Science of Fights

Brock Lesnar was dethroned as “The Baddest Man Alive” after Cain Velasquez decimated him in UFC 121. It only took Velasquez one round to make it happen as he left Lesnar beaten to a bloody pulp after referee Herb Dean motioned to stop the fight. Velasquez winning the fight did not really surprise me. His well-rounded skills and innate speed is certainly difficult to overcome even for someone like Lesnar. Rather, it was Lesnar’s performance in that fight that made me realize something about the monster. Ever since Lesnar’s prominence in the UFC, I see him as an enigmatic fighter. I definitely revere his awesome size, strength, and athletic ability as they were instantly recognizable but I had lingering doubts about his composure, heart, adaptability, defense, and overall skills as a true MMA competitor. The problem with Lesnar is the hype that surrounds him. It was really difficult to profile him and rank his aptitude in different aspects of the fight game because of the ex...

UFC, as part of its yearly tradition, aims to start its first event of the year with a stacked fight card. 2011 will be no different as UFC announces " UFC 125: Resolution , Edgar vs. Maynard". The event is set to take place in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on New Year's Day. The main event will be a lightweight title fight between the current champion, Frankie "The Answer" Edgar, and the number one contender, Gray "The Bully" Maynard. This fight is also a rematch between the two lightweights as the undefeated Maynard will look to repeat his win over "The Answer". Edgar, on the other hand, will try to avenge his only loss to retain his UFC lightweight belt.

The #1 pound-for-pound fighter, Manny Pacquiao will face Tijuana’s Tornado, Antonio Margarito, for the vacant WBC light middleweight title on November 13. Despite all of the controversies surrounding the two fighters, particularly Margarito, this match will surely provide an action-packed encounter since both fighters are known for their aggression. Both are primarily brawlers. Pacquiao may have shown that he has evolved from a head-on slugger into a boxer-puncher but his instinct for offense is still intact. Margarito, on the other hand, is expected to do what he does best and that is to attack with relentless pressure. However, the Mexican should also be smart and take advantage of his size and reach. Here is a breakdown of their match-up:

Jon Jones’ rise in the UFC is well known. He ends fights impressively. With his combination of powerful wrestling and unorthodox striking, he is exciting to watch. After his destruction of solid fighters like Brandon Vera and Vladimir Matyushenko, he feels that he is ready for the big time. He expressed that he wanted better fighters, particularly fighters that belong in the top five of the light-heavyweight pool. Regardless of his desires, Jones already expected that his next opponent was the winner of the Ryan Bader-Antônio Rogério Nogueira match.

The Bad: Chael Sonnen’s abrupt rise and fall Chael Sonnen, the underdog in UFC 117, gave Anderson Silva a beatdown he has never encountered before. Sonnen frustrated Silva with his wrestling for four and a half rounds but got caught by the champion’s miracle triangle choke in the last round. Despite Sonnen’s loss, some UFC fans were quite contented to realize that Silva, the man who dominated the middleweight division for three years, is beatable. Sonnen, as a fighter, instantly became a hot item. Fans could already imagine him wearing the middleweight belt. Immediately after the fight, talks of rematch resounded. It was even verbally confirmed by UFC president Dana White that a second fight between the two cage fighters would be arranged sooner than many had expected. MMA fans were pumped for the rematch, but it all crumbled down when Chael Sonnen tested positive for natural steroid use. The repercussions of that result were very bad for the organization’s mone...