Henderson Gets Title Shot

After being replaced by Vitor Belfort, Henderson got what he wanted, another shot at UFC Middlweight Champion Anderson Silva. This will be their second confrontation after Silva bet Henderson by a rear naked choke submission.

No announcement has been made on when the fight will happen, due to the unknown status of Silva after his upcoming fight against Forrest Griffin.

But what about Demain Maia and Nate Marquardt who meet at UFC 102, which was going to be the no 1 contender match for the Middleweight Champion? A title shot could still happen for the winner, but that will be quite a while until that happens.

Vitor Belfort Replaces Dan Henderson

Vitor after becoming a free agent has signed with the UFC. And that's just not it he will replace Henderson at the headliner for UFC 103 against Rich Franklin.

After the announcement of Henderson Vs. Franklin II, the feedback for the fight was not what the UFC expected. So why was the fight changed? Well numerous reasons including that Henderson wanted to stay at Middleweight and wanted a title shot against Anderson Silva.

So looks like the UFC picked just another free agent, after announcing Tito Ortiz coming back and now Belfort. Things are looking great, and the light heavyweight division seems to be getting better and better.

He's Back

Yes Tito Otiz is officially back with the UFC after giant speculations of his arrival back into the organization. This was announced in Dana's press conference today.

So far no debut has been made, with Oritiz wanting to fight by the end of the year, he may take on UFC hall of famer Mark Coleman, who is coming off a win against Stephan Bonnar.

So looks like Dana and Tito have got over their shaky past. Tito is a big name and still a great fighter I think it's great to see him back in the UFC.

Fedor Talks Still Going On

These past couple of weeks have been huge in the world of MMA. With Fedor Emelianenko being a free agent and non stop rumors with him I decided I would post this to get you up to date.

First off let me say that Fedor coming to the UFC in nearly impossible and I'm pretty sure by saying that it won't happen. He is just to tied in to the M-1 Global promotion, who are making ridiculous terms for a contract, a contract that will never be signed with the UFC, just decided I would give my opinion.

Anyway numerous negotiations are in effect not with just the UFC, but with other promotions probably Strikeforce. So far though no success has been made with a signing with the UFC. The only thing we have seen was Fedor being the "coverboy" for EA sports MMA Game, which Dana White banned any UFC fighter taking place in. So yes things are not looking good.

UFC Fight Night 19

The official maincard and undercard has been announced for the September 16th event. The event will be held in Oklahoma, the last time the UFC were there it was 1996, so it's been a while, and looks like they are coming back with a great card.

MAINCARD:

• Nate Diaz Vs. Melvian Guillard
• Gray Maynard Vs. Roger Huerta
• Chris Lytle Vs. Carlos Condit
• Tim Credur Vs. Nate Quarry

UNDERCARD

• Brian Stann Vs. Steve Cantwell
• Mike Pyle Vs. Chris Wilson
• Dan Miller Vs. Aaron Simpson
• Kyle Bradley Vs. Sam Stout
• Jeremy Stephens Vs. Justin Buchholz
• Steve Steinbeiss Vs. Ryan Jensen
• Mike Pierce Vs. Brock Larson

UFC with ESPN for the United Kingdom and Ireland

After numerous talks that UFC and ESPN were trying to make a deal, looks like it all came through. Officially the UFC will air on ESPN in the U.K. and Ireland. After losing their broadcaster Setanata Sports to financial problems, the UFC was looking for somewhere new and ESPN has answered the call. This is great news for fans over in Europe, so this way they will have a steady broadcaster, and enjoy the UFC.

Bonnar Wants Ortiz

Stephan Bonnar a UFC fan favorite is coming off an embarrassing loss to Mark Coleman, a fight he would like to forget about. So what's on Bonnar's mind? Well Bonnar like many of us has heard the news of the very possible return of huge former UFC superstar Tito Ortiz. And like many of us Bonnar is wondering if the return does happen who would Tito fight?

In a radio interview with MMA Junkie Bonnar really made statements on how he would love to have a match with Tito Ortiz. A big fight is something Stephan really needs, after losing four out of his six bouts.

So is Bonnar a candidate? Well for me no, I really don't see the UFC making a huge fight with Tito Ortiz and have Stephan Bonnar as his opponent. I still see Tito replacing Henderson in the headliner against Rich Franklin. So words for Bonnar from Aerosmith "Dream On".

