-Z-
08-11-2009, 09:48 PM
CBSSports.com
With a dominating victory against light heavyweight Forrest Griffin, Anderson Silva proved that he is still one of the top fighters in the sport. The question now for the UFC is who will the middleweight champion go up against next? The opponent will not be coming from the 205-pound weight class. UFC president Dana White quickly removed any speculation that Silva's next fight would be at light heavyweight.
"His next fight will be at 185 pounds," Dana White said. "I think it will be against Dan Henderson."
And Henderson said he'd be getting a rematch.
"I am fighting Anderson Silva next," Henderson said.
Henderson has won his past three fights in the UFC to earn the title shot, defeating Michael Bisping, Rich Franklin and Rousimar Palhares.
The next lightweight title clash
At UFC 101, BJ Penn defeated Kenny Florian with a fourth-round submission. Penn's next opponent will be someone who is very familiar with Florian.
"Diego Sanchez is next line for a title shot against BJ Penn," said White.
Sanchez defeated Florian to win the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. Sanchez has openly campaigned for the opportunity since defeating Clay Guida in June.
Best season yet
As the premier of The Ultimate Fighter Season 8 quickly approaches, the hype has already begun. In fact, the buildup actually began in March when Rashad Evans and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson had a memorable staredown after Jackson defeated Evans' friend and training partner Keith Jardine.
Apparently, the animosity between the two coaches is real.
"They don't like each other," White said.
With Kimbo Slice, Jackson, Evans and others taking part on the upcoming show, White is convinced they need more than the standard television season to show the footage.
"We had a great season. We only have 42 minutes of content [each episode]," White said. "We have so many storylines. This could be a ten-set DVD."
The UFC is exploring new avenues to deliver those storylines.
"We got together with Spike, and we started talking about creating episodes for the website," White said. "We're figuring out ways to get these stories out there."
Overly emotional
After suffering a quick defeat to Anderson Silva, former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin immediately ran from the Octagon and into the dressing room. He avoided ring announcer Bruce Buffer's final announcement and the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. He also skipped the press conference after the show.
"He's an emotional guy," White said. "He came into this fight very confident. We've seen this from Forrest before."
During the post-fight press conference, White joked about Griffin's wherabouts.
"He might be in Georgia now," White said.
Serra vs. Hughes II?
After engaging in one of the most heated feuds in UFC history, Matt Hughes and Matt Serra supposedly settled the score in May 2009 with Hughes' unanimous decision victory. Apparently, Serra is not ready for it to end.
When asked about a possible next opponent, Serra left no doubt.
"I would love a rematch with Matt Hughes," Serra said, with a strong emphasis on love.
Hughes won the first bout by a thin margin. Even after a few months of reflection, Serra does not agree with the verdict.
"I believe I won the first fight," Serra said. "I even have the name for the next fight. They should put us together and label it 'Unfinished Business.'"
Only in the ring
Anderson Silva and Roy Jones have openly discussed the possibility of squaring off against one another. After witnessing Silva's first-round destruction of Forrest Griffin, Jones eliminated the possibility of the fight being under MMA rules.
"Anderson Silva went out and did exactly what a champion should do," Jones said. "I'd like to fight him, but it would have to be in boxing. I'm not a UFC guy. I can't do the jiu-jitsu and all that."
But Dana White put to rest any chances of the fight taking place while Silva is under UFC contract.
"I don't mean to show any disrespect to Roy Jones," said White. "But no, I don't like that fight."
Throughout White's talk about a potential fight with Jones at the UFC 101 press conference, Silva was sitting about three feet away. He couldn't hide the big smile on his face when discussing the possibility.
The "next" next big thing?
While plenty of professional wrestlers have made the transition to MMA, only Brock Lesnar has become a substantial draw during the UFC's current boom era. Usually, when something is successful, copycats are sure to follow.
One fighter who has drawn the attention of the UFC is former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley. Like Lesnar, Lashley is an accomplished amateur wrestler who also boasts a freakish physique. Since entering MMA, Lashley has a 4-0 record that includes wins over both Jason Guida and Bob Sapp.
Lashley is taking a much slower approach to the sport than Lesnar did. Lesnar fought in the UFC in just his second professional fight. Lashley is planning on fighting on smaller shows over the next year before attempting to make the jump to one of the big-time promotions.
One of the organizations Lashley could join is the UFC, and he is definitely on the organization's radar.
"People have been asking me about him," said White. "Yes, we're watching him."
Should Lashley sign with the UFC, a fight with Lesnar would be a natural fit for the former WWE champions.
