Kingdom MMA 2013 Awards: Male Fighter of the Year

Kingdom MMA Male Fighter of the Year Award 2013: Vitor Belfort

by Ben Heather - @benheather

2013 has been a great year for MMA, so many fighters have upped their game and the quality level of MMA has improved so much at all levels. The European shows such as Cage Warriors and BAMMA have put on great shows and the fighters abilities constantly improve with every event. Then you look at the UFC and look at the level of the fighters now to those a few years ago. Its no comparison, the guys now are incredible athletes and have put on a brilliant year of fighting for us all to enjoy and now we have the hard task of picking just one fighter to call Male fighter of the year.

Anthony Pettis became the lightweight champion, Johny Hendricks believes he deserves to be UFC Welterweight champion and Chris Weidman has twice defeated Anderson Silva. Alexander Gustafsson also pushed Jon Jones all the way but couldn't quite pull off the upset but certainly put on the performance of his life. All in all it has been a great year.

The main contenders for the award were.
Vitor Belfort who rebounded from losing to Jon Jones in his last fight of 2012 to come through three fights in 2013 and finish all of them with head kicks. Next up for Vitor is a title fight with Chris Weidman in 2014.

Demetrious Johnson has dominated his division fighting the best contenders in the division and improving with every single fight. First he easily defeated John Dodson by Unanimous Decision and then he put away top contenders John Moraga and Joseph Benevidez.

But it was clear that this year there could only be one winner and that man was Vitor Belfort.

Vitor Belfort has had possibly the best year of his MMA career which is very impressive as Belfort is now 36. Belfort is always surrounded by controversy whenever he fights due to his continued use of TRT and his previous failed drugs test. However, he is using TRT within the legal limits and until it is banned (I hope) can continue to. After all, the skills he has shown this year and the fighters he has beaten can not all be down to him using TRT.

In three fights in the octagon this year Vitor Belfort has put away Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson and has done it in 10 minutes 17 seconds combined. To be able to finish the calibre of fighters he has finished in the method he has is truly amazing. He went in to both the Bisping and the Rockhold fight as the underdog even though both of those fights were in his home country.

The highlight of his year has to be the spinning back kick knockout of Luke Rockhold. The timing was perfect and the skill required to do the move was simply jaw dropping. Which is why we awarded the Knockout our Knockout of 2013.

Vitor then got revenge over Dan Henderson after losing the first fight between the pair when they fought in Pride in October 2006. This time Vitor knocked Henderson out for the first time in his 40 fight career.

People may call him a cheat or argue that he shouldn't be allowed to use TRT but the fact is he is allowed at the minute and based on his performances we award him the Kingdom MMA Male Fighter of Year 2013.

Kingdom MMA Awards 2013: Upset of the Year

Kingdom MMA Upset of the Year Award 2013: Chris Weidman

by Ben Heather @benheather

2013 has been a great year for MMA, champions have been dethroned and if not have finally looked like they might actually be human after all and can be challenged. Which leads us to present our award for the upset of the year.

Benson Henderson lost his title to long time rival Anthony Pettis. GSP got pushed all the way and took more punishment this year than we have ever seen him take. He ultimately kept his title before giving it up as he took an indefinite leave of absence from fighting and Johny Hendricks will get his chance again to be crowned the UFC Welterweight champion. It has also been the year that Chris Weidman has twice defeated the fighter many thought was unbeatable and rightfully so classified as the greatest of all time in Anderson Silva. Alexander Gustafsson also pushed Jon Jones to the limit but just missed out on defeating the champion and this is only what happened in title fights in the UFC.

In Bellator the biggest upset of the year came in February as Emanuel Newton defeated the massive favourite King Mo. Again just beating him was a massive upset win but the manner in which he did it really was special winning via a spinning back fist halfway through the first round of there fight at Bellator 90. This then set in place a rivalry which came to a head when they faced off for the rematch at Bellator 106 in November. Where again Newton won but this time via unanimous decision after 5 rounds to become the Bellator interim Light Heavyweight Champion.

Bigfoot Silva went in to his heavyweight battle with Alistair Overeem at UFC 156 as a massive underdog and the first two rounds looked like the bookies were right to make him the underdog going in to the fight. However, just at the end of the second round Bigfoot caught Overeem. When they came out for the start of the third round it was a completely different fight and Bigfoot picked apart Overeem before the referee had seen enough and Bigfoot got a massive TKO victory which set him up for the a title shot against Cain Velasquez. This was certainly one of the biggest upsets of the year and in any other year may have got the award but not 2013.

2013's award belongs to one man and that man did the impossible and defeated a fighter who was unbeaten in the UFC with a record of 16-0, held the record for the longest championship reign of any champion in the UFC ever and truly looked unbeatable. That was until UFC 162 on July 6th when Chris Weidman faced off against Anderson Silva.

What Chris Weidman did against Anderson Silva may not just be the biggest upset of the year, it has to be up there with the biggest upsets of all time. Chris Weidman knocked out the greatest fighter of all time when nobody predicted that could happen. People were saying Weidman could win but maybe by submission or decision. Nobody other than Weidman's camp said he would knockout the champ.

