Evans (photo via UFC.com)

By FCF Staff

Here are the results from UFC 161 Saturday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which saw former light-heavyweight champ Rashad Evans get by the legendary Dan Henderson with a split decision win in the main event. With the victory, Evans got back on track after dropping back-to-back losses to Jon Jones and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, while “Hendo” has now lost two straight. In February, the 42 year-old fighter also lost by split decision to Lyoto Machida.

In the co-main-event, Stipe Miocic demonstrated once again why he’s a heavyweight on the rise, as he outscored noted slugger and top contender Roy Nelson for the UD victory.

Rashad Evans def. Dan Henderson by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Stipe Miocic def. Roy Nelson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Ryan Jimmo def. Igor Pokrajac via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Alexis Davis def. Rosi Sexton by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-28)

Shawn Jordan def. Pat Barry via TKO (punches) – R1, 0:59

Jake Shields def. Tyron Woodley via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)

James Krause def. Sam Stout via submission (guillotine choke) – R3, 4:47

Sean Pierson def. Kenny Robertson via majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)

Roland Delorme def. Edwin Figueroa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Mitch Clarke def. John Maguire via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Yves Jabouin def. Dustin Pague via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Evans (left) and Henderson (photo via UFC.com)

By FCF Staff

All of the competitors made weight this afternoon in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in preparation for UFC 161 tomorrow night at the MTS Centre.

Light-heavyweights Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson both came in on weight for their headlining bout, as Evans tipped the scales at 206 and “Hendo” weighted in at 204.

Here are the official weigh-in results for the event.

Main Card (pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

Rashad Evans (206) vs. Dan Henderson (204)

Stipe Miocic (243) vs. Roy Nelson (260)

Ryan Jimmo (206) vs. Igor Pokrajac (206)

Alexis Davis (134) vs. Rosi Sexton (135.5)

Pat Barry (245) vs. Shawn Jordan (248)

Preliminary Card (FX and Sportsnet, 8 p.m. ET)

Jake Shields (171) vs. Tyron Woodley (171)

James Krause (155.5) vs. Sam Stout (156)

Sean Pierson (170.5) vs. Kenny Robertson (170.5)

Roland Delorme (136) vs. Edwin Figueroa (135)

Preliminary Card (Facebook, 7 p.m. ET)

Mitch Clarke (155.5) vs. John Maguire (155)

Yves Jabouin (136) vs. Dustin Pague (135.5)

You can watch the official weigh-ins for UFC 161 right here at FCFighter.com beginning at 5:00PM EST / 2:00PM PST.

UFC 161 will be hosted by the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and will feature Rashad Evans versus Dan Henderson in the main event.

Dan Henderson

By Kelsey Mowatt

Dan Henderson has had one of the sport’s most storied careers to date, but that doesn’t mean the 42 year-old-fighter isn’t looking to add yet another historical chapter to it. Despite losing his opportunity to fight Jon Jones last September due to injury, and then suffering a further setback when he lost by split decision to Lyoto Machida in February, “Hendo” still has the light-heavyweight champ in his sites.

While speaking on a recent media call to promote his UFC 161 headliner tomorrow with Rashad Evans, Henderson had this to say about his title shot aspirations.

“Obviously that was something that was supposed to happen last year,” said Henderson, who secured a bout with Jones last fall, by working his way to a unanimous decision win over former champ “Shogun” Rua in 2011. “It’s more about, one day I would like to fight Jon Jones. I feel I have unfinished business there, but I’ve been 100% focused on this fight so I’m not concerned about what happens after.”

Although Evans struggled in his last bout against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and lost by unanimous decision, Henderson understands that the former champ is still a considerable threat. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that pundits and fans were wondering whether Evans might have what it takes to defeat his rival Jones, before the champion handed him a UD defeat last April.

“That’s pretty much it,” Henderson said. “Rashad is extremely tough and very dangerous, and I want to make sure I’m 100% focused.”

Henderson celebrating his win over Rafael Cavalcante

It’s understandable why Henderson says he’s not looking past Evans, as a loss to the 33 year-old vet would be catastrophic for the legend’s title shot run. If Henderson had defeated Machida at UFC 157 in February, then it may have been him who was tapped to fight Jones next instead of Alexander Gustafsson. Not only did that not happen, but the highly anticipated bout failed to deliver much action, and was widely viewed as a disappointment.

