Wednesday, August 31

The Complete Guide to UFC Fight Night 93: Arlovski vs. Barnett

The UFC heads to Hamburg, Germany, for the first time with a show on its Fight Pass platform this Saturday, September 3. This will be the UFC's fifth show in Germany, a market to which it has devoted sporadic attention since its first show there in 2009.

In the main event, veteran heavyweights Josh Barnett and Andrei Arlovski will put their combined 36 years of MMA experience to use in an excellent matchup that's still relevant to the top of the division. Both fighters are coming off losses—two, in Arlovski's case—and badly need a win to stay among the elite.

A pair of light heavyweight bouts adds additional interest to the event. In the co-main event, two-time title challenger Alexander Gustafsson takes on Poland's Jan Blachowicz in a get-back-on-track fight for the Swede, while Ilir Latifi gets a shot at high-level competition as he takes on Ryan Bader.

After that, however, the quality of the card drops off drastically. The matchups are fun, especially a bantamweight fight between Brazil's Leandro Issa and rising Frenchman Taylor Lapilus, but there's nothing that much affects the top of any division.

Let's take a look at each matchup.

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UFC Remains Blissfully Indifferent to Bigotry After Mike Perry's Corner Fiasco

When Mike Perry's cornerman and UFC middleweight Alex Nicholson shouted out something flagrantly racist at UFC 202, it spirited me to a surprising place: my idyllic youth in Eagle River, Alaska.

Perry was making his UFC debut against South Korea's Lim Hyun-Gyu (typically presented as Hyun Gyu Lim in MMA), and during the pre-fight introductions, Nicholson said (h/t Mookie Alexander of Bloody Elbow, NSFW language), "He can't even open his motherf--king eyes."

Associations are a funny thing. Everyone has experienced the unexpected nostalgia spurred by a song, a place, an object; even a smell can transport you to a long-ago memory. Once, when I was in my teens, I got food poisoning, and during the worst of it, my mom made steaks with a seasoning she always used. Even though it was something else that made me sick, I couldn't eat steak with that seasoning for literally years afterward.

Eagle River is a town just outside of Anchorage that had a population of about 30,000 when I was growing up. It wasn't a diverse place. Predominately white and conservative, those sensibilities largely shaped and informed a culture already made insular by geography, and this was probably particularly true in high schools. For example, I went to school with and was in the same class as the unnamed juveniles among these three idiots. Talk about nostalgia.

Once when I was a senior in high school, I went to one of Eagle River's two Chinese restaurants, a persistently mediocre buffet strategically situated next to the lone movie theater. Two boys from my class were also there, and within moments of walking inside, they started in with the evergreen jokes indiscriminately applied to East Asian "accents," relishing in particular numerous repeats of "flied lice." A classic!

They said this in full auditory range of the employees of the restaurant, all of whom were of East Asian extraction. They said this in range of nearly everyone in the restaurant. They did so without a second thought, and they laughed at their cleverness and, as far as I could tell, didn't pause to consider how callous and dehumanizing it was.

That kind of joking is intrinsically callous and dehumanizing. When you factor in the setting, that the employees were waiting on dumb kids who were making fun of them, that it happened in a town overrun with people who raised those kids and that the restaurant was dependent on that patronage, the implicit power dynamics amount to a new degree of sickening.

The ease with which Nicholson let loose that comment, the comfort he felt in saying something like that despite being surrounded by cameras and microphones, is what reminded me of that incident in the Chinese restaurant. That type of comment, and so freely made, does not just pop out of someone who spends his everyday existence in an otherwise elevated state of social awareness. It doesn't pop out of someone who, at the very least, doesn't think racist insults are in some way an effective weapon to wield.

Nicholson addressed it later on Twitter, saying, "I respect every man who steps in the cage and my comments were insensitive towards lim (sic) I was hype for my brother but It's all love no hate."

Except saying racist things is the opposite of respect; it strips a person's individuality, reducing that person to an "Other" who's easy to marginalize. Nor is it love. It might be hate. It is, at an absolute minimum, prejudice and ignorance permitted to flourish and shape how Perry's camp villainized his opponent. This is also evident in a Facebook post Nicholson made in which he called Lim "Dung Him Kong Jung Foo," per the Bloody Elbow piece linked above. The very pinnacle of respect!

How embarrassing for Perry. Oh man. What a rough spot—torn between loyalty to your cornerman and his egregious use of racism at the fights. Just kidding; Perry never wavered in his loyalty. On The MMA Hour, via MMA Fighting (h/t Alexander) the following Monday, Perry offered an explanation so disingenuous and convoluted, it was insulting.

"I don't think any of my competition can see me, and when I hit Lim, I opened a lot of people's eyes," Perry told Ariel Helwani.

When Helwani clarified that it was said prior to the knockout, Perry joked, "Well, we can see the future." It's asking a lot to believe Perry actually meant what he said. To me, it sounded like desperate mental gymnastics in a misguided spin attempt.

Also in that interview, Perry said, "I think people's opinion on this has been blown way out of proportion, and they need to calm down."

That casts his explanation in an even worse light, flirting with a nudge-nudge-wink-wink, "we all know what he meant but we have to play dumb because of PC culture" vibe.

If Perry has not mastered the art of publicity, that's not shocking. While his explanation was absurd and both his and Nicholson's Facebook pages have numerous instances of slurs and racial epithets, they have done more individually to mediate the blunder than the UFC has. The UFC, unlike Nicholson and Perry or the racists I went to school with, has decades of public relations experience.

Maybe that's actually why the UFC has done nothing, at least publicly. While UFC Vice President of Public Relations, Athlete Marketing and Development Dave Sholler said on Twitter the promotion was "looking into this," as of this writing, it's been a week since that tweet. There is nary a mention of the incident or the UFC's response from any official channel.

Well, to be fair, it did do something. The UFC's penchant for removing unauthorized footage from social media is nothing new, but usually it's reserved for reel from the fight itself. It went the extra mile here and swiftly reported copyright infringement on Jessica Hudnall's tweet with video of the comment. Without a video spreading across the internet, the UFC can easily remain silent rather than directly address this unflattering episode.

The UFC isn't responsible for comments its fighters and their corners make, but it is responsible for acknowledging and condemning them as inappropriate. It either doesn't realize this, or it thinks it's the wiser choice to stay quiet, working to scrub the incident from its records like the Ministry of Truth.

It's not especially surprising; the UFC has stayed mum on a lot lately. After Donald Cerrone said Daniel Cormier fought against Anderson Silva "like a f-g," an unnamed "senior UFC official" told MMA Junkie the promotion was "incredibly disappointed by Cerrone's comment.

"The organization is a proud advocate for equality, and Cerrone will be educated on the issues impacting the LGBTQ community, particularly related to the sensitivity surrounding his choice of words today."

According to the article, the UFC also intended to have a talk with Cerrone about it. If it did, it didn't mention the outcome. When Cerrone later clarified (NSFW language) he only meant Cormier "fought like a b---h," the UFC didn't bother to address it at all.

