In: “I WANT MY BELT BACK!” Out: “There’s gone be some black on black crime.” VidProps: UFC/YouTube
Check this out: official UFC propaganda would have us believe that Rampage Jackson is actually out there somewhere working. They even have the nerve to pause on a calendar square labeled “JIU JITSU”, when we all know damn well that ‘Page would pull guard right after he lets someone hold an umbrella for him.
In: “I WANT MY BELT BACK!” Out: “There’s gone be some black on black crime.” VidProps: UFC/YouTube
Check this out: official UFC propaganda would have us believe that Rampage Jackson is actually out there somewhere working. They even have the nerve to pause on a calendar square labeled “JIU JITSU”, when we all know damn well that ‘Page would pull guard right after he lets someone hold an umbrella for him.
Main Card Light Heavyweight Championship: Jon Jones vs Quinton Jackson
Matt Hughes vs Diego Sanchez
Ben Rothwell vs Mark Hunt
Nate Diaz vs Takanori Gomi
Travis Browne vs Rob Broughton
Spike Card
Tony Ferguson vs Aaron Riley
Nick Ring vs Tim Boetsch
Facebook Card
James Te Huna vs Ricardo Romero
Takeya Mizugaki vs Cole Escovedo
We were supposed to get a fight between Kid Yamamoto and Damacio Page, but it was announced yesterday that both guys had managed to get hurt in training.
After decimating his latest challenger, Yushin Okami, at UFC 134, Anderson Silva has all but cleaned out the middleweight division and has proven to be one of the greatest of all time. With no serious retirement talk in the air, fans and analysts…
After decimating his latest challenger, Yushin Okami, at UFC 134, Anderson Silva has all but cleaned out the middleweight division and has proven to be one of the greatest of all time.
With no serious retirement talk in the air, fans and analysts are wondering what’s next for “The Spider.”
All that is for sure is that Silva will take on the winner of Brian Stann vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 136 at an event that is yet to be named, but almost definitely will not take place until 2012.
Assuming Silva can defend his title successfully one more time, fans would love to see a super fight with either welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre or light heavyweight champ Jon Jones.
Outside of these aforementioned fights, there seem to be little challengers left for the highly skilled Brazilian fighter.
That leads one to ask, could anyone, from any era of MMA, possess the ability to defeat Anderson Silva?
Let’s take a look inside at some all-time greats who could have given The Spider a closely contested bout.
Having the title of world champion synonymous with your name is a dream that most fighters will never achieve. Going even further, leaving a legacy that fans will talk about decades from now is never even on the radar until a champion reaches the twili…
Having the title of world champion synonymous with your name is a dream that most fighters will never achieve.
Going even further, leaving a legacy that fans will talk about decades from now is never even on the radar until a champion reaches the twilight of their career.
For UFC Hall of Famer and former UFC Welterweight champion Matt Hughes, that crossroad has finally come.
Ever since he made his UFC debut almost 12 years ago, Hughes has been exciting fans with his dominating style and spectacular performances against the elite of the sport. Still possessing the title as the longest reigning welterweight champion in UFC history, Hughes has left a legacy that few fighters will ever match.
Now set to face Diego Sanchez at UFC 135, it seems that the former All-American may be overstaying his welcome as retirement continues to loom large over the head of the aging legend.
The question remains, what more does he have to prove?
Hughes has already established himself as one of the greatest champions of all-time, putting on spectacular performances in his title fights and owning win over some of the biggest names in the sport, such as Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn.
While still an active member of the UFC roster, the promotion bestowed upon him one of the most prestigious honors in sports, adding Hughes to the gallery of legends in the UFC Hall of Fame.
Even after his championship reign was over, Hughes put on some spectacular performances, taking out a whole slew of stars, such as Ricardo Almeida, Matt Serra, and Renzo Gracie, all in a row.
But after such a brutal knock out loss to Penn in the rubber match of their trilogy, it seems that his tank is finally reaching empty.
