Diaz destroys Gomi in UFC 135 PPV opener

Diaz destroys Gomi in UFC 135 PPV opener

Nate Diaz has always been considered a step behind his brother Nick. But tonight, he did his big bro one better by tearing through Japanese star Takanori Gomi in just over four minutes. Diaz pummeled Gomi on the feet to set up an armbar stoppage at 4:27 of the first round in Denver, Co.

Gomi was arguably the best 155-pound fighter in the world from 1998-2005 as rolled up a 24-2 record. He got a wake up call against Nick in 2007 at PRIDE 33. The older Diaz won that fight, but he also took some damage. Nate had no such problems. He was never threatened in four-plus minutes by the dangerous power puncher.

The 5-foot-7 Gomi simply couldn't solve the length riddle presented by the 6-foot Diaz. The taller fighter used his reach brilliantly. According to Compustrike, he made good on 52 percent of his punches and outlanded Gomi 44-8.

Diaz (14-7, 9-5 UFC) flicked the jab early as a range finder. It made Gomi incredibly tentative. When Diaz finally threw with bad intentions it was a blowout.

Gomi (33-8, 1-3 UFC) ate a right hook with 3:30 left in the round,  Diaz began to taunt him and dropped his hands. Diaz started to land 1-2's whenever he wanted. A stunned Gomi tried to shoot and found himself under Diaz, who pounded away. Gomi got back to his feet, but he was close to finished as he put his back on the cage.

Diaz let his hands go and battered Gomi. Gomi actually recovered for a split second by pushing Diaz to the ground, but made the silly move of going into the Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert's guard. Diaz's legs are a mile long. Gomi got twisted up and caught in a triangle. Diaz eventually transitioned it to an arm bar forcing Gomi to tap.

Diaz is back where he belongs at 155 pounds. He made the strange move up to welterweight where he went 2-2, with losses against Dong Hyun Kim and Rory MacDonald. If he stays focused, he can certainly get right back into the mix for a run at the lightweight title. Keep in mind, he lost a narrow decision to Gray Maynard just 20 months ago. Maynard fought to a draw at UFC 125 against champion Frank Edgar. The rematch goes down in two weeks at UFC 136 in Houston.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Dream turning into Japanese MMA nightmare
? WNBA star takes former NBA lottery pick to school
? Man impersonating Eagles QB Vince Young arrested

Boresha ARG Matrix
Boresha Argmatrix
Boresha Bcreamy
Boresha Bsweet
Boresha Coffee

Erik Buell Racing Considering 250cc Learner Bike

Several sources have now confirmed that Erik Buell Racing is considering making a 250cc learner-style motorcycle to compliment its EBR 1190RS race/sport bike. Presumably filling the niche left behind by the crushed Buell Blast, the 250cc bike would be geared towards new and first-time riders, and would likely be MSF RiderCourse friendly. With bikes like the Kawaaski Ninja 250R / EX250 topping the sales charts as the best selling sport bike in the US, the folks ...

Nuvogene Tea
Boresha B Latte
Boresha International
Nuvogene Skinny Tea
ARG Matrix

TUF 14 in-depth: Dillashaw glad he didn?t have to babysit Caraway

TUF 14 in-depth: Dillashaw glad he didn?t have to babysit CarawayT.J. Dillashaw may be the brightest prospect in the entire cast of Season 14 of "The Ultimate Fighter." How he'll come off during the show is anyone's guess. You can never predict which fighters and personalities will strike a chord with the show's producers.

He's a former elite college wrestler who works under Urijah Faber and Team Alpha Male, one the leading gyms when it comes to producing elite bantamweights and featherweights. If Dillashaw isn't featured beyond his fighting, it looks like we'll at least get a good look at his personality in his weekly blog on Heavy.com.

The 25-year-old bantamweight landed with Team Michael Bisping. Dillashaw got a along with the brash Brit, but he could see why some people aren't big fans of the middleweight contender.

"I was a little afraid to be on Bisping's team because of the way he's portrayed in the past to be a jerk and no one really liked him that much ? which he is. He really is a jerk, but he wasn't like that with the team, so it's really not that big a deal," Dillashaw wrote on Heavy.com.

