The WWE universe might have been a bit shocked to see Brock Lesnar in the stands at UFC 146 on Saturday night in Las Vegas. It got many wondering, is Lesnar going to return to the UFC?The presence of Lesnar at the event was enough to get reporters aski…
The WWE universe might have been a bit shocked to see Brock Lesnar in the stands at UFC 146 on Saturday night in Las Vegas. It got many wondering, is Lesnar going to return to the UFC?
The presence of Lesnar at the event was enough to get reporters asking the question to UFC President Dana White after the event.
MMAWeekly.com reports that White was asked why Lesnar was at the fights, to which he responded, “I don’t know, apparently now he’s a big fan.”
“He was here; I think that says it all.” White was reportedly smiling while saying this.
The most intriguing part of the report came when a comeback was brought up to White,
When asked directly if Lesnar was contemplating a comeback to fighting, White admitted that he hadn’t talked with him about a return but answered ‘possibly, yeah’ when discussing a potential MMA rebirth for the one time heavyweight champion.
This situation might get very interesting, especially considering that White said that Lesnar had texted him to meet up and talk after the post-fight press conference on Saturday night.
Lesnar appeared at the event that showcased a number of fighters that he competed with while in the UFC. Might he have been there to simply watch the fights or scout them as a part of a comeback?
Is it possible that he returns to the UFC while still a part of the WWE?
It will be interesting to know if there was a clause in his contract with the WWE prohibiting from fighting in the UFC while still under contract with the WWE. It would create some incredible storylines, however.
Nevertheless, if Lesnar is contemplating a return, it would be extremely difficult to train and fulfill the obligations of both organizations. After his contract is up around WrestleMania, if he is not yet back in the UFC by then, Lesnar might be able to give a comeback a bit more thought.
It had to be tempting sitting in the crowd and seeing the heavyweight belt around the waist of someone else and not being able to do anything about it.
It seems as though there could certainly be a return happening in the future.
After all, Lesnar appears to have no problem leaving an organization and coming back for more.
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson battled Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall for three full rounds in the first flyweight match in UFC history. McCall decided to prematurely celebrate with less than ten seconds remaining and it might have cost hi…
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson battled Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall for three full rounds in the first flyweight match in UFC history.
McCall decided to prematurely celebrate with less than ten seconds remaining and it might have cost him the victory, as the judges scored the fight in Johnson’s favor.
After McCall dominated the third round, he flattened Johnson out in the final seconds of the third round. The animated McCall played to the crowd with Johnson down. While he raised his arms to pump up the crowd, he sacrificed some strikes that might have ended the match.
It looked as though referee John Sharp was about to stop the match on a couple occasions while McCall pounded on Johnson. The two breaks to play to the crowd, however, seemed to break the momentum that McCall was building. This might have ultimately been the reason that Sharp did not call the fight.
The crowd let their voices be heard as they filled the stadium with boos after the split decision was awarded to Johnson.
Although it was controversial, Johnson fought a very tough fight. He looked to win the first round outright. The second round could have gone either way, but it looked like McCall took it. The third clearly went to McCall.
Johnson fought for a full 15 minutes and was awarded with the victory. Unfortunately for McCall, his antics with mere seconds remaining could have cost him a chance at history.
The first UFC on FOX was a huge disappointment, even though it was the most-watched MMA event in the United States.Although it was a big fight, it was nothing more than a publicity stunt. A FOX telecast that included one fight is not much of an ev…
The first UFC on FOX was a huge disappointment, even though it was the most-watched MMA event in the United States.
Although it was a big fight, it was nothing more than a publicity stunt.
A FOX telecast that included one fight is not much of an event.
To MMA fans, it was apparent that the direction of the first FOX telecast was to gain new viewers. A 64-second knockout was certainly exciting, but all of the hype for one merely one fight was a bit much.
The UFC on FOX 2 offered three fights to the mainstream audiences that had the potential to make the first FOX event a distant memory. The second mainstream event set up future fights but fell a bit short overall.
Just ask the crowd at the United Center in Chicago on Saturday night.
The final three fights of the night, the ones that were televised on FOX, all were serenaded by boo’s from the 17,425 fans in attendance. At one point or another in each fight, the crowd let the fighters know what they thought of their performances.
Although the fights could have been better, I do think the crowd could have waited in some instances to voice their opinions. In some of the fights, though, they had reason to be short-tempered.
The first fight, Demian Maia vs. Chris Weidman, saw two exhausted fighters woefully flail for three rounds. Weidman, who accepted the fight only 11 days prior, came out victorious by unanimous decision. A decision that I completely agreed with.
He might have fought the hardest of any of the main card fighters in the event. Even though he was not well-prepared and struggled with cutting weight, he fought through it and did enough to beat the heavily-favored Maia.
The second fight was a three-round, No. 1 contender bout in the middleweight division. This was easily the best fight of the night on FOX.
Chael Sonnen faced Michael Bisping in a fight to decide who would face Anderson Silva for the middleweight title.
The two fighters started the first round slowly. It was a very even first five minutes that could have gone either way.
Bisping looked to win the second round but came up short in the third round. Sonnen looked to be in complete control in the final round. Some speculated that Sonnen might have even won the round 10-8.
When the judges revealed their decisions, a draw was a real possibility because of the final round. Listening to Joe Rogan, the television audience would have assumed Bisping won.
