Tag: UFC on Fox 1

Frank Mir Criticizes Brock Lesnar’s Commentary During UFC on FOX Broadcast

While Brock Lesnar’s appearance on UFC on FOX 1 had audiences turning their heads and looking at the former UFC heavyweight champion in a new perspective, Frank Mir wasn’t too impressed. Mir, who is scheduled to face Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira this …

While Brock Lesnar‘s appearance on UFC on FOX 1 had audiences turning their heads and looking at the former UFC heavyweight champion in a new perspective, Frank Mir wasn’t too impressed. 

Mir, who is scheduled to face Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira this weekend at UFC 140, spoke to MMAWeigh-In.com about Lesnar’s involvement on UFC on FOX and criticized the 265-pound heavyweight’s analysis of the card. 

“Brock did such a great job, I don’t know if I could ever replace that. He was so articulate and well-spoken that I think he pretty much slammed it into the ground,” Mir said sarcastically. “You know how bad it was? I felt bad for watching it. I sat there and I said ‘ Man, cut the mic, pull (the camera over) do a three-shot’.”

Mir’s history with Lesnar goes back to the former WWE star’s UFC debut at UFC 81 where Mir submitted Lesnar in the first round. The two heavyweights would meet the following year at UFC 100, and Lesnar would defeat Mir in the second round. Mir has been open to a trilogy bout ever since then. 

However, when asked to give his own analysis on Lesnar’s upcoming bout against Alistair Overeem at UFC 141, Mir picks Lesnar to earn the victory.

“I don’t think Overeem moves his feet well enough to get out of the way. I think that he might think the guys he’s wrestling with, their doubles are something he can sprawl on. He’s not stopping Brock’s shot,” he said. “If they fought each other 100 times, I think Brock is going to get the takedown 99 times and I just don’t see how Alistair is going to get up.”

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5 UFC Fighters You Should Not Expect to See on FOX This Year

The UFC agreed a landmark deal with Fox on August 18th, 2011. They will get to show four events for free every year. The deal is looking to bring a lot of new fans to the UFC.As a kind of preview for the deal, the UFC put on UFC on Fox 1. The fight’s h…

The UFC agreed a landmark deal with Fox on August 18th, 2011. They will get to show four events for free every year. The deal is looking to bring a lot of new fans to the UFC.

As a kind of preview for the deal, the UFC put on UFC on Fox 1. The fight’s headline was Cain Velasquez facing Junior Dos Santos for the heavyweight title. The fight would only last just over a minute.

Just one week later, UFC 139 would take place and the main event—Shogun vs. Henderson—was viewed by many as the best fight ever! Many people asked Dana whether he regretted not putting this fight on Fox.

Dana stated that he was happy as it would have led to complaints, and that they needed to ease fans into UFC. This suggests Dana will keep certain fighters off the Fox channel for while. This slideshow will look at the fighters I don’t expect to see on Fox. 

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Junior Dos Santos: The Things That Changed His Life

Less than a month removed from his 64-second decimation of Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1, Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos is now basking in the glory of the heavyweight division’s holy grail—UFC gold. Nonetheless, speaking to Gracie…

Less than a month removed from his 64-second decimation of Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1, Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos is now basking in the glory of the heavyweight division’s holy grail—UFC gold.

Nonetheless, speaking to Graciemag.com, Cigano (14-1) cites his first loss as the catalyst to his rise to the top of the MMA world.

Prior to his one and only defeat, Cigano was riding a five-fight win streak—two via (which included a win over Joaquim “Mamute” Ferreira) submission and three by way of TKO/KO.

In his sixth professional bout, however, in a rematch against Ferreira, he was submitted via armbar in 73 seconds of the first round.

That was the night he had his “Road to Damascus” moment—in one fell swoop his career was to change as well as his inner psyche with regards to MMA in general.

[…] “After my defeat (against Joaquim Mamute), I became a totally different fighter”, he admits. “That submission freed me of the responsibility of being undefeated, and I stopped being afraid there. I had no fear in my next challenges”, he says.

After that defeat, Cigano went on a tear—destroying almost everything in his path.

Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum was the first to feel his wrath, Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović, Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel and Gabriel “Napão” Gonzaga all fell.

Cigano also won unanimous decisions over both Roy “Big Country” Nelson and Shane Carwin, the latter culminating in his eventual showdown with Velasquez.

 

 

 

Needless to say, the Velasquez fight was the other turning point in his career and his most defining moment to date—becoming the 16th fighter in UFC history to attain the heavyweight title.

For the 27-year-old Cigano, the impact of defeating Velasquez and achieving his goal was a dream come true and, at the same time, implausible.

“It took me some time to believe it. And when I saw Velasquez falling, I couldn’t believe it, you can notice it took me a while to go after him,” said Junior Dos Santos.

A word of warning to the heavyweight hitters of the division—Cigano has somewhat of a slight penchant for getting struck in the face, and for good reason.

“I get hit in the face and don’t get upset because I have years of boxing training. A good fighter knows how to take a hit. I think in my case to be punched on the face works to make me more alert.”

