According to Scott Coker, Viacom is serious about investing in MMA and is prepared to show that by making a strong run at soon-to-be free agent Brock Lesnar. Speaking with Marc Raimondi of MMAFighting.com, the Bellator MMA president had some strong words regarding the future of his new promotion.
"There's not going to be a fighter on the planet we can't afford and have access to," he said. "There hasn't been any serious dialogue [with Lesnar], but when the time comes to have serious dialogue, we'll be right there."Those are not empty boasts. 2014 has seen Bellator become a serious player during contract negotiations. That fact was most obvious when Bellator briefly signed future UFC title contender Gilbert Melendez in February. While the UFC would match the terms of Bellator's contract offer and retain Melendez's services, the play sent a strong message.
Outside of Melendez, Bellator has shored up its roster in a big way with recognizable free agents over the last year, adding the likes of MMA veteran Melvin Manhoef, former Glory kickboxing champion Joe Schilling, former Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen and former Strikeforce contender Paul Daley.
Bellator also courted Gina Carano when there was serious talk of her returning to MMA in order to face Ronda Rousey in the UFC and added wrestling prodigy Aaron Pico.Reading between the lines, Bellator isn't alone in its pursuit of The Beast. UFC President Dana White has repeatedly discussed bringing back the former heavyweight champion, and his promotion would be wise to re-sign the biggest draw in MMA history.
At this time, Lesnar remains contracted to the WWE. His deal is expected to expire following Wrestlemania 31, which will take place on March 29, 2015. Lesnar, who has appeared in the WWE sparingly over the last year, is set to defend his title against John Cena at the upcoming Royal Rumble event in January.
Bleacher Report will continue providing all updates regarding Lesnar in the coming months.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2310931-scott-coker-bellator-mma-officially-pursuing-brock-lesnar
Monday, 5 January 2015
UFC Heavyweights in 2015: Making Sense of the 265-Pound Logjam
The UFC’s heavyweights have never really found their stride.For a brief time during the Brock Lesnar Administration, the 265-pound division felt fresh and vital. It felt—for lack of a better word—big. But first diverticulitis and then increasingly difficult competition felled Lesnar, and the heavyweight ranks lapsed back into their old, unstable tricks again.
Such was the case for almost all of 2014.Current champion Cain Velasquez may be the most talented man ever to fight in the UFC’s heaviest weight class, but so far, it has been his penchant for injury that has mostly defined him. It also makes him feel like the perfect symbol for this eternally troubled division.
Velasquez missed the entire year while rehabbing from shoulder surgery and then filming a season of the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter reality show, only to injure his knee once it wrapped. As we move into 2015, almost everything in this weight class depends on how, if and when he’ll return.
Yet, late in 2014, the heavyweight division seems to be building a bit of momentum. Sure, it’s still kind of a jumbled mess, but it’s starting to feel like next year might be a fun one at 265 pounds.
Here’s an attempt to make sense of it all…
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2303324-ufc-heavyweights-in-2015-making-sense-of-the-265-pound-logjam
Such was the case for almost all of 2014.Current champion Cain Velasquez may be the most talented man ever to fight in the UFC’s heaviest weight class, but so far, it has been his penchant for injury that has mostly defined him. It also makes him feel like the perfect symbol for this eternally troubled division.
Velasquez missed the entire year while rehabbing from shoulder surgery and then filming a season of the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter reality show, only to injure his knee once it wrapped. As we move into 2015, almost everything in this weight class depends on how, if and when he’ll return.
Yet, late in 2014, the heavyweight division seems to be building a bit of momentum. Sure, it’s still kind of a jumbled mess, but it’s starting to feel like next year might be a fun one at 265 pounds.
Here’s an attempt to make sense of it all…
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2303324-ufc-heavyweights-in-2015-making-sense-of-the-265-pound-logjam
Why Rory MacDonald Isn't Getting His Title Shot Against Robbie Lawler
According to UFC Tonight's Ariel Helwani, the UFC brass called MacDonald to update the status of his once-promised title shot. Dana White didn't just color MacDonald the No. 1 contender after his victory over Tarec Saffiedine in October; he said the fight would take place in MacDonald's home country.
"It's pretty impossible to deny Rory that [title shot]. Whoever comes out of that Hendricks-Lawler fight, he's the next guy in line," White told The Canadian Press.Obviously, that was before Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler took center stage at UFC 181 earlier this month to make for the "pretty impossible" scenario White could barely imagine—allowing the two men to complete rounds five through 10 of what will likely end up being a 15-round trilogy for the UFC's two most recent welterweight champions.
