UFC 204, which is headlined by the middleweight title fight between Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson, and the middleweight clash between Vitor Belfort and Gegard Mousasi, airs live on Pay-Per-View from Manchester Arena in Manchester, England on Saturday, October 8 at 10pm ET / 7pm PT.
Four prelim bouts will air live on FS1 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT, and the event’s first two prelims will air exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS beginning at 7pm ET / 4pm PT.
Main Event – Five round championship fight Michael Bisping (185 lbs) vs Dan Henderson (184 lbs)
“We are all fighters” is more than just a saying; it’s an ethos – a way of life. Few cities in the world show off that spirit more than Manchester, site of Saturday’s UFC 204.
Known for its industrial origins tracing back to the 19th century, Manchester is now much more of a modern city – but walk around town and you can see that there’s a fighting spirit among the locals. It’s where former boxing world champion Ricky Hatton traces his roots. It’s where saying you support either local soccer team, Manchester United or Manchester City, in the wrong part of town can get you into trouble. It’s where punk rock once reigned supreme, and its music products still retain an edge – even their pop stars (just search Liam fights Noel on stage).
It’s the perfect stage to showcase the rise of MMA in the United Kingdom, and for the first UK champion to defend his crown.
“Obviously (headliner) Michael (Bisping) is from Manchester, but even if he wasn’t this is the perfect place,” UFC veteran-turned analyst Dan Hardy said. “The fans are going to be lively, even at 5 o’clock in the morning. I had a great fight here myself at UFC 105 versus Mike Swick and the atmosphere at Manchester Arena was amazing. The fans really appreciate it. (This week) the open workouts were buzzing, the autograph signing that we did was amazing.
“This city laps it up, they love it – more so than any other city in the UK, the northern cities generally are more hardened, more working class, whereas with London you’ve got more of a metropolitan mix. It’s the perfect place to hold an event like this and these fighters have been well received by the fans.”
The arrival of UFC 204 fits perfectly into a distinct combat culture that helps Manchester its unique identity.
“Things are coming together (in the UK). It’s becoming a sport in itself in the country and people are starting to recognize that,” Hardy said. “We have great athletes here and we’re a fighting culture. You go out on a Friday or Saturday night in any city, you’ll see people wanting to get into fights.
“It’s instinctual for us, we’re a battle-hardened island. We’ve been invaded so many times over the years that the survival of the fittest thing is a filtration process and there are lots of guys in this country that enjoy that competition. And now we’ve got MMA taking over, we’ve got a place for them to test themselves.”
According to Hardy, part of the MMA takeover is the infrastructure being established. Back when he was on his way up as a fighting prospect, he’d have to drive to different places to train, whereas now MMA gyms are popping up so fighters can begin to train in one place. So while many top talents leave the UK for places like Tristar Gym, Blackzillians and American Top Team, more talent is being developed locally and soon they’ll be able to stay home to train.
That’s partly why Saturday night’s card features seven fighters with connections to the UK – including those born here, like Bisping (Manchester), Danny Roberts (London), Davey Grant (Bishop Auckland) and Brad Pickett (East London). And a few that have now made the UK their home, as is the case with Leon Edwards (fighting out of Birmingham), Marc Diakiese (fighting out of Doncaster) and Jimi Manuwa (fighting out of London).
The excitement to see the champion Bisping and all the UK talent is one of the reasons why Manchester Arena sold out within minutes of UFC 204 tickets going on sale.
“(Manchester Arena) is similar to MGM. It’s a very tight, small arena,” Danny Roberts said. “The atmosphere is immense. The UK fans are crazy, they are going to make some noise and I’m sure everybody through every avenue around the world are going to know about it. MMA is big in the UK and people want it here more, more and more. UFC are going to have to start bringing it back to feed us because there are hungry people willing to spend the money to watch some up-and-coming fighters and obviously some old legends like we’ve got on this card. It’s the perfect recipe for a good night.
