Tag: Breaking News

Sonnen vs. Shogun Could Still Happen Later but Just Not Meant to Be for UFC 161

It’s hard to ignore the similarities between UFC 161 in Winnipeg and UFC 149 in Calgary last year in terms of shows suffering major setbacks due to fighter injuries. The UFC 149 card was absolutely ravaged by injury and lost names like Jose Aldo, Eric …

It’s hard to ignore the similarities between UFC 161 in Winnipeg and UFC 149 in Calgary last year in terms of shows suffering major setbacks due to fighter injuries.

The UFC 149 card was absolutely ravaged by injury and lost names like Jose Aldo, Eric Koch, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Michael Bisping along the way.  The final show that took place was a stark contrast from the card originally promoted.

It appears the UFC might just be cursed when traveling to Western Canada, because the same series of events started to unfold for UFC 161 a few weeks back when the main event for the UFC interim bantamweight title fight between Renan Barao and Eddie Wineland fell off the card after the champion suffered a foot injury.

The co-main event then also fell by the wayside following an injury to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, which in turn left his opponent Mauricio “Shogun” Rua without an opponent as well.

It appeared the UFC might pull together a big-name replacement on short notice when Chael Sonnen offered up his name as a possible candidate, but for unknown reasons the fight never came together and Rua was yanked from the show as well.

On Tuesday during a media conference call, Tom Wright, director of Canadian operations for the UFC, was asked why the Rua vs. Sonnen fight didn’t come together.

Wright was unable to offer specifics, but he did say that a Rua-Sonnen fight could still happen down the road, just not at UFC 161.

“It’s one of those things, you know how it works for the UFC.  I can tell you that Dana (White) and Joe Silva would have been working very hard to find somebody to come in at a short period of time, but as the case with some of these things, a whole bunch of circumstances probably came into play,” Wright told Bleacher Report.  “In the end, it was felt the best thing to do was to let perhaps a Chael-Rua fight happen later, but we would go with the card we have in place.”

It was obvious by Wright’s response and when other similar questions came up on Tuesday that the promotion is shying away from any negativity surrounding the potential drawing power of the card after being devastated by so many injuries.

Keeping things positive was the message of the day from Wright, and the UFC seems content moving forward with UFC 161 as it stands today.

“I’m very confident these guys will put on a great show,” Wright said.  “We’ve got a bunch of champions, a bunch of Canadians, we’ve got the first ever women’s fight in Canada featuring Rosi Sexton and Canadian Alexis Davis, so nothing that I can comment on specifically why the Chael thing didn’t happen, but it is what it is and we’re going to move forward with a great night of fights.”

 

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

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Urijah Faber vs. Yuri Alcantara Set for UFC on Fox Sports 1 in Boston

The UFC’s highly anticipated move to Fox Sports 1 just got a little more interesting, as a bout between bantamweights Urijah Faber and Yuri Alcantara was just booked.The news came from Las Vegas Sun reporter Case Keefer, who tweeted the match…

The UFC’s highly anticipated move to Fox Sports 1 just got a little more interesting, as a bout between bantamweights Urijah Faber and Yuri Alcantara was just booked.

The news came from Las Vegas Sun reporter Case Keefer, who tweeted the matchup, which has since been confirmed by MMA Junkie, who spoke to UFC officials.

The bout will join six others to form a growing card that will take place at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on August 17. Currently, a heavyweight affair between Alistair Overeem and Travis Browne is scheduled to headline.

While Faber vs. Alcantara won’t threaten to supplant Overeem vs. Browne for the honor of main event, it should prove a nice addition to the night.

Faber is one of the sport’s more recognizable names, and he continues to compete at a high level into the 10th year of his illustrious career. He will enter the contest riding a two-fight win streak, with both wins coming via rear-naked choke.

“The California Kid” will also enter the match having strung together seven consecutive non-title-fight victories, dating back to his WEC days.

In Alcantara, Faber finds a surprising opponent. Accustomed to battling more well-known foes, Faber may not be able to earn himself a title opportunity by getting a W at UFC on Fox Sports 1, but that doesn’t mean it will be a cake-walk for him.

Indeed, Alcantara has quietly established himself as one of the best unheralded competitors currently competing at 135. He owns a 4-1 UFC resume, and fought to a no-contest against Pedro Nobre, whom he was beating so handily that Nobre suffered an injury from punches to the back of the head that didn’t actually land. He also owns a win over Ricardo Lamas, beating him at WEC 53 in 2010.

And, although it won’t be the case for Faber, the UFC on Fox Sports 1 match represents a career-defining opportunity for Alcantara, who has the chance to earn himself a signature victory.

