Pro Picks: UK MMA's Finest Weigh In on Wallhead vs Roberts

Pro Picks: UK MMA's Finest Weigh In on Wallhead vs Roberts

by  Chris Houten - @mrhouts

On Saturday night two of the best Welterweights in the UK will meet in the cage in a bout that will likely determine who is the number one contender in a ridiculously stacked Cage Warriors welterweight division. One, is one of the best welterweights the UK has ever known with over 10 years of professional MMA experience, the other a game newcomer tipped for the top. The two men in question are Jim Wallhead and Danny Roberts, and Saturday night will see both men go toe-to-toe in one of the biggest fights the UK sees this year.

So who wins? We caught up with over 25 of the finest fighters from the UK and Ireland to ask them how they see the big fight going. From Cage Warriors champions, to Bamma stars, to UFC standouts and even a couple of Bellator fighters. We have got their opinions on Wallhead vs Roberts, who wins, how they win, and exactly why you need to watch it.

Brett Johns
Cage Warriors Bantamweight, Former Cage Warriors Champion | Twitter: @36johns
I genuinely dont know how that fight is going to go down, im a big fan of both of these guys! I really like Danny, he's a sound guy and im a big fan of his fighting style, but I think Jimmy has an edge on the experience side of things, fighting for a world title and his time in Bellator. I think this will be an edge in this fight! I dont want to pick a winner but I got Jimmy wallhead by decision! Although im not counting "Hot Chocolate" out - Good luck lads!

Prediction: Jim Wallhead - Decision

Phil Harris
UFC Flyweight | Twitter: @Philharrismma
I would say Wallhead by decision.

Prediction: Jim Wallhead - Decision

Benny Alloway
Cage Warriors Welterweight, Former UFC Welterweight | Twitter: @bennyblancomma
Tough one to call, it could be fight of the year or it could fizzle out. I'd say Wallhead by decision.

Prediction: Jim Wallhead - Decision

Colin Fletcher
Bamma Lightweight, Former UFC Lightweight | Twitter: @dr_freakshow
Im gonna go Jimmy via 2nd round ground n poudskius maximus

Prediction: Jim Wallhead - TKO / KO RD 2

Jack Mason
Cage Warriors Welterweight | Twitter: @JackStoneMason
This is a great fight, probably one of the biggest domestic fights this year to be honest. I’m a fan of both and they are both great guys but I’m not going to sit on the fence on this one; I think Roberts takes this fight, he’s solid in all areas, his stand up is great, his wrestling is good and his grappling is very underrated. Wallhead is very well rounded too and has big fight experience, I just think the X factor here is Roberts athleticism and will to win. I see Roberts taking this by decision beating Wallhead to the punch standing and taking Wallhead down synching the rounds on the judge’s scorecards.

Prediction: Danny Roberts - Decision

Walter Gahadza
UWC Welterweight Champion | Twitter: @WalterGahadza
This will bee a very good fight. I'll go with Wallhead, experience and versatile style.

Prediction: Jim Wallhead - No Method Given

Curt Warburton
Cage Warriors Lightweight, Former Bamma Lightweight Champion | Twitter: @curtwarburton
That's a tough one. Wallhead is one of the best WW in Europe and Roberts has not fought anyone like Wallhead before, but saying that Roberts is growing with each fight and we have not seen the best of his striking just yet.... I Am just concerned the Wallhead fight will come to soon. If Wallhead turns it into a wrestling fight with G&P I see him winning. If not it could go either way.

Prediction: None Given 

Jimi Manuwa
UFC Light-Heavyweight | Twitter: @posterboyjm
Wallhead stoppage

Prediction: Jim Wallhead - TKO or Submission

Rob Sinclair
Bellator Lightweight, Former Bamma Lightweight Champion | Twitter: @robc4sinclair
I think Wallhead will win a decision. I think he will find away to use his experience to nullify Roberts boxing speed. Wallhead, decision win.

Prediction: Jim Wallhead - Decision

Ryan Scope
Bamma & Made 4 the Cage Welterweight | Twitter: @ryanscope1
I've trained with Jimmy a few times so gotta go with him. Roberts is really good but I think Jimmys experience and toughness will win him the fight.

Prediction: Jim Wallhead - No Method Given

Lewis Long
Cage Warriors Lightweight | Twitter: @lew_long
It's a fucking cracking fight !! I can see wallhead taking the UD.

Prediction: Jim Wallhead - Decision

Paul Redmond
Cage Warriors Lightweight | Twitter: @RedserMma
Seen Danny's last few fights and he's looked really impressive, his standup is really crisp. As everyone knows Jimmys got some tasty throws and serious submissions. Roberts did well with the last grappler he faced but Jim's on the next level. If he can avoid the takedowns and keep it on the outside with strikes, plus its in his hometown it will defo give him an advantage. I got Roberts by Decision

Prediction: Danny Roberts - Decision

Michael Page
Bellator Welterweight | Twitter: @michaelpage247
Well Jimmy has done his training camp here with me at London Shoot so I’ve seen first hand what he’s going to do to Roberts. He’s going to man handle him plan and simple and if he’s feeling friendly end his night early with a KO

Prediction: Jim Wallhead - TKO / KO

Spencer Hewitt
Cage Warriors Flyweight | Twitter: @hewittmma
Bro, I think its going to be a war. Could go either way as both are top fighters. I can't predict who will win but think its not going 3 rounds.

Prediction: None Given 

Alex Enlund
Cage Warriors Featherweight | Twitter: @alexenlund
I actually don't have a clue,  that' why I am so excited to see it. Both guys could win but I expect it to be a decision.

Prediction: None Given

Shajidul Haque
Cage Warriors Flyweight | Twitter: @supermanshaj
I haven't seen too much either fighter, but from what I have, I think the fight will go the distance, and Roberts will win the decision.

Prediction: Danny Roberts - Decision

Chi Lewis-Perry
ONE FC Heavyweight | Twitter:  @ThebossmanCLP
I like Wallhead for this match up. I like his aggressive one pace style - never afraid to go forward even when hurt, that's tough to deal with. I see his constant pressure going the distance but winning him a unanimous decision.

Prediction: Jim Wallhead - Decision

Benny Carr
Bamma Welterweight | Twitter: @BennyCarrMMA
I predict Wallhead wins via that left hook in 2nd round.

Prediction: Jim Wallhead - TKO / KO RD 2

Matt Inman
Cage Warriors Welterweight | Twitter: @mattinman86
I'm siding with the underdog on this one, most people I've talked to about this are saying Jimmy but I think Danny has a really tricky and fast southpaw style and he can grind it out when he needs to, I think he goes in as the hungrier fighter with more to gain, and the home crowd factor shouldn't be underestimated. Very hard fight to call though.

Prediction: Danny Roberts - Decision

Jason Cooledge
Cage Warriors Lightweight | Twitter: @theanimaljac
I think Roberts takes the fight on a close decision, he will stay on the outside and out point to win.

Prediction: Jim Wallhead - Decision

Lee Chadwick
OMMAC & FCC Middleweight Champion | Twitter: @Lee_the_butcher
I think Danny will win via TKO or decision. It'll be a tough fight for both fighters.