People can say what they want about the first fight "Anderson was clowning around" "Anderson was playing with Weidman and he got caught with a lucky shot" but in my opinion people who say stupid comments like that after seeing Chris Weidman knock out the greatest fighter on the planet are crazy. Anderson Silva fought Weidman the same way he fought every single fight in the UFC before that day the only difference is Anderson Silva's showboating made him even better because he was winning. As soon as he got caught and knocked out not many people gave Weidman any credit or the respect he deserved but instead said it will be different the second time.

This past weekend they had the rematch, we all know by now the outcome and nobody wants to see a fight finish with such a major injury like that, but up until the injury Chris Weidman was clearly in control of that fight. He nearly knocked out Anderson Silva in the first round and in the second made the changes to his game from the first fight by checking the kicks instead of taking the punishment on his legs. It was one of those checked kicks which resulted in a broken leg for Silva.

After the fight some of those same people who gave Weidman no credit for the first win were calling the injury "a fluke injury" but it was as a result of the changes Weidman had made to his game and if he didn't make those changes Silva would not have a broken leg now.

Weidman not only did the impossible and pulled off the biggest upset of the year once, he did it twice in the space of six months. For that Kingdom MMA's award for Upset of the Year 2013 goes to Chris Weidman.

We salute you Chris and hope that you start to get the respect you deserve for pulling off such a great achievement.

Was 2013 The Greatest Year Ever for MMA?

Guest Blogger Emma McHale discusses if 2013 was the greatest year ever for MMA?
by Emma McHale of Sports Direct
Emma McHale trained as a web journalist at the University of Sheffield, has a passion for MMA and currently works at SportsDirect.com.  

MMA has started to become a mainstream sport recently and it is the worlds fastest growing sport. As 2013 comes to a close, we are going to look back at the top MMA moments of 2013 to see if 2013 really was the greatest year of MMA.
 
This has been one of the first years that young talented MMA fighters have completed dedicated training to become simply a MMA fighter. Previous MMA fighters started by learning a specific martial art such as Jiu Jitsu and then become a MMA fighter. This results in more interesting and tougher MMA fights. For example welterweight contender Rory MacDonald has only ever trained as a full mixed martial artist. 

This year celebrated the 20th anniversary of UFC with the UFC 167 event. This year also marked another key event with the introduction of the first women’s division and the first fight in the UFC between rivals Ronda Roussey and Liz Carmouche. 

There have been some of the best MMA fights this year ranging from Silva versus Weidman to Grice versus Bermudez. The year has been highlighted by top knockouts from Weidman, superb submissions from Pettis and controversial judging decisions after the St-Pierre versus Hendricks fight. 

Considered to be the greatest MMA fighter of all time, Anderson Silva lost his UFC Middleweight champion title to Chris Weidman with a knockout in the second round of the fight. The loss of the title was still a UFC record as it was the longest held title in UFC history after defending the title for seven years. “The Spider” and Weidman are due to have a rematch at UFC 168, but could this be the fall of a great MMA fighter? 

The UFC partnership with Fox has resulted in some of the highest viewer ratings since the partnership began in 2011. 

The BAMMA events get better and better every year. The recent partnership with Channel 5 has resulted in MMA becoming a mainstream sport. There are new fans anticipating the latest MMA fights and new participants looking to learn the combat sport. 

2013 may have been the best year of MMA. From the best fights of the year to the television highlights, MMA has come a long way since its humble beginnings of Brazilian jiu jitsu and shoot wrestling. 

Do you think 2013 was MMA’s greatest year? 

For the latest MMA and martial arts equipment ranging from MMA clothing to martial arts belts, check out the www.SportsDirect.com MMA collection. 

UFC 168 Predictions

UFC 168 Predictions
by Ben Heather @benheather and Tommy Strong @Strong_tea

The UFC is back this weekend, and back in a big way with one of the best cards to take place this year. UFC 168 is sure to send the UFC off in to 2014 in a big way.

For the first time in a long time this weekends UFC event will potentially see two UFC titles change hands with both the middleweight title and the women's bantamweight title on the line. It is also the event which may settle two rivalries as Chris Weidman takes on Anderson Silva in what has to be the most anticipated rematch in UFC history. Also the true grudge match will take place as Ronda Rousey gets back in to the cage to face Miesha Tate and this time its in the octagon. If these fights live up to the hype and so do the remaining fights on the card it could easily be the best event of the year, if not all time.

Kingdom MMA will give you their predictions for the event which is sure to be a cracker!

Chris Weidman vs Anderson Silva

Strong: The fight everyone has been waiting for is finally upon us. Did Silva take Weidman serious previously? I don't think he did. Though he will have tool this time. Silva won't make the same mistake twice and I see Silva putting right when he done wrong in the first fight.

I don't see lightening striking twice!

Prediction: Anderson Silva - TKO RD 2

Heather: I have been waiting for this fight since Anderson Silva was knocked out in the last fight, the reason for that is simple.... Chris Weidman needs to win this fight to finally get some respect. I feel he has not got the respect he deserved for knocking out Anderson Silva and why.... that's simple because Anderson Silva did what Anderson Silva does in every fight the only difference was this time he got caught instead of looking flash.

It was only a matter of time with Anderson fighting the way he does before he got caught and finally Weidman did it.

