Don’t expect everyone to sit around a campfire singing “Kum By Ya” to the UFC’s recently announced seven-year deal with Fox. According to UFC President Dana White, ESPN canceled a promotional interview for UFC 134 that was scheduled for the week of the…
Don’t expect everyone to sit around a campfire singing “Kum By Ya” to the UFC’s recently announced seven-year deal with Fox.
According to UFC President Dana White, ESPN canceled a promotional interview for UFC 134 that was scheduled for the week of the event.
The cancellation comes on the heels of a major network deal that promises to bring UFC programming and live events to Fox, FX and Fuel TV.
“ESPN always hated us and now they hate us more now that we are on Fox,” White posted on Twitter. “They canceled my [interview] next week for UFC Rio. [Expletive] ESPN.”
UFC 134 will take place on August 27 at HSBC Arena in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The event marks the second time the promotion has put on a show in Brazil since UFC 17.5: Ultimate Brazil in 1998. With such a star-studded cast on a historic venue, UFC 134 is expected to be one of the biggest cards of the year.
Anderson Silva, who is arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, will defend his UFC middleweight title against top 185-pound contender Yushin Okami.
The co-main event features a rematch between former light heavyweight champions Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Forrest Griffin.
ESPN officials could not be reached for comment.
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for more on this unfolding story.
In the history of the sport of MMA, there has never been a spectacle quite like Brock Lesnar. The former UFC heavyweight champion has garnered interest from multiple fan bases predominantly due to his physical stature and two-year stint in World Wrestl…
In the history of the sport of MMA, there has never been a spectacle quite like Brock Lesnar.
The former UFC heavyweight champion has garnered interest from multiple fan bases predominantly due to his physical stature and two-year stint in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
When he made his UFC debut against Frank Mir in February 2008, the vast majority of MMA fans saw Lesnar as a circus act attempting to cash in on a big payday, but public opinion quickly changed after watching the 265-pound behemoth pummel Mir before succumbing to a knee bar.
After his loss to Mir, Lesnar finished out 2008 by defeating Heath Herring and topping the legendary Randy Couture for the heavyweight title.
He received a rematch with Mir in the main event of UFC 100. In convincing fashion, Lesnar picked up where he left off in their first meeting and punished Mir with ground-and-pound for two rounds before the TKO stoppage.
If there were any doubts about Lesnar, they were certainly cleared up after the Mir fight. Despite being a former WWE superstar, Lesnar proved himself as a reigning and defending UFC heavyweight champion.
The proof would continue at UFC 116, where Lesnar faced Shane Carwin in literally the biggest heavyweight bout in UFC history.
After a rough first round, the former Minnesota Golden Gopher rebounded in the second by securing a takedown and finishing with an arm triangle.
With his enormous size and wrestling prowess, an aura of invincibility began to form around Lesnar as his next opponent, Cain Velasquez, was subject to more doubt than the Bush administration.
Despite being the much smaller opponent, Velasquez tore Lesnar to pieces in a violent, one-round affair that crowned a new champion at UFC 121.
Nearly a year after the loss to Velasquez and major surgery for Lesnar’s second case of diverticulitis, fans are left to ponder about Lesnar’s future in the sport.
Will he ever return to form? Do people even care?
Contrary to the opinions of a select few, the curtains shrouding the spectacle that is Brock Lesnar are far from closing.
Despite nearly a yearlong hiatus, Lesnar is still the most talked-about fighter in all of MMA. It’s like he never left. His face is still plastered on the covers of magazines, and he still commands a good chunk of attention in the MMA media headlines.
As for a competitive future, some have been a bit hasty in writing Lesnar off. Even though he is 34 years of age and a former world champion, Lesnar is still a babe in the sport.
With only seven fights on his professional record, he has defeated three former world champions and tied the record for most consecutive heavyweight title defenses (2).
While most heavyweights are generally eased into facing elite-level opposition, Lesnar hadn’t even eclipsed five professional bouts before he was facing the likes of Couture, Mir, and Herring.
There is still plenty to like about what Lesnar brings to the table as a fighter. A former NCAA Division I Wrestling Champion, Lesnar is a gifted grappler with freakish conditioning.
As always, there is plenty to improve on, but with more experience, Lesnar will have the opportunity to shore up holes in his overall game.
Could that mean another run at the UFC title?
It’s going to be tough with monsters like Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos leading the division, but with continued improvement Lesnar should at least be able to sustain his status as a perennial contender in the ever-growing UFC heavyweight division.
Carlos Condit is in a great place right now. Outside of former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz, Condit is the hottest welterweight contender in the world. He is coming off a string of devastating KO and TKO wins over Rory MacDonald, Dan Hardy and Dong H…
Carlos Condit is in a great place right now.
Outside of former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz, Condit is the hottest welterweight contender in the world.
He is coming off a string of devastating KO and TKO wins over Rory MacDonald, Dan Hardy and Dong Hyun Kim.
The wins have been more than enough to put Condit over as the next contender for Georges St-Pierre’s UFC title, but the promotion has instead opted for a superfight between the French Canadian and Diaz at UFC 137.
