UFC 103 Rumors
I didnt write this, i got it from BloodyElbow
Recent comments (and fanposts on this site) have suggested that UFC 103, which is currently expected to take place in Dallas, Texas on September 19th, is lacking star power. With rumored bouts including Frank Trigg vs. Josh Koscheck, Tyson Griffin vs. Hermes Franca, and Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller, some have argued that the card is worthy of being televised for free on Spike TV.
Obviously, with the event three months away, and the card far from complete, it's a bit silly to make such proclamations, and according to a new report from InsideFights.com, the UFC 103 card is getting a hell of a lot better:
Just a disclaimer before I get to the good stuff: InsideFights is a new source for me, but after doing a fair amount of research, the site seems to be fairly legit, and they don't appear to be reaching to make wild rumors sound more legit (cough...MMABay...cough).
A heavyweight contenders fight between prospects Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez could serve as the co-main event for UFC 103 on September 19th in Dallas, sources have told Inside Fights.
The bout, which has not been agreed to, could potentially serve as the co-main event alongside a welterweight bout between Texas native Mike Swick and future UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes. The heavyweight fight would elevate either Carwin or Velasquez into instant contendership for the heavyweight title, and a win by Swick would make him the number one contender to Georges St. Pierre’s welterweight championship.
Another fight that has been discussed internally is Chuck Liddell facing Rich Franklin. Dana White has seemingly accepted the idea that Chuck is going to want another fight, and he would much rather have Liddell inside the UFC cage than to have him go and be a huge drawing card for Strikeforce or Affliction.
Just a bit of an update: when contacted by FiveOuncesofPain for an interview today, Shane Carwin mentioned that he had heard nothing from the UFC about a Velasquez fight, but as we saw with Todd Duffee finding out about his UFC 99 fight being canceled by reading internet forums, it seems that the UFC often isn't quick to fill in fighters on the company's internal matchmaking discussions.
Hughes, Liddell, and Franklin are three of the biggest draws the UFC has ever had, and to have them all on the same card would be absolutely huge for the UFC in terms of pay-per-view buys. When you add in Carwin and Velasquez, who are arguably the future of the UFC heavyweight division, and Swick, who could be the future of the welterweight division if he continues on his winning ways, UFC 103 has all the makings of a blockbuster card.
It should be noted also that Hughes was already rumored for this card as a possible opponent for Josh Koscheck, who's now expected to fight the returning Frank Trigg, so it's not at all surprising to see Hughes's name pop up again. Swick hails from Houston and would be a natural fit for a Texas event.
The Liddell issue is intriguing as well, since after all the talk about Dana forcing Chuck to retire following the Shogun loss, it doesn't really seem like anything definitive has come out of the situation. Furthermore, on the "Inside the Octagon" segment that aired during the TUF 9 Finale, Dana almost seem resigned to the fact that he was going to eventually have to let Chuck have one more fight. Franklin would be a phenomenal retirement fight for Liddell; a win for Rich would establish him as a true force at 205, while a win for Chuck would cement his legacy, and allow him to retire on a high note.
As always, we'll wait to see which, if any of these rumors pan out. But I for one as fan, am crossing my fingers that they all end up on the UFC 103 card.
Recent comments (and fanposts on this site) have suggested that UFC 103, which is currently expected to take place in Dallas, Texas on September 19th, is lacking star power. With rumored bouts including Frank Trigg vs. Josh Koscheck, Tyson Griffin vs. Hermes Franca, and Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller, some have argued that the card is worthy of being televised for free on Spike TV.
Obviously, with the event three months away, and the card far from complete, it's a bit silly to make such proclamations, and according to a new report from InsideFights.com, the UFC 103 card is getting a hell of a lot better:
Just a disclaimer before I get to the good stuff: InsideFights is a new source for me, but after doing a fair amount of research, the site seems to be fairly legit, and they don't appear to be reaching to make wild rumors sound more legit (cough...MMABay...cough).
A heavyweight contenders fight between prospects Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez could serve as the co-main event for UFC 103 on September 19th in Dallas, sources have told Inside Fights.
The bout, which has not been agreed to, could potentially serve as the co-main event alongside a welterweight bout between Texas native Mike Swick and future UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes. The heavyweight fight would elevate either Carwin or Velasquez into instant contendership for the heavyweight title, and a win by Swick would make him the number one contender to Georges St. Pierre’s welterweight championship.
Another fight that has been discussed internally is Chuck Liddell facing Rich Franklin. Dana White has seemingly accepted the idea that Chuck is going to want another fight, and he would much rather have Liddell inside the UFC cage than to have him go and be a huge drawing card for Strikeforce or Affliction.
Just a bit of an update: when contacted by FiveOuncesofPain for an interview today, Shane Carwin mentioned that he had heard nothing from the UFC about a Velasquez fight, but as we saw with Todd Duffee finding out about his UFC 99 fight being canceled by reading internet forums, it seems that the UFC often isn't quick to fill in fighters on the company's internal matchmaking discussions.
Hughes, Liddell, and Franklin are three of the biggest draws the UFC has ever had, and to have them all on the same card would be absolutely huge for the UFC in terms of pay-per-view buys. When you add in Carwin and Velasquez, who are arguably the future of the UFC heavyweight division, and Swick, who could be the future of the welterweight division if he continues on his winning ways, UFC 103 has all the makings of a blockbuster card.
It should be noted also that Hughes was already rumored for this card as a possible opponent for Josh Koscheck, who's now expected to fight the returning Frank Trigg, so it's not at all surprising to see Hughes's name pop up again. Swick hails from Houston and would be a natural fit for a Texas event.
The Liddell issue is intriguing as well, since after all the talk about Dana forcing Chuck to retire following the Shogun loss, it doesn't really seem like anything definitive has come out of the situation. Furthermore, on the "Inside the Octagon" segment that aired during the TUF 9 Finale, Dana almost seem resigned to the fact that he was going to eventually have to let Chuck have one more fight. Franklin would be a phenomenal retirement fight for Liddell; a win for Rich would establish him as a true force at 205, while a win for Chuck would cement his legacy, and allow him to retire on a high note.
As always, we'll wait to see which, if any of these rumors pan out. But I for one as fan, am crossing my fingers that they all end up on the UFC 103 card.
