Topps is bringing its popular TOPPS NOW™ program to the UFC beginning with UFC 200. The Topps.com-exclusive product will showcase amazing bouts and top moments. The physical trading cards will be available for a pre-sale for UFC 200 starting today.
The cards will feature the winners of the big fights, including two championship bouts. UFC 200 is the ideal time to launch TOPPS NOW UFC with the caliber of fights on the docket, including Daniel Cormier vs Jon Jones, Meisha Tate vs Amanda Nunes and Brock Lesnar vs Mark Hunt.
“UFC is the perfect fit to incorporate into the TOPPS NOW program immediately,” said Jeff Heckman, Director, New Product Development and eCommerce Marketplace. “Every weekend there are great fights happening; we have seen a number of title changes over the last several months. TOPPS NOW is the best way to capture these moments and give UFC fans a collectible they will treasure.”
Topps has a number of initiatives planned for UFC fans to participate in and enjoy. The Fan Expo will take place from July 8-10 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Among those are Promo Cards, Make Your Own Card, Topps UFC Knockout digital cards and a variety of other UFC cards available at the Expo.
Daniel Cormier, a two-time Olympian in men’s freestyle wrestling and current UFC light heavyweight champion, will serve as the Honorary Chairman of the 2016 World Cup of Freestyle Wrestling, set for The Forum in Los Angeles, June 11-12.
Cormier will be supporting the promotional efforts for the World Cup (wrestlingworldcup.com) and encouraging the public to come out to see the action, which will feature the top eight men’s freestyle nations in action.
The U.S. World Cup team will include all six of the 2016 U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestlers. Many of the other nations will also include their 2016 Olympic athletes on their rosters.
“It is a great opportunity. You get to see guys in the final stages of their preparation. During off-Olympic years, you may get to see guys who are not peaked. This is in the phase of when they are peaking for the Olympic Games, two months before the competition. The foreign wrestlers will also be in peak condition. Not only will you get to see our guys at their best, but you get to see them competing against some of the best wrestlers in the world at their peak. It is very rare that we get that kind of opportunity here in the United States,” said Cormier.
This is the third straight year which the World Cup has been held in Los Angeles and hosted at The Forum. Cormier joins two other former wrestlers and major public figures who have served as Honorary Chairman of the World Cup.
In 2014, award-winning actor Billy Baldwin was the Honorary Chairman. In 2015, Stephen Neal, a World champion wrestler and three-time Super Bowl champion with the NFL New England Patriots, served as the Honorary Chairman.
Cormier had a successful career in international freestyle wrestling. He was a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team, which competed in Athens, Greece, as well as the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, which competed in Beijing, China. Cormier placed fourth at the 2004 Olympic Games. He was a 2007 World bronze medalist and placed fifth in the 2003 World Championships. He wrestled on six straight U.S. World or Olympic Teams, and won six straight U.S. Open national titles.
Cormier, who follows international wrestling closely in spite of his busy schedule as a UFC athlete and a television commentator, is excited about the U.S. team which will compete at the World Cup and at the Olympic Games.
“We have an amazing team this year. A chance to see them live is something you can’t get back after it’s gone. We have one of the better Olympic teams that we have had in a long time,” said Cormier.
A native of Lafayette, La., Cormier was a two-time NJCAA Junior College national champion for Colby CC in Kansas. He went on to Oklahoma State, where he placed second in the 2001 NCAA Div. I Championships, competing for two-time Olympic champion John Smith.
The 37-year-old Cormier trains at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose alongside fellow UFC standouts such as Cain Velasquez and Luke Rockhold. Since moving to California, he has been impressed by the quality of the wrestling and the culture of the sport in the state.
“Wrestling in California is huge. The state championships draws massive numbers. I have a youth wrestling club, and every weekend, we wrestle in massive tournaments. The kids get to wrestle five, six times a weekend. In the LA area, this is a big deal, for people to be able to see wrestling at such a high level. The last time I was at the World Cup at the Forum, it was amazing. You can feel the history of the building. The team went out and had a fantastic performance. It will be a big crowd. People should not miss this opportunity to see the best in the world,” said Cormier.
Cormier won a silver medal at the 2005 World Cup which was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
“It is the history of the event that make it special. It dates back as far as I can remember. Some of the greatest American wrestlers have won the World Cup. It is a very prestigious event. The World Cup is different than other international events. It brings you back to your days in high school wrestling and college wrestling when you wrestle in dual meets. Your result directly affects the team and its ability to win. I only wrestled in one World Cup, with six years on the World Team and eight years on the national team. It was a great experience,” said Cormier.
