Following the success of UFC 134, the UFC has already planned to make its return to Brazil next year. TATAME.com reports the company has planned to host an event in Sao Paulo on January 1st 2012. The Brazilian website also reports that UFC owner L…
Following the success of UFC 134, the UFC has already planned to make its return to Brazil next year.
According to several sources, the UFC has decided to host their next event in Sao Paulo and have already began to contact officials, managers and Brazilian fighters to prepare for their upcoming bouts.
The UFC recently returned to Brazil to host UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro earlier this year. The event showcased many of the country’s prominent stars including Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who headlined the card against Yushin Okami.
This will be the UFC’s first trip back to Sao Paulo since 1998, where the first Brazilian show took place featuring such fighters as Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva and Pedro Rizzo.
(At least Page won’t have to worry about this sort of thing anymore. Props to MMAFighting.com)
I can already smell the rumors of a possible match with Kimbo. During a recent podcast with ESPN UK, former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson stated that he plans to move to boxing at the end of his UFC contract, primarily to fight people that “aren’t scared.” On the heels of his 4th round submission loss to Jon Jones at UFC 134, many have speculated that this was just a case of Page watching The Secret a few too many times, but Jackson seems about as serious as he can be about it:
(At least Page won’t have to worry about this sort of thing anymore. Props to MMAFighting.com)
I can already smell the rumors of a possible match with Kimbo. During a recent podcast with ESPN UK, former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson stated that he plans to move to boxing at the end of his UFC contract, primarily to fight people that “aren’t scared.” On the heels of his 4th round submission loss to Jon Jones at UFC 134, many have speculated that this was just a case of Page watching The Secret a few too many times, but Jackson seems about as serious as he can be about it:
I hate fighting people who are scared. When you fight somebody who is scared you never know what they’re going to do. They turn and run. That’s why I’m gonna go to boxing. I’m gonna try boxing because they’ve got to stand with you. If I get knocked out I don’t care because at least it’s a fight.
Given Jackson’s penchant for only using his boxing background in his MMA career, the move doesn’t honestly seem like that bad a move. Let’s be honest, “Rampage” had nothing to offer current champ Jon Jones in their fight, and probably has a long road ahead of him before we start talking about a possible rematch. But one of the main foreseeable problems in Jackson’s boxing future, according to Scott Christ over at Bad Left Hook, is that of his size.
…given his age it would be unlikely he’d be able to cut down to cruiserweight, where there’s no U.S. market, and that means he’d have to fight as a heavyweight. At 6’1″ with a 73″ reach, he’d be undersized and probably underpowered.
An interesting argument, but what do you guys think? Could Jackson ever be more than a PPV draw in the boxing world? Or could we being witnessing the rebirth of his career? More importantly, will Dana White ever allow this shit to happen? Discuss.
(“Can you believe I used to wear boxers this big?”)
It looks like the UFC’s return to Brazil in August was a fruitful one for Zuffa as Tatame is reporting that reps from the Las Vegas-based promotion are in the South American country working on a deal that could see a season of The Ultimate Fighter filmed in Sao Paulo as well as up to five events in the region in 2012. The group met with the mayor of the city, Gilberto Kassab, yesterday afternoon and today are meeting with the governor Geraldo Alckmin.
UFC chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta told the Brazilian combat sport magazine earlier this summer while in Rio for UFC 134 that he was pleasantly surprised with the amount of support they got in the birthplace of the sport and that they were looking at bringing the Octagon back as many as five times next year.
“We underestimated how popular it was here. If we could do it again, we would do it in a big soccer stadium, you know? But when we put the tickets on sale, we really didn’t know. But it’s been amazing the amount of support, it’s unbelievable,” he explained. “We’re working on [bringing TUF here]; we’re really close to get something done. We think it’s gonna be very successful – a Brazilian Ultimate Fighter, all Brazilian fighters. One thing that is great about this country is that you have so many great fighters, finding talents is easy. There are some many good kids”.
(“Can you believe I used to wear boxers this big?”)
It looks like the UFC’s return to Brazil in August was a fruitful one for Zuffa as Tatame is reporting that reps from the Las Vegas-based promotion are in the South American country working on a deal that could see a season of The Ultimate Fighter filmed in Sao Paulo as well as up to five events in the region in 2012. The group met with the mayor of the city, Gilberto Kassab, yesterday afternoon and today are meeting with the governor Geraldo Alckmin.
UFC chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta told the Brazilian combat sport magazine earlier this summer while in Rio for UFC 134 that he was pleasantly surprised with the amount of support they got in the birthplace of the sport and that they were looking at bringing the Octagon back as many as five times next year.
“We underestimated how popular it was here. If we could do it again, we would do it in a big soccer stadium, you know? But when we put the tickets on sale, we really didn’t know. But it’s been amazing the amount of support, it’s unbelievable,” he explained. “We’re working on [bringing TUF here]; we’re really close to get something done. We think it’s gonna be very successful – a Brazilian Ultimate Fighter, all Brazilian fighters. One thing that is great about this country is that you have so many great fighters, finding talents is easy. There are some many good kids”.
The report goes on to state that Cicero Pompeu de Toledo stadium, which is the home of Sao Paulo’s soccer team and has a capacity of 70,000 not including floor seats, is a possible venue for the UFC’s next Brazilian event. The stadium has played host to musical acts like Paul McCartney, U2, Iron Maiden, Shakira, Madonna and Michael Jackson — the last of whom attracted over 100,000 fans to a show in 1993. If an event is held there, there’s a good chance that the UFC’s previous attendance record of 55,000 set in Toronto at UFC 129 in April would likely be shattered.
Fertitta said that they are also eyeing UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo’s hometown of Manaus as another possible site for a future show.