“I think Lyoto is definitely a different fighter than nearly everybody else that fights in the UFC,” Henderson said about his loss to the former champ. “I don’t know; I know I didn’t perform my best, and I could have done some things differently, but it’s hard to fight a guy that really doesn’t want to fight you.”

“I really didn’t get too offended or disappointed with myself,” Henderson added. “I knew I should have done some things different and been more aggressive, but live and learn. I’m feeling good, and definitely confident and ready for this fight.”

Of course, tomorrow’s bout wasn’t scheduled to headline UFC 161, but after fighters like Nogueira and interim bantamweight champ Renan Barao were forced to withdraw due to injuries, it was moved into the main event.

“Every fight’s a big fight in my mind,” the decorated fighter furthered. “Whether it’s the main event or not, I’m still going to go out there and give 100% for my effort.”

UFC 161 will be hosted by the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Henderson (left) dominated Babalu Sobral (right) in their 2010 rematch in Strikeforce.

By Tony Kamps

Injuries have decimated the UFC 161 card, but it still holds a solid main event that should entertain viewers. Honestly, it does not even feel like fight week leading up to this UFC event that takes place in Winnipeg. The fans, and the media, have not shown much interest in the card. They should because this could be one of the better events of the year.

Let’s do this!

Dan Henderson (29-9) vs. Rashad Evans (17-3-1)

Usually when you pit two wrestlers against each other you see a very awkward stand up battle which will not be the case in this match. Coming off the most lackluster fight in his career, a loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 157, Henderson is revving up for one last run at a UFC title. He needs to really bring a ferocity in this fight to show that his performance at UFC 157 is not a sign of an aging fighter who can longer chase down the quicker opponent, because make no mistake about it Evans is the quicker fighter. A loss here will most likely squash any hope of getting one last chance to achieve the only thing missing in his illustrious career; a UFC title.

Evans’ situation is just as dire when you are being completely honest. The one time UFC light heavyweight champion has fallen on hard times in his last two fights, both losses to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Jon Jones. The Jones fight was for the title, but he was outclassed by the current champ in every round of the fight. His next fight against Nogueira was much of the same prompting some to call for his retirement. Evans shrugged off the retirement talk by accepting this fight against the number 3 ranked LHW in the world.

Prediction

As close as this fight is on paper it will not be that close on fight night. Henderson will land his patented H-Bomb in one of the five rounds, and Evans chin will not be able to withstand the power. The only advantage Evans holds over Henderson is his speed which will probably make this fight go at least three rounds. Henderson in the past though has shown he can track down quicker opponents and lay them out (see Michael Bisping). This win should notch Henderson up to just one more fight away from a title shot, if not right away.

Pick: Henderson, TKO 3rd Round

Roy 'Big Country' Nelson

Roy Nelson (19-7) vs. Stipe Miocic (9-1)

Let’s be honest this fight was made to appease the fans after all the injuries that forced fighters to pull out of the event, and one fighter with visa issues.

Nelson is coming off an impressive KO of Cheick Kongo at UFC 159 back in April. The KO was his tenth straight victory by way of KO/TKO. His antics inside the octagon, and outside, have made him a fan favorite, while also drawing the ire of UFC President Dana White. Being on the bad side of White is never good, but you can’t dispute the fact that this guy is fun to watch. He brings that element of suspense, because when he rears back that right hand it can knock anyone out…anyone. Even when he loses the fight is entertaining. Nobody can watch his fight against Junior dos Santos at UFC 117 and say they were bored. A victory puts ‘Big Country’ exactly where Dana White does not want him; in line for a title shot.

In the way of Nelson is Stipe Miocic. This fighter was breezing his way up the rankings of heavyweight until he decided to stand and trade with Stefan Struve at UFC on FUEL TV 5 in September of last year. It was a poor choice for him as he was TKO’d by the ‘Skyscraper’ giving him his first professional loss. The fight did show that just like Nelson, Miocic is an entertaining fighter to watch even when he loses. Only one of his nine professional fights has gone to a decision. This makes this match-up even more intriguing.

Prediction

This fight will not make it out of the first round. If it does it will be a miracle or proof that one of the fighters did not come to scrap. Nelson believes in his chin, and considering he has only been stopped once has no reason to stop believing in it now. Miocic is in the exact same situation; unfortunately he has never faced anyone with Nelson’s power. Nelson will land an overhand right that will put Miocic to sleep.