He is excited that wrestling, his favorite sport, will be showcased once again in Los Angeles, the U.S. bid city for the 2024 Olympic Games. Having been on two Olympic teams (2004 in Athens and 2008 in Beijing), Cormier would to see the Olympics hosted in the United States once again.
“LA right now is a great sports city. The World Cup will show that Olympic sports can draw people. We have not had an Olympics in LA since 1984. If the Olympics go back to LA, it will be great. LA is a huge city, a sports city. The people in LA would love it. This is a chance to show that the city can host an Olympic-level competition and be successful. Los Angeles is so diverse. You have everybody in Los Angeles. You have a ton of different cultures in the LA area,” said Cormier.
Cormier has excelled in his Mixed Martial Arts career, compiling an impressive 17-1 record while competing at heavyweight and light heavyweight.
Cormier will not be able to attend the World Cup this year due to training. Cormier is currently preparing for the UFC light heavyweight title fight against Jon “Bones” Jones at UFC 200, which will be held in Las Vegas, Nev. on July 9. This is a huge fight, as both of these former wrestlers have held the UFC title belt during their careers. Jones beat Cormier in their only previous battle by decision, a title match during UFC 182 on January 3, 2015.
“Preparation is going great. I have had Ed Ruth in training camp to wrestle, Deron Winn in training camp to wrestle. I’ve got a kid from Iowa State coming in to wrestle also. I am wrestling with the best guys I can find to emulate Jon Jones. (Khadjimurad) Gatsalov of Russia was the best wrestler I ever wrestled, but he didn’t have the type of style and the funky ability of Jones. Ed Ruth is a wiry, tricky wrestler. I am bringing in guys who can give me that feel. I was outwrestled the last fight. He pushed me against the fence and took me down two or three times. That is not happening again,” said Cormier.
Cormier has helped with the World Cup in Los Angeles in the past, serving as the Honorary U.S. Team Captain in 2014, sitting with the team mat side and providing support to the athletes and coaches.
The World Cup is the annual international dual meet championships, as the eight best men’s freestyle teams will compete against each other. At the 2016 World Cup, the United States will be joined by (alphabetically): Azerbaijan, Georgia, India, Iran, Mongolia, Russia and Turkey. Lineups for the other seven teams in the World Cup will be announced shortly.
The United States is slated to face Iran, Azerbaijan and India in Group B competition. Russia headlines a tough Group A pool that also includes Georgia, Turkey and Mongolia.
Attendees can purchase tickets for the popular international competition through Ticketmaster.
FREESTYLE WRESTLING WORLD CUP SCHEDULE
Saturday, June 11
Session I – Round 1 & 2 of Pools (3 p.m.-7:30 p.m.)
Sunday, June 12
Session II – Round 3 of Pools, 5th & 7th Place Matches (11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.)
Session III – 3rd Place Match, followed by 1st Place Match (5 p.m.-7:30 p.m.)
General admission for both the Saturday and Sunday sessions are just $60 total or $35 for individual days. Preferred seating options are available for $85 for both Saturday and Sunday, or $55 individually.
Those who know me personally would all say I am a mellow individual, until you seriously cross me, like, for instance, if you become the subject of an investigative report I’m working on, or sue me for $25 million. Sometimes I may take things like that as a sign you might not want me to really find out who you are and what you do behind closed doors to screw hard working people over.
This week, a certain individual who won’t even let me follow him in Twitter (https://twitter.com/danawhite) pissed me off to the point where I could only think of one thing to do. Because I’m officially blacklisted in every possible way by the UFC brass, and have even had restraining orders placed against my directly contacting the Fertittas and ANY UFC fighter, my best option is to publish a drastic diatribe here I am just going to call my “OPEN FU” to Dana “Effing” White.
I’m sure Mr. White will not take my calls or subject himself to a one on one interview with me. So, I will have to settle for a written FU…and a multi-tiered and multi-purpose FU.
FU, Dana “Effing” White… for many, many reasons…too many for one small blog post to do justice, but let’s just say Most of all FU….
For what you THINK you know about Holly Holm…
Hey, Dana, you wanna talk about your “effing” reality show “Looking For a Fight????” I was actually looking for a fight when I watched that old reality “shit show” when you were supposed to box Tito Ortiz, but HE magically backed out at the last minute.
Now, you, DANA “EFFING” WHITE, are telling Holly Holm about a decision YOU think she didn’t think through enough??? And now you act like someone pissed in your Wheaties because you have two upset wins at UFC 196 to work around and figure out how to make sense of somehow.
Boo “effing” hoo, buddy.
Welcome to how things don’t go as planned sometimes in the fight business, you ungrateful prick.
