Author: Guilherme Cruz

Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey had some time to relax during her quick visit to Brazil in September. Brazilian celebrity magazine Caras invited “Rowdy” to visit their island in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, for a photo shoot.

The World Series of Fighting announced plans of doing pay-per-view shows in 2015, but that’s not their focus right now.

After promoting 14 fight cards in less than two years of existence, and with two other cards scheduled for the rest of the year, WSOF president Ray Sefo announced the idea of doing WSOF shows on pay-per-view. The fighters would also earn a share of the money.

However, WSOF won’t look at the pay-per-view market before building their brand on NBC.

“Right now, we have to be on NBC, we have to be on NBC Sports, we have to be on Brazilian television,” WSOF executive vice president Ali Abdel-Aziz told MMAFighting.com. “After that, when fans get familiar… And this is going to happen soon. And after that we’re going to be ready for pay-per-view. For now, we’re just focused on NBC and NBC Sports, and we’ll go from there.”

WSOF has several high-level MMA fighters under contract today, including UFC veterans in Yushin Okami, Jon Fitch, Jake Shields, Rousimar Palhares and Melvin Guillard, and rising prospects in Marlon Moraes, Justin Gaethje and Nick Newell. When fans get familiar with the promotion and its fighters, it will be time to jump on the pay-per-view market.

“This is something that is going to happen in the future,” he said, “but right now we want to get big ratings, we want to get the fans to know the fighters because when the fans know the fighters, they’re going to buy the pay-per-view. Right now, it’s still a process.”

Remember when Anderson Silva said he wouldn’t fight Chris Weidman again? Four months later, “The Spider” changed his mind.

The former UFC middleweight champion, who is scheduled to make his return to the Octagon against Nick Diaz on Jan. 31 in Las Vegas, said he would be “happy” to fight for the title again if he earns his shot, and he wouldn’t mind facing Weidman again.

“I think about fighting for the title again, of course,” Silva said in an interview to his manager Jorge Guimaraes on Passando a Guarda. “I have seven fights left in my contract and, if I have a chance to fight for the title again, I will fight.”

“The Spider”, who once said he was not interested in a third bout with “All American” after he “defeated me twice (and) everybody saw this,” changed his mind again.

“I will fight the fights I have left in my contract and, if I earn a chance to fight for the title one day, against (Weidman) or not – not being a friend or a training partner –, I will be happy,” he said.

An impressive win over former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz in January could be enough for him to earn another shot at the gold, especially if everything goes as the Brazilian expects.

“It’s going to be a show for the fans,” he said. “It will make history as the best striking match of all-time.”

Weidman, who handled Silva both of his loses under the UFC banner in 2013, is expected to put his title on the line against Vitor Belfort in February. However, Silva is focused on Diaz now.

“I’m really excited. It’s my comeback, I have to be excited,” “The Spider” said. “I’m training a lot, really happy with everything that is happening. Nick Diaz is a tough guy. He fights really well, has a great physical condition and a great technique, so it’s going to be a nice fight.

“If Nick does a clean fight, if he fights standing without stalling, we’ll do a spectacular fight,” he added. “Nick has a great boxing and it’s going to be a fantastic fight. Every UFC fan will like it.”

Submission wizard Rousimar Palhares will defend his World Series of Fighting welterweight title on Dec. 13 against fellow UFC veteran Jon Fitch, and the next contender will be defined Saturday night.

Jake Shields will headline the WSOF 14 card in Edmonton, Alberta, on Oct. 11 against Ryan Ford, and the winner of the 170-pound match-up will earn a shot at the belt in 2015.

“The winner of this fight is the No. 1 contender,” WSOF executive vice president Ali Abdel-Aziz told MMAFighting.com. “He will fight the winner of Palhares vs. Fitch in the beginning of next year.”

Abdel-Aziz expects a “close match” in Shields vs. Ford, but doesn’t think it will last 15 minutes.

“A lot of people are discounting Ryan Ford, but I think Ryan Ford is going to give Jake Shields a very hard time,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a very close match, (but) I don’t think this fight is going to the decision. Jake Shields taking him down and submitting him, or Ryan Ford knocking him out. It’s going to be very difficult for this fight to go to a decision.”

WSOF 14 takes place at the Edmonton Expo Centre in Canada, and Abdel-Aziz is excited about the fight card, which features Smealinho Rama vs. Derrick Mehmen for the inaugural heavyweight championship in the co-main event.

“I think we’re having really good cards back-to-back,” he said. “This weekend, Jake Shields fighting Ryan Ford for the No. 1 contender, and our first heavyweight title fight between very good talented guys.”

Another UFC Hall of Fame member is heading to Bellator MMA, but this one won’t be entering the cage to compete.

Winner of three of the first four UFC one-night tournaments, Royce Gracie was announced on Wednesday as the new official brand ambassador for Bellator.

According to the promotion, the MMA legend “will host seminars, be involved in autograph and promotional appearances, as well as aiding in the international expansion of Bellator around the world,” and also “be involved in a co-branded merchandise line that will debut in 2015.”

