WSOF 11
Las Vegas, Nevada
05 de julho de 2014

Justin Gaethje nocauteou Nick Newell aos 3min09s do R2
Jon Fitch venceu Dennis Hallman na decisão unânime dos jurados
Cody Bollinger finalizou Pablo Alfonso no mata-leão aos 2min37s do R1
Melvin Guillard venceu Gesias Cavalcante por nocaute técnico aos 2min36s do R2

Card preliminar

Jake Heun venceu Kendrick Miree na decisão unânime dos jurados.
Neiman Gracie finalizou Dustin Holyko no mata-leão aos 2min20s do R2
Jose Caceres venceu Walber Brito de Barros na decisão unânime dos jurados.
Muhammed De’Reese venceu Rashaun Spencer na decisão unânime dos jurados.

Melvin Guillard, o “Jovem Assassino”, voltou a treinar com Greg Jackson. Foto: Divulgação

Melvin Guillard anunciou que está de volta à academia de Greg Jackson. O lutador americano não faz mais parte da equipe Blackzilians, e usou o seu twitter para revelar a novidade.

O peso leve de 29 anos ficou por quase dois anos treinando na Flórida ao lado de Rashad Evans, Alistair Overeem, Vitor Belfort, Anthony Johnson, Gesias Cavalcantes, entre outros. Durante este tempo, Melvin teve uma vitória, sobre Fabrício “Morango” no UFC 148, e quatro derrotas, para Joe Lauzon, Jim Miller, Donald Cerrone e Jamie Varner.

Guillard, inclusive, era antigo companheiro de treinos de Donald Cerrone na Jackson’s MMA, e foi nocauteado por ele em agosto de 2012. O “Jovem Assassino” permaneceu na Blackzilians até que em dezembro sofreu outro revés. Sem lutar desde então, Melvin Guillard agora volta à casa onde teve seus melhores momentos no MMA.

Greg Jackson nunca escondeu que gostava do pupilo e que tinha bom relacionamento com ele, mesmo ele tendo partido da Jackson’s junto com Rashad. A parceria, que um dia deu certo, agora é retomada.

Será que vai funcionar?

Todd Duffee (right) punches Phil De Fries during their heavyweight fight at UFC 155 on December 29, 2012 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

The UFC 155 prelims entertained the Las Vegas crowd and those watching at home on FX on Saturday night, but not without some questionable scores being tabulated by the judges.

Eddie Wineland, Erik Perez and Todd Duffee led the way for Saturday night’s preliminary fights at the MGM Grand, capping off an undercard full of back-and-forth action, as well as first-round finishes.

Brad Pickett vs. Eddie Wineland 

Eddie Wineland defeated Brad Pickett, shutting down his opponent with a split decision in the final UFC 155 prelim on FX.

Wineland landed several punches in the first round, wobbling Pickett on many occasions. Pickett did well to move forward, but never landed the “one punch” that gave him his nickname.

Wineland landed less significant strikes as the fight went to the final round, but he maintained enough to outscore his opponent on the feet in the judges’ eyes. The final scores read 30-27, 28-29 and 30-27.

“I hit him with everything I had,” Wineland said after the win. “He’s got a melon on him like a coconut.”

Erik Perez vs. Byron Bloodworth 

Erik Perez pounded out Byron Bloodworth in their UFC 155 prelim on FX, earning the TKO in the first round.

Perez brought the fight to the ground after landing a knee from the clinch in Bloodworth’s ribcage. Soon after, Perez worked from top position and landed consecutive elbows, cutting open Bloodworth’s forehead.

The Mexican fighter earned his third win in the UFC, with the finish coming at 3:50 of the opening frame.

Melvin Guillard vs. Jamie Varner 

Jamie Varner won a split decision over Melvin Guillard in their prelim fight.

Guillard landed several legkicks early on, but Varner stayed active and took his opponent down several times. A big slam near the end of the fight capped it off for Varner.

Notably, one judge scored the fight unanimously for Guillard, which brought on the split decision. Across the board, the scores were 30-27, 27-30, 30-27.

Michael Johnson vs. Myles Jury 

Myles Jury stayed undefeated, topping Michael Johnson by unanimous decision in their prelim fight.

Jury dominated Johnson on the ground, controlling him and peppering strikes from top position for a majority of the three-round contest. Judges scored it the same across the board, 30-27.

Phil DeFries vs. Todd Duffee 

Todd Duffee made a successful return to the UFC, knocking out Phil DeFries in the first round of the final Facebook undercard fight.

After getting taken down early in the fight, Duffee returned the fight to a standing contest and landed several right hands that put DeFries out for good at 2:04 of the first round.

