by Maggie Hendricks
Finally, we have a fight week after way too long of a break. Jon Jones is putting his belt on the line against Vitor Belfort, a middleweight. It’s not the fight we want, but it’s the fight we get. Here are a few questions that will be answered by Saturday night’s fights in Toronto.
What does changing an opponent on short(ish) notice do to Jon Jones? If there has been one hallmark of Jon Jones’ career, it’s been good preparation. In every title defense, he has shown a complete knowledge of his opponents strengths and weakness. He then exploited those weakness for a win. This is why he wouldn’t take Chael Sonnen on short notice. With Belfort, he had about a month to study up which is a shorter time than usual. If he’s not prepared, the champ could end up beating himself.
Will Michael Bisping or Brian Stann be the (maybe possibly could be) next middleweight contender? UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva’s next fight will be against Stephan Bonnar, but beyond UFC 153, he needs a new opponent. This could be decided with the Bisping/Stann match-up … perhaps. If Silva decides he wants to fight only Georges St-Pierre or light heavyweights with middle names that start with a Q or take six months off, the Stann/Bisping winner could be left in the cold.
Can the flyweights steal the show? Joe Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson’s bout to decide the inaugural flyweight champion was the headliner before the cancellation of UFC 151. Though they’re not the main event of the night anymore, but that doesn’t mean the 125-lbers won’t be the stars of the show. The little guys tend to bring exciting fights. That should be no different on Saturday.
Does Matt Hamill still have it? It’s been more than a year since Hamill ended his career — for the first time — with a loss to Alexander Gustafsson. He’s back after a brief retirement, but will he still have the fire to get it done in the Octagon? He’ll have a chance to show it against Roger Hollett.
Will fans tune in? UFC 152 was solid before the Jones/Belfort bout was cut together and pasted onto the poster. But people’s response to the cancellation of UFC 151 was angry. It’s possible the anger will carry over and keep fans from spending $54.95 on Saturday night.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
Jon Jones jokes about relationship with UFC, refrains from ugly response
by Kevin Iole
TORONTO – He’s won world title fights in the most spectacular fashion imaginable against some of the meanest, nastiest, baddest men in the world.
Jon Jones has, at 25, and in a little more than a year as the UFC’s light heavyweight champion, established himself as one of the elite fighters in mixed martial arts history.
He hasn’t hit so much as a speed bump in his career in the cage.
Jon Jones attends the UFC 152 Press Conference ahead of his fight vs. Vitor Belfort. (WENN.com)Thursday, though, had the potential to be a career-defining day for him. This was the day when he would finally face the public and would be forced to answer the question that has been the biggest story in the sport for the last month.
On Aug. 23, Jones opted not to fight Chael Sonnen in the main event of UFC 151 when original opponent Dan Henderson injured a knee. No sort of finagling, demanding, pleading, coddling or badgering by UFC chairman Lorenzo Fertitta or UFC president Dana White could force him to change his mind.
“I’m a huge fan of being prepared,” Jones said. “I’m a gigantic fan of being prepared. I ultimately believe being prepared leads to making the fight look easy. You do your homework, you pass tests. It’s as simple as that. To go back to the Chael Sonnen situation, I wouldn’t have been able to do my homework and it wouldn’t have been a smart decision.”
So, Jones passed on the situation. When White couldn’t find a suitable main event on just eight days’ notice, he was forced to cancel the card at a cost of at least $20 million to the company.
White was irate and didn’t hide that he placed most of the blame on Jones for the cancelation. The public sided definitively with White and painted Jones as the UFC’s biggest heel.
Jones got his first real opportunity to plead his case on Thursday at the final news conference to promote his match on Saturday against Vitor Belfort at the Air Canada Center in the main event of UFC 152.
Over the past month, Jones was vilified as a selfish, egotistical phony who was out of touch with the people who helped him become rich and famous.
That person, though, was not present at the downtown sports bar where the UFC made the final push for ticket and pay-per-view sales for Saturday’s card.
Jones came to the news conference needing to do something dramatic. What he did while sitting behind a microphone answering questions was every bit as dominant in its way as what he did while battering Mauricio “Shogun” Rua en route to taking the light heavyweight title at UFC 128.
Jones hit a massive grand slam at a time he needed one most.
Asked how he felt about fighting in Canada, Jones beamed that toothy grin of his and said, “Even if I get booed, I’m still happy to be here. I’m going to put on the best show I can for you guys, for sure.”
He made his case logically and passionately. He was deferential when he needed to be, but he was far from a pushover.
White was missing, but his presence loomed large over the proceedings. The minute the news conference was opened for questions, Jones was put on the spot. He was asked to describe his relationship with White.
When he wants to be, Jones can be disarmingly charming. After he beat Rua at UFC 128, he delighted the crowd by animatedly describing the way he’d run down a mugger a few hours before the fight.
He used his story-telling ability Thursday to quickly cut the tension.
“I hate him,” Jones said of White, feigning anger. “I hate him. Hate everything about him.”
He then folded his arms across his chest, leaned back in his seat and animatedly nodded his head.
A few seconds passed before he started to laugh and speak again.
“Nah, I’m joking, man,” Jones said. “Dana White’s awesome. You know, I’ve said before, Dana White is a passionate guy. … When he’s upset with you, he’s going to be passionate. I forgive Dana White for any insults he might have given me. I’m looking forward to talking to him and just moving forward.
“I’ve said this before, but me and Dana White are both ambassadors of this great sport. The two of us not being on the same page really makes no sense for anyone. I really want to get this sport as far as possible and get the word out, and I think working along with Dana and the UFC is a great way to do that.”
He related a story about how he’d struggled with everything that was thrown at him and how his girlfriend’s mother told him to use adversity as an opportunity to grow.
“Right now, I’m on top of a lot of things,” Jones said. “I’m doing a great job as a parent, a great job in my business and I’m doing really well with my performances, training really smart and everything.
“I believe I’ve grown from all of it and I appreciate all the curveballs life has thrown me.”
Jones, though, wasn’t a pushover. He didn’t apologize meekly, and he pushed back at White and Fertitta several times, albeit respectfully.
He apologized to those who purchased tickets to UFC 151 in Las Vegas, many of whom had non-refundable airfare and so were forced to fly to Las Vegas with no fight to see. But he never wavered from the “I did the best thing for my career,” position.
“I’m hoping that at the end of the day, the fans start to open up their minds about the situation and realize that I’m not a UFC executive,” Jones said. “I have absolutely zero power to cancel an event.
“At the end of the day, being a world champion, I’ve dedicated my whole life to this.”
He was honest and said he wasn’t sure if he’d have taken the fight even if White and Fertitta had told him they’d cancel the card if he did not.
He made light of Sonnen and noted he didn’t feel Sonnen has knockout power and was a less-threatening opponent than Belfort. Jones said he could defend a double-leg takedown, in a nod to Sonnen’s success against middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
But he wouldn’t take the blame for the cancelation of the show or for his decision.
He said he hoped he helped make his fellow fighters aware that they have rights. While he didn’t say so directly, he was intimating that he proved a fighter could stand up to White, refuse to be bullied and still have a viable career in the UFC.
“Being the champion, it means more to me than any fan,” Jones said. “It means more to me than it means to Dana White. If I would have somehow lost that fight, Dana wouldn’t have lost a night of sleep over it. Life would have gone on. … Ultimately, why wasn’t it a good enough card? Why wasn’t it a great card? Why did it have to get canceled? I watch bar fights. I love fights, no matter what level it is.
“I think it was more of an insult to the other fighters on the card that, pretty much it was like saying they weren’t good enough to host the card without me and Dan Henderson. I think that was more of an offensive thing. They should be mad at the superiors, not me.”
Whether Jones did enough to win back the favor of the fans is a question only time can answer.
Jones, though, did a brilliant job of advancing his cause on Thursday. He positioned himself as a charming innocent who had the wherewithal to refuse to be bullied.
Unquestionably, skeptics will remain. And should he lose on Saturday, there will be a portion of the fan base that celebrates.
But needing something dramatic to repair his image, Jones belted it out of the park.
If he beats Belfort on Saturday, he’s going to leave Canada with not one, but two major wins under his belt.
TORONTO – He’s won world title fights in the most spectacular fashion imaginable against some of the meanest, nastiest, baddest men in the world.
Jon Jones has, at 25, and in a little more than a year as the UFC’s light heavyweight champion, established himself as one of the elite fighters in mixed martial arts history.
He hasn’t hit so much as a speed bump in his career in the cage.
Jon Jones attends the UFC 152 Press Conference ahead of his fight vs. Vitor Belfort. (WENN.com)Thursday, though, had the potential to be a career-defining day for him. This was the day when he would finally face the public and would be forced to answer the question that has been the biggest story in the sport for the last month.
On Aug. 23, Jones opted not to fight Chael Sonnen in the main event of UFC 151 when original opponent Dan Henderson injured a knee. No sort of finagling, demanding, pleading, coddling or badgering by UFC chairman Lorenzo Fertitta or UFC president Dana White could force him to change his mind.
“I’m a huge fan of being prepared,” Jones said. “I’m a gigantic fan of being prepared. I ultimately believe being prepared leads to making the fight look easy. You do your homework, you pass tests. It’s as simple as that. To go back to the Chael Sonnen situation, I wouldn’t have been able to do my homework and it wouldn’t have been a smart decision.”
So, Jones passed on the situation. When White couldn’t find a suitable main event on just eight days’ notice, he was forced to cancel the card at a cost of at least $20 million to the company.
White was irate and didn’t hide that he placed most of the blame on Jones for the cancelation. The public sided definitively with White and painted Jones as the UFC’s biggest heel.
Jones got his first real opportunity to plead his case on Thursday at the final news conference to promote his match on Saturday against Vitor Belfort at the Air Canada Center in the main event of UFC 152.
Over the past month, Jones was vilified as a selfish, egotistical phony who was out of touch with the people who helped him become rich and famous.
That person, though, was not present at the downtown sports bar where the UFC made the final push for ticket and pay-per-view sales for Saturday’s card.
Jones came to the news conference needing to do something dramatic. What he did while sitting behind a microphone answering questions was every bit as dominant in its way as what he did while battering Mauricio “Shogun” Rua en route to taking the light heavyweight title at UFC 128.
Jones hit a massive grand slam at a time he needed one most.
Asked how he felt about fighting in Canada, Jones beamed that toothy grin of his and said, “Even if I get booed, I’m still happy to be here. I’m going to put on the best show I can for you guys, for sure.”
He made his case logically and passionately. He was deferential when he needed to be, but he was far from a pushover.
White was missing, but his presence loomed large over the proceedings. The minute the news conference was opened for questions, Jones was put on the spot. He was asked to describe his relationship with White.
When he wants to be, Jones can be disarmingly charming. After he beat Rua at UFC 128, he delighted the crowd by animatedly describing the way he’d run down a mugger a few hours before the fight.
He used his story-telling ability Thursday to quickly cut the tension.
“I hate him,” Jones said of White, feigning anger. “I hate him. Hate everything about him.”
He then folded his arms across his chest, leaned back in his seat and animatedly nodded his head.
A few seconds passed before he started to laugh and speak again.
“Nah, I’m joking, man,” Jones said. “Dana White’s awesome. You know, I’ve said before, Dana White is a passionate guy. … When he’s upset with you, he’s going to be passionate. I forgive Dana White for any insults he might have given me. I’m looking forward to talking to him and just moving forward.
“I’ve said this before, but me and Dana White are both ambassadors of this great sport. The two of us not being on the same page really makes no sense for anyone. I really want to get this sport as far as possible and get the word out, and I think working along with Dana and the UFC is a great way to do that.”
He related a story about how he’d struggled with everything that was thrown at him and how his girlfriend’s mother told him to use adversity as an opportunity to grow.
“Right now, I’m on top of a lot of things,” Jones said. “I’m doing a great job as a parent, a great job in my business and I’m doing really well with my performances, training really smart and everything.
“I believe I’ve grown from all of it and I appreciate all the curveballs life has thrown me.”
Jones, though, wasn’t a pushover. He didn’t apologize meekly, and he pushed back at White and Fertitta several times, albeit respectfully.
He apologized to those who purchased tickets to UFC 151 in Las Vegas, many of whom had non-refundable airfare and so were forced to fly to Las Vegas with no fight to see. But he never wavered from the “I did the best thing for my career,” position.
“I’m hoping that at the end of the day, the fans start to open up their minds about the situation and realize that I’m not a UFC executive,” Jones said. “I have absolutely zero power to cancel an event.
“At the end of the day, being a world champion, I’ve dedicated my whole life to this.”
He was honest and said he wasn’t sure if he’d have taken the fight even if White and Fertitta had told him they’d cancel the card if he did not.
He made light of Sonnen and noted he didn’t feel Sonnen has knockout power and was a less-threatening opponent than Belfort. Jones said he could defend a double-leg takedown, in a nod to Sonnen’s success against middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
But he wouldn’t take the blame for the cancelation of the show or for his decision.
He said he hoped he helped make his fellow fighters aware that they have rights. While he didn’t say so directly, he was intimating that he proved a fighter could stand up to White, refuse to be bullied and still have a viable career in the UFC.
“Being the champion, it means more to me than any fan,” Jones said. “It means more to me than it means to Dana White. If I would have somehow lost that fight, Dana wouldn’t have lost a night of sleep over it. Life would have gone on. … Ultimately, why wasn’t it a good enough card? Why wasn’t it a great card? Why did it have to get canceled? I watch bar fights. I love fights, no matter what level it is.
“I think it was more of an insult to the other fighters on the card that, pretty much it was like saying they weren’t good enough to host the card without me and Dan Henderson. I think that was more of an offensive thing. They should be mad at the superiors, not me.”
