Huge news came down today from the UFC as President Dana White announced that the main event of the first UFC on FOX fight card will be the heavyweight championship bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.Rumors began yesterday when it was an…
Huge news came down today from the UFC as President Dana White announced that the main event of the first UFC on FOX fight card will be the heavyweight championship bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.
Rumors began yesterday when it was announced that today’s media call would be happening, but the MMA community will be happy to hear that perhaps the most anticipated heavyweight fight in the company’s history will be available for free on network television.
In addition to this big news, there were also some other interesting tidbits that came out of the call, including information regarding another current champion who was considered for the main event as well as the health of superstar fighter Brock Lesnar.
Bleacher Report covered the media call this afternoon and we have assembled some of the best quotes from Dana White as well as executives from FOX in one, easy-to-navigate location.
A UFC press release has just been sent out to members of the media, announcing that UFC president Dana White will be holding a media conference call tomorrow, September 2, at 1:00 P.M. ET.No further word was given about what the actual call will be per…
A UFC press release has just been sent out to members of the media, announcing that UFC president Dana White will be holding a media conference call tomorrow, September 2, at 1:00 P.M. ET.
No further word was given about what the actual call will be pertaining to, but one thing is for certain—these types of calls almost always lead to huge news for the world’s biggest mixed martial arts organization.
Speculation has already arisen from members of the media as well as fans. Some believe that the announcement could be as simple as the revealing of the main event for the first UFC on FOX fight card later this year. Others are speculating that it could be the signing of now former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.
In the past, we have seen news such as Brock Lesnar‘s illness being revealed on these types of short-notice media calls, so the MMA community will be holding its collective breath until the announcement is made.
With the recent news report that Lesnar may be forced to retire coming out earlier this week, there has even been some concern that we may hear Dana announce the end of the career of arguably the promotion’s biggest star. Then again, one could also look at the other side of the coin and Lesnar’s return to the Octagon could certainly justify this kind of formal media announcement.
Please continue to check back with Bleacher Report MMA for the most up-to-the-minute news regarding this breaking story.
When he burst onto the UFC scene in June 2007, Brock Lesnar was met with serious skepticism from both fans and fellow fighters. A former pro wrestler, many critics did not believe he could make a successful transition to the sport as anything other tha…
When he burst onto the UFC scene in June 2007, Brock Lesnar was met with serious skepticism from both fans and fellow fighters. A former pro wrestler, many critics did not believe he could make a successful transition to the sport as anything other than a freak show like Kimbo Slice or Butterbean.
Fast-forward 17 months, and those critics were silenced as the former NCAA Division-I All-American was crowned the UFC heavyweight champion after defeating Randy Couture at UFC 91.
However, after two bouts with the debilitating disease diverticulitis, the former UFC champion has reportedly been told by more than one doctor that it would be unwise for him to return to fighting.
Though nothing has been made official, this news has to be not only crushing for the man himself, but also for the UFC, as Lesnar has proven to be unequaled by any other fighter as a pay-per-view draw.
Still, until we learn more facts surrounding the situation and receive confirmation on a retirement, Lesnar has to remain on the list of current elite-level heavyweights within the UFC.
That said, let’s take a closer look at where exactly he stands within the top five of the UFC heavyweight division.
High-level professional athletes are typically easy to spot, particularly within a macho sport like mixed martial arts. With muscles bulging from their shirts and an intimidating look on their faces, fighters just have that look. But then there are o…
High-level professional athletes are typically easy to spot, particularly within a macho sport like mixed martial arts. With muscles bulging from their shirts and an intimidating look on their faces, fighters just have that look.
But then there are others who leave new fans to ask that question we’ve all heard before.
“Wait, is he a fighter!?”
I’m not some amazing physical specimen myself, and it’s not that these guys (and gals) aren’t amazing athletes. Some of them are not only amazing, they are even in the category that many would call the best of all time.
They just don’t look like it. I mean no offense to anyone found in this article, but they have probably already all heard it before anyway.
There are 10 fighters who don’t look like fighters in this slideshow, but there are many others as well.
Sometimes the Bleacher Report readers even have better ones than us writers do. So please feel free to leave comments with other fighters who fit this description!
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is known by many as one of the greatest heavyweight mixed martial artists of all-time, but was UFC 134 the greatest moment of his career? Some may say no, and point back to his accomplishments in Pride, but the man himself beli…
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is known by many as one of the greatest heavyweight mixed martial artists of all-time, but was UFC 134 the greatest moment of his career?
Some may say no, and point back to his accomplishments in Pride, but the man himself believes that his victory over Brendan Schaub on tonight’s card, in front of his home country of Brazil, was indeed the best moment of his career.
“For sure,” Nogueira told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani in response to the question. “I’ve had a couple great moments in my career, I beat Cro Cop, I won the Pride belt. I won the UFC belt in 2008… But this time, in Brazil, was my 40th fight. I had a lot of support from my team.”
At 35 years old, Nogueira was believed by many to be nearing the very end of his career. In fact, some believed that he may even announce his retirement with a loss at UFC Rio. But after 10 months of intense, daily physical therapy, “Minatauro” is back.
“When I accepted this fight, I wasn’t ready at all,” he admitted. “But I’m back, I’m feeling good.”
One thing that might have made it even sweeter is that the odds-makers had him as a fairly significant underdog to the relatively inexperienced Brendan Schaub, who was coming off of a knockout victory over Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic.
“Sometimes they’ve got a bad memory,” he said of those who predicted that Brendan Schaub would win this fight. “There are a lot of new guys coming up, and I’ve got respect for them. But I’m still here. I’ve got my place.”
“I like to be the underdog,” he added. “I’ve got to improve a little bit more, with my wrestling.”
At 35, it’s hard to believe that Nogueira can still be getting better, but the results speak for themselves. This legendary MMA fighter isn’t done yet.
The UFC returns to Brazil this weekend for one of the biggest fight cards the promotion has ever put on, UFC 134, which is also being dubbed “UFC Rio.” 11 of the 12 scheduled fights will include at least one Brazilian fighter, including th…
The UFC returns to Brazil this weekend for one of the biggest fight cards the promotion has ever put on, UFC 134, which is also being dubbed “UFC Rio.”
11 of the 12 scheduled fights will include at least one Brazilian fighter, including three fights in which both competitors are from the host country. The nationality of the fighters alone doesn’t guarantee that these fights are going to be great, but the fans will certainly be loving the way that the UFC has set-up this event for their viewing enjoyment.
But not everyone was invited to entertain at the party. In fact, there are a few top-level fighters and legends who will not be competing at this very important event.
Certainly timing, and the total number of fighters that can be on a card, has to be taken into account, but these five fighters are ones who many would agree should have been included in the UFC 134 festivities.
A UFC press release has just been sent out to members of the media, announcing that UFC president