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UFC 139’s Chris Weidman: Tom Lawlor Doesn’t Have the Experience Like I Do

For Chris Weidman, life is all about hard work and striving to be the best in the world. Weidman (6-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) gets another opportunity to achieve that goal this Saturday at UFC 139 at the HP Pavilion, as he will be facing Tom Lawlor (7-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC). This fight was supposed to be aired on Spike TV, but was recently put onto the Facebook portion of the card. Weidman was pretty bummed about the change.

“It’s a bummer, but you know it doesn’t make the fight any different to me,” Weidman told me. “I gotta get in there and fight. But yea, it definitely sucks for people who want to watch me.”

More people watch the fights on Spike than on Facebook, and most people would feel like it’s a lost opportunity, but Weidman has a feeling this will somehow end up on pay-per-view.

“Yea, a little bit, but I have a good feeling it’s going to end up on pay-per-view somehow. So, I’m trying to keep my head surrounded with the positive and just thinking to put on a great fight and better than Spike, it’s pay-per-view.”

Weidman is a prospect that people are really high on ever since his debut in the UFC in March, when he took a fight on two weeks notice and defeated Alessio Sakara. He followed that win with a submission of the night victory over Jesse Bongfeldt in June. How has Weidman dealt with his new found popularity?

“I think just thinking about it right now, not like I dwell on it. I think one of the biggest things is that people don’t see I’m doing this for no reason anymore, family, friends, whoever. Because when you’re in smaller promotions and you’re not making any money, it’s kind of like an aspiring rapper or something. What are the chances of making it to the top? When you get the chance to prove yourself and you do it, now your not trying to justify why you’re actually doing this. Putting your family through some hardships and not having money. I have my masters degree (from Hofstra), I can go out and get a job. So, why would I do that? You know, my hard work is paying off. It’s a good feeling.”

Weidman has been training with Ray Longo and Matt Serra since he started in MMA in 2009. He is beyond grateful for everything they have taught him inside and outside of the cage.

“They help a lot. I’m with Ray Longo pretty much everyday. I’m at his gym, working with him on standup, on cardio, strength, everything. He pretty much is my go-to-guy for everything, all my questions. He not only helps me out with my fighting, which is usually more important than everything else, but he’s there, almost as a psychologist. We’re always talking, we’re close and for like mental confidence and stuff like that, he’s huge. He’s really good with that. So, he’s a big help and Matt is awesome. A bolt of energy, he’s confident, he’s been to the top, he’s been to where I want to head. He helps me a lot by putting me in the right direction and getting me to where he was already once at.”

Lawlor has been saying to various media outlets that he will use experience to beat Weidman this Saturday. Weidman says that Lawlor doesn’t have his experience.

“They can say whatever they want. It doesn’t really bother me. As far as experience goes, look at Alessio Sakara. He had plenty more experience than me. He was in the UFC forever. I didn’t let that get to me. Tom Lawlor, he hasn’t been there as close to as long. I won’t let that get to me. The way I look at it is, I ‘ve been wrestling my entire life. I’ve faced top notch competition for a very, very long time. Tom Lawlor doesn’t have that experience. So, I’ll use the mental side of being in those wars with wrestling, just as effective as I would have MMA.”

You can listen to the entire interview with Chris Weidman here.

You can follow me on Twitter @fightclubchi.

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UFC 139’s Brian Bowles: The Average Joe Thinks Urijah Faber Will Beat Me

When fighting Urijah Faber, there’s a pretty good chance the opponent is an afterthought, since Faber is one of the most popular fighters in the sport, and the fans assume he will roll to victory.
Brian Bowles (10-1, 2-0 UFC) is under that assumption a…

When fighting Urijah Faber, there’s a pretty good chance the opponent is an afterthought, since Faber is one of the most popular fighters in the sport, and the fans assume he will roll to victory.

Brian Bowles (10-1, 2-0 UFC) is under that assumption as well, as the former WEC Bantamweight Champion will square off with Faber (25-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC), the former WEC Featherweight Champion, at UFC 139 this Saturday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California on pay per view starting at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT.

Bowles and Faber each fought last at UFC 132, in which Bowles defeated Takeya Mizugaki via unanimous decision, and Faber lost via unanimous decision to bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.

