Tag: Breaking News

UFC Plans Rory MacDonald vs. Robbie Lawler Fight but No Date or Location Yet

Rory MacDonald won’t get the matchup he’s been requesting for his next fight, but he certainly has a tall order on his hands.
The Canadian welterweight had been asking the UFC for a second shot at top-three fighter Carlos Condit after he lost to him ju…

Rory MacDonald won’t get the matchup he’s been requesting for his next fight, but he certainly has a tall order on his hands.

The Canadian welterweight had been asking the UFC for a second shot at top-three fighter Carlos Condit after he lost to him just a few years ago at UFC 115 in a brutal TKO, which accounts for his only professional loss as a fighter.

Condit is awaiting his fight when he takes on Martin Kampmann at UFC Fight Night 27 in Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Aug. 28, so in the meantime, the UFC has opted to move forward with another bout for MacDonald.

MacDonald will now face knockout artist Robbie Lawler in a welterweight showdown later this year, although a date and location have not been named for the newly confirmed bout.

UFC president Dana White confirmed the fight when speaking to reporters after the conclusion of the UFC Fight Night 26 post-fight press conference on Saturday evening.

“We like that fight. I think so yeah,” White said when asked if MacDonald vs. Lawler was going to happen.

White did say “no” when asked if the UFC had a date or location planned for the welterweight bout.

Lawler has been on fire since coming back to the UFC earlier this year, which marked nearly nine years between appearances in the promotion.

The former Strikeforce fighter dropped back down to welterweight once he returned to the UFC and made an immediate impact in his return when he knocked out former title contender Josh Koscheck at UFC 157.

He then looked just as impressive in his second fight where he landed a thunderous head kick to finish off Bobby Voelker at UFC on Fox 8 in July.

Now Lawler will take another step forward in the division when he takes on a top-three ranked welterweight in MacDonald.

There are several possibilities in terms of which show a fight between MacDonald and Lawler could land on this year. The UFC has already filled out the schedule for pay-per-views and main events all the way through the end of December 2013, but there are plenty of spots to fill for upcoming UFC Fight Night cards on Fox Sports 1.

The UFC has committed to several shows that will take place on Wednesday nights throughout the fall and winter months, and a MacDonald vs. Lawler bout could be the perfect fight to fill one of the main event slots.

Whatever show it ends up on, MacDonald vs. Lawler will have a definite impact on the welterweight rankings, with both fighters gunning for title contention in the next 12 months.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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Lyoto Machida Calls Out Chael Sonnen Following Vitor Belfort Challenge

Lots of folks are looking for a piece of Chael Sonnen these days. Following an impressive submission victory over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, “The American Gangster” called out former Pride great Wanderlei Silva.
Not so fast, though.
Vitor Belfort thre…

Lots of folks are looking for a piece of Chael Sonnen these days. Following an impressive submission victory over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, “The American Gangster” called out former Pride great Wanderlei Silva.

Not so fast, though.

Vitor Belfort threw his hat into the Chael Sonnen ring immediately after. Now even less fast! Former light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida also expressed his interest to fight the powerful wrestler, via Twitter: 

When a number of former champions line up to fight you, it must mean you’re doing something right.

Sonnen has had a long-standing feud with Brazilian fighters ever since his wide-ranging rants regarding at-the-time middleweight champ Anderson Silva. During the year-and-a-half he jawed at “The Spider,” he took shots at numerous well-regarded teammates and former teammates, including both Belfort and Machida, as well as other random fighters such as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.

As one of the most recognizable, marketable and (like it or not) popular fighters in the sport, Sonnen is a hot commodity, and the big win at UFC Fight Night 26 makes him an even better opponent. 

While fights with Silva, Machida and Belfort are all marketable and make sense from a ratings and rankings perspective, the big question here is what Sonnen plans to do in terms of his weight. Last month, Sonnen expressed the desire to go back down to his old stomping grounds at 185 pounds after two fights at 205 pounds.

Belfort has been locked in as the top contender at 185 pounds for a little while now. Machida has been at 205 pounds for the majority of his career but recently expressed interest in a fight with Belfort and has always been a candidate for a drop to middleweight. Silva fought at middleweight from 2010 through 2012 but went back to light heavyweight earlier this year for his fight with Brian Stann and plans to stay there.

Focusing strictly on a fight with Machida, it would be one of the most interesting striker-vs.-grappler matchups of all time. However, if Chris Weidman maintains his spot as champion, Sonnen could realistically find himself challenging for the middleweight belt again.