I also feel that he will do the same again on Saturday night and then he will finally get some respect for the accomplishment which he has achieved. People keep saying how Anderson will be focused for this fight more than the first and will get the win, but I think that's complete rubbish. There is one man who will want to get the win more than anything on Saturday night and that man is Chris Weidman, he has everything to lose and if he does lose will probably not be getting another title shot for a while.

If Anderson changes anything then i believe it will be to Weidmans advantage. He has always thought the same way and so any changes to the way he fights may work against him.

Prediction: Chris Weidman - TKO RD 4


Ronda Rousey vs Miesha Tate

Strong: This is a real grudge match, with both fighters who truly have a dislike for each other. Though since their first fight in 2012 I feel Ronda is the fighter who's progressed, and Miesha has stood still or even took a step backwards.

Its going to take a special fighter to beat Ronda and feel Miesha's chance has passed. I would love to see Miesha win the title from her fierce enemy, though unless she can keep the fight standing for 3 rounds I don't see her winning.

Prediction: Ronda Rousey - Submission Rd 3

Heather: For me this is very simple... Ronda beats anyone at 135lbs and Tate only has this fight as it is good for business. She is coming in to fight the champ off a loss and nobody seems to be saying anything about it. Yet when other people get title shots when they are not the clear contender everyone bitches about the decision.

I will be surprised if it makes it past the first round and Miesha still has her arm!!

Prediction: Ronda Rousey - Armbar Rd 1


Josh Barnett vs Travis Browne

Strong: I love nothing better than a good heavyweight match up, and this is what we have right here. Both very powerful men who will look to put on an impressive performance to put themselves into the window of title contention.

Barnett will be keen to get Browne to the mat where he can do all the damage, where as Browne will do his utmost to keep the fight standing to put the advantage firmly in his favour.

Prediction: Travis Browne - TKO Rd 1

Heather: This fight has had me going back and forth in my head and to honest I am still not sure how it will pan out. I do believe these guys are right up the top of the division and a win could put them in a potential number 1 contender fight with Werdum if Cain is sidelined for a while.

As Tommy said, I also believe Browne will have the advantage standing up and he has only lost to Bigfoot Silva in a fight he looked great in until he got injured. I think if he did not get injured during the fight, that fight would have been very different. However, Barnett certainly will have the advantage on the ground.

Even as I am writing this I still don't know how it is going to go but it is certainly a fight I am looking forward to watching. I'm gonna take on punt on Browne and say he gets the W on Saturday night.

Prediction: Travis Browne - TKO Rd 3


Jim Miller vs Fabricio Camoes

Strong: Miller will be eager to get back to winning way after his loss to Healy (though later overturned to NC due to Healy's failed drugs test) I think in Camoes he has the perfect opportunity. Camoes is coming into the fight of the back of a defeat to Melvin Gulliard which is no shame, though anything he throws at Miller I can see him dealing with.

Prediction: Jim Miller - Unanimous Decision

Heather: I will not waste too much of your time in the write up for my pick for this fight. Jim Miller has a far greater set of skills to lose this fight. I am unsure of the match making behind this fight.... however a loss for Miller would be very bad for any potential future title shot he still dreams about.

Prediction: Jim Miller - Unanimous Decision


Dustin Poirier vs Diego Brandao

Strong: This is one of the fights I'm looking forward to most. It has fight of the night written all over it! Poirier will be full of confidence of the back of beating Erik Koch in August. But he will be up against it when facing former TUF 14 winner Diego Brandao.

Brandao has a wild style of fighting that will lend itself to Dustin's striking. Though, if Brandao manages to land one of his wild attacks on Poirier we should be in for a real treat of a fight.

Piorier has fought some of the best fighters within the division, Brandao hasn't fought anyone to the level of Poirier, I feel this might be the key!

Prediction: Dustin Poirier - Unanimous Decision 

Heather: Firstly Dustin Poirier is one of my favourite fighters to watch, he always comes to fight and always turns up. That being said I can guarantee to you right now that two things will happen on Saturday night.

1) Diego Brandao will come out quickly with some big shots in the first round
2) Diego Brandao will then gas..... badly!!

What happens next I believe Dustin will take care of business and weather the early onslaught before finishing a gassed Brandao in the third round and probably by pulling off another highlight reel submission.

Prediction: Dustin Poirier - Submission RD 3

Please let us know what your predictions are for this event and if you agree with both of ours.

Fighter vs Writer - UFC 168 Calderwood vs Heard

Fighter vs Writer: JoJo Calderwood - UFC 168
by Ben Heather @benheather

Welcome to another Kingdom MMA fighter vs writer challenge.

For this feature we challenge some of the biggest names from the world of MMA to give us their picks and fight outcomes for specific MMA events. Then they will be challenged by one of our writers, who will make their own predictions. Previously we have challenged the likes of Dustin Poirier, Luke Barnatt, Jim Alers, Mike Wilkinson, Phil Harris, Cathal Pendred and Michael Wootten.

This weeks opponent was the perfect woman for the job. After recently taking her MMA record to 8-0 at Invicta 7 with a unanimous decision win over Katja Kankaanpaa she was back in the news when Dana White told the world that the UFC will now have a 115lb womens division and that she was one of 11 women to have signed for the UFC. She is of course Jojo Calderwood and this weekend she will compete against our newest writer Sam Heard.

