Author: UFC News

The rematch between featherweights Mackens Semerzier and Robert Peralta slated for March is off, as Peralta has been forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury.

Stepping in for Peralta will be Daniel Pineda, fresh off a quick submission victory in his Octagon debut January 20. Both fighters have verbally agreed to the new matchup.

Noke Gets New Opponent for UFC in Sydney updated January 19
Aussie Kyle Noke has has an opponent change for his upcoming UFC on FX bout in Sydney, as it was announced today that Jared Hamman has been injured and forced to withdraw. Stepping to face Noke will be undefeated Texan Andrew Craig, who will make his UFC debut down under. Both men have verbally agreed to the new matchup.

Te Huna vs. Rosa at UFC on FX 2 updated January 10
Verbal agreements are in for a light heavyweight showdown between Aaron Rosa and Australian power puncher James Te Huna. The March 3 event will mark Te Huna’s third appearance at a UFC event in Sydney.

Sydney Card Taking Shape updated January 5
Australian fans have a bevy of brawls to look forward to, as verbal agreements are in for a handful of matchups on the March 3 card.

Hometown favorite Anthony “The Hippo” Perosh will welcome 11-1 light heavyweight prospect Nick Penner to the UFC. Perosh is coming off of back to back submission wins and looks to make it three in a row in his home country.

Another Australian, TUF 11’s Kyle Noke will meet in a middleweight match against Jared “The Messenger’ Hamman.

At welterweight, verbal agreements are in for a match between 11-2 Jake “The Hitman” Hecht and submission specialist TJ Waldburger.

TUF 14 standout Steven Siler looks to continue to impress in the featherweight division by taking taking on Cole Miller, who is dropping a weight division and making his debut at 145 pounds. “Siler surprised many by taking out Cole’s brother, Micah, to earn a spot in last season’s Ultimate Fighter, said UFC president Dana White. “Miller is coming off an impressive submission stoppage in his last outing.”

Also at 145 pounds, featherweight contenders Mackens Semerzier and Robbie Peralta will go at it once more after their previous bout at UFC on FOX </a>1 ended up as a no-contest due to an accidental head-butt.

And two heavyweights have verbally agreed to make their UFC debuts in Sydney as 12-3 Strikeforce vet Shawn “The Savage” Jordan will take on 9-2 Brit Oli Thompson.

Court McGee, Costa Philippou Slated for Sydney updated December 27
Verbal agreements are in for a dynamic matchup between hard-hitting middleweights Constantinos Philippou and Court ‘The Crusher’ McGee for March 3. TUF 11 winner Court McGee most recently decisioned the ultra-tough Dongi Yang, while Philippou is coming off a blistering first-round knockout win at UFC 140.

Flyweights Headed Down Under updated December 10
The March 3 Australia event will mark the introduction of the UFC’s flyweight division, with two bouts that will determine the
contenders for the UFC’s first-ever flyweight championship.

Former number-one bantamweight contender Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson battles Ian McCall, and longtime 135-pound standout Joseph Benavidez will also drop to 125 pounds to face Japan’s Yasuhiro Urushitani.

Alves vs. Kampmann Confirmed updated November 29
“A potential fight of the night candidate has been verbally agreed to as Martin ‘The Hitman’ Kampmann will face Thiago ‘Pit Bull’ Alves in a welterweight match early next year,” confirmed UFC president Dana White today.

The event will be aired on the FX Network in early March of next year.

Las Vegas, Nevada –TapouT®, the premier MMA lifestyle brand and longtime supporter of the sport of mixed martial arts, has become an official lifestyle apparel partner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship®, the companies announced today.

The multi-year deal gives TapouT exposure at UFC® events broadcast on Pay-Per-View, FX and FUEL TV via canvas logos, bumpers and billboards. In addition, TapouT will present the “Submission of the Night” feature on UFC broadcasts, as well as take part in on-site activation at UFC events globally. The agreement also includes an extensive digital media plan, with TapouT gaining visibility across multiple social media platforms and at UFC.com. Furthermore, TapouT obtains the rights to use “Official lifestyle apparel of UFC” on hangtags, point-of-sale and advertising.

TapouT, which is owned by New York-based ABG TapouT, LLC a division of Authentic Brands Group LLC, has a long history of sponsoring UFC athletes in the Octagon®.

“TapouT has been a big supporter of the sport and its athletes for a long time,” said Bryan Johnston, CMO of UFC. “We’re excited to have them as our official lifestyle apparel partner as we get ready for some of the biggest years in UFC history.”

