Dana White confirms in press conference call that Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos will be the only fight to air (regardless of time) on Fox network at UFC on Fox 1. All other fights.
Dana White confirms in press conference call that Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos will be the only fight to air (regardless of time) on Fox network at UFC on Fox 1. All other fights including Ben Henderson vs. Clay Guida to stream live on Facebook and Fox.com.
UFC on Fox 1 official weigh-ins will be televised live and broadcast on Fuel TV. Um..wtf channel is that, you ask? I’ll get back to you…checking my remote control TV guide.
Josh Koscheck is tweeting hard to book that Superbowl Weekend fight with Carlos Condit or maybe he’s just trying to get in on some Twitter bonus cash.
Rashad Evansreminds us, Nick Diaz got the title-shot first. Carlos Condit shouldn’t be mad.
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson ready to take on Vitor Belfort at UFC 142 on January 14th.
Open tryouts for TUF 15 announced for December 5th in Las Vegas at Texas Station casino. The season is looking for Lightweights and Welterweights. For those not able to attend, submit your applications by December 1st.
It’s Wednesday and the majority of news is on November 12th’s UFC on Fox 1. Not many seem to care about UFC 138: Munoz vs. Leben going down this Saturday, November 5th (which probably means it will be an awesome night of fights). News that even fewer people care about… Lindsay Lohanlands back in jail for approximately 6 days for parole violations.
Justin Bieber is accused of fathering a love child after an alleged 30 second bathroom love-making session with a fan. Court hearing for paternity test set for December 15th.
On Saturday, November 5th, 2011, the UFC will be traveling to Birmingham, England for UFC 138.The highly anticipated fight card will take place in front of a sold out LG Arena, with delayed viewing in the United States.The main card is headlined by hea…
On Saturday, November 5th, 2011, the UFC will be traveling to Birmingham, England for UFC 138.
The highly anticipated fight card will take place in front of a sold out LG Arena, with delayed viewing in the United States.
The main card is headlined by heavy hitting middleweight Chris Leben, who will look to continue his recent success, against up-and-coming star, Mark Munoz.
In total, the fight card consists of five main card bouts with five preliminary fights.
The following slides display info and predictions for every fight.
Filed under: UFCUFC 138 comes to us on tape delay from across the pond this weekend, and like many UFC events in the U.K. it features no shortage of fights that, at least on paper, seem a little bit lopsided.
UFC 138 comes to us on tape delay from across the pond this weekend, and like many UFC events in the U.K. it features no shortage of fights that, at least on paper, seem a little bit lopsided.
What does that mean for you? Well, if you know how to pick ’em you could profit handsomely off an outsized betting line here or there. If you don’t, you could end up crying into a pint of the dark stuff along with all the Brits who made ill-advised bets on Premier League games. Hey, at least you won’t be drinking alone.
Now let’s take a look at the odds on UFC 138’s main card bouts, and see if we can’t find a bargain.
Remember when Leben was a hefty dog against Aaron Simpson, who also seemed like a sure bet to out-wrestle him thoroughly and completely? All it took was a couple patented Leben bombs to turn that one into the kind of street fight he was looking for, so why couldn’t history repeat itself? Before we get carried away in that comparison we should note some differences between Munoz and Simpson. For starters, Munoz owns a victory over the A-Train, which has to count for something. But more importantly, Munoz has improved his all-around game greatly in the past couple years, so if he has to he can hold his own on the feet with Leben, at least for a little while. That’s not to say he’ll necessarily want to try for the knockout, of course. The smart play would be putting Leben on his back and keeping him there, but Munoz can swat when he wants to. Just ask CB Dollaway. By the same token, Leben can take it and keep coming back with more. Just ask Akiyama. My pick: Leben. Any time you throw your money down on the Catsmasher, be prepared to lose it. That said, I just can’t turn my back on odds like these, especially when they’re attached to a guy who is never more than one left hand from victory.
