Contract news from Bellator today, and for once it’s something to be happy about. The Viacom driven MMA franchise has picked up one of the MMA world’s hot prospects by signing undefeated lightweight Bubba Jenkins. Bjorn Rebney announced the signing via Twitter earlier today:
Jenkins has only fought three times in his young MMA career with all three fights ending in the first round. Despite a short history inside the cage, Jenkins has been widely pegged as a hot prospect for his impressive college wrestling career which saw him go 21-3 his senior season, on the way to a D1 National Championship at 157lbs. He’s a two time all American, and at only 25 he’s one of the few accomplished collegiate wrestlers to make the jump to MMA immediately following their amateur career.
It’s a somewhat surprising move considering that Jenkins had only last year signed a six fight deal with Resurrection Fighting Alliance, and was only one fight into the contract. Rebney spoke to TheMMAReport.com with the contract details.
“Bubba Jenkins is MMA’s top young prospect and we have the optimal developmental program to maximize that talent,” Bellator CEO & Chairman Bjorn Rebney said. “Our mission is to sign and develop the world’s best fighters. Bubba’s development will be strategic and disciplined, taking all appropriate preliminary steps prior to his facing the rigors of the toughest tournament in sports.”
Jenkins offered some insight on the signing as well:
“After sitting down with Bjorn, I really felt comfortable with the opportunity laid out for me, and this is where I want to be,” Jenkins said. “Bellator is doing a lot of great things right now and I want to be a part of it. I’m not here to step on any toes, I’m here to develop as an elite fighter, get my shot in the tournament and eventually compete for a world championship.”
With the incredible depth at lightweight in the UFC, it’s not hard to see why a young fighter looking to make an impact in the sport quickly might jump at an opportunity to fight for Bellator. They can offer him a level of exposure that the rest of the American MMA landscape (outside the UFC) can’t approach. It will be interesting to see how they handle building his career considering the problems they’ve had developing new stars recently, but it sounds like they’ll be taking a much slower, more controlled approach.
Brought to you straight from MMA Fighting, it’s the MMA Beat. This week the media men of the MMA world discuss the changing of the TUF 18 coaching staff and whether the UFC made the right move going to Miesha Tate. They also talk about Matt Serra’s and Forrest Griffin’s announced retirements, Cain Velasquez’s new title reign, and John Cholish’s one man crusade for better fighter pay.
Take a listen as Ariel Helwani, Luke Thomas, Mike Chiappetta, and Chuck Mindenhall have their say on the weeks biggest issues.
If you enjoy the show subscribe on iTunes to get regular updates and old episodes: audio | video.
The fall cards are quickly starting to fill up, with two new decent fights announced for the coming months. The first, a confirmed match-up between Anthony Perosh and Vinny Magalhaes at UFC 163 to determine the best of the grapple-centric Light Heavyweights. And the second, a reported bout between newly signed Heavyweights Soa Palelei and Nikita Krylov for UFC 164.
Perosh vs. Magalhaes is an excellent matchup for these two fighters right now. For Perosh it’s a return from a long injury layoff after a nasty injury that saw him tear his big toe almost entirely off. His last fight in the UFC resulted in on of the promotion’s quickest KOs in it’s long history when he was dusted in only 7 seconds by Ryan Jimmo. Fortunately for the “Hippo” Magalhaes will not pose the same threat. He is however, the one fighter at light heavyweight who could potentially sub Aussie.
For Magalhaes this is his bounce back opportunity. He’s getting an aged fighter off a long injury layoff who’s best chance of winning is in the area Magalhaes excels. And after his terrible fight with Phil Davis, Magalhaes is in desperate need of a highlight. While this fight could turn into another kickboxing stalemate, I have the feeling that Magalhaes will want to prove that he can put someone like Perosh away quickly.
The second fight, which has yet to be confirmed, was reported by FightNewsAustralia.com. Who announced that a bout agreement is in the works to see Soa Palelei make his UFC return at UFC 164 against promotional newcomer Nikita Krylov.
This is an intriguing fight for “The Hulk” as he and Krylov are both striking centric fighters. For Palelei’s part he’s long been known as a crushingly powerful puncher on the regional circuit. He had one shot in the UFC years ago, which resulted in a 3rd round TKO loss at the hands of Eddie Sanchez, but since then he’s gone 10-1 with 7 KO’s (and 1 Bob Sapp sighting).