Prediction: Danny Roberts - TKO or Decision

Jordan Desborough
Cage Warriors Bantamweight | Twitter: @TeamHandsomeMMA
The match up between Wallhead and Roberts is undoubtedly one if the best domestic MMA fights we will see this year. Roberts is a top Contender in the Cage Warriors welterweight division and in my opinion a future champion. Having said that I think Wallhead's experience and fighting style will be too much of a problem for Roberts at the present time and can see him winning a decision. The experience in big fights could be a deciding factor. Whoever wins on May 3rd will cement their place as the Number one contender to the welterweight title.

Prediction: Jim Wallhead - Decision

Jake Bostwick
Cage Warriors Welterweight | Twitter: @jakebostwick
It's a very tough fight for them both but think Wallhead could grind the fight and take a decision! If it's a striking game then it’s Roberts fight! A very interesting match up

Prediction: None Given

Jason Ball
Cage Warriors Lightweight | Twitter: @Daddycoolmma
Wallhead has the experience, Roberts has the record. I'm going Judo Jimmy by decision.

Prediction: Jim Wallhead - Decision

Neil Seery
UFC Flyweight, Former Cage Warriors Flyweight Champion | Twitter: @NeilSeeryMMA
Think it will be a cracking fight. If Wallhead turns up to fight the way he can its all his

Prediction: Jim Wallhead - No Method Given

Tim Newman
Bamma Lightweight | Twitter: @timnewman9
Wallhead wins! He's too experienced in all areas of the game. He'll get the TKO in RD 3.

Prediction: Jim Wallhead - TKO RD 3

Charlie Watts
Cage Warriors Welterweight | Twitter: @watts_charlie
I'm with Danny Roberts

Prediction: Danny Roberts - No Method Given

Thats what the pro's think, let us know who you think will win in the comments section.

Roundtable: What's Next for Michael Bisping?

Roundtable: What's Next for Michael Bisping?
Kingdom MMA Staff

Following Wednesday devastating loss to Tim Kennedy, Kingdom MMA discusses what's next for the poster boy of UK MMA, Michael Bisping.

Ben Heather - @benheather

What's next for Michael Bisping? I've been asking myself this question for the past two days and I've not really got any closer to a definitive answer in my mind. What I have got are a couple of suggestions though:

1) Bisping needs to get affiliated with a big camp and have a big named head coach, someone like Greg Jackson or John Crouch would really help Michael get back to fighting how we know he can. On Wednesday night the Bisping we all know and love unfortunately didn't show up and not only this, from what I could hear (having watched it back a couple of times) his corner didn't seem to help him during the rounds. The best I heard was "come on Mike you got to get up" but didn't suggest any possible ways to help improve the position or to actually get up.

The whole reason we have been told Bisping moved to The States was to get the best training partners and facilities available, but since going out to The States has pretty much won a fight, lost a fight with no win streaks or consistency. Yes he is fighting better fighters - until Wednesday anyway, but if he wants to get that title shot now he needs to win at least 3 fights and against very tough opponents.

I still believe the old Bisping before his eye surgery would beat Kennedy 9/10 times.

2) Who's next for bisping. The best thing that could happen for Bisping is that Luke Rockhold beats Tim Boetsch next Saturday and then Bisping can try and trash talk his way in to that fight which Rockhold has been calling for, for a long time. A win over Rockhold keeps Bisping in the top 10 but he'd still have to win a couple more to get the title shot he craves so much.

It's now a long road to the top for Bisping and it's not going to be easy at all. As for when I expect to see him fight again, well he gets married next month so I think you will be looking at the end of summer August / September earliest, and I really hope we see the old Bisping return to the octagon.

Chris Mazella - @chrismarzella

Going into the Kennedy fight I practically knew it was going the distance. Bisping would either box his way to a decision or Kennedy would wrestle the win away from him.

Despite the work he has done over the years, Bisping's wrestling is still suspect. If you put him up against a high level wrestler who has wrestled their whole life then he's just not going to win.

You really can't put any argument about that fight. It was a snoozer. Don't get me wrong, Bisping was going for it, but when a guy has the sole intention of taking you down and laying on top of you for 25 minutes there's not much you can do. To be fair to Bisping, he was coming off of a serious, potentially career threatening injury. Although it didn't show, there's no telling the impact that had on him and his performance.

Bisping is now in a tricky spot. Where does he go from here? He's 2-3 in his last five fights and hasn't finished anybody in Mayhem Miller in December 2011. Despite all that, he is still a draw. On a weekly basis there are countless call out from up and down the middleweight division, so there will always be fights out there for him.

I've seen calls for him to retire. He is nowhere near that stage yet. He's still competitive in the division.

There are two fights I would really like to see him in now.

Firstly, Mark Munoz. Both guys are at a similar stage of the career. Mid thirties. coming off of losses, floating around in no-mans-land in the rankings with no realistic hope of an imminent title shot. Munoz still has the small matter of taking care of business when he meets  Gegard Mousasi in Berlin on May 31. Regardless of the outcome of that fight, Bisping vs Munoz peaks my interest, it has the potential to be a war.

The alternative option would be Luke Rockhold. Rockhold sits in the top five, with a fight with Tim Boetsch set for UFC 172 in Baltimore. We already know Bisping and Rockhold don't like each other. Rockhold is the newer breed of fighter making his way up in the standings. Bisping may be the ultimate test for him and as far as Bisping is concerned, beating an up and coming fighter propels him back to where he wants to be.

For now let's end talk of Bisping retiring and hop that he get one of these two fights next.

Sam Heard - @samheard_

No one will ever doubt Michael Bisping’s ability to sell a fight but after Wednesday’s performance at the TUF Nations Finale there are those who now question his fighting ability. I was shocked when I read more than one person suggest that it might be time for The Count to hang up his gloves. Granted, his performance against Tim Kennedy was shockingly tentative, sluggish and generally underwhelming but we have on more than one occasion seen a fighter have a disappointing performance only to drop bombs in their next outing. It wasn’t so long ago that people were bleating on about how Shogun should retire after he was easily dispatched by Chael Sonnen only for the chorus of ‘OMG SHOGUN IS BACK’ to start on twitter after he hammered James Te Huna. Just because Mike lost a fight we all thought he should’ve won doesn’t mean his career is over. He was coming back from a long layoff having suffered a career-threatening injury so it was understandable that there were a few cobwebs.

Though the queue for a MW title shot seems to be getting ever longer, all Bisping can do for now is attempt to get back in the W column against a tough opponent and I believe that – dependent on their performances in Berlin – Bisping should be given the winner of Mark Munoz Vs. Gegard Mousasi. If Munoz wins this will mean they get to have the fight Bisping was forced to pull out of due to injury back in October while if Mousasi is victorious we will get to see a stand-up war between two high level strikers (rather than someone like Tim Kennedy lay on top of Bisping for 25-minutes). These are two match-ups I definitely like and were Bisping able to prevail over the winner of UFC FN 42’s Main Event he would definitely keep himself relevant in the division and get back some of his lost confidence.

Mutual Opponent Joe Orrey Weighs In On Brett Johns vs James Brum

Mutual Opponent Joe Orrey Weighs In On Brett Johns and James Brum
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

On Saturday night at The LC in Swansea, 2 of the best bantamweights in Europe will meet to determine who is next to sit atop of the Cage warriors 135lb division, looking down on would be challengers.

