UFC 150 Henderson and Edgar make weight; Guillard overweight

The main event of UFC 150 is set as lightweight champion Ben Henderson and challenger Frankie Edgar both successfully made weight on Friday. Henderson tipped the scales at 154.4 pounds while Edgar weighed in at 154.6 pounds.

The co-main event pits Donald Cerrone against former training partner Melvin Guillard in a lightweight clash. Cerrone successfully made weight at 155 pounds but Guillard missed it as he weighed in at 157.5 pounds. The fight will go on as planned but Guillard will be fined for coming in overweight.

UFC 150 Weigh-in Results

Frankie Edgar (154.6) vs. Benson Henderson (154.4)
Donald Cerrone (155) vs. Melvin Guillard (157.5)
Ed Herman (185) vs. Jake Shields (185)
Yushin Okami (185) vs. Buddy Roberts (184)
Justin Lawrence (145) vs. Max Holloway (145)
Dennis Bermudez (145) vs. Tommy Hayden (144)
Jared Hamman (184) vs. Michael Kuiper (185)
Ken Stone (135) vs. Erik Perez (135)
Dustin Pague (136) vs. Chico Camus (135)
Nik Lentz (145) vs. Eiji Mitsuoka (145)

Weigh-in Highlight Videos
Check out the highlight video featuring the weigh-ins, as well as, the staredown of the main and co-main event fighters. The face-off between Henderson and Edgar was tense while Cerrone and Guillard were all laughs.

UFC 150 Henderson and Edgar make weight; Guillard overweight is a post from: MMA Interplay UFC News

Source: http://www.mmainterplay.com/ufc-news/ufc-150-henderson-and-edgar-make-weight-guillard-overweight-59150/

Ricardo Almeida Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves Andre Amade

Trinidy Picks UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II

It’s time once again for another UFC event and, as always, Trinidy has a handful of thoughts entering the show including those pertaining to the fighters most likely to exit the Octagon with a win in tow. This time around the card is UFC 150 where lightweight champion Benson Henderson will make his first title-defense, putting the gold up for grabs against former divisional king Frankie Edgar.

The lineup also pits former teammates Donald Cerrone and Melvin Guillard against each other in what’s sure to be an exciting affair as well as features Jake Shields making his middleweight debut in the UFC after having previously held the belt under the Strikeforce banner.

Watch below to see who Trinidy has coming out on top in the featured bouts:

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2012/08/10/trinidy-picks-ufc-150-henderson-vs-edgar-ii/

Phil Cardella Roan Jucao Carneiro Shane The Engineer Carwin Jason Hollywood Chambers

Dana White reverses course, gives title shot to fighter with best performance Saturday

UFC president Dana White made a shockingly bad decision during a conference call Monday with mixed martial arts reporters when he said that the winner of Saturday's UFC on Fox 4 main event between Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Brandon Vera would get the next title shot.

Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who defends his belt on Sept. 1 against former Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson, has already crushed all four fighters who are competing on Saturday's card at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Ryan Bader meets ex-champion Lyoto Machida in the co-main event.

But it was Vera's so-so record that prompted outrage among media and fans. Vera enters Saturday's bout at the Staples Center 1-2 with a no contest in his last four fights. His best win at light heavyweight was over Krzysztof Soszynski.

When Jones was told on Twitter the Rua-Vera winner would get a title shot, he wrote, "Scratching my head." He wasn't alone in being perplexed by White's call.

So, late Monday, White changed his mind and opened the picture up. He said the fighter who looks the best on Saturday will get the title shot against the Jones-Henderson winner, giving Bader and Machida a chance, as well.

"When the fans speak, we listen," White said in a news release. "So whoever scores the best win, whoever gets the fans excited by going out there on Saturday and looking the most impressive, he will get the winner of Jones vs. Henderson. It is down to what these four guys do Saturday night in the Octagon. Winning isn't enough, they've got to win impressively. Any one of these four fighters can take things into their own hands and make a title shot happen."

