Ray Mullan

As usual, I’m about to burst with excitement! UFC on Fox Sports 1 kicks off on BT Sports 1 (in the UK) on the 17th of August. The main event features Pride legend and former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua take on former title contender and the most vocal man in UFC history, Chael “P” Sonnen (the “P” stands for perfection….Apparently).

A few interesting notes about the fighters…

1) Both fighters have made drastic changes to their fight camps in preparation for this fight. Shogun has been training with the legendary Freddie Roach (trainer of boxers such as Manny Pacquaio and Amir Khan). Freddie has been quoted as saying Shogun “doesn’t punch like a girl anymore”. With knockouts over the likes of Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida, Allistair Overeem and Brandon Vera (to name a few) it’s quite hard to think of a time when Shogun ever punched like a girl. If he has, in fact, improved his punching power, Chael might be in for a short night. Don’t sell Chael short though. Sonnen has also made preparation changes for this fight, training in Los Angeles (rather than his native Oregon) at Mark Munoz’s “Reign Training Centre”. With training partners such as Mark Munoz, Jake Ellenberger and Uriah Hall to swap leather with on a daily basis, he might well have gained the necessary knowledge, physicality and overall fight game to solve the puzzle that is Shogun.

2) Because this is a main event, the fight will be 5 rounds. Shogun has been criticised about his cardio in the past (see fights against Forrest Griffin, Mark Coleman and Brandon Vera). With Sonnen, his cardio is traditionally one of his strongest assets. He’s one of the hardest workers in the octagon, constantly moving and working for takedowns.

3) They’re both really, really good! Although everyone in the UFC is capable of decimating the majority of life on earth (bears, tigers and sharks not included) these guys have experience on the highest level of the sport. With Shogun, he’s a former UFC champion and Pride Grand Prix champion. These accolades speak for themselves. With Chael, he’s mixed it up with the likes of Anderson Silva (twice), Jon Jones, Nate Martquart, Brian Stann and Michael Bisping. He rarely loses a round, never mind a fight, and dominates his opponents on a terrifyingly frequent basis.

Watch Mauricio Shogun Rua:

Watch Chael Sonnen:

Other fights on the card include Allistair Overeem vs Travis Browne, Uriah Faber vs Yuri Alcantara, Joe Lauzon vs Michael Johnson and a fight Irish fans are eager to see…”The Notorious” Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway. McGregor, coming off his huge knockout win of Marcus Brimage faces Holloway, a crafty 21 year old looking to prove himself on the big stage. McGregor has devastating stand up skills, picking opponents apart with crazy looping uppercuts and unorthodox kicks. He brings excitement to the Featherweight division, and gives Irish fight fans something to cheer about. As an unbiased Irish journalist and “watchdog of the people”, I have this to say in regards to Conor McGregor…GO ON MY SON!

Watch Conor McGregor’s last fight:

International fans can find out where they can watch the fights by going here: http://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-fight-night-shogun-sonnen/watch

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the fights! 🙂

UFC 162 brings fight fans the biggest MMA card of the year, with Anderson Silva (arguably the greatest fighter in history) fighting young up and comer Chris Weidman. Or so it’s been billed that way…

Without selling Anderson Silva short, he’s got a fight on his hands, at least on paper. Chris Weidman is a grappling prodigy, training under the likes of Renzo Gracie, John Danaher and Matt Serra. Not a bad resume for someone whose been considered an underdog for most of his career. His striking isn’t too shabby either, with knockouts over the likes of “Ultimate Fighter Season 17 finalist” Uriah Hall and Mark Munoz. However impressive these credits seem though, I believe he still doesn’t get the respect he deserves.

Chris Weidman improves every time he enters the octagon and has seemingly destroyed all his opponents. When he’s looked “off the pace” (see the Demain Maia fight) he hasn’t had a full training camp to prepare. He’s hungry for success and takes massive risks to succeed. This alone makes this a very dangerous fight for Anderson Silva, who’s been completely untouchable since his 16-fight tenure started in the UFC on June 28, 2006.

Again, I don’t want to sell Anderson Silva short here. He’s a killer. A born destroyer. He moves like he’s in the Matrix and dominates people at will. His crazy strikes and deadly submissions make professional fighters look amateur and leaves fans completely bewildered as to what happened. His knockouts over world-class competition such as Vitor Belfort (victim of the crazy front kick knockout), Yushin Okami, Chael Sonnen and Rich Franklin (twice) not to mention his many submissions over world-class grapplers make him one of the most feared guys on the planet.

With that being said, there have been holes in his game exposed by the very vocal Chael Sonnen, who proclaimed these weaknesses over a two year period. He completely outed the Brazillian on some of his weaknesses and frequently referred to the idea that he had “never seen him fight”. What he meant by this was that his past opponents have given him too much respect and space and leave him to move around and attack. Chael didn’t do this. He used constant pressure to fluster the champion, and although Anderson Silva persevered and got the victory (twice), fight fans all over the world learned a very sobering truth; Anderson Silva doesn’t respond well to constant pressure and elite wrestling.

Am I saying Chris Weidman is an absolute, no doubt in my mind winner in the fight? Absolutely not. But I do think he has a chance and for anyone to completely dismiss his chances is very naive. Styles make fights, and these conflicting styles may provide fans with an incredible show down. Will the hungry, inexperienced 29 year old prove too much for the experienced, diverse 38 year old champion? Only time will tell. One thing’s certain though; history will be made. And I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

UK and Irish fans can watch UFC 162 on ESPN from 1am on July 7^th and American fans can catch the fights on Pay-Per-View. For worldwide scheduling of UFC 162, go to http://www.ufc.com/event/UFC162/watch

Author: Ray Mullan

UFC on Fox Sports 1.

The Anderson Silva delusion and why Chris Weidman has a shot.