Author: Damon Martin

Patrick Cote and Kyle Noke Set to Coach TUF: The Nations: Canada vs. Australia

The next international version of The Ultimate Fighter will happen later this year when The Nations: Team Canada vs. Team Australia goes down, and now the two coaches who will lead the squads have been named as well. The UFC announced via press release…

The next international version of The Ultimate Fighter will happen later this year when The Nations: Team Canada vs. Team Australia goes down, and now the two coaches who will lead the squads have been named as well.

The UFC announced via press release on Friday that former Ultimate Fighter competitors Patrick Cote (Team Canada) and Kyle Noke (Team Australia) will lead their respective team of welterweights in the competition that will begin in September.

Cote and Noke have both been very vocal in their efforts to land the coaching jobs for their countries, and now they will have a chance to lead a group of 170-pound hopefuls into battle for the chance to earn a contract with the UFC.

Cote told Bleacher Report back in April, right after signing a new four-fight deal with the UFC, that coaching on The Ultimate Fighter would be a great opportunity while also bringing his career full circle. 

Cote was a contestant on the show during the fourth season, where he earned his way back to the UFC as part of the “comeback” season.

“I have the experience as a contestant, and to be there as a coach and to represent my country, I think it would be nice for everybody there. I’m pretty well known in Quebec with the French television broadcasts I’ve been doing,” Cote said in the interview. “I would go there to help those guys. I would not go there for my personal exposure. I want to help and share what I know with those guys. I did my first fight like 10 years ago. So maybe I’m not the best in every aspect, but I’m good in all areas and I think I could help those guys learn.”

 

It didn’t take long for Noke to also chime in with his desire to coach on the show as well. Speaking with MMA‘s Great Debate Radio, Noke expressed his wish to land the coaching job opposite Cote before facing him in the Octagon when the show concluded.

 

Noke always seemed like a natural choice for the Australian team since he was one of the first high profile MMA competitors to come out of the country several years ago.

“It would mean a lot to me. I’d love to have the opportunity to coach the young Australians, and help them pursue their dreams and it would mean the world to me,” Noke stated. “It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, and I’d be happy.”

Now, Cote and Noke both get their wish granted and will face off as Ultimate Fighter coaches. The casting will begin in September with a group of welterweights being chosen for the show that will air on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada and FX in Australia. 

 

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez Agreed for Future UFC Event in 2013

Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez will return to action later this year for his second UFC bout when he faces Diego Sanchez in a pivotal showdown in the 155-pound division. The two fighters agreed to meet, according to a message …

Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez will return to action later this year for his second UFC bout when he faces Diego Sanchez in a pivotal showdown in the 155-pound division.

The two fighters agreed to meet, according to a message Melendez released via Twitter on Thursday, although no date or location for the fight has been announced.

In an interview with MMA‘s Great Debate Radio following his last fight, Melendez mentioned his time line for return would be around October. That would fit into the UFC’s plans for an upcoming card slated to land in Houston, which will be headlined by heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez vs. former titleholder Junior dos Santos.

Earlier in the week, UFC Tonight also reported that Sanchez was targeting an October date for his return to action, so all of the pieces fit for the two lightweights to square off as part of the card tentatively titled UFC 166.

Melendez will enter the fight against Sanchez still haunted by the memories of his last bout in the UFC. At UFC on Fox 7, he came within one round on one judge’s scorecard of becoming the UFC lightweight champion.

In his Octagon debut, Melendez battled Benson Henderson in a five-round war, but when it was over, the incumbent champion was declared the winner.  Many believed Melendez should have received the nod when it was over, but now the San Francisco Bay area fighter will look to earn another shot at the gold when he returns to the cage later this year.

Greeting Melendez while hoping to work his way back to the top of the division as well will be former lightweight title contender Diego Sanchez, who will make his second appearance at 155 pounds since moving down to the weight class earlier this year.  Sanchez has bounced back and forth between welterweight and lightweight over the last few years, but he decided that 155 pounds will be his home for now.

During his last stint as a lightweight, Sanchez made it all the way to a title shot, but he lost in his bid to become champion after being stopped by BJ Penn at UFC 107 in 2009.

