Tag: UFC

Report: CM Punk Will Make UFC Debut at UFC 202 Or UFC 203

Source: Inquisitr

It’s been almost 18 months since former WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk signed with the UFC, and he still hasn’t made his debut inside the Octagon.

Originally, Punk was supposed to fight on this past Saturday night’s UFC 199 show against Mickey Gall, but a serious back injury that required surgery pushed the former WWE star’s debut back several months. Then, it was rumored that he would be on next month’s UFC 200 card, but Punk himself said that there was almost no chance of that happening.

 So, when will he be making his UFC debut? Well, a date hasn’t been announced yet, but according to Dave Meltzer of the Wresting Observer and MMA Fighting, CM Punk may finally step inside the Octagon this coming August or September.

On Saturday’s post-UFC 199 edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer reported that Fox Sports 1 is planning on airing a series of CM Punk specials leading up to his fight, and that they’re planning on airing them in August, which suggests that the ex-WWE Champ will fight at either UFC 202 on August 20, which will be headlined by the Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz rematch, or at UFC 203 on September 10, which will be headlined by the Heavyweight Title fight between Alistair Overeem and Stipe Miocic.

“CM Punk is probably fighting by the way. What I can say about CM Punk is that FS1 is scheduling the CM Punk reality show to build to his fight in August, so that would probably mean [that he’s fighting on] August 20, or September 10 in Cleveland, and I believe that August 20 is in Vegas, and I tend to think that, of the two, they’d do it on August 20.”

There have been some questioning whether or not CM Punk would ever fight due to the fact that he’s always dealing with some kind of nagging injury. Also, there have been reports that he’s been struggling in training, mainly during sparring.

It looks like Punk will still be fighting Mickey Gall whenever he’s ready to step inside the Octagon, as Gall has guaranteed that the fighting between the two will happen at some point.

It seems likely that the UFC will put Punk on the UFC 202 card, which, as previously mentioned, is going to be headlined by McGregor vs. Diaz 2. Of the two dates that were mentioned, UFC 202 is, by far, the bigger show, which is why it’s the better card to debut Punk on.

As of right now, most believe that CM Punk will get destroyed if he ends up fighting Mickey Gall. But, unless Punk fought someone who is a complete unknown, almost every fan wouldn’t believe that Punk had the ability to win his debut or any other fight inside the Octagon.

If the UFC is planning on having Punk fight in August, expect them to announce it very soon, maybe even at UFC 200 next month, as there will be a ton of WWE fans watching that show because of the fact that Brock Lesnar will be on the card.

 

Brock Lesnar’s UFC 200 Opponent Revealed; Lesnar Talks SummerSlam, UFC Return, More

Source: WrestlingINC

Brock Lesnar’s return to the UFC is set, and so is his opponent. As announced this morning on ESPN SportsCenter, Lesnar will take on Mark Hunt in his return.

Lesnar last fought in 2011, taking on Alistair Overeem. Lesnar battled diverticulitis throughout his career, missing long stretches of action. Last year, Lesnar re-signed with the WWE for three years, and said that he closed the door on a UFC return.

“I couldn’t live with that decision, that decision has haunted me for the last 15 months,” Lesnar said. “I’m a big believer in facing your fears and facing the reality of not sitting 20 years ago saying ‘Son, you should have done that.’ I was on UFC 100, so why not UFC 200?,” Lesnar said.

Lesnar said that this was his idea, and he immediately regretted not making a return to the Octagon.

“I lost to diverticulitis, that’s who beat me. My performance was because of the illness. I feel a thousand percent, I wouldn’t step in the Octagon if I didn’t. I’m not faking it, this is for real,” Lesnar said.

When Lesnar announced that Mark Hunt would take him on, he noted that he’s never turned down a fight in the UFC. “Why not (Mark Hunt), I don’t care,” Lesnar said.

“It’s taken some time for things to play out, but I said ‘What are the chances of having Brock Lesnar at UFC 200?,” Lesnar said. “I’m a crossover athlete, I’m the modern day Bo Jackson, and I couldn’t be more excited that both companies have the faith in Brock Lesnar to return to the Octagon.”

Lesnar said that he spoke to Vince McMahon about the idea and hashed it out. He said that he doesn’t know what the plans for SummerSlam are, but isn’t sure what the plans are for him on the card.

