The UFC light heavyweight title picture got a little bit clearer tonight when Phil Davis and Rashad Evans entered the octagon. The two men were fighting for the chance to face Jon Jones this Spring for the UFC light heavyweight title. Evans was once the champ and wants a shot at a guy who used to be his training partner but now is his enemy, Jon Jones. Phil Davis wants to show the world that even though he is younger he still has what it takes to be the champ.
Tonight in Chicago one man took another step closer to Anderson Silva’s middleweight title and the other went back to the midcard. Chael Sonnen desperately wants another shot at Anderson Silva and if he could take out Michael Bisping tonight in Chicago live on Fox he would earn the opportunity to face ‘The Spider’ in Brazil. Will Sonnen get the title shot or will Bisping shut up his critics and finally win the big one? No spoilers.
Wilson Gouveia truly proved he is on the right comeback road, while Ryan McGillivray and Nathan Coy each secured their opportunity to win the MFC welterweight title as the Maximum Fighting Championship hosted MFC 32: Bitter Rivals.
The event, emanating from the Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, went down before a packed house and live throughout North America on HDNet Fights.
In the MFC’s inaugural five-round, non-title fight, Gouveia (13-8) demolished the lead leg of opponent Dwayne “D-Bomb” Lewis with a barrage of kicks, wearing his foe down to the point that the Brazilian was able to dole out some severe ground-and-pound. After a brief respite as Lewis regained his feet, Gouveia pummelled Lewis again, flattened him out, and rained down punches until referee Jerin Valel stepped in at the 3:19 mark of Round 2.
It was an impressive return to form for Gouveia, who now lives in Miramar, Florida. Gouveia halted a three-fight losing skid and looks to be a dominant figure in the MFC’s light-heavyweight ranks after picking up his fifth career KO/TKO. The loss was especially bitter for Lewis (12-8) as the Fort McMurray, Alberta, product had hoped to also be on the comeback trail following injuries and a failed quest for the title at MFC 28. The defeat was just the second via KO/TKO in Lewis’s career.
Meanwhile, McGillivray (12-5-1) needed to pull out all the stops in the final round of his welterweight clash with Diego Bautista. The submission specialist was nearly choked out in the second round by Bautista (7-1) who also opened a sizeable gash on McGillivray’s forehead in the middle frame. But McGillivray, fighting in front of his hometown crowd in Edmonton, survived and executed his favored armbar to score the victory at 2:25 of Round 3.
It was a triumphant return for McGillivray whose career began in the MFC in 2006. And McGillivray, who earned the Submission of the Night honor, locked up a shot at the vacant MFC welterweight title – a matchup he’ll get against Coy at MFC 33: Collision Course set for May 4. Read the rest of this entry »
Nick Diaz seems to have changed his tune about UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre. Diaz said last year that St. Pierre wasn’t really injured and was actually faking the injury to get out of the fight with him at UFC 137. Now Diaz seems to be a little more understanding.
“For me, I’m injured too, I understand. I’m like, ‘Hey, I’m injured.’ You know, I was injured all those fights, I wasn’t 100-percent or anything, so I understand. People put a lot of pressure on him to come out and do better than he did the last time. It’s hard enough to come out there and keep himself going the way he’s doing. So I can understand what it must be like being injured for real and everybody’s like, ‘Oh, hey, you’re scared.’ It’s not what it seems.”
Diaz also goes in depth about training with Ronda Rousey.
Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping are starting to get chippy with each other as UFC on Fox 2 gets closer. The two men were cordial and polite for a few days but now the gloves are coming off. Sonnen and Bisping are fighting for a shot at Anderson Silva’s UFC middleweight belt.
All fighters made weight and Rashad Evans and Phil Davis look like they are ready to get it on in the octagon tonight.
Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping went toe to toe tonight with Ariel Helwani standing in between them Sonnen and Bisping got to talks a little smack and clearly Sonnen got the best of the exchange.
“I don’t walk around looking into cameras and telling people I’m the best fighter in the world to hear myself talk. I say it for the same reason they put warnings on packages of cigarettes. And fighting Chael Sonnen may be hazardous to one’s health.”
Tonight the war of words will be over and one man will get a shot at Anderson Silva and the other will go back to the midcard to work his way back up.
Chael Sonnen hijacked the UFC on Fox 2 press conference. Always with something clever up his sleeve Sonnen had a replica of the UFC belt at the press conference and said he took it from Silva like a gangster. Sonnen will face Michael Bisping for the right to face Silva this summer.
Rashad Evans and Phil Davis will square off and you could feel the tension between the two in the hallway while they were waiting for the press conference to begin.
Chael Sonnen is like the unruly kid in school that Dana White has to keep his eye on all the time. Even though Phil Davis and Rashad Evans are the main event Sonnen and Michael Bisping have all the buzz. Ever since Mark Munoz dropped out the whole world has been talking about Sonnen and Bisping. The winner will face Anderson Silva in Brazil this summer.
CM Punk was in talks to walk out with Chael Sonnen tomorrow night in Chicago at UFC on Fox 2. Punk is from Chicago and was worried he would overshadow the fights with his presence. Punk is the WWE champ and has a huge fanbase in the Windy City.
Sonnen is facing Michael Bisping for a shot at Anderson Silva’s middleweight title. He has risen to the top of the UFC ranks due to not only his fighting skills but his trash talk that came from pro wrestling.
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