Did you miss Tuesday night’s debut of “Countdown to UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2′ on FUEL TV? You can now watch the full episode above.

The hourlong special previews Saturday’s UFC 160 pay-per-view event at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Profiled bouts include heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez (11-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) vs. Antonio Silva (18-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC), ex-heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos (15-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) vs. Mark Hunt (9-7 MMA, 4-1 UFC), and light heavyweights James Te Huna (16-5 MMA, 5-1 UFC) vs. Glover Teixeira (20-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC.

For the latest on UFC 160, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Edit this article

Article source: http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/2013/05/full-episode-countdown-to-ufc-160-velasquez-vs-bigfoot-2

In the wake of headliner Renan Barao’s injury withdrawal from UFC 161, the promotion’s matchmaking team has put together an impressive heavyweight tilt aimed at softening the blow to the card’s lineup. Fresh off his finish of Cheick Kongo, fan-favorite Roy Nelson will mix it up with Stipe Miocic at the June 15 event in hopes of winning his fourth straight fight.

Though not announced, MMAJunkie was able to confirm the clash with UFC President Dana White. It is unknown if a replacement will be found for Miocic’s original opponent, Soa Palelei.

The 19-7 “Big Country” has notched opening round knockouts in a trio of tilts since his last stumble. Seventeen of his victories have featured some form of stoppage including those over Brendan Schaub, Stefan Struve, and Mirko Filipovic.

Miocic hasn’t seen action since losing to Struve last September. The defeat was the first of his career, snapping a three-fight run in the Octagon as well. Like Nelson, he too is known for knockout power, winning all but two of his nine triumphs by way of TKO.

In addition to Nelson-Miocic, the PPV portion of UFC 161 will feature bouts between Antonio Rogerio Nogueira-Mauricio Rua and Rashad Evans-Dan Henderson.

Front-Page Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Article source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2013/05/22/roy-nelson-stipe-miocic-signed-on-short-notice-for-ufc-16/

On ‘Countdown to UFC 160,’ Cain Velasquez and Antonio Silva discuss their first fight. Velasquez also breaks down his fight with Junior dos Santos and how he reclaimed the UFC heavyweight championship, while “Bigfoot” talks about his emotional fight against Alistair Overeem.

Also on the show, Mark Hunt and dos Santos discuss their co-main event fight.

Glover Teixeira and James Te Huna also discuss their fight on the UFC 160 main card.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Article source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/5/22/4354352/countdown-to-ufc-160-video

A short notice heavyweight bout pitting Roy Nelson (19-7) against Stipe Miocic (9-1) has been added to the main card of UFC 161.

MMA Junkie first reported the booking, which was later confirmed by UFC officials.

UFC 161′s main card was left one bout short after UFC interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao withdrew from a scheduled title defense against Eddie Wineland due to a torn ligament in his right foot on Tuesday. Wineland’s status on the card remains undetermined at the time of this writing.

Miocic was initially slated to fight returning heavyweight Soa Palelei (18-3) on the night’s preliminary card. Left without an opponent, Palelei will now serve as a backup opponent in case any of the card’s four heavyweight suffer an additional injury.

Nelson returns to action just weeks after knocking out Cheick Kongo at UFC 159. The performance earned Nelson yet another ‘Knockout of the Night’ bonus and extended his streak of first-round knockouts to three straight.

UFC 161 takes place June 15, 2013 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Canada.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Article source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/5/22/4354418/ufc-161-fight-card-roy-nelson-vs-stipe-miocic

Heavyweight Josh Barnett has been a man without a home since the fall of Strikeforce. He picked up his last win in the promotion’s final event against unkown big man Nandor Guelmino. Following that fight and the transfer of much of Strikeforce’s roster to the UFC, there’s been a lot of speculation about where he’d fight next. After early negotiations with the UFC went awry, no news had developed regarding where Barnett would fight next.

However, MMA Junkie broke the news Tuesday night that Barnett had re-signed with UFC in a multi-fight deal:

USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed with promotion officials that former UFC heavyweight champion Barnett has signed a new multi-fight deal with the promotion and is expected to make his return to the octagon later this year. An official announcement is expected soon.

Barnett last fought for the UFC at UFC 36 where he defeated Randy Couture to win the Heavyweight title. Unfortunately for him, “The Warmaster” popped for PEDs in his post-fight drug test following the fight. He was stripped of his title and continued his fighting career in Japan before signing with Strikeforce. Josh does not have an opponent set yet, nor an expected return date, but if I have my way he’ll be fighting former champ Frank Mir in his UFC re-debut.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Article source: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2013/5/21/4354316/heavyweight-josh-barnett-inks-new-multi-fight-ufc-contract-mma-news

More than a decade after winning the company’s heavyweight title, Josh Barnett is set for his UFC return.

