Tag: Breaking News

Dana White: GSP Is Going to a Mall Opening and Signing Autographs Friday

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will be holding a press conference Friday, via The Montreal Journal (translation via Mixedmartialarts.com), but don’t hold your breath on anything major coming out of it. 
According to an interview Tuesd…

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will be holding a press conference Friday, via The Montreal Journal (translation via Mixedmartialarts.com), but don’t hold your breath on anything major coming out of it. 

According to an interview Tuesday with Sportsnet, UFC President Dana White said GSP has been scheduled to appear at a mall opening for months and will speak to the media for about 10 minutes at some point during the day. 

Here’s what White had to say on the matter Tuesday, via MMA Fighting: 

That’s not true. He’s not making any announcement on Friday. This thing was planned for months. He’s going up to the opening of a mall. He’s signing autographs with fans and he’s doing 10 minutes with the media. People were talking about he called a press conference and all these other things. I’m not saying he might not having something to say in these 10 minutes, he might, but it’s no crazy announcement like everyone was saying earlier.

Reports of the press conference in Quebec City spread like wildfire about 24 hours ago, leading many to believe “Rush” would be commenting on his future in the sport.

However, White says that isn’t the case at all.

Later in the same interview, the UFC’s head honcho stated that St-Pierre never mentioned the word “retirement” to him and that the two are scheduled to meet Thursday.

GSP notched his 12 straight victory in November, earning a highly controversial split decision over top contender Johny Hendricks at UFC 167.

The victory marks the French Canadian superstar’s ninth consecutive title defense, one shy of former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s record.

The 32-year-old has also recently denied all rumors regarding him dealing with a personal crisis, per TMZ, though it remains up in the air when, or if, he will return to the Octagon.

 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.

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UFC Stars Break Down What They Dread About Training Camp

Stepping into the Octagon on fight night is the moment when fighters finally get to show what they are made of. The cage door will close, the referee will step aside, and they will attempt to prove their superiority against the challenger standing acro…

Stepping into the Octagon on fight night is the moment when fighters finally get to show what they are made of. The cage door will close, the referee will step aside, and they will attempt to prove their superiority against the challenger standing across from them in the cage.

While the live-action world of a UFC fight allows fighters the opportunity to prove themselves , the rigorous process of preparation for that night goes largely unseen. Aside from the circumstantial short-notice bout, every fighter typically engages in a six- to eight-week training camp to prepare for the task at hand.

Once the bout agreement is signed, a fighter gets to look forward to three months of gym time while their coaches and teammates whip, twist and pound them into fighting shape. Where there are the occasional days off throughout the journey, the large majority of a fighter’s time is spent within the walls of the gym as they attempt to push themselves to new heights.

That said, all of this work is done so that when they step into the Octagon for the fight, they will be a new and improved version of the fighter they were the last time around. 

There is no doubt the glory of getting your hand raised at the end of the battle is what every fighter aspires to achieve, but the work on the road to reach that destination is nothing short of tedious. Bleacher Report caught up with a collection of UFC fighters to get their takes on what part of the training process they dread the most, and their answers provide an in-depth look at what they go through to prepare for battle.

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Jon Jones and Frank Mir ‘Go at It’ in Impromptu and Awesome Sparring Match

We’ve all seen traditional martial arts demonstrations, those cool (but still mildly goofy when you sit back and watch them objectively) exhibitions where guys kick, punch, throw and twirl around to show off how awesome their style is. Jon Jones and Fr…

We’ve all seen traditional martial arts demonstrations, those cool (but still mildly goofy when you sit back and watch them objectively) exhibitions where guys kick, punch, throw and twirl around to show off how awesome their style is. Jon Jones and Frank Mir took it upon themselves to do something similar but with mixed martial arts.

The light heavyweight champ and former heavyweight champ have been touring the globe in recent months to promote their upcoming UFC bouts at UFC 171 and UFC 169, respectively (if you’ll remember, Mirko Cro Cop complained about Jones, Mir and Alistair Overeem stealing some of his thunder at the Legacy 2 event in Russia). Amidst the festivities, the duo found time to engage in an impromptu demonstration of their martial arts skills by punching, kicking and rolling around in the back room of the Moscow Maxim bar. 

The video, as you likely noticed, is above. 

Jones is booked to face Glover Teixeira at UFC 171 in Dallas, Texas on March 15. Mir, meanwhile, is scheduled to face Alistair Overeem at UFC 169. Both fights are well-hyped and highly anticipated. The two both train at Greg Jackson’s MMA. Mir actually served as Jon Jones’ assistant coach on The Ultimate Fighter season 17, functioning as Team Jones’ primary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach.

Because of that, don’t expect the match to come to fruition in reality. Also, keep an eye out here in case a full version of the video surfaces (it likely lasted at least a little bit longer than 12 seconds).

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Junior Dos Santos Believes Next Opponent Should Be Josh Barnett-Travis Browne

Junior dos Santos has given us unforgettable fights over the past few years.
From a storied trilogy opposite UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez to a highlight-reel knockout of the uber-popular Mark Hunt, “Cigano” has been one of the promotion’s bi…

Junior dos Santos has given us unforgettable fights over the past few years.

From a storied trilogy opposite UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez to a highlight-reel knockout of the uber-popular Mark Hunt, “Cigano” has been one of the promotion’s biggest draws.

