Tag: Anderson Silva

UFC 132 Results: Chael Sonnen Calls out Lyoto Machida, Not Wanderlei Silva

UFC 132 saw one of the most impressive knockouts in recent memory when Chris Leben was able to defeat one of his idols, Wanderlei Silva, in the semi-main event.But the event may also be memorable for another reason as former middleweight No…

UFC 132 saw one of the most impressive knockouts in recent memory when Chris Leben was able to defeat one of his idols, Wanderlei Silva, in the semi-main event.

But the event may also be memorable for another reason as former middleweight No. 1 contender Chael Sonnen continued his verbal tirade on the organization by challenging yet another Brazilian fighter, Anderson Silva’s friend and fellow Black House member Lyoto Machida. 

This came as somewhat of a surprise as Sonnen had been openly bashing Wanderlei in the media for the past few weeks leading up to this event. 

“I was cheering for Chris [Leben],” Sonnen admitted tonight to MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani. “I don’t have any ill-will towards Wanderlei; I hope he’s okay.”

Sonnen was in attendance and witnessed Silva get knocked out of the fifth time in his last eight fights.

“He can’t do this work,” Sonnen bluntly stated. “But I certainly hope he’s okay.” 

“The only guy that would’ve finished him quicker is me.”

When asked if he would like to be the next to fight Silva, Sonnen shook his head and dismissed the idea entirely.

“No, it doesn’t make sense,” he explained. “Wanderlei is going to need to do something else. I don’t have any interest in getting in there with him. I don’t want to be the next guy to force him to have a flashlight shined in his eyes.” 

But he did have his eyes set on a fight, surprisingly one outside his own middleweight division. For whatever reason, Sonnen apparently wants to fight former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.

“There’s a karate guy at 205 pounds. I might stop there on my way back to 185. For a tune-up fight, take out Machida.” 

Machida is coming of a huge win over Randy Couture at UFC 129. Though the fight against Sonnen would certainly be one that fans would look forward to, it’s hard to say that it would be a great fight for Machida to take if he hopes to move back up the ranks in the light heavyweight division.

With Sonnen having been off for nearly a year at this point and moving up in weight classes, it’d be difficult for matchmaker Joe Silva to give Machida much credit if he were to defeat the loud-mouthed 185-pounder.

That said, expect to hear much more about this potential fight in the coming weeks.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 132 Is a Weak Card: A Look Back at the Last 5 UFC 4th of July Events

Along with my crazy neighbors, the Ultimate Fighting Championship normally reserves their best fireworks for every 4th of July Weekend.  This year however, the UFC appears to only be bringing out the sparklers with UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber II. &nb…

Along with my crazy neighbors, the Ultimate Fighting Championship normally reserves their best fireworks for every 4th of July Weekend.  This year however, the UFC appears to only be bringing out the sparklers with UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber II.  From top to bottom the card is not bad but it isn’t what the fans have come to expect from matchmaker Joe Silva.

The main event consists of a rematch between Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber.  The UFC is taking somewhat of a risk billing this matchup as the “moment we have all been waiting for” on this holiday.

Sure, Cruz and Faber have had tremendous success in the WEC but they have a combined one fight between them in the Octagon.  The casual fan is not aware of Dominick Cruz despite his 17-1 pro record.

The rest of the main card consists of a middleweight fight between Wanderlei Silva and Chris Leben that’s been booked about three years too late.  A changing of the guard match between Tito Ortiz and Ryan Bader has “unanimous decision” written all over it.  Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim could become a matchup of the best you’ve never heard of for the casual observer.  Rounding out the main card is Lightweights Dennis Siver and Matt Wiman 

I am not telling you how to spend your money.  With it being the 4th of July Weekend you might order UFC 132 and have some friends over to enjoy the action.  But if you revisit the last five UFC Independence Day cards you will turn off that cable box and grab the car keys to catch the fight at your local bar instead.    

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Steven Seagal Gets His Hooks Into Ricco Rodriguez Too


(This dude’s Marked for Death…)

Count Ricco Rodriguez as one of the growing number of fighters under the hypnotizing spell of Steven Seagal.

