Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I'd definitely take that bet with you...If they ever fight. I'm trying to stay optimistic but things aren't looking good for Fedor's arrival in the UFC.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Dan Lauzon and Rafaello Oliveira Sign With UFC, Square Off at UFC 103

Two more Affliction cast-offs have found a new home with the UFC, as lightweights Dan "the Upgrade" Lauzon and Rafaello "Tractor" Oliveira have signed with the organization, and will face each other in the Octagon at UFC 103 in Dallas in September. Jason Benfari at FiveKnuckles.com has the report:

A source close to the event has informed FiveKnuckles.com that Dan Lauzon will square off against long time B.J. Penn training partner Rafaello Oliveira at UFC 103 in Dallas, TX. The fight is expected to be announced by Dana White as part of a UFC press conference tomorrow.

Originally scheduled to face Chris Horodecki on the Afffliction card, Dan Lauzon (12-2, 0-1 UFC) will join his older brother Joe in the UFC's crowded lightweight division, marking the first time in UFC history that two brothers will compete in the same weight class. This will not be Dan's UFC debut either, as he faced Spencer Fisher way back at UFC 64 when he was just 18 years old. Although he lost to Fisher via first round TKO, he made history as the youngest fighter ever to compete in the Octagon. Since that loss, Lauzon has gone 8-1, and with first or second stoppages in all his victories.

Rafaello Oliveira (8-1) is a BJJ standout and a long-time training partner of UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn. Oliveira was slated to take on Takanori Gomi at Affliction and was seen in one of BJ Penn's recent video blogs as being clearly distraught over the cancellation of that fight. "Tractor" will finish helping Penn prepare for his title defense against Kenny Florian next week, before resuming his own training for the September 19th clash with Lauzon.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

All signs are reporting to UFC's announcement that is going to be made today will be confirming rumors that Tito is back and who and when his next fight will be along with touching more on the ESPN deal that was signed for the over seas market.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

He just doesn’t like doing laundry in public…

“There have been recent reports stating that talk between M-1 Global and the UFC regarding Fedor fighting in the UFC have ended. Like some of the other reports that have surfaced, this is incorrect. It is unfortunate that so much incorrect information has been leaked to the public. It is M-1’s preference not to negotiate in public and we are unsure why people claim that Fedor and M-1 turned down a six fight, $30 million contract to fight in the UFC when no such offer was ever made. Even though Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White did not meet with Fedor in person on Tuesday, they were represented over the phone. Outside of representatives of the UFC and M-1, no other company was represented during our negotiations. Since we did not go to the media with details of the meeting and only responded to the erroneous reports, we are unsure how these reports started. It’s unfortunate because these type of tactics will not help ensure that M-1’s talks with the UFC are fruitful. M-1 Global is still interested in continuing to negotiate with the UFC and while we are fielding offers from other major promotions, nothing has been decided. It is our hope that the UFC will remain in active dialogue with us as we try to find ways for us to work together. All we are asking is that there is give-and-take in the negotiations and that they are not one-sided.”

-Vadim Finkelchtein, Co-owner and President of M-1 Global, issued a press release earlier today to reassure the mixed martial arts community that he’s not completely out of the Dana White business. Meanwhile, Fedor Emelianenko was shipped back to Russia without a new employer after the fall of Affliction and UFC fans will have to hope for other news coming out of White’s afternoon press conference to quell their insatiable hunger for UFC-related news. Tito? Vitor? Stay tuned…

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I'm finding it hard to care if Tito is back. There is plenty of good fighters at light heavyweight, and his last few fights in the UFC didn't do much for me. I'm just sort of.. eh .. bout him.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Vitor already signed to a new promotion in Brazil

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Maybe so, but he's one of the most popular fighters in UFC history and can carry a PPV on his back without a problem. Tito coming back, even in a gatekeeper role will still be huge. I have a feeling he'll get a lay up or two, fight a top contender, and maybe get one last run at the title. The problem is that 205 is so deep now and there are already numerous people in line that so it's going to be interesting. You have Shogun fighting for the title soon, then the winner of Rampage and Rashad will get a shot, then there's Forrest and you can't forget about Rich Franklin. All things are pointing towards a Franklin vs. Ortiz main event at 103 which will put one of them in immediate title contention in my eyes.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Press Conference Updates:
-UFC has signed Vitor Belfort and will be fighting Franklin at 103
-Dana said they tried everything to get Fedor but refused to co-promote. Said Fedor will never see a deal like this again.
-Tito is officially back long-term and will retire in the UFC. Tito: "Time cures everything. Dana apologized to me....It was about competition...financially I'm ok...Dana stuck by his word."
-ESPN and UFC signed a 3yr TV deal for broadcasts in the UK
-Tito: "If if fought in Strikeforce, who would I fight? I have no more pain in my legs, no more numbness. It's about competition. I expect to return in Nov. or Dec"
-Dana: "Tito will have ring rust. First fight back could be against Marc Coleman"
-Franklin vs. Vitor will be at 205.
-Dan Henderson is next in line for a title shot against Anderson Silva.
-Dana: M-1's going to "co-promote"? They're going to help US? "That **** probably works in Russia. Not here. Were coming to Japan, it can't be stopped"

