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Edson Barboza vs. Evan Dunham Booked for UFC 146

An exciting matchup between two top lightweight contenders in Edson Barboza and Evan Dunham has been added to UFC 146, which is set to take place on May 26th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Both are off to an impressive start in 2012, with each one earning a victory in January. UFC President Dana White announced the matchup today on Twitter. Barboza (10-0) scored an early favorite for knockout of the year with his spinning wheel kick of Terry Etim at UFC 142 in Brazil. The Brazilian Muay-Thai practitioner is 4-0 in the UFC, which includes wins over the aforementioned Etim, along with Ross Pearson and Anthony Njokuani. In four career UFC fights, Barboza has already won four bonuses, including three consecutive “Fight of the Night” winning performances. Dunham (13-2) also started his UFC career with four consecutive victories, and is also coming off of a “Fight of the Night” performance, which he earned in his unanimous decision victory over Nik Lentz at UFC on Fox 2 in Chicago. After suffering two consecutive losses following an 11-0 start to his career, Dunham has won two consecutive fights. This will be his first fight on pay-per-view since his loss to Sean Sherk at UFC 119 in September 2010, which was the first of the Oregonian’s career. UFC 146 is expected to be headlined by a UFC heavyweight championship tilt between champion Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem. One other matchup was announced over the weekend, with former The Ultimate Fighter season 7 runner-up C.B. Dollaway taking on The Ultimate Fighter season 14 head coach Jason “Mayhem” Miller in a middleweight matchup. For complete coverage of UFC 146, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com

Posted in: ufc, fight, dunham, barboza, matchup

Evan Dunham Vs. Edson Barboza Set For UFC 146

UFC president Dana White turned to twitter today to announce a pretty big fight for UFC 147. Evan Dunham will take on the undefeated Edson Barboza in a bout that is almost surely main card material. Here's the tweet: @danawhiteDana White For the UFC 147 card May 16th in Vegas we just signed Edson Barboza vs Evan Dunham!! #funfight Feb 19 via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet Reply Dana corrected himself shortly after, and said he meant UFC 146 and May 26th. Still though, this is an excellent fight. Dunham has rebounded from two losses (to Sean Sherk and Melvin Guillard) by winning two in a row, most recently in a fight of the night performance against Nik Lentz. Barboza is 4-0 in the UFC and is coming off one of the best KO's in UFC history, a spinning wheel kick knockout of Terry Etim at UFC 142. With five fight of the night bonuses between the two fighters (Dunham also has a sub of the night, while Barboza has a knockout of the night), this bout has excitement written all over it. The only other bout currently confirmed for the card is Jason Miller vs. C.B. Dollaway, but it is widely expected that Junior dos Santos will defend his UFC heavyweight title against Alistair Overeem on the card as well. SBN coverage of UFC 146

Posted in: ufc, night, dunham, barboza, card

Edson Barboza vs. Evan Dunham on Tap for UFC 146 in May

A lightweight bout has been added to the upcoming UFC 146 card in May as undefeated knockout artist Edson Barboza faces Evan Dunham.

Posted in: ufc, dunham, barboza, evan, edson

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Dunham Picks Lauzon Over Pettis, Wants Winner

After suffering the first two losses of his career in consecutive fights, Evan Dunham has now won two straight and is back in the title hunt at 155 pounds.

Posted in: hunt, title, loss, dunham, title hunt

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Evan Dunham Picks Joe Lauzon Over Anthony Pettis at UFC 144, Wants Winner

After suffering the first two losses of his career in consecutive fights, Evan Dunham has now won two straight and is back in the title hunt at 155 pounds.

Posted in: dunham, anthony pettis, joe lauzon, evan dunham, title hunt

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Title Writing: Mopping The Mats 9 "UFC on FOX 2, MFC 32, It's Showtime 2012""

Mopping the Mats is a weekly Monday feature meant to recap the weekend that was in mixed martial arts. The weekend was packed with action, starting Friday evening with MFC 32, continuing with a star studded It's Showtime kickboxing event on Saturday morning (for us west coasters) and finishing with the big UFC on FOX card on Saturday afternoon/evening. Where to begin? THE EVENTS: MFC 32: Bitter Rivals, It's Showtime Leeuwarden, UFC on FOX The MFC 32 card was held in the promotions home base of Edmonton and there were four former UFC fighters on the card: Wilson Gouveia, Antonio Mckee, Ryan McGillivray and Bryan Cobb. In terms of up and coming talent, Dheigo Lima, brother to Bellator stand out and former MFC welterweight champion Douglas Lima was on the card as well. Kickboxing has fallen on hard times recently, forced to cancel the 2011 World Grand Prix for the first time since it's inception in 1993. The earthquake in Japan has certainly contributed to these hard times but it was more of a death blow, as seemingly poor financial management has plagued K-1 for years. 12 of the best heavyweights in the world competed in Leeuwarden, so this show was likely as good as it's going to get for awhile for top level heavyweight kickboxing. Aside from the much anticipated matches on the FOX card, the UFC had a few relevant matches on the under card, including Evan Dunham vs Nik Lentz in a lightweight battle and Mike Russow vs Jon Olav Einemo in a heavyweight test. I know some people might roll their eyes at my assertion that Russow/Einemo was relevant but like it or not, Russow entered the bout on a three fight win streak, joining Frank Mir and JDS as the only UFC heavyweights who could make that claim. A win for Russow would surely ensure a big step up in competition. The results and takeaways after the jump. THE RESULTS: Starting with the UFC and moving backwards, I think everything that needs to be said was said in our own Earl Montclair's recap of the main UFC on FOX card. Okay, I do disagree with his assertion that Rashad Evans "is a dead man walking and highlight reel fodder for Bones." To me, Evans looked like a master engaging in a sparring match with his top student. Waiting to see what Davis would attack with and always having the correct counter. This is what I said before the fight: Evans believes the way he'll beat the Martian Manhunter is by avoiding the ground at all costs and out pointing him in a kickboxing match. If my sleuthing proves correct, Evans will surely test out the strategy against Davis. I'm not sure this fight will be particularly exciting if that is the case but I do think Evans will execute perfectly. I expected Evans to kick the legs of Davis; he threw one kick the entire fight, according to Fight Metric. I was dead wrong about that but I think I deserve some credit for identifying that Evans would prefer to keep the fight on the feet. He stayed on the outside and never initiated a take down off his own striking, taking what Davis gave him in the form of sloppy kicks and putting him on his back from there. He showed Jones that if he wants to kick him, he just might spend the rest of the round on his back. Can he beat Jones in the same fashion? I think he can. As for the under card there were some good fights. Formerly of Strikeforce, Lavar Johnson made a statement to the UFC heavyweight division, becoming the first man to stop Joey Beltran. Charles Oliveira pulled off a super sweet submission in his featherweight debut, Michael Johnson squeaked by Shane Roller, Mike Russow won his fourth straight UFC fight and Evan Dunham signalled his return to the upper echelon of the 155 pound division with a stoppage victory over Nik Lentz in what was the best fight of the night. Much more on him in the Takeaways section of this post. It's Showtime Leeuwarden featured the final kickboxing match of legendary Badr Hari. Earlier this week, user nabmtk1 wrote a nice fanpost featuring 24 of Hari's key kickboxing matches. If you aren't familiar with the sport of kickboxing or Hari, set a few hours aside and work your way through it. It's become a bit of a joke/meme, thanks to Joe Rogan's overuse of it, but Badr Hari embodies the term "K-1 level striking". He's also a bit of a wild man. Okay, he's a complete wild man, the likes of which are rarely seen in the 21st century. In his final bout, Hari stopped Gokhan Saki (a bonafide savage himself) by TKO in just under three minutes. Running through the other heavyweight bouts on the card, Ben Edwards took out Ricardo van den Bos by decision, Tyrone Spong decisioned Melvin Manhoef, Braddock Silva overcame Michael Duut by decision, Errol Zimmerman quickly mowed through Rico Verhoeven by KO in the first minute and Daniel Ghita took out Hesdy Gerges in the first round to win the It's Showtime Heavyweight championship. The belt is not particularly meaningful; it has only been in circulation since 2009 and the original champion, Hari, did not so much as lose the belt as hand it to Gerges. Hari was disqualified after kicking a downed Gerges, one of the most blatant and ridiculous fouls ever seen in combat sports. Meanwhile the MFC event had mixed results. The former UFC fighters went 3-1, with Gouveia and McGillivray scoring finishes over their opponents (Dwayne Lewis and Diego Bautista respectively) while Cobb lost to McKee. The big story from the event actually took place outside the cage, with McKee missing weight by 7 pounds, being stripped of his championship and being cut from the organization, win or lose. McKee has a career record of 27-4-2 but his wrestling-centric style combined with his brash character has really cost him some goodwill in situations where he falls short. The top prospect in MFC is likely Dheigo Lima and he suffered his first career loss (he is now 6-1) to Nathan Coy. While this isn't great for Lima, it should be noted that Coy is a solid wrestler from Team Quest who has victories over current UFC welterweights Rick Story and Mike Pierce during their pre-UFC days. He also took Tyron Woodley to a split decision in 2010, so he was a tough fight for Lima. By no means is Dheigo any less of a guy to watch because of this fight and if anything he will learn from this become better. THE TAKEAWAYS: Dunham back in the title hunt. Is the UFC using FOX in the correct manner? As I mentioned earlier, I thought that Evan Dunham and Nik Lentz were the best of the UFC offerings. The fight had a high pace from the beginning, with each man taking the other down. Lentz worked for submissions while Dunham focused on ground and pound. The second stanza saw Dunham start to dominate the fight on the feet and when it hit the mat late in the round with Dunham on top, he used a vicious elbow to slice Lentz below the eye, which would end up forcing the doctors to stop the fight in between rounds. Dunham is 6-2 in the UFC but most people agree that he beat Sean Sherk, so he probably should be 7-1, with a lone loss to Melvin Guillard when Guillard was performing at his absolute best. The fight I'd like to see Dunham get is Edson Barboza. Dunham needs another chance against a dynamic striker, while Barboza needs to be tested against a fighter with a ground game. Both of them have some momentum and both have been in really high paced fights recently, so I really see this fight as a no brain-er. All in all it was a good weekend for those of us already ensconced inside the MMA world. As for those on the outside that we would like to join us? I have to admit that I'd rather they have not watched. I'll be posting a piece shortly with more on that. Until then, as always, thanks for reading.