It’s still hard to tell just how good Barao really is. He won both his WEC fights and then edged out Cole Escovedo at UFC 130, but he hasn’t stepped up to take on that next level of competition yet — at least, not until now. Granted, Pickett wouldn’t be this high on any UFC card outside the U.K., but this is still a man with wins over both “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Ivan Menjivar in the past year and a half, so it’s not as if he’s just some bloke who’s been plucked from the local pub and thrown into the cage. Like many British fighters, he could stand to improve his wrestling. That might be more of a concern if he was going up against an All-American from some Big Ten school, but against a Brazilian like Barao it might be less of an issue. You know Pickett will have the crowd on his side, which could help swing it if the fight goes the distance. Barao’s winning streak is impressive on paper, but it’s one thing to beat local dudes in Brazil and quite another to take on an experienced opponent like Pickett in his home country. My pick: Pickett. He’s only a slight underdog, but I’d take him here if the odds on it were even.
These UK cards are usually great opportunities for lesser-known European fighters to get beat up by UFC mainstays, which is exactly what oddsmakers think is going on here. Abedi is a Swedish fighter who’s undefeated against a handful of Europeans you’ve probably never heard of, and here he is making his UFC debut against human buzzsaw Thiago Alves, who is sorely in need of a victory to lift him out of the rough spot he’s in. In one way, it’s a tough fight for Alves. After going 1-3 in his last four, he can’t afford to lose to some guy from Sweden who’s making his UFC debut. If Abedi gets knocked out by Alves, hey, what did anyone expect? But if Alves does anything but dominate Abedi, it looks bad. That’s a lot of pressure to perform, and at a critical time in his career. My pick: Alves. Debuting against a guy like Alves is asking a lot of Abedi. If he turns out to be up to the task, he’ll surprise a lot of people, me included. But I’m not willing to bet on it.
Etim’s an exciting young fighter who’s been out of action since the UFC’s trip to Abu Dhabi in April of 2010. Now he makes a comeback in front of his countrymen, and it seems like he might be getting a bit of a softball. Faaloloto is very inexperienced, and he has yet to win a fight under the Zuffa banner. He didn’t even make it out of the first round in his only UFC fight, so it seems as if just maybe the brass is feeding him to Etim with the expectation that the British crowd will enjoy seeing an American get pummeled by one of their own. That’s not bad logic, but it is bad news for Faaloloto unless he’s a lot better than he’s shown so far. My pick: Etim. With odds like those, it’s almost not worth including in the parlay. Almost.
At first glance, it seems like sort of a miracle that Perosh is still in the UFC. He got back in the organization as a late replacement against Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, who brutalized him something awful until the doctors finally stopped it. He got the requisite make-up fight back in a weight class more to his liking last February, and he made the most of it with a submission win over Tom Blackledge. Now he has to leave the friendly confines of Australia and take on the French kickboxer Diabate in an old school striker-versus-grappler match. As you can see, oddsmakers like the striker’s chances, and with good reason. Diabate is not only dangerous on the feet, he’s also learned to use his lanky frame on the mat in recent years. In fact, he’s only lost to two people in the last five years, and one was “Shogun” Rua. The other was Alexander Gustafsson, which is still not too shabby for a guy in his late 30s. Perosh, who is also pushing 40, seems like he can’t be long for the UFC with his up-and-down performances. Then again, I never would have guessed he’d hang on this long. My pick: Diabate. Another one for the parlay. Sadly, I can’t bring myself to take the long odds on “The Hippo.”
The ‘For Entertainment Purposes Only’ Parlay: Pickett + Alves + Etim + Diabate
(At least there will always be this to tide us over.)
Bad news for any of you Brits out there planning on attending UFC 138 (because, let’s be honest, you will be the only ones doing so.) Word has it that Paul Taylor has suffered minor whiplash as a result of a recent rear-end collision he was involved in and will not be competing in his main card lightweight clash with Anthony Njokuani.
As you may or may not remember, this is not the first time Taylor has been forced to pull out of a fight at the last minute. Back at UFC 112, he was deemed medically unfit to compete just days before his bout with John Gunderson after suffering a severe migraine as a result of his weight cut. This marks the third total fight in Taylor’s UFC career that he has withdrawn from as a result of injury. One more, and he will be entering James Irvin territory, which is second only to Cabrini-Green in terms of places no one ever wants to find themself.
