Red hot free agent: Is WWE champion Brock Lesnar returning to the UFC?

Brock Lesnar (5-3) could once again find a home in the UFC's Octagon.

Rumours are swirling around the internet that Lesnar, the former UFC heavyweight champion, could make his return to the Nevada-based promotion later this year.

According to a report in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the UFC are considering booking Lesnar in a trilogy fight against his arch rival Frank Mir (17-9) if they can acquire the hottest free agent in combat sports.

Lesnar, the current WWE champion, certainly set tongues wagging last weekend when he made an unannounced appearance at UFC 184.

Without saying a single word or throwing a single punch, Lesnar sent the thousands inside the Staples Center in Los Angeles and millions on social media into a frenzy.

What was Lesnar doing there? Well that's the multi-million dollar question.

The 37 year old is the hottest property in combat sports, and his WWE contract is set to expire at midnight on March 31 (AEST).

Lesnar has a cushy deal with the elite pro wrestling promotion, drawing a remarkable salary for what is essentially a part time schedule.

With a dream contract on the table, many suspected that Lesnar would re-up with WWE for a few more years, but now it seems that negotiations between both parties have gone south.

Last week, the WWE promoted Lesnar to appear on their Monday Night Raw broadcast on social media 20 minutes before air time, but Lesnar never appeared on the episode. Reports are varied, but all say the former NCAA Division I champion wrestler walked out, not happy with how negotiations on a new deal were progressing.

At UFC 184 those negotiations became very public. A coy UFC president Dana White later said that Lesar "was in town and wanted to come see the fight" at the post-fight press conference, but many believe that there's more to the story.

The Lesnar-UFC rumours have failed to go away and recent months have only further fuelled them. Whether or not both sides will ever come together again is up in the air at this stage, but it's very clear that there's money to be made if Lesnar wanted to make one final run in the sport.

The 6'3" and 283 pound (128kg) behemoth is a bona fide box office draw. Look no further than the fact that all four of the blockbuster events headlined by Lesnar capped $1 million buys on pay-per-view in North America alone.

UFC aren't the only promotion fighting for Lesnar's signature though - Bellator MMA, the UFC's biggest competitor, have thrown their name in the hat as well.

Bellator are a significantly smaller that the UFC. They have a limited amount of world-ranked fighters, typically host all their events from tiny venues and have practically no presence on pay-per-view, but they have an ace up their sleeve.

The company is owned by Viacom, the world's sixth largest broadcasting and cable company, which gives them as many, if not more, resources than any of the other horses in the race.

Whether or not Lesnar's future is in a wrestling ring or an MMA cage is anyone's guess at this point. The only thing we know for sure is that Lesnar might be the luckiest man in combat sports.

**Article originally appeared on MMA Kanvas

http://mmakanvas.ninemsn.com.au/articles/news/2821/is-brock-lesnar-coming-back-to-the-ufc.html

MMA 'bad boy' Nick Diaz still has something to prove

UFC 183 headliner Nick Diaz (26-9-1NC) is one of the biggest names in MMA, and not primarily for his feats inside the Octagon. 

Coming into his fourteenth year as a professional fighter, Diaz has been there and done that. His career has taken him to a hatful of promotions, with the California native spending time with Pride, Strikeforce, Elite XC, WEC, Shooto and Dream.

He’s captured gold before, as the WEC and Strikeforce welterweight champion, although the UFC belt has evaded him. 

Diaz is both loved and hated in equal measure. There is no questioning his image as the "bad boy of MMA", with his fans enjoying his brash, loudmouth attitude, as the fighter who shoots from the hip more often than not.

Whether it’s his high profile feud with UFC president Dana White or his apparent ‘disrespect’ ofGeorges St-Pierre (GSP), his multiple retirements, numerous failed drug tests or no showing media events, Diaz certainly knows how to create controversy. 

His style is known to rub some fight fans the wrong way, with many considering him nothing more than a loud mouth who knows how to talk a big fight, but not necessarily win one.

But for every detractor, there’s a member of Team Diaz who find his approach to the fight-game refreshing. Diaz’s ‘anti-authority’ approach has captured fight fans' imagination and it is this following that has seen him headline some of the UFC’s biggest events, as he does again this Sunday against the returning Anderson Silva (33-6).

