UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones, the youngest champion in UFC history, is one of eight finalists in ESPN SportsNation’s 2nd Annual Awesomest Dude of the Year contest.The contest is held in a bracket format with the winners of eac…
UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones, the youngest champion in UFC history, is one of eight finalists in ESPN SportsNation’s 2nd Annual Awesomest Dude of the Year contest.
The contest is held in a bracket format with the winners of each round being determined by online fan voting. Voting in the first round is now open. All voting will be held exclusively on SportsNation’s Facebook page, located at www.Facebook.com/SportsNation.
In the first round, Jones is matched up against WWE Superstar and actor Duane “The Rock” Johnson.
In a recent interview with MMAInterviews.TV, UFC legend Wanderlei Silva and his protege Jorge Lopez said they believe Lyoto Machida has what it takes to earn back the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship belt at UFC 140.”Jon Jones is great, but Machida i…
In a recent interview with MMAInterviews.TV, UFC legend Wanderlei Silva and his protege Jorge Lopez said they believe Lyoto Machida has what it takes to earn back the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship belt at UFC 140.
“Jon Jones is great, but Machida is Machida,” said Silva.
“Via decision, Machida can win by outscoring Jon Jones on points,” added Lopez. “Machida has something a lot of fighters don’t — footwork.”
Silva also pointed to Machida’s experience as a factor that could give him an edge over the phenom Jones.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® invades the United Center in Chicago on Saturday, Jan. 28 for its second network television event on FOX with an ultimate tripleheader. In the night’s main event, former light heavyweight champion “Suga” Rasha…
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® invades the United Center in Chicago on Saturday, Jan. 28 for its second network television event on FOX with an ultimate tripleheader. In the night’s main event, former light heavyweight champion “Suga” Rashad Evans takes on undefeated former national champion wrestler Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis to determine the next challenger to the 205-pound title.
This outstanding two-hour broadcast airs live on FOX at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
History was made when the UFC® debuted on FOX in November, as 5.7 million viewers (8.8 million peak) tuned in to watch Cain Velasquez battle Junior dos Santos for the heavyweight title. Now, fight fans around the world can gear up for another incredible night of action inside the Octagon® live on FOX.
“This is the show that officially starts our deal with FOX and we’re bringing what the fans want – a night packed with great fights,” UFC President Dana White said. “We’re kicking this thing off with an incredible tripleheader. Rashad Evans looked fantastic in his last fight against Tito Ortiz and he wants to get the belt back. But Phil Davis is no joke. He’s undefeated at 9-0 and has stormed through guys like Brian Stann, Alexander Gustafsson and Rogerio Nogueira. He wants the title shot just as bad as Rashad.
“Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz are going to collide to see who gets the next crack at Anderson Silva,” White continued. “Both of these guys are phenomenal wrestlers coming off big wins. Chael wants the chance to avenge his loss to Anderson. Mark wants a chance to prove that he’s the best 185-pounder in the world. Plus, we’ve got Michael Bisping against Demian Maia and the winner will be next in line for a title shot after the winner of Sonnen-Munoz.”
Tickets for UFC® on FOX are priced at $250, $150, $100, $75, $50, and $40, and go on sale to the public on Friday, Dec. 9 at 10 a.m. CT. Tickets will be available at all Ticketmaster locations, online at ticketmaster.com and charge-by-phone at 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the United Center Box Office.
UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 10 a.m CT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, Dec. 8, starting at 10 a.m. CT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter by entering their email address in the “join newsletter” field at the top of ufc.com.
Former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans (fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla.) has made it clear that he wants a chance to dethrone reigning champion Jon Jones in 2012. Before that can happen, he looks to extend his winning streak to four when he meets “Mr. Wonderful” in a No. 1 contender fight at the United Center. The 32-year-old Evans (21-1-1) dismantled Tito Ortiz in his last fight in August and believes a win over Davis will secure him the highly-coveted shot at the 205-pound title.
“Some people may say I’m already the No. 1 contender, but I’m a fighter not a critic and I will go through anybody who stands in my way until I got a shot at the UFC title,” Evans said. “Having the opportunity to prove that I’m the top contender in the division on FOX – the biggest stage there is – is just icing on the cake. I will leave no doubt that I’m the top guy in the light heavyweight division after my fight on FOX.”
