Author: McKinley Noble

Dana White Confirms UFC’s Stephan Bonnar Is Retired

Stephan Bonnar has apparently fought his last fight.Prior to his loss against Anderson Silva during a light heavyweight main event at UFC 153, Bonnar had publicly stated that he might retire for good after getting his last big match.Now, UFC president …

Stephan Bonnar has apparently fought his last fight.

Prior to his loss against Anderson Silva during a light heavyweight main event at UFC 153, Bonnar had publicly stated that he might retire for good after getting his last big match.

Now, UFC president Dana White has confirmed that Bonnar is indeed retired, answering a fan-submitted question during a live online chat session hosted by Metro PCS via Ustream. White’s response was short and to the point:

“Yes, Bonnar will be retiring now.”

It seems the news also took Jon Jones by surprise, as the UFC light heavyweight champion had just taken a seat next to White before the question came up.

Jones’ reaction was similarly brief: “No way.”

Update: Bonnar has issued a farewell statement through his Facebook page, which has also been reposted on his Twitter account:

Huge thanks to every UFC fan out there! All I ever wanted was to bring ya’ll some fun…hope u were entertained. Peace, love, & violence! #ufc

Bonnar had been previously rumored for a third fight against Forrest Griffin at UFC 155, filling in as a replacement for Chael Sonnen, who left the card to coach The Ultimate Fighter opposite Jones. However, the rumor turned out to be false, as Phil Davis was later announced for the co-main event bout.

Bonnar has widely been recognized for his iron chin and strong Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, having never lost by knockout (prior to UFC 153) or submission. All but one of his losses have come at the hands of former and current UFC champions, with Bonnar facing Anderson Silva as an 8-to-1 underdog.

Noted as a tireless brawler with deep cardio, “The American Psycho” is also credited as one of only three men in the UFC to take Jon Jones to a decision.

Bonnar retires with a 15-8 mixed martial arts record and eight wins in the UFC, not counting his submission victory against Mike Swick during the first season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Even though he would eventually lose the reality TV competition to Griffin in the season finale, the highly-acclaimed fight earned Bonnar a six-figure contract with the UFC.

By acclamation alone, Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar is considered the moment that launched the Ultimate Fighting Championship into its current mainstream prominence. On the strength of that match, the finale drew a record 2.6 million viewers on Saturday, April 9th, 2005.

In the UFC’s own Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights series, Dana White and color commentator Joe Rogan respectively called Griffin vs. Bonnar the “most important” and “most significant” fight in the promotion’s history. According to SPIKE (known then as Spike TV), Griffin vs. Bonnar was—at the time—the most-watched UFC fight ever.

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Dana White: Jon Jones vs. Anderson Silva Will ‘Absolutely’ Happen

It seems the biggest super-fight in the UFC is a sure thing, no matter what.During a UFC live chat posted by Metro PCS via Ustream, UFC president Dana White reconfirmed that light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and middleweight champion Anderson Silva …

It seems the biggest super-fight in the UFC is a sure thing, no matter what.

During a UFC live chat posted by Metro PCS via Ustream, UFC president Dana White reconfirmed that light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and middleweight champion Anderson Silva would indeed face each other in the Octagon.

While answering a question from UFC fan “Herb Fu,” White reasserted his promise:

I said it in Brazil and I’ll say it again: Hell yes, they will. I guarantee you that fight will absolutely happen.

White’s statement mirrored an earlier declaration that he made during the UFC 153 post-fight press conference, when he stated that the profits made off a Jones vs. Silva main event would certainly entice both men. White made the claim while standing right next to a visibly dissonant Silva.

I know this, the Georges St-Pierre [vs. Anderson Silva] fight is a big fight. I think the Jon Jones fight is a big fight. And I know my man says, ‘no, no, no,’ but the amount of money that would be offered for that fight, I guarantee you, I will make Anderson Silva say, ‘yes, yes, yes.’

Jones and Silva are widely considered the top two pound-for-pound mixed martial artists in the world, with the latter riding a record 16-fight winning streak in the UFC and 10 successful defenses of the promotion’s middleweight championship.

MMA Fighting recently reported via Brazilian outlet Correio Braziliense that Jones admitted he didn’t want to be “the guy who beat Anderson” and further stated that he didn’t need to beat Silva to be the world’s best MMA fighter.

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Vitor Belfort: Fight with Michael Bisping Not Confirmed, ‘All Rumors’

It seems that a rumored title eliminator between Vitor Belfort and Michael Bisping isn’t official as both fighters have denied that the bout exists.Neither the UFC nor company president Dana White have said anything about the match, but Belfort recentl…

It seems that a rumored title eliminator between Vitor Belfort and Michael Bisping isn’t official as both fighters have denied that the bout exists.

Neither the UFC nor company president Dana White have said anything about the match, but Belfort recently sent a message via his Twitter feed saying that nothing has been planned yet:

I don’t have anything confirmed about fighting Bisping. It’s all rumors. When I know about it will let you guys know.

Update — It seems the rumor gained fuel off an announcement from a minor UK rumors website, causing the story to be picked up by sites Caged Insider and SporTV. In a preemptive piece, SporTV used this as their headline:

Vitor Belfort UFC schedule x Michael Bisping for January 19 in Brazil

Bisping has also denied knowledge of an upcoming fight against Belfort, openly wondering on his own Twitter account where the news was coming from.

