Then and Now: What has changed in MMA since 2005?

A long term dynamic develops in every sport that sticks around for a while. A section of the fan base will inevitably compare the play of today to their heroes from yesteryear.  Whether it is the baseball fan that longs for the day where they didn’t have to worry about someone using performance enhancing drugs after every home run, or the football fan that yearns for the era of hard hitting and less complaining in the NFL. One thing is a common factor; this group wishes things would go back to

The five biggest UFC bouts that never happened in 2012

Obviously 2012 has been a year that held huge potential for MMA. While I wouldn’t say it was a horrible year for fighting, the insane amount of injuries and other controversy that wrecked cards is unprecedented. From main events all the way down to preliminary cards, we saw an unheard never of fights shifted, canceled, and just generally thrown into the muck. UFC 151’s cancellation was just the icing on the cake in what was the weirdest year MMA has ever seen.  And it’s not over yet. Let’s take a look

Blockbuster UFC on FOX 5 set to feature Henderson vs. Diaz, Rua vs. Gustaffson, and Penn vs. MacDonald

The UFC has announced a blockbuster card for the end of the year, and it will air live on Fox. UFC on Fox 5, taking place at a yet-to-be-named location, will showcase a title fight when Ben Henderson defends his Lightweight strap against the surging contender Nate Diaz. Henderson, of course, is coming off of two decision victories over Frankie Edgar, although the last has come under much scrutiny from both the media and fans. His last performance may have left some question marks about the champion, who is

UFC 149: Renan Barao beats Urijah Faber with unanimous decision

Brazilian phenom Renan Barao extended his unbeaten streak tonight with a decisive unanimous decision victory over opponent Urijah Faber. Faber as always came out with a lot of motion and speed, but he was just unable to find an opening in the defense of Barao. Barao used a lot of kicks as expected, utilizing great Muay Thai leg kicks similar to Jose Aldo. The kicks seemed to cause Faber’s leg to swell up as the fight wore on.
Barao also attempted many headkicks and even high spinning back-kicks, showing a

Passing of the Guard: Why Renan Barao will defeat Urijah Faber at UFC 149

As we all know, this Saturday will mark the inauguration of the very first UFC Interim Bantamweight championship as popular former WEC champ Urijah Faber will face surging Brazilian fighter Renan Barao in the main event of UFC 149. The fight from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is one full of suspense as it presents an interesting dynamic not usually seen in MMA. Faber is the one that most casual fans and even most pros I’ve seen interviewed would pick to win wholeheartedly, without much thought. He has tons of

Thumbs Down: 5 fights that didn’t happen in 2012

It is midway through 2012, and it seems to be a bad year for injuries in the UFC. Five important fights have been cancelled or postponed this year due to injury, surgery, illness or suspension. These things are all part of the fight game and have been since day one. The nature of the sport is brutal, but injuries are not isolated to fights. Most fighters suffer their injuries in training.  As well-rounded as a UFC fighter is expected to be, it is quite easy to “overtrain”, that is, put the body

Big Nog is out of UFC 149, Shawn Jordan to step up as a replacement

UFC 149 has undergone yet another change to the card’s lineup. First Jose Aldo was out, then it was Thiago Silva, followed by Michael Bisping, Mauricio Rua and now it looks like it is Big Nog’s turn to bow out.The latest casualty affecting UFC 149 is none other than Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. “Big Nog” has not fully healed from his broken arm at the hands of Frank Mir from UFC 140 on December 10, 2011. He has been forced to drop out of his planned match-up against Cheick Kongo. According to Sherdog,