Author: Mike Hodges

Dan Henderson Denies Turning Down Rematch With Shogun Rua

Dan Henderson is being constantly pursued for a rematch with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.The two light heavyweight contenders competed in a highly competitive bout at UFC 139, which saw Henderson walk away with the victory. And according to UFC Presiden…

Dan Henderson is being constantly pursued for a rematch with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

The two light heavyweight contenders competed in a highly competitive bout at UFC 139, which saw Henderson walk away with the victory. 

And according to UFC President Dana White, Henderson has refused to match up with the Brazilian once again. 

White spoke to Strikeforce commentator Mauro Ranallo at the UFC press conference last week in Calgary and said he attempted to put Henderson and Rua in the co-main event of UFC 149.

“Yeah, I was trying to put together Dan Henderson vs. Shogun II and Henderson doesn’t want to do the fight,” White said. “He wants Anderson Silva, if Silva wins, he will make that cut. Otherwise, he wants to fight the winner of Rashad and Jones.”

Henderson responded to White’s claims on Twitter.

“If Dana said it then out must be true. Lol,” Henderson wrote.

Henderson has repeatedly stated he wants to challenge for a UFC championship, whether it is at 205 pounds or 185 pounds, and he said he would even hold out for the winner.

Henderson’s decision does not necessarily affect his status in the company, but it does prevent other fighters from competing for an opportunity at a title shot and makes the light heavyweight division become stagnant.

Considering Henderson’s age, he doesn’t intend on staying around in the sport much longer, so a title bout makes sense, especially while his stock is high.

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Matt Hughes Says Carlos Condit Has The Right to Wait for Georges St-Pierre

Carlos Condit’s decision to wait for Georges St-Pierre to heal and return to action has been of much debate lately, but UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes is one of the few people who supports the UFC interim welterweight champion.The former UFC welterweigh…

Carlos Condit’s decision to wait for Georges St-Pierre to heal and return to action has been of much debate lately, but UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes is one of the few people who supports the UFC interim welterweight champion.

The former UFC welterweight champion sounded off on the topic on Tuesday night’s edition of UFC Tonight.

Hughes said Condt should have the final say on who he should fight next, whether it be St-Pierre or another opponent.

“If he needs the paycheck, he should do it. If he wants to wait for the title shot, he’s earned it,” Hughes said. “Let him wait. GSP is tough. I don’t think anyone could (beat him).”

A former two-time divisional champion, Hughes was last seen competing at UFC 135, where he suffered a knockout loss to Josh Koscheck. It was his second consecutive defeat.

At the moment, Hughes is unsure of whether he will make one final UFC appearance. UFC welterweight Dan Hardy has recently proposed a possible meeting, but the former welterweight champion appears more interested in a rematch with Thiago Alves. The Brazilian defeated Hughes at UFC 85 in 2008. 

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Benson Henderson Says His Job is To Beat People Up, Not to Call Them Out

Benson Henderson isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. In fact, he welcomes it.The 155-pound champion has had a proverbial target on his back since relinquishing the title from Frankie Edgar at UFC 144.Seemingly unfazed by the amount competition, Hen…

Benson Henderson isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. In fact, he welcomes it.

The 155-pound champion has had a proverbial target on his back since relinquishing the title from Frankie Edgar at UFC 144.

Seemingly unfazed by the amount competition, Henderson is content on facing the best fighters possible, while hopeful to remain the divisional champion for the foreseeable future.

And he doesn’t need to look far for motivation.

“In my eyes, I don’t really see myself as one of those prima donna wide receivers: ‘I want this, and this has gotta happen.’ I represent the UFC,” Henderson told UFC.com.

“My job is not to match myself up and call this guy or that guy out. I’m not gonna go on Twitter and make my own match. Some guys are into that and that’s the way they want to pursue their career, and they can go right ahead. My job is to beat people up.”

Henderson’s humble attitude towards the sport is an essential part of what has kept him grounded as a person. Sporting a 16-2 professional record and a lightweight title, gives Henderson the recognition as one of the premier athletes in the UFC today. 

While some might confuse his demeanor for arrogance at times, Henderson assures he is only confident in his abilities, striving to prove his worth in the talented lightweight division. And he said it’s a characteristic every fighter should have, or at least try to employ.

“It’s not me looking ahead and being cocky all of a sudden like, oh, I beat Frankie Edgar and now all of a sudden I’m gonna smash everybody. I was saying this from the beginning,” he said. “I’m a very confident fighter and all fighters are, or they should be. I want to fight everybody on the roster at 155, I want to beat ‘em all, and I want to have a nice long reign at 155.”

“I want to make 155 my weight class and I want my name to be synonymous with it,” he concluded.

