UFC - Ultimate Fighting Championship (topic ufficiale)

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Upon returning to his Las Vegas office on Monday morning after a hugely successful UFC 124 event, company president Dana White has several items that will require fairly immediate attention. Among the most pressing is selecting coaches for the upcoming season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter.
The series is scheduled to begin taping in just a few weeks, and White admits he's late in picking the men who will lead two teams in competition and later battle it out themselves. Though he says the decision is far from made, he shared with us some possibilities for the job.

Among the pairs he named as possibilities were a duo rumored to be up for the job, MMA legend Wanderlei Silva and recently suspended Middleweight Chael Sonnen.

On Decemebr 2, Sonnen's suspension for using testosterone was reduced from one year to six months, making him eligible to fight in March. The show is scheduled to begin taping in January and the season-ending pay-per-view featuring the coaches is usually sometime in June, giving Sonnen a clear window to participate. However, coming off the suspension, the UFC might not opt to immediately give him such a high-profile role.

Anther possibility? UFC Bantamweights Miguel Torres and Urijah Faber.

Torres has a fight scheduled in February, a bout that would seem to preclude him from the taping schedule, but he could be pulled if the UFC sees more upside in having him on TUF alongside Faber in a fight MMA fans have been interested in for years. Admittedly, White has been so busy in recent weeks he might have forgoten about Torres' scheduled fight.

A surprising duo White mentioned was UFC Heavyweights Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar. The pair has already fought twice, splitting the series 1-1. There was talk of a rubber match recently before White backed off the bout. However, with the added push of TUF highlighting the intense rivalry between the pair, the fight would likely do a monster number on pay-per-view, a serious consideration in deliberations.

During fight week, White mentioned that he would be speaking with Lesnar's management on Monday regarding his future, though it seems possible the camera-averse former champion might have little interest in a job that requires six weeks in front of a camera. Mir, on the other hand, has already coached TUF, leading a team during season eight of the show.

After rattling off the possibilities, White admitted he was no closer to finalizing a pairing than he ever has been, saying it was one of his highest priorities on Monday.

"I really don't know what we're going to end up doing," he told us. "I've got a board with a list of things that need doing, and this is one of the big ones, but it depends on a lot of things. Here's the one thing I know: I have to make a decision really soon."

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Ok ma stiamo parlando di GSP e di un St.Pierre vs. Silva che potrebbe scrivere la storia delle MMA. E poi con tutto il rispetto per Okami o per Sonnen qui stiamo parlando di un fenomeno(in una diversa categoria di peso ok ma sempre fenomeno). Sul discorso di Shields concordo anche se Fitch ci arrivò 8-0 in UFC e non era male neanche quello...

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A Heavyweight bout between former champ Frank Mir (14-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) and "The Ultimate Fighter 10" runner-up Brendan Schaub (7-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is expected to take place in early 2011. Sources close to the event told us verbal agreements are in place for the fight.
The bout could take place at UFC on Versus 3 on March 3 or UFC 129 on March 19, though neither show has been officially announced.

Schaub vs. Mir likely will be a featured main-card fight on whatever card it ends up being a part of.

Mir is coming off an impressive third-round knockout of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic in the headliner of September's UFC 119 event. In the four fights prior, he alternated between wins and losses. A TKO victory over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (for the interim belt) was followed by a TKO loss to Brock Lesnar (a title-unification bout). He responded with a submission win over Cheick Kongo but then suffered a quick KO loss to Shane Carwin.

Since a loss to Roy Nelson at The TUF 10 Finale, Schaub has posted three consecutive wins in the Octagon. First came TKO wins over Chase Gormley and Chris Tuchscherer, and in October at UFC 121, he scored a dominating unanimous-decision win over Gabriel Gonzaga. A win over Mir could put him right at the top of the title picture in the Heavyweight Division.

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Ma davvero pensi che Belfort batta Silva?

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Io spero proprio di no comunque. Silva è un fenomeno e deve rimanere tale. Voglio la sconfitta per mano di qualcuno che abbia dimostrato in UFC di non essergli secondo, non contro Belfort, cha ha fatto si bene fuori ma in UFC sta campando di gloria al padre o di un sonnen che aveva comuqnue perso con Maia e si dopa FISSO ormai...

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Confermato: UFC da Rio De Janeiro il 27 agosto.

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During yesterday's (December 15) UFC press conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the man who won the first two editions of the famed tournament, Royce Gracie, hinted that he may not be retired just yet and if necessary, is ready to fight.

"I'm still thinking (on fighting in Rio). But I'm always training," he said laughing. "This return of UFC to Brazil touched me, made me feel the wish of coming back to the Octagon. Everything has being negotiated with Dana White. Let's wait and see."

Royce wrote his name in the MMA history books by finishing taller, stronger and heavier opponents using the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) taught by his father and mentor Helio Gracie. He won three out of four editions before continuing his career in Japan.
The Gracie family was fundamental to solidify the mixed martial arts. In the old days, members of the Gracie clan challenged athletes from other martial arts to prove the efficiency and superiority of their BJJ. Rorion Gracie founded the Ultimate Fighting Championship but the organization turned out greater after Zuffa purchased the struggling promotion and currently holds events in seven countries outside the United States.

Another Gracie, Renzo, is under contract and could also appear on August 27 fight card. Despite both legends being over forty (Royce is 44 and Renzo is 43), they still have appeal and respect from the fans and the UFC will make every effort to put on an attractive show for the South American fans.

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