Tag: UFC 141

UFC 141: Brock Lesnar Generates Massive PPV Buys

According to The Wrestling Observer, Brock Lesnar has helped generate in the region of 750,000 to 800,000 pay-per-view buys for his UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) 141 showdown with Alistair Overeem. The former UFC heavyweight champion announced h…

According to The Wrestling Observer, Brock Lesnar has helped generate in the region of 750,000 to 800,000 pay-per-view buys for his UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) 141 showdown with Alistair Overeem.

The former UFC heavyweight champion announced his retirement following his first-round loss to former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Overeem in that main event.

Lesnar first won the belt back at UFC 91 in only his fourth professional fight as a mixed martial artist.

He went on to successfully defend it twice before losing the title to Cain Velasquez, which happened after he’d made a comeback from an operation to remedy a bout of diverticulitis.

That same disease reoccurred in early 2011, and he was again sidelined, only to meet his demise against “The Demolition Man” at UFC 141.

At present, there’s speculation that the former NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division I standout could be returning to the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) where he first came to prominence.

That, however, is subject to whether the UFC hierarchy and President Dana White release him from his existing contract.

Since his arrival at the Zuffa-based promotion back in 2008, Lesnar has been the top PPV draw, which in no small measure has been due to the WWE contingent he brought with him to the firm.

To date, several of his matchups have generated some of the highest buy rates in UFC history—UFC 100: Lesnar vs. Mir 2 (1.6 million), UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin (1.16 million), UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez (1.05 million) and UFC 91: Lesnar vs. Couture (1.01 million).

These latest figures will place the UFC 141 event somewhere between 11 and 14 in the top UFC PPV’s of all time.

 

For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter

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Drunken UFC President Dana White Says Brock Lesnar Can Go to WWE

At UFC 141, the sport witnessed the fall and exit of arguably the most imposing heavyweight fighter to ever grace the cage.Former champion Brock Lesnar took on Strikeforce transplant Alistair Overeem in a highly anticipated blockbuster fight, though th…

At UFC 141, the sport witnessed the fall and exit of arguably the most imposing heavyweight fighter to ever grace the cage.

Former champion Brock Lesnar took on Strikeforce transplant Alistair Overeem in a highly anticipated blockbuster fight, though the bout failed to live up to any real expectations as “The Demolition Man” brutalized the former collegiate wrestler.

After fending off one takedown early, Overeem’s confidence grew as the K-1 vet blasted Lesnar with knees to the body, wilting him against the fence where a kick to the midsection and subsequent short rights to the head and body sealed the first-round TKO victory.

Following the decisive finish, Lesnar announced his retirement from the sport, something that he intended to do should he suffer defeat once again.

It was the second consecutive loss for Lesnar, who returned to the Octagon following invasive surgery which saw the North Dakota native have more than 12 inches of his colon removed following his second battle with diverticulitis—a common digestive disease. 

Lesnar has made no indication where his future will lead him next, though UFC President Dana White has officially given the former heavyweight kingpin his blessings should the enigmatic fight chose to return to his original profession as a professional wrestler.

“Yes, he can go. He can go to the [WWE],” said White, who was exiting a night club out of Hollywood, California early this week, slightly more inebriated than usual. 

“You might be drunker than I am right now,” joked White to the reporter at hand.

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Nick & Nate Diaz: Two Elite Warriors in a Game Ruled by Athletes

Knockout power? Who needs it? In the west coast lair of Cesar Gracie, there roams two ferocious lions with plenty of killer instinct. The Diaz brothers are Gracie trained Jiu Jitsu wizards with a flair for the dramatic, and a raw approach to fight…

Knockout power? Who needs it?
 
In the west coast lair of Cesar Gracie, there roams two ferocious lions with plenty of killer instinct. The Diaz brothers are Gracie trained Jiu Jitsu wizards with a flair for the dramatic, and a raw approach to fighting that does nothing if it doesn’t entertain.
 
Even with their blades sharpened on the mats at the Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is only one weapon they carry in their arsenal. The other threat that has been par for the course in many Diaz brother fights is the relentless aggression unleashed at the end of what can only be described as peppering strikes that batter and debilitate opponents.
 
The open wing style made famous by elder brother Nick Diaz has been nothing new in hardcore MMA fan circles. His ability to both run his mouth and run his game simultaneously inside the cage has made him famous as a vicious warrior with a lethal striking game backed up by an even more dangerous prowess on the ground.
 
While Nick has been smacking opponents around with smack talk and physical abuse for years, his younger brother Nate has been making his own waves lately as yet another hardcore Diaz component who can back up as much trash as he can talk.
 
Both men hail from what is known as the Scrap Pack. A group of elite fighters including Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, and former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields among others.
 
