Rizin FF - Day 1 Breakdown

Many, including me, looked on with a skeptical eye at the efforts of Nobuyuki Sakakibara to resurrect the spirit of Pride through his new promotion, Rizin FF. And for good reason - on paper this card was marred by a lack of talent and a lack of quality matchmaking for the talent it did have. But after the initial fight, excitement kept mounting as each new fight brought action and thrills, until the headliner between Shinya Aoki and the half-mummified ghost of Kazushi Sakuraba. In the end we were left with an enjoyable, action-packed card that delivered the entertainment of fast-paced MMA along with the nostalgia of the ring and kicks/knees/stomps to the head of a grounded opponent.

UFC 194 Breakdown - Jose Aldo's Kicks

UFC 194 Breakdown - Conor McGregor's Straight Left

UFC 194 Breakdown - Chris Weidman's Pressure

UFC 194 Breakdown - Luke Rockhold's Distance Management

UFC 194 Breakdown - Jacare's Guard Passing

UFC 194 Breakdown - Michelle Waterson's Adjustments

UFC 193 Breakdown - Queenslayer Edition

In the lead-up to UFC 193, it was all about Ronda Rousey. Even Miesha Tate received a comparable amount of attention to the challenger, Holly Holm, amid complaints that she had been screwed out of a title shot by the UFC. Few gave Holly much of a chance, even fewer expected her to win. But Holly Holm stepped into the Octagon on Saturday - calm, composed, and in stark contrast to Rousey's erratic intensity - and executed six minutes of impeccable tactical and strategic fighting. Rousey had the power to end the fight at any given moment, either with a strike or a submission. Holly would have to fight the near perfect fight to deny Ronda her strengths and implement her own, and that's exactly what she did.

UFC 192 Breakdown: Hesitation Killed the Mauler

Most fans and pundits had already written Alexander Gustafsson off before his first championship fight with Jon Jones. Just another victim to be fed to Jones, and coming off a lackluster win over Shogun Rua did little to inspire confidence in his chances. That fight turned out to be one of the greatest - and most competitive - title fights the sport has ever seen. A similar lack of faith in Gustafsson was present this time around. Questions about his mental state arose after a devastating loss to Anthony Johnson and many were quick to point out that his most impressive performance came in a losing effort to Jones. Cormier's title reign up to this point is also defined by a loss - his loss to the former, and in the minds of many, rightful champion. Cormier undoubtedly came into this fight intent on proving himself the true Light Heavyweight champion. Considering the performance he put on, it's hard to argue with that.

UFC 191 Breakdown - The Importance of Adjustments

                                                     Photograph: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

After a string of dominant wins over developing or overmatched opponents, the only fight left for Demetrious Johnson at Flyweight was a rematch with John Dodson, the man who dropped him multiple times and nearly took 3 rounds from him in their first encounter. The big question coming into this fight was which man would be able to take the information gathered in their first fight and turn that into a gameplan to win the second. Johnson had noticeably improved with every bout, while Dodson barely squeaked past Zach Makovsky in his last fight, but the holes in Johnson's game that allowed Dodson to hurt him were still present, notably his habit of switching stances right in front of his opponents.

UFC 190: Rousey vs Correia Breakdown + WSOF 22

                                                                               Photograph: Buda Mendes

Bethe Correia got the brawl she wanted against Ronda Rousey at UFC 190, only it didn't quite work out the way she had planned. A massive underdog coming into the fight, her loss was a foregone conclusion to many in the MMA community. Debate abounded, not about whether or not she had a chance, but about how long Rousey would choose to let her last.

Prospect Watch: Valentina "The Bullet" Shevchenko

                                                                                   Photo Credit: Photographix 

Kyrgystanian Bantamweight Valentina "The Bullet" Shevchenko seems to be on track to the UFC, having already garnered interest from Dana White himself.

A Nak muay and Kickboxer with a professional record of 56-0, Shevchenko has successfully adapted her skillset to MMA, amassing a record of 9-1.

UFC 189 McGregor vs Mendes Analysis : Is The Hype For Real?

Conor McGregor has silenced the doubters. The question looming over McGregor's head since before the Aldo fight was announced is answered. But what about the takedown? Well, Chad Mendes showed that McGregor can be taken down. McGregor showed Mendes that he can get back up. After months of being overshadowed by the great Irish hype, Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald stole the show with a contender for fight of the year and one of the greatest UFC championship fights of all time.

Invicta 13: Cyborg vs Van Duin Technical Analysis

Invicta 13 promised a lot of action jammed into a small card, with three titles on the line. Fresh off an upset over Michelle Waterson, Herica Tiburcio looked to defend her Atomweight title against a legitimate top 2 challenger in Ayaka Hamasaki. Tonya Evinger and Irene Aldana competed for the vacant Bantamweight championship, and Cyborg was fed another victim.

UFC Fight Night Berlin Weekend Breakdown - Jędrzejczyk vs Penne and Pitbull vs Weichel

Since coming off a hard-fought victory over Claudia Gadelha in a title eliminator, Joanna Jędrzejczyk has looked nothing short of a stone-cold killer. That continued Saturday in Berlin as she brutalized Jessica Penne en-route to a late third round TKO victory.

Velasquez vs Werdum - Cordeiro Crowns Another King

Fabricio Werdum's history in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts is as illustrious as any. From battles with the legends of the PRIDE Heavyweight division, to being viciously knocked out by an unknown Junior dos Santos, and submitting the greatest Heavyweight of all time in the first round.

Johnson vs Cormier: One Size Doesn't Fit All

Anthony Johnson has approached all of his recent fights in relatively the same way. He walked Davis, Nogueira, and Gustafsson down, using his hands to fend off punches and shots and hold them in place for his own blows. His fight against Cormier however, shone some light onto the pitfalls of that style.

Edgar vs Faber: Feints and Combinations

Frankie Edgar put on a masterclass in making an opponent swing at air against Urijah Faber at UFC Fight Night 66. Through his excellent use of feints, Edgar had Faber continually anticipating an entry and attempting to counter before Edgar stepped in.

Miocic versus Hunt: The Best Offense is a Good Defense

Stipe Miocic put on an absolute clinic in all aspects of MMA against Mark Hunt in rounds one through three, after which the fight turned into a brutal clobbering of a man who had little to offer, offensively or defensively.

Analysis - UFC on Fox 15: Rockhold vs Machida Part 2

This video analyses Holloway/Swanson, Jacare/Camozzi, and Rockhold/Machida from UFC on Fox 15.

Analysis of Sharon Jacobson's wrestling against Delany Owen at Invicta 12

Sharon Jacobson is still pretty new to MMA and her overall game needs a lot of work, but she displayed some very slick wrestling in her last fight. I'm going to break down some of her takedowns from the last Invicta show.

Event Breakdown: UFC on Fox 15: Rockhold vs Machida Part 1

This video analyses Sterling/Mizugaki, Means/Sullivan, and Hettes/Brandao from UFC on Fox 15. Part 2 will feature Holloway/Swanson, Jacare/Camozzi, and Rockhold/Machida.

Fight Breakdown: Katja Kankaanpää vs Stephanie Eggink

Kankaanpää and Eggink both showed an incredible amount of heart and Kankaanpää solidified herself as a top 10 Strawweight with an impressive submission victory in a competitive fight at Invicta FC 8.