A lot of people thought a good performance by Bowles would have netted him the next shot against Cruz, but after a lackluster win against Mizugaki, Demetrious Johnson ended up getting the next shot.

Bowles understood why he didn’t get the shot after the Mizugaki fight.

“I wasn’t able to finish,” Bowles told me. “I wasn’t very aggressive; he’s a tough guy.

“I mean, he has that kind of style. He’s not easy to finish, and he’s a tough opponent. We both went in there, and if either one of us had been more aggressive, the fight would have been a lot more exciting,” he said.

“I think he was waiting for me to be a little more aggressive and I was kinda waiting for him to be more aggressive,” Bowles continued. “We ended up just standing there looking at each other a lot more than my fights usually are.”

The Bowles-Mizugaki fight was on the undercard of UFC 132, so Bowles was able to take in the Cruz-Faber main event that evening and wasn’t shocked by the champion’s performance against Faber.

“Typical Cruz, you know.” Bowles said. “He does what he does. Faber did a pretty good job getting his hands on him and not getting too frustrated at what he does. Every time you watch the champion fight, you learn a little bit from that. I took a little bit away from that.”

With the title loss, Faber is now 4-4 in his last eight fights, but Bowles thinks Faber still has that mystique about him.

“Once you built something like that, it takes a lot for it to go away. I don’t think he’s lost it yet,” Bowles said. “Just because you lose a fight or two here and there? He’s not out there getting knocked out. He’s not like at the end of his career, he needs to hang it up or he’s just hanging onto it because he can’t let it go.

“He’s still a No. 1-guy contender. He could be champ at any moment,” he said.

As soon as this fight was announced, a lot of people were under the assumption that it would determine the No. 1 contender for the bantamweight title, and Bowles is under that assumption as well.

“Yea, I think (UFC president) Dana (White) announced that the winner between me and him should be fighting Cruz,” Bowles said. “I know they never set anything in stone, but its been said. But that’s what I’m expecting from it.”

Since Faber-Cruz II took place and the fight with Bowles was announced, a lot of people think that Faber will roll past Bowles and secure the rubber match.

Bowles has other plans in mind and relishes the role of the underdog.

“You know, I’m kinda used to that. I’ve been a underdog in almost every fight,” Bowles said. “When I fought Miguel (Torres), underdog; ever since I’ve come into the sport, its been the underdog for me. I kind of feed off that.

“I think true hardcore fans, the other fighters know he’s not gonna walk through me. I’ve heard a lot of people say they think I’m going to beat him.

“It’s mainly the people, average Joes out there. He’s the more popular guy. That’s what they go on. They think it’s a popularity contest and not a fight. That’s what they’re going by. Not going by fighting skills,” Bowles said.

“I’m a quiet guy. He’s out there; his face is out there. He’s more popular, so they think he’s gonna win,” he said.

You can listen to the entire interview with Brian Bowles here.

You can follow me on Twitter @fightclubchi.

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Michael Giovanni Rivera Provides Insight on Training UFC 140’s Tito Ortiz

Prior to UFC 132, Tito Ortiz made major changes to his training, and part of that positive change was the addition of strength and conditioning coach Michael Giovanni Rivera.Rivera, who’s been an elite trainer in the Orange County, Calif., area for the…

Prior to UFC 132, Tito Ortiz made major changes to his training, and part of that positive change was the addition of strength and conditioning coach Michael Giovanni Rivera.

Rivera, who’s been an elite trainer in the Orange County, Calif., area for the past 10 years helped lead Ortiz to a dominant first-round submission victory over Ryan Bader at UFC 132.

Ortiz is in the midst of training camp for UFC 140, where he faces Antonio Rogerio Nogurira on Dec. 10.

Rivera is contributing a series of blogs in anticipation of Ortiz’ third fight alongside the trainer. Here is a look at some of his insights:

Rivera recaps what it has been like to work with Ortiz leading up to present day.

“It has been crazy to say the least! I was brought on 7 weeks prior to the Bader ﬁght, I had no idea what physical or mental condition Tito was in at that point. It was a very unique story how I started training Tito. I ﬁrst worked with his girl Jenna Jameson, he came into the gym to see what I was about…

“Ten minutes later we hit it off, (and he) asked me to train him once and go from there.