The man holding the belt is 22-year old Brett Johns, a Judo black belt with a perfect 9-0 professional record dating back to 2012 when he made his pro debut after racking up a 5-0 amateur record. A former British champion with Pain Pit, Johns signed for Cage Warriors in 2013 where he took on James MacAlister at Cage Warriors 54 who he defeated via TKO before going on to earn decision victories over David Haggstrom and Jordan Desborough at Cage Warriors 59's 4 man Bantamweight tournament to win the Cage Warriors bantamweight title and earn his place amongst the best in Europe.

His opponent James Brum has been on a tear, rattling off 9 straight victories since 2011 earning a reputation as one of the most dangerous 135lber in Europe. With 8 impressive wins under the Cage Warriors banner Brum has not only earned his shot at the belt, he's earned the right to be considered one of these fighters in Europe.

One man who knows just how good both men are is Welsh Bantamweight Joe Orrey of Tillery Combat who has faced both men inside the cage, and feels both men can expect a tough fight this Saturday:

'I think it's a really tough fight for both guys. There both at the top of the game at the moment and on massive win streaks'

Having fought Brum early in his career at Shock N Awe 5, and Brett Johns at Pain Pit 6 for the British Bantamweight title, it's safe to say Orrey knows better than most what both Brum and Johns do well, and while he knows this is a tough fight for both men, he's confident that one man goes into the bout with the edge:

'For me I got to give the fight to Brett, I just think he's slightly better in all areas.' Said Orrey.

'He's such a hard working lad. Having been lucky enough to train with him after our fight, he's so level headed and grounded for a young lad who's already achieved so much. I'll be be rooting for him on the night to keep the belt in Wales!'

Cage Warriors 67 takes place April 12th at The LC in Swansea, Wales. North American viewer can watch the show live on MMAjunkie beginning at 9 p.m. GMT (4 p.m ET / 1 p.m. PT). Other viewers can catch the event at cagewarriors.tv.

You can follow Joe Orrey on twitter - @joeorrey

UFC London: Gustafsson vs Manuwa - UK Betting Odds

UFC London: Gustafsson vs Manuwa - UK Betting Odds

The UFC is back this weekend from the shores of Blighty, no only giving us British fans the opportunity to cheer on our local lads, but a chance to make some serious cash with the right bet. Kingdom MMA have teamed up with 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
6/4 Phil Harris v Louis Gaudinot 8/15 
4/7 Igor Araujo v Danny Mitchell 11/8
10/11 Davey Grant v Roland Delorme 10/11
8/15 Brad Scott v Claudio Henrique da Silva 6/4
4/11 Luke Barnatt v Mats Nilsson 21/10
10/11 Cyrille Diabate v Ilir Latifi 10/11

Main Card
1/3 Gunnar Nelson v Omari Akhmedov 9/4
1/6 Brad Pickett v Neil Seery 4/1
4/5 Michael Johnson v Melvin Guillard EVS
1/4 Alexander Gustafsson v Jimi Manuwa 3/1

Roundtable: Does Andy Ogle Deserve Another Fight in The UFC?

Roundtable: Does Andy Ogle Deserve Another Fight in The UFC?

On Saturday night Newcastle's Andy Ogle fought Charles Oliveira in Brazil at UFC Fight Night 36. A huge underdog going into the fight Ogle put in a noble effort arguable winning round 2 and looking good to take the third round as well before being caught in a triangle choke from the submission specialist which ultimately led to Ogle's 2 loss in a row, and 3rd in his last 4.

While Ogle has proved he is a tough guy taking on some real tough guys in his time with the UFC, one has to start questioning at 1-3 since making his debut for the promotion, how long will Dana and co. keep the 25-year old around.

The team at kingdom MMA discuss whether Andy Ogle deserves another fight, or if the bout with Oliveira will be his last under the promotion.

Chris Houten - @mrhouts
I've been impressed with Ogle since making his debut, the guy has held his own in some pretty tough fights. Although 1-3 in his last 4 fights,  Ogle is a better fighter than his UFC record suggests.

Since making his UFC debut at UFC on Fuel 5, Ogle has had a hellish run fighting top featherweights such as Oliveira, Cole Miller, Josh Grispi and Akira Corassani, and to his credit, he has held his own - its fair to say he has done himself and the UK proud.

Although Ogle hasn't looked like he could finish any of the opponents he has faced, which could ultimately be his downfall in the argument if he deserves another fight in the UFC, Ogle has shown excellent grappling and ground control beyond what the average fight fan would expect from a Brit.

There is no shame in losing to Charles Oliveira - the guy is a killer with his only losses coming to top 10 guys in Jim Miller, Donald Cerrone, Cub Swanson & Frankie Edgar,  as there is no shame in losing to 15 fight UFC vet Cole miller - the guy has had 15 fights in the UFC for a reason, he's that good. An argument could be made that Ogle defeated Akira Corassani also.

Its fair to say, no matter how tough Ogle has had it, he can't keep losing. I'd like to see Ogle have another fight in the UFC but I would total understand if he was cut.

Ben Heather - @benheather
For me this is an easy question to answer. YES

Andy Ogle is certainly a UFC calibre fighter, in my mind two issues have led to people asking will he be cut after his latest loss.

1) He has been matched up really badly in every fight.
2) He is too tough for his own good and has accepted to fight anyone, anywhere. To Andy Ogle getting offered a fight is accepting a fight.

Lets look at my first point. In his UFC debut he got matched up against Akira Corassani, a fight in which going in to it nobody gave him a chance and while we was waiting for the decision 99% of the crowd thought he won. If it wasn't for some poor judging he would have won that fight.

Next up he gets matched with and defeats Josh Grispi. Again, going in to the fight nobody gave him a chance but he proved everyone wrong again and dominated the fight winning this time on the judges scorecards.

Then he accepted, but had to pull out of the fight against Conor McGregor at UFC on FOX Sports 1. Once he was fully recovered he faced Cole Miller in Manchester. This fight was the first time we had seen Ogle dominated but even then in the third round he changed the whole fight around but it was too little, too late. Taking his UFC record to 1-2.

This past weekend he then faced Charles Oliveira in Brazil. This is the same Oliveira who last time out went toe to toe with Frankie Edgar for 15 minutes losing a decision in the co main event of the July 4th weekend card where Weidman defeated Anderson Silva. That is how highly the UFC rate Oliveira and when the fight was booked I thought Ogle had been thrown to the wolves again.

Now Ogle is 1-3 in the UFC a place no fighter wants to be however, I think he deserves one last shot on one of the european shows which have been planned for this year against another fighter who is like Andy Ogle a mid tier UFC fighter. If he gets matched up well for the next couple of fights I see Andy Ogle bringing his UFC record back to a healthier position. The fact he has taken the fights he has and only once pulled out of a fight has to be in his favour and I hope to see him in the Octagon again soon.

Tommy Strong - @strong_tea
Andy Ogle hit our screens on the first ever 'Ultimate Fighter Live' series back in 2012 where he defeated Brendan Weafer via unanimous decision to book himself a place inside the house.
I've got to admit, since the first time I saw Andy fight I've not been very impressed at all. Yes he's game, yes he durable, and yes he gives you 100% every time he fights. Though this simply isn't enough if you want to have a sustainable career within the UFC where the standards are set so high.

