Following a fun night of fights on FX, UFC President Dana White chatted with Ariel Helwani about a few different festivities the UFC will get to host in 2012.
Of note, White said Chael Sonnen will face Anderson Silva if he’s able to get by Michael Bisping later this week. (I think that’s good, because Silva vs. Bisping is a mauling I just am not interested in seeing anytime soon.)
Also, White discusses Diaz vs. Condit for the interim title — and Georges St. Pierre’s growing dislike of Diaz, as the French-Canadian champion continues to recover well from surgery.
The UFC once again put together another excellent primetime series into the upcoming interim welterweight title fight between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit.
The video speaks for itself, and here is part one of episode one:
In honor of Muhammad Ali’s 70th birthday today, January 17, the Roots of Fight lifestyle apparel brand launched by creating an Ali tribute video.
Here is what the company had to say:
“It seems fitting to launch our brand with a video homage to Muhammad Ali. He dominated the sport of boxing and American culture for decades” says Jesse Katz, President of Roots of Fight. “The Greatest of All Time is turning 70 today, and we felt our first Ali video would make a fitting tribute to the champ.”
UFC President Dana White responds to ESPN’s criticism about MMA fighter pay, while MMA fans remain divided about the topic.
I don’t think anyone wins when the UFC and ESPN essentially get into a pissing match — Dana White and company need to pay fighters more, and the ESPN needs to mind their own business. However, attacking the No. 1 sports network, regardless of the reason, seems like a foolhardy move by a sports brand looking to go even more mainstream.
UFC welterweight contenders Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit will face off at UFC 143 to determine the welterweight interim champion.
The winner of the fight will eventually face champion Georges St. Pierre, as the long-time champion recovers from injury.
Both fighters will bring their best to the cage, and it will be a battle to see who can implement their game plan. Diaz will rely on his excellent BJJ skills and punches in bunches, while Condit has an aggressive, well-rounded fight game.
Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin embraces the challenge of tapping out an average person (quickly):
As someone who has grappled with the likes of Jake Shields and Gilbert Melendez, it’s frightening to realize how fast you can end up in a vulnerable position.
The UFC returns to Brazil this weekend at UFC 142 inside the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as Jose Aldo looks to defend his UFC featherweight championship against Chad Mendes.
Here is the Countdown to UFC 142: Rio video, which focuses on Aldo vs. Mendes:
I’m a fan of the UFC’s Countdown episodes, even if they try to add a bit more drama (obviously, because it helps sell) the upcoming UFC pay-per-view events. It gives casual viewers a glimpse into the camp of headlining fighters of the events they’re going to shell out good money for.
Bellator and DREAM are still trying to work out a lightweight super fight between Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki, though nothing has been confirmed.
After losing his lightweight title to Michael Chandler last November (Bellator 58), it was expected Alvarez could join the Bellator season six MMA tournament. However, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney confirmed “Ed won’t be part of the next tournament during the March kickoff.”
Aoki submitted Alvarez during their first fight for the WAMMA lightweight championship at Dynamite!! 2008 in Saitama, Japan.
Here is fight video:
Aoki’s standup has dramatically improved, but expect him to look to grapple against Alvarez — a superior wrestler and boxing practitioner.
Vitor Belfort is one of the most feared strikers in the UFC middleweight division, and hopes to welcome Anthony Johnson to the weight class with a brutal knockout.
In honor of Belfort and his impressive striking skills, here is a video of his fight against Matt Lindland (Affliction: Day of Reckoning in 2009):
Belfort bounced back from a KO loss against Anderson Silva at UFC 126 with a brutal win against Yoshihiro Akiyama — and looks to pick up another impressive win and climb back up the UFC middleweight ladder.
