UFC 161 is set to go down Saturday night from the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Full results for the fight card will be updated right here as the fights take place.Rashad Evans vs. Dan Henderson Stipe Miocic vs. Roy Nelson Alexis Davi…
UFC 161 is set to go down Saturday night from the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Full results for the fight card will be updated right here as the fights take place.
Rashad Evans vs. Dan Henderson
Stipe Miocic vs. Roy Nelson
Alexis Davis vs. Rosi Sexton
Pat Barry vs. Shawn Jordan
Ryan Jimmo vs. Igor Pokrajac
Jake Shields vs. Tyron Woodley
James Krause vs. Sam Stout
Sean Pierson vs. Kenny Robertson
Roland Delorme vs. Edwin Figueroa
Mitch Clarke vs. John Maguire
Yves Jabouin vs. Dustin Pague
Following UFC 16,1 the promotion will take some time off and reconvene in Las Vegas on July 6 for UFC 162, a stacked event that will feature a number of the top featherweights competing as well as a middleweight title bout between champion Anderson Silva and top-ranked Chris Weidman.
What follows are some of the questions we have heading into the event.
It seems almost preposterous to suggest that a loss to an up-and-comer like Chris Weidman could tarnish the pristine legacy of longtime UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva. After all, “The Spider” has racked up a 16-0 record in the UFC and has d…
It seems almost preposterous to suggest that a loss to an up-and-comer like Chris Weidman could tarnish the pristine legacy of longtime UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva.
After all, “The Spider” has racked up a 16-0 record in the UFC and has defended his belt a record 10 straight times, facts that deservedly make him the most prolific champ in company history.
“The All-American,” conversely, has only graced the Octagon five times and has competed professionally on just nine occasions.
Nevertheless, it’s the stark contrast in the resumes of each fighter that will undoubtedly put Silva’s immaculate reputation on the line at UFC 162 in Las Vegas in July.
In essence, a bout with an inexperienced and relatively unknown challenger like Weidman represents the most risky endeavor Silva has taken since making his UFC debut in 2006.
A win over The All-American will further solidify The Spider’s stature as the sport’s top dog. A loss, however, will fuel the flames of critics worldwide who believe that the 38-year-old Silva no longer belongs at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings.
Although he routinely gets labeled a heavy favorite by the oddsmakers, Silva has only been deemed a 2.8-to-1 favorite (-280) to best the seemingly green Weidman (+220), according to Bovada.com.
But the soon-to-be 29-year-old New York native obviously didn‘t earn a shot at Silva because he’s got a wealth of experience or because he’s dominated the UFC’s middleweight division for an extraordinarily long stretch of time.
While Weidman has reeled off an impressive five-fight winning streak in the UFC, the former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler ultimately landed his dream fight because of the stylistic issues he presents for Silva.
In an interview with MMAweekly.com in May, the Serra-Longo Fight team product said the following regarding Silva’s choice to pass on a bout with him before his last fight with Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153.
I think there are a couple of reasons (why Silva didn’t want to take the fight). The number one reason, I am a terrible match-up for him. On paper I think I have him beat in more areas than he has me beat. I don’t think he’s ever fought a guy who has him beat in as many areas as I do. I’m young. I’m hungry. I don’t have the biggest name, so people are going to expect him to beat me. I think he knows being a smart guy and being around the MMA game that it’s not going to be an easy fight.
The perception that a dominant wrestler like Weidman could solve the riddle of Silva spawned when another former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, ChaelSonnen, nearly dethroned the pound-for-pound king at UFC 117.
Only a Hail-Mary triangle armbar with 1:50 left in the bout saved Silva from getting dominated in a decision loss to the pressure-heavy Sonnen.
But while the blueprint to best Silva obviously got put on film at UFC 117, Weidman remains adamant that he began believing he could top The Spider long before that night.
I always thought I had better wrestling. I thought I had the length and athleticism to be aware on the feet to when I could strike for my takedowns and look to punch. And when I hit the ground, I always felt confident in my jiu-jitsu. So it wasn’t like I saw the ChaelSonnen fight and said, ‘Oh, my God! Look! I can beat him!’ It was way before that.
Weidman has made it clear that he doesn’t just plan to just best The Spider, he intends to stop his long reign of terror while starting one of his own.
To prove how confident he’s become with the idea of knocking off the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighter, Weidman has liberally stated that if he wins, he’ll give Silva an immediate rematch.
Listen, I’m not even being cocky or arrogant when I say I’ll give him an immediate rematch. You have to believe you’re going to win. I believe I’m going to win. He’s had 10 title defenses. His only option, after I beat him, is to retire or have a rematch with me.
