Since entering the UFC in February of 1997, Vitor Belfort has been one of the best fighters the organization has seen.But, it hasn’t always been smooth sailin’ for Belfort, as he’s had his fair share of bumps and bruises along the way.In 2007, Belfort …
Since entering the UFC in February of 1997, Vitor Belfort has been one of the best fighters the organization has seen.
But, it hasn’t always been smooth sailin’ for Belfort, as he’s had his fair share of bumps and bruises along the way.
In 2007, Belfort put on a historical run to the top of the division winning five consecutive fights on way to earning a Middleweight title shot against the world’s greatest fighter, Anderson Silva.
Unfortunately for the “The Phenom” he was knocked out in the very first round and his run came to an end.
Belfort went on to defeat Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133 but now awaits his next opponent.
The following slides display five fights Vitor Belfort could take next.
Leading up to UFC 137 has been nothing short of a drama filled roller coaster ride.But former UFC champion BJ Penn isn’t the slightest bit distracted by all the events that have occurred leading up to his main-event bout with Nick Diaz.In the UFC 137: …
Leading up to UFC 137 has been nothing short of a drama filled roller coaster ride.
But former UFC champion BJ Penn isn’t the slightest bit distracted by all the events that have occurred leading up to his main-event bout with Nick Diaz.
“There just an everyday part of the business,” he said. “There’s so many changes and so many different roller coaster rides. At the end of the day this is a job.”
One of the overpopulated distractions that Penn has been dealing with is whether or not their main event showdown would be three or five rounds.
In regards to the length of their fight, Penn said, “I’m happy to do a five-round fight. I’ve done five-round fights many times in my career, many times in the UFC.”
“If Dana wants a five-round fight he can give me a call and we can put it together right now.”
Many feel that changing the length of the bout on such short notice could ultimately affect the outcome of the fight.
But, Penn isn’t phased by it all. “None of it bothers me at all,” he said. “I’ve been training for a fight, I’m ready for a fight. I’m sure a bunch of us [fighters] could jump into a ring or cage anywhere in the world and go five rounds.”
While Penn was busy answering the media’s questions and concerns leading up to his fight in Las Vegas on October 29, Nick Diaz was nowhere to be found.
Penn was later asked what he thought of Diaz blowing off yet another mandatory press conference.
Penn replied with, “Nick is nick. He’s going to do what he does. I enjoy watching the stuff Nick Diaz does. He doesn’t change, he’s always himself. He always shows up for the fight and fights. So I don’t think we have to worry about that.”
As Diaz is one of the greatest boxers in the history of mixed martial arts, Penn was asked what advantages he felt he had over Diaz, and what advantages Diaz had as well.
“I’ve never really changed much throughout my career,” he said. “I just try to come in and fight my best. As far Nick goes, I really feel Nick is the best boxer in MMA today.
“He can stand up with anyone. We’re kind of similar, hes got striking and jiu-jitsu and that’s two of my strengths.”
Penn went on to add, “It’s going to be a great fight for the fans.”
Fans have begun to wonder what will be next for Penn, one of the best mixed martial artists of all time, following his fight at UFC 137.
He was asked if a win over Diaz put him next in line for a title shot against the winner or Georges St-Pierre versus Carlos Condit?
Penn addressed the possibility of receiving another title shot in the future as he said, “I don’t want to speak too soon. I’d love to get another title before I step out of the game.
“If Dana feels that I’m impressive in my next fight and he wants to grab me that opportunity, I’d be very gracious.”
Win, lose or draw, Penn will go down as one of the greatest and most respected fighters in MMA history.
The world’s most dangerous man, Cain Velasquez, is just a little more than a month away from the biggest fight of his mixed martial arts career when he will square off with Junior dos Santos in a heavyweight title fight Nov. 12.Not only will Velasquez’…
The world’s most dangerous man, Cain Velasquez, is just a little more than a month away from the biggest fight of his mixed martial arts career when he will square off with Junior dos Santos in a heavyweight title fight Nov. 12.
Not only will Velasquez’s fight be the biggest of his career but there’s also a good chance it will be the UFC’s as well.
And while Velasquez is busy training for his championship bout with dos Santos, he had time to weigh in and give his predictions for UFC 137 on Saturday, Oct. 29.
In an interview, the heavyweight champ refrained from sharing who he thought would come out on top in the main event between BJ Penn and Nick Diaz.
Velasquez stated, “I think it’s a good fight. I haven’t been able to pick a winner with that yet. I think it will be a good fight, though.”
In the very next question, Velasquez was asked his prediction for the co-main event between fellow heavyweight fighters Cheick Kongo and Matt Mitrione.
