Tag: Heavyweight

THE REBIRTH OF THE BELLATOR MMA HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION

ARTICLE BY: DANIEL GUAJARDO

In May of 2016, many saw it as a funeral for the Bellator heavyweight division. The champion at the time, Vitaly Minakov, was stripped of his title due to inactivity. To most this was the end of the heavyweight era in Bellator. At the same time, Scott Coker was already developing a new heavyweight version I’ll call “The 2.0 Era”.

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As the division stalled, Scott Coker went out and signed wrestling standout Tyrell Fortune in 2015 during his Olympic run. In March of 2016, Bellator signed free agent and former TUF fighter Matt Mitrione. As the division began to gain some traction, Chiek Kongo signed a contract extension with the promotion on September 2016, showing his confidence on the division’s future. A couple months later in November, heavyweight great Fedor Emelianenko made a big splash when he announced he had signed with Bellator MMA.

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Molding the division slowly and signing the right names seemed to be the plan for the company. Building a legit heavyweight division is not an easy task and even harder to maintain. Even the UFC has had difficulties throughout the years and suffered from a lack of youth in its division. Things I’m sure Bellator noticed as well. The heavyweight division is one of the most popular and exciting in all of mixed martial arts. According to mmafighting.com the average fight time in the heavyweight division is 7:59. That’s the fastest average for any division.

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On March 2017, Bellator continued its heavyweight process by signing fan favorite Roy Nelson. As if that wasn’t enough Frank Mir was also brought into the company in August that same year. More news was to come in November when Quinton “Rampage” Jackson announced that he resigned to the promotion and Former WWE wrestler Jake Hager inked a deal where he would make his MMA debut. The Rampage deal showed not only could Bellator MMA sign new free agents, but it could also retain its talent as well. A subject many wondered about.

The announcement of the Heavyweight Grand Prix in which the winner of the year-long tournament would be crowned the Heavyweight World Champion was announced and gave the division a clear direction. It also sparked lots of attention to many who were wondering about the division’s status as a whole. With all the emphasis on the big name fighters and the Grand Prix, Bellator was quietly developing and signing prospects. Since signing, Tyrell Fortune has built a 5-0 record, and Valentin Moldavsky has racked up 2 wins under the promotion, moving his record to 7-1. Steven Mowry (4-0) who was signed on June will make his promotional debut on September 21st at Bellator 205.

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In April of this year, Bellator went after another established name when they signed Timothy Johnson. Just recently, Vitaly Minakov has patched up issues and resigned a deal with the promotion. As of now, the division is looking the best it has ever looked, mixing in exciting veteran talent, promising prospects, and fighters in their prime. With a champion to be crowned in the upcoming months, there are many fighters waiting for the first shot.

Where do you think the division will be headed?

Who do you see as champion at the end of 2019?

Opinion: The Curious Case of Greg Hardy

In a sport known for its violence and aggression, Greg Hardy presents a unique set of challenges to the UFC. You see, Hardy has already had a career in an inherently aggressive sport, the NFL. He was drafted with the 175th pick in the 2010 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers. The Ole Miss product played five years with the Panthers organization before legal trouble ultimately led to his release from the team.

The legal trouble? Domestic violence in which he was alleged to have grabbed, thrown, strangled, and threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend.

Before we dive into this domestic violence charge, let’s continue with his NFL career. Once released from the Panthers, the Dallas Cowboys took a chance on the second-team All-Pro, signing him to a one year deal. The season started fine, but Hardy was soon faced with serving a four-game suspension due to a violation of the NFL’s Code of Conduct policy after a Deadspin story was released containing photos of the injuries left on his ex-girlfriend. Despite that, he had a rather good year leading the Dallas defense in QB pressures and was second on the team in sacks. It was again the off-field issues that prevented the Cowboys from resigning Hardy. A myriad of reasons, both personal and professional, contributed to his release with some including,: frequent partying, inappropriate tweets, sleeping through team meetings, and being an overall bad influence on the younger players, to name just a few.

So once again, Hardy finds himself without a job, and because the story was published with pictures of his alleged victim’s injuries and his reputation for being unprofessional, no team wanted him. On September 26th, 2016, Hardy was arrested and charged with possession of controlled substance (cocaine).

So what does this have to do with MMA or the UFC? Well, unless you have been living under a rock (or have zero interest in MMA), you would know that Greg Hardy has appeared on the Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series twice, and subsequently received a UFC developmental contract after his first appearance In June, 2018, which resulted in a 0:57 second KO.

Hardy’s second professional bout was also on the Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series when he finished Tebaris Gordon in just 0:17 seconds.