Sure he’s still in great shape and poses a threat to any opponent, but putting his body through this stress, especially against a top contender in Sanchez, just seems like too much.
As members of the old guard continue to be taken out one by one, fans of the fighters who took the UFC to another level do not want to see another legend retire after a few bad beatings.
Hughes is dangerously entering Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture territory, having their retirements handed to them after heart breaking losses.
I’m not saying that Hughes cannot beat Sanchez, but what does fighting him even prove?
Hughes has already admitted that he only wants to fight in bouts that interest him and that making a run at the title is unrealistic.
But just because a fight may pique his curiosity does not mean he should take them.
Win or lose on September 24th, Hughes should recognize the incredible legacy he has already set and make the decision to hang up the gloves.
The fans love him for everything he has given the sport and he has nothing left to prove to the public. All that remains is convincing himself that the name Matt Hughes will stay in the memories of fans for a long, long time.
Mixed martial arts pioneer Royce Gracie will be in Rio this weekend when the UFC heads back to his home country, the nation that is credited with giving birth to the sport. Gracie, of course, won’t be competing at UFC 134 in Brazil, but that doesn’t mean he’s not still hopeful of one more match.
There’s a caveat to that, as he’s not looking for just any match. There’s only one fight he wants, and only one organization that can give it to him. Even though Gracie realizes that time is running short to make it a reality, he hopes to have a shot to avenge the one loss he still thinks about. He wants to fight fellow legend Matt Hughes.
“That’s the only one,” Gracie said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “I want to be able to show up to the fight. [Last time], I didn’t show up. It happens.”
Gracie said that the first fight against Hughes — a first-round TKO loss at UFC 60 back in May 2006 — was the only time in his career he didn’t have his A-game, not peaking on the right day.
“That’s the only one missing,” said Gracie, who avenged his only other in-ring loss by defeating Kazushi Sakuraba.
Gracie said that he has spoken with UFC president Dana White about the possibility, but that he doesn’t know if it will ever happen. Hughes, meanwhile, has a match coming up with Diego Sanchez at September’s UFC 135.
At 44 years old, Gracie still keeps himself in good shape, saying he lives “a professional athlete’s life,” by running every day and consistently training. He also travels an extensive schedule, teaching seminars and spreading the message of Gracie jiu-jitsu.
Still, he’d carve time for one more training camp for one last shot at the UFC, and one more shot at Hughes. He said he wouldn’t be interested in any other offer from any other organization, suggesting he is mostly at peace with the possibility of never fighting again.
“If it happens, good.” he said. “If it doesn’t happen, good.
“Been there, done that,” he continued. “You have to know when to stop in this sport. It’s very hard. I saw an interview from BJ Penn. He was saying it’s very hard to stop because when you’re a fighter, you’re a fighter. But you have to know when to stop.”
So for now, Gracie will continue teaching his art and in the more near-term, he’ll travel to Rio to revel in the homecoming of the sport he helped build the foundation for.
Whether or not he gets that last fight, he has much to be grateful for and there is much to celebrate him for. Regardless of the outcome of one match against Hughes, his contributions to the sport will always be an enormous reason for MMA’s growth, and now he gets to enjoy it firsthand in the country in which he grew up.
“It’s good it’s in Brazil,” he said. “It’s back where it all started with my father. It’s coming back home. There’s so much talent in Brazil, so many guys that will probably never get discovered. It’s a chance for them to come out and train more. After all, UFC today became a job, it became a sport. Kids wake up in the morning and say, ‘I want to be a UFC fighter one day, just like they do in baseball.”
Mixed martial arts pioneer Royce Gracie will be in Rio this weekend when the UFC heads back to his home country, the nation that is credited with giving birth to the sport. Gracie, of course, won’t be competing at UFC 134 in Brazil, but that doesn’t mean he’s not still hopeful of one more match.