He made an impressive start inside the house defeating number Mike Rio via submission in the 2nd round, though lost his following fight in the quarter finals losing to Al Iaquinta inside the first round via TKO and forcing him out of a fight in the Ultimate fighter final. 

Ogle went onto made his UFC debut in Nottingham England where he narrowly lost to Akira Corassani via split decision. I've got to be honest. I thought he was very unlucky not to get the decision that night. If he had won that night , we might not be here now discussing about his future.

His style of fighting really doesn't lend itself to a mass market, and there is little appeal for me to go out of my way to watch him fight, this could be his biggest downfall here. We all know Dana and the UFC love fighters that come to fight regardless of the outcome. Look at Dan Hardy , Leonard Garcia, both went on long losing streaks and held onto there jobs because they entertained the fans. This I'm afraid just isn't Ogle's style of fighting.

At just 25 years old Ogle has his career still in front of him. In my opinion, he would be better off signing himself to a promotion like Bamma or Cage Warriors where he could build on his career and develop his game against fighters more on his level.

 

SANDEE to Launch Joanne Calderwood “Badmofo” Signature Series

SANDEE to Launch Joanne Calderwood “Badmofo” Signature Series

Team SANDEE Fighter Joanne “JoJo” Calderwood is to get her own range of SANDEE gloves and Shingaurds we can exclusively reveal today.

The new signature range exclusive to www.sandeeboxing.com will be named “Badmofo” after the name she goes by on Twitter.

The new design will be done in conjunction with Joanne and will reflect her Scottish roots combined with the premium quality expected from SANDEE in Thailand.

Here are some more details of the new BadMofo range

*         SANDEE JoJo Calderwood “Badmofo” Range Launching in May 2014

*         Signature design of Professional Training Gloves + Muay Thai Shin Guards

*         Colours – White / Scotland Blue / Black

*         To be Available in 10/12/14/16oz  in Velcro Boxing Gloves, M/L in Shinguards

*         Handcrafted in Thailand exclusively by SANDEE

In reference to Joanne’s Scottish heritage, the “Badmofo” logo will be in classic Celtic Script Font

Inside the Cage or Muay Thai Ring,  JoJo certainly lives up to her BadMofo name as one of the sports most vicious strikers, and has now notched up 8 straight wins in MMA and will later take part in the The Ultimate Fighter Season 20, which for the first time feature and all female contest.

The winner of TUF20 will be crowned the first straw weight female UFC champion and hopefully that will be Team SANDEE’s BadMofo JoJo, who would become the first British UFC Champion in the history of the sport.

Outside of the cage however she couldn’t be nicer (we think anyway) but we wouldn’t like to be on the receiving end of one of her trademark elbows.

Source: sandeeboxing.com

Where does Urijah Faber go following his loss at UFC 169

What's next for the California Kid?

by Chris Marzella @ChrisMarzella

Not many mixed martial artists can claim to only ever falter in major championship fights. Whether or not that is a slight on him or praise is a separate issue, but Urijah Faber is the enduring title challenger of the UFC, always falling shy in his attempts to win the big one.

The California Kid has looked spectacular over the past year, scoring win after win and doing so impressively. However, this past Saturday night he fell at the final hurdle, not for the first time, as he lost another championship fight at the hands of UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao.

In 2013 he notched up wins against Ivan Menjivar, Scott Jorgensen, Iuri Alcantara and Michael McDonald. Had it not been for the returning Dominick Cruz he would in all probability been the number one contender. When injury struck and Cruz was forced out of the Barao showdown, only one man would have sufficed. Faber.

He seems to have been the perennial title challenger at 145lbs and 135lbs for pretty much his entire career. But has he used up his quota of title fights?

At featherweight he was the small guy, fighting against giants, well relatively speaking. A glance over the UFC rankings and there's only one guy he can't beat, possibly two. Renan Barao has his number, it remains to be seen if Dominick Cruz does too. Everyone else? Well, it's been proven, they don't beat Faber.

In effect you can split the bantam weight division into three sections. Barao and Cruz, then Faber, then everyone else.

He has now lost to Barao twice, Cruz once and destroyed everyone else. However, following his most recent loss in a title fight he was quick to shoot down the notion of permanently going back up to featherweight, only for a big fight.

He's not going to get Jose Aldo who seems destined for a collision course with lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. Besides, Aldo already beat Faber in the WEC days.

It would seem then that Faber finds himself cast in the Chael Sonnen role. He won't win the title in any of the weight classes he has fought in, although it's undoubted he will fall into that number one contenders spot again somehow.

It's time to simply make fun fights happen.

At bantamweight, where he has spent his UFC tenure doesn't jump out as containing real fun fights we could see Faber in. At featherweight? Yes.

Faber has to be considered the most popular UFC fighter to never hold a UFC title and featherweight holds an array of potential match ups which would prove just as popular as he is.

Anyone who has read this far will already have guessed the match ups which would be nothing but pure gold.

Firstly, what about Urijah Faber vs Cub Swanson or the Korean Zombie? Maybe not the biggest fights available or big enough to tempt Faber up, but it would be a sure fire winner with the fans.

These next two potential fights however certainly address the issue of big fights. Be warned, you may get giddy with excitement just at the prospect.

BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar coach the next season of TUF and face each other later in the year in BJ Penn's featherweight debut.

Any combination of these three guys has to happen. The possibilities of Faber vs Penn or Faber vs Edgar sounds far more appealing than a trilogy with Barao or Cruz.

Faber and Penn are far and away the two most popular fighters south of welterweight and Edgar may well be clear in third.

Yes, you read that correctly, Faber vs BJ Penn. After all, Faber did say a huge fight could tempt him up a division.

What's next for Renan Barao?

A look at the UFC's 135lb division

by Chris Marzella @ChrisMarzella

If you didn't already know, Renan Barao is one of the very best mixed martial artists on the planet.

Despite the very much controversial conclusion to his first UFC bantamweight title defence at UFC 169 against the always game Urijah Faber, all that really happened was Barao chalked off yet another contender for his crown, again.

Barao spent so much time as the interim champion, knocking off the top contenders in the absence of Dominick Cruz, that as champion now he has already defeated many of the top contenders.

Take a second and think who is next in line for a crack at the exhilarating Brazilian. Michael McDonald? Been there, done that. Eddie Wineland? Same. Faber? Again?

The problem is, Barao was too good for everyone before he was the champion. How likely is that to change now that he is the undisputed bantamweight champion?

The rankings are always a good place to start when considering future contenders. From the list of guys not already humbled by Barao we have Raphael Assuncao, Urijah Faber's stablemate TJ Dillashaw and of course former champion Dominick Cruz.

From that list the next challenger seems to be fairly obvious.

Dillashaw, despite the ringing endorsement issued by Faber in the aftermath of UFC 169, has already lost to Assuncao back in October at UFC Fight Night 29, so Assuncao should and in all probability will be ahead of him in the line.

All that seems fine and well, apart from the fact there's only one fight everyone wants to see at 135 pounds. The countdown is on until the former champion is healthy again.

The highly anticipated unification match that never quite materialised needs to happen, if not for anything other than to solidify the belief that Barao is the premier bantamweight on the planet.