“It’s been a dream of ours ever since we watched the first UFC to be an official partner of the best MMA organization in the world,” said TapouT co-founder, Dan “Punkass” Caldwell.

“The UFC is a world class professional sports organization with an aggressive global growth strategy in line with ours,” said Nick Woodhouse, CMO of Authentic Brands Group. “This partnership with the UFC further reinforces TapouT’s commitment to supporting the sport, its athletes and beloved fans.”

Seven fighters – plus UFC President Dana White –  attended the UFC 143 post-fight press conference: Carlos Condit, Renan Barao, Josh Koscheck, Fabricio Werdum, Dustin Poirier, Ed Herman, and Stephen Thompson.

The event’s Fight of the Night bonuses went to Fabricio Werdum and Roy Nelson. The two heavyweights engaged in a back-and-forth battle that took place predominantly on the feet, with Werdum taking the unanimous decision.

KO of the Night went to newcomer Thompson, who laid out fellow debutant Dan Stittgen with a highlight-reel head kick in the first round.

Dustin Poirier earned Submission of the Night for his mounted first-round triangle/armbar over Max Holloway. With the win, Poirier moves to 4-0 inside the Octagon.

Each bonused fighter received $65,000.

 Press Conference highlights:

Werdum and Koscheck

Condit

Watch the UFC® 143 replay

In Person! Diaz vs. Condit. Big Country vs. Werdum. Koscheck vs. Pierce. UFC 143 is loaded with wars, and the main event alone makes it worth the trek to the desert. Plus, there are tons of free fan events going on, so score your tickets, book your travel and come see us in person.

On the Big Screen in 3D Sure, you’ve seen action on the big screen but never like this! For the first time ever, a UFC Pay-Per-View will be broadcast live in movie theaters on the big screen! Find a screen near you and buy tickets now at www.ufc.com/3d. Plus, at select theaters in Vegas, Mobile, Mesa, Denver and Fairfax, the night will be hosted by a UFC fighter.

Pay-Per-View… or Pay-Per-View 3D! UFC 143 can be seen on Pay-Per-View through your local cable
operator. (Available on Main Event in Australia; Sky Arena in NZ; UK fans see it for free on ESPN at 3 am.) If you’ve got a 3D television, select cable providers (including DirecTV, At&T U-verse, Cox and Comcast) are also offering the fights in 3D – check yours for details. Besides Superman punches that look like they’re going to break through your TV, the 3D broadcast will feature its own announcing team.

On Xbox LIVE Download the UFC on Xbox LIVE app to your Xbox 360 and get free access to exclusive programming, live streams of the weigh-in and press conference and more (US and Canada only for now – more countries coming soon!). Plus, during Xbox LIVE Free Gold Weekend, you can use the upgrade features like fight picks and an expanded video on demand menu. Then on Saturday, watch the Pay-Per-View live and check out interactive features such as fight card displays.

UFC.tv 
Re-watch every knockout from multiple angles. Keep the camera on your
favorite fighter even during his opponent’s walkout. Hear every
word Nick Diaz’ corner shouts (on second thought…). Watch the free demo of UFC.TV
with its multiple camera angles, HD-quality stream, audio feeds and DVR
controls. It’s a futuristic experience available at your fingertips
today – www.UFC.tv.

At a bar It’s Super Bowl weekend, so you’ve already got wings on your mind – why wait until Sunday!? Visit bars.ufc.com from your computer or mobile device to find a location showing the big guys nears you.

On your Android On the move with your phone? Use the UFC Android Application watch UFC 143 live.

On Your Favorite Site The biggest online video portals are catching UFC fever – catch the Pay-Per-View on YouTube, UStream, Yahoo!, and more.

On Facebook Fans can use Facebook credits to view the stream right on the same tab where you watch the prelims. Like!

On ROKU This UFC experience combines internet streaming on large-screen televisions. Make sure you download the UFC Channel on
your ROKU set-top box.

It’s been a good week for The Downes Side: I went 5-0 with my FOX picks bringing me to 9 wins in a row. My Chicago homecoming went off almost flawlessly (save a lowlight in which an entire family of four flipped me off on my way to the arena). That’s my biggest victory streak since I won the Vocabulary Bee in Mrs. Florian’s 6th grade classroom 11 weeks in a row.

I’ll get another shot at glory this week as the UFC rolls into Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay for UFC 143. The main event is my fellow wordsmith Nick Diaz facing Carlos Condit for the interim welterweight title.