“So, I show up to Punishment Training Center in Huntington Beach (California) a couple days later. I was setting up my equipment, I noticed the cameras, but didn’t think anything about it. I just thought maybe they were observing or ﬁlming his workouts. That’s when Tito walked in and said that they were going to ﬁlm the countdown for UFC 132 Ortiz vs.Bader.

“At ﬁrst, I was like I never trained you before, I took it as a challenge (and) I knew that I could succeed. I told Tito ‘I assume your in shape and can handle this workout, you are an elite athlete.’ A hour into it he killed it and so did I. Tito was impressed by my skills, knowledge, and how I mentally reinforced him to be positive. The camera crew asked, what do you want to credit him as? Tito said he is my strength & conditioning coach, lets train 3-4 times a week. I was like wow, this is a crazy day!

“Ever since then it has been non-stop. Training for Bader, then immediately preparing for (Rashad) Evans in a very short amount of time. He was still in great shape for it, but it would have been a different story if we had 10 weeks to get ready for Evans.

“Many people don’t realize I have been always been well known for my training and packed with clients in LA (Los Angeles) & OC (Orange County) for the last 10 years. This opportunity gave me more elite status and exposure, so the public can see I am the real deal.

“I have been familiar with the MMA industry for awhile, but having the opportunity to work with Tito is incredible. He’s probably the most well known MMA ﬁghter out there. Many opportunities and doors have opened up for me since training Tito, I appreciate it so much and I intend to keep pushing the limits!”

Rivera sheds light on the progress Ortiz has made since the pair linked up.

“After that ﬁrst initial workout we had some work to do, luckily we had 7 weeks to be ready. He progressed quickly. He has great genetics, is a quick learner, and has heart like none other.

“I think that’s why we work so well together. We both have huge hearts and passion for what we do. Tito sees that in me, and I see that in him. He has improved tremendously physically and mentally in many ways. Such as his core strength, which is really important since his prior injuries and surgeries, footwork speed, hand speed, and his overall muscular endurance.

“I think the biggest improvement since I have linked up with him is his mental outlook. He was down about himself, but who can blame him with the current consecutive losses. I knew I could help him. I kept him in a positive mind set. I reinforced a positive mentality in his head every time we trained and I would text him everyday reminding him that he still has that ﬁre in him to succeed in the cage.

“Little by little I saw a change, he was training harder with me, training harder with Jason Parillo, his boxing coach, training harder with Ricardo Abreu, his ground coach. We all saw the transformation in him for the better in and out of the cage.

“I am so proud to see how he is today, a committed MMA ﬁghter who is hungry again, passion for the sport, and the fans love him. They see the change in him and I am so grateful that I was apart of this transformation and have the opportunity to work with him.”

What the experience was like for Rivera to witness Ortiz defeat Ryan Bader this past July at UFC 132.

“That win was epic! It meant so much to us all. As for me, I had a lot of pressure on me, being the new strength & conditioning coach as well as the mental coach. I knew if he had lost his career could have been over and I wouldnʼt be here writing to you about this.

“I trained him with my heart & soul, I gave everything I had. Planned workouts, planned meals, supplements, etc.. There is so much that goes into it that it is unbelievably time consuming. I had a lot of stress on me during that time, my father had recently passed away with cancer in March. So, getting this opportunity with Tito revitalized me.

“When he had that choke in and Bader tapped out, It was the most emotional experience I have ever felt. You can see it on all of our faces. The whole experience from the anticipation in the locker room, to the walk out, and getting the ‘W’ with his hand raised! It made me appreciate all the hard work we did and it payed off! I knew that he could do it, Tito just needed to believe that he could do it, and he did!

“Being positive and believing in yourself is the key to success. You can overcome anything in life if you work hard enough and have faith.”

The progression of training camp at this stage leading up to Ortiz’ UFC 140 main card bout against “Lil Nog.”

“Training camp has been great. We changed things up a bit, because of his opponent Nogueira. Things I don’t want to mention as of now till after the ﬁght. But all I can say (is) Tito is in beast mode. He has mad heart and (he’s) determined to get that hand raised. We will be ready December 10th for UFC 140 in Toronto.”

To learn more about Michael Giovanni Rivera, he can be reached at:

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.Giovannitraining.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/giotraining

Phone: (714) 396-9369

Website: http://www.titoortiz.com/

Punishment Athletics: http://www.punishment.com/

Punishment Training Center: http://punishmenttrainingcenter.com/

For additional information on UFC 140, follow Joshua Carey on Twitter.

