Sergio Martinez (right) reclaimed the WBC middleweight title from Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Steve Marcus/REUTERS
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- For 11 rounds, Sergio Martinez did everything he wanted, including giving Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. the beating he promised.
Then came a wild 12th round that will be talked about in boxing for a long time to come.
Bleeding from the nose and his face bruised from the hands of Martinez, Chavez somehow found a way to land a left hook and then another that put Martinez on the canvas before a frenzied capacity crowd at the UNLV campus arena. Martinez would go down one more time in the final round and was taking huge punches when the bell mercifully sounded to end the fight.
Martinez ended up winning a lopsided unanimous decision to regain the middleweight title. But the 12th-round rally by Chavez was one for boxing lore, reminiscent of a fight his father was in 22 years ago against Meldrick Taylor just a few miles away from the Las Vegas Strip.
• GRAHAM: Martinez dominates for 34 of 36 minutes then holds on for dear life
"I was 20 se Sergio Martinez reclaimed his middleweight title with a unanimous decision over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Jeff Bottari/Getty Images For those who live under the old-fashioned notion that championships must be won and lost in the ring, Saturday's middleweight title showdown between Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was gratifying theater. It had been billed as class warfare. Martinez came up through boxing the hard way, fighting his way out of obscurity to the recognized middleweight title in 2010. He was the lineal champion: the proverbial man who beat the man who beat the man. Chavez by contrast was the coddled son of a fistic legend, who procured the WBC middleweight title only after it had been stripped from Martinez last year, acquiring it from a third party known as an interim champion. (That Chavez happens to be the godson of WBC president Jose Suliaman, who did the stripping, only lent to the stench.) And for the first 11 rounds of Saturday's fight, it was every bit the mismatch it was thought to be when it first made logical sense a year-and-a-half ago. The 37-year-old Martinez showed that size isn't everything, using his superior hand and foot speed, intelligence, accuracy and ring generalship to box circles around an opponent who looked -- and moved -- more like a plodding cruiserweight. For the first 34 minutes, Chavez was simply too slow, too linear a fighter to compete with Martinez's kinetic assault and prolific work rate. The marvel known as Maravilla preened, he showboated, he played to the crowd. Then Martinez lost focus for a split-second in the 12th and final round -- and nearly paid the ultimate price. Chavez caught him with a massive right hand with 1:45 remaining, then a three-punch combination that sent Martinez crashing to the canvas with 1:23 left. Hurt badly, Martinez relied on every reserve of willpower to make it to the final bell, where the official scoring proved elementary. Two of the ringside judges had Martinez winning 118-109, while the third scored it 117-110. (SI.com had it 118-109.) Martinez (50-2-2, 28 KOs) looked as impressive from the opening bell as Chavez looked hesitant. The 26-year-old Mexican didn't throw a punch for the first 105 seconds, appearing unsteady as the Argentine southpaw peppered him with sharp counterpunches. Much of Chavez's hopes pinned on his ability to attack the body, but the agile Martinez never stayed in one place long enough for the Mexican to sustain an attack. Even as Chavez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) made a concerted effort to close distance in the middle rounds, Martinez kept catching him walking in with right hands. By the end of the seventh, the Argentine had bloodied Chavez's eye, which over the next quarter-hour would close entirely. Martinez only grew more emboldened as the rounds progressed and the score tilted further in his favor, making good on his pre-fight guarantee of prolonged punishment. So it went until the fateful 12th, where Chavez nearly matched the last-gasp heroics of his famous father, who was also behind on points when he stopped Meldrick Taylor with two seconds left in their unforgettable light welterweight title unification fight in 1990. "I wanted to repeat history, [but] unfortunately I couldn't," said the younger Chavez, defiantly upbeat following his first career loss. "I had him hurt, I could have finished him off. I hurt him like nobody else has hurt him before." Say what you want about the dubious merit underpinning the stardom of Chavez, who's been matched carefully and brought along at a glacial pace since turning pro at 17 with virtually no amateur background, but there's no denying he is an attraction. Thanks in no small part to the jingoistic hook of Mexican Independence Day weekend, Saturday's fight sold out more than a week in advance, drawing a capacity crowd of 19,186 to the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV. There's a reason Chavez was guaranteed $3 million plus a portion of the pay-per-view revenue for the fight, while Martinez -- the 2-to-1 favorite, widely recognized champion and eventual lopsided winner -- will receive a minimum