Penn-Florian at UFC 101 in Philadelphia; Couture-Nogueira at UFC 102 in Portland
Lorenzo Fertitta
UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta took to the Underground Forums over the weekend to answer questions from fans about the UFC’s upcoming plans. Among the news Fertitta confirmed was that UFC 101, originally slated for August 8th in Portland, Oregon, will in fact take place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as we reported late last week.
However, a bout between top heavyweights Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will not headline the event as rumored. Instead, a lightweight championship bout between title-holder BJ Penn and top contender Kenny Florian is in the works to fill the main event slot.
” Philly august 8, working on bj/kflo historic lightweight fight but not quite done yet!,” posted Fertitta.
The bout between Couture and Nogueira will instead headline UFC 102 on August 29th at the Rose Garden in Portland.
“Portland RoseGarden August 29th. Looks like portlands favorite son in a megafight with a brazilian legend who spent his career in japan,” wrote Fertitta.
The status of a rumored bout between Forrest Griffin and Thiago Silva originally slated for the August 8th Portland card was not mentioned.
Fertitta also posted that:
- The UFC is planning to return to Brazil, but is likely to hold an event in Australia first.
- There are no plans for another comeback season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, but something is being planned that will “blow everyone’s mind”.
- They are planning on holding events in the near future in Detroit, Chicago, and California.
- They have no plans for tournaments because they’re tough on the fighters and frowned on by the athletic commissions.
- He appreciates women in MMA and feels there’s a place for them on their shows if they can assemble a deep enough roster
- He respects the dispute between BJ Penn and Georges St. Pierre, but wants “greasegate” to be over.
- Japan is impossible to do business with and the UFC is unlikely to hold another event in the country.
HT: Fightlinker
Tags: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, BJ Penn, Kenny Florian, Randy Couture
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You go Lorenzo. I kind of like him to be a little more vocal. Maybe, just maybe he can reign in Dana a little bit.
“That will blow everyone’s mind”
I already know what that is
All the coaches from the previous seasons will be on the show for a shot at the title.
I’m just guessing but i could be right..
Most of the coaches from previous shows are all in different weight classes. How can you get the title shot?
I like the “international” idea. Since the UFC is heading to Australia and back to Brazil, I think it would be cool to change the TUF format to a national team idea. Japan, USA, Britain, Brazil, Canada, and maybe Australia. (did I miss a country?) 6 Teams would be cool.
You mean like the M-1 Challenge?
Actually, that could be decent… And more people would get to see it since it isn’t during prime drinking time and on a super-mega-premium cable channel.
I’m glad for people in Portland that they’re not actually getting the shaft again, and are instead getting their event.
I thinks it’s cool that the UFC is going to Australia, and Brazil. Sucks that they’re not going to Japan, but I understand if its too difficult to do business there. I wonder what makes it so difficult, I’ve heard its partly to do with the Yakuza, but I don’t know.
that sucks i would have liked to see The Ufc come back to Japan!
Come back to japan? Are you in Japan? Who cares anyway
Well you know, they just started getting this intartubez thing over there in the city of Japan so maybe…
Can’t wait for Penn Ken-flo!!! and Couture will take nog – I’m calling it right now.
Kris, Couture’s name in the headline is spelled wrong.
Thanks for that, I just fixed it. I read this after Kris had written it up, but before it posted to the site and I didn’t even catch that.
Glad to hear they’re mixing up the TUF ideas too. I love the show but feel it’s starting to get a little stale.
I agree, I would like to see some new ideas with TUF
Florian will beat Penn, thus ending BJ’s ahot at ever facing GSP again. I love that.
I NEVER bet MMA, but this might be the first time.
i’m not a better either but i’ll take your bet, could always use extra money. bj will dominate kflo
It’s a bet…now what. haha
good point, where you from anyway? i’m a big bj fan but know that he could overlook the new and improved kenflo. hope he doesnt. i would like to see kenflo take on diego. he took a beating from him the first time but this time i think he would work him. i cant stand diego, he’s a tool
I like garRule’s and corey’s idea, however I like the international team idea a bit more. if it were to happen my money would be on brazil. I think it would take a long time for the editing guys to translate what would be said, but nonetheless great ideas. however there is one flaw with bringing back all the coaches… tito and ken are not under contract with the ufc anymore.
