UFC 170 Review: Rousey and Cormier remain unbeaten

Kingdom MMA Review of UFC 170

by Sam Heard @SamHeard_

Another UFC event is in the books and – it must be said – compared to the lacklustre events fans have witnessed so far in 2014, this one was actually very enjoyable. With several notable attendees there to experience a night at the fights including Will Smith with family and Stone Cold Steve Austin, the event certainly delivered overall. While the main card was generally outstanding, this was primarily thanks to the fights outside the main and co-main events (which were on both counts painfully one sided).

RONDA ROUSEY (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) VS. SARA MCMANN (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC)

For a long time now Sara McMann has been slated as the woman to eventually dethrone Rousey, utilising her Olympic-level wrestling to neutralise the champion’s judo. Despite this lofty praise, when this fight was announced back in December, many believed that McMann had been given the title shot too soon and she would be far better off amassing more MMA experience.

These fears were confirmed yesterday when Rousey picked up the TKO win over McMann coming via a wicked knee to the liver. The stoppage resulted in a chorus of boos from the fans in attendance, who believed Herb Dean stepped in prematurely – Herb seems to be on bad form of late … It’s unfortunate as until that point McMann and Ronda had been throwing bombs at each other in a highly entertaining first minute.

It was believed that the chink in McMann’s armour would be her striking and – whether you dispute the stoppage or not – this was confirmed last night. McMann did show flashes of promise though; she managed to stuff the hip toss of Ronda which was so dominant in her last match.

Next in line to face Ronda will likely be Alexis Davis who picked up a huge win on the undercard, though Cyborg’s recent announcement that she will be dropping to 135-lbs could throw a spanner in the works.

Result: Ronda Rousey def. Sara McMann via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:06

DANIEL CORMIER (14-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) VS. PATRICK CUMMINS (4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)

This one went exactly according to the script as DC made his Light Heavyweight debut with a bulldozing victory over UFC debutant Patrick Cummins. DC was as high as a 1/16 favourite with UK bookmakers and, as the odds suggest, he made short work of Rashad Evan’s late replacement.

The former Olympic wrestler barely utilised any of his wrestling skills as he quickly rocked the newcomer with a vicious uppercut from the clinch. This visibly stunned Cummins triggering DC’s killer instinct to swarm him with punches till the then-unbeaten Light Heavyweight collapsed under the relentless pressure, making it an easy call for Mario Yamasaki to step in.

I was never a fan of this fight. Props to Patrick Cummins for stepping up, but making your UFC debut in the co-main event of a PPV against a guy like Cormier does not make for good viewing. Though I expect the UFC to use this win to hype DC fighting at 205-lbs, realistically it proves absolutely nothing. Here’s hoping that we’ll see that DC vs Rashad fight in the not-too-distant future.

Result: Daniel Cormier def. Patrick Cummins via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:19

RORY MACDONALD (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) VS. DEMIAN MAIA (18-6 MMA, 12-6 UFC)

In what would receive ‘Fight of the Night’ honours, we saw the clash of two top Welterweight fighters coming off loses looking to put their names back in the title mix. It would pit the awesome BJJ skills of Demian Maia against the more well-rounded Rory Macdonald, or in other words the timeless grappler vs striker matchup.

In the first round Maia scored a quick takedown and – for what remained of the five minute – displayed his amazing BJJ to dominate Macdonald on the ground. Every time Rory attempted an escape of a sweep Demian would be two moves ahead in a highly compelling chess match taking place on the ground. To his credit, Macdonald managed to survive the round and took the fight to Maia in the second, using his rangy attacks to bloody-up and rock the former Middleweight title contender on the feet.

Going into the third round it was unquestionably one round apiece. Macdonald had inflicted the more damage but if Maia could somehow take Rory back down to his world he could steal the win. Though Maia was able to get the quick takedown, Macdonald displayed grappling skills of his own to stand-up and continue the fight on the feet. He then continued to win the final round on the feet, easily stuffing the remainder of the Brazilian’s takedown attempts.

Rory may now be in a position where he is next in line to challenge the winner of the Hendricks vs Lawler match-up as he showed the aggression many believed he’d been lacking in his more recent fights.

Result: Rory MacDonald def. Demain Maia via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

MIKE PYLE (26-9-1 MMA, 9-4 UFC) VS. T.J. WALDBURGER (16-9 MMA, 4-4 UFC)

Experience triumphed over youth in this Welterweight clash as veteran Mike Pyle was able to get the late TKO stoppage over Waldburger.

Waldburger has built a name for himself for being an all-or-nothing style fighter – either he’ll pick up a flashy submission victory or he’ll be unconscious on the mat. Who needs judges, eh? True to form, this one didn’t hit the scorecards as a late flurry from Pyle which started with a spinning back fist rocked Waldburger, forcing him to shoot for a half-hearted takedown. Pyle reversed the attempt and found himself on top of Waldburger, raining down some of the heaviest elbows you’re ever likely to see in MMA. It was clear that Waldburger – who is known for his suspect chin – was out but still referee Herb dean didn’t jump in, making for some highly uncomfortable viewing. It was only after several more nasty looking shots landed that the fight was stopped. It’s really not been your year, has it Herb?