of $1.4 million. Fights as one-sided as Saturday's contest seldom warrant return bouts. Martinez landed 322 of 908 punches, compared to 178 of 390 for Chavez. But Saturday's nervy denouement makes a rematch -- Cinco de Mayo weekend sounds about right -- all but a foregone conclusion. Same for the similar paydays a second meeting will generate. "Of course we're ready," Martinez said afterward of a second fight. "We're two professionals and we take this seriously." Within the span of one round near the end of a lost evening, Chavez's perserverance and self-belief justified his ascendant fame, while Martinez's talent and grit reaffirmed his hard-won stardom. Rarely will two minutes of inspiration pay off more handsomely. Sergio Martinez (right) reclaimed the WBC middleweight title from Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Steve Marcus/REUTERS LAS VEGAS (AP) -- For 11 rounds, Sergio Martinez did everything he wanted, including giving Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. the beating he promised. Then came a wild 12th round that will be talked about in boxing for a long time to come. Bleeding from the nose and his face bruised from the hands of Martinez, Chavez somehow found a way to land a left hook and then another that put Martinez on the canvas before a frenzied capacity crowd at the UNLV campus arena. Martinez would go down one more time in the final round and was taking huge punches when the bell mercifully sounded to end the fight. Martinez ended up winning a lopsided unanimous decision to regain the middleweight title. But the 12th-round rally by Chavez was one for boxing lore, reminiscent of a fight his father was in 22 years ago against Meldrick Taylor just a few miles away from the Las Vegas Strip. • GRAHAM: Martinez dominates for 34 of 36 minutes then holds on for dear life "I was 20 seconds away from knocking him out. I started way too late," Chavez said. "I didn't really get started until the eighth round." Martinez was quicker, busier and far more accurate as he won round after round, piling up points as Chavez struggled to do much against him. Martinez said before the fight he didn't consider Chavez a true champion and vowed to give him a beating he would long remember. He did just that, to the point where trainer Freddie Roach told Chavez after the 10th round he was going to stop the fight if he didn't do something spectacular. "He fought a great fight and he was a lot tougher than I expected," Martinez said. "He showed great heart." Martinez won 118-110 on two ringside scorecards and 117-110 on the third. Two judges had him winning every round until the 12th, while the third gave him only one round. The Associated Press had Martinez winning 118-110. Chavez lost for the first time, falling to 46-1-1, while Martinez improved to 50-2-2. The wild ending nearly ruined what was a great night for the Argentinian, who used his speed and boxing skills to dominate until the final round. Chavez was bleeding from the nose, his face was marked up and he looked finished until suddenly landing a huge left hook to drop Martinez for the first time. Martinez got up only to take several more head punches and go down once again. Chavez kept after him when he got back up, trying desperately to land the finisher before the bell sounded and the decision was lost. "If Julio wants a rematch, we'll do a rematch," Martinez said. The comeback was reminiscent to the one by his father in 1990 against Taylor, when he came back from seemingly certain defeat in the last round to stop Taylor with 2 seconds left. "You hit very hard," a victorious Martinez told Chavez afterward. Promoter Lou DiBella said his fighter wanted to knock Chavez out, and may have taken more chances than he should have in a fight he had well under control. "You saw a boxing clinic for 11 rounds and you saw an epic last round," DiBella said. "I know how he held on." Ringside punch stats showed the dominance of Martinez, who was credited with landing 322 of 908 punces to 178 of 390 for Chavez. Martinez was particularly effective with his right jab, landing 140 of them, and often following them with a left to the body or head to keep Chavez away. Martinez won back the title the WBC stripped from him for not fighting a mandatory challenger, a mission he had said was personal. He said he was going to make Chavez pay a price for holding the 160-pound title he considered his, and for 11 rounds he kept his promise. Martinez fought his fight in the early rounds, using his jab and speed to keep Chavez off balance. Fighting out of a southpaw stance, he stayed on his toes, moving around on the outside and seldom allowing Chavez in where he could cause damage. The action picked up in the fourth round as Chavez found Martinez with a good right, only to take a series of punches from his quicker opponent. At one point in the round, just after Chavez complained of a low blow, Martinez landed a right-left combo, then taunted Chavez. Until the 12th round it was much of the same. Chavez picked up the pace late, but it wasn't until he caught Martinez with the left hook that the fight turned into a brawl that nearly cost Martinez the bout. "I knew Martinez was good," said Freddie Roach, the trainer for Chavez. "I didn't know how good. This was a good lesson for Julio, he needed to let his hands go sooner." The fight was part of a big fight night in this gambling city. Just a few blocks away from where Martinez and Chavez did battle, Mexican sensation Saul "Canelo" Alvarez stopped Josesito Lopez in a 154-pound title defense. Chavez earned his biggest payday, $3 million guaranteed, while Martinez got $1.4 million plus a percentage of the pay-per-view sales. Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Not long after watching UFC 151 go up in flames, Dana White (above) was able to salvage UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro. AP It's bizarro time in the UFC. In a week, Jon Jones will defend his light heavyweight championship against a man who has been fighting as a middleweight for five years. And on Thursday the fight promotion booked its middleweight champion, Anderson Silva, in a bout against a light heavyweight. It's as though these two pound-for-pound luminaries aren't satisfied with merely poo-pooing any suggestion of a superfight. They have to dance around in each other's airspace and tease us. But we'll get over it. Just like we'll get over seeing main event fights crumble before our eyes. Ah, now there's an area in which Silva and Jones are a million miles apart. A few weeks ago, Jones saw UFC 151 vaporizing all around him and just let it happen. He's said over and over that declining replacement opponent Chael Sonnen nine days before the event, after Dan Henderson pulled out with a knee injury, was best for his career, and he's right, competitively speaking. PR-wise, maybe not so much. Let's see how he's welcomed to the octagon a week from Saturday when he steps in against bulked-up 185-pounder Vitor Belfort in a hastily scheduled UFC 152 main event. And let's also keep tabs on how many pats on the back Silva gets for stepping up this week to save UFC 153. Next month's card in Rio de Janeiro had lost both its main event and co-main in the space of two hours on Tuesday. The top-billed bout was a huge loss, as José Aldo's featherweight title defense against former lightweight belt holder Frankie Edgar was as close to a superfight as we've had dangled in front of us in a while. To replace that, the UFC needed something special. And an Anderson Silva fight is special ... even when he's facing one-foot-in-the-retirement-home Stephan Bonnar. "This is old-school UFC: A card is in jeopardy, but guys that are world champions and superstars stepped up and jumped in and saved the card," UFC president Dana White told USA Today, which first reported the Silva fight as well as two other additions to the Oct. 13 lineup, Glover Teixeira vs. Fabio Maldonado (stepping in for injured Quinton Jackson) and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria vs. Dave Herman. "This is why the fans love this sport and why we went on a 12-year run without canceling an event." That's White's way of making his words do double duty: as a compliment for Silva and a subtle jab at "Bones" Jones, whom he blames for the unprecedented cancellation of UFC 151. But the comparison doesn't quite hold water. Silva is moving up to a weight class 20 pounds heavier than his own, yes, but in a non-title bout against a fighter barely on the radar. A more apt parallel to the Jones situation would be if Bonnar pulls out nine days prior to 153 and Silva is asked to put his belt on the line against, say, Nick Diaz, who like Sonnen is a weight class lighter but, despite having lost his last fight, is considered to be one of the top guys out there and poses different threats than the champ's original opponent. Of course, Diaz is on suspension, so that's not going to happen. But you get the point. That is not to diminish Silva's team-first attitude. The champion didn't have to step up, wasn't even asked to. And even though he'll enter the octagon riding a 16-fight winning streak and as a huge favorite over the 35-year-old Bonnar, there's always risk involved when in with a tough, durable dude. When you're Anderson Silva, a guy who's undoubtedly in the discussion when pundits assess who's the greatest fighter of all time, that risk is to your health and to your legacy. Silva vs. Bonnar need not be oversold, though. It's simply a fight that serves a purpose, allowing fans in Brazil who bought tickets to see their featherweight champion defend his belt to not feel like something was taken from them. And because it's not a title bout, the apparent mismatch doesn't cheapen Silva's leather strap in the same way that the Jones vs. Sonnen fight would have and Jones vs. Belfort still will. This is a distinction I brought up with Dana White when we spoke last week -- before Silva vs. Bonnar was made but after Jones had been asked to defend his belt against a middleweight who hadn't fought at 205 pounds in seven years, then against a guy who hadn't been in a light heavyweight bout in five years. Whatever happened to moving up the ranks in a weight class? It's one thing to match guys from different divisions, but shouldn't a title fight warrant higher standards? "I don't disagree with you one bit," said White. "But we have to deal with what's dealt to us. It is what it is. Guys get hurt, so you go right down the line until you come up with a new opponent." And the line of light heavyweight contenders keeps going and going until you're eventually in the middleweight division? That's what White would