"It's all good," MacDonald told Helwani. "I'm just gonna light up whoever is next. Like always."In reality, it might only be "all good" because that's just the way it has to be. As excited as MacDonald may have gotten after being "promised" a title shot, he must have been cognizant of the big, fat and historic asterisk title shot guarantees have under White's lexicon.
Just look at Anthony Pettis, who, after defeating Benson Henderson for the WEC lightweight championship to become the promotion's final 155-pound king, was promised a title shot against the winner of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard.
Edgar and Maynard fought to a draw, forcing the incoming WEC champ to either sit and wait about a year for his turn or pick up a fight with one of the top UFC lightweights. A unanimous-decision loss to Clay Guida and controversial Edgar title fights prevented Pettis from fighting for the title until 2013—about two years after his first shot was supposed to take place.
Then there's Cub Swanson and his promised shot at Jose Aldo's featherweight throne. After racking up Ws against some of the best featherweights on the planet, White and Co. felt Swanson had done more than enough to stake his claim as the the division's No. 1 contender.
But that was before brash Irishman and fan favorite Conor McGregor proved himself against a top-10 featherweight, giving the UFC the go-ahead for the Irishman's future title aspirations. Swanson was asked to take on Edgar in what Swanson understood to be the final contingency separating him from his shot at UFC gold. You could even ask Alexander Gustafsson about his latest plea for a shot at light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. The Swede lost his shot at the champ after suffering a knee injury. All was well until Jones had to pull out of his replacement bout against Daniel Cormier, which forced the Swedish fighter to re-request his originally promised title bout.
But as the UFC likely saw it, the Jones-Cormier brawl created too great of a financial opportunity to leave untapped, regardless of when the fight would take place or whom they would inconvenience.
Unfortunately for MacDonald and other UFC contenders, title shots are circumstantial. They're only promised as long as they make financial sense for the promotion, not the fighter.
That's because the average fan would rather watch Edgar-Maynard III, Aldo-McGregor and Jones-Cormier.For as well as MacDonald's fought as of late, a trilogy between Lawler and Hendricks, who fought to a close and controversial decision, makes more financial sense than adding a new fighter into the mix.
This situation, while likely disappointing for MacDonald, may harness a silver lining. Carlos Condit, who handed MacDonald his first career defeat back in 2010, plans to return this March or April. The Natural Born Killer should make for a viable opponent for the division's No. 2-ranked welterweight.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2303631-why-rory-macdonald-isnt-getting-his-title-shot-against-robbie-lawler
"It's pretty impossible to deny Rory that [title shot]. Whoever comes out of that Hendricks-Lawler fight, he's the next guy in line," White told The Canadian Press.Obviously, that was before Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler took center stage at UFC 181 earlier this month to make for the "pretty impossible" scenario White could barely imagine—allowing the two men to complete rounds five through 10 of what will likely end up being a 15-round trilogy for the UFC's two most recent welterweight champions.
"It's all good," MacDonald told Helwani. "I'm just gonna light up whoever is next. Like always."In reality, it might only be "all good" because that's just the way it has to be. As excited as MacDonald may have gotten after being "promised" a title shot, he must have been cognizant of the big, fat and historic asterisk title shot guarantees have under White's lexicon.
Just look at Anthony Pettis, who, after defeating Benson Henderson for the WEC lightweight championship to become the promotion's final 155-pound king, was promised a title shot against the winner of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard.
Edgar and Maynard fought to a draw, forcing the incoming WEC champ to either sit and wait about a year for his turn or pick up a fight with one of the top UFC lightweights. A unanimous-decision loss to Clay Guida and controversial Edgar title fights prevented Pettis from fighting for the title until 2013—about two years after his first shot was supposed to take place.
Then there's Cub Swanson and his promised shot at Jose Aldo's featherweight throne. After racking up Ws against some of the best featherweights on the planet, White and Co. felt Swanson had done more than enough to stake his claim as the the division's No. 1 contender.
But that was before brash Irishman and fan favorite Conor McGregor proved himself against a top-10 featherweight, giving the UFC the go-ahead for the Irishman's future title aspirations. Swanson was asked to take on Edgar in what Swanson understood to be the final contingency separating him from his shot at UFC gold. You could even ask Alexander Gustafsson about his latest plea for a shot at light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. The Swede lost his shot at the champ after suffering a knee injury. All was well until Jones had to pull out of his replacement bout against Daniel Cormier, which forced the Swedish fighter to re-request his originally promised title bout.
