The showdown between UFC and PRIDE FC 205-pound champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Dan Henderson, respectively, at UFC 75 will be a non-title fight, according to the Orange County Register.
This development contradicts earlier reports that indicated it would be a unification bout. And for some reason, Carlos Arias is the only reporter who picked up on it during the UFC 73 conference call that took place last week.
Here’s a snip from UFC President Dana White:
“No. What we’re doing with that thing is we’re respecting both (the UFC and PRIDE) titles. The UFC title is the UFC champion and we’re respecting Dan as the PRIDE champion. Quinton will walk out with his belt if Dan wins and vice versa.”
With neither belt at stake it appears that this bout is designed to determine which promotion has the better champion. It also might mean that this is only a three-round match (five rounds is reserved for title matches).
Don’t quote me on that … this could all change tomorrow based on everything that’s been happening lately.
For sure, if Henderson wins this fight it would be impossible for him to defend three titles in two different weight classes in two separate promotions. It would also make him the most decorated champion in the history of the sport.
But I guess he doesn’t need another belt to prove that.
(Thanks to UFCmania reader “AKA123″ for the assist).
With a win in his Octagon debut at UFC 76 in September, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will earn the opportunity to challenge for the light heavyweight championship, according to recent statements from UFC President Dana White on SportsIllustrated.com.
Here’s the snip:
“White says that if Shogun wins in September, he will get the next title shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Title. That could lead to a rematch with [Quinton “Rampage”] Jackson, who Shogun obliterated in Japan.”
Obliterated might be an understatement — the beating that Shogun dished out in 2005 en route to the middleweight grand prix title was downright criminal.
Of course, Rampage is now the current 205-pound champion after he defeated Chuck Liddell at UFC 71 in May. He is set to face PRIDE FC middleweight and welterweight champion Dan Henderson at UFC 75 in London, England, on September 8.
We learned today that — despite previous reports to the contrary — the cross-promotional showdown is a non-title bout, which means that if Shogun wins, he gets Rampage whether he defeats Henderson or not?
All this hemming and hawing has got me befuddled to be quite honest.
Nonetheless, in the same article White mentions that he is “very interested” in PRIDE FC Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko and is “working on getting a deal done.”
Part of that deal, it appears, may be an instant title shot against either current champion Randy Couture or Gabriel Gonzaga — the two are set to clash at UFC 74 in August.
Here’s another snip:
“Part of the difficulty for him is Fedor’s management team. White says that he has ‘no idea what these crazy Russians are going to do.’ White will give Fedor an immediate title shot if and when he is brought in.”
If and when? That sounds imminent.
Clearly, the signing of Fedor would be a boon for the UFC and its fans. However, some might be uneasy about a fighter coming in from another organization and leapfrogging Octagon veterans who have been working their way up the ladder.
But that goes to show how talented Fedor and Shogun are — these two are arguably the top fighters in their divisions in the sport today.
After watching the IFL this season, there is no dening that Don Frye is one of the most entertaining MMA fighters on the planet, inside and outside of the cage. In this IFL video clip, The Predator gives advice to a fan telling him that after marriage women get mean, fat, and don’t want to have sex.
You don’t need pay-per-view to get your fix of MMA this week, there is plenty of action on cable TV. Check below for this week’s schedule of mixed martial arts programming.
Monday
- IFL: The Silverbacks look to stay alive in the playoff hunt as they battle the revitalized Chicago Red Bears. Undefeated heavyweight Ben Rothwell and once-beaten lightweight Bart Palazcewski return to the ring for Quad Cities, while Igor Zinoviev’s Red Bears bring Chicago native Mike Miller in to meet UFC veteran Josh Neer. Broadcast on MyNetworkTV. Check HERE to find your local station. Show starts at 8/7c.
-UFC73 Countdown: Sherk vs. Franka. 10:30 on Spike TV
-UFC All Access: Sean Sherk. 11:30 on Spike TV
Tuesday
-BodogFight: 2nd episode of the season. Lightweights: Jackson vs. Watson and Heavyweights: Puder vs Alden. 11/10c on ION TV. To see if you receive the ION channel click HERE
Thursday
- UFC Unleased. 10pm on Spike TV
Friday
- IFL: The Anacondas vs The Tigersharks. Fox Sports Net. Times vary based on location. Click HERE for times by region.
“They are gonna raise my hand in victory, in the second round, 3:36. It’s gonna be a knockout!”
– UFC light heavyweight contender Rashad Evans predicts a second round knockout of former 205-pound champion Tito Ortiz — down to the second — at UFC 73 this Saturday evening via MMAWeekly.com.
The new UFC 73: Stacked event website is now live and well produced as usual. On thing that is a bid odd is the lack of presence of the two champions on the card, Sean Sherk and Anderson Silva. How is it that Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans are front and center? Obviously it’s all about name recognition and dollars making this match-up is the most marketable of the night. However, what does that say about the UFC’s champions? Do they need to do a better job marketing these guys or do they just need better champions? Anderson Silva is one of the most exciting fighters and talented strikers in all of MMA. This is the guy who should be the posterboy. It will be a shame if the two title bouts are overshadowed by the hype of Ortiz vs. Evans.
This has been a break-out year for MMA no doubt. The sport has graced the covers of both ESPN and Sports Illustrated magazines, increased its presence on television, and has found its way into mainstream online news sites like Yahoo Sports. Therefore it is no surprise that ESPN finally got their act together and realized that mixed martial arts is not a fad or some knock off of pro wrestling. For the first time, ESPN’s ESPY awards will feature two MMA fighters in their “Best Fighter” category, Randy Couture and Quinton Jackson.
It’s time to show the mass media that boxing is out and MMA is in. Cast your vote on the ESPN website and let’s make sure that the world knows that the best fighter is a mixed martial artist. Click here to go to the ESPN vote page.
Written by admin on July 2nd, 2007 with comments disabled.
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Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia is eyeing a potential return to the Octagon in October, putting to rest previous rumors that he would fight at UFC 74 in August, according to a recent statement on his official Web site.
Here’s the snip:
“I’m back in training and things are looking good. Hoping to get back in the ring in October. -Tim”
The “Maine-iac” is currently recovering from back surgery, which he underwent in the wake of his loss to Randy Couture at UFC 68 in March.
There were reports that he would return to action at UFC 74 on August 22 — possibly against foe Frank Mir. That rematch raised a few red flags with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), which eventually turned out to be overblown.
Regardless, it all seems moot at this point with Sylvia on the shelf until October at the earliest. There are no major events currently scheduled for that month — UFC 76 in late September is the closest.
One thing is certain: several top heavyweights are scheduled to compete in the next few months, leaving the possibility that Sylvia can return against someone who is near the top in the division.
Whether or not the UFC — and Sylvia — think he should be thrown into the fire his first fight back sometime near October remains to be seen.
MMAWeekly.com is reporting that Houston Alexander has signed a new three-fight contract with the UFC. Alexander had been contracted to more fights under his original entry-level contract but it appears the UFC saw fit to give him a bump in pay. The first fight on the contract will take place at UFC 75 against Alessio Sakara on September 8 in London.
I find the move to be a mild surprise because even though I think Alexander earned a better deal following his fight against Keith Jardine, it isn’t like the UFC to re-do a deal for a fighter who is relatively unproven. If a guy outperforms his pay the UFC has a tendency to reward him through bonuses such as fight of the night and knockout of the night. Dana White has been particularly generous the last few cards as he awarded multiple bonuses for fight of the night and knockout of the night.
The fact that they would break from tradition for Alexander shows that they think highly of him.
