Author: Andrew Barr

UFC News: Dana White Announces Hector Lombard vs. Brian Stann

Former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard recently signed with the UFC and it looks like he’s already got his first fight.After a fan tweeted UFC President Dana White, “Hector Lombard vs. Brian Stann?”, White responded, “yup.”Though thi…

Former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard recently signed with the UFC and it looks like he’s already got his first fight.

After a fan tweeted UFC President Dana White, “Hector Lombard vs. Brian Stann?”, White responded, “yup.”

Though this does not qualify as an official announcement, it’s a good sign that the bout is close to being signed. White rarely tips his hand unless he’s sure a fight is going to happen.

This bout has all the makings of a “Fight of the Year” contender, given that both men are primarily stand up fighters and are known for their knockout power. Lombard does have a 4th Dan black belt in Judo and a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but rarely decides to bring fights to the mat.

Lombard has not been defeated since 2006 and is riding a 26-fight unbeaten streak. Stann is coming off a first-round knockout victory over Alessio Sakara at UFC on Fuel TV 2.

Both men are marketable fighters in a weight class that lacks contenders, so it’s likely that this fight will have a serious impact on the middleweight title picture.

MMA fans will be excited to finally see Lombard in the Octagon. For years, he has been considered one of the best fighters outside the UFC, but the competition he’s been competing against has been less than world-class.

Soon enough fans will know if Lombard has what it takes to compete the best middleweights in the world.

The date for this fight has not yet been set.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report as more on this story develops.

 

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and stand-up comedian. Check him out on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC News: Dana White Announces Shogun Rua vs. Thiago Silva

UFC president Dana White has just announced a huge fight in the light heavyweight division: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Thiago Silva.While the fight is not yet official, White let the news slip when a fan tweeted him and asked who Shogun’s next oppo…

UFC president Dana White has just announced a huge fight in the light heavyweight division: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Thiago Silva.

While the fight is not yet official, White let the news slip when a fan tweeted him and asked who Shogun’s next opponent will be.

White responded simply, “Thiago Silva”.

Fans will no doubt be excited for this bout. Both men are muay thai experts that are known for aggression and brutal power. The fight promises to be a barn-burner.

Both competitors are coming off losses and will be looking to win this bout decisively in order to take a step back towards title contention.

Shogun lost his most recent fight against Dan Henderson at UFC 139, in what was an epic battle and a match considered by some to be the most entertaining fight in UFC history. Silva’s most recent defeat came at the hands of up-and-comer Alexander Gustafsson at UFC on Fuel TV 2.

Silva, in particular, is in desperate need of a victory. He had himself in hot water with the UFC after falsifying a urine sample last year, and he has not won a fight since 2009.

The UFC has not yet announced the date this fight will take place on, nor have they announced whether it will serve as a main event.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report as more on this story develops.

 

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and stand-up comedian. Check him out on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 146 News: Gabriel Gonzaga Steps in to Fight Roy Nelson

Another piece of the puzzle has fallen into place for the heavyweight shuffle at UFC 146.UFC President Dana White has tweeted that Gabriel Gonzaga, who was originally scheduled to fight Shane del Rosario at UFC 146, will now be fighting Roy Nelson on M…

Another piece of the puzzle has fallen into place for the heavyweight shuffle at UFC 146.

UFC President Dana White has tweeted that Gabriel Gonzaga, who was originally scheduled to fight Shane del Rosario at UFC 146, will now be fighting Roy Nelson on May 26 at the MGM in Las Vegas.

This is the third change the UFC brass has been forced to make to the all-heavyweight card in a short period of time, with the changes set into motion by a failed drug test from Alistair Overeem, the man who was originally supposed to fight for the UFC Heavyweight Championship in the main event.

Although Overeem has not been officially suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, White decided to pull Overeem from the fight. When asked why he pulled Alistair before the Dutch kickboxing specialist’s hearing, White cited that he had deadlines to make in order to promote the pay-per-view and he didn’t like Overeem’s chances of getting licensed.

With Overeem out, White was forced to move Frank Mir from the co-main event to the main event, where he will meet UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos.

Of course, this left Mir’s original opponent, Cain Velasquez, without anyone to fight.

Enter Antonio Silva.

Silva was originally scheduled to meet Roy Nelson, but moved up the card and will now fight Velasquez.

It’s been quite a debacle getting this card sorted out, but the UFC is almost there. With Gonzaga fighting Nelson, the only problem left to solve is, “Who will fight Shane del Rosario?”

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for more news as this story develops.

 

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and stand-up comedian. Check him out on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Rashad Evans Loses to Jon Jones at UFC 145: What’s Next for ‘Suga’?

It’s finally over.Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans has been in the makings for over a year, with both fighters regularly taking shots at each other through the media, and at UFC 145 they buried the hatchet.Jones and Evans met in the main event, and the champ…

It’s finally over.

Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans has been in the makings for over a year, with both fighters regularly taking shots at each other through the media, and at UFC 145 they buried the hatchet.

Jones and Evans met in the main event, and the champion was able to defeat Evans handily, racking up his third straight title defense.

It wasn’t Jones’ most dominant performance, but he was able to keep Evans at bay throughout the fight by using his unorthodox striking and reach advantage. It was clear Evans felt uncomfortable striking with Jones and, as a result, Evans ended up in “defense mode” for much of the fight.

Without a doubt, this is the toughest loss of Rashad’s career, as he failed to recapture the UFC light heavyweight championship and was bested by a fighter he used to mentor.

Despite the loss, Evans can take some solace in that he is the only man to go all five rounds with Jones and that he also landed some big right hands throughout the fight.

So, coming off the biggest loss of his career, what’s next for Rashad Evans?

Ryan Bader is a possibility. Bader is coming off the biggest victory of his career against Quinton Jackson at UFC 144.

Another possibility is Alexander Gustafsson, who recently defeated Thiago Silva.

Both of these men are budding contenders in the light heavyweight division, and halting their momentum would be a great way for Evans to get himself back into the title picture.

 

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and stand-up comedian. Check him out on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 146: Overeem Pulled from Title Fight; Should Dana White Cut Him?

UFC President Dana White has announced via Twitter that Alistair Overeem has been pulled from his UFC 146 title fight with UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos. Former UFC champ Frank Mir will be taking his place.”Taking off to Atlanta!!! May 2…

UFC President Dana White has announced via Twitter that Alistair Overeem has been pulled from his UFC 146 title fight with UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos. Former UFC champ Frank Mir will be taking his place.

“Taking off to Atlanta!!! May 26th is now Mir vs JDS for the HW title in Las Vegas at MGM Grand,” tweeted White.

Though not specifically stated by White, it can be assumed that Overeem’s withdrawal from the fight is a direct result of him failing a surprise pre-fight drug test. His testosterone levels were elevated above 10:1, far exceeding the 6:1 limit.

This is not the first time the UFC has had problems with Overeem. Ahead of the Dutch kickboxing specialist’s UFC 141 bout with Brock Lesnar, Overeem failed to comply to Nevada State Athletic Commission’s request for a pre-fight test, within a reasonable amount of time.

Understandably so, Overeem is in a lot of hot water with the UFC Pres, who has openly expressed his frustration with ‘Reem.

Overeem has now been scheduled for just two fights in the UFC, one he was almost pulled out of and one that he was pulled out of.

This begs the question, should the UFC release Alistair Overeem?

I am a firm believer that performance-enhancing drugs have no place in mixed martial arts, but still the answer is no.

The UFC’s heavyweight division is one of the promotion’s weakest weight classes and so they are not in a position to be throwing away top contenders.

Furthermore, the UFC has shown leniency to other fighters before in similar situations, so it would be unfair for them to cast Overeem aside, while still employing fighters with similar grievances.

For example, Chris Leben has twice tested positive for banned substances and is still in the complany’s employ.

MMA‘s most prominent major promotion will need to keep a very close eye on Overeem from here on out, but releasing him would only succeed in taking more star power out of a division already lacking in contenders.

 

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com and stand up comedian. Check him out on Twitter. @AndrewBarr8.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 146 News: Dana White Confirms That Frank Mir Will Replace Overeem

UFC President Dana White has just confirmed via Twitter that Frank Mir will replace Alistair Overeem in the Heavyweight Championship match set to take place at UFC 146.”Taking off to Atlanta!!! May 26 th is now Mir vs JDS for the HW title in Las V…

UFC President Dana White has just confirmed via Twitter that Frank Mir will replace Alistair Overeem in the Heavyweight Championship match set to take place at UFC 146.

“Taking off to Atlanta!!! May 26 th is now Mir vs JDS for the HW title in Las Vegas at MGM Grand,” tweeted White.

Overeem has been in hot water with White since failing a surprise drug test, showing testosterone levels of higher than 10-to-1. The Dutch kickboxing specialist is scheduled to have a hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission on April 24th to decide his fate, but it seems like White isn’t interested in waiting for those results.

The UFC president has openly expressed his frustration towards Overeem since the failed drug test, but it has not yet been announced whether or not he will release Overeem from the promotion. More information will likely come to light after ‘Reem’s NSAC hearing.

Some fans will be disappointed by this change, as many were looking forward to seeing Overeem and UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos—who are both striking specialists—go at it.

However, Mir is a former UFC champion and a more than competent replacement. He is currently riding a three-fight win streak, which includes a devastating knockout victory over Mirko Cro Cop and an unbelievable submission victory over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Mir was originally scheduled to fight Cain Velasquez at UFC 146 in a No.1 contender’s match. As of yet, a new opponent for Velasquez has not been announced.

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com and stand up comedian. Check him out on Twitter. @AndrewBarr8.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com