On Thursday, 26 December 2013
The event is expected to be headlined by a Middleweight Championship rematch between the champion Chris Weidman and former champion Anderson Silva. The two previously met at UFC 162 with Weidman winning via knockout in the second round, earning the title.
Co-featured will be a Women's Bantamweight Championship bout between the current champion Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate. The two met before under the Strikeforce banner in 2012 with Rousey winning via first round submission. This will serve as the coaches bout for The Ultimate Fighter 18.
Initially, it was announced that Rousey would face top contender Cat Zingano at this event, after Zingano defeated Tate at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale. However, Zingano was pulled from the bout, and subsequently as coach for The Ultimate Fighter, after it was announced that she had suffered a knee injury and would be sidelined for several months. Tate was tabbed as the replacement and the rematch with Rousey was announced.
Shane del Rosario was expected to face Guto Inocente at the event; however both participants pulled out of the bout citing injuries. Prior to the scheduled fight date, Del Rosario suffered two sudden cardiac arrests and passed away two weeks later on December 9, 2013.
The pre-event news conference for this week’s UFC 168 event takes place today, and you can watch a live stream of the proceedings here on MMAjunkie.com at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT).
The fan and media event takes place at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Expected to be part of the press conference are middleweight champion Chris Weidman, former champ and current challenger Anderson Silva, women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey, former Strikeforce titleholder Miesha Tate, Josh Barnett and Travis Browne, as well as UFC President Dana White.
For more on UFC 168, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.Saturday night’s UFC 168 event features one of the most anticipated title fights in UFC history, but one man sitting cageside in Las Vegas will be watching more intently than just about anyone else: Vitor Belfort.
Many will watch the pay-per-view broadcast (10 p.m. ET) to see if UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman can down former champ Anderson Silva for a second time. But Belfort will be watching for a different reason. “The Phenom” wants to know whom he’ll need to beat to become UFC champion.
“I don’t care who will win on Saturday, because whoever wins will already be preparing to lose,” Belfort (24-10 MMA, 13-6 UFC) told USA TODAY Sports. “That belt belongs to me.”\
Fighting professionally since he was a teenager, Belfort is 36 and performing perhaps better than at any point in his career. He’s No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA middleweight rankings, behind Weidman and Silva. Yet in the past 12 months, his knockout victories against Dan Henderson, Luke Rockhold and Michael Bisping have earned Belfort serious consideration for “Fighter of the Year.”
He also appears to be in line for a shot at the title. He has vigorously campaigned for the chance during his streak.
“I conquered my space,” Belfort said. “I wanted the opportunity to fight for the belt, and here I am. The one thing the fans wanted to see is me getting the title shot. Now I am more than ready to be a world champion in another division.”
Belfort wore a UFC championship belt once before, earning the light heavyweight title in 2004 in bizarre fashion when the seam of his glove cut then-champ Randy Couture’s lower eyelid. Forty-nine seconds into the bout, the fight was waved off, and Belfort was awarded a TKO.
Belfort lost the belt in a rematch and left the promotion shortly after, taking fights around the globe for different organizations. The Brazilian returned to the UFC in 2009 and has been intent on a title victory since. He has had two opportunities, losing to Silva in 2011 and moving up to light heavyweight in 2012 in an unsuccessful bid against Jon Jones.
But Belfort has established himself as a top contender, and UFC President Dana White has hinted he will be booked to fight the winner of the Weidman vs. Silva rematch.
As far as Belfort is concerned, the suggestions might as well be a guarantee. “I don’t like this little word ‘if,’” Belfort said. “If we start adding ‘if, if, if,’ that means I wouldn’t conquer anything completely. The sweet feeling is knowing that nobody gave me anything for free. I paid the price and made my way here.”
UFC officials don’t typically announce future plans until title fights are complete. But Belfort plans to follow up a big year by kicking off 2014 with a victory against the UFC 168 winner.
“I have the most loyal fans that have been with me since I was 19 years old, when I was just a young guy becoming a world champion,” Belfort said. “I would like to say thank you to all of them. We are about to get another amazing year.
“Be ready, because I am.”
For more on UFC 168, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.Watch the UFC 168 press conference live on MMA Fighting on Thursday afternoon. Chris Weidman, Anderson Silva, Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, and many more are expected to attend the event.UFC 168: Fight Club Q&A with Bruce Buffer
by Chris Hall, Bloody Elbow Dec 26 2013, 4:00a
Tune into Bloody Elbow at 5 p.m. ET to catch Bruce Buffer answering fan questions prior to the UFC 168 weigh-ins.UFC 168: Fight Club Q&A with Bruce Buffer
by Chris Hall, Bloody Elbow Dec 26 2013, 4:00a
Tune into Bloody Elbow at 5 p.m. ET to catch Bruce Buffer answering fan questions prior to the UFC 168 weigh-ins.UFC 168: Weidman vs. Silva weigh-in video
by Chris Hall, Bloody Elbow Dec 26 2013, 4:00a
Bloody Elbow is the place to be to watch the UFC 168 weigh-ins Friday at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.UFC 168 may be headlined by two of the biggest title fights in all of 2013, but the undercard features quite a few notable names, including a former Ultimate Fighter season 1 veteran taking on a season 17 competitor in the featured bout on the prelims.
Both Chris Leben and Uriah Hall have to know this is a must win situation for them on Saturday night, so expect them to throw everything at each other - plus the kitchen sink - to get a win.
