An “expect a knockout, bro” joke may be cliche, but would you rather us put “Business as usual, You Guys” in the headline?
Sometimes, it’s hard to remember that we’re supposed to be pretending that Strikeforce isn’t a dead company, and is by no means being absorbed by the UFC. Cincinnati is practically dead, despite the fact that the Strikeforce Grand Prix resumes there tonight. Strikeforce fighters are beginning to speak out about the lack of promotion that the UFC gives Strikeforce events. Strikeforce’s own champions have their next fights booked with the UFC. So today’s rumored fight isn’t so much of a surprise in the sense that another top Strikeforce fighter has reportedly been absorbed into the UFC, but rather, in the sense that we’re still going along with this “Strikeforce will continue to operate as a separate organization” thing.
In a statement released via his personal website, Vitor Belfort announced that he will be fighting Cung Le at UFC 139 in San Jose. The UFC has yet to confirm the signing of Cung Le, yet alone the announcement of this fight. Still, it appears that Vitor Belfort is already training for Le as his next opponent, as he has brought in Ray Sefo to help him train. Vitor tells fans to “Prepare to see the same dedication he takes to creating his fists the fastest in MMA to his powerful trunks.” I’m not quite sure what that means, but it sounds awesome.
An “expect a knockout, bro” joke may be cliche, but would you rather us put “Business as usual, You Guys” in the headline?
Sometimes, it’s hard to remember that we’re supposed to be pretending that Strikeforce isn’t a dead company, and is by no means being absorbed by the UFC. Cincinnati is practically dead, despite the fact that the Strikeforce Grand Prix resumes there tonight. Strikeforce fighters are beginning to speak out about the lack of promotion that the UFC gives Strikeforce events. Strikeforce’s own champions have their next fights booked with the UFC. So today’s rumored fight isn’t so much of a surprise in the sense that another top Strikeforce fighter has reportedly been absorbed into the UFC, but rather, in the sense that we’re still going along with this “Strikeforce will continue to operate as a separate organization” thing.
In a statement released via his personal website, Vitor Belfort announced that he will be fighting Cung Le at UFC 139 in San Jose. The UFC has yet to confirm the signing of Cung Le, yet alone the announcement of this fight. Still, it appears that Vitor Belfort is already training for Le as his next opponent, as he has brought in Ray Sefo to help him train. Vitor tells fans to “Prepare to see the same dedication he takes to creating his fists the fastest in MMA to his powerful trunks.” I’m not quite sure what that means, but it sounds awesome.
Former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le will enter the UFC and debut against Vitor Belfort. The UFC has not announced the fight, but Belfort said on his website late F…
Former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le will enter the UFC and debut against Vitor Belfort. The UFC has not announced the fight, but Belfort said on his website late Friday the matchup was in place.
Belfort vs. Le, according to Belfort, will take place Nov. 19 at UFC 139 in San Jose, Calif., which is Le’s home training base. Le joins Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem and welterweight champ Nick Diaz as fighters who have switched promotions since Zuffa announced its purchase of Strikeforce earlier this year. And light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson is widely believed to be returning to the UFC, as well.
Le (7-1, 7-1 Strikeforce), who will turn 40 next spring, has been out of action since a knockout win over Scott Smith in June 2010. That victory avenged his only loss, which came seven months earlier when Smith knocked him out.
All seven of Le’s pro MMA wins have come by stoppage, including the March 2008 middleweight title fight against Frank Shamrock in which he broke Shamrock’s arm with a barrage of kicks and won the belt. Le is also unbeaten in his professional kickboxing career.
But after going 18 months without defending his title, Le relinquished the belt to focus on an acting career. Le has appeared in several movies, and will appear in the forthcoming film “The Man With the Iron Fists” along with Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu and Dave Bautista, “Batista” of WWE wrestling fame, who has been long rumored to be pursuing an MMA deal with Strikeforce.
Belfort (20-9, 9-5 UFC) will be back to work quickly after his last outing, in which he made quick work of Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133. Belfort handed Akiyama a knockout loss just 1:52 into the first round. That fight was Belfort’s first since being knocked out by Anderson Silva in a middleweight title fight at UFC 126.
Belfort is now 2-1 in his return to the UFC, including a knockout win over Rich Franklin. After not fighting in all of 2010, Belfort will now fight three times in 2011, making this his most active period in five years.
UFC 139, though not yet made official by the UFC, will take place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. The last time Belfort fought there was for Strikeforce against Alistair Overeem, who like Le also just signed with the UFC.
UFC 139 originally featured a heavyweight title main event between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos. But that fight was moved to the promotion’s first show on the Fox network one week earlier.
Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort (20-9) today annouced that he’ll be facing former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le (7-1) at UFC 139.Belfort recently returned to the win column by knocking out Japanese superstar Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133.With the…
Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort (20-9) today annouced that he’ll be facing former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le (7-1) at UFC 139.
