Apparently Dana White is Not a Ben Askren Fan
April 16, 2012 by Matt
Ben Askren retained his title with a win over Douglas Lima at Bellator 64, running his record to a perfect 10-0. But he hasn’t won over some MMA fans because of his fighting style. His last six fights have gone to decision.
When he took to Twitter tocall UFC president Dana White a “bold faced liar”, White struck back at Askren with this insult:
@Benaskren says @danawhite is a bold face liar for saying the #UFC doesn’t have the resources for random drug tests http://t.co/3MqQ5rYS
@danawhite
Dana White @thefightweek @benaskren when ambien can’t sleep it takes Ben Askren. The most boring fighter in MMA history. I would rather watch flys f—
White has a few fighters on his roster that have a very similar style to Askren. I wonder if he thinks the same about them? Either way, his tweet was still pretty hilarious.
Finally: Silva vs. Sonnen II – June 23 in Brazil
March 27, 2012 by Matt
There is finally an official date for the long-awaited rematch between Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva. And it’s going down in Brazil.
The UFC will return to Brazil for an epic sporting event as legendary fighters collide on the biggest fight card in UFC history at UFC 147 at Joao Havelange Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on June 23, 2012. The largest crowd ever is expected for the highly anticipated rematch between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and American contender Chael Sonnen, a grudge match two years in the making. The event also features a live finale of The Ultimate Fighter Brasil™, the showdown between two Brazilians and icons of the sport – coaches Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva.
From the beginning of the negotiations for the UFC’s next event in the country, the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo both emerged as strong options to host the event. Engenhao, home to football club Botafogo and future venue for the 2016 Olympics, has hosted many legendary sports and entertainment events since its opening in 2007. The event marks the first time for a UFC event in a soccer stadium and the organization expects a record audience. The mark to beat is UFC 129, held in April of 2011 at Rogers Centre in Canada, which had a record attendance of 55,000 fans.
“This will be the biggest sporting event of the year” said UFC President Dana White. “Bigger than the NFL, the NBA, you name it – UFC 147 will be the biggest. The whole world wants to see this fight between Silva and Sonnen. We are broadcast in over 150 countries in 22 languages in half a billion homes. Wherever those fans are, they are going to be watching this fight.”
The rivalry between Anderson Silva (29-4-0) and Chael Sonnen (28-11-1) has produced the biggest grudge match in UFC history. The two bitter rivals first faced each other in August of 2010 at UFC 117 in Oakland, California. The battle featured arguably the biggest come-from-behind win ever; as Silva, who was being dominated from the beginning of the fight, submitted his American rival with a triangle choke in the last round. It was the seventh of nine title defenses for the Brazilian champion.
In what has been one of the long-awaited rematches in UFC history, Brazilian fans will also get a chance to witness Vitor Belfort (21-9-0) and Wanderlei Silva (34-11-1) square off in the Octagon®. In their first meeting in 1998 in São Paulo, Belfort knocked out Silva 44 seconds into their fight. Since then, MMA fans have eagerly waited for over 10 years to witness the rematch between two legends of the sport. Belfort is coming off of a win over American fighter Anthony Johnson in UFC Rio (UFC 142), while Wanderlei dramatically knocked out opponent Cung Le at UFC 139.
Title Shot’s Loeffler Injured, Still Paid by UFC
February 17, 2012 by Matt
It was the worst imaginable scenario for Title Shot Management fighter Sean Loeffler. Warming up backstage before making his UFC debut against Buddy Roberts, Loeffler rolled his ankle, the injury severe enough to keep him from competing.
“I was doing ‘tuck jumps’ backstage,” says Loeffler. “My foot got caught in a crack in the warm-up mat, and it rolled over and snapped in half. Trevor Wittman and Urijah Faber were there…the whole locker room heard it pop.”
“Fortunately, the ankle’s not broken. It’s a 3rd degree fibula/tibia strain. There’s about a 50/50 chance I’ll have surgery, but we won’t know until after I get an MRI. I don’t know how long I’ll be out, but Joe Silva has told me that I am 100% a UFC fighter, and that I’ll be back with them.”
In a classy gesture, the UFC still paid Loeffler his ‘show’ money. “Yes, it’s true,” he says. “I very much appreciate that. I’d like to thank Dana White, Joe Silva, and the rest of the UFC for standing by me through this. They paid me my show money even though I got injured. I appreciate that so much, and I won’t forget it. And to the fans, I will be back, better than ever, as soon as possible. I’m in the UFC to stay, and even though the ankle injury sucked, it shows that everything I do will always be memorable…ha.”
As far as what’s next, no one can know for sure. Will Loeffler fight Buddy Roberts when he gets back? “As far as I know, Buddy is healthy, so I doubt they’re going to make him wait for me. I have no idea who the UFC wants for me next, but regardless, I need to get healthy and then we’ll deal with it. I was ready for Buddy, so if he’s next, I will be ready for him again.”
