Author: Mike Hodges

Dana White: I Tried to Set Up B.J. Penn vs. Gilbert Melendez

Fans were unsure of B.J. Penn’s future following his bout against Nick Diaz at UFC 137 last year.The former UFC lightweight champion announced his retirement after losing to Diaz via unanimous decision and left fans guessing if he would ever return to …

Fans were unsure of B.J. Penn‘s future following his bout against Nick Diaz at UFC 137 last year.

The former UFC lightweight champion announced his retirement after losing to Diaz via unanimous decision and left fans guessing if he would ever return to the Octagon. 

However, it appears the Hawaiian was offered a matchup against Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, but Penn had declined the opportunity.

UFC president Dana White had addressed Penn’s future and confirmed that “The Prodigy” is expected to make an appearance inside the Octagon.

“I tried to do [Melendez vs. Penn], but it was at the time when B.J. was like, ‘Yeah, I’m not fighting for a while,” White told MMAJunkie.com. “He wants to come back.”

White said Penn, who sat atop the lightweight division for two years, will compete in the 170-pound division when he decides to return.

Most fans and critics would agree that Penn is a natural 155-pound fighter, but White said he has no control over Penn’s decision and he can compete in either weight class.

Penn has yet to make a final decision on his return, and White said he will not force him into action until he is completely focused.

“That’s up to him. Whenever he’s ready. I don’t ever push guys,” he said.”This isn’t a sport where you can just say, ‘I know your head isn’t in it right now, but get back over here and fight.’ Guys let me know when they’re ready to fight.”

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Dana White Hints at Cowboys Stadium to Host a Super-Fight in January 2013

UFC president Dana White and UFC fighters were in attendance at a pre-fight press conference prior to UFC on FOX 3 this weekend.Topics varied back and forth as the media directed questions to White and fighters like Nate Diaz and Jim Miller, who will c…

UFC president Dana White and UFC fighters were in attendance at a pre-fight press conference prior to UFC on FOX 3 this weekend.

Topics varied back and forth as the media directed questions to White and fighters like Nate Diaz and Jim Miller, who will compete in the main event, but when asked by one reporter when the UFC would host an event in Texas, White revealed a big surprise.

“If things work out the way, you know, that they could, we’d end up doing a big fight probably in January,” White told MMAFrenzy.com. “So, if things go the way that they could go, by January we’re already talking about Dallas, Texas stadium—Cowboys Stadium.”

The UFC boss remained tight-lipped as to who would be featured on the card, however speculation has begun to grow surrounding a potential super-fight expected to headline the event.

Although it is only a rumor, the idea of witnessing a possible bout between Anderson Silva and Jon Jones has already started to make noise.

Both champions are scheduled to defend their titles later this year, and should they get past their respective opponents, they will have essentially cleaned out their divisions.

The UFC has yet to finalize a venue, but locations like Las Vegas, Toronto and Dallas are all possible candidates.

White has always envisioned putting on a mega-fight for the fans on a big stage that could generate a lot of media and revenue for the company. Whomever the UFC decide to place in the main event, it will be a financial success for the company.

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Dana White Wants to See Ex-Fighters Become Referees and Judges

As more fighters begin to lean more towards retirement, UFC president Dana White would like to see them take a more active role in judging and officiating matches.The UFC have had its fair share of bad judging calls and it’s something that can hopefull…

As more fighters begin to lean more towards retirement, UFC president Dana White would like to see them take a more active role in judging and officiating matches.

The UFC have had its fair share of bad judging calls and it’s something that can hopefully occur less frequently as the sport continues to grow and evolve.

Former Pancrase, PRIDE and UFC fighter Ricardo Almeida will be cageside as one of the main judges at UFC on FOX 3 this weekend and White said he hopes the former 185-pound contender can begin a trend in the sport.

“I would like to see the fighters ref and judge,” White told reporters (h/t mmafighting.com) during a pre-fight press conference at the Beacon Theatre in New York. “It makes all the sense in the world.”

Almeida will be judging one of the card’s main bouts involving Josh Koscheck and Johny Hendricks. 

White sees advantages in former fighters having to judge bouts and believes their experience can help influence a more fair outcome when determining the winner.

He considers referee Herb Dean, who has also competed in professional fighters, as the best referee in the sport.

“The guy trains, he knows the sport. Herb Dean knows what its like to have an elbow dropped on your head,” he said. “This isn’t like other sports, you have a bad call in a baseball game and they have 100 more games left. You make a bad call in this sport and it affects his entire career.”