Sunday’s fight is a watershed moment for Diaz, with the Silva fight giving him the opportunity to make big dollars and a victory could put him on course for another title shot, either in the middleweight or his more natural welterweight division. 

It’s the golden ticket for a fighter that has a habit for getting in his own way. Diaz retired after his last fight with Georges St Pierre, in which he lost the five-round title fight via unanimous decision. 

Diaz blamed the judges and promptly walked away, as he did in the fight before, another loss against Carlos Condit, that time for the interim belt. Again Diaz blamed the judges, and again the retirement proved only short term. 

After announcing his departure from the UFC after falling to GSP (25-2), UFC president Dana White said he’d soon be back, "when the money runs out."

Diaz has become a highly skilled fighter, starting his mixed-martial arts career practising Karate and Aikido from a young age, alongside his brother and fellow UFC fighter Nate Diaz. He soon transitioned into Sambo and Freestyle Wrestling, before switching his attention to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), where he gained a black belt under Cesar Gracie.

The Mexican-American made his professional debut in 2001 at the age of 18, winning his first fight via triangle choke. Diaz would win his first title in his second fight, defeating the veteran Chris Lytle (31-18-5) to win the IFC Welterweight championship.

He would go undefeated in his first four fights, before tasting defeat to Jeremy Jackson (9-5) at IFC Cage Warriors Challenge 18, having fought two fights earlier that night in the one-night tournament. 

The setback would be put behind him, by claiming his first major championship, the WEC Welterweight championship against Joe Hurley (12-5). He’d follow that with redemption against Jackson, winning both the rematch and rubber match, the later taking in his UFC debut, after signing with the organisation in mid-2003.

He would impress early in his UFC career, defeating Robbie Lawler (25-10-1), losing on a split decision to Karo Parisyan (24-11-1), before rebounding with wins against Koji Oishi (25-10-10) and Drew Fickett (42-21).

Diaz impressed many with his action packed fights as fans became accustomed to his explosive style, both in the Octagon and on the microphone. 

The fighter was becoming known for his blatant disrespect of fighters, using the press and official UFC events to publicly ridicule each opponent. That may have proved his undoing however, as Diaz would lose his next three fights, to Diego Sanchez (25-7), Joe Riggs (40-15-1) and Sean Sherk (36-4-1), which would see him temporarily leave the UFC.

He’d be granted a reprieve soon after filling in after Thiago Alves (20-9) become ill before his fight at UFC 62. Diaz would mark his return with a win, and making it back to back victories in his next fight at UFC 65.

Despite the improved results, the UFC didn’t move to resign the fighter, showing the first signs of what would become a ‘touchy’ relationship between the pair. 

Diaz would prove it an opportunity lost for the Zuffa owned organisation, losing just one fight in his next fourteen, plying his trade across Pride, Elite XC, Dream and Strikeforce organisations. 

It was Diaz’s performances, along with emerging fighters such as Jake Shields (31-7-1-1NC), Ronda Rousey (10-0) and Gilbert Melendez (22-4) that would take Strikeforce to record ratings and a big following, with now Bellator president, Scott Coker giving the UFC some real competition. 

Diaz continued to add to his legions of fans with his brashness, and as always, wasn’t too far from controversy.

In this time he would become equally adept at self promotion. Every story needs a bad guy and Diaz showed all he was happy to play the role. 

But, unexpectedly, Diaz would soon be back under the UFC banner. Zuffa would purchase Strikeforce and as a result acquire the contract of the organisations welterweight champion. 

Despite the animosity, UFC president Dana White honoured the contract and the two committed to building a relationship, which would soon make each of them a lot of money.

Diaz was thrown to the wolves, with MMA legend BJ "The Prodigy" Penn (16-10-2) first up in his second return to the Octagon. Diaz would prove too good however, taking the fight on a unanimous decision.

The Carlos Condit (29-8) and GSP fights would follow, but they’d be met with roadblocks.

Diaz would be suspended for a year after testing positive to marijuana after his fight with Condit, whilst he had his initial shot at GSP cancelled after he failed to show up to a pre-fight press conference, after missing numerous scheduled flights. 