It also did not acknowledge Michael Bisping's slur-ridden tirade against Luke Rockhold moments after knocking him out and becoming the middleweight champion. In less than 30 seconds, Bisping called Rockhold a "p---y," "c--ksucker" and "f----t." Its silence on this is actually somewhat surprising given the extensive media coverage it garnered.

As is its way, the UFC has chosen a non-response to Nicholson as the best response, banking on the likelihood there will be no lasting implications for it. It's probably right. The fanbase, by and large, isn't bothered enough by hate speech to not watch in protest, and the sport doesn't receive enough mainstream attention yet that a corner saying openly racist things about an opponent directly in front of him is even news outside of MMA sites.

If homophobic and sexist language doesn't warrant any penalty, and neither does overt racism directed at one of its fighters, what will? As it stands, the UFC is as concerned with the problematic language among its fighters as it is with, oh, I don't know, Anthony Johnson's no-contest plea and conviction for domestic abuse. That is to say, not at all. And until it actually implements penalties strong enough to act as a deterrent and back up its claims of advocacy, it's no stretch to conclude the noise it makes about its commitment to equality is in service to its bottom line.

In fact, the UFC is so unconcerned with the whole Perry corner ordeal that just days after Perry knocked Lim out at UFC 202, it booked his next fight. Set less than two months after 202, he will face Danny Roberts at UFC 204 on Oct. 8.

There's been no word on whether the promotion will allow Nicholson to return to the Octagon, either as cornerman or fighter. With the UFC, its silence indicates the answer is probably yes.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Tuesday, August 30

Moving from UFC to Bellator, Rory MacDonald Begins His Vision Quest

After 21 violent minutes, Rory MacDonald's arsenal was spent. Beyond his last breath, the Canadian contender had nothing left to give as he lay shattered on the Octagon canvas.

Few people realized it at the time, but there and then, in MacDonald's most difficult moment as a professional fighter, the seed was planted for the next phase of his career. Images of the clash with Robbie Lawler at UFC 189 remain raw and impossible to forget. For good or for ill, MacDonald's ability to endure pain made it a championship bout for the ages.

Thirteen months later, on the verge of what should be his prime years as an athlete, having been materially changed by the experience of fighting to his breaking point, MacDonald decided to leave the UFC in hopes of something else, something more appealing.

"For me, that title fight against Robbie was an eye-opener," said MacDonald, who saw the light while his eyes swelled from punches as he pocketed a paltry $59,000. "OK, we got to the show where we wanted to go. It didn't work out, but now it's time to start making some money."

Widely regarded as one of MMA's top welterweights, MacDonald (18-4) officially signed with Bellator MMA on Friday night following a six-and-a-half year stint with the UFC where "The Red King" was established as a talented and popular contender happy to go through hell if need be.

Still on the mend from one of the most savage fights in recent memory, MacDonald returned to the Octagon in June knowing he was physically unprepared to compete at his best. A stiff shot to his nose meant another setback and more pain, yet the consequences were acceptable because MacDonald, win or lose, would get the chance to cultivate his post-Lawler vision once he was done with Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson.

Having thought long and hard about his future, MacDonald concluded that rather than take time off to heal correctly, his freedom was worth the risk of losing consecutively for the first time in his career.

"Last time, I didn't treat it the way I was supposed to," he said. "I was too hungry to get back in the gym, to get in there and spar with guys to fight."

MacDonald said the decision to leave UFC for Bellator came easily. Bellator gave him the opportunity to develop and grow a business together, and he felt the promotion respected him as a professional athlete. His marketability in Canada is a major reason Bellator President Scott Coker signed a fighter who, at a glance, carries the potential of damaged goods. Intent on giving his face a chance to fully heal, MacDonald said he won't fight until the summer of 2017. 

"I can't be taking a year off between every fight," MacDonald said. "That's just not what I'm about. I'm going to give [my nose] the time it needs to heal back to 100 percent, then hopefully I can fight once a quarter. I usually fight once a quarter, so that's the plan."

If MacDonald can make good on that level of activity, his signing should be a boon for Bellator, particularly in his native land.

"There are a lot of opportunities that Bellator is giving me," MacDonald said. "The belief that they have in me. The weight that they're putting on me to promote me to go into Canada. We're going to take Bellator into Canada and we're going to do it big. We're going to reinvigorate that market. Those fans are going to get a proper fight show again."

By joining a Viacom-owned property that comes off as a plucky underdog to the $4 billion UFC, MacDonald is following the path other high-profile UFC fighters have paved. Top contender Phil Davis and former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson, who headlined Friday's Bellator 160 card at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, have spoken glowingly about their transition from the UFC. MacDonald views his arrangement similarly: as a partnership with a promoter that gives him some autonomy, rather than being relegated to a cog in the machine.

"We get to be our own individual self and promote ourselves," he said. "Whereas where I was before, everyone is wearing the same uniforms. Now we're all walking out of the same boring dressing room. It's boring. People are tired of that.

"You walk into the cage like every single other person on the roster. We're basically a robot walking into the cage."

For a man not regarded for his charisma, MacDonald's comments are curious, and they don't necessarily reflect the truth of things. Yes, UFC's fighters are mandated to wear outfits that look like Uno cards, yet some of them have become rich and famous while doing so. With the potential of big-money pay-per-views, UFC is an appealing place to fight as well.

This is why free agency and its rewards are not a one-way street. Bellator veterans have opted to head to the UFC, too, and some have thrived both financially and in the cage. In July, Eddie Alvarez rose to become the promotion's lightweight champion after taking down Rafael dos Anjos. Will Brooks couldn't wait to leave Bellator, so he gave up the promotion's lightweight championship and ran when he had the chance.

Entering his third year as president of Bellator, Coker views the influence of free agency as vital for fighters and the overall health of MMA. 

"This is good for the MMA industry, not just for Bellator or whoever," Coker said during the press conference introducing MacDonald as a Bellator fighter. "You need to have two buyers. When you only have one buyer, the price will ultimately go down at the end of the day."

The addition of top young competitors like MacDonald is key for Bellator to move beyond the prevalent mindset among fans and media who see it as a second-class organization. Bellator has occasionally damaged its reputation under Coker's leadership, like the night Kimbo Slice fought Dada 5000 and dinosaurs Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie met in a sad spectacle. The big ratings for Spike allowed Coker to justify the matchmaking. That, though, is fleeting, risky stuff.

Coker is aware that as much as he enjoys the occasional low-hanging fruit of a circus fight, the future of Bellator can't be tied to those kinds of events. As his short-term and long-term visions for the company merge, the hope is dismissive attitudes—similar to the ones leveled at Strikeforce, which Coker founded, before Zuffa purchased it in 2011—will melt away as talented fighters emerge into known fighters, and, potentially, bankable stars.

