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

What Light Heavyweight could have fought Silva to salvage UFC 151?

Although UFC 151 has been cancelled for almost a week, talk is still going on about one of the biggest let-downs of the year. With Henderson out on an injury, the UFC offered Jones a fight against former Middleweight contender, Chael Sonnen. Jones’ refusal of the fight ultimately lead to the cancellation of the entire card. A first in UFC history.
It was reported earlier that UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva was considering a move up to Light Heavyweight in hopes of salvaging the card, but it just w

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

Greg Jackson: I will not say a bad thing about Dana White, I respect him

With Dan Henderson out of the now cancelled UFC 151, the promotion had sought to replace him with former Middleweight contender Chael Sonnen. According to Dana White, UFC employees worked feverishly into Wednesday night and Thursday morning and as we all know, Jones turned down the fight. White broke the news on a special media call: “I was going to do this call, and this was obviously going to be a much different call this morning, but the one thing that I never thought in a million years would

Anderson Silva was willing to save UFC 151 by fighting at Light Heavyweight

In the absolute hailstorm of news surrounding the cancellation of UFC 151, another interesting scenario that did not come to fruition has come to light. Apparently UFC Middleweight champion and legend Anderson Silva was willing to step up for his company and save the card by fighting at Light Heavyweight. His offer had come just a bit too late, however, as Dana White had announced the cancellation just a few hours earlier than Silva’s generous offer. It should be noted that Silva was not planning on

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

Anderson Silva will not fight for the rest of this year

With many fighters at Middleweight clamoring to call out long-reigning division champion Anderson Silva, the Brazilian legend is hearing none of it. News comes today the Silva will stay on the shelf for the entire remainder of 2012, chossing to forego another chance to extend hisUFC-record title defense streak. Dana White confirmed this earlier today, saying the follwing to MMAJunkie.com:
“Anderson said he wants to take some time off until after the end of this year, and then we’ll start talking to him.

Diego Sanchez has harsh criticism for "boring" teammates at Jackson’s MMA

UFC Lightweight and Welterweight fighter Diego Sanchez recently spoke to the MMA Hour with some highly interesting comments regarding some of the controversial bouts in the UFC this year. This may not seem out of the ordinary, except for the fact that his criticisms fell upon his teammates at Jackson’s MMA. Specifically discussing Carlos Condit’s victory over Nick Diaz and Clay Guida’s loss to Gray Maynard, the always-exciting Sanchez has harsh criticism for the “elusive” style his teammates