In his last fight, Sanchez returned to the lightweight division (although he did miss weight at the event, coming in at 158 pounds) and won a close, controversial decision over former Pride champion Takanori Gomi.   

Sanchez will try to make a much bigger statement this time around when he faces a fighter many consider to be the uncrowned UFC lightweight champion in Gilbert Melendez.

A finalized date for this lightweight fight will likely be announced by the UFC in the coming weeks.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos 3 Reportedly Headed to Houston in October

The trilogy between UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and former titleholder Junior dos Santos will come to a close later this year, as the two fighters are expected to meet at UFC 166 in October. The October show will likely land back in Housto…

The trilogy between UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and former titleholder Junior dos Santos will come to a close later this year, as the two fighters are expected to meet at UFC 166 in October.

The October show will likely land back in Houston, where the UFC would potentially return for the first time since UFC 136 in October 2011.

According to Sportsnet’s Joe Ferraro, UFC President Dana White revealed details about the heavyweight tilt during a media session on Thursday in Winnipeg as part of the UFC 161 pre-fight activities.

Thus far, Velasquez and Dos Santos are tied at one win apiece in their fights. This third bout will settle the rivalry and who is the UFC heavyweight champion.

In their first meeting, Velasquez entered the fight as champion when he faced Dos Santos in the inaugural bout for the UFC’s new television deal with Fox.

 As hyped as the fight had been in the months leading up to the battle, the result was much different, with Dos Santos clocking Velasquez with an early punch and finishing the fight at just over one minute into the first round.

Velasquez came back strong and earned a shot at redemption when he faced Dos Santos for a second time at UFC 155 to close out 2012.

The second fight was a much different result than the first, with Velasquez controlling every aspect of the bout with his wrestling, clinch work and dominant stand-up. Velasquez regained the belt with a punishing performance to hand Dos Santos his first loss in the UFC.

Now with both fighters coming off of wins at UFC 160, they will meet for a third time to hopefully settle the debate of who truly is the best heavyweight fighter on the planet.

The promotion had hinted following the conclusion of UFC 160 that it would consider bringing Velasquez and the heavyweight title fight to the city of Houston later this year and now it appears that wish will become reality.

The UFC has now set up several major title fights to bolster the lineup of pay-per-views to close out 2013.

The lightweight title will go up for grabs in August, followed by a light heavyweight main event in September and the newly announced heavyweight bout between Velasquez and Dos Santos now being confirmed for October.

 

Damon Martin is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Georges St-Pierre, Johny Hendricks Headed for Showdown in November

Johny Hendricks’ long wait to get his shot at UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is apparently almost over, because it appears he will fight for the belt in November with the bout most likely landing in Las Vegas. During a media gathering at …

Johny Hendricks’ long wait to get his shot at UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is apparently almost over, because it appears he will fight for the belt in November with the bout most likely landing in Las Vegas.

During a media gathering at UFC 161 in Winnipeg on Thursday, UFC President Dana White let the cat out of the bag by saying that St-Pierre vs. Hendricks will “probably” go down in November.

The likely destination for the bout is Las Vegas, although no further details were released during White’s conversation with the media.

The bout between St-Pierre and Hendricks has been rumored for months, but not until Thursday did an actual timeline get placed on when it would take place.

Hendricks has been considered the No. 1 contender in the division for the better part of the last year, but delays continued to happen—most notably former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz getting a title shot in March despite coming in off a loss and a one-year suspension for testing positive for marijuana in his last fight.

Always the hard worker, Hendricks kept pursuing the belt and even took a very dangerous fight against former interim champion Carlos Condit at UFC 158 in March.  The risk almost backfired with Condit coming close to winning the fight, but ultimately Hendricks pulled out the decision and cleared the way for his shot at St-Pierre.

Now the former NCAA wrestling champion will get his first shot at a major MMA title when he takes on one of the top pound-for-pound fighters on the planet later this year.

St-Pierre will look to make his third consecutive title defense following major knee surgery that kept him out of the sport for over a year between 2011 and 2012.  Following his rehab stint to get the knee back to full health, St-Pierre bested Condit in his fight back before defeating Diaz at UFC 158.

Now, the incumbent champion has arguably his toughest test to date, as Hendricks comes into the fight with a similarly solid wrestling game and knockout power in both hands.

