Dana White’s UFC 138 Octagon Update (video)

UFC President Dana White looks back at UFC 138 believing that, despite the naysayers decrying the event for a lack of “name value” fighters, the fighters on the card delivered, and delivered big.

As is typical, he didn’t shy away from other topics of interest either, talking about the lack of UFC events in the U.K., Michael Bisping’s vicinity to a title shot, Josh Koscheck vs. Carlos Condit, Italy, and more.
Check out Dana White’s post-UFC 138 Octagon update…

Michael David Smith: Barao, Pickett, Mills and Etim Win UFC 138 Bonuses

Renan Barao, Brad Pickett, Che Mills and Terry Etim are all $70,000 richer after picking up bonuses for their performances at UFC 138.

Barao and Pickett won the Fight of the Night bonus for their fast-paced bantamweight brawl in the co-main event. Pickett is an Englishman who had the Birmingham fans on his side, and he came out swinging to get the crowd roaring. But it was Barao who showed he had too much for Pickett to handle, ultimately forcing Pickett to tap out to a rear-naked choke after just over four minutes of intense action.

This was Barao's first bonus in his fourth fight under the Zuffa banner. Pickett had previously won a Fight of the Night and a Submission of the Night award, with both of those coming in the WEC. For both men, the bonus makes this the most lucrative fight of their career.

UFC newcomer Che Mills finished off Chris Cope in just 40 seconds, and as a result he won the Knockout of the Night award. For Mills, the $70,000 bonus undoubtedly makes this by far the biggest payday of his MMA career.

And Terry Etim, who needed just 17 seconds to force Eddie Faaloloto to tap to a guillotine choke, walked away with the Submission of the Night award. Etim has now won the Submission of the Night bonus a whopping four times.

UFC 138 Post-Fight Press Conference Highlights

Highlights from the UFC 138 post-fight press conference, held in Birmingham after the highest-grossing event ever held at LG Arena.

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UFC president Dana White announced the winners of $70,000 (US) UFC 138 bonuses, and several of the hometown heroes were named. Gloucester's Che Mills won Knockout of the Night for his 40-second demolition of Chris Cope. Liverpool's Terry Etim scored Submission of the Night for his 17-second finish of Edward Faaloloto.

Fight of the Night honors went to London's Brad Pickett and Brazilian Renan Barao, who put on a back-and-forth battle for the ages during their single round of combat. Barao ultimately tapped out Pickett via rear-naked-choke at 4:09 of the first.

In attendance were winners Mark Munoz, Barao, Thiago Alves, Etim, John Maguire and Mills. English fighters Pickett and Jason Young were also at the dais.

Click to view video highlights from the following fighters:
Mark Munoz
Thiago Alves and Terry Etim
Brad Pickett and Jason Young

UFC 138 Main Card Results - Munoz Halts Leben; Barao Wins War over Pickett

Click below for the UFC 138 main card report....

 

 

MIDDLEWEIGHT - CHRIS LEBEN VS. MARK MUNOZ

BIRMINGHAM - At the end of round one of the UFC 138 main event at the LG Arena Saturday night, Chris Leben had to be stopped by the referee from hammer fisting Mark Munoz’s head. Moments prior he had walked through some massive bombs, taken square on his chin, to deliver a crashing left hand of his own to Munoz. That prompted Munoz to look for a takedown but ended up with him crouched against the fence taking shots. See post-fight interview

He was probably wondering what we all were - what do you have to do to actually stop Chris Leben? Anderson Silva managed it once, only one fighter (Brian Stann) has since. Like a broken bone, Leben’s chin seems to have calcified and become stronger following Anderson’s assault on it.

Unfortunately his skin hasn’t, so when Munoz had Leben down in the second round he was able to open a nasty cut over his eye that had blood pouring into it with wild abandon. The fight was stopped briefly to allow the doctor to take a look but he let the clash proceed. Fans went wild, chanting Leben’s name deliriously as he staggered back into the fray.

But the cut got worse and blood kept coming. At the end of the round, Leben’s corner felt the cut was too bad to allow their man to wade back into battle. He might have a heart twice the size of the average man but still he cannot fight with one eye.

