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Champs Jon Jones vs. Anderson Silva not likely any time soon
CALGARY – Cool your jets, fantasy matchmakers; Jon Jones (16-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) and Anderson Silva (32-4 MMA, 15-0 UFC) aren't fighting any time soon.
But never say never.
"[Anderson] said he wouldn't fight Chael Sonnen, either," UFC president Dana White said at a pre-event press conference for UFC 149. "Then the other one said he wouldn't fight Rashad."
At UFC 148, middleweight champ Silva fought Sonnen a second time, and after defending his title a record 10th time, calls for a superfight with light-heavyweight champ Jones weren't hard to hear.
Silva, however, said he had no desire to fight the 205-pound champ, who turned 25 years old on Thursday. Jones responded in kind via Twitter.
Still, a superfight remains an exciting idea. Jones isn't yet the supernova of Silva, but he's as close as you can get. Silva holds the No. 1 spot in the Yahoo! Sports pound-for-pound MMA rankings while Jones is right behind him at No. 2.
A meeting between them might very well shatter the 1.3 million pay-per-view mark White hoped Silva vs. Sonnen II would surpass, though it didn't (but the final figure "didn't suck," he said).
A lot of things need to happen for both for that fight to be realistic, however. White noted that Jones has Dan Henderson to worry about at UFC 151, and Silva will meet one of a handful of middleweights fighting for the No. 1 contender's spot.
But the UFC president also wasn't entirely convinced by the pair's pledge to stay away from each other.
"They're both saying they won't fight each other right now and all that stuff," White said.
Things could change. Any time soon? Not likely.
CALGARY – Cool your jets, fantasy matchmakers; Jon Jones (16-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) and Anderson Silva (32-4 MMA, 15-0 UFC) aren't fighting any time soon.
But never say never.
"[Anderson] said he wouldn't fight Chael Sonnen, either," UFC president Dana White said at a pre-event press conference for UFC 149. "Then the other one said he wouldn't fight Rashad."
At UFC 148, middleweight champ Silva fought Sonnen a second time, and after defending his title a record 10th time, calls for a superfight with light-heavyweight champ Jones weren't hard to hear.
Silva, however, said he had no desire to fight the 205-pound champ, who turned 25 years old on Thursday. Jones responded in kind via Twitter.
Still, a superfight remains an exciting idea. Jones isn't yet the supernova of Silva, but he's as close as you can get. Silva holds the No. 1 spot in the Yahoo! Sports pound-for-pound MMA rankings while Jones is right behind him at No. 2.
A meeting between them might very well shatter the 1.3 million pay-per-view mark White hoped Silva vs. Sonnen II would surpass, though it didn't (but the final figure "didn't suck," he said).
A lot of things need to happen for both for that fight to be realistic, however. White noted that Jones has Dan Henderson to worry about at UFC 151, and Silva will meet one of a handful of middleweights fighting for the No. 1 contender's spot.
But the UFC president also wasn't entirely convinced by the pair's pledge to stay away from each other.
"They're both saying they won't fight each other right now and all that stuff," White said.
Things could change. Any time soon? Not likely.
Cesar Gracie: Nick Diaz will return to UFC, wants fight with Anderson Silva
Suspended – and retired – UFC welterweight Nick Diaz may be eyeing a return to the game, and when he comes back, he wants fights "that matter."
That's according to his head coach and manager, Cesar Gracie. And by fights "that matter," there's one in particular that Gracie said Diaz plans to ask for: a shot at UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
Gracie on Friday wrote in a blog post at GracieFighter.com titled "Future of Nick Diaz" that the Stockton, Calif., native would take a catchweight fight with Silva "in a minute," but if Silva won't come down, Diaz is glad to go up to 185 for the fight.
Diaz (27-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC) has not fought since a UFC 143 loss in February to Carlos Condit in an interim welterweight title fight. After the unanimous decision setback, Diaz said he was retiring from the sport. But days later, it was announced he tested positive for marijuana metabolites, his second such offense in Nevada. He was suspended for a year by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, despite having medical clearance to use marijuana for medicinal purposes in California.
