As we get closer to the big show this Saturday, the final fight week traditions are nearly completed for the UFC 203 pay-per-view in Cleveland, Ohio.
On Thursday, the final pre-fight press conference for UFC 203 took …
https://youtu.be/Jqe0h5hcPmc
As we get closer to the big show this Saturday, the final fight week traditions are nearly completed for the UFC 203 pay-per-view in Cleveland, Ohio.
On Thursday, the final pre-fight press conference for UFC 203 took place at the venue that will host the PPV event this Saturday evening, the Quicken Loans Arena.
Above is a complete archive of the UFC 203 pre-fight press conference, which featured the Heavyweight headliners — Stipe Miocic, Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum and Travis Browne — as well as the two men who will be competing in arguably the fight with the most “casual interest,” CM Punk and Mickey Gall.
Headlined by the hometown boy, Stipe Miocic, who makes his first defense of the UFC Heavyweight Championship against dangerous striker Alistair Overeem, UFC 203 takes place this Saturday, September 10, 2016 from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
Join us here at MMANews.com this Saturday for live round-by-round results coverage of the UFC 203 pay-per-view!
Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is gearing up to make the first defense of his title in the main event of UFC 203 this Saturday night (September 10, 2016) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from his home of Cleveland, Ohio. Despite Overeem’s historic resume, Miocic recently told MMAJunkie that he’s simply worked too hard to
Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is gearing up to make the first defense of his title in the main event of UFC 203 this Saturday night (September 10, 2016) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from his home of Cleveland, Ohio. Despite Overeem’s historic resume, Miocic recently told MMAJunkie that he’s simply worked too hard to surrender the strap:
“It’s business,” Miocic said following yesterday’s open workouts. “I’m going to go out there and do my job. I’ve trained super hard. I’ve trained too hard to go out there and give it up. I don’t want to give anything up. I’ve worked too hard to get this title.”
While the two don’t necessarily have a rivalry, Overeem has made some comments regarding Miocic’s training. The legendary dutch kick boxer feels as if Miocic has been partying and celebrating rather than putting in work at the gym. The champion recently fired back, saying that we’ll find out the truth when “The Reem” is ‘sleeping’:
“We’ll find out Saturday if I’ve been training or not – when he’s sleeping,” Miocic said. “I’ve been doing what I’m supposed to do, I’ve been doing my obligations but I’ve been training all the time. Everywhere I went, I brought a coach with me and having guys spar with me.”
“I’m going to win,” Miocic said. “You’ll find out how I did it when I get my hand raised.”
Who do you see walking away with heavyweight gold this weekend?
Just days before his planned UFC 203 bout with Ray Borg, McCall found out that his fight will be scrapped for a second straight time.
According to…
Ian McCall really has no luck at all.
Just days before his planned UFC 203 bout with Ray Borg, McCall found out that his fight will be scrapped for a second straight time.
According to a report by FOX Sports, Borg is ill and cannot compete Saturday from Cleveland.
Just six weeks ago, McCall vs. Justin Scoggins was scratched right around the same time after Scoggins’ body failed to continue cutting weight. He has since moved to the bantamweight division.
McCall was paid for the bout with Scoggins back at UFC 201. He has not competed since January 2015 when he lost to John Lineker in a bout that Lineker came in five pounds heavy for.
The UFC 203 pay-per-view event will go down this Saturday September 10, but without one of its original bouts. The flyweight tilt between Ian McCall and Ray Borg has been called off due to sickness. ‘Uncle Creepy’ has not competed since his January 2015 loss to John Lineker at UFC 183. The former title challenger
The UFC 203 pay-per-view event will go down this Saturday September 10, but without one of its original bouts. The flyweight tilt between Ian McCall and Ray Borg has been called off due to sickness. ‘Uncle Creepy’ has not competed since his January 2015 loss to John Lineker at UFC 183. The former title challenger was set to come back in August of the same year against Dustin Ortiz, but fell injured just weeks prior to UFC Fight Night 73.
McCall was then slated for a 125-pound burner against Justin Scoggins at UFC 201. ‘Tank’ was pulled from that fight just two days before, leaving ‘Uncle Creepy’ without an opponent. It appears that almost identical circumstances have struck again at UFC 203. As confirmed by FOX Sports, Borg was taken ill late Wednesday night and removed from the card. After a short period of attempting to find a replacement, the promotion also removed McCall from the card.
Unlucky Uncle
That’s two fights within months that have fallen apart for Ian McCall, making him perhaps the unluckiest uncle in the UFC right now. As a result of Ray Borg being pulled, and also visa issues forcing the delay of Damir Hadzovic vs. Yukawa Kazuya, there are now three fights on the Fight Pass and FOX prelims. The main event for the evening remains intact of course, as heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic takes on the highly decorated knockout artist Alistair Overeem.
Somehow CM Punk finds himself on a main card for his first ever MMA fight against Mickey Gall. The co-main event for the show in Cleveland, Ohio is the rematch between Fabricio Werdum and Travis Browne.
