UFC on Fox 9 went from empty to big to huge within a 24-hour period, with the UFC now announcing a new matchup between popular lightweights Joe Lauzon and Mac Danzig on Twitter.
Lightweight fan favorites @MacDanzigMMA and @JoeLauzon have verbally agre…
UFC on Fox 9 went from empty to big to huge within a 24-hour period, with the UFC now announcing a new matchup between popular lightweights Joe Lauzon and Mac Danzig on Twitter.
That adds yet another intriguing fight to a booming card.
Lauzon has fallen on hard times of late, and is sitting at 1-3 in his last four fights, including an ugly knockout loss to current champion Anthony Pettis, a bloodbath to Jim Miller and a recent shellacking from a massive underdog, Michael Johnson.
Still, with twelve post-fight bonuses (one Knockout of the Night, six Submissions of the Night and five Fights of the Night) and numerous awards for 2012 Fight of the Year, Lauzon remains hyper-popular.
Danzig has been struggling to put up wins throughout his UFC tenure. In spite of winning The Ultimate Fighter season 6, he has been constantly on the short-list when it comes to UFC cuts, and owns an ugly 5-7 UFC record which hasn’t seen more than one win in a row since 2008.
Still, with a penchant for sweet finishes and collecting Fight of the Night bonuses while losing (three to date), he has still remained somebody to watch.
Within the last 24 hours, several big fights have been attached to the UFC’s long-awaited return to Sacramento, California.
The card will be headlined by a lightweight title bout between current champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis and former Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson.
It will also be home to a possible bantamweight top contender bout between Michael McDonald and Urijah Faber, the flyweight debut of Scott Jorgensen opposite Ian McCall and a featherweight tilt between Chad Mendes and NikLentz.
On their own, these five fights combine for an amazing card. Keep an eye on Bleacher Report for more information on the card as it becomes available.
It looks like former WEC bantamweight title challenger Scott Jorgensen has made up his mind on whether or not he’ll cut the additional 10 pounds to compete at flyweight.
Jorgensen makes his debut in the UFC’s 125-pound division against ex-Tachi P…
It looks like former WEC bantamweight title challenger Scott Jorgensen has made up his mind on whether or not he’ll cut the additional 10 pounds to compete at flyweight.
Jorgensen makes his debut in the UFC’s 125-pound division against ex-Tachi Palace flyweight champ Ian McCall at UFC on FOX 9 in December, according to the UFC’s official Twitter page.
After posting a solid 7-3 record under the WEC banner, Jorgensen has went just 3-3 inside the Octagon, most recently getting submitted by his friend Urijah Faber at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale in April.
While the 31-year-old grappler is considered the No. 7 bantamweight in the world in the UFC’s official rankings, Jorgensen has lost to top-tier competition in Dominick Cruz, RenanBarao, Eddie Wineland and Faber.
Additionally, Jorgensen has lost three of his past four bouts, so he is in desperate need of a big win in the immediate future.
On paper, “Uncle Creepy” looks like he will be a tough challenge for the Utah native.
While McCall is just 1-2-1 in his past four fights, his losses only came to divisional champ Demetrious Johnson (whom he also fought to a draw) and top-contender Joseph Benavidez.
The colorful fan favorite recently got back to his winning ways at UFC 163 last month, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision over Iliarde Santos. The win netted him his second “Fight of the Night” bonus in his past four bouts.
Will Jorgensen‘s wrestling and submissions be too much for Uncle Creepy to handle or will McCall’s constant pressure and heavy hands be the difference maker on December 14?
JohnHeinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.
Late Wednesday night, UFC lightweight Josh Thomson started getting a huge influx of calls and text messages to his phone all with the same message—congratulations.
As it turns out, some of his friends and family heard the news before he even foun…
Late Wednesday night, UFC lightweight Josh Thomson started getting a huge influx of calls and text messages to his phone all with the same message—congratulations.
As it turns out, some of his friends and family heard the news before he even found out it was official that he would be receiving the next shot at the UFC lightweight title against Anthony Pettis at UFC on Fox 9 in December.
Thomson was as gracious as he could be receiving the words of encouragement, but in reality he knew that he had nothing to celebrate. Not yet anyways.
“It’s nice to know the UFC is giving me the opportunity to fight for their title, but the hard work is just getting started and the fight is the ultimate goal,” Thomson told Bleacher Report on Tuesday. “So it’s nice to know that everyone cares and is calling me telling me congratulations, but I haven’t won anything yet.”
Thomson is no stranger to being a champion, having held the Strikeforce lightweight strap in the past. He’s also been a top-10-level lightweight for the biggest part of the last decade, so he’s used to facing top competition.