have us believe. Lyoto Machida had been promised the Jones vs. Henderson winner, and when Henderson pulled out he was the first one offered the short-notice Jones bout. He turned it down, as did the next light heavyweight White turned to, Mauricio Rua. And when UFC 151 was cancelled altogether and the Jones defense was shifted to 152, Machida was announced as the challenger. Prematurely, it turned out. "The Dragon" declined again, and so did "Shogun." "Now, while these guys are turning down fights," said White, "Vitor Belfort is blowing us up, going, 'I want this fight. I'll take it.'" So he got it. And now White is doing his best to sell it. "It's an interesting fight," said White. "They've never fought before. He's a former heavyweight champion, a former light heavyweight champion. So he definitely has the pedigree and the credentials." The pedigree and credentials will need to be dusted off, as dated as they are. The heavyweight championship White referred to was in a UFC 12 tournament 15 years ago. The light heavyweight reign came eight years ago and ended in his first defense. But Belfort does have a couple of assets that Jones will have to contend with. Said White of the Brazilian with 14 knockouts among his 21 victories: "If Belfort goes in there and lets his hands go, it's an interesting fight." Perhaps so, but the UFC is doing a better job of respecting its championship belts by putting Silva in a non-title fight. With no belt on the line, there's less need to justify why the match was made. "I know," White acknowledged when asked about the folly of putting champions in with guys who haven't earned their shot. "In my perfect word, that [expletive] never happens. The system you were talking about is the system that we abide by and how we run it. But ... injuries, man." Indeed, within the last year, five of his seven champions have had fights derailed by injury. Other main events and co-main events also have fallen prey to the sick bay. "Every [expletive] day," said Dana, "I'm afraid to wake up. Who's next? What will we have to fix?" The UFC president spoke those words just a couple of workdays before getting the call from Aldo. And then he fixed it. And he did it well. Questions? Comments? To reach Jeff Wagenheim or contribute to the SI.com MMA mailbag, click on the e-mail link at the top of the page. Sep 14, 2012 - LAS VEGAS -- The fallout from UFC 151's cancellation isn't going away anytime soon as UFC president Dana White talked again on Thursday about his displeasure for comments made by light heavyweight champ Jon Jones and his camp. "The Jon Jones piece of meat (expletive) thing. When I see him in (expletive) Toronto, that's the first (expletive) thing we're going to talk about. Piece of meat? Give me a (expletive) break," White told a small group of reporters gathered at the UFC headquarters, about an upcoming conversation he would have with Jones before his UFC 152 fight next weekend against Vitor Belfort in Canada. "That sounds like something a male supermodel would say: I feel like a piece of meat out here (White said in a mocking voice). "That pisses me off worse than (expletive) canceling the event. I just heard that one today, Jim Rome told me that." (Editor's note: The "piece of meat" remark from Jon Jones comes at the 16:23 point in our video below.) "Every time somebody asks me if I take responsibility for canceling UFC 151 on (expletive) Twitter, it's like ' Yeah, how's it my fault?'" White said of the UFC's first canceled event in 11 years. "If somebody can even try to give me an idea of how that's my fault that 151 got canceled, I would love to hear it. "Dan Henderson should have told me three weeks before that his (expletive) knee was hurt, and maybe I could have saved it. And Jon Jones should have fought (expletive) Chael Sonnen. And his (expletive) goofy trainer should have kept his face shut." White — who unleashed on Jones' trainer, Greg Jackson, on a media call immediately after the event's cancellation — certainly didn't hold back any verbal barbs when talking about the New Mexico-based trainer again on Thursday. "The thing that drives me crazy about Greg Jackson is Greg Jackson has this whole little thing where he's the nicest guy in the world, the nicest guy you've ever met. Real quiet and humble. He's a (expletive) hardcore businessman," White said. "That's what that guy is. He plays the whole thing with Jon and Rashad (Evans) and (expletive) Jardine and all these guys 'We're all family, we're all brothers. We're a big family here and that's what we are. We won't fight each other because we're family.' "(Expletive) You're not family. You train together. Yes they like each other. There's a lot of nice guys in MMA. Keith Jardine is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Rashad is cool too. This sport is full of nice guys. (But Greg) plays this card with these guys…" Before White could catch his breath, his rant on Jackson continued. "The only reason we even know who Greg Jackson is cause of (expletive) Diego Sanchez," White said. "Diego Sanchez came out of his camp because of GSP. GSP wanted to come train at Jackson's camp and Diego was like (expletive) that (expletive). 