The Scoring
If you predict the correct winner of the fight you will get one point and if you predict the correct method of victory you will get an extra point. However, if the fight ends in a stoppage and you predict the round as well the method you could earn a third bonus point. If the fight goes the distance you can only earn a maximum of two points.

The Predictions

Chris Weidman vs Anderson Silva

Calderwood: I think Silva will be back to his best for this fight with a point to prove.

Prediction: Anderson Silva - TKO Round 3 

Heard: The moment we’ve all been waiting for! I believe we will see a more serious, focused Anderson Silva who will keep the clowning to a minimum. Until he got caught in the first fight, Anderson seemed quicker than Weidman and was landing hard leg kicks at will. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if Anderson was able to “give back” the KO to Weidman.

However, as much as it pains me to say it, I think Weidman has the edge here. Historically, championship rematches have never failed the older fighter and though Silva is without doubt the GOAT there is no escaping the fact that he is nearing 40. Weidman is a relentless wrestler who happens to also have decent stand-up and even better submissions; everyone knows that wrestlers are the worst matchups for Anderson. He nearly got that heel hook in the first round of their first clash and I believe we could see Anderson, who could well just have accepted the rematch he initially showed no interest in for the big cheque, tap out.

Prediction: Chris Weidman - Submission Round 4

Ronda Rousey vs Miesha Tate

Calderwood: I'd love to see this go a bit but Ronda is pretty determined and it's going to go the way everyone expects.

Prediction: Ronda Rousey - Armbar Round 2

Heard: The bookies would have you believe this fight is certain to end with Ronda’s hand raised. I really think that they’re undervaluing Miesha Tate here. In their first match Miesha looked like she had an edge on the feet and displayed some brilliant counter-grappling to resist Ronda’s first attempt at the Armbar and even take the Bantamweight Champion’s back.

So what’s changed since then? Ronda seems to be spending an increasing amount of time on her acting career. There’s no doubting Tate seems more focused on her MMA career at this stage. Added to this, Rousey’s nature as a fighter who’s ultra-specialised in one very focused area means that training and a game plan can be focused on countering her speciality; namely that awesome Armbar of hers. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that not only does Miesha take Ronda into the uncharted territories of the 2nd and 3rd round put that she pulls off the upset.

Prediction: Miesha Tate - Unanimous Decision

Josh Barnett vs Travis Browne

Calderwood: I think Barnett is one of the best heavyweight submission guys, he's dealt with tall opponents before and I think once he gets past Browne's range I think the sub will come.

Prediction: Josh Barnett - Submission Round 2

Heard: Despite coming off two huge wins, I’m not entirely sold on Travis Browne. Though he went on to KO Overeem with that brilliant front kick, I think Overeem did enough to get the stoppage as there were stages where Browne seemed defenceless and have seen referees jump in for far less. Yes, he did beat Gonzaga but Barnett is a very different beast to the Brazillian, having competed at the top level throughout his whole career and has only ever lost to the very best.

I don’t think Barnett will manage to get the finish against Browne but I think he has an advantage in all areas. Browne’s experience is mainly limited to the first round while Barnett has gone all the way in a five round main event so expect Barnett to show better conditioning.


Prediction: Josh Barnett - Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Jim Miller vs Fabricio Camoes

Calderwood: I don't know too much about Camoes, I like watching Jim Miller fight and I'm pretty sure he's coming off a loss so he will be even more dangerous.

Prediction: Jim Miller - Unanimous Decision 

Heard: I believe this is a showcase fight for Miller with Fabricio being fed to the lions a bit. Camoes is 1-1 in the UFC and coming off a loss to inconsistent Melvin Guillard while Miller is arguably one of the best lightweights to have never had a shot at the title and is coming off a loss which he very nearly won ( and which was eventually overturned) to Pat Healy.

I think Miller has the tools to win comfortably.

Prediction: Jim Miller - Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30, 27)

Dustin Poirier vs Diego Brandao

Calderwood: Looking forward to this fight, I think it will be competitive for a round or two but Brandao will gas leaving Poirier to win on points.

Prediction: Dustin Poirier - Unanimous Decision and FOTN

Heard: There’s no doubting that Brandao’s kamikaze aggression makes for entertaining fights but it makes it very difficult to have any faith in him as a pick. He has a tendency to rush out all guns blazing for the first round only to slow down ridiculously in the latter two thirds of the fight. This bad fight IQ won’t fair well against an athlete like Poirier.

Poirier survived and overcame the elite striking skills of Erik Koch in his last fight so should be able to weather the early storm of Diego Brandao. When Brandao inevitably gases I think Poirier should be able to implement his slick submission skills and get the win in the latter part of the fight, probably by armbar or his signature d'arce choke.

Prediction: Dustin Poirier - Submission Round 3


So that's our predictions for the fights, we will be live tweeting on Saturday night as always and we will keep you all informed as to how the challenge is going with latest scores throughout the main card.

Thanks again to JoJo for providing us with her picks for this weekends fights and it just leaves me to say.... May the best man or woman win!!

