Tag: Announcement

UFC to Return to Denver for UFC 150, Headlined by Rematch Between Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar

In 1993, the UFC made history by holding its first event at the old McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado. Now, the UFC will celebrate its 150th numbered event (Technically not, but play along) with a return to The Mile-High City on August 11. Tickets for the event, which takes place at The Pepsi Center, will go on sale June 15.

Headlining the event will be a lightweight title fight between champion Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar, who lost the title to Henderson by unanimous decision at UFC 144. It’s an odd time to announce this fight, as Dana White has been adamant about having Frankie Edgar drop to featherweight. Not to mention that just days ago, Edgar seemed to be teasing a fight with Jose Aldo.

But in a way, an immediate rematch for Edgar only seems fair, considering that Edgar had to give out two immediate rematches while he was the lightweight champion.

In 1993, the UFC made history by holding its first event at the old McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado. Now, the UFC will celebrate its 150th numbered event (Technically not, but play along) with a return to The Mile-High City on August 11. Tickets for the event, which takes place at The Pepsi Center, will go on sale June 15.

Headlining the event will be a lightweight title fight between champion Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar, who lost the title to Henderson by unanimous decision at UFC 144. It’s an odd time to announce this fight, as Dana White has been adamant about having Frankie Edgar drop to featherweight. Not to mention that just days ago, Edgar seemed to be teasing a fight with Jose Aldo.

But in a way, an immediate rematch for Edgar only seems fair, considering that Edgar had to give out two immediate rematches while he was the lightweight champion.

Currently, there are two other fights announced for this card. There’s a lightweight bout between Thiago Tavares vs. Dennis Hallman and a depressing middleweight bout between Luiz Cane and Yushin Okami. Expect the latter to be a loser leaves town fight; Cane has lost three of his last four fights, and Okami has looked more gun-shy by the minute since losing to Anderson Silva at UFC 134. Okami has most recently fallen to Tim Boetsch at UFC 144.

The UFC was most recently in Denver for UFC 135 last September, where Jon Jones made quick work of former light-heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, and numerous heavyweights demonstrated what high altitudes do to a fighter’s stamina. We imagine that there won’t be too many heavyweight bouts this time around.

We’ll keep you posted as more details become available.

‘Punch Buddies’ T-Shirt Design Contest: In Which Our Winner Is Decided in a Hail of Bullets [VIDEO]

(Props: YouTube.com/TrashTalkinKids)

The wait is finally over. After keeping you guys on pins and needles for like a full month, we have a winner in our Urijah Faber t-shirt design contest with Punch Buddies. Watch the stunning conclusion above, in which Urijah, Stephan Bonnar, and Rachelle Leah take the finalists out to the desert and eliminate the losers one by one in the most hardcore way possible.

When the dust settles, they’re left with two designs that they can’t decide between — so Punch Buddies is producing both of them. Since the surfing California Kid shirt was created by one of PB’s own artists, our congrats really go to CagePotato reader Peter Starwalt, who went all the way with his beach/shark-themed design. Congrats, man! Your design is going to be on an actual MMA t-shirt, and you might actually see Faber wearing it someday! We’ll be dropping you a line shortly, because your wild ride is only getting started.

Also: Remember when I said we had a surprise for everybody whose design was featured in this contest? Well check it out: Urijah printed out and signed all your designs, and I’ll be sending them out to you guys over the next couple weeks. Keep an eye on your inboxes; we’ll be in touch.


(Props: YouTube.com/TrashTalkinKids)

The wait is finally over. After keeping you guys on pins and needles for like a full month, we have a winner in our Urijah Faber t-shirt design contest with Punch Buddies. Watch the stunning conclusion above, in which Urijah, Stephan Bonnar, and Rachelle Leah take the finalists out to the desert and eliminate the losers one by one in the most hardcore way possible.

