused Big Foot Silva a lot of problems.

As far as this fight goes I think Browne will use his cardio and wear down Gonzaga before finishing him in the third round. Gonzaga comes in to this fight with 3 wins in a row, with all coming via submission. In my opinion this has to be what he tries to do if he is going to have any chance of winning this fight. If he can't take Browne down and try for the submission then it will be a long night for Gonzaga.

Prediction - Browne by KO Round 3

Scott: This seems like an epic mismatch with Browne being by far the fitter, faster and more athletic fighter. Gonzaga's cardio was questionable in his last fight and I can see Browne wearing him down early and getting the KO victory quite handily. The only factor in Gonzaga's favour is his BJJ, but I feel Browne has enough wrestling ability to avoid getting taken down.

Prediction - Browne by KO Round 1

John: Having suffered the first loss of his career last time out against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, he’ll be looking to bounce back with a win. And I think if he can stay out of the clinch and avoid Gonzaga’s submissions, I think he will get the victory.

Prediction - Browne by KO Round 2

Bubba McDaniel (20-6) vs. Gilbert Smith (5-1)

Scott: This fight seems like a bit of a grudge match resulting from the events of episode 2 of this season of "The Ultimate Fighter" where Bubba wasn't fully behind his Team Jones teammate.

From his fights on the show, Smith seems like a fairly one dimensional fighter that will be looking for the takedown from the off. McDaniel is undoubtedly the more well rounded fighter and provided he can defend the inevitable takedown attempts could make this a long night for Smith.

Prediction - McDaniel by UD

John: Honestly I don’t know much about either of these fighters but after looking at the stats I’m favouring McDaniel. With both fighters making their UFC debut I think experience will count and McDaniel has far more. Both fighters have had most of their success with submission victories and think it will turn to a submission match with McDaniel edging it.

Prediction - McDaniel by Submission Round 2

Ben: I think throughout the whole series of TUF 17 I didn't see anything from Gilbert Smith that made me think he could be a UFC calibre fighter. That may be down to the fact he lost in the 2nd episode of the series but from what we have seen on the show I cant see him causing Bubba any problems.

I see Bubba using his experience, the fact he trains with Jon Jones and Greg Jackson in his corner to come up with a plan to easily cruise this fight. I see Bubba picking his shots and cruising his way to his first win in the UFC.

Prediction - McDaniel by UD