Whether Jones did enough to win back the favor of the fans is a question only time can answer.
Jones, though, did a brilliant job of advancing his cause on Thursday. He positioned himself as a charming innocent who had the wherewithal to refuse to be bullied.
Unquestionably, skeptics will remain. And should he lose on Saturday, there will be a portion of the fan base that celebrates.
But needing something dramatic to repair his image, Jones belted it out of the park.
If he beats Belfort on Saturday, he’s going to leave Canada with not one, but two major wins under his belt.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
As Manny Pacquiao nears decision on opponent, Timothy Bradley says Pacman is ‘scared’
by Kevin Iole
Timothy Bradley won a split decision over Manny Pacquiao on June 9 (AP)Almost every move Timothy Bradley has made in the aftermath of his hotly disputed split decision win over Manny Pacquiaoon June 9 in Las Vegas has been the wrong one.
His decision to call out Pacquiao on Wednesday, with Pacquiao only days away from choosing his next opponent, only adds to the list of his strategic errors since the bout.
In a decision that outraged millions around the world and prompted the Nevada attorney general to conduct a review of the bout, Bradley won a split decision over Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on June 9 to claim the World Boxing Organization welterweight title.
Perhaps never in boxing history has a win hurt a man more. Even Bob Arum, Bradley’s promoter, was outraged at the call. Upon the bout’s completion, he raced over to reporters at ringside and railed at the call.
The WBO, which sanctioned the fight, ordered a review and determined that Pacquiao deserved to win. Masto, in a letter to Arum, said she was unable to discover any evidence of malfeasance.
Timothy Bradley called Manny Pacquiao (R) “scared” on Wednesday (AP)In the days after the fight, Bradley was largely silent, refusing nearly all interviews. At a time when it would have been important for him to get his side of the story out, Bradley chose, repeatedly, not to talk.
But with Pacquiao closing in on a decision, Bradley for some reason changed course.
On Wednesday, only days after Arum returned from a visit with Pacquiao in the Philippines, Bradley called out Pacquiao and suggested to reporter Leighton Ginn of the Desert Sun, his hometown newspaper, that “a lot of people on that side are scared.”
Pacquiao is essentially choosing between Juan Manuel Marquez, with whom he has fought three extraordinarily close fights, and Bradley. Arum said that Pacquiao will make up his mind later this week or over the weekend and that he would likely make an announcement next week.
Bradley tried to nudge Pacquiao in his direction with an ill-advised shot at the Filipino superstar. The last thing Pacquiao is — the last thing any professional boxer is — is afraid. Yet, that was the way Bradley tried to make his case for a rematch.
Pacquiao will fight again on Nov. 10 in Las Vegas at the MGM, Arum said. Pacquiao is balancing how badly he wants to avenge the defeat against how much more money he’d make by fighting Marquez a fourth time. Pacquiao’s third fight with Marquez in November 2011 sold about 1.3 million pay-per-view units. The Pacquiao-Bradley fight did slightly more than 900,000.
Bradley’s bon mot in Pacquiao’s direction is unlikely to sway Pacquiao’s decision in a positive manner. However, it could have the effect of Pacquiao determining he doesn’t want to give Bradley another payday.
Large segments of the fan base have said they’ll never buy another fight again. Fans often make that emotional kind of comment in the aftermath of a decision they disagree with, but if Bradley lands the rematch, it is likely that sentiment would bubble up again.
Despite the win, Bradley isn’t dealing from a position of strength. His belt is essentially meaningless, given that the majority of the world believes Pacquiao won.
Calling Pacquiao “scared” did nothing to enhance his odds of landing the fight. At this stage, if something won’t improve your odds, don’t do it.
If I had to guess, I’d guess Pacquiao is leaning toward Bradley, despite the fact that the revenues from the two fights would suggest Pacquiao would make far more money in a rematch with Marquez.
Regardless of who he fights, though, Arum said Pacquiao has committed to conducting his entire training camp in Los Angeles. In recent fights, he’s done half in Baguio in the Philippines and the other half in Los Angeles
Timothy Bradley won a split decision over Manny Pacquiao on June 9 (AP)Almost every move Timothy Bradley has made in the aftermath of his hotly disputed split decision win over Manny Pacquiaoon June 9 in Las Vegas has been the wrong one.
His decision to call out Pacquiao on Wednesday, with Pacquiao only days away from choosing his next opponent, only adds to the list of his strategic errors since the bout.
In a decision that outraged millions around the world and prompted the Nevada attorney general to conduct a review of the bout, Bradley won a split decision over Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on June 9 to claim the World Boxing Organization welterweight title.
Perhaps never in boxing history has a win hurt a man more. Even Bob Arum, Bradley’s promoter, was outraged at the call. Upon the bout’s completion, he raced over to reporters at ringside and railed at the call.
Can you believe that? I had it 10-2! After I got into the ring after the fight, I went over to Bradley and said ‘You did very well.’ He said, ‘I tried hard, but I couldn’t beat the guy.’ This is crazy. You talk about killing boxing? All three scorecards you throw out.Arum demanded Nevada attorney general Catherine Cortez Masto conduct an investigation, particularly since most people believed Pacquiao had won going away.
The WBO, which sanctioned the fight, ordered a review and determined that Pacquiao deserved to win. Masto, in a letter to Arum, said she was unable to discover any evidence of malfeasance.
Displeasure with the subjective decisions of sporting officials is not a sufficient basis for this office to initiate a criminal investigation. Unless evidence beyond mere displeasure is forthcoming, this matter will be considered closed. While there may be strong disagreement with the decision, the exercise of professional judgment by individuals officiating at a sporting event is not by itself a criminal violation.
Timothy Bradley called Manny Pacquiao (R) “scared” on Wednesday (AP)In the days after the fight, Bradley was largely silent, refusing nearly all interviews. At a time when it would have been important for him to get his side of the story out, Bradley chose, repeatedly, not to talk.But with Pacquiao closing in on a decision, Bradley for some reason changed course.
On Wednesday, only days after Arum returned from a visit with Pacquiao in the Philippines, Bradley called out Pacquiao and suggested to reporter Leighton Ginn of the Desert Sun, his hometown newspaper, that “a lot of people on that side are scared.”
Pacquiao is essentially choosing between Juan Manuel Marquez, with whom he has fought three extraordinarily close fights, and Bradley. Arum said that Pacquiao will make up his mind later this week or over the weekend and that he would likely make an announcement next week.
Bradley tried to nudge Pacquiao in his direction with an ill-advised shot at the Filipino superstar. The last thing Pacquiao is — the last thing any professional boxer is — is afraid. Yet, that was the way Bradley tried to make his case for a rematch.
To be honest with you, I think a lot of people on that side are scared. He couldn’t knock me out with two peg legs. Me healthy, I’m going to beat him worse.Bradley injured both of his feet in the fight, including a break of the left foot, and attended the post-fight news conference in a wheelchair.
Pacquiao will fight again on Nov. 10 in Las Vegas at the MGM, Arum said. Pacquiao is balancing how badly he wants to avenge the defeat against how much more money he’d make by fighting Marquez a fourth time. Pacquiao’s third fight with Marquez in November 2011 sold about 1.3 million pay-per-view units. The Pacquiao-Bradley fight did slightly more than 900,000.
Bradley’s bon mot in Pacquiao’s direction is unlikely to sway Pacquiao’s decision in a positive manner. However, it could have the effect of Pacquiao determining he doesn’t want to give Bradley another payday.
Large segments of the fan base have said they’ll never buy another fight again. Fans often make that emotional kind of comment in the aftermath of a decision they disagree with, but if Bradley lands the rematch, it is likely that sentiment would bubble up again.
Despite the win, Bradley isn’t dealing from a position of strength. His belt is essentially meaningless, given that the majority of the world believes Pacquiao won.
Calling Pacquiao “scared” did nothing to enhance his odds of landing the fight. At this stage, if something won’t improve your odds, don’t do it.
If I had to guess, I’d guess Pacquiao is leaning toward Bradley, despite the fact that the revenues from the two fights would suggest Pacquiao would make far more money in a rematch with Marquez.
Regardless of who he fights, though, Arum said Pacquiao has committed to conducting his entire training camp in Los Angeles. In recent fights, he’s done half in Baguio in the Philippines and the other half in Los Angeles
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Wanderlei Silva to Fight in UFC Again, Negotiations Underway for Next Fight
by MMA Weekly
Wanderlei Silva’s days in the Octagon are not done yet.
The former Pride champion and MMA legend has had his share of ups and downs over the last few years, but his career will continue in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
UFC president Dana White has been in talks with the Brazilian lately as they start to hammer out the details of his next bout inside the Octagon.
“Yeah, he’s going to fight again,” White said about Silva following the UFC 150 post fight press conference.
No details were revealed regarding any possible opponents or a timeline for his return, but Silva is definitely coming back for another fight.
Over the last few years, since moving to the UFC, Silva has gone 3-5 while putting on several Fight of the Night worthy performances.
Obviously, Silva has been through the wars in his career as a fighter, but he’s still got a few battles left and they will be in the UFC.
Wanderlei Silva’s days in the Octagon are not done yet.
The former Pride champion and MMA legend has had his share of ups and downs over the last few years, but his career will continue in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
UFC president Dana White has been in talks with the Brazilian lately as they start to hammer out the details of his next bout inside the Octagon.
“Yeah, he’s going to fight again,” White said about Silva following the UFC 150 post fight press conference.
No details were revealed regarding any possible opponents or a timeline for his return, but Silva is definitely coming back for another fight.
Over the last few years, since moving to the UFC, Silva has gone 3-5 while putting on several Fight of the Night worthy performances.
Obviously, Silva has been through the wars in his career as a fighter, but he’s still got a few battles left and they will be in the UFC.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Manny Pacquiao, Bob Arum to meet
by Dan Rafael
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is headed to the Philippines on Monday so he can sit down with Manny Pacquiao to discuss the fighter’s options for a planned Nov. 10 return to the ring.
Arum, who will be in Pacquiao’s homeland for a week, told ESPN.com there are three candidates to face Pacquiao next — and none of them is Floyd Mayweather Jr., who was released Friday after a two-month stint in jail for domestic abuse and whom the world wants to see fight Pacquiao.
Arum, often accused of being an impediment to a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, said that after the November fight, “I just hope we will be able to get the Mayweather fight done. I don’t think we can do it in November with Mayweather just being released from jail and so forth.
“I have had no signal from anybody on his side that he would be back so quick for a fight Nov. 10. I would think if we can make a deal it would be in the spring, in April, after March Madness.”
The candidates to face Pacquiao next come as no surprise. Arum listed them as:
• Welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley Jr. in a rematch of the tremendously controversial fight they had on June 9, in which Bradley was awarded a shocking split decision.
• Junior welterweight titleholder Juan Manuel Marquez, who has already faced Pacquiao three times in exciting fights that all ended in disputed decisions — with Pacquiao winning twice and their first bout resulting in a draw.
• Former three-division titlist Miguel Cotto, whom Pacquiao knocked out in the 12th round of an all-action welterweight title bout in November 2009.
“I gotta tell Manny what I can afford for each fight and we need to talk about each fight, but he makes his own decision,” Arum said. “I’ve talked to him once earlier in the summer and he’s been thinking about what he wants to do. He’s going to fight on Nov. 10, but we’ll spend some time talking through everything and getting everything ironed out, and then I talk to the opponents and try to make a deal.”
Arum said Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz will be involved in the meetings and, if she wanted to be, so would Pacquiao’s wife, Jinkee.
Arum has been busy crunching the numbers. He said the Pacquiao-Marquez III pay-per-view in November 2011 generated 1.3 million buys — about 400,000 more than the June fight Pacquiao had against Bradley. Pacquiao-Cotto generated about 1.25 million buys.
“Cotto brings with him a huge fan base from Puerto Rico and Marquez also has a big fan base with the Hispanics fans,” Arum said. “Marquez did 400,000 buys more than Bradley. That fight did a little better than 900,000, so I have to consider that. And Marquez is very anxious for the fight, too. With Bradley, the general sports fan, at least anecdotally, wants them to have a rematch. People I go out to dinner with or people I visit with, they all talk about the rematch with Bradley, not a fourth fight with Marquez — but they aren’t Hispanics. The Hispanic fans are the ones who want the fourth fight with Marquez.”
Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOs) has the right to exercise his contractual option for an immediate rematch with Bradley, whom Arum also promotes, so that is an easy fight to make. Marquez is promoted by Fernando Beltran’s Zanfer Promotions, but Beltran is very close with Top Rank, with whom he partners on many events.
Cotto is a free agent, although Arum promoted him for his entire career except for his May 5 decision loss to Mayweather, which took place after Cotto’s contract with Top Rank had expired. Arum said he has been talking to Cotto attorney Gaby Peñagaricano.
Before Pacquiao’s June fight with Bradley was finalized, Cotto had been the leading candidate, but they could not agree on the weight. Pacquiao, boxing’s only eight-division world champion, wanted the bigger Cotto to return to welterweight while Arum said Cotto wanted the fight in the low 150 pounds.
“We could do a Cotto rematch, assuming we can come to an understanding on the weight,” Arum said. “Cotto is talking about going to 160 to fight somebody, but we’ve been talking to Gaby and we’ll sort it out. I think Manny would be willing to do it at 150.”
Cotto, however, might not be interested. He could instead fight in New York in December against an opponent to be determined.
Whomever Pacquiao faces, Arum said time was of the essence to get an opponent locked in so he could plan a media tour next month.
