Tag: UFC 147

UFC 147: Jose Aldo vs Frankie Edgar Is the Only Option

Jose Aldo being UFC 147″ target=”_blank” href=”http://mmajunkie.com/news/28405/ufc-147-keeps-belfort-vs-silva-2-expected-to-get-champ-aldo-at-date-tba.mma”>moved to UFC 147 on June 23 gives Dana White a small time frame in which to lock down a worth…

Jose Aldo being UFC 147” target=”_blank” href=”http://mmajunkie.com/news/28405/ufc-147-keeps-belfort-vs-silva-2-expected-to-get-champ-aldo-at-date-tba.mma”>moved to UFC 147 on June 23 gives Dana White a small time frame in which to lock down a worthy challenger for the Brazilian champion.

Current rankings suggest that Hatsu Hioki, Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung are the only featherweights who are within arm’s reach of a shot at the belt.

With today’s announcement that Hioki has agreed to face Ricardo Lamas the night prior at UFC on FX 4, we can rule him out as an option.

What makes the announcement more interesting is the fact that Poirier and The Korean Zombie are scheduled to square off at UFC on FUEL 3 on May 15th.

With the common practice of issuing medical suspensions to both the winner and loser of a hard-fought battle, it’s too risky to bank on the winner of this fight being medically cleared and physically prepared with only a 40-day turnaround.

You may be thinking to yourself that the UFC will simply pick another fight to headline the May card, but the event is only three weeks away and already lacks the star power of other shows. At the time this article was written, the co-main event features Amir Sadollah vs Jorge Lopez. 

With the only three candidates for the belt unavailable for June, Joe Silva will need to contact a title-worthy opponent from another weight class. 

Enter Frankie Edgar.

Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar has been in five championship fights and won four of them. His total time fighting with gold on the line clocks in at just under two hours. His name value and experience in big fights makes him an amazing candidate.

Worried about the weight class? Don’t be. The eternal underdog is an undersized lightweight who simply has to avoid a salty lunch to make 155. Dropping to 145 wouldn’t be a problem for Edgar and it has been advised to him for much of his career.

Although Edgar showed initial resistance to dropping to featherweight, recent comments from the former lightweight champion hint that he has had a change of heart.

Aldo has previously commented that he wants to fight Edgar so badly that he does not care what weight class at which the bout is held.

You may think that this is crazy. Why would Frankie give up a shot at a rematch with Benson Henderson? It’s simple. I point to an old saying to illustrate my point.

“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!”

If Frankie is offered a choice between a title shot now and a title shot later, he should take the one that is now. Rashad Evans expected to fight Shogun Rua after winning a No. 1 contenders bout with Rampage in May of 2010. He didn’t receive his shot at the belt until April of 2012.

Frankie is 33 years old, and doesn’t have the luxury of time in the event that Henderson gets hurt and the rematch is further delayed.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for up-to-date news on all things MMA.

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UFC 147: Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar Is the Right Main Event

This afternoon, the UFC confirmed that Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II has been moved to UFC 148 and a void has been left on the card. Dana White stated at the press conference that featherweight champion Jose Aldo will likely be added to …

This afternoon, the UFC confirmed that Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II has been moved to UFC 148 and a void has been left on the card. Dana White stated at the press conference that featherweight champion Jose Aldo will likely be added to the event.

Tentatively scheduled to fight at UFC 149 against an undetermined opponent, Aldo would be happy to fight one month sooner if it means he can fight in his home country once again. After all, we saw how well the live crowd embraced their champion after his UFC 142 title defense against Chad Mendes.

Frankie Edgar is the right opponent for several reasons.

First of all, the backstory is already written. Edgar is a undersized lightweight who has the skills to win and defend the championship against men who are vastly larger. Fans and Dana White alike have been clamoring for Edgar to drop down and fight Aldo. Even Aldo wants this fight. This matchup is an intriguing fight for fans everywhere.