Posted in: ufc, fight, dunham, card, evan

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Evan Dunham wants winner of Joe Lauzon-Anthony Pettis fight

It wasn’t long ago Evan Dunham was considered one of the lightweight division’s brightest prospects, picking up wins in his first four UFC fights to improve his overall record to 11-0. However, back-to-back losses including an opening round TKO to Melvin Guillard cost Dunham of his spot towards the top of the contendership ladder. The 30-year old has since reclaimed it to an extent, picking up consecutive victories over Shamar Bailey and Nik Lentz, the latter of which came this weekend at UFC on FOX 2 and was named Fight of the Night. Dunham spoke about his divisional standing after the bonus-winning performance where he mentioned already having an opponent or two in mind for his next bout. “I don’t feel I’ve lost two. I feel I’ve lost one,” Dunham explained to MMAJunkie while putting an asterisk on a hard-fought outpointing to former champion Sean Sherk at UFC 119. “I did not lose that Sherk fight. I’m willing to fight him again to show that. I feel I’ve only lost to a real tough guy (Guillard), so I think I’m right up there fighting for that shot.” Dunham Talks Bittersweet Loss to “Muscle Shark” If Dunham can’t get a rematch with Sherk, who himself has not fought since the September 2010 win, he has an alternative in mind with two of the top 155ers on the roster set to face off in a few weeks. “I want to fight whoever else is too (like) the winner of that Lauzon and Pettis fight. I’d love to fight the winner of that,” said Dunham while pointing to the UFC 144 match-up between Joe Lauzon and Anthony Pettis. Dunham’s success against Lentz was the ninth stoppage of his career. He also holds past wins over Efrain Escudero and Tyson Griffin. Tweet

Posted in: ufc, fight, dunham, winner, evan dunham

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UFC on FOX 2's Evan Dunham eyes Pettis-Lauzon winner after latest victory

CHICAGO - It's official: Evan Dunham has put himself back into the fray of UFC lightweight title contention. Dunham primarily used his standup to secure a second-round TKO (via doctor's stoppage) over a game Nik Lentz, who was stopped for the first time in his UFC career. The bout served as the featured preliminary-card contest and aired on FUEL TV as part of the UFC on FOX 2 preliminary card.

Posted in: ufc, dunham, secondround tko, doctors stoppage, victory chicago

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UFC on FOX 2 bonuses and awards for 'Evans vs Davis' in Chicago

UFC on FOX 2: "Evans vs. Davis" from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, has officially wrapped, which means it's time for those select fighters who went above and beyond in their respective fights to get a little extra grease for their efforts. To the tune of $65,000 each. The promotion dished out its standard post-fight monetary bonuses to four out of the 20 fighters on the card, and it's probably no surprise who's leaving "Windy City" with a second sack of simoleons. If you only watched the FOX portion of the card, you're probably going to have no frigging clue who these folks are. I guess it's my job to tell you, though, so let's get down to it. "Knockout of the Night" honors went to Strikeforce import Lavar Johnson, who made his way over from the now deceased San Jose heavyweight wastelands to send Joey Beltran to the same place with some vicious uppercuts. It was the first time in his UFC career "The Mexicutioner" had been put to sleep. Hence the cool $65 grand. There was little doubt that Charles Oliveira would take home "Submission of the Night" honors after he pulled off a calf slicer on Eric Wisely. After some initial confusion, it was confirmed by UFC officials that this was indeed the first time a submission of this kind of executed inside the Octagon. Finally, Evan Dunham and Nik Lentz were awarded "Fight of the Night" honors for their thrilling, back-and-forth war of attrition that saw Dunham open up a cut under Lentz's eye significant enough to force a doctor stoppage. It was bad, too, folks. Like Dunham created a second mouth on "The Carny's" face. Not pretty. Here are the special fight bonuses for UFC on FOX 2: Knockout of the Night -- Lavar Johnson Submission of the Night -- Charles Oliveira Fight of the Night -- Evan Dunham vs. Nik Lentz Again, each fighter received $65,000 extra for their performances in addition to their respective base salaries, which we will pass along as soon as possible. For complete UFC on FOX 2 results and blow-by-blow coverage of all the night's action click here.

Posted in: ufc, night, dunham, fox, night honors

UFC on Fox 2 Bonuses: Dunham, Lentz, Johnson, and Oliveira earn $65K

Lavar Johnson, Nik Lentz, Evan Dunham, and Charles Oliveira all picked up $65,000 bonuses for their performances at tonight’s UFC on Fox 2 event. All fights took place on the the FuelTV undercard. Lavar Johnson (pictured) picked up knockout of the night for his brutal knockout of Joey Beltran on the FuelTV aired bout. Johnson stopped a two-fight skid with win and became the first person to knock out the Mexican fighter. Charles Oliveira was awarded submission of the night with a modified calf slicer submission in his featherweight debut. Oliveira started a scramble with a heelhook attempt that transitioned into a kneebar attempt and ended up with a modified calf slicer as Eric Wisely tried to escape. The submission is believed to be the first calf slicer hit in the octagon. Nik Lentz and Evan Dunham fought in an exciting back and forth battle that ended prematurely due to a doctor’s stoppage. Lentz apparently took the criticism of his style to heart as he pressed the action with Dunham, leading to some intense exchanges. Unfortunately, after a great first two rounds, a Dunham punch closed the eye of Lentz in the second round. Referee “Big” John McCarthy then called in the ringside doctor’s to look at the eye, where they determined Lentz could not continue. UFC president Dana White announced the bonuses via twitter. Picture courtesy of the UFC.

Posted in: ufc, dunham, oliveira, johnson, lentz

UFC on Fox 2 Results: Dunham Cuts Down Lentz, Russow Outpoints Einemo on Prelims

Evan Dunham stopped Nik Lentz to cap off the preliminary card at Saturday’s UFC on Fox 2 event in Chicago, as a doctor ended the lightweight matchup after two rounds due to a cut and swelling under Lentz’ eye. Chicago police officer Mike Russow was also victorious on the prelims as he notched a unanimous decision over fellow heavyweight John-Olav Einemo. Also on the preliminary card, featherweight Cub Swason knocked out Geroge Roop, Charles Oliveira made his featherweight debut with a rare calf slicer submission of Eric Wisely, lightweight Michael Johnson topped Shane Roller, heavyweight Lavar Johnson debuted with a knockout of Joey Beltran, and middleweight Chris Camozzi submitted Dustin Jacoby. The complete UFC on Fox 2 preliminary card results were: Evan Dunham def. Nik Lentz via TKO (doctor stoppage – cut) – Round 2, 5:00 Mike Russow def. John-Olav Einemo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) Cub Swanson def. George Roop via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:22 Charles Oliveira def. Eric Wisely via submission (calf slicer) – Round 1, 1:43 Michael Johnson def. Shane Roller via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Lavar Johnson def. Joey Beltran via KO (punches) – Round 1, 4:24 Chris Camozzi def. Dustin Jacoby via submission (guillotine) – Round 3, 1:08 Pictured: Evan Dunham