Holly Holm Was the Bantamweight Champion of the UFC when she allowed HER Manager (not Dana “effing” White) to negotiate the Tate fight on her behalf, and she knew (and her long-time manager knew, too) what she was doing and what she wanted. And guess “effing” what, Dana? She wanted to fight.
Sorry, Dana “Effing” White, but Holly didn’t want to sit on an “effing” sideline waiting for Ronda Rousey to finish her “effing” ROADHOUSE REMAKE!
Holly wanted to go to work… but unfortunately she has to work for a boss who has no idea what it’s like to step into HER office and handle HER daily workload with such tenacity, class, dignity and grace.
And I think maybe she looks back a bit differently than you do, Dana, with no “effing” regrets whatsoever for putting her absolute all into that fight and just plain getting caught in her one area of weakness in a battle where she likely would have won a three-round fight. Maybe if YOU were a fighter, Dana, you might get that whole concept. Maybe losing in this case only makes her better, stronger, and more durable as a career mixed martial artist. Who gives a damn if it makes her less marketable in your eyes? What do you really know, anyway?
UNLIKE YOU, Dana “Effing” White, Holly actually respects Miesha Tate and thought it would be a challenge to fight her. Yeah, she lost, but damn, she was absolutely correct about it being a challenge. I think the fight will go down as one of the greatest battles in female MMA history.
Now, why don’t you open your “effing” eyes, Dana, watch the fight again, and quit bitching about what should have happened in that cage you never fought in yourself.
Be grateful you have a champion you just paid $92,000 in fight pay (before bonuses) to take your organization’s belt from the girl you WANTED TO WIN (and paid $500,000 just to be there). It may not be what you expected, but the anxiety you feel about it is what you DESERVE to feel for being such a douchebag to the fighters who built the UFC.
My biggest questions on this subject for Dana are: Why are you such a biased, crooked asshole who can’t bother to give Miesha the time of day FOR ALL HER HARD WORK? Why can’t you give credit where it is due…on both sides of that fight? Why can’t you shut the “eff” up about what you think Holly or her management should have or could have waited for?
It’s not your place to look back with 20/20 hindsight and act like Holly and her manager should have gone all Nostradamus on this fight when you obviously didn’t see this shit coming, either, you dome-headed dimwit.
Fighters “effing” fight, Dana. That’s what they “effing” do, which you should know, since I am pretty sure you used to be an “effing” manager of MMA fighters yourself. Yes, that was many moons ago, but how could you forget?
Fighters don’t sit on their asses on corporate jets and stand at podiums in front of the press all day to earn the “effing” paltry paychecks your organization pays out to most of them. Most fighters simply cannot afford to wait around for shit to happen or for someone “worthy” enough in your eyes to step up and fight them.
Some fighters need to feed their kids. All of them need to pay their bills and for everything else involved with training camps, daily living expenses, travel and whatever costs medical insurance doesn’t cover when they have to address nagging injuries. Your shitty Reebok deal made it virtually impossible to get any other outside sponsors to help pay for anything like that stuff for many fighters, Dana.
Welcome to selling out and forgetting where you came from, Dana. You used to care more about fighters. Now you act like fighting in a cage is just like doing any other 9-5 job. It’s not. It’s “effing” hard work.
So, yeah, Holly chose to fight instead of waiting for Rousey to be ready for the rematch. And you think she needs your opinion now that everything didn’t work out as planned for you both?
FU, Dana.
She hurts a lot worse than you, and I can guaran-effing-tee that.
Oh…and…by the way…fighters are way more responsible for the growth and success of the UFC/Zuffa organization than you ever have been. And that’s real talk, you rich bitch with a stick up your ass because you were never good enough in your life to ever have your own official fight.
So, get over the God complex and learn to respect ALL of your fighters, not just the ones you want to see win because you might think you can work with them better or you think they will move the organization in a better direction. Respect the effort, the sacrifice and the pain ALL your fighters go through each and every day to get where they get. That belt you put on Miesha’s waist was EARNED, and don’t you ever think it is “effing” cool to call the fact that Holly Holm had the guts to face Miesha Tate “a mistake.”
It rings hollow, especially when I would consider that handing you a microphone to talk about MMA at all was THE greatest mistake the sport ever made, period! Anyone who would try to knock a former champion down a peg that way in his own organization does not deserve to be recognized as that organization’s president.
You have no clue what it’s really like to fight, and your criticism of Holly Holm tells me you can never possibly understand the mindset that led her to take the Tate fight and not wait an idle year for Ronda “effing” Rousey to be ready to appear at one of your precious shows.
