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Despite Chael Sonnen’s Claims, Dana White Says Sonnen-Silva II Can Still Happen

Filed under: UFC, NewsChael Sonnen says forget about it, that Anderson Silva can’t or won’t fight him in a rematch of their August 2010 bout. Not now, not ever. That’s what Sonnen said on a Friday teleconference for next weekend’s UFC on FOX 2 show.

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Filed under: UFC, News

Chael Sonnen says forget about it, that Anderson Silva can’t or won’t fight him in a rematch of their August 2010 bout. Not now, not ever. That’s what Sonnen said on a Friday teleconference for next weekend’s UFC on FOX 2 show.

“I can guarantee you, Anderson Silva and I will never cross paths again,” he said.

But Friday night brought another guarantee, this one from UFC president Dana White, who tends to get the final word on such matters. When asked about Sonnen’s comments in a UFC on FX 1 post-fight interview with FUEL TV’s Ariel Helwani, White offered a very different opinion of what would happen if Sonnen emerges victorious in his bout with Michael Bisping.

“I, 100 percent, right here and now, guarantee you that if Chael Sonnen wins that fight, Anderson Silva will fight Chael Sonnen this summer,” he said.

Silva is currently back home rehabbing injuries, and is expected to fight at the next show the UFC hosts in Brazil. But Sonnen said otherwise on Friday, suggesting that Silva is not interested in fighting him or anyone else on the UFC roster, and that the long-reigning, 36-year-old champ has competed for the last time.

“I can tell you that behind the scenes, they tried to put me and Anderson together four times, and four times he said no,” he said. “I called him out publicly. You call out a Brazilian publicly, you’re going to be fighting that Brazilian. That’s in their culture, and he sat there and covered his mouth and hid behind Charles Barkley [at UFC 136 in Houston], which is a smart move. It saved him a trip to the hospital. But Anderson Silva is not going to fight me. I don’t believe he’s going to fight Bisping. I don’t believe he’s going to fight again. That’s my personal opinion.”

But White disagrees, going on to acknowledge that the fight would “probably” happen in Brazil, a prospect that seemed unlikely just a few months ago, when Sonnen was politely asked to leave the country instead of escorting his friend and training partner Yushin Okami to the cage in a title fight with Silva. After being queried about Sonnen’s safety should the fight be exported to Silva’s home turf, he went on to suggest that the man who has called out Silva every which way imaginable has more than a few fans should the fight go down there.

“I know a lot of people say that, but a lot of people don’t realize that Chael Sonnen was actually down in Brazil helping Yushin Okami get ready for his fight down there,” he said. “For as many people — Brazilians — that hate Chael Sonnen, there’s a lot that like him, too.”

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UFC on FX Video: Watch Dana White’s Uncensored Hype for Huge Event

Dana White, president of the UFC, takes us through the week building up to the events that will unfold tonight on UFC on FX.The look behind the scenes gives insight on the work put into managing these events and making sure everything comes together.It…

Dana White, president of the UFC, takes us through the week building up to the events that will unfold tonight on UFC on FX.

The look behind the scenes gives insight on the work put into managing these events and making sure everything comes together.

It is, however, unlike most organizations. It’s safe to say that White isn’t the most professional of guys. He is very casual and, at times, vulgar with his comments.

But isn’t that what makes the president of a fighting organization appealing?

The look behind the scenes shows multiple issues the organization was confronted with heading up to the event. It also shows a behind the scenes look on the set of The Ultimate Fighter.

During the video, White also has a short interview with fighter and upcoming coach on The Ultimate Fighter, Urijah Faber. Faber makes predictions for the fights tonight that may surprise you.

The video closes with sights and sounds from on stage for the weigh-ins.

The video blogs are something new to the UFC. White says at the start of the video that it’s not something he typically does. It’s something he should continue doing in the future as it gives good insight for fans on what really happens behind the scenes.

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UFC on FX: Why Dana White Needs a Strong Show Following Brock Lesnar’s Fail

UFC is already the biggest name in mixed martial arts, but president Dana White isn’t sitting on any laurels. Tonight’s bouts on FX are the latest attempt by White to win over mainstream sports fans to augment the devoted hardcore audience the UF…

The first UFC event of 2012 has a lot of pressure to succeed, because 2011 didn’t exactly end in a TV-friendly fashion for White and his company. The most recognizable star in the MMA world, former heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar, announced his retirement after being demolished by newcomer Alistair Overeem on New Year’s Eve.

Lesnar, who enjoyed substantial crossover appeal as a former WWE star, has battled diverticulitis for several years and chose to retire rather than go through another round of simultaneous rehab and fight training. Just as his success as an MMA fighter was a boon to the UFC’s efforts to raise its profile, having his career end in such disappointing fashion will be a blow to the sport and the promotion.

The best way for UFC to help its image after Lesnar’s exit would be with some exciting fights on tomorrow’s card. Unfortunately, even the headline bout between Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller doesn’t exactly have the cachet of, say, November’s heavyweight title showdown between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos.

Of course, in a sport with minimal mainstream name recognition to begin with, the identities of the fighters in the octagon are less critical than the quality of their competition. Dos Santos-Velasquez was exciting but regrettably short, and a more protracted, back-and-forth fight (whether it’s Guillard-Miller or one of the undercard matches) would do wonders for UFC’s image at a time when wonders are sorely needed.