Posted in: round, dunham, johnson, nik lentz, lentz

UFC On Fox 2 Photo: Nik Lentz' Eye After Evan Dunham Fight

Nik Lentz took on Evan Dunham in a lightweight clash between two talented fighters looking to establish their place in the lightweight division. The fight saw Lentz dominate the first round with punches and takedowns. Unfortunately, his holes in his boxing led to some ridiculous damage in the second round that resulted in a doctors stoppage due to the cut under his left eye. Brent Brookhouse provides the play by play: Evan Dunham vs. Nik Lentz - Round 1 - Dunham walking forward and throws a head kick that is blicked. Lentz pushes forward and Dunham stings him with a combo. Lentz with a takedown, Dunham tries to stand up and Lentz tries to catch the head but can't. Dunham with a nice punch. Dunham is working combinations and looking good so far. Looping left lands for Lentz. They're trading and Dunham is tagging him. Lentz with a takedown, Dunham stands up and Lentz is trying for a guillotine but can't get it. Lentz with a body kick but gets hit with a punch. Dunham landing hard short elbows. Dunham tags him a few more times and gets a takedown. 10-9 Dunham. Round 2 - Dunham with a takedown early and was in side control before Lentz managed to scramble back to guard. Good grappling exchange but Dunham remained on top. Lentz with a nice series of punches as they stand up. Two hard punches by Dunham and a leg kick in return. Now they're both trading hard punches. Big right hand by Dunham and he gets a takedown into the guard of Lentz. Dunham goes for a choke and it's a weird angle but he had it deep enough to threaten. Dunham gives it up and lands an elbow. Dunham landing a series of strikes. Big punch by Dunham and Lentz manages to stand. Knee by Dunham. Big left by Dunham. Lentz pushing forward. Lentz's eye is in bad shape. 10-9 Dunham. The doctors stop the fight due to a very bad cut by Lentz's eye. Evan Dunham wins by TKO (doctor stoppage), 5:00 of round 2. SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 2

Posted in: takedown, round, dunham, punch, lentz

UFC on Fox 2 Prelims: Dunham Scores TKO on Lentz

His left eye closing due to a grotesque swelling and cut, Nik Lentz was not allowed to come out for a third round against Evan Dunham.

Posted in: dunham, eye, nik lentz, lentz, nik

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UFC on FOX 2 results: Dunham rallies, scores doctor's stoppage over Lentz

CHICAGO - For the second-straight outing, grappling stud Evan Dunham used his standup skills to score a win. Dunham rallied back from a hard-fought opening round against Nik Lentz and pounded away in the second frame, earning a doctor's stoppage at Saturday's UFC on FOX 2 event. The bout served as the featured preliminary contest and aired on FUEL TV.

Posted in: dunham, saturdays ufc, doctors stoppage, lentz chicago, secondstraight outing

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UFC On Fox 2 Results: Evan Dunham Defeats Nik Lentz By Doctor Stoppage

Evan Dunham defeats Nik Lentz by Doctor Stoppage. It came in between the second and third round. Nik Lentz opened the first round with leg kicks before looking for a takedown attempt. Though Dunham sprawled out, Lentz was able to secure a headlock to control Dunham's posture. The two fighters traded punches in the pocked before Lentz got a taken. He was unable to secure the position as Dunham created a scramble from half-guard. Lentz locked in a guillotine but Dunham was able to defend it and break away. Lentz landed a big left hand before looking for a takedown. Dunham looked for a guillotine but Lentz was able to escape and complete the takedown. Evan Dunham again created a scramble from half-guard. Dunham completed his first takedown attempt and worked from Nik Lentz' guard. The round ended with Dunham attacking from top position. Evan Dunham hit a takedown at the start of the second round. Nik Lentz defended with a guillotine before transitioning to a omoplata attempt. Lentz regained his feet and landed several punches to Dunham's face. A failed Lentz takedown attempt led to an exchange that saw Nik Lentz land power shots to Evan Dunham's chin. Evan Dunham got the fight back to the grund and locked in what looked to be a d'arce choke before abandoning it for ground and pound. Lentz was able to regain his feet but the damage to his face was noticeable. With the round coming to an end, Evan Dunham defended a takedown attempt. Nik Lentz' face was a mess after the round ended. The doctors stopped the fight because of the damage to Nik Lentz' left eye. Evan Dunham entered the fight 5-2 in the UFC and 12-2 overall. This is his first stoppage win since 2009. SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 2

Posted in: takedown, dunham, evan, lentz, nik

Evan Dunham Was Surprised by Doctor's Stoppage

Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, VideosCHICAGO -- Watch below as Evan Dunham talks about his win at UFC on FOX 2 against Nik Lentz. Dunham discusses what he thought about the doctor's decision to stop the fight, what rounds he think he won, why he got his warm-up wrong and who he would like to face next. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: dunham, doctor, evan dunham, doctors stoppage, doctors decision

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UFC On Fox 2 Fight Card Primer: Evan Dunham Vs. Nik Lentz

At UFC on Fox 2, Lightweight Evan Dunham (14-2; 5-2 UFC) faces Nik Lentz (21-4-2, 1 NC; 5-1-1, 1 NC UFC). This fight is the final prelim of the night and will be shown on Fuel TV. Dunham is currently the #18 ranked Lightweight in the world according to the USA TODAY / MMA Nation Consensus MMA Rankings, with Lentz unranked. The Fuel TV prelims begin this Saturday, January 28 at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT, with the main card following on Fox at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. The Lightweight division is a very hard place to gain any momentum. Both Lentz and Dunham have had moments of looking like the potential next big thing at 155, only to see those plans derailed by loses. This will give one of the men a helpful boost towards the front of the ranks, but at the same time will push the loser farther back in line. It's a real clutch fight for both men, so expect them to lay it all on the line here. How do these two stack up? Dunham: 30 years old | 5'10" | 70" reachLentz: 27 years old | 5'8" What have these two done recently? Dunham: W - Shamar Bailey (UD) | L - Melvin Guillard (TKO) | L - Sean Sherk (SD)Lentz: L - Mark Bocek (UD) | NC - Charles Oliveira | W - Waylon Lowe (Sub) How did these two get here? Evan Dunham got his UFC career off to a hot start, going 4-0 at the start of his Octagon career. That streak brought his overall record up to 11-0, and with his win over Tyson Griffin, Dunham looked to be knocking on the door of title contention. He hit a bit of a bump in the road at UFC 119 where he lost a controversial split decision to former champion Sean Sherk, but that loss was so close that many viewed it as a Dunham win, and his momentum continued to build. His real downturn came early in 2011 when he was dominated by Melvin Guillard. He's bounced back with a win over Shamar Bailey, but has fallen far from his former heights. Nik Lentz had a similar fast UFC start, going undefeated in his first 6 UFC fights (5 wins with 1 draw). He was slowed down by an illegal Charles Oliveira knee that initially cost Lentz that fight, but was later overturned to a No Contest. He looked to rebound at UFC 140, but was defeated by Mark Bocek. Now, the fighter who was on a 15 fight undefeated streak before the Bocek loss is looking at a potential second loss in a row. In the stacked Lightweight division, that can mean your job, and while I don't think Lentz is at that point just yet, he really needs this win. Why should you care? Two excellent fighters, both with their backs to the wall, both in need of a win? Sold. Early FOTN candidate right here. More UFC on Fox 2 preview coverage from Bloody Elbow after the jump. SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 2 UFC On Fox 2: Michael Bisping Flips Off Fans At Weigh Ins, Nearly Loses Sponsor - Kid Nate Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 128: UFC On Fox Preview UFC On FOX 2 Evans Vs. Davis: Fight Card And Staff Predictions UFC On Fox 2 Weigh-In Video And Coverage - Tim Burke UFC On Fox 2: Haters Be Damned, Rashad Evans Is A Big Star - Josh Nason UFC On Fox 2 Video: Dana White On Chael's Fake Belt, Fox Production, The Internet - Josh Nason UFC On Fox 2 Video: WWE Champion CM Punk On Brock Lesnar, Chael Sonnen Walkout - Josh Nason UFC On Fox 2 Video: Complete Pre-Fight Press Conference - Kid Nate UFC On Fox 2: Fuel TV Prelims Dissection (Part Two) - Dallas Winston UFC On Fox 2: Phil Davis Striking Analysis - Fraser Coffeen UFC On Fox 2: Evans vs. Davis Betting Lines - Tim Burke UFC On Fox 2: Chael Sonnen Does Interview With UFC Fake Belt, Calls Kenny Rice A Liar - Kid Nate Demian Maia Thinks You Only Need Two Brain Cells To Know Chael Sonnen Is Joking - Brent Brookhouse UFC On Fox 2: Fuel TV Prelims Dissection (Part One) - Dallas Winston UFC On Fox 2 Video: A Day In The Life Of Phil Davis - Josh Nason UFC On Fox 2: The Time For Joe Rogan To Shine Has Arrived - Josh Nason UFC On Fox 2: Chael Sonnen's Coach 'Bisping Breaks Easily' - Matthew Roth Phil Davis Discusses Differences From Rashad Evans' Wrestling Game - Brent Brookhouse Michael Bisping Skewers Chael Sonnen On Inside MMA - Tim Burke UFC On Fox 2: Dana White Releases First Video Blog - Josh Nason UFC On Fox 2: Middleweight Division State of the Union - Fraser Coffeen UFC on Fox: Dana White Guarantees Chael Sonnen Will Face Anderson Silva With Win - Brent Brookhouse