This moment still feels special, however, because his latest run in the UFC is not his first. Thomson was part of the promotion when Dana White and the Fertitta brothers took over and started to revamp the once-destitute company. Part of the rebuilding plan involved focusing on the weight classes that were the strongest, and at the time there was no room for 155-pound fighters.
So Thomson and the rest of the division were jettisoned in 2004 until the promotion finally re-introduced the weight class almost two and a half years later. When he left the UFC the first time, Thomson was considered one of the top fighters in the world at lightweight, and now almost 10 years later he’s back at the top and finally getting a chance to compete for that elusive title.
“My honest to God opinion is if they hadn’t gotten rid of the weight class, I probably would have been champion a long time ago in the UFC,” Thomson said. “I feel like I’ve never not been a top lightweight, but injuries have barred me from being as active as I could have been in my career. This was an opportunity that was taken from me back in 2004 when the division wasn’t carrying its own weight. Now, this opportunity is presented to me and you can bet your ass I’m going to capitalize on it.”
The last time Thomson was at this stage in the UFC (where he could have been contending for a belt) he was 25 years old. Now on the cusp of his 35th birthday, the long-time American Kickboxing Academy lightweight is realistic about what this title shot means.
He knows that there is no tomorrow and there is no getting back to this spot again. Thomson looks at this as his one opportunity to shine, and there’s no going back now.
“There is nothing after this. This is it. I’m not 27. I’ll be 35 this weekend. This is it,” Thomson said. “If I lose this fight, the chances of me having time to come back and get another title shot are pretty slim and I know that. You can bet your ass I’m going to put everything into this. I only need to be that good for one night. I can get my ass kicked every single day in training but the only thing that matters is I have to be better than him in that one night.
“I just need to go out there and I need to be better than him that one night. I could go out and have the shi—iest camp in the world, but if I go out there and beat him on that night, that’s all that matters.”
It’s too early for Thomson to start breaking down Pettis in technical terms, although he’s watched plenty of his fights already. The only thing he’s willing to divulge right now is the fact that fans who buy tickets to their showdown on December 14 in Sacramento will get their money’s worth.
“Honestly, the fans are the ones getting the win in this one,” Thomson said. “The fans are going to get the best show of their lives. There’s no other way to describe this. It’s going to be nuts.”
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
(One of these days, Josh Barnett is going to choke to death on a peanut in a room full of people, and nobody will realize what’s going on until it’s too late. Everyone will just think, “There’s good ol’ Josh, threatening our lives again.” / Photo via Getty)
Both men are on two-fight win streaks, with Barnett most recently TKO’ing Frank Mir during his UFC homecoming last month at UFC 164, and Browne coming off his first-round knockouts of Gabriel Gonzaga and Alistair Overeem. The winner of this fight immediately stakes a claim to UFC heavyweight title contendership, assuming that the promotion won’t just have Velasquez and Dos Santos fight each other over and over and over again, forever.
Even though Barnett is just four years older than Browne, the two heavies represent a generational clash of the sport’s modern eras. Will Barnett big-brother the less-experienced Hapa, or will Browne’s new-school approach win the day?
In other booking news…
Ever since his unsuccessful featherweight title challenge against Jose Aldo in January 2012, Chad Mendes has been on a killing spree, scoring first-round stoppages of Cody McKenzie, Yaotzin Meza, and Darren Elkins, before upping the level of difficulty with a brilliant third-round TKO of Clay Guida last month at UFC 164. One more impressive win could earn the Team Alpha Male product another shot at the 145-pound belt, and he now has an opportunity to do just that.
(One of these days, Josh Barnett is going to choke to death on a peanut in a room full of people, and nobody will realize what’s going on until it’s too late. Everyone will just think, “There’s good ol’ Josh, threatening our lives again.” / Photo via Getty)
Both men are on two-fight win streaks, with Barnett most recently TKO’ing Frank Mir during his UFC homecoming last month at UFC 164, and Browne coming off his first-round knockouts of Gabriel Gonzaga and Alistair Overeem. The winner of this fight immediately stakes a claim to UFC heavyweight title contendership, assuming that the promotion won’t just have Velasquez and Dos Santos fight each other over and over and over again, forever.
Even though Barnett is just four years older than Browne, the two heavies represent a generational clash of the sport’s modern eras. Will Barnett big-brother the less-experienced Hapa, or will Browne’s new-school approach win the day?
In other booking news…
Ever since his unsuccessful featherweight title challenge against Jose Aldo in January 2012, Chad Mendes has been on a killing spree, scoring first-round stoppages of Cody McKenzie, Yaotzin Meza, and Darren Elkins, before upping the level of difficulty with a brilliant third-round TKO of Clay Guida last month at UFC 164. One more impressive win could earn the Team Alpha Male product another shot at the 145-pound belt, and he now has an opportunity to do just that.
