Dana White Looks Back at UFC 133, Discusses Deal Fedor Turned Down
(mmafighting.com)PHILADELPHIA -- MMA Fighting spoke to Dana White about a whole host of subjects following UFC 133: why he was so bothered by Dennis Hallman's unique trunks, Rashad Evans performance, his take on Tito Ortiz's performance, why the fans don't like Evans, what's next for Yoshihiro Akiyama and Vitor Belfort, Rory MacDonald's breakthrough performance, sitting with Bernard Hopkins at the event and one last take on the rise and fall of Fedor Emelianenko.
GSP and Nick Diaz Likely on Tap for UFC Primetime, but Will Diaz Play the Game?
(mmaweekly.com)UFC Primetime has become a big hit leading up to some of the promotion’s marquee bouts. The series follows two main event fighters on a three-part, behind the scenes journey leading up to their fight.
For UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, the series is old hat. He’s taken part in the promotional vehicle several times. There’s a reason for that. St-Pierre is one of the most popular fighters in the sport, and he realizes that partaking in such promotional tools only helps to drive his popularity, and value, threw the roof.
Following Hallman's UFC 133 banana hammock, White serious about short-shorts ban
(mmajunkie.com)PHILADELPHIA – Who likes short shorts? Clearly not Dana White.
The UFC president said he's dead serious about banning the type of bikini bottoms that Dennis Hallman wore at UFC 133 – the same briefs that ever-so-briefly exposed Hallman's nether regions to Saturday's pay-per-view audience.
"I'm seriously pissed off at the guys who work us who let him walk out with those things on," White said.
Rashad Evans thanks ragtag camp's family atmosphere for UFC 133 victory
(mmajunkie.com)PHILADELPHIA – Rashad Evans seemingly had every factor working against him.
There was the 14-month layoff and potential cage rust. There was the promised title shot that dissolved for a variety of reasons.
Then there was the very public split from his former training camp and his residence with a new team – one that had some insiders doubting his preparations for Saturday's UFC 133 pay-per-view headliner with Tito Ortiz.
Could Dan Henderson be on his way back to the UFC? "Fatso" needs to talk to "Ugly"
(mmajunkie.com)By now, it's no secret that Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson (28-8 MMA, 3-1 SF) is currently a free agent.
And while the sport's newest cliché (other than "stripping down to his Hallmans"), "business as usual," remains the guiding principle behind Strikeforce's business plan, UFC president Dana White admits there's a chance Henderson could soon make the leap back into the octagon.
It all depends on what happens when "Fatso" talks to "Ugly."
"Dan Henderson is in the mix," White told a small group of reporters following Saturday night's UFC 133 event. "Me and old ugly got to get together and talk and figure stuff out first.
"I texted him. I said, 'Hey, ugly. You ready to talk?' He said, 'Whenever you're ready fatso.'"
UFC boss: Jim Miller, Chael Sonnen, Brian Stann all likely on verge of title shots
(mmajunkie.com)UFC president Dana White readily admits it's difficult to predict the direction of his promotion's entire roster mere moments after an event concludes.
Who gets cut, who stays, who moves up the ladder – White said he prefers to reflect for a day or two, then convene with UFC officials Lorenzo Fertitta and Joe Silva to make group decisions.
However, White did say a trio of fighters – namely Jim Miller (20-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC), Chael Sonnen (25-11-1 MMA, 3-4 UFC) and Brian Stann (11-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) – are all within striking distance of a shot at a UFC title and will soon find themselves in potential No. 1 contender fights.
UFC 133 results: After finishing Tito Ortiz, Rashad Evans wants to 'teach Jon Jones a lesson'
(mmamania.com)Rashad Evans finished Tito Ortiz -- once and for all -- in the main event last night (Aug. 6) of UFC 133 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and earned himself a light heavyweight title shot in the process.
And a ticket to Denver, Colorado, to challenge the winner of Jon Jones vs. Quinton Jackson at UFC 135 on Sept. 24.
Of course, while a win for Ortiz last night would have undoubtedly been good for business as the Huntington Beach hype train would have only built more and more steam, UFC President Dana White is surely seeing nothing but dollar signs at the possible 205-pound title match-ups.
After UFC 133 win, Chad Mendes' title shot could be derailed by hand injury
(mmajunkie.com)PHILADELPHIA – Following a convincing but low-key UFC 133 win over heavy underdog Rani Yahya, is Chad Mendes still next in line for a UFC title shot?
Following Saturday's event, it was a question UFC president Dana White pondered aloud.
But he also found a way to divert a direct answer: by pointing out a hand injury that could sideline the young contender for the foreseeable future.
UFC 133 bonuses: Evans, Ortiz and Belfort collect $70K bonuses
(mmajunkie.com)PHILADELPHIA – Rashad Evans, Tito Ortiz and Vitor Belfort each earned $70,000 "Fight Night" bonuses for their performances at Saturday's "UFC 133: Evans vs, Ortiz II" event.
