Connor McGregor Vs Jose Aldo as told by Long Island MMA

     Throughout the history of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) there have been quite the number of intense rivalries some of which include legends such as Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Lidell, and now possibly towering above all is Connor McGregor and Jose Aldo. The UFC has put an incredible amount of effort and time into propagating this intense rivalry with an international media tour which spanned five different nations and eight different cities across the world. It is safe to say that this is one fight that the entire world may stop to watch! The charismatic McGregor has certainly done his part in drawing attention to the event; especially in his home country of Ireland where he snatched up the belt of Jose Aldo from right in front of him, holding it above his head as if already victorious.

     Stylistically this fight should hold up to the hype as well, the brutally violent muay thai machine that is Jose Aldo vs. the sniper accurate technician in Connor McGregor. We have seen such ferocious finishes from the champion by way of twenty punch combinations and flying knees and from the challenger we have seen sniper accurate counter striking and deception through the use of his Irish “Up-Down” boxing; which he has cleverly combined with his exotic Tae-Kwon-Do style kicking. However, one criticism that some have for the challenger Connor McGregor is that they believe he has not yet been truly tested by a high level wrestler whereas Jose Aldo has been several times. Although It may be detrimental to the flashy brutal striking war that all fans are praying for it wouldn’t be too far out of the strategic domain of Aldo to take the fight to the ground and utilize his high level Jiu Jitsu to carry the day. Reports have surfaced that in training with some of Eddie Bravo’s high level competitors McGregor performed superbly, however, as many believe, it must be proven in the octagon.

     The rollercoaster of hype and drama surrounding this bout will come to a hopefully thunderous conclusion on Sat. July 11^th at UFC 189! Besides the obvious, this card is stacked with several very promising fights including the match up of Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stevens and Long Island MMA’s own Dennis “The Menace” Bermudez! The 11^th of July will without a doubt be a night to remember in the world of mixed martial arts, especially with the looming possibility of the champion Jose Aldo being dethroned. Should this come to pass we may be ushering in the age of the fighting Irishman; The Notorious One, Connor McGregor

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirco Cro Cop 2 | Long Island MMA

Set to take place on UFC Fight Night this Saturday, Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirco Cro Cop is quite interesting. For Gonzaga this fight will be an affirmation of his dominant victory in their first meeting. For Cro Cop this fight is all about redemption! When these two heavyweights last met their bout ended suddenly and with the utmost surprise. Gabriel Gonzaga was able to finish Mirco Cro Cop with his own signature technique, that which had defined his MMA career particularly during his time fighting for Pride Fighting Championships; after being dominated on the ground for the entirety of the first round he was knocked out with a devastating right head kick just shy of the bell.

     For Mirco Cro Cop there are a couple of key factors that should certainly be taken into account in this rematch. The first one would be for Mirco to open up with his striking. In their first bout Cro Cop only threw one straight right and one round kick the entire fight. Being that his base and strength is his striking it would make sense that he should use it to take control of the fight the second time around. The second factor is in regards to his movement and footwork. Mirco is a southpaw and Gonzaga is an orthodox fighter; for the duration of the first round each time Gonzaga would engage him Cro Cop would consistently circle to his left. This undoubtedly is the reason that Gonzaga was able to set up the round kick that ended the fight. The second time around Cro Cop should certainly consider mixing up his movement patterns and if possible avoid circling towards the power side of Gonzaga. 
     Lastly, it is extremely likely that Cro Cop will once again be on the receiving end of a takedown from Gonzaga and for their rematch working takedown defense and maintaining an active guard should he be taken down are of the utmost importance. Cro Cop was cut by one of Gonzaga’s elbow strikes from the guard. Gonzaga’s ability to consistently strike Cro Cop could be attributed to his lack of movement on the bottom. Come UFC Fight Night on 4/11/15 we will see if Mirco Cro Cop has made the necessary adjustments to achieve redemption against Gabriel Gonzaga!

Dennis Bermudez VS Jeremy Stephens | Long Island MMA

UFC 189 is set for July 11 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and it is already being predicted as a “summer blockbuster”. What better fighter to have on such a blockbuster than Dennis “The Menace” Bermudez. Fighting out of Long Island Mixed Martial Arts, the tenacious Bermudez is coming off of a loss to Ricardo Lamas. However, he fully intends to bounce right back into the win column with an impressive victory over his next opponent, Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens. Stephens is a true veteran of the sport with 34 total professional contests with 23 of them being victories. He is aggressive and certainly packs a punch; if the fans are to expect a blockbuster then this fight is one that they should certainly be looking forward to.

   
“Lil Heathen” is coming off of two consecutive unanimous decision losses so it is likely that he will return to the cage with purpose. Both fighters possess extremely dangerous striking and explosiveness. As far as overall style is concerned these men are very similar which certainly bodes for a war! However, Dennis Bermudez likely possesses the advantage in the wrestling department so it should be interesting to see which direction the fight will take. Will “The Menace” chose to initiate the takedown, or will they choose to slug it out? That is a question that is absolutely worth getting an answer for by watching UFC 189 on July 11.