Stealing from a UFC-caliber fighter would strike most people as a bad idea, yet somehow, it looks like welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre had his car hi-jacked last week. Here’s what “Rush” tweeted on Thursday:
My car got stolen last we…
Stealing from a UFC-caliber fighter would strike most people as a bad idea, yet somehow, it looks like welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre had his car hi-jacked last week.
Here’s what “Rush” tweeted on Thursday:
My car got stolen last week, first time this happened to me- I wish I could have caught the guy while he was doing it!!
— Georges St-Pierre(@GeorgesStPierre) June 6, 2013
GSP did not provide any further details about the incident, but regardless of what kind of car he was driving, he should be able to afford another one based on the $400,000 he made at UFC 158 this March (via MMA Manifesto).
The French-Canadian superstar sees a rare stroke of bad luck here as he is currently riding an 11-fight win streak inside the Octagon, which includes a UFC welterweight record of eight consecutive title defenses.
According to UFC President Dana White, St-Pierre “positively” knows that his friend and occasional training partner Chris Weidman will beat middleweight champ Anderson Silva next month (via MMA Mania).
Therefore, don’t expect to see a St-Pierre vs. Silva superfight in this lifetime.
The 32-year-old is expected to face top 170-pound contender Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks for his next title bout, though the match up is still yet to be finalized according to MMA Mania.
St-Pierre hasn’t tasted defeat in over six years since getting upset by Matt Serra at UFC 69, but Hendricks is on a six-fight unbeaten streak and boasts impressive one-punch knockout power that could put any welterweight’s lights out.
In this particular situation, the robber is probably better off having the police catch him, as opposed to one of MMA‘s pound-for-pound greats.
John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show.
Upcoming middleweight title challenger Chris Weidman has been nothing but confident heading into his UFC 162 showdown with Anderson Silva, and apparently, that trait isn’t something he just developed. In an interview with Bloody Elbow’s Steph Dani…
Upcoming middleweight title challenger Chris Weidman has been nothing but confident heading into his UFC 162 showdown with Anderson Silva, and apparently, that trait isn’t something he just developed.
In an interview with Bloody Elbow’s Steph Daniels, “The All-American” revealed that prior to the now infamous cancellation of UFC 151 in September, he offered to step up and fight light heavyweight champ Jon Jones.
I’m the type of guy that loves big opportunities. I like when the cards are against me, and people think that I have no chance. I believe in myself, so when that fight (with Jon Jones) came out that it was in jeopardy, I called my manager and asked if there was a possibility that I could get the fight because I think I could take it. He was like, ‘Really?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah.’ He said give me a couple days, and I told him I was ready to go … So, he called Joe Silva, and he was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I think Joe liked the fact that I did that. So he said he wasn’t going to tell Dana and them unless I called my coaches to make sure it was all 100%. I called Matt and told him that I wanted to this. They were all on board, so I called back my manager, and he tells Joe Silva, and he thought it was awesome, so he called Dana White, but then they ended up throwing the fight out, and then the whole card out.
While anyone reading this article is probably quite familiar with the UFC 151 saga, here’s a quick recap:
Jones was booked to defend his title against former PRIDE and Strikeforce titleholder Dan Henderson. Eight days before the event, “Hendo,” citing a knee injury, withdrew from the contest and the event was ultimately canceled.
ChaelSonnen, Henderson’s long-time friend and training partner, stepped up to fight “Bones” on short notice, but Jones refused the matchup, via Yahoo! Sports.
Jones eventually met Sonnen in the cage at UFC 159 last month, running through him en route to a Round 1 TKO.
Despite a loss to LyotoMachida at UFC 157 in February, Henderson could still make a title run if he gets past a former light heavyweight champion in Rashad Evans at UFC 161.
Meanwhile, Weidman boasts an undefeated 9-0 professional MMA record heading into his July 6 title bout with “The Spider.”
He boasts six finishes in those nine fights and has defeated top contenders in Demian Maia and Mark Munoz.
Of course, Silva will be the stiffest challenge of his career, with an unheard-of 16-0 record inside the Octagon and also setting the UFC middleweight record with 10 successful title defenses.
Would Weidman vs. Jones have been preferred to a canceled pay-per-view event in September?
John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show.
Chris Weidman takes no offense to Anderson Silva coasting on promotional duties for UFC 162, but there are certain appointments that even the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world must uphold.In May, UFC President Dana White fined Silva $50,000 for …
Chris Weidman takes no offense to Anderson Silva coasting on promotional duties for UFC 162, but there are certain appointments that even the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world must uphold.
Silva told Brazilian media outlet Veja—via MMAjunkie.com—that he was completely unaware of the media day. He reinforced his excuse by mentioning that he has never missed any commitment with the UFC and his media schedule was blocked so he could focus on training for Weidman.
