Author: Andrew Saunders

Dana White: Josh Barnett Is Getting Signed by the UFC…Probably

In the post-fight media scrum of UFC 155, Dana White was non-committal about the potential return of top Strikeforce heavyweight and former UFC champion Josh Barnett.”I have no clue. I don’t know, we’ll find out soon. We’ll see,” said White.With Barnet…

In the post-fight media scrum of UFC 155, Dana White was non-committal about the potential return of top Strikeforce heavyweight and former UFC champion Josh Barnett.

“I have no clue. I don’t know, we’ll find out soon. We’ll see,” said White.

With Barnett facing a looming bout at the final Strikeforce card, it made sense that White would want to wait until after the fight to make a decision about the three-time drug offender.

When the event came, Barnett completely steamrolled opponent Nandor Guelmino despite fighting an illness all week. It was the kind of performance that displayed exactly why Barnett is too good to be fighting regional talent on small cards.

Fast forward to the UFC 158 press conference and the UFC president still hasn’t made up his mind, but at least he is leaning towards offering “The Warmaster” a contract. 

When directly asked if he wanted to see Barnett make a return to the Octagon, White avoided the question by stating, “It’s probably gonna happen.” 

Winning nine of his last 10 fights, Barnett has beaten former world title contenders Jeff Monson, Brett Rogers and Pedro Rizzo, among other notables.

Barnett has been on Dana White’s bad side ever since testing positive for steroids in a fight where he won the UFC heavyweight championship from Randy Couture back in 2002. 

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Dana White: Anderson Silva Wants to Fight in the Spring; Opponent Undecided

After announcing that he wouldn’t fight again until late 2013, Anderson “The Spider” Silva seems to have had an apparent change of heart. According to Dana White, the longtime UFC champion “wants to fight in the spring.”This is great news for fight fan…

After announcing that he wouldn’t fight again until late 2013, Anderson “The Spider” Silva seems to have had an apparent change of heart. According to Dana White, the longtime UFC champion “wants to fight in the spring.”

This is great news for fight fans who were hoping to see the world’s greatest fighter in action sooner rather than later.

However, the timing couldn’t be worse. 

With Michael Bisping eating a head kick knockout last weekend and Chris Weidman stuck on the sidelines while recovering from surgery, there is no clear-cut, No. 1 contender for Silva.

“We’re figuring out his next fight.” said White.

One potential opponent is Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. The AKA fighter has previously asked for a fight with Silva and “The Spider’ actually called out Rockhold last July. 

Strikeforce shut its doors earlier this month, and there is little question that a title unification fight would do great numbers for the UFC. However, Rockhold should probably get his feet wet in the UFC before taking on such a daunting challenge.

Some suggest that Hector Lombard is the best option if he is able to defeat Yushin Okami in their upcoming fight. However, timing is an issue there, as Lombard vs. Okami goes down on March 3, and Lombard might not be ready to fight again in the Spring.

Who do you think should fight Anderson? Who poses the biggest threat? Who is the most deserving? Let us know in the comments below.

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Sengoku Champ Jorge Santiago Returns to the UFC; Meets Gunnar Nelson in Feb.

One man’s injury is another man’s opportunity to step up. With Justin Edwards forced out of UFC on FUEL 7, Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago has been afforded the chance to pick up his first UFC win in nearly seven years.UFC officials have a…

One man’s injury is another man’s opportunity to step up. With Justin Edwards forced out of UFC on FUEL 7, Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago has been afforded the chance to pick up his first UFC win in nearly seven years.

UFC officials have announced (via MMAjunkie.com) that Santiago takes on Icelandic phenom Gunnar Nelson on the London card with little less than one month to prepare.

It is a weighty task for any fighter, as the undefeated Nelson is one of the top prospects in the sport. However, considering that Santiago is taking this fight on short notice and dropping to a new weight class for the first time, the cards are certainly stacked against him.

This is the third UFC stint for Santiago, who debuted with the organization in 2006 with a knockout win over Justin Levens. However, after losses to Chris Leben and Alan Belcher, he was released from the promotion. 

Although he won the 2007 Strikeforce Middleweight Grand Prix, Santiago achieved most of his career success while competing in Japan. Winning six of his seven contests since competing exclusively in Japan, Santiago earned a return ticket to the UFC in 2011 while still wearing the Sengoku middleweight championship.

“The Sandman” was released from the UFC for a second time after losing consecutive fights to Brian Stann and Demian Maia. Since that time, he put together a pair of first-round stoppages in the Titan FC organization.

Nelson currently holds a professional record of 10-0-1 and made a dominant UFC debut against DaMarques Johnson back in September. All but one of his victories came via first-round stoppages.