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Kelvin Gastelum vs. Paulo Thiago Reportedly Booked for UFC on Fox Sports 1: 2

Kelvin Gastelum became a winner of The Ultimate Fighter earlier this year by upsetting Uriah Hall in the tournament finale, but it seems things will get no easier for him moving forward.Having resolved to make the transition from middleweight to welter…

Kelvin Gastelum became a winner of The Ultimate Fighter earlier this year by upsetting Uriah Hall in the tournament finale, but it seems things will get no easier for him moving forward.

Having resolved to make the transition from middleweight to welterweight, Gastelum will be welcomed to his new division by submission specialist Paulo Thiago.

News of the fight was reported by sportv.globo.com and confirmed by Gastelum via Twitter (h/t MMAJunkie.com).

Thiago will enter the match coming off a win, something that has become a rarity for him of late. Prior to his recent UFC on FX 8 victory over Michel Richard dos Prazeres, the 32-year-old had dropped four of five contests.

Still, he remains a dangerous opponent, especially for one as youthful and inexperienced as Gastelum.

Having mixed it up with many of the elite at 170 pounds, Thiago is most certainly not a guy to underestimate—even if the results haven’t been there for him lately.

For his part, Gastelum‘s unlikely TUF victory opened a lot of eyes. It took him the full 15 minutes to procure victory, but in the grand scheme of things, that isn’t a long time to transform from stepping stone to future star. 

Now, with the “prospect” stamp on his forehead, the American will try to build on the momentum he generated back in April.

The reported bout between Thiago and Gastelum is expected to be a part of August 28’s UFC on Fox Sports 1 card, which will mark the second time the promotion airs on the network.

The event is set to be headlined by a contest between Martin Kampmann and Carlos Condit.

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Tarec Saffiedine Injured, Siyar Bahadurzada Now Faces Lawler at UFC on Fox 8

Former Strikeforce welterweight champion Tarec Saffiedine is having no luck as he tries to make his UFC debut. Saffiedine has suffered a training injury and will be unable to compete in his upcoming fight against Robbie Lawler at UFC on Fox 8.  T…

Former Strikeforce welterweight champion Tarec Saffiedine is having no luck as he tries to make his UFC debut.

Saffiedine has suffered a training injury and will be unable to compete in his upcoming fight against Robbie Lawler at UFC on Fox 8.  The last ever Strikeforce 170-pound champion was unable to step in on short notice for UFC 158 when he was offered a fight against former interim champ Carlos Condit due to injury, and now has to bow out of his next fight as well.

UFC officials announced via Twitter on Tuesday that Saffiedine would be unable to fight at the UFC on Fox 8 card and would be replaced by heavy-handed striker Siyar Bahadurzada.

The new fight set for the upcoming show in Seattle now pits Bahadurzada against Lawler in a battle between two of the hardest punchers in the UFC welterweight division.

For Bahadurzada, the fight against Lawler will mean a shot at redemption after a tough performance in his last trip to the Octagon.

In that fight, the Afghan native took on suffocating grappler Dong Hyun-Kim at UFC on Fuel 8 in Japan and struggled to get out from under the Korean fighter for the better part of 15-full minutes. 

It was a far cry for Bahadurzada, who made quite a splash with his UFC debut in April 2012 when he knocked out Brazilian welterweight Paulo Thiago with a vicious punch just 42-seconds into their bout.

The loss to Kim also ended Bahadurzada‘s seven fight win streak, but now he will do his best to get another one started when he faces Lawler on July 27 in Seattle.

It won’t be an easy test, however, because his opponent Robbie Lawler will also be looking for another big impact after a great return to the UFC earlier in the year.

Lawler first appeared in the UFC all the way back in 2002, but after numerous years outside the promotion he finally returned at UFC 157 while also dropping back down to welterweight for the first time in nearly a decade.

The results paid off as Lawler finished former title contender Josh Koscheck with strikes, and now he will look to do the same to Bahadurzada when they meet at UFC on Fox 8.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dan Henderson Still Has Unfinished Business with Jon Jones

The last eight months for Dan Henderson haven’t gone the way he expected them to go after signing on for a long awaited UFC light heavyweight title shot in 2012. Henderson was supposed to face champion Jon Jones at the ill-fated UFC 151 show last Septe…

The last eight months for Dan Henderson haven’t gone the way he expected them to go after signing on for a long awaited UFC light heavyweight title shot in 2012.

Henderson was supposed to face champion Jon Jones at the ill-fated UFC 151 show last September, but the former Strikeforce and Pride title holder suffered a knee injury that forced him off the card, which was ultimately cancelled. 

Once he was healthy again, Henderson was still targeting a fight with Jones, but instead of placing him in the next bout against the champion, the UFC opted to put his former teammate Chael Sonnen in the title fight—and a run on The Ultimate Fighter as coach.

So Henderson moved forward to a fight against Lyoto Machida at UFC 157 with a title shot on the line, and when the fight was over he thought he did enough to walk away with a win.  Despite the fact that the fight was anything but a barnburner, Henderson moved forward the entire time and tried to engage Machida with what little action actually happened.

