The rallying can now cease for Mark Hunt, as he will indeed get his shot at Junior dos Santos at UFC 160. Dana White confirmed the fight to Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com Saturday morning. The original co-main event for UFC 160 was scheduled to be Al…
The rallying can now cease for Mark Hunt, as he will indeed get his shot at Junior dos Santos at UFC 160.
The original co-main event for UFC 160 was scheduled to be Alistair Overeem vs. Dos Santos, but Overeem had to drop out of the bout due to injury. Hunt immediately threw his name out there as a potential replacement.
White tweeted to fans who were asking about the possibility of Hunt vs. Dos Santos that it was unlikely. White claimed the company was seeking a summer date for the originally scheduled bout between Overeem and Dos Santos. It seemed like the hope for Hunt’s biggest fight to date was dead.
Then a late-night tweet on Thursday cracked the door open to shine a glimmer of hope back on this exciting fight.
Dos Santos will indeed fight the former K-1 world champion at UFC 160.
Hunt has had a hell of a ride to get this marquee bout.
From 2006 to 2010 Hunt suffered six straight losses. Five of those six losses came by submission. Now, Hunt is riding a four-fight win streak, with three KO/TKO finishes, into the Octagon on May 25 to battle the No. 1-ranked heavyweight in the official UFC rankings.
Hunt’s most recent TKO win (over Stefan Struve) moved him to No. 9 in the rankings.
Dos Santos is coming off his first UFC loss. At UFC 155 he dropped the UFC Heavyweight Championship to Cain Velasquez by unanimous decision.
The winner of Hunt vs. Dos Santos will have the best claim to the next title shot against the winner of Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. That UFC Heavyweight Championship tilt is the main event of UFC 160.
Hunt vs. Dos Santos looks like heavyweight fireworks on paper and will serve as the perfect lead-in to the main event of the evening. The top of the card will almost surely give us two exciting contests and determine the next heavyweight title matchup.
UFC 160 takes place on May 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on pay-per-view.
Although Ronda Rousey has solidified herself as a UFC champion and a legitimate pay-per-view draw, questions about a superfight with Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos still linger.But while a superfight between the two once seemed within the UFC’s power to orc…
Although Ronda Rousey has solidified herself as a UFC champion and a legitimate pay-per-view draw, questions about a superfight with Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos still linger.
But while a superfight between the two once seemed within the UFC’s power to orchestrate, Cyborg is now a non-issue in her foe’s career.
Most recently, UFC president Dana White summed up Cyborg as “irrelevant” (via MMA Weekly), stressing that his company was done dealing with the Brazilian.
Unsurprisingly, Rousey echoed similar sentiments in an interview with Sportsnet anchor Joe Ferraro during a recent media run. As the champion stated, Cyborg doesn’t deserve special treatment when it’s “obvious” that she can lose some muscle weight:
[Cyborg is] obviously not willing to go through the effort to go for the fight. Here’s what it is. If you’re pumped full of steroids and the lightest you can get is 145, then it’s obvious the lightest you can get without steroids is lighter.
She refuses to do that and it’s just—I really don’t know where this sense of entitlement comes from. She hasn’t had a recorded win in over three years. I mean, there’s so many other women. Look at Sara McMann. She’s undefeated, a silver [Olympics] medalist wrestler…people like that are the people we should be looking forward to fighting.
Cyborg’s weight issues and positive test for anabolic steroids in January 2012 have been consistent talking points for Rousey during the last couple of years. With the UFC just recently adopting a 135-pound women’s division, the scrutiny has only increased.
As the champion has noted, Cyborg’s supposed inability to drop weight hints at years of doping, with Rousey telling Inside MMA that Cyborg was “cheating for her entire career.”
Hence, the UFC’s first women’s champion would only accept a superfight with Cyborg at the 135-pound bantamweight limit, with the UFC even preparing to enlist famed MMA nutritionist Mike Dolce to help the Brazilian shed her extra body weight.
But with no catchweight bout in sight and no women’s featherweight division to accommodate Cyborg, she instead left the UFC under the advice of her new coach, retired UFC champion Tito Ortiz. However, Rousey states that Cyborg was owed nothing and deserved less:
We’re not going to make exceptions and create divisions for someone who was a fraud and defamed the sport. [Cyborg] almost destroyed women’s MMA. I mean, think about it. The entire sport stagnated under her and she cared more about having an unfair advantage and winning fights than she cared about the sport itself and it suffered under her.