Despite these troubles, the UFC persevered as he sells tickets and his name ensures a substantial buy rate and fan investment. 

Sunday’s fight still presents many questions. Arguably one of the UFC’s best, "The Spider" Silva, makes his return after a horrendous leg break. Most questions linger around the health of Silva and whether at age 39 he can return to his former glory.

But the subplot of Diaz is intriguing. Is the fighter following a similar pathway to a fighter like Chael Sonnen (28-14-1)? “The American Gangster” is remembered as much for being a mouthpiece to get turnstiles spinning, as being known for the headlines he created actually fighting inside the Octagon.

It’s a chance for the 31-year-old to show he truly belongs at the elite level of the sport.

Is Diaz worthy of the main event or is he simply a sideshow? Sunday is when we find out.

** Article originally appeared on MMA Kanvas

http://mmakanvas.ninemsn.com.au/articles/news/2703/mma-bad-boy-nick-diaz-still-has-something-to-prove.html

Football the stuff of dreams

IT’S the 56th minute in Porto Alegre and Socceroo skipper Mile Jedinak has just fired the Socceroos 2-1 ahead over the Netherlands, my friend and I are in the stands, and we’re going crazy, as we scream to each other, ‘‘How good is this!’’.

In that moment I think back to 1997, where I was left in my lounge room in tears from a second half capitulation at the hands of Iran, which robbed us of a World Cup berth at the final hurdle.

Even to this day it still hurts, and I often ask myself, what might have been.

Revenge may just arrive on home soil in this Asian Cup, but I doubt it will heal the wound.

The point of all this, is the fact for so long just making the World Cup was a pipedream, yet back in June, we stood within half an hour of taking down the 2010 World Cup runners-up, and the side who would eventually finish third.

For so long we just wanted to be a part of it, and for many nations the Asian Cup is simply a chance to belong.

Tournaments like the Asian Cup are magical, because more often than not, the unexpected happens.

Take Iraq in 2007, then and still a country in turmoil, their squad had been weakened, with players taking political asylum in foreign lands whilst on tour. Families of the players were tortured as a result to get them home, and perhaps as a deterrent to those who remained.

Yet somehow this nation, who no one gave a hope to, not only downed the highly rated Socceroos, but went on to lift the trophy.


Palestine, who we watched here in Newcastle on Monday against Japan, is the feel good story of this edition. Their struggles are well known, and it’s a triumph that their football side is even here at the Asian Cup. They were only recognised as an independent state by FIFA back in 1998. It’s their first top-tier tournament and they booked their place by winning the AFC Challenge Cup in May.

Football is somewhat insignificant, when you look at the wider context involving Palestine, but it offers so many hope of a brighter future.

It offers hope to a child on the West Bank, that when he looks down at the crest of his jersey, he knows it means something. Those players are playing for him, and if he practices hard, and has a bit of luck, one day he could be one of them.

Just like the dreams I had in 1997. Sadly, I never became a Socceroo, but I got to the World Cup and I wore my colours with pride.

There’s simply nothing like travelling overseas in support of your country. The long walk to the stadium, is full of colour.

You sing like you never have before. We will for that excitement from the fans of other nations over the next few weeks.

And as a fan for the next 90 or so minutes, there’s no place you’d rather be. You ride every pass, tackle and cover your eyes with every shot on goal, and for that 90 minutes, you belong.

You boo, scream and battle the opposition in the stands, just as fiercely as the players are on the pitch. But at full-time, you shake hands, take photos and head to the nearest watering hole, to either drown your sorrows or celebrate victory.

Who cares about the Asian Cup?

Four hundred and eighty four million people in 80 countries watched the final between Japan and Australia in 2011, and the 2015 final is expected to be viewed by over 900 million. Asia routinely provides the biggest viewing audience for the World Cup and top European leagues, such as the Premier League.

The cup is here on our doorstep. After Monday night’s match, Newcastle still has three more games.

Don’t miss your opportunity to be a part of it.

My most treasured memories of the World Cup in Brazil was the interaction with opposition fans, learning their chants, hearing their stories and being inspired at what it took for each of them to be there.

That’s the magic of football.

