UFC Press Conference News
By: Kris Karkoski | Oct 25, 2007
At 4pm eastern time the UFC held a press conference announcing a new television deal with Spike TV and to discuss the recently announced UFC 79 co-main event bout between Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva. UFC President Dana White, Liddell, Silva, and recent UFC-signee Brock Lesnar all participated in the press conference
Read on for news from the press conference about the UFC’s extension with Spike, BJ Penn’s title fight, 2008 UFC locations, Dan Henderson possibly facing Anderson Silva, Brock Lesnar’s debut, Liddell vs. Silva being for number one contender status, and more…
News
- UFC President Dana White announced that the UFC has signed an extension with Spike TV.
- White says that he announced the signing of Brock Lesnar, the Liddell-Silva fight, and the new Spike TV deal as a result of Couture’s resignation but that the UFC press conference being the same time as Randy’s was not to “f***” with him.
- He there’s a very good possibility that Dan Henderson may fight Anderson Silva next.
- The Spike TV deal includes 12 UFC Fight Night cards.
- Dana White says that he has Randy and that Randy has not said he wants to fight elsewhere. He says Couture is pissed off at him and most of it is a result of things being spread on the internet.
- The Spike TV deal includes two new seasons in 2008 and 2009 and single season of the series in 2010 and 2011. A new fight series will debut in 2010 with one season in 2010 and 2011. It also includes 4 UFC Fight Night cards minimum per year for the next 3 years.
- The BJ Penn fight will likely take place in December at UFC 79.
- It is too early to determine what fights could take place at UFC 80 in England.
- The Heavyweight Championship will not be vacated until Couture says to Dana he is retired and that he feels they will reconcile their differences. White says he hopes to sit down with Couture now that he is back in Vegas.
- The UFC Fight Night events will start to move to additional locations.
- The new Spike TV deal allows them to sign additional deals with ESPN, HBO, etc.
- Chiacgo is expected to host a UFC event in 2008 as soon as regulations are finalized.
- White confirms that he doesn’t know the exact situation with Andrei Arlovski but that he isn’t being penalized and the UFC wants him back in the octagon soon.
- White adds that he doesn’t regret the UFC not completing a deal with HBO and praises Spike for being a great partner.
- The new fight series debuting in 2010 will be a live show “a level above” the UFC Fight Night shows. This will take the place of one season of The Ultimate Fighter beginning in 2010.
- UFC 78 is on pace to be a sellout and ticket sales are going well.
- White says there were “fifty” reasons the HBO deal didn’t happen and that both brands wanted to protect themselves. Says a deal would have been big for both companies and still expects one in the future but says now isn’t the time.
- When asked about the newer MMA promotions White says they cannot compete with the UFC and that a lot of people have tried and failed to challenge the UFC. He says they provide places for younger talent to fight before coming to the UFC.
- Lesnar will debut at UFC 81 in February on Super Bowl Saturday.
- They say there is no MMA awards show in the works.
- Lesnar says he expects to be in the heavyweight title picture soon and is focused on winning his first fight.
- White says he is working on something “huge” for 2008 in terms of another distribution deal though no specifics were given.
- White added that he likes Kurt Angle but that Lesnar is the real deal.
- All UFC Fight Nights in Las Vegas will be at the Palms.
- In an attempt to change up The Ultimate Fighter one possibility is moving the house to another location outside of Vegas.
- White calls ProElite “internet whores” because they are streaming the Couture press conference.
- The UFC has 250 people under contract.
- No opponent was confirmed for Lesnar’s UFC 81 debut.
- White says the UFC is targeting the Latino market and says the UFC is planning on returning to Texas in 2008.
- He says he doesn’t think most WWE wrestlers could transition to the UFC but that Brock is an exception.
- White says he will talk to Randy when Couture is ready to talk and that the dispute is a result of his “hollywood agent”.
- White says he hasn’t done anything with ProElite but that they (and other competition) are good for the sport and will get guys fights.
- The new fights on Spike are expected to continue to grow the sport in addition to keeping current fans.
- White says there is a lot of potential in the sport still and doesn’t feel the UFC is mainstream yet.
- Liddell says he can’t wait to get back in and fight again.
- White confirms that the UFC is still working on a TV deal in Japan.
- The UFC will be coming to Canada sometime in 2008 though no specifics were given.