Phil Davis (fighting out of San Diego, Calif.), 27, is arguably one of the fastest-rising stars in the sport thanks to an undefeated mark of 9-0, including five victories inside the Octagon®. Originally scheduled to fight Evans at UFC 133 before an injury forced his withdrawal, the former national champion wrestler at Penn State University is pleased the stars finally aligned for his much anticipated collision with the former champion.
“I am excited to be a part of the UFC on FOX in Chicago,” Davis said. “I was pretty upset when the fight with Rashad didn’t happen in August. I am ready for him now. He is one of the best guys in the world. I can’t wait and I’m confident that I’m going to win.”
Chael Sonnen (fighting out of West Linn, Ore.) continues his quest for a rematch with Anderson Silva on Jan. 28 when he meets Munoz on FOX. Following a loss to the champion in 2010, Sonnen returned to the Octagon® at UFC 136 and submitted the surging Brian Stann. He now faces Munoz, an opponent he once met in college while wrestling for the University of Oregon.
“This is competition between Mark Munoz and me,” Sonnen said. “We competed before, we will compete again. And when it is done, it will be one more in the win column, one more trophy above the mantle, and one more for the bad guy.”
Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz (fighting out of Vallejo, Calif.) heads to Chicago fresh off a dominant stoppage victory over Chris Leben in the main event of UFC 138 in England in November. A winner of four straight, the former Division I national champion wrestler from Oklahoma State University now has his sights set on besting his friend turned temporary foe, Sonnen.
“Chael and I are friends and will remain friends long after this fight,” the 33-year-old Munoz said. “But make no mistake, when that cage door closes we will not hold back. We will show the world why we are the best at what we do.”
After battering Jason “Mayhem” Miller on Dec. 3, Michael Bisping (fighting out of Manchester, England) firmly believes that his time to fight for the middleweight title is approaching. A winner of four consecutive fights, including the last two by knockout, the 32-year-old leaves no doubt that his clash with Maia is the most important of his career.
“It is a huge honor to fight on American national television on FOX,” Bisping, owner of a 23-3 record said. “Going straight back into camp, missing Christmas, none of that even entered my mind. I want to earn my way to a title shot and fighting a former No. 1 challenger as dangerous as Maia is exactly the opportunity I have been hoping for. This is the most crucial fight of my life.”
Grappling sensation Demian Maia (fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) has won two out of his last three bouts since dropping a decision to champion Silva in Abu Dhabi in 2010. The 34-year-old, who is a two-time world champion in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, has defeated high-caliber opponents such as Sonnen, Jorge Santiago, Kendall Grove and Dan Miller. When he meets Bisping next month, he knows that a win will put him right back into the title picture.
“I think Michael Bisping is a great fighter and will be one of the hardest fights I ever had,” Maia, 15-3, said. “Some people underrate him, but I think I can never underestimate him. I consider him one of the top contenders at middleweight. He is someone with only three losses in over 20 fights, with one of those losses coming to Rashad in a higher weight class. It shows how tough he is and the challenge that is ahead of me. I’m also very excited to be fighting in Chicago for the first time, a city where I spent part of some of my last training camps, and where I have a lot of friends. If that was not enough, on top of all that, fighting on FOX is a huge opportunity.”
According to data released through Facebook’s Memology 2011 project, the fastest-growing sport in the world was the most-talked about topic among those in the fifth-biggest country in the world.The Facebook Memology report lists the most popular topics…
According to data released through Facebook’s Memology 2011 project, the fastest-growing sport in the world was the most-talked about topic among those in the fifth-biggest country in the world.
The Facebook Memology report lists the most popular topics discussed on Facebook, as determined by comparing status updates from 2011 those posted in the same time frame in 2010.
UFC was the #1 topic in Brazil for the year. The brand’s popularity exploded in that nation this year, due in large part to the August UFC RIO event and boosted again in November when Junior dos Santos won the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
“Shogun has already pegged the man to dethrone [UFC light heavyweight champ Jon] Jones: Lyoto Machida.”‘He has every chance to beat Jones,’ Rua told Sherdog.com. ‘His counterattack style is very strong and tough to beat. I think his style could match p…
“Shogun has already pegged the man to dethrone [UFC light heavyweight champ Jon] Jones: Lyoto Machida.
“‘He has every chance to beat Jones,’ Rua told Sherdog.com. ‘His counterattack style is very strong and tough to beat. I think his style could match perfectly with Jones” style. I’d bet on him if I had to.'”
