Who needs Brock Lesnar?

Will UFC's barbaric bloodlust work in Houston? Dana White's mild-mannered BayouCity guarantee

The UFC featherweight title comes down to Brazilian Jose Aldo, left, andMassachusetts native Kenny Florian, right.
Photo by Fayza A. Elmostehi
Fans stood behind a partition and behind the press while UFC president DanaWhite and the four main contenders fielded questions.
Photo by Fayza A. Elmostehi
There's some serious bling-bling up for grabs when UFC returns to the ToyotaCenter in Houston.
Photo by Fayza A. Elmostehi
It's the UFC lightweight and featherweight match-ups of the year, and they'recoming to the Toyota Center in October.
Charismatic (and blunt) UFC president Dana White delivered the good UFC news toHouston in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Photo by Fayza A. Elmostehi
Defending UFC champions Jose Aldo (left, featherweight) and Frankie Edgar(right, lightweight) answer questions about hanging onto their titles in Houstonon Sat., Oct. 8.
Photo by Fayza A. Elmostehi
Does it almost look civil to you? That's because it actually was.
Photo by Fayza A. Elmostehi
"Being at 145 pounds, I feel like I'm one of the better, stronger athletes inthe division," said Kenny Florian.
Photo by Fayza A. Elmostehi
Sparks finally flew between the two lightweight contenders, Frankie Edgar, left,and Gray Maynard, right.
Photo by Fayza A. Elmostehi
"This time, there won't be any doubt in the judges' minds or the rest of theworld that I'm the UFC lightweight champion," said Gray Maynard.
Photo by Fayza A. Elmostehi

For a sport typified by bloodshed, brutality, and barbarism, you'd think the Houston return of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) would be equally as bombastic.

But in a subdued room in the Toyota Center, amidst timid journalists and a muted throng of fans, UFC president Dana White peacefully announced that our city will play host to both the lightweight and featherweight championship fights on Oct. 8.

While UFC's acts of man destruction were last witnessed in Houston in 2007, White is counting on the ultimate fight's morbid mass appeal to carry the sport to new heights in the Bayou City. "This thing works everywhere," White declared. "People get it, and people like it."

And get it we'd better. The fate of two UFC titles — featherweight and lightweight — will be decided on that Saturday in October.

Reigning UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and unbeaten top contender Gray Maynard will face off in the evening's main event, following the showdown between defending UFC featherweight title holder José Aldo and Kenny Florian. The two championship events will be buttressed by both a middleweight and heavyweight match.

"This thing works everywhere," Dana White declared. "People get it, and people like it."

Even if lighter fighters don't satiate the Brock Lesnar bloodlust in you, White believes mixed martial arts are innate to your being.

"Fighting is the oldest sport. Somebody somewhere threw a punch, and somebody came to watch," he said. "Fighting is in our DNA, and we like it."

But fans at Tuesday's press conference didn't even get so much as a whiff of the kill. The most that the uncharacteristically silent bunch experienced was a tense exchange of steely glances between a fearless Edgar and intimidating Maynard.

Come October, these two pairs of brutes will be mercilessly tearing at each other's exposed flesh, gleefully cutting off respiration and throttling unprotected heads like punching bags.

But in the meantime, you'll have to settle for perfecting your flying armbar on your unwitting friends while shelling out big bucks for pay-per-view. Or watching highlights from the press conference below.

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WNBA returns to H-Town

Tilman Fertitta pays record $300M to bring Houston Comets back home

Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

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Houston will soon welcome the return of a beloved local sports franchise. Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta’s company, Fertitta Entertainment, has reached an agreement to purchase WNBA franchise Connecticut Sun and relocate them to Houston as the Houston Comets.

Pending approval by the WNBA’s Board of Governors, the Houston Comets will begin playing at Toyota Center for the start of the 2027 WNBA season. The announcement confirms media reports of the deal that first circulated last week. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but many outlets, including ESPN, report the price as a record-breaking $300 million. PaperCity was first to report the news.

“My family and I are thrilled for the opportunity to bring the Houston Comets back to this incredible city,” Rockets alternate governor Patrick Fertitta said in a statement. “Houston has a proud championship history in the WNBA, with banners from the Comets’ four historic championship seasons still hanging in the rafters of Toyota Center. We believe the time is right to begin the next great era of Comets basketball, and we look forward to working with the WNBA as we move through this process.”

As Fertitta notes, the Comets were one of the WNBA’s original franchises and won its first four championships from 1997-2000. The team disbanded in 2008. Currently, the WNBA has 13 teams with two more coming, the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, that will bring the league to 15 when they begin play in May.

Fertitta Entertainment has launched houstoncomets.com as a source for news and information about the team’s revival. Fans may place a $99 deposit on a membership that will give them access to season tickets. WNBA Houston merchandise is also available.

“This is an exciting time for our organization as we welcome the WNBA back to the City of Houston and revive the legacy of the Comets,” president of business operations Gretchen Sheirr added. "The momentum and enthusiasm have been evident through the overwhelming interest from fans and the business community, all eager to support the return of this franchise. It is a true testament to the continued growth and investment in women’s sports, which deserve a place on the world’s biggest stages. We cannot wait for the Comets to begin their next chapter — reigniting the passion of their loyal fans while inspiring a new generation.”

Tilman Fertitta, currently the U.S. Ambassador to Italy, has a net worth of $11.7 billion, according to the recently released Forbes World Billionaires list. In addition to the Rockets, his extensive holdings include hospitality company Landry’s, Inc., the Golden Nugget casino chain, the Post Oak Hotel, and River Oaks District.

tilman fertitta houston comets houston rockets wnba

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WNBA returns to H-Town

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