UFC Vows Action Vs. Referee, Countdown To UFC 221, Former UFC Title Challenger To Bellator?
- This Saturday night, the Octagon heads to Western Australia for the first time at UFC 221. The event, set for the Perth Arena in Perth, Western Australia, features Yoel Romero and Luke Rockhold battling over the interim middleweight title.
Originally, Robert Whittaker was to defend his belt vs. Rockhold, a former champion himself, but an injury forced Whittaker to the sidelines. Last year, Whittaker became the interim champion with a decision win over Romero.
The UFC released a replay of the special "Countdown" series featuring an in-depth look at Romero vs. Rockhold, along with Mark Hunt vs. Curtis Blaydes.
- UFC executive David Shaw plans to make sure referee Mario Yamasaki is disciplined for his decision to not put a stop to the UFC Fight Night 125 co-main event this past weekend in Brazil. Yamasaki was called into question over his willingness to let the Valentina Shevchenko-Priscila Cachoeira contest continue on for as long as he did.
"We'll be working with the commission to make sure a situation like that doesn't happen again," Shaw said (thanks to MMAjunkie for the quotes). "First and foremost, Priscila's health is the No. 1 priority. We've got a team with her at the hospital, and we'll be taking very good care of her to make sure she recovers quickly."
UFC president Dana White and several other fighters took to Twitter moments after Shevchenko finally finished the lopsided bout via submission, ripping Yamasaki.
- Former UFC title challenger and Professional Fighters League welterweight champion Jon Fitch is officially on the market. Fitch posted a video on YouTube stating that he is looking to move to Bellator MMA in the near future.
"As of February 2, I am officially a free agent," Fitch said. "I'm in talks with Scott Coker and Bellator. Hopefully, we'll work something out by the end of the week."
Fitch, who is 30-7-1 overall in his career, earned his fourth consecutive win this past June when he defeated Brian Foster. In 2008, he fought then-UFC champion Georges St-Pierre to a decision.