The 35-year-old heavyweight has agreed on contract terms for his return. USA Today originally reported the news on Tuesday night.

Barnett stormed onto the UFC scene in 2000 and eventually won the title from Randy Couture at the age of 24 at UFC 36 in 2002 via second-round TKO.

However, he was later stripped of the title after testing positive for banned substances. This his only scrape with flunked tests, as a failed 2009 pre-fight steroid test in California led to the cancelation of his bout with Fedor Emelianenko on a planned Affliction card in Anaheim.

The Seattle native, who is now based in Fullerton, Calif., earned his position as MMA’s leading maverick after leaving the UFC. Barnett did his own thing and earned big contracts in promotions from PRIDE to Affliction to Dream to Strikeforce. He’s also participated in staged Japanese professional wrestling along the way.

Barnett ran his record to 32-6 with a first-round submission win over Nandor Guelmino on the final Strikeforce card on Jan. 12. Since then, Barnett bided his time, before finally deciding to make his UFC return after an 11-year absence.

No word yet on potential opponents for Barnett’s debut.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Article source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/5/22/4354488/former-champion-josh-barnett-returning-to-ufc

(This story appears in Wednesday’s edition of USA TODAY.)

With the loss of UFC 161′s planned headliner between Renan Barao (30-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and Eddie Wineland (20-8-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC), Ultimate Fighting Championship officials looked to add some firepower to the event’s lineup. Roy Nelson (19-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) and Stipe Miocic (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) answered the call.

USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed with UFC President Dana White that Nelson and Miocic have agreed to meet on the main card of the event, which takes place June 15 at MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Rashad Evans (17-3-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) vs. Dan Henderson (29-9 MMA, 6-3 UFC) now headlines the card.

The planned main event was scratched when Barao suffered torn ligaments in his foot. UFC officials are currently seeking another opponent for Wineland, and if one is secured, the event will feature six fights on the evening’s pay-per-view card instead of the traditional five contests.

Nelson, the No. 8-ranked heavyweight in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com Rankings, enters the fight with an impressive three-fight win streak that includes three first-round knockouts over Cheick Kongo, Matt Mitrione and Dave Herman. The win streak is Nelson’s longest since 2008 and has “Big Country” knocking on the door of title contention.

Meanwhile, Miocic recently cracked the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com Rankings’ top-15 list. The 30-year-old Ohio native opened his career with nine straight wins, including three UFC victories. He fought most recently in the main event of this past September’s “UFC on FUEL TV 5: Struve vs. Miocic” event, where he suffered a TKO loss to Stefan Struve.

Miocic had been expected to face Australian heavyweight Soa Palelei (18-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who is now left without an opponent. Palelei will now serve as a backup opponent should any injuries disrupt UFC 161′s heavyweight bouts of Nelson vs. Miocic or Pat Barry vs. Shawn Jordan.

For the latest on UFC 161, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Roy Nelson)

Edit this article

Article source: http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/2013/05/usa-today-nelson-vs-miocic-added-to-ufc-161-six-fight-main-card-possible

(This story appears in Wednesday’s edition of USA TODAY.)

Heavyweight Josh Barnett (32-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is an Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor once more.

USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed with promotion officials that former UFC heavyweight champion Barnett has signed a new multi-fight deal with the promotion and is expected to make his return to the octagon later this year. An official announcement is expected soon.

Barnett is currently ranked No. 6 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com rankings and was considered the world’s most-talented free-agent heavyweight. His return date and opponent have yet to be determined.

Barnett has been fighting professionally since 1997 and made his promotional debut in 2000 with a TKO victory over Gan McGee at UFC 28. He would suffer a knockout loss to Pedro Rizzo in his next appearance before rattling off victories over Semmy Schilt, Bobby Hoffman and UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture. The win over Couture scored Barnett the UFC’s heavyweight title, though he was later stripped of the belt in 2002 after failing the evening’s post-fight drug test.

Barnett spent much of the next six years fighting in Japan, where in 2006 he made it to the finals of that year’s PRIDE open weight grand prix before losing to Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic.

In 2008, Barnett returned to the U.S., where he earned victories over Gilbert Yvel in Rizzo under the Affliction banner before that promotion folded up shop. He would later sign with Strikeforce, where he advanced to the promotion’s heavyweight grand prix final before falling short against undefeated contender Daniel Cormier. Cormier bounced back with a January win over Nandor Guelmino in Strikeforce’s final event.

