The first winners of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” have their next fight dates set.
Rony “Jason” Mariano Bezerra and Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira are expected to be a part of the card when the UFC returns to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in October. UFC offic…
The first winners of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” have their next fight dates set.
Rony “Jason” Mariano Bezerra and Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira are expected to be a part of the card when the UFC returns to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in October. UFC officials on Wednesday announced the two fighters’ likely inclusion, although opponents weren’t named.
As MMAjunkie.com first reported, UFC 153 is expected to take place Oct. 13 at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. It will be the promotion’s third trip to that venue in 14 months following UFC 134 in August 2011 and UFC 142 this past January.
Brock Lesnar, despite having just seven fights in the UFC, was one of the most popular and controversial fighters in the history of the promotion. From his debut in 2008 to his retirement at the end of 2011, Lesnar made a mark on the UFC…
Brock Lesnar, despite having just seven fights in the UFC, was one of the most popular and controversial fighters in the history of the promotion. From his debut in 2008 to his retirement at the end of 2011, Lesnar made a mark on the UFC heavyweight division that won’t soon be forgotten.
Lesnar made the most of the few moments he had, rebounding from a loss to Frank Mir at UFC 81 with four consecutive wins. He took the UFC title from the legendary Randy Couture and smashed Mir in a rematch.
It was that second fight with Mir that solidified Lesnar as the UFC’s top all-time drawing card, setting a company record for most pay-per-view buys that still stands. When Brock Lesnar fought, people took notice. He polarized fans who either loved him or hated him. No one was ambivalent.
Lesnar retired with a 5-3 record last year after a long battle with diverticulitis. We’ll never know what Lesnar might have been had he started his career immediately after winning an NCAA title in 2000, or how far he could have taken his career if illness hadn’t robbed him of his ability to train and prepare properly for bouts.
Above, Bleacher Report lead writers Jonathan Snowden and Jeremy Botter debate Lesnar’s place in UFC history. Are the financial windfalls he almost single-handedly brought to the UFC enough to earn him a place in the UFC’s Hall of Fame? Or is his meager record enough to keep him out?
Watch the video and then give us your thoughts: Is Brock Lesnar a Hall of Famer?
Alistair Overeem isn’t due back in the Octagon until, at the very earliest, the end of this year. That’s because his suspension from failing a drug test earlier this year won’t end until December, and the UFC obviously isn’t going to use him—in N…
Alistair Overeem isn’t due back in the Octagon until, at the very earliest, the end of this year. That’s because his suspension from failing a drug test earlier this year won’t end until December, and the UFC obviously isn’t going to use him—in Nevada or any other state or country, for that matter—until his legal issues with the Nevada commission are resolved.
That’s my goal. I know that the UFC will not promote me on their card as long as I’m not licensed. That being said, we’re going to try to get licensed sooner and I’m confident that I will succeed.
The beautiful part about this news? He’ll probably succeed.
After all, the Nevada commission proved back in April that they’re really, really grateful for Overeem’s decision to fight in their state. They practically begged him to consider fighting in December on the UFC’s big year-end card, and they only gave him a 9-month suspension instead of the regular full year doled out to other offenders such as Cris Cyborg.
If Overeem can get licensed before his scheduled date in December, there’s little doubt in my mind that he’ll be involved on the UFC’s final event of the year. The biggest question: who would he fight?
With Cain and Junior dos Santos not scheduled to square off until October at the very earliest, I can’t imagine either of them surviving without taking much punishment. That would require the winner to sit on the shelf for a little bit in order to recuperate, which means Overeem would need to face a different opponent.
Who’s the best candidate? My vote, and you knew this was coming, goes to Daniel Cormier. He fights for the final time in Strikeforce in September. Assuming he wins that fight—against an opponent completely unknown at this point—Cormier should be ready to make his UFC debut in December, providing he doesn’t break either of his hands again.
Overeem vs. Cormier? That’s a fight I could get behind.
If the Canadian welterweight had his way, he’d likely come out Saturday, sock his opponent a clean one in the kisser, watch him drop, get his hand raised, change clothes and come back out to watch some fights cageside.
…
Chris Clements is a fight fan.
If the Canadian welterweight had his way, he’d likely come out Saturday, sock his opponent a clean one in the kisser, watch him drop, get his hand raised, change clothes and come back out to watch some fights cageside.
Clements opens the pay-per-view main card of UFC 149 against Matthew Riddle. And even though he has a 3-second knockout on his resume, he’s realistic about his chances to watch the rest of the main card up close – thanks to his buddy Burt Watson.
Setbacks are a common occurrence in mixed martial arts. Whether it is injury or defeat, a fighter must learn how to bounce back from unfortunate circumstances. Failure to do so can be the nail in the coffin for a fizzled out career. But when a fighter …
Setbacks are a common occurrence in mixed martial arts. Whether it is injury or defeat, a fighter must learn how to bounce back from unfortunate circumstances. Failure to do so can be the nail in the coffin for a fizzled out career. But when a fighter makes the adjustments to come back stronger, longevity follows thereafter.
Cheick Kongo has been a staple of the UFC heavyweight division for the past six years.
Several times throughout this stretch he has fallen only to rebound in impressive fashion. After a loss to Mark Hunt in his last outing, Kongo once again finds himself in the position where he needs to make a statement.
He will have the opportunity to do so when he faces Shawn Jordan this Saturday night at UFC 149 in Calgary.
While he was originally slated to face Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Big Nog’s slow recovery resulted in him being pulled from the card. Jordan was tapped to fill his spot and despite the change of opponent, Kongo is ready to give the fans what they want to see.
“I was preparing for Big Nog but he was hurt and now I fight Shawn Jordan,” Kongo told Bleacher Report. “I was ready for a good fight against Big Nog but that’s how it goes some times—that’s life. The UFC found a new opponent and everything is okay. It is important for the fan base to have a good fight. I’m here and I’m doing my thing.”
“In preparation for the fight with Jordan I didn’t really change anything in my camp. I worked with my coaches and on my sparring. I was obviously training my jiu-jitsu and that switched to wrestling after my opponent changed.”
“No fighter is the same and we have to be very smart and disciplined in how we attack. I’m very confident in my skills and it is going to be a great fight. I’m getting the victory and I’m going to get back on track.”
Throughout his time in the UFC heavyweight division, Kongo has witnessed plenty of change. For years, the weight class was thin on talent but now it has become one of the most competitive divisions in the organization. While Kongo hopes to eventually regain his contender status he is well aware fighters on the rise such as Jordan are looking to take his place.
“New fighters are coming into the division all the time and they are looking to replace the more established fighters,” Kongo said. “A fight like this is important for me because I need to stay in the rankings and get back to the top of the division.”
“There is a variety in the heavyweight division now and more guys are closer to my weight. I used to have to be careful about being taken down by bigger guys. Now there is a mixture of strikers, wrestlers, jiu-jitsu guys and I have to be prepared to handle that. The division right now is really good and I like that. It makes it a better challenge.”
The first winners of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” have their next fight dates set.
Chris Clements is a fight fan.
Setbacks are a common occurrence in mixed martial arts. Whether it is injury or defeat, a fighter must learn how to bounce back from unfortunate circumstances. Failure to do so can be the nail in the coffin for a fizzled out career. But when a fighter makes the adjustments to come back stronger, longevity follows thereafter.