Author: Mike Hodges

Shogun Rua Awaiting Next Fight, Hopes to Fight in Brazil

While Quinton “Rampage” Jackson currently sits out and undergoes surgery, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua remains without an opponent in the meantime.Rua, who is coming off a loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 139, is seeking a return to the Octagon and he hopes to pe…

While Quinton “Rampage” Jackson currently sits out and undergoes surgery, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua remains without an opponent in the meantime.

Rua, who is coming off a loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 139, is seeking a return to the Octagon and he hopes to perform within the coming months, preferably in his native land of Brazil at UFC 147.

“I might fight in June or July, that’s when I hope to fight, but for now there’s no opponent in mind,” Rua told TATAME.com. “I dream about being part of this card, even because it’s a huge event. I would really like to be a part of it.”

The Brazilian’s last trip to South America resulted in a successful outcome as he knocked out Forrest Griffin within the opening minutes of the first round at UFC 133.

Rua had been originally scheduled to face Jackson later this year, and was offered a rematch against Henderson, but both fights have been scrapped momentarily.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion said he isn’t the type to pick and choose opponents, however, he does intend on fighting this year.

“I rather wait. It’s hard to pick an opponent out like that. I rather not chose,” he said. “Sometime they have to replace your opponent and that’s frustrating for us as athletes, so I fight anyone.”

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UFC 147: Dana White Says Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva II Is Happening

Despite Chael Sonnen denying his involvement in a rematch with Anderson Silva, UFC president Dana White has assured the bout is still on.The UFC announced earlier this week that Sonnen and Silva are scheduled to meet at UFC 147 in Brazil for the UFC mi…

Despite Chael Sonnen denying his involvement in a rematch with Anderson Silva, UFC president Dana White has assured the bout is still on.

The UFC announced earlier this week that Sonnen and Silva are scheduled to meet at UFC 147 in Brazil for the UFC middleweight title. However, Sonnen was quick to dismiss that he has not agreed to sign, nor has the title bout been made official.

But White shot down the notion that Sonnen hasn’t signed and confirmed he is still expected to face Silva later this summer.

“The fight is happening,” White told MMAWeekly.com. “He has accepted the fight, and he will be with me in Brazil for the press conference down there.”

The Oregon native’s words have drawn quite a bit of skepticism surrounding the credibility of the matchup, considering he has been provoking the champion for a rematch since their first bout at UFC 117 in 2010. Sonnen was just moments away from upsetting Silva, in a match that saw him dominate the Brazilian from the opening bell, before getting caught in a triangle choke and being forced to tap.

UFC 147, which will take place at the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro, is expected to approximately hold 80,000 people. 

Once the UFC is able to organize and finalize the entire card, White said he expects their second trip to Brazil to be one of the biggest events in UFC history.

“I think this is one of the biggest sporting events of the year,” he said. “To take NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, Formula-1, soccer, everything, this is one of the biggest sporting events of the year.” 

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Dana White Says He Would Consider Setting Up Silva vs. St-Pierre in Canada

The idea of witnessing a dream bout between Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre has been brought up countless times, and now with both fighters seemingly willing to face each other, UFC President Dana White is eager to promote the matchup.Of course, i…

The idea of witnessing a dream bout between Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre has been brought up countless times, and now with both fighters seemingly willing to face each other, UFC President Dana White is eager to promote the matchup.

Of course, it will heavily rely on both Silva and St-Pierre winning their upcoming bouts.

“Obviously it’s a fight that people have been talking about for a long time,” White said during a UFC press conference last week in Calgary. “So like Georges said, first of all, he has to get healthy. Then he’s got to fight (Carlos) Condit. Anderson is fighting Chael (Sonnen), and then we’ll see where we go from there.”

St-Pierre has always been a little hesitant on the idea of facing the Brazilian, as he still sees the 170-pound division as a competitive weight class with many contenders vying for a title opportunity.

Realistically, however, the UFC welterweight champion has essentially cleaned out the division and is left without a legitimate challenger, considering other fighters are either too inexperienced or injured.

But when asked about the possibility of facing Silva, St-Pierre was much more assertive. 

“When I get back to my title, depending on what’s going on, I might have to take another fight,” St-Pierre said. “Depending if I’m going to go up or if he’s going to come down, it’s too far away to think about it right now, but it’s something that could happen, of course.”

White has been aggressive in his approach to put on fights that fans want to see and while both champions are currently in their prime, there might not be a better time to set up the fight than right now. 

