Author: Mike Hodges

Anderson Silva Reveals He Is Still Injured, Unsure of When He’ll Return

Anderson Silva’s time away of the Octagon might be extended after learning that the UFC middleweight champion is now suffering from more injuries.Silva recently told SporTV he is still recovering from a pre-existing shoulder injury and he did not give …

Anderson Silva‘s time away of the Octagon might be extended after learning that the UFC middleweight champion is now suffering from more injuries.

Silva recently told SporTV he is still recovering from a pre-existing shoulder injury and he did not give an exact date for his return.

“I’m not sure when I’ll be back, I got an injury in my shoulder and another injury that just happened in my lumbar, so I’m treating myself,” Silva said (translated by Tom Mendes of BloodyElbow.com).

The Brazilian was last seen at UFC 134, where he successfully defended the middleweight title against Yushin Okami. The victory was Silva’s 14th consecutive win in the UFC and his ninth consecutive title defense, both UFC records.

Silva, along with fellow pound-for-pound kingpin Georges St-Pierre, are the company’s two top stars and their absence has put some pressure on the UFC to market a new fighter to casual fans.

Silva is expected to meet the winner of Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz, who will compete at UFC on FOX 2 on January 28th. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Junior Dos Santos Wants Title Bout with Alistair Overeem to Be Held in Brazil

Junior dos Santos’ recovery process is going better than expected and he is eyeing a return date later this summer.The UFC heavyweight champion is prepared to make his first title defense against Alistair Overeem. The Dutchman earned the opportunity to…

Junior dos Santos’ recovery process is going better than expected and he is eyeing a return date later this summer.

The UFC heavyweight champion is prepared to make his first title defense against Alistair Overeem. The Dutchman earned the opportunity to challenge dos Santos after he defeated former champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 141. 

“Cigano” spoke with MMAJunkie Radio to give an update on his current status and is confident he will be able to make a full recovery.

“In another 20 days, I’ll be feeling 100 percent again. Then I need two-and-a-half (months) to do my camp, and then I’m ready to do,” dos Santos said.

Dos Santos is recuperating from knee surgery after he tore his meniscus 10 days prior to his bout against Cain Velasquez on UFC on FOX. The Brazilian knee injury did not hinder his performance at all, as he knocked out Velasquez in just 67 seconds to become UFC heavyweight champion.

When asked about a specific date, dos Santos didn’t specify, however he said an ideal setting would be in Brazil. The UFC is tentatively planning to hold an event in Sao Paulo. The champion said hosting the title bout in his homeland is a chance to showcase his skills for the fans.

“MMA is very popular here in Brazil now. I would love to fight here,” he said. “But the important thing is I want to make all my fans around the world watch good fights when I get in that octagon. So I will try to do my best.”

Both dos Santos and Overeem are renowned for their world-class striking ability, however dos Santos hinted at utilizing more than just his boxing skills.

“I think for sure the fight between me and Alistair is going to be a standup fight,” he said. “But if I feel I have to take him down and use my jiu-jitsu to beat him, I will do that,” he said. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dana White Says Anthony Johnson Is ‘Unprofessional’ for Missing Weight

Anthony Johnson’s weight issues continue to follow him. During the UFC 142 weigh-in, UFC president Dana White announced that Johnson had failed to make weight and it has potentially put his bout with Vitor Belfort in jeopardy.Johnson weighed in at…

Anthony Johnson’s weight issues continue to follow him. 

During the UFC 142 weigh-in, UFC president Dana White announced that Johnson had failed to make weight and it has potentially put his bout with Vitor Belfort in jeopardy.

Johnson weighed in at 197 pounds, and as a result, “Rumble” will be forced to forfeit 20 percent of his fight purse to Belfort. 

White wasn’t too pleased with Johnson, but he said Belfort has agreed to still fight on Saturday night.

“Rumble Johnson is not on weight today. And when I say he’s not on weight he’s way off weight.” he said.

“The stipulation is, Vitor does not want him to weigh more than 205 pounds by tomorrow at like 2 o’clock in the afternoon. So we’ll see how this thing plays out,” he added.

Johnson has already missed weight on two previous occasions while competing at welterweight. The former 170-pounder had decided to make the transition to middleweight, in hopes of competing at a more comfortable weight.

White was unhappy with Johnson’s actions and his inability to properly make weight.

“As a fighter, you are a professional,” he said.