(At least there will always be this to tide us over.)
Bad news for any of you Brits out there planning on attending UFC 138 (because, let’s be honest, you will be the only ones doing so.) Word has it that Paul Taylor has suffered minor whiplash as a result of a recent rear-end collision he was involved in and will not be competing in his main card lightweight clash with Anthony Njokuani.
As you may or may not remember, this is not the first time Taylor has been forced to pull out of a fight at the last minute. Back at UFC 112, he was deemed medically unfit to compete just days before his bout with John Gunderson after suffering a severe migraine as a result of his weight cut. This marks the third total fight in Taylor’s UFC career that he has withdrawn from as a result of injury. One more, and he will be entering James Irvin territory, which is second only to Cabrini-Green in terms of places no one ever wants to find themself.
Taylor, who most recently shellacked UFC punching bag/Paris Hilton trainer Gabe Rudiger back at UFC 126, has gone 3-3 in his last 6 bouts, with all of those victories coming over now released fighters. Njokuani on the other hand, is coming off an impressive decision victory over TUF 9 finalist Andre Winner, but will now be forced to withdraw from the card due to a lack of a replaceable opponent.
Moving up to the main card as a result will be the light heavyweight bout between Australian submission specialist Anthony “Hippo” Perosh and French stiker Cyrille Diabate. After going 0-2 in his first UFC tour of duty, Perosh was called back to the big leagues at UFC 110, where he suffered a second round doctor stoppage loss to Mirko Cro Cop. Perosh was able to bounce back and earn his first UFC win at UFC 127 however, scoring a first round rear-naked choke over Tom Blackledge.
He is facing a tough test in Diabate, a lethal striker and PRIDE veteran who has gone 2-1 in his octagon career, scoring perhaps his most notable victory in his debut, where he knocked out Luis Cane in just over 2 minutes. After suffering a second round submission in his sophomore match to Alexander Gustafsson, “The Snake” will be looking to build on his most recent victory, a somewhat lackluster decision over Steve Cantwell at UFC on Versus 3.
UFC 138 is set to transpire on November 5th and will be broadcast live in the US on Spike.
(“One Punch” may be a catchy moniker for the roguish bantamweight, but it could very well be the thing that stands between Pickett and a shot at the title. / Gruesome photo via Brad’s Facebook page.)
This Saturday’s UFC 138 event in Birmingham, England, marks the organization’s sole stop in the UK this year and, as expected, the anticipation is already at a feverish level. The card is a mixture of home-grown talent and international mainstays, and is headlined by the first five-round non-title main event in the promotion’s history between Chris Leben and Mark Munoz.
The co-main event features one of the most dynamic fighters to come out of the UK who, after a career spanning twenty-five fights with multiple appearances in the WEC and Cage Rage, is finally making his UFC debut. Brad “One Punch” Pickett meets Nova Uniao prospect Renan Barao, after a back injury forced Pickett to withdraw from his UFC 130 bout with Miguel Torres, in a potentially incendiary affair at 135lbs.
Brad took the time to chat with CagePotato.com about his preparations for this fight and his plan to snap the insane win-streak of his dangerous opponent…
CAGEPOTATO.COM: Renan Barao has twenty-six straight wins, and his only loss was a split-decision in his professional debut, six years ago. Do you think you’ve got the skills to be the first one to finish him?
BRAD PICKETT: Stats are stats. Everyone loves them but I don’t care about them. I’m going to go in there and throw hard and try to knock him out. If I can knock him out then I’ll be the first person to do that which would be brilliant, or the same if I was to submit him. I don’t look at his record and go “look at how many fights he’s won.” There’s no point in breaking it down like that because you just go into it all too much.
I honestly think I’ve fought a lot higher competition than this kid has. I’m not saying that he’s not good because you beat the people that are put in front of you but I don’t think he’s fought someone of my calibre yet. Honestly I believe I’m a better athlete and I’ve got the tools to win it. It’s my fight to throw away.
(“One Punch” may be a catchy moniker for the roguish bantamweight, but it could very well be the thing that stands between Pickett and a shot at the title. / Gruesome photo via Brad’s Facebook page.)
