Articles tagged as event
Watch tonight's Bellator 69 event live on MMAjunkie.com at 7 p.m. ET
You can watch a live web stream of tonight's Bellator 69
event live on MMAjunkie.com beginning at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m.
PT).
The event takes place at L'Auberge du Lac Casino Resort in Lake Charles, La. The event includes the season-six middleweight-tournament finale and a welterweight-tourney semifinal.
Prelim bouts include the likes of Mark Holata vs. Abe Wagner, Booker Arthur vs. Shanon Slack, and Andrey Koreshkov vs. Derrick Krantz.
Posted in: vs, pm, event, lake charles, web stream
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBellator 69 discussion thread
Welcome to our discussion thread for tonight's Bellator 69 event.
The event kicks off at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) from L'Auberge du Lac Casino Resort in Lake Charles, La.
Stay tuned for a full recap of the event, which includes an MTV2 main card with a season-six middleweight-tournament finale of Maiquel Falcao vs. Andreas Spang, as well as a welterweight-tourney semifinal of Karl Amoussou vs. David Rickels.
Posted in: bellator, event, lake charles, discussion thread, welterweighttourney semifinal
Read the full article at MMA Junkie
UFC 146 headliners pick Cormier over Barnett
The four main event and co-main event competitors at the following Saturday’s all-heavyweight UFC 146 pay-per-view card all tap the undefeated Cormier to pull off the upset and win the Grand Prix after coming in as an alternate.
Posted in: ufc, event, barnett, competitor, cormier
Read the full article at sportsnet.ca
Bellator 69 Results & Recap
Bellator 69 takes place later tonight at the L’Auberge Casino in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The event airs live on MTV2 at 8pm ET/7pm CT. The prelims will precede the MTV2 broadcast at 7pm ET and 10pm ET on Spike.com. In the main event, the season six middleweight tournament comes to a close as rivals Maiquel [...]
Posted in: bellator, pm, event, event airs, middleweight tournament
Read the full article at MMA Convert
UFC 146: Mark Hunt injured, Lavar Johnson vs Stefan Struve booked for May 26
Just one week away from showtime and yet another problem for the all heavyweight UFC 146 main card.
This time, the not so "Super Samoan" Mark Hunt has gone down with an injury and left Stefan Struve without an opponent for the pay-per-view (PPV) event scheduled for next Sat., May 26, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The void didn't last long, however, as Lavar Johnson quickly stepped up to the plate. Yes, that's the same Lavar Johnson who just knocked out Pat Barry on the main card of the UFC on Fox 3 event just this past May 5 in New Jersey.
He said he never hesitated to accept (via UFC.com):
"I heard last night there was a chance I could get this fight and I accepted right away. You don't get chances like this too much in life, so when you are lucky, you got to make the most of it. I took one week off after last fight [May 5] and then went back to the gym."
Because this is the 6,789th shake up to the UFC 146 event, the entire fight card is posted after the jump to get you up to speed on who is fighting who.
Main Event:
UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir
Main Card:
265 lbs.: Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva265 lbs.: Roy Nelson vs. Dave Herman265 lbs.: Shane del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic265 lbs.: Lavar Johnson vs. Stefan Struve
Preliminary Card:
145 lbs.: Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins155 lbs.: Edson Barboza vs. Jamie Varner185 lbs.: Jason Miller vs. C.B. Dollaway155 lbs.: Paul Sass vs. Jacob Volkmann170 lbs.: Dan Hardy vs. Duane Ludwig205 lbs.: Glover Teixeira vs. Kyle Kingsbury145 lbs.: Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda
For more on UFC 146: "Dos Santos vs. Mir" be sure to hit up our event archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, lb, card
Read the full article at MMA ManiaMark Munoz now +120 underdog against Chris Weidman (-150) at UFC on FUEL TV 4
Looks like some early money has started to trickle in for the upcoming UFC on FUEL TV 4 main event.
The middleweight mash-up of Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman, who slug it out at the HP Pavilion in San Jose for the right to get one step closer to a 185-pound title shot, opened pretty close to even when the odds and betting lines first broke for their July 11 showdown.
No longer.
The undefeated "All American" has taken a short lead as the -150 favorite while "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" trails as the +120 underdog, according to the bourgeois bookies over at Best Fight Odds.
Surprised?
Munoz has won four consecutive fights inside the Octagon, which was good enough to land him in a number one middleweight contender eliminator match against Chael Sonnen at UFC on FOX 2 earlier this year. However, "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" suffered an elbow injury in training and was forced to withdraw from the 185-pound bout.
Michael Bisping was promoted to the co main event in replace of Munoz and went on to lose a surprisingly close decision. The rest is history. However, in an odd twist of fate, Bisping's original UFC on FOX 2 opponent, Demian Maia, was left without on opponent when "The Count" accepted the Sonnen challenge.
Weidman was the man who actually stepped up on short notice; however, in doing so, he was forced to cut 32 pounds in 10 days to make the division limit. He did it, but his performance against the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist suffered tremendously as a result.
Nonetheless, Weidman persevered and went on to win a sluggish unanimous decision.
He managed to not only pick up the most important win of his young mixed martial arts (MMA) career, but also keep his perfect professional record intact. In addition, Weidman immediately jumped up the rankings and got himself right in the mix of the middleweight division.
Now, he has the opportunity to take it even one step further in a main event against one of the division's top dogs.
So, now that you've seen the numbers, who's racing over to the betting window to plunk down some hard-earned coin? If you need to do your homework before betting, than I suggest you click here and here.
Posted in: ufc, pound, event, weidman, munoz
Read the full article at MMA Mania
Strikeforce Grand Prix Betting Picks: Josh Barnett vs Daniel Cormier
Finally the long awaited Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Final will get underway this Saturday, May 19th at 10 PM ET/PT. This sold out event, also known as Strikeforce 40, is taking place in San Jose, California from the HP Pavilion. This marks the 60th Strikeforce event and as Strikeforce hasn’t listed any future events, this [...]
Posted in: strikeforce, event, strikeforce event, strikeforce heavyweight, future events
Read the full article at Fighthub TVUFC on FUEL TV 3 ratings draw 173,000 viewers
Let's see if I can get this story on ratings posted without ending up in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White's next video blog.
"Nostradumbass, you know I like you, I respect you, but you just lost the Mania Money Pool and you want to give us business advice?"
The preliminary numbers are in for the UFC on FUEL TV 3 event, which broadcasted live from the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia on Tuesday, May 15, 2012.
And they're the lowest yet, according to Sherdog.com (blame game!):
UFC on FUEL TV 3 captured an average of 173,000 viewers during the cable network's six-fight broadcast on Tuesday night. The viewership number continues a downward trend for the promotion's FUEL TV live shows, as the first two installments of the series attracted 217,000 and 197,000 viewers in February and April, respectively.
Doom and gloom?
"Korean Zombie vs. Poirier" was headlined by an exciting featherweight contender's fight featuring Chan Sung Jung vs. Dustin Poirier and was anchored by a co-main event of Amir Sadollah vs. Jorge Lopez. While none of the main card players were household names among casual mixed martial arts (MMA) fans, the event, as a whole, delivered fireworks from top to bottom.
Unfortunately, not everyone was impressed.
If you happen to fall outside of the 173,000 viewers who were savvy enough to tune in for a rare midweek event, don't get FUEL TV or (gasp) actually had plans on Tuesday night, you can see what all the fuss is about by clicking here and here.
Posted in: ufc, event, viewer, tv, fuel
Read the full article at MMA ManiaJosh Koscheck: UFC offered me BJ Penn fight and I said YES!
YES! YES! YES!
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight title challenger Josh Koscheck took to Twitter tonight and spilled the beans on the next fight he was offered by UFC Matchmaker Joe Silva ... none other than B.J. Penn. You know, the guy who is supposedly retired from the sport.
#UFC just offered me to fight BJ Penn...I said YES!!!!! Just waiting on him!!!!!! Let's scrap bra?
Koscheck was last in action this past May 5 at UFC on Fox 3: "Diaz vs. Miller" in New Jersey, where he lost a close decision to Johny Hendricks in the co-main event of the evening.
Penn, meanwhile, came up short as the main event headliner for UFC 137 back on Oct. 29, 2011, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The unanimous decision win for Nick Diaz, which left Penn battered and bruised, sent him straight into an Interim title bout against Carlos Condit at UFC 143.
And sent "The Prodigy" straight into retirement.
Penn said he'll be back "if he ever feels it again," which could lead White to move forward with plans to bring his mixed martial arts (MMA) brand to Hawaii.
But is a fight against Koscheck big enough? And will it intrigue the Hawaiian enough to come out of hiding?
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, koscheck, penn
Read the full article at MMA Mania
AZ promos Rage in the Cage and WFF dual, fumble for attention of local fans with events on consecutive nights
All is fair in love, war and fight promoting. The second weekend of May was earmarked by the World Fighting Federation for their "big city" debut. 100 miles south of Phoenix, the WFF has cornered MMA market in Tucson since their debut in 2010. About a month before the WFF's scheduled May 12th event, Phoenix based Rage in the Cage casually announced an event for the month of May. The date for RITC 159 would be Friday May 11th.With six months to prep for their Metro Phoenix debut the WFF carefully selected the venue and slow played the matchmaking of the card. The result of WFF's effort was a main event featuring WEC vet Edgar Garcia and a co-main event that booked an underrated member of the famed Power MMA fight team in Brandon Tierney. The art of counter programing a potential competitor is as old as the fight game itself. In 15 plus years of promoting fights in Arizona, Rage in the Cage rarely if ever had a competitor that snuck around for multiple events. With seven events under their belt in Tucson the WFF was far from an overnight sensation. So how did RITC book their 159th numbered event? The Arizona MMA staple went back to the well one more time with a main event that featured Joe Riggs versus Aaron Brink. Riggs alone had already competed in over 15 RITC fight cards. When the weekend was over reports and reviews for each event were mixed. The undercard on RITC 159 was scheduled with many amateur fighters making their in cage debuts. WFF elected for an outdoor venue at the Salt River Baseball Field and temperatures around fight time remained near 100 degrees. Attendance for both events was widely viewed as low and without a doubt each Grand Canyon state promotion cannibalized the other's ticket sales. In theory competition should breed a better end product for both Arizona fans as well as local fighters. The million dollar question is which AZ promotion will take charge and distant themselves from the other contenders. Will signing UFC quality fighters for local events get more fans through the turnstiles? Improved production values? A bigger marketing push? With one round of the Arizona promotional battle in the books the final score looks to be a push or a draw. The behind the scenes Arizona MMA drama will write another chapter in June when the Coalition of Combat, the WFF and RITC all plan to hold events. Rage in the Cage 159 resultsChandler, AZJoe Riggs def. Aaron Brink by Submission Armbar 1:18 R2Bryan Pardoe def. Julian Hamilton by Submission Rear Naked Choke 0:56 R1 Dusty Ramirez def. Miles Dehart by Unanimous Decision Mike Poe def. Travis Wallace by Submission Knee Bar 1:18 R1 Drakkar Klose def. Jeff Thornton by TKO (Punches) 2:39 R1 Randy McCarty def. Jarnell Miranda by Submission Armbar 0:43 R1 David Nuzzo def. Johnie Camara by KO 2:18 R1 World Fighting Federation 8 resultsScottsdale, AZBrendan Tierney def. Billy Colon by TKO (Punches) 1:31 R1Benny Madrid def. Joe Torrez by Submission Guillotine Choke 0:58 R1Adam Padilla def. Paul O'Keefe by Submission Choke 3:22 R1Jeff Fletcher def. Frankie Saenz by DQ 4:12 R1Joe Cronin def. Roe Harris by Split Decision Matt Betzold def. Rudy Kennedy by Submission Rear Naked Choke 1:53 R1Thomas Soto def. Joey Miolla by Submission Armbar 3:35 R1
Posted in: fight, submission, event, cage, wff
Read the full article at UltMMA
UFC on Fuel TV 3: 173,000 viewers
MMA Junkie reports that Tuesday’s UFC on Fuel 3 event scored an average of 173,000 viewers. The ratings show a steady decline in ratings from the past 2 live Fuel events.
Via MMA Junkie:
February’s UFC on FUEL TV 1 event holds the all-time UFC-FUEL TV ratings record with 217,000 viewers, and April’s UFC on FUEL TV 2 show ranks second with 197,000. However, UFC on FUEL TV 3 topped all four of the cable channel’s previous preliminary-card broadcasts for UFC on FOX and UFC on FX events from earlier this year.
Payout Perspective:
An impressive main event, but unimpressive ratings. This may be due in part to the Tuesday night viewing audience and the fact it went up against the NBA and NHL playoffs. Another problem may be that the event started early on the west coast. With prelims on Facebook starting in the late afternoon Pacific time, it forecloses on an audience. Conversely, having the fight on too late may hurt east coast viewers and the actual attendance at the fight since it was in Fairvax, VA.
Despite the ratings, it was a good test to see the type of audience it could receive on a Tuesday night. This may come into play with future programming choices. I still see Tuesday night as a viable option for live programming during the week as more often than not it would not compete with other events.
Posted in: ufc, event, rating, tv, fuel
Read the full article at MMA Payout
Watch Glory World Series LIVE on LiverKick.com May 26th
[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div]
We are very pleased to announce that on May 26th LiverKick.com will be partnering with Glory Sports International to bring you the live stream of the big Glory event in Stockholm, Sweden. On May 26th Glory will kickoff their World Series of Kickboxing tournaments with the First 16 for the 70kg division while also hosting a slew of super fights, including Gokhan Saki vs. Carter Williams and Semmy Schilt vs. Errol Zimmerman.
Head over to Glory's newly-redesigned site to get a glimpse of the rest of the card.
As mentioned, we will be partnering with Glory to host the PPV right here on LiverKick, so you do not need to leave your favorite source for Kickboxing news and coverage on fight day. The event costs $15 and will begin at 10:00am Eastern time/7:00am Pacific time. Go ahead and bookmark this page, as this will be where you go to order the event on fight day.
Read More and Watch the Trailer...
Posted in: event, glory, fight day, liverkickcom part, kickboxing tournaments
Read the full article at Middle EasyToo much UFC is f'ing with my fight feelings
"I fucked up and didn't notice it wasn't."
It was just a tingle midway through the Yves Jabouin vs. Jeff Hougland fight at UFC on FUEL TV 3 last night (May, 15, 2012), but then it hit me like a clean Dan Henderson right hand the moment Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White uttered that simple eight-word phrase on Twitter.com.
I didn't care. I was bored. And not even a sensational scrap between Chan Sung Jung vs. Dustin Poirier less than a half-hour later could help shake the feeling I've been feeling about the recent state of mixed martial arts (MMA) these days.
Here is where all the predictable cool cats can stop reading, cut to the comments and call me retarded for being such a curmudgeon. Because that fight is what MMA is all about! And if it doesn't give you a mild stiffy that lasts until the next major show in less than two weeks, well, that's just your stupid problem.
I'll (kinda) agree because, well, it is what the sport is all about -- it's a shining example of its thrilling excellence. But, it's a little more profound for my sophisticated MMA palate.
That's because when the micro-managing, obsessed president of the world's leading MMA promotion fails to realize that the co main event of 12-fight card on a FOX sister station is not even Strikeforce worthy, something just ain't right.
Sure, White's busier than a fucking hooker in Rio during Carnival, jet-setting across the fucking planet in his corporate jet, inking huge fucking deals at breakfast and taking this fucking sport global, baby. Fuck, it's fighting. It's in our DNA, dude. And White is the one with the brass balls who is going to get this bitch bigger than soccer.
Health be damned.
And he's hellbent on achieving his lofty goal even if it means the passionate MMA ambassador "fucks up" a fight card we are all supposed to get excited about. The only problem is, outside of the main event and the Donald Cerrone vs. Jeremy Stephens showdown, which was supposed to be the co-featured fight of the night, I couldn't give two shits about the 10 other UFC on FUEL TV 3 fights.
I'm in a unique position, following this sport has turned from a hobby to a responsibility. So if upcoming events or under card bouts don't give me butterflies or get my heart racing, we can attribute it to the day-to-day rigors multiplied by seven or so years. I'm conditioned to not get too excited.
Don't get me wrong, I couldn't wait for Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans. But, I was left completely unsatisfied after "Suga" didn't turn in the performance he promised. The good news, it would appear, was that I didn't have to wait another month or two to get my MMA redemption. Nope, I got served a FOX special two weeks later, complete with one of the most entertaining fighters in the sport, Nate Diaz, who completely routed a very good Jim Miller.
The immediate feeling felt good again, but unfortunately the buzz fizzled before the post-fight presser wrapped. Why? Because I had next to no time to let the Jones-Evans outcome sink in, register and let the anticipation build for the next great show.
Call it what you want. And most would refer to it as over-saturation or #JumpTheShark ... or both. I'm okay with the former and wouldn't doubt the latter because I firmly believe the UFC is trying to do too much, too fast. So much and so fast that once important details like co main prestige, which at some point in time actually meant something, are seemingly rendered meaningless by the one man who probably loves this sport the most.
That's saying something. A lot. And it all but confirmed the feeling I've been feeling since this year began: Quality trumps quantity, bigger is not better. Indeed, less is more, especially when big draws are retiring (Brock Lesnar, B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz to name a few), champions are getting hurt (Georges St. Pierre and Dominick Cruz), divisions are stuck in the mud (Lightweight and Flyweight) and nameless number one contenders (Erik Koch) are headlining major pay-per-view (PPV) events.
Company executives (White), meanwhile, have to hijack their own video blogs to explain RATINGS to fans who likely couldn't give a rats ass about them. Ratings to MMA fans is like practice to Allen Iverson: Irrelevant.
Let's not even get started on fighter behavior, drug habits and The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) expansion of the reality franchise into other parts of the world other than the United States and Brazil. Especially if Ross Pearson and George Sotiropoulos are indeed the leading "SMASHES" coach candidates.
After all, the ratings will stink, one of the coaches will get hurt and White will have to orchestrate musical chairs as the culminating fight night approaches, selling us on the fact that his guys, the UFC, always fucking deliver.
That's what always happens, right?
It's not all that depressing. We've got Junior dos Santos defending his Heavyweight title against Frank Mir. I like that fight right up until the moment "Cigano" connects with a clean shot to the temple. Mir isn't breaking anymore bones ... not at UFC 146 at least. Even still, that's a great top-to-bottom line up that took significant effort to assemble.
And it shows.
The same can be said for UFC 148 and the rematch between Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen. I wouldn't miss that for anything. The rest of the card is pretty damn impressive, too. However, between UFC 146 and UFC 148, which are about six weeks apart, there are are four other events with maybe four or five fights that I actually want to see.
Four or five bouts that would have made an excellent card if combined rather than scattering them among too many cards and pairing them with too many other fights -- and events -- most fans couldn't care less about. Can you rattle off the respective co main events?
I can't ... and it's my "job."
Nothing is "fucked up," as far as I can tell. But, then again, I wouldn't really know if there was because I'm too bored look. Or, perhaps, I'm just too busy, forced to waste time focusing on the junk, while the few precious jewels that actually mean something start to mean less and less.
Hopefully, White will fucking take notice.
Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, event, fucking
Read the full article at MMA Mania
UFC On Fuel TV 3 Ratings Dip To 173,000 Viewers
UFC on Fuel TV 3 didn't exactly set the world on fire in terms of ratings as the current downswing in UFC viewership continued. According to MMA Junkie, the event pulled in about 87% of the viewers of the last Fuel TV card.
Here's the numbers via Junkie:
Tuesday's live broadcast of UFC on FUEL TV 3 drew 173,000 viewers.
...
February's UFC on FUEL TV 1 event holds the all-time UFC-FUEL TV ratings record with 217,000 viewers, and April's UFC on FUEL TV 2 show ranks second with 197,000. However, UFC on FUEL TV 3 topped all four of the cable channel's previous preliminary-card broadcasts for UFC on FOX and UFC on FX events from earlier this year.
SBN coverage of UFC on FUEL TV 3
In addition to saying that the show beat out prelim broadcasts from the year, Junkie also mentions that it did significantly better than the UFC on Fox 3 prelims. I'm not really sure why there is an effort to put an unnecessarily positive spin on the ratings.
There's no real surprise to it being a bit of a dip from the previous efforts, the first had the benefit of the free preview weekend (which didn't extend to all providers) in addition to a much better main event in terms of name recognition. The second show had a good main event and a bit of a different timeslot, making for easy early evening watching and leaving viewers free to go out on Saturday night.
This show had little guys in the main event and I wouldn't have expected it to do as well as the last two Fuel events.
It is a little disheartening to know that football stadiums like Michigan Stadium have had almost 115,000 people attending to watch a game live though. But yes, Fuel availability is limited and all that.
Posted in: ufc, event, viewer, tv, fuel
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowLineup for season-ending Bellator 70 event official, Konrad-Prindle headlines
The lineup is set for next week's Bellator 70, which concludes the organization's current sixth season.
As previously announced, the event features a championship main event between heavyweight titleholder Cole Konrad and recent tournament winner Eric Prindle.
Bellator 70 takes place next Saturday, May 25, at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans and features 10 bouts.
Posted in: bellator, event, lineup, feature, event features
Read the full article at MMA JunkieShowdown on UFC: Lessons learned
Another UFC event in the books, and some of the storylines from the event in Fairfax, Virginia were quite baffling.
Posted in: ufc, event, ufc event, fairfax virginia, ufc lessons
Read the full article at sportsnet.ca
UFC on Fuel TV 3: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier Main Event Highlights (Video)
After a spectacular main event, Fuel TV has released video of highlights from last night’s main event. Announcer Jon Anik and analyst Kenny Florian discuss the action in last night’s “Fight of the Year” candidate.
MMAFrenzy.com
Posted in: night, video, event, tv, fuel
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyNick Penner vs Tom DeBlass likely for UFC on FUEL TV 4 on July 11 in San Jose
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues to populate its UFC on FUEL TV 4 fight card, recently adding a light heavyweight match-up pitting Octagon sophomores Nick Penner vs. Tom DeBlass for the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on July 11, 2012.
The Score brought word of the booking earlier today.
Penner (11-2) saw his eight-fight winning streak snapped at the hands of Anthony Perosh at the UFC on FX 2: "Alves vs. Kampmann" event back on March 3. It was the just the second career loss for the Canadian up-and-comer, and the first by way of technical knockout.
Also looking to get back into the win column is DeBlass (7-1). The former Ring of Combat (ROC) heavyweight champion came up empty in his Octagon debut, suffering his first professional loss against Cyrille Diabate at the UFC on Fuel TV 2: "Gustafsson vs. Silva" event just last month.
One of these two talents falls into the dreaded 0-2 hole on July 11.
UFC on FUEL TV 4 will feature a middleweight main event of Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman with the number one division contender position in the 185-pound division on the line.
A light heavyweight bout that pits Brandon Vera vs. James Te Huna is also expected to take place in the "Shark Tank" on fight night, as well as a potential lightweight war between Anthony Njokuani vs. Paul Taylor.
And don't forget about Jon Fitch vs. Aaron Simpson.
To check out the latest UFC on FUEL TV 4 fight card and rumors click here. And to check out our comprehensive UFC on FUEL TV 4 event archive click here.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, tv, fuel
Read the full article at MMA Mania
UFC on Fuel TV 3 attendance and post-fight bonuses: "The Korean Zombie" earns two awards
UFC on Fuel TV 3 brought an incredibly action-packed card to the table. However, 4,592 fans attended the event live from the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va.,The gate totaled $343,175. While it did posses the lowest attendance of the 3 UFC on FuelTV broadcasts, it presented a main event that is an early candidate for Fight of the Year in Chan Sung Jung vs. Dustin Poirier.
Much has been made of the perceived poor ratings for last week's UFC on Fox event. Falling on Cinco de Mayo, both Lorenzo Fertitta and
Posted in: ufc, event, weeks ufc, patriot center, fueltv broadcasts
Read the full article at Low KickUFC on FUEL TV 3 post-fight press conference full video for 'Korean Zombie vs Poirier' in Fairfax
UFC on FUEL TV 3: "Korean Zombie vs Poirier" is officially in the books after a top-heavy night (May 15, 2012) of major mixed martial arts (MMA) fights from the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia.
In the UFC on FUEL TV 3 main event of the evening, Chan Sung Jung vs. Dustin Poirier, combined for a thrilling back-and-forth battle that is a sure-fire candidate for "Fight of the Year." Jung ultimately proved to be too hard for "Diamond" to cut, winning the Featherweight fight in round four via submission.
With the sensational win, "The Korean Zombie" likely locks up the number one 145-pound contender spot, while Poirier heads back to the bayou to ponder what went wrong.
Unfortunately, that's about it in terms of noteworthy performances.
Nonetheless, the stars of the show came to dish the dirt on the event immediately after UFC on FUEL TV 3, including Chan Sung Jung, Dustin Poirier, Donald Cerrone and Yves Jabouin, among others. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White was oddly absent from the post-fight event wrap up show because he has upcoming surgery to treat Meniere's disease.
For complete UFC on FUEL TV 3: "Korean Zombie vs Poirier" results and blow-by-blow coverage of all the night's action click here. And for all the latest UFC on FUEL TV 3 news and notes you can handle check out our complete event archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, event, tv, fuel, poirier
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC President Dana White Misses First Event In 11 Years
UFC president Dana White has made it his mission to fly from state-to-state or country-to-country to never miss an event put on by the UFC. However, not even White could get himself to Virginia for Tuesday night’s UFC on FUEL TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier card. On his Twitter account, White confirmed that he would [...]
Posted in: ufc, event, dana, president, twitter account
Read the full article at MMA ConvertDana White to miss first UFC event in 11 years
UFC on FUEL TV 3 will be an historic event, as it will mark the first time in 11 years that UFC president Dana White will miss a UFC event.
Posted in: ufc, event, dana, year, ufc event
Read the full article at sportsnet.caUFC prez White misses first event in 11 years
UFC on FUEL TV 3 was a historic event, as it marked the first time in 11 years that UFC president Dana White missed a UFC event.
Posted in: ufc, event, year, ufc prez, prez
Read the full article at sportsnet.caUFC on FUEL TV 3 Post-Fight Press Conference Live Stream At 11PM ET
As always, we’ll have a live stream of the UFC on FUEL TV 3 post fight press conference in the video above. The presser airs live shortly following today’s event. Expected to take part in the event are UFC President Dana White, headliners Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung, as well as the big winners [...]
Posted in: ufc, conference, event, stream, presser airs
Read the full article at MMA Convert'UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson' headed to Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas
UFC 151 and the championship headliner between light-heavyweight titleholder Jon Jones and Dan Henderson will take place at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the location with sources close to the event.
UFC president Dana White recently announced the Sept. 1 event but didn't clarify which Sin City venue would play host.
Posted in: ufc, event, dan henderson, mandalay, championship headliner
Read the full article at MMA JunkieDiaz absent at World Jiu Jitsu Expo
MMA Weekly reports that Nick Diaz did not appear at his scheduled jiu jitsu superfight against Braulio Estima this weekend. Diaz was in the main event which was held at the World Jiu Jitsu Expo this weekend in Long Beach, California.
The fights were available online on via live stream for $9.95 with Diaz as the selling point for the card.
Cesar Gracie explained on his web site (via MMA Weekly) that Diaz’s absence at the event was due in part to mishandling of the event. The crux of the explanation was that Diaz wanted to grapple with a jiu jitsu practitioner and not an individual aspiring to be an MMA fighter. According to Gracie, it was represented that Estima was not training for MMA. However, it was relayed later that Estima was planning to be an MMA fighter. Also, Gracie explained that Estima was having issues making weight which apparently was the last straw. Despite no-showing, Gracie stated Diaz donated money to St. Jude’s Childrens Hospital in the amount of money he would have made for the superfight.
Payout Perspective:
No-showing this past weekend probably hurt the Nick Diaz brand. But, then again, this behavior is normal for Diaz. Gracie’s explanation sheds some light on what could have been the problem causing Diaz not to participate Saturday. Certainly, Diaz’s absence hurt the event as many relied on his appearance — sponsors, vendors, fans in attendance and those purchasing the live stream online. Diaz’s explanation is plausible and his demand not to meet a grappler aspiring to be in MMA makes sense from Diaz’s point of view.
From a public relations perspective, it seems like Diaz, not Gracie, could have made the statement about the reasons for not appearing. Regardless of the management of the event or the promises given about his opponent, many people relied on Diaz to appear at the event. Even if he were to decline participation and just show up to sign autographs and/or conduct a demonstration it would save face. With the no-show, it continues the stigma that Diaz does not play the game and hurts future appearance opportunities.
Posted in: diaz, mma, event, gracie, mma fighter
Read the full article at MMA PayoutSantiago vs. Silva headlines 'Titan Fighting 23: Fight for the Troops'
Middleweights Jorge Santiago and Jay Silva have been tapped headliners for next month's "Titan Fighting Championship 23: Fight for the Troops" event.
Officials announced the event on Monday.
The show, which features general-admission tickets for $30, takes place June 15 at Marshall Army Airfield on Fort Riley, Kan. The main card airs on HDNet.
Posted in: card airs, jay silva, event, titan, months titan
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBloodyElbow.com's "UFC on Fuel TV 3: Korean Zombie vs. Dustin Poirier" Event PosterYou can check...
BloodyElbow.com's "UFC on Fuel TV 3: Korean Zombie vs. Dustin Poirier" Event Poster
You can check out most of our older event posters on this gallery.
Posted in: event, tv, poster, event posters, bloodyelbowcoms ufc
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowDana White reacts to Nick Diaz no-show, calls shocked fans 'brain dead'
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White is never one to hold back when he has something on his mind or if asked to give his honest opinion on anything, especially on a fighter and anything mixed martial arts (MMA) related.
So when Nick Diaz was a no show for his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu ‘superfight’ against mat wizard Braulio Estima this past weekend (May 12, 2012) at the first-ever World Jiu-Jitsu Expo in Long Beach, Calif., you could pretty much bank on the fact that White would have something to say about it.
He didn't disappoint.
Commenting on his official Twitter account, White -- who claims he had no idea that Diaz was even going to be competing at the event -- says that he really isn't shocked that the shifty Stockton scrapper bailed on a commitment.
He is, however, surprised that "braindead" people are shocked:
"No, not shocked and I'm surprised u people are! He no showed a Las Vegas press conf to a fight he was gonna make HUGE $ and title. People are f***in nuts and braindead to be OUTRAGED and SHOCKED that Nick no showed something."
Of course, White knows all too well what it's like dealing with the volatile personality that Nick Diaz possesses.
After failing to appear at two press conferences to promote the highly anticipated title fight between he and UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, White yanked the the Cesar Gracie-trained fighter from the main event and replaced him with Carlos Condit.
Diaz, however, did remain on the card to take on B.J. Penn in the co-main event, which was later bumped to the headliner because of an injury that forced "Rush" off of the card all together.
Though Diaz is technically not one of White's employees at the moment -- he announced his abrupt retirement after his loss to Condit at UFC 143 -- White says it isn't his problem:
"that's a fight? Since when is a BJJ match a fight? Not my problem. The promoter of that shows problem. I have enough of my own."
While Diaz has recently hinted at a possible return to MMA, he first has to resolve all of his issues with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). His return, however, may not be too well received given his latest shenanigans. Diaz was reportedly set to donate his entire winnings from the grappling match to charity.
How about it, Maniacs. Are you among the brain dead bunch who were shocked Diaz no-showed or, like White, is it just par for the card whenever he is involved in an event?
Opinions, please.
Posted in: fight, diaz, nick diaz, nick, event
Read the full article at MMA Mania
Nick Diaz's No-Show Leaves Braulio Estima Steamed
LONG BEACH, Calif. -- The request rang out over the public address system at the Long Beach Convention Center several times Saturday night: "Will Nick Diaz please report to the registration table?"
But the call was never heeded.
Diaz, mixed martial arts' most enigmatic figure, no-showed his planned submission grappling main event against decorated jiu-jitsu star Braulio Estima.
Diaz, who had previously announced that he was going to donate his purse from the bout to the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital of Memphis, left behind a disappointed capacity crowd at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo and one angry, jilted opponent.
"I know he's supposed to be the big MMA bad guy and he's all tough, he's supposed to be showbiz, but what is this?" said Estima, who won two gold medals at the 200 ADCC tourney and is a three-time World Championship gold medalist. "When you make an announcement that you're going to fight for charity and you don't show up, what the hell is going on? It's not about showbiz. It's about being a good person. I don't know what is going on."
The first hints of potential controversy came when Estima weighed in at 189 pounds on Friday for a bout that was supposed to be 180. Both camps agreed the fight would continue if Estima weighed in at 185 on Saturday morning, which he did.
"I'm a professional athlete. I never thought he wouldn't show up," said Estima. "I came from the U.K., I made the weight, I made 185 pounds, I didn't expect him to not show up. I don't understand why he'd run away."
Diaz's trainer, Cesar Gracie, told MMAFighting.com's Ariel Helwani that his fighter, who is under suspension from MMA due to failing a drug test after his UFC 143 loss to Carlos Condit, had issues with Estima missing weight.
"I don't know," Gracie said. "I know he was mad when he was told Braulio would not make weight last night. No one has seen him today. Braulio ended up making weight this morning."
The event proceed as planned after Diaz missed his check-in with event officials. The remainder of the card went off while officials attempted to find Diaz. BJJ star Robert Drysdale offered to take Diaz's place, but Estima did not want to meet a substitute opponent.
Estima showed up on the main mat as scheduled, and then the announcement was made to the crowd that Diaz had no-showed, putting a damper on what had been a successful event.
"Braulio wouldn't accept anyone else as an opponent," said event spokesman Renzo Gracie. "It was set up for Braulio to fight Nick, and unfortunately it didn't happen."
Estima was disturbed enough with the situation that he offered, on multiple occasions, to fight Diaz in a mixed martial arts bout. Estima has no professional MMA experience, but trains in the sport with the Blackzilian camp.
"I'll fight him in MMA. If maybe he feels more comfortable there, I'll do it. ... I gave up a lot of things to make this to happen. I came here to fight, you said you were going to be here, were going to give your purse to charity. It is very disrespectful."
With Stockton, Calif.'s most famous resident nowhere to be found, those left behind were left to speculate at what may have caused the latest chapter in Diaz's well-documented history of bizarre incidents.
"I think he got anxious with the whole situation," Renzo Gracie said. "Braulio is at the top of his game. I knew something like this could happen."
"It's a shame," said Estima. "I'm sorry on his behalf that the show didn't happen. All you guys, I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. It's a shame, it's disrespectful for me, and for the sport, and for the kids in his charity."
Posted in: fight, diaz, event, estima, braulio
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseKSW 19 Live Discussion
Join us at Bloody Elbow today at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT for live discussion of today's KSW 19 event from Lodz, Poland. Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki is known for being one of the best European MMA promotions and their cards are usually pretty entertaining (in more ways than one). Today's event will feature a middleweight bout between Mamed Khalidov and Rodney Wallace in the main event, while former World's Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski will take on the infamous Bob Sapp in the co-main. Other well-known names on the card include Matt Horwich and Jay Silva. Here's the full card:
FIGHT CARDMamed Khalidov (24-4) vs. Rodney Wallace (12-4)Mariusz Pudzianowski (3-2) vs. Bob Sapp (11-11)Michal Materla (16-3) vs. Jay Silva (8-5) (vacant MW title)Antoni Chmielewski (22-8) vs. Matt Horwich (26-21)Grigor Aschugbabjan (8-7) vs. Aslambek Saidov (11-2)Marta Chojnoska (0-0) vs. Paulina Suska (1-3)Borys Mankowski (11-4) vs. Marcin Naruszczka (10-0)
Join in the conversation and let us know what you think.
Posted in: vs, event, card, today, rodney wallace
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 146 Primetime Video: Building towards a monumental event
After a ton of publicity, hype, controversy, and of course schedule changes, UFC 146 will finally coming at us in two weeks on May 26. The Las Vegas event is monumental in the fact that i will be the first all-Heavyweight main card. The card will no doubt change the landscape of the UFC's Heavyweight division, in a sense separating the top contenders from the mid-level combatants. At the forefront is the much-hyped main event title bout featuring Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir. The co-main event also
Posted in: ufc, event, card, comain event, doubt change
Read the full article at Low KickUFC 146 'Primetime' video for 'Dos Santos vs Mir' on FX (Episode one)
In cased you missed any or all of it last night (May 11, 2012), here is the first of three episodes of the "all access" behind-the-scenes look at the UFC 146 main event between Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and FX collaborated for the latest "Primetime" series, which follows Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos as he prepares to fight former division kingpin and de facto number one contender, Frank Mir, in the main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 26, 2012.
Unsurprisingly, the first episode focuses on the triangular relationship between dos Santos, Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who is "Cigano's" mentor and idle as he came up through mixed martial arts (MMA). Of course, in his last fight, Mir submitted "Big Nog" with an arm-breaking kimura.
Backstory, baby.
Surprisingly, no real mention of Alistair Overeem and his removal from the main event because of elevated testosterone levels detected in a surprise drug test. On the contrary, the production -- for now -- frames Mir as the undisputed, first choice contender who earned the distinction outright.
Not really sure it matters, just an observation.
Episodes two and three of UFC 146 "Primetime" will air on May 18 and May 25, respectively, also on FX. Get up to speed on the reaction to episode one of UFC 146 "Primetime" click here.
For more on UFC 146: "Dos Santos vs. Mir" be sure to hit up our event archive right here. To check out the latest UFC 144: "Dos Santos vs. Mir" fight card and rumors click here.
Posted in: ufc, mir, event, do, episode
Read the full article at MMA Mania
UFC 149 in Calgary Sells Out
TORONTO – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® organization announced today that the highly anticipated UFC 149 event – headlined by the featherweight title fight between Jose Aldo and challenger Erik Koch at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary – has officially sold out. With the sell-out, attendance for the July 21 event will be over 18,000.UFC® 149: ALDO vs. KOCH, presented by Sport Chek, is the first-ever UFC® event to be held in Alberta. The Calgary event marks the first of three UFC events taking place in Canada in 2012 as Toronto (Sept. 22, location to be determined) and Montreal (Nov. 17, Bell Centre) are also set with UFC dates this calendar year.The stacked card also sees two former UFC® champions in Calgary as former light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua faces off against Thiago Silvawhile former interim heavyweight champ Minotauro Nogueira returns to action to face Cheick Kongo. Title contenders also clash as Michael Bisping faces middleweight Tim Boetsch.Five Canadians add to the star power on July 21 as Edmonton’s Mitch Clarkefaces lightweight Anton Kuivanen, Calgary’s Nick Ringbattles middleweight Court McGee, Sudbury, Ontario’s Mitch Gagnontakes on bantamweight Bryan Caraway,Oshawa, Ontario native Antonio Carvalhochallenges featherweight George Roop, and Saint John, New Brunswick’s Ryan Jimmo meets light heavyweight Anthony Perosh.Canada has played host to eight UFC® events since 2008. Its three host cities to date – Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver – have welcomed more than 185,000 fans in attendance with millions watching worldwide on PPV. Canadian events have had a cumulative gross gate of more than $40M andmillions more in direct economic impact. The city of Montreal has held fourevents (UFC 83, 97, 113 and 124) while Toronto (UFC 129 and 140) and Vancouver (UFC 115 and 131) have each played host twice.Earlier this year, the UFC® also committed to host three premier global events in Canada each of next three years (through to 2014).UFC® 149 will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on Shaw Communications, Bell TV, Sasktel, Viewer’s Choice Canada and in French on Canal Indigo for a suggested retail price of$44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.
Posted in: ufc, event, host, canada, calgary
Read the full article at UFCBellator 68 discussion thread
Welcome to our discussion thread for tonight's Bellator 68 event.
The event kicks off at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) from Palladium Ballroom in Caesars Atlantic City in New Jersey.
Stay tuned for a full recap of the event, which includes an MTV2 main card with Marlon Sandro vs. Daniel Straus (featherweight-tourney final) and Marcos Galvao vs. Travis Marx (bantamweight-tourney semifinal), among other bouts.
Posted in: vs, event, discussion, discussion thread, palladium ballroom
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 147: Belfort vs. Silva 2 Set for Brazil's 'Mineirinho' Arena
UFC 147 finally has a home.The promotion announced on Friday that Brazil's Estadio Jornalista Felipe Drummond, aka "Mineirinho," in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, will host the event on June 23. This will mark the third time in less than a year that Brazil hosts a UFC event.The main card, headlined by Vitor Belfort vs. Wanderlei Silva, will air live on pay-per-view, while the prelims will air on FX.UFC 147 was originally supposed to feature Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 2 inside a Rio de Janeiro soccer stadium, but the UFC was forced to change locations (and main events) after the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) conflicted with the planning of the event. The "Mineirinho" arena is the largest indoor arena in Brazil and can hold approximately 25,000 fans."It is great for our fans and for the UFC to be able to stage events in new parts of Brazil," Marshall Zelaznik, UFC Managing Director of International Development, stated in a press release. "The UFC is exploding everywhere in the country and Minas Gerais, being the third biggest state in the country, seemed like the perfect place for this. Not only has Mineirinho received some major acts through the years, but it is also located in a central and touristic area of the city. It will certainly be a fantastic experience for the fans." In addition to Belfort vs. Silva 2, the card will feature the featherweight and middleweight finals of TUF: Brazil, Fabricio Werdum vs. Mike Russow and more fights to be announced in the coming weeks.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, brazil, mineirinho
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseThe UFC's Popularity Essentially Forces Canada To Legalize MMA
I'm guessing you read the headline and you're thinking "What? Canada has hosted a ton of MMA cards?". Well believe it or not, MMA is technically illegal at a federal level in Canada right now. Our criminal code prohibits "prize fights", which is defined as "an encounter or fight with fists or hands". That means that even judo and taekwondo aren't technically legal in my country. Obviously the federal government isn't enforcing the criminal code in these matters, and has basically let provinces and municipalities find a way around current law in whatever manner they please. Today, finally, the federal government has seen the light and will change the law so prize fighting is permitted in Canada, mostly because of the popularity of the UFC (via Metro News):
"Honourable Senators, this is big business," Senator Bob Runciman, the Conservative who is sponsoring the bill, told the upper chamber when he introduced the bill April 4.
He noted the top four gates in UFC history were all in Canada, including last year’s event at the Rogers Centre in Toronto that drew a record crowd of 55,000, generating direct economic activity worth $22 million.
Canadians, said Runciman, account for 25 per cent of the UFC’s global commercial closed-circuit television sales.
"These numbers tell the story. Canadians have made their decision on this, and that’s the primary reason I’m introducing this bill."
The UFC has already hosted events in three Canadian provinces and will go to a fourth in July when UFC 149 takes place in Calgary, but this move will help to alleviate the fears of other provinces that have been apprehensive about hosting events due to possible criminal code issues. It also allows the federal government to oversee provincial and municipal commissions, which will lead to more transparency and help with safety issues. After all the roadblocks the UFC has had to deal with when trying to break into markets like Ontario and British Columbia, this is a very good sign for the future of Canadian MMA.
Posted in: ufc, mma, event, canadian, canada
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowBelo Horizonte To Host UFC® 147 On June 23
Minas Gerais will be the second Brazilian state to host an Ultimate Fighting Championship® event. On June 23, the “Mineirinho” arena, in Belo Horizonte, will host the UFC® 147, marking the third passage of the organization through Brazil under the Zuffa management. The biggest and one of the most traditional indoor sporting arenas in Brazil, “Mineirinho” fulfilled all of the UFC requirements, rising up as an ideal place to host a show in accordance with the high standards of all the international events and marking the expansion of the UFC throughout the country. Considered one of the biggest markets for the UFC worldwide, next to the United States and Canada, Brazil has already hosted two events, both in Rio de Janeiro. “It is great for our fans and for the UFC to be able to stage events in new parts of Brazil. The UFC is exploding everywhere in the country and Minas Gerais, being the third biggest state in the country, seemed like the perfect place for this. Not only has Mineirinho received some major acts through the years, but it is also located in a central and touristic area of the city. It will certainly be a fantastic experience for the fans”, says Marshall Zelaznik, UFC Managing Director of International Development.The deal was settled last Wednesday, May 9, when Minas Gerais officials Marcello Faulhaber, Secretary for Development of the City of Belo Horizonte, and Agostinho Patrus Filho, Secretary of State for Tourism, met with IMX representatives Sergio Mello, Vice President of Operations and Special Projects, and José Roberto Pacheco, Vice-President of Commercial. Next week, on May 16, UFC representatives Zelaznik and Jaime Pollack, Vice President of International Development & GM – Latin America, will meet with City officials in Belo Horizonte to celebrate the agreement. They will also be joined by IMX representatives and UFC legend and UFC 147 star Vitor Belfort. Long awaited Belfort vs. Silva rematch to headline UFC® 147The finale of the first Brazilian version of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter® brings as its main attraction the rematch between TUF coaches Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, who meet in the Octagon® over 14 years after their first encounter. The event will also crown the winners of both weight divisions featured on TUF, with two UFC contracts on the line. Fans will get a chance to see up close the long awaited rematch between Vitor Belfort (21-9-0) and Wanderlei Silva (34-11-1), who meet again for the first time since 1998. Back then, in São Paulo, under the previous management of the UFC, Vitor knocked out Wanderlei within 44 seconds of the bout. Since then, MMA fans have been craving a rematch. Belfort is coming off a win over American fighter Anthony Johnson in UFC Rio (UFC 142), whereas Wanderlei knocked out Cung Le in UFC 139.The finalists of each weight division featured on the show, which will have its last episode aired on the Sunday before the event, will face off on the main card. The two winners – a featherweight and a middleweight – will receive contracts with the biggest MMA promotion in the world.About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®:Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now air on FX in an exciting new live format. In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 149 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions and in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and in Quebec through Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards. Brazilian fans have access to exclusive content in Portuguese at UFC.com www.br.ufc.com, at facebook.com/UFCBrasil, and on Twitter @ufc_Brasil.
Posted in: ufc, event, fan, state, belo horizonte
Read the full article at UFCJohn Alessio vs Shane Roller fight announced for UFC 148 in Las Vegas
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) tonight (May 10, 2012) announced the latest addition to its blockbuster Fourth of July weekend pay-per-view (PPV) event from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Two Welterweight fighters, John Alessio and Shane Roller, will collide inside the Octagon on Sat., July 7, 2012, and look to get back in the win column in a fight that is being billed as "well-rounded striker vs. well-rounded grappler."
This is perhaps Alessio's last opportunity to get his hand raised inside the Octagon in a decade-long odyssey that dates way back to 2000, when he lost via submission to Pat Miletich at UFC 26. "The Natural" has made three more attempts since that time, including against fellow Canadian Mark Bocek just last month at UFC 145.
All have ended in defeat, but the good news is his opponent in "Sin City," Roller, has had an almost equally difficult time finding victory inside the eight-walled cage.
In fact, a knockout over Thiago Tavares in his promotional debut back in March 2011 remains his only UFC win. The Team Takedown-trained fighter has since dropped three consecutive bouts to Melvin Guillard, T.J. Grant and, most recently, Michael Johnson at UFC on Fox 2 earlier this year.
Don't be surprised to see the three-time All-American wrestler from Oklahoma State University (OSU) play to his biggest strength to stop the bleeding.
UFC 148 will feature the long-awaited mixed martial arts (MMA) rematch between Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen in the main event of the evening, while Urijah Faber will battle TBA in the co-featured fight of the night for the interim Bantamweight belt with Dominick Cruz injured.
Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le, Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz and Dong Hyun Kim vs. Demian Maia round out the pay-per-view (PPV) main card for one of the promotion's most anticipated event's of the 2012.
For more on UFC 148: "Sonnen vs. Silva 2" be sure to hit up our event archive right here. To check out the latest UFC 148 fight card and rumors click here.
Posted in: ufc, fight, vs, event, rumors click
Read the full article at MMA ManiaStrikeforce Announces Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Kennedy for Portland in July
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said Thursday that Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold will defend his title against former Army special forces operator Tim Kennedy in Portland, Oregon on July 14th of this year. Coker made the announcement on a media conference call to promote the finals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.
The event will be held at the Rose Garden venue. Other main card fights include a pair of middleweight bouts between Robbie Lawler and Lorenz Larkin and Roger Gracie taking on Keith Jardine. MMA Fighting reported the signing of the Gracie vs. Jardine bout earlier this week.
Rockhold, 27, last competed on January 7th, 2012 at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine, where he defeated UFC veteran Keith Jardine by first-round TKO stoppage. However, he injured his hand during the bout and has been sidelined since then.
Kennedy, 32, last fought on July 30th, 2011 at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson where he defeated UFC veteran Robbie Lawler by unanimous decision.
The main card for this event will air on Showtime while the preliminary card will be broadcast on Showtime Extreme.
This marks the second time the promotion has held an event in the city of Portland. Strikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey was also held at the Rose Garden on May 21st, 2010. Former UFC middleweight contender Matt Lindland defeated Kevin Casey in the third round via TKO in the night's main event.
Posted in: strikeforce, vs, event, rockhold, jardine
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseBeing In Main Event Not Putting Any Extra Pressure On Dustin Poirier
Dustin Poirier will be in his first main event next week when he takes on Chan Sung Jung at UFC on FUEL TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier. The bout could have major implications in the featherweight division, as many see both fighters as possible contenders to the belt. Poirier (12-1) has won five consecutive bouts [...]
Posted in: bout, event, contender, featherweight division, poirier
Read the full article at MMA ConvertSiyar Bahadurzada Steps In to Face Thiago Alves at UFC 149
An injury has knocked Yoshihiro Akiyama from the UFC 149 card, and he's been replaced by Siyar Bahadurzada in a welterweight showdown with Thiago Alves.
The UFC confirmed the opponent swap on Tuesday afternoon.
No specifics were offered on Akiyama's injury, or how long it would keep him out of action.
Bahadurzada made a successful UFC debut at the promotion's April event in Sweden, knocking out the durable Paulo Thiago in just 42 seconds. Overall, it was his seventh straight win as he improved his career record to 21-4-1.
His fight with Alves should come as a striker's delight, as both men prefer the standup game to any other facet of MMA.
Alves will be looking to rebound following a heartbreaking loss at at March UFC on FUEL event. After controlling the first two rounds of his main event fight with Martin Kampmann, Alves went for a takedown and was choked out guillotine. The loss dropped the former No. 1 contender to 19-9.
UFC 149 takes place on July 21 from the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary. In the main event of the show, featherweight champion Jose Aldo will attempt to defend his belt against Erik Koch.
Posted in: ufc, event, bahadurzada, alve, thiago
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseNext week's Bellator 69 card finalized with tourney fights, Fujii vs. Aguilar
The lineup for next week's Bellator 69 event is set with nine fights.
The event takes place May 18 at L'Auberge du Lac Casino Resort in Lake Charles, La.
Two tournament fights, including the season-six middleweight-tournament finale between rivals Maiquel Falcao and Andreas Spang, co-headline Bellator 69.
Posted in: fight, bellator, event, lake charles, tournament fights
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC on FOX 3 Television Ratings
Ratings for UFC on FOX 3, the third installment of the UFC's fight cards on network television, make it the lowest-rated event of its kind. It only drew 2.42 million average viewers.
The early ratings figures for the UFC's third outing on FOX are in and there's both good and bad news.
According to a report by TV By The Numbers, UFC on FOX 3 pulled in a total of 2.25 million viewers. Among adults 18-49, the event earned a 1.0 rating and 4 share. The event was headlined by a lightweight fight between Jim Miller and Nate Diaz and took place at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
That figure is good enough for UFC to have won the evening in their time slot among major networks in the key adult demo, but not good enough to top CBS in viewers overall.
Additionally, UFC on FOX 3's initial ratings figures are down considerably from UFC on FOX 2, which itself was a decline from the first UFC on FOX.
UFC on FOX 2, which featured a main event between light heavyweights Rashad Evans and Phil Davis, earned overnight numbers of 4.57 million. UFC on FOX, an event headlined by a UFC heavyweight title clash between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, pulled in initial average estimates of 4.64 million.
Both numbers eventually went up when final ratings were available, though generally not by huge leaps. UFC on FOX 2 eventually scored 4.7 million viewers and peaked with 6 million. UFC on FOX 1's final numbers saw an average of 5.7 million viewers and a peak of 8.8 million viewers.
Final average numbers and a peak figure for UFC on FOX 3 should be available Monday or Tuesday.
UFC on FOX 4 is expected to take take place on August 4th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. UFC middleweight and commentator Brian Stann confirmed on last night's broadcast he will headline the event in a bout with former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, rating, viewer
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseFinal UFC on FOX 3 Ratings Down Significantly, Average Only 2.4 Million Viewers
The final ratings for UFC's third installment on FOX are in and have the event averaging a total viewership of 2.42 million, according to TV By The Numbers. That's up slightly from the initial 2.25 million turned in by overnight ratings. Saturday's fights ultimately pulled in a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49 and 1.5 household rating overall.
As previously reported, UFC on Fox 1 averaged 5.7 million total viewers while UFC on Fox 2 managed 4.7 million average total viewers.
In terms of average total viewership, UFC on FOX 3 is now the lowest-rated of the eight MMA events ever broadcast on network television. Saturday's event is edged out by 2008's EliteXC: Unfinished Business, which was headlined by Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith. Held in Stockton, California, Nick Diaz also fought Thomas Denny on the card.
UFC on FOX 3 took place at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The card was headlined by a lightweight bout between Jim Miller and Nate Diaz. Welterweights Johny Hendricks and Josh Koscheck fought in the co-main event.
According to a report by MMA Junkie, Saturday's fights earned a 1.6 rating among men 18-34. That figure represents a 60% increase in viewership week-over-week in that time slot. However, that number is down from 4.3 during UFC on FOX's inaugural event and 3.2 for UFC on Fox 2.
UFC on Fox 4 is slated for August 4th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The event will be headlined by a middleweight bout between middleweights Brian Stann and former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, rating, viewership
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC on FOX 3 ratings tank with 2.4 million viewers
While the sky isn't falling, I'm pretty sure a few umbrellas went up in the parking lot of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) headquarters in Las Vegas.
The official ratings are in for the UFC on FOX 3: "Diaz vs. Miller" event, which aired live via the network television powerhouse this past Saturday night (May 5, 2012) from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ.
There's really no other way to say it. They flat-out stunk.
The final tally was 2.4 million viewers, which according to longtime mixed martial arts (MMA) reporter Loretta Hunt, was good enough for a 1.5 household rating, which equates to a 50 percent drop-off in key demographics from the UFC on FOX 2: "Evans vs. Davis" event earlier this year in Chicago, placing it sixth out of the eight programs that ran in the same time slot.
Yikes.
What the "Diaz vs. Miller" card lacked in star power, it made up for in talent. The fights delivered, but unfortunately there wasn't a marquee name to draw the casual fans in. In addition, the UFC faced stiff competition from the NBA playoffs and the "Mayweather vs. Cotto" boxing event in "Sin City."
Expect those factors to be taken into consideration as the promotion gears up for its UFC on FOX 4 event this August, currently expected to be headlined by a middleweight contender's fight between Brian Stann vs. Hector Lombard.
Stay tuned (literally).
For complete UFC on FOX 3 results and blow-by-blow coverage of all the night's action click here and here.
Posted in: ufc, fox, vs, event, sin city
Read the full article at MMA ManiaReaction from the Action: UFC on Fox 3
It seems the third time was a charm for the UFC on Fox, as the third go-round had the success that Dana White and company dreamt of with their first two efforts on network television.
After UFC on Fox 1 in November lasted a New York minute, and the second event in January had as much entertainment as an episode of Jersey Shore, the event in New Jersey on Saturday provided everything that a fan and promoter desires: entertainment, finishes, competition, and balance.
The night’s main card started with Lavar Johnson taking on Pat Barry. With The Avengers opening over the weekend, Johnson played the part of The Hulk. Meanwhile, Barry played the part of Kevin Hart, the comedian/actor in the weekend’s second place movie-Think Like A Man. Both are much smaller in stature, and while their efforts will be respected, they will not be remembered.
Johnson “smashed” his way to a victory over Barry, as Barry stood against the cage for twenty seconds, taking two dozen punches and knees before succumbing to those strikes.
Alan Belcher vs. Rouismar Palhares played out nearly completely opposite of the opening match. Palhares, who is well known for his leg locks, had Belcher right where he wanted him. But Belcher, also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, was able to escape and even put on a few impressive moves of his own. This victory puts Belcher into the top echelon of middleweights. While Belcher, who is known as “The Talent” for a reason, has been around the UFC for nearly six years, he has never put it together completely. He now has, with four consecutive wins, which includes a 14-month layoff due to eye surgeries.
Johny Hendricks also put himself in the upper echelon of his division, as he defeated Josh Koscheck via split decision. After a 12-second knockout of Jon Fitch, Hendricks was looking to prove he belongs as a title contender at welterweight. While he did not land a punch as cleanly as he did on Fitch, he was still able to land enough effective strikes to earn the win. Unfortunately for Hendricks, the division and its title picture remains murky due to Georges St. Pierre’s injury and interim champion Carlos Condit deciding to wait for St. Pierre to return to action.
But all of those victories are secondary compared to the main event and its victor.
Biggest winner: Nate Diaz
Diaz became the first person to ever finish Jim Miller, as he defeated the native of New Jersey via guillotine choke in the second round. And now, he becomes the next contender to wait for a title shot, as he spoke with Dana White after the event, and told him of his intentions to wait for Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar to fight before entering the cage again. We will see if that holds true, though.
Biggest loser: Rousimar Palhares
While there were several devastating losses, including Pat Barry, Jim Miller, and Tony Ferguson, Palhares takes this honor. He had Belcher where he had ended so many matches before. But much like the matchup with Nate Marquardt, he lost that position, and soon found himself on the losing end. While that ending with Marquardt can be debated, this one with Belcher cannot.
Biggest question: Is this the method that the UFC will continue with their cards on Fox?
After a brief preview with the first event, then attempting to stack the event, yet having disastrous results, it seems the UFC is going to try and at least guarantee that they will put on exciting shows on Fox in the future. While Diaz and Miller are certainly not overly well-known names outside of MMA fans’ households, they did provide more entertainment in nine minutes than the entire hour of action from UFC on Fox 2. Perhaps they will continue with that method, knowing that when cards on network television do not go well, they have more people to answer to than the usual fans.
Future matchups to make:
Nate Diaz vs. Benson Henderson/Frankie Edgar winner: Diaz made his intentions known, but will he actually be willing to wait until the end of the year to fight again? Unlikely, given his past. If he does fight before then, a matchup with Anthony Pettis would be perfect.
Johny Hendricks vs. Rory MacDonald: The matchup between Martin Kampmann and Jake Ellenberger has been announced as a number one contender matchup. With that, it seems the next man in line could be determined with a matchup between Hendricks and MacDonald.
Alan Belcher vs. Wanderlei Silva/Vitor Belfort winner: Another division, another winner who very well might be waiting a while before he has an opponent. While a matchup with Silva would certainly be exciting, a Belcher/Belfort matchup would be one of the most anticipated of the year.
Lavar Johnson vs. Gabriel Gonzaga: “Napao” was set to face off against Roy Nelson later this month at UFC 146, but withdrew due to injury. Johnson will likely look to take some time off after fighting for the second time in 2012. A matchup with Gonzaga would test how far his ground game has come along.
Jim Miller vs. Evan Dunham: Miller does not deserve to fall too far after his loss to Diaz. Despite losing two of his last three fights, he is still considered a top contender. A matchup with Dunham would be exciting regardless of where it goes, as both are very strong all-around fighters.
Josh Koscheck vs. Diego Sanchez: With both coming off of tough losses, the two can rematch after Koscheck handed Sanchez his first career loss in 2007. Both are still top names, and would provide them with a last-ditch effort to remain in the upper echelon of the welterweight division.
MMAFrenzy.com
Posted in: ufc, belcher, vs, event, matchup
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC on FOX 3 ratings: Viewership plummets, event averages just 2.4 million viewers
Despite one of the year's most entertaining main cards, Saturday's UFC on FOX 3 event saw its ratings plummet.
The May 5 broadcast averaged just 2.4 million viewers, MMAjunkie.com today confirmed with an industry source.
That's down from the 5.7 million viewers who tuned in for UFC on FOX 1 in November, as well as the 4.7 million viewers who tuned in for UFC on FOX 2 in January.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, rating, viewer
Read the full article at MMA JunkieLow ratings for UFC on FOX 3: 2.4 million viewers
UFC on Fox 3 was one of the best cards of the year and the best event hosted on Fox thus far. Despite this, the Cinco de Mayo Event had poor ratings. According to my colleague, Mike Drahota on Lowkick.com:10,788 fans witnessed the event in person for a live gate of $1.1 million.
However, television viewership painted quite a different picture. According to tvsportsratings.com
UFC on FOX 3: 1.6 Men 18-34 (-50% vs. UFC on FOX 2) and 2.4 mil viewers (-48%)
— TVsportsratings (@tvsportsratings)May
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, tvsportsratingscom ufc, mayo event
Read the full article at Low KickUFC on FUEL TV 3 weigh-ins slated for May 14, Aaron Simpson hosts open-to-public Q&A
Official fighter weigh-ins for this month's "UFC on FUEL TV 3: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier" event take place Monday, May 14.
The weigh-ins take place at Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va. The same venue host the following day's FUEL TV-broadcast event.
Prior to the weigh-ins, nine-time UFC veteran Aaron Simpson hosts a
special Q&A session. Both events are free and open to the public.
Posted in: ufc, event, host, weighin, fuel
Read the full article at MMA JunkieNate Marquardt vs. Tyron Woodley targeted for July 14 in Portland or Indianapolis
A long-anticipated fight for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title is nearing confirmation.
Sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com that Nate Marquardt and Tyron Woodley could meet at a yet-unannounced Strikeforce event targeted for
July 14.
Multiple outlets reported the matchup and date for the event, which could take place in Portland, Ore., or Indianapolis.
Posted in: event, nate marquardt, tyron woodley, longanticipated fight, confirmation sources
Read the full article at MMA Junkie'UFC 149: Aldo vs. Koch' official, tickets available this week
As MMAjunkie.com previously reported, a
featherweight title fight between champion Jose Aldo and challenger Erik Koch will headline July's UFC
149 event in Calgary.
UFC officials today announced the long-rumored matchup, and tickets go on sale for the event later this week.
UFC 149 takes place July 21 at Calgary's Scotiabank Saddledome. The main card
airs on pay-per-view, and FX and Facebook are expected to carry the
prelims.
Posted in: ufc, card airs, event, ticket, longrumored matchup
Read the full article at MMA JunkieFalling Action: Best and Worst of UFC on FOX 3
The UFC on FOX 3 event delivered perhaps the best main event to the smallest TV audience yet. It also propelled a couple new contenders into the championship picture, while knocking a few other hopefuls further down the line.Now that a sobering Monday is upon us, it’s time to take a look at the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between after an interesting Saturday night in New Jersey.Biggest Winner: Nate DiazAgainst one of the toughest opponents he’s ever faced, Diaz looked better than he’s ever looked. Better still, he didn’t have to play it safe or sacrifice any of his Diaz-ness to get it done. He followed the Stockton playbook, complete with mid-fight flexdowns and rangy punch combos, then made Miller pay when he tried to take it to the mat. How could you not give this guy a title shot? The lightweight division is getting crowded at the top, but Diaz deserves to jump to the front of the line after his recent performances. He’s closed up many of the early holes in his game, and he always entertains inside the cage. What’s more, you can generally count on him to, in UFC president Dana White’s words, "play the game" when it comes to pre and post-fight festivities. He’s everything the UFC needs in a fresh lightweight contender, and he’s only getting better. Now he plays the waiting game.
Biggest Loser: Rousimar PalharesFor the past few years, "Toquinho’s" game plan has been the worst-kept secret in MMA. We all know that he wants nothing more than to grab ahold of his opponent's leg and twist it like a wet towel that he’s trying to wring dry. The fact that he’s been so successful with that approach anyway has served as a testament to the value of skill over surprise. But even when he got Belcher where he wanted him, Palhares couldn’t close the deal. Even worse, he didn’t seem to have much of a plan B. He let Belcher posture up on top of him and blast away with punches and elbows, which is only a good idea if your goal is to find out what the inside of a New Jersey hospital looks like. If the question hounding Palhares’ career was ‘how far can a one-trick pony rise in the UFC if his one trick is a really good one,’ I think we just got our answer. Clinging to #1 Contendership by the Follicles of His Beard: Johny HendricksOkay, so his win over Josh Koscheck wasn’t exactly a dominant one. One or two punches or takedowns here or there, and that decision could have gone the other way. Still, Hendricks did just enough to convince two of three judges (everyone but Ricardo Almeida, in other words) to give him the nod. But, in the process, did he convince the UFC and its fans that he’s worthy of a title shot? Tough to say. On one hand, a win over Koscheck always means something. He’s been at or near the top of the division for years, and however you have to play it to get your hand raised against that guy, it’s a significant accomplishment. On the other hand, I doubt many people are salivating over a potential GSP-Hendricks bout after that performance. If Hendricks wants to wait until Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit handle their business before stepping into the cage again, that’s an understandable choice. It’s also one that has gone wrong for many of those who came before him.Most Surprising: Alan BelcherBefore this fight, I would have told you that his chances for victory hinged on his ability to keep the fight standing. Turns out he was perfectly capable of defending against Palhares’ go-to finish, and he didn’t even need to be on his feet to score the TKO. After his big win, Belcher declared he was coming for the middleweight title, which at first struck me as overly optimistic, not to mention premature. Then I stopped and thought about it and had to admit that, with four straight finishes in his last four UFC fights, he has a strong case. Of course, then we get into the conversation of whether he has any realistic chance of out-striking someone like Anderson Silva, though by then we’re already well ahead of ourselves. For now, let’s just be grateful that the middleweight division has some fresh faces rising to the top. After keeping his knee ligaments intact en route to victory against Palhares, Belcher is certainly one of them.Least Secure Future: Pat BarryHe took a battering from Lavar Johnson before he finally went down in the waning moments of an exciting first round. The loss is his third in four attempts inside the Octagon, and it drops his overall UFC record to a dismal 4-5. That’s not good for job security in this business, even if you happen to be an entertaining heavyweight striker. Look, we all love "HD." How could you not? He’s a fun personality and a great human being. He’s also a talented fighter who just hasn’t been able to get the breaks to go his way in the big fights. It’s hard not to sympathize with him and want to see him do well. At the same time, likability alone will only carry you so far in the world of professional pugilism. You still have to get some marks in the win column in order to stay relevant. Personally, I hope Barry can put together a winning streak and solidify his standing in the UFC’s heavyweight division, if only because MMA is a lot more fun when he’s around. It’s just that, at the sport’s highest level, fun isn’t always enough.Gimmick That’s Got to Go: Louis Gaudinot’s flowing green locksI get it: when you’re coming up through the crowded TUF ranks, you have to find a way to get noticed. Looking like the lovechild of Clay Guida and The Incredible Hulk is a decent way of accomplishing that, but at certain moments in Gaudinot’s Fight of the Night tilt with John Lineker it seemed borderline unsafe. I’m not saying every fighter has to go with the Brock Lesnar, high-and-tight crewcut look, but you should at least be able to see the punches that are flying at your face. Gaudinot made the necessary adjustment between rounds and finished with a sweet little guillotine, so maybe all’s well that ends well. Then again, how much time can a pro fighter really spend in the beauty parlor before he has to admit that he’s trying too hard?Cause for Concern: UFC on FOX ratingsIt’s not time to sound the alarm just yet, but neither is it a good sign when your network TV ratings form a downward trending line. Live sports ratings tend to undergo some adjustment following the initial ratings, and I’m sure the UFC and FOX are both happy with the numbers they pulled in the key adult demographic. But let’s be real here: more people watched reruns than watched a live, free UFC fight on a major television network. That ain’t good, no matter how you spin it. You could point to any number of factors to explain away the diminished viewership. Maybe it was Floyd Mayweather’s fault. Maybe too many people were out of the house, getting their Cinco de Mayo on. Maybe FOX didn’t do enough to pull the attention of hockey and basketball fans who are in full-on postseason obsession mode. Or, let’s just say it, maybe you can’t put on contender-quality fights and hope for championship-level ratings. Diaz-Miller is a fight that’s interesting to the hardcores, and you can’t say that it didn’t deliver in the cage. Still, you have to admit that it lacks the elevator pitch appeal of ‘HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE WORLD!!!’ Aside from that JDS-Velasqez kickoff to the FOX deal, the UFC seems unwilling to part with short-term pay-per-view cash in order to build a long term audience on FOX. It keeps the big fights for the big events, and gives network audiences whatever else it thinks it can spare. You could argue that the UFC is trying to build mainstream interest in top contenders as they move toward pay-per-view title fights, but look at Diaz and Hendricks, the two contenders to emerge from this event. It will likely be many months before either gets his shot at the gold. Will the people who watched this event still be thinking about them by then? Will they even remember watching this event by the fall or winter? The ratings decline seems to suggest that viewers can tell the difference between a card that asks them to stay home and watch a big fight, and one that asks them to stick around just to watch some UFC. Now we know. The question is what the UFC and FOX will do with that knowledge.
Posted in: ufc, fight, fox, event, hersquo
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseBrian Stann vs Hector Lombard slotted for main event at UFC on FOX 4 on Aug. 4 in Los Angeles
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brass must think very highly of middleweight newcomer and former Bellator 185-pound champion Hector Lombard.
Not only does "Lightning" get a possible title shot by knocking out the "All American," he gets the chance to do it as a headliner for the promotion's UFC on FOX 4 event scheduled for the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Aug. 4, 2012.
Stann confirmed an initial report by Heavy.com during this past weekend's UFC on FOX 3 event in New Jersey.
Lombard's only two losses have come by unanimous decision to Gegard Mousasi and Akihiro Gono in fights that took place nearly six years ago. He has 24 finishes, including 17 (T)KO stoppages in 31 wins.
Scary stuff -- but he's faced with his toughest test to date.
Stann is one of the very best 185-pound fighters the world's largest fight promotion has to offer. He was last seen destroying Alessio Sakara via first round ground-n-pound knockout in Stockholm, Sweden, at the UFC on FUEL TV 2 event just last month.
Prior to that he was 3-1 in his last four appearances, including three violent finishes. His only defeat came at the hands of top middleweight title contender Chael Sonnen.
How do you, as a fan, feel about this bout as the main event?
UFC on FOX 4 will also feature the recently announced light heavyweight bout pitting Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida while Terry Etim vs. Joe Lauzon and Ben Rothwell vs. Travis Browne are also scheduled for the "City of Angels."
For the latest UFC on FOX 4 news and notes be sure to check out our complete event archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, title shot, fox, vs, event
Read the full article at MMA ManiaKeith Jardine vs. Roger Gracie targeted for July Strikeforce event
Roger Gracie is expected to meet middleweight Keith Jardine at a currently unannounced Strikeforce event in July.
Sources close to the event told MMAjunkie.com at least one fighter has agreed to the matchup, which MMAFighting.com first reported.
A date and location have not been confirmed for the show, which will air on Showtime and Showtime Extreme.
Posted in: event, showtime, strikeforce event, july, july sources
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC Comes to Calgary with Championship Card
TORONTO – The Ultimate Fighting Championship®, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, announced today that tickets for its inaugural event in Calgary will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, May 12. UFC® 149: ALDO VS. KOCH sees featherweight champion Jose Aldo defend his145-pound crown against tenacious contender Erik Koch on Saturday, July 21 at Scotiabank Saddledome. Both fighters will join local UFC® middleweight Nick Ring and UFC® Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright for a press conference and other events (as listed below) in Calgary on Wednesday, May 9 at 10 a.m. MTN at Shaw Court.The July 21 event marks the first of three UFC® events taking place in Canada in 2012 as Toronto (Sept. 22, location to be determined) and Montreal (Nov. 17, Bell Centre) are also set with UFC® dates this calendar year.Reigning UFC® featherweight champion Jose Aldo (21-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is undefeated in the UFC as he puts his belt on the line against knockout artist Erik Koch (13-1, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.). Considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, Aldo has reeled off 14 straight wins and has not lost since 2005. For his part, the 22-year-old Koch has but one career loss and has won four straight with two Knockout of the Night awards in those performances.Two former UFC® champions add to the star power in Calgary as former light heavyweight champion Mauricio Rua (20-6, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) faces off against Thiago Silva (14-3, 1 NC, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) while former interim heavyweight champ Minotauro Nogueira (33-7-1, 1 NC, fighting out of Bahia, Brazil) returns to action to face the always dangerous Cheick Kongo (27-7-2, fighting out of Paris, France). Seasoned veterans also clash as Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-5, 2 NC, fighting out of Osaka, Japan) meets welterweight Thiago Alves (24-8, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) and Michael Bisping (23-4, fighting out of Manchester, England) faces middleweight Tim Boetsch (15-4, fighting out of Sunbury, Penn.).Five Canadians will also step into the Octagon on July 21 as Edmonton’s Mitch Clarke (9-1) faces lightweight Anton Kuivanen (16-5, fighting out of Helsinki, Finland), Calgary’s Nick Ring (12-1) battles middleweight Court McGee (13-2, fighting out of Orem, Utah), Sudbury, Ontario’s Mitch Gagnon (8-1) takes on bantamweight Bryan Caraway (16-6, fighting out of Goldendale, Washington), Oshawa, Ontario native Antonio Carvalho (13-5) will challenge featherweight George Roop (12-10-1, fighting out of Tucson, Arizona), and Saint John, New Brunswick’s Ryan Jimmo (16-1, fighting out of Edmonton) meets light heavyweight Anthony Perosh (13-6, fighting out of Sydney, Australia).Tickets for UFC® 149: ALDO VS. KOCH go on sale to the public on Saturday, May 12 at 10 a.m. MTN. Tickets are priced at $650, $400, $275, $200, $125 and $85 and are available through Ticketmaster.ca, charge by phone 1-855-985-5000, at all Ticketmaster outlets, and the Saddledome Box Office. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event on Thursday, May 10 at 10 a.m. MTN via the website ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers on Friday, May 11,starting at 10 a.m. MTN. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.UFC® 149 will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on Shaw Communications, Bell TV, Sasktel and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:UFC® 149: ALDO VS. KOCH PRESS CONFERENCEWHEN: Wednesday, May 9 – 10:00 a.m. MTN (media check starts at 9:00 a.m.)WHERE: Shaw Court, 630 3rd Avenue SW, CalgaryWHO: Jose Aldo, UFC® Featherweight Champion Erik Koch, UFC® Featherweight Contender Nick Ring, UFC® Middleweight and Calgary native UFC® Director of Canadian Operations Tom WrightNOTE: ***This press conference will be streamed live on UFC.com. Please note, this media event is not open to the public however fans are encouraged to come meet the fighters Wednesday evening at the Chinook Centre Boston Pizza from 7-9 p.m.CANADIAN FOOTBALL INITIATION WITH CALGARY STAMPEDERSWHEN: Wednesday, May 9 – 4:00-5:00 p.m. MTNWHERE: McMahon Stadium, 1817 Crowchild Trail Northwest, Calgary, ABWHO: Jose Aldo, Erik Koch and Nick Ring, members of the Calgary StampedersNOTE: Calgary native Nick Ring and members of the Calgary Stampeders will introduce Canadian football to Aldo and Koch with a training session at McMahon Stadium. Fans are encouraged to follow @calstampeders and @UFC_CA for a chance to attend thisprivate session with the fighters and players.UFC® AUTOGRAPH SIGNINGWHEN: Wednesday, May 9 – 7-9 p.m. MTNWHERE: Boston Pizza, Chinook Centre, 6455 Macleod Trail SW, Calgary, ABWHO: Jose Aldo, Erik Koch and Nick RingNOTE: The first 25 fans will receive a free autographed UFC EncyclopediaAdditional bouts will be announced at UFC.com in the weeks to come. All bouts live and subject to change. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com.
Posted in: ufc, koch, event, aldo, calgary
Read the full article at UFCRoger Gracie vs Keith Jardine middleweight fight booked for July Strikeforce event
Why kill the promotion when you can still get exciting match-ups like this?
According to MMAFighting.com, Roger Gracie will make his middleweight debut later this year against Keith Jardine at a July Strikeforce event that is still without a date or location, though Portland, Oregon is apparently a leading contender.
A 185-pound championship bout pitting titleholder Luke Rockhold against Tim Kennedy is expected to headline the event.
Gracie makes the drop down in weight following his first career loss in mixed martial arts (MMA) competition last September, a knockout defeat at the hands of Muhammed Lawal at the "Barnett vs. Kharitonov" event in Cincinnati.
Jardine, meanwhile, has had little luck since making his way back into the fold under the Zuffa banner. He fought Gegard Mousasi to a draw in his Strikeforce debut before being awarded a middleweight title shot against the previously mentioned Rockhold for reasons that are still unclear.
As expected, he was knocked out in the first round.
Now he gets to welcome Gracie to the 185-pound weight class later this summer. Joy.
Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for any future updates to the pending July Strikeforce event. And for all the latest Strikeforce news and notes click here.
Posted in: strikeforce, event, jardine, gracie, tim kennedy
Read the full article at MMA ManiaRoger Gracie To Make Middleweight Debut Against Keith Jardine At July Strikeforce Event
Grappling superstar Roger Gracie will be making the drop to 185 for his next Strikeforce fight, and he will take on a guy that recently came to the same decision. And it looks like they'll be meeting in the Pacific Northwest. MMA Fighting has the news:
Roger Gracie will officially make his middleweight debut against another former light-heavyweight who shifted to the lighter division when he takes on Keith Jardine during a July Strikeforce event that is still in the planning stages.
Two sources confirmed the fight pairing to MMA Fighting.
Though the event is not officially announced, it is tentatively penciled in for Portland, Oregon, the sources said.
A date has not yet been finalized either.
Gracie is coming off the first defeat of his MMA career, a first-round TKO loss to Muhammed Lawal last September. Jardine was given a title shot in his middleweight debut, but lost to Luke Rockhold by first-round TKO.
According to the article, Strikeforce middleweight champion Rockhold is expected to defend his title against Tim Kennedy in the main event of the show.
Posted in: event, keith jardine, middleweight, gracie, middleweight debut
Read the full article at Bloody Elbow
Keith Jardine-Roger Gracie inked for July battle in Strikeforce
Roger Gracie will make his debut at middleweight against Keith Jardine in July at a yet-to-be-announced Strikeforce event.
While nothing has been made official by the promotion, Strikeforce is expected to announce a date and location for the show soon. Rumors have Portland, Oregon as the host site with a middleweight title-fight between Luke Rockhold and Tim Kennedy serving as the main event.
MMAFighting confirmed the news of the Gracie-Jardine bout and event location with several sources.
Gracie (4-1) lost his last match at light heavyweight to Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, pushing him to make the drop to the ranks of the middleweights after starting out strong at 205 pounds. As his last name might indicate, Gracie is a widely respected BJJer with numerous awards at the highest level relating to his chosen discipline.
Meanwhile, Jardine (17-10-2) is a UFC veteran who made his 185-pound debut in Rockhold’s first and only title-defense, losing in the opening round of action. Regardless of the stumble, Jardine has racked up a number of impressive wins in his career including those of Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: strikeforce, event, jardine, middleweight, gracie
Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain“UFC on Fox 3: Diaz vs. Miller” Post-Fight Press Conference (Video)
UFC on Fox 3: Diaz vs. Miller is now in the books, having gone down last night at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The event saw Nate Diaz establish himself as the next lightweight contender in line behind Frankie Edgar with a dominant victory over longtime divisional frontrunner Jim Miller. Diaz submitted Miller in the second round of their lightweight main event, picking up a Submission of the Night bonus in the process.
In the evening’s co-main event, welterweight contenders Johny Hendricks and Josh Koscheck battled back and forth over three rounds in a fight that was ultimately ruled a split decision in Hendricks’ favor.
Check out the video below to hear UFC president Dana White and many of the fighters from the card deal with the fallout from the event.
MMAFrenzy.com
Posted in: diaz, event, miller, night bonus, card deal
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC on Fox 3 results: Finally, a Fox event fans, the network and Dana White can cheer about
Last November, when the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) made its network television debut with an abridged, one-hour show that featured a heavyweight title bout between then-champion Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, it was seen as a watershed moment, a game changer for the fight promotion and the sport as a whole.
When the fight ended in 64 seconds, the result of a dos Santos knockout, even the most hardcore of mixed martial arts (MMA) fans shrugged their shoulders, wondering if that was it. You can imagine what the unwashed, collective public thought after barely a minute of action.
When the promotion returned to Fox in January, it was a three-fight card, one more indicative of what fans could expect in the future. One light heavyweight bout -- a fight between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis in the main event -- and two middleweight clashes were scheduled and each went to a decision. The 185-pound tilts were 15 minutes a piece while the headliner, subject to the newly instated five round main event rule, took nearly half an hour to get sorted out.
Again, the general public watched and were left wondering if MMA had anything to offer in between sudden, quick knockouts and drawn out, plodding affairs.
Thankfully, UFC on Fox 3: "Diaz vs. Miller" was exactly the card everyone -- fans, Fox and UFC President Dana White -- has wanted since announcing the landmark Fox deal last year. It was, from top to bottom, an exciting affair punctuated by slugfests, excellent grappling, tests of attrition and a young fighter coming into his own.
Let's take a closer look at it:
Before the opening bout, a heavyweight fight between heavy-handed knockout artists Pat Barry and Lavar Johnson, I tweeted the sneaking suspicion I had someone might end up getting knocked out. Facetious, for sure, but my mind couldn't process an ending to this fight that didn't end with one man either asleep or at the very least in a punch-induced daze.
Sure enough, Johnson delivered and worked Barry against the cage, brutalizing him without mercy until "HD" slumped down onto the canvas, forcing the referee to step in. On paper, it promised to be a slugfest and in reality, it was exactly just that. It surprises me UFC matchmaker Joe Silva hasn't put similar fights on each and every Fox card.
The next fight, a middleweight bout between Alan Belcher and submission genie Rousimar Palhares, was the most surprising. Each and every person who knows anything about the fight game knew if the Brazilian grabbed hold of one of Belcher's legs, it wouldn't take long for him to elicit a tap or snap something in two.
Belcher had other plans.
He dove into shark-infest waters, swam with a starving Great White and came out with a big, dead fish to put on his mantle. "The Talent" weathered the submission storm, ended up on top of his opponent and pounded him out in vicious, beautiful fashion.
A welterweight showdown between perennial villain Josh Koscheck and Johny Hendricks came next. The only fight on the main card to go the distance, it helped add some star power to "Bigg Rigg" as he defeated a top five welterweight and a former title contender with a ton of name recognition. Hated as he is, Koscheck is a tough nut to crack and the Oklahoma native likely gained a new fanbase thanks to his victory.
Finally, in the main event, Nate Diaz not only defeated Jim Miller but submitted him with seconds to spare in the second round. After one main event which lasted less time than it takes to microwave a burrito and another which seemed to drag on into infinity, this was exactly the kind of fight needed to headlined a Fox card.
Both lightweights went toe to toe in the opening round but as the second stanza began, it was Diaz who started to pull away until finally securing the fight ending choke near the end of the round.
Fun fights, good knockouts, great submissions.
UFC on Fox 3 was everything the fight promotion promised to be when the promotion signed its landmark deal with Rupert Murdoch's company last August.
Sure, it took nearly a year to come around, but better late than never, they always say.
Posted in: ufc, fight, fox, event, card
Read the full article at MMA ManiaKeith Jardine-Roger Gracie Set For July Strikeforce Event
Roger Gracie and Keith Jardine are being penciled in for a planned July Strikeforce card from Portland, according to a report by MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta. The card does not have a date, but the main event is rumored to feature Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold defending his title against Tim Kennedy. Rockhold defeated Jardine [...]
Posted in: strikeforce, event, keith jardine, gracie, july
Read the full article at MMA ConvertRoger Gracie vs. Keith Jardine Set for July Strikeforce Event
Roger Gracie will officially make his middleweight debut against another former light-heavyweight who shifted to the lighter division when he takes on Keith Jardine during a July Strikeforce event that is still in the planning stages.
Two sources confirmed the fight pairing to MMA Fighting.
Though the event is not officially announced, it is tentatively penciled in for Portland, Oregon, the sources said.
A date has not yet been finalized either.
The matchup though, is locked in, with Gracie (4-1) preparing to dip his toe into the middleweight waters. He made the decision to drop weight after his last fight, in which he suffered the first loss of his pro MMA career, a first-round knockout at the hands of "King Mo" Muhammed Lawal.
Jardine doesn't have much more time at 185 under his belt than Gracie. He made his maiden voyage in the division in January, unsuccessfully challenging Strikeforce's middleweight champion Luke Rockhold.
Jardine (17-10-2) lost in a first-round TKO in that fight.
Rockhold is likely to headline the July Strikeforce event. The AKA product recently told MMA Fighting that he had been informed he was likely to defend the belt against Tim Kennedy, a pairing that sources say still holds true.
Posted in: strikeforce, event, jardine, gracie, july
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseSuper Fight League 3: Bobby Lashley Vs. James Thompson Live Video, Results And Play-By-Play
Super Fight League's third show is happening today, at New Delhi, India, and it will be headlined by a heavyweight bout guaranteed to satisfy your MMA guilty pleasures. After making Bob Sapp tap to a double leg takedown during the first SFL event, now James Thompson gets to face former WWE star, Bobby Lashley.
There are other familiar names on the card, such as former WEC champion Doug "the Rhino" Marshall, taking on Zelg Galesic, Baga Agaev vs. Trevor Prangley, and the beautiful Lena Ovchynnikova taking on Joanne Calderwood as the co-main event.
Also an interesting twist, the promotion have decided to make the tickets for this event for free. India is a tough market for MMA, and it's a bit of a risk trading in ticket sales for the chance of converting new fans. It's nice to see them try to change things up a bit though, and at least this probably guarantees there will be more people in attendance for Lashley vs. Thompson.
As always we'll be bringing you the live video and some play-by-play of the event which should start some time around 9 a.m. ET, so as always make Bloody Elbow your home for this one.
SFL 3 Card:
Doug Marshall vs. Zelg GalesicGurdashan Mangat vs. Liu Si CongLakwinder Sekhon vs. Vladimir ByandovBaga Agaev vs. Trevor PrangleyKultar Singh Gill vs. Quinton ArendseAnup Kumar vs. Chatmongkhon SimmaLena Ovchynnikova vs. Joanne Calderwood Bobby Lashley vs. James Thompson
Posted in: vs, event, lashley, bobby, thompson
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowMayweather vs Cotto full fight video preview for tonight's (May 5) HBO PPV event
What's one last fight preview amongst friends?
Tonight (Sat., May 5, 2012) will not only bring us the UFC on Fox 3: "Diaz vs. Miller" event in New Jersey, but one of the biggest boxing matches of the year. Floyd Mayweather returns to the ring to do battle against Miguel Cotto for the light middleweight championship at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The event, which airs live on HBO pay-per-view (PPV), starts at 9 p.m. ET.
Mayweather, considered by some to be the pound-for-pound best in the world, brings his spotless 42-0 record to the squared circle for this colossal showdown. Cotto, meanwhile, has lost just twice; once to Antonio Margarito in a highly controversial fight (a loss he avenged last year) and once to Manny Pacquiao.
Essentially, just short of a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight, it doesn't get much bigger than this, folks.
This match-up will take place at 154-pounds. "Money" weighed in at 151-pounds, while Cotto came in right at the limit. For full weigh-in results click here. For staredowns from the weigh-in click here and for a photo gallery of the weigh-ins click here.
And just in case this preview won't do, click here to watch every episode of the 24/7 series leading up to this big money showdown in "Sin City."
Posted in: fight, mayweather, event, click, cotto
Read the full article at MMA ManiaWatch Mayweather vs Cotto online tonight (May 5) | Live video stream/TV details for HBO PPV
Boxing is back on tonight with one of the sports biggest drawing cards, as Floyd Mayweather returns to the ring to take on Miguel Cotto for his light middleweight championship. That's not all, though. The entire event will be available for viewing TONIGHT (May 5, 2012) from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The show starts at roughly 7 p.m. ET with a live stream of the undercard bouts that will air online via both Yahoo! and HBO. Immediately after, HBO will also be airing a "Fight Day Live" special program for one hour before the main card kicks off on pay-per-view (PPV).
To watch the PPV, which, of course, features the big Floyd Mayweather vs. Miguel Cotto fight in the main event, as well as three other match-ups including Saul Alvarez vs. Shane Mosley, you can call up Comcast or your local cable and/or satellite provider (DirecTV, DISH Network, etc.) and order the show on your television. If you would rather take in the show at your local watering hole, click here to find out which bar closest to you is broadcasting the event.
However, if you need your Mayweather vs. Cotto results as soon as possible, for free, MMAmania.com will deliver up-to-the-minute results and live fight coverage, including round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of all the Mayweather vs. Cotto action before, during and after the event RIGHT HERE.
More details on the Mayweather vs. Cotto fight card, who is fighting who, as well as how to keep yourself updated all night long, after the jump:
Super Welterweight Championship bout: Floyd Mayweather vs. Miguel CottoSuper Welterweight Championship bout: Saul Alvarez vs. Shane MosleyLight Welterweight bout: Jessie Vargas vs. Steve ForbesSuper Welterweight bout: Deandre Latimore vs. Carlos Quintana
Remember, too, that our round-by-round results will begin to flow around 7:00 p.m. ET later this evening and run right on through to our main card PPV coverage, which is set to start at 9 p.m. ET, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
To get up to speed on all the news and notes for Mayweather vs. Cotto be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
More Mayweather-Cotto Coverage From SBNBad Left Hook | SB Nation | MMA Mania | Bloody Elbow
Posted in: mayweather, bout, vs, event, cotto
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 147 poster for 'Belfort vs Silva' on June 23 in Brazil
After a failing to land the event at a soccer stadium that could hold 80,000 screaming fans as originally planned, UFC 147, which will take place on Sat., June 23, 2012, finally settled on the Felipe Drummond Stadium in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, as the official venue.
But that only came after the show lost its headlining fight.
Indeed, the highly anticipated rematch pitting Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen for the middleweight championship was bumped up to the UFC 148 fight card on July 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada. That left the Vitor Belfort vs. Wanderlei Silva showdown left to main event the world's largest fight promotion's return to Brazil.
While that may seem unworthy of its billing to American fans, the Brazilian faithful are being treated to two hugely popular native sons coming off coaching gigs on the first International season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). In addition, Fabricio Werdum will attempt to take one step closer to a heavyweight title shot when he takes on Mike Russow in the night's co-main event.
But that's not all.
TUF: Brazil will also reach its conclusion at UFC 147, as both featherweight and middleweight winners will be crowned. All that and more. Here's how the UFC 147 fight card looks as it stands now:
Main Event:
185 lbs.: Vitor Belfort vs. Wanderlei Silva
Other scheduled bouts:
145 lbs.: TUF: Brazil featherweight finals185 lbs.: TUF: Brazil Middleweight finals265 lbs.: Mike Russow vs. Fabricio Werdum155 lbs.: Felipe Arantes vs. Milton Vieira145 lbs.: Yuri Alcantara vs. Hacran Dias
For all the latest news and notes on the UFC 147: "Belfort vs. Silva" event click here.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, lb, brazil
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FOX 3 video opening for 'Diaz vs Miller' event that won't make the air
Long live Face the Pain.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to the FOX network tonight (Sat., May 5, 2012) with the "Diaz vs. Miller" event scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. And because it's not on pay-per-view (PPV), we won't be treated to the UFC opening we're used to.
That includes black backdrop interviews with the top fighters on the card and highlight video packages introducing each match-up taking place on the card set to the soothing sounds of Stemm's Face the Pain.
As UFC President Dana White tweeted, "you won't see this on FOX tomorrow but I wanted to share it with you."
So take it in, Maniacs, as you gear up for tonight's big event. It's free and with four solid match-ups, it should be a ton of fun.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, payperview ppv, fox network
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on Fox 3: Attendance, gate, and bonuses from New Jersey
The attendance, gate, and post-fight bonuses have been announced for tonight's UFC on Fox 3 from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The event produced an exciting night of fights, and 10,788 fans witnessed the event in person for a live gate of $1.1 million. With two fights containing clear title-shot implications for the future, UFC on Fox 3 was a great success as a non pay-per-view event. The $65,000 bonuses were issued as following:
Submission of the Night:
Nate Diaz earned this award by
Posted in: fox, event, postfight bonuses, izod center, attendance gate
Read the full article at Low KickVideo: Bellator 67 highlights, including Michael Chandler's quick TKO
Michael Chandler did what top-10 fighters are supposed to do.
In a non-title fight at Friday's Bellator 67 event, the lightweight champion made quick work of his underdog opponent: 18-year MMA vet Akihiro Gono.
Bellator has now released highlights from the fight and other main-card bouts from the event.
Posted in: bellator, event, nontitle fight, maincard bouts, michael chandlers
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC on Fox 3: Complete Weigh In Video
All but one fighter made weight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship's UFC on Fox 3 event earlier this evening including Lightweight headliners Jim Miller and Nate Diaz and Welterweight co-main event fighters Josh Koscheck and Johny Hendricks.
The video above has all the weigh-ins for the event.
One fighter didn't make weight, flyweight John Lineker who bottomed out at 127lbs -- 1 pound above the maximum allowed 126lbs. Complete weigh in results are after the jump.SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 3
Main Card:
Nate Diaz (156) vs. Jim Miller (156)Johny Hendricks (170.5) vs. Josh Koscheck (170.5)Alan Belcher (186) vs. Rousimar Palhares (186)Pat Barry (244) vs. Lavar Johnson (253)
Preliminary Card:
Tony Ferguson (154.5) vs. Michael Johnson (156)John Dodson (126) vs. Tim Elliott (125)John Hathaway (169) vs. Pascal Krauss (169)Louis Gaudinot (126) vs. John Lineker (127)*Danny Castillo (155) vs. John Cholish (155.5)Dennis Bermudez (145.5) vs. Pablo Garza (145)Roland Delorme (135) vs. Nick Denis (135)Mike Massenzio (184) vs. Karlos Vemola (185)
*The commission stopped Lineker from cutting any more weight. The fight will be contested at a catchweight, and Lineker will be fined a portion of his purse.
Posted in: vs, event, john, weight, lineker
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowBellator 67 discussion thread
Welcome to our discussion thread for tonight's Bellator 67 event.
The event kicks off at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) at Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario, Canada.
Stay tuned for a full recap of the event, which includes an MTV2 main card with lightweight champion Michael Chandler vs. Akihiro Gono (in a non-title fight) and a season-six welterweight-tournament semifinal of Ben Saunders vs. Bryan Baker.
Posted in: vs, event, casino rama, discussion thread, nontitle fight
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC on FOX 3 weigh in results and video LIVE online from New Jersey for 'Diaz vs Miller'
The official weigh in event for UFC on FOX 3: "Diaz vs. Miller" is set to take place later TODAY (May 4, 2012) live from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The first fighter is expected to tip the scale at 4 p.m. ET.
As usual, MMAmania.com will provide up-to-the-second coverage of the UFC on FOX 3 weigh-ins, as well as provide a detailed recap of the festivities as soon as they conclude. We also have a LIVE UFC on FOX 3 video stream of the weigh in event embedded in the extended entry below, which means that you can watch the entire event online, right here, and talk about all the action with all the other Maniacs in real-time.
UFC on FOX 3 will feature a main event that pits Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller in a pivotal Lightweight showdown, while Josh Koscheck vs. Johny Hendricks will face off for a top spot in the 170-pound pecking order.
Heavyweights Pat Barry and Lavar Johnson will also sling leather on the action-packed televised main card, as well as Brazilian leg crusher Rousimar Palhares taking on the very game Alan Belcher in a Middleweight mash up.
Check out complete UFC on Fox 3 weigh in results and LIVE video stream after the jump:
UFC ON FOX 3 WEIGH IN RESULTS
Main Event:
155 lbs.: Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller
Main Card (FOX):
170 lbs.: Johny Hendricks vs. Josh Koscheck185 lbs.: Alan Belcher vs. Rousimar Palhares265 lbs.: Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson
Preliminary Card (FUEL TV):
155 lbs.: Anthony Ferguson vs. Michael Johnson125 lbs.: John Dodson vs. Tim Elliott170 lbs.: John Hathaway vs. Pascal Krauss125 lbs.: Louis Gaudinot vs. John Lineker155 lbs.: Danny Castillo vs. John Cholish145 lbs.: Dennis Bermudez vs. Pablo Garza
Preliminary Card (Facebook):
135 lbs.: Roland Delorme vs. Nick Denis185 lbs.: Mike Massenzio vs. Karlos Vemola
For those fortunate enough to be in the "Garden State" this afternoon, remember the weigh-in is FREE to attend and open to the public. Doors to the weigh-in will open at 1:30 p.m. PT. In addition, UFC Fight Club members will be able to attend a special hour-long Q&A session with UFC Middleweight contender Michael Bisping that begins at 2 p.m. local time.
Remember, too, that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of UFC on Fox 3 tomorrow night (Sat., May 5, 2012), which is slated to air at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. The latest quick updates of the live action will begin to flow earlier than that around 4 p.m. ET with the "Prelims" bouts on Facebook and FUEL TV.
For the latest UFC on FOX 3: "Diaz vs. Miller" news and notes check out our event archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, fox, vs, event, lb
Read the full article at MMA ManiaLegacy Fighting Championship, UFC work out deal following Jamie Varner's withdrawal
Mick Maynard will never fault a fighter who takes an opportunity to fight in the UFC.
But the Legacy Fighting Championship promoter sure would appreciate some notice if the fighter is already booked for one of his events.
The situation arose this week when former WEC champion Jamie Varner - who was slated to fight at next week's LFC 11 event on HDNet - instead took an injury-replacement opportunity at this month's UFC 146 event.
Posted in: ufc, event, legacy, championship promoter, injuryreplacement opportunity
Read the full article at MMA JunkieJim Miller - Man At Work
Timing is everything.Last year, as Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard remained locked into a trilogy atop the UFC lightweight division, a collection of fighters with championship aspirations built their cases for being next in line.Among that group was Whippany, New Jersey native Jim Miller. A scrappy, blue-collar-to-the-core contender, Miller had put together a seven-fight winning streak since losing a decision to Maynard at UFC 96. The only other loss of his career came a little more than three years earlier against Edgar in a battle for the Reality Fighting lightweight title.Injuries pushed back Edgar-Maynard 3 until October. In the interim, Miller was booked with another of those emerging contenders, former WEC champion Benson Henderson, in the co-main event of a Fight Night event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Though it played second fiddle to a welterweight fight between Chris Lytle and Dan Hardy, most everyone viewed Miller-Henderson as the real main event. UFC President Dana White had announced a victory would elevate Miller to the top of the list of challengers — a chance to rematch one of the two men that had beaten him previously in a battle for the lightweight title. All he had to do was get through Henderson.It wasn’t meant to be. Henderson controlled Miller throughout their three round encounter, sweeping the scorecards and halting Miller’s seven-fight winning streak at the same time. Henderson would go on to earn a title shot later in the year, and he completed his climb to the top of the division with a victory over Edgar at UFC 144 in February.Along the way, the large crop of contenders that had bottlenecked at the top of the division back in the summer had been whittled down substantially. Henderson had dispatched Clay Guida after defeating Miller, while Joe Lauzon upset Melvin Guillard, ending his solid run of success. In December, Nate Diaz collected his second consecutive win since returning to the lightweight ranks, halting Donald Cerrone’s steady climb up the rankings with a performance eerily similar to those his older brother Nick had been putting forth in recent years.Miller returned in January opposite Guillard, a pairing that would allow the winner to bounce right back into contention. Headlining the UFC’s maiden voyage on the FX network, Miller made the most of his opportunity, surviving an early power shot from Guillard that planted him on his backside to choke out his enigmatic opponent just over two minutes into the very first round.The victory earned him a pairing with Diaz on the top of the UFC’s third show on FOX, a shot at the lightweight title going to the victor.“You know, timing definitely does come into play,” says Miller in his standard laid-back drawl. “There were a couple guys there that if the title situation didn’t get as backed up as it had that could have fought — myself, Melvin, even Cerrone with five impressive wins. It’s just the way that it works out some times.“Losing in August doesn’t erase the nine prior wins that I have in the UFC; those are still there. I’ve done that work, so it might not be as long of a streak now, but I’ve still beaten all the guys that I’ve beaten.”If Miller seems unaffected by the twists and turns in the road to the lightweight title, it’s because the 28-year-old married father of two has never made what he does in the cage out to be anything more than a job. Training and stepping into the Octagon is his version of a 9 to 5, and though he’s very good at what he does, Miller refuses to let his career define him.“I’ve always been that type of person where I never got too carried away with it,” he explains. “I try to have a lot of things going, and do a lot of stuff. I’m real close with my family, and I always knew that no matter what I do — fighting is just a sporting event, and a job for me. The situation with my nephew is one of those times where it solidifies that there are bigger things than getting into the Octagon.”Daniel James Miller Jr. is the son of UFC welterweight Dan Miller, Jim’s older brother. The two-year-old boy was born with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (PKD), and is awaiting a kidney transplant. Having already had both of his kidneys removed in order to prepare for the transplant, Danny Jr. undergoes daily dialysis treatment, and will be on anti-rejection medications for the remainder of his life.“He’s doing all right; he’s been a lot better lately,” Miller says as an update on his nephew’s condition. “They’ve finally got him infection free. Hopefully he’ll be back home soon, and they can get that transplant.”Watching your nephew battle through that, it’s easy to understand why the ups and downs of a career in the cage don’t seem to faze the lightweight half of New Jersey’s Fighting Miller Brothers.On a different level, it’s the same reason being one half of the headlining act in his home state doesn’t get much of an emotional response from Miller either. Whether he’s fighting as part of the main event in East Rutherford or the first fight of the night in Butte, Montana, the workmanlike lightweight with a 21-3 record is still going to approach the task at hand the same.“As a fight, it’s the same thing,” says Miller matter-of-factly. “When I think of it as fighting my opponent and what it’s going to be like that night, it’s the same as any other thing — the door closes behind me, and my vision doesn’t extend beyond that cage. I’m still getting locked inside of a chain-link fence with another guy who has been training for months to punch me in the face.“There has been a larger media presence because of being on FOX and being the main event, and in this area, so there is more to it than normal, but that’s what I want.”Some fighters make no effort to hide their contempt for the media obligations that accompany being a UFC fighter. As he explains the taxing and sometimes frustrating schedule of events that awaits him during Fight Week, it’s clear that Miller would prefer to be anywhere else during his final few days of weight cutting, but the consummate professional will take his seat at the pre-fight press conference, and fulfill his obligation with a smile on his face.After all, it’s a requirement when you rise to the position of potential title challenger and main event fighter, and that’s a position Miller is happy to hold at this point in his career.“There’s been some media and stuff, but it hasn’t been a burden. Fight week is definitely going to be a little more hectic, and that’s when it counts; that’s when it will have an effect. Even the first couple days are easy, but it’s the day before weigh-ins when it starts.“That’s usually when there is a decent amount of media going on, and that’s when we start feeling it. We as fighters usually do a good job of hiding it because it starts to take a toll on you, and you start to feel a little miserable. When the weight starts coming down, you’re a little bit anxious, a little bit antsy, and a little short, but it’s all part of the job.”While making nice with the media is a piece of what he does for a living, stepping in the cage with Diaz on Saturday night is where he’ll really earn his keep, and potentially the title shot that has eluded him thus far.The younger half of the Diaz Brothers has looked impressive since dropping back down to the 155-pound ranks following back-to-back losses in the welterweight division in the first half of 2011. Precise boxing, high punch counts, and a slick ground game have fueled his successful return; the same recipe that has turned his brother Nick into one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport today.Though he admits that Diaz will be a difficult challenge once the cage door closes, Miller is buoyed by the fact that the talented trash talker who won Season five of The Ultimate Fighter has struggled against opponents with a skill set similar to the one he will carry into the Octagon on May 5 at the IZOD Center.“Nate is a very tough fight for anybody in this weight class; he’s as tough as they come, and very well trained. His boxing in his last fight was awesome, and cardio-wise, his volume of punches that he threw was pretty incredible to watch. He’s good on the mat too, so it’s a tough fight.“I have some similar characteristics to guys that have beaten him, so that keeps my confidence up to where I know I just have to go in and fight my fight, do what I’m capable of, and put it to him because he has shown that little bit of weakness. It’s about trying to capitalize on that.”Miller will be ready to put in an honest day’s work come fight night, just as he has in each of his previous 12 trips inside the Octagon. As for how he intends to deal with the trash talk that is likely headed his way in the days leading up to the fight, and once he and Diaz are alone in the cage?“I honestly haven’t worried about it. I just completely disregard it, so it doesn’t matter to me. It’s not going to get a rise out of me.”Listening to trash talk isn’t part of the job description.
Posted in: ufc, fight, ’t, event, miller
Read the full article at UFCDana White donates UFC 149-related prizes to Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White is accustomed to helping people fight. This time, he's helping kids battle their way through life-threatening illnesses.
With UFC 149 just around the corner, the Las Vegas fight boss dropped a boatload of swag on the fine folks behind the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada, who in turn will hold an online auction in conjunction with the July 21 pay-per-view (PPV) event in Calgary.
The auction includes two VIP tickets to the UFC 149 event in White’s personal section, a one-hour backstage tour the day of the fight (including inside the Octagon), front row seating for the official weigh-ins, a pair of gloves signed by UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre (which includes a certificate of authenticity) and even a card autographed by White himself.
From Chantal Macleod, spokeswoman for the foundation (via the Calgary Sun):
"These are tickets that are never released to the public and are as close to the Octagon as you can get. Given the calibre of the prizes, Dana White has gone above and beyond. There’s so much anticipation building. This is Calgarians’ first chance to get tickets for the big event."
The auction is already under way (click here to bid) and will conclude on Thursday night (May 3, 2012). The minimum bid is $2,500 (reserve).
For more on the upcoming UFC 149 event in Calgary click here. To see the UFC 149 fight card and rumors click here and for more on the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada click here.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, click, foundation
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDana White video blog for UFC on FOX 3: 'Diaz vs Miller' (Episode 1)
It's fight week, folks, and that means it's also blog week.
UFC President Dana White is up to his old tricks, releasing behind-the-scenes videos to help promote an upcoming fight card. In this instance, we're just days away from the UFC on FOX 3: "Diaz vs. Miller" event set for Sat., May 5, 2012, at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Instead of putting out a video that has anything to do with that event, though, White has something different for this first video blog of the week.
In it, White spends nearly four minutes doing running commentary of Urijah Faber posing in front of a window at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) gym in Las Vegas, Nevada, while he eats and talks on the phone.
Yes, it's four minutes of White poking fun at "The California Kid" for constantly having his shirt off and checking on how good he looks while doing something as simple as chatting on a cell phone. This is the UFC folks ... as real as it gets.
Promises were made for two more video blogs, so stay tuned for more compelling footage that probably has nothing to do with UFC on FOX 3. For all the information you need to stay up to date on that event anyway, make sure to hit up our complete event archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, video, event, video blog, blog
Read the full article at MMA ManiaSaturday's UFC on FOX 3 lineup finalized with televised bouts and dark matches
Saturday's UFC on FOX 3 event will feature a mixture of both televised fights and dark matches.
The event, which takes place at IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., features four main-card bouts on FOX national, six preliminary-card fights on FUEL TV, and two dark matches.
Lightweights Jim Miller and Nate Diaz headline the event.
