Author: McKinley Noble

UFC 161 Gets Renan Barao vs. Eddie Wineland as Main Event for June 15

After just a few days of fight announcements, we have a main event for the upcoming UFC 161 card in Winnipeg’s MTS Centre.ESPN’s Brett Okamoto has confirmed that the headliner will be a title fight starring none other than the promotion’s interim …

After just a few days of fight announcements, we have a main event for the upcoming UFC 161 card in Winnipeg’s MTS Centre.

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto has confirmed that the headliner will be a title fight starring none other than the promotion’s interim bantamweight champion, Renan Barao:

This will be Barao’s second defense of his interim title, following a successful first run against top contender Michael McDonald at UFC on Fuel 7 in London’s Wembley Arena.

Before his bout with McDonald, Barao had caused a minor dust-up with UFC president Dana White by stating that he intended to wait for current bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz to recover from a string of knee surgeries (via Bloody Elbow).

However, Cruz’s timetable for a return to the Octagon is still uncertain, although White stated (via MMA Junkie) that the champion would likely have to retire before the UFC stripped him of his title.

With the latest fight announcement, here’s the UFC 161 card as it stands:

• Renan Barao vs. Eddie Wineland
• Dan Henderson vs. Rashad Evans
• Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Maurício Rua
• Jake Shields vs. Tyron Woodley
• Soa Palelei vs. Stipe Miocic

Wineland, a former WEC champion, will enter the match coming off back-to-back wins against Brad Pickett and Scott Jorgensen, the latter being a “Fight of the Night” bonus winner from UFC on FX 3.

Barao aims to continue winning and eventually head toward a title unification bout with Cruz, as the interim champion currently rides an impressive 31-fight unbeaten streak—his only loss coming in his professional MMA debut over seven years ago.

Update: UFC Canada’s official Twitter account has additionally confirmed Barao vs. Wineland as the UFC 161 main event. While the other matches on the pay-per-view have been reported, each have yet to be set in stone, so the card order will likely be set up in the coming weeks.

 

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and tech writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld, PC World, 1UP, NVision, The Los Angeles Times, FightFans Radio, MMA Mania and Bleacher Report. Talk with him on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman Title Fight Agreed for UFC Event on July 6

Middleweight contender Chris Weidman has been actively lobbying for a title shot against middleweight champion Anderson Silva, and it looks like he just might get that chance.All we need now is an official UFC announcement.In advance of that usual matc…

Middleweight contender Chris Weidman has been actively lobbying for a title shot against middleweight champion Anderson Silva, and it looks like he just might get that chance.

All we need now is an official UFC announcement.

In advance of that usual matchmaking formality, Newsday Sports‘ Mark La Monica has confirmed the bout via Twitter by way of UFC chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta:

 

That report was also confirmed by MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani not long afterward, with the specific date targeted for July 6:

 

Out of a long line of potential contenders, Weidman is effectively the last man standing for Silva, despite his relatively light MMA record and recent string of injuries.

In just the past six months alone, the undefeated NCAA All-American wrestler has endured both an elbow surgery (via MMA Fighting) and a shoulder surgery (via MMA Junkie), keeping him from the Octagon for several months.

By the time Weidman steps into the Octagon to face Silva, he’ll be facing a little under a year of ring rust, while Silva will be relatively fresher after his UFC 153 bout last October.

With potential contenders Michael Bisping, Hector Lombard, Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, and even Rashad Evans either riding losses or seeking fights in other division, UFC president Dana White signaled just last February that Weidman was the only option left for Silva.

That also comes on the heels of failed negotiations for an Anderson Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre superfight, as both fighters’ camps couldn’t agree on a fair weight limit for the match. Instead, GSP will face Nick Diaz at UFC 158 in Montreal’s Bell Centre.

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TUF 17, Episode 7 Recap: Clint Hester vs. Jimmy Quinlan Ends Via Submission

Another match, another surprising upset by an underdog fighter.After the sixth bout of this season’s Team Sonnen vs. Team Jones competition on The Ultimate Fighter, Clint Hester joins Bubba McDaniel and Tor Troeng on the “shocking upset” list as Jimmy …

Another match, another surprising upset by an underdog fighter.

After the sixth bout of this season’s Team Sonnen vs. Team Jones competition on The Ultimate Fighter, Clint Hester joins Bubba McDaniel and Tor Troeng on the “shocking upset” list as Jimmy Quinlan nets a solid victory for his crew.

