Author: Rob Tatum

Dana White Says Chris Weidman Is No. 1 Middleweight, Doesn’t Rule out GSP-Silva

Following the UFC 150 post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White acknowledged that middleweight Chris Weidman is who he feels is the No. 1 contender. However, White did not say that the New York native will be the next fight for Brazilian ch…

Following the UFC 150 post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White acknowledged that middleweight Chris Weidman is who he feels is the No. 1 contender.

However, White did not say that the New York native will be the next fight for Brazilian champion Anderson Silva.

“I haven’t talked to Silva,” White told the MMA media. “He won’t fight again this year.”

When asked if he felt Weidman is the No. 1 guy, White emphatically said, “Yes. He just took out the No. 3 guy in the division in Mark Munoz. And he completely destroyed him.”

White did reveal that if Weidman is not next the next matchup for Silva, the long-rumored superfight between Silva and welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre may finally come to fruition, yet he remained noncommittal.

“We’ll see what happens with GSP in November,” White said. “Then we’ll see what is next for Silva.”

The question was posed if the fight could take place in Dallas’ Cowboys Stadium next year. White simply smiled and continued with his “we’ll see” approach.

This is not the first time that a fight between Silva and St-Pierre has been rumored, but St-Pierre faces a welterweight title unification bout against interim champion Carlos Condit on Nov. 17 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Should the Canadian get past Condit, the planets may align for the dream fight to take place.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for updates on potential bouts for Weidman and Silva, and the potential superfight between the two long-reigning champions.

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UFC 148 Results: Live Reaction for Every Fight

The most anticipated rematch in recent memory will finally happen on July 7 as UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will again put his belt on the line against his toughest foe to date, Chael Sonnen.The pair headline the promotion’s annual Fourth o…

The most anticipated rematch in recent memory will finally happen on July 7 as UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will again put his belt on the line against his toughest foe to date, Chael Sonnen.

The pair headline the promotion’s annual Fourth of July weekend event, UFC 148, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

In the night’s co-main event, former light heavyweight champions Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz will settle their trilogy in what will be Ortiz’s final Octagon appearance.

UFC 148 will air live on pay-per-view starting at 8 p.m. ET. A two-hour preliminary card special airs on FX at 6 p.m. ET, while a single bout streams live on Facebook at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Check back for full results and reaction to each of the 11 bouts on the card.

Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen (for middleweight title)

Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz

Cung Le vs. Patrick Cote

Dong Hyun Kim vs. Demian Maia

Chad Mendes vs. Cody McKenzie

Ivan Menjivar vs. Mike Easton

Melvin Guillard vs. Fabricio Camoes

Gleison Tibau vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

Constantinos Philippou vs. Riki Fukuda

John Alessio vs. Shane Roller

Rafaello Oliveira vs. Yoislandy Izquierdo

Photo: Anderson Silva (L) faces off with Chael Sonnen (Josh Hedges/Zuffa, LLC)

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TUF Live Finale: The Real Winners and Losers from Ellenberger vs. Kampmann

With a new broadcast partner came a new format, and June 1 marked the culmination of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter: Live on FX. The reality show’s champion was crowned, as lightweights Michael Chiesa and Al Iaquinta battled for a six-f…

With a new broadcast partner came a new format, and June 1 marked the culmination of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter: Live on FX.

The reality show’s champion was crowned, as lightweights Michael Chiesa and Al Iaquinta battled for a six-figure contract.

Also, welterweights Jake Ellenberger and Martin Kampmann postured for position in a crowded 170-pound title picture.

Let’s take a look at the biggest winners and losers from The Ultimate Fighter: Live finale in Las Vegas.

 

Rob Tatum is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at The MMA Corner. For anything related to MMA, follow him on Twitter.

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UFC 146: Weigh-in Results and Exclusive Photo Gallery

The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas hosted the weigh-ins for UFC 146, which takes place May 26 in the same venue. The event will feature 12 bouts, headlined by a heavyweight championship bout between current champion Junior dos Santos and former ch…

The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas hosted the weigh-ins for UFC 146, which takes place May 26 in the same venue.

The event will feature 12 bouts, headlined by a heavyweight championship bout between current champion Junior dos Santos and former champ Frank Mir.

All of the 24 fighters made weight for their fights.

Check out the slideshow to view the weigh-in results and staredowns for each matchup.

All photos by Rob Tatum/Bleacher Report

 

Rob Tatum is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at The MMA Corner. For anything related to MMA, follow him on Twitter.

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UFC 146: Urijah Faber Q&A Live Updates

Current UFC bantamweight No. 1 contender Urijah Faber has been selected to host a live question and answer session prior to the UFC 146 weigh-ins. Faber will battle Renan Barao for the interim championship at UFC 148 on July 7. The fight is a result of…

Current UFC bantamweight No. 1 contender Urijah Faber has been selected to host a live question and answer session prior to the UFC 146 weigh-ins.

Faber will battle Renan Barao for the interim championship at UFC 148 on July 7. The fight is a result of a knee injury to current champion Dominick Cruz, Faber’s opposing coach of the current season of The Ultimate Fighter: Live.

The Californian will take questions from the media as well as members of the UFC’s Fight Club.

The hour-long Q&A will take place from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET on Friday, May 25. We’ll be posting updates below.

 

Rob Tatum is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at The MMA Corner. For anything related to MMA, follow him on Twitter.

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UFC 146 Fight Card: A Frank Mir Victory Cements His Place as a UFC Hall-of-Famer

Heavyweight Frank Mir may already be headed to the UFC Hall of Fame when he hangs up his gloves, but at Saturday’s UFC 146 in Las Vegas, Mir has the chance to erase any doubt of whether he deserves such an accolade. Mir’s heavyweight record…

Heavyweight Frank Mir may already be headed to the UFC Hall of Fame when he hangs up his gloves, but at Saturday’s UFC 146 in Las Vegas, Mir has the chance to erase any doubt of whether he deserves such an accolade.

Mir’s heavyweight record 14 wins inside the Octagon and devastating submission game are more than enough for consideration into the exclusive club.

Yet, Mir’s inability to remain at the top of the division hurts the case for his inclusion. After all, every other member dominated their weight class for an extensive period of time.

When the cage door shuts at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 26, Mir will look to recapture the UFC belt that he has already held twice in the past.

However, he’ll be facing the type of fighter that has been his kryptonite in the past: vicious knockout artist—and current champion—Junior dos Santos.

Although Mir has numerous, memorable submissions on his lengthy record—such as breaking the arms of both Tim Sylvia and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira—you’ll find a number of equally embarrassing defeats, all by KO or TKO.

He was demolished by heavy-hitters Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar, but he has been able to work his way back into title contention—with a little bit of luck.

Had it not been for Alistair Overeem’s failed pre-fight drug test, who knows if Mir would’ve ever been granted another shot at UFC gold. Yet, here he is, in the position to become champion once again.

Certainly there are other factors in Mir’s candidacy, beyond this current fight. The fact that he overcame a serious motorcycle accident following his first title run to capture the interim belt in 2008 has to be taken into consideration.

Again, being that he was forced to vacate the belt due to injury and failed to unify the interim belt are significant arguments against his place in the elite group.

Mir is in the driver’s seat if he wants to prove he belongs. If he can finally figure out how to solve the puzzle that has derailed his past runs, and defeat dos Santos, it would be very hard to deny his place in UFC history.

 

Rob Tatum is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at The MMA Corner. For anything related to MMA, follow him on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com