Condit, of course, advanced to a title unification bout against champion Georges St-Pierre – a fight he has thus far chosen to wait for rather than risk his interim belt in the meantime. The UFC is targeting November in Montreal at UFC 154 for their fight.
"As far as future opponents, Nick has stated that he would like to take fights 'that matter,'" Gracie wrote. "Since GSP will be fighting Condit, he has to look elsewhere. He will respectfully ask for a fight with Anderson Silva, a fighter he respects and would like to challenge.
"Silva’s camp has been speaking of a fight with GSP, possibly even at a catchweight. Nick will take that fight in a minute but has told me that should Silva decide not to drop at all, he will move up to 185 [pounds] to face the champ."
Gracie said that Diaz has ratcheted up his training, and the camp is planning to challenge Diaz's suspension in court with the hope of getting it reduced. (Diaz also was fined $79,500 after UFC 143 – 30 percent of his $200,000 fight purse and 30 percent of his $65,000 "Fight of the Night" bonus.)
Diaz is eligible to reapply for a license in Nevada on Feb. 4, 2013. He will, however, need to pass a drug test to get licensed.
"For the last couple of months I’ve watched Nick begin to frequent the gym more and more," Gracie stated. "He’s training harder now than he has for many of his fights. It was obvious that training and fighting is in his DNA. It is who he is.
"This week we had a great talk and he made it clear to me that he is ready to get back to the cage. Nick Diaz will return. To address the NSAC suspension, I will say that we have appealed to the courts and if things go our way, it will be plausible that Nick could return as early as sometime at the end of this year."
Gracie stated that he has a meeting set up with UFC president Dana White for Aug. 6 to discuss Diaz and his future.
Before Diaz's loss to Condit in what was a close and somewhat controversial unanimous decision, Diaz had an 11-fight win streak that dated back to November 2007. Over that stretch, he won Strikeforce's welterweight title and defended the belt three times before vacating it to sign with the UFC.
He was expected to fight St-Pierre at UFC 137, but when he missed a pair of pre-event news conferences to promote the fight, White yanked him in favor of Condit and booked Diaz to face B.J. Penn. St-Pierre then got hurt, putting Diaz-Penn into the main event, which Diaz won with ease. White then gave Diaz a second shot at St-Pierre, to Condit's chagrin. But when the champion again was injured, the Diaz-Condit fight became the main event at UFC 143.
Suspended – and retired – UFC welterweight Nick Diaz may be eyeing a return to the game, and when he comes back, he wants fights "that matter."
That's according to his head coach and manager, Cesar Gracie. And by fights "that matter," there's one in particular that Gracie said Diaz plans to ask for: a shot at UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
Gracie on Friday wrote in a blog post at GracieFighter.com titled "Future of Nick Diaz" that the Stockton, Calif., native would take a catchweight fight with Silva "in a minute," but if Silva won't come down, Diaz is glad to go up to 185 for the fight.
Diaz (27-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC) has not fought since a UFC 143 loss in February to Carlos Condit in an interim welterweight title fight. After the unanimous decision setback, Diaz said he was retiring from the sport. But days later, it was announced he tested positive for marijuana metabolites, his second such offense in Nevada. He was suspended for a year by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, despite having medical clearance to use marijuana for medicinal purposes in California.
Condit, of course, advanced to a title unification bout against champion Georges St-Pierre – a fight he has thus far chosen to wait for rather than risk his interim belt in the meantime. The UFC is targeting November in Montreal at UFC 154 for their fight.
"As far as future opponents, Nick has stated that he would like to take fights 'that matter,'" Gracie wrote. "Since GSP will be fighting Condit, he has to look elsewhere. He will respectfully ask for a fight with Anderson Silva, a fighter he respects and would like to challenge.