Dana White UFC in Chicago V-Log
January 24, 2012 by Matt
UFC president Dana White talks about the big UFC on FOX event at the United Center in Chicago this Saturday, and he takes fight fans behind the scenes at the recent UFC on FX event in Nashville.
Plus, Jonny ‘Bones’ Jones offers his predictions for the big fights on the Chicago card.
Dana White: Shonie Carter Needs to Call Joe Silva
December 7, 2011 by Matt
The UFC on FOX press conference for the January 28 event took place today at the United Center, and it was as much a barrel of laughs as it was informative.
Chael Sonnen stole the show, with a barrage of humor and one-liners that could land him a writing gig on a sitcom should this whole MMA thing fall by the wayside.
Earlier this month Shonie Carter stated his desire to fight at the UFC in Chicago in front of his home fans and family. I asked Dana White about the possibility of Shonie getting a fight on the card, and here’s what the UFC president had to say, as well as the rest of the press conference from this afternoon.
Chicago hopes Shonie puts in that call to Joe Silva and gets put on the prelims of the card.
Don’t Be Scared, Homie: GSP’s Shaky Hands
October 31, 2011 by Matt
Nick Diaz had some choice words for Georges St. Pierre after battering BJ Penn on his way to victory at UFC 137, calling him out and taunting him. What he said to GSP was basically nonsense, but it didn’t make it any less fun. GSP’s reaction was classic. Here’s the gif, thanks to the UG.
As one of the people in the forum said, if Diaz wanted to fight GSP so badly all he had to do was show up to a press conference. It’s all moot now. Dana White has announced that GSP will indeed fight Nick Diaz, with Condit fighting on the same card. “We spoke about it and if he wins, he will fight the winner of Diaz and GSP,” Dana White said.
UFC Champ Dominick Cruz’s Hand – Post Surgery
October 14, 2011 by Matt
UFC champion Dominick Cruz tweeted after his surgery and had this say:
“My hands all dressed up n ready 4 halloween! 1st day post surgery …now im getting better everyday.”
Of course that wouldn’t mean much without a pic to go with it, so he tweeted that out too.
You have to love what Dana White said about Cruz:
“You know one of the things I respect about the kid?” White said. “He’s got a broken hand and had one the entire fight. He broke his [left] hand and is going to have surgery.
“Not only did he not stop fighting and keep coming up 100 per cent, he doesn’t even f***ing say anything about it. He goes through an entire press conference and doesn’t say anything about his hand.”
Is it any wonder that Cruz is the champion?
UFC on Fox Press Conference
September 20, 2011 by Matt
With fight fans in attendance yelling like Jets fans at the NFL Draft, the UFC and Fox held a press conference from The W West Hotel in Hollywood.
Dana White, Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez took questions from the press and fans in anticipation of their November 12 championship fight on Fox.
Fedor the Best? Dana White Says No Way
August 6, 2011 by Matt
Mauro Ranallo has Dana White on his show on “The Score”, and he and Dana debate about why Fedor Emelianenko is one of the greatest MMA fighters of all-time.
Frank Mir Is Not a Problem
May 30, 2011 by Matt
So let me get this straight — Frank Mir knocks out the legendary Cro Cop then puts a beating on Roy Nelson — who’s only been knocked out once in his career — and Dana White is unhappy with Mir?
Mir is one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC, whether he is winning or losing. Joe Rogan commented during the UFC 130 broadcast that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has one of the best highlight reels in all of MMA. Truth. Guess who else has a great one? Frank Mir.
Mir has knocked out legends in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cro Cop, submitted Brock Lesnar, out-struck Cheick Kongo then choked him out, and in one of the most replayed clips in MMA history, made Tim Sylvia’s arm go snap, crackle, pop.
He’s constantly evolving as a martial artist. When Mir’s striking was a liability in his game, he worked on it relentlessly. He’s no longer considered deficient in that area. When he thought he was too small to hang with massive UFC heavyweights like Carwin and Lesnar, he started bulking up. When he admitted to himself that his wrestling was horrible (paraphrase of his words), he worked on it. He’s always in shape and could headline almost any card.
Mir has been fervent about his desire to reclaim the heavyweight title, even after taking two tremendous beatings from Lesnar and Carwin. Lesnar has already had a one-year layoff and he’ll have another one after his recent surgery. Nelson is game, but is proving to be a one-round fighter. Carwin has had only 3 fights since March of 2009. The current champion, Cain Velasquez, is on the shelf with an injury. Mir keeps on keeping on, working toward yet another title shot. He’s all in.
It’s fine that White expects a lot out of Mir. He’s a former champion and he’s counted on to bring it every time. But after White re-watches the Mir/Nelson fight, I’m hoping he’ll realize that Mir had a great performance. Mir is definitely a fighter that should be celebrated.