“Time flies and we’re going to have to the announcement and the media tour the week of Labor Day because the week after that is our other big fight,” Arum said of the Sergio Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. middleweight championship fight Sept. 15 on HBO PPV. “So we have a very small window.”
Arum said that assuming Pacquiao gets by the November bout he is shooting for an April fight after that rather than the popular first weekend in May because Pacquiao, a congressman in his native Philippines, is running for re-election. He said Pacquiao would need May and June to campaign.
“He’s definitely running again,” Arum said. “(Politics) is his future.”
http://fightmuseumlv.com
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is headed to the Philippines on Monday so he can sit down with Manny Pacquiao to discuss the fighter’s options for a planned Nov. 10 return to the ring.
Arum, who will be in Pacquiao’s homeland for a week, told ESPN.com there are three candidates to face Pacquiao next — and none of them is Floyd Mayweather Jr., who was released Friday after a two-month stint in jail for domestic abuse and whom the world wants to see fight Pacquiao.
Arum, often accused of being an impediment to a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, said that after the November fight, “I just hope we will be able to get the Mayweather fight done. I don’t think we can do it in November with Mayweather just being released from jail and so forth.
“I have had no signal from anybody on his side that he would be back so quick for a fight Nov. 10. I would think if we can make a deal it would be in the spring, in April, after March Madness.
”– Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, on a potential bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“I have had no signal from anybody on his side that he would be back so quick for a fight Nov. 10. I would think if we can make a deal it would be in the spring, in April, after March Madness.”
The candidates to face Pacquiao next come as no surprise. Arum listed them as:
• Welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley Jr. in a rematch of the tremendously controversial fight they had on June 9, in which Bradley was awarded a shocking split decision.
• Junior welterweight titleholder Juan Manuel Marquez, who has already faced Pacquiao three times in exciting fights that all ended in disputed decisions — with Pacquiao winning twice and their first bout resulting in a draw.
• Former three-division titlist Miguel Cotto, whom Pacquiao knocked out in the 12th round of an all-action welterweight title bout in November 2009.
“I gotta tell Manny what I can afford for each fight and we need to talk about each fight, but he makes his own decision,” Arum said. “I’ve talked to him once earlier in the summer and he’s been thinking about what he wants to do. He’s going to fight on Nov. 10, but we’ll spend some time talking through everything and getting everything ironed out, and then I talk to the opponents and try to make a deal.”
Arum said Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz will be involved in the meetings and, if she wanted to be, so would Pacquiao’s wife, Jinkee.
Arum has been busy crunching the numbers. He said the Pacquiao-Marquez III pay-per-view in November 2011 generated 1.3 million buys — about 400,000 more than the June fight Pacquiao had against Bradley. Pacquiao-Cotto generated about 1.25 million buys.
“Cotto brings with him a huge fan base from Puerto Rico and Marquez also has a big fan base with the Hispanics fans,” Arum said. “Marquez did 400,000 buys more than Bradley. That fight did a little better than 900,000, so I have to consider that. And Marquez is very anxious for the fight, too. With Bradley, the general sports fan, at least anecdotally, wants them to have a rematch. People I go out to dinner with or people I visit with, they all talk about the rematch with Bradley, not a fourth fight with Marquez — but they aren’t Hispanics. The Hispanic fans are the ones who want the fourth fight with Marquez.”
Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOs) has the right to exercise his contractual option for an immediate rematch with Bradley, whom Arum also promotes, so that is an easy fight to make. Marquez is promoted by Fernando Beltran’s Zanfer Promotions, but Beltran is very close with Top Rank, with whom he partners on many events.
Cotto is a free agent, although Arum promoted him for his entire career except for his May 5 decision loss to Mayweather, which took place after Cotto’s contract with Top Rank had expired. Arum said he has been talking to Cotto attorney Gaby Peñagaricano.
Before Pacquiao’s June fight with Bradley was finalized, Cotto had been the leading candidate, but they could not agree on the weight. Pacquiao, boxing’s only eight-division world champion, wanted the bigger Cotto to return to welterweight while Arum said Cotto wanted the fight in the low 150 pounds.
“We could do a Cotto rematch, assuming we can come to an understanding on the weight,” Arum said. “Cotto is talking about going to 160 to fight somebody, but we’ve been talking to Gaby and we’ll sort it out. I think Manny would be willing to do it at 150.”
Cotto, however, might not be interested. He could instead fight in New York in December against an opponent to be determined.
Whomever Pacquiao faces, Arum said time was of the essence to get an opponent locked in so he could plan a media tour next month.
“Time flies and we’re going to have to the announcement and the media tour the week of Labor Day because the week after that is our other big fight,” Arum said of the Sergio Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. middleweight championship fight Sept. 15 on HBO PPV. “So we have a very small window.”
Arum said that assuming Pacquiao gets by the November bout he is shooting for an April fight after that rather than the popular first weekend in May because Pacquiao, a congressman in his native Philippines, is running for re-election. He said Pacquiao would need May and June to campaign.
“He’s definitely running again,” Arum said. “(Politics) is his future.”
http://fightmuseumlv.com
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Lyoto Machida stands out, wins title shot on thrilling UFC on Fox 4 card
by Kevin Iole
LOS ANGELES – After every weigh-in, UFC president Dana White gathers his fighters and delivers a short motivational speech.
On Friday, he delivered a very succinct message to those who would be fighting the next night on the UFC on Fox 4 card at Staples Center.
“If people are channel surfing, give them a reason to stay on Fox,” White told them.
Almost to a man, the fighters delivered. It was one of the finest top-to-bottom fight cards the UFC has put on in quite a while, filled with great action, dramatic finishes, devastating knockouts and expert submissions.
Lyoto Machida celebrates after knocking out Ryan Bader on Saturday. (Photo courtesy Tracy Lee)
At the end of the day, though, it was one of the UFC’s nearly forgotten former champs who was the star of the day.
Lyoto Machida knocked out Ryan Bader with a short and devastating right hand at 1:32 of the second, earning himself a shot at the belt he once owned. He’ll face the winner of the title match between champion Jon Jones and Dan Henderson that headlines UFC 151 on Sept. 1 in Las Vegas.
Bader didn’t lay a glove on Machida, who fought like the man who dazzled everyone as he rolled toward the title in 2008 and 2009. The victory left the normally low-key Brazilian brimming with confidence. He was dominated by Jones at UFC 140 last year, but if Jones beats Henderson, Machida said he’d feel good about his chances in the rematch.
“I have to have belief in myself,” Machida said. “For sure, I can beat him.”
The title shot was up for grabs Saturday, with White having said the fighter who looked the best among Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Brandon Vera, Machida and Bader would get it.
Rua knocked out Vera in the fourth round of a rousing battle in the main event, but White was more impressed by Machida’s near-flawless effort.
“Everything I’ve seen from Lyoto Machida looks like he wants this [title shot] worse than Shogun does,” White said. “Shogun hasn’t shown me anything that he’s demanding to fight Jon Jones again. Machida has, and more than just the knockout.
“You have this situation where, everybody’s an expert. Everybody’s a genius. Everybody’s got an opinion. But you can’t put a number or a ranking or a rating on someone’s heart and determination.”
There was plenty of heart shown on Saturday’s card, and not just in the final two fights. It was shown by Mike Swick, who hadn’t fought in 910 days because of a series of injuries and illness. At one point, he was told his career might be over because of esophageal spasm.
But Swick was determined to get back and was welcomed by the crowd of 16,080 with a standing ovation when he walked to the cage for his match with DaMarques Johnson.
Mike Swick puts the finishing touches on his win over DeMarques Johnson. (Courtesy Tracy Lee)
He then delivered an amazingly brutal knockout in the second round that had the place roaring. He caught a Johnson kick and quickly upended him. In nearly the same motion, Swick went after Johnson with a punch and landed a crunching right to the chin of a prone Johnson.
That first punch put Johnson out, but Swick landed two equally punishing shots, raising the ire of some who saw it. Paramedics brought in a stretcher to aid Johnson, but he ultimately walked out of the cage of his own accord.
That bit of minor controversy was the only bad part of what was a great night for Swick, who was highly apologetic at the post-fight news conference. In a similar situation in April, middleweight Brian Stann was in top position on Alessio Sakara and knocked him out. Though the referee didn’t notice, Stann did and didn’t fire another punch.
Swick’s situation was a bit different, as it happened more quickly.
“At the time, I was just in the mode and I definitely didn’t notice [he was out],” Swick said. “I’ve seen fighters where guys have done that and I was like, ‘Aw man, that’s excessive.’ But you know, I hit him with some very hard shots in the first and it didn’t put him down.
“He was still coming after me. When I had the opportunity, I was unloading everything I had trying to get the fight over with.”
Joe Lauzon and Jamie Varner also put on an exceptional show and anyone who had the remote in their hand and stopped on Fox during that fight surely would have stayed.
There was rarely a break in the match as the two fought a pitched battle that earned them a $50,000 bonus for Fight of the Night. Lauzon, who has a knack for earning fight night bonuses, added another $50,000 when he got the Submission of the Night, as well.
Joe Lauzon and Jamie Varner won Fight of the Night honors for their three-round thriller. (Courtesy Tracy Lee)
His triangle choke forced Varner to tap in the third, ending a fierce and high-paced battle that will have plenty of clips on the UFC’s next highlight reel.
Lauzon said his biggest concern was getting tagged by the heavy-handed Varner. However, Lauzon said Varner injured himself in the second round and that opened things for him.
“Boxing-wise, the only thing we were worried about was his overhand right,” Lauzon said. “In the second round, he broke his hand and I knew he hurt his hand. I had zero fear, zero worry about anything. It ended up being a little more boxing, but I always want to fight on the ground.
“I’m a jiu-jitsu guy first and I love to ground and pound and set up submissions. But, for me to go out there and shoot for the takedown right off the bat, he’s going to see it coming and I’m going to have to pay for it. I have to use my head to set up my takedowns.”
Rua managed a number of takedowns on Vera, but that was only because Vera was stinging him with punches, kicks and knees. Rua had Vera in trouble early, but Vera lived up to his pre-fight promise to put on a main event-worthy performance.
Fans howled on Monday when White said on a conference call that the Rua-Vera winner would land a title shot. Vera entered the bout with a 1-2 mark with one no contest in his last four.
He took the criticism personally and fought like it on Saturday.
“There was a lot of trash coming out of people’s mouths,” Vera said. “Like Dana said, people forget real quick. Tonight, I wanted to put on the performance of my life. I got to fight one of my heroes and fight someone I looked up to since before I got into the game.
“The outcome wasn’t what I wanted, man, but I think you guys enjoyed the fight, man.”
It was that way round after round and fight after fight.
And when it was over, White struggled to put into words what it meant to him. The show went head-to-head with the Olympics on NBC, which are drawing massive television ratings.
The hard reality when the numbers finally come out will probably show that the best card competition-wise of the four that have been on Fox will have by far delivered the poorest numbers. White generally is ready to brawl with anyone who disses the UFC on Fox ratings, but he was philosophical after the great show on Saturday.
“I’m not even thinking about [the ratings],” White said. “We put on a great performance here in Los Angeles. The place was packed. Ticket sales were awesome. We did a $1.1 million gate for a fight card that was available to everyone on free television.
“These guys went out and put on an amazing show, [filled with] incredible performances. Whatever the number is, it is.”
After that kind of a show, it was hard not to be positive.
http://fightmuseumlv.com
LOS ANGELES – After every weigh-in, UFC president Dana White gathers his fighters and delivers a short motivational speech.
On Friday, he delivered a very succinct message to those who would be fighting the next night on the UFC on Fox 4 card at Staples Center.
“If people are channel surfing, give them a reason to stay on Fox,” White told them.
Almost to a man, the fighters delivered. It was one of the finest top-to-bottom fight cards the UFC has put on in quite a while, filled with great action, dramatic finishes, devastating knockouts and expert submissions.
Lyoto Machida celebrates after knocking out Ryan Bader on Saturday. (Photo courtesy Tracy Lee)At the end of the day, though, it was one of the UFC’s nearly forgotten former champs who was the star of the day.
Lyoto Machida knocked out Ryan Bader with a short and devastating right hand at 1:32 of the second, earning himself a shot at the belt he once owned. He’ll face the winner of the title match between champion Jon Jones and Dan Henderson that headlines UFC 151 on Sept. 1 in Las Vegas.
Bader didn’t lay a glove on Machida, who fought like the man who dazzled everyone as he rolled toward the title in 2008 and 2009. The victory left the normally low-key Brazilian brimming with confidence. He was dominated by Jones at UFC 140 last year, but if Jones beats Henderson, Machida said he’d feel good about his chances in the rematch.
“I have to have belief in myself,” Machida said. “For sure, I can beat him.”
The title shot was up for grabs Saturday, with White having said the fighter who looked the best among Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Brandon Vera, Machida and Bader would get it.
Rua knocked out Vera in the fourth round of a rousing battle in the main event, but White was more impressed by Machida’s near-flawless effort.
“Everything I’ve seen from Lyoto Machida looks like he wants this [title shot] worse than Shogun does,” White said. “Shogun hasn’t shown me anything that he’s demanding to fight Jon Jones again. Machida has, and more than just the knockout.
“You have this situation where, everybody’s an expert. Everybody’s a genius. Everybody’s got an opinion. But you can’t put a number or a ranking or a rating on someone’s heart and determination.”
There was plenty of heart shown on Saturday’s card, and not just in the final two fights. It was shown by Mike Swick, who hadn’t fought in 910 days because of a series of injuries and illness. At one point, he was told his career might be over because of esophageal spasm.
But Swick was determined to get back and was welcomed by the crowd of 16,080 with a standing ovation when he walked to the cage for his match with DaMarques Johnson.