Asian Cup no easy street for the Socceroos

It might be the fact that Australia’s time in the Asian Football Confederation is still in its infancy, but the perception is that the Socceroos are destined for the Asian Cup final.

In reality, it is going to be a lot harder than people think.

Big things are expected of the home country, and with expectation comes pressure. As if the Socceroos needed any more of that on their shoulders.

Ange Postecoglou’s men have been in abysmal form in recent times as the country free falls in the FIFA rankings. For the record, we’re currently sitting at 101, our lowest ever and just below Macedonia, Mozambique and Antigua and Barbuda.

The FIFA rankings have long been viewed as a joke, and I put about as much credence in them as I do the McDonalds Healthy Choice menu, but the ranking does highlight how far we’ve fallen in such a short time.

It’s not just the players under pressure either, with Postecoglou well and truly starting to wear out the public’s optimism.

In the 19 games under his tutelage the Socceroos have won four, drawn five and lost ten.


Our last four fixtures have all been against Asian opposition, and we’ve won just one of them.


A 3-2 win over Saudi Arabia in September, was followed by a 0-0 draw with the United Arab Emirates, before back to back defeats, losing 1-0 to Qatar and 2-1 to Japan.

Postecoglou has been experimenting with different players throughout this time but, to be fair, the nucleus of the squad has remained the same as have the results - disappointing.

It follows a World Cup which was strangely met with optimism despite losing all three games and conceding nine goals.

Our bad luck in the World Cup draw, which landed us Spain, Netherlands and Chile, has followed us into the Asian Cup.


Make no mistake, we’re in a difficult group. Sure we should progress, but it’s not a fait accompli.

Oman, Kuwait and South Korea have all beaten us in recent years. Oman managed a 1-0 win and 2-2 draw during the last World Cup qualification, Kuwait beat us 1-0 in Canberra in 2009 and South Korea are one of the toughest in Asia.

All have pace in their ranks, which have long proven an Achilles heel for the Socceroos back four.

Defence is the biggest hole that Postecoglou has to somehow fill. We can find the back of the net at least while Tim Cahill is still around, having scored 25 goals in our last 19, but it’s the other end of the pitch that causes issues.

We’ve conceded 32 goals in our 19 games under Ange, an average of 1.64 per game.

Injury has hampered Ange’s ability to settle on a central defensive pairing with Matthew Spiranovic and Trent Sainsbury spending time on the sidelines, allowing Alex Wilkinson to rise in favour. Jason Davidson has hardly featured at West Brom since the World Cup, whilst Ivan Franjic has had a similar experience with his move to Russia.

Whilst many are saying that home ground advantage will be enough for the Socceroos to get over the line, it remains to be seen just how much a help it is given the media spotlight is also a brighter one on home soil.

Getting out of the group will prove a challenge, and one the Socceroos should accomplish. But what’s most important is that we finish top of the group, so we avoid reigning Asian champions Japan until the final.

Finishing second in the group would mean we meet the Japanese in a semi-final in Newcastle, a silver lining for Novocastrians but not so much for the Socceroos chances.

We all know Japan’s quality and we all get to witness it first-hand when they open their title defence against Palestine on Monday. Any side with the likes of Honda, Kagawa, Endo and Nagotomo will take some stopping.

Iran is a real chance, and they’ve flown under the radar a little in the expert’s predictions.


They are the number one ranked side in Asia for a reason and impressed at the World Cup, where they stretched eventual finalists Argentina all the way.


The Asian Cup promises so much for football in Australia. It’s an opportunity for the game to continue to grow in the leaps and bounds it has in recent years, exposing our appetite for football and the growing Asian influence on it.

Newcastle has a tremendous opportunity that doesn’t come often, hosting four games. The city will see two pool matches and a semi-final which could involve the Socceroos or even Japan-South Korea, plus the third and fourth playoff.

The Socceroos weren’t performing well before the last Asian Cup last time, and should have won it, so don’t give up all hope. But if a racehorse showed this form before a big race, you’d probably send it to the glue factory rather than plonking down your hard earned.

As a Socceroos fan, I’d love nothing more than seeing Mile Jedinak lift the trophy come January 28 in Sydney. But the Socceroos must show a tonne of improvement for that to become a reality.

