Tag: UFC 175

Weird Booking of the Day: Urijah Faber vs. Alex Caceres Added to UFC 175


(Be patient, this will make sense soon. / Image via @UrijahFaber)

In a booking that Bjorn Rebney might describe as a “weird, funky, freaky kind of Cirque du Soleil-esque type of fight,” #1-ranked bantamweight contender Urijah Faber will fight #13-ranked Alex “Bruce Leroy” Caceres at UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida, July 5th in Las Vegas. The UFC announced the matchup yesterday.

The pairing came about after a fan suggested it to Caceres on twitter, Caceres said he was down, and then Faber responded two weeks later with the photoshop you see above, accompanied by the phrase “Sho Nuf!!” Seriously, that’s all it took for the UFC matchmakers to greenlight this one.

Look, I get it: Joe Silva and Sean Shelby are barely keeping their heads above water these days. Plus, after Faber lost his sixth-consecutive title bout in February — against Renan Barao at UFC 169 — he has officially entered the “just gimme some fun fights” stage of his career, and if nothing else, The California Kid vs. Bruce Leroy is a fun fight. I think. Right? And who knows, maybe Caceres will surprise us by rising to the occasion. After exposing Sergio Pettis in January, the TUF 12 vet proved that he’s not to be taken lightly.

More importantly, the UFC gets to add one of its biggest sub-155 stars to a pay-per-view that is already their most stacked card of the year by a wide margin. Mark your calendars for July 5th, and check out the current lineup after the jump…


(Be patient, this will make sense soon. / Image via @UrijahFaber)

In a booking that Bjorn Rebney might describe as a “weird, funky, freaky kind of Cirque du Soleil-esque type of fight,” #1-ranked bantamweight contender Urijah Faber will fight #13-ranked Alex “Bruce Leroy” Caceres at UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida, July 5th in Las Vegas. The UFC announced the matchup yesterday.

The pairing came about after a fan suggested it to Caceres on twitter, Caceres said he was down, and then Faber responded two weeks later with the photoshop you see above, accompanied by the phrase “Sho Nuf!!” Seriously, that’s all it took for the UFC matchmakers to greenlight this one.

Look, I get it: Joe Silva and Sean Shelby are barely keeping their heads above water these days. Plus, after Faber lost his sixth-consecutive title bout in February — against Renan Barao at UFC 169 — he has officially entered the “just gimme some fun fights” stage of his career, and if nothing else, The California Kid vs. Bruce Leroy is a fun fight. I think. Right? And who knows, maybe Caceres will surprise us by rising to the occasion. After exposing Sergio Pettis in January, the TUF 12 vet proved that he’s not to be taken lightly.

More importantly, the UFC gets to add one of its biggest sub-155 stars to a pay-per-view that is already their most stacked card of the year by a wide margin. Mark your calendars for July 5th, and check out the current UFC 175 lineup after the jump…

Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida
Ronda Rousey vs. Alexis Davis
Wanderlei Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
Alex Caceres vs. Urijah Faber
Matt Mitrione vs. Stefan Struve
Uriah Hall vs. Thiago “Marreta” Santos
Chris Camozzi vs. Bruno Santos
Guilherme Vasconcelos vs. Luke Zachrich
Ildemar Alcantara vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio

Urijah Faber vs. Alex Caceres Set for Bantamweight Bout at UFC 175

Urijah Faber has been by far one of the best mixed martial artists in the world over the past 10 years.
His dedication to the sport and to his training has consequently rewarded him with an accomplished and extremely lucrative career.
But on the heels …

Urijah Faber has been by far one of the best mixed martial artists in the world over the past 10 years.

His dedication to the sport and to his training has consequently rewarded him with an accomplished and extremely lucrative career.

But on the heels of yet another title defeat at UFC 169 to champion Renan Barao, “The California Kid” has been sent back down the ladder to face an opponent outside of the division’s top 10, No. 13 Alex Caceres.

ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto confirmed Wednesday that the two bantamweights will do battle on July 5 in Las Vegas, as part of a card headlined by Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida for the UFC middleweight title.

Now while this matchup should come as a surprise to many considering each fighter’s position on the divisional ladder, it makes complete sense for the UFC.

On one hand you have Faber, a guy who has done everything he’s needed to do to reach ultimate glory but just hasn’t been able to win the big one.

On the other hand you have Caceres, a 25-year-old top prospect who has racked off four straight victories over the past two years (albeit for a no-contest back in March of 2013).

By scheduling this bout—which has solid potential to offer great exchanges—the promotion is essentially trying to push a personality like Caceres to the front of line, while giving Faber a respectable rebound opponent in effort to re-solidify his title hopes.

Also, putting a household name like Faber on a huge card that is UFC 175 will only allow a new champion like Weidman to achieve more and more pay-per-view exposure.

It’s a win-win scenario for a matchmaker like Joe Silva, but it’s understandable that Faber fans might feel slighted.

This is a guy whose seven career loses (30-7) have all been title fights in some way, shape or form. He isn’t exactly the type of fighter you would peg as a “gatekeeper.”

But a loss is a loss and Faber needs to earn his keep once again.

 

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Stefan Struve Cleared to Fight Again, Will Face Matt Mitrione at UFC 175


(I know you all expect me to make a ‘The Hills Have Eyes‘ reference in this caption, but I’m not going to. Instead, I’ll just say that Stefan also had a hilarious cameo in ‘Weird Science.’ / Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports via MMAJunkie)

Last August, UFC heavyweight Stefan Struve was diagnosed with a leaking aortic valve and an enlarged heart — a condition that could have permanently ended his fighting career. But Struve refused to accept retirement as a possibility, and he’s been receiving treatment since then. Last month, Struve revealed that he’s been cleared to compete again, and UFC officials announced yesterday that “Skyscraper” will be taking on Matt Mitrione at UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida, July 5th in Las Vegas.

Struve last fought at UFC on Fuel TV 8: Silva vs. Stann in March 2013, where he suffered a gnarly jaw-breaking knockout loss against Mark Hunt. That defeat snapped an impressive four-fight win streak, capped off by a second-round TKO of Stipe Miocic. Mitrione most recently KO’d Shawn Jordan at the TUF China Finale, and will be looking for his first back-to-back wins since 2011.

UFC 175 is shaping up to be the most stacked card of the year. The current lineup is after the jump…


(I know you all expect me to make a ‘The Hills Have Eyes‘ reference in this caption, but I’m not going to. Instead, I’ll just say that Stefan also had a hilarious cameo in ‘Weird Science.’ / Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports via MMAJunkie)

Last August, UFC heavyweight Stefan Struve was diagnosed with a leaking aortic valve and an enlarged heart — a condition that could have permanently ended his fighting career. But Struve refused to accept retirement as a possibility, and he’s been receiving treatment since then. Last month, Struve revealed that he’s been cleared to compete again, and UFC officials announced yesterday that “Skyscraper” will be taking on Matt Mitrione at UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida, July 5th in Las Vegas.

Struve last fought at UFC on Fuel TV 8: Silva vs. Stann in March 2013, where he suffered a gnarly jaw-breaking knockout loss against Mark Hunt. That defeat snapped an impressive four-fight win streak, capped off by a second-round TKO of Stipe Miocic. Mitrione most recently KO’d Shawn Jordan at the TUF China Finale, and will be looking for his first back-to-back wins since 2011.

