Ultimate Fighting Championship

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“I’m not going to say anything bad on Brock, because Brock is doing all the right things, [but] my sights are set on Brock. I’m not saying I want to fight him because he’s ‘the wrestling guy.’ I’m saying it because I am a heavyweight fighter and he’s the champ.”

Fresh off his battering of Bob Sapp at last month’s “Ultimate Chaos” event, former WWE superstar and decorated amateur wrestler Bobby Lashley focuses on his goal is to eventually upend UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. Despite the fact that Lesnar only has one more professional fight than he does, Lashley understands that he must first become a reputable fighter prior to a potential UFC debut. He had trouble finishing Jason Guida at “March Badness” in only the second MMA match of his career, but vows to improve and work his way up to the top. The question is, with Lesnar so far ahead of him in terms of MMA accomplishments, will he ever get there?

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Josh Barnett is not the only person who could spoil a match up between the UFC and WAMMA heavyweight champions. Randy Couture may, contractually, get first dibs on “The Last Emperor:”

“Not only do I think I deserve a shot at him, kind of part of the agreement in settling our differences in coming back to the UFC, is they were going to be dilligent about trying to find a way to make that fight happen.”

Remember that Couture resigned from the promotion not too long ago, rescinded his belt and sat on the sidelines for about nine months, getting embroiled in an ugly legal battle in the process, because he wanted to fight Emelianenko and the UFC couldn’t sign him (Couture also cited money as another reason for his sudden departure). UFC President Dana White has attempted to ink the Russian — widely considered the best heavyweight MMA figher alive today — to an exclusive contract several times; however, the parties have always been far apart on agreeable terms. White poured more fuel on the fire in the wake of UFC 100, saying he would make another run at Emelianenko when his contract is up with Affliction (supposedly Aug. 1 after his fight against Barnett) and get him inside the Octagon to finally end the years-long debate about who is the best big man in the sport. Emelianenko would have to first defeat Barnett, and then possibly Couture, before getting a UFC title shot against Lesnar, who will have to successfully defend his unified title for the first time against the winner of Shane Carwin-Cain Velasquez later this year. That’s one complicated jigsaw puzzle, which all hinges on whether or not the promotion can sign Emelianenko in the first place … if he beats Barnett, of course. Phew …

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“UFC is not out of the picture…. There’s a possibility — I don’t know. I had a conversation with Dana last week, me and him spoke … we were really, really good friends at a point, best friends at a point, and everything got mucked up because of the fight game…. I wanted to be a man and squash things between me and him and wish him luck in his journeys and he did the same to me. So we kind of amended and squashed things, which is great. Dana showed the kind of person he is by apologizing to me and vice versa…. I’m very thankful for Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta from the UFC and I’m glad that me and Dana (White) kind of got to brush each other off. We may not still like each other or whatever but we came to amends — which is awesome. I gotta thank Strikeforce for giving me an opportunity and I want to thank Affliction for giving me an opportunity.”

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and current Zuffa exile Tito Ortiz tells TapouT Radio that while he still won’t be exchanging Christmas cards with the UFC President, he and Dana White have patched things up after many years of back-and-forth squabbling. “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” has always had a amicable relationship with the Fertittas — is it possible that Lorenzo flew to Huntington Beach to reclaim the surgically repaired 205-pound star like his did last month with Mirko Cro Cop? And with UFC 103 still needing an opponent for rumored headliner Rich “Ace” Franklin, could they shock the world of MMA by pairing him up with a new and improved Ortiz? Opinions please.

UPDATE: White confirms that he and Ortiz did indeed recently smooth things over via Twitter.com:

“Yes, Tito and I made up. Doesn’t mean he’s back it means we aren’t smashing each other anymore and we don’t hate each other.”

Let’s see how long that lasts … the soap opera continues. Stay tuned.

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“I was on Opie and Anthony a couple of nights ago and those guys were like you know what? [Brock Lesnar is] your Mike Tyson. This is the guy where people are gonna tune in and say ‘Oh My God what’s this guy gonna do next?’ You know what the crazy part is? I just flew up there a couple weeks ago and we hung out and went to dinner. [Lesnar’s] such a good guy, but I’ll give you this: The week of the event I have a hard time dealing with him. He gets miserable, he’s a grouchy guy who can snap at any time. That’s for real.”

UFC President Dana White does not condone but at the same time understands the behavior of Brock Lesnar before, during and after UFC 100. White gave Lesnar a verbal lashing following his meltdown against Frank Mir in the main event of their July 11 super-show, but also admits that (aside from the unprovoked sponsor bashing) he might have reacted in a similar fashion following the months of trash talk coming out of the Mir camp. Lesnar — who already claims he’s built like a black man may indeed have that same aura surrounding him that Tyson did. We can only hope that his career ends on more favorable terms. Not just for him, but for the sake of mixed martial arts as well.

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