Interviewer Hannah Storm asked about the UFC banning Ariel Helwani over breaking the story of Lesnar’s return, but Lesnar said that he’s not on Twitter and isn’t familiar with Helwani. Lesnar was also asked about the late Muhammad Ali, and said the two shared a handshake and said he felt something powerful in Ali.

Lesnar closes the interview by saying he isn’t sure what any of this means for his legacy, but has to do what’s best for himself and his family.

Breaking News: Brock Lesnar to compete at UFC 200

At UFC199 in a historic event where Michael Bisping defeated Luke Rockhold for the middleweight title, it was announced that the beast Brock Lesnar will be competing at UFC200.

WWE issued an official statement saying

Brock Lesnar remains under contract to WWE, however, he has been granted a one-off opportunity to compete at UFC 200. Following this milestone event on July 9, Brock will return to WWE for SummerSlam on Sunday, August 21, live on WWE Network.

The event will be headlined by Daniel Cormier vs John Jones for the light heavyweight title and the co main event will pit Lesnar against a TBA opponent. Also at the event  will have Miesha Tate defending her battemweight title against Amanda Nunes, and the interim featherweight title will be up for grabs as Jose Aldo takes on Frankie Edgar. It all goes down Saturday July 9th live on PPV

UFC199 (complete card)

Main Card (Pay-Per-View)

13. Luke Rockhold (c) (15-2) <USA> vs. {4} Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping (29-7) <England> in a Middleweight bout for the UFC Middleweight Championship!

12. Dominick ‘The Dominator’ Cruz (c) (21-1) <USA> vs. {2} Urijah ‘The California Kid’ Faber (33-8) <USA> in a Bantamweight bout for the UFC Bantamweight Championship!

11. {4} Max ‘Blessed’ Holloway (15-3) <USA> vs. {5} Ricardo ‘The Bully’ Lamas (16-4) <USA> in a Featherweight bout!

10. {15} Dan ‘Hendo’ Henderson (31-14) <USA> vs. {14} Hector ‘Lighting’ Lombard (34-5-1, 2 NC) <Cuba> in a Middleweight bout!

9. {11} Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier (19-4) <USA> vs. {14} Bobby ‘King’ Green (23-6) <USA> in a Lightweight bout!

Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1)

8. {12} Brain ‘T-City’ Ortega (10-0, 1 NC) <USA> vs. Clay ‘The Carpenter’ Guida (32-16) <USA> in a Featherweight bout!

7. {10} Beneil ‘Benny’ Dariush (12-2) <Iran> vs. James ‘The Texcutioner’ Vick (9-0) <USA> in a Lightweight bout.

6. {6} Jessica Penne (12-3) <USA> vs. Jessica ‘Bate Estaca’ Andrade (13-5) <Brasil> in a Women’s Strawweight bout!

5. Cole ‘Magrinho’ Miller (21-9, 1 NC) <USA> vs. Alex ‘Bruce LeeRoy’ Caceres (11-8, 1 NC) <USA> in a Featherweight bout.

Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)

4. Sean ‘Tarzan’ Strickland (17-1) <USA> vs. Tom ‘The Octopus’ Breese (10-0) <England> in a Welterweight bout.

3. Jonathan ‘Johnny Bravo’ Wilson (7-0) <USA> vs. Luis Henrique ‘Frankenstein’ de Silva (10-0) <Brasil> in a Light Heavyweight bout!

2. Kevin ‘King’ Casey (9-4, 2 NC) <USA> vs. Elvis ‘The King’ Mutapcic (15-4) <Bosnia and Herzegovina> in a Middleweight bout!

1. Marco Polo ‘El Toro’ Reyes (5-2) <Mexico> vs. Dong Hyun ‘Stun Gun’ Kim (13-7-3) <South Korea> in a Lightweight bout.

Ronda Rousey Had Knee Surgery

Source: MMA Fighting

Will former women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey help make history when the UFC puts on its first event at Madison Square Garden in New York City in November? According to UFC President Dana White, she won’t. In fact, she won’t fight in November at all. White says Rousey recently had minor knee surgery and her timeline for a return is being pushed back.

“Ronda Rousey, I don’t know,” While told ESPN’s Cari Champion on SportsCenter Thursday. “I’m hoping we’re going to get Ronda back this year. She actually just had surgery yesterday on her knee. Nothing serious, just get in there, scope it and clean it out a little bit. She feels great. Her spirits are great. She’s been training.”

According to White, however, November is out of the question. Rousey was originally expected for UFC 200 in July, but pushed back her timeline to October or November due to other commitments. Now, White said, her return is looking more like end of 2016 or early 2017.