Although it was close, I do not think it was as clear-cut as Rogan called it. The judges disagreed with Rogan, giving Sonnen the title shot with a unanimous win. Bisping went down with a valiant effort and almost pulled off the win as the underdog.
Sonnen provided the most entertaining part of the night when he spoke in the Octagon after the fight.
Joe Rogan, tonight is not for questions for me. This night is your night, brother. I want to know how you feel being only inches away from greatness. I want you to tell everybody how it feels. Are you not mesmerized? Do you not have chills going up your spine? For the first time on FOX, for you to be here in Chael’s octagon on Chael’s channel holding Chael’s microphone interviewing Chael.
Rogan, who probably should have predicted a non-conventional interview, replied, “I’m pretty excited.” Sonnen responded,
While you’re thinking about that, remember this: When you’re the greatest fighter in the world today, they got a name for you. They don’t call you a great fighter. They call you Chael Sonnen. Beat me if you can.
That is what we have come to expect from Sonnen. Either way, perhaps it gained the attention of first-time viewers to come back and watch the heavily-anticipated rematch of Sonnen vs. Silva.
Sonnen dominated the first match for 23 minutes before he was caught by Silva and submitted. He was less than two minutes from defeating Silva and claiming the championship.
The final fight on the card, Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis, was a one-sided fight for 25 minutes. Evans dominated from the very beginning and won unanimously, scoring 50-45 from all three judges.
Evans did not look to exert himself in the match but turned it up in the fifth round. He admitted he was disappointed that he did not finish Davis. It was clear to see he wanted to finish the fight himself in the final round.
Evans will now face his former friend and current foe, Jonny “Bones” Jones, in an attempt to regain the UFC light heavyweight title. The greatly-anticipated title match will be held at UFC 145 in Atlanta on April 21.
Although the fights at the second UFC on FOX did not live up to their potential, they did put a couple fighters in a position to win titles in the next few months.
Even after the shortcomings of UFC on FOX 2, fans will focus their attention on the rematch of Sonnen and Silva, which will be one of the most highly-anticipated rematches in UFC history.
The history between Evans and Jones will provide many storylines as well as they prepare for their April championship bout.
Dana White announced Michael “The Count” Bisping will replace Mark Munoz in the number one contender fight against Chael Sonnen at UFC on FOX 2, January 28, 2012.Mark Munoz has injured his elbow, forcing a change to be made to the UFC contender bout.Bi…
Dana White announced Michael “The Count” Bisping will replace Mark Munoz in the number one contender fight against Chael Sonnen at UFC on FOX 2, January 28, 2012.
Mark Munoz has injured his elbow, forcing a change to be made to the UFC contender bout.
Bisping was originally supposed to fight Demian Maia at the same event.
Earlier today, Dana White tweeted,
“Munoz is injured and out of the FOX fight! Now it’s Chael Sonnen vs Mike Bisping jan 28th and the winner will fight Anderson for the title.”
Michael Bisping is riding a 4-match win streak, the latest coming on December 3, against Jason “Mayhem” Miller. He went to the third round with Miller before Mayhem simply couldn’t take anymore abuse.
Bisping will look to do the same to Sonnen when they meet with a title shot on the line.
Bisping’s last loss came in Febuary 2010 when he lost by decision to Wanderlei Silva.
Sonnen and Bisping have a combined 48 professional wins.
Sonnen, 26-11-1, has compiled his wins with seven KO or TKOs, 4 submissions, and 15 decisions.
Bisping, 22-3, has won 14 matches by KO or TKO, four submissions, and four decisions.
This should be an interesting matchup between two experienced fighters with a lot on the line.
Chael Sonnen, who is never at a loss for words, was interviewed by USA Today shortly after hearing of the news. He was respectful with his comments and even praised Bisping.
USA Today asked Sonnen if he thought Bisping earned the right to fight for the title shot. His response follows:
“I’m a Bisping supporter. I think he has. I think he’s fought a lot of important matches.
I don’t know how tough the guys he fought were, how many ranked guys he had — I’m not terribly familiar with his record. But at the end of the day, you can say what you want about his opponents, he doesn’t pick his opponents. They pick his opponents and he goes in and he wins over and over again.
I think it’s really relevant, especially for the Bisping naysayers, to realize he’s fighting main-event fights. He’s carrying cards. He’s selling out arenas. In this industry, that’s huge. He’s done his part.
So I’m not on the anti-Bisping bandwagon. I never have been.”
The outspoken Sonnen, always seems to have something entertaining to say. His response to his thoughts on Bisping were nothing but respectful.
As it gets closer, it will be interesting to see what Sonnen and Bisping have to say.
Bisping, who always seems to stir up fans, will now showcase his skills in front of millions of people who will be viewing on FOX.
This card has four fights, which should draw more of an audience than the first FOX fight which was a lot of hype and only one fight.
This fight will have it all, including two experienced fighters who are not afraid to have their voices heard.
Sonnen was suspended when he tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone. He has fought once since returning to the UFC and submitted Brian Stann.
He finds himself one win away from a rematch with Anderson Silva.
The WWE universe might have been a bit shocked to see Brock Lesnar in the stands at UFC 146 on Saturday night in Las Vegas. It got many wondering, is Lesnar going to return to the UFC?