The MMA world was sent into a frenzy this morning (Mon., June 6, 2016) when it was announced that former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar would meet No. 8-ranked slugger Mark Hunt in the co-main event of July 9’s blockbuster UFC 200 pay-per-view (PPV) event from Las Vegas. Lesnar was famously unveiled to be making his
The MMA world was sent into a frenzy this morning (Mon., June 6, 2016) when it was announced that former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar would meet No. 8-ranked slugger Mark Hunt in the co-main event of July 9’s blockbuster UFC 200 pay-per-view (PPV) event from Las Vegas.
Lesnar was famously unveiled to be making his MMA return before last Saturday’s UFC 199 from Inglewood, California, which obviously got journalist Ariel Helwani into some highly-publicized hot water with the UFC. But as for Lesnar, the hulking onetime heavyweight boss actually opening up as a -200 favorite over ‘The Super Samoan’ despite nearly five years away from the Octagon according to BestFightOdds.com.
Hunt was somehow a +176 underdog to Lesnar, who has a well known reputation for not exactly being able to take punches to the face.
But those odds quickly corrected themselves when the smart money apparently went in Hunt, the walk-off knockout specialist has won three of his last five fights by some form of knockout, while losing the other two current champion Stipe Miocic and former champion Fabricio Werdum.
As of this writing, ‘The Super Samoan’ is now a -185 favorite, with Lesnar plunging down to a +155 dog. The WWE superstar’s NCAA-level wrestling pedigree is a problem for any man who steps into the cage with him, however; and Hunt has been given trouble with elite-level mat technicians in the past.
Regardless, it’s a more than intriguing match-up, as Lesnar was arguably the biggest star the UFC has ever seen in terms of sheer overall drawing numbers’ regardless of what featherweight champion Conor McGregor might have you believe.
UFC 200 will go down from the brand new T-Mobile Arena in Vegas, with light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier meeting interim champ Jon Jones to unify the belts in the main event, while Jose Aldo will meet Frankie Edgar for the interim featherweight belt in one of the most stacked PPV cards of all-time.
Will you be betting on Lesnar or Hunt when July 9 rolls around?
Apparently WWE is working on getting some of UFC’s better-known and more recognizable female fighters to make an appearance of some kind at their upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view event in August, which will also feature the return of WWE/UFC crossover …
Apparently WWE is working on getting some of UFC’s better-known and more recognizable female fighters to make an appearance of some kind at their upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view event in August, which will also feature the return of WWE/UFC crossover athlete, Brock Lesnar.
According to a report at pro wrestling insider website PWInsider.com, WWE has had recent discussions about getting some UFC female fighters to interact with their female WWE Superstars in some type of segment during the SummerSlam event, which is essentially WWE’s “WrestleMania” event for the summer.
Apparently WWE specifically has their eye on UFC Women’s Strawweight contender Paige VanZant, who just finished second on the most recent season of the hit reality television show, “Dancing With The Stars.”
One would assume that other names WWE would like to have involved would include current UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate, former champion Holly Holm, UFC contender and Invicta FC Featherweight Champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, and any of the Four Horsewomen, which consists of Ronda Rousey, Marina Shafir, Shayna Baszler and Jessamyn Duke.
It should be noted, however, that none of the aforementioned fighters were specifically mentioned in any reports, outside of VanZant.
With current WWE Superstar Lesnar returning to the UFC for a fight against number eight ranked Heavyweight contender Mark Hunt at the landmark UFC 200 event in July, one would assume that the door is open for negotiations between the UFC and WWE for some type of UFC involvement at the WWE SummerSlam event in August, which as noted, will also feature Lesnar.
WWE SummerSlam is scheduled for Sunday, August 21, 2016 in Brooklyn, New York.
(That moment when you realize you just agreed to fight the face-punchiest fighter on the planet, but don’t like to get punched in the face.)
We’ll have our full recap of UFC 199 up shortly, but before we do, let’s get right into a few of the biggest non-fight highlights of the night. Firstly, it was announced on Saturday that, after a fake retirement, a cancelled fight, and a series of brutal negotiations, the welterweight rematch between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor will be going down for realsies at UFC 202 in August. Apparently all Diaz needed to make the fight happen was to literally smack The Baldfather like a bitch, which to Dana’s credit, he agreed to.