“If she fights, I’m hoping she fights in December. If not, then he would probably fight at the New Years show at the beginning of the year,” White noted.

As for who she’ll face, White has remained consistent that Rousey will receive an immediate title shot upon her return. “If Miehsa Tate’s still the champion, she’ll fight Miesha Tate. Whoever has the belt is who Ronda Rousey will fight.”

White didn’t rule out the possibility of Rousey facing Holly Holm, who took Rousey’s belt in November of 2015, but said it would have to be a product of circumstance, not engineering.

“Injuries happen in this sport and a fight is made. Somebody falls out and somebody else slides in,” he explained. “I’m not even saying Holly Holm couldn’t be the champion by the time Ronda comes back. So, whoever holds that belt when Ronda’s ready.”

Dana White Denies Reports That UFC Is Up for Sale

Source: WrestlingINC

Darren Rovell of ESPN reported that the UFC was in “advanced talks” to sell the promotion. According to the report, at least four bidders have submitted offers to purchase the company, including WME/IMG, The Blackstone Group, China Media Capital and Dalian Wanda Group. It was noted that the winning bid will be in the $3.5 billion – $4 billion range, with the Chinese-based Dalian Wanda Group being in the lead. UFC President Dana White responded to the report, telling The Las Vegas Review Journal that the story is “overblown.”

“The UFC is not for sale,” White said. “The ESPN story is overblown. Darren Rovell is not a fan of facts. His facts could not be further off.”

Rovell responded to White on Twitter, writing:

Dana White Says Conor McGregor Isn’t Back On UFC 200

Source: WrestlingINC

A little earlier we mentioned that UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor posted on Twitter that he’s back on the UFC 200 card. 

UFC President Dana white says that it’s not true:

“It’s not true. We haven’t talked to Conor or his manager since the press conference. I don’t know why he would tweet that,” White told TMZ on Monday.

White is adamant that the UFC and McGregor are not pulling a publicity stunt in order to gain attention for the landmark UFC 200 event.

“All the media keeps asking me that. I feel like the scene in ‘Step Brothers’ when they ask if they can build the bunk beds. I don’t know how many more times I can say the fight is off or how many more press conferences I can have saying the fight is off for people to believe it’s off,” said White.

UFC is hoping for a Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier rematch for the UFC 200 main event, although the health of both fighters will determine if that happens.

Conor McGregor Says He’s Back On UFC 200

UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor posted on  Twitter early Monday morning announcing that he was added back to UFC 200 after being removed from the show last week for not fulfilling media obligations.

UFC 197: Jones VS OSP 4/23/16 Full Card

DATE: April 23, 2016
LOCATION: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

CARD

MAIN CARD (PPV, 10 PM EST)
INTERIM UFC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Jon Jones (#1) vs. Ovince St. Preux (#6)UFC FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson (c) vs. Henry Cejudo (#3)Anthony “Showtime” Pettis (#3) vs. Edson Barboza (#8)

Robert Whittaker (#8) vs. Rafael Natal (#13)

Yair Rodriguez vs. Andre Fili

PRELIM CARD (FS1, 8 PM EST)

Sergio Pettis (#15) vs. Chris Kelades

Carla Esparza (#2) vs. Juliana Lima (#14)

Danny Roberts vs. Dominique Steele

Glaico Franca vs. James Vick

FIGHT PASS PRELIMS (UFC FIGHT PASS, 6:30 PM EST)

Clint Hester vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima

Kevin Lee vs. Efrain Escudero

Ronda Rousey says she’s coming back to win the title for people who believe in her 

 http://time.com/4300091/ronda-rousey-time-100-video/

In an interview with TIME (that you can view above) the former UFC Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey talks about how she’s still grieving the person that thought she could win it all. She says that she has to accept that she’s not her, it’s just who she’d like to be, instead she’s who she needs to be for herself and everyone else.

It used to be that I would get out of bed with the conviction that I had to be better than I was yesterday. I guess these days its hope that gets me out of bed.

-Ronda Rousey

She compares herself to a cartoon and says that on some days not everyone is going to like what that cartoon does. She mentions that in her home she has a wall of encouraging letters from fans talking about how much she’s helped them, Rousey says now they’re helping her.

Rousey says she imagines touching her stomach one day and feeling the metal there again. She says she’s coming back to win the title for people who believed in her.

Rousey fan are not the interview is an emotional one filled with positivity and in the mist of all the sad things happening lately this one made our day.