And with that, there is a problem. When a champion dominates his division, fairly often they defend their title against people who, quite frankly, don't belong in title fights, just look at some of the challengers Anderson Silva faced over the years.

Barao has beaten the top contenders in his division, with the exception of a couple, so the list to choose from if fairly narrow.

The only fight that matters though is with Dominick Cruz. We have been teased with this prospect for the last two years and I'm fairly certain that it is the only fight anyone really wants to see next.

The quicker Cruz gets himself fit the sooner we can see the best possible bantamweight fight on the planet.

UFC on Fox 10 - UK Betting Odds

UFC on FOX 10 - UK Betting Odds

The UFC is back this weekend with with a fun little card, featuring 2 lightweight title contenders in the main event. We've 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
2/7 Walt Harris v Nikita Krylov 13/5
19/10 George Sullivan v Mike Rhodes 2/5 
2/5 Daron Cruickshank v Mike Rio 19/10
13/5 Junior Hernandez v Hugo Viana 2/7
1/2 Chico Camus v Yaotzin Meza 8/5
1/4 Eddie Wineland v Yves Jabouin 3/1
8/5 Alex Caceres v Sergio Pettis 1/2

Main Card
4/9 Donald Cerrone v Adriano Martins 7/4 
11/10 Darren Elkins v Jeremy Stephens 8/11
4/9 Stipe Miocic v Gabriel Gonzaga 7/4
1/3 Benson Henderson v Josh Thompson 9/4
*Blue denotes favourite

Roundtable: Our Favourite Memories of Chris Leben's Career

Kingdom MMA Roundtable: Our Favourite Memories of Chris Leben's Career

One Monday afternoon 22-fight UFC veteran Chris Leben went on the MMA hour with Ariel Helwani and officially announced his retirement from MMA.

Through his up and downs, wins and losses, one things for certain Leben was a fan favourite from the minute he stepped in the the cage until the day he left.

In wake of Leben's retirement, we pay homage to Leben's career sharing out favourite Leben moments with you.

Chris Marzella - @chrismarzella
It's quite sad that we won't be seeing Leben competing anymore. He was one of the few guys who, win, lose or draw, was always worth the admission. I've always rooted for those guys from the first series of TUF, we already had Griffin, Bonnar and Florian walk away, so it saddens me to see another of that group go into retirement. The way he quit on his stool in the Hall fight was the most un-Chris Leben thing that I could have imagined, if that was the way his career would have continued than I'd rather not see him do this anymore. His style of taking two, three, four punches to land one of his own has its limitations and he's walking away at the right time. At least we still have those memories of those insane Leben moments, of course the shock win against Sexyama, but the one that will live long in the memory is the night he knocked out Wanderlei Silva. They are practically carbon copies of each other and for Leben to bruatlise Wand in less than thirty seconds was just unbelievable to watch.

Sam Heard - @samheard_
Chris Leben’s career is a fascinating one in so far as it consists of such contrast; intense highs like knocking out MMA legend Wanderlei Silva as well as crippling lows such as his self-deprecation having his Ultimate Fighter shattered by rival Josh Koscheck. Many moments spring to mind as being the best of Leben’s long MMA career. One of my most prominent memories of Leben was his clinical beat down at the hands of former Middleweight champion Anderson Silva, simply put one of the most (if not the most) beautiful displays of MMA we’re ever likely to see in the Octagon. However, I think picking this would be unfair on Leben as clearly he was the one on the receiving end of this onslaught and would certainly rather not be remembered for it.

I would say my favourite memory of Leben was the personal growth which we all saw him undergo in the first series of The Ultimate Fighter. At first he was the outspoken, annoying loudmouth who was there to party rather than to advance his fighting career. By the end however, he had grown and we had seen the tender, emotionally fragile side to the man who – on the very first night – ‘spritzed’ (pissed) on Jason Thacker’s bed sheet. This personal development also allowed his friendship to form with Kenny Florian who had disliked Leben for the first few weeks. This may not be a fighting memory of Leben but it was this insight into his personality which kept me so interested in the career of the Crippler for all these years.  

Chris Houten - @mrhouts
Through his ups and down Chris Leben has always had one thing going for him, his ability to entertain fans. For his antics on season 1 of the ultimate fighter to his glorious knockout of Wanderlei Silva, Leben has provided me with a wealth of memories that while last a lifetime.

While Leben's knockout of Silva was beautiful, and I'll never forget the excitement I felt in the lead up to UFC 138 knowing I would be cage side for the first 5 round non title fighter, my favourite memory of Leben's career takes place during a two week period in 2010 where Leben came from behind to defeat Aaron Simpson by TKO then followed that up with a sweet triangle of Akiyama.

Leben was all heart. A beautiful brawler who would surprisingly fight better when he was hurt and I feel that two week period in Leben's career summed the man to a tee.

I have enjoyed watching every minute of Christian Leben's career.... Thank you for the memories Crippler!

Ben Heather - @benheather
For me the greatest Leben memory is easy. While it's certainly not his finest moment in MMA it is however one of the moments that hooked me in to the great sport of MMA. 

My favourite Chris Leben memory is having him headline my first live MMA event UFC 138 in Birmingham. The main event saw Leben lose to Munoz and end up in a bloody mess by the end but for what that event meant to me on a personal level and how it changed me from a casual fan to a die hard fan it has to be my greatest Leben moment and I feel honoured that I got to see him in action. 

If I had to pick a Leben moment in the octagon it has to be finishing Wanderlei in less than 30 seconds, it was a crazy fight and showed how good a fighter Leben really was. Now, looking back on his career it was the last time he was in the win column. Although he took a beating and didn't look the same fighter during those last four fights the win over Wanderlei was one of many highs and a great way to get his final win. 

All I would like to say is Chris Leben, thank you for the great memories and I salute you for making what must have been a tough decision to retire. You will always be a true warrior!!

Kingdom MMA Awards 2013: KO of the Year

Kingdom MMA KO of the Year Award 2013: Vitor Belfort
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Everyone loves a great knockout, and 2013 was full of them.

From Mark Hunt’s jaw-breaking knockout of Stephan Struve, to Emanuel Newton’s spinning back fist KO of Mo Lawal, to Paul Daley’s uppercut finish of Romario Manoel da Silva, 2013 has been a beauty. But in the year of the head kick KO, Kingdom MMA’s knock out of the year goes to Vitor Belfort, for his spinning heel kick knockout of Luke Rockhold.

There was some great kick Knockouts in 2013, with Chinzo Michada returning to the cage with a devastating flying knee, and Uriah Hall knocking out Adam Cella with a spinning hook kick but none of these knock out were as impressive as Belfort’s due to the quality of Belfort’s opponent.

Luke Rockhold entered the UFC as the last Strikeforce middleweight champion, and as so was billed as a contender for the UFC Middleweight title. In less than 3 minutes Belfort shattered Rockhold’s UFC title aspirations and ensured Rockhold would be a highlight real forever.

Thanks for that Belfort, we enjoyed it very much!

Kingdom MMA 2013 Awards: Breakthrough Fighter of the Year

Kingdom MMA Breakthrough Fighter of the Year Award 2013: Khabib Nurmagomedov
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

2013 has seen some real quality fighters rise through the rankings to solidify themselves as serious contenders, and even champions in their respective weight divisions going into 2014.