Posted in: event, fuel tv, saturdays ufc, maincard bouts, izod center
Read the full article at MMA JunkieMorning Report: Fedor Talks Rizzo, GSP Discusses Bullying on CNN
I could've sworn the UFC Spring Break was over, but here we were again with a weekend where no UFC or Strikeforce event was being held. That doesn't mean there was no MMA action. There was. In fact, there was pretty good MMA action courtesy the all-women's card for Invicta FC's inaugural event. Some of the fights early on the card were fairly lackluster, but towards the main event things heated up nicely. Jessica Penne stood out with a strong performance, Young vs. Smith was tons o' fun, Randi Miller proved she's pretty green but pretty mean and Marloes Coenen put Ronda Rousey on notice.
There's also a UFC event this coming weekend. More specifically, a free UFC event, which are in many ways the best kind. I've long felt this event was booked as something more than a FX card, but less than one for pay-per-view. I'm not sure that's the optimal balance, but it's the one we got and there are strong, important fights to be enjoyed.
For now, though, let's catch up on the results you may have missed, the odd interview of UFC welterweight Georges St. Pierre on CNN, Tim Kennedy being Tim Kennedy and much more.
5 MUST-READ STORIES
Coenen Victorious at Invicta FC, Calls Out Ronda Rousey. The biggest fights of the weekend took place on an all-women's fight card. Catch up on what happened and what could be next.
Dana White Says UFC Will Not Put On Shows in California If CSAC Bill Passes. The UFC's head honcho says if a controversial law is passed, that could be the end of the UFC in the Golden State.
Daniel Cormier's gold medal loss is MMA's gain. The Strikeforce grand prix finalist tells MMA Fighting if he had won the Olympic gold medal, he probably would never have entered professional MMA.
Fedor Emelianenko talks Pedro Rizzo. What does the greatest heavyweight of all time think about Pedro Rizzo and M-1? Click to find out.
Luke Rockhold Readies for Tim Kennedy, Wants to Fight Anderson Silva. The Strikeforce middleweight champion speaks to our own Mike Chiappetta about what's next in his career.
MEDIA STEW
Tim Kennedy + Masterpiece Theater = What?
Georges St. Pierre talks about being bullied on CNN. Oh, and also answers the worst questions ever:
The Nick Diaz story is well known. Ahead of UFC on Fox 3, it's time for Nate's story to be told (HT: MMA Mania):
Current TUF Live coach and former WEC champion Urijah Faber has a new book coming out (HT: Bloody Elbow):
UFC Octagon girl Arianny Celeste poses for FHM in the Philippines. You can tell it's Filipino with words like "Bhoy" and "Tayo" on the left side of the cover (HT: ABS-CBN News).
RONDA ROUSEY'S DELICIOUS BREAKFAST
Ugh, every morning I have to eat a handful of fresh parsley... And every morning green projectile vomit is a distinct possibility...
— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) April 29, 2012
INVICTA GETS DAPS
Congratulations to InvictaFC for a really great first show, unbelievable fights!
— Bas Rutten (@BasRuttenMMA) April 29, 2012
Thank you loved the first edition @InvictaFights@shanknapp I felt at home. I was very happy indeed now the wmma is being valued.
— Cris Cyborg (@criscyborg) April 29, 2012
BRIAN STANN AT A LOSS FOR WORDS
Haha, How do I even respond to this? RT @TimKennedyMMA: #IfTwitterHadAPromIdTake @BrianStann
— Brian Stann (@BrianStann) April 30, 2012
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Brian Stann vs. Hector Lombard, TBA
- Thiago Silva vs. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, TBA
- UFC 150: Luiz Cane vs. Yushin Okami
- UFC 150: Thiago Tavares vs. Dennis Hallman
- Invicta FC 2: Shayna Baszler vs. Sara McMann
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today's Fanpost of the Day comes courtesy Luke Nelson who forecasts how UFC welterweight Rory MacDonald would fare in fights against the division's top eleven contenders. Here's his sense of MacDonald vs. Nick Diaz:
3. Nick Diaz
Strengths: Boxing, Offensive Guard, Cardio, Aggression, Toughness. Some people don't really consider Nick to be a boxer, as he tends to just crowd his opponent against the cage and unleash flurry after flurry, something that looks like boxing but doesn't incorporate the nuanced movement that a true practitioner of the sweet science would have. Either way, he's beaten a bunch of noted strikers with that strategy, so whatever you call it, he's good at it. He has one of the most dangerous guards in the division, although he hasn't used it too much recently, preferring to keep fights standing. He never gets tired, can take a helluva shot and his gameness is pretty much unquestioned.
Weaknesses: Strength, Wrestling, Fight IQ. In his first stint with the UFC, Diaz had a tough time keeping his fights standing, although he has said on multiple occasions that he would not have taken the bottom and played from his guard so readily if he had known the judges would treat the top guy as having the advantage, despite it being something he probably should have been aware of. In his fights since, no one has succeeded in taking him down and keeping him there but he also hasn't fought a vaunted take down and top control fighter of the calibre found in the upper echelon of the UFC`s welterweight division. He admits to not being as strong as his peers, but he also doesn't want to be, preferring to rely on his superior cardio and a volume striking approach to win his fights.
How a fight with Macdonald would look: Rory rag-dolled Nick`s younger brother Nathan en route to a three round decision in his biggest UFC victory to date. He landed three suplexes in the final round against Nathan, showcasing a decided strength advantage that he would also hold on Nick. Rory also out-struck Nathan for a good portion of their fight, but it wouldn't be a good idea to try to stand up with Nick, so this fight would likely come down to how much damage Rory could do from inside Nick's guard. It seems likely that this fight would go into the third round and if Rory ran out of gas in the same way he did against Condit that would spell trouble against Nick.
Found something perfect for the Morning Report? Just hit me on Twitter @SBNLukeThomas and we'll include it in Monday's post.
Posted in: ufc, fight, nick, vs, event
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseWhite threatens no UFC in CA if AB 2100 passes
UFC head Dana White has threatened to cease holding events in the state of California if a controversial piece of legislation passes in the state. Assembly Bill 2100 was introduced last Wednesday and is supported by the Culinary Workers Union while opposed by the UFC among others.
Via San Jose Mercury:
(Assembly member Luis) Alejo wants to eliminate what he sees as abusive contracts, freeing up fighters to make Assembly Bill 2100 would prevent promoters from claiming unreasonable future merchandising rights, prevent unreasonable restrictions on fighters’ seeking outside sponsors and prohibit other onerous contract provisions.
Dana White told the OC Register:
“Do you know what’s going on in Sacramento, right now?” White said. “They are trying to pass this bill to raise our taxes and do a bunch of crazy (expletive) to us. They voted 4-2 for the bill. There were a couple of people not present to vote on it. If that thing passes we won’t do anymore fights in California. All kinds of crazy (expletive) they’re trying to throw in this bill for MMA. You know who’s doing it? The Culinary Union from Las Vegas. These guys have been (expletive) with us in New York, too. That’s why we’re not in New York. These guys got a bunch of lobbyists together to try to pass this bill against MMA. They are putting pressure on my partners, the Fertitta brothers, because they own the fourth-largest gaming company in the country and they are non-union.”
More info on AB 2100 can be found in our previous post.
H/t: Bloody Elbow
Payout Perspective:
Would it hurt the UFC economically if it did not run events in either New York or California? It’s an intriguing question considering the UFC derives most of its income from PPV revenues and many of its live events are expanding to new areas or in Las Vegas. The UFC is expanding internationally and could find new venues in the US to hold events. Still, not holding events in the two biggest states in America does seem odd. The self-imposed ban on the state of California would affect Strikeforce more than it would the UFC. Although the UFC held its biggest event in Anaheim (UFC on Fox 1), Strikeforce has held events in San Jose or San Diego more often than the UFC has held events in the states. Of course, we do note that UFC on Fuel TV 4 will be in San Jose and UFC on Fox 4 will be in LA. So, maybe the strategy is to stress the economic impact Zuffa creates in the state with the 2 upcoming events and threaten that this will all end if AB 2100 passes.
Posted in: ufc, event, san jose, state, bill
Read the full article at MMA PayoutDana White says Shogun Rua's next fight will be against Thiago Silva
Big Brazilian brawl? Yes, please.
UFC President Dana White has been answering fan questions on Twitter and, as usual, he's dropped a few interesting nuggets worth passing along. The most noteworthy of which is the fact that when Mauricio Rua returns to the Octagon, he will do so against Thiago Silva.
No event, date or location was revealed.
For "Shogun" it will be his first fight back inside the Octagon since dropping a controversial decision to Dan Henderson back at UFC 139 in Nov. 2011 in San Jose, California. That pill seems even more bitter in hindsight now that it's been confirmed "Hendo" will go on to challenge Jon Jones for the light heavyweight championship later this year.
As for Silva, he made his long awaited return to the cage just this past April 14, 2012, in the main event of UFC on FUEL TV 2 against Alexander Gustafsson, a fight that saw him lose via decision after three hard fought rounds.
The Brazilian bomber didn't exactly impress in his return but considering how long he was on the shelf, expectations weren't exactly high. They likely won't be high for this one, either, as the degree of difficulty is actually going up despite his loss.
As stated, no date was announced for this fight to take place but there are plenty of available options. UFC 149 could use another big bout on July 21 in Calgary. UFC 150 is set for Aug. 11 and needs a solid co-main event.
No matter where this one ends up, what are your thoughts on the match-up, Maniacs? And who wins?
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, return, thiago silva
Read the full article at MMA Mania
iPhone App Recommendation for UFC Events?
I'm looking for a good iPhone app to easily keep track of UFC event information. I'm mainly wanting event dates, fighters on the event, etc. With the UFC having so many events these days, I'm finding it frustrating to keep track of. Obviously, MMA Junkie and MMA Fighting have decent apps but they aren't very user friendly and don't have a filter By UFC. They combine the UFC info with all the other smaller organizations. The UFC app is horrible so that's not an answer. There used to be a great app called MMA Tracker but I guess they stopped supporting it and it died off. Any recommendations? submitted by luisgarcia152 [link] [9 comments]
Posted in: ufc, mma, event, app, ufc app
Read the full article at RedditReport: Jose Aldo vs Erik Koch will headline UFC 149 on July 21 in Calgary
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) may have been flirting with the idea of moving Jose Aldo's next featherweight title defense up to the UFC 147 event set for June 23, 2012, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, but it looks like that's simply not happening.
Instead, as originally announced, Aldo will remain on the UFC 149 fight card scheduled for July 21, 2012, at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, according to a report from Sportv.Globo.com.
That would mean, of course, that the Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson light heavyweight championship showdown isn't likely to happen at the event, though it's not impossible. Surely the UFC wouldn't put two title fights on the same show two events in a row, would they?
Aldo's opponent, though not officially announced, is expected to be Erik Koch. Agree with that decision or not, all other top division contenders are locked up at the moment -- Dustin Poirier vs. Chan Sung Jung is set for UFC on FUEL TV 3 and Hatsu Hioki vs. Ricardo Lamas likely for UFC on FX 4.
That means Koch appears to be the only viable (and logical) competition left standing.
Koch is a Roufusport product who was last seen inside the Octagon winning a closely contested decision against The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 12 winner Jonathan Brookins back in Sept. 2011.
"New Breed" was expected to take on a fellow 145-pound rising star, the aforementioned Poirier, at UFC 143 earlier this year. However, Koch was hurt in training and forced to withdraw from the highly anticipated bout.
Koch sports an impressive record with Zuffa, at 5-1, while boasting a 13-1 record overall.
UFC 149 is the first event held by the world's largest fight promotion in the province of Alberta. Aldo vs. Koch is expected to headline the event with other bouts announced for the card including Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cheick Kongo, Thiago Alves vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Nick Ring vs. Court McGee.
For all the latest news and notes on UFC 149 click here.
Posted in: ufc, koch, vs, event, aldo
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FUEL TV 4 fight card and rumors for 'Munoz vs Weidman' on July 11 in San Jose
Event: UFC on FUEL TV 4: "Munoz vs. Weidman"Date: Wed., July 11, 2012, at 9 p.m. ET on FUELLocation: HP Pavilion in San Jose, California
Main Event:
185 lbs.: Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman
Other Scheduled Fights:
205 lbs.: Brandon Vera vs. James Te Huna155 lbs.: Anthony Njokuani vs. Paul Taylor
*Fight card and line-up subject to change.
For all the latest and greatest on UFC on FUEL TV 4 be sure to hit up our event archive right here.
Posted in: fight, vs, event, lb, tv
Read the full article at MMA ManiaInvicta FC: Four Of Twenty-Two Fighters Miss Weight For Women's MMA Event
Invicta Fighting Championships is picking up a bit of steam over the past week. This is partially because of the fact that it's the biggest MMA event this weekend with no Bellator, Strikeforce or UFC events and partially because the concept of women's-only MMA is unique.
Unfortunately, the event didn't get off the the greatest start as four of the twenty-two fighters on the card weren't able to make weight. Here are the full weights via MMA Rising:
Featherweight (145 Pounds): Marloes Coenen (146.0) vs Romy Ruyssen (149.8)*
Atomweight (105): Jessica Penne (105.6) vs Lisa Ellis (106.0)
Bantamweight (135): Liz Carmouche (134.2) vs Ashleigh Curry (136.0)**
Bantamweight (135): Kaitlin Young (135.4) vs Leslie Smith (135.0)
Bantamweight (135): Sarah D'Alelio (135.2) vs Vanessa Mariscal (136.0)
Strawweight (115): Sally Krumdiack (113.6) vs Sarah Schneider (115.6)
Atomweight (105): Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc (105.4) vs Amy Davis (105.6)
Flyweight (125): Sarah Maloy (125.4) vs Michele Gutierrez (125.0)
Featherweight (145): Randi Miller (149.0)*** vs Mollie Estes (145.0)
Strawweight (115): Ashley Cummins (115.0) vs Sofia Bagherdai (120.6)****
Atomweight (105): Cassie Rodish (105.2) vs Meghan Wright (103.6)
More after the jump...
Romy Ruyssen was fined 25% of her purse as were Randi Miller and Sofia Bagherdai. Ashleigh Curry only lost 10% of her purse as she was only a pound over.
The real issue here is the extent to which weight was missed. Four fighters missing weight by more than four pounds is a real issue and something that needs to be fixed. Let's not forget when Shannon Knapp was interviewed by Steph Daniels about getting Invicta of the ground:
Tapout Radio: Several of the girls featured on your card are currently on the Strikeforce roster. Is that an open ended arrangement or do you intend to eventually become the mecca for female MMA?
Shannon Knapp: A lot of the girls are still signed with Strikeforce. Strikeforce is in a unique position right now. With a limited amount of shows, they aren't able to keep all of their athletes active. What they've done, and I think it's a great thing, is they're allowing those girls to participate on our card. I think it's a great gesture, letting these girls stay active.
I think it would be great if the girls had one platform, instead of being so scattered. When Dana (White) said that there was a lack of depth with the women, he was absolutely correct, but the rebuttal to that is that he's only seeing four or five girls active. How do you gauge the depth when they're so spread out? I think with us coming in and building a solid foundation to bring all these girls together, we can solidify these weight classes. I think we're going to be able to make a difference.
Solidifying weight classes isn't going to work if the fighters aren't able to make the weight.
Posted in: mma, vs, event, weight, girl
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowAsian MMA - URCC 21: Warpath Live Video and Discussion
URCC 21 is taking place live, right now (started around 9 p.m. ET). Since we just found out that they're streaming the event live online, we're happy to bring you coverage of the event including live video which is embedded after the jump. Our own Anton Tabuena is cageside and I'm sure will have thoughts on the event in the coming week.
Here's what the full card looks like for today's event:
Froilan Sarenas vs. Nicholas MannRoy Doliguez vs. Alvin RamirezJerson Estoro vs. Reysaldo TransmonteWill Chope vs. Angelito MangurayAndrew Benibe vs. Alcer LozadaJonathan Sumobat vs. Mark Joseph AbrilloMario Sismundo vs. Michael Dan RubioMark Dialogo vs. Fred LimCharles de Tomas vs. Isaac TulingDennis Salazar vs. Adam Cacay
Live streaming video is after the jump, watch it and enjoy. Don't forget to share your thoughts on the event as it goes down in the comments.
Here's the live video for URCC 21: Warpath:
Posted in: video, vs, event, week heres, anton tabuena
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 150 Set for Denver; Two Bouts Announced
After waiting a decade to host an event in Denver for the first time while under Zuffa management, the UFC won't wait nearly so long a second time around. The promotion announced late on Friday night that it would return to the market on August 11, in an event set to be UFC 150.
The event will be held at the Pepsi Center, the same site as last September's UFC 135 event.
The promotion also detailed the first two bouts set for the show.
In the first, Luiz Cane will make his middleweight debut against longtime contender Yushin Okami. Cane (12-4, 1 no contest), made the decision to shift weight classes shortly after being upset by Stanislav Nedkov last August. He's lost three of his last four fights leading into his move to 185.
Okami has dropped two straight fights, both by TKO. The first was a championship fight against Anderson Silva last August. In the other, which came at February's UFC 144, he was leading Tim Boetsch through two rounds before getting stunned and finished in the third. Okami is 26-7.
The other scrap is a lightweight bout pitting Thiago Tavares (17-4-1) against Dennis Hallman (51-14-2, 1 no contest). That fight was originally set for May 5 but ultimately pushed back.
Last year's UFC 135 show at the Pepsi Center drew 16,344 fans and a gate of $2.1 million. Denver is also the site of UFC 1 back in November 1993.
Posted in: ufc, fight, bout, event, pepsi center
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseInvicta FC 1 weigh in results from Missouri for 'Coenen vs Ruyssen 2'
The official weigh-in event for tomorrow night's inaugural all-female Invicta Fighting Championship event took place today (April 27, 2012) at Hotel Phillips in Kansas City, Missouri.
Of the 22 fighters who stepped onto the scales, a whopping four ladies missed weight. Most notable were main event fighter Romy Ruyssen who stepped on the scales 4.4 pounds above the contracted 146 pound limit. Also missing weight were ex-boxer Ashleigh Curry, Olympic wrestler Randi Miller and Fatal Femme Fighting veteran Sofia Bagherdai.
Invicta has a unique weigh-in format. The four fighters who missed weight the first time around are automatically penalized 10 percent of their fight purse. If they fail to make weight the second time, they are fined a total of 25 percent of the purse and the bout is moved up a weight class as it does not hold catchweight bouts.
The main event will be headlined by former Strikeforce women's 135 pound champion Marloes Coenen as she takes on French submission specialist Romy Ruyssen in a rematch over three years in the making.
Also on the card are former Bellator standouts Lisa Ellis and Jessica Penne as well as former Strikeforce title challenger Liz Carmouche and many, many more.
Complete Invicta FC weigh in results after the jump:
Main Event
145 lbs.: Marloes Coenen (146.0) vs Romy Ruyssen (150.4)*
Fight Card105 lbs.: Jessica Penne (105.6) vs Lisa Ellis (106.0)135 lbs.: Liz Carmouche (134.2) vs Ashleigh Curry (137.2)135 lbs.: Kaitlin Young (135.4) vs Leslie Smith (135.0)135 lbs.: Sarah D'Alelio (135.2) vs Vanessa Mariscal (136.0)115 lbs.: Sally Krumdiack (113.6) vs Sarah Schneider (115.6)105 lbs.: Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc (105.4) vs Amy Davis (105.6)125 lbs.: Sarah Maloy (125.4) vs Michele Gutierrez (125.0)145 lbs.: Randi Miller (149.8)* vs Mollie Estes (145.0)115 lbs.: Ashley Cummins (115.0) vs Sofia Bagherdai (120.6)*105 lbs.: Cassie Rodish (105.2) vs Meghan Wright (103.6)
*Fighter has been fined 10% and has two hours to make weight. If they fail to make weight within two hours, they must forfeit 25% of their purse and the fight will be conducted at an upgraded weight class.
Remember that MMAMania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of Invicta FC 1, beginning with the first fight streamed on InvictaFC.com at 8 p.m. ET.
It's going to be a great night of fights so don't miss it, and remember to check us out for all the post-fight coverage after tomorrow night's card is wrapped up.
See you then!
Posted in: vs, event, lb, weight, invicta
Read the full article at MMA ManiaAnthony Njokuani vs Paul Taylor fight booked for UFC on FUEL TV 4
Let's try this again.
Back before UFC 138 in Nov. 2011, lightweight bangers Anthony Njokuani and Paul Taylor were scheduled to sling leather before the latter was involved in a car accident that forced to him back out. Now, though, they've been booked to square off once again.
Fighters Only brings word that the two will collide at the planned UFC on FUEL TV 4 event that will take place on July 11, 2012, at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.
It's a quick turnaround for Njokuani, who just competed at the UFC 145: "Jones vs. Evans" event that went down just this past Sat., April 21, 2012, in Atlanta, Georgia. "The Assassin" earned a unanimous decision win over John Makdessi to continue his pattern of win-one, lose-one.
Does that mean he's got a bad night ahead of him?
The man charged with attempting as much is Taylor, who you may not even remember considering how long he's been on the shelf. The last time the Brit was in action was in Feb. 2011 when he knocked Gabe Ruediger out in the second round at UFC 126.
It was a good thing, too, seeing as he had lost two in a row just prior to that. A win against a game Njokuani sounds like the perfect way to return to the Octagon, no?
UFC on FUEL TV 4 was just recently pegged for the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., and will feature a middleweight main event of Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman with top contendership in the 185-pound division on the line.
Also rumored for the card is a light heavyweight bout pitting Brandon Vera vs. James Te Huna.
As always, stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more details on this still-developing fight card.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, hp pavilion, njokuani
Read the full article at MMA ManiaReport: UFC 147 To Be Held In A Stadium In Minas Gerais
According to a report from respected Brazilian MMA news outlet Tatame, the UFC has found a home for UFC 147 on June 23: Estadio Jornalista Felippe Drummond in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The UFC had originally hoped to book the fight in a Sao Paulo stadium but ran afoul of noise restrictions. Then they planned on Rio de Janeiro but a UN conference that same week threatened to take up too many hotel rooms in the city.
The UFC has already moved the putative headliner between Middleweight champ Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen to UFC 148 in Las Vegas on July 7th. The card is now expected to feature Featherweight champ Jose Aldo defending his title against Erik Koch as the headliner.
Ultimate Fighter Brazil coaches Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort will face off in the co-main event. The card will also feature heavyweights Fabricio Werdum vs. Mike Russow and the Ultimate Fighter Brazil finals in 2 divisions.
More details from Tatame about the size of the venue and the possible hitch that could eliminate the stadium from consideration after the jump...More UFC 147 coverage
From Tatame:
"They were verifying the facilities and will need an engineer to see if the ceiling can handle a 20 tones structure", informed the assessors of the administration of the stadium.
The stadium full capacity depends on the event. On volleyball events, for instance, it supports 18 thousand people, like happened last year on concerts of Ozzy Osbourne and Roverto Carlos, which gathered 14 thousand people each.
Posted in: ufc, event, las vegas, brazil, stadium
Read the full article at Bloody Elbow
Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp talks tomorrow's promotional debut, giving back to fans
As a Mixed Martial Arts event nears, a fighter’s world closes to focus on the task at hand. Training sessions may become more rigorous. Diets change to accommodate any possible weight cutting necessary. Fighters coming in know, and understand the world coming in is watching, and they have something to prove.
For Invicta Fighting Championship President Shannon Knapp, these fighters will be coming to compete at the new promotion’s inaugural event on Saturday night. Like her fighters, she too will have something to prove. The world will be watching with intrigue as to what the promising product can prove in its infancy. In an interview with Fighters.com, she discussed the importance of making bold statements as a way of splashing into the market such as deciding to stream the inaugural event through the Invicta FC website rather than rely on a second party to handle the task.
“One of the things that we looked at was whether we wanted to have a broadcasting partner, and we had people that knocked on our door, but telling somebody what you want to do and showing somebody what you want to do are two different things on the spectrum,” Knapp began. “What we decided was that we wanted to control our product for this first event, and show the world what we could do; that we had a world class female all-pro platform, and what it was going to look like.”
Knapp continued by discussing the importance of giving back to a worldwide audience rather than a localized one, which factored into the possibility of television deals.
“The other thing that helped us come to this decision was that if you have your event on a Showtime, or HBO or HDNet, it doesn’t guarantee the world access to everywhere in the world, and there are a lot of people out there that have been strong supporters of the female side of the sport. We wanted to take everybody on our journey, and give back to them. That’s how we came to this idea.”
Knapp’s decision, while surprising, is already paying dividends. In Canada, for example, Shaw Communications discontinued HDNet indefinitely from all cable packages effective March 20. The decision, blamed in part due to HDNet’s re-branding, means the network is not available anywhere in the entire country.
As Knapp and her team work diligently to get the product ready for its debut, she took a moment out to reflect on the support of the local community thus far.
“Local support has been amazing,” Knapp continued. “I want to give mad props to Joe Kelly and Titan Fighting Championships. This is their home base. They run all their stuff out of the same arena we’re going to be in. They’ve been very instrumental in sharing their knowledge and sharing marketing in this market. The response has been amazing. Even to my surprise, and nothing surprises me nowadays.”
“A lot of our success in this market has to go to Titan, the relationships they’ve helped us build, and Joe Kelly too,” Knapp concluded, continuing her praise for the Kansas City promoter and his organization.
With a support network comprised locally, internationally, and online, Knapp and business partner Janet Martin already have a lot of positive momentum in their corner. They continue to be committed to shaping the product, even if it is one person at a time. Knapp discussed the importance of the host city, and gathering fans from all over.
“It’s going to be a job. It’s going to be a task. I mean, it’s going to come down to creating the awareness,” Knapp admitted. “The Midwest, and namely Kansas City has a very solid wrestling background here and a lot of women compete in that. We’ve got (Olympic Bronze Medallist) Randi Miller on the card making her pro debut. I think what we’re going to do is go back to Marketing 101. The grassroots. We’re going to hit the streets and build awareness of what we’re going to do.”
Knapp closed by confirming that the company’s website will be fairly skeletal in nature until the first event has concluded, and that a more comprehensive experience will launch afterward. This decision was made under the pretense that she does not want the website to be bogged down in resource intensive scripting that would otherwise interfere with the April 28 stream. In essence, Knapp hopes that not only by giving the product away for free, but by making it as easy as possible to watch, the Invicta team can peak the interest of even those skeptical about the effectiveness of an all-women’s MMA promotion.
“By giving the product away for free (online) we’re hoping to capture some of those fans, who even if they don’t want to watch women’s MMA, or are unsure of watching, or talk smack about it…hopefully they come over, even for just one minute because it’s free and all you have to do is click on our website and there it is. That’s all we can hope for. Just to take that minute and take a look. See what we’re offering. These girls are going to do the rest for us. They’re competitors. They’re excited about what they’re doing and this is going to be one heck of a card.”
You can follow Knapp on Twitter @ShanKnapp and Invicta Fighting Championships too @InvictaFights. You can also “Like” Invicta Fighting Championships on Facebook by clicking here. Invicta FC 1 boasts a number of the top female fighters in MMA today including action from Marloes Coenen, Liz Carmouche, Jessica Penne, Lisa Ellis-Ward, Cat Zingano, and more.
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Posted in: world, event, product, invicta, knapp
Read the full article at Fighters.comUFC 150 Slated for Mile High City
The UFC will return to the city where it all started for its milestone UFC 150 event in August, as Denver -- home to UFC 1 and 2 -- will host the event at Pepsi Center.Two bouts have been verbally agreed upon for the Mile High melee. Brazilian bomber Luiz Cane will make his middleweight debut against top-ten ranked Yushin "Thunder" Okami. At lightweight, Thiago Tavares and Dennis "Superman" Hallman will meet in a battle between well-rounded submission specialists. Both men were scheduled to fight on the UFC on FOX fight card May 5 but forced out of that event due to injures.Information on tickets - which go on sale June 15 - and the main event will be coming soon to ufc.com.
Posted in: ufc, event, middleweight debut, thiago tavares, denver home
Read the full article at UFCUFC 145 PPV buys estimated at 700,000 for 'Jones vs Evans' in Atlanta
Is Jon Jones a star?
If the estimated pay-per-view (PPV) numbers for last weekend's (April 21, 2012) UFC 145: "Jones vs. Evans" mixed martial arts (MMA) event that went down at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Ga., are any indication, the answer would point to an absolute, "Yes!"
Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer reports that the event, which was headlined by the grudge match between Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and his former training partner Rashad Evans, pulled in a very impressive 700,000 PPV buys, up 200,000 from his headliner at UFC 140 opposite Lyoto Machida, solidifying Jones as the UFC's newest top draw.
With top PPV box office cash cow Brock Lesnar running back to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre riding the pine because of injury, UFC officials are smiling all the way to the bank. And, most likely, breathing a sigh of relief that it may have found a new honey hole.
Check out the complete UFC 145 PPV buy breakdown after the jump:
...the story was strong enough that early estimates of PPV numbers have topped 700,000 buys, by far the largest of Jones' career. The number was big for UFC, because they had not established a new young star who was a major consistent draw since the rise of Brock Lesnar, now retired, and Georges St. Pierre, out for most of the year. While the draw was in good part due to the storyline, the number was big enough to where it, combined with WrestleMania a few weeks ago, seems to contradict a lot of people's views of PPV as a dying industry. The big events, like this and WrestleMania, have done better than most expectations going in.
UFC 145 was focused solely on the main event between "Bones" and "Suga," and that was made ever so clear given the fact that the two combatants were the only two in attendance for the UFC 145 pre-fight press conference.
The promotion also pulled out all the stops when it came to marketing the fight, giving it the "Primetime" treatment, a "Countdown" show, and individualized promos for each fighter.
And it paid off ... big time.
Fans wondered why such a huge event was lacking in star power (no disrespect intended to the rest of the nights competitors, of course), but the card was not exactly "stacked" to the UFC's usual standards such as the case with upcoming events UFC 146 and UFC 148. After all, the co-main event was fast rising welterweight Rory MacDonald taking on a fighter who only had one UFC fight under his belt in Che Mills.
Perhaps it was all part of the plan.
The UFC was testing the waters to see just how much of a draw the 205-pound kingpin can be and he passed with flying colors. Let's remember Rashad Evans, though, who UFC President Dana White says is one of the most underrated fighters in the world, also played a major role in selling the fight. However, one would be hard pressed to argue that "Bones" wasn't the biggest factor.
Or would they?
Jeer him or cheer him, Jones is a legit star, perhaps the biggest in the UFC at the moment, and the proof, as they say, is in the buyrates.
Money talks.
Posted in: ufc, ppv, jone, event, number
Read the full article at MMA ManiaThe Super Fight League (SFL) is Giving Away Free Tickets in Attempt to Salvage Delhi Show
It is no secret that the Super Fight League (SFL) has yet to live up to the owner's lofty expectations. Both the opening shows only sold a handful of tickets and the reaction from the Indian public and media has been muted at best.
However, Sanjay Dutt and Raj Khundra, the Bollywood stars who provide the substantial financial muscle behind the SFL, are not ready to give up just yet -- even if it means abandoning all attempts to actually make the business profitable for the time being.
SFL 3 is taking place in just under two weeks time at the 25,000 capacity IGI Stadium in Delhi and the organizers have taken the unusual step of making tickets available completely free of charge. This is from the SFL facebook:
SFL3 comes to IGI Stadium in New Delhi on May 6! Everyone, collect your free passes from all VLCC and Fitness First centers across Delhi. Hurry, before they run out of passes! PS: Every party/ person can collect as many passes as they like. We've got a capacity of 10,000 people. What're you waiting for!?
While I am sure that the SFL would not have envisaged needing to give away tickets when booking such a large venue at least the people behind it are adapting to the challenge and looking at alternative ways to lure people into attending their events.
The first two shows sold less than 1,000 tickets between them but Delhi has a population of 16 million and New Delhi, where the IGI Stadium is located, is home to plenty of people with the sort of disposable income to potentially purchase tickets to an MMA event one day.
They won't need to make any sort of purchase to see SFL 3 because it will be streamed live on YouTube completely free of charge and the tickets themselves are also being given away. It is a positive move by the SFL but it does make it highly unlikely that the event will generate enough income to cover the cost of the venue, let alone the fighter's purses.
Considering that the show is completely free, both to attend and view live, the caliber of the card is surprisingly strong with heavyweights headlining once again.
SFL 3 IGI Arena, New Delhi May 6th, 2012 Bobby Lashley vs. James ThompsonTrevor Prangley vs. Baga AgaevDoug Marshall vs. Zelg Galešić Lena Ovchynnikova vs. Joanne CalderwoodGary Mangat vs. Liu Siong
As a former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar Bobby Lashley cannot come cheap and between them the purse demands of James Thompson, Trevor Prangley and Baga Agaev must also add up. Allowing people to view the event for free is presumably what is known in business circles as a 'loss leader,' spending money with no hope of immediate return on the investment in the hope that it will lead to long term profitability.
Dutt and Khundra both have deep pockets and the former is no stranger to adversity having served prison sentences for both drug dealing and possession of illegal firearms. However they probably didn't plan to lose quite as much money staking the SFL as they are at present and even paying Bollywood's brightest stars and international artists like Jennifer Lopez to perform pre event has not translated into decent ticket sales.
The SFL also plan to launch their own reality show and will be well aware that without the success of 'The Ultimate Fighter' the UFC would never have become a multi-billion dollar business. This would require significant investment as reality TV is extremely expensive to produce, even in India, and it will be interesting to see where the limit to the largesse of the SFL moneymen lies.
With a three month break between the third and fourth events the SFL has time to go away and assess what went wrong and formulate a new strategy, possibly one which involves downsizing the venues at least until MMA catches on in India.
The UFC took years to turn a profit and perhaps it will be a similar story for the SFL. Regardless of whether he Indian promotion does stand the test of time the good news for people in the New Delhi area is that they can go and see next month's show for absolutely nothing.
www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder
Posted in: event, people, ticket, sfl, delhi
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FOX 3 weigh-ins slated for May 4 at New Jersey's IZOD Center
Official fighter weigh-ins for next month's "UFC on FOX 3: Diaz vs. Miller" event take place May 4.
IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., hosts both the weigh-ins and the following night's FOX- and FUEL TV-broadcast event.
The night's main event sees a scrap between top lightweights Nate Diaz and Jim Miller.
Posted in: fox, event, weighin, months ufc, nights fox
Read the full article at MMA JunkieFox Sports-Golden Boy enter TV deal for live events
The Sports Business Journal reports that Fox Sports and boxing promoter Golden Boy Promotions have entered into a multiyear, six figure agreement. The deal will give Fox Sports live events on Fox Deportes and Fuel TV.
At least one live event each month will be shown on the Fox networks although no plans are in the offing for a boxing event on the major Fox channel. According to the SBJ, the deal is significant as Fox paid a six-figure rights fee to Golden Boy for the events. The rights fee is a sign that boxing is gaining steam once again as rights fees for boxing on basic cable were nonexistent in recent memory.
The deal is for 15 months with options to extend it multiple years.
Payout Perspective:
The move reflects the commitment Fox has to combat sports for its smaller cable channels. It shows its belief in broadcasting live sports content as a way to attract its target demos of mainly younger males.
Is boxing on its way back? Just a while back we talked about the problems with the sport and whether it could make a comeback. So far, we’ve seen NBC Sports Network with a quarterly show, the talk of Spike TV having boxing and now the Fox deal. Certainly, the Fox deal is important due to the type of exposure it can receive over the span of the Fox networks. If it does do well, we could see its return on Fox. Its a nice hedge on the part of Fox to see if audiences will gravitate to boxing again. It is interesting that Fox did pay a rights fee to Golden Boy. One would think that Fox would have the bargaining leverage in the negotiations.
Posted in: fox, sport, boxing, event, deal
Read the full article at MMA PayoutWeidman meets Munoz at UFC event in July
Chris (All American) Weidman will take on Mark (The Filipino Wrecking Machine) Munoz in the five-round main event of an event in July.
Posted in: event, ufc event, july chris, american weidman, machine munoz
Read the full article at sportsnet.caMark Munoz-Chris Weidman confirmed as main event for UFC on Fuel 4
UFC middleweights Mark Munoz and Chris Weidman were rumored as likely opponents for quite some time. Now speculation has become reality.
Following Tuesday’s edition of UFC Tonight, Munoz and Weidman can officially begin preparing for each other, as the two were confirmed as the main event for UFC on Fuel 4. The event takes place July 11 at a location still to be determined.
Jon Fitch vs. Aaron Simpson is also planned for the card, as is a fight between Brandon Vera-James Te Huna.
Munoz (12-2) has been out of action since an injury in training forced him to finally have his elbow examined. Doctors found several bone fragments in his elbow, knocking him out of a planned #1 contender match with Chael Sonnen. He has won four straight inside the Octagon since a Split Decision loss to Yushin Okami in 2010, Munoz’s only defeat at 185 pounds.
Munoz’s injury resulted in Weidman (8-0) taking a fight with Demian Maia on less than two weeks’ notice, as Maia’s original opponent – Michael Bisping – took the place of Munoz. Weidman won the match, earning his fourth UFC victory.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, event, chris weidman, weidman, munoz
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC 145 salaries: Headliners Jones ($400K), Evans ($300K) earn top paydays
UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones ($400,000) and fellow headliner
Rashad Evans ($300,000) were the top earners at this past weekend's UFC
145 event.
They accounted for 56 percent of the event's $1,241,000 payroll.
MMAjunkie.com today requested and received the
list of official disclosed paydays from the Georgia Athletic and
Entertainment Commission.
Posted in: ufc, jone, event, headliner, payday
Read the full article at MMA JunkieNSAC expects 'no problem' with licensing Chael Sonnen for UFC 148
Time heals all wounds.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight number one contender Chael Sonnen, who drew the ire of Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Keith Kizer in May 2011, is expected to have "no problem" getting his license to fight in "Sin City," according to a report from USA Today.
Good thing, too, considering the promotion recently switched his main event title fight against reigning division champion Anderson Silva to UFC 148 on July 7, 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Sonnen was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) last year for fabricating testimony in a previous hearing while accounting for his failed drug test at UFC 117 -- not to mention his felony conviction in Oregon for money laundering.
Part of his defense strategy was dropping Kizer's name in reference to conversations they (never) had about policy and procedure as it related to testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), the treatment that led to Sonnen's failed drug test.
That's all (tainted) water under the bridge.
UFC President Dana White revealed during a LIVE press conference yesterday (April 24) that the rematch between Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen has been relocated from South America to Las Vegas, because the world's leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion could not secure a suitable venue.
UFC 147 will go on as planned elsewhere in Brazil on June 23, 2012, but it just won't have the "biggest fight in the history of combat" sports atop the marquee. On the contrary, that distinction now apparently belongs to the Fourth of July weekend pay-per-view (PPV) event, which most likely demotes Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber to co-main event status.
The show must go on.
For more on UFC 148: "Sonnen vs. Silva 2" be sure to hit up our event archive right here. To check out the latest UFC 148 fight card and rumors click here.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, sonnen, chael
Read the full article at MMA Mania
Mark Munoz–Chris Weidman Booked for July UFC on Fuel TV Event
A middleweight contenders fight between Mark Munoz and Chris Weidman will headline a July 11 UFC on Fue TV event.
Posted in: event, tv, mark munoz, chris weidman, july ufc
Read the full article at Heavy MMAMark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman To Headline UFC on FUEL 4
A five-round middleweight clash pitting Mark Munoz against Chris Weidman has been tapped as the main event of UFC on FUEL 4.
UFC on FUEL 4 is slated for July 11, 2012, though a location and venue have yet to be confirmed for the summer event. UFC officials broke the news on Tuesday night's episode of UFC Tonight.
Munoz (12-2) rides into the bout sporting a four-fight winning streak, including a trio of victories last year over the likes of C.B. Dollaway, Demian Maia and Chris Leben that pushed his name into title contention. Munoz was previously booked to fight Chael Sonnen in a No. 1 contenders bout at UFC on FOX 2, however the 34-year-old abruptly withdrew from the event less than two weeks out due to an influx of bone spurs in his elbow.
Munoz's exit paved the way for Weidman (8-0) to enter as a late replacement at UFC on FOX 2, where he ultimately earned the biggest win of his career by out-pointing Maia for a unanimous judges' nod. The former two-time All-American trains under the guidance of former UFC champion Matt Serra and is 4-0 thus far in his brief UFC career, counting dominant victories over Alessio Sakara, Jesse Bongfeldt and Tom Lawlor.
Posted in: ufc, event, chri, weidman, munoz
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseMark Munoz vs Chris Weidman main event fight planned for UFC on FUEL TV 4
Mark Munoz liked the idea of fighting Chris Weidman in July just a few days ago. Now, he gets the opportunity to fight him in the main event of the upcoming UFC on FUEL TV 4, which is scheduled to take place at on July 14, 2012, according to the latest episode of "UFC Tonight."
Funny how that happens.
Munoz has won four consecutive fights inside the Octagon, which was good enough to land him in a number one Middleweight contender eliminator match against Chael Sonnen at UFC on Fox 2 earlier this year. However, "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" suffered an elbow injury in training and was forced to withdraw from the 185-pound bout.
Michael Bisping was promoted to the co main event in replace of Munoz and went on to lose a surprisingly close decision. The rest is history. However, in an odd twist of fate, Bisping's original UFC on Fox 2 opponent, Demain Maia, was left without on opponent when "The Count" accepted the Sonnen challenge.
Weidman was the man who actually stepped up on short notice; however, in doing so, he was forced to cut 32 pounds in 10 days to make the division limit. He did it, but his performance against the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist suffered tremendously as a result.
Nonetheless, Weidman persevered and went on to win a sluggish unanimous decision.
He managed to not only pick up the most important win of his young mixed martial arts (MMA) career, but also keep his perfect professional record intact. In addition, Weidman immediately jumped up the rankings and got himself right in the mix of the Middleweight division.
Now, he has the opportunity to take it even one step further in a main event against one of the division's top dogs.
No other bouts, nor a possible venue and/or location for the FUEL TV 4 fight card are known at this time.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, weidman, munoz
Read the full article at MMA ManiaMark Munoz Vs. Chris Weidman To Main Event UFC On Fuel 4
Fuel TV's UFC Tonight show has been used to break Zuffa news in the past, and tonight was no different. They announced a new event, UFC on Fuel 4, that will go down on July 11th. And the main event is a quality middleweight tussle:
Powerhouse middleweight wrestlers Chris "All American" Weidman and Mark "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" Munoz will battle in the five-round main event of UFC on FUEL TV, the just-announced July 11 fight night. The news was announced on the April 24 edition of FUEL TV's UFC Tonight.
Weidman was called upon as a late replacement at UFC on Fox 2, and overcame a quick weight cut to defeat Demian Maia by unanimous decision. The prospect improved to 4-0 in the UFC with that win, and 8-0 overall. He'll face off with another elite wrestler in Munoz (12-2) who is currently on a four-fight winning streak. His last bout was at UFC 138 against Chris Leben, which he won by a doctor stoppage TKO after the second round.
The event doesn't have a location as of yet. The only other bout announced for the card is a light heavyweight bout between Brandon Vera and James Te Huna.
SBN coverage of UFC on Fuel 4
Posted in: ufc, event, weidman, fuel, event ufc
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 148 poster for 'Silva vs Sonnen 2' on July 7 in Las Vegas
"Two grudges will end. Two champions will emerge."
Well, that didn't take very long.
Just hours after Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White boarded a private jet bound for Brazil with number one 185-pound title contender, Chael Sonnen (who claims he wore this disguise to sneak over the border), and announced the new UFC 148 main event, we have a fancy new fight poster.
That's right, earlier this afternoon White revealed during a LIVE press conference that the rematch between Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen has been relocated from South America to Las Vegas, Nevada, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on July 7, 2012, because the world's leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion could not secure a suitable venue.
UFC 147 will go on as planned elsewhere in Brazil on June 23, 2012, but it just won't have the "biggest fight in the history of combat" sports atop the marquee. On the contrary, that distinction now apparently belongs to the Fourth of July weekend pay-per-view (PPV) event, which most likely saddens Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber the most because their 135-pound trilogy fight was expected to lead the bill.
Despite the "demotion" to co main event status, the switch make the UFC 148 main card, which features fights between Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le, Michael Bisping vs. Tim Boetsch and Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz, among others, the most stacked fight card of the year so far.
You mad?
For more on UFC 148: "Sonnen vs. Silva 2" be sure to hit up our event archive right here. To check out the latest UFC 148 fight card and rumors click here.
Posted in: ufc, fight, vs, event, sonnen
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 148: Dominick Cruz Vs. Urijah Faber 3 Demoted To Co-Main Event
The UFC held a press conference earlier today in Brazil to announce that the rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen would be moved from UFC 147 in Brazil to UFC 148 in Las Vegas on July 7th. That's obviously a huge bout, but where does it leave the expected main event, the third bout between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber for the UFC bantamweight title?
Demoted, that's where.
According to UFC officials, Cruz vs. Faber will now serve as the co-main event of the evening. The two men are currently coaching The Ultimate Fighter Live and were expected to carry one of the biggest cards of the year. Instead, that duty will fall on the UFC middleweight title bout instead.
This will be the first card since UFC 136 to have two title bouts. There will also be a fan expo in Las Vegas for the event over the weekend.
SBN coverage of UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II
Posted in: ufc, bout, event, las vegas, comain event
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowJose Aldo Expected For UFC 147 Card, Jon Jones-Dan Henderson May Take Place At UFC 149
When the UFC announced that UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo would main event the event in Calgary later this year, it seemed weird that no opponent was ever announced. Now, it appears Aldo is headed to UFC 147 and Brazil, as UFC president Dana White disclosed Monday during a press conference in the South American [...]
Posted in: ufc, press conference, event, jose aldo, aldo
Read the full article at MMA ConvertJon Jones vs. Dan Henderson Possibly Headlining UFC 149 in Calgary
With all the fluctuation between main events for UFC 147 and UFC 148, with Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen being moved to UFC 148, and Jose Aldo likely now headlining UFC 147, UFC President Dana White mentioned the possibility that Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson could be taking place at UFC 149 in July. UFC 149 takes place on July 21st from the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.
At today’s press conference for Silva vs. Sonnen, White discussed multiple events, including UFC 149, which was expected to be headlined by Jose Aldo and a soon-to-be announced opponent. However, Aldo is likely going to be fighting at UFC 147, instead. With that, UFC 149 would be lacking of a main event. White mentioned that the recently announced matchup between Jones and Henderson is a possibility.
“Dan Henderson and Jon Jones could be a possibility,” said White. “Jones just fought his first five round fight, his hands are sore, all the things that go along with coming out of a fight like that. We’ve got to give him a few weeks to see how he feels, then we’ll figure out what the main event is going to be in Calgary. But that would be awesome. If we could make that fight, that would be great.”
Jones (16-1) defeated Rashad Evans this past weekend at UFC 145 in Atlanta. Following the event, Henderson was announced as his next opponent. This will be Jones’ fourth title defense since earning the title at UFC 128 in March 2011, where Jones defeated “Shogun” Rua. He has since defeated “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida, and Evans in the past year. This unprecedented string of title defenses, with all being former champions, has had Jones quickly rise up to the top of the pound-for-pound rankings.
He will take on Henderson (29-8), who returned to the UFC in November at UFC 139. He defeated “Shogun” Rua in a bout that has since been touted as one of the greatest fights of all-time. Henderson enjoyed an immensely successful 2011, earning the Strikeforce light heavyweight title, along with defeating legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko in July. Now he will take on Jones, who at 24 years old, is nearly half his age.
For complete coverage of UFC 149, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com
Posted in: ufc, fight, jone, event, henderson
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC 147 keeps Belfort vs. Silva 2, expected to get champ Aldo at date TBA
Although the event has lost its headliner, UFC 147 will soldier on.
At a press conference today in Rio de Janeiro, UFC president Dana White today announced UFC 147 will take place at a date to be determined with a Wanderlei Silva vs. Vitor Belfort bout. Additionally featherweight champion Jose Aldo also is expected to fight at the event.
A previously announced headliner and rematch between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and challenger Chael Sonnen has been moved to July's UFC 148 event.
Posted in: ufc, event, silva, champ aldo, date tba
Read the full article at MMA JunkieAnderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen rematch to serve as UFC 148 main event in Las Vegas (not Brazil) on July 7
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today (April 24, 2012) announced Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II as the new headlining bout for the UFC 148 pay-per-view (PPV) event on July 7 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The announcement and subsequent change in plans were revealed at today's UFC 148 pre-fight press conference. For updates, live blog and real-time video stream of the presser click here.
"The Spider" was expected to defend his 185-pound strap against his arch nemesis in the main event of UFC 147 on June 23 in Brazil; however, extenuating circumstances forced the world's largest fight promotion to shuffle the deck and send its two middleweight stars to "Sin City."
Any changes coming to the UFC 147 line-up, including the 185-pound grudge match between Wanderlei Silva vs. Vitor Belfort, have yet to be revealed, but UFC President Dana White and the usual cast of characters are sure to update the pending fight card during today's pre-fight presser.
Stay tuned.
Posted in: ufc, fight card, event, garden arena, presser click
Read the full article at MMA ManiaShane Del Rosario vs Stipe Miocic completes UFC 146 main card on May 26 in Las Vegas
The music has finally stopped and it looks like everyone has a chair after all.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today completed its UFC 146 all-heavyweight main card, booking Shane del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic for the May 26, 2012 pay-per-view (PPV) event from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC President Dana White recently announced the booking via his official Twitter account.
Del Rosario was left without a date to the big dance when his original opponent, Gabriel Gonzaga, set sail for a 265-pound slugfest opposite Roy Nelson. That was just one of the many holes created in the wake of the cluster$%&# created by Alistair Overeem's failed drug test and eventual withdrawal.
"No Limits" was on the fast track to superstardom in the Strikeforce heavyweight division before fate intervened. Undefeated after 11 professional fights, he was slated to take on fellow undefeated ex-Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier in June 2011 in a clash between two of MMA's top heavyweight prospects.
It never happened.
On April 14, 2011, he was involved in a bad car accident -- another driver crossed the median and T-boned del Rosario's car, causing serious damage to the former Muay Thai world champion's back, herniating multiple discs and putting his MMA career on hold.
Until Memorial Day Weekend 2012.
His last professional fight happened way back in Feb. 2011 when he submitted Lavar Johnson with a first round armbar at the "Fedor vs. Silva" event in an alternate match for Strikeforce's heavyweight grand prix, which now features none other than the aforementioned Cormier in the finals against Josh Barnett.
Sometimes these things happen for a reason.
The same can be said for Stipe Miocic, who knows a thing or two about unbeaten streaks. After embarrassing the competition as part of the North American Allied Fight Series (NAAFS), steep-pay debuted with a three round unanimous decision win over rugged veteran Joey Beltran.
The judges' nod earned him a second trip to the big show earlier this year, where he pasted the previously-undefeated Philip De Fries as part of the UFC on Fuel TV: "Sanchez vs. Ellenberger" event in Omaha.
Now it's time to mix it up with the big boys -- but only one of these future stars will shine in "Sin City." Early predictions for this war of attrition?
UFC 146 will now feature a main event between Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir, while Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva will serve as the co-featured fight of the night. Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve is also slated for primetime, as is the aforementioned Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Roy Nelson match-up.
For more on UFC 146: "Dos Santos vs. Mir" be sure to hit up our event archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, fight, vs, event, del
Read the full article at MMA ManiaKing Mo Lawal returns to MMA at Invicta Fighting Championships on April 28 in Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (April 23, 2012) - SHOWTIME Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) voice Mauro Ranallo, light heavyweight superstar "King Mo" Lawal and women's star Julie "Fireball" Kedzie will call the action cageside at the first-ever Invicta Fighting Championships all-women's professional MMA event, live on InvictaFC.com, from Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. on Saturday, April 28.
Ranallo, the lead commentator for Strikeforce on Showtime as well as for Canada's The Score Fighting Series and a former commentator for Japan's Pride Fighting Championships, will serve as the play-by-play announcer during the live stream of the event.
"I have always been a huge advocate of female MMA and I am very excited to be a part of the inaugural Invicta show," said Ranallo. "The ladies have a history of stealing the show from the guys, so it's nice to see them get a show of their own."
Lawal is a former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion who burst onto the fight scene four years ago with four straight victories in Japan's World Victory Road MMA series and has since amassed a career record of 8-1 (1 NC). A former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler for Oklahoma State University, the 31-year-old has gained recognition for his technical knowledge of MMA and his meticulous attention to fighters' styles.
"I'm excited to be a part of this event with some of the top women's fighters in the world," said Lawal. "The growth of women's MMA is going to soar even more now, thanks to what Invicta is doing."
Like Lawal, Kedzie brings a wealth of MMA fight experience with her to the show. A student of famed trainer Greg Jackson, the 31-year-old has been competing as a professional since 2004 and holds a career record of 16-9.
"This Invicta show is a landmark moment in the history of women's MMA and I'm very excited and honored that I was asked to be a part of it," said Kedzie.
The live stream on InvictaFC.com will begin at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST with the event's five-bout preliminary card and continue with the six-bout main card.
The first-ever Invicta Fighting Championships event will be headlined by a long-awaited featherweight (145 pounds) rematch between superstar Marloes Coenen (19-5) of The Netherlands and Romy Ruyssen (5-1) of France. Coenen was the victor of their first meeting on Aug. 2, 2008 by way of submission (rear-naked choke) in the second round of action.
In the co-main event, two 29-year-old submission specialists - Jessica Penne (8-1) of Laguna Hills, Calif. and Lisa Ellis-Ward (14-7) of Lacey, Wash.- will square off with one another at strawweight (105 pounds).
Strikeforce bantamweight star and United States Marine Liz "Girl-Rilla" Carmouche (5-2) of San Diego, Calif. will square off with unbeaten prospect Ashleigh Curry (1-0) of Kansas City, Mo.
Another Strikeforce bantamweight competitor, Sarah D'Alelio (4-2) of San Jose, Calif., will face undefeated former Royce Gracie student and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt Vanessa Mariscal (2-0) of El Segundo, Calif.
Leslie Smith (3-2) of Pleasant Hill, Calif. will meet Kaitlin Young (7-5) of St. Louis Park, Minn. at bantamweight and Sally Krumdiack (9-4) of Bellingham, Wash. will duke it out with Sarah Schneider (5-5) of Kansas City, Mo. at flyweight (115 pounds).
Making her MMA debut on the preliminary card will be 2008 Olympic wrestling bronze medalist Randi Miller (0-0) of Denver, Colo. Miller will face unbeaten Mollie Estes (1-0) of Lake Lotawana, Mo. at featherweight.
In preliminary card action, Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc (7-5) of Tulsa, Okla. will take on Amy Davis (2-2) of Idaho Falls, Idaho at strawweight. Sarah Maloy (2-2) of Ada, Okla. will meet Michele Gutierrez (3-2) of Las Vegas, Nev. in a super flyweight (125 pounds) tilt. Unbeaten Ashley Cummins (2-0) of St. Louis will battle Sofia Bagherdai (4-1) of Upland, Calif. at flyweight. Cassie Rodish (1-3) of Waukee, Iowa will face Meghan Wright (1-3) of Cincinnati, Ohio in a strawweight matchup.
All bouts have been approved by the Kansas State Athletic Commission.
Posted in: mma, event, calif, invicta, kansa
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 146: Alistair Overeem Gives His Side Of The Story For His Elevated Testosterone Levels
Alistair Overeem has finally issued a statement giving his side of the story for why he failed his UFC 146 drug test. In a move that will shock no one, Overeem has said that the test failure is a result of a prescription given by a doctor for a rib injury he suffered in training.
Also of note is Overeem saying that he "withdrew" from the UFC 146 card whereas Dana White said that they had to change the main event because his marketing people were freaking out not knowing what the main event would be for the event.
Overeem's full statement can be read after the jump...
The statement:
To my friends and fans,
I am deeply saddened to announce that on Friday, April 20, I respectfully withdrew from the May 26 event so that I can request a continuance until my situation with the Nevada State Athletic Commission is resolved.
I cannot express how sorry I am to the Commission, Junior Dos Santos, the fans, the owners and employees of the UFC, my friends and family and anyone else who this has affected.
I absolutely do not believe in, nor do I use performance-enhancing drugs. I am a clean fighter and I will do whatever it takes to prove this to everyone.
Prior to the UFC 146 press conference in March, I aggravated an old rib injury on my left side. My doctor prescribed, and I accepted, an anti-inflammatory medication that was mixed with testosterone. I was completely unaware that testosterone was one of the ingredients in the medication. Although I was unaware, I do realize it is my job to know what I am putting into my body.
I respect the Nevada Commissioners and Executive Director Keith Kizer and what they are doing to keepthe sport of mixed martial arts regulated and safe for athletes. I look forward to working with them in the days and weeks ahead.
Friends and fans, I ask for your patience as I work through this matter. Please support me. I promise to return to the Octagon soon.
Posted in: ufc, overeem, event, rib injury, fans i
Read the full article at Bloody Elbow
Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva Replaces Frank Mir, Faces Cain Velasquez at UFC 146
Two days after announcing that Frank Mir has been tapped to replace Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC 146, Dana White has confirmed another major shift on the May 26 card.
Posted in: ufc, mir, event, silva, alistair overeem
Read the full article at SherdogGuys, are you aware that all pages of UFC/MMA/etc. events are being considered for deletion from Wikipedia?
Wouldn't that be a shame, given the enormous amount of information and effort in those articles? This is the talk page from the latest event (spoilers). This shit stain is Mtking. He slapped the notability tag on every MMA event possible (BAMMA, Strikeforce, UFC, etc.). His excuse is that MMA events are not notable, so they should all be deleted. Look at this Strikeforce page for instance. Mtking already proposed it for deletion and it will be gone 6 days from now. Check his edit history, you'll see he's been very busy the past few weeks trying to delete MMA pages. If you look at Mtking's edits, you'll notice he/she also loves Ameirica's Next Top Model. No notability issues there, apparently Mtking enjoys the show quite a bit. My head is about to explode. I have no pull in Wikipedia. I'm putting this out there in case any of you do. I'd hate to see the colossal wealth of information there go to waste by one stroke of the keyboard. If anyone can stop this piece of shit from killing that information, please do. submitted by iluvurkidz [link] [4 comments]
Posted in: mma, event, page, mtking, ufcmmaetc events
Read the full article at RedditUFC 145 post-fight press conference full video for 'Jones vs Evans' in Atlanta
UFC 145: "Jones vs. Evans" from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Ga., is officially in the books after a solid night (April 21, 2012) of major mixed martial arts (MMA) fights.
In the UFC 145 main event of the evening, Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans, was perhaps the most anticipated showdown of 2012. And after five rounds of actions, their personal score was ultimately settled by the ringside judges, who awarded "Bones" with a well-deserved unanimous decision.
As usual, the stars of the show came to dish the dirt on the event immediately afterward, including Jon Jones, Rashad Evans, Ben Rothwell, Michael McDonald, Travis Browne and Rory MacDonald, among others. Naturally, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White emceed the post-fight event wrap up show.
For complete UFC 145: "Jones vs. Evans" results and blow-by-blow coverage of all the night's action click here. To check out a complete UFC 145 results recap of the pay-per-view (PPV) main card click here. And for all the latest UFC 145 news and notes you can handle check out our complete event archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, jone, vs, event, evan
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBrazil Could Lose Silva-Sonnen II; Rematch's Location To Be Announced Tuesday
ATLANTA -- Just after leaving the Philips Arena on Saturday night following UFC 145, Dana White headed straight to his private jet with Chael Sonnen in tow. The two headed to Brazil, where they will meet up with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and announce the location of the long-awaited rematch.With reports circulating that the fight would be moved from its previously announced location, Estádio Olímpico João Havelange, White confirmed the UFC was facing a scheduling issue that could cause a rearrangement of dates.
What that means is that Brazil could be losing the fight.
With a UN convention overlapping the UFC's visit to Rio, concerns about security, hotel room availability and other problems could force Silva-Sonnen to move. And if the UFC can't house the match in a soccer stadium, it is likely to come back to the U.S., White indicated, citing Las Vegas as a possible destination.
"I said it before and I'll say it again. That's not only the biggest fight in the UFC, I think it's one of the biggest sporting events of the year," he said. "That fight's going to be done the right way. We're not going to half-ass that thing and say, 'Oh let's go to that arena over here.' It's going to be a big fight."White said the UFC had invested time, money and resources in preparing for the event, with decisions already in the works about the staging, stadium seating configuration and more. If Silva-Sonnen II is moved, the June 23 date will still be used. An event will take place in Brazil with Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva as the main event, and Sonnen-Silva will be placed elsewhere on the UFC calendar.White clearly appeared disappointed at that possibility."It's always fun, isn't it?" he said sarcastically. "Always so much fun s--- going on for me."White said that work on the resolution to the schedule was still going on, but promised that everything would be finalized before a Tuesday press conference in Brazil.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, brazil, ufc i
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 145 results: Jon Jones next fight will be against Dan Henderson
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones successfully defended his title with a unanimous decision win over Rashad Evans in the main event of UFC 145 last night (Sat., April 21, 2012) from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
And now we know, officially, who is next victim opponent will be.
UFC President Dana White confirmed at the UFC 145 post-fight press conference that Dan Henderson will be given the title shot he was promised. No event, date or location for the bout was announced.
"Hendo" has been patiently waiting in the wings for his crack at the crown, having last competed at UFC 139 on Nov. 19, 2011. He defeated Mauricio Rua that night in one of the greatest fights in mixed martial arts (MMA) history, the very first five-round non-title main event to be contested inside the Octagon.
The win earned him the right to challenge for either the middleweight or light heavyweight title. He confessed his preference to go after Jones and now that Evans is out of the way and no other credible challenger even exists at present time, the path is clear.
Now the big question -- does Henderson have a legitimate chance at winning the fight?
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, jone, event
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 145 Post Fight Press Conference Live Stream At 1am ET
As always, we’ll have a live stream of the UFC 145 post fight press conference in the video above. The presser airs live shortly following today’s event. Expected to take part in the event are UFC President Dana White, headliners Jon Jones and Rashad Evans, as well as the big winners from today’s main card. [...]
Posted in: ufc, event, stream, rashad evans, presser airs
Read the full article at MMA ConvertUFC 146: Junior dos Santos reacts to Frank Mir replacing Alistair Overeem
With coverage for UFC 145: "Jones vs. Evans" in full swing for the event set to go down tonight (Sat., April 21, 2012) live on pay-per-view, a major announcement got lost in the shuffle of news updates last night.
UFC President Dana White announced, seemingly out of the blue, that Alistair Overeem has been officially pulled from the UFC 146 main event, where he was scheduled to challenge Junior dos Santos for the heavyweight championship.
Replacing "The Reem" will be Frank Mir, who was previously set to throw down against Cain Velasquez in the night's co-main event. As far as Velasquez is concerned, he will remain on the card and a new opponent will be found. Rumors are flying that the rest of the card will be shuffled to accommodate these latest changes but none are worth reporting on at this time.
This all comes as a bit of a surprise considering Overeem still has yet to state his case in front of the Nevada Athletic Commission (NSAC) for the drug test he failed at a press conference not long ago. That hearing won't occur until April 24, just a few days from now.
No matter the outcome, though, the UFC was placed in an impossible position. Maybe the NSAC would have licensed Overeem and the event could have gone on as planned. But the Dutchman is already guilty in the court of public opinion. Had he fought and actually won the title?
Just imagine the ensuing reaction.
Instead, White figured out to way to get out of the contract and made the safe call by inserting Mir into the main event, a spot he's all too familiar with. On Twitter last night, Dos Santos reacted to the news:
"Dana White just said I get a new opponent to fight on May 26th for the HW title," he tweeted. "JDS vs Mir. Let's do it." He would later add, "Thanks for your support everybody. I appreciate it and I will work hard to honor the trust you guys place in me."
Conspicuous by his absence is Overeem, who has yet to release a statement on the situation. He's also managed to stay off social media sites and away from reporters.
During a period in which his very future in the sport of MMA could be decided, "The Reem" has gone dark.
It makes sense, though. His hearing is still days away and if he comes up short in his defense, he won't even be able to apply for another fight license for an entire calendar year. That's without mentioning how he'll be received by fans from here on out.
How much longer will Overeem remain gainfully employed by the UFC, even?
There are still a lot of questions left to be answered. What we know for certain is Dos Santos will defend his title against Mir on May 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Overeem will go in front of the NSAC on April 24 to try to save his job, not to mention save face.
For more on Mir replacing Overeem click here.
Posted in: ufc, overeem, mir, event, alistair overeem
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 145: Jones Vs. Evans - Live Results And Play-By-Play For Pay-Per-View
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans. Our live coverage will start with the two fights on the Facebook prelim stream (roughly 7:15 p.m. ET) to the prelim card on FX (8 p.m. ET) and through the PPV main card (10 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
This post will cover live results and thoughts for the PPV main card.
The evening's main event sees Jon Jones step into the cage to take on arch-enemy Rashad Evans in a bout for Jones' light heavyweight championship. Welterweights Rory MacDonald and Che Mills meet in the evening's co-main event. Brendan Schaub and Ben Rothwell clash in a heavyweight battle. Former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres returns to the UFC to take on Michael McDonald. Former featherweight title contender Mark Hominick fights Eddie Yagin and lightweights Mark Bocek and John Alessio step into the cage to round out the card.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
SBN coverage of UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans
Posted in: ufc, jone, event, card, evan
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 145 'Primetime' video for 'Jones vs Evans' on FX (Episode 3)
In cased you missed any or all of it last night (April 20, 2012), here is the final of three episodes of the "all access" behind-the-scenes look at the UFC 145 main event between Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans.
To watch the first and second episodes of UFC 145 "Primetime" click here and here.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and FX collaborated for the latest "Primetime" series, which follows former Light Heavyweight champion Rashad Evans and reigning 205-pound division kingpin Jon Jones as they prepare to settle their score in the UFC 145 main event at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Ga., later this evening (April 21, 2012).
That's right, Maniacs, we're almost there.
In episode three, the producers emphasize the exhausting toll that the media and marketing responsibilities have exacted on "Bones" and "Suga." Training, for the most part, is in the can and the final week is filled to the brim with wall-to-wall interviews, appearances, press conferences and other responsibilities that have both men clearly spent.
The good news is all that ends tonight when the former friend and training partners step inside the Octagon tonight in the UFC 145 main event to settle their score once and fore all.
Can't wait.
To check out the live reactions to the third and final episode of UFC 145 "Primetime" check out our live discussion thread from last night right here. For more on UFC 145: "Jones vs. Evans" be sure to hit up our event archive right here. To check out the latest UFC 145: "Jones vs. Evans" fight card and rumors click here.
Posted in: ufc, jone, event, episode, evan
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 145 Officially Sold Out
The UFC has announced that UFC 145 is officially sold out. The event takes place tonight live from Atlanta, GA at Philips Arena. UFC 145 is headlined by a UFC light heavyweight title fight, and grudge match, between former teammates Rashad Evans and champion Jon “Bones” Jones.
While the event is an official sellout, plenty of tickets remain via resale sites.
UFC 145 kicks off with a two-fight Facebook card and then a four-fight preliminary card on FX beginning at 8pm ET, with the main card airing on pay-per-view starting at 10pm ET.
Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy for complete coverage of UFC 145.
Posted in: ufc, pm, event, card, atlanta ga
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC 145 officially sold out
Tonight's UFC 145 event is officially sold out, officials announced Friday night.
The event takes place at Atlanta's Phillips Arena, and UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones meets Rashad Evans in the pay-per-view headliner.
UFC 145, which initially was slated to take place in Montreal, is the organization's second event in Atlanta.
Posted in: ufc, event, rashad evans, friday night, atlanta
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 145 play by play and live results
ATLANTA - MMAjunkie.com is on scene and reporting live from tonight's UFC 145 event.
The event, which features a long-awaited heavyweight-title fight between champion Jon Jones and ex-titleholder Rashad Evans, takes place at Atlanta's Phillips Arena.
Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results
beginning at approximately 6:45 p.m. ET (3:45 p.m. PT) for
the preliminary card and 10 p.m. ET for the main card.
Posted in: result, pm, event, official results, roundbyround updates
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 145 Preview – The Undercard
Facebook, FX, Pay-Per-View, who cares? Following a solid performance at last week’s UFC on FUEL 2, the UFC is back again with their first big PPV event in quite awhile. UFC 145 goes down tomorrow from Atlanta, Georgia, following a move from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In the main event, Jon Jones takes on Rashad Evans [...]
Posted in: ufc, event, move, atlanta georgia, ppv event
Read the full article at MMA ConvertBellator 66 discussion thread
Welcome to our discussion thread for tonight's Bellator 66 event.
The event kicks off at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) and can be watched in its entirety on MMAjunkie.com live from Cleveland's I-X Center.
Stay tuned for a full recap of the event, which includes a lightweight
headliner between Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki, as well as four
tournament bouts.
Posted in: event, shinya aoki, eddie alvarez, discussion, discussion thread
Read the full article at MMA JunkieJon Jones vs Rashad Evans staredown pic from UFC 145 weigh-ins
The UFC 145 weigh-in event went down earlier today for "Jones vs. Evans," the upcoming pay-per-view event booked for this Saturday night (April 21, 2012) live from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
If you missed any or all of today's weigh ins, you can watch the full video replay here.
Leading the charge will be one of the biggest fights of the year, as Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones puts his title up for grabs against his former teammate and training partner, Rashad Evans.
It's a top heavy card, centered almost solely around the headlining match-up but there are a few other intriguing bouts as well. In the co-main event of the evening, rising star Rory MacDonald takes on Che Mills while heavyweights Brendan Schaub and Ben Rothwell are also set to collide.
See their staredown pics after the jump.
Posted in: event, ben rothwell, staredown pics, comain event, che mills
Read the full article at MMA ManiaXyience takes center of Octagon May 5th
Xyience will hold the center of the Octagon in the UFC’s third network appearance May 5th. The official energy drink of the UFC will also appear on the ring bumpers during the event..
Via Xyience press release details the importance of the visibility:
To gain perspective on what this means in terms of reach for XYIENCE Xenergy, the November 12, 2011 UFC debut on the network, UFC on FOX Velasquez vs. Dos Santos was ranked No. 1 among men aged 18–34. It also delivered more viewers of a younger age (35), and a higher concentration of males, than other live sports on broadcast television. The XYIENCE Xenergy logo could be found on the perimeter of the mat during that broadcast.
In support of the announcement, Xyience is staging local appearances by Matt Serra on May 4th and 5th. Details can be found here.
Payout Perspective:
A good boost for the visibility of the Xyience brand for the event. Similar to the November 12th event, UFC on Fox 3 will have to compete with a big boxing PPV the same night as Floyd Mayweather fights Miguel Cotto. It’s likely that the two events will not directly cross paths that night as the Mayweather fight will likely occur later on in the evening after UFC’s event on Fox.
It’s interesting that we are seeing more brands having an opportunity to take the center of the Octagon for events. As an example, Affliction was the center for UFC on Fuel 2. We will see who will be next.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, center, xyience
Read the full article at MMA PayoutFedor Emelianenko vs. Pedro Rizzo Set for June 21st M-1 Event
The next opponent for “The Last Emperor” has finally been announced, as Fedor Emelianenko will take on Pedro Rizzo at the July 21st M-1 event in St. Petersburg, Russia. The event, which takes place at The Ice Palace, has had no other scheduled bouts announced.
Emelianenko (33-4-1NC) last fought in December at the New Year’s Eve Dream card in Saitama, Japan, where he knocked out Satoshi Ishii in the first round. This was his second consecutive win, after he defeated Jeff Monson in November. These wins followed three consecutive losses in Strikeforce, to Fabricio Werdum, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, and Dan Henderson. Prior to that, the Russian great had won eleven straight bouts, dating back to a no-contest to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in 2004.
He will face Rizzo (19-9), who has not fought since July 2010, when he defeated Ken Shamrock at Impact FC 2. The three-time UFC heavyweight title challenger has won five of his last seven fights dating back to 2007, which includes wins over Shamrock, Gary Goodridge, and two wins over Jeff Monson. He was scheduled to take on former UFC champion Tim Sylvia at ProElite 2 in November, but withdrew from the matchup due to injury.
Despite continued rumors that Emelianenko could be signing with the UFC, President Dana White has put those rumors to rest repeatedly over the last few weeks.
Posted in: ufc, event, jeff monson, emelianenko, ice palace
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyAmerica's Most Athletic Family - Jones Brothers' Bond
Las Vegas, Nevada – With a pro football player, a college football standout about to be drafted to thepros, and the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion of the world, proud parents Arthur and Camille Jones of Endicott, New York, may have the most athletic sons in America. “The Jones brothers are three guys who are very competitive, but we have a bond that can never be broken,” said youngest brother Chandler, a 6ft 5inch, 265lbs defensive end for the Syracuse Orangemen who will be drafted into the pros next week. “We’re real passionate about everything we do and we bring out the best in each other,” said big brother Arthur, a 6ft 3inch, 311lbs defensive end for the Baltimore Ravens. “I was the skinny kid with no co-ordination,” said 6ft 3inch middle brother Jon, who defends his UFC 205lbs title tomorrow against No.1 contender Rashad Evans on Pay-Per-View. “Both my brothers were always great at football but when I wore the helmet and pads, I looked so skinny with these long legs poking out they called me “Bones”. But I found my calling in the UFC, and on Saturday night in Atlanta, both my brothers will be Octagonside to see “Bones” Jones do his thing.” For rights-free video of the Jones brothers helping Jon prepare for this weekend’s big fight, click here for 50second and 3minute versions of film: http://on.ufc.com/HYl2cy UFC®145 will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition. For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change. About Ultimate Fighting Championship®Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, and with offices in London, England, Toronto, Canada and Beijing, China, UFC® produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This includes the longest-running sports realityshow on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now air on FX in an exciting new live format. In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 149 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions. The UFC also connects with tens of millions offans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed byTHQ, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Clubaffinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel, trading cards, and articulated action figures.
Posted in: ufc, jone, fox, event, brother
Read the full article at UFCBloody Elbow's UFC 145: Jon Jones Vs. Rashad Evans Event Poster
UFC 145 is fast approaching, and if you're unfamiliar with the process on this site, I make these posters for most of the major events we cover here on Bloody Elbow.
This weekend's event is no exception, and pictured above is BloodyElbow.com's event poster for UFC 145.
It will be headlined by that highly anticipated grudge match between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans -- two former buddies and teammates turned bitter rivals -- hence the ambigram on our event poster. (Yes, if you read it one way, it says "Friends" and when you flip it the other way, it says "Enemies")
Related: UFC 145: Jon Jones Vs. Rashad Evans Predictions From The Top Asian MMA Fighters
All the other event posters are found on our different Live Results and Play-By-Play posts, but you can also view most of them on this gallery.
Have any thoughts, compliments, suggestions or criticism? Let me know, and voice your opinions on the comments below. Don't forget to follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena.
Posted in: ufc, event, rashad evans, poster, site i
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 147: Brazilian Media Reporting That Anderson Silva Vs. Chael Sonnen 2 Might Be Moved To Las Vegas
Brazilian media giant Globo is reporting that the UFC may be forced to move Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen off the UFC 147 card and mount the fight in Las Vegas instead. The fight is currently set to headline UFC 147 in a Rio de Janeiro stadium with Vitor Belfort vs. Wanderlei Silva as the co-main event. Belfort and Silva are the coaches on the first Brazilian season of The Ultimate Fighter which has been a huge hit on Brazilian TV.
MMA Fighting reporteda few days ago that a UN conference was complicating plans for the event and might force a rescheduling.
Tatame has more after the jump...
More SBN UFC 147 coverage
More SBN UFC 148 coverage
"O Globo" reported today that the bout will be moved to Las Vegas, and rumors indicate that it might happen in UFC's July 7th show (UFC 148).
Anderson Silva's manager Ed Soares told TATAME on Monday that the bout is already signed for June 23, in Rio de Janeiro, but his Black House partner, Jorge Guimaraes, told TATAME today that the plans could change.
"This situation is already being discussed. There are some speculations. What you heard, I heard too. It seems like there are no hotels to fit everybody with UN's event, Rio+20", Guiamares said.
The event has already been a logistical headache for the UFC who had originally hoped to put it on in a Sao Paulo stadium but noise ordinances and the late hour required for the U.S. PPV market prevented that.
One possibility may be to move UFC 147 to a smaller arena and keep Belfort vs. W. Silva as the headliner while A. Silva vs. Sonnen II may move to the July 7, UFC 148 card which is currently headlined by Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, silva, las vegas
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowAhead of UFC 145, Alex Davis says fighting friends difficult but necessary as MMA grows
This weekend's UFC 145 event features a main event between UFC light
heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former champ Rashad Evans.
While the
fact that both of these fighters are elite-level competitors should be
enough to warrant interest, it's the fractured friendship between the
two that is grabbing all of the headlines.
Veteran manager Alex Davis says the feud between the two has provided an interesting storyline, but he believes it's an unnecessary tactic. As MMA continues to grow, Davis believes more friends will square off, and he hopes their relationships can stand up to the pressure.
Posted in: ufc, event, davi, elitelevel competitors, warrant interest
Read the full article at MMA Junkie“UFC on Fuel TV 2: Gustafsson vs. Silva” Medical Suspensions
Only two fighters were issued medical suspensions related to last weekend’s UFC on Fuel TV 2: Gustafsson vs. Silva fight card.
Paulo Thiago and Alessio Sakara were each handed 28-day suspensions by the Swedish MMA Federation for being the only competitors to suffer knockout losses at the event. MMAJunkie first reported the news.
Thiago was finished for the first time in his career by debuting welterweight Siyar Bahadurzada. The UFC newcomer floored the hard-nosed Brazilian just forty-two seconds into their fight with a hammering counter right hand, earning himself the Knockout of the Night bonus – something Thiago himself has received in the past.
Sakara took home his suspension courtesy fellow hard-hitter Brian Stann. Stann got himself back in the win column with a quick dismantling of the former Italian boxer, dropping Sakara with a knee and finishing him with two hard lefts thrown from guard.The two middleweights did battle in the co-main event of the evening.
Staged at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, UFC on Fuel TV 2 was the promotion’s first event held in Sweden. In the main event, Sweden’s own Alexander Gustafsson increased his profile by thoroughly dominating Thiago Silva over three rounds for a unanimous decision.
Posted in: ufc, suspension, event, “ ufc, thiago
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC on Fuel TV 2 Ratings See Slight Dip to 197,000 Viewers
The second event in Fuel TV history took place this past weekend in Stockholm, Sweden, an event which saw native Alexander Gustafsson defeat Thiago Silva in the main event. The first event in Omaha, Nebraska took place in February, and drew 217,000 viewers. Saturday’s event saw its numbers fall, with the average number of viewers dropping a tad to 197,000.
The main reason for the drop is likely due to the time difference, with the event kicking off around 1230 PM on Saturday afternoon on the east coast. The main card began at 3 PM on Fuel TV, with most live events taking place around 9 or 10 PM.
Regardless, Fuel TV has remained satisfied with the numbers the channel has registered since the UFC’s deal with Fox began late last year. The channel, which actually launched in 2003, has seen its ratings increase significantly since it began to air UFC programming. The channel has also begun broadcasting in over 6 million more homes since the beginning of the year.
The next UFC on Fuel TV event, aptly named UFC on Fuel TV 3, takes place on May 15th in Fairfax, Virginia. The headlining bout is a featherweight matchup between Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung aka “The Korean Zombie”.
Posted in: ufc, event, tv, fuel tv, fuel
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida Tickets On Sale Wednesday
The UFC's return to Atlantic City is set for June 22, featuring a main event between Gray Manyard and Clay Guida. Tickets for the event go on sale Wednesday.
Posted in: wednesday, event, atlantic city, sale wednesday, ufcs return
Read the full article at Heavy MMA“UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson” Drug Tests Return Clean
As part of their continuing quest for global domination, the UFC held its first event in Japan since 2000 earlier this year with UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson.
The event took place on February 26 and was staged at the site of the legendary Pride Fighting Championships, the Saitama, Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
In addition to featuring a host of Japanese talent and a few Pride FC throwbacks, the UFC 144 fight card saw the UFC lightweight title disputed between Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson. After five rounds of intense, back-and-forth action, Henderson was declared the victor via unanimous decision to become the new kingpin at 155lbs.
Being that the event took place overseas in the absence of any official athletic commission, the UFC oversaw whatever an athletic commission usually would, including drug tests. MMAJunkie obtained the results from the tests from the UFC’s vice president of governing and regulatory affairs, Marc Ratner.
Eight fighters from the card were tested for performance enhancing drugs, as well as for drugs of abuse; all fighters tested passed. Of the fighters tested, Ratner would only name the two main event participants, Edgar and Henderson.
Considering the close and controversial nature of their UFC 144 fight, Edgar has been granted an immediate rematch against Henderson which should take place sometime this summer.
Posted in: ufc, event, henderson, drug, edgar
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyBellator 71 official, light-heavyweight tournament kicks off in West Virginia
As expected Bellator's next "Summer Series" of events kicks off June 22 with Bellator 71.
As MMAjunkie.com first reported on Monday, the event takes place at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort in Chester, W.V.
Bellator officials since have confirmed the event and the start of an eight-man light-heavyweight tournament. The announced participants have a combined record of 154-29-1.
Posted in: bellator, event, tournament, west virginia, summer series
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBrock Beat: Lesnar's Ring Attire, Stipulations For John Cena Match, Raw Recap
With his return to pay-per-view in just under two weeks time, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar didn't appear in person for WWE Monday Night Raw.
Instead, he did a taped interview that further deepened the storyline angle of why he's back.
The interview aired in the program's first hour and Lesnar talked about his high school/college wrestling background and first run in WWE. He also talked about his UFC run and winning the title, supported by still images. It's a bit surreal seeing WWE fully acknowledge that UFC exists when company history has shown that nothing seemingly exists outside their storyline world.
Lesnar described why he came back: to "legitimize the company" and that he was "tired of John Cena's bull crap. There's nothing about Brock Lesnar that's fake. This is real. This is not a wrestling match..." Footage of him MMA training at his gym was shown. It's interesting that WWE is spinning this as some sort of legit fight between the two, when that obviously won't be the case.
WWE has a three-hour RAW set for next Monday night and the Cena/Lesnar contract signing will be a major focus of the show. Earlier Monday, WWE.com announced that his return to action against Cena will be no countouts and no disqualifications -- the main event of Extreme Rules, set for Sunday, April 29.
For the other big Brock news that ran through the interwebs Monday, keep reading after the jump.
New Gear
A picture of Lesnar in his supposed new WWE gear floated around the internet Monday, featuring the big guy in traditional wrestling boots but with MMA trunks, complete with sponsors. Wrestling Observer founder Dave Meltzer noted this is a first for any WWE talent. However, the image isn't available on WWE.com anymore, possibly meaning it was a ruse.
Wrestlemania breaks records
WWE said Monday that their April 1st Wrestlemania 28 pay-per-view did 1.3 million buys "with global gross sales in excess of $67 million including the live event." Meltzer clarified exactly what that revenue number means in his daily update:
On the $67 million number for WrestleMania that WWE announced earlier today, that is the current estimate of all revenues derived from the live show itself (live gate, merchandise and worldwide PPV). That is not a number that includes events like Fan Axxess, the Hall of Fame and such. It will be, by a significant margin, the largest grossing single event in pro wrestling history. That is not WWE's cut of the revenue because the vast majority of that income is PPV, which gets split with the cable companies.
The event featured the return of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in a singles match against John Cena. There was heavy buzz leading into the event that Lesnar would return on the show, but he returned the next night on Monday's RAW.
Need more wrestling in your life? Do check out our SB Nation friends at Cageside Seats.
Posted in: event, wwe, lesnar, monday, john cena
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC On FX 4 Tickets To Go On Sale This Week; Main Event To Feature Clay Guida-Gray Maynard
The UFC is headed back to Atlantic City, as UFC on FX 4 will go down June 22 from the Revel Casino and Resort. UFC on FX 4 will feature a main event between lightweights Clay Guida and Gray Maynard, as the two look to remain in contention in one of the UFC’s deepest and [...]
Posted in: ufc, fx, event, atlantic city, resort ufc
Read the full article at MMA ConvertWrestleMania 28 PPV buys set major WWE record, while Brock Lesnar-less UFC PPVs struggle
WrestleMania 28 reportedly set an all-time World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) pay-per-view (PPV) record on April 1, 2012, from Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Fla., tallying an estimated 1.3 million buys "with global sales in excess of $67 million."
CageSideSeats.com passed along a report earlier this afternoon, which breaks the 1.25 million PPV high-water mark that was set way back in 2007 when John Cena defeated Shawn Michaels to retain the WWE championship.
The success of WrestleMania 28 can be attributed to many things, particularly the celebrated return of "The Rock," who emerged from a seven-year, self-imposed hiatus to defeat the aforementioned Cena in the main event of the evening. However, it was the rumored return of another former superstar, Brock Lesnar, which may have pushed the final numbers over the edge.
The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight champion didn't appear on the PPV; however he was "secretly" in the building backstage to take in all the action. Lesnar actually returned the following evening at Monday Night "RAW," ending the show with an "F-5" of Cena just before the credits rolled. Then, to build even more heat, a confrontation between Lesnar and Cena the following week erupted into an all-out brawl after a face slap (watch the video here).
For years, Lesnar was a UFC box office Goliath, attracting throngs of fans, whether it was from his earlier "professional" wrestling days, mixed martial arts (MMA) exploits or otherwise. UFC President Dana White always insisted that Georges St. Pierre was the true UFC PPV king; however, Lesnar's presence always seemed to be a winning formula for financial success.
In fact, Lesnar headlined UFC 100 opposite Frank Mir back in 2009, which remains the promotion's most successful event ever with 1.6 million estimated PPV buys. He also holds the number three slot all-time (1.01 PPV buys) for his UFC 91 fight against Randy Couture.
More recently, Lesnar's farewell fight against Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 late last year generated a respectable 750,000 PPV buys, while his loss to Cain Velasquez in Oct. 2010 was the biggest box office success since the loss to "The Reem."
In short, if Lesnar isn't, or wasn't involved, the PPV numbers, for the most part, struggled in comparison.
With the UFC PPV numbers in a Lesnar-less funk, and the WWE on a Lesnar-fueled upswing, one has to wonder how much the promotion's success in recent years truly was built on his "blood, sweat and tears." Talk all you want about "saturation" and "injuries" and fight card "mishaps," but one common thread is always present when it comes to big money-making UFC events.
Lesnar has proven time and again that he is a huge draw, regardless of where he plies his trade. It's undeniable. And make no mistake, his appearance at Wrestlemania 29 next year in New Jersey will likely set another WWE record.
Meanwhile, UFC events will struggle to sniff the half-million mark. The good news is major main events that feature Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans at UFC 145 and Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 147 loom on the horizon.
Can one, or both, fill the huge PPV shoes that Lesnar once filled? Can anyone, for that matter?
It's clearly not St. Pierre.
Posted in: ufc, ppv, event, wwe, lesnar
Read the full article at MMA ManiaNow THAT was the "UFC on X" I've been waiting for
I just watched UFC on Fuel 2 again, and I'm pleased with how good it was. There were good names, fights that actually mattered, and above all it was damn exciting to watch. I've been worried, since UFC on Fox/FX/Fuel has been an attempt to bring the sport even more mainstream, but each of the previous events have been pretty substandard, at least compared to the PPV events. I certainly understand the desire to reserve the higher-level fights for the events that draw the most revenue, but I've felt the non-PPV performances have actually hurt the UFC. I hope the non-PPV events to follow are as good as the Sweden event. Of course maybe I'm completely off-base and need to be reminded of some good "UFC on X" fights. submitted by rickatnight11 [link] [2 comments]
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, names fights, higherlevel fights
Read the full article at RedditThe 10 Greatest Main Event/Co-Main Event Combinations in UFC History
While many fans would have been content to shell out a handful of cash to watch then-UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar's rematch against Frank Mir in July 2009, the addition of welterweight titleholder Georges St-Pierre made UFC 100 one of the most highly anticipated events in MMA
Posted in: ufc, heavyweight, event, lesnar, ufc history
Read the full article at Low KickUFC on Fuel TV 2 Highlights: Gustafsson and Stann Both Impress
Yesterday’s UFC on Fuel TV 2 event from Sweden saw two incredibly impressive performances in both the main event and co-main event, as Alexander Gustafsson and Brian Stann were equally dominant. Fuel TV has released a highlight video of both of their performances.
Gustafsson defeated Thiago Silva, who was returning from a year-long suspension. The Swede knocked the Brazilian down early in the first round, then went on to outpace and outstrike him throughout the remainder of the match.
Stann, meanwhile, was impressive in a much more violent way. The former Marine knocked out Alessio Sakara in the first round, then called the fight over himself. Gracious in both victory and defeat, Stann went on to dedicate the win to his family.
Read the entire MMAFrenzy recap, along with other coverage including bonuses, results, and post-fight stories involving Mark Hunt and BJ Penn.
Watch the highlight videos below:
Stann knocks out Sakara:
Posted in: event, tv, gustafsson, stann, fuel
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyFuel TV Exec George Greenberg Reveals Plans For Future UFC Events and TUF: Brazil
Fuel TV exec George Greenberg announced possible dates for upcoming UFC events on the cable network, along with the programming plan for "The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil."
Posted in: event, ufc events, brazil, cable network, programming plan
Read the full article at Heavy MMAThe Morning After – UFC on FUEL 2
After an extended hiatus, the first UFC event of the spring is in the books. In the organization’s first trip to Sweden, fans were treated to a couple excellent knockouts, a ridiculous amount of submissions, and a little clarity in some of the divisions. All in all, it was a solid event for the 6 [...]
Posted in: ufc, event, ufc event, – ufc, sweden fans
Read the full article at MMA ConvertUFC May Be Forced To Reschedule Anderson Silva Vs. Chael Sonnen Rematch
The UFC is having a banner year in Brazil. The debut Brazilian season of The Ultimate Fighter is doing great ratings on Brazil's biggest TV network. They've held two sell-out shows in Rio de Janeiro in the last 12 months and are booked to hold UFC 147 in a soccer stadium.
Unfortunately they are once again in danger of having to reschedule the event. Initially they wanted to hold UFC 147 featuring a middleweight title fight between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen in Sao Paulo but difficulties with noise ordinances scotched that plan. So they moved it to a soccer stadium in Rio despite having already worked that market twice and announced the event for June 23.
Now, according to UFC president Dana White, it appears that a United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development might force a rescheduling of the event.
"The problem is, they don't like the idea of us coming the same time this United Nations convention is going on," White said at a press conference following UFC on Fuel TV 2 in Sweden. "The other problem is hotel rooms. Most of the hotel rooms are being taken up. And we don't think, we know that the Anderson Silva-Chael Sonnen fight is one of the biggest sporting events this year, in the world."
"I think it's a huge sporting event," he said. "I think people will come to Rio from all over the world. I think we're going to need hotel rooms. Hopefully we'll get this thing done the next few days, one way or the other."
UFC 147 will not only feature the Middleweight title fight it will also see the coaches of TUF Brazil, Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort, facing off in a rematch of their 1998 bout.
MMA Fighting has more:
The UFC is expecting to run their event at Estádio Olímpico João Havelange, a soccer stadium which will likely hold around 55,000 people when reconfigured for MMA.
The UN conference is a three-day affair which takes place from June 20-22. The event's website does not estimate an attendance for the conference, saying it will draw "thousands," but does list 194 member nations. That conflicts greatly with the UFC's hope of taking over the city that week for Silva-Sonnen.
Just another illustration of the immortal maxim, "mo' money, mo' problems."
If there is a silver lining it's this: the June 23 date was the day after the June 22nd UFC on FX 4 event in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Hopefully the rescheduled UFC 147 will fit more easily into the schedule although they don't have too much leeway as UFC 148 featuring a bantamweight title fight between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber is expected to be booked in Las Vegas for July 7.
More SBN coverage of UFC 147
Posted in: ufc, conference, event, world i, soccer stadium
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowIs anybody else confused about main events being 3 vs 5 rounds?
After Ellenberger vs. Sanchez went only 3 when it should have been 5, Dana White said all main events from then on will be 5 no exceptions. Yet, last night's main event of Gustafsson vs. Silva was 3 rounds yet again. Did anybody hear if this was addressed after the fight? submitted by MarbledNightmare [link] [13 comments]
Posted in: round, vs, event, sanchez, anybody
Read the full article at RedditVideos: UFC on FUEL TV 2 highlights with Gustafsson-Silva and Stann-Sakara
If you missed last night's UFC on FUEL TV 2 event, FUEL TV has you covered.
Following the event on the FOX-owned channel, officials released video highlights of the night's big fights.
They include the event's headliner (Alexander Gustafsson vs. Thiago
Silva), as well as the co-headliner (Briann Stann vs. Alessio Sakara).
Posted in: event, tv, fuel, videos ufc, nights ufc
Read the full article at MMA JunkieAnderson Silva-Chael Sonnen Rematch Date Could Be Changed
In March, the UFC officially announced the date and location of the Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen rematch, but now the timing of the fight appears to be up in the air.
At a press conference following Saturday's UFC on FUEL event, UFC president Dana White confirmed that the date is no sure thing. In trying to finalize the show -- originally scheduled for June 23 -- the UFC has come up against some resistance because Rio happens to be hosting a United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development during the same week.
"The problem is, they don't like the idea of us coming the same time this United Nations convention is going on," he said. "The other problem is hotel rooms. Most of the hotel rooms are being taken up. And we don't think, we know that the Anderson Silva-Chael Sonnen fight is one of the biggest sporting events this year, in the world."
The UFC is expecting to run their event at Estádio Olímpico João Havelange, a soccer stadium which will likely hold around 55,000 people when reconfigured for MMA.
The UN conference is a three-day affair which takes place from June 20-22. The event's website does not estimate an attendance for the conference, saying it will draw "thousands," but does list 194 member nations. That conflicts greatly with the UFC's hope of taking over the city that week for Silva-Sonnen.
"I think it’s a huge sporting event," he said. "I think people will come to Rio from all over the world. I think we're going to need hotel rooms. Hopefully we’ll get this thing done the next few days, one way or the other."
The first Silva-Sonnen fight took place in August 2010, with Sonnen controlling the action for the first four-and-a-half rounds before Silva trapped him in a fight-ending triangle choke to retain his UFC middleweight championship.
Posted in: ufc, conference, event, sonnen, hotel rooms
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC on FUEL TV 2 draws 15,428 attendance and record $2.23 million live gate
STOCKHOLM - Today's UFC on FUEL TV 2 event drew 15,428 attendees for a $2.23 million live gate.
MMAjunkie.com confirmed the attendance and gate figures at the night's post-event press conference.
The event, which took place at Stockholm's Ericsson Globe Arena, set a venue record for a live gate at a sporting event, UFC president Dana White said.
Posted in: ufc, gate, event, venue record, gate mmajunkiecom
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva - Live Results And Play-By-Play For Fuel Broadcast
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC on Fuel TV 2. Our live coverage will start with the prelim card on Facebook (12:30 p.m. ET) through the Fuel TV main card (3 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
This post will cover live results and thoughts for the Fuel TV main card.
The evening's main event features one of the top prospects in the sport as Alexander Gustafsson squares off with Thiago Silva. Middleweight brawlers Brian Stann and Alessio Sakara will fight in the evening's co-main event. Paulo Thiago looks to win his second fight in a row when he takes on Siyar Bahadurzada. Dennis Siver will drop down to welterweight for the first time to face talented Diego Nunes. Rounding out the card are bouts seeing DaMarques Johnson facing John Maguire and Brad Pickett taking on Damacio Page
Make sure to come back during this rare afternoon UFC event and share your thoughts as the fights go down.
SBN coverage of UFC on FUEL TV 2
Posted in: ufc, event, tv, fuel tv, fuel
Read the full article at Bloody Elbow
Watch Today’s UFC on Fuel 2 Post-Fighter Press Conference Live on MMAWeekly.com
Alexander Gustafsson and Thiago Silva will first throw down in the Octagon, but shortly after the main event, the post-fight press conference will stream live on MMAWeekly.com, so be sure to tune in!
Posted in: conference, event, press, thiago silva, mmaweeklycom
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyUFC on FUEL TV 2: Seven weeks without UFC action is too long to wait for fights
42 days.
It's the length of time between the last Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event and tomorrow's (April 14, 2012) UFC on Fuel TV 2: "Gustafsson vs. Silva" card.
Since the first weekend of March, fans have had nothing but Bellator Fighting Championships (BFC) and The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) to hold them over. That's more than 1,000 hours for those counting at home.
It seems like such a distant memory now. I have vague recollections of Thiago Alves beating the tar out of Martin Kampmann, only to have the Dane submit "The Pitbull" in the last minute of the third round. It's the kind of comeback victory mixed martial arts (MMA) fans love and use as proof this is the most exciting sport in the world.
I have hazy memories of four men -- weighing 125 pounds each, if you can believe that -- putting on two excellent, albeit strikingly different, fights. Joseph Benavidez dominated his opponent, Yasuhiro Urushitani, for five minutes before lighting him up and knocking him out mere seconds into the next round. The other two flyweights, Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson, battled back and forth for 15 minutes in what would eventually be ruled a draw.
A fun night of fights, but it was so long ago. I find myself wondering if it actually ever happened. After all, seven weeks is a long time to wait for Octagon action for both fans and for the UFC itself.
Maybe I'm spoiled nowadays when it seems there's either a pay-per-view (PPV), an FX or Fuel card or one of the handful of events being broadcast on Fox this year airing week in and week out.
After tomorrow night / tonight, we only have to wait a week before UFC 145: "Jones vs. Evans" beams into our television, satisfying our bloodlust. And then only two more weeks until the next UFC on Fox event following that.
In fact, as I peer into my crystal ball, I notice a three week period is the longest gap between UFC events all the way through the end of the summer.
It's safe to assume Dana White and company were hoping the latest season of TUF -- which premiered during this seven week lull on March 9 -- would compensate for the lack of proper events but it's been a poor facsimile at best and downright ignored at worst. The reality show program hasn't produced a fighter who is thought of as championship caliber since the 155 pound-centric fifth season. A win over Jim Miller presumably puts Nate Diaz, the TUF 5 winner, one fight away from a title shot.
The talent pool has been diluted and the format is tired and trite. Ratings have responded appropriately. But that's a different article altogether.
It should serve as a notice to UFC. Fans want higher level fights than what TUF affords them. And they want them in greater frequency.
Seven weeks is far too long for the number one fight promotion in the world to stay out of the limelight. In a time where they are trying to grow and expand, 42 days is a lifetime in terms of exposure. Sure, other professional sports have off-seasons, effectively putting them on the backburner for months at a time but UFC doesn't have the brand recognition Major League Baseball (MLB) or the National Football League (NFL) have.
Hell, people want to talk and read about the NFL so much, ESPN and other sports outlets covered Peyton Manning's signing to the Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow's subsequent departure to the New York Jets like CNN would cover the US going into war. Every angle, no matter how ridiculous, was covered.
UFC doesn't have that luxury. It needs to produce events on a consistent basis to ensure its name stays in conversation.
I'm not saying a show every weekend -- although that would be fantastic, wouldn't it? -- is the answer, but it seems the company dropped the ball when scheduling the first quarter of 2012. Going into mid-year, only a couple of weeks pass in between events which is exactly where UFC needs to be right now.
MMA fans live in a bubble. We basically eat, sleep and breathe the sport. But the truth is, for many casual fans, UFC isn't something they seek out every day.
Out of sight, out of mind, after all.
Posted in: ufc, fight, week, event, fan
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBellator 65 discussion thread
Welcome to our discussion thread for tonight's Bellator 65 event.
The event kicks off at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) with prelims on Spike.com before the main card airs on MTV2 from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.
Stay tuned for a full recap of the event, which includes a title fight between bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky and challenger Eduardo Dantas, as well as three season-six tournament fights.
Posted in: card airs, event, title fight, discussion thread, boardwalk hall
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBellator 65 Results & Recap
Bellator 65 takes place later tonight at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.. The event airs live on MTV2 at 8pm ET/7pm CT. The prelims will precede the MTV2 broadcast at 7pm ET and 10pm ET on Spike.com. In the main event, Bellator bantamweight champion Zach “Fun Size” Makovsky defends his title against season [...]
Posted in: bellator, pm, event, boardwalk hall, event airs
Read the full article at MMA ConvertUFC on Fuel TV 2 Weigh-In Results: Gustafsson (205), Silva (205) Make Light Heavyweight Bout Official
The final pre-fight festivities took place today, as the entire 24 man roster stepped on the scales for tomorrow’s UFC on Fuel TV 2 event. Weigh-ins took place at the Ericsson Globe Arena, which is also the venue for tomorrow’s event.
All fighters, aside from Dennis Siver, made weight on their first attempt. The German kickboxer, who is making his featherweight debut, weighed in at 147 pounds. He has two hours to drop an additional pound to make the featherweight limit of 146 pounds.
Headliners Alexander Gustafsson and Thiago Silva both weighed in at 205 pounds, making their light heavyweight main event official. The co-main event between middleweights Brian Stann and Alessio Sakara is also official, as Stann weighed in at 185, while Sakara weighed in at 186 pounds.
Tomorrow’s event begins around 1230 PM EST/930 AM PST on Facebook, with the main card moving over to Fuel TV at 3 PM EST/12 PM PST.
The weigh-ins results are as follows:
Main Card (Fuel TV)
Alexander Gustafsson (205) vs. Thiago Silva (205)
Alessio Sakara (186) vs. Brian Stann (185)
Siyar Bahadurzada (170) vs. Paulo Thiago (170)
Diego Nunes (146) vs. Dennis Siver (147)*
DaMarques Johnson (171) vs. John Maguire (170)
Damacio Page (135) vs. Brad Pickett (136)
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Papy Abedi (171) vs. James Head (170)
Tom DeBlass (205) vs. Cyrille Diabate (206)
Francis Carmont (186) vs. Magnus Cedenblad (185)
Yoislandy Izquierdo (155) vs. Reza Madadi (155)
Simeon Thoresen (170) vs. Besam Yousef (170)
Jason Young (145) vs. Eric Wisely (145)
*-Siver has two hours to make weight
For complete coverage of UFC on Fuel TV 2, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com
Posted in: pound, vs, event, tv, fuel
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyBobby Lashley vs. James Thompson to Headline Super Fight League 3 in May
Just days after Super Fight League 2, Super Fight League has announced the main event for their next event, as Super Fight League 3 will be headlined by a heavyweight battle between Bobby Lashley and James Thompson. The event takes place at the Indra Gandhi Indoor Complex in New Delhi, India on May 6th.
Last weekend’s Super Fight League 2 event saw Todd Duffee earn his first victory in over two years, as he defeated Neil Grove in just over 30 seconds. The event also included notable matchups such as Alexander Shlemenko defeating Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa, and Ryan Healy defeating Paul Kelly in a lightweight showdown.
Lashley (7-1) last fought in November, defeating Karl Knothe to earn the Shark Fights heavyweight title. The Strikeforce veteran won his first fight with the organization, defeating Wes Sims. He was then upset by Chad Griggs in his second fight. Lashley went into the fight a big favorite, but Griggs was much faster than the former WWE wrestler. Exhausted after two rounds, Lashley was unable to fight on into the third round. He was released from the organization after the fight, as he wanted to maintain splitting his time between pro wrestling and mixed martial arts. He has won his last two MMA fights since that release.
He will take on Thompson (17-14-1NC), who fought in the main event at Super Fight League 1 in March. At the event, which took place in Mumbai, Thompson defeated fellow Pride veteran Bob Sapp. After taking down Sapp in the first round, Sapp tapped out due to an apparent leg injury. This gave Thompson his second victory in his last three fights. This followed a run where he lost 12 of his previous 15 fights.
Other matchups announced for the show include:
Light heavyweight: Trevor Prangley vs. Baga Agaev
Middleweight: Doug Marshall vs. Zelg Galesic
Women’s Featherweight: Lena Ovchynnikova vs. Joanne Calderwood
The event will air live on SFL’s YouTube channel, which has also aired the previous two events.
Posted in: fight, event, lashley, league, thompson
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyPutting the UFC's Recent Hiatus in Perspective
If you've felt that the UFC's recent break was longer than usual, you're onto something. In fact, the UFC's version of spring break has been somewhat historic.
The good news is that the promotion's longest vacation, if you will, between fights in almost five years comes to an end Saturday afternoon. That's when the Octagon returns to FUEL TV for UFC Sweden: Gustafsson vs. Silva. After the jump, we provide some perspective on the uniqueness of the UFC's hiatus:* By the time UFC Sweden happens on April 14, it will be 43 days since the last UFC event was held (UFC on FX 2 on March 2). * That will mark the longest stretch of time without a UFC event since the 49-day break between UFC 73 on July 7, 2007, and UFC 74 on August 25, 2007.
* The last UFC pay-per-view was UFC 144 on Feb. 25, with UFC 145 scheduled for April 21. That 56-day stretch will be the longest between PPVs since the 77-day break between UFC 56 on Nov. 19, 2005, and UFC 57 on Feb. 4, 2006. * The UFC has been active since their last long vacation. The promotion has held 104 events between UFC 74 and UFC Sweden, which is more than half the total number of events put on by the promotion in its almost 19-year history (200 in total since UFC 1 in 1993). * During that stretch, the light heavyweight title has changed hands five times, while the heavyweight and lightweight titles have been passed around three times, respectively. * Nine full seasons of The Ultimate Fighter have aired, with two more currently running (TUF LIVE and TUF: Brazil)
* Since UFC 74, the UFC has debuted in Canada, Ireland, Germany, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. Saturday's event will mark its debut in Sweden.
* The IFL, EliteXC, Affliction, and BodogFight, to name a few, all came and went during this period.
* Speaking of the competition, Zuffa purchased rival Strikeforce in March 2011, right after merging the UFC and WEC in January.
I could also tell you about all the fighters that have come and gone, the fight cancellations, Barack Obama becoming the 44th president of the United States, the price of gas and milk ... but I think you get the point. It's been a while.
Welcome back, UFC.
Posted in: ufc, day, event, ufc event, sweden
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseWatch today's Cage Warriors Fight Night 5 event live on MMAjunkie.com at 2 p.m. ET
You can watch a live video stream of today's Cage Warriors Fight Night 5
main card on MMAjunkie.com beginning at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT). The main-card streams follows Facebook prelims at 1 p.m. ET.
Today's event takes place at New Boxing Arena in Amman, Jordan.
In addition to the semifinal round of Cage Warriors' middleweight grand
tournament, the event features a heavyweight headliner with Bobby Brents
vs. D.J. Linderman.
Posted in: pm, event, cage, warrior, today
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBellator 70 Set to Take Place in New Orleans, Konrad vs. Prindle to Headline
The day after announcing that Bellator 70 will be the event that the heavyweight title fight between champion Cole Konrad and Eric Prindle was postponed to, Bellator officials have announced the city and venue. Bellator 70, the sixth season’s finale, will take place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana on May 25th.
This will be the second consecutive event to be held in Louisiana, as Bellator 69 will take place in Lake Charles the week prior. It will be the 10th event to take place in “The Bayou State”, and second in New Orleans (Bellator 28) overall.
The main event will be for the Bellator heavyweight championship, as champion Cole Konrad (8-0) is set to take on challenger Eric Prindle (7-1). The matchup was originally scheduled for Bellator 65, which takes place this Friday, but Bellator had to postpone the bout due to a hand injury suffered by Prindle.
Also taking place at the event will be the middleweight tournament final. The semi-finals will take place at Bellator 66, with the winners of the two matchups between Brian Rogers and Bruno Santos, along with Vyacheslav Vasilevsky and Maiquel Falcao, advancing to the finals.
Former UFC fighter Rich Clementi, who hails from Louisiana, is also expected to be featured at the event. He fought at the last Bellator event to take place in New Orleans, losing a lightweight tournament qualifier match at Bellator 28 to Carey Vanier. His opponent for Bellator 70 has yet to be announced.