He moved up to 185 pounds so this wouldn’t happen to him at 170 pounds, and here we are in the same position again. [Belfort] came in like a professional on weight, and Anthony Johnson comes in as a total unprofessional, way overweight.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Vitor Belfort to Anthony Johnson: ‘That Cage Belongs to Me’

It’s very rare that mixed martial artists get the opportunity to grace the Octagon in their home country. Vitor Belfort is one of those few fighters who is seemingly thriving in that opportunity.The Brazilian will meet Anthony Johnson in the co-ma…

It’s very rare that mixed martial artists get the opportunity to grace the Octagon in their home country. 

Vitor Belfort is one of those few fighters who is seemingly thriving in that opportunity.

The Brazilian will meet Anthony Johnson in the co-main event at UFC 142 this weekend. When he was first presented with the possibility of facing Johnson, Belfort immediately jumped on the idea and accepted the bout. 

“I’m not a picky fighter like ‘oh no I don’t want this.’ I think of it like this, I’ve been in this sport for so long, I know so many managers, promoters, fighters, they have a way to do business,” Belfort said during an interview on MMAWeekly Radio. “If they think this is a good fight to the UFC, then it’s a good fight for Vitor.”

“The Phenom” is hoping to earn his second consecutive win as he prepares to fight in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro. Belfort is recently coming off an impressive knockout victory over Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133 last August. 

Belfort has worked hard at his training and prepared very seriously for his bout against Johnson, who will be making his middleweight debut. When analyzing his opponent, Belfort said he didn’t find many weaknesses in Johnson. However he is looking forward to facing him on Saturday night. 

“He doesn’t have very solid jiu-jitsu, but he’s a pretty tough wrestler. He likes to kick, he likes to trade, so we’ll see. It’s going to be a great matchup,” he said. 

And although he might not be able to pinpoint many holes in his games, Belfort said he respects every opponent he faces regardless of their abilities. 

“I don’t take things easy. I don’t underestimate anyone. He’s strong, he has skills, the best way to respect him, to show him respect,” he said. “I respect him, but on that day the cage belongs to me so that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to earn it.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dan Henderson: Fans Wouldn’t Be "Interested" Seeing Me Face Rogerio Nogueira

Dan Henderson only has a few fights in mind before he calls it a career, and a bout with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira doesn’t appear to be one of them.Earlier this week, it was revealed that Henderson turned down a proposed fight between himself and the Br…

Dan Henderson only has a few fights in mind before he calls it a career, and a bout with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira doesn’t appear to be one of them.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Henderson turned down a proposed fight between himself and the Brazilian, which would have seen the former Pride stars square off in a rematch dating back to 2005, which saw Nogueira submit the American in the first round. 

While appearing on “Clinch Gear Radio” on Sirius XM, Henderson explained that he didn’t feel like it’d be a fight that would draw any real interest from fans. 

“I didn’t think the fans would be interested in that fight, and not as much time as I would like to prepare for a five-round fight,” Henderson said.  “It would have kept me active right now, but I’m OK waiting a little bit.  We’ll see what happens with the Rashad (Evans) fight and go from there.” 

While he hardly showed interest in a rematch with Nogueira, Henderson did not rule out a potential bout with “Lil Nog” if it were to be a three-round contest as opposed to the five-round bout he was previously offered.

UFC President Dana White made the announcement on “UFC Tonight” and said if Evans were to be victorious over Phil Davis at UFC on FOX 2, he would earn a title shot against Jon Jones later this year.

White also said had Henderson agreed to face Nogueira, the winner of that bout would meet the winner of Jones vs. Evans for the light heavyweight title.

UFC light heavyweight prospect Alexander Gustafsson has since stepped in to face Nogueira; he will headline UFC on Fuel 2 in his homeland of Sweden on April 14.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 142: Jose Aldo Trains with Gray Maynard in Preparation for Chad Mendes

As Jose Aldo gets set to defend the UFC featherweight title on home soil against Chad Mendes this weekend, the Brazilian has opened up about his previous training sessions with UFC lightweight contender Gray Maynard.Maynard was called upon to emulate M…

As Jose Aldo gets set to defend the UFC featherweight title on home soil against Chad Mendes this weekend, the Brazilian has opened up about his previous training sessions with UFC lightweight contender Gray Maynard.

Maynard was called upon to emulate Mendes’ wrestling skills and help prepare Aldo for his upcoming title bout, which is scheduled to headline the main card on Saturday night. 

Aldo revealed that Maynard had previously helped the 145 lb. champion when he made his second title defense against Kenny Florian. 

The video clip shows Maynard and Aldo sharing their thoughts on the current training camp as well as sparring and grappling sessions between the two competitors.

This will be Aldo’s third title defense while competing under the UFC and his fifth consecutive title defense overall. Since the WEC merged with the UFC last year, Aldo has emerged as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in mixed martial arts, and he is currently 2-0 inside the Octagon.

UFC 142 is this weekend, live from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com