Pick: Nelson, KO 1st Round

Ryan Jimmo (17-2) vs. Igor Pokrajac (25-9)

The card stays in the heavyweight division with this match-up of two fighters coming off of losses.
Jimmo looked to be getting ready to notch his 18th victory in a row after dropping James Te Huna in the 1st round of their fight at UFC on FUEL TV 7 back in February. It all looked to be in his favor after pouncing on his opponent and attacking him ferociously looking for the TKO victory. It would not be as Te Huna was able to weather the storm, and then dominated Jimmo in the 2nd and 3rd rounds handing him only his 2nd professional loss.

Pokrajac is not ‘technically’ coming off a loss after his decision loss to Joey Beltran at UFC on FX 6 in December was overturned and changed to a No Contest. Either way he hasnot looked good in his last two fights, this includes his armbar submission loss to Vinny Magalhaes at UFC 152. A victory over Jimmo could stave off being cut by the UFC, and would be his biggest win since defeating James Irvin at UFC Live 2 in August of 2010.

Prediction

The UFC matchmaker, Joe Silva, was probably thinking this would be a good lead up to the Nelson/Miocic fight because it would end with a KO, and he’s probably right. The only backfire is that Pokrajac has an unbelievable chin. This will be an entertaining fight as Jimmo will land a lot of big shots and beat up the Croatian quite a bit, but it will not end with him being KO’d.

Pick: Jimmo, Unanimous Decision

Jimmo (photo via Hayabusa Mixed Martial Arts.com)

Alexis Davis (13-5) vs. Rosi Sexton (13-2)

Whenever there is a female fight on a card it peaks an interest for a variety of reasons. The biggest reason is that so far the women in the UFC have delivered in every fight that has taken place. This is no longer a “tryout” situation. If you are a female fighter in the UFC you need to bring it every fight, because so far everyone else has been. This fight should be no different.

Davis has only been fighting for about six years, but she has faced some of the biggest and best out there in that time. Her last two fights were with Invicta FC where she submitted both Shayna Baszler and Hitomi Akano. Prior to that Davis made a name for herself in Strikeforce defeating Julie Kedzie and Amand Nunes, and losing to Sarah Kaufman. Having won five of her last six fights she is on that short list of serious contenders in the UFC women’s bantamweight division.

Sexton on the other hand is a big underdog in this fight. She has two losses in her career both to top of the line fighters in Zoila Frausto Gurgel and Gina Carano. Sexton is most famous for UNINTENTIONALLY causing one of the most horrific leg injuries during an MMA bout when she broke Tomomi Sunaba’s leg during a Bodog fight. She’s no push over, but her lack of top level competition causes skepticism in her ability to compete with the elite.

Prediction

Davis is going to be just too much for Sexton. This is the most talented fighter Sexton has ever faced. This will also be the least entertaining fight of the night, and the least entertaining women’s fight so far in the UFC. It just seems like this fight was put together to just get Davis a victory.

Pick: Davis, Unanimous Decision

Barry

Pat Barry (8-5) vs. Shawn Jordan (14-4)

The main card boasts a total of three heavyweight fights, and this one starts them all off. Let’s not kid ourselves this fight was put together to start the show off with a bang and will not let anyone down.

Barry is one of the better strikers in the heavyweight division, but because he likes to stand toe-to-toe he is susceptible to the knockdown. He does not let the fans down though as only one fight has ever gone to a decision in his career. Ten of his thirteen professional fights have taken place in the UFC compiling a 5-5 record. Inconsistent…yes, boring…no.

Jordan is one of those fighters who when you watch them you wonder ‘if this guy can ever just put it all together he could be really good’. Since he started to fight a better level of competition in Bellator, Strikeforce, and now the UFC he has a record of 5-3. All five of his victories have been impressive and he finished all five opponents as well; four by TKO and one by submission. His loss to Cheick Kongo at UFC 149 was not a good showing for the young heavyweight, but he followed that up with an impressive TKO of Mike Russow at UFC on Fox 6. The question is which Jordan will show up against Barry?

Prediction

Normally I keep personal reasons from making predictions. It is very tough in this fight though because I really am a fan of Pat Barry, not just as a fighter but as a personality outside of the cage. Maybe it’s all just an act for the fans, but the antics of him and his girlfriend, fellow MMA fighter Rose Namajunas, make me laugh. That is why it is tough to say that Jordan will win this fight. I really want Barry to win, but Jordan has tremendous power that is the kryptonite to Barry.