Secondly, Edgar is the only quality name in the division who fans would be willing to accept as a pay-per-view main eventer. The miserable 235,000 PPV purchases for UFC 142 will show you that MMA fans are not willing to spend their hard-earned dollars on someone they don’t think can unseat Aldo. Hatsu Hioki is a very talented fighter, but a large number of fans would not be willing to part ways with $45 to see him fight for gold.

Lastly, Edgar looks like he may be ready to concede that a drop to featherweight is the right move for him eventually. Now that the stars have aligned for this fantastic opportunity, the former champion will know to strike while the iron is hot.

Not to mention that this bout would free up Ben Henderson for either a rematch with Anthony Pettis or a bout with the Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz winner.

We want Aldo vs. Edgar. Make it happen, Dana!

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UFC 147: Why Silva vs Sonnen Being Moved Is Great News for Hatsu Hioki

With today’s official announcement that Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen will now take place at UFC 148, instead of UFC 147 as originally planned, there is no bigger benefactor than featherweight contender Hatsu Hioki.While Hioki is not directly affected…

With today’s official announcement that Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen will now take place at UFC 148, instead of UFC 147 as originally planned, there is no bigger benefactor than featherweight contender Hatsu Hioki.

While Hioki is not directly affected, a replacement main event will be added. You see, along with the news that Silva/Sonnen has been postponed, Dana White stated that featherweight champion Jose Aldo will likely be added to the card.

Hioki has gone 2-0 inside the Octagon and is riding the momentum of a six-fight winning streak. Normally, he would be the natural choice to face Aldo, the champion of a division with few clear-cut contenders. However, there are two other dogs that have been in the chase.

Fellow contenders Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung have each made a sizable impact within the division as of late, with the Korean Zombie knocking out Mark Hominick and Poirier riding his own five-fight streak. With all three men laying a legitimate claim to a title shot, Aldo’s opponent was still up in the air.

Poirier and Zombie are currently scheduled for a May 15th encounter at UFC on FUEL TV 3 in Fairfax, VA. The winner of the contest would potentially have the time to recuperate and challenge Aldo at his previously scheduled UFC 149 title defense.

Now that Aldo is being relocated to UFC 147, it does not appear that the Zuffa boys will have time to wait for a contender to emerge. Unless they plan to do some major shuffling to UFC on the FUEL event (which is unlikely), Hioki is the logical choice to step in and fight for a chance at glory.

Keep in mind that all of this is contingent on Frankie Edgar not dropping down to Featherweight.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for updates on all things UFC as they become available.

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Silva vs. Sonnen II Moved to UFC 148, July 7th in Las Vegas

By Elias Cepeda

(The Silva/Sonnen staredown nuzzledown from today’s press-conference, via MMAMania.)

The good news? Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will indeed rematch one another this summer. The bad news, at least for Brazilian fans, is that the mega bout will not take place in Brazil as originally planned, but rather in Las Vegas.

UFC President Dana White convened a press conference in Rio this morning, breaking the news alongside middleweight champion Silva and #1 contender Sonnen. White said he wanted to secure a soccer stadium in either Sao Paulo or Rio de Janiero for UFC 147, with Silva vs. Sonnen headlining, but that “everything that could go wrong, went wrong.” That included a United Nations conference being scheduled in Rio during the weekend UFC 147 was originally scheduled for, creating an insurmountable logistical nightmare for the promotion.

Silva vs. Sonnen II will now be moved to UFC 148 on July 7th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Vegas. UFC 147 will still take place in Brazil, though White said a venue has yet to be secured. The event is scheduled to feature the rematch between Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, as well as the middleweight and featherweight finals of TUF Brazil. White said that the UFC is also working on moving Jose Aldo to that card from his UFC 149 engagement, against an opponent to be named later.

By Elias Cepeda

(The Silva/Sonnen staredown nuzzledown from today’s press-conference, via MMAMania.)

The good news? Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will indeed rematch one another this summer. The bad news, at least for Brazilian fans, is that the mega bout will not take place in Brazil as originally planned, but rather in Las Vegas.

