UFC 138 Post event reaction: Mark Munoz, Che Mills, Brad Pickett, Rafael Cordeiro videos

Dana White on the UK UFC scene. Says television deal needs working out. Committed and embedded in UK and not going anywhere… CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO

Mark Munoz on Bruce Lee moment with Anderson Silva; wants to fight for the UFC middleweight title. CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO

Rafael Cordeiro on the Anderson Silva – Mark Munoz match-up. "It's just a sport. They are friends now, they can be friends afterwards. CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO

Brad Pickett on needing 'to get back on the horse' as soon as possible after defeat to Renan Barao at UFC 138

CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO

Che Mills on his future in the UFC after 17 second KO of Chris Cope. CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO

UFC 138: Chris Leben faces Mark Munoz but has sideswipe at Michael Bisping

Chris Leben prepares for his historic 5-round bonfire night battle with Mark Munoz in Birmingham on Saturday, returning to the city where he lost to British fighter Michael Bisping at UFC 89. Leben even had time for a sideswipe at the TUF coach, who faces off against Jason Miller in Las Vegas on Dec 5.

"Yeah, I remember Birmingham. I fought Bisping, he must prepare for his fights by running five miles backwards," Leben told The Telegraph. Leben was comprehensively outpointed on the night. Leben also said all he could find to eat in the hotel was "a salad". The American was not in too jovial a mood in the workouts in Birmingham. Good sign. Both Leben and Munoz love to battle, and it should be thrilling as long as it lasts.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS LEBEN

CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK's BUMPER ESPN UFC PODCAST WITH GUESTS GALORE ON UFC 138. JUST OUT…

OR ON iTUNES

HEAVYWEIGHT CLASH SET FOR MAINSTREAM ON FOX BETWEEN VELASQUEZ AND DOS SANTOS

With the world heavyweight championship fight set to air live on FOX a week on Saturday – Nov. 12 – from Honda Center in Anaheim, a major step change for the UFC on network television in the United States, Dana White, UFC President, said yesterday: “This is going to be a different format than we’ve ever done before. Obviously this is a show featuring one fight so we’re doing a lot of things differently. We are going to be rehearsing for this from Thursday."

“This is a throw-back to the old days of boxing; we are putting a big fight – a huge fight – on free TV to expose this thing to a new audience. Our goal has always been to bring big fights back to network television; we are thinking long-term for the future of this sport. It is an investment in the future of the UFC. Fans that have never seen the UFC before will see this show and that’s why we decided to put Cain and Junior in this position."

“I know for a fact this is going to be an awesome fight. I know it is going to be great. That’s why it was these two in this position. I have no worries at all this is going to be a great fight.

“There’s going to be a lot of backstage features, we are going to be talking to both guys backstage before they fight which isn’t something we’ve done for a very long time.”

The two protagonists are also primed. Cain Velasquez, the UFC heavyweight champion, who has not fought for a year, said:

“There’s always butterflies when you have a fight. It is natural to feel nervous, it means you are ready. But I’m not more nervous because I’ve been out (hurt) for more than a year. I know from my training camp I’m 100 percent and ready to go. I was 100 percent in July."

“I’m excited and it is a great honor to have this fight chosen by the UFC to be the first one on FOX. But I am not focused on the event, the hype or the (expected large TV audience), like any other fight I am focused on my opponent and not much else. Dos Santos is a great opponent. He’s very dangerous.”

Junior dos Santos, No. 1 ranked UFC heavyweight contender, added: “It was such a long wait for my title shot, but I am not sorry. This, right now, is the greatest opportunity I could have had, fighting for the world heavyweight title live on FOX for the very first time."

“I’m very happy in my life right now. I’m in such a good place mentally and physically. I’m proof that if you work hard, treat people right and don’t doubt yourself, you can achieve your dreams. I genuinely believe that Cain is the greatest heavyweight in the world and it is an honor to fight him."

“Yes, I come from humble beginnings, but I have been very lucky in my life. I don’t think this fight will go five rounds. I have trained for five rounds but I don’t expect this to do the distance.”



UFC 138 events this week:

Thursday Nov 3

Evening (5pm), Evans and Pearson will attend Hunt@UFC at Birmingham Bull Ring Shopping Centre, followed by Tesco DVD signing with the pair at Town Gate Retail Park, Birmingham Road.

Friday Nov 4

There is a Fight Club Signing at 1pm with Arianny Celeste, and Pearson, a Fight Club Q&A with Rashad (TBC) at 2pm, with the UFC 138 official weigh-in – at Community Hall, National Indoor Arena, King Edwards Road, B1 2AA – with fighters on the scales at 4pm. Doors open at 3pm. At 5pm, there is a Fight Club after party with Pearson.

From 6pm to 8pm, a signing session at HMV with Rashad Evans.

Saturday Nov 5

10am: JD Sports Signing with Rashad and Ross (Arianny to join from 12noon – 1pm)

1:30pm: Hunt @ UFC (Dana White TBC) with Pearson at Birmingham Bull Ring shopping centre

2pm: THQ Press Conference for UFC game at LG Arena

UFC 138 Leben vs Munoz, LG Arena, National Exhibition Centre, B40 1NT:

5:30pm: First Bout

11pm: UFC 138 Concludes

11.15pm: Post-fight press conference.

