Tag: san jose

Video: Wanderlei Silva is Out to Prove He Can Still Compete Against Cung Le

(Video courtesy of YouTube/UFC)

The UFC uploaded an interview with Wanderlei Silva today in which the former PRIDE middleweight champion discussed his upcoming UFC 139 bout with former Strikeforce middleweight champ Cung Le.

The consummate crowd favorite says that he actually took some time to decide whether or not he’d have enough time to prepare for the short notice bout as a fill in for Le’s original opponent, Vitor Belfort, who bowed out of the event due to injury.

“I was just chilling. I was at home with my son. These days I’ve been teaching classes at my gym. I got a text asking if I wanted to fight at UFC 139. I was in shock. But a good shock. I was planning on fighting again, but I didn’t think it would be so fast. I was preparing to go back in February. I wasn’t sure right away,” he reveals. “I was thinking if I needed more than eight weeks, but I was already conditioned from [my fight with Chris Leben in July]. I took a break from training, since I had no fight scheduled, but now I’m already training good and hard. I was very happy. It was a great surprise.”


(Video courtesy of YouTube/UFC)

The UFC uploaded an interview with Wanderlei Silva today in which the former PRIDE middleweight champion discussed his upcoming UFC 139 bout with former Strikeforce middleweight champ Cung Le.

The consummate crowd favorite says that he actually took some time to decide whether or not he’d have enough time to prepare for the short notice bout as a fill in for Le’s original opponent, Vitor Belfort, who bowed out of the event due to injury.

“I was just chilling. I was at home with my son. These days I’ve been teaching classes at my gym. I got a text asking if I wanted to fight at UFC 139. I was in shock. But a good shock. I was planning on fighting again, but I didn’t think it would be so fast. I was preparing to go back in February. I wasn’t sure right away,” he reveals. “I was thinking if I needed more than eight weeks, but I was already conditioned from [my fight with Chris Leben in July]. I took a break from training, since I had no fight scheduled, but now I’m already training good and hard. I was very happy. It was a great surprise.”

“The Axe Murderer” says he was still disheartened by his loss to Leben and that the offer to fight Le made him shake it off and refocus on training for the bout, which he says will be an entertaining one.

“I was very sad after my last fight with the results, but this fight cheered me up and I want to give a great performance for my fans. Cung Le is a very good opponent. He has good muay thai. He is a good athlete. I think this will be a fight with lots of movement. There will be legs flying everywhere. I will be training a lot of kicks. I’m gonna kick him a lot. If he comes around with those spinning kicks… if he hits me in my stomach like he likes, I will get very mad,” he explains. “Don’t bring that kick because I am already training the defense for it. He goes one, two and gives a little step forward [and] he spins after the step, I already got that one. That one won’t work. Go find another one.”

Although he gives his opponent props, Silva displays some uncharacteristic swagger when talking about who will have the crowd advantage in San Jose.

“I will be facing a good opponent in a co-main event. He will be at home; he is from San Jose, but I know I also have a lot of fans in San Jose. It will be a great competition,” Wand says. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this time the fans root against Cung Le. I am a fan favorite. Don’t be sad, Cung Le, if the fans from San Jose cheer for me more than for you. Don’t be jealous; when you fight against someone else they’ll root for you.”

For Silva, his fans have always been as, if not more important to him than fighting itself. as such, it’s no surprise that he is dedicating the bout to the fans who keep pushing him to compete regardless of whether he wins or loses.

“My fans who are with me, like I say, are not my fans. They are my friends. You guys are the reason why I keep trying. We have to keep trying. I lost a few, but some time I will get back to winning. It’s a question of time. I will fix my mistakes and perfect my game. Soon I will meet victory again and that will be a great joyful moment. I want to thank you guys from deep in my heart for all the affection and all the strength you gave me after my last fight,” he says. “If there was one good result in my last fight, it was to see that you guys are with me no matter what. That is priceless; you are my fans for life — my friends for life. I hope to have the opportunity to shake your hands and hug each one of you — you who cheer for me, who send me messages, who get happy and sad with me. I hope to pay back the affection and respect you guys have for me and all of the energy and strength that you give me. I hope you guys are all successful at your goals and that God keeps blessing you and your families. Thank you all. God bless.”

 

Ryan Bader, Jason Brilz Agree to Fight at UFC 139 in San Jose

Filed under: UFC, NewsA pair of light heavyweights badly in need of a win will meet at UFC 139 in November.

Ryan Bader and Jason Brilz, each with two-fight losing streaks for the first time in their careers, have agreed to a fight on the UFC’s Nov. 1…

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A pair of light heavyweights badly in need of a win will meet at UFC 139 in November.

Ryan Bader and Jason Brilz, each with two-fight losing streaks for the first time in their careers, have agreed to a fight on the UFC‘s Nov. 19 pay-per-view in San Jose, Calif. The promotion announced the fight Tuesday night on its official website.