So, FU Dana White for treating your former champ like she’s an idiot who doesn’t know how to control her own career without you butting your stupid, bald head into it. Holly’s fine without your advice, and she trusts her manager, which might be something you’re not familiar with, but for other people it is actually a reality of doing business with legitimate people.
FU, Dana for being a piss-poor ambassador for the sport, disrespecting fighters who bleed (and sometimes suffer lifelong injuries) for you and the sport, and totally underestimating and failing to grasp what it really takes to actually be a professional fighter who actually competes against other fighters…
Do you remember the days when you had to settle for being a lowly boxercise instructor because your boxing trainer Boston slapped you too hard in the ear once? You never had a single competitive fight in your life, Dana “effing” White, and that’s a DOCUMENTED FACT!
Do you ever even look back at those days before the silver-spoon-fed Fertittas helped you claw your greedy, selfish, egotistical ass into the position of OFFICIAL UFC MOUTHPIECE?
Do you remember those “hairy” days when you blew through $40 million of Fertitta funds to perpetrate the “Zuffa Myth” while claiming credit for the UFC brass singlehandedly legitimizing the sport and getting it regulated all by your “effing” selves? As if not a single FIGHTER nor any other industry professional who pioneered MMA before you dipped your greedy little paws into it had anything to do with it?
You’re in a different place now, Dana “effing” White, and it’s a delusional place. Like on the distant planet you live on, people actually believe YOU really, honestly, truly “effing” know what it’s ACTUALLY like to be an “effing” fighter? Do you actually believe YOU somehow could ever REALLY know that feeling?
REALLY?
You know what A FIGHTER is, don’t you, Dana? A fighter is a man or woman who has the courage to willingly step into unarmed combat against another actual man or woman instead of just criticizing up and down the guys and girls who do have the guts to actually stand across from another human being while knowing and internalizing that the accepted goal is to physically destroy each other.
A fighter, in more simple terms, is “one who fights.” And let’s be clear about one “effing” thing, Dana “effing” White, I know fighters, and YOU are no fighter.
You are nothing like a fighter, Dana “effing” White, and you never “effing” will be. You are too weak, both physically and mentally. Until we see you go through a six-week training camp and then get into the cage against someone and kick his ass, we shouldn’t have to listen to one damn “coulda,” “shoulda,” or “woulda” out of your cornfed mouth about what you think of any particular fighter’s performance or decision making process. Those people have the guts to do what you will NEVER do yourself, and you ought to respect that.
FU Dana White…For not recognizing Real Fighters Like Miesha Tate and Nate Diaz who keep at it no matter what and NEVER seem to earn your ULTIMATE RESPECT….
Nate Diaz stepped up to fight Conor McGregor for a reason. He had nothing to lose, and he wasn’t intimidated one bit. He famoulsy went on television with Fox Sports 1 on a split screen with Conor before that welterweight fight and quipped that his nemesis had already been choked out before, “by two lames.” Diaz also had the perfect instinct to add humourously that McGregor’s choke losses happened, “like a week ago.”
Diaz beat Conor in the shit-talk game long before he ever slapped him down and slipped that choke around his neck in the cage. The media created by that freakshow fight might have stopped the unchecked rise of your big, bold, six-headed dragon champion, but it created a new monster at the same time. And he’s a Reebok-hating, scowling, swearing, Stockton-slapping Mother-F$#king BEAST who doesn’t care what anyone else thinks about what he does or says.
You might think Diaz and his attitude are “bad for business,” but I think his victory was the best thing that could ever happen to all you smug punks running the UFC. It just proves once and for all that you do not control the MMA universe.
Nate Diaz went without respect and credit for being an MMA pioneer and a good UFC soldier for far too long. The bitterness brewed and boiled within him, and I loved every second of him letting it pour out in post-fight interviews after he choked the shit out of Conor until the Irish bloke tapped the “eff” out and left Dana White drooling in a stupor at the thought of having to congratulate a man who’s become more of a mortal enemy than a member of the big “team.”
More power to Nate and all the crazy, abrasive, in-your-face Diaz brother types out there in the UFC who will fight Dana “effing” White’s flamboyant fire with even more bravado and brash talk of their own. They can always say, “I learned it by watching you, Baldfather!”
As for Miesha Tate, she deserves true respect and admiration for being champ now after picking herself off the mat twice in the face of grueling losses to Rousey. Kudos to Tate for continuing her career and relentlessly focusing on getting by that Rousey armbar once and for all.
Though Miesha never did solve that Rousey submission dilemma, trying at all costs to get another crack at the belt paid dividends at UFC 196. Her never quit attitude led her to an opportunity of a lifetime, and she capitalized on it. Now, Dana, you actually have to pay this young lady what most of her fans would say she was worth a long time ago.