“I’m grateful for the UFC for giving me that opportunity. I feel blessed to be back home. People have been waiting for this, they’ve been talking about this. I’ve seen the atmosphere and I can feel the love and excitement from the UK fans from every angle. … It’s going to be electric from start to finish.”
While the excitement is certainly high for all the talent throughout the card, it will reach fever pitch levels for the main event when hometown hero Bisping takes the stage as the first UK champion. And there’s no doubt he feels good about it.
“It’s amazing to be here now,” Bisping said. “To see all these English fighters on the card. England has the best fighting talent in the world. It was only a matter of time before we had a world champion. Whether it was me or someone else, it was going to happen.
“After I beat (Luke) Rockhold, Dana (White, UFC president) called me up and offered me this fight in a few different places: Cardiff, London, Manchester. I said, ‘Manchester, mate, simple as that, there’s no discussion.’ I’m from down the road, 25 minute drive and you’re there. This is the capital of the north, it’s where I’m from and I’d rather be nowhere else right now.”
On the advice of physicians, and with the athlete’s health and safety in mind, UFC has removed Ian Entwistle from his bout tomorrow night against Rob Font at UFC 204 in Manchester, England due to illness.
UFC 204 will proceed with 11 bouts. Font will serve as a backup in the event a bantamweight from the card cannot compete.
Less than six months from his biggest UFC clash to date, when he stepped up on short notice to fight Jon Jones for the interim light heavyweight title, Saint Preux returns to the Octagon on Saturday ready to prove he deserves the spotlight again.
Sure, he took a loss in that matchup against Jones, the former No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, in the main event of UFC 197 in April. But Saint Preux gained plenty from the encounter which will help him this weekend and beyond.
“I took a fight on three weeks’ notice, broke my arm in the third round, and to do what I was able to do, in that fashion just alone, let me know that I belong here,” said Saint Preux, currently ranked No. 5 in the division. “Hopefully within the next year I’ll be fighting for the belt.
“There’s a difference between being ready for it and being born for it. Something like this, a moment like this I think I was born for it.”
The charge towards another high-profile shot begins for Saint Preux in Manchester against No. 8-ranked Jimi Manuwa.
It may not be the main event of UFC 204, but the clash is quite the challenge for Saint Preux. Not only is Manuwa a strong challenger with a 15-2 professional record, but as one of eight fighters with British ties on the card, he’ll have more than his fair share of support within the sold-out crowd at Manchester Arena.
Finally back at full health, Saint Preux is ready.
“(The crowd) isn’t going to affect me” Saint Preux said. “It’s more for him than me – he’s the one that’s got to perform in front of that crowd. More times than the other, the crowd can get you in trouble.
“I just have to go in there and do my job like I usually do. At the end of the day I just need to get my hand raised, but I’m also an entertainer so I’m going to entertain people, too. I’m going to fight my fight. There’s a reason people like watching me fight. As long as I do that I’ll be fine.”
Two of the top young rising stars in the UFC will collide on Saturday, December 17, when Sage Northcutt faces unbeaten Mickey Gall in a welterweight bout at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
The Sacramento event will air live on FOX. Stay tuned to UFC.com for more fight card announcements.
It’s been a whirlwind year for New Jersey’s Gall. After calling out WWE superstar CM Punk for a UFC bout, he defeated Mike Jackson in his Octagon debut in February before defeating Punk via submission at UFC 203 in September.
Immediately after the bout, he called out Texas phenom Northcutt, and „Super Sage,“ who has gone 3-1 in the UFC with wins over Francisco Trevino, Cody Pfister and Enrique Marin, accepted, with the two meeting this December in an eagerly-anticipated showdown.
Tickets go on sale on October 28.
Both Northcutt and Gall got their UFC break by competinig in front of UFC president Dana White on his YouTube show „Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight.“ Watch their individual episodes below to get ready for their big fight to end 2016.
Manila, Philippines – UFC® announced today that it will reschedule its UFC Fight Night event planned for Oct. 15 in Manila, Philippines due to the loss of the main event. Former UFC champion BJ Penn was forced to withdraw from the main event bout with Ricardo Lamas due to injury.