Posted in: ufc, fight, dunham, fox, chael

UFC on Fox 2: Evan Dunham Beats Nik Lentz

Filed under: UFCAfter two rounds of hard-fought action at UFC on Fox 2, Nik Lentz couldn't make it for a third, with Evan Dunham defeating Nik Lentz by technical knockout. Lentz looked good in the third round, but in the second round Dunham battered his face with hard shots, and when the doctor examined Lentz after the second, he advised referee Big John McCarthy to stop the fight. "In the first round I felt like I was a little bit flat and came out slow," Dunham said afterward. "One round doesn't determine the next, so I came out for the second round knowing if I had him on the ground I just needed to be aggressive. I was hoping for a third round because I thought I had him." The win, Dunham's second in a row, improves Dunham's professional MMA record to 13-2. Dunham isn't quite a Top 10 lightweight, but he's an impressive fighter who is continuing to improve. He has big fights in his future. As for Lentz, who falls to 21-5-2 in his career, it's tough to see where he goes from here. With two losses and a no contest in his last three bouts, Lentz's job in the UFC may be in danger. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: round, dunham, nik lentz, lentz, nik

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UFC on FOX 2 fight card: Evan Dunham vs. Nik Lentz preview and breakdown

I love it when a plan comes together! Especially when that plan involves a bout between two fighters who share an insatiable blood lust and an intestinal fortitude that will not allow them to quit. Sometimes, a fight just has insane implications from the outset. You knew Leonard Garcia and Nam Phan were going to swing for the fences until somebody made them quit. Donald Cerrone vs. Nate Diaz was another similar match up between two fighters who like to inflict punishment -- and aren't afraid to take some in the process. On Sat., Jan. 28, 2012, the UFC on FOX 2 under card from the United Center in Chicago, Ill., will pit lightweights Evan Dunham and Nik Lentz against each other in a showdown that should net somebody (or both fighters) a big, fat bonus check. Follow me after the jump for a complete breakdown of the UFC on FOX 2 lightweight fight between Evan Dunham vs. Nik Lentz: Dunham is 12-2 in his 14 professional mixed martial arts (MMA) contests. In those 14 bouts, nine were finished by a submission or (technical) knockout. Even his fights that went to decisions were (for the most part) crazy crowd-pleasers. Lentz is no stranger to finishing fights, either. Of his 21 victories, 15 have come by a finish of some sort. He comes to battle and he'll certainly be bringing it on Saturday night. Technically, Dunham should be favored. As a former top lightweight contender, he was once acclaimed for his skill set and his tremendous upside. However, after suffering a slight fall from grace (via a two-fight losing streak at the hands of Sean Sherk and Melvin Guillard), "3-D" was able to get back on track with a very impressive unanimous decision win over Shamar Bailey at UFC Fight Night 25 on Sept. 17, 2011. Lentz' last fight also went to a judges decision, though the scorecard favored his opponent, Mark Bocek, at UFC 140 in Toronto, Canada, on Sept. 10, 2011. Either way, this one should definitely create some highlight footage, as well as some water cooler conversation fodder for the next work day. That's a wrap for now. Be sure to share your thoughts on this fight and more in the comments section below. Be sure to join MMAmania.com this evening for LIVE, detailed UFC on FOX 2 results of all the "Evans vs. Davis" action on primetime. It will include blow-by-blow coverage of the "Prelims" under card bouts, and of course, the network telecast. We'll start RIGHT HERE at around 5 p.m. ET and carry straight on through into early Saturday morning. See you then!

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UFC On Fox 2: Fuel TV Prelims Dissection (Part Two)