I cant wait to see kenny-bj. but I thought bj didnt want to fight until next year because he wanted to spend time with his family and baby-girl. I cant wait to findout the other fights for these two cards. hopefully maia-marquardt for number 1 contender at 185, and hopefully number 1 contender matches at 155 and 170.
Well, there’s more than just that one flaw of bringing back all the coaches, especially if we’re talking about the coaches fighting for a title shot, I mean… why would you have Frank Mir (HW Interim Champion) fighting Jens Pulver (FW in WEC now) for a title shot? You wouldn’t, so there’s no way that the coaches could be a part of the show. because only a handful of the coaches are at the same weight class.
The team idea sounds interesting, but with M1 already doing that now, and IFL having tried a similar idea and failed… I don’t know that the UFC is going to look at that.
Maybe they’re going to do a Women’s TUF to help create the depth in the division that Lorenzo said they wanted. I know that would blow people away, for various reasons… blow some people away in thinking it is a good idea, and blow others away in thinking it is a terrible idea.
We can all speculate and guess what it might be, but none of us really has any idea what it will be. I wonder if these plans are for season 10, or for season 11.
Damn, now that’s thinking outside the box. that would be a great idea, so good, it’s hard to beleive they would actually come up with that.
Even though Portland deserves to still have their show, and I am glad they are getting it, every time Randy Cryture whines he seems to get his way. He’s not making any money and he takes his belt home for 18 months. Philly bumps Portland and he crys foul. I understand that he is originally from Oregon but he has to realize what an honor it really was and is to fight in the old Spectrum. Philly has produced some of the greatest fighters the planet has ever seen. It was just as special as fighting in Madison Square Garden. I understand that Portland had a fight pulled for his come back fight but Philadelphi is the more lucrative gate.
I think you mean some of the greatest BOXERS. Not fighters. Those two terms are different in 2009.
It should be actual coaches, coaching against one another.. I have been saying this for about a year now… Have something like DellaGrotte coaching against Jackson, I don’t think its a bad idea…
Good to see Lorenzo out doing a interview every now and again
another good idea, camp against camp. not as wow as female edition.
maybe the affliction rumors are true, and its going to be Fedor (coaching a russian team) v Couture (Randys final fight on the contract, coaching Team America).
That would blow my mind.
I would have liked to see another “comback” TUF but i’m interested in the mind blowing cuz TUF is the same all the time.
It’s awesome that they moved Kenflo vs BJ to 101 and it’s more awesome that my boy GSP is going to help florian. Dude i can’t wait to see bj cry when he isn’t the champ anymore. “All i want is to be the best ever is that too much to ask for?” Haha omg dude he’s fu^&in hilarious. When this greasegate thing is over and after the kenflo match he isn’t going to be anythng
At would be funny if GSP was in Ken Flo’s corner for the fight lol
maybe TUF will go M1 style but instead of countries have the various training camps
I cant wait to see what the mind blowing thing is…there are endless possibilities of what it could be…Id like to see a state vs state venue like ohio vs iowa or something like that or ametuers from two gyms like team xc vs team jackson or a another country vs country would be cool like the perfect one imo would be CANADA VS BRAZIL with coaches GSP and Anderson silva- leading up to a super fight of gsp vs anderson
It most definately could be “Canada v Brazil” especially if Silva beats Leites and GSP beats Alves, I was thinking that earlier, I think that superfight leadup TUF would be rather “mind~blowing” alas its all speculation now isn’t it..
AKA vs Extrem Couture or MFS vs Greg Jacksons camp would be sweet
well im thinkin it will be a mix between male and female mma competitors….
they do like giving away 2 contracts…
this would help to encourage women into mma and would be a great way to open the division…
have the winner of TUF become the winner of womens MMA in the UFC…
but how would they do weight classes? i think they would start with a WW division and then later bring in a LW, then eventually a MW
i think women in the UFC is a good move, as much as i like the ring girls i would like it even more to see them pound it out
kenflo and couture to win.