The paths of Nick and Nate have taken different turns in their respective careers, but their common approach to the game would lead any newcomer to MMA to peg them for brothers out of any lineup. With a style that rubs many a fight fan the wrong way, these two have pummeled and grudged their way to a place that few will ever attain in this sport.
 
They are highly recognizable figures in the game and their combination of brutality, flare, and success sets them apart from many of their competitors in the sport of MMA. Plenty of critics can paint pictures as to why these brothers leave a bad taste in their mouth, but at the end of the day like many defeated foes the critics can never deny the ability and performances they display.
 
The record speaks for itself, more so recently than ever before.
 
Consider for a moment the near four year win streak Nick is on finishing nine of eleven opponents.  Or Nate’s five fight of the night and three submission of the night honors. But it is their respective recent bouts that really signal that perhaps their best accolades have yet to be written.
 
The name B.J. Penn strikes fear into even the greatest of fighters. Very few men are walking this planet who can say they didn’t give heavy consideration to saying yes to a fight with Baby J. Fewer still can actually say they beat him.
 
Of the ones who did beat Penn, not one can claim they ran the type of beating on him that Nick Diaz did at UFC 137 in a fight of the night performance. There is no question that great fighters have found a way against Penn in the past. But no one beat him down as badly as Nick Diaz did.
 
With a ruthless onslaught of endless strikes and highly technical ground scrambles the two went to war for three rounds, but it was clear midway through the fight that Penn was at the mercy of Diaz. No mercy was afforded to the all-time MMA great.
 
A true warrior, the Hawaiian refused to be stopped but the writing was on the wall in the UFC welterweight division; there was a new bad boy in town and he rode in on a dark horse.
 
For Nate Diaz his most recent UFC performance was an absolute stunner to many in the MMA community. A man simply known as “The Cowboy” in MMA circles is by far and away considered one of the top lightweights in the world.
 
While Donald Cerrone may still be one of the top lightweights in the game, any momentum he carried was stolen away by a game and relentless Nate Diaz at UFC 141 in, yep you guessed it, another fight of the night performance.
 
Setting a compustrike record Nate Diaz pummeled a stunned Cerrone in front of an unsuspecting MMA community with deadly precision that saw him land 82% of his strikes as he connected on 258 of 314 attempts. Go ahead fight fan, drink that in for a minute, we will wait.
 
Diaz outstruck a man with a 28-0 Muay Thai record. That is quite a feather in the cap of a guy who many thought only had a sick ground game to offer.
 
So all things considered, trash talk, rabid Diaz fans, fed up Diaz critics, filthy ground wizardy and peppering strikes that lack power but equal disaster more often than not, it becomes quite compelling to analyze the Diaz brothers.
 
Eddie Bravo said it best when he described Nick Diaz to Hurtsbad MMA. “You can’t create that. You can’t create Nick Diaz. That guy has some serious warrior spirit or something. In another life that guy was f@#$%^g Genghis Khan or something.”
 
While he was talking about older brother Nick, it very much applied to both the Diaz brothers.  Coming from a man who has forgotten more about MMA than most of us will ever know, it’s hard to argue.
 
Simply put, the knockout power may not be the allure, the trash talk may be a turn off for some, but when it all comes down no one can deny how entertaining and amazing the Diaz brothers are when they compete.
 
Stockton, California is a hard town, and for two kids raised there, no one can really understand what they went through coming up and what made them conduct their business the way they do. But all in all that process combined with the tutelage of legend Cesar Gracie has created two of MMA’s top warriors.
 
Not just athletes, not just fighters, but in the words of Bravo “Warriors”. Take them or leave them but their scraps speak for themselves.

 

This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA. Follow us on Twitter @HurtsBad

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WWE News: Dana White Says That Brock Lesnar Can Leave the UFC, Return to the WWE

Even Dana White isn’t safe from the paparazzi when he’s leaving a club after a night on the town. As the UFC president was leaving “The Agency” in Hollywood, he was asked questions by the fans gathered around the exit of the clu…

Even Dana White isn’t safe from the paparazzi when he’s leaving a club after a night on the town.

As the UFC president was leaving “The Agency” in Hollywood, he was asked questions by the fans gathered around the exit of the club about topics ranging from Brock Lesnar to Jon Jones and even New Year’s resolutions.

White said that he would let the former UFC heavyweight champion Lesnar return to the WWE, the company that first made him a household name before making the jump to the biggest MMA company in the world.

With the drawing power of Lesnar now gone from the UFC, White said that current light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones could be the company’s next big star as he was proclaimed by White as one of the baddest men on the planet.

Before escaping the questions, the act of making New Year’s resolutions isn’t a popular topic with White as he said people should wake up each day as if it were New Year’s Day instead of just January 1st.

While some people might take this and run with it saying Brock is going back to the WWE and Jones is going to be the next Lesnar in the UFC, Dana White looked to be a bit over served after his evening at “The Agency” so I would take what he said with a grain of salt.