A win over Belfort would instantly make him a top contender, and that isn’t the case with Machida. Regardless, keep an eye on how things pan out with Sonnen from here.

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Dana White Goes off on Twitter, Calls Uriah Hall vs. John Howard ‘Horrible’

Uriah Hall’s days as Dana White’s golden child likely ended at UFC Fight Night 26.
On Saturday night, The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 runner-up once again failed to live up to his enormous expectations after losing a lackluster split decisio…

Uriah Hall’s days as Dana White’s golden child likely ended at UFC Fight Night 26.

On Saturday night, The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 runner-up once again failed to live up to his enormous expectations after losing a lackluster split decision to John Howard.

Both Hall and Howard seemed to be on another planet throughout the majority of the fight. Despite being showered with boos, the middleweights constantly touched gloves and exchanged smiles as if they were locked in a surefire “Fight of the Night.”

It was like grown men playing “Patty Cake” in the middle of a fight.

Hall started off strong utilizing his length and speed to dance around on the outside and pick Howard apart with his jab. Whenever Howard made desperate attempts to close the distance, Hall would keep him at bay with well-timed knees.

Eventually, Howard forced Hall on his heels with wild overhands and hooks, which in turn opened up opportunities for him to close the distance and work for takedowns. Things really began to unravel for Hall when the fight became a grappling match. By the time the second round rolled around, he was already running on fumes.  

UFC president Dana White, who was obviously irate at Hall’s performance, hopped on Twitter after the bout and offered up a new fight bonus, “the high 5 fight of the night.”

Hardcore fans wondered why Hall and Howard even received a main card slot in the first place, especially if it meant Michael McDonald vs. Brad Pickett had to be pushed down to the undercard.

It was just desserts in the end, as McDonald and Pickett won honors for “Fight of the Night.”

Hall is certainly a tremendous prospect who commands a lot of attention, but McDonald and Pickett are both top-five bantamweights, according to UFC.com.

How does a bout between two of the best bantamweights in the world get snubbed for Hall vs. Howard?

By now, White is probably wondering the same thing.

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Vitor Belfort Asks to Face Chael Sonnen Next; Sonnen Quickly Accepts Challenge

Vitor Belfort is a fighter who apparently has a bit of trouble making decisions.
The middleweight knockout artist recently stated that he was gunning for a UFC title shot at 185 pounds, and if that fight wasn’t available he would instead take a bout at…

Vitor Belfort is a fighter who apparently has a bit of trouble making decisions.

The middleweight knockout artist recently stated that he was gunning for a UFC title shot at 185 pounds, and if that fight wasn’t available he would instead take a bout at a catchweight, light heavyweight or even heavyweight.

In his opinion, however, no fight at 185 pounds made sense for him because he was already the No. 1 contender in the division—this according to Belfort.

All it took for Belfort to change his tune was a first-round submission victory for Chael Sonnen over former UFC champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua to cap off UFC Fight Night 26, which was the featured show on the first day of Fox Sports 1.

Just moments after Sonnen made Rua tap out to a guillotine choke and immediately challenged Wanderlei Silva, Belfort took to Twitter to ask for the fight instead:

Belfort has been dancing around several fights since his last knockout win over former Strikeforce champion Luke Rockhold earlier this year. When the title shot against the winner of Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva didn’t happen, Belfort’s name was then brought up by UFC president Dana White for a potential bout at light heavyweight against Rashad Evans.

The only problem is Belfort and Evans are teammates, and so neither wanted any part of that.

So then the UFC moved on to a potential bout between Belfort and former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. It took Machida’s camp just seconds to say yes to the fight, but Belfort’s response didn’t come nearly as fast.

And then there is Saturday night, when Sonnen’s name shot back into the title discussion after a big win at UFC Fight Night 26, and Belfort decided he wanted the fight.

Well, whether Belfort’s mind is made up or not, Sonnen is more than happy to accept the challenge. Following his win over Rua, Sonnen was interviewed on Fox Sports 1, where he was told about Belfort’s challenge, and his response was in classic form.

“I’m in, if Vitor said my name first, I’m in. That’s all you have to do is say my name, you do not have to ask me twice,” Sonnen said. “I’m like Beyonce’s child—say my name, say my name.”

White said that they will wait to make a decision at a later date whether Sonnen’s next fight will be at 205 pounds or if he will indeed drop back down to middleweight, and if Belfort will actually get the fight or not.