For complete coverage of the sixth season of Bellator, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com
Posted in: bellator, orlean, event, place, prindle
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC 149 fight card and rumors for July 21 in Calgary
Event: UFC 149Date: Sat., July 21, 2012, at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-viewLocation: Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Main Event:
145 lbs.: UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo vs. TBA
Other scheduled bouts:
170 lbs.: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Thiago Alves145 lbs.: Antonio Carvalho vs. George Roop145 lbs.: Bryan Caraway vs. Mitch Gagnon155 lbs.: Mitch Clarke vs. Anton Kuivanen185 lbs.: Court McGee vs. Nick Ring
For all the latest and greatest updates on UFC 149 check out our complete news archive by clicking here.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, lb, news archive
Read the full article at MMA ManiaVideo: CFA ring girls get naked and paint their bodies like superheroes
Championship Fighting Alliance (CFA) 6: "Palomino vs Warfield" is set to go down this Friday night (April 13, 2012) live from the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Florida, featuring a main event between Luis Palomino vs. James Warfield.
So how is CFA hyping its upcoming event?
Why, by stripping its ring card girls and painting them like superheroes, of course!
From the CFA website:
Before watching the CFA ring girls hard at work at CFA 06 Friday at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Fl, the girls took a break to strip down and trade their birthday suit for their favorite super hero body paint. At a stop in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, FL, the CFA beauties bared it all down and showcased this hot body paint for CFA fans leaving many in the crew amazed by their attractiveness.
Their steamy video after the jump.
Alright Maniacs ... who's your favorite superhero? More on the CFA 6 event right here.
Posted in: event, girl, cfa, bankunited center, cfa fans
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBobby Lashley Headed To Super Fight League, Bout With James Thompson Signed For Main Event
The Super Fight League announced that Bobby Lashley will take on James Thompson in the main event of Super Fight League 3 from New Delhi on May 6.
Lashley, a former Strikeforce fighter and one-time WWE superstar, holds a record of 7-1 in MMA. Thompson (17-14) was also in the main event of SFL 1, defeating Bob Sapp via first round submission.
Lashley left pro wrestling and entered MMA much like former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar did. However, Lashley did not have the same kind of immediate impact, and has bounced around a few smaller organizations. He had been rumored as a possible opponent for Fedor Emelianenko in June, but that appears unlikely with the announcement of this fight.
The SFL also signed Trevor Prangley, a former UFC, Strikeforce and Bellator competitor, to meet Baga Agaev on the card. The event will be streamed live via the SFL’s YouTube page.
Posted in: fight, event, lashley, bobby lashley, james thompson
Read the full article at MMA ConvertSuper Fight League just announced Bobby Lashley vs James Thompson will be the main event for SFL3
What MMA fans want to see for the sport seems to differ from country to country. Of course everyone wants exciting fights, finishes and real drama but the way this is presented and delivered seems subject to cultural preference. No matter where you go in this world however, the spectacle of seeing two very large men punch each other is always appealing. Heavyweights were the biggest draw for many years in boxing, and still continues to be arguably the most profitable division. In Japan, freakshow MMA is still just as popular as it always has been. It seems like the magnetic draw of the heavyweights is being used as pulling power for a new MMA audience over in India as Super Fight League continue to headline their events with very large men punching each other. This time we'll see James Thompson face off against the rumoured future opponent for Fedor, Bobby Lashley along with Trevor Prangley vs Baga Agaev, former WEC champion Doug “The Rhino” Marshall vs Zelg Galesic and Lena Ovichynnikova vs IKF European flyweight Muay Thai champion Joanne Calderwood. Via the miracle known as a press release, SFL CEO Ken Pavia had this to say:
“We have had such success with HW Main Events we decided to sign former WWE champ Lashley to face our SFL winner in Thompson. With two guys this big and strong this fight could end with the blink of an eye. We are very excited to have what we expect to be very competitive stand up affairs in the two other non Indian fights. The WEC champ in Rhino v The Cage Rage Champ in Galesic in one fight and Russian super prospect Baga against battle tested Prangley, a former champ in four major organizations in the other. We are also looking forward to seeing Lena back in action after her show stealing performance in our first event and she isn't getting an easy fight as we are bringing in a world class striker in Calderwood to test her.”
The above mentioned fights, along with domestic match-ups will be on the Super Fight League 3 card which takes place in New Delhi, India and will be streamed, as always for free on youtube.com/sfl. What does this do to Lashley's rumoured bout with Fedor in Russia? Will we see the dreaded double leg of doom from James Thompson? We'll have to wait 'till Sunday, May 6th to find out.
Posted in: fight, event, champ, fight league, thompson
Read the full article at Middle EasyBobby Lashley vs. James Thompson to headline Super Fight League 3 event on May 6th
Official Press Release:
(Mumbai 11th April 2012) India's first MMA Organization Super Fight League (SFL) is proud to announce the following fights have been confirmed for SFL 3 taking place at the IGI Stadium, New Delhi on Sunday 6th May: Bobby Lashley V James Thompson (HW/ Main Event), Trevor Prangley V Baga Agaev (LH), Doug Marshall V Zelg Galesic (MW) and Lena Ovchynnikova V Joanne Calderwood (125lb).Fight fans from all over the world can tune in and watch the event live and free on the official SFL
Posted in: fight, event, mma organization, sfl, igi stadium
Read the full article at Low KickThiago Alves vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama Targeted for July UFC Event
Yoshihiro Akiyama still has a job in the UFC, and now has his next opponent set, as well.
Despite losing four straight in the octagon, Akiyama's spirited performances have ensured him at least one more go, and it will come against Thiago Alves at a July event -- most likely UFC 149 -- according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
The two have both agreed to the matchup, sources told MMA Fighting.
The Japanese fighter recently dropped to welterweight, where he fought Jake Shields at UFC 144. The two went all three rounds, with Shields taking a unanimous decision on all three judges' scorecards. Prior to that, Akiyama(13-5, 2 no decisions) had lost consecutive bouts to Vitor Belfort, Michael Bisping and Chris Leben.
After dropping his fourth straight, there was speculation about whether or not he would be cut, and he'll face the same kind of stakes the next time around.
In Alves, Akiyama will be facing an opponent hungry for a win.
Alves appeared to be on the way to a victory over Martin Kampmann during March's UFC on FX event in Sydney, Australia when he went for a takedown and fell into a fight-ending guillotine choke with just 48 seconds left in the fight. With the loss, Alves fell to 19-9 overall after dropping four of his last six.
The fight is likely as part of the UFC's inaugural foray into Calgary on July 21 at the Scotiabank Saddledome. In the main event of that show, Jose Aldo will attempt to defend his featherweight championship, though his opponent has yet to be named.
Posted in: ufc, event, opponent, alve, akiyama
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseFriday's Bellator 65 card finalized with Good, Main, McCray, Foster and others
The lineup is finalized for Friday's Bellator 65 event with the addition of seven preliminary-card bouts.
The event takes place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., with an MTV2-televised headliner of bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky vs. Eduardo Dantas.
A number of notables are in action in the Spike.com-streamed prelims, including Lyman Good, Andy Main, Kris McCray, Kenny Foster and others.
Posted in: event, boardwalk hall, other, spikecomstreamed prelims, preliminarycard bouts
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBellator 64 ratings: Event scores season-best 175,000 MTV2 viewers
This past weekend's Bellator 64 event drew 175,000 MTV2 viewers, which matches the biggest audience of the current sixth season.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the figures with industry sources.
The April 6 broadcast matched Bellator 62, which also scored 175,000 viewers. Bellator 64 also gave the organization a 25 percent ratings increase from Bellator 63, which drew 140,000 viewers a week earlier.
Posted in: bellator, event, rating, viewer, industry sources
Read the full article at MMA JunkieMuhammed 'King Mo' Lawal And Julie Kedzie Rumored To Do Guest Commentary At Invicta FC Debut
Just a quick rumor for you guys. I have it on good authority that Muhammed Lawal and Julie Kedzie will be doing commentary with Mauro Ranallo for Invicta FC's debut event on April 28 in Kansas City at Memorial Hall.
The event is a well matched card of 12 fights, featuring several top level females. Headlining the card will be former Strikeforce bantamweight champion, Marloes Coenen, who will be taking on a very tough opponent in Romy Ruyssen. The event will stream live, and free in HD via from the Invicta FC website. It won't be the first all female card, but it is on it's way to gaining more exposure than any of it's predecessors. With the addition of "King" Mo and Kedzie, the entertainment factor just increased 10 fold.
I'll be confirming this with Invicta president, Shannon Knapp, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled for our coverage.
Posted in: event, card, invicta, julie kedzie, kedzie
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowWhats your take on who is going to win the main event on UFC 145.
submitted by yungsyr80 [link] [8 comments]
Posted in: ufc, event, what, yungsyr
Read the full article at RedditJoin the 2012 MMAjunkie.com Radio Gathering in Las Vegas from June 23-26
MMA fans are invited to the latest MMAjunkie.com Radio Gathering.
Our four-day event includes a UFC watch party, group activities,
bar-hopping, and meet and greets with celebrity guests and the
MMAjunkie.com staff.
The four-day event takes place from June 23-26 in Las Vegas in conjunction with the big UFC 146 pay-per-view event.
Posted in: event, las vegas, mmajunkiecom, fourday event, mmajunkiecom staff
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 146 weigh-ins slates for May 25 in Las Vegas
Official fighter weigh-ins for next month's "UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Overeem" event take place May 25.
MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas hosts both the weigh-ins and the following night's pay-per-view event.
Currently, the event is scheduled to feature a heavyweight title fight between champion Junior Dos Santos and Alistair Overeem, though the challenger is likely to be bumped from the card following a recent failed drug test due to elevated testosterone levels.
Posted in: event, alistair overeem, drug test, garden arena, weighin
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBellator 64 Video Highlights; Askren Wins Again
Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren held onto his title at Bellator 64 on Friday. Check out video highlights from the main event and more.
Posted in: bellator, video, event, askren, friday check
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyDana White: Cain Velasquez vs. Frank Mir ‘Will Happen’ at UFC 146
With the UFC 146 main event in jeopardy due to Alistair Overeem's positive test for elevated testosterone levels, Dana White says the co-main event between Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez "will happen"...
Posted in: event, velasquez vs, comain event, alistair overeems, mir ‘
Read the full article at Heavy MMABellator 64 discussion thread
Welcome to our discussion thread for tonight's Bellator 64 event.
The event kicks off at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) with prelims on Spike.com before the main card airs on MTV2 from The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Stay tuned for a full recap of the event, which includes a title fight between welterweight champion Ben Askren and recent tourney winner Douglas Lima.
Posted in: card airs, event, title fight, discussion thread, caesars windsor
Read the full article at MMA JunkieSuper Fight League 2 weigh-in results and video from India
The official weigh-in event for Super Fight League's (SFL) second mixed martial arts (MMA) offering is in the books with all 16 competitors set to get busy on tomorrow morning's fight card successfully making weight.
SFL 2 will feature a main event pitting Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran Todd Duffee taking on recent Bellator washout Neil Grove. In other action on the card, Paul Kelly battles Ryan Healy while Alexander Shlemenko goes head on against Ikuhisa Minowa.
The event starts at 9:15 a.m. ET tomorrow morning (April 7, 2012) so make sure you're up bright and early. MMAmania.com will provide live round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of all the action.
See you then, Maniacs.
Posted in: fight, alexander shlemenko, event, card, ikuhisa minowa
Read the full article at MMA ManiaSuper Fight League's second event goes down this weekend and here is the weigh in video
There are mixed feelings about any promotion that headlines their inaugural card with Bob Sapp at this point in human civilization. However, there is nothing but giddy hugs and praise for a card that features Minowaman vs. Alexander Schlemenko anywhere in the fight order for their second event. In fact, putting Minowaman on a card raises any event’s level of sophistication to a plateau far above that of the Dos Equis man. Somewhere in that mystical land, everybody sips tea at noon with their pinkies raised, and they pray to a deity that bestows them with wealth and prosperity every evening. If their loyalty is ever misplaced, Bob Sapp will return to India and sustain another mysterious first round injury to aggravate your support of SuperFightLeague; support that is critical to MMA’s success in Asia. Besides, with Todd Duffee and Neil Grove rounding out the main event, and the fact that it’s free, Why would anyone want to miss this event tomorrow afternoon?
Posted in: event, neil grove, bob sapp, fight order, round injury
Read the full article at Middle EasyTUF Finale Gets Oliveira vs. Brookins Plus Two More Bouts
A trio of thrilling fights in the lighter weight classes have been verbally agreed upon for the June 1 TUF Live Finale in Las Vegas.TUF 12 champ Jonathan Brookins will take on submission specialist Charles Oliveira. Brookins looked as good as ever in his last outing, as he knocked out his opponent in the first round. And in Olivera's recent featherweight debut, he took only a few seconds longer to dispatch his opponent to earn a stunning submission win via the rarely-seen calf-crusher. Also at featherweight, tough Hawaiian Max Holloway will meet 5-1 finisher Pat Schilling. At bantamweight, TUF 14's John Albert will follow up his wild firefight against Ivan Menjivar with a bout against the well-rounded Byron Bloodworth. Season Finale Gets Main Event updated March 26Two top welterweights will wage war over five rounds in the TUF Live Finale main event, UFC president Dana White announced today.Verbal agreements are in for a June 1 matchup between Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann will take on Jake "The Juggernaut" Ellenberger.The fighters are coming off of sound wins in main events this winter - Kampmann submitted Thiago Alves in the final minute of their UFC on FX bout earlier this month, while Jake Ellenberger bested Diego Sanchez at UFC on FUEL TV in February.In past years, both men have battled a who's-who of the welterweight division, including shared opponents Carlos Condit, Jake Shields, Diego Sanchez and Rick Story. A convincing win this summer could solidify their spot on the shortlist of contenders at 170.
Posted in: jake, bout, event, tuf, finale
Read the full article at UFCUFC On FX 3 Headed To Fort Lauderdale, Florida
As the UFC has been rapidly filling the cards for its summer events in recent weeks, many fans were quick to note that the promotion had still not announced a location for their June 8th UFC on FX 3 event. Well it turns out that it was the MMA fan community that actually helped determine the location of the event through the UFC's "Hometown Throwdown" promotion with Harley Davidson, and it was announced via press release today that the BankAtlantic Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida will host the FX-televised event:
Las Vegas, Nevada – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® and Harley-Davidson® ride in to the BankAtlantic Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Friday, June 8 with an outstanding UFC® event headlined by flyweight rivals Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson and Ian McCall. The winner of the fight will go on to fight Joseph Benavidez for the first-ever UFC 125-pound title later in the year.
UFC’s Harley-Davidson Hometown Throwdown event will air live on FX at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Southern Florida was selected for this event as a part of the UFC, Harley-Davidson "Hometown Throwdown" program. The program allowed fans to visit the UFC, Harley-Davidson Hometown Throwdown website and submit a city for consideration for a future event.
This will mark the UFC's sixth trip to Florida, with the most recent event being UFC Fight Night 17, which took place in Tampa back in February of 2009. Another unique feature of this upcoming card is that fans will get a chance to pick one of three fights to appear on the televised main card and kick off the show:
In addition to helping choose the city, fans will also play a key role in determining a main card bout on the card. UFC fans can go to ufc.com/hometownthrowdown to vote for which bout will make it onto the main card and be the first fight shown on the FX telecast. Fans can choose between the following three bouts: Scott Jorgensen vs. Eddie Wineland in bantamweight action; Carlos Eduardo Rocha vs. Mike Pierce in a welterweight bout; Lance Benoist vs. Seth Baczynski at 170-pounds.
The current card for UFC on FX 3 includes:
-Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall - (UFC flyweight tournament semifinal)-Mike Pyle vs. Josh Neer-Erick Silva vs. Charlie Brenneman-Mike Pierce vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha-Scott Jorgensen vs. Eddie Wineland-Seth Baczynski vs. Lance Benoist-Dustin Pague vs. Jared Papazian-Henry Martinez vs. Bernardo Magalhaes-Buddy Roberts vs. Caio Magalhaes-Leonard Garcia vs. Matt Grice
UFC on FX 3 coverage
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, fan, card
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC on FX 3 to Take Place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Results for the Harley-Davidson Hometown Throwdown have been released, and the winning city is Fort Lauderdale, Florida. With that, UFC on FX 3 will head to the BankAtlantic Center in downtown Fort Lauderdale for the event on June 8th. The event, which is headlined by the rematch between Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson, held a contest to to let the fans determine where the event would take place.
This will be the first UFC event in Florida in over three years. The last event, UFC Fight Night 17, took place in Tampa on February 7th, 2009. The last event to take place in the Miami area took place in Hollywood in June 2007. The event, which was headlined by Sam Stout vs. Spencer Fisher, was one of three events to take place in Hollywood between 2006 and 2007.
In addition to choosing where the event was to take place, fans have also been given the power to select a fight to air on the main card. The matchups to choose from are:
Bantamweight – Scott Jorgensen vs. Eddie Wineland
Welterweight – Mike Pierce vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha
Welterweight – Lance Benoist vs. Seth Bacyzinski
Along with Ian McCall vs. Demetrious Johnson and those matchups, the event will feature welterweight matchups between Mike Pyle and Josh Neer, along with Charlie Brenneman taking on Erick Silva.
For complete coverage of UFC on FX 3, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, place, matchup
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyGet your MMA tailgating supplies ready Florida! The UFC is coming to visit you on June 8th!
If you live on the east coast and need a reason to celebrate tonight besides the fact that you might be one of the lucky peole that don't have to go into work tomorrow thanks to Good Friday, well here it is. The UFC announced yet another upcoming event for this eastern most side of the US of A. The Eastern onsalught of live UFC events starts in just a few weeks in Atlanta for UFC 145 on April 21st and then hits New Jersey on May 5th, Virginia on May 15th and then as announced today winds up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on June 8th. That's qualifies as a plethora of potentially cheap airfare or roadtrip possibilites for all of us eastern MMA fans.
The UFC hasn't been to Florida since it brought the Octagon to Tampa in early 2009 for UFC Fight Night 17. Thanks to fans that voted in the UFC Harley Davidson Hometown Throwdown contest the UFC will be hosting the June 8th UFC on FX 3 event at Fort Lauderdale's BankAtlantic Center. Here's a look at the full fight card as it has been announced and rumored to date:
Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall
Scott Jorgensen vs. Eddie Wineland
Mike Pierce vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha
Seth Baczynski vs. Lance Benoist
Dustin Pague vs. Jared Papazian
Leonard Garcia vs. Matt Grice
Josh Neer vs. Mike Pyle
Charlie Brenneman vs. Erick Silva
Caio Magalhaes vs. Buddy Roberts
Bernardo Magalhaes vs. Henry Martinez
This event is headlined by the promised rematch between Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson after that nutty scoring mishap in their fight earlier this month that lead to an unfortunate draw. That fight alone should be enough to get you Floridians hyped about this news. I hope you aren't even reading this anymore. I hope you are so excited you have run out into your palm tree laden front yard and are in the midst of superman punching your blue haired neighbors plastic flamingo yard ornaments in gleeful celebration. [source]
Posted in: ufc, fight, vs, event, florida
Read the full article at Middle EasyDemetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall II to Take Place in Fort Lauderdale
June's UFC on FX event finally has a location, and it's Fort Lauderdale, Florida. That city's BankAtlantic Center will host the event, including the flyweight semifinal do-over between Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall.
UFC officials confirmed the news on Thursday.
The event marks the UFC's first trip to Fort Lauderdale, though the promotion has previously run five shows in Florida.
The BankAtlantic Center was the site of the Kimbo Slice vs. Seth Petruzelli EliteXC match that led to the end of that promotion.
Johnson and McCall originally fought on March 3, going three spirited rounds. Johnson was initially declared the winner by split decision, but the sanctioning body overseeing the event later determined that a scoring error had been made, and the fight was actually a draw. By then, though, it was already too late to use a fourth round overtime that had been specifically added into the fighters' contracts just in case.
The June 8 winner between them (assuming there is one this time) will eventually face Joseph Benavidez to determine the promotion's inaugural flyweight champion.
As part of the UFC on FX event, fans will have a chance to choose one of the main card fights to air on TV through voting on UFC.com. The three fights that are currently options include a bantamweight bout between Scott Jorgensen and Eddie Wineland, and welterweight fights pitting Carlos Eduardo Rocha vs. Mike Pierce, and Lance Benoist vs. Seth Baczynski.
Posted in: ufc, fight, vs, event, johnson
Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse
UFC: Five April Fighters with Plenty to Lose (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
The UFC has been on siesta for what seems like ages, but the company swings back into action soon with a pair of big events: UFC on Fuel 2 on April 14, which is the debut event in Sweden; and UFC 145 in Atlanta on April 21 Several high-stakes bouts are on tap in these two events,...
Posted in: ufc, event, april, april fighters, company swings
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsUFC and Harley-Davidson Riding Into Florida with Flyweights
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® and Harley-Davidson® ride in to the BankAtlantic Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Friday, June 8 with an outstanding UFC® event headlined by flyweight rivals Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Ian McCall. The winner of the fight will go on to fight Joseph Benavidez for the first-ever UFC 125-pound title later in the year.UFC’s Harley-Davidson Hometown Throwdown event will air live on FX at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.Southern Florida was selected for this event as a part of the UFC, Harley-Davidson “Hometown Throwdown” program. The program allowed fans to visit the UFC, Harley-Davidson Hometown Throwdown website and submit a city for consideration for a future event.In addition to helping choose the city, fans will also play a key role in determining a main card bout on the card. UFC fans can go to ufc.com/hometownthrowdown to vote for which bout will make it onto the main card and be the first fight shown on the FX telecast. Fans can choose between the following three bouts: Scott Jorgensen vs. Eddie Wineland in bantamweight action; Carlos Eduardo Rocha vs. Mike Pierce in a welterweight bout; Lance Benoist vs. Seth Baczynski at 170 pounds. Fans can also enter to win the UFC experience of a lifetime at the Harley-Davidson Hometown Throwdown event and their own custom Harley® motorcycle through a sweepstakes that runs through April 28, 2012. See full sweepstakes information and rules at ufc.com/hometownthrowdown. The main event of Johnson versus McCall comes in high-demand. The two first squared off in an action-packed bout last month in Australia, with Johnson initially being declared the winner. However, it was revealed shortly thereafter that the judges’ scorecards were calculated incorrectly by the local athletic commission and the actual decision was a draw. Thus, Johnson and McCall will extend their rivalry on June 8 in a three-round rematch. If the fight is a draw after three rounds, the competitors will go to a sudden victory round to determine which man will earn the right to compete for the UFC world title.“I’m excited to bring the UFC back to Florida!” UFC President Dana White said. “The first fight between Johnson and McCall was incredible, and on June 8, they will finally finish the fight to determine who is going to fight for the first-ever flyweight title.”“We are thrilled and honored to welcome the UFC to the BankAtlantic Center for the first time in our history,” said SSE President & COO Michael R. Yormark. “The UFC represents the pinnacle of mixed martial arts and one of the greatest live sports spectacles in the world, so it is fitting that South Florida’s premier entertainment destination – the BankAtlantic Center – will now be hosting a UFC event for the first time.” Tickets for UFC’s Harley-Davidson Hometown Throwdown go on sale Friday, April 13 at 10 a.m. ET. Ticket prices will be announced in days to come. Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000, as well as the BankAtlantic Center Box Office. UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, April 11 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, April 12, starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register via the "Join Newsletter" tab at the top of ufc.com.
Posted in: ufc, fight, bout, event, harleydavidson
Read the full article at UFC
Thailand declares MMA illegal
The land of cockfighting bans the human variation:
"It is brutal and it is not boxing," said SAT deputy governor Sakol Wannapong who oversees professional sports. "It is against the 1999 boxing law."
SAT officials met this week to discuss whether holding an MMA event was lawful or not following a request from a private company and they finally agreed that under the 1999 boxing law, it is unlawful to stage an MMA event in Thailand.
"Organising a MMA event here would hurt the image of Muay Thai," Sakol said.
There have been two MMA events held in Bangkok and neither were approved by the SAT, according to Sakol. He said the SAT was asking the Interior Ministry's legal advisors to consider action against any MMA organisers.
"If you want to do this kind of business, you should do it in another country," Sakol said. "Organising MMA here could mislead the public into believing that Muay Thai is brutal."
Rumor is the Muay Thai industry in Thailand was the driving force behind the government's decision to ban MMA - probably out of fear that the sport could become competition. Isn't it great to know that special interests are subverting freedom in other countries too?
Posted in: mma, event, muay, mma event, sakol
Read the full article at FightlinkerK-1 Announces 2012 Grand Prix In New York City
For the past few weeks, the rumor mill in the kickboxing world has been all focused on K-1. Fighters began to talk about being contacted for a K-1 event this spring, and all signs pointed towards the organization finally returning. Now, K-1 has finally broken their lengthy silence, and they've done so in a huge way.
Last week, the kickboxing company announced that they would indeed be staging a full slate of events in 2012. Starting on May 27 in Madrid, Spain, K-1 will be hosting at least seven international events in 2012. Those seven events will include the return of the K-1 and K-1 MAX Grand Prix. And that alone is huge news, but here's the really interesting part.
The 2012 K-1 Grand Prix will take place in December, in New York City.
This is a major move for the organization, which has always been heavily reliant on the Japanese market. But with the K-1 brand under new management, there is clearly a desire to try some new things. Taking the company's crown jewel event out of Japan and moving it to the mostly untested US market is a big gamble. But if it pays off, it will open the doors to the thriving US combat sports scene at a time that the scene in Japan is at an all time low.
K-1 Grand Prix To Return In 2012 According To It's Showtime
Of course, it has to be said that we have heard stories like this before, including plans for a 2011 Grand Prix that never happened. So while I am extremely excited about the promise of a 2012 K-1 Grand Prix, and in the US at that, this news needs to be read with a bit of hesitation. But things do look promising. Top European organization It's Showtime has thrown their hat in with K-1, giving them access to many of the world's top fighters. Big names like Daniel Ghita have spoken openly about being in talks with K-1. And the venue in Madrid already has the show listed for May 27. All of these are great signs.
So for now, I'm going to be optimistic. K-1 is back, and it's in the US. Now let's see what happens next.
Full announced schedule, in the complete article.
From the new K-1 website:
WHERE AND WHEN:Seven major, worldwide K-1 heavyweight (K-1 World GP) and K-1 middleweight (K-1 World MAX) events are planned for 2012, where the world's top warriors will battle in a survival series of explosive, three-round, single-elimination fights.
• May 27th - K-1 officially rises with a spectacular K-1 Tournament and Celebration at the Palacio Vista Aletre in Madrid, Spain, as we begin the search for the world's best fighters. • June-October - Tournaments span the globe with events in the US, Europe and Asia.• Early September - US Regional Tournament takes place in Los Angeles.• Later October - The K-1 World GP Final16 takes place in Asia.• November - The K-1 World MAX Final takes place in Asia, with a $300,000 Grand Prize (total prize money for MAX: $500,000).• December - The K-1 World GP Final in New York City, with a ONE MILLION DOLLAR grand prize (total prize money for WGP: $1,500,000).
Posted in: world, event, max, prix, york city
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowBellator 63 ratings: Event draws 140,000 MTV2 viewers, close to season average
Ratings for the latest Bellator event were largely in tune with the seasons-six average.
This past weekend's Bellator 63 event averaged 140,000 viewers on MTV2, which is down slightly from the season's average of 151,000 viewers for the year's first three shows.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the figures with industry sources.
Posted in: bellator, event, viewer, bellator event, mmajunkiecom today
Read the full article at MMA JunkieWhew, everyone can relax now: Oklahoma has put an end to the ban on MMA
Remember that little ban on MMA Oklahoma decided to impose we told you about around a month ago? Well, you can all stop raging and your boycotting of Oklahoma and its products right now. Go ahead and restock your fridge full of those 88 cent packs of yummy Bar-S nitrite filled mystery smooshed meat particle hot dogs once again because we no longer have to feel hate and anger towards the state of Oklahoma. Oklahoma has quickly come to their senses and decided to rethink their futile attempts to stuff the life out of our favorite sport within the OK state lines.
ESPN.com and Josh Gross spoke to Joe Miller of the state's athletic commission who told them the commission is now awaiting word from the State Attorney General to 'change the language' of a tax statute that caused the UFC to threaten the state with legal action. The commission has begun issuing event permits again as of yesterday.
“We will be open for business on April 2nd. A legislative solution to the problem is under way, and should be solidified by the end of April.”
The issue stems from a 4% pay per view tax imposed by the Oklahoma athletic commission on all the promotors of combat sport events regardless of where their event actually takes place. The UFC got wind of the tax and said a big N-O to what was essentially a double taxation on their pay per view cards. Apparently the UFC flexed their legal muscle and the lawsuit threats caused the state to nix the idea of banning MMA and combat sports. Victory! You can now revisit those exciting forced family fun summer roadtrip plans to the National Cowboy Museum without feelling like you are supporting an enemy. [source]
Posted in: sport, event, commission, state, oklahoma
Read the full article at Middle EasyUltimate Fighter (TUF) 15 Live Finale fight card and rumors for 'Ellenberger vs Kampmann' on June 1 in Las Vegas
Event: The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 15 Live FinaleDate: Fri., June 1, 2012, at 8 p.m. ET on FXLocation: Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada
Main Event:
170 lbs.: Jake Ellenberger vs. Martin Kampmann
Main Card (FX Channel):
155 lbs.: Finalist No. 1 vs. Finalist No. 2
Preliminary Card (FUEL TV):
TBA
For the latest TUF 15 Finale news and notes check out our complete event archive right here.
Posted in: vs, event, tuf, card, notes check
Read the full article at MMA ManiaKusch replaces Fields in Cage Warriors Fight Night 5 grand-prix semifinal
A back injury has forced Chris Fields out of next week's Cage Warriors Fight Night 5 event and the organization's middleweight-grand-prix semifinals.
The organization today announced a back injury prompted the change.
Filling in for Fields is grappler Pavel Kusch, who now takes on striker John Phillips at the April 12 event, which streams live on MMAjunkie.com from New Boxing Arena in Amman, Jordan.
Posted in: event, field, chris fields, boxing arena, organization today
Read the full article at MMA JunkieWrestlemania 28 gate: $8.9 million
Wrestlemania 28 set records yesterday with a record gate of $8.9 million. It also set records for the largest crowd at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida and the highest grossing live event in WWE history.
WWE stock is up slightly at $8.83 near the close of Monday’s trading.
Via WWE press release:
The previous Sun Life Stadium attendance record was 77,912 for the BCS National Championship in 2005. Its highest grossing entertainment event was U2 on June 29, 2011, grossing more than $7.5 million. WrestleMania XXVIII surpassed the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania in Houston, which grossed $7.2 million. This marks the third consecutive year WrestleMania broke the gross entertainment event record of the host venue.
Payout Perspective:
While it is a press release from the WWE, if the attendance and gate are in the ballpark of the figures, the WWE’s annual event did not disappoint. The PPV buy rate should be good as well considering The Rock and the added promotion for the event. For a company that has suffered some setbacks (e.g. WWE Network) lately, its a needed boost. With the addition of Lesnar (and the subtraction of the Rock), the WWE will hope to continue the momentum from Sunday.
Additional numbers and news from the WWE:
- The Rock/Cena Countdown show, “Once in a Lifetime,” which first aired last Monday right before Raw on the USA Network scored 2.13 million viewers for a 1.47 rating according to Dave Metzler. The rating was low for the time slot but was twice as much as most UFC Countdown shows. This can be discounted slightly considering the uniqueness of the Rock/Cena show.
- The Atlantic had an interesting article pre-Wrestlemania asking the question of whether there would be blood in the HHH-Undertaker match. It’s an interesting read on the business versus entertainment decisions behind blood in the match. In the end, there was no blading (although HHH did bleed unintentionally).
- And the big news for UFC fans is that Brock Lesnar has signed with the WWE. Although he didn’t make his appearance last night, you may want to tune in tonight to see if Lesnar shows. His contract is rumored to be for one year with limited appearances but big money.
Posted in: event, wwe, lesnar, record, wrestlemania
Read the full article at MMA PayoutONE FC 3 Videos And Analysis: Folayang And Laursen Go To War, Zoro Deserves Title Shot
This past weekend, BloodyElbow.com was on deck at the Singapore Indoor Arena for ONE Fighting Championship's third event dubbed as the 'War of the Lions'. I've had more than 24 hours to let everything sink in, so here's a rundown on the thoughts and analysis from being in the arena live:
This was by far their best fight card, but before we get to that, one of the most noticeable changes on their third event I think, was the big improvements they made with the overall production and live experience. The first two events already had good production value but the several adjustments they had made the difference for me. From the big changes such as adding Lenne Hardt, to the dozens of small things like the modified press seating and the VIP lounge, the photographers' positioning and rotation, the ring girls and their roles -- I can go on and on -- but all those contributed in making the overall atmosphere and experience much better.
Say what you want about the timing of the bout, but combining the styles of two of the most entertaining guys in the region is guaranteed fireworks, and that's exactly what Eduard Folayang and Ole Laursen brought. Both guys are known for getting into epic battles, but not only did they not disappoint, they even exceeded expectations, and stole the show after an all out war. A lot of people may not have agreed with Laursen getting the split decision, but in the end, it was a very close and extremely entertaining fight. In my eyes, both warriors won that night.
Zorobabel Moreira impressed me a lot with his evolving Mixed Martial Arts game. Just a few fights ago, Zoro looked a bit awkward, and somewhat tentative with his striking, but now, he looks sharper, more crisp and confident with his strikes. Obviously, when it went to the ground, he displayed his bread and butter, which is that world class jiujitsu skills. Enomoto is a very good grappler in his own regard, but Zoro's passes and transitions on the third round was just beautiful jiujitsu. Having that 6'3 frame will always pose problems for lightweights, but his ever improving MMA game will make things even tougher. He has solidified himself as one of the top fighters in the region, and I think that's a testament with his work with all the champion coaches at Evolve MMA.
Melvin Manhoef had a nasty cut. I really thought I saw his shin bone at one point.
Moreira deserves a shot at that inaugural ONE FC lightweight belt. Some people would want to see a rematch between Laursen and Folayang, and while I wouldn't really be opposed to that, I think the time is right to set up a lightweight title. Zoro is obviously the best candidate, and since he just beat the top contender, a match against Laursen is the logical choice. Both guys are coming off very impressive performances, and with Laursen possibly nearing the later stages of his career, there's no better time to do it.
More analysis, along with fight videos from the event after the jump. Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena
Kevin Belingon's aggressive instincts cost him big time. Imanari fell to the ground, and Belingon pounced much like he usually does, unnecessarily risking his leg by stepping in to follow the BJJ black belt to the ground. This was a huge test for the very young fighter from Team Lakay, and it will be interesting to see him learn and bounce back from this experience. That being said, I have to say, those were very beautiful transitions as Imanari chained several different submission attempts until he finished with a reverse heel hook.Watch the video here:
Also, Shinya Aoki raising his hand on the cage and an ecstatic Imanari, celebrating and jumping up for a cage high-five was a pretty cool moment. Hopefully we see more of him and other DREAM stars in future ONE FC events.
Speaking of DREAM fighters, Kawajiri looked great. Check out the video:
Singaporeans Nicole Chua and Kim Hock Quek got the biggest cheers from the crowd after both fighters got impressive performances in front of their home country. Check out the vids below:
Before the fight, one of the "things to look out for" I listed, was to see how much the two Evolve MMA fighters, Eddie Ng and Yodsanan Sityodtong has improved since their first event. Eddie, a fighter known more for his grappling, looked to have drastically improved, displayed great stand up against the Malaysian kickboxer.Video:
His 37-year-old teammate, Yodsanan Sityodtong wasn't able to fare as well though. He showed very dangerous striking and looked to almost have the fight won, but after Long Yun Jiang weathered the earlier storm, he exposed the holes in the former WBC boxing champ's game, and took over when things got to the ground.
If you want to delve into the Laursen vs. Folayang decision more, it is very interesting to note that one of the judges on that bout is a Filipino who has officiated several URCC fights, and he still gave the decision to Laursen, so there is really no biases or hidden agendas at play here. It was a very close fight on all fronts, and I can see legitimate cases for both guys being awarded the decision. In my personal opinion though, having watched the fight twice now both live and online, I thought Folayang did enough to win a decision after he landed more shots and more combinations. But again, it doesn't really matter, cause neither man really "lost" on that night.Check out the fight here:
I'll have a behind the scenes and event photo gallery post up soon, so do keep an eye out for that.
Posted in: fight, fighter, event, folayang, laursen
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowMMAterial Facts (4/1/12) : April 1st Edition
Welcome to this week’s edition of MMAterial Facts, where we feature articles from around the MMA community.
***
This week’s MMAterial Facts:
- Nevada amends complaint against Nick Diaz, shifts strategy (Fight Opinion)
“After Team Diaz filed their response to Nevada’s complaint, Keith Kizer telegraphed (in the media) what the response would be. Rather than confront what Goodman & Tweedale are arguing regarding WADA standards & Nevada law, Keith Kizer & company are now shifting to what I call “the Al Capone” strategy. Kizer’s side is now going after Team Diaz over the way the medical questionnaire was answered regarding Nick Diaz & his medical marijuana usage.
…
I guess it isn’t a total surprise to see Nevada shift their complaint strategy since they hinted this would be the direction they would be heading in, but to see it on paper and the complaint amended is rather interesting.”
- King Mo Lawal reportedly considers WWE while Bellator and Super Fight League show interest (MMA Mania)
“Brock Lesnar recently retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) and he’s already reportedly signed a one-year deal with the popular pro wrestling promotion, potentially to debut at tonight’s WrestleMania 28 event.
…
But another fairly high profile fighter is reportedly expressing interest in making the jump to the scripted entertainment world — Muhammed Lawal. And it’s not even the first time he’s flirted with the idea..”
- After Issues On TUF: Live, Dana White Promises No More 3-Minute Breaks (MMA Convert)
“We were on a network commercial break. You can’t break a network commercial break. We need to fix that. This is a live sporting event, and we need to be on our toes knowing that we can go to another round. We have a 60-second commercial, and you come right back to the fight. That was bad. What are you going to do? We can’t pull out of a network break, so we need to figure that out and fix it.”
- K-1 is coming to New York and Los Angeles THIS year! (MiddleEasy)
“If you are a fan of martial arts and kickboxing and you live in the United States, your day might be coming and very soon. The same can be said for fighters within the US who are sick of fighting for paltry sums of money in the regional muay-thai scene, as part of K-1′s press release today, two events within the United States were listed. Of the seven projected dates, two are within the United States. Early September is penciled in for the U.S. Qualifying Tournament, with the winner being placed within the World Grand Prix. The other event listed within the United States? None other than in December for the K-1 World Grand Prix Finals in New York City. If you’ve had behind-the-scenes information, there has been talk of K-1 in New York for a few years now, first in a partnership with HDnet, then possibly with a local promotion and now this.”
- “ONE FC 3: War Of Lions” Results: Moreira, Kawajiri Earn Submission Wins (FightLine)
“ONE Fighting Championship held its third professional card early Saturday morning from Singapore, as Zorobabel Moreira met Felipe Enomoto in the main event of War of Lions. The card was streamed live on YouTube from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang.”
- *UPDATE* [VIDEO] Anarchy in the UK: Riot Breaks out at Lockdown MMA Event (Cage Potato)
“This wasn’t your “Drunk, Affliction wearing fauxhawk guy trades telegraphed haymakers with drunk, Silver Star wearing tribal tattoo guy” brawl that you occasionally see at live events. This was a full blown riot that saw fans throwing bottles and chairs at each other for several minutes. Fortunately, a Cagepotato reader (who wishes to remain anonymous) tipped us off as to what started the riot, which is available after the jump.”
- AFC 2 Results: Patrick Cote wins fourth straight, Thales Leites avenges loss to Matt Horwich (Five Ounces of Pain)
“The rapidly ascending popularity of MMA in Brazil was on display last night in Manaus when Amazon Forest Combat put on their second ever event, lining the card with a handful of well-known fighters in addition to local products. The main event featured UFC veterans Murilo Bustamante and Dave Menne matched up in what was likely the last fight of Bustamante’s widely-respected career.”
- Welterweight Semifinals Pairings Set, Tournament Resumes at ‘Bellator 67′ (5thRound)
“After kicking off the opening round of their Welterweight Tournament on Friday night, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney announced the tourney would resume at “Bellator 67″ on May 4th. Casino Rama in Ontario, Canada will host the festivities.
…
Rebney also confirmed the pairings for the four remaining contestants. Ben Saunders (Pictured) will face Bryan Baker, while Karl Amoussou meets David Rickels Karl on the opposite end of the brackets.”
- Freddie Roach says Anderson Silva is “just way too big” to fight Georges St. Pierre (LowKick)
“”I’d probably say that Anderson Silva hits harder (than Georges St. Pierre) because he’s a lot bigger. Georges is a good puncher also, but the thing is, size wise, I think that Anderson’s a little more fluent at this point. He’s a lot bigger than Georges, of course. So, that’s why I don’t think that fight – they’ve been talking about that fight happening, I don’t think it will happen.”
- Promoter says New York Officials have “Been Cooperative” for Sanctioned Amateur MMA (TheFightNerd)
When it was announced this week that the TNT Fight Series would be the first amateur MMA card to be sanctioned in New York since state authorities tried to stamp out the practice in 2002, thoughts of controversy and conflict with government officials came to mind for everyone except the people running it. Fighter and promoter of the TNT Fight Series Erik Herbert went on the record with The Fight Nerd.com last night to describe what has been a thus far smooth ride with the sanctioning body and local government.”
- Dana White on Pirating: F**k You, We’re Coming After You Criminals (BleacherReport.com/MMA)
“There’s this whole generation out there that grew up getting free sh*t on the Internet, so they think everything on the Internet should be free. It ain’t how it f**king works, man. The music industry was single-handedly destroyed by the Internet. The Internet destroyed the music business. They’ll tell you that. It’s a fact.”
Posted in: fight, mma, event, state, york
Read the full article at MMA PayoutVideo: One FC “War of the Lions” Full Event Video
One FC has posted video of the entire One FC: War of the Lions event, which took place yesterday in Singapore from the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Notable fighters such as Melvin Manhoef and Tatsuya Kawajiri participated in the promotion’s third event, after the organization debuted in 2011.
The results for the entire 11-fight event:
Main Card
Zorobabel Moreira defeated Felipe Enomoto via submission (Armbar) at 1:04 of round 3
Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Donald Sanchez via submission (triangle choke) at 3:32 of round 1
Ole Laursen def. Eduard Folayang via split decision
Fabricio Monteiro def. Yuya Shirai via unanimous decision
Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoshiyuki Nakanishi – Fight ruled a no contest
Eddie Ng def. Jian Kai Chee via TKO (punches) at 0:43 of round 1
Preliminary Card
Masakazu Imanari def. Kevin Belingon via submission (reverse heel hook) at 1:18 of round 1
Nicole Chua def. Jeet Toshi via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:07 of round 1.
Quek Kim Hock def. Juan Wen Jie via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:18 of round 2.
Jiang Long Yun def. Yodsanan Sityodtong via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:28 of round 1
Danny van Bergen def. Richie Whitson via submission (armbar) at 1:17 of round 1
The entire event’s video is below:
Posted in: round, submission, video, event, submission armbar
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyVideo: ONE FC: War of the Lions Full Event
If you're suffering from a case of the Lazy Sundays, Singapore's ONE Fighting Championship has made available the entire 11-fight card from its weekend event. Among the recognizable names competing: Melvin Manhoef, Tatsuya Kawajiri, and submission whiz Masakazu Imanari. The event took place before 8,000 fans at Singapore Indoor Stadium, who saw Zorobabel Moreira beat Felipe Enomoto via submission in the main event. War of the Lions was the third event hosted by the fast-growing promotion, which was launched in 2011. The full event video is available after the jump.
Full Results
Main CardZorobabel Moreira defeated Felipe Enomoto via submission (Armbar), Rd. 3Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Donald Sanchez via submission (triangle choke), Rd. 1Ole Laursen def. Eduard Folayang via split decision. Fabricio Monteiro def. Yuya Shirai via unanimous decision. Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoshiyuki Nakanishi - no contest, injury stoppage, Rd. 1 Eddie Ng def. Jian Kai Chee via TKO (punches) at 0:43 of round 1.
Preliminary Card Masakazu Imanari def. Kevin Belingon via submission (reverse heel hook), Rd. 1Nicole Chua def. Jeet Toshi via submission (rear naked choke), Rd. 1. Quek Kim Hock def. Juan Wen Jie via submission (rear naked choke), Rd. 2. Jiang Long Yun def. Yodsanan Sityodtong via submission (rear naked choke), Rd. 1 Danny van Bergen def. Richie Whitson via submission (armbar), Rd. 1
Posted in: submission, event, rd, felipe enomoto, yodsanan sityodtong
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseNew York is sanctioning an amateur MMA event
submitted by tekprodfx16 [link] [comment]
Posted in: mma, tekprodfx, event, york, amateur
Read the full article at RedditOne FC 3: War of the Lions Full Event Video
Did you miss the free broadcast of One FC 3: War of the Lions on YouTube? Watch the full event right now on MMAWeekly.com.
Posted in: event, fc, lion, event right, event video
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyHere's Zoro's slick armbar from the main event of ONE FC: War of the Lions
Oh my word, Zoro Moreira has definitely been paying attention to the world class Muay Thai coaching over at Evolve MMA. Instead of shooting for a takedown or working a trip from the clinch, Zoro's best method of getting the fight to the mat was to simply but brutally blast the lead leg from under Enomoto with a disgusting kick. I thought we were going to see yet another rear naked choke but Enomoto defended, forcing Zoro to switch to an arm bar on Enomoto's left arm and it only took a few seconds until Zoro was on his feet celebrating his submission victory in the main event at ONE FC. What an event!
Thanks to IronForgesIron for the videos.
Posted in: event, submission victory, arm bar, zoro, event thanks
Read the full article at Middle EasyNew York is sanctioning an amateur MMA event
A funny thing about the MMA ban in New York - it specifically doesn't cover amateur events. That didn't stop the city from cracking down on any venue holding events, threatening to revoke liquor licenses and all that jazz. It's been a decade since anyone has even bothered to try and run a proper sanctioned amateur event, but now TNT Fight Series are giving it a go. How's that turning out?
The TNT Fight Series, is set to take place this May in Tonawanda, New York, just north of Buffalo and will be sanctioned under the USMTA. The USMTA is one of the organizations that New York State allows to regulate “martial arts” competitions, which amateur MMA falls under according to the legal definition of the term. Many sanctioning bodies have known that they can regulate amateur MMA shows but have been intimidated by possible conflicts with state and local authorities. Yet, according to Herbert, convincing the USMTA to sanction his event was no great effort....When Herbert was forced to approach the state athletic commission, where the everyone thought the real conflict would lay, there appeared to be no big fuss. While Herbert felt that “easy” was the wrong word to describe the process, he did say that “they’ve been cooperative.”
“They’ve given us the green light for everything, provided we abide by the rules of the sanctioning body,” Herbert said of the State Athletic Commission. “They told us they would have to let officials in our town know what we were doing. So, they sent a letter to our local government warning them that there was a risk of rioting and all kinds of things that were not going to happen.”
Hey, sometimes these things happen in MMA.
Posted in: mma, event, state, amateur, herbert
Read the full article at FightlinkerBellator 63 Results: Welterweight Semifinals Set
The Bellator welterweight tournament kicked off on Friday with four participants moving onto the next round including a blistering performance from main event fighter Karl Amoussou.
Posted in: bellator, event, welterweight, semifinals, participant
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyFightlinker takes you inside UFC 1’s program
It’s extremely rare that we here at Fightlinker bring you material that we didn’t rip off from other websites. That's kinda our thing. But today, dear jackals, you are in luck! Because you get an exclusive inside look at UFC 1 ... okay, just the program from UFC 1, but that’s still pretty good. You know you’re reading Fightlinker when you see “primary source material” that is in itself derivative of a derivative of actual event. Sure, this may be a slight ripoff of a copy of the accompaniment to an event that took place almost 19 years ago, but god damnit, I took the pictures myself. That’s surely good for SOMETHING.It seems that right before going totally bonkers while wearing a sombrero, Art “One Glove” Jimmerson decided that he wouldn’t mind some money and eBayed a stack of UFC 1 programs he had been hoarding. I bought one, and from it, I learned the following interesting facts:
The UFC was originally planning a ban on “repeated, intentional groin strikes,” but this rule was scratched before the event because the old UFC heads decided that they hated Joe Son just as much as we do.
The UFC was originally planning on having five five-minute rounds with overtime rounds “called for” if no one died before the time expired.
Pat Smith has 9 ½” ankles.
UFC 1 was sanctioned by a body called the “International Fighting Council,” whatever the f*ck that is.
Jim Brown is a true champion whose tireless devotion is evident in everything he does.
Move over, UFC Gym: the “Official Fight Gym of the UFC” is Jones Tai-Kung Fu-Karate McDojo in Westminster, CO.
Ken Shamrock’s (32 ½”) and Royce Gracie’s (32”) waist sizes are only different by half an inch, and they are about half the girth of Telia Tuli’s (59”).
See pictures of all the pages in the program after the jump!
read more
Posted in: ufc, event, fightlinker, program, right beforenbspgoing
Read the full article at FightlinkerBellator 63 weigh-in results: Welterweight tourney set, no one misses weight
In a pleasing departure from recent weeks, all 24 competitors on this weekend's Bellator 63 event made weight for the show.
Today's festivities took place at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., and the entire event went without a hitch
The Mohegan Sun Arena same hosts Friday's event, which includes a main
card on MTV2 (and in high-definition on EPIX) with prelims streaming on
on Spike.com.
Posted in: event, weight, sun, uncasville conn, mohegan sun
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC Will Hold First Event in China in 2012
The UFC has long coveted landing a show in China and it looks like they will achieve it in 2012.
Posted in: ufc, show, event, china, landing
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyAll female promo Invicta Fighting Championships finalizes card and plans to stream event for free on April 28th
Upstart MMA promotion Invicta Fighting Championships will look to expand their initial audience outside the walls of the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. The all female fight series will stream their inaugural 11 fight card at InvictaFC.com beginning at 8:00 PM EST (5:00 PM PST) on Saturday April 28th. The main event features the return of former Strikeforce 135 pound champ Marloes Coenen (19-5) to action versus Frenchwoman Romy Ruyssen(6-1).A rematch of an August 2008 fight won by Coenen, the bout with Ruyssen will be her first since being unceremoniously released by Strikeforce in August 2011. In the co-main event former Bellator tournament participant Lisa Ellis-Ward (14-7) will look to snap a two fight skid versus 29 year old Jessica Penne (8-1). The Ward-Penne scrap will take place at 105 pounds. Invicta Fighting ChampionshipsKansas City, KS4/28/11Marloes Coenen vs. Romy RuyssenJessica Penne vs. Lisa Ellis-WardLiz Carmouche vs. Ashleigh CurrySarah D'Alelio vs. Shana NelsonLeslie Smith vs. Kaitlin YoungSally Krumdiack vs. Sarah SchneiderNicdali Rivera-Calanoc vs. Amy DavisSarah Maloy vs. Michele GutierrezMollie Estes vs. Randi MillerAshley Cummins vs. Sofia BagherdaiJessica Philippus vs. Meghan WrightPress release Invicta Fighting Championships will stream its inaugural all-women's professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event live in its entirety, free of charge to a worldwide audience on the promotion's website, InvictaFC.com, from Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. on Saturday, April 28."Since we announced the formation of Invicta, we've received tremendous support and interest from fight fans around the world who are eager to watch some of the best fighters in the women's field of MMA compete in our first event," said Invicta President and Co-Founder Shannon Knapp."The live stream," continued Knapp, "is the best way to give fans, no matter where they are located, the opportunity to participate and take in the action as it unfolds and, at the same time, establish the forthcoming Invicta website as an online destination for women's MMA content."The live stream on InvictaFC.com will begin at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST with the event's five-bout preliminary card and continue with the seven-bout main card.The first-ever Invicta Fighting Championships event will be headlined by a long-awaited featherweight (145 pounds) rematch between superstar Marloes Coenen (19-5) of The Netherlands and Romy Ruyssen (5-1) of France.In the co-main event, two 29-year-old submission specialists - Jessica Penne (8-1) of Laguna Hills, Calif. and Lisa Ellis-Ward (14-7) of Lacey, Wash.- will square off with one another at strawweight (105 pounds).Undefeated rising star Cat "Alpha" Zingano (6-0) of Denver, Colo. will square off with fellow hard-hitting prospect and professional boxer Anita "El Tigre" Rodriguez (5-2) of Dallas, Texas in a featured bantamweight (135 pounds) bout.Strikeforce bantamweight star and United States Marine Liz "Girl-Rilla" Carmouche (5-2) of San Diego, Calif. will square off with unbeaten prospect Ashleigh Curry (1-0) of Kansas City, Mo.Another Strikeforce bantamweight competitor, Sarah D'Alelio (4-2) of San Jose, Calif., will face Shana "Rock Solid" Nelson (5-2) of Hibbing, Minn.Leslie Smith (3-2) of Pleasant Hill, Calif. will meet Kaitlin Young (7-5) of St. Louis Park, Minn. at bantamweight and Sally Krumdiack (9-4) of Bellingham, Wash. will duke it out with Sarah Schneider (5-5) of Kansas City, Mo. at flyweight (115 pounds).In preliminary card action, Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc (7-5) of Tulsa, Okla. will take on Amy Davis (2-2) of Idaho Falls, Idaho at strawweight. Sarah Maloy (2-2) of Ada, Okla. will meet Michele Gutierrez (3-2) of Las Vegas, Nev. in a super flyweight (125 pounds) tilt. Mollie Estes (1-0) of Lake Lotawana, Mo. will face Randi Miller (0-0) of Broomfield, Colo. at featherweight. Unbeaten Ashley Cummins (2-0) of St. Louis will battle Sofia Bagherdai (4-1) of Upland, Calif. at flyweight. Jessica Philippus (0-0) of Marshall, Mo. will make her professional debut against Meghan Wright (1-3) of Cincinnati, Ohio in a strawweight matchup.All bouts have been approved by the Kansas State Athletic Commission.About Invicta Fighting Championships:Invicta Fighting Championships is a world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp and sports aficionado Janet Martin, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women's MMA by promoting the best possible matchups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport.
Posted in: mma, vs, event, invicta, kansa
Read the full article at UltMMARFA 2: Houston Alexander vs Gilbert Yvel and Dakota Cochrane vs Cliff Wright set for March 30
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) might be taking a few weeks off, but that doesn't mean you can't get your fill of mixed martial arts (MMA) action elsewhere. In addition to Bellator 63 and ONE FC 3, Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) will be kicking off its second event on Friday night (March 30, 2012) from the Viaero Event Center in Kearney, Nebraska.
And you might see some familiar faces.
Former UFC sluggers Houston Alexander and Gilbert Yvel will face off in the night's main event, while former Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 15 hopeful Dakota Cochrane tries to get back into the win column against Cliff Wright. Even longtime veteran Maurice Smith gets in on the action, as well as top female fighter (125 pounds) Tara LaRosa.
The complete Resurrection Fighting Alliance2 fight card and line-up after the jump.
Main Event:
205 lbs.: Houston Alexander vs. Gilbert Yvel
Fight card and line-up:
155 lbs.: Cliff Wright Jr. vs. Dakota Cochrane205 lbs.: Kyle Keeney vs. Maurice Smith125 lbs.: Kelly Warren vs. Tara LaRosa265 lbs.: Derrick Lewis vs. Justin Frazier125 lbs.: Josh Rave vs. Tim Elliott150 lbs.: Jared Downing vs. Alessandro Ferreira135 lbs.: Aaron Ely vs. Laramie Shaffer145 lbs.: Ashley Sanchez vs. Elaina Maxwell135 lbs.: Tyler Shinn vs. Cody Land160 lbs.: Aaron Derrow vs. Jordan Johnson135 lbs.: Angelo Antuna vs. Chad Obermiller185 lbs.: Darrio Mobley vs. John Gettle265 lbs.: Wayman Carter vs. Tyler Perry
The event begins at 9 p.m. ET on March 30. For more information check out the official RFA website right here.
Posted in: vs, event, lb, cliff, information check
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FX 4: Ross Pearson vs Cub Swanson possible for June 22 in Atlantic City
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is putting together a featherweight contest pitting Ross Pearson vs. Cub Swanson for the upcoming UFC on FX 4 network television event, tentatively scheduled for the Revel Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ, on Sat., June 12, 2012.
ESPN.co.uk brought word of the pending match-up earlier today.
After dropping two out of three fights at lightweight, Pearson (13-5) shed some skin and tried his luck in the 145-pound division. His first test against Raphael Assuncao proved to be a difficult one, but one he passed via gritty unanimous decision win at UFC 141 last December.
Swanson (16-5) also got back into the win column after losing two of three. The Greg Jackson disciple and former WEC combatant polished off George Roop at the UFC on FOX 2 event earlier this year. Can he string together two consecutive wins for the first time in almost four years?
UFC on FX 4 will feature a lightweight showdown between Gray Maynard vs. Clay Guida in the main event of the evening. Elsewhere on the card, Dan Miller makes his welterweight debut against Ricardo Funch.
For the latest UFC on FX 4 news and notes be sure to hit up our complete event archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, fx, event, ricardo funch, years ufc
Read the full article at MMA ManiaAntonio McKee returns to face Chad Dietmeyer at 'Untamed 2' on May 30 in Anaheim
Extreme Fighters World Championship is back with "The Untamed 2" on Friday, May 30 at The Grove of Anaheim, California. This is the debut event for EFWC on GFL.tv and the organization looks to make a splash in a big way with a stacked card and a hotly anticipated main event. "The Untamed 2" will no doubt build on the growing momentum of high level events that EFWC presents.
In the main event, Antonio McKee (27-4-2) fights Chad Dietmeyer (8-1) in a lightweight scrap. McKee is a former UFC veteran, a former champion with MFC and an IFL standout. There is not a better fighter in the game that can control a fight and take it to the ground and keep it on the ground like McKee. McKee went on an 8 year undefeated streak and looks to continue his two-fight streak he is currently riding.
For Dietmeyer, this will be a huge step up in competition and with it comes a huge career opportunity. Dietmeyer has fought on the Arizona circuit for some time, grabbing regional titles and a victory over the vaunted McKee would do wonders for his future.
Expect McKee to do what he does best and try to get the fight to the ground early and keep it there. Dietmeyer needs to make McKee pay when he comes in for a takedown, a tall order, and then if he finds himself on the bottom work submission after submission.
In the co-main event, Jesse Juarez (15-5) takes on Leonardo Silva. For the Strikeforce and Bellator vet, Juarez this is another chance to get on the radar of the UFC. Juarez is a strong wrestler, especially as a welterweight, and will no doubt try and control the bout and get Silva on his back. For Silva, this could be a make or break fight as he has suffered back to back losses, so expect the Strikeforce and Bellator veteran to come out guns blazing, leaving nothing to chance.
This is an important fight for both fighters for very different reasons so that is great news to the fans. Expect fireworks of some kind early onin this bout.
Don't miss this exciting card. Extreme Fighters World Championship brings you another fully loaded card with "The Untamed 2". Watch the hottest SoCal fighters compete in the cage. Order this event now, exclusively through the GFL Combat Sport Network at GFL.tv.
Posted in: fight, fighter, event, mckee, dietmeyer
Read the full article at MMA Mania
Seven Major K-1 Events Planned For 2012
This FanPost was edited and promoted to the front page by Cory Braiterman
The new K-1 organization has issued a press release today in which the plans for 2012 are laid out. It seems the collaboration with It's Showtime has payed off as it looks promising.
So far a total of seven events are announced in the World Max and WGP divisions.
Source: K-1 press release from their new website at http://www.k-1.tv
For Immediate Release: (Date) 29th March 2012
K-1 - THE WORLD’S MOST EXCITING AND PRESTIGIOUS MARTIAL ARTS FIGHTING SPORT IS RISING - WITH MORE THAN TWO MILLION DOLLARS IN PRIZE MONEY IN 2012.
Today, the new "K-1 Production team" announces the rise of K-1, offering millions of devoted fans and new audiences, an established world-class brand of combat.
A wide array of the world’s best stand up fighters, square off face to face, bringing together their own techniques born from Karate, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, and other martial arts. Few other sports share the global interest, elaborate the showmanship and the popularity of K-1, along with the deep spirituality and ritualism practiced over centuries by millions of martial artists.
WHERE AND WHEN:Seven major, worldwide K-1 heavyweight (K-1 World GP) and K-1 middleweight (K-1World MAX) events are planned for 2012, where the world’s top warriors will battle in a survival series of explosive, three-round, single-elimination fights.• May 27th - K-1 officially rises with a spectacular K-1 Tournament and Celebration at the Palacio Vista Aletre in Madrid, Spain, as we begin the search for the world’s best fighters.• June-October - Tournaments span the globe with events in the US, Europe and Asia.• Early September – US Regional Tournament takes place in Los Angeles.• Later October – The K-1 World GP Final16 takes place in Asia.• November - The K-1 World MAX Final takes place in Asia, with a $300,000 Grand Prize (total prize money for MAX: $500,000).• December - The K-1 World GP Final in New York City, with a ONE MILLION DOLLAR grand prize (total prize money for WGP: $1,500,000).
Since 31st January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited has been working to rebuild the K-1 brand, by bringing together a wide array of world-class fighters, top global venues, sponsors and broadcasters, and assembling a global organization and management team.
WHAT’S NEXT:Over the next few weeks, K-1production team will be releasing full details of each event in 2012, including locations around the world, venues and participating fighters.
All the best,
Douglas KaplanHead of OperationK-1 Global Holdings Limited / USA(phone #: 650-863-5823)Contact: K-1 Production Teaminfo@k-1.tvhttp://www.k-1.tv
Posted in: world, event, prize, max, prize money
Read the full article at Head Kick LegendAsian MMA: An In-Depth Preview And Complete Guide To ONE FC: War Of The Lions
ONE Fighting Championship's third event is happening this weekend in Singapore, and since most of our readers are from outside of Asia, here's an in-depth preview and a complete guide on everything you will need to know about the upcoming event.
Event Details:
ONE Fighting Championship 3: War of the LionsMarch 31, 2012 -- 8 a.m. ETSingapore Indoor Arena, Singapore
How to watch:
If you're not going to be in the Singapore Indoor Arena to watch the event, you can catch it live and for free on their YouTube channel.
FIVE things to look forward to:
1. A STACKED CARD OF TOP STARS AND ASIAN CHAMPIONS - If well known stars like Tatsuya Kawajiri and Melvin Manhoef won't be enough to convince you to watch, they will also be on the stacked card along with 4 fighters from the World MMA Scouting Report, and boat load of champions and Asian stars.
There's DEEP Champions Masakazu Imanari, Yuya Shirai, and Yoshiyuki Nakanishi, URCC Champions Eduard Folayang and Kevin Belingon, and KOTC Champ Donald Sanchez. There are also multiple champions from different disciplines such as former WBC Boxing Champion, Yodsanan Sityodtong, BJJ World Champion, Zorobabel Moreira, and the list goes on and on.
2. CAN FELIPE ENOMOTO PULL OFF ANOTHER UPSET AGAINST A TOP FIGHTER LIKE ZOROBABEL MOREIRA? - Zoro, who is one of the most talented guys coming out of the famed Evolve MMA gym, is a high level BJJ world champion with an ever improving stand up game. At 6-foot-3, Zoro is one of the largest guys in the lightweight division, and on his last fight, he dismantled Andy Wang and showcased his improving stand up. Zoro's notoriety has skyrocketed and has been named as one of the top prospects in the world, leading to a lot of people thinking that he will run through Enomoto.
The thing is, this was the exact same thing that people said about his last fight against Ole Laursen. The very well rounded and tough fighter in Enomoto proved every single one of his doubters wrong when he dropped the Muay Thai champion and submitted him. Despite his performance at ONE FC 2, people are still pegging him as the underdog on this fight, but much like his last bout, Felipe still doesn't pay attention to what everyone thinks.
"I don't really care if that's what everyone is talking about," Enomoto said in an interview with BloodyElbow.com, "And I would also not really care if it would be the opposite way."
"It's good if he's ranked high on some list." he said, as he talked about the World MMA Scouting Report, "I don't look to replace him on that list, I just want to win. Such numbers don't mean anything to me."
Can Enomoto pull off another impressive victory in his second time headlining a ONE FC event? Or will Zoro live up to his potential and showcase his vastly improving MMA game? Either way, this is one fight you should keep an eye out for.
Much more after the jump, but don't forget to follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena.
3. OLE LAURSEN VS. EDUARD FOLAYANG - There's a bunch of story lines on this fight stemming from their contrasting styles of Muay Thai and Wushu, their friendship, their Filipino heritage, or from their original fight that was supposed to happen last September. I'm not going to go through all that anymore, but the bottom line is, this is a must watch fight simply because these two huge Asian stars have fighting styles that would never allow a boring fight. They're two of the most entertaining guys in the region and it's guaranteed to be a fast paced, explosive, and very entertaining match up from the opening bell.
4. MASAKAZU IMANARI VS. KEVIN BELINGON - This is personally what I consider as the unofficial main event. Kevin Belingon is undefeated at 9-0, and is one of the top prospects in Asia. He trains with Team Lakay who has produced numerous dominant Filipino champions like his teammate Eduard Folayang, who is fighting on this card. Belingon has been tearing through his opponents, but he will be taking a massive step up in competition to take on a very experienced veteran in Imanari, who has been a consensus top 15-20 bantamweight.
5. THE PROGRESS OF YODSANAN SITYODTONG AND EDDIE NG - Yodsanan Sityodtong (1-0), or "Little Tyson" was a very accomplished boxer, winning the WBC Super-Featherweight championship along with a good amount of Muay Thai fights also under his belt before seriously moving to MMA. Eddie Ng (4-1) on the other hand is a very young prospect and a highly skilled grappler of Hong Kong descent, who was originally from England. These two members joined the Evolve Fight Team and made waves on the promotion's inaugural show. They're very different fighters, but they both have been training with the Muay Thai, BJJ, and wrestling world champions at Evolve MMA, and it would be very interesting to see how much they have developed since we last saw them 6 months ago.
Hidden Gems and Fun Facts:
- Donald Sanchez, who will be facing Tatsuya Kawajiri on this card, fought just two weeks ago and claimed the KOTC bantamweight (145 lbs.) title.
- Nicole Chua, who apart from being an Muay Thai fighter, was also a full time accountant. She will be making her pro-debut on this card and as Singapore's first professional female fighter, she has been getting a lot of attention from the mainstream media.
- ESPN and ESPN Star Sports have been showing the first 2 ONE FC events all over Asia this past few weeks, and the network giant also now owns a minority stake in the promotion. Speaking of ESPN, the headliner, Zorobabel Moreira and his coach from Evolve MMA, Chatri Sityodtong was on Sports Center recently:
Full Fight Card:
ONE FC 3: War of the LionsMarch 31, 2012 -- Singapore Indoor Arena, Singapore
- Zorobabel Moreira vs. Felipe Enomoto- Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Donald Sanchez- Eduard Folayang vs. Ole Laursen - Yuya Shirai vs. Fabricio Monteiro- Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoshiyuki Nakanishi- Eddie Ng vs. Jian Kai Chee- Masakazu Imanari vs. Kevin Belingon- Nicole Chua vs. Jeet Toshi- Quek Kim Hock vs. Juan Wen Jie- Yodsanan Sityodtong vs. Jiang Long Yun- Danny Van Bergen vs. Richie Whitson
Posted in: fight, mma, vs, event, champion
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowDemetrious Johnson-Ian McCall rematch also a three-rounder with sudden victory stipulation
The UFC may have decided to make all main events going forward five-round bouts but there will be an exception to that rule, as the flyweight tournament rematch between Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall will be contested over three rounds.
Earlier this year, Johnson and McCall fought to what was eventually ruled a Draw. However, Johnson was originally named as earning the win before an instance of “too little too late” revealed the scores had been miscalculated, robbing fans of a unique “sudden victory” format adding a fourth frame to the match-up.
“They would never fight a five-round fight. It’s not going to happen. Because if they fought a five-round fight and it was a Draw, they’d have to go to a sixth. It’s a three-round fight, if it goes to a Draw – and they add it up as a Draw – will will to a fourth,” said White, during a press conference for UFC 146 earlier this week. “It is the main event, it’s going to main event. Those guys deserve to be the main event and especially the way that everything went down.”
Their fight will headline UFC on FX 3 on June 8. The venue and location for the card will likely be announced next week when the organization reveals the winner of the Harley-Davidson Hometown Throwdown contest. The winner will advance to face Joseph Benavidez later this year for the first-ever UFC flyweight title. Other notable bouts signed to the card include Mike Pierce vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha and Mike Pyle vs. Josh Neer.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, johnson, fiveround fight
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainBout order revealed for May's 'UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Overeem' event
The 12-bout lineup for the UFC's traditional Memorial Day-weekend event in Las Vegas is now official.
While all 12 contests for "UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Overeem" have been
official for a few weeks, UFC brass recently set the evening's
schedule.
Featuring a heavyweight title fight between current champion Junior Dos
Santos and former Strikeforce champ Alistair Overeem, UFC 146 takes place May 26 at Las Vegas' MGM
Grand Garden Arena. The event marks the first time in UFC history five
heavyweight fights have filled out a pay-per-view main card.
Posted in: ufc, event, las vegas, garden arena, evenings schedule
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBellator 63 Weigh-In Results: Welterweight quarterfinals official
Tomorrow night's Bellator 63 competitors gathered today at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut for the event's official fighter weigh-ins. The stacked card will kick-off the promotion's Season 6 Welterweight Tournament with a series of 170-pound quarterfinal matches. Included in the line-up is Karl "Psycho" Amoussou taking on Chris Lozano in the headlining bout, while Bryan "The Beast" Baker meets KO artist Carlos "Indio" Pereira in the co-main event. Also featured will be "The Caveman" David
Posted in: event, chris lozano, comain event, uncasville connecticut, beast baker
Read the full article at Low KickIan McCall vs. Demetrious Johnson 2 Headlines UFC on FX 3 as Three Round Main Event
The rematch between Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson will headlined the upcoming UFC on FX 3 card, but it will be a three round main event. Dana White explains why...
Posted in: event, demetrious johnson, ian, ian mccall, event dana
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyRamsey Nijem meets newcomer C.J. Keith at June's UFC on FX 4 event
"The Ultimate Fighter 13" winner Ramsey Nijem welcomes promotional newcomer C.J. Keith to the
octagon on June 22.
MMAjunkie.com has confirmed with sources close to
the event that verbal agreements are in place for the UFC on FX 4, and
contracts are expected shortly.
The lightweight matchup was first reported by MMAWeekly.com.
Posted in: event, nijem, ramsey nijem, cj, junes ufc
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 146 press conference full video for 'Dos Santos vs Overeem'
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White joined the stars of the upcoming UFC 146 event, which is scheduled to go down on May 26, 2012, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, to dish the dirt on the upcoming mixed martial arts (MMA) show in the "Sin City."
Hint: Fast-forward to about the 20-minute mark to hit the start of the presser.
Main event participants Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem, as well as former champions Frank Mir vs. Cain Velasquez and beefy brawlers Roy Nelson vs. Antonio Silva, also joined White on the dais.
For a complete recap of the UFC 146 fight press conference click here. To see the big boys stare each other down click here. And remember to check out the complete "Dos Santos vs. Overeem" event archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, garden arena, mir vs
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 149: Dana White 'excited' for the 'crazy' event in Calgary (Video)
"I was in Calgary, 1300 people showed up for the press conference. They were cheering like there was a fight going on. I'm so excited for this Calgary event. I know this thing's gonna be crazy. I'm already thinking we're gonna move the stage back for the weigh ins, because if 1300 people showed up for the press conference, imagine how many people are going to show up for the weigh ins. It's probably gonna be crazy up there."
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) hit Calgary, Alberta, Canada, late last week to officially announce it will bring an event to the Scotiabank Saddledome on July 21, 2012. UFC President Dana White (via Bobby Cavian), who is "excited" for the projected turnout at UFC 149 based on the sheer number of fans who stormed the presser, also confirmed the show will be headlined by Jose Aldo defending his featherweight championship against an opponent to be named later. Let's hear from our Canadian Maniacs ... what kind of controlled chaos are you expecting when the UFC hits Calgary this summer?
Posted in: ufc, press conference, event, people, calgary
Read the full article at MMA ManiaAnderson Silva-Chael Sonnen II Official For UFC 147
It has finally been announced. Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen have signed on to square off in the main event of UFC 147 on June 23 from Joao Havelange Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, the UFC announced in an official release on Monday, complete with a bold statement from UFC president Dana White.
This will be the biggest sporting event of the year. Bigger than the NFL, the NBA, you name it – UFC 147 will be the biggest. The whole world wants to see this fight between Silva and Sonnen. We are broadcast in over 150 countries in 22 languages in half a billion homes. Wherever those fans are, they are going to be watching this fight.
Silva and Sonnen faced off in 2010, with Silva claiming a victory via submission in the fifth round. Sonnen was dominating “The Spider” through the first four rounds, but Silva locked up the submission to remain champion.
Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, who are currently coaching on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, was also made official for the event.
Ticket information is expected to be announced, along with more fights, next month by the UFC. Tickets are expected to go on sale in May.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, silva, sonnen
Read the full article at MMA ConvertUFC 147: Silva Vs. Sonnen II Officially Set For June 23rd
Chael Sonnen is officially getting another shot at Anderson Silva's UFC middleweight title, and it's going to be in hostile territory. The UFC sent out a release to the Brazilian media today that confirmed UFC 147 for June 23rd in Joao Havelange Stadium (known as Engenhao) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Along with that bout, the TUF Brazil coaches fight between Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva was confirmed for the card as well. Here's what the release has to say:
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® will return to Brazil for an epic sporting event as legendary fighters collide on the biggest fight card in UFC® history at UFC® 147 at Joao Havelange Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on June 23, 2012. The largest crowd ever is expected for the highly anticipated rematch between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and American contender Chael Sonnen, a grudge match two years in the making. The event also features a live finale of The Ultimate Fighter Brasil™, the showdown between two Brazilians and icons of the sport – coaches Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva.
From the beginning of the negotiations for the UFC’s next event in the country, the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo both emerged as strong options to host the event. Engenhao, home to football club Botafogo and future venue for the 2016 Olympics, has hosted many legendary sports and entertainment events since its opening in 2007. The event marks the first time for a UFC event in a soccer stadium and the organization expects a record audience. The mark to beat is UFC 129, held in April of 2011 at Rogers Centre in Canada, which had a record attendance of 55,000 fans.
Silva and Sonnen first met at UFC 117 in one of the most revered fights in UFC history. Sonnen surprisingly controlled the first four rounds of the bout, only to be submitted by Silva in the fifth and final round. Sonnen has been campaigning for a rematch ever since, often taking shots at Brazil in the process. Belfort vs. Silva is also a rematch, with the first fight coming way back in 1998 at UFC Brazil. Belfort won by TKO in just 44 seconds.
According to the release tickets will go on sale in May, but an actual date isn't listed.
SBN coverage of UFC 147: Silva vs. Sonnen II
Posted in: ufc, event, silva, brazil, sonnen
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 147 Officially Set for June 23rd at Joao Havelange Stadium in Rio de Janeiro
After months of speculation and anticipation, UFC 147 finally has an official date and venue. The UFC’s third trip to Brazil within a year will take place on June 23rd at Joao Havelange Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. The stadium, which can hold up to 80,000 fans in attendance for this event, will host the rematch between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.
UFC President Dana White declared that UFC 147 will be “the biggest sporting event of the year”, stating that the event is expected to break UFC attendance records. UFC 129 in April 2011 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, hosted 55,000 fans to set the current attendance record. With this event being the first ever UFC card to take place in a soccer stadium, the event is expected to smash that record by over 20,000 fans.
The historic event will be headlined by the rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen. The two first fought at UFC 117 in August 2010 in one of the greatest UFC fights of all-time. Going into the fight undefeated in the UFC, with an 11-fight win streak and six consecutive title defenses, Silva was expected to continue those streaks with little issue. Sonnen stunned Silva and the crowd from the beginning, knocking Silva down in the first round and implementing his gameplan for the following four rounds. In the fifth round, Silva once again found himself on his back, but took advantage of a lapse in judgement by Sonnen, pulling off a triangle armbar submission, and thus pulling off one of the greatest comebacks in UFC history.
Since then, Sonnen has continued to call out Silva, claiming that he is the real champion. After defeating Michael Bisping at UFC on Fox 2 in January, Sonnen earned the opportunity to rematch Silva for the true middleweight belt.
Another rematch that is officially set for the event is the even longer anticipated rematch between Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort. The two, which are currently coaches on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, first fought at UFC: Brazil in October 1998. Belfort defeated “The Axe Murderer” by first round TKO. Now the two will rematch in a matchup nearly 15 years in the making.
Also expected for the event will be the finals between the two finalists of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. The season, which kicked off over the weekend, features 8 middleweights and 8 featherweights vying to become the first TUF champion of the show’s history to take place outside of the United States.
In addition, a heavyweight matchup between Fabricio Werdum and Mike Russow is likely for the event.
For complete coverage of UFC 147, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com
Posted in: ufc, event, silva, rematch, sonnen
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyAsian MMA Update: ONE FC 3 To Be Streamed For Free On YouTube; RUFF 3 & Road FC 7 Results
ONE Fighting Championship have just announced that their entire event on March 31, will be streamed live and free on their YouTube channel. Here's what their CEO, Victor Cui said:
"As a gift of appreciation to all MMA fans around the world, I have decided to make the broadcast of the entire fight card for ONE FC: War of the Lions on March 31 completely free-of-charge in HD quality on our YouTube Channel. I want the world to see that Asian MMA is back bigger and better than ever!"
This comes from an apparent change of plans from their earlier announcement of having it as an online PPV stream much like they did for their 2nd event in Jakarta.
The stream will start at around 8 a.m. ET this Saturday, and will be available worldwide except for Japan and Singapore. Make sure to make BloodyElbow.com your home for the event as we will be providing our usual live coverage for the event.
Related: Asian MMA: ONE FC 3 - Eduard Folayang Vs. Ole Laursen Trailer | Asian MMA: Breaking Down The Official ONE FC 3 Fight Card | Interview: Imanari Loves Leg Locks 'Because It Hurts The Opponent', Says Belingon Can Be MMA's Manny Pacquiao
Check out the fight card below:
ONE FC 3: War of the LionsMarch 31, 2012 -- Singapore Indoor Arena, Singapore
- Zorobabel Moreira vs. Felipe Enomoto- Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Donald Sanchez- Yuya Shirai vs. Fabricio Monteiro- Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoshiyuki Nakanishi- Eddie Ng vs. Jian Kai Chee- Masakazu Imanari vs. Kevin Belingon- Nicole Chua vs. Jeet Toshi- Quek Kim Hock vs. Juan Wen Jie- Yodsanan Sityodtong vs. Jiang Long Yun- Danny Van Bergen vs. Richie Whitson
More Asian MMA News after the jump. Don't forget to follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena
Here's a quick round up for the recent MMA News:
Donald Sanchez defeated Jamie Steichen on March 17th to regain the KOTC bantamweight (145 lbs) championship. He will have a quick turn around and will be fighting on ONE FC exactly two weeks after that title fight against the biggest test of his career in Tatsuya Kawajiri.
Speaking of quick turn-arounds, top Chinese featherweight prospect, Ji Xian (5-0) defeated Guobin Xue in RUFF 3 last weekend on March 24th. On Legend FC 8, which is less than a week after his fight, Xian will be taking on Yusuke Kawanago in a featherweight championship match.
Also on that RUFF 3 event in China, Legend FC bantamweight champion and China's top fighter, Jumabieke Tuerxun (12-0) remained undefeated as he defeated rising prospect and ONE FC vet, Irshaad Sayed (4-2). This was the 2nd meeting between the two fighters, and 'Bieke' once again defeating him by decision, dealing the Muay Thai champion his 2 blemishes on the record.
Rodrigo Carporal pulled off a split decision victory against Zhang Lipeng as the headliner of that card.
Korea's top promotion, Road FC, hosted their 7th event this past weekend as well. The event was for the promotion's bantamweight tournament it produced interesting results.
Kyung Ho Kang dominated Andrew Leone on their last event but was deducted points for missing weight. This cost him a decision, but he was given another chance at Road FC 7. He made the most of this chance and advanced to the semis of their bantamweight tournament where he can have a chance to face Leone once again.
Jae Hoon Moon decisioned the young prospect in Soo Chul Kim to advance to the semis as well. Kim is only 20 years old and he obviously has the skills to make it big. Unfortunately for him, he hasn't exactly been matched up well, and has took on top tier guys and experienced BJJ champs which proved to be too soon for his young MMA career. He started out 3-1 and seemed to be a very promising teenage phenom. He still has a lot of time to regroup, but Kim has now lost 4 of his last five and has dropped to 4-4 overall.
Min Jung Song picked up the final slot for the Road FC bantamweight tournament semi-final, by out-pointing Jae Hyun So.
Check out the full results for both Road FC 7 and RUFF 3 here.
Posted in: mma, vs, event, fc, asian mma
Read the full article at Bloody Elbow'Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier' tickets on sale next week
Tickets for Strikeforce's next event event go on sale next week.
With a heavyweight grand-prix finale between Josh Barnett and Daniel
Cormier official for the card, Strikeforce returns to its longtime home
at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., for the May 19 event.
The event, which takes place at Ohio's Nationwide Arena in Columbus,
features a title fight between women's bantamweight champ Miesha Tate
and undefeated challenger Ronda Rousey.
Posted in: strikeforce, event, week tickets, columbus features, event event
Read the full article at MMA JunkieSilva vs. Sonnen 2 Slated for Biggest UFC Ever June 23 in Rio
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® will return to Brazil for an epic sporting event as legendary fighters collide on the biggest fight card in UFC® history at UFC® 147 at Joao Havelange Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on June 23, 2012. The largest crowd ever is expected for the highly anticipated rematch between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and American contender Chael Sonnen, a grudge match two years in the making. The event also features a live finale of The Ultimate Fighter Brasil™, the showdown between two Brazilians and icons of the sport – coaches Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva. From the beginning of the negotiations for the UFC’s next event in the country, the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo both emerged as strong options to host the event. Engenhao, home to football club Botafogo and future venue for the 2016 Olympics, has hosted many legendary sports and entertainment events since its opening in 2007. The event marks the first time for a UFC event in a soccer stadium and the organization expects a record audience. The mark to beat is UFC 129, held in April of 2011 at Rogers Centre in Canada, which had a record attendance of 55,000 fans. “This will be the biggest sporting event of the year” said UFC President Dana White. “Bigger than the NFL, the NBA, you name it - UFC 147 will be the biggest. The whole world wants to see this fight between Silva and Sonnen. We are broadcast in over 150 countries in 22 languages in half a billion homes. Wherever those fans are, they are going to be watching this fight.” The rivalry between Anderson Silva (29-4-0) and Chael Sonnen (28-11-1) has produced the biggest grudge match in UFC history. The two bitter rivals first faced each other in August of 2010 at UFC 117 in Oakland, California. The battle featured arguably the biggest come-from-behind win ever; as Silva, who was being dominated from the beginning of the fight, submitted his American rival with a triangle choke in the last round. It was the seventh of nine title defenses for the Brazilian champion.In what has been one of the long-awaited rematches in UFC history, Brazilian fans will also get a chance to witness Vitor Belfort (21-9-0) and Wanderlei Silva (34-11-1) square off in the Octagon®. In their first meeting in 1998 in São Paulo, Belfort knocked out Silva 44 seconds into their fight. Since then, MMA fans have eagerly waited for over 10 years to witness the rematch between two legends of the sport. Belfort is coming off of a win over American fighter Anthony Johnson in UFC Rio (UFC 142), while Wanderlei dramatically knocked out opponent Cung Le at UFC 139.More information regarding on-sale dates for UFC147 and the fight card will be announced next month.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, rio, silva
Read the full article at UFCWatching bellator for the first time this season
It's similar to when I started following mma a few years ago. Mainly main events and highly talked about matchups. So far it's been great. The warren, falcao and last nights main event have been great. I am getting used to their announcing team and becoming a fan. I noticed a few redditors saying they were going to check out this seasons bellator. How have you been ejoying it? submitted by WoodStainedGlass [link] [comment]
Posted in: event, fan i, woodstainedglass link, warren falcao, seasons bellator
Read the full article at RedditUFC on Fuel TV 2: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Thiago Silva trailer
Ultimate Fighting Championship will return in April with its first ever event in Sweden, headlined by the Light Heavyweight scrap between Alexander Gustafsson and Thiago Silva. The event is co-headlined by Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara, taking place at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm. Yours truly will be on site to cover the event.
So what do you think LowKick'ers, who will win - Gustafsson or Thiago Silva? Make sure to vote, and submit your prediction in the comments section below. UFC on Fuel TV 2
Posted in: event, alexander gustafsson, gustafsson, comments section, thiago silva
Read the full article at Low KickJason MacDonald Wants to Hang Up His Gloves for Good at UFC 149 (MMAWeekly.com)
The Ultimate Fighting Championship this week took to Calgary for a press conference announcing not just UFC 149 for that city, but also two more events in 2012 in Canada. UFC 152 is slated for Sept. 22 in Toronto and UFC 154 on Nov. 17 in Montreal. Canadian fighter Jason MacDonald, who currently resides just up the road from Calgary, was on hand to help announce UFC 149, the promotion’s first event in Calgary. But even more than announcing the event, he was lobbying to cap off his career there.
Posted in: ufc, press conference, event, promotion ’s, calgary
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsSchilt, Saki, Zimmerman and Kharitonov slated for Glory's next event
[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div]
Aside from the 70kg tournament announcement made today at the Glory World Series show, they also had some other big news about the next event.
Semmy Schilt, Gokhan Saki, Errol Zimmerman and Sergei Kharitonov will all fight at the next Glory World Series event. No opponents have been anounced yet, but it's nice to see these guys all stay active. The next show is at the end of May so it won't be too long before Schilt, Zimmerman and Kharitonov are back in the ring.
There was a lot of speculation as to what Gokhan Saki would do with his career...
Read More...
Posted in: event, gokhan saki, saki, middleeasy networkdiv, sergei kharitonov
Read the full article at Middle EasyMore matchmaking: Tito Ortiz retirement bout set, Demian Maia drops down, and more (Yahoo! Sports)
With no events on the books until Apr. 14, the UFC has plenty of time to make matches for the spring and summer run of events. -- Tito Ortiz will fight Forrest Griffin one more time. In what is expected … Continue reading →
Posted in: ortiz, event, forrest griffin, demian maia, yahoo sports
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsJosh Neer vs. Mike Pyle added to June's UFC on FX 3 event
A welterweight matchup between Josh Neer and Mike
Pyle is the latest addition to June's UFC on FX 3
event.
Pyle recently revealed the booking in an interview with Las Vegas' Fight
Church, and MMAjunkie.com has since confirmed that
verbal agreements are in place for the matchup.
UFC on FX 3 takes place June 8. While the main card airs on FX, officials haven't finalized a venue for the event.
Posted in: fx, card airs, event, welterweight matchup, junes ufc
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBAMMA 9 Event Poster = WTF
submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [2 comments]
Posted in: event, poster, mattyblayze, bamma, wtf
Read the full article at RedditWhoa Canada - UFC Kicks Off Series of Events with Calgary in July
It’s become almost impossible to argue with UFC President Dana White’s stance that Canadian fight fans are the best in the world. The Octagon’s love affair with the Great White North began on April 19th, 2008, with a UFC 83 event headlined by a welterweight title fight between Matt Serra and Georges St-Pierre. Over the past four years, the UFC has held eight events in Canada, in three different cities (Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver), with over 200,000 fans in attendance, and a live gate totaling over $40 million. White’s declaration that Canada is the “new Mecca of mixed martial arts” will be a self-fulfilling prophecy, as the UFC announced the Octagon will be crossing into Canadian territory three times in 2012, including an inaugural event in “The Heart of the New West”: Calgary.Wednesday, White and Director of Operations for UFC Canada Tom Wright held a press conference in “The Stampede City” to not only address Calgary’s UFC 149 date on July 21st at the Scotiabank Saddledome, but to disclose two additional Canadian shows this year and a promised three return visits in 2013. On hand for this momentous occasion were local UFC favorites Jason MacDonald, Mitch Clarke, and Nick Ring. Also, two of Canada’s biggest cagefighting stars, Mark Hominick and UFC welterweight champion St. Pierre attended live via satellite. Even though UFC 149’s slate of fights have yet to be determined because it’s still four months away, White was fully prepared to whet the fans’ appetite with a mere mention of one man. “Jose Aldo will be defending his title here,” asserted White to a deafening roar from the crowd that the UFC’s featherweight championship belt will be contested in their fair city. “Just from the turn out today, you know I want to bring a sick card here. We always deliver good fights. I'm so pumped to come back up here with a sick card and blow the doors off that arena.”If all goes accordingly, UFC 149 should also host a retirement match for middleweight “The Athlete” MacDonald. In December of 1999, MacDonald began his professional MMA career in Calgary with an armbar submission win. With a 26-15 overall record that includes 13 Octagon appearances, MacDonald is scheduled to meet Tom Lawlor on May 15th at UFC on FUEL TV 3 in Fairfax, Virginia. Regardless of the outcome, the resident of the Alberta province would like his farewell fight to be in front of these especially ravenous fans.“If I had a dollar for everyone who has texted me and called me in the past two weeks who wanted tickets I wouldn't need to fight,” jokes MacDonald. “Every time I travel to the UFC, it is a plane full of people from Calgary. Hopefully I will retire from the UFC at the Calgary show. It is special for me.”The second Canadian event will be UFC 152 on September 22nd in Toronto. There are even scarcer details surrounding the show in the nation’s largest city, but, not to worry, in 2011 alone three UFC weight divisions defended their belts in Toronto: 145, 170, and 205 pounds. Featherweight top contender Hominick took time from his training to publicize UFC 152, but “The Machine” is determined to get back to his winning ways on April 21st in Atlanta against Eddie Yagin. “I have a task at hand at UFC 145 and I'm going to get the job done.”The Octagon’s final, and possibly the biggest, Canadian event in 2012 will be UFC 154 on November 17th in Montreal. “Hopefully, I will have the chance to fight in front of my Canadian fans in November,” says St-Pierre, who is unquestionably the biggest name in the sport, let alone Canada, and is currently rehabbing his surgically repaired ACL. “Even though I'm feeling 100% right now, I'm halfway through my rehab and I cannot push too much. I'll be training full out around July.”Everyone has their fingers crossed, including and especially White and St-Pierre, that the UFC welterweight champ’s rehab and return to full-time training go perfectly for “Rush” to fight at UFC 154 in a title unification bout against interim champion Carlos Condit. St-Pierre’s last match was last April against Jake Shields at the historic UFC 129 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Following that, he was injured leading into scheduled meetings with Condit and then Nick Diaz, which led to GSP getting surgery, Diaz fighting Condit for the interim belt in February at UFC 143, and Condit being crowned interim champion. St-Pierre’s goals are simple and clear, “Right now, I'm focusing on my knee; after that, I am focusing on getting my title back.”After four years of great fights and even greater fans, Canadians are being rewarded for their insatiable desire for caged fisticuffs with three UFC events this year and three more in the next. Starting off this MMA madness will be the groundbreaking UFC 149 pay-per-view in Calgary with the headlining human highlight reel Aldo putting his UFC featherweight championship belt up for grabs. If that wasn’t enough for the US’ Northern neighbors, the UFC will return for the 3rd time to Toronto with UFC 152 and mark its fifth time in Montreal with UFC 154. You’re welcome, Canada.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, canadian, canada
Read the full article at UFCUFC Reveals 3 Canadian Events for 2012 and 2013 (MMAWeekly.com)
The UFC took to Calgary on Wednesday for a “major announcement,” which most expected would be the announcement of UFC 149 on July 21 at the ScotiaBank Saddledome in Calgary . That was accurate, but only partially so. UFC president Dana White took to the stage to not only announce the promotion’s first event in Calgary, but he also revealed that UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo would defend his belt in the evening’s main event.
Posted in: ufc, event, evening ’s, promotion ’s, calgary
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsDana White Announces Jake Ellenberger Vs. Martin Kampmann As 5 Round Ultimate Fighter Finale Main Event
For those wondering what was next for Jake Ellenberger and Martin Kampmann, you now have an answer, courtesy of FX's the Ultimate Fighter website:
Two top welterweights will wage war over five rounds in the TUF Live Finale main event, UFC president Dana White announced today.
Verbal agreements are in for a June 1 matchup between Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann will take on Jake "The Juggernaut" Ellenberger.
Ellenberger (27-5) is coming off a decision victory against Diego Sanchez, which was awarded the Fight of the Night and subsequent bonus. Kampmann (19-5) touts a late submission victory over Thiago Alves, which earned him the Submission of the Night bonus. With this five round battle of recent event headliners now set, both men are likely thinking about title shots after this fight - although neither will be an easy obstacle for the other to overcome.
As a TUF Finale main event, this is likely to end the night on a terrific note although neither Ellenberger nor Kampmann are involved in the filming of either FX's TUF or Brazil's TUF.
Posted in: ellenberger, round, event, tuf, kampmann
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC Iran and the Remarkable Expansion of Asian MMA
When I first began to take a serious interest in mixed martial arts (MMA) around eight years ago (yes I am prepared to admit I didn't get into it by watching UFC 1), I remember seeing something which I assumed was a spoof called 'UFC Iran.' The person making the posters seemed to have deliberately set out to violate as many copyrights as possible, this one is my personal favorite.
The fact that the website is still going strong would seem to indicate that the UFC, a company which is known to protect its brand at all costs, is not taking it too seriously either. Visit the website ww.ufciran.ir and see for yourself, it all seems a bit, well, Borat.
Regardless of whether UFC Iran is real, and I am very much keeping an open mind, my reaction to it has completely changed. In 2004 I sniggered but in 2012 I want to know who the fighters are, what type of martial arts background they come from and whether any of them would be ready to step up and fight for a major international promotion.
The explosion in Asian MMA has only really occurred in the last couple of years but it is gathering momentum at a quite remarkable speed. Take Kuala Lumpur for instance, the capital city of Malaysia didn't even have any schools or academies teaching MMA in 2010, now there are four camps there, Muayfit, Leverage MMA, Majestic MMA and Sparta Muay Thai & MMA which are all mainly MMA orientated.
To the best of my knowledge there had not been an MMA event in Malaysia before 2010. I am sure that locals could correct me on this point but I am not aware of anything listed on Sherdog. In the last 12 months there have been at least nine, most of them hosted by Malaysian Fighting Championship.
In neighboring Thailand, MMA is going from strength to strength and it is not just amongst tourists who visit camps like Tiger Muay Thai, Legacy Gym, 301 Muay Thai, Phuket Top Team or the recently constructed Team Quest. Thai universities are also starting to offer MMA training and put on MMA fights with barely a foreign face in sight.
DARE Championship is only four events old, it would be five were it not for last year's flooding in Bangkok, but is already a promotion which exudes stability. Tiger Muay Thai was the first camp to set up shop and is extremely successful but many more are following in its footsteps and Thailand is becoming a training destination of choice for many of the world's best mixed martial artists.
The UFC Iran champion shows off his belt
Countries such as India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka all have their own domestic promotions. Whether the SFL's attempt to combine Bollywood and combat sport is a success remains to be seen but Full Contact Championship, Pak Fight Club and Colombo Fight Night are hopefully here to stay.
The Middle East also has Dessert Force in Jordan and the recently formed Dubai Fighting Championship while China has Ruff, which is going from strength to strength, Legend FC which has been around since early 2010, and plenty of Chinese run promotions.
The Philippines only has one promotion, although Guam's PXC does put on the occasional card there. The URCC has been around for an entire decade and it's owners will have witnessed first hand the recent growth which has occurred elsewhere as some of it's champions like Eduard Folayang and Kevin Belingon have gone on to become internationally acclaimed.
Nowhere has the explosion of interest in MMA been more spectacular than Singapore. It is home to both the biggest promotion and the most successful mixed martial arts academy in Asia. Neither Evolve MMA nor ONE Fighting Championship existed in 2007 but both are now world renowned multimillion dollar businesses.
Japan once led the way but it is now in danger of being left behind, Dream doesn't have a show scheduled and has been eclipsed in Asian MMA by ONE FC which will be putting on events in at least four different countries this year. Everywhere else things seem to be happening at a remarkable rate of speed with dramatic developments occurring every week.
There have even been professional MMA events held in Afghanistan, although admittedly not organized by locals. The sport is spreading so fast in Asia that even the UFC cannot keep up and for all their talk of breaking into new territories they don't have a single event scheduled to take place in this continent at present.
That leaves the market wide open for a pan Asian promotion such as One FC to step in and capitalize as well as giving the numerous domestic promotions plenty of time to build a local fan base without having to worry about competing directly with the most successful MMA organization in history.
When I first heard about UFC Iran I was sure it was a joke. I still don't know whether it is real or not but the idea that there might be a professional MMA promotion putting on events in Iran doesn't seem so funny anymore.
www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder
Posted in: ufc, mma, promotion, event, iran
Read the full article at MMA ManiaSUPER MEGA FUN TIME UFC NEWS EXPLOSION!
The UFC just wrapped up a press conference in Calgary and here I was expecting them to show up, announce they were coming to Cow Town, trot out some Canadian mid-carders to talk about how exciting coming to Alberta is, and then pack up and leave. But no! Instead we've got some pretty big news reveals:Canada went from having 0 events in 2012 to three events as it was announced they'd host UFC 149 in Calgary on July 21st, UFC 152 in Toronto on September 22, and UFC 154 in Montreal on November 17. No Vancouver events for at least two years because Vancouver sucks. Why do I have a sneaking suspicion they're saving the sexy sounding UFC 150 for New York and Madison Square Garden? I wonder where it will go when the state f*cks up legalization again ... probably Vegas.Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen 2 will take place in Rio De Janeiro at a soccer stadium TBA on a date TBA sometime mid to late June. This clears up fears that lamewads in Sao Paolo had nixed the Sonnen Stadium show entirely over noise complaints. Your loss, suckers! Rio knows how to accept a few bucks under the table and look the other way. Dana claims the venue will hold 80,000 people, giving MMA reporters with google skills the opportunity to play 'Guess the Stadium' on twitter all afternoon.All this, plus Georges St Pierre said "It's something that could happen, of course" when asked about Anderson Silva! Wooooow, it could happen. IT COULD HAPPEN! I'm so frickin excited it could happen! It probably won't, of course. BUT IT COULD!
Posted in: ufc, press conference, event, canadian midcarders, news revealscanada
Read the full article at FightlinkerUFC Announces Fall Events in Toronto, Montreal; Aldo Officially Headlines July 21 Event in Calgary
The UFC will visit Canada three times in 2011, as the promotion announced at a press conference on Wednesday that events will be held in Calgary, Toronto and Montreal in the coming months.
Posted in: press conference, event, calgary, calgary toronto, fall events
Read the full article at SherdogUFC Announces Events in Calgary, Toronto and Montreal for 2012 and Beyond
In a swooping announcement, the UFC on Wednesday confirmed dates for three events in Calgary, Toronto and Montreal for 2012.
The promotion also announced that they would run events in the same three cities in 2013.
"This place has been the mecca for mixed martial arts ever since we set foot in this country," UFC president Dana White said during a press conference at Flames Central in downtown Calgary.
The first of the shows will take place at the home arena of the NHL's Flames, the Calgary's Scotiabank Saddledome on July 21. White said the main event of the show, which will be numbered UFC 149, will feature UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo defending his championship, though he said Aldo's opponent has yet to be decided.
White couldn't announce any specific matchups for the Calgary event, though middleweight Jason MacDonald who fights out of Edmonton said he hoped to compete on the card and then retire from MMA.
"I'm so pumped to come back up here with a sick card and blow the doors off that arena," White said.
Other events will take place in Toronto on September 22 (UFC 152), and Montreal on November 17 (UFC 154). All three will be pay-per-view offerings.
Asked if UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre would defend the belt on any of the shows, White said he would take St. Pierre whenever he was ready, and that he wouldn't necessarily fight in Canada when he's ready to make his return from knee surgery.
Speaking via satellite, St. Pierre said his rehabilitation is going well and that he's expecting to be cleared to resume full-contact training in July.
"Hopefully I’ll have a chance to fight in front of the Canadian fans in November," St. Pierre said. "Cross my fingers, I hope it will happen."
Meanwhile, the UFC's director of Canadian operations Tom Wright said that going forward, Toronto and Montreal would be regular annual events on the UFC's schedule, while other cities would vary. For 2012-13, it's Calgary, but Edmonton is likely to be in the running soon, while smaller cities like Halifax could be contenders for "Fight Night" type events.
To date, the UFC has produced eight events in Canada dating back to the first one in April 2008. According to White, those events have generated an attendance of about 200,000 fans, with nearly $40 million in box office.
"Canadians have embraced our sport like nowhere else," Wright said.
Posted in: ufc, fight, toronto, event, calgary
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC Reveals 3 Canadian Events for 2012 and 2013
The UFC promised a major announcement for Wednesday's Calgary press conference, and they delivered, announcing three Canadian events per year for 2012 and 2013.
Posted in: ufc, conference, event, canadian, canadian events
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyJose Aldo To Defend UFC Featherweight Title At UFC 149 On July 21st
The UFC held a press conference in Calgary today to officially announce that UFC 149 will take place in the city on July 21st. Dana White also announced that UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will defend his title in the main event of the card. No opponent has been named yet.
Aldo (21-1) last competed at UFC 142 in January, where he defended his title by knocking out Chad Mendes at the end of the first round. He is the only featherweight champion in UFC history, and has successfully defended his title three times in the organization. He is also currently on a 14-fight winning streak.
There are a few possible suitors for a title shot. The most likely candidate would be Hatsu Hioki, the former Sengoku and TKO featherweight champion who is 2-0 in the UFC and most recently thrashed Bart Palaszewski at UFC 144. The main event of UFC on Fuel 3 between Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung has been branded a "title eliminator" as well, so the winner of that bout could be in line to main event in Calgary.
Dana also announced that Ben Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar 2 would not take place on this card, and he was looking to book a solid co-main event as soon as possible. Along with that, Toronto will host a UFC card on September 22nd, and Montreal gets one on November 17th. The UFC will also return to all three cities in 2013.
SBN coverage of UFC 149
Posted in: ufc, title, event, card, featherweight
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 149 Announcement Press Conference Video
Join us here at Bloody Elbow at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT for live video and coverage of a "special announcement" by the UFC in Calgary, Alberta. The announcement is widely expected to be a confirmation of UFC 149 taking place in the city on July 21st. UFC president Dana White and Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright will be on site for the press conference, which is open to the public.
You can catch the video via the Youtube link after the jump, or over at MMA Fighting.
The event is expected to take place in the Scotiabank Saddledome. This will be the eighth time the UFC has come north of the border, with events taking place in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. Last's years UFC 129 event in Toronto was nominated as "Event of the Year" by the Sports Business Journal.
While it is somewhat unlikely that White and Wright will be announcing any fights for the show at this point, you can expect a strong Canadian contingent on the card, including Calgarian Nick Ring.
SBN coverage of UFC 149
Posted in: ufc, event, place, scotiabank saddledome, calgary alberta
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC Announces three Canada events for 2012; Jose Aldo to headline July 21st Calgary card
UFC President Dana White, alongside director of Canadian operations Tom Wright, hosted a Press Conference today at the Flames Central in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to announce a series of upcoming events. Also present was native MMA stars Jason MacDonald, Nick Ring, and Mitch Clark, as well as Mark Hominick and Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, who joined the proceedings via satellite.To get things underway, White took to the podium and announced that three UFC events are now scheduled to take place
Posted in: mark hominick, event, ufc events, canada events, mitch clark
Read the full article at Low KickUFC Announces Canadian Events
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® returns to Canada with an unprecedented three events in 2012 as Calgary, Toronto and Montreal will each host Pay-Per-View events. The UFC® will make its first-ever trip to Calgary, Alberta as it visits the Scotiabank Saddledome for UFC® 149 on Saturday, July 21. Toronto will then host its third-ever event on Saturday, September 22 (venue to be confirmed) while Montreal will see a return to UFC® action on Saturday, November 17 at the Bell Centre. Additionally, the UFC® announced a further commitment to Canada with three global annual events taking place through to the year 2014. Montreal and Toronto’s events will become mainstays through that period. “Canadians have shown time and again how much they love the UFC,” said UFC® President Dana White. “Their events have set global records since we first visited in 2008 and four years later, we’re proud to be bringing Canada three action-packed UFC events each year for the next three years.” "It’s been our vision to host three annual premier events as our fans have proved they have an appetite for that and even more,” said UFC® Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright. "From coast to coast to coast, we’ve been fortunate to have such loyal MMA fans, and business and government partners. We can’t wait to show Calgary and the rest of Canada what the UFC is all about – something our fans in Toronto and Montreal have experienced and continuously want more of.” More information about the three Canadian dates in 2012, including main event matchups, undercard bouts and ticket sale dates and prices, will be announced at a later date. Since 2008, the UFC® has hosted eight events in Canada with each experiencing tremendous success. Collectively, the eight events have seen more than 185,000 fans in attendance and millions worldwide watching on Pay-Per-View. The three host cities to date – Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto – have had a cumulative gross gate of more than $40M and millions more in economic impact. Montreal has held four events (UFC 83, 97, 113 and 124) while Toronto (UFC 129 and 140) and Vancouver (UFC 115 and 131) have each played host twice. Home to UFC® welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, the city of Montreal has set several previous records including fastest sellout, largest gate and attendance. UFC® 124: ST-PIERRE VS. KOSCHECK on Dec. 10, 2010 had set the attendance record at 23,152 before Toronto hosted its first-ever event on April 30, 2011 with UFC® 129: ST-PIERRE VS. SHIELDS at Rogers Centre, which obliterated almost every UFC® record including attendance (55,724) and gate ($12.075M).
Posted in: ufc, toronto, event, ufc ®, montreal
Read the full article at UFCAsian MMA: Shlemenko Vs. Minowaman Along With 4 UFC Veterans Booked For SFL 2
Super Fight League, a start-up promotion from India had a very unique and interesting debut event that got mixed reviews from fans and analysts alike. The production, and quality of talent left much to be desired, but it looks like they're taking a big step forward to improve on that by booking 3 fights filled established MMA veterans.
The card will still be filled with India's local talent that they are developing, but as reported last month, former UFC heavyweights Todd Duffee and Neil Grove will be headlining the event. As part of the supporting bouts that have also been announced, Paul Kelly will take on Gabe Reudiger, and what can be considered as the unofficial main event of the night, Ikuhisa Minowa will lock horns against two-time Bellator tournament winner, Alexander Shlemenko.
Related: Super Fight League's Catchy Theme Song | SFL 1 Full Event Video and Results
The four other UFC veterans will probably get the most attention, but these are all guys who are trying to jump start their careers and get out of a slump by competing against each other. Minowa on the other hand, has won 6 of his past 7 bouts, and will be taking on Shlemenko, who's riding a 7-fight win streak, with his only loss in the past three years coming from a decision against Hector Lombard.
With his penchant for taking freakshow fights, I wouldn't usually associate the bouts from the popular Japanese fighter in Minowaman with the words 'legit' or 'relevant', but that's exactly what it is on this card.
I do feel like these legitimate fights are huge step in the right direction as it's really hard to take a bout like Bob Sapp vs. James Thompson seriously, but on the other hand, a lot of people tuned in solely because of the guilty pleasure that comes with a freakshow bout of that magnitude. So to be completely honest, there's a part of me will miss that.
