Dana White pre fight media scrum at UFC on Fuel TV 5 talks on Jon Jones Injury, Light Heavyweight Division, Greg Jackson, George St Pierre vs Anderson Silva, Bisping Part 1
Dana White talks Quinton Rampage Jackson vs Matt Mitrione, Michael Bisping vs Anderson Silva, Pound for Pound, Dan Hardy vs Matt Hughes UFC on Fuel 5 Media scrum part 2
Dana White Media Scrum Part 3
Courtesy of MMAcrazyTv
“The MMA Beat” is MMAFighting.com’s new web series where a group of journalists come together to break down the biggest headlines in the sport today. Think of it as our version of the famed “Sports Reporters” show.
On this inaugural edition, our own Ariel Helwani, Mike Chiappetta and Luke Thomas discuss the first three quarters of the UFC’s 2012, the evolution of the Jon Jones brand, the possibility of Georges St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva and Brock Lesnar vs. Fedor Emelianenko superfights happening, whether UFC fighters need to form a union, the new World Series of Fighting promotion, and much more.
Enjoy “The MMA Beat” below.
by Dave Deibert | source: thestarphoenix.com
Before Saturday night’s sold-out debut in Calgary, reporter Dave Deibert highlights the most important battles in UFC history, plus what UFC chairman Lorenzo Fertitta had to say about each one.
10. FRANK SHAMROCK VS. TITO ORTIZ, UFC 22 (9/24/1999)
The beginning of highly conditioned, multi-discipline MMA fighters.Lorenzo Fertitta: “Anybody who watched that fight I think saw the transformation of the sport being from athletes that maybe had one discipline and were very one dimensional to full-fledged mixed martial artists.”
9. QUINTON JACKSON VS. CHUCK LIDDELL, UFC 71 (5/26/2007)
MMA breaks through to mainstream notice.Lorenzo Fertitta: “That fight was a culmination really of the buildup of PRIDE and UFC. You had many years of fans, the hardcore fans, arguing which promotion was better, which fighters were better.”
8. CHRIS LEBEN VS. JOSH KOSCHECK FEUD, TUF 1 (2005)
Record breaking fight was preceeded by a season of Kos being such a heel, that Leben turned into the babyface.Lorenzo Fertitta: “Once again, there’s a common theme here. Things that generate interest, fights that generate interest, are typically ones that come with some sort of rivalry.”
7. CHUCK LIDDELL VS. RANDY COUTURE TRILOGY, UFC 43 (6/6/2003), UFC 52 (4/16/2005), and UFC 57 (2/4/2006)
Mohawked and tattooed striker vs. clean cut wrestler, with Liddell taking two of three.Lorenzo Fertitta: “Definitely the one that will go down in history as our version of Ali-Frazier.”
6. BROCK LESNAR VS. FRANK MIR, UFC 100 (7/11/2009)
UFC reaches a level only achieved by Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, with 1,600,000 PPV buys.Lorenzo Fertitta: “It really was our first what I’ll call ‘mega event’ that shot way past over a million buys, which is really the benchmark for whether or not a fight is a mega event.”
5. CHUCK LIDDELL VS. TITO ORTIZ, UFC 66 (12/30/2006)
PPV breaks 1,000,000 buys, and UFC outgrosses boxing and pro wrestling for the year.Lorenzo Fertitta: “Tito was the champion. Chuck was a guy that was a faithful friend but at the same time Tito had what he wanted, which was the belt. He made no bones about it. Tito took it very personally. And a rivalry was born.”
4. JOHN MCCAIN VS. UFC
Mixed Martial Arts was admittedly more spectacle than sport when John McCain discovered his inner male grandmother, and drove the then-SEG owned UFC off PPV, and out of dozens of States.Lorenzo Fertitta: “That’s really what drove UFC to becoming the sport that it is today. Guys like John McCain and other politicians holding the previous owners’ feet to the fire. You had to have to structure around it. That was an obvious tipover point with UFC. We’re glad John McCain won that one.”
3. TITO ORTIZ VS. KEN SHAMROCK TRILOGY, UFC 40 (11/22/2002), UFC 61 (7/8/2006), THE FINAL CHAPTER (10/10/2006)
Tito Ortiz saves the UFC, with PPV buy rates of 150,000 (best since 1996), 775,000 (then a record), and finally the then most viewed MMA fight in North American history.Lorenzo Fertitta: “A lot of it had to do with their personalities – Tito was young, he was brash, he was irreverent. Ken Shamrock was a guy who was well-respected, had accomplished a lot in this sport.”