Anderson Silva gets his chance for redemption

Silva vs Weidman 2 confirmed and set to take place on New Years event

by Jack Broadey @J3cK_b

We all know the story by now. The unbeatable Anderson Silva has in fact been beaten. I wrote a piece last month http://www.kingdommma.co.uk/2013/07/how-to-knock-superstar-off-its-perch.html
the article above mentions the challenger not only has to do the unthinkable once he has to actually shock the world twice.

Any dominant champion is going to be granted an immediate rematch. In this case Anderson Silva clearly deserves the title shot after holding on to the belt for so long. The fight was also finished on questionable terms with Anderson doing his usual job of clowning his opponent and showing no respect. This puts the new champion over very weak as all questions are about the ex champions mistakes rather than the new champion tearing the belt away. If Weidman was to successfully defend his belt in the rematch it legitimises his belt and should put him over. He will unquestionably be the best middleweight on the planet and can't possibly be regarded as a fluke job.

The rematch will go down on a stacked end of year card for the ufc on December 28. It will boast Rousey-Tate 2 as co main event for the women's title. I have no doubt it will break PPV records. If Silva can avenge his loss and regain his belt I also have no doubt we see Silva-Weidman 3. The middleweight division could be put on hold for a year whilst this situation sorts itself out. Only time will tell.

How to knock a superstar off it's perch

The key to beating a dominant UFC champion

by Jack Broadey @J3cK_b

Please Note:
This article was written by our very own Jack but unfortunately didn't make it on to the site before the Anderson Silva vs Chris Weidman fight. Knowing what we know now Jack is proved correct by his thoughts. It makes a great read now.

I was looking at the upcoming Anderson Silva-Chris Weidman fight when it dawned on me. Weidman doesn't need to beat him once. He needs to do it twice. Not only to become the Middleweight champion but to get Silva out his way. Think about any title match that has been remotely close lately. What has happened? Instant rematch.

What has happened when the champion was close to being beat? Instant rematch. The way I see it there are now 7 dominant champions in the UFC. Rousey, Johnson, Aldo, GSP, Silva, Jones and I will class Velasquez in this as well. Cruz/ Barao reign over the Bantamweight division is slightly confusing so we will leave that for the purpose of this argument.

If any of these champions are beat you aren't rid of them by any stretch of the imagination. You will be straight back up against them in an instant rematch. There are currently only 2 divisions where I can see the champion losing and not being granted and immediate rematch. One is Bantamweight and that's more to do with the lay offs and nature of the champion. The other is lightweight. Benson Henderson has been in enough rematches already for him to get beat and the UFC to allow the new champion to move on.

If any of the true superstars get beat, GSP/ Silva/ Jones/ Aldo. What happens next? They have ruled there division for so long they can't get closure and allow a new champion to move on until they've been defeated again. Will that really happen. Can anyone see these champions losing 2 big fights in a row?

It shows how dominant the champions currently are in the UFC. Change is necessary for the UFC to create interest but at the moment that is not happening. They have too many dominant champions and you can't make stars out of them all. The only anomaly too this at the moment comes in the Heavyweight division where no one seems to be able to keep hold of the belt. Even then it is 2 men the belt is passing between. The 3rd fight between JDS-Velasquez is expected next. If JDS wins it back there's more than likely an immediate 4th match.

The UFC need to get a new contender involved in there somehow and will need Velasquez to retain to do so. If he does retain the problem carries on though as potentially they have another dominant champion on there hands.

They desperately need someone to come in and disrupt that trend. Can Chris Weidman be that man at Middleweight?  Then can he be that man again as his 1st defence will undoubtedly be Anderson Silva should he defeat him.

UFC 162 Weigh in results

Weigh in Results for UFC 162

by Ben Heather @benheather

Tomorrow nights UFC live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Nevada, is now set after the weigh ins have now made the fights official. The main event sees Anderson Silva attempt to defend his UFC Middleweight title for a record 11th time against Chris Weidman. Silva already holds the UFC record for most title defenses which currently stands at 10, however a lot of people have been saying that Weidman is different to all the other challengers and could me the man to beat the greatest MMA fighter of all time.  Both men weighed in within the 185lbs limit to make the fight official. Now its just a matter of time before we see if Anderson stays undefeated in the UFC or will Weidman shock the world and defeat the GOAT. All we know is somebody will be losing their undefeated record in the UFC tomorrow night.

In the co main event, we will see a featherweight fight as Frankie Edgar is set to battle Charles Oliveira in a bout which has could have title implications. Both men weighed in under the 146lbs limit at the weigh ins, and they both know that a big win will move them a step closer to a potential title shot. Frankie comes in to this fight needing to get a win, he has no worries for his job but having lost his last three fights (all of which were title fights in which many people thought he did enough to win each time but the judges gave it against him) he is desperate to get back to winning ways and work his way back in to contention.

That is not the only featherweight fight on the card as Cub Swanson will face Dennis Siver in a fight that was originally scheduled to be the co main event on the UFC on Fuel TV 7 event in London back in February. That time Siver had to pull out due to injury but now they will meet in the octagon. Again like the Edgar vs Oliviera fight a big win could put them at the front of the queue for a title shot. Cub certainly has done enough to get one in my opinion.

