UFC on FX 7: Which Fighter Has the Most to Lose in Brazil?

The UFC returns on Saturday with its first event of 2013, UFC on FX 7.As the opening fight card of the year, UFC on FX 7 will give many up-and-comers and championship hopefuls the chance to lay the groundwork for a huge 2013. At the same time, dreams c…

The UFC returns on Saturday with its first event of 2013, UFC on FX 7.

As the opening fight card of the year, UFC on FX 7 will give many up-and-comers and championship hopefuls the chance to lay the groundwork for a huge 2013. At the same time, dreams could be temporarily shattered with a loss in the first month of a new calender year.

No fighter competing at Saturday’s event in Brazil would feel more crushed in defeat than Michael Bisping, who could earn a title shot with a win over Vitor Belfort in the headlining bout.

While the fight is also an important one for Belfort, the Brazilian likely wouldn’t find himself in a rematch with middleweight champion Anderson Silva by beating Bisping, as he was stopped in the first round of his only meeting with the titleholder.

Bisping has been in search of a UFC title shot for six years, falling just short in losses to Chael Sonnen and Dan Henderson. If he loses to Belfort on Saturday, Bisping would probably have to wait at least another year before getting another chance like the one he is getting in the UFC on FX 7 main event.

At 33 years old, Bisping is still in the prime of his career, but the glory years of an MMA fighter do not last long. With all the up-and-coming talent in the 185-pound division, another year may end up being too long of a wait for Bisping. 

In order to avoid a deflating loss, Bisping will need to utilize his jab and leg kicks to stay away from Belfort’s power. It also wouldn’t hurt to mix in some takedown attempts to keep Belfort thinking twice about rushing forward.

Bisping might have the technique to out-strike Belfort, but the Brazilian has dangerous knockout power.

A single punch could demolish all the goals Bisping has set for 2013. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on FX 7 Start Time: When and Where to Watch Belfort vs. Bisping

On Saturday, January 19, the UFC returns to Brazil for their first offering of 2013. In the main event, middleweight favorites Vitor Belfort and Michael Bisping square off with a championship opportunity (somewhat) hanging in the balance.If Bisping is …

On Saturday, January 19, the UFC returns to Brazil for their first offering of 2013. In the main event, middleweight favorites Vitor Belfort and Michael Bisping square off with a championship opportunity (somewhat) hanging in the balance.

If Bisping is successful in defeating his Brazilian foe, he will collect a long-awaited title shot against Anderson Silva later in the year. However, Dana White has already made it clear that Belfort will not be afforded the same luxury.

In the co-main event, C.B. Dollaway returns to action after defeating Jason Miller last year. The man standing across the cage is fellow TUF finalist Daniel Sarafian, who was forced out of his tournament final due to injury.

However, if you don’t know where and when to tune in, it’s going to be hard to catch all of the action. That’s why BR MMA is here; to hook you up with the details.

 

Facebook Prelims:

Only one fight goes down on Facebook this time around, and it’s an interesting lightweight battle between two fighters looking to keep their job.

Francisco Trinaldo is possibly the largest lightweight that the division has ever seen, and he squares off against little-known C.J. Keith. Both men are coming off of losses in their UFC debuts.

To see this fight, tune in to the official UFC Facebook page at 5:35 p.m. EST.

 

FUEL Prelims:

At 6 p.m. EST, tune in to FUEL TV (assuming that you are lucky enough to have the channel in your area) for six fights full of UFC notables and rising stars.

Fights on the FUEL portion of UFC on FX 7 include:

  • Godofredo Pepey vs. Milton Vieira
  • Andrew Craig vs. Ronny Markes
  • Diego Nunes vs. Nik Lentz
  • Edson Barboza vs. Lucas Martins
  • Yuri Alcantara vs. Pedro Nobre
  • Wagner Prado vs. Ildemar Alcantara

While not all of the names may jump out at you as stars, Diego Nunes and Edson Barboza are both stars who could be featured on any pay-per-view main card. 

 

FX Main Card:

When the clock strikes 9 p.m. EST, it’s time to flip over to FX (preferably the HD version) for the main card. On that event, you’ll see the following fights:

  • Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping
  • Godofredo Pepey vs. Milton Vieira
  • Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ben Rothwell
  • Thiago Tavares vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

 

That’s it for the the live fights coming to you from Sao Paulo, however, make sure you tune in to FUEL TV at 11 p.m. for the post-fight show with Jay Glazer.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report MMA for all things UFC on FX 7, including live results and post-fight analyses that you can’t find anywhere else.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Watch the ‘UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs. Bisping’ Weigh-Ins Right Here at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT [UPDATED w/RESULTS]

(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

The 22 fighters competing at tomorrow’s UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs. Bisping event will be hitting the scales shortly at the Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, and if yesterday’s staredown was any indication, we can expect another tense face-off from the headliners, full of shoulder-shuckin’ and chin-checkin’. Plus, the UFC will unveil a new Brazilian ring girl, fulfilling a promise that has eluded us for years.