And now you simply have to treat Tate with a bit of reverence and appreciation for once in your ungrateful life, Dana “effing” White. I know it must pain you so much to give this young lady the credit she’s worked so incredibly hard for, because maybe she touched a nerve when she called you out in the past for being the true clueless and disrespectful prick you really are. She was right, and you were wrong about how great she really is at fighting. Then again, weren’t you also WRONG about women fighting in the cage, period?
So, you DON’T wanna be a fighter, Mr. White? Then step aside and let the people who DO wanna be fighters go to battle for you so you can ride around the world on your jet and act like you know what the “eff” you’re talking about when you stand in front of a microphone to describe the sport’s true athletes and what they do to make a living in mixed martial arts.
The line from Dana that most stands out to me as comblete BS in this whole debacle is this one:
“He’s an old boxing guy who thinks he’s smart and he isn’t,” White said of Fresquez [Holm’s Manager]. “I feel bad for Holly because I don’t know if she really knows what she lost.”
I have only two more “effing” questions for you Dana “effing” White…
1.) What makes you think you are really in any “effing” position to EVER know or understand what Holly Holm lost the other night? Aside from a few bad poker hands and tons of respect, the only thing you ever lost is your mind.
2.) Doesn’t your backhanded quote about Holm’s manager describe your own shitty character a whole lot better than that of Mr. Fresquez?
AND…just in case after reading all this anyone STILL needs yet another reason to have beef with the Baldfather:
Hugely Popular UFC World Champion ‘GSP’ To Greet Fans, Sign Autographs, Pose For Photo Ops In First Wizard World Appearance At Pennsylvania Convention Center
PHILADELPHIA, March 8, 2016 – One of the most popular mixed martial arts fighters in the world, Georges St-Pierrewill attend Wizard World Philadelphia on Sunday, June 5, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, it was announced today by the Quebec native and Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD). The three-time former UFC Welterweight champion, known by many as the best “pound-for-pound” MMA athlete ever, will greet fans, sign autographs and pose for photo ops at his first Wizard World comic con appearance.
Already a 2nd dan Kyokushin karate black belt at 12, Georges dedicated himself to martial arts and training throughout his teen years. After seeing jiu-jitsu legend Royce Gracie fight in 1993 at UFC 1, “Rush” knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life and how he was going to reach those goals: he invested all his energy and all his time at becoming a better version of himself. When he wasn’t training or at school, Georges worked as a doorman in nightclubs, or hung off the back of a garbage truck, hauling in refuse. He discovered a simple truth: never stopping helps reach goals.
He grew as a person and as a fighter, adding fighting disciplines such as boxing, wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to his karate background and competed in his first amateur bout at age 16. He won that match, and continued his steady improvement. In 2006 he became the UFC Welterweight Champion. He lost the title in 2007 but subsequently regained it in front of his hometown fans of Montreal in 2008 and hasn’t lost a single title defense since then.
Along his career, St-Pierre, 34, accomplished numerous firsts and awards including: the all-time most consecutive welterweight title defenses, three-time consecutive Canadian Athlete of the Year Awards (’08– ’10) by Rogers Sportsnet, Fighter of the Year Awards (’09) bySports Illustrated , World MMA Awards, MMAPayout, Inside MMA and MMAJunkie, the “Most Dangerous Man of the Year” by the Spike Guys Choice Awards (’10) and the MMA Fighter of the Year Award (’08) by Black Belt Magazine .
St-Pierre is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Way of the Fight. Released in 2013, the book shares the lessons he’s learned on the way to the top. Later that year, St-Pierre officially announced that he had decided to vacate the title and take some time off from MMA, taking a role in the 2014 blockbuster Captain America: Winter Soldier. He has not ruled out a return to the ring in the future. GSP is based in Montreal.
St-Pierre, who appeared in joins an amazing lineup of superstar entertainers scheduled to attend the pop culture extravaganza, including “Marvel” movie standouts Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, David Duchovny (“The X-Files”), the Back to the Futuretrio of Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson and “The Walking Dead” standout Norman Reedus , with many other headliners.
Wizard World comic con and gaming events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, cosplay, comics, television, sci-fi, toys, video gaming, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Philadelphia show hours are Thursday, June 2, 3-8 p.m.; Friday, June 3, noon-7 p.m.; Saturday, June 4, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, June 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Wizard World, Inc. (www.wizardworld.com ) produces comic cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, television, cosplay, comics, graphic novels, toys, video gaming, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A’s, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World has also launched Wizard World Store ( www.shopwizardworld.com), CONtv, a digital media channel in partnership with leading independent content distributor Cinedigm™ (NASDAQ: CIDM), and ComicConBox™ (www.comicconbox.com), a premium subscription-based monthly box service. Fans can interact with Wizard World on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services.
