UFC green lights Spike TV special on July 19 (Update)
by MMAmania.com on Jun 17, 2008 4:04 PM EDT
82 comments
MMAmania.com has learned today that the UFC will indeed go forward with a Spike TV event on July 19 despite some recent reports that claimed it wasn't going to materialize.
We first passed along the news over the weekend that several fighters had been approached about participating in the event, which is less than five weeks away. It is widely believed that the decision to stage an event on such short notice is to counter the Affliction: "Banned" debut event on pay-per-view (PPV) that same evening.
Regardless of the intent, this means that mixed martial arts fans worldwide have some nice available options in mid-July. And there's no reason to not watch both.
As we mentioned in our previous report, promising heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez is expected to compete on the July 19 card against a soon to be announced opponent. Brandon Vera -- who we can confidently report is making the drop to light heavyweight -- has been asked to headline the event.
There was some valid speculation that he would take on Wanderlei Silva; however, it appears that "The Axe Murderer" will not accept the bout because he does not have enough time to prepare. The hunt for someone to challenge "The Truth" is still ongoing.
In addition to Vera, Velesquez and others, there are a handful of fights already slated for other events that will be shuffled and added to this card. We'll pass those along to you as soon as possible.
The UFC July 19 show will take place in Las Vegas -- most likely at The Palms Resort & Casino.
UPDATE: MMARated.com is reporting that UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva will make his 205-pound debut against James Irvin in the main event. Stay tuned for more details.
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man this sucks, I’m in vegas the weekend after rampage’s fight and the week end before this one. I am going july 10-13, have reservations at delmonico’s one night, have booked an airplane to take us over the grand canyon and hoover dam and am looking for other "nice things’ to do. Any suggestions from guys in vegas? Mania, you guys have a compound to tour and meet the brains behind the web site I love? Any ways, Silva would have beaten Vera, and then Dana would have reworked his contract because of 3 straight losses. The HW opponent will be gonzaga in my opinion, he hasn’t fought in a while!
by kevin on Jun 17, 2008 4:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Kevin: Gonzaga is a great guess, that totally slipped my mind!
Then again, with 3 months notice Gonzaga still comes into a fight out of shape. Imagine how bad he would look with only 1 month of training!
by john on Jun 17, 2008 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Gonzaga is fighting Justin McCully at UFC 86 so he will most likely not be the HW opponent
by DB on Jun 17, 2008 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hey Kev, I see you on here all the time so if your interested I can set you up with some free passes to come train at the new Warrior Training Center…Its home to Forrest, Heath, Mark Beecher from TUF 7 and the list goes on and on…If your interested let me know. I’ll check back on this string a little later…
by WarriorCenter on Jun 17, 2008 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hey Kev,
I can get you some free passes to come train at the new Warrior Training Center? If that sounds of interest to ya let me know. I’ll check back on this string a little later.
Mania…is there any way to increase the speed of our comments being posted?
by WarriorCenter on Jun 17, 2008 6:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I also think this is a ploy to grab the attention of the average fan that had been watching XC Elite.
by Derrick Fox on Jun 17, 2008 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
XC Elite??? War Championship Ultimate!!!
by Joshumma on Jun 17, 2008 8:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
wandy is getting too comfortable, he used to accept short notice fights with HW’s. I hope he’ll accept the fight. The news of the fight is still on his website and it seemed his camp were interested.
by linx on Jun 17, 2008 4:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I don’t know about too comfortable, I just think he wants to be at his best whenever he fights now (but I think he would kill Vera anyways)
by Haze on Jun 17, 2008 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Isnt dana aware that we dont have to choose LoL! Get your fix, watch em both!!! A nice night of two main cards with Fedor as the main event!!
by ( (Adam G) ) on Jun 17, 2008 4:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
aren’t you aware that the average fan isn’t going to shell out $50 for a org they haven’t heard of in affliction with tim sylvia (who a lot of people hate) and fedor (who most casual fans haven’t even heard of). while ufc is on for free at the same time. and don’t forget ufc 86 is on like 2 weeks before so a lot of people will be buying that and probably can’t afford to pay for affliction aswell.
by Macho Bullshit on Jun 17, 2008 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
We all know that everyone posting on this site will watch one and set the pvr for the other, but the casual fans will be easily lured away from paying for Affliction (if they even know about it) by a free live UFC event.
by Joe Smith on Jun 17, 2008 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i won’t be. i’ll watch the affliction card the next day. i can’t afford 2 ppvs in one month.
by kitsunex on Jun 17, 2008 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Do any of you guys have friends that watch the UFC or are in to MMA???
The best way to do it is have like 3-8 people come over your house to watch it, or watch at thiers, or take turns. Then everyone chips in like $5 – $15 and you get to watch the PPV, live, on a television, for cheap.