Belfort recently returned to the win column by knocking out Japanese superstar Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133.
With the victory, Belfort rebounded from a February title loss at the hands of Anderson Silva and he’ll now face one of the most dangerous strikers in the middleweight division.
Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas is where Belfort calls home for training and he’ll continue to learn under the tutelage of Gil Martinez and Ray Sefo in preparation for UFC 139.
Le claimed the Strikeforce middleweight championship by defeating Frank Shamrock in 2008. He would later relinquish the title due to movie roles, but remained one of the organization’s biggest stars.
The San Shou expert will now make his Octagon debut against one of the fiercest strikers in all of MMA.
Since the UFC announced the trip to San Jose in November, Le has been active in lobbying for a spot on the card and it appears he’s been granted his wish.
With Le’s addition to the UFC roster, he joins fellow Strikeforce veterans Alistair Overeem and Nick Diaz as the latest high profile fighters to make the transition.
For additional information, follow Joshua Carey onTwitter.
Ever since the clash between heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and No. 1 contender Junior Dos Santos was moved to take place on the first ever event the UFC will have on the Fox network, many people have been speculating what will replace the fight o…
Ever since the clash between heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and No. 1 contender Junior Dos Santos was moved to take place on the first ever event the UFC will have on the Fox network, many people have been speculating what will replace the fight on November 19th and many fans attending the event are complaining about the lack of a pay-per-view-worthy main event now with the title fight being moved.
Currently, the high profile fights on the card include Martin Kampmann vs. Rick Story, Ryan Bader vs. Jason Brilz and Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles. Those fights mixed in with the other fights currently on the card would make for a great “Fight Night” card, but it’s hard to hope for north of 500,000 PPV buys with that, let alone 250.
Right now, the UFC is focused on the promotion’s debut on Fox, Brock Lesnar‘s return, Alistair Overeem’s UFC debut and returning to Japan next February. Because of this, several cards, like this one, are suffering.
That is why one change to this card will make it at least a little more pay-per-view-worthy:
Make the Urijah Faber-Brian Bowles match for the interim bantamweight championship the main event.
It might seem like an odd move, seeing as how there is a bantamweight championship match happening not two months earlier between champion Dominick Cruz and Demetrious Johnson, but the move does make a decent amount of sense:
1. The Bowles-Faber fight is already a No. 1 contender’s fight, so this being added to the mix would just be the icing on the cake.
2. The winners can be billed as fighting for the “undisputed bantamweight championship” sometime in 2012, possibly the Super Bowl weekend card.
3. Both of these guys have won championships before, so it wouldn’t be new territory for them.
It would be a long shot for the UFC to make the change, but if it were to be done, it would make UFC 139 a little more marketable
The UFC is a sports organization, but it’s also a business. The UFC no doubt hopes that some fighters are in the limelight more than others. The heavyweight title bout between champion Cain Velasquez and challenger Junior Dos Santos is no exception&mda…
The UFC is a sports organization, but it’s also a business. The UFC no doubt hopes that some fighters are in the limelight more than others. The heavyweight title bout between champion Cain Velasquez and challenger Junior Dos Santos is no exception—it’s just that the line isn’t as clear-cut as it is with most fights.
In many high profile fights, there is a definite “good guy” and a definite “bad guy.” To put it in terms that exclude any sort of moral entanglements, there is usually a fighter who is better marketing-wise who will generate more money for the UFC with a victory.
For example, it was fortuitous for the UFC when Andrei Arlovski managed to defeat Tim Sylvia at UFC 51. Arlovski had a lot of hype behind him and had a marketable look (the long hair, the vampire fangs and the muscular physique). Sylvia, on the other hand, was kind of flabby and had no real charisma to speak of.
A more recent example would be Anderson Silva‘s victory over Yushin Okami at UFC 134. While Silva isn’t the biggest draw amongst champions, Okami’s unpopular style and inability to speak English (which Silva doesn’t speak either but at least he is more exciting) would draw even less attention and therefore pay-per-view buys.
Unfortunately, Velasquez vs. Dos Santos isn’t as easy to figure out as either of these fights or perhaps any fight in the UFC’s history—at least after it was announced that the fight would take place on the FOX network.
Before the fight was scheduled to be on FOX, it was relatively easy to figure out who the UFC would want to win.
Cain Velasquez is being billed as the UFC’s first “Mexican” heavyweight champion and has stolen the considerable amount of thunder from Brock Lesnar. Thus, it would be beneficial for the UFC’s expansion efforts into the Mexican and Latin American markets if Cain Velasquez defeated Dos Santos.
Having a Mexican heavyweight champion would be an enormous catalyst for the UFC’s expansion into the aforementioned markets and stealing potential boxing fans away from the last bastion(s) of boxing would put yet another nail into the decrepit sport’s coffin.
