Johnson, Belcher both feel-good stories

EdMulholland for ESPN.comLavar Johnson, whose story was told many times over during fight week, came through on fight night.

Mixed martial arts is filled to the brim with great stories. Not the least of which is the amazing tale of the sport itself.

During the course of this fight week, UFC’s third on network TV, we were often reminded of two of its most harrowing: Lavar Johnson taking three bullets in a drive-by and Alan Belcher's battle with blindness.

 

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When it comes to opportunities, Johnson and Belcher have to rank among the UFC's most grateful combatants.

With Johnson, it's easy to grasp why. He was the victim of horrific street violence that left his life (never mind his career as a heavyweight fighter) in peril. To survive and rebuild must have been empowering, which you can see in an attitude that led him, improbably enough, to open the Fox-televised UFC card. Johnson is fighting like he has nothing to lose, knocking dudes stiff, and for that he's moving toward the something-to-lose category. It will be interesting to see how the mid-tier heavyweight handles added pressure of success.

Belcher, though. The sport dinged him bad, nearly taking his sight. To cope with the emotions and thoughts that must come with that, the surgery and eventual recovery, to put it all on the line again by fighting dangerous beasts like Rousimar Palhares, I'm not sure there are many people who can comprehend what that requires.

Alan Belcher amazed on Saturday, and only in part because of his history.

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Ed Mulholland for ESPN.comAlan Belcher, left, faced a tense moment or two on the ground before stopping Rousimar Palhares.

The 28-year-old out of Biloxi, Miss., turned the tables on Palhares, attacking the Brazilian at his considerable strength. Leg locks, dare I say, are a dangerous game if played against “Toquinho,” but Belcher was obviously well prepared and defended the twisting, turning, bone-breaking attacks as well as he could.

Belcher wasn’t supposed to win -- not according to the mythology built up around the Brazilian. Palhares tore people limb by limb, OK? But, you know, Belcher wasn’t even supposed to be fighting, either. And there he was, slamming elbows and punches into the head of a stumpy middleweight stuck on his back.

UFC’s third card on Fox was its best since finding the brighter spotlight of prime-time network TV. After a too-short title fight followed by an all-decision card, Saturday’s effort -- highlighted by Johnson’s knockout, Belcher’s referee stoppage and Nate Diaz’s coming out party -- was a true example of mixed martial arts as spectator sport.

On a big night for combat sports, when UFC action led into Floyd Mayweather out-pointing Miguel Cotto and pocketing a record $32 million in guaranteed money, Belcher’s win -- his fourth straight -- feels worth singling out. The streak, halved by the retina detachment in 2010, puts him in position to compete at the upper reaches of UFC’s middleweight division.

Palhares, amazingly enough, wasn’t ranked coming into tonight. So where does that leave Belcher in a deep, competitive field?

I think he’d beat Hector Lombard, Bellator’s former champion and Zuffa’s newest signee, who has a similar chance to breakthrough on Fox when he fights Brian Stann in Los Angeles in August. Can’t say I feel so confident in Belcher if he’s matched against Stann. Belcher versus the winner between Ed Herman and Jake Shields makes sense. Perhaps Tim Boetsch or Michael Bisping, who meet this July. Whatever Zuffa tasks him with next, Belcher will eagerly answer the call.

After all, he didn’t come back from the brink of disaster for nothing.

Nate Diaz shines in UFC on Fox

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By Maggie Hendricks

 

Nate Diaz became the first fighter to stop Jim Miller at UFC on Fox 3 in New Jersey Saturday with a guillotine choke in the second round of the main event.

After a tight first round, Diaz started to taunt Miller in the second round. When Miller tried for the takedown, Diaz rolled into a one-arm guillotine choke so tight that Miller's tongue was stuck out. He was forced to tap at 4:09 in the second.
After the bout, Diaz said he had a hard time with the bout because he respected Miller.
"I'm happy to come out to New Jersey and come out and perform. It was hard to be motivated to train because he's a good guy."

With the win, Diaz is expected to face Anthony Pettis in a title-eliminator bout.

Johny Hendrickswith big win on fox

Hendricks takes split-decision

Surprisingly, the two Division I national champions stuck to striking for most of the first round. Josh Koscheck got the better of exchanges and avoided Johny Hendricks' takedowns. Hendricks did a better job in the second, using lefts to beat up Koscheck's face and knees to weaken his legs.

Koscheck got the first takedown of the fight in the round, and used top position to control the fight until the end but it was Hendricks who came out with a 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 split-decision win.

For Hendricks, the win is his fourth in a row and the key to a welterweight title shot. UFC president Dana White hinted earlier this week that with a win, Hendricks could be next in line, after interim champ Carlos Condit challenges George St-Pierre.