For Krylov this is probably the best possible debut fight for him. The Ukranian “Al Capone” has a fascinating mix of Karate and submission skills, but is something of an unknown when it comes to wrestling. While Palelei will certainly give him all he can handle on the feet he probably wont test Krylov’s takedown defense. They’re both big fighters, although Palelei will have a weight advantage with his huge frame, so it will be interesting to see if strength is a factor when these two go punch for punch.
All told these are two great matchups that pit fighters who have a lot to prove in the UFC against each other, for an opportunity to carve out a niche in their respective divisions. Check back soon as I’m sure more fight announcements are just around the corner.
Paul Daley’s Bellator saga continues. It’s been almost a year since the brash brawler signed with the worlds second biggest MMA promotion and despite having fought three times since, only one appearance has been under the Bellator banner. Most recently Daley scored an impressive second round knock out over journeyman fighter Rodrigo Ribeiro at Dubai FC 4.
Daley’s lack of stateside activity stems from an arrest and pending assault charges following a bar brawl in the UK. They are charges which the fighter vehemently denies, but until he sees his day in court he will be unable to acquire a work visa for the US. In the meantime he has looked to find fights when and where he can, it’s a process which Bellator has not helped.
Following two recent appearances it appeared the problem had been solved and Daley was free to fight as he pleased until he could make his Bellator return. Not so, claims Daley, who says that the promotion continues to make life more difficult for him as he tries to find bouts.
Just got word Bellator have refused to allow me to fight yet another opponent!!! It’s becoming really frustrating that even though they are not my managers, they can approve my fights.
I’ve got great fights offered to keep me busy fighting and earning, and they seem to want to put a stop to this….all this while, having to pay for my OWN legal costs on a matter that influence my visa outcome…and my ability to fight for the promotion (Bellator) Its bullshit.
There’s a lot more too…with regards to other promoters having to PAY Bellator a “Booking fee” for using me on there(sic) shows?….
Terrible.
I don’t know that this will help matters any in freeing him up to fight, but it’s another interesting footnote in the growing heap of Bellator contract issues. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as more information becomes available.
UFC 160 was a consequential event to close out the spring quarter of MMA. New lightweight and heavyweight challengers were decided, the heavyweight title was defended, and a host of top ten and borderline top ten fighters jockeyed for divisional clarity. I doubt it’s an overstatement to say that the fallout from UFC 160 will shape a good portion of the rest of the year in the UFC’s event planning.
With that said, it is time to put the end-cap on the our immediate coverage with the final event salaries and suspensions. Cain Velasquez led all fighters with $400,000 and the heavyweights in general led the card in pay, making up more than half the total $1,533,000 disclosed payroll between the four of them. There was no injury leader with seven different fighters facing potential suspensions until November.
Please note all salary numbers are only indicative of reported pay and do not include possible signing bonuses, unreported “locker room” bonuses, or sponsorship money.
Here are the numbers:
Cain Velasquez: Salary – $400,000 (no win bonus) Suspension – no medical suspension. Antonio Silva: Salary – $75,000 Suspension – suspended until June 25 (no contact until June 16).
Junior dos Santos: Salary – $240,000 (includes $120,000 win bonus) Suspension – suspended until June 25 due to eyebrow laceration (no contact until June 16). Mark Hunt: Salary – $160,000 Suspension – suspended until Nov. 22 unless cleared by doctor due to broken right toe. Minimum suspension until July 25 (no contact until July 10).
Glover Teixeira: Salary – $48,000 (includes $24,000 win bonus) Suspension – suspended until Nov. 22 pending x-rays on right hand and left elbow (medical clearance possible for injuries). James Te-Huna: Salary – $30,000 Suspension – no medical suspension.
T.J. Grant: Salary – $50,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus) Suspension – no medical suspension. Gray Maynard: Salary – $45,000 Suspension – suspended until Nov. 22 pending ophthalmological clearance for a dilated right pupil. Minimum suspension until July 25 (no contact until July 10).
Donald Cerrone: Salary – $82,000 (includes $41,000 win bonus) Suspension – suspended until July 10 due to right elbow and right eyebrow lacerations (no contact until June 25). K.J. Noons: Salary – $41,000 Suspension – suspended until July 25 due to multiple facial lacerations (no contact until July 25).