*Article originally appeared in the Newcastle Herald

Why the A-League has no place in the Sutherland Shire

It's a junior nursery, but for how long?

It’s the story that I hoped would simply go away, but now it’s starting to scare me, with Tim Cahill and Cronulla Sharks chairman Lyall Gorman giving the proposal their backing .

The idea that a third Sydney A-League side should be placed in the Sutherland Shire is farcical.

Being someone that’s lived in the area most of my life, with my family a part of the Menai Hawks and having had an involvement with the Sutherland Sharks in the NSW Premier League, I speak from considerable expertise.

Plus, this idea isn’t exactly a new one.

Sydney Olympic became the ‘Olympic Sharks’ for two seasons in the old National Soccer League, playing their home games out of Shark Park and moving their youth teams to Bates Drive at Kirrawee.

The Olympic Sharks even won the NSL title in the 2001-02 season, and were Minor Premiers in 2002-03, only to lose in the Grand Final. The Olympic Sharks were as successful as can be on-field, but still, no one in the Shire seemed to care too much.

Sure it was a repackaged Sydney Olympic, and that could have been the issue, but my father and I still went and watched, despite being Marconi fans, unfortunately not too many of the other locals got on board.

Now the region does have the largest junior participation, and back in the day, the Menai Hawks and Lilli Pilli regularly battled it out for the honours of being the biggest junior club in the southern hemisphere.

But the demographic of the area is changing.


Families are being priced out and those that grew up in the area, such as myself, can’t afford to hang around the area, and even those who pay the lofty house prices, a day at the A-League may just be a stretch too far when the weekly budget is calculated.

Why do we need to expand to a third team in Sydney?


Sydney FC are only just finding some solid ground after a few lean years before the arrival of Del Piero and whilst the Wanderers have made a stunning start to life, we cannot get too complacent, with the Western Sydney market only expected to become more competitive.


Why not have both Sydney teams averaging 25,000 a week? Why introduce a third team which will only take fans away from the existing franchises.

The Newcastle Jets are in disarray, with the Hunter Sports Group seemingly running the franchise into the ground and the Central Coast Mariners are experiencing similar economic issues.

How about ensuring the solidity of the existing franchises before we start adding anymore?

We saw what happened with Gold Coast United and North Queensland Fury, which the league has only really recovered from in the shape of the Wanderers.

Let’s get all the current A-League sides to an economically sustainable level. I know many have a ‘dream’ of Australia having a second-tier and therefore promotion and relegation, but I don’t think people understand how far away that day actually is.

Just having 10 A-League teams competing is a task for Football Federation Australia, both economically and logistically, especially when sharing infrastructure and stadiums with other sports.

If we built our own stadiums and academies then great, but it’s been hard enough for A-League clubs to break even, let alone look too far ahead.

That’s not to say that there aren’t realistic options to expand to when the times is right.

I'd be looking towards Canberra and Tasmania as possible expansion targets.

The ACT are crying out for football and whilst it was tried previously with the Canberra Cosmos, recent attendances to significant football matches in the region , such as the FFA Cup and Socceroos highlight the potential.

Locals haven’t really warmed to the GWS GIANTS attempts at embracing the place and the Canberra Raiders aren’t exactly setting the world on fire at the moment and I wouldn’t expect them to return to their glory days anytime soon.

Canberra United has built a solid foundation through the W-League and Canberra Stadium and the AIS facilities provide a solid base to build an A-League club from.

Tasmania has long been a dream of mine. The argument is always that it is not 'commercially viable', but I don’t know how that argument has weight when you have teams in Newcastle and Gosford.

The Apple Isle is crying out for national sport and they have shown their appetite in supporting the AFL games taken to the state in recent times.

No other sport will bite the bullet in the region, and football showed what can be achieved through initiative with the Wanderers.

But expose the game to a new market, rather than diluting one to provide for another.

I’ve regularly attended Sydney FC games, catching the train from the Sutherland Shire into Central Station and making the walk up to the Sydney Football Stadium.


The trains are regularly filled with Sydney FC fans and almost every football person I come across in the area calls themselves a Sky Blue.