- In one of the humorous moments Wanderlei Silva says he doesn’t gamble because he “loves his money”.
- White says that the winner of Liddell-Silva is likely the top contender for the light heavyweight title.
- Lesnar says he has not talked to Tim Sylvia about a possible fight and that he currently weighs approximately 275 pounds, down from 300-plus pounds when in the WWE.
- Dana White says there is no possibility that the UFC becomes a publicly traded company.
- The UFC will be returning to Florida in 2008.
[...] Vegas to address his resignation from the UFC. The press conference will be running opposite of a UFC press conference scheduled for the same time. Couture is expected to talk about his reasons for leaving, his salary, [...]
Wow the info on Henderson possibly fighting Silva next is AWESOME!
They really need to address the Middleweight division…if that Henderson vs Silva match happens, that will be excellent! If not, they need to maybe think about joining it with a diff class because the middleweight division is boring! Silva is beyond dominant and everyone else is 10 steps below him. Belcher looks to be the second best in that division, which is sad.
“White adds that he doesn’t regret the UFC not completing a deal with the UFC and praises Spike for being a great partner.”
What?
Dave, it’s fixed now, thanks for the heads up.
Henderson > Silva
Hendo will be the best fight for Silva. I do like the idea of joining the welter/middleweight fighters. If Hughes beats Serra, then beats GSP, what better time to retire that division.
I both hope and think that (mw and ww joining) will not happen. Supply will meet demand. The LH div. is so stacked that you’ll see many coming down to fight what would be, for them, an easier fight.
p.s. Welterweight division is stacked as well
No way are they going to do aaway with any division. If anything they will create a new division, such as Super Heavyweights or Featherweights (135 lbs.). That makes a little more sense than to cut away one entire division because it is weak right now. Come on, think about it, less belts= less main events= less money in the UFC’s pocket, and we all know that ain’t happening.
I have said for a long time that the UFC needs a super-Heavyweight division. That is really where Lesnar and Sylvia belong. Get other monsters in there, and Sylvia will be screwed.
[...] UFC Daily has details on the new Spike TV deal , and a complete rundown of the UFC press conference. [...]
I dont think that Liddell or Silva should be the top contender for the belt after their fight. This is one thing I dislike about the UFC. THey have no rankings. They basically get the fan favorites and have them fight. I am a big Liddell fan, but after the lost to Jardine….he needs at least 2 wins under his belt. In my opinion, even though I like Randy, he should not have been able to come back and get a title shot outta retirement….his last fight he was knocked out by Liddell. I dont want to see another Rampage Liddell fight right now.
I would like to see the winner fight Houston Alexander for the #1 contender spot. You are right, neither desirve the title shot just yet.
P.S. I am moving out tommorrow but have the internet guy coming to hook up my stuff on Wed. So I wont be gone as long as I thought. Hit me up with that thing you were talking about when u get a chance Kris! Adios everyone!
Yeah Scotchy…. Alexander is not that young either. He is a monster, and I hope that he gets a title shot soon.
i would love to see jardine/houston again, i think jardine will last more than 48 seconds, rashad evans is another guy should have title shot soon, i think he will destroy bisping and probably could beat lidell right now too
in the middlewight division okami is there and even though swick had a bad fight against him, i hink he will be good at 185 and don’t forget mcfedries and KAMPMANN
I didnt see the press conference, but I read the highlights on here. I was surprised their was no mention of the M-1 rule that allowed fighters to fight against other champs from different organzitions, this could be a possible fix for the UFC and Randy. Allowing him to fight Fedor.
Any news on the new UFC Video game?
Kyle - They didn’t mention it during the press conference so I am not sure on it’s exact status but it is tentatively title UFC 2009 so I wouldn’t expect it before fall of 2008.
Josh - While Dana didn’t shy away from discussing Couture what he can say and speculate on is highly sensitive because IF this goes to court what he said can become evidence. The new rule could allow Couture to fight Fedor in the UFC but until both sides sit down and see where they are at and if it’s possible for him to return then the provision becomes much more important.
No problem FixXer I’ve been getting closer to getting it ready but I’ll try to speed up the process…
Wow Kris, thanks for all the info on Dana White’s press conference. One of the best things I read is that Arlovski is not being penalized. If Couture leaves or retires, Arlovski should be the favorite to replace Randy as Champion.