UFC 125 Prelims to Air on ION Network Television

Filed under: UFC, NewsThe UFC this weekend will make its live network television debut and it’s on a channel you wouldn’t have expected. The UFC announced Monday that the UFC 125 Prelims this Saturday will be televised on ION television at 8:55 p.m. ET…

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The UFC this weekend will make its live network television debut and it’s on a channel you wouldn’t have expected. The UFC announced Monday that the UFC 125 Prelims this Saturday will be televised on ION television at 8:55 p.m. ET.

“I am excited for our fans because I’ve been looking for ways to broadcast UFC prelims free and to as many homes as possible,” UFC President Dana White stated. “ION is the largest broadcast television station group in the U.S. and this deal will put the UFC prelims in almost 100 million homes.”

Phil Baroni: ‘It’s Obvious That a Lot of People Are Counting Me Out’

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveAfter 10 years in this sport, no one has to tell Phil Baroni what’s at stake on New Year’s Day.

When you’re a 34-year-old fighter on a two-fight losing streak who just happens to be facing a 23-year-old kid fresh of…

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After 10 years in this sport, no one has to tell Phil Baroni what’s at stake on New Year’s Day.

When you’re a 34-year-old fighter on a two-fight losing streak who just happens to be facing a 23-year-old kid fresh off season 11 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” it’s pretty self-evident.

“It’s obvious that a lot of people are counting me out, the UFC included,” Baroni (13-12), who faces Brad Tavares (6-0) at UFC 125 on Saturday, told MMA Fighting. “You know, they’re giving me guys off ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ they never send me to expos, stuff like that. But I’m thankful for the opportunity to get that all back, and I’m going to start on New Year’s Day and resurrect my career. I’ve done it before; I’ll do it again.”

If he doesn’t, if he loses to Tavares on the UFC 125 prelims, well, Baroni doesn’t really want to think too much about what will happen then.

Frankie Edgar Says ‘It Makes Sense’ That Maynard Is the Favorite Heading Into UFC 125 Bout

("Sorry about the fit, Frankie. We had it ready to go for BJ to wear home.")
You would think that at the very least, besides winning the UFC 155-pound strap, beating continual top five lightweight BJ Penn twice would raise Frankie Edgar’s st…

("Sorry about the fit, Frankie. We had it ready to go for BJ to wear home.")

You would think that at the very least, besides winning the UFC 155-pound strap, beating continual top five lightweight BJ Penn twice would raise Frankie Edgar’s stock in the eyes of oddsmakers.

Apparently they just can’t seem to get past the UFN 13 loss the UFC lightweight champ suffered against Gray Maynard and it seems that the only thing that will erase the blemish from his record would be for the Toms River, New Jersey native to beat the only man to ever beat him.

He’ll get his chance Saturday night at UFC 125 in Las Vegas as he attempts to retain his belt in his second title defense, but the 5’6" perennial underdog says he isn’t put off by the fact that he’s rarely the favorite and that Maynard is the odds-on fighter to walk away with the belt this weekend.

“[Being the underdog has] been working good for me, so why change it?" Edgar recently asked the hosts of MMAWeekly Radio. "I’m assuming sooner or later I’ll not be the underdog, but I’ll take it. It makes sense [that Gray is the favorite]. Heads-up he beat me, so he should be the favorite.”

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Three UFC 125 Prelim Fights to Air on Something Called ‘Ion Television’

  (Marcus Davis and Ion: A match made in…convenience?)
Less than a week before UFC 125 goes down in Las Vegas, UFC president Dana White has revealed that there will be a "Prelims" broadcast before the pay-per-view card – good new…

Marcus Davis UFC bloody face  ion television network logo
(Marcus Davis and Ion: A match made in…convenience?)

Less than a week before UFC 125 goes down in Las Vegas, UFC president Dana White has revealed that there will be a "Prelims" broadcast before the pay-per-view card – good news, since it’s one of the most interesting undercards in recent memory. But it won’t be aired on Spike TV. For the first time, the UFC will put a broadcast on Ion Television, which is apparently cause for celebration, even though we only had a vague knowledge of the channel’s existence until this morning. Said Dana White: "These guys are considered a network. The FCC calls them a network. This is the first time we’ve ever been on network television, and the prelims are going to be aired. It’s a big deal. It’s in over 100 million homes."

Three fights will be scheduled for the broadcast – Marcus Davis vs. Jeremy Stephens, Josh Grispi vs. Dustin Poirier, and Phil Baroni vs. Brad Tavares – which is unprecedented in itself. "The prelims we do air, there’s only supposed to be two," White said. "Time-wise, it’s impossible to pull off three if they all go to the distance. I’m going to roll the dice on this thing. Not only are we going to bring the prelims to the fans, but everybody has been hammering me for the Phil Baroni-Brad Tavares fight, so I’m going to do three fights. I’m going to give them that fight, too."

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UFC Fighters Predict the Winner of UFC 125: Edgar Vs Maynard (VIDEO)

UFC fighters weigh in on their picks for Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard. The last WEC Lightweight Champion and now next contender for the UFC Lightweight title, Anthony Pettis is going with Maynard. UFC 125 will take place this Saturday, January 1st live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Watch full video […]

UFC fighters weigh in on their picks for Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard. The last WEC Lightweight Champion and now next contender for the UFC Lightweight title, Anthony Pettis is going with Maynard. UFC 125 will take place this Saturday, January 1st live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Watch full video below:

Stay tuned to MMA Fix this week for a full UFC 125 Betting Odds breakdown by our expert panelists. To bet on the fights, check out the lines from all the major online sportsbooks at the Side Bar on our Home Page.

Leading Up to UFC Debut, Antonio McKee Compares Himself to Muhammad Ali, Don King and Tupac

(You know it’s crazy when Antonio McKee makes a face like someone *else* is out their damn mind. Props: ProMMANow)
Antonio McKee’s long awaited (by McKee himself) and briefly rumored (by McKee himself) Octagon debut is scheduled to go down this w…


(You know it’s crazy when Antonio McKee makes a face like someone *else* is out their damn mind. Props: ProMMANow)

Antonio McKee’s long awaited (by McKee himself) and briefly rumored (by McKee himself) Octagon debut is scheduled to go down this weekend at UFC 125. The 40-year-old motormouth will take on Jacob Volkmann on the undercard of Saturday’s "Resolution" card in Vegas and it’s a fight he frankly better win, lest his years of trash-talk appear all for naught. Luckily for us, the grapple-first, ask-questions-later McKee isn’t letting his impending UFC entry get in the way of his on-going monologue with the world at large. Nope, he wastes little time this week making some typically farfetched comparrisons to Todd Martin in a sprawling and fairly entertaining long-form narrative at Sherdog.com.

“I feel like I’m the Muhammad Ali of MMA,” McKee says within the first three or four paragraphs. “I feel like I’m the Don King of MMA. I feel like I’m the Tupac Shakur of MMA. I’m the mouth, the talent, the brains, and I’m also the business side. Where does that put me? That puts me as one of the all-time greatest black mixed martial arts fighters.”

Huh, “greatest black MMA fighters” is a Top 10 list we’ve never even considered before. Consider that one tucked away for a rainy day.

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