The UFC 139 card, which is quickly starting to fill up with several recent fight announcements, features a main event heavyweight title fight between San Jose-based champion Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.

Bader (12-2, 5-2 UFC) started his UFC career 5-0, and his MMA career 12-0, including the title of Season 8 champion of “The Ultimate Fighter.” The two-time All-American wrestler at Arizona State then began a methodical climb up the light heavyweight rankings that culminated with a unanimous decision win over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the co-main event of UFC 119 last September.

The win over Nogueira got Bader a fight against Jon Jones at UFC 126. But Jones was on his rapid ascension to the top of the 205-pound heap and submitted Bader in the second round. Jones got a quick title shot against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, which he won in dominating fashion. Bader had to regroup.

But against Tito Ortiz at UFC 132 last month, Bader fell victim to what has been the year’s biggest upset. Ortiz dropped Bader with a short right hand early in the first round, then moved in for a guillotine choke that forced Bader to tap. The win by Ortiz was his first since October 2006, saved his job in the UFC and made Bader the answer to an MMA trivia question, albeit on the wrong end.

Brilz (18-4-1, 3-3 UFC) saw his two-fight skid begin with a controversial split decision loss to Nogueira at UFC 114 in May 2010. That bout, which won Fight of the Night, had most in attendance, and many scoring the fight live, believing Brilz was the victim of bad judging.

After nearly a year off due to injury, Brilz returned at UFC 129 in Toronto to face Vladimir Matyushenko. He never had a chance to get started – Matyushenko knocked him out just 20 seconds into the first round.

Though he may get some leeway for the Nogueira fight, a loss to Bader would mean the former University of Nebraska-Omaha wrestler, and current assistant coach, would have just one win since March 2009.

UFC 139, though not yet officially announced by the promotion, will be its debut in San Jose, the former home base of one-time rival Strikeforce. The pay-per-view is expected to take place at the HP Pavilion.

Aside from the heavyweight championship in the main event, UFC 139 will also feature a bantamweight contenders bout between former champions Brian Bowles and Urijah Faber, a welterweight bout between Martin Kampmann and Rick Story and a light heavyweight bout between Stephan Bonnar and Kyle Kingsbury. In addition, though he does not yet have an opponent named, Josh Koscheck is expected to make his return at the event, and is planning on a move from welterweight to middleweight for the first time since his appearance on Season 1 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

 

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Report: UFC 138 Planned for San Jose, Cain Velasquez to Headline vs. Junior dos Santos

For the first time in its history, it looks like the UFC will touch down in San Jose, Calif., for UFC 138 in November. The main event is expected to be a heavyweight title fight between champion Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.

UFC CEO Lorenzo Fe…

For the first time in its history, it looks like the UFC will touch down in San Jose, Calif., for UFC 138 in November. The main event is expected to be a heavyweight title fight between champion Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.

UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta confirmed the event plans to the Los Angeles Times. The pay-per-view is likely to take place Nov. 19 at the HP Pavilion.

It will be the UFC’s fourth foray into the northern part of California. The UFC has twice visited the state capital of Sacramento, and UFC 117 was in Oakland last August.

San Jose, about 40 miles south of the San Francisco Bay area, hasn’t been a previous UFC destination likely because it was the home base for one-time competitor Strikeforce.

But with Zuffa’s purchase of that promotion earlier this year, the playing field changed. Strikeforce, which didn’t pursue Las Vegas as a destination before the Zuffa purchase because that was the UFC’s home, now will hold all of its Challengers Series shows in Vegas.

Velasquez (9-0, 7-0 UFC) has not fought since UFC 121 in October, when he stopped Brock Lesnar in the first round to win the UFC heavyweight title. Shoulder surgery following that victory in Anaheim, Calif., has kept him on the shelf. Last month, Velasquez told MMA Fighting that his rehab was moving along and that he would welcome an opportunity to defend his title in October in Houston at what is expected to be UFC 136.

But word came last week that the Mexican-American champion might not be ready for an Oct. 8 date with dos Santos, who became the top contender with his win last week over Shane Carwin. And it looks like the stars will align perfectly for Velasquez, whose training home is in San Jose at the American Kickboxing Academy, giving him a distinct home-cage advantage.

The HP Pavilion, known as the Shark Tank as the home arena for the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, has hosted many MMA events, primarily Strikeforce. Last June, it was the arena that saw Fabricio Werdum end Fedor Emelianenko’s nearly 10-year winning streak halted in one of the greatest upsets in the sport’s history.

The arena also hosted the first regulated MMA event in California history in March 2006, Strikeforce’s first MMA show, featuring a main event between Frank Shamrock and Cesar Gracie. Shamrock won with a 20-second knockout.

 

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