CM Punk (real name Phil Brooks) will undergo back surgery on Wednesday in Chicago, delaying his UFC debut indefinitely.
According to what Brooks told MMAFighting.com‘s Ariel Helwani, the injury is a lingering issue from his pro wrestling days that has worsened in recent months. The recovery time will be 4-6 weeks, and he’s still planning on debuting at some point in 2016.
The timing couldn’t be worse as his opponent was just confirmed last Saturday at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas after Mickey Gall took less than a minute to defeat Mike Jackson to earn the shot. An exact date was not announced at the time, but he was to face Gall at an undetermined UFC PPV, assumed to be in June or July. Unfortunately, he found out about needing surgery just hours before Gall fought Jackson.
Punk has already had one injury setback when a shoulder injury last August delayed his training.
A heavyweight match-up between Junior Dos Santos and Ben Rothwell headlines UFC’s first event in Croatia on April 10 at the Zagreb Arena.
The company announced the fight on Twitter early Monday morning. Dos Santos (17-4), is a former heavyweight champion and No. 6 ranked contender. Rothwell (36-9), is now ranked No. 5, and after a submission win over Josh Barnett on Jan. 30, his fourth straight finish, had a viable argument for a title shot.
One of those wins by Rothwell was over Alistair Overeem via first round knockout on September 5, 2014, in Manshantucket, Conn. Overeem knocked Dos Santos out of title contention on Dec. 19 in Orlando on FOX. Prior to that loss, Dos Santos had lost only to Cain Velasquez over the prior eight years. In late 2014, Dos Santos scored a close decision win over Stipe Miocic, who is expected to get the next heavyweight title shot.
Dos Santos’ title reign started with a 64 second knockout of Velasquez on November 12, 2011, which was, by a great margin, the single-most watched televised MMA fight ever in the U.S., viewed by 9.5 million viewers between live airings on Fox and Fox Deportes.
He lost the title to Velasquez won December 29, 2012, and lost a third fight in 2013. He took terrible beatings in both losses, particularly the latter, and didn’t look like the same fighter against Miocic, but had enough to win. With Overeem, his performance raised questions about how much he had left.
Rothwell is a veteran who was the heavyweight star of the International Fight League in 2006 and 2007, and debuted in UFC in 2009 with a loss to Velasquez. He lost three of his first five UFC fights, but rebounded with wins over Brandon Vera, Overeem, Matt Mitrione and Barnett.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 82: Hendricks vs. Thompson from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is headlined by a five-round bout in the UFC’s welterweight division as former UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks takes on Stephen Thompson, winner of five straight fights. In the co-main event, it will be heavyweight action as Roy Nelson squares off against Jared Rosholt. Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 7 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
They just announced the next FOX show is 4/16 from the Amalie Arena in Tampa with at least a four hour show on FOX itself.
Cub Swanson vs. Hacran Dias
Bethe Correia vs. Raquel Pennington
Michael Chiesa vs. Beneil Dariush
Tecia Torres vs. Rose Namajunas
Lyoto Machida vs. Dan Henderson
Rashad Evans vs. Shogun Rua
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson in a five round main event
The 4/23 PPV will be in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena
Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title
Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo for the flyweight title
Coverage provided by Dave Meltzer
The show opened with a Mickey Gall video, followed by a C.M. Punk interview with Ariel Helwani.
Punk said his focus will be different after today. Said he knows Mickey Gall drives a bread truck, he’s hungry, he’s a purple belt in Jiu Jitsu, but doesn’t have a lot to go on. He said we’re both a bit of a mystery so the fight makes sense. “He’s got hands, he knocked the guy down and he choked the guy out. I think Jiu Jitsu is his strong suit.”
He said if hey fight it’ll be a matter of who wants it jore and who trains hardest beween now and he fight.
“I’m gonna watch, excited to see it, I’m gonna watch like a fan,”
Said hopes Gall wins so he’ll know his opponent. He said that he’s creating jobs, and he’s created two. He said that if Mike (Jackson) wins, he doesn’t get him. “I don’t get it and I don’t think anyone else does either.”
Punk made a joke about not being any good at promos but in time he hopes he can improve.
FEATHERWEIGHTS- ARTEM LOBOV (11-11-1 1 NC, 0-1 UFC) VS. ALEX WHITE (10-2, 1-2 UFC)
First round: Lobov is a Russian who lives in Dublin and trains with Conor McGregor. White with a body kick. Hard body kick by White. Lobov with a body kick. Lobov has him against the fence. White landed a punch and took him down. Punches and knees by White. White 10-9.