"Silva’s camp has been speaking of a fight with GSP, possibly even at a catchweight. Nick will take that fight in a minute but has told me that should Silva decide not to drop at all, he will move up to 185 [pounds] to face the champ."
Gracie said that Diaz has ratcheted up his training, and the camp is planning to challenge Diaz's suspension in court with the hope of getting it reduced. (Diaz also was fined $79,500 after UFC 143 – 30 percent of his $200,000 fight purse and 30 percent of his $65,000 "Fight of the Night" bonus.)
Diaz is eligible to reapply for a license in Nevada on Feb. 4, 2013. He will, however, need to pass a drug test to get licensed.
"For the last couple of months I’ve watched Nick begin to frequent the gym more and more," Gracie stated. "He’s training harder now than he has for many of his fights. It was obvious that training and fighting is in his DNA. It is who he is.
"This week we had a great talk and he made it clear to me that he is ready to get back to the cage. Nick Diaz will return. To address the NSAC suspension, I will say that we have appealed to the courts and if things go our way, it will be plausible that Nick could return as early as sometime at the end of this year."
Gracie stated that he has a meeting set up with UFC president Dana White for Aug. 6 to discuss Diaz and his future.
Before Diaz's loss to Condit in what was a close and somewhat controversial unanimous decision, Diaz had an 11-fight win streak that dated back to November 2007. Over that stretch, he won Strikeforce's welterweight title and defended the belt three times before vacating it to sign with the UFC.
He was expected to fight St-Pierre at UFC 137, but when he missed a pair of pre-event news conferences to promote the fight, White yanked him in favor of Condit and booked Diaz to face B.J. Penn. St-Pierre then got hurt, putting Diaz-Penn into the main event, which Diaz won with ease. White then gave Diaz a second shot at St-Pierre, to Condit's chagrin. But when the champion again was injured, the Diaz-Condit fight became the main event at UFC 143.
Roy Nelson and Shane Carwin spar on Twitter, then delete tweets
Shane Carwin (12-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and Roy Nelson (17-7 MMA, 4-3 UFC) don't like each other – that much is clear.
The two went at it Thursday via Twitter, with Nelson inviting Carwin to set up a pay-per-view sparring session and Carwin bashing Nelson's possible coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter 16."
Then, almost as soon as it began, both fighters deleted from their accounts almost any trace of the skirmish.
From the announcement that the two would serve as coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter 16," which begins filming next month and debuts in September on FX, Carwin and Nelson took shots at each other. Carwin called Nelson a "keyboard warrior" who cowardly talked trash to him, and Nelson said Carwin made him feel "icky."
The comments were good copy, as were those on Twitter, and neither fighter could be blamed for trying to hype a reality show that saw sagging ratings in its previous season.
Carwin, though, said he's serious about his dislike for Nelson.
"It's a guy that I look forward to fighting," he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) shortly before he and Nelson engaged online. "I don't like him, and I know he doesn't care for me, so it makes for an easy fight and some motivation."
Nelson was unavailable for comment. On Twitter, he ratcheted things up a notch by implying Carwin was using steroids.
"Why wait [until] December we can see if we can get on @ufc 151," Nelson wrote. "Is this enough time to cycle off?"
Carwin, in turn, attacked a name Nelson mentioned as potential for his coaching staff on "TUF 16," former steroid dealer turned anti-doping advocate Victor Conte, calling him a "convicted criminal."
Nelson explained that Conte was not a possible coach, but a guest.
Conte went to jail for money laundering and conspiracy to distribute steroids in connection with the BALCO scandal that rocked professional baseball. Angle was arrested four times for driving while intoxicated and twice convicted.
In 2010, Carwin and another athlete mentioned by Nelson as a possible coach, former Olympian and WWE wrestler Kurt Angle, turned up on a list of customers of a pharmacist convicted in federal court of conspiracy to distribute steroids. Neither were charged with a crime.
When Nelson referenced the list to jab at Carwin, Carwin, of course, pointed out that Angle was also on the list.
