Tag: UFC 160

Rally for Mark Hunt Ends Quickly as Dana Says JDS vs. Overeem Likely for Summer

Alistair Overeem was forced off the UFC 160 co-main event due to an injury, and popular opinion was that Mark Hunt should get the chance to take on Junior dos Santos in his place. Those hopes were dashed in less than 24 hours when UFC President Dana Wh…

Alistair Overeem was forced off the UFC 160 co-main event due to an injury, and popular opinion was that Mark Hunt should get the chance to take on Junior dos Santos in his place.

Those hopes were dashed in less than 24 hours when UFC President Dana White tweeted that the matchup is unlikely, and the organization is looking at a summer date for the originally scheduled bout.

Hunt moved up to No. 9 in the official UFC Rankings after his knockout performance over Stefan Struve. A win over Dos Santos would have given him five straight victories and a compelling argument for a shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship. It would have been a remarkable storyline entering the fight with Dos Santos.

Hunt told MMAFighting.com that he was “down” to fight the powerful striker.

Ana Guedes, Dos Santos’ attorney and representative, told B/R’s Damon Martin that her client’s position is, “I don’t choose my opponents.  So if they choose for me to fight Overeem and I have to wait so be it and if they decide there’s another guy I should fight, then bring it on.”

Social media was alive and well with support for the potential Hunt vs. Dos Santos tilt. The support even came from current UFC fighters. Unfortunately, it looks like that fight is dead.

The good news, however, is that Overeem and Dos Santos will still meet.

Summer will get another prime-time fight now that the highly anticipated heavyweight fight has been pushed back. This has been a fight a long time in the making. The first time it looked to happen, Overeem tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone.

After each man lost their most recent bouts, the stars aligned once again for the two powerful strikers to meet. Then Overeem pulled out due to the aforementioned injury. Instead of finding a replacement for Overeem, the UFC will move the fight back to make sure they capitalize on the opportunity.

It is unfortunate that Hunt will not get the chance to pull off another upset in his remarkable comeback story, but the heavyweight fight fans have been asking for is still on for the summer. A brutal finish is still in the cards when Overeem and Dos Santos exchange leather this summer.

No date for the bout has been set at this time.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Alistair Overeem Out of UFC 160 With Injury; Fight With Dos Santos Likely Pushed to Summer [UPDATED]


(“It’s embarrassing, okay? Let’s just say I’ll be on penicillin for a while, and leave it at that.”)

As first reported by MMAFighting yesterday evening, UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem will be unable to fight former champion Junior Dos Santos at UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2 (May 25th, Las Vegas), due to an undisclosed injury suffered in training. No word yet on the nature or severity of the injury, although it will reportedly require 4-5 weeks of recovery. [Update: Overeem has revealed that it was a slight tear in his quad muscle.]

As soon as news of the withdrawal broke, fellow UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt tried to organize a twitter assault to claim the replacement spot against Dos Santos. However, UFC president Dana White suggested that Overeem vs. Dos Santos will simply be postponed to sometime in the summer. Ah well. Would have been nice to see this happen again.

The injury couldn’t come at a worse time for the hormonally fluctuating Overeem, who just followed up his nine-month licensing timeout with an upset knockout loss to Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva last month. If Overeem does meet Dos Santos this summer, the fight will come a full year-and-a-half since the Reem’s last victory over Brock Lesnar in December 2011 — not a good look for a guy who spent the previous four years unbeaten.


(“It’s embarrassing, okay? Let’s just say I’ll be on penicillin for a while, and leave it at that.”)

As first reported by MMAFighting yesterday evening, UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem will be unable to fight former champion Junior Dos Santos at UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2 (May 25th, Las Vegas), due to an undisclosed injury suffered in training. No word yet on the nature or severity of the injury, although it will reportedly require 4-5 weeks of recovery. [Update: Overeem has revealed that it was a slight tear in his quad muscle.]