"We built Luke Rockhold. We built Daniel Cormier. We built Tyron Woodley," Coker said of his leadership at Strikeforce. "These were guys we found from scratch. I think we're very good star-identifiers and we know how to build stars in this business, and that's what we're doing here. It's the same formula."

Sprinkle in the increasing ability to pluck away some of UFC's talent, and Coker envisions a future for Bellator that puts it on par with MMA's premiere group that was recently purchased for $4 billion—a notion that has MMA supporters inside Viacom excited about the future.

"We're going to go after every free agent that's out there," Coker said. "And if you're a fighter fighting in a different league and you want to exercise your free agency, that's how you'll know your value. To me, I think Rory did the right thing. And why wouldn't you? If you don't, you're only going to know what one company is offering."

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Bisping vs. Henderson II: Early Fight Predictions, Keys to Victory for UFC 204

Michael Bisping, Britain's most successful mixed martial artist and UFC fighter, will look to defend his middleweight belt against Dan Henderson on Saturday, Oct. 8 after snatching the title in dramatic fashion in June.

Bisping will take on the American Henderson in his home city of Manchester in a fight that acts as a rematch to the pair's previous battle in 2009.

Henderson (32-14) knocked out Bisping (30-7) in spectacular fashion in the second round when the pair previously locked horns at UFC 100.

The upcoming fight, which will headline UFC 204, could be the 45-year-old Henderson's last crack at the title before retirement.

It will also be Bisping's first defence of the middleweight crown he gained on June 4 after knocking out Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 in a surprise win.

        

Head-to-Head

Bisping, who was born on a British military base in Nicosia, Cyprus, but raised in the UK, only had 17 days to prepare for his title-winning fight after an injury ruled out initial competitor Chris Weidman, according to MMA Fighting's Dave Doyle.

His ability to get himself into title-winning shape on short notice underlines one of his key strengths: fitness.

Bisping is already getting ready for the big fight, according to his Twitter:

The Count is nearly eight years younger than Henderson, and his natural fitness could play a major role in the outcome of the fight should it go on for two rounds or more. 

Henderson lost in the third round to both Lyoto Machida in UFC 139 and Vitor Belfort in the UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson during 2013. He last went the distance in a fight in a victory with Mauricio Rua in 2011. 

However, Bisping came out on top after five-round tussles with Anderson “The Spider” Silva earlier this year at UFC Fight Night 84 and against Thales Leites at UFC Fight Night 72 in July 2015. 

The age difference between the pair has been noted by Bisping, who said he expects Henderson to use drugs to try to "cheat" the fight.

"I think he's gonna go out there and have some sneaky PEDs, because he’s gonna think, 'Well, screw it, if I get suspended, so what? I'm retiring anyway,'" Bisping said on his Sirius XM show The Countdown (via the Sun).  

Indeed, Bisping lands 4.4 significant strikes per minute as opposed to Henderson's 2.4, according to the preview page of their fight on UFC.com.

Bisping's versatility and intelligence as a fighter could also be a hindrance to Henderson's title bid.

At February's UFC Fight Night 84 against Silva, the fighter answered his opponent's attempts to evade and parry jabs and counter by not allowing himself to stay on the inside.

This meant he didn't grant enough space for Silva to counter back and jab Bisping.

He has also won his fights via numerous methods. Bisping finished a four-round battle with Cung Lee via technical knockout (TKO) in 2014 and took care of Rockhold, in his last fight, with a KO.

Despite dismissing Henderson's challenge, Bisping will have to draw upon all of his fighting intelligence and stamina to retain his title.

The American, although two inches shorter than his counterpart, has a greater arm reach and a better striking accuracy with 48.1 percent of his significant strikes landing on target, per UFC.com

The veteran fighter has a higher takedown average of 1.58 and a takedown accuracy of 54.32 percent.

Henderson is also a resilient character with the ability to withstand submissions from his opponents.

The quick-hitting Bisping will no doubt fancy his chances against Henderson. The Californian is ranked as the UFC's No. 12 middleweight, per UFC.com, and has won just three of his past nine fights, while Bisping is unbeaten in four.

The Brit also has the uncanny ability to win in rematches against fighters he has previously lost against throughout his long career.   

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Andrei Arlovski vs. Josh Barnett: A Head-to-Toe Breakdown

September is all about the heavyweights in the UFC, and it gets started on Saturday, when Andrei Arlovski (25-12, 1 NC) meets Josh Barnett (34-8) at UFC Fight Night 93.

The Hamburg, Germany, event is headlined by the heavyweight clash, and both men are looking to get back in the win column.

Arlovski will try to avoid a third straight loss. His prior two, to now-champion Stipe Miocic and current title challenger Alistair Overeem, were both knockout losses. A loss to Barnett would be detrimental to Arlovski's fading title hopes.

Barnett was upended by Ben Rothwell in January. He has not lost back-to-back fights since dropping two in a row to Mirko Cro Cop in 2004 and 2005.

The pair of former UFC champions are seeing their window of opportunity slowly close. Saturday's main event will be a pivotal bout, but who has the edge? Bleacher Report breaks down the matchup from head to toe in the preview of UFC Fight Night 93's main event.

Take a peek at the heavyweight tilt coming your way this weekend.

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After Grisly Skull Fracture, Bellator Should Say No to Return of Cyborg Santos

In the MMA world Monday, the figure holding the scale between integrity and lucre looked less like a blindfolded woman and more like Scott Coker.

The same day, Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, a 38-year-old Brazilian veteran whose career dates back to the Vale Tudo era, indicated he aims to return to the Bellator MMA promotion by December following an injury he suffered in July after a Michael Page flying-knee knockout at Bellator 158.

As Santos (21-18) told Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting

I had a great recovery. This time off was super important for me. I was so busy doing other stuff that I didn’t even notice how fast his month has passed. It was really uncomfortable three or four days after the surgery, but after that I pretty much rested and studied. I plan on coming back to training next week and fighting in December. ... I will listen to what the doctors have to say. I have an appointment with the doctor next week to find out if he really clears me to train again, but I’m feeling super fine.

Reasonable enough, right? A tough guy doing what he does. 

Oh, wait. There's just one more thing. The injury was a skull fracture. And not just "any" skull fracture. Page literally beat Santos' head in, leaving him with a depressed, frontal-sinus fracture easily seen without any of those fancy digital scans. (Although one of those was published, clearly showing a spidery dent across the forehead.) There was an operation, administered after a protracted and purportedly life-threatening period of brain swelling.

And he wants to come back in December? Bellator, helmed by Coker, could stand to pump the brakes on this.

Fair or not, Bellator, helmed by Coker, has recently earned something of a reputation as an outfit with little regard for athlete health and safety. This is an opportunity to rectify that. Bellator needs to protect Santos from himself, ignore the interest his return will surely generate and publicly rule him out for a December bout, if not longer. And after the public had such a detailed look at such a terrifying injury, it also makes sense to maximize transparency around the details of his pre- and post-operative treatment.

