Join MMA Nation today at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET as we stream live notes from the UFC's conference call. UFC president Dana White has promised a "major announcement," which is anticipated to be the headlining bout for the promotion's debut on Fox. Details are listed below.
- UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will face Junior do Santos in the night's headlining event.
- Dana White: "What better way to kick this off than with a heavyweight championship."
- "There were so many ideas we were kicking around, including Anderson SIlva."
- "No card is ever finished until we announce it."
- UFC 139 in San Jose will still be held with a new headliner.
- Velasquez vs. dos Santos will be the only fight on the televised Fox card.
- "Both guys were so excited to be fighting on the first Fox card."
- "It's the most prestigious title in all of sports."
- "Cain will be able to get dos Santos on the ground."
- Tickets for the Fox show go on sale next Friday.
- The UFC is still figuring out what to do with the rest of the card.
- Made the decision with Fox to not directly combat Manny Pacquiao fight.
- "People will need to be taught what mixed martial arts is."
- "Fans in attendance won't notice a difference in the event."
- "We'll get the undercard fights out somewhere where fans can see them."
- "We're still negotiating how fans in the U.K. will be able to see the card."
- If the fight ends early the UFC will fill the rest of the time with a full replay of a different fight or a "best of the night" feature.
- In convincing Velasquez and dos Santos to take the fight, "It was the easiest conversation I've heard had. It took three-and-a-half minutes to get the deal done."
- Fox will launch the UFC on Fox with a "Super Bowl style tailgate party, red-carpet production."
- "We want the input of Fox. We want their production help. They are the best at what they do."
- "We're not mainstream. Mainstream is when you walk down the street and ask somebody if they know what basketball is. We're getting the opportunity from Fox to become mainstream. Now is the time to work. We need to step it up. You guys are going to see a lot of changes in the way the shows are run, everything."
- "This is going to be an event of all events."
- "This deal doesn't even start til January and they are already promoting us. We've never been happier."
- Formation of Velasquez vs. dos Santos on Fox started two days ago.
- The event will be promoted across all Fox Sports assets (NFL, MLB, Nascar) as November draws closer.
- There was no question that Fox would get a huge fight.
- Fox executive: "We knew they were going to deliver, so now we'll deliver for them."
- White: "We're still working on how we'll educate people."
- Fox: "Most of the education will come from the commentary. We don't want to muck it up with illustrations."
- Fox: Broadcast team is undecided at this point, but "We do think Rogan is awesome."
- White: "You tell me the last time you saw Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez in a boring fight. I am betting everything that doesn't happen."
- "I'm expecting to blow (EliteXC's ratings record) out of the water."
- Brock Lesnar has no intention of retiring.
- "Junior dos Santos' manager has texted me 50,000 times telling me how excited they are."
- "This is our Forrest Griffin - Stephan Bonnar on a massive scale."
- "This was the deal I always wanted, and now that we're actually in it, it's better than I ever dreamed it would be."