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Rashad Evans Looking Forward to Fighting Jon Jones, Says Drama Is ‘So Old’

Rashad Evans’ rise to the 205-pound division has been long, but a well-deserved one.From competing on The Ultimate Fighter to defeating some of the sport’s legendary fighters in Chuck Liddell and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Evans had many great mom…

Rashad Evans‘ rise to the 205-pound division has been long, but a well-deserved one.

From competing on The Ultimate Fighter to defeating some of the sport’s legendary fighters in Chuck Liddell and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Evans had many great moments in his career.

And on April 21st, he’ll have another great moment as he gets the opportunity to challenge Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight title.

Evans and Jones’ history is well-documented, but for “Suga,” it goes much deeper than their title bout. Evans is hoping to beat Jones and settle their rivalry for good.

“I’m just looking forward to fighting him to be honest. A lot of the back and forth and a lot of the drama is so old,” Evans told Fiveouncesofpain.com. “I’m tired of hearing people say Jon is going to do this to you and he said this about you. It seems everyone has their own opinion.”

“For me, I am just looking forward to getting it on,” he said.

Throughout the past year, the animosity has built between the former teammates. Evans has been vocal on his relationship with Jones, as he said he felt betrayed by the 24-year-old and his coach Greg Jackson, leading to his exit from the Albuquerque, N.M.,-based camp.

The relocation to Imperial Athletics has been beneficial for Evans, who trains with such world-class fighters as Melvin Guillard and Alistair Overeem. Evans is reunited with former training partner Keith Jardine. 

It has allowed Evans to place himself in a more peaceful environment.

“Down here it’s more organized and there are a lot more talented guys,” he said.

In less than a month, Evans will attempt to recapture the 205-pound crown from an old rival and become a two-time UFC champion. The severed ties between him and Jones has given Evans the motivation to put forth the effort and prepare for arguably the biggest fight of his career.

And if Evans is successful, there will be no greater satisfaction than to hand Jones his first legitimate loss, and stand atop the light heavyweight division.

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UFC Confirms Silva vs. Sonnen Rematch Will Be Held in Front of 80,000 Fans

The main event between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen is close to being finalized. The UFC made an announcement regarding UFC 147 earlier today during a press conference and said the event is to be held inside a soccer stadium in Rio de Janeiro, …

The main event between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen is close to being finalized. 

The UFC made an announcement regarding UFC 147 earlier today during a press conference and said the event is to be held inside a soccer stadium in Rio de Janeiro, expected to hold approximately 80,000 seats.

It was officially announced shortly thereafter on the company’s Twitter page.

“Dana says the Chael/Anderson rematch is going to be in a soccer stadium in Rio that holds 80K,” the UFC confirmed. 

The UFC came across some legal troubles in their attempt to initially host the event in Sao Paulo, so they are currently looking at other venues. Should UFC 147 be able to locate the right stadium for the event, it would surpass the previous UFC attendance record, set at UFC 129 which was held at Rodgers Centre in Toronto. The current record is 55,721.

Silva and Sonnen are slated to meet in the main event, while the co-main event will see opposing coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brasil,” Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva square off their own rematch.

No official date has been confirmed as of yet, but the event is planned for June.

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Georges St-Pierre Hopeful of a November Return and Headline UFC 154 in Montreal

While there is no exact date for Georges St-Pierre’s return to the UFC, the UFC welterweight champion is only hoping he can return later this year.The champion discussed his progress via satellite during a UFC press conference in Calgary, Alberta earli…

While there is no exact date for Georges St-Pierre’s return to the UFC, the UFC welterweight champion is only hoping he can return later this year.

The champion discussed his progress via satellite during a UFC press conference in Calgary, Alberta earlier today and he was optimistic in at least one appearance before the end of 2012.

“My rehab is going really well,” St-Pierre said. “The doctor says it is the fastest they’ve ever seen. I’ll be training full out in July and hopefully I’ll have a chance to fight in front of my Canadian fans in November.”

And should he make a full recovery, St-Pierre is expected to face newly-crowned interim UFC titleholder Carlos Condit in a unification title bout.

The UFC announced today that Montreal, along with two other Canadian cities, will play host to three UFC events later this year, with Montreal headlining UFC 154 on November 17.

St-Pierre said he is aware that the decision to perform in front of his hometown crowd is not entirely up to him.

The champion also commented on the fact that a possible super-fight with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is not far out of reach either, but it depends on several factors for it to occur.

“If everything goes well, like stars are aligned and everything, maybe we’ll see one day in the near future about what’s going to happen,” he said. 

But until then, the biggest fight St-Pierre will need to prepare for is his overall health, a bout that is much more significant than with Condit or Silva.

“When you get an injury like I have and you’re off for a long period of time, the only thing you wish is to get back fast as possible,” he said.

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