Tag: UFC Fight Night 25

Wand Fight Team’s Jorge Lopez to Make UFC Debut Against Justin Edwards

Filed under: UFC, NewsJorge Lopez, a Muay Thai and MMA trainer at Wanderlei Silva’s Wand Fight Team in Las Vegas, will make his UFC debut on the undercard of UFC Fight Night 25 on Sept. 17 in New Orleans.

“Wandsports gonna have his first fighter In th…

Filed under: ,

Jorge Lopez, a Muay Thai and MMA trainer at Wanderlei Silva‘s Wand Fight Team in Las Vegas, will make his UFC debut on the undercard of UFC Fight Night 25 on Sept. 17 in New Orleans.

“Wandsports gonna have his first fighter In the UFC!” Silva tweeted Friday morning. “Jorge Lopez received the contract yesterday and is now a UFC fighter. My future champion.”

Standing across the cage from Lopez in the welterweight’s UFC debut will be The Ultimate Fighter 13 contestant Justin Edwards.

At only 22 years of age, Lopez already holds a professional MMA record of 11-1. Fighting primarily in California, Utah and Las Vegas, he has compiled wins over Brett Cooper, Waachiim Spiritwolf and David Marshall.

Edwards (6-1), out of Team Jorge Gurgel in Cincinnati, lost a split decision to Clay Harvison in his UFC debut last June at the TUF 13 Finale. On the show, Edwards was knocked out by an upkick in the opening round by eventual season winner Tony Ferguson.

UFC Fight Night 25, also titled “Battle at the Bayou,” is headlined by Jake Shields vs. Jake Ellenberger in a welterweight bout. The other televised bouts on the Spike TV card will be Court McGee vs. Dongi Yang, Jonathan Brookins vs. Erik Koch and Alan Belcher vs. Jason MacDonald.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Jake Shields Says He Wanted to Fight Jon Fitch Before Jake Ellenberger

Coming off his first loss in fifteen fights to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 129, Jake Shields will headline the main card at UFC Fight Night 25 against welterweight contender Jake Ellenberger on September 17.The bout provides some intrigue to the event, ho…

Coming off his first loss in fifteen fights to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 129, Jake Shields will headline the main card at UFC Fight Night 25 against welterweight contender Jake Ellenberger on September 17.

The bout provides some intrigue to the event, however Ellenberger was not the first challenger who Shields would expected to face.

“I fight whoever they tell me, but when they asked me (to fight) Ellenberger, my first reaction was I want to fight someone like B.J. or Fitch,” Shields told MMAWeekly Radio. 

Considering Shields status in the welterweight division, it’d be hard to not slot the former Strikeforce Middleweight champion in a bout against a top contender. While holding victories over Carlos Condit, Dan Henderson and Yushin Okami, it be even harder to sell a Shields fight without a top contender.

However, Shields put the company before himself and decided to accept the bout.

“I’m willing to fight whoever they want. I’m not one to say no, especially if it’s a main event. So I said, ‘sure, I’ll do it.’ But I was hoping to fight Fitch on the San Jose card,” he said.

Ideally, however, it won’t hurt Shields to be put in the main event for a second consecutive fight. It certainly will build his image and help propel him back into welterweight contention. But first, he will have to get past Ellenberger, an opponent who he admittedly knows nothing about, but understands he will be a durable challenge. 

“He looks like a tough wrestler with pretty good boxing,” he explained. “So, he’s just a basic tough guy, you know. Definitely not taking him lightly,” Shields said of his opponent. 

“He’s got a lot of power, so he’s got good knockout power, but I think he’s lacking in his jiu-jitsu, my strength.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Shields vs. Ellenberger Slated for September’s ‘Battle on the Bayou’, UFC Conveniently Forgets ‘Five-Round Non-Title Main Event’ Rule

Battle on the Bayou UFC

“From this day forward, any [main event] that is signed after right now today will be a five-round fight.” — Dana White, 6/9/11

The main event for UFC Fight Night in New Orleans on September 17 has been verbally agreed to as Jake Shields takes on Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger…”Ellenberger is on a mission to get his first shot at a world title, and Shields is determined to get another crack at it,” said UFC President Dana White. The televised bout is scheduled for three rounds. — UFC.com, 6/29/11

And so, the UFC’s new five-round non-title fight rule is immediately ignored. Considering that Shields’s recent bouts haven’t all been barn-burners, you have to wonder if the UFC’s decision to make this a three-rounder was some calculated hedging against a boring match. After all, nothing kills a good party like 25 minutes of stalling.