The finale for "The Ultimate Fighter 16" is set for December, though Carwin, who will return to action after more a year and a half on the sidelines due to injury, said a date has not been set for his fight with Nelson.
Nevertheless, more fuel has been added to fire between them. If Twitter is any indication, they are likely to clash when the cameras roll.
Shane Carwin (12-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and Roy Nelson (17-7 MMA, 4-3 UFC) don't like each other – that much is clear.
The two went at it Thursday via Twitter, with Nelson inviting Carwin to set up a pay-per-view sparring session and Carwin bashing Nelson's possible coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter 16."
Then, almost as soon as it began, both fighters deleted from their accounts almost any trace of the skirmish.
From the announcement that the two would serve as coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter 16," which begins filming next month and debuts in September on FX, Carwin and Nelson took shots at each other. Carwin called Nelson a "keyboard warrior" who cowardly talked trash to him, and Nelson said Carwin made him feel "icky."
The comments were good copy, as were those on Twitter, and neither fighter could be blamed for trying to hype a reality show that saw sagging ratings in its previous season.
Carwin, though, said he's serious about his dislike for Nelson.
"It's a guy that I look forward to fighting," he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) shortly before he and Nelson engaged online. "I don't like him, and I know he doesn't care for me, so it makes for an easy fight and some motivation."
Nelson was unavailable for comment. On Twitter, he ratcheted things up a notch by implying Carwin was using steroids.
"Why wait [until] December we can see if we can get on @ufc 151," Nelson wrote. "Is this enough time to cycle off?"
Carwin, in turn, attacked a name Nelson mentioned as potential for his coaching staff on "TUF 16," former steroid dealer turned anti-doping advocate Victor Conte, calling him a "convicted criminal."
Nelson explained that Conte was not a possible coach, but a guest.
Conte went to jail for money laundering and conspiracy to distribute steroids in connection with the BALCO scandal that rocked professional baseball. Angle was arrested four times for driving while intoxicated and twice convicted.
In 2010, Carwin and another athlete mentioned by Nelson as a possible coach, former Olympian and WWE wrestler Kurt Angle, turned up on a list of customers of a pharmacist convicted in federal court of conspiracy to distribute steroids. Neither were charged with a crime.
When Nelson referenced the list to jab at Carwin, Carwin, of course, pointed out that Angle was also on the list.
The finale for "The Ultimate Fighter 16" is set for December, though Carwin, who will return to action after more a year and a half on the sidelines due to injury, said a date has not been set for his fight with Nelson.
Nevertheless, more fuel has been added to fire between them. If Twitter is any indication, they are likely to clash when the cameras roll.
Silva manager likes third fight with Franklin, but GSP leading candidate for UFC cham
There's a line of middleweights waiting to fight champ Anderson Silva.
The tough part may be rousing Silva's interest in fighting them.
"At the end of the day, it's difficult to find an opponent that can fight Anderson," manager Ed Soares told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "There's not a ton of them out there."
In a recent interview with Brazilian website Tatame, Silva's co-manager, Jorge Guimaraes, called potential fights against Chris Weidman, Alan Belcher and Tim Boetsch a "joke."
Soares took a softer stance on the division standouts, but acknowledged that the contenders in the field don't represent the biggest fights possible for Silva (32-4 MMA, 15-0 UFC), who defended his title a record 10th time against Chael Sonnen at UFC 148 for his 15th overall win inside the octagon.
"I don't think any opponent in that category is a joke," Soares said. "I just think that some of his opponents just aren't as attractive. When I look at Weidman, I think he's a very talented guy. He's got a bright future. But when I look at it, he's 9-0. Anderson has got double the wins he has in his career in the UFC. So I just don't see the value of being able to fight a guy like this right now. That's my opinion."
Another name that Soares said fans are overlooking as a potential contender is former champ Rich Franklin, whom Silva beat at UFC 64 to win the title and again at UFC 77 in his second defense of the belt.