Pick: Jordan, TKO 2nd Round

Bonus Pick

Jake Shields (27-6-1, 1 NC) vs. Tyron Woodley (11-1)

First off, how does this fight not make the main card? It is really shocking that the UFC put this fight as the cap to their FX card. The Sam Stout-James Krause fight may not have the big name, but is a perfect way to end the FX portion of the card. Just wondering.

Not going to go in depth on this one. Just going to point out that Tyron Woodley is one of the better fighters the UFC got in the Strikeforce transition, and with his excellent striking should be able to get past Shields. According to BestFightOdds.com Woodley is the favorite, but the fight is not as close as the odds makers put them.

Pick: Woodley, Unanimous Decision

Pick Recaps:
 Dan Henderson vs. Rashad Evans: Henderson, TKO 3rd Round
 Roy Nelson vs. Stipe Miocic: Nelson, KO 1st Round
 Ryan Jimmo vs. Igor Pokrajac: Jimmo, Unanimous Decision
 Alexis Davis vs. Rosi Sexton: Davis, Unanimous Decision
 Pat Barry vs. Shawn Jordan: Jordan, TKO 2nd Round
Bonus
 Jake Shields vs. Tyron Woodley: Woodley, Unanimous Decision

What do you guys think of the picks? Who are your picks for the fights?

Henderson celebrating his win over Rafael Cavalcante

By FCF Staff

In this special edition of Full Contact Fighter Radio, host Kelsey Mowatt is joined by veteran MMA commentator Brendan Leier to discuss various issues tied to UFC on FUEL TV 10, this Friday’s WSOF 3 show and Saturday’s UFC 161 card in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

You can listen or download the program by heading here or via iTunes.

Rashad Evans after knocking out Chuck Liddell (photo via UFC.com)

Former Champ Concedes He Let Himself Down at UFC 156

By Kelsey Mowatt

Although Rashad Evans is nearly ten year years younger than Dan Henderson, and likely still has a considerable amount of time left to compete, one could make the argument he has more to lose in their UFC 161 tilt Saturday. While Henderson is hoping to score an impressive win and reposition himself for a title shot, the 42 year-old is winding down a legendary career. Evans, on the other hand, is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, which prompted some critics to question what the future holds for the 33 year-old, former champ.

“You definitely want to get the monkey off your back when you stink out the joint,” Evans said during a recent media call to promote the June 15th, UFC 161 card. “As a fighter, it sucks, because you wear the hat of the last fight you fought, until you fight another one…If you lose your last fight you suck for a while until you go out there and win your next fight.”

“That’s something you have to deal with as a fighter,” the former TUF winner added. “I want to go out there and put on a show, not only do just shut all the naysayers up but for myself. I felt like I let myself down more than anything. I can live with disappointing nearly anybody else but I can’t live with disappointing myself.”

While there’s no doubt that Nogueira is one of the sport’s top light-heavyweights, thanks to his outstanding boxing and jiu-jitsu skills, many observers believed Evans was a bad match-up for the accomplished fighter. That last two men to defeat Nogueira are Phil Davis and Ryan Bader, both of whom utilized their wrestling abilities, in part, to score decision wins. Of course, anyone who has monitored the career of Evans, knows that his wrestling game has also played a big role in his success to date.

“Well the first thing is that I’ve addressed the issues as far as where I thought I went wrong,” said Evans, who continues to train with the renowned Blackzilians team in Florida. “But for the most part you almost have to have a short memory on that kind of thing, because if you dwell on it for too long, it can definitely hit you again.”

Evans

“I know how to perform,” added Evans, who worked his way into a title fight with Jon Jones last April by winning four straight, but lost by UD to the champion. “I know how to fight to the best of my abilities; it’s just a matter of going out there and doing it. Second guessing myself is not going to get me any closer to fighting to the best of my capabilities, so, I’ve learned from that performance and I’m ready to move on, and put on the fight I know I can put on. Put on the fight that I trained for.”

A one sided and impressive win over Henderson would certainly go a long way in re-establishing Evans as a top contender. When asked about his title shot aspirations during the call, however, Evans offered this:

“You know, I’m not really, the whole title shot thing, it’s not on my mind,” the decorated fighter said. “I just want to go in there and fight, and whatever happens after that, happens after that, but honestly I don’t care.”

