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UFC 148: Dana White Admits Silva vs. Sonnen 2 Almost Didn’t Happen

Leading up to the official announcement of Anderon Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II, Sonnen flatly denied that the fight was going to take place. Most dismissed this as typical Sonnen mischief, but according to UFC President Dana White, there was some tr…

“When we did the press conference down in Brazil, Silva hadn’t even agreed to fight him,” White said in an interview with MMAjunkie.com. “That fight wasn’t happening. I had them bring Anderson to the place where the press conference was, and we sat in a room for three hours fighting about the fight.”

It’s common knowledge that Silva is not a fan of Sonnen—the man who has been bombarding him with trash talk for over two years—and that, if given the choice, he would be defending his UFC Middleweight Championship against someone else.

“(Silva wants to fight) anybody but Chael,” White said. “He thinks Chael is disrespectful and doesn’t deserve a shot at this title at all. So leading up to the press conference, it was delayed an hour because I was fighting with him in my room.”

As is now known, White was eventually able to get Silva to sign the contract for a second Sonnen fight, which will take place on July 7th, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Though the champion is not keen on the idea of fighting him a second time, it’s hard to deny that Sonnen has earned a rematch based on the way he was able to dominate Silva the first time around, as well as his victories over Brian Stann and Michael Bisping since then.

“My philosophy is always, if you don’t like it, handle it in the octagon,” White said. “You can’t say a guy doesn’t deserve it because you think he’s mean. He definitely deserves the rematch. More than anybody. It’s true. He’s the only guy who’s ever come close to beating him in the UFC.”

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for everything UFC 148.

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a stand-up comedian.Check him out on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.

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UFC 148: Chael Sonnen Advocates Forfeiture to Stop Injury Bug

Injuries have been a persistent and consistent problem for the UFC in 2012—it’s no secret. Seemingly no card is set in stone, as many big fights and main events have been altered due to fighter withdrawal.The UFC’s No.1 contender in the middlewei…

The UFC’s No.1 contender in the middleweight division and the man slated to meet Anderson Silva in the main event of UFC 148, Chael Sonnen, thinks he has a solution to this problem.

“I think there should be forfeiture,” Sonnen—who maintains he would never withdraw from a fight—told MMAjunkie.com.

Though quick to point out it doesn’t make the most sense for MMA, Sonnen did note that forfeiture is standard in other sports.

“It’s not realistic with the architecture that we have, but we’re the only sport where you can just not show up,” he said. “Every event is set. The Super Bowl for 2015. The kickoff time, the venue – it’s set. If one team doesn’t want to show up, a Super Bowl champion will be crowned that day.”

Though Sonnen’s comparison is slightly flawed in that he is comparing a team sport with MMA—which is obviously an individual sport—he does raise an interesting point.

Elaborating on his initial comments, Sonnen expressed that he believes some fighters do not take the commitment of signing on for a fight seriously enough.

“My father was a plumber,” Sonnen said. “I would never disrespect him by not showing up to an athletic competition that has a maximum duration of 25 minutes. I hear guys talking, ‘I pulled a hamstring.’ What does that have to do with anything? That’s a button off of my shirt. ‘Aw, I broke a finger – button fell off my shirt, let’s sew this back on.’ What possibly does it have to do with walking across the ring and beating a guy up? It’s ridiculous.

“We have a Mike Tyson quote: ‘The military is at war right now. A soldier gets confronted on the battlefield. He doesn’t say, “Get on a scale. You know, I’m not feeling good, can we reschedule this a week from now?” That’s not real life, and if you give your word that you’re going to do something, you need to do it.”

With all the injuries happening lately, one has to wonder how it is affecting the UFC’s ticket and pay-per-view buys, as well as their ratings. However, Sonnen doesn’t seem to think the frequent injuries will affect the business side of the UFC.

“They still sell out shows,” Sonnen said. “Numbers are still great, and the roster is so deep that sometimes the replacement fights are better. So it’s not bad for business. I just don’t understand it. There’s so many fake tough guys in this sport. Man, you can get all the tattoos you want, and boast to everybody about how tough you are, but if you’re not willing to make that walk when they call your name, it doesn’t count.”

Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II is the second installment of an epic battle that took place way back at UFC 117. Silva walked away the victor, but Sonnen came much closer to beating the champion than anyone else in UFC history. At UFC 148, he will look to correct the mistake he made two years ago and finally capture UFC gold.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for everything UFC 148.

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a stand-up comedian. Check him out on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC News: Georges St-Pierre Back to Full-Time Training

It’s true!After more than a year away from the cage, long-time UFC welterweight champion Geores St-Pierre is finally back to training, after tearing his ACL in December.”I’m back in Montreal and full-time training! Already tried a few kicks …

It’s true!

After more than a year away from the cage, long-time UFC welterweight champion Geores St-Pierre is finally back to training, after tearing his ACL in December.

“I’m back in Montreal and full-time training! Already tried a few kicks – right knee is super strong…,” the champion tweeted.