Rua lost his title to Jones at UFC 128. Before the fight that day, Jones broke up a mugging, then went out and stopped Rua at 2:37 of the third in a stunningly one-sided performance.

Rua has gone 1-1 since, beating Forrest Griffin and losing to Henderson in what has been called the best fight in UFC history.

"I want the winner of Jones vs. Henderson," Rua said. "The fight I had with Henderson was a great fight, the fight of the year, and it was a very close fight. I am OK with that. It was a great fight. But the loss to Jones, I can't live with. I could have done so much better and I want to fight him again. First, though, I have to beat Brandon Vera and winning isn't good enough. I have to be very impressive, but that it what I have trained to do."

Vera took the change in stride. He has been upbeat and confident despite the naysayers who roared when he was put into a main event. White's announcement doesn't change much for him, because Vera has been saying all along he plans to win impressively.

If he does that, he'll make a very strong case for himself.

"Beating Shogun, and beating him the way I want, corrects all the mistakes I've made and wipes away all the bad performances," Vera said. "Beating Frank Mir is probably my best performance, but people don't realize that was nothing compared to what I do all the time in the gym. I'm going to show off what 'The Truth' really is on Fox."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/dana-white-reverses-course-gives-title-shot-fighter-141434320--mma.html

Allan Goes Takanori The Fireball Kid Gomi Akihiro Gono Gabriel Gonzaga

UFC 150's Frankie Edgar: Being the "former" Champ "doesn't feel right"

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

This Saturday night, for the first time since April of 2010, Frankie Edgar will enter the Octagon without the title of "UFC Lightweight Champion." It's a distinction he still hasn't gotten used to, and entering his rematch with Ben Henderson, it's something he'd like to remedy.

"It definitely doesn't feel right," Edgar said of not being the Champion in an interview with MMAWeekly.com. "Especially when people say 'former UFC World Champion.' You try not to put everything on world titles and what not, but being champ is nice."

"I think anybody that does anything, puts passion into what they do like myself, they want to be the best at it, and they want to be recognized as the best. Being a Champion you get all the accolades that come along with it."

He knows what it feels like to be held in that esteem, and he believes he's not yet done carving out his place in the sport's history. He wants to leave his mark, and he knows that holding the Title once again will help him do that.

"When you're the champ you're held in a different light, and that’s what I want," Edgar said. "I definitely want to leave my mark on this sport and the best way to do it is by being a Champion."

Penick's Analysis: This is a huge fight for Edgar. If he can reclaim his spot as the best lightweight fighter in the world, he'll become one of the most successful fighters in the UFC's history. He needs a decisive win over Henderson to re-stake that claim, but if history repeats itself that could be coming. After a draw with Gray Maynard he knocked him out in an immediate rematch. Before that, he had a massively convincing decision win over B.J. Penn after barely edging past him to capture the title in the first place. If he can turn around after a decision loss to score a convincing win, it will be as big a statement as he's made in the UFC.

[Frankie Edgar art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_14057.shtml

Ao Hailin Shinya Aoki Andrei Arlovski Ricardo Arona

UFC Champ Jon Jones signs with Nike for global sponsorship deal

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The sport of mixed martial arts is one driven by names, fighters who draw in viewers and excite fans around the world. Though names like Chuck Liddell, Rampage Jackson, Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, Anderson Silva, and Georges St-Pierre have all at times held appeal at the top of the sport, a mainstream star hasn't yet broken through.

St-Pierre has been one of the closest, netting deals with Gatorade in Canada, and several others have been big in regional markets, such as Silva in Brazil, but now one of the biggest endorsement deals in the history of MMA belongs to the newest rising star in the ranks: Jon Jones.

The 25-year-old UFC Light Heavyweight Champion has inked a global sponsorship deal with Nike, according to a report from MMAFighting.com, with an announcement expected within the week.

Jones will be featured in advertising for the sports apparel and lifestyle brand around the globe, will get his own signature line of products, and will be featured in Nike gear come fight night, beginning with his next Light Heavyweight Title defense on Sept. 1 at UFC 151.