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UFC on Fox 6: Mike Russow vs. Shawn Jordan Head-to-Toe Breakdown

Although the flyweight division takes center stage on Saturday’s UFC on Fox 6 event, it is the heavyweights who will collide on the preliminary card when Mike Russow and Shawn Jordan go toe-to-toe.Russow had won 11 consecutive fights, including four in…

Although the flyweight division takes center stage on Saturday’s UFC on Fox 6 event, it is the heavyweights who will collide on the preliminary card when Mike Russow and Shawn Jordan go toe-to-toe.

Russow had won 11 consecutive fights, including four inside the Octagon, when he was stopped by Fabricio Werdum last June. He looks to rebound against Jordan, who also suffered his first UFC loss over the summer.

Jordan came up short against Cheick Kongo at UFC 149 in a bout that he took on short notice. The performance was critically panned due to the clinch-heavy strategy utilized by “The Savage,” and some called for his UFC release after the loss.

Both men are in need of a win on Saturday night, but unfortunately, only one man can have his arm raised.

Here is a head-to-toe breakdown of Mike Russow vs. Shawn Jordan.

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UFC Title Challenger Hermes Franca Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison

Former UFC competitor and one-time title challenger Hermes Franca will spend the next three-and-a-half years of his life behind bars after being convicted of sexually assaulting an underage jiu-jitsu student.According to a report from The Oregonian, th…

Former UFC competitor and one-time title challenger Hermes Franca will spend the next three-and-a-half years of his life behind bars after being convicted of sexually assaulting an underage jiu-jitsu student.

According to a report from The Oregonian, the 38-year-old fighter pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of second-degree unlawful penetration for a December 2010 incident. Originally, he was arraigned for seven counts of sexual abuse and two counts of penetration, although most of the charges were dropped for reasons unspecified.

In the modern era of mixed martial arts, these sorts of stories are much more shocking than they would have been 10 years ago. These days, MMA fighters have the image of being disciplined athletes who have the sort of self control that would keep them from committing sexual or violent crimes.

However, with the recent story of two Lloyd Irvin students repeatedly raping a female training partner fresh on our minds, it is surprising that Franca did not receive a harsher punishment.

Franca competed under the UFC banner 11 times between 2003 and 2009. The pinnacle of his career came in July 2007 when he challenged (albeit unsuccessfully) then-champion Sean Sherk for the UFC lightweight championship.

Being that the black belt will be released from prison shortly before his 42nd birthday, it is assumed that his time in the ring is over. The last fight of Franca’s career saw the Brazilian knocked out at 53 seconds of Round 2 at a small, local fight card.

Other UFC veterans who are currently serving jail sentences for sexual crimes include Joe Son, Mike Whitehead and Jeremy Jackson.

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Tito Ortiz: ‘I May Come out of Retirement’; Wants to Fight Frank Shamrock

In July, the legendary Tito Ortiz was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. This distinguished honor came shortly before his final fight before hanging up the gloves for good: a rubber match against good-natured rival Forrest Griffin.Before the fight, Or…

In July, the legendary Tito Ortiz was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. This distinguished honor came shortly before his final fight before hanging up the gloves for good: a rubber match against good-natured rival Forrest Griffin.

Before the fight, Ortiz announced that his time as an active fighter had come to an end, and that a bout with Forrest was exactly what he wanted to close his career.

However, Ortiz has shown disapproval with his final appearance. The fight was a decision loss that was a very bitter pill for “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” to swallow. In an interview with BloodyElbow.com, Ortiz talked about the final time he waited for judges to reveal their verdict.

What Forrest did was really disrespectful. What I thought was going to happen was that my hand was going to get raised, and when it didn’t, he just added to that feeling of being bummed out from the loss. It’s like he went to smear it in, and it was a damper on the whole night, because I think my fans deserved more than that. 

Not only does he feel like he did enough to earn the decision, but Ortiz has displayed disgust with Forrest Griffin for utilizing testosterone replacement treatment unbeknownst to his opponent.

The BloodyElbow.com interview also revealed Tito’s thoughts on a potential return to the Octagon.

Right now, I’m only four weeks out of neck surgery, and then I have to get the ACL surgery. I still need to recover from that before I start thinking about anything, and if I’ll compete again. You never know, I may come out of retirement. It’s all about how my body recovers.

At 37 years old, it’s unlikely that “The People’s Champion” would be able to get back into any sort of shape that resembles his physical prime, but it is understandable why he would be thinking about coming back to end his legendary career on a high note. 

When asked about what fight he dreams of taking, Ortiz wasted little time in naming the man who defeated him in 1999’s Fight of the Year: Frank Shamrock.

What do you think? Would the UFC be smart to book a post-retirement battle between Ortiz and the seemingly-shunned Frank Shamrock? Is the fight possible? If so, is it something that you want to see?

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