When the dust settles, they’re left with two designs that they can’t decide between — so Punch Buddies is producing both of them. Since the surfing California Kid shirt was created by one of PB’s own artists, our congrats really go to CagePotato reader Peter Starwalt, who went all the way with his beach/shark-themed design. Congrats, man! Your design is going to be on an actual MMA t-shirt, and you might actually see Faber wearing it someday! We’ll be dropping you a line shortly, because your wild ride is only getting started.

Also: Remember when I said we had a surprise for everybody whose design was featured in this contest? Well check it out: Urijah printed out and signed all your designs, and I’ll be sending them out to you guys over the next couple weeks. Keep an eye on your inboxes; we’ll be in touch.

Alistair Overeem Releases Statement on UFC 145 Withdrawal; Blames Anti-Inflammatory Medication for Elevated Testosterone Levels


(Photo courtesy of Heavy.com)

Alistair Overeem has finally broken his silence on his failed drug screening earlier this month. Here’s what the UFC heavyweight contender had to say in a release distributed this morning by Authentic Sports Management:

“To my friends and fans,

I am deeply saddened to announce that on Friday, April 20, I respectfully withdrew from the May 26 event so that I can request a continuance until my situation with the Nevada State Athletic Commission is resolved.

I cannot express how sorry I am to the Commission, Junior Dos Santos, the fans, the owners and employees of the UFC, my friends and family and anyone else who this has affected.

I absolutely do not believe in, nor do I use performance-enhancing drugs. I am a clean fighter and I will do whatever it takes to prove this to everyone.


(Photo courtesy of Heavy.com)

Alistair Overeem has finally broken his silence on his failed drug screening earlier this month. Here’s what the UFC heavyweight contender had to say in a release distributed this morning by Authentic Sports Management:

“To my friends and fans,

I am deeply saddened to announce that on Friday, April 20, I respectfully withdrew from the May 26 event so that I can request a continuance until my situation with the Nevada State Athletic Commission is resolved.

I cannot express how sorry I am to the Commission, Junior Dos Santos, the fans, the owners and employees of the UFC, my friends and family and anyone else who this has affected.

I absolutely do not believe in, nor do I use performance-enhancing drugs. I am a clean fighter and I will do whatever it takes to prove this to everyone.

Prior to the UFC 146 press conference in March, I aggravated an old rib injury on my left side. My doctor prescribed, and I accepted, an anti-inflammatory medication that was mixed with testosterone. I was completely unaware that testosterone was one of the ingredients in the medication. Although I was unaware, I do realize it is my job to know what I am putting into my body.

I respect the Nevada Commissioners and Executive Director Keith Kizer and what they are doing to keep the sport of mixed martial arts regulated and safe for athletes. I look forward to working with them in the days and weeks ahead.

Friends and fans, I ask for your patience as I work through this matter. Please support me. I promise to return to the Octagon soon.”

Alistair Overeem joins a long line of MMA fighters who have claimed ignorance for ingesting banned substances (see also: Cris Cyborg). Do you buy his story? And will it earn him any sympathy with the NSAC?

‘Fightville’ UFC 145 Fight-Picking Contest: The Winners…

Thanks to everybody who entered our UFC 145 fight-picking contest last week! Many entered, but only three were skilled enough to claim the Fightville prize-packages, which include the movie’s official t-shirt from No Mas and a signed poster. The top three pickers were MoshuDragon, Alan K, and TheGangi, who predicted all three winners correctly, and picked unanimous decision victories for Jon Jones and Mac Danzig. Since MoshuDragon also guessed a first-round stoppage for Travis Browne, we’ll call him the unofficial first-place winner and throw in a CagePotato t-shirt.

If your name has been called, please send your real name, address, and shirt-size to [email protected] and we’ll hook you up ASAP. Follow Fightville on Facebook and Twitter, and watch it now on iTunes.

Thanks to everybody who entered our UFC 145 fight-picking contest last week! Many entered, but only three were skilled enough to claim the Fightville prize-packages, which include the movie’s official t-shirt from No Mas and a signed poster. The top three pickers were MoshuDragon, Alan K, and TheGangi, who predicted all three winners correctly, and picked unanimous decision victories for Jon Jones and Mac Danzig. Since MoshuDragon also guessed a first-round stoppage for Travis Browne, we’ll call him the unofficial first-place winner and throw in a CagePotato t-shirt.