Dillashaw was impressed with Bisping's work in the corner of Marcus Brimage during the show's first Round of 16 fight. All in all, he thought Bisping was a good coach.

"If you're on his side, he's got you all the way. He really cared about us. He cared about how we did in the competition, he made sure that we had everything that we needed. He's a really good guy," said Dillashaw.

Featherweight Bryan Caraway, another Team Alpha Male fighter, landed on Team Jason Miller. Dillashaw wasn't surprised the show focused on the "Nervous Nancy" angle for Caraway. He's been around the 27-year-old and knows how much Caraway struggles mentally during the prefight.

"Getting back to the point of Bryan being on the other team, it was actually kind of nice because he couldn't rely on me for all his stability, me giving him confidence and whatnot. He had to get that from his team, and I didn't have to be bothered with it. I got to worry about myself, and what was going on in my situation," said Dillashaw.

Caraway took out Brimage in fight No. 1. The match up itself was chosen by Caraway. The rest of Team Miller decided they had to ease Caraway's panic by allowing the fighter to choose his destiny. He picked the right opponent.

"[Brimage] as an MMA fighter, he's a little ignorant to everything that goes on in the background. It's not just all about the skills; it's the lifestyle, the diet, and the mentality of knowing that you've got to be disciplined at all times," said Dillashaw.

Dillashaw gave credit to Bisping for going the extra mile on Brimage's weight cut. The fighter weighed 157 afternoon before the fight, and Bisping's weight-cutting methods helped him dropped 11 pounds in one night.

It looks cutting weight may be a common thread throughout the show. There was tons of risky food available to the fighters. Dillashaw said some of the featherweights were as high 178 before their fights.

Nuvogene Tea
Boresha B Latte
Boresha International
Nuvogene Skinny Tea
ARG Matrix

Dong Hyun Kim Meets Sean Pierson at Year-End UFC 141 in Las Vegas

Filed under: ,

Dong Hyun Kim will try to rebound from the first loss of his career, but he'll have to do it against a fighter also looking for a little redemption.

Kim will face Sean Pierson in a welterweight bout at UFC 141, the promotion's year-ending pay-per-view at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The UFC announced the fight Monday.

UFC 141 will be headlined by the promotional debut of former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, who will be immediately tested by the return of former UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar.

Kim (14-1-1, 1 NC, 5-1, 1 NC UFC) was drilled by a Carlos Condit flying knee at UFC 132 in July, then finished with punches on the ground for the first loss of his career - technically. At UFC 94, Kim lost a split decision to Karo Parisyan, but that loss was overturned to a no contest when Parisyan's drug test came back positive for banned substances.

Prior to his loss to Condit, who went on to get a top contenders fight with BJ Penn that turned into a title fight against Georges St-Pierre at the end of this month after UFC president Dana White pulled Nick Diaz from the fight, Kim had won three straight with decision wins over TJ Grant, Amir Sadollah and Nate Diaz.

Pierson (11-5, 1-1 UFC) was riding a six-fight winning streak going into a bout with Jake Ellenberger at UFC 129 in Toronto. But the Toronto native was stopped just over halfway through the first round by Ellenberger, who went on to fight with Jake Shields last month that he won with a devastating 53-second TKO.

UFC 141 will be Pierson's first fight on American soil since the third fight of his career - more than 11 years ago. The other 15 fights in his pro career have come in his native Canada.

Aside from the heavyweight contenders bout between Overeem and Lesnar, UFC 141 is also expected to include a light heavyweight bout between Alexander Gustafsson and Vladimir Matyushenko and a welterweight bout between Jon Fitch and Johny Hendricks.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Nuvogene Tea
Boresha B Latte
Boresha International
Nuvogene Skinny Tea
ARG Matrix

Anthony Johnson is trying to turn the corner with his new camp

Anthony Johnson is trying to turn the corner with his new camp

Anthony Johnson has always been guy with a massive potential, but between weight cutting issues and the lack of a well-rounded game, he hasn't been able to breakthrough. Now might be the time to keep an eye on the 27-year-old.

We get our first look at the revitalized Johnson (9-3, 6-3 UFC) this Saturday against Charlie Brenneman on the UFC on Versus 6 card in Washington, D.C.

