Tatame: UFC wants Silva vs. Hendo or Sonnen for FOX debut
The first report was a post on the UG: Hendo VS Anderson possible for Fox Debut From: MMALOGIC Member Since:…
The first report was a post on the UG:
Hendo VS Anderson possible for Fox Debut
From: MMALOGIC
Member Since: 8/17/08
Posts: 1702
If Anderson comes out unscathed this weekend Zuffa is offering him the main event slot on Fox.
If Dan Henderson turns the fight down… Zuffa is pulling Chael out of his fight vs Stann and doing Chael vs Anderson 2.
Stann will likely face Vitor.
Muthafucka. Shit just got real.
Then Tatame, citing sources, added detail.
Anderson Silva will put his belt on the line this Saturday, but the organization is already thinking on his next title defense. According to sources close to the situation, the middleweight champion is in talks with the UFC to fight Dan Henderson at UFC’s first show on FOX, scheduled to November 12, in California.
Anderson, who already defeated the former Pride champion in his long UFC career, tapping him in a rear-naked choke at UFC 82, fights the highly underdog Yushin Okami this Saturday, at UFC Rio, while Henderson waits to define his future with the end of his contract with Strikeforce.
Sources also indicated that if Henderson didn’t agree to move down to middleweight months after a heavyweight showdown against Fedor Emelianenko, Chael Sonnen is the option to replace him against Silva.
Sonnen is set to fight Brian Stann at UFC 136, and if Henderson doesn’t take this fight, he’d be taken out to fight Anderson. Stann, on the other hand, would potentially fight Vitor Belfort.
However speculative the post and report above may be, it does corroborate to some extent with what UFC President Dana White told the L.A. Times yesterday
White said before he sets the main event for Nov. 12 he needs to watch what transpires Saturday when his long-reigning middleweight champion Anderson Silva defends his belt against Yushin Okami and former light-heavyweight champion Griffin has a rematch with another former champion in the division, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, whom Griffin defeated at Honda Center.
Does that mean Silva could fight in Anaheim?
“I’m not saying that,” White said. “Let me get through these fights.”
Finally, Tatame contacted Lorenzo Fertitta, on location in Brazil, who lent credence to the reports.
Guilherme Cruz: How do you see the MMA market in Brazil? Do you already expected the tickets to sold out in 70 minutes?
Lorenzo Fertitta: No, we underestimated how popular it was here. If we could do it again, we would do it in a big soccer stadium, you know? But when we put the tickets on sale, we really didn’t know. But it’s been amazing the amount of support, it’s unbelievable.
GC: We spoke to Dana White, and he said he plans on doing a TUF Brazil in 2012. Are you really working on that?
LF: We’re working on that, we’re really close to get something done. We think it’s gonna be very successful – a Brazilian Ultimate Fighter, all Brazilian fighters. One thing that is great about this country is that you have so many great fighters, finding talents is easy. There are some many good kids.
GC: There was a report in a Brazilian newspaper saying that the UFC is planning 12 shows in Brazil on the next year. Is that possible, considering that the UFC did 24 shows all over the world last year?
LF: I don’t think 12, maybe we’ll do 4 or 5 in Brazil. I think it’s more realistic.
We’ll do combinations of big pay-per-views, like we’re doing in Rio, as well as Fight Nights.
GC: What do you expect from UFC on FOX’s first edition? Do you already have a main event set?
LF: We don’t have a main event set yet, we’ll find out probably after this Saturday, these fights in Rio, then we’ll set a main event. But it’ll be something big. It’ll be a big fight.
GC: We reported this Monday that Anderson Silva could put his middleweight title on the line against Dan Henderson, one he beats Yushin Okami…
LF: I would love to do that. Anderson just needs a win.