Tag: UFC 153

Weidman Shocked at Silva vs. Bonnar, Thinks Silva’s Managers Are Protecting Him

When Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar was announced as the UFC 153 main event, Chris Weidman was just as confused as the rest of the world.After back-to-back wins over top-10 middleweight opposition, talk in the MMA community grew in Weidman’s favor o…

When Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar was announced as the UFC 153 main event, Chris Weidman was just as confused as the rest of the world.

After back-to-back wins over top-10 middleweight opposition, talk in the MMA community grew in Weidman‘s favor of being the next contender for a shot at the UFC middleweight title.

Unfortunately, Silva’s camp wasn’t interested in a fight with Weidman. They felt a bout against a non-marquee name like Weidman wouldn’t lead to large pay-per-view numbers.

The timing of a potential fight between the two didn’t match up, either. Silva was looking to take the rest of the year off and return in 2013.

With Tim Boetsch, Alan Belcher and Michael Bisping all making cases for UFC gold, it would be a long and risky wait for Weidman, who hasn’t fought since early July.

After exhausting his pleas for a title shot, Weidman moved on from Silva and accepted a December 29 fight with Boetsch. He then underwent minor elbow surgery to repair a nagging injury.

After Weidman‘s surgery, he learned that Jose Aldo had pulled out of his UFC 153 main event fight with Frankie Edgar, and a bout between Silva and Bonnar had been agreed upon as a replacement fight.

The news hit him like a ton of bricks.

“I was a little shocked, confused, and a little disappointed,” Weidman said during an interview on FUEL TV’s UFC Tonight.

Weidman continued:

I had actually had just ended up getting elbow surgery about a week ago, and as soon as I get done with announcing my Boetsch fight and getting elbow surgery, the same week, I find out Anderson Silva is now fighting Stephan Bonnar in UFC 153. It’s tough.

This whole time him and his manager were very dead set on not fighting until 2013. They didn’t really give a reason, but they just wanted to wait until 2013. And I thought that was a little fishy that all of a sudden now they pick up a fight like it’s no big deal.

Bonnar is a well-respected and tough UFC light heavyweight, but he has never managed to separate himself from the middle of the herd and climb into the upper-echelon ranks of the division.

Before accepting the fight with Silva, he told MMA Junkie that he considered himself retired from fighting.

After preaching about big-money fights and taking time off, why would Silva’s camp be so quick to take a fight with Bonnar?

Weidman believes he knows the answer.

I just think I’m a big risk for him on paper. I’m a good wrestler with good jiu-jitsu, which I don’t think he’s really seen anybody like me with the athleticism I have and my length and everything. I have a lot of tools. On paper, I’m a bad matchup for him. But I think Anderson would like a challenge, a tough challenge, but I think his managers more than him are trying to keep him away.

He’s going to be making a couple million dollars on odds I’ve never even seen before. So it’s a smart move for him. All power to him. It’s just disappointing for me, and I just need to keep moving forward and hoping for the best.

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UFC 153: Stephan Bonnar Turned Down Fight with Glover Teixeira

One of the biggest problems in the sport of MMA right now is obviously injuries. It seems we can’t go a week without a major fight having to be scrapped because someone was hurt. Another part of the game that is becoming a growing problem is fighters p…

One of the biggest problems in the sport of MMA right now is obviously injuries. It seems we can’t go a week without a major fight having to be scrapped because someone was hurt. Another part of the game that is becoming a growing problem is fighters picking and choosing their fights, and in result, turning down fights.

One of the first names that come to mind is, of course, Jon Jones rejecting the idea of facing Chael Sonnen, which resulted in the cancellation of UFC 151. Today, we find out about another fighter that turned down a fight, although this one had a much better result and a much more odd reasoning.

According to MMAJunkie.com, Stephan Bonnar got the call to step in and face Glover Teixeira first at UFC 153, but Bonnar rejected the idea because Teixeira didn’t have more Twitter followers than Bonnar.

Bonnar would go on to say:

I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s true. That’s how I feel. That’s a measure of someone’s popularity, and I just want a bigger name. The last three opponents, I’ve had more Twitter followers than them, and I’ve beat them, and I feel like I deserve a bigger name now.

Luckily for Bonnar, as well as the UFC, another call would be made and this time the fight on the table was none other than UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva.

