The UFC Heads To San Jose For UFC 139
UFC 139 Heads To San Jose
Two powerhouses of the light heavyweight division will collide on Saturday, Nov. 19 for a chance to prove that they deserve at shot at the sport’s ultimate prize – the UFC world championship. Former PRIDE and STRIKEFORCE champion Dan Henderson returns to the Octagon at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. to take on former UFC light heavyweight champion and international superstar Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. The winner looks to earn a coveted shot at the UFC light heavyweight crown next year.
Plus, San Jose’s own Cung Le makes his UFC debut when he battles mixed martial arts legend Wanderlei Silva in middleweight action. In addition, Sacramento’s “The California Kid,” Urijah Faber takes on former world champion Brian Bowles in bantamweight action, while welterweights Rick Story and Martin Kampmann collide in a pivotal 170-pound bout. The loaded Nov. 19 card will also feature San Jose’s Kyle Kingsbury battling 205-pound star Stephan Bonnar.
“The UFC light heavyweight division is arguably the deepest division in the sport and Dan Henderson and ‘Shogun’ are fighting to prove that they deserve to be next in line for a shot at the title,” UFC President Dana White said. “Both of these guys want to earn the right to be called the best 205-pound fighter in the sport. These guys both have incredible power and I expect a great fight on Nov. 19.”
Fresh off a massive knockout victory over rival Forrest Griffin in August, former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) is as motivated as ever to reclaim the title. The 29-year-old, a Muay Thai ace known for being the only man to ever knock out Lyoto Machida, also owns victories over the likes of Chuck Liddell, Mark Coleman and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. In November, he hopes to add Henderson’s name to his list of victims and prove to the world that he is ready for a return shot at the belt.
“I’m very happy to have a chance to fight Dan Henderson, who is a legend of the sport,” Rua, owner of a 20-5 record, said. “His career speaks for himself, and to be able to keep fighting at a high level for so long speaks volumes about him as a fighter. This is a fight that could have happened long ago in PRIDE, and I’m very happy to have a chance to compete against him in such an important time in our careers. Every time Dan Henderson fights, much like me, he comes to fight and is always trying to finish, so I expect a very tough fight that the fans will love!”
One of the sport’s most accomplished stars returns to the Octagon for the first time since UFC 100, as former two-division PRIDE champion Dan Henderson (fighting out of Temecula, Calif.) begins his quest to capture the UFC light heavyweight title. The former STRIKEFORCE champion, who has won three straight, including a devastating knockout victory over Fedor Emelianenko in July, heads to San Jose on Nov. 19 with his sights set firm on Shogun. Henderson (28-8) believes a win at HP Pavilion will springboard him toward a chance to secure his first UFC world championship.
“This is a fight that the hardcore and old-school PRIDE fans have been waiting for,” Henderson said. “Shogun is a tough opponent and this is a fight that I’m excited about. The fans are in for an explosive bout.”
Hometown hero Cung Le (fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) makes his UFC debut on Nov. 19 in a familiar location – the HP Pavilion. The once-beaten former San Shou world champion has fought all eight of his professional mixed martial arts bouts at the building known as “The Shark Tank.” On Nov. 19, Le (7-1), who owns wins over the likes of Frank Shamrock and Scott Smith, faces the toughest test of his career when he battles mixed martial arts legend Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.). The 35-year-old former PRIDE 205-pound champion is known as one of the most fearless competitors to ever grace the cage. Owner of wins over Michael Bisping, Rampage Jackson and Dan Henderson, Silva (33-11-1, 1 NC) continues his quest at middleweight when he meets Le in his opponent’s backyard.
A pioneer in the lighter weight classes, Urijah Faber (fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) looks to earn another shot at the bantamweight crown when he locks horns with former 135-pound titleholder Brian Bowles (fighting out of Athens, Ga.). The 32-year-old Faber is fresh off a thrilling five-round war with champion Dominick Cruz. He believes a win in his native Northern California on Nov. 19 will secure him the rubber match he so highly covets. Standing in his way is the hard-charging Bowles (10-1), who has won two straight since dropping the title to Cruz in March of 2010. Equally hungry to earn another crack at the champion, expect the 31-year-old to press the action against “The California Kid” when the two meet in a pivotal bantamweight matchup.
At just 27 years old, welterweight Rick “The Horror” Story (fighting out of Vancouver, Wash.) has won six out of his last seven fights in the UFC en route to becoming one of the division’s hottest prospects. Now, the hard-hitting former collegiate wrestler meets proven veteran Martin Kampmann (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) in what is sure to be an all-out war. With memories of his Fight of the Year candidate with Diego Sanchez from March still fresh on fans’ minds, Kampmann (17-5), a 29-year-old Danish slugger, hits San Jose with a ton of steam. Owning wins over notables such as Paulo Thiago, Jacob Volkmann and Carlos Condit, expect “The Hitman” to come out swinging when he meets Story (13-4) at HP Pavilion.