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5 Questions with New UFC Announcer Jon Anik

In December 1997 announcer Mike Goldberg made his UFC debut in the “The Land of the Rising Sun.” For almost 15 years, with only a handful of exceptions, he’s been the sole play-by-play voice of the UFC.No longer.The UFC’s brand new broadcast deal…

No longer.

The UFC’s brand new broadcast deal with the Fox family has ramped up an already busy schedule and announcers Goldberg and color man Joe Rogan simply couldn’t keep up with the demand. Tonight, the two men who have become synonymous with the UFC on television will give way to veteran ESPN broadcaster Jon Anik.

The 33-year-old Anik will host the brand new Ultimate Fighter and call the action on FX and Fuel. Partnered with fighter Kenny Florian, Anik will attempt to fill Goldberg’s very large shoes.

Bleacher Report caught up with Anik on the eve of his first show to introduce you to the man who will walk you through the action for what should be years to come.

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UFC on FX 1: Guillard vs Miller Weigh-in Video

The new year kicks off with a bang on Friday with UFC on FX 1: Guillard vs Miller, as the UFC officially starts their deal with Fox. The show takes place from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville,TN.The prelims start on Fuel TV 6PM ET/3PT, with the main …

The new year kicks off with a bang on Friday with UFC on FX 1: Guillard vs Miller, as the UFC officially starts their deal with Fox. The show takes place from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville,TN.

The prelims start on Fuel TV 6PM ET/3PT, with the main card on FX at 9ET/6PT.

The main event features Melvin Guillard vs Jim Miller in a battle of two lightweights looking to stay in contention in the weight class.

Guillard (29-9-2) is looking to rebound from a loss to Joe Lauzon at UFC 136; he faces Miller (20-3), who is also coming off a loss, against number one contender Ben Henderson at UFC on Versus 5 event. A win for either guy should put them right in title picture.

“I expect a great fight between Melvin and I,” Miller said at the weigh in Thursday. “We’re two of the best guys in the division. I’m hungry for the win.”

Here are the main card fighter’s weigh in results:

Jim Miller (155) vs Melvin Guillard (156)

Josh Neer(171) vs Duane Ludwig (170.5)

Jared Papazian (135.5) vs Mike Easton (135)

Christian Morecraft (256) vs Pat Barry (242)

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How MMA, UFC and Strikeforce Spoil Their Fans

Mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport right now, and with its continued growth as a sport comes the continued growth of fans. Fans of MMA are passionate and rally behind individual athletes very often, to the point where they almost feel part…

This is due to the exposure we are getting from the head companies who represent the sport.

Zuffa, comprised of UFC and Strikeforce, is the biggest promotion on the planet. Bellator and others stick out as well. These companies are putting the sport into the homes of everyone worldwide and giving them much more than people imagined a decade ago.

With the growth the MMA companies have gained, MMA events are being put on very often. This is, of course, a plus.

There are some that would argue that there is “too much of a good thing,” but the majority seem to clamor for even more.

The question used to be, “Is there a fight this week?” This has and continues to change and adapt to, “Who is fighting this week?”

The frequency of events, whether they are PPV or free fights, has increased significantly over the past few years. 2011 brought upon many fights and new chapters of MMA, and certainly left many people’s wallets a little lighter.

2012 is on the right course to outdo itself in regards to the number of events put on.

So far, January 2012 has had/will have a fight every weekend of the month. February is slated to be event-less only one week of the month. This packed schedule has been provided by the UFC and Strikeforce alone.

Fans are spoiled, but this article is not painting it in a bad light. On the contrary, this is a simple fact that is just something to enjoy.

As MMA fans, who wouldn’t want a fight every weekend? Yes, having a PPV event every weekend might hurt for some, but there are always bars and restaurants to catch the fights for free as well.

What has happened, to much delight, is that most weekends are booked for Saturday night. On weeks like February 5th through the 11th, though, it almost seems like we go through withdrawal. As fans, we have become accustomed to this high-frequency fight night schedule that is being put on, to the point where one week off seems like forever.

This is a good thing, though. When people are used to a fight/event each week, there is little need to worry about promoting awareness of the fight taking place. Companies still need to promote WHO is fighting and WHY it is worth everyone’s money, but it is at a point where people can assume there is a fight on Saturday night and would be right most of the time.

The companies spoil the fans in terms of PR events, social media interaction and so on, but at the end of the day, we all want to see some good fights.

The downside to this spoiling is that some people can develop high expectations for every fight card. While a card like UFC on Fox 2 at the end of the month doesn’t seem PPV-worthy now, it could have years ago.

Higher standards of a money-worthy PPV event are slowly being adopted by some, but now with the Fox deal, a UFC event can be “not a PPV candidate,” but a valuable gem when free and on a major network like Fox.

We have already had a couple examples in the past where a title was put on the line, or a strong card in general was put on free television.

Naturally, we would like for any PPV event to have a championship fight on it, but sometimes this can’t be the case. In this sense, we can be spoiled to the point where we expect more than possible.

2012 will be yet another year of big changes, big title fights (especially with the new division) and be full of weekends with friends on Saturday nights.

Are we spoiled as MMA fans? Absolutely, and most wouldn’t want it any other way.

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