Mike Swick puts the finishing touches on his win over DeMarques Johnson. (Courtesy Tracy Lee)He then delivered an amazingly brutal knockout in the second round that had the place roaring. He caught a Johnson kick and quickly upended him. In nearly the same motion, Swick went after Johnson with a punch and landed a crunching right to the chin of a prone Johnson.
That first punch put Johnson out, but Swick landed two equally punishing shots, raising the ire of some who saw it. Paramedics brought in a stretcher to aid Johnson, but he ultimately walked out of the cage of his own accord.
That bit of minor controversy was the only bad part of what was a great night for Swick, who was highly apologetic at the post-fight news conference. In a similar situation in April, middleweight Brian Stann was in top position on Alessio Sakara and knocked him out. Though the referee didn’t notice, Stann did and didn’t fire another punch.
Swick’s situation was a bit different, as it happened more quickly.
“At the time, I was just in the mode and I definitely didn’t notice [he was out],” Swick said. “I’ve seen fighters where guys have done that and I was like, ‘Aw man, that’s excessive.’ But you know, I hit him with some very hard shots in the first and it didn’t put him down.
“He was still coming after me. When I had the opportunity, I was unloading everything I had trying to get the fight over with.”
Joe Lauzon and Jamie Varner also put on an exceptional show and anyone who had the remote in their hand and stopped on Fox during that fight surely would have stayed.
There was rarely a break in the match as the two fought a pitched battle that earned them a $50,000 bonus for Fight of the Night. Lauzon, who has a knack for earning fight night bonuses, added another $50,000 when he got the Submission of the Night, as well.
Joe Lauzon and Jamie Varner won Fight of the Night honors for their three-round thriller. (Courtesy Tracy Lee)His triangle choke forced Varner to tap in the third, ending a fierce and high-paced battle that will have plenty of clips on the UFC’s next highlight reel.
Lauzon said his biggest concern was getting tagged by the heavy-handed Varner. However, Lauzon said Varner injured himself in the second round and that opened things for him.
“Boxing-wise, the only thing we were worried about was his overhand right,” Lauzon said. “In the second round, he broke his hand and I knew he hurt his hand. I had zero fear, zero worry about anything. It ended up being a little more boxing, but I always want to fight on the ground.
“I’m a jiu-jitsu guy first and I love to ground and pound and set up submissions. But, for me to go out there and shoot for the takedown right off the bat, he’s going to see it coming and I’m going to have to pay for it. I have to use my head to set up my takedowns.”
Rua managed a number of takedowns on Vera, but that was only because Vera was stinging him with punches, kicks and knees. Rua had Vera in trouble early, but Vera lived up to his pre-fight promise to put on a main event-worthy performance.
Fans howled on Monday when White said on a conference call that the Rua-Vera winner would land a title shot. Vera entered the bout with a 1-2 mark with one no contest in his last four.
He took the criticism personally and fought like it on Saturday.
“There was a lot of trash coming out of people’s mouths,” Vera said. “Like Dana said, people forget real quick. Tonight, I wanted to put on the performance of my life. I got to fight one of my heroes and fight someone I looked up to since before I got into the game.
“The outcome wasn’t what I wanted, man, but I think you guys enjoyed the fight, man.”
It was that way round after round and fight after fight.
And when it was over, White struggled to put into words what it meant to him. The show went head-to-head with the Olympics on NBC, which are drawing massive television ratings.
The hard reality when the numbers finally come out will probably show that the best card competition-wise of the four that have been on Fox will have by far delivered the poorest numbers. White generally is ready to brawl with anyone who disses the UFC on Fox ratings, but he was philosophical after the great show on Saturday.
“I’m not even thinking about [the ratings],” White said. “We put on a great performance here in Los Angeles. The place was packed. Ticket sales were awesome. We did a $1.1 million gate for a fight card that was available to everyone on free television.
“These guys went out and put on an amazing show, [filled with] incredible performances. Whatever the number is, it is.”
After that kind of a show, it was hard not to be positive.
http://fightmuseumlv.com
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Does Mauricio “Shogun” Rua have enough gas left in the tank for another title run?
by Kevin Iole
The calendar tells one story, but only a part of it. It notes, correctly, that Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is a young man, at 30 one who is in the midst of his athletic prime.
Rua, though, is a mixed martial arts fighter, and the age of a fighter is measured not only by a calendar but also by the type of abuse one has taken.
Though Rua insists he’s the same guy who is one of the sport’s icons, his recent history would suggest his decline could come very quickly.
Mauricio Rua is already bruised and bloody in the first round of his fight against Dan Henderson. (AP)
Rua fights Brandon Vera on Saturday at Staples Center in Los Angeles in the main event of UFC on Fox 4, with a shot at the light heavyweight title hanging in the balance.
UFC president Dana White said the man who looks the best in Saturday’s final two bouts, between Rua and Vera and another between Ryan Bader and Lyoto Machida, will fight the Jon Jones-Dan Henderson winner for the title.
By resume, Rua would be an easy choice. But Rua’s 2011 was a very difficult one, and few fighters come back strong after the kind of punishment he took in losses to Jones and Henderson.
Rua insists he’s physically fine and will be the same as he’s always been.
“I had a good break between fights and I am [not limited in any way],” Rua said. “The good thing is, I had no broken bones or other damage like that, so the recovery was simpler.”
Take that, however, with an extremely large grain of salt. The last thing a fighter wants to do before a bout is let an opponent know he’s vulnerable.
No fighter goes into a bout 100 percent. There are always bumps and bruises that are more annoying than anything else.
Rua, though, was battered and beaten so badly by Jones and Henderson that the question of whether he’ll ever be the same is a valid one.
The body can only take so much abuse. It’s why, for example, the average career of an NFL running back is so short. They are pounded repeatedly by extremely large, extremely fit men . It’s no different than running a car into the wall 10 times in a row. Sooner or later, the car will start to break down.
Rua’s bout with Henderson at UFC 139 last November is, arguably, the greatest match in MMA history. The fury with which they went at each other and the punishment each absorbed was jaw-dropping.
“[Rua's] last fight with Dan Henderson was one of the sickest fights I’ve ever seen in my life,” White said.
For Rua, that fight was only eight months after another bout in which he was beaten very severely. He lost his title to Jones at UFC 128 on March 19, 2011, in a frightful beating. His face wouldn’t have looked much, if any, worse than it did after the Jones fight had someone taken his head and slammed it into concrete eight or nine times.
Rua points to the fact that he beat Forrest Griffin after his loss to Jones as a sign that his body is fine. He took abuse from Jones, he said, but recovered to score a first-round stoppage of Griffin just five months later.
“When you are in this business, you are going to get injuries and you’re going to take blows,” Rua said. “But I made sure I took enough time to [recover]. I will be the same.”
But the adage that a fighter can get old overnight has some merit. And that is especially true for a fighter who has been in some of the kinds of high-pace, heavy contact type of battles Rua has been involved in.
If he’s the old Rua, history would suggest he should roll over Vera. Rua has nine wins over men who have held either a UFC, PRIDE or Strikeforce title and has been one of the elite men in his division for years.
He’s also motivated because he wants another shot at Jones. The one-sided loss he suffered doesn’t sit well with him. He’s got the pride that all elite athletes possess and wants another opportunity to prove himself.
His experience, though, has come in handy because he won’t make the mistake that Vera concedes he made when he fought Jones.
“The very first time I fought Jon Jones, I just thought he was some young punk and I didn’t respect him at all,” Vera said. “I didn’t even train hard and I didn’t even pay him a mind, and the outcome showed itself. I got what I deserved for thinking the way I did, so if and when I do get a chance to fight Mr. Jones again, I promise he will have my full and undivided attention.”
Rua isn’t one to make such a mistake. There has been a big outcry that Vera A) got a main event slot and B) could get a title shot with a win. Mostly, that’s because of his middling recent record, in which he’s 1-2 with a no-contest (which was a loss before it was changed after Thiago Silva failed a drug test) and his lack of a marquee win in the division.
Those same arguments can’t be made about Rua. And, to use Vera’s terminology, Vera has Rua’s full and undivided attention.
“He’s a very tough guy as he has proven many times in the past and he’s got a lot of [varied] skills,” Rua said. “I have complete respect for his ability and for what he’s done.”
That leaves one question unanswered: Will it be the Rua of old who shows up on Saturday? Or will it be an old Rua?
Until the bell rings, no one knows for sure, not even Rua himself.
http://fightmuseumlv.com
The calendar tells one story, but only a part of it. It notes, correctly, that Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is a young man, at 30 one who is in the midst of his athletic prime.
Rua, though, is a mixed martial arts fighter, and the age of a fighter is measured not only by a calendar but also by the type of abuse one has taken.
Though Rua insists he’s the same guy who is one of the sport’s icons, his recent history would suggest his decline could come very quickly.
Mauricio Rua is already bruised and bloody in the first round of his fight against Dan Henderson. (AP)Rua fights Brandon Vera on Saturday at Staples Center in Los Angeles in the main event of UFC on Fox 4, with a shot at the light heavyweight title hanging in the balance.
UFC president Dana White said the man who looks the best in Saturday’s final two bouts, between Rua and Vera and another between Ryan Bader and Lyoto Machida, will fight the Jon Jones-Dan Henderson winner for the title.
By resume, Rua would be an easy choice. But Rua’s 2011 was a very difficult one, and few fighters come back strong after the kind of punishment he took in losses to Jones and Henderson.
Rua insists he’s physically fine and will be the same as he’s always been.
“I had a good break between fights and I am [not limited in any way],” Rua said. “The good thing is, I had no broken bones or other damage like that, so the recovery was simpler.”
Take that, however, with an extremely large grain of salt. The last thing a fighter wants to do before a bout is let an opponent know he’s vulnerable.
No fighter goes into a bout 100 percent. There are always bumps and bruises that are more annoying than anything else.
Rua, though, was battered and beaten so badly by Jones and Henderson that the question of whether he’ll ever be the same is a valid one.
The body can only take so much abuse. It’s why, for example, the average career of an NFL running back is so short. They are pounded repeatedly by extremely large, extremely fit men . It’s no different than running a car into the wall 10 times in a row. Sooner or later, the car will start to break down.
Rua’s bout with Henderson at UFC 139 last November is, arguably, the greatest match in MMA history. The fury with which they went at each other and the punishment each absorbed was jaw-dropping.
“[Rua's] last fight with Dan Henderson was one of the sickest fights I’ve ever seen in my life,” White said.
For Rua, that fight was only eight months after another bout in which he was beaten very severely. He lost his title to Jones at UFC 128 on March 19, 2011, in a frightful beating. His face wouldn’t have looked much, if any, worse than it did after the Jones fight had someone taken his head and slammed it into concrete eight or nine times.
Rua points to the fact that he beat Forrest Griffin after his loss to Jones as a sign that his body is fine. He took abuse from Jones, he said, but recovered to score a first-round stoppage of Griffin just five months later.
“When you are in this business, you are going to get injuries and you’re going to take blows,” Rua said. “But I made sure I took enough time to [recover]. I will be the same.”
But the adage that a fighter can get old overnight has some merit. And that is especially true for a fighter who has been in some of the kinds of high-pace, heavy contact type of battles Rua has been involved in.
If he’s the old Rua, history would suggest he should roll over Vera. Rua has nine wins over men who have held either a UFC, PRIDE or Strikeforce title and has been one of the elite men in his division for years.
He’s also motivated because he wants another shot at Jones. The one-sided loss he suffered doesn’t sit well with him. He’s got the pride that all elite athletes possess and wants another opportunity to prove himself.
His experience, though, has come in handy because he won’t make the mistake that Vera concedes he made when he fought Jones.
“The very first time I fought Jon Jones, I just thought he was some young punk and I didn’t respect him at all,” Vera said. “I didn’t even train hard and I didn’t even pay him a mind, and the outcome showed itself. I got what I deserved for thinking the way I did, so if and when I do get a chance to fight Mr. Jones again, I promise he will have my full and undivided attention.”
Rua isn’t one to make such a mistake. There has been a big outcry that Vera A) got a main event slot and B) could get a title shot with a win. Mostly, that’s because of his middling recent record, in which he’s 1-2 with a no-contest (which was a loss before it was changed after Thiago Silva failed a drug test) and his lack of a marquee win in the division.
Those same arguments can’t be made about Rua. And, to use Vera’s terminology, Vera has Rua’s full and undivided attention.
“He’s a very tough guy as he has proven many times in the past and he’s got a lot of [varied] skills,” Rua said. “I have complete respect for his ability and for what he’s done.”
That leaves one question unanswered: Will it be the Rua of old who shows up on Saturday? Or will it be an old Rua?
Until the bell rings, no one knows for sure, not even Rua himself.
http://fightmuseumlv.com
Friday, August 3, 2012
Mayweather Jr. Released From Jail
by SecondsOut.com
Pound for pound No.1 boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr was released from a Las Vegas prison on Friday after serving a a three month sentence for a misdemeanour domestic battery offence.
The unbeaten 35 year-old walked free early for good behaviour from the Clark County Detention Center after serving two months. He will now be free to resume his boxing career assuming he is successful in reapplying for his boxing licence.
Early in his sentence Mayweather Jr’s lawyers and personal physician complained that his boxing career could suffer because of the lack of exercise space and low quality of food available in jail.
However, the world’s No.1 boxer is back on the outside and ready to resume his career. It is of course too early to predict when he will fight again.