Emanuel Newton went 4-0 in 2013 for Bellator defeating King Mo twice on route to winning the promotions interim Lightheavyweight title. Nick Newell and Justin Gaethje rose to the forefront of WSOFs lightweight division, going 5-0 between them, finishing all of their opponents in the process.

It was an international affair in the UFC with Irish featherweight Conor McGregor picking up two fantastic wins since making his debut, while on his way to becoming one of the sports biggest and most popular personalities, and Canadian Alexis Davis announcing herself to the world with dominating UFC wins over Rosi Sexton and Liz Carmouche, as well as a win over Shanya Bazler.

For the staff at Kingdom MMA though there was another international fighter worthy of the top honours as Breakthrough fighter of the Year – Russian, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

2013 has seen the Russian run through every opponent he has faced, set a lightweight record for most takedowns in a single fight along the way, particularly impressive when you consider he did that against one-time NAIA All-American collegiate wrestler, Abel Trujilo.

Starting the year with the brutal destruction of veteran Thiago Tavares in Brazil, Nurmagomedov then beat the aforementioned Trujilo, before rounding out his year with a dominating victory over then top 10 lightweight, Pat Healy.

At just 25 years old Nurmagomedov is 21-0 in his professional MMA career, and already looks like a future champion. Nurmagomedov is expected to face Gilbert Melendez at UFC 170 and a win over the former champ would thrust the Russian firmly in the title picture.

Khabib Nurmagomdev has impressed in 2013, and don’t be surprised if he doesn’t remain undefeated in 2014 too. Khabib is a well-deserved winner of Kingdom MMAs Breakthrough fighter of the year award.

Kingdom MMA Awards 2013: Fight of the Year

Kingdom MMA Fight of the Year Award 2013: Jones vs Gustafsson
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

The general consensus amongst fans is that 2013 has been one of, if not the best years in MMA history. From The UFC, to Bellator and on and on, we have witnessed fights that will stick in fans memories for many years to come.

Fans have been blessed with epic fights this year with the UFC serving up classics like Bermudez vs Grice, Melendez vs Sanchez and Silva vs Hunt. Bellator have done their bit too by giving us Chandler vs Alverez 2, the Axis TV broadcasted local shows gave us Leonard Garcia vs Nick Gonzalez at Legacy 23, and literally every single women’s fight this year can only be described as frigging awesome.

Not to be outdone, UK MMA got in on the action too, with Cage Warriors delivering brilliant fights between Jordan Desborough and Brett Johns, as well as Danny Roberts vs Hendry Fadipe. Bamma had the short but sweet Barnaoui vs Fletcher, while Ashley Reece and Martin Chester put on one of the best amateur bouts of all time at FCC 8.

But when it’s all said and done, the one fight that stuck in the minds of the staff at Kingdom MMA was Jon Jones vs Alexander Gustafsson.

One of the most exciting title fights of all time, Jones vs Gustafsson was a war, a five-round battle of precise strikes and hard-nosed chins – a war!

Back and forth two warriors wen to toe-to-toe, one the pound-4-pound king of MMA, the other one a huge underdog which no one gave a chance going in to the fight. Jones vs Gustafsson is MMAs equivalent to Rocky Balboa vs Apollo Creed.

Gustafsson took the fight to Jones, he landed a crisp jab all night, and become the fight fighter to ever take Jones down in the UFC; in fact many people actually thought Gustafsson won.

Whoever you thought won the fight there is no disputing that Jones and Gustafsson put on one hell of a fight, with both man showing the heart of a champion - here’s hoping to a rematch in 2014.

Congratulations to both Jones and Gustaffason for the fight of the year performance.

Kingdom MMA Awards 2013: Submission of the Year

Kingdom MMA Submission of the Year Award 2013: Anthony Pettis
By chris Houten - @mrhouts

2013 has been a year full of great submissions. From Rose Namajunas submission of Kathina Catron at Invicta 5 to Takuya Eizumi submission of Teppei Masuda at Pancrase 250, fans have been left in the kind of awe that makes you show up at the local BJJ academy scratching for your first lesson, in a way only a drug addict would. 

With so many great submission in 2013 including the aforementioned, the staff at Kingdom MMA found it difficult to agree on winner of submission of the year with several championing Rose Namajunas’ flying armbar, and Eizumi getting a well deserved vote for his hip toss reversal into belly down arm bar. In the end though one man came out on top – Anthony Pettis for his UFC 164 submission victory over Benson Henderson, which earned him the UFC lightweight title.

Strange choice you may say, when you compare a regular old armbar which happens week in week at many events around the world, to a flying armbar, but in the end it was the magnitude of the victory, and the quality of his opponent which earned Pettis sub of the year.

Going into the fight with Pettis, the lightweight champion Benson Henderson was on a 7 fight win streak and was looking pretty cosy at the top of the lightweight division. What makes Pettis submission of Henderson even more impressive is the fact that Bendo has just earned his BJJ blackbelt a few months before, and had been competing and winning in high level BJJ tournaments for most of the summer.

As one of the best strikers in all of MMA, Pettis was given the advantage standing by fans and pundits a like; its fairly safe to say that not many people would have backed a Pettis submission at the bookies, even with Pettis’ notoriously active guard. And that’s what makes Pettis' victory even more impressive, he tapped out one of the finest lightweights of all time with ease, a feat that caused absolute hysteria in Pettis’ home town where the fight took place. Sometime its not the just the method of victory that makes a finish great it’s the complete packagage, and this one had it all.

By tapping out Henderson, Pettis becomes only the second man in 22 fights to submit Benson Henderson, earning himself the UFC Lightweight title, and Kingdom MMA’s 2013 submission of the year award – Pettis we salute you.

UFC 168 - UK Betting Odds

UFC 168 - UK Betting Odds

The UFC is back this weekend with one 2 of the biggest rematches of all time! We've 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
11/8 William Macario v Bobby Voelker 4/7 
8/15 Robbie Peralta v Estevan Payan 6/4
EVS John Howard v Siyar Bahadurzada 4/5 
2/5 Dennis Siver v Manvel Gamburyan 19/10
4/6 Gleison Tibau v Michael Johnson 6/5
19/10 Chris Leben v Uriah Hall 2/5

Main Card 
4/9 Dustin Poirier v Diego Brandao 7/4 
8/15 Josh Barnett v Travis Browne 6/4
2/7 Jim Miller v Fabricio Camoes 13/5
1/8 Ronda Rousey v Miesha Tate 5/1
11/8 Chris Weidman v Anderson Silva 4/7
*Blue Denotes Favourite

5 MMA Fighters Who May Be Better Off Kickboxing in 2014

5 MMA Fighters Who May Be Better Off Kickboxing in 2014
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Alistair Overeem

If Overeem loses his upcoming fight against Frank Mir it's safe to say he's done, he's through, he's out.... peace.
3 losses in a row in the UFC is not good for anyone, especially not someone who is ridiculous paid, has lost his fights due to arrogant mistakes, and has recently been popped for juicing.

If Overeem were to get cut I can't see Bellator or WSOF interested in him, and I can't see any other MMA promotion in the world being able to afford to offer him regular fights. This for me if where Glory would step in.

On the rise Glory have some of the best Light-heavyweight and heavyweight fights in the world including Schilt, Saki, and Tyrone Spong. Armed with deals with Spike and BT sports, Glory have put on event after event of quality kickboxing which are threaten to take away some of the UFCs steam in the near future.