There’s talk of bringing the South Coast into the proposed side, but again, we’ve seen the challenges that the Wollongong Wolves faced and the continued economic challenges facing the ‘rebirth’ South Coast Wolves.


The Cronulla Sharks have long been a financial basket case, which hasn’t been helped by recent events. Commercially the region isn’t strong and the Sharks are regularly chasing sponsors, a sign that the area isn’t exactly the gold mine many believe it to be.

Whilst David Gallop hasn’t explicitly come out and said he supports a move to the Sutherland Shire, the media coverage and discussion continues to grow.

I just hope someone from head office actually looks at the bigger picture and doesn’t expect that the success of the Wanderers can be replicated in any market they choose.

As someone who has lived, played and followed football in the area for most of my life, I believe bringing an A-League team to the region would only undo a lot of the positives steps the A-League has made in recent times.

CM Punk to the UFC - 'No we're not being Punked'

No we’re not being 'Punked', Phil Brooks aka CM Punk has signed a deal to fight for the UFC.

The organisation announced the news as part of the UFC 181 broadcast, catching most by surprise.

Punk made an appearance on good friend Colt Cabana’s podcast last week and although he firmly closed the door on a return to the WWE, he didn’t give the indication that this announcement would occur just days later.

Now that the initial shock has dispersed fans are coming out divided over the signing.

It is a strange one, but I’m excited by it and certainly wish Punk well.

Naturally fans are comparing Punk to current WWE Heavyweight Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar entered the Octagon with a fair pedigree behind him, being the NCAA Heavyweight champion and has since said he would have joined the UFC over WWE initially, had the UFC been as prominent as it is today way back when.

‘The Beast’ certainly wasn’t handled with care upon his entry to the UFC, being matched with former champion Frank Mir on debut.

Lesnar was probably used as a ‘sacrificial lamb’ in some respects by UFC President Dana White, at least until he realised that Brock could actually fight and the UFC could make a hell of a lot of money out of it.

Brock Lesnar’s PPV numbers were more than impressive; in fact the two biggest selling UFC Pay-Per-Views of all time had him in the main event.

Just like Lesnar brought over a tonne of wrestling fans, Punk will do the same.

The fact he has 2.1 million followers on Twitter alone, shows his value, coupled with the fact his podcast with Colt Cabana, where he broke his silence over why he left the WWE, virtually broke the internet last week.

Now he’s probably not going to win a UFC title and perhaps not even fight a ‘big name’ fighter, and it may all go horribly wrong.

But I’ll pay my $50 to see it, and frankly that’s all that matters.

There are a lot of questions that need answering.

Can he actually fight? Well that’s to be seen.

He doesn’t come from a fighting background, but there is somewhat of a base.

Punk has been training in Jiu-jitsu for years with Rener Gracie, has a Kempo background and has had an exposure to Muay Thai.

It may be ‘fake’ in WWE, but he certainly has the right idea behind all of his kicks, knees and elbows.

Another question, Can he take a punch?

We all saw what a weakness it was for Lesnar and you just can’t be one dimensional in the UFC. You don’t have to be perfect everywhere, but you’ve got to at least offer something in a few areas, with decent striking, ground game and solid defence.

As someone who stepped into the boxing ring a few years ago, with no prior experience, I have to say I understand the motivation. I’d followed boxing for years, covered the sport as a journalist and hit the pads, but jumping in between the ropes was a dream and it’s something I’d love to do again.

For the record, I wasn’t very good and I technically lost my debut, thanks judges, but I loved it. I found I could take a decent shot, and I took several, but the experience was the ultimate challenge and I’m glad I did it.  

But you just don’t know whether ‘it’ is in you until you do it. You don’t know whether you’ve got the chin until it’s tested and you don’t know whether you’ve got the heart for it, until it’s required.

For taking up the challenge, Punk has my respect and there’s certainly no bigger challenge than the UFC.

The final question, Will his body hold up?

He is 36-years-old and has been riddled with injuries throughout his professional wrestling career. He has significant wear and tear on his body and MMA is a very unforgiving sport.

Only time will answer that one.

The organisation has been criticised in some parts and classed as ‘selling out’ for signing the former professional wrestler, but if the UFC hadn’t signed Punk, someone else would have, most likely their rival promotion Bellator.

