Tag: UFC 161

Report: Dan Henderson vs. Rashad Evans Planned for UFC 161 Event in Winnipeg

Two former light heavyweight champions are reportedly being lined up for a headliner in Canada, as Dan Henderson may face Rashad Evans at a future UFC event in Winnipeg on June 15.According to GracieMag, sources close to the situation have informed&nbs…

Two former light heavyweight champions are reportedly being lined up for a headliner in Canada, as Dan Henderson may face Rashad Evans at a future UFC event in Winnipeg on June 15.

According to GracieMag, sources close to the situation have informed TATAME that match is expected to main-event the card.

Henderson and Evans seem to have made verbal agreements for the bout, with both men recently tasting defeat in their last Octagon performances.

Sportsnet’s Joe Ferraro also confirmed that the event will be hosted at the MTS Centre, the current home of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets:

 

Sportsnet additionally reports that the MTS Centre’s parent company, True North Sports and Entertainment, will be hosting a press conference on Tuesday morning at 10:30 a.m. MT “to announce ‘a major sporting event.'”

Typically, the UFC has taken to hosting three events in Canada each year since 2010, with their most frequent stop being Montreal’s Bell Centre.

Assumedly, this will be labeled as UFC 161, the promotion’s second 2013 pay-per-view card in Canada following UFC 158, headlined by Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz.

Prior rumors about a match between Evans and Mauricio Rua were previously shot down by UFC president Dana White, who told UFC Tonight (via MMA Junkie) that he intended for “Suga” to face “Hendo” instead.

Now firmly on the outside of the title mix, Henderson will look to recover from a close decision loss at UFC 157 to former light heavyweight champion—and current No. 1 contender—Lyoto Machida. Blackzilians leader Evans returns off a decision loss of his own from UFC 156, coming at the hands of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

 

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and tech writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld, PC World, 1UP, NVision, The Los Angeles Times, FightFans Radio, MMA Mania and Bleacher Report. Talk with him on Twitter.

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Jake Shields Slated for Do-or-Die Fight Against Tryon Woodley on June 15th


(Looks like T-Wood traded his lay-n-pray for some float-n-gloat. / Photo via Getty Images)

In terms of job security, Jake Shields has every strike against him right now. He’s coming off a six-month drug-suspension, his UFC appearances have been either forgettable or memorable for the wrong reasons, his official Octagon record is an uninspiring 2-2, and he’s even more expensive than Jon Fitch. It’s safe to assume that Shields will need to win his next match to avoid the axe — and according to new reports, that’s not going to be easy.

As first revealed by MMAJunkie, a welterweight bout between Shields and Tyron Woodley is being targeted for a June 15th UFC event in Canada (city/venue TBA). The fight will mark Shields’s return to the 170-pound division after his brief trip back up to middleweight at UFC 150, where he defeated Ed Herman by decision before that victory was overturned.

Like Shields, Tyron Woodley has endured “boring fighter” criticisms in the past for the way he’s used his suffocating wrestling to prevent opponents such as Paul Daley from standing and banging. But in his UFC debut earlier this month at UFC 156, Woodley showed off his tremendous knockout power, blitzing Jay Hieron in just 36 seconds. T-Wood’s previous fight against Nate Marquardt in Strikeforce was also an entertaining scrap, although it ultimately led to the first loss of Woodley’s career.

So will Shields fight any differently when it’s clear that his job is at stake? How do you see this one going down?


(Looks like T-Wood traded his lay-n-pray for some float-n-gloat. / Photo via Getty Images)

In terms of job security, Jake Shields has every strike against him right now. He’s coming off a six-month drug-suspension, his UFC appearances have been either forgettable or memorable for the wrong reasons, his official Octagon record is an uninspiring 2-2, and he’s even more expensive than Jon Fitch. It’s safe to assume that Shields will need to win his next match to avoid the axe — and according to new reports, that’s not going to be easy.

As first revealed by MMAJunkie, a welterweight bout between Shields and Tyron Woodley is being targeted for a June 15th UFC event in Canada (city/venue TBA). The fight will mark Shields’s return to the 170-pound division after his brief trip back up to middleweight at UFC 150, where he defeated Ed Herman by decision before that victory was overturned.

Like Shields, Tyron Woodley has endured “boring fighter” criticisms in the past for the way he’s used his suffocating wrestling to prevent opponents such as Paul Daley from standing and banging. But in his UFC debut earlier this month at UFC 156, Woodley showed off his tremendous knockout power, blitzing Jay Hieron in just 36 seconds. T-Wood’s previous fight against Nate Marquardt in Strikeforce was also an entertaining scrap, although it ultimately led to the first loss of Woodley’s career.

So will Shields fight any differently when it’s clear that his job is at stake? How do you see this one going down?