As soon as news of the withdrawal broke, fellow UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt tried to organize a twitter assault to claim the replacement spot against Dos Santos. However, UFC president Dana White suggested that Overeem vs. Dos Santos will simply be postponed to sometime in the summer. Ah well. Would have been nice to see this happen again.

The injury couldn’t come at a worse time for the hormonally fluctuating Overeem, who just followed up his nine-month licensing timeout with an upset knockout loss to Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva last month. If Overeem does meet Dos Santos this summer, the fight will come a full year-and-a-half since the Reem’s last victory over Brock Lesnar in December 2011 — not a good look for a guy who spent the previous four years unbeaten.

Junior Dos Santos Awaiting Word About UFC 160, Says “I Don’t Choose Opponents”

Junior Dos Santos didn’t receive much good news on Wednesday when his name appeared in the headlines of every major news site. Dos Santos’ opponent at UFC 160 Alistair Overeem was forced out of their bout due to injury, which now leaves the former UFC …

Junior Dos Santos didn’t receive much good news on Wednesday when his name appeared in the headlines of every major news site.

Dos Santos’ opponent at UFC 160 Alistair Overeem was forced out of their bout due to injury, which now leaves the former UFC heavyweight champion without an opponent for May 25.

The UFC is generally very quick to find replacement opponents, but the problem right now according to Dos Santos’ camp is that many of the top-ten heavyweights are tied up with fights already scheduled around that date.

UFC officials have yet to confirm Overeem is out of the fight, but if that’s the case Dos Santos’ team is unsure what the next move might be.

“The top guys are all tied up, but at the same time Junior’s not looking to sit out too long,” said Ana Guedes, Dos Santos’ attorney and representative when speaking to Bleacher Report on Wednesday.  “If it’s a real extensive injury (to Overeem) or something, you don’t want to wait.”

According to the initial report about Overeem’s injury, he is expected to be out four to five weeks, but the nature of his ailment is unknown at this time.

Depending on the time frame for Overeem’s return, the UFC could opt to rebook the fight for a later date or keep Dos Santos on the UFC 160 card against a new opponent.

The only problem is the lack of options at heavyweight to face Dos Santos.  The only fighter currently ranked in the top ten according to the official UFC rankings that could potentially be available is Mark Hunt, fresh off of his knockout win over Stefan Struve at UFC on Fuel 8 last weekend in Japan.

Hunt has already started a campaign to be considered for the fight, but it’s unknown if the UFC will book the fight or await word on another opponent for Dos Santos.

For his part, Dos Santos is happy to face whoever the UFC sees fit.

“We’re definitely just waiting for news,” Guedes said.  “Junior’s position is ‘I don’t choose my opponents.  So if they choose for me to fight Overeem and I have to wait so be it and if they decide there’s another guy I should fight, then bring it on’.”

Since coming to the UFC, Dos Santos has faced a veritable murderer’s row of heavyweight opponents so it’s not likely he’d turn down any potential fight the UFC offers or complain if they choose to delay the fight with Overeem and reschedule for a later date.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Alistair Overeem Injured and out of UFC 160 Fight Against Junior Dos Santos

In a disappointing turn of events for UFC 160 in May, former K-1 and Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem has been forced out of his scheduled bout against Junior dos Santos. The Dutch fighter was injured in his training camp and will be o…

In a disappointing turn of events for UFC 160 in May, former K-1 and Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem has been forced out of his scheduled bout against Junior dos Santos.

The Dutch fighter was injured in his training camp and will be out four to five weeks, according to an initial report by MMAFighting.com.  Additional sources confirmed the news independently to Bleacher Report on Wednesday.

The injury knocks out one of the prime heavyweight fights of the next few months, especially considering the heated rivalry between Overeem and dos Santos over the last year. This is the second time their fight has been delayed.

Dos Santos and Overeem were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 146 in 2012, but Overeem tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone during a pre-fight drug screening. He was forced out of the bout and was suspended for nine months.

Prior to his fight against Cain Velasquez at UFC 155, when dos Santos was asked about facing Overeem in the future, he took a jab at the former K-1 champion following his 2012 suspension for having elevated levels of testosterone.