“We’ve met with the governor of Manaus and they want us to do a fight there. It’s interesting for us, because Jose Aldo is from there, so it’s maybe an opportunity to bring him back to fight in front of his home town”, Fertitta said.
Dana White is back with another instalment of his acclaimed retrospective video series and we’re starting to notice a pattern here. The UFC president seems to be phoning it it these days, appearing sparingly in the videos and filling the remainder up with footage from previous events, which is false advertising considering this was supposed to be the UFC 135 Video Blog 1.
The Cliff’s Notes of what we learned this episode is after the jump.
(Video courtesy of YouTube/UFC)
Dana White is back with another instalment of his acclaimed retrospective video series and we’re starting to notice a pattern here. The UFC president seems to be phoning it it these days, appearing sparingly in the videos and filling the remainder up with footage from previous events, which is false advertising considering this was supposed to be the UFC 135 Video Blog 1.
Here’s what we learn in this episode:
• The Baldfather is still rich
• He hates bad refereeing
• Jake Shields thinks he should have been able to continue in spite of the fact that he was trying to single-leg the ref
• Besides being a hippy vegan, Jake is afraid of radiation from Cat Scans
• “Rampage” is an alpha male and a fan of ejaculation jokes
• Jon Jones is not a fan of “Rampage” or his shenanigans
Dana White gets behind the scenes for UFC 134, UFC Fight Night 25, and a press conference for UFC 135 in his latest video blog.First we get to see White’s enthusiasm for the upcoming card and the sportsmanship shown during the latest events.The Brazili…
Dana White gets behind the scenes for UFC 134, UFC Fight Night 25, and a press conference for UFC 135 in his latest video blog.
First we get to see White’s enthusiasm for the upcoming card and the sportsmanship shown during the latest events.
The Brazilian crowd is ridiculously loud as Dana White enters the arena and Dana sits cage-side, complaining about the late stoppage on Luis Cane.
Next, we get to see the entrances of Yushin Okami and Anderson Silva for the main event of UFC 134: Rio. The crowd erupts as Anderson retains his title. Dana congratulates Anderson backstage on his win, then thanks Okami for a great fight, knowing that “Yushin always comes to fight.”
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira gets confirmation of his Knockout of the Night bonus, picking up Dana White in excitement and promising Erick Silva $5,000 for his knockout of Luis Ramos. Big Nog is very complimentary of Brandan Schaub, saying he “is strong with heavy hands.”
Next, the video jumps to UFC Fight Night 25 where Matt Riddle is being attended to after his fight with Lance Benoist. Despite the loss, Riddle is incredibly complimentary of his opponent, congratulating him on being 6-0.
Shamar Bailey asks to come train with Evan Dunham after his loss, to which Dunham replies, “You’re always welcome.”
Cody MacKenzie is angry after his submission loss to Vagner Rocha, barely willing to sit down to be attended to by the doctors.
Jake Ellenberger and Jake Shields enter the arena.
Shields is being attended to backstage and complains about the stoppage in his knockout loss. The commission official tells him he was “glazed over,” and then encourages him to get a CAT scan. Shields expresses concern over the radiation.
Jake Ellenberger hangs out drinking water, confirming that he has been paid and is in no pain after the fight.
Next, the video jumps to the UFC 135 Press Conference, where Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Jon Jones exchange a few insults and “Rampage” mocks Jones for his staredown technique.
It’s always nice to get a behind the scenes look—particularly when they involve these moments of amazing sportsmanship—at the fighters we cheer for and support. As Dana White states, “it makes me proud to be in this sport.”
MMAInterviews.tv caught up with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua recently and had a chance to get the former UFC light heavyweight champion’s thought on a few subjects including his UFC 134 win over Forrest Griffin, a possible fight with Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Dan Henderson and who he would like to face if given the choice.
Shogun answered the questions himself utilizing his ever-improving English language skills, which he should be applauded for considering learning a completely different language than your native tongue is very difficult (ask Tito how hard it was to learn interview questions) and it will make him more marketable to those of us who aren’t old PRIDE fans.
Check out the transcription of the interview after the jump.
(Video courtesy of YouTube/MMAInterviews.tv)
MMAInterviews.tv caught up with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua recently and had a chance to get the former UFC light heavyweight champion’s thought on a few subjects including his UFC 134 win over Forrest Griffin, a possible fight with Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Dan Henderson and who he would like to face if given the choice.
Shogun answered the questions himself utilizing his ever-improving English language skills, which he should be applauded for considering learning a completely different language than your native tongue is very difficult (ask Tito how hard it was to learn interview questions) and it will make him more marketable to those of us who aren’t old PRIDE fans.
Here’s what Shogun had to say…
…about the Griffin fight:
“Forrest is a good fighter, but I trained hard for three months. I’m very happy with this win for my family, my team, my sponsors — everybody. I’m very happy because Forrest is a very good fighter and I lost in 2007. I trained hard. This fight for me was very motivating because I lost to Forrest and my team and I are very happy for this fight.”
…about whether or not he was healthy going into the fight:
“[My body] was very good. I was 100 percent for this fight. I don’t have problems with my knee [any] more. I was 100 percent for this fight.”
…about whether or not he was surprised at how easily he finished Forrest:
“No. This is MMA sport. My gloves [are] very, very small and a punch in the face is normal. I respect Forrest. He’s a very good guy — a good [person], but I’m very happy.”
…about whether or not he’s interested in a fight with Hendo:
“Many people want this fight [with] Henderson. Dan Henderson is a good guy. He’s a legend in MMA. I’m very happy to fight Dan Henderson. I want this fight.”
…about who he wants to fight next:
“I’m a professional fighter. I fight everyone. I don’t know. It’s [up to] my boss. No problem for me.”
Following the success of UFC 134, the UFC has already planned to make its return to Brazil next year. 
