Issue 082

December 2011

All the Head-turning information every mma fan needs to know

BROCK LESNAR TO FACE ALISTAIR OVEREEM IN DECEMBER

Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will square off with Strikeforce heavyweight king Alistair Overeem on December 30th. Set for the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, the number-one contender matchup sees two of the sport’s biggest and most athletic heavyweights collide, and will be 265lb-plus Lesnar’s first fight both since losing his belt to Cain Velasquez in October 2010 and suffering his second bout of diverticulitis.

Overeem, however, is making his UFC debut after a dispute over appearing in Strikeforce’s heavyweight tournament saw him cut from the roster of the UFC-owned Californian company. The Dutchman, who weighed in for his last fight at 256lb, hasn’t lost since a 2007 knockout at the hands of Sergei Kharitonov and has since lifted the Strikeforce and Dream heavyweight belts during an 11-fight undefeated streak, as well as kickboxing’s most illustrious event, the K-1 world grand prix.

UFC president Dana White stated simply: “This is the fight the fans want to see.”

CRIS ‘CYBORG’ RE-SIGNS WITH STRIKEFORCE, ‘HIGHEST PAID FEMALE ATHLETE’

Female Strikeforce featherweight Cris ‘Cyborg’ Santos has agreed upon a new four-fight contract with the promotion, over 14 months since her last fight. The new deal makes the dominating Brazilian, who most recently finished Gina Carano, Marloes Coenen and Jan Finney, the “highest paid female athlete in the world,” according to a statement from manager Rudimar Fedrigo. Santos is expected to step back into the ring for a Strikeforce event on December 17th. No opponent had been announced at the time of going to press.

FOX EXEC HINTS AT VISUAL ENHANCEMENTS FOR UFC BROADCASTS

Fox Sports, the new television home of the UFC, has suggested viewers of the UFC’s live broadcasts may soon benefit from “visual enhancements.” Fox Sports co-president Eric Shanks, who helped produce a number of revolutionary visual cues on sports broadcasts like the superimposed first-down line in football, told Sherdog: “Nothing’s come to mind yet, but between Dana [White] and Lorenzo [Fertitta] and all the great producers we have over here, George Greenberg and everybody, I’m sure that we will be talking about what type of enhancements would make sense for the UFC on Fox.”

$170,000

After his UFC 107 loss to BJ Penn, Diego Sanchez says a former friend embezzled $170,000 of his money

30 million

UFC bosses estimated that it’s likely nearly 30 million Brazilian homes watched UFC 134 held in Rio de Janeiro

WHAT'S HOT?

WORLD MMA AWARDS 2011  

November 30th, Palms, Las Vegas. Enough said

ATTRACTIVE FEMALE TRANSLATORS  

Judging by UFC 134 and September’s Strikeforce there’s some kind of beauty epidemic in international translation

MMALIENS   

Flick to our ‘Knowledge’ page. You’ll see what we mean

WHAT'S NOT?

LACK OF DREAM 

Only four Dream events in Japan during 2011? Everyone loves the UFC, but sometimes you want some syrup on your pancakes. Ya dig?

TIME BETWEEN NOW AND LESNAR-OVEREEM  

We really don’t want to have to wait until December 30th

A-TO-B ENTRANCES  

Jazz it up a bit, people! We’re talking Chinese dragons, hand-held fireworks, small animals. You know, the whole nine yards