At present, the new champ is nursing a knee injury, but should make his return to the Octagon sometime in 2012 against the winner of the UFC 141 event that will be contested by Brock Lesnar and Alistair “The Reem” Overeem.

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Junior Dos Santos Hopes to Make Olympic Boxing Run in 2016

Having already accomplished his dream of being crowned UFC heavyweight champion at UFC on FOX, Junior dos Santos has other career goals he would like to pursue besides mixed martial arts. In an exclusive interview with TATAME.com, dos Santos said …

Having already accomplished his dream of being crowned UFC heavyweight champion at UFC on FOX, Junior dos Santos has other career goals he would like to pursue besides mixed martial arts. 

In an exclusive interview with TATAME.com, dos Santos said he is strongly considering making a run at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilian said he has always preferred his boxing skills as his biggest strength in MMA, and he would like to attempt the challenge of competing on a national level.

“My trainings begin and end with Boxing,” the 27-year-old said. “There’re dynamics and strategies I’m already used to. But I’ll test myself, it’s inevitable. Who knows I get an Olympic medal,” he added. 

“Cigano” is widely considered to possess the best boxing in the sport today. His trainers, including boxing coach Luiz Dorea, fully support the Brazilian’s desire to compete in the Olympics. 

Dorea said few fighters have the same speed and ability that dos Santos carries, and he is confident that the Brazilian has all the potential to succeed in both MMA and boxing.

“The adaptations from Boxing to MMA are complexes. You gotta be careful about blocking the kicks and takedowns,” Dorea said. “If he’s already above average combining all those things, imagine when he fights traditional Boxing. The chances he’ll shine are huge.”

Until then, dos Santos is only focused on successfully defending the heavyweight title, but he will also await the winner of the Brock Lesnar versus Alistair Overeem match at UFC 141 to make his first title defense.

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Where Does Junior Dos Santos Rank All-Time Among Brazilian UFC Champions?

Junior Dos Santos made history last weekend in not only stopping Cain Velasquez, but also becoming the first Brazilian to become the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion, and it’s sparked some debate already as to where he stands.As far as Brazilians to…

Junior Dos Santos made history last weekend in not only stopping Cain Velasquez, but also becoming the first Brazilian to become the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion, and it’s sparked some debate already as to where he stands.

As far as Brazilians to hold the UFC Heavyweight belt, he probably stands pretty high, as he’s the only man to have won the title from that, but is it realistic to believe that he’s among the UFC’s greatest champions of all time from Brazil when he just won the belt over a week ago?

Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about the Black House/Team Nogueira/Nova Uniao triumvirate that has held or is holding a major MMA World title right now, and if you know your MMA, you know their history with promotional titles all too well.

To give a brief history lesson, Anderson Silva is the UFC Middleweight Champion, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza only recently relinquished the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship to one Luke Rockhold, Bibiano “Flash” Fernandes held the DREAM Featherweight Title before a rematch with Hiroyuki Takaya, and Marlon Sandro relinquished his Sengoku Featherweight crown to UFC 144’s Hatsu Hioki.

In addition, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has held UFC Interim Heavyweight and PRIDE Heavyweight gold, Antonio Silva held EliteXC’s Heavyweight crown, Patricio Freire is on his way to becoming Bellator Featherweight Champion with no preference to whether he gets Joe Warren or Pat Curran next, and UFC 142’s certain headliner Jose Aldo is UFC Featherweight Champion.

Dos Santos brings the Heavyweight gold back to Team Nogueira, technically, but a champion’s reign is one-half title win and one-half title streak, and as much as I like and respect the daylights out of JDS, we’re just not going to be able to rank him among Silva, Nogueira or Aldo, nor are we going to properly rank him with Vitor Belfort, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Murilo Bustamante, the legendary multiple-time UFC tournament winner Royce Gracie, or any other Brazilian that has held UFC gold or any UFC honors until we find out who he will face after UFC 141.

If Junior can turn back either Brock Lesnar or Alistair Overeem, and in impressive fashion, no less, then and only then can we find ourselves talking about where JDS ranks among the all-time best Brazilian UFC World Champions.

If his win over Velasquez was any indication, however, then fans of the sport might find themselves seeing Dos Santos’ name among some of the greatest Brazilian champions in the UFC, but Junior can rest assured that the UFC Heavyweight belt is not one that’s easy to hold on to.

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Junior Dos Santos Returns Home to Brazil Following UFC on FOX

Following his knockout victory over Cain Velasquez, newly-crowned UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos returned to his homeland of Brazil.The Brazilian received a hero’s welcome as he entered through a crowd of people, with a rendition of the fam…

Following his knockout victory over Cain Velasquez, newly-crowned UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos returned to his homeland of Brazil.

The Brazilian received a hero’s welcome as he entered through a crowd of people, with a rendition of the famed Rocky theme playing in the background (his walkout music).

Overwhelmed by the media and fans, “Cigano” was visibly happy and eager to celebrate his well-deserved victory with fans in attendance. 

Dos Santos remains undefeated in the UFC, boasting a 8-0 record, and he is expected to make his first title defense against the winner of UFC 141’s headliner between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem.

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