Mike Pyle: Salary – $84,000 (includes $42,000 win bonus) Suspension – suspended until June 25 (no contact until June 16). Rick Story: Salary – $27,000 Suspension – suspended until July 10 due to lacerations (no contact until June 25).
Dennis Bermudez: Salary – $28,000 (includes $14,000 win bonus) Suspension – suspended until Nov. 22 pending x-rays to both feet and his right hand. Minimum suspension until June 25 (no contact prior to June 16). Max Holloway: Salary – $14,000 Suspension – suspended until June 25 due to a laceration on his nose (no contact until June 16).
Robert Whittaker: Salary – $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) Suspension – no medical suspension. Colton Smith: Salary – $15,000 Suspension – suspended until July 10 due to left cheek laceration (no contact prior to June 25).
Khabib Nurmagomedov: Salary – $28,000 (includes $14,000 win bonus) Suspension – suspended until Nov. 22 pending orthopedic evaluation on his left knee. Abel Trujillo: Salary – $8,000 Suspension – no medical suspension.
Stephen Thompson: Salary – $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) Suspension – suspended until Nov. 22 pending x rays of left foot (medical clearance possible for injuries). Nah-Shon Burrell: Salary – $9,000 Suspension – no medical suspension.
George Roop: Salary – $26,000 (includes $13,000 win bonus) Suspension – no medical suspension. Brian Bowles: Salary – $19,000 Suspension – suspended until Nov. 22 pending x-rays on right hand (medical clearance possible for injuries). Minimum suspension until July 10 (no contact until June 25).
Jeremy Stephens: Salary – $48,000 (includes $24,000 win bonus) Suspension – no medical suspension. Estevan Payan: Salary – $10,000 Suspension – Suspended until July 25 due to multiple facial lacerations (no contact until July 25).
T.J. Grant, Junior dos Santos, Mark Hunt, and Glover Teixeira all took home an additional $50,000 in bonus money.
UFC 2 was a monstrous event in terms of MMA history. A 16-man, one-night tournament featuring several standout fighters from UFC 1 as well as a host of traditional martial arts experts from around the world. The grand prize was raised from $50,000 to $60,000 and the alternate bouts were removed. Once again fights could only be stopped by knockout, submission, or by corner stoppage.
Despite featuring one notorious last minute replacement, and a number of unheralded fighters (several of whom would never compete in MMA again), UFC 2 was an impressive event, both for it’s size and for the talent it represented at the time. It is important to recognize that the focus of these early UFC events was to feature expert martial artists from around the world, who would display a wide variety of disciplines. Under that ideal, UFC 2 held what may have been the most varied field in MMA history. Unfortunately it also featured Jim Brown picking fighter matchups via names in a punchbowl. But that’s a rant for a later day.
Now on to the fighters of UFC 2:
Minoki Ichihara – Ichihara is an almost legendary figure in MMA history. Hard to believe for a man with one recorded professional fight, which he lost. Born in 1968, in the Shimane Prefecture in Japan, Ichihara was one of the rising stars of Japanese Karate. He was trained under Takashi Azuma, founder of the Daido Juku Karate organization in 1981. Daido Juku was a hybrid split-off of Kyokushin Karate incorporating Judo techniques (as well as headbutting, notably). T.P. Grant went into more detail about it and Azuma in his MMA Origins piece.
He was the 1990, 91, and 92 Hokutoki (Daido Juku event) heavyweight tournament champion, as well as the 1990 and 1993 openweight tournament champion. Despite entering UFC 2 without any official MMA bouts he had fought several times in alternate rules events pitting Daido Juku fighters against martial artists from other promotions and disciplines. Here he fights an unnamed Russian fighter in a K-1 rules bout. It’s hard to grasp what sort of figure he was in Japan. The best I can say is that he was a well covered star in Japanese Karate, and was regularly featured in Japanese Karate Magazines in the years prior to UFC 2. When he made the trip to the US it was with a large press contingent, set upon recording what was expected to be an historic victory.
His bout against Royce Gracie was neither particularly short, nor brutal, ending at 5:08 of the first round. However after the loss he would compete in only one more Daido Juku tournament that same year, after which he retired from competition and martial arts entirely. After retiring he dropped out of the public eye. He spoke to Gong Martial Arts magazine, with Kazushi Sakuraba, some years later about why he ended his fighting career, saying that he quit because he felt it was time, and had no regrets about retiring. It is rumored that he has lost much of his muscular physique and now runs a creperie.