While the final plans for St-Pierre and Hendricks are still in the works, it’s likely the welterweight title fight will headline the major UFC pay-per-view that will take place in November.

UFC officials will likely release more details once bout agreements have been issued and the promotion can start for the St-Pierre vs. Hendricks showdown.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson Headlines UFC 165 in Toronto

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will head to the city of Toronto to face top contender Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 on September 21. UFC president Dana White confirmed the news when speaking to members of the media on Thursday dur…

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will head to the city of Toronto to face top contender Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 on September 21. UFC president Dana White confirmed the news when speaking to members of the media on Thursday during a press event surrounding UFC 161 in Winnipeg.

According to White, the plan is for Jones to make his fifth title defense in the headline fight for the promotion’s return to Canada:

Just yesterday, Jones tweeted that he had talked to White and expected a fight announcement to happen soon.

Jones has fought in Toronto twice previously, defeating Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 and Vitor Belfort at UFC 152. Both bouts ended in submission victories for the defending champ of the 205-pound division.

Jones and Gustafsson have both been asking the UFC to put the fight together via Twitter and other networks, and now both of them will get their wish.

For Jones, this fight is the chance to break the record for the most consecutive light heavyweight title defenses in UFC history. He currently has five in a row, which is a record also held by former light heavyweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz.

Jones has made it clear that his goal is to break that record before talking about any potential superfights or an eventual move to the heavyweight division. 

Challenging Jones’ hunt for the record will be the Swedish-born Gustafsson, who returns to action for the first time since last December when he defeated former champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

Gustafsson was supposed to return to his home country in April against former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi, but a cut suffered late into his training camp prevented him from being cleared in time to take the bout. 

Though discouraging at the time, missing that main event fight on Fuel TV allowed the Swede to step into a title shot after winning his last six fights in a row, including finishes in four of them.

Jones vs. Gustafsson is the first confirmed bout for the UFC’s return to Toronto, but more fights will likely be added in the coming weeks.

 

Damon Martin is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

MMA’s Great Debate Radio: Davis, Shields, Abdel-Aziz and UFC 161 Preview

With UFC 161 just days away, MMA’s Great Debate Radio goes in depth breaking down the card on today’s show long with guests including Alexis Davis, Jake Shields as well as World Series of Fighting Vice President and matchmaker Ali Abdel-Aziz. UFC 161 t…

With UFC 161 just days away, MMA‘s Great Debate Radio goes in depth breaking down the card on today’s show long with guests including Alexis Davis, Jake Shields as well as World Series of Fighting Vice President and matchmaker Ali Abdel-Aziz.

UFC 161 takes center stage on today’s show with first time fighter Alexis Davis stopping by to preview her bout against Rosi Sexton and her desire to be the one to finally dethrone Ronda Rousey.

Former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields also swings by to talk about his return to the welterweight division and why he believes his opponent Tyron Woodley is acting a little overconfident going into this fight.

World Series of Fighting Vice President and matchmaker Ali Abdel-Aziz will preview his promotion’s upcoming card on Friday as well as break some news about the future of the welterweight division.

Finally, UFC 161 goes under the microscope as we break down the card and give our picks and predictions including the main event pitting Dan Henderson against Rashad Evans.

 

Today’s debate topics include:

—With all of the injuries and changes to the card, rate your excitement level in the entire UFC 161 card on a scale of 1-10?

—Who is in the biggest must win situation at UFC 161?

—Fight Pick: Pat Barry vs. Shawn Jordan?

—Fight Pick: Ryan Jimmo vs. Igor Pokrajac?

—Fight Pick: Alexis Davis vs. Rosi Sexton?

—With UFC 161 serving as the final fight on his deal, do you believe Roy Nelson will re-sign with the UFC?

—Fight Pick: Roy Nelson vs. Stipe Miocic?

—Will Dan Henderson or Rashad Evans ever compete for a UFC title again before they retire?

—Fight Pick: Dan Henderson vs. Rashad Evans?

 

This is MMA’s Great Debate Radio for Thursday, June 13, 2013.

(If the embeddable player does not work please click HERE to listen to the show. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or listen in via Stitcher Radio)

 

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