Andrew Saunders | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Dana White Amends Decision: Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader Has Title Implications

Last night, a surprising announcement came from UFC President Dana White: The winner of Saturday night’s main event between Shogun Rua and Brandon Vera would receive a title shot. There was tremendous backlash from the public upon hearing thi…

Last night, a surprising announcement came from UFC President Dana White: The winner of Saturday night’s main event between Shogun Rua and Brandon Vera would receive a title shot.

There was tremendous backlash from the public upon hearing this announcement, as both Vera and Shogun have been dominated by Jon Jones in previous fights, and “The Truth” is nowhere near being ranked these days.

This morning, White has made an amendment to that statement, as first reported by USA Today. The evening’s co-main event, featuring a battle between light-heavyweights Ryan Bader and Lyoto Machida, could also determine the next challenger at 205 pounds.

“I put together the fights that fans want to see,” White said. “The fans didn’t like the Rua and Vera choice, so here it is: The guy that wins most impressively on Saturday night out of the co-main event and the main event will get the shot at the winner of Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson.”

While this certainly gives the UFC more options in the event that Vera serves up an upset on FOX, we are still looking at a series of fighters who have already fallen to the reigning champion.

Jon Jones will look to defend his championship for the fourth time in September, when he battles Dan Henderson in the main event of UFC 151.

If Henderson finds himself successful in dethroning Jonny Bones, most of these matchups would be exciting for fans. Hendo vs Machida or Hendo vs Shogun II could prove to be an excellent matchup.

UFC on Fox 4: Shogun vs. Vera takes place Saturday at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. A four-fight main card airs on Fox. Prelims will air on FUEL TV beginning at 5pm EST.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Hector Lombard and the 10 Most Disappointing UFC Debuts

At UFC 149, fans eagerly anticipated the debut of longtime Bellator champion Hector Lombard. Riding an enormous wave of momentum, Lombard was a 4:1 betting favorite over rising contender Tim Boetsch on some sites.When fight night arrived, the Cuban jud…

When fight night arrived, the Cuban judo star was flat footed and hesitant to get off on his strikes. Although a poll of B/R MMA readers indicates 53 percent of you disagree with the result, Lombard lost the fight via split decision.

Regardless of who you think won the fight, Lombard’s performance was universally underwhelming. Here is a look at 10 of the most disappointing UFC debuts.

Begin Slideshow

Anderson Silva vs GSP and 20 Superfights We Wish We Could Have Seen

Over the course of the last five years, both Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva have ruled their respective weight classes with an iron fist. Since joining the UFC roster, the dominant warriors have put together an unbelievable record of 29-1, which …

The sole loss during that period came when GSP fell to tremendous underdog Matt Serra in a fight that was later avenged at UFC 83.

At several moments in their mutual title reigns, Dana White and fans alike have openly spoke of their desire to see this superfight happen. With Silva’s manager, Jorge Guimaraes, recently stating that GSP is the only fight that makes sense for The Spider, those talks are once again on the forefront of many fans.

St-Pierre has a trio of challengers that are staring him in the face upon his return from a 19-month layoff, so it appears that his dance card is full for the foreseeable future; however, it doesn’t hurt to think about what could have been.

Here is a look at 20 superfights, past and present, that we wish we could see. Not all of these fights were obvious, nor were they all in hot demand, but each one represents a fight that could have had major implications on the MMA world as we know it.

Begin Slideshow

UFC Middleweight Contenders: The Hopefuls and the Hopeless

Who is next for Anderson Silva? It’s a question that we seem to ask ourselves every time he massacres the unfortunate sap who was put in front of him.Now that Silva has seemingly thwarted all challengers that stood in his way, there is no clear-cut con…

Who is next for Anderson Silva? It’s a question that we seem to ask ourselves every time he massacres the unfortunate sap who was put in front of him.

Now that Silva has seemingly thwarted all challengers that stood in his way, there is no clear-cut contender who is worthy of stepping into the Octagon with the best fighter who ever lived.

This article is designed to take a close look at every member of the UFC’s top 15 middleweights and determine if they have a date with The Spider in their future.

This article is separated into four distinct groups:

1. The Fresh Contenders
2. The Fallen Challengers
3. Contenders Without Momentum
4. The Wild Cards

For rankings purposes, I chose FightMatrix as my source for data, as they have a mathematical way of determining divisional rankings, and it eliminates any bias.

Here is a look at the hopefuls and the hopeless in the UFC’s middleweight division.

Begin Slideshow

Breaking Down the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Top Heavyweights in MMA

The heavyweight division will make history this year as Frank Mir is going to fight in Strikeforce in October. But that’s not the only story that the heavyweight division has on its horizon.Junior dos Santos vs Cain Velasquez has been postponed. Alista…

The heavyweight division will make history this year as Frank Mir is going to fight in Strikeforce in October. But that’s not the only story that the heavyweight division has on its horizon.

Junior dos Santos vs Cain Velasquez has been postponed. Alistair Overeem returns at the end of the year. Travis Browne has been elevated into a main-event role at UFC on FX 5. Mark Hunt is amid one of the most miraculous comeback stories in the sport’s history.

To better understand what’s going on in the heavyweight division, it’s important that we know more about the top guys at 265 pounds. Here is a breakdown of the strengths and weaknesses of some of the top heavyweights in mixed martial arts today.

On a side note, I would love it if nobody sent this article to any fighter on the list. I would prefer to not have 10 of the world’s deadliest fighters wanting to break my face for talking about their shortcomings.

Begin Slideshow

Strikeforce Champion Gilbert Melendez to Meet Pat Healy on September 29

In a press release obtained by BR MMA, Strikeforce has named an opponent for longtime champion Gilbert Melendez. “There’s no doubt that Gilbert Melendez is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, but he’s facing a tough …

In a press release obtained by BR MMA, Strikeforce has named an opponent for longtime champion Gilbert Melendez.

“There’s no doubt that Gilbert Melendez is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, but he’s facing a tough test when he defends the Strikeforce lightweight title against Pat Healy in Sacramento,” Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said. “Pat has been around the sport a long time and has put together an impressive winning streak. This is the biggest fight of his life and he doesn’t want to waste this opportunity.”

Melendez has been considered a top lightweight ever since he systematically shut down world-ranked Shinya Aoki in 2010. Since winning the belt, Melendez has successfully defended six times under the Strikeforce banner.

On July 14, Healy extended his winning streak to five when he secured a unanimous decision victory over Mizuto Hirota. “Bam Bam” holds wins over Carlos Condit, Dan Hardy and Paul Daley, and is considered to be the only challenger remaining in the Strikeforce lightweight division.

Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Healy will take place on Saturday, September 29 and features heavyweight sensation Daniel Cormier in the co-main event. The press release specifically states that Cormier’s opponent will be announced in the next few days.

Cormier’s final fight in the organization is highly anticipated, as there is no way of knowing what caliber of opponent that Zuffa will provide to him in the final heavyweight fight for the organization.

With the rumor that Josh Barnett might also be competing on this card, this is shaping up to be one of the better events that Strikeforce has produced since the Zuffa takeover.

Stay tuned to B/R MMA for all the latest breaking news and analysis on all things MMA.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com