Why give your rival an opportunity, that’s guaranteed to make money and bring new eyes on your product?

UFC president Dana White has already said that Punk will be fighting guys of similar experience, those with perhaps a couple of fights or less. This in itself is new to the UFC, with most fighters building their resume in other lesser known promotions before being given an opportunity by the premier mixed martial arts promotion.

If White wanted to make an example out of Punk or wanted him to ‘earn’ his opportunity, he would have made him go through the Ultimate Fighter, as he made ‘Internet Sensation’ Kimbo Slice.

The fact he hasn’t, gives you an indication of the level of opponent Punk will be afforded. White is a smart business man. He knows the box office draw that Punk will be, why set him up to fail on the first outing, when you have a multiple fight contract that will make both parties a lot of money.

Punk now has six months to train and learn as much as he can, although there’s only so much you can learn in that time, as he looks at a June 2015 debut.  

Whatever comes to pass, I’m looking forward to watching it unfold and there will be millions of other fight fans along for the ride with me. 

Follow Adam on Twitter here. 

Soa ‘The Hulk’ Palelei hungry to fight on

HAVING a change of opponent just three weeks from fight night causes chaos for most fighters, given they've spent months scouting their opposition, tailoring training to work on a specific fight plan.

But Newcastle-born Soa "The Hulk" Palelei is so focused he's only concerned with the things in his control, and given the shape he's in, whoever steps into the UFC Octagon at Allphones Arena in Sydney will be hard pressed to stop him.

Originally scheduled to fight tough Daniel Omielanczuk from Poland, he'll now face American Walt Harris at UFC Fight Night 55.

Speaking to Palelei from Thailand, where he's preparing, you can tell he's all business.

"I'm here to train and focus on training. All you do here is wake up, train, go home, sleep, eat, wake up, train . . . so there's no distraction."

The 36-year-old, who was raised in Mayfield, is training at the Thai arm of the famed A.K.A. - home to current UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and light-heavyweight title contender Daniel Cormier - and "The Hulk" is in career-best shape.

Today, November 8, he meets a man who he knows will be desperate.

Harris was cut from the UFC after tasting consecutive defeats to Jared Rosholt and Nikita Krylov. But an injury to Omielanczuk saw Harris granted a reprieve - something Palelei knows a thing or two about.

Palelei had his first taste of the UFC in 2007 when he arrived in the promotion with much fanfare before suffering a disappointing third-round TKO defeat to Eddie Sanchez.


The loss saw the UFC send Palelei packing at a time when the Australian was going through a turbulent period of his life.

But it was a loss that changed everything.

"A lot of things happened in 2007, just with family and things like that," he said. "After that fight, I went back to Perth and sat on the couch for a couple of years and I woke up one day and thought, I don't want to be 50 years old and thinking to myself, 'I should have given it another shot'.

"That's when I started pushing and training hard, and here I am."

The long climb back to the UFC began, with the fighter splitting his time between several local promotions, before 10 wins in 11 fights saw Palelei given his chance at redemption.

His second stint in the promotion began well, with a TKO victory over Nikita Krylov, a man who has previously vanquished his UFC Fight Night 55 opponent Harris.

He followed that win with a first-round demolition of Pat Barry, repeating the dose in his next bout with Ruan Potts.

But in June this year, the plan came unstuck. Jared Rosholt brought Palelei's climb up the rankings to a halt with a unanimous points victory. It ended Palelei's 11-fight win streak.

But it won't derail his dream: "It's not really a setback; you just have to keep going forward. If you lose, you lose. You just have to get back on the horse and that's what I've done.

"You're going to lose, everyone has their losses, and it's a wake-up call. After that fight it made me not want to lose again and that's why I'm in Thailand. A lot of my camps were done in Australia but I've changed everything now and made the move over to Thailand and we'll see what happens on November 8."

For now, Palelei's aim is to continue to climb the UFC heavyweight rankings to his MMA dreams, with defeats ensuring his UFC contract hangs in the balance.

"I want to make the top 10. I want to get the gold strap, but I want to keep pushing and keep improving and I'm excited for this fight, especially being in Sydney."

*Article originally appeared in the Newcastle Herald