That’s how I roll!
by ViolentMike on Jun 18, 2008 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
I just checked the calendar on my phone and July 19th is the day of my cousins wedding. F*CK!!!!!!!!!!!
But, he’s getting married in St Lucia this weekend, and July 19th is like the welcome home / recption. I think that its an early one so I SHOULD be home in time for all the action.
by ViolentMike on Jun 18, 2008 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah guys, don’t be hippocrites. Just watch ’em both!
by TheNegation on Jun 18, 2008 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Great news!! Hopefully Vera gets a good opponent…maybe a james Irvin or stephan Bonner would be good. No doubt i will follow both events, its just too hard to pass up anone of them haha.
by matthew on Jun 17, 2008 4:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
hey john, I’m going to sleep for a couple hours, but had to wonder why you aren’t taking 3-4k out of betus and going to affliction live? Yes US fans suck, but you could afford cage side and a long week end in cali!
by kevin on Jun 17, 2008 4:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Kevin: I got school man! I only get 1 week off (this week) and then a new semester starts. Drexel has 4 semesters that run all year long, instead of 3 with the summer off that most schools have.
Anyway next event I go to will be a DREAM event!
by john on Jun 17, 2008 5:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I have never been to Cali, when I do make it out there, I cant stay for a weekend, u kno?
by john on Jun 17, 2008 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
put goran relic in with vera that whould be one hell of a math up
by jimmy v on Jun 17, 2008 4:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Why not let Vera stay at Heavyweight and face Vasquez?
I say put Vera vs. Sokoudjou. Soko last fought May 25th. HIs fight lasted 1 round and he didnt really take any damage. Also he is very young so should be able to be ready to fight.
Soko vs. Vera would be awesome!
Isnt James Irving hurt? Isnt that why the Rashad fight was pulled from UFC 85?
Vera vs. Luiz Cane would be bad ass as well.
Personally, I will be purchasing affliction and I will DVR this UFC card or watch the replay!
by john on Jun 17, 2008 4:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hey, not a bad idea, I like that..
by O damn he got caught on Jun 17, 2008 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Awesome!! Very pumped about this, the more UFC the better. I personaly don’t think Vera should move down, but I can understand it after loosing two in a row. I would think that Leben would be a good choice to have on this card with the whole fiasco with him and UFC 85. I wonder who they will throw Vera at?? Also, if the announcement tomorrow sucks, this makes up for it!
by Haze on Jun 17, 2008 4:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I love the UFC events. I buy the PPV because the whole production gets me fired up. Even the Spike events are good. The Affliction card is great, but I am not to thrilled about the ring. Also I heard a radio commercial today for the Affliction event that said there would be a special preformance from Megadeath. Really, Megadeath, come on. I really hope they don’t try to over produce like XC.
by bnf on Jun 17, 2008 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
bnf, thats what Affliction is doing. A mini concert, I say let the fighters do the entertainment.
by JV on Jun 17, 2008 7:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
thanks affliction, now we get two events,.The best h.w. card ever put together and a free ufc to record and watch later.
by roy on Jun 17, 2008 4:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Maybe Vera vs Irvin?? That would be a great stand up fight.
by Haze on Jun 17, 2008 4:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
James Irvin vs Vera or Relic vs Vera would be awsome tooo
got to admit Dana is one hell of a business man!
by matthew on Jun 17, 2008 4:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
what about sokoujou? is he on the schedule anytime soon?
by sickshotbri on Jun 17, 2008 4:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Soko is a weight class under Vera. Word on the street is that someone from MW is going up for that card…Franklin maybe? Henderson?
by MMAjitsu.com on Jun 17, 2008 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I hope not, I want to see Henderson vs Franklin at MW in the future.
by Haze on Jun 17, 2008 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Henderson vs. Vera at 205 lbs would be bad ass!
by john on Jun 17, 2008 5:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Whoa – looks like itll be Anderson Silva?! At least i was half right :)
Thanks Mania.
by MMAjitsu.com on Jun 17, 2008 6:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
another possibility could be Bonnar. you got some name recognition among casual fans on Spike.
is he rumored to be fighting anytime soon? i didn’t see anything.
by sickshotbri on Jun 17, 2008 4:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I haven’t heard much about Bonnar latly, definatly a posibility
by Haze on Jun 17, 2008 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So is it official that Vera will drop to 205? Or does he still desire to fight with the heavies.
The Sandman hasn’t fought since his KO of Houston Alexander.
Maybe Alexander vs. Vera. I know Houston would want to avenge such an embarrasing 8 second KO.
by TABASCOsauce on Jun 17, 2008 4:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The rumour is Irvin vs. Anderson Silva at 205. Anderson gets to keep his MW title regardless of the result, which would make sense.
by Pat on Jun 17, 2008 6:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
GREAT JOB MMAMANIA!!!!!!