Posted in: ufc, fight, bout, event, shlemenko
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowSFL 2 starts to take shape with Duffee-Grove, Minowa-Shlemenko, Kelly-Ruediger
India’s Super Fight League and its ever endearing theme music return April 7 for an event about a month after the promotion’s initial unveiling. This event, the second of seven booked throughout the country for 2012, will be held in Chandigarh in the Northern state of Punjab.
A previously announced main event between Todd Duffee and Neil Grove has now been joined by two more fights.
Results from SFL 1
Following a year long absence from the cage, Gabe Ruediger recently returned to a tough loss at BAMMA USA on March 16 and will now look to avoid a two-fight slide against fellow UFC veteran Paul Kelly. In Kelly, he meets an opponent who has not fought since his lost to Donald Cerrone last February. However, following his lengthy stint inside the Octagon, the Team Wolfslair competitor will join Ruediger in attempting to get back to his winning ways. Kelly’s, who is 12-4 overall, is undefeated outside the UFC.
Perhaps the most intriguing match of the two announced, middleweights Alexander Shlemenko and Ikuhisa Minowa will be mixing it up on the card as well. Shlemenko, the defending Bellator middleweight tournament champion, is waiting in the wings for a rematch for Hector Lombard‘s title. With that bout currently up in the air based on Lombard’s contractual status, he has been taking fights outside the promotion with this marking his second consecutive fight outside Bellator. A win would give him 23 victories in his last 25. The always intriguing “Minowaman” will take his familiar red trunks and mullet to India where he’ll attempt to rebound following a loss to Kendall Grove. With 96 professional wins between them, and the precedent both men have for fighting unconventional and unpredictable styles, their clash could be the runaway hit of the card.
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Posted in: fight, event, kelly, neil grove, twofight slide
Read the full article at Fighters.comJohnson-McCall tourney rematch, Pague-Papazian slated for UFC on FX 3
The fight card is filling quickly for the newly announced UFC on FX 3 event in June.
After their initial meeting ended in a baffling majority draw following a commission error, Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson now will meet at the event.
So, too, will bantamweights Dustin Pague and Jared Papazian, officials today announced.
Posted in: ufc, fx, fight card, event, demetrious johnson
Read the full article at MMA JunkieVenue Confirmed for UFC on FX 4
Revel, Atlantic City's newest hotel and resort casino, will host the UFC's return to the area later this summer.The news was first reported by "The Press of Atlantic City," and MMA Fighting has since confirmed the venue with UFC officials.Revel will open its doors to the public in a soft launch on April 2 before its grand opening on May 25. The UFC event, dubbed UFC on FX 4, will take place less than a month later on June 22. According to the report, Revel's arena can hold 5,500 fans.
The event will mark the promotion's first card in Atlantic City since UFC 53 in June 2005. UFC officials will announce ticket information in the coming weeks.
The card's main event will feature a five-round lightweight fight between Gray Maynard and Clay Guida.
Posted in: ufc, event, atlantic city, city, atlantic
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseMinowaman vs. Alexander Schlemenko, Super Fight League 2 just got even more awesome
Since the first Super Fight League event, I’ve had their theme song stuck in my head. Maybe I should change my alarm tone. Anyway, the debut event from the Indian promotion surprised quite a few people by being very entertaining despite the lack of notable names. Instead we saw an unbeaten female lose in possibly the best fight of the event, India vs Sri Lanka grudge fights and James Thomson’s new special weapon which tears hamstrings. We already know the folks over at SFL are looking to turn the excitement up past eleven on their imaginary excitement dial but the match-ups just announced for SFL 2 triggered a Pavlovian response in me, namely jumping out of my seat, punching the air and screaming unintelligibly.
We already told you about Neil Grove vs Todd Duffee, that one’s a given. A further two bouts have been announced this morning; Paul Kelly vs Gabe Reutiger and Alexander Shlemenko vs Minowaman. It doesn’t matter if it was already on the table, we’re taking full credit for the inclusion of Ikuhisa Minowa in Super Fight League after it was suggested to Ken Pavia in this interview. The addition of Bellator season 5 finalist Shlemenko is icing on the cake. The proverbial cake of course. If it was a literal cake, he’d probably spinning back fist it. Paul Kelly vs Gabe Reutiger was supposed to go down at UFC 123 but due to a groin injury, Gabe was forced to pull out. This and the rest of the fights will take place on April 7th in Chandigarh, India and free on YouTube.com/SFL.
Posted in: fight, vs, event, ken pavia, league
Read the full article at Middle EasyYou can stop dreaming of packing up and running away to Oklahoma, they just decided to ban MMA
I know many of you dream of the day you can pack up all of your personal belongings, log off your outdated company issued PC and never look back at the three gray walls of that tiny little cubicle you called home for eight hours of your day for the last five years. You daydream of hopping into the driver's seat of a leisure van and driving straight to Oklahoma to waste away your life savings in the slot machines at the Indian Casinos while stuffing your face with Navajo tacos and fried coca-cola.
Unfortunately, you may have to rethink those grandiose dreams of yours because Oklahoma has decided to ban MMA altogether. Although this ban may prove to be only temporary, you may need to start researching life in Nebraska as a second option just in case this ban somehow sticks around. According to a recent article by Phillip Barnard of Houston Examiner.com, the ban is the result of an impending battle between the UFC and the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission as a result of a state issued PPV tax.
Apparently if you watch any PPV MMA, wrestling or boxing event in the state of Oklahoma there is a 4% tax added to the cost of the PPV. The UFC has discovered this and does not like it and is now threatening to sue Oklahoma to remove this tax. Oklahoma has been collecting this tax and using it to run it's state athletic commission since 2004. Due to this impending lawsuit the state commission issued this letter to all promotors on March 5th telling them it is refusing to provide permits for any comabt sports events in the state from March 31 forward:
The purpose of this letter is to inform you the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission will not be accepting applications for event permits for events scheduled after March 31, 2012.
The Commission is faced with an out-of-state threat that, if successful, could greatly affect the Commission's ability to provide for the public safety and for the health and safety of the athletes for future events throughout the state of Oklahoma.
The Commission is currently trying to address legal and legislative efforts which have given us serious concerns about how we move forward with adequate oversight of Oklahoma's boxing, mixed martial arts, and professional wrestling events.
As you know, the primary focus of this agency is to make sure the athlete's health, and safety is not compromised. We take this charge very seriously.
The Commission and I will be working diligently to address these issues and develop a plan of action to return to a normal course of business.
Although this ban is only temporary as of the moment, this is still a lose lose situation for both the state and for combat sports fans. As of right now there are no UFC events scheduled for the state of Oklahoma, but Bellator has been to the state several times and the WWE has an event scheduled for October. Tickets have not yet gone on sale for the WWE event and it's not yet been reported if this event will have to be canceled. Seems like that will be an awful large amount of tax dollars lost if the commission denies the license to host an event there. [source, source]
Posted in: event, commission, state, ban, oklahoma
Read the full article at Middle EasyUFC 129 Nominated For Sports Business Journal Event Of The Year
The bible of the sports business industry has nominated the UFC for their second-ever award as UFC 129 is up for the Sports Business Journal's Sports Event Of The Year.
This is the second award the UFC has been nominated for, following last year's competition for Sports League Of The Year. They didn't win that award and were also shut out this year of any additional nominations for company personnel.
They are up against four big events that span the sports spectrum:
2011 Carrier Classic: This was an NCAA men's basketball game played between North Carolina and Michigan State aboard the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson on Veterans Day.
2011 Humana Challenge: This is an annual PGA event played in January, formerly known as the Bob Hope Classic. Jhonattan Vegas (yes, that's his real name) won the 2011 edition.
2011 NBA Finals: The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games to take their first NBA title.
Super Bowl XLVI: The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 21-17 to win their fourth Super Bowl title.
By comparison, UFC 129 drew a North American record 55,724 fans to Toronto, Canada, for the organization's first-ever event in the city. Packed with a UFC Fan Expo, the Rogers Centre crowd saw countryman Georges St. Pierre successfully defend his welterweight title against Jake Shields, while Lyoto Machida knocked out Randy Couture in the latter's final bout. The April 30th event brought in more than $12.1 million in ticket sales and an estimated 800,000 buys on pay-per-view.
This year's winners will be announced during a late May ceremony in New York City. A mix of sports industry experts and SBJ staffers will decide the winners.
Posted in: ufc, title, sport, event, year
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowBattle between UFC and Oklahoma on PPV revenue leads to statewide ban on MMA
Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) battle to bring mixed martial arts (MMA) to the state of New York has been longstanding and widely publicized.
Earlier this week (March 14, 2012) another state added its name to the list of territories unfriendly to the UFC in particular and combat sports in general.
That state is Oklahoma, a place that the promotion has ventured previously on two past occasions -- UFC Fight Night 16 (Sept. 16, 2009) and UFC 4 (Dec. 16, 1994). According to the Houston Pro Wrestling Examiner, there may be an impasse, unless the two sides are able to see eye-to-eye on some important things.
Namely: Money.
Oklahoma's Executive Director of the Athletic Commission, Joe Miller, recently issued the following statement to combat sports promoters in Oklahoma:
"The purpose of this letter is to inform you the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission will not be accepting applications for event permits for events scheduled after March 31, 2012. The Commission is faced with an out-of-state threat that, if successful, could greatly affect the Commission's ability to provide for the public safety and for the health and safety of the athletes for future events throughout the state of Oklahoma. The Commission is currently trying to address legal and legislative efforts which have given us serious concerns about how we move forward with adequate oversight of Oklahoma's boxing, mixed martial arts, and professional wrestling events. As you know, the primary focus of this agency is to make sure the athlete's health, and safety is not compromised. We take this charge very seriously. The Commission and I will be working diligently to address these issues and develop a plan of action to return to a normal course of business."
More on the story after the jump:
The crux of the issue seems to come down to a tax that the state of Oklahoma has imposed and collected on UFC pay-per-views (PPV) that were purchased in that state. The 4 percent tax has been levied on all PPVs, even on events held outside Oklahoma.
It's a move that has drawn the ire of UFC President Dana White, to the extent that Zuffa has announced plans to sue the Commission to have the tax removed.
According to Miller, the tax is necessary to help pay for the Commission's expenses:
"It takes approximately $360K for the Commission to provide regulation for the approximately 275 events per year we regulate. The Oklahoma State Athletic Commission does not receive any state funding. We are funded solely from license fees, assessment on live events, and an assessment on pay-per-view events. We receive approximately $137K per year through license fees and assessments on live events. Receipts from Pay-per-view are approximately $240K per year. About $80K per year comes from UFC PPV. The UFC has threatened a law suit against our PPV law unless our legislature repeals our PPV law during this legislative session. The Commission loses either way. OK has been collecting on PPV since 2004 and this is the first time the issue has been brought to light. For the Oklahoma Commission to survive and for Combat Sports to continue in Oklahoma it will be up to the Oklahoma legislature to come up with a solution to the funding shortfall. You can do the math."
Clearly, Oklahoma needs the UFC more than the UFC needs Oklahoma, but this case could set a precedent that causes negative ripples in the future.
It's safe to assume that the $2 billion MMA enterprise is not hard up for cash, much less an $80,000 "fee" to sell events to fans who live in the "Sooner State" each year. However, if more cash-strapped states jump on the bandwagon looking for similar handouts, the 50-state total could get quite ugly.
Unless, of course, you think that's just the cost of doing combat sports business.
Posted in: ufc, event, commission, state, oklahoma
Read the full article at MMA ManiaSuing UFC Fans Isn't the Way to Combat Internet Piracy, or to Turn Freeloaders Into Customers
From the UFC’s perspective, internet piracy is a pretty straightforward issue. Websites that illegally stream UFC pay-per-view events are criminals, and individuals who watch those streams are their accomplices. The UFC has said it will aggressively pursue legal remedies against both, and now that the world’s foremost MMA organization has obtained user information from Greenfeedz.com -- a streaming website that was recently shut down -- it says that it intends to do just that."We believe that we've got an obligation to go out there and try to protect the intellectual property and protect both our rights and the rights of our fighter-partners," UFC chief legal counsel Lawrence Epstein told MMAjunkie.com last week.Translation: If you watched UFC pay-per-views on Greenfeedz.com, prepare to get sued for, in the words of one attorney representing the UFC in this case, "significantly more" than the cost of a pay-per-view. What such a strategy might ultimately cost the UFC and its parent company Zuffa, however, seems to be a question that the MMA giant hasn’t fully considered.
To hear the UFC’s Epstein tell it, suits against those who illegally streamed UFC events wouldn’t technically be suits against the organization’s own fans because "people that steal our stuff – they're not our fans." Except that they are, or else they probably wouldn’t be sitting in front of a laptop on a Saturday night watching a UFC event, whether they paid for it or not.When Epstein says that those people aren’t the UFC’s fans, what he really means is, they aren’t the fans the UFC wants. That’s why the UFC feels just fine about threatening to sue those particular fans (though it’s arguable whether that threat is a legitimate one), and also why it seems to think this would ultimately be good for the organization. It wouldn’t, and there are a few different reasons why.For starters, the UFC seems to believe that there are two types of MMA fans: the type who buys the pay-per-views, and the type who watches them illegally. In reality, the line between those two groups is probably a lot blurrier than Zuffa realizes. Chances are very good that some of the people who have streamed events in the past have also bought them, and probably will buy them again at some point in the future. Maybe they only pony up the $55 for the pay-per-view when the card is good enough, or when they can get friends to split the cost with them. Maybe they stream it when they only care about one or two fights, or when they’re simply too strapped for cash to afford it.
My point is, not all piracy is created equal, at least on the receiving end, and attacking viewers as if they are distributors could do much more harm than good.For instance, picture a 19-year-old college student just about anywhere in America. He wants to see a UFC event, but maybe he can’t even afford basic cable, let alone a pay-per-view. He can’t go to a bar to watch the fights (unless he has a convincing fake ID), so he stays home and finds an illegal stream on his laptop, because he can't stand to miss the big fight. Then, months later, he gets sued by the UFC.What’s going to happen when that kid graduates, goes to work, and finds a job that will allow him to enjoy luxury expenses like pay-per-views? You think he’s going to become a loyal customer of the company that sued him back when he was struggling to buy books? You think he’s going to buy a ticket to see a UFC event when it comes to his city? You think he’s going to buy merchandise or watch free events or patronize the UFC in any way after that experience? Maybe. Or maybe he’ll hold a little bit of a grudge. You know, for the rest of his natural life.That’s not to say that the UFC should give out pay-per-views as charity, or even look the other way while its events are pirated. As Epstein points out, UFC stars like Georges St-Pierre get a cut of pay-per-view proceeds, so it isn’t just some faceless company that’s harmed by piracy -- it's also the guys who are actually bleeding for their cash. (Though, as a sidenote, if fans who watch illegal streams are stealing from GSP, and if the UFC sues those fans, does that mean GSP will get a cut of whatever restitution the UFC receives in court? Call me a cynic, but I don’t see it going down that way.)Still, there’s plenty of justification for going after the internet pirates themselves. They really are stealing from the UFC and from fighters like GSP, and the UFC should do what it can to stop them. But going after the individual viewers is not only a questionable PR move, it’s also not a terribly cost-effective one. The user information that Zuffa recovered from Greenfeedz alone was "voluminous," according to an attorney representing the company, and litigating against so many individual users who merely consumed illegally pirated material has proved to be a tough sell in court. Even if the UFC does win a judgment against some laptop jockeys who either couldn’t or wouldn’t ante up for the pay-per-view, will it see enough cash in return to make the legal fees and the PR headache worth it? Will the fighters who were supposedly robbed be better off for it?Maybe the UFC won’t actually try it. Maybe it will be content to let word of the threat spread around the internet, and hope that the bluff alone will be enough to deter fans from turning to illegal streams. Maybe it will instead focus on going after the distributors of pirated content rather than the consumers, since without one there wouldn't be the other, and maybe it will even take a more active role in trying to turn those would-be stream-watchers into actual, paying customers.In other words, maybe the UFC could stand to use a little more carrot and a little less stick when it comes to its online fanbase. Because, let’s be honest, those people are fans. They are the people that UFC wants as its audience, both now and in the years to come. And while it might be possible to turn fans into enemies through the use of overzealous litigation, it's probably a lot harder to do it the other way around.
Posted in: ufc, event, fan, stream, payperview
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseONE FC Announces Events For Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore
ONE Fighting Championship has announced a trio of new events slated across Asia.
As part of a newly confirmed broadcast deal with Malaysian sports network Astro ARENA, ONE FC officials have targeted an event in Malaysia for May 26, 2012. A fight card has yet to be finalized.
"Malaysia's sports fan base has always been enthusiastic about new and exciting events," ONE FC CEO Victor Cui stated. "From the World Cup to Formula 1, the discerning sports fans in this country have been very supportive of only the best. We are very happy to bring the largest MMA event in Asia with world class content to Malaysians with Astro."
In addition, ONE FC has confirmed events for September 1, 2012 in the Philippines and October 6, 2012 in Singapore. Venues will be announced at a later date.
ONE FC is Asia's most prominent mixed martial arts promotion and spearheaded the formation of the ONE FC network, a coalition of fight camps and promotions throughout Asia and Australia including DREAM, Cage Fighting Championship and Evolve Mixed Martial Arts.
Posted in: event, fc, asia, fight camps, malaysia philippines
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseONE FC Announces Dates for Shows in Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore
ONE Fighting Championship today announced three more dates for upcoming mixed martial arts (MMA) events, in addition to the show which is already booked for the Singapore Indoor Stadium on March 31.
Here's how the 2012 calendar is shaping up:
ONE FC 3: Singapore, March 31 (see the full card here) ONE FC 4: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 26* ONE FC 5: Manila, Philippines, September 1* ONE FC 6: Singapore, October 6*
*Negotiations are underway for additional events to be scheduled between May and September
According to a statement which was released today, ONE FC has also signed a television deal with Malaysian broadcast network Astro which will see all events broadcast on local 24 hour sports channel 'Astro Arena.'
ONE FC Owner / CEO Victor Cui was recently voted the most powerful man in Asian MMA and as well as securing a 10 year media partnership between ESPN Star Sports and his promotion, he has also signed deals with local networks in countries such as Singapore and Indonesia.
The following is from the ONE FC website:
Malaysia’s first local sports channel Astro ARENA has bought the exclusive rights to air content from Asia’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organization, ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC). Astro ARENA reaches out to millions of viewers across Malaysia and has become the preferred channel by Malaysians for sports content. Viewers in Malaysia will now be able to enjoy ONE FC events as Asia’s best professional MMA fighters compete in different countries all over Asia. Henry Tan, Astro COO said, "Astro offers Malaysians the best of international and local live sports from football to F1, tennis, golf and badminton through its 11 sports channels. Through Astro ARENA, Malaysia’s number one local sports channel, we will bring ONE Fighting Championship™ to martial arts fans in Malaysia by showcasing the best of the region’s professional fight athletes competing in the most prestigious series of MMA events." Victor Cui, CEO/Owner of ONE Fighting Championship™ said, "Malaysia’s sports fan base has always been enthusiastic about new and exciting events. From the World Cup to Formula 1, the discerning sports fans in this country have been very supportive of only the best. We are very happy to bring the largest MMA event in Asia with world class content to Malaysians with Astro."
The KL card is likely to include a number of Malaysian and Malaysian based fighters. Muay Thai world champion and BJJ black belt Adam Kayoom is virtually guaranteed to feature. He has an MMA record of 2-1 with his only defeat being a decision loss to tough Korean Myung Ho Bae who was able to outwrestle him.
Since then he has worked intensively on his wrestling with New York State Champion Andrew Leone and has added that skill set to his already world class Muay Thai and BJJ. In Kayoom's last fight at DARE Championship 2/11 he submitted Seok Mo Kim, who went the full 15 minutes with Gregor Gracie at ONE FC 1, in the opening round:
SHOGUN vs KIM - DARE MMA - Bangkok, Thailand (via Darechampionship)
As well as Kayoom ONE FC are likely to use a number of fighters who are based in Kuala Lumpur on the card such as BJJ black belt Marcos Escobar who runs the Leverage MMA academy. Muayfit's Eric Kelly could finally get a fight if he can sort out his managerial issues while his team mates Arnaud Lepont and Mark Striegl, both coming off big wins at DARE Championship 2/12, are rumored to be close to signing.
ONE FC will be spoiled for choice when it comes to picking Filipinos to star on the September 1st card with URCC Champions Eduard Folayang, Honorio Banario, Kevin Belingon and Rey Docyogen all likely to get a look in. DREAM Lightweight champion Shinya Aoki has already signed to fight for ONE FC this year and the Evolve MMA fighter is likely to headline the Singapore show on October 6.
More news is likely to follow as between the Malaysia event on 26 May and the Philippines event on 1 September, additional events have been planned and will be announced as venues are confirmed. Countries believed to be on the ONE FC radar include Thailand, Macau, Hong Kong, Korea and China with a second Jakarta show close to being confirmed.
www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder
Posted in: mma, sport, event, fc, astro
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 129 earns SBJ nomination for “Sports Event of the Year”
The Sports Business Journal has named UFC 129 in Toronto as one of the nominees for Event of the Year in its annual sports awards. The awards will be handed out May 23rd in New York.
As you know, UFC 129 was the biggest show in UFC’s history. It was the first stadium show for the company and received the biggest gate and attendance for an MMA event.
UFC 129 will compete in the “Event of the Year” category with the 2011 Carrier Classic (November’s men’s college basketball game held on an aircraft carrier between North Carolina and Michigan State), 2011 Humana Challenge, 2011 NBA Finals, and Super Bowl XLVI.
As MMA Junkie points out, it missed out on nominations for “Sports Executive of the Year” and “Best in Sports Event and Experiential Marketing.” Notably, Fox Executive, David Hill, who worked with Dana White with the UFC-Fox deal was nominated for exec of the year.
Payout Perspective:
While the awards are not an indication of the success of the UFC, its a recognition of its accomplishments in the sports industry. UFC 129 may have a shot at winning its category although the 2011 Carrier Classic may be the front runner for that award simply due to the uniqueness of the event. As Junkie points out, its interesting that Dana White was not nominated for Sports Executive of the Year although Hill was named. Obviously, Hill did other things for Fox this past year but the UFC deal was one of the bigger acquisitions.
Posted in: ufc, sport, event, year, year ”
Read the full article at MMA PayoutRanking the MMA Organizations of All Time
For any new or casual fan of mixed martial arts that knows the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is not the only MMA show in town, it can be difficult to gauge the talent or legitimacy of some of the national and regional organizations.
In fact, there are so many smaller organizations that even the most hardcore of the hardcore MMA fans couldn't name 80-percent of them.
My FanPost will try to break down a good portion of the current leagues into four Tiers: Major Leagues, Minor Leagues, "C" Leagues, and "D" Leagues, along with some now-defunct organizations and also a overall ranking.
The criteria I will use are number of shows, years of operation, validity of matchmaking, television deals, whether they hold regional, national, or International shows and most importantly, strength of roster. (Note: when it comes to rosters, it is every notable fighter to ever fight in that organization.)
Matchmaking and roster will be given a number (1-6) that break down like this:
1=Bad
2=So-So
3=Good
4=Strong
5=Great
6=Awesome
Note: * = Now Defunct Organization
Let's get started.
"D" Leagues
Number 20: World Fighting Alliance (WFA)*
Four events
Four and a half years of operation
Matchmaking: 2
Pay-per-view (PPV) once
WFA was a regional promotion doing shows in Vegas and one in Los Angeles.
Roster: 4 -- Quinton Jackson, Bas Rutten, Rich Franklin, Lyoto Machida, Frank Trigg, Martin Kampmann, Marvin Eastman, Ivan Salaverry, Valentijn Overeem, Mike Van Arsdale, Dennis Hallman, Matt Lindland, Vernon White, Jason Miller.
Number 19: Titan Fighting Championship (TitanFC)
21 Events
2009-Current
Matchmaking: 2
Minor TV Deal with HDNet.
TFC is a regional promotion based out of Kansas City.
Roster: 2 -- Tim Sylvia, Drew McFedries, Rich Clementi, Jason High, Phil Baroni, Bobby Lashley, Jens Pulver, Brett Rogers, Jaime Varner, Dakota Cochrane, Eddie Sanchez.
Number 18: ProElite (The second one)
Three events
2011- Current
Matchmaking: 2
Minor TV deal with HDNet
ProElite is a regional promotion based in Hawaii.
Roster: 2 -- Kendall Grove, Andrei Arlovski, Joe Riggs, Reagan Penn, Sara McMann, Hitomi Akano, Drew McFedries, Tim Sylvia, Andrei Kraniotakes, Ikuhisa Minowa.
Number 17: Deep
100+ Events
2001-Current
Matchmaking: 2
No TV Deal
Deep is a Japanese-based national promotion.
Roster: 2 -- Shinya Aoki, Chan Sung Jung, Dong Hyun Kim, Ryo Chonan, Masakazu Imanari, Don Frye, Royler Gracie, Ikuhisa Minowa, Mizuto Hirota, Riki Fukuda, Paulo Filho.
Number 16: Tachi Palace Fighting (TPF)
13 Events
2009-Current
Matchmaking: 3
No TV deal
TPF is a regional promotion based out of California.
Roster: 4 -- Chad Mendes, Jussier Da Silva, Ian McCall, Mamoru Yamaguchi, Cole Escovedo, Nam Phan, James Irving, David Loiseau, Zolia Frausto, Joe Soto, Ulysses Gomez, Cyrille Diabate.
"C" Leagues
Number 15: Rings*
12 Events
Three Years of Operation
Matchmaking: 3
No TV deal.
Rings was a national promotion from Japan.
Roster: 4 -- Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Ricardo Arona, Gilbert Yvel, Renato Sobral, Randy Couture, Renzo Gracie, Dan Henderson.
Number 14: Cage Rage*
38 Events (10 Challenger style)
Six years of Operation
Matchmaking: 2
Minor TV deal in the United Kingdom.
Cage Rage was predominantly a national promotion but did hold one event outside of England.
Roster: 3 -- Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort, Paul Daley, Michael Bisping, Chris Lytle, Melvin Manhoef, Ken Shamrock, Jorge Rivera, Renato Sobral, Masakazu Imanari, Zelg Galesic and Herb Dean (Yes, the referee).
Number 13: Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC)
36 Events
2001-Current
Matchmaking: 3
Minor TV deal with HDNet.
MFC is a regional promotion based in Alberta, Canada.
Roster: 3 -- Ryan Jimmo, Paul Daley, Ben Henderson, Marcus Davis, Douglas Lima, Yves Edwards, Hermes Franca, Carlo Prater, Antonio McKee, Drew McFedries, Travis Lutter, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Marvin Eastman, Dean Lister, Matt Veach, Chase Gormley, Bobby Lashley, Trevor Prangley, Pete Spratt, Thales Leites, Chris Camozzi, Wilson Gouveia.
Number 12: Shooto
100+ Events
1994- Current
Matchmaking: 3
No TV deal (that I could find).
Shooto is an International promotion serving nearly 20 countries.
Roster: 3 -- Anderson Silva, Jake Shields, Hatsu Hioki, Takanori Gomi, Mamoru "The Fro" Yamaguchi, Joachim Hansen, Caol Uno, Hayato Sakurai, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Shinya Aoki, Rumina Sato, Takeya Mizugaki
Number 11: Affliction*
Two Events
One year of operation
Matchmaking: 3
Two shows on PPV.
Affliction was a regional promotion never leaving California.
Roster: 4 -- Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Pedro Rizzo, Ben Rothwell, Vitor Belfort, Mark Hominick, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Renato Sobral, Dan Lauzon, Jason High, Jay Hieron, Vladimir Matyushenko, Gilbert Yvel, Matt Lindland.
Number 10: King of the Cage (KOTC)
229 Events
1999-Current
Matchmaking: 3
Minor TV deal.
KOTC is an International Promotion.
Roster: 3 -- Quinton Jackson, Marvin Eastman, Vernon White, Daniel Cormier, Jeremy Horn, Mike Kyle, Dean Lister, Diego Sanchez, Joe Stevenson, Jorge Santiago, Mac Danzig, Rory MacDonald, Urijah Faber, Ricco Rodriguez, Mamoru Yamaguchi.
Number 9: Dream
23 Events
2008-Current
Matchmaking: 2
Minor TV deal in the US and Japan.
Dream is a national promotion in Japan.
Roster: 3 -- Shinya Aoki, Kazushi Sakuraba, Fedor Emelianenko, Hayato Sakurai, Alistair Overeem, Mirko Filipovic, Joachim Hansen, Tatsuya Kawijiri, Gegard Mousasi, Ronaldo Souza, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Caol Uno, Rich Clementi, Drew Fickett, Bob Sapp, Ikuhisa Minowa, Satoshi Ishii.
Minors
Number 8: EliteXC*
21 Events
Two years of Operation
Matchmaking: 1 -- Mismatches and bonuses to keep fights standing (see Kimbo Slice vs Seth Petrucelli).
Major TV deal with Showtime and the First MMA organization to make it to primetime with CBS.
Roster: 4 -- Jake Shields, K.J. Noons, Nick Diaz, Kevin Ferguson, Frank Shamrock, Robbie Lawler, Antonio Silva, Paul Daley, Eddie Alvarez, Andrei Arlovski, Roy Nelson, Cristiane Santos, Gina Carano, Phil Baroni, Mike Kyle.
Number 7: International Fight League (IFL)*
20 events
Two and a half years of operation
Matchmaking: 4
Minor TV deal in the US on My Network TV.
IFL was a national promotion based in the US.
Roster: 3 -- Renzo Gracie, Jens Pulver, Pat Miletich, Carlos Newton, Robbie Lawler, Matt Lindland, Jeremy Horn, Roy Nelson, Dan Miller, Jay Hieron, Vladimir Matyushenko, Jake Ellenberger, Ben Rothwell, Tim Kennedy, Brian Ebersole, Krzysztof Soszynski.
Number 6: Pancrase
100+ Events
1993-Current
Matchmaking: 1 -- The early days of Pancrase, one in five fights were alleged to be "worked" or "fixed" bouts.
Minor TV Deal in Japan.
Pancrase is a national promotion never leaving the island of Japan.
Roster: 4 -- Ken Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Frank Shamrock, Guy Mezger, Nate Marquardt, Ricardo Almeida, Ikuhisa Minowa, Chael Sonnen, Paul Daley, Carlos Condit, Chris Lytle, Kazuo Misaki, Evan Tanner, Genki Sudo, Joe Riggs, Akhiro Gono.
Number 5: Bellator
61 Events
2008-Current
Matchmaking: 4
Minor TV deal on MTV2 with Viacom's backing and a move to SpikeTV inevitable.
Bellator is a International Promotion holding multiple shows in the US and Canada.
Roster: 3 -- Hector Lombard, Eddie Alvarez, Ben Askren, Roger Huerta, Pat Curran, Joe Warren, Michael Chandler, Patricky and Patricio Friere, Marlon Sandro, Jay Hieron, Zach Makovsky, Ben Saunders, War Machine, Zoila Gurgel, Cole Konrad.
Number 4: Strikeforce
60 Events (including 19 Challenger shows)
2008-Current
Matchmaking: 3
Major TV deal with Showtime and a limited deal with CBS.
Strikeforce is a national promotion and has never had a show outside of the US.
Roster: 5 -- Fedor Emelianenko, Dan Henderson, Alistair Overeem, Nick Diaz, Gilbert Melendez, Fabricio Werdum, Daniel Cormier, Josh Barnett, Jake Shields, Frank Shamrock, Gegard Mousasi, Renato Sobral, Muhammad Lawal, Clay Guida, Luke Rockhold, Cristiane Santos, Gina Carano, Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, Marloes Coenen, Ronaldo Souza, Robbie Lawler, Cung Le, Jorge Santiago, Kazuo Misaki, Antonio Silva, Andrei Arlovski, Josh Thomson, Melvin Manhoef.
Number 3: World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC)*
53 Events
Just under 10 years of operation
Matchmaking: 5
Minor TV deal across Multiple Countries.
WEC was mostly a national promotion only holding one event outside the US (in Edmonton Canada).
Roster: 5 -- Jose Aldo, Urijah Faber, Dominick Cruz, Carlos Condit, Chael Sonnen, Brian Stann, Frank Shamrock, Benson Henderson, Anthony Pettis, Nick Diaz, Chris Leben, Joe Riggs, James Irving, Paulo Filho, Shonie Carter, Gilbert Melendez, Miguel Torres, Brian Bowles, Brandon Vera, Donald Cerrone, Johny Hendricks, Joesph Benavidez, Ian McCall, Chan Sung Jung, Mark Munoz, Mark Hominick.
Majors
Number 2: Pride Fighting Championships (PrideFC)*
68 Events
10 Years of Operation
Matchmaking: 4
Major TV deal in Japan.
Pride was an International promotion holding events in Japan and the US.
Roster: 6 -- Fedor Emelianenko, Nogueira brothers, Wanderlei Silva, Mirko Filipovic, Mark Coleman, Don Frye, Mauricio Rua, Quinton Jackson, Ricardo Arona, Dan Henderson, Kazuo Misaki, Kazushi Sakuraba, Anderson Silva, Josh Barnett, Igor Vovchanchyn, Ken Shamrock, Kevin Randleman, Royce Gracie, Takanori Gomi, Murilo Bustamante, Paulo Filho, Ikuhisa Minowa, Carlos Newton, Gegard Mousasi, Shinya Aoki, Jens Pulver, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Gilbert Melendez, Joachim Hansen.
Number 1: Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC)
200 Events + 14 Seasons of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF)
1993-Current
Matchmaking: 5
Major TV deal in multiple countries including FOX, FX, and Fuel TV as well as a major PPV schedule in the US.
UFC is an International promotion holding events all over the world.
Roster: 6 -- It is easier to count who hasn't fought in the UFC. There are only a handful of the great fighters that haven't fought inside the Octagon: Fedor Emelianenko, ShinyaAoki, Igor Vovchanchyn, Eddie Alvarez, Hector Lombard and Gilbert Melendez are the ones that stand out to me!
Random Stats and Thoughts
Most Major League Future Champions Among the Minor leagues
WEC: Four (Jose Aldo, Dominick Cruz, Carlos Condit, Ben Henderson)
Rings: Four (Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Randy Couture, Dan Henderson)
WFA: Three (Quinton Jackson, Rich Franklin, Lyoto Machida)
Most Major league past champions among the minor leagues
Strikeforce: Five (Fedor Emelianenko, Frank Shamrock, Josh Barnett, Dan Henderson, Andrei Arlovski)
Affliction: Five (Fedor Emelianenko, Vitor Belfort, Josh Barnett, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia)
ZUFFA the UFC's parent company has bought PrideFC (#2), WEC (#3), Strikeforce (#4) and the WFA (#20) since December of 2006.
KOTC, Shooto, MFC and Deep have been around a long while and have seen lots of top 10 fighters come through their doors and on to the big leagues and vice versa. These are the true feeder leagues for the US, Canada, and Japan. (If anyone has any info on a Brazilian league of this sort, please post in the comments.)
Nomad list (fighters that have fought for multiple organizations.)
Fedor Emelianenko: Five (Pride, Dream, Affliction, Strikeforce, Rings)
Nick Diaz: Five (UFC, Pride, WEC, Strikeforce, EliteXC)
Renato Sobral: Five (UFC, Strikeforce, Affliction, Cage Rage, Rings)
Jens Pulver: Five (UFC, Pride, WEC, IFL, TitanFC)
Tied with four: Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort, Quinton Jackson, Josh Barnett and Shinya Aoki.
IFL was the first MMA Promotion to pay for healthcare of fighters while training, four years before ZUFFA did it.
With the UFC's Debut in Sweden next month, they will have traveled to more countries (11) than any other MMA Organization. Shooto held events in 10 Countries.
The UFC has already held events on more continents than any other promotion with five in Europe, Asia, Australia and both North and South America. (Shooto has only four and has never been to South America.)
I couldn't find the exact number of Pancrase, Shooto, or Deep events. The UFC had 200 so far and if they are not in the lead yet, they will be eventually.
That's a warp, folks. What did you think of the rankings? Agree or disagree? Let your voice be heard!
Posted in: promotion, event, number, roster, matchmaking
Read the full article at MMA ManiaAsian MMA: ONE FC Announces Events For Malaysia, Philippines And Singapore; URCC 21 Fight Card
There's a bunch of news coming out of the Asian MMA scene, so let's get right to it:
Ahead of their 3rd event happening on March 31, One Fighting Championship officials have just announced the next few events on their calendar.
The promotion landed a TV deal with 'Astro ARENA', a local sports channel in Malaysia to broadcast ONE FC events, and they have also announced that they will be hosting a show in the country on May 26. While nothing has been finalized, participants would likely be top Malaysians such as Adam Kayoom along with some of the members from the country's best team in Muay Fit which houses fighters such as Arnaud Lepont and Peter Davis.
Also on their line up is a September 1 event which would happen in the Philippines. It is unclear whether this would be a co-promotion with the URCC which is one of their partners, but as for participants, ONE FC has a lot of options to choose from on the deep roster of talented Filipinos such Eduard Folayang, Kevin Belingon, Eric Kelly, Roy Docyogen, Geje Eustaquio, Mark Striegl, and Froilan Sarenas among others.
On October 6, the Singapore-based promotion will be hosting another event in their home-base. This would be their third event in Singapore, and as announced earlier, this has been agreed to be headlined by DREAM Lightweight Champ, Shinya Aoki.
Speaking of the URCC, the Philippine promotion has announced their next major event for April 28, and as reported earlier, it will be headlined by URCC Middleweight Champion, Froilan Sarenas. The undefeated BJJ expert has been tearing up the competition despite not cutting weight and coming in under the URCC's 179 lb limit, but I have always felt that Sarenas would benefit by dropping down a division or two. It won't happen this April though, as Sarenas will have a much bigger challenge by moving up yet another weight class to try and take the light heavyweight title currently held by Nicholas Mann.We'll see if Sarenas can use his skills to overcome the much bigger Australian fighter, and make history by holding two URCC titles at the same time. This exciting battle of champions is part of the card that has been full of exciting bouts so far. Check out the current fight card after the jump.
As part of the URCC 21 card, the young and always exciting Alvin Ramirez returns against Roy Doliquez who is training in one of the top boxing camps in the country. Also one of the intriguing match ups for the event, Will Chope, who has won 8 of his past 9 fights and has been calling out Angelito Manguray recently, will be getting his wish as he battles the Karate-based former URCC lightweight champ.Check out the current rumored fight card so far:
URCC 21: WarpathApril 28, 2012 -- SMX Convention Center, Philippines Nicholas Mann vs. Froilan Sarenas Alvin Ramirez vs. Roy Doliquez Jerson Estoro vs. Onyok Transmonte Will Chope vs. Angelito Manguray
Dare Championship, the top MMA promotion in Thailand held another event this past weekend. Talented prospects Arnaud Lepont and Mark Striegl picked up quality wins. Check out the event report here.
SFL isn't the only promotion in India making headlines. FCC or Full Contact Championship, a promotion that's been quietly running for the past three years in India, was covered by the New York Times and The Guardian recently.
Posted in: promotion, event, urcc, card, sarena
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowGray Maynard vs. Clay Guida Set as Five Round Main Event for UFC on FX 3
UFC on FX 3 in Atlantic City now has a main event as former lightweight title contender Gray Maynard meets Clay Guida in a five round main event.
Posted in: event, atlantic city, clay guida, title contender, maynard
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyUFC on FX 3: Gray Maynard vs Clay Guida main event fight booked for Atlantic City on June 22
Lightweight losers (in their most recent matches), Gray Maynard and Clay Guida, will each look to get back in the win column when the pair sling leather at UFC on FX 3 on June 22, 2012, In Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today made the 155-pound announcement via its website, revealing that the showdown will serve as a five-round main event.
Maynard, a former two-time number one division contender, spent the entire 2011 mixed martial arts (MMA) fight season attempting to wrest the belt from the resilient clutches of UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar.
Despite his best efforts, including two brutal first rounds at UFC 125 and UFC 136, during which he beat "The Answer" from pillar to post, Edgar stormed back to earn a draw and then a come-from-behind technical knockout.
"The Bully," who now trains at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, Calif., will now have to fight his way back toward the top, starting with "The Carpenter."
Guida himself was in the 2011 lightweight number one contender "mix," submitting Takanori Gomi and decisioning the last man to hold the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) lightweight belt, Anthony Pettis.
In fact, he was riding a four-fight win streak inside the Octagon before Ben Henderson derailed his hairy hopes, taking a unanimous decision in a great back-and-forth battle at UFC on Fox 1 just last month to earn the next shot at Edgar.
So close, yet so far away, for both veterans.
No other bouts or a potential venue for UFC on FX 3 are known at this time. UFC 53: "Heavy Hitters" in June 2005 was the last time the organization held an event in South Jersey.
Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for the latest UFC on FX 3 news and notes.
Posted in: ufc, fx, event, atlantic city, maynard
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC's Marc Ratner wants 'international federation' to regulate events
Thus far, regulators haven't been able to keep up with the UFC's aggressive international expansion.
Events in Canada, Australia and -next month - Sweden, are regulated by
an independent regulatory body. But in places where no athletic
commission exists, the promotion has taken that role for events in the
U.K., Brazil and Japan.
UFC vice president of regulatory affairs Mark Ratner would like to see a
single agency take the lead in regulating international events,
overseeing officials, conducting drug tests and enforcing the unified
rules of MMA.
Posted in: ufc, event, expansion events, regulators havent, month sweden
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBellator 61 Recap and Results: Fan’s Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
The second event of season six for Bellator Fighting Championship featured the middleweight division tournament. The event was to be main-evented by the season five finals between Eric Prindle and Thiago Santos, but an illness knocked Prindle off the card and onto the Bellator 62...
Posted in: bellator, season, event, eric prindle, prindle
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsBellator 66 adds Rogers-Santos, Falcao-Vasilevsky middleweight-tourney semifinals
After scoring a Knockout of the Year candidate at Friday's Bellator 61 event, Brian Rogers next will fight close to home.
The Ohio-based Rogers has been slotted to fight fellow Bellator 61 winner Bruno Santos at next month's Bellator 66 event in the semifinals of the organization's season-six middleweight tournament.
In the other tourney bracket, Maiquel Falcao takes on Vyacheslav Vasilevsky.
Posted in: bellator, event, year candidate, semifinals, ohiobased rogers
Read the full article at MMA JunkieMauro Ranallo handling play-by-play duties at Invicta Fighting Championships
It has been a whirlwind last few months for Invicta Fighting Championships as they close in on April 28, the date when they pull back the curtain and unveil their flagship event with the arguably the best assembly of female talent in the sport’s history.
Following a busy week in which Invicta President Shannon Knapp and business partner Janet Martin have announced one additional fight, the hiring of Natasha Wicks as a ring girl, and the announcement that the event will be streamed live and free on their website (InvictaFC.com – scheduled to launch April 1, the question still exists of who will be in the broadcast booth calling the action. In a recent interview with Fighters.com, the effervescent Knapp filled in the blank as far as who the first voice of Invicta will be.
“I haven’t yet announced this yet, but Mauro Ranallo will be our play-by-play commentator,” said Knapp. “I haven’t finished assembling the rest of the team, but the objective here is to continue to bring some familiarization to all of this.”
Ranallo, the seasoned broadcast veteran of countless MMA and professional wrestling cards, including some of MMA’s most memorable match-ups, brings with him more than a decade of experience calling events worldwide. His voice can be heard regularly on Canada’s MMA Show on the Score Networks, as well as for Strikeforce. His most recent brush with women’s MMA came at the March 3 Strikeforce event in Ohio where he called the animated clash between Sarah Kaufman and Alexis Davis in addition Ronda Rousey’s unforgettable title-win over Miesha Tate.
While Knapp says Invicta will have a formal announcement in the near future with the rest of the announce team, she made sure to mention some praise for Wicks.
“Natasha is an amazing person,” glowed Knapp of the former UFC ring-girl. “I’ve always liked her. She’s just that type of person the fans really like. I’ve brought her in on HDNet to do the Bazzie awards. I think she’s very athletic, she understands the sport and is interested in the equality for women, so I think she’s a perfect fit for us too.”
Make sure to check back in the coming weeks when Knapp discusses the inspiration for an all-female brand of Mixed Martial Arts, support for the brand to date, and the challenges of a new sports business in a tough market.
You can follow Knapp on Twitter at @ShanKnapp for more updates on Invicta FC as well as “Like” the organization on Facebook at their fan page by clicking here. Invicta FC 1 boasts a number of the top female fighters in MMA today including action from Marloes Coenen, Liz Carmouche, Jessica Penne, and more.
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Posted in: mma, event, ranallo, invicta, knapp
Read the full article at Fighters.comBellator 61 Results: Falcao vs. Paraisy
MMA Fighting has Bellator 61 results for tonight's event held at the Horseshoe Riverdome in Bossier City, Louisiana.
The original main event for the night was to a heavyweight match between Eric Prindle and Thiago Santos. The bout was cancelled and rescheduled after Prindle experienced flu-like symptoms. Interestingly, Prindle vs. Santos was the main event for last season's Bellator 59 was but halted mid-contest after Prindle was unable to continue after a groin shot.
Tonight's main event will be a middleweight tournament bout between UFC veteran Maiquel Falcao and Norman Paraisy. The preliminary card will air on Spike.com while the main card will be televised on MTV2 and EPIX.
Check out the Bellator 61 results below.
Main CardMaiquel Falcao vs. Norman ParaisyVitor Vianna vs. Brian RogersVyacheslav Vasilevsky vs. Victor O'DonnellGiva Santana vs. Bruno Santos
Preliminary card:
Josh Quayhagen vs. Brent TaylorTrey Houston vs. Jeremiah RiggsEric Scallan vs. Derrick KrantzJeremy Myers vs. Jason Sampson
Posted in: bellator, vs, event, prindle, falcao
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC: New York? Fertitta Promises A 'UFC 100-Style' Event If State Ban Is Lifted
New York, even with it's rich history with combat sports, is one of the few remaining states that still doesn't sanction Mixed Martial Arts. The UFC has been dreaming of hosting an event at the Madison Square Garden for quite some time now, and as if they needed more reason to sanction it the sport, Lorenzo Fertitta just promised to put a mega-event for their New York debut.
MMA Fighting has it:
"When we come [to New York]," he said, "we're going to blow it out. We're going to put on a ridiculous UFC 100-style card, stacked, big, open to the public weigh-ins, press conferences, after-parties, the whole deal. Everybody will be there. This is going to be an event that will remind you of 1971 when Ali fought Frazier for the first time and every celebrity in New York had to be there. "The biggest problem that I'm going to have is going to be where to sit everybody and who gets seats and who doesn't. It's going to be crazy."
When can this happen? Well Lorenzo says that if the bill gets passed by June, he will "move mountains" to get an event up come Fall.
This has been long overdue New York, let's make it happen.
Posted in: ufc, event, combat sports, york, deal everybody
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowLorenzo Fertitta: When we come to New York, we'll bring UFC 100 style card to Madison Square Garden
The sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) is still outlawed in the state of New York. This despite its booming global success led by organizations like Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
That's thanks in large part to the old dinosaurs like Assemblyman Bob Reilly, who refers to the sport of cagefighting as a "glorification of brutality and violence." The sport was banned in the state all the way back in 1997 and legislation of yesteryear, as well as regulatory scare tactics, have kept it from coming back.
It's not for lack of trying on the part of Zuffa officials, who have consistently battled to get the sport back in "The Empire State." They've lobbied, held rallies, hell, they even took their fight to the courtroom.
All to no avail.
Nonetheless, they've vowed to push forward until they can hold an event in the state. Now, UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta is promising nothing short of the world once the ban is lifted and an event can be held at the famed Madison Square Garden arena.
In fact, you can expect a UFC 100-style extravaganza. Fertitta's words (via MMAFighting.com):
"When we come [to New York] we're going to blow it out. We're going to put on a ridiculous UFC 100-style card, stacked, big, open to the public weigh-ins, press conferences, after-parties, the whole deal. Everybody will be there. This is going to be an event that will remind you of 1971 when Ali fought Frazier for the first time and every celebrity in New York had to be there. The biggest problem that I'm going to have is going to be where to sit everybody and who gets seats and who doesn't. It's going to be crazy."
Well if that doesn't rally support for the cause, I just don't know what will.
There's reason to be optimistic here. Reilly, the previously mentioned hater of MMA, is not seeking re-election, leaving one less obstacle to overcome.
The sooner the better.
Speaking of sooner, Fertitta pledged he would move heaven and Earth to make an event happen just as soon as the ban if lifted. As in, if MMA became legal in June, the UFC would be selling out MSG in the fall.
Stay tuned.
Posted in: ufc, sport, event, state, fertitta
Read the full article at MMA ManiaShannon Knapp Talks Invicta FC, Plans To Stream First Show Live And Free In HD
This is a guest post by Stephie "Crooklyn" Daniels. Follow Crooklyn on Twitter @CrooklynMMA
Women's MMA has always been a bit of a delicate situation, never really gaining a strong foothold in the industry until 2007 with the entry of the first incarnation of Pro Elite. Their inaugural event, co-promoted with Strikeforce, did something extraordinary for WMMA. For the first time ever, a female bout was put onto a large cable TV network (Showtime). Since then, promotions have come and gone, leaving only Strikeforce, and to some smaller extent, Bellator, to provide the best platform for large scale exposure. After the ZUFFA buyout, Strikeforce's future became opaque, leaving many to wonder if this once safe haven will be able to provide a stable home for the world's brightest female stars.
Enter Shannon Knapp, a staple in the MMA industry for the last 12 years, having worked for several promotions, including the UFC and the aforementioned Strikeforce. Shannon's new promotion, Invicta FC is not the first all women's promotion, but she hopes to give it the one quality the others lacked, longevity. Invicta's first event will be in Kansas City at Memorial Hall, and features a 12 fight card, stacked with some of the best names in WMMA. Marloes Coenen will be headlining the card, facing off against Romy Ruyssen. In a recent interview, Knapp details some of the finer points of the Invicta infrastructure, as well as plans to provide free streaming of their first event.
TR: Tell me about Invicta FC, and are you feeling the pressure of getting this first event in the books?
SK: I've worked in this business forever and this is definitely something new, but it's also something I feel extremely passionate about. I've worked for the past 12 years with the boys, and I've always been a huge advocate for the sport and the athletes, and to be very honest, to the detriment of my own job. I've been threatened so many times, or reminded of who I worked for.When I parted ways with Strikeforce, I looked at what I wanted to do, and decided that I wanted to make a difference.
I'm definitely not that cookie cutter kind of person. I like to fight the fight. I started getting calls from girls that were scared, because nobody knew what was going to happen to Strikeforce. Were they going to stay around? Were they going to disappear? These girls were looking for some help. 12 years ago, for the men, it was not as much of a mess as it is today for the females. There is so much disorganization and lack of opportunity, so I looked at that, aligned myself with a good business partner and decided to roll up my sleeves and get in there to make a difference.
We're really excited, but we know it's not going to be a walk in the park. It's not going to be easy. You've got to build that awareness, that platform. You've got to make people want to watch. We're definitely in this for the long haul, though.
TR: Several of the girls featured on your card are currently on the Strikeforce roster. Is that an open ended arrangement or do you intend to eventually become the mecca for female MMA?
SK: A lot of the girls are still signed with Strikeforce. Strikeforce is in a unique position right now. With a limited amount of shows, they aren't able to keep all of their athletes active. What they've done, and I think it's a great thing, is they're allowing those girls to participate on our card. I think it's a great gesture, letting these girls stay active.
I think it would be great if the girls had one platform, instead of being so scattered. When Dana (White) said that there was a lack of depth with the women, he was absolutely correct, but the rebuttal to that is that he's only seeing four or five girls active. How do you gauge the depth when they're so spread out? I think with us coming in and building a solid foundation to bring all these girls together, we can solidify these weight classes. I think we're going to be able to make a difference.
TR: Tell us a little about your infrastructure and how Invicta came into existence.
SK: To start, we've kept it low key. It's been eight or nine months in the making, and it's just myself and my business partner. We're in control of our product, and as far as sponsors go, we are aligning ourselves with different ones, and working on that every day. To say that we have one sponsor that's footing the bill on this...that's not true. This comes down to just myself and my partner (Janet Martin). We haven't really gone out and aggressively pursued sponsors because this is our first event. Our main goal is to have an event, put our product out there, and show people what we want to do with it. We want to show our vision.
We haven't told anybody else this yet, but what we're going to do is have the show blacked out in Kansas City. We have a film crew coming in to film in HD, and we're going to stream it live, for free, to everyone, no matter where you're at, excluding Kansas City, right from our website. It's kind of Marketing 101, but we're going to give the product away. I think that's the best way to do it. One of the things that I learned from the UFC, is that maintaining control of your product is way more advantageous to us as a company.
TR: How many shows do you have planned for 2012?
SK: We're committing to 3 shows this year, because we're starting a little late. Our goal is to put on four shows a year going forward. Could that change? Yes it could, but for now, we're committed to three shows at this point.
Thanks to strong relationships with Sean Shelby, Sam Caplan and Joe Silva, the fighter exchange program will be moving full steam ahead on April 28, with the debut of Invicta FC. Having over a decade of experience in the MMA industry, and a solid understanding of the intricacies of promoting, Shannon Knapp may not only be breathing financial life into the careers of some hungry female fighters, she might just be providing them with a home for the future.
Follow Shannon via her Twitter @shanknapp
Posted in: strikeforce, event, year, girl, invicta
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowLorenzo Fertitta Promises 'Ridiculous UFC 100-Style Card' for MSG Debut
The UFC's fight to legalize mixed martial arts in New York continues, and while company officials are still optimistic their dream will finally become a reality this year, there's still no word on when or if it will happen before Albany's legislative session ends in June. Of course, last year the UFC thought it had finally broken through when, for a second straight year, the New York state senate voted to pass a bill that would sanction mixed martial arts in the state. Unfortunately, the bill, 1707-A, never made it to the Assembly floor for a vote, for a second straight year. The bill would need a vote in its favor from both the Senate and the Assembly to pass. If lawmakers are looking for an extra reason to finally get this done, UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta recently said the organization wouldn't put on an ordinary event when they're finally allowed to make their Madison Square Garden debut."When we come [to New York]," he said, "we're going to blow it out. We're going to put on a ridiculous UFC 100-style card, stacked, big, open to the public weigh-ins, press conferences, after-parties, the whole deal. Everybody will be there. This is going to be an event that will remind you of 1971 when Ali fought Frazier for the first time and every celebrity in New York had to be there. "The biggest problem that I'm going to have is going to be where to sit everybody and who gets seats and who doesn't. It's going to be crazy." Think the UFC boss is anxious to finally put on an event in New York or what? So let's say the bill passes in June, how quickly could the UFC hold an event at MSG, which would most certainly be the venue of choice for its return to return to the Empire State? Well, the two factors to consider are how quickly the New York State Athletic Commission could adopt the appropriate MMA rules and regulations (for example, Ontario announced that it would sanctioned MMA in Aug. 2010 but only held its first event in April 2011), and the UFC's crowded events calendar. The good news is that Fertitta said he would do everything in his power to bring an event to MSG as soon as he was able to do so. "If it passed (by June), we would move mountains to get something done by fall."
UFC 7, which took place on Sept. 8, 1995, is the lone UFC event held in New York. The state banned the sport in 1997.
Posted in: ufc, event, state, york, bill
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseScore Fighting Event Streams Live on MMAWeekly.com Friday Night
Friday night's Score Fighting Series event, featuring John Alessio vs. Ryan Healy in the main event, streams live on MMAWeekly.com beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT.
Posted in: event, stream, event streams, mmaweeklycom, series event
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyLegend FC 8 Moved to Hong Kong; URCC Files Claims Against LFC Co-Founder
Legend Fighting Championship announced Thursday that its upcoming March 30 event will now take place at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong
Posted in: legend, event, claim, hong, kong
Read the full article at SherdogMMA Fight Schedule for March 16, 2012 (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
Fans can choose among four mixed martial arts events on Mar. 16, 2012. The Score Fighting Series 4, Bellator Fighting Championships 61, BAMMA USA and M-1 Challenge 31 are planned for this day. The following schedule contains a complete list of MMA events for Mar.
Posted in: mma, event, schedule, mma events, arts events
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsBellator 61 weigh-in results: Maiquel Falcao (186.6) heavy on first attempt
All but one of the fighters competing at Friday's Bellator 61 event today made weight on their first attempt at the event's official weigh-ins.
Today's festivities took place at the Orleans Room at Horseshoe Riverdome in Bossier City, La.
The same venue hosts Friday's event, which includes a main card on MTV2 (and in high-definition on EPIX) with prelims streaming on on Spike.com.
Posted in: event, today, bossier city, horseshoe riverdome, orleans room
Read the full article at MMA JunkieEric Prindle vs Thiago Santos Bellator 61 main event postponed due to illness
Tomorrow night's (March 16, 2012) Bellator 61 main event, which was scheduled to be the conclusion of the season five heavyweight tournament pitting Thiago Santos vs. Eric Prindle, will have to wait one more week.
According to a report from USA Today, Prindle began showing serious flu-like symptoms on Tuesday during a pre-fight conversation with commentators Jimmy Smith and Sean Wheelock and it only got worse from there:
"After showing flu-like symptoms, Prindle started vomiting Tuesday night while speaking to broadcasters Jimmy Smith and Sean Wheelock," Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said. "Prindle was willing to continue with the fight, but Louisiana regulators suggested it not take place Friday, although they were not going to officially cancel the bout before seeing the fighters at today's weigh-ins," Rebney said.
The event also features the season five middleweight tournament, so stepping in as the new main event will be one of the more highly intriguing tournament quarterfinal fights between Maiquel Falcao and Norman Paraisy.
Prindle and Santos originally fought at Bellator 59, but their bout provided no closure to the tournament as Santos kicked Prindle in the groin and the American was unable to continue, resulting in a "no contest" ruling thanks to the bout lasting less than 90 seconds.
Due to the nature of the delay, the bout will only be postponed for one week and is already planned to headline Bellator 62, which features the lightweight tournament quarterfinals and will take place in Texas.
The winner between Prindle and Santos will eventually challenge Bellator heavyweight champion Cole Konrad, who has been patiently awaiting his first challenger since winning the title in 2010.
Sound fair to you, Maniacs?
Posted in: bellator, bout, event, tournament, prindle
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBellator 61 Heavyweight Main Event Scratched
The quest to determine a Bellator heavyweight No. 1 contender has been put on ice as the Bellator 61 main event between Eric Prindle and Thiago Santos has been scrapped.
Posted in: bellator, heavyweight, event, eric prindle, bellator heavyweight
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyMMA is still illegal in NY, but Muay Thai is coming to Madison Square Garden and you can go for $21!
If you’re driving into the New York City on Friday night, chances are the parking garage for the duration of your visit is going to cost you more than $21. If you’re taking the train, it’s probably going to cost you even more. A couple of Long Island Iced Teas for you and that girl at the bar who probably isn’t going leave with you because she suddenly remembered she has a boyfriend = another $21 (and even then, you’d probably have to stiff the bartender). The cover for any night-club where you can demonstrate the swag in your Dougie… That too will cost you $25 or more. At the end of all those scenarios, you’ll be out nearly $75-$200 (depending on whether or not you run into Phil Baroni at the bar) and you’ll go home feeling like you did every night of your late teens; broke, hung-over, and sexually frustrated.
You’re a fight fan. The only reason you’re out in the city trying to mingle with other people is because there’s no other MMA on TV that you find worthwhile. It’s a bummer, and if I could give you a hug to demonstrate I understand your frustration, I would totally do it. So would the rest of the MiddleEasy crew. We like hugging almost as much as we like combat sports. The only thing we like better than fighting is getting to watch amazing fighting live for a crazy low price. And for the next 4 hours or so, you can get your ticket to watch the best Muay Thai show ever put together on the East Coast for just $21.
The MiddleEasy crew has been excited about this show since it was announced several months ago. To get some background on the fighters competing:
· Jarrell Miller (16-0) and Brian Collette (12-0) will both put their undefeated records on the line in a heavyweight fight that’s sure to end with one fight lifeless on the canvas. Miller actually has a win over current UFC heavyweight Pat Barry in a kickboxing match under K-1 Rules back in 2008.· Then there’s Sean Hinds, former student of Phil Nurse, has consistently been one of the biggest draws in NYC’s history; competing on since the sport was condemned to basement-only entertainment. The man is widely regarded for his unreal KO power & endless gastank. · Last year’s TaKe-On tournament winner Brett Hlavacek will also defend his perfect pro record against Chris Clodfelter. Brett has been one of the WAT’s head instructors for years, working with fighters like Frankie Edgar and Jon Jones. · Brett’s teammate Nick Vaughan is also fighting on the card. He is the current TaKe-On champion, and Kru Phil Nurse’s own nephew. Nick defends his title against Brian Hutchings from Megalodon in Georgia. · Two flyweight fights also showcased on the card including seasoned veterans like Thiago Azerado, Andy Singh, Eric Ruiz, and Anthony Demaio. These are truly some of the best fighters on the planet at 125lb – Expect them going airborne throughout the fight with the wildest flying strikes you’ll ever see live. If you have a video camera, you might want to record the rounds and watch them in slow motion. Not sure if that’s allowed or not, but you should do it anyway.· In the main event, UFC veteran Ryan Madigan will fight Rigel Balsamico. This fight was actually supposed to happen last year. Both fighters made it up to New York City, made weight, got in the ring, and Ryan refused to remove his kneepads as per sanctioning rules. The fight was cancelled on site, and fans ultimately left FridayNightFights angry and frustrated. I was actually one of them. Rigel has been bitter about the whole situation ever since. This being Rigel’s last fight before retiring, there is nobody he wanted to smash more than the former UFC competitor.
MMA might still be illegal in New York, but the most exciting fighters to ever step on the big stage in Madison Square Garden’s history go to war this Friday, and you’d be a out of your mind to miss them for only $21. You've got four more hours to get in on this amazing discount at the biggest event in Muay Thai history, so get over to Groupon and buy your tickets now. As an added bonus we've gotten confirmation that Badr Hari will be in the building the night of the event. If Badr Hari is going, you know this event is badass.
You can visit the TaKe-On website to see the full fight card and enjoy the gallery of photos from previous events below to see what you can expect from this historic event.
Posted in: fight, fighter, event, ’re, york city
Read the full article at Middle EasyUFC vets Sean McCorkle, Karo Parisyan, prospect Chris Gruetzemacher booked for WMMA debut event
The debut event for Texas based Worldwide MMA will feature a slew of UFC veterans and rising prospects. In the main event three time UFC heavyweight Sean McCorkle will take on Brian Heden in a super heavyweight bout. WMMA "Fighting for a better world" will take place on Saturday March 31st from the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, TX.On the pay per view undercard Drew Fickett, Karo Parisyan, and Lyle Beerbohm will compete in separate bouts. Team Jackson prospect Willie Parks will move to 170 pounds for a fight with Jamaine Facey. Arizona featherweight prospect Chris Gruetzemacher will continue to make his case for a longterm UFC roster spot with a fight versus Frank Gomez.Press ReleaseWorldwide Mixed Martial Arts, Inc. (WMMA) announces partnerships with six different providers that will carry WMMA's inaugural charitable event live from the Don Haskins Center from El Paso, TX.For fans in the United States, the event will be live on pay-per-view (PPV) iN DEMAND, DISH Network and Avail-TVN. Canadian fans will have access through Bell Canada and Astral/Viewer's Choice. Viewers with access to the above-mentioned channels will be able to purchase the event, enjoy a great night of professional fights and support a good cause. The main event is available on PPV for $29.95.Fans are encouraged to enjoy the special countdown show leading up to the live PPV broadcast for a unique behind the scenes look just prior to the main card. The countdown show begins at 6:30 pm MDT with the live PPV event starting at 7 pm MDT.In addition to our PPV partners, WMMA has partnered with the Armed Forces Network (AFN) to reach the approximately one million service members and their families deployed in 175 countries around the world."We are excited to offer this event through major pay-per-view partners and the Armed Forces Network," said William McFarlane, President of WMMA. "Giving our fans the ability to view this landmark event while supporting Wounded Warriors is central to what WMMA is all about. With several former and active duty military on the fight card, we are extremely excited that AFN will broadcast our event live to over 175 military installations worldwide. We would like to thank each of our broadcast partners and look forward to continuing to provide world class programming to their viewers."McCorkle vs. Heden: Fighting For A Better WorldMain Card: 1. Sean McCorkle vs. Brian Heden (Super Heavyweight) 2. Thomas Denny vs. Karo Parisyan (170lbs) 3. Lyle Beerbohm vs. Derrick Noble (170lbs) 4. Drew Fickett vs. Kevin Knabjian (155lbs) 5. Jamaine Facey vs. Willie Parks (170lbs) 6. Rodney Wallace vs. Derrick Mehmen (205lbs)Under Card: 1. Darrill Schoonover vs. Paul Buentello (265lbs) 2. Frank Gomez vs. Chris Gruetzemacher (145lbs) 3. Deutsch Pu'u vs. Esteves Jones (265lbs) 4. Lionel Lanham vs. Brad Peterson (185lbs)WMMA: McCorkle vs. Heden will take place on Saturday, March 31st at the Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas. Doors open at 5 pm MDT and fights begin at 5:30 pm MDT. Tickets are on sale now! To purchase tickets please go to www.wmmasports.com or http://www.ticketmaster.com/.To watch WMMA: McCorkle vs. Heden live on pay-per-view, contact your local cable or satellite provider for details. For additional information on WMMA, please visit www.wmmasports.com. Follow WMMA on Facebook and on twitter @wmmasports. Fight card is subject to change.
Posted in: fight, vs, event, lb, wmma
Read the full article at UltMMASean McCorkle vs. Brian Heden headlines March's inaugural WMMA event
Three-time UFC veteran Sean McCorkle headlines this month's inaugural Worldwide Mixed Martial Arts (WMMA) event.
WMMA officials recently announced that McCorkle meets fellow super
heavyweight Brian Heden in the main event of the March 31 event,
which takes place at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.
Featuring a host of notables, including Thomas Denny vs. Karo Parisyan,
Lyle Beerbohm vs. Derrick Noble and Drew Fickett vs. Kevin Knabjian,
among others, the main card of "WMMA 1: McCorkle vs. Heden" airs on
pay-per-view and the Armed Forces Network.
Posted in: vs, event, mccorkle, wmma, heden
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC Taking Action Against Individuals Who Illegally Stream Events
There is an interesting bit of news over at the Wrestling Observer where they are reporting that the UFC intends to go after individuals who watch illegal streams of events, not just the websites that host the streams. This is unusual for pay-per-view event copyright cases, which almost always focus on the hosting site.
Here's the info from the Wrestling Observer:
As part of legal action against the web site www.greenfeedz.com, which streamed UFC 130 to 142 illegally and was threatened with legal action, Zuffa was able to obtain e-mail addresses, user names, and each individual event streamed as well as IP addresses of everyone who watched an event through that web site and will be legally going after the individual consumers for copyright violations.
So basically, if you were registered on that site and watched an event, the UFC now has your information and will be looking to take legal action against you.
I'd be lying if I said I had much insight into what exact damages the UFC could go after in these cases, but this is clearly going to serve as a major deterrent to individuals to look for streams online going forward.
Honestly, this is a much more appropriate response for them in terms of action against piracy than ideas like supporting SOPA and will be a story that we'll have to keep our eyes on in the future.
Posted in: ufc, event, stream, action, site
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowRampage Jackson Wants Out and UFC Should Grant His Wish
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson says it's not just about the money, that he feels disrespected by the UFC and their recent treatment of him, and that because of it, he wants out. To that I say, cut him loose.Jackson certainly has been one of the UFC's best performers during his five-year run. He's the fighter that crumbled the Chuck Liddell era, unified the UFC and PRIDE belts and smashed Wanderlei Silva. He's been featured in the main event in eight of his 11 UFC appearances. For all of that, he deserves his place among the greats. But he doesn't want to be in the UFC any longer, and the UFC frankly doesn't need him.
If you think otherwise, you are mistaken. Would it be beneficial to have Jackson around in a healthy business relationship? Of course it would. But do they need him? No. Despite his success, he's replaceable, as is nearly everyone in nearly every industry. Building blocks like Liddell and Couture fade off, and time marches on. It would be the same with Jackson. A divorce would be a win-win for both parties. UFC can move on and Jackson can call his own shots, knowing full well what he's getting himself into. He may say some outlandish things, but he's smart enough to know what's out there awaiting him, and there's not much. If that's the situation he'd rather face, things must be beyond redemption.It's not about money, he says. As recently as UFC 130 -- three fights ago -- Jackson was all smiles, saying "I'm making a lot of money for this fight." In the time since, his profile hasn't declined, as he's had a title match with Jon Jones and a co-main event with Ryan Bader at UFC 144, an event in which he was spotlighted just as much as the main event fighters.This latest episode started shortly after UFC 144, in a series of postings on Twitter, where Jackson insinuated that UFC stood for "u fight cheap," and that he would honor the last fight on his deal and then leave the organization.On Monday's edition of "Inside MMA," Jackson took things a step further, asking for his immediate release during an interview with Bas Rutten."In my opinion they're trying to make me lose my fan base, because they don't want me to be bigger than the UFC," he said. "Because the [A-Team] movie I did was bigger than the UFC. I know what's going on. I'm going to let them have the UFC. I don't want to be part of the UFC anymore. If Dana doesn't want me to be bigger than the UFC, let me go."This isn't his first blowup with the UFC, of course. Back in September 2009, he announced he was quitting due to conflicts with the promotion, mostly stemming from his decision to film The A-Team instead of facing Rashad Evans as had been planned. About two months later, he said he was coming back to "shut Rashad's mouth up and shut Dana's mouth up."That fight was the beginning of his current 2-3 skid. Jackson says he wants respect, but he is the same guy who said "I don't give a damn about the belt" when he was preparing to fight Liddell. Was that respectful to the organization promoting him in a championship match after only one win there? Of course, that doesn't prove anything about the way the UFC has handled him behind the scenes, only that everyone has a different definition of respect. We do know that back in 2008, White flew from Las Vegas to Orange County, California to post bail for Jackson after a hit-and-run accident that led to a police chase. So there is some history of the UFC going above and beyond the contracted relationship to look out for him. You'd be hard-pressed to find other instances of pro sports league owners doing the same for one of their athletes.Since that was over three years ago, it is possible that they've disrespected him in some real way that we don't know about. Although he didn't say it outright, Jackson seemed to suggest they were asking him to take a pay cut. While that isn't necessarily a disrespectful move -- financial decisions are often cruel in the sports world, just ask Peyton Manning -- it's easy to understand why he'd see it as such.But some of his tangentially related comments make it clear there is more to the situation. He told Inside MMA that the UFC matchmaker Joe Silva "needs to be slapped in the face." Why? "If you got a fighter like me who likes to go out and put on exciting fights, why are you going to keep giving me wrestlers who are going to take me down and hump me?" he asked, as if it was a rhetorical question.Arguing that your matchups aren't favorable to your style aren't going to win you any sympathy. Remember that as recently as February 2011, he was offered a rematch with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, a striker who happened to be the division's light-heavyweight champion at the time. But Jackson had to turn down the short-notice but major opportunity because he was 250 pounds and felt he couldn't be ready by the necessary date. Is that missed chance for a matchup to his liking on him or the UFC?Beyond that, if you look at the last three fights he's lost, the majority of the bouts have been fought standing. Against Ryan Bader, he spent 8:30 of the 15 minutes on his feet and lost. Against Jon Jones, he spent 14:45 of the 16:14 on his feet and lost. Against Rashad Evans, he spent 11:06 of the 15 minutes on his feet and lost. Those matchups may not have excited him, but he had his opportunities. He's always had them, in the form of championship bouts, No. 1 contender fights, and main events.
But that's all just factual stuff, and this is about feelings. As Jackson admitted during a recent, extended interview with MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani, he's always been more sensitive than he lets on. Last week, Dana White spoke about this whole thing, saying that he thought Jackson was just taking the loss and corresponding criticism hard. But White had also talked to Jackson and thought the worst was behind them, and Jackson still feels the same way. Jackson has his mind made up, and it's not about money, it's about feelings. He wants out. It's time to say thanks for the UFC memories, and let him go.
Posted in: ufc, fight, jackson, event, he
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseWyoming Creates First MMA-Only Governing Board To Mixed Reviews
While the biggest events in UFC history will likely never take place within its borders, Wyoming recently became the latest state to legalize MMA and took a somewhat controversial step by creating an MMA-only governing board -- the first of its kind in the U.S.
Governor Matt Mead signed the bill into legislation last Thursday, dropping the amount of states with no such legal welcome for the sport down to five. It was the fifth time that such legislation was attempted to be put through with boxing promoters providing opposition in previous attempts. State Rep. Bryan Pedersen (R) focused solely on MMA and thus avoided that this time around.
However, the controversy is with local promoters. Here's an interesting twist from Jeremy Pelzer of the Casper-Star Tribune:
The MMA board will be paid for by taking 5 percent of the gross receipts from each MMA fight in the state. Some fight organizers said that could lead some promoters in the state to stop holding events.
Stephen Alley, an MMA promoter who has held fights in Casper since 2006, said attendance at those fights has declined in recent years to the point that an additional fee would be devastating.
"If they bring in a commission, most of the people that you see operating right now, they won't be around," he said.
The three-person board begins work on July 1st. Currently, there are approximately 20 events held throughout the state, which is the second least densely populated in the country at just under 600,000 total residents.
In their "previous life", the UFC ran their sixth ever event in Casper, drawing 2700 fans for a July 1995 event that was headling by Ken Shamrock defeating Dan Severn in just 2:14 to win his first UFC Superfight title. Oleg Taktarov defeated Tank Abbott to win the UFC 6 tournament. They never returned.
Posted in: ufc, mma, event, state, board
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowBellator 60 ratings: Season-six opener draws 169,000 MTV2 viewers
This past weekend's Bellator 60 event, which kicked off the organization's sixth season, averaged 169,000 MTV2 viewers.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the ratings information with Viacom/MTV2 officials.
The event took place this past Friday, March 3, at The Venue at Horseshoe Hammond in Hammond, Ind. In addition to Pat Curran dethroning 145-pound champ Joe Warren, Bellator's season-six featherweight tourney kicked off at the event.
Posted in: bellator, event, ratings information, hammond ind, horseshoe hammond
Read the full article at MMA JunkieWyoming to Create Nation's First MMA-Only Commission
Late last week, Wyoming become the 46th state to sanction mixed martial arts, after Gov. Matt Mead signed legislation into law. But tucked away in the bill -- HB0087 -- was the more interesting news to come out of the development, that the state is set to become the first state to have a mixed martial arts-only commission to regulate the sport.Most states that have sanctioned MMA over the past few years have added the duties to the work of their existing athletic or boxing commission, but Wyoming has no such regulators, so instead decided to install a new board solely devoted to MMA.
Gov. Mead will appoint three members to the commission, whose duties will take effect on July 1. At that time, rules and regulations will be drafted, with input from surrounding state sanctioning bodies.
The bill forming the group sailed through the legislative process and was passed by a 58-0 vote in the House of Representatives, with two voters being excused. Wyoming's sanctioning leaves only New York, Connecticut, Vermont and Alaska as the final holdouts to regulation, though while the first three sanction boxing, Alaska has no existing athletic regulatory body in place.While Wyoming is the least populated state in the U.S. (568,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau), UFC vice president of government and regulatory affairs Marc Ratner previously told the state's Casper Star-Tribune that the UFC would be willing to bring a Fight Night-level event there. The commission will eventually be funded by a five percent tax on total gross receipts from MMA events. Local promoters say about 20 events are held in the state annually, but have voiced a concern that the tax could shut down some of those events.
While the state isn't known as a hotbed, it hosted UFC 6 back in July 1995 under the original UFC ownership team. The most notable fighter ever to come out of Wyoming is former UFC middleweight No. 1 contender and recently signed Strikeforce star Nate Marquardt. The former Olympic wrestling gold medalist Rulon Gardner, who competed one time in MMA, is also from the state.
The legislation was initiated by state Rep. Bryan Pederson, a Cheyenne Repubilcan who reportedly practices Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai.
Posted in: ufc, event, commission, state, wyoming
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseSuper Fight League’s debut event full video is free on Youtube
India’s Super Fight League launched in Mumbai this past weekend, becoming the first MMA promotion to offer its events free on Youtube. Many promotions would have scoffed at the Naziesque Youtube content rules prohibiting them from advertising in their own videos, but not Super Fight League founders Raj Kundra and Sanjay “The real action hero of India” Dutt. If they’re able to make this thing work while still submitting to Google hegemony, more power to them. Any freely available MMA is good MMA; even if it features Bob Sapp, at least we don’t have to pay 10 bucks for it like we did with OneFC. With over a billion people in India, these folks seem to be working under the assumption that if they can rope in even 1% of the general public, they’ll be sitting on a gold mine. So they made their motto “Come for the concert... Stay for the fights” and put two elephants in the main event. I don’t know who these musicians Mika and Sivamani are, but I think I might have seen them in a Rocco Siffredi production of some sort. One thing I know for sure, though, is that Indians love their elephants, and James Thompson and Bob Sapp delivered elephantine heft and agility in spades. And the rest of the fights were actually pretty decent, so you have nothing to lose by checking it out.
Posted in: fight, mma, event, league, india
Read the full article at FightlinkerIf you missed Super Fight League this morning, they've uploaded the entire event for your viewing pleasure
Guys, I don’t want to boast but I’m going to anyway. The weather here in Mumbai is fantastic. After sitting in the open roof sports complex for Super Fight League’s first event, Phil Baroni and I hung with Bollywood girls while listening to Sanjay Dutt tell us stories from his life as the Indian Sly Stallone late into the night. We’ve been very well looked after and I.... I can’t do this any more. I sat in my bedroom and watched Super Fight League in my underwear thanks to the free stream that SFL will be providing for all of their shows for the next three years on YouTube. If you slept through SFL 1 then you missed an entertaining event and unfortunately you’ll never be able to see it again. Just kidding, the folks over at Super Fight League have put the whole event up for you to watch at your leisure for free.
In a weekend in which we’ve had Tachi Palace Fights, TUF: Live, Bellator and SFL 1 you may be thinking that us MMA fans are spoiled. However at MiddleEasy HQ we believe this is altogether just the right amount of MMA for a three-day span. However we also argue about the best burrito filling which often culminates in Bauzen and Zeus throwing gastronomical insults at each other. Judging by this, we may not be the best people to ask but by playing the video below you will not only be able to watch all two and a half hours of SFL 1 with Jeff Osbourne and Phil Baroni providing the commentary but you also implicitly agree with us that MMA is everything. Enjoy.
Posted in: fight, event, fight league, league, sfl
Read the full article at Middle EasyFinal thoughts from Bellator 60 plus Joe Warren and Hector Lombard updates
Last night's (March 9, 2012) Bellator 60 event is in the books and now it's time to start looking towards next week, although before we do that, I wanted to dish out my final thoughts on the event.
I was fortunate enough to be cageside for the show, which took place a couple hours from me in Hammond, Indiana at the Horseshoe Casino.
Overall, I felt the event was a big success, although it definitely had its ups and downs. A new star was born, four very exciting featherweights moved on to the tournament semifinals and young promotional talent continues to take over.
Posted after the jump, I've got some assorted newsworthy tidbits taken from the press conference, talks with fighters and much, much more:
I'll start with the big news first:
- Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard can begin taking offers from outside promotions in May
While Lombard's contract with Bellator quietly expired in between seasons five and six, the promotion still has exclusive negotiating rights with him until May. After some specific date in May, other promotions like the UFC can begin throwing big money offers his way. Bellator will still have the right to match any offer by another promotion, but it will have to decide whether it will be worth the money to try to keep the 34 year old knockout machine.
If Lombard does in fact leave the promotion, Alexander Shlemenko, who won the Bellator season five middleweight tournament, will fight the winner of the Bellator season six middleweight tournament (which starts next Friday at Bellator 61) to crown a new 185-pound champion.
- Joe Warren likely suffered a very serious concussion, could very well affect his shot at the Olympics
Obviously, Warren was unable to attend the post-fight presser but Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney explained the PG version to the media saying Warren was "nauseous" backstage and was sent to the emergency room. From what I heard, he wasn't just nauseous, he was vomiting pretty badly. That's one of the worst signs of a major concussion. Also, Warren had mentioned he might have broken his hand to his corner before the second round. With the Indiana State Athletic Commission likely giving him a lengthy suspension from even light contact, I have some major doubts that Warren will be able to try out for the Olympics on April 20th in Iowa City like he was originally planning.
Speaking of the stoppage...
- The referee was completely inept and should have stopped the Warren fight way sooner
My friend Gerry Rodriguez counted 35 unanswered strikes from Curran. I watched it myself and counted 42, most of them being big power shots including 6 knees. Joe Warren was turned away, practically on the ground and getting swarmed, that's when the ref should have stepped in. Instead, he allowed Warren to eat another 20 huge shots include two massive uppercuts which knocked him completely out. If there was ever a case for a standing TKO in a fight, it was this one. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney also agreed saying, "Watching it live and again on tape, yeah, it could have been stopped earlier." You can also tell exactly how Bellator felt about the stoppage by watching its "Bellator 60 Moment" on YouTube. It just so happens to cut out about 15-20 seconds of the brutal beating Curran laid on Warren before he lost consciousness. Even the promotional team thought the finishing sequence was too harrowing to be shown in its entirety.
- Bellator is growing significantly in terms of media coverage and attendance
I covered my first Bellator event in 2010, Bellator 23 in Louisville, Kentucky and they only had one table for media and about four or five guys total were there covering the show and none of them were from any major sites. For this event, there was a very large turnout even for the open media workouts on Wednesday with multiple video reporters, tons of photographers and even more writers. Some of the big names in attendance hailed from Yahoo! Sports, ESPN Chicago, the Chicago Tribune, Bleacher Report, Heavy MMA, MMA Torch and much, much more. There were four long rows of tables for the media and they were all full. This show was a much bigger deal this time around and that's a very good sign for Bellator gaining some coverage from media and recognition from the fans.
- The pacing of the main card needs to improve drastically
Others have touched on this already, but with the show starting at 8:00 p.m eastern time and the first fight was concluding just 3:35 into round one, it's very disappointing that the second fight didn't even start until about 8:40 p.m. eastern time. In my opinion, that's inexcusable. Bjorn Rebney mentioned he wanted this season to be a more streamlined package, but last night was not the start they were hoping for. There were too many commercials, the breaks were too long and there was a lot of waiting around. I would really like to see this improve as the season continues.
- Pat Curran is the prototype of the Bellator business model
Curran was a no-name fighter with a 10-3 record when he stepped up as an alternate, taking the last spot in the season two lightweight tournament. We all know what happened next, he knocked tournament favorite Mike Ricci senseless, upset former UFC contender Roger Huerta and then earned a title shot against Eddie Alvarez. Now, after dropping to featherweight and decimating everyone in his path including Ronnie Mann, Marlon Sandro and Joe Warran, I've got him ranked as the number four ranked featherweight in the world behind only Jose Aldo, Hatsu Hioki and Chad Mendes. This is a guy who's complete rise to fame has occurred in the Bellator cage and the promotion wouldn't have it any other way.
- Marlon Sandro returned to form with a dominant first round destruction, seems extra motivated
I'll admit I was beginning to have my doubts about Marlon Sandro after a tough split decision victory in the Summer Series quarterfinals, another tough unanimous decision in the semis and then getting knocked out by Curran last August. I wasn't entirely convinced he was back yet after his last fight either, a first round submission of Rafael Dias, because Sandro had been rocked pretty badly in the stand-up. Despite turning 35 the day before, he showed no signs of slowing down last night against Roberto Vargas, thoroughly dismantling him with punches and knees before choking him out in the first round. I loved his post-fight celebration with the centurian helmet reminiscent of the Bellator logo. We'll see what Sandro is made of in his next fight against fellow Brazilian Alexandre Bezerra, who's an extremely promising young talent. Bezerra is still a bit limited in his striking so this could be a favorable match-up for Sandro.
For complete Bellator 60 results and detailed round-by-round commentary of all the televised fights as well as a recap of the main card and main event click here, here and here.
That's all the key points I had for the event.
Was there anything else that stood out to you, Maniacs? I didn't see the live broadcast on MTV 2 so maybe you guys have a unique perspective on this.
Speak up if so!
Posted in: fight, bellator, promotion, event, warren
Read the full article at MMA ManiaOklahoma State Athletic Commission Suspends All Combat Sports
The Oklahoma State Athletic Commission has suspended all combat sports due to lack of funding. According to MMAValor, the commission has halted all permits after March 31 (with the exception of a previously set boxing event on April 7).
The article mentions the commission is facing legal action from the UFC’s parent company, Zuffa LLC., for its pay-per-view tax that taxes all PPVs that air in the state to provide funding for the commission to operate. The tax, which has been in place since 2004, provides the commission additional funding to operate events in the state. This is key, because the commission receives no state funding to operate.
Financial restraints are one of the main problems for most state athletic commissions these days. With state funding dropping in many states, athletic commissions are often the first offices to lose funding. The irony of course being that the commissions are facing increased demands with more events in many states, leaving many commissions struggling to figure out how to meet these demands.
Oklahoma State Athletic Commission director explained his state’s issue to MMAValor, stating:
“It takes approximately $360K for the Commission to provide regulation for the approximately 275 events per year we regulate. The Oklahoma State Athletic Commission does not receive any state funding. We are funded solely from license fees, assessment on live events, and an assessment on pay-per-view events. We receive approximately $137K per year through license fees and assessments on live events. Receipts from Pay-per-view are approximately $240K per year. About $80K per year comes from UFC PPV. The UFC has threatened a law suit against our PPV law unless our legislature repeals our PPV law during this legislative session. The Commission loses either way. OK has been collecting on PPV since 2004 and this is the first time the issue has been brought to light. For the Oklahoma Commission to survive and for Combat Sports to continue in Oklahoma it will be up to the Oklahoma legislature to come up with a solution to the funding shortfall. You can do the math.”
For more on this story and all things MMA, stay tuned to MMAfrenzy.
Posted in: event, commission, state, funding, oklahoma
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC threatens lawsuit against Oklahoma
MMA Worldwide reported that Oklahoma is being threatened by litigation from the UFC for imposing a 4% tax on PPV in the state. As a result, the Oklahoma state athletic commission is not taking on any new applications for licenses from MMA promoters.
Via MMA Worldwide:
Unfortunately, after March 31st of this year, combat sport competitions will come to a grinding halt in the state of Oklahoma. The state is under a threat of a lawsuit by none other than the UFC. It seems the UFC wants the state to drop a 4% pay-per-view tax imposed by the state, but without it… they will no longer have the funds necessary to regulate any boxing or MMA events held in Oklahoma.
The article states that over 200 events happen each year across the state. If the state loses out on MMA, the events could remain in the state but on tribal grounds and casinos. It also provides a copy of the letter. Click on the image to read it.
Payout Perspective:
An interesting strong arm tactic by the UFC and it would be interesting to see on what grounds the UFC would sue the state. If you are in Oklahoma, the impact of viewing live MMA might not be harsh considering that the events could move to tribal casinos in the state where federal law trumps state. The state is in a bad position as it claims it needs the revenue from the PPV tax but wants to keep in the good graces of the UFC (and stay away from a potential lawsuit).
Posted in: ufc, mma, event, state, oklahoma
Read the full article at MMA PayoutUFC Lawsuit Threat May Derail All Regulated MMA In Oklahoma
The Oklahoma State Athletic Commission has sent out a letter to MMA promoters claiming that they will not be accepting any applications to hold events after March 31, 2012. The OSAC claims that a threat from "out of state" could "greatly affect the Commission's ability to provide for ... the health and safety of the fighters."
According to a report on KOKH Fox 25 in Oklahoma, the UFC is threatening to sue the state unless the Commission stops taking a 4% tax on Pay-Per-View events to fund its activities. MMA Worldwide has more including the letter from the OSAC after the jump:
From MMA Worldwide:
Combat sports are a multi-million dollar industry in the state, and now it seems that mixed martial arts will be slipping back into the shadows indefinitely.
This move will effect nearly 200 events that happen each year across Oklahoma, and if the UFC and the state can't come to terms... promoters will have to take their business onto tribal grounds and casinos where they have their own regulations.
Posted in: mma, event, commission, state, oklahoma
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowBellator 60: Warren Vs. Curran - Live Results and Play-By-Play
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for Bellator 60. Our live coverage will start with MTV 2 broadcast (8 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event. We will not be doing play-by-play of the undercard, but you can discuss those fights in the comments as well. That undercard stream runs on Bellator.com and Spike.com.
The night's main event is a Bellator featherweight championship bout between champion Joe Warren and challenger Pat Curran. The rest of the card is centered on featherweights as well as we get four quarterfinal bouts in this season's 145 pound tournament. Marlon Sandro takes on Roberto Vargas, Ronnie Mann faces Mike Corey, Alexandre Bezerra fights replacement opponent Kenny Foster and Daniel Straus squares off with Jeremy Spoon.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
SBN coverage of Bellator 60
Posted in: bellator, event, sbn coverage, quarterfinal bouts, undercard stream
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowOwner Victor Cui On The ONE FC Recipe For Success
Guest post by Stephie "Crooklyn" Daniels. You can follow Crooklyn on Twitter at CrooklynMMA. Diehard fans of Asian MMA have been left with a sizable hole in their viewing schedules following the demise of PRIDE, and although there have been a few notables, no other promotions have really laid claim to their throne. Sengoku tried, but failed after less than four years. DREAM has been trying to lay the groundwork as well, but serious financial issues have hindered their growth. Enter a new horse on the not so distant horizon, ONE FC. Headed up and owned by Victor Cui, the former promoter of Martial Combat (which put out 12 events in 2010 under the ESPN Star Sports umbrella), the organization has already struck a landmark 10 year deal with ESPN Star Sports, and has a vast network of alliances with gyms across Asia and Australia. They've forged a partnership with DREAM that will bear it's first fruit on March 31, when Japanese featherweight superstar, Tatsuya Kawajiri, makes the trip to Singapore to fight former King of the Cage champion, Donald Sanchez, in front of 12,000 fans at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. With major players stepping in as sponsor partners, co-promotional deals with SONY Pictures, and a solid plan for growth, ONE FC plans to be around for the long haul. In a recent interview I conducted with Victor, some of the blueprint for their future was revealed, as well as how they've managed to get the best deals in the business, while only having produced two shows to date. ONE FC Network"The ONE FC Network that we've launched, brings together every major promoter in every major country. You're talking about people being the very best at what they do. When you bring together all of those organizations, and when everybody has their own strengths, but it's the first time we've all tried to work together; to share fighters, to share knowledge, to share sponsorship opportunities, television deals. It's complex and it's hard, but the way we can exponentially grow the sport in Asia, is by working together. For the first time, under the ONE FC Network, all those players are coming together. You're talking about people that are very well established and very well respected, and have a huge and talented roster of fighters. The ONE FC Network allows everyone to get together, and gives those fighters opportunities to compete on each other's promotions. It also gives us a chance to figure out how we would do these co-promotions, what makes sense in each country, what the dates are, how we can combine our calendars, or, at the most basic level, how do we make our individual calendars happen so that we're not competing against each other."
More after the jump, including their deals with DREAM.
Co-promotion with DREAM"The partnership that I have with DREAM, is not only to work together to develop the sport and share our world champion fighters, but to host a co-promotion together. We're working on the details for our first, full, co-promoted event, and we'll be making that announcement very soon. What we want to do is put together the best show in the world." Many hands make light work"I'm always interested in finding ways to work with other people. I really believe in this philosophy, and a lot of people quote me saying, 'Many hands make light work.' That's my approach to Asian MMA. What ONE FC is, is a regional opportunity. The television deal that I closed with ESPN in Asia, is unprecedented. It's a 10 year media deal. There is no other sporting property in the world that has a 10 year media deal. It's a sign of what ESPN believes ONE FC can do in the region. My close relationship that I have with them has allowed us to have that kind of deal. It means that what we are really focused on, is how we can bring MMA to the 500 million people around the region through ESPN and their platforms, and additionally bring MMA to all of the 3.9 billion Asians in these countries. That's really where the growth of the sport is."Success where others have failed"Japan has had its challenges, as well as other organizations in the United States. I really looked closely at their business models before we even launched ONE FC, and studied them, and looked at what makes sense, and what didn't make sense. That's why you'll see a couple different things about our business approach. One of them being that we're not spending extravagant amounts of dollars on legends and big names that would charge a huge chunk of money to come out here and have one fight and be done. We have looked for quality fighters that are of good value, that can put on entertaining, world class fights. Second thing is, we're developing fights that are globally relevant, but regionally applicable. They appeal to the European fan, the Brazilian fan, the Canadian fan, the American fan, but we still work hard to keep a distinct Asian feel to it, and we use local Asian talent, to give them the opportunity to showcase themselves on a ONE FC card. It's a tricky balance, because the skillset, obviously between Asian fighters, outside of Japan, is dramatically different than the developed scene in Europe or in North America, so we're always trying to find a balance between those two." Blueprint of the future"I'm focused on doing what I can for the sport. Luckily, for me, I've been in the sports media industry for over 15 years. I know Asian business, and my vision is to bring the most exciting fights and develop MMA to unprecedented levels in Asia. I've got a really strong network of relationships in the community with fighters and other promoters. That's what I focus on, making sure that we can work together to grow the sport, and that ONE FC continues to produce world class television content and events. We've got eight events scheduled over the next 12 months. Next year we'll expand to 14, and then after that, 24 events. We are on a very rapid pace." Big name sponsors and movie tie-ins"We're co promoting, with SONY Pictures in Asia, the launch of the Avengers movie. Fairtex is our equipment sponsor. Energizer Batteries and Schick Razors are also some of our other sponsor partners. Schick Razors have launched an entire branding campaign around ONE FC. When you go to the store, you will see the packaging around the razors with the ONE FC logo, promoting our event. I've been doing this for a long time in Asia, and these are all relationships that I've had in place. The media deals that I am securing in other countries are people that I've worked with, and that have grown to trust me, and have fallen in love with what ONE FC is doing. Everybody comes to a ONE FC event and leaves excited."Victor's simple plan of keeping it regional, but with a global appeal, smart spending and massive media deals may be exactly what the chef has ordered in the recipe to success. Their next event takes place on March 31, and features a wealth of familiar and unknown talent, with an 11 fight card. There will be a featured PPV stream available, which can be found via their website. ONE FC may finally be the promotion to fill the void that PRIDE has left in so many of our hearts. It will be interesting, to say the least, to watch their progress. You can follow Victor via his Twitter @ONEFCMMA
Posted in: fighter, sport, event, deal, fc
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowCage Warriors Fight Night 4 main card set, Linhares vs. Baker added
The main card is set for next week's Cage Warriors Fight Night 4 event.
The show, which streams live on MMAjunkie.com, takes place Friday, March 16, at Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
As previously announced, the event features a headliner of Andreas Kraniotakes vs. recent Bellator competitor Mike Hayes for the organization's vacant heavyweight title.
Posted in: fight, vs, event, event features, arab emirates
Read the full article at MMA JunkieMichael Chandler vs. Akihiro Gono 'superfight' slated for Bellator 67
A three-round non-title fight between Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler and promotional newcomer Akihiro Gono has been added to May's Bellator 67 event.
Bellator officials today announced the headliner.
The event takes place May 4 at Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario, Canada.
Posted in: bellator, event, casino rama, gono, akihiro
Read the full article at MMA JunkieFrankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson Rematch to Take Place This Summer
Just hours after declaring he “had no idea” what he was going to do with the lightweight division, Dana White confirmed on his Twitter account that Frankie Edgar will get the rematch he wants, and will face Benson Henderson again this summer. The pair fought to a closely contested decision at UFC 144 in Japan that went Henderson’s way.
White stated after the fight that he felt Edgar should drop to 145 pounds, and that he would be given an immediate title shot against current featherweight champion Jose Aldo.
During today’s UFC on Fox 3 press conference, White mentioned that the future of the lightweight division would be decided after he talked with Edgar today. Edgar stated immediately after the loss that he wanted to continue fighting at 155 pounds, and that he has no intentions of moving around in weight classes just yet.
Henderson stated earlier this week on MMAFighting.com that he, as a fan, felt that Edgar deserved a rematch. While he was open to fighting other lightweight contenders such as Anthony Pettis, Nate Diaz, or even Jacob Volkmann, it seemed even he was on board with giving Edgar the rematch after the close fight just a few weeks prior.
But with Edgar remaining adamant that he will stay in the lightweight division, Henderson will now be able to confirm his status as a champion, along with giving Edgar the rematch he feels he deserves.
White also announced today that the main event at UFC on Fox 3 between Nate Diaz and Jim Miller will be a number one contender’s bout. That matchup takes place on May 5th, so the winner will face the winner of the Henderson vs. Edgar rematch.
What was not announced was when the second matchup will take place. UFC 149 is the earliest pay-per-view event that is scheduled that does not have a main event on tap. UFC 149 is currently scheduled for July 21st in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, but it has not been officially announced by the UFC.
UFC on Fox 4 is also a possibility, as it too does not have a main event. That event is scheduled for August 4th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
For complete coverage of the ongoing lightweight division developments, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com
Posted in: ufc, event, henderson, rematch, edgar
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyNate Diaz vs Jim Miller staredown pic from UFC on FOX 3 press conference
The UFC on Fox 3: "Diaz vs. Miller" event is still a couple months away but that doesn't mean main event participants Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller couldn't get together for a staredown.
That's exactly what they did today (March 6, 2012) at the press conference in New York to officially announce the event for May 5, 2012, at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
In addition to the main event match-up of Diaz vs. Miller, heavy handed heavyweights Pat Barry and Lavar Johnson will collide, along with welterweight warmongers Josh Koscheck and Johny Hendricks. Check out their staredowns -- as well as a pic of the stars of UFC on FOX 3 on top of Radio City Music Hall -- after the jump.
For a complete recap of the UFC on FOX 3 pre-fight press conference complete with all the relevant notes and quotes click here. To watch the presser in full click here and to check out the complete "Diaz vs. Miller" event archive click here.
Posted in: diaz, fox, vs, event, miller
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC Event in Calgary Not Finalized, But Dana White Confident It'll Happen
NEW YORK -- A rumored summertime UFC event in Calgary is still under consideration and yet to be finalized, but UFC president Dana White on Tuesday told MMA Fighting that he's confident a deal will get done.
"It's not done but it's going to happen," White said on Tuesday after a press conference to announce another event, the UFC on FOX 3 show in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Other sources told MMA Fighting that several details still need to be worked out before the date can be officially added to the UFC's calendar. The projected date and site for the event, which would be UFC 149, is July 21 at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the home arena of the NHL's Calgary Flames.
The possibility of the event was first reported by Canada's Sportsnet. Just yesterday, however, Sportsnet reported that the Canadian Medical Association is mounting opposition to a possible event in the Calgary, even though other events have previously been sanctioned in the city's home province of Alberta.
Canada has been a major market for the UFC over the last few years, with the promotion's largest-ever gate, $11 million, coming from a Rogers Centre event in Toronto. Other successful events have been held in Montreal and Vancouver, but a planned March show in Montreal was scrapped after the UFC couldn't secure a worthy main event, and Vancouver seems to have fallen off the UFC's radar after regulatory changes, insurance concerns and other issues.
That's left Edmonton and Calgary as the two Canadian cities most likely to get a UFC event, and for now it seems that the latter is more likely to get one first.
The Scotiabank Saddledome's seating capacity is 19,289 for hockey, with other configurations including floor seats possibly boosting that total higher.
Posted in: ufc, event, ufc event, alberta canada, calgary
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC On Fuel 2: Lil Nog Out With A Knee, Thiago Silva In To Face Alexander Gustaffson
The scheduled main event of UFC on Fuel 2 card to be held in Stockholm, Sweden on April 14th had a switcheroo, as the UFC officially announced today:
Following a knee injury suffered in training for his April 14th bout against Alexander Gustafsson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira has been forced to withdraw from the UFC on FUEL TV main event in Stockholm, Sweden. Stepping in for Lil' Nog will be another hard-hitting Brazilian, Thiago Silva, who is returning to the Octagon for the first time since January of 2011.
Thiago Silva will return to the cage for the first time since being suspended for using a banned substance that was detected by a urine test after his fight against Brandon Vera at UFC 125. The victory-at-the-time was converted to a No Contest and Silva was suspended for a full year.
The replacement fighter here is actually fairly decent, despite the long lay off. The main event should remain competitive, as well as being a litmus test for the standing of either light heavyweight in the shuffle caused by the losses of Phil Davis and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.
Posted in: ufc, event, silva, fuel tv, stockholm sweden
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowSilva replaces injured Nogueira, faces Gustafsson at UFC on FUEL TV 2
The Ultimate Fighting Championship's first Swedish event has received a
facelift, as Thiago Silva will now compete in the
main event.
Silva replaces an injured Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and now faces Alexander Gustafsson in the main event
of UFC on FUEL TV 2.
UFC officials today announced the change for the April 14 bout, which takes place at Stockholm's Ericsson Globe Arena.
Posted in: event, silva, alexander gustafsson, event silva, swedish event
Read the full article at MMA JunkieFull UFC on FOX 3 pre-fight press conference video for 'Diaz vs Miller'
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White joined the stars of the upcoming UFC on FOX 3 event, which is scheduled to go down on May 5, 2012, from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., to dish the dirt on the upcoming mixed martial arts (MMA) show in the "Garden State."
Hint: Fast-forward to about the 10-minute mark to hit the start of the presser.
Main event participants Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller, as well as heavyweight head hunters Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson and welterweight wrestlers Josh Koscheck vs. Johny Hendricks, also joined White on dais.
Alan Belcher was also in the house, all by his lonesome, thanks to visa issues that kept Paul Harris in Brazil.
For a complete recap of the UFC on FOX 3 pre-fight press conference complete with all the relevant notes and quotes click here. To check out the complete "Diaz vs. Miller" event archive click here.
Posted in: ufc, fox, vs, event, rutherford nj
Read the full article at MMA Mania'Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey' ratings: Event scores 431,000 viewers
This past weekend's "Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey" event drew an average audience of 431,000 viewers.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the figures with an industry source.
The number marks a 25 percent increase from January's "Rockhold vs.
Jardine" event, which drew 344,000 viewers during a
"free-preview" weekend.
Posted in: vs, event, viewer, industry source, number marks
Read the full article at MMA JunkieCrocop Final Fight is probably not Crocop's final fight
After a heady weekend that saw two major league MMA events go down, we're now into a 6 week stretch where the main offerings involve TUF and Bellator. It's not that bad: TUF kicks off with a live house eliminator and Bellator is looking so kewl I might actually watch it this season. Plus you've got smaller events around the world if you're really itchin for a fix. Events like Crocop Final Fight, which does it's best to convince you THIS IS CROCOP'S FINAL FIGHT!Except it isn't. Final Fight is just the name of the promotion! And just ignore that 'one last fight' thing on the poster. Or the video saying 'With every great story there must come an ending!' Or 'The last chapter will be written!' Or 'Crocop is looking to close the last chapter on his illustrious career!' Nope, none of that is meant to trick you into thinking this is the last time Crocop will fight. Then again, considering his history of retiring after every bad performance, I'd say there's still a 50/50 chance it could be Mirko's final fight. And I guess in Croatia, that's good enough to get around false advertising.
You US peeps can catch the event on FightNowTV. Us Canadians apparently get it on the Fight Network! Everyone else can get it via UStream PPV.
Posted in: fight, event, crocop, house eliminator, kewl i
Read the full article at FightlinkerUFC 149 Expected To Take Place in Calgary On July 21st
It appears that the UFC will be coming to Alberta for the first time later this year. Various media sources are reporting that UFC 149 is penciled in for July 21st in Calgary, just one week after the Calgary Stampede. The National Post shares a little insight:
The company is targeting July 21 for UFC 149 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary. The building would be able to accommodate roughly 20,000 people for the event, an expected sellout which would be broadcast live on pay-per-view.
The card has not been officially announced by the company, although in a newly released UFC media guide, the July 21 pay-per-view in Calgary was listed as an upcoming event. Industry sources also confirmed the plan to Postmedia News.
Alberta has hosted one Zuffa event in the past, when World Extreme Cagefighting ran WEC 49 in Edmonton in June of 2010. That card was originally scheduled for Calgary, but there was a problem with booking the venue (the event was to take place in the Calgary Corral, not the Saddledome) and it was moved north instead. There are no fights rumored for the card as of yet, but you can bet that it will be stocked with Canadian fighters.
SBN coverage of UFC 149
Posted in: ufc, event, july, calgary, media sources
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowWhite not pleased with Showtime after denying changes
MMA Junkie reports that Dana White will step away from working with Strikeforce and focus on the UFC. White said this after Saturday night’s Strikeforce event in which Showtime execs turned down suggestions provided by White.
White planned to skip the UFC on FX 2 event in order to head to the Strikeforce event in Columbus, Ohio but when he heard that Showtime would not implement certain changes to the production of the card, he skipped the Strikeforce event.
Via MMA Junkie:
But at the last minute, things changed. According to White, new Showtime boss Stephen Espinoza decided maybe not all of the changes the UFC boss proposed would find their way into the event.
And, White said, he didn’t have the courtesy to even make a direct call, instead preferring contact with fellow Zuffa exec Pete Dropick.
“I almost missed the first UFC fight in 11 years, and then I get the phone call from Pete Dropick when I’m in Japan,” White said. “‘Yeah, listen, they’re not going to change pretty much any of the stuff you wanted.’ So I said, ‘[Expletive] them.’
Payout Perspective:
Hard to say if this is good or bad for Strikeforce. Based on the initial reviews and estimates, the Strikeforce event was well-received. It would be interesting to see what changes White wanted and why Showtime turned down the changes. With White hands off on Strikeforce, it will be interesting to see how Strikeforce will do assuming Scott Coker takes over. Also, what support will it receive from Zuffa?
Posted in: strikeforce, event, showtime, strikeforce event, change
Read the full article at MMA PayoutUFC Press Conference Live Tomorrow At 11AM Eastern In NYC
From UFC.com:
In advance of its May 5 event from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., the Ultimate Fighting Championship® will hold a press conference TOMORROW, Tuesday, March 6 at 11 a.m. ET at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature seven of the UFC’s top stars from the May 5 event, as well as UFC President Dana White.The press conference will also stream live at www.ufc.com. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a commemorative UFC t-shirt.* Tickets for UFC®on FOX go on sale Friday, March 9 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $250, $150, $100, $75 and $50. Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster.com, charge-by-phone at 800-745-3000, and the IZOD Center Box Office. Visit www.IZODcenter.com or call 201-935-3900 for more details. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, March 7 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, March 8, starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter in the field at the top of the page at UFC.com. A special pre-sale window will also be available for the first time to MetroPCS customers, who can buy tickets to UFC: Diaz vs. Miller on Thursday, March 8, starting at 8:30 am. Simply text 91452 with "UFC" from your MetroPCS phone for details. *T-shirts distributed on first-come, first-serve basis, while supplies last.WHO: The Ultimate Fighting Championship® DANA WHITE, UFC President JIM MILLER, N.J. native, UFC on FOX® main event star NATE DIAZ, UFC on FOX® main event star JOSH KOSCHECK, UFC welterweight JOHNY HENDRICKS, UFC welterweight ALAN BELCHER, UFC middleweight PAT BARRY, UFC heavyweight LAVAR JOHNSON, UFC heavyweightWHAT: Free, Public Press Conference WHEN: Tuesday, March 6 at 11 a.m. ETDoors for Fans Open at 10 a.m. WHERE: Radio City Music Hall1260 6th Avenue New York, N.Y. 10020
I will be there live from the press section, hopefully I don't ask any silly questions like former HKL luminary Subo did back in Colorado.