Exciting light heavyweights Stephan Bonnar (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) and Kyle Kingsbury (fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) fight on Nov. 19 with the winner expected to move into the 205-pound title picture. The 34-year-old Bonnar (16-7) is a Carlson Gracie black belt known for his legendary fight with Forrest Griffin in 2005 that helped launch the UFC to what it has become today. Riding back to back wins over Igor Pokrajac and Krzysztof Soszynski, “The American Psycho” gears up for an intense battle with the 29-year-old Kingsbury (11-2, 1 NC), winner of four straight.
For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
Fedor Going To EliteXC?
EliteXC
MMA great, Fedor Emelianenko, was in talks to join EliteXC, but talks dwindled down when Fedor’s camp asked for an insanely amount of money. As EliteXC head honcho Gary Shaw puts it “nobody’s worth that price.” Check out the video below, courtesy of YouTube user fighthub.
Fan Made GSP Vs Condit Trailer
UFC 137: GSP Vs Condit
You just got to love these fan made trailers. YouTube user NickTheFace2 puts together an awesome video showcasing the UFC Welterweight championship bout between champion George St-Pierre and Nick Diaz replacement Carlos Condit. Condit is one dangerous striker with more than enough skill to dethrone the champ, however, whether he actually succeeds in beating St-Pierre is a different story altogether. Check out the video below and let us know what you think.
Jones & Rampage On Jimmy Kimmel
Jones and Rampage on Jimmy Kimmel
It’s not every day you see UFC fighters on one of the extremely popular late night talk shows. Jon Jones and Rampage Jackson appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to hype their upcoming bout, and I have to say, it was pretty entertaining. See for yourself and let us know what you think in the comments section.
Part 1
Part 2
UFC 135: Jones Vs Rampage Preview
UFC 135: Jones Vs Jackson
Jon Jones, the UFC‘s Light Heavyweight champion will make his first title defense against UFC bad boy and former champion, Rampage Jackson. Whenever Jackson is involved in a fight it is sure to be an exciting affair, and with the incredibly talented Jon Jones, this fight has all the fixings to challenge for the fight of the night. Also on the card is former UFC Welterweight champion and hall of famer Matt Hughes going up against the ever colorful Josh Koscheck.
Ring Girls Of The Year 2011 Nominees
Ring Girls Of The World Nominations
The Fighter’s Only World MMA Awards is under way and one of the more popular categories among men is none other than the Ring Girl of the Year. This year’s nominees is not spectacularly different than last years, but let’s face it, does anyone really care? Without further ado, here are the nominees for Ring Girl of the Year.
Watch Brittney Palmer – RawVegas.tv Girl of the Month on RawVegas.tv
BJ Penn Vs Nick Diaz Trailer
BJ Penn Vs Nick Diaz
Nothing gets you pumped for a fight more than a trailer, especially fan made trailers, just because you know a little bit of heart went into making it. This fan made trailer, courtesy of Youtube user Felya, is pretty decent and a great way to get you excited about the fight. BJ Penn meets Nick Diaz at UFC 137 on October 27th. Check it out and let us know what you think.
Brock Lesnar To Face Alistair Overeem At UFC 141
Brock Lesnar Faces Alistair Overeem at UFC 141
Brock Lesnar is finally scheduled to make his return to the Octagon in December at UFC 141 against none other than current (or former, depending how you want to look at it) Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem. Overeem has been in contract talks for quite some time and has finally emerged with a UFC contract and a blockbuster fight that he has been wanting since Lesnar’s days as the UFC champ.
Brock Lesnar has not fought since he lost his title to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121 in October of 2010. His planned return to the octagon against Junior Dos Santos was foiled by another bout with diverticulitis. Now that Lesnar is fully recovered and ready to get back to action, he faces an opponent that has a stellar record of his own.
Alistair Overeem was the reigning Strikeforce champion before he was cut by the organization for rejecting his scheduled fight against Antonio Silva in the semi-finals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand-Prix. He is also the reigning K-1 World Grand Prix Champion and the Dream Interim Heavyweight Champion, boasting wins against some of the most dangerous MMA fighters around.
This fight will be a number one contender match with the winner facing the winner of Cain Velasquez vs Junior Dos Santos and you better believe that this will be one very entertaining fight. Both fighters want to be the UFC Heavyweight champion and both fighters are going to go all out to get one step closer to that goal.