A Signing From Affliction

Well after the Affliction fold looks like UFC got their hands on two heavyweight free agents. The two former Affliction fighters are Ben Rothwell and Chase Gormley, who were supposed to battle at Trilogy. This fight looks to still happen and might possibly take place in October at UFC 104. No contracts have been officially signed, but looks like it will all go well.

So Who Would Henderson Fight?

Well after the recent talk that Hendo will be replaced, by the possible return of Tito Ortiz at the main event at UFC 103, who will he fight?

Well with Affliction done promoting fights now, Middleweight fighter Vitor Belfort needs a home, and looks like that home just might be the UFC. Now the possible signing of Belfort is something that is way more closer to actually happening then the signing of any former Affliction fighter.

So looks like if all goes well with the signing of Belfort, he just might get a welcome back into the UFC, by Dan Henderson. Remember this is just a rumor, but look for this to be announced, because this is looking very likely to happen.

UFC 103 Headliner Might Fall Through

Well announced here on UFC Underground, there was a post on here saying that Dan Henderson was going to face Rich Franklin at the main event for UFC 103. Well the fight was officially announced by the UFC and everything was set up for it. But there has been some recent criticism on the fight, people in the MMA community saying they would rather see something else.

Well this may be possible now. Franklin left a post on his twitter page relating to saying that he heard the fight was pulled off the website, though he hasn't been contacted by the UFC.

Now rumors have been spreading that Henderson will be replaced but by who? Well many are speculating it will be Tito Ortiz. Hopefully this will be announced, because this is looking to shape up to be a way better main event. Will keep you updated.

Dana White Awarded "Sportsman of the Year"

Over the weekend Dana White was honored as the 2009 Nevada Sportsman of the Year. That was not all that happened this weekend. After the ESPN fund raising radio marathon they were able to donate over $250,000 for The Caring Place in Las Vegas.

The Caring Place is a non-profit organization that gives a helping hand to those affected by cancer and their families, by educating them and enhancing the way they live, while also providing free programs to help with conventional cancer treatment.

The donations were made through auctions on some great UFC items and packages. Also bidders could get a chance to co-host a radio segment with a UFC fighter in one package. White himself also donated $100,000 to the fund raising. It's great to see the UFC getting involved and God bless all those who participated in this great cause.

Kongo Against Mir

Looks like this may be a possible match on the UFC 107 card. Both men are coming off losses, Kongo losing to Vasquez, and Mir losing to Lesnar. A fight I sure want to see, and hope it does come through both men both said they are willing to take the fight, so will keep you updated when the fight is confirmed here at UFC Underground.

Ultimate Fighting: Fistful of Dollars

Yeah pretty sweet title. Anyway CNBC who has in the past reported on the UFC is doing another documentary on the organization. It has been 2 years since their first reporting, and the UFC has grown even more. The program will discuss the UFC's rapid growth, plus still finding success in a terrible economy, and insights from UFC fighters, and an examination on Dana White.

So the documentary will take place on July 29th at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CNCB, be sure to check it out. And I will be sure to give my opinion on the program after viewing it.

Affliction Back With UFC

After all the buzz of Affliction closing down all fight promotions, it is true. They have stopped promoting and scraped their upcoming event on August 1st and have now become a sponsor again with the UFC, which Dana White is glad to see. This doesn't explain the contracts yet, but that should be announced soon probably at the press conference.

Huge News for the UFC

Lots of buzz has been going around for UFC, with Affliction becoming a UFC sponsor and pretty much folding, to the possible return of Tito Oriz, and a possible ESPN deal. With so much going on, and oh yeah did I mention Affliction closing down meaning all those fighter's contracts are on the table, and the one that only really matters Fedor's, Dana White decided to hold a press conference on hopefully July 31st. Can't wait to see what will be announced, and you know UFC Underground will be keeping you up to date on what will happen.

Tito Ortiz Coming Back?

Well the long time free agent, and former UFC fighter, might just be coming back where he started. Dana White, who in the past had a strained relationship at best with Ortiz, is saying negotiations are in effect for Ortiz. Hearing this made my jaw drop, and to think Dana White would even be talking with Tito let alone try and give him a contract is mind blowing. Tito has been missing from MMA action since 2008 in a loss to Lyoto Machida, plus he has had recent back surgery. Well just wait and see what will happen next, stay tuned in at UFC Underground to see what will happen next.