The challenge that the UFC faces stands in the middle of Hardy’s talent, and Hardy’s history. So, let’s circle back to his 2014 domestic violence arrest.

Roughly a month after his arrest, Hardy was found guilty of assault and communicating threats and was sentenced to 18 months probation, suspending a 60-day jail sentence. There was an appeal, and when the victim failed to appear in court to testify, and with reliable information that a civil settlement had been made, the charges were dropped. On November 5th, 2015, the conviction was expunged from Hardy’s record, and the very next day the Deadspin story, with the photographs of the victim’s injuries, was released.

The UFC is not new to the scene of domestic violence or abuse. After a very notable incident in 2014 involving former UFC fighter, (and at the time current Bellator fighter) Jon Koppenhaver, AKA War Machine, other notable fighters were named that were still on the UFC’s roster including Anthony Johnson, Thiago Silva, and Travis Browne.

That was a report from 2015, what about today? Well, in just the last month, August 4th to be exact, Andrea “KGB” Lee was assaulted by her husband, while earlier in the year Nick Diaz was charged with two counts of domestic battery.

So why then, would the UFC be willing to bring in Greg Hardy? Any way you look at it, this is a PR nightmare. There is a lot of talk about “second chances” and how even someone like Hardy should get one. But didn’t he already? There is a group defending him saying that he is a changed man, and this is his redemption story. I haven’t seen anything resembling remorse, nor has a statement been made apologizing for his actions. To me, it seems he has just started over in a new profession, making his way back into the spotlight and, most likely, going to make a lot of money.

The signing of Greg Hardy seems less like a redemption story and far more like a money grab. I understand that the UFC is a business, and businesses need to make money. The UFC has been known to often schedule the fights that make money, and not always the fights that make sense. Again, I can understand what they are trying to do, but I won’t accept it. If they want to use his name to make money, then just say so. Don’t try to hide behind a façade of good intentions, helping Hardy to rise from his ashes like a phoenix. Just call it like it is and own it, a money grab.

In the title, I was deliberate in detailing this as an opinion piece, so please, feel free to disagree with me. I don’t think it makes you any less of a person, but just know that my stance will not change, much like I assume yours will not either. As I mentioned earlier, I understand it, but do not accept it. So, I will not be tuning in to any of Hardy’s fights. I don’t care if he wins, and I won’t tune in to “watch him lose” either.

Honestly, when I saw the highlight knockouts (impossible to not see them plastered all over Twitter), I felt worse for the victim in his case. Here is a grown man knocking out another incredibly strong grown man in less than a minute, and less than 20 seconds! What did she have to endure, and for how long? Domestic violence is not a joke, nor is it something that should be lauded as long as you have some athletic prowess and can be entertaining.

So with the culture changing in America, and the number of movements in protest of this type of behavior, it will be interesting to see how this signing will affect the UFC. While it can draw in large amounts of money on a per fight basis, it could become a political nightmare with a vast array of negative feedback and decreased viewership. Some fans may opt to not watch and look for a different promotion, and with the rise of companies like Bellator and Professional Fighters League, MMA fans won’t have to look far. Thus the conundrum of the curious case of Greg Hardy.

UFC 226 Preview and Predictions

Five fights.

Four Heavyweights.

Three Reigning Champions.

Two Title Fights.

One Epic Night of MMA on the UFC 226 Main Card!

UFC 226 will be live on July 7th, headlined by a remarkable Super fight between current heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and current light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, but enough of the promotional details, let’s break down some fights!

 

Gökhan “The Rebel” Saki (1-1) vs. Khalil “The War Horse” Rountree (6-2)

A fun matchup to kick off the main card, this fight features two knockout machines. Of his six MMA victories, Rountree has registered four KOs with two unanimous decisions. While, as an MMA fighter, Saki stands with a record of only 1-1, he also has an incredible 83-12 (53(T)KOs) record as a kickboxer. Basically, don’t let the lack of fights on Saki’s MMA record concern you, he has been on the big stage and fought some great fighters. With that said, Rountree has a vicious left hand, but if Saki can use his Muay Thai and kickboxing background to keep him at a distance this could be a grind out fight.

PREDICTION: Khalil Rountree (RND 1) KO

 

Michael “Maverick” Chiesa (14-3) vs. Anthony “Showtime” Pettis (20-7)

This matchup is the newly coined Moose’s (that’s me!) Must-watch Matchup! This fight was originally scheduled to take place at UFC 223, but some fella by the name Conor McGregor had a bus bashing meltdown, which injured Chiesa leading to doctors not clearing him for the fight against Pettis. Pettis enters this fight on his only real negative slide, losing five of his last seven fights. It is hard to hold that against him once you consider the opponents that he has faced in those last seven fights, Dos Anjos, Alvarez, Barboza, Holloway. Unfortunately, Pettis will have to face a very talented Chiesa in his hopes to climb back onto the winning path. Chiesa is a submission guru with ten of his fourteen wins by way of submission. Interestingly, Pettis has never lost a fight via submission, all while Chiesa has never won by (T)KO. I expect an excellent fight from these two phenomenal fighters!