The judges disagreed, however, and awarded Machida the decision victory.

Now months later, Henderson has moved on as best he can from the loss, although truth be told it’s still not a loss he believes he should have on his record.

“I don’t know if there’s anything I can use as motivation going forward,” Henderson told Bleacher Report recently.  “The whole fight was just a stupid fight.  Not a whole lot of action happened, I kind of chased him around and he ran and tried to counter strike here and there.  Not a whole lot happened in the whole fight.  It was almost a meaningless fight to me.

“A loss in a fight like that isn’t as bad as in a fight where I get my butt kicked or get choked out or something.  I thought I did enough to win, but I wasn’t judging the fight.  Seems to me it’s kind of hard to win a fight when you’re not trying to fight.”

Henderson might have a point when looking at his fight with Machida as “meaningless” because the winner was supposed to challenge for the belt next, but instead the Brazilian now faces Phil Davis at UFC 163 and not the champion Jon Jones.

It also didn’t help Machida much that he already fought Jones somewhat recently and lost rather emphatically by guillotine choke in the 2nd round.

Henderson, however, still has never faced Jones and believes that a win over Evans, especially if he can finish or dominate the former champion, goes a long way to proving he belongs right back in the title hunt.

“I feel like if I do have an impressive win then I’m right back in there,” Henderson stated.  “I think a not so great performance but a win does something for me, but not a lot.  I’m sure I’ll just fight somebody else at that point.  An impressive win over Rashad would possibly put me right in there.  That’s still one of my goals, that’s why I’m doing this.”

Henderson’s long standing desire to fight Jones still burns inside of him, and he knows that if he can be impressive as the main event at UFC 161 a title shot isn’t far off.

“I definitely have some unfinished business with Jon Jones,” Henderson stated.  “Hopefully that happens for myself, Jon Jones and the fans.”

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

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dan Henderson Still Has Unfinished Business with Jon Jones

The last eight months for Dan Henderson haven’t gone the way he expected them to go after signing on for a long awaited UFC light heavyweight title shot in 2012. Henderson was supposed to face champion Jon Jones at the ill-fated UFC 151 show last Septe…

The last eight months for Dan Henderson haven’t gone the way he expected them to go after signing on for a long awaited UFC light heavyweight title shot in 2012.

Henderson was supposed to face champion Jon Jones at the ill-fated UFC 151 show last September, but the former Strikeforce and Pride title holder suffered a knee injury that forced him off the card, which was ultimately cancelled. 

Once he was healthy again, Henderson was still targeting a fight with Jones, but instead of placing him in the next bout against the champion, the UFC opted to put his former teammate Chael Sonnen in the title fight—and a run on The Ultimate Fighter as coach.

So Henderson moved forward to a fight against Lyoto Machida at UFC 157 with a title shot on the line, and when the fight was over he thought he did enough to walk away with a win.  Despite the fact that the fight was anything but a barnburner, Henderson moved forward the entire time and tried to engage Machida with what little action actually happened.

The judges disagreed, however, and awarded Machida the decision victory.

Now months later, Henderson has moved on as best he can from the loss, although truth be told it’s still not a loss he believes he should have on his record.

“I don’t know if there’s anything I can use as motivation going forward,” Henderson told Bleacher Report recently.  “The whole fight was just a stupid fight.  Not a whole lot of action happened, I kind of chased him around and he ran and tried to counter strike here and there.  Not a whole lot happened in the whole fight.  It was almost a meaningless fight to me.

“A loss in a fight like that isn’t as bad as in a fight where I get my butt kicked or get choked out or something.  I thought I did enough to win, but I wasn’t judging the fight.  Seems to me it’s kind of hard to win a fight when you’re not trying to fight.”

Henderson might have a point when looking at his fight with Machida as “meaningless” because the winner was supposed to challenge for the belt next, but instead the Brazilian now faces Phil Davis at UFC 163 and not the champion Jon Jones.

It also didn’t help Machida much that he already fought Jones somewhat recently and lost rather emphatically by guillotine choke in the 2nd round.

Henderson, however, still has never faced Jones and believes that a win over Evans, especially if he can finish or dominate the former champion, goes a long way to proving he belongs right back in the title hunt.

“I feel like if I do have an impressive win then I’m right back in there,” Henderson stated.  “I think a not so great performance but a win does something for me, but not a lot.  I’m sure I’ll just fight somebody else at that point.  An impressive win over Rashad would possibly put me right in there.  That’s still one of my goals, that’s why I’m doing this.”

Henderson’s long standing desire to fight Jones still burns inside of him, and he knows that if he can be impressive as the main event at UFC 161 a title shot isn’t far off.

“I definitely have some unfinished business with Jon Jones,” Henderson stated.  “Hopefully that happens for myself, Jon Jones and the fans.”

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

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com