This Saturday’s UFC 138 event in Birmingham, England, marks the organization’s sole stop in the UK this year and, as expected, the anticipation is already at a feverish level. The card is a mixture of home-grown talent and international mainstays, and is headlined by the first five-round non-title main event in the promotion’s history between Chris Leben and Mark Munoz.
The co-main event features one of the most dynamic fighters to come out of the UK who, after a career spanning twenty-five fights with multiple appearances in the WEC and Cage Rage, is finally making his UFC debut. Brad “One Punch” Pickett meets Nova Uniao prospect Renan Barao, after a back injury forced Pickett to withdraw from his UFC 130 bout with Miguel Torres, in a potentially incendiary affair at 135lbs.
Brad took the time to chat with CagePotato.com about his preparations for this fight and his plan to snap the insane win-streak of his dangerous opponent…
CAGEPOTATO.COM: Renan Barao has twenty-six straight wins, and his only loss was a split-decision in his professional debut, six years ago. Do you think you’ve got the skills to be the first one to finish him?
BRAD PICKETT: Stats are stats. Everyone loves them but I don’t care about them. I’m going to go in there and throw hard and try to knock him out. If I can knock him out then I’ll be the first person to do that which would be brilliant, or the same if I was to submit him. I don’t look at his record and go “look at how many fights he’s won.” There’s no point in breaking it down like that because you just go into it all too much.
I honestly think I’ve fought a lot higher competition than this kid has. I’m not saying that he’s not good because you beat the people that are put in front of you but I don’t think he’s fought someone of my calibre yet. Honestly I believe I’m a better athlete and I’ve got the tools to win it. It’s my fight to throw away.
Do you think this is a riskier fight for you than your fight against Torres was because Barao doesn’t have a big profile and name value?
Miguel was, in my eyes, an amazing match up. I loved that fight and he was a huge name for me to take on but that’s done and dusted and I’ve got to put it behind me. Barao’s a more dangerous opponent not entirely based on skills just because he hasn’t got that huge name that Torres has.
It’s like when I fought Demetrious Johnson — nobody knew about that kid. I had to fight him and he was 12-0 or 14-0 at the time and I beat him and he went on a tear and now people know just how good he is. If I beat him now, I’d get a lot more praise than I did for beating him then, but it is what it is.
It’s the same as when I fought Ivan Menjivar. He was a big name back in the day, I mean he fought GSP, but he was coming back after a four-year break and he’d had one other fight. It was a really tough fight and risky for me but you’ve got to get in there and do your job. Some match ups you like and some you don’t but you’ve just got to get on with it and act professionally.
As a fighter with a reputation for staying busy; how hard has it been for you to miss the bulk of 2011 through injury?
As any sort of athlete in any sport you want to be active, especially at my time in my career. I know I haven’t got long left in my career so I want to be as active as possible. When I retire, that’ll be that, so I need to know that I’ve put everything into it and I’ve been fighting for as long as I can. Being injured at any point is not great, so I’m happy that I’m back in shape, feeling good and I’m ready to go.
My back was pretty bad and it’s thanks to the guys and both in England and America who’ve helped me a lot. I’m there now; I’m in touching distance of the fight. I’m very happy to be ready with everything. My camp’s done, I’m in shape and all I’ve got to do is not fall down stairs or anything like that and I’ll be fine.
So this has been the first complete training camp you’ve had this year obviously with the cancellations to your other fight; has it been harder to get back into it?
This camp’s been better because I’ve trained a lot smarter and listened to my body a lot more. I had Conan [Silveira] running my camp with Mike Brown over at ATT and we’ve all spoken a lot about how I’m feeling physically throughout and making the training work better as a result. We’ve still done a lot of training but it’s been more sensible because of my injury and coming back from it.
There’s certain things, with an injury, that you don’t want to do too much of and I’ve done a much better job at responding to my body as a result. It’s been a really good training camp with some great sparring partners. I had Sirwan Kakai come out from Sweden who’s a great young fighter and obviously Mike Brown and all the other guys at ATT and it’s been the best camp I can remember.