Second round: Lobov’s coaches told him he probably lost the round because he got wobbled. Low kick by White. Left to the body by White. Kick to the body by White. Traded punches. White landing more. White still landing. Both trading. Lobov bleeding under the left eye. White took him down. White 20-18.
Third round: White took him down again. He moved to side control Lobov started to land after he got up. He scored a nice right hook. White came back with punches when Lobov missed wild punches. White landing punches and Lobov look tired. White took him down again. Lobov bleeding from a number of cuts. 30-27 White
Scores: All three have this 30-27 for White
WELTERWEIGHTS- MICKEY GALL (1-0, 0-0 UFC) VS. MIKE JACKSON (0-0, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Jackson is only the sixth guy to make his pro debut in UFC in the post-2001 era. He’s an MMA media guy but is 2-0 as a pro boxer. Gall dropped him with a right to the jaw and after a few punchds on the ground, Gall got his back and is working for a choke. He got the choke and Jackson tapped out immediately. :45
He cut a promo on Punk. Punk came to the cage. They shook hands Punk. Punk looked taller than Gall but he was wearing shoes. They posed together. Punk said nothing on the mic but will do an interview backstage.
Punk did a backstage interview. Punk said he looked very impressive, that’s the way I want to win a fight. Punk said he thought both men looked relax, both came out to good music, he seemed to be having fun. Punk asked him if he was having fan and Gall said “I’m having a blast.” Punk said he’s indifferent that it was a short fight, “I don’t care about how hard he hits. I try not to get hit.” He said he wants to talk to his wife, said she’s in her room writing a book.
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
FEATHERWEIGHTS- NOAD LAHAT (9-1, 2-1 UFC) VS. DIEGO RIVAS (6-0, 1-0 UFC)
First round: Rivas poked him in the eye right away. Lahat with a low kick. Lahat took him down. Lahat working for a guillotine. Rivas seems to have it blocked. Lahat gave up on it. Lahat stayed on top. Lahat has his back. Now he’s working for a head and arm choke. Rivas got up slammed him down but Lahat reversed to the top. Lahat 10-9.
Second round: Rivas landed a jumping knee and blocked Lahat out. Crazy finish. Lahat was out cold.
FLYWEIGHTS- (#12) RAY BORG (9-1, 3-1 UFC) VS. JUSTIN SCOGGINS (10-2, 3-2 UFC)
First round: Borg took him down but Scoggins right back up. Body kick by Scoggins. Left and body shot by Scoggins. Scoggins with lefts. Borg went for a takedown but Scoggins blocked it. Borg has a bloody nose. Body kick by Scoggins. 10-9 Scoggins
Second round: Spin kick by Scoggins. Scoggins slammed him down, although it was more Borg pulling guard. Borg up. Body kick by Scoggins. Head kick by Scoggins. Borg bleeding from the nose. Scoggins took him down. Borg went for a reverse but Scoggins reversed back to the top. Scoggins landing a lot of punches but Borg threw a big punch back. Spin kick by Scoggins. Right by Borg. Scoggins missed a spinning backfist. Borg went for the takedown but didn’t get it. Scoggins tried a takedown by Borg defended. Scoggins 20-18.
Third round: Borg got the takedown. Scoggins up and slammed him down. Borg back up. Scoggigns took him down again. Scoggins just holding him down and trying to burn out the clock since he’s winning the decision here. Scoggins 30-27.
Scores: 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26 for Scoggins.
Scoggins did a great promo, telling UFC to not put him on the shelf, and vowed he would win the title by the end of 2016.
HEAVYWEIGHTS- DERRICK LEWIS (13-4 1 NC, 4-2 UFC) VS. DAMIAN GRABOWSKI (20-2, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Lewis ran in but got taken down. Lewis then threw him down and is on top. Lewis landing big punches. Grabowski bleeding. Lewis threw punches from the back. Lewis hammering him with punches from the top. Lewis landed more punches and it was stopped. Impressive win.
First round: Body kick by Burkman. Low kick by Burkman and two more. More low kicks by Burkman. Body kick by Burkman. Low kick by Burkamn. Burkman with a spin kick. Burkman with a body kick. Crowd booing. Body kick by Burkman. Noons did nothing this round until the end when he finally started throwing punches. 10-9 Burkman
Second round: Burkman took him down with a high slam but Noons back up. Big left by Noons. Burkman still with low kicks. Crowd booing again. Both trading punches. Noons lands a nice left hook. Burkamn landed a good punch. Closer round. 20-18 Burkman.