UFC 101 and Weighin

Well UFC 101 is right around the corner, man feels like yesterday I was watching UFC 100, wow summer is going fast, anyway decided to list the matches that will be taking place at UFC 101 on the main card. Also the weighins will be taking place on August 7th at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.

• B.J. Penn Vs. Kenny Florian
• Forrest Griffin Vs. Anderson Silva
  
• Amir Sadollah Vs. Johny Hendricks
  
• Kendall Grove Vs. Ricardo Almeida
  
• Josh Neer Vs. Kurt Pellgrino
  

UFC Upcoming Events

Lot of posts on the blog of various PPV and non PPV events happening, so thought I would list some that should end the year out.

• UFC 101 at Philadelphia on August 8th (PPV)
• UFC 102 at Portland on August 29th (PPV)
• UFC Fight Night at Oklahoma City on September 16th (Spike)
• UFC 103 at Dallas on September 19th (PPV)
• UFC 104 at Los Angeles on October 24th (PPV)
• UFC 105 at the U.K. on November 14th (Spike)
• UFC 106 at Las Vegas on November 21st (PPV)
• TUF 10 Finale at Las Vegas on December 5th (Spike)
• UFC 107 at Memphis on December 12th (PPV)

And the Main Event for UFC 105 is.........

Well many are saying it will be a bout between Wanderlei Silva and Michael Bisping. So far nothing is official yet, but negotiations are happening and many think a statement will be made in the upcoming week.

This will be Silva's first match in the middleweight division, and is looking to come out victorious after losing 5 out of his 6 latest matches. Looks to be an interesting match, and can't wait to see how Wanderlei will look at the new division.

So far there are little details, but keep your eyes here to see any updates on this exciting main event.

Last Contract for Rich Franklin

Looks like there is another possible UFC fighter on the verge of retirement. Rich Franklin a very well respected, and liked fighter, looks to be in that group. The 34 year old former middleweight champion, just signed a six fight contract, that he is saying could possibly be his last contract.

Franklin mentions in an interview with MMA Junkie, that he was hoping for some time off, and really misses being home with the family, and not being on the road. Well looks like he is getting barely any time, with the now announced UFC 103 rematch main event fight with Dan Henderson. Franklin says that he was not the one that asked for this fight, but was asked from the UFC to take part in it.

Rich says he really doesn't see his age as a problem right now, feeling no problems yet and moving and training like regular. Let's just hope his last couple of fights are really something.

So is Kimo Leopoldo Dead or Alive?

Well waking up today, I noticed that there were a lot of posts going around the MMA forums saying that Leopoldo died of heart complications from a heart attack. This did not come as a huge surprise to me due to his past with performance enhancing drugs, and a destructive lifestyle.

Then later in the day, I saw posts that Leopoldo was actually still alive. At that point I was totally confused. Leopoldo's publicist and attorney confirmed that Leopoldo was alive, and so did Leopoldo himself at the Orange County Sheriff's department in a press conference putting an end to the rumors. So I must say this must be a weird experience for Kimo, I mean waking up and seeing everyone say you are dead, odd.

Kimo is a veteran in UFC, fighting at his first bout at UFC 3 against Royce Gracie. Not known for his training in MMA, but more as a brawler from off the streets. Not having a successful career he has fallen out of the spotlight as being a athlete, but getting more attention due to his drug habits, including his recent arrest for marijuana possession.

UFC 102 Announced Maincard Matches

With UFC 102 on its way, I decided to post the announced maincard matches. Looking to be a great card with Randy Couture and Noguiera fight. Look for this exact post when matches are announced or changed. This is only the maincard matches.

• Randy Couture Vs. Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera
• Thaigo Silva Vs. Keith Jardine
• Jake Rosholt Vs. Chris Leben
• Demian Maia Vs. Nate Marquardt
• Krzysztof Soszynski Vs. Brando Vera

Bisping at UFC 105

So Michael Bisping is in the news after being knocked out by Henderson at UFC 100. He wants a top middleweight fight at UFC 105, and then wants a rematch with Henderson saying he was not at his best in Vegas at UFC 100. Also looks like the winners of the Ultimate Fighter (Ross Pearson & James Wilks) that Bisping coached will also take fights at UFC 105.

UFC 103 Announced Matches

Well after the announcement of the Henderson Vs Franklin fight, let's see what else UFC 103 has to offer us. Looks for this exact post that will be edited when new matches are announced.

• Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin
• Mirko Cro Cop vs. Junior Dos Santos
• Martin Kampmann vs. Mike Swick
• Frank Trigg vs. Josh Koscheck
• Hermes Franca vs. Tyson Griffin
• Cole Miller vs. Efrain Escudero
• Jason Brilz vs. Eliot Marshall

UFC 103 Franklin Vs Henderson

So UFC 103 will be held at Dallas, Texas on September 19 at the American Airlines Center, UFC is returning to Texas since UFC 69. So we have heard of some matches that were going to be included in the event like the no 1 contender match for the welterweight title between Swick and Kampmann, but weren't informed of a headliner.

Well the wait is over and the headliner is announced. At UFC 103 Rich Franklin Vs Dan Henderson II will take place. At their last match Henderson was the one victorious in a split descion. No clarification has been made at what weight the fighters will battle at, but nonetheless its still a great announcement.

Franklin has been in the MMA News recently due to a contract. There have been rumors going around that he was going to take part at UFC 103, due to only having one fight left in his contract. So he is looking to make a deal with Dana White, before his next fight, but since this fight has been announced look like something was worked out. This is a fight Franklin has been hoping for, ever since his controversial split descion loss.

Henderson on the other side is not to excited about the match. He thinks that he deserves another shot at Anderson Silva's title, but that won't happen due to Anderson's fight against Forrest Griffin. So Henderson is coming off a K-O victory over Michael Bisping and looks for a win off Franklin, and then after that it is very possible for a shot at the title.

Plus the return of Cro Cop will happen, and he will be set to battle Junior Dos Santos.

John Fitch in a Dilemma

Things are going good so far for John Fitch. Scoring a nice descion over Paulo Thiago, he is climbing back up the ranks of the Welterweight division. In the past he has had a shot at the champ(GSP), but was beaten in a unanimous descion.

So does he have a shot once again? Well first Swick and Kampmann get their shot at the title in their no 1 contender shot for the Welterweight title. But then what, who is after them? Well John Fitch is probably that guy.

There is a problem though. Mike Swick is a teammate of John Fitch, and Fitch has no means of fighting him. So what if Swick goes all the way, and wins the title? Well Fitch says he will not fight him. I think this is very respectful of Fitch, something Brock Lesnar should look at.

Fitch did say though he does want to fight GSP again, and I would love to see that.

GSP's Injury

Well anyone who watched UFC 100 was aware that GSP injured his groin. But know one knew how severe it was, by looking at Georges though it did look like it was causing terrible pain. So how bad is it? Thankfully not as severe as most of us thought. After a MRI test it looks like no surgery will be required. So after a brief rehabilitation Georges will be training in the gym.

Who will be next for GSP?

So as we saw at UFC 100 GSP dominated his opponent highly ranked Welterweight opponent Thaigo Alves. So who can compete with GSP? Well its hard to get somebody in the Welterweight division that is at his level.

So who would you pick? Well Joe Silva has two guys in mind. Those two men are Mike Swick and Martin Kampmann. These two guys will compete in a match to determine who is the no 1 contender for Georges' title. The match is looking to be fought at UFC 103, and both men have a lot to prove.

First off Mike Swick. Swick in on a four match winning streak, and his latest has been his TKO victory over Ben Saunders. Swick thinks he deserves a big fight even going so far to call out Matt Hughes. So does Mike Swick deserve a fight like this? To me yes he has a pretty nice streak going and had an impressive win over Saunders.

Then last in Kampmann. He is now on a two fight winning streak after making his step down to Welterweight. Those two wins were against Carlos Condit the former WEC champion, and a TKO victory over Alexandre Barros.

This should be a very aggressive fight, both men are wanting to make it huge and get there breakthrough shot and take on the champ. Will have to wait and see, and maybe have to wait for a while due to GSP's groin injury and him wanting to take some time off.

What's next for Frank Mir?

So Frank Mir is coming off a devestating loss over Brock Lesnar. It was not the comeback that everyone thought it was going to be, by not barely even doing any damage to Brock. So he said he will continue to fight, which I think he should still. The one problem I see with Frank is his game plan going into a fight. When he took on Brock the first time his misjudged him by thinking he was going to stand up with Brock, but the fight went to the ground and he was able to get a knee bar to end it. That did not happen this time. Frank thought the same thing this time that it was going to be a stand up war, but again he misjudged him and the fight was on the ground. So Frank plans on maybe gaining more weight, but to me that doesn't solve his problems.

