UFC 139 Spike Prelims Set: Weidman vs. Lawlor and Bader vs. Brilz

From Bloody Elbow
by Scott Haber

As has become customary, the Spike TV prelims special for UFC 139 in November will feature a pair of Ultimate Fighter alums. Fightline reports today the two bouts chosen for the live broadcast are: Chris Weidman vs. Tom Lawlor and Ryan Bader vs. Jason Brilz.

Bader and Lawlor were both contestants on the eight season of TUF, and although Bader went on to win the season, Lawlor has proven to be more of a fan favorite with his homages to MMA legends during weigh-ins, and his questionable choices of entrance attire and music. Both have tough tasks ahead of them in San Jose though.

Bader is in desperate need of a win after two consecutive guillotine choke losses to Jon Jones and Tito Ortiz. The Jones loss is obviously nothing to be embarrassed about, as Jones has been just about every opponent he faces look just as silly as he did Bader, but the Ortiz fight was certainly a case of the young prospect not taking an aging veteran seriously. Brilz, meanwhile, finds himself in dire straits as well. After coming off a surprising performance against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (that many thought he won), Brilz unfortunately followed it up by getting knocked out by Vladimir Matyushenko, who hasn't exactly shown much KO power before.

Lawlor will be facing one of the middleweight division's brightest prospects who can probably match or eclipse all of his strengths. Weidman was a two-time All American wrestler at Hofstra and also placed third in the NCAA tournament, and when he turned to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu while training under Matt Serra, he excelled there as well, gaining entry to the prestigious ADCC grappling tournament in 2009 where he made it all the way to a close points loss to grappling wizard, Andre Galvao, who also won his division and the absolute division in the ADCCs this year. Weidman is still refining his striking, and they may be one area where Lawlor can outmatch him, but if this goes to the ground (and with Weidman's credentials, it likely will), it may be a long night for "Filthy Tom".

The 139 card looks like this so far

Main Card:

Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua
Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le
Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles
Rick Story vs. Martin Kampmann
Stephan Bonnar vs. Kyle Kingsbury

Spike TV Prelims:

Chris Weidman vs. Tom Lawlor
Ryan Bader vs. Jason Brilz

Facebook Prelims:

Michael McDonald vs. Johnny Eduardo
Miguel Torres vs. Nick Pace
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Gleison Tibau

Battle Brewing Over Next to Fight for Belt as Champ Anderson Silva Recovers

From MMA Fighting
by Mike Chiappetta

HOUSTON -- Chael Sonnen and Brian Stann both hope to make their case as the next man to fight Anderson Silva on Saturday. But their UFC 136 fight, largely considered a possible No. 1 contenders bout, is no sure thing to produce a middleweight title challenger.

On Wednesday, UFC president Dana White said there was more than one possibility for Silva, and he seemed willing to wait to see how things play out before committing to a plan.

One alternate possibility? If Dan Henderson beats Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139 next month, he might bump to the front of the line.

The returning star recently vacated the Strikeforce light heavyweight championship to come back to the UFC. And though his first fight back will be at light heavyweight, he's willing to move down to 185 for another crack at Silva.

"We've got to see what happens here," White said. "The winner of [Sonnen-Stann] deserves a shot at Anderson Silva? It'd be tough to say no. But if Henderson beats Shogun, it'd be tough to say that Henderson doesn't deserve the shot either. So we'll see what happens."

White also revealed that if Silva had been healthy, he likely would have been slotted into an immediate title bout with Henderson. It would actually be a rematch, as the two squared off at UFC 82 in March 2008, with Silva winning via rear- naked choke in the second round.

Meanwhile, Sonnen seems to have toned down some of his usually pointed comments aimed at Silva, a fact that led a Brazilian reporter to ask him about how much of what he says is for show. Sonnen, who came across a bit subdued throughout the UFC 136 press conference, suddenly came to life, saying that he still has the long-reigning champion in his crosshairs.

"I'm not scared of that guy, I'm not going to apologize to that guy," said Sonnen, who is favored to beat Stann this weekend. "And I appreciate what the Brazilian people said, and a lot of that was said in good fun. But the bottom line is I'm sticking a finger in his chest, I'm picking a fight, and I'm not going to quit."

Whether Henderson (28-8), Sonnen (25-11-1) or Stann (11-3) receives the opportunity might also be a question of timing. Silva is still on the mend after a shoulder injury. The problem isn't considered serious, but simply a matter of time and rehabilitation.

"He has bursitis in his shoulder," White said. "The doctor told him he needs to rest it for eight weeks, and he's doing physical therapy. It's not like he's got some injury that needs surgery or anything like that. As amazing as this guy is, we forget this guy is 37 years old."

Regardless of the challenger, upsetting Silva will be an uphill task. The popular champion is riding a UFC-record 14-fight win streak, and he's successfully defended his belt nine straight times, also a record.