Also on the main card we have two middleweight contests in Roger Gracie vs Tim Kennedy we see two men making their debuts in the UFC and after Kennedy's comments before this fight he may need a good performance and more importantly a win if he intends on having more than just the one fight in the UFC. The other middleweight contest sees two former contenders try to get back to winning ways as Tim Boetsch and Mark Munoz meet in the octagon.

All of the fighters made weight when they stepped on to the scales making all of the fights official.

A full list of results from today's weigh in can be found below.

Main Card - Live on ESPN at 3am Sunday 7th July 2013

Anderson Silva (c) (184lbs) vs. Chris Weidman (185lbs)
Frankie Edgar (146lbs) vs. Charles Oliveira (144lbs)    
Tim Kennedy (186lbs) vs. Roger Gracie (186lbs)
Mark Munoz (185lbs) vs. Tim Boetsch (186lbs)
Cub Swanson (144lbs) vs. Dennis Siver (145lbs)   

Prelims - Live on ESPN at 1am Sunday 7th July 2013

Chris Leben (186lbs) vs. Andrew Craig (186lbs)    
Norman Parke (156lbs) vs. Kazuki Tokudome (155lbs)   
Gabriel Gonzaga (262lbs) vs. Dave Herman (242lbs)   
Edson Barboza (155lbs) vs. Rafaello Oliveira (155lbs)

Facebook Prelims - Live on facebook

Seth Baczynski (170lbs) vs. Brian Melancon (170lbs)   
Mike Pierce (171lbs) vs. David Mitchell (171lbs)   

Fighter vs Writer - UFC 162 Main Card Picks Challenge - Phil Harris vs Jack Broadey

UFC Fighter Phil Harris challenges Kingdom MMA in a picks challenge

by Jack Broadey @J3cK_b

Welcome to another Kingdom MMA fighter vs writer challenge.

For this challenge we challenge some of the big names from the world of MMA to give us their picks and fight outcomes for specific MMA events. Then they will be challenged by one of our writers, who will make their own predictions. Previously we have challenged Luke Barnatt twice and Jim Alers. Last time out at UFC 161 Jim Alers was the first fighter to beat one of our Kingdom MMA writers.

For this event I will be challenging Phil Harris, who is set to fight at UFC 163 will be predicting the fight outcomes from UFC 162 which is headlined by Chris Weidman challenging Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight championship. 

Before we go in to the details of the competition we caught up with Phil Harris this week and spoke about his fight at UFC 163.

You are fighting at UFC 163 in Brazil and we all know the Brazilian crowd back their fighters more than any other fight fan in the world, how have you been preparing yourself mentally to enter the 'lions den'?
The Brazilian fans are well known for backing their fighters but once the cage door closes its me vs him so no matter who the crowd are cheering for this wont change my focus to win.

You are fighting John Lineker, who is considered a top 10 flyweight in the world. Do you think a win over Lineker cements your place in the top 10 rankings?
Beating John Lineker will definitely put me in the top 10, he's one of the best 125lb fighters in the world.

How has your training camp been for the fight, have you been working on improving any part of your game going into the bout?
Training has been great for this fight camp, just about all of my camp is done at gym01 in Portsmouth we have great coaches and a gym full of small guys so its ideal for me.

I believe you have also been out in Thailand training at Tiger Muay Thai ahead of this fight, is that something you do during most fight camps, or is your striking game something you have specifically worked on for this fight?
I went to Tiger Muay Thai before I knew about the fight, just to improve on my all round game but specifically my striking.

What areas do you feel you have an advantage over John Lineker?
John is obviously a good striker but I'm happy to trade with him but I think my advantage will be against the cage in the clinch and on the ground.

Are you hoping to fight again this year after UFC 163, would the Manchester event be a card you'd like to fight on?
I've not thought about fighting again this year, I want to get this fight done then make plans. It would be good to spend some time with the family after this fight.

Thank you for answering our questions Phil, now its time to start the competition.

The Scoring

If you predict the correct winner of the fight you will get one point and if you predict the correct method of victory you will get an extra point. However, if the fight ends in a stoppage and you predict the round as well the method you could earn a third bonus point. If the fight goes the distance you can only earn a maximum of two points.

The predictions:

Main Event: Anderson Silva vs Chris Weidman

Harris: Anyone who bets against Anderson is insane.

Prediction: Silva by TKO Round 2 

Jack: I'm torn on this one. Anderson can't go on forever and he will eventually lose to a top wrestler. I just don't know if that top wrestler will be Weidman. He certainly will take Silva down but can he rinse and repeat for 5 rounds? That's the big question for me. I'm just insane enough to believe he can do it.

Prediction: Weidman by Decision

Frankie Edgar vs Charles Oliveira

Harris: Frankie will comfortably win every round.

Prediction: Edgar by Decision

Jack: This is an awesome fight. Oliveira is no joke but he's no Frankie Edgar. I expect Edgar to stamp his authority on this one and get the finish.

Prediction: Edgar by TKO Round 3

Tim Kennedy vs Roger Gracie

Harris: I am not sure about this fight but I'm going for Gracie.