But as the UFC likely saw it, the Jones-Cormier brawl created too great of a financial opportunity to leave untapped, regardless of when the fight would take place or whom they would inconvenience.
Unfortunately for MacDonald and other UFC contenders, title shots are circumstantial. They're only promised as long as they make financial sense for the promotion, not the fighter.
That's because the average fan would rather watch Edgar-Maynard III, Aldo-McGregor and Jones-Cormier.For as well as MacDonald's fought as of late, a trilogy between Lawler and Hendricks, who fought to a close and controversial decision, makes more financial sense than adding a new fighter into the mix.
This situation, while likely disappointing for MacDonald, may harness a silver lining. Carlos Condit, who handed MacDonald his first career defeat back in 2010, plans to return this March or April. The Natural Born Killer should make for a viable opponent for the division's No. 2-ranked welterweight.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2303631-why-rory-macdonald-isnt-getting-his-title-shot-against-robbie-lawler
UFC: Gilbert Melendez Is Officially Stuck in No Man's Land
Sometimes it’s go big or go home. In MMA, more often than not, that attitude sees something spectacular happen in the cage. Other times, it happens in negotiations between fighter and promoter, usually on those rare occasions when a guy’s star power is enough for him to hold out for a little cash and a little exposure.
That’s exactly what happened early in 2014, when Gilbert Melendez was ready to walk from the UFC. Bellator had offered him a big deal, and the only way the UFC could hold onto him was to offer up a coaching gig on The Ultimate Fighter and a title shot against Anthony Pettis.
Well, that gig ended this month as far as television broadcasts are concerned, and that title shot is over too.
It didn’t go well.Melendez was choked out by Pettis after trying to suffocate the champion for a round and a bit, and now he’s 1-2 in the UFC with both losses having come in title fights. Not many guys can lay claim to challenging for the same title twice in their first three UFC fights; even fewer can claim to have lost both times.The only saving grace for the California boy is that his title losses came to two different lightweight champions, even though they happened in relatively close proximity. Guys who’ve been stuck in the no man’s land of title contention before, such as Benson Henderson or BJ Penn, lost to the same guy twice and had no choice but to change weight classes or hang around and wait for some other contender to come along and knock them into irrelevance.
For Melendez, he could conceivably work his way back based on his name and resume, and he could do it before he exits his prime if he stayed active enough.
However the odds are certainly not in his favor. Earning title shots in the UFC isn’t easy, at least not if you’re competing in a division with the depth that lightweight has. Having already whiffed on a couple and with the most recent one coming after a contentious negotiation, it’s hard to imagine the promotion making his road back an easy one.
So there it is. Melendez, for all the greatness he’s displayed in his results and all the excitement he’s provided in securing them, is a contender in no man’s land.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2306432-ufc-gilbert-melendez-is-officially-stuck-in-no-mans-land
That’s exactly what happened early in 2014, when Gilbert Melendez was ready to walk from the UFC. Bellator had offered him a big deal, and the only way the UFC could hold onto him was to offer up a coaching gig on The Ultimate Fighter and a title shot against Anthony Pettis.
Well, that gig ended this month as far as television broadcasts are concerned, and that title shot is over too.
It didn’t go well.Melendez was choked out by Pettis after trying to suffocate the champion for a round and a bit, and now he’s 1-2 in the UFC with both losses having come in title fights. Not many guys can lay claim to challenging for the same title twice in their first three UFC fights; even fewer can claim to have lost both times.The only saving grace for the California boy is that his title losses came to two different lightweight champions, even though they happened in relatively close proximity. Guys who’ve been stuck in the no man’s land of title contention before, such as Benson Henderson or BJ Penn, lost to the same guy twice and had no choice but to change weight classes or hang around and wait for some other contender to come along and knock them into irrelevance.
For Melendez, he could conceivably work his way back based on his name and resume, and he could do it before he exits his prime if he stayed active enough.
However the odds are certainly not in his favor. Earning title shots in the UFC isn’t easy, at least not if you’re competing in a division with the depth that lightweight has. Having already whiffed on a couple and with the most recent one coming after a contentious negotiation, it’s hard to imagine the promotion making his road back an easy one.
So there it is. Melendez, for all the greatness he’s displayed in his results and all the excitement he’s provided in securing them, is a contender in no man’s land.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2306432-ufc-gilbert-melendez-is-officially-stuck-in-no-mans-land
Brock Lesnar Is Still Big Business After All These Years
There is a short list of athletes who can step away from the fight game and instantly become the hottest topic of discussion when there's a mere mention of them possibly, maybe, perhaps making a return.