'This is my house, man. I'm going to have to fight this guy one day.' What did Greg Jackson do? (Expletive) GSP down there isn't he. You know why because he believed GSP would (expletive) beat Diego Sanchez. He made a business decision. I will take him over him. What happened to (expletive) family? "Who could be more family to you than (expletive) Diego Sanchez, the kid's been with you since he was (expletive) 14 years old. What happened to family, Greg, you (expletive) family-guy you." "Then you got Rashad Evans, Rashad Evans was with him the second-longest other than Diego Sanchez. 'That's his brother, we're brothers. He's my family. He's this, that and everything else.' Jon Jones wanted to come train there and comes in and everything is cool. Who the (expletive) did Greg Jackson pick? He picked the guy who he thought would beat Rashad Evans, no matter how (expletive) long Rashad Evans had been with him. He made a (expletive) business decision. He's a businessman, he's a (expletive), he's a (expletive) con artist." At this point in his vitriolic speech, White tries to backup a tiny bit before closing his argument with one final blast against Jackson. "Let me be fair. It's good to have a trainer whom you respect. To keep you in (expletive) line, that you don't run the (expletive) show," White continued. "To keep you in order, and you respect him enough to run a camp. And have his (expletive) together to keep your life organized and focused and ready for a (expletive) fight and can breakdown (the fight) and do all this other stuff. "But Greg Jackson is a (expletive) businessman who cons all these guys into this family (expletive). Because it would be the perfect (expletive) world if I can have Diego, GSP, Rashad, Jon Jones and a list of other (expletive) characters who don't have to fight each other because they're all the best in the world. And if they don't ever have to (expletive) fight each other, he makes money from all of these guys. Big money, because these are all big-money fighters. He's full of (expletive) is what he is." After he cooled down momentarily, White was asked how he thought the crowd would respond to Jones. "I don't think it will be that much different. It's not like he was getting Wanderlei Silva-type receptions anyway," White said. "It will be interesting to see if fans boo him more than before, or they will cheer for him. "But you can't deny no matter what they do, people are interested in Jon Jones." White relayed the story of how he called Jones immediately after learning of Henderson's injury and seemed to have a fight against Sonnen all set. "I was driving off the freeway, I had just landed and called him and told him what Sonnen said and he (expletive) laughed," White said of Jones' initial reaction. "It wasn't like: Whoa (expletive) this might be the biggest mistake of my (expletive) career. "I thought we had a (expletive) fight. He was laughing and was like 'Alright I'm going to call my team and call you back in a little while.' And then they call back and it was a completely different (expletive) story. It was the genius Greg Jackson that talked him out of the fight. Talked him out of fighting Chael Sonnen on eight days (expletive) notice, yet fighting Vitor Belfort off a full (expletive) camp. "Ok, we were gonna fight Dan Henderson, guy's got (expletive) knockout power, great wrestling, a good chin, tough (expletive) guy. Now here's Chael Sonnen on eight days notice and he's a (expletive) 185 pounder, coming in with no camp whatsoever. And you heard what they said: he's a southpaw. Vitor Belfort's a (expletive) southpaw. And hits (expletive) harder, and is faster and more explosive. So you're gonna (expletive) say no to him on eight days notice but fight (Vitor). It's so stupid that it gets me angry." But White, who's no stranger to having famous confrontations with fighters in the past, says him and Jones don't have to be best friends to do business. "I don't know, we'll see how our talk goes. We've proven you don't have to best friends to work here," White said. "But it's not a good idea to have a horrible relationship with us either. I get mad all the time and (expletive) happens, but the voice of reason in the next office over here (UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta). If you can get along with him than I'm cool with that. We run a business. "Lorenzo was really pissed. Like I said pissing me off is one thing, I'm always pissed off. But he's never pissed off. You start getting to the point where you're pissing him off, then …" 
Closure for UFC's boss doesn't seem any closer after UFC 151 went up in flames last month when Dan Henderson was forced to pull out because of a knee injury and Jones refused a bout against substitute opponent Chael Sonnen.Do you like this post?
Sep 16, 2012 - The announcement of The Ultimate Fighter: India, the UFC's latest international TUF venture, came and went without much fanfare. India is a country largely devoid of mixed martial arts -- save for the Super Fight League -- and there are doubts about the UFC's viability in such a barren market. Zuffa CEO Lorenzo Ferititta understands these concerns, however he also understands the unique opportunity that comes with tackling one of largest untapped regions in the world.
India is the world's second-most populous country, supporting over 1.2 billion residents, and logic dictates that at least a small percentage of those 1.2 billion people have to be fight fans, even if they don't know it yet.