UFC President Dana White convened a press conference in Rio this morning, breaking the news alongside middleweight champion Silva and #1 contender Sonnen. White said he wanted to secure a soccer stadium in either Sao Paulo or Rio de Janiero for UFC 147, with Silva vs. Sonnen headlining, but that “everything that could go wrong, went wrong.” That included a United Nations conference being scheduled in Rio during the weekend UFC 147 was originally scheduled for, creating an insurmountable logistical nightmare for the promotion.

Silva vs. Sonnen II will now be moved to UFC 148 on July 7th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Vegas. UFC 147 will still take place in Brazil, though White said a venue has yet to be secured. The event is scheduled to feature the rematch between Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, as well as the middleweight and featherweight finals of TUF Brazil. White said that the UFC is also working on moving Jose Aldo to that card from his UFC 149 engagement, against an opponent to be named later.

During today’s press conference, Anderson Silva said that he was “not happy that the fight wont be in Brazil,” but that he has “fans worldwide…nothing will really change.”

Sonnen, who’s had a well-documented history of insulting Brazil and its people, also said he was disappointed to not be fighting in the country. “Especially [losing out on] coming to a stadium,” Sonnen explained. “St. Pierre vs. Shields was in a stadium with 55,000 people watching and I was hoping to be a part of breaking that…The plan was to come here, take your money, come take [Silva’s] belt and go back to America.”

Dana White Denies Rumors That Anderson Silva Will Be Stripped of UFC Title

With the UFC travelling to Brazil this week to make an announcement regarding UFC 147, UFC President Dana White dismissed the idea of possibly stripping UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.It is believed that the main event between Chael Sonnen an…

With the UFC travelling to Brazil this week to make an announcement regarding UFC 147, UFC President Dana White dismissed the idea of possibly stripping UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

It is believed that the main event between Chael Sonnen and the champion will be postponed and relocated to Las Vegas, where the two middleweight contenders will be placed on the UFC 148 card, tentatively scheduled for July 7th.

It was reported that the notion of facing Sonnen in Las Vegas had not sat well with Silva and he refused to fight him.

White cleared up the rumor during the UFC 145 post-fight press conference this past weekend:

“That is such a f***ing lie. It’s crazy. Wherever that came from, if it was a media source or whoever said it, it’s an absolute flat-out lie. Anderson and I haven’t had a problem about this fight.”

The event has been forced to change venues due to a United Nations conference scheduled for the same week, putting the main event in jeopardy.

It still expected that UFC 147 will commence, but co-headliners Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva are likely to replace Sonnen and Silva in the main event.

White did not reveal too many details, but he said they are still planning on holding the card in Brazil on June 23rd.

“We had the whole arena mapped out and ready to go. We were pumped and ready for that,” he said.

“The whole thing just fell apart. We’re working on it still at this minute.”

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UFC 147: Ed Soares Confirms Silva vs. Sonnen Rematch Is Signed for June 23rd

Ed Soares, Anderson Silva’s manager, has dismissed the rumors regarding UFC 147’s main event between the Brazilian and Chael Sonnen for the UFC middleweight title.At first it looked as though the rematch would be postponed due to a United Nations confe…

Ed Soares, Anderson Silva‘s manager, has dismissed the rumors regarding UFC 147‘s main event between the Brazilian and Chael Sonnen for the UFC middleweight title.

At first it looked as though the rematch would be postponed due to a United Nations conference being held in Rio de Janeiro that same week. UFC President Dana White had addressed the issue during the UFC on FUEL press conference this past weekend. 

But according to Soares, the rematch is still expected to commence on June 23rd.

“The contracts were signed two weeks ago, the fight will happen on June 23 in Rio de Janeiro,” Soares told TATAME.com.

Although White said the event could be pushed back to June 30th, Soares said he had not heard anything regarding an event or date change. 

In addition to Silva vs. Sonnen, UFC 147 is also expected to feature another anticipated rematch between two of Brazil’s most feared strikers— Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva.

The bout involving Anderson Silva and Sonnen is a rematch from their 2010 encounter at UFC 117. 

UFC 147 will take place live at the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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