The UFC returns to the land of the rising sun this weekend with a card that has a little bit of everything for those in attendance as well as the viewers watching on TV. Headlined by a lightweight title fight between Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson, UFC 144 also has former Pride stars and several of the promotions top Japanese fighters.
UFC is back in Japan huh? I don’t see what the point is. Unless you’re holding a tournament with Sakuraba and Tank Abbott in the same weight bracket, I’m not interested in what’s going on in the land of the rising sun. Back in my day, the only reason you fought in Japan was to avoid an athletic commission. Who’s to tell two men they can’t fight with razor blades strapped to their foreheads? It boggles the mind it does. The men of old school MMA weren’t afraid of anything though, and you couldn’t keep them out of a thumb-tack filled cage if you tried. There are, of course, a few bad apples in the bunch though.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (32-9) wanted on the UFC 144 card in Japan and what once looked unlikely, is now going to happened. The former Pride star was briefly rumored to be facing Stephen Bonnar but he will in fact be facing the Ultimate fighter season 8 winner, Ryan Bader (13-2).
It’s the fight UFC fans have been calling for and, finally, UFC top dog Dana White has given those fans what they want. Following his unanimous victory over opponent Clay Guida at this weekend’s UFC on FOX, the UFC president confirmed that Ben Henderson will take on Frankie Edgar for Edgar’s lightweight belt in early 2012.
UFC President Dana White talked openly about wanting Yoshihiro Akiyama to drop down to 170 lbs. after being knocked out by Vitor Belfort at UFC 133. Having lost three fights in a row and being just 1-3 overall in the UFC will send the Japanese Judoka down to the welterweight division. He won’t be getting an easy fight though as he’ll be taking on the former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields at UFC 144.
With the disaster in Japan and the hard time the citizens of Japan are currently dealing with DREAM has put out a promo video with the message of “Let us entertain you!” Japanese born fighters Tatsuya Kawajiri, Shinya Aoki and Hiroyuki Takaya will all be fighting on this Saturdays Strikeforce card.
Last night kicked off Dreams 16th installment, a jam packed MMA card out of Japan that had some of the MMA elitist clogging up the late night twitter feeds. The event is showcased very differently from the big dogs like UFC, WEC, and Strike Force but is a visual masterpiece.
UFC on FOX 7: Henderson vs. Melendez Weigh-in Pictures
Due to a previously scheduled Arena Football game at the HP Pavilion, today’s UFC on FOX 7 weigh-ins were held less than a mile away at the California Theater. The small theater was completely filled with cheering fans and all the fighters they came to see made weight.
The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale Weigh-in Pictures
Amidst everything else going on, the UFC has themselves a busy day today with the UFC on FX 6 taking place in Australia and The Ultimate Fighter 16 finale weigh-ins. All 24 fighters made weight today for tomorrow’s event that will crown The Ultimate Fighter 16 welterweight winner.
UFC on FUEL TV 4 Weigh-in Results and Photos
SAN JOSE, Cal. – Still recovering from Saturday’s UFC 148, MMAValor.com was inside the HP Pavilion for today’s UFC on FUEL TV 4 weigh-ins. A few of the fighters would need to step onto the scale behind a towel but all 22 fighters on the UFC on FUEL TV 4 fight card made weight.
TUF Live Finale Live Results and Event Pictures
The long grind of the first live version of The Ultimate Fighter ends tonight at the TUF Live Finale in Las Vegas. Featuring 12 of the 16 TUF Live contestants, the 10 bout card will be headlined by an important match-up in the welterweight division between Jake Ellenberger and Martin Kampmann.
TUF Live Finale Weigh-in Results and Pictures
All the fighters for tomorrow’s TUF Live Finale were on weight as they stepped onto the scales inside the Pearl at the Palms. The 20 fighters, including 12 of the 16 TUF Live fighters will begin entering the Octagon tomorrow starting at 2:45pm PT / 5:45pm ET.
