Tag: MMA

Dana White Says Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez 2 Targeted for UFC 152

Junior dos Santos won his UFC heavyweight belt at UFC on FOX 1 when he knocked out Cain Velasquez in the first round. It was an incredibly quick affair that left many fans feeling unfulfilled. Even UFC President Dana White was critical of the bout when…

Junior dos Santos won his UFC heavyweight belt at UFC on FOX 1 when he knocked out Cain Velasquez in the first round. It was an incredibly quick affair that left many fans feeling unfulfilled. Even UFC President Dana White was critical of the bout when he questioned Velasquez’s game plan in the post-fight show.

At UFC 146 last month, both fighters won their fights in dominant fashion. Velasquez completely mauled Antonio Silva to earn a first-round stoppage. Dos Santos was just as impressive when he stopped Frank Mir in the second after picking him apart with strikes for eight minutes.

Following the pay-per-view, it was announced that the UFC was trying to put together a rematch between the two heavyweight giants.

Well, it looks like we don’t have to wait, as Ariel Helwani tweeted earlier this evening that the UFC was targeting UFC 152 in Toronto as the battleground for this heavyweight rematch: 

This is fantastic news for the UFC, which has been dealing with a string of injuries that have deeply affected fight cards. A bout between Velasquez and Dos Santos is sure to bring in a ton of pay-per-view buys as well as a sellout crowd in Toronto. 

It’s also great news for the Canadian fans, who always want the biggest and best fights. In Velasquez vs. Dos Santos II, they’ll get both. And with the news that they are trying to put B.J. Penn vs Rory MacDonald on the card, UFC 152 could turn into a can’t-miss event. 

So, mark your calendars—UFC 152 is the new UFC 148. Everyone’s gonna wanna go! 

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Dana White Reports That BJ Penn vs. Rory MacDonald Targeted for Toronto

The rumored return of BJ Penn is one step closer to becoming a reality says UFC President Dana White.White confirmed at the UFC on FX 3 press conference that Joe Silva will be speaking with Penn this evening about a proposed bout with Rory MacDonald. T…

The rumored return of BJ Penn is one step closer to becoming a reality says UFC President Dana White.

White confirmed at the UFC on FX 3 press conference that Joe Silva will be speaking with Penn this evening about a proposed bout with Rory MacDonald. The bout is targeted for UFC 152 in Toronto on September 22nd.

Following a hard-fought decision loss to Nick Diaz at UFC 137 in October of 2011, Penn announced his retirement from the sport. It was bitter sweet for many as he’s always been a fan favorite. It just seemed like his heart was no longer in fighting. By all accounts, he also wanted to spend more time with his family. 

The UFC attempted to drag Penn out of retirement with a proposed bout against Josh Koscheck. Penn apparently was not interested, and he turned it down. He apparently was enjoying spending his time in retirement. 

Earlier this week, news broke that Penn was interested in facing Rory MacDonald. Rory wanted to face the former welterweight champion before Penn hit the downswing of his career.

The bout is not yet confirmed as Penn still needs to speak with UFC matchmaker Joe Silva. However, should he agree to face the up-and-coming welterweight, it is expected the bout will be the co-main event of the card.

It is expected for the fight to be confirmed later this evening or tomorrow morning. 

**Update: The UFC has announced that both Penn and MacDonald have verbally agreed to the bout, which is tentatively scheduled to take place September 22 on the UFC 152 card in Toronto.

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Dana White: Meeting with Brock Lesnar ‘Couldn’t Have Gone Worse’

Despite rampant rumors predicting Brock Lesnar’s return to the Octagon, UFC president Dana White hinted following UFC on FX 3 that his most recent meeting with the former UFC heavyweight champion and WWE superstar did not go well at all.The speculation…

Despite rampant rumors predicting Brock Lesnar‘s return to the Octagon, UFC president Dana White hinted following UFC on FX 3 that his most recent meeting with the former UFC heavyweight champion and WWE superstar did not go well at all.

The speculation that Lesnar could return to MMA began after the recently retired heavyweight appeared at UFC 146 and was said to have met with White and UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta. In the weeks that have passed since UFC 146, no news has leaked on the Lesnar situation until Fuel TV’s Ariel Helwani caught up with White after Friday night’s UFC on FX 3.

While White didn’t go into any specifics, the UFC’s front-man didn’t shed any positive light on the topic. It’s speculation at this point, but fans probably shouldn’t expect to see Lesnar back inside the Octagon anytime soon. 

“In my opinion, [the meeting] couldn’t have gone any worse,” White said of his meeting with Lesnar in late-May. 

Lesnar retired from MMA following a loss to Alistair Overeem in December. While he was dominated in the bout and finished with a body kick in the first round, Lesnar was only one win away from a title shot heading into the fight.

During his eight-fight career in the sport, Lesnar won a UFC title with a knockout of Randy Couture and proceeded to defend his belt against Frank Mir and Shane Carwin. Lesnar was struck hard by two cases of diverticulitis toward the end of his career, which likely played a large factor in his decision to call an end to his fighting career.

Judging by White’s reaction to his meeting with the former champion, it doesn’t appear that Lesnar’s retirement is looking like a temporary one.