UFC on Fox 2 goes live this Saturday night on the Fox channel and will be headlined by former UFC light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis. Now that the Johnny Bedford vs. Mitch Gagnon affair has been nixed, six preliminary matches are set for Fuel TV at 5 p.m. ET along with one fight (Chris Camozzi vs. Dustin Jacoby) streaming on Facebook. As a follow up to Part One of the Fuel TV preliminary card Dissections, the three bouts below will be analyzed here in Part Two. Evan Dunham vs. Nik Lentz Cub Swanson vs. George RoopMike Russow vs. Jon Olav Einemo Evan Dunham (12-2) vs. Nik Lentz (21-4-2) Evan "3D" Dunham premiered as an unknown and undefeated lightweight at UFC 95. Fourteen months and four consecutive wins later, the lanky southpaw had engraved his name on the list of top contenders at 155-pounds. Dunham seared through his first four opponents, each offering a sequential increase in status (Per Eklund, Marcus Aurelio, Efrain Escudero, Tyson Griffin). The thirty-year-old native of Oregon earned the nickname "3D" for his triple-pronged proficiency in boxing, wrestling and submissions. A wrestler in high school, Dunham took an elective course on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu when he was attending college at University of Oregon and was hooked immediately. He's now a black belt under "Megaton" Dias and holds a submission win (guillotine choke) in MMA over 2008 World No-Gi champion Cleber Luciano. Dunham is deadly in transitions and a tenacious scrambler, as demonstrated in his impressive wins over Escudero and Griffin. His first career loss, a split decision to Sean Sherk at UFC 119, was embroiled in controversy. Sherk definitively took the first round with dominant takedowns and managed to slice him open with an elbow, but many felt that Dunham's gritty turnaround in the second and third should have earned him the nod. Melvin Guillard made sure there was no ground for debate by closing Dunham out with a first round flurry in his next venture. Most recently, Dunham realigned his progress with a commanding decision over Shamar Bailey. Nik "The Carnie" Lentz was officially unbeaten in the UFC until his last outing, which was a decision loss to Mark Bocek. The D1 wrestler debuted at UFC 103 with seventeen wins, three losses and one draw, and notched a decision over Rafaello Oliveira. In his second match, Thiago Tavares was docked one point for a low blow, transforming what would have been a unanimous decision for Tavares into a majority draw. Lentz went on to quietly chip away with four straight wins: he bested Robert Emerson and Andre Winner by decision, crept by Tyson Griffin in a split decision that many considered unjust, and submitted Waylon Lowe with a guillotine. Before meeting Bocek, Lentz took on the soaring Charles Oliveira and was finished with an illegal knee when he was still down, resulting in the outcome being changed to a No Contest. Gifs and analysis in the full entry. SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 2 Half of Dunham's twelve wins were facilitated by his spidery submission game. Even without a distinct pedigree, Dunham's wrestling is well above average and he's far from the type to be pulling guard or transmitting an invitation to grapple via butt-scooting. Rather than presenting a looming threat with takedowns (though he was able to ground Tyson Griffin), Dunham is at his best in scrambles and transitions. He excels at taking the back, he loves to attack the neck with guillotines in the clinch or when defending takedowns and his guard passing skills are solid. While his grappling has been phenomenal thus far, he might be just as dangerous standing. While he's not a knockout artist with major power, Dunham's a very crisp and accurate volume puncher who mixes in an occasional kick. His straight left hand is superb, especially when he sets it up with his jab, or with multiple jabs as he's been doing lately. When he unwinds combinations (left), Dunham rolls his punches over and adds a slight hooking motion. They aren't laser-straight -- which gives them tricky trajectory and timing -- but he gets great extension and depth with his hands from the way he torques his core into each blow. Even after a handful of UFC appearances, Nik Lentz seemed to have a pretty unremarkable style, but he's slowly divulged little bits and pieces of a well layered game. Standing, he keeps busy with kicks from outside and mostly employs his hands in close. He's been fairly hittable on the feet because of his tendency to leave his chin exposed when attacking. He does well defensively when he's focused on it, but he's had some trouble shifting back and forth from offense and defense smoothly throughout the ebb and flow of the fight. I was thoroughly impressed with Lentz's ability to get back to full guard amidst the relentless passing onslaught of BJJ black belt Mark Bocek -- especially for a fighter with a wrestling base. We haven't seen much of Lentz on his back and he stayed calm and showed solid grappling smarts against a high level submissionist. Lentz has a very tight guillotine as well. Bocek was a tough match up in this regard and ended up escaping the attempts, but the one to the left put him in quite a precarious position. With no concerns of how the fans will receive it, Lentz is wise in applying his strengths, as we saw in the control-oriented strategy against Andre Winner. Based on the way he's cycled between striking, clinch control, takedowns and submission threats, I'd also categorize him as a three-dimensional fighter. Though his straight wrestling might be better than Dunham's, the problem is that Lentz is more of an average triple-threat fighter (by UFC standards) and Dunham is virtually A-level across the board. Dunham's wrestling prowess -- the weakest of his three specialties -- is adequately reinforced by his striking and submissions. Sherk, who is one of the better wrestlers in the weight class, absorbed a hail of leather on his way into clinch-range and then spent a good amount of time trying to wriggle free from Dunham's vice-like guillotines. His height, stretchy wingspan and cautious footwork allows him to keep opponents on the end of his punches, and his leverage and base in the clinch makes for a sturdy second option when he's tied up. I just don't see many ways for Lentz, who is not a big finisher, to grind Dunham down for three rounds. His best option is to replicate the blueprint that Sherk laid out, but even that only held for the first round. Dunham's error was falling back for the guillotine too often when defending takedowns instead of digging underhooks; a mistake I don't expect him to repeat. My Prediction: Evan Dunham by decision. Cub Swanson (15-5) vs. George Roop (12-8-1) Fan-friendly featherweights who fight with unbridled aggression will collide here. A consistent source of entertainment in the WEC, Cub Swanson slipped out of the spotlight during the UFC-WEC merger due to injury. He finally got back to action and made his Octagon debut versus Ricardo Lamas at the first UFC on Fox show, but succumbed to an arm-triangle in the second after winning a close first round. Cub is a guy who might never wear a belt but always deserves a watch on account of his diversity and gameness. A member of the stacked Jackson's MMA squad, Swanson is a BJJ black belt, swarming striker and thoroughly well rounded competitor. He's exhibited traces of Capoeira and western boxing in his striking, Thai and Judo in his clinch and a medley of wrestling and BJJ on the mat, which scores high marks for Swanson in all three phases of combat. What sets him apart is his knack for transitioning from one aspect to another, his ever-electric pace and willingness to tear into anyone no matter where the fight goes. He'll never be accused of avoiding risks, playing it safe or "fighting not to lose." In fact, his brash courage is probably his biggest flaw, as a more calculating strategy would serve him well. Roop kind of just blended in with the crowd of lightweights on TUF 8 and seemed destined to fade out after losing two of three in the Octagon after the show. The former Shawn Tompkins student dropped in weight, transferred to the WEC and quickly reaped the benefits of his long frame and tightened-up kickboxing. Though he got a little carried away by plummeting twenty pounds at first, resulting in a loss to bantamweight Eddie Wineland, Roop settled on 145 and fought to a conspicuous draw with Leonard Garcia before becoming the only human to put Chan Sung Jung to sleep, which was accomplished by a vicious left high kick. He found himself on the receiving end of a knockout against Mark Hominick, then bounced back with a dominant upset of Josh Grispi before falling prey to top-billed newcomer Hatsu Hioki. The split-decision verdict was a debatable ruling and Roop proved that he was still accelerating despite the loss. Roop's first significant evolution was polishing up his offensive striking, which led to maximizing his reach with punches and flinging out his nasty high kicks effortlessly. The second was supercharging his clinch with thorny elbows and a better understanding of balance and underhooks. Another key aspect of Roop's latest transformation is his brilliant use of the front push kick, which he employs like a jab to sting opponents with on the outer perimeter. Altogether, the push kick and his newly bolstered clinch tactics paved the way for his unhinging of Grispi and were praised in a Bloody Elbow Judo Chop. This fresh format was all inclined to protect the vulnerability of his grappling, but even that facet showed improvement against a top-flight ground technician in Hioki. Defensively, Roop still has some holes in the standing department, particularly with head movement and letting his hands wander too far from his chin. His footwork and dictation of range have also become more technical, but he still has lapses where his movements seem a bit clumsy. I'm mildly surprised that Swanson comes in as a tight favorite on the betting lines. On paper, his Jiu Jitsu acumen and diversity are conducive to an adverse match up. My concern is that Swanson rarely exploits his strengths by trying to force an advantage and will be facing a disadvantage in height (5'7" vs. 6'1") and reach (70" vs. 72"). The pivotal factor will be how well and how often Swanson can navigate through Roop's long kickboxing to clinch up. I think Cub will have his work cut out for him and that Roop is definitely a live dog here. My Prediction: Cub Swanson by submission. Mike Russow (14-1) vs. Jon Olav Einemo (6-2) Einemo is a hulking Norwegian heavyweight who trains with the fierce stable of kickboxers at the renowned Golden Glory team, but his acute submission grappling is his best weapon. "The Viking" won the 2003 ADCC tournament and defeated BJJ phenom Roger Gracie in the process, and he's finished all of his MMA wins with five submissions and one TKO. Einemo lost his debut to Dave Herman at UFC 131 after winning the first with his striking and clinch takedowns. He has somewhat of a lumbering and plodding style on the feet, mostly due to his massive size (6'6", 260-pounds), but still hurls a decent one-two with a good straight right. Einemo typically lurches forward while slinging leather in the hopes of initiating a clinch and forcing the fight downward to work his specialty. His approach, pace and timing are fairly predictable yet still effective. Herman's speed advantage played a role in his last defeat, but he'll be facing a comparably sized and paced heavyweight in Russow on Saturday. Mike Russow put himself on the map with a come-from-behind KO of Todd Duffee in the third round at UFC 114 (right). Russow has competed at an odd pace, taking his first pro fight in 1998 and then not reappearing again until 2006. He lost his Pride FC debut to Sergei Kharitonov by first round submission, which remains his only loss to date. Russow pecked away in smaller promotions before venturing back overseas to notch an impressive north-south choke on Roman Zentsov in the ephemeral Yarennoka show after Pride was shut down. Russow piled on two more submissions in the Adrenaline MMA promotion before signing with the UFC. He's continued his moderate pace and competed just once per year since, defeating Justin McCully by decision in his debut. After the monumental upset over Duffee, Russow put on a strong performance against Jon Madsen, dotting the wrestler up with heavy punches to earn a TKO via doctor stoppage. Russow is solid just about everywhere with decent boxing, wrestling and submission knowledge. Though not quite as agile nor as proficient in wrestling as Dave Herman, I see Russow presenting the same list of challenges for Einemo: he'll have the faster hands with more power, better cage movement, a sturdy sprawl and enough experience to avoid Einemo's submissions like the plague. I agree with Russow's slight push on the betting lines and think he can batter Einemo on the feet and keep the fight standing with his rugged clinch. Einemo, though superior on the mat, lacks the wrestling pedigree to get and keep Russow on the mat. My Prediction: Mike Russow by TKO. All gifs via Zombie Prophet of IronForgesIron.com Poll Dunham vs. Lentz -- Roop vs. Swanson Dunham and Roop Dunham and Swanson Lentz and Roop Lentz and Swanson 19 votes | Results

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UFC on FOX 2 'Prelims' predictions and preview for 'Evans vs Davis' event (Part 2)