There’s quite a bit that happened this week, so let’s get to the recap.

(Read the full episode play-by-play here.)

• Plenty of MMA fans like to complain about the poor quality in MMA judging, but tonight was a clear case of the first round score depending on how you rate takedowns. From the opening bell, Quinlan had no problem taking down Hester over and over, including some really impressive slams.

• However, the takedowns were really the extent of Quinlan’s offense, as he mostly held on to double-leg and single-leg attempts while Hester hit him with big elbows and short punches. Even Chael Sonnen himself said that Hester probably won the first round, which is pretty honest.

• Fortunately for Quinlan, it’s nearly impossible to score a knockout blow while grappling, and the minute he took Hester’s back, his game suddenly opened up. Even with the cage fence helping him stay off his back, Hester was lost on the ground, eventually giving up his back and tapping out to a rear-naked choke in the second round.

• That’s another major blow to Team Jones, and for Jon Jones himself. It had to be especially distressing to see his No. 1 pick get beaten in the first round brackets. If Dylan Andrew doesn’t do something spectacular in his upcoming match against Zak Cummings, this season’s next set of fights is going to be pretty lopsided in Team Sonnen‘s favor.

Team Jones:

1. Clint Hester (7-3)
2. Josh Samman (9-2)
3. Robert “Bubba” McDaniel (20-6)
4. Gilbert Smith Jr. (5-1)
5. Collin Hart (4-1-1)
6. Adam Cella (4-0)
7. Dylan Andrews (16-4-1)

Team Sonnen:

1. Luke Barnatt (5-0)
2. Uriah Hall (7-2)
3. Zak Cummings (15-3)
4. Tor Troeng (15-4-1)
5. Jimmy Quinlan (3-0)
6. Kevin Casey (5-2)
7. Kelvin Gastelum (5-0)

[Note: Winners are in bold, losers are scratched off the list and the next competitors’ names are in italics.]

• Man, it must suck to be Uriah Hall. Judging by the editing, he’s pretty much turned himself into the house pariah, and it’s not going to get any easier for him as the season goes on. But maybe that’s not really the case. He seems pretty happy sitting in the crowd at UFC events.

• Is it just me, or does it seem weird that the coaches’ challenge involves driving a big, huge destructive vehicle? That just screams “horrible accident waiting to happen”—especially with Jones behind the wheel.

• Nah, I’m kidding. Jones should be fine under supervision.

• Still looks dangerous though. Not kidding.

• Honestly, it’s been so long that I don’t even remember how Dylan Andrews looked in the qualifying rounds to get into the TUF house. It couldn’t have been anything special, since he was picked dead-last.

• With that last fight in the bag, it’s going to be interesting to see who gets picked for the wild card. Both Sonnen and Jones get to make one pick, and the general assumption is that Jones will choose his training buddy, Bubba McDaniel. Given how he lost, Bubba arguably doesn’t deserve it, but maybe that’s what the big twist is about. For Team Sonnen, it’s a toss-up between Kevin Casey or Tor Troeng—both of them have major drawbacks.

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The Ultimate Fighter 17, Ep. 7 Live Play-by-Play: Clint Hester vs. Jimmy Quinlan

Season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter continues Tuesday at 9 p.m. PT/ET on FX with the middleweight tournament between Team Jon Jones and Team Chael Sonnen—and we’re getting into the home stretch.With season villain Josh Samman scoring…

Season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter continues Tuesday at 9 p.m. PT/ET on FX with the middleweight tournament between Team Jon Jones and Team Chael Sonnen—and we’re getting into the home stretch.

With season villain Josh Samman scoring an upset, knockout win over Team Sonnen’s Tor Troeng in Episode 6, things are set for Team Jones to even up the score with three wins apiece.

(Check out the full list of competitors and team rosters.)

In order to do that, Clint Hester must put his powerful striking to the test against a stylistic challenge in undefeated grappler Jimmy Quinlan.

As Jon Jones’ No. 1 pick, the matchup seems expected to move Hester along safely to the next round of the competition—but Chael Sonnen thinks otherwise.

In last week’s episode, Sonnen made reference to Quinlan’s ground game and how it gives him an immense tactical advantage. Will that make the difference and increase Team Sonnen’s lead?

UPDATE: Check out the full episode recap and results right over here, with full impressions and thoughts on the Clint Hester vs. Jimmy Quinlan fight.