Mayweather, who was met outside the prison by 20 members of his family including his manager Leonard Ellerbe and rapper 50 Cent, did not say anything to the vast amount of reporters and cameramen waiting patiently outside the prison gates.
http://fightmuseumlv.com
Pound for pound No.1 boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr was released from a Las Vegas prison on Friday after serving a a three month sentence for a misdemeanour domestic battery offence.
The unbeaten 35 year-old walked free early for good behaviour from the Clark County Detention Center after serving two months. He will now be free to resume his boxing career assuming he is successful in reapplying for his boxing licence.
Early in his sentence Mayweather Jr’s lawyers and personal physician complained that his boxing career could suffer because of the lack of exercise space and low quality of food available in jail.
However, the world’s No.1 boxer is back on the outside and ready to resume his career. It is of course too early to predict when he will fight again.
Mayweather, who was met outside the prison by 20 members of his family including his manager Leonard Ellerbe and rapper 50 Cent, did not say anything to the vast amount of reporters and cameramen waiting patiently outside the prison gates.
http://fightmuseumlv.com
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Floyd Mayweather Leaves Jail Friday, Could Be Part Of 50 Cent’s Plan To Make Boxing More Like The UFC
by Brent Brookhouse
The Bloody Elbow
Floyd Mayweather’s time in jail for a domestic violence charge will come to an end on Friday as he’ll be released early. As pointed out by Bad Left Hook’s Scott Christ, Floyd getting out of jail early isn’t really a huge story. He’s serving time for a misdemeanor charge and will have served almost two-thirds of his sentence. So it’s not like there’s a horrendous failure of the justice system because Floyd is a celebrity or anything.
The timing of his release also happens to line-up well with Mayweather running buddy, 50 Cent’s assault on the boxing world with the establishment of TMT Promotions.
50 has signed some very big names, turning an upstart boxing promotion into a legitimate player in only two weeks time, inking deals with Andre Berto, Zab Judah, Celestino Caballero, Andre Dirrell, Yuriorkis Gamboa, and Billy Dib. That’s a lot of “name” fighters that have major network interest. Given boxing’s place as a TV package sport, that’s a very good start.
Given Mayweather’s relationship with 50 and the name of the promotion (TMT = The Money Team), it isn’t much of a stretch to assume that Floyd will be the crown jewel of TMT Promotions. Mayweather Promotions was never an actual promoter and Floyd never really had a long-term deal with Golden Boy so there’s nothing really stopping him from getting out of the De La Hoya business.
50 has been outspoken about his plans to be a real player in boxing and he’s looking at the UFC as a blueprint for some of their promotional efforts (via Herald Sun):
Regardless of if 50 is able to really change the overall dynamic of the boxing game or not, it’s ignorant at this point to suggest that TMT Promotions isn’t shaping up to be a real force, as pointed out by Scott Christ:
The Bloody Elbow
Floyd Mayweather’s time in jail for a domestic violence charge will come to an end on Friday as he’ll be released early. As pointed out by Bad Left Hook’s Scott Christ, Floyd getting out of jail early isn’t really a huge story. He’s serving time for a misdemeanor charge and will have served almost two-thirds of his sentence. So it’s not like there’s a horrendous failure of the justice system because Floyd is a celebrity or anything.
The timing of his release also happens to line-up well with Mayweather running buddy, 50 Cent’s assault on the boxing world with the establishment of TMT Promotions.
50 has signed some very big names, turning an upstart boxing promotion into a legitimate player in only two weeks time, inking deals with Andre Berto, Zab Judah, Celestino Caballero, Andre Dirrell, Yuriorkis Gamboa, and Billy Dib. That’s a lot of “name” fighters that have major network interest. Given boxing’s place as a TV package sport, that’s a very good start.
Given Mayweather’s relationship with 50 and the name of the promotion (TMT = The Money Team), it isn’t much of a stretch to assume that Floyd will be the crown jewel of TMT Promotions. Mayweather Promotions was never an actual promoter and Floyd never really had a long-term deal with Golden Boy so there’s nothing really stopping him from getting out of the De La Hoya business.
50 has been outspoken about his plans to be a real player in boxing and he’s looking at the UFC as a blueprint for some of their promotional efforts (via Herald Sun):
“We’re going to change the demographic also, appeal to the younger demographic.There have been some decent efforts to improve the overall card quality of boxing shows, Showtime has been great about putting on 4-5 fight cards with Golden Boy and there has been some good quality action coming out of that focus on treating the undercard as valuable. We saw Shane Mosley versus Canelo Alvarez on the undercard of Mayweather’s bout with Miguel Cotto. We also saw a great PPV action card for Cotto versus Antonio Margarito. But, overall, boxing undercards are far from a focal point in the game.
“You look at UFC and MMA, when their festivities start the place is full, whereas the tradition in boxing is you wait until the main event starts.
“We want to put on cards where there are five main event fights, where there is entertainment from start to finish, cards that command attention all over the world.”
Regardless of if 50 is able to really change the overall dynamic of the boxing game or not, it’s ignorant at this point to suggest that TMT Promotions isn’t shaping up to be a real force, as pointed out by Scott Christ:
If Mayweather does wind up going with TMT, likely as a partner of some sort and the star attraction for the new company, it will be a big shift in the major boxing landscape in the United States. Currently, Top Rank and Golden Boy pretty much own the market, but Mayweather would instantly legitimize the upstart, just as De La Hoya did when he started GBP over a decade ago.
…
We know now that that model can work and make big money. Mayweather could be the next fighter to do it. Like Oscar was at the time, Floyd is the biggest star in the sport right now in many ways, and he also has a young generation of fighters that hold him up on a major pedestal and look up to him. That’s what I’m looking forward to finding out now that Floyd will be available to comment: Is TMT going to be an instant major league player? If Floyd’s in, then the answer is yes.
www.FightMuseumLV.com
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
UFC Confirms Vitor Belfort vs. Alan Belcher for UFC 153 in Rio
by MMA Weekly Staff Writer
After the back and forth between Vitor Belfort and Alan Belcher on social media and in interviews over the past couple of days, it should come as no surprise that the two are now slated to square off at UFC 153 on Oct. 13 in Brazil.
UFC officials on Wednesday announced the bout, in addition to TUF Brazil finalist Sergio Moraes vs. Renee Forte.
“Right now, if I want to get something signed it needs to be against Vitor Belfort or Chris Weidman,” Belcher told MMAWeekly.com prior to the fight’s announcement. “Both of those guys are highly ranked, good fighters, very challenging for me and both of them could potentially be a top contender.
“I want to fight Vitor. He’s still an awesome fighter, still a top contender, but he’s also a legend.”
Although they had both been calling for fights, and eventually targeting each other, neither has been derogatory in his comments.
“He is an excellent fighter, a tough guy and good in all the basics,” Belfort remarked when the fight was announced on the UFC’s Portuguese website. “He comes from a very good win over Palhares. Surely this will be a great test for both (of us).”
UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo headlines UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro, putting his belt on the line against Erik Koch at the HSBC Arena.
www.FightMuseumLV.com
After the back and forth between Vitor Belfort and Alan Belcher on social media and in interviews over the past couple of days, it should come as no surprise that the two are now slated to square off at UFC 153 on Oct. 13 in Brazil.
UFC officials on Wednesday announced the bout, in addition to TUF Brazil finalist Sergio Moraes vs. Renee Forte.
“Right now, if I want to get something signed it needs to be against Vitor Belfort or Chris Weidman,” Belcher told MMAWeekly.com prior to the fight’s announcement. “Both of those guys are highly ranked, good fighters, very challenging for me and both of them could potentially be a top contender.
“I want to fight Vitor. He’s still an awesome fighter, still a top contender, but he’s also a legend.”
Although they had both been calling for fights, and eventually targeting each other, neither has been derogatory in his comments.
“He is an excellent fighter, a tough guy and good in all the basics,” Belfort remarked when the fight was announced on the UFC’s Portuguese website. “He comes from a very good win over Palhares. Surely this will be a great test for both (of us).”
UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo headlines UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro, putting his belt on the line against Erik Koch at the HSBC Arena.
www.FightMuseumLV.com
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Chris Weidman Doesn't Want to ‘Share the Cage' with Anderson Silva; He Wants to Finish Him
by MMA Weekly
Sometimes it’s the quiet ones you have to worry most about.
That seems to be the case when examining the short yet impressive UFC career of middleweight contender Chris Weidman.
Undefeated as a pro and now 5-0 in the UFC, Weidman has put together a decisive string of victories capped off most recently with a dominant TKO win over Mark Munoz at UFC on Fuel 4.
Prior to the fight almost every viable middleweight was calling and shouting for their name to be the one to face champion Anderson Silva next. From Munoz to Michael Bisping to Alan Belcher, middleweights were shouting left and right about how they should be the choice to face Silva next.
Meanwhile, Weidman was just putting his head down, focusing on training and getting ready to make his impact in the Octagon. On the Richter scale, Weidman hit with about a 9.0.
Now with five wins in the UFC, three finishes, and two wins over top ten opponents, Weidman believes he has the resume to make the case that it’s time to face Anderson Silva right now.
“Before the fight, there was literally five or six guys that were all trying to petition to fight Anderson Silva next, and I just kind of stayed quiet. I mean, I did just beat Demian Maia, who was a top five guy, and none of those guys have even beaten a top five guy I don’t think for the most part. Bisping hasn’t even beat a top ten guy I think,” Weidman said when speaking to MMAWeekly Radio.
“I was just really focused on making a statement in this fight. I really wanted to make it blatantly obvious that I was ahead of the pack, and I think I did jump past those guys that were a little bit better at talking before my fight than I was.”
Last weekend, UFC president Dana White said that there was no clear cut No. 1 contender to face Anderson Silva next, but if they had to declare someone it would be Chris Weidman.
Now the former Division-1 All-American is doing his part to put it in everyone’s ears that he not only is at the top of the list, he is the list.
“I feel like I really deserve it. I beat two top five guys and I think I’m a stylistic nightmare for Anderson Silva. I would love to get that shot. No one else is on a five fight win streak and beat the quality of guys I’ve beaten. I’m ready to speak up a little bit, just be confident in my abilities and respectfully call out Anderson Silva,” Weidman declared.
There is a certain honor and prestige that goes along with fighting for a title in the UFC because so few fighters actually get to that level. Add to that the fact that Anderson Silva is by far the most dominant champion to ever step foot in the Octagon, and as his career starts to wind down the selection of opponents to face him will get even slimmer.
Of course Weidman would consider it an honor to face Silva, but he’s not looking to slap gloves, get knocked out and say “I stood in the cage with Anderson Silva once upon a time.”
No, Chris Weidman wants to be the fighter that dethrones, chokes out, knocks out, and just plain finishes Anderson Silva.
“If I’m fighting Anderson Silva, I’m going in there knowing I belong in there. I’m not going in there to beat him, I’m actually going in there I’m going to try to make a statement. I’m going to try to finish him. I know a lot of people who can’t imagine that happening and think I might be crazy, but as a competitor that’s the way I compete, that’s the way I train to really be the best, and I think I am,” Weidman stated.
“On paper, I’m definitely a stylistic nightmare and he’s going to be going against a guy who’s in there to beat him, and not like some of these other guys that he’s fought that just want to share the cage with him.”
Since Silva’s last victory over Chael Sonnen, the champion’s camp have listed a few possible names of opponents that could interest the middleweight king. While the UFC ultimately makes the decisions, Weidman understands why his name may not be mentioned when it comes to Silva’s team.
Sure, he’s not the most well known guy in the sport, and he won’t sell a fight like Chael Sonnen by talking trash and building up a rivalry.
Weidman knows he would be a huge underdog, he knows he might even be the unlikeliest of contenders, but there is one indisputable truth that the New York native also truly believes.
He can beat Anderson Silva.
“I’m the only guy on a five fight win streak. I’m undefeated. I’m young. I want to be a young champion. I want to have this belt for a long time,” said Weidman. “You have to build names, you have to take risks as far as a company, as far as a promotion. You have to take risks with guys and I’m a good guy to do that with.”
http://fightmuseumlv.com
Sometimes it’s the quiet ones you have to worry most about.
That seems to be the case when examining the short yet impressive UFC career of middleweight contender Chris Weidman.
Undefeated as a pro and now 5-0 in the UFC, Weidman has put together a decisive string of victories capped off most recently with a dominant TKO win over Mark Munoz at UFC on Fuel 4.
Prior to the fight almost every viable middleweight was calling and shouting for their name to be the one to face champion Anderson Silva next. From Munoz to Michael Bisping to Alan Belcher, middleweights were shouting left and right about how they should be the choice to face Silva next.
Meanwhile, Weidman was just putting his head down, focusing on training and getting ready to make his impact in the Octagon. On the Richter scale, Weidman hit with about a 9.0.
Now with five wins in the UFC, three finishes, and two wins over top ten opponents, Weidman believes he has the resume to make the case that it’s time to face Anderson Silva right now.
“Before the fight, there was literally five or six guys that were all trying to petition to fight Anderson Silva next, and I just kind of stayed quiet. I mean, I did just beat Demian Maia, who was a top five guy, and none of those guys have even beaten a top five guy I don’t think for the most part. Bisping hasn’t even beat a top ten guy I think,” Weidman said when speaking to MMAWeekly Radio.
“I was just really focused on making a statement in this fight. I really wanted to make it blatantly obvious that I was ahead of the pack, and I think I did jump past those guys that were a little bit better at talking before my fight than I was.”
Last weekend, UFC president Dana White said that there was no clear cut No. 1 contender to face Anderson Silva next, but if they had to declare someone it would be Chris Weidman.
Now the former Division-1 All-American is doing his part to put it in everyone’s ears that he not only is at the top of the list, he is the list.