Main card

Middleweight bout: United States Chris Leben vs.United States Mark Muñoz

Bantamweight bout: England Brad Pickett vs. Brazil Renan Barão

Welterweight bout: Brazil Thiago Alves vs. Sweden Papy Abedi

Lightweight bout: England Terry Etim vs. United States Eddie Faaloloto

Light Heavyweight bout: France Cyrille Diabaté vs. Australia Anthony Perosh

Preliminary card (Facebook)

Welterweight bout: England John Maguire vs. United States Justin Edwards

Featherweight bout: Japan Michihiro Omigawa vs. England Jason Young

Heavyweight bout: England Rob Broughton vs. England Philip De Fries

Welterweight bout: United States Chris Cope vs. England Che Mills

Bantamweight bout: United States Chris Cariaso vs. England Vaughan Lee

UFC 138 is live on ESPN UK on Saturday night.

UFC 138 tickets for Mark Munoz v Chris Leben on sale, sell-out expected in Birmingham

The UFC announced yesterday that tickets for the Saturday, November 5 event at the LG Arena, Birmingham, are on sale. It is expected to be a sell-out, with the mixed martial arts fighting organisation returning to British shores for the first time in a year.

CHRIS ‘THE CRIPPLER’ LEBEN AND MARK ‘THE FILIPINO WRECKING MACHINE’ MUNOZ SET FOR FIREWORKS ON BONFIRE NIGHT, WHILE BRIT HOPES BRAD PICKETT, JOHN HATHAWAY AND PAUL TAYLOR ALSO MAKE MAIN CARD APPEARANCES.

The main event is a fascinating middleweight (13stone 3lbs) showdown between Chris ‘The Crippler’ Leben and Mark ‘The Filipino Wrecking Machine’ Munoz, over 5 rounds, as well as a bantamweight (9st 9lbs) battle between Brad ‘One Punch’ Pickett and Renan Barao. UFC 138 marks the UFC’s first and only appearance on British soil this calendar year.

The UFC 138 main event between Leben and Munoz carries significance for a number of reasons. As well as having major implications on the future of the middleweight division, Leben’s brawl with Munoz also represents the first time a UFC non-title fight has ever been scheduled over five rounds.

The 31-year-old Leben, 22-7 in his career, remains one of the most colourful and beloved characters in the sport of mixed martial arts, having first risen to prominence as a cast member on season one of The Ultimate Fighter. He has since carved a niche for himself as a dangerous and durable middleweight contender and has scored stunning victories over the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Aaron Simpson. He was last seen on British shores in October 2010, the night he last travelled to Birmingham and pushed British hero Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping all the way.

Rejuvenated by recent results, however, Portland-born Leben looks to move one step closer to a shock stab at the UFC middleweight championship with an emphatic victory over Munoz.

The 33-year-old Munoz, 11-2 in MMA, meanwhile, is another fighter who is at the peak of his powers. The former light-heavyweight contender is now settled and thriving at the peak of the UFC’s middleweight division and has dazzled in wins over Demian Maia, C.B. Dollaway and Aaron Simpson. A world-class wrestler with one-punch knockout power, Californian Munoz guarantees excitement each and every time he steps inside the Octagon.

British fight fans have waited with baited breath for the arrival of Brad ‘One Punch’ Pickett, 21-4, a high-octane bantamweight who previously compete with distinction in the WEC® organisation. The talented Londoner scored Stateside wins over currently No1 contender Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson and Ivan Menjivar and now attempts to bring the same level of success into the UFC’s famed Octagon.

Pickett’s first UFC opponent will be Renan Barao, 26-1 1NC, a skilful 24-year-old from Rio De Janeiro of whom great things are expected. Having spent the first five years of his career competing in his native Brazil, Barao has achieved his last three victories in America has the longest unbeaten record in all of MMA. His recent performances have announced his arrival as a major player in the 9stone 9lbs division and this battle with Pickett has significant implications for the bantamweight class.

Another British star looking to steal the show at UFC 138 is John ‘Hitman’ Hathaway, 15-1, a welterweight contender from Brighton with the world at his feet. Still just 24 years of age, Hathaway has already defeated the likes of Diego Sanchez, Rick Story and Paul Taylor in his brief UFC tenure and many consider the long-limbed fighter one of the best prospects in mixed martial arts right now.

Hathaway’s foe on November 5 will be American Matt ‘The Immortal’ Brown, 12-10, no stranger to the British Isles himself. The 32-year-old Brown shattered the dreams of Englishman James Wilks in Manchester in November 2009 and carries a reputation for dogged determination and a never-say-die spirit. Brown most recently defeated the dangerous John Howard over three rounds and seeks to continue this good form on a return trip to Britain in November.

The UFC 138 main card is rounded off by an intriguing match between former UFC welterweight title challenger Thiago ‘Pitbull’ Alves and Sweden’s undefeated Papy Abedi, as well as a lightweight slugfest between Walsall favourite Paul Taylor and fast-rising Nigerian Anthony Njokuani.

Tickets for UFC 138 are priced at £50, £75, £100, £150 and £225 and go on sale to UFC Fight Club members on Wednesday, September 7 at 9am and to UFC Newsletter subscribers on Thursday, September 8 at 9am.

Tickets will then go on general public release on Friday, September 9 at 9am and will be available to buy via theticketfactory.com and the LG Arena box office.