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It's time to buy some whiskey!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today officially announced that its middleweight champion, Anderson Silva, will indeed defend his 185-pound title against the trash-talking Chael Sonnen at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Aug. 7.
Unsurprisingly, company president Dana White is looking forward to UFC 117: "Silva vs. Sonnen."
"When we offered Chael Sonnen this shot at the title, he promised us one thing: that he was going to make this a fight. I know he means it, and after beating three legit contenders in Nate Marquardt, Yushin Okami, and Dan Miller, he's definitely going to bring the best out of Anderson Silva on August 7th. And as far as Anderson is concerned, he wants to remind everybody why he’s considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world."
Silva is coming off a controversial unanimous decision win over Demian Maia at UFC 112 earlier this year. "The Spider" danced the night away, taunting and floating around the Octagon much to the ire of White.
In fact, White was so enraged with Silva's antics that he refused to put the belt around his waist once he was announced the winner. He even threatened to cut the Brazilian --- widely regarded as the top mixed martial artist on the planet -- if he ever did it again.
So it's safe to say the Silva will be out for blood on fight night. Sonnen's sharp tongue will only add more fuel to the fire.
Sonnen, when he's not talking, is busy kicking ass and taking names inside the cage.
His most recent performance, during which he outworked and out-muscled perhaps the most muscle-bound fighter in the division, Nate Marquardt, earned him a crack at Silva.
However, a huge gash on his forehead prevented him from taking the fight in Abu Dhabi, opening the door for Maia.
The rest, as "they" say, is history.
Also announced for UFC 117 was a welterweight showdown between former champion Matt Hughes against Ricardo Almeida, as well as a lightweight contest between Clay Guida and Rafael dos Santos.
Thiago "Pitbull" Alves is also expected to finally (third time is the charm) seek revenge on longtime nemesis, Jon Fitch.
How's that for a card, Maniacs? For the current UFC 117 fight card click here.
Former Strikeforce lightweight champion, Josh Thomson, will return to action against Pat Healy at the upcoming Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Werdum" event, which is slated for the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on June 26.
The promotion today made the 155-pound showdown official.
Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Werdum," which will air live on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET on fight night, will feature Fedor Emelianenko taking on grappling wizard Fabricio Werdum in the main event. Current Strikeforce Women's Champion Cristian "Cyborg" Santos will also be in action against Jan "Cuddles" Finney.
For more on Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Werdum" click here.
One-time UFC fighter, Lee Murray, was sentenced to 10 years in a Moroccan prison for his involvement in the largest bank raid in British history in 2006, according to BBC News.
"Lightning" bolted for northern Africa shortly after he and six other associates stole more than $100 million from the Securitas cash depot in Kent, England.
It was, and still is, the largest cash heist to ever go down in the history of the nation.
For years, British prosecutors tried to extradite the ex-fighter while they successfully tracked down and jailed his accomplices; however, the Moroccan government refused to ship him back because his father was of Moroccan descent.
Instead, Murray -- who was already serving three years in prison for an unrelated incident -- had his case on the bank robbery charges heard in a Moroccan court.
He is scheduled for release in 2020.
Murray defeated Jorge Rivera via first round submission (strikes) at UFC 46, which was his only appearance inside the Octagon. He is perhaps better known in the fight world for his exploits outside the cage, however, brawling with Tito Ortiz in a street fight following UFC 38 in July 2002.
Murray is 8-2 overall in mixed martial arts competition. He last fought in September of 2004 at Cage Rage 8, dropping a unanimous decision to current UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva.
For more on the rise and fall of "Lightning" Lee Murray click here.
Is it just me or does Anderson Silva come across as immature in this interview? He seems to speak decent English when he wants to, but other times doesn’t and gives vague and short answers.
Silva will have his hands his full with Chael Sonnen in August. If he can defend his UFC middleweight title we might see another fight at 205 later this year. Maybe it will be a shot at the LWH title?