Should Overeem lose to Frank Mir, who is no easy fight, I feel the opportunity to sign a known MMA fighter, with legitimate kickboxing credential would be too good for Glory to pass up on.

Paul Daley

Paul Daleys inclusion on this list differs from most of the other fighters in that he may be too good for the level of competition he is fighting in MMA at this point.

A former top 10 welterweight, Paul Daley deserves to be fighting at the highest level. Having fought all over the world, Daley has knocked out some of the best welterweights to ever enter into a cage. However 2013 sees Daley fighting cans like Romario Manoel da Silva, Lukasz Chlewicki, and Patrick Vallee.

Having been cut from the UFCs roster for punching Josh Koscheck after the bell, and having been released from Bellator due to a legal issue outside of the cage, there's aren't many fights available to Daley where his opponent will have enough in his arsine to make the fight semi-competitive. This is where kickboxing comes into play.

Having already agreed to compete in kickboxing as well as MMA in 2014, Daley has an avenue to rise back to his former glory in 2014, establishing himself as a kickboxer worthy of competing for promotions such as Glory, K-1, and Legends, all which can offer Daley a bigger platform than the one he is currently on.

Pat Barry

As exciting as Pat Barry's fight are (while they last), Barry is simply not cut out for the level at which he is competing, and it's starting to feel like it might getting a little bit bad for his health at this point.

Barry is one of the best strikers in the heavyweight division - his kicks are some of the hardest in MMA, but unfortunately for Barry he is not physical enough, nor does he have the ground game to compete with most of the fighters in his weight division.

At 235lb Barry is not a massive heavyweight, and could probably make the cut to 205lb, however I genuinely don't see this making a difference for him. I still see him being man handled at light-heavyweight, possibly even more so than he is at heavyweight.

With a record of 5-7 in the UFC on paper Barry looks like he has what it takes to pick up a few wins here and there, however upon further inspection, you will see all the guys he's beat have since been deemed as not good enough for the UFC either and have all been handed their release papers.

When I say Barry isn't good enough for the level of competition he's facing, I don't just mean the UFC, I mean national MMA in general as I don't envision Barry performing too well in Bellator or WSOF either. Both promotions have several fights that would have no problem beating Barry: Kongo, Lavar Johnson, Arlovski, Mike Russow, and that's just a few off the top of my head.

What's keeping Barry around at this point is his fights are exciting, but getting knocked out is no good for anyone especially when it's 230lb plus guys knocking you out. It also feels that Pat Barry is easier to put away with each outing - example being Barrry's most recent fight against Soa Palelei where it looked as if Barry's chin had deserted him.

With all this being said Pat Barry is a great fighter, just not the well rounded fighter required to compete at the top level in MMA. Having competed to one the the highest levels in Kickboxing while with K1, Barry may find that not only may he have more success fighting under kickboxing rules in 2014, it will be a whole lot safer for him.

Thiago Alves

Alves' inclusion is very similar to Overeems in the fact that he can't afford to lose in 2014. Unfortunately though for Alves by the time he steps in the octagon he will have been out of action for over 2 years.

2-4 in his last 6 fights, Alves will be in desperate need of a win his next outing, or face the likely chop from the UFC.

Fighting for a health purse of $60,000 a fight, Alves does not come cheap, especially when you consider the UFC have been footing his medical bills for the last 2 years.

Should Alves ultimately be cut in 2014 it's hard to see any promotion paying anywhere near this kind of money especially when you consider the only 2 leagues (WSOF and Bellator) on the planet who may be willing to dig deep enough to cough up that kinda change, have divisions chocked up of guys that would beat Alves.The likes of Fitch, Palharis, Lima, Burrell etc. shouldn't have a problem despatching an apprehensive Thiago Alves who is worried about being taken down, and therefore hesitant to strike.

That being said, when he is trading Alves Is a formidable striker capable of finishing just about anyone on Gods green earth with a variety of strikes. He is still a marketable name too thanks to his 2008/09 title run, so much so he actually headlined the last UFC event he fought at before his injury.

With a catalogue of brutal knocks, and a marketable name, signing Alves would be an attractive proposition for almost any kickboxing promotion out there. Should Alves be released from the UFC, he may actually be better off leaving MMA for kickboxing, a sport that may suit Alves' fighting style a little more at this point.

Cris Justino

Justino is an absolute beast. Facts are Justino could carry on fight MMA and beating the worlds best 145lb women in the world as she has done her whole career, but what's the point? Justino insists on fighting at 145lb, a weight category 10lbs heavier than anyone actually cares about.

Being one of the most feared strikers in all MMA - men and women, Justino has made of career of battering high level strikers such as Gina Carano and most recent French Muay Thai champion Jenifier Colomb at all kickboxing event Lion Fights.

If it is genuinely true and Justino can't go down to 135lbs, I really don't see the point in her sticking around fighting 145ers who can't / won't bring their weight down for a shot at the UFC either. Having recently competed in a kickboxing event to great success, maybe Justino should consider hanging up her 4 ounce groves and commit full time to a growing sport which can provide her with a greater level of competition, and the opportunity to fight more often.

Is GSP right to go on a hiatus from fighting?

My opinion on whether GSP should have taken a break from MMA

by John Haigh @JohnBJayHaigh

On Friday 13th December during a media call GSP announced he was taking a step back from fighting vacating his UFC welterweight title in the process.
GSP told media members on a conference call that the pressures of being a champion, combined with the relentless pace of promoting fight cards while training for title defences became too much for him. As a result, St-Pierre said he needed to take an indefinite leave and agreed to vacate the title in his absence. GSP had the following to say.

“I’ve been fighting for a very long time, at a very high level,”
“It’s a lot of pressure. I know that UFC is a business. They have to keep things rolling, so I vacate my title."
“I need to have a normal life for a little bit,”
“If I come back some day, I will be even better.”

But is GSP justified in stepping away?
Having only fought four times in the last years, surely that’s plenty of time in between fights to rest up, have some time to himself and enjoy the fruits of his labour?

Undoubtedly GSP has already had a great career at just the age of 32, but are the last seven straight five round fights catching up with the former champ. We’ve seen the change in GSP’s condition after fights especially recently after the fights with Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz and most recently with Johny Hendricks, with the massive bruising and swelling to his face. It begs the question how long could he continue like this?

There have also been many rumours circulating since GSP’s distressed post fight interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan, but with GSP liking to keep his private life away from the limelight. I’d be surprised if we ever found out the problems referred to in the interview. However, shouldn’t the former champ have just taken some time off to got his life back to where he wants it to be? Dana White even said “his problems are not as big as he thinks they are.” 

He’s not been fighting as regular as a lot of other champions so would people really even notice? Why not use the interim tittle option?

While many people in and around the MMA world are confident that GSP will one day return to the octagon, does he really need to? Are the risks worth it to him anymore? He’s clearly made plenty of money and could quite easily continue to do so without the stress of entering the cage.

So while the former champ takes time away from the cage to decide what he wants to do in the future, it leaves a change for a new champ to put their mark on the welterweight division.