Result: Mike Pyle def. T.J. Waldburger via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 4:03

STEPHEN THOMPSON (9-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) VS. ROBERT WHITTAKER (11-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC)

This was always going to be one of those blink-and-it’ll-be-over type matchups as these two strikers met in the Octagon; Stephen Thompson’s unpredictable karate style would take on the more powerful boxing of Aussie Robert Whittaker.

Though the fight was over quickly, Thompson was able to display some beautiful karate techniques. Using a traditional karate stance and his reach advantage he was able to keep Whittaker on the outside while landing plentiful front kicks, body kicks and leg kicks. Though Thompson kept his hands low throughout, Whittaker’s well-documented power was nullified by this ranged assault. Frustration set in on the Australian TUF Smashes winner as he began to rush in, eventually resulting in him being clipped with a crisp straight right which rocked him and allowed Thompson to pounce for the finish.

With a big win over a tough opponent, Wonderboy is likely going to be in a position to push for a top ten 170-lb opponent.

Result: Stephen Thompson def. Robert Whittaker via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:43

Stars of UFC London predict who will win at UFC 170

Phil Harris, Danny Mitchell and Brad Scott predict UFC 170

by Ben Heather @benheather

Normally before all the UFC events we put out our own predictions picking who we think will win and our reasoning for why. This week we thought we would try and mix it up and instead of giving you our picks we have instead asked some of the best UK fighters, who will all be showcasing their skills in the Octagon in a little over 2 weeks at UFC Fight Night 38 in London.

The fighters who will be predicting the fights for this event are:

Phil Harris (1-2 UFC 22-11-1 MMA)

The english flyweight who meets Louis Gaudinot in London. That fight will kick off the show in London and is sure to be a great battle between two tough flyweights. Phil will be looking to return to London in the UFC and get his hand raised again as he did in February '13 when he defeated Ulysses Gomez.

Danny Mitchell (14-4-1 MMA)

The Cheescake Assassin will make his UFC debut next month against Igor Araujo. Mitchell has a very good record and is a welcome addition to the UFC roster. Mitchell has faced a lot of top opppnents including Dean Amasinger, Gunnar Nelson and also fought to a draw against former Cage Warriors Welterweight champion Cathal Pendred.

Brad Scott (1-1 UFC 9-2 MMA)

First became a familiar name to UFC fans when he was part of Team UK on TUF: The Smashes where he made it all the way to the final of the welterweight bracket. He would lose that fight against Robert Whittaker but then moved up to middleweight. He made his UFC middleweight debut against Michael Kuiper in Manchester finishing him in the first round and will return to action again in London.

So lets get down to business, below you will find the predictions for the fighters.

Ronda Rousey vs Sara McMann

Harris: Rousey by Decision

Mitchell: Rousey by Submission Round 1

Scott: McMann by Decision

Daniel Cormier vs Pat Cummins

Harris: Cormier by TKO Round 1

Mitchell: Cormier by Decision

Scott: Cormier by KO

Rory MacDonald vs Demian Maia 

Harris: MacDonald by Decision

Mitchell: Macdonald by TKO Round 2

Scott: MacDonald by Decision

Mike Pyle vs TJ Waldburger

Harris: Waldburger by Decision

Mitchell: Pyle by TKO Round 1

Scott: Pyle by Decision

Robert Whittaker vs Stephen Thompson

Harris: Whittaker by TKO Round 2/3

Mitchell: Whittaker by Decision

Scott: Whittaker by TKO Round 2/3

There you have it, we would like to thank all the fighters for picking who they think will win and we will see on Saturday night who comes out with the most correct results.

Is Ronda Rousey Unstoppable?

Who's up next for Ronda Rousey and who's '0' will go?!

by Tommy Strong @strong_tea

Ronda Rousey proved again at UFC 168, that it will take something or someone very special to pull off a victory against her. With another stunning performance defeating Miesha Tate 58 seconds into the 3rd round via her trade mark 'arm bar' to retain the women's bantamweight title.

Though Ronda didn't have all the things her own way, Miesha put up a valiant performance in the first and second round even escaping from a deep arm bar and then rocking Ronda a few times whilst the fight was standing.

Tate made a few errors in the fight, and I was slightly bemused by her fight plan. Trying to take Ronda down and beat her at her own game? Sorry, but this was a massive mistake. You could see when the fight was standing, Tate got the better of the striking, landing some crisp powerful shots that were hurting Ronda. But critically, then wasted heaps of energy trying to take down a former Olympic Judo bronze medallist to the ground.

With Tate having little success other than when the fight was standing, Ronda showed her true skills. Sweeping Tate and landing some powerful takedowns. Once down Ronda looked in her comfort zone and was only a matter of time being the inevitable happened.

