Tag: UFC 135

Josh Koscheck vs. Matt Hughes Confirmed for UFC 135

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes will face Josh Koscheck in the co-main event of UFC 135.
UFC President Dana White confirmed the news on Tuesday via Twitter.
“Diego broke his hand, so Hughes will now fight Koscheck,” White posted.
Hughes wa…

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes will face Josh Koscheck in the co-main event of UFC 135.

UFC President Dana White confirmed the news on Tuesday via Twitter.

“Diego broke his hand, so Hughes will now fight Koscheck,” White posted.

Hughes was to face former lightweight title contender Diego Sanchez, but plans for the bout were scrapped after Sanchez was forced off the card with a broken hand sustained in training.

Immediately after the news broke on Sanchez’s injury, Koscheck wasted no time throwing his name in the hat of potential opponents for the UFC Hall of Famer.

“I’m a big name fighter, so [Hughes] can take that and run with it,” Koscheck said in an interview with USA Today. “I put it out there. I told UFC I’d do it, and if Matt Hughes is man enough, he’ll step up and do it.”

While Hughes is coming off a first round KO loss to longtime nemesis B.J. Penn, Koscheck is finally ready to make his return after suffering a broken orbital bone in a five-round drubbing at the hands of Georges St-Pierre at UFC 124.

In a post on Twitter, Hughes said that he accepted Koscheck’s challenge. He even took things a step further by also accepting to face Jon Fitch, who hold the rank right behind St-Pierre in the welterweight division.

“I said “yes” to facing either Koscheck or Fitch at UFC 135,” Hughes posted. “I just got off the phone with [Dana White], and it looks like Josh for the 24th.”

UFC 135 will take place at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado on September 24. Hughes and Koscheck will serve as the co-main event for the anticipated light heavyweight title bout between Jon Jones and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Josh Koscheck vs. Matt Hughes Confirmed for UFC 135

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes will face Josh Koscheck in the co-main event of UFC 135.
UFC President Dana White confirmed the news on Tuesday via Twitter.
“Diego broke his hand, so Hughes will now fight Koscheck,” White posted.
Hughes wa…

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes will face Josh Koscheck in the co-main event of UFC 135.

UFC President Dana White confirmed the news on Tuesday via Twitter.

“Diego broke his hand, so Hughes will now fight Koscheck,” White posted.

Hughes was to face former lightweight title contender Diego Sanchez, but plans for the bout were scrapped after Sanchez was forced off the card with a broken hand sustained in training.

Immediately after the news broke on Sanchez’s injury, Koscheck wasted no time throwing his name in the hat of potential opponents for the UFC Hall of Famer.

“I’m a big name fighter, so [Hughes] can take that and run with it,” Koscheck said in an interview with USA Today. “I put it out there. I told UFC I’d do it, and if Matt Hughes is man enough, he’ll step up and do it.”

While Hughes is coming off a first round KO loss to longtime nemesis B.J. Penn, Koscheck is finally ready to make his return after suffering a broken orbital bone in a five-round drubbing at the hands of Georges St-Pierre at UFC 124.

In a post on Twitter, Hughes said that he accepted Koscheck’s challenge. He even took things a step further by also accepting to face Jon Fitch, who hold the rank right behind St-Pierre in the welterweight division.

“I said “yes” to facing either Koscheck or Fitch at UFC 135,” Hughes posted. “I just got off the phone with [Dana White], and it looks like Josh for the 24th.”

UFC 135 will take place at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado on September 24. Hughes and Koscheck will serve as the co-main event for the anticipated light heavyweight title bout between Jon Jones and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Hughes Agrees to Face Either Koscheck Or Fitch at UFC 135 September 24

According to former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes he has accepted the challenge of Josh Koscheck to face him in the place of his original UFC 135 opponent Diego Sanchez, who pulled out of the bout due to a broken hand. The only problem is, the UFC brass haven’t decided whether they want to see “Country Breakfast” possibly have his lights and his career turned out by Kos or have Bob Arum telling Dana, “I told you so!” until the day he dies (some time soon by the looks of it) thanks to a potential 15-minute wrestlefuck session with Jon Fitch.