If both parties can come to an agreement, White has hinted at a possible destination for the lucrative super-fight.

“I want to put on fights the fans want to see. I know how big that fight is,” he said. “Imagine if we did Anderson Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre anywhere in Canada, how big that fight would be. Believe me, I’d love to do.”

Mike Hodges is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

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Frank Mir Explains Why He Turned Down Bout with Fabricio Werdum in Brazil

Prior to finalizing a bout between himself and former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, there were rumors regarding a possible matchup between Frank Mir and Fabricio Werdum.Since claiming a second victory over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UF…

Prior to finalizing a bout between himself and former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, there were rumors regarding a possible matchup between Frank Mir and Fabricio Werdum.

Since claiming a second victory over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 140, Mir was hesitant on facing Werdum in the Brazilian’s homeland, when he hinted at the idea of meeting Mir at UFC 147 in Rio de Janeiro.

Mir said he feared for his safety and well-being in Brazil, especially after defeating one of the country’s most respected and beloved fighters in Nogueira.

“I was like, ‘Ah, I don’t know if that would be such a great idea, I don’t know if I’m gonna be that well-received there.’ I’d have to go there for a whole week with my family, my wife and my children,” Mir told CraveOnline.com.

“I don’t think I’m in (Chael’s) boat yet, but at the same time if I go to a restaurant and someone is a Nogueira fan, what are they gonna do to my food?,” he added.

Instead, Mir will likely feel more comfortable in his own country, when he slated to meet Velasquez at UFC 146 in Las Vegas on May 26th.

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Dana White: UFC Heavyweights Are Beginning to Build Their Own Legacies

The UFC heavyweight division has always been synonymous with heavy-hitters, but UFC 146 will usher in a new era of heavyweight fighters.The UFC held a press conference to promote UFC 146 and featured some of the card’s top stars, including UFC heavywei…

The UFC heavyweight division has always been synonymous with heavy-hitters, but UFC 146 will usher in a new era of heavyweight fighters.

The UFC held a press conference to promote UFC 146 and featured some of the card’s top stars, including UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem. This will be the first time the company has featured five heavyweight bouts on the main card.

UFC President Dana White has billed this event as a main card “stacked with heavyweights” and although the heavyweight division traditionally has not been entertaining to watch, the UFC boss thinks otherwise.

“The heavyweights bring that excitement that you’re probably gonna see a knockout but I think this fight there could be knockouts or submissions,” White said. “The fight with Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem, these guys have out-struck everyone lately. Frank Mir showed what he’s capable of doing with his last win.”

The heavyweight division has undergone a makeover recently, as familiar names like Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia have been replaced with stars like Cain Velasquez, Frank Mir and Junior Dos Santos. What was once perceived as a weak division has now turned into one of the more skilled and talented weight classes in mixed martial arts. 

Heavyweight fighters are able to finally gain the recognition that they had hoped for and begin to create their respective legacies, something that seemed impossible to accomplish due to PRIDE FC overshadowing the rest of the heavyweight competition. 

“Pride’s heavyweight division was awesome. They had a lot of legends built there. Our division is right on that level,” White said.

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Chael Sonnen Says He Hasn’t Agreed to Rematch with Anderson Silva at UFC 147

The UFC has officially announced a date and location for UFC 147, as well as its headliners, which will be middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.However, Sonnen has yet to accept the rematch with the Brazilian. The No.1-ranked middlewei…

The UFC has officially announced a date and location for UFC 147, as well as its headliners, which will be middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.

However, Sonnen has yet to accept the rematch with the Brazilian. The No.1-ranked middleweight contender has denied any involvement in the main event thus far, and still needs to review the contract.

“My demand has not been met,” Sonnen told MMAFighting.com. “I’ve signed nothing.”

Sonnen’s manager, Mike Roberts, also confirmed that his client has yet to agree to a title bout with Silva.

Sonnen and Silva are set to meet in a rematch of their first encounter in 2010. The UFC 117 bout saw Sonnen challenge and nearly defeat the champion, as the American dominated Silva for four and a half rounds before Silva’s triangle choke resulted in Sonnen’s submission.

Since then, Silva has successfully defended his title against Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami, while Sonnen, after serving a year suspension for a failed post-fight drug test, has beaten top contenders Brian Stann and Michael Bisping.

UFC 147 is scheduled for June 23, live from the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The venue is expected to seat approximately 80,000 fans for the event, which would surpass the UFC attendance record previously set during UFC 129 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, which held over 54,000 fans.

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