Long Island MMA on UFC 197 | Long Island MMA

It has been confirmed!  On April 23rd 2016 we will see the highly anticipated rematch between Jon “Bones” Jones and Daniel Cormier, as well as a matchup between Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo.  The UFC had hoped that 197 would be held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, being the organizations first event held in the state of New York.  The federal court has not yet ruled on Zuffa’s appeal on New York’s MMA ban, causing the preliminary injunction UFC was hoping for to be denied by a federal judge.  In light of all this the UFC has moved the event to Las Vegas. At UFC 197 Jon Jones will be looking to regain the Light-Heavyweight Championship that he never lost from Daniel Cormier.  DC is the last person Jones fought inside the Octagon before he was stripped of the title due to his hit-and-run incident in New Mexico.  At the time Jones was scheduled to fight Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, but was replaced by Daniel Cormier after his incident became public and UFC was forced to take action.  DC had defeated Johnson and successfully defended the title against Alexander Gustaffson, and he feels this time around he is ready for Jones and the fans will see different results than their previous bout.  Jones on the other hand is confident he will defeat DC again, regain his championship, and give Rumble Johnson the fight he deserved last year. The Co-main event we will see the UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson against the Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo.  Mighty Mouse Johnson has been one of the most dominant champions the UFC has ever seen.  He is on a 9 fight win streak and has been the only Flyweight Champion the UFC ever had. Henry Cejudo on the other hand has had a very successful career himself, not only was he a 2008 Olympic Gold-Medalist, but he is currently 10-0 in his MMA career.  Demetrious has dominated all of his recent fights, making it seem as if no one is on his level.  Cejudo is in for the biggest fight of his life; let’s see if he is ready for the test. UFC 197 is building to be a card you don’t want to miss.  BJ Penn has announced his return to the UFC in the Featherweight division, and they are planning for this comeback to be at UFC 197.  His opponent is TBD at the moment, but it is exciting to hear that such a legendary fighter will be returning.  Let’s keep our fingers crosses for BJ to find a good opponent, and for Jon Jones to keep himself out of trouble!

Dos Anjos Vs McGregor | Long Island MMA

Will the UFC have their First Simultaneous, Multi-Division Belt Holder?

There is no denying that Connor McGregor has been taking the UFC by storm.  His self-belief is like no other, always seemingly biting off more than he can chew, just to prove to everyone that he was right. From his bold statements to his bold outfits, he has been able to catch the eye of media and fight fans around the globe.  Love him or hate him, he has proven that he can back up all his talk with 18 out of his 19 professional wins being finishes, most of which with strikes.  Now that McGregor defeated Jose Aldo to become the new UFC Featherweight Champion, he is immediately taking shots at champions of other divisions.  McGregor has his next bout with the UFC Lightweight Champion, Rafael dos Anjos, scheduled for March 5th 2016 at UFC 196.  This is going to be a big fight for both of the individuals.  If McGregor wins he will be the first simultaneous, multi-division belt holder the UFC has ever had, and if Rafael dos Anjos can be the one to defeat Connor, his pay, popularity, and reputation should skyrocket. Dos Anjos is a true veteran of the UFC, coming up on his 8th year with the company, his first fight being at UFC 91 in November of 2008.  RDA has more wins under his belt than McGregor has fights.  Looking back on Rafael dos Anjos, you can see how his game evolved into him becoming the strong dominant fighter that he is today.  RDA has wins over many of the greatest in the stacked lightweight division, where everyone on the top 15 list has championship potential.  Rafael finished former lightweight champion Benson Henderson, and also finished Donald Cerrone who was on an 8 fight win streak.  RDA took a unanimous decision over the talented Nate Diaz, and dominated Anthony Pettis for 5 rounds to become the UFC Lightweight Champion.  He is definitely no push over, and has earned his place at the top of his division. Is Connor up for the test?  It seems as if 155 is a more comfortable weight class for the Featherweight champion, but he hasn’t fought at lightweight since 2012, and has never competed at that division in the UFC.  There is no question about Connor’s skills anymore, he talks a big game, and has backed it up, but his fight with Chad Mendez exploited some of McGregor’s weakness.  Can Rafael dos Anjos manhandle McGregor the way Mendez did, without getting knocked out?  We did see what he is capable of against an elite, flashy striker in his fight with Anthony Pettis.  McGregor, or “Mystic Mac” as he refers to himself, boasts of a first round finish over the Lightweight Champion, and has even called out the Welterweight Champion, Robbie Lawler, for his next fight!  Did Mcgregor reach his limit yet?  It’s hard to doubt a man that has not been proven wrong, tune in on March 5th to witness UFC history in the making!