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AKA Head Coach Javier Mendez Talks UFC Heavyweight Champ Cain Velasquez

Artwork by Evan Shoman of shomanart.com. And standing in the blue corner, the reigning, defending, undisputed, UFC heavyweight champion of the world…Cain Velasquez! How many times will the current UFC champ and fight fans alike hear Br…

Artwork by Evan Shoman of shomanart.com.

And standing in the blue corner, the reigning, defending, undisputed, UFC heavyweight champion of the world…Cain Velasquez!

How many times will the current UFC champ and fight fans alike hear Bruce Buffer announce those words in the style that only he can deliver? The ability to retain and defend the UFC heavyweight title is a tall order, to say the least.

If anyone can do it, and do it for an extended period of time, it is Cain Velasquez. There are many dangerous warriors who desire that strap throughout the division. Few can hold a candle to the champ as he stands today, and surely where he is headed tomorrow.

Probably the biggest threat to Cain’s title is the man he will face this Saturday during UFC on FOX 1 as they touch gloves and go to war live on network television for the entire world to see. Cain’s biggest challenge ever, even bigger than taking the title from Brock Lesnar, lies in the man they call “Cigano.”

Junior Dos Santos is a lethal striking heavyweight with a deep desire to bring that title home with him to Brazil. He is coming to bang and induce all out war with the champion. The staff and coaches at American Kickboxing Academy feel they have more than prepared their champion for just that.

Most importantly head coach Javier Mendez has dug in deep with his heavyweight champion Velasquez, and brought him back from a surgery and extended layoff to put Cain right where he needs to be to defend his title against this dangerous number one contender.

Javier is a legendary coach in the business of MMA. He has influenced the careers of some of the sport’s icons, as well as current, and future stars. Having spent time coaching the likes of B.J. Penn, Frank Shamrock, Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch, Daniel Cormier and many many more, his expertise is second to none.

That is reflected in the performances his prize heavyweight Cain Velasquez has put together across his impressive and blossoming career. And to hear Mendez tell it, the sky truly is the limit for this wrecking machine currently sitting atop the UFC heavyweight division.

Javier Mendez recently sat down with Todd Jackson of Hurtsbad MMA and gave some great insight into the man that is Cain Velasquez. Not just the champion as he is today, but the man he feels he will be tomorrow and beyond.

One burning question for many fight fans is of course how will Velasquez respond to a long lay off due to surgery. Will ring rust be an issue, how will his mental and physical sharpness be as he makes his first movements inside that Octagon in over a year?

Javier Mendez assured Hurtsbad MMA that Cain has stayed mentally sharp and focused during a time that saw him limited in his ability to fully train as a champion should.

Mendez explained how important the champ’s focus was as he made his way back to fighting shape.

“His mindset has always been good,” Mendez said. “I always keep a good mental communication with him. I need him to be razor sharp mentally even if he is physically not there. The competition as we know, they know what it is going to take to beat the champ because Cain elevated the game. So Junior has elevated himself for that challenge.”

Even still, the fact remains that a layoff can hold a fighter back from their greatest potential. Mendez explained how they see Cain’s progress in relation to where he might have been vs where he actually is. But make no mistake, he sees improvement even with the injury holding Cain back.

“Unfortunately for us, we are coming off an injury so if I said we are going to be the best ever, I would be lying,” Mendez said. “Because there is no way possible Cain is going to be the best ever coming to this fight knowing that he’s coming off that long lay off due to an injury. So he’s not going to be the best ever. But Cain Velasquez is such a great athlete and fighter that in my opinion he is 100 percent going to be more than what he used to do.”

The thought of a better Cain Velasquez than the man that absolutely decimated Brock Lesnar is an extremely intimidating thought.

When the actual matchup between Dos Santos and Velasquez was brought up, Mendez explained what he feels many people are not aware of when it comes to his heavyweight. This fight is paramount to Cain’s career today but it is only one piece of a puzzle that will, in Javier’s mind, define a legend.

Mendez stated, “Of course anything can happen in that fight. But I don’t think anybody will realize how good Cain really is until they see more of him. They need to see more of him to see what a great champion this guy is going to be. He is not just a flash in the pan, a lot of people don’t really fully understand him just yet.”

