Hot on the heels of the UFC's announcement that Demian Maia (12-1, 8 Subs) would step up on short-notice to face Anderson Silva (25-4, 15 (T)KO's) for the middleweight title at UFC 112, they have released this truly genius bit of marketing material.
Note the 1960's aesthetics that, despite predating the sport of MMA by decades, instantly informs viewers that they're in for an old-school clash of styles. Meanwhile, "The War In Arabia" brings to mind classic boxing matches like the "Rumble In The Jungle." I know I'm gushing right now, but can somebody please explain to me why this poster is not awesome.
It was announced on Thursday that emergency shoulder surgery had rendered VitorBelfort (19-8) unfit to fight Anderson "The Spider" Silva (25-4) for the middleweight title at UFC 112. That sent the MMA world into a frenzy of speculation regarding his replacement. Today, UFCPresident Dana White has confirmed that, since ChaelSonnen (24-10-1) will not be able to train sufficiently due to a forehead gash sustained at UFC 109, the challenger will indeed be Demian Maia (12-1).
Maia, a superb grappler who opened his UFC tenure with five straight submission wins, is coming off a clear-cut decision victory over Dan Miller (11-3) at UFC 109. In that fight, Maia showcased improved striking, which was a necessary given Demian's twenty-one second KO loss to Nate Marquardt (29-9-2) at UFC 102. regardless of his improved stand-up, DemianMaia's one and only path to victory against "The Spider" is to use his top-notch submissions game to secure a tap-out from the long-reigning champ.
Here are Dana's White's thoughts on the match (Props: MMAJunkie.com):
White is well known for being prone to hyperbole, characterizing this as a match-up between MMA's best striker and best grappler is definitely a justifiable statement. That being said, Silva's grappling is light-years ahead of Maia's striking, which could be the difference on April 1oth. A scrap with Belfort was guaranteed to produce fireworks for fans in AbuDhabi, but this pairing at least offers the possibility of a lightning strike submission from Maia.
Full Rumoured Card for UFC 112:
Main Event
Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia (For UFC Middleweight Championship)
Main Card
BJ Penn vs. Frankie Edgar (For UFC Lightweight Championship)
Former UFC champion Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort (19-8) has injured his shoulder during training and has been scratched from his upcoming middleweight title fight with Anderson "The Spider" Silva (25-4) at UFC 112. The news was first reported by Brazilian MMA site Tatame.com and has since been confirmed by UFC President Dana White through Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports.
UFC 112 represents the promotion's highly-anticipated middle east debut in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. It was originally scheduled to feature two title fights, with BJ Penn vs. Frankie Edgar serving as the co-main event, but it is now unclear if another credible middleweight challenger can be found to face Silva in time for the event.
The most obvious candidate is Chael Sonnen (24-10-1) who defeated top-challenger Nate Marquardt (29-9-2) at last Saturday's UFC 109, but Sonnen's forehead was severely cut in that fight which may make it impossible for him to get in a full training camp in time for April 10th.
Other middleweight challengers are either coming off of a recent loss [Nate Marquardt, Demian Maia (12-1), YushinOkami (23-5) ] or in need of another big victory [Alan Belcher (15-6)]. That leaves almost nobody in the MW division that could conceivably face Anderson Silva besides Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-1) who has only one octagon win dating back to August 2009, and Dan Henderson (25-7) who recently signed with UFC rival Strikeforce.
Another option might be for Anderson Silva to face a top light heavyweight, but, after what "The Spider" did to Forrest Griffin (17-6), the UFC may be somewhat reluctant. The possibility of Thiago Silva (14-2) facing Anderson comes to mind, but a match with Randy Couture (18-2) would be much more marketable. It is also possible that "The Spider" could be matched with a heavyweight fighter. He has expressed interest in fighting Frank Mir at that weight class in the past.
Vitor Belfort's withdrawal from UFC 112 has created a tough riddle for their head matchmaker, Joe Silva, but he has rarely let fans down in the past. Of course, there is also the possibility that Anderson Silva's next fight will simply be pushed back until either Sonnen or Belfort is ready to go.
The UFChas officially announced that their upcoming event in AbuDhabi, U.A.E. will take place in a semi-enclosed outdoor arena. The venue has played host to major concerts in the past featuring acts like Aerosmith and Beyonce Knowles. The venue is part of Ferrari World [pictured left], the world's largest indoor theme park, which features a race track as well as the stadium in which UFC 112 will take place.
The event will feature two UFC world title fights, specifically middleweight champion Anderson Silva (25-4) vs. VitorBelfort (19-8) and lightweight champion BJ Penn (15-5-1) vs. Frankie Edgar (11-1). Former, longtime welterweight champion Matt Hughes (43-7) will also appear on the card against Renzo Gracie (13-6-1) who considers AbuDhabi a sort of second home.
The co-promoters of the show will be Flash Entertainment, the UFC's new business partners and %10 stake-holders in their parent company Zuffa. Flash is also a minority owner of Ferrari, which explains why they saw the need to build the world's only theme park based on that brand.
