The recently announced deal between the UFC and Fox is a monumental move and a deal that will take mixed martial arts and the UFC to the next level of mainstream consciousness. With the deal happening this late in 2011, it has left time for only a debu…
The recently announced deal between the UFC and Fox is a monumental move and a deal that will take mixed martial arts and the UFC to the next level of mainstream consciousness.
With the deal happening this late in 2011, it has left time for only a debut event in 2011 and the headline fight for that show is already brilliantly set. What better way to launch to fans then to showcase the heavyweight championship of the world with Velasquez vs. Dos Santos.
The anticipation for what the UFC has in store for Fox in 2012 is mind numbing and main event thoughts are running rampant.
UFC 140 is starting to look a lot like Christmas for Canadian MMA fans as a few more of our favorite fighters were added and confirmed for the December 10th card at the Air Canada Center in Toronto. It is extremely exciting to see rising star Rory MacD…
UFC 140 is starting to look a lot like Christmas for Canadian MMA fans as a few more of our favorite fighters were added and confirmed for the December 10th card at the Air Canada Center in Toronto.
It is extremely exciting to see rising star Rory MacDonald added to the card, although I hoped for a bigger step up for “Ares.” He will be facing Brian Ebersole.
Montreal’s John Makdessi is healthy and set to face Dennis Hallman and Mississauga veteran Claude Patrick gets a date with Rich Attonito.
Other Canadians rumoured and likely to be on the card are Mark Hominick, Mark Bocek and Krzysztof Soszynski.
Two incredible main card bouts have been verbally confirmed with Tito Ortiz vs. Rogerio Nogueira and Frank Mir vs. Minotauro Nogueira II.
I had a chance to speak to some jiu-jitsu fighters and fans at the Bravado BJJ Open this past weekend about who they would like to see at UFC 140 and you can watch it on “The Submission,” my web cast attached with this article.
Fights Confirmed for UFC 140:
Notables:
Tito Ortiz vs. Rogerio Nogueira (verbal agreement)
Frank Mir vs. Minotauro Nogueira (verbal agreement)
Canadians:
Rory MacDonald vs. Brian Ebersole
John Makdessi vs. Dennis Hallman
Claude Patrick vs. Rich Attonito
Mitch Clarke vs. John Cholish
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and (also a Correspondent for MMACanada.net)
UFC 137 has been tossed and turned this past week, but in the end it is exciting to see that the four main event fighters will still be there and they simply switched partners for the dance.
The shifting and switching made for some tense times for all,…
UFC 137 has been tossed and turned this past week, but in the end it is exciting to see that the four main event fighters will still be there and they simply switched partners for the dance.
The shifting and switching made for some tense times for all, but especially B.J. Penn, the Hawaiian fighting legend who is looking to complete his mixed martial arts legacy.
Penn is now going to face the dangerous welterweight contender Nick “No Show” Diaz in what should still be a No. 1 contender match for the welterweight crown.
I find it refreshing that Penn accepted the switch to Diaz with no ifs, ands or buts, and it made me reflect on “The Prodigy” and the legacy he has built in his fighting career.
Upon further review, it is obvious to me that B.J. Penn is on a legacy path that is unique and can be called all his own.
It is one thing to fight your whole career and dominate your division—the likes of Matt Hughes, GSP and Anderson Silva have all done that. However, it is another thing altogether to willingly and frequently challenge that dominance, come out of your comfort zone and take the risk of fighting up in weight.
In this game, size does matter. Penn has put himself out there in risky situations throughout his career, with no worry of what a loss would do to his “legacy.”
Does the fact that he got stomped by GSP in four rounds tarnish the legacy of B.J. Penn? In my eyes, it only enhances it. Other fighters have not even dared to take that risk.
The only other fighter that consistently took that challenge and risk throughout his career was Randy Couture, and we all know the legacy that he left us.
Royce Gracie gets honorable mention as he competed in the days of the open tournament, which has no comfort zone at all.
Anderson Silva has gone up in weight with success, but he did not jump up and fight a contender or for the title as Penn has done. He has not acknowledged the challenge of Jon Jones and there is no Top-Five light heavyweight on his agenda.
George St-Pierre has been mentioned to go up in division and fight Anderson Silva. He has said he must really think about what changing weight classes would do to his legacy. In my opinion, the minute you start worrying and trying to specifically shape or maintain it, it lessens it.
Legacy seems to be the hot word with the likes of champions such as Silva and GSP these days. When all is said and done, these two champions will definitely leave a legacy of dominance in their respective weight divisions. They continue to dominate in their comfort zone.
Penn is now set to battle a bigger, more dangerous and somewhat unworthy opponent once again. It’s about time we started giving Penn credit for what he is truly doing in his career.