Despite being passed up for a title shot, Condit’s work hasn’t gone unnoticed. He is expected to serve in the co-main event of the UFC 137 main card against MMA legend and former two-division champion B.J. Penn.
A win over Penn would add a major name to Condit’s résumé
While Condit is more focused on his bout with Penn, he will also be eyeing the St-Pierre and Diaz fight. St-Pierre is a teammate of Condit’s at Greg Jackson’s MMA, but the former WEC champion has already stated that the two have no qualms about facing off in the center of the octagon for a world title.
In the video above, Condit goes into detail about Penn and a possible title shot. He also gives his early prediction for St-Pierre versus Diaz.
MMA prospect Charles Oliveira’s job appears to be safe in the UFC. Sources close to the promotion informed MMAJunkie that the 21-year-old lightweight has signed a new four-fight deal. The deal has already been verbally agreed upon, and the finer points…
MMA prospect Charles Oliveira’s job appears to be safe in the UFC.
Sources close to the promotion informed MMAJunkie that the 21-year-old lightweight has signed a new four-fight deal.
The deal has already been verbally agreed upon, and the finer points are expected to be ironed out by next week.
Oliveira was thought to be on the chopping block after his first round TKO loss to Donald Cerrone at UFC on Versus 5.
Despite showing tremendous potential as a future star in the 155-pound division, “Do Bronx” is coming off a string of disappointing bouts. Before losing to Cerrone, Jim Miller at UFC 124 submitted him and an illegal knee caused his UFC on Versus 4 win over Nik Lentz to be overturned to a no contest.
Even with the minor setbacks, there is still a myriad of hype surrounding Oliveira.
His camp has talked about dropping to the featherweight division, but at such a young age, it could be difficult for a growing Oliveira to make weight.
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will have to put in some work for a chance to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight title. UFC president Dana White recently told Fighters Only that the former champion was “probably” two wins away from another title shot. After defea…
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will have to put in some work for a chance to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight title.
UFC president Dana White recently told Fighters Only that the former champion was “probably” two wins away from another title shot.
After defeating Lyoto Machida for the title in May 2010, Shogun was unsuccessful in his first defense against light heavyweight phenom Jon Jones.
Lately, it seems the UFC has become more open to immediate rematches and quick turnarounds for former champions looking to get back into title contention, but White doesn’t see every situation the same way. Former champions aren’t guaranteed easy rematches.
“In boxing, you see a guy get an immediate rematch after losing a belt. But for us, we’ve got guys who work their way up and are next in line, and guys that have to get back in line to get another shot at the title,” said White.
Shogun’s journey of redemption begins at UFC 134, when he meets former foe Forrest Griffin. In his UFC debut at UFC 76, Shogun was submitted by Griffin in the third round with a late rear naked choke.
It was one of the biggest wins of Griffin’s career, and it helped propel him into becoming a world champion.
While Shogun is more focused on Griffin than a title shot, White is already looking towards the future, and upcoming performances could play a major role in the 205-pound pecking order.
“There is no doubt that Shogun is one of the best in the world,” White said. “He is probably two fights away from being considered [for a title bout] again. But then you’ve got to see how the fights go. There’s a lot of factors that come into play.”
Move over Rashad Evans. Dan Henderson wants a UFC title shot.The Strikeforce light heavyweight champion recently sat down in an interview on MMAWeekly Radio to talk about big money fights and a unification bout to determine an undisputed champion.Outsi…
Move over Rashad Evans. Dan Henderson wants a UFC title shot.
The Strikeforce light heavyweight champion recently sat down in an interview on MMAWeekly Radio to talk about big money fights and a unification bout to determine an undisputed champion.
Outside of a signed contract agreement, one of Henderson’s primary hurdles is former UFC champion Evans, who guaranteed his position as No. 1 contender with a UFC 133 win over Tito Ortiz.
“I think the biggest fight they could promote is probably a title unification with whoever is the champ in the UFC,” said Henderson. “I think for them to utilize the best potential to make money for everybody, I think they’d have to have Rashad wait it out one more fight.”
Evans has done plenty of waiting. His bout with Ortiz was his first in 13 months due to rehabbing a laundry list of injuries.
Henderson does make a few valid points. The general public is infatuated with champion versus champion bouts. Georges St-Pierre’s upcoming UFC 137 bout against Nick Diaz is a surefire blockbuster, and Henderson is simply hoping to follow suit.
Henderson is coming off an impressive first-round TKO win over fellow legend and former Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko.
With that said, Evans has major history with light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and title contender Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, who are expected to do battle in the headliner of UFC 135.
Is Henderson versus Jones or Jackson more appealing than Evans facing one of the two?
“I’m ready to fight, and I think I’m a valuable asset to make money with also, and the [UFC] knows that,” Henderson said. “I’m not worried about what’s going to happen. I’d like to try and fight in December. Take another month off or so and get back to training.”
Whether Henderson challenges for a UFC title in his next outing or not, the 41-year-old legend isn’t slowing down anytime soon, which only adds to the anticipation of potential super-fights down the road.
Don’t expect everyone to sit around a campfire singing “Kum By Ya” to the UFC’s recently announced seven-year deal with Fox.