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UFC on FOX 3: Nate Diaz and Johny Hendricks Will Get Title Shots With Wins

While both lightweight and welterweight bouts have significant impact on their respective divisions, not every fighter is contention for a title shot.UFC president Dana White announced during a media call earlier today and confirmed that should Nate Di…

While both lightweight and welterweight bouts have significant impact on their respective divisions, not every fighter is contention for a title shot.

UFC president Dana White announced during a media call earlier today and confirmed that should Nate Diaz and Johny Hendricks win their bouts against Jim Miller and Josh Koscheck respectively, they will receive title shots.

“Should Diaz win, Diaz is definitely getting a title shot. Should Miller win, Miller’s probably going to be a fight or two away,” White told MMAFighting.com.

Since moving back to 155 pounds, Diaz has made a strong case to get into title contention. He is on a two-fight win streak defeating Takanori Gomi and Donald Cerrone. Meanwhile, Miller has also had a remarkable run, recording a seven-fight win streak, before being stopped by current UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson.

White also sees a similar route for up-and-comer Hendricks, who he said will be next in line for a welterweight title shot should he get past Koscheck. Hendricks forced fans to immediately take notice of him following his knockout victory over Jon Fitch at UFC 141.

Both divisions have now become much more prominent with rising stars like Diaz and Hendricks, and they hope to continue their impressive runs en route to challenge for a title shot.

Although the light heavyweight and heavyweight division have been known to generate most of the company’s revenue, certainly the lighter weight classes are proving their worth and become much more marketable with UFC fans.

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Dana White Talks About His Relationship with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

As the UFC is set to go head-to-head with HBO’s Mayweather vs. Cotto card this weekend, UFC president Dana White recently sat down with Fox Sports columnist and “Barfly” host Mark Kriegel to discuss current events in mixed martial arts, including his r…

As the UFC is set to go head-to-head with HBO’s Mayweather vs. Cotto card this weekend, UFC president Dana White recently sat down with Fox Sports columnist and “Barfly” host Mark Kriegel to discuss current events in mixed martial arts, including his relationship with current boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Both White and Mayweather have not been known to be the best of friends in recent years, but they have also maintained a civil and respectable relationship with each other. 

Obviously, boxing and MMA are two entirely different sports, but both continue to generate respective successes.

White spoke about his past with Mayweather and said his most recent encounter with the WBC welterweight champion was far from what he expected.

“Me and Floyd have been going at each other in the media quite a bit, recently when he made the Jeremy Lin comments and I called him a racist,” White said.

“The other night I’m playing cards at the Palms and [someone] taps me on the back, I turn around, it’s Floyd. He says ‘I just wanted to tell you, what you’re doing with the UFC is awesome, man. I’m happy for you, really happy everything’s going well.’ I said ‘Well, thank you.’

“Now don’t I feel like the biggest (expletive) in the world? I’m out there smashing him and he’s killing me with kindness,” he concluded.

Despite the constant debate revolving around the superiority of boxing and MMA, it’s evident that both UFC fighters and boxers have shown to be more appreciative of either sport. 

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Rampage Jackson Wants Shogun Rua or Forrest Griffin for Last UFC Bout

Although Quinton “Rampage” Jackson intends to honor the last fight on his UFC contract, he is currently without an opponent.The former UFC light heavyweight champion has remained out of action since February after undergoing knee surgery following his …

Although Quinton “Rampage” Jackson intends to honor the last fight on his UFC contract, he is currently without an opponent.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion has remained out of action since February after undergoing knee surgery following his loss to Ryan Bader at UFC 144.

Jackson was originally expected to face off against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua later this year, but his recent surgery has delayed the bout, and Rua has opted to face fellow Brazilian Thiago Silva at UFC 149.

Jackson made an appearance on HDNet’s Inside MMA (transcribed by FightLine.com) and stated his desire to leave the UFC once his contract expires. Jackson said he hopes to rematch either Rua or Forrest Griffin in his final bout.

“I would love to fight somebody like ‘Shogun.’ Somebody like Forrest. Somebody who beat me before,” Jackson said. “I’m tired of fighting these guys who are cowards. I call them cowards. They just run around the cage, they game plan and they take you down.”

Jackson lost to Griffin at UFC 86 in 2008 that saw him on the wrong end of split decision and forced him to drop the 205-pound title.

Since then, Jackson has boasted a respectable 7-4 record inside the Octagon.

Jackson has voiced his displeasure in fighting wrestling-based fighters and has expressed his interest in facing a striker. Jackson’s recent performances have not excited fans as of late, and he has often been labelled as one-dimensional due to his refusal to evolve as a fighter.

For the fans’ sake, Jackson hopes to put on an entertaining bout for his last UFC appearance.

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