“UFC Fight Night: Battle on the Bayou” (aka UFC Fight Night 25) goes down 9/17 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Battle on the Bayou UFC

“From this day forward, any [main event] that is signed after right now today will be a five-round fight.” — Dana White, 6/9/11

The main event for UFC Fight Night in New Orleans on September 17 has been verbally agreed to as Jake Shields takes on Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger…”Ellenberger is on a mission to get his first shot at a world title, and Shields is determined to get another crack at it,” said UFC President Dana White. The televised bout is scheduled for three rounds. — UFC.com, 6/29/11

And so, the UFC’s new five-round non-title fight rule is immediately ignored. Considering that Shields’s recent bouts haven’t all been barn-burners, you have to wonder if the UFC’s decision to make this a three-rounder was some calculated hedging against a boring match. After all, nothing kills a good party like 25 minutes of stalling.

“UFC Fight Night: Battle on the Bayou” (aka UFC Fight Night 25) goes down 9/17 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Jake Shields, Jake Ellenberger Will Headline UFC Fight Night 25 in New Orleans

Filed under: UFCA pair of Jakes will battle on the bayou in September.

MMA Fighting was first to report Sunday a planned fall welterweight fight between former title challenger Jake Shields and surging contender Jake Ellenberger. Tuesday, UFC officia…

Filed under:

A pair of Jakes will battle on the bayou in September.

MMA Fighting was first to report Sunday a planned fall welterweight fight between former title challenger Jake Shields and surging contender Jake Ellenberger. Tuesday, UFC officials announced the fight will headline UFC Fight Night 25: Battle on the Bayou on Sept. 17 in New Orleans.

Despite some reports to the contrary, a UFC official on Tuesday told MMA Fighting that the fight will be a three-round main event, not five rounds. Earlier this month at UFC 131, UFC president Dana White announced that all main events in the UFC would be five-round fights, including non-title fights. It was not immediately clear why Shields-Ellenberger will be a three-round main event.

Shields (26-5-1, 1-1 UFC) is coming off his first loss in in six and a half years, a unanimous decision setback to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre at UFC 129 in April. Ellenberger (25-5, 4-1 UFC) fought on the same card, knocking out Sean Pierson in the first round for his fourth straight victory.

Fight Night 25 will be the UFC’s first trip to New Orleans in more than a decade. In April, the promotion announced a renewed sponsorship deal with Bud Light, and as part of the deal the two companies will produce an annual live event.

The first joint venture, “Battle on the Bayou,” will take place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and is expected to include fan expo-like events, a concert tie-in and meet-and-greets with Zuffa fighters. As with all UFC Fight Night cards, Fight Night 25’s main card will air live on Spike TV.

The UFC has held three shows in New Orleans, all prior to Zuffa’s purchase of the company in 2001. The last UFC show in Louisiana was UFC 37 in May 2002 in Bossier City, near Shreveport. Several UFC fighters hail from the New Orleans area, most notably Pat Barry, Melvin Guillard and Alan Belcher, who trains in nearby Biloxi, Miss.

Belcher is expected to fight on the card in a middleweight bout against Jason MacDonald. Also confirmed by the UFC for the card is a middleweight bout between Season 11 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” Court McGee and Dongi Yang and a featherweight bout between Season 12 TUF winner Jonathan Brookins and Erik Koch.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

TUF 12 Winner Jonathan Brookins Meets Erik Koch on UFC’s New Orleans Card

Filed under: NewsThe UFC will return to New Orleans on Sept. 17 for the first time since 2000, and Season 12 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” Jonathan Brookins will return to the cage for the first time since winning his title.

The UFC announced Satur…

Filed under:

The UFC will return to New Orleans on Sept. 17 for the first time since 2000, and Season 12 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” Jonathan Brookins will return to the cage for the first time since winning his title.

The UFC announced Saturday that verbal agreements are in place for TUF 12 champ Brookins, who won the show at lightweight, to drop down to featherweight to face Erik Koch at UFC Fight Night 25.

The “Battle on the Bayou” show now has three confirmed bouts with Alan Belcher vs. Jason MacDonald and Dongi Yang vs. Court McGee getting announced for the card last month.