According to the Instagram post from Santos' ex-wife, renowned women's featherweight Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino, "the doctor said this very easily could have been life-threatening."

UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan called it "the worst MMA injury I've ever seen."

Doctors and officials had to wait several days for brain swelling—which can cause brain damage and even death, particularly in cases of depressed fractures like Santos' that drive bone fragments into the brain—to subside before they could fly him from the fight's host city of London to Texas and then perform surgery July 27.

That was barely one month ago. A December return would equal a five-month stint on the shelf. That does fall within the average healing-time window stipulated for depressed skull fractures, assuming no loss of brain function, in which case it's much longer.

It's not entirely unreasonable for an admitted lay person to conclude, then, that on paper, this return timeline is not unrealistic. At the same time, it seems equally not unrealistic to conclude the bare minimum recovery time, or close to it, does not mesh perfectly with one's profession when that profession is head-punching.

For the sake of argument, though, let's just say he'll be fine by then and he should return; it's his decision as a grown man, or whatever you want to say. He could get a rematch with Page. He could get a blockbuster with the division's newest signee—former UFC contender Rory MacDonald. The Bellator braintrust, led by president Scott Coker, may be tempted to acquiesce to the siren call of the dollar bills, which will most likely be stronger for a relatively quick Santos return, on account of the rubbernecking. 

They should resist that temptation. Santos, for whom Justino set up a GoFundMe page to offset medical bills but then canceled it after Bellator announced it would cover them, probably shouldn't be allowed to fight again, and if he is, he should be fully and, as transparently as possible, cleared by physicians.

Speaking of physicians, I am not one of those persons, but Bellator expressed its support for those persons on the issue of brain injury just three months ago, when Coker and company showed up in Washington to donate an undisclosed sum of money and announce backing for the Professional Fighters Brain Health Study, a ongoing study investigating the effects of brain injury in combat sports athletes.

"This cause deserves to be noticed," Coker said at the event. "The technology that we have today wasn't available even five years ago. The fighters deserve to know. They deserve to have the truth."

There are cases when Bellator's truth has come under question, as has its commitment to fighter health and safety. The organization has staged several "freakshow" or "legends" fights that involved some notably awful circumstances.

No one implicated Bellator in the death this spring of Kimbo Slice, but Slice failed a drug test for steroids at Bellator 149, which ended up being his final fight. 

Slice's opponent in that fight, Dhafir Harris, aka Dada 5000, nearly died in the cage during his fight with Slice, only to see Bellator and the Harris family attempt to downplay (or maybe they just didn't know) the gravity of Harris' condition.

There was also the matter of their booking of Royce Gracie, 49, and Ken Shamrock, 52—that's a combined age of 101 years old—on the same card. That "legends" main event ended with a first-round Gracie TKO. Shamrock, it turned out, also failed a drug test for steroids at the event.

Bellator doesn't make any bones about booking these "legends" fights. To keep pace with the massive UFC, the argument goes, Bellator must get creative, as it—as all non-UFC MMA promotions—doesn't have the talent stock to book shows toe-to-toe with the industry leader.

That's fine. It's canny business (and they're not the only ones to do it, either, UFC included). With interest in Santos at a peak thanks to this gruesome injury, a play to maximize the cash would be understandable.

It would also be wrong. 

You have to pay a kind of twisted respect to Santos for even stating a desire to come back so soon. It's clearly motivated, at least in part, by pride, given that his emphatic loss and horrific injury were plastered all over the MMA community and beyond.

Bellator should protect Santos from himself and itself. Just do the right thing and make a public statement that Santos won't be booked until—and only until—there are solid assurances he's good to go. You could even share those assurances with the public, along with other details (assuming everyone agrees) about his condition and ongoing course of treatment.

Why is this public recovery time sufficient? Did he suffer any brain damage? Will there be a second opinion? Would Bellator pay for such a thing? Could the doctors at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, which is running the fighter brain health study that Bellator just donated to, take a look at him?

I don't know how to suggest a specific course of action here, beyond Santos not fighting in December. If the only one who ends up walking their talk here is Santos, that might lead to more than a PR problem.


Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter

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The Question: How Should UFC Handle Paige VanZant Amid Growing Star Power?

Paige VanZant had a pretty productive weekend, picking up a technical knockout win in her return to action at UFC on FOX last Saturday night. Living up to her exciting style, she blasted Bec Rawlings with a jumping switch kick that made the rounds across the news world. She made SportsCenter. She was featured in London’s the Daily Mail. Even Forbes wrote about it.

That’s the kind of treatment stars get, and VanZant is certainly raising her profile with every appearance. She’s already told us Hollywood was interested. She’s held them off for now, but there are definitely going to be distractions and temptations coming her way. That’s the nature of stardom.

For now, though, VanZant is saying all the right things. She wants to focus on her fight career and wasted no time saying she’d like to compete on the next UFC on Fox show in December. That’s great. 

From the UFC’s side, how exactly does it handle her next few steps? On one hand, VanZant is 7-2 and ranked No. 10 in the strawweight division. On the other, she’s still just 22 years old.

Joining me to discuss the promotion’s conundrum is MMA Lead Writer Chad Dundas. 

Mike Chiappetta: This is a recurring issue for UFC matchmakers. Some youngster gets signed, makes a big splash and garners an inordinate amount of media attention in a small amount of time. What do you do next? Take your time with that talent in cultivating them, or shoot them up the ladder toward a title shot and see how they handle the push?

There is no easy answer here. Even conservatism often backfires. Look at someone like 20-year-old Sage Northcutt, for example. Northcutt was slow-played, paired with opponents of similar experience levels, but stumbled anyway, getting choked out by Bryan Barberena in his third Octagon bout, forcing a reset to his UFC career. 

VanZant did well until she was paired with Rose Namajunas, who at 24 is not much older than VanZant but was a step above.

From my perspective, this is a situation where the UFC will face backlash either way. If it pushes VanZant against Top Fivers, it’ll be accused of moving her up too quickly and stifling her growth. If it takes a more cautious approach, it’ll be criticized for the hyper-promotion of someone who hasn’t yet truly earned it.

It’s incumbent upon it to ignore the commentary and condemnation. VanZant is still building her base and shouldn’t be rushed. You could see that in her first-round performance Saturday. She expends a lot of energy for no purpose. There is a lack of efficiency there. Those are signs that she needs time to develop. The UFC would be wise to offer it. She’s a big enough star now to draw interest regardless of opponent, so give her the chance to mature her game before moving her up to the division’s best.

There is always the temptation to rush things, but this is one time to hold back a present-day payoff for the future.

What do you think, Chad?

Chad Dundas: VanZant is an interesting case for me because she's one of the first UFC fighters I feel a complete, borderline generational disconnect with. Not only do I not understand what she offers me as an MMA fan, I feel like I'm not supposed to understand. Like she's not here for me. Like I'm not in her demographic. 