Going into the third round with Tate running out of ideas and energy the end was nigh. It wasn't long before Ronda secured the take down and locked in the arm bar forcing Tate to tap right away. There wasn't any danger this time of Tate seeing her arm hyper extended once again.

With the fight over and Tate offering her hand to Ronda in congratulations it was Ronda that snubbed the opportunity to settle the beef and instead turned her back and refused.

I don't want to get into a debate about whether it was good or bad for the sport as that's another topic. Though I do think we as fans get suckered in by a hatred between fighters, only to be put behind them once the fight is over. You know with Ronda, if you piss her off its a grudge match you're going to loss!!

Who's Up First For Ronda?

Shortly after the fight, the UFC were quick to announce that UFC 170 will be headlined by Ronda Rousey and unbeaten fighter Sara McMann (7-0) which will take place on the 22nd February 2014 in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay.

With the exception of Cat Zingano, who was originally scheduled to be TUF 18 coach and go head to head with Ronda but was forced to pull out due to a knee injury that needed surgery, forcing Miesha Tate to step in as a late replacement.

This is the next best fight the fans would like to see!

With the champion being an Olympic Judoka bronze medallist and McMann being a Olympic Wrestler silver medallist, both not blessed with the same striking skills. This will be a fight of who can dominate on the ground. Can McMann stop the arm bar? can Ronda take McMann down? who will be the stronger? Or will the fight negate itself and we see a stand up fight for 5 rounds?

All these questions will be answered come 22nd February, though I for one am a lot more excited to see this fight than I was the Tate rematch.

Cat Zinagno:

Cat Zinagno (8-0) has been promised by Dana White, that she will get the chance to fight the winner of the Ronda vs McMann, and rightfully so in my eyes.

She's been very unfortunate with the knee injury that caused her to miss out being a TUF coach. Not only for that, but also for people to see more in the spotlight and get to know her a little better over the weeks of the TUF series to gather more fans.

Being out for this time she is being a forgotten fighter, though I'm sure if she ends up fighting Ronda or McMann we will be in for a real treat.


Finally with Ronda only fighting twice last year, the news she will be back so soon and be more active in 2014 is not only great news for the UFC but also for the fans.

With GSP taking an indefinite leave of absence and Anderson Silva suffering a horrific leg break against Chris Weidman on Saturday night, I can see the UFC trying to push her as hard, and as fast as they can, to be the new face of the promotion.

Sarah Kaufman vs Sara McMann Offical for UFC on Fox Sports 1

Sarah Kaufman vs Sara McMann Offical for UFC on Fox Sports 1

by Tommy Strong - @strong_Tea

Its been a very busy week for fight announcements , and the latest to be confirmed is 2004 Olympic Wrestling Silver medalist Sara Mcmann (7-0) taking on former Strikeforce Bantamweight champion Sarah Kaufman (16-2) at UFC on Fox Sports 1. The event will take place on August 28th 2013 in Indianapolis. 

Mcmann who is undefeated in her MMA career,  made easy work of her last opponent Sheila Gaff (10-5-1NC) with a TKO inside the 1st round at UFC 159 in April. 

With lots of talk on Mcmann being the best equipped woman fighter to challenge the current UFC bantamweight Ronda Rousey , this fight with Kaufman should show us if she is ready to challenge for the belt! 

Kaufmann a former Strikeforce bantamweight champion, has yet to debut for the UFC since signing with them. Her last fight was a debut fight for Invicta where she fought and defeated Leslie Smith in a split decision which was voted fight of the night! 

Another women's fight announced this week is a bantamweight bout that see's Sheila Gaff vs Amanda Nunes at UFC 163 on August 3rd in Rio de Janeiro . Nunes (7-3) with an impressive 6 of her 7 wins coming via knockout will be making her UFC debut after her last 2 fights being with Invicta. Nunes is coming into the bout on the back of a unanimous decision loss to Sarah D'Alelio at Invicta 4.

Gaff (10-5-1NC) lost her last fight inside the 1st round via TKO, at the hands of Sara Mcmann at UFC 159. With both fighters having a very impressive knock out record between, them Im sure we will be in for a fun fight!!

And lastly and by no means least, Liz Carmouche will now be facing the newcomer Jessica Andrade at UFC on Fox 8 on July 28th. Liz was scheduled to fight Miesha Tate , but Tate was called upon by the UFC to step up and replace the injured Cat Zingano and be coach for the TUF 18 series, and to face the current bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. 

Liz (8-3) became the first woman in the UFC to headline a PPV event when she fought UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey at UFC 157 in February. In what proved to be Ronda's hardest test to date. Coming very close to snatching the belt away from Ronda before having to tap to the arm bar specialist. 

Liz will now face Jessica Andrade (9-2) at UFC on Fox 8, and in doing so will become the first women again to fight on Fox. Her opponent Andrade still only a young fighter at 21 years of age, will have a big step up in class having to fight Liz. Though the young brazilian will be looking to make a name for herself come July.