Bellator President Scott Coker and Wanderlei Silva (Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan)
SANTA MONICA (March 2, 2016) –Bellator MMA is pleased to announce that one of the most popular, recognizable and beloved fighters in the sport of mixed martial arts, Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva (35-12-1), has signed an exclusive multi-year, multi-fight contract with the promotion. The 39-year-old publicly fielded offers from companies all around the world, but the former Pride FC Middleweight Champion made the decision to take his explosive style to Bellator MMA.
“The Axe Murderer” has fought in some of the most memorable feuds and battles the sport has ever seen. His wars with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Tito Ortiz, Mirko Cro Cop, Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson, Kazushi Sakuraba, Chuck Liddell, and Michael Bisping are the stuff of legend – but Silva is far from ready to close the book on his illustrious career.
In addition to his Pride FC Middleweight World Championship, Silva’s packed trophy case of accolades includes awards for Fight of the Year (2003, 2004, 2007), KO of the Year (2008), and multiple Fight of the Night awards including one for each of his last three fights, just to name a few. He now looks to continue to provide his award-winning, entertaining fights inside the Bellator cage.
Silva has several options for his first fight with Bellator. Although he has spent the majority of his career at 185-pounds, one of the things that his fans love most about him has been Wanderlei’s willingness to fight the best of the best – even if it was up two weight classes at heavyweight – as proven by his heavyweight wars against guys like Mark Hunt, Gilbert Yvel, Kazuyuki Fujita and Cro Cop; Or, his battles against light heavyweights like Ortiz, and his most recent opponent, Brian Stann, who he knocked out in the second frame.
Silva is the latest in a long line of recent free agent signings made by Scott Coker and Bellator MMA. The former Chute Box competitor joins: Josh Thomson, Phil Davis, Benson Henderson, Sergei Kharitonov and Anastasia Yankova on a roster with champions the likes of: Marcos Galvao, Daniel Straus, Will Brooks, Andrey Koreshkov, Rafael Carvalho, Liam McGeary andVitaly Minakov,
NEW YORK (Feb. 25, 2016) – Noted mixed martial arts journalist Jon L. Wertheim takes an in-depth and personal look at how Holly Holm, a barely known underdog, was able to knock out women’s MMA queen Ronda Rousey. In the piece, Wertheim visits Jackson Wink MMA Academy in Albuquerque, N.M., the home of Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn. Wertheim investigates how the world-renowned trainers helped guide Holm to victory last November and have established their once-unheralded outpost in Albuquerque as a mecca for some of the best MMA fighters in the world.
Wertheim’s report appears on the next edition of 60 MINUTES SPORTS, premiering Tuesday, March 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME. Nathalie Sommer is the producer.
TORONTO (December 9, 2015) — Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, is the destination for live UFC fight week pre and post-fight coverage, including the live main card for UFC Fight Night™: Namajunas vs. VanZant and the live prelims for The Ultimate Fighter Finale: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber, both airing exclusively in Canada. Fight Network is currently available in free preview on most carriers across Canada for the month of December.
It all kicks off on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 4 p.m. ET with a live presentation of the UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor pre-fight press conference from Las Vegas.
On Thursday, Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents the live weigh-ins for The Ultimate Fighter Finale: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber, as headliners Frankie Edgar and Chad Mendes tip the scales ahead of their pivotal featherweight showdown.
Later at 9 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents a live pre-show for UFC Fight Night™: Namajunas vs. VanZant, leading into the live main card at 10 p.m. ET exclusively in Canada. In the main event, No. 3-ranked women’s strawweight contender Rose Namajunas (4-2) battles surging superstar and No. 7-ranked Paige VanZant. (6-1). In the co-feature, No. 14-ranked lightweight veteran Jim Miller(25-6, 1NC) looks to continue his ascent up the rankings against The Ultimate Fighter Live winnerMichael Chiesa (12-2). Rounding out the card, highly touted lightweight youngster Sage Northcutt(6-0) tries to keep his perfect record intact against Cody Pfister (12-4-1), while Canada’s undefeatedUltimate Fighter Nations middleweight winner Elias Theodorou (11-0) faces his toughest test to date against Brazilian Thiago “Marreta” Santos (11-3). Fight Network will also televise the live post-fight press conference, which begins shortly after the event concludes.
On Friday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. ET, the UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor weigh-ins will be televised live from Las Vegas with Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor going face-to-face one final time ahead ofSaturday’s blockbuster clash for the undisputed UFC featherweight championship.
