Tag: fight bookings

UFC 146 Injury Switcheroo: Roy Nelson Now Facing Dave Herman, Jamie Varner Returns Against Edson Barboza


(Just don’t come between Dave and his cubs.)

A pair of injuries have led to even more changes to the already chaotic UFC 146 lineup. As confirmed last night, heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight against Roy Nelson, and will be replaced by Dave Herman, who suffered a TKO loss to Stefan Struve in his last Octagon appearance. This is the second opponent switch for Nelson, who was originally supposed to face Antonio Silva on the “Dos Santos vs. Mir” card.

Meanwhile in the prelims, lightweight contender Evan Dunham is out of his fight against undefeated rising star Edson Barboza, and will be replaced by former WEC champ Jamie Varner. Since exiting the WEC after going 0-3-1 in 2010, Varner has won three of four fights outside the Zuffa fold, most recently stopping Drew Fickett in 40 seconds at XFC 16. However, all of Varner’s recent fights have come at 160-170 pounds, and one of those matches resulted in a loss to Dakota Cochrane, of all people. Will Varner be at a disadvantage trying to make 155 again on short notice? Will it even matter, considering that Barboza vs. Varner is the biggest UFC squash match of the year?

UFC 146 goes down May 26th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The current (but probably not final) lineup is after the jump…


(Just don’t come between Dave and his cubs.)

A pair of injuries have led to even more changes to the already chaotic UFC 146 lineup. As confirmed last night, heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight against Roy Nelson, and will be replaced by Dave Herman, who suffered a TKO loss to Stefan Struve in his last Octagon appearance. This is the second opponent switch for Nelson, who was originally supposed to face Antonio Silva on the “Dos Santos vs. Mir” card.

Meanwhile in the prelims, lightweight contender Evan Dunham is out of his fight against undefeated rising star Edson Barboza, and will be replaced by former WEC champ Jamie Varner. Since exiting the WEC after going 0-3-1 in 2010, Varner has won three of four fights outside the Zuffa fold, most recently stopping Drew Fickett in 40 seconds at XFC 16. However, all of Varner’s recent fights have come at 160-170 pounds, and one of those matches resulted in a loss to Dakota Cochrane, of all people. Will Varner be at a disadvantage trying to make 155 again on short notice? Will it even matter, considering that Barboza vs. Varner is the biggest UFC squash match of the year?

UFC 146 goes down May 26th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The current (but probably not final) lineup is after the jump…

Main Card (PPV)
Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir
Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva
Shane del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic
Roy Nelson vs. Dave Herman
Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve

Preliminary Card (FX)
Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins
Edson Barboza vs. Jamie Varner
Jason Miller vs. C.B. Dollaway
Jacob Volkmann vs Paul Sass

Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Dan Hardy vs. Duane Ludwig
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira
Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda


(Varner does his happy-dance after scoring the only UFC win of his career, against Jason Gilliam back at UFC 68 in March 2007.)

‘UFC on FOX 4? Picks Up Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader, Travis Browne vs. Ben Rothwell


(Don’t roll your eyes, Bader is a fine opponent.)

Fresh off his decision win over Quinton Jackson, light-heavyweight contender Ryan Bader will be returning to action at UFC on FOX 4 (August 4th, Los Angeles) against another former champion, Lyoto Machida. UFC.com confirmed the news yesterday evening. Machida most recently got choked to sleep by Jon Jones in December, which was his third loss in his last four appearances. With Bader riding another hot streak, could the Dragon be in trouble here?

Also on the card, heavyweights Travis Browne and Ben Rothwell — who won UFC 145’s Submission of the Night and Knockout of the Night bonuses, respectively — will be facing off in a guaranteed slugfest. (You’re welcome, Joe Silva.) Browne is still undefeated in his MMA career, with his last three victories coming against Chad Griggs, Rob Broughton, and Stefan Struve. Meanwhile, Rothwell’s first-round knockout of Brendan Schaub finally established him as a legitimate threat in the UFC.

UFC on FOX 4 will also feature Hector Lombard’s Octagon debut against Brian Stann, and Joe Lauzon vs. Terry Etim.


(Don’t roll your eyes, Bader is a fine opponent.)

Fresh off his decision win over Quinton Jackson, light-heavyweight contender Ryan Bader will be returning to action at UFC on FOX 4 (August 4th, Los Angeles) against another former champion, Lyoto Machida. UFC.com confirmed the news yesterday evening. Machida most recently got choked to sleep by Jon Jones in December, which was his third loss in his last four appearances. With Bader riding another hot streak, could the Dragon be in trouble here?