UFC 112 would already have been seen a major breakthrough for the UFC considering it is their first card in the Middle East, but this unique outdoor venue, which is said to hold upwards of 30,000 spectators, should make the night even more memorable for all the fighters involved.
Full rumoured card for UFC 112 in AbuDhabi, April 10th:
Anderson Silva vs. VitorBelfort (for Middleweight Title)
B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar (for Lightweight Title)
Two members of the legendary Gracie Jiu Jitsu family, are set to debut in the UFC in 2010. Up-and-coming heavyweight Rolles Gracie (3-0 [pictured left]) will compete on the preliminary card at UFC 109: Couture vs. Coleman, while his cousin and frequent teacher Renzo Gracie (13-6-1) will appear in a main card bout at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi on April, 10th.
What does this mean for the UFC's bottom-line and how might these Gracie's fare against their scheduled opponents? Read on to find out.
Every MMA fan, casual and hardcore alike, is familiar with the legendary of Royce Gracie (14-3-30. His initial 12-0-1 run that began at UFC 1 and ran through UFC 5 epitomized the romantic martial arts notion of skill overcoming size and strength. Like Bruce Lee squaring off with Kareem Abdul Jabar in Game of Death (1978), Royce showed an almost mythical ability to defeat men quite literally twice his size. That incredible run of octagon success has since been rationalized by the common understanding that Royce utilized a highly-effective fighting system, Gracie-style Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, that few of his opponents had any clue about how to defend against. Nevertheless, even briefly contemplating Royce's unforgettable early 90's performances affects most MMA fans on a gut level to this day.
That said, the enduring recent image of Royce Gracie is of him suffering helplessly beneath a barrage of unanswered shots from to Matt Hughes at UFC 60. Royce showed remarkable toughness on that night, but suffered a first-round TKO loss-- his first ever octagon defeat. Many sensed in that moment that a new era had officially began, and most rightly assumed that the Gracie name would not regain UFC relevance anytime the immediate future.
Few would have guessed, though, that nearly four years and about fifty numbered UFC events later, two members of the Gracie family would be poised to make octagon debuts in 2010. This news came as only a marginal surprise, of course, to hardcore MMA fans who know that well over a dozen Gracie's have sought to emulate Royce's MMA success, with most achieving favorable results. Muc more important to the UFC's marketplace aspirations, however, is the casual fans' reaction. For the UFC, the powerful emotional attatchment the average fan has to the Gracie name means potential big money returns on their pair of recent Gracie family investments. Should either fighter achieve so much as a modicum of sustained UFC success in 2010, he would instantly become a bankable, international, MMA superstar and could easily become nothing short of the MMA story of the year.
So who are these torch-bearers seeking to reestablish the Gracie name inside the octagon and how should one view their chances in their upcoming fights?
Well, the first is a relatively young up-and-comer looking to give the Gracie name a fresh start in a brand new weight class. A three time Pan American Traditional Jui-Jitsu Champion ('99,'00,'06) and one time No-Gi Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Champion ('08), thirty-two-year-old heavyweight Rolles Gracie has already tasted competitive martial arts success. Standing at 6'4" and weighing 242 lbs., Rolles is also 3-0 in MMA with wins in the IFL and Art Of War promotions. All three of his victories came by way of submission, but his opponents to-date have a conspicuously non-threatening combined record of 19-16.
At UFC 109, Rolles will face another fairly unaccomplished opponent in England's Mostapha Al-Turk (6-5), who is currently 0-2 in the UFC with losses to Cheick Kongo (14-6-1) and Mirko Filipovich (25-7-2). That said, the experienced Al-Turk should provide the toughest challenge of Rolles' short career. Indeed, with finishes in each of his six career victories, including four (T)KO's, Al-Turk poses a credible threat to any UFC newcomer-- even a Gracie. At the same time, Al-Turk is just the sort of introductory-level opponent that Rolles may need to get acclimated to his new home in the octagon. At the same time, if, as the UFC clearly would like, Rolles scores a highlight-reel submission, Al-Turk also possesses the burly, intimidating look necessary to begin creating an aura of invincibility around Rolles.
Odds makers are likely to heavily favour Rolles Gracie, who is already being called "Gracie 2.0" by some members of the media. In addition to his world-class BJJ, the young Gracie's recent training with lightweight striking sensation Frankie Edgar suggests he has worked on his stand-up studiously enough to emerge from a showdown with Al-Turk showing minimal damage and, more importantly, with his hand raised. Who Rolles' is matched up with next, should he win at UFC 109, will demonstrate for fans how aggressively the UFC intends to fast-track his career. Regardless of their intentions, the promotion's lingering lack of depth at HW and the likelihood that Rolles will fight at least three times in 2010, means fans will almost certainly get to see how his skills really stack up sooner-rather-than-later.
