What's next for the winnners of UFC Fight Night 36

Kingdom MMA look at what’s next for the winners of UFC FN36?

by Sam Heard @SamHeard_

Lyoto Machida
Next fight: Winner of Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort (UFC 173)

Now 2-0 at Middleweight against a pair of the most dangerous fighter on the UFC roster, it would be a bold statement to suggest that Machida isn’t deserving of the next pop at the 185-lbs belt.

His speed and technical striking advantage over former Strikeforce LHW champion Gegard Mousasi were plain to see, meriting him a one-sided decision victory after five rounds. It’s worth mentioning that against virtually any other opponent Machida’s performance probably would’ve earned the stoppage – Gegard ate several huge kicks directly to the jaw which would’ve been more than enough to drop most other middleweights (and indeed smaller African elephants).

Though he hobbled after his victory, this could well work to his advantage in his pursuit of being given the next title shot. Weidman and Belfort won’t be throwing down until May 24th which means either way Machida will be forced to wait and his foot injury will prevent him being given a match-up before then.

Ronaldo Souza
Next fight: Winner of Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Boetsch (UFC 173)

There’s no denying that Souza fell behind Machida in the race to secure the next no1 contender spot.

While he was mostly untroubled against Francis Carmont, I can’t help but think he should’ve been able to secure the submission victory from the dangerous ground positions he managed to take against the Frenchman. Going into Saturday’s fight, three of Carmont’s seven career loses had come via submission so expecting someone with Jacare’s BJJ credentials to submit a fighter having taken their back multiple times isn’t a big ask.

I find the UFC’s matching of Rockhold – who looked awesome in his last appearance – against middle-of-the-line Boetsch pretty strange. If, as most fans are expecting, Rockhold beats Boetsch, Joe Silva should arrange the rematch of Rockhold and Jacare, the winner potentially being next in line after Machida.

Erick Silva
Next fight: Brandon Thatch

Silva’s match up went according to the script as he immediately blasted through heavy-underdog Takenori Sako on Saturday night.

Silva can be a tricky fighter to matchmaker for. He looks like a world-beater against lower-level UFC welterweights but as soon as he takes a step-up in competition, he finds his momentum crushed by another loss (admittedly in the loss to Dong Hyun Kim he had been dominating until the KO). I believe that if Silva actually manages to amass a few consecutive UFC wins he could be a real contender in the 170-lbs division.

A clash with the massively-hyped prospect Brandon Thatch – who had stopped all 10 of his last opponents in the very first round – would be an amazing match up. Both fighters have similar offence-based styles so seeing the two in the octagon would surely be exciting from the start. A win for either of them against the other would more than likely buy their place into the division’s top ten rankings.

Nicholas Musoke
Next fight: Winner of Thiago Alves vs. Seth Baczynski (UFC on Fox 11)

Picking up the win on Saturday in front of a hostile Brazilian crowd (and in spite of a horrific looking groin shot in round three), Swedish Nicholas Musoke looked highly impressive.

A fight with the winner of Thiago Alves and Seth Baczynski makes a lot of sense. Alves hasn’t fought for the last two years and cannot expect to jump back to the top of the Welterweight division where he once resided. Assuming he wins against Baczynski, a fight against the impressive Nicholas Musoke would be perfect in his quest to re-establish his status in the division.

Charles Oliveira
Next fight: Felipe Arantes

Charles Oliveira finds himself in a state of limbo, comfortably dealing with opponents outside of the Featherweight division’s top-ten but then stumbling against the likes of Frankie Edgar and Cub Swanson. He made a difficult opponent in Andy Ogle look second-rate, eventually submitting him in the third round.

Only just coming off his two fight skid, it’s too soon to give Oliveira another top-ranked opponent. Instead, he should be given the opportunity to garner some consecutive wins against respected opponents like Ogle so he can build some momentum and self-confidence.

A perfect opponent for his next fight would be Felipe Arantes who, like Oliveira, was victorious on Saturday against Maximo Blanco. Arantes would be given a hike in competition and the chance to put himself on the map while Oliveira would confirm his talent by acquiring another UFC win.

Andy Ogle vs Charles Oliveira Promoted to UFC Fight Night 36 Main Card

Andy Ogle vs Charles Oliveira Promoted to UFC Fight Night 36 Main Card
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Originally scheduled to take place on the undercard of UFC Fight Night 36 which streams live on UFC Fight Pass in the US, a featherweight bout between the UKs Andy Ogle (9-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) and Charles Oliveira (16-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) will now open next week's UFC Fight Night 36 main card.

Ogle vs. Oliveira has been promoted to the main card due to an injury to Thiago Tavares (18-5-1 MMA, 8-5-1 UFC) who was original scheduled to meet newcomer Zubair Tuhugov (15-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) on the main card. With Tavares out, Tuhugov will now meet fellow newcomer Douglas de Andrade (22-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), the two will square off in the opening bout of the UFC Fight 36 prelims.

UFC Fight Night 36 takes place on Feb. 15 at Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil, and will be the first even the UFC has held in the South American hotbed in 2014.

The full UFC Fight Night 36 card now includes:

MAIN CARD
Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi
Francis Carmont vs. Ronaldo Souza
Takenori Sato vs. Erick Silva
Viscardi Andrade vs. Nicholas Musoke
Andy Ogle vs. Charles Oliveira

PRELIMINARY CARD
Cristiano Marcello vs. Joe Proctor
Rodrigo Damm vs. Ivan Jorge
Jesse Ronson vs. Francisco Trinaldo
Yuri Alcantara vs. Wilson Reis
Felipe Arantes vs. Maximo Blanco
Ildemar Alcantara vs. Albert Tumenov
Douglas de Andrade vs. Zubair Tuhugov

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 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