Again you guys are usually the first with good news!!!! Then the hudreds of other sites just copy and paste YOUR STORIES!!!!!
Like this…..
MMAmania has the scoop
The guys at MMAmania say
MMAmania reports
MMAmania is first to report
ETC, ETC, ETC…..
Great job again guys for actually going out and getting EXCLUSIVE stories again and again and not just reading through the many mma sites and copying stories!!!!!
by fightfan on Jun 17, 2008 4:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Yo John, if you’re reading this you might like this news; Dream is now going to co-promote with Fury FC from SP, Brazil. For ppl who don’t know Fury FC is a promotion that has produced great athletes like thiago silva, rousimar palhares and luis cane among others. This is a great chance for brazilians to make big names in japan once again. Thanks to Dream!
by linx on Jun 17, 2008 4:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Good stuff! Thanks man! appreciate the heads up!
by john on Jun 17, 2008 5:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ever since he threw David Heath around “like a child” he’s been one of my favorite fighters haha
He was doing pretty well against Hamil until he gassed in the Denver air
JEET KUN DO BITCHES
by MMAjitsu.com on Jun 17, 2008 6:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin at Light Heavyweight for Spike TV Main Event on July 19
MMARated.com has learned that not only is the July 19th UFC live event on Spike TV official but that the main event will feature Anderson Silva going up against James Irvin. This fight will mark Silva’s UFC debut at 205 lbs.
This was just posted on Bloody Elbow.
WTF!!!
by Automation on Jun 17, 2008 5:41 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
james irvin? debut at 205? would of prefered a bigger name for silva. and id prefer it if he defended his title a little more before making the switch to 205. i don’t want the title getting held up because silva wants to fight at 205. but i suppose this fight will still give silva enough time for okami in september/october. but i think silva fighting at 205 will get in the way of MW title defenses in the future possibly? unless he relinquishes it?
by Macho Bullshit on Jun 17, 2008 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He doesn’t have to relinquish it. Okami isn’t a real threat to Silva. After Silva destroys Okami, there will be no threat to the mw title. They might as well retire the belt until Silva retires.
by James S on Jun 17, 2008 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
you never know whats gonna happen in a fight, im sure people said sera wasn’t a threat to gsp and look what happened. im not saying okami is going to beat silva im just saying theres always the possibility. and i think if people are earning their title shot then they should be able to fight for the title no matter how bad you think they may get dominated? if they’ve earned it they deserve it. its bad enough tuf holding titles up, i don’t want to see the MW title held up aswell because anderson silva beat 3 people and think he’s cleared the division, theres still a lot more fighters out there in the MW division.
by Macho Bullshit on Jun 17, 2008 9:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Who’s earned a title shot against Silva…. Did Okami earn it by beating Tanner? Maybe Bisping has earned it by beating day. Serra beat GSP because GSP was mentally weak. GSP has seemed to correct his issues. Silva has never been mentally weak. A GSP-Matt Serra situation happens about 1 out of every hundred fights. Silva hasn’t just beat three people in the division, he destroyed Leben, destroyed Franklin(2x), beat hendo, destroyed Marquardt, beat Lutter. Behind Franklin and Hendo, the MW talent pool is thin when compared to Silva. Almeida is a good prospect, but he has a couple of fights before he earns a shot.
by James S on Jun 18, 2008 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No Way!!! Why would he fight James Irvin?
by bnf on Jun 17, 2008 5:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It’s something to do with competing with affliction.
I’m as bemused as you guys
by Automation on Jun 17, 2008 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hey mania, beat you to it lol
I feel like John :) lmao
by Automation on Jun 17, 2008 6:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It would have been better a bigger name for Anderson. I would rather he stay at MW and maybe defend against Okami.
by JV on Jun 17, 2008 7:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
James Irvin would be an easy win for Anderson Silva.
by James S on Jun 17, 2008 5:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
as an avid mma fan i’m really pissed that the ufc, um i mean DAN white states there is no competition but he has done this the jerk way he bought PRIDE then killed it now he’s blocking any and all mma upstarts.
I’ll watch affliction.DANA is scarred , if he wasn’t he wouldn’t put on a show with 5 weeks notice . ANd who cares about VEra the boring fighter
by GORANDY on Jun 17, 2008 6:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Dana is not scared. He’s the bully in the MMA playground.
by Pat on Jun 17, 2008 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sweet! Looks like Im gonna have to DVR the Affliction card
by the_mexicutioner on Jun 17, 2008 6:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
If you are buying the Affliction Card, you better be DVR’ing the UFN 14 card.
by "Mr. NC-17" on Jun 17, 2008 6:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Anderson Silva at 205? Why the fuck Dana why? Don’t you need a MW champ???
by Ballam on Jun 17, 2008 6:40 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I think it was going to be Anderson silva vs Wanderlei Silva but wanderlei didnt want it thats what i think but i see anderson silva TKO James Irvin Fast that what i think and Anderson silva at 205 that a Technical Horror movie its going down
by droc on Jun 17, 2008 6:40 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I am hearing a grumbling from a friend that it could be Thiago Silva vs. Brandon Vera at LHW, and I also heard that Wanderlei Silva, if he accepts the fight offer could be fighting Luis Cane on this card as well.