Scott Morris – Morris was advertised as a Ninjutsu expert, which was close enough to the truth for advertising. He was a black belt under Mike Bussey as part of Robert Bussey’s Warrior International fight system. It’s a splinter art of ninjutsu, meant to functionalize the traditional martial art for modern hand to hand combat.
Morris fought only three times in his career, but is still loosely affiliated with Robert Bussey’s “The Gym” in Arlington. In 2009 XKO (Bussey’s regional pro-wrestling/MMA promotion) presented him with an award for his contribution to MMA.
Ben Perry, announcer for UFC 2, famously said of Scott Morris:
“We don’t know much about him, because he is a ninja.”
Sean Daugherty – Sean Daugherty is the youngest fighter to have ever competed in the UFC at 18 years, 4 months. At the time he was an amateur kickboxer and the 1991 Indiana and West Viriginia state kickboxing champion. His MMA career would be shortlived and unsuccessful going 0-2 in his one UFC outing and a fight against Minoru Suzuki in Pancrase. However post UFC (and in between his two bouts) he would go on to advance his martial arts training and eventually his non-competitive career.
After his UFC debut he entered the miliatry and became a trainer in hand-to-hand combat techniques. In 1997 he began training with former national Judo Champion John Saylor in Saylor’s newly created martial art Shingitai Jujitsu. Currently he is a 4th dan in Shingitai and head instructor at SJA Headquarters.
Patrick Smith – I’ve already discussed Pat Smith at some length here. After his quick exit at UFC 1 Smith set to work on his grappling, to good effect as he submitted Ray Wizard in his first fight of the tournament with a guillotine choke. Along with Jason DeLucia it was one of the first examples of a striker focusing heavily on grappling in order to succeed in MMA. For Smith this tournament would represent the absolute high point of his MMA career.
Several years later, and following a number of poor showings he would be arrested for sexual assault on a minor. It was this incident that lead to his arrest prior to YAMMA. He isa registered sex offender stemming from those 1998 charges of “Lewd Or Indecent Proposals/Acts To Child,” and his failure to register in Oklahoma after moving there lead to the warrant and police chase in 2009.
Ray Wizard – Prior to UFC 2 Ray Wizard had a long career on the Karate point fighting circuit. He was a Kenpo Karate black belt under Steve Muhammad’s Black Karate Federation. Wizard was one of several prominent champions of the competition focused school, however his loss at UFC 2 would be his only entrance into full contact competition.
Currently Wizard owns his own school, Ray Wizard’s Martial Arts Studio, in Inglewood California.
David Levicki – The biggest moment of David Levicki’s MMA career would not come at UFC 2, but rather at Vale Tudo Japan 1994. There, as a part of their one night 8-man tournament, he would defeat Kazuhiro Kusayanagi and go on to face Rickson Gracie (to predictable results).
Levicki had a background in Wing Chun Kung Fu and was a former Army Ranger. His last professional fight was against Herman Renting at Rings Holland in 1995.
Johnny Rhodes – Rhodes is most notable for the man he beat rather than the man he was. At the time of UFC 2 he was a 39 year old Karateka and kickboxer. A black belt in Shorinji-Ryu Karate as well as a Nevada state kickboxing champion.
Despite winning his first two fights of the tournament UFC 2 would be Rhodes only entry into MMA competition.
Fred Ettish (who I’ll talk about later) said of Johnny Rhodes:
One person who has never gotten enough credit, IMHO, in all this is Johnny Rhodes. Few people realize that before he proceeded to beat me like a rented mule, he fought something like 15 – 18 minutes (not exactly sure, but it was the longest fight to that point in UFC History) and beat David Levicki, who was something like 260 – 270 pounds. Johnny weighed somewhere in the neighborhood of 215 (Old skinny Fred was about 175). He fought Pat Smith after he was done tenderizing my face, and lost, but I am sure he was exhausted from all the energy he expended using me as his heavy bag. He was a good fighter, hit hard, and a real decent person on top of it. He will always have my respect.
Freek Hamaker – Also known as Frank Hamaker, Freek was billed as a Dutch Sambo expert and Greco-Roman Champion. In reality Hamaker was a adult cinema theater owner from the Netherlands.
