Browse: Home /
lightweights
By Gregory Saks on February 21, 2010
BJ Penn stayed atop the lightweight divisional buzz rankings in January following his dominating performance over Diego Sanchez in December at UFC 107. Sanchez, who had earlier been the most buzzed about lightweight for several months previously, has now been excluded from the rankings and moved into the welterweight category. Japanese standouts Shinya [...]
Posted in Rankings | Tagged bj penn, lightweights, shinya aoki, takanori gomi
By Steven Kelliher on February 11, 2010
The only thing worse than watching Tom Lawler lose a Split Decision to Aaron Simpson on the main card of UFC Fight Night 20 on January 11 was watching in horror as Efrain Escudero refused to tap even as Evan Dunham forced his arm into contortions no one should ever willingly experience. Luckily for Escudero, [...]
Posted in Exclusives | Tagged Exclusives, interviews, lightweights, ufc
By Steven Kelliher on January 28, 2010
When he entered 2009’s Bellator lightweight tournament, Jorge Masvidal was considered an early favorite–along with eventual tournament winner Eddie Alvarez–to clear the field en route to the first-ever Bellator Lightweight Championship bout. Unfortunately for Masvidal, a veteran fighter by the name of Toby Imada had other plans, defeating Masvidal with a picture-perfect inverted triangle choke [...]
Posted in Exclusives | Tagged bellator, Exclusives, interviews, lightweights
By Gregory Saks on January 21, 2010
Lightweight fighters took center stage in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts in December, enjoying a surge in fan interest in the weight class following several high-profile bouts. BJ Penn’s successful title defense against Diego Sanchez at UFC 107 was the most notable bout, but other contests including Clay Guida against Kenny Florian and [...]
Posted in Rankings | Tagged lightweights, popularity
By Gregory Saks on January 18, 2010
BJ Penn not only successfully defended his UFC lightweight title against Diego Sanchez in December, he also dislodged Sanchez from three consecutive months atop the divisional buzz rankings. Sanchez had generated the most fan interest among all MMA lightweights for for several months running until his UFC 107 clash. The shift may signal [...]
Posted in Rankings | Tagged bj penn, diego sanchez, lightweights
By Steven Kelliher on January 16, 2010
It may have taken two plus rounds for him to settle into his rhythm during the main event of WEC 46, but once he did, Benson Henderson latched on a fight-ending guillotine choke early on in the third round of his title match with Jamie Varner to take his place as the Undisputed WEC Lightweight [...]
Posted in Exclusives | Tagged bj penn, Exclusives, interviews, lightweights, wec
By Steven Kelliher on December 30, 2009
When UFC lightweight contender Joe Lauzon emerged from his February battle with Jeremy Stephens with severe damage to his ACL, his plans for a dominant 2009 campaign in the lightweight division were put on hold. What followed was a tedious recovery period. Since returning to hard training several months ago, Lauzon claims he feels 100% [...]
Posted in Exclusives | Tagged joe lauzon, lightweights
By Gregory Saks on December 19, 2009
Diego Sanchez held onto the top spot in the Lightweight Buzz Rankings for the third consecutive month in November. Still boosted by his time on the Ultimate Fighter Season 1 reality show, Sanchez can claim wide mainstream fan appeal and appears poised to continue to draw viewers for his fights for the foreseeable future. [...]
Posted in Rankings | Tagged bj penn, diego sanchez, lightweights
By Steven Kelliher on December 18, 2009
After fighting for two promotions–the International Fight League and Affliction–that went out of business while he was under contract, top lightweight prospect Chris Horodecki has finally found his way into the Zuffa fold after signing an exclusive contract with World Extreme Cagefighting, the sister organization to the UFC. Currently scheduled to face off against up [...]
Posted in Exclusives | Tagged chris horodecki, lightweights, wec
By Gregory Saks on December 17, 2009
Donald “The Cowboy” Cerrone takes on WEC veteran Ed Ratcliff Saturday night from the Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas. With just three weight classes the WEC has a limited number of high-profile title fights that it can schedule, and this card was left without one. The fan buzz surrounding the event [...]
Posted in Events | Tagged anthony njokuani, chris horodecki, donald cerrone, ed ratcliff, lightweights, wec