"The only guy that Rich Franklin has ever lost to at 185 pounds is Anderson," Soares said. "So when you look at the 185-pound division, he's definitely up in the mix as far as a contender. I think [Silva would] be interested in fighting Franklin again, just simply because he respects Rich a lot, and he feels that Rich was the guy that gave him the opportunity to fight for the belt."
But perhaps the most attractive fight on the market at this moment, Soares said, is a superfight with welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, which has been on the radar screen for more than a year as the two have continued to decimate their respective divisions.
St-Pierre, who's been sidelined since this past December with a knee injury, is expected to fight interim welterweight champ Carlos Condit at UFC 154 in a title unification bout.
Soares said Silva might be able to make the welterweight cutoff of 170 pounds, or a catchweight could be arranged.
Fans also suggested a superfight between Silva and light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, but Soares said Silva isn't interested in the bout for no other reason than he doesn't plan on fighting north of the middleweight class.
Whatever is next in store for Silva, it appears some difficult choices lie ahead.
"It's not an easy situation," Soares said. "The middleweight division is a little bit complicated right now. But who am I to sit here and say who they should fight? I'm just saying that as far as the biggest fights go, I see a potential fight with Georges St-Pierre being a big fight."
There's a line of middleweights waiting to fight champ Anderson Silva.
The tough part may be rousing Silva's interest in fighting them.
"At the end of the day, it's difficult to find an opponent that can fight Anderson," manager Ed Soares told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "There's not a ton of them out there."
In a recent interview with Brazilian website Tatame, Silva's co-manager, Jorge Guimaraes, called potential fights against Chris Weidman, Alan Belcher and Tim Boetsch a "joke."
Soares took a softer stance on the division standouts, but acknowledged that the contenders in the field don't represent the biggest fights possible for Silva (32-4 MMA, 15-0 UFC), who defended his title a record 10th time against Chael Sonnen at UFC 148 for his 15th overall win inside the octagon.
"I don't think any opponent in that category is a joke," Soares said. "I just think that some of his opponents just aren't as attractive. When I look at Weidman, I think he's a very talented guy. He's got a bright future. But when I look at it, he's 9-0. Anderson has got double the wins he has in his career in the UFC. So I just don't see the value of being able to fight a guy like this right now. That's my opinion."
Another name that Soares said fans are overlooking as a potential contender is former champ Rich Franklin, whom Silva beat at UFC 64 to win the title and again at UFC 77 in his second defense of the belt.
"The only guy that Rich Franklin has ever lost to at 185 pounds is Anderson," Soares said. "So when you look at the 185-pound division, he's definitely up in the mix as far as a contender. I think [Silva would] be interested in fighting Franklin again, just simply because he respects Rich a lot, and he feels that Rich was the guy that gave him the opportunity to fight for the belt."
But perhaps the most attractive fight on the market at this moment, Soares said, is a superfight with welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, which has been on the radar screen for more than a year as the two have continued to decimate their respective divisions.
St-Pierre, who's been sidelined since this past December with a knee injury, is expected to fight interim welterweight champ Carlos Condit at UFC 154 in a title unification bout.
Soares said Silva might be able to make the welterweight cutoff of 170 pounds, or a catchweight could be arranged.
Fans also suggested a superfight between Silva and light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, but Soares said Silva isn't interested in the bout for no other reason than he doesn't plan on fighting north of the middleweight class.
Whatever is next in store for Silva, it appears some difficult choices lie ahead.
"It's not an easy situation," Soares said. "The middleweight division is a little bit complicated right now. But who am I to sit here and say who they should fight? I'm just saying that as far as the biggest fights go, I see a potential fight with Georges St-Pierre being a big fight."
Training cut forces Rory MacDonald out of UFC 152 fight against B.J. Penn
FUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCC!!
LOS ANGELES – A major cut suffered in training that required several stitches will keep Rory MacDonald from a highly anticipated welterweight fight against B.J. Penn at UFC 152 next month.