“I feel like I really deserve it. I beat two top five guys and I think I’m a stylistic nightmare for Anderson Silva. I would love to get that shot. No one else is on a five fight win streak and beat the quality of guys I’ve beaten. I’m ready to speak up a little bit, just be confident in my abilities and respectfully call out Anderson Silva,” Weidman declared.
There is a certain honor and prestige that goes along with fighting for a title in the UFC because so few fighters actually get to that level. Add to that the fact that Anderson Silva is by far the most dominant champion to ever step foot in the Octagon, and as his career starts to wind down the selection of opponents to face him will get even slimmer.
Of course Weidman would consider it an honor to face Silva, but he’s not looking to slap gloves, get knocked out and say “I stood in the cage with Anderson Silva once upon a time.”
No, Chris Weidman wants to be the fighter that dethrones, chokes out, knocks out, and just plain finishes Anderson Silva.
“If I’m fighting Anderson Silva, I’m going in there knowing I belong in there. I’m not going in there to beat him, I’m actually going in there I’m going to try to make a statement. I’m going to try to finish him. I know a lot of people who can’t imagine that happening and think I might be crazy, but as a competitor that’s the way I compete, that’s the way I train to really be the best, and I think I am,” Weidman stated.
“On paper, I’m definitely a stylistic nightmare and he’s going to be going against a guy who’s in there to beat him, and not like some of these other guys that he’s fought that just want to share the cage with him.”
Since Silva’s last victory over Chael Sonnen, the champion’s camp have listed a few possible names of opponents that could interest the middleweight king. While the UFC ultimately makes the decisions, Weidman understands why his name may not be mentioned when it comes to Silva’s team.
Sure, he’s not the most well known guy in the sport, and he won’t sell a fight like Chael Sonnen by talking trash and building up a rivalry.
Weidman knows he would be a huge underdog, he knows he might even be the unlikeliest of contenders, but there is one indisputable truth that the New York native also truly believes.
He can beat Anderson Silva.
“I’m the only guy on a five fight win streak. I’m undefeated. I’m young. I want to be a young champion. I want to have this belt for a long time,” said Weidman. “You have to build names, you have to take risks as far as a company, as far as a promotion. You have to take risks with guys and I’m a good guy to do that with.”
http://fightmuseumlv.com
Debut episode of ‘Sports Illustrated’ magazine show to feature UFC, Strikeforce fighters
by MMAJunkie.com Staff
"Sports Illustrated," a new monthly TV show based on the magazine, will debut Tuesday night on the NBC Sports Network.
The first episode, which airs at 9 p.m. ET, will feature a segment on MMA, focusing on the fighters and coaches at the Jackson/Winkeljohn gym in Albuquerque, N.M. L. Jon Wertheim, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, does the reporting from Albuquerque.
Fighters and coaches in the segment inclue Clay Guida, Tim Kennedy, Julie Kedzie, Keith Jardine, Cub Swanson, Josh Ferguson, Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn.
"I think the knee-jerk reaction to the rise of the rise of MMA is that 'society is in the express lane to hell – this is just another example of the coarsening of society,'" Wertheim said in a video previewing tonight's segment. "I think a lot of this growth is people realizing what this sport is and what it isn't, and what they're seeing is that there's values and conduct and spirit among the fighters that, frankly, other sports would do well to emulate."
Wertheim will be a guest on Tuesday's edition of MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) to discuss tonight's segment and what he took away from the story.
NBC Sports Group and Time Inc. Sports Group announced the "Sports Illustrated" show earlier this month, saying the new program will feature original reporting and commentary from the journalists at Sports Illustrated. Future episodes of the show will air on NBC Sports Network, as well as NBC.
Replays of tonight's premiere episode will air throughout the week at NBC Sports Network.
www.FightMuseumLV.com
"Sports Illustrated," a new monthly TV show based on the magazine, will debut Tuesday night on the NBC Sports Network.
The first episode, which airs at 9 p.m. ET, will feature a segment on MMA, focusing on the fighters and coaches at the Jackson/Winkeljohn gym in Albuquerque, N.M. L. Jon Wertheim, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, does the reporting from Albuquerque.
Fighters and coaches in the segment inclue Clay Guida, Tim Kennedy, Julie Kedzie, Keith Jardine, Cub Swanson, Josh Ferguson, Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn.
"I think the knee-jerk reaction to the rise of the rise of MMA is that 'society is in the express lane to hell – this is just another example of the coarsening of society,'" Wertheim said in a video previewing tonight's segment. "I think a lot of this growth is people realizing what this sport is and what it isn't, and what they're seeing is that there's values and conduct and spirit among the fighters that, frankly, other sports would do well to emulate."
Wertheim will be a guest on Tuesday's edition of MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) to discuss tonight's segment and what he took away from the story.
NBC Sports Group and Time Inc. Sports Group announced the "Sports Illustrated" show earlier this month, saying the new program will feature original reporting and commentary from the journalists at Sports Illustrated. Future episodes of the show will air on NBC Sports Network, as well as NBC.
Replays of tonight's premiere episode will air throughout the week at NBC Sports Network.
www.FightMuseumLV.com
Monday, July 23, 2012
Price vs Harrison Confirmed for October 13th
by Danny Richardson
www.SplitDecisionBoxingNews.com
www.SplitDecisionBoxingNews.com
Earlier today, it was confirmed that unbeaten British heavyweight hope David Price, will tackle the most delusional fighter to ever grace the ring, Audley Harrison, on October 13th in Liverpool. Price, who many see as the rising star of the heavyweight division, will make the first defence of his British and Commonwealth titles against the Olympic gold medallist Harrison, who knocked out Ali Adams in his last contest on May 26th.
Price of course, is coming off an impressive victory over Sam Sexton, also in May, and seems to be developing hugely in each fight he has. His boxing ability and extreme power has seen him shoot up to the top of the British heavyweight scene, and he looks ready to step up another level. Although Harrison will provide a small step up in class, Price should wipe the floor with ‘A Force’, and I for one can’t wait to see him end the freak show.
I should make it clear that I can’t stand Audley Harrison, but I’ll try to judge this fight fairly. Let’s look at Harrison’s ‘qualities’. He’s a big heavyweight, he can sometimes land a lucky shot (his left hand) and he has a big mouth, so the promotion of the fight is pretty much sorted. He’s above the likes of Ali Adams and John McDermott, but in terms of boxing ability, I wouldn’t place him much higher than Sam Sexton.
After all, Sexton beat part time taxi driver Martin Rogan twice, whilst Rogan beat Harrison in their bout back in 2008. He is of a decent domestic level – he fits in with the likes of Danny Williams, Matt Skelton and Michael Sprott. He’s nothing special, but would beat a lot of the fighters in Britain without being able to take a step up, but could also lose against opposition he should be beating (like Rogan).
But, the reason this is a small step up in class for Price, is because Harrison has mixed it at a higher level, he has some attributes to match those of Price in terms of size, and he carries a name. Most boxing fans and even none boxing fans will know who Harrison is, so if Price can do a job on him, he will add a name to his CV. Harrison is a big heavyweight, so we’ll see if Price’s power can take him out. But when I say that, Harrison has been taken out before, so if Price is the real deal, he should get Harrison out of there.
I’m clutching at straws here. I’m trying to find reasons why this is going to be a competative fight. If I’m being totally honest though, it will be brutally one sided. Price is superior in ALL departments, he picks some lovely shots, has a terrific jab and his power is phenomenal. If he doesn’t do a job on Harrison, then he’s not as good as we’ve been making him out to be. But I don’t see anything other than a convincing Price win.
If Price can get Harrison out of there earlier than David Haye did back in November 2010, then he will send out a message, and fans will call for a Tyson Fury fight even more than they already are. Fury isn’t fighting the best opposition at the moment, in fact, his last fight with Vinny Maddalone was a shocking match up, despite how much Channel 5 wanted to build Maddalone up as a ‘C’ level world class fighter. The fight we all want to see is Price vs Fury, so hopefully, a convincing win over Harrison will push that fight one step closer. If Fury wants to take it that is.
As I said, Harrison will provide a test Price hasn’t faced before, but Price will have too much, and hopefully end Harrison’s career in the process. Harrison will end up as a journeyman if he carries on thinking he can win a world title (which he still believes he can), so let’s hope he retires after this fight.
The one question is Price’s chin, and Harrison has showed a degree of power on the past with the left hand he landed against Michael Sprott to win the European title. But, as far as I’m concerned, that was a once in a lifetime shot, after all, Harrison promised us he would knock David Haye out with the very same shot, and he failed miserably, by throwing it once in the fight against the Hayemaker and completely missing with it. You never know, but I can’t see Harrison landing his left hand decisively.
So the question is, how quickly will Price get Harrison out of there? As early as possible hopefully, so we don’t have to put up with ‘Fraudley’ any longer than we have to. As long as Price retires Harrison and looks good in the process, there will be some extremely happy boxing fans come October 13th.
Price of course, is coming off an impressive victory over Sam Sexton, also in May, and seems to be developing hugely in each fight he has. His boxing ability and extreme power has seen him shoot up to the top of the British heavyweight scene, and he looks ready to step up another level. Although Harrison will provide a small step up in class, Price should wipe the floor with ‘A Force’, and I for one can’t wait to see him end the freak show.
I should make it clear that I can’t stand Audley Harrison, but I’ll try to judge this fight fairly. Let’s look at Harrison’s ‘qualities’. He’s a big heavyweight, he can sometimes land a lucky shot (his left hand) and he has a big mouth, so the promotion of the fight is pretty much sorted. He’s above the likes of Ali Adams and John McDermott, but in terms of boxing ability, I wouldn’t place him much higher than Sam Sexton.
After all, Sexton beat part time taxi driver Martin Rogan twice, whilst Rogan beat Harrison in their bout back in 2008. He is of a decent domestic level – he fits in with the likes of Danny Williams, Matt Skelton and Michael Sprott. He’s nothing special, but would beat a lot of the fighters in Britain without being able to take a step up, but could also lose against opposition he should be beating (like Rogan).
But, the reason this is a small step up in class for Price, is because Harrison has mixed it at a higher level, he has some attributes to match those of Price in terms of size, and he carries a name. Most boxing fans and even none boxing fans will know who Harrison is, so if Price can do a job on him, he will add a name to his CV. Harrison is a big heavyweight, so we’ll see if Price’s power can take him out. But when I say that, Harrison has been taken out before, so if Price is the real deal, he should get Harrison out of there.
I’m clutching at straws here. I’m trying to find reasons why this is going to be a competative fight. If I’m being totally honest though, it will be brutally one sided. Price is superior in ALL departments, he picks some lovely shots, has a terrific jab and his power is phenomenal. If he doesn’t do a job on Harrison, then he’s not as good as we’ve been making him out to be. But I don’t see anything other than a convincing Price win.
If Price can get Harrison out of there earlier than David Haye did back in November 2010, then he will send out a message, and fans will call for a Tyson Fury fight even more than they already are. Fury isn’t fighting the best opposition at the moment, in fact, his last fight with Vinny Maddalone was a shocking match up, despite how much Channel 5 wanted to build Maddalone up as a ‘C’ level world class fighter. The fight we all want to see is Price vs Fury, so hopefully, a convincing win over Harrison will push that fight one step closer. If Fury wants to take it that is.
As I said, Harrison will provide a test Price hasn’t faced before, but Price will have too much, and hopefully end Harrison’s career in the process. Harrison will end up as a journeyman if he carries on thinking he can win a world title (which he still believes he can), so let’s hope he retires after this fight.
The one question is Price’s chin, and Harrison has showed a degree of power on the past with the left hand he landed against Michael Sprott to win the European title. But, as far as I’m concerned, that was a once in a lifetime shot, after all, Harrison promised us he would knock David Haye out with the very same shot, and he failed miserably, by throwing it once in the fight against the Hayemaker and completely missing with it. You never know, but I can’t see Harrison landing his left hand decisively.
So the question is, how quickly will Price get Harrison out of there? As early as possible hopefully, so we don’t have to put up with ‘Fraudley’ any longer than we have to. As long as Price retires Harrison and looks good in the process, there will be some extremely happy boxing fans come October 13th.
Weekend Review: Broner's tainted victory
by
BIGGEST LOSER
Adrien Broner: No one should be so presumptuous as to dismiss Broner as a loser … but he sure acted like one before and after his fight against Vicente Escobedo on Saturday. He in effect failed to make weight twice, once during the official weigh-in on Friday – after which he didn’t try to sweat it off — and again after agreeing to another weight limit on Saturday. And he didn’t seem to care a bit. He and his handlers bought his way out the dilemma by paying fines, thereby creating an unfair size advantage over a fighter who had the professionalism to make weight in the first place. Then, in an interview immediately after brutally knocking out Escobedo in the fifth round, he didn’t even hint at an apology. Broner should be ashamed of himself but I don’t think he knows what the word shame means. We all admire Broner’s unusual talent; he could turn out to be better than Floyd Mayweather Jr. I can guarantee you something, though: He has lost a lot of fans because of his behavior. The good news is that he has time to change his deteriorating image. The bad news is that I’m not sure he wants to. Playing the villain has worked for Mayweather. It could work for Broner too.
BIGGEST WINNER
Vicente Escobedo: One could argue that Escobedo (26-4, 15 knockouts) shouldn’t have stepped into the ring if he knew Broner (24-0, 20 KOs) had an unfair weight advantage; that was his choice. However, we shouldn’t be critical: The former Olympian trained hard the past six weeks or so and has a wife and new baby feed. I think most of us would do the same thing. And he fought gamely, giving all he had against a superior – and stronger – opponent. The former U.S. Olympian won our hearts and admiration after the fight, though. First, carrying himself like a true sportsman, he gave Broner credit for his sensational performance. And then, with emotion bubbling to service, he uttered words that dramatically captured the injustice of what had transpired: “I was away from my family, my wife … I don’t know … just to come here and net get a fair, fair fight … I just got emotional, as you can see … but I came to fight.” One thing that came out of the 11th-hour negotiations that allowed the fight to happen was WBO’s decision to have Escobedo fight for its now-vacant 130-pound title. Maybe there’s some justice after all.