I'm a 38-year-old man. I'm married and have two children. I don't have Instagram. I've never seen an episode of Dancing with the Stars. When I see a 15-second video clip of VanZant dancing in her driveway, the only thing it makes me feel is mildly confused about what I'm watching and why it exists.

I guess I just don't get it.

But you know what? That's OK. I don't have to get it.

Here at Bleacher Report we have some metrics that suggest a lot of people do get VanZant. She racked up approximately half a million pageviews between three high-profile stories the company did on her over the weekend. To come straight from her breakout DWTS appearance and knock out Rawlings with a highlight-reel kick in the second round is about as good a performance as she could hope for on a nationally televised fight card.

So I guess I'm willing to take that at face value as kind of a cool moment for her.

Perhaps VanZant eventually develops into one of the best fighters in her weight class. Perhaps along the way she picks up a new generation of fight fans and they, like me, end up becoming lifers. But, like you mentioned, I think that's going to take some serious sculpting from a matchmaking department. At this point she's not ready to get tossed in there with any of the best strawweights in the world. Until she is, I'm just not sure I can see what is so compelling about her.

Mike: Chad, with these comments, you have officially reached a point of no return, like the grandfathers who complain today’s generation of basketball players doesn’t play the game “the right way,” and who pine for the days of Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle whenever they see a baseball player wearing his hat backward. 

VanZant’s persona is the sunshine-blonde who is happy in life and bubbling over with personality. While I admit that it’s far from the many counterculture anti-heroes that populated the sport in our early days covering it, she is like the living embodiment of the millennial generation. Young, free-spirited, social-media savvy and focused on fun.

You and I are heavy consumers of the MMA product, but we have to remember that sports leagues and organizations are focused on demographics more than ever. One of the UFC’s great assets—one that helped spark a $4.2 billion sale—is the youth of its audience. VanZant speaks to the teenagers and 20-somethings in that group, which is why the UFC should take caution with her.

The one argument I could see for rushing her is the threat of Hollywood, something I wrote about in the aftermath of the fight. The UFC brass may have some concern about other offers encroaching on VanZant’s time and availability, but I would resist the urge to move too fast. 

For the next two or three fights, I would try to match her with fighters on the edge of the Top 15. Give her a striking stylist first, then a ground fighter, then a wrestler. See if she can pass those tests before moving her up. We saw that her loss to Namajunas didn’t set her popularity back, but give her the chance to develop a bit more before she gets that kind of opportunity again, with the hope that she will be better prepared and that it will make a bigger fight.

Chad: That did come off a bit curmudgeonly, didn't it? Look, though, I don't think anybody can deny that recent cases like VanZant, Northcutt and CM Punk represent a significant departure from the way the UFC has done business in the past. Typically, the best fighters in the world first distinguish themselves in the cage, and during that process we determine which ones also have magnetic personalities.

For examples of this, think Robbie Lawler, Dominick Cruz or even—cue dramatic music—current strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

People like VanZant, Northcutt and Punk stand out because for them the process seems to have been inverted. The fight company tabbed them as individuals it could promote first and figured out if they deserved it later.

I've got nothing against that strategy, per se, but—curmudgeon alert, again—the old way seemed more organic to me and a much easier fit for my old-man brain.

But if that's where we are, that's where we are and I agree with the sentiment that for the good of everyone involved, VanZant ought to be brought along slowly. The trouble might be that she's already the UFC's No. 10-ranked 115-pound fighter. I'm not sure how many more stunning knockouts she could author before sheer numbers dictate she has to fight a real contender.

Mike: That's a fair question, but one I think the UFC can use VanZant’s age to deflect. After all her attention and exposure, she’s still just 22. That’s young in any professional sport, let alone one like MMA, with its many disciplines and facets to master.

She has all the tools to make her career a success. She’s young, athletic and driven, is surrounded by strong coaching and management teams and has the public’s eyeballs on her. They are all the ingredients to a perfect recipe. But like every recipe, it needs time.

For VanZant and the UFC, their patience—or lack thereof—will determine whether she ascends as high as her current star would suggest. To be sure, there are no easy paths to realizing her ultimate potential, but given her extreme youth, time is on her side, and all parties involved should use it.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Sunday, August 28

UFC on Fox 21 Results: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers

UFC on Fox 21 was a fun-filled event with six of the 10 fights ending with a finish, none more impressive than the main event.

Demian Maia made Carlos Condit tap out within the first two minutes of their scheduled five-round affair. Maia secured an early takedown, advanced position and sunk in the rear-naked choke. Condit now faces serious internal questions while Maia has his eyes on the ultimate prize.

The highlight of the evening came when Paige VanZant landed a jumping switch kick to the noggin of Bec Rawlings. The kick put Rawlings on the mat and VanZant finished with a swarm of hammerfists.

Anthony Pettis made a statement in his featherweight debut, and Jim Miller and Joe Lauzon put on another event-stealing scrap. It was a main card to remember.

UFC matchmakers have their work cut out for them in determining what fights will be made next. Never fear because help is here. The recommendations are just a click away, Mr. Silva and Mr. Shelby. Send that "Thank You" card in the mail.

Hit next to find out where the UFC should go for all their matchmaking quandaries for the UFC on Fox 21 participants.

Rankings courtesy of UFC.com.

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UFC on Fox 21 Results: 5 Burning Questions Heading into UFC Fight Night 93

UFC on Fox 21 is in the books. The results are as follows (c/o Bleacher Report's very own Craig Amos):

UFC on Fox 21 Main Card 

  • Demian Maia def. Carlos Condit, submission (Round 1, 1:52)
  • Anthony Pettis def. Charles Oliveira, submission (Round 1, 1:49)
  • Paige VanZant def. Bec Rawlings, knockout (Round 2, 0:17)
  • Jim Miller def. Joe Lauzon, split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Prelims on Fox Sports 1 

  • Sam Alvey def. Kevin Casey, TKO (Round 2, 4:56)
  • Kyle Bochniak def. Enrique Barzola, split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
  • Alessio Di Chirico def. Garreth McLellan, split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Felipe Silva def. Shane Campbell, TKO (Round 1, 1:13)

Prelims on UFC Fight Pass 

  • Chad Laprise def. Thibault Gouti, TKO (Round 1, 1:36)
  • Jeremy Kennedy def. Alex Ricci, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Next up? UFC Fight Night 93.

The UFC's abandonment of Fox Sports 1 and bolstering of Fight Pass continues! While FS1's Fight Night cards have largely featured exciting-yet-unknown up-and-comers, Fight Pass Fight Night events have been featuring established names. This one is no different.

Andrei Arlovski. Josh Barnett. Alexander Gustafsson. Ryan Bader.

While much of the card features the usual mashup of local (well, European) talent, there are plenty of relevant names to tune in for, and plenty of relevant names that have burning questions to discuss.