UFC 161 will be hosted by the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and the main card will be available via pay-per-view.

Dan Henderson (Photo credit: Esther Lin/Strikeforce)

By Jesse Heitz

For nearly 16 years, Dan Henderson has been a staple of Mixed Martial Arts. He’s had legendary battles with the likes of: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva, Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Anderson “The Spider” Silva, Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort, Rich “Ace” Franklin, and even both of the Nogueira brothers. “Hendo” is certainly on the shortlist for the all-time greats of this magnificent sport.

However, the last calendar year hasn’t been very kind to UFC and Pride veteran, Dan Henderson. Last September he was scheduled to take on UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones at UFC 151, before being forced to withdraw following a knee injury. Upon his return to action in February of 2013 at UFC 157, he suffered a controversial, to say the least, split decision loss to Lyoto Machida.

To be certain, this is by no means a eulogy for the incredible career of Dan Henderson. There are those that would argue that realistically his days as a title contender are over. I am not of such an opinion, but rather that at the spry age of 42, he’s still as “Dangerous” as ever.

At an age when many professional fighters would have hung up their gloves, or when the select few that remained active would be relegated to gatekeeper duty, Henderson sits in an entirely different position altogether. He’s not only sizing up the best 205-pounder in the world, he’s arguably one quality win away from challenging Jon Jones for the title.

In a recent interview with Bleacher Report, Henderson commented on his upcoming bout with Rashad Evans at UFC, stating,

“I feel like if I do have an impressive win then I’m right back in there. I think a not so great performance but a win does something for me, but not a lot. I’m sure I’ll just fight somebody else at that point. An impressive win over Rashad would possibly put me right in there. That’s still one of my goals, that’s why I’m doing this.”
“I definitely have some unfinished business with Jon Jones. Hopefully that happens for myself, Jon Jones and the fans.”

Should such a title fight materialize, some might very well question the aging veteran’s chances against an utterly dominant champion nearly two decades his junior. Yet, I occupy the position that that the iron-chinned and heavy-handed wrestler is one of the more viable options to dethrone the current UFC Light Heavyweight kingpin. In the end, there’s only one way to see if my position is that of sheer lunacy, or if “Hendo” is the man to give Jones his stiffest test to date.

Henderson (left) dominated Babalu Sobral (right) in their 2010 rematch in Strikeforce.

By Joshua Molina

Jon “Bones” Jones needs to fight Dan Henderson. The two were on a collision course, but the MMA gods had other plans.

There aren’t a lot of fighters who on paper can beat Jones, and Henderson definitely isn’t one of the select few.

But since nobody is going to outwrestle Jones, maybe the key to defeating him lies in Henderson’s fists.

Jones was supposed to fight Henderson at UFC 151, but it never happened because Henderson hurt his knee. Instead, we had the privilege of seeing Jones fight two guys who never should have been in the cage with him in the first place — Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen.

Henderson was fed to Lyoto Machida and lost a close “I don’t want to get knocked out” decision.

With all the talent in the light-heavyweight division, it’s kinda ridiculous that Jones has had some easy recent fights.

And it makes no sense for a 43-year-old legend like Dan Henderson to have to fight Rashad Evans to earn a shot at Jones. Henderson already earned a shot at Jones and should get one.

Alexander Gustafsson is next in line to fight Jones — even though he had to back out of his last fight against the great Gegard Mousasi.

Even though a last-minute cut kept him out of a fight against a top star in Mousasi, Gustafsson has jumped to a title shot.

That’s not fair.

Henderson deserves the shot before Jones battles Anderson Silva.

Henderson just might be the guy who has Jones number — in the form of a right hand. A loss to Evans, though, could spell the end for Temeculan warrior.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

By Jesse Heitz

Not too long ago, the injury bug struck the headlining bout of another UFC event, UFC 161. The featured bout was to be an old Pride FC grudge match of sorts, between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Pride fans were undoubtedly anxious to get a second chance to relive some of the Chute Boxe/Brazilian Top Team rivalry that dominated an era.

Everything looked great, and then Nogueira was forced to withdraw from the event after suffering a herniated disc in his back. Naturally, the UFC scrambled to find a suitable replacement on such short notice, two weeks to be more specific, lest they repeat the promotionally disastrous events of last fall.