Johnson picked up new management early in 2011 and then made the wise move of joining what appears to be the next elite camp on the horizon - Imperial Athletics.

The south Florida camp was started by a crew of Brazilians who were unhappy with their old team American Top team. Now with an infusion of American fighters, including Johnson, Imperial is helping to shore up the weakness of various fighters.

For Johnson it means gaining more respect for takedown defense and his jiu-jitsu game.

"At one point, I can't lie, I couldn't stand jiu-jitsu. I did it, but if you don't have a passion for something, you're not going to be good at it. Now my passion for jiu-jitsu is picking up, so now my jiu-jitsu game is improving a lot," Johnson said. "It's all about if you want to be good or if you don't. If you want to be an average fighter or an average person in life, that's what you're going to be. I don't want to be labeled as a one-dimensional fighter."

He gets to work on his ground game with black belts like Jorge Santiago and Danillo Villefort. Fellow African-Americans Rashad Evans and Michael Johnson also train at Imperial and have now come to call themselves "The Blackzilians."

Johnson is becoming a smarter fighter. He heard a rash of crap from the fans in Oakland for his measured attack in a win over Dan Hardy at Ultimate Fight Night 24. He doesn't care if it leads to wins.

"I don't give a [expletive] what anybody has to say about how I fight, because at the end of the day, they're either going to watch me or they aren't. They're either going to love me or they're going to hate me, so I'm going to continue to be me," said Johnson. "If I say I'm going to punch you in the eye, I might not punch you in the eye; I might kick you in your leg, you know what I mean? I'm going to always do the unexpected."

Johnson saw the light around one his most heated fights. He and Josh Koscheck went at it during the prefight lead up to their bout at UFC 106. Koscheck took him down, controlled him on the ground and mocked him throughout the fight. As a result, something clicked with Johnson.

"I learned a lesson from the Koscheck fight. Don't fall into the hype; that's what you don't do. You don't believe everything somebody says they're going to do. That's what makes you a mixed martial artist ? being prepared in every aspect of the game."

Now Johnson is taking a respectful approach to Brenneman.

"Charlie has a good chin, a good style of fighting. I actually really like his style; he has a nice little swagger when it comes down to fighting, and he puts it together really well. I don't have any doubts in Charlie at all. I think he can do anything he wants to do, but when he's fighting somebody like me, it's going to be a lot tougher," said Johnson.\

Brenneman is a great test for Johnson. He's a relentless takedown artist. If Johnson's takedown defense isn't up to snuff he'll lose a decision.

Nuvogene Tea
Boresha B Latte
Boresha International
Nuvogene Skinny Tea
ARG Matrix

UFC is pleased with Pat Barry, he?ll be staying around

UFC is pleased with Pat Barry, he?ll be staying around

When you go on a losing streak with the UFC, keeping your job comes down to a matter of taste. Pat Barry has pleased the palates of Dana White and matchmaker Joe Silva, so he'll be booked for a future fight.

"We like guys like that, we like guys that are exciting and guys that come out and fight. I don't know, Pat's a guy that we do like. He's one of the guys that always brings it," White said at the UFC on Versus 6 postfight press conference.

Considering the lack of depth in the heavyweight division, Barry absolutely deserves to stay around. The loss that began Barry's recent two-fight losing streak was a KO at the hands of Cheick Kongo. That fight featured one of the best rounds of the year. On Saturday, he dropped a back and forth bout against the 6-foot-11 Stefan Struve. Struve was simply the more well-rounded fighter.

For White, it's not all about wins and losses.

"He's like, a lot of people were saying "you're cutting Dan Hardy," Dan Hardy comes to fight and always puts on wars. I like the Arturo Gatti type fighters. I like the guys who always bring it. And that's what this is about. When you're a fight fan you tune in to see fights and I like guys who do it," said White.

It's hard to argue against that rationale. Would you rather watch Barry or some of the guys who gassed badly at UFC 135? Maybe the answer is neither, but be careful what you wish for.

UFC is pleased with Pat Barry, he?ll be staying around

Nuvogene Tea
Boresha B Latte
Boresha International
Nuvogene Skinny Tea
ARG Matrix