2. ROYCE GRACIE VS. THE WORLD, UFC 1 (11/12/1993), UFC 2 (3/11/1994) UFC 3 (9/9/994), UFC 4 (12/16/1994), UFC 5 (4/7/1995)
In the beginning, there was Royce, and he was good.Lorenzo Fertitta: “Probably did more for martial arts in those series of fights than had been done for martial arts in the previous 500 years.”
1. FORREST GRIFFIN VS. STEPHAN BONNAR, THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER 1 (4/9/2005)
Fertittas bought the UFC and went tens of millions of dollars in the hole. With one amazingly great fight on free tv, fortunes turned.Lorenzo Fertitta: “It’s one of those perfect storms.”
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
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The next UFC Heayvweight Championship bout will officially take place on May 26 in the main event of UFC 146, as the UFC on Tuesday announced that Junior dos Santos will defend that belt against Alistair Overeem in Las Vegas.
The date and location planned for the fight had been revealed by UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta in February, but the fight and the event itself had not been officially confirmed by the organization until Tuesday.
Dos Santos captured the belt last November, knocking down Cain Velasquez and earning a referee stoppage with follow up strikes on the ground in just 64 seconds. The win was his eighth straight in the UFC, and ninth straight victory overall.
Overeem earned his shot at the UFC Title with his dominant first round victory over Brock Lesnar in his organization debut in December at UFC 141. The former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion and 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix kickboxing champion blasted Lesnar early and often with body strikes, finally sending him to the ground with a brutal kick to the liver, and earning a stoppage after another vicious strike to the body on the ground. The loss sent Lesnar into immediate retirement, and Overeem hopes to follow up with a title-winning effort this May.
via video.ufc.tv Bookmark and Share By Luke Thomas – MMA Senior Editor
Whether in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) or mixed martial arts (MMA) generally, what are the biggest fights on the horizon in 2012? Alistair Overeem vs. Junior dos Santos? GSP vs. Anderson Silva? SB Nation and Fuel TV take a look at what lies ahead. Follow @MMANation on Twitter, and Like MMA Nation on Facebook. Jan 1, 2012 – If 2011 was the year of change and transition – new champions took their throne and the UFC signed a blockbuster, seven-year deal with the Fox Media Company – then 2012 promises to be a year of building on these new relationships. We can always expect big fights, but in this new UFC-Fox world, the stakes are higher, the rewards are bigger, the platforms even larger and the challenges as great as they’ve ever been in the sport.
Here are four fights to watch out for in 2012 that could change the face of the divisions in which they take place and help define the trajectory of mixed martial arts as well as the UFC for years to come.
1. Alistair Overeem vs. Junior dos Santos – after dos Santos’ destruction of former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and Overeem’s demolition of Brock Lesnar, these two striking giants are on a collision course. For Overeem, winning the UFC heavyweight championship fulfills the promise of his career and makes good on the hype surrounding his move to the heavyweight division in 2007. For dos Santos, it would solidify him as the top heavyweight in the sport and represent a rather significant feather in his cap in terms of trophy kills. For fans, it represents the strongest heavyweight fights in nearly a generation. When was the last time boxing delivered heavyweight action like this?
2. Dominick Cruz vs. Jose Aldo/Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar – among these three fighters you have some of the top talent in the entire sport, but three fighters whose visibility and popularity isn’t commensurate with ability. If either of these fights is made, that in and of itself would not be a solution to their invisibility issues. But putting these fights together on the right kind of card on the right kind of platform could be just the catalyst these fighters – and the divisions they represent – need to get the lift off in terms of popular appeal they all need. And frankly, they all deserve.
3. Ben Askren vs. top UFC welterweight – there are obvious hurdles to making this happen. Bellator needs Ben Askren much more than the UFC does. And so long as he’s champion, Askren’s contractually obligated to his current employer. Speaking abstractly, however, Askren could use this opportunity as a true measurement of his ability. The former Olympian and Dan Hodge Trophy winner didn’t blow anyone’s doors of in a workman-like decision win over Jay Hieron. But like fellow collegiate wrestling standout Johny Hendricks, Askren could be on the cusp of turning a corner in his career. He’s got the athleticism, fundamental skill sets and in-cage experience to make big moves. Is he capable of them? Can he do it? Who knows? But pairing him up against a known welterweight commodity in the UFC could be exactly the test than answers those questions.
