Author: Guilherme Cruz

The list of challengers at the UFC light heavyweight division isn’t very long anymore, and Jon Jones could be heading up to heavyweight soon.

The UFC 205-pound kingpin, who defeated Daniel Cormier by decision at Saturday night’s UFC 182 main event, once again hinted about moving up to heavyweight for new challenges, including taking a fight with UFC champion Cain Velasquez “in a heartbeat”. However, there’s another titleholder targeting him.

Right after the Jones-Cormier fight in Las Vegas, interim heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum tweeted that it was a good fight, but…

@JonnyBones good fight tonight against @dc_mma but better you stay there at your division. #vaicavalo @danawhite

— Fabricio Werdum (@FabricioWerdum) 4 janeiro 2015

“He’s the one who started all this, saying he would fight me every day,” Werdum told MMAFighting.com. “If he wants to fight me every day, he should come to Kings MMA and spar with me.”

During a UFC media day in November, Jones talked about facing “Vai Cavalo” at heavyweight.

“There are definitely a lot of heavyweights that I know I would beat,” Jones said. “A lot of heavyweights that could give me a hell of a run or possibly beat me. I keep it real. I’m smaller than these guys.”

“A guy like Werdum, I would fight him every day, all day,” Jones continued. “Why? Because he’s not the biggest guy. But the heavyweights I believe would give me the hardest time are the big ones. Not necessarily the better skilled ones — just the bigger ones. You shoot in and they sprawl out on you, that’s going to take a lot of energy to finish that shot, you know what I mean?”

Is Jones willing to fight Werdum every day or just once? Because “Vai Cavalo” says is ready for both ideas.

“If you want to fight me every day, come to Kings MMA. We’ll spar every day, all day, with no time limit for a week, a month, until one quits. If you want to fight me every day, that’s how it’s going to work,” Werdum said. “When we have a visitor that talks too much trash, we do sparring sessions with no time limit, until someone quits. Old-school MMA.”

“But if you want to fight me, we can talk to the UFC and do this superfight,” he continued. “Heavyweight, catchweight, anything.”

BARUERI, Brazil — Three-time jiu-jitsu absolute world champion Marcus Almeida, as known as “Buchecha”, discusses his desire to become a mixed martial artist and training at American Kickboxing Academy with UFC stars Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier, and broke down their upcoming title fights with Fabricio Werdum and Jon Jones.

Mairbek Taisumov has a new opponent for his return to Sweden.

The Russian lightweight, originally scheduled to meet Tyan Cabral at the UFC on FOX 14 card in Stockholm on Jan. 24, now meets UFC newcomer Anthony Christodoulou. UFC announced the change Tuesday.

Cabral told MMAFighting.com he suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee and will likely need to undergo surgery.

Fresh off a 61-second knockout victory over Marcin Bandel at Sweden’s UFC Fight Night 53 in October, Taisumov (22-5) returns to the cage looking for his third win under the UFC banner.

Christodoulou (12-4) makes his promotional debut after winning 12 of his past 13 bouts. His only loss since 2011 came against fellow UFC lightweight Yosdenis Cedeno.

UFC on FOX 14 takes place at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, featuring a light heavyweight showdown between Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson in the main event.

Alexander Gustafsson vs. Anthony Johnson
Dan Henderson vs. Gegard Mousasi
Phil Davis vs. Ryan Bader
Akira Corassani vs. Sam Sicilia
Nico Musoke vs. Albert Tumenov
Sultan Aliev vs. Kenny Robertson
Andy Ogle vs. Makwan Amirkhani
Stanislav Nedkov vs. Nikita Krylov
Mairbek Taisumov vs. Anthony Christodoulou
Konstantin Erokhin vs. Viktor Pesta
Mirsad Bektic vs. Alan Omer
Neil Seery vs. Chris Beal

ONE FC has a superfight in the horizon, but one of the champions has his demands.

Bibiano Fernandes and Shinya Aoki, ONE FC bantamweight and lightweight titleholders, respectively, are interested in competing against each other inside the cage in 2015.

“It would be a great fight,” Fernandes told MMAFighting.com. “Everybody talks about this fight, especially in Asia. I’m here to work. I train hard to go there and fight anyone. I would fight him, I would fight anyone.”