During an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Weidman was asked whether or not Silva deserved to be fined for missing the scheduled event. Weidman refused to say anything negative about his upcoming opponent, but he certainly didn’t shy away from his opinion regarding the promotional work being put into UFC 162:
It’s all good. He got fined and that sucks for him. It was definitely fair. It’s part of his job to do the media, especially since it was setup and they spent a lot of money. Oh yeah, I’m sure [I’ve had to do more media than Silva leading up to the fight].
Weidman has emerged as a bold, young contender capable of dethroning arguably the greatest fighter in MMA history.
Fans often underestimate how big of a fight this is for Weidman. A win would make him an instant star in the sport, and his name would be forever etched in UFC history. The media attention is new for Weidman, and he is soaking it all in and enjoying every moment of it.
Silva, on the other hand, has been on this rodeo more times than you could count on two hands. He has completely dominated every legend and top contender placed in front of him.
While Weidman agrees with the fine, he won’t hold it against Silva for flaking on the media promotion:
I’m the challenger, and this guy has been doing this for I don’t know how long. You can tell me, 11 title defenses or something like that? I don’t know. So he’s done a lot of media in his time, and he’s probably a little more sick of it than I am. So I have no problem picking up the tab.
If he manages to knock off Silva, all of the extra media work will have paid off big time for Weidman, who would quickly become one of the UFC’s biggest stars. Unfortunately, a loss would only validate the one thought on the minds of most fans:
Weidman is just another opponent not worth Silva’s time.
According to fight business uber reporter Dave Meltzer, the UFC is considering making a super fight between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and light heavyweight champion Jon Jones happen this fall in Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas. Of course, Silva would have to beat Chris Weidman this July and come out relatively unscathed for the super fight to remain viable and Jones himself would have to of healed from his grisly toe injury.
After a recent visit to the doctor, it looks like Jones could be healthy in time for a super fight. More on that later in the post. First, the scuttlebutt.
“There is an idea floating around to try and put on the biggest show in company history at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas this fall,” Meltzer reports in his Wrestling Observer newsletter.
“The idea would be to have Silva vs. Jon Jones and Velasquez vs. Dos Santos at the stadium, in October, at the same time as the state fair of Texas, perhaps on 10/12 or 10/19. That much is known to be at least something talked about. With Madison Square Garden seeming more and more unlikely for November, this show could be billed as UFC 20th anniversary show, with the idea of trying to repeat the success of UFC 100.”
According to fight business uber reporter Dave Meltzer, the UFC is considering making a super fight between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and light heavyweight champion Jon Jones happen this fall in Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas. Of course, Silva would have to beat Chris Weidman this July and come out relatively unscathed for the super fight to remain viable and Jones himself would have to of healed from his grisly toe injury.
After a recent visit to the doctor, it looks like Jones could be healthy in time for a super fight. More on that later in the post. First, the scuttlebutt.
“There is an idea floating around to try and put on the biggest show in company history at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas this fall,” Meltzer reports in his Wrestling Observer newsletter.
“The idea would be to have Silva vs. Jon Jones and Velasquez vs. Dos Santos at the stadium, in October, at the same time as the state fair of Texas, perhaps on 10/12 or 10/19. That much is known to be at least something talked about. With Madison Square Garden seeming more and more unlikely for November, this show could be billed as UFC 20th anniversary show, with the idea of trying to repeat the success of UFC 100.”
Of course, Chris Weidman will have his say in this whole situation, but it has to make him nervous hearing that the UFC may have a mega-event that would make them huge money planned if he is to lose. As for Jones, he just met with his foot doctor and tweeted that he now has to decide whether to jump into a training camp in three weeks or to let the toe heal more.
Evidently, Jones has gotten at least preliminary clearance to resume full training in three weeks. As for Anderson Silva, he isn’t thinking much about Jones or even Georges St. Pierre.
During a recent interview with the New York Post, the middleweight champion who will defend his title at UFC 162 in July made clear that he is focused on…Roy Jones Jr.? Oh, for goodness sakes, not this again. Silva likes to have fun with the media from time to time and hopefully that’s what he’s doing this time around.
Anderson first talked about fighting Roy Jones about four years ago, when the former boxing pound for pound king was already well past his prime. Bringing it up again now just seems mean spirited.
Jones Jr. loses more than he wins these days and is getting badly hurt as he sticks around too long. Anderson says that he is much more interested in fighting Jones Jr. than either St. Pierre or Jones.
“That’s something I’d really be interested in,” Silva told the Post.
“Maybe [UFC president] Dana [White] should do this fight.”
Silva said he’d like to fight Jones Jr. in one MMA fight and one boxing fight. I’m not sure Roy would do well in either one at this point in his career.
What do you say, nation? Will Anderson get past Weidman and if he does, will Uncle Dana be able to convince he and Jones to each rush into the biggest fight of their careers for a mega event in the fall?
It seems almost preposterous to suggest that a loss to an up-and-comer like Chris 