UFC goes X-large for Orlando card
With the Ultimate Fighting Championship preparing to determine the next title challenger in its heavyweight division, the organization visited the home of one of its largest fans Thursday.
The news conference for tonight’s UFC on Fox 11 event in Orlando, Fla., was at the home of former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal.
Travis Browne, a former junior college basketball player who will fight Fabricio Werdum in a main event that will determine the next opponent for heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, said he was willing to take on a second challenge while he was in town.
“I’ll lace ’em up (and play O’Neal in basketball),” Browne said jokingly. “We can play HORSE. I’m ready.”
Browne has been doing his best work lately in the cage, though. The 6-foot-7-inch native of Hawaii fought three times in 2013, winning all three by first-round knockout.
“I’m not a fighter that fights to not lose, I’m a fighter that fights to win, and there’s a big difference,” he said. “In my fights, the judges can just sit back and relax.”
One more victory would set up Browne to fight Velasquez in November at the UFC’s first event in Mexico, provided the champion is healthy.
Browne knows it’s a major opportunity for his career, but he has his eyes on bigger things.
“A chance to fight for the title is kind of what we’re all in it for,” he said. “But I’m not going to sell myself short. This is just part of my journey. I expect more out of myself than to fight in a fight to fight for the title. I look at fighting for the title, I look at taking the title, I look at defending the title.
“My goal is to leave a legacy in this sport, so this is another fight on my road to my legacy.”
The event also represents a major platform for Las Vegan Brad Tavares to take a leap forward in his career. Tavares has won five straight and requested a big-name opponent for his next fight.
Instead, he drew a dangerous yet relatively unknown Olympic silver medalist wrestler, Yoel Romero.
Tavares, 26, wasn’t thrilled with the matchup, but knows what a strong performance can do for his goal of jumping into the top echelon of the middleweight division.
“This is a huge opportunity for me,” Tavares said. “Millions and millions of people tune into this. Fox is in every household. It seems like every fight you can say it’s the biggest fight of my career, but this is definitely the biggest stage I’ve been on so far. I just want to go out and put on a good show and come out victorious.”
The main card, which includes a women’s bantamweight fight between Liz Carmouche and Miesha Tate, airs live on Fox (Cable 5) at 5 p.m. The six-fight preliminary card airs on Fox Sports 1 (Cable 329) at 2.
One person who will not be fighting on the card is O’Neal.
UFC president Dana White says the basketball star turned broadcaster, who has trained extensively in martial arts, has lobbied for a fight against Jose Canseco.
“(Shaq’s) pretty serious about it,” White said. “He’s been doing jiu-jitsu for a very long time, and from what I understand, he’s pretty good at it. It’s absolutely not going to happen, though.”
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.