He went on to explain, “The more he competes, and the more he wins in the dominant fashion he is accustom to, people are going to realize wow, this guy is unbelievable. You have got to keep in mind, in all his fights he has never lost a round. And it wasn’t even close other than Cheik Kongo clipping him a couple of times.”

Mendez told Hurtsbad that he actually didn’t want that fight stating Cain wasn’t prepared for Kongo’s level of striking at that stage in his career. As for now, Mendez said, “Now he is way above that level which was proved by what he did from that fight to the fight with Ben Rothwell.”

“He underestimated Cain big time thinking if Kongo did that to you then I’m going to put my fist right through you,” Mendez added. “Well you can’t look at an evolving fighter and look at his last fight and think that is the way he is going to come out. And that is the mistake people are making with Cain. They are looking at that last fight.”

Looking at his last fight, that Cain Velasquez could defeat any heavyweight in the world. It’s hard to fathom a better heavyweight than that. It was a near flawless performance by the new champ.

Javier Mendez insists though that was just but one reflection of this fighter. We will never see that Cain again, he is a thing of the past. “He keeps evolving, he doesn’t stop. That’s the great thing about Cain, is you’re never going to see the same Cain.”

So what drives this machine, this heavyweight destroyer? There are people who were in the hotel room with Cain Velasquez just hours after he won that title who told Hurtsbad MMA that when all the partying and celebrating was going on that Cain looked at the title and said, “I’m already over it”.

It is not a trophy that drives this ever evolving fighter and pushes him to move forward from what many might already perceive as a total package. Being a champion is an amazing feat in this sport, but for Velasquez there is more to it than that.

Mendez knows better than anyone what drives this man and he shared his perception of exactly what that is.

“What I feel and what we’ve talked about is that he’s put it in his head years ago that he is going to be the best everHe is going to keep striving to attain that goal. I want the same for him. I feel that if he stays mentally sharp, and keeps working on improvement, and that desire to become the best ever it will keep him in the gym.”

And simply put, the more time this guy spends sharpening his skills inside that gorgeous AKA facility, the more lethal he will become. And if Javier Mendez’s expertise tells us that this evolution has only just begun, it is astonishing to imagine just exactly where this man is headed.

All time greatness may be a little premature, but standing at 9-0 with a UFC title draped over his shoulder, Cain Velasquez has laid a solid foundation to begin that journey. With a man like Javier Mendez driving and guiding him, he very well may navigate his own self expectations and beyond.

This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA. Follow us on Twitter @hurtsbadmma.

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UFC on FOX Cain Velasquez vs Junior Dos Santos: Eddie Bravo’s Pick and Why

Looking at the matchup for the UFC heavyweight title that is about to take place at UFC Live On FOX, no matter which way a fight fan is leaning when they look across the cage at the opponent they didn’t pick they have to get chills down their spine.

No matter how much you favor Cain Velasquez or Junior Dos Santos, both fighters are lethal heavyweights capable of being champions for a long time. So with that in mind, it was no surprise that even legend Eddie Bravo sounded fairly undecided when asked how he saw the matchup playing out this Saturday night.

Bravo held high praise for both combatants but sees one angle which he feels will decide the outcome of the bout. He sat down and spoke with Todd Jackson of Hurtsbad MMA about how this heavyweight tilt might go in his opinion.

Bravo first discussed the champion with Hurtsbad. “If I was Cain Velasquez I would definitely try to take Junior Dos Santos down. Cain Velasquez’s stand up is looking really good. I mean super sharp. He just took Noguiera apart. His striking, it looks like he is just a natural striker. He doesn’t look like one of those wrestlers who is having a hard time making the transition. He looks really smooth with his striking.”

Eddie laughed and stated that was not Cain’s only asset in the striking game. “And he has a big old block head, it’s going to be hard to hurt him.”

Even though Bravo sees the champ Velasquez as a dangerous striker, he clearly sees the threat that Dos Santos brings to the table in that particular department. The challenger “Cigano” has more than proved that he is one of if not the best heavyweight strikers in the sport.

Bravo elaborated on the game plan he feels Velasquez should employ on fight night. “Junior Dos Santos has extremely heavy hands, and I don’t think it is a good idea for Cain to work on his stand up with Dos Santos. I think he should take him down, and he can take him down. I think Cain can take down anybody in the heavyweight division except for maybe Brock.”