There will be smack. For its second venture onto the FOX network, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has hauled in some serious beef, pitting rivals Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis against one another in the main event and mixing in loudmouthed bangers Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping to set the stage. In addition, Demian Maia will look to halt the rise of grappling prodigy Chris Weidman on the televised main card, which begins at 8 p.m. ET from the United Center in Chicago, Ill., on Jan. 28, 2012. Because there are only three main card bouts, there will be a total of eight "Prelims" contests that will air live on FUEL TV, beginning at 5 p.m. ET on fight night. We took a deep dive into the first half of the UFC on Fox 2 "Prelims" under card bouts yesterday right here. Now join us after the jump for breakdowns of the remaining four: 155 lbs.: Evan Dunham vs. Nik Lentz Xtreme Couture wunderkind Evan Dunham (12-2) was coming off two fantastic performances as he stepped in to face late replacement Melvin Guillard, neither of which received their just recompense from the judges. His domination of Tyson Griffin was inexplicably a split decision, while his thrashing of Sean Sherk was called a loss. The judges had nothing to do with this one, though, as he was brutalized by the resurgent "Young Assassin" and stopped in the first round. Bouncing back with an authoritative victory over Shamar Bailey, Dunham will aim to put his hype train right back on the rails against Nick Lentz (21-4-2, 1 NC). Replacing injured Brit Paul Sass on little more than one month’s notice, Lentz last fought at UFC 140, suffering his first official loss since 2007 to Canadian grappling machine Mark Bocek. Despite hunting for a guillotine all fight long -- the man who "choked out Brock Lesnar" (read all about it here) -- was unable to overcome the positional dominance of Bocek. In his previous effort, "The Carney" had been battered by Charles Oliveira until an illegal knee in the midst of the onslaught forced the bout to be called a no-contest. With his notoriously fan-unfriendly style and about a 1.5-fight losing streak, Lentz could very well be fighting for his job this weekend. I was very harsh on Lentz in my preview of his fight with Bocek, and while he definitely did better than I expected him to do, this just strikes me as another terrible match up for him. Guillard thumping notwithstanding, Dunham is one of the better grapplers at 155 pounds and has solid wrestling and striking games to go along with it. Lentz has a decent guillotine and good wrestling, but I remain of the firm belief that his long unbeaten the streak had a lot to do with luck and that he doesn’t have the tools to recreate Guillard’s or Sherk’s victories. I was considering calling for Dunham to submit him, but it’s more likely that Dunham beats him up standing or latches onto his back for a straightforward decision -- Lentz is a tough nut to crack. In any case, Dunham shouldn’t have too much trouble with this one. Prediction: Dunham via unanimous decision 265 lbs.: Mike Russow vs. Jon Olav Einemo Portly powerhouse Mike Russow (14-1) left the morass of contendership and entered the realm of legend in his sophomore UFC effort, bouncing back from 12 minutes of beatdown at the hands of Todd Duffee to put away the muscular upstart with a punch to the temple. Refusing to be a flash in the pan, he went on to upset expert wrestler Jon Madsen at UFC Fight Night 24. After a bizarre series of drug tests from his foe sank his UFC 136 bout with Dave Herman, Russow’s jiggly rise to the top must now overcome one big Nord. Golden Glory-trained Jon Olav Einemo (6-2) -- one of the only men to defeat Roger Gracie at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club -- returned from a 4.5-year hiatus to debut in the Octagon against eccentric banger Dave Herman, engaging in a fantastic back-and-forth throwdown before being stopped by strikes in the latter part of the second round. Contract disputes ensued, however, and he -- along with Golden Glory teammate Marloes Coenen -- was released from ZUFFA. Now that his camp and UFC President Dana White have kissed and made up, though, Einemo is ready to unleash Ragnarok on the heavyweight division. This strikes me as a bad match up for Russow. Yes, Einemo hasn’t really beaten anyone of note, but "The Viking" is still a huge dude with one of the more decorated grappling pedigrees in the heavyweight division. And despite almost five years out of the game, still managed to give Herman one heck of a fight. Russow just doesn’t have great striking or, in my opinion, the grappling game necessary to hang with Einemo, who, unproven though he may be, should still score a victory in this one. Einemo by ground-and-pound from mount. Prediction: Einemo via second round technical knockout 135 lbs.: Johnny Bedford vs. Mitch Gagnon After defeating the touted Carson Beebe to get into the house on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 14, Johnny Bedford (18-9-1) was doing just great until sudden-onset fist, courtesy of eventual winner John Dodson, left him geographically befuddled. Luckily, the UFC brought him back to fight on the show Finale, where he put on a clinic against world-ranked flyweight Luis Gaudinot, brutalizing him everywhere the fight went before putting him away with body blows. Originally a replacement for Demetrious Johnson against former champion Eddie Wineland, "Brutal" must now face highly-touted prospect Gagnon if he wants to further put the Dodson debacle behind him. A submission machine and former Ringside Featherweight Champion hailing from the Great White North, Mitch Gagnon (8-1) hasn’t just submitted all eight of his victims (apart from a third-round sub via slam) he’s done it in the first round every time. With five guillotines and two rear-naked chokes to his credit, it’s definitely in Bedford’s best interest to keep his neck well away from his Ontario-based foe. Replacing Eddie Wineland on short notice, Gagnon could put the division on notice with a dominant win over Bedford. Because I can’t find footage of Gagnon, my skepticism gland (every writer has one) is going into overdrive and making me want to slap myself for this, but I’m picking him to beat Bedford. The last time someone with a submissions record like this came into the UFC, he (Jim Hettes) handed Nam Phan one of the most lopsided beatings of his life. In addition, of Bedford’s nine losses, a whopping eight have come via submission, and while the most recent of those came in 2009, it still strikes me as a major liability. It might be hairy in the early going and it wouldn’t surprise me if Bedford ran over him, but fortune (as well as idiocy) favors the bold. Guillotine victory for the Canadian. Prediction: Gagnon via first-round submission 145 lbs.: Cub Swanson vs. George Roop Eternally-entertaining Cub Swanson (15-5), who has done an excellent job of proving himself more than just the guy who got utterly annihilated in six seconds by Jose Aldo. His last two battles, against Mackens Semerzier and Ricardo Lamas, were fantastic back-and-forth affairs. And while Swanson went 1-1 in those two, he proved himself one of the most entertaining bangers in the 145-pound division. He’ll look to make his mark on FUEL TV by bouncing back from his arm-triangle loss to Lamas against the surprisingly-resurgent George Roop. Likewise phenomenally entertaining George Roop (12-8-1) shocked the mixed martial arts (MMA) world by becoming the first man to ever stop Chan Sung Jung, blasting "The Korean Zombie" with a head kick at World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) 51. Bouncing back from a subsequent knockout loss to Mark Hominick, he defied the odds once again by utterly dominating Josh Grispi before nearly taking out consensus number two featherweight Hatsu Hioki. An absurdly lanky striker who looks to have finally figured out how to use his height, the Team Tompkins representative will be out to break his team’s current slump by scoring a third knockout in five fights. I’m not exactly sure when it happened, but Roop apparently turned into a pretty good fighter while we weren’t looking. Despite his height and obvious weight cut, his cardio is excellent, allowing him to maintain his long-range offense all through the fight. He’s gotten quite good at using his length to good effect and has picked up teammate Mark Hominick’s penchant for ripping to the body. Swanson is also a good all-around fighter, but doesn’t excel in any one area to the extent that Roop does and is often willing to brawl. While he’s still a solid fighter, he’ll be dealing with a six-inch height disadvantage and doesn’t really have the tools to close that gap. An interesting factoid adds some intrigue to this match up: Neither man has won or lost two straight since 2008 and both are coming off a loss. That pattern’s getting broken this Saturday, and considering Roop’s developing striking, he’ll be the one doing the breaking. Look for him to pick Swanson apart from range with heavy kicks and straight punches. Prediction: Roop via unanimous decision More free fights? Title shots on the line? I like what I'm seeing, Maniacs. See you on Saturday. Remember, too, that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC on FOX 2, beginning with the "Prelims" bouts on FUEL TV scheduled for around 5 p.m. ET. In addition, we will also provide LIVE, real-time results of the main card action as it happens throughout the evening this upcoming weekend.

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Evan Dunham - Back on Track

Like a lot of people who watched their lightweight battle at UFC 119, Evan Dunham believes he beat Sean Sherk.Taking home Fight of the Night honors and a win in the eyes of the public did little to numb the pain of coming away on the wrong side of the scorecards. Instead of standing with a dozen consecutive victories, Dunham was dealt the first loss of his career, and it rattled him.The UFC continued to push the talented lightweight as one of the top emerging talents in the deep 155-pound division, booking him as one half of the headlining act for the second Fight for the Troops event. Originally scheduled to meet Kenny Florian, a knee injury put the former title contender on the sidelines, and put Dunham in the path of the surging Melvin Guillard.In less than three minutes, Guillard blitzed Dunham, leaving him crumpled against the cage with a second consecutive loss on his record. In the span of four months, he’d gone from unbeaten up-and-comer poised to make a push for a title shot to another member of the large collection of fighters huddled just outside of contention.“I think in the long run it will be good for me,” Dunham said of the experience. “The two losses were tough, but that’s just part of the game. I’ve just got to learn from it. Not every lesson is learned in the gym; sometimes they’re learned in the ring or after the fact, dealing with it mentally. I think in the long term it will be good for me because I was able to adjust some things mentally and physically, and I’ll be a better fighter for it.“I had a pretty good streak there — 11 wins without a loss — and then I lost that fight to Sherk that I truly believe I didn’t lose, so it was tough to swallow. Mentally it was straining and strenuous on me. One way I was able to get over it was to focus on what I believe happened in that fight – that I won that fight. I’m over it at this point; it is what it is, and that’s what helped me prepare for that (Shamar) Bailey fight, and put on a good performance.”After almost nine full months on the sidelines spent streamlining his training routine, dealing with lingering injuries, and starting to work with Ray Sefo, Dunham returned to the cage in September with a dominant decision victory over TUF 13 alum Shamar Bailey.The 30-year-old Oregon native controlled the action from the outside, peppering Bailey with punches from start to finish. Earlier in his career Dunham would have come away from the fight focusing on what he wasn’t able to do in the bout, but not now. Now he’s only concerned with building on the positive elements of his performance, continuing to develop, and returning to contender status in the UFC’s deepest division.“I was happy with it. My first thoughts were that I was disappointed that I couldn’t put him away, but that goes back to critiquing myself when maybe I don’t need to be so hard on myself. I was really happy with it. He’s a tough kid that can take a shot, and I was able to put my hands together nicely. I think it was a good step to work my way back up there. I was happy with the performance and we’ll build off that.“After watching the film and going over the fight with Ray, I think there were reasons why I wasn’t able to put him away — little things with my technique, how I was throwing some of my punches, and that sort of stuff. There’s reasoning behind it; we’ve made those adjustments, and I plan on being able to correct that here in the future.”Dunham gets the opportunity to put the adjustments he’s made to the test this weekend in Chicago, returning to the cage in a bout that many critics see as a high risk, low reward encounter.Originally scheduled to face unbeaten British submission specialist Paul Sass, the 23-year-old Scouser was forced out of the intriguing matchup with an injury, with Nik Lentz stepping up to fill the void. Despite his recent two-fight winless streak, Dunham sees his new opponent as a tougher test, but one he’s well prepared for heading into Saturday night.“I honestly believe from watching both Sass and Lentz fight, I think Lentz is a tougher fight; he’s more experienced. It’s two different styles of fights — you went from Sass who would do anything in a fight to end up on his back to a guy who will do anything to put me on my back and keep me there. Sass is a tough guy, but I think Lentz is more experienced, and he’s a grinder, and you’ve always got to be careful with guys like that.“With Lentz, there isn’t really any mystery behind him; you know what he’s going to do. He’s going to come in, he’ll probably stand with me for a little bit, but as soon as he gets caught with any kind of punch, he’s going to be coming in hard for that takedown.”Regardless of who he’s facing and the opinions of the experts, Dunham intends to make a statement about where he stands in the division with this fight, and he knows just how he’ll do it, right down to how he’ll get his hand raised.“I plan on going out there and putting a great performance on, making people realize that I’m here, I’m not going anywhere, and I deserve to be considered at that level. I think this a great opportunity (to do that).“I think we’ll come out in the first round, exchange some punches, and he’ll eventually shoot. I’ll stuff his shot, put him on his back, beat him up a bit, and then I’m going to come out in the second round and knock him out.”