4. Georges St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva – UFC President Dana White indicated UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva may only have two fights left in his career. He’ll first have to (likely) face the winner of Mark Munoz vs. Chael Sonnen (to be determined at UFC on Fox 2). But then? White says Silva is looking for a super fight, most likely with either UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones or GSP. GSP’s got his hands full with the winner of UFC 143′s Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit, but could fight twice in 2012. Jones is a strong candidate for an Anderson Silva super fight, but White has indicated he doesn’t want to push the young, 24-year old champion into big experiences like that too early. At 30 and after ACL-surgery rehab, GSP’s a much better candidate for the final fight on Silva’s docket.
Whatever happens in 2012, the talent is strong and the possibilities intriguing enough to keep any fan entertained. Here’s to a year of ruckus inside the cage.
Brock Lesnar (5-2, 4-2 UFC) vs. Alistair Overeem (35-11, 1nc, UFC Debut)
This takes place on FRIDAY night. The UFC decided not to compete with New Year’s Eve. Though kissing your best guy or gal while Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem square off in the middle of the Octagon sounds about as romantic as it gets theses days. I mean, this is billed as more than 500-pounds of muscle-bound beefcakes monsters getting ready to throw down for a shot at the UFC Heavyweight title.
In all seriousness, Lesnar versus Overeem is the ultimate “wrestler versus striker” contest and it has convinced me to stop trying to break down every fight on the main card because everything sounds exactly the same. It’s a waste of my time and yours to play MMAdlibs every week or two. I think I’m rooting for Brock because he’s good for business. The fact that he hasn’t fought since last October could be a problem, but if he is truly healthy, perhaps just being a freaking beast wins out.
Donald Cerrone (17-3, 1nc, 4-0 UFC) vs. Nate Diaz (14-7, 9-5 UFC)
Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz are going to provide the rare fight between two guys who look like they want to fight each other that won’t end up boring. Neither guy knows how to take it down a notch. Diaz – like his brother – is an insane goon. He’ll either give out or take a hellish beating. It’s in their DNA.
As for Cerrone – and listen to this whole thing before you tell me I’m dumb – Cerrone is probably the only guy who has had 2011 that can be mentioned alongside Jon Jones. The Cowboy is 4-0 and taking his 5th fight on Friday on short notice. He has finished three of his fights, and has a Fight, Submission and Knockout of the Night award for his troubles. There is a lot of juice for this fight – especially considering a possible title shot for Cerrone hangs in the balance. This should be aweosme.
Jon Fitch (23-3-1, 1nc, 13-1, 1nc UFC) vs. Johny Hendricks (11-1, 6-1 UFC)
Yes, Jon Fitch is back to bore us and wonder why he isn’t getting a title shot. You know in the last episode of Community when Britta comes out to sing her song and Dean Pelton says, “Oh, Britta’s in this?” That’s how people feel about Jon Fitch cards.
Alexander Gustafsson (12-1, 4-1 UFC) vs. Vladimir Matyushenko (26-5, 7-3 UFC)
Cliche Alert: Veteran versus up-and-comer.
Jim Hettes (9-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Nam Phan (17-9, 1-2 UFC)
Hopefully, Hettes can submit Phan off main cards for good. I don’t care how he does it. Toe hold? Sure. Knee bar? OK. Sticking Phan’s nose in his armpit until he taps? Sure! Whatever works.
PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)
Junior Assuncao vs. Ross Pearson
Danny Castillo vs. Anthony Njokuani
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
Dong Hyun Kim vs. Sean Pierson
Efrain Escudero vs. Jacob Volkmann
Luis Ramos vs. Matt Riddle
Manny Gamburyan vs. Diego Nunes
Finally, it should be noted that tomorrow’s card takes place at 10pm Eastern. I’m not sure why the UFC is going back to the 10pm start time, but I’m guessing its because they hate me. Adjust your schedules accordingly.