Ed Herman vs Clifford Starks
Ed “Short Fuse” Herman has looked great coming off a nearly two-year layoff from a knee injury with quick wins over Tim Credeur and Kyle Noke. Clifford Starks is another example of the old adage, “Only two things come from Arizona State: drunk college girls and UFC wrestlers.” He made his debut last October with a weigh-in wardrobe malfunction followed by a decision win.

Prediction: Starks is a great wrestler, but Herman’s superior striking and submission games will be too much for him. Starks has the potential to grind out a decision, but I’m sticking with the ginger. When you don’t have a soul, you have nothing to lose, and Herman takes this middleweight melee by 2nd round TKO.

Renan Barao vs Scott Jorgenson
Next we have Renan Barao pitted against Scotty “Young Guns” Jorgensen to determine who’ll be at the top of the bantamweight heap in the post-Cruz/Faber 3 universe. Jorgensen is searching for another shot while Barao wants to increase his unbeaten streak to 30 straight (showoff).

Prediction: This is my favorite for Fight of the Night. While Barao has the speed advantage, Young Guns’ strength and wrestling can neutralize that. Expect a wild back-and-forth fight with Jorgensen’s grappling taking over as the fight progresses. Scotty will get his takedowns, ground and pound and put on the second best show of the weekend (the first obviously being Puppy Bowl VIII).

Josh Koscheck vs Mike Pierce
In the main card’s first welterweight war, irrepressible instigator Josh Koscheck faces off against Mike Pierce, who got the fight by publicly calling out Kos. Both fighters are coming off recent wins and have solid wrestling backgrounds. Koscheck is looking to get back into the welterweight title talk while Pierce gets a taste of the spotlight with a high-profile opponent.

Prediction: Despite being a former Division I wrestler, Pierce has struggled against other wrestlers whose first names start with J (see his fights against Jon Fitch and Johny Hendricks). Pierce has never been stopped, but that streak ends tonight. Koscheck will go for the takedown immediately, get position and go HAM. He’ll look great, then ruin all the goodwill he earned with a solid black-hat performance in the post-fight interview. Koscheck wins via first-round TKO

Roy Nelson vs Fabricio Werdum
After his Strikeforce sojourn, Fedor-beater Fabricio Werdum returns to the UFC with a heavyweight showdown against Roy “Big Country” Nelson. As for Nelson, after two disappointing losses to Junior Dos Santos and Frank Mir that made Big Country reexamine his lovable pudginess, he rebounded with a win against Mirko Cro Cop.

Prediction: Big Country may not be as fat and lovable as he used to, but losing weight hasn’t
slowed down Seth Rogen’s career and it won’t hurt our favorite mulleted
heavyweight, either. Werdum wants this fight to go to the ground, but Roy has the striking ability to keep him on the outside. Big Country keeps the distance and nickel-and-dimes Werdum to a decision win.

Nick Diaz vs Carlos Condit
The main event features everyone’s favorite anti-social fighter against a guy who’s surprisingly mild-mannered for being a “Natural Born Killer.” Full disclosure: Nick Diaz is a friend of mine. And by friend, I mean that I once saw him in a Whole Foods in Las Vegas and talked to him for five minutes. But he didn’t call me a punk-ass bitch and we both use the same salad dressing so it’s clear that we’re very much alike.

Prediction: Condit has the wrestling advantage, but I imagine these two will stand toe to toe with one another. Condit says that he plans on testing Diaz’ chin, and that’s usually a recipe for disaster (see Diaz vs. Daley, Diaz vs. Lawler, etc). The 209 will outwork the NBK – Diaz wins the decision after five rounds and becomes the number-one source of pride for Stockton. Take that, Asparagus Festival!

Sadly, that brings an end to this edition of the Downes Side. If you can’t get enough of me, follow me on Twitter @dannyboydownes and add some comments and I’ll respond. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go place my bets for the game. For what it’s worth, my money is on Leroy Brown.

Check out Danny’s previous predictions for UFC on Fox.

Light heavyweights Thiago Silva and Brandon “The Truth” Vera have verbally agreed to wrap up some unfinished business this May in Fairfax, VA. “Their last fight ended up a no contest and both guys are out to prove that they are the better man,” said UFC president Dana White.

Verbal agreements are also in for a middleweight matchup at that event between “Filthy” Tom Lawlor and Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald.

The bouts will take place at the just-announced third UFC on FX event, tentatively scheduled for May 15 in Fairfax, Virginia. More details including venue information and ticket on-sales will be announced in coming weeks.