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Injured big toe presented big problems for UFC on FOX 2's Evan Dunham

So Evan Dunham, what are your hobbies? Training, training and training. This could be a problem when you're trying to stay injury-free, and the 30-year-old lightweight, who next fights Nik Lentz this weekend at UFC on FOX 2 in Chicago, is still working that out. Or just as likely, crossing his fingers.

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Nik Lentz steps up for injured Paul Sass to face Evan Dunham at UFC on FOX 2

The UFC on FOX 2 card continues to shake up a bit as UFC officials announced that Nik Lentz will replace Paul Sass against Evan Dunham. The lightweight bout will remain on the preliminary portion of the card. Sass suffered an injury while training and there is no return date set. It’s a quick turnaround for Lentz, who recently fought at UFC 140, dropping a unanimous decision to Mark Bocek. Prior to that loss, “The Carny” was unbeaten in the UFC, posting five wins, a draw, and a loss to Charles Oliveira that was overturned to a no contest after it was determined that an illegal knee led to the finish. Lentz holds victories over the likes of Tyson Griffin, Andre Winner, and Drew Fickett. Dunham is coming off a dominating decision victory over Shamar Bailey at UFC Fight Night 25. The Oregon native had lost back-to-back bouts to Sean Sherk and Melvin Guillard before snapping his losing streak against Bailey. UFC on FOX 2 is scheduled for January 28 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The night will be headlined by a pair of #1 contender bouts as light heavyweights Rashad Evans and Phil Davis battle in the main event while middleweights Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz square off in the co-main event. Michael Bisping-Demian Maia will also take place on the same card. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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Evan Dunham vs Nik Lentz announced for UFC on Fox 2 with Paul Sass scratched

Undefeated British submission savant, Paul Sass, was recently injured in training and has been forced out of his upcoming lightweight fight against Evan Dunham at UFC on Fox 2, which is scheduled to take place at the United Center in Chicago, Ill., on Jan. 28, 2012. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) just shared the bad news via its official Twitter.com account; however, it has already tapped Nik Lentz to replace Sass against Dunham. Lentz was just in action at UFC 140: "Jones vs. Machida" earlier this month, dropping a close unanimous decision to Mark Bocek. Prior to the loss, "The Carney" had recorded five wins inside the Octagon, as well as a "No Contest" and a draw. He'll look to get back in the win column against perhaps his toughest 155-pound test to date against Dunham in a fight that will take place on the under card. Dunham (12-2) rocketed to the top of the lightweight buzz list with wins over Efrain Escudero and Tyson Griffin; however, a close split decision loss to Sean Sherk, followed by a first-round ass-whooping at the hands of Melvin Guillard, sent the talented Oregon native to the back of the line. He quickly rebounded with a lopsided unanimous decision win over Shamar Bailey at UFC Fight Night 25 back in September. UFC on FOX 2 will headlined by a 205-pound showdown pitting former light heavyweight champion "Suga" Rashad Evans against "Wonderful" undefeated contender Phil Davis. In the co-featured fight of the night, Chael Sonnen vs. Mark Munoz will collide in a middleweight match up that will likely determine the division's next number one contender. To check out the latest UFC on Fox 2: "Evans vs. Davis" fight card and rumors click here.

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UFC on Fox 2: Wineland and Sass Injured, Nik Lentz In Against Evan Dunham

Nik Lentz has replaced an injured Paul Sass and will face Evan Dunham in a lightweight bout at UFC on Fox 2, while bantamweight Eddie Wineland has also been sidelined from his matchup with Johnny Bedford at the Jan. 28 event in Chicago, the UFC announced Monday night. Wineland’s replacement has not yet been determined. Lentz (21-4-2) dropped a unanimous decision to Mark Bocek at UFC 140 earlier this month for his first UFC loss in eight fights, while Dunham (12-2) rebounded from losses Sean Sherk and Melvin Guillard with a win over Shamar Bailey in September. UFC on Fox 2 is headlined by Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis and also features Chael Sonnen vs. Mark Munoz and Michael Bisping vs. Demian Maia on its Fox-televised main card. For complete coverage of UFC on Fox 2 stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com. Pictured: Evan Dunham

Posted in: ufc, dunham, fox, evan, paul sass

Evan Dunham vs. Paul Sass scheduled for UFC on Fox 2

The UFC on FOX 2 card is starting to fill up and today Joe Silva added a lightweight clash between submission specialist Paul Sass against the well-rounded Evan Dunham. Both men are looking to get themselves into position for a potential title run in 2012. The bout is expected to take place on the nights preliminary portion of the card. News of the bout was first reported by ESPN.com. Nicknamed “Sassangle”, the British native has racked up an impressive eight of 12 wins by triangle choke. Three of his other victories have come by way of heel hook. After going undefeated in the Liverpool local scene, Sass made his UFC debut at UFC 120 where he submitted Mark Holst with a triangle choke and earned the Submission of the Night bonus for his effort. In his most recent bout, Sass tapped out TUF alum Michael Johnson with a heel hook at UFC Live 6, Sass’ first fight in the US. Once on the brink of a title shot, Dunham fell on hard times after back to back losses to former champion Sean Sherk and Melvin Guillard. He bounced back in his last fight against Shamar Bailey though, picking him apart on the feet en route to a dominating unanimous decision victory. Dunham is 12-2 in his professional career and holds victories over notable names like Tyson Griffin, Efrain Escudero, and Marcus Aurelio. UFC on FOX 2 is scheduled for January 28 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The event will be headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between former champion Rashad Evans and undefeated top contender Phil Davis. *PHOTO CREDIT – UFC*

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Report: Evan Dunham vs. Paul Sass Booked for UFC on Fox 2

British submission specialist Paul Sass, unbeaten with 11 of 12 wins by tapout, will meet Evan Dunham in Chicago.

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Read the full article at Heavy MMA

Report: Evan Dunham vs Paul Sass possible for UFC on FOX 2 on Jan. 28 in Chicago

There's a fantastic lightweight battle brewing for the UFC on FOX 2 event, pitting top division prospect Evan Dunham against the sassy stylings of British submission specialist Paul Sass. ESPN UK first brought word of the pending match-up, which is under consideration for the United Center on Jan. 28, 2012, in Chicago, Illinois. Dunham (12-2) rocketed to the top of the lightweight buzz list with wins over Efrain Escudero and Tyson Griffin; however, a close split decision loss to Sean Sherk, followed by a first-round ass-whooping at the hands of Melvin Guillard, sent the talented Oregon native to the back of the line. He quickly rebounded with a lopsided unanimous decision win over Shamar Bailey at UFC Fight Night 25 back in September. Can he survive the dreaded "Sassangle" in the "Windy City?" Sass is undefeated at 12-0 and has finished 11 of his victims by way of submission. If you're keeping score at home, the count is eight triangle chokes and three heel hooks -- including one over Michael Johnson at UFC on Versus 6 back in October. Scary stuff. UFC on FOX 2 is expected to be headlined by a 205-pound showdown pitting former light heavyweight champion "Suga" Rashad Evans against "Wonderful" undefeated contender Phil Davis. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more updates to the UFC on FOX 2 card as they become available.