“I prefer to fight against those athletes, clean athletes, and real professionals,” Dos Santos said. 

“Guys like me and Cain Velasquez, we are made in the gym.  Guys like the other guy (Alistair Overeem) they are made at the laboratory.”

Overeem took the fight with dos Santos after suffering a loss in his last fight to Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva at UFC 156. It was his first defeat at heavyweight since a 2007 loss to Sergei Kharitonov in Japan.

The nature of Overeem’s injury is unknown at this time, but if he is out for at least the next month of training, he has no hope of fighting at UFC 160 on May 25.

No new opponent or plan has been presented by the UFC for former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos at this time, and it’s unknown if he will remain on the UFC 160 card.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

With Overeem Injured, Junior Dos Santos vs. Mark Hunt Is the Only Fight to Make

At the rate we’re going, it feels like we’re never going to see Junior dos Santos take on his archrival Alistair Overeem. In case you missed Wednesday’s news, Overeem has been forced to pull out of his planned UFC 160 bout with dos Santos due to an und…

At the rate we’re going, it feels like we’re never going to see Junior dos Santos take on his archrival Alistair Overeem.

In case you missed Wednesday’s news, Overeem has been forced to pull out of his planned UFC 160 bout with dos Santos due to an undisclosed injury. 

And before you start spreading rumors about Overeem pulling out because he wouldn’t be allowed a therapeutic use exemption for testosterone replacement therapy, let me put that notion to rest: Overeem has an actual injury. It’s the real deal, but it’s not major and he’ll be ready to fight by July. 

The UFC could decide to pull dos Santos from UFC 160 and move the fight two months down the line to UFC 162 in Las Vegas. That card will serve as part of the UFC’s now-annual “International Fight Week,” which is somewhat like its yearly version of WrestleMania. There will be a Fan Expo and all sorts of fan events taking place, and with Anderson Silva taking on Chris Weidman in the main event, it will have a big-fight feel.

If dos Santos vs. Overeem is added to that card, well, you can’t blame the UFC for making that decision.

But if the UFC decides to keep dos Santos on the May card against a new opponent, there’s only one man for the job: Mark Hunt.

In 2012, I was often vocal about Hunt being an undeserving contender. The fans rallied behind Hunt as he worked up a winning streak after being counted down and out for so many years. It was a fun story, but it was a story that had to come to a screeching halt sooner rather than later. 

But after Hunt knocked out Stefan Struve to score his fourth consecutive win in the heavyweight division, well, it’s probably time for me to admit that Hunt deserves the chance to face a top five opponent. The problem was that all of those opponents were booked up, which meant that Hunt would likely spend some time on the shelf if he wanted to face anyone of real value.

But that all changed on Wednesday. With Overeem on the sidelines, Hunt is the perfect replacement to step in and face dos Santos. And as crazy as it may sound on paper, I think Hunt makes for an interesting stylistic matchup for the former heavyweight champion.

Dos Santos loves to box. That’s his thing. We’ve heard he’s great on the ground, but we’ve never seen him willingly take a fight there. He’s happiest when he’s standing in the pocket and using his excellent boxing skills to pick his opponents apart, and he’s been very good at it.

Hunt is also a striker. He’s no longer terrible on the ground; even though he’ll never be a grappling wizard, we saw enough improvements against Struve to know that he’s been working hard on shoring up his mat game. But again, he’ll never be a grappler.

He loves to strike, punch dudes in the face and score walk-off knockout wins. And despite his portly physique, there’s little debate that Hunt is an excellent striker. You don’t win a K-1 World Grand Prix by being average on your feet, after all.

Imagine, if you will, a fight where dos Santos and Hunt are violently trading punches. That gets your heart racing a little bit, doesn’t it?

And what happens if Hunt pulls off a miracle and beats dos Santos? What happens if he knocks the former heavyweight champion out with a single punch and calmly walks off, as if any other result would have been a surprise? 

At that point, you would have a new heavyweight title contender. Hunt would have five consecutive victories in the UFC’s tough heavyweight division, a place where even the best fighters only manage to string together three to four wins, if they’re lucky.