„I suffered a rib injury in training and I apologize to the fans in Manila who were expecting to watch me compete,“ Penn said. “I hope to be back in the Octagon soon.”
Athletes scheduled to compete on the Oct. 15 card will be rebooked at upcoming UFC events in the near future. Each athlete set to compete on Oct. 15 will also receive compensation due to the card being rescheduled. With its 2016 calendar finalized, UFC officials will discuss future dates for the event.
„SMLEI and UFC will continue to work together in the future to deliver exciting live events for fans,” Edgar Tejerero, President of SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc. said.
Fans who have purchased tickets to the event should seek refunds at the point of purchase.
Saturday night’s UFC 204 co-main event between Vitor Belfort and Gegard Mousasi comes at a pivotal moment for the two fighters – one is focused on the present while the other is looking ahead to the future.
For Mousasi, the former Strikeforce champion and No. 9-ranked middleweight, this is a fight that’s been a long time coming. He has wanted to fight “legend” Belfort since 2009, when they were on schedule to battle at a catchweight in Affliction.
But this has nothing to do with the past for the Netherlands standout. Mousasi, 31, knows that to reach the promised land of a title fight, the road goes through Belfort.
“He’s a legend, he’s ranked No. 5 – it makes sense,” Mousasi said of his fight against Belfort at Manchester Arena. “Vitor’s No. 5, I’m No. 9 (in the UFC’s rankings). But with the oddsmakers, I’m favored to win. I don’t know how he can be No. 5 if I’m the favorite. I hope to be No. 5 and then we go after that.”
With Father Time catching up to Belfort, 39, “The Phenom” knows it’s all about the here-and-now.
“People have been expecting (me to retire) for my past seven fights. It’s amazing how the media has this expectation,” said Belfort, the former UFC light heavyweight champion. “I don’t have a plan — my plan is to be here right now, fight the good fight and fight the best guys. I don’t want to take any easy fights.
“I think most of us think about the past or the future. Through my career I’ve learned something that’s so special and helped to guide my life: Just live in the moment. I’m living this moment.”
With the two fighters focused on different things, it makes their crossroads clash so intriguing. Both know that, in a crowded middleweight division, nothing less than a win is acceptable to reach whatever goal they have in place – be it big fights or a push towards the title. And with so many contenders set to square off in the coming weeks (former champion Chris Weidman vs Yoel Romero at UFC 205; former champ Luke Rockhold vs “Jacare” Souza a few weeks later in Australia), it may take more than a victory.
“I think (Vitor’s) not at his best but I think he’s adjusted from (past) losses,” Mousasi said. “The guys that he fought were wrestlers. With me, he knows I’m going to fight stand up.
“I hope to finish him in one or two rounds”
Belfort has his own view.
“I think Gegard wants to fight the best guys. That’s an honor for me, having a guy who wants to fight me – one of the best guys in the sport as well. I admire fighters that want to fight the best guys, I have a lot of respect for competitors like that.
“I think (Mousasi) is wrong. Very, very wrong. I’m looking for victory. My name is victory – I’m Vitor!”
That’s right lads and lasses, it’s time for another English version of the Downes Side! Live from Manchester Arena, the UFC brings some late night fights at UFC 204. In the main event of the evening, Michael Bisping defends his middleweight title for the first time against Dan Henderson. We’ll examine that fight and a few others.
We start in the welterweight division with Leon Edwards and Albert Tumenov. A southpaw striker, “Rocky” Edwards defends significant strikes at a rate of 57.92%, which is about 56% higher than Rocky Balboa. Albert Tumenov saw his five-fight win streak disappear at the hands of a Gunnar Nelson neck crank back in May.