UFC President Dana White on Saturday told MMAjunkie.com of the injury following Saturday's post-event news conference for UFC on FOX 4, which took place at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
MacDonald (13-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) and Penn (16-8-2 MMA, 12-7-2 UFC) had been booked for the main card of UFC 152, which is set for Sept. 22 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
White said MacDonald's cut is over his right eye and said he only found out Saturday night. White said UFC matchmaker Joe Silva showed him a picture of the deep cut.
White also said he has not yet informed Penn that MacDonald is out of the fight and doesn't know if Penn will remain on the card.
"Rory's out. He got cut open today. Wide open – 38, 48 stitches, something like that," White said. "No contact for a month. (The fight is) off. I found out tonight, halfway through the show."
Penn announced a somewhat informal retirement after a unanimous decision loss to Nick Diaz at UFC 137 in October 2011. But MacDonald was able to lure him out for the fight earlier this summer, calling out the former two-division champion.
In recent weeks, the fight was in the news when both fighters agreed to undergo regular pre-fight drug testing through the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.
But now that decision becomes moot.
FUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCC!!
LOS ANGELES – A major cut suffered in training that required several stitches will keep Rory MacDonald from a highly anticipated welterweight fight against B.J. Penn at UFC 152 next month.
UFC President Dana White on Saturday told MMAjunkie.com of the injury following Saturday's post-event news conference for UFC on FOX 4, which took place at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
MacDonald (13-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) and Penn (16-8-2 MMA, 12-7-2 UFC) had been booked for the main card of UFC 152, which is set for Sept. 22 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
White said MacDonald's cut is over his right eye and said he only found out Saturday night. White said UFC matchmaker Joe Silva showed him a picture of the deep cut.
White also said he has not yet informed Penn that MacDonald is out of the fight and doesn't know if Penn will remain on the card.
"Rory's out. He got cut open today. Wide open – 38, 48 stitches, something like that," White said. "No contact for a month. (The fight is) off. I found out tonight, halfway through the show."
Penn announced a somewhat informal retirement after a unanimous decision loss to Nick Diaz at UFC 137 in October 2011. But MacDonald was able to lure him out for the fight earlier this summer, calling out the former two-division champion.
In recent weeks, the fight was in the news when both fighters agreed to undergo regular pre-fight drug testing through the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.
But now that decision becomes moot.
Junior Dos Santos tells UFC he prefers Alistair Overeem over Cain Velasquez
LOS ANGELES – If UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos (15-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) has his way, he'll face Alistair Overeem (36-11 MMA, 1-0 UFC) before Cain Velasquez (10-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC).
UFC President Dana White today revealed that at a recent meeting with the heavyweight champ, Dos Santos informed him that he would prefer to face former Strikeforce champ Alistair Overeem rather than Velasquez.
"I sat down with Junior Dos Santos yesterday – who is the nicest guy in the world," White said. "He's the nicest guy in the world, but he said, 'I have nothing but respect for Cain Velasquez. I like him as a person and as a fighter, and I think he deserves the shot at the title. But I do not want to fight him,' which is not what he said a month ago.
"He said, 'Alistair Overeem is a punk. He's got a big mouth, and he's been saying lots of bad things about me, and I want to knock him out. I want to knock him out now.'"
Overeem, of course, is currently on the sidelines until at least Dec. 27 after an April NSAC ruling forced him out of a planned championship fight with Dos Santos.The fight was scratched when Overeem tested for a 14-to-1 testosterone-to-epitestosterone (T/E) ratio, more than twice the 6-to-1 ratio allowed by the NSAC.
In July, Overeem told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Dos Santos was afraid to fight him but would eventually be knocked out when the two finally clashed.
"He can talk all he wants," Overeem said. "I know he's very happy that fight didn't happen, and I know he's afraid to fight me. He also knows that I'm the biggest threat out there to him. He knows when he fights me, there's no escape from it.