Fedor Emelianenko, the great Russian heavyweight. Gina Carano, the first female mixed martial arts star.
Never mind the fact that they've been out of action for years. Forget about the notion that the sport may have passed them by. People still love to talk about them, and any publication that likes money is in the business of giving readers the things they like to talk about.
And then there's Brock Lesnar. You know the guy. He was the pro wrestler who enraged hardcore MMA fans by having the gumption to jump into mixed martial arts with very little experience (this sounds familiar, does it not?) and then proceeded to anger them even further by winning the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
Then Cain Velasquez stole his soul, and Alistair Overeem kicked a little dirt on him, sending him scampering back to Vince McMahon, who willingly paid him millions of dollars to show up to work 20 or so times per year.And now, three years later, the Lesnar train appears ready to roll back into mixed martial arts one more time. According to Dave Meltzer (subscription required), officials at World Wrestling Entertainment are working under the assumption that Lesnar will leave the WWE once his contract expires in April and return to the UFC.
"The Lesnar people always keep things quiet, but within the company, the belief is that he’s going back to UFC," Meltzer said. "His showing up lighter to TV last week confirmed that to people who thought it."
And then you have Coker revealing that Bellator will make a serious run at Lesnar when he becomes a free agent.
"There's not going to be a fighter on the planet we can't afford and have access to," he said. "There hasn't been any serious dialogue [with Lesnar], but when the time comes to have serious dialogue, we'll be right there."
Just like that, Lesnar is the hottest free agent in mixed martial arts, even though he's not a free agent. But that doesn't matter. It's a technicality. The Lesnar news cycle has almost always been built on the potential of what he might do, not what he actually does. It is built on people who don't care that he lost to Velasquez and Overeem, that he doesn't respond well to being punched in the face.
These are the same people who could not care less about Phil Brooks having no fighting experience. They're the masses, not the few, and they are the ones who have been purchasing UFC pay-per-views at a rapidly declining rate over the past few years.
The promotion has to figure out a way to bring them back if it wants to turn its ship around. That's why you'll see Brooks step in the Octagon next year, and it's why you'll see the UFC make a major play to bring Lesnar back.
But unlike the last time the UFC secured Lesnar's services, there is competition. Coker is rebuilding Bellator by focusing almost exclusively on reeling in those casual fans. He'll throw the hardcore fans a bone by booking, say, Melvin Manhoef vs. Joe Schilling. But if he needs to put Tito Ortiz vs. Stephan Bonnar in the main event over a Bellator title fight, well, that's what he'll do.
What better way to bring in those casual fans than by signing Lesnar and putting him on free television against, say, Bobby Lashley? Yeah, that would do the trick. Viacom's stellar advertising sales department will have a field day selling ads against that fight.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2312796-brock-lesnar-is-still-big-business-after-all-these-years
Fedor Emelianenko, the great Russian heavyweight. Gina Carano, the first female mixed martial arts star.
Never mind the fact that they've been out of action for years. Forget about the notion that the sport may have passed them by. People still love to talk about them, and any publication that likes money is in the business of giving readers the things they like to talk about.
And then there's Brock Lesnar. You know the guy. He was the pro wrestler who enraged hardcore MMA fans by having the gumption to jump into mixed martial arts with very little experience (this sounds familiar, does it not?) and then proceeded to anger them even further by winning the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
Then Cain Velasquez stole his soul, and Alistair Overeem kicked a little dirt on him, sending him scampering back to Vince McMahon, who willingly paid him millions of dollars to show up to work 20 or so times per year.And now, three years later, the Lesnar train appears ready to roll back into mixed martial arts one more time. According to Dave Meltzer (subscription required), officials at World Wrestling Entertainment are working under the assumption that Lesnar will leave the WWE once his contract expires in April and return to the UFC.
"The Lesnar people always keep things quiet, but within the company, the belief is that he’s going back to UFC," Meltzer said. "His showing up lighter to TV last week confirmed that to people who thought it."
And then you have Coker revealing that Bellator will make a serious run at Lesnar when he becomes a free agent.
"There's not going to be a fighter on the planet we can't afford and have access to," he said. "There hasn't been any serious dialogue [with Lesnar], but when the time comes to have serious dialogue, we'll be right there."
Just like that, Lesnar is the hottest free agent in mixed martial arts, even though he's not a free agent. But that doesn't matter. It's a technicality. The Lesnar news cycle has almost always been built on the potential of what he might do, not what he actually does. It is built on people who don't care that he lost to Velasquez and Overeem, that he doesn't respond well to being punched in the face.