The UFC’s brass called the one man that is apparently at the top of their speed dial when it comes to last minute replacements. Enter Chael Sonnen, the man who has developed a boss-pleasing knack of being able to step into a void and salvage seemingly doomed cards. Apparently Sonnen has recovered from his UFC 159 thrashing at the hands of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Jon “Bones” Jones, as he’s eager to jump back into the cage with a man in “Shogun” Rua that’s not long removed from being considered the best light heavyweight in the world, less than two months following the aforementioned fight.

A couple of days ago, disaster struck again, and the Sonnen v. Rua fight was dropped from the UFC 161 lineup after it was revealed that Sonnen was unable to obtain a visa for travel into Canada. Fight fans, at least those who were interested in this fight—which seems to be a mixed-bag at best, can rejoice as the fight has been rescheduled for August 17^th’s UFC on Fox Sports 1:1 Shogun vs. Sonnen, this time in Boston.

What fight fans are left with is a UFC on Fox Sports card that in my opinion, has more depth and is simply put, a better card, that its $50+ pay-per-view predecessor in UFC 161, which had already lost its main event in Renan Barao vs. Eddie Wineland, after Barao was forced to withdraw following an injury.

I can fully understand that travel issues and injuries can drastically alter fight cards, but let’s be honest UFC 161, outside of a questionably relevant fight between Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans, it’s a card worthy of free television, not half a C-note. I applaud the UFC’s efforts to make a fight materialize on short notice, but they had better exercise equal efforts at taking care of their exceptionally well paying customers too.

Glover Teixeira

By Michael Hatamoto

Since joining the UFC last year, Teixeira has gone 4-0 against Kyle Kingsbury, Fabio Maldonado, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and James Te Huna – and has looked especially sharp heading into UFC 160.

Teixeira also picked up a $50,000 Submission of the Night bonus by securing an in-arm guillotine choke against Te Huna.

It’s possible Teixeira is one fight away from a light heavyweight title shot, and calling out the winner of Evans vs. Henderson could be a good idea. The UFC seems most interested in matching up Alexander Gustafsson against Jones sometime in 2013, though fights against Evans or Hendo, Lyoto Machida, or Mauricio “Shogun” Rua should usher Teixeira to a title shot.

I think a fight between Teixeira and the winner of Evans and Hendo makes the most sense, and if Teixeira wins he should be given a title shot. There is suddenly a lot of action at the top of the light heavyweight division, so UFC matchmaker Joe Silva has a lot of work ahead.

However, Teixeira vs. Machida can only happen if it’s for the UFC light heavyweight title, according to Teixeira’s manager, Ed Soares. There are a lot of excellent potential fight matchups for Teixeira while he gets one step closer to a title possible title shot.

Stay tuned to Full Contact Fighter for UFC 161 coverage next month from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, with Evans vs. Henderson serving as the main event.

Wyoming politician and MMA fighter Bryan Pedersen

By Jesse Heitz

Not too long ago, MMA was denounced by men such as Senator John McCain as “human cockfighting”. Today, the public sentiment is considerably different. The chants of barbarism that echo from the sport’s critics have been largely drowned out by the constantly evolving reality that MMA is as legitimate of a sport as boxing or football.

We have seen the sport grow from hodgepodge of martial artists competing in an entirely foreign setting to determine whose martial arts discipline was superior. Now, we are being inundated with ever-proliferating instances in which the public itself, including everyone from professional baseball players to politicians, are taking up the great sport of MMA.

What’s most surprising is that the public not only is embracing the sport as a form of entertainment, making MMA the fastest growing sport on the planet, but rather, people from all walks of life are lacing up their gloves and hitting the gym. To fans, MMA has more than proven itself to be of substantial value with regards to physical fitness, yet now the public at-large is zeroing in on the benefits of an MMA-styled workout.

An interesting 2011 article in the New York Times highlighted the growing popularity of MMA as a workout for professional athletes. The article noted that baseball players such as: Brad Penny, Russell Martin, and Adam Dunn. Football players such as: Jared Allen, Clay Matthews, and Ryan Grant, are also dabbling in the sport.