Earlier this year, Barnett and the UFC appeared close to signing a deal, but the talks stagnated and talks briefly dissolved. However, the two parties have now reached an agreement, and “The Warmaster” is now set for an octagon return.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Edit this article

Article source: http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/2013/05/former-ufc-champ-josh-barnett-returns-to-promotion-with-new-multi-fight-deal

UFC Heavyweight Roy Nelson is coming off one of the biggest wins of his career. Just a few weeks ago, he scored a first round knockout over gatekeeper Cheick Kongo at UFC 159. Then, when it looked like Mark Hunt may miss his fight at UFC 160, the UFC looked first at “Big Country” as a replacement. With Hunt’s visa problems now in order, they want to slot him in on the following PPV card.

Ariel Helwani told UFC Tonight that the UFC is trying to book Nelson for UFC 161, which just lost it’s headliner with Renan Barao’s injury:

UPDATE: @arielhelwani reports that UFC has asked @roynelsonmma to fight at #UFC161.Nothing is confirmed. Who do you think he should fight?

— UFC Tonight (@UFCTonight) May 22, 2013

Despite the announcement on Fuel TV, when BE’s own Steph Daniels spoke to Nelson Tuesday evening, he had no knowledge about an upcoming match. However, he did say that it’s possible his manager could be working on something he didn’t know about.

Nelson is riding a three-fight win streak, having won all three contests by first round KO. As the 6th ranked UFC Heavyweight, it makes the most sense for him to face another top-10 fighter, but very few are available. There’s been some talk of a fight between him and Daniel Cormier, although DC has said recently that he’s not eyeing a return to the Octagon until August. The other is Frank Mir, who dominated Nelson to win a unanimous decision back at UFC 130. So, it’s hard to say who the UFC plans to book him against if they really want him to fight in June.

UPDATE: MMA Junkie confirmed that Nelson is set to face Stipe Miocic at UFC 161 on June 15:

USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed with UFC President Dana White that Nelson and Miocic have agreed to meet on the main card of the event, which takes place June 15 at MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Rashad Evans (17-3-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) vs. Dan Henderson (29-9 MMA, 6-3 UFC) now headlines the card.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Article source: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2013/5/21/4354084/unbeknownst-heavyweight-roy-nelson-ufc-fight-ufc-161-mma-news

Jon Jones currently sits tied with Tito Ortiz for the most UFC light heavyweight title defenses in history with five. According to an interview with Jones’ manager Malki Kawa, the champ is most definitely looking to break that record sooner than later, but he has to heal up from the toe injury he suffered in his UFC 159 win over Chael Sonnen first. After that, he might even be able fight twice more this year. First, Kawa gave an injury update on the champ: (via Bleacher Report):

“Everything’s good. He’s got to be in the boot for about six weeks, about five weeks now left to go and then he gets to take it off and he’ll test his foot and we’ll see what’s next.”

“For right now he’s just anxious to get that boot off and make sure his toe is good to go. As long as he feels good coming off that boot and when he goes to put pressure on it, he can walk without a boot, and his toe is strong and everything’s good there then it shouldn’t (delay his return). One thing about Jon is he’s not going to take any chances whatsoever. As long as his foot heals properly and he’s got no issues with it, it shouldn’t delay anything.

He then stated that Jones could return to the octagon a couple of times before the end of 2013:

“I’ll just tell you this, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jon fights two more times this year. That’s very aggressive and I know that’s crazy, but it’s something that he discussed with me and we talked about it. I told Superman to relax a little bit, you’re injured right now, but he’s got an aggressive timeline in his head. Certain goals and accomplishments that he wants and we’re looking to get that record.”

And who would he like to face next?

“His next fight is at light heavyweight and his next fight will be against somebody that’s considered the No. 1 guy,” Kawa stated. “He’ll get that next defense and once he breaks that record, after that all the speculation can happen.

“I think he really wants to fight Alexander Gustafsson next. Alexander called him out and I think Jon has said in numerous interviews that he would like to fight him next. We’re just going to wait and see what happens.”

I’m sure Lyoto Machida isn’t too happy to hear that, but it’s not that surprising. Gustafsson is a new challenge for Jones and offers some interesting obstacles. Either way though, it looks like the champ has the summer off.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Article source: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2013/5/21/4353264/ufc-jon-jones-fight-two-more-times--2013-kawa-mma-news