It was a shame the fight ended on a cut; before the stoppage it had been a glorious clash. Munoz did what he said he was going to do - take Leben down and throw ‘Donkey Kong’ punches - while Leben does what he always does, wading through bomb blasts to swing huge left hands with stopping power in each one.

After the first round, Munoz looked like he wasn’t enjoying the exchanges, while Leben was in his element. But Munoz’s conditioning seemed to be holding up better, and as he got to work with his wrestling, Leben looked to be tiring, which would have been interesting to see had it played out over three rounds.

After the fight, Munoz called for a title shot against Anderson Silva. The crowd noise was non-committal, suggesting he isn’t quite there yet. Leben is the biggest win of his career but cuts are not conclusive and he will need a solid win over another name opponent to edge into that title picture.

BANTAMWEIGHT - RENAN BARAO VS. BRAD PICKETT

What a fight! A description doesn’t even do this clash justice - you simply have to watch it. If you can watch this fight and stay sat down, you must be made of ice. Remember when Paul Kelly and Paul Taylor threw down at UFC 80?? The first 30 seconds of that fight are already part of UFC legend for their pace and ferocity - this fight was the same, except for its entire duration. See post-fight interview

The pair absolutely battered each other from the opening bell, furiously exchanging punches and both landing frequently. Renan Barao had the better of some exchanges, Pickett’s intensity allowing perhaps more openings in the guard than Barao was. But it was very even until Barao landed a nuclear right knee on Brad Pickett’s jaw out of nowhere - Pickett wasn’t even bent forward at the time.

That staggered him and Barao was all over him, punching him until he hit the floor and then following with a ground and pound barrage of such a high workrate it contained more punches than the rest of the evening’s card put together. Pickett rolled away, but gave up his back. Barao was on him in a flash and working for the rear naked choke. Pickett tried to gut it out for the remaining minute but he could be seen fading into unconsciousness and had to tap.

Watch this fight as soon as you can. If you are a fight fan you owe it to yourself. The bout was an easy choice for Fight of the Night, and both men received $70,000 bonuses for their performances.

Barao wins by RNC R1 4:09

WELTERWEIGHT - THIAGO ALVES VS. PAPY ABEDI

Papy Abedi was aggressive at the start of the fight, ploughing forward with a flurry of punches, but there was a scrappy nature to it that suggested he was nervous and maybe rushing his work a little bit. At the same time, Thiago Alves was able to deploy a precise Muay Thai striking style, landing numerous clean shots on his Swedish opponent. See post-fight interview

But as Abedi relaxed he became more effective and the fight became even, with good exchanges and damage done by both sides. Alves landed a huge right kick to the body on two occasions while Abedi was able to land an Anderson Silva-style front upkick to the jaw that Alves later admitted had rocked him solidly.

But he became perhaps too loose; Alves noticed Abedi was dropping his left hand and so he fired off a crunching right which staggered him. A left hook followed and down Abedi went. Alves followed him and the referee was about to step in, until Abedi turned turtle. But that did not save him - Alves circled his neck with a bulging arm and put the squeeze on him to get the first submission win of his UFC career.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT - ANTHONY PEROSH VS. CYRILLE DIABATE

At 39, Anthony Perosh is one of the oldest fighters on the UFC books and to be brutally honest, he looked it during the first round against his striking stylist opponent. Cyrille Diabate was picking Perosh off with strikes pretty much at will and Perosh’s response was either to backpedal or shoot a bad double-leg which Diabate saw coming a mile off. See post-fight interview

It looked like Diabate was going to cruise to an easy win, maybe even a stoppage, until Perosh ended up on the floor and he went with him to try and pound the Australian out. Perosh swept him, mounted him and suddenly was able to use the jiu-jitsu skills that make him such a world-class grappler. Diabate was at a loss to defend himself as Perosh methodically set up a rear naked choke to end the fight just over three minutes into the second round. He is now 2-0 in his last two outings while Diabate goes 1-1 and 2-2 in his last four.