Will update as it goes on.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

-Dana: "M-1's request is like Brett Favre doing a deal with a team saying "We're going be 50% partners"."
-Dana: "White: Everything that we thought was a sticking point we fixed, re: Fedor. As far as I know, deal breaker is co-promotion."
-Dana: "White: We were willing to make a deal at almost any cost, re: Fedor and M-1"
-Dana: "White: "we did EVERYTHING to make this deal happen. We didn't hold back on anything. We gave everything." Fedor doesnt want to fight the best."
-Dana: "White: I flew to Tito's house to do a deal with Tito. With Fedor, we gave EVERYTHING to make this fight happen."
-Tito Ortiz: "squashing beef with Dana actually more on his mind than returning to UFC."
-Dana: "I buried the hatchet with Atencio, Affliction personnel. I apologized to Bud Light, but "it all worked out in the end."
-Dana: "the deal that I said "would change the UFC forever" is "very close" to happening and NOT the Tito Ortiz deal."
-Dana: "Vitor's mentally and physically back. His contract was up and we were interested. Him and Rich is a fun fight."
-Dana: "if M-1 is ready to make a deal, they can call me right now. "I wanted this thing so bad. I was so confident this was going 2 happen"
-Tito: "I was close to signing with Strikeforce. Coker is an awesome guy, but there's no one for me to fight there."
-Dana: "if we get a network deal, "we're putting serious fights" on television. "It's going to be so awesome for the fans"

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Conference call ended a few minutes ago. I for one am very excited about Franklin vs. Vitor, even though after this fight at 205, Vitor will likely drop back down to 185. Love him or hate him, I'm pumped that Tito is back. The energy he brings and his popularity with fans both new and old will be nice to have back in the UFC.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Was Franklin always at 205? I was never big into him, so I can't even remember.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Rich started in the UFC at 205, then dropped to 185 and went on a tear holding the title for some time until Anderson Silva came into the picture and owned him 2x in a row. After that Rich moved up to 205 as a third fight with Silva wasn't going to happen and he didn't want to be Anderson's gate keeper. The only problem is that he still is Anderson's gate keeper. He fought Wandy at 195 to see if he could cut it at 185. Wandy drops to 185 and will now be a contender for Anderson. He fought Hendo at 205, who he lost to, which led to a fight with Bisping which, after todays press conference, resulted in Hendo getting a title shot. Now he's fighting Vitor at 205, who openly said he wants Anderson. If Vitor wins, he'll also drop to 185 to go for a title shot as well. Everyone Rich has fought above 185 since moving up in weight has dropped to 185 to go for the title. Rich should have stayed at 185 if he was going to just have the gatekeeper role that Dana told him he wouldn't. The whole point that Rich moved to 205 was because he didn't want to be a gatekeeper and he felt he could make a title run at 205.

In the end, I think Rich needs to be fighting legitimate 205 lb title contenders and stop fighting people that will do nothing for his career. How about Rich vs Jardine? Rich vs. Forrest? Maybe Luiz Cane or Thiago Silva? There is so much talent at 205 that for Rich to continue to be Anderson's gate keeper at 205 to determine if the guy he fights drops to 185 to make a title run is stupid. Don't get me wrong, I'm PUMPED for Vitor vs. Rich, but it makes ZERO sense for Rich.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

It's obvious from reading your post why this will never happen and Rich will continue as the gatekeeper...it makes complete sense! As we know this is not a feasible condition for UFC, we will probably see GSP fighting Rich at the 192.637 lbs catch weight! :r

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Just for clariification about Fedor's role in M-1. He is part owner.

"We made it clear that Fedor, now and forever is part, even part owner, of M-1 and those two cannot be separated, Raimond noted. If the rest of M-1 is excluded from any kind of deal, it makes the deal difficult." - Joost Raimond, CEO for M-1 Global

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Rich just posted on Twitter that the fight between him and Vitor will be at a catch weight of 195 per Vitor's request.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I'll take a foot in mouth for going on some bad info.
Good to know. As good as Fedor is I have to side with the UFC on this. M-1 wants to bring one fighter to the show but rake half the pot. They can go somewhere else and fans will know they are not putting forth the effort to fight the top guys. UFC's HW division has improved 10 fold and will be more stacked than others.

It's a shame as I still wanted to see Fedor vs Couture

For heavens sake, if Franklin is going to move to 205 then just let him fight guys in that division .

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Dang, I was half in jest with the catch weight thing...{sigh}

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

I'm looking foward to the Franlin vs Vitor fight. I hope Vitor kicks his butt after Franklin won a decision by back peddling against Wandy . It seems like Vitor should be an old guy because he has been fighting so long. He fought in UFC 12 for crying out loud. But he is only 32 and still in his prime right now.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Come on, should he stand toe 2 toe and play you punch me and I'll punch you. That's Wandy's game, not Franklins. Stick and move, hit the angles.

This should be a great fight. Vitor is looking pretty good and back on his game.

Re: Official MMA Thread
 

Agreed. Franklin would get KTFO if he stood and banged with Wandy, MANY have. I love Wandy, he's been one of my favorite fighters since the Pride days. It's a shame he gone downhill since coming back into the UFC, I had high hopes for him to come in and be a beast. Rich has always fought smart (for the most part. Trying to clinch with Anderson fights in a row was beyond stupid, but whatever, lol). Being a Cincinnati native, I gotta root for the hometown guy!

I'm excited to see Vitor vs Rich, probably one of the fights I'm looking forward to the most all year.