In a recent interview to MMA Weekly, Aoki said he would agree to go back to featherweight for a fight against Fernandes, a former DREAM bantamweight and featherweight champion.

“If ONE FC wants me to fight Bibiano Fernandes at 145 pounds then I think that would be a very attractive fight,” Aoki said. “He is a champion and I respect him.”

“I do not want to give up my belt, but if ONE FC allows me to go to 145 pounds again for one fight before I defend my title next then I am happy to face Fernandes. Maybe he would be the best BJJ fighter I have ever faced in MMA, but Vitor Ribeiro was also a great fighter.”

Fernandes is all in for the challenge, but there’s a catch.

“If they could do a catchweight, like 140 pounds, and I would fight him,” Fernandes said.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu expect, who is 9-0 since cutting down to 135 pounds in 2011, feels Aoki would have too much advantage if they fought at 145 pounds.

“He’s too big, has a bigger reach, so I would fight him at 140 pounds,” Fernandes said. “I wouldn’t fight him at 145 pounds. At 140, I would take it right away.”

Two new match-ups were added to the upcoming UFC Fight Night 61 card in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on Feb. 22, including the return of top ranked bantamweight Iuri Alcantara.

Coming off three straight wins inside the Octagon, Alcantara is set to face Frankie Saenz. Combate first reported the bout.

“Marajo” (32-5, 1 no-contest) gets back in action after going 3-0 in 2014. Since dropping a decision to Urijah Faber in 2013, the Brazilian bantamweight scored decision wins over Wilson Reis and Russell Doane and dispatched Vaughan Lee in 25 seconds.

Saenz (8-2) made his UFC debut in August, defeating Nolan Ticman via unanimous decision. Before joining the UFC, Saenz went 7-2 in the regional circuit, winning and defending the King of the Cage championship.

The second bout added to the card features Tiago dos Santos making his featherweight debut against Mike de la Torre, according to a report by Portal do Vale Tudo.

dos Santos (20-4-1, 1 no-contest), a former Jungle Fight lightweight champion, will cut down to 145 pounds after defeating lightweight Akbarh Arreola in his UFC debut via unanimous decision. The Brazilian fighter enters the bout riding an 11-fight winning streak.

de la Torre (12-4, 1 no-contest) has his back against the wall after going winless in his first two UFC fights. “El Cucuy”, who suffered a split decision loss to Mark Bocek in April, was choked out by Brian Ortega in July, but the result was overturned to a no contest after Ortega tested positive for drostanolone.

Headlined by Rashad Evans vs. Glover Teixeira, UFC Fight Night 61 takes place at the Gigantinho Gymnasium on Feb. 22.

• Rashad Evans vs. Glover Teixeira
• Edson Barboza vs. Michael Johnson
• Cezar Ferreira vs. Sam Alvey
• Adriano Martins vs. Rustam Khabilov
• Iuri Alcantara vs. Frankie Saenz
• William Macario vs. Matt Dwyer
• Wendell de Oliveira vs. T.J. Waldburger
• Tiago dos Santos vs. Mike de la Torre
• Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Sean Strickland
• Ivan Jorge vs. Josh Shockley

The UFC will make its sixth trip to Rio de Janeiro on March 21, but this time it won’t be for a pay-per-view show.

After hosting five pay-per-view events in the “Marvelous City”, the UFC will return to Rio for a Fight Night event in March. The card is already being advertized on Hotel Urbano, company that sells tickets for the UFC in Brazil, and MMAFighting.com has confirmed that the show will take place at the Macanazinho gymnasium.

The most recent trip to Rio de Janeiro took place Oct. 25, when Jose Aldo defended his featherweight title against Chad Mendes. Aldo also headlined two other events in the city, defeating Chan Sung Jung and Chad Mendes. Anderson Silva headlined the other pay-per-view cards in Rio, scoring finishes over Yushin Okami and Stephan Bonnar.

Less than a month prior to UFC Fight Night 63, the promotion will visit Porto Alegre, Brazil, for UFC Fight Night 61 on Feb. 22. Former champion Rashad Evans faces Glover Teixeira in the main event.