Filed under: UFCIf your interest in Saturday night’s UFC 117 doesn’t go past the middleweight title matchup between Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva, I suggest you either stop right here, because that’s the last mention of them in this story, or invest …
If your interest in Saturday night’s UFC 117 doesn’t go past the middleweight title matchup between Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva, I suggest you either stop right here, because that’s the last mention of them in this story, or invest yourself further into the card by taking a look at other interesting possibilities.
We present a look at the top six sub-plots of UFC 117, from the forgotten to the ignored to the storylines that might emerge by the time the night wraps up. And what does Jake Shields have to do with any of this anyway?
Filed under: UFCSAN FRANCISCO – When UFC welterweight contender Thiago Alves missed Wednesday’s UFC 117 open workouts to focus on his weight cut, he knew he’d probably set off a minor panic.
“I was expecting that,” Alves told MMA Fighting on Thursday…
SAN FRANCISCO – When UFC welterweight contender Thiago Alves missed Wednesday’s UFC 117 open workouts to focus on his weight cut, he knew he’d probably set off a minor panic.
“I was expecting that,” Alves told MMA Fighting on Thursday afternoon. “Once you miss weight, it’s the first thing everyone talks about.”
The truth, according to the bulky welterweight who has struggled with making the 170-pound limit in the past, was that his weight cut has proceeded exactly according to plan. Sitting out of the open workouts was no more than a precautionary measure to ensure there were no surprises on the scales later today.
“[The weight cut]’s been easy. It’s one of the easiest times it’s ever been. I just didn’t want to go to the workout and miss a day of working on it, because I wanted to make sure everything was under control and where it should be so I can make it easy on myself. I asked the UFC if I could skip the workout and do some real training, and they let me go. They had so many fighters already, so it was fine.”
(Video courtesy YouTube/Heavy)
If you don’t want to sit through 40 minutes of mostly oblivious reporters asking the same old questions that have been asked a hundred times and hearing fighters regurgitate their equally tired responses ad nauseam at yes…
(Video courtesy YouTube/Heavy)
If you don’t want to sit through 40 minutes of mostly oblivious reporters asking the same old questions that have been asked a hundred times and hearing fighters regurgitate their equally tired responses ad nauseam at yesterday’s UFC 117 pre-fight press conference, check out the above video by Heavy.com that gives you the highlights of the presser in just over seven minutes. Not surprisingly, the bulk of the clip features Chael Sonnen spinning yarns about how great of a person and fighter he is and how much of a heel Anderson Silva is.
Thiago Alves and Jon Fitch have each had one crack at UFC gold, and the winner of their Saturday rematch will get one more try.
That’s the word from UFC President Dana White, who confirmed that the victor of the Alves-Fitch co-main event at UFC 117 will receive another welterweight title fight opportunity.
That man, however, would be second in line behind current No. 1 contender Josh Koscheck, who will eventually meet current champion Georges St. Pierre after the conclusion of the 12th season of The Ultimate Fighter. That bout will likely take place in December, meaning the Fitch-Alves winner could have an 8-9 month wait before fighting for the belt.
(Either of of these guys could potentially win the opportunity Saturday night to have GSP rearrange their faces again in the New Year.)
Apparently Dana White Sides with me on my opinion that Jake Shields should have to win at least two fights in the UF…
(Either of of these guys could potentially win the opportunity Saturday night to have GSP rearrange their faces again in the New Year.)
The UFC president announced today during the pre-fight press conference for UFC 117 that the winner of Saturday night’s welterweight showdown between Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves will garner a title shot early next year.
Nicknames are like tattoos — badass when you first pick them out, generally embarrassing ten years later. And yet for some reason, they’re often the only things that MMA fighters keep forever, even as they change camps, change fighting styles, an…
Nicknames are like tattoos — badass when you first pick them out, generally embarrassing ten years later. And yet for some reason, they’re often the only things that MMA fighters keep forever, even as they change camps, change fighting styles, and change their hair. And while every fighter sends a message with their choice of nickname, it may not always be the message that they’re trying to send. For example, let’s say your nickname is…
A RHYME Notable examples:Mike "Quick" Swick, "Bad" Brad Blackburn, Shannon "The Cannon" Ritch, Marvin "Beastman" Eastman What you think it says: You’re straightforward and to-the-point. You want your nickname to stick in people’s heads. What it really says: You spent no more than five seconds coming up with that weak bullshit.
A REFERENCE TO YOUR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN Notable examples:Kamal "Prince of Persia" Shalorus, Efrain "Hecho en Mexico" Escudero, Sako "The Armenian Psycho" Chivitchian, "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung What you think it says: You’re proud of your heritage and want to represent the fighting spirit of your people. What it really says: You will be met with boos and "U.S.A.!" chants every time you fight, even though you’ve lived in Glendale your entire life.
A REFERENCE TO YOUR CITY OF ORIGIN, INCORPORATING THE WORD "BAD" Notable examples:Phil "The New York Bad Ass" Baroni, Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz What you think it says: You came up the hard way. You were the toughest dude in your neighborhood, and now you’re the toughest dude in any neighborhood. What it really says: There’s a good chance you’re a complete asshole.
If your interest in Saturday night’s UFC 117 doesn’t go past the middleweight title matchup between Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva, I suggest you either stop right here, because that’s the last mention of them in this story, or invest yourself further into the card by taking a look at other interesting possibilities.
SAN FRANCISCO – When UFC welterweight contender 