With a dominating victory against light heavyweight Forrest Griffin, Anderson Silva proved that he is still one of the top fighters in the sport. The question now for the UFC is who will the middleweight champion go up against next? The opponent will not be coming from the 205-pound weight class. UFC president Dana White quickly removed any speculation that Silva's next fight would be at light heavyweight.
"His next fight will be at 185 pounds," Dana White said. "I think it will be against Dan Henderson."
And Henderson said he'd be getting a rematch.
"I am fighting Anderson Silva next," Henderson said.
Henderson has won his past three fights in the UFC to earn the title shot, defeating Michael Bisping, Rich Franklin and Rousimar Palhares.
The next lightweight title clash
At UFC 101, BJ Penn defeated Kenny Florian with a fourth-round submission. Penn's next opponent will be someone who is very familiar with Florian.
"Diego Sanchez is next line for a title shot against BJ Penn," said White.
Sanchez defeated Florian to win the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. Sanchez has openly campaigned for the opportunity since defeating Clay Guida in June.
Best season yet
As the premier of The Ultimate Fighter Season 8 quickly approaches, the hype has already begun. In fact, the buildup actually began in March when Rashad Evans and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson had a memorable staredown after Jackson defeated Evans' friend and training partner Keith Jardine.
Apparently, the animosity between the two coaches is real.
"They don't like each other," White said.
With Kimbo Slice, Jackson, Evans and others taking part on the upcoming show, White is convinced they need more than the standard television season to show the footage.
"We had a great season. We only have 42 minutes of content [each episode]," White said. "We have so many storylines. This could be a ten-set DVD."
The UFC is exploring new avenues to deliver those storylines.
"We got together with Spike, and we started talking about creating episodes for the website," White said. "We're figuring out ways to get these stories out there."
Overly emotional
After suffering a quick defeat to Anderson Silva, former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin immediately ran from the Octagon and into the dressing room. He avoided ring announcer Bruce Buffer's final announcement and the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. He also skipped the press conference after the show.
"He's an emotional guy," White said. "He came into this fight very confident. We've seen this from Forrest before."
During the post-fight press conference, White joked about Griffin's wherabouts.
"He might be in Georgia now," White said.
Serra vs. Hughes II?
After engaging in one of the most heated feuds in UFC history, Matt Hughes and Matt Serra supposedly settled the score in May 2009 with Hughes' unanimous decision victory. Apparently, Serra is not ready for it to end.
When asked about a possible next opponent, Serra left no doubt.
"I would love a rematch with Matt Hughes," Serra said, with a strong emphasis on love.
Hughes won the first bout by a thin margin. Even after a few months of reflection, Serra does not agree with the verdict.
"I believe I won the first fight," Serra said. "I even have the name for the next fight. They should put us together and label it 'Unfinished Business.'"
Only in the ring
Anderson Silva and Roy Jones have openly discussed the possibility of squaring off against one another. After witnessing Silva's first-round destruction of Forrest Griffin, Jones eliminated the possibility of the fight being under MMA rules.
"Anderson Silva went out and did exactly what a champion should do," Jones said. "I'd like to fight him, but it would have to be in boxing. I'm not a UFC guy. I can't do the jiu-jitsu and all that."
But Dana White put to rest any chances of the fight taking place while Silva is under UFC contract.
"I don't mean to show any disrespect to Roy Jones," said White. "But no, I don't like that fight."
Throughout White's talk about a potential fight with Jones at the UFC 101 press conference, Silva was sitting about three feet away. He couldn't hide the big smile on his face when discussing the possibility.
The "next" next big thing?
While plenty of professional wrestlers have made the transition to MMA, only Brock Lesnar has become a substantial draw during the UFC's current boom era. Usually, when something is successful, copycats are sure to follow.
One fighter who has drawn the attention of the UFC is former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley. Like Lesnar, Lashley is an accomplished amateur wrestler who also boasts a freakish physique. Since entering MMA, Lashley has a 4-0 record that includes wins over both Jason Guida and Bob Sapp.
Lashley is taking a much slower approach to the sport than Lesnar did. Lesnar fought in the UFC in just his second professional fight. Lashley is planning on fighting on smaller shows over the next year before attempting to make the jump to one of the big-time promotions.
One of the organizations Lashley could join is the UFC, and he is definitely on the organization's radar.
"People have been asking me about him," said White. "Yes, we're watching him."
Should Lashley sign with the UFC, a fight with Lesnar would be a natural fit for the former WWE champions.