Staying Busy and Keeping Momentum
The Bantamweight division has been stagnant over the last two years forcing the best to fight just to keep the momentum until they can finally get a chance at the title.
A New Era Begins
The UFC officially launched their new era with ESPN as another fighter looked to become the fourth to win two titles at once but those plans are never guaranteed.
UFC on ESPN+ 1 Preview
The UFC’s new deal with ESPN begins with a title fight between two champions in a division that might not be around for much longer.
Super Fight Taking a Back Seat
The UFC is all about the big fights and at UFC 227 it seemed like another big fight was being set up but like any sport it’s hard to get everything the way they want with not every champion walking away with his title.
Big Questions get Big Answers
They built it as the card of the year but there were some questions that could change everything and those questions got some very big answers.
UFC 177 Preview
The UFC has had an interesting year in 2014 as upsets have been the highlight of fights so far this year. No upset was bigger than when Renan Barao lost grip of his Bantamweight Title that everyone believed he would hold until he faced a returning Dominick Cruz. Cruz was the former champion that had yet to be beat in a title fight. A torn ACL and a number of setbacks have kept Cruz out of the octagon for almost three years.
Upset in Vegas (UFC 173 Review)
When the Bantamweight title fight was announced for UFC 173 a lot of people were wondering how the matchup could be made. Here was one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world defending his belt against a fighter with a 5-2 record. Renan Barao was undefeated for 9 full years and his opponent had only joined the UFC in 2011 and had a 1-1 record in his last two fights.
UFC 173 Preview
In February Renan Barao would end his long march towards becoming the undisputed Bantamweight champion of the world. For two years he would sit at the top of the division with the interim Bantamweight title waiting for Dominick Cruz to get healthy. Setback after setback would plague the champion and Barao would continue to take out the top contenders in the division waiting for his shot at Cruz. Another setback in Cruz’s recovery would mean that yet another fight between the champion and the interim champion would be cancelled.
Night for the Underdogs (UFC Fight Night 29 Review)
In a period where championships are being decided the future challengers got their chance to show their stuff at UFC Fight Night 29. The UFC has had a long string of title fights in the last few months as almost every belt has been up for grabs. In the last eight UFC events there have been a total of 6 title fights and all have been true questions for the champions. So far two champions have lost their belts in what seemed like an era of change for the UFC.
Two New Fighters Enter the Fold
The Ultimate Fighter finished a long and beneficial relationship with Spike TV with the TUF 14 Finale. For 14 seasons ago Spike TV and the UFC got together to make The Ultimate Fighter, a reality show where fighters got the chance to fight themselves into a UFC contract. This relationship was one of the best for both institutions as the UFC became the fastest growing sports in the world and Spike became a successful network.
The Sport Addiction 