Prediction: Gracie by Submission Round 1

Jack: I like Gracie as well here. Could look very similar to Maia-Fitch but I also see Gracie eventually locking onto some sort of choke.

Prediction: Gracie by Submission Round 2

Mark Munoz vs Tim Boetsch

Harris: Tim Boetsch will take this fight. 

Prediction: Boetsch by Decision 

Jack: Difficult one to read. Munoz has been inactive for so long but Boetsch isn't all that great either. I think Munoz if he's anywhere near what he used to be should be able to take this down and use his G&P to win this.

Prediction: Munoz by TKO Round 2

Cub Swanson vs Dennis Siver

Harris: Cub will take this, he will out wrestle Siver.

Prediction: Swanson by Decision 

Jack: I Like Siver in the upset here. Siver has looked great since dropping down to Featherweight. I think he's the better technical striker and should be able to keep it up long enough to win a decision.

Prediction: Siver by Decision

So that's our predictions for the fights, we will be live tweeting on Saturday night as always and we will keep you all informed as to how the challenge is going with latest scores throughout the main card.

Thanks again to Phil for providing us with his picks for this weekends fights and it just leaves me to say.... May the best man win!!

UFC 162 - UK Betting Odds

UFC 162 - UK Betting Odds

With UFC 162 approaching at a rapid pace, we team up with partners William Hill to bring those who fancy a little flutter the latest clear cut, betting odds - Good Luck, and don't miss out on your free £25 bet below!

Preliminary Card
1/5 Mike Pierce v David Mitchell 7/2
2/5 Seth Baczynski v Brian Melancon 19/10
1/5 Edson Barboza v Rafaello Oliverira 7/2
2/5 Gabriel Gonzaga v Dave Herman 19/10
8/15 Norman Parke v Kazuki Tokudome 6/4
11/10 Chris Leben v Andrew Craig 8/11
 Main Card
19/10 Dennis Siver v Cub Swanson 2/5
8/13 Tim Kennedy v Roger Gracie 13/10
8/11 Mark Munoz v Tim Boetsch 11/10
1/5 Frankie Edgar v Charles Oliveira 7/2
4/11 Anderson Silva v Chris Weidman

* Blue denotes The Favourite

UFC 162 Predictions

UFC 162 Predictions
by Tom Rooney - @oldmanrooney

The UFC is back in Las Vegas for what we are being told, not for the first time, is the toughest test of Anderson Silva’s career to date. Is the hype behind Chris Weidman genuinely justified or will he prove to be yet another unworthy pretender fed to the Spider, while the Dana and Co continue to dangle the super fight carrot without the slightest chance of follow through?

Elsewhere, the Featherweight rankings are set to oscillate once more with Frankie Edgar, in desperate need of a W, taking on Charles Oliveira and head hunters Cub Swanson and Denis Siver going toe-to-toe. The main card is completed by two Middleweight bouts between perennial contenders Mark Munoz and Tim Boetsch and octagon debutantes Roger Gracie and Tim Kennedy.


Anderson Silva v Chris Weidman
It’s probably a little redundant to highlight the plethora of ways the champion can win this fight; the man operates on a different plane to any other fighter on the planet and even the most casual of fight fans will have been witness to that. Weidman’s path to victory could not be more academic-get it to mat and be quick about it. At this stage Weidman’s credentials as both a wrestler and grappler have been extolled to the point of saturation and, to be fair, with good reason. He mixes his takedowns between Greco and Free-style intelligently and, when on top, he is equally brutal with ground and pound or submissions. But, herein lays the problem; while he has not put a foot wrong in his time in the UFC, on paper his highest ranked and toughest opponent thus far was a bloated, out of shape Mark Munoz. The jump in competition he will experience on Saturday night is so glaring that it’s near impossible to verbalise.

The variety and accuracy in Silva’s striking arsenal is breath-taking, he also possesses a stealth of movement and appreciation of space and angles that is truly unique. If Weidman can take Chael Sonnen’s game-plan from UFC 117 and appropriately modify it, at the very least, we’re in for an interesting night. In all honesty, since that night in August 2010, the champion has not been offered a challenge equating to more than a mid-tempo sparring session. If Weidman loses, but does so competitively, it will at the very least legitimise a division that no longer has anything to offer its champion, bar pay cheques.

My Prediction: Silva by TKO/KO in Round 3.

Frankie Edgar v Charles Oliveira
Frankie Edgar goes into his first non-title fight in over three years, knowing a loss against the dangerous Charles Oliveira could send him into MMA purgatory. His career since capturing the lightweight crown form BJ Penn, has been a litany of draws, re-matches and razor-thin decision losses. He debatably lost his last three fights because he was unable to assert himself in the opening two and-a-half rounds. A return to the three round time limit should compel him to make things happen from the off. He has better boxing and wrestling than Oliveira and has also fought a much higher calibre of opponent-the guy is also impossible to finish. Oliveira has a sound submission game and competent Maui Thai in which he utilises his long limbs to keep opponents at bay. But he has a questionable chin and heart as his fights with Cub Swanson and Jim Miller demonstrated respectively. In the end, Frankie needs it more.

My Prediction: Edgar by unanimous decision.