These are the same people who could not care less about Phil Brooks having no fighting experience. They're the masses, not the few, and they are the ones who have been purchasing UFC pay-per-views at a rapidly declining rate over the past few years.
The promotion has to figure out a way to bring them back if it wants to turn its ship around. That's why you'll see Brooks step in the Octagon next year, and it's why you'll see the UFC make a major play to bring Lesnar back.
But unlike the last time the UFC secured Lesnar's services, there is competition. Coker is rebuilding Bellator by focusing almost exclusively on reeling in those casual fans. He'll throw the hardcore fans a bone by booking, say, Melvin Manhoef vs. Joe Schilling. But if he needs to put Tito Ortiz vs. Stephan Bonnar in the main event over a Bellator title fight, well, that's what he'll do.
What better way to bring in those casual fans than by signing Lesnar and putting him on free television against, say, Bobby Lashley? Yeah, that would do the trick. Viacom's stellar advertising sales department will have a field day selling ads against that fight.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2312796-brock-lesnar-is-still-big-business-after-all-these-years
Luke Shaw Injury: Updates on Manchester United Star's Ankle and Return
Manchester United's injury woes continued on Sunday as defender Luke Shaw picked up yet another injury during the side's 2-0 FA Cup win over Yeovil Town.
According to the club's official Twitter account, Shaw had to be withdrawn at the half-time interval along with fellow full-back Rafael after suffering the blow:Defence has been a particularly ravaged part of the United squad this term, but the club will be hoping Shaw isn't out of action for long.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2318933-luke-shaw-injury-updates-on-manchester-united-stars-ankle-and-return
According to the club's official Twitter account, Shaw had to be withdrawn at the half-time interval along with fellow full-back Rafael after suffering the blow:Defence has been a particularly ravaged part of the United squad this term, but the club will be hoping Shaw isn't out of action for long.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2318933-luke-shaw-injury-updates-on-manchester-united-stars-ankle-and-return
Chelsea Transfer News: Andrej Kramaric Terms Set, Latest Sergio Busquets Rumours
The transfer saga involving Croatia international Andrej Kramaric is reportedly drawing to an end, as Chelsea are close to completing a £4 million deal to bring the prolific forward into the fold.
As reported by the Daily Star's Nick Lustig, the 23-year-old will sign a four-and-a-half-year deal and join Vitesse Arnhem on loan, per The Sunday Times.Kramaric has been in sensational form for Croatian club HNK Rijeka, scoring an incredible 26 goals in 25 total appearances, via WhoScored.com. The young striker was voted as the league's top player last month, per CroatiaWeek:Transfer speculation started to swirl as early as late November, and according to Lustig, Kramaric twice turned down a move to Leicester City in favour of a bigger club.
His father, Josip Kramaric, voiced his concerns with a move to the Blues in a recent interview with T Portal (h/t Goal's Stephen Darwin), as he feared his son would have little say in his future once he puts pen to paper.But while Samper has been excellent playing for Barcelona B, he still has some ways to go to reach the high level of play Busquets has maintained for the past few years. The Barcelona youth product is universally recognised as one of the best at what he does, and it's no wonder Chelsea, among others, are reportedly interested in his services.
A new and improved contract would all but end any transfer speculation, bringing an end to this potential transfer saga before it ever truly began.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2319437-chelsea-transfer-news-andrej-kramaric-terms-set-latest-sergio-busquets-rumours
As reported by the Daily Star's Nick Lustig, the 23-year-old will sign a four-and-a-half-year deal and join Vitesse Arnhem on loan, per The Sunday Times.Kramaric has been in sensational form for Croatian club HNK Rijeka, scoring an incredible 26 goals in 25 total appearances, via WhoScored.com. The young striker was voted as the league's top player last month, per CroatiaWeek:Transfer speculation started to swirl as early as late November, and according to Lustig, Kramaric twice turned down a move to Leicester City in favour of a bigger club.
His father, Josip Kramaric, voiced his concerns with a move to the Blues in a recent interview with T Portal (h/t Goal's Stephen Darwin), as he feared his son would have little say in his future once he puts pen to paper.But while Samper has been excellent playing for Barcelona B, he still has some ways to go to reach the high level of play Busquets has maintained for the past few years. The Barcelona youth product is universally recognised as one of the best at what he does, and it's no wonder Chelsea, among others, are reportedly interested in his services.
A new and improved contract would all but end any transfer speculation, bringing an end to this potential transfer saga before it ever truly began.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2319437-chelsea-transfer-news-andrej-kramaric-terms-set-latest-sergio-busquets-rumours
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