Either way, Hughes is fighting on September 24, so at least there’s that.

According to former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes he has accepted the challenge of Josh Koscheck to face him in the place of his original UFC 135 opponent Diego Sanchez, who pulled out of the bout due to a broken hand. The only problem is, the UFC brass haven’t decided whether they want to see “Country Breakfast” possibly have his lights and his career turned out by Kos or have Bob Arum telling Dana, “I told you so!” until the day he dies (some time soon by the looks of it) thanks to a potential 15-minute wrestlefuck session with Jon Fitch.

Either way, Hughes is fighting on September 24, so at least there’s that.

Here’s the card as we know it:

UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage
September 24, 2011
Pepsi Center
Denver, Colorado

MAIN CARD (PPV)

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Jon Jones (c) vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson

Matt Hughes vs. *Josh Koscheck or Jon Fitch
Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton
Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi
Ben Rothwell vs. Mark Hunt

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

Tony Ferguson vs. Aaron Riley
Nick Ring vs. Tim Boetsch

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

James Te-Huna vs. Ricardo Romero
Cole Escovedo vs. Takeya Mizugaki
Eddie Yagin vs. Junior Assuncao

Matt Hughes Accepts Fight With Replacement Josh Koscheck at UFC 135

Filed under: UFC, NewsAfter a few years of campaigning for a fight against Matt Hughes, an American Kickboxing Academy welterweight finally gets their chance.

Josh Koscheck will get the opportunity, after Hughes accepted Koscheck as a replacement for …

Filed under: ,

After a few years of campaigning for a fight against Matt Hughes, an American Kickboxing Academy welterweight finally gets their chance.

Josh Koscheck will get the opportunity, after Hughes accepted Koscheck as a replacement for the injured Diego Sanchez at UFC 135.

According to Sanchez’s management team, the 29-year-old welterweight broke his right hand in training, forcing him out of the bout.

On Monday, Koscheck said he’d accepted a spot to replace Hughes but was simply waiting on Hughes’ approval of the fight and on Tuesday, he got it. It’s a risky move for Koscheck, who hasn’t fought since last December’s title fight loss to Georges St-Pierre, but the California-based fighter is well known for being in fighting shape at all times.

Koscheck (15-5) has less than three weeks to prepare for the September 24 bout.

Hughes (45-8) has had an even longer layoff than Koscheck. He hasn’t fought since last November, when he was knocked out by BJ Penn. However, while he’s been in training for Sanchez for well over a month now, Koscheck had entertained the notion of moving up to middleweight before taking this short-notice bout.

Koscheck and AKA teammate Jon Fitch had lobbied unsuccessfully in the past for the chance to face Hughes.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Diego Sanchez Out of UFC 135 Co-Main Event Against Matt Hughes; Josh Koscheck Verbally Agrees to Replace Him

(Listen to the first thing that Diego says in this video. Is it just me, or is the dude starting to sound like Kevin from ‘The Office’?)

Less than three weeks before his scheduled meeting with Matt Hughes at UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage (September 24th, Denver), Diego Sanchez was pulled from the event yesterday due to a broken hand suffered in training. Coming off back-to-back decision victories over Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann — both of which netted him Fight of the Night awards — Sanchez released a statement explaining just how bummed he is:

“I am heartbroken that I have to inform MMA fans that I cannot fight Matt Hughes at UFC 135 later this month. I have never physically felt more prepared to compete than I felt for this fight, which makes this even more painful for me. While I do not know right now when I will return, I want to assure all of the fans out there that I will be back in the Octagon as soon as I am 100-percent healthy.”

But in the distance, a savior appears…

(Listen to the first thing that Diego says in this video. Is it just me, or is the dude starting to sound like Kevin from ‘The Office’?)

