Anderson Silva Set To Return At UFC 212 In Rio

Former longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has his next fight set, as “The Spider” will take on rising contender Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 212 on June 3, 2017 in Rio De Janiero, Brazil. The promotion officially announced the fight earlier today (March 14, 2017): Ask and you shall receive! @KelvinGastelum gets wish, faces @SpiderAnderson

The post Anderson Silva Set To Return At UFC 212 In Rio appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Former longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has his next fight set, as “The Spider” will take on rising contender Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 212 on June 3, 2017 in Rio De Janiero, Brazil.

The promotion officially announced the fight earlier today (March 14, 2017):

Silva last competed at Feb. 11’s UFC 208 from Brooklyn, New York where he scored a decision victory over Derek Brunson. Prior to that, the 41-year-old had lost four out of his last five bouts including losses to Chris Weidman, Michael Bisping and Daniel Cormier.

Gastelum, on the other hand, is currently ranked as the No. 10 middleweight, as he has scored back-to-back stoppage victories since moving back up to 185-pounds. The former The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner finished Tim Kennedy this past December before scoring a brutal TKO victory over Vitor Belfort in the main event of last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 106.

UFC 212 is set to be headlined by a featherweight title unification bout between Jose Aldo and Max Holloway.

The post Anderson Silva Set To Return At UFC 212 In Rio appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Amanda Nunes Reacts To Valentina Shevchenko’s Rio Refusal

Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko are having a tough time agreeing to a date for their perceived upcoming title bout. A rematch between the two, who fought in a close bout that current women’s bantamweight champion Nunes won at last year’s UFC 196, was all but set in stone when Shevchenko submitted Julianna Pena at

The post Amanda Nunes Reacts To Valentina Shevchenko’s Rio Refusal appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko are having a tough time agreeing to a date for their perceived upcoming title bout.

A rematch between the two, who fought in a close bout that current women’s bantamweight champion Nunes won at last year’s UFC 196, was all but set in stone when Shevchenko submitted Julianna Pena at January 28’s UFC on FOX 23 and Nunes gave up her quest to fight for the featherweight belt.

All that was left was to set the date, so Nunes recently (and understandably) called Shevchenko out for June 3’s UFC 212 from her homeland in Rio de Janeiro:

‘Bullet’ was quick to fire back, explaining that the UFC had offered them both a fast turnaround to fight at April 8’s UFC 210 event from Buffalo, but “The Lioness” turned it down so she made plans. Because of that fact, Shevchenko proclaimed she’d be ready anytime in July:

Finally, the champion took a bit of umbrage to her foil’s reply, noting that challengers do not pick the date of the fight, only show up and fight:

That’s an understandable response from the champ, who’s coming off a dominant first-round stoppage of former champ Ronda Rousey that lasted only 48 brutal seconds.

However, it looks like Nunes’ attempt to get her next title defense confirmed for Brazil backfired when she turned down an earlier fight day, as Shevchenko is now aiming for the festivities of International Fight Week in July.

UFC 212 still boats a high-profile title fight, with longtime featherweight champ Jose Aldo set to defend his newly-reacquired belt against streaking interim champ Max Holloway in the main event.

As for Nunes and Shevchenko, who are you picking to win the rematch, no matter when it happens?

The post Amanda Nunes Reacts To Valentina Shevchenko’s Rio Refusal appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Anderson Silva Wants Two Huge Rematches – One In Rio

41-year-old former longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva finally got back into the win column with a controversial decision victory over Derek Brunson at this February’s UFC 208 from Brooklyn, New York. Now back to his winning ways, Silva appears to be focused on landing a big fight, and there have been rumors suggesting his next

The post Anderson Silva Wants Two Huge Rematches – One In Rio appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

41-year-old former longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva finally got back into the win column with a controversial decision victory over Derek Brunson at this February’s UFC 208 from Brooklyn, New York.

Now back to his winning ways, Silva appears to be focused on landing a big fight, and there have been rumors suggesting his next fight could take place in his home of Brazil on June 3, 2017 at UFC 212. If that’s the case, “The Spider” would like a rematch with his former opponent Nick Diaz, as he stated earlier today on his official Instagram account.

Silva also expressed interest in a rematch with reigning 185-pound titleholder Michael Bisping:

“We are three great professionals, what makes the most sense at the moment, is not his fight with any other, but with me, regardless of belt. Regardless of the show, we respect each other, a new fight between us, would be a great fight of gentlemen,” Silva wrote.

“Because with Nick [Diaz], it was a no contest, we have a story to tell, I’ll wait for you in Brazil. And I’m waiting for you, Mr. Bisping, after your fight with GSP.”

Silva scored a unanimous decision victory over Diaz at UFC 183 in Jan. 2015, but it was later changed to a no-contest after both men failed drug tests. “The Spider” would end up serving out a year long suspension before returning to take on Bisping in Feb. 2016 in an entertaining bout that he lost via decision.

“The Count” is currently set to take on the returning Georges St. Pierre later this year and Diaz has yet to book a fight since his suspension ended last August.

Who would you like to see Silva fight next?