While a Dos Santos victory would help the UFC’s renewed expansion efforts in Brazil, those efforts hardly need help; the UFC is planning to sell out a 100,000 seat arena there in 2012. There are plenty more Brazilians to help them do that besides Dos Santos.
However, the fact that the fight will now take place on FOX changes the dynamic considerably.
Now that the fight is on FOX, there is considerable pressure for the fight to be exciting, palatable to the unwashed MMA masses in the same way that first fight between Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar was.
While Velasquez has very good striking, his forte is wrestling—which also happens to be the biggest question mark surrounding Dos Santos. Thus, Velasquez must smother Dos Santos with wrestling in order to maximize the odds that he will be victorious.
Unfortunately, wrestling is the hardest martial art in mixed martial arts for the “casual fan” (who will no doubt be watching since the fight is free on FOX) to understand. A 25-minute long wrestling clinic could spell disaster for the UFC’s debut on FOX.
On the other hand, Dos Santos has amazing striking abilities and is one of the very best technical boxers in the UFC. If Dos Santos is to win, it will likely be by a knockout (perhaps by using his fearsome uppercut).
Amongst the “casual fan,” the knockout will always be king. If the fans tune into the UFC on FOX and see a slugfest that ends with an epic knockout, they will walk away pleased…but not if the knockout is so quick that they feel unfulfilled. If the fight is too short the finicky casual fans will be dissatisfied!
Therefore, there is no easy answer to who the UFC wants to win this fight.
What matters more is how the fight is won. If the fight is over too soon, or is a long “lay and pray” fest, then the UFC’s image will be in peril. If the fight is won after a contest of epic proportions, then the UFC will reach new heights and Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos will become akin to living gods.
The UFC made an announcement earlier this week that will see Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos headline an upcoming event November 12, which will mark the organization’s debut on network television. The two heavyweights, who will compete for th…
The UFC made an announcement earlier this week that will see Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos headline an upcoming event November 12, which will mark the organization’s debut on network television.
The two heavyweights, who will compete for the UFC Heavyweight title, were originally scheduled to meet one week later at UFC 139. However, it is obvious the UFC is looking to appeal to a larger audience and they have used one of this year’s most anticipated bouts to generate an impact upon their television debut on FOX.
You can’t blame them for going all out, but the idea of promoting only one fight might leave some fans a little unsatisfied in the quality of the event, especially when they have a considerable time slot to showcase more talent.
The decision to move the heavyweight title bout onto free cable was a smart move and will certainly draw great interest from fans for a couple of reasons.
Historically, fans have always been intrigued in a heavyweight bout, as the heavyweight championship has always been seen as the most prestigious title in combat sports.
The other reason is that mixed martial arts have rarely seen two heavyweight fighters be so equal in skill, and it is hardly enjoyable to watch, as one fighter always appears to be overmatched in size or skill. In this situation, both Velasquez and dos Santos are so evenly-matched that the fight should turn out to be one of the more competitive heavyweight bouts in MMA history.
The main event will likely be a financial success for the UFC, but they have now lost a marquee bout for UFC 139. The company’s attempt to earn mainstream coverage will likely cost them a substantial amount of money for their following card, considering a heavyweight title bout generally has more implications and draws more attention on pay-per-view.
And despite their impressive records thus far, neither Velasquez or dos Santos carry personalities that will draw a lot of media coverage like Brock Lesnar, but thankfully their skills and abilities certainly overshadow that aspect.
So without a marketable main event, what does this mean for UFC 139?
Luckily the UFC is only two months away from the event and it is still very likely to reschedule a quality matchup that will keep fans interested. Rumored bouts like Dan Henderson vs. Anderson Silva, Frank Mir vs. Alistair Overeem and Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua are not out of the question, especially with the reasonable amount of time they would have to prepare, but they don’t seem to be realistic options.
A lightweight bout featuring Clay Guida and Ben Henderson would draw interest, and it is a fight that both fans and fighters have requested for some time, but it is more likely the UFC advertises co-main event fighters Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles into the main event.
Faber is one of the more popular fighters in the bantamweight division and he has proved on previous occasions that he is a credible draw for the organization, as he headlined several cards in the WEC, and most recently, headlining UFC 132 against Dominick Cruz.
The amount of success the event generates will weigh heavily on the outcome of the main event on November 12.
The UFC has invested a lot of time and money into promoting a marketable fight and gaining interest from mainstream media in order to earn acceptance as a more profitable and credible organization.
UFC President Dana White has made a lot of successful business deals in the past, and he is confident in his decision to promote a quality heavyweight title bout on television, while at the same time, losing a credible amount of value in a card that now appears to average, at best. UFC 139 was supposed to be the stage that catapulted either Velasquez or dos Santos’ careers to the next level and use the heavyweight bout to anchor the entire card.
But should their title bout fail to capitalize and live up to the hype, it will be one of the most disappointing fights in UFC history and leave a bad impression with FOX network executives, which will lead critics to further push MMA out of the spotlight.
The 
Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort (20-9) today