But as dominant and effective as dos Santos has been on his feet, the Brazilian has simply been unable to thwart the momentum and drive of Velasquez.

This sort of limbo is not good for a 29-year-old superstar currently competing in the prime of his career.  He’s too good to fight practically any other fighter in the division, but not good enough to fight for another title as long as Velasquez holds the belt.

However, on the heels of scintillating performances, two prime opponents have emerged to challenge the tenured veteran for heavyweight supremacy sometime in 2014.

“I don’t know what’s next for me, and I don’t choose opponents,” said dos Santos, originally reported by MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz.  “I’ll be ready for anyone, but I believe my next opponent can be either Josh Barnett or Travis Browne.” 

Barnett and Browne are scheduled to do battle later this month as part of UFC 168’s stacked main card.

After a remarkable come-from-behind knockout over Alistair Overeem, “Hapa” is looking to take that next step in his career.  Fighting a borderline heavyweight legend like Barnett, who just made quick work of divisional gatekeeper Frank Mir back at UFC 164, gives him that chance.

“I believe it would (make sense to fight Barnett or Browne next),” added dos Santos.  “The heavyweight division is in a great moment right now.  We have great fighters, and you never know what’s going to happen in a heavyweight fight.  One punch can change everything.”

As two of the most effective and crafted heavyweights in the sport, Barnett and Browne could produce a fight similar to the one that Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Mark Hunt just put on.  Either way, JDS will be ready.

 

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Chris Weidman Boldly Reveals His Game Plan to Anderson Silva

Chris Weidman is an open book heading into his much-anticipated rematch with Anderson Silva at UFC 168.
There aren’t any elaborate schemes or secretive game plans stored away as a hidden blueprint to defeat Silva. On December 28, fans can expect …

Chris Weidman is an open book heading into his much-anticipated rematch with Anderson Silva at UFC 168.

There aren’t any elaborate schemes or secretive game plans stored away as a hidden blueprint to defeat Silva. On December 28, fans can expect the same strategy from Weidman that helped him win the UFC middleweight title and shock the world back in July.

During his pre-fight interview for UFC 168, Weidman went ahead and saved Silva’s coaches the time and effort of doing any prolonged scouting:

I’m gonna prove it again. I’m telling Anderson Silva my game plan. This is my game plan. I’m gonna walk forward, I’m gonna put pressure on him, I’m gonna cut him off. If he has his hands down, I’m punching him in his face. If he has his hands up and he’s expecting me to punch him in his face, I’m taking him down. I’m not afraid to get hit. I’m going to be walking forward with my chin down and my teeth gritted, and I don’t care what he throws at me, I’m gonna be there.

When looking back at the first fight, the vast majority of fans seem to believe Weidman’s success was more a product of Silva not taking the fight seriously than an actual changing of the guard. Silva dropped his hands and playfully taunted Weidman before getting caught in the crosshairs of a massive left hook that put the punctuation mark on a near seven year reign.

What often gets lost in the debate was Silva’s struggles to actually connect in the standup exchanges.

Weidman is the only fighter in the UFC to really make himself a difficult target and consistently land on Silva. After the fight, Silva’s coach, Cesario Bezerra, told Brazil’s Globo TV (h/t MMAFighting.com) that even Silva admitted he struggled to land on Weidman. There was also the takedown and vicious ground-and-pound Silva was subjected to early in the first round.

All of this success from a 9-0 fighter coming off a year layoff from a serious shoulder injury against arguably the greatest fighter in MMA history.

It’s safe to say the champ’s confidence level is at an all-time high right now.

Will Weidman prove once again to be the perfect storm to repel Silva’s greatness, or is the undefeated star biting off more than he can chew?

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GSP Expected to Make Announcement on Future at Friday Press Conference

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre may finally shed some light on what’s next in his storied mixed martial arts career on Friday. 
According to the Montreal Journal (translation via Mixedmartialarts.com), “Rush” will host a press con…

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre may finally shed some light on what’s next in his storied mixed martial arts career on Friday. 

According to the Montreal Journal (translation via Mixedmartialarts.com), “Rush” will host a press conference in Quebec at the end of the week to end the speculation about what’s next for the pound-for-pound great. 

The mixed martial arts fighter Georges St-Pierre is expected to reveal his intentions regarding his future on Friday. The 32-year-old will meet with the media in Quebec at a press conference, his agent told TVA Sports, and will announce what is coming for him in the coming months. Retirement? Resume training in a not so distant future? The options are many.

Immediately after winning a hotly contested split decision over top contender Johny Hendricks, St-Pierre told color commentator Joe Rogan that he needed some time off since he was “going crazy,” per MMA Junkie.  

At the UFC 167 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White made it clear that GSP had two options in his immediate future: Defend the belt or retire.

In the days after UFC 167, rumors began to swirl that St-Pierre was dealing with an unplanned pregnancy as well as his father’s terminal illness. However, the champ quickly shot down both theories. 

Those close to GSP have indicated it’s solely his decision if he wants to hang up the gloves for good, but no one seems certain about what will happen next for the French-Canadian superstar. 

Will GSP vs. Hendricks II happen inside the Octagon, or will the rematch be another “what if?” that fight fans are left to debate for years to come?

 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com