In a recent interview the beleaguered former UFC heavyweight champion did with Bleacher Report, Rodriguez detailed his first meeting with the “Hard to Kill” 7th Dan Aikido master.

“I’ve always been a fan of Steven Seagal’s. I’ve always admired his acting skills and even as I got older and started chasing some of my own personal goals. Because when I was a kid, I watched the Bruce Lee movies and going to Japan, living in Japan and training at the Takada dojo, traveling to Brazil, there was somewhat a similar situation to me and Seagal. So, getting to meet a person such as him, if I can explain to you how phenomenal his energy was, I can’t explain it unless you were because you just feel how motivating he is and how presentable he is. He’s a phenomenal person and a great guy.”


(This dude’s Marked for Death…)

Count Ricco Rodriguez as one of the growing number of fighters under the hypnotizing spell of Steven Seagal.

In a recent interview the beleaguered former UFC heavyweight champion did with Bleacher Report, Rodriguez detailed his first meeting with the “Hard to Kill” 7th Dan Aikido master.

“I’ve always been a fan of Steven Seagal’s. I’ve always admired his acting skills and even as I got older and started chasing some of my own personal goals. Because when I was a kid, I watched the Bruce Lee movies and going to Japan, living in Japan and training at the Takada dojo, traveling to Brazil, there was somewhat a similar situation to me and Seagal. So, getting to meet a person such as him, if I can explain to you how phenomenal his energy was, I can’t explain it unless you were because you just feel how motivating he is and how presentable he is. He’s a phenomenal person and a great guy.”

It didn’t take Rodriguez long to follow in the footsteps of other fighters like Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida become a believer.

“He moves like a cat and when he was demonstrating a couple of moves you could feel his power and his energy. I was like ‘yeah, I’m going to pay attention’, because he was moving me around like a lightweight and you can have your opinion, but the truth is Anderson Silva gives thanks and praise to Steven Seagal. You have to be respectful to him and mixed martial arts is exactly what it is, mixed martial arts. It’s many different styles, many different forms, many different philosophies, in conjunction with all these different styles you can be a better athlete. You have to be respectful to the older martial artist.”

Well, I guess it’s safe to say that Ricco Rodriguez is probably going to win back his UFC strap now. RIP UFC heavyweight division. “Suave” has put your asses on notice that he’s Out for Justice.

UFC: Wanderlei Silva Fires Back at Chael Sonnen; Vows to “Kill Him Fast”

Chael Sonnen, who is finally done serving his suspension from the California State Athletic Commission, has torn into fellow middleweight Wanderlei Silva recently. “The Axe Murderer,” who is set to fight Chris Leben in what promises to be a…

Chael Sonnen, who is finally done serving his suspension from the California State Athletic Commission, has torn into fellow middleweight Wanderlei Silva recently.

“The Axe Murderer,” who is set to fight Chris Leben in what promises to be a slugfest at UFC 132, has responded back to Uncle Chael.

In an interview with MMA Fighting, Silva told Ariel Helwani:

“Sonnen… I kill him. I kill him fast. This guy talks a lot of bull—-, he talks s— about a lot of fighters,” Silva remarked. 

The former Pride stand out continued with: “Don’t talk it about me because that’s dangerous, one day we’ll see each other again. I’m gonna want to know why you just hide behind a computer.”

Sonnen has went off on Wanderlei via his Twitter account, insinuating that Pride was a fake fight league where wins were insignificant, comparing it to the World Wrestling Entertainment. 

Silva, who has also been called out by Vitor Belfort during his 16 month absence from the cage, made it clear that he has no problem fighting either Sonnen or Belfort in the future.

In response to whether or not he’d accept a fight with Sonnen, Belfort responded:

“Of course, I’ll have him and I’ll have Belfort. Two good names. I’ll fight both. I’d fight Brian Stann but not right now. I don’t like Sonnen or Belfort—it’s better for me.”

Belfort is currently set to fight Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133, after suffering an embarrassing knockout defeat to middleweight champion Anderson Silva in February.

Meanwhile, Sonnen, despite almost a full year of inactivity, is still considered by many the No. 2 fighter in the world at 185 pounds.

While the beef between Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva has been brewing for several years now, a fight between the two never really made much sense.