Belfort, who came within inches of defeating UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones at UFC 152, boasts a 10-6 record in the promotion stretching back to the UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament in 1997. Belfort has gone 21-10 over his entire 16-year MMA career.

Prior to the Jones fight, Belfort’s last loss came at the hands of middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a knockout loss following a sharp front kick to the face.

Bisping also last saw action at UFC 152, with his fight against Brian Stann ending in a hard-fought decision win. Often credited as a perennial title contender, Bisping stands at 13-4 in his UFC career with a 5-1 record in his last six fights—his most recent setback coming from a controversial decision loss to Chael Sonnen during UFC on FOX 2.

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Randy Couture: UFC Will Absorb Strikeforce Just Like the WEC

Strikeforce’s days are numbered, and Randy Couture is predicting a merger much like the one that followed the closure of World Extreme Cagefighting.During a recent episode of Spike TV’s MMA Uncensored Live, the UFC Hall of Famer stated that Strikeforce…

Strikeforce’s days are numbered, and Randy Couture is predicting a merger much like the one that followed the closure of World Extreme Cagefighting.

During a recent episode of Spike TV’s MMA Uncensored Live, the UFC Hall of Famer stated that Strikeforce’s roster would likely be “cherry picked” for their best fighters, much like several WEC fighters were in 2011.

But what the six-time UFC champion doesn’t know is whether his own son, Strikeforce lightweight Ryan Couture, will get the call to the big leagues (via MMA Mania):

“I think you’re gonna see the Strikeforce guys absorbed and plucked like they did the WEC. So, then the question is, is Ryan gonna be one of those guys they want to keep, or is he gonna be one of those guys that gets cut loose? Where are we gonna go with him? The Showtime contract’s up this year, so early next year, I think you’ll see something happen.”

Ryan Couture is currently on a three-fight winning streak, with his last victory coming off a split decision win against Joe Duarte at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy last July.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has promised a January “super card” when the promotion returns in 2013, saying that champions Ronda Rousey, Luke Rockhold, and Daniel Cormier would all make appearances.

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UFC Champ Ben Henderson: ‘Zero Chance’ of Move to Welterweight

Despite his admitted difficulty in cutting down to 155 pounds, UFC lightweight champion Ben Henderson says there’s no way he’ll go up to welterweight.Henderson debunked talks of an upcoming shift in weight class via his Twitter account, answering a fan…

Despite his admitted difficulty in cutting down to 155 pounds, UFC lightweight champion Ben Henderson says there’s no way he’ll go up to welterweight.

Henderson debunked talks of an upcoming shift in weight class via his Twitter account, answering a fan who asked him about the rumor directly:

0% chance of that…RT @chrisreed2333:@BensonHenderson any truth to rumors your considering a move to welterweight

In recent interviews with Arizona Local News and Bloody Elbow, both Henderson and head coach John Crouch have regularly stated that the champion walks around at 175 pounds—just five pounds north of the cutting limit for welterweights.

Henderson also spoke to MMA Junkie about the difficulty in maintaining his diet now that he’s older, claiming that he used to eat Taco Bell while wrestling in college:

“I’m growing, but as far as maturing and getting thicker, I think I’m getting older right now, and it’s getting harder for me to lose the weight … and it’s harder for me to keep the weight off,” he said. “All these desserts aren’t helping.”

Henderson, now 28 years old, has never missed weight for a fight in the UFC or WEC. He once fought in a 160-pound catchweight bout earlier in his career, which also resulted in one of his only two losses against journeyman fighter Rocky Johnson at a regional Colorado event in 2007.

Riding a perfect 5-0 UFC record with two championship victories against Frankie Edgar, Henderson will make his second title defense against Nate Diaz on Dec. 8 at UFC on Fox 5.

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Rampage Jackson Turned Down TUF Coaching Spot Opposite Chael Sonnen

Don’t like the idea of UFC champion Jon Jones coaching against Chael Sonnen on The Ultimate Fighter? It could’ve been a lot different.Before Jones was called up to headline the show against Sonnen, Quinton Jackson apparently got the call first but turn…

Don’t like the idea of UFC champion Jon Jones coaching against Chael Sonnen on The Ultimate Fighter? It could’ve been a lot different.

Before Jones was called up to headline the show against Sonnen, Quinton Jackson apparently got the call first but turned it down. As “Rampage” revealed to MMA Fighting, he simply wasn’t interested in TUF and was even less thrilled about fighting Sonnen:

“Forget TUF,” Jackson told MMAFighting.com on Thursday. “I’m not interested in that.”

“I don’t want to fight Chael. He’s the kind of fighter that I don’t want to fight. He’s a boring fighter that just wants to hump people.”

Jackson has coached on TUF twice before during Season 7 and Season 10, the latter dubbed as the “Heavyweights” edition starring Kimbo Slice and Roy Nelson. Each stint ended with disastrous results.

Team Rampage went 2-6 in first-round matches during Season 7, with Team Forrest’s Amir Sadollah eventually winning the finals. In Season 10, Team Rampage pulled a 1-7 record in first-round matches against Team Evans, with only former NFL player Marcus Jones making to the semifinals before losing by knockout to Brendan Schaub.

Rampage has recently been calling out Forest Griffin, Mauricio Rua and Glover Teixeira, while dismissing fights with Phil Davis and Chael Sonnen as “boring” options.

Sonnen recently went to Twitter in response to public criticism from Rampage, saying that it was difficult to hear the former UFC champion “all the way from the bottom of his pit of obscurity.”

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