It’s been a rough few months for the world of MMA from an injury standpoint, with several highly-anticipated fights being scrapped. However, GSP being back in the gym might just be the good news fans needed to lift their spirits.

Before the injury, GSP was scheduled to defend his title against Nick Diaz at UFC 143. He was subsequently replaced by his teammate at Jackson’s MMA, Carlos Condit. Condit would go on to win that fight, albeit with slight controversy, earning himself the UFC Interim Welterweight Championship.

Choosing not to defend his newly-gotten gold, Condit has been patiently waiting for GSP’s return. The title unification bout is expected to take place at UFC 154 at the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec.

The last time GSP fought was at UFC 129, headlining the UFC’s first event in Toronto, Ontario. The attendance for the event was a record-setting 55,724, and the champion took home a unanimous decision victory over game opponent Jake Shields.

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a stand-up comedian.Check him out on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 147: Are Brazilian Fans the Best in MMA?

The UFC was in Belo Horizonte for UFC 147, and, as is always the case when the UFC visits Brazil, the support from fans was daunting.This comes as no surprise, however. Many of MMA’s greatest fighters have come from Brazil, and the nation has a rich hi…

The UFC was in Belo Horizonte for UFC 147, and, as is always the case when the UFC visits Brazil, the support from fans was daunting.

This comes as no surprise, however. Many of MMA‘s greatest fighters have come from Brazil, and the nation has a rich history in combat sports.

During the UFC 147 preliminaries, UFC president Dana White posted a video of a line three miles long outside the arena—all fans hoping to get into the event.

This was a staggering sight to see, especially given that UFC 147 was widely regarded as one of the most underwhelming cards in some years.

Not only that, but the fans were incredibly enthusiastic throughout the event, there applause at times deafening.

The highlight of the night might have been the fans chanting, “It’s time!” along with Bruce Buffer before the main event.

UFC 147 served as the finale for the first season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, which was a big success. The first episode of the season brought in over 12 million viewers—numbers the American version of the show only wishes it could pull.

Indeed, it seems that Brazil can’t get enough of the UFC. When the promotion came to Rio de Janeiro, they opted to play it safe and do the event in an arena, as opposed to a soccer stadium.

This resulted in the show’s selling out in 74 minutes, leaving many fans unable to get tickets. Dana White later admitted that not doing the event in a stadium was a mistake.

Does Brazil have the best MMA fans?

It’s hard to say, but you’d be hard pressed to make an argument for those of any other country.

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a stand-up comedian. Check him out on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 147 Results: What’s Next for Mike Russow?

Mike Russow is known as a durable and willful fighter and has a reputation for persevering despite not being the most technically skilled guy around. His iron will allowed him an impressive 4-0 run in the UFC, but that momentum was brought to a screech…

Admittedly, the fight seemed like a bit of a rankings mismatch to begin with. Werdum was considered by many to be a top-five heavyweight and Russow, despite his winning streak, not even in the top 10.

From the moment the fight began, it was apparent that Russow had no business being in the cage with Werdum, who was able to thoroughly dominate the fight standing. Eventually, Russow got tagged with a big punch that put him in trouble and Werdum was able to follow up and finish the fight.

It was a tough loss, but given that it was a fight many believed Russow would lose, it doesn’t do much to damage his reputation. That said, Russow will still need to rebound well in order to ensure that he doesn’t lose all of his momentum.

So what’s next for the Chicago cop turned pro fighter?

Cast member of The Ultimate Fighter 10 Matt Mitrione makes a lot of sense. Mitrione is also one of the more promising prospects in the heavyweight division and is coming off his first UFC loss, a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Cheick Kongo.

Gabriel Gonzaga would be another good fight for Russow. Gonzaga was supposed to fight Roy Nelson at UFC 146, but was forced off the card with an injury and is currently without an opponent. The only issue might be that Gonzaga is coming off a win and the UFC likes to match winners with winners and losers with losers, when possible.

Pat Barry is another possibility. Barry is a popular fighter in the UFC’s heavyweight division and has a suspect ground game, which makes him a great opponent for Russow.

Regardless of whom the UFC throws at him, Russow needs to look impressive in his next fight. There are a lot of contenders emerging in the heavyweight division right now and Russow doesn’t want to be left behind.

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UFC 147: Rony Jason, 4 Fights for the TUF Brazil Winner to Take Next

It might not have been pretty, but Rony Jason walked away from UFC 147 as the featherweight winner for The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.Godofredo Pepey proved to be a confusing fighter to face, frequently charging forward with ridiculous looping punches an…

It might not have been pretty, but Rony Jason walked away from UFC 147 as the featherweight winner for The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.

Godofredo Pepey proved to be a confusing fighter to face, frequently charging forward with ridiculous looping punches and pulling guard on more than on occasion, only for neither fighter to mount much offense on the ground.

Indeed, it was an unusual fight, but one that all three judges agreed Jason won.

With the win, Jason is now a member of the UFC’s roster and featherweight division.

Here are five possible fights for him to take, now that he’s under the Zuffa banner.

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