Posted in: ufc, event, press, ticket, march
Read the full article at Head Kick LegendUFC on FOX Presser Tuesday in New York City
In advance of its May 5 event from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., the Ultimate Fighting Championship® will hold a press conference TOMORROW, Tuesday, March 6 at 11 a.m. ET at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature seven of the UFC’s top stars from the May 5 event, as well as UFC President Dana White.The press conference will also stream live at www.ufc.com. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a commemorative UFC t-shirt.* Tickets for UFC®on FOX go on sale Friday, March 9 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $250, $150, $100, $75 and $50. Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster.com, charge-by-phone at 800-745-3000, and the IZOD Center Box Office. Visit www.IZODcenter.com or call 201-935-3900 for more details. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, March 7 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, March 8, starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter in the field at the top of the page at UFC.com. A special pre-sale window will also be available for the first time to MetroPCS customers, who can buy tickets to UFC: Diaz vs. Miller on Thursday, March 8, starting at 8:30 am. Simply text 91452 with "UFC" from your MetroPCS phone for details. *T-shirts distributed on first-come, first-serve basis, while supplies last.WHO: The Ultimate Fighting Championship® DANA WHITE, UFC President JIM MILLER, N.J. native, UFC on FOX® main event star NATE DIAZ, UFC on FOX® main event star JOSH KOSCHECK, UFC welterweight JOHNY HENDRICKS, UFC welterweight ALAN BELCHER, UFC middleweight PAT BARRY, UFC heavyweight LAVAR JOHNSON, UFC heavyweightWHAT: Free, Public Press Conference WHEN: Tuesday, March 6 at 11 a.m. ETDoors for Fans Open at 10 a.m. WHERE: Radio City Music Hall1260 6th Avenue New York, N.Y. 10020
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, ticket, march
Read the full article at UFCStrikeforce’s Scott Coker Says Investigation into Brandon Saling’s Background Underway
There seemed to be an upsetting discovery during the event at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey on Saturday as undercard fighter Brandon Saling's background came into question.
Posted in: strikeforce, event, brandon, saling, background
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyStrikeforce Prelims on now
Come see UFC Hall Of Famer Randy Couture!.......'s son... *ahem*Stay for the main event, we'll all be wanking to Ronda.
Posted in: ufc hall, strikeforce prelims, event, ronda, ufc
Read the full article at FightlinkerStrikeforce: Tate Vs. Rousey - Live Results And Play-By-Play For Main Card
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey. Our live coverage will start with the prelim card on Showtime Extreme (8 p.m. ET) through the Showtime main card (10 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
This post will cover live results and thoughts for the Showtime main card.
The evening's main event sees Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion Miesha Tate put her title on the line against challenger Ronda Rousey in what has become a major grudge match. The co-headlining bout on the evening sees K.J. Noons square off with Josh Thomson in a lightweight fight. Welterweights Paul Daley and Kazuo Misaki meet on the broadcast in a fight that promises fireworks. Rounding out the main card is a pair of middleweight bouts as Ronaldo Souza faces Bristol Marunde and Scott Smith takes on Lumumba Sayers.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey
Posted in: strikeforce, event, card, tate, rousey
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowAlves makes critical mistake in UFC main event
Thiago (Pitbull) Alves will be kicking himself for some time. Actually, he probably wishes he had just kept kicking.
Posted in: ufc, time, event, alve, pitbull
Read the full article at sportsnet.caUFC On FX 2: Kampmann Vs. Alves Live Results And Play-By-Play For FX Main Card
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC on FX 2. Our live coverage will start with the prelim card on FX (6 p.m. ET) through the FX main card (9 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
This post will cover live results and thoughts for the FX main card fights.
This interesting evening of fights is headlined by a welterweight bout between Thiago Alves and Martin Kampmann. Also on the card is the first round of the four man tournament to crown the first ever UFC flyweight (125 pound) champion. Ian McCall faces Demetrious Johnson in one fight while the other sees Joseph Benavidez fighting Yasuhiro Urushitani. Opening the night's main card action is a middleweight fight between Court McGee and Constantinos Philippou.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
SBN coverage of UFC on FX 2
Posted in: ufc, fight, fx, event, card
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowFull UFC on FX 2 weigh-in video for 'Alves vs Kampmann' in Australia
The UFC on FX 2: "Alves vs. Kampann" weigh-in event took place last night (Thurs., March 1, 2012) from the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia, where all 22 competitors tipped the scale to make their respective bouts official for tonight's mixed martial arts (MMA) event.
In the video above, the first fighter steps on the scale around the 24-minute mark, but it also includes the FUEL TV pre-fight coverage with Jay Glazer and Stephan Bonnar, among others.
Hard-hitting Welterweights Thiago Alves and Martin Kampmann will square off in the UFC on FX 2 main event, looking to inch up the 170-pound contender ladder. The first-ever four-man UFC flyweight tournament will also be take place "Down Under," when Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall and Joseph Benavidez vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani battle it out for 125-pound supremacy.
For complete UFC on FX 2: "Alves vs. Kampmann" weigh in results click here and for staredowns click here.
Posted in: ufc, fx, vs, event, alve
Read the full article at MMA ManiaMMA Quick Quote: Miesha Tate vs Ronda Rousey shouldn't be the Strikeforce main event this weekend
"We've got to make sure we're trying to outdo the main event. There's a lot of hype around the main event so I think [we're] two males who really want to try to prove to ourselves and to everybody else that we should have been the main event. I think that's what we're trying to do."
-- According to Josh Thomson, his Strikeforce Lightweight fight against K.J. Noons should have been the headliner at this weekend's (March 3, 2012) Strikeforce: "Tate vs. Rousey" mixed martial arts (MMA) event, at least that's what he told Sherdog.com. The event ,which takes place at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, is headlined by a female Bantamweight title fight between current champ Miesha Tate taking on Olympic Judo medalist Ronda Rousey. Feeling snubbed by the woman's title fight, "The Punk" is going to do his best to put on a show Saturday night and prove to the MMA world the reason(s) his bout should have received topped billing. The winner of the Thompson vs. Noons bout is expected to receive a title shot against Strikeforce 155-pound champion Gilbert Melendez. The event also includes an exciting welterweight scrap between Paul Daley and Kazuo Misaki. Anyone feel Thompsons' beef? Or did Strikeforce get the main event correct by letting the women get top billing?
Posted in: title shot, strikeforce, event, tate, rousey
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FX 2 Weigh-In Results: Alves (170.5), Kampmann (170.5) Set for Main Event
Weigh-ins for tomorrow’s UFC on FX 2 event took place today at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia.. Headliners Thiago Alves and Martin Kampmann both weighed in at 170.5 pounds to make their main event bout official.
Joining them are the four fighters participating in the flyweight tournament, as the first fighters to ever compete at 125 pounds stepped on the scale. All four flyweights- Joseph Benavidez, Demetrious Johnson, Ian McCall and Yasuhiro Urushitani, weighed in at 125.5 pounds to make their first round tournament bouts official.
Filling out the main card is a middleweight showdown between The Ultimate Fighter season 11 winner Court McGee (184.5) and Costa Philippou (185.5).
The weigh-ins results are as follows:
MAIN CARD (FX)
Thiago Alves (170.5) vs. Martin Kampmann (170.5)
Joseph Benavidez (125.5) vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani (125.5)
Demetrious Johnson (125.5) vs. Ian McCall (125.5)
Court McGee (184.5) vs. Constantinos Philippou (185.5)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Fuel TV)
Aaron Rosa (205.5) vs. James Te Huna (206)
Nick Penner (203.5) vs. Anthony Perosh (205)
Cole Miller (146) vs. Steven Siler (146)
Andrew Craig (185) vs. Kyle Noke (185)
Jake Hecht (171) vs. TJ Waldburger (170)
Daniel Pineda (146) vs. Mackens Semerzier (146)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
Shawn Jordan (245.5) vs. Oli Thompson (235)
For complete coverage of UFC on FX 2, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com
Posted in: ufc, fx, vs, event, card
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyDustin Poirier vs. Chan Sung Jung title qualifier headlines UFC on FUEL TV 3
A previously announced featherweight bout between Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung will now headline May's UFC on FUEL TV 3 event.
Officials today announced the bout as a five-round main event.
The winner "is expected to emerge as a challenger to the UFC 145-pound title currently held by Brazilian star Jose Aldo," according to the release.
Posted in: ufc, featherweight bout, chan, event, mays ufc
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC Comes Back to Patriot Center on May 15
FEATHERWEIGHT MAIN EVENTDUSTIN POIRIER vs. ‘THE KOREAN ZOMBIE’ CHAN SUNG JUNGPlus, ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone meets Jeremy Stephens and D.C.’s Mike Easton battles Canadian standout Yves JabouinTuesday, May 15Patriot Center – Fairfax, Va.TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, MARCH 16Las Vegas, Nevada – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® is bringing an exciting night of action to the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va. on Tuesday, May 15. It will mark the UFC’s second trip to the Patriot Center, with the first being held in front of a sellout crowd on Jan. 11, 2010.In the night’s main event, red-hot featherweight rising star Dustin Poirier battles international sensation “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. The winner is expected to emerge as a challenger to the UFC 145-pound title currently held by Brazilian star Jose Aldo.The following fights have also been confirmed for this card: Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone vs. Jeremy Stephens in lightweight action; Jason MacDonald vs. Tom Lawlor at middleweight; Igor Pokrajac vs. Thiago Silva in a light heavyweight bout; Washington, D.C.’s Mike Easton vs. Yves Jabouin in bantamweight action. Additional fights are expected to be announced at www.ufc.com in the weeks to come. The night of action will air live on FUEL TV at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT.“We’re excited to head back to the Patriot Center again with another great night of fights, including a featherweight main event pitting Dustin Poirier against ‘The Korean Zombie,’” UFC President Dana White said. “Poirier and ‘The Korean Zombie’ are two of the most exciting fighters in the UFC. This is going to be a fun fight. From top to bottom, I will deliver for the fans in Virginia.”“We are thrilled to have UFC return to the Patriot Center,” said Barry Geisler, General Manager of the Patriot Center. “The UFC provides a unique and live sporting event experience that MMA fans will not want to miss come May 15th.” Tickets for UFC® on FUEL TV go on sale Friday, March 16 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $229, $154, $104, $69, and $44. Tickets are available at the Patriot Center box office, online at Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000. UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, March 14 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, March 15, starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com. For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.About Ultimate Fighting Championship®Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC® is the world’s premier MMA organization and produces over 12 UFC live Pay-Per-View events annually around the globe. This year, FOX will broadcast four fight cards annually. In spring 2012, The Ultimate Fighter®, UFC’s signature weekly reality TV show, debuts on FX. UFC content is also distributed commercially to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. Globally, UFC programming is broadcast in 150 countries, territories and jurisdictions, reaching over one billion homes worldwide, in 21 different languages.UFC® also boasts a powerful presence online, with UFC.com attracting over seven million unique visitors per month, while also possessing one of the most powerful social media followings in all of professional sports. To date, UFC has over 7.5 million fans on Facebook and over 500,000 followers on Twitter. In addition, UFC President Dana White is one of the most accessible and most followed executives in sports with nearly two million followers on Twitter. On January 22, 2011, UFC continued to set trends in social media, becoming the first major sports league to stream live, broadcast quality action on Facebook.Ancillary businesses include best-selling DVDs, UFC Magazine, the best-selling UFC “Undisputed” videogame franchise distributed by THQ, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel, trading cards, and articulated action figures.About The Patriot CenterLocated on the campus of Northern Virginia's George Mason University, the Patriot Center is a 10,000-seat arena that hosts Mason basketball games, sporting events, concerts, family shows and commencement ceremonies. Bruce Springsteen, Keith Urban, Sting, Pink, Bob Dylan, Ricardo Arjona, Juanes, Black Eyed Peas, Kid Rock, Dolly Parton, Enrique Iglesias, UFC, Professional Bull Riding, the Harlem Globetrotters and Disney on Ice are only a few of the events that have taken place at the arena over the past 26 years.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, center, patriot
Read the full article at UFCRoxy's UFC 144 Adventures
With the UFC in Japan last week, I know Fightlinker fans had one burning question: did our girl Roxanne Modafferi make it to the event? Yes, yes she did, and she shared her thoughts on her excellent blog.
I’ve only been to one other UFC, when it went to the Mohegan Sun in CN, when I was a college student. I went with Kozo, a guy friend who owns the restaurant Fukuzushi I often go to, and who also trains. It was a treat for both of us- I haven’t been to a HUGE event in forever, and he’s NEVER been to a huge event, since he works at his restaurant at night.The event was kind of long. It started right on time at 10, opening with Mizugaki. Too bad he lost by decision. ;_; I thought he won. I was rooting for all the Japanese guys. Wow, the crowd really boo-ed Akiyama. ^^;; I really wanted Mitsuoka-san to win, but he looked pretty good, as did Okami. GGAAAAH SO CLOSE >_< Okami totally should have won that. OH well, that’s the name of the game. Those were really amazing interesting uppercuts. The dude practically threw them under his own arm. :OThe event was kind of long. It started right on time at 10, opening with Mizugaki. Too bad he lost by decision. ;_; I thought he won. I was rooting for all the Japanese guys. Wow, the crowd really boo-ed Akiyama. ^^;; I really wanted Mitsuoka-san to win, but he looked pretty good, as did Okami. GGAAAAH SO CLOSE >_< Okami totally should have won that. OH well, that’s the name of the game. Those were really amazing interesting uppercuts. The dude practically threw them under his own arm. :O
Afterwards, Roxy met up with Joe Lauzon and Benson Henderson for some meaty restaurant goodness. Meals like that are going to be few and far between for her now as she prepares to cut down to 125 pounds to fight former teammate Takayo Hashi THIS SATURDAY! It's going to be a great fight, and of course we'll be carrying the results and pictures and whatever else we can find out about the fight. Maybe even video? Please, oh magical internet! That would be quite nice.
Posted in: event, decision i, akiyama i, okami ggaaaah, gtlt okami
Read the full article at FightlinkerUFC® HEADS TO NEW JERSEY ON MAY 5 WITH ACTION-PACKED CARD ON FOX
Las Vegas, Nevada – UFC® on FOX is coming to the Garden State. The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced today that its third event on the FOX network will take place on Saturday, May 5 from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J. An outstanding five-round lightweight bout between Whippany’s Jim Miller and rugged contender Nate Diaz will headline the card, with the winner moving one step closer to a title shot. The remaining main card bouts include: heavyweights Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson; welterweight contenders Josh Koscheck vs. Johny Hendricks; middleweights Rousimar Palhares vs. Alan Belcher. The action-packed main card will air live on FOX at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT.The card will also feature an exciting preliminary card, which will be confirmed at UFC.com in the coming weeks.A press conference is planned for Tuesday, March 6 at 11 a.m. ET from Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The event is FREE and open to the public. Media interested in attending should RSVP to Dave Sholler (dsholler@ufc.com) by Monday, March 5. A light brunch will be served for the media at 10 a.m. Doors for the public will open at 10:30 a.m. The main card fighters will join UFC President Dana White at the presser.“For our third card on FOX, we have four great fights!” UFC President Dana White said. “Nate Diaz versus Jim Miller is the five-round main event and the winner will put himself in a position to fight for the title. Both of these guys fight at an incredible pace and are coming off great wins. “We’ve got an amazing heavyweight fight between knockout artists Pat Barry and Lavar Johnson, as well as welterweight title contender fight between Josh Koscheck and Johny Hendricks. Johny just knocked out Koscheck’s training partner, Jon Fitch, and wants a title shot. To do it, he’s gotta get past Koscheck, who’s one of the best 170-pounders in the world. If that wasn’t enough, submission specialist Rousimar Palhares meets Alan Belcher in an exciting middleweight fight. I’m excited for fans in N.J. and N.Y. to experience the UFC live again.” Tickets for UFC®on FOX go on sale Friday, March 9 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $250, $150, $100, $75 and $50. Tickets are available at the IZOD Center Box Office, online at Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone 800-745-3000. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, March 7 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, March 8, starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com. For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.About Ultimate Fighting Championship®Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC® is the world’s premier MMA organization and produces over 12 UFC live Pay-Per-View events annually around the globe. This year, FOX will broadcast four fight cards annually. In spring 2012, The Ultimate Fighter®, UFC’s signature weekly reality TV show, debuts on FX. UFC content is also distributed commercially to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. Globally, UFC programming is broadcast in 150 countries, territories and jurisdictions, reaching over one billion homes worldwide, in 21 different languages.UFC® also boasts a powerful presence online, with UFC.com attracting over seven million unique visitors per month, while also possessing one of the most powerful social media followings in all of professional sports. To date, UFC has over 7.5 million fans on Facebook and over 500,000 followers on Twitter. In addition, UFC President Dana White is one of the most accessible and most followed executives in sports with nearly two million followers on Twitter. On January 22, 2011, UFC continued to set trends in social media, becoming the first major sports league to stream live, broadcast quality action on Facebook.Ancillary businesses include best-selling DVDs, UFC Magazine, the best-selling UFC “Undisputed” videogame franchise distributed by THQ, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel, trading cards, and articulated action figures.
Posted in: ufc, fight, fox, event, card
Read the full article at UFCBrydon on UFC 144: Big winners and losers
A quick look at who had the best night and who didn’t at Saturday’s UFC event in Japan.
Posted in: ufc, event, brydon, saturday, winner
Read the full article at sportsnet.caBy the Numbers: UFC 144
This time, Frankie Edgar couldn’t pull off another improbable rally. The New Jersey native fought valiantly for five rounds in the UFC 144 main event against former WEC champion Benson Henderson
Posted in: ufc, event, champion, wec, frankie
Read the full article at SherdogUFC 144 Live Discussion Thread
Greetings all,
We are less than an hour away from the start of UFC 144. The preliminary action starts at about 7:30 PM on the North American east coast, 4:30 PM on the west. If you are in the UK things get underway at 12:30 AM. If you are in Brazil the fights kick off at 10:30 PM in Rio de Janeiro, 9:30 PM in the norther region of Para and 8:30 for those in the Amazonas. And for anyone who is in Japan but not attending the event, it's an early start of 9:30 AM.
Here is the fight schedule:
UNDERCARD
Featherweight: Zhang Tiequan vs. Issei TamuraBantamweight: Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris CariasoMiddleweight: Riki Fukuda vs. Steve CantwellBantamweight: Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Vaughan LeeLightweight: Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka
MAIN CARD
Lightweight: Anthony Pettis vs. Joe LauzonFeatherweight: Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart PalaszewskiMiddleweight: Yushin Okami vs. Tim BoetschWelterweight: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake ShieldsHeavyweight: Mark Hunt vs. Cheick KongoCatchweight (211 lb): Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan BaderLightweight Championship: Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson
A FEW QUESTIONS TO KEEP IN MIND DURING THE EVENT:
1. Is Frankie Edgar's chin going to give out?
In his two fights with Gray Maynard in 2011, Edgar took a lot of damage. By my recollection the fights were on the verge of being stopped about five different times. That is a career's worth of close calls for some guys and Edgar can't possibly sustain that much damage in his future fights and expect to keep the belt. His opponent Ben Henderson is a bit more hip to jiu jitsu than Maynard and you can bet that if Frankie again gets rocked badly, he's almost surely going to be finished.
2. Will Rampage Jackson be affected by his failure to make weight?
In his pre-fight interviews, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has been very vocal about his love of fighting in Japan. He talked about doing everything he could to put on a show for the fans and stage a great fight. Then he weighed in yesterday at 211 pounds, 5 pounds over the 206 pound limit, for his match against Ryan Bader. Usually this would be cause for concern, as four out of the last five guys to miss weight in the UFC have lost, but Rampage seems intent on having a spectacular fight. If he comes out guns blazing, he'll have to finish Bader quick, or there is a very real possibility that he'll fade and lose in the later rounds.
3. Can Anthony Pettis steal the show?
Pettis is a creative striker with a great sense for the spectacular. He landed an off the cage kick against Ben Henderson in the final bout in WEC history that will go down as one of the best moments of all time. This is another historic event, with the UFC making it's return to Japan for the first time in years. It's the perfect chance for Pettis to once again thrill MMA fans worldwide with his peerless skills. Can he deliver or will Joe Lauzon play giant killer once again?
4. How will the Japanese fighters do?
The Japanese contingent in the UFC has really struggled, there is no other way to put it. Only Yushin Okami has found success at the highest level, while his countrymen have all failed to make any kind of splash in the organization, which has to be a sore spot for the Japanese fans. Okami is fighting on the card although he has largely been ignored by the North American media covering the event. Joining Okami are nine of his countrymen, spread across eight fights. We know that at least two of the fights will have Japanese winners. What about the other six? To add to the pressure, Brazilian fighters were a stunning 7-1 against foreigners when the UFC made a return to Brazil last summer, so anything less than a dominant performance by the Japanese on the card will be seen as yet another blow to a country that was not long ago the center of the mixed martial arts world.
Join us here at Head Kick Legend to find out the answers to those questions and to discuss the event as it happens.
Posted in: ufc, fight, vs, japanese, event
Read the full article at Head Kick LegendUFC 144: Edgar Vs. Henderson - Live Results And Play-By-Play For PPV Card
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson. Our live coverage will start with the one fight on the Facebook prelim stream (roughly 7:30 p.m. ET) to the prelim card on Fuel (8 p.m. ET) and through the PPV main card (10 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event. And don't forget! Tonight's pay-per-view is four hours instead of the standard three.
This post will cover live results and thoughts for the pay-per-view main card.
Four hour main card means seven bouts instead of the standard five, so we're in for a long night. The main event sees UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar step into the cage to defend his title against Ben Henderson. A 211 pound catchweight fight takes place between Quinton Jackson and Ryan Bader in the co-main event slot after Jackson missed weight last night. Heavyweights Mark Hunt and Cheick Kongo will slug it out on the main card following a welterweight bout between Jake Shields and Yoshihiro Akiyama. Middleweight contender Yushin Okami takes on Tim Boetsch on the card. Rounding things out is a featherweight bout between Hatsu Hioki and Bart Palaszewski and a lightweight fight between Anthony Pettis and Joe Lauzon.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
Posted in: jake shields, event, anthony pettis, card, ppv card
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 144: Edgar Vs. Henderson - Live Results And Play-By-Play For Undercard
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson. Our live coverage will start with the one fight on the Facebook prelim stream (roughly 7:30 p.m. ET) to the prelim card on Fuel (8 p.m. ET) and through the PPV main card (10 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event. And don't forget! Tonight's pay-per-view is four hours instead of the standard three.
This post will cover live results and thoughts for the Facebook and FX undercard.
With the event being in Japan, it's only fitting that the main bout on the FX undercard sees Japanese legend Takanori Gomi square off with Eiji Mitsuoka. Another bout, another Japanese superstar as Norifumi Yamamoto steps back into the Octagon to face Vaughan Lee in a bantamweight contest. There will be middleweight action as Riki Fukuda faces Steve Cantwell. Bantamweights Takeya Mizugaki and Chris Cariaso face each other in the FX opener. The line Facebook fight on the evening sees Zhang Tiequan face Issei Tamura in a featherweight fight.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
Posted in: event, riki fukuda, fx undercard, fx opener, middleweight action
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowGhosts of Saitama: The end of an era when PRIDE closes up shop at the Saitama Super Arena
The roar of the crowd ... the sound of bare feet shuffling against canvas ... the unexplainable electricity inside the building. They are all mere echos today as crowds in the tens of thousands have dwindled down to a fraction of that amount. The Saitama Super Arena, host of this Saturday's (Feb. 25) UFC 144 event, has been home to some of the greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) events in the history of the sport. "Ghosts of Saitama" will take a look at some of those moments, forever preserved and never forgotten.
PRIDE never die.
It's been long enough that it almost seems like a meaningless meme spouted off on MMA sites when Wanderlei Silva or or one of the Nogueira twins step inside the Octagon.
But for the fans who were there, for the fans who either stayed up until the crack of dawn or militantly stayed off the internet until the event aired stateside, it was and still remains a battle cry.
The Saitama Super Arena opened its doors to many PRIDE Fighting Championships events for over six years. It did so the final time in April 2007 when PRIDE 34, aptly named Kamikaze, marked the last show under the company's old management. The promotion -- two weeks prior -- had been sold to the Ultimate Fighting Championship's parent company. While a future for PRIDE was promised, everyone -- fighters and fans alike -- knew this was the end. And indeed it was.
"Ghosts of Saitama" ends with a look back at PRIDE's final event. It wasn't just the end of a company. It was more than that.
It was the end of an era.
Despite Wanderlei Silva's presence on the promotional poster, a suspension handed down from the Nevada State Athletic Commission prevented "The Axe Murderer" from competing. He had been brutally knocked out at the company's previous event by Dan Henderson and risked further disciplinary action if he went against the ruling.
In fact, the only fighters with significant history with PRIDE that appeared were Don Frye, Ricardo Arona and headliner Kazuyuki Fujita. There was no Silvas, no Sakurabas, no Emelianenkos. The event seemed more a shell of what PRIDE had been than anything. But it was a chance for fans to say goodbye.
The show opened with Yoshihiro Nakao taking on Brazilian Edson Drago. The Japanese fighter took advantage of his opponent's inexperienced ground game and was able to score an impressive neck crank submission in the closing minute of the opening round.
The next fight was exactly the type of freakshow PRIDE was known -- and either loved or hated -- for. Side attraction boxer Eric Esch -- better known as "Butterbean" -- took over Brazilian counterpart "Zuluzhino." The giant Brazilian was brought into the company two years prior as a possible foil for Fedor Emelianenko but the hype clearly exceeded reality. "Butterbean" -- in one of the most inexplicably hilarious moments in MMA history -- escaped a submission attempt from the Brazilian only to force a tap out seconds later by slapping on an americana armlock.
It was dumb. It was ridiculous. It was fun. It was PRIDE.
Two of Japan's sons competed in the next couple of fights. Makoto Takimoto took on Croatian kickerboxer -- mini "Cro Cop" he was called -- Zelg Galesic while Akiro Shoji met Dutch bad boy Gilbert Yvel. Takimoto survived some PRIDE-style soccer kicks and stomps before managing to secure a submission five minutes into his bout but Shoji fell short in his bout. The Japanese stalwart impressed -- as he always did -- with his fighting spirit but took huge damage as a result of Yvel's ground and pound.
If not for Don Frye and his bout with James Thompson, this event would have barely resembled a PRIDE event. Frye didn't care about titles, he didn't care about moving up the ladder. When he competed in PRIDE, he did so as a showman and bless his heart for it. He played the character of a big, dumb, tough American who seemed to feed off the elated gasps from the Japanese crowd.
His pre-fight face off against the Briton saw each man grinding their forehead into the other, an act which actually busted Frye open before the fight even started. "The Predator" rocked the infamously glass-jawed Thompson seconds into the fight and thought the fight was going to be stopped but it continued. Back and forth punches brought back memories of Frye's war with the beautiful Yoshihiro Takayama. The American ended up on his back and ate a huge soccer kick which proved to be the beginning of the end. Brutalized in the corner, the referee was finally forced to stop the fight.
It was dumb. It was ridiculous. It was fun. It was PRIDE.
A surprise appearance from Kazushi Sakuraba came next. "Saku" had left PRIDE from the Hero's promotion the prior year but made a return to the company that helped him -- and he helped -- prosper. He showed up bearing the guise of famous Japanese pro wrestler Tiger Mask. Despite the mask, everyone could tell "The Gracie Hunter" was in tears. He once again -- as he had in the past -- said he wanted to famous longtime rival Kiyoshi Tamura inside a PRIDE ring. After refusing the bout for years, Tamura joined Sakuraba in the ring and agreed, hugging his countryman inside the Saitama Super Arena.
They would finally face off a year and half later.
Before he became known as the submission wizard he is today, Shinya Aoki was just a scrappy Japanese fighter who loves to grapple. He made quick work of his opponent at PRIDE 34, securing an armbar in a little over 90 seconds. The most impressive performance of the night came next as Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou stepped inside a PRIDE ring for the second time against a top 10 Brazilian light heavyweight and for the second time walked away with an unbelievable knockout.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was his victim six weeks prior and Brazilian Top Team product Arona would fall to him that night in Saitama. A vicious uppercut ended Arona's night early and helped "The African Assassin's" hype train reach insane levels.
The last fight of the night -- the last fight in PRIDE's history -- was "Ol' Ironhead" taking on Jeff Monson in a bout promoted as a PRIDE vs. UFC match-up. It promised to be the first of many co-promotional bouts but none would end up taking place. The American would score the submission victory and put a quiet, muted end to the most celebrated MMA companies in the sport's history.
For the first time, the event was aired live in the United States on pay-per-view (PPV) as opposed to the tape delayed, edited servings that had been the norm. If it was to be the last time we got to enjoy PRIDE, it was only fair we got to see it as it happened.
And once it was over, the view went from inside the Saitama Super Arena to a generic cable or satellite screen promoting a replay of the event or another PPV on the schedule backed by some generic muzak. An important chapter in MMA's history had just ended but it seemed the world at large didn't care.
PRIDE never die.
Posted in: fight, event, pride, saitama, company
Read the full article at MMA ManiaWatch UFC 144 online tonight: 'Edgar vs Henderson' live video stream/PPV details for Japan event
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will once again air an entire fight card TONIGHT (Feb. 25, 2012), this time it's UFC 144: "Edgar vs. Henderson," which will begin around 7:30 p.m. ET with the featherweight fight between Zhang Tiequan vs. Issei Tamura that will stream LIVE on Facebook.com.
Once the Facebook stream ends, the rest of the "Prelims" under card will begin to air live on FX at 8 p.m., featuring fights between Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka and Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Vaughan Lee, among others.
There are tons of ways to watch the pay-per-view (PPV) main card tonight, which begins at 10 p.m. ET, featuring SEVEN main card bouts. The main event, of course, will showcase UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar, defending his 155-pound belt against the resilient and talented former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) champion, Ben Henderson.
You can call up Comcast or your local cable and/or satellite provider (DirecTV) and order the PPV on your television. For the Internet folks among us, you can also stream the event on your computers using UFC.TV, Yahoo! Sports or UStream, among others.
And if you're really in a pinch, you can watch UFC 144 on your mobile phone via the Android Market or even now on YouTube.com and Roku. Gamers can also catch the UFC 144 action on Xbox Live with the help of their video game consoles.
However, if you need your UFC 144 results as soon as possible, for free, MMAmania.com will deliver up-to-the-minute results and live fight coverage, including round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of all the UFC 144: "Edgar vs. Henderson" action before, during and after the event RIGHT HERE.
More details on the UFC 144 fight card, who is fighting who, as well as how to keep yourself updated all night long, after the jump:
Main Event:
155 lbs.: Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson
Main Card: (Pay-per-view):
205 lbs.: Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader 170 lbs.: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields265 lbs.: Mark Hunt vs. Cheick Kongo185 lbs.: Tim Boetsch vs. Yushin Okami145 lbs.: Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski155 lbs.: Joe Lauzon vs. Anthony Pettis
Preliminary card (FX Channel):
155 lbs.: Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka 135 lbs.: Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Vaughan Lee 185 lbs.: Riki Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell 135 lbs.: Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris Cariaso
Preliminary card (Facebook):
145 lbs.: Zhang Tiequan vs. Issei Tamura
To watch the UFC 144 "Prelims" on Facebook, (if you have a Facebook profile) simply "Like" the UFC Facebook page and check out the "UFC Live Streams" tab on the left-side menu.
Remember, too, that our round-by-round results of the under card fights on Facebook/FX will begin to flow around 7:30 p.m. ET later this evening and run right on through to our main card pay-per-view (PPV) coverage, which is set to start at 10 p.m. ET, from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
To get up to speed on all the news and notes for UFC 144: "Edgar vs. Henderson" be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, lb, card
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC Set to Return to Canada with Debut in Calgary for UFC 149 on July 21st
After postponing an event for March 21st in Montreal, the UFC is set to return to Canada for the first time in 2012. But this time, instead of making a return trip to Montreal, Vancouver, or Toronto, the organization will be making its debut in Calgary. The event, likely to be UFC 149, is expected to take place on July 21st at the Scotiabank Saddledome in downtown Calgary.
The Scotiabank Saddledome, home to the NHL’s Calgary Flames, has a seating capacity of just over 19,000. No fights have been announced for the event, but a few UFC fighters fight out of the province of Alberta, including Nick Ring and Jason MacDonald. Former UFC fighters including Jason Day and Tim Hague also hail from Alberta.
The UFC has held three events in Canada the last two years, and is expected to do so this year. The last UFC event to take place in Canada was UFC 140 last December, which took place at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. A return to Toronto is expected in 2012, along with the postponed event from March in Montreal.
Posted in: ufc, event, return, canada, calgary
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyAsian MMA Update: URCC Baguio 4 Videos, Sarenas To Headline URCC 21, RUFF 3, PXC 29 And More
The UFC is heading to Japan this weekend, but there are still a lot of news coming out of the Asian MMA scene:
First off, the videos for URCC Baguio 4: Battleground have just been released. This is one of the promotion's provincial events held in Baguio, Philippines, and you can probably think of it as more like their 'UFC Fight Nights' as opposed to the major numbered events which is held in Manila.
The mountain province of Baguio is the home town of the famed Team Lakay camp which has produced multiple champs and Asian stars such as Eduard Folayang, Kevin Belingon and many others. Headlining the card is one of the champions from that stable, in Pinweight champion (119 lbs.), Roy Docyogen. He took on former pro-boxer and fellow undefeated fighter Rodel Orais, at 125 lbs, presumably as a precursor to Docyogen competing internationally as a flyweight.
Check out the video below:
After the jump, check out the URCC featherweight championship fight along with a bunch of other MMA news from the Asian region.
Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena
URCC champ and ONE FC star, Eric Kelly had some personal and managerial problems, prompting the promotion to add an interim featherweight title a few months back. So to co-headlining the Baguio event, Judo-based fighter Ricardo Sapno defended the URCC Interim Featherweight championship for the first time since taking the title on his last bout against Red Romero.
Check out the video below:
You can also watch the other fights from the event on the URCC Youtube Channel.
Following that Baguio event, the URCC will be hosting another numbered event and will be hosting their 21st major event in the country. Headlining that URCC XXI card will be URCC Middleweight Champion, Froilan Sarenas, an undefeated fighter training out of Submission Sport Philippines and Ole Laursen's Boracay Gym. No opponent has been named as of this writing, but stay tuned for more updates.
Also on the same night as URCC Baguio, PXC 29 was also hosted in the Philippines. Here's a highlight video (from a perspective of News anchors in Guam) that saw Ryan Bigler dominate TUF Alum Dorian Price, and the Philippines' Ale Cali winning the PXC Flyweight title:
As for post-fight analysis, I didn't attend the event, and this was the first time I've watched the PXC broadcast on AKTV, and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of their production. Apart from a few awkward camera angles from time-to-time, everything was running very smoothly, and the commentators were doing a good job at educating the more casual Filipino fanbase they're catering to.
Ryan Biglar turned in a very impressive performance by thoroughly dominating a UFC veteran in Dorian Price, making him one of the welterweights to look out for in the region.
Ale Cali on the other hand, showed that he was good enough to survive against a very experienced jiujitsu guy on the ground. He battled several submission attempts, until he eventually overwhelmed Jesse Taitano with his striking, winning him the PXC Flyweight Championship.
It was an exciting fight, and a very good test for Cali, who has very good and flashy boxing, but is still relatively inexperienced and unproven on the ground. He passed that with flying colors, and he should be praised for that, but let's be honest here, I really don't think a guy with just 1 win on his last 7 fights has any business fighting for a championship.
Don't get me wrong, giving him a high-level grappler like Taitano was a perfect step up in competition for Ale Cali at this stage of his career. I don't have any problems with the matchmaking, but in my humble opinion, having a guy with that record competing for a title just doesn't send the right message.
Moving on to more Asian MMA news, RUFF, a promotion in China, just announced a few fights for their 3rd show. Zhang LiPeng vs Rodrigo Caporal will headline, and also announced, was an excellent bantamweight matchup. Irshaad Sayed (3-1), who is coming off a dominant win at ONE FC 2, is apparently set to face Legend FC Bantamweight Champion Jumabieke Tuerxun (11-0).'Bieke' won their first meeting last July, and after both guys won big and looked to have improved a lot recently, a rematch actually is very intriguing. Sadly, it probably won't happen. Reliable sources close to the situation have informed BloodyElbow.com that the bout is unlikely to push through regardless of it being announced by RUFF. Warning signs already sprung up the moment it was announced, as Sayed is signed with DARE and should technically be "exclusive" to the ONE FC network, while Bieke, being a Legend FC champion, would have to secure special permission to fight outside the promotion.While the idea of having a ONE FC fighter taking on a Legend Champ would excite some of the fans in the region, this fight was actually planned before both of those labels actually happened.
On Shooto's March 10 event, Korean champ and Legend FC bantamweight finalist, Jo Nam Jin, will be dropping down to flyweight, to face Shinichi Kojima, a former Shooto Champion.
Felipe Enomoto's brother Yasubey Enomoto (9-2), will be defending his M-1 Welterweight title on March 24, against top Russian prospect Rashid Magomedov (16-1). In slightly unrelated news, I still want to see how that GoPro video of his turned out after it gets edited. Hopefully the two brothers keep filming their fights with that unique angle and perspective, and who knows, maybe they can even get a sponsorship out of it.
Speaking of videos, Zorobabel Moreira and Eddie Ng, two talented fighters from the famous Evolve MMA gym in Singapore will be competing on ONE FC 3 in Singapore. Check out these excellent preview videos from Evolve:
Posted in: fight, video, event, urcc, fc
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC event targeted for July 21 in Calgary, likely UFC 149
The UFC's first Canadian event of 2012 is likely to come on July 21 in Calgary.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the tentative plans with multiple event sources following an initial report from Joe Ferraro of Sportsnet's "UFC Central."
Although not official, the event is expected to take place at the 19,000-seat Scotiabank Saddledome, home of the NHL's Calgary Flames.
Posted in: ufc, event, event sources, canadian event, calgary
Read the full article at MMA JunkieJohnston on MMA: Need some extra action?
Here are several things you can bet on during UFC 144's main event on Saturday in Japan.
Posted in: ufc, event, saturday, thing, mma need
Read the full article at sportsnet.caSpecial UFC 144: 'Edgar vs Henderson' cartoon poster
First, we had the regular, plain old UFC 144: "Edgar vs. Henderson" poster, which simply featured the major stars set to compete at the event this coming Sat., Feb. 25, 2012, in Saitama, Japan.
Then we got Quinton Jackson going on a "Rampage" through the streets of Japan like Godzilla. Now, we get this eye-popping cartoon poster featuring "The Answer" Frankie Edgar and his opponent in the main event and challenger to his lightweight title, Ben Henderson.
Pretty slick, huh?
Poster-mania ends tomorrow night when the drawing stops and the fighting starts at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view with a seven match main card. To see the complete line-up click here and for all the latest on the UFC 144 event click here.
Posted in: ufc, event, poster, edgar, saitama japan
Read the full article at MMA Mania
Mike Fagan: The fifth anniversary of PRIDE 33 @ItsMikeFagan @frontrowbrian @robnashville @usatmma
Mike Fagan talks about an event that took place five years ago... an event that became a PRIDE classic.
Posted in: event, pride, mike, fagan, mike fagan
Read the full article at Fight OpinionGhosts of Saitama: ROMANEX, Hero's and DREAM all make their debut at the Saitama Super Arena
The roar of the crowd ... the sound of bare feet shuffling against canvas ... the unexplainable electricity inside the building. They are all mere echos today as crowds in the tens of thousands have dwindled down to a fraction of that amount. The Saitama Super Arena, host of this Saturday's (Feb. 25) UFC 144 event, has been home to some of the greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) events in the history of the sport. "Ghosts of Saitama" will take a look at some of those moments, forever preserved and never forgotten.
Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) built its empire out of bruised shins, swollen faces and 10 ounce gloves.
Through K-1, FEG became one of the premier combat sports promoters. It sold out its live shows, packing arenas with 30, 40 or even 50 thousand people and its television broadcasts raked in viewers by the millions. As human nature tends to be, FEG officials wanted a bit more. PRIDE Fighting Championships (PRIDE) was at the top of the mixed martial arts (MMA) food chain but maybe, just maybe FEG could sneak in and take itself a small slice of that very lucrative pie.
It was content to only dip its toes in at first with the one-off ROMANEX show before they dove head first into the MMA playing field with a new company known as Hero's. Despite PRIDE's already established foothold in Japan and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) gaining steam stateside, the fledgling company was still able to build an impressive roster of fighters. Alistair Overeem, Lyoto Machida, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Jake Shields and B.J. Penn were just a few names that fought under the Hero's banner.
But, the promotion wasn't long for this world and within three years, the name was dropped and DREAM took its place when FEG brought aboard a bevy of former PRIDE employees looking for work. Armed with a wealth of MMA promotion knowledge, they became a valuable asset to their new company.
Aside from FEG's involvement, one common thread ties the three names -- ROMANEX, Hero's and DREAM -- together. Each held their first -- and in ROMANEX's case, the only -- show at the Saitama Super Arena. It was almost as if FEG knew they would need to christen their MMA ventures in that particular building if they wanted them to be taken seriously by fans and pundits.
This installment of "Ghosts of Saitama" will take a look at the trio of shows, ROMANEX and Hero's as substitutions for PRIDE and DREAM as its successor.
Unfortunately, none panned out as well as anyone -- FEG, fighters or fans -- would have hoped.
In May 2004, 20 fighters descended upon the Saitama Super Arena. Among them were former and future UFC champions Machida, Penn and Josh Barnett. Don Frye, Gary Goodridge and Duane Ludwig, all Octagon veterans, also made appearances.
ROMANEX wasn't meant to be an ongoing affair. It was an MMA fling for FEG to see how they would do in the market. While MMA bouts had littered kickboxing-centric K-1 events before, this was the first all-out effort to challenge PRIDE. And judging by the lackluster attendance -- around 15,000 fans showed up -- it was obvious trying to loosen PRIDE's grip on the Japanese MMA landscape would be easier said than done.
Those fans in attendance did, at least, witness a good show. Machida came the closest he had or would -- until being knocked out by Mauricio Rua -- to losing when he earned a split decision victory over kickboxer turned part-time MMA fighter Sam Greco. Meanwhile, Penn made his first post-welterweight title win appearance when he stepped inside the ring opposite Duane Ludwig. "The Prodigy" made quick work of "Bang," submitting him in less than two minutes.
Goodridge and Barnett each took home technical knockout (TKO) wins but Frye left the Saitama Super Arena empty-handed, neither with a win nor with a loss. His opponent, Yoshihiro Nakao, -- best known for planting a kiss on Heath Herring's lips and subsequently being knocked out for getting so fresh -- shot in for an immediate takedown and the two clashed heads. A river of blood began to pour out of "The Predator's" face so the fight was stopped and ruled a No Contest.
Internet favorite and pop locking extraordinaire Genki Sudo continued what countryman Kazushi Sakuraba started when he brutally knocked out Royler Gracie, further removing any mystique the Gracie clan may have had left.
The main event saw Kazuyuki Fujita kick the ever-loving snot out of Bob Sapp. At this time, Sapp still seemed damn near invincible. A kickboxing knockout at the hands of Mirko Filipovic and a submission loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira aside, "The Beast" was still thought of as a viable force when he stepped inside the ring. "Ol' Ironhead" changed that when he continuously booted Sapp in the head while the American basically just curled into a ball on the canvas and said uncle. "The Beast" went from contender to cartoon overnight.
10 months later, FEG's full-time MMA banner debuted. Hero's was the company's answer to the overwhelming success PRIDE was enjoying. Several fighters from ROMANEX transitioned to Hero's including Machida and Penn who faced off against each other in the inaugural event. The overly plump Hawaiian couldn't overcome the size difference and "The Dragon" took home the decision.
SHOOTO's past and present met that night as well when Joachim Hansen took on Caol Uno. The former UFC lightweight contender and "Hellboy" nearly made it to the judges before the Norwegian landed a thunderous knee with seconds remaining in the bout. ROMANEX veterans Goodridge, Sudo and Greco also competed and each came up with a stoppage victory. Even Sapp showed up and performed well, knocking out Min Soo Kim in a little over a minute.
The main event saw K-1 legend Jerome Le Banner and Japanese/Korean judoka Yoshihiro Akiyama each competing in only their second MMA bouts. Le Banner had plenty of kickboxing experience but the grappling chops of "Sexyama" were thought to play a factor. They didn't. Akiyama was only to get his opponent on the mat momentarily before Le Banner buried two knees into the judoka's skull.
As fun as the fights were, another paltry attendance was FEG's reward. They plugged along with Hero's until late 2007 when they joined forces with several of the minds that made PRIDE the success it was. A new name was needed for a new beginning. Thus, DREAM was born.
A lightweight grand prix was the selling point of the new promotion's first show. Japanese MMA heavy hitters like Hansen, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Mitsuhiro Ishida and Shinya Aoki were all featured. Each man won their first round bout -- Aoki did so at the next event after a No Contest the first time around -- with "Hellboy" eventually being crowned the champion at DREAM 5.
"Cro Cop" also competed, picking up a win after his first disappointing UFC tenure. Stalwarts of the scene Ikuhisa Minowa and Hayato Sakurai also found themselves on the winning end of their bouts.
More of a card catered to hardcore fans, the event drew less than 20,000 people to the Saitama Super Arena. The latest event, DREAM 17, did half that number. UFC 144 is nearly a sellout, looking to bring the number baack up to PRIDE era numbers.
We can only hope. Saitama Super Arena deserves better.
More from the "Ghosts of Saitama" series:
Ghosts of Saitama: After nearly a decade, the traditional New Year's Eve MMA event in Japan likely comes to an end in 2011
Ghosts of Saitama: In 2004, the world's greatest heavyweights descended upon Saitama Super Arena
Ghosts of Saitama: Pride FC wastes no time making its debut at Saitama Super Arena in Japan
Ghosts of Saitama: The Japanese New Year's Eve war starts with three blockbuster shows
Posted in: mma, event, feg, saitama, arena
Read the full article at MMA ManiaValentijn Overeem is stepping in on short notice to fight Marcin Rozalski in the main event of KSW...
Valentijn Overeem is stepping in on short notice to fight Marcin Rozalski in the main event of KSW 18 on Feb. 25 at the Orlen Arena in Plock, Poland, according to Sherdog.com. "The Python" replaces kickboxing legend Jerome LeBanner, who reportedly tore his meniscus and was forced to withdraw from this weekend's event.
Posted in: event, valentijn overeem, orlen arena, plock poland, valentijn
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDana White Talks UFC 144, Japan, PRIDE, Nate Marquardt, International TUF, More
Rundown of news and notes from Dana White’s chat with the press at yesterday’s UFC 144 pre-fight conference. Also, be sure to check out Ariel Helwani’s video interview with Dana above.
— There was a lot of concern over how the UFC would do at the gate this weekend when UFC 144 was first announced. They certainly had a lot going against them coming into what has been perceived as enemy territory for nearly the last decade. The early morning Japan start time was concerning as well. Well, it seems all that worrying was all for naught because according to Dana White, the event is practically a sell-out.
“This is the first show back in 12 years. You heard ‘Rampage’ and [a reporter] saying the UFC isn’t as big as PRIDE was here, and for us to come in and do an event and sell out the way we have, we’re very happy with the results. I know what we’re going to do on Sunday and what kind of show we’re going to put on for the Japanese fans. I think they’re going to be very excited and this is going to help spread the word in Japan.”
As for hard numbers, Dana White says their somewhere in the 20,000 tickets sold range. It’s a strong enough of a start that UFC Asia’s Mark Fischer is cautiously optimistic that they’ll do well enough to at least come back annually.
“I think it’s a little bit wait-and-see but certainly we do feel based on the strength of what we’ve seen so far leading into the event – the buzz, the ticket sales so far – that I think it’s a market we’d love to come back to with a big event at least annually,” Fischer said. “Whether or not we complement that with maybe one or two smaller events – perhaps ‘Fight Nights’ – and we think there’s quite good potential for an ‘Ultimate Fighter,’ maybe in a slightly different format here.
“That’s a little bit wait-and-see, but I do think that in some shape or form, we will be coming back on probably a semi-annual basis – a big event and, ideally, a second event, whether that be a ‘Fight Night’ event or ‘Ultimate Fighter’ format.”
It’s far too early to say it now, but it would be something if the UFC managed to revive the Japanese MMA scene considering everything that’s happened there in the past 10 years.
— The inevitable PRIDE questions came up at the press conference yesterday. Dana immediately addressed the perception in Japan that Zuffa killed PRIDE.
“Oh, you’re saying I’m not very popular over here,” White responded, a smile on his face. “I don’t know. Listen, I can take some boos. We didn’t kill PRIDE. I’ve said this many times. PRIDE is the only other organization that I’ve ever respected. PRIDE was an organization here in Japan that did huge sellout shows. They had tons of fans in the U.S., and a lot of the big stars not just in Japan but worldwide came form Japan. It’s the only other organization I’ve given respect or credit to. If I get some boos, I can handle it. I’m pretty thick-skinned.”
Just because Zuffa owns the PRIDE brand and they’re finding in success in Japan though doesn’t mean they’re thinking about running another PRIDE show. PRIDE is dead and that’s probably for the best.
— Dana opened up a little bit about the Nate Marquardt-Strikeforce signing. He certainly hasn’t forgotten what went down last year, but he’s at least now willing to give Marquardt a chance to “get his sh*t together.”
“Right when he was first exiled, or kicked out of the UFC, whatever you want to call it, cut from the UFC, MC Hammer is in his team. He called me up and asked me if we could meet in [Los Angeles], so I met him there, we had dinner. He was lobbying to get Marquardt back in and I said, ‘Ya know, I love you man, but he’s gotta get out there and fight in other shows.’ He opted to not fight in any other shows. He wanted to sit out and he wanted to be back in the UFC. So we talked, we’re putting him back in Strikeforce and we’ll see what happens. I like Nate Marquardt, he’s a really good guy. But professionally, he needs to get his shit together. He needs to come into Strikeforce and he needs to make weight, he needs to pass all the tests and do all the other shit, so we’ll see how it goes.”
A shot in Strikeforce is better than nothing. If things go smoothly and Nate wins, perhaps will see him back in the UFC before too long.
— Below Dana White talks to reporters about international versions of TUF following TUF Brazil, plus his comments from the press conference. Videos via MMA Weekly.
Posted in: ufc, event, dana, pride, japan
Read the full article at MMA ConvertDana White say UFC will likely return to Japan ... but not for a PRIDE show
With the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) making its highly anticipated return to Japan this weekend (Feb. 25, 2012) with UFC 144, its first time since UFC 29 way back in 2000, many fans were hoping the return would give somewhat of a glimmer of hope for a PRIDE FC revival, or at the very least a tribute event.
"Sorry, but no," says UFC President Dana White.
As is customary with the promotion, when the UFC holds an event in Canada or Brazil, they try their hardest to please the hometown crowd by stacking the event with Canadian or Brazilian fighters, respectively.
Japan is no different. UFC 144 will include Japanese fighters Takanori Gomi, Yushin Okami, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Hatsu Hioki, Norifumi Yamamoto, Riki Fukuda, Takeya Mizugaki and Issei Tamura.
The event will also feature Quinton Jackson and Mark Hunt, two fighters who made a name for themselves while fighting under the PRIDE banner in the "Land of the Rising Sun."
Though many of PRIDE's former stars are now under contract with the UFC, White tells the media in attendance at the UFC 144 pre-fight press conference in Japan that there will not be an all ex-PRIDE fighters card at a future UFC in Japan to honor them.
"I don't think so. The PRIDE thing didn't work out, we gave it a shot, it didn't work out. Again like I said, The PRIDE organization, the gentleman who asked me earlier that I was the guy who killed PRIDE, it's completely untrue. PRIDE is the only other organization that I have ever respected. But, no, the UFC will be the events that we bring here, and the great history of PRIDE, there's no more PRIDE events."
PRIDE events in Japan, which featured spectacular show openings and entertaining entrances along with displays of showmanship from competitors, brought the fans out in droves, oftentimes filling arenas to record capacity, as was the case with PRIDE Final Conflict 2003, which brought out 67,450 fans to the Tokyo Dome.
Better yet, the Shockwave/Dynamite event in 2002, a PRIDE and K-1 co-production, filled Tokyo National Stadium with over 91,000 eager fight fans, 36,000 more than UFC's largest attendance to date of 55,000 strong at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for UFC 129.
White recently revealed the promotions return to Japan has been a success and the wheels are already in motion for a return. However, do not expect a card filled with fighters like Dan Henderson, Mauricio Rua, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Anderson Silva, and Wanderlei Silva, amongst others, but rather a mixture of today's top UFC stars and a little PRIDE flavor for nostalgia.
Anyone disappointed that the Ghosts of Saitama likely won't have chance to be resurrected one final time, and will forever be wandering the arena of Saitama Super Arena with only memories to hold on to? Or is White right to focus strictly on the UFC brand Far East? Can all of the die-hard fans finally let go with this revelation?
Opinions, please.
Posted in: ufc, fighter, event, pride, japan
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC announces nearly 20,000 tickets sold for UFC Japan
Because MMA fans are neurotic hyper-ventilators, we were all concerned that the UFC's return to Japan would be met with indifference - whatever the hell 'meh' is in Japanese. But all those fears seem to have been for naught, because:
While the doors have yet to open for this weekend's "UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson" event, company officials are already declaring the event a ticket-selling success.UFC officials today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that ticket sales are still moving briskly for this weekend's event at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and the fight card is expected to sell-out all of the nearly 20,000 available seats.Furthermore, UFC officials are so encouraged by the buzz surrounding UFC 143 that plans for a return to Japan are already under consideration, and multiple annual visits – as well as a version of "The Ultimate Fighter" – are also possible.
There were a lot of concerns that the UFC wouldn't be able to fill the venue they had chosen. It's called Saitama Super Arena for a reason: it can hold up to 37,000 people in it's cavernous maw. Add in the fact that the UFC decided to try and pull a timezone fast one and hold the event at 10AM so they could still air it live at 10pm for us gaijin and it all added up to some serious questions on how this event would do.But the numbers the UFC announced sound pretty sweet: nearly 20,000 tickets sold. That's up and above what any of the local promoters are pulling nowadays and impossible to look at as anything other than a rousing success. As for the big talk of returns to Japan and TUF editions ... well, we've heard that before from the UFC after it rolls into town and strikes up a roMMAnce with the locals. "Oh yeah baby this is totally going to be a regular thing, we're gonna see each other all the time!" A year from now when there hasn't been another show and Japan will start to realize it's no more special than Omaha to the UFC machine.
Posted in: ufc, event, japan, weekends event, tuf editions
Read the full article at FightlinkerAs UFC 144 Nears, Shadow of PRIDE Looms Large
With its unique brand of glitz and grandeur, Japan injected life into mixed martial arts when it was needed most, during its darkest days in North America. If the UFC's return into Japan now, several years after it became the world's preeminent promotion, isn't a return of the favor, it at least comes pre-packaged with a respectful bow and a nod to history. For example, it comes as no coincidence that for UFC 144, the promotion chose as a venue the Saitama Super Arena, the de facto home of PRIDE which held 24 of the promotion's events during its 10-year history. It's just the scale that will change. While that venue can be configured to seat nearly 50,000 fans, on fight night, it will instead house around 20,000. As for the tone, well, that is the mystery of UFC 144. While a UFC event traditionally hosts a raucous group of fans, part of the allure of the show is to see whether the event will be populated by the typically quiet and respectful Japanese observer or a new age fan.UFC's reception is part of the story. Like during Thursday's press conference, when a Japanese reporter asked White about his own personal expectation."I'm sorry," he said, "but still, some of the Japanese MMA fans believe that Zuffa destroyed PRIDE, and if they see your face on the screen…"
"Oh, you're saying I'm not very popular over here," White responded, a smile on his face. "I don’t know. Listen, I can take some boos. We didn't kill PRIDE. I’ve said this many times. PRIDE is the only other organization that I've ever respected. PRIDE was an organization here in Japan that did huge sellout shows. They had tons of fans in the U.S., and a lot of the big stars not just in Japan but worldwide came form Japan. It’s the only other organization I’ve given respect or credit to. If I get some boos, I can handle it. I’m pretty thick-skinned."Keep in mind that when the interpreter originally translated the reporter's question, he changed it to ask White about the reaction the referees might receive. It was only after the reporter stood up and asked his question again, this time in English, that White could understand that he was saying.That tone of respect is one that permeated the press conference, but so did a singular topic. Over and over, White along with the six fighters -- Frankie Edgar, Ben Henderson, Quinton Jackson, Ryan Bader, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Jake Shields -- on the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo dais were asked about MMA in Japan, Japan, Japanese MMA and every permutation thereof. They said all the right things and gave all the right answers, even if they have no idea what to really expect on Sunday morning, when the event will begin at 9:30 am local time."Anywhere else in the world we go it’s loud and it’s crazy," White said. "You know how it is when we go live on pay-per-view, the whole place is going insane. It’s going to be interesting here to see if that's what it’s like here, if it’s the same reaction they had at the PRIDE events or more like the other places we go. I’m curious to see."On fight night, the UFC will present its standard production, complete with multiple replay screens and music blaring at a pounding decibel level. How that "UFC experience" that White talks about will go over for the first time is anyone's guess, but the organization has to believe the fans who purchased tickets know what they're getting themselves into.For now, about 2,000 tickets remain from turning the event into a sellout, according to White, and the arena is expected to be full by the time the main card begins.That's a positive development for a promotion that has waited over a decade to return to what many consider to be one of the most instrumental countries to the development of martial arts.From White's perspective, the return is already a success. Not only is the event likely to sell out, but due to a sudden deal, a broadcast of the event will be available on TV Tokyo, a free channel, albeit in the wee hours of Sunday night. It also airs live on cable channel WOWOW."This is the first show back in 12 years," White said, "You heard 'Rampage' and [a reporter] saying the UFC isn't as big as PRIDE was here, and for us to come in and do an event and sell out the way we have, we’re very happy with the results. I know what we're going to do on Sunday and what kind of show we're going to put on for the Japanese fans. I think they’re going to be very excited and this is going to help spread the word in Japan."White said the UFC does plan to come back to Japan in the future, and that this is not a one-off show for the sake of going into a market that has been a target ever since Zuffa ownership bought the UFC. Instead, this is a show that matters not only for the long-term growth of the UFC, but for MMA in Japan. Despite not being in the main event, Jackson has essentially been the face of the show, having fought in Japan 18 times during his PRIDE days. In discussing his return to the Land of the Rising Sun after five years away, he's been downright wistful."Japanese fans just really know how to treat a fighter," he said. "That’s why I love them. That’s why whenever I fought here, I always tried my best to put on an exciting show no matter what. I took risks, and was slamming people so much. It took a lot of energy to slam people and do the stuff I did. I lost a lot of fights just trying to excite them because I really love them. That’s the type of energy they give to me and that’s exactly why I wanted to come here and fight. That’s exactly how I’m going to fight, like I did when I was 25, and put on a great show for these Japanese fans because they’re the best in the world."PRIDE may be long gone, but there is hope that at least for one day, the glory days can return to Saitama Super Arena, and the clock can be turned back to a time when Japanese MMA was king and the love affair between fighters and fans was at its best.
Posted in: ufc, event, fan, pride, japan
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseDana White calls UFC 144 a sell out, already planning return to Japan
For all the negative Nancys who didn't expect a main event featuring Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson to pull any kind of respectable numbers, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White has news for you.
UFC 144 is a sell out.
The Las Vegas fight boss will bring the Octagon to the Saitama Super Arena this Saturday night (Feb. 25, 2012), for a live pay-per-view (PPV) event that also features former PRIDE FC stars Quinton Jackson, Mark Hunt and Takanori Gomi, as well as K-1 "Hero's" Yoshihiro Akiyama and Norifumi Yamamoto.
White breaks down the numbers to Kimura.se:
"We were gonna come here earlier. We had a deal in place but everything fell apart. Now, here we are. We got this one worked out. We got it figured out, came in, sold this event out and I'm excited. We're looking at 22,000 (capacity), so when we sell 20,000 and there's 2,000 tickets left, we consider that a sell-out. What's today, Thursday? We still got three days before the event happens (Sunday in Japan). The Saitama Super Arena is where all the big mixed martial arts fights have happened. It's the place to go. We're coming back to Japan again, Rampage could be fighting here again."
PRIDE FC, the last bastion for Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters, was acquired by ZUFFA back in 2007. Since that time, the UFC has planned a return to the "Land of the Rising Sun," but faced obstacles along the way.
Hear White detail the long journey back to Japan, after the jump.
For more on UFC 144: "Edgar vs. Henderson" click here.
Posted in: ufc, event, japan, norifumi yamamoto, arts fights
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 144 pre-fight press conference full video for 'Edgar vs Henderson' in Japan
UFC President Dana White joined the stars of the upcoming UFC 144 event, scheduled to go down this Sat., Feb. 25, 2012, from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, to dish the dirt on the show. Frankie Edgar, Ben Henderson, Quinton Jackson, Ryan Bader, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Jake Shields were all in attendance to answer questions from the media and fans.
For all the latest and greatest on the "Edgar vs. Henderson" event be sure to hit up our event archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, event, henderson, edgar, saitama japan
Read the full article at MMA ManiaGhosts of Saitama: The Japanese New Year's Eve war starts with three blockbuster shows
The roar of the crowd ... the sound of bare feet shuffling against canvas ... the unexplainable electricity inside the building. They are all mere echos today as crowds in the tens of thousands have dwindled down to a fraction of that amount. The Saitama Super Arena, host of this Saturday's (Feb. 25) UFC 144 event, has been home to some of the greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) events in the history of the sport. "Ghosts of Saitama" will take a look at some of those moments, forever preserved and never forgotten.
Yesterday we took a look back at 2011's New Year's Eve (NYE) event at the Saitama Super Arena, a show that very well could be the last in the near-decade long tradition. Indeed, the future looks grim from where we sit.
It wasn't the case eight years prior when groups headed by Antonio Inoki, K-1 parent company Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) and Pride Fighting Championships (Pride), each decided to go to all-out television war on Dec. 31, 2003.
Bom-Ba-Ye. Dynamite!!. Shockwave.
Three huge events that had millions of combat sports fans glued to their television sets at home and more than 100,000 people packed into three different stadiums. Saitama Super Arena, of course, was one of them. The building played host to Pride's Shockwave event, also holding the honors for the next three years.
It was supposed to be the dawn of a new age in mixed martial arts (MMA) and combat sports in general. And while it seemed to fulfill that very promise for the next couple of years, it also inevitably led to the downfall of the sport in Japan.
Let's dive right in:
Shockwave was a star-studded event naturally headlined by Japanese all-star Kazushi Sakuraba taking on the younger of the Brazilian twins, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. An Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) rematch also took place as Octagon originals Don Frye and Gary Goodridge locked horns for a second time. This time "Big Daddy" came out on top with a thunderous head kick that put "The Predator" immediately to sleep.
Americans Quinton Jackson and Heath Herring each took on and defeated overmatched competition. In "Rampage's" case, it was Ikuhisa Minowa, a fighter he likely outweighed by 20 points. For "The Texas Crazy Horse," it was Giant Silva, a fighter who likely outweighed him by 100 but whose MMA skills were rudimentary at best.
Akira Shoji would end up getting viciously knocked out by Murilo Rua only two months after Mauricio Rua achieved the same result. It seemed the Rua family had Shoji's number. Fellow Japanese fighters Yuki Kondo and Kiyoshi Tamura fared better aganist their competition, however.
Kondo bested Brazilian legend Mario Sperry while longtime Sakuraba rival Tamura was able to submit Ray Sefo's baby brother Rony. A fight between Hayato Sakurai and fellow countryman Daiju Takase went the judges who scored "Mach" as the victor.
The Gracie family earned back some respect for Brazil before the night was done. Daniel Gracie submitted his opponent with relative ease and while the result of Royce Gracie's bout with Hidehiko Yoshida is a draw, it was only the special rule set that defined it as such. After allowing the judoka to take his back the previous year and elicit a stoppage through a possibly dubious choke, the UFC Hall of Famer was not going to rest on his laurels.
During their first bout, Yoshida employed the ezekiel choke using his gi. Staying in position for a few moments, the Japanese fighter then alerted the referee that Gracie had passed out. The bout was called and Yoshida popped up to his feet. The problem was so did Gracie. It seemed like the entire country of Brazil poured into the ring then to protest the stoppage so 16 months later, two fighters found themselves back where they started.
Only this time, Gracie had a score to settle and a point to prove. The fight is officially a draw but in reality, it was a one-sided beatdown. The UFC legend dominated his opponent from bell to bell and despite not coming out with a win, he still earned back some of the respect he had lost the year before.
It became the fight the event has become best known for. The bout was booked because Pride officials were eager to get both fighters back into the ring to settle the score after the scandalous ending to their first match-up over a year prior at a Pride/K-1 co-promoted event. Their hope was to make money while also hoping to quell any controversy.
But controversy remained. Two names surprisingly absent from the Shockwave card were those of popular kickboxer turned MMA fighter Mirko Filipovic and Pride's heavyweight champion at the time Fedor Emelianenko. "Cro Cop" mysteriously took the night off while "The Last Emperor" actually appeared at Inoki's Bom-Ba-Ye event. The details surrounding those situations would eventually lead to Pride's downfall.
Allegations of crooked promoters and even dirtier managers with the Yakuza having its fingers in everything. Two years after this event, the murky details began to surface and Pride wouldn't survive the fallout. It helps cast a shadow over this event since the competitiveness of Pride officials to put on the biggest and best show possible is also what led to the company's demise.
The main event was Pride ace Sakuraba taking on the relatively fresh face of "Lil Nog." While older brother -- by 23 seconds -- was already an established name on the Pride circuit, Rogerio Nogueira had only stepped inside the promotion's ring three times. The two had a great fight. Really, it will probably go down as when two of the greatest fighters to never hold a major title met inside the ring.
The pomp and the spectacle would reach even greater heights in the ensuing years -- Shockwave 2005 boasts nearly 50,000 fans in attendance -- but it all began in 2003 at the Saitama Super Arena.
In a way, it's also where it began to end.
More from the "Ghosts of Saitama" series:
Ghosts of Saitama: After nearly a decade, the traditional New Year's Eve MMA event in Japan likely comes to an end in 2011
Ghosts of Saitama: In 2004, the world's greatest heavyweights descended upon Saitama Super Arena
Ghosts of Saitama: Pride FC wastes no time making its debut at Saitama Super Arena in Japan
Posted in: fighter, event, year, pride, saitama
Read the full article at MMA ManiaSources: Strikeforce event targeted for May 19 in San Jose
Strikeforce's next major event could land in the promotion's birthplace.
Sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com that San Jose, Calif.'s HP Pavilion is targeted for a Strikeforce event on May 19, though the location has yet to be finalized.
No matchups have been confirmed for the event's fight lineup, which would include a main card on Showtime and prelims on Showtime Extreme.
Posted in: strikeforce, event, san, strikeforce event, event today
Read the full article at MMA JunkieAction packed week ahead for kickboxing fans
[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div]
Although the big time promotions are absent this month, there's still a lot of great action going on around the world. There's a number of strong, quality events taking place that feature some great talent. 2012 is already turning out to be a great year in kickfighting, with or without K-1. With smaller shows showcasing great talent popping up often, we don't have to wait very long to catch some good fights. Click "Read More" to check out the upcoming action for this week.
W5 Fighter - Moscow, Russia - February 24
W5 is kicking off 2012 with a new "W5 Fighter" series that will be holding four tournaments using the weight classes of 60kg, 65kg, 70kg and 75kg. With 16 fighters in each weight class, they're holding ten events this year. The first event is on Friday and has 12 fights including six tournament matches. The main event is a really good fight between Alexander Surzkho and Edgar Arutyunyan at 75kg. Russia and Ukraine are producing a lot of good fighters nowadays and Surzkho and Arutyunyan are some of the top fighters they have in that weight category. The fight has all the makings to be action packed. It'll be on Russian TV so videos will definitely get out. Full fight card.
Read More...
Posted in: fight, fighter, event, kg, action
Read the full article at Middle EasyLudwig/Hardy confirmed for UFC 146, with Overeem/Santos as the main event
submitted by DonnyPlease [link] [6 comments]
Posted in: ufc, event, overeemsanto, donnyplease, ludwighardy
Read the full article at RedditUFC 144's Anthony Pettis looks to follow 'worst year' of career with his best
TOKYO - As Anthony Pettis looks a few spots above his name on UFC 144's fight card, he knows it could be he - not Benson Henderson - fighting for the UFC lightweight title in Saturday's main event.
Fourteen months after defeating Henderson in the WEC's final event, Pettis now watches his former foe taking a headlining slot in a championship bout on a huge UFC event.
But rather than regret or jealousy, Pettis said it simply provides motivation as he prepares for his UFC 144 bout with fellow contender Joe Lauzon.
Posted in: ufc, event, anthony pettis, petti, championship bout
Read the full article at MMA JunkieGhosts of Saitama: After nearly a decade, the traditional New Year's Eve MMA event in Japan likely comes to an end in 2011
The roar of the crowd ... the sound of bare feet shuffling against canvas ... the unexplainable electricity inside the building. They are all mere echos today as crowds in the tens of thousands have dwindled down to a fraction of that amount. The Saitama Super Arena, host of this Saturday's (Feb. 25) UFC 144 event, has been home to some of the greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) events in the history of the sport. "Ghosts of Saitama" will take a look at some of those moments, forever preserved and never forgotten.
We all assumed it would never end.
Beginning in 2003, Japanese combat sports -- both mixed martial arts (MMA) and kickboxing -- shone brightest on the last day of the year. Events clocking in at five, six or even seven hours full of pomp and pageantry ushered tens of thousands of fans into the New Year each and every December 31.
As the years passed, the MMA boom across the Pacific went from a sizzle to a simmer. The amount of New Year's Eve (NYE) events went from three to two and then finally to one in 2007, with Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, being its home beginning the following year. As fans and fighters entered 2012, it wouldn't seem remiss to even question if there was any heat left at all in what appeared to be a corpse. DREAM, the last bastion of the spectacular heights the sports reached in Japan, promoted only three shows last year, down from four the year prior.
But, it seemed there would always be NYE.
It was a tradition, dagnabit. And resources were frantically pooled to ensure the show would see the light of day. Less than eight weeks ago, Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) -- promoter of DREAM and K-1 -- held what very well may be the last NYE card fans will get to enjoy. Quite a few of them -- myself included -- realizing this might be the final chance to see MMA as what it once was gave their DVR the night off and stocked up on the energy drinks and junk food. They prepared for an all-nighter just like in the old days.
After all the joy NYE had given fans, it was the least that could be done in return.
Even before it began, a somber tone surrounded the event at the Saitama Super Arena. After the previous year's incarnation drew such poor ratings, television powerhouse Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) opted -- for the first time since the NYE events began in 2003 -- not to carry the show. Without TBS' muscle, FEG and Japanese legend Antonio Inoki struggled to garner much interest.
Undaunted, they pressed forward and continued with the "Fight for Japan" theme DREAM had started earlier in the year. Stateside, the event began a little past midnight on Dec. 31, 2011, and continued into the morning light. For the Japanese fans in attendance, they made their way into Saitama Super Arena in the early afternoon only to see the show's conclusion -- the dawning of the New Year -- mere moments after the main event of Fedor Emelianenko taking on Satoshi Ishii ended.
"The Last Emperor" scored a quick knockout against the overmatched Japanese judoka and in doing so, picked up his second straight win after dropping three fights for Strikeforce.
Hours earlier, the festivities began with a brutal knockout slam courtesy of Yusup Saadulaev. He put Hideo Tokoro to sleep in a reserve bout for the one-night grand prix to crown DREAM's first bantamweight champion. In the tournament proper, former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) star Antonio Banuelos and Bibiano Fernandes each earned the judges' nod to advance to the finals where the Brazilian became a two-division champ after stopping Banuelos in less than 90 seconds.
Two K-1 MAX kickboxing bouts took place as did two DREAM MMA fights. Japanese stalwarts Tatsuya Kawairi and Hayato Sakurai each picked up a win that night. The two sports were -- like they were last year -- fused together when DREAM and DEEP veteran Katsunori Kikuno took one cosplay aficionado Yuichiro Nagashima. The anime-loving kickboxer had score an impressive knockout over Shinya Aoki seconds into the MMA round the previous year after the submission wizard spent the entire kickboxing round fooling around and killing time. Nagashima wouldn't be so lucky this year as Kikuno took the bout much more seriously than his predecessor and scored a second round technical knockout (TKO) for MMA.
The most dominant women's MMA fighter showed up to do her thing, too. Megumi Fujii added another arm to her trophy case after picking up a quick submission win over her opponent. Meanwhile, two DREAM champions made successful title defenses. Hiroyuki Takaya -- who had won the featherweight title from the aforementioned Fernandes -- retained against Takeshi Inoue while Aoki kept his stranglehold on the Japanese lightweight scene by outpointing Satoru Kitaoka.
The highlight of the evening for many were the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) rules bouts that took place. IGF is Inoki's professional wrestling promotion and as such, each of the four bouts was a display of Japan's take on the sport otherwise known as puroresu.
There was the wacky -- Kazuyuki Fujita submitting Peter Aerts with a Boston Crab and Jerome Le Banner pounding out former UFC champ Tim Sylvia -- and then there was the awesome. The latter comprised a tag-team match between the team of Kazushi Sakuraba and Katsuyori Shibata taking the team of Atsushi Sawada and Shinichi Suzukawa. Then there was the insanely fun catch-wrestling display Josh Barnett and Hideki Suzuki put on, which delighted old school fans of Pride Fighting Championships' predecessor Union of Wrestling Forces International (UWFi).
On top of all that, you had Inoki coming out on a cross during an intermission performance that only the giant-jawed legend could have dreamt up. It was that type of showmanship and over-the-topness that NYE was known for.
And we may never see it again.More from the "Ghosts of Saitama" series:
Ghosts of Saitama: In 2004, the world's greatest heavyweights descended upon Saitama Super Arena
Ghosts of Saitama: Pride FC wastes no time making its debut at Saitama Super Arena in Japan
Posted in: mma, dream, event, year, saitama
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FUEL TV medical suspensions and injuries for 'Sanchez vs Ellenberger' in Omaha
The Nebraska State Athletic Commission today issued its list of medical suspensions for the UFC on Fuel TV: "Sanchez vs. Ellenberger" event, which took place on Weds., Feb. 15, 2012, from the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska.
Not much here to report.
Of the 18 fighters booked to throw down at the network-televised event, only four were given mandatory vacations when all was said and done (via MMA Weekly), including Ronny Markes, who busted up his hand in a split decision win over Aaron Simpson.
Markes will be riding the bench until his physician gives him the green light to continue.
Also earning some time off were Vagner Rocha, Phil De Fries, and Dave Herman, who were all finished by way of (T)KO in their respective bouts.
UFC on Fuel TV featured a thrilling three round main event between Diego Sanchez and Jake Ellenberger. While "The Dream" was able to keep himself awake against the power-punching "Juggernaut," the hometown hero proved to be too much for the former Ultimate Fighter and took home the unanimous decision win.
Also in action, Ronny Markes and T.J. Dillashaw both picked up decision wins while Stefan Struve and Stipe Miocic each took home knockout victories. See who scored the Fight Night bonuses right here.
For all the information you need to know from the UFC on FUEL TV event hit up our results and live blog right here.
Posted in: ufc, event, tv, fuel tv, fuel
Read the full article at MMA ManiaGhosts of Saitama: Pride FC wastes no time making its debut at Saitama Super Arena in Japan
The roar of the crowd ... the sound of bare feet shuffling against canvas ... the unexplainable electricity inside the building. They are all mere echos today as crowds in the tens of thousands have dwindled down to a fraction of that amount. The Saitama Super Arena, host of this Saturday's (Feb. 25) UFC 144 event, has been home to some of the greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) events in the history of the sport. "Ghosts of Saitama" will take a look at some of those moments, forever preserved and never forgotten.
The Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, officially opened its doors on Sept. 1, 2000. Three months later, Pride Fighting Championships (Pride) held its first event in the building. It was the beginning of a near seven-year long relationship, one that would bring fans fights like Wanderlei Silva's second shellacking of Quinton Jackson and the wild brawl between Don Frye and Yoshihiro Takayama.
And it all started at Pride 12 known in the states as "Cold Fury."
More than 25,000 fans packed into the Saitama Super Arena to watch the event, which was more than six months removed from the finals of the 2000 grand prix. Pride's popularity surged in the period right after Mark Coleman became the world's best heavyweight and events like "Cold Fury" helped continue the momentum the promotion was enjoying.
With ace Kazushi Sakuraba in its corner, there seemed nothing Pride could do to prevent its from being the biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion in the world. His "Gracie Hunter" moniker came full circle at this event, while a Brazilian and an American went toe-to-toe to help decide who the Japanese legend would face next. Two future and two former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) titleholders fought at the event, helping along the theory that Pride is where champions came to fight.
Let's take a closer look at the historic event:
UFC 13 tournament winner Guy Mezger was having more trouble across the Pacific than he had inside the Octagon. After losing a split decision to Japanese stalwart Akira Shoji, he entered the 2000 grand prix and faced off against Sakuraba in the opening round. The bout went all 15 minutes and to a judges' decision. In a fight many felt the Lion's Den had done enough to win, the scorecard read a "draw."
One angry Ken Shamrock later and Mezger had forfeited the bout.
A decision win four months later surely helped his confidence, but the devastating knockout loss he suffered to "The Axe Murderer" a few months after didn't help matters. Nearly a year into his Pride career and Mezger was sitting on a 1-3 record. Mezger helped tilt the numbers more in his favor with a brutal knockout over Alexander Otsuka in less than two minutes.
Future UFC welterweight and heavyweight champions Carlos Newton and Ricco Rodriguez made appearances, each picking up a unanimous decision wins over their opponents, while former middleweight contender Ricardo Almeida made his MMA debut in a winning effort over Shoji. Heath Herring continued his impressive run after a come-from-behind upset win over Tom Erikson a few months before by defeating Enson Inoue.
Pride 2000 grand prix quarterfinal opponents Kazuyuki Fujita and Mark Kerr each stepped inside the ring, but like that evening in Tokyo seven months prior, Fujita come out a winner, while "The Smashing Machine" came up short. "Ol' Ironhead" bested Gilbert Yvel over 10 minutes, while Kerr fell to Igor Vovchanchyn in 15 minutes. Kerr would, of course, be deeply affected by personal and substance abuse issues in the ensuing years, finding success only twice more in his career before retiring in 2009.
The two big fights on the event would end up being Wanderlei Silva taking on Dan Henderson and the headliner of Kazushi Sakuraba and Ryan Gracie.
At the time, both Silva and "Hendo" were relative newcomers to the sport and had hardly achieved the legendary status each enjoys today. But, both were still exciting scrappers and the match up didn't disappoint. Unable to get the Brazilian onto his back, Henderson was forced to stand and bang with "The Axe Murderer." For all his wrestling accolades, "Hendo" did well for himself on his feet and it'd be no surprise if this performance -- combined with his brutal knockout of Renzo Gracie three months later -- is what gave the Team Quest fighter the confidence he needed in his stand up to become the knockout machine we all know and love today.
The main event saw Sakuraba solidify his "Gracie Hunter" nickname when he defeated his fourth member of the vaunted "first family of MMA." He nearly snapped Royler's arm at Pride 8, dominated Royce for 1.5 hours at the grand prix and then made good on his previous threat when he dislocated Renzo's elbow at Pride 10. His performance against Ryan was more Royce than Royler and Renzo as the Japanese legend was unable to submit the Brazilian, but still had no trouble defeating him. "Saku" didn't even seem to take the younger Gracie seriously and seemed more interested in entertaining the audience with bits than anything else.
Pride 12 wouldn't have the same air as future events, but it was a more than fitting beginning to what would become the promotion's legacy at the Saitama Super Arena.
More from the "Ghosts of Saitama" series:
Ghosts of Saitama: In 2004, the world's greatest heavyweights descended upon Saitama Super Arena
Posted in: event, month, pride, saitama, arena
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 144 'Live from Japan' video for 'Edgar vs Henderson'
It's (almost) time!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will return to the "Land of the Rising Sun" for the first time in more than a decade when the world's largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion stages an event at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, this upcoming Saturday (Feb. 25, 2012).
Much has changed since that time, particularly with Zuffa's purchase of Pride FC back in 2007, which served as Japan's leading source of combat sports for so many years.
The good news is that the UFC will return with one of its biggest stars from back in the heyday, Quinton Jackson, who takes on Ryan Bader in the co main event. And one of its most recognizable carry overs, former Pride FC lightweight champion Takanori Gomi, will also be back in action against Eiji Mitsuoka on the under card.
It's clear that the UFC marketing machine is approaching this particular event differently, with its event posters, viral videos and now shadow-casting Octagon.
Impressed?
To check out the latest UFC 144 fight card, which is headlined by a championship match between Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson, click here. Be sure to also check out our complete UFC 144 event archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, time, event, japan, pride fc
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FX 2 Main Card Official with 4 Fight Main Card on FX, Prelims Likely to Air on Fuel TV
While the UFC makes its return to Japan this weekend, they will also be traveling across the world for the next event the following weekend with UFC on FX 2. The event takes place at Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia. This will be the UFC’s third event in the last three years in Australia, following UFC 110 and UFC 127, which also took place in Sydney.
The full card of fights is now official, with a four fight main card set to air live on FX. The UFC has yet to announce where the preliminary card fights will air, but it is expected that they will air on Fuel TV.
The main event for UFC on FX 2 features two top welterweight contenders, with Thiago Alves taking on Martin Kampmann.
Also featured on the main card will be the first round of the flyweight tournament, as the 125 pound division will make its debut at the event. The first round matchups include former Tachi Palace Fights flyweight champion Ian McCall taking on Demetrious Johnson, and Joseph Benavidez taking on Yasuhiro Urushitani.
Johnson and Benavidez, both former bantamweights who fought for the title at 135 pounds, will be making their flyweight debut.
Rounding out the main card will be a middleweight matchup between The Ultimate Fighter season 11 winner Court McGee and Constantinos Philippou.
Like the previous UFC cards held in Australia, the event will air live in the United States during its usual Saturday night time slot, which means the event will take place early Sunday morning in Australia.
MAIN CARD (FX):
Martin Kampmann vs. Thiago Alves
Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall
Joseph Benavidez vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani
Court McGee vs. Costa Philippou
PRELIMINARY CARD (Fuel TV):
James Te Huna vs. Aaron Rosa
Anthony Perosh vs. Nick Penner
Cole Miller vs. Steven Siler
Kyle Noke vs. Andrew Craig
Jake Hecht vs. T.J. Waldburger
Oli Thompson vs. Shawn Jordan
Daniel Pineda vs. Mackens Semerzier
For complete coverage of UFC on FX 2, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com
Posted in: ufc, fx, vs, event, card
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyEvan Dunham scheduled for UFC 146 showdown with Edson Barboza
A pair of lightweights looking to make their mark on the division will collide at UFC 146 in the form of Edson Barboza and Evan Dunham who have have signed to face off at Memorial Day Weekend event. UFC officials announced the bout on Sunday.
Barboza (10-0) has won three straight Fight of the Night awards and has triumphed over Terry Etim and Ross Pearson since joining the UFC.
Dunham (13-2) is 6-2 inside the Octagon and has rebounded from back-to-back losses to win two straight. Dunham’s defeats came at the hands of Sean Sherk and Melvin Guillard while he was last seen in an entertaining effort against Nik Lentz where he won by way of a Doctor’s Stoppage.
UFC 146 is scheduled to feature a main event between UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos and #1 contender Alistair Overeem. The show takes place May 26 from Las Vegas with Barboza-Dunham likely landing one of the event’s PPV slots.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, dunham, event, evan dunham, edson barboza
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainFive questions to look at heading into the #UFC Japan 2012 event @MMASupremacy @frontrowbrian @MiddleEasy
The UFC Japan 2012 show has so many mixed variables heading into the event, nobody is sure if it will be a major success or not.
Posted in: ufc, event, japan, middleeasy, event nobody
Read the full article at Fight OpinionUFC 146: Edson Barboza vs Evan Dunham booked for May 26 in Las Vegas
An intriguing lightweight scrap is headed for "Sin City."
That's because UFC President Dana White today announced that Brazilian bomber Edson Barboza will meet Evan Dunham at the UFC 146: "Dos Santos vs. Overeem" event on May 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
You may remember Barboza from his unbelievable spinning wheel kick knockout of Terry Etim that went down this past Jan. 14 at UFC 142 in Brazil. The performance earned him "Knockout of the Night" honors in a landslide and bumped his record to 10-0 while giving him his third consecutive fight night bonus.
Can he make it four against Dunham?
Dunham was also a bonus award winner in his last bout, bringing home "Fight of the Night" honors for his spirited doctor stoppage victory over Nik Lentz at the UFC on Fox 2 event on Jan. 28 in Chicago.
That marked the second straight victory for "3-D" after a two-fight skid nearly saw him dumped from the promotion.
Two lightweights on winning streaks who love to bang it out, Maniacs. Sounds like the perfect fight for the Memorial Day weekend event, no?
UFC 146 is scheduled for May 26, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event headliner will see Junior dos Santos defend his heavyweight title for the very first time against Alistair Overeem. Jason Miller vs. C.B. Dollaway is also booked for the show.
As always, stay tuned to MMAmania.com for future updates to this still-developing fight card.
Posted in: ufc, fight, dunham, event, night honors
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBrian Stann Hired as Analyst for Future UFC on FOX Events
submitted by BaronMazza [link] [comment]
Posted in: event, brian stann, future ufc, fox events, baronmazza link
Read the full article at RedditAt 50 years old, former UFC champ Maurice Smith returns to MMA
Former UFC heavyweight champion Maurice Smith, at 50 years old, will fight again.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed with sources close to
the fighter that Smith will compete at March's aptly-named Resurrection
Fighting Alliance 2 event.
Smith is expected to face Washington's Kyle "Kodiak" Keeney at the event.
Posted in: event, year, smith, mmajunkiecom today, maurice
Read the full article at MMA JunkieWrestleMania goes to Met Life Stadium in 2013
The AP reports that WrestleMania will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The WWE confirmed the reports at a press conference this past Thursday.
Via WWE press release:
Governor Christie was joined by WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, New York Football Giants President and CEO John Mara, New York Jets Chairman and CEO Woody Johnson, NYC & Company CEO, George Fertitta and WWE’s Senior Vice President of Special Events John Saboor to make the announcement at a press conference held earlier today. WWE Superstars John Cena®, Triple H®, Sheamus®, Mark Henry®, Brie and Nikki Bella™ and special guest Dwayne “The Rock®” Johnson were also on hand at MetLife Stadium for the historic announcement.
The Rock announced that he would be at the NY/NJ WrestleMania although its not known whether he’d be performing or just participating in another way. His appearance can help with the early promotion for the event.
Payout Perspective:
Even before this year’s Wrestlemania in Miami, the WWE has announced WrestleMania XXIX. Its a little surprising considering its held past Wrestlemanias at Madison Square Garden. But, the stadium venue falls in line with the company’s annual biggest event. Its a good acquisition for Met Life Stadium and a dress rehearsal for the Super Bowl which it will host in 2014. Despite what some may think of professional wrestling, the competition to host a Wrestlemania is as tough as it is to get a Super Bowl.
The positive economic impact it has for a city is noticeable as many fans travel to the city of the Wrestlemania and its a significant boost in tourism. The WWE has taken advantage of the event by promoting a week full of events to draw its fans to the host city. According to the WWE press release, “WrestleMania has generated more than $200 million in cumulative economic impact for its past four host regions.”
Last year, WrestleMania was held in Atlanta where it was reported it made a positive $62 million economic impact in the region. Likely, Miami will eclipse this number and next year’s WM in New York/New Jersey should be even more considering the attraction of visiting New York as well as the other activities that one could do in the area.
Posted in: event, wwe, stadium, wrestlemania, ceo
Read the full article at MMA PayoutUFC 144′s Lineup Set for Main Card PPV, Prelims Set for FX and Facebook
With the UFC returning to Japan for the first time since UFC 29 in December 2000, UFC 144 will be featuring an extended main card on pay-per-view, along with a full preliminary card on both FX and Facebook. UFC 144 begins around 7:30 on Facebook with the first preliminary card matchup. The event will then move to FX with four more preliminary fights at 8. Then the pay-per-view event will begin at the regularly scheduled time of 10 PM EST.
The entire preliminary card will feature a fighter from Japan in each matchup. Former PRIDE Lightweight champion Takanori Gomi and longtime Shooto and Dream bantamweight Kid Yamamoto will both be featured on the prelims, with both fighting on FX.
The pay-per-view event will begin at 10 PM EST, with the fights actually occurring early Sunday morning locally in Japan due to the time difference. With seven bouts scheduled, the pay-per-view event will take place over four hours as opposed to the usually scheduled three hour events.
The card is headlined by a UFC lightweight championship fight between champion Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson. Also featured on the main card will be former PRIDE stars in Japan in Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Mark Hunt.
Local Japanese stars Yoshihiro Akiyama, Yushin Okami, and Hatsu Hioki will also be fighting on the main card.
MAIN CARD (PPV)
Frankie Edgar (c) vs. Ben Henderson
UFC Lightweight Championship
Quitnon “Rampage” Jackson vs. Ryan Bader
Cheick Kongo vs. Mark Hunt
Jake Shields vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
Joe Lauzon vs. Anthony Pettis
Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch
Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski
PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)
Riki Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell
Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Vaughn Lee
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris Cariaso
Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
Tiequan Zhang vs. Issei Tamura
For complete coverage of UFC 144, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com
Posted in: ufc, fx, vs, event, card
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC on Fuel TV 1 Makes Fuel TV Ratings History
Following the UFC’s event debut on Wednesday with UFC on Fuel TV 1, Fuel TV officials have announced that Fuel TV enjoyed the highest ratings of the channel’s history. The event averaged 217,000 viewers throughout the three hour program. The event peaked near the end of the event, with the third round of the main event between Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez, which brought in 315,000 viewers.
Wednesday’s event comes just three months after the UFC’s debut on FOX, and less than one month than the debut on FX. Fuel TV has hosted preliminary card fights for both UFC on FX 1, which averaged 148,000 viewers, and UFC on Fox 2, which averaged 144,000 viewers.
Since the debut on Fox in November, Fuel TV has increased from 30 million subscribers to 36 million.
“We fully expected the UFC was going to deliver Fuel TV extraordinary ratings, and now we’re seeing it,” said George Greenberg, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Fuel TV. “We are beyond ecstatic about the audience and the impact the UFC is having on our network’s growth thus far. The sky’s the limit on where this network can go from here.”
Wednesday’s event in Omaha, Nebraska was the first of six events to be featured on Fuel TV in 2012. The next scheduled event on Fuel TV will take place on April 12th in Stockholm, Sweden. The card is headlined with a light heavyweight matchup featuring Sweden’s own Alexander Gustafsson taking on Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
Posted in: ufc, event, tv, fuel tv, fuel
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC 144's 12-bout lineup finalized with FX, Facebook prelim broadcasts
The Ultimate Fighting Championship's first event in Japan in nearly 12 years will broadcast on pay-per-view, FX and Facebook.
UFC officials recently announced the broadcast plans for next weekend's
UFC 144 event, including preliminary broadcasts to supplement the
evening's loaded seven-bout main card.
Featuring a lightweight title fight between current champ Frankie Edgar
and former WEC title holder Ben Henderson, "UFC 144: Edgar vs.
Henderson" takes place on Sunday, Feb. 26, at Saitama Super Arena in
Saitama, Japan. Due to the time difference, the event airs on Saturday
night in the U.S.
Posted in: ufc, event, broadcast, time difference, broadcast plans
Read the full article at MMA JunkieRogent Lloret and Bobby Brents Make Weight for Saturday’s CWFC 45 Main Event
A heavyweight main event clash between Rogent Lloret and Bobby Brents will take place as planned at CWFC 45, as both fighters hit their marks at Friday’s weigh-ins.
Posted in: event, brent, event clash, rogent lloret, bobby brents
Read the full article at SherdogUFC on FUEL TV 1 ratings garner 217,000 viewers for 'Sanchez vs Ellenberger' event on Feb. 15
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) began its historic deal with FOX at the beginning of the year and just this past Wed., Feb. 15, 2012, held its first ever fight card broadcast on FUEL TV, which has turned into the unofficial UFC network.
The ratings are in for the UFC on FUEL TV 1: "Sanchez vs. Ellenberger" event , courtesy of Sherdog.com, and the show garnered 217,000 viewers for the three-hour broadcast.
For FUEL, a channel available in just 36 million homes, that's a smashing success. For the UFC, not so much.
The world's largest fight promotion's old channel, Spike TV, ran counterprogramming during the same three hour window consisting of repeat broadcasts of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 13 Finale and UFC Unleashed. Those shows together netted an average of 678,000 viewers.
All told, plenty of fight fans were watching UFC programming Wednesday night. Just not on the channel the powers that be would have liked them to.
UFC on Fuel TV featured a thrilling three round main event between Diego Sanchez and Jake Ellenberger. While "The Dream" was able to keep himself awake against the power-punching "Juggernaut," the hometown hero proved to be too much for the former Ultimate Fighter and took home the unanimous decision win.
Also in action, Ronny Markes and T.J. Dillashaw both picked up decision wins while Stefan Struve and Stipe Miocic each took home knockout victories. See who scored the Fight Night bonuses right here.
For all the information you need to know from the UFC on FUEL TV event hit up our results and live blog right here.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, tv, fuel
Read the full article at MMA ManiaAsian MMA: Victor Cui Talks About March ONE FC Event In Singapore
As part of that conversation I had with Victor Cui this past weekend in Jakarta, Indonesia, the CEO of ONE Fighting Championship also talked about their 3rd event happening on March 31st.
They had a successful debut event last September, and Cui says there's even more interest from the Singapore fans now that they will be returning to the country for their third show.
"I think the event is already going to be sold out next week, and I haven't even started marketing for the March card," Victor Cui, said in an interview with BloodyElbow.com, "After our first event, we had a waiting list of over 2000 people. It's crazy. They wanted the tickets now, and we haven't even announced the fight card, and we didn't even announce the March date then."
Related: ONE FC 2 Results, Recap And Post-Fight AnalysisManhoef vs. Babalu, Imanari vs. Belingon Set For ONE FC 3 In Singapore
As of this writing, there are only two fights that have been announced, Renato Sobral vs. Melvin Manhoef, along with an excellent match up between Kevin Belingon and Masakazu Imanari. Gregor Gracie, Eduard Folayang, Zorobabel Moreira, Eddie Ng and Nicole Chua are all expected to compete on the event, but none of their opponents have been confirmed yet.
That partial card already looks good, but Cui also credits the massive interest from Singapore by successfully establishing a strong identity in the country.
"ONE FC, and the brand is just so big in Singapore now. Our home base is in Singapore, and we're so strongly supported by all the major departments of the government." Cui exclaimed, referring to multiple branches of the government backing them such as the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB).
"There's a reason why they bring F-1 and they support F-1 in Singapore, and there's a reason why they're supporting ONE FC," he continued, "It's cause they want to see a long-term thing. We have a 10-year partnership with ESPN, we're hiring a lot of guys from Singapore, and we're such good partners to have for (the government)."
Apart from working on their upcoming events, Victor Cui and ONE FC has also been working with several other organizations to continuously build their network.
Some people think it's a great idea, while some people have said that trying to have all those promotions and orgs under one roof, might spell trouble with having too much politics involved from all sides. Cui says it doesn't matter, cause for him, establishing and growing that network will be beneficial for the MMA scene in the region.
"The growth of Asian MMA is exciting. I've spent an inordinate time on growing the sport, doing stuff like the ONE FC network," he says, "A lot of people criticize it, but no one is doing it, and that's why it's hard."
"It is hard to coordinate all these guys' schedules to come together and to talk. They've never done this before even if we're all in the same business. It's a lot of phone calls, a lot of emails, a lot of conversations and discussions on how we are going to work together." Cui said, as he explains the challenges of setting up a network that already includes different gyms and promotions such as DREAM, URCC, Road FC, and CFC among others, "I do that, and I spend a lot of time, because I know it will be better for the sport, better for the fighters."
"That stuff is not easy. It's not easy to talk to all of these gyms, all these organizations to work together." Cui exclaimed, "Guys from these different gyms and promotions are now in ONE FC, and it's career changing for these guys. Now there's a lot of opportunities for fighters and gyms. They get more fights and more sponsorships."
With several fighters on the March event coming out of gyms like Evolve MMA and Team Lakay, and from top promotions such as DREAM and URCC, footprints stemming from the partnerships made on that network is already being seen.
There will be a lot of fighters, a lot of personalities, officials, CEO's and owners. There will probably also be a lot of egos and politics that will be involved as they continue to grow this network. There will be several challenges that they will be facing, but it will be very interesting to see how it all unfolds and what they can accomplish from this.
Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena
Posted in: event, lot, fc, singapore, cui
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowInjury forces Akira Corassani to withdraw from UFC on FUEL TV 2
Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 14's fast-talking featherweight Hamid Corassani has been forced to put his Octagon debut on hold, following an injury severe enough to boot him from the UFC on Fuel TV 2 event booked for April 14, 2012, at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
Sherdog.com brought word of the line-up change earlier today.
Corassani (9-3) is perhaps best known for his phantom tap against Dustin Neace on the former Spike TV reality show. He was able to advance to the semifinals, but got choked out by eventual finalist Dennis Bermudez inside the first round.
He was not invited back to participate in the Dec. 3, 2011, TUF 14 live finale, but alas, he's getting a second shot (we think) when he gets all patched up and back into action.
That leaves Jason Young (8-5), who's trying desperately to climb out of an 0-2 hole, without a date to the big dance. "Shotgun" has yet to secure a win inside the Octagon, losing back-to-back decisions to Michihiro Omigawa and Dustin Poirier.
The promotion is expected to find Young a replacement in time for him to compete.
UFC on Fuel TV 2 features native son Alexander Gustafsson in the main event taking on longtime veteran and Brazilian banger Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Other bouts booked for the event include Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara and Paulo Thiago vs. Siyar Bahadurzada.
For the latest UFC on Fuel TV 2 news and notes check out our event archive right here. To check out the latest UFC on Fuel TV 2 fight card and rumors click here.
Posted in: ufc, event, tv, corassani, fuel
Read the full article at MMA ManiaLineup finalized for Saturday's Cage Warriors 45 on MMAjunkie.com and Facebook
The lineup is set for Saturday's Cage Warriors 45 event.
The event takes place at HMV Forum in London. Five bouts stream live on MMAjunkie.com following a four-bout preliminary card on Cage Warriors' Facebook page.
Headlining the event is a heavyweight tilt between Bobby Brents and Rogent Lloret.
Posted in: event, cage, heavyweight tilt, warrior, hmv forum
Read the full article at MMA JunkieThat should have been a 5 round fight
If you were woefully undereducated like I am, you were probably expecting the Diego Sanchez vs Jake Ellenberger to go an extra two rounds last night. I was expecting it right up until both guys started victory flexing for the judges. It turns out that the UFC's 5-round main event policy only applies to PPV events and FOX broadcasts, not FX and FUEL shows. No more, according to The Dana:
"Cause we blew it it should have been a five round fight. As I was sitting here again tonight I'm looking at the fight going yeah, this should have been five rounds. I think that when Diego and Ellenberger went back in for that fourth round the place would have gone crazy, people were ready for it at home. I'm not gonna throw anyone under the bus ... but we blew it. We should have done it. They will be five round fights from now on. Everyone's asking if it's because of FUEL, FUEL would let us do 33 round fights if we wanted to. Yeah, they'll be five rounds from here on out. Other than contracts that have already been signed."
The original limitation to FOX and PPV events made sense to a degree: you don't want a scrubby fight on top of a weak card to hit debacle levels by having both guys gassing out halfway through. Maybe the UFC can just use their brains when deciding if a fight should be three or five? Alas, you start picking yourself and it may be perceived as stacking the deck for either favoring lazy asses like BJ Penn or cardio machines like Nick Diaz.Just so you know, those already signed 3 round main events: Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann at UFC on FX 2 and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Alexander Gustafsson at UFC on FUEL 2. Both of which would have been even better with an extra two rounds.
Posted in: ufc, fight, round, event, fuel
Read the full article at FightlinkerDana White: All Main Events to Be Five Rounds After Ellenberger vs. Sanchez
"We blew it," UFC President Dana White said. "It should have been a five round fight."
After UFC on FUEL TV's thrilling main event between Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez last night, media and fans alike questioned why a headlining bout of significance between two known action fighters would only be scheduled for three rounds. Sanchez himself wondered aloud in his post-fight comments with UFC announcer Jon Anik why the fight wasn't longer. In fact, the UFC had previously announced all main events would be five-rounds whether a title was on the line or not. According to White, it should have been and that mistake won't be repeated.
"I was sitting here again tonight looking at the fight going, 'Yeah, this should have been five rounds.' I think that if Ellenberger and Diego went back in there for a fourth round the place would have went crazy. People were ready for it at home," White lamented.
Contrary to suggestion, the decision to make Ellenberger vs. Sanchez was not a directive from FUEL. "FUEL would have let us do 33 rounds if we wanted to," White noted. Remaining coy about who had responsibility for the decision, White hinted the choice was made internally at the UFC, but not one they'll make again. "I'm not gonna throw anybody under the bus but we blew it, we should have done it."
The only caveat to UFC's plans for universal five-round main events would be existing contractual limits. "There will be five round fights from here on in," White continued, "other than contracts that have already been signed."
The UFC first hinted at the possibility of holding non-title five-round main events in April of 2011. By June, the UFC formally announced the change. "From this day forward, any fight that is signed after right now today will be a five-round fight," White announced days prior to UFC 131.
The move to five rounds is designed to reduce the possibility of controversial or indecisive endings as well as to add a measure of grandeur to main events.
The first UFC main event non-title bout took place at UFC 138 in Nottingham, England in November of 2011 between middleweights Chris Leben and Mark Munoz.
Posted in: ufc, fight, round, event, sanchez
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseDana White: All Main Events Will Be Five Rounds Following UFC on FUEL TV 1
After an exciting end to an action-packed third round in the main event between Diego Sanchez and Jake Ellenberger, hundreds of fans went to Twitter proclaiming they wanted more. Many were actually expecting more and were surprised and confused that they were not about to get their wish.
Last June, the UFC announced that all main events would be scheduled for five rounds. However, due to scheduling issues such as contracts already being signed for three rounds and fighters withdrawing from fights, the first five round main event that was not for a title did not occur until UFC 138 in November. Since then, two main events have gone the distance- UFC 139 with “Shogun” Rua vs. Dan Henderson and UFC on FOX 2 with Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis.
However, when the UFC signed a deal with FOX Sports, they only included five round main events on FOX, not FX or FUEL TV events. After last night’s main event on FUEL TV, which saw Diego Sanchez mount a comeback after being pummeled throughout the first two rounds, White immediately made the decision to have five round main events at every UFC event.
“We blew it tonight. It should have been a five-round fight,” White said at the post-fight press conference. “They will be five-round fights from now on.”
Because of contractual obligations, future main events, including Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann at UFC on FX 2 on March 2nd, and Alexander Gustafsson vs. Antonio Rogerio Noguiera at UFC on FUEL TV 2 on April 14th, will both be three round main events as scheduled. White did not announce whether UFC on FUEL TV 3 headliners Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung will be a three or five round matchup.
For more coverage of UFC on FUEL TV 1, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com
Posted in: ufc, round, event, tv, fuel
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyDana White: Every UFC main event going forward will be a five round fight
Unless you already signed on the dotted line and committed to a three rounder for an upcoming event, it looks like every fight card under the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) banner will now feature a five round headliner.
That's according to UFC President Dana White, who admits he "blew it" with the Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger fight at the UFC on FUEL TV event last Wednesday night (Feb. 15, 2012) at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska.
Ellenberger was in cruise control for the first two round of their featured bout, but as the clock began to wind down in the third and final frame, Sanchez was able to turn on the jets and take advantage of a winded "Juggernaut," flattening him out and pounding him into the floor.
"The Dream" was unable to secure what would have been one of the craziest comebacks in UFC history, but also demonstrated why he, along with countless other Octagon warriors, can never be counted out.
And why every big fight can benefit from a pair of extra rounds.
White breaks it down for Ariel Helwani, after the jump.
"We blew it, it should have been a five round fight. I was sitting here again tonight looking at the fight going, 'Yeah, this shoulda been five rounds.' I think that if Ellenberger and Diego went back in there for a fourth round the place would have went crazy. People were ready for it at home. I'm not gonna throw anybody under the bus but we blew it, we shoulda done it. There will be five round fights from now on. FUEL would have let us do 33 rounds if we wanted to so yeah, there will be five round fights from here on in -- other than contracts that have already been signed."
White suggests there were other factors in the decision to keep Sanchez vs. Ellenberger a three round fight, but FUEL TV wasn't one of them. Regardless, it looks as if this fight, if nothing else, has been the catalyst to make a permanent change.
No more "championship rounds."
Not all fans have stood in staunch support of the decision to have non-title fight main events go five rounds, leaving little to differentiate regular headliners from the specialness of title fights.
What's your take?
Did Sanchez vs. Ellenberger prove to you that all main events should be five rounds? Or that main event fighters need to make better use of the clock?
Thoughts?
Posted in: ufc, fight, ellenberger, round, event
Read the full article at MMA ManiaThe Sunday Morning Rumor Mill: The Thursday Morning Edition
I've traveled across the world twice in about a week, so technically in some long-forgotten timezone I crossed over in the Pacific -- it's still Sunday morning. The truth is I always intended to bring you guys an official MiddleEasy Rumor Mill last Sunday, but I was literally time traveling throughout the day, thousands of feet in the air. A few days have gone by and there's far too many rumors to wait until next Sunday. Therefore, it's time for a Thursday morning edition of the Sunday Morning Rumor Mill, since time means absolutely nothing here at MiddleEasy. Enjoy.
Bobby Lashley was offered $50,000 (with no win bonus) to fight Alistair Overeem at Dynamite!! 2010. Bobby turned the fight down with the belief that a Lashley vs. Overeem bout could net him a $1,000,000 pay day. Todd Duffee stepped in for roughly the same amount.
Chandella Powell was released from the UFC yesterday due to not disclosing her former alias, 'Mariah Ashton,' a softcore internet porn star. No pictures will be provided here on MiddleEasy, but I'm sure all of you know the inner-science of Google.
Just before One FC 2 last weekend in Jakarta, Indonesia, Bob Sapp refused to get on the bus with the roster of fighters participating in the event due to a few demands he had for One FC. It seems that Bob Sapp had a exhibition wrestling match in Japan a couple days after the One FC event. Sapp insisted that One FC should pay for a ticket or he wouldn't show for his fight with Rolles Gracie. After much deliberation, One FC accepted to pay for the plane ticket if he agreed to come out of his hotel room and participate in the One FC 2 event. Bob Sapp then insisted that One FC upgrade the fight to first class in order for him to agree to fight Rolles Gracie. After a couple hours, the issue was sorted out and Bob Sapp showed for the event.
A prominent MMA camp based in California was threatened with a lawsuit by ZUFFA for broadcasting PPVs in their gym in 2011.