Alistair Overeem recibió su licencia para la pelea contra Lesnar con los requisitos que encuentre un centro de exámenes en las próximas 72 horas para hacer el examen de drogas que estaba supuesto hacer el 17 de Noviembre también le pidieron que de una que llegue a los Estados Unidos tendrá que hacer un segunda examen y tendrá que hacerse disponible a exámenes al azar por los próximos 6 meses. Overeem fallo en hacer el examen en la fecha original debido a que estaba en Holanda cuidando a su mama que está enferma y Overeem dice que no pudo hacer el examen porque está montando el avión ese día. Durante su estadía en Holanda Overeem solo pudo encontrar un centro médico para hacer un examen pero fue de sangre pero el que es necesario es el de orine. El examen de sangre salió limpio pero tendrá que ir a Alemania lo más pronto posible para hacer el examen de orine. Frank Mir ya ha puesto su nombre como posible remplazo para Overeem.
At the start of today’s Nevada State Athletic Commission, it looked like another Las Vegas UFC main event might be headed towards the scrap heap. But after an hour of investigating and collecting info on Alistair Overeem, the commission granted him a conditional license to fight Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 later this month.
The issue at hand was a missed random drug test requested by the NSAC on Nov. 17. Overeem’s management was called in the morning about the test, the fighter then jumped on a flight from the U.S. to the Netherlands, and no response was given to the request for four days. Overeem explained that the time lapse was simply due to a communications breakdown.
Things got more complicated on Nov. 23 when Overeem went to his personal doctor in Amsterdam and the wrong type of test was administered. The commission asked for a urine test and received blood test results instead. Overeem submitted to the urine test on Dec. 7, but that again was done by his doctor.
After collecting the necessary info during the hearing and a short discussion, the commission decided to grant Overeem a conditional license.
He’ll have to re-test in the next few days at a European location designated by the NSAC. He’ll also have to submit another urine sample once he returns to the U.S. Following the fight, Overeem will be subjected to two more random tests in the U.S.
Overeem returned home on Nov. 17 because his mother experienced a health scare in her fight against cancer. Overeem bought that ticket on Nov. 15.
Plenty of media members reacted strongly to the conditional license describing the hearing as a farce. Overeem has long been subjected to rumors of steroid usage. A one-time light heavyweight, The 6-foot-5 Overeem has added incredible mass to his frame. He now weighs around 255 pounds.
Las Vegas is glad to hear that the fight is still on. The city’s UFC cards in 2010 and 2011 have seemed cursed. Injuries have caused main events to go bye bye on several occasions.
EL EX CAMPEON COMPLETO DEL UFC® BROCK LESNAR Y LA ESTRELLA INTERNACIONAL ALISTAIR OVEREEM CHOCAN EN LAS VEGAS PARA DETERMINAR AL CONTENDIENTE AL TÍTULO
ADEMAS, DONALD ‘COWBOY’ CERRONE CHOCA CON , NATE DIAZ EN EL EVENTO CO-ESTELAR UFC® 141: LESNAR vs. OVEREEM VIERNES 30 DE DICIEMBRE Desde el MGM Grand Garden Arena – Las Vegas, Nev. En vivo por Pay-Per-View a las 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT BOLETOS A LA VENTA ESTE VIERNES 11 DE NOVIEMBRE CONFERENCIA DE PRENSA MAÑANA EN SANTA SANTA MONICA, CALIF. Las Vegas, Nevada (USA) – El ex campeón del UFC, Brock Lesnar, y su misión de reclamar nuevamente el título de los pesados, se pondrán a prueba el viernes 30 de diciembre en el MGM de Las Vegas cuando se encuentre con uno de los mejores peleadores de todos los tiempos, el internacional Alistair Overeem. The Ultimate Fighting Championship anunció hoy que dos de los pesos pesados más poderosos chocarán en una contienda a cinco asaltos en la última velada de 2011. Lo que es cierto, es que el ganador de este duelo sería coronado como el contendiente número al título de los completos y ganaría su oportunidad para buscar el cinturón el próximo año. Lesnar, Overeem y el presidente de UFC, Dana White, tomarán parte en la conferencia oficial mañana 11 de noviembre a las 2:00 p.m. PT, desde el Santa Monica Civic Auditorium en Santa Monica.
La conferencia de prensa tomará lugar previo a la ceremonia de pesaje de la cartelera FOX: VELASQUEZ vs. DOS SANTOS. “Brock Lesnar está recuperado de su salud en un 110 por cierto y listo para tomar el título de los pesados nuevamente”, dijo White. “Brock ha solicitado el examen más fuerte para su retorno y nosotros se lo pudimos conseguir. No queda duda que Alistair Overeem reúne exactamente esa categoría. El ha sido campeón en otras organizaciones y vino a UFC a pelear ante los mejores del mundo. El quiere mostrarle a todos que es el número uno de este deporte. Esta pelea es el cierre perfecto para el 2011”, agregó White.