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UFC on Fox 21 Results: Demian Maia Continues to Make the Impossible Look Easy

The things Demian Maia does inside the Octagon are supposed to be impossible, yet somehow he continues to make them look easy.

Maia’s uncanny march through the welterweight division rolled on Saturday at UFC on Fox 21, as he scored a first-round rear-naked choke over Carlos Condit in an important contender bout.

In doing so, Maia became the first man to submit Condit since 2006 and the first to make the former WEC and UFC interim champion look quite so helpless.

The performance shocked many observers—and from the sound of his in-cage interview with UFC color commentator Brian Stann after the fight, it surprised Maia too.

“This guy [Condit] is a former champion,” he said, choking up a bit on the heels of such a big win. “This guy has been knocking out everybody. This is the guy who I watched his fight with [former champ] Robbie Lawler and many people think he won—and I also think [that]. So for me, [Condit] was the champion. I knew it would be a hard fight.”

We’ll take Maia’s word for that last part, but from the outside looking in, it did not, in fact, appear to be a hard fight.

One of the things Condit has been known for during a 14-year, 40-fight career is his durability, but he turned out to be no match for Maia’s vaunted grappling attack. The ferocious and exciting New Mexico native is a notoriously hard out, but Maia sucked him into a takedown, took his back and choked him out in a grand total of one minute, 52 seconds.

It was the swiftest loss of Condit’s professional life, and it happened so fast that he managed to land just one strike before Maia planted him on the mat.

And so Maia continues to buck many conventions of modern MMA fighting.

At 38 years old, he’s not supposed to be putting on the best performances of his 15-year career, but that’s exactly what he’s doing.

As one of the sport’s last pure Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialists, he’s not supposed to beat the rest of the best fighters in the world with such a one-dimensional game plan, but he is.

Since suffering back-to-back losses to former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields and perennial top contender Rory MacDonald in 2013 and 2014, Maia has been on a tear—and his sudden run of late-career success has come with a return to his roots.

He appears to have made peace with the fact he’s one of the best BJJ stylists ever to grace the Octagon and is not particularly great at any one other thing. During recent fights, Maia has all but abandoned any notion of a striking attack in favor of straightforward, no-frills grappling.

In the UFC in 2016, everyone is supposed to be meticulously cross-trained, a modern hybrid of as many fighting styles as can be squeezed into a single body and a single brain. But Maia is going out there and relying on little more than his merciless submission skills. Everybody he faces knows exactly what he wants to do—and yet they still can’t stop him.

That’s extraordinary.

Over the course of his last half-dozen fights, Maia has established himself as one of the greatest submission grapplers in the history of MMA.

He is perhaps the most successful jiu-jitsu fighter in the UFC since Royce Gracie. And Gracie was doing his thing during the sport’s formative years against opponents who had little to no background in submissions. Maia is accomplishing it against men who at least in theory are supposed to be in the same universe as he is on the ground.

News flash: They’re not.

Take Condit, for example. The Natural Born Killer has long been regarded as one of MMA’s more well-rounded fighters. He may be a kickboxer at heart, but he’s no slouch on the mat, where he’s dangerous enough that 43 percent of his 30 career wins have come by submission.

Against Maia, he looked like it was his first day in the gym.

Perhaps most impressive of all, Maia has notched his most recent wins while suffering nearly no damage. As ESPN’s Phil Murphy noticed on Twitter Saturday night, the striking totals in his last few bouts are nothing short of amazing:

Maia has now won six in a row and is 9-2 overall since dropping to welterweight in July 2012. He came into this fight ranked No. 3 overall in the 170-pound division. There may not be much room to move up from that spot, but a victory like this over an opponent as well-regarded as Condit will toss a wrinkle in the welterweight title picture.

Tyron Woodley has been champion for all of one month after taking the belt from Lawler at UFC 202. He’s talked openly about making his first title defense a money fight against an opponent such as Nick Diaz or even a returning Georges St-Pierre.

UFC brass, however, has been angling to get consensus No. 1 contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson the first crack at Woodley.

Thompson is perhaps the only fighter in the welterweight landscape who can make a better argument than Maia for an immediate championship fight. He’s won seven bouts in a row, including beating former champion Johny Hendricks and MacDonald.

In the wake of the Condit win, it sounded as though Maia understood his two realities—that Thompson might well get the chance to take on Woodley first and also that he doesn’t have the luxury of waiting forever.

“I respect Thompson very much,” he said at the post-fight press conference, via MMA Junkie’s Brent Brookhouse and Ken Hathaway. “He’s a great guy. Of course, I’m much older than him. So, if they can give [the title shot] to me first, that would be great. If not, I hope they give it to him fast and I wait to see who wins the fight.”

Even if Thompson goes first, it’s tough to imagine a better demonstration of championship readiness than this victory. According to Odds Shark, Condit was the slight favorite by the time the two fighters took the cage, but even people who were giving the edge to Maia never dreamed it would go the way it did.

That’s because nobody had ever dispatched Condit with such relative ease.

But that’s just what Maia is doing these days.

Making the incredible seem routine.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

After Paige VanZant's Highlight Reel KO, Next Steps Are Tricky Ones

So far, the Paige VanZant gamble has largely worked out. For her and for the UFC. The promotion pushed her for a spot on Dancing with the Stars, saw her profile rise with a second-place finish on the show, and then pulled her back in for a featured spot on UFC on Fox. With another crowd of millions watching on Saturday night, VanZant orchestrated the night’s flashiest moment, a switch kick leading to a knockout of Bec Rawlings. 

It looked like something she might have practiced on the dance floor, dazzling and elegant and perfectly timed. 

It will no doubt help her profile rise even further. 

It will also bring problems along with it.

At some point soon, she will become torn on which direction to go. You can almost bank on it. We’ve seen it too many times already, and she’s the next one to face temptation from elsewhere. There will be more attention, more opportunities and probably more money. She is young (22 years old) and talented and attractive, and the entertainment world will start whispering in her ear.

And when there is more attention, opportunities and money, distractions follow.

She’s already had a taste of Hollywood and was offered a movie role that she ultimately turned down in order to fight, according to TMZ

But as her name grows, the offers will improve, putting the UFC in a position to compete for a talent that is already under contract.

Earlier this week, during a pre-fight interview with media, VanZant was asked about her reaction to the huge payday earned by Conor McGregor at UFC 202. Her answer was illuminating, mentioning that during her time on DWTS, she got to understand how much other athletes make.  

“I was like, ‘Hey, I don’t make that much money,’” she said

Uh-oh.

According to Nevada Athletic Commission numbers released to the media after her last fight, VanZant earned a $40,000 purse.

Last night, she earned at least triple that, since she added a win bonus and performance award to her nightly take. It was a nice payday. Still, the temptation to do other things will come. It’s inevitable.

For her part, VanZant (7-2) has said all the right things. That fighting is her first love, that everything else will have to play second fiddle, that she is happy at this stage of the game.