So whats next for him? Well many people say he will take on who ever the winner is of the Couture Vs Nogueira fight at UFC 102. To me if he took on any of those guys it would still make for a hell of a match. But does Frank really deserve this match? He did have this terrible loss, but I think he does deserve this fight, and after that one more run for the title.

Brcok Lesnar Apology

So Brock Lesnar apologizes for his antics after UFC 100. Brock came out victorious, but didn't act like a champion, by bashing the Bud Light sponsorship, and giving the crowd the finger in true WWE fashion. So he comes out and apologizes, but only after Dana White confronted him on it. So first off good for Dana White. I'm glad he made Brock apologize, but was Brock's apology true? To me a little bit, but the fact that he said he didn't hate Frank I found completely false. So I guess will see if this behavior continues. The video below is the Brock Lesnar apology.

UFC 100

Well after counting down the days and then the hours UFC 100 has come and gone. It was the card everyone was talking about, but did it live up to all the hype? To me I don't think it reached all the hype, but it was still an amazing PPV.

First off the match that started the night: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan " The Talent " Belcher. This was Akiyama's UFC debut, but he is no stranger to MMA. He fought in K-1, and DREAM. So this was my first time ever seeing him fight and I must say I was impressed. He took on Alan Belcher in a hell of a fight. It was a close battle in the first round, both showing great skills. As the fight progressed it got even better, plus seeing Belcher use the cage as a push off for his superman punch was quite the thing to see. But Belcher was not able to put Akiyama away, who remained tough as nails throught the fight. So time has expired and it comes to a descion. Lets jsut say Alan got robbed and Akiyama got a very lucky victory.

Next fight was the one I was looking very forawrd to and it was between the coaches of the Ultiamte Fighter, Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping. So of course I'm rooting for Henderson in this one, and let me tell you probably the greatest fight of the night. Bisping gets through the first round, but kept making a very risky mistake by circling into Henderson's massive right hand. He was lucky enough not to get tagged in round one. His corner preached to him not to circle into his right hand. Well round two is underway and eventually Bisping falls into that same trap, but this time there was no escape. Henderson connects and knocks Bisping to the ground and then puts the kabash on it with a diving punch. Wasn't surprised to see Henderson win, but how huge the K-O was did.

Alright next was the co-main event between GSP and Thaigo Alves. Surprisingly I wasn't that pumped for this one. I think I was just looking to forward to the real main event. Not a groundbreaking fight, but wasn't too bad. All you really need to know about this fight was that GSP plain out dominated. Don't get me wrong Alves is a great fighter, but GSP is just in his own league when it comes to the welterweight division. His takedowns were textbook and Alves had no answer for GSP. He won in a dominat unanimous descion, but did pull his groin in the process. I was surprised to see how he fought through it, its a very painful injury and I was just astonished, becuase you would never know if he didn't say anything. So GSP retains his title, and more talk comes around of him moving up to Middleweight.

Well here it is the fight I was waiting to see all night. Mir Vs Lesnar 2 was coming. I am a big Frank Mir fan, first off and was gunning for him the whole time. Mir looked great coming into this fight he looked amazing, and without a doubt the best shape I have ever seen him in. He looked confident, but at the same time still had that fan favoirte charm to him. Brock comes out and just looks like he is in is own world. After waiting they are brought to the center of the ring. Mir puts his hands out to hit, but Lesnar just walks away leaving Mir hanging, just the tip of how unsportsman he is going to be tonight. The fight begins and they feel each other out, but eventually the fight goes to the ground. Lesnar locks Mir down, and it begins. He punches Mir with so much force, it is actually hard to watch. Mir keeps giving the thumbs up sign to his corner signaling he is alright. The round is over and Mir is already looking like the fight is over. Round two starts and Mir thows some strikes that shake Lesnar up a little bit, but after trying to land a big knee he is brought to the ground and its round one all over again. He strikes Mir with even more force and Mir can't defend himself and the fight is over. Lesnar cheers himself on and then gets in Frank's face and yells something to the effect of "Who's talking shit now." He talks about how he is the best and how bud light won't sponsor him, so he is going to drink Coors light. He gives the crowd the finger and says he is going to get on top of his wife. Hey sounds like WWE? At this point I am just disgusted. It was hard to sleep that night, becuase I was just so angry, and the image of poor Frank in my mind.

Well after all that the fight between Jon Fitch and Paulo Thiago was here. Mostly a grappling fight, that had numerous submission attempts. Fitch looked great showing better striking and some great ground game. He picked up the win by descion, and moves his way up.