LIGHTWEIGHT - TERRY ETIM VS. EDWARD FAALOLOTO

Two stiff jabs and a savage leg kick from Terry Etim prompted Edward Faaloloto to step back onto the cage. Etim launched a huge spinning back kick to Faaloloto’s body, but Faaloloto caught his foot and transitioned to a body lock. He lifted Etim high into the air to slam him - but Etim pulled guard and locked on a tight guillotine, something he is infamous for in his own gym. Faaloloto sank to the floor, resisted briefly and then tapped - the whole thing took seventeen seconds. Writing this report took far longer than the actual fight. See post-fight interview

Now returned from his long layoff, Etim is looking to get busy and his next bout will undoubtedly be a tougher proposition. At the post-fight press conference, after awarding Etim the $70,000 Submission of the Night award, UFC president Dana White said that matchmaker Joe Silva had already chosen Etim's next opponent and that fans could expect to see him fight again "right away."

Ben Fowlkes: Chris Leben: In My Mind, This Is for Number One Contender

Chris Leben knows that, as far as some people are concerned, he'll always be the person he was in 2004. He knows because they tell him, even if it's not in so many words.

"It's tough," Leben said. "When I go do an appearance or something, everybody wants to see 'The Cat Smasher.' They want to see the dyed red hair."

If he arrives without it -- in other words, if he shows up looking like a normal human being sporting his natural color -- they act shocked, as if he's tricked them somehow. As if he's obligated to be the wild man they remember from TV nearly seven years ago. As if he has no right to turn down their offer of a free drink, even if they only want to buy him one so they can see him go crazy.

It's not that Leben doesn't know why this reputation still follows him around. His antics on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter made him one of the show's most dynamic personalities, for better or worse. It turns out that when you drink too much and put your fist through inanimate objects, people tend to remember. Shaking that image hasn't been easy for Leben, and he has, in his estimation, been his own worst enemy for much of his career ever since.

"It's not so much what I do in the practice room, it's what I do outside of the practice room. It's what I choose to put in my body, whether I choose to drink or I choose to eat pizza, whether I choose to stay up too late. I think I've had to learn a lot of stuff the hard way," said Leben.

The difference is, Leben has learned a lot of that stuff in the public eye, beginning with his stint on TUF when he was a reckless 24-year-old, still exorcising some of the demons of his past.

"I grew up a little different than most people and that might be hard for some people to understand, but at the time I thought my behavior was fine," he said. "I thought it was normal. Since then I've worked a lot, done a lot of counseling, and I've realized that there's some things I need to change. I've worked hard at changing them, and obviously I haven't been perfect, but life is about progression. It's not about perfection. I'm still working, still pursuing my goals and trying to be the kind of man I want to be."

For a fighter, certain career goals are relatively simple. You want to win and keep winning, climbing up the ranks until you look down one day and see a shiny belt around your waist. And even though Leben's fighting style is anything but safe, he harbors those same championship dreams.

If he beats Mark Munoz in Birmingham, England at UFC 138 this Saturday, he said, he can't help but think he'll be right on the edge of making those dreams come true.

"Honestly, in my mind this is for number one contender. He's won three straight, I've won four of my last five, just knocked out Wanderlei Silva. I think me and Munoz, if I go out there and defeat him and dominate him that should say that, hey, Chris deserves a crack at the title."

One potential roadblock is the fact that he's already lost once to current UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva, who TKO'd Leben in his UFC debut just before becoming champion in 2006. Though the UFC has been historically reluctant to give challengers a rematch against a title-holder who owns a win over them, Leben hopes that putting Munoz away might force the organization's hand, he said.

"I think they'd have to take a look at me. They've had reasons, obviously, why they think I shouldn't get a title shot, but if I win this one I think I'm glaring, I'm staring at that number one contender position."

Of course, that assumes he can get past Munoz, whose amateur wrestling pedigree and improved striking game has made him a considerable favorite in the eyes of oddsmakers. That's because, as Leben sees it, people still assume he's little more than a brawler.

"Sometimes I'll read Sherdog[.com] forums and it's, 'Oh, Chris Leben lands another lucky punch,'" he said. "How many times can a guy land a [expletive] lucky punch before you think he must be doing something right?"

Even though he may seem at times like the same slugger he's always been, haphazardly flinging leather and inviting his opponents to do the same, it's not because he's the same reckless kid he used to be. It's not because he hasn't learned anything from those early years, or because he's incapable of doing anything else.

"In my case, it's a calculated risk," he said. "I'll take two to give one. I've got a huge head and I hit hard. But also, my style of fighting, I'm not a fancy guy. You're not going to see me jumping off the cage or throwing a spinning back kick. I throw my left hand. Why? Because it works. And if it ain't broke...you know."