“I know that people want me because I’m different,” she said in the UFC on FOX post-fight show. “If I wasn’t a fighter, I wouldn’t be unique. People like me because I’m an MMA fighter and a chick who fights, and that’s why I’m desired outside of the octagon. I knew with the Kickboxer movie that it would cut into this fight camp, and I had to turn it down. The timing wasn’t going to work. I wanted to stay focused for this fight. If other opportunities arise that don’t cut into fight camps, I’m definitely going to pursue them, but if I have a fight lined up, that’s going to be the priority.”

For these last eight weeks at least, she proved that to be true. After a nightmare evening her last time out against Rose Namajunas, her ability to put a frustrating loss behind her and rebound was a good sign. But Rawlings, unlike Namajunas was unranked, and VanZant went in as the favorite.

This time around, she delivered, but after winning and admitting that she would pursue certain opportunities, there will be questions about whether time away from the gym will help or hurt her. There is no question that she is still a developing fighter, and that there are many techniques that need sharpening. 

Much of what she’s done has been due to her athleticism and will to succeed. Those are two excellent building blocks for success, but there are plenty of fighters ahead of her in the rankings who have them and then some. And they also do not have the same distraction possibilities staring them in the face. They are waking up and focusing on improving their fight games. Putting in their time on the bag. In sparring. Rolling in jiu jitsu. The game waits for no one.

“I actually think it’s funny when people keep saying I left fighting or I took a break when there’s a lot of other fighters who have much longer layoffs than I did,” she said in the post-fight press conference.

Uh-oh.

Here’s the thing: she did take a break. She did have a layoff. Eight months, but who’s counting? To be clear, time off is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it’s good to step back and recharge, and that formula worked well this time around. But if she continues to entertain these offers, if time away becomes a growing trend, there is a real chance her growth as a fighter may be stunted.

Even though she voiced a hope to fight on the Dec. 17 card in Sacramento, it may be wise to start finding peace with it all now. Maybe VanZant will find that she likes Hollywood a lot more than she expected, and that Hollywood likes her, too. Maybe this fight thing is just a stop on the way to something greater. If that’s the case, that’s fine. She doesn’t owe the sport anything.

But if she wants to reach her potential in the Octagon, if she wants to supplement her raw skills and maximize her talent, it probably won’t do. 

For VanZant, the next steps are coming, and they're tricky ones. Unlike that TV show she took part in, she’ll have to figure these out all on her own.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Anthony Pettis vs. Oliveira Results: Winner and Reaction from UFC on Fox 21

Former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis met Charles Oliveira in his featherweight debut at UFC on Fox 21 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Following a three-fight losing run, Pettis ditched the lightweight division to meet the No. 6 featherweight in the UFC and see how he'd fare. After two rounds, Pettis looked like he was on his way to a loss, but instead surprised almost everyone by submitting Oliveira with a guillotine in the third.

 

After a dominant first round for Pettis that saw Oliveira dropped with kicks and possibly in real trouble, the tide turned in the second round. Oliveira countered his striking with pressure, clinching, and grappling that Pettis couldn't seem to decipher. While Pettis's striking throughout was connecting and clearly having affecting Oliveira, Oliveira was still dominating and controlling the fight. He scored takedown after takedown on Pettis, wrapping him up repeatedly in back control and body triangles. Pettis's defense was strong enough that he staved off Oliveira's choke attempts and survived to the bell. 

The third round was shaping up much the same, with Pettis battling Oliveira's Brazilian jiu-jitsu and getting caught in some dangerous situations. That changed at almost two minutes into the third round, when Oliveira went for a takedown as they scrambled back to the feet and Pettis sunk in a guillotine. They fell to the mat and Oliveira tapped at 1:49 of the final round.

While Pettis had some trouble throughout the fight, he looked powerful and effective with his striking. His luck in the featherweight division remains to be seen, but in his post-fight interview in the Octagon, Pettis made clear he was there for the belt. In the lightweight division, he won the belt from Benson Henderson via armbar in August 2013 and successfully defended it against Gilbert Melendez in December 2014. Pettis then lost it to Rafael Dos Anjos in a unanimous decision in March 2015 and went on to two more decision losses against current champ Eddie Alvarez and Edson Barboza, before dropping to featherweight.

The win in his featherweight debut should catapult him into the top 10 of the division. Potential opponents to establish his status as a contender could include Frankie Edgar, an experienced veteran, and rising star Max Holloway.

Oliveira had been on a fairly dominant run, save for a loss to Holloway via freak esophagus injury early in the first round. Besides that, he racked up submission wins over Andy Ogle, Hatsu Hioki, Nik Lentz and Myles Jury, and a decision on Jeremy Stephens. Oliveira should absorb this loss—to the former lightweight champion following a hard fought battle—without much issue, as he continues his run through the division.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on Fox 21 Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Maia vs. Condit Card

Carlos Condit vs. Demian Maia was more than a striker-grappler matchup. It's more like the striker-grappler matchup, at least in the UFC's welterweight division.

In one corner of the main event of UFC on Fox 21, which went down Saturday in Vancouver, British Columbia, you had Condit, a razor-sharp muay thai striker with 15 knockouts on his resume. He's pretty good on the ground, too, but he wanted no part of that against Maia, the jiu-jitsu hero with 11 submission wins and a five-fight win streak in the UFC Octagon.

Something, as they say, had to give. 

Maia's takedowns are not a particular strong suit. Then again, neither is takedown defense for Condit, for all his advantages on the feet. How did the fight play out?

It's just one of many questions on a night that saw Anthony Pettis debut at featherweight and Paige VanZant return to MMA action, among other things. And as always, the final stat lines only reveal so much. These are the real winners and losers from UFC on Fox 21.

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Carlos Condit vs. Demian Maia Results: Winner and Reaction from UFC on Fox 21

The UFC on Fox 21 main event between Carlos Condit and Demian Maia was doomed to end in disappointment, one way or the other.

Unfortunately for Condit, he has to carry that disappointment after Maia defeated him Saturday night in Vancouver, British Columbia, via a first-round submission.

Condit is one of the biggest fan favorites in MMA. Dating all the way back to his days as the WEC welterweight champion, he has been a staple of the division's Top 10 and delivered exciting performances in every outing.  

Unfortunately, his tough split-decision loss to Robbie Lawler at UFC 195 seemed to suck the enthusiasm out him, and left him hinting at retirement. A loss to Maia would likely end his days as a title contender and lead to the end of his career. 

Maia, on the other hand, is one of those fighters who has always quietly competed at an elite level but has never gotten respect for it. His grappling is chess in a sport where most fighters are playing checkers and most fans are still trying to figure out tic-tac-toe. 

Because of that, he has received no real help from the promotion and has largely been relegated to Brazilian Fight Night events. Entering UFC on Fox 21, however, he owned one of the longest active winning streaks in the division (five fights) and seemed poised to make his way back into contention for the first time since 2010. 