Immediately following the live weigh-ins, Fight Network presents a live pre-show for The Ultimate Fighter Finale: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber at 7 p.m. ET, which serves as a lead-in to thelive prelims at 8 p.m. ET exclusively in Canada. The main card will air at 10 p.m. ET on TSN1 and TSN5. Featured prelims include heavyweights Gabriel Gonzaga (16-10) vs. Konstantin Erokhin (9-2), featherweights Tatsuya Kawajiri (34-8-2) vs. Jason Knight (16-1) and flyweights Joby Sanchez(7-1) vs. Geane Herrera (8-1). Fight Network will also televise the live post-fight press conference, which begins shortly after the event concludes.
The action-packed fight week comes to a climax on Saturday, Dec. 12. At 2 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents an encore of UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor from July 2015, which featured Conor McGregor‘s memorable performance against Chad Mendes to capture the interim UFC featherweight title, plus a top candidate for “Fight of the Year” between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald for the UFC welterweight title. The event is widely regarded as one of the best in promotional history.
At 7 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents a live pre-show for UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor, which features previews, predictions and analysis for the event, as well as on-the-scene reports from Las Vegas. Immediately following the pay-per-view broadcast, Fight Network presents a live post-showat approximately 1 a.m. ET, including highlights, reactions and the live post-fight press conference from Las Vegas.
All pre and post-fight shows will include exclusive interviews from Fight Network analysts JohnRamdeen and Robin Black on-site in Las Vegas, plus reports and analysis from Fight Network studios in Toronto. Canadian mixed martial arts pioneer and longtime UFC veteran Sam Stout will be in-studio for the live UFC 194 pre and post-fight shows.
Airing throughout the week, catch the one-hour UFC Embedded: Aldo vs. McGregor special, an all-access, behind-the-scenes look at the lives and training camps of four elite fighters leading up to the massive UFC 194 event in Las Vegas. Additional reports and features air daily in Fight News Now. All airings are listed at www.fightnetwork.com.
In addition to all the live events, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including UFC Unleashed, UFC Now, UFC Ultimate Insider and classic UFC PPV events.
This Sunday, Dec. 13 at 9 p.m. ET, catch a full encore presentation of UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfortfrom February 2011 in Las Vegas, which featured a highly anticipated middleweight title showdown between then-torchbearer Anderson Silva and No. 1 contender Vitor Belfort, plus Forrest Griffinvs. Rich Franklin and Jon Jones vs. Ryan Bader.
For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit www.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.
MMA superstars to meet and greet guests at annual extravaganza, also hosting bouts in Muay Thai, catch wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,
as well as vendors and seminars
NEW YORK, December 9 — The sixth annual MMA World Expo, the East Coast’s premiere Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) gathering presented by City World Ford, will return to New York’s Jacob Javits Center, North Pavilion, on Saturday, December 12. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) superstars Jon “Bones” Jones, Anderson “The Spider” Silva and Eddie Alvarez will be on hand for the event, which promises to be larger than ever, with four, live combat sports tournaments, including amateur MMA bouts in the cage, seminars and vendors.
Also on hand at the Expo will be World Series of Fighting two-division world champion David Branch, as well as World Series of Fighting executives Carlos Silva (CEO) and Ray Sefo (President), who will take part in a question and answer session with the media and fans, and reveal news about the league’s plans for 2016.
Branch, the reigning World Series of Fighting middleweight (185 pounds) and light heavyweight (205 pounds) champion, will host a special, one-hour seminar for Expo patrons.
“The MMA World Expo is a phenomenal opportunity to service a population of highly passionate MMA fans who do not yet have the opportunity to spectate professional bouts in the state of New York,” said Paul Paone, founder and director of the MMA World Expo.
“This year’s event will feature an unprecedented number of combat sports tournaments to satisfy any fight fan, including amateur MMA, catch wrestling, Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.”
The one-day, “Super Saturday” event will take place from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. ET, and will be capped off by live amateur MMA bouts in the cage, presented by the New York Fight Exchange. The fight card will begin at 6 p.m.
In addition to the MMA fights, there will be live competition in four combat disciplines that are a core part of MMA. Beginning at 10 a.m., submission-only grappling tournaments, both gi and no-gi, hosted by The Good Fight, will take place.
Beginning at 4 p.m., the North American Catch Wrestling Association will host catch wrestling matches, including a match between reigning, two-time East Coast King of Catch Wrestling, Thomas Velasquez, and rival, West Coast King of Catch Wrestling, Travis Newaza, for the 2015 North American Heavyweight King of Catch championship.
Throughout the event, “Training-with-the-Masters” seminars will be available to attendees. Instructors include Ajarn Phil Nurse (Muay Thai), UFC Hall of FamerDan “The Beast” Severn, Silva, Alvarez and Newaza.