The post Anderson Silva Wants Two Huge Rematches – One In Rio appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

It’s Time For The Old Lion To Leave The Jungle For Good

MMA is a harsh and unforgiving game, which is why it’s so remarkable that Vitor Belfort has kept himself relevant in the sport for over 20 years. “The Phenom” was once a UFC light heavyweight champion and is still a UFC tournament winner. He once possessed some of the fastest and most explosive striking in

The post It’s Time For The Old Lion To Leave The Jungle For Good appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

MMA is a harsh and unforgiving game, which is why it’s so remarkable that Vitor Belfort has kept himself relevant in the sport for over 20 years.

“The Phenom” was once a UFC light heavyweight champion and is still a UFC tournament winner. He once possessed some of the fastest and most explosive striking in the sport, making him a legitimate knockout artist.

Perhaps more notably and notoriously, the Brazilian was once the poster boy for the UFC’s testosterone-replacement therapy (TRT) era, an era that saw Belfort, in 2013, run through top middleweights Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson with three consecutive head kick knockouts.

Unfortunately, the 39-year-old Belfort is no longer that same man, and to be blunt, he’s a mere shell of his former self.

Belfort has lost four of his last five fights, with all four of those losses coming by way of T/KO. The most recent loss in that stretch came in the main event of last night’s (March 11, 2017) UFC Fight Night 106 from Fortaleza, Brazil when Belfort was stopped by 25-year-old Kelvin Gastelum in the opening round.

“The Phenom” was dropped early on, but he was able to regroup and land back on his feet before a thunderous left hand from Gastelum, followed by a flurry of ground strikes, gave the referee no choice but to end the fight.

Photo by Jason Silva for USA TODAY Sports

The loss added to Belfort’s concerning losing streak, but it also added to his steady physical decline that we have seen over the last few years.

His body is longer the same; he looks tired, worn down, and dare I say, old, a complete 180-degree flip from the physique he possessed during his vicious knockout spree that took place just a few years ago. Aside from that, Belfort’s chin has seemed to abandon him, as he simply doesn’t appear to be able to come back after getting clipped. “The Phenom” has always seen success in using an explosive blitz of powerful strikes, but nowadays, Belfort looks almost helpless in the octagon if that patented early blitz doesn’t land.

With one fight left on his current contract, Belfort has made it clear that he would like to fight one more time at UFC 212 on June 3, 2017 in his home of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It’s a reasonable request and one that should be granted given Belfort’s history of accomplishments in the sport, but his retirement bout shouldn’t come against another young and hungry prospect.

Belfort simply can’t compete with the division’s young, hungry contenders anymore, nor can he can compete with the division’s elite at this stage of his career. It’s clear that the best days of his illustrious career are behind him and perhaps it’s comforting that he too has realized that.

The Brazilian will likely remain a well-known name in the sport of MMA, and for good reason. His career speaks for itself, as he was once a young lion, even a Phenom, but those days have drifted away. Father time waits for no fighter and Belfort is no different.

There’s no shame in that. He shares the UFC record for most finishes of all-time with his countryman Anderson Silva, and he’s put on some of the most iconic knockouts on film. Belfort has nothing left to prove. He will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame the moment he is eligible. He doesn’t have to keep absorbing more damage to cement his legacy. It’s in place, and it’s a decorated one for a man who got in on the ground level of a now-thriving new sport.

It’s time for the old lion to leave the jungle once and for all.

The post It’s Time For The Old Lion To Leave The Jungle For Good appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Three Bouts Added to June’s UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro

A handful of fights have been added to June’s UFC 212 card in Rio de Janeiro, the UFC has announced. Three fights were announced Thursday for the event, which takes place June 3 and is headlined by a featherweight unification bout between interim champ Max Holloway and recently promoted full champ Jose Aldo. First up, […]

A handful of fights have been added to June’s UFC 212 card in Rio de Janeiro, the UFC has announced. Three fights were announced Thursday for the event, which takes place June 3 and is headlined by a featherweight unification bout between interim champ Max Holloway and recently promoted full champ Jose Aldo. First up, […]

Claudia Gadelha vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz official for UFC 212

It appears the rumors are true strawweights Claudia Gadelha and Karolina Kowalkiewicz will do battle on June 3rd in San Paulo, Brazil.

The post Claudia Gadelha vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz official for UFC 212 appeared first on Cagepotato.

Confirmed

It appears the rumors are true strawweights Claudia Gadelha and Karolina Kowalkiewicz will do battle on June 3rd in San Paulo, Brazil.

Claudia (16-2), who’s only two losses have come by way of arch nemesis and strawweight champion Joanna jedrzejczyk, is a hard charging brazilian with knockout power and a ground game to boot. She’s looking to make short work of Karolina in hopes that the 3rd time’s a charm with JJ.

Karolina (16-1) is a precise striker with great movement and a granite chin. She’s one of those sick puppies that like getting hit. She stood toe to to with Joanna for 5 rounds and it looked like she might pull off an upset in the fourth. Unfortunately for her it was to no avail but you can bet she’s itching to get back in there and earn herself another title shot.

While this is a pick’em fight, I’m going to have to give the advantage to Karolina simply because I think she has the better gas tank. Other than that this match is in a dead heat and I’m sure they’ll be fireworks come June 3rd.

We’ll keep you posted on the newest information in the next couple of weeks.

The post Claudia Gadelha vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz official for UFC 212 appeared first on Cagepotato.