Watch the UFC on FX 7 weigh-ins live in the above video player starting at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT, and be sure to come back tomorrow night at 9 p.m. ET for our liveblog of the FX main card.

The full weigh-in results are now after the jump.


(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

The 22 fighters competing at tomorrow’s UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs. Bisping event will be hitting the scales shortly at the Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, and if yesterday’s staredown was any indication, we can expect another tense face-off from the headliners, full of shoulder-shuckin’ and chin-checkin’. Plus, the UFC will unveil a new Brazilian ring girl, fulfilling a promise that has eluded us for years.

Watch the UFC on FX 7 weigh-ins live in the above video player starting at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT, and be sure to come back tomorrow night at 9 p.m. ET for our liveblog of the FX main card.

The full weigh-in results are now after the jump.

MAIN CARD (FX)
Vitor Belfort (185) vs. Michael Bisping (186)
C.B. Dollaway (186) vs. Daniel Sarafian (186)
Gabriel Gonzaga (255) vs. Ben Rothwell (258)
Khabib Nurmagomedov (155) vs. Thiago Tavares (155)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FUEL TV)
Godofredo Castro (145) vs. Milton Vieira (146)
Andrew Craig (185) vs. Ronny Markes (186)
Nik Lentz (145) vs. Diego Nunes (145)
Edson Barboza (154) vs. Lucas Martins (154)
Yuri Alcantara (135) vs. Pedro Nobre (136)
Ildemar Alcantara (201) vs. Wagner Prado (206)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
C.J. Keith (157)* vs. Francisco Trinaldo (154.5)

* Keith has an hour to make weight. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time this has happened. Not a good look if you’re already curtain-jerking on the Facebook prelims.

Predicting the Fight Night Bonus Winners for UFC on FX 7

The UFC returns to Brazil this weekend with UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping. The main event sees middleweight contenders Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort do battle in an attempt to earn themselves a title shot at Anderson Silva.The card promises to be …

The UFC returns to Brazil this weekend with UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping. The main event sees middleweight contenders Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort do battle in an attempt to earn themselves a title shot at Anderson Silva.

The card promises to be very exciting, with lots of Brazilian talent and prospects represented. These men will be looking to grab some extra bonus money to take home with them by securing Submission, Knockout or Fight of the Night honors.

Here are the favorites to win each bonus award.

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UFC on FX 7: Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping Live Streaming Weigh-in Video

Headlined by middleweight contenders Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort, UFC on FX 7 will kick off the UFC’s 2013 fight schedule on Saturday, January 19.Coming off of a win over Brian Stann, Bisping could earn a 185-pound title shot with a victory over …

Headlined by middleweight contenders Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort, UFC on FX 7 will kick off the UFC’s 2013 fight schedule on Saturday, January 19.

Coming off of a win over Brian Stann, Bisping could earn a 185-pound title shot with a victory over Belfort on Saturday. The same reward likely won’t be on the line for Belfort though, as he is not long removed from a first-round knockout loss to middleweight champion Anderson Silva

In addition to the middleweight main event, UFC on FX 7 will feature the UFC debut of Daniel Sarafian. Sarafian was a favorite to win The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, but an injury forced him out of the finals and kept him on the shelf until Saturday’s bout with CB Dollaway.

Additionally, veteran heavyweights Ben Rothwell and Gabriel Gonzaga will attempt to kick start a late-career run toward the top of their division.

Meanwhile, young and promising lightweights Thiago Tavares and Khabib Nurmagomedov will attempt to keep their momentum going and take another step forward in the 155-pound weight class. 

Before Saturday’s event, which will take place at the Geraldo Jose de Almeida State Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the fighters will hit the scales on Friday, January 18 at 1:00 p.m. ET. 

Video of the weigh-ins will be streamed live on the above video player. 

After the weigh-ins, stay tuned to Bleacher Report MMA for all the latest on UFC on FX 7 and the rest of your MMA needs.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

3 Reasons to Root for Michael Bisping at UFC on FX 7

Michael Bisping is one of the most dynamic figures in MMA. A lot of people hate him, but we’re starting to see a trend lately of people starting to like him, too. Bisping competes tomorrow night in the main event of UFC on FX 7 agai…

Michael Bisping is one of the most dynamic figures in MMA. A lot of people hate him, but we’re starting to see a trend lately of people starting to like him, too.

Bisping competes tomorrow night in the main event of UFC on FX 7 against former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort. Dana White has stated that if Bisping gets by “The Phenom,” he will get a shot at UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

Can Bisping finally get over the hump tomorrow night and get that elusive title shot? Here are some reasons you should root for him to do exactly that.

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