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced today that The Ultimate Fighter®, the longest-running sports reality show on television, is moving to FX this March with an exciting, new live format. The Ultimate Fighter® LIVE debuts on Friday, March 9…
The Ultimate Fighter®, the longest-running sports reality show on television, is moving to FX this March with an exciting, new live format.
The Ultimate Fighter® LIVE debuts on Friday, March 9 as part of a two-hour season premiere beginning at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The show will then air for one hour at 10 p.m. ET/PT every Friday for the next 11 weeks on FX. The three-hour finale will conclude FX’s premiere season of The Ultimate Fighter®LIVE on June 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. UFC® bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and“The California Kid” Urijah Faber will serve as coaches on the upcoming season, with lightweight and welterweight contestants competing for two, six-figure UFC contracts.
This past Saturday, The Ultimate Fighter® concluded its run on SPIKE TV as 2.5 million viewers tuned in to watch the season 14 finale headlined by Michael Bisping battling Jason “Mayhem” Miller in a middleweight contest. The event was the highest rated and most watched TUF Finale since TUF 10 in 2009, and was the No. 1 program on cable among M18-49 and M18-34 (No. 2 in A18-49). In addition, season 14 was up +121 percent with A18-34 compared to the previous season. The strong ratings prove that the show has tremendous momentum heading into its highly anticipated arrival on FX.
“We’re producing ground-breaking television with The Ultimate Fighter LIVE and we can’t wait to kick this season off with FX in March,” UFC President Dana White said. “It’s going to be can’t-miss TV. Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber are two incredible personalities who also happen to be two of the best fighters in the world. They genuinely dislike each other and I expect this to make for the best season yet.”
“We believe that Dana and Lorenzo (Fertitta), along with Executive Producer Craig Piligian, have come up with exciting new changes to the format of The Ultimate Fighter that will expand and grow the series,” said Chuck Saftler, Executive Vice President, FX Networks. “The fact that the fights at the end of each episode will now be televised live is certain to create a sense of urgency for UFC fans. Furthermore, the move of TUF to Friday nights will provide a great ratings boost to the network.”
The rivalry between coaches Cruz and Faber dates back to March 2007, when Faber handed Cruz his first and only professional loss in a 145-pound bout. The 26-year-old Cruz avenged that loss this past July, defeating Faber by unanimous decision to retain the bantamweight crown in a Fight of the Year candidate. With the series now even, Cruz and Faber look to settle the score as TUF coaches, followed by a title fight in mid-2012 inside the Octagon®.
Undefeated at 9-0 since dropping to bantamweight in 2008, San Diego’s Cruz (19-1) has surged to the top of the division thanks to unorthodox striking, tremendous cardio, and aggressive wrestling. Owner of wins over the likes of Faber, Demetrious Johnson, Scott Jorgensen, Joseph Benavidez (twice), and Brian Bowles, “The Dominator” has long sought an opportunity to serve as coach on The Ultimate Fighter®. The chance to coach opposite his longtime rival makes the opportunity that much sweeter.
“Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a gym rat and love learning and teaching mixed martial arts,” Cruz, who trains at Alliance MMA in San Diego, said. “This is a dream come true. To get a chance to coach TUF and beat Faber again is all the motivation I need. This is going to be an insane season of The Ultimate Fighter.”
Sacramento’s Faber cemented his place as a pioneer in the lighter weight divisions after holding the WEC featherweight title for a span of over two years from 2006-2008. Boasting victories over the likes of Cruz, Jeff Curran and Jens Pulver at 145-pounds, “The California Kid” dropped to his more natural weight class of 135-pounds in November 2010 in search of his second world title. He’s since been on a tear, most recently submitting former champion Bowles at UFC® 139.
Now, the 32-year-old turns his attention to another one of his passions – coaching.
“I can’t wait to be the next coach on The Ultimate Fighter,” Faber, whose gym in Sacramento has helped produce UFC stars Benavidez, Chad Mendes and Danny Castillo, said. “I am looking forward to mentoring a bunch of hungry and talented fighters. The new cast needs to be ready to work hard and learn! Having Dominick coach on the opposite side couldn’t be more perfect. I’m not too thrilled about being in each other’s space for an extended period of time, as I am sure we are going to get on each other’s nerves. But I can’t wait to mentally beat him up as a coach, and then literally beat him up in the cage and swipe that UFC strap.”