Third round: John McCarthy pretty much told them to do something. Burkman took him down. Noons back up. Noons landed several punches. Noons landing more. Burkman looks tired. Noons landing a good left hook. Knee by Burkman. Hard right by Noons. Burkman working for a takedown. Burkman with a left. Burkman working for a takedown and Noons was landing elbows. Burkman took him down. Noons but still have it 29-28 for Burkman.
Scores: All three have it 30-27 for Burkman.
MAIN CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
WELTERWEIGHTS- MIKE PYLE (26-11-1, 9-6 UFC) VS. SEAN SPENCER (12-4, 3-3 UFC)
First round: Pyle with a body kick. Pyle with a low kick. Spencer dropped him with a right. Spencer landed a left. Spencer with lefts. Pyle back with punches late. Spencer 10-9.
Second round: Pyle hurt him with a punch. Pyle landing rights. Spinning back fist by Pyle and Spencer back with a punch. Spencer with a left. Spencer with a left. Pyle with punches. Knee by Pyle. Spin kick by Pyle. Pyle got for a takedown and got it at the last end of the round. Pyle’s round so 19-19.
Third round: Spencer in with punches. Spencer landed some punches. Pyle faked being rocked which is a bad idea because people, as in judges, may believe it. Pyle took him down and has a guillotine. Knee to the body by Pyle. Left by Spencer. Left by Spencer and a knee by Pyle. Pyle hurt him with an elbow. He’s throwing hard knees and another knee. Elbows by Pyle. More knees, Another knee and Yves Lavigne stopped it. This was a hell of a fight.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- MISHA CIRKUNOV (10-2, 1-0 UFC) VS. ALEX NICHOLSON (6-1, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Nicholson was giving away a ton of size. He looked like a welterweight, not even a middleweight. Cirkunov with a head kick. Cirkunov is just beating him up. Takedown by Cirkunov. Herb Dean got mad at Nicholson for a low knee. Dean said next time he’s taking away a point. Left by Cirkunov. Cirkunov with punches. Cirkunov took him down again. Hard elbow by Cirkunov. 10-9 Cirkunov.
Second round: Cirkunov took him down. Cirkunov got his back. Cirkunov landing punches from back position. He used a neck crank and got the tap. Screwed up that engagement weekend. Cirkunov just beat him up the entire fight.
FLYWEIGHTS- (#1) JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ (23-4, 10-2 UFC) VS. (#8) ZACH MAKOVSKY (19-6, 3-2 UFC)
First round: Left by Benavidez. Makovksy took him down but Benavidez back up. Low kick by Benavidez. Head kick by Benavidez. Punches by Benavidez. Body kick by Benavidez. Benavidez overwhelmed him but Makovsky took him down again. Another takedown by Makvosky and got his back. 10-9 Benavidez,.
Second round: Makovsky again going for a takedown. Punches and a knee by Benavidez. Body kick by Benavidez. Makovsky got a takedown but Benavidez right back up. The crowd is really into this. Left by Makovsky. He got another takedown but Benavidez back up. Makovsky with another takedown. He jumped on his back. Close round. Makovsky so 19-19.
Third round: Makovsky with a left. Knee by Makovsky. Benavidez with a right. Punch and knee by Benavidez. Benavidez ran in and delivered a right and left and another right. Another right by Benavidez. Left and right by Benavidez. Benavidez knocked him off balance as time ran out. Benavidez 29-28 but he has to win the fight.
Scores: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 Benavidez
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#6) OVINCE SAINT PREUX (18-7, 6-2 UFC) VS. (#13) RAFAEL CAVALCANTE (12-6 1 NC, 1-3 UFC)
First round: Saint Preux hurt himself throwing a low kick. Saint Preux is in trouble now as he can barely move. Fejiao throwing low kicks. Right by Feijao. Left by OSP and he’s unloading with punches and put Feijao down . Saint Preux with an elbow from the top. Saint Preux with body punches while staying on top. OSP is hurt by I have him winning the round 10-9.
Second round: Feijao with a left. Saint Preux with lefts. Body kick by Saint Preux. Another front kick by Saint Preux. Saint Preuz knocked him down with a left. Saint Preux on top. Saint Preux landing a lot of lefts from the top. 20-18 OSP.
Third round: Saint Preux moving better. Feijao started throwing big punches. Saint Preux went for a takedown. Saint Preux landing more punches and took him down. Saint Preux is mainly just holding him down and the crowd is booing a lot. They really should stand it up from here. Big left dropping down by Saint Preux . Saint Preux throwing a lot of punches late. It was close to being stopped when the time ran out. 30-27 OSP, could be 30-26.
Scores: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for OSP.
The injury was to OSP’s right ankle.
HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#11) ROY NELSON (20-12, 7-8 UFC) VS. (#12) JARED ROSHOLT (14-2, 6-1 UFC)First round: Nelson missed a punch by a mile. Rosholt landed a few punches. Rosholt with punches. Rosholt with jabs. Front kick by Rosholt. Rosholt 10-9.
Second round: Nelson with a low kick. Nelson is moving forward but not landing anything. Nelson slipped throwing a punch. Body kick by Rosholt. Crowd booing this fight as well. Left by Nelson. Low kick by Rosholt. Nelson landed a right. Nelson landed a couple of punches and Rosholt dancing away. Rosholt landed some punches. Boring fight. Nelson’s round so 19-19.
Third round: Low kick by Nelson. Rosholt dancing away. Nelson throwing big punches and Rosholt ran away. Rosholt landed a left as Nelson came in. Nelson back with a few punches. Right by Nelson. Rosholt went for a takedown but Nelson blocked it. Rosholt anded a right. Left by Rosholt. Crowd booing both men. Nelson 29-28 but either guy could win.
Scores: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 Nelson
WELTERWEIGHTS- (#2) JOHNY HENDRICKS (17-3, 12-3 UFC) VS. (#8) STEPHEN THOMPSON (11-1, 6-1 UFC)
First round: Hendricks looks so much smaller than usual. Hendricks moved in and working for a takedown. Thompson’s defense is good. Side kick by Thompson. High kick by Thompson. Another head kick and landing big punches and a body kick Thompson is taking him apart. Right by Thompson. Right by Thompson. Head kick by Thompson. Left by Thompson. Knee by Thompson. Left by Hendricks and Thompson back with kicks. Thompson destroying him with punches. He landed a spin kick and finished him with punches. This was a one sided destruction. Hendricks had nothing. He was a different guy. 3:31
Former WWE Champion C.M. Punk’s first opponent in the UFC is now confirmed: Mickey Gall.
The 24-year-old steamrolled through Mike Jackson Saturday on the Fight Pass portion of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, submitting Jackson in just 45 seconds and taking no damage in the process.
During his post-fight promo, Gall said he was still just thinking about one man, saying “I’m hungry…feed me CM Punk!” Punk then got in the cage, shook hands with Gall, and the two had a conversation. Punk didn’t get on the mic, which was odd, but did square off with Gall.
Punk then did an interview with Ariel Helwani in the back and didn’t add much, other than that he was excited but still doesn’t know a date. He said he’d like to do UFC 200, but that it wasn’t up to him. He did reveal that AJ Lee is writing a book.
Dana White was at cageside for the fight and also did an interview with Helwani backstage. He put over Gall quite a bit and discussed how he’d deal with the pressure. White said they’ll announce something soon, alluding to June and saying that everyone wants to be on UFC 200 in July.
The 37-year-old Punk (real name Phil Brooks) has had quite a week already with media as an interview with Complex went sour quite quickly and has been covered by several outlets already.
If I’ve learned one thing in the world of UFC in 2016, it’s that UFC thinks that the value of a Fabricio Werdum fight is about $60. I say this because tonight’s card was originally scheduled for PPV and when the Werdum heavyweight title defence was pulled from the card, it became a free television show. As a PPV, this show would’ve been a tough sell but as a free card, it’s pretty damned good.
Former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks returns to the Octagon on his road back to the title, a rising heavyweight takes on a fan favorite but fading contender in Roy Nelson, two former Strikeforce fighters square off with title contention or irrelevancy on line, and two top 10 flyweights will meet in what is perhaps the most relevant fight on the show in terms of an immediate title contender. In the last of our panel picks, two former welterweights move down a weight class in an effort to jumpstart their careers. All of this AND Mickey Gall facing the King of Pop to get a chance to face former WWE Champion CM Punk in the summer!