Roger Gracie v Tim Kennedy
There shouldn’t be too much pressure on Roger Gracie for his UFC debut; he’s only representing the name of a familial dynasty responsible for the entire sport’s existence! Beaten only once in his professional career, he and fellow Strikeforce ex-pat Tim Kennedy know a loss on Saturday means they could be on the chopping block with one more slip up. Kennedy is a powerful striker and decent wrestler, but Gracie’s BJJ is so refined that even the slightest error on Kennedy’s part could signal the end.

My Prediction:  Gracie by submission in Round 2.

Mark Munoz v Tim Boetsch
Mark Munoz looked to be on his way to a title shot until he was unceremoniously knocked out by Chris Weidman at UFC on Fuel TV in June of last year, since then he has overcome both mental and physical demons to make his UFC return against Tim Boetsch, also rendered unconscious in his last fight by Costa Philippou. Both guys are strong wrestlers, with seriously powerful, if uncouth striking. Munoz has the better wrestling pedigree and that should prove decisive.

My Prediction: Munoz by split decision.

Cub Swanson v Denis Siver
There is a credible argument to made, considering his last four fights that Cub Swanson should be facing Jose Aldo at UFC 163 and not the Korean Zombie, but the powers that be think otherwise and only time will tell. This one has fight of the night and/or knockout of night written all over it. Swanson is a pure beast and is one of the most destructive stand-up fighters in the division; he combines this ballast with a tapered technique. Siver is an outstanding kick-boxer and loves to brawl and his spinning back kick is always a sight to behold, yet Swanson is just a little better everywhere and will be out to prove a point after being overlooked for a title shot. Fireworks all round!

My Prediction: Swanson by KO/TKO in Round 2.

Stay tuned to Kingdom MMA for the latest on UFC 162

Chris Weidman's UFC 162 Badboy Walkout Shirt Available from Fearless Fightwear June 28th

Chris Weidman's UFC 162 Badboy Walkout Shirt Available from Fearless Fightwear June 28th
By Chris Houten - @kingdomMMAChris

Chris Weidman's UFC 162 Badboy Walkout Shirt will be available from Fearless Fightwear on the 28th of June.

Weidman will wear the black and blue Bad boy shirt, when he walks out to meet Anderson Silva for the UFC Middleweight title on the 6th of July in the biggest fight of his career.

Available in Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large, you can order your Chris Weidman UFC 162 Badboy Walkout Shirt now - Price £27.99

Fearless Fightwear specialise in all the major Mixed Martial Arts Brands for Clothing, Fan Gear, Supplements and Accessories such as: UFC, Venum, MusclePharm, Affliction, Dethrone, Hayabusa, Xtreme Couture and many more. They also stock all the Professional Fightwear, Training Gear and Professional Protective Equipment from all the leading manufactures such as: Bad Boy, Booster, Punch Town, Rival, Twins, Tri-Coasta, and Punishment Athletics.

UFC Fine Silva $50k for missing UFC 162 media tour

Anderson Silva Refuses to Attend UFC 162 Media Day

by Ben Heather @benheather

The UFC yesterday fined Anderson Silva $50,000 after he decided to fly back to Brazil instead of attend the previously arranged UFC 162 media day which was scheduled for today in Los Angeles today.

Dana White broke the news to USA Today and was quoted as saying

"We had a full media day set up for him in Los Angeles and he decided he didn't want to do it, so he is being fined $50,000"

"He doesn't like talking to the media, but its part of his contractual obligation"

"Everybody wants more money, more money, more money , but nobody wants to sell the fight or go out and talk to the media. Talking to the media is part of your job, whether you like it or not"

Silva should have been promoting his upcoming middleweight title fight against Chris Weidman at UFC 162 as it coincided with the start of the tickets going on sale for the July 6th battle. That fight will take place in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Silva vs Weidman Official for UFC 162

Chris Weidman finally gets his shot at the Spider at UFC 162

Chris Weidman's (9-0 MMA 5-0 UFC) lobbying for a middleweight title match with Anderson Silva (33-4 MMA 16-0 UFC) has finally paid off as the spider has agreed to face him at UFC 162 on the 6th July in Las Vegas.

Weidman was told by UFC chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta that his request to challenge Silva has finally been accepted. Weidman described the announcement as a "Dream come true" stating that "Ever since I've been fighting, Anderson Silva has been the champion and I've been visualizing beating him. Now I have the opportunity. I have to make the most of it."

Weidman 28 has a perfect 9-0 record and last fought in July 2012 when he knocked out Mark Munoz. Since this win he has done everything he can to get the shot at Anderson Silva, but late last year his shot looked to have slipped his grasp. So he accepted a fight with Tim Boetsch at UFC 155 before ultimately pulling out with a shoulder injury which required surgery. Weidman is now 100% and cleared to start training for the biggest fight of his career.

Anderson Silva, ranked by most as the pound for pound best MMA fighter of all time has never lost in the octagon with a record 16 consecuctive wins in the UFC. The Spider has held the middleweight belt since defeating Rich Franklin in October 2006.

Only once has Silva looked set for defeat in the UFC in his first battle with Chael Sonnen, before pulling out a submission victory in the 5th round. With Weidmans skills as a Division 1 wrestler as well as his powerful strikes could this be Silva's toughest test yet... only time will tell.