UFC 175 is shaping up to be the most stacked card of the year. The current lineup is after the jump…

– Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida
– Ronda Rousey vs. Alexis Davis
– Wanderlei Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
– Matt Mitrione vs. Stefan Struve
– Uriah Hall vs. Thiago “Marreta” Santos
– Chris Camozzi vs. Bruno Santos
– Guilherme Vasconcelos vs. Luke Zachrich
– Ildemar Alcantara vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio

Stefan Struve Returns from Heart Condition, Meets Matt Mitrione at UFC 175

Stefan Struve makes his long-awaited return to the UFC this summer, as the Dutch mixed martial artist has received clearance to return to the cage. 

Struve meets fellow heavyweight Matt Mitrione at UFC 175 in Las Vegas in July. The card, headline…

Stefan Struve makes his long-awaited return to the UFC this summer, as the Dutch mixed martial artist has received clearance to return to the cage. 

Struve meets fellow heavyweight Matt Mitrione at UFC 175 in Las Vegas in July. The card, headlined by two championship bouts between Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida, as well as Ronda Rousey and Alexis Davis, now gets deeper with the addition of two high-profile, exciting heavyweights.

Struve returns to the Octagon for the first time since March 2013, when he was brutally knocked out by Mark Hunt in Japan. Struve suffered a jaw injury and some missing teeth for the beating he took from “The Super Samoan.”

After that fight, Struve was found to have an enlarged heart, which put his career in jeopardy. He has now been cleared by doctors to return to competition, which will undoubtedly lead Struve to one of the best comeback stories of all time.

Struve takes on Mitrione, a veteran of The Ultimate Fighter 10, where Mitrione transformed from a former NFL defensive lineman to a certified mixed martial artist.

Mitrione is 7-3 in his career, all of which have taken place in the UFC. He went through a tough streak recently that saw him go 1-3 against tougher competition, but he righted the ship in his last fight, downing Shawn Jordan with some nasty strikes.

Mitrione, who is considered a big heavyweight at 6’3″, 260 pounds, will be much smaller than the Dutchman, as Struve stands around 7’0″. Mitrione has immense knockout power, which he will look to use here, while Struve will use his size and reach to keep Mitrione at bay.

It is not confirmed whether this is a main or preliminary card fight, though one would think with the backstory of Struve that this would make a great main card bout.

Stay tuned with Bleacher Report for more news on UFC 175 and other updates from the UFC.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Ronda Rousey vs. Alexis Davis: An Early Head-to-Toe Breakdown

UFC 175 is shaping up to be the biggest weekend for the UFC in 2014. The card hosts one of the most anticipated championship bouts of 2014 in a middleweight title clash between Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida.
In the co-main event, UFC women’s ban…

UFC 175 is shaping up to be the biggest weekend for the UFC in 2014. The card hosts one of the most anticipated championship bouts of 2014 in a middleweight title clash between Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida.

In the co-main event, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey defends her title against Alexis Davis, but that hasn’t been talked about as much. Even so, it is a fight that features the best woman in MMA and the outright top contender, which should make for a top storyline.

It’s still early, but speculation is running wild. Let’s take an early peak at the head-to-toe matchup between Ronda and Davis. 

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Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida: An Early Head-to-Toe Breakdown

UFC 175 will play host to the first UFC Middleweight Championship bout not featuring Anderson Silva since 2006.
Champion Chris Weidman will defend the gold against Silva’s teammate Lyoto Machida in the five-round main event on July 4th weeken…

UFC 175 will play host to the first UFC Middleweight Championship bout not featuring Anderson Silva since 2006.

Champion Chris Weidman will defend the gold against Silva’s teammate Lyoto Machida in the five-round main event on July 4th weekend. Insert fireworks pun here.

Weidman has shocked the world twice by beating Silva, and now he seeks new challenges as he makes his mark as world champion. Machida has dropped to 185 pounds, looking spectacular in his two bouts at the weight.

The championship match will be highly anticipated, and the UFC has a fight that it can market well. Machida vs. Weidman is the kind of fight that fans are clamoring for in 2014. It features two high-level athletes who can make for an exciting championship scrap.

Here is an early look into the championship matchup featuring Machida and Weidman.

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