He sustained a crazy amount of damage. He went on to get finished in the fifth, but the damage was done. “Lionheart” definitely earned his nickname. Now, he has to show more in order to rise up during a new era.

With Jon Jones gone from the division and an undisputed title fight on the horizon, Smith has a great opportunity. Teixeira has his fight coming up against Thiago Santos, and Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz are determining the next champ. Smith has his sights set on the rising Alexander Rakic. The light heavyweight division has become clear. Santos and Teixeira are most likely vying for the number one contender spot. Meanwhile, Smith and Rakic, both coming off losses, are right on their heels.

With the logjam cleared up, Smith has a clear path to the title. The Teixeira loss was disheartening, but Smith has the abilities and mindset to improve. He showcased heart that is rare, even for MMA. He found success in the fight early on. Thus, he can adjust and learn from the mistakes that cost him.

Smith can accomplish all of that improvement, but first, he has to worry about his opponent. Rakic is extremely dangerous, and Smith will have his hands full. It will be interesting to see how he responds to the loss and to such a dangerous opponent.

Still, losing isn’t new territory for Smith. He has lost, and he has been finished. Nevertheless, he has always rebounded and showed his tremendous grit. On Saturday, at UFC Vegas 8, Smith has the opportunity to showcase his grit once again against Rakic. If he can, his path to the title is wide open. If he can’t, rest assured “Lionheart” will exemplify his nickname.

The post Can Anthony Smith Rise Up? appeared first on Back Sports Page.

Ryan Truland discusses the following on the latest episode of Ear to the Canvas:

• Adesanya following Jones to heavyweight?
• Would Jon Jones take a fight at heavyweight if it’s not for the belt?
• Cowboy vs Price and other underrated fights that have been announced!

Follow Ryan Truland on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@Ryantruland)

The post Ear to the Canvas Ep. 21 appeared first on Back Sports Page.

Host of the Ear to the Canvas podcast, Ryan Truland chats with UFC light heavyweight Mike Rodriguez. The two discuss the following:

• Family life
• Path to fighting
• Dana White’s Contender Series
• Upcoming fight with Marcin Prachnio on Aug. 22
• Gaming

The post Interview With UFC’s Mike Rodriguez! appeared first on Back Sports Page.

The post Ear to the Canvas Ep. 19 appeared first on Back Sports Page.

Backsportspage.com UFC writer and host of Ear to the Canvas Ryan Truland discusses the following:

This past Saturday’s flyweight title bout between Deiveson Figueiredo and Joseph Benavidez.

The flyweight division is in good hands with Deiveson Figueiredo at the helm.

The middleweight division is log-jammed with contenders with Jack Hermansson now being one of them.

Why no one will want to face Hermansson. Dana White must have some undisclosed issue with Aljamain Sterling, otherwise why is he not committing to him being next in line to fight Petr Yan.

Follow Ryan Truland on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @RyanTruland AND make sure to check out backsportspage.com

The post Ear to the Canvas Ep. 18 appeared first on Back Sports Page.

Also discussed is how the lightweight division has the toughest guys of any weight class. Tyron Woodley wants to stay active this year, but who will be his next opponent?

Fellow welterweight Geoff Neal claims top guys have avoided his call-outs and is Mike Perry vs Darren Till really possible?

www.backsportspage.com/standout-performances-from-ufc-on-espn-12/ Follow Ryan Truland on Twitter and Instagram @RyanTruland or friend on Facebook (Ryan L Truland)

The post What’s Next for Poirier & Hooker | Tyron Woodley Wants to Stay Active | Geoff Neal’s Avoided | Mike Perry vs Darren Till appeared first on Back Sports Page.

Also, second edition of contender or pretender; this time it’s the featherweights. Lastly, discussing the UFC’s recent decisions impacting the women’s divisions

The post Blaydes vs Volkov Reaction | Contender or Pretender (featherweights) | UFC Building Womens Division appeared first on Back Sports Page.

In the mixed martial arts world, a dark horse is a fighter who quietly has a real chance at earning a title shot. For instance, many people regarded Gilbert Burns as a dark horse in the welterweight division prior to his recent victory over Tyron Woodley. 

Below are the UFC’s biggest dark horses in each of the men’s divisions:

Flyweight: Kai Kara-France (8)

New Zealand has been a hotbed for mixed martial arts over the past few years, as it’s produced several top tier UFC fighters (e.g., Israel Adesanya, Alexander Volkanovski, and Dan Hooker). A New Zealander who is often overlooked though goes by the name of Kai “Don’t Blink” Kara-France.

Kara-France currently trains at City Kickboxing in Auckland, New Zealand alongside the three names mentioned above. Since signing to the UFC back in 2018, “Don’t Blink” has tallied a (4-1) record with all his fights going the distance.