“It’s great, though, because I feel like I have nothing to lose. Fighting Anderson in his backyard, I’m a record-setting underdog. I couldn’t ask for anything more,” said the original Ultimate Fighter runner-up on facing Silva.

Many fans won’t ridicule Bonnar for turning down the fight with Teixeira because the result has a happy ending, so to speak, with fans. But the UFC can’t allow fighters to keep picking and turning down fights. For Bonnar, you could say the semi-retired fighter deserved to have that one last major fight, but if more fighters follow the “Twitter Rule” of picking fights, the UFC could have a major problem on its hands in the future.

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UFC: Do MMA Contracts Require the Inclusion of Unsafe Act Clauses?

With all of the UFC’s current issues with injuries and withdrawals, one wonders whether it might be worth adding an unsafe act clause to future fighter contracts. As I pointed out yesterday, fighters are already gambling with their health by enga…

With all of the UFC’s current issues with injuries and withdrawals, one wonders whether it might be worth adding an unsafe act clause to future fighter contracts.

As I pointed out yesterday, fighters are already gambling with their health by engaging in unsafe training practices. Do we really need to worry about whether they are speeding down the motorway on a death machine—more commonly known as a motorcycle?

People have occasionally joked about the sheer silliness of the UFC’s decision to hand out motorbikes as a prize to its fighters, but Jose Aldo turned that particular punchline on its head recently.

While riding his motorcycle in Brazil two weeks ago, the featherweight king was hit by a car. Fortunately, he escaped with relatively minor injuries—though perhaps not as minor as we first thought.

The news coming out of his camp in the days that followed the accident was positive. The main concern was a swollen foot, but by all accounts it was healing fast. Not too long afterwards, however, news filtered through that Aldo’s injured foot would prevent him from taking on Frankie Edgar.

Wasn’t Frank Mir’s horrific motorcycle accident sufficiently harrowing? It almost cost the then heavyweight champion his career, while simultaneously sending his personal life into a tailspin.

Naturally, fighters must accept some personal responsibility for their actions. They are the ones who make the decisions, after all.

With that said, Dana White and Co. would be wise to take care of their assets. I am not normally one who speaks out against personal autonomy, but the athletes do have a responsibility to their employers.

If they cannot meet those responsibilities, one could argue that they should be stripped of certain dangerous privileges. How exactly this would be implemented is another question entirely.

Harley Davidson wouldn’t be thrilled about any decision by the UFC to ban its fighters from riding motorcycles. For one thing, it would make a mockery of the oft-heard “only motorcycles worthy of being in the Octagon” line.

However, the UFC may need to follow the lead of other sporting bodies that have not only banned certain extracurricular activities, but taken a hard-line stance against other seemingly benign hobbies.

Indeed, many of the more valuable soccer players in the English Premier League have been banned from engaging in sporting activities while off the clock.

The UFC needn’t go that far, but if its fighters won’t make responsible decisions of their own volition while training for a fight, maybe they need to be contractually obligated to use some common sense.

At the risk of taking back everything I have just said, we must recognize that this issue isn’t pervasive. I mean, we’re not talking about the cast of The Fast and the Furious here. There is no motorcycle epidemic, thankfully.

A more pressing issue is the unsafe training methods employed by many fighters on the UFC roster. Addressing that particularly virulent problem should be the UFC’s top priority.

Maybe once the fighters have learned to train with some degree of caution, we can then focus on dangerous methods of transportation.

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[VIDEO] Stephan Bonnar Details His Gameplan to Beat Anderson Silva and It Is a Doozy


(Step 1: Fake heart attack to lower Anderson’s guard. Step 2: ?????? Step 3: SCORE GREATEST UPSET OF ALL TIME.) 

Admit it: When the new headliner for UFC 153 was first announced, not one of you thought Stephan Bonnar stood a chance of beating Anderson Silva, and you probably still don’t. If you happen to be a bookie, you probably equate the likelihood of Bonnar defeating Silva to that of Bob Sapp defeating adult onset vaginitis.

Well, my friends, prepare to have your minds blown, because Bonnar’s camp just released a video that lays out in intricate detail his plans to dethrone (figuratively speaking) the untouchable legacy of “The Spider” once and for all. We’re not saying it is foolproof, but we are saying that it has no discernible flaws whatsoever and Silva is a dead man.

Video after the jump. 