We don’t owe her anything. If she wants the only title that matters, she needs to go in the only division that the UFC has. We’re not making exceptions for cheaters. She was exposed as a fraud. She needs to be the one to make the changes to clear her name.
Rousey additionally put down the idea of a catchweight bout, stating that Cyborg had commonly gone into fights extremely overweight in the past.
As it stands, the former Strikeforce women’s champions likely won’t be facing each other any time in the near future.
Not only has UFC president Dana White dismissed the idea of Cyborg fighting for Rousey‘s title at 140 pounds (via MMA Junkie), but Cyborg also left the UFC on the advice of Ortiz while signing a multi-fight deal with Invicta FC.
Meanwhile, Rousey‘s own career will move forward—and her next No. 1 contender will likely be the winner of Miesha Tate vs. Cat Zingano. That match is expected to take place as the co-main event of The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale on Apr. 13 at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center.
McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and tech writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld, PC World, 1UP, NVision, The Los Angeles Times, FightFans Radio, MMA Mania and Bleacher Report. Talk with him on Twitter.
Just a few short months ago on the heels of a blistering knockout of Martin Kampmann at UFC 154, Johny Hendricks sat poised on the cusp of receiving a welterweight title shot against Georges St-Pierre. Instead, the UFC opted to give perpetual bad boy N…
Just a few short months ago on the heels of a blistering knockout of Martin Kampmann at UFC 154, Johny Hendricks sat poised on the cusp of receiving a welterweight title shot against Georges St-Pierre.
Instead, the UFC opted to give perpetual bad boy Nick Diaz the shot instead when St-Pierre asked to face him as opposed to taking on Hendricks.
Fast forward to Thursday when Hendricks had to sit on a media conference call for the better part of 45 minutes listening to St-Pierre and Diaz go back and forth at each other without his name coming up for almost the entire duration of the conversation.
Finally, Hendricks’ ears perked up when it was Diaz who finally mentioned his name, but it wasn’t a compliment—only a disparaging remark stating why he’s not fighting for the UFC welterweight title and Diaz was the man for the job.
“You gonna go out there and work out with Johny (Hendricks) and you guys are going to have a wrestling match? No, that’s not what nobody wants to see that,” Diaz shouted when speaking to St-Pierre.
Instead of erupting like St-Pierre and Diaz did for most of the call, Hendricks sounded like he just woke up from a deep meditation when he was finally asked a question. On paper, Hendricks was clear and away the No. 1 contender for the welterweight title, yet still he ends up in the co-main event while watching Diaz battle St-Pierre on the same card.
Did Diaz‘s comments rattle Hendricks to the point of an angry, four-letter response? No, far from it actually.
“If he’s watching my fights when have I ever took anybody down? I have wrestling, yeah I do, my background is wrestling. I have knockout power. Just because I don’t go out there and use it all, you don’t have to use it all to win fights,” Hendricks said referencing Diaz‘s comments about him earlier in the call.
“The most important thing is to win fights. Doesn’t matter how you do it. If that means you’ve got to take the guy down to get a win like Georges does, then do it. It’s about getting your hand raised and the fans like that.”
Quite possibly the strangest turn happened when Hendricks then ended up agreeing with St-Pierre’s “win at any cost” strategy, even if it means a five-round decision. In a matter of only a few minutes, Diaz managed to turn Hendricks from a staunch St-Pierre adversary into an advocate for what he was preaching.
“(Diaz) has his opinion, I’ve got mine. It doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is like Georges said, everybody’s got to be on top, but there can only be one and we’re all fighting to get there,” Hendricks added.
While Hendricks would like nothing more than to fight St-Pierre at UFC 158, it’s not happening, and instead he draws former interim champion Carlos Condit.
There will undoubtedly be a great amount of focus during fight week with questions being thrown at Hendricks about St-Pierre and a title shot looming overhead. Hendricks is careful, however, not to let the angst of not fighting for the belt now cloud his performance next Saturday night. A loss to Condit would dash his title hopes before they ever become reality.
“Nothing else matters but Carlos Condit at this point,” said Hendricks. “If I even think about overlooking him, he’ll definitely beat me. I’ve got to go out there and nothing else matters but Carlos Condit.”
