Tag: UFC 152

UFC 152: Michael Bisping Cut in Training, but Fight with Brian Stann Is Still on

Michael “The Count” Bisping has suffered a cut above his left eye in preparation for his UFC 152 encounter with Brian Stann.However, there’s no need to panic, as the brash Brit has intimated via his Tweeter account that the fight will go ahead as plann…

Michael “The Count” Bisping has suffered a cut above his left eye in preparation for his UFC 152 encounter with Brian Stann.

However, there’s no need to panic, as the brash Brit has intimated via his Tweeter account that the fight will go ahead as planned.

Per ESPN.co.uk:

“Slash!! Head but from yesterday’s training, 6 stitches, no big deal, still 8 weeks out,” Bisping tweeted.

The aforementioned tweet must come as welcome news to the UFC hierarchy, who have recently had to deal with unforeseen injuries to both Rory MacDonald and Josh Koscheck.

MacDonald suffered an almost identical injury to Bisping’s. His was a huge gash to the forehead, which was deemed bad enough to throw a spanner in the works of his projected UFC 152 clash with two-divisional titlist B.J. Penn.

Conversely, “Kos” was meant to throw hands with Jake Ellenberger in the co-main event of UFC 151: Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson. However, due to a bulging disc in his back, the former AKA resident had to pull out. The 34-year-old has now been supplanted by Jay Hieron.

For “The Thoroughbred,” this will be his third stint in the company.

Apropos Bisping (22-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC), at UFC 152, he will once again attempt to stake his claim as the most viable opponent to face off against perennial middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva.

Others in the race include Chris Weidman, Vitor Belfort, Stann, Tim Boetsch and Alan Belcher.

Just over six months ago, Bisping’s chances of vying for a tilt at UFC gold were thwarted by Chael Sonnen, who then went on to unsuccessfully challenge “The Spider” for the second time of asking.

UFC 152 is scheduled to take place on September 22, 2012 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada.


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BJ Penn: Has the Hunter Become the Hunted Among the UFC’s Welterweight Division?

We have not seen BJ Penn inside the Octagon since he walked out of the cage at UFC 137 a beaten, bloodied and bruised man. That night, Nick Diaz used his distinctive fighting style to pick apart the former UFC champion, landing a record 178 significant…

We have not seen BJ Penn inside the Octagon since he walked out of the cage at UFC 137 a beaten, bloodied and bruised man. That night, Nick Diaz used his distinctive fighting style to pick apart the former UFC champion, landing a record 178 significant strikes during the fight.

Those strikes led an emotional Penn to tell Joe Rogan after the fight, “Joe, this is probably the last time you see me in here. I want to perform at the top level. … I’ve got a daughter. I’ve got another daughter on the way. I don’t want to go home looking like this.”

For a while it seemed as if Penn would stay retired; in May, he rejected an offer to face Josh Koscheck.  After turning that fight down, it seemed as if Penn would remain retired, that is until up-and-coming welterweight Rory MacDonald appeared on The MMA Hour in early June and offered the following:

It’s more of the idea that he may be retiring, so how many opportunities am l going to get to fight a guy like BJ after he’s gone? I think it’d be a great fight. I know I’m going to fight all these guys in the top 10 eventually. I’m a young guy and these guys are going to be around for a long time and I know I’m going to get my shot against all these guys, and maybe I’ll be missing my opportunity if I wait too long with B.J.

To which, Penn replied, “Rory, I accept your challenge!” and just like that, Penn’s retirement ended.

The MacDonald vs. Penn bout was booked for UFC 152, which is set to take place on Sept. 22 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Unfortunately a training injury has knocked MacDonald from the card. 

MacDonald detailed the injury via twitter, “i was cut at sparring i needed 3 layers of stitching in total i needed 38 stitches i’m very sad right now that i willl not be healed in time to fight sept 22 I am hoping that @bjpenndotcom will agree to have the fight on a later date in november.”

The injury to MacDonald has left Penn without an opponent for UFC 152, but that doesn’t mean the 33-year-old Penn has been without suitors.

Siyar Bahadurzada got things rolling by tweeting that he would gladly step in to face Penn and donate his purse to charity:

The only reason I wanna fight @bjpenndotcom is to test my will and warrior spirit vs his. I’m not fighting for money! I’m willing to donate my fight purse to a charity to prove that it’s not for financial reasons & will take VADA tests!

Sean Sherk, a fighter that we haven’t seen in the Octagon since September 2010, came out of the woodwork to call Penn out:

 

 

 

And finally, Jon Fitch, a fighter that already has a fight booked for UFC 153 in Rio asked to face Penn on that card. Perhaps he is forgetting that he is scheduled to face Erick Silva that night?

 

 

 

These call outs all seem to point in one direction. Why would a fighter who has one UFC fight to his name, a former champion who has not fought in almost two years and a fighter that has a fight booked look to call out Penn? 

The answer is simple, they see themselves as predators and Penn as a wounded animal. What better way to advance a career, resuscitate a career or get your name back in the mix with a victory over a future UFC Hall of Famer?