Obviously training at American Top Team has been a massive help to your development as a professional. Do you think that training abroad is the only way that a UK fighter will be able to compete on the highest level?
American Top Team have helped me with my wrestling so much and the quality of sparring partners there is amazing, but obviously the level of competition in America is much higher in general. I don’t just mean MMA athletes either — there’s a lot more high level grapplers and strikers to train with over there than in other areas.
If you’re in your gym in London or somewhere and you don’t have as big a team then you really miss when you’ve got fighters out with injuries or on holiday or preparing for a fight because there isn’t the depth. American Top Team has so many fighters that you get good sparring all year round and, for me personally, I live in the UK so when I fly to America for a camp I know that all I have to think about is nothing but business.
When you’re at home the distractions of being at home are everywhere and it’s really hard to work around them or shake them off sometimes. It’s so true about that because there’s always something happening when you’re at home and, if you’re not careful, it impacts the way you train. As soon as that plane lands in America I’m all business. I know that the next few months are going to be all about training hard and playing video games.
This is not only your first fight in England for two years but it’s also your UFC debut and it’s a co-main event. How much pressure do you feel under going into this one?
I always put pressure on myself coming up to any fight but, before, all I focused on was how much I needed to win and I wouldn’t care how I got myself through it as long as I came out with the ‘W’. My focus now is to put pressure on myself to make sure I perform well and I’ll be happy. I’m happy to be fighting; I’m probably happier about that than anything else.
I’m not going to go in there and be happy to be there and not care about the result though; that’s not my style. I’m going to go balls to the wall and try to get this win. If I can perform like I know I can perform then there’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll win. It’s a fight though. He’s going to want to beat me but if I fight the way I can then I can beat him.
I don’t think the stage will get to me because I’m quite mentally strong at this point in my career. I get nervous for my fights, everyone does, but I’m in a really good place and I’ll go out there and give it everything I have.
This fight is a big opportunity to show your skills to a much larger audience. What do you want to show to these new fans who may be watching you for the first time?
There are a lot of people in the UK who may not even know who I am because I’ve been fighting in the American circuit for the past few years. They may not have seen what I do because the WEC wasn’t really televised in the UK so unless they’re hardcore fans they’re not going to know who I am.
It’s exciting to show some of the newer fans what I’ve got to offer not just in the UK but all around the world. If you haven’t seen me fight before then I’m game and I always seem to get myself into really good fights. I’ve not been in many boring fights at all if any really.
So let’s say that you’re able to get the victory here; where does this win put you in the bantamweight division?
I really don’t like looking past an opponent and I’d be really stupid and naive to look past someone like him because he’s dangerous. Where does it put me after though if I do beat him; only in a good position. Winning at the level that I’m at can only put you in a good position. If you keep winning in the UFC then good things happen. If I win this and someone says that my next one is for the belt then that’s brilliant but as long as I keep winning then I’ll keep fighting this high level of competition and eventually a title shot will come. My goal is really simple for this fight; I’m going to go out there on Saturday and put on a great performance and come away with the win.
The best of luck on Saturday Brad, thanks again for the time. Any messages for anyone to finish?
Thanks to everyone who’s helped me out for this one both over in ATT and in the UK. I’d like to say thanks to my sponsors Headrush, Hayabusa, V.I.P Services, Venum and also the Institute of Human Performance who’ve helped me with some conditioning elements of this camp. Thanks for all the good wishes from everyone and all the support.
With the UFC running three events in the month of November (UFC 138, UFC on FOX and UFC 139), the next three weeks will prove to be the perfect meal for UFC fans. For the fans, the UK card will serve as the appetizer, UFC on Fox is the main course and …
With the UFC running three events in the month of November (UFC 138, UFC on FOX and UFC 139), the next three weeks will prove to be the perfect meal for UFC fans. For the fans, the UK card will serve as the appetizer, UFC on Fox is the main course and UFC 139 in San Jose is the dessert.
The next three weeks will be exactly what the UFC ordered from the “How to Get New Fans” menu and should also keep the hardcore, devoted fans excited and committed to the product.