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Report: Dan Henderson vs. Rashad Evans Planned for UFC 161 Event in Winnipeg

Two former light heavyweight champions are reportedly being lined up for a headliner in Canada, as Dan Henderson may face Rashad Evans at a future UFC event in Winnipeg on June 15.According to GracieMag, sources close to the situation have informed&nbs…

Two former light heavyweight champions are reportedly being lined up for a headliner in Canada, as Dan Henderson may face Rashad Evans at a future UFC event in Winnipeg on June 15.

According to GracieMag, sources close to the situation have informed TATAME that match is expected to main-event the card.

Henderson and Evans seem to have made verbal agreements for the bout, with both men recently tasting defeat in their last Octagon performances.

Sportsnet’s Joe Ferraro also confirmed that the event will be hosted at the MTS Centre, the current home of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets:

 

Sportsnet additionally reports that the MTS Centre’s parent company, True North Sports and Entertainment, will be hosting a press conference on Tuesday morning at 10:30 a.m. MT “to announce ‘a major sporting event.'”

Typically, the UFC has taken to hosting three events in Canada each year since 2010, with their most frequent stop being Montreal’s Bell Centre.

Assumedly, this will be labeled as UFC 161, the promotion’s second 2013 pay-per-view card in Canada following UFC 158, headlined by Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz.

Prior rumors about a match between Evans and Mauricio Rua were previously shot down by UFC president Dana White, who told UFC Tonight (via MMA Junkie) that he intended for “Suga” to face “Hendo” instead.

Now firmly on the outside of the title mix, Henderson will look to recover from a close decision loss at UFC 157 to former light heavyweight champion—and current No. 1 contender—Lyoto Machida. Blackzilians leader Evans returns off a decision loss of his own from UFC 156, coming at the hands of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

 

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and tech writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld, PC World, 1UP, NVision, The Los Angeles Times, FightFans Radio, MMA Mania and Bleacher Report. Talk with him on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC’s Miesha Tate Tweets Dana White, Wants Boyfriend Bryan Caraway’s Bonus Money

Despite losing a razor-thin split decision at UFC on Fuel 8 against Takeya Mizugaki, bantamweight Bryan Caraway isn’t letting his win bonus go so easily.At least, not if his more famous girlfriend has anything to say about it.That would be none other t…

Despite losing a razor-thin split decision at UFC on Fuel 8 against Takeya Mizugaki, bantamweight Bryan Caraway isn’t letting his win bonus go so easily.

At least, not if his more famous girlfriend has anything to say about it.

That would be none other than former Strikeforce champion Miesha Tate, who cornered Caraway in a losing effort during last Saturday’s card at the Saitama Super Arena.

In a recent Twitter message to Dana White, Tate asked the UFC president to award Caraway his bonus money, calling the judges’ decision a “BS” move:

Out of the three judges who evaluated the bout, Junichiro Kamijo and Chris Watts gave Mizugaki a 29-28 scorecard, deciding that the Japanese fighter had won both the first and third rounds (via MMA Decisions).

Tate’s corner advice also drew some online heat from fans, as she reportedly told Caraway to “coast” for a decision during the third round.

That tactic evidently didn’t work as planned, because Mizugaki managed to land a major flurry of strikes to seal a close victory.

Despite three UFC appearances, Caraway is most famous for a March 2012 incident where he threatened Ronda Rousey on Twitter, claiming a desire to “knock her teeth down her throat” and “break her arm” (via Bloody Elbow).

That altercation started off with Caraway calling Rousey an “unintelligent bimbo” in the lead-up to her challenge for Tate’s then-Strikeforce championship.

But an aggressive Rousey gave as good as she got.

Shortly after the initial trash talk, “Rowdy” told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani (via The MMA Hour) that she could certainly beat the infamous Caraway in an MMA fight.

Of course I can, dude. Who is [Caraway]? You never heard of him if it wasn’t for Miesha. He’s just some dude. He’s not even like a legit fighter. He’s just some random guy that likes fighting.

Overall, Caraway apparently hasn’t had the best luck enhancing his own name value.

Moreover, his loss to Mizugaki also ended a three-fight winning streak, knocking the Team Alpha Male bantamweight down the 135-pound rankings. However, the competitive bout was a definite crowd-pleaser, so Caraway will likely avoid the cut list and eventually be signed for another UFC event.

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