Ben Fowlkes: Thiago Alves' Initial Weigh-In Miscue Not What It Seems, Says Nutritionist

Thiago Alves' nutritionist knows how it must look for his fighter to come in a pound over on his first trip to the scale at the UFC 138 weigh-ins, but he still wishes people would give the UFC welterweight the benefit of the doubt just this once.

As nutritionist Mike Dolce told MMA Fighting from England on Friday afternoon, Alves had no trouble making the 171-pound limit on his second try, and would have made it the first time except for a calibration issue.

"We had four different scales," Dolce said. "Every scale had him between [1]69 [pounds] and [1]71 [pounds]. We were happy. It was an easy weight cut, he felt fine, high energy, bouncing around. We got to the weigh-ins and he was [1]72.3 [pounds] with his shorts on. He took off his shorts and he was [1]72 [pounds] on the dot. We were shocked, but hey, no problem. We walked off the scale, we went backstage, there was a sauna there, he sat in the sauna for a few minutes, then he took a pee, then we went back out and made 171 [pounds]. It was literally that simple."

What's not so simple, according to Dolce, was dealing with the public backlash that he saw on Twitter once news got out that Alves was over. Though Alves made weight "maybe 40 minutes later," according to Dolce, by then the story of his initial miss was out and MMA fans seemed to have made up their minds about him.

"And that sucks, because I see how hard this kid's working," said Dolce. "He understands that he has to work his way back up the ladder, and he's doing everything correctly in his personal, emotional, professional, and financial life to make sure he makes a statement and makes a run in the welterweight division. Having something silly like this, to see everyone jump on him, you know, I understand why since he's had trouble in the past, but come on, the kid came back a half-hour later and made weight with a smile."

Granted, before Alves hired Dolce as a nutritionist, the Brazilian had a bad habit of coming in over the limit. He came in three pounds heavy for his fight with Matt Hughes at UFC 85, and he clocked in at 171.5 for his rematch with Jon Fitch at UFC 117 -- a minor miss that cost him 20% of his fight purse.

Now it seems that fans are so used to Alves missing weight that Friday's miscue only confirmed what they already believed about him, even though, Dolce said, they weren't the only ones surprised by the numbers on the scale.

"There was five guys who got to the weigh-ins and stepped on the scale and were overweight and were shocked also. They had to jump in the back and start trying to cut weight on their own. ...It's always our responsibility as professionals to be on weight regardless of the circumstance. But when there's this many guys this far off, something's wrong. It's not just us."

While several foreign fighters have commented publicly on the difficulty of getting their normal dietary needs met while cutting weight in the U.K., Dolce said he brought "a suitcase full of food" for Alves -- about $400 worth for just a few days, in his estimation. Customs restrictions make it impossible to bring fruits or vegetables in to the country, he said, but the team was well prepared and Alves had "an awesome weight cut."

"He looks great, not sucked down, no dark circles under his eyes," Dolce said. "It wasn't a matter of, can he make weight? It was that we stepped on four different scales and I would have to say that our scale is wrong, because the UFC is the official."

