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.

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.

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.
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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.
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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):

“We’re going to change the demographic also, appeal to the younger demographic.
“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.”

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.
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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.

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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):

Hector Lombard
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.

That’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.
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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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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Urijah Faber's positivity can't hurt in UFC 149 bantamweight title bout against Renan Barão

by Kevin Iole

Urijah Faber is the Norman Vincent Peale of mixed martial arts. Nobody puts the power of positive thinking to better, or more frequent, use than the UFC's bantamweight star.
Talk to Faber for any length of time and you'll hear the same phrases repeated incessantly: "I believe," "I can," "I will," and "I'm not worried."
Urijah Faber's positive attitude has a lot to do with his run of success. (Getty Images)Peale once wrote, "People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success."
It's a phrase that Faber, a former World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion, lives by.
He'll fight highly regarded Renan Barão for the interim bantamweight title Saturday in the main event of UFC 149 at the Scotiabank Saddledome and, typically, he expressed little concern about either the possibility of losing or the pressure to perform.
Barão is on an 18-fight winning streak, a 31-fight unbeaten streak and is regarded as one of the best finishers in the sport. Faber, though, has a ready answer when confronted with the problems Barão presents.
"He hasn't faced me yet," Faber says, chuckling. "He's done all these things to other guys, but he hasn't fought me. He's human like anyone else."
The walls in Faber's bedroom in his Sacramento, Calif., home are dotted with goals and motivational quotes. His primary goal now is, once again, to have a championship belt strapped around his waist.
It's been 3½ years since Faber held a world title, yet he's remained at the top of his class in terms of opportunity and performance.
He was set to meet arch rival Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title at UFC 148 on July 7 in Las Vegas after coaching opposite Cruz on "The Ultimate Fighter Live." But Cruz tore up his knee and could be out for more than a year.
As a result, Faber was pitted against Barão for the interim belt. Though many believe an interim belt is meaningless, Faber is not among that group.
As he would say, when he wins Saturday he won't feel like a phony champion. He lost an excruciatingly close decision to Cruz for the belt at UFC 132 a year ago that evened the series between them at a win apiece. Faber submitted Cruz in 2007.
"I basically go out there and I think that when I beat Renan Barão, I'll be the best fighter in the world," Faber said. "I feel Dominick and I had a super close fight last time. He got the nod from the judges, but I don't feel like he beat me up. I feel I definitely did some damage to him.
"It was a close fight, but I felt walking away, as a man, I handled business. I'll feel like the champion, for sure, but I definitely want the opportunity to make sure that's the case."
Faber has always sought the best opposition he can face, which has earned him the everlasting respect of UFC president Dana White.
When White was going through the process of choosing a replacement opponent for Cruz, there was no doubt where Faber stood.
Barão was the guy with the record and the reputation. And while several other names were bandied about, Faber was hopeful White would choose Barão.
"The guy is 30-1, [and] he's a tough guy; he's a very, very tough fighter," White said of Barão. "And Urijah Faber who went through that whole season of The Ultimate Fighter to fight Cruz, you know absolutely, 100 percent, [he] not only accepted the fight with Renan Barão, but before it was even announced said, 'I hope it's Renan Barão.' "
Faber's belief in his ability is so absolute that he won't accept less than the best opposition. Eight of his last 10 opponents were either WEC or UFC world champions.
It can be a daunting task, getting no break from the stream of top contenders, but it's why Faber is far and away the biggest star among the lighter weight fighters in the sport.
He's been beaten by Cruz, the bantamweight champion, and Jose Aldo, the featherweight champion, but his star shines much brighter than either of theirs.
"My goal is to be successful as a fighter, as a businessman and as a person, and I work on that all the time," he said. "There's no reason to worry when you know you've done everything you need to do to reach a goal. I'm confident, I believe in myself, because I know I have prepared and done what I need to do to reach my goals."
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Roach: Ariza’s absence not a factor in Khan’s KO loss to Garcia