The MMA World Expo will continue to play its role in the fight for professional MMA legalization by conducting its sixth annual legalization panel discussion, distributing petitions, and putting on display all of the athletes, coaches, fans and vendors who contribute to the sport. The two-hour legalization seminar will be hosted by combat sports journalist Jim Genia, and special guests will include Severn and other notable MMA figures.
For more information about the event visit http://www.mmaworldexpo.com, “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @mmaworldexpo, or call 212-956-4720.
About MMA World Expo:
The MMA World Expo was begun in 2009 and has held all events in the Jacob Javits Center in New York.
Past MMA World Expo signers have included Matt Hughes, Frankie Edgar, Randy Couture, Jon Jones, Carlos Condit, Fabricio Werdum, Matt Serra, Jim and Dan Miller, Jamie Varner, Nate Diaz, Wanderlei Silva, among others.
Training-with-the-Masters series instructors have included: Dan Severn, Renzo Gracie, Marcelo Garcia, Phil Nurse, Howard Davis Jr., Coban Lookchaomaesaitong, Lee Kemp, Jimmy Pedro among others.
Past vendors have included Toyota, Xyience, Headrush, Muscle Pharm, Combat Sports, Everlast, Vitamin Shoppe, Zebra Mats, Met-Rx, Monster Rings and Cages, US Marines, Dymatize, World Series of Fighting, Spartan Race, M-I Entertainment, among others.
TORONTO (November 26, 2015) — Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents extensive coverage of UFC Fight Night™: Henderson vs. Masvidal this Saturday, November 28 from Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, South Korea.
Fight Network will air the live UFC Fight Night™: Henderson vs. Masvidal main card exclusively in Canada at 8 a.m. ET. Encores will air in primetime at 9 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. PT for viewers on the West Coast.
In the main event, former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson (22-5) seeks his second straight win at 170 pounds opposite battle-tested veteran Jorge Masvidal (29-9). Local welterweight superstar Dong Hyun Kim (20-3-1, 1NC) competes in the co-feature against late replacement Dominic Waters (9-3). Rounding out the main card, Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-5, 2NC) returns to South Korea for the first time since 2007 for a welterweight matchup with undefeated grappling ace Alberto Mina (11-0), while explosive South Korean knockout artist Doo Ho Choi (12-1) looks to build on an impressive promotional debut last November when he faces off with fellow featherweight Sam Sicilia (15-5), who carries a two-fight winning streak into the bout.
On Thursday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. ET, Fight Network premieres a one-hour UFC® Fight Night Seoul Pre-Show, which features previews, predictions and analysis for the event, and also serves as a lead-in to the live prelims.
In addition to all the live events, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including UFC Unleashed, UFC Now, UFC Ultimate Insider and classic UFC PPV events.
This Sunday, Nov. 29 at 9 p.m. ET, catch a full encore presentation of UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez from October 2010 in Anaheim, Calif., headlined by a showdown between champion Brock Lesnar and challenger Cain Velasquez for the UFC heavyweight championship, plus Jake Shields makes his UFC debut against Martin Kampmann, The Ultimate Fighter 1 winner Diego Sanchez collides with Paulo Thiago, pioneer Tito Ortiz clashes with former pupil Matt Hamill,and Brendan Schaub battles Gabriel Gonzaga in heavyweight action.
The full card for UFC Fight Night™: Henderson vs. Masvidalincludes:
Main Card (Live on Fight Network, 8 a.m. ET):
-Benson Henderson (22-5) vs. Jorge Masvidal (29-9)
-Dong Hyun Kim (20-3-1, 1NC) vs. Dominic Waters (9-3)
-Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-5, 2NC) vs. Alberto Mina (11-0)
-Doo Ho Choi (12-1) vs. Sam Sicilia (15-5)
Preliminary Card (Live on UFC Fight Pass, 5 a.m. ET): -Dongi Yang (12-3) vs. Jake Collier (9-2)
-Yui Chul Nam (18-5-1) vs. Mike De La Torre (13-5, 1NC)
-Tae Hyun Bang (17-9) vs. Leo Kuntz (17-2-1)
-Seohee Ham (15-6) vs. Cortney Casey (4-2)
-Yao Zhikui (2-3) vs. Fredy Serrano (2-0)
-Ning Guangyou (6-2-1) vs. Marco Beltran (6-4)
-Dominique Steele (13-6) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (13-6)
For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit www.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.
Daniel Cormier, a two-time Olympian in men’s freestyle wrestling and current UFC light heavyweight champion, will serve as the Honorary Chairman of the 2016 