He was, however, also a student under Chris Dolman, so his grappling credentials are not without some backbone. Prior to his UFC debut he had experience in several unsanctioned MMA events known as “Fighting in Paradisio” out of Amsterdam. He recounted a particular incident fighting Charly Liefeld where he was on the receiving end of several illegal elbows.
“I did not know what came over me. It was agreed that this was not allowed, I had my or neck may break! I first wanted to stop and was furious at promoter Johan Vos. Then I thought to myself, I just break his arm or his leg. (from The Hardening of Match Fighting)
Hamaker would win his first fight over Thaddeus Luster, however a hand injury sustained in the bout kept him from moving on in the tournament. It would be his only official entry into MMA competition.
That’s the first half of UFC 2. Watch out for the second half, where I talk about Fred Ettish, rehash a bit on Royce Gracie, and delve into the rest of the UFC 2 competitors.
Relevancy is a funny thing in the Heavyweight division. It’s like a “Mystery Spot,” one of those houses that’s been built on an incline but the perspective has been skewed to look like it hasn’t. From the outside everything appears normal enough, it’s only when you start poking around that it’s obvious normal rules don’t apply. I mention this, because last weekend Satoshi Ishii defeated Pedro Rizzo by unanimous decision.
Ishii, as many may be aware, is something of a rising prospect in the heavyweight division (or a proven bust depending on how heavily you read into his Fedor fight). He’s young, he’s got an incredible martial arts base (as one of the worlds great Judokas), and he competes in a division where even a minimal amount of athleticism can see you pass 80% of the challenges put in front of you.
Pedro Rizzo, for his part has remained relevent by making the “legends” tour of the sport and fighting men in a similar position as himself. He’s 39 and fights quite well considering the mileage he’s put on his body. He’s still capable of crushing the Ken Shamrocks, Gary Goodridges, and Jeff Monson’s of the world, but has failed badly when given an opportunity against still relevant fighters. All of which means he’s exactly the type of fight which should mean nothing for someone like Ishii, a clear no win situation, but he’s not and that’s fine.
The fight was a mostly humdrum, back and forth striking afair. Not a clear victory for Ishii, who faded in the third round, but not a poor decision as he clearly took the first and probably scraped by with the second.
For both fighters, this bout should mean nothing, and considering the track Pedro Rizzo is happy to be on it probably will actually mean nothing. I could easily see him getting the winner of Ken Shamrock vs. Ian Freeman in July, if neither fighter realizes what a terrible idea that fight is before then. But for Ishii, this win is worth naught, boardering on a detraction. It’s been 5 years since Rizzo was in a meaningful fight, and 10 since he won a relevant one. The fact that Rizzo gave Ishii trouble should give anyone looking to offer him a future payday pause.
However, in a division (and, to some extent, sport) where fighters are chosen largely by their ability to win any fights consistently this one will no doubt have the desired effect of bumping Ishii a little closer to the big leagues. And it’s fine, because something has to. Until the UFC can find concrete ways to lure and develop larger athletes into the sport, heavyweight will always be paper thin and as long as it is, every win counts.
Antonio Silva was not happy tonight, but not for the reasons you’d think. Yes he lost and in brutal fashion, and while some may say the stoppage was premature, that’s not the tack he’s taking. When asked about the stoppage at the post fight presser, Antonio Silva went on the record to say he felt the strikes that ended the fight were illegal, and referees should start bearing the blame for poor showings.
When asked if Bigfoot had anything to say about the stoppage, Dana White quickly chimed in:
“Yes he does, I’ve been hearing about it.”
Bigfoot then went on to say, exactly what he felt about the referees performance, and where he felt the fight went wrong.
“I do agree that the fight was stopped to early. My way of thinking that the way athletes are penalized when they do something wrong should be applied to referees when they do something wrong.”
“I don’t want to say too much, I just want you to watch the fight. I took several illegal blows to the back of my neck. The way the referee explained it, the first low blow should be a warning, the second should be penalized. If you watch I took several illegal blows to the back of my neck.”
Dana white added insult to injury piling on with suggestions that Yamasaki, given his small frame should never have been given the fight.
“The smallest referee on the planet refereeing the two biggest fighters on the planet. Any time it’s a big fight, everything on the line, I like to see guys like Herb Dean in there.”