Here’s our panel with the 2016 records in parenthesis. We’ve also added a running tally of the records of the favorites going into the fights and the panel consensus picks:
John Pollock (11-4; .733) – Fight Network analyst, Live Audio Wrestling co-host, MMA Report co-host
Mike Sawyer (10-5; .667) – Tough Talk MMA
Josh Nason (10-5; .667) – Host of Josh Nason’s Punch Out; writer/editor WrestlingObserver.com , WON Twitter guy
Steve Juon (9-6; .600) – MMA Mania/Wrestling Observer writer. Angry Marks founder
Mike Sempervive (9-6; .600) – Wrestling Observer Live and Big Audio Nightmare co-host
Ryan Frederick (9-6; .600) – WrestlingObserver.com UFC reporter, WON Twitter guy
Consensus picks (8-6; .571)
Favorites (8-7; .533)
Dave Meltzer (8-7; .533)– Wrestling Observer founder
Front Row Brian (7-8; .467) – MMA newsbreaker, beloved internet personality, Podcast host
Paul Fontaine (7-8; .467) – MMADraws.com founder, WrestlingObserver.com writer
David Bixenspan (7-8; .467) – Figure Four Weekly writer, podcast host
Johny Hendricks (17-3) vs Steven Thompson (11-1) Welterweights
Remember Johny Hendricks? The guy who’s struggled the last couple of years with his weight? The guy who took GSP to the limit in his final fight, with many believing he actually won the fight? The guy who had a 2 fight, 10 round series with Robbie Lawler that was as even as it could possibly be, coming out of the end of it without his title? Ya, that guy. He’s back and taking on a Karate fighter with a lot of hype and an impressive record and he’s out to prove that he should get the next shot at the 170 lb title. Thompson can knock out anyone with his kicks out of nowhere and this should be a great main event. It’s the first time Hendricks has fought on free TV in almost four years in an interesting note. Our panel does not think there’s much of a doubt in this one.
Roy Nelson (20-12) vs Jared Rosholt (14-2) Heavyweights
For the 2nd straight week, we have Heavyweights squaring off in the co-main event. Nelson was the TUF 10 champion, which seems like eons ago. In more recent times, he’s lost 6 of his last 7 fights but he’s also fought guys ranked ahead of him for the most part. Rosholt has the exact opposite UFC record, going 6-1 against mostly guys at or below his level although he did score a win over big Stefan Struve in his last fight. But he’s done so in non-typical Heavyweight fashion, grinding out decision wins in all but one of those fights. With a win over Nelson, he’ll likely move into the top 10 and start facing guys at the top of the division.
Nelson (moderate favorite): Sempervive, Sawyer, Pollock, Frederick, Meltzer Rosholt: Nason, Front Row Brian, Juon, Fontaine, Bix
Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante (12-6) vs Ovince St Preux (18-7) Light Heavyweights
Feijao has struggled since coming over from Strikeforce when UFC absorbed the company in 2013. He’s got just one win in 4 UFC fights and this won’t get any easier for him tonight. OSP has fought twice as many times in the same time frame and has a 6-2 record, which propelled him into the top 10. His last 5 wins have all been by finish, with 4 of them coming in the first round. It’s unlikely that either of these guys will ever contend for a title but there should be some great action here. Once again, there’s no doubt amongst our panel that OSP will emerge victorious.
Joseph Benavidez (23-4) vs Zach Makovsky (19-6) Flyweights
If flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson didn’t exist, Benavidez would be unbeaten in the UFC and in fact going back to a split decision loss to current Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz in WEC in 2010. Sandwiched around his 11 wins in that time are two losses to Johnson. It’s tough to justify giving him a third shot at the belt but Benavidez is doing what he can to make that happen. His opponent, Makosvsky, should be someone he can handle as he comes in with losses in 2 of his last 3 fights. Benavidez really has almost nothing to gain here with a win but everything to lose.
Josh Burkman (27-12) vs KJ Noons (13-8) Lightweights
Burkman has had some fun fights since returning to UFC but unfortunately for him, he’s failed to score a victory and has been finished his last two times out. This has led him to make the drop to 155 lbs for the first time in his career as he hopes to get back on the winning track. In fact, his last UFC win was in 2007 and since that time, he’s lost 6 times in the Octagon (with one later being changed to a no-contest). Noons has fought 2 of his last 3 fights at Welterweight but returns to his more familiar weight class here. The former Elite XC Lightweight Champion is one of only two fighters to have KO’d Nick Diaz and has the power to stop anyone in the division.
Another week, another UFC fight card, this time coming from Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC Fight Night 82 is headlined by a welterweight bout between Johny Hendricks and Stephen Thompson, and below are our studs, value plays and fighters to avoid when making your DraftKings line-up for the event.
STUDS
Mickey Gall ($10,900)
It seems odd that putting a fighter with a 1-0 record making his UFC debut as a top play for fantasy, but Mickey Gall is a top play on this card. He’s fighting Mike Jackson, who is making his professional debut and hasn’t had an amateur MMA fight in some time (he has done boxing and kickboxing bouts though). Gall has a date set against C.M. Punk should he get past Jackson, and he should. Gall doesn’t have the technical skills that make him ready for UFC competition, which is why he gets a debut opponent. This fight is set up for Gall to get a win and move onto Punk, and he probably score a finish as well. Gall is a solid play on the day.