Damon Martin: Mark Munoz Says He’s Arrived, Time to Talk Title

Mark Munoz and CB Dollaway at UFC Versus 3

Mark Munoz may only have 13 professional fights to his credit, but he’s learned an awful lot in that short amount of time.
The former NCAA champion from Oklahoma State came into fighting with a reputation as a fierce wrestler, one of the best in the game. Over time he developed a devastating ground and pound style that could be considered tops in all of MMA.
Munoz has had to endure some growing pains as well, including two losses thus far in his career, but one thing is clear as he embarks on his main event fight against Chris Leben at UFC 138…
Now is his time.
“This is the fight to get me closer to a title shot. This is what we train for,” Munoz told MMAWeekly Radio. “I’m excited to be able to be at this place in my career, to be able to showcase what I’ve improved, and I’m excited and I’m ready. After that Demian Maia fight I took confidence away and now I feel that I’ve arrived. I’m ready.”
The fight with Demian Maia was anything but easy, however, it did show off Munoz’s ever-evolving game. Despite Maia’s standing as one of the most dangerous jiu-jitsu fighters in the sport, Munoz came close to snatching a submission in the fight.
Maia also showed off some rapidly improved stand-up, but Munoz answered right back with some of his own. Sure, Mark Munoz will always be a wrestler at heart, but he’s out to prove that at this stage of the game he’s a mixed martial artist.
“I think I put the division on notice to let them know the wholeness of my game now. I’m not just a wrestler, but I have power in my hands and I have a great jiu-jitsu game. I’m improving every day inside the gym, and I work extremely hard,” Munoz said.
This time around Munoz faces a very tough challenge in the form of Chris Leben, who has some of the heaviest hands in the middleweight division.
Leben is lethal with one-punch knockout power, but Munoz is happy to show the former Team Quest fighter that whether this fight takes place on the feet or on the ground, he can go toe-to-toe with anyone.
“For Chris Leben, he does have power in his hands and I do as well, but it’s mixed martial arts. There’s hundreds of ways to win a fight so for me I want to go out there and perform the best way that I can when it comes to mixed martial arts,” said Munoz.
The other piece to this puzzle is the fact that the fight with Leben is the first ever five round non-title fight in UFC history. If Munoz’s long term goal is to get a shot at the UFC middleweight title, there’s not a much better way to prepare than to get ready for a 25-minute fight right now.
Munoz enlisted teammate Krzysztof Soszynski to lead his strength and conditioning program, and now he’s not just prepared for a 25-minute fight. He’s ready to go an hour if need be.
“I doubled my sparring rounds for 10 rounds, and I just make sure I’m ready to go five rounds. I counted for the nerves and everything else, you’ve got to be ready to go at least 10 rounds. That’s what I’ve been doing,” Munoz revealed.
If victorious, don’t expect Munoz to grab the mic and start demanding title shots or saying something loud and boisterous to try and put the spotlight on himself. Munoz has the quiet demeanor to say very few words and let his actions speak for themselves.
When UFC 138 is over, however, Munoz wants to make sure Dana White, Joe Silva, and everybody else in charge know that he’s ready to challenge for the title.
“I have one sight in mind and that’s to be world champion,” said Munoz. “Middleweight world champion.”

---

Follow @DamonMartin on Twitter or e-mail Damon Martin.
For more UFC News and UFC Rumors, follow MMAWeekly.com on Twitter and Facebook.

Michael DiSanto: The Blueprint - Leben vs. Munoz

Michael DiSanto breaks down Saturday's UFC 138 main event between Chris Leben and Mark Munoz...

 

 

Mark Munoz is another in a long line of decorated collegiate wrestlers to find success in the UFC. And he just so happens to be part of a growing number of those former collegiate wrestlers who has fallen in love with the standup part of mixed martial arts.

It’s not a big surprise that he loves standing and banging with opponents. The “Filipino Wrecking Machine” happens to posses legitimate lights out power in his right hand. That phrase is used a lot, often in hyperbolic fashion. But it is absolutely applicable to Munoz. Just ask Kendall Grove or CB Dollaway, both of whom basically got stopped with a single shot.

As a result, the former Oklahoma State University star has abandoned his wrestling for long stretches of his recent fights. He instead comes out headhunting with vicious looping bombs, knowing that if he can just land one, the fight will come to an abrupt, thrilling conclusion.

Fans love that style of fighting. But there is only one problem. Chris Leben lives for that style of fighting, and he is Munoz’s opponent on Saturday in the main event of UFC 138 in Birmingham, England.

There is nobody in the division, possibly nobody in the UFC, who loves an all-out firefight more than Leben. This guy is the personification of a throwback fighter. His game plan for each and every fight is the same. Take the center of the cage. Plant his feet. Fire away with both hands with little regard for his personal safety until someone falls down.

The formerly labeled “Cat Smasher” can get away with that style of fighting for two reasons. First and foremost, he has what many believe to be the sturdiest chin in the division. This guy has engaged in more back-and-forth rock’em, sock’em robots fights than anyone at 185 pounds, and he has only suffered two losses by knockout—one to Anderson Silva and one to Brian Stann. That speaks volumes about his durability.

Second, Leben has every bit as much show-stopping power in his punches as Munoz or anyone else. The southpaw doesn’t need to wind up to bomb out an opponent. He is an equal opportunity slugger—short, compact concussive blows and wild haymakers. Either one can bring a fight to a close in an instant. Just ask Wanderlei Silva.