BEST PROSPECT
Keith Thurman: Thurman’s power is obvious. Orlando Lora (29-3-2, 19 KOs) didn’t quit in the sixth round of their fight on the Broner-Escobedo undercard because he was embarrassed; he stopped fighting because he was in pain. Thurman’s record also is stark evidence that the young welterweight/junior middleweight has unusual power: 18-0, 17 knockouts. He started his career with a Jack Dempsey-like eight consecutive first-round stoppages. That ability to crack already is winning him a lot of fans. What might not be so obvious is the Floridian’s boxing ability and athleticism. He was an accomplished amateur – losing to Demetrius Andrade in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials – and it shows in his fights. The point is that a fighter with great power and both skill and athleticism could go a long, long way. Thurman, who is only 23, is definitely one to watch.
MOST IMPRESSIVE
Juan Carlos Burgos: The thing about Burgos’ performance against then-unbeaten Cesar Vazquez on Friday Night Fights that most impressed me was his patience and belief in himself. Vazquez (25-1, 16 KOs) was a dynamo for two-plus rounds, applying intense pressure on Burgos (30-1, 20 KOs) that might’ve overwhelmed a lesser opponent. Burgos, an eight-year pro, calmly withstood the onslaught, fired back enough to keep Vazquez honest and waited. He knew his opportunity would come. And it did in the third round, when Burgos landed a perfect left-right combination to the head of his rugged opponent and followed with a fearsome flurry that prompted referee Tony Weeks to stop the fight. The winner fought like a seasoned pro. Burgos, who has won five consecutive fights since losing in 2010 to Hozumi Hasegawa in his only title shot, is rated No. 2 by the WBO and could end up fighting Escobedo for that organization’s vacant championship. The opportunity would be richly deserved. And don’t be surprised if he wins.
BEST QUOTE
Broner, when asked on Sunday what he took away from this debacle: “I’m just growing up, you know? I’m still maturing in this game. I’m maturing mentally and physically. This is a growing process, and I’m going to be around for a long time.
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BIGGEST LOSER
Adrien Broner: No one should be so presumptuous as to dismiss Broner as a loser … but he sure acted like one before and after his fight against Vicente Escobedo on Saturday. He in effect failed to make weight twice, once during the official weigh-in on Friday – after which he didn’t try to sweat it off — and again after agreeing to another weight limit on Saturday. And he didn’t seem to care a bit. He and his handlers bought his way out the dilemma by paying fines, thereby creating an unfair size advantage over a fighter who had the professionalism to make weight in the first place. Then, in an interview immediately after brutally knocking out Escobedo in the fifth round, he didn’t even hint at an apology. Broner should be ashamed of himself but I don’t think he knows what the word shame means. We all admire Broner’s unusual talent; he could turn out to be better than Floyd Mayweather Jr. I can guarantee you something, though: He has lost a lot of fans because of his behavior. The good news is that he has time to change his deteriorating image. The bad news is that I’m not sure he wants to. Playing the villain has worked for Mayweather. It could work for Broner too.
BIGGEST WINNER
Vicente Escobedo: One could argue that Escobedo (26-4, 15 knockouts) shouldn’t have stepped into the ring if he knew Broner (24-0, 20 KOs) had an unfair weight advantage; that was his choice. However, we shouldn’t be critical: The former Olympian trained hard the past six weeks or so and has a wife and new baby feed. I think most of us would do the same thing. And he fought gamely, giving all he had against a superior – and stronger – opponent. The former U.S. Olympian won our hearts and admiration after the fight, though. First, carrying himself like a true sportsman, he gave Broner credit for his sensational performance. And then, with emotion bubbling to service, he uttered words that dramatically captured the injustice of what had transpired: “I was away from my family, my wife … I don’t know … just to come here and net get a fair, fair fight … I just got emotional, as you can see … but I came to fight.” One thing that came out of the 11th-hour negotiations that allowed the fight to happen was WBO’s decision to have Escobedo fight for its now-vacant 130-pound title. Maybe there’s some justice after all.
BEST PROSPECT
Keith Thurman: Thurman’s power is obvious. Orlando Lora (29-3-2, 19 KOs) didn’t quit in the sixth round of their fight on the Broner-Escobedo undercard because he was embarrassed; he stopped fighting because he was in pain. Thurman’s record also is stark evidence that the young welterweight/junior middleweight has unusual power: 18-0, 17 knockouts. He started his career with a Jack Dempsey-like eight consecutive first-round stoppages. That ability to crack already is winning him a lot of fans. What might not be so obvious is the Floridian’s boxing ability and athleticism. He was an accomplished amateur – losing to Demetrius Andrade in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials – and it shows in his fights. The point is that a fighter with great power and both skill and athleticism could go a long, long way. Thurman, who is only 23, is definitely one to watch.
MOST IMPRESSIVE
Juan Carlos Burgos: The thing about Burgos’ performance against then-unbeaten Cesar Vazquez on Friday Night Fights that most impressed me was his patience and belief in himself. Vazquez (25-1, 16 KOs) was a dynamo for two-plus rounds, applying intense pressure on Burgos (30-1, 20 KOs) that might’ve overwhelmed a lesser opponent. Burgos, an eight-year pro, calmly withstood the onslaught, fired back enough to keep Vazquez honest and waited. He knew his opportunity would come. And it did in the third round, when Burgos landed a perfect left-right combination to the head of his rugged opponent and followed with a fearsome flurry that prompted referee Tony Weeks to stop the fight. The winner fought like a seasoned pro. Burgos, who has won five consecutive fights since losing in 2010 to Hozumi Hasegawa in his only title shot, is rated No. 2 by the WBO and could end up fighting Escobedo for that organization’s vacant championship. The opportunity would be richly deserved. And don’t be surprised if he wins.
BEST QUOTE
Broner, when asked on Sunday what he took away from this debacle: “I’m just growing up, you know? I’m still maturing in this game. I’m maturing mentally and physically. This is a growing process, and I’m going to be around for a long time.
http://fightmuseumlv.com
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Dana White does the right thing in admitting that UFC 149 was a massive disappointment
by Kevin Iole
The UFC’s success in the last 11 years has been based upon deep cards filled with evenly matched fights in which the athletes took risks in a desire to put on a show.
None of that occurred on Saturday at UFC 149 in a very lackluster main card at the Scotiabank Saddledome, in which Renan Barão claimed an easy unanimous decision over Urijah Faber to claim the interim bantamweight belt.
Hector Lombard’s debut vs. Tim Boetsch was one of many sub-par UFC 149 fights. (US Presswire)
Fans in Calgary and in social media sites blasted Dana White before the fight for what they perceived as a poor card. A slew of injuries to high-profile fighters decimated the fight card, but White spent the week before the show angrily defending his men.
He said to anybody who would listen that “our guys always deliver.”
On Saturday, though, they did not and White wasn’t shy about sharing his displeasure. After Barão’s unanimous decision was announced, the crowd stuck around and booed loudly to let White know what it thought of the company’s first trip to Calgary.
Appearing on the post-fight show on Fuel TV, White said he was “not too excited about” how the card turned out, though he wasn’t nearly as upset with either Barão or Faber. The rest of the fighters on the main card, though, felt White’s wrath.
Heavily hyped middleweight Hector Lombard fell flat on his face, doing next to nothing in a split decision loss to Tim Boetsch. Cheick Kongo won a unanimous decision over Shawn Jordan only because he was slightly less horrid than Jordan. And James Head defeated Brian Ebersole by another split decision in a fight whose highlight was Ebersole giving a thumbs up while Head was trying to choke him.
Only Matthew Riddle, who defeated Chris Clements with a third-round arm triangle choke, put on the kind of effort in the main card that makes White smile.
“If the undercard didn’t suck so bad, they wouldn’t have been so [angry at] the main event,” White said.
Fights, no matter how good they look on paper going in, can turn out far differently than most expect. And, as White said, the UFC does routinely put on far more good fights than bad.
It was good, though, that White showed his anger on Saturday. One of the reasons that the fights are so routinely good, in addition to the outstanding matchmaking of Joe Silva and Sean Shelby, is White’s personality.
He won’t accept cards like Saturday’s very well and lets the fighters know it in no uncertain terms. It creates a culture in which the fighters compete with a sense of urgency.
The late boxing trainer, Georgie Benton, used to tell his fighters, “Win this one; look good in the next one.” And fighters, who know how much it means to win in the UFC, can slip into that mode if someone isn’t around to remind them that’s not acceptable.
Barão certainly wasn’t scintillating in his win over Faber, but he did everything right. He kept Faber on the outside with his kicks and fired punches and knees the few times the ex-World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion managed to close the distance between them.
They fought a tactical fight and Faber wasn’t able to find a way to get near to create the scrambles he’s so good in. As a result, Barão won by scores of 49-46, 50-45 and 49-46.
“I knew he was trying to keep me at a distance,” Faber said. “Those kicks were coming from pretty far out and it was difficult to get in for takedowns.”
But there was no excuse for the lack of action in the Boetsch-Lombard, Kongo-Jordan and Head-Ebersole fights. They were awful and weren’t nearly up to the UFC standards.
“I was excited about this card,” White said on Fuel’s post-fight show. “I didn’t just come down here and say a bunch of things I didn’t think were going to be true. I never expected Hector Lombard would look like that [against] Boetsch. I thought those two would go right after each other. Cheick Kongo and Jordan, that was disgusting.”
The card was awful but those things happen in sports. Not every fight can be Hagler-Hearns. Still, if you want to blame someone, blame White, since he’s the man at the top and he puts the shows together.
Give him credit, though, for not sitting back and looking past what was a poor show for the people who paid their $55. He made his feelings known, loudly, publicly and unequivocally.
White getting angry and blasting the show isn’t going to guarantee that every card will be hellacious in the future. It does, however, set a tone and reminds the fighters that there is a standard that has been set and expected to be followed in a UFC fight.
That was not the case on Saturday by any stretch of the imagination.
http://fightmuseumlv.com
The UFC’s success in the last 11 years has been based upon deep cards filled with evenly matched fights in which the athletes took risks in a desire to put on a show.
None of that occurred on Saturday at UFC 149 in a very lackluster main card at the Scotiabank Saddledome, in which Renan Barão claimed an easy unanimous decision over Urijah Faber to claim the interim bantamweight belt.
Hector Lombard’s debut vs. Tim Boetsch was one of many sub-par UFC 149 fights. (US Presswire)
Fans in Calgary and in social media sites blasted Dana White before the fight for what they perceived as a poor card. A slew of injuries to high-profile fighters decimated the fight card, but White spent the week before the show angrily defending his men.
He said to anybody who would listen that “our guys always deliver.”
On Saturday, though, they did not and White wasn’t shy about sharing his displeasure. After Barão’s unanimous decision was announced, the crowd stuck around and booed loudly to let White know what it thought of the company’s first trip to Calgary.
Appearing on the post-fight show on Fuel TV, White said he was “not too excited about” how the card turned out, though he wasn’t nearly as upset with either Barão or Faber. The rest of the fighters on the main card, though, felt White’s wrath.
Heavily hyped middleweight Hector Lombard fell flat on his face, doing next to nothing in a split decision loss to Tim Boetsch. Cheick Kongo won a unanimous decision over Shawn Jordan only because he was slightly less horrid than Jordan. And James Head defeated Brian Ebersole by another split decision in a fight whose highlight was Ebersole giving a thumbs up while Head was trying to choke him.
Only Matthew Riddle, who defeated Chris Clements with a third-round arm triangle choke, put on the kind of effort in the main card that makes White smile.
“If the undercard didn’t suck so bad, they wouldn’t have been so [angry at] the main event,” White said.
Fights, no matter how good they look on paper going in, can turn out far differently than most expect. And, as White said, the UFC does routinely put on far more good fights than bad.
It was good, though, that White showed his anger on Saturday. One of the reasons that the fights are so routinely good, in addition to the outstanding matchmaking of Joe Silva and Sean Shelby, is White’s personality.
He won’t accept cards like Saturday’s very well and lets the fighters know it in no uncertain terms. It creates a culture in which the fighters compete with a sense of urgency.
The late boxing trainer, Georgie Benton, used to tell his fighters, “Win this one; look good in the next one.” And fighters, who know how much it means to win in the UFC, can slip into that mode if someone isn’t around to remind them that’s not acceptable.
Barão certainly wasn’t scintillating in his win over Faber, but he did everything right. He kept Faber on the outside with his kicks and fired punches and knees the few times the ex-World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion managed to close the distance between them.
They fought a tactical fight and Faber wasn’t able to find a way to get near to create the scrambles he’s so good in. As a result, Barão won by scores of 49-46, 50-45 and 49-46.
“I knew he was trying to keep me at a distance,” Faber said. “Those kicks were coming from pretty far out and it was difficult to get in for takedowns.”
But there was no excuse for the lack of action in the Boetsch-Lombard, Kongo-Jordan and Head-Ebersole fights. They were awful and weren’t nearly up to the UFC standards.
“I was excited about this card,” White said on Fuel’s post-fight show. “I didn’t just come down here and say a bunch of things I didn’t think were going to be true. I never expected Hector Lombard would look like that [against] Boetsch. I thought those two would go right after each other. Cheick Kongo and Jordan, that was disgusting.”