Ovince Saint Preux ($10,700)
Ovince Saint Preux is looking to rebound from a disappointing loss to Glover Teixeira in August, and he has a perfect match-up against Rafael Cavalcante on Saturday night. Cavalcante has seemed to regress over the years due to drug suspensions and injuries, and he either knocks his opponent out or gets knocked out. Saint Preux hasn’t suffered a knockout loss in over six years, and he’s much more talented now. Saint Preux is a finisher, winning his last five fights by finish, and he’s got the reach, height and overall advantage over Cavalcante. He likely finishes him inside of two rounds, so he is a very good play on the night.
VALUE PLAYS
Stephen Thompson ($9,000)
Stephen Thompson is rising in the welterweight division, winning five straight fights and looking very impressive in them. He gets the biggest test of his career against Johny Hendricks in the main event, and he has some good value at his salary. That has to do with the bout going five rounds, and I see it going the full 25 minutes. Whether he can win is the big question as Hendricks will likely do enough on the feet and get takedowns to win. Thompson can win the fight if he can keep it on the feet, but that’s a question. I see him as a risk, but he has excellent value in a fight that can go 25 minutes.
Justin Scoggins ($8,900)
Justin Scoggins has a tough fight against Ray Borg, but both are solid prospects in the flyweight division who have exciting fights. Scoggins has been a finisher in his career, scoring seven of his ten wins by finish. He only has one UFC win by finish, and Borg is a tough fighter to finish. The difference in salaries between the two seems a little long, but Borg has been on a solid streak lately while Scoggins is just 1-2 in his last three. His salary makes him a good value pick as he has a good chance at scoring an upset over Borg and it will allow you to spend bigger for your roster.
FIGHTERS TO AVOID
Artem Lobov ($9,800)
Artem Lobov scored a whopping one point in his UFC debut against Ryan Hall. Over the course of 15 minutes, he landed two significant strikes. That is it. He is not a UFC caliber fighter, but he gets a second chance against Alex White. It is less than two months after the bout against Hall and in a lower weight class. White is just 1-2 in the UFC, but won his first ten career fights and nine came by stoppage. Lobov is durable and likely won’t be finished, but I don’t see much upside in him or him even getting the win. I recommend avoiding him at all costs.
Mike Pyle ($9,400)
Mike Pyle is a veteran fighter, but as he has just turned 40-years-old, it is likely that his career has seen better days. He has lost three of his last four fights, and he was finished quickly in two of those losses. He faces Sean Spencer on Saturday night, and Spencer is a grinder type fighter who can be a sneaky finisher. He hasn’t finished anyone inside the Octagon yet, though, but Pyle’s chin may not be what is used to be. At worst, it will be a grinding affair and Spencer will have the advantage if it goes to the scorecards. Pyle will be a fighter we will be avoiding in our line-ups.
OUR LINE-UPS
RYAN FREDERICK- Mickey Gall ($10,900), Ovince Saint Preux ($10,700), Johny Hendricks ($10,400), K.J. Noons ($9,300), Zach Makovsky ($8,600)
I’m going with Mickey Gall to finish Mike Jackson. There isn’t a lot of research you can do one a guy with one professional bout and two amateur bouts, but the fight is what it is, and I think he gets the finish of Jackson. Ovince Saint Preux has huge upside in his fight against Rafael Cavalcante. Saint Preux is a finisher and he should get one against a fading opponent. Johny Hendricks was a tough choice, but I think the main event goes the distance and he gets the decision on a lot of takedowns, and those score points. K.J. Noons hits hard and with a lot of volume, and Josh Burkman has been a huge disappointment in his UFC return. Noons has a very good chance of getting a finish of Burkman, who has been finished in his last two fights. With my remaining salary, I’m going with Zach Makovsky. Honestly, I don’t think he will beat Joseph Benavidez, but I don’t see him getting finished, which says a lot about the rest of the fighters left with the remaining salary I had. Just going 15 minutes, however the fight goes, should get me more than the rest of the bunch.
PAUL FONTAINE- Ray Borg ($10,500), Johny Hendricks ($10,400), Damian Grabowski ($9,700), Artem Lobov ($9,800), KJ Noons ($9,300)
If last week is any indication, your best bet is probably to pick the opponents of everyone on my team. That said, it’s a new week so let’s try this again. Hendricks has lost two fights in the last 5 years and both of those were questionable. He’s a lock in my book to either score an early KO or win a grinding decision in which he lands a lot of strikes. Grabowski is making his UFC debut but is very experienced and a submission expert. I like him to score a quick stoppage win over Derrick Lewis. Ray Borg has finishing ability at 125, rare for the division. At just 22, he’s a future title challenger and this could be his coming out party. Lobov has a lot of power for the featherweight division and his opponent, Alex White, is susceptible to the KO. After his embarrassing performance at the TUF finale, I like Lobov to rebound here. Noons is a KO specialist and I think the weight cut is going to affect his opponent Josh Burkman more. Burkman hasn’t won since returning to UFC and I don’t think that will change here.