Leonard Garcia vs. Max Holloway 

Max Holloway topped Leonard Garcia in the second fight of the night, nabbing the split decision. Garcia landed several strikes in the second and third rounds, but the judges have the decision to Holloway, which signaled the crowd to voice their displeasure with boos.

Chris Cariaso vs. John Moraga

John Moraga defeated Chris Cariaso in the evening’s opening bout. Two went back and forth for two rounds before Moraga sank the front choke at 1:11 of the third round.

For more UFC and MMA coverage,

visit GRACIEMAG.com’s Choke MMA section

Dennis Bermudez da um salto mortal após finalizar Tom Hayden no UFC 150. Foto: UFC/Divulgação.

O UFC 150 trouxe muita emoção para o Pepsi Center, em Denver, nos Estados Unidos. Da bela Brittney Palmer aos movimentos de Ben Henderson e Frankie Edgar, confira as principais imagens de mais uma edição do Ultimate.

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Ben Henderson e Frankie Edgar no cara a cara da pesagem do UFC 150. Foto: UFC/Divulgação.

O UFC 150 rola neste sábado, em Denver, no Colorado, Estados Unidos. Entre os combates mais aguardados, a luta principal, em que Ben Henderson encara Frankie Edgar, numa revanche pelo cinturão dos leves, já o comboy Donald Cerrone enfrentará Melvin Guillard, e Jake Shields terá Ed Herman, pela frente.

Na pesagem que rolou na noite de sexta-feira, apenas Melvin Guillard não alcançou o peso estipulado de sua categoria (70,8kg), ultrapassando 600 gramas. O excesso custou a perda de 20% do valor de sua bolsa para Donald Cerrone.

O evento terá transmissão ao vivo pelo canal por assinatura Combate, a partir das 20h (horário de Brasília).

Confira os melhores momentos da pesagem nas fotos abaixo:

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UFC 150
Denver, Colorado
11 de agosto de 2012

Ben Henderson vs Frankie Edgar
Donald Cerrone vs Melvin Guillard
Jake Shields vs Ed Herman
Yushin Okami vs Buddy Roberts
Justin Lawrence vs Max Holloway
Dennis Bermudez vs Tom Hayden
Jared Hamman vs. Michael Kuiper
Ken Stone vs Erik Perez
Dustin Pague vs Chico Camus
Nik Lentz vs Eiji Mitsuoka

Ben Henderson in staredown with Frankie Edgar at pre-UFC 150 press conference / UFC publicity photo

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is taking its brand of excitement to Denver, Colorado, this Saturday. The fight headlining the UFC 150 show is a lightweight-title rematch between Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar that promises fireworks. Further major attractions on the card for Colorado are the Donald Cerrone–Melvin Guillard showdown and former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields’s encounter with Ed Herman.

But before the action can take place, the fighters have to take on the scale. And you can watch the official weigh-ins live here on GRACIEMAG.com starting at 7 pm Brazilian time (10 pm GMT). Don’t miss it.

UFC 150
Denver, Colorado
August 11, 2012

Ben Henderson vs Frankie Edgar
Donald Cerrone vs Melvin Guillard
Jake Shields vs Ed Herman
Yushin Okami vs Buddy Roberts
Justin Lawrence vs Max Holloway
Dennis Bermudez vs Tom Hayden
Jared Hamman vs. Michael Kuiper
Ken Stone vs Erik Perez
Dustin Pague vs Chico Camus

Ben Henderson encara Frankie Edgar na coletiva de imprensa do UFC 150. Foto: UFC/Divulgação.

O Ultimate Fighting Championship aporta em Denver, nos Estados Unidos, neste sábado. Na luta principal do UFC 150, a revanche entre Ben Henderson e Frankie Edgar, que vale o cinturão dos leves, promete grandes emoções. Outros atrativos no Colorado são o cowboy Donald Cerrone contra Melvin Guillard, e Jake Shields versus Ed Herman.

Mas antes dos conferes, os lutadores vão ter que encarar a balança. A pesagem oficial você assiste ao vivo, aqui no GRACIEMAG.com a partir das 19h, não perca.

UFC 150
Denver, Colorado
11 de agosto de 2012

Ben Henderson vs Frankie Edgar
Donald Cerrone vs Melvin Guillard
Jake Shields vs Ed Herman
Yushin Okami vs Buddy Roberts
Justin Lawrence vs Max Holloway
Dennis Bermudez vs Tom Hayden
Jared Hamman vs. Michael Kuiper
Ken Stone vs Erik Perez
Dustin Pague vs Chico Camus

Henderson celebrates victory over Edgar atUFC 144. UFC publicity photo.