Si eso no fuera suficiente, el evento co-estelar de la noche reúne a dos pesos ligeros en ascenso: Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone frente a Nate Diaz en lo que podría ser una de las batallas más dinámicas en 155 libras en la historia de este deporte. Boletos para UFC®141: LESNAR vs. OVEREEM salen a la venta este viernes 11 de noviembre a las 10:00 a.m. PT a un precio de $800, $600, $400, $250, $125 y $75. Boletos estarán disponibles en todas las localidades de Ticketmaster en Las Vegas (localidades selectas de Smith’s Food and Drug Centers y Ritmo Latino). Los boletos son limitados a ocho por persona. Para pagar por teléfono con tarjeta de crédito, llama a Ticketmaster al 1800-745-3000. Boletos también están disponibles en http://www.mandalaybay.com o bien http://www.ticketmaster.com. Los boletos no incluyen cargos de servicio. Una venta especial de internet estará disponible para los suscriptores del boletín UFC hoy jueves 10 de Noviembre. Para acceder a esta preventa, los usuarios deben registrarse para recibir el boletín UFC en UFC.com Paquetes VIP también están disponibles en http://vip.ufc.com. Estos paquetes incluyen boletos para UFC 141, mercancía oficial del evento, así como una experiencia especial VIP con tour backstage y la interacción con las más grandes estrellas del UFC. Esta experiencia VIP significa un acercamiento sinigual para los fanáticos del UFC. UFC®141: LESNAR vs. OVEREEM estará disponible en Pay-Per-View a las 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT en UFC.TV
Una de las figuras más cautivantes del deporte, Brock Lesnar, retorna al octágono por primera vez en un año luego de que dejara su carrera en receso a causa de una diverticulitis. Recuperado completamente, motivado e inspirado para retomar el cinturón de los pesados que retuvo por casi dos años, el peleador de 34 años y ex campeón de lucha colegial no pretende más que una dominante victoria el próximo 30 de diciembre. “Yo no acepté esta pelea solamente para ser un contendiente”, dijo Lesnar que ostenta un record de 5-2 en UFC. “Yo estoy aquí para ser campeón, para tener mi cinturón de regreso, es simple. Derrotar a Overeem y derrotar a quien salga vencedor en la pelea del 12 de noviembre (Caín o Junior) es exactamente lo que haré”. Alistair Overeem ha ostentado distintos títulos alrededor del mundo, pero él cree que su hoja de vida está incompleta sin el más importante título en los deportes de combate: el cinturón de UFC. El 30 de diciembre, el peleador experto en kickboxing de 31 años, que tiene una racha de 10-0 y un combate nulo en sus últimas once participaciones, peleará con Lesnar por el derecho de disputar el título del UFC. Con victorias sobre Fabricio Werdum, Vitor Belfort, Mark Hunt y Sergei Kharitonov en sus doce años de carrera, “The Reem” busca el triunfo más grande su carrera en el evento final del UFC en este 2011. “Esta pelea será la más importante de mi carrera”, dijo Overeem (35-11-1). “Yo tengo una misión importante pendiente en mi carrera y eso es tener el cinturón de UFC en mi cintura. El ganador de este pleito tendrá el derecho a pelear por el título y entonces vencer a Brock significa acercarme a ese objetivo. Nuestra pelea del 30 de diciembre, será más grande que Godzilla vs. King Kong”, enfatizó Alistair. Desde que llegó a UFC en febrero, quizá ningún peso ligero ha ganado tanto espacio como Donald Cerrone. Con cuatro victorias seguidas dentro del octágono del UFC, incluyendo su más reciente sumisión sobre Dennis Siver en el UFC 137, el peleador de 28 años está tocando la puerta para una oportunidad por el título. Primero, el debe vencer a Nate Diaz, quien retornó a la división de los ligeros para someter a Takanori Gomi y así mejorar su record a 14-7. Ahora el hermano menor del contendiente al título welter, Nick Díaz, ha puesto sus ojos en finalizar la tremenda racha de Cerrone (17-3,1 NC).
CRISTIAN ECHEVERRIA | SPANISH MEDIA MANAGER