Brookins (12-3, 1-0 UFC) has not fought since his unanimous decision victory over Michael Johnson at the TUF 12 Finale in December. The WEC and Bellator veteran was scheduled to face John Makdessi at UFC 129 in April, but had to pull out with an injury. Re-booked for the TUF 13 Finale last Saturday against Jeremy Stephens, he was again forced off the card. Brookins’ last loss came at WEC 36 in November 2008 to Jose Aldo a year before Aldo won the featherweight title.

Koch (12-1, 1-0 UFC), who went 3-1 in the WEC prior to its merger with the UFC, has won three straight by first-round stoppage – including consecutive Knockout of the Night bonuses. In March, he knocked out Raphael Assuncao in the first round at UFC 128. His only loss was a unanimous decision setback to Chad Mendes, one of the featherweight division’s top contenders for Aldo’s title, at WEC 47 in March 2010.

The main card of UFC Fight Night 25, an event heavily promoted by UFC sponsor Bud Light, airs on Spike TV. As MMAjunkie.com recently reported, the event is expected to take place at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

UFC Fight Night 25 is expected to take place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. The main card will air on Spike TV and is the promotion’s first of a series of planned annual special events with major sponsor Bud Light.

The UFC has not hosted an event in Louisiana since UFC 37 in May 2002, which was in Bossier City, a suburb of Shreveport. The last UFC event in New Orleans was UFC 27 in September 2000, prior to the Zuffa era.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Alan Belcher to Dip His Toe Back Into the UFC Middleweight Pool Against Jason MacDonald at UFN 25 in September


(“I’m fighting Jason who??”)

The UFC announced today that UFC middleweight contender Alan Belcher’s first fight back from a career-threatening eye injury will be against New Glasgow, Nova Scotia native Jason MacDonald in the Biloxi, Mississippi native’s backyard of New Orleans, Louisiana on September 17. The event is aptly named UFC Fight Night 25: Battle on the Bayou.

4-1 in his last 5 outings including wins over Wilson Gouveia, Patrick Cote, Denis Kang and Ed Herman and a questionable split decision loss to Yoshihiro Akiyama, Belcher (16-6) was mentioned as a potential championship contender before a detached retina sidelined him for almost a year. Although MacDonald (25-15) is by no means a cake walk fight for Belcher, it’s likely that the bout with the recently re-signed Canadian is thought of by the UFC brass as more of a tune-up fight for “The Talent.”


(“I’m fighting Jason who??”)

The UFC announced today that UFC middleweight contender Alan Belcher’s first fight back from a career-threatening eye injury will be against New Glasgow, Nova Scotia native Jason MacDonald in the Biloxi, Mississippi native’s backyard of New Orleans, Louisiana on September 17. The event is aptly named UFC Fight Night 25: Battle on the Bayou.

4-1 in his last 5 outings including wins over Wilson Gouveia, Patrick Cote, Denis Kang and Ed Herman and a questionable split decision loss to Yoshihiro Akiyama, Belcher (16-6) was mentioned as a potential championship contender before a detached retina sidelined him for almost a year. Although MacDonald (25-15) is by no means a cake walk fight for Belcher, it’s likely that the bout with the recently re-signed Canadian is thought of by the UFC brass as more of a tune-up fight for “The Talent.”

Following a disappointing 0-2 finish to his last UFC stint in as many fights his last time around in the promotion, MacDonald, like Belcher is now also 4-1 in his last outings. The difference between both fighter’s similar recent records is the level of competition they faced. MacDonald’s wins came against UFC cast-offs Matt Horwich, Solomon Hutcherson and Vernon White. After a horrific leg break cost him his last fight early in the first round of his UFC return bout at UFC 113 last May, MacDonald rebounded in his next fight to finish Ryan Jensen by triangle choke at UFC 129 in Toronto in April. Jensen, who was 2-4 in the Octagon was let go as a result of the loss.

The promotion also announced today that TUF 11 winner Court McGee will also take on Dong Yi Yang on the card.

McGee (13-1) hasn’t fought since defeating Jensen (again by triangle choke) at UFC 121 in October because of an MCL tear that forced him out of  a planned UFC 131 bout with Jesse Bongfeldt. He’ll have a tough customer to deal with in Yang (10-1), who is 1-1 in the Octagon after rebounding from a loss against Chris Camozzi at UFC 121 with an impressive TKO win over Rob Kimmons at UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann this past March.

The UFC did not mention whether or not the Belcher-MacDonald fight would act as the night’s main event or whether or not NOLA native Pat Barry will be on the card, but there’s a good possibility of both being announced in the coming weeks.