Hunt would have a win over the former heavyweight champion. And he’d have all kinds of momentum on his side heading into a fall title fight against the winner of Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva, which takes place on the same card.

I still want to see dos Santos and Overeem square off. There’s a lot of bad blood there, and it would be an exciting fight. But if dos Santos doesn’t want to wait, or if the UFC decides his star power is needed on the May card, then Hunt is the only real option for a replacement opponent. 

Hunt for gold, indeed.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Cody McKenzie Rebooked in Do-or-Die Fight Against the Un-Do-or-Dieable Leonard Garcia at UFC 159


(“No, Leonard, I don’t know how they make Dippin’ Dots either.”)

When Leonard Garcia and Cody McKenzie were originally booked to face each other back at UFC 155, we categorized the pairing as a “loser leaves town” match. What fools we were; although McKenzie was forced out of the fight with an injury, his replacement opponent in Max Holloway was responsible for Garcia’s fourth straight loss in the UFC*. And while a whole bunch of guys got the axe shortly thereafter, Leonard Garcia was somewhat surprisingly not one of them.

We double-checked the list of fired fighters, then we triple checked it. We even created a flowchart to try and make sense of things, but it appears that as long as Garcia continues to treat strategy like Lloyd Irvin treats consent, he will always have a place in the UFC. It’s a luxury that his upcoming opponent, TUF 12 alum Cody McKenzie, cannot afford.

McKenzie and Garcia have in fact been rebooked for UFC 159 in what has to be a do-or-die fight for at least McKenzie, who has dropped three of his past four UFC contests including a 40 second KO via body punch loss to Chad Mendes in his last outing. Again, according to our chart, McKenzie’s current place on the “100 heavy” UFC roster makes about as much sense as Garcia’s, so expect these two to put on a show come April 27th. One of their UFC careers could depend on it.

So who takes this one, Potato Nation, the one-trick pony or the one-track mind?

The full lineup for UFC 159 is after the jump. 


(“No, Leonard, I don’t know how they make Dippin’ Dots either.”)

When Leonard Garcia and Cody McKenzie were originally booked to face each other back at UFC 155, we categorized the pairing as a “loser leaves town” match. What fools we were; although McKenzie was forced out of the fight with an injury, his replacement opponent in Max Holloway was responsible for Garcia’s fourth straight loss in the UFC*. And while a whole bunch of guys got the axe shortly thereafter, Leonard Garcia was somewhat surprisingly not one of them.

We double-checked the list of fired fighters, then we triple checked it. We even created a flowchart to try and make sense of things, but it appears that as long as Garcia continues to treat strategy like Lloyd Irvin treats consent, he will always have a place in the UFC. It’s a luxury that his upcoming opponent, TUF 12 alum Cody McKenzie, cannot afford.

McKenzie and Garcia have in fact been rebooked for UFC 159 in what has to be a do-or-die fight for at least McKenzie, who has dropped three of his past four UFC contests including a 40 second KO via body punch loss to Chad Mendes in his last outing. Again, according to our chart, McKenzie’s current place on the “100 heavy” UFC roster makes about as much sense as Garcia’s, so expect these two to put on a show come April 27th. One of their UFC careers could depend on it.

So who takes this one, Potato Nation, the one-trick pony or the one-track mind?

The full lineup for UFC 159 is after the jump. 

-Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen
-Alan Belcher vs. Michael Bisping
-Phil Davis vs. Vinny Magalhaes
-Pat Healy vs. Jim Miller
-Cheick Kongo vs. Roy Nelson
-Sheila Gaff vs. Sara McMann
-Nick Catone vs. James Head
-Jimy Hettes vs. Steven Siler
-Leonard Garcia vs. Cody McKenzie
-Al Iaquinta vs. Joe Proctor
-Ovince St. Preux vs. Gian Villante
-Rustam Khabilov vs. Yancy Medeiros

*Yes, you can make the case that Garcia won that fight, but just remember who you are talking about here. 

–J. Jones