There’s a caveat to that, as he’s not looking for just any match. There’s only one fight he wants, and only one organization that can give it to him. Even though Gracie realizes that time is running short to make it a reality, he hopes to have a shot to avenge the one loss he still thinks about. He wants to fight fellow legend Matt Hughes.
“That’s the only one,” Gracie said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “I want to be able to show up to the fight. [Last time], I didn’t show up. It happens.”
Gracie said that the first fight against Hughes — a first-round TKO loss at UFC 60 back in May 2006 — was the only time in his career he didn’t have his A-game, not peaking on the right day.
“That’s the only one missing,” said Gracie, who avenged his only other in-ring loss by defeating Kazushi Sakuraba.
Gracie said that he has spoken with UFC president Dana White about the possibility, but that he doesn’t know if it will ever happen. Hughes, meanwhile, has a match coming up with Diego Sanchez at September’s UFC 135.
At 44 years old, Gracie still keeps himself in good shape, saying he lives “a professional athlete’s life,” by running every day and consistently training. He also travels an extensive schedule, teaching seminars and spreading the message of Gracie jiu-jitsu.
Still, he’d carve time for one more training camp for one last shot at the UFC, and one more shot at Hughes. He said he wouldn’t be interested in any other offer from any other organization, suggesting he is mostly at peace with the possibility of never fighting again.
“If it happens, good.” he said. “If it doesn’t happen, good.
“Been there, done that,” he continued. “You have to know when to stop in this sport. It’s very hard. I saw an interview from BJ Penn. He was saying it’s very hard to stop because when you’re a fighter, you’re a fighter. But you have to know when to stop.”
So for now, Gracie will continue teaching his art and in the more near-term, he’ll travel to Rio to revel in the homecoming of the sport he helped build the foundation for.
Whether or not he gets that last fight, he has much to be grateful for and there is much to celebrate him for. Regardless of the outcome of one match against Hughes, his contributions to the sport will always be an enormous reason for MMA’s growth, and now he gets to enjoy it firsthand in the country in which he grew up.
“It’s good it’s in Brazil,” he said. “It’s back where it all started with my father. It’s coming back home. There’s so much talent in Brazil, so many guys that will probably never get discovered. It’s a chance for them to come out and train more. After all, UFC today became a job, it became a sport. Kids wake up in the morning and say, ‘I want to be a UFC fighter one day, just like they do in baseball.”
Now that the UFC has a solid broadcast deal with Fox, the rate at which the sport of Mixed Martial Arts will grow seems insurmountable. As the popularity of the UFC brand grows, so will that of its fighters, so it seems only prudent to not forget the f…
Now that the UFC has a solid broadcast deal with Fox, the rate at which the sport of Mixed Martial Arts will grow seems insurmountable. As the popularity of the UFC brand grows, so will that of its fighters, so it seems only prudent to not forget the fighters who helped bring the UFC to where it is today.
So let’s take some time to recognize and rank the current UFC Hall of Fame inductees, and hope that the stars of tomorrow don’t overshadow the legacy of these greats.
When UFC 135 rolls into Denver, it will be the first time they held an event there in nearly 16 years!Dana White said that they always wanted to go back to Denver but they wanted to do it the right way. So what better way to do it than with the y…
When UFC 135 rolls into Denver, it will be the first time they held an event there in nearly 16 years!
Dana White said that they always wanted to go back to Denver but they wanted to do it the right way. So what better way to do it than with the youngest champion in promotional history?
Jones is one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, and Rampage is one of the most intimidating fighters out there.
Then before that, you have former welterweight champion, Matt Hughes, facing off against one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC, Diego Sanchez.
There are still a few fights left to be announced for this card, and not all of them have odds yet, but all the ones I found I put in here.
While still an active member of the UFC roster, the promotion bestowed upon him one of the most prestigious honors in sports, adding Hughes to the gallery of legends in the UFC Hall of Fame.
Mixed martial arts pioneer