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
MMA fans may have been focused on some of the talent competing inside the cage coming over from Strikeforce, but they may be a bit more distracted by some out-of-the cage talent transitioning over.MMA Junkie confirmed that UFC officials have announced …
MMA fans may have been focused on some of the talent competing inside the cage coming over from Strikeforce, but they may be a bit more distracted by some out-of-the cage talent transitioning over.
MMA Junkie confirmed that UFC officials have announced that former Strikeforce ring card girls Chrissy Blair and Vanessa Hanson have been brought in to join the ranks of the Octagon girls.
The two will make their UFC Octagon girl debuts at the upcoming Ultimate Fighter Finale on April 17. Other than the finale for TUF, The Ultimate Finale 17 will also feature Urijah Faber vs. Scott Jorgensen and Miesha Tate vs. Cat Zingano among other prominent contests.
Hanson joined Zuffa’s ranks after winning Transworld Surf’s 2011 UFC Model Search. She appeared as a guest Octagon girl at UFC 136 prior to heading over to Strikeforce. Blair also appeared as a guest Octagon girl, stepping in at UFC 133. She is the 2011 Miss TransWorld Motocross modeling search winner.
With photos like this and this, it’s no secret as to why either woman would easily win a modeling competition. The two lovely ladies will join other Octagon girls like Arianny Celeste, Brittney Palmer, Su Jung Lee, Carly Baker Camila Oliveira and Aline Franzoi.
Earlier this week, Chris Weidman finally received the call to face Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight title in July—and it’s a fight that’s more than four years in the making. To explain that lengthy timeline, you have to go back to 2009 whe…
Earlier this week, Chris Weidman finally received the call to face Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight title in July—and it’s a fight that’s more than four years in the making.
To explain that lengthy timeline, you have to go back to 2009 when Weidman first strapped on the gloves and stepped into a mixed martial arts ring, because even back then he knew one day he would be the man to eventually challenge Anderson Silva in the UFC.
Silva has been the king of the middleweights for longer than Weidman has even been fighting, but the New York native had a goal back then, and now he finally gets the chance to bring that dream to reality in July.
“It’s not a fight I’ve been waiting for, for a year, it’s a fight I’ve been waiting for since I started MMA,” Weidman explained when speaking to Bleacher Report. “He was the champion when I started MMA and I’ve been envisioning fighting him since day one. I believed I could beat him since day one because my goal is to be champion and I didn’t get into this sport for any other reason.”
When Weidman defeated Mark Munoz last year to move his MMA record to a perfect 9-0, he immediately entered the discussion as the No. 1 contender at 185 pounds. He began a series of interviews and social networking campaigns with one goal in mind—to land the fight with Anderson Silva.
It wasn’t easy, however, because for most of the last six months, Silva has downplayed fighting Weidman. It seemed for a while that the fight may not happen.
“I had no idea what was going on,” Weidman said. “Like Dana said, we’re going to make this fight happen, but at the same time, Anderson Silva is the greatest of all time, the negotiation process is probably a little different than anybody else. I wasn’t really getting my hopes up at all to be honest with you.”
Now that he’s landed the fight, part one of his mission is complete. But none of the hard work, sacrifice and dedication will matter if he doesn’t beat Anderson Silva.
Weidman knows deep down inside that it’s no different than an NFL team making it to the Super Bowl, then losing. He’s honored to fight Anderson Silva, but Weidman reaches immortality by finishing the champion and ending his unreal consecutive title defense streak, which currently stands at 10 victories.
“I’m not getting too excited to be honest with you until I get the victory because that’s what I’m here to do,” Weidman stated.
“That’s all that matters. I didn’t put myself in this position to get this fight just to lose, that’s for sure. I’d be sick with myself, and that would be an understatement, if I were to get this shot and lose the fight. I’m in here to win it, and I’m in here to go for the finish like every other fight I’ve had.
Finishing the fight is a key element for Weidman because he’s not a fan of decisions. The top middleweight contender has only gone to decision twice in his UFC career with both occasions being a result of taking a fight on short notice.
Whenever Weidman has had a full training camp the results have been much different. He’s finished all three of those fights inside of 10 minutes, winning two by submission and the third by knockout. He will happily add Anderson Silva’s name to that list come July.
“Any time I’ve ever had a full training camp, I’ve had a finish in either the first or second round, and I plan on keeping that going. I have a lot of respect for Anderson but that’s how I’m going to take the fight. I think that gives you the best chance of getting the ‘W’ is to be aggressive and have confidence in myself,” said Weidman.