It’s not that hard to see the logic here and no one can blame the three fighters for looking for a fight with Penn, but Penn’s been down this road before and it would be very surprising to see him accept any of these fights, as there’s no benefit in any of them to Penn.

Penn gains nothing from any of those fights, Bahadurzada’s name recognition isn’t there yet for him to be matched up with Penn, and I doubt you’ll find many fans screaming for Penn to face Sherk or Fitch at this point.

An intriguing bout has become possible for Penn as Jake Ellenberger has found himself without an opponent. Ellenberger had been booked to face Josh Koscheck at UFC 151, but a bulging disk has knocked Koscheck from the bout. 

Ellenberger, like MacDonald, is a highly ranked welterweight and he may be enough to keep Penn on the UFC 152 card.

At this point, it’s pure speculation and maybe wishful thinking to imagine Penn versus Ellenberger, but it’s probably more realistic than a fight with Bahadurzada, Sherk or Fitch.

All we know for certain is that for now, Penn is back on the shelf.

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With Rory MacDonald Out, Jon Fitch and Siyar Bahadurzada Rally for BJ Penn Fight


I don’t always go to weddings. But when I do, I am almost interesting.

When it was announced that Rory MacDonald had suffered an injury and pulled out of his upcoming bout with BJ Penn at UFC 152, Penn seemed content to sit out and wait for MacDonald to heal. Because the fight against MacDonald was Penn’s motivation to come out of retirement, BJ Penn appears to be, dare I say, determined to fight the heir apparent to Georges St. Pierre. Yet despite Penn’s plans to wait for MacDonald, both Jon Fitch and Siyar Bahadurzada have volunteered to step in on short notice to fight BJ Penn.

It’s not hard to figure out why either man wants this fight, yet it’s doubtful that we’ll be still seeing BJ Penn across the cage from one of them any time soon.

Perhaps the more transparent – and also less likely to come to fruition – callout of the two is Jon Fitch’s casual suggestion that he should be fighting BJ Penn at UFC 153. I say this because Jon Fitch already has an opponent for UFC 153, and it is none other than Brazilian wrecking ball Erick Silva. As we’ve pointed out when the fight was booked, Silva is anything but a rebound fight for the thirty four year old AKA product. Considering that Fitch hasn’t won a fight since he beat Thiago Alves two years ago, a loss to Silva – which is certainly not outside the realm of possibility – can easily end his hopes of ever earning another title shot in the UFC.


I don’t always go to weddings. But when I do, I am almost interesting.

When it was announced that Rory MacDonald had suffered an injury and pulled out of his upcoming bout with BJ Penn at UFC 152, Penn seemed content to sit out and wait for MacDonald to heal. Because the fight against MacDonald was Penn’s motivation to come out of retirement, BJ Penn appears to be, dare I say, determined to fight the heir apparent to Georges St. Pierre. Yet despite Penn’s plans to wait for MacDonald, both Jon Fitch and Siyar Bahadurzada have volunteered to step in on short notice to fight BJ Penn.

It’s not hard to figure out why either man wants this fight, yet it’s doubtful that we’ll be still seeing BJ Penn across the cage from one of them any time soon.

Perhaps the more transparent – and also less likely to come to fruition – callout of the two is Jon Fitch’s casual suggestion that he should be fighting BJ Penn at UFC 153. I say this because Jon Fitch already has an opponent for UFC 153, and it is none other than Brazilian wrecking ball Erick Silva. As we’ve pointed out when the fight was booked, Silva is anything but a rebound fight for the thirty four year old AKA product. Considering that Fitch hasn’t won a fight since he beat Thiago Alves two years ago, a loss to Silva – which is certainly not outside the realm of possibility – can easily end his hopes of ever earning another title shot in the UFC.

And honestly, I’m sure I speak for most of us when I say I’d be okay with that. Even though BJ Penn and Jon Fitch are still tough fights for anyone to draw, they represent the past, not the future, of our sport. Watching Fitch attempt to avenge a recent draw on his record to BJ Penn, who would later call him a “glass jawed poser,” is nothing more than a regression. Like Ben asked about the “Bringing back your old self” ban, does the old Jon Fitch/BJ Penn really excite you more than the new Erick Silva? Didn’t think so, so let’s not bump the Brazilian prospect off of a card in his home country to relive a fight that, frankly, wasn’t worth remembering in the first place.

As for Siyar Bahadurzada, he recently began campaigning for the BJ Penn fight via his Twitter account, going so far as to offer to donate his entire purse to charity to prove that he isn’t fighting BJ for the money.

Siyar certainly is an intriguing enough fight for BJ Penn to consider. “The Great” impressed fans with a quick, brutal knockout over Paulo Thiago in his UFC debut at UFC on FUEL TV 2. Fans have been patiently waiting for more of him, and even though Penn recently retired, he’s still a big enough name to make this a marketable fight.

There’s just one problem: While Rory MacDonald is widely regarded as the future of the welterweight division, Bahadurzada is still only known for his lone UFC appearance. If Penn is coming out of retirement to see if he can compete against the next generation, a victory over Siyar The Great will not prove this. This isn’t to say that Siyar Bahadurzada won’t be an exceptional talent – or even that he isn’t already – but rather he isn’t nearly as established of a name as Rory MacDonald currently is.