Alan Belcher and Lavar Johnson with big wins on fox

Belcher, Johnson impress

Most fighters cannot escape the Rousimar Palhares leg lock, but Alan Belcher did and that was the key to his win. Belcher attempted a leg lock of his own before Palhares put on the kneebar that has broken many a fighter before him. When he escaped, he put down ground and pound that stopped Palhares at 4:18 in the first round.


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Pat Barry tried to use a ground game against Johnson early on, but he couldn't keep Lavar Johnson down. With less than a minute to go in the first round, Johnson wobbled Barry with a head kick, then hemmed him in against the fence, landing a barrage of punches. Barry didn't move and just absorbed Johnson's strikes until he fell to the ground with 21 seconds left in the first round.

Can Invicta FC Women Make Weight Consistently? Four Fighters Weighed in Heavy: Fan's Look

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The weigh-in results are as follows: video



- Meghan Wright (103.5) vs. Cassie Rodish (105.2)

- Sofia Bagherdai (120.6)** vs. Ashley Cummins (121.4)

- Mollie Estes (145) vs. Randi Miller (149)*

- Michele Gutierrez (125) vs. Sarah Maloy (125.4)

- Amy Davis (105.6) vs. Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc (105.4)

- Sarah Schneider (115.6) vs. Sally Krumdiack (113.6)

- Vanessa Mariscal (136) vs. Sarah D'Alelio (135.2)

- Leslie Smith (135) vs. Kaitlin Young (135.4)

- Ashleigh Curry (136)** vs. Liz Carmouche (134.2)

- Lisa Ellis-Ward (106) vs. Jessica Penne (105.6)

- Romy Ruyssen (149.8)* vs. Marloes Coenen (146)




http://www.fighterwarehouse.com/?Click=26513
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UFC everyman Jim Miller isn't flashy; he just wins

One of Jim Miller's favorite songs is Neil Diamond's "Forever in Blue Jeans," which is a pretty appropriate anthem for the UFC's workingman contender.

It's easy to talk about the things that Miller is not. He's not particularly powerfully built and he doesn't have an intimidating visage. He has no one physical skill that stands out above the others.

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Jim Miller is among 24 fighters with 10 or more UFC wins. And yet, Miller has put together a 10-2 record in the UFC and has humbled men who seemed bigger, faster and stronger. He's one of an elite group of 24 active fighters with 10 or more UFC victories, which says something considering he could easily be mistaken more often for a factory worker on a 9-to-5 shift than a world-class fighter.
Miller, though, is about performance, not potential, and he wrings every last bit out of his 155-pound body, as those 10 victories attest. He'll put himself on the verge of (and potentially into) a title shot with a victory Saturday over Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC on Fox 3 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. http://www.fighterwarehouse.com/?Click=26513http

"Jim is one of those guys who never misses a day at the gym, but sometimes when you say that it can be misleading," Miller's coach Mike Constantino said. "But it's how hard you work when you are there that is the important thing. We could both do the same job. You and I could go in the back yard to rake leaves. We could both be there every day to do it, but at the end of the day, I may come up with one pile and you may work your [butt] off and give me five piles.



"Everybody can show up at practice, but it's the amount of effort that you put into everything that you do. When he's in strength and conditioning, he's doing it to a Level 10. When he's on the mat grappling, it's a Level 10. Everything is 100-percent dedication and effort."

By pushing himself beyond normal limits, Miller has made himself into one of the game's most entertaining fighters to watch. He's finished six of his 10 wins – four by submission and two by knockout – and fights with the accelerator pressed at all times.
"I just try to go out and fight and do the things that I'm good at and if I know I'm satisfied and I'm excited about how a fight went, then 95 percent of the people out there are going to be excited about it," Miller said. "So, I just try to go and fight and, fortunately, I'm a little bit reckless at times and sometimes it works out for me. In fights, I just do what I'm good at, and there's a good amount of fans that enjoy my fights."
Miller is a top-level black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and his striking has, as Constantino said, "improved dramatically." If he beats Diaz, though, it may be his background as a collegiate wrestler which makes the difference.
Diaz just received a black belt from Cesar Gracie, and he's become one of the division's top strikers. But if he's vulnerable, it's to someone with good wrestling.
Miller's issue will be getting past Diaz's jab. Diaz has long arms and pops his jab repeatedly, making opponents pay the price for standing in front of him.

Constantino and Miller have come up with a plan to attack Diaz's strength, but Miller is among the most instinctive fighters in the game.
"He has a very, very high fighter IQ, and I know that's a phrase that gets thrown around a lot," Constantino said. "He's a fighter who is so smart that he can recognize, not only if I guide him on something, but he knows within himself what he needs to improve upon and he's not afraid to do so. His fighter IQ is just off the charts."