I like your idea gunslinger, but I see a flaw. many people didnt mention it when bj jumped in front of the line at 170, but gsp jumping in the front of 185 for a superfight isnt fair. there are at least three guys that should get a shot at 185, they are marquardt, cote, and maia. not to mention hendo and bisping, but silva will take apart bisping. I know silva has beat cote, marquardt, and hendo, I think the guy to beat silva is damian maia. not gsp. GSP is giving up at least 25 pounds to silva, not to mention the reach advantage. I would love to see silva vs gsp, but I think gsp will lose, I am a huge gsp fan, but I dont want to see him lose to silva. I honestly think maia will beat silva via submission.
The girl tuf is a good idea, but the top two girl fighters are gina and cyborg, and they are under contract with another company. The girl division will not succeed in the ufc without gina or cyborg. Camp vs camp idea is ok, but I like the nation vs. nation idea. I really cant wait until they announce what its going to be, I lost interest after the 2nd season.
That’s crap about the girl division not working without guyborg and carano. After a season on tuf personalities are established way quicker and better than working their way up through promotions, and would probably rival the popularity of either.
Especially if it’s just one weight class (16 fighters in one weight division, like early TUF) they would have enough standouts to bring back throughout different events (they already do this with the guys, having them fight another person from the same season) while also introducing new opponents.
After Crybaby Jame loses his title at UFC 101 to Ken-flo he should retire. Maybe he’ll want to go out on a win, but he’ll be too busy making up excusses for losing his title to Ken-flo. Ken-flo via tko or sub in the third round.
Big Nog and “The Natural” are both at the very end of the road. I hope that after this fight they can both just retire. Big Nog via tko or sub in the 2nd round, Couture was a really good fighter, but he’s way too old to still be in there and his jaw must be like jello now making it easy for him to get ko’d.
But don’t get me wrong, Couture’s got a great heart and a strong will to win, i just don’t want him to end up like Ken Shamrock. I understand that fighters love to fight and they love all the different emotions that they experience. It be awesome to see Randy finish Big Nog and go out on a win.
i hear ya marvelknight4
i like gunsilngers idea too but for some reason i don’t see it happening. I think that would be the best superfight ever dude. But i agree with bigchris, i didn’t like how BJ was given a title shot without atleast getting a w over a top contender @ ww. But then again, that’s why it’s a superfight and it would be silly to have GSP face marquardt(teammate) maia or cote. Hope that can happen in the future though.
What a lot of you don’t seem to understand what its like to be naturally gifted at any one thing. BJ is naturally a fighter, hence the name the prodigy. When you are given all these gifts its hard to focus on the day to day grind. The beauty of him at 155 is he has to cut weight. Which means he has to train, unlike his GSP fight which he came in out of shape. A hungry angry BJ is not something to be taken lightly. I don’t know why anyone thinks Kenflo is taking out BJ, other than the fact that they simply don’t like him. If you take away the names. I tell you a fighter is bigger has better BJJ and better striking has only loss once in the divison and is pissed off at all the people talking smack about him, smart money is on that guy. There is no area you can honestly say Ken is better in.
Bj Penn is naturally gifted and he may be better than ken-flo in most areas of MMA, but what you fail to realize is that BJ is not as dedicated as Ken-flo is. Florian is constantly working hard on his game and is in my opinion hungrier to win this fight than BJ. That’s why some people including myself feel that BJ is paying too much attention to his beat down loss to GSP instead of turning his attention to Kenny Florian who is a huge threat to his belt. If Penn was as dedicated and disciplined as guys like Anderson Silva or GSP, BJ would be way better than what he is now, but unfortunately he’s not therefore making some of us feel that Ken-flo will take him out.