Signing a deal with a company like Nike has been one of Jones' goals since reaching the pinnacle of the 205 lb. division, and he and his camp opted not to seek out sponsorships with typical MMA clothing companies in order to secure such a deal. He's not the first MMA fighter to be associated with Nike, either, as both Silva and Yoshihiro Akiyama have represented the brand in their home countries. However, Jones does become the first to be the global face of MMA for Nike.

Penick's Analysis: This is a huge sponsorship deal for Jones, and a big moment for the UFC as they have another star breaking out into the mainstream. Jones' skills inside the cage have been incredible to watch, and he continues to gain a bigger and bigger audience each time he fights. After breaking the 700,000 buy mark in April for his bout with Rashad Evans, it's not out of the question he hits the million buy mark against Dan Henderson on Sept. 1. If he has another typical performance, his star will be at an all-time high. Add in spots for Nike around the world, and he has the opportunity to quickly become a closer-to-household name than any fighter the UFC's had on their roster.

UPDATE: Jones confirmed the news on Twitter, writing "Blessed to be signed by the biggest sports apparel company in the world #NIKE Dreams do come true."

[Jon Jones art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_14071.shtml

He Peng David Heath Delson Heleno Dan Henderson

Cub Swanson scheduled for fight with Charles Oliveira at UFC 152

A bout sure to have impact on the UFC featherweight contendership picture has been booked for the organization’s upcoming visit to Toronto, as promotional officials have confirmed Cub Swanson is set for a showdown with Charles Oliveira at the September 22 show. Swanson and Oliveira have both won their last two bouts with each instance of success involving sensational stoppage.

Swanson-Oliveira join a UFC 152 lineup already featuring fights between Michael Bisping-Brian Stann, Rory MacDonald-BJ Penn, and Demetrious Johnson-Joseph Benavidez (the latter of which is for the company’s inaugural flyweight championship).

The 17-5 Swanson’s recent run of success involved TKOs of George Roop and Ross Pearson. The victories brought his total tally of finishes to thirteen with seven of the stoppages involving a submission.

A Closer Look at Swanson’s Pummeling of Pearson

Oliveira, a 22-year old Brazilian who has yet to be beaten at 145 pounds, is also no stranger to ending his adversary’s evening before scorecards come into play. His previous two pairings resulted in submission wins, including one over TUF 12 winner Jonathan Brookins, and he’s only gone the distance a single time in his career.

PHOTO CREDIT – WEC

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Source: http://www.fighters.com/08/02/cub-swanson-scheduled-for-fight-with-charles-oliveira-at-ufc-152

Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama

Chael Sonnen: Il fight him at a "Grudge Weight"

Quote:

Former UFC middleweight title-contender Chael Sonnen recently revealed he is headed for a new weight class. Sonnen, who lost to Anderson Silva in his quest to become champion last month, had been rumored to be pondering a move to light heavyweight. While he didn’t quite say he’s headed to 205 pounds, it looks like Sonnen is planning on definitely going north of 185. “It’s not ‘catch weight’ it’s a ‘grudge weight.’ I’ll fight him at a GRUDGE WEIGHT OF 200lbs,” Sonnen wrote on Twitter. “I don’t care about him enough to cut to 185.” Interestingly enough Sonnen did not actually name the individual being referred to in the statement though many believe the obvious choice is Wanderlei Silva. He and Sonnen have taken numerous shots at each other through various forms of media over the past few years. Silva has been competing at middleweight for a few years now but has also bounced around at light heavyweight during his long career and recently fought Rich Franklin at a catch-weight of 190 pounds. http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2012/08/...-his-opponent/

hmm i wonder who...

Wanderlei,Rampage,Rodrigo,Machida

These are all guys you can call a "Grudge match" with. Obviously some make more sense then others because of obvious factors. :confused02:

(Like Machidas title shot, Rampage has an opponent, etc)

Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/ufc/104194-chael-sonnen-il-fight-him-grudge-weight.html

Royce Gracie Royler Gracie Ryan Gracie Peter Graham