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5/13/16: Top Five Stories of the Week
In our regular Friday feature, we list out the most newsworthy stories/articles from the past week in MMA.
5. Benavidez and Cejudo to coach flyweights on TUF 24: Two flyweight contenders will serve as coaches for a number of outside competitors in the division on the next season of TUF, and the tournament winner will indeed meet UFC Flyweight Champ Demetrious Johnson at the conclusion of the season. Joseph Benavidez and Henry Cejudo were named as TUF 24 coaches this week, and they’ll face one another on the finale card in the co-main event under Johnson’s title defense.
4. Alistair Overeem takes out Andrei Arlovski in UFC’s Netherlands debut: Dutch fans were highly entertained by the UFC’s debut in Rotterdam last Sunday, with Germaine de Randamie, Stefan Struve, and Alistair Overeem getting them all in a frenzy with big stoppage wins on the card. Overeem likely secured his shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship with his highlight-reel finish of Arlovski. The UFC put out an overall enjoyable event for the Mother’s Day afternoon card, and set a gate and attendance record for that venue in Rotterdam in the process.
3. Arrest made in death of Bellator’s Jordan Parsons: 28-year-old Dennis Wright was arrested last weekend after an anonymous tip led police to him in the hit and run death of Bellator featherweight Jordan Parsons. Wright is believed to have been driving between 100 and 120 mph when he struck Parsons two weeks ago while Parsons was in a crosswalk. He then attempted to get the vehicle fixed and hid it in storage when he was turned away. Wright’s facing numerous charges as a result of his actions.
2. Anderson Silva out of UFC 198 due to gallbladder surgery: “The Spider” really wanted to fight on Saturday’s card in Curitiba, but he was unfortunately sidelined this week after getting violently ill in Brazil. It turned out to be gallbladder issues, and he underwent a two hour surgery on Wednesday to get the organ removed. He’s now on the shelf for the next four to six weeks, and out of his bout with Uriah Hall on the stadium card on pay-per-view.
1. UFC for sale? Potential suitors named while White denies: Several companies were named this week as putting in bids for the UFC in a sale that would be valued at upwards of $4 billion. However, UFC President Dana White refuted the report pretty much immediately, and followed up this week saying that they’re always looking at global expansion deals, but that the organization itself would not be fully sold. What seems to be the most likely scenario at this point is that Zuffa is looking at selling a minority stake in the UFC to one of the companies named in the report.
[Photo (c) Jayne Kamin-Oncea via USA Today Sports]
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