PREDICTION: Michael Chiesa (RND 2) Submission

 

Francis “The Predator” Ngannou (11-2) vs. Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (19-5)

The last time we saw Francis Ngannou fight, it was against Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, and here he is once again with Stipe. Fortunately, Ngannou doesn’t have to face the champ again this weekend. The Predator’s opponent on this card is past Legacy FC heavyweight champion, Derrick Lewis. These two fighters love to throw leather, having a combined 24 (T)KOs in their 30 victories! Amazingly, of those same 30 wins, only one fighter has won by decision (Lewis), while Ngannou’s only two losses have come via decision. Finishing instinct will be on full display this weekend, as both fighters will make an attempt to schedule some fireworks of their own inside the T-Mobile Arena! P.S. I would be remiss to not mention Ngannou has never seen the 3rd round of any victory, always finishing 1st or early 2nd round, with his last four victories all within 2:00 of round one (1:34, 1:57, 1:32, 1:42).
PREDICTION: Francis Ngannou (RND 1) KO

Bout Cancelled⬇️⬇️

Max “Blessed” Holloway (19-3) vs. Brian “T-City” Ortega (14-0)

Now, onto the co-main event! An electric matchup between two of the hottest win-streaks in MMA. Max Holloway enters the contest riding a 12 fight win streak, his last loss coming at the hands of Conor McGregor in 2013. Since that loss Holloway has put on impressive performance after impressive performance, culminated by winning the interim featherweight belt against the aforementioned Anthony Pettis, unifying the belt in a bout against José Aldo, then successfully defending the belt, again against Aldo. Brian Ortega, on the other hand, enters with an undefeated 14-0 (1 NC). Ortega has finished his last six fights, capped off with a vicious KO of Frankie Edgar at the end of the 1st round, back in March. Stylistically, this is the type of fight that the UFC can capitalize on, and will keep MMA fans talking for months, potentially becoming an instant classic. This is anyone’s guess as to who will win, but let’s look at some of the particulars. I mentioned moments ago that Ortega has finished his last six (seven if you include the NC) opponents. He has three KOs, seven submissions, and four decision victories all while keeping his record out of the loss column. Holloway, in his 19 wins has nine KOs, two submissions, and eight decision victories, finishing his last three opponents via TKO. While Ortega is the real deal, it is very hard for me to doubt the Champ in this one.

PREDICTION: Max Holloway (RND 5) Unanimous Decision

 

Stipe Miocic (18-2) vs. Daniel “DC” Cormier (20-1)

THE SUPER FIGHT! To cap off an incredible main card is the long-awaited matchup between two G.O.A.T.s (as the kids call it). Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier have spent the last few months as coaches on the UFC reality TV series, The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). DC, in my opinion, is one of the best fighters in the world, considering his only loss is to Jon Jones (something that basically every fighter to face Jones can also say). Inversely, Stipe Miocic is an extremely underrated UFC champion, opened as the underdog (+130) in his last fight against Francis Ngannou. Since taking the belt against Fabricio Werdum in 2016, Miocic has set the record for most consecutive heavyweight title defenses (3) in UFC history. What makes this such a great fight, outside of the fact that two current champions will meet in the octagon, DC hasn’t fought at heavyweight since 2013. He has, however, held heavyweight titles in promotions such as Strikeforce, King of the Cage (KOTC), and Xtreme MMA, so he is able to compete at that weight class. DC has also said in interviews, that he feels great not having to worry about a weight cut. Both of these warriors are great wrestlers, but I would give the edge to DC. Both do well striking, but I lean toward Miocic as a more accomplished striker (13 KOs to DC’s 9) and being the taller fighter. This competition will come down to who can control the octagon better, if DC can land some takedowns and stay on top of Miocic, he may be able to grind out the victory, but…if Miocic can use his size and reach to keep Cormier guessing, and more importantly away from him, than #AndStill will be the echo throughout the T-Mobile arena! Either way this goes, you have two top-notch men and fighters getting after it this weekend, and as fans of MMA, it is hard for us not to win!

PREDICTION: Stipe Miocic (RND 5) Decision (Stipe is a firefighter…so am I, that is why he has my vote! I mean that and the 8-inch reach)