Miller's IQ is high enough to know that he's close to landing a shot at the title. Benson Henderson and Frank Edgar will rematch for the belt later this year, likely at UFC 150 in Denver in August.
Henderson beat Miller fairly handily last year, though Miller had mononucleosis during his training camp. Still, it would be tough for the UFC to rematch Henderson and Miller that quickly, and UFC president Dana White told USA Today that Miller isn't guaranteed the next shot.

"We're in one of those situations we were in before with [Phil] Davis and [Rashad] Evans," White told USA Today. "Should Diaz win, Diaz is definitely getting the title shot. Should Miller win, Miller's probably going to be a fight or two away."
Miller, of course, wants to fight for the title, but he mostly just wants to fight. And the tougher the opponent, the better, he said.
"I love fighting and I want to fight badly," Miller said. "And I just don't want to fight anyone. I want the toughest fights I can get. That really motivates me. I consider myself one of the best and capable of beating anyone in the world when I fight my best. I'd have to face and beat all these guys when I was champion, so I have no problem fighting them now. I would love to fight for and win the title, and I think I'm getting there, but mostly, just give me the toughest fights. Nate is one and I love that, and whoever is next, I hope it's another [tough guy.]"
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UFC VP says Strikeforce champ Ronda Rousey helped bolster MMA’s hopes in New York

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Ronda Rousey testified in front of the New York State Senate about MMA (Getty)If, as it should be, mixed martial arts is ever legalized in New York, don't forget to give Strikeforce bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey her share of credit.

On April 18 in Albany, N.Y., the New York state Senate voted 43-14 to approve a bill that would legalize and regulate MMA in the state. It still needs to pass the Assembly and then be signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in order to become law.

The bill has passed the state Senate before, but this time around, said Marc Ratner, the UFC's vice president for governmental and regulatory affairs, the job was made much easier with Rousey's testimony.

"She got up there and she really made a great presentation and I think she had a significant impact," Ratner said. "We [as executives] can talk all we want to them about the positives of MMA, but to hear it from someone like her, a fighter, someone who is very articulate [and] who made her points very passionately, it definitely made a huge impact."

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Ronday Rousey celebrates a win (Getty)Rousey, who defeated Miesha Tate by, what else, an arm bar submission to win the title on March 3 in Columbus, was particularly effective when she spoke about what MMA has done for her. She won a bronze medal in judo in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, but said she would be struggling financially had she remained in that sport. She said she'd be losing money if she were a professional judoka.

Several senators approached her, she said, and told her her presentation changed their minds and caused them to vote in favor of the bill.

"MMA has a bad rap among some people," Rousey told Cagewriter. "It's marketed sometimes in a way that is not what the sport is. You hear the marketing, 'Two men enter. One man leaves,' but that's ridiculous. It's not what this sport is. They just do it to sound dramatic. It's like a movie preview. The whole movie isn't just running around and screaming and explosions, but they make it seem like that [in the trailer] so people go to the movie. There's a lot of quiet time and dialogue and there is a plot. What they're doing is like they're comparing a commercial for 'The Bourne Identity' to actually sitting there and watching it for two hours."

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She spent time explaining the nuances of her specialty, the arm bar. She pointed out that she'd been arm barred "more times than I can count," and pointed out that she wasn't out snapping bones. She said she doesn't think she's ever broken an opponent's arm.

That, too, worked.

"I explained everything behind it and after I did, they were like, 'OK, that's no problem, it's not barbaric,'" Rousey said.



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Her best point, though, may have been when she told the senators that there was actually already MMA going on in the state. She made them aware that there is a robust amateur scene there, but it isn't as safe for the fighters and the fighters aren't able to make a living, like they do when they're professionals and compete where the sport is regulated.

That point struck home with many of the lawmakers.

"In New York, you could fight and have people do MMA," she said. "But they have to do it without the proper medical checks. They have to do it without getting paid. They have to do it without any kind of regulation or oversight. [Amateur MMA in New York] is unsafe the way it is now, because they're missing all the things we have in pro MMA.

"We're not asking them to bring in a bunch of people and tell them to kill each other. That's not what's going on. That's how it was being presented. I wanted to point out that amateur MMA is here already, but we want to get it regulated so it's safe and there is regulation and it is safe and everyone gets paid for what they do. I want to be able to work in any state in my own country. Can you imagine, we're in 2012 and I still legally can't do my job anywhere I want in my country?"

The tens of millions of dollars poured into the legalization effort by UFC owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta and president Dana White will be primarily responsible for MMA's passage in New York, if and when it occurs.

But Rousey's day on the hill shouldn't be forgotten. On that day, the lady was a champ when it came to wooing the legislators