The UFC lightweight champion, Ben Henderson, is all set for his rematch with Frank Edgar, the former king of the promotion’s deepest division. The showdown goes down this Saturday in Denver, Colorado, at UFC 150. The first time the two locked horns to determine the divisional number one ended somewhat contentiously for the evenness of the bout, prompting Dana White to set up a second encounter almost immediately.

Henderson showed little nerves when addressing the fight. “I don’t feel any pressure. The most pressure in a fight is the pressure I put on myself. I expect to put in a great performance every time I step in the octagon, whether I win, lose or draw,” he told the Sportv.com website.

This calmness of Henderson’s is a common characteristic among gentle-art practitioners, who learn to coolly assess whatever situation they are in. A Jiu-Jitsu brown belt, Henderson is a regular at Gi Jiu-Jitsu competitions and even took bronze at the 2011 World Championship.

What about you, gentle reader, will Ben Henderson hang on to his belt? Will he put his gentle-art skills to good use?

In the video from the 2011 Arizona State BJJ Championship below, you can get a sense of just how sharp the champion’s Jiu-Jitsu is.

Note how he defends against a Kimura by grabbing his opponent’s ankle.

UFC 150
Denver, Colorado
August 11, 2012

Ben Henderson vs Frankie Edgar
Donald Cerrone vs Melvin Guillard
Jake Shields vs Ed Herman
Yushin Okami vs Buddy Roberts
Justin Lawrence vs Max Holloway
Dennis Bermudez vs Tom Hayden
Jared Hamman vs. Michael Kuiper
Ken Stone vs Erik Perez
Dustin Pague vs Chico Camus

Henderson comemora a vitória contra Edgar no UFC 144. Foto: UFC/Divulgação

Campeão peso-leve do UFC, Ben Henderson está afiado para a revanche contra Frank Edgar, o ex- dono do cinturão da categoria mais acirrada do Ultimate. O embate rola neste sábado, pelo UFC 150, em Denver, nos Estados Unidos. No primeiro encontro em fevereiro, que definiu a mudança do número um da divisão, o resultado gerou polêmica por ter sido uma luta muito parelha, e por isso Dana White decidiu pela desforra imediata.

Henderson passou tranquilidade ao falar sobre o combate. “Eu não acho que há qualquer pressão. A maior pressão para uma luta é a que eu coloco em mim mesmo. Espero ter um grande desempenho cada vez que eu entrar no octógono, seja ganhando, perdendo ou empatando”, disse ao site Sportv.com.

Essa calma vem da arte suave, que nos ensina a buscar a frieza necessária para avaliarmos a situação. Faixa-marrom de Jiu-Jitsu, Henderson costuma competir de kimono e conquistou até a medalha de bronze no Mundial de 2011.

Para o leitor, Ben Henderson mantém o título? Ele vai colocar em prática suas habilidades na arte suave?

No vídeo abaixo, você percebe o Jiu-Jitsu afiado do campeão em uma de suas lutas no Arizona State BJJ Championship, em 2011.

Repare com ele defende um ataque de kimura segurando na canela do adversário.

UFC 150
Denver, Colorado
11 de agosto de 2012

Ben Henderson vs Frankie Edgar
Donald Cerrone vs Melvin Guillard
Jake Shields vs Ed Herman
Yushin Okami vs Buddy Roberts
Justin Lawrence vs Max Holloway
Dennis Bermudez vs Tom Hayden
Jared Hamman vs. Michael Kuiper
Ken Stone vs Erik Perez
Dustin Pague vs Chico Camus

Lyoto Machida nocauteando Ryan Bader no UFC on FOX 4. Foto: UFC/Divulgação.

O próximo sábado é dia de UFC 150, noColorado, Estados Unidos, e as principais lutas da noite prometem ação. Além da aguardada revanche entre Ben Henderson e Frankie Edgar, que vale o cinturão leve da organização, o cowboy Donald Cerrone enfrentará Melvin Guillard, enquanto que Ed Herman terá Jake Shields pela frente.

E em semana de Ultimate, o presidente do UFC Dana White traz seu costumeiro vídeo dos bastidores. Neste episódio, você confere tudo que rolou no UFC on FOX 4.

UFC 150
Denver, Colorado
11 de agosto de 2012

Ben Henderson vs Frankie Edgar
Donald Cerrone vs Melvin Guillard
Jake Shields vs Ed Herman
Yushin Okami vs Buddy Roberts
Justin Lawrence vs Max Holloway
Dennis Bermudez vs Tom Hayden
Jared Hamman vs. Michael Kuiper
Ken Stone vs Erik Perez
Dustin Pague vs Chico Camus

Lyoto Machida knocks out Ryan Bader at UFC on FOX 4. UFC publicity photo.