I know Munoz is red hot right now, with three straight wins. I don’t care. If this guy decides to throw caution to the wind and get into a firefight with Leben, he is going to get knocked out—period.

Don’t get me wrong. Munoz has the power to become the third man to score a knockout win over Leben. That is certainly a possible outcome. But it is an extremely unlikely one, if the fight is fought in a phone booth. It is a more likely outcome, if Munoz keeps on the outside and darts in and out with bombs, always threatening the takedown.

Of course, Leben has terrific takedown defense. Few fighters have been successful taking him down with traditional single-leg or double-leg takedowns. That is probably due to the years he spent training on a daily basis at Team Quest with otherworldly MMA wrestlers like Randy Couture, Dan Henderson and Matt Lindland.

Leben also has a vastly underrated ground game, particularly from his guard. He is effective at defending from his back, and he also has a nice range of submissions from that position. But those are risks that Munoz must take, if he wants to maximize his chances at winning.

That means convincing Leben that he is going to stand and trade, and then quickly changing levels to look for a takedown once his foe uncorks one of those deadly left hands. That is easier said than done because Leben fights with a pressure-first, all-offense style that forces his opponents to take a stand and fight, even if they don’t want to.

It’s the old Mike Tyson adage: “everyone has a game plan until they hit.” That applies to fighting Leben. Everyone has a game plan to stick and move until they experience his non-stop pressure.

That seems like a simplistic breakdown of the fight—one heavy on rhetoric and light on Xs and Os. But this fight isn’t about intricate Xs and Os. It’s about Mark Munoz trying to find a way to take Leben to the ground without getting suckered into a slugfest, something he loves to do himself. It’s about Leben firing right down the middle with malice aforethought the second he sees Munoz set his hips to fire one of those long, looping overhand rights.

It really is that simple. Sure, Munoz needs to focus on circling to his left to avoid walking into Leben’s best weapon. True, Leben needs to keep his weight neutral in his stance so that he can quickly sprawl and brawl when Munoz looks for takedowns. Granted, both men want to win the battle of the feet, jockeying to keep their lead foot on the outside of the other man’s lead foot to maintain the optimal throwing lane.

But those are details. This fight will largely be fought on instinct once one of the pair lands a bomb, which is almost certain to happen within the first minute of the fight.

I’m not sure who is going to win this one. Some might suggest that Munoz has the perfect style to beat Leben due to his tremendous wrestling base. Others will astutely note that, if Demian Maia was able to hurt Munoz with a single right hand, Leben will certainly stop him. Both statements ring true, in my opinion.

All I know is that this matchup promises one thing: a fan-friendly bout.

QUICK FACTS

Chris Leben
• 31 years old
• 5’11, 185 lbs
• 22-7 overall (12-6 UFC)
• 4-1 in last 5
• 6-4 in last 10
• Won last fight
• 0-1 in bouts taking place outside the United States
• 5 post-fight awards (Knockout of the Night 3 times; Fight of the Night twice)
• Current layoff is 126 days
• Longest layoff of career is 315 days

Mark Munoz
• 33 years old
• 6’0, 185 lbs
• 11-2 overall (6-2 UFC)
• 5-1 in last 5
• 8-2 in last 10
• Currently riding a 3-fight winning streak (has two 3-fight winning streaks in UFC career)
• 2-0 in bouts outside the US
• Fight of the Night once
• Current layoff is 147 days
• Longest layoff of career is 227 days

Changes and Additions to UFC 138

The UFC returns to the UK on November 5th...

Pascal Krauss has been injured, forcing him to withdraw from his scheduled bout at UFC 138. Taking Krauss' place will be Matt "The Immortal" Brown, who will test his invincibility skills against rising star John "The Hitman" Hathaway. Both men have verbally agreed to the welterweight bout, UFC president Dana White announced today.

Also confirmed for that event: On the main card, WEC vet Brad Pickett will make his postponed UFC entrance against Renan Barao in a bantamweight bout, while Cyrille Diabate is set to fight Anthony Perosh at light heavyweight in the prelims. A crop of new fighters will make their debuts at UFC 138, as TUF 13's Chris Cope welcomes Che Mills, Chris Cariaso takes on Birmingham local Vaughan Lee and heavyweight newcomers Phil De Fries and Oli Thompson square off.