However, if Silva were to take out Chris “The Crippler” Leben at UFC 132 and Sonnen is able to resume his fight career as planned, a fight between Silva and Sonnen all of a sudden becomes a very real possibility. 

Whose interested in seeing Sonnen square off with Wanderlei before the end of the year?

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Blood-Red Chris Leben Ready for Long-Awaited Wanderlei Silva Showdown at UFC 132

Few fighters have a more fan-friendly style than Chris Leben and Wanderlei Silva. The kill-or-be-killed strikers will go toe-to-toe in the center of the Octagon at UFC 132 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. this Saturday night.For Leben, …

Few fighters have a more fan-friendly style than Chris Leben and Wanderlei Silva.

The kill-or-be-killed strikers will go toe-to-toe in the center of the Octagon at UFC 132 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. this Saturday night.

For Leben, reverence for the former PRIDE 205-pound titleholder who reigned over Japan for five years as champion results in a Fight of the Night, Fight of the Year, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I always wanted to fight Wanderlei Silva. I’ve been kind of jokingly talking about it with friends for years. It’d be great if he came down. I know he fought Rich Franklin at ’95 and da, da, da, maybe I can go up to fight him—whatever,” The Ultimate Fighter alumni told Bleacher Report. “When I stepped in and fought [Yoshihiro] Akiyama for him, I felt that that earned me the shot.”

The dramatic third-round submission win against Akiyama was Leben’s second victory in two weeks—the rarest of accomplishments in the UFC. Silva has been without a belt since 2007, but his legendary stature in the sport causes even the most grizzled veteran like Leben to speak of earning a shot simply to face him as if he still held a belt.

With a fight anyone, anywhere, anytime attitude, Leben admitted, “It’s one of the few fights I’ve really, really wanted. I’m excited about it.”

The flu bit Leben before a New Year’s Day 2011 defeat where Brian Stann became the first fighter to (T)KO him since Anderson Silva five years earlier. Despite the stunning first-round loss, the Hawaii-based fighter is optimistic the setback hasn’t hurt his stride going into a fight with “The Axe Murderer.”

“I think the timing and the way everything is working out is absolutely perfect for me,” he said. “This is the best Chris Leben 100 percent. This is the best I’ve ever been. I can’t wait to show that come Saturday night.” 

Leben credits his family, friends and training partners with helping him stick to his diet more so than any other bout in his career. Never missing a chance to pay respect to his opponent for this contest, Leben extended his gratitude toward the Brazilian for a stellar training camp.

“Also, I got to thank Wanderlei for that because there’s nothing more motivating than the fear of a coma.,” said the nine-year veteran. “The thought of me fighting Wanderlei is really giving me the power to do everything I do for my diet, everything I need to do in the training room.”

“The Crippler” battling “The Axe Murderer” sets lofty expectations for violence. Leben color-coordinated his favorite pre-fight ritual—painting his hair—accordingly.

“I went with the classic blood red, the whole deal because I need as much power as I can get. For me, it changes things,” he said of dyeing his hair. “I look in the mirror, I see my hair is on.  I know that’s my game face. I know its time to go to work.”

Nineteen fights into his UFC career, Leben longs for the defining moments a slugfest brings forth. Win or lose, he can count on Silva to contribute memorable exchanges to a career built on starching opponent’s brain cells.

A title is nice and sure it’s the goal, but fans remember two fighter’s fearlessly throwing down like they do belts. What Leben lacks in gold he guarantees he makes up for in entertainment value.

“I just want to have epic fights where people can go back and say, ‘Your career is like a highlight reel,’” concluded Leben.

Follow Danny Acosta on twitter.com/acostaislegend.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber and 10 Other Rematches I Want to See, Part 2

Welcome to part two of my top-10 fights that deserve a rematch. Yesterday I posted rematches six through 10, so today the top five get all the attention.Expect the top five to feature more star power and have more divisional impact. Again, I will not b…

Welcome to part two of my top-10 fights that deserve a rematch. Yesterday I posted rematches six through 10, so today the top five get all the attention.

Expect the top five to feature more star power and have more divisional impact. Again, I will not be including rematches that are already scheduled to happen. Let’s take a look.

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