Fight City NYC

In anticipation of UFC 139: Shogun vs Henderson on Saturday, the UFC’s web site has made available one of “Dangerous” Dan “Hendo” Henderson’s greatest hits.

You can watch Dan Henderson versus Michael Bisping from UFC 100 for free on the UFC web site. During the bout with perennial middleweight also-ran Bisping, Henderson landed a thunderous right hand on his opponent’s chin. This was hilarious, because in the run-up to the fight, Bisping repeatedly mocked the idea that Henderson’s only punch (the one that he never sets up) would ever land “unless I were stupid enough to circle into his power [right] hand.” Of course, that’s exactly what Bisping did, and Henderson nearly took his head off.

The UFC invaded Houston last weekend, and while the card was missing the presence of the World’s Most Dangerous Quebecois, Georges St. Pierre, the main event delivered fireworks as promised. BJ Penn and Nick Diaz put on the UFC’s Fight of the Night, each taking home an extra $75,000 for their efforts.

But before we all enjoyed that fight, there were four middling undercard fights to savor. Continue reading →

Matt Wiman vs Mac Danzig

To start the first round, both fighters show lots of clinch work. Danzig works the uppercuts and hooks from within the clinch, and Wiman spends more time pulling his shorts up than throwing leg kicks. Wiman looked sluggish in the first round, but lands a few charging blows, badly bloodying Danzig’s nose. No takedowns until the end of the first round, when Wiman drops for a half-hearted single leg that Danzig shakes off.

Early in the second, Danzig lands a double-leg, evades a guillotine, and ends up in an arm bar. It looks bad, but Danzig is experienced enough to fight through it. Then Wiman threatens with a kimura, but Danzig battles through that and the fight gets to the feet. Wiman covers up on the fence before charging forward. Danzig unsuccessfully looks for the counter, and the fight ends up in the middle of the cage. Wiman starts to look gassed as he shoots a double from ten feet away, hitting nothing but the fence. Danzig lights up Wiman’s face for his trouble. Continue reading →

Jon “Bones” Jones vs Quinton “Rampage” Jackson

Rampage has a huge edge in experience: 40 fights to Jones’s 14. Rampage started fighting when Jones was 12. Both men are outstanding wrestlers who are extremely dangerous on their feet. Rampage has knockouts over a faded Wanderlei Silva and Chuck Liddell, but he’s a powerful wrestler that knocks dudes out when he connects with his punches. He’s had trouble connecting with Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans in his last few fights, but expect Jones to stand in front of him more than those guys did. Jones’s chin is untested. Getting tagged by Rampage in your first title defense is a scary time to get tested: if Rampage can connect with his punches, the young champion could fold under the pressure.

Jones is a gigantic light heavyweight with a reach of 84.5 inches – almost a full foot more than Rampage. Jones knows how to mix up his strikes use his length in a striking match, but he’s also a standout wrestler with lethal ground and pound. Jones has walked through the division completely unscathed; he hasn’t fought off his back yet, he’s hardly been hit, and he’s never been hurt. Jones got into the UFC about three years ago, and he’s gone from “gassing out against a reality show runner-up” to “demolishing one of the greatest strikers in the world” in that short time. He looks more impressive every time he fights. Continue reading →