LAS VEGAS -- UFC heavyweight and UFC 146 main card fighter Roy Nelson spoke to the media Wednesday at the open workouts. The established veteran discussed why it 'pays to cheat' in professional MMA, his willingness to pay for VADA testing of his next opponent, why UFC has a responsibility to clean up the sport and the difficulties in switching opponents last minute.
LAS VEGAS -- Watch below as UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos talks about defending his title against Frank Mir at UFC 146, his recent comments about Mir, his boxing dreams, whether Daniel Cormier deserves a shot at the UFC title and the young Brazilian boy that has accompanied him to Vegas.
LAS VEGAS -- Watch below as Cain Velasquez talks about fighting Antonio Silva at UFC 146, his health going into this fight, Daniel Cormier's big win on Saturday night, what it would take to fight Cormier, whether he was upset he didn't get a rematch against Junior dos Santos and more.
LAS VEGAS -- Watch below as Stipe Miocic talks about his upcoming UFC 146 against Shane del Rosario, accepting the fight on short notice, his thoughts on del Rosario saying he didn't know who he was, and more.
LAS VEGAS -- Watch below as Stefan Struve talks about fighting Lavar Johnson on short notice at UFC 146, Johnson's recent winning streak and ground game, his evolution as an MMA fighter, and his desire to fight Mark Hunt one day.
LAS VEGAS -- Watch below as Antonio Silva talks about making his Octagon debut against Cain Velasquez at UFC 146, why he wasn't motivated to fight against Daniel Cormier, his new training camp, being the underdog against Velasquez and much more.
LAS VEGAS -- Watch below as Dave Herman talks about fighting Roy Nelson at UFC 146, marijuana in MMA, hanging out with Stefan Struve after Struve beat him in February and getting in the good graces of UFC president Dana White.
Auto racer Jeffrey Earnhardt won his debut MMA fight in North Carolina on Tuesday night, defeating Chris Faison via unanimous decision.
The 22-year-old Earnhardt -- the grandson of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt -- swept the rounds on the judges' scorecards, winning 30-27 across at an event titled Fight Labs 25 in Charlotte.
LAS VEGAS -- Not all that long ago, life was looking pretty rosy for Shane Del Rosario.
The unbeaten heavyweight submitted Lavar Johnson in the Strikeforce Grand Prix alternates bracket and was getting ready to fight Daniel Cormier next.
LAS VEGAS -- It figured at some point during Wednesday's UFC 146 open workouts at the MGM Grand, someone was going to take a swing at light heavyweight champion Jon Jones' recent DUI arrest.
It also figured Roy Nelson would be the one who stepped up to the plate.
Asked about whether his opponent on Saturday night, Dave "Pee Wee" Herman, presented a formidable challenge, the fighter known as "Big Country" didn't hesitate.
The UFC will make its return to the Hoosier State for the first time in two years when it visits Indianapolis' Bankers Life Fieldhouse on September 7.
The UFC confirmed the booking of the event -- UFC on FX 5 -- with The Indianpolis Star.
The promotion will certainly hope the second time in the state goes more smoothly than the first voyage there. In September 2010, Frank Mir and Mirko Cro Cop took part in the main event of UFC 119. Though the match ended in a third-round knockout by Mir, it was roundly panned for long stretches of inactivity and is considered one of the worst main events in modern UFC history.
Just another boring week in MMA. Nick Diaz and Chael Sonnen faced the unpredictable hands of Nevada state athletic commission justice, Jon Jones was arrested for a drunk-driving infraction, Daniel Cormier announced himself as a major heavyweight threat, and Bob Sapp admitted his International Tour of Surrender is to be judged only by his rising bank account balance.
To make sense of all the madness, I invited my colleague Luke Thomas to another edition of The MMA Roundtable.
Whether it's an homage to the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix or not, the all-heavyweight main card for UFC 146 is upon us. The card has been rearranged due to injuries. Literally every single fight on the main card has been changed, but the end result is still a quite enjoyable card with some decent star power and high stakes. Not to mention - and this isn't getting much press - the FX and Facebook preliminary portions of the card are rather excellent.
Can Frank Mir win another heavyweight title? Will Velasquez get back to his winning ways after his last setback? What's really left for Roy Nelson at age 35?
I'll attempt to answer these questions with these predictions about UFC 146.
What: UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
When: Saturday, the Facebook preliminary starts at 6:45 p.m. Eastern, the four-fight FX card starts at 8 and the five fight pay-per-view card starts at 10.
Predictions on the five pay-per-view heavyweight fights below.
The Nick Diaz saga never seems to end, does it? I can't speak (and wouldn't even if I could) about the botched BJJ superfight and who is at fault. However, I can speak about Diaz's lawsuit, Monday's hearing and what legal strategy the Diaz team can employ to get him back in the cage as soon as possible.
And who can forget UFC 146 is this weekend? Yes, every single fight on the main card has been changed, but it's still a very good card with all heavyweight action. How very Strikeforce of them.
For today's chat, we can discuss both topics in depth or whatever YOU wish to discuss. We can talk Bellator, UFC President Dana White's interview with the L.A. Times, recap Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier or whatever it is that's on your mind. Join me at 1 p.m. ET for that and more.