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA (also a correspondent for MMACanada.net).
The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix semi-finals is on tap for Saturday night and can seriously boast one of the best, if not the best, Strikeforce fight card of all time. The event is set up around the Heavyweight Grand Prix semi-finals, which will …
The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix semi-finals is on tap for Saturday night and can seriously boast one of the best, if not the best, Strikeforce fight card of all time.
The event is set up around the Heavyweight Grand Prix semi-finals, which will see two very intriguing big man match-ups in Josh Barnett vs. Sergei Kharitonov and Antonio Silva vs. Daniel Cormier. The two winners will meet in the Finals later this year or in early 2012.
The rest of the main card is also electric with a middleweight title fight between Ronald “Jacare” Souza against Luke Rockhold, as well as a very interesting fight between “King” Mo Lawal and youngster Roger Gracie. Lightweights Pat Healy and Maximo Blanco round out the main card.
The fights on the under card are as follows: Mike Kyle vs Marcos Rogerio De Lima, Rafael Calvacante vs Yoel Romero, Evangelista Cyborg vs. Jordan Mein, Amanda Nunes vs Alexa Davis and Dominique Steele vs Chris Mierzwiak.
Here are my main card predictions you can take to the bank
It’s been a whirlwind week for UFC 137 as Nick Diaz’s mind-boggling behaviour has shifted the welterweight landscape and the October 29th card. Carlos Condit has now been plucked from his 137 contender fight with B.J. Penn to fill the vacant title shot…
It’s been a whirlwind week for UFC 137 as Nick Diaz’s mind-boggling behaviour has shifted the welterweight landscape and the October 29th card.
Carlos Condit has now been plucked from his 137 contender fight with B.J. Penn to fill the vacant title shot spot and thus has left the future Hall Of Fame legend without a dancing partner on that night.
Rumours and speculation are already running wild in the fan world.
It is all speculation at this point until a replacement is actually named, but here are some of the proposed scenarios making the rounds so far.
Penn can rematch Jon Fitch, who has been patiently awaiting the details of his next mission in the Octagon. Fitch is a top welterweight contender and it would be a seamless transition in terms of pecking order of the division, but president Dana White has already said that that fight will not happen due to Fitch not being fully healthy and ready to compete.
Fans are speculating that it is more about the lack of interest in that rematch than it is about Fitch being ready.
Other names being thrown around to step in include Thiago Alves and, surprisingly, Strikeforce lightweight Gilbert Melendez. Alves is on hard times but is still a Top 15 welterweight, although I don’t see Penn accepting such a step down in the status of his opponent. Condit is ranked between No. 2 and 4 on most lists.
Melendez is yet to make his debut in the UFC and, although this fight would be interesting, Penn has his sights set on the welterweight title right now and I doubt that he sees a switch to lightweight as a viable option in this scenario.
I have my own ideas on what I would like to see happen with B.J. Penn at UFC 137 on October 29th.
My first scenario would see up-and-coming freight train Rory MacDonald step in and get a fight with Penn. We all know he has faced Condit before and is on an incredible roll, and the trick is that he trains with GSP and will probably be in town supporting him anyway.
MacDonald does not deserve this fight yet, but circumstances may be on his side.
My other scenario is to just slot Nick “No Show” Diaz in there to fight Penn. Cut his pay in half and force him to face Penn for his shot at the title. It would be a second chance for Diaz in a way, but I don’t see any better punishment for Diaz than getting beat up by B.J. Penn.
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA (also a correspondent for MMACanada.net).
Pride Fighting Championships of Japan held some of the most exciting, intriguing and brutal events in mixed martial arts history in its existence between 1997 and 2007. With the Strikeforce World Grand Prix Heavyweight semifinals taking place this week…
Pride Fighting Championships of Japan held some of the most exciting, intriguing and brutal events in mixed martial arts history in its existence between 1997 and 2007.
With the Strikeforce World Grand Prix Heavyweight semifinals taking place this weekend, it brings back memories and desires of rival promotions to the UFC such as Pride FC.
There have been many that have come and gone through the years such as World Extreme Cagefighting, Affliction MMA and International Fight League to name a very few.
There have also been some that have manged to hang around right up until we speak today with stables such as BAMMA, Maximum Fighting Championship and, of course, Bellator.
The UFC remains the big dog of mixed martial arts organizations and there is no and has not been a close rival since the days of Pride FC in Japan.
Pride was the biggest promotion in the history of Japan and boasted a stable of talented ferocious fighters that rivaled that of the UFC.
Here are my Top 10 greatest events in Pride FC history.
UFC 140 is starting to look a lot like Christmas for Canadian MMA fans as a few more of our favorite fighters were added and confirmed for the December 10th card at the Air Canada Center in Toronto.