"That's a market that we think has a lot of potential, but we are literally starting from ground zero," Fertitta said at a recent media luncheon. "People really don't know anything about this sport or UFC. But the thing that's interesting about it is, we look at it kind of similar to Brazil. We look at, they're obviously both part of the BRIC nations, strong economies, a lot of natural resources, and up-and-coming young educated class of people that are starting to emerge.
"When you look at the trends of what's going on, and what I'll call kind of 'youth culture,' and the way they're consuming entertainment, that younger generation is kind of moving away from traditional Bollywood and they're consuming more of western Hollywood type product."
Fertitta believes this changing of the cultural tide is exactly the opening the UFC has been waiting for. A new generation, groomed on modern technology and connected to entertainment halfway across the world, has grown tired of their timeworn distractions, he says. They are craving a new and exciting outlet to channel their attention into, and he is confident MMA can deliver.
"Everything over there from a sports standpoint is cricket, cricket, cricket, cricket," Fertitta explained. "So what they did was they created a short-form of cricket, which is the IPL, and it's so successful, primarily for the younger generation, because they don't want to spend five days watching a cricket match. Now with short-form cricket, they can watch a match for three hours, and it's like watching an NFL game or something like that. You can consume that.
"They want alternative sports. High-paced, fast, action, all of those things. Well, UFC pretty much fits that bill, and there's nothing else really out there that we think does."
While mixed martial arts may be a new entity in the country, there is one cultural touchstone that bolsters Fertitta's faith in TUF: India. Kushti, one of India's secondary national sports, is a pastime relatively akin to freestyle wrestling. Matches take place inside a clay or dirt pit, and according to Fertitta, thousands of people gather around villages to watch the action. Appreciation of the ground game has always been one of the biggest stumbling blocks for drawing new fans to the UFC. However, with a grappling base already culturally present, Fertitta believes it will be easier for potential customers to grasp what they see in the Octagon.
And while embarking into a completely foreign land would be considered a hindrance for most other sports, because of its history of being cast in a negative light, the cultural newness of mixed martial arts may prove to be an unforeseen boon.
"That's both an opportunity and a challenge at the same time," admitted Fertitta. "We did the press conference there (on Wednesday) and it was kind of strange. It was almost like they knew so little about the UFC, they didn't even know what questions to ask.
"The WWE is very popular there, and I think when the consumer first sees it, they're going to think it's WWE. I think a lot of people over there think the WWE's actually real, believe it or not, just because they haven't seen what is real. And when they see the UFC, they're going to be like, 'Wow, that's real and the WWE is not real.'"
In order to build a palpable buzz, a UFC media blitz is already in the works. According to Fertitta, TUF: India advertising will be cross promoted on India's two biggest programs, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Indian Idol.
In addition, Fertitta plans to fashion the show in a manner similar to TUF: Brazil, meaning only fighters of Indian descent will be cast, though residency in India is not mandatory. However, he is well aware this isn't going to be a market where the UFC can just take one pay-per-view there a year and expect their popularity to flourish.
"In order to really build a sustainable, long-term business, you have to have product in the market," Fertitta explained.
"We've got to bring the product there, but then we've also got to get past the fact that we kind of have this hit-and-run strategy. We'll (bring an event there) and we'll kill it, but then we're not back until when? I don't even know, we don't even have anything scheduled. So how do we build a sustainable program with fight series in primetime in relevant cities that make sense on an ongoing basis? So, for instance, working on the gameplan for next year in Brazil, outside of just the pay-per-views, we're probably going to do five or six fights there. Some kind of Ultimate Fight Night things, and that's how we built a sustainable program here in the U.S."
It'll be a slow process, though both Fertitta and UFC President Dana White hope to start seeing fighters emerge from India within the next five to seven years.
Of course, the first step is the reality show. UFC officials plan to start filming sometime in the summertime of 2013, and then air in September on India's SONY SIX, the same network that broadcasts IPL matches, which sometimes draw upwards of 100 to 150 million viewers. The first live UFC event to be held in India will be the TUF season finale, though, with a Zuffa roster devoid of any Indian talent, the coaching situation is still undetermined.
Regardless, the journey into India will be a fascinating experiment for the UFC. And of course, fight fans back home in the states will be more than welcome to follow along.
"At the end of the day, with the way media is consumed through technology, for the crazy hardcore fans that want to watch any fighters on The Ultimate Fighter, we figure out a way to make it available," assured Fertitta. "I mean, are you going to see it on FX? No. But, if you want to consume it, we'll put it out there."
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Freddie Roach (left) has been Amir Khan's trainer since 2008 and also trains Manny Pacquiao and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Scott Heavey/Getty Images
LONDON (AP) -- British boxer Amir Khan has left his trainer Freddie Roach as he looks to revive his career after two losses over the last year.