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UFC on FX 3 Results: An Exciting Main Card Salvages the Lackluster Prelims

If you were on the West Coast, chances are you were stuck at work and unable to watch the UFC on FX 3 prelims. Don’t worry, you didn’t miss much. They were arguably the worst prelims the UFC has had since they started broadcasting full fight cards.For …

If you were on the West Coast, chances are you were stuck at work and unable to watch the UFC on FX 3 prelims. Don’t worry, you didn’t miss much. They were arguably the worst prelims the UFC has had since they started broadcasting full fight cards.

For those of you who were unlucky enough to catch the entire fight card, there’s a strong possibility your Friday night buzz was being killed by the six prelim fights that went to a decision.

The card began on Facebook as Sean Pierson and Henry Martinez both earned wins by unanimous decision. 

Fuel TV then picked up the so-called action as Tim Means beat Justin Salas a little over one minute into the first round. Immediately after that, Dustin Pague submitted Jared Papazian via rear-naked choke in the very first round as well.

The remaining three fights were completely forgettable. 

Matt Grice, Seth Baczynski, and Mike Pierce all earned victories that went to the judges’ scorecards. The most interesting part of those three fights came following the Pierce/Rocha match in which it was announced that Pierce won the fight 30-27, 27-30, 30-27. Which one of those doesn’t belong with the others? 

Yes, somehow one of the judges gave all three rounds to Rocha. We’ll never know which fight that judge was watching.

Thankfully, for the fans’ sake, the main card delivered. 

Eddie Wineland knocked out Scott Jorgensen. Wineland had a nasty cut above his left eye, and you can count the stitches here if you’d like.

Mike Pyle knocked out Josh Neer in one of the most awkward moments I’ve seen this year. Pyle came away from a break and started to stumble without being hit. It appeared he may have been playing possum to bait Neer a bit. Whatever he was trying to do—it worked. 

Neer was coming on strong at the end of the first round when Pyle unloaded a punch that dropped him to the ground.

Erick Silva looked very impressive against Charlie Brenneman and submitted him in the first round.

The highly anticipated main event (and rematch) between Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall ended in a decision like many thought it would. Unlike all of the decisions that took place in the prelims, this fight provided the spark that fans were looking for.

Demetrious Johnson will now face Joseph Benavidez for the UFC Flyweight Championship.

 

Joe Chacon is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a Staff Writer for Operation Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @JoeChacon.

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UFC on FX 3 Results: What’s Next for Ian McCall

In the main event of UFC on FX 3, Demetrious Johnson was able to outwork fan-favorite Ian McCall en route to a unanimous decision victory. The win put Johnson in the finals of the UFC Flyweight Championship Tournament, but it also left Ian McCall in li…

In the main event of UFC on FX 3, Demetrious Johnson was able to outwork fan-favorite Ian McCall en route to a unanimous decision victory. The win put Johnson in the finals of the UFC Flyweight Championship Tournament, but it also left Ian McCall in limbo.

McCall is one of the best flyweights alive, as he entered the tournament as the top-ranked 125 pound fighter in the world. Unfortunately, in this division, there isn’t a lot of notable talent in the UFC outside of the three guys at the top.

What happens if Demetrious Johnson wins the tournament and Ian McCall wins his next two fights inside the Octagon? Does he get a title shot? Do we get Johnson vs McCall three times within 15 months?

When you can’t beat an opponent in two tries, it’s not like Joe Silva to give you a third. I’m sure fans wouldn’t be opposed to a third fight against Demetrious Johnson one day, and that’s a good thing, because the flyweight division is extremely thin, and rematches are going to be commonplace at the top.

Uncle Creepy is charismatic, funny and a damn good fighter. There is no doubt that we will see him step back into the Octagon. The question is, “against who?”

The UFC tends to pair losers against losers, and I can’t think of a better matchup than Yasuhiro Urushitani. If you pit the two semi-finalist losers across the cage from one another, they would essentially be competing for the bronze medal in this championship tournament. Anything that the UFC can do to make flyweight contests of a higher profile is a good thing.

Urushitani isn’t the only option, though. John Dodson has looked great since entering the Ultimate Fighter house. Due to the lack of contenders, it is likely that he is a future challenger for the belt. A fight with McCall would show us how well he stacks up against the best in the world.

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UFC on FX 3 Results: Five Fights for Erick Silva to Take Next

Erick Silva needed just one round to submit Charlie Brenneman and continue his onslaught of the UFC’s Welterweight division.Silva showcased his striking, takedown defense, the ability to quickly get back to his feet once taken down and his Brazilian ji…

Erick Silva needed just one round to submit Charlie Brenneman and continue his onslaught of the UFC’s Welterweight division.

Silva showcased his striking, takedown defense, the ability to quickly get back to his feet once taken down and his Brazilian jiu-jitsu at UFC on FX 3. Silva took the back of Brenneman and sunk in the rear-naked choke to force the tap at 4:33 of the first frame.

While the fight technically gets him back on the winning path after the DQ loss to Carlo Prater, the prospect is still widely considered undefeated inside the Octagon.

His total Octagon time is just over five minutes. Is he the real deal? Is it time to fight a contender?

With three impressive and short outings in the UFC, we look at five potential fights for the 27-year-old Brazilian.

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