(Kongo is the only man to have ever gone the distance with Velasquez, despite losing by unanimous decision at UFC 99.)
“It’s going to be a really good stand-up fight. Both guys hit really hard, but I think Mitrione has gotten much better. I’ve seen Mitrione—his quickness has come along. He’s a lot quicker. Both guys, I haven’t seen too much of them on the ground. I think the stand-up will be pretty even, but we’ll see what happens on the ground.”
When it came down to it, Velasquez went with…
“Though he’s unproven, I pick Mitrione.”
Velasquez’s last prediction was between two more heavyweight fighters in the legendary Mirko Cro Cop and Roy Nelson.
Velasquez chimed in by stating, “If this was old Cro Cop, I’d choose Cro Cop. But from what we’ve seen from him lately, I’ll go with Nelson.”
There hasn’t been much more drama than the path leading up to UFC 137, which will take place on Saturday, October 29th, 2011.UFC 137 will be live in front of a sold out Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the preliminary bouts beginni…
There hasn’t been much more drama than the path leading up to UFC 137, which will take place on Saturday, October 29th, 2011.
UFC 137 will be live in front of a sold out Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the preliminary bouts beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET.
While the drama will come to pass as the pay-per-view showing begins, it is still alive and well days before the event begins.
The most recent news hasn’t come from Nick Diaz, George St-Pierre or even Dana White.
Penn, who’s been fairly silent leading up to his main event bout with Diaz, finally broke the silence.
But, surprisingly, it wasn’t Diaz or White who was called out by Penn. It was Diaz’s trainer, Cesar Gracie.
Gracie, on the other hand, hasn’t been the slight bit hesitant in calling out Penn and encouraging him to make his bout with Diaz a five-round fight.
Penn lashed back at Gracie in an interview by stating:
Like I said, I would do the five rounds no problem. As of now, it’s scheduled for three. But, if Cesar wants the five-round fight, me and Cesar can do a five-round fight. Any time, any where, whenever he feels like it.
Penn went on to add, “I’m offering it right now.”
The drama continues to build heading into UFC 137, but UFC fans shouldn’t be the slightest bit surprised.
Over the past several years, we’ve seen the sport of mixed martial arts grow faster than any other sport on the planet.We’ve seen some of the greatest fighters of all time come and go.And, we’ve seen fighters like Randy Couture who not only dominated t…
Over the past several years, we’ve seen the sport of mixed martial arts grow faster than any other sport on the planet.
We’ve seen some of the greatest fighters of all time come and go.
And, we’ve seen fighters like Randy Couture who not only dominated two weight classes, but won a championship in each.
There are many great fighters in the UFC today that have dominated their weight class inside and out, and this domination has led fans to demand a change in their respected weight division.
The following slides display five fighters who should drop or jump a weight class.
It’s hard to deny just how good Chael Sonnen really is.In fact, Sonnen has been the only man to have ever truly tested the world’s greatest fighter in Anderson Silva when the two squared off at UFC 117.Sonnen, not only tested Silva but pummeled him for…
It’s hard to deny just how good Chael Sonnen really is.
In fact, Sonnen has been the only man to have ever truly tested the world’s greatest fighter in Anderson Silva when the two squared off at UFC 117.
Sonnen, not only tested Silva but pummeled him for the first four rounds.
Unfortunately for the UFC’s most outspoken man, Silva pulled off arguably the greatest comeback in UFC history by submitting Sonnen in the fifth and final round.
Despite a heartbroken loss, Sonnen was made known to the rest of the world, exactly what he wanted.
Following the fight, Sonnen wasn’t the slightest bit hesitant in recognizing how great he was.
In fact, Sonnen soon became the most talked about man in mixed martial arts as it seemed he was calling out Silva on a daily basis.
But, it wasn’t until UFC 136 when he got the world’s full attention.
Following his victory over Brian Stann, Sonnen went to national pay-per-view television to let everyone watching know exactly how he felt.
“Superbowl weekend, the biggest rematch in the history of the business. I’m calling you out Silva but were upping the stakes. I beat you, you leave the division. You beat me, I will leave the UFC forever.”
Sonnen certainly got his point across but what if he does lose again?
Will he actually leave the UFC with a loss to Silva?
While Sonnen is undoubtedly the No. 2 middleweight in the world, he still sits behind Silva.
And, while he may have gotten the best of Silva the first time around, he still came up short.
Despite arguably the worst outing of Silva’s career, fans can expect a much better Silva the next time these two square off.
Leading up to UFC 137 has been nothing short of a drama filled roller coaster ride.