Less than three weeks before his scheduled meeting with Matt Hughes at UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage (September 24th, Denver), Diego Sanchez was pulled from the event yesterday due to a broken hand suffered in training. Coming off back-to-back decision victories over Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann — both of which netted him Fight of the Night awards — Sanchez released a statement explaining just how bummed he is:

“I am heartbroken that I have to inform MMA fans that I cannot fight Matt Hughes at UFC 135 later this month. I have never physically felt more prepared to compete than I felt for this fight, which makes this even more painful for me. While I do not know right now when I will return, I want to assure all of the fans out there that I will be back in the Octagon as soon as I am 100-percent healthy.”

But in the distance, a savior appears…

Shortly after Sanchez’s pull-out was announced, fellow welterweight contender Josh Koscheck confirmed that he had accepted an offer to replace “The Dream” against Hughes. Koscheck, who hasn’t competed since his crushing loss to Georges St. Pierre last December, was previously rumored to return in November as a middleweight. But it looks like his timetable just got a lot shorter — that is, if Hughes is willing to accept the fight, which he hasn’t yet. As Koscheck told USA Today:

It’s a fight that I’ve been wanting for a long time. Now we’ve just got to wait and see if Matt Hughes will accept the fight. So we’re waiting on him…

I’m healthy. I have no reason not to accept this fight if Matt Hughes wants it. It’s like Dana White always says: Your job is to fight no matter what. I’m a fighter, and whether I’ve got to fight on a week’s notice or six months’, doesn’t matter. My job is to go out there and fight and win…

I’m just looking for this opportunity, and hopefully Matt Hughes will step up and take the fight for the fans and the UFC…

I’m a big-name fighter, so he can take that and run with it. I put it out there. I told UFC I’d do it, and if Matt Hughes is man enough, he’ll step up and do it…

He wants big-name fighters. He’s getting near the end of his career. I think he’ll take the fight because it’s good for the sport and good for the UFC.

We’ll update you when the fight is a done deal. So what do you think? Is Koscheck vs. Hughes a satisfying replacement for Sanchez vs. Hughes?

UFC 135: Rampage Staggers Jon Jones, Anderson Silva Gets Lonelier at the Top

UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson “The Spider” Silva, has set a very high standard for all combat sports athletes—no, make that the highest standard ever.He’s finished opponents without ever appearing vulnerable to them in any secon…

UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson “The Spider” Silva, has set a very high standard for all combat sports athletes—no, make that the highest standard ever.

He’s finished opponents without ever appearing vulnerable to them in any second of a fight.

Sure he was triangle-choked by Daiju Takase, then grimaced in pain when Ryo Chonan submitted him by flying heel hook in two of his four losses, but those are now light-years ago.

Let’s also get out of the way that aberrant mock-dance decision win over Demian Maia, and that close call against Chael Sonnen.

Even during those two title defenses, was Silva ever close to getting “in trouble”?

Against Maia, he claimed that he felt his opponent’s punches, but hardly anyone believes him. When you earn such greatness, confessions of weaknesses are ignored by ardent admirers. We— and I mean we—dismiss such as false modesty.

Against Sonnen he was close to losing a unanimous decision, following Sonnen’s unremitting ground-and-pound.

But was he ever close to getting knocked out?

What was threatened, what did appear vulnerable, was the fight record and not the fighter himself.

He was knocked down, but it was more of a push-punch that got him off balance.

It’s true that his head was dribbled like a basketball by Sonnen-cum-Pete Maravich; but was he dazed, hurt or close to losing consciousness at any point of that fight?

No. And that face ‘neath the bald noggin remained expressionless all throughout like, well, a basketball. (I’d say he was actually voluntarily nodding his head every time he was touched by a paw.)

Not once did that blank mask appear close to peeling off.

And so, if Jon Jones is looking to surpass Silva’s reputation in the near or far future, he’s got to play the perfect game against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson—without getting in trouble even for just a fleeting instant.

If he gets staggered by even just one strike, or comes close to getting submitted by Jackson, then expect his stock to plummet while that of Silva soars unattainably higher.

Same consequence if he doesn’t finish Jackson.

And if he loses…

Finishing an opponent with impeccable invincibility—or even just a semblance of it—is the new MMA benchmark.

No thanks to “The Spider” from Brazil.

(By the way, anybody notice that Silva and Jones both crawl up the Octagon, on all fours, every time?)

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com