Panzer Faces the Hitman in England updated July 25
Verbal agreements are in for a welterweight fight between undefeated German prospect Pascal Krauss and 15-1 Brighton native John "The Hitman" Hathaway at UFC 138 November 5th in Birmingham, England.

Four More Bouts Set for Birmingham updated July 20
England's next UFC event continues to shape up with a handful of bouts verbally agreed to for the November 5th Birmingham event.

Fists will fly in two matchups pitting some of England's best strikers against up-and-comers. Walsall's "Relentless" Paul Taylor will battle Anthony Njokuani in lightweight scrap. In another 155 pound slugfest, Liverpool's Terry Etim will fight Edward Faaloloto.

One of the featherweight division’s newest prospects, kickboxer Jason Young, is set to take on one of the division’s most established, Michihiro Omigawa.

It was also confirmed today that UFC 138 will feature a welterweight matchup between James Head and Mark Scanlon.

Alves Returns to Face Unbeaten Abedi on Nov. 5 updated July 20
Unbeaten Swedish prospect Papy Abedi will get a tough assignment in his UFC debut in Birmingham, England on November 5th, as he takes on longtime contender Thiago Alves in a bout verbally agreed to on Tuesday.

“Undefeated welterweight Papy ‘Makambo’ Abedi has agreed to make his UFC debut against fan favorite Thiago ‘Pit Bull’ Alves at UFC 138,” said UFC President Dana White.

Spike TV to Televise The UFC's Return to the UK on Nov. 5

Top 185-pound contenders Chris Leben and Mark Munoz will headline the UFC's return to British shores on November 5th, as the Spike TV televised UFC 138 event takes place at the LG Arena in Birmingham.

"Two of the middleweight division's heaviest hitters will go to war in the UFC's first ever non-title 5 round main event as the 'Filipino Wrecking Machine' Mark Munoz takes on Chris 'The Crippler' Leben at UFC 138 November 5th in Birmingham, England," said UFC President Dana White of the historic matchup.

Leben has won four of his last five bouts, including finishes of Aaron Simpson, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Wanderlei Silva. Munoz is on a similar hot streak, having beaten Aaron Simpson, CB Dollaway, and Demian Maia in successive bouts.

Two serious bantamweight title contenders have also verbally agreed to battle at the same event. "England’s top bantamweight, Brad Pickett, will be taking on the man with the best unbeaten streak in the sport, Renan Barao, who hasn’t lost in his last 29 fights."

The broadcast will air on Rogers Sportsnet in Canada.

Alves Returns to Face Unbeaten Abedi on Nov

The UFC returns to the UK on November 5th...

Unbeaten Swedish prospect Papy Abedi will get a tough assignment in his UFC debut in Birmingham, England on November 5th, as he takes on longtime contender Thiago Alves in a bout verbally agreed to on Tuesday.

“Undefeated welterweight Papy ‘Makambo’ Abedi has agreed to make his UFC debut against fan favorite Thiago ‘Pit Bull’ Alves at UFC 138,” said UFC President Dana White.

Spike TV to Televise The UFC's Return to the UK on Nov. 5

Top 185-pound contenders Chris Leben and Mark Munoz will headline the UFC's return to British shores on November 5th, as the Spike TV televised UFC 138 event takes place at the LG Arena in Birmingham.

"Two of the middleweight division's heaviest hitters will go to war in the UFC's first ever non-title 5 round main event as the 'Filipino Wrecking Machine' Mark Munoz takes on Chris 'The Crippler' Leben at UFC 138 November 5th in Birmingham, England," said UFC President Dana White of the historic matchup.

Leben has won four of his last five bouts, including finishes of Aaron Simpson, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Wanderlei Silva. Munoz is on a similar hot streak, having beaten Aaron Simpson, CB Dollaway, and Demian Maia in successive bouts.

Two serious bantamweight title contenders have also verbally agreed to battle at the same event. "England’s top bantamweight, Brad Pickett, will be taking on the man with the best unbeaten streak in the sport, Renan Barao, who hasn’t lost in his last 29 fights."

The broadcast will air on Rogers Sportsnet in Canada.