His “debut” as a Bellator ambassador will be on Nov. 15, when fellow UFC Hall of Fame members Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar clash in the main event of Bellator 131 in San Diego.

“I have known Scott for a long time and have always respected him as not only a promoter but as a martial artist who has always treated fighters with respect and truly understands their value,” Gracie stated in a release. “Bellator and Viacom want to give fans exciting fights and enable fighters to continue to grow and most importantly provide for their family, and it’s something I want to be a part of.

“UFC has done a great job over the past twenty years in building this sport and taking it globally and I’m glad to have been part of that, but Bellator is a growing organization I am honored to be a part of, and with the dedicated and talented people already associated with the company, we can further the growth of mixed martial arts as a sport worldwide.”

Scott Coker, who replaced Bjorn Rebney as the president of Bellator MMA earlier this year, is happy to welcome the MMA legend to the promotion.

“To call Royce a legend would be an absolute understatement,” Coker said. “Royce and the Gracie family are directly responsible for making this sport what it is today and we are incredibly fortunate to have him be a part of the Bellator family. Royce will serve in many different capacities for Bellator and I look forward to our fighters, staff and most importantly, our fans, in having the chance to interact with one of the most iconic figures in sports.”

Royce Gracie made his MMA debut in 1993, shocking the world with his jiu-jitsu in submission wins over Art Jimmerson, Ken Shamrock and Gerard Gordeau. He last fought in 2007 against Kazushi Sakuraba, hanging his gloves with a 14-2-3 MMA record.

Raphael Assuncao is riding the longest winning streak among active non-UFC champions inside the Octagon, but that might not be enough for him to earn his shot at the bantamweight championship.

Days before Assuncao’s unanimous decision victory over Bryan Caraway at UFC Fight Night 54 in Halifax, Canada, it was announced that former champion Dominick Cruz would be the next in line against 135-pound kingpin T.J. Dillashaw, and the Brazilian kind of expected that.

“I had mixed feelings about this situation because Dominick Cruz had an awesome performance. It was pretty damn perfect,” Assuncao told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “It was hard to kind of match that performance. What could I do, beat the guy in 20 seconds? He (Cruz) finished Mizugaki is 60 seconds or whatever, so what I was supposed to do? So I had mixed feeling going into the fight, knowing that I had to make a statement.”

Assuncao couldn’t make a statement by finishing Caraway, and he wasn’t 100 percent happy with his own performance.

“More or less,” he said. “Some things went out of my control in order to be perfect, but it was another win. Technically, it was pretty much what I anticipated. I mean, everything I wanted to do defensively and offensively I was able to put it together.”

“Caraway was a game opponent,” he continued. “And I think I’m experienced enough to know that if a guy is on a win streak, a guy coming from WEC, a high-level guy… He’s fought, and he was beating, by the way, Mark Hominick when he was fighting him in one of the tapes I was studying. And he was actually beating Mark Hominick, and Hominick gave Jose Aldo his toughest fight. All that aside, I think I was able to do everything I wanted to do.”

Undefeated since cutting down to 135 pounds, Assuncao was the last man to defeat the current champion, scoring a split decision over Dillashaw in 2013. He also holds wins over the likes of Pedro Munhoz, Mike Easton, Vaughan Lee and Johnny Eduardo, but he still sees room for improvement.

“It’s hard to go back to the drawing board when you’re winning. You have to be humble and intelligent enough, you gotta to surround yourself with good people, even though you’re on a roll, you gotta go back to the drawing board,” he said. “That keeps me motivated. I have a lot to work. I could very well be cocky and be like ‘ok, I’m on a seven-fight win streak,’ but I don’t feel that way. I have a lot to improve and that’s kind of where and see myself and my career right now.”

Assuncao is willing to sit and wait for his shot at the winner of Dillashaw vs. Cruz, but he might need to fight one more time.

A rematch with former WEC champion Urijah Faber, who submitted him in 2010 in a featherweight bout, or a clash with former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao could be interesting options, but he’s not sold on the idea.

“I think that right now I should be sitting back and waiting for a better opportunity,” he said. “Urijah had his chance (for the title) four of five times, but I can’t deny the fact that if it makes sense, so be it. I‘ll see what happens. Urijah is a tough fight, I would love to revenge a loss, (but) I think I’m just a little ahead of that rematch right now. It was so long ago. He had his chance (for the title) and lost. I think I’m more in position of a contendership status right now, instead of taking rematches.”

“Those are great fights,” he said of a fight against Barao, “but I just feel right now I can save myself a little bit and be in contendership that’s my best bet right now.”

Dillashaw defeating Cruz would be better for Assuncao’s title aspirations, as that could avoid potential an immediate rematch and bouts that would be more interesting for the promotion, like Cruz vs. Barao or Faber. However, that’s not the outcome Assuncao expects for the next 135-pound UFC title fight.

“I have to go with Dominick,” he said. “It’s going to completely change (the bantamweight division). Dominick wins again, and what happens? That’s why MMA is fun. It changes from water to wine pretty quickly.”