Friday, June 12 6:00 pm PT: Former WBO heavyweight boxing champion Ray Mercer will have a little more of Tim Sylvia to contend with when the pair meet Saturday night at Adrenaline III inside the BJCC Arena in Birmingham, Ala., for an impromptu MMA bout.
The 6-foot-8 Maine native usually sheds down to within five pounds of the 265-pound heavyweight limit during competition. However, Sylvia weighed in Friday at 311 pounds to Mercer’s 257-pound frame –- a far cry from the former UFC champion’s usual tale of the tape.
The bout, originally intended as a six-round boxing match, has fended off criticism since its inception. It took its biggest hit yet Thursday when athletic commission reps stepped in to squash it all together, claiming it had not been properly approved and regulated.
Friday, June 12 5:15 pm PT: Stakes are always high in prizefights, but for some more than others.
Wanderlei Silva: A fifth loss in six fights would bring talk of retirement -- already a low murmur -- to a chorus. He at least needs a competitive distance battle with Franklin to retain fan faith.
Cain Velasquez: Big paydays against big names -- Mir, Lesnar -- are right around the corner for Velasquez if he can get past Cheick Kongo. A collective deflation for his supporters and his next-big-thing status is queued up if he can’t.
Friday, June 12 12:36 pm PT: If you’ve thought the UFC had everything but a crowd chanting “get a room!” in German, has the promotion got a treat for you. Organizers will take the event to Cologne, Germany, for the first time this Saturday, and fans there have every reason to be excited. In addition to a main event that’s as good a guarantee of violence as a World Cup soccer game, two heavyweights will help determine the future of their division.
Thursday, June 11 10:32 pm PT: Wanderlei Silva spoke with Marcelo Alonso and Guilherme Cruz on his UFC 99 bout against Rich Franklin, old rivalries and new friends.
Sherdog.com: How has your training gone for this fight against Rich Franklin?
Silva: I know this fight will be really important in my career. I need to win this fight and I trained hard for that. I was supported by many top sparring partners, most of them bigger than me. Names like FabrÃcio Werdum, Forrest Griffin, Vitor Vianna, Mike Whitehead, Heath Herring. They made me feel pretty comfortable for this fight. I respect Franklin a lot. He is a great fighter, but I just see three results for this fight: I knock him out, he knocks me out or it’s going to be a really bloody fight. Definitely it’s not going to be a moderate fight. I’m prepared for a war. I hope he hits me right in the beginning because it makes me mad, and when it happens, I go to break my opponent. I respect him a lot, but I need to win and I will fight for that.
