Tag: UFC 135

Jon Jones, Rampage Jackson Agree to UFC 135 Title Fight

Filed under: UFC, NewsJon Jones and Quinton Jackson have verbally agreed to square off at UFC 135 in September with Jones’ UFC light-heavyweight championship on the line.

The UFC confirmed that the two stars will meet at the event, which will be held…

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Jon Jones and Quinton Jackson have verbally agreed to square off at UFC 135 in September with Jones’ UFC light-heavyweight championship on the line.

The UFC confirmed that the two stars will meet at the event, which will be held at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

Jones had originally been expected to face Rashad Evans in August until deciding against participation after a flareup of a previously existing hand injury. Evans decided not to wait for Jones, instead opting for a fight with Phil Davis at UFC 133.

Later, doctors told Jones that he would not need surgery for the injury, but would need some time off, making him eligible to fight at the Denver card on September 24. Jones won the title in March with a third-round TKO of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

Jackson, meanwhile, punched his ticket to a title match with a three-round unanimous decision win over Matt Hamill in the main event of UFC 130. With the win, Jackson improved to 32-8. He was a onetime light-heavyweight champ, winning the belt in May 2007 with a knockout of Chuck Liddell. He successfully defended it once before losing in a close decision to Forrest Griffin.

Jones is 13-1 with his only loss coming via a controversial disqualification.

Other bouts that have been verbally agreed to for UFC 135 include Matt Hughes vs. Diego Sanchez, Kid Yamamoto vs. Damacio Page, and Mark Hunt vs. Ben Rothwell.

 

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Browne vs. Broughton, Hunt vs. Rothwell Slated for UFC 135

Filed under: UFC, NewsHeavyweight knockout artist Travis Browne has an opponent and date for his next fight, two weeks after his KO of the Night-winning performance at UFC 130. Browne has agreed to face former British Cage Rage champion Robert Broughto…

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Heavyweight knockout artist Travis Browne has an opponent and date for his next fight, two weeks after his KO of the Night-winning performance at UFC 130. Browne has agreed to face former British Cage Rage champion Robert Broughton at UFC 135, according to UFC president Dana White on UFC.com.

Browne-Broughton joins another recently confirmed heavyweight matchup on the card, Ben Rothwell vs. Mark Hunt.

UFC 135 will take place Sept. 24 from the Pepsi Center in Denver with Jon Jones vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson as the likely headliner.

At UFC 130, Browne (11-0-1) immediately gained relevance in the UFC heavyweight division with a Superman Punch finish against Stefan Struve. Entering the fight off a draw against Cheick Kongo, Browne with the win over Struve moved his record in the UFC to 2-0-1.. Broughton (15-5-1) won his UFC debut last October and hasn’t competed since.

Rothwell (31-7) fought only once last year, defeating Gilbert Yvel via unanimous decision at UFC 115. After the fight, Rothwell underwent knee surgery and has been sidelined without a fight until recently. Hunt (6-7) fought earlier in February, scoring a KO of the Night at UFC 127 over Chris Tuchscherer. The win ended Hunt’s six-fight losing streak that spanned nearly five years.

 

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All 7 UFC Belts Could Be on the Line During Second Half of 2011

With the surge in the amount of UFC events over the last few years, one downside is that less and less PPV events are being anchored with a title fight. While the UFC usually does a good job putting together PPV cards worth the price of admission, many…

With the surge in the amount of UFC events over the last few years, one downside is that less and less PPV events are being anchored with a title fight. While the UFC usually does a good job putting together PPV cards worth the price of admission, many fans are feeling a bit slighted.

With that said, fans of title fights may be in store for an embarrassment or riches during the second half of 2011 where, if the stars all align, we could bear witness to all seven UFC belts being defended. Four title fights are already on the books, with one being tentatively booked, while three others are likely to happen as long as all the fighters in question heal from their respective injuries.

Lets take a look shall we.

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Kid Yamamoto, Damacio Page to Meet at UFC 135 in Denver

Filed under: UFCBoth needing to rebound from losses earlier this spring, Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and Damacio Page have verbally agreed to meet at UFC 135 in Denver this fall.

The UFC announced the bantamweight fight Monday night, with president Dana …

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Both needing to rebound from losses earlier this spring, Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and Damacio Page have verbally agreed to meet at UFC 135 in Denver this fall.

The UFC announced the bantamweight fight Monday night, with president Dana White calling Yamamoto and Page “two of the most aggressive sluggers” in the 135-pound division.

UFC 135 will take place Sept. 24 at the Pepsi Center in the Colorado capital city of Denver, home to the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche and NBA’s Denver Nuggets. UFC vice president of regulatory affairs first confirmed the location to MMA Fighting earlier this year.

Yamamoto (18-4, 1 NC, 0-1 UFC) made his highly anticipated UFC debut in February at UFC 126 against Demetrious Johnson. “Mighty Mouse” took “Kid” down 10 times in the fight and cruised to a 30-27 unanimous decision sweep of the scorecards. It was Yamamoto’s third loss in four fights after starting his career 17-1, mostly in the Japanese Shooto and K-1 promotions.

Yamamoto, one of the most popular fighters in Japanese MMA history, has finished 15 of his 18 victories – 13 by knockout or TKO. He is also the owner of a record 4-second knockout of Kazuyuki Miyata courtesy of a flying knee at K-1: Hero’s 5 in 2006.

Yamamoto was expected to face Chris Cariaso at UFC 130 last month, but he had to pull out of the fight with an injury.