The card was awful but those things happen in sports. Not every fight can be Hagler-Hearns. Still, if you want to blame someone, blame White, since he’s the man at the top and he puts the shows together.
Give him credit, though, for not sitting back and looking past what was a poor show for the people who paid their $55. He made his feelings known, loudly, publicly and unequivocally.
White getting angry and blasting the show isn’t going to guarantee that every card will be hellacious in the future. It does, however, set a tone and reminds the fighters that there is a standard that has been set and expected to be followed in a UFC fight.
That was not the case on Saturday by any stretch of the imagination.
http://fightmuseumlv.com
Saturday, July 21, 2012
UFC 149 results: Renan Barao dominates Urijah Faber, wins interim title
By Matt Erickson
CALGARY – The UFC has another Brazilian champion.
It’s an interim title, but a title nonetheless. Renan Barao dominated Urijah Faber for five rounds on Saturday to win the UFC’s interim bantamweight belt, which was up for grabs with champion Dominick Cruz on the shelf following knee surgery. Barao cruised to win a unanimous decision with scores of 49-46, 50-45 and 49-46.
The interim bantamweight title fight served as the main event of Saturday’s UFC 149 event at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.
Barao joins Nova Uniao teammate Jose Aldo, the UFC’s featherweight champ; middleweight champ Anderson Silva; and heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos as current UFC champions from Brazil.
It was apparent early in the five-round title fight that Barao’s strategy was similar to that of Aldo’s when he fought Faber in the WEC – do damage to Faber with leg kicks. And though Barao didn’t do nearly the damage to Faber that Aldo did in April 2010, it still was a game plan that Faber could find little answer for.
Barao was able to land significant strikes in each round, sometimes with highlight-reel potential behind them. And though Faber never was in true danger, he found it hard to get inside on Barao and do any real damage himself.
Faber didn’t attempt a full-fledged takedown until midway through the third round, but he couldn’t land it. And though he was able to score some points with his counter-strikes, he never was able to get any real momentum going offensively.
“I knew he was good at keeping distance, and he was able to keep his kicks from pretty far out,” Faber said. “I knew he was tough. He hurt me pretty early with a knee to the rib, and I think I might have a broken rib. It was nothing like Aldo. Aldo really took my leg apart. I felt (Barao’s) kicks for sure, but it wasn’t the same thing.”
Barao jumped up and down and ran across the octagon shouting after the scores were read, then rubbed the interim belt as UFC president Dana White put it around his waist.
“I came very well prepared for everything,” Barao said through his translator. “I knew Faber was a great athlete and a great fighter. But I prepared myself very well, and that was the result. My coaches told me to keep [kicking the legs], but it was not only that.”
Barao (29-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) had his amazing unbeaten streak extended to 30 fights with 29 wins and a no contest over that stretch. Faber (26-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) again goes back to the drawing board, losing for the fifth straight time in a title fight – three featherweight title losses in the WEC and two bantamweight title losses in the UFC.
It’s an interim title, but a title nonetheless. Renan Barao dominated Urijah Faber for five rounds on Saturday to win the UFC’s interim bantamweight belt, which was up for grabs with champion Dominick Cruz on the shelf following knee surgery. Barao cruised to win a unanimous decision with scores of 49-46, 50-45 and 49-46.
The interim bantamweight title fight served as the main event of Saturday’s UFC 149 event at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.
Barao joins Nova Uniao teammate Jose Aldo, the UFC’s featherweight champ; middleweight champ Anderson Silva; and heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos as current UFC champions from Brazil.
It was apparent early in the five-round title fight that Barao’s strategy was similar to that of Aldo’s when he fought Faber in the WEC – do damage to Faber with leg kicks. And though Barao didn’t do nearly the damage to Faber that Aldo did in April 2010, it still was a game plan that Faber could find little answer for.
Barao was able to land significant strikes in each round, sometimes with highlight-reel potential behind them. And though Faber never was in true danger, he found it hard to get inside on Barao and do any real damage himself.
Faber didn’t attempt a full-fledged takedown until midway through the third round, but he couldn’t land it. And though he was able to score some points with his counter-strikes, he never was able to get any real momentum going offensively.
“I knew he was good at keeping distance, and he was able to keep his kicks from pretty far out,” Faber said. “I knew he was tough. He hurt me pretty early with a knee to the rib, and I think I might have a broken rib. It was nothing like Aldo. Aldo really took my leg apart. I felt (Barao’s) kicks for sure, but it wasn’t the same thing.”
Barao jumped up and down and ran across the octagon shouting after the scores were read, then rubbed the interim belt as UFC president Dana White put it around his waist.
“I came very well prepared for everything,” Barao said through his translator. “I knew Faber was a great athlete and a great fighter. But I prepared myself very well, and that was the result. My coaches told me to keep [kicking the legs], but it was not only that.”
Barao (29-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) had his amazing unbeaten streak extended to 30 fights with 29 wins and a no contest over that stretch. Faber (26-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) again goes back to the drawing board, losing for the fifth straight time in a title fight – three featherweight title losses in the WEC and two bantamweight title losses in the UFC.
UFC’s Anderson Silva Challenges Strikeforce Champion Luke Rockhold
by Chris Hall
Immediately after UFC 148, it looked likeUFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva had completely cleared the 185 lb. division and should accept Rashad Evans’s challenge. Or he should move up to Light Heavyweight to fight Jon Jones. Then Chris Weidman decimated Mark Munoz at UFC On Fuel 4 and a brand new challenger was born with the “perfect style” to upset The Spider. Dana White has even said that former Bellator champion Hector Lombard could get a shot if he defeats wild card Tim Boestch in his UFC debut.
Last night, UFC Tonight gave the report from Anderson’s management on who his next opponent should be (Transcribed by MMA Mania):
For those who thought Silva had finally figured out how to sell a fight in the week leading up to his bout with Chael Sonnen, this completely shatters the notion. Of all the options open to Anderson, from incredible to great to predictable, he chooses the one that can’t happen and no one asked for
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Immediately after UFC 148, it looked likeUFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva had completely cleared the 185 lb. division and should accept Rashad Evans’s challenge. Or he should move up to Light Heavyweight to fight Jon Jones. Then Chris Weidman decimated Mark Munoz at UFC On Fuel 4 and a brand new challenger was born with the “perfect style” to upset The Spider. Dana White has even said that former Bellator champion Hector Lombard could get a shot if he defeats wild card Tim Boestch in his UFC debut.
Last night, UFC Tonight gave the report from Anderson’s management on who his next opponent should be (Transcribed by MMA Mania):
Hector LombardThat’s right, Anderson Silva wants a champion versus champion super fight with Luke Rockhold. Rockhold just decisioned Tim Kennedy in the second defense of his title this past Saturday. Rockhold is also completely bound to Strikeforce with a negligible chance of fighting in the Octagon in the foreseeable future. For his part, however, Luke did accept the challenge today.
He thinks he needs at least three more impressive wins in the UFC. He said that 85 percent of UFC fans don’t even know who Hector Lombard is, who is of course making his Octagon debut on Saturday night.
Chris Weidman
As for Chris Weidman, he said, ‘Well, there’s another great unknown fighter.’ He doesn’t see those match ups as being money making pay-per-view events.
Luke Rockhold
He did mention Luke Rockhold, who is the Strikeforce middleweight champion. Alas, Rockhold is contractually tied to Strikeforce, so that fight’s not happening. We’ll have to wait and see, but right now, the Anderson Silva camp not too excited about the options out there.
For those who thought Silva had finally figured out how to sell a fight in the week leading up to his bout with Chael Sonnen, this completely shatters the notion. Of all the options open to Anderson, from incredible to great to predictable, he chooses the one that can’t happen and no one asked for
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Friday, July 20, 2012
Adrien Broner Stripped of Title After Missing Weight
by Dan Rafael
Nicknamed “The Problem,” Adrien Broner had a big one on Friday.
Broner did not come close to making the 130-pound weight limit at weigh-in for his junior lightweight title defense against mandatory challenger Vicente Escobedo on Saturday night (HBO, 10 ET/PT), and he has been stripped of the title.
While Escobedo was right on the division limit of 130 pounds, Broner weighed 133½ pounds after hours of working out in the gym on a treadmill and sitting in a sauna.
Escobedo can win the vacant title assuming the fight at the U.S. Bank Arena in Broner’s hometown of Cincinnati goes ahead as scheduled.
Rolando Arellano, Escobedo’s manager, said he was negotiating the terms of a Saturday weight check to make sure Broner does not balloon in weight overnight, which woud give himself a significant size advantage against Escobedo.
“We’re going to try set up a second weigh-in for Saturday,” Arellano told ESPN.com. “We want him limited to 10 pounds over the contract weight, so he could have a maximum of 140 pounds. But if he comes in over that, then we want to start imposing fines. We want $10,000 a pound, but so far (the Broner camp) has not agreed. The ball’s in their court. We’re not considering pulling out, but Broner didn’t live up to his agreement, so we are giving him the flexibility to modify the initial agreement.
“If he is unable to satisfy those terms and conditions we are asking for, that’s on him. We came to his house, to his arena, to his show. We did everything we were supposed to do.”
Arellano said he was working with Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Eric Gomez to work out the details of the Saturday weight check and the financial penalties.
Arellano said he and Escobedo (26-3, 15 KOs), 30, of Woodland, Calif., heard on Thursday night that Broner was having trouble making weight.
However, Arellano said he was ticked off that Broner immediately got off the scale and began to drink water Friday rather than try to lose a little more weight.
“I think he should have acted more professionally,” Arellano said. “That’s not cool. That’s a lack of professionalism. We know he made an effort to make the weight because we knew he was in the gym working (Friday) morning. We just wanted him to try it again, but by running off he didn’t respect the game, he didn’t respect us or the people who work hard to put the event together.”
Arellano said the Ohio commission imposed a $60,000 fine on Broner — a percentage of his purse — for not making weight. He said half of the money would go to the commission, with the other $30,000 being added to Escobedo’s $150,000 purse.
The 22-year-old Broner (23-0, 19 KOs) said before what was supposed to be his second title defense that Saturday’s fight would be his final bout in the junior lightweight division before he moved up to the 135-pound lightweight division.
But he did not say his reason for the move was because he was having trouble making 130 pounds.
“I’m young. I’m 22. I’m still growing. I just feel like it’s time for me to go up,” Broner said on Wednesday. “After this fight, there really wouldn’t be a reason for me to stay. I’m just going to go up and give the lightweights hell.”
Welterweights Keith Thurman (17-0, 16 KOs) and Orlando Lora (29-2-2, 19 KOs) both were on weight for Saturday night’s 10-round co-feature. They both weighed 147½ pounds.
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Nicknamed “The Problem,” Adrien Broner had a big one on Friday.
Broner did not come close to making the 130-pound weight limit at weigh-in for his junior lightweight title defense against mandatory challenger Vicente Escobedo on Saturday night (HBO, 10 ET/PT), and he has been stripped of the title.
While Escobedo was right on the division limit of 130 pounds, Broner weighed 133½ pounds after hours of working out in the gym on a treadmill and sitting in a sauna.
Escobedo can win the vacant title assuming the fight at the U.S. Bank Arena in Broner’s hometown of Cincinnati goes ahead as scheduled.
Rolando Arellano, Escobedo’s manager, said he was negotiating the terms of a Saturday weight check to make sure Broner does not balloon in weight overnight, which woud give himself a significant size advantage against Escobedo.
“We’re going to try set up a second weigh-in for Saturday,” Arellano told ESPN.com. “We want him limited to 10 pounds over the contract weight, so he could have a maximum of 140 pounds. But if he comes in over that, then we want to start imposing fines. We want $10,000 a pound, but so far (the Broner camp) has not agreed. The ball’s in their court. We’re not considering pulling out, but Broner didn’t live up to his agreement, so we are giving him the flexibility to modify the initial agreement.
“If he is unable to satisfy those terms and conditions we are asking for, that’s on him. We came to his house, to his arena, to his show. We did everything we were supposed to do.”
Arellano said he was working with Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Eric Gomez to work out the details of the Saturday weight check and the financial penalties.
Arellano said he and Escobedo (26-3, 15 KOs), 30, of Woodland, Calif., heard on Thursday night that Broner was having trouble making weight.
However, Arellano said he was ticked off that Broner immediately got off the scale and began to drink water Friday rather than try to lose a little more weight.
“I think he should have acted more professionally,” Arellano said. “That’s not cool. That’s a lack of professionalism. We know he made an effort to make the weight because we knew he was in the gym working (Friday) morning. We just wanted him to try it again, but by running off he didn’t respect the game, he didn’t respect us or the people who work hard to put the event together.”
Arellano said the Ohio commission imposed a $60,000 fine on Broner — a percentage of his purse — for not making weight. He said half of the money would go to the commission, with the other $30,000 being added to Escobedo’s $150,000 purse.
The 22-year-old Broner (23-0, 19 KOs) said before what was supposed to be his second title defense that Saturday’s fight would be his final bout in the junior lightweight division before he moved up to the 135-pound lightweight division.
But he did not say his reason for the move was because he was having trouble making 130 pounds.
“I’m young. I’m 22. I’m still growing. I just feel like it’s time for me to go up,” Broner said on Wednesday. “After this fight, there really wouldn’t be a reason for me to stay. I’m just going to go up and give the lightweights hell.”
Welterweights Keith Thurman (17-0, 16 KOs) and Orlando Lora (29-2-2, 19 KOs) both were on weight for Saturday night’s 10-round co-feature. They both weighed 147½ pounds.
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