Already a pretty seasoned striker, Kara-France has his blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu also.   

His next opponent is yet to be determined, but the 27 year old is just a win or two away from being a contender at flyweight. Perhaps there will be an attempt to reschedule his fight with Alex Perez, which was cancelled back in May.

Bantamweight: Pedro Munhoz (7)

Since joining the UFC in 2014, Pedro Munhoz has only lost four times and he’s never been finished. Decision losses to Raphael Assuncao, Jimmie Rivera, John Dodson, and Aljamain Sterling have kept Munhoz from title contention in the 135lb division up till this point.

Still, “The Young Punisher” has an opportunity to climb back into the top five with a victory over Frankie Edgar next month.

The bantamweight division contains names like Cody Garbrandt, Jose Aldo, and Dominick Cruz, making it more difficult for a lesser-known guy like Munhoz to make noise. That is what makes him the ultimate dark horse however.

Again, a win over Edgar next month will catapult Munhoz back into contendership at 135lbs.

Featherweight: Dan Ige (11)

Dan “50k” Ige’s busy 2020 is about to get busier as he’s set to take on Calvin Kattar in a main event next month. Many people are unaware that Ige is in the midst of a six fight win streak, which includes two victories this year over Mirsad Bektic and Edson Barboza.

It’s fair to note that both of his 2020 wins came via split decisions, but a win’s a win as they say and those were two tough customers.

Speaking of tough customers, a victory over Kattar will likely jump Ige five or six spots up in the featherweight rankings. The featherweight division gets very competitive towards the top with guys like Holloway, Ortega, Zabit, Korean Zombie, and Yair. Yet, Ige will force his way into the title conversation if he can continue his winning streak.

Lightweight: Charles Oliveira (7)

Selecting Charles Oliveira as the lightweight’s dark horse was as easy as brushing my teeth because the guy’s resume is undeniable.

He’s been a part of the UFC since 2010, where he began his tenure with a submission win over Darren Elkins. That was the first of a UFC record 14 submissions by way of “Do Bronx”. Right now, the Brazilian submission artist is on a seven fight win/finish streak.

Oliveira could very well be the most avoided fighter in the sport at the moment. The grappling back and forths between him and Khabib would be absurd if we ever get to see that match-up. “Do Bronx” is still searching for his next dance partner; it will be interesting to see if he waits for one of the bigger names ahead of him or if he takes on somebody lower in the rankings again. 

Welterweight: Leon Edwards (5)

It’s difficult to find a fighter who was affected worse by the timing of the pandemic than Leon Edwards. Prior to the forced cancellation, “Rocky” Edwards was scheduled to face Tyron Woodley in London.

Unfortunately, it was cancelled and never rebooked, leaving Edwards without his next opponent. He would probably be in Gilbert Burns’ position right now fighting for the 170lb belt if he had fought and beat Woodley. 

The argument can even be made that “Rocky” Edwards is more deserving of a title shot than Jorge Masvidal, when considering the win streak Edwards is on (8). 

Nevertheless, there’s no doubt that Edwards would love the opportunity to avenge his 2015 loss to current belt holder Kamaru Usman. Moreover, if Masvidal isn’t interested in fighting you can expect to see Leon Edwards get the next crack at welterweight gold.  

Middleweight: Edmen Shahbazyan (9)

This time last year Jared Cannonier would be the obvious choice for middleweight dark horse, but “The Killa Gorilla” has solidified his status as a contender over that span. Now, the undefeated Edmen Shahbazyan serves as the best choice for 185lb dark horse.

It hasn’t taken long for Shahbazyan to make a name for himself in the UFC. Since March of 2019, he has recorded three impressive first round stoppages over quality competition (Charles Byrd, Jack Marshman, and Brad Tavares.

Right now, there are several guys ahead of Shahbazyan who would lobby for their chance against Adesanya. Yet, a finish over Derek Brunson in August will make him tough to deny as a true contender at 185lbs.

Light Heavyweight: Jiri Prochazka (UR)

You probably didn’t expect to see an unranked guy on this list, but don’t be fooled. Jiri Prochazka is a former champion for the organization Rizin, and he’s set to make his UFC debut at UFC 251 against Volkan Oezdemir.

Matching him up against Oezdemir in his first UFC fight speaks to the legit all-world talent of “Denisa”. Hailing from the Czech Republic, Prochazka stands 6’4” with immense knockout power. His fight against Oezdemir will be a stand and bang affair which plays into Jiri’s style.

Remember the name Jiri Prochazka because if he beats Oezdemir he could become a top five light heavyweight at just (1-0) in the UFC.

Heavyweight: Alistair Overeem (8)

Admittedly, finding a dark horse at heavyweight was not easy because much of the division is veterans who have seemingly fought for decades. So I landed on the ultimate veteran, Alistair Overeem.