Appetizer is defined as just enough food to keep you hungry, yet tasty enough to have you wanting and craving for more. The UFC has served up a few intriguing match-ups, new prime time prospects, and the premiere of the five-round non-title main event. UFC 138 has a solid top three fights on the card, with each worthy of the entire MMA world.
First up, the former UFC title contender, Thiago Alves, takes on blue-chip prospect Papy Abedi, who is making not only his UFC debut, but dropping to welterweight for the first time—talk about being thrown into deep water.
This has the potential to be a promising debut against the level of current stars Junior Dos Santos or Anderson Silva. Don’t look for Alves to lay down, as he is still among the most skilled fighters in the division despite his 1-3 record in his last four fights.
Next, you have a fighter who has the pedigree of the Champion and hasn’t lost since April 14, 2005. Renan Barao, the top training partner of current UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo, will look to showcase his talents against the always ready, WEC veteran Brad Pickett. Expect fireworks in this contest.
Last up among the appetizers is the main event with a new, progressive twist. Over the last 26 months, Chris Leben and Mark Munoz have been a combined 10-2 with six combined finishes. Both fighters have been a crash course into contention, with the victor likely to be only a win away from a fight for the UFC belt.
The lasting taste of the appetizer is one of the cool and refreshing flavor of peace of mind, the peace of mind that the main event fights, ones with huge implications, will be decided in five-rounds, and not three any longer.
Next up is the main course, which typically is created with a lot of hard work, dedication and planning. This is one that has been stewing and brewing for nearly a decade, with master chefs Dana White, Joe Silva and the Fertitta brothers each with spoons and stirrers in their hands.
UFC on FOX has been a project that has been in the works for years and years with the UFC and its fans finally being able to see and taste all of their hard work and devotion. The focus and star of the plate is the UFC Heavyweight Title fight, with Champion Cain Velasquez taking on the No. 1 contender Junior Dos Santos.
This is a fight that fans everywhere will gobble up, even those who may no be fans before. With FOX pushing the event to new heights, the amount of pleasure and success is sure to be amazing.
Accompanying the title fight with the perfect side dish is the No. 1 contender bout between spark plug and fan favorite Clay Guida and the ever improving Ben Henderson. Each is riding winning streaks, highlighted by knocking off No. 1 lightweight contenders Jim Miller and Anthony Pettis.
This lightweight fight is a worthy co-main event and one that will also be the talked about, as it has the potential to be an amazing main course all on its own. Sprinkle some celebrities and hype that is worthy of a heavyweight title event and UFC on FOX is sure to be a huge hit among the consumers.
Finally, we get to the desserts, the final flavors for ones dining experience which are often sweet to leave a great, lasting taste. This month the UFC has decided to serve up a ice cream sundae with all the toppings, making sure to included any flavor a fan desires.
On this sundae we have top prospects, legendary fighters, a long awaited rematch all surrounding a fight which fans have been waiting for years. Topping the dessert we have top prospects and 20-year-old Michael McDonald taking another step towards stardom, while middleweight up-and-comer Chris Weidman will look to continue his rise toward the top of the division by fighting the ever-tough Tom Lawlor.
For the main scoops we have the rematch of Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles, with the winner likely to take another step closer to getting revenge on UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominic Cruz, who handed each fighter their last loss.
The co-main event is a combination of legend Wanderli Silva and uber-talented Cung Le, with this having the looks of both a farewell and a debut. Each possess the skills to cause explosions of the tastebuds, and it carries a huge following with Silva as an MMA legend and Le a staple of the San Jose MMA scene.
All of this surrounds the match-up between Shogun Rua and Dan Henderson who, despite having been in Pride and the UFC together for many years, have never fought. Both fighters are coming off huge victories over major players in the sport and are looking to capture UFC gold within their next few fights. This match-up pleases everyone and will certainly leave fans with a great taste in their mouth.
Overall, the month of November has all the tools, flavors and possibilities to please any current, old or new UFC fans. This is a meal I can’t wait to devour.
With the UFC running three events in the month of November (UFC 138, UFC on FOX and