Remember Razul Mirzaev? He was that Russian lightweight prospect that signed to Bellator and within the same week was charged with one-punching a nineteen-year-old to death at some club in Russia. It appears he was released from jail on a $3,000 USD bail and the charges were significantly reduced. Apparently he went from 'intentional grievous harm' to 'causing death by negligence' which only holds a maximum sentence of two years in prison. Apparently Mirzaev will receive time he's served in prison (since August 2011) and he will most likely be released in less than six months. It appears that some Sambo friends in high places pulled some legal strings for him. Looks like Bellator will finally upgrade their lightweight division after all.
I've been told that the entire Ultimate Chaos event in Biloxi, Mississippi from the summer of 2009 was rigged. Din Thomas not fighting Javier Vasquez was apparently intentional and the promoter stacked the odds in favor of Bobby Lashley to win. I've also been told that Lashley is still owed $175,000 from the promotion.
At Immortal Kombat II in Houston, Texas last month, Cyborg Santos was cornering his little brother, Agrimar "Cyborguinho" dos Santos. It appears that in an attempt to get his sibling hyped for his upcoming fight, he unintentionally (or perhaps intentionally) injured his little brother in the process. The fight was called off and his opponent, Andres 'The Creep' Quintana, got on the microphone and said 'sometimes these things happen in MMA.'
Hector Lombard vs. Mamed Khalidov is still heavily rumored to go down at KSW 19 or 20.
It's rumored that Authentic Sports Management (the company behind the Blackzillians) is paying Alistair Overeem to 'sign' with the camp to increase the quality of their fighter portfolio. Overeem's camp has denied these claims.
Apparently Eddie Alvarez has been trying to turn down his Bellator fight with Shinya Aoki for nearly a month now. Eddie's argument is that he wants a 'come back' fight before taking on top-tier competition. However, before his loss against Michael Chandler, Alvarez agreed to fight Shinya Aoki at some point in 2012. It appears Bjorn Rebney is just holding Eddie Alvarez to his previous agreement.
Wolfslair is slowly disbanding as an MMA camp.
Posted in: fight, event, fc, morning, sunday
Read the full article at Middle EasyAfter UFC on FUEL TV 1 classic, White says all future main events five rounds
OMAHA, Neb. - If you were left begging for two more rounds after Jake
Ellenberger's thrilling three-round victory over Diego Sanchez, you
weren't alone.
Following Wednesday's UFC on FUEL TV 1 event in Omaha, Neb., UFC
president Dana White admitted he "blew it," and all future main events
will feature five rounds.
"Already thought and done," White told MMAjunkie.com. "I'm actually pissed at myself about it, so yeah."
Posted in: ufc, round, event, wednesdays ufc, jake ellenbergers
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC On Fuel TV: Diego Sanchez Vs. Jake Ellenberger Fight Results And Post-Fight Analysis
I'll get to giving Jake Ellenberger his credit in a few minutes, but first I have to ask the most important question of the evening: Why was the main event between Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez not five rounds? We were told that Diego was a win away from a title shot and we know that Ellenberger is in the proverbial "mix" at the top of the division. I fail to see how this fight didn't deserve the same treatment as all other main event fights between contenders. We were robbed of the drama of a final two rounds between two men who were putting on a great show and should have been proving their ability to go five rounds and be ready to be fully in the conversation for a title shot.
Ellenberger deserved the win, but I think rounds four and five would have proved a lot about both men and their readiness for a shot at Carlos Condit.
Update: As soon as I hit publish, Dana White said at the press conference that they blew it and the main event should have been five rounds and they will be in the future.
On to the notes from the evening:
Jake Ellenberger looked great for the majority of the first two rounds. He is one of the few fighters where moving around the cage is actual solid and legitimate footwork, not just walking in different directions. His movement sets up his strikes and he transitions from movement to sitting down with power on his punches beautifully. He is worthy of a shot at Carlos Condit over the summer and that's a fight that the UFC should look to make.
Diego could have mentally broken as the fight seemed to slip away, but in round three it was Diego looking to make something happen from the opening bell. He was getting the better of striking exchanges in the third and Jake got the takedown but Diego was able to take advantage of a small mistake and get dominant position and fire away with strikes. It was a bit short of a 10-8 round, but Diego made sure that he put on a performance that keeps him as a viable top-end fighter at 170 pounds.
Ellenberger became the last fighter on the night to not understand that when Jon Anik asks what you want next, that they want a soundbyte to use hyping up a future fight. Calling out Condit in front of a ravenous fanbase would have been a great moment. Bust out a "you know I won the first time" or something. Hype up a fight and make fans want to see it.
Stefan Struve remains one of my favorite fighters on the planet. He is flawed enough to make fights exciting, but good enough to pull out wins in exciting fashion. For all of Struve's faults, Dave Herman is just as flawed and even more vulnerable to allow other men to exploit those flaws. And that's exactly what happened as Struve managed to find his rhythm in the second round and use combinations to drop him, get mount and finish.
More after the jump...
SBN coverage of UFC on Fuel TV
Ronny Markes looked good, but for some reason I'm still not a big fan. His toughness getting through being blasted by Aaron Simpson in the first round was commendable, but I'm still waiting to see just a little more from Markes before I'm ready to really jump on that bandwaggon.
Philip De Fries pushes his punches so much that getting into a firefight with Stipe Miocic was destined to end poorly. Miocic's striking is not as good as advertised due to the (almost always pointless) "golden gloves champion" title, but he has more snap on his punches so he was able to finish him off.
T.J. Dillashaw put a beating on Walel Watson that was simultaneously dominant and disappointing. While Dillashaw put a beating on Watson, he wasn't able to get a finish despite constant dominant position, it left a bit to be desired even while being impressive.
Poor Ivan Menjivar and John Albert. Those two had a fantastic one round battle that Menjivar won with a rear naked choke but it was so early in the broadcast that it was basically forgotten by the main event, and the main event was a better fight anyway. But those guys deserve credit for going out and putting on a fun show in the broadcast opener.
Jonathan Brookins is a legit talent. He was able to survive some early good moments by Vagner Rocha, take advantage of getting mount and then show real killer instinct. I think the next two years are going to show some real growth on the part of Brookins as he establishes himself.
I'd rather not talk about Justin Salas against Anton Kuivanen. I though that fight was horrible.
Tim Means looked really impressive in his fight against Bernardo Magalhaes in the show opening bout. I think Magalhaes should be released on this performance, but Means was very solid in using the knees and combination striking that just dominated Magalaes.
Posted in: fight, ellenberger, round, event, diego
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowJust imagine if that Main Event was 5 rounds.
Awesome fight, and one of the better shows of the last few months. Just wanna get that out of the way first. They NEED to be consistent with the headline fights though. They were all supposed to be 5 rounders from UFC 138 onwards, and the odd few are still 3 for reasons unknown. As great as that main event was, i'll always be asking what could have happened. submitted by brettawesome [link] [2 comments]
Posted in: fight, event, headline, reason, headline fights
Read the full article at RedditUFC On Fuel TV: Sanchez Vs. Ellenberger - Live Results And Play-By-Play For Main Card
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC on Fuel TV. Our live coverage will start with the Facebook prelim stream (roughly 6:20 p.m. ET) through the main card on Fuel (8 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
This post will cover live results and thoughts for the Fuel TV main card.
Six fights make up the evening's main card with Diego Sanchez facing Jake Ellenberger in the night's main event. In the co-main event slot is a heavyweight bout between Stefan Struve and Dave Herman. Aaron Simpson will face Ronny Markes in a middleweight scrap. Heavyweights Stipe Miocic and Philip De Fries look to make some noise in a division that is seeing unprecedented depth. Two bantamweight bouts serve as the broadcast opener as T.J. Dillashaw faces Walel Watson and Ivan Menjivar takes on John Albert.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
SBN coverage of UFC on Fuel TV
Posted in: event, card, tv, fuel tv, fuel
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC On Fuel TV: Sanchez Vs. Ellenberger - Live Results And Play-By-Play For Facebook Undercard
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC on Fuel TV. Our live coverage will start with the Facebook prelim stream (roughly 6:20 p.m. ET) through the main card on Fuel (8 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
This post will cover live results and thoughts for the Facebook prelims.
The featured bout of the undercard sees Ultimate Fighter winner Jonathan Brookins square off with Vagner Rocha in a featherweight bout. Buddy Roberts will also be in action as he faces Sean Loeffler in middleweight action. Rounding out the undercard is a pair of lightweight bouts that see Anton Kuivanen take on Justin Salas and Tim Means battle Bernardo Magalhaes.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
SBN coverage of UFC on Fuel TV
Posted in: result, bout, event, tv, fuel
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC on FUEL TV 1 international broadcasts set; FUEL.tv to carry prelims worldwide
The UFC kicks off another new event series on Wednesday with UFC on FUEL TV 1.
The event, which features a Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger
welterweight main event, airs in the U.S. on the FOX-owned channel FUEL
TV.
However, a number of other outlets have been secured to air the show in
international markets, and MMAjunkie.com today
learned that FUEL TV's official website, FUEL.tv, will carry the prelims
for fight fans around the globe.
Posted in: ufc, event, tv, event airs, fuel
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC on Fuel TV 1 Weigh-In Video: Ellenberger vs. Sanchez
The UFC has released video of the entire weigh-in event for UFC on Fuel TV 1. Weigh-ins took place yesterday at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, which is also the site of tonight’s event. Headliners Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez both weighed in at 170 pounds to make their main event official.
Joining them as the co-main event is a heavyweight matchup between Stefan Struve (256) and Dave Herman (234)
Watch the UFC on Fuel TV 1 weigh-in video below (the weigh-ins begin around 18:00) and stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for complete coverage of UFC on Fuel TV 1.
Posted in: ufc, event, tv, weighin, fuel
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyDiego Sanchez vs Jake Ellenberger staredown pic from UFC on FUEL TV 1 weigh ins
The UFC on FUEL TV 1: "Sanchez vs. Ellenberger" weigh-in event took place today (Tues., Feb. 14, 2012) in Omaha and that means staredowns with all the major players.
That includes the two headliners for tomorrow night's event at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger. For those hoping for some fireworks, sorry, nothing to see here. Sanchez kept it professional, as did the always calm and collected "Juggernaut."
Heavyweights Stefan Struve and Dave Herman will hook 'em up in the co-main event of the evening while middleweights Aaron Simpson and Ronny Markes will also collide. See them all stare at each other after the jump.
For complete UFC on FUEL TV 1 weigh-in results click here.
Posted in: vs, event, sanchez, dave herman, comain event
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FUEL Sanchez vs. Ellenberger Weigh-In Coverage
All 20 fighters stepping into the Octagon for Wednesday night's UFC on FUEL event will first step on the scale on Tuesday afternoon at the UFC on FUEL weigh-in, and we'll carry the live video right here at MMAFighting.com.
In the main event, welterweights Diego Sanchez and Jake Ellenberger will have to make the 171-pound weight limit. The co-main event features two heavyweights, Stefan Struve and Dave Herman, who should be comfortably below the 265-pound limit.
UFC on Fuel begins on Facebook Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, and the FUEL card begins at 8 p.m. Eastern Tuesday's weigh-in starts at 5 p.m. Eastern. The video is below.
Posted in: ufc, pm, event, weighin, fuel
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC on FUEL Sanchez vs. Ellenberger Weigh-In Video
All 20 fighters stepping into the Octagon for Wednesday night's UFC on FUEL event will first step on the scale on Tuesday afternoon at the UFC on FUEL weigh-in, and we'll carry the live video right here at MMAFighting.com.
In the main event, welterweights Diego Sanchez and Jake Ellenberger will have to make the 171-pound weight limit. The co-main event features two heavyweights, Stefan Struve and Dave Herman, who should be comfortably below the 265-pound limit.
UFC on Fuel begins on Facebook Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, and the FUEL card begins at 8 p.m. Eastern Tuesday's weigh-in starts at 5 p.m. Eastern. The video is below.
Posted in: ufc, video, pm, event, fuel
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 144 pay-per-view broadcast to feature seven fights, still slotted for 10 p.m. ET start time
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is headed back to "The Land of the Rising Sun" for the first time in over a decade with its UFC 144: "Edgar vs. Henderson" event on Feb. 25, 2012, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
And they're doing it big for the occasion.
Instead of the usual five, the promotion will offer seven fights on the pay-per-view broadcast. The show, however, is still scheduled to kick off at its usual start time of 10 p.m. ET stateside (10 a.m. in Japan).
Be prepared to stay up late to catch the main event between Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson for the lightweight championship, folks, especially if you're on the East Coast.
For those of you willing to tough it out the whole way through, here are the seven fights you'll be treated to for dropping your hard-earned coin on this event:
155 lbs.: Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson205 lbs.: Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader170 lbs.: Jake Shields vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama265 lbs.: Cheick Kongo vs. Mark Hunt185 lbs.: Tim Boetsch vs. Yushin Okami145 lbs.: Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski155 lbs.: Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon
And there you have it, Maniacs. It's not UFC 100 but it's still one hell of a line-up.
Remember, MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 144, beginning with the PPV telecast on Feb. 25. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action much earlier on fight night.
To get up to speed on all the news and notes for UFC 144 check out our extensive event archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, fight, vs, event, lb
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 144 Broadcast Will be Four Hours, Feature Seven Fights
Next weekend's UFC 144 pay-per-view broadcast will bring with it a bonus hour of action, and two additional fights.
On Tuesday, UFC spokesman Ryan Grab confirmed that the pay-per-view window for the event has been extended from its usual three-hour window to four, and instead of the usual five-fight main card, fans who purchase the event will get to see seven bouts.
The show, which will take place from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on February 26, will air at its normal 10 pm ET start time.
In addition to the main event title bout pitting champion Frankie Edgar against Ben Henderson for the UFC lightweight title and the co-main event of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson against Ryan Bader, the other five fights broadcast will be Mark Hunt vs. Cheick Kongo, Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields, Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch, Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski and Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon.
The night's preliminary bouts will be seen on FX at 8 pm ET.
The event marks the first time the UFC has produced an event in Japan under Zuffa ownership.
Posted in: ufc, fight, bout, vs, event
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseONE FC 2: Battle of Heroes Full Event Fight Videos
In case you missed the event live, or just decided to not buy the online PPV, here are the fight videos from ONE Fighting Championship's second event held this past weekend in Jakarta, Indonesia.
First up, the headlining bout between Ole Laursen and Felipe Enomoto which most people considered as the fight of the night:
More Coverage for ONE FC 2: ONE FC 2 Results, Recap And Post-Fight AnalysisONE FC 2: Battle of Heroes Main Card Live Results
The rest of the videos from the event are after the jump, including Bob Sapp's poor performance against Rolles Gracie, and my pick for fight of the night.
Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena
Bae Young Kwon vs. Honorio Banario:
Rodrigo Ribeiro vs. Rustam Khabilov:
Soo Chul Kim vs. Gustavo Falciroli:
Rolles Gracie vs. Bob Sapp:
Preliminary fights:
The video covers all 5 preliminary bouts, but I highly suggest watching my pick for Fight of the Night -- The flyweight bout between Wushu fighter Geje Eustaquio from Team Lakay, and BJJ World Champion Alex Silva from Evolve MMA. Fight starts at the 1:04:30 mark.
Posted in: fight, video, vs, event, fc
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowSFL Announces YouTube Deal, Thompson-Sapp Main Event
The upstart India-based Super Fight League promotion announced Monday an exclusive online three-year deal with YouTube, kicking off with its inaugural event on March 11 in Mumbai headlined by a super heavyweight bout between James Thompson and Bob Sapp.SFL, which is calling itself India's first professionally organized MMA league, said it will share revenues from sponsorships and advertising on its YouTube channel with Google.The promotion was founded late 2011 by IPL cricket investor Raj Kundra and Bollywood acting star Sanjay Dutt. Controversial former MMA agent Ken Pavia has been tapped as CEO.
The decision to pit Thompson and Sapp in the main event will surely attract negative attention. Sapp, who lost over the weekend to Rolles Gracie, has lost eight of his last 10 MMA fights in the first round. Meanwhile, Thompson has lost 12 of his last 17, though his most recent fight, a no contest, should have been a win for him.No other bouts have been announced yet.
Posted in: fight, mma, event, youtube, thompson
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseCain Velasquez Vs. Frank Mir On Tap According To Lorenzo Fertitta
UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta isn't generally a guy that breaks a lot of news. But during a late-night twitter Q&A with fans last week, he was a goldmine of information. One of the biggest pieces of information he dropped was when he was asked by a fan who was next for former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir. He answered with just one word:
Cain.
That, of course, is former champ Cain Velasquez, who dropped his title to Junior dos Santos at UFC on Fox 1 back in November. Fertitta didn't mention a timeframe for the bout, but the yearly Memorial Day event (UFC 146 on May 26th) and Independence Day event (UFC 148 on July 7th) seem like solid fits. There will be a Fan Expo at the July event, so it is likely to have a stacked card.
Mir is coming off his second victory over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 140, which was one of the best submissions of 2011. He has now won three bouts in a row, and has quietly crept back into contention for a title shot. Fabricio Werdum has been angling for a fight with Mir on twitter lately, but it looks like he will have to wait in line. The bout could possibly serve as a number one contenders matchup.
Posted in: ufc, bout, mir, event, july event
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowThe UFC 144 extended preview makes February 25th feel so far away
The UFC makes it's return to Japan almost thirteen years after UFC Japan II, and this time to the Saitama Super Arena to host the barnburner of a main event in Frankie Edgar Vs. Ben Henderson. The co main event is interesting with Rampage's return to Japan against Ryan Bader, but my god, the rest of the card is insane. I can't wait for Mark Hunt Vs. Cheick Kongo (which I shall replicate in Undisputed 3 as soon as I finish this article, on simulation settings of course), I can't wait for Sexyama Vs. Jake Shields. I haven't mentioned Joe Lauzon battling Anthony Pettis or Palaszewski/Hioki fighting with featherweight title implications or even the return of Gomi to Japan...I can't wait.
Also the event will be going down in the future. It will be Sunday when they are broadcasting live to us on Saturday night. OK I know that isn't the future, but it's still cool.
After watching this I've come to the realization that ten minutes isn't enough for UFC 144, I know the longer shows are going to come out closer to the event but those won't be long enough either. I could watch a movie about Cheick Kongo Vs. Mark Hunt for an hour as it is.
Thanks to Esther Lin for the banner pic.
[Source]
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, esther lin, rampages return
Read the full article at Middle EasyWatch today's Cage Warriors Fight Night 3 event live on MMAjunkie.com at 2 p.m. ET
You can watch a live video stream of today's Cage Warriors Fight Night 3 event beginning at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT).
Today's event takes place at Habtoor Grand Hotel Convention Center & Spa in Beirut, Lebanon.
In the co-headliners, recent UFC fighter Kyle Watson takes on Juha-Pekka
Vainikainen, and "The Ultimate Fighter 6" runner-up Tommy Speer meets
Mats Nilsson. Additionally, the eight-man middleweight tourney kicks off
with Faycal Hussin vs. Gareth Joseph and Victor Cheng vs. Matt Gabel.
Posted in: event, video stream, beirut lebanon, juhapekka vainikainen, mats nilsson
Read the full article at MMA JunkieAsian MMA: ONE FC CEO Victor Cui Talks How His Past Experience Gives Him An Edge Over Other Organizations
ONE FC's 2nd event is in a few hours, and their Owner and CEO, Victor Cui took a few moments out of his busy schedule to speak to BloodyElbow.com about numerous topics.
Cui has been part of ESPN Star Sports for several years, and he was the head Martial Combat before starting ONE FC. Lots of people enjoyed the promotion's debut event last September, but he promises this one won't even compare to that.
"Every show I want it better. I guarantee this show is much better than my first one, and I guarantee my next one will also be better." says Victor Cui in an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, "The changes that are important to me, aren't just about the fight card. This is sport entertainment."
Related: Ole Laursen Talks About Headlining ONE FC 2 Against Felipe Enomoto -- ONE FC 2 Weigh-In Results and Photo Gallery - Bob Sapp and Rolles Gracie Almost Come To Blows
"Most promoters, most organizers, are so busy just running their event to make their show happen, because they haven't run a lot of events." says Cui, "I've already ran over 13 MMA events, I've booked over 300 fighters, so I'm on a phone call to every single fighter on the region already. My team and all of us have run some of the best in sporting events, and running a world class event in MMA is easy to me, because I've been doing that for the past decade in Asia."
He credits a lot of his success with his past experience, and he says that's one of the advantages he has over the other organizations in Asia.
"I have the best partners, the best suppliers, the best sponsors, the best government contacts. All of those things that some of these guys have to figure out, I've already have in place," Cui continues, "I started the biggest 9-ball billiards event in Indonesia. I did the same thing with Formula Drift. It's very similar to ONE FC, Asia's best, going around from city to city, with a quality television broadcast."
"Running the events are easy for me, so it allows me to focus on making the fan experience really good. It's like a rock star atmosphere. That's why we have celebrities, VIP's, and socialites all want to come because it's like the night to go to, and they don't want to miss it."
After the jump, Victor Cui details his thoughts on building a fight card.
Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena
"Everything's unique. We try to get a different appeal both to the MMA community but also making it locally relevant." says Victor as he explains how he builds his cards, "ONE FC, my philosophy about it, is always about being the best. Bringing the best entertainment, the best possible fighters that I can, but also making it locally relevant. Which is why we have Indonesian stars on it. I want to give our markets a chance to develop, and a chance to shine in the big stage. It makes hometown heroes, and it supports fan interest too.""I have to balance the top fighters, from the region or some international fighters that we're looking at." as Cui talks about the challenges of being a fight promoter, "I'm just lucky that I have so many fighters and agents that want to be on the ONE FC card, because they get to be on ESPN. I mean, who doesn't?"
Cui says that 10-year partnership with ESPN Star Sports have actually helped make his job much easier, as he shared an interesting anecdote about it."I don't even have to ask some fighters. There are even fighters that email me, that want to fight for free," he exclaimed, "They're like 'Victor, please. Don't pay me. You don't even have to pay me. I have a sponsor that can will cover my flight, I'll come out there. I will fight for you and you don't even have to pay me my prize purse'. And these are top fighters from the US, from Russia, from around Asia."
"They're just ready to come on board, so it's just difficult to try and juggle all that."
Posted in: fighter, event, victor, fc, cui
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 144 video preview for 'Edgar vs Henderson' on Feb. 25 in Japan (Extended)
For the first time in over a decade, the world's largest fight promotion is heading back to "The Land of the Rising Sun," as UFC 144: "Edgar vs. Henderson" invades the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on Sat., Feb. 25, 2012.
The pay-per-view event features a lightweight championship bout that should prove to be a thriller, as reigning titleholder Frankie Edgar puts his strap on the line against former WEC 155-pound king Ben Henderson.
Also in action on the card is Quinton Jackson, who will look to bounce back from his loss to light heavyweight deity Jon Jones against Ryan Bader. And don't forget about Yoshihiro Akiyama making his welterweight debut against Jake Shields, who is looking to avoid a three fight losing streak.
It's certainly not the most loaded of fight cards, but it's a pretty damn good event, Maniacs.
For all the latest news and notes on UFC 144 be sure to hit up our event archive right here. And for the current UFC 144 fight card and line-up click here.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, henderson, card
Read the full article at MMA ManiaWatch our ONE FC 2 weigh-in video and find out how to watch the event for free!
It's 4:56 am here in Jakarta, Indonesia and we've spent the entire night getting this weigh-in video edited and uploaded so that your brain can happily devour it. There are a few things about Indonesia that I feel the need to disclose out of sheer public safety. First, you can't cross the street here without accepting death as a reasonable consequence. Scooters run Indonesia like cops run red lights in Los Angeles. Also, if a zombie outbreak happened in Jakarta, everyone on the island of Indonesia would turn into the brain-consuming undead in less than a day. Fortunately we don't have to worry about a zombie apocalypse breaking out just yet.
The One FC: Battle of Heroes went down last night in Jakarta and even though it took us a couple hours to get to the destination with a police escort, it was well worth the wait. Check out our exclusive weigh-in video of the event below.
So I heard you guys want to watch tomorrow's ONE FC 2 event for absolutely free. Well, if you were on Twitter earlier today, then you probably witnessed an infux of MiddleEasy followers receive a free pass for the ONE FC 2 live PPV stream. If you didn't receive one, don't worry. There's still time to get one.
ONE FC 2 goes down Saturday 7:30 pm in Jakarta/Bangkok, 7:30 am EST, 4:30 am PST and will be streamed at OneFC.com. Now this is the part where you should pay attention. One hour before the card begins, 30 ONE FC PPV stream codes will be published at the bottom of this article. The free PPV codes will be on a first come, first serve basis -- so no hitting us up on Twitter for one. We're giving away all the ONE FC PPV stream codes we have left in this article one hour before the event. Once they're gone, they're gone.
Posted in: ppv, event, fc, weighin video, indonesia
Read the full article at Middle Easy‘Korean Zombie’ Faces Poirier in May 15 UFC on Fuel 3 Headliner
Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung will get their mutual wish, as the UFC announced Friday that the featherweights will collide in the three-round main event of UFC on Fuel TV 3.
Posted in: ufc, event, friday, fuel, poirier
Read the full article at SherdogDustin Poirier vs. Chan Sung Jung Booked for UFC on Fuel TV 3 Main Event
Before the first UFC on Fuel TV event takes place next Wednesday in Omaha, the third installment, UFC on Fuel TV 3, now has a main event, as rising featherweights Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung will battle in the main event of the May 15 card in Fairfax, Virginia.
Poirier (12-1) picked up his fourth consecutive UFC victory this past Saturday at UFC 143, defeating Max Holloway via first-round submission. The former lightweight remains undefeated at featherweight after making the move to 145 pounds in January 2011. He was set to take on another top contender in Eric Koch at UFC 143, but Koch withdrew due to injury.
Following his win over Holloway, Poirier called out “The Korean Zombie” and mentioned how exciting a fight the two could put on.
Jung (12-3) was last seen in the Octagon at UFC 140 in December, nearly setting a record for fastest knockout in UFC history. Although he narrowly missed out on the record by just a few tenths of a second, his 7-second knockout of Mark Hominick was still the biggest win of his career. After a successful 2011, which also saw him pull of an unprecedented submission, the Twister, the “Korean Zombie” has made it known he wants a title shot in 2012.
This will be the first main event for both fighters.
UFC on Fuel TV 3 will also host a lightweight battle between Donald Cerrone and Yves Edwards, while other announced matchups include Tom Lawlor vs. Jason MacDonald, and Thiago Silva taking on Igor Pokrajac.
Posted in: ufc, event, tv, fuel, poirier
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyForrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz Rubber Match In The Works
A rubber match between Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz is in the works, but it is not yet clear which upcoming UFC event could host the matchup between the former UFC light heavyweight champions.
UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta confirmed the fight on Twitter overnight after a recent campaign by Ortiz to fight Griffin for the third time in what he says will be his final fight that he hopes will take place on July 4 weekend.
Ortiz edged Griffin by split decision in their first meeting at UFC 59 in 2006, then Griffin evened the series with his own split decision over Ortiz at UFC 106 in 2009.
The UFC’s July 4 weekend event is UFC 148 on July 7 in Las Vegas, while other possible events include UFC on Fox 3 on May 5 and UFC 146 on May 26.
June’s UFC 147 event in Brazil already has its main and co-main events, as Anderson Silva rematches Chael Sonnen and The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil coaches Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort meet for the second time. Fertitta, who is currently in Brazil for filming of the country’s first edition of TUF, confirmed that TUF: Brazil will air on UFC.com in the U.S. when it debuts next month.
For the latest UFC news and UFC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Pictured: Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin
Posted in: ufc, ortiz, event, split decision, griffin
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyPoirier vs. Zombie to Headline in Fairfax
"The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung takes on Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier in a three-round main event, set for May 15th in Fairfax, VA.Jung, widely regarded as one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, is coming off the 2nd-fastest KO in UFC history and pulled off the submission of the year for 2011. Poirier is the division's fastest-rising star, and known for his relentless power punching style, but his last two outings have earned him spectacular submission wins. He remains undefeated at featherweight. In other UFC on FUEL news, two of the UFC's most exciting lightweights will clash as Yves Edwards and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone go to war. Additionally, Brandon Vera was injured shortly after his rematch with Thiago Silva was announced. Stepping in for the light heavyweight bout will be Igor Pokrajac, who most recently knocked out Krzysztof Soszynski and stopped Todd Brown.All three fights have been verbally agreed upon.Silva and Vera Get Their Rematch updated February 2Light heavyweights Thiago Silva and Brandon "The Truth" Vera have verbally agreed to wrap up some unfinished business this May in Fairfax, VA. "Their last fight ended up a no contest and both guys are out to prove that they are the better man," said UFC president Dana White.Verbal agreements are also in for a middleweight matchup at that event between "Filthy" Tom Lawlor and Jason "The Athlete" MacDonald.The bouts will take place at the just-announced third UFC on FUEL TV event, tentatively scheduled for May 15 in Fairfax, Virginia. More details including venue information and ticket on-sales will be announced in coming weeks.
Posted in: ufc, event, vera, poirier, fairfax
Read the full article at UFCNick Diaz's drug test for UFC 143 returns positive for marijuana
Where there's smoke, there's fire and there's also Nick Diaz, toking up.
Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Keith Kizer today confirmed that Diaz failed his drug test for "marijuana metabolites" at the UFC 143 event this past Feb. 4, 2012.
Also screened for performance enhancing drugs, as well as drugs of abuse, were Carlos Condit, Fabricio Werdum, Josh Koscheck, Renan Barao, Ed Herman, Dustin Poirier, Max Holloway, Matt Riddle, Henry Martinez, Edwin Figueroa, Alex Caceres, Matt Brown, Chris Cope, Rafael Natal, Michael Kuiper, Stephen Thompson and Dan Stittgen.
Those fighters all passed with flying colors.
For Diaz, this marks the second time he's been popped for marijuana in Nevada, having tested positive following his win over Takanori Gomi back in Feb. 2007.
This result mars an event that was already crawling in controversy, thanks to the Diaz vs. Carlos Condit main event bout going to a five-round decision finish that few were satisfied with.
In fact, Diaz retired in disgust after the bout, proclaiming his dislike for the scoring system in place in MMA. His team, led by Cesar Gracie, immediately started campaigning for a rematch, so that didn't last long, of course.
But now he'll be on a mandatory vacation imposed by the NSAC.
After all the insanity surrounding Diaz since he signed a contract with the UFC, from his removal from the UFC 137 main event for missing press conferences all the way up to this drug test failure, one has to wonder if Diaz is worth the headache he's surely given Dana White.
Then again, UFC 143 drew a better than expected 400,000 buys on pay-per-view.
Either way, stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more details on Diaz's drug test results as they become available.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, event, test, drug
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 143 pay-per-view buys estimated at 400,000 for 'Diaz vs Condit' event on Feb. 4 in Las Vegas
The results of the event may not have been what UFC desired but surely they're happy to see the buyrate.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer (subscription required) is reporting that UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit," which took place on Sat., Feb. 4, 2012, from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, did 400,000 pay-per-view buys in preliminary estimates.
That's a pleasant surprise for an event lacking star power in the traditional sense. Nick Diaz is an Internet darling, sure, but his main event bout against B.J. Penn -- a far bigger star than Carlos Condit -- did just 280,000 buys.
Then again, a championship was on the line this time around (even if it was an interim title), and the event took place on Super Bowl weekend. Add in a three-part Primetime series airing on FX and the "Prelims" special on the same channel garnering a highly respectable 1.4 million viewers on average for a two hour broadcast and maybe this shouldn't be such a surprise.
The event featured Carlos Condit winning a five-round unanimous decision over Nick Diaz in what some consider controversial fashion, as all three judges awarded "The Natural Born Killer" the victory and in turn, the interim UFC welterweight championship and the promise to fight Georges St. Pierre later this year.
But it's gotten wacky ever since.
Diaz abruptly quit the sport in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan before his management team took to Twitter to campaign for an immediate rematch. Initially, the Condit camp refused and proclaimed they're preference was to wait for St. Pierre to recover from a knee injury that will sideline him until November.
Then, suddenly, word got out that the rematch was booked. Indeed, UFC President Dana White confirmed that the bout was in the works and even said Condit was the one who asked for it. That seemed strange enough but then things got even stranger.
Gracie, who had been so vehemently asking for the rematch, quickly changed his tune and said the fight would not be taking place. He refused to elaborate any further but emphatically stated multiple times to multiple media outlets the bout will not occur.
But, again, we still don't know why.
Now, we're in a holding pattern, waiting on more news. But in the meantime, everyone can rejoice with the news that the show performed better than expected at the box office.
Yippee.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, event, condit, carlos condit
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBellator 64, Askren vs. Lima, take place April 6 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Bellator Fighting Championships' first season-six event in Canada takes
place on April 6 as The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor hosts Bellator 64.
Bellator officials today revealed the booking.
Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren faces
season-five tournament winner Douglas Lima in the
evening's main event.
Posted in: bellator, event, lima, askren, seasonsix event
Read the full article at MMA JunkieDeath of a Fight Club
The reporter was waiting at Grand Central Station, eager, ready to receive a dose of subculture and the kind of “underground” he’d never been privy to when he lived here, and when we met he introduced himself with a congenial, “Hello, I am Tolga.” His newspaper, Hurriyet, was the largest in Turkey, and as their foreign correspondent, his beat was New York and Washington, D.C., where he now lived. Today, his story was the Big Apple’s illicit fight scene – a scene that will soon die.
Forty-eight states have athletic commissions, and in 45 of those states the sport of mixed martial arts (a.k.a. “MMA”, “ultimate fighting”, “human cockfighting”, et al.) is legal and sanctioned. New York is one of the last holdouts (Vermont and Connecticut are the others). Never mind that grand, fistic, arena-filling affairs are broadcast on pay-per-view, and violence-hued reality shows that sequester aspiring fighters in a Las Vegas house and make them fight in a cage are aired on SpikeTV every week. Never mind that New York is home to countless martial schools and academies, and that if a would-be competitor wants to compete in the warm embrace of sanctioning, he must cross the Hudson River and do it in New Jersey. You want to partake in an event here? Forget about it. Hence the underground fight circuit.
Tolga has only ever seen MMA on television, never live. Never up close and personal with the threat of being splattered with errant blood very real and probable. But as we ride the subway to the venue in one of the Outer Boroughs (locations of these events are always changing, always kept secret), he assures me he’s ready. Regardless, I prep him. Let him know what to expect.
There’s Peter Storm, the maestro, the man who’s been putting these events – dubbed the “Underground Combat League” – together since 2003, and has over thirty of them under his belt. As he occasionally does, Storm will be competing at this installment, taking on a tall, lanky Jamaican kid nicknamed “Blackie Chan”, a judo versus kung fu matchup. Present will also be Junior, big and young with a broad smile, from a karate school on Long Island. There will be “Smash” Evans, who’s even bigger, from a Burmese kickboxing school in New Jersey; Anil the lawyer, who’s photographed nearly every event; Josh the pro fighter from North Jersey, slumming it for some ring time; and Shawn, the heavy-handed Wing Chun practitioner, a reformed trash-talker and brand-spanking-new father to an infant daughter.
“It’s not so much about the fights,” I tell Tolga. “It’s really about the scene and the people,” and the Turk in the corduroy coat and black-rimmed glasses nods.
And then we’re there, in a neighborhood that will never see a Starbucks or Shake Shack sprout up, in a place where half the awnings are written in Spanish and where the man behind the counter at the nearby bodega is encased in a wall of bullet-proof Lexan and transactions are done warily, cautiously. The venue itself is a boxing gym, but installments past have seen the action take place in jiu-jitsu schools in Greenwich Village, pugilist dens in East New York and the South Bronx, and once, in the front room of a mosque (no ring or cage, just mats on the concrete floor with the spectators gathered around).
We step inside and are greeted by friendly faces. The gym owner hasn’t turned on the heat and won’t for some reason, but that’s okay, why would you need warmth and comfort at an underground show? Instead, there’s the scent of cheap antiseptic cleaner and old sweat in the air, and a flat-screen TV plays “Never Back Down”, ironic like a hipster joke because every true MMA fan laughs at that film, and throughout the afternoon everyone does. Rows of folding chairs surround a ring, and assorted boxing event posters adorn the walls, irrelevant to what will soon transpire. In the back are odds-and-ends exercise equipment, a bathroom (“Do Not Use Toilet Paper for Paper Towels” reads a prominently-displayed handwritten sign), and a tiny locker room. From beneath a goofy, over-large knit ski hat grins Lionheart, a diminutive fighter who, when he stands in the ring in his fight shorts, looks like a Greek statue of Ares sans armor, shield and spear. Rage Rivas, Storm’s second in command, gives me hug. A thin white guy with a trimmed beard, who calls himself “Captain Zorikh” and is one part eccentric mixed with one part likeable dude, nods a “hi”. Someone shakes my hand, more people arrive behind us, and I introduce Tolga to the expanding group. Everyone keeps their coats on to ward away the chill, and later, when each fighter climbs out of the ring, they’ll immediately slip their street clothes back on to keep warm.
To get an invite to an Underground Combat League shindig you either must know a fighter who’s competing, or you have to be on Storm’s “list”, a figurative collection of the trusted and trustworthy who find themselves on the receiving end of a text message that usually reads something like, “Sunday at 2pm, blah-blah Gym, right off the ‘6’ Train”. Once, the audience for a three-bout card numbered about a dozen; other times, over a hundred were crammed into the venue, craning their necks to see their son, brother, buddy or sensei throw down. Thanks to a six-fight roster and grappling mini-tournament, what Tolga gets to witness is more towards the latter.
At two o’clock, when we arrive, the place is nearly empty. By three-thirty it’s a madhouse of accumulating energy. In the locker room fighters are stepping on a scale. Rage keeps track of the weights, and the names of the competitors are jotted down and kept on a folded piece of paper that never leaves his person. Storm has donned a blue judo gi and is stretching out as his girlfriend looks nervously on. Anil flits about, at first concerned with the possibility of fighting, and after his opponent is a “no show” (“No man, I drive a cab now, I can’t get my face messed up,” says the would-be opponent over the phone), he’s concerned solely with getting the best photos he can.
Tolga listens to Shawn talk and takes notes in a little black book, Shawn humble in glasses and hushed voice, speaking of past beefs with the promoter and his recent venture into the world of pro MMA competition at a sanctioned event in an Atlantic City casino, and of course how his newborn child has melted his heart and changed his life. Only a couple years ago Shawn was hitting opponents in the underground so hard they never came back, but whatever fueled that aggression seems to have been replaced by midnight diaper changings and lullabies.
The folding chairs are filled, mostly by men but there are women there, too, the girlfriends and groupies who’ve come out to cheer. A kid no older than ten sits in the front row. The theme to “Rocky” blares on a continuous, maddening loop over the speakers. Then they’re in the ring, the fighters, on either side of a referee in jeans named Israel Martinez, and as a hush falls over the crowd Martinez yells for the fighters to begin.
It starts off relatively tame, although for Captain Zorikh it’s a frantic scramble to keep from getting choked or having a limb twisted in the wrong direction. In between rounds he returns to his corner, and as he has no corner men to advise him, he begs for help from the other fighters. “Someone, anyone, tell me what I’m doing wrong!” he says with urgency, and the other fighters standing around the ring apron don’t hesitate to lean in and tell him. Captain Zorikh goes on to lose, but not for lack of trying.
Tolga’s taken up position atop a plastic water cooler, camera in hand, his line of sight clear. I give him an inquisitive look and he nods that he’s okay. That all changes when Lionheart faces Tommy the union worker, when their bout goes the full three-round distance and both fighters are left bloody, their faces marked up and a testament to seemingly endless back-and-forth exchanges of fists, forearms and elbows. Lionheart is battered and breathless, and when I look up at Tolga he’s aghast at the brutality, his face pale.
“Are you okay?” I ask him when the fight is over. He nods unconvincingly, so I gesture at the ring, at Tommy and Lionheart hugging and congratulating each other in the post-fight afterglow. “See?” I say. “It’s okay. Now they’re friends.”
And they are, for they are parties to a transaction that transcends sport. Something about punching another man in the mouth, or kicking his head like a soccer ball when he’s on all fours, or nearly succumbing to that deftly-applied choke he’s slipped on with his legs, creates something almost tangible, a bond among warriors. It exists there, in those shows in the arenas and on the pay-per-views, captured on film during those reality TV shows and witnessed live at events in Atlantic City casinos and wherever else MMA is sanctioned. But it’s here as well, in a state where the sport is a dirty word, in the confines of a remote boxing gym in a setting intimate and secret, and after Storm throws Blackie Chan to the canvas and twists his arm for a submission, then checks on him afterwards, maybe Tolga sees it. Or maybe he sees it when Junior and Smash Evans go at it, Junior very nearly successful in keeping Evans down with wrestling but eventually withering to exhaustion and Evans’ nonstop barrage (the referee steps in for that one, waving it off when he deems Junior isn’t sufficiently defending himself). After that one Junior wastes no time shaking Evans’ hand and raising his arm up, and the crowd applauds the sportsmanship.
Does Tolga see it? The subculture of combat, the dichotomy of violence and elation and friendship that’s there, just as it’s been since the Underground Combat League began churning out barebones fisticuffs of the MMA variety eight years ago. When Mike the 20-year-old white kid taps out his opponent with an armlock, and Mike’s father, suddenly bursting with pride, lets out a stream of “That’s my son! That’s my son!” from ringside, I think Tolga does.
The main event has muscular powerhouse named Kirkland out-grappling an impossibly-built Nigerian named Chike Obi, and after Campbell is awarded the decision – his first win in years – his smile could light up the Empire State Building. When Tolga asks him his age and Kirkland tells him he’s 39, the Turk is in disbelief. “Thirty-nine?” he says. “You do not look thirty-nine!”
Then we’re saying our goodbyes, thanking Storm for putting on the show and congratulating those who won (or lost, even), shaking hands and patting backs in the reverse process of our entrance.
From the backseat of a station wagon driven by a friend of Anil’s, Tolga asks me what will happen to Storm’s show and the scene itself when the sport is sanctioned. The Bronx is zooming by at 50 miles an hour. Soon we’ll be back in Manhattan.
“That will be the end of it,” I say. Like a rumbling, oncoming subway train when you’re caught standing on the tracks, it’s inevitable that MMA will get sanctioned here. Every year the movement gains steam and the bill to repeal the ban on the sport gets closer and closer to the governor’s pen, and this year, on November 15, Zuffa LLC (the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the flagship organization of the sport) filed suit against the State of New York, the suit claiming that the State’s failure to sanction violated Free Speech, Due Process and whatever else in the U.S. Constitution could sufficiently add power to the punch. It isn’t so much a question of “if” sanctioning will happen, it’s more of a “when”. Like when New Jersey legalized MMA back in 2001, and more recently when Pennsylvania and Massachusetts followed suit, the world of unsanctioned fighting will fizzle out.
“Why will it end?” Tolga asks, and I explain how there’s no real money to be made doing unsanctioned shows, that Storm wants to promote legitimately when New York allows it, and even the fighters want above-the-board events so they can amass real fight records and get paid for their efforts. Ultimately, because there will be plenty of sanctioned events, there will be no more need for an underground.
“But what of fighters like Kirkland?” he asks. “What of those who might be too old to get licensed to compete by the commission?”
I shake my head. “This is likely it for them.”
Seconds pass in the car, and in a moment we’re traveling over the Third Avenue Bridge. “That’s too bad,” says Tolga, but enough time has gone by that I’m not sure if he means it will be too bad about fighters like Kirkland no longer being able to get into the ring or if it’s too bad about the secret fighting subculture disappearing.
Not that it matters. When New York City’s underground fight scene dies, it will be a shame either way.
Posted in: fight, fighter, event, ring, tolga
Read the full article at MMA ConvertUFC Announces Next Fox, FX Events in Los Angeles, Atlantic City
Three new developments were confirmed Tuesday night for the UFC’s 2012 event calendar, as the promotion announced date and location information for UFC on FX 4, UFC 148 and UFC on Fox 4.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, tuesday night, location information
Read the full article at SherdogUFC on FOX 4 set for Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Aug. 4
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) tonight revealed the date and location for its fourth mixed martial arts (MMA) event on network television.
UFC on Fox 4 will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Aug. 4, 2012. No potential main event or under card matches are known at this time.
UFC debuted on FOX back in Nov. 2011, pitting its heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez, against number one contender, Junior dos Santos. It took dos Santos just 64 seconds to flatten the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA)-trained fighter and take the championship belt back to Brazil.
Looking to avoid the one-minute disasterpiece, UFC on Fox 2 offered up three televised fights, two of which -- Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping and Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis -- determined number one division contenders. Still, most fans came away unimpressed with three ordinary decisions, sitting through nearly 60 minutes of average action.
UFC on Fox 3, meanwhile, is still under construction. However, it features a main event between Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller that will likely determine the next lightweight contender. It is scheduled to take place at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., on May 5, 2012.
UFC and FOX recently inked a landmark deal to deliver up to four MMA events each year, meaning that UFC on Fox 5 could still take place before the 2012 fight campaign comes to a close.
Stay tuned.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, contender, staples center
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on Fox 4 Confirmed for August 4 in Los Angeles
With UFC on Fox 3 still three months away, the UFC is wasting no time in setting a date and location for its next UFC on Fox event, as UFC on Fox 4 will take place on August 4 in Los Angeles, the UFC announced Tuesday night on Fuel TV.
No fights have yet been booked for the card, which will be the third of four slated for the Fox network this year.
UFC on Fox 3, which takes place on May 15 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will feature four fights, including the main event between lightweights Jim Miller and Nate Diaz and a heavyweight bout between Pat Barry and Lavar Johnson.
Meanwhile, the UFC also confirmed that UFC on FX 4 will indeed take place on June 22 in Atlantic City, NJ and that its July 7 event in Las Vegas will be UFC 148.
For the latest UFC news and UFC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Pictured: The Staples Center, a possible venue for UFC on Fox 4
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, los angeles, place
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC on FOX 4 Set for Aug. 4 in Los Angeles
The UFC has announced the date and location for its fourth event on FOX.
UFC on FOX 4 will take place on August 4 in Los Angeles, as confirmed Tuesday night on Fuel TV's UFC Tonight. That will make it the second UFC on FOX event in Southern California; the first UFC on FOX fight, headlined by Junior dos Santos taking the heavyweight title from Cain Velasquez, took place at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
The August 4 card will come during an interesting time in the sports calendar. FOX will be going head-to-head with NBC's coverage of the Summer Olympics that night, so there's no chance of Fox winning the ratings race on that date, but there is an opportunity for FOX to draw a strong rating among the coveted young male demographic.
It's too early for any word about who will be fighting on the UFC on FOX 4 card, as the UFC usually sets the dates and venues for its events a couple of months before getting the fight card set.
The UFC has had two events on the FOX network so far, with the second fight card taking place on January 28 in Chicago. The third UFC on FOX event will take place on May 5 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, headlined by Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz.
Posted in: ufc, fight card, fox, event, los angeles
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseAsian MMA: An In-Depth Preview And Complete Guide To ONE FC 2: Battle Of Heroes
ONE Fighting Championship's second event is happening this weekend, and since most of our readers are from outside of Asia, here's an in-depth preview and a complete guide on everything you will need to know about the upcoming event.
Event Details:
ONE Fighting Championship 2: Battle of HeroesFebruary 11, 2012 -- 7:30 a.m. ETKelapa Gading Sports Mall, Jakarta, Indonesia
How to watch:
If you're not going to be in the Arena to watch the event, you can also catch the event online. Prelims will be shown live and free on their facebook page, while the main card will be available as an online PPV at UStream or at ONEFC.com for $9.99.
The event will also have a delayed telecast all over Asia at ESPN Star Sports.
SIX Things To Look Forward To:
The card will have 10 fights, and here are seven things that you should look forward to during the event.
1. OLE LAURSEN'S RETURN TO COMPETITION - Ole Laursen (5-2) is a K-1 veteran, and a super-fight champion from Martial Combat. He was thrown on the deep end early on his MMA career when he faced and lost to Genki Sudo and Caol Uno back in 2006. He has since rattled off 5-straight victories since then, and was ranked as the #8 lightweight on the 2010 World MMA Scouting Report. He was supposed to headline ONE FC's debut event against Eduard Folayang, but a knee injury has kept him sidelined for months.
The Filipino-Danish fighter who has been based in Thailand for several years began building a new Legacy gym on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, in Boracay, Philippines. He will be returning to competition this weekend and he will have a tough task at hand when he headlines the event against Felipe Enomoto (5-3), a former CFC champ who founded the Enomoto dojo along with his brother, M-1 Global champ Yasubey Enomoto.
2. A PRIDE STYLE FREAKSHOW-ISH FIGHT - ONE FC has a rule-set that is very similar to PRIDE in which knees and soccer kicks (depending on a signal from the referee) to a grounded opponent is allowed. Another thing PRIDE was known for, was having those "freakshow" bouts which blurred the lines between sport and spectacle.
A lot of people enjoyed those types of matches during the PRIDE days, but a lot of people also hated it. Either way, at least for this card, that's one more thing ONE FC has that's similar to the popular Japanese promotion, as the 350 lb. "Beast", Bob Sapp (11-9) will be taking on UFC veteran and 3rd degree BJJ black belt, Rolles Gracie (5-1) in a super-heavyweight bout.
3. ANOTHER URCC CHAMPION FROM TEAM LAKAY - Back in September, North American fans were introduced to one of the most popular fighters in Asia, in Eduard Folayang. The Wushu fighter displayed tremendous grit and toughness coupled with his very entertaining style of fighting that is common among the guys at Team Lakay.
Co-headlining the event will be undefeated URCC lightweight champion, Honorio Banario (6-0), who is one of the youngest guys from the famed camp that's based on the mountain province of Baguio. The URCC champions have been faring well in international competition, but Banario will be dropping down a weight class and will be facing a very talented Korean fighter on his featherweight debut. He'll be taking on Bae Young Kwon (6-2), one of the top featherweights from Korea's ROAD FC promotion, who recently pulled off an upset over the highly touted prospect from Evolve MMA in Brian Choi.
Much more after the jump, but don't forget to follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena.
4. EVOLVE MMA'S BJJ WORLD CHAMPS AGAINST JACKSON'S MMA AND TEAM LAKAY - You have probably heard about Evolve MMA, the home of guys like Shinya Aoki and Rafael Dos Anjos, and it's one of the most beautiful gyms in the world that is also stacked with several world champions from Muay Thai, BJJ, and now wrestling. Two of their BJJ world champs will be competing at this event, and they will be taking on guys from arguably the best gym in the US, and the best gym in the Philippines.
Rodrigo Ribeiro (9-7), a very experienced BJJ world champion and third degree black belt, will be taking on Rustam Khabilov (12-1), a top prospect and M-1 veteran who is also a Combat Sambo world champion. The Russian fighter trains out of Jackson's MMA, and his background provides a very interesting contrast and battle of styles that could make waves in ONE FC's welterweight division.
His teammate, fellow BJJ world champ, Alex Silva (1-0), just recently moved to MMA, winning his debut by rear naked choke a few months ago. He will be taking on a fellow flyweight prospect in Geje Eustaquio (2-1), who is one of the newer guys from Team Lakay. He may not yet be as technical as some of his more experienced and more popular teammates, but Eustaquio already possesses the trademark grit, endurance, and toughness that is common among the champs found in the Lakay Wushu gym. Both guys are still developing their overall MMA game with the champions they train with day in and day out, but their specialties and styles makes this a very intriguing match up. Plus these flyweights are always exciting, so this is probably one of the sleeper candidates for FOTN.
5. CFC CHAMP GUSTAVO FALCIROLI VS. SOO CHUL KIM - For those who were able to see ONE FC 1, you would already know that Soo Chul Kim (is a gamer. He's a very tough fighter and even though he ended up losing a decision, he gave Evolve MMA's Leandro Issa all he can handle, winning over a lot of the fans that night.
Kim, at 20-years-old, is still a very young prospect with a bright future ahead of him, but unfortunately for him, he's again matched up against another accomplished grappler in Gustavo Falciroli (11-3-2), who is a 2nd degree BJJ blackbelt. There's a bit of hype surrounding the current CFC bantamweight champion in Falciroli, with people constantly singing high praises for the Australian-based fighter. We'll see if he will be able to live to that hype and stop the very game and durable Korean, or if Kim will be able to live up to his potential and upset the CFC champion.
6. THE AGGRESSIVE STYLE OF JESSIE RAFOLS - If you want a fight that is guaranteed to be entertaining, you should really keep an eye out for the prelim bout between Interim URCC Bantamweight Champion, Jessie Rafols, and Muay Thai Champion, Irshaad Sayed. Why? Cause Jessie Rafols is probably one of the most aggressive fighters in Asia, and it's guaranteed that he will be pushing the pace, going 100% from the opening bell.
Rafols is a high-level athlete and fighting just comes naturally from him. He is probably not as technical standing up as his opponent, who is a Muay Thai champion that trains with Vuyusille Colossa, but what he lacks in technical ability, he makes up for with tenacity, explosiveness and aggression. That all-out style has cost him on his last bout in the Philippines, but Rafols has been making the right moves in his career, moving out to one of the top camps in the country, training at BAMF MMA, home of Alvin Aguilar and the DEFTAC crew, to shore up his overall MMA game, and close out the few holes he has in his game.
Will Sayed be able to use his world class striking to win against the Filipino? Or will Rafols' improved MMA game coupled with his relentless pace and aggresiveness overcome his South-African counterpart? Either way, this prelim bout is one to keep your eyes out for, cause fireworks are guaranteed.
Hidden Gems and Fun Facts:
Here are a few notes about some of the other competitors that you might not know of:
- Peter Davis, a very popular model and actor from Malaysia, will be competing on the card. He's also a talented fighter though, and although he has been competing on an off since 2004, he has compiled a respectable 3-1 record. For ONE FC, he has upped the notch for his preparations and has been training with one of the Philippines' top fighters in Eric Kelly.
- There will be two South East Asian Games Medalists from Indonesia competing on the card (think of it as the equivalent of the Pan American Games). Ngabdi Mulyadi, a 2009 bronze medalist for wrestling will be competing against Peter Davis, while 2011 silver medalist for Wushu / San Shou, Victorio Senduk will be taking on Raymond Tiew, who has a similar martial arts background.
- There will be 20 fighters from 10 different countries on this card.
Full Fight Card:
ONE Fighting Championship 2: Battle of Heroes
Main Card (Online PPV)- Ole Laursen vs. Felipe Enomoto- Honorio Banario vs. Bae Young Kwon- Rustam Khabilov vs. Rodrigo Ribeiro- Gustavo Falciroli vs. Soo Chul Kim- Rolles Gracie vs. Bob Sapp
Preliminary Card (Free Facebook Stream)- Victorio Senduk vs. Raymond Tiew- Alex Silva vs. Geje Eustaquio- Jessie Rafols vs. Irshaad Sayed- Ngabdi Mulyadi vs. Peter Davis- Zuli Silawanto vs. Agus NaNang
Posted in: mma, fighter, vs, event, champion
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowJon Jones vs. Rashad Evans official for UFC 145 in Atlanta
As expected, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will face Rashad Evans in the main event
of UFC 145.
UFC officials recently confirmed that the two former teammates will fight in Atlanta on April 21. As MMAjunkie.com previously reported, tickets for the event go on sale next week.
Evans defeated Phil Davis at January's UFC on FOX 2 event to earn a shot at the belt.
Posted in: ufc, event, phil davis, evan, januarys ufc
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC on FX 4 Targeted for Atlantic City on June 22
After visiting East Rutherford, New Jersey for UFC on Fox 3 on May 5, the UFC is planning to make a quick return to the state for a UFC on FX event on June 22 in Atlantic City, UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta recently confirmed to ESPN.
The event would likely be UFC on FX 4 after UFC on FX 3 was recently scheduled for May 15 in Fairfax, Virginia.
The UFC hosted six events in Atlantic City in its early days, but hasn’t returned since UFC 53 in June 2005. No fights have been scheduled for the card.
For the latest UFC news and UFC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Pictured: Lorenzo Fertitta
Posted in: ufc, fx, event, atlantic city, fairfax virginia
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has requested the dates of May 26 and July 7 for its upcoming...
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has requested the dates of May 26 and July 7 for its upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) events at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to an Email sent to MMAmania.com from NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer earlier today. Both events coincide with holiday weekends (Memorial Day and Fourth of July, respectively) with the latter being the send-off for the UFC's 2012 Fan Expo. And preliminary guesses as to possible event headliners? Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem? Anyone?
Posted in: ufc, event, garden arena, championship ufc, event headliners
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC targeting Las Vegas for May, July events
This year the UFC will hold its annual events honoring Memorial Day and July 4th in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand. While the organization has not officially announced either show given the amount of time remaining before each holiday, the Nevada State Athletic Commission confirmed the UFC had requested the dates of May 26 and July 7 for events at familiar fight venue.
Both events from 2011 were also held at the MGM Grand with UFC 130: Jackson vs. Hamill and UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber. The latter was particularly memorable based on Carlos Condit’s knockout of Dong Hyun Kim, Chris Leben laying Wanderlei Silva out in 27 seconds, and Tito Ortiz’s shocking upset of Ryan Bader.
This year Memorial Day falls on Monday, May 28 with July 4 coming on a Wednesday.
No fights have been linked to either card though Ortiz has come out to say he’s hopeful he’ll fight on one of the two cards as a means of retiring almost exactly fifteen years to the day he started out his storied MMA career.
Posted in: ufc, event, las vegas, nevada state, july
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC Planning May 26 and July 7 PPV Events in Las Vegas
The UFC has officially requested May 26 and July 7 dates at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for pay-per-view events, which will likely be UFC 146 and UFC 148 or UFC 149 respectively.
Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer confirmed the dates to MMAFrenzy.com on Monday.
Both events are traditional Las Vegas dates for the UFC, as it typically returns to its home city for the Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekend events. The July 7 card will be accompanied by a UFC Fan Expo at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on July 6 and 7 as previously reported.
The UFC’s schedule before the May 26 event includes UFC 145 with Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans on April 21 in Atlanta, UFC on Fox 3 with Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller on May 5 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and UFC on FX 3 on May 15 in Fairfax, Virginia.
Posted in: ufc, event, las vegas, vega, july
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC reserves Las Vegas' MGM Grand for Memorial Day, Independence Day events
The UFC has requested Memorial Day and Independence Day-weekend dates for events in Las Vegas.
Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer today confirmed via email with MMAjunkie.com that UFC officials have served May 26 and July 7 for major events.
Both shows are planned for the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Posted in: ufc, day, event, ufc officials, memorial day
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 143 salaries: Diaz ($200K) and Koscheck ($146K) earn top paydays
Main-event loser Nick Diaz ($200,000) and main-card winner Josh Koscheck ($146,000) were the top earners at this past weekend's UFC 143 event.
MMAjunkie.com today obtained the list of disclosed paydays from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The total disclosed payroll for the event, which took place Feb. 4 at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center, was $880,500.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, event, nevada state, payday
Read the full article at MMA JunkieTerry Martin replaces injured Jeremy Hamilton at Superior Cage Combat 4
Hard-hitting UFC and Strikeforce veteran Terry Martin will step
in on short notice for an injured Jeremy Hamilton and face
middleweight prospect Tim Ruberg at this month's Superior Cage Combat 4
event in Las Vegas.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the change, and an official announcement is expected shortly.
Featuring a main event between UFC veterans Kendall Grove and Jay
Silva, "SCC 4: Grove vs. Silva" takes place Feb. 16 at Orleans
Arena in Las Vegas.
Posted in: event, official announcement, orleans arena, terry martin, jeremy hamilton
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 144 video trailer for 'Edgar vs Henderson' on Feb. 25 in Japan
For the first time in over a decade, the world's largest fight promotion is heading back to "The Land of the Rising Sun," as UFC 144: "Edgar vs. Henderson" invades the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on Sat., Feb. 25, 2012.
The pay-per-view event features a lightweight championship bout that should prove to be a thriller, as reigning titleholder Frankie Edgar puts his strap on the line against former WEC 155-pound king Ben Henderson.
Also in action on the card is Quinton Jackson, who will look to bounce back from his loss to light heavyweight deity Jon Jones against Ryan Bader. And don't forget about Yoshihiro Akiyama making his welterweight debut against Jake Shields, who is looking to avoid a three fight losing streak.
It's certainly not the most loaded of fight cards, but it's a pretty damn good event, Maniacs.
For all the latest news and notes on UFC 144 be sure to hit up our event archive right here. And for the current UFC 144 fight card and line-up click here.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, card, event maniacs
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 143 Video Highlights for “Diaz vs. Condit”
In case you missed last night’s UFC 143 event or want to check it out again, Fox Sports has released highlights from UFC 143, including Carlos Condit’s main event win over Nick Diaz to claim the interim UFC welterweight title and a shot at champion Georges St-Pierre as well as wins by Fabricio Werdum, Josh Koscheck, Renan Barao, and Ed Herman.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick diaz, event, fox sports
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyPreview surfaces for UFC on Fuel TV
It didn’t take the UFC long to move on from UFC 143 to the next event, as they have released a preview for UFC on FUEL TV: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger card.
The event goes down on February 15 (a Wednesday) from Omaha, Nebraska.
In the main event, Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez will collide in a welterweight battle that could help decide the pecking order in the division. Ellenberger is coming off a victory over Jake Shields, while Sanchez stopped Martin Kampmann almost a year ago and has been out since with a broken hand.
The co-main event boasts heavyweights Stefan Struve and Dave Herman. The remaining main cards bouts include Aaron Simpson-Ronny Markes, Stipe Miocic-Philip De Fries, and T.J. Dillashaw-Walel Watson.
Check out the video below:
Posted in: ufc, jake shields, ellenberger, event, welterweight battle
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC 143 Draws 10,040 for $2.3 Million Live Gate at Mandalay Bay
Saturday's UFC 143 pay-per-view, the promotion's annual Super Bowl weekend card, drew 10,040 to the Mandalay Bay Events Center for a reported gate of $2.3 million.
Posted in: ufc, gate, event, mandalay, bay
Read the full article at Heavy MMADana White Believes Carlos Condit Deserved to Win UFC 143 Main Event
LAS VEGAS -- Watch below as Dana White talks about UFC 143, why he thinks Carlos Condit deserved to win the main event, his thoughts on Nick Diaz's retirement, Fabricio Werdum's impressive win and his take on the Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce fight.
Posted in: ufc, event, condit, carlos condit, carlo
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 143 draws a reported 10,040 attendees for $2.3 million live gate
LAS VEGAS - Saturday's "UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit" event drew a reported
10,040 attendees and generated a live gate of $2.3 million.
UFC president Dana White revealed the figures at the evening's post-event press conference, which MMAjunkie.com attended.
Featuring an interim welterweight title contest between former WEC
titleholder Carlos Condit and former Strikeforce champ Nick Diaz, UFC
143 marked the company's first 2012 event in Las Vegas.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, event, condit, la
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 143 Wrap-Up: Werdum, Nelson, Poirier, Thompson take home $65k
UFC 143 delivered an exciting night of action tonight from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. "The Natural Born Killer" Carlos Condit captured the Interim Welterweight title, defeating former Strikeforce kingpin Nick Diaz via unanimous decision in the headlining bout. Top Heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum made his octagon return, outworking Roy Nelson in the co-main event, while Josh Koscheck edged out Mike Pierce to pick up his first victory of 2012. Also featured was rising
Posted in: josh koscheck, event, werdum, comain event, welterweight title
Read the full article at Low KickUFC 143 results: Fabricio Werdum outstrikes Roy Nelson en route to decision win
The co-main event of the UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit" pay-per-view event taking place tonight (Sat., Feb. 4, 2012) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, featured a heavyweight tussle pitting Fabricio Werdum vs. Roy Nelson.
Werdum was making his return to the world's largest fight promotion after a run in Strikeforce that included submitting Fedor Emelianenko. Nelson, meanwhile, most recently send Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic packing from the promotion and has recommitted himself to the sport by slimming down and getting in semi-decent shape.
It didn't seem to help him much in this fight, though it didn't hurt him in any significant way.
The Brazilian simply used a strong Muay Thai game with effective knees from the clinch to neutralize Nelson en route to a three-round unanimous decision win. It was well deserved, too, considering he did so while hardly utilizing his vaunted submission game.
Any slip up in a fight like this can cost you your consciousness, either by way of knockout or getting choked out. In the case of Nelson, he literally slipped early and nearly fell into a rear-naked choke. Werdum worked it but couldn't finish and they went back to standing.
From there, "Vai Cavalo" worked a Muay Thai plum and unleashed a few knees. Shockingly enough, he was manhandling the big man, winning with big shots from the clinch.
In fact, the referee called for a break and showed Nelson's busted up face with blood coming from his nose, pouring out all over both fighters. Those knees are deadly, ladies and gents.
Nelson responded with a shot that put Werdum on his butt and somewhat recklessly went wading into the Brazilian's guard. He almost got caught in an armbar/triangle for his troubles, too.
Alas, both men survived to the second round, putting on a show for fans who were deprived of such all night long from the rest of the card.
Werdum continued to shock the audience with effective striking from both the clinch and the outside, landing kicks to go along with the knees he found so much success with early. Nelson, quite frankly, looked over-matched in the one area he was supposed to have the advantage in.
"Big Country" did manage to land a few shots to make it interesting towards of the end of the second stanza but Werdum had the edge heading home.
In a somewhat surprising -- check that, downright shocking -- move, Nelson attempted a standing guillotine to start the final frame. Against a submission specialist and one of the best heavyweight jiu-jitsu players of all time.
Needless to say, it failed.
Shortly after, Werdum worked knees once more and took control of the fight again. They battled back and forth to the very end and it was relatively close but you won't hear anyone complaining about Werdum's successful return to the UFC.
Or do you Maniacs feel differently?
Don't forget to check out our complete results and blow-by-blow coverage of all the main card action, which is currently rolling right along on pay-per-view. Click here for all the coverage you need of the UFC 143 event.
Posted in: ufc, event, werdum, knee, nelson
Read the full article at MMA ManiaNew UFC intro video a huge step up from the nu metal and gladiators of the past
Don't worry, Stemm, you can keep expecting those residual checks.
Tonight (Feb. 4, 2012) at UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit," the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) unveiled a brand new introduction for its pay-per-view (PPV) events. The video package which cost -- according to Dana White -- an obscene amount of money to produce was scored by Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer.
Coincidentally enough, Zimmer also scored the Russell Crowe tour de force "Gladiator." It seems the UFC couldn't stray too far from its roots.
So the music was top notch, that much is certain. So what about the accompanying video? It was fantastic. Some of the greatest moments in the promotion's history -- Royce Gracie choking out Ken Shamrock, Matt Hughes slamming Frank Trigg and Anderson Silva kicking Vitor Belfort unconscious are just a few -- are set against a CGI Octagon background while an arena begins to form around it. The huge screens above the cage also show snippets of UFC history until the very end when images of Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit appear. This will presumably change from event to event.
But, "Face the Pain" makes the cut, as well as the "fighter against a black background pre-fight trash talk" montage of main and co-main eventers.
Baby steps, fight fans, baby steps.
Posted in: ufc, video, event, step, nu metal
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 143: Diaz Vs. Condit - Live Results And Play-By-Play For PPV Main Card
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit. Our live coverage will start with the Facebook prelim stream (roughly 7 p.m. ET) through the FX broadcast of the prelims (8 p.m. ET) and through the PPV broadcast (10 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
This post will cover live results and thoughts for the PPV main card.
The evening's main event sees Carlos Condit take on Nick Diaz for the interim welterweight title. Heavyweights Roy Nelson and Fabricio Werdum square off in the evening's main event. Former title contender Josh Koscheck returns to the Octagon to face Mike Pierce. Rounding out the main card action is a bantamweight bout between Renan Barao and Scott Jorgensen and a middleweight showdown between Ed Herman and Clifford Starks.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit
Posted in: diaz, ppv, event, condit, clifford starks
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 143 predictions with Randy Couture: Nick Diaz over Carlos Condit in main event (Video)
UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit" is all set to pop off from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, tonight (Sat., Feb. 4, 2012) and will feature former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz taking on former WEC champion Carlos Condit in the main event of the evening.
And, of course, we've got UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture's prediction for the exciting welterweight scrap:
"I think, again, the veteran in Diaz. I think both guys are amazing. A little more refined striking from Diaz but he only uses his hands, typically. Condit has a tendency to use more of his other tools, his kicking and he's long, which is unusual for Diaz to be against a guy who's longer and taller than he is. I would give Diaz the nod on the ground. His jiu-jitsu, I think, is better than Condit's, he's a better submission guy. Who knows where the fight is going to go? With Diaz, especially, they have a tendency to want to bang and be on their feet most of the time, unless he's dealing with a guy like Diego Sanchez who forced him to fight on the ground. I think Diaz is going to pull it off."
"The Natural" thinks Diaz takes it but what do you Maniacs think? Anyone want to give some love to "The Natural Born Killer?"
Posted in: diaz, guy, event, ufc hall, condit
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 143 ‘Diaz vs. Condit’ Results & Recap
UFC 143 takes place later tonight at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event airs live on pay-per-view at 10pm ET/7pm PT. The pay-per-view broadcast will be preceded by prelim specials on Facebook at 7pm ET/4pm PT and FX at 8pm ET/5pm PT.
In the main event, Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit go to war for the interim UFC welterweight title.
In the co-main event, Fabricio Werdum returns to the UFC to take on Roy Nelson.
Josh Koscheck meets Mike Pierce in a welterweight match-up.
Renan Baroa faces Scott Jorgensen in a bantamweight bout.
Ed Herman takes on Clifford Starks in a middleweight bout.
Results and recap below.
Results
Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit
Fabricio Werdum vs. Roy Nelson
Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce
Renan Barao vs. Scott Jorgensen
Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks
Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier
Jorge Lopez vs. Matt Riddle
Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa
Matt Brown vs. Chris Cope
Dan Stittgen vs. Stephen Thompson
Rafael Natal vs. Michael Kuiper
Recap
Matt Brown vs. Chris Cope:
Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa:
Jorge Lopez vs. Matt Riddle:
Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier:
Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks:
Renan Barao vs. Scott Jorgensen:
Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce:
Fabricio Werdum vs. Roy Nelson:
Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit:
Bonuses $???
Submission of the Night:
Knockout of the Night:
Fight of the Night:
Posted in: diaz, vs, event, matt, condit
Read the full article at MMA ConvertShowtime Announces M-1 Challenge Event for March 16
It appears M-1 Global will return to Showtime in 2012.
Posted in: event, showtime, challenge, march
Read the full article at SherdogUFC 143 play by play and live results
LAS VEGAS - MMAjunkie.com is on scene and reporting live from tonight's UFC 143 event.
The event, which features an interim welterweight title fight between
Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, takes place at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay
Events Center.
Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results
beginning at approximately 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT local time) for
the preliminary card and 10 p.m. ET for the main card.
Posted in: nick diaz, pm, event, carlos condit, official results
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 143 weigh-in photos: An MMAjunkie.com image gallery
LAS VEGAS - MMAjunkie.com was on scene for today's official "UFC 143: Diaz vs.
Condit" weigh-ins, where all 22 competitors successfully made weight
for Saturday's pay-per-view event, the company's first 2012 fight card in Sin
City.
The action went off without a hitch and - perhaps surprisingly - even
headliners Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit stared each other down without a
hint of a pre-fight physical altercation.
Nevertheless, both were received with a mix of boos and cheers during
today's festivities took place at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center, the same venue that host's Saturday's pay-per-view event.
Posted in: event, sin city, carlos condit, mmajunkiecom, todays festivities
Read the full article at MMA JunkieNick Diaz vs Carlos Condit staredown pic from UFC 143 weigh-ins
The UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit" weigh-in event took place today (Fri., Feb. 3, 2012) in Las Vegas and that means staredowns with all the major players.
That includes the two headliners for tomorrow night's event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit. For those hoping for some fireworks, sorry, nothing to see here. Diaz kept it professional, as did the always dapper "Natural Born Killer."
Heavyweights Roy Nelson and Fabricio Werdum will hook 'em up in the co-main event of the evening while welterweight bad boy Josh Koscheck makes his return to battle Mike Pierce. See them all stare at each other after the jump.
For complete UFC 143 weigh-in results click here.
Posted in: diaz, event, las vegas, comain event, weighin
Read the full article at MMA Mania*Update* EXJW/Retired UFC Fighter Nate "The Rock" Quarry is booked to do the AMA on 2/6 @ 6PM (X-post/EXJW)
I have spoken with him and this is the best time and date to do the AMA, so start submitting your questions now. I will give him the top 10 so he can get those answered out of the gate. Let's make this a good event for /r/exjw !! Thank you everyone! submitted by SyNNeR6x3 [link] [comment]
Posted in: event, everyone, ama, rock quarry, synner
Read the full article at RedditWatch Today’s UFC 143 Weigh-Ins Live at 7 p.m. Eastern
Watch Friday's UFC 143 weigh-in event streaming live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas at 7 p.m. Eastern.
Posted in: ufc, pm, event, las vegas, weighin
Read the full article at Heavy MMAReminder: 'UFC Primetime: Diaz vs. Condit' concludes tonight on FX
As a reminder, 'UFC Primetime' returns to FX tonight in anticipation of UFC 143's interim championship main event.
The well-received three-part series focuses on former Strikeforce champ
Nick Diaz and former WEC titleholder Carlos Condit, who headline Saturday's UFC 143 event.
The first two episodes provided insight into both fighter's lives, and
UFC president Dana White promises even more drama in the final episode,
including a series of missed flights by Diaz, as well as both
competitors tapping into their "dark side" as they get ready for the
fight.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, event, series, fighters lives
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 143 Video: Watch Full Countdown Show On Bloody Elbow
As UFC 143 draws near, there are several ways to catch Countdown To UFC 143 including Fuel TV, UFC.com and right here on Bloody Elbow.
Even though the main event of Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit for the interim 170-pound title has warranted a three part UFC Primetime series set to conclude Friday night, the first eight minutes of the 22-minute program are devoted to the main event.
The next eight minutes center on the night's co-main event featuring Fabricio Werdum vs. Roy Nelson. Werdum is making his Octagon return after a successful run in Strikeforce, while Nelson is looking to build on his October victory against Mirko Cro Cop that snapped a two-fight losing streak.
The final few minutes focuses on Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce. After being on the sidelines for nine months recovering from a broken orbital bone suffered at the fists of Georges St. Pierre, Koscheck returned last September as a injury replacement against Matt Hughes and took home a first round KO win. He will face Pierce who is 5-2 in the UFC and is coming off a November split decision win over Paul Bradley.
SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit
Watch the entire video after the jump.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, minute, countdown show
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowWatch UFC 143 pay-per-view (PPV) event in 3-D
How real can it get? Three dimensional (3-D) real!
If you can't make it to Las Vegas, Nevada, this weekend (Feb. 4, 2012) for UFC 143, which is headlined by an the interim welterweight title fight between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, perhaps you may want to upgrade your viewing experience right in your own home.
That's because, for the first time in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) history, the promotion will offer a pay-per-view (PPV) event in 3-D. For only $10 more HD subscribers -- and $20 extra smackers more for those who don't prefer HD -- mixed martial arts (MMA) fans can take their UFC experiences to the next level for a $64.99 price tag.
For the virtual-impaired among us, a 3-D upgrade will allow you to view the images on your screen with a high perception of depth, giving you the feeling of being right in the middle of the action.
This from In Demand senior vice president of programming Mark Boccardi:
"This is a milestone for the industry irrespective of the buys and performance. This is more about us making a statement to the industry that we're bringing 3D PPV as a new potential source of revenue to the cable industry going forward."
Of course, to be able to enjoy the event in all of its third dimension glory, you will have to have a 3D-ready teelvision set and a compatible HD set-top box. The package also includes a stream to all of the under card action on Facebook/FX, as well as the three-hour UFC 143 "Countdown" show, which also includes weigh in coverage and behind the scenes action.
UFC 143 in 3-D will also be available in movie theaters nationwide -- for information on which theaters will carry the event in their respective regions click here.
Anyone ready to pony up the extra coin to experience UFC 143 in 3-D? If so, kick your feet up on that coffee table and get ready to put those hands up and duck, just in case it gets a little too intense.
And yes, Octagon girls Arianny Celeste, Brittany Palmer and Chandella Powell will be in 3-D, too.
Posted in: ufc, nick diaz, event, action, movie theaters
Read the full article at MMA ManiaRobert Peralta scratches from UFC on FX 2 in Australia
A foot injury has forced Robert Peralta out of next month's UFC on FX 2 event.
His manager, Jeff Clark, today told MMAjunkie.com the fighter appears to have broken some toes during a recent aining session.
Peralta was scheduled to rematch fellow featherweight Mackens Semerzier at the event, which takes place in Australia.
Posted in: event, peralta, robert peralta, months ufc, foot injury
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC Fan Expo confirmed for July 6-7 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas
As expected the next UFC Fan Expo will take place July 6-7 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
MMAjunkie.com recently passed along news of the planned event, and UFC executives today made it official.
The two-day fan festival coincides with a July 7 pay-per-view event. That show is expected to take place at Mandalay Bay's sister property, the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Posted in: july, mandalay bay, las vegas, event, mandalay
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC on FOX 3: Mike Massenzio vs Karlos Vemola fight set for May 5 in New Jersey
UFC on FOX 3: "Diaz vs. Miller," which is all set to go down at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sat., May 5, 2012, is quickly filling its bill.
The latest addition to the third network television event is a middleweight showdown that will see "The Master of Disaster," Mike Massenzio, go head on against beefy bumrusher Karlos Vemola.
The fight was announced by the UFC earlier today.
Massenzio comes into the contest having just fallen prey to the dreaded heel hooks of Rousimar Palhares at UFC 142. He survived the encounter with the Brazilian tree stump without getting seriously injured, however, making this upcoming bout against Vemola possible.
Vemola, meanwhile, is also coming off a loss, having just dropped a unanimous decision to Ronny Markes in a short notice fight at UFC on Versus 5.
If you can believe it, "The Terminator" began his Octagon career at heavyweight, where he lost to Jon Madsen. Then he dropped down to light heavyweight and picked up a victory over Seth Petruzelli before losing to Markes and making the decision to drop even further down to middleweight.
Every time this man loses, he drops down in weight. His kidneys, if nothing else, will be crying out for his triumph in this upcoming 185-pound scrap.
UFC on FOX 3 is all set to pop off on May 5 in New Jersey with a thrilling main event match-up pitting lightweight top contenders Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller. The winner, presumably, will earn a title shot against whomever is the 155-pound champion at that time.
Also booked is a heavyweight slugfest featuring Pat Barry taking on Lavar Johnson.
For all you need to know on the UFC on FOX 3 event hit up or event archive right here. For the latest fight card and rumors click here and remember to keep it locked to MMAmania.com for any and all future changes and updates.
Posted in: ufc, fight, fox, event, vemola
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBellator 62 lightweight tournament quarterfinals booked for March 23 in Laredo, Texas
CHICAGO, Ill. (February 2, 2012) - Bellator Fighting Championships returns to The Lone Star State on Friday, March 23rd for Bellator 62 live from Laredo, Texas at the Laredo Energy Arena. The night features the quarterfinals of Bellator's $100,000 Season 6 Lightweight Tournament, as well a host of Texas' top MMA talent.
Tickets for the event are now on sale and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting The Laredo Energy Arena Box Office. Tickets are priced from $22-$120.
The event will also be broadcast LIVE starting at 7 p.m. CST on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. CST, with the first fight scheduled for 6 p.m. CST. The preliminary card, featuring the area's top talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com starting at 6 p.m. CST.
"Laredo has been on our radar for three years now and I've always believed that it could be a spectacular location for a large-scale, nationally and internationally televised Bellator event," Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. "When Oscar Enriquez and his team at Ultimate MMA approached me about bringing Bellator live on MTV2 to Laredo, he had all of the right pieces in place and he made the decision an easy one. This lightweight field is so loaded with talent and world class competitors that this event should be explosive from start to finish."
Coming off an explosive knockout victory over UFC veteran Kurt Pellegrino at Bellator 59, Patricky Pitbull (@PatrickyPitbull) is back and looking to start his ascent toward a title shot with a quarterfinal matchup against fan-favorite Lloyd "Cupcake" Woodard (@mmacupcake). Patricky has produced a number of incredible Bellator "YouTube Moments" and has his sights set on adding another highlight to his collection.
Former U.S. Olympian Judoka Rick Hawn (@RickHawnmma) is making the drop to lightweight and meets the dangerous Ricardo Tirloni (@Tirlonimma). Hawn compiled an impressive 11-1 record as a welterweight, but is confident the drop in weight will make him even more dangerous.
"I felt like I was sort of undersized in the last tournament," Hawn said. "Everyone had a height advantage on me, and while I thought I made a good run in my last welterweight tournament, I think lightweight is going to be a better fit for me and just give me an advantage over everyone else."
Also making the drop to lightweight is longtime Bellator veteran Brent Weedman (@brent_weedman). Always looking for a finish, "Weedman Nation" will be on full display as he battles Bellator newcomer J.J. Ambrose (@SuperJJAmbrose).
"I've already tested myself with a lightweight weight cut and I felt great," Weedman said. "Over the last year, I've felt a little undersized as a welterweight, so I think lightweight is going to be a great spot for me. I'm excited to show off my new skills, and this tournament is stacked, so we're going to put on a show this season."
Rounding out an absolutely loaded tournament class, Rene "The Brazilian Bomber" Nazare (@Nazaremma) will square off with top prospect Thiago Michel. A product of Team Bombsquad, Nazare always has his eye on delivering the knockout, and nothing will change on March 23rd.
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
Posted in: bellator, pm, event, tournament, laredo
Read the full article at MMA ManiaJim Miller Vs. Nate Diaz To Headline UFC On Fox 3 - Is It Good Enough To Draw Viewers?
The UFC will be making their third effort on Fox on May 5. As mentioned yesterday, the fights will be the same night as the Floyd Mayweather vs. Miguel Cotto bout on HBO PPV. Going on the same night as a major boxing event would seem to require a big main event to ensure people are willing to skip a portion of the PPV card to watch the UFC's effort.
So I was a bit surprised last night when the UFC tweeted:
So, @UFConFOX news? Diaz/Miller now the 5 round main event, also on main card heavyweight battle @LavarJohnson vs Pat @hypeordie Barry
Both of those fights are good bouts that are sure to be plenty exciting, but neither features a huge name. I have my concerns about how well this show will draw on Fox.
Again, the concern isn't about action, it's about name value. This has the feeling of a FX main event, not a headliner on a major network. You can try to sell the idea of action but people have to be drawn in by fighters they know.
The first show had a heavyweight title bout which carries a natural allure. The second event featured Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis had a former champion who had done multiple stints on The Ultimate Fighter and had main evented multiple successful pay-per-views. In this main event you have a guy who won The Ultimate Fighter but never really took off as a top fighter against a very talented fighter who hasn't really "caught on" yet.
I look back at EliteXC's second network effort to sort of cement my thinking. Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith had put on a great show on the first CBS show, a show which averaged 4.85 million viewers. When it ended due to an accidental foul, they were rematched on the second CBS show. The promise of action was obviously not a draw as viewership dropped by over two million viewers without the Kimbo Slice name.
Obviously, the UFC name brand is at play here so I wouldn't expect the ratings to drop by 50% on the third effort, but I do think there will be a very noticeable drop.
The other thing I'm not sure the UFC and Fox realize is that the "our fights will be done before Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto step into the ring" line isn't going to work as well this time around. It's looking like Saul "Canelo" Alvarez will be in the co-main event slot. Alvarez is arguably the biggest Mexican draw in the sport, fighting on Cinco de Mayo on a major PPV. It looks like Alvarez will be fighting Shane Mosley in what is a big enough "name fight" to keep the 1.5 million (early estimates for the PPV) buyers locked in to the show they shelled out $60 for, especially if the alternative is a Fox fight involving fighters the general public isn't familiar with.
I'm all for Miller vs. Diaz on Fox, I think it's a great fight and I think using Fox to elevate talented guys like that is a very good thing. I just think you have to do it with a bigger "drawing" fight in the main event slot.
Posted in: ufc, fight, show, fox, event
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC on FOX 3 news: Pat Barry vs Lavar Johnson fight booked for May 5, Diaz vs Miller now five round main event
The UFC on Fox 3 fight card, which is booked to go down this coming May 5, 2012, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is quickly shaping up. And there's a trend making itself quite clear.
The promotion today announced that the previously scheduled bout pitting lightweight bangers Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller will now serve as the five-round main event of the evening. While the fight has yet to be officially declared a title eliminator, it would seem to make the most sense.
Additionally, a heavyweight scrap was booked pitting the heavy-handed kickboxer, Pat Barry, against Strikeforce import Lavar Johnson. Both men are coming off crushing knockout victories, Barry at UFC on FX 1 this past Jan. 20 and Johnson at the UFC on Fox 2 event on Jan. 28.
So we've now got two bouts confirmed for the main card that featuring competitors who generally go out of their way to put on a show for the fans.
The three FOX fight cards will have run the gamut of match-ups. The first event featured a heavyweight championship fight, the second saw safer match-making that led to three relatively boring decisions and now they're delivering fights that promise to be barnburners.
Calculated or just a coincidence?
Here's how the UFC on FOX 3 fight card looks right now:
Main event:
155 lbs.: Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller
Main card:
265 lbs.: Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson
Preliminary card:
155 lbs.: Anthony Ferguson vs. Dennis Hallman125 lbs.: John Dodson vs. Darren Uyenoyama
Maniacs, how do you feel about the way this event is shaping up? And what should the third and final FOX fight be?
Let's get your fantasy bookings in the comments section below.
Posted in: fight, fox, vs, event, card
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDiaz vs. Miller Set as UFC on Fox 3 Main Event; Barry vs. Johnson on Tap for Main Card
The UFC on Fox 3 card now has its main event along with a heavyweight battle that has fireworks written all over it.
Posted in: ufc, fox, vs, event, heavyweight battle
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyDiaz/Miller now the 5 round main event
submitted by robertoandrad15 [link] [6 comments]
Posted in: round, event, robertoandrad, diazmiller
Read the full article at RedditUFC on FOX 2, from a fan's perspective
Believe it or not, but after more than five years of loving mixed martial arts and over 2.5 years of writing about the sport, which included multiple media appearances at Strikeforce, Bellator and countless regional events, I'd never been to a Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event ... not even as just a fan.
That was until I scored a lower bowl seat at the second UFC on Fox event, which took place at the United Center in Chicago, Ill., this past Saturday night (Jan. 28, 2012).
When you attend an event as a member of the media, you aren't allowed to cheer. You have to remain composed so as to not show any bias. If you showcase emotion during a fight, it's considered unprofessional.
I was pretty stone-faced to begin the night just out of habit, so it took me a few fights to loosen up, but by the time Charles Oliveira pulled off the first calf slicer in UFC history, I'd finally snapped out of it and was marking out pretty badly.
I mean, come on. How often are you going to see a freaking calf slicer?
Posted below are some of my observation from the seat of a fan during UFC on Fox 2: "Davis vs. Evans:"
There are a ton of people who still have no respect for the ground game - There was a belligerent guy who sat in front of us who thought he was hilarious. Every time a fight went to the ground, he cupped his hands around his mouth and screamed out "Quit touching wieners!" It was never funny, but it didn't stop him from doing it most of the night.
The UFC production level is amazing -- All night, they kept us entertained whether it was remixes of popular songs between fights, visual effects during the fighter entrances or the Baba O'Riley highlight, which is practically worth the cost of admission alone and gets you incredibly pumped up right before the main card begins.
Chris Weidman vs. Demian Maia sucked the life out of the building -- As excited as the fans were after the Baba O'Riley sequence, they were equally (if not more) disappointed in that fight. When you've got two very strong ground fighters and they choose instead not only to "stand and bang" but to gas out by the beginning of the third round, it wasn't appreciated. The entire fight was met with crickets interrupted by the occasional smattering of boos.
You end up watching a significant portion of the fights on the jumbotron -- With eight sides to the Octagon, that means eight giant black strips of foam padding, which means eight obstructions. Why the four video guys aren't standing directly behind the foam padding is beyond me, but they instead stand on stools directly in the middle of the fence on four sides of the cage. The entire middle of the Octagon was cut off by a cameraman for us, so we actually watched at least half of the action (if not more) from the giant video feed despite having some pretty good tickets.
Anthony Pettis is really good with the fans -- "Showtime" was walking down the aisle to get to a seat on the floor and he got absolutely swarmed by UFC fans. Despite the fact that it looked like his buddies wanted to get to their seats, Pettis made sure to sign everything and take a picture with every person who wanted one on the way down to his seat. It's just another example of UFC fighters giving back to the fans better than many other professional athletes.
Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping are really big stars -- The loudest ovations for any fighters weren't the main event, it was for Chael Sonnen, who fans badly wanted to see beat the tar out of Michael Bisping. Bisping got the opposite reaction as they booed the Brit every time he was put on the screen the entire night. Facing Bisping may have done wonders for Chael's popularity and beating of him may have put him over even more.
Speaking of that ...
No commentators made it seem pretty obvious that Chael won the fight -- I didn't realize what the big deal was or that there was a controversy because I just watched the fight with no extra voices in my head telling me who was winning or doing something impressive during the fight. I thought the first two rounds were close, with Chael getting the first and Bisping taking the second. From what I heard, Joe Rogan was really talking up Bisping and that may have led to more people siding with "The Count." I suggest watching the fight on mute and that may actually help you decide who won better.
People were leaving in droves during the main event between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis -- It was like they really had somewhere to be that was more important than discovering the next light heavyweight title challenger. It was like the seventh inning of a Dodgers game or something. Maybe that's what people do during fight events, but I thought it was crazy that so many people didn't care to see who was officially announced the winner. I suppose the result wasn't in doubt, though, because I made a $1 bet with a fan sitting next to me that Evans would win and he paid me after the second round was over.
Jon Jones not confronting Rashad in the Octagon was a mistake -- I believe Geno already covered this one, but Jones was literally in the building on Saturday night doing some analysis on the FOX show. All he had to do was take a quick detour from the booth to the Octagon and it could have set up a huge staredown and built some heat for the UFC 145 main event. Instead, we just had Rashad semi-apologizing to the fans for not putting on as good of a performance as he wanted. It was a pretty big letdown.
Well there you have it.
Sure, the under card was more exciting than the main card, but that was something many had predicted before the night even started.
I had a great night, even if the main card was a disappointment and you end up watching several of the fights on the big screen. The live experience is amazing and I would highly recommend doing it yourself if you haven't before.
Were any other Maniacs in attendance last Saturday night in Chicago? Speak up if so, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Shout out to Rich Hansen, Jamie Penick and the rest of the guys.
Posted in: ufc, fight, night, event, fan
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 143 open media workout photos gallery for 'Diaz vs Condit' in Las Vegas
Resident Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) photographer, Josh Hedges, was on the scene at the Mandalay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, today (Feb. 1, 2012) to shoot several of the notable fighters who will compete on the UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit" pay-per-view (PPV) main card at the event's open media workouts.
Naturally, the two men who will compete for the interim welterweight title in the main event of the evening, Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit, were on the scene to promote their highly-anticipate 170-pound clash, as well as work up one of the last few real sweats prior to fight night (Sat., Feb. 4, 2012) in "Sin City."
So, too, was UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, who is recovering from recent knee surgery and will fight the winner of the Diaz-Condit match later this year.
Co-main event participants, Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce, were also in attendance prior to their 170-pound bout, along with the two men who will compete in the only heavyweight bout on the UFC 143 fight card, Fabricio Werdum vs. Roy Nelson.
Check out more great pics from the UFC 143 open media workout after the jump courtesy of UFC.com:
Carlos Condit
Nick Diaz, rolling with brother Nate Diaz
Georges St. Pierre
Fabricio Werdum
Roy Nelson
Josh Koscheck
Mike Pierce
To check out the complete UFC 143 open media workout photos gallery from Hedges, which includes many more fantastic images, click here.
Remember, too, that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 143, beginning with the "Prelims" bouts on Facebook/FX at 6 p.m. ET. In addition, we will also provide LIVE, real-time results of the pay-per-view (PPV) main card action as it happens throughout the evening this upcoming weekend.
See you Saturday!
Posted in: ufc, diaz, vs, event, workout
Read the full article at MMA ManiaGeorges St-Pierre on UFC 143 Main Event: ‘I Want Nick Diaz To Win’
UFC welterweight champion has a lot vested in Saturday's UFC 143 main event between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit. He'll fight the winner, and he hopes it's Diaz.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick diaz, event, georges stpierre
Read the full article at Heavy MMANick Diaz vs Carlos Condit will save us after UFC on FOX 2 dud
This past Saturday night (Jan. 28, 2012), the world's largest fight promotion brought an event to the United Center that was long on talent but short on excitement. Indeed, all three fights broadcasted on the network went to decision, including the main event bout between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis that dragged on for 25 mostly painstaking minutes.
It's not necessarily that the fights were terrible so much as they simply failed to deliver decent spurts of satisfying commotion. There was far too much stop and start, swing and miss, shoot and reset.
Rashad Evans, Phil Davis, Chael Sonnen, Michael Bisping, Chris Weidman and Demian Maia are all great fighters capable of incredible feats, as they've all shown in the past. But when paired off against each other, they made for television viewing that was monotonous to say the least.
Thank the MMA gods for UFC 143 and, more specifically, Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit
This Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, two of the very best scrappers on Earth will get together inside the Octagon to exchange fists, knees, kicks, elbows, maybe even submissions but more than likely all of the above.
In short, they're going to fight and it's going to be freaking awesome.
That's what makes them so appealing. This bout has been sold as a match-up of polar opposite characters, Diaz being kind of a crazy thug from the mean streets of Stockton while Condit is the mild-mannered, blue collar hard worker type who just gets the job done. And hey, normally I'm totally on board with telling a compelling story and making fans care about the two men before they engage in combat, which is what UFC is currently doing with its Primetime series.
But you know what? Who gives a shit.
This is Nick Diaz, a guy who has never actually had a boring fight. Even the doctor was entertained when he was fighting to get out of his mother's womb to unleash his brand of violence on the world. The same can be said for Condit, who goes by the moniker "The Natural Born Killer" for a reason.
This one has all the makings of a classic, a battle for the ages. Ticket sales are still slow despite the event taking place in days and maybe the show does poor numbers at the box office but for once I'm finally going to kick back, relax and just enjoy the spectacle of two men who consistently bring that hot fire.
Will we see a knockout? Maybe. A submission? Possibly. A great fight between even better fighters?
Damn skippy.
Posted in: fight, diaz, event, condit, primetime series
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on Fox 2 Averages 4.66 Million, Peaks at 6 Million
Saturday night’s UFC on FOX 2 event from the United Center in Chicago posted a 2.6/5 national rating/share, averaging 4.66M viewers and peaking at just over 6 million according to figures released by Nielsen Media Research today.
As expected, FOX dominated the night on the important younger demographics. FOX’s 2.4 among Adults 18-49 nearly beat the combined ratings of ABC, CBS, and NBC (2.5 combined) and FOX’s 2.5 among Adults 18-34 easily beat those three network competitors combined (1.4). The three-bout broadcast on FOX averaged 4.7 million viewers from 8:00 PM – 10:19 PM ET.
The two-hour event, the first official network broadcast of FOX’s partnership with UFC, is off slightly (-16%) from the UFC on FOX premiere in November (3.1/5), which was only one hour and featured a highly-anticipated heavyweight championship fight. When comparing similar time periods for the two events, FOX posted a 3.0/5 from 9:00 – 10:15 PM ET, off only a tenth from the November UFC fight.
In several meaningful demographics, the last hour of Saturday’s broadcast rated higher than November’s UFC premiere on FOX with Men 25-49 up +3%, Men 25-54 up +3%, Men 35-54 up +4%.
As anticipation to the night’s main event grew so did the ratings and viewership. The night’s first match between Demian Maia and Chris Weidman scored a 2.2/4 rating/share. The next fight between Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping grew to a 2.7/5. Fans tuned in to see former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans take on undefeated former national champion wrestler Phil Davis with that bout posting a 3.4/6. More than 6 million viewers watched the five-round bout where Evans defeated Davis by unanimous decision
The top five metered markets for Saturday’s UFC on FOX event are: Las Vegas – 4.1/8; Louisville – 4.1/7; Indianapolis – 3.9/7; Greenville – 3.9/6; Tulsa – 3.9/6; and Knoxville – 3.9/6.
***
Loretta Hunt of SI.com has more information on the ratings:
The 2-hour and 19-minute broadcast, which started at 8 p.m. EST (5 p.m. PST), peaked with an average 6.080 million viewers (from 10 to 10:19 p.m.) during the five-round main event pitting former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans against Phil Davis.
…
Last November, the first one-hour UFC telecast on FOX garnered an average 5.675 million viewers for a 3.1 household rating. It peaked with 8.802 million viewers during the 64-second heavyweight championship bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos, making it the most watched fight ever (live or taped).
Ratings by Half-hour Blocks:
- UFC on FOX 2 (8:00 pm-8:30 pm): 3.43 million viewers
-UFC on FOX 2 (8:30 pm-9:00 pm): 3.98 million viewers
-UFC on FOX 2 (9:00 pm-9:30 pm): 4.67 million viewers
-UFC on FOX 2 (9:30 pm-10:00 pm): 5.66 million viewers
- Overall: An average of 4.66M (peak of 6.08M) viewers watched the fight live or via DVR playback within the same day.
Payout Perspective:
Compared to the first UFC on FOX event (5.67M average viewers with a peak of 8.8M), this show (4.66M average viewers with a peak of 6.08M) fell short of those numbers despite having an extra hour of air time and three total fights, instead of just one with only seconds of actual fight time. In fact, this event fell in line with previous MMA telecasts that have aired on CBS. The fact that there was over 2 hours of MMA action (11 rounds total) and no exciting back-and-forth’s or finishes to get the fans and crowd involved really hurt the energy of the event. After casual fans complained that there was plenty of hype for only seconds of fighting, they now got the other extreme.
The top five metered markets for Saturday’s UFC on FOX event were Las Vegas (4.1/8), Louisville (4.1/7), Indianapolis (3.9/7), Greenville (3.9/6), Tulsa (3.9/6), and Knoxville (3.9/6). It’s interesting to point out that best markets in terms of national TV have not always been the best markets for PPV. The only west coast market here is Las Vegas, but other markets such as Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, and Hawaii have historically been top PPV markets but did not make the list here on free national TV.
Notable to point out the counter-programming efforts here by Spike TV, who averaged 828K viewers for a “UFC Fight Night” replay and “UFC Unleashed” episodes that aired from 7-11 p.m. ET/PT. Those episodes featured fighters that were fighting on the UFC on FOX 2 event, which most likely created some fan confusion, but on the other hand, gave those FOX viewers an option to tune in to another channel to watch the same product and see some exciting finishes and fights. By looking at the ratings Spike TV has achieved counter-programming UFC on FOX and UFC on FX specials, MMA fans who were shaped by watching Spike TV are still in fact tuning in.
Posted in: ufc, fox, pm, event, viewer
Read the full article at MMA PayoutUFC on FOX 2 Averages 4.7 Million Viewers, Peaks With Over 6 Million
Last Saturday night's UFC on FOX 2 posted a 2.6/5 national rating/share, according to data released by Nielsen Media Research on Tuesday. The event, which lasted two hours and 19 minutes, averaged 4.7 million viewers, and easily won the night's coveted 18-49 demographic.Ratings for the show grew as it went on, with more than 6 million viewers tuning in to watch Rashad Evans defeat Phil Davis by unanimous decision in the main event.Original overnight ratings pegged the audience at 4.37 million viewers, a number that was later adjusted to account for fluctuations in the live broadcast.
Of note, the 18-49 year-old demographic dominated the evening, as the event's 2.4 rating nearly equaled that of the 2.5 that CBS, ABC and NBC combined for on that night.The rating though, was down a bit from the first UFC on FOX show. The inaugural outing last November featuring then-heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos drew an average of 5.7 million viewers and peaked with 8.8 million viewers, though that event lasted just one hour.The next UFC on FOX event will take place on May 5 from the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Only one TV fight has so far been announced, a lightweight bout pitting contenders Nate Diaz and Mim Miller.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, viewer, viewers peaks
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC on FOX 2 Averages 4.7 Million Viewers, Peaks With Over 6 Million
Filed under: UFC, News, Sports Business and MediaLast Saturday night's UFC on FOX 2 posted a 2.6/5 national rating/share, according to data released by Nielsen Media Research on Tuesday. The event, which lasted just over two hours and 19 minutes, averaged 4.7 million viewers, and easily won the night's 18-49 demographic.
Ratings for the show grew as it went on, with more than 6 million viewers tuning in to watch Rashad Evans defeat Phil Davis by unanimous decision in the main event.
Original overnight ratings pegged the audience at 4.37 million viewers, a number that was later adjusted to account for fluctuations in the live broadcast.
Of note, the 18-49 year-old demographic dominated the evening, as the event's 2.4 rating nearly equaled that of the 2.5 that CBS, ABC and NBC combined for on that night.
The rating though, was down a bit from the first UFC on FOX show. The inaugural outing last November featuring then-heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos drew an average of 5.7 million viewers and peaked with 8.8 million viewers, though that event lasted just one hour.
The next UFC on FOX event will take place on May 5 from the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Only one TV fight has so far been announced, a lightweight bout pitting contenders Nate Diaz and Mim Miller. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, rating, viewer
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC May Have Issues With Stadium Show In Sao Paulo Brazil
Brazil's Esporte is reporting that noise ordinances may preclude the UFC doing a stadium show in Sao Paulo, Brazili this summer. The promotion is hoping to feature a middleweight title rematch between champion Anderson Silva and his nemesis Chael Sonnen this summer and had talked about doing the show from a Sao Paulo stadium.
"We still do not have a decision on the UFC, but for me and to the Mayor (Gilberto Kassab), we'd like for it to happen in the Pacaembu (stadium). However, we have a legislation (in the city), and we have to respect a limit in the scheduling due to the noise. Because of this, it's getting harder to hold events in São Paulo. Even in the Morumbi (stadium), there would be difficulties and I feel that, if this doesn't work out, the UFC will have to look (for another city to host its event)," said Bebetto Haddad, the Secretary of Sports in Sao Paulo. Haddad was trying his best to get the smaller Pacaembu Stadium (40k + spectators) to hold the UFC event instead of the bigger Morumbi stadium (75k+ spectators), claiming that the UFC wouldn't need to pay the rent of 2 million Reais and would also bring in a special team to set up and dismantle the octagon after the event, claiming it would not damage the field. A non-profit organization called Viva Pacaembu, would be thrilled to bring the UFC to the stadium, but claims it needs to happen at the appropriate time slot: What is obvious is that this (event is going to show fights), but the type of show that accompanies this type of event brings in loud music, and this can't happen. I believe they'll have the common sense in finding another place (to hold the UFC) - said the president of the Viva Pacaembu, Iênidis Benfati. The law prohibits major noise from 10PM to 8AM, the UFC is scheduled to end around 2AM in June.
Translations by Bloody Elbow's own Orcus.
Posted in: ufc, show, event, paulo, stadium
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC on FOX 2 ratings: Event averages 4.7 million viewers, second-best all-time
This past weekend's UFC on FOX 2 event, which featured three main-card bouts, averaged 4.7 million viewers.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the figures with industry sources.
Overall, the Jan. 28 event - which ran two hours and 19 minutes - scored a 3.21 rating among men 18-49 and a 3.21 among men 18-34. It's tied for the second-highest-rated MMA event in U.S. television history.
Posted in: event, rating, weekends ufc, industry sources, maincard bouts
Read the full article at MMA JunkieMemo to the UFC/Dana White: Try Solving Piracy Instead of Just Fighting It
I know, I know. It’s silly to ask a fight promoter not to fight.
Let’s be clear here up front: I understand why Dana White and Zuffa would support legal action like SOPA & PIPA, and were I in their place I’d be concerned about piracy too. They have a company whose foundation is built upon their customers paying to see events live, so anything that undermines that business is clearly going to have an impact on profits.
That being said, SOPA is not the way to stop piracy. In fact I’d be very surprised if our government was able to introduce any kind of legislation that effectively stamps out piracy in all its forms. Fighting a war on piracy is similar to fighting wars on drugs and terrorism; they may be noble causes but ultimately they will prove to be futile. Religious and social divides will always cause cultures to hate each other, some people will always look for a way to alter their consciousness, and there will always be people on the internet with more free time than money.
Another thing that won’t help fight piracy is angering the hacker community. After taunting hackers on Thursday,the UFC President had his site hacked again in addition to having his personal information compromised. I have no desire to know what Dana’s social security number is, but the fact that it’s now available for viewing on the internet should be a clear sign that mistakes have been made. Maybe Dana can shrug off this invasion of privacy and claim it’s no big deal. After all, he can change his phone numbers, hire private security for his home, and pursue legal action against anyone taking advantage of his personal information. His customers, however, may not be so lucky.
On Friday another member of the hacker group Anonymous (the very group White provoked on Twitter on Thursday) announced that he had hacked both UFC.com as well as the company’s live streaming site UFC.tv. This hacker also claims to have retrieved data from customer’s who have used UFC.tv to purchase PPVs. Anonymous made headlines this past Christmas when they used stolen credit card data to make donations to charity, and they have vowed to release the data acquired from the UFC if Dana provokes them again.
I know Dana has taken a carefree attitude towards this hacking situation, and at the start he wasn’t really out of line to do so. The initial attack just took down UFC.com for a few hours, which is roughly equivalent to taking down some advertisements. Had he left it at that things may not have gone any further.
By provoking the hackers (and specifically Anonymous) and equating their actions to terrorism, Dana brought unnecessary grief upon himself, his family, and his business. Anonymous doesn’t deal in the business of pirating PPVs, they are hackers acting as social activists. Whether or not you agree with their methods and their message is up to you, but there’s no reason to invite action from them against you and your business, particularly when your website is storing credit card information from your customers. It’s also worth noting that Anonymous is (by their very nature) a decentralized organization, with no control over their individual members’ actions. There’s been no action yet with any stolen information (at least that we know of) but this entire chain of events could lead to serious ramifications for the UFC and their online businesses. They have essentially broken the trust necessary in a capitalist society, wherein the consumer willingly supplies his financial information to a corporation with the implied understanding that it will be used in a responsible manner and not abused in any way. Obviously the UFC will be working with law enforcement agencies to find those responsible for this intrusion, but by inviting the attacks White may have implicated himself in any civil action that takes place in the future. It’s certainly too early to know exactly what will happen as a result of these hacks, but for now we can’t rule out the worst scenarios coming to pass.
So if the UFC and White are unable to completely stamp out piracy and stop the actions of hackers, what’s the solution?
One way to solve the problem is to give people a reason to buy your product online. Those who watch pirated streams are obviously willing to sit in front of their computer to watch a UFC event, so Dana White and Zuffa should be working to convert those people into paying customers. The easiest way to do this is to make PPVs less expensive. It seems like such an easy thing to do coming from somebody like me (you know, a consumer) but it really does make sense.
Whenever the price of his product is brought up, Dana dismisses the issue by stating that people can buy the program in groups, go to their local bar or restaurant, or if all else fails, just don’t watch it. What about those UFC fans like myself who usually watch the events alone? Not everyone has friends that watch the UFC and would be willing to pitch in for buying a PPV every single month. What about people under the age of 21, or those members of society who don’t drink? It’s hard to justify spending $45-55 for something that’s just for me, especially when that money could be used for food or clothing for my family. Dana would say that that’s too bad and I’ll just have to deal with not watching the UFC events, but is that any way to grow your business?
If the UFC really wants to get more people to purchase their streams online (especially in the wake of a possible violation on consumers’ private information), lower the price for the streaming version of the event. Since the UFC doesn’t have to share that $45 or $55 with cable and satellite providers for their online stream, perhaps they could pass some of those savings on to their consumer. Cut the price for a streaming event to $25 or $30 and I can practically guarantee that you’ll have a lot more people buying a reliable, quality stream over a sketchy pirated one.