Easily more shocking than the announcement of McGregor-Diaz II, however, was the reveal that former WWE superstar-turned-UFC-heavyweight-champion-turned-current-WWE-superstar Brock Lesnar would be making his return to the UFC at UFC 200, 100 events after he first defended his title against Frank Mir in brutal fashion, to take on a TBD opponent.
This morning, Lesnar appeared on Sportscenter to announce who exactly that opponent would be, and if you have the type of incredibly specific dyslexia that prevents you from reading headlines, then head below to get the scoop.
(That moment when you realize you just agreed to fight the face-punchiest fighter on the planet, but don’t like to get punched in the face.)
We’ll have our full recap of UFC 199 up shortly, but before we do, let’s get right into a few of the biggest non-fight highlights of the night. Firstly, it was announced on Saturday that, after a fake retirement, a cancelled fight, and a series of brutal negotiations, the welterweight rematch between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor will be going down for realsies at UFC 202 in August. Apparently all Diaz needed to make the fight happen was to literally smack The Baldfather like a bitch, which to Dana’s credit, he agreed to.
Easily more shocking than the announcement of McGregor-Diaz II, however, was the reveal that former WWE superstar-turned-UFC-heavyweight-champion-turned-current-WWE-superstar Brock Lesnar would be making his return to the UFC at UFC 200, 100 events after he first defended his title against Frank Mir in brutal fashion, to take on a TBD opponent.
This morning, Lesnar appeared on Sportscenter to announce who exactly that opponent would be, and if you have the type of incredibly specific dyslexia that prevents you from reading headlines, then head below to get the scoop.
Yes, you heard the correctly. Lesnar will be returning to the cage for the first time since 2011 to take on none other than heavyweight legend and walking pair of murderfists Mark Hunt, the #8 ranked heavvyeweight who has rattled off back-to-back KO victories over Antonio Silva and Frank Mir. Ho. Lee. Schnikes.
Of course, the news of Lesnar’s return came at a cost, which oddly enough, came in the form of Ariel Helwani. You’ve undoubtedly read by now that Helwani, as well as his fellow MMAFighting cohorts Esther Lin and E. Casey Leydon, was escorted out of the building at UFC 199 and slapped with a lifetime ban simply for breaking the Lesnar story before the UFC had a chance to. We won’t detail our feelings on this absolutely ridiculous story until the dust settles, mainly because Old Dad already summed them up perfectly over at MMAJunkie, but will simply reiterate what we’ve been saying for years: Dana White is a small, small man. That Helwani’s ban has largely overshadowed what was easily one of the greatest cards in UFC history says more about his place in this sport than anything else, and we sincerely hope that the UFC is forced to backtrack after seeing the massive influx of support that Helwani has received in the days since. (Also, where was all that support when WE got banned, you arseholes?!!!)
But back to the story at hand. Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt are going to throw hands at UFC 200, and the resulting chaos may very well cause a rupture in the space-time continuum. We just hope that no one breaks this reality-altering potential story before the UFC, lest they find themselves on the outside looking in alongside hoodlums and miscreants like, well, us.
Last night (June 4, 2016) huge news dropped during that former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was supposedly close to a UFC return, and that rumor was indeed confirmed during UFC 199 from California when a scintillating UFC 200 promo video played with Lesnar surprisingly showing up at the very end. Speculation understandably began ramping up
Last night (June 4, 2016) huge news dropped during that former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was supposedly close to a UFC return, and that rumor was indeed confirmed during UFC 199 from California when a scintillating UFC 200 promo video played with Lesnar surprisingly showing up at the very end.
Speculation understandably began ramping up as to just whom Lesnar would meet in the co-main event of July 9’s blockbuster UFC 200 spectacular from Las Vegas’ all-new T-Mobile Arena, and indeed a host of interesting names await the polarizing behemoth who was last seen in the UFC way back in late 2011.
There’s of course his long-rumored bout with all-time legend Fedor Emelianenko, a feud that fell apart after UFC President Dana White couldn’t agree to terms with “The Last Emperor’s” former management M-1 Global.
But Emelianenko recently returned to the cage in Japan’s Rizin FC, and he’s also slated to face UFC veteran Fabio Maldonado at a Fight Nights event from St. Petersburg, Russia on June 17. Although he’s repeatedly teased making his way to the UFC lately, a deal with Emelianenko to face Lesnar seems highly unlikely at this point. Nevertheless, it would be beyond huge.