Khan said in a Twitter post on Saturday that they "had a good professional chat and maybe in the future we work together."
Khan lost his WBC and WBA light-welterweight titles with a surprise fourth-round defeat to unheralded American Danny Garcia in July.
He had previously lost in a split decision to Lamont Peterson in a controversial fight with the American in December. A rematch was ordered but was canceled when Peterson tested positive for synthetic testosterone, restoring the WBA belt to Khan.
Roach has been Khan's trainer since 2008 and also trains Manny Pacquiao and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
MANCHESTER, England (AP) -- Former two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton came out of retirement on Friday, seeking redemption following a loss by Manny Pacquiao in 2009 that sent the Briton into retirement and his life to "mush.''
Hatton, who won titles in the light welterweight and welterweight divisions, formally retired last year with a 45-2 record having been stripped of his boxing license in 2010 following newspaper revelations of drug use.
The 33-year-old Hatton slipped into depression and considered suicide while trying to come to grips with the second-round knockout by Pacquiao in May 2009.
But a leaner, hungrier Hatton will return to the ring for a comeback fight on Nov. 24 in Manchester, against an as-yet-unnamed opponent.
"No one wants to end their career that way,'' Hatton said. "It put me into retirement, which I never wanted to do. The manner of that defeat put me into some things which have been well documented ... my life turned to mush.
"The dream is redemption,'' he added. "If a world title comes with it, then so be it.''
Robert Smith, general secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, has said Hatton will be granted a new license once a medical examination is completed.
During his time away from fighting, Hatton has been running his own promotions company and started to train some of the boxers he represented. However, it couldn't replace the real thing.
"I got a huge buzz getting opportunities for my fighters and I was in the gym every day of the week passing on the knowledge - but it didn't fill the gap,'' Hatton said.
"This is more than a comeback. It's worth more than money.''
Hatton, whose other loss came against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2007, was famous for his powerful body punches, his fluctuating weight and his vocal, dedicated following from his home city of Manchester.
He first became world champion in 2001, winning the lightly regarded WBU light-welterweight title, and secured his biggest victory by stopping Kostya Tszyu to take the IBF light-welterweight belt from the Australian.
The knockout by Mayweather Jr. ended his run of 43 wins and his career faltered from there.
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Manny Pacquiao (right) edged Juan Manuel Marquez by majority decision last November. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS — Former welterweight titleholder Manny Pacquiao will continue his historic rivalry with Juan Manuel Marquez when the two meet for the fourth time on Dec. 8 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, an industry source confirmed to SI.com.
The Los Angeles Times first reported the deal had been completed.
Pacquiao initially wanted to face Miguel Cotto, who he knocked out in a thrilling fight in 2009. However, Cotto declined Top Rank's offer, choosing instead to face 154-pound titleholder Austin Trout. Over the last week Pacquiao had been considering two possible opponents: Marquez and Timothy Bradley, who beat Pacquiao in a controversial decision last June. Ultimately, the decision came down to money: Pacquiao-Bradley generated an estimated 920,000 while Pacquiao-Marquez III generated 1.25 million.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum confirmed that Pacquiao would return to the ring on Dec. 8 but declined to specify the opponent.
"We reached an agreement," Arum said. "It's being drawn up now. As far as who he will be fighting that will be announced on Tuesday. But everything is done, finished."
Arum hinted that Bradley — who is also under contract with Top Rank — will return to the ring on Nov. 10.
Arum refuted speculation that Pacquiao was considering taking the rest of the year off.
"Not even a remote [possibility]," Arum said.
Marquez is expected to be in Las Vegas this weekend to work as an analyst for the international broadcast off Saturday night's middleweight title fight between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Sergio Martinez.
– Chris Mannix
The two men who had both been listed as top challengers for Jon Jones, are now being expected to meet to determine which one is next in line for a title shot.
Sep 14, 2012 - A light heavyweight battle between Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida is in the current UFC plans based on a comment made on Thursday by Dana White at a UFC luncheon.
In discussion of Machida turning down the originally announced shot at champion Jon Jones at UFC 152 on Sept. 22 in Toronto, White mentioned that he felt Machida made the wrong decision. He said that instead of getting the title shot, now Machida (18-3) will be matched up with Henderson (29-8), and would have to win that fight to be back in line for a title shot. Another UFC source confirmed that was the direction the promotion was aiming.