“I definitely feel like I have a lot of strengths where he lacks a little bit. The guy is good everywhere, it’s not like he’s a bad wrestler or has bad jiu-jitsu or anything like that, but I do feel like I have an advantage in both those areas. I’m going to try my best to expose it.”
As the fight approaches, Weidman knows he’s going to be the underdog against Silva, and there’s going to be plenty of talk about the next fight for the champion once he finishes the 11th challenger to his title. People are already assuming Silva will win yet again and that could potentially set up a superfight with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones later this year.
Weidman invites the doubters to keep doubting because he will gladly spoil all of those plans by beating Anderson Silva and capturing the UFC middleweight crown.
“There’s going to be a lot of people that are thinking I’m going to get killed,” Weidman said. “That just fires me up because I can’t wait to prove those people wrong, too. It’s just a great opportunity to do that.”
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.
Although UFC middleweight contender Chris Weidman is less than 10 fights into his MMA career, oddsmakers are giving him a good shot against Anderson Silva.In fact, Weidman is opening with the best betting line against Silva in years.As relayed by betti…
Although UFC middleweight contender Chris Weidman is less than 10 fights into his MMA career, oddsmakers are giving him a good shot against Anderson Silva.
In fact, Weidman is opening with the best betting line against Silva in years.
As relayed by betting aggregate website BestFightOdds, Silva has been pegged as a -215 favorite by 5Dimes, while Weidman is rated as a strong +165 underdog.
When you look at Silva’s history on the betting books, that’s actually kind of remarkable.
To break it down further, here’s the list of opening odds (via BestFightOdds) given to Silva’s opponents over the last seven years or so:
• UFC 162: Anderson Silva -215 / Chris Weidman +165 • UFC 153: Anderson Silva -1350 / Stephan Bonnar +850 • UFC 148: Anderson Silva -235 / Chael Sonnen +175 • UFC 134: Anderson Silva -425 / Yushin Okami +325 • UFC 126: Anderson Silva -325 / Vitor Belfort +250 • UFC 117: Anderson Silva -450 / Chael Sonnen +300 • UFC 112: Anderson Silva -425 / Demian Maia +325 • UFC 101: Anderson Silva -240 / Forrest Griffin +190 • UFC 97: Anderson Silva -275 / Thales Leites +215 • UFC 90: Anderson Silva -370 / Patrick Cote +300 • UFC Fight Night 14: Anderson Silva -600 / James Irvin +400 • UFC 82: Anderson Silva -140 / Dan Henderson +100 • UFC 77: Anderson Silva -300 / Rich Franklin +220 • UFC 73: Anderson Silva -190 / Nate Marquardt +155
[Note: BestFightOdds does not have fighter data or odds for UFC 67, UFC 64 or UFC Fight Night 5.]
Historically, this means that Weidman has opened with the best odds against Silva since the champion’s UFC & Pride FC middleweight title unification bout against former Pride champion, Dan Henderson.
Incidentally, Weidman’s +165 underdog status gives him better odds against Silva than even welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.
Naturally, the betting line will shift in the lead up to the fight, especially in the last couple of weeks.
Although Silva is widely recognized as the No. 1 pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the sport, his major weakness is known to be strong wrestling, a trait exploited by takedown specialists like Henderson and Chael Sonnen.
Weidman’s strong odds likely come from both his undefeated 9-0 career fighting record, in addition to his credentials as a multi-time NCAA All-American wrestler.
Not only did Weidman earn two All-American honors in junior college, but he also repeated the feat in Hofstra University at the NCAA Division 1 level.
Additionally, the relatively close opening odds could also be a matter of a strong young talent against an aging champion—Weidman is in his athletic prime at 28 years old, while Silva will turn 38 on April 14 this year.
But the talented Silva has proven capable of dealing with all kinds of fighting styles, including elite wrestling, which has led to his current 16-0 record in the UFC and 10 consecutive title defenses. To put it mildly, Weidman has a tough task ahead of him, even if the early odds aren’t against him yet.
McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and tech writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld, PC World, 1UP, NVision, The Los Angeles Times, FightFans Radio, MMA Mania and Bleacher Report. Talk with him on Twitter.
The rallying can now cease for Mark Hunt, as he will indeed get his shot at Junior dos Santos at UFC 160.