by Lem Satterfield


Five-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach says the absence of strength and conditioning guru Alex Ariza for only the second time in Amir Khan’s past 10 fights was not among the reasons that the former titleholder was knocked out in the fourth round by Danny Garcia in last Saturday night’s HBO-televised bout.
Garcia’s triumph added Khan’s WBA junior welterweight belt as well as the division’s RING championship to the WBC crown he already owned, this, after referee Kenny Bayless asked Khan if he still could continue before waving an end to the fight at 2 minutes, 28 seconds following the third knockdown — the second of the fourth round.
During an interview with RingTV.com, Bayless said that among the reasons was the fact that “in my opinion, Amir’s leg’s were shot, and his balance was off.”
Ariza, who has been replaced by Ruben Tabares, could not be reached for commment. But during an interview with RingTV.com nearly a year ago to the day, Ariza said that the strengthening of the legs is important in supporting the neck.
“I don’t think that [Ariza's absence was a factor.] The new strength coach is a hurdler,” said Roach, who has denied that Khan has specifically expressed the desire to end their association, contrary to reports.
“And I don’t think that Amir’s legs gave out in three rounds. I thought that the new guy did a very good job. But Ariza is very good at what he does also.”
In the past, Ariza contended that it was the strength in Khan’s legs that facilitated his survival through the treacherous 10th round of his unanimous decision victory over Marcos Maidana in December of 2010.

“When he was hurt by Marcos Maidana, I told Freddie that all we needed was about 15 seconds and that he would come right back. I think that the biggest misconception is that theory about the chin, and this is just a theory of mine, and that is that the strength of the chin has to do with something in the neck or the jaw muscles or things like that. But really, when you get hit, what’s the first thing that goes? The legs. So, so much of my work that I do for these fighters is that I concentrate on the legs,” said Ariza.
“So the drills, the balancing, the positions I put them in where the legs are stable when you’re completely fatigued, I think that that was the key element for Amir against Marcos Maidana. I knew that once Amir was able to get a few seconds in, moving around, that his legs would find their stability because they had been there before. Amir has been there where he feels like they’re not under him and things like that. So these are things that we’ve done before, so it was nothing new for him to feel like that and to recover from it.”
Khan began working with Roach and Ariza following his 54-second knockout loss to Breidis Prescott as a lightweight in Sept. of 2008.
From there, Khan won eight straight fights, four of them by knockout, and earned two title belts. That stretch also included knockouts of New Yorkers Zab Judah and Paulie Malignaggi, as well as victories over former beltholders Maidana, Marco Antonio Barrera and Andreas Kotelnik.
The loss to Garcia was the second in a row for Khan, whose winning streak under Roach ended with December’s controversial split-decision loss to Lamont Peterson.

Ariza was absent from Khan’s corner just one other time during the winning spree — that being Khan’s six-round, technical decision victory over Paul McCloskey in April of last year — but returned for Khan’s fifth-round stoppage of Judah.
Khan also shares Roach with eight-division titlewinner Manny Pacquiao and WBC middleweight titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., whose respective training regimens took place in preparation for title bouts they participated in last month.
First into the ring was Pacquiao, who dropped a controversial split-decision to then-WBO junior welterweight titleholder Tim Bradley that dethroned him as WBO welterweight beltholder on June 9. A week later on June 16, Chavez Jr. scored an impressive seventh-round knockout victory over southpaw challenger Andy Lee.
Roach said Khan chose to end his relationship during a stretch when Ariza left the Philippines, where Khan was training alongside Pacquiao, to be with Chavez Jr.
“Alex left Amir high and dry in the Philippines, and we had to make a choice. We had to go with someone else, and Ruben was available and Ruben did very well,” said Roach.
“He put Amir on a very, very good diet, Amir made weight very easily. He made weight four days before the fight. I thought that Ruben did a very good job.”

Chavez Jr. will be back in the ring on Sept. 15 for a defense against RING champion Sergio Martinez. Pacquiao has a targeted return date of Nov. 10, perhaps against Bradley or for a fourth bout opposite Juan Manuel Marquez, with whom Pacquiao has battled through a draw, as well as split- and majority decision victories, respectively.
Roach said that he expects Khan to return to the ring in December, adding that he would like to get a rematch with Garcia. Roach also said that he recently met with Khan and the fighter’s father, Shah Khan, regarding how to navigate the time spent working with Chavez Jr., Pacquiao and Khan in the future.
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Photo by Naoki Fukuda
Photo by Tom Hogan, Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions
Photo by Naoki Fukuda
Photo by Tom Hogan, Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions

Chael Sonnen fires back at Rampage Jackson: ‘Stick to violating female reporters’

Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE – Presswire

12 days ago: Jul. 7, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFC fighter Chael Sonnen in the ring prior to his fight against Anderson Silva (not pictured) during a middleweight bout in UFC 148 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

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You just knew he was going to have an answer.
By that, I am, of course, referring to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight fighter and part-time television analyst Chael Sonnen, who was recently called out by Quinton Jackson during an interview where he had many unflattering things to say about Sonnen.
Specifically, “Rampage” commented on Sonnen’s recent loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 148 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., July 7, 2012, going so far as to say that Sonnen “sucks” and should quit and leave the UFC for good.
Apparently, “The American Gangster’s” ears were burning, and he had a response ready to go when asked about “Rampage’s” tirade, during a recent segment on “UFC Tonight:”
Those comments after the jump.