(Step 1: Fake heart attack to lower Anderson’s guard. Step 2: ?????? Step 3: SCORE GREATEST UPSET OF ALL TIME.) 

Admit it: When the new headliner for UFC 153 was first announced, not one of you thought Stephan Bonnar stood a chance of beating Anderson Silva, and you probably still don’t. If you happen to be a bookie, you probably equate the likelihood of Bonnar defeating Silva to that of Bob Sapp defeating adult onset vaginitis.

Well, my friends, prepare to have your minds blown, because Bonnar’s camp just released a video that lays out in intricate detail his plans to dethrone (figuratively speaking) the untouchable legacy of “The Spider” once and for all. We’re not saying it is foolproof, but we are saying that it has no discernible flaws whatsoever and Silva is a dead man.

Video after the jump. 

“Go underneath on him!” just replaced “ball up some fists” as the single greatest piece of training advice we have ever heard.

It was nice knowing you, Andy.

–J. Jones

Do It for Dana White: Why Real Fans Owe It to the Company to Buy UFC 152 and 153

Real friends are the ones that are there for you when things are at their worst, not just tagging along for your birthday party at the Palms or out to see an obvious hit like The Avengers. They are the ones who drop by when your dog dies or to hold …

Real friends are the ones that are there for you when things are at their worst, not just tagging along for your birthday party at the Palms or out to see an obvious hit like The Avengers. They are the ones who drop by when your dog dies or to hold your hand when you learn that N’Sync has just broken up.

Like real friends, the UFC has real fans. These aren’t the guys who show up at the Hooters when Brock Lesnar is fighting. These are the true-blue fans. The few and the hearty who bought UFC 147. The folks who will show up when the product is unadulterated crap, not just when it is good.

Does Jon Jones vs. Vitor Belfort kind of suck as a main event? Yes. Belfort hasn’t fought at light heavyweight in years and has only beaten one top-10 opponent in recent memory. But you owe it to the UFC to buy it—payback for UFC 100. That show was awesome, easily worth the cost of two pay-per-views. Now’s the time to pay it forward.

Is Stephan Bonnar a ridiculous opponent for Anderson Silva? Yes, of course. He’s a mediocre performer in a different weight class than the champ. But Bonnar vs. Griffin was free and it was one of the most exciting fights in UFC history. So it’s only right you support them when they stick Bonnar in a fight he doesn’t belong anywhere near. We owe him that much

Fiiiiigt week!!!! Jones vs Belfort! This if for u the REAL fans. We love u guys!!! on.ufc.com/SUrJRZ

— Dana White (@danawhite) September 17, 2012

White has suggested real fans will be pumped for Belfort versus Jones. Better make sure you’re in the right camp. After all, customer or not, being on White’s list of enemies isn’t a safe place.

Be a real fan, not an opportunistic bandwagon jumper. Only buying the best cards is like being a basketball fan who only remembered he liked the Chicago Bulls when Derrick Rose started playing at an MVP level. The real fans were the ones who stuck around for the Elton Brand years.

Fair-weather fans are the absolute worst. You don’t want to be that guy, the one who suddenly out of nowhere bought a Giants Super Bowl shirt. Real fans are there through thick and thin. Besides, UFC cards that are demolished by fans and media are invariably action-packed extravaganzas.

So go ahead and get on the right side of history. There are two kinds of UFC fans—the kind that stick with the promotion when the going gets tough and the ones who cut and run at the first available opportunity. I know which side I’m on. It’s time for you to choose, too.

Got your tongue planted firmly in cheek like the author does with this parody piece? Join him in the comments!

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UFC 152 vs. UFC 153: Which Card Is Better from Top to Bottom?

There are two pay-per-views coming up soon, as UFC 152 touches down in Canada and UFC 153 makes its way back to Brazil.Two of the world’s best fighters will be performing, as Anderson Silva, the pound-for-pound king, meets Stephan Bonnar and light heav…

There are two pay-per-views coming up soon, as UFC 152 touches down in Canada and UFC 153 makes its way back to Brazil.

Two of the world’s best fighters will be performing, as Anderson Silva, the pound-for-pound king, meets Stephan Bonnar and light heavyweight champ Jon Jones fights Vitor Belfort.

Further than that, there are a number of great fights that will grace both cards. But, which card is better from top to bottom? Let’s take a look and find out.

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