Ronda Rousey shows her face again! | Long Island MMA

Ronda Rousey shows her face again!

Since Ronda Rousey lost her UFC Woman’s Bantamweight Championship to Holly Holm at UFC 193 this past November it seems she has been in hiding, leaving everyone guessing when and if she will come back and what her next move will be.  It seems she thought it was a good idea to make her first appearance just a few days ago on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, but many fans of Ronda and SNL do not share her enthusiasm over it. First, this was an important show because it was the first time we got to hear from the former champ since her loss to the current champion Holly Holm.  Ronda congratulated Holly Holm on her victory and said it “was a fight Holly deserved to win.”  It did take a few months for Rousey to show Holm the respect she deserves, but it is refreshing to hear that a humbled Ronda Rousey is growing past her loss. Now that she accepts and respects what happened in that fight with Holm she can move forward and potentially work her way back to the top. Not only was Ronda’s appearance on SNL important for her and her fans, but it was important for MMA as a sport because this was the first time an MMA athlete hosted SNL.  It’s great to see that the sport has become more widespread throughout the country and the world, UFC moves the world of MMA forward in a great way.  The only problem was that people were not impressed by the episode at all. Most opinions were very critical of Rousey’s performance; the harshest ones were comparing it to her performance in the Octagon against Holly Holm.  The nicer reviews complemented Ronda on her acting ability, but criticized the SNL writers for not being able to write a good script as of late. Say what you will of Ronda Rousey’s acting abilities, or the SNL writer’s creative abilities, Ronda needed to make a move back into the public’s eye.  Losing a big fight and then disappearing off the face of the earth raises question to a champion’s character, the best thing she can do is show the perseverance to push through and learn from the experience.  A strong character is what separates the good from the great, and solidifies the true champions as legends.

Watch her opening monologue here:
https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/ronda-rousey-monologue/2973576

What’s next for UFC Bantamweight Division??

On January 17th 2016, the UFC Bantamweight Championship Belt was returned to Dominick Cruz after his split-decision victory over TJ Dillashaw.  Cruz dominated with footwork and totally took Dillashaw out of his element, never letting him get comfortable.  TJ Dillashaw has been known for having amazing footwork, being very light on his toes.  It was quite the opposite this time, in his fight with Cruz he appeared flatfooted and sluggish, not able to land any of his shots.  Watching Dillashaw’s fight against Renan Barao, many people have compared Dillashaw’s style to that of
Dominick Cruz.  Cruz had a lot to say on that matter before their fight saying “When people make a comparison, they don’t know what they’re comparing.”  Cruz believes that he created the style that Dillashaw tries to mimic, so there is no way that Dillashaw would have a chance at beating him. Cruz was also questioned often about his potential “ring-rust” because he has only had one fight in the past 4 years.  When questioned after the fight Cruz responded with “There is no such thing as rust.  Rust does not exist unless you don’t train hard enough.”  This says a lot about the mental strength of the
champion.  After being out for so long with so many injuries, Cruz has the perseverance to come back, still be the most agile fighter in MMA, and win the championship belt that he never lost in the first place.  Who is next for the Champion?  Uriah Faber issued his own challenge to Cruz, but the more exciting match-up would be Uriah Faber vs. TJ Dillashaw.  Faber and Dillashaw have some bad blood since Dillashaw left team Alpha Male to train with Duane Ludwig.  Thanks to Connor Mcgregor’s antics on The Ultimate Figher, Dillashaw was labeled as a “snake in the grass” and pushed Uriah Faber to fight him. Barao just lost his last two title fights, so the only other potentials are Raphael Assuncao or Aljamain Sterling.  Only time will tell who’s next to step up to the plate, the bantamweight division will have to step up their game if they plan to dethrone the current Champion.

Sock it to me!

Another Good Deed from the Fighters and Coaches at Long Island MMA!! Long Island MMA of Farmingdale, the premier MMA facility of Long Island NY, closed out 2015 with a very generous Toy Drive to help children who were less fortunate during the holiday season.  The turnout was amazing as they had over 100 gifts for the Toys-for-Tots organization.  Now that the New Year has come, they are moving right along to their next endeavor.  This time around they are collecting brand new socks to donate to the homeless!