For now with one win, Sonnen catapulted himself back into the rankings and the discussion for title shots and contender bouts, and as always he’s one of the most talked about competitors on the planet.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

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Shogun vs. Sonnen Fight Card: Recapping the Fight Night Bonuses

Picking the UFC Fight Night 26 bonus winners couldn’t have been an easy call. That’s probably why the UFC ended up writing a few extra checks Saturday night in Boston:

Crazy event so we’re handing out 6 bonuses! Matt Brown & Travis Browne both get…

Picking the UFC Fight Night 26 bonus winners couldn’t have been an easy call. That’s probably why the UFC ended up writing a few extra checks Saturday night in Boston:

To the surprise of no one, welterweight Matt Brown nabbed Knockout of the Night honors for his 29-second railroading of Mike Pyle.

But heavyweight Travis Browne joined the mix when he became the second consecutive underdog to shock fallen kickboxing demigod Alistair Overeem, who is now 1-2 and searching for relevance in the UFC. Both Brown and Browne will take home $50,000 KOTN money; insert your own surname joke here.

In the final fight of the preliminary portion of the evening, bantamweight Michael McDonald fought perhaps the best fight of his career.

Once again, the 22-year-old performed beyond his years and, in this case, well above his undercard slot. He battered Brit Brad Pickett nearly to the point of stoppage, only to see Pickett rally and finish the round despite absorbing heavy punishment. McDonald kept pouring it on in the second round, though, and locked on a triangle choke to force the tap at 3:43 of the second stanza.

The choke was good enough to earn $50,000 Submission of the Night honors for McDonald. Partially as a testament to Pickett’s toughness, the fight also earned the Fight of the Night bonus; both fighters earned $50,000 checks for that, bringing McDonald’s bonus take alone to a tidy $100,000.

But the card wasn’t done delivering, and the UFC accountants weren’t done with their check-writing. In the main event, Chael Sonnen made short work of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and earned $50,000 as a second Submission of the Night for his first-round submission of Rua.

 

 

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UFC Fight Night 26 Results: What We Learned from Shogun Rua vs. Chael Sonnen

In the first main event in the history of Fox Sports 1, light heavyweight Chael Sonnen used a major wrestling advantage to defeat diminishing former champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua by first-round submission at UFC Fight Night 26 in Boston.
Sonnen (28-13…

In the first main event in the history of Fox Sports 1, light heavyweight Chael Sonnen used a major wrestling advantage to defeat diminishing former champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua by first-round submission at UFC Fight Night 26 in Boston.

Sonnen (28-13-1) wasted no time pressing that advantage, landing a double-leg takedown just seconds into the fight. Rua (21-8) showed resilience and perhaps some defiance, however, when he returned fire with a takedown of his own.

The two eventually struggled to their feet, where Sonnen secured a front headlock. With no advance warning, Sonnen immediately dropped to the floor, cinching on a guillotine choke and securing the tap with only 13 seconds remaining in the opening stanza.

 

What we’ll remember about this fight 

Sonnen’s submission. He did it against Brian Stann, and now he’s done it against Rua. Those aren’t exactly Abu Dhabi-level grapplers, but when Sonnen dropped to the ground with what was clearly a very tight guillotine, he showed again that if he has an opening, he knows how to plow through it.

 

What we learned about Shogun Rua

Honestly? Absolutely nothing. Before the fight, pundits expressed concern that Rua was even longer in fight mileage than his 31 years might suggest. Rua, said the concerned parties, was too shopworn, his takedown defense too mild, his grappling game too diminished, his striking too eroded to give Sonnen or any other top light heavy a run for his money.

At UFC Fight Night 26, all that was proven correct, at least until further notice.

 

What we learned about Chael Sonnen

That he’s still capable of getting a big win. With his two losses to Anderson Silva and that laugher against Jon Jones, seeing Sonnen eat his trash talk was becoming a familiar post-fight tradition. But Saturday night, Sonnen showed he can still execute a game plan, which isn’t a given (just ask Joe Lauzon or Uriah Hall). He may never hold a belt, but he has good fighting left in him.

 

What’s next for Rua

How about the loser between Thiago Silva and Matt Hamill, who fight on October 9? Unless Hamill loses. That matchup would be too depressing.

 

What’s next for Sonnen

It’s clear he has set himself on a collision course with Wanderlei Silva. Time to move forward along that course and give both men what they appear to want.

 

 

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