So where Cain has the clear advantage, Bravo feels that should be his path to making his first title defense. Save for Lesnar, Bravo feels anyone else goes down when Cain says they go down. And that is simple math to the 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu master.

Bravo said, “I think Cain could take him right down. Why take a chance, take him down? I don’t think Junior Dos Santos has a highly offensive guard. We have never really seen it, I’m going to say he doesn’t, but he could. I think the best spot for Cain is ground and pound.”

Eddie Bravo shared his final clear cut analysis with Hurtsbad MMA. “Basically, Junior Dos Santos has got to keep it up, Cain has got to get it down. If I had to put my money on the match, I would go with Cain Velasquez. It’s hard to bet against superior wrestling, and superior cardio. Especially when they guy has a big old head like that.”

Again with the expert analysis of Cain’s melon from the wild man Eddie Bravo.

In the end, just like the rest of us though, Bravo shrugs his shoulders when looking at these heavyweights and simply told Todd Jackson, “But who the hell knows?”

This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA. To hear this interview in its entirety visit The Truth Hurts Radio Show. Follow us on Twitter @hurtsbadmma.

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UFC on FOX: Cain Velasquez Relishing in Mexican Pride

LOS ANGELES – When the UFC started promoting Brock Lesnar versus Cain Velasquez for the UFC heavyweight title, the phrase “Mexican-American” was used in the campaign with little hesitation. In fact, it was the biggest tool to advertise the now-UF…

This was met with some controversy. Some of the ads praised Velasquez as attempting to become the first “Mexican heavyweight champion” when Ricco Rodriguez—a fighter with Mexican and Puerto Rican roots—already held the UFC heavyweight title years prior.

Eventually, people moved on from the controversy and Velasquez welcomed the label given to him by the UFC’s marketing team.

More than a year later, things haven’t changed much for the heavyweight champion. He’s more than happy to represent the Mexican people while he’s in the Octagon.

Like he said during UFC on Fox fight week, he fights for “la raza.”

“I’m happy to be that person for the Mexican people,” Velasquez said at the UFC on Fox open workouts. “I’m proud to be Mexican and be a role model for some people.

“I’m glad I’m in this position.”

And the marketing has worked, according to Velasquez. He’s visited south of the American border and has seen the rise in popularity of the UFC. Clearly, with Velasquez’s help, the Hispanic population has turned their attention to a sport that didn’t get much of any a decade ago.

But the sport’s ability to appeal to a wide audience reaches beyond Mexico’s borders. Mixed martial arts has become a world-wide phenomenon because anyone, no matter where they’re from, can watch and enjoy the sport, according to the heavyweight champ.

“Every time I go to Mexico, it seems like the sport’s getting bigger and bigger,” he said. “I’ve definitely seen a rise. It’s a good thing. Anybody around the world can just watch the sport without even knowing the rules, so it’s no surprise that it’s grown that big.”

Since winning the title, Velasquez has been recovering from a shoulder injury. This Saturday, however, he’ll finally get a shot at defending his belt when he faces No. 1 heavyweight contender Junior dos Santos.

Like before, the Hispanic population is behind Velasquez as he prepares to fight in Anaheim’s Honda Center. Expectations remain the same for the Mexican-American champ. Velasquez’s fan support is as strong if not greater than the last time he ventured to Southern California for a title fight.

“It feels good just [have] the people that I had behind me,” Velasquez said of the support he gets from fans. “I expect the same and it’s good to have [those] people behind me.”

Velasquez said he anticipates his fight with dos Santos to go the full five-round distance. The idea of a heavyweight title fight going five rounds is considered laughable to some because heavyweights don’t typically go the distance, but that idea doesn’t cross the champ’s thoughts.

Admittedly, keeping the frame of mind of a five-round war encourages harder training and helps with focus. All the better when preparing for dos Santos in what UFC president Dana White is calling the biggest night in UFC history.

“This is a great opportunity for MMA as a whole [with this] great exposure,” Velasquez says. “I’m happy to be part of it.”

Erik Fontanez is a senior writer and reporter for MMAWeekly.com.

Follow him on Twitter: @Erik_Fontanez.

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