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Evan Dunham vs Paul Sass Added to UFC on Fox 2

A lightweight bout has been added to the UFC on Fox 2 card with Evan Dunham meeting undefeated British fighter Paul Sass.

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Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Evan Dunham vs. Paul Sass Slated for UFC on Fox 2

An interesting lightweight match-up has been verbally agreed to for the second UFC on Fox event, scheduled for January 28th at the United Center in Chicago. ESPN UK reports that British submission wizard, Paul Sass, will meet well-rounded Xtreme Couture product, Evan Dunham, on the card: Undefeated submission specialist Paul Sass and Evan Dunham have verbally confirmed to meet at UFC on Fox 2 on January 28 in Chicago. Sass is undefeated at 12-0 and is best known for his flashy submission game and lethal guard, for which he'll relentlessly pull guard to employ. While his signature triangle choke and heel hook are his weapons of choice, Sass's striking game is still questionable, but training alongside the likes of Terry Etim and Paul Taylor at Team Kaobon can only help him with that aspect. Dunham will be a huge step up in competition for Sass, as Dunham, an excellent grappler in his own right, was at one point talked about as a title contender at 155 lbs, but a questionable decision loss to Sean Sherk and a much more clearcut TKO loss to Melvin Guillard derailed that rain for the moment. Since then, he has regained his form, battering Shamar Bailey for a unanimous decision win in September. It's not clear yet whether the Dunham-Sass bout will be featured on the Fox main card, or on the prelim card, but we'll keep you posted. Evan Dunham (12-2)W Shamar Bailey (unam. decision) - UFN 24L Melvin Guillard (TKO) - UFC Fight for the Troops 2L Sean Sherk (split decision) - UFC 119 Paul Sass (12-0)W Michael Johnson (submission - heel hook) - UFC on Versus 6W Mark Holst (submission - triangle choke) - UFC 120W Jason Young (submission - heel hook) - OMMAC 4 Here's the rumored UFC on Fox 2 card as it stands now: -Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis-Demetrious Johnson vs. Eddie Wineland-Mike Russow vs. Jon Olav Einemo-Evan Dunham vs. Paul Sass UFC on Fox 2 coverage

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UFC 136: Melvin Guillard vs. Joe Lauzon Dissection

The UFC 136: Maynard vs. Edgar III lightweight showdown between Melvin Guillard and Joe Lauzon bears a fairly uncommon age-to-experience ratio. At age twenty-eight, "The Young Assassin" boasts a startling forty fights on his record (29-8-2, 1 No Contest overall; 10-4 UFC record) after nearly a decade in the sport; twenty-seven year old Lauzon clocks in twenty-six fights (20-6 overall; 7-3 UFC record) and over seven years in the cage. Guillard emerged as an unguided missile with fiery kickboxing and undeniable athleticism and instincts, which Greg Jackson has now whittled into more polished and controlled machinery. Lauzon made pre-TUF waves with his violently aggressive submission armory coupled with boxing adequate enough to vanquish former lightweight champ Jens Pulver. Both fighters have demonstrated superiority over the mid-level talent in the stacked 155-pound class but struggled against the division's elite. From a rankings standpoint, though beyond his control, Guillard has pieced together a sturdy five-fight hitch while winning eight of his last nine, but almost every opponent was ranked beneath him, prohibiting his ascension despite his clear improvement and surge in momentum. Compensating for defeats to the upper echelon (Kenny Florian, Sam Stout, George Sotiropoulos), Lauzon has been a prodigious finisher against his remaining opponents (5 subs, 2 TKOs). Gifs and analysis in the full entry. There's no magic to this striker vs. grappler match up, which drastically favors Melvin Guillard. His blinding barrage of head-cleaving stand up has been supercharged with fundamentally sound footwork, balance, takedown defense and slippery scrambling skills. He's maintained his massive power while eliminating the bad habit of over-committing and losing his balance. Even in the two risky jumping kicks to the right, Guillard stays upright with his footing underneath him. In the past, Guillard's raw strength and agility was usually enough to avoid being taken down or held there, but that same natural talent simply propels him further now that it's conjoined with bulletproof technique. Though once again flirting with danger by dropping his hands and letting Roller corner him against the fence, Guillard wisely swipes his combination low to counter a potential level drop but ends up catching Roller's chin instead. This leaves him a prime target for well placed punches but his iron-clad chin (no TKO losses) has yet to waver. Guillard adheres to the same, simple strategy against yet another aspiring takedown artist in Evan Dunham. First we see the graceful dexterity of Guillard bouncing on his toes lightly while exploding into range with picture-perfect punches. The importance of balance factors in when Dunham doggedly pursues the single and Guillard blasts him with hammer-fists after sitting back on Dunham's shoulders. When Dunham sneakily transitions from the single to the rear waist cinch, check out Guillard's unbelievable balance to stay on his feet and his intelligent hand-fighting to keep Dunham from taking his back; which he's done successfully in many of his fights from the standing position. To Dunham's credit, he ends up putting Melvin on his back in the sequence above, but Guillard's other shiny new toy negated the takedown. Guillard has become eerily comfortable in butt-scooting away to put his back on the fence and use it to stand. If his legs aren't free, he shifts to a feisty double butterfly guard and thrusts on his opponent's hips to create the necessary space. Smooth as silk, Melvin glides into range (left) and pops Dunham with his KFC-crisp combo to wrap it up. Though only billed as a purple belt in BJJ, Joe Lauzon menacingly snatches his submissions with the aggressive mentality of a catch wrestler more than the fluidity of a BJJ player. What's made it difficult to apply his strength is the lack of a reputable wrestling pedigree. However, I like the way Lauzon has filled that hole, which is to be just as effective in grounding the fight by way of ruthlessly cast punches. Like any grappler welcoming the takedown, Lauzon takes full advantage by throwing every ounce of power he has into his punches at close range. After sending Curt Warburton sailing to the canvas, Lauzon unleashes his fury from the top. J-Lau has about the same level of ceaseless ferocity on the mat that Guillard has standing. His pace is blindingly frenetic yet he rarely sacrifices technique because of it. Amidst the hail of vicious ground and pound, Lauzon shows some serious cage savvy by blasting a knee to the body; probably the most criminally under-used technique on the ground in MMA. The barely discernible pretzel that Lauzon twists Warburton into has been dubbed "The Trimura" in the Bloody Elbow Judo Chop breaking down the wizardry. Lauzon latches the figure-four grip to apply insurmountable pressure on the shoulder while stabilizing Warburton with his leg position. Once he clamps his feet it's a literal tap-or-snap situation. Despite his admirable improvement, Guillard's seven submission losses still glare brightly on his record. He's in a world of hurt if Lauzon can get him (and keep him) on the mat. Unfortunately, Lauzon's tendencies when pressured with punches and absence of significant takedown skills make this a horrible match up. To the left against George Sotiropoulos, you can see Lauzon get caught a little flat-footed on the advance with his chin far too unprotected. Offensively, Lauzon is a serious threat with punches, so I wouldn't rule out the chances of him catching Guillard. It's his defensive lapses that don't bode well. Lauzon does pose a threat to lock up the clinch or a takedown merely through his assertiveness. He does have good quickness and his long frame allows him to cover a lot of ground, but most of that prowess lies in straight-line motion rather than the subtle angles and pivots that Guillard will throw his way. This was the only fight on the card that I felt 100% confident in picking. If I've learned anything, it's that the feeling should elicit bells and whistles for an impending upset. It seems like the most shocking wins accompany that type of assurance in the outcome. Lauzon's ideal approach is to tone down his raucous advances to incorporate more technical footwork and better striking defense. His balls-out punching style might be better adapted to catch Guillard because of it's power and unpredictability. Additionally, his full-bore grappling pace should be tempered to include a fixation on controlling Guillard if he can get him down. Normally, he'll devour any opportunity to sweep, pass guard or lock a submission, but that approach leaves Guillard the chance to use his clever scrambling wit to stand back up. Lauzon can't afford to start over if he can ground the fight and should endeavor to finish out the round in that position rather than risk an escape. Guillard is the clear pick because he just has to do exactly what he's been doing, which seems to get better and better with each showing. My Prediction: Melvin Guillard by TKO Lauzon vs. Warburton gifs via The Bloody Elbow grappling team All others via Zombie Prophet of IronForgesIron.com Poll Melvin Guillard vs. Joe Lauzon Melvin Guillard Joe Lauzon 5 votes | Results

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