Also on the card, heavyweights Travis Browne and Ben Rothwell — who won UFC 145′s Submission of the Night and Knockout of the Night bonuses, respectively — will be facing off in a guaranteed slugfest. (You’re welcome, Joe Silva.) Browne is still undefeated in his MMA career, with his last three victories coming against Chad Griggs, Rob Broughton, and Stefan Struve. Meanwhile, Rothwell’s first-round knockout of Brendan Schaub finally established him as a legitimate threat in the UFC.

UFC on FOX 4 will also feature Hector Lombard’s Octagon debut against Brian Stann, and Joe Lauzon vs. Terry Etim.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Thiago Silva Likely for UFC 149; Aldo vs. Koch Slated for Main Event


(Rua slugs Dan Henderson during their epic bout in November. / Photo courtesy of Heavy)

A matchup between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Thiago Silva is likely for July 21st’s UFC 149 event in Calgary, according to a new report on MMA Junkie. UFC president Dana White tweeted yesterday that the two light-heavyweight strikers would face one another, but didn’t confirm the date or venue.

Silva is coming off of a one-year suspension and a decision loss to Alexander Gustafsson. Winless since his 2009 knockout of Keith Jardine, Silva’s contract may very well be on the line here. Shogun’s last bout, a five-round war/decision loss to Dan Henderson, was widely considered to be the greatest fight in MMA history until this past weekend.


(Rua slugs Dan Henderson during their epic bout in November. / Photo courtesy of Heavy)

A matchup between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Thiago Silva is likely for July 21st’s UFC 149 event in Calgary, according to a new report on MMA Junkie. UFC president Dana White tweeted yesterday that the two light-heavyweight strikers would face one another, but didn’t confirm the date or venue.

Silva is coming off of a one-year suspension and a decision loss to Alexander Gustafsson. Winless since his 2009 knockout of Keith Jardine, Silva’s contract may very well be on the line here. Shogun’s last bout, a five-round war/decision loss to Dan Henderson, was widely considered to be the greatest fight in MMA history until this past weekend.

According to multiple sources including MMAFighting and O Globo, the 7/21 event will be headlined by the featherweight title fight between Jose Aldo and Eric Koch. That matchup was previously tied to UFC 147 in Brazil, which will now reportedly take place in an 18,000-seat venue in Belo Horizonte.

So, Shogun vs. Silva and Aldo vs. Koch in the Great White North. Who takes ‘em and how, nation?

– Elias Cepeda

Hector Lombard Draws Brian Stann for UFC Debut, Requests a Random Drug Test for Some Reason


(“Oh no, I wasn’t laughing at you. I was just remembering this funny joke I heard about a guy who got punched in the head really hard.”)

The UFC has confirmed that their new middleweight signee Hector Lombard — best known as Bellator’s Angel of Death — will be making his first Octagon appearance against Brian Stann. UFC.com reports that the matchup will take place this August in Los Angeles, suggesting that it will go down at UFC on FOX 4.

Known for his inhuman power and massive physique, Lombard took to twitter last night to make a rather unique request: “Can we make a random drug test before my fight???” Lombard clearly wants to prove that his muscles are all natural — though once you request a random test, it’s not exactly random anymore. Ah well, he’ll get the hang of it.


(“Oh no, I wasn’t laughing at you. I was just remembering this funny joke I heard about a guy who got punched in the head really hard.”)

The UFC has confirmed that their new middleweight signee Hector Lombard — best known as Bellator’s Angel of Death — will be making his first Octagon appearance against Brian Stann. UFC.com reports that the matchup will take place this August in Los Angeles, suggesting that it will go down at UFC on FOX 4.

Known for his inhuman power and massive physique, Lombard took to twitter last night to make a rather unique request: “Can we make a random drug test before my fight???” Lombard clearly wants to prove that his muscles are all natural — though once you request a random test, it’s not exactly random anymore. Ah well, he’ll get the hang of it.

Lombard (31-2-1, w/ 1 no-contest) is currently riding a 20-fight win streak, and hasn’t lost a bout since his PRIDE stint in 2006. He’ll be matching those impressive stats against Brian Stann (12-4), who is coming off his first-round knockout of Alessio Sakara at UFC on FUEL 2. Lombard was previously signed by the UFC in 2007, but visa issues prevented the Cuban-born Olympic judoka from making his debut at UFC 78.

So will Lombard keep rolling this summer, or will he crumble on the big stage against an All-American veteran? Your thoughts, please.