So Bleachers Report readers, what did you think about the comments made by Dana White in the video and is there any truth about White letting Brock Lesnar leave his contract with the UFC and return to the WWE?

Chris Humphrey is a featured columnist for bleacherreport.com. He has covered everything from college football, college basketball, UFC, NFL, NBA and the WWE in his short time writing for the website. You can become a fan of him on B/R and follow him on Twitter @_CBH_.

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Alistair Overeem on Brock Lesnar: ‘It Would Be a Shame If He Stopped Now’

Brock Lesnar was perhaps the most polarizing figure in MMA history.After getting crushed by Alistair Overeem at UFC 141, the former UFC heavyweight champion decided to pull the plug on his fight career. It was a decision that is being greeted with mixe…

Brock Lesnar was perhaps the most polarizing figure in MMA history.

After getting crushed by Alistair Overeem at UFC 141, the former UFC heavyweight champion decided to pull the plug on his fight career. It was a decision that is being greeted with mixed responses from fans.

On one hand, Lesnar, who has been plagued over the last couple of years with a serious case of diverticulitis, is making the right decision to ensure his future health.

On the other hand, there is a general consensus that the former WWE superstar never quite reached his full potential in the fight game.

Apparently, Former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Overeem falls in the latter category.

“I think he shouldn’t walk away because, love him or hate him, there’s always something when Brock’s fighting,” Overeem said at the post-fight press conference.

“He’s a guy who goes for it. I think he’s achieved a lot in a short span, and yeah, it would be a shame if he stopped now. I think there’s still more to gain for him.”

Lesnar defeated Randy Couture and claimed the coveted UFC title in only his fourth professional bout in November 2008. After a couple of successful defenses over Frank Mir and Shane Carwin, Lesnar was finally dethroned by heavyweight phenom Cain Velasquez.

It’s easy to forget the infant-like nature of Lesnar’s career due to his appearance in so many major heavyweight bouts. He ends his career with a record of 5-3.

There are amateurs in the sport with more fight experience than Lesnar.

To echo Overeem’s remarks, it’s a shame to see a fighter with Lesnar’s athletic gifts and potential suddenly walk away after such a short career, but his health should be taken into consideration over fighting.

The constant surgeries were obviously taking a toll on Lesnar, who kept defying the odds and bouncing back. There’s nothing left to prove for the Minnesota native.

When the world laughed at his MMA aspirations, he jumped ship, captured the UFC title and ascended to the top of the heavyweight division.

Lesnar proved himself as a unique and capable individual in the sport who will be talked about for years to come.

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UFC 141: Is Jacob Volkmann the Most Awkward Fighter in the UFC?

Following his unanimous decision win over Efrain Escudero, Jacob Volkmann in a UFC 141 post-fight interview said he’d like to get the President of the United States, Barack Obama, in a “painful submission” and rip his arm off in a Kimura. “…

Following his unanimous decision win over Efrain Escudero, Jacob Volkmann in a UFC 141 post-fight interview said he’d like to get the President of the United States, Barack Obama, in a “painful submission” and rip his arm off in a Kimura.

“I would for sure take him down and submit him. I would try to make it a very painful submission though. Try and do like a Kimura or an armbar, try and rip it,” Volkmann told MiddleEasy.Com. 

This isn’t the first time the NCAA Division-I wrestler has let rip at the President. After upending Antonio McKee at UFC 125, he was accosted by “The MMA Hour” podcast host Ariel Helwani.

In the interview, he spoke about his win over McKee, and when asked who he’d like his next opponent to be, initially he mentioned Clay Guida, but instantaneously turned his attentions to Obama.

“Actually, Obama. He’s not too bright,” Volkmann said.

“Someone’s gotta knock some sense into that idiot,” Volkmann said.

It’s safe to say his comments didn’t go down to well with the White House, as he was paid a visit by the U.S Secret Service.

Also, it’s overly evident that “Christmas” has issues with Obama’s administration and his policies.

So, does such behavior justify having the tag of most awkward personality in the UFC?

Not in the least.

I’m under the assumption that Volkmann is an electorate, and the last time I looked, the United States of America was and still is a democratic society.

If anyone has that honor in the UFC, then Chael Patrick Sonnen is your man.

Putting aside the Brazilian mixed martial artists, Sonnen has in no small measure insulted its denizens and the nation itself, whilst making racial overtures to boot.

Rightly or wrongly, he is entitled to voice whatever opinions he has of anybody or towards any society, as does Volkmann—it’s called freedom of speech.

Still, add his long list of misdemeanors to the equation, then that more or less wraps it up with regards to the most coarse and clownish personality in the Zuffa-based promotion.

Succinctly put, Volkmann’s assumed gawkiness has nothing on Sonnen whatsoever, and I highly doubt that his latest outburst will do anything to hinder his or the progress of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

 

For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter.

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