More recently, we’ve witnessed an even more dramatic crossover into MMA in the form of Bryan Pedersen, a former member of the Wyoming Legislature, as reported by The Rapid City Journal. At the age of 38, Pedersen is remarkably old for a debuting fighter, despite his rather impressive training resume. It’s important to note that his impetus for fighting was simply that he was asked. Pedersen was the author of the state bill that provided for the construction of the athletic commission that oversees MMA in the state of Wyoming. For him it was a no-brainer to “put his money where his mouth is” and physically support a sport that he loves.

However, he doesn’t have any plans to develop a professional career at this point. Pedersen was quoted as saying, “This is not something I normally do, but I really believe in the sport.”

Once upon a time, MMA was painted by many as the reincarnation of gladiator battles, something only to be enjoyed by beer-swigging knuckle-draggers. Yet, a mere two decades later we’ve seen the popularity of MMA explode. Not just in television ratings, pay-per-view buys, and merchandise sales, but in the physical adoption of the sport by people from all walks of life. Politicians, comedians, actors, professional athletes, everyone is getting in on the act. I say such widespread recognition and acceptance is long overdue.

By Joshua Molina
So-called “soccer kicks” should not be allowed in MMA anymore.
Soccer kicks were once a hallmark of Pride Fighting Championships, and have recently been revived by One FC, a Singapore-based mixed martial arts company.

One FC on Friday promoted a mega show featuring former UFC champs Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia.

It was the fourth “epic” matchup between these two fighters, who are both well past their primes.

The fight ended after Arlovski dropped Sylvia with a right hand and then kicked him in the head a couple of times with his left foot while Sylvia was down, forcing the referee to stop the fight.

The referee, however, declared the fight a “No Contest” because Arlovski used the soccer kicks before it was legally OK for him to kick a fighter while down.
In One FC, the referee must somehow signal that a fighter can proceed with a soccer kick.

Regardless of the rules, and Arlovski’s mistake, allowing soccer kicks in the modern day world of MMA seems unnecessary and borderline unsportsmanlike. How can a fighter, already dazed from a punch, defend himself from a brutal kick to the head? Gravity is not on your side.

Take the case of Roger Huerta at One FC’s show in June. The former UFC and Bellator fighter was kicked unconscious, in a scene that would make anyone sick if they saw it.

From a fan perspective, soccer kicks can be exciting. They usually lead to knockouts. And one downside to modern mixed martial arts is the rise in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners who coast on their backs to run out the time or lay on their backs and wait, like a spider, to capture their opponents in armbar or triangle choke.

Can you imagine what would have happened had Fedor Emelianenko been allowed to soccer kick Fabricio Werdum in San Jose, California in 2010? Fedor dropped Werdum with a right hand, but as he leaned in to try to KO with him with another right, Werdum, a black belt in Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu, grabbed his arm and choked him out with a triangle choke. Had Fedor been able to soccer kick him, the fight would have been over and Fedor’s future would have turned out entirely different.

But those aren’t the rules. Soccer kicks, thankfully, are not allowed in the UFC, Strikeforce or Bellator.

It’s just unfair to allow one fighter to kick another fighter while down. There’s no art or skill to that. That’s purely primal – and MMA should be a battle of talents among multiple disciplines, not a showcase of cowardly head kicks.

Last night was supposed to be the big battle between Jon Jones and Dan Henderson.
Instead, what we got was Jones mouthing off again about Henderson. Henderson injured his knee and was forced to withdraw from the fight. Chael Sonnen agreed to fight Jones – on eight days notices – but Jones, refused to fight him. Jones’ refusal led to Dana White vilifying Jones, questioning his manhood and courage, and ultimately canceling the show.

Jones over weekend said that he had considered paying the purses to the fighters who lost money with the cancelation of the show, but that he changed his mind when he read that the undercard fighters were saying bad things about him.

Then, Jones in response to a tweet from an MMA fan who said “I have no plans tonight” thanks to Jon Jones, said this: “Thanks to the old man and his knee I don’t either.”Actually Jones would have plans had he accepted Sonnen’s challenge. And to call Dan Henderson an old man is just disrespectful.

When Sonnen, the sport’s best trash talker, talks about his opponents, it’s in character and everyone knows that. It’s part of the Sonnen persona that he is created. When Jones says things like that, it is disrespectful and mean. Jones clearly believes his own hype.

Will Jon Jones be fighting when he is 42 years old?

Contact reporter Joshua Molina at jmolina@fcfighter.com. Or follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JoshuaMolinaMMA