PEACH MACHINE- Ovince Saint Preux ($10,700), Johny Hendricks ($10,400), Artem Lobov ($9,800), Derrick Lewis ($9,700), Jared Rosholt ($9,200)
Another 4-1 week last week. I like my picks again, but this time I went with a couple of heavyweights from which I usually shy away. Derrick Lewis is a monster and I’m banking on an early KO… Same thing with Rosholt. Nelson has lost three in a row and while his heart will still be there, his chin won’t… OSP should be able to take Cavalcante down and beat him that way. That’s the template to win. Should OSP decide to make this a stand up battle, that’s trouble for him… Hendricks better be on his game or he’s done at 170. I’m thinking he’ll get inside and touch Thompson’s chin and get the finish at some point in five rounds… The template to beat Lobov is Ryan Hall. Alex White is not Ryan Hall. Lobov by KO.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of the UFC Fight Night 82: Hendricks vs. Thompson weigh-ins from the Grand Ballroom at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fighters will hit the scale at 7 PM eastern time. The card airs on Saturday with the main card on FOX Sports 1 at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off at 7 PM eastern time on UFC Fight Pass before heading over to FOX Sports 1 at 8 PM eastern time with additional preliminary bouts. This event was originally scheduled to be UFC 196 headlined by a UFC Heavyweight Championship bout, but was moved to a free card on FOX Sports 1 after both Fabricio Werdum and Cain Velasquez pulled out of the main event due to injuries. This will be the UFC’s first Super Bowl Weekend card to be featured on free television.
The event is now headlined by a five-round bout in the UFC’s welterweight division as former UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks looks to get back into a title fight as he takes on rising contender Stephen Thompson, winner of five straight bouts. In the co-main event on the evening, it will be former TUF winner and fan favorite Roy Nelson looking to end a three-fight losing skid as he takes on Jared Rosholt, winner of three straight fights. In an interesting bout headlining the preliminary portion on UFC Fight Pass, it will be Mickey Gall taking on Mike Jackson in a bout where Gall, if he wins, means he will take on C.M. Punk in Punk’s UFC debut later this year.
MAIN CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT): Johny Hendricks (170) vs. Stephen Thompson (170) Roy Nelson (258) vs. Jared Rosholt (245) Ovince Saint Preux (206) vs. Rafael Cavalcante (205) Joseph Benavidez (125) vs. Zach Makovsky (125) Misha Cirkunov (206) vs. Alex Nicholson (201) Mike Pyle (170) vs. Sean Spencer (170)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT): Josh Burkman (156) vs. K.J. Noons (156) Derrick Lewis (263) vs. Damian Grabowski (235) Ray Borg (125) vs. Justin Scoggins (125) Noad Lahat (145) vs. Diego Rivas (144)
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 7 PM ET/4 PM PT): Mickey Gall (170) vs. Mike Jackson (170) Artem Lobov (145) vs. Alex White (145)
The UFC announced Wednesday that welterweight Tim Means, who was scheduled to face Donald Cerrone in the main event on the company’s 2/21 Fox Sports One show in Pittsburgh, is under investigation by USADA based on results of an out-of-competition drug test he recently took.
Under normal circumstances a “flag” like Means got is the result of a positive drug test. Fighters are allowed a full and fair review of drug test results before the actual nature of the violation is announced and any penalties are imposed.
However, since such a process will not be completed by the fight date, Means has been pulled from the show, but the UFC said they will be announcing a replacement for Cerrone shortly. To save you pulling out your calculator, that’s 18 days away. However, Cerrone has been a short notice fighter many times in his career, so it’s hard to see him pulling out.
This was the highest profile fight of Means’ long UFC career, and was Cerrone’s move from lightweight to welterweight.
Dana White announced today on the FS 1 television show “Garbage Time with Katie Nolan” that Luke Rockhold’s first middleweight title defense will be against former champion Chris Weidman, at UFC 199.
White also said UFC 199 would be in June, which would indicate speculation is correct that there will be a PPV show added in May. He didn’t say the date or venue.
Rockhold vs. Weidman is expected to headline a show that will also include the UFC debut of C.M. Punk.