"He's going to hit and run, or he's going to go down. Either way, he's going to leave that octagon a loser."
Dos Santos apparently heard the talk, and now he wants to make the fight happen sooner rather than later.
White said Dos Santos track record with the company demands the promotion at least consider the request.
"He's my heavyweight champion who is one of those guys who has done everything we've ever asked of him," White said. "He really has never asked much of us. So when a guy like him comes to me and wants something, yeah, I have to consider it."
Of course, there is the small matter of Velasquez, who lost the belt to Dos Santos in November 2011. He was told a win over Antonio Silva at this past May's UFC 146 event would earn him another shot at the belt, and Velasquez delivered with an emphatic first-round TKO win.
Velasquez is also considered a company man who has long been at the leading edge of the promotion's Latin American marketing efforts. White hasn't spoke with Velasquez yet, but he does agree it wouldn't be an easy conversation. That said, White said the champion's desires may ultimately take precedent.
"I've got to talk to Cain, and I agree, Cain is (a company man), too," White said. "But Cain's not the champ right now. Junior is.
"I'm not saying that's what's happening. I'm just saying to you that's what [Dos Santos] is saying. He wants this fight."
A date for the proposed Dos Santos vs. Velasquez fight had not yet been announced by the promotion.
LOS ANGELES – If UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos (15-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) has his way, he'll face Alistair Overeem (36-11 MMA, 1-0 UFC) before Cain Velasquez (10-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC).
UFC President Dana White today revealed that at a recent meeting with the heavyweight champ, Dos Santos informed him that he would prefer to face former Strikeforce champ Alistair Overeem rather than Velasquez.
"I sat down with Junior Dos Santos yesterday – who is the nicest guy in the world," White said. "He's the nicest guy in the world, but he said, 'I have nothing but respect for Cain Velasquez. I like him as a person and as a fighter, and I think he deserves the shot at the title. But I do not want to fight him,' which is not what he said a month ago.
"He said, 'Alistair Overeem is a punk. He's got a big mouth, and he's been saying lots of bad things about me, and I want to knock him out. I want to knock him out now.'"
Overeem, of course, is currently on the sidelines until at least Dec. 27 after an April NSAC ruling forced him out of a planned championship fight with Dos Santos.The fight was scratched when Overeem tested for a 14-to-1 testosterone-to-epitestosterone (T/E) ratio, more than twice the 6-to-1 ratio allowed by the NSAC.
In July, Overeem told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Dos Santos was afraid to fight him but would eventually be knocked out when the two finally clashed.
"He can talk all he wants," Overeem said. "I know he's very happy that fight didn't happen, and I know he's afraid to fight me. He also knows that I'm the biggest threat out there to him. He knows when he fights me, there's no escape from it.
"He's going to hit and run, or he's going to go down. Either way, he's going to leave that octagon a loser."
Dos Santos apparently heard the talk, and now he wants to make the fight happen sooner rather than later.
White said Dos Santos track record with the company demands the promotion at least consider the request.
"He's my heavyweight champion who is one of those guys who has done everything we've ever asked of him," White said. "He really has never asked much of us. So when a guy like him comes to me and wants something, yeah, I have to consider it."
Of course, there is the small matter of Velasquez, who lost the belt to Dos Santos in November 2011. He was told a win over Antonio Silva at this past May's UFC 146 event would earn him another shot at the belt, and Velasquez delivered with an emphatic first-round TKO win.
Velasquez is also considered a company man who has long been at the leading edge of the promotion's Latin American marketing efforts. White hasn't spoke with Velasquez yet, but he does agree it wouldn't be an easy conversation. That said, White said the champion's desires may ultimately take precedent.
"I've got to talk to Cain, and I agree, Cain is (a company man), too," White said. "But Cain's not the champ right now. Junior is.
"I'm not saying that's what's happening. I'm just saying to you that's what [Dos Santos] is saying. He wants this fight."
A date for the proposed Dos Santos vs. Velasquez fight had not yet been announced by the promotion.