If your name has been called, please send your real name, address, and shirt-size to [email protected] and we’ll hook you up ASAP. Follow Fightville on Facebook and Twitter, and watch it now on iTunes.

The Rallies are Over: Frank Mir to Fight Junior dos Santos at UFC 146


Why yes, I do like Huey Lewis and The News… Props: Las Vegas Sun

The speculation has officially ended. After ruling out Frank Mir, Cain Velasquez and Mark Hunt as potential replacements for Alistair Overeem to fight heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos at UFC 146, Dana White has officially announced his pick. Late last night, Dana White sent out a tweet confirming that Overeem’s replacement will be none other than…Frank Mir.

Huh. How about that?

While we’re all sure that there’s a reasonable explanation for Alistair Overeem’s suspiciously high 14:1 testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio, the UFC aren’t taking any chances. Rather than waiting for Overeem to meet with the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday, “The Demolition Man” has been removed from the card entirely. Draw your own conclusions.


Why yes, I do like Huey Lewis and The News… Props: Las Vegas Sun

The speculation has officially ended. After ruling out Frank Mir, Cain Velasquez and Mark Hunt as potential replacements for Alistair Overeem to fight heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos at UFC 146, Dana White has officially announced his pick. Late last night, Dana White sent out a tweet confirming that Overeem’s replacement will be none other than…Frank Mir.

Huh. How about that?

While we’re all sure that there’s a reasonable explanation for Alistair Overeem’s suspiciously high 14:1 testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio, the UFC aren’t taking any chances. Rather than waiting for Overeem to meet with the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday, “The Demolition Man” has been removed from the card entirely. Draw your own conclusions.

As for Frank Mir’s original opponent? Josh Gross is reporting Fabricio Werdum and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva are potential opponents for Cain Velasquez. For what it’s worth, Ariel Helwani is reporting that Fabricio Werdum has been ruled out as a potential opponent, and Velasquez will more than likely fight someone who already has a fight on the card. Basically, your guess is as good as ours at this point.

So what say you, Potato Nation? Will Mir vs. Dos Santos make for a compelling fight? What does this mean for Alistair Overeem? And for Cain Velasquez? Conspiracy theories, ad hominems and recklessly wild speculation to begin in three…two…one…

Caption Contest: Find Some Humor in This Dude’s Broken Face, And Win Four ‘Safe’ Movie Passes!


(Never touch Herb Dean’s hair. It’s a lesson you only need to learn once. / Photo via Sherdog)

As if we don’t give you vultures enough free swag, we were just hooked up with four passes to the movie Safe, which hits theaters next Friday. Starring MMA superfan Jason Statham, the flick is about an ex-cage-fighter who seeks to protect a young Chinese girl whose memory holds a priceless numerical code wanted by the Russian Mafia, the Triads, and corrupt police. In other words, Statham beats the living f*ck out of lots of people.

It’s caption contest time, and the winner takes all. Post a caption to the above photo in the comments section by Monday at midnight ET, and we’ll round up the best ones on Tuesday. The best one gets all four movie passes. Any questions? Now get crackin’…


(Never touch Herb Dean’s hair. It’s a lesson you only need to learn once. / Photo via Sherdog)

As if we don’t give you vultures enough free swag, we were just hooked up with four passes to the movie Safe, which hits theaters next Friday. Starring MMA superfan Jason Statham, the flick is about an ex-cage-fighter who seeks to protect a young Chinese girl whose memory holds a priceless numerical code wanted by the Russian Mafia, the Triads, and corrupt police. In other words, Statham beats the living f*ck out of lots of people.

It’s caption contest time, and the winner takes all. Post a caption to the above photo in the comments section by Monday at midnight ET, and we’ll round up the best ones on Tuesday. The best one gets all four movie passes. Any questions? Now get crackin’…


(Hit up SafeTheFilm.com for more info about the movie.)