Yeah, So Hatsu Hioki Actually Turned Down a Title Shot Against Jose Aldo

In case you missed the update to yesterday’s rumor, top-five featherweight Hatsu Hioki will be facing Ricardo Lamas at UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida (June 22nd, Atlantic City), and Erik Koch is indeed the leading candidate to be the next challenger to Jose Aldo‘s belt.

If it seems that Koch is being pushed to a title shot a little too soon — especially coming off of a lengthy injury layoff — well, it’s not his fault. As UFC president Dana White explained to FOX Sports, Hioki was next in line, but insisted on getting “one more test before going for the belt.”

Let us now dissect the wisdom of Hioki’s decision…

In case you missed the update to yesterday’s rumor, top-five featherweight Hatsu Hioki will be facing Ricardo Lamas at UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida (June 22nd, Atlantic City), and Erik Koch is indeed the leading candidate to be the next challenger to Jose Aldo‘s belt.

If it seems that Koch is being pushed to a title shot a little too soon — especially coming off of a lengthy injury layoff — well, it’s not his fault. As UFC president Dana White explained to FOX Sports, Hioki was next in line, but insisted on getting “one more test before going for the belt.”

Let us now dissect the wisdom of Hioki’s decision…

From a competitive standpoint, Hioki made the right call. Though he was widely considered Japan’s top featherweight during his stint in Sengoku, his UFC debut saw him barely squeak by George Roop. In February, he turned in a much more impressive performance, dominating (but not finishing) Bart Palaszewski at UFC 144 in his home country. One more lap through the Octagon on U.S. soil would make him a comfortable UFC veteran, better prepared for the unique pressure and atmosphere of the promotion. And let’s be honest, one does not simply walk into Jose Aldo.

But from a career perspective, Hioki might have screwed himself here. Ricardo Lamas has looked outstanding since dropping to featherweight, earning a first-round TKO against Matt Grice last June, then picking up a Submission of the Night bonus for his arm-triangle choke of Cub Swanson at UFC on FOX 1. If Lamas scores an upset (which is entirely possible), Hioki will plummet down the 145-pound contender’s ladder, and it could take years to claw his way back. Even if Hioki wins, his place in line isn’t guaranteed. In general, the UFC doesn’t hold guys who turn down big opportunities in high regard. When Joe Silva calls, you say “yes” even before he has the chance to say “sup, bro.”

What do you think? Will Hioki’s decision come back to bite him in the ass?

Jose Aldo Likely to Defend Featherweight Title Against Erik Koch


(Photo courtesy of MMAWeekly)

Jose Aldo‘s next opponent is close to being finalized, and from what we hear, it won’t be Hatsu Hioki or Frankie Edgar. A source close to Roufusport MMA Academy has informed CagePotato.com that 145-pound contender Erik Koch has been sent a contract to challenge Aldo for the UFC featherweight title. The fight would likely take place at UFC 147 in Brazil.

Until we can confirm this report with one of the fighters themselves, treat it as a rumor for now. We’ve contacted Koch’s manager, Mike Roberts of MMA Inc., but have yet to receive a response. Stay tuned.

Koch (13-1) is 2-0 in the UFC, including his Knockout of the Night win against Raphael Assuncao and a unanimous decision over TUF 12 winner Jonathan Brookins last September. He was scheduled to return against Dustin Poirier at UFC 143 in February, but had to withdraw due to injury.

Update: Hatsu Hioki will be facing Ricardo Lamas at UFC on FX 4, and Aldo vs. Koch is now very likely.


(Photo courtesy of MMAWeekly)

Jose Aldo‘s next opponent is close to being finalized, and from what we hear, it won’t be Hatsu Hioki or Frankie Edgar. A source close to Roufusport MMA Academy has informed CagePotato.com that 145-pound contender Erik Koch has been sent a contract to challenge Aldo for the UFC featherweight title. The fight would likely take place at UFC 147 in Brazil.

Until we can confirm this report with one of the fighters themselves, treat it as a rumor for now. We’ve contacted Koch’s manager, Mike Roberts of MMA Inc., but have yet to receive a response. Stay tuned.

Koch (13-1) is 2-0 in the UFC, including his Knockout of the Night win against Raphael Assuncao and a unanimous decision over TUF 12 winner Jonathan Brookins last September. He was scheduled to return against Dustin Poirier at UFC 143 in February, but had to withdraw due to injury.

Update: Hatsu Hioki will be facing Ricardo Lamas at UFC on FX 4, and Aldo vs. Koch is now very likely.