Cain vs. Antoni Hardonk would make the most sense right now.
Also, a name to keep an eye out for is Matt Hamill. He could play a factor on this card.
by "Mr. NC-17" on Jun 17, 2008 6:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
smart business on ufc’s end…nobody can stop the mma diehards to watch the affliction ppv but for casual viewers if they are given a choice to choose between a ppv and free tv to watch a good show (lets admit they are both awesome)..they will pick the latter….plus its hard to shell out 40 bucks twice in a month as I will be watching the Rampage Griffin showdown for sure.
by commoner on Jun 17, 2008 7:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
On paper, ASilva wins this with one arm tied behind his back but if for some reason Anderson gets caught in this fight, it will tarnish his legacy with the casual fan. I think he should have held off his 205 debut until he could land a top 5 opponent. Dana must be paying a boat load for this one.
by Machiné on Jun 17, 2008 7:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
It’s official, Anderson Silva is makin his light heavyweight debut against James Irvin. Watch out Rampage, here he comes.
by AJ on Jun 17, 2008 7:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Hollaaa….Silva vs. Okami for the mw title would be excellent. AND they a history. I hope The UFC does make that fight happen. Honestly…on 86 I just wanto see rampage destroy forrest. the other fights on that card are not intertresting at all.
by city-boxing-newcomer on Jun 17, 2008 7:36 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
This just proves that the sport has turned into UFC and is veering away from being MMA. If you love the UFC by all means watch the fightnight. If you are a true fan of MMA than you know that Affliction is the card to watch. Hell i’m one of Silva’s biggest fans but he is getting dvr’d that night. The Affliction card is one of the best cards fighter wise in a long long time. To ignore that to watch Silva destry the sandman is ridiculous.
by Spider Style on Jun 17, 2008 8:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
the affliction card isn’t that great, well not as great as people are saying it is. Ok great main event, but then what?Most of the fights are mismatches of good fighters vs. hasbeens or never was’.
by Macho Bullshit on Jun 17, 2008 9:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
IT WOULD be much much more interesting to see GSP vs SPIDER as GSP moves up to 185WOULDn’t it??
by GORANDY on Jun 17, 2008 8:36 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Dana White is the Devil!!! WoW he doesn’t let know one get a piece of the pie in the long run I think Dana White will be bad for the sport their are a lot of good fighters and big names not in the ufc we need good competition organizations its good for the sport to grow Dana White doesn’t want the sport to grow just the ufc thats not good for a lot of fighters out their
by will on Jun 17, 2008 11:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
wow if anderson wins he is one more step closer to immortality and one more step closer to fighting chuck for a title shot with the winner of jackson/griffin.
by Colin D on Jun 17, 2008 11:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The UFC is really intent on trying to make this a non-event with their Free tv event now scheduled to conflict with this card.
It really is a great example of the bullying that is prevelent in this business. (What makes TUF so interesting is locking up 16 bullies together with no schleps to bully.)
The UFC is not happy that they are now facing some real competition in the MMA promo biz.
The UFC’s had a free run in this biz for quite a while, but now look to have some serious competition.
There are some real big $$$ppl backing up Affliction and more & more fighters are questioning their deals with the UFC, particularily the “exclusivity” of their contracts. These exclusive deals really hurt us all, as the fighters can only fight in the UFC & therefore cannot (sometimes) make a decent living. A fighter has a very short “shelf life” & needs to make his dough while he can. In the UFC, a figher may have a 3 fight deal, (prob for some good $$$), but he may not get those fights in under 2 or 3 years. Not enough action for an MMA figher to make it in the biz. The UFC needs to drop its exclusivity for its non-championship calibre fighers.
I think the competition is good for us fans as it will force the UFC… (& other promotions) to put on the best shows possible to draw us to buy. It also forces Promotions to pay the fighters what they’re worth.
I really do love the UFC, it’s brought MMA to the mainstream. But to maintain the integrity of the sport, you can’t have a monopoly.
I will buy the PPV event & record the UFC fight card for later viewing.
by Talkman on Jun 19, 2008 8:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
every single event is basically based on weight and talent, randy vs lesnar was 225ish vs 26ish..like come.. of course randy is the best of best in his weight class. Brock lesnar is pretty much in a new weight class…
by David on Nov 16, 2008 6:49 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
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