This doesn’t have to be a permanent price change either; they could offer it on some of their events and reserve the higher price point for bigger cards. Flexible pricing is one idea that could be implemented for the streams as well as the regular PPV broadcast, and it allows the UFC to be more aggressive with cards that lack a blockbuster main event. As the sport’s biggest stars start heading towards the end of their career (and some are already there, see Lesnar, Brock and Liddell, Chuck) the UFC is going to be putting more and more fresh faces at the top of their cards, and having a lower price point for shows not anchored by proven draws allows these events to be seen by more people; which in turn gives these newer fighters a better chance to gain fans.
Let’s also consider the first time buyer. The whole point of getting their product on broadcast television with Fox is to create new fans who will in turn purchase the PPVs, right? If you had your first MMA experience this past Saturday night would you want to put down $45-55 to watch this weekend’s event? Make the first PPV after a Fox show lower priced and you’ll assure yourself a better chance of hooking those new fans.
The UFC will never be able to wipe out piracy completely. As their own employee Joe Rogan likes to state, “you can’t stop the internet.” Provide a product that’s both affordable as well as attractive, and back it up with great customer service, and you’ll please the customers you have while adding new ones all the time. It’s worked wonders for online businesses like Amazon.com, iTunes, and Steam, and there’s no reason why it can’t work for the UFC as well. They can continue their anti-piracy efforts by working with law enforcement to take down sites illegally streaming their shows, but at the same time they can be proactive and offer a more appealing product that people want to pay for.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, ’t, event, dana, people
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC 145 tickets on sale Feb. 17, pre-sale begins Feb. 15 for Atlanta show
Tickets for UFC 145 - an April event that's expected to feature UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones vs. recent UFC on FOX 2 winner Rashad Evans - go on sale in a few weeks.
The event takes place April 21 at Atlanta's Philips Arena.
Ticket prices haven't been announced for the show, which includes a pay-per-view main card.
Posted in: ufc, show, event, ticket, feb
Read the full article at MMA JunkieFive Ounces of Podcast: Episode 18
It’s another Five Ounces of Podcast with this episode recorded immediately following UFC on FOX 2 so you know it’s a good one. Join Samer Kadi and Jeremy Lambert as we discuss the underwhelming UFC on FOX event including Rashad Evans cruising to victory against Phil Davis, Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping engaging in a close battle, and another fight that we don’t bother to talk about because of how bad it was. Not only will we look at those fights, but we’ll look ahead to the future of the winners and losers and play Joe Silva when it comes to booking UFC on FOX 3. Plus we have a preview of this weekends UFC 143 event that features an awesome main event between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit and the return of SAMER’S KEYS TO VICTORY as he breaks down Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce. And, for possibly the first time ever, Jeremy and Samer disagree on the UFC 143 main event and co-main event fights, so bragging rights are on the line this Saturday.
It’s over an hour and half of MMA talk, so check it out.
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Posted in: ufc, event, podcast, joe silva, booking ufc
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainONE Fighting Championship announces long-term agreement with ESPN Star Sports
ONE Fighting Championship has announced a partnership with ESPN Star Sports which will see it broadcast in twenty-four Asian countries for the next ten years. The length of the deal is unprecedented in MMA history and is three years longer than the UFC’s recent agreement with FOX.
The news essentially means that ONE FC will be shown alongside major sporting events such as the English Premier League, FIFA World Club, Formula One, NBA and MLS which can only help the development of MMA in Asia.
ESPN Star Sports is Asia’s biggest sports content provider and Adam Zecha, Executive Vice President, Head of Sales (SEA), ESPN STAR Sports, said, “ESPN STAR Sports has always been at the forefront in offering innovative and engaging programming to sports fans across the region. We have successfully showcased a diverse range of combat sports events to fans, and with this long-term partnership with ONE Fighting Championship, mixed-martial arts sports fans can now look forward to more exciting action on our networks.”
ONE Fighting Championship plan to put on at least eight events in 2012 with shows in Jakarta, Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur already confirmed. CEO/Owner Victor Cui explained, “Asia has been the birthplace and home to martial arts for the last 5,000 years and ONE Fighting Championship has a vision of bringing mixed martial arts to the 3.9 billion people living in Asia. ESPN STAR Sports, Asia’s biggest provider of sports content, is a wonderful partner to help with that mission.”
Rodrigo Ribeiro Talks Upcoming fight at ONE FC 2
ONE FC’s next event is scheduled for February 11 at the BritAma Arena in Jakarta. The main event sees Filipino Ole Laursen take on Felipe Enomoto from Japan while Bob Sapp and Rolles Gracie also go head to head in a super heavyweight clash.
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Posted in: star, espn, sport, event, asia
Read the full article at Fighters.com'Babalu' Sobral to Face Melvin Manhoef in One FC 3 Main Event
Filed under: News, ONE FCFormer Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral will meet K-1 veteran Melvin Manhoef in the main event of One FC 3 on March 31 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore, promoters announced Tuesday in a press conference.
Sobral inked an exclusive deal a month ago with One FC after missing the entire 2011 due to a shoulder injury and time off for his family. Sobral was last seen in action in a first-round KO loss to Dan Henderson at Strikeforce in St. Louis in December 2010. Manhoef, who has lost his last three MMA fights in the first round, fought over the weekend in a losing effort against Tyrone Spong under kickboxing rules on an It's Showtime card in Amsterdam.
Also announced for One FC's first partnership event with DREAM is a co-main event with leglock expert Masakazu Imanari taking on undefeated Filipino prospect Kevin Belingon.
Imanari competed six times in 2011, five of which for DREAM as part of the two DREAM bantamweight tournaments. Imanari fell short in the Japan tournament final against Hideo Tokoro by decision. On New Year's Eve, Imanari lost in the World tournament semifinal to Antonio Banuelos by split decision. Belingon is a 24-year-old who made his name fighting for the URCC promotion in the Philippines and Legend FC in Hong Kong.
Singapore's first professional female MMA fighter Nicole Chua will also compete at One FC 3.
During the press conference, One FC announced its intention to make Singapore the Asian headquarters for MMA. One FC recently announced a 10-year deal with ESPN STAR and on Tuesday added 17 more gyms to its One FC network. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: event, sobral, fc, imanari, singapore
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseHD Net to sponsor 4 live UFC PPV 3D events in 2012
Las Vegas, Nevada – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® and Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. (NASDAQ:CIDM) announced today that HDNet will be the official sponsor of four, live 3D theatrical broadcasts of UFC® Pay-Per-View events in 2012 at nearly 75 Cinedigm affiliated theatres.
Beginning with the live 3D broadcast of UFC® 143: DIAZ vs. CONDIT on Saturday, Feb. 4, HDNet will be the featured sponsor, giving the network increased exposure for its MMA programming including promotion of Inside MMA.
In addition, HDNet personalities Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten will have a noticeable presence during 30-minute countdown shows that air in those theatres prior to the live broadcast of UFC Pay-Per-View events.
This news comes on the heels of UFC and Cinedigm announcing late last year the plan to bring the fastest-growing sport in the world to Cinedigm’s affiliated 3D theatres across the country, which include such circuits as Carmike Cinemas, Rave Motion Pictures, Kirkorian Theatres, UltraStar Cinemas and Galaxy Theatres.
“We’re giving fans the chance to watch UFC like never before – live and in 3D,” UFC President Dana White said. “We’re excited that HDNet will be the official sponsor of these 3D events with Cinedigm. It’s going to be a big year for the UFC and we can’t wait to give our fans the chance to see Pay-Per-View events live in theatres in 3D.”
“HDNet has always been the go to source for MMA fans – from fights to news – and partnering with UFC and Cinedigm on 3D is a natural fit to HDNet’s ongoing commitment to MMA,” HDNet Fights CEO Andrew Simon said. “This sponsorship is just one of many new, exciting, and cutting edge additions to HDNet and Inside MMA in 2012, from a brand new studio to more live events, exclusive highlights and on-site UFC coverage.”
The first 3D theatrical presentation, UFC® 143: DIAZ vs. CONDIT, airs live on Pay-Per-View from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. In the night’s main event, the fiery and unpredictable Nick Diaz battles knockout artist Carlos Condit for the interim UFC welterweight title. Plus, heavyweights Roy “Big Country” Nelson and Fabricio Werdum collide, while welterweight bad boy Josh Koscheck meets powerhouse wrestler Mike Pierce.
Posted in: ufc, event, hdnet, cinedigm, theatre
Read the full article at MMA PayoutDana White video blog for UFC 143 (Episode one)
Fight week, blog week!
UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit" takes place this weekend (Feb. 4, 2012) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, meaning that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White has begun to roll out his promotional video blog series in anticipation of the SuperBowl weekend pay-per-view (PPV) event.
However, before we set our sights on "Sin City," White takes us behind-the-scenes as he prepares his team for the encore performance of his mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion on the FOX network this past weekend (Jan. 28, 2012) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
In addition to seeing White in the high-powered UFC on Fox 2 production booth, we watch the fighters moments before they enter the Octagon, as well as when they return to the locker room after their respective bouts. Rashad Evans, Phil Davis, Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping, among others, are all featured in this episode.
Check out "Mr. Wonderful" as his shin gets stitched up after his unanimous decision loss to "Suga," listen to Eric Wisely wonder what submission Charles Oliveira used to make him tap (it was a calf slicer), Chris Weidman explain his sluggish performance and Nik Lentz mugging for the cameras with the gruesome eye cut that forced his fight against Evan Dunham to be stopped early.
For everything you need to know and more about UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit" be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, event, weekend, locker room, episode check
Read the full article at MMA ManiaChael Sonnen vs Anderson Silva rematch 'set' for June 2012 in Sao Paulo, Brazil
A rematch nearly two years in the making.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight number one contender Chael Sonnen, who was just a few short minutes away from defeating Anderson Silva at UFC 117 back in August 2010, will have a chance to exorcize his submission demons in a championship rematch against "The Spider" later this year.
That's according to UFC President Dana White on the UFC on Fox 2 post-fight show, who confirmed that Silva vs. Sonnen II was "set" for June 2012 in Brazil, most likely headlining a pay-per-view event in Sao Paulo.
Sonnen co-headlined the Jan. 28 event opposite Michael Bisping, narrowly squeaking past "The Count" via unanimous decision. That, coupled with his submission win over Brian Stann at UFC 136, was enough to put him back into a main event title fight across from his Brazilian nemesis.
And beating the brakes off Silva for four-and-a-half rounds in their first encounter may have helped expedite the process.
Silva is currently on the sidelines rehabbing multiple injuries and has yet to comment on his return to the fight game; however, White insists he's a lock for this June in the wake of Sonnen's victory over Bisping.
Sonnen claims otherwise.
Regardless, it looks as though this could be the final run for Silva as the top dog in combat sports. If he manages to get past Sonnen in June, few challenges remain inside the anemic 185-pound division.
Until then, expect a lengthy trash-talking campaign from you-know-who.
You ready?
More on the UFC on Fox 2 fallout here.
Posted in: ufc, event, silva, sonnen, june
Read the full article at MMA ManiaFox Releases Detailed UFC Ratings Breakdown
UFC on Fox 2 will probably be remembered as a more important (or at least more interesting) moment in the UFC's growth than the debut in November of 2011. The event was the promotion's first full effort on Fox and, while featuring several "big name fighters," failed to live up to the excitement expected of a UFC card in many ways. The ratings for this show are interesting given how horrible the opening fight between Demian Maia and Chris Weidman were but will also have some weight in terms of if viewers will tune in to the next Fox card.
The Fox Sports Media Group distributed an press release via e-mail with their official ratings information and they weren't shy about noting the drop in ratings from the first go-round:
The three-bout, two-hour event, the first official network broadcast of FOX's partnership with UFC, is off from the UFC on FOX premiere in November (3.5/6), which was only one hour and featured a highly anticipated heavyweight championship fight. When comparing similar time periods for the two events, FOX posted a 3.1/5 from 9:00-10:15 PM ET, compared to the 3.5/6 that the premiere event recorded from 9:00-10:00 PM.
It is interesting to note that, as expected with an event on free TV, the ratings increased dramatically for the main event:
As anticipation to the night's main event grew so did the ratings. The night's first match, Jitsu master Demian Maia taking on unbeaten Chris Weidman did a 2.3/4. The next fight between middleweight contender Chael Sonnen battling British star Michael Bisping grew to a 2.9/5. Fans tuned in to see former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans take on undefeated former national champion wrestler Phil Davis with that bout posting a 3.4/6. The fight went all five rounds and Evans defeated Davis by unanimous decision.
They also shared some "top market" breakdowns:
The top five metered markets for Saturday's UFC on FOX event are: Las Vegas - 4.1/8; Louisville - 4.1/7; Indianapolis - 3.9/7; Greenville - 3.9/6; Tulsa - 3.9/6; and Knoxville - 3.9/6. Other markets of interest: New York - 2.2/4; Los Angeles - 2.3/5; and host city Chicago - 2.8/5.
The fact that there are multiple fights with a main event that will almost always be more appealing to the coveted "casual fan" does mean that the ratings will show a lot of fluctuation as fights that don't hold interest result in people checking out for 20-30 minutes at a time. From talks I've had with industry types, they've told me that it can make selling ads tricky given that sponsors can be reluctant to pay for ad slots which may fall during low viewership points in the broadcast (or for spots during the main event which may come after a quick knockout).
But, given that the ratings for the show were so much higher than the other major networks and the lack of a "season" meaning that the UFC can fill a Saturday night slot any month of the year, there is certainly no immediate worry that sponsors or the network will shy away from the fight game any time soon. Simply that it's going to take skill and commitment to line up the best, highest paying sponsors possible. But Fox is no stranger to that game.
SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 2
Posted in: ufc, fight, fox, event, rating
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowJon Jones opens at -600 for UFC 145 main event
submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [2 comments]
Posted in: ufc, jone, jon jones, event, mattyblayze
Read the full article at RedditBreaking news: 'Gladiator Man' released from his Zuffa contract prior to UFC 143
Were you not entertained?
For many years, fight fans have come to know "The Gladiator Man," the now-famous introduction to all Zuffa pay-per-view (PPV) events that has become a staple for the promotion.
No more.
The unnamed warrior has seen his time in combat sports and now he is gone. UFC President Dana White recently announced that UFC 143 will usher in a new era of UFC introductions and the Gladiator Man will no longer be a part of it.
From The Underground:
Tonight, UFC President Dana White revealed exclusively to the Underground that the opening sequence for its PPV broadcast has been redone and the new introduction will be revealed this Saturday for UFC 143. The event will feature Nick Diaz fighting Carlos Condit for the interim welterweight championship in the main event.
The opening sequence, which has shown a Roman gladiator preparing for battle has often been critiqued by fans and although the sequence hasn’t been used by the UFC on its FOX and Fuel TV broadcasts, it had been present as most recent as this past UFC 142.
To quote the UFC President directly: "He’s been cut."
Anybody gonna miss this guy? Or was it time for a change? And does anyone expect him to surface in Bellator once the no-compete clause expires on his contract?
Posted in: ufc, event, gladiator, gladiator man, opening sequence
Read the full article at MMA ManiaIt's official, the UFC gladiator guy has been cut from the promotion starting with UFC 143
This gladiator guy, he gets dressed up before every event, grabs some sand from the ground and walks out of a brightly door -- but no one knows where he goes. I've never seen gladiator guy in the audience during UFC events. I'm sure his leather skirt and well-constructed tunic would undoubtedly stand out in the crowd. Maybe this brightly lit door just leads to another brightly lit door, like that Cube movie. If that's the case, then we should feel sorry for gladiator guy. He's stuck in a quantum mechanical trap that is impossible to get out of. Well, that is until Dana White kicks him out of the UFC.
According to an exclusive statement made on The Underground, Dana White revealed that starting with this weekend's UFC 143 card, the gladiator intro is no more.
Tonight, UFC President Dana White revealed exclusively to the Underground that the opening sequence for it's PPV broadcast has been redone and the new introduction will be revealed this Saturday for UFC 143. The event will feature Nick Diaz fighting Carlos Condit for the interim welterweight championship in the main event.
In honor of the gladiator guy and his infinite battle into the land of the brightly lit unknown, let's check him out one more time and subsequently theorize where he will end up next. My guess is on the Tonight Show with David Letterman or a cameo appearance in the next Grand Theft Auto game.
Posted in: ufc, guy, event, gladiator, gladiator guy
Read the full article at Middle EasyJon Jones opens at -600 against Rashad Evans for UFC 145 main event
Yowzers!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones will defend his 205-pound strap against longtime nemesis Rashad Evans in the main event of UFC 145 on Saturday, April 21, 2012, at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
And he'll do it as a -600 favorite.
At least for now. That's according to the Bookmakers on Best Fight Odds, who give "Bones" the whopping favorite line following last weekend's announcement that the former teammates under Greg Jackson would finally hook 'em up in "The Peach State."
Evans limps in as the +400 underdog.
Despite a five round dominant unanimous decision victory over former undefeated division prospect Phil Davis at the Jan. 28 UFC on Fox 2 event in Chicago, Evans was panned for a "cautious" and "uninspired" performance against "Mr. Wonderful," which may have resulted from his failure to finish the fight after 25 minutes of complete control.
Did that affect the opening lines?
Perhaps. Or it could have more to do with the fact that Jones has looked invincible as division champion, laying waste to everyone in his path before, during and after his UFC 128 title win over Mauricio Rua.
Evans remains the final hurdle before he's effectively cleaned out the division.
Anyone think "Bones" is getting too much respect? Let's hear your thoughts on the UFC 145 odds and betting lines in the comments section below and for more on "Jones vs. Evans" click here.
Posted in: ufc, jone, event, division, evan
Read the full article at MMA ManiaMMA fighters share thoughts about Interim UFC Welterweight title bout between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit
Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit will face eachother next weekend, in the main event of UFC 143 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Randy Couture, Jay Hieron, Martin Kampmann and others shared their thoughts about the match-up that will determine the identity of the next challenge for Georges St. Pierre's undisputed title.
Further Reading: Submit your picks for UFC
Posted in: ufc, nick diaz, event, carlos condit, carlo
Read the full article at Low KickONE FC and ESPN StarSports announce 10 year Media Partnership
ONE Fighting Championship today announced a '10-year media partnership,' which will see its events being broadcast by the biggest sports network in Asia, ESPN Star Sports.
Further information about the logistics of the deal are likely to be announced at a press conference tomorrow, where new signing Renato Sobral will be unveiled to the media and details about the card at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on March 31, 2012, will also be revealed.
ESPN Star Sports is available in 24 Asian countries and carries the rights to prestigious sporting events such as the NBA, English Premier League, World Cup, PGA Tour, Formula One, Major League Baseball and the Olympics. ONE Fighting Championship will become the first mixed martial arts (MMA) event to be broadcast by the network since Martial Combat in 2010.
The length of the agreement is, to the best of my knowledge, unprecedented in MMA history, overtaking the seven-year deal that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) recently signed with FOX Sports. It means that ONE FC has a broadcast home for the next decade which will put it in households all over Asia.
Here is the official press release:
ONE Fighting Championship™, Asia’s largest MMA organization, announces a 10-year media partnership with ESPN STAR Sports, Asia’s biggest sports content provider. This partnership marks the largest MMA media deal in Asian history and includes showcasing the best Asian mixed martial artists against one another through a series of events across all the major cities in Asia.Victor Cui, CEO of ONE Fighting Championship, said, "Asia has been the birthplace and home to martial arts for the last 5,000 years and ONE Fighting Championship has a vision of bringing mixed martial arts to the 3.9 billion people living in Asia. ESPN STAR Sports, Asia’s biggest provider of sports content, is a wonderful partner to help with that mission."Adam Zecha, Executive Vice President, Head of Sales (SEA), ESPN STAR Sports, said, "ESPN STAR Sports has always been at the forefront in offering innovative and engaging programming to sports fans across the region. We have successfully showcased a diverse range of combat sports events to fans, and with this long-term partnership with ONE Fighting Championship, mixed-martial arts sports fans can now look forward to more exciting action on our networks."ONE Fighting Championship will be hosting events in Jakarta on February 11 and in Singapore again on March 31 featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions. The full calendar of events for the rest of 2012 will be announced in the near future.About ONE Fighting Championship™Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Fighting Championship™ (http://www.onefc.com) is Asia's largest mixed martial arts organization with the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions. ONE Fighting Championship hosts the most prestigious mixed martial arts event in Asia with the largest media broadcast platform.About ESPN STAR SportsESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between two of the world’s leading cable and satellite broadcasters. As Asia's definitive and complete sports broadcaster and content provider, ESPN STAR Sports combines the strengths and resources of its ultimate parent companies – Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.) and News Corporation Limited (STAR) – to deliver a diverse array of international and regional sports to viewers via its encrypted pay and free-to-air services.
ESPN STAR Sports showcases an unparalleled variety of premier live sports from around the globe 24 hours a day to a cumulative reach of more than 350 million viewers in Asia. ESPN STAR Sports has 17 networks covering 24 countries, each localised to deliver differentiated world-class premier sports programming to Asian viewers. This includes ESPN SEA, ESPN China, ESPN Hong Kong, ESPN India, ESPN Malaysia, ESPN Philippines, ESPN SEA 2, ESPN Taiwan, MBC-ESPN (Korea), STAR Sports Asia, STAR Sports Hong Kong, STAR Sports India, STAR Sports Malaysia, STAR Sports SEA 2, STAR Sports Southeast Asia, STAR Sports Taiwan, and STAR Cricket.
On the ground, the ESPN STAR Sports Event Management Group manages and promotes premier sporting events around Asia. ESPN STAR Sports aims to reach consumers at any time, any place and through all new media platforms, both internet and mobile. The multi-lingual, online platforms, espnstar.com, espnstar.com.cn and espnstar.com.tw and footballcrazy.tv interact with millions of users providing them with in-depth sports news, results and competitions.
Developed for the sports fan that is constantly on the move, mobileESPN and STAR Sports Mobile delivers differentiated mobile content targeted at its various audiences. mobileESPN enables the serious sports fan to follow their favourite sports more closely than ever before with a combination of specially produced video news clips, in-depth news coverage and analysis.
STAR Sports Mobile aims to provide interactive and entertaining opportunities to engage with sports, delivering exclusive video excerpts from leading football clubs Arsenal and Liverpool as well as highlights from STAR Sports original programmes covering opinions, instructional tips and the latest online game reviews.
Posted in: star, espn, sport, event, asia
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FOX 2 Wrap-Up and Bonuses
The UFC held UFC on FOX 2 on Saturday night in Chicago. The event took place in front of a sold out United Center and marked the first time the promotion had held an event in the Chicago area since UFC 90 was held at the Allstate Center in Rosemont, IL. During the event Rashad Evans punched his ticket to face UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones with a win over Phil Davis. Chael Sonnen earned a title shot as well, defeating Michael Bisping, setting up a bout against UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson
Posted in: ufc, title shot, event, allstate center, rosemont il
Read the full article at Low KickUFC on FOX 2 results: Event wasn't as big a disappointment as some suggest
Immediately after the event was over, mixed martial arts (MMA) fans and analysts were quick to label UFC on FOX 2 a failure, a dud. Some didn't even wait until the end and began decrying it as such as early as the first fight between Demian Maia and Chris Weidman, a plodding three round affair that saw the American pick up the biggest win of his career.
And who can blame them?
While the FUEL TV "Prelims" included two incredible knockouts (Watch on of them here) courtesy of Lavar Johnson and Cub Swanson, a fancy submission from Charles Oliveira and Nik Lentz's eye swollen up to the size of the moon, the FOX broadcast was 11 rounds of mostly tedious action with a judges' decision following each bout.
Maia continued to prove his only reliable trait in his unreliability, while in the co-main event, both Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping looked nothing like the middleweight freight trains who plowed through Brian Stann and Jason Miller, respectively. The decision, controversially, went to the former -- and now current -- number one contender.
The headlining bout between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis might have been the most egregious offender of the bunch. "Mr. Wonderful," taking the biggest leap in competition of his short career, proved he was nowhere near the level needed to stand side-by-side with the light heavyweight elite. Evans, for his part, did very little to convince anyone he has what it takes to defeat Jon Jones in Atlanta on April 21, 2012, at UFC 145.
Calling last night's (Jan. 28, 2012) event a failure is far off, but it's not wholly correct, either. The ho-hum performances certainly didn't light up any potential fanbase but the event wasn't as big a dud as you would think. Coming out of the event are two huge fights, something the UFC is in dire need for right now.
Think of the four UFC on FOX cards that will air on 2012 as appetizers.
While Rupert Murdoch and company paid a pretty penny for the fight promotion's broadcasting rights, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) still makes most of its money through its pay-per-view (PPV) model. Once a month, fight fans pluck down a handful of Hamiltons to watch a huge fight. This Saturday (Feb. 4, 2012), for example, is an interim welterweight title bout between Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz that headlines UFC 143.
PPV is the UFC's bread and butter and will continue to remain so for the foreseeable future. And while last night's card was lackluster, it did offer up two huge PPV match ups for a company that's been hurting in the star power division ever since Georges St. Pierre went down for 18 months because of an injury and Brock Lesnar retired.
Sonnen defeating Bisping puts him back in the sights of Anderson Silva, the champion who Sonnen nearly unseated way back at UFC 117. The Team Quest fighter talked an inordinate amount of smack leading up to the bout, seemingly making a fool of himself as it was expected that "The Spider" would walk right through him.
Surprisingly, Sonnen lived up to all the trash talk ... at least for 22 minutes or so. An amazing come-from-behind triangle choke submission kept the belt on the Brazilian and helped ignite one of the most talked about rivalries in the sport's history.
Their rematch -- arguably the biggest since UFC 100's bout between Lesnar and Frank Mir -- will take place later in 2012, expected to top the bill of the UFC's third trip to Brazil since making its way back to MMA's birthplace at UFC 134.
UFC on FOX 2 also provided 205-pound champion, Jon Jones, with his next challenge, Rashad Evans. Much like Sonnen and Silva, the feud between the two former teammates has reached a fevered pitch. Jones has looked unstoppable during his UFC career and amazingly, upped his game as his competition got tougher. His last three opponents had been, at one point or another, considered the best light heavyweight in the world and "Bones" dispatched of each with relative ease.
Despite this, Evans has continued to claim an insight to Jones' game thanks to their previous training partnership. When combined with the suspect manner in which the champion handled a hand injury when he was first slated to take on "Suga, it helps to lend credence to Evans' assertions. Their bout at UFC 145 will answer any questions between the two once and for all.
Last night fans saw Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen fight, but the fights everyone really wants to see them in will have to be purchased. UFC on FOX 2 was just an appetizer.
PPV is the main course.
Posted in: ufc, fight, bout, event, sonnen
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FOX 2 Averages 4.37 Million Viewers in Preliminary Ratings
Filed under: UFC, News, Sports Business and MediaEarly ratings are in for Saturday night's UFC on FOX 2 event, and the two-hour broadcast drew an estimated 4.37 million viewers, according to a report by TVBytheNumbers.com.
The final number, however, is likely to increase substantially by the time final ratings are released, as information continues to trickle in on the live broadcast.
By comparison, the initial UFC on FOX show in November featuring a heavyweight title bout with Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos drew an overnight rating of 4.64 million, but when final information was released, it ended up averaging a more robust 5.7 million viewers.
The two-hour show which was broadcast from the United Center in Chicago, featured a tripleheader that was void of any finishes. In the main event, Rashad Evans out-pointed Phil Davis, setting up a light-heavyweight title fight against Jon Jones. The co-main event saw Chael Sonnen earn a decision over Michael Bisping, setting up a rematch with middleweight champ Chael Sonnen. And the night's opener saw rising star Chris Weidman top Demian Maia on points.
Despite the lack of big finishes or action-packed rounds, ratings indicated that the event helped FOX carry the all important 18-49 year old demographic, as that segment of the population averaged a 2.2 rating to lead all broadcast networks.
Final ratings should be released on Monday.
The next UFC on FOX event will take place in the spring, with a May 5 date penciled in. To date, only one TV matchup has been confirmed, with lightweight contenders Nate Diaz and Jim Miller squaring off in a bout likely to serve as the co-main event. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, rating, broadcast
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 145: Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans main event set for Atlanta on April 21
Finally.
Rashad Evans, perhaps the most qualified number one contender in the relatively brief history of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), tonight (Jan. 28, 2012) punched his ticket to a championship fight against Jon Jones.
For now, anyway.
Evans routed Phil Davis in the UFC on Fox 2 main event from the United Center in Chicago, Ill., winning a unanimous decision and earning a date with "Bones" at UFC 145, which takes place on April 21, 2012, at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
More on the breaking news shortly.
For more on UFC 145 be sure to check out our complete event archive right here. To check out the latest UFC 145 fight card and rumors click here.
Posted in: ufc, event, evan, championship ufc, atlanta georgia
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 145: Jon Jones is coming to Atlanta on April 21
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones will indeed headline the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion's upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) event at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Ga., on April 21, 2012.
The rumored appearance was confirmed during the UFC on Fox 2: "Evans vs. Davis" telecast, during which "Bones" was an expert guest on the panel alongside UFC Hall of Fame inductee, Randy Couture. And as FOX broadcaster pointed out, Jones has a vested interest in the main event this evening from the United Center in Chicago, Ill., between Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis.
If "Suga" comes away with a victory, he will finally get the opportunity to settle the score with Jones once and for all, as well as reclaim his 205-pound championship. However, if "Mr. Wonderful" pulls off the upset, the picture gets a little more complicated.
That's because Dan Henderson might get the nod, considering that Davis is still a bit behind him in the divisional pecking order. Unless, of course, Davis has a money performance this evening that leaves UFC President Dana White no choice but to book him for Atlanta, too, opposite Jones.
We'll know soon enough.
For more on UFC 145 be sure to check out our complete event archive right here. To check out the latest UFC 145 fight card and rumors click here.
Posted in: ufc, jone, event, davi, philips arena
Read the full article at MMA ManiaJon Jones To Defend UFC Light Heavyweight Title In Main Event Of UFC 145
Just prior to the start of the tonight's UFC on Fox 2 main card broadcast, the UFC put out a press release stating that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will be defending his title in the main event of UFC 145. Here's what the release had to say:
Las Vegas, Nevada -The Ultimate Fighting Championship®, the world's premier mixed martial arts organization, announced today that it will return to Atlanta with a championship card at Philips Arena on Saturday, April 21. UFC light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones will defend his 205-pound crown in the night's main event.
Jones is serving as an analyst for tonight's card along with UFC legend Randy Couture, and it was announced on the show that Jones would defend his title against Rashad Evans if Evans manages to get through Phil Davis tonight (and doesn't get injured in the process). Davis winning would throw a wrench in that plan, but it isn't a given that Davis would get the UFC 145 slot with a win. Dan Henderson is waiting in the wings and could be inserted into the spot if need be.
Either way, a lot is riding on tonight's UFC on Fox 2 main event.
More SBN coverage of UFC 145
Posted in: ufc, jone, event, davi, tonights ufc
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC On Fox 2: Live Results And Play-By-Play For Main Card
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC on Fox 2. Our live coverage will start with the Fuel TV prelim broadcast (5 p.m. ET) and through the Fox main card broadcast (8 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
This post will cover live results and thoughts for the main card on Fox.
Three fights make up the UFC's second effort on its network home with the main event seeing light heavyweight contenders Rashad Evans and Phil Davis facing off in a five round fight. Two of the biggest trash talkers in the sport meet in the co-main event when Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping meet for a shot at UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. In the opening bout on the broadcast it will be former title contender Demian Maia meeting top prospect Chris Weidman.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 2
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, opening bout, trash talkers
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowFans invited to next week's UFC 143 open workouts, press conference
The UFC holds its first Sin City event of 2012 next week, as Strikeforce
champ Nick Diaz and former WEC titleholder Carlos
Condit meet with the UFC's interim welterweight
title on the line.
In anticipation of the pay-per-view event, UFC officials recently
announced that fans are invited to both a UFC 143 open workout session
and pre-event press conference.
Both events can be attended free of charge.
Posted in: ufc, conference, event, welterweight title, workout session
Read the full article at MMA JunkieRashad Evans vs Phil Davis fight video preview for UFC on FOX 2 main event
After all the hoopla -- press conferences, weigh-ins, trash talking sessions, all that jazz -- Rashad Evans and Phil Davis will finally hook 'em up in the main event of tonight's (Sat., Jan. 28, 2012) UFC on Fox 2 event scheduled for the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.
On the line (for Evans, at least) is a light heavyweight title shot against Jon Jones, likely at UFC 145 on April 21 in Atlanta. That's assuming "Suga" can win and come out with no significant injuries.
It would be somewhat poetic, really. That event is scheduled to take place at the exact same arena where Evans took Chuck Liddell's soul and earned his first 205-pound championship chance. He cashed in on it, too.
It's a big night tonight for Rashad. But "Mr. Wonderful" is standing in his way, eager to take his spot and catapult himself up the ladder of top contenders. He won't earn a title shot with a win like his counterpart but he'll be damn close.
Oh and this is all going down on network TV, folks. It doesn't get much bigger than this.
Posted in: title shot, jon jones, event, evan, atlanta thats
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC® RETURNS TO ATLANTA
145-Las
Vegas, Nevada –The Ultimate Fighting Championship®, the
world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, announced today that it will
return to Atlanta with a championship card at Philips Arena on Saturday, April
21. UFC light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones will defend his 205-pound
crown in the night’s main event.
The event marks UFC’s first time back in the city since UFC
88 on Sept. 6, 2008, when nearly 15,000 fans packed Philips Arena to watch
Rashad Evans knock out UFC legend Chuck Liddell.
“Fans in Atlanta have been
tweeting me and telling me over and over again to bring the UFC back to their
city,” UFC President Dana White said. “Well guess what Atlanta? The UFC is
coming back to Atlanta with the sport’s fastest-rising star, Jon Jones,
defending his light heavyweight title!”
“We are thrilled to welcome the Ultimate Fighting
Championship organization back to Philips Arena for UFC 145,” stated Trey
Feazell, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Philips Arena. “The
2008 UFC 88 event featuring Chuck Liddell and Rashad Evans was an incredible
night and remains a highpoint in Philips Arena’s 13 year history.”
Tickets for UFC®145, presented by
MetroPCS, go on sale Friday, Feb. 17 at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets are
available through Ticketmaster.com, charge by phone (800) 745-3000, at all
Ticketmaster Outlets, and the Philips Arena Box Office. Ticket prices will be
announced in the days to come.
UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the
opportunity to purchase tickets to this event on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 10 a.m. ET
via the website www.ufcfightclub.com.
A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter
subscribers on Thursday, Feb. 16, starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this
presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
Official UFC VIP packages are
also available at http://vip.ufc.com.
These packages include tickets to UFC 145, official event merchandise, as well
as special VIP experiences with backstage tours and meet and greets with top
UFC stars. Get closer to the action than ever before with this unique UFC VIP
opportunity.
UFC®145 will be available live on
Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH
Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and
Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for
Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.
For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject
to change.
About
Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las
Vegas, Nev., UFC® is the world’s premier MMA organization and
produces over 12 UFC live Pay-Per-View events annually around the
globe. This year, FOX will broadcast four fight cards annually. In spring
2012, The Ultimate
Fighter®, UFC’s signature weekly reality TV show, debuts on
FX. UFC content is also distributed commercially to U.S. bars and restaurants
through Joe Hand Promotions.
Globally, UFC programming is broadcast in 150 countries,
territories and jurisdictions, reaching over one billion homes worldwide, in 21
different languages.
UFC® also boasts a powerful presence online, with
UFC.com attracting over seven million unique visitors per month, while also
possessing one of the most powerful social media followings in all of
professional sports. To date, UFC has over six million fans on Facebook and
over 475,000 followers on Twitter. In addition, UFC President Dana White
is one of the most accessible and most followed executives in sports with nearly
1.9 million followers on Twitter. On January 22, 2011, UFC continued to
set trends in social media, becoming the first major sports league to stream
live, broadcast quality action on Facebook.
Ancillary businesses include best-selling DVDs, UFC Magazine,
the best-selling UFC “Undisputed” videogame franchise distributed by THQ, UFC
GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals,
UFC branded apparel, trading cards, and articulated action figures.
About Philips Arena
Named for founding partner Philips, Philips Arena is
consistently ranked among the top 10 concert and event venues in the world. In
April 2009, Philips Arena became the first NBA arena to achieve LEED
certification for an existing building as specified by the United States Green
Building Council (USGBC). Philips Arena is online at www.PhilipsArena.com
Posted in: ufc, event, ticket, arena, philip
Read the full article at UFCReminder: 'UFC Primetime: Diaz vs. Condit' returns tonight on FX
As a reminder, "UFC Primetime" returns tonight in anticipation of UFC 143's highly anticipated interim championship main event.
former Strikeforce champ Nick Diaz and former WEC
titleholder Carlos Condit, who headline February's
UFC 143 event.
Episode No. 2 of the series debuts tonight at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on FX. The final episode airs next week.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, event, condit, episode airs
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 143 weigh-ins set for Feb. 3 at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center
Weigh-ins for next month's highly anticipated "UFC 143: Condit vs. Diaz"
event take place Friday, Feb. 3, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in
Las Vegas.
The same venue hosts the following night's pay-per-view event, which
features Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz squaring off with the UFC's vacant interim welterweight title on
the line.
As with all UFC weigh-ins, the event is free to attend and open to the public.
Posted in: ufc, nick diaz, event, las vegas, weighin
Read the full article at MMA JunkieMFC strips Antonio McKee of title after failure to make weight for MFC 32
At a crucial time where Maximum Fighting Championship is taking strides to become one of the largest MMA organizations in the world, the news that lightweight champ Antonio McKee missed weight for his scheduled bout tonight caused the company to take immediate action.
McKee, scheduled to fight Brian Cobb on the at the top of tomorrow night’s MFC 32 event, weighed in for his title match at 162 pounds, seven over the title match limit of 155. The company, owned by the often outspoken Mark Pavelich, took to social media immediately after the weigh-ins to announce McKee had been stripped of his lightweight title and would be released from the promotion regardless of the outcome of the fight.
The fight will go on as the scheduled co-main event but will now be contested at a catch-weight. Cobb’s contender status will be determined in the future after the fight is complete.
As of press time, Pavelich has yet to comment further.
Pavelich Excited About what MFC 32 Has to Offer
MFC 32: Bitter Rivals will commence from the Mayfield Inn Trade and Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and will feature a five-round main event between Wilson Gouveia and Dwayne Lewis. The event airs on HDNet starting at 10:00 PM Eastern.
PHOTO CREDIT – MFC
Tweet
Posted in: fight, title, event, mfc, mckee
Read the full article at Fighters.comUFC on FOX 2 live and official weigh-in results
CHICAGO - MMAjunkie.com is on scene and reporting live from today's UFC on FOX 2 official fighter weigh-ins, where all 20 event competitors look to make weight for Saturday's event.
Today's festivities take place at The Chicago Theatre, and the first fighter in on the scale at 5 p.m. ET (4 p.m. CT local time).
Follow along with text-only updates in this post, or catch a live video stream of the proceedings on the MMAjunkie.com homepage.
Posted in: event, video stream, todays ufc, chicago theatre, textonly updates
Read the full article at MMA JunkieAnyone else wish all UFC events were $10 like this Saturday's Event?
http://www.ufc.tv/ufc/event/evans-vs-davis/1016 I'd honestly buy ever single one, hell it'd be awesome if they came out with a season pass type thing for a all events in the year or something. $50-$60 just really breaks the bank, especially when you only have 2 people to split it between. submitted by MOCAMBO [link] [5 comments]
Posted in: event, ufc events, saturday, type thing, hell itd
Read the full article at RedditUFC returns to Las Vegas on July 7 with pay-per-view event and fan expo
The UFC is planning a return to its Las Vegas home for a traditional Fourth of July weekend event.
The weekend likely will include a major pay-per-view event on July 7 and a UFC Fan Expo from July 6-7.
MGM Grand Garden Arena likely will host the event, and its sister property, the Mandalay Bay Events Center, is expected to host the expo.
Posted in: ufc, event, garden arena, payperview event, july
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC Planning July 7 Event and Fan Expo in Las Vegas
The UFC’s traditional Fourth of July weekend event is expected to take place on July 7 in Las Vegas alongside the latest UFC Fan Expo, MMA Fighting reported Wednesday.
The event, likely to be UFC 148 or UFC 149, is targeted the MGM Grand Garden Arena, while the Mandalay Bay Convention Center will host the UFC Fan Expo on July 6-7.
The UFC’s Fourth of July event is typically one of its biggest of the year, with past cards including UFC 100 with Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir and Georges St-Pierre vs. Thiago Alves in 2009, UFC 116 with Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin in 2010, and UFC 132 with Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber last year.
No fights have yet been scheduled for the event.
For the latest UFC news and UFC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, las vegas, july
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC Adds Virginia to Spring Stops, Taps First Fight
The UFC has added another event to its spring roster. Although the naming of the event hasn’t yet been revealed, a May 15 date is slated for the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va.
Posted in: ufc, event, spring, patriot center, spring roster
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyMiller Likes Diaz But Doesn’t Mind Fighting Him
Jim Miller scored yet another impressive win Friday, submitting Melvin Guillard with a rear-naked choke in the first round of the UFC on FX main event.
Posted in: event, miller, melvin guillard, friday, jim miller
Read the full article at SherdogUFC targets event for May 15 at Virginia's Patriot Center, possibly UFC on FX 3
Multiple sources close to negotiations today told MMAjunkie.com that the UFC is targeting a return to Fairfax, Va.'s
Patriot Center on May 15.
Although not finalized, the event could be named UFC on FX 3.
Additionally, a matchup between middleweights Jason MacDonald and Tom Lawlor is expected for the
fight card.
Posted in: ufc, fx, event, negotiations today, tom lawlor
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC July 7 Event in Las Vegas to Include Next Fan Expo
Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, NewsThe UFC's annual Fourth of July weekend event will return to its usual home in Las Vegas, MMA Fighting has learned.
The event will also host the first UFC Fan Expo of 2012.
The event, currently unnamed due to the UFC's still evolving schedule but possibly numbered UFC 148, will take place on July 7, likely at MGM Grand Garden Arena, according to sources.
The Fan Expo, meanwhile, is slated for the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on July 6-7.
The last Fan Expo took place in Houston last October, in conjunction with UFC 136, and nearly 25,000 fans were estimated to attend the two-day event, which offers photo opportunities, autographs sessions and training sessions. Past events have also featured Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
To date, three Expos have been held in Las Vegas, while others have taken place in Las Vegas, Toronto, Boston and London.
The Fourth of July show is historically one of the biggest outings of the year for the promotion, which has hosted the holiday weekend event at its home base of Las Vegas for each of the past four years. The last time it wasn't in Sin City was back in 2007, when the event was held at Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, event, fan, las vegas, july
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseNate Diaz vs. Jim Miller matched at third UFC on FOX event
With UFC on FOX 2 this weekend, the organization felt now would be the perfect time to announce the third event on the network along with the first fight on the card. In what is sure to be a fan-pleasing scrap, lightweights Jim Miller and Nate Diaz are set to throw down on May 5 when the octagon invades the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The bout, along with the date and venue, were announced by UFC president Dana White on his Twitter account.
Miller was just in action this past Friday when he submitted Melvin Guillard in the main event of the first ever UFC on FX show. The win got Miller back on track after he dropped a unanimous decision to current top lightweight contender Ben Henderson last August. The New Jersey native has won eight of his last nine bouts, which includes victories over Charles Oliveira, Mark Bocek, Gleison Tibau, Josh Neer, and Mac Danzig. Miller has only lost three times in 24 professional bouts, all by way of decision.
After struggling in the UFC welterweight division, Diaz dropped back down to 155 this past September and turned in one of the best performances of his career, submitting Takanori Gomi in the first round of their UFC 135 contest. The younger Diaz brother followed that up with a unanimous decision win over Donald Cerrone in a war that earned the pair Fight of the Night honors, which was his eighth event bonus in 14 UFC bouts.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, diaz, bout, event, miller
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainDana White is disappointed with latest Strikeforce event, wants Showtime to "hand over the reigns"
For those of you who felt the latest Strikeforce event left something to be desired, you're not alone. It appears Dana White shares your sentiment, and according to the UFC President, that "something" is him...
Posted in: strikeforce, event, ufc president, strikeforce event, something
Read the full article at Low KickNate Diaz vs. Jim Miller Booked for UFC on Fox 3 on May 5 in New Jersey
Ahead of the second UFC on Fox event this Saturday, UFC President Dana White announced today that UFC on Fox 3 will take place on May 5 in New Jersey and will feature a showdown between top lightweights Nate Diaz and Jim Miller.
White confirmed that UFC on Fox 3 will take place at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey on May 5th, the same night as a major boxing match featuring Flory Mayweather much like the UFC’s Fox debut in November, which preceded Pacquiao/Marquez III.
Miller (21-3) just posted his eighth win in his last nine matches after submitting Melvin Guillard in the first round of the UFC on FX 1 main event last Friday. A native of New Jersey, Miller also fought on the two most recent cards held in the state, with wins over Kamal Shalorus at UFC 128 last year and Mark Bocek at UFC 111 in 2010.
Diaz (15-7) is coming off of arguably the most impressive victory of his career, as he defeated Donald Cerrone at UFC 141 in December. Diaz, who returned to the lightweight division in September, is now sporting a two fight win streak after a 2-2 record at welterweight.
With Frankie Edgar defending the lightweight title against Ben Henderson at UFC 144 on February 25th in Japan, this matchup could possibly determine the number one contender. No other matchups were announced for the event, but Diaz vs. Miller is unlikely to be the headliner.
This will be the third straight year the UFC has held an event just outside New York City following UFC 111 and UFC 128 at the nearby Prudential Center in Newark. As the UFC continues to push for legalizing MMA in the state of New York, the organization routinely returns to New Jersey in hopes of demonstrating the money an event in New York City could bring.
For the latest UFC on Fox 3 rumors and UFC on Fox 3 news stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, miller, jersey
Read the full article at MMA Frenzy
Win an iPad 2 at Every Event with Sherdog's MMA Pick 'em
Our partners at Sherdog are offering the biggest prize in fantasy MMA. The player with the highest score after each event at Sherdog MMA Pick 'em wins a free iPad 2. The game is free to play and easy to learn.Sherdog MMA Pick 'em plays like many other MMA fantasy games: Players pick the winner, method, and round for all the fights on the card. The addition of "Boosts" adds an element of strategy; picking a boosted fight correctly adds 100 bonus points. Get a boost wrong and 50 points are subtracted. Head over to Sherdog MMA Pick 'em now to make your picks for UFC on Fox 2 and then come back for each UFC and Strikeforce event for another chance to win a free iPad 2.
Posted in: mma, event, ipad, sherdog, sherdog mma
Read the full article at Fight MetricUFC on Fox 2 Videos Blog with Dana White (Episode 2)
UFC President Dana White is back with his first video blog for Saturday’s UFC on Fox 2 event in Chicago, which features a behind the scenes look at this past weekend’s “UFC on FX 1: Guillard vs. Miller” event and Jon Jones’ prediction on the UFC on Fox 2 main event between rival Rashad Evans and Phil Davis.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, video blog, rashad evans
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC on Fox 2 Videos Blog with Dana White (Episode 1)
UFC President Dana White is back with his first video blog for Saturday’s UFC on Fox 2 event in Chicago, which features a behind the scenes look at this past weekend’s “UFC on FX 1: Guillard vs. Miller” event and Jon Jones’ prediction on the UFC on Fox 2 main event between rival Rashad Evans and Phil Davis.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, video blog, rashad evans
Read the full article at MMA FrenzySpike Continues Anti-UFC Rhetoric By Touting Past Ratings
Less than a month into 2012, Spike has given another preview as to what their goals seem to be this year when it comes to the UFC: taunt the existing product by reminding people about the good old days when the two were live programming partners.
The latest snipe came Monday when Spike executives sent out an email comparing last Friday's UFC on FX debut to three Fight Nights they aired in 2011. According to Spike, the FX show averaged a 1.19 rating with males 18-49, a 1.20 with males 18-34 and garnered 1.3 million viewers.
They pointed out their three Fight Night events last year averaged a 1.8 rating with both males 18-49 and 18.34 with 1.9 million viewers. Those three events were January 22 (Melvin Guillard vs. Evan Dunham/Fight For The Troops 2), March 26 (Phil Davis vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira) and September 17 (Jake Ellenberger vs. Jake Shields).
While both networks are seen in roughly 100 million homes, it's worth noting that all three Fight Night events aired on Saturdays as opposed to FX on Friday. One could also argue the star power of the March co-main event with Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson and the September Ellenberger vs. Shields main event was greater than anything on the FX show.
Spike's counter-programming of a Guillard marathon brought in 648,000 viewers at 9 PM EST, 751,000 viewers at 10 PM EST and 543,000 viewers at 11 PM EST. The UFC on FX prelims from 6-9 PM EST on Fuel TV averaged 148,000 viewers.
Again, Spike is paying the UFC to air second run programming in the final year of their contract before Bellator moves over in 2013. Speculation from industry insiders is that Spike's efforts are meant to irritate Zuffa to the point they buy back the rights to the programming, allowing Bellator to come over early.
Posted in: fx, vs, event, viewer, spike
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC on FOX 2 sells out Chicago's United Center
Saturday's UFC on FOX 2 event officially has sold out, UFC executives today announced.
The event, which is the UFC's sophomore effort on the FOX network, takes place Jan. 28 at Chicago's United Center.
A tripleheader featuring light heavyweights Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis airs on FOX and precedes the night's FUEL TV-televised preliminary card.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, chicago, fox network
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC on FX TV Ratings; First FX Event Starts Slow
The Ultimate Fighting Championship held its first live event on the FX Network over the weekend, drawing slightly lower numbers than it averaged on Spike TV for similar events.
Posted in: fx, event, spike tv, fx network, fx event
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyTitle Writing: Mopping the Mats 8 "UFC on FX, Pro Elite 3"
Mopping the Mats is a weekly Monday feature meant to recap the weekend that was in mixed martial arts. There were two cards of significance this weekend: the debut of UFC on FX on Friday night, headlined by Jim Miller and Melvin Guillard, and the third offering from the Pro-Elite reboot, built around a feature attraction of former Ultimate fighter winner Kendall Grove against Japanese pro-wrestling/MMA star Ikuhisa Minowa.
THE EVENTS: UFC on FX 1, Pro Elite 3
I wanted to start with the Pro Elite event. The first time the promotion tried to make a splash on the elite MMA scene, they crashed and burned, in large part due to betting on web brawler Kimbo Slice to become the next mixed martial arts superstar. When he didn't even win his first fight, bankruptcy soon followed. This time around they are taking a much more measured approach, keeping the shows small and building them around local star power. They held two out of their first three shows in Honolulu, both times featuring Hawaiian Kendall Grove in the main event. Things are looking up too: Just last week, they announced a partnership with DREAM that will see both fighter exchanges as well as events for Pro-Elite in Japan and DREAM in America.
As for the UFC, the card was quite good from top to bottom, especially considering it was of the free variety. Three of the four fights on the main card were finished in the first round, while the undercard also was full of quick finishes. I get the feeling this could be a theme this year as the UFC further develops the 135 and 145 pound divisions. With so many unknown fighters getting a look there are bound to be lots of mismatches, as there was on Friday.
After the jump I'll break down the results and the takeaways from both events.
THE RESULTS: Guillard, Barry once again showcase the effectiveness of jiu jitsu.
As fighters, Pat Barry and Melvin Guillard are not too different. Both are supremely gifted athletes, possessing the type of natural speed and power that many men can only dream of having. Both are feared strikers, capable of stopping anyone in their respective divisions with one blow. Both have also displayed a remarkable lack of jiu jitsu acumen inside the cage, many of their losses stemming from a complete lack of defensive grappling ability. An incredible 13 of their combined 14 losses have come via submission. Both were in action on Friday and grappling played a huge part in both of their fights. For Barry the story was feel good; he defended two fairly dangerous submission attempts by Christian Morecraft before landing a picture perfect counter left hook and stopping Morecraft in the first round.
For Melvin, unfortunately, the story was the same as it has been for years. He came out like a bat out of hell, hurling flying knees and hooks at Jim Miller, hurting his opponent within the first minute of the fight. Flying knees aren't exactly the type of strike you would expect from a fighter who wants to keep the fight of the feet, but Guillard has the kind of athletic skill to get away with it, to a point. Instead of settling into a reasonable pace, focusing on his takedown defense and further punishing Miller, Melvin continued to throw caution to the wind with his jumping attacks. Miller eventually got the timing down, caught a knee and put Guillard on the mat. Once the fight was there it took less than 30 seconds for Miller to secure the back and lock in a rear naked choke for the finish. Fellow Head Kick writer Chris Hall breaks down the grappling exchange for us.
Over the weekend I saw the notion put forward that some people simply don't possess the abillity to be any good at jiu jitsu and to that I say "rubbish", at least as it applies to Melvin Guillard. The beauty of jiu jitsu is that it can be adapted to all types of people. Short, tall, strong, weak, flexible, stiff, everyone can adapt the art to meet their needs. Melvin is a very gifted athlete. His need for jiu jitsu is not great. Simply learning to defend a few of the more common submissions and returning to his feet is about all he needs to use the art for and I just don't buy the argument that he, or anyone, simply doesn't have the capacity for that. That's not to say that he'll ever be able to overcome someone like Miller, who is a world class submission threat, but he could definitely make it tougher on his opponents once they get him to the ground. He only need look at Pat Barry for an example of what is possible. Barry still looked like a novice grappler against Morecraft; his arm-bar escape was painfully slow. He still escaped though, and he won his fight because of it.
THE TAKEAWAYS: Grove adds a legend to his resume. Jorge Rivera finishes his career a winner.
As mentioned, Pro Elite put on their second Hawaiian show last weekend, with Kendall Grove facing off with "Minowaman". The fight wasn't really that great, with Grove mostly landing single shots and defending takedowns. What did stand out to me was the intensity that Grove brought to the fight. Since being cut from the UFC last summer and joining Pro Elite he has avenged a loss to Joe Riggs and beaten a legend of the sport in Minowa. I was a little surprised to see that Grove is only 29 years old. If he wants to make his way back to the UFC I think he could, although his current set-up seems pretty good to me, as long as Pro Elite can continue to provide him with name brand opponents. A quick look at the Dream middleweight roster shows Gerald Harris as the most well-known option. A fight between Grove and Harris would be a good way to start the fighter exchange program between the two promotions.
Finally I'd like to mention the retirement of long time UFC veteran Jorge Rivera, who stopped Eric Schafer in the second round during the undercard of the FX event. Rivera fought 15 times during his UFC career, posting a record of 8-7. Despite his penchant for putting on exciting scraps, "El Conquistador" never received a fight night bonus for his work. I was quite pleased to see him get the chance to leave the sport a winner. I don't think he always got a fair shake during his time in the UFC (see Bisping, Michael) but I always enjoyed watching Rivera fight and want to wish him well.
I will leave you guys with two new additions to Mopping the Mats: Throne Watch and Under the Radar. Throne Watch is simply a weekly list of the seven men most likely to become the next champion in their respective divisions, while Under The Radar will highlight the undercard fighter who did the most for himself at the most recent event.
THRONE WATCH
Heavyweight: Alistair OvereemLight Heavyweight: Rashad EvansMiddleweight: Chael SonnenWelterweight: Jake EllenbergerLightweight: Ben HendersonFeatherweight: Erik KochBantamweight: Miguel Torres
UNDER THE RADAR
Nick Denis. It took just 22 seconds for Denis to use his elbows to deliver a standing knock out of Joseph Sandoval. Denis said after the fight that his gameplan was actually to get the fight to the ground, since his camp considered Sandoval to be a much weaker grappler than Denis. The fact that he finished the job on the feet before even implementing his game plan is indicative of the type of power this young bantamweight possesses. If he keeps performing like this in the Octagon it won't be long before we see the young Canadian on the main card.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, grove, elite
Read the full article at Head Kick LegendMike Kyle: I'm fighting Gegard Mousasi at Strikeforce event on March 3
Mike Kyle vs. Gegard Mousasi?
According to "MAK's" official Twitter account, he's been paired off with "The Dreamcatcher" for the Strikeforce: "Tate vs. Rousey" Showtime-televised event on March 3, 2012, from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
it's on march 3 Ohio baby. Mak Kyle and mossasi beast mode gerrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!
Strikeforce has yet to confirm the potential match-up.
With Muhammed Lawal on the shelf following a positive test for steroids, every light heavyweight fight under the Strikeforce banner can now be considered a title eliminator.
That's because the promotion's 205-pound roster is as thin as it has ever been, especially now that Dan Henderson abandoned ship for the shores of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) late last year.
In addition, Lorenz Larkin's stock has dropped following his loss to "King Mo" (which may be reversed to a "no contest" pending Lawal's appeal) and Ovince St. Preux was recently defeated by Mousasi.
Could one of these two men become the next Strikeforce light heavyweight champion? Or will Raphael Cavalcante have something to say about that?
The Showtime-televised event will feature newly-minted women's champion Miesha Tate putting her 135-pound title on the line against undefeated Judo specialist Ronda Rousey.
Other match-ups booked for "The Discovery City" include K.J. Noons vs. Josh Thomson, former women's champion Sarah Kaufman vs. Alexis Davis and Paul Daley vs. Kazuo Misaki.
For all the latest news and notes on Strikeforce: "Tate vs. Rousey" click here.
Posted in: strikeforce, vs, event, mousasi, march
Read the full article at MMA Mania'Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey' fighter weigh-ins slated for March 2 in Columbus
As with with past WEC and Strikeforce events, official fighter weigh-ins for March's "Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey" event will coincide with the Arnold Sports Festival in Ohio.
The weigh-ins take place March 2 at Hall C in the Greater Columbus Convention Center beginning at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT).
The following day's Showtime- and Showtime Extreme-televised event takes place at nearby Nationwide Arena.
Posted in: strikeforce, event, march, weighin, days showtime
Read the full article at MMA JunkieGegard Mousasi vs. Mike Kyle Set for Co-Main Event of Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey
Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsRumors of a bout between Gegard Mousasi and Mike Kyle have spread at various times over the last year. In fact, the duo seemed destined to meet in both April and September of 2011 before various issues sidetracked the pairing from being made.
Now, it's on again.
Sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed that the Mousasi-Kyle matchup has been agreed to as the co-main event of March 3's Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey event.
Mousasi (32-3-2) was last seen just over one month ago, showing improved takedown defense to go with his usual aggressive striking game en route to a unanimous decision over Ovince St. Preux.
Meanwhile, Kyle (19-8-1, 1 no contest) is coming off a unanimous decision victory of his own, this one coming against Marcos Rogerio de Lima in September.
The winner of the bout may eventually earn a chance to fight for the vacant Strikeforce light-heavyweight title.
Mousasi-Kyle is the co-headliner just underneath a women's bantamweight title bout with Miesha Tate against Ronda Rousey. As MMA Fighting reported earlier Monday, a lightweight fight between Conor Heun and Ryan Couture was just added to the event as well. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: strikeforce, event, comain event, rousey, kyle
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseRyan Couture vs. Conor Heun Added to March Strikeforce Event
Filed under: Strikeforce, MMA Fighting Exclusive, NewsA lightweight fight pitting Ryan Couture against Conor Heun has been added to March 3's Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey event in Columbus, Ohio, MMA Fighting has learned.
Both fighters have verbally agreed to the bout, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed.
Couture (3-1) is coming off a majority decision win over Maka Watson at a September Challengers series event. That victory followed the first loss of his pro career.
In accepting the bout with Heun, Couture will face the most experienced opponent he's yet to encounter. Heun (9-4) snapped a two-fight losing streak with a unanimous decision victory over Magno Almeida last June, but hasn't fought since then. In that bout, he suffered an elbow injury that sidelined him.
Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey takes place at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. As the name implies, the headlining bout will be a women's bantamweight title fight with champ Miesha Tate looking to defend against unbeaten Ronda Rousey. Other confirmed bouts include Paul Daley vs. Kazuo Misaki, Josh Thomson vs. KJ Noons and Sarah Kaufman vs. Alexis Davis. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: strikeforce, bout, vs, event, heun
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseChamp Jon Jones would be ready for UFC 145 headliner in Atlanta
This weekend's UFC on FOX 2 event could set up a title fight at April's UFC 145 event in Atlanta.
Top contenders Phil Davis and Rashad Evans headline Saturday's FOX-televised event, and a shot at UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones is on the line (for Davis, anyway).
And according to Jones, he could be ready to go for the newly announced UFC 145 event.
Posted in: ufc, jone, event, title fight, weekends ufc
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 145 fight card and rumors for April 21, 2012, pay-per-view event in Atlanta
Event: UFC 145Date: Sat., April 21, 2012, live on pay-per-viewLocation: Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
Main event:
205 lbs.: Jon Jones vs. TBA*
Main card (Pay-per-view):
170 lbs.: Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills265 lbs.: Brendan Schaub vs. Ben Rothwell135 lbs.: Miguel Torres vs. Michael McDonald145 lbs.: Mark Hominick vs. Eddie Yagin
Preliminary card (May not be broadcast):
145 lbs.: Maximo Blanco vs. Marcus Brimage265 lbs.: Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs155 lbs.: Anthony Njokuani vs. John Makdessi155 lbs.: Mac Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero170 lbs.: Keith Wisniewski vs. Chris Clements
*Fight card and line-up subject to change. Jon Jones has stated himself that he will be ready to defend his light heavyweight title by this time and all signs seem to point to this event being his next bout. Naturally, nothing has been announced due to the title picture needing to clear up with Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis and Dan Henderson waiting in the wings but reports have been published stating Jones is likely for the main event of this card.
For all the latest news and notes on UFC 145 be sure to hit up our event archive right here.
Posted in: vs, event, dan henderson, lb, card
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FX 1: gate, attendance and bonuses
MMA Junkie reports that UFC on FX 1 drew 7,728 fans for a gate of $334,860. The event took place Friday night at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
According to Junkie, a late sales and media push had most of the lower bowl in the 19,000 seat venue full. The last time the UFC held an event in the arena was in April 2009. That show, a UFC Fight Night, garnered 10,267 fans for a $626,077 gate.
In addition, the bonuses handed out were $45,000 each. Nick Denis, Jim Miller, Pat Barry, and Christian Morecraft all received the bonuses. Denis won for KO of the night, Miller won sub of the night and Barry and Morecraft earned Fight of the Night. There was some controversy for the FOTN choice, as many believed Jared Papazian and Mike Easton won that honor. Listening to his followers, Dana White tweeted that Papazian and Easton would “take care of” for their work Friday night. So, it sounds like another bonus may have been paid to Papazian and Easton.
Payout Perspective:
A decent event that was caught in between UFC 142 and the UFC’s next card on network TV. Thus, not too much buzz leading up to the Friday night event. The attendance reflects this fact but the figures fall in line with a UFC on Versus card. One would think more fans would come out since its been 2 plus years since the UFC visited Nashville. But, it might be the quality of the card that kept people from spending the money. It will be interesting to see the ratings for the event as it debuted on FX.
Posted in: ufc, night, event, bonus, easton
Read the full article at MMA PayoutNBC Sports Network Fight Night debuts Saturday night
The Sports Business Journal reports on the return to the ring of NBC on the rebranded NBC Sports Network formerly known as Versus. Saturday night is the debut of “NBC Sports Network Fight Night,” which will appear quarterly in 2012 on the network.
NBCSN will work with Main Events as its promotional company to produce quality fights. It already has had an obstacle to overcome as its original main event was scrapped due to fighter injury. Main Events replaced the main event with a match between two unknown, but unbeaten heavyweights.
The pledge by Main Events is that it will put on competitive fights and will work with other promoters to achieve this goal.
According to boxing sources, rights fees will average $150,000 per show which, according to the SBJ, wil “fill a middle-class void that exists between ESPN and the premium cable networks.”
With the Comcast-NBC merger, past hurdles in developing fighters and having them move on to HBO, Showtime and PPV are no longer. Main Events CEO Kathy Duva told Sports Business Journal that if fighters leave for premium cable, Comcast still wins. Also, if fighters become PPV stars, Comcast wins too.GoDaddy.com has signed on as a sponsor for the show.
Payout Perspective:
It will be interesting to see how this show will be received. The Fight Night follows NBCSN’s strategy of live programming being central to its sports network. Its an interesting concept by Main Events and addresses a problem that is common in the boxing industry. As we’ve seen with Mayweather-Pacquiao, the problems of promoters working with each other prohibits good match-ups. We’ll see how the show will present compelling storylines and promote fighters.
Posted in: fight, fighter, sport, event, network
Read the full article at MMA PayoutSean McCorkle signs with Bellator
Bellator heavyweight champ Cole Konrad may finally have himself a future contender to fear in the form of Sean McCorkle, a 13-2 UFC veteran whose skill in the cage is matched by his razor sharp wit outside of it. Though “Big Sexy” won’t be coming in for an immediate title-shot or even super-fight, he will be making his debut when Season 6 opens up on March 9 with an event featuring featherweight quarterfinals and a championship clash between 145ers Joe Warren © and Pat Curran.
McCorkle’s signing was reported by Sherdog where his potential opponent, Richard White, was also mentioned.
The 6’7” McCorkle has won three straight scraps since parting ways with the UFC with all of the bouts involving a first round finish. Twelve of his thirteen total victories have involved a stoppage including an opening round Armbar of Mark Hunt at UFC 119.
On a side note, the March 9 event will now be known as Bellator 60 rather than Bellator 61 due to a cancellation of the March 2 show. McCorkle’s fight is expected to take place on the Spike.com-streamed undercard of the event.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, bellator, event, mccorkle, march
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC on FX 1 draws announced 7,728 attendance and $334,860 live gate
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Friday's UFC on FX 1 event drew an announced attendance of 7,728 and a live gate of $334,860.
MMAjunkie.com learned of the figures during the event's post-fight press conference at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
The Tennessee Athletic Commission will release official tallies in the coming weeks.
Posted in: attendance, event, bridgestone arena, nashville tenn, official tallies
Read the full article at MMA JunkieMiguel Torres Vs. Michael McDonald Booked For UFC 145
The UFC announced an intriguing fight in the bantamweight division Friday as former WEC 135-pound champion Miguel Torres and rising prospect Michael McDonald have verbally agreed to battle at April's UFC 145 in Atlanta, GA.
Torres (39-4) famously was released from the organization in December following an unfortunate joke about rape on Twitter, but was rehired shortly thereafter. Up to that point, the 31-year-old was 2-1 in his UFC career following the WEC absorption with wins over Nick Pace and Antonio Banuelos.
The 21-year-old McDonald (14-1) won his seventh fight in a row with a 56-second KO victory over Alex Soto at UFC 139, his third Octagon victory. He's got 12 finishes in 14 career wins and hasn't lost in nearly three years.
After the UFC canceled their late-March return to Montreal, a majority of the bouts were shifted to the April 21st event, the UFC's first show in Atlanta since September 2008. 10 fights have been announced with both the main event and the co-main event potentially to be booked following the results of next Saturday's UFC On Fox 2.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, torre, latemarch return
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowIt’s not too early to get hyped for One FC 2
If you're wondering what happened to the traditional MiddleEasy background, don't worry. It's hibernating and slowly evolving into something even more ridiculous for the remainder of 2012. In the meantime, ONE FC will be taking over MiddleEasy.com leading up to the promotion's second event on February 11th in Jakarta, Indonesia. The event is called 'Battle of Heroes' and it will feature fighters from twelve different countries all competing in a small circular cage -- with Pride FC rules. Yes, folks -- that means exactly what you think it means. With One FC, MMA fans have the opportunity to witness world-class muay thai champions soccer kick their opponent into parallel dimensions. Head stomps to a downed opponent are also allowed within ONE FC. We're basically seeing the verge of a new Golden Renaissance in Asian MMA -- and it all starts with ONE FC.
Imagine gathering all the top Asian MMA promotions (DREAM, Road FC, DARE, URCC...etc) and combining them into one massive network in which champions will truly fight other champions in cross-promotion title unification bouts. That's precisely what Victor Cui, the head of ONE FC, plans on doing. I'm sure you've read our interview with the CEO by now. In the feature, Cui details his plans for Asian MMA domination, including integrating more women into the mixed martial arts scene in the Far East.
Now ONE FC has selected MiddleEasy to be their vehicle in getting ONE FC: Battle of Heroes nailed onto the screen of every MMA fan out there. We're stoked to partner with this very promising MMA organization, and we're already manifesting some ridunkulous content leading up to February 11th in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Check out the finalized fight card for ONE FC: Battle of Heroes:
Aside from guys like Bob Sapp, Rolles Gracie and Ole Lausen -- we understand you may be a little confused at the fight roster. Rest assured in the local Asian combat sports scene, these guys have kicked enough available ass to be featured in ONE FC -- and that undoubtedly means something. However, it's our task on the MiddleEasy Network to introduce you to the fighters that will be doing battle at ONE FC: Battle of Heroes. Over the days leading up to the event, we will be featuring these fighters within MiddleEasy, DstryrSG, LiverKick, WHOA! TV and even FighterXFashion. By February 11th, your brains will be so educated in the Asian MMA scene that your nose will leak budo.
MiddleEasy was on location in Singapore to cover ONE FC's inaugural event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and we'll be there for the promotion's second event in Indonesia. Los Angeles based music video director, Patrick Fogarty, will be accompanying me to the event -- so expect an abnormally high amount of dopeness. Patrick is the winner of the 2011 Alternative Press Music Video of the Year, but you probably know him best from the work he did on MiddleEasy's 'The Saint of Stevia: The Legend of Dan Quinn.' We still have hours of footage on memory cards stored inside empty shoe boxes -- so we'll eventually get around to making it into a film.
Check out this highlight reel from the infamous Zombie Prophet of ONE FC's inaugural venture into the land of Asian MMA on September 3rd 2011.
Posted in: mma, event, middleeasy, fc, asian
Read the full article at Middle EasyUFC On FX: Guillard Vs. Miller - Live Results And Play-By-Play For Main Card
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller. Our live coverage will start with the Fuel TV prelim broadcast (6 p.m. ET) and through the FX main card broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
This post will cover live results and thoughts for the main card on FX.
In the evening's main event, Melvin Guillard meets Jim Miller in a lightweight battle. Holder of the UFC's fastest knockout, Duane Ludwig, faces Josh Neer in a welterweight scrap. Bantamweights Mike Easton and Jared Papazian will meet on the FX broadcast. Opening up the main card action will be a heavyweight fight featuring Pat Barry and Christian Morecraft.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
SBN coverage of UFC on FX
Posted in: ufc, fx, event, card, battle holder
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC goes 3D for 143
The UFC announced that it will be showing UFC 143 in 3D in movie theatres. The main event Super Bowl Weekend has Nick Diaz battling Carlos Condit for the interim welterweight title.
Via UFC press release:
Las Vegas, Nevada – The Ultimate Fighting Championship®, in conjunction with Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. (NASDAQ: CIDM) and NCM Fathom, announced that tickets for the first-ever live, 3-D broadcast of a UFC® Pay-Per-View event on the Big Screen are on sale now. The championship fight card,UFC® 143: DIAZ vs. CONDIT, airs live and in 3-D in more than 100 theatres nationwide on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT from Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
The night’s main event pits the fiery and unpredictable Nick Diaz against hard-hitting knockout artist Carlos Condit for the interim UFC welterweight title. An exciting co-main event features heavyweight Roy “Big Country” Nelson battling submission ace Fabricio Werdum.
Tickets for UFC® 143: DIAZ vs. CONDIT are available for purchase now at www.ufc.com/3D, as well as at theatre box offices across the country. Fans can visit the website for information on which theatres will be carrying the event in their respective regions.
“I know the fans love 3-D, so I’m happy to give them this championship fight live and in 3-D in theaters across the country,” UFC President Dana White said. “I cannot wait for this fight between Diaz and Condit to determine the interim UFC welterweight champion!”
Payout Perspective:
This will be an interesting experiment to see if the 3D concept will catch on with MMA. Last year, the UFC and Cindegim announced this partnership. The UFC first tried 3D with UFC on Versus 3. Depending on the price of the tickets, this could be a successful experiment and another option from having to pay $50 plus for a PPV. But, I don’t recall past attempts for movie theatre live events doing well. It would have been nice to have had bigger names on top of the card as this could draw more interested fans to this event.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, event, condit, theatre
Read the full article at MMA PayoutUFC set to start using instant replay at designated international events
The UFC took a step towards further legitimizing their product today when it was revealed the controversial outcome in last weekend’s UFC 142 match-up between Erick Silva and Carlo Prater had prompted the organization to implement instant replay in the future when overseeing international events lacking regional regulation.
“Zuffa has decided to implement the use of instant replay at all international events that are self-regulated, and to encourage all regulators to consider the feasibility and effectiveness of instant replay in the sport of MMA,” wrote UFC VP of Regulatory Affairs March Ratner in a prepared statement. “While instant replay would not have reversed the call in the Silva-Prater bout, we believe that it could be valuable to referees and the sport in the future.”
Prater Discusses Silva Stoppage
As alluded to in the statement, the result in Silva-Prater will not be changed as many fans called for after feeling Silva was robbed of his victory. The Brazilian youngster dropped Prater before seemingly pounding him out only to ultimately receive a disqualification loss for illegal blows to the back of the head. According to Ratner, who reviewed the situation before ruling, explained, “Based on the referee’s verbal warnings and his determination that the blows were intentional and a disqualifying foul, this is not the type of decision that can be reviewed. Therefore, the decision stands.”
The UFC oversees regulation in a number of countries based there not being any sort of proper government entity in place such as in Brazil where UFC 142 was held in addition to England.
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Posted in: ufc, replay, event, instant, instant replay
Read the full article at Fighters.comUFC on FOX 2 weigh-ins slated for Jan. 27 in Chicago, Jon Jones hosts Q&A
Weigh-ins for this month's "UFC on FOX 2" event take place Friday, Jan. 27, at The Chicago Theater.
The nearby United Center hosts the following night's FOX-broadcast event,
which features a light heavyweight headliner between former champ
Rashad Evans and undefeated contender Phil Davis.
Additionally, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who could
potentially meet the winner of UFC on FOX 2's main event, hosts a
special Q&A session for UFC Fight Club members prior to the
weigh-ins.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, host, qampa session
Read the full article at MMA JunkieSeven Ways of Looking at the UFC on FX
Filed under: UFCFriday night is almost here and so is the inaugural UFC on FX event. Before you sink your teeth into another night of live MMA action, allow us to present you with a few things to think about in the long hours before fight time.
I. Will the UFC's new TV deal lead to a new kind of live event? In the old days it was the Spike shows and the pay-per-views, and it was very easy to look at the fight cards and tell the difference between the event you were expected to pay for and the one you were merely expected to be home for. But now the UFC has FOX, FX, and FUEL at its disposal, and it still has a pay-per-view regimen to keep up. Judging by this first event on FX, it seems possible that a reclassification of sorts is underway. Just look at the fight poster for this one. You see two former contenders who are both coming off losses, two journeyman welterweights, and two heavyweights who are a combined 4-6 in the UFC. I point this out not to knock any of those guys -- all three of those fights are interesting for different reasons -- but rather to ask, you think these are all main card fights in a world where the UFC isn't sandwiching a cable TV event between a pay-per-view and a network TV show? It's a natural progression, really. If you put on more total fights, but without significantly expanding the roster, you're going to end up shifting the spotlight onto some guys who were toiling in the dark before. Again, that's not all bad. Fighters like Ludwig deserve a little face time with the fans. The question is, will the fans agree? Will they keep showing up and sitting down for fighters that they've been trained to view as undercard material, or will more of them decide to wait for the next one, when guys they know and care about are fighting? My guess is that 2012 is the year we find out.
II. How far away from a title shot is the winner of the Jim Miller-Melvin Guillard fight, anyway? The lightweight division is so choked with talent these days, for a while there it seemed like nothing short of a Secretariat-esque winning streak would earn you a crack at the champ. But now that the Edgar-Maynard trilogy is in the books, things might be opening up a bit. That's good news for Miller and Guillard, who both seemed to be on their way to the top before one loss stopped them cold. Now that Ben Henderson is getting his shot and Gilbert Melendez seems to be staying put in Strikeforce (for now), it might not take more than a couple wins for either Miller or Guillard to make their case all over again. But then, this is a tough match-up for both of them. Whoever loses will have dropped two in a row, and will then feel miles and miles away from the top of the division. And after being so close, once upon a time, that he could have reached out and touched it.
III. New voices for a new era in the UFC. It had to happen. There's only so much you can ask of longtime UFC commentators Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan. For this event, the organization turns to its so-called "B-team" of play-by-play man Jon Anik and fighter/color commentator Kenny Florian. Neither is a rookie at this, and they had great chemistry together on ESPN's MMA Live, so expectations shouldn't be lowered just because they're not the UFC's varsity announcing squad. Watching Anik on the UFC 142 post-fight show, you'd have thought he'd been working these events for years. It should be interesting to see how well the two of them handle their first time calling a UFC event together, but I have high hopes. Both these guys are good hires, and the addition of a couple fresh faces at the broadcast table comes at just the right time.
IV. Mike Easton finds himself in a tough position in what's supposed to be an easy fight. There's a definite downside to facing a late replacement who's new to the UFC. For starters, everyone expects you to smash the guy. Easton is a 4-1 favorite according to some oddsmakers, and you can take your pick of reasons. Either it's because Jared Papazian has never fought at this level, or because he took the fight on short notice after Ken Stone was forced out with injury, or just because Easton seems like the superior fighter. I can't argue with any of that, but that does create a situation where Easton has relatively little to gain and a ton to lose. You beat Papazian in his UFC debut? Good for you. You lose to him? Total disaster.
V. Somewhat surprisingly, Duane Ludwig's improbable redemption saga trudges on. In March of 2010, "Bang" was 0-2 in his latest UFC stint and looking like he might be on the verge of washing out of the big time for good. He was beaten up and broken down, taking fights he shouldn't have taken and further abusing a body that had already seen a lifetime's worth of punishment in MMA cages and kickboxing rings. But what was he going to do? He had a family to support and a career to maintain. Neither could wait very long for him to feel fully healthy and ready again. It would have been very easy for this story to take a turn in the other direction. If he'd lost his third fight in a row to Nick Osipczak at UFC 122, he might have been done in the UFC. Instead he pulled out a close decision down the stretch, then surprised a lot of people by battering Amir Sadollah in his next fight. Somewhere in there he also got the UFC to recognize his knockout of Jonathan Goulet as the fastest in the organization's history, and he got Joe Rogan to sign his action figure. It's as if everything just started coming up Ludwig. It didn't happen on accident, of course. It happened because he kept coming, refusing to be slowed by injuries or discouraged by losses. Now he's enjoying a charmed second (maybe even third?) act in his MMA career, and there's no telling how far he can go if he keeps racking up the wins. It's a good lesson for the younger fighters out there: just because you're losing at the moment, that doesn't necessarily mean you've lost.
VI. Prelim fighter to watch: Nick Denis. You'll have to get in front of the TV early to do it -- his bout with Joseph Sandoval is up first on the FUEL TV broadcast, beginning at 6 pm ET -- but I think you'll be glad you did. He's an interesting guy, as the nickname "Ninja of Love" suggests. Denis is a Canadian bantamweight who dropped out of a PhD program in biochemistry when the UFC absorbed the WEC and suddenly it looked as if a 135-pounder might earn a living at this MMA stuff. He finished his last fight with a brutal slam KO -- his ninth TKO finish in ten career wins. If you're late getting to the couch for this one, you may miss it.
VII. Can Pat Barry put together a complete effort, from the first bell to the last? We don't know, because it's been a while since he's done it. There's no doubting the man's kickboxing ability or his power. He's one of the rare fighters who can and has finished opponents with leg kicks alone. But lately his problem has been fast starts followed by lackluster finishes. Of his four losses in the UFC, at least three came in fights where he seemed to be dominating early, only to let the victory slip through his fingers. Some of that could be inexperience in MMA -- this is just his eleventh fight with the little gloves -- or it could be simply bad luck. Whatever it is, the time to shake it off and put together a complete effort is now. But that's easier said than done when you've got a 6'6" monster like Morecraft standing across from you.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, fight, time, guy, event
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseRatner: Erick Silva DQ Loss At UFC 142 Won’t Be Overturned
Despite Dana White’s insistence that Erick Silva got screwed when referee Mario Yamasaki disqualified him for illegally striking Carlo Prater on the back of the head at UFC 142, the UFC, who served as the regulatory body at the Brazil event, will not overturn the outcome of the fight.
UFC executive vice president of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner issued a statement on UFC.com explaining that it wasn’t the type of decision that could be reviewed. Ratner also announced that the UFC will begin to use instant replay at all international events regulated by the UFC.
“Based on the referee’s verbal warnings and his determination that the blows were intentional and a disqualifying foul, this is not the type of decision that can be reviewed. Therefore, the decision stands. Recently, Zuffa has decided to implement the use of instant replay at all international events that are self-regulated, and to encourage all regulators to consider the feasibility and effectiveness of instant replay in the sport of MMA. While instant replay would not have reversed the call in the Silva-Prater bout, we believe that it could be valuable to referees and the sport in the future.”
While I don’t necessarily agree that Silva deserved to be disqualified, it’s the good to see the UFC going by the book and not overturning the result just because Dana White thought it should be. Conflicts of interest could easily arise with self-regulation, but as long as the UFC plays it straight there shouldn’t be any problems while they work towards their goal of establishing an international federation of mixed martial arts to regulate events across the globe.
Image via Sherdog
Posted in: ufc, replay, event, instant, instant replay
Read the full article at MMA ConvertUFC® to Hit Big Screen in 3-D With UFC® 143
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Las Vegas, Nevada
– The Ultimate Fighting Championship®, in conjunction with Cinedigm
Digital Cinema Corp. (NASDAQ: CIDM) and
NCM Fathom, announced that tickets for the first-ever live, 3-D broadcast of a
UFC® Pay-Per-View event on the Big Screen are on sale now. The
championship fight card, UFC® 143: DIAZ vs. CONDIT,
airs live and in 3-D in more than 100 theatres nationwide on Saturday, Feb. 4
at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT from Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
The night’s main event pits the fiery and unpredictable Nick
Diaz against hard-hitting knockout artist Carlos Condit for the interim UFC
welterweight title. An exciting co-main event features heavyweight Roy “Big
Country” Nelson battling submission ace Fabricio Werdum.
Tickets for UFC® 143: DIAZ vs. CONDIT are
available for purchase now at www.ufc.com/3D, as well as at
theatre box offices across the country. Fans can visit the website for
information on which theatres will be carrying the event in their respective
regions.
“I know the fans love 3-D, so
I’m happy to give them this championship fight live and in 3-D in theatres
across the country,” UFC President Dana White said. “I cannot wait for this
fight between Diaz and Condit to determine the interim UFC welterweight
champion!”
For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
About Ultimate
Fighting Championship®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las
Vegas, Nev., UFC® is the world’s premier MMA organization and
produces over 12 UFC live Pay-Per-View events annually around the globe. This
year, FOX will broadcast four fights annually. In spring 2012, The Ultimate
Fighter®, UFC’s signature weekly reality TV show, debuts on FX. UFC
content is also distributed commercially to bars and restaurants through Joe
Hand Promotions in the U.S.
Globally, UFC programming is broadcast in 150 countries,
territories and jurisdictions, reaching over one billion homes worldwide, in 21
different languages.
UFC® also boasts a powerful presence online, with
UFC.com attracting over seven million unique visitors per month, while also
possessing one of the most powerful social media followings in all of professional
sports. To date, UFC has over six million fans on Facebook and over 475,000
followers on Twitter. In addition, UFC President Dana White is one of the
most accessible and most followed executives in sports with more than 1.8
million followers on Twitter. On January 22, 2011, UFC continued to set
trends in social media, becoming the first major sports league to stream live,
broadcast quality action on Facebook.
Ancillary businesses include best-selling DVDs, a magazine,
the best-selling UFC “Undisputed” videogame franchise distributed by THQ, UFC
GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals,
branded apparel, trading cards, and articulated action figures.
About Cinedigm
Cinedigm offers a new
business model to exhibitors by enabling theatres to present engaging
alternative programming including live 2-D and 3-D sporting events and
concerts, shorts, cartoons, live Q&As, as well as branded
entertainment. Recent releases by
Cinedigm include the groundbreaking, LIVE 3-D broadcast of The Foo Fighters
performance, the worldwide LIVE
3-D broadcast of the
FIFA World Cup Championship, the BCS Championship in LIVE 3-D, the Dave
Matthews Band 3-D concerts, and the sold out 3-D PHISH concerts. Cinedigm has
also released the KIDTOONS series for the past six years, a weekly family
friendly matinee series that runs in over 165 theatres across the country. Cinedigm also provides a number of powerful
software applications that enable exhibitors to enhance and streamline their
daily operations. Additionally, Cinedigm
offers precision marketing tools to dramatically increase exhibitor marketing
effectiveness, including social media initiatives, targeted advertising and
strategic public relations. Cinedigm™ and Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp™ are
trademarks of Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. www.cinedigm.com [CIDM-G]
About National CineMedia (NCM)
NCM operates NCM Media Networks, a leading
integrated media company reaching U.S. consumers in movie theaters, online and
through mobile technology. The NCM Cinema Network and NCM Fathom present cinema advertising and events across the nation’s largest digital in-theater
network, comprised of
theaters owned by AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK),
Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) and other leading regional theater
circuits. NCM’s theater advertising network covers 176 Designated Market Areas®
(49 of the top 50) and includes over 18,300 screens (17,300 digital). During
2010, approximately 700 million patrons attended movies shown in theaters in
which NCM currently has exclusive, cinema advertising agreements in place. The NCM Fathom Events broadcast network is comprised of nearly
700 locations in 165 Designated Market Areas® (all of the top 50). The NCM Interactive
Network offers 360-degree
integrated marketing opportunities in combination with cinema, encompassing 42
entertainment-related websites, online widgets and mobile applications. National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) owns
a 48.7% interest in and is the managing member of National CineMedia LLC. For more information, visit www.ncm.com.
Posted in: ufc, event, cinedigm, ncm, cinema
Read the full article at UFCHominick vs. Yager Still at UFC 145, but Event Moved to Atlanta
The UFC 145 bout between Mark Hominick and Eddie Yagin is still intact, but it will play out in Atlanta instead of Montreal, due to the promotion shelving the Canadian event.
Posted in: hominick, mark hominick, event, eddie yagin, promotion shelving
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyBellator reveals opening round rumbles in Season 6 featherweight tournament
After confirming the main event for Bellator 61 yesterday the fight promotion has now announced the bracket for opening round action in the Season Six Featherweight Tournament which is also set to take place at March 9 event.
More specifically, Marlon Sandro takes on Roberto Vargas, Ronnie Mann locks horns with Wagnney Fabiano, Alexandre Bezerra battles Genair da Silva, and Daniel Straus meets Jeremy Spoon.
The eight combined fighters all have sparkling resumes, giving Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney plenty of high hopes for a thrilling event.
“The Midwest is known for great fighters and great fight fans,” said the excited executive. “To be hosting an event of this magnitude in our backyard is like Christmas morning; plus you get to see Chicagoland’s own, rising superstar Pat Curran vie for the World Title against one of the toughest fighters in all of MMA – Joe Warren. As a diehard MMA fan, I can’t wait for March 9th to get here at Horseshoe.”
Sandro was a finalist in the Season Five tourney and sports a 19-3 career mark. Comparably, Vargas, a former wrestler at Cal-State Bakersfield, is 12-1 in his MMA career with three KO wins and four submission victories.
Looking at the other pairings, Mann is 20-4 with ten submission wins while opponent Fabiano is 14-3. Bezerra is 12-1 and Da Silva carries a record of 11-4.
The remaining quarterfinal pits the 17-4 Straus, a Season 4 finalist, against Spoon (12-0).
Whichever fighter can navigate his way around a group that holds an overall record of 117-20 will receive $100,000 and a future championship shot at the Bellator featherweight title.
PHOTO CREDIT – BELLATOR
Posted in: bellator, mma, fighter, season, event
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainHDNet teams up with Ryan Seacrest to become AXS
HDNet is basically millionaire Mark Cuban's vanity television station, and because he loves him some combat sports he's pumped the channel full of MMA and kickboxing shows from around the world. Pretty awesome for us hardcores, but it leaves a lot of airtime that never really connected with an audience. Now the channel is about to get an overhaul:
Ryan Seacrest, his talent agency CAA and the events promoter A.E.G. have been talking for three years about making a cable channel for concerts, live events and other entertainment.Now they have found the channel space for it at HDNet, the pioneering but poorly distributed channel owned by the billionaire sports and media mogul Mark Cuban. This summer, HDNet will become AXS TV, a joint venture of Mr. Cuban, Mr. Seacrest’s media holding company, CAA and A.E.G.“We’re going to be able to take what I had hoped to do with HDNet — which was to be live, live, live — and accelerate that considerably,” Mr. Cuban said in a telephone interview before the deal was announced Wednesday afternoon.Similarly, Mr. Seacrest — who has been the host of the live Fox broadcast “American Idol” for nearly a decade — said that “music, live entertainment and live events” would be the base of the channel. His production company will conceive shows for the channel, as it already does for E! and Bravo, two channels that are owned by Comcast.
For those of you worried about your MFC and XFC and ABC events:
Some of the existing programming on HDNet, including mixed martial arts matches and the newsmagazine “Dan Rather Reports,” will remain in place on AXS TV, Mr. Cuban said. A raunchier subset of late-night shows — what he calls “the unrated stuff” — will be cut out.
Surely this doesn't include HDNet's fine selection of programming like Bikini Barbershop: Jersey, Girls Gone Wild, or Art Mann Talks to Drunk Teenagers? That's somewhat sad in that HDNet was one of the few cable channels in the states where you could see some boobs at 1 in the morning. There's a lot of 11 year olds without internet access that'll be unhappy about this. But don't worry, kiddies. HDNet - er sorry, AXS - is about to try and evolve like a pokemon into something even better. So long as they don't pre-empt any Yugoslavian kickboxing for a Sheryl Crow concert, I'm happy.
Posted in: event, mr, hdnet, channel, cuban
Read the full article at FightlinkerUFC Can't Host Event In Melbourne Due To Octagon
The UFC's plans to take the show back to Australia for an event in Melbourne look like they've come to an end. It appears that in the state of Victoria, it's illegal to hold MMA events in a cage rather than a ring.
Via the Sydney Morning Herald:
And while the UFC would like nothing better than to book a date for a Melbourne event, it is unable to while the government refuses to allow MMA bouts to be held in cages.
In the UFC, bouts are held inside the "Octagon" - an eight-side cage. In Victoria, MMA bouts can be sanctioned if held in a boxing ring, but are not allowed to take place in a cage.
Speaking in Melbourne yesterday during a promotional tour for the Sydney event, the UFC's Managing Director of International Development Marshall Zelaznik questioned whether the Victorian Government was more concerned about negative perceptions surrounding "cage fighting" than it was about the safety of the fighters themselves.
"The government has authorised that mixed martial arts can take place [in a ring] - the issue seems to be the Octagon," Mr Zelaznik said.
"The ropes [of a boxing ring] don't protect the fighters enough ... what you always have happen is a fighter will slip through the ropes - hopefully they don't fall - but we have video that we've submitted to the government about how unsafe it is when fighters are actually falling through these ropes and are hurting themselves.
This is clearly all about image as there isn't exactly any data that would suggest a ring is safer than a cage, quite the opposite actually. But there are still plenty of people in the world who look at two men fighting inside of a cage and can't help but think of it as far more barbaric than men in a ring.
Posted in: ufc, event, cage, ring, government
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC releases preview for Friday night's UFC on FX event
In the early days the UFC was predicated on putting two fighters with contrasting styles inside the Octagon to see whose discipline was superior. Friday night’s main event at UFC on FX between Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller certainly pays homage to those roots, as Guillard is a hard-hitting striker with nineteen TKOs to his credit and Miller a submission savant with eleven tap-outs under his belt.
With only a few days to go before the two 155ers face off the UFC has released a preview for the event featuring each discussing their headlining match-up as well as what the other brings into the cage.
Miller Talks About Dealing with Guillard’s Stand-Up
“I’ve been thinking about this fight like steel sharpening steel,” explains Guillard of Miller. “He’s an amazing fighter, so I have my abilities, he has his. I think it’s going to come down to who makes that first mistake.”
“I will do my best to take him out and I’m going for the knockout,” concludes the 28-year old in the clip.
UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller will unfold live on the cable network at 9:00 PM EST with other bouts on the card including Pat Barry vs. Christian Morecraft and Duane Ludwig vs. Josh Neer.
Check out the video below:
Tweet
Posted in: ufc, i ’m, event, miller, guillard
Read the full article at Fighters.comQuick Hits: UFC 141 PPV Buys, UFC Back to Brazil in June, and More
UFC 140 drew an estimated 750,000 pay-per-view buys for the December 30 event featuring heavyweight contenders Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem.
The UFC is expected to return to Brazil in June for a pay-per-view event at a soccer stadium in Sao Paulo that would include The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil’s featherweight and middleweight finals and coaches matchup between Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva.
UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos is nearly recovered from a knee injury and hopes to fight Alistair Overeem in the summer, possibly at the June event in Sao Paulo.
While Kenny Florian is still contemplating retiring from MMA, the three-time UFC title challenger will join Jon Anik in the broadcast booth for Friday’s UFC on FX event.
A rumored matchup between former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and Strikeforce veteran Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva isn’t in the works, but Silva’s Octagon debut is targeted for April.
Main events of UFC on FX and UFC on Fuel TV events will only be three-rounds for at least 2012, while pay-per-view and UFC on Fox headliners will be five-rounds.
Former UFC middleweight Nate Marquardt has been released from his BAMMA contract before ever fighting for the UK promotion.
Erick Silva was paid his win b0nus by the UFC after his 29-second TKO against Carlo Prater was ruled a controversial disqualification.
An estimated 23-million fans in Brazil tuned in to watch Saturday’s UFC 142 event in Rio de Janeiro, which included wins by UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort.
After suffering a 64-second knockout in last season’s bantamweight tournament, Bellator featherweight champion Joe Warren will defend the 145-pound title for the first time against Pat Curran on March 9.
Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for the latest MMA news.
Posted in: ufc, event, silva, champion, sao paulo
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyStrikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine Draws $68,805 Live Gate
Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsStrikeforce gave away more tickets than sold at its Jan. 7 "Rockhold vs. Jardine" event at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
According to figures released Wednesday by the Nevada athletic commission, the event sold 927 tickets for a live gate of $68,805. A total of 1,992 were in attendance, 1,065 of which were papered. Meanwhile, 727 tickets were left unsold. The total fighter payroll was $566,000.
The previous event, "Melendez vs. Masvidal," fared better, drawing an attendance of 2,995 for a $154,075 gate. Tickets sold/papered at the Dec. 17 event in San Diego were undisclosed.
"Rockhold vs. Jardine" was the first Strikeforce card under its new deal with Showtime. The main card was televised on Showtime and the preliminary card aired on Showtime Extreme. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: gate, strikeforce, vs, event, ticket
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 145 in Montreal postponed due to 'scheduling complications'
Tough break for all you mixed martial arts (MMA) fans up North.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event which was to be dubbed UFC 145 and was tentatively scheduled for March 24, 2012, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, has been scrapped.
The reason?
Apparently, a lack of available "star power," as well as scheduling complications, as reported by Neil Davidson of the Canadian Press, via his Twitter account:
"UFC postpones March show in Montreal, citing scheduling complications and desire to deliver "championship card."
The event already had eight bouts listed, which included Canadian stars Rory MacDonald, Mark Hominick and Mark Bocek as well as Brendan Schaub, Ben Rothwell and Strikeforce import, Chad Griggs.
The event, however, was lacking a main event and co-main event.
With most of the title fights booked for other upcoming events, Tom Wright, UFC's Director of Canadian Operations, tells The Canadian Press the promotion wanted to make sure they delivered a "championship-caliber" card to Montreal.
See what Wright had to say after the jump:
"In the end it was all about making sure that we had a championship-caliber card for a championship-caliber city. It's a complicated process. Montreal has always been a great UFC city for us. Bell Centre is one of our best venues across the whole UFC circuit"
One would think that now that the promotion has seven champions on its roster, it would be easy to find suitable headliners for an event. However, with the ambitious schedule the world's largest MMA promotion intends on having this year, it's easier said than done.
UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo recently competed last weekend (Jan. 14. 2012) at UFC 142. The bantamweight title is set to be challenged later this year, after Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber fulfill their Ultimate Fighter (TUF) commitments. 205-pound champion Jon Jones is currently on break after a busy 2011. Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit are already booked for Super Bowl weekend (Feb. 4, 2012) for the interim welterweight title and middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva is on the shelf until summer 2012.
Furthermore, the lightweight strap is up for grabs next month as Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar battle in Japan while heavyweight title holder Junior dos Santos is expected to meet Alistair Overeem in the summer of this year.
Montreal last hosted UFC 124: "St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2" on Dec. 11, 2010.
It's expected that the above bouts announced for the postponed event will now be shifted to UFC 146, which is scheduled to take place on Apr. 21, 2012, in Atlanta, Georgia.
As always, stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more on this developing story.
Posted in: ufc, event, montreal, scheduling complications, championshipcaliber card
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 145 Won’t Take Place on March 24 in Montreal
UFC 145 won’t be taking place on March 24 in Montreal, Canada, as the UFC has postponed the event due to “complications in scheduling and a desire to deliver a ‘championship card’,” The Canadian Press reports.
Most of the fights already booked for March 24 will be shifted to an April 20 event in Atlanta, which was announced last week as UFC 146, but may be renamed UFC 145.
The scheduled matchups include Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills, Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs, Matt Wiman vs. Mark Bocek, Brendan Schaub vs. Ben Rothwell, Mark Hominick vs. Eddie Yagin, Mac Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero, and Anthony Njokuani vs. John Makdessi.
For the latest UFC 145 and UFC 146 coverage stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Pictured: Rory MacDonald
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, march, montreal canada
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC Postpones March's UFC 145 In Montreal
Citing "scheduling complications" and a desire to have a "championship card", the UFC indefinitely postponed their return to Montreal, Canada, Tuesday.
March 24th's UFC 145 was to be the promotion's fifth event in Montreal and their first there in over a year, but as The Canadian Press' Neil Davidson broke the news, it will be some time before the Octagon graces the Bell Centre. Davidson spoke with UFC Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright who suggested the UFC will try again sometime in 2012.
MMA Junkie spoke with UFC President Dana White on the matter, confirming that White tried to get an April date but availability was scarce. No additional reasons were given for the move, but the spring schedule of fights may undergo some additional changes.
Fights will likely not be moved up to the March 3rd FX show in Australia as that card already has 10 fights. The April 14th FX event in Sweden is a slight possibility for one or two, but most likely the majority of bouts will move to the April 21st UFC 146 event in Atlanta, GA, assumed to be the new UFC 145.
Some of the confirmed Montreal fights that will need to be moved:
Che Mills vs. Rory MacDonald
Ben Rothwell vs. Brendan Schaub
Mark Bocek vs. Matt Wiman
Mark Hominick vs. Eddie Yagin
Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs
Mac Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero
Chris Clements vs. Keith Wisniewski
Posted in: ufc, fight, vs, event, montreal
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowMark Munoz Injured; Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping New UFC on Fox 2 Co-Main Event
Less than two weeks removed from the event, the UFC on Fox 2 fight card has undergone a major change. Chael Sonnen will now face Michael Bisping in the co-main event.
Posted in: event, michael bisping, sonnen, mark munoz, chael
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyProElite and DREAM are now official partners, so expect DREAM events in the USA
Stateside Japanese MMA fans are hardcore; They stay up until 10:00am watching DREAM because at any moment, a random Japanese demigod could parachute out of the sky and into the arena. Confusing video montages, extravagant walkouts, the most colorful rosters in the business, they collectively play into a mystique that can only be categorized as JMMA. For those of you with deep pockets and little to no day-to-day responsibility, ballerishly flying to Japan to see the spectacle for yourself is a reality. For the rest of us who dig through our sofa cushions for taco money, T. Jay Thompson just appeared on today’s episode of the MMA Hour to announce a partnership of ProElite and DREAM. The plan will is to structure the deal similarly to that of Strikeforce’s pre-Zuffa deal with the FEG, however, under the partnership, DREAM aims to bring their actual events to America, and Pro-Elite will put on shows in Japan. You can finally wear their red Speedos to a stateside MMA event and be around people who understand him.
A press release regarding the details of the partnership is expected this week, but in the meantime check out this trailer for ProElite 3 made by Cynthia Vance. Be sure to follow her on Twitter and let her know you discovered her from MiddleEasy.com. Let the power of the Red Monster be known in the social media interwebs! ProElite 3 goes down this Saturday on HDNet, that is if the world doesn't end.
Posted in: mma, proelite, dream, event, partnership
Read the full article at Middle EasyUFC Scraps Planned March Show in Montreal, Hopes for Return Later in 2012
Filed under: UFC, NewsA UFC event that had been rumored for Montreal in March has been scrapped, the UFC has confirmed in a report published by The Canadian Press.
The report cited "complications in scheduling and a desire to deliver a championship card" as the reasons for the cancellation. Despite the move, the UFC is likely to return to Montreal sometime in 2012, UFC's director of Canadian operations Tom Wright told the news outlet.
UFC had never formally announced the event, which had been expected to take place at the Bell Centre. But the promotion's news page had listed the possibility, along with with a series of fights that had been planned for the outing.
The inability to bring a bonafide headliner to the event likely sealed the show's fate.
Among the fights the UFC had planned for the show were Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills, Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs and Brendan Schaub vs. Ben Rothwell. Many of the eight announced bouts will be shifted to an April 21 event in Atlanta, which was announced just last week by the UFC. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, montreal, canadian press
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC on Fuel TV 2 in Sweden Sells Out in 3 Hours
UFC on Fuel TV 2, the UFC’s first event in Sweden on Saturday, April 14 in Stockholm, sold out in just 3 hours when tickets went on sale over the weekend, making it the fastest selling European event in UFC history.
“People have been telling me how big of a market Sweden was for the UFC and today, the fans went out and proved it,” UFC President Dana White said in a statement. “I love taking the UFC to new markets. I can’t wait to get to Stockholm in April because we’re going to put on a great event!”
UFC on Fuel TV 2 is headlined by light heavyweight contenders Alexander Gustafsson vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and also includes Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara, Paulo Thiago vs. Siyar Bahadurzada, and Brad Pickett vs. Damacio Page.
For the latest UFC on Fuel TV 2 news and UFC on Fuel TV 2 rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, tv, fuel
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC on FX 1 weigh-ins take place Thursday at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena
Official fighter weigh-ins for this week's UFC on FX 1 event take place Thursday.
Nashville, Tenn.'s Bridgestone Arena plays host to the festivities, which include headliners Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller, and the rest of the event's competitors.
The first fighter is on the scale at 5 p.m. ET (4 p.m. CT local time).
Posted in: event, jim miller, weeks ufc, place thursday, events competitors
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC Sweden tickets sell out in three hours, breaks European event record
Is it just me or does the UFC break a new record every time they hit a new market?
That's the case once again, as the world's largest fight promotion sold out its upcoming UFC on Fuel TV 2 show in just three hours time for the event set to take place on April 14 at the Ericcson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
UFC.com has it:
The tremendous success makes UFC® SWEDEN the fastest selling European event in UFC history.
"People have been telling me how big of a market Sweden was for the UFC and today, the fans went out and proved it," UFC President Dana White said. "I love taking the UFC to new markets. I can't wait to get to Stockholm in April because we're going to put on a great event!"
Quite the achievement for the UFC and Sweden is undoubtedly hungry for top flight mixed martial arts action. But is that what they'll be getting this Spring?
Here's the current UFC on Fuel TV 2 fight card and line-up:
Main Event:
205 lbs.: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Fight Card:
170 lbs.: DaMarques Johnson vs. John Maguire185 lbs.: Francis Carmont vs. Magnus Cedenblad170 lbs.: Papy Abedi vs. James Head185 lbs.: Alessio Sakara vs. Brian Stann205 lbs.: Cyrille Diabate vs. Jorgen Kruth170 lbs.: Besam Yousef vs. Simeon Thoresen170 lbs.: Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Paulo Thiago135 lbs.: Brad Pickett vs. Damacio Page145 lbs.: Hamid Corassani vs. Jason Young
For all the latest and greatest news and notes for UFC on FUEL TV 2 click here.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, lb, sweden
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 142 Wrap-up: ‘Rumble’ Johnson Cut, Erick Silva Paid Win Bonus
At UFC 142, Anthony Johnson had hoped to turn the page on past weight-cutting woes. Instead, the event spelled the end of one chapter in his career.
Posted in: ufc, event, johnson, erick silva, weightcutting woes
Read the full article at SherdogUFC Sweden Sells Out in Record Time
The debut of the Ultimate Fighting Championship® in Sweden is already a knockout at the box office. Tickets for the event, which takes place Saturday, April 14 at Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, sold out just hours after of going on sale to the public. The tremendous success makes UFC® SWEDEN the fastest selling European event in UFC history. “People have been telling me how big of a market Sweden was for the UFC and today, the fans went out and proved it,” UFC President Dana White said. “I love taking the UFC to new markets. I can’t wait to get to Stockholm in April because we’re going to put on a great event!”According to Marie Lindqvist, communications manager at Ericsson Globe Arena, the huge demand for UFC has only been matched by the biggest international pop stars. What’s more, the demand for tickets is also unprecedented by any other martial arts event in Sweden since the pro boxing prohibition was pushed through in 1970.Bouts for this record-breaking card include: Stockholm’s rising star Alexander Gustafsson vs. former PRIDE® star Rogerio “Lil’ Nog” Nogueira in an exciting light heavyweight main event; Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Paulo Thiago in welterweight action; DaMarques Johnson vs. John Maguire in a 170-pound contest; undefeated kickboxer Jörgen Kruth of Sweden vs. French striker Cyrille Diabate at light heavyweight; middleweight competitor Magnus "Jycken" Cedenblad of Sweden against highly-touted prospect Francis Carmont; middleweight standout Brian Stann vs. Italian striker Alessio Sakara; bantamweight action pitting British bomber Brad Pickett vs. free-swinging American Damacio Page; welterweight James Head vs. Papy Abedi, who was born in France, but now lives and trains in Stockholm.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, sweden, stockholm
Read the full article at UFCUFC continues its planning for 2012 events
Just because UFC officials are currently in Brazil for UFC 142 it doesn't mean they have stopped planning future events for 2012.
Posted in: ufc, event, planning, brazil, ufc officials
Read the full article at sportsnet.caUFC 142: Aldo Vs. Mendes - Live Results And Play-By-Play For PPV
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes. Our live coverage will start with the singe fight being shown on Facebook, continuing through the FX TV prelim broadcast (8 p.m. ET) and finally through the pay-per-view broadcast (10 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
This post will cover live results and thoughts for the pay-per-view main card.
In the evening's main event, Jose Aldo steps into the cage to defend his UFC featherweight championship against Chad Mendes. The evening's co-main event sees Anthony Johnson (who missed weight badly) face former UFC champion Vitor Belfort. Submission specialist Rousimar Palhares squares off with Mike Massenzio. Rounding out the card is a welterweight bout between Erick Silva and Carlo Prater and a lightweight bout between Edson Barboza and Terry Etim.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
Posted in: ufc, event, anthony johnson, aldo, erick silva
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 142 a reminder too much of a good thing isn't such a good thing
In case you hadn't heard, UFC 142: "Aldo vs. Mendes" takes place tonight (Sat., Jan. 14, 2012) from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It almost seems sensational to say such a thing but let's get real here: there's too much MMA these days.