Let’s not forget that “The Reem” would be on a four fight win streak if it weren’t for getting knocked out with just four seconds left by Jairzinho Rozenstruik (he was cruising to a decision win until that point).

Overeem is such a tough guy to put away because he’s been around for so long and he’s so savvy in the octagon. All you have to do is re-watch his recent fight with Walt Harris to know how difficult it is to put him away.

It would not be surprising to see Overeem climb back up into title contention in the sport’s biggest weight class.  

Whether people realize it or not, each of the fighters listed above has the potential to fight for UFC gold in the near future.

The post The Dark Horse of Each Division appeared first on Back Sports Page.

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As has been the case in recent years, there’s no shortage of young talent on the UFC roster. 

Below are five unranked fighters who are worth keeping an eye on; seeing as they have already displayed high level skills in their young careers.

1. Abdul Razak Alhassan (welterweight)

Although he may not necessarily be young in age (34), Alhassan is still pretty young as a fighter. The man they call “Judo Thunder” made his professional debut in 2013 for a promotion named Xtreme Knockout. Five consecutive first round finishes later and Dana White signed him to the UFC. 

He now has a (4-1) record, which includes a first round TKO victory over Niko Price. He earned his nickname from being an incredible Judo athlete; yet it’s the power in his hands that he normally relies on. 

Alhassan hasn’t fought since 2018, but he is returning to the octagon July 15th against Mounir Lazzez on Fight Island. Staying consistently active has been Alhassan’s issue. If he manages to keep an active fight schedule, it’s likely he’ll find himself competing with ranked guys at 170lbs.

2. Herbert Burns (lightweight)

Herbert “The Blaze” Burns followed up his brother Gilberts’ dominant performance with a first round submission victory at UFC 250. Heading into the fight, Burns expressed his prediction that him and his brother will be simultaneous champions.

Of course the first step of that goal is Gilbert defeating Usman next month to secure the 170lb belt, but don’t sleep on Herbert as one day being a contender at 155lbs. “The Blaze” earned a UFC contract after a first round submission win on Dana White’s Contender Series last August. 

Since then, he’s rattled off two first round finishes to kick off his UFC tenure. He is clearly a decorated Jiu-Jitsu artist like his brother, but again like his brother, he continues to improve on the feet with each fight.

3. Hakeem Dawodu (featherweight)

Anyone who’s followed “Mean” Hakeem Dawodu’s career til this point already knows what kind of athlete he is, but for those who haven’t, just check out his Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/meanhakeem/). 

Since getting submitted in his UFC debut back in 2018, Dawodu has strung together four straight wins including a highlight head kick finish over Yoshinore Hori. Dawodu is expecting a step up in competition for his next fight, which will probably happen by the end of summer.

When a fighter is naturally athletic he can be scary already, but add in elite skill and technique and you’re looking at someone people will avoid fighting. It’s evident that “Mean” Hakeem is looking to take his game to the next level.

4. Kron Gracie (featherweight) 

When you see the name Gracie as an MMA fan, you immediately think of royalty. From Roger to Royce to Renzo to Helio, the list goes on and on. The influence that the Gracie name has had on mixed martial arts is unparalleled, and Kron is the latest product.

After making a name for himself in the organization RIZIN as an incredible submission artist, Kron found himself in the UFC. His first opponent was veteran Alex Cacares; who we saw dismantle an up and comer just recently.

It took just under three minutes for Kron to submit him with a rear naked choke, earning him his first UFC victory. He lost his next fight via decision to the ever so tough Cub Swanson. If Kron can improve upon his stand-up game, there’s no question he can be a top 10 featherweight someday in the near future.

5. Roosevelt Roberts (lightweight) 

Less than three weeks ago, Roosevelt “The Predator” Roberts secured a submission win over Brok Weaver. He’ll be fighting again this Saturday at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Volkov. This time it will be against veteran Jim MIller.

Another Contender Series product, Roberts currently hosts a (4-1) record in the UFC and a scary frame for just about any lightweight. He’s 6’2” with long limbs and he knows how to use them to his advantage both grappling and striking.

“The Predator” has a very effective standing guillotine choke and in his last bout against Weaver, he displayed a nice snapping jab. A win over Jim MIller will look good on Roosevelt’s resume as he continues to climb towards the top 15.

Abdul Razak Alhassan and Roosevelt Roberts both have confirmed bouts coming in the next month, but expect to see Herbert Burns, Hakeem Dawodu, and Kron Gracie to fight by the end of 2020.

All five of the aforementioned fighters have what it takes to be ranked quite soon in their respective divisions. Keep and eye out on these prospects.

The post 5 Unranked Fighters to Keep an Eye on appeared first on Back Sports Page.