When you see an English fighter against a Russian one, the prejudiced one in you might jump to conclusions about wrestling. This time around you’re only half right. Both fighters have solid wrestling defense, but they’re not particularly adept offensively. Edwards hit some outside trip takedowns in his last fight, but it’s unlikely he’ll be able to hit those against Tumenov. In terms of striking, Edwards has great head movement, but underutilized leg movement. He plants himself heavy to the mat and doesn’t advance well. This especially happens when he overcommits on his left hand. Tumenov can be passive at times (that was his biggest mistake against Nelson), but his greatest attribute is his counterstriking. When he answers, he comes with fluid, powerful combinations. Tumenov gets back in the win column with a second round TKO.
That brings us to light heavyweight for Ovince Saint Preux and Jimi Manuwa. Saint Preux returns to the Octagon after going the distance with Jon Jones. Powerful, but unorthodox, OSP confuses opponents with his irregular attack rhythm. Manuwa’s two career losses have come in his last three fights. One was against Anthony Johnson and the other was to Alexander Gustafsson, but the “Poster Boy” could use some momentum.
Manuwa and OSP do best when they take control. They prefer to move forward and dictate engagements instead of sitting back and countering. Manuwa especially seems to know only one speed and one direction. OSP, on the other hand, prefers to lull opponents to sleep with inaction and then strike. Much like Struve-Omielanczuk, these two fighters also have sub 50% striking defense. Manuwa likes to stand in the pocket a bit too much, but that could be a strength in this fight. OSP may have gone five rounds with Jon Jones, but the pace of the action was muted. OSP actually threw more strikes in his three round fight against Rafael Cavalcante than in five rounds against Jones. Manuwa may lose the first round, but his pace wears down OSP en route to the upset decision victory.
MICHAEL BISPING VS. DAN HENDERSON
Time for the main event! Michael Bisping has had a storied career in the UFC. Even though he’s currently tied with Georges St-Pierre for the most wins in UFC history, few thought he’d ever receive a title shot, much less become champion. Not only did he win the title, he exacted revenge against Luke Rockhold. Now, six years removed from being a victim of one of the most famous KOs in history, he has another shot at redemption against Dan Henderson.
At lot changes in six years…except for Dan Henderson. He may be older and have some more miles on him, but his power and ability to change a fight with a single strike hasn’t changed. Bisping, however, has elevated his game. He moves around a lot more and hides his strikes with sharp angles and feints. The only problem is that he wastes a lot of punches (his accuracy rate is 38.77%). In his last 10 fights, the only people Bisping has finished are Cung Le and Luke Rockhold. Le gassed and Rockhold fell victim to his own hubris. To win, Bisping has to stay disciplined and dart in and out for five rounds. Henderson needs to connect with one big punch. Bisping’s had a fairy tale story, but this weekend it turns into a nightmare. Dan Henderson strikes again with a second round knockout.
That wraps up another fairy tale edition of the Downes Side (probably one of the Grimm ones). Follow me on Twitter @dannyboydownes. Also, don’t forget to leave your own predictions, analysis, analogues or favorite analogies on the page here.
MMA legend Dan Henderson joins the show to discuss his UFC 204 Middleweight title fight against Michael Bisping, his retirement plans, and the evolution of the fight game. Later, actor Thomas Haden Church comes in-studio to discuss his new HBO show Divorce, working with Sarah Jessica Parker, going to Marlon Brando’s house, Bisping vs. Henderson, and secrets of the hotel industry, amongst other things.
Some of the highlights from Episode 32 of UFC Unfiltered include:
Hendo on the fans helping him get a title shot
Hendo will definitely retire after UFC 204
Hendo regrets not being able to test himself against Jon Jones
MANCHESTER, England
Two of the top young rising stars in the UFC will collide on Saturday, December 17, when Sage Northcutt faces unbeaten Mickey Gall in a welterweight bout at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
With the two fighters focused on different things, it makes their crossroads clash so intriguing. Both know that, in a crowded middleweight division, nothing less than a win is acceptable to reach whatever goal they have in place – be it big fights or a push towards the title. And with so many contenders set to square off in the coming weeks (former champion 
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