As always, true to fashion UFC Dana White wasted no time in moving forward, “March 15, Dallas, Texas, Johny Hendricks will fight Robbie Lawler for the vacant UFC welterweight title,” White declared on Friday’s media call with St-Pierre.

Poll: Who Wins - Gray Maynard vs Nate Diaz 3

Poll: Who Wins - Gray Maynard vs Nate Diaz 3
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts 

Gray Maynard meets Nate Diaz for the 3rd time at The TUF 18 finale next Saturday with both fighters having already earned a victory other one another.

An intriguing match up between 2 long time top 10 lightweights, fans will surely be divided on who wins the rubber match.

So who wins - VOTE NOW!

free polls

UFC 167 Predictions

UFC 167 Predictions

The UFC is back, and back in a big way with UFC 167 marking the companies 20th anniversary.

For the 3 time in 2 weeks the UFC will be back on your TVs on Saturday night with the biggest fight of them all, an intrigueing welterweight match up between one of the most dominate champs in UFC history in George St. Pierre, and NCAA champion and hardest hitting man in The UFC Johnny Hendricks.

Kingdom MMA writer Jack Broadey (Twitter @j3cK_b) and Tommy Strong (Twitter @strong_tea) give you their predictions for the event which is sure to be a cracker!

George St. Pierre vs Johny Hendricks
Strong: Finally a fight for GSP that puts him in real danger of losing his title he's clung onto for so long. GSP will no doubt try and get the fight to the floor for as much as the fight as possible trying to avoid Hendricks punching power. Though can GSP get Hendricks to the ground?

The odds certainly favour GSP but Im backing Hendricks to land at some point in the fight to end GSP title rein and become the 'new welterweight' champion! .

Prediction: Johnny Hendricks - TKO RD 2

Broadey: I love this fight, Johny Hendricks is easily the biggest threat to GSP's title reign especially with St Pierre having spent so long sidelined in the last couple of years.

Hendricks matches up very well with GSP and I have liked his chances here for a long time. Hendricks has huge power in his left hand and very good wrestling that's well adapted to MMA. GSP is GSP though, you can never count him out. He will have the gas tank to go the championship rounds and if it goes that far he could well take over and win a decision.

That's not to say I don't see Hendricks winning a decision. He showed against Condit he can fight smart when it matters. Getting the round stealing takedowns etc. At this point if anyone is going to beat GSP it's Hendricks, perfect style to beat him, experienced with the youth factor still and maybe catching GSP in the twilight of his career.


Prediction: Johny Hendricks - TKO RD 3

Rashad Evans vs Chael Sonnen
Strong: Sonnen has everything to do here to beat Rashad. He's met his match in the wrestling department and won't be able to take him down at will and sit on him for 3 rounds. If thats the case Rashad is the much better striker who carries power , something Sonnen doesn't. Rashad will be to quick, too strong and athletic for Sonnen.

Prediction: Rashad Evans - Unanimous Decision

Broadey: It's been well documented how evenly matched these 2 guys are. I see Evans having the edge on the feet, he likes to use feints and pushes his jab out but Sonnen doesn't let you settle for a minute and is in your face pushing the pace constantly. Sonnen will look for the takedown and it will be interesting who has the edge here.

In a fight so close I'd be looking to take on the favourite and I think Sonnen offers enough value for a play here. Him pushing the pace will be key to him picking up a decision win.

Prediction: Chael Sonnen - Unanimous Decision

Rory MacDonald vs Robbie Lawler
Strong: A win for either men will put them in prime position to fight the winner of GSP vs Hendricks.

Robbie Lawler has looked a different fighter since dropping down to welterweight again. Knocking out Koscheck and Bobby Voelker in his last 2 fights he will be coming in with lots of confidence. MacDonald is a massive set up for him Though.

In my opinion MacDonald will win this fight then go on to win the welterweight title within a year and I predict him to hold onto it just like GSP has. Lawler does have a punchers chance and a very good one at that, though landing it before being taken down might be the obstacle.

Prediction: Rory MacDonald - Submission RD 2

Broadey: Lawler has a punchers chance but that's all I would give him here. If anyone but GSP was champ we would be talking about an impressive win for MacDonald being enough to earn a title shot. But where does his motivation lie?

If MacDonald wins he's clearly the number 1 contender but won't get a title shot. He needs to figure that out later and get the win 1st. If he remotely looks like getting in trouble on the feet he won't have any trouble taking Lawler down.

Prediction: Rory MacDonald - Unanimous Decision

Josh Koscheck vs Tyron Woodley
Strong: Tyron Woodley will be eager to get back to winning way after suffering a loss last time out to Jake Shields, a fight that what won't be remembered for anything other than a stinker of a fight!! I just hope this doesn't go the same way as it could be a fun fight.

Koscheck even at 35 will give anyone a fight. Though he is coming off a knockout loss to Robbie lLawler, many thought the fight before he was unlucky not to get the win over Johny Hendricks, losing via split decision.

I'm Struggling to pick a winner, though I'm going to predict we might be in a for a bore fest here! (flips the coin)

Prediction: Tyron Woodley - Unanimous Decision

Broadey: This is a hard fight to call, it's difficult to look good against Koscheck. He's looked really poor lately and I would question his motivation at this point. However Woodley has hardly been tearing up trees himself after a strangely tentative performance against Jake Shields.

I think Koscheck might be done, if his motivation isn't there I see him being clipped and stopped again. Woodley has to pull the trigger and go after him.

Prediction: Tyron Woodley - TKO RD 3

Tim Elliot vs Ali Bagautinov
Strong: Nothing like a good flyweight fight to kick off the main event!

Elliot is coming off a very good win over Louis Gaudinot and will be looking to put himself in title contention with a win over Bagautinov in what many believe is the weakest division within the UFC.

Elliot will have his work cut out though fighting the heavy handed Russian Bagautinov who is on a 9 fight winning streak, and has finished his last 3 opponents via knockout.

If Elliot employs the right game plan, I think the fight should go his way, though when you have genuine knock out power of Bagautinov you always have a chance.

Prediction: Tim Elliot - Unanimous Decision 

Broadey: I feel this fight will mostly take place on the feet,  and if it plays out that way Bagautinov should have the edge. His striking is on a different level and he should have the know how to stay off his back. Elliot is well rounded fighter and will have his moments but will be worn down late on.

Prediction: Ali Bagautinov - TKO RD 2

UFC 167 - UK Betting Odds

UFC 167 - UK Betting Odds

The UFC is back weekend with one of the most intriguing welterweight battles, and one of GSP toughest oppoents since..... maybe ever! 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
3/10 Gian Villante v Cody Donovan 5/2
3/1 Will Campuzano v Sergio Pettis 1/4 
1/3 Jason High v Anthony Lapsley 9/4
2/7 Erik Perez v Edwin Figueroa 13/5
8/5 Brian Ebersole v Rick Story 1/2 
8/5 Ed Herman   v   Thales Leites 1/2
10/11 Donald Cerrone v Evan Dunham 10/11

Main Card
4/6 Tim Elliott v Ali Bagautinov 6/5
EVS Josh Koscheck v Tyron Woodley 4/5
1/4 Rory MacDonald v Robbie Lawler 3/1
4/7 Rashad Evans v Chael Sonnen 11/8
4/11 Georges St Pierre v Johny Hendricks 21/10
 *Blue Denotes Favourite