The other debuting Gracie in the UFC circa 2010, Renzo Gracie, really needs no introduction to the MMA faithful. What many forget is that Renzo competed in, and won, his own one-night, eight-man, early-years MMA tournament at 1995's World Combat Championship 1. He followed that with better-remembered appearances in PRIDE, Rings, The IFL, K-1, and even EliteXC. While he is not as well-known as Royce, Renzo has competed more times since the year 2000 (ten matches to seven) and is currently on a three-fight winning streak. It is also worth noting, however, that Renzo has not fought as a pro since defeating Frank Shamrock via DQ in February, 2007.
Despite being advanced in age at forty-two years old, MMA fans will surely welcome Renzo back with open arms on April 10th. His opponent that night at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi wil be longtime UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes (43-7), who is five years his junior at just thirty-six years old. Some would argue that this fight bears little relevance to the current WW division, but a win over Hughes would position Renzo for a run at the division's elite contenders, which is his stated desire and something in which Hughes seems to have little interest. At UFC 112, Renzo Gracie will have plenty of support from the crowd. He has made dozens of trips to Abu Dhabi over the years and helped to organize their groundbreaking BJJ program in all public schools. Renzo has even served as the longtime personal BJJ instructor to Abu Dhabi's crown prince,Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who recently became a minority owner in Zuffa-- the parent company of the UFC as well as its sister-promotion the WEC.
Princely supporters or not, there's no denying that Renzo Gracie will be in for a tough fight against Matt Hughes, who, despite not being quite the dominant force he once was, has gone 3-3 against some of the highest quality welterweight opponents possible since dominating Royce Gracie in 2006. If Renzo hopes to win he will likely need to do it from the bottom since nothing suggests he can defend a Hughes take down. If Renzo does pull off a submission, it will surely be the assembled crowd's favourite moment of the night. That's really saying something, too, because UFC 112 will likely include two UFC title fights. There are rumours circulating that the lack of a suitable venue will lead the Abu Dhabi government to build an improvised outdoor stadium for this April's UFC 112. As that plan comes together, rest assured there's nothing its organizers would like more than to sit under the stars on a cool desert night and witness their national hero, Renzo Gracie, avenge Royce's 2006 loss to Hughes.
Similarly, there's very little Zuffa would like more than if either Rolles or Renzo Gracie can begin putting together a serious title run in 2010. There are very few MMA stories that would capture the popular imagination, or the attention of the sports media, quite like a Gracie positioned to reclaim Royce's crown as a UFC champion.
See videos featuring first Renzo, then Rolles Below:
With BJ Penn (15-5-1) sitting pretty atop of the worldwide 155lb. division, it is becoming increasingly difficult for UFC fans to picture anyone within the organization taking his championship belt. Unless you consider rematches, in which case I think Kenny Florian deserves a second crack somewhere down the line, there are really only two obvious contenders left for Penn. Those fighters are Gray "The Bully" Maynard (8-0) and Frankie "The Answer" Edgar (11-1).
No matter who fights BJ Penn next it will be seen by many as a forgone victory for "The Prodigy," but both Edgar and Maynard at least possess the wrestling chops to give BJ's unorthodox one-footed takedown defense technique a real hop for its money. Rumour even has it that this fight could take place at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi-- a highly anticipated event that is also rumoured to include Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort and is confirmed to feature Matt Hughes vs. Renzo Gracie.
A Jersey boy who worked as a plumber well into his UFC career, Edgar has a style that emphasizes lightening-quick strikes, but his greatest asset by far is his wrestling. Maynard is very much a similar fighter, except that what he lacks in speed he more than makes up for in strength. That strength was on display when the two met at UFC Fight Night 13 in April 2008. It was a clear-cut victory for Maynard who simply overpowered Edgar en route to a unanimous decision. If Maynard wins at tonight's UFC Fight Night 20, he will be undefeated in the UFC at 7-0 and will have defeated Nate Diaz who was the only fighter ever to defeat "The Bully" in an exhibition match on The Ultimate Fighter 5.
Here is where the "great" debate comes in. Some have argued that Edgar's body of work, combined with his supposedly more-electrifying style, may give him the edge he needs to lock up the next shot at BJ Penn even despite the a loss to Maynard on his record. Personally, I can not see a way to justify such a move in terms of competitive fairness. Regardless of that, I also do not believe that Edgar is so clearly more marketable. Besides, the UFC has a show planned for New Jersey this march, at which Edgar has already expressed interest in fighting, perhaps against fellow Northeast coast fighter, Kenny Florian.
Ultimately, the "great" number-one contender debate is essentially a non-starter because if Maynard wins tonight and doesn't get the shot it will be a blight on the UFC's reputation as a legitimate sporting event, while a Maynard loss would make him unmarketable for an immediate shot and, thus, throw the proverbial door wide open for Frankie Edgar.
Check out Edgar below in this video interview with Steve Cofield, he discusses this minor controversy as well as other topics including MTV's guido-based hit The Jersey Shore.