Page (15-6, 0-1 UFC) has lost two straight fights, both by guillotine. In March, at UFC on Versus 3, he lost a rematch to Brian Bowles, who had beaten him at WEC 35 in August 2008. And in one of MMA’s truest oddities, he lost to Bowles by the same method and in the exact same time as their first meeting: a guillotine tapout 3:30 into the first round. Prior to that, in his WEC swan song, Page, like Yamamoto, ran into trouble with Johnson, getting caught with a guillotine in the third round.

Page, like Yamamoto, is a fight finisher. Of his 15 wins, 14 have come by stoppage with eight knockouts and six submissions. By the time UFC 135 rolls around, Page will be looking for his first win in nearly two years, since a rear naked choke win over Will Campuzano at WEC 43 in October 2009.

UFC 135 is expected to feature a light heavyweight title main event between champion Jon Jones, defending his belt for the first time, against former champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, who earned the title shot after wins over former champ Lyoto Machida and Matt Hamill. Also on the card, former welterweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes will meet former top lightweight contender and TUF 1 middleweight winner Diego Sanchez.

 

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UFC 135: Jon Jones vs Rampage Jackson Main Event Hinges on Doctor Approval

All signs point to Jon Jones defending his UFC light heavyweight title for the first time at UFC 135 in Denver on September 24.UFC president Dana White confirmed UFC 135’s date and location to MMAJunkie.com on Thursday following the press conference fo…

All signs point to Jon Jones defending his UFC light heavyweight title for the first time at UFC 135 in Denver on September 24.

UFC president Dana White confirmed UFC 135’s date and location to MMAJunkie.com on Thursday following the press conference for UFC 131.

White also stated that the main event fight, Jones versus Jackson, hinges on doctors giving the go ahead to Jon Jones, “Doctors have got to say his hand is OK, and he’s got to get in the gym and prove it,” White said.

Jones has not fought since taking the UFC title from Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 in March. Jones dominated Rua throughout the fight, earning the victory via TKO at the 2:37 mark of Round 3.

After the fight it was revealed that Jones would meet Rashad Evans in his first title defense, but a hand injury led to that fight being scrapped. The injury also lead to a great deal of trash talk from Evans, setting up a future grudge match between the two fighters.

Jackson is coming off a three-round unanimous decision win over Matt Hamill at UFC 130. Following the fight Jackson revealed that he had fought with a damaged hand. The Nevada State Athletic Commission handed Jackson a six-month medical suspension following the fight. That suspension can be shortened with doctor approval.

It appears that Jacksons’ hand will be a non-issue in getting the Jones versus Jackson fight booked.

Jones’ manager told MMAJunkie, “His hand feels fine, so tomorrow it should be cleared.”

Jones has already begun trash talking his opponent as can be seen in the below video, where he offers his take on Rampage’s post-UFC 130 interview with MMA H.E.A.T reporter Karyn Bryant.

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UFC 131 Press Conference Recap: Five-Round Non-Title Fights Added, Flyweights Coming, Diaz Vacating Strikeforce Belt + Much More

(Dana White runs down some current events with Ariel Helwani following the press conference. Props: MMAFighting)

The UFC hosted a press conference in Vancouver yesterday in advance of UFC 131, but the most interesting announcements had nothing to do with Saturday’s “Dos Santos vs. Carwin” event. Here’s a recap…

Five-round non-title fights: UFC president Dana White announced that the UFC will make non-title main event fights five rounds from now on; previously, only title fights were worthy of the five-round distinction. The rule doesn’t apply to non-title main events that are already booked — Dos Santos vs. Carwin, or Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis at UFC 133, for example — but it will apply to every non-title main event signed in the future, even for UFC Fight Night and UFC Live events.

Flyweight division in the works: According to White, the UFC will be adding a 125-pound division “really soon,” possibly by the end of 2011. He expected that some of the UFC’s current bantamweights would make the drop.


(Dana White runs down some current events with Ariel Helwani following the press conference. Props: MMAFighting)

The UFC hosted a press conference in Vancouver yesterday in advance of UFC 131, but the most interesting announcements had nothing to do with Saturday’s “Dos Santos vs. Carwin” event. Here’s a recap…

Five-round non-title fights: UFC president Dana White announced that the UFC will make non-title main event fights five rounds from now on; previously, only title fights were worthy of the five-round distinction. The rule doesn’t apply to non-title main events that are already booked — Dos Santos vs. Carwin, or Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis at UFC 133, for example — but it will apply to every non-title main event signed in the future, even for UFC Fight Night and UFC Live events.

Flyweight division in the works: According to White, the UFC will be adding a 125-pound division “really soon,” possibly by the end of 2011. He expected that some of the UFC’s current bantamweights would make the drop.

Nick Diaz to vacate Strikeforce welterweight title: When Diaz returns to the UFC to challenge Georges St. Pierre for GSP’s welterweight title in October, he’ll be leaving his own belt behind. Said DW: ”[Diaz] will give up his Strikeforce title. He will come in and fight Georges St-Pierre, two guys will fight for the vacant belt in Strikeforce and we’ll go from there.”

Jon Jones vs. Quinton Jackson slated for September: The rumored light-heavyweight title scrap between Bones and Rampage will take place at UFC 135 (September 24, Denver), pending medical clearance for Jones’s hand. Diego Sanchez vs. Matt Hughes is also expected for that event.

UFC still looking at China, Sweden for future events: Though the U.K. is getting shut out this year, Dana White announced that he hopes to bring the promotion to China “within the next 18 months.” The UFC also has plans for an event in Sweden sometime after 2011.

TUF 14 hype-up of the day: “The fights to get into the house happened Tuesday,” White said. “I’m going to figure out a way to make sure every one of those fights airs on TV. The best fights ever in the history of ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’…There’s some nasty guys on this season. Just the show open is better than the entire last season’s fights.”