Way too much.
I hate to toot the oversaturation horn but the quickest way to make something feel less important is to offer a lot of it. And now that Zuffa has purchased Strikeforce, we're to a point where "major" MMA fights are happening damn near every weekend of the year.
That's not a good thing, either.
Take tonight, for instance. One of the best fighters on Earth, Jose Aldo, will defend his featherweight championship in front of his home crowd against Chad Mendes, a strong American wrestler. And no one really cares. Sometimes it's difficult but if you can jump outside your MMA bubble and see things through a far more casual lens, which is what most fans are looking through, you'll realize how small time this fight feels.
In fact, as far as buzz online and all other business indicators, this event is DOA. MMAmania.com does rather well with page views and all that but it's obvious when an event comes that really moves the needle. So far, this one has hardly touched it. It's sad, really. These fighters deserve better.
But so do we, the fans. You know, the ones being asked to shell out $60 for these shows.
We're being told now to care about cards that are headlined by men who have never once even been on the main card of a UFC pay-per-view. It's entirely possible that a large segment of the fanbase who actually does bother to buy the show tonight won't have a clue who Mendes is or where he came from. They'll just see a small, compact fighter against another small, but speedy fighter but the speedy guy is champion, so at least we know he's kind of a big deal.
And that's the problem, ladies and sirs; with the UFC so eager to hold a new event every weekend, they're giving themselves no time to properly build up a veritable stable of superstars. If you put Jon Jones up on a pedestal, he'll stand out in a small crowd. But what happens if that crowd just grows and grows and grows and you don't get the necessary time to sift through it?
He becomes just another member of the crowd.
WWE fans have been dealing with this problem for some time now. The difference? The pro wrestling promotion holds a pay-per-view event once a month. Even then, fans decry the lack of a proper build to each event and can't help but feel cheated because they've been given no reason to care. And how could they? There are only three to four weeks in between major shows.
UFC, on the other hand, is trying to make us care while running shows almost every week. That's completely impossible. Fighting is not enough. Purists will tell me I'm wrong but the reality is that fighting is just not enough to make us truly care. Casual viewers enjoy drama and they while they don't necessarily need a backstory, it's far preferable than not having one. You know why the Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir rematch sold 1.6 million buys on pay-per-view? Because it had the proper storyline going into it. Or how about Rashad Evans vs. Quinton Jackson or Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva. You can go back all the way to Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz and even Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock.
All big money bouts and not just because they were fights but because fans actually had a reason to care about them.
What exactly are we supposed to care about tonight? Brazilian defends title in front of partisan crowd against guy no one knows and they're both small enough to look like my kid brother.
Excuse me while I rush to the remote and place my order.
UFC President Dana White should almost feel grateful to Anthony Johnson for his weight cutting issues. It's actually provided an interesting story for fans to key on heading into the event. Everyone in Brazil seemingly loves Vitor Belfort and the guy who signed to fight him couldn't make weight. In fact, he missed badly, coming in a full 11 pounds over the agreed upon limit. So it was stipulated that if Johnson could weigh in at under 205-pounds today (he did), the fight would go on as planned. If not, they would cancel it the day of the event.
Intrigue!
As silly as it all seems -- and it is when it comes down to it -- it's something actually worth following. And now when fans are watching the event tonight, they have a reason to want Belfort to tear Johnson's head off, unlike the main event, which has provided us with no clear reason to root for either man.
Imagine this conversation at a party tonight between friends:
"Vitor vs. Rumble up next, brother, who you got?"
"Rumble will probably win but I really want Belfort to knock him out. You see he missed weight by 11 pounds? Dude is supposed to be a professional and he's coming in that heavy? Go Vitor."
That may or may not have been a conversation I just had today.
And the headliner?
"Who you got in the main event?"
"Who's fighting again?"
I rest my case.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, fan, care
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FUEL TV 2 in Sweden sells out in three hours
Tickets for the UFC's debut event in Stockholm sold out in just three hours after the public on-sale period, UFC officials today.
The event, UFC on FUEL TV 2, takes place April 14 at Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm.
The arena can accommodate approximately 15,000 fans.
Posted in: ufc, event, tv, hours tickets, event ufc
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 142 Post-Fight Press Conference Video
UFC 142 combatants share their thoughts about what went inside the Octagon at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event is headlined by Jose Aldo's impressive main event victory over Chad Mendes, while Vitor Belfort proved a point by choking out Anthony "Rumble" Johnson in the co-main event. The press-conference is hosted by the UFC President Dana White, who will be also announcing Fight of the Night bonuses and attendance
Posted in: ufc, event, vitor belfort, night bonuses, janeiro brazil
Read the full article at Low KickVince McMahon nixes idea of CM Punk working with Chael Sonnen at UFC on FOX event
A few weeks ago it came to light fan-favorite WWE Champion CM Punk would walk popular UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen down to the Octagon at UFC on FOX 2, an event set to emanate from Punk’s hometown of Chicago. At the time the idea was well-received by all, including WWE head Vince McMahon who had given his blessing, and fans appeared genuinely excited about the prospect of the pairing.
However, McMahon has since changed his mind, not only prohibiting Punk from teaming up with Sonnen during the 185er’s entrance but attending the event at all. While no specific reason was provided it is believed to be related to Brock Lesnar’s contractual status with the UFC.
CM Punk Taking his Talents to the Octagon..Sort Of
News of the change was first reported by freelance MMA journalist FrontRowBrian and has since been confirmed with Punk by MMAFighting.
Beyond his talent inside the Octagon, Sonnen is known for his wit and ability to entertain on the microphone with replies/comments that would make the top promo-cutter in the WWE proud (and apparently did in the form of Punk). He will face Mark Munoz on January 28 at the FOX event where the winner is expected to receive a date with middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
PHOTO CREDIT – WWE
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Posted in: ufc, event, punk, wwe, sonnen
Read the full article at Fighters.comUFC Sweden completely sold out within the first hour of sales
We get a fair amount of traffic from Stockholm, Sweden so if any Swedish MiddleEasy reader out there would like to lend me their sofa for the weekend of April 14th, I will happily accept. Also, you must give me a pass to raid your fridge an unlimited amount of times during those few days. Another stipulation would be that you must introduce me to a Swedish chick that looks on par (or better) than the ones on the banner picture. If you can fulfill all of the following requirements, then my head can grace your sofa cushion -- and I'll sign it for you.
According to our buds at MMAViking, UFC Sweden sold out in just one hour early this morning, and according to some MMA fans that attempted to purchase tickets, seats were gone in about 30 minutes.
It seems that the UFC’s upcoming event in Globe Arena in Stockholm was sold out in just one hour after the tickets went to public sale. According to some fans Ticnet’s customer service said that the event was sold out 30 minutes after the sales started.
UFC Fight Club members and UFC Newsletter subscribers already had their chance to buy tickets from a pre-sale on Wednesday and Thursday while the rest had to wait till Friday to get a chance to buy tickets. Fast ticket sales is just another sign that the Nordic MMA fans have been waiting for a long time for the UFC to land in the Northern Europe.
Actually, I just discovered Coachella is on that same day, so I'll have some tough decisions to tackle in my life. Check out this screencap from Ticnet.se showing a grand total of zero tickets available for the event.
Posted in: ufc, event, fan, sale, ticket
Read the full article at Middle EasyUFC 142 weigh in video (full) for 'Aldo vs Mendes' in Brazil
UFC 142: "Aldo vs. Mendes" weigh-in event went down today (Jan. 13, 2012) in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, where all 22 competitors tipped the scale to make their respective bouts official for tomorrow's (Dec. 30, 2011) historic event.
In the video above, the first fighter steps on the scale around the 19-minute mark.
UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo (145) and number one contender Chad Mendes (144), who will main event tomorrow night's pay-per-view broadcast, both came in on point, making their title fight officially official.
The real story, though, is Anthony Johnson, who tipped the scale at a whooping 197-pounds and infuriated his boss, Dana White, who called him a total unprofessional. That's unlike Johnson's opponent, Vitor Belfort, who had no problem making the 186-pound limit. To read more on Johnson missing weight click here.
For complete UFC 142 weigh in results click here and for staredown pics click here.
Ready to rumble yet or what, Maniacs?
Posted in: ufc, event, johnson, title fight, boss dana
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FX and Fuel non-title main events will only be three rounds in 2012
Hold your horses.
Remember when every UFC show moving forward was supposed to feature a five round main event? That no longer appears to be the case. According to Matt Bishop of the Detroit News, unless a title is on the line, all UFC on FX and UFC on Fuel shows will feature three round main events. The five round non-title bouts will be reserved for pay-per-views and for the big network UFC on FOX shows.
Fuel TV is planning six events in 2012 and considering that two UFC events are already scheduled for FX by March 3, it appears FX could be landing a similar amount of shows this year.
We've got the list of affected main events after the jump.
UFC on FX 1: Melvin Guillard vs. Jim Miller
UFC on Fuel 1: Jake Ellenberger vs. Diego Sanchez
UFC on FX 2: Martin Kampmann vs. Thiago Alves
UFC on Fuel 2: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
In 2011, four events featured five round non-title bouts, UFX 138, UFC 139, The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale and UFC 141. Only the incredible fight of the year winner between Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua was actually able to utilize the bonus rounds as the other three fights were finished by the third.
The "Shogun" vs. "Hendo" fight was incredible because of the two extra rounds. Otherwise it would have been a pretty lopsided three round decision victory for Dan Henderson.
Do you Maniacs feel deprived that the above fights won't be going for five? Does it affect your picks for who will win considering fighters like Martin Kampmann and Diego Sanchez tend to turn it on in the later rounds?
Speak up!
Posted in: ufc, fx, round, event, fuel
Read the full article at MMA Mania2012 MMA major event results (Yahoo! Sports)
Saturday, Jan. 7 Strikeforce, Las Vegas: Estevan Payan def. Alonso Martinez, unanimous decision; Ricky Legere def.
Posted in: result, sport, event, martinez, alonso martinez
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsSteve Mazzagatti and Cecil Peoples join UFC 143 cast and crew on Feb. 4 in Las Vegas
U Mazz?
Veteran mixed martial arts (MMA) referee Steve Mazzagatti has been asked to step up and officiate the UFC 143 main event fight between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, set to go down on Feb. 4, 2012, from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Joining him will be the oft-maligned Cecil Peoples, who will assume the position of judge alongside Patricia Morse-Jarman and Junichiro Kamijo.
Sherdog compiled some recent stats:
Mazzagatti has refereed more than 250 fights in the UFC, Strikeforce, WEC and EliteXC, according to FightMetric.com. Most recently, he oversaw the Robbie Lawler-Adlan Amagov and Tarec Saffiedine-Tyler Stinson bouts at Strikeforce "Rockhold vs. Jardine" on Jan. 7.
Peoples, who judged 19 events in 2011, last worked the Strikeforce "Melendez vs. Masvidal" card on Dec. 17, producing a 50-45 scorecard in favor of Melendez in the main event as well as a 29-28 card for K.J. Noons over Billy Evangelista in a lightweight affair.
Anyone rolling their eyes at the addition of MMA's dynamic duo? Or is all well that ends well?
More on the UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit" pay-per-view (PPV) event here.
Posted in: ufc, strikeforce, vs, event, people
Read the full article at MMA ManiaU.K. to get UFC event in late 2012, TV deal could prompt additional show
RIO DE JANEIRO - To all the MMA fans in the U.K., get ready: August is a big month for you.
That's when the UFC's deal with ESPN expires, and that's when the UFC could score a new TV contract that could significantly impact the number of events the regions hosts.
Right now, the U.K. is promised one event in 2012. But depending on the TV negotiations, a second could happen before year's end.
Posted in: event, ufc event, tv negotiations, show rio, ufcs deal
Read the full article at MMA JunkieJose Aldo vs Chad Mendes staredown pic from UFC 142 pre-fight press conference
The UFC 142 pre-fight press conference took place today (Jan. 12, 2012) at the Copacabana Palace Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,, as one of the last official events in preparation for the "Aldo vs. Mendes" event taking place this Sat., Jan. 14, 2012.
Jose Aldo will defend his featherweight championship in the main event of the evening in front of a partisan crowd against American strong arm wrestler Chad Mendes. Everyone is playing nice for now but let's hope that ends quickly come fight night.
Perhaps the most popular Brazilian fighter of them all, Vitor Belfort, is also in action, as he'll take on Anthony Johnson, who will be making his middleweight debut. "Rumble" says he's feeling better than ever at his new weight but can he deal with the speedy and equally heavy hands of "The Phenom?"
He certainly doesn't look intimidated. Judge for yourself in their staredown pic after the jump.
For a complete transcription of all the relevant notes and quotes from the UFC 142 pre-fight press conference click here. To watch the UFC 142 press conference in its entirety click here.
Posted in: ufc, conference, event, press, prefight
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC RIO Main Event: Aldo vs Mendes
submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [comment]
Posted in: ufc, event, mattyblayze, mattyblayze link, ufc rio
Read the full article at RedditUFC 143's Diaz vs. Condit main event gets veteran ref Steve Mazzagatti
You can almost hear the boos now.
MMAjunkie.com today obtained from the Nevada State Athletic Commission
the referee and judges' assignments for UFC 143, which takes place Feb. 4
at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
Oft-criticized referee Steve Mazzagatti has been assigned to oversee the
event's interim welterweight title fight between Nick Diaz and Carlos
Condit.
Posted in: nick diaz, event, nevada state, mmajunkiecom today, judges assignments
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC stopping in Atlanta for April event
The last time the UFC rolled into Atlanta a new star was born in the form of Rashad Evans who went on to knock Chuck Liddell out in memorable fashion at UFC 88, an event also featuring memorable match-ups like Rousimar Palhares vs. Dan Henderson and Matt Hamill vs. Rich Franklin. The next time the organization stops there Evans may very well have another opportunity to shine, at least depending on how his bout against Phil Davis goes later this month.
On the most recent episode of UFC Tonight it was revealed that the promotion will be returning to Atlanta this spring for the first time since the aforementioned event in 2008. Though few specifics were offered the show will take place on April 21 at the Philips Arena and will be a PPV (UFC 146). The venue is normally used by the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and can seat up to 21,000 people.
Evans has not been linked to the card but would have nearly three months to prepare for a potential fight against Jon Jones at the show who himself has come out to say he wants to fight again as soon as possible.
Jones Itching to Get in the Ring Again
In fact, no match-ups were named at all, but with UFC on Fuel 2 (April 14) filling up it’s likely pairings will be announced in the next few weeks. Prelims will be shown on Fuel TV or FX.
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Posted in: ufc, event, evan, atlanta, april
Read the full article at Fighters.comJose Aldo discusses the benefit of having Gray Maynard in camp
As many fans may know, Jose Aldo enlisted the help of one of the premier wrestlers in the lightweight division for his upcoming fight with Chad Mendes this Saturday night at UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes. However, the story behind how their relationship developed and how progress has gone at Nova Uniao are a bit more mysterious.
With Mendes providing a very strong challenge to his reign as featherweight champ Aldo knew improving his takedown defense was important. As such, he brought Gray Maynard down to train with him recently. “The Bully” is a former standout at Michigan State University and nearly claimed the UFC lightweight title from Frankie Edgar on more than one occasion.
“We met a few times at UFC events, and from there we started a friendship,” said Aldo in a video documenting his time with Maynard. “It’s great to have such a talented guy come over. And thank God now was a good time for him.”
Mendes is a member of Team Alpha Male out of California, training with the likes of Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez. He is a NCAA runner-up while competing at Cal Poly. His bout against Aldo will serve as the main event for the UFC’s return to Brazil, as the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro will play host to the card. Vitor Belfort and Anthony Johnson tangle in the co-main event.
Check out the video of Aldo-Maynard below:
Posted in: ufc, event, jose aldo, aldo, mende
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainHow does Chad Mendes defeat Jose Aldo in the main event of UFC 142 this Saturday night in Rio?...
How does Chad Mendes defeat Jose Aldo in the main event of UFC 142 this Saturday night in Rio? Urijah Faber has the answer over at MMA Nation right here.
Posted in: saturday night, event, rio, saturday, chad
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 142's Chad Mendes enjoying Brazil, excited for first career main event
RIO DE JANEIRO - When undefeated featherweight contender Chad Mendes meets current champ Jose Aldo in
the main event of Saturday's UFC 142 event in Rio de Janeiro, it will
mark not only the first 145-pound headliner in UFC history, it will also
serve as the first-ever main event of the challenger's MMA career.
So is Mendes perhaps a little nervous ahead of his first time in the pay-per-view spotlight?
Hardly.
Posted in: ufc, event, ufc history, mende, event rio
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 142 open media workout photos gallery for 'Aldo vs Mendes' on Jan. 14
UFC.com photographer Josh Hedges was on the scene at the Barra de Tijuca Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, today (Jan. 11, 2012) to shoot several of the UFC 142 combatants during the pay-per-view (PPV) event's open media workouts.
Naturally, the little but lethal men who will be featured in the main event of the evening -- Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes -- were on the scene to promote their clash, as well as work up one of the last few real sweats prior to fight night at the HSBC Arena this upcoming Saturday night (Jan. 14, 2012).
Co-main event participants, Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson, were also in attendance prior to their middleweight scrap, which is teed up to be one hell of an exciting showdown.
Check out more great pics from the UFC 142 open media workout after the jump:
Jose Aldo
Chad Mendes
Vitor Belfort
Anthony Johnson
Wanderlei Silva says hi
So does Gray Maynard
Don't forget about Junior dos Santos
To check out the complete UFC 142 open media workout photos gallery from Law, which includes 105 images, click here.
Remember, too, that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 142, beginning with the preliminary card bouts on Facebook. In addition, we will also provide LIVE, real-time results of the main card action as it happens throughout the evening this upcoming weekend.
See you Saturday!
Posted in: ufc, event, media, workout, aldo
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBest of MMA 2011: UFC 139 is Event of the Year
It was a close battle between UFC 139 and UFC 129 for the year's best event. But ultimately, San Jose got the nod over Toronto – though we couldn't go wrong.
Posted in: ufc, event, san jose, year, toronto –
Read the full article at Heavy MMAWant free admission to the ProElite 3: "Da Spyder vs. Minowaman" event on Jan. 21, 2012? No...
Want free admission to the ProElite 3: "Da Spyder vs. Minowaman" event on Jan. 21, 2012? No problem. All you have to do is show up at the Neal Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, dressed like event headliner Ikuhisa Minowa and ProElite's head of fight operations T. Jay Thompson will show you to your seat. So, who's ready to flaunt their junk for a spot in the nosebleeds?
Props: Twitter
Posted in: proelite, vs, event, honolulu hawaii, proelites head
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FUEL TV 2: Akira Corassani vs Jason Young booked for April 14 in Sweden
Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 14's fast-talking featherweight Hamid Corassani is getting a second lease on his ZUFFA life.
That's because the Swedes over at MMA NYTT bring word that "Akira" will make his Octagon debut at the UFC on FUEL TV 2 event, booked for April 14, 2012, at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
Corassani (9-3) is perhaps best known for his phantom tap against Dustin Neace on the former Spike TV reality show. He was able to advance to the semifinals, but got choked out by eventual finalist Dennis Bermudez inside the first round.
He was not invited back to participate in the Dec. 3, 2011, TUF 14 live finale, but alas, he's getting a second shot when the gang heads overseas.
Opposing him is Jason Young (8-5), who's trying desperately to climb out of an 0-2 hole. "Shotgun" has yet to secure a win inside the Octagon, losing back-to-back decisions to Michihiro Omigawa and Dustin Poirier.
Third time's the charm?
UFC on Fuel TV 2 features native son Alexander Gustafsson in the main event taking on longtime veteran and Brazilian banger Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Other bouts booked for the event include Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara and Paulo Thiago vs. Siyar Bahadurzada.
For the latest UFC on Fuel TV 2 news and notes check out our event archive right here. To check out the latest UFC on Fuel TV 2 fight card and rumors click here.
Posted in: ufc, event, tv, fuel, mma nytt
Read the full article at MMA ManiaRoss Pearson vs. Dennis Siver rematch added to UFC on FUEL TV 2
Two former lightweights will clash - this time as featherweights at UFC on FUEL TV 2.
Fresh off a featherweight-debut win, Ross Pearson now welcomes longtime 155-pounder Dennis Siver to the division as part of the April event in Sweden.
UFC officials confirmed the fight with Swedish site mmanytt.se. MMAjunkie.com subsequently confirmed it with event sources.
Posted in: ufc, event, ros, ross pearson, april event
Read the full article at MMA JunkieAkira Corassani vs. Jason Young added to UFC on FUEL TV 2
Another countryman has been added to April's UFC on FUEL TV 2 event in Sweden.
"The Ultimate Fighter 14" cast member Akira Corassani meets fellow featherweight Jason Young at the overseas show.
UFC officials confirmed the fight with Swedish site mmanytt.se. MMAjunkie.com subsequently confirmed it with event sources.
Posted in: ufc, event, jason, tv, aprils ufc
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 142: Countdown to UFC Rio Aldo vs. Mendes video
UFC 142 will take place this Saturday, January 14. The card will mark the UFC’s return to Rio de Janiero, Brazil. The main event of the card will feature a Featherweight title fight between UFC champion Jose Aldo and the undefeated Chad Mendes.
The co-main event of the evening will see Anthony Johnson moving up from Welterweight to Middleweight to face Vitor Belfort.
The UFC has released a “Countdown” video for the event that focuses on the two fighters that will participate in the
Posted in: ufc, event, anthony johnson, chad mendes, janiero brazil
Read the full article at Low KickUFC on Fuel TV 2 tickets on sale soon for event at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Sweden on April 14
Tickets for UFC on Fuel TV 2, which will take place at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, on April 14, 2012, will go on sale to the general public on Fri., Jan. 13, 2012, at 9 a.m. CT.
UFC Fight Club members and UFC Newsletter subscribers, naturally, will be able to scoop up tickets prior to them being available for public consumption.
UFC on Fuel TV 2 has yet to receive its headlining bout, but it's widely rumored that native son Alexander Gustafsson, who has openly campaigned for a slot on the card, will be the man to main event the show. Now to just find him a suitable opponent. Bouts actually booked for the event include Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara and Paulo Thiago vs. Siyar Bahadurzada.
Here is the UFC on Fuel TV 2 tickets sales schedule (All times CET):
UFC Fight Club presale: Weds., Jan. 11, 2012, at 11 a.m.
UFC Newsletter presale: Thurs., Jan. 12, 2012, at 9 a.m.
General tickets sale: Fri., Jan. 13, 2012, at 9 a.m.
UFC on Fuel TV 2 tickets can be purchased through StubHub.com (Note: StubHub often has seats available even if the event is "sold out"). It will also be available to watch on Fuel TV at 10 p.m. ET on fight night.
For the latest UFC on Fuel TV 2 news and notes check out our event archive right here. To check out the latest UFC on Fuel TV 2 fight card and rumors click here.
Posted in: ufc, event, tv, ticket, fuel
Read the full article at MMA Mania'Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine' ratings: Event draws 344,000 viewers
This past weekend's "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" event drew a 0.93 household rating and an average audience of 344,000 viewers.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the figures with an industry source.
Despite the Jan. 7 event taking place on Showtime's "free-preview" weekend, the total viewership was short of the 522,000 viewers Strikeforce averaged for its eight "Arena Series" event in 2011.
Posted in: strikeforce, event, rating, viewer, industry source
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 142 Video Blog with Dana White (Episode 1)
UFC President Dana White is back with his first video blog for Saturday’s UFC 142 event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which features a behind the scenes look at last month’s “UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem” event.
For complete coverage of UFC 142 stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Posted in: ufc, video, event, video blog, janeiro brazil
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyMain event for March 3 Strikeforce event still undetermined
For the second year in a row, Strikeforce will return to the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio to run an event in conjunction with the annual Arnold Sports Festival. During last night’s broadcast of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine, the organization officially confirmed four bouts for the card, including the previously rumored women’s bantamweight title fight between champion Miesha Tate and challenger Ronda Rousey.
Along with the title fight will be a lightweight bout between former Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson and K.J. Noons, a welterweight showdown between Kazuo Misaki and Paul Daley, and a women’s #1 contender bout as former title holder Sarah Kaufman battles Alexis Davis.
Howeverm despite the four fight card featuring a title-bout, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker told MMAJunkie.com that, “(The main event has) not been determined. We’re still booking fights.”
Coker hopes that the Heavyweight Grand Prix final between Daniel Cormier and Josh Barnett will headline the show but that it will clearly depend on whether or not Cormier is cleared by doctors from his broken hand, an injury he suffered in his semifinal victory against Antonio Silva. No other options were mentioned as possibilities.
PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE
Posted in: fight, strikeforce, event, kj noons, columbus ohio
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainStrikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine Medical Suspensions; Four Out Up to Six Months
Both main event fighters, Luke Rockhold and Keith Jardine, were medically suspended following Saturday night's Strikeforce event in Las Vegas.
Posted in: strikeforce, event, rockhold, keith jardine, jardine
Read the full article at MMA Weekly
Fedor is First Step to Helping Revive Japanese MMA Scene
Japanese fans love Fedor Emelianenko, as the Russian fighter bounces back from a three-fight losing streak in Strikeforce. In doing so, Fedor can also help give JMMA a desperate spark needed to help rejuvenate a nation with a faltering MMA scene.
Hans Thompson, HDNet commentator, noted that the most recent DREAM fight on New Year’s Eve didn’t have the same flare as past events.
I would say that it didn’t have quite the luster that even last year’s event – which was a relatively small event – because although there were a lot of good fighters, a lot of them had been fighting on Dream events all year long. I didn’t have big expectations for the card, but it turned out to be an entertaining – if not long – night of fights.
In terms in size of the live audience, it looks the same as it did last year, but the absence of a major TV deal is a big obstacle for them. I think if they can get that sorted out, it will change the scale of the NYE shows and they might approach the scale of the shows in the past. But it’s a big if.”
JMMA is said to be dying — and it’s honestly very hard to argue against that — but DREAM has continued to do its best to keep things going. However, as MMA begins to explode in China, Singapore, and other parts of Asia in 2012, there is a good chance some of that will trickle back to Japan.
In addition to keeping its current stars active and successful, the next generation of Japanese fighters must begin to take the reigns. We’ll see if changes can be made in 2012, as Japanese MMA fighters and promoters seek methods to
Posted in: mma, fighter, japanese, event, year
Read the full article at MMA Opinion'Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine' salaries: Lawler and Lawal top $566K payroll
Main-card fighters Robbie Lawler ($150,000) and Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal ($95,000) were the top earners from this past weekend's "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" event.
Overall, the payroll for the event was $566,000.
MMAjunkie.com today requested and received the list of official disclosed paydays from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Posted in: vs, event, rockhold, nevada state, lawal
Read the full article at MMA JunkieReport: Chris Clements vs Keith Wisniewski possible for UFC 145 on March 24 in Montreal
A couple of welterweight up-and-comers are in talks to do battle when Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heads north for its UFC 145 pay-per-view event on March 24, 2012, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
That's according to a report from Top MMA News, who've paired Chris Clements and Keith Wisniewski for the 170-pound scrap in "The City of Saints."
Clements will make his Octagon debut after amassing a 10-4 record on the International fight circuit, including a 4-0 run that ended just last month in Sarnia by showing "No Love" to UFC veteran Rich Clementi.
Wisniewski (28-13-1) made his ZUFFA debut at UFC on Versus 6 back in October. Unfortunately, it was an appearance he'd like to forget, as the "Polish Connection" couldn't make ends meet in a technical knockout loss to veteran "Dentist," Josh Neer.
UFC 145 is still without a main event; however, Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills, Ben Rothwell vs. Brendan Schaub, Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs and Mark Hominick vs. Eddie Yagin, among others, have been announced for the event at this time.
Check out the latest UFC 145 fight card and rumors by clicking here.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, wisniewski, clement
Read the full article at MMA ManiaStrikeforce confirms four bouts for March event, says main event still undetermined
LAS VEGAS - With Strikeforce's first 2012 show in the books, the promotion now looks ahead to its next event, and the promotion on Saturday confirmed four bouts for a previously rumored March 3 event.
As expected Strikeforce female bantamweight champion Miesha Tate meets undefeated challenger Ronda Rousey in one of the night's featured contests, but Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said it's not necessarily the evening's featured bout.
K.J. Noons vs. Josh Thomson, Paul Daley vs. Kazuo Misaki and Alexis Davis vs. Sarah Kaufman were also made official for the card, which takes place at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Posted in: strikeforce, vs, event, las vegas, march event
Read the full article at MMA JunkieStrikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine - Live Results and Play-By-Play for Showtime Main Card
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine. Our live coverage will start with the Showtime Extreme coverage of the undercard fights at 8 p.m. ET and continue through the main card on Showtime starting at 10 p.m. ET. so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
This post will cover live results and thoughts for the main card on Showtime.
The main event of the evening sees Luke Rockhold put his Strikeforce middleweight title on the line against former UFC star Keith Jardine. In the co-main event it's Robbie Lawler taking on Adlan Amagov in a middleweight fight. Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Muhammed Lawal squares off with Lorenz Larkin in a bout with serious implications at 205. Rounding out the main card is a great welterweight fight between up-and-comers Tyron Woodley and Jordan Mein and a welterweight bout between Tyler Stinson and Tarec Saffiedine.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine
Posted in: strikeforce, event, rockhold, showtime, jardine
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowOhio commission receives request for March 3 Strikeforce event in Columbus
Although not yet announced by the promotion, Strikeforce's second trip to the popular Arnold Sports Festival is all but official.
Ohio Athletic Commission Executive Director Bernie Profato today confirmed to MMAjunkie.com that the promotion has filed an event request for March 3 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
While a list of bouts has yet to be submitted for commission approval, the event is expected to feature the finals of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix.
Posted in: strikeforce, event, commission, strikeforce heavyweight, ohio
Read the full article at MMA JunkieStrikeforce: Rockhold vs Jardine weigh in full video from Las Vegas
Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" weigh-in event went down today (Jan. 6, 2012) at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, where all 18 fighters tipped the scale to make their respective bouts official for tomorrow night's event.
That includes main event participants Luke Rockhold and Keith Jardine, who were able to hit the 185-pound weight limit without incident. Although "The Dean of Mean" certainly looked a little sucked in for his first bout at middleweight.
But hey, it's for a title. Can't complain about that, right?
For complete "Rockhold vs. Jardine" weigh in results click here.
Posted in: event, rockhold, keith jardine, jardine, bouts official
Read the full article at MMA ManiaK.J. Noons vs. Josh Thomson targeted for 'Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier' in March
A pivotal lightweight match is likely headed to a yet-unannounced Strikeforce event planned for March.
Sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com that K.J. Noons and Josh Thomson have verbally agreed to meet.
As MMAjunkie.com first reported, "Strikeforce Grand Prix Final: Barnett vs. Cormier" takes place March 3 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The event airs live on Showtime with prelims on Showtime Extreme.
Posted in: vs, event, march, event today, josh thomson
Read the full article at MMA JunkieStrikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine - Pre-Fight Press Conference Video
With Strikeforce set for their next show Saturday night on Showtime, the fighters and Scott Coker sat down on Thursday for the pre-fight press conference. The event takes place from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Main event fighters Keith Jardine and Strikeforce middleweight champ Luke Rockhold were on hand to discuss their fight as well as co-main event fighters Robbie Lawler and Adlan Amagov. The always outspoken "King" Muhammed Lawal was also there to discuss his bout with Lorenz Larkin.
As a reminder, while the main card will be shown on Showtime starting at 10 p.m. ET, the preliminary fights will start at 8 p.m. ET on Showtime Extreme.
We'll have plenty more coverage as the event nears with today's weigh-ins, our staff predictions, live coverage, reactions and much more. So keep your browser locked in to Bloody Elbow.
SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine
Posted in: strikeforce, fighter, lorenz larkin, event, todays weighins
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowStrikeforce pre-fight press conference video highlights for 'Rockhold vs Jardine'
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker today (Jan. 5, 2012) joined the mixed martial arts (MMA) stars who are set to compete this weekend (Sat., Jan. 7, 2012) at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino to promote the Showtime-televised event.
Main event participants Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold and Keith Jardine, as well as co main event brawlers Robbie Lawler and Adlan Amagov, were all on hand at the HRH Lounge to discuss their respective fights.
Former 205-pound champion "King" Muhammed Lawal also dished on his light heavyweight showdown with Lorenz Larkin on the main card.
For all the Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" news, notes, previews and analysis you can handle be sure to hit up our complete event archive right here.
Posted in: strikeforce, event, rockhold, jardine, showtimetelevised event
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 143: Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier booked for Feb. 4 with Ricardo Lamas hurt
Dustin Poirier is probably getting a complex.
"The Diamond" (11-1) is going on his third opponent for the UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit" pay-per-view (PPV) event, scheduled to take place next month (Feb. 4, 2012) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Stepping in for an injured Erik Koch, who was stepping in for an injured Ricardo Lamas, is featherweight newcomer Max Holloway (4-0), who cut his teeth in the X-1 promotion down in Hawaii, according to a report from MMA Weekly.
Poirier recently scored a submission win over Pablo Garza via D'Arce choke at UFC on FOX to improve his record to 4-1 under the Zuffa banner and 11-1 overall.
Tough debut test for "Lil' Evil."
UFC 143 will be headlined by former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz battling ex-WEC 170-pound kingpin Carlos Condit for the right to wear the division's Interim strap with Georges St. Pierre on the sidelines recovering from knee surgery.
In the co-main event, former welterweight number one contender Josh Koscheck will try to keep his spot among the 170-pound elite by taking on the venerable Mike Pierce.
For more on UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit" click here.
Posted in: ufc, event, comain event, poirier, ricardo lamas
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FUEL TV 2 in Sweden adds Diabate vs. Kruth, Yousef vs. Thoresen
Two more fights are slated for April's UFC on FUEL TV 2 event in Sweden.
They include light heavyweights Cyrille Diabate vs. Jorgen Kruth and welterweights Besam Yousef vs. Simeon Thoresen.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the matchups with event sources. UFC officials first confirmed them with Swedish site mmanytt.se.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, aprils ufc, yousef
Read the full article at MMA JunkieWould North American redditors stay up until 5 or 6 in the morning to watch UFC events?
Living in the UK (more specifically Scotland) has its advantages. Free health care, free University education and an abundance of fish and chip shops to name a few. But the major disadvantage is having such a crazy time difference from the US means the UFC main event cards dont start until 3am. At first this really made it hard for me to get into MMA at all. But now me and my friend are seasoned veterans and stay up at least every second weekend to watch this great sport. Its almost become a routine. Every time there is an event its "my house or yours?" and even if we are on a night out at the pub, we leave early to catch the Prelims! I remember a few months ago there was a UFC event on every weekend for a good few weeks running. It killed us! I'm just wondering if how many of you Americans would honestly say you would stay up for every event? Heck, I'd like to know from everyone around the world. I know for a fact we dont have the worst time difference for watching it out there! tl;dr Would you stay up for every event if it didnt finish until 5-6am where you live? Edit: I'd also like to know how the UFC's decision to move its time slot forward an hour again affected you? It was a complete nightmare for us in the UK. The main card starting at 2am made all the difference and an extra hour in bed was well appreciated!! I wish they would move it back :( submitted by Some_Friend [link] [5 comments]
Posted in: ufc, time, event, time difference, quotmy house
Read the full article at RedditWhat does r/mma think of the UFC putting on more free minor events and less major PPV events like the WWE?
Gives people more of a chance to familiarize themselves with fighters. The other professional sports allow you to choose someone to root for because you get to see all of their matches. You can get behind a team/individual. The counterpoint is that the current UFC business model has worked for boxing really well. Although at some point wasn't boxing on network television before PPV? submitted by ulees [link] [3 comments]
Posted in: ppv, boxing, event, network television, ppv events
Read the full article at RedditReport: Miesha Tate vs. Ronda Rousey Set For Strikeforce's March Event
The most discussed women's MMA match since Gina Carano vs. Cristiane Santos has been booked for Strikeforce's March event in Columbus, OH, as 135-pound champion Miesha Tate will defend against Ronda Rousey. MMA Weekly reported the news Wednesday night, but there have been no confirmations from either side as of this writing.
Rousey (4-0) has risen to prominence by finishing all of her opponents by armbar in less than three minutes combined. The 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in judo asked for the Tate fight following her 39 second victory over Julia Budd in November, setting off a slew of social medial discussion on whether Rousey was ready and the state of women's MMA.
Tate (12-2) has won six in a row, but hasn't fought since defeating Marloes Coenen by fourth round submission in July 2011. It was expected at one point that Tate would defend her title against former champion Sarah Kaufman, but that fight never materialized. Kaufman (14-1) hasn't competed since winning a decision over Liz Carmouche in July.
On Twitter Wednesday night, Rousey said, "I haven't signed anything nothing is official everybody calm down" Wednesday while Tate alluded to the fight in some conversations with fans without any confirmation. The March event is expected to be on Saturday, March 3rd -- the same night as the Strikeforce Grand Prix Finals. With Strikeforce set to return to action this Saturday, a formal announcement could come this week.
Posted in: strikeforce, event, tate, march, rousey
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowXBox Live poops the bed on it's first UFC event
I've been uber-hyped about the UFC's new XBox app for a while now, mainly because I dream of a day where fans can pay 10 bucks a month and watch all the fights we want from the UFC's vault on our goddamn television. Right now the app is just a glorified PPV buying system, but I'm sure it'll get there. Slowly, if how things have started are any indication. Here's what was sent out 10 minutes before UFC 141 even started:
Ruh-roh. The app's maiden voyage ended up like the Titanic, sans even Kate Winslet boobehs. Here's someone from vidgame site Bitmob describing the situation:
As some of you might've heard (especially if you followed all my frustrated Tweets last Friday evening), UFC 141 was a complete disaster on Xbox Live. Due to technical issues with the 30,000 promotional freebies Microsoft had sent out, the UFC on Xbox Live app wouldn't load for a lot of people; would continuously crash or reset to an earlier point in that night's event (with no way to fast forward to live broadcasting); would constantly switch between high definition, standard definition, and Vaseline-all-over-your-TV-screen definition (generally preferring the latter); would stutter and pause while trying to buffer; etc.It was a huge mess and ensured that a lot of Xbox 360 owners won't be using this system to watch future live events when cable pay-per-view is still a sure thing. I apologize if anyone out there paid for UFC 141 based on anything I wrote earlier and had a poor experience.I asked Microsoft for the reasons behind the problems, and here is the official response from a spokesperson (at least those affected will get a make-up freebie in the future):"The broadcast of UFC 141 through the UFC for Xbox LIVE application was hampered by technical issues appearing in the hours leading up to the fight. Despite restoring service to some users during the course of UFC 141, there is a great deal of room for improvement. All 30,00 users who registered to view UFC 141 for free will be provided access to a future fight at no cost."
Say what you will about the bloodsucking cable companies, but at the very least you don't have to worry (much) about your event going 8-bit and crapping out for 1001 various technical reasons when you go through them. This muck-up is all pretty surprising for UFC fans because we're used to this kind of thing actually working - the company has been doing a stellar job streaming prelims and events for a few years now. Let's hope this is just a small bump in the road towards the UFC app kicking ass and taking names. Having what amounts to a 'Netflix of MMA' would just be so badass.
Posted in: ufc, event, xbox, app, i dream
Read the full article at FightlinkerUFC Confirms its First Event in Sweden
Unless you crawled under a rock for the past week, it's no surprise that Sweden has been in the UFC's plans for an event this spring. UFC officials on Wednesday, however, confirmed it.
Posted in: ufc, week, event, sweden, ufcs plans
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyStrikeforce: Rockhold vs Jardine Matches Veterans Against Up and Comers
Strikeforce: Rockhold vs Jardine is an event you don’t want to snooze on as at least 5 of the fights match up and coming fighters with MMA vets. The event takes place at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada and starts at 10 PM ET, be sure to catch [...]
Posted in: vs, event, rockhold, jardine, mma vets
Read the full article at Fighthub TVIn Strikeforce, Even Champs Face Difficult Questions in Confusing Times
Filed under: StrikeforceYou can't exactly call Strikeforce middleweight champ Luke Rockhold and former light heavyweight champ Mo Lawal disgruntled, but neither can you call them satisfied. As they sat down alongside Strikeforce's Scott Coker for a little pre-fight Q&A with media members in Las Vegas last week, they did not seem like men who were thrilled about the state of their careers.
Instead, they seemed more like people who were making the best of a bad situation. They were dealing with it. They were getting by. They didn't have much choice.
It's a tough time to be a Strikeforce fighter. If you complain too loudly about being stuck in Zuffa's second-tier organization, you risk the wrath of an upper management that is still trying to pretend that it's a first-tier organization. If you stay too quiet, you risk becoming the closed mouth that never gets fed a top contender.
As Rockhold put it when he made the case for bringing some UFC fighters over to compete in Strikeforce: "You don't want to get distracted from what you're doing, but you've got to try and build those fights and let people know that we're legit."
Especially when you examine the alternatives, you have to admit that he has a point.
Take Rockhold's current situation, for example. He's the new 185-pound champ after taking the belt from Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza in front of a depressingly small crowd in Cincinnati this past fall. Now, for his first title defense, he gets journeyman fighter and UFC castoff Keith Jardine in a January 7 bout that will mark Jardine's debut at 185 pounds. If Rockhold does nothing -- if he plays the role of the quiet company man and acts like he's happy to be taking a fight that can do almost nothing positive for his career at this point -- where will that leave him?
When talking to reporters, Rockhold did his best to put a positive spin on the match-up, but even he had to admit that it was "far-fetched."
"I was definitely just dumbfounded by that one," Rockhold said. "It didn't make much sense. But I started to think about it outside of the box a little bit, and this is my first main event. He does have a big name, so it brings some name value to the card, and it'll bring some eyes and some ears to the card. Me beating him will show me to the rest of the public."
That is, if the public is watching. The last time Rockhold fought was at the "Barnett vs. Kharitonov" event in September, which even Coker said was "something that I would say is below what would be acceptable for our standards" as far as the live gate went. The event featured a night full of great fights, but both Showtime and Zuffa took a hands-off approach to promoting it, resulting in a dismal rating on the TV side and an embarrassing live crowd.
Most fighters will tell you that stuff like low ratings and empty seats don't bother them; they're simply there to fight and win. But then, most fighters feel compelled to lie about things like that, if only to avoid making their employers look bad. One fighter who rarely feels such an obligation is "King" Mo, who also notched a victory on that same fight card in Cincinnati, and who has never shied away from some real talk.
"When I fought for the belt on CBS I thought, okay, people are going to be watching," Lawal said. "When [Rockhold] was fighting 'Jacare' people didn't give him a chance, but I thought it may be the perfect time to promote this fight, as well as Daniel Cormier and the guys in the heavyweight tournament, so the world could see the talent we have in Strikeforce and they could see my boys at AKA do some work. When I saw the arena I was like, man, this is a joke. I was kind of mad."
Maybe anger is the only rational response. After all, the fighters at or near the top of the Strikeforce organization are elite, proven athletes. If guys like Rockhold and Lawal were free agents whose contracts had just expired in an organization Zuffa didn't already own, you better believe the UFC would be eager to snatch them up and inject some new blood into the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. But because Zuffa has a contract with Showtime -- and because Showtime seems to want to continue airing Strikeforce, though without putting significantly more effort into making it a success -- some quality fighters are stuck playing to smaller crowds and taking on lesser-known opponents.
Coker -- ever the optimist when it comes to the brand he built from the ground up -- stressed the benefits that Showtime's free preview weekend could bring to this card, noting, "Instead of being in 20 million homes...you're going to be in 70 or 75 million homes."
Then again, with a 10 p.m. ET start time on Saturday, you're also going up against the end of the Lions-Saints NFL playoff game that starts at 8 p.m. ET. You're also sandwiched between a UFC pay-per-view and frantic streak of UFC events that runs all the way through January and February before pausing for a breath. If you're an MMA fan -- even a hardcore fan who knows enough to know why Rockhold-Jardine is an odd pairing for a main event title fight -- you're probably more likely to sit out a Strikeforce event than you are to miss Carlos Condit-Nick Diaz or the UFC on FOX.
This is just one of many problems for Strikeforce fighters. As the UFC cranks up the dial on its own events schedule from 'intense' to 'insane,' something's got to give. It's only reasonable that Strikeforce would be the first to get thrown overboard when resources get scarce. The top fighters will quickly run out of top opponents, and the public will continue to regard the UFC champs as the de facto MMA champs. Meanwhile, all Rockhold can do is beg for the UFC to send him a contender and let him prove himself, but without annoying the powers that be in the process.
"All the top ten guys or whatever are in the UFC," Rockhold said. "I'd love to see some of the guys jump over, because I don't think we get enough credit in Strikeforce. I think we've got 'Jacare,' me, and [Tim] Kennedy -- I think all three of us can beat anybody in the top ten. I think if they want to build Strikeforce...a huge thing would be to bring over a top contender from the UFC and throw him in the mix here with all of us."
Of course, when you pan over to Coker for his response on the likelihood of any of that happening, you get an answer that tells you everything you need to know: "You have to talk to Dana about that one."
And Uncle Dana, if you haven't noticed, is sort of busy with this whole UFC thing at the moment. Strikeforce fighters? They can leave a message at the beep. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, strikeforce, fighter, event, rockhold
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseFive Ounces of Podcast: Episode 14
Kick off the new year right with the Five Ounces of Podcast featuring Samer Kadi and Jeremy Lambert reviewing UFC 141 and DREAM New Year! 2011 before previewing this weekends first MMA event of 2012; Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine. We begin with a look back at UFC 141 and why, even though the fight lasted less than three minutes, we were both so impressed with Alistair Overeem‘s performance in the main event against Brock Lesnar. Plus Jeremy makes a bold prediction concerning Lesnar’s future. Also we’ll look at the rest of the card including Nate Diaz‘s victory over Donald Cerrone and why Diaz is good for the sport of MMA, Johny Hendricks and were he stands at 170 after defeating Jon Fitch, and all the other action from the night. Then we’ll briefly talk about the nine hour event that was DREAM. We’ll run down the other card and tell you which fighters should be in the UFC sometime in 2012. Finally we’ll quickly preview this weekends Strikeforce event, which appears to be rather underwhelming on paper. All that and the usual tangents that including more talk of why fighters should stay off twitter, Goldberg’s stunning use of the word “turk” and Joe’s Keys to Victory.
It’s two hours of MMA talk, so check it out.
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Download (Right Click -> Save Link As) – iTunes
Posted in: ufc, mma, event, podcast, year right
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainBob Sapp vs. Rolles Grace is slated for One FC’s next event
Since Asia considers Bob Sapp some sort of demigod, it's no surprise that ONE FC has chosen The Beast to compete against Rolles Gracie in their second card which will take place in Jakarta, Indonesia. MiddleEasy will be there just to see what it will be like when Sapp fights in an MMA promotion that actually allows soccer kicks and head stomps. Some of you remember the last time Bob Sapp was supposed to fight in Asia. It was scheduled for Dynamite!! 2010 against Shinichi Suzukawa in an open-palm, Pancrase style match-up. Bob Sapp claimed FEG promised him a $30,000 purse, but it was reduced to $15,000 when he arrived in Japan for the event. Literally minutes before he was supposed to compete in the NYE card, Sapp refused to enter the arena and we were all left with an extra fifteen minutes to down our energy drinks in order to stay up for the remainder of the night. FEG officials contested Sapp's claim and even called him out Twitter, mentioning Sapp 'should not be considered as a normal person' and he is 'the worst, most lamentable dust man.' FEG either announced Sapp was a supervillain with the ability to control dust -- or Google translator needs a little work.
Let's hope we're all presented with a circa 2005 Bob Sapp on February 11th 2012 at The BritAma Arena. Also, be sure to look out for some rather interesting ONE FC/MiddleEasy projects that we have planned leading up to ONE FC's second event. [Source]
Posted in: event, feg, bob, fc, sapp
Read the full article at Middle EasyBest event of 2011: UFC 139 featuring Shogun Rua vs Dan Henderson
Earlier this month, we here at MMAmania.com embarked on a quest to determine the best of the best in the year 2011. The final category voted on by you, the fans, was the "Event of the Year." And while there were plenty of worthy candidates, there were two that stood out from the rest.
They also happened to occur not long before the voting process started. A case of what's freshest instead of what's best?
Perhaps but the eventual winner, the UFC 139: "Shogun vs. Henderson" event, featured the "Fight of the Year" in Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua, so it is somewhat fitting that it emerged victorious. The show also saw Wanderlei Silva stop Cung Le and Urijah Faber earn a bantamweight title shot against Dominick Cruz by besting Brian Bowles.
Then again, the other event in the running, UFC 140: "Jones vs. Machida," was headlined by the "Fighter of the Year," Jon Jones, who defended his light heavyweight title in spectacular fashion with a submission win over Lyoto Machida. Plus, this was the same fight card that gave us the "Submission of the Year" when Frank Mir snapped Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's arm like a twig.
You decided, Maniacs, so maybe you can tell us how UFC 139 beat out UFC 140. Do so after checking out the full results of our poll for the best event of 2011 after the jump.
Poll results:
UFC 139: "Shogun vs. Henderson" -- 946 votes
UFC 140: "Jones vs. Machida" -- 873 votes
UFC 132: "Cruz vs. Faber" -- 184 votes
UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs. Shields" -- 179 votes
Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Silva" -- 105 votes
Other -- 103 votes
Remember to check out winners in all the other categories including "Fight of the Year," "Knockout of the Year," "Submission of the Year" and "Fighter of the Year" by clicking here, here, here and here.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, vote, year
Read the full article at MMA ManiaAugust 2011 MMA Recap: UFC Signs With Fox, Brock Lesnar Returns, UFC Rocks Rio
As the summer came to a close, the UFC culminated their rise to prominence by signing a deal with Fox that had a ripple effect with fight promotion and their Spike relationship and then went back to their roots with a show in Rio, Brazil that exceeded expectations inside and outside the Octagon.
August 2011: Blame It On Rio
In one of the biggest business stories in MMA history, the UFC inked a seven-year deal with Fox, ending their run with Spike that started in 2005 and bringing MMA action back to primetime network TV. There was no shortage of stories and opinions with threads on how the deal would affect placement of major fights and whether this meant that MMA had finally arrived in the mainstream.
The deal called for four events on "big" Fox, The Ultimate Fighter and other events moving to FX on Friday nights and Fuel TV becoming essentially the UFC network with 2000 yearly hours of original and archive programming. A bonus show would kick things off in November (Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson was speculated early), part of four straight weeks of UFC events.
The impact of the deal will truly be felt in 2012, but the early signs (major advertising and promos during NFL games) was a great sign that Fox was taking the relationship seriously.
****
The UFC returned to Brazil for the first time in 12 years with UFC 134, punctuated by three finishes by native sons that electrified the wild Rio crowd. Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva showed why he was such a favorite, defeating Yushin Okami with ease in a second round TKO victory while Mauricio Rua humbled a distracted Forrest Griffin in just two minutes.
But the lasting memory was Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira knocking out Brendan Schaub in an upset that had to be seen to be believed. The crowd went into a euphoric state and was a fantastic lasting moment of the historic return -- a reason why the UFC said they were returning in 2012 with a show at a large open air venue. It was almost enough to make people forget about Nogueira's unfortunate statement about not wanting to train with a gay student.
****
After undergoing surgery to remove a foot of his colon and with his future in doubt, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar announced that "he was back" with Dana White acknowledging that his top pay-per-view star was getting back in the gym in hopes for an early 2012 return.
The rest of a busy August in MMA continues after the jump.
Zuffa severed ties with the Golden Glory fight team over the process on how fighters were paid, releasing three fighters as a result. White broke down the issues and later said he was open to working things out as he wanted Alistair Overeem in the UFC...Rashad Evans defeated Tito Ortiz and Vitor Belfort decimated Yoshihiro Akiyama at the injury-riddled UFC 133 event, but the big story was Dennis Hallman's choice of trunks. White was less than thrilled...Jon Jones called Evans a 'jealous snake'...Matt Hamill retired...Rampage Jackson said Jones was spying on his camp.
Fedor Emelianenko was released by Strikeforce but M-1 Global was quick to say he wasn't retiring...Ronda Rousey started making noise about being the new face of women's MMA...UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos was booked for UFC 139...Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez vs. Jorge Masvidal was announced...Chris Lytle announced he was retiring and then submitted Dan Hardy in a great moment. Despite four straight losses, Hardy kept his job...Ben Henderson looked incredible in dominating Jim Miller.
Trainer Sean Tompkins passed away at just 37 years old...It took 10 seconds for Kimbo Slice to win his pro boxing debut...Jason Miller was arrested...Pat Curran won Bellator's featherweight tournament....Eddie Alvarez vs. Shinya Aoki II looked to become a reality...Jack Shields passed away...Pro Elite was rumored to be in talks with CBS/Showtime, while Zuffa said they were going to re-evaluate Strikeforce on Showtime.
Full archive of July stories on Bloody Elbow
Past Monthly Recaps:
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
Posted in: ufc, mma, fox, event, deal
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowSaturday Night's Mania Event: UFC deal with Fox more important than ever after Brock Lesnar's retirement
What's this? A Saturday Night's Mania Event on a fight weekend?
Indeed, the UFC decided to hold an event on a Friday night (Dec. 30, 2011) to avoid having to leave Las Vegas for its annual year end event, and it brought a big one to town. Brock Lesnar headlined against Alistair Overeem in a colossal heavyweight showdown that would determine the next contender to Junior dos Santos and his 265-pound title.
All was grand heading into last night, save for a few minor worries that the show would do less than desirable business at the box-office thanks to the unusual day it ran, not to mention that it went back to the old 10 p.m. ET start time.
All things considered, the show had to be deemed a success ... until the main event.
Make no mistake, Overeem is a million miles ahead of Lesnar in the fight game. He's so far ahead, in fact, that he won last night's fight by landing 20 of his 25 strikes and easily shaking off Brock's one lone takedown attempt. He deserves all the accolades coming to him.
But let's be real, folks: this was a disaster for the UFC.
UFC President Dana White outright admitted during the post-fight press conference that he thought Lesnar was going to win. That's a rather telling admission. He is, after all, the man who set the fight up and he's got a vested interest in who the winner is. He would probably never tell you as much but he didn't just think Lesnar was going to win last night.
He wanted him to.
This past year was a down one for the UFC. They accomplished quite a few major feats, like buying out their chief competitor, Strikeforce, and striking a deal with a major network like FOX. But pay-per-view business was down in a big way. There are quite a few reasons for that but the biggest is that the two biggest stars of the promotional fought a combined two times. Now, one of them (Georges St. Pierre) has a knee injury that could signal the beginning of the end of his career and the other (Lesnar) just retired.
Where, oh where, have all the stars gone? And who is going to step up to pick up the slack?
Let's compare pay-per-view numbers from 2010 to 2011. It's a pretty bleak outlook.
2010:
UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva -- 300,000 UFC 109: Couture vs. Coleman -- 275,000 UFC 110: Nogueria v. Velasquez -- 215,000 UFC 111: St. Pierre vs. Hardy -- 770,000 UFC 112: Silva vs. Maia -- 500,000UFC 113: Machida vs. Shogun -- 520,000 UFC 114: Evans vs. Rampage -- 1,050,000 UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin -- 525,000 UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin -- 1,160,000 UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen -- 600,000 UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2 -- 535,000 UFC 119: Mir vs. Cro Cop -- 295,000 UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez -- 1,050,000 UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida -- 500,000 UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck -- 800,000
That is one astounding year. 11 of the 15 pay-per-views broke the 500,000 buy mark with three going over 1 million. In all, the UFC sold 9,095,000 PPV buys in 2010. Here's how this past year looked in comparison.
2011:
UFC 125: Edgar vs. Maynard 2 -- 270,000UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort -- 725,000UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch -- 260,00UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones -- 445,000UFC 129: St. Pierre vs. Shields -- 800,000UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill -- 325,000UFC 131: Dos Santos vs. Carwin -- 325,000UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber -- 350,000UFC 133: Evans vs. Ortiz -- 310,000UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami -- 335,000UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage -- 480,000UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard 3 -- 225,000UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz -- 280,000UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson -- 290,000UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida -- 485,000UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem -- Unknown
Quite the turnaround, no?
Of 16 events held, just three (assuming UFC 141 does at least 500,000 and it looks like it did) surpassed half a million buys and not a single one broke the 1 million buy barrier. In fact, only one event got up to 800,000 buys. After tallying them all up, the result is a paltry 5,905,000. Even if we add 500,000 for UFC 141, we only get up to 6,405,000.
That's a difference of 2,690,000 for all you math majors out there.
Now here's the really alarming part. Imagine the absence of St. Pierre and Lesnar. Without "Rush," you can wipe out 2,370,000 buys over the past two years. Not even including UFC 141, Brock accounts for 2,210,000. That number could very well reach over 3 million.
What's truly troubling here is that there seems to be no one to replace these men. St. Pierre could very well recover from his knee injury and go on to remain the mega-draw he is today but he'll be out for nearly the entirety of 2012. And with Lesnar gone, how low are the numbers going to go?
The first PPV event of the year is on Jan. 14, the UFC 142 event that will be headlined by Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes. It's entirely possible that fight card will become the first since UFC 55 back in Oct. 2005 to fail to crack the 200,000 buy mark.
The good news, though, is that the UFC's deal with FOX officially kicks in at the start of the new year as Dana White so gleefully tweeted:
"Happy New Year everyone! At midnight its official we r now on FOX, Fuel and FX."
Indeed, the first fight card held on FOX to start the new year is a big one. Rashad Evans will headline against Phil Davis in a bout that will determine the next challenger to Jon Jones' light heavyweight championship while Chael Sonnen takes on Mark Munoz in a middleweight title eliminator. That's all without mentioning Michael Bisping vs. Demian Maia, which is also being billed as a 185-pound number one contender bout of sorts.
Two of those men (Evans, Davis) have headlined highly successful PPVs, while another (Bisping) is going to be expected to going forward. And this is where we can truly determine the success of the FOX deal.
The UFC has maintained that it is a PPV company first. That means the fact that they are giving away three major fights for free is simply their way of doing what they can to maximize the future drawing power of those stars. If Evans headlines this FOX show, wins big and goes on to challenge Jon Jones for the title on PPV and it doesn't do great numbers, the FOX deal, at that point, can be considered a short term failure.
That's not to say that fight would do poorly, as the complete opposite is likely to happen if it does occur. But it's a risk the UFC is taking by giving away the milk for free and hoping audiences will still want to purchase the cow later on.
And with St. Pierre and Lesnar not around to bolster business, it's downright scary to think of what the numbers will look like if fight fans ditch the cow.
The sky isn't falling but at this point, it's worth keeping your head up.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, year, lesnar
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 142 video preview for 'Aldo vs Mendes' on Jan. 14 in Brazil (Extended)
Brock Lesnar may have just retired from MMA but I assure you, Maniacs, life goes on. In fact, the world's largest fight promotion will return to pay-per-view in just two weeks with its UFC 142: "Aldo vs. Mendes" pay-per-view event on Jan. 14, 2012, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
In the main event of the evening, perennial pound-for-pound great Jose Aldo will defend his featherweight championship for the third time inside the Octagon against undefeated wrestler and Team Alpha Male product Chad Mendes.
The co-main event features perhaps the most famous Brazilian fighter in the world, as "The Phenom," Vitor Belfort heads back home to rumble against Anthony Johnson. And when he's done, he'll coach The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Brazil opposite Wandelei Silva.
How's the card looking to you, folks?
For all the latest news and notes on the UFC 142 pay-per-view event click here.
Posted in: event, fight promotion, jose aldo, brazilian fighter, maniacs life
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 141 Results: Nevada State Athletic Commission Judges Nail Every Decision
Since we'd all be wailing in misery and clacking off scathing criticism on our keyboards if controversial decisions had marred the stellar UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem event, it's only fair that we acknowledge a phenomenal performance by the NSAC judges last night.
It's not uncommon to experience the ominous pangs of uneasiness when the bell rings after a closely contested match and both fighters return to their corners with their arms raised assuredly. That brief span of time when the athletes high-five their team members, don the sponsor gear and reconvene in the center of the cage to await the final announcement can be a tedious nail-biter for viewers.
At UFC 141, the first six fights on the show and seven out of ten overall were decided by the score cards. The judging panel was on point in each and every one.
The only fights that could be considered even remotely controversial were the pair of Spike TV preliminaries: Danny Castillo edged Anthony Njokuani in the evening's only split decision and Ross Pearson was awarded a unanimous decision against Junior Assuncao. While the defeated competitors were understandably unhappy with the results, I was not. MMA will never be exempt from razor-thin fights that could go either way and, therefore, MMA judging will never be perfect. As fans and media, it's fair to expect sensible and relatively conceivable scoring, and that's what we got.
In addition to the judges' consistent accuracy across the board, I might be more impressed by the bold -- yet entirely warranted -- 10-8 scores handed out in Jim Hettes' one-sided shellacking of Nam Phan. As someone who's bickered about the perceived hesitancy to scrawl 10-8 scores in the past, I was especially pleased when all three officials assessed the first round as 10-8 with two seeing the third round the same way.
Just as the bitter aftertaste of sketchy judging can overshadow a solid show, it's no coincidence that a premiere event with a 70% decision rate can still be entertaining and exciting when it's coupled with competent judging -- just like UFC 141 was.
Poll
Was UFC 141 the most adequately judged event of 2011?
Yes
No
11 votes | Results
Posted in: ufc, result, decision, judge, event
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowIllness forces Matt Riddle out of UFC 141, Luis Santos bout pulled from card
LAS VEGAS - Matt Riddle is stricken with an undisclosed illness and is unable to fight at tonight's UFC 141 event.
The welterweight was scheduled to fight Luis Ramos on the event's preliminary card. The bout was slated to stream on Facebook.
However, the bout has been removed from the event, UFC officials today announced.
Posted in: ufc, bout, event, riddle, illness
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem - Live Results and Play-By-Play for PPV Fights
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem. Our live coverage will start with the beginning of the Facebook prelim stream (currently scheduled for 6:50 p.m. ET), continuing through the Spike TV prelim broadcast (9 p.m. ET) and finally through the pay-per-view broadcast (10 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
This post will cover live results and thoughts on the PPV broadcast.
Five fights round out the evening's PPV action with the highly anticipated heavyweight bout between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem serving as the evening's main event. Lightweights are in action in what should be a great fight as Donald Cerrone faces Nate Diaz. The world's #2 welterweight returns to action when Jon Fitch faces Johny Hendricks. Rounding out the card is a bout between Vladimir Matyushenko and rising talent Alexander Gustafsson and a featherweight bout between Nam Phan and Jim Hettes.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
SBN coverage of UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem
Posted in: ppv, overeem, event, lesnar, event lightweights
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 141 preview video: Full 'Countdown' to 'Lesnar vs. Overeem' PPV event
"Countdown" to UFC 141 video above, which aired earlier this week on FUEL TV, provides a window into the preparation and training camps of the hulking heavyweights who are set to headline tonight's main event between former division champion Brock Lesnar and Strikeforce import Alistair Overeem.
UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem" is the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion's final (and BIGGEST) pay-per-view (PPV) event of the 2011 fight season. It is scheduled to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, later this evening (Dec. 30, 2011), with the PPV main card beginning at 10 p.m. ET.
In addition to the colossal collision between Lesnar and "Demolition Man," the "Countdown" special goes behind-the-scenes of the co-main event that features a volatile lightweight scrap between Nate Diaz vs. Donald Cerrone.
Enjoy.
For more on UFC 141 be sure to hit up our complete news archive right here. Remember, too, that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE UFC 141 results all night long right here.
Posted in: ufc, overeem, event, lesnar, countdown
Read the full article at MMA ManiaFive Ounces 2011 Year-End Awards: Bummers, Bravado, and Brouhahas
The final week of 2011 has arrived, and though the year may not have delivered on the public’s long-standing dream of flying cars and laser-blasters it was certainly a period filled with memorable months from a Mixed Martial Arts viewpoint. We witnessed champions fall in dramatic fashion, prospects rise from the ranks to become divisional kings, and numerous fighters emerge victorious by the skin of their teeth. We saw shocking signings and ridiculous releases; countless classics and numerous nod-offers; moves in the ring unlike any other before and some hopefully never seen again.
With the close of the year, Five Ounces of Pain is bringing you our annual awards as we wind things down and get ready for the adventures 2012 will undoubtedly bring. Over the next few days we will announce our winners in somewhat unique categories with a final batch of standard distinctions handed out on Monday, January 2, once all the year’s performances have been turned in.
As always, 5 Oz. invites our readers to offer their own opinions in the “Comments” section on who should have taken home the hardware (or in this case digital love). We would not be here without you, and rest assured the Staff not only appreciates your contributions from a “page view” standpoint, but genuinely enjoys reading our community’s take on topics. Have an incredibly fun, albeit safe, NYE weekend!
– Most Epic Event –
UFC 139: Any event featuring one of MMA’s all time greatest bouts is surely going down as a memorable one. When an event contains not only an all time classic, but some breathtaking action from top to bottom as well, it has to go down as the best of the year. From the very first Facebook fight to the epic main event, UFC 139 delivered on every level and then some.
After some terrific finishes on the prelims, the main card started somewhat slowly with Stephan Bonnar’s dominant but unspectacular win over Kyle Kingsbury. However, the pace quickly picked up once again after that, as Martin Kampmann and Rick Story battled in a highly entertaining affair that saw the Xtreme Couture product edge out his foe by the slimmest of margins. Urijah Faber then produced one of the best finishing sequence ever witnessed inside the Octagon to dispose of Brian Bowles, before Wanderlei Silva rolled back the years with a vintage cringe-inducing beating of former Strikeforce middleweight champ Cung Le.
But the night would belong to Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who put on one of the most thrilling bouts in MMA history, which was later deemed by many to be the best fight of all time. While that notion is debatable, the fact that Henderson and “Shogun” produced one for the ages is anything but, making UFC 139 worthy of being called 2012’s most epic event.
– Best Performance in a Losing Role –
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139: I have a hard time calling “Shogun” a loser in his fight at UFC 139 against Henderson, not only because I thought he won the fight or, at worst, it should have been ruled a draw, but when you go five rounds with “Hendo” at light heavyweight, live to tell about it, and put on what many are calling one of the best UFC fights of all-time then I think loser is a pretty harsh term. Seemingly done multiple times during the bout, Rua managed to survive multiple “H-Bombs” and, like a true warrior, fought back with Ginn-Su swords and ninja stars. Rua displayed the kind of heart that Edgar Allen Poe wrote about in his famous short-story.
– Most Disappointing Moment –
Georges St. Pierre’s inability to fight: GSP is one of the premier talents in MMA; a top pound-for-pound fighter whose athleticism and technique are rarely matched on any level in the sport. However, while he may possess a spectacular Superman Punch, he is in fact a mere mortal as proven by a series of injuries shelving him for more than a year. To endure the roller-coaster ride from the past few months has been rough in particular, seeing two fights with Nick Diaz laid to waste and a third against Carlos Condit experience the same fate. Heal up, champ! “Da Riddum” Nation needs you!
Check back in tomorrow when we discuss the awards for Most Meteoric Rise, “Who Saw That Coming,” and Old Timer of the Year! You can also catch yesterday’s honors to see who took home the Beatdown of the Year, Trash-Talk Gone Wrong, and “Sometimes These Things Happen in MMA” trophies…
PHOTO CREDIT – COMBAT LIFESTYLE
Posted in: ufc, fight, time, event, year
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainDaMarques Johnson named for UFC’s first card in Sweden
It appears DaMarques Johnson and John Maguire have been signed to compete at UFC on FUEL TV 2, an event scheduled to take place on April 14 from the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
Thought he card has not been announced by the UFC yet, rumors have it set to become the fourth international event in the early months of 2012 by the fight organization. Other shows planned for Brazil, Japan and Canada are already on deck.
The event is set to be televised by FUEL TV though it is unknown if Johnson-Maguire will be on the preliminary or main part of the show. HeavyMMA was the first to report the fight.
Johnson got himself back on track with a knockout of Clay Harvison in the first round of UFC on FOX : Velasquez vs. Dos Santos. The Ultimate Fighter alumnus sports a career record of 15-9, while going 4-3 in seven matches inside the Octagon.
Meanwhile, Maguire won his UFC debut by topping Justin Edwards earlier this year. Overall, the United Kingdom competitor is 17-3 in his MMA career.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, event, johnson, damarques johnson, fight organization
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC 141: Overeem vs. Lesnar Live Chat and Discussion
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar returns to the UFC Octagon to face Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC 141 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is co-headlined by what could be a #1 contender bout in the Lightweight division, as Donald Cerrone goes to war against Nate Diaz.The action will continue next morning as Fedor Emelianenko returns to Japan in a fight with the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Gold Medalist Satoshi Ishii. The event headlines DREAM's traditionally stacked New Year's Eve fight
Posted in: ufc, event, lesnar, ufc octagon, donald cerrone
Read the full article at Low Kick'DREAM: New Year! 2011' weigh-in results: Headliners, champs on weight
The headliners and title-fight participants competing at Saturday's "DREAM: New Year! 2011" event successfully have made weight for the show.
Weigh-ins for the event, officially dubbed "Genki Desu Ka!!," took place today in Tokyo.
Saturday's event, which airs live on HDNet in the early-morning hours (1 a.m. ET/10 p.m. PT), takes place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Posted in: event, place today, titlefight participants, saturdays dream, show weighins
Read the full article at MMA JunkieVideo: UFC champ Junior Dos Santos near full-health, eyeing next foe
LAS VEGAS - UFC heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos will be cageside for
this weekend's key tilt between former champ Brock Lesnar and former
Strikeforce titleholder Alistair Overeem, and he'll certainly be an
interested observer.
The winner of the UFC 141 event, of course, meets Dos Santos at a future event.
Dos Santos thinks he's got the result out the bout figured out, but he's prepared to fight either man.
Posted in: ufc, event, do, champ, he
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC boss says Mir was on standby if Overeem was denied UFC 141 license
LAS VEGAS - So UFC 141's main event hung in the balance, after all.
Frank Mir was on deck in the event that the Nevada State Athletic Commission declined to license Alistair Overeem to fight Brock Lesnar, UFC president Dana White today told MMAjunkie.com.
"I promise I didn't lie in Toronto about Alistair," White said. "I really had no idea."
Posted in: ufc, overeem, event, ufc boss, nevada state
Read the full article at MMA JunkieDana White Talks UFC 141, Why He Rehired Miguel Torres
Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, News, VideosLAS VEGAS -- Watch below as UFC president Dana White discusses the UFC 141 main event between Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar, Overeem's issues leading up to the event, Lesnar's road back to the UFC, the Donald Cerrone-Nate Diaz scuffle at the press conference, the return of Efrain Escudero, educating the public that this event is happening on a Friday, and rewriting the UFC history books to award Duane Ludwig with the fastest KO.
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Posted in: ufc, press conference, event, alistair overeem, efrain escudero
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseBrock Lesnar vs Alistair Overeem staredown pic from UFC 141 pre-fight press conference
This one is going to be BIG.
The UFC 141 pre-fight press conference took place today (Dec. 28, 2011) in the lobby of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, as one of the last official events in preparation for the "Lesnar vs. Overeem" event taking place this Fri., Dec. 30, 2011, in "Sin City."
Brock Lesnar, who says he's "feeling as good as ever," stared down his opponent, Alistair Overeem, who continues to claim he's going to finish this fight before it makes it to the third round.
Who do you believe?
Nate Diaz vs. Donald Cerrone is also on the card as the co-main event of the evening and they were at the pre-fight presser to make their presence felt. And did they ever. Shortly after the staredown (pic after the jump), Diaz knocked off Cerrone's hat and shoved him across the stage.
It's about to get buck on Friday, Maniacs.
For a complete transcription of all the relevant notes and quotes from the UFC 141 pre-fight press conference click here.
Posted in: event, garden arena, prefight, cerrones hat, official events
Read the full article at MMA ManiaApril 2011 MMA Recap: UFC 129 Draws Big, Randy Couture Retires, Nick Diaz's Boxing Tease
When the UFC went on sale with tickets for UFC 129 and sold out in several minutes, then did the same thing again when they released more tickets, people knew the Toronto debut was going to be big. We just didn't know how big. That, Randy Couture's final fight and Nick Diaz's love affair with boxing headlined the big stories in April.
April 2011 - 55,000 Of My Rowdy Friends
Finally cleared to run a major show in Toronto, Canada, the UFC achieved another major milestone with a UFC/North American record crowd of 55,000 people in Rogers Centre to watch UFC 129 and their countryman Georges St. Pierre in the main event. Action aside, the shots like you see above are pretty incredible. Dana White and company insisted on a top-flight fan experience inside the venue and by all accounts, their goals were achieved. The weekend featured a Fan Expo and everything was treated like a major happening. It was a nice dry run for the UFC if/when they run large-scale events in Dallas, TX, or outdoors in Brazil; a massive business achievement where the fighting wasn't too bad either.
St. Pierre looked human in a unanimous decision win over Jake Shields where the champion suffered a left eye injury and fought the majority of the bout with impaired vision. Shields couldn't take advantage, however, and kept the fight standing. It would turn out to be the only fight of the year for St. Pierre, while Shields is still looking for his first impressive outing in the Octagon.Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo made his UFC debut and fended off a tough challenge by local favorite Mark Hominick, while Lyoto Machida's crane kick of doom knocked out Randy Couture, powered by training with Steven Seagal (again, seriously!). Couture said before the event that he was retiring and he held to his word.
****
Chael Sonnen's issues continued as claims he had made about conversations with Keith Kizer of the Nevada State Athletic Commission were disputed by Kizer. He was attempting to be licensed by the NSAC to coach on season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter but that was severely in doubt due to a myriad of issues. He was officially sentenced to probation and a fine in his federal money laundering case, but his NSAC hearing was postponed.
****
Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu reigned supreme as Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz beat Paul Daley in a great round of action while Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez dominated Tatsuya Kawajiri at a Strikeforce event. That only fueled the passion for those that wanted to see Diaz vs. St. Pierre and Melendez vs. UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar as the event came a month after the Zuffa purchase. At the time, Scott Coker was suggesting crossover fights could happen within 8-12 months and pay-per-view was being discussed for the summer. Seems like an eternity ago, no?
None of it stopped Diaz from threatening to go to boxing.
The rest of the month after the jump...
Other Stuff That Happened
Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones pulled out of his August title defense against Rashad Evans due to a hand injury and Phil Davis was tabbed to take Jones' place. The injury originally was going to require surgery and then didn't, which was a cause of much discussion...Anderson Silva celebrated his birthday, got a booking against Yushin Okami at UFC Rio and said he would never fight Jones.
Bellator got on the map with Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez defeating Pat Curran in a tough unanimous decision and Welterweight Champion Ben Askren having an easy time in a non-title win over Nick Thompson...Dana White defended the low TUF 13 ratings despite having Brock Lesnar on the show....the Strikeforce purchase ended the Dave Batista talks but Royce Gracie was still angling to get on the UFC Rio event.
Former NHL fighter Donald Brashear announced his MMA debut...Jason "Mayhem" Miller became the first big name from Strikeforce to sign with the UFC post-Zuffa sale...Dan Henderson vs. Fedor Emelianenko talks heated up...Thiago Silva was suspended for one year due to a failed drug test...Diego Sanchez vs. Matt Hughes was booked for the fall.
April's full archive of stories on Bloody Elbow
Past Monthly Recaps:
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
Posted in: ufc, diaz, event, champion, april
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowFinalized match order for Inoki NYE card #ufc @MMASupremacy @LucaFury @frontrowbrian @robnashville
Your match guide listing for the Inoki NYE event at Saitama Super Arena.
Posted in: event, arena, nye, inoki, guide listing
Read the full article at Fight OpinionReplacement Fabricio Camoes steps in to fight Reza Madadi at UFC on FX 1
UFC vet Fabricio Camoes is back in the fold to fill a vacancy at UFC on FX 1.
Sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com that the Brazilian is set to meet octagon newcomer Reza Madadi at the event. Tatame initially reported the matchup.
Madadi initially was slated to fight Rafaello Oliveira at next month's event before an injury forced him off the card.
Posted in: ufc, event, event today, madadi, event tatame
Read the full article at MMA JunkieDREAM New Year's Eve 2011 video preview for HDNet broadcast on Dec. 31
It's not often you get a live mixed martial arts (MMA) event that's longer than your average workday, but then again, not every event can be like the FieLDS year-end supershow in Japan.
2011 will be no exception, as Genki Desu Ka!! will kick off from the Saitama Super Arena with nine straight hours of MMA action beginning this Friday night (Dec. 30) at 10 p.m. ET on HDNet.
The event, headlined by a heavyweight bout between Fedor Emelianenko and Satoshi Ishii, will feature a mixture of MMA, K-1, and pro wrestling bouts.
In short, there's a little something for everyone.
Here's what to expect (thus far) from the DREAM/Genki Desu Ka!! supershow:
DREAM Bantamweight Grand Prix:
135 lbs.: Bibiano Fernandes vs. Rodolfo Marques135 lbs.: Masakazu Imanari vs. Antonio Banuelos135 lbs.: Winner of Fernandes-Marques vs. Winner of Imanari-Banuelos
Main Card:
265 lbs.: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Satoshi Ishii155 lbs.: Shinya Aoki vs. Satoru Kitaoka170 lbs.: Hayato Sakurai vs. Ryo Chonan145 lbs.: Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Takeshi Inoue155 lbs.: Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kazuyuki Miyata115 lbs.: Megumi Fujii vs. Karla Benitez
Mixed Rules Bout:
155 lbs.: Yuichiro Nagashima vs. Katsunori Kikuno
Kickboxing Bouts:
140 lbs.: Yuta Kubo vs. Nils Widlund140 lbs.: Masaaki Noiri vs. Kengo Sonoda
Pro Wrestling Bouts:
Kazushi Sakuraba and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shinichi Suzukawa and Atsushi SawadaKazuyuki Fujita vs. Peter AertsJosh Barnett vs. Hideki SuzukiTim Sylvia vs. Jerome LeBanner
MMAmania.com will provide results and live fight coverage of the DREAM 2011 New Year's Eve supershow beginning at 10 p.m. ET on Dec. 31.
As with any Japanese event, bouts have been known to be tacked on all the way up until fight night, so stay tuned for more roster changes as we get closer to kick off.
More on the upcoming DREAM extravaganza here.
Posted in: bout, vs, dream, event, lb
Read the full article at MMA ManiaFor you Maniacs making the trip out to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the upcoming "Lesnar vs. Overeem"...
For you Maniacs making the trip out to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the upcoming "Lesnar vs. Overeem" event set to go down on Dec. 30, 2011, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the UFC has provided you with this handy-dandy schedule of events to work your weekend around. Who's heading to "Sin City" this weekend to enjoy the festivities? For a hi-res version of the UFC 141 schedule of events poster click here.
Posted in: event, sin city, lesnar, garden arena, handydandy schedule
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 141 pros pick video predictions featuring Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Mark Munoz and more
Pros pick the UFC 141 main event between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem, booked for this Friday night (Dec. 30, 2011) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Hear fighter breakdowns from Wanderlei Silva, Jorge Lopez, Manny Gamburyan, Martin Kampmann, Kevin Randleman and Rafael Cordeiro.
More pros make their picks, after the jump.
Who is getting the nod from Vitor Belfort, Nam Phan, Gilbert Melendez, Gegard Mousasi and Brad Tavares?
Matt Hume, Mark Munoz, Jake Shields, Mike Dolce, Krzysztof Soszynski, Dr. Ryan Parsons, Jon Fitch, Javier Mendez and Justin McCully also share their thoughts on UFC 141's heavyweight main event.
We've heard from some of the fighters, now let's hear from the fans. What do you think of the picks from the pros? Anyone make a convincing enough argument to change your original choice? Why or why not?
For more on the UFC 141 main event click here.
Posted in: ufc, event, pro, video predictions, justin mccully
Read the full article at MMA ManiaFebruary 2011 MMA Recap: The Rise Of Jon Jones, Fedor Gets Crushed, Michael Bisping's Spitgate
The MMA year that was 2011 will be remembered for a lot of big news events, great fights, a little controversy and always plenty to talk about. This continues our series looking back month-by-month at what happened, who did what and what was to come.
February 2011: Contenders & Champions
Going into his UFC 126 title defense against Vitor Belfort, Anderson Silva had his boss worried about whether it would be a "staring competition" or a great fight. Dana White's concerns were mitigated as Silva knocked out Belfort with a highlight reel front kick in the first round, taught to him by Steven Seagal. (Seriously.)
It would be one of two Silva title defenses in 2011, but following this win, it was expected that he would next face Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre in a superfight. We're still waiting on that one.
On this same event, Jon Jones began his march to an amazing 2011 with a dominant victory over Ryan Bader, handing the prospect his first career defeat. Following the fight, Jones was asked the question that would flare a rivalry as he was offered a shot at Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio Rua because of an injury to Rashad Evans. Jones accepted in the cage, the buzz was heavy and the fight was on.
Interestingly enough, Evans said he would move up in weight if Jones won as he didn't want to fight his friend. What a difference a few months makes. Lost amidst this whole deal: Quinton Jackson turned down a shot at Rua.****
Much of Fedor Emelianenko's shine was dimmed with his 2010 defeat to Fabricio Werdum. The remaining glitter was dulled at the hands of Antonio Silva who crushed the Russian in a second round TKO win in the Strikeforce Grand Prix opening round. That set off a barrage of 'Should he retire?' and 'What's his legacy?' pieces on BE with Fedor's face giving its opinion. A ton of people watched the event, which resulted in the next set of fights getting postponed to capitalize on the positive press. Uh huh.
****
The UFC's return to Australia yielded two newsworthy stories but for vastly different reasons. In a battle of top welterweight contenders, B.J. Penn and Jon Fitch went to an unsatisfactory draw that drew the ire of plenty. Fitch returned to the seemingly eternal role of "not the No. 1 contender" while people wanted to know where Penn was at this stage of his career, including Penn himself.
In the co-main event, Michael Bisping went into his bout with Jorge Rivera as the favorite but that didn't stop Rivera from picking at Bisping with some pre-fight videos. Bisping didn't take kindly to them and this fight played out in a fashion befitting the ill will with Bisping throwing an illegal knee and spitting at Rivera's corner post-fight in a bizarre victory. Bisping hate came quickly but some said he didn't deserve it. Regardless, Bisping became a major talking point in the business, even with a win over a middle of the road contender.
Other Stuff That Happened
Gilbert Melendez signed a new deal with Strikeforce. Can he call takebacks?....Fedor questioned Alistair Overeem's physical growth...Strikeforce reportedly banked $30 million for their fiscal year....the drunk driver that killed Tapout co-founder Charles "Mask" Lewis was sentenced to nine years in prison...Luke Thomas ventured off to SB Nation's new MMA page, while we launched Bloody Elbow Radio.
Storm clouds gathered on the horizon for Thiago Silva...Jose Aldo got his first UFC fight booked...Frankie Edgar followed St. Pierre's lead in dropping manager Shari Spencer...UFC 129 went on sale, breaking one record and then another one...we're still waiting for TUF Philippines.
For the full archive of the MMA month that was February 2011, click here.
Past Monthly Reviews
January 2011
Posted in: fight, mma, jone, event, bisping
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowHDNet plans to broadcast entire nine-hour DREAM New Year! 2011 event
A day before the ball drops in New York to ring in the New Year, the fine MMA folks at HDNet will begin broadcasting all nine hours of
DREAM‘s upcoming NYE extravaganza, giving diehard MMA fans an opportunity to celebrate the arrival of 2012 two nights in a row!
Set to start Saturday morning at 1:00 AM EST, DREAM New Year! 2011 boasts a variety of fights including those with MMA, kickboxing, and pro wrestling rules, as well as a main event pitting Fedor Emelianenko against Olympic judoka Satoshi Ishii. Others expected to compete include Josh Barnett, Kazushi Sakuraba, Ryo Chonan, plus the card will feature a pair of DREAM championship clashes.
News of the epic nine-hour block was reported by MMAJunkie who confirmed the information with HDNet officials.
The show will go down from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and the original live broadcast will be the only time HDNet televises the event complete, as future airings will be broken up for smaller shows.
Here is the complete card as of now, with more matches expected to be announced in the coming days:
Kickboxing Matches:
Masaaki Noiri vs. Kengo Sonoda
Yuta Kubo vs. Nils Widlund
Pro Wrestling Matches:
Josh Barnett vs. Hideki Suzuki
Atsushi Sawada and Shinichi Suzukawa vs. Kazushi Sakuraba and Katsuyori Shibata
Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Peter Aerts
MMA Matches:
Yuichiro Nagashima vs. Katsunori Kikuno (Mixed-Rules Bout)
Karla Benitez vs. Megumi Fujii
Hideo Tokoro vs. Yusup Saadulaev (Bantamweight Grand Prix reserve)
Antonio Banuelos vs. Masakazu Imanari (Bantamweight Grand Prix Semifinal)
Rodolfo Marques Diniz vs. Bibiano Fernandes (Bantamweight Grand Prix Semifinal)
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kazuyuki Miyata
Hiroyuki Takaya (c) vs. Takeshi “Lion” Inoue (Featherweight Title-Fight)
Ryo Chonan vs. Hayato “Mach” Sakurai
Shinya Aoki (c) vs. Satoru Kitaoka (Lightweight Title-Fight)
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Satoshi Ishii
Posted in: mma, vs, dream, event, hdnet
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC 141 Fight Card: 10 Reasons You Can't Miss This Event
This Friday, the UFC will bring a stacked event to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas as a heavyweight blockbuster battle will take place, pitting former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem against former UFC champion Brock Lesnar in the main event of the evening.
Posted in: ufc, event, champion, las vegas, garden arena
Read the full article at Low KickJanuary 2011 MMA Recap: Edgar-Maynard II, Chael Sonnen Woes, Strikeforce Grand Prix
The MMA year that was 2011 will be remembered for a lot of big news events, great fights, a little controversy and always plenty to talk about. This kicks off our series looking back month-by-month at what happened, who did what and what was to come.
January 2011
Fittingly, the year kicked off with a UFC event, headlined by a quietly built and non buzzworthy rematch between Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard at UFC 125. Nothing much was made of the fight going in, but a Fight Of The Year candidate came out of it even thought it went to a draw.
There was plenty of immediate post-fight chatter about a rematch, but initially UFC President Dana White was hesitant and insistent that WEC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis was going to get his promised opportunity. Within hours, however, that changed and White made the call for Edgar/Maynard III.Also of note on that card, Thiago Silva's destruction of Brandon Vera, Clay Guida's submission win over Takanori Gomi, Brian Stann's big knockout of Chris Leben and two well-known fighters competing for what would be their last time in the UFC in Phil Baroni and Marcus Davis.
****
The bizarre year for Chael Sonnen began to take shape as he pleaded guilty to federal money laundering charges and would plea bargain down to a fine and probation with no jail time. While he avoided going behind bars, he didn't escape the punishment of the UFC who temporarily suspended Sonnen so he could get his life back in order. This put off a rumored bout against Yoshihiro Akiyama and any immediate hope of a rematch with 185-pound champion Anderson Silva.
****
What would turn out to be the most-attended event in UFC history began to take shape as it was confirmed that Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre would face Jake Shields while Randy Couture would meet Lyoto Machida in a battle of former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions at UFC 129 in Toronto.
****
There was plenty of chatter about the Strikeforce Grand Prix tournament and whether the world's No.2 promotion had leapfrogged the UFC with their heavyweights. The promotion ended the month with an event featuring a fun scrap between Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz and Evangelista Santos and Herschel Walker's decimation of Scott Carson.
In general, there was a lot of buzz and positivity about Strikeforce. There was talk of a lightweight Grand Prix and their announce team was called the best in the business. In a few months, the landscape would drastically change.
In Other News
UFC fighter Jacob Volkmann called out President Obama after a win and then was questioned by Secret Service…Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva and Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum were booked for the Grand Prix...UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio Rua vs. Rashad Evans was made official for UFC 128.
Brock Lesnar released his autobiography and was announced as one of the coaches on season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Junior dos Santos with a fight to come at some point...the UFC aired their first ever Facebook fights on their Fight For The Troops 2 event. On that show, Melvin Guillard destroyed Evan Dunham in the headliner...St. Pierre split with his longtime manager.
For the entire archive of Bloody Elbow posts from January 2011, click here.
Posted in: ufc, fight, heavyweight, event, champion
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowNick Diaz Is Poised to Become the Next Big Thing in MMA
Nick Diaz is set to face Carlos Condit in the main event at UFC 143. When that fight concludes, Diaz will either walk out of the Octagon as the UFC’s interim welterweight champion or he will leave the Mandalay Bay Events Center with his first loss in 12 fights...
Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, event, ufc ’s, welterweight champion
Read the full article at Low KickVote for the best UFC/MMA knockouts, fights, submissions and more in 2011
Key business indicators have been down for the UFC in the year 2011. Unlike year's past, not a single pay-per-view event has broken the 1 million buy marker, thanks largely to the absence of Brock Lesnar. Ratings have been so-so at best, although the UFC on Fox 1: "Velasquez vs. Dos Santos" event was a smashing success.
Basically, it's been a down year for the UFC and beyond. But that doesn't mean there wasn't greatness on display many times throughout the past year.
From Jon Jones running roughshod through the light heavyweight division to the epic five-round war between Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua to the crazy Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Henderson" event to Anderson Silva's front kick destruction of Vitor Belfort, it's been a pretty damn exciting year.
As you may or may not have seen, we here at MMAmania.com have been running down the best knockouts, submissions, fights, fighters, events -- all the good stuff -- this past week.
And we need you, Maniacs, to cast your vote.
Best UFC/MMA event of the year
The UFC 140: "Jones vs. Machida" event is currently in the lead but UFC 139: "Shogun vs. Henderson" is hot on its heels and just 16 votes behind. Go make the difference and click here to vote.
Best UFC/MMA fight of the year
Was Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua the best fight of the year? Or does Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard (one or two) deserve the honors? Click here and decide.
Best UFC/MMA knockout of the year
Anderson Silva front kicking Vitor Belfort's teeth down his throat would be tough to top, right? Well, Lyoto Machida did the same thing to Randy Couture, except he actually had him spitting his teeth up. The real kicker? Neither of those knockouts is currently in the lead, though it's close. Click here to find out who is (you'll be shocked) and cast your vote.
Best UFC/MMA submission of the year
Chan Sung Jung twisting up Leonard Garcia like a pretzel and making him tap was one of the better visuals inside a cage this year. But so was Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira staring at his mangled arm after Frank Mir broke it in half. Which one was a better submission. Go here and tell us what you think.
Best UFC/MMA fighter of the year
Jon Jones has had one hell of a year, winning four fights and defending the light heavyweight championship twice against two former division titleholders. But Donald Cerrone has done some big things since coming to the promotion and don't forget about Dan Henderson. Go let us know who you think right here.
That does it, Maniacs. Go cast your votes and make your voice hear. It's all you've got.
Posted in: vs, event, vote, year, ufcmma
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBest UFC/MMA event of 2011
If there really can be "too much of a good thing," then mixed martial arts (MMA) fans should not complain.
This year featured an unprecedented amount of MMA events, which were all available on free television and/or via pay-per-view (PPV). In fact, it was often harder to find a weekend without at least some MMA action than it was one without.
With that much heavy leather flying around, things took a turn for the legendary more often than ever ... and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Follow me after the jump for some of this year's top candidates and to cast your vote for 2011's "Event of the Year:"
Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva
Photo via FCFighter.com
Not only did this event provide a cautionary demonstration of what would happen if you taught a Yeti Brazilian jiu-jitsu, it also featured one of those rare all-heavyweight cards that proved extremely entertaining. The first four bouts --three of them deciding tournament alternates and one kicking off the promotion’s highly-anticipated heavyweight grand prix -- all ended inside the first round in dramatic fashion. The main event started out as a back-and-forth slugfest before devolving into a schoolyard beatdown, featuring Antonio Silva as the frustrated eighth-grader and Fedor Emelianenko as the first-grader in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s always a good time to watch big guys who know what they’re doing, even if it includes the heart-breaking loss of a legend.
UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs. Shields"
Photo via ESPN.com
The very first bout featured a flying triangle finish and it only got crazier from there. From the conventional (Jake Ellenberger flattening Sean Pierson with an evil left hook) to the bizarre (Lyoto Machida giving Randy Couture’s career an unwelcome Hollywood ending), UFC 129 delivered several of the best highlights of the year, producing two "Knockout of the Year" candidates, one "Submission of the Year" candidate, and one of the most entertaining title defenses in recent memory between José Aldo and Mark Hominick. Beauty, eh?
UFC 132: "Cruz vs. Faber"
While many were less-than-enthused about Urijah Faber receiving yet another title shot, the Alpha Male veteran, along with the rest of the cast, more than paid their dues, producing a spectacular event from top to bottom. The Spike TV "Prelims" lasted just over three minutes combined, featuring two brutal knockouts. And every single bout on the main card delivered in spades, too. Carlos Condit obliterated Dong Hyun Kim with a beautiful flying knee, Tito Ortiz stunned the world by rocking and submitting Ryan Bader, Dennis Siver and Matt Wiman left everything in the cage over three rounds, Chris Leben proved once again that being unconscious is no obstacle in his quest to knock out all foo’s with the bad luck of weighing 185 pounds, and the much-maligned Faber gave the heretofore-untouchable Dominick Cruz the toughest fight of his dominant reign. That’ll do, gentlemen. That’ll do.
UFC 139: "Shogun vs. Henderson"
Photo via KevinMarshallOnline.com
Everyone knew there was no way the main event wouldn’t be spectacular, but the rest of the competitors went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that fans weren’t paying $50 for one real fight. Gleison Tibau went to war with Rafael dos Anjos, while prospects Chris Weidman and Michael McDonald shined with brutal stoppages on the "Prelims," while Urijah Faber and Wanderlei Silva scored stunning victories on the main card. What truly elevated this card to one of the best of the year, however, was the unbelievable battle between Mauricio Rua and Dan Henderson, both of whom proved tough as nails and cemented themselves as two of the greatest fighters of our era. PRIDE never die!
UFC 140: "Jones vs. Machida"
I’m still trying to repress my memories of this one. If nothing else, UFC 140 wins the "Fight for the Troops" award for most nightmare-inducing event of the year. Jon Jones strangled Lyoto Machida into creepy unconsciousness, Frank Mir snapped Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's arm like toothpick and Chan Sung Jung pasted Mark Hominick with a seven-second knockout, among other human destruction. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need something to drink that legally qualifies as drain cleaner in my vain quest to forget this one ever happened.
If we missed some awesome event, be sure to let us know in the comments. Thanks for following MMAmania’s "Best of 2011" series and casting your votes. We'll share the final results of the voting early next week. In the meantime, have a very merry, and safe, Christmas holiday.
To see our 2011 "Fight of the Year" nominees and cast another vote click here.
To see our 2011 "Knockout of the Year" nominees and cast another vote click here.
To see our 2011 "Submission of the Year" nominees and cast another vote click here.
To see our 2011 "Fighter of the Year" nominees and cast another vote click here.
Poll
What was 2011's Event of the Year?
Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva
UFC 129
UFC 132
UFC 139
UFC 140
Other
13 votes | Results
Posted in: ufc, event, vote, year, cast
Read the full article at MMA ManiaJapan's got wrasslin' in their MMA!!
Some big names have been added to the pseudo-DREAM pseudo-Dynamite!! NYE event, Genki Desu Ka Omisoka. But they're only pseudo-fights. Pro wrasslin fights to be specific. At the top of the list, Sakuraba will be returning for his first puroresu match since the 90s. This is probably a better idea than a shoot fight since Saku's idea of training nowadays seems to revolve around smoking cigarettes and horsing around.Interestingly enough, Josh Barnett will also pro wrestle at this event. Back when Zuffa first bought Strikeforce, they blocked him from this kinda event but since then have softened their stance ... apparently to the point where Josh can now compete on a card co-promoted by some of the same guys who fucked UFC brass over when they bought PRIDE. This is either a good sign (that the UFC is softening up and no longer considers these jokers as competition) or bad (because it shows how little they care about what Barnett is up to).There have also been rumors that Mirko Crocop may return to Japan in a fake fight capacity. Yeah, there's only one week til the event but how long does it take to prepare a few bodyslams, third rope jumps, then really kick your opponent in the face? The entire line-up as it stands today is after the jump.
read more
Posted in: fight, event, horsing aroundinterestingly, sakus idea, list sakuraba
Read the full article at FightlinkerUFC 141 Countdown special shows focused foursome in Lesnar, Overeem, Cerrone, and Diaz
Two of the biggest heavyweights in the world will collide next Friday night at UFC 141, as Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem meet in an epic battle to become the #1 contender.
As has been the case for the majority of major UFC events, the fight promotion put together a Countdown special for the event that aired recently on FUEL TV. The show follows both former champions as they prepare to face off against each other on December 30 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Lesnar, who has been out for over a year to do another bout of diverticulitis, was quoted as saying during the show, “I don’t even know the guy (Overeem). Never heard of him. To my understanding, he was a champion of some other company.”
The former WWE superstar was right, but Overeem is in fact the former title-holder in three companies: K-1, Strikeforce and DREAM.
Along with Lesnar-Overeem, UFC 141 will feature Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone in a lightweight co-main event war.
Check out the full UFC 141 Countdown below:
Posted in: ufc, overeem, event, brock lesnar, countdown
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainKendall Grove vs. Jay Silva & Justin Buchholz vs. John Gunderson booked for Superior Cage Combat 4
Rising Las Vegas promotion the Superior Cage Combat will carry its momentum from 2011 into their first event of 2012. With three events in the books SCC returns to the Orleans Arena on Thursday February 16th with Superior Cage Combat 4: Grove vs. Silva. Former UFC veterans Kendall Grove (13-9) and Jay Silva (7-5) step into the main event slot for SCC 4. Set for the co-main event spot will be a 155 pound SCC title fight between another pair of UFC fighters as Justin Buchholz (12-6) takes on John Gunderson (32-12-2). On the undercard one time Ultimate Fighter cast member Jamie Yager (5-2) will square up with Danny Davis Jr. (6-5-1) and unbeaten featherweight prospect Brandon Bender (8-0) will also be in action. The winner of season three of the Ultimate Fighter reality show, Grove was released for the promotion after back to back losses to Damian Mia and Tom Boetsch. Grove bounced back with a first round submission win over Joe Riggs at the first Pro Elite event in his home state of Hawaii. Prior to fight under the SCC banner, Grove is scheduled versus Japanese folk hero Ikuhisa Minowa (52-32-8) on January 21st for Pro Elite's fourth event. With the Grove bout, Silva will get another shot at a middleweight with big league experience. After signing with the UFC in 2009, Silva was handed his walking papers following consecutive decision losses to C.B Dollaway and Chris Leben. Silva is 2-2 since leaving the UFC and last competed at SCC 3 in November.
Posted in: ufc, event, silva, grove, scc
Read the full article at UltMMA4 Strikeforce Fighters from Dec. 17 Face Indefinite Suspensions
Four fighters who competed at Strikeforce “Melendez vs. Masvidal” have been indefinitely suspended by the California State Athletic Commission for medical reasons following the Dec. 17 event.
Posted in: strikeforce, fighter, event, dec, california state
Read the full article at SherdogIt looks like Ernesto Hoost will make his return to kickboxing on June 30th
[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div]
Dutch author Karel ten Haaf is reporting once again on kickboxing news, this time pertaining to It's Showtime and K-1. He has connections inside the kickboxing world, having written a book about K-1, most notably Anil Dubar, the trainer of Daniel Ghita. Karel broke the news of match-ups for the K-1 Final 16 this year before it was cancelled.
It's confirmed that It's Showtime will be holding an event on June 30, somewhere in the Netherlands. They've said that full details about the event will be announced during their January 28 show in Leeuwarden. The event is being described as "huge" and that can only lead us to speculate that it'll be at the Amsterdam ArenA. The card that Karel ten Haaf is reporting definitely makes me think that it'll be at the Amsterdam ArenA.
Among the reported match-ups are:
Read More...
Posted in: event, kickboxing, ernesto hoost, amsterdam arena, karel
Read the full article at Middle EasyUFC on FOX 2 video trailer for 'Evans vs Davis' on Jan. 28 in Chicago
Remember when the UFC's deal with FOX was announced and everyone worried that the fights made for free television wouldn't exactly be anything worthwhile? Turns out those fears were unfounded.
That's because UFC on Fox 2, which is scheduled for the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Jan. 28, 2012, is bringing a triple main event to network TV. In the headlining bout, Rashad Evans will look to earn a shot at Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones when he battles undefeated wrestler Phil Davis.
In the co-main event, Chael Sonnen continues his crusade on the middleweight division with another bout against a buddy, as he'll look to take Mark Munoz out of the 185-pound championship chase.
Anderson Silva awaits the winner.
Finally, British banger Michael Bisping will square off against Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia for the right to be next in line for a title shot against whoever is holding the middleweight title when Sonnen, Munoz and Silva settle up.
It's a hell of a card, Maniacs. And it's free. Can't beat that.
For all the latest news and notes on the UFC on Fox 2: "Evans vs. Davis" event click here.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, evan, davi
Read the full article at MMA ManiaNelson-Werdum, Poirier-Lamas Set for UFC’s Super Bowl Saturday Card
Returning heavyweight jiu-jitsu ace Fabricio Werdum will face off with well-rounded contender Roy Nelson at the Feb. 4 event, which emanates from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Additionally, featherweight prospect Dustin Poirier will lock horns with hard-punching wrestler Ricardo Lamas.
Posted in: event, las vegas, ufc ’s, nelsonwerdum poirierlamas, featherweight prospect
Read the full article at SherdogStrikeforce 'Melendez vs Masvidal' ratings average 460,000 viewers for Dec. 17 event on Showtime
Strikeforce: "Melendez vs. Masvidal" took place this past Sat., Dec. 17, 2011, from the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California, and featured the new face of the promotion, Gilbert Melendez, defending his lightweight championship against Jorge Masvidal.
And if the ratings are any indication of the what's ahead for the recently resurrected promotion, there may be hope just yet.
That's because the event averaged 460,000 viewers on Showtime and recorded a 1.35 household rating, according to Sherdog.com. That's up considerably from the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix tournament semifinals, which drew just 274,000 viewers back on Sept. 10.
Much has changed since then, of course, including the outlook for the promotion. No longer is it a lame duck organization waiting to be put out of its misery. Sure, these numbers aren't blowing anyone away but it's a good start under the new agreement.
And you gotta start somewhere.
In the main event of the evening, Gilbert Melendez turned in yet another solid performance and retained his 155-pound championship by outworking Jorge Masvidal over the course of five grueling rounds.
He followed that up by calling out the UFC but he'll have to sit tight and take on whoever Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker can find him.
That may be K.J. Noons, who also won a unanimous decision on the card, besting the always game Billy Evangelista. He did just lose a title eliminator to Masvidal, who earned his shot on this card by defeating Noons, but such is the revolving door in a smaller promotion.
Cristiane Santos once again showed the world why she might actually belong fighting men, as it took her just 16 seconds to dispose of Hiroko Yamanaka, a highly ranked 145-pound lethal lady.
Not so lethal against "Cyborg."
For complete "Barnett vs. Kharitonov" results and recap of all the night's action click hhere and here.
Posted in: promotion, strikeforce, event, masvidal, melendez
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on Fuel 1 Gets Menjivar-Albert Bantamweight Tilt
The UFC on Fuel 1 fight card continued to develop Tuesday, as promotion officials announced that veteran Ivan Menjivar will square off with “The Ultimate Fighter 14” cast member John Albert at the Feb. 15 event.
Posted in: ufc, event, official, promotion officials, fuel
Read the full article at Sherdog'Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal' salaries: Melendez, Mousasi top $580K list
Gilbert Melendez and Gegard Mousasi earned the largest disclosed paydays
at this past weekend's "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal" event, with
each netting $150,000.
MMAjunkie.com today obtained the figures from the California State Athletic Commission.
The total disclosed payroll for the Dec. 17 event was $580,000.
Posted in: vs, event, gegard mousasi, melendez, california state
Read the full article at MMA JunkieStrikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal Draws 460,000 Viewers
So much for the momentum from the announcement that Strikeforce was going to keep on keepin' on in 2012. Last Saturday's event featuring Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez headlining and Women's Featherweight Champion Cristiane Santos in the co-main event drew 460,000 viewers, verified by industry insiders.Of the eight non-Challengers events Strikeforce put on in 2011, Saturday's event ranked sixth in total viewership. February's event featuring Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio Silva led the pack with 741,000 viewers while September's show with Josh Barnett vs. Sergei Kharitonov was in the basement at 274,000 viewers.
On Saturday, Melendez took a unanimous decision win over Jorge Masvidal while Santos dispatched Hiroko Yamanaka in just 16 seconds. Strikeforce will have an opportunity to rebound on Saturday, January 7 when Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold defends his title against Keith Jardine during a free Showtime preview weekend.
Last week, UFC President Dana White announced on a conference call that Strikeforce and Showtime have extended their partnership and will put on 6-8 events in the coming year, eliminating the Challengers series. The number has to be disappointing considering there was a strong lead-in from a major boxing match featuring Andre Ward vs. Carl Froch.
SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal
Posted in: strikeforce, vs, event, saturday, viewer
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowReminder: 'Countdown to UFC 141' debuts Wednesday on FUEL TV
As a reminder, "Countdown to UFC 141" debuts Wednesday on FUEL TV.
The one-hour preview show, which airs at 10 p.m. ET/PT, focuses on next
week's blockbuster UFC 141 event, which features a main event between
former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and former Strikeforce
title holder Alistair Overeem.
"UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem," a rare Friday fight card for the UFC, takes place Dec. 30 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Posted in: ufc, event, lesnar, fuel tv, reminder countdown
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC Tickets Update: Australia On Sale Tuesday, UFC 141 Availability
In case you hadn't heard, the UFC has a ton of events coming up with December 30th's UFC 141 kicking off a stretch where MMA fans will have a Zuffa event for six straight weeks. Here's an update of what tickets are looking like for a lot of them, including some notable price ranges.UFC 141 | Las Vegas: Even with Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem in the main event, there are still plenty of lower level and upper level tickets available with prices ranging from $85 - $840. Floor seats are sold out at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
UFC on FX 1 | Nashville: With a month left to go, you can still get floor seats for the UFC's first FX show on January 20th. Tickets are as inexpensive as I've seen them for a recent UFC event with ranges from $25 - $175 at the Bridgestone Arena.
UFC on Fox 2 | Chicago: The UFC's January 28th return to Chicago for the second event on Fox is selling extremely well with only the 300 level available in the United Center. Tickets range from $40 - $250.
UFC on FX 2 | Australia: Wednesday marks the public on-sale for UFC on FX 2, headlined by Martin Kampmann vs. Thiago Alves and the semifinals of the flyweight tournament with Ian McCall vs. Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani. Fans can get presale access Tuesday using the password 'UFCAussie' with tickets ranging from $75 - $422 USD for Sydney's Allphones Arena.
UFC 143 | Las Vegas: Tickets went on sale last week for Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz for the interim UFC 170-pound title at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Like UFC 141, floor seats are sold out but lower bowl seats are available with a range of $75 - $750.
UFC Japan: The UFC's return to Japan in late-February has gone on sale with ranges from $75 - $1283 USD.
While Ticketmaster is an option for buying tickets, we encourage checking out Bloody Elbow's official ticket partner TiqIQ before plunking down your credit card anywhere else. Here's what they have available now.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, ticket, seat
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowThe Scorecard – Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal
The Scorecard hits the highs and lows of the latest big event offering in MMA. Points