So GSP if is so focused on his fight with Alves, why he’s shooting a movie and a gatorade commercial? Along with the photo shoots for magazines like Mens fitness? Along with helping Ken prep for his fight. To me it looks like a guy who isn’t focused and getting caught up in the lime light. Please believe Thiago is a bigger fighter than GSP and a striker with KO power. You guys are overreacting to the situation. Its not like BJ is spending hours in the court, he has someone doing that for him. And like I said he has to train, he’s not a fighter that walks around anywhere close to 155. Its funny how we forget how he has destroyed everyone at this weight class because he fought at a weight that isn’t his natural weight class. Even Kenny admits that BJ is the master. Once again your letting your emotions cloud your judgement.
i personally just think that bj’s lost his mind and is more focused on crying that he got his arse handed to him, then he is on being th “champ” and defending his title. I’m a firm believer in the power of the mind over the body. Bj just isn’t focused dude.
i really like all the ideas, except for 1. the coaches idea because it just wont happen. number 2. and im not saying it because there women, but i love mma and the ufc is something that has made it huge, its just other companys have tried it and it really hasnt blown up. the ufc is making there money and its only gonna keep growing, there doing that without women and i think they should keep it the same, again theres tons of women talent, just the ufc is also only growing a bigger and better roster and there not having any problems filling cards
id also love to see gsp vs silva eventually. i know it sounds like a front runner but there defiantly both in my top 5 favorite fighters. i defiantly agree though marquardt vs maia then winner of that gets silva first.
I was just thinking and my top two guesses at what the next season o tuf will be is this either canada vs brazil……or I believe we could also see a Womans T.U.F. remember like lorenzo said …In the same press post “He appreciates women in MMA and feels there’s a place for them on their shows if they can “ASSEMBLE A ROSTER DEEP ENOUGH”"
So you never know carano is still not signed we could see a womens tuf for the first wec womens title i mean you have to wonder why the wec dropped three divsion only to bring in one! so maybe the idea is womans tuf in tuf house for the first womens contract in the tuf or the first wec womens title or something?…i cant wait to see what it is it could very well be both and it could very well be neither but i just cant wait to find out
I really don’t think the womens thing will be it. I don’t think their is even enough girls to form a good enough field to pick from. I’ve seen enough womans MMA to know that it really isn’t their yet, but that just speaks to how young this sport really is. As it grows and young kids participate in classes and train from a young age its when you will see the real growth and a pool deep enough to field a viable womens divison. Till then I think its possibly more of a world baseball classic thing. With a teams from Brazil, Europe, Japan, Korea, Canada and the US are fielded. No fighters as coaches instead some of those countries best schools. You gotta figure Lorenzo is the international Pres so that would make sense. Either that or it will take place in another country and that makes it kinda like survior meets TUF.
there is plenty of woman mma fighters out there they just need to be discovered……but i dont really see tuf without it being in tuf house and the ufc gym, i dont see the ufc leaving the us to film the show and i dont see them using the countrys best schools instead of coaches only because 1.) the coaches are a draw and i couldnt see a tuf season without a ufc veteran as coach because then the ufc would have to show the competiton or people who fight for other orgs on the show and it would take away from the gyms other clients there real students i would be willing to bet alot that it not gonna be used in that format
Maybe they’re going to bring back fat Guida, and Gabe Rudiger and have TUF, biggest loser edition…
BTW, that is a joke.
lol…also throw in Tank Abbot, and that guy Shamrock beat when he was all roided up.
i am from new zealand huge mma fan. is there any way that i could possibly watch the new TUF season when it premiers, on the net as they dont show it on any NZ tv or cable channel. ive seen the others by buyn all the dvds but wondering if there as any other way to watch them while they actually going on. plz help
Have you attempted to find a “stream” of it some where?? That is probably the best shot come April 1st, you could probably catch the fights leading up to the premiere as well if you happened by a place that was on the net that you could perhaps see a stream of MMA, ofcourse purely by accident..
There are no plans for another comeback season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, but something is being planned that will “blow everyone’s mind”.
i think it is gunna be the WEC fighters that were cut be on the next Ultimate Fighter!
i just wanted tobe the first one to call it
Bill Goldberg’s return as he tries to go 177-0!!!