Entering the event, it was clear that one man would have his days as a contender ended. That was Condit, and they ended in the most emphatic way.

Early in the first round, Maia shot for a single-leg takedown, turned the corner and landed in a spread half-guard. He threw some punches and elbows and, as Condit tried to slither away, exploded into back mount. After some brief hand fighting, Maia secured the rear-naked choke.

And that was the entire bout. Just under two minutes of action.

MMA journalist Chamatkar Sandhu showed Maia's reaction to the win:

In a vacuum, it's an astounding performance by Maia. Condit is one of the most talented, most experienced fighters at 170 pounds and is coached by Greg Jackson, one of the greatest minds in the sport. Maia, however, is just so good that he managed to effortlessly defeat his opponent in the most predictable way. 

This wasn't in a vacuum, though. It was a fight that came at a time when Condit was on the brink of hanging them up. And he may well have gotten that last nudge into doing so.

The future isn't written in stone for either man, of course. Condit wouldn't be the first fighter to ponder retirement, take some time off, and return to the sport due to his sheer love of competition (and/or out of pure financial necessity). Maia, meanwhile, said he is willing to wait for a title shot that may or may not ever come, per MMA writer Josh Gross:

Still, this is a bittersweet moment. Maia, finally, seems poised to get the praise and recognition he deserves. It's just a shame it had to come at Condit's expense.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on Fox 21 Results: Winners, Scorecards for Maia vs. Condit Card

Demian Maia can no longer be ignored. The 38-year-old Brazilian secured what might have been the most impressive win of his career at UFC on Fox 21 in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Saturday, when he submitted Carlos Condit via rear-naked choke in the first round.

It was Maia's sixth straight win, and it should make him next in line for a shot at the UFC welterweight title after Tyron Woodley faces Stephen Thompson.

Condit is known for his all-around game, but Maia may be the greatest Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist we've ever seen. Maia is primarily a one-dimensional fighter, but that single skill is so advanced that he's able to overpower his opponents en route to victories.

His style isn't the most crowd-pleasing, but he may be the toughest draw in the 170-pound division. Maia told Brian Stann during his post-fight interview he would wait for the winner of the Woodley-Thompson battle.

Whoever emerges as the champ best beware.

          

Showtime Is Back

Anthony Pettis made a smashing debut in the featherweight division. Riding a three-fight losing streak, Pettis looked like a new man at 145 pounds as he submitted Charles Oliveira. Fox Sports: UFC shared the replay: 

Pettis was aggressive and did damage in stand-up exchanges with punches and kicks to the midsection. Oliveira looked to have issues with Pettis' speed early, but he came on a bit in the second round.

Pettis punched himself out as Oliveira seized the momentum. In the third round, Pettis got a second wind. After escaping a choke and omoplata attempt, he transitioned to a guillotine.

That choke secured the victory for Pettis in a well-rounded performance.

             

Main Card

  • Demian Maia def. Carlos Condit via first-round submission (rear-naked choke).
  • Anthony Pettis def. Charles Oliveira via third-round submission (guillotine).
  • Paige VanZant def. Bec Rawlings via second-round KO.
  • Jim Miller def. Joe Lauzon via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).

                        
Undercard

  • Sam Alvey def. Kevin Casey via second-round TKO.
  • Kyle Bochniak def. Enrique Barzola via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29).
  • Alessio Di Chirico def. Garreth McLellan via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
  • Felipe Silva def. Shane Campbell via first-round TKO.
  • Chad Laprise def. Thibault Gouti via first-round TKO.
  • Jeremy Kennedy def. Alex Ricci via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

                  

Highlights and Analysis

Alvey Pummels Casey

Sam Alvey continues to knock people out and deliver WWE-like post-fight interviews. Here's a look at his finish of Kevin Casey, via Fox Sports: UFC:

As usual, Casey's lack of stamina rendered him almost defenseless after the first round. He went after several takedowns in the first five minutes.

He didn't land any of them and was spent by the start of the second frame. With his opponent's strikes noticeably slower, Alvey closed the distance and secured the finish.

After the fight, the always-entertaining Alvey called out every light heavyweight in Europe.

               

Miller Bests Lauzon Again

In a rematch of the Fight of the Year from 2012, Jim Miller again pulled out a hard-fought victory over Joe Lauzon. This time, Miller prevailed by split decision in a fight that was even closer than the first meeting.

Lauzon had his moments in the fight, and many of the fans booed the judges' decision. Lauzon secured a takedown in all three rounds, but Miller landed the more solid punches.

The decision could have gone either way.

Will we see a third fight? Miller said no during his post-fight interview, but we'll see what happens.

                   

Paige VanZant Is Going to Be a Superstar

If you're looking for the "OMG" moment of the event, it came during the only women's fight on the card. Paige VanZant decimated Bec Rawlings with this switch kick to the head in the second round, via Fox Sports: UFC:

PVZ has as much star potential as anyone in the sport. If she can continue to dazzle crowds, she's headed for the top of a UFC pay-per-view card in the future.

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Paige VanZant vs. Bec Rawlings Results: Winner and Reaction from UFC on Fox 21

Paige VanZant took a round to find her rhythm, but she ousted Bec Rawlings with a highlight-reel TKO in the second round Saturday night in Vancouver at UFC on Fox 21.

The fight started with VanZant darting out to meet Rawlings. She then employed low-percentage strikes such as a jumping switch kick. Rawlings was well out of range, but VanZant was showing off her skills. Rawlings looked like the more composed fighter and was forcing VanZant to circle on the outside.

But "12-Gauge" finally clinched up with Rawlings and landed a good knee in her center. Rawlings responded with a knee of her own when the two broke free. Each time VanZant tried to close the distance, Rawlings scored with crisp punches.

VanZant showed plenty of movement, but getting inside her opponent's range proved difficult.

Rawlings came forward toward the end of the first round, and VanZant scored. The last meaningful exchange saw VanZant score on a kick-punch combination. She seemed to find her range at the end of the frame.

The start of the second confirmed that notion.

VanZant opened the round with a low leg kick. Then the aforementioned jumping switch kick found its mark. Rawlings hit the canvas in a heap, and VanZant pummeled her with hammerfists until the referee stopped the fight at just 17 seconds into the second round.

Here's a look at the final blow, courtesy of Fox Sports: UFC, and a sampling of reaction to it from around Twitter:

The loss puts Rawlings back at the end of the pack, but she didn’t look bad in the opening round. She simply got caught by a rare technique that cleaned her clock.

Fightmetric.com's Michael Carroll put VanZant's win in context:

Aside from the numbers, this was an important victory for VanZant. After Rose Namajunas submitted her last December, she needed a big performance to keep momentum as a top-end prospect for the strawweight division.

This performance accomplished that goal.

VanZant told Brian Stann in the cage, during the post-fight interview, that she is angling for a spot on the December card in Sacramento. That seems as good a spot as any to continue the forward trajectory of VanZant’s hype train.

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