"[Machida] should have taken the fight. We've seen it, history always repeats itself. Look how long it took Rashad (Evans) to fight for the title again. So you wanted to fight Jon Jones, you climbed up to the title fight and you don't take it. Now you're fighting (expletive) Dan Henderson. Now you might not even get to the (expletive) title again. You lose to Dan Henderson you're not anywhere near Jon Jones," White said.
He added, "You jump on opportunities when they're available. You get a shot at the title, the biggest money fight you can be in, the highest profile fight you can be in. And if you win that (expletive) fight, the whole world changes overnight."
White didn't talk about a planned date for the fight. Machida is currently healthy coming off his impressive second-round knockout win over Ryan Bader on Aug. 4 on FOX from Los Angeles. Henderson, who was scheduled to face Jones in the later canceled UFC 151 show on Sept. 1 in Las Vegas, suffered a partially torn MCL in early August. He tried to rest the knee for two weeks, but when going back to training on Aug. 18, realized the knee hadn't healed. After being examined by UFC doctors, Henderson pulled out of the fight on Aug. 22. The show was canceled the next day when Jones turned down replacement fighter Chael Sonnen.
Henderson, who didn't need surgery for the injury, has since said he would expect to be ready to fight in December. White at the time was upset with both Henderson and Machida. He was mad at Henderson for keeping the knee injury secret for two weeks, which is against protocol as fighters are supposed to inform UFC of all injuries immediately, and had he not done so, White felt they may have been able to save the show.
"For Dan Henderson, it's the last 30 seconds of the last round on the last day of sparring and (Rameau Thierry) Sokoudjou goes to (expletive) throw him like a Judo throw and pops his knee out. It was almost over. What are you getting out of the last 30 seconds and he goes to throwing him in some crazy judo throw and pops Dan's knee out. It just one of those things," White said.
White then announced Jones vs. Machida as the new main event for UFC 152 before he had signed Machida, feeling since Machida in the past had been so adamant in pressuring him to get another shot, he'd take it. White had announced Machida as the No. 1 contender for a shot at the Jones vs. Henderson match on Aug. 4 due to the Bader win.
But hours after White's announcement of Jones vs. Machida for Toronto, Machida, who had not been in training, said that he would not be ready for Jones in the time frame and asked that the fight take place on a later show. Since UFC had already announced a title match for Toronto, Vitor Belfort ended up taking the match.
"Me and Ed (Soares) thought Machida would take the fight then he turned the fight down," White said. "The press conference was going to start in minutes and I literally had just got done (expletive) fighting with Jones minutes before that. Now I'm (expletive) talking to Soares and I'm like 'Machida will take this fight, right?' Yeah I don't see why he wouldn't take it. This is what he's wanted, he's been waiting for this fight and has got four weeks to train for it. So I'm like (expletive) it, I'm just going to go with it."
MMA Fighting's Andy Samuelson contributed to this report from Las Vegas.
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The world's best fighter returns to action as Anderson Silva will meet Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153.
Sep 12, 2012 - One day after UFC 153's top two fights fell out, two more took their place.
UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will step up to 205 pounds and meet veteran Stephan Bonnar in the main event of the Oct. 13 card at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
The bout replaces the planned featherweight title bout between champion Jose Aldo Jr. and Frankie Edgar. Aldo had to pull out of the fight on Tuesday due to complications from injuries suffered in a recent motorcycle accident.
The new co-main event features a battle of Brazilian light heavyweights as Glover Teixeira (18-2) faces Fabio Maldonado (18-5). Maldonado replaces Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, who also had to pull out due to injury.
MMAFighting.com confirmed the bouts after an initial USA Today report.
Silva (32-4), who will celebrate his record sixth anniversary as middleweight champion the day after UFC 153, has twice stepped up and fought at 205 during his record streak of 15 consecutive UFC wins. Both were first-round knockouts, as he stopped James Irvin in July 2008, and took out former champ Forrest Griffin at UFC 101.
Silva previously stated he was done competing at light heavyweight, but the opportunity to save a show and fight in front of Brazilian fans was apparently too much to resist.
Bonnar (14-7), meanwhile, is most famous for his bout against Griffin in "The Ultimate Fighter 1" finale. Bonnar has won his past three fights.
Teixeira made an impressive company debut at UFC 146, when he stopped Kyle Kingsbury. While there were strong rumors on Wednesday that Thiago Silva would take Jackson's spot against Teixeira, the spot instead went to Maldonado, who was slated to meet Cyrille Diabate at UFC 154. Maldonado is 1-2 in UFC action, most recently coming out on the losing end of a controversial decision against Igor Pokrajac on May 15.
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17 Sep, 2012
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