Here’s how the UFC 203 fight card looks as of now:
Event: UFC 203 “Miocic vs. Overeem” Date: Sat., Sept. 10, 2016 Location: Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio Broadcast: Pay-Per-View
UFC 203 PPV Main Event:
265 lbs.: UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic vs. Alistair Overeem
UFC 203 PPV Co-Main Event:
265 lbs.: Fabricio Werdum vs. Travis Browne
UFC 203 PPV Main Card (10 p.m. ET):
170 lbs.: CM Punk vs. Mickey Gall 135 lbs.: Urijah Faber vs. Jimmie Rivera 115 lbs.: Jessica Andrade vs. Joanne Calderwood
UFC 203 FOX Sports 1 “Prelims” (8 p.m. ET):
135 lbs.: Bethe Correia vs. Jessica Eye 145 lbs.: Nik Lentz vs. Michael McBride 265 lbs.: Caio Magalhaes vs. Brad Tavares 125 lbs.: Ian McCall vs. Ray BorgIllness
UFC 203 Fight Pass “Prelims” (6 p.m. ET):
155 lbs.: Yancy Medeiros vs. Sean Spencer 185 lbs.: Francimar Barroso vs. CB Dollaway 170 lbs.: Drew Dober vs. Jason Gonzalez 155 lbs.: Damir Hadzovic vs. Yukawa KazuyaVisa Issues
When decorated combat sports veteran Alistair Overeem steps into the Octagon against heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in the main event of Saturday night’s (September 10, 2016) UFC 203 from Cleveland, he’ll finally fulfill the promise that essentially anointed him a UFC title contender since he was first signed to the promotion to face Brock Lesnar at
When decorated combat sports veteran Alistair Overeem steps into the Octagon against heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in the main event of Saturday night’s (September 10, 2016) UFC 203 from Cleveland, he’ll finally fulfill the promise that essentially anointed him a UFC title contender since he was first signed to the promotion to face Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 five years ago in December 2011.
But the former Strikeforce, DREAM, and K-1 World Grand Prix champion ran into some significant bumps in the road when he failed a surprise drug test for steroids before his scheduled heavyweight title bout with then-champion Junior dos Santos at May 2012’s UFC 146 and then lost his next two bouts to Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Travis Browne by knockout in bouts he was winning.
“The Reem” has since rebounded after a camp change to Albuquerque, New Mexico’s Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA, where he trains with former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, among others, and it’s translated well into an impressive four-fight streak where he’s knocked out three of his opponents including dos Santos and fellow former champion Andrei Arlovski. The hot run has Overeem feeling in the best shape he ever has in his impressive 56-fight mixed martial arts career, but he doesn’t believe current champ Miocic is in similar form heading into hi first title defense from his hometown.
Criticizing the champion during a media scrum at today’s UFC 203 Open Workouts (via UFC.com), Overeem described a scene where Miocic, who won the belt with a earth-shaking first round knockout of Fabricio Werdum this May, has been living it up a bit too much since he won the gold:
“I went to UFC 200 – a great event in Vegas – and I didn’t go to any pool parties. I was training every day. Stipe was going to different parties. He’s wearing different clothes and acting crazy and having a drink in his hands.”
“While he was celebrating I was working. I was training hard. My life has been dedicated for the last two and a half years and the last six months I’ve definitely put on a couple notches more.”
Overeem has the rare chance to add the most important championship piece to his nearly-full mantle, and he acknowledged there is much on the line in Cleveland. But the 36-year-old fighter said his extensive experience will help him overcome any nerves to capitalize on his perceived position as the most fervent contender at 265 pounds:
“There is definitely that extra tingling of nerves,” he said. “Sometimes you don’t have nerves and sometimes you have a little bit of nerves. But we’ve been there. This is going to be my 87th fight. We’ve been here and done that. I use that tension and those nerves to my advantage.
“I am the most hungry fighter in my weight division.”
On Wednesday evening, UFC released the third episode of their fight week series, “UFC Embedded,” which follows the top fighters as they finish their preparation for this Saturday’s big pay-per-view.
Featured above is …
https://youtu.be/OWv17qRaANc
On Wednesday evening, UFC released the third episode of their fight week series, “UFC Embedded,” which follows the top fighters as they finish their preparation for this Saturday’s big pay-per-view.
Featured above is episode three of UFC 203 Embedded. The official description for the episode reads as follows:
“On Episode 3 of UFC 203 Embedded, debuting welterweight CM Punk defies science in dry ice bath, and heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic gets suited up. Bantamweight Jessica Eye centers her training on her throwing arm. Punk’s opponent Mickey Gall arrives in The Land, where he discovers he has a fan in heavyweight title challenger Alistair Overeem. Veteran bantamweight Urijah Faber offers Punk some fight week advice as the former pro wrestler struggles with social media then hams it up at a photo shoot. Miocic then ventures to the East Coast for a day of media to promote his hometown title defense. UFC 203 Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the world heavyweight championship at UFC 203, taking place Saturday, September 10 on Pay-Per-View.”
Punk meets Mickey Gall in his Octagon debut in the third-from-the-top bout scheduled for this Saturday’s UFC 203 PPV at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
Join us here at MMANews.com on 9/10 for live coverage of the UFC 203 PPV!