“Rampage has one fight left in the UFC and he isn’t fighting me. I give you that answer because I am sitting here wearing my fancy suit, with an ear piece on and I have been branded an analyst on the number one UFC show on TV today. But if you had asked me outside, in my kingdom and I was wearing my sponsor’s shirt, I would have told him that he should stick to violating female reporters. He should stick to making box office disasters and driving the wrong way on the freeway ramped up on Mountain Dew, because he’s not on my level. But, you didn’t ask me outside, you asked me inside. So let’s keep this professional, I don’t want to get that message out there.”

To see Jackson “violating female reporters” click here and here.
The Memphis native will end his rocky relationship with the world’s largest fight promotion when he makes what is widely-believed to be his final appearance inside the Octagon opposite Brazilian import Glover Teixeira at the UFC 153 event from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Oct. 13, 2012.
And then?
The future for the former PRIDE superstar is a bit cloudy, as “Rampage” has teased a transition to the “sweet science” in order to put butts in boxing seats. Perhaps he can join his old pal Kimbo Slice on the pugilistic circuit?
Or should he stick around for a one-off against Sonnen?
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Martinez and Chavez Jr. have a war of words

Martinez and Chavez Jr. have war of words
by Dan Rafael

Sergio Martinez, the real middleweight champion, has wanted to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for more than a year, ever since Chavez won a belt -– which had been stripped from Martinez -- from Sebastian Zbik.
Chavez Jr. has also wanted to fight Martinez in order to shut him up and show he’s for real.

Top Rank, Chavez’s promoter, understandably didn’t want to make the fight until it felt that Chavez was ready for such a gigantic step up in competition. But after seeing how Argentina’s Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KOs) has had at least some struggles in knockout wins against Darren Barker and Matthew Macklin in his past two bouts, and how good Mexican star Chavez (46-0-1, 32 KOs) has looked in his past two defenses -- a points rout of Marco Antonio Rubio and a seventh-round knockout of Andy Lee (a southpaw to boot, like Martinez) -- the fight has finally been made.

They’ll hook up in one of the biggest fights of the of the year on Sept. 15 (HBO PPV) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas in what is shaping up to a be a serious war or words before the actual fight.

Martinez and Chavez don’t seem to like each other much. Martinez, 37, feels like the 26-year-old Chavez has been handed everything he has because of his famous name as the son of all-time great Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. That has rubbed Junior the wrong way.

Before any major pay-per-view, the fighters go out on tour to promote the event, which Martinez and Chavez did, hitting the road last week with stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York followed by a final news conference on Tuesday in Mexico City.

Throughout the tour, they sounded like they were ready to throw down already.

"This is the fight I've always wanted,” Chavez said during the tour. “Martinez has said a lot of bad things. Let's see if he wants to go to the center of the ring and fight like a man. I have real one-punch knockout power. I don't think Martinez has that power. After all his verbal bravado, I just hope he stands in the middle of the ring and fights like a man.

"I have this great opportunity to shut Martinez's mouth. On Sept. 15 he will finally realize he has underestimated me -- when the referee is counting to 10 over him. My dad always stressed body punching. I have a very good chin. I can take a good punch and I can throw a good punch and those will be two very hard lessons Martinez will learn on Sept. 15.”

Martinez has never been one to talk smack before his fights, but he has for Chavez. He seems as pumped up for the fight as any he’s had.

“There is no way Chavez Jr. can beat me,” he said during the Mexico City tour stop. “I will knock him out inside seven rounds. I gave his father a baby bottle (at the press conference) so he can take it to his baby after I give Junior a real beating. He won’t be eating solid food with the few teeth remaining after I get through with him."

Earlier on the tour, Martinez said, “I am a much better fighter now than when I won the middleweight titles. Chavez Jr. cannot match up to the knowledge and experience I have acquired in the ring. Chavez may think the sun rises with him in Culiacan (Mexico) but on Sept. 15 he's going to find out that it's going to set on him in Las Vegas."

Martinez also addressed Chavez Sr., who turned 50 last week while accompanying his son on the tour.

"Mr. Chavez, take a look at your son now because you will not recognize his face without DNA after we have fought. I will beat him up."