Socks are a very important to your overall health, providing the wearer with padding, moisture absorption, and warmth.   Homeless will often be stuck wearing socks that are old and damaged, or will go without socks at all!  This lack of protection can lead to bacterial or fungal infections, blisters, and frostbite.  People are usually most grateful for socks because they are in such high demand and in low supply.  Typically when you think of donations you think of money or food, but there is always so much of that donated and not enough undergarments.  Not only are they not donated enough, but the homeless go through socks faster than you and me because they are getting more use out of them. This sock drive will be very important now that we are getting into the coldest months for New York.  We love that Long Island MMA proves to be more than just a “UFC Gym.”  All the Fighters, members, and coaches are like a family, and when they are not training or teaching, they are trying to inspire others and help make Long Island a better place for everyone!

UFC Fight Night: T.J. Dillashaw vs Dominick Cruz | Long Island MMA

UFC Fight Night: T.J. Dillashaw vs Dominick Cruz

UFC is heading to Boston, Massachusetts on January 17th 2016 with another exciting Fight Night card, airing exclusively on Fox Sports 1.  The headliner for this one is going to be an exciting battle for the UFC Bantamweight Championship.  T.J. Dillashaw will defend his title against former Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz, who had never actually lost the title in the first place!
Dominick Cruz was stripped of the Bantamweight Championship due to inactivity caused by repeated long-term injuries.  Upon his return, Cruz finished Takeya Mizugaki in an explosive knockout, 1:01 into the 1st round.  Cruz has defeated many great opponents and is actually the last person to defeat the Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson.  Dominick feels he is the rightful Champion of the division until someone can beat him inside the octagon, and Dillashaw believes he’s the man to do it!
T.J. Dillashaw’s most notable feat is when he took the title from the former champion, Renan Barao. Barao was on an undefeated win streak that lasted 9 years, at the time he was at the top of the Pound-for-Pound list.  Barao had the odds to win 20 to 1, but Dillashaw put on such an impressive and dominant performance that finished the former champion halfway through the 5th round.  Barao got his rematch a year later and Dillashaw put on an even better performance, this time finishing Barao in the 4th round.

There are some other matchups that evening that are very promising as well.  Eddie Alvarez vs. Anthony Pettis is bound to be an exciting war.  This is Pettis’s first fight since his loss to Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos, and Alverez will be riding off of his victory against Gilbert Melendez, both men trying to get there shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship.  Another match to pay attention to is Chris Wade vs. Mairbek Taisumov, both of these men are extremely explosive and have the potential to finish fights.  Chris Wade is a strong up-comer in the division fighting out of Long Island MMA in Farmingdale, New York.

The entire Fight Night Boston card is an exciting one, but make sure you really pay attention to the fights mentioned here, you will not be disappointed!

A Win for Long Island in UFC!

A Win for Long Island in UFC!

This past weekend at UFC 194 we witnessed the upsetting loss of the UFC Middleweight Champion,
Chris Weidman, to the former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, Luke Rockhold.  Despite Chris’s
efforts to defend his title, Rockhold finished him with a 4th round TKO to become the new UFC Middleweight Champion.  This may have been an upsetting for many of Weidman’s hometown fans
from Long Island, NY, but luckily Chris wasn’t the only Long Island boy fighting this past weekend!
Ryan LaFlare, fighting out of his gym in Farmingdale, NY, took his 12th professional win against Mike Pierce on Friday at The Ultimate Fighter Finale.  LaFlare has won 5 of his 6 UFC fights, and intends on adding more to that list!  This fight against Mike Pierce was really important because LaFlare was coming off his first and only career loss, and he came back better than ever.  Ryan LaFlare dominated Mike Pierce for 3 rounds ending in a unanimous decision.  LaFlare had made some improvements in his striking game and out-struck Pierce with clean counters and devastating body kicks.  Pierce was forced to attempt his takedowns on LaFlare, but all his attempts failed as LaFlare was able to stuff them, create the space he needed, and continue dominating on the feet.  The excitement increased at the end of the 3rd when both fighters bit down on their mouth piece and finished with a barrage of punches until the bell rang.  Sometimes we lose, and sometimes we win.  It’s important to learn from the losses we encounter and

celebrate all the wins along the way!