Other opponents include Mark Hunt, who was reportedly told to “be ready” for UFC 200by White, and Shane Carwin, the former contender who famously took Lesnar to the limit at July 2010’s UFC 117 before ultimately succumbing to a second-round submission. Carwin also recently teased a potential return and said he would take the fight on social media last night.
Rounding out the top candidates, longtime heavyweight mainstay Josh Barnett also called out for the bout in a pairing that seems much more unlikely.
Who do you think Lesnar should face in his return? Cast your vote in our poll below!
The madness of last night’s (Saturday June 4, 2016) UFC 199 event has still not set in. The middleweight championship changed hands yet again as Michael Bisping knocked out Luke Rockhold in a massive upset, and then of course there were the ground breaking announcements made during the event. Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 2
The madness of last night’s (Saturday June 4, 2016) UFC 199 event has still not set in. The middleweight championship changed hands yet again as Michael Bisping knocked out Luke Rockhold in a massive upset, and then of course there were the ground breaking announcements made during the event. Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 2 was confirmed for UFC 202, much to the dislike of the featherweight division, and also Brock Lesnar made a special appearance.
The chilling promo for UFC 200 blew everyone’s minds, including UFC commentator Joe Rogan. It seems that Lesnar’s UFC return is quite possibly the best kept secret in the promotion’s history. So what are we to make of this? According to a report on Sherdog, Lesnar’s UFC return is a ‘one off opportunity,’ as he’s still bound by contract to the WWE.
So many questions arise in the wake of this huge news, but most relevant is whom Lesnar will face in his return to fighting. Does the promotion go with a top level heavyweight, knowing that name value alone will bring in the big pay-per-view numbers at UFC 200, or do they look at a more ‘winnable’ fight for the 39-year old pro wrestling superstar? Although he’s tied to the WWE, that’s not to say the wrestling entertainment promotion wouldn’t sell out his employ for the right number.
On to the five possible opponents for Brock Lesnar to fight at UFC 200…
Cain Velasquez
The hard hitting Mexican heavyweight first won the belt with a brutal destruction of Brock Lesnar at UFC 121. The overmatched wrestling ace got beat down hard, eventually succumbing to a bloody barrage of punches and hammerfists at the end of round one.
The loss marked the beginning of the end for Lesnar as a fighter. After taking 14 months off for stomach surgery, the gigantic heavyweight was made to look tiny by Velasquez’s beating, one that must still hurt to this day.
The UFC heavyweight division got a new ruler at UFC 198 in Brazil, as Stipe Miocic squashed Fabricio Werdum in Brazil. A common opponent that both men have is Mark Hunt, the fan pleasing knockout artist who originally made his name in K-1 and Pride FC. Since his grizzly TKO loss to Miocic at UFC
The UFC heavyweight division got a new ruler at UFC 198 in Brazil, as Stipe Miocic squashed Fabricio Werdum in Brazil. A common opponent that both men have is Mark Hunt, the fan pleasing knockout artist who originally made his name in K-1 and Pride FC. Since his grizzly TKO loss to Miocic at UFC Fight Night 65, ‘The Super Samoan’ has bounced back with a couple of dominant wins.
After taking out Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva in a brutal first round massacre at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia, Hunt returned down under to blast former heavyweight champion Frank Mir at UFC Fight Night 85 in Brisbane.
Now looking back in resurgent form once again, Hunt wants to avenge one particular loss that happened at UFC 160. Former champion Junior dos Santos knocked ‘The Super Samoan’ out with a spectacular spinning head kick, ending his four fight win streak and now Hunt wants a second crack.
Speaking with The Herald Sun, Mark Hunt says he’s asked UFC president Dana White for the rematch with ‘Cigano,’ and now simply awaits the answer.
“I’m still waiting on word but it should be not far away at all,” Hunt said of a possible appearance at UFC 200.“I’ve asked Dana if I can fight JDS
“I can’t tell you much more. I was talking to Dana the other day but that’s all I know.
“Maybe is all I can say. I’ve just started training in the Gold Coast and I’m just tossing up whether to set up camp in Vegas,” Hunt said.
“Not knowing whether there’s a fight or not … it’s just one of those things where I have to keep training.
“I’ll probably set up camp in America, have two weeks sparring and Bob’s your uncle. I’m just the fill in guy at the moment.”
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