Add in intriguing bouts such as Gleison Tibau vs. Michael Johnson and John Howard vs. Siyar Bahadurzada and UFC 168's undercard is looking pretty stacked.
The fantasy preview today will focus on a few key matchups on the preliminary card that could ultimately determine who wins and who loses once the final scores are tallied.
URIAH HALL (-300 FAVORITE) VS. CHRIS LEBEN (+250 UNDERDOG)
The odds in this fight might be a tad bit askew given the performances from both Leben and Hall lately.
Leben has looked sluggish and out of sync in his last few fights while Hall's flashes of brilliance while competing on The Ultimate Fighter have disappeared for a pair of bizarre and off balance showings since leaving the reality competition. Statistics won't tell you much about this fight because neither Leben or Hall have really showed much in their last couple of bouts to tell what will happen in this matchup.
If the odds seem to fall in the favor of one fighter, it lands in Hall's corner based on pure talent. Hall is a dynamic striker with creativity to boot, who does a great job of keeping his opponents at distance with quick movement and lightning fast punches and kicks. His problem thus far in the UFC has been one of a mental block that has kept him from unleashing his true potential. Hall sounds confident this time around that he's worked past the problems he's had lately, and if that's the case this could be the perfect showcase.
Leben is a brawler, so Hall has to keep his hands up and stay out of any big exchanges. If he follows that strategy, Hall can pick Leben apart from the outside and have some fun with his high flying kicks to try and get the finish. Either way, Hall needs a win and a dynamic performance to prove UFC president Dana White was right for bringing him back after a recent loss. If Hall uncorks some of the moves we all witnessed on The Ultimate Fighter, he may pick up his first official UFC win by knockout.
DENNIS SIVER (-250 FAVORITE) VS. MANNY GAMBURYAN (+210 UNDERDOG)
German striker Dennis Siver suffered his first loss at featherweight when he fell by knockout to Cub Swanson at UFC 162 in a Fight of the Night performance. Prior to that moment, Siver looked like a tank at 145 pounds and he'll get the chance to show off his power and skill against former Ultimate Fighter finalist Manny Gamburyan on Saturday night.
Siver hits like a truck, landing nearly four significant strikes per minute, almost double the output that Gamburyan musters. Add into that, Gamburyan's striking defense only comes in at a shade over 57 percent and that's a recipe for trouble on the feet. Gamburyan has a decided advantage in the grappling game, but that's only if he can get the fight to the ground, and it's not all that easy to get Siver to the mat.
Siver stops nearly 70 percent of his opponent's takedowns, and even when he hits the mat, he's slippery and able to avoid submissions with an adaptable ground game. Look for Siver to open up the offense on the feet and keep Gamburyan frustrated throughout all 15 minutes as he will continuously search for the clinch and the takedown. The bet is that Gamburyan won't get this fight to the mat, and on the feet Siver has a decided advantage to win a unanimous decision.
SIYAR BAHADURZADA (-140 FAVORITE) VS. JOHN HOWARD (+120 UNDERDOG)
This is another case where the favorite going into UFC 168 has a great chance of winning when the night is over. Bahadurzada is an overwhelming striker who welcomes a standup war with an opponent and Howard may give him the medicine he so richly desires after being suffocated on the mat in his last fight against Korean grappler Dong Hyun Kim.
Bahadurzada has a blitzing offense that can overwhelm an opponent in quick order, but don't expect that to happen this time around. Howard may not win this fight, but he's going to give Bahadurzada everything he can handle. Howard is as tough as leather and even harder to finish. He'll be there every minute of every round, firing back at Bahadurzada during every exchange.
The problem lies in Bahadurzada's power and prowess on the feet. He's got fight-altering power in his hands and while that may lead you to believe he'll land the knockout, it probably won't happen in this fight. Howard is savvy enough to know Bahadurzada is looking for the one punch knockout, so he'll likely play coy and stay away from his power shots. The defensive game is great to avoid being finished, but not enough to win on the judges' scorecards, which is where Bahadurzada should come away with the points to pull out a victory.
ROBBIE PERALTA (-185 FAVORITE) VS. ESTAVAN PAYAN (+160 UNDERDOG)
Two featherweights in a need of a win will kick off UFC 168 on Saturday night as Robbie Peralta takes on Estevan Payan.
Peralta's UFC career started out well enough, going undefeated through his first three fights before falling to former Ultimate Fighter competitor Akira Corassani in April. Meanwhile, Payan will probably be happy to see anyone across the cage from him not named Jeremy Stephens after the Iowa native bludgeoned him for three straight rounds en route to a one-sided decision.
Despite both fighters coming in off a loss, Peralta remains the decided favorite and the oddsmakers are once again right on the money. Peralta was close to cracking the top ten or fifteen fighters in the featherweight division prior to his last loss. He's got serious knockout power lurking in his hands, and if he can control this fight, Peralta has a definite advantage.
Payan likes to bully his opponents, and that's what backfired against Stephens and what could happen again facing Peralta. If he can't set the pace and take the center of the Octagon when the opening of the fight happens, Payan could be in trouble. Peralta throws nearly five significant strikes per minute, and if he can connect with one solid punch he could put Payan down for good. Following his last loss, there's no doubt that Payan can take a licking and keep on ticking, but he may go into survival mode in a hurry if Peralta lands flush with punches early in the first two rounds.
Look for Peralta to get the win and he may do so with a decision or even a TKO in the first two rounds.