… “When you’ve got a guy this tall (White holds his hand out about shoulder height) refereeing two big fighters, it just makes no common sense at all.”
I don’t know that I saw anything terribly heinous in the end of the fight, it was a tad early maybe, but that’s not what Silva is arguing here. If Gabriel Gonzaga couldn’t get his fight against Travis Browne overturned, I can’t see Bigfoot’s argument gaining much ground. As for Dana calling out Yamasaki over his size, it’s a really weird deflection. Essentially he’s not saying that Yamasaki actually did anything wrong, or that the fight was actually stopped poorly, but merely that Yamasaki is too small to be an effective ref for heavyweight fights.
I can’t think of anything that actually reinforces this position in UFC history, and picking refs based on bigness rather than skill seems like it would have very little long term potential as a promotional management strategy. I have to assume for the moment that White was just looking to deflect the topic and agree with his fighter’s stance, without actually agreeing or suggesting he deserved a rematch. At least I certainly hope so, because if not it’s just absurd.
Super Fight League is back with a 7-fight installment from the SFL Arena in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The card starts at 11:30 AM Eastern, 8:30 AM Pacific, and will be streaming live here on Bloody Elbow. So sit down with a mango lassi or a nice cup of chai, get your pakoras ready and enjoy the best MMA action that India has to offer.
Here are the scheduled bouts:
Ritika Singh vs. Irene Cabello Mohamed Abdel Hamid vs. Philipp Schranz Pawan Maan Singh vs. Jamshed Khan Arun Nagar vs. Mohd Asgar Sandeep Kumar vs. Samarveer Mavi Uchit Sharma vs. Sachin Panwar Mohammad Naemi vs. Vladimir Prodanovic
Junior dos Santos is the youngest star in the heavyweight division. With a record of 15-2 and UFC heavyweight title already to his name he’s accomplished as much as most heavyweights will in their entire career, and he’s only 28. However that incredible success has come with a hefty price. He sat down with Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole to discuss his various MMA injuries.
Iole asked Cigano, first and foremost about how he felt about staying in a career long term, when it was certain to cost him his health down the line.
“That’s a good question,” he said. “That’s a really good question.”
“You know, I think it’s worth it,” he said. “This is my life. This is everything I have. People don’t know how hard we [work] and what we sacrifice to [be successful]. MMA athletes train so much, you know. I would continue to [do what I’m doing]. I want it so badly. I want to give everything I have to this. This is everything to me.”
He spoke about his fight with Velasquez, and the toll it took on his body. Saying that after the fight his urine turned a dark brown. The cause, a condition called rhabdomyolysis, the breakdown of muscle tissue seeping into the kidneys. Dos Santos had trained so hard for his fight against Velasquez that he was damaging his muscle tissue beyond his body’s ability to repair it. The creatine kinase levels in his blood should have have been somewhere between 300 units per liter and 350, Cigano’s were reported at 1,400.
As a result Cigano has enlisted the help of physiologist Alexandre Dortas. Dortas has limited dos Santos to two 75 min training sessions per day, and checks his blood often to ensure that he’s not over exerting himself. But this isn’t the first injury set back of the Brazilian heavyweight’s career. While in training for his title defense against Frank Mir he separated a muscle on his right side. The muscle was torn away from the bone, but he decided to continue the fight anyway.
He spoke about the prospect of getting hit in the injured muscle, and why he took the fight anyway:
“Honestly, I probably would have gone down,” he said.
…
“That’s a lot of money we spend to do a training camp,” he said. “I just don’t want to lose that for nothing. And you know, I believe in myself. I believe I still can [fight and win], even with the injury.”
As many fans already know, he entered his first fight against Velasquez on an injured knee, impressive considering he left with the heavyweight title. That makes three straight bouts in which he’s had some significant health problem during his preparation. However, it would appear that a new, more careful, approach to training has paid off as dos Santos says that he will enter UFC 160 against Mark Hunt uninjured. He’s not looking past Hunt, but a third bout with Cain Velasquez looms large in his mind.
“People will be talking about our fights for a long, long time, I believe,” he said, grinning as usual. “That guy hasn’t seen the last of me.”
No matter the result against Hunt I doubt that Velasquez and dos Santos have fought for the last time. Considering that he has said he’d like to fight all the way into his 40s the two of them will no doubt meet again somewhere down the road.
culturesink 