This coming Saturday brings us UFC 150 from Colorado, USA, and the main events look guaranteed to provide plenty of action. Besides the heavily anticipated rematch between Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar worth the promotional lightweight title, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone will be taking on Melvin Guillard, while Ed Herman squares off with Jake Shields.

And as is his custom during the week leading up to a UFC event, promotional president Dana White released his usual behind-the-scenes video. This episode, you get to see everything that went on backstage at UFC on Fox 4.

UFC 150
Denver, Colorado, USA
August 11, 2012

Ben Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar
Donald Cerrone vs. Melvin Guillard
Jake Shields vs. Ed Herman
Yushin Okami vs. Buddy Roberts
Justin Lawrence vs. Max Holloway
Dennis Bermudez vs. Tom Hayden
Jared Hamman vs. Michael Kuiper
Ken Stone vs. Erik Perez
Dustin Pague vs. Chico Camus

Fabricio Morango punishes Melvin Guillard at UFC 148: he got the mount but not the win. Photo by Josh Hedges/UFC publicity.

What do Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson, Marcus Bochecha and Melvin Guillard have in common?

Recently, all of them won fights even after have been dominated and mounted. It’s a trend that is becoming all the more common, although perhaps meaningless, in the UFC; but one that has even reared its head at the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, as with the case of Bochecha in his match against Rodolfo Vieira.

Bothered by the frequency of this occurrence, GRACIEMAG.com had a talk with Jiu-Jitsu black belt Fabricio “Morango” Camões, one of the latest to witness it up close, real close, at UFC 148.

“It’s truly frustrating when it happens to us,” said the Gracie Humaitá fighter after dropping a judges’ decision to Melvin Guillard.

The highlights of the conversation and Morango’s reflections follow:

1. ISSUE OF TIME IN MMA

“Everyone who steps into that octagon knows they’re going to do some things wrong and other things right, and they learn from their mistakes. My coaches were satisfied with my appearance; Melvin is one of the top dogs in that weight group and I did alright. I messed up some at the end of each round, like the spinning punch and spinning kick, and he capitalized on those mistakes. In the mount, I sensed that he was really prepared and savvy in defending. I feared time was running out and wasn’t sure whether I should drop bombs on him or go for his arm, and he capitalized on that to push my knee and shrimp out of the position. I’m going to fix that, because it’s frustrating when it happens to us; mounting is too good a position.

2. THE MOUNT AND A LESSON FROM RICKSON GRACIE

“I was talking to Rickson about Jiu-Jitsu and MMA one time, and he told me this: ‘When you get the mount in MMA, what’s important is to not let the position get away from you. You can’t digress; you have to maintain control of the guy, and after that you can naturally go on to end the fight.’ And if I hadn’t let him get out, eventually he’d have offered up an arm or turned his back, or at least I would have scored some points at the end of the round and maybe won the judges’ decision. I’m going to work on some finer details of my mount with Royler so I don’t let the position slip away again.”

3. THE TACTICS ISSUE

So we asked him whether everyone isn’t just a lot better prepared to defend these days, and whether black belts might be neglecting practicing the mount in training. Morango feels it’s more of a physical issue than a technical one: “You can see that Melvin never stopped for a moment. He was bridging the whole time, turning sideways to make room, and he was exploding to get out the whole time. Folks are really studying mount escapes a lot, mainly the athletes who know they might end up there. It’s a question of survival. And they’re strong and explosive enough to get out, but the key is really for us to not go off halfcocked and keep top position at all costs. The knockout or submission will come around naturally, I believe,” he said.

4. ISSUE OF THE JUDGES

“It really does seem to me that it’s becoming more and more common to see someone get the mount and still lose the fight, but there’s one side of the debate that bothers me. Could it be that the judges don’t understand just how valuable the mount is? Is the guy getting the mount scoring the points the position he achieved is worth? I don’t think so. You can even hear the crowd cheering more when a fighter escapes mount than when one tries for a submission or to mount. That falls under another question. The way I see it, the judges aren’t rewarding the one who gets in there looking to win and finish, but the one who’s in there not to lose. All the guy does is defend, doesn’t expose himself, doesn’t try for the takedown, and some judges fall for it. At UFC 148 the judges showed they were using different criteria, because my fight and Tibau’s were similar. If I lost, then Tibau won. Tito Ortiz got the takedown and took it to the ground, and the judges felt he lost. I feel that more and more they’re rewarding the ones who train to stall, the ones who train not to fight, and we’re left asking the question: Would it be better if we just trained not to expose ourselves, rather that train to get the submission or knockout, in the UFC?”