The original plan for this year was UFC 196 this weekend, 197 on 3/5, 198 in April, 199 in June and 200 in July.
This weekend’s show in Las Vegas will no longer be called UFC 196. The 3/5 show headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Rafael dos Anjos will be 196, with 197 in April, meaning 198 will be in May, originally a month UFC was not going to run a PPV show.
Rockhold had told us several weeks ago that he was expecting Weidman next, and that would have been the case even if Yoel Romero wasn’t facing a suspension. He said he was asked about both and felt Weidman would do a better job selling the fight.
“I had two choices, Weidman and Romero,” he said. “Yoel Romero can’t sell an ice cube in Hell. I’m not gonna waste my valuable time fighting some chump for change. I want to fight for real money. If I’m going to invest three months, that person better be able to fight and sell the fight. Fans have to demand the fight.”
Due to the rousing success of TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) season one, specifically the TV ratings for the finale, which featured the famous Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar match, TUF season two was produced quickly and came on the air only a few months later. The finale for season two would set a ratings record doing a 2.0 (2 million viewers), edging out the season one finale, which did a 1.9 (1.9 million viewers). (You can read “Retrospective: TUF Season One” here)
Season two was basically the exact same as season one. Season two was also the only season (until recently) where all the house fights were considered professional bouts by the NSAC. Typically, the “in-house” fights are only considered “practice” and don’t effect a fighter’s record. These fights counted.
The Ultimate Fighter – Season TWO
Airdate: Spike TV, August 22, 2005 – November 5, 2005
Weight Classes: Heavyweight and Welterweight
Coaches: Matt Hughes (blue), Rich Franklin (green)
Team Hughes: Joe Stevenson (w), Josh Burkman* (w), Sammy Morgan (w), Luke Cummo (w), Mike Whitehead (h), Dan Christison (h), Rob MacDonald (h), Tom Murphy (h) *Burkman was replaced by Jason Von Flue due to injury on episode 2
Team Franklin: Jorge Gurgel (w), Marcus Davis (w), Anthony Torres (w), Melvin Guillard (w), Keith Jardine (h), Seth Petruzelli (h), Rashad Evans (h), Brad Imes (h)
The Finale:
Joe Stevenson beat Luke Cummo by unanimous decision in three rounds to become the TUF welterweight winner
Rashad Evans beat Brad Imes by split decision to become the TUF heavyweight winner
In the main event, Diego Sanchez beat Nick Diaz by unanimous decision
This season was pretty uneventful. It really became clear about half way through that Chris Leben should have been hired to be on every season, just to hang out, get drunk, and cause problems. These fighters seemed to get along much better. However, there were some interesting things that happened this season:
Heavyweight Kerry Schall was eliminated due to a knee injury
Eli Joslin chose to leave the show, citing his reasons as not being able to handle the camera environment at the house (as an aspiring fighter, this made me so mad)
Dan Christison joined the show to replace the injured Schall
Josh Burkman was forced to leave the competition after breaking his arm in his match with Melvin Guillard
Jason Von Flue joined the show to replace Burkman
Evans caused controversy by showboating in his fight against Tom Murphy
Coach Hughes sent Von Flue over to Team Franklin for reshuffling, which made Von Flue mad
Even though Cummo and Imes were both the last picked for their respective divisions, they both made it to the finale
There wasn’t much memorable that happened, but I do remember when Rashad won the heavyweight finals. It made me fall in love with him as a fighter. Here was this smooth talking undersized athlete taking on this monstrous rugged cowboy. Rashad was clearly too small to be a heavyweight, but he won anyway. I’m not sure when he took the nickname “Suga” but I gave that name (Sugar) to my third dog in his honor.
Where are the champions now?
Joe ”Daddy” Stevenson: Stevenson’s last fight in the UFC was a loss to Javier Vazquez on June 26, 2011. It was his fourth loss in a row. He was cut by UFC and has since lost two more times putting his losing streak at six. He most recently fought one year ago on January 30, 2015, for Swarm Entertainment at Super Brawl 1 losing by split decision to Dominique Robinson. My guess is that there was never a Super Brawl 2. His current record is 31-16 and rumor has it that he’s retired from active fighting at age 33, which is probably a smart decision.
“Suga” Rashad Evans: Evans’ is still in the UFC. He is 36 and was most recently seen being defeated by Ryan Bader at UFC 192 on October 3, 2015. Rumor has it that he will be facing Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC on FOX 19 on April 16, 2016. His record is 19-4, and he actually had a brief light-heavyweight title reign taking the strap from season-one alum Forrest Griffin, only to have the title taken from him in his first defense against Lyoto Machida.