Belfort earned the night's "Knockout of the Night" award and Evans and Ortiz took home "Fight of the Night" honors. With no submissions on the night, there was no "Submission of the Night" bonus.
Dollaway vs. Hamman dropped from UFC on Versus 5's four-fight main card
(mmajunkie.com)With a high-profile lightweight contest between Donald Cerrone (15-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Charles Oliveira (14-1 UFC, 2-1 UFC) taking a main-card slot at this month's UFC on Versus 5 event, a middleweight contest between C.B. Dollaway (11-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) and Jared Hamman (11-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has officially been relegated to the evening's preliminary card.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed the switch with sources close to the event.
Featuring a welterweight headliner of Dan Hardy vs. Chris Lytle, UFC on Versus 5 takes place Aug. 14 at Milwaukee's Bradley Center.
One of the best free cards on paper I've ever seen.
UFC 133 weigh-in results
(mmajunkie.com)
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)
•Rashad Evans (204.4) vs. Tito Ortiz (205.8)
•Yoshihiro Akiyama (184.6) vs. Vitor Belfort (185.4)
•Brian Ebersole (170.6) vs. Dennis Hallman (170.8)
•Constantinos Philippou (185.2) vs. Jorge Rivera (184.6)
•Rory MacDonald (170.6) vs. Mike Pyle (170.8)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)
•Alexander Gustafsson (204.4) vs. Matt Hamill (206)
•Chad Mendes (145.8) vs. Rani Yahya (145.2)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
•Ivan Menjivar (138)* vs. Nick Pace (135.8)
•Johny Hendricks (170.8) vs. Mike Pierce (171)
•Mike Brown (146) vs. Nam Phan (145)
•Paul Bradley (185.2) vs. Rafael Natal (185.4)
* - Menjivar missed weight, and Pace has agreed to fight him at 138 pounds
Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos at UFC 139
(bloodyelbow.com)Looks like Zuffa is using UFC 133 to unload a bunch of big news today. While it's been reported as far back as June, reports indicate that the UFC is set to officially announce that Cain Velasquez's first title defense will take place against Junior dos Santos at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.
The real news, however, is this MMA Fighting bit on Velasquez's shoulder injury:
Velasquez was first injured during his UFC 121 championship victory over Brock Lesnar, tearing his right rotator cuff, a setback that was expected to take between 6-8 months to heal. After a long layoff and rehabilitation, he recently ramped up his workouts and is said to be progressing well.
Sokoudjou Signs to Challenge 205-Pound Champion Ryan Jimmo at MFC 31
(mmaweekly.com)The Maximum Fighting Championship on Thursday announced MFC 31: The Rundown featuring a light heavyweight title bout pitting current champion Ryan Jimmo against newly signed Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. The MFC 31 fight card takes place on Oct. 7 at the Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and will be broadcast on HDNet.
The announced title bout displaces an MFC lightweight title bout between recently re-signed champion Antonio McKee and Brian Cobb. The two will instead clash at MFC 32 in November, although an exact date and location had not been pinned down at the time of publication.
Joe Stevenson cut by UFC after four straight losses
(mmamania.com)"Daddy's" coming home ... for good.
Former UFC lightweight title contender and recent featherweight debutant Joe Stevenson has been released by the UFC, according to MMAFighting.com.
The move comes on the heels of the biggest slump in the longtime veteran's career. After losing three in a row at 155-pounds, UFC brass gave him the opportunity to reinvent himself at 145-pounds.
Dana White hints Strikeforce champ Dan Henderson could soon return to UFC's ranks
(mmajunkie.com)Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson may soon return to the UFC's roster, according to UFC president Dana White.
The 40-year-old Henderson recently ended a four-fight Strikeforce deal with an emphatic TKO win over former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko and is free to test the open waters of free agency.
Now White says he'll at least entertain the idea of the seven-time UFC vet making his way back into the octagon.
Chad Mendes ‘Up There’ But Not Guaranteed a Title Shot With a Win at UFC 133
(mmaweekly.com)Chad Mendes may be considered the top contender in the UFC’s featherweight division, but a win at UFC 133 doesn’t necessarily guarantee him a title shot.
When asked by reporters following UFC 133's press conference, UFC President Dana White deferred to matchmaker Joe Silva, who stated Mendes is near the top of the division, but wouldn’t solidify if he was next in line with a win.
“Chad’s right up there,” said UFC matchmaker Joe Silva. “He’s in the mix”
Fedor Emelianenko released from Strikeforce
(bloodyelbow.com)At the UFC 133 press conference it was announced by UFC president Dana White that Fedor Emelianenko has been released from his Strikeforce contract. Fedor is riding a three fight losing streak while carrying a hefty price tag and a management team with a long history of proving difficult for Zuffa to deal with. That combination makes this a much less shocking cut than the recent release of Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.
This does, however, continue the thinning out of the Strikeforce roster and the likely eventual dissolving of the promotion once the Showtime deal hits completion.
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