Lentz has made an impressive career resurgence since dropping down to featherweight last year, earning three straight victories, the last two of which came against Brazilian fighters in Brazil. Prior to that, “The Carny” had compiled an Octagon record of 5-2-1 (w/1 NC) competing at 155 pounds.
As usual, Mendes should be a heavy favorite for this one, although the matchup is far from a squash match. Do you think Money Mendes deserves another title shot with a win here?
Urijah Faber will be a UFC competitor for many years to come after signing a new deal with the promotion on Tuesday.
The former WEC champion has been under the Zuffa umbrella for more than six years competing between his former home in the WEC and now …
Urijah Faber will be a UFC competitor for many years to come after signing a new deal with the promotion on Tuesday.
The former WEC champion has been under the Zuffa umbrella for more than six years competing between his former home in the WEC and now for the last two-plus years in the UFC.
Faber signed a new eight-fight extension with the promotion on Tuesday ahead of his next fight, which is scheduled for December 14 in his hometown of Sacramento, Calif., when he takes on Michael McDonald at UFC on Fox 9.
According to Faber’s management team at MMA Incorporated, the California Kid inked the new UFC deal while also signing on for a new four-year deal with his management team as well.
Faber has been with MMA Inc for several years and has now joined a team of fighters under the management firm with names such as Joseph Benavidez, Chad Mendes and UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.
“We are very excited to continue our work with Urijah and the UFC,” Mike Roberts, founding member of MMA Inc, said on Tuesday. “I’ve been working with Urijah since the beginning so we are very happy to have him with us and can’t wait to see what he does in his UFC career over the next few years.”
Faber has been one of the biggest stars for the UFC since the implementation of the bantamweight division two years ago.
He’s fought for the title on two occasions and also served as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter during its initial run on FX during Season 15 for the reality show.
Faber has also been lights out in recent performances, racking up three wins in a row. His last victory was over IuriAlcantara by decision at UFC Fight Night 26 last month.
The former WEC champion may be able to earn another shot at the belt if he can defeat McDonald at UFC on Fox 9 in December. Faber is expected to pack in the crowd as he fights in his hometown for the sixth time in his career.
The fight with Faber and McDonald will serve as the co-main event with the lightweight title bout as Anthony Pettis defends his newly won belt against Josh Thomson.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted
Chad Mendes won’t be fighting for the UFC featherweight title in his next bout, but he will get the opportunity to compete close to home when he makes his next appearance inside the Octagon.
Mendes is set to face Nik Lentz in a 145-pound battle at UFC …
Chad Mendes won’t be fighting for the UFC featherweight title in his next bout, but he will get the opportunity to compete close to home when he makes his next appearance inside the Octagon.
Mendes is set to face Nik Lentz in a 145-pound battle at UFC on Fox 9, set to go down Dec. 14 at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, Calif.
Both competitors have verbally agreed to the matchup, according to sources close to the fighters’ camps when speaking to Bleacher Report Tuesday. Bout agreements for the fight are expected to be issued shortly.
Following his knockout win over Clay Guida at UFC 164, Mendes was gunning for a shot at the featherweight belt and a rematch against champion Jose Aldo.
Aldo is currently sidelined, dealing with some lingering injuries from his last fight, and he has stated that he believes Ricardo Lamas should be next in line for the belt.
Either way, Mendes isn’t sitting around and waiting for something to happen, so he’s going to go ahead and book his next fight and stay active, with the goal of earning a title shot during the first part of 2014 instead.
Since losing to Aldo in early 2012, Mendes has set a blistering pace, winning his last four fights in a row by knockout or TKO. The former NCAA All-American has been working his striking with new coach Duane “Bang” Ludwig, and the results are showing in the cage.
Lentz will look to put a stop to Mendes’ run while trying to pick up the biggest win of his career since dropping to featherweight in 2012. Since making the move, Lentz has gone 3-0 with a TKO and two decision victories since dropping down from 155 pounds.
Facing Mendes will be the toughest test for Lentz thus far in his featherweight career, but a victory could punch his ticket to the top of the divisional race.
Currently, Mendes is ranked as the No. 1 featherweight in the world, just behind champion Jose Aldo, according to the official UFC rankings.
While no formal announcement has been made about the fight, Mendes vs. Lentz is likely to join the main card for the show currently headlined by the lightweight title bout between champion Anthony Pettis and former Strikeforce title holder Josh Thomson.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
Late Wednesday night, UFC lightweight 