That all being said, what do you think? Are you okay with BJ Penn waiting for Rory MacDonald? Would you like to watch Jon Fitch redeem himself against Penn? Would you like to see Bahadurzada prove his greatness? Let us know.

@SethFalvo

UFC 152: Michael Bisping vs. Brian Stann Head-to-Toe Breakdown

UFC 152 is a few months away, but the card has many intriguing fights that fans are looking forward to. One of those fights is a middleweight scrap between Michael Bisping and Brian Stann.Much to the delight of fans, this should be an action-packed str…

UFC 152 is a few months away, but the card has many intriguing fights that fans are looking forward to. One of those fights is a middleweight scrap between Michael Bisping and Brian Stann.

Much to the delight of fans, this should be an action-packed striking affair between two solid boxers. Stann brings bone-crunching power, while Bisping brings a technical style that is tough for many to deal with.

Here is the head-to-toe breakdown of the American versus the Brit.

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Rory MacDonald Suffers Major Cut in Training, Out of UFC 152 Fight With Penn


(Photo courtesy of @Rory_MacDonald)

Depending on what type of BJ Penn fan you are, the following news is either unfortunate or great – Rory MacDonald has pulled out of his UFC 152 fight with Penn due to a cut he’s sustained in training. The young Canadian has received more than forty stitches, according to MMA Weekly, and is not allowed to have any contact for a month.

No doubt that all MacDonald fans are bummed their guy will have to wait a bit longer before he can fight again but we can imagine a certain non-foaming-at-the-mouth type of Penn fan that is perfectly fine with their fighter not coming out of retirement after being pummeled by Nick Diaz last year to face the division’s strongest-looking prospect.

UFC President Dana White told MMA Weekly the news before he says he even told Penn, Saturday night. But it appears that the former two-division champion took to his @BJPennDotCom Twitter account later to express his displeasure at the development and taunt MacDonald.


(Photo courtesy of @Rory_MacDonald)

Depending on what type of BJ Penn fan you are, the following news is either unfortunate or great – Rory MacDonald has pulled out of his UFC 152 fight with Penn due to a cut he’s sustained in training. The young Canadian has received more than forty stitches, according to MMA Weekly, and is not allowed to have any contact for a month.

No doubt that all MacDonald fans are bummed their guy will have to wait a bit longer before he can fight again but we can imagine a certain non-foaming-at-the-mouth type of Penn fan that is perfectly fine with their fighter not coming out of retirement after being pummeled by Nick Diaz last year to face the division’s strongest-looking prospect.

UFC President Dana White told MMA Weekly the news before he says he even told Penn, Saturday night. But it appears that the former two-division champion took to his @BJPennDotCom Twitter account later to express his displeasure at the development and taunt MacDonald.

“@Rory_MacDonald , with all due respect you challenged me to come out of retirement and I accepted. Then, you back out of the fight!

Now you want to put our fight off for two-more-months, but this fight should happen as soon as the cut heals. 10-weeks from now is plenty of time. Let’s fight on Oct. 13th, that’s more than reasonable,” a recent tweet reads.

What do you say, nation? Do you want Penn to fight someone else since mini-GSP is out or do you want him to wait for MacDonald to heal?

– Elias Cepeda

Rory MacDonald Sustains Cut in Training, Is out of UFC 152 Matchup with BJ Penn

I am not going to sugarcoat this one folks: this sucks!In what was one of the year’s most anticipated bouts, Rory MacDonald is now out of his matchup with UFC legend BJ Penn due to a large cut sustained in training.  Per Yahoo! Sports (via MMAWeek…

I am not going to sugarcoat this one folks: this sucks!

In what was one of the year’s most anticipated bouts, Rory MacDonald is now out of his matchup with UFC legend BJ Penn due to a large cut sustained in training.  

Per Yahoo! Sports (via MMAWeekly):

Young prospect Rory MacDonald suffered a major cut in training that has forced him out of his scheduled fight at UFC 152 against B.J. Penn.

UFC president Dana White revealed the news to MMAWeekly.com after the conclusion of UFC on Fox 4 on Saturday night.

White stated that MacDonald’s cut was so bad that he will have no contact for the next month, pushing him out of the scheduled fight with Penn in September.

The cut was on MacDonald’s forehead and required more than 40 stitches to close.

Being so close to the event’s Sept. 22 date, it is unclear as of right now whether a replacement fighter will step in to face Penn or whether the bout will be canceled altogether.  

Penn has mentioned that MacDonald was the perfect fighter to bring him out of retirement, so it is unlikely he will be motivated to continue with the young Canadian now out of action.  

Another strong card takes a big hit with this one, folks, and injuries prevail again.  

How does this one stack up to other recent injury-riddled matchups? Let me know in a comment, and we will discuss your thoughts! 

If you are a fan of MMA, heavy metal music or general absurdity, follow me on Twitter @HunterAHomistek.

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