Tag: UFC 146

UFC News: Dan Henderson Says He’d Fight Junior Dos Santos at UFC 146

With Frank Mir seemingly out of the mix as a UFC 146 heavyweight title challenger, fans and analysts alike are beginning to wonder who could possibly step in against UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.JDS was initially scheduled to fight Alista…

With Frank Mir seemingly out of the mix as a UFC 146 heavyweight title challenger, fans and analysts alike are beginning to wonder who could possibly step in against UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.

JDS was initially scheduled to fight Alistair Overeem on May 26, but after “The Reem” failed a pre-fight drug test, that match up is in serious doubt. 

Well, light heavyweight title contender Dan Henderson has casually thrown his name in the mix to further complicate an already confusing situation.

Friday evening, Hendo responded to a fan’s tweet:

For the record, UFC President Dana White‘s announcement that Mir vs. Cain Velasquez will remain the co-main event at UFC 146 came after the former Pride star made his intentions known. 

Just a funny coincidence, or an indication of a major future announcement by the UFC? 

The Team Quest co-founder has fought the majority of his 37 professional fights at middleweight, but has been competing at 205 pounds full-time since December of 2010. 

Henderson has competed at heavyweight once, to take on fellow Pride legend Fedor Emelianenko under the Strikeforce banner. Hendo won by first-round TKO. 

At one point, Emalianenko was actually getting some fan support to replace “The Demolition Man” as a possible opponent for JDS, but that idea was shot down when it was revealed that “The Last Emperor” will be fighting on June 21.

Former Strikeforce fighter/professional wrestler Bobby Lashley seems to be his most likely opponent as of right now.

Another wild-card replacement exists in Samoan power puncher Mark Hunt, who currently has a Twitter campaign supporting him as a worthy title challenger.

Hunt said that he was flattered by the fan support, but that he personally thought the title fight would go to Mir.

Now that White has shot that notion down, is Hunt seriously being considered to headline a pay-per-view with “Cigano” next month?

One fun fact to consider if a Henderson vs. dos Santos super fight were to go down: Henderson weighed in at 207 pounds for his sole heavyweight bout, while JDS weighed 239 pounds when he won the gold strap from Cain Velasquez in November. 

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Dana White Crosses Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez Off Short List of Potential Dos Santos Opponents

Crazy enough to come true? (Photoshop via @ItsChrisRees)

In the wake of the Alistair Overeem testosterone scandal, we’re left with a steaming pile of science to sort through. We’ve learned that the half-life of injectable testosterone is eight days, and that grown men don’t naturally double in size in five year’s time. But as usual, science doesn’t have all of the answers, and with less than two months to go before UFC 146, we’re left with one important question: Who will be challenging Junior Dos Santos for his belt?

According to his twitter account, Dana White won’t be waiving in former champions Frank Mir or Cain Velasquez to save the day, choosing to face the pair off as previously planned. If we take the UFC Prez at his word–and really, why wouldn’t we?–we’re left with very few options for healthy, deserving fighters available on short notice. One potential, albeit unlikely name being bandied about online is Mark Hunt. The #RallyForMarkHunt campaign has garnered some attention for the Super Samoan, but time will tell who actually gets the shot at gold.

All things considered, who do you want to see standing across the Octagon from ‘Cigano’ on May 26th?

Crazy enough to come true?  (Photoshop via @ItsChrisRees)

In the wake of the Alistair Overeem testosterone scandal, we’re left with a steaming pile of science to sort through. We’ve learned that the half-life of injectable testosterone is eight days, and that grown men don’t naturally double in size in five year’s time. But as usual, science doesn’t have all of the answers, and with less than two months to go before UFC 146, we’re left with one important question: Who will be challenging Junior Dos Santos for his belt?

According to his twitter account, Dana White won’t be waiving in former champions Frank Mir or Cain Velasquez to save the day, choosing to face the pair off as previously planned. If we take the UFC Prez at his word–and really, why wouldn’t we?–we’re left with very few options for healthy, deserving fighters available on short notice. One potential, albeit unlikely name being bandied about online is Mark Hunt. The #RallyForMarkHunt campaign has garnered some attention for the Super Samoan, but time will tell who actually gets the shot at gold.

All things considered, who do you want to see standing across the Octagon from ‘Cigano’ on May 26th?

UFC 146: Who Should Replace Alistair Overeem to Fight Junior Dos Santos?

The @RallyForMarkHunt Twitter account has gathered 135 followers. Not exactly a tidal wave, but then no other heavyweight on the UFC’s roster has quite captivated the fans’ imaginations as Mark Hunt has to replace Alistair Overeem and fight…

The @RallyForMarkHunt Twitter account has gathered 135 followers. Not exactly a tidal wave, but then no other heavyweight on the UFC’s roster has quite captivated the fans’ imaginations as Mark Hunt has to replace Alistair Overeem and fight for the UFC Heavyweight Championship against Junior Dos Santos.

On the face of it, it would be a story straight out of Hollywood. The “Super Samoan” was one of the remaining Pride legends inherited by the UFC on a five-fight losing streak who instead of retiring on a guaranteed income chose to fight. An unlikely prospect, who at 38 has rebuilt his career while his contemporaries faded into retirement and after three back-to-back victories, Hunt is now staring down the biggest fight of his life.

Hunt would certainly pose a similar threat to Dos Santos as Overeem would have. His striking is at the elite level for MMA on par with anyone in the decision and it would be a fascinating test for Dos Santos’ claims to be the best striker in the Heavyweight division.

Dana White has already ruled out Frank Mir, the original favourite to replace Overeem, which also rules out Cain Velasquez.

The UFC could wait to for the winner of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, but Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier are set to decide that on May 19, only a week before UFC 146. So that rules them two out.

The next two fighters that could be possible title contenders, Shane Carwin or Antonio Minotauro Nogueira are both out with an injury.

This leaves Fabricio Werdum, as the next most credible challenger, whose return to the UFC in February was marked with an outstanding decision victory against Roy Nelson. He already has history with Do Santos and he would be keen to avenge the loss which saw him dropped by the UFC back in 2008.

Werdum’s striking, under the tutelage of Rafael Cordeiro, is much improved and it would be fascinating to see how he would square-up against Dos Santos a second time around.

Dos Santos is a BJJ brown belt under the Nogeuira brothers and a ground match between him and elite BJJ specialist Werdum would also be compelling.

Outside of him there is Pat Barry, another high-level striker coming off a victory. But he’s also had two losses before that and seems far from ready for a title shot.

Stefan Struve is another name that could be mentioned. He’s coming off impressive victories against Pat Barry and Dave Herman. However, Struve failed to get past the first round against Dos Santos back in 2009 and it’s not clear whether he’s done enough to earn a rematch.

Who do you think should replace Overeem and challenge Dos Santos for the title?

 

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UFC 146: Dana White Says "Mir vs Cain Will Happen"

Having six heavyweight fighters in one place proved to be an opportune time for the Nevada State Athletic Commission to administer out of competition drug tests. With Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, Frank Mir, Cain Velasquez, Roy Nelson and Antoni…

Having six heavyweight fighters in one place proved to be an opportune time for the Nevada State Athletic Commission to administer out of competition drug tests. With Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, Frank Mir, Cain Velasquez, Roy Nelson and Antonio Silva on the dais at the MGM Grand on March 27, the NSAC brought tests to the fighters.

As NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer told MMAFighting, “We brought the drug test to them instead of making them go to the drug test. If they were not in Las Vegas, I would need to find them a lab, which is of course, much more of a hassle.” 

While the testing was not a hassle for the NSAC, the results created some big problems for the UFC as Alistair Overeem’s testosterone to epitestosterone ratio came in far above the allowable six to one limit. That test result put the main event of UFC 146, a title fight between UFC champion Dos Santos and Overeem in jeopardy.

Since that announcement, speculation has run rampant as to who would compete against Dos Santos for the title.  Almost immediately, Frank Mir threw his hat into the ring offering his services.  Shortly after that, a twitter campaign began supporting the idea of getting Mark Hunt into the heavyweight title bout.

Both Mir and Hunt are booked on the UFC 146 card, which is set to take place on May 26. Mir is scheduled to face Cain Velasquez in a bout that was originally set to determine the next No. 1 contender for the heavyweight crown.  For his part, Hunt is booked to face Stefan Struve.

The UFC has been silent on the subject of possible replacements for Overeem, who has yet to be officially removed from the card.

 While the UFC has not offered any comment, UFC president Dana White has answering a tweet:

It’s an interesting comment from White, but one should not read too much into that answer.  As what seems to be missing is a date or fight card.  Has White thrown fans a red herring or is he setting the table for a big announcement to come?

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report MMA for further developments on UFC 146.

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UFC 146: Mark Hunt vs. Junior Dos Santos Is the Fight the Fans Want to See

The UFC isn’t able to replace Alistair Overeem. The fight between him and Junior Dos Santos was the best fight there has ever been in the heavyweight division, and once Overeem failed the surprise pre-fight drug screening, the quality of the card …

The UFC isn’t able to replace Alistair Overeem. The fight between him and Junior Dos Santos was the best fight there has ever been in the heavyweight division, and once Overeem failed the surprise pre-fight drug screening, the quality of the card took a huge and immediate hit.

Whoever is brought in to face Dos Santos, it won’t be as nearly a big a fight, but the UFC must make the best of a bad situation by putting on the fight the fans want to see, which is JDS vs. Mark Hunt.

If Hunt wins the UFC heavyweight title, then script writers in Hollywood need to drop everything, because there is a new movie being made about the man who the UFC never even wanted, who snapped a six-fight losing streak to somehow work his way back into title contention.

Hunt’s story is made for Hollywood, and at the age of 38, he could be on the verge of a very happy ending. I’m getting ahead of myself here because there is every chance that even if the fight does happen, Hunt won’t win.

He should still be given the chance to try, however, because he has many of the same qualities as Overeem, including K-1 level striking and a preference for the stand-up over the ground game. Frank Mir, who may be the most viable alternative, would have come in with nothing else on his mind except to take Dos Santos to the ground.

The winner of the Strikeforce Grand Prix deserves a contract with the UFC and maybe even a title shot. But bringing in one of the Grand Prix finalists at this stage would completely undermine the entire process, so I think the names of Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier can be scratched off the list.

Fedor Emelianenko is going to be fighting in Russia in June, and there are plenty of other top heavyweights not signed to Zuffa for him to fight. (Not.) The Pride legend would have been a popular replacement for Overeem, but a difficult one to organize, as the UFC would not sign him to a one-fight contract just in case he actually beat Dos Santos.

The UFC has shown a willingness to sabotage Strikeforce in the past, so abandoning the heavyweight Grand Prix to rescue the UFC 146 card might be an option. Fabricio Werdum could also be pulled off the UFC 147 card and given a title shot in recognition of his services to the Dana White cause in giving Emelianenko his first loss in nearly 10 years.

Hunt is the only option that would satisfy the fans. None of these fighters has really earned a title shot yet, but at least the possibility of the 38-year-old becoming the most unlikely UFC champion in history would give people something to talk about.

The UFC has turned into a gigantic global business because of their loyal fans. It’s time to give the fans what they want by letting Mark Hunt have a heavyweight title shot.

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Chael Sonnen Rips Alistair Overeem for Failing Drug Test Prior to UFC 146

Always outspoken UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen ripped UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem for failing a Nevada State Athletic Commission random drug test administered prior to UFC 146.”The Demolition Man” was slated to meet UFC heavyweight champ…

Always outspoken UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen ripped UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem for failing a Nevada State Athletic Commission random drug test administered prior to UFC 146.

“The Demolition Man” was slated to meet UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos in the main event with the belt on the line, but the bout is now in serious jeopardy.

Late on Wednesday night, the day the news initially broke, Sonnen tweeted:

 

The NSAC says that fighters must have a testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio of no higher than 6-1.

Overeem’s test results yielded an eye-popping 14-1 T-E ratio, according to MMAFighting.com.

While MMA fans no doubt recall Sonnen failing a post-fight drug test after losing to UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 117, they may not recall that the Team Quest standout had a T-E ratio of 16.9 to one.

Sonnen defended the positive test by saying that he had been using testosterone replacement therapy to treat hypogonadism.

He also went on to explain that the issue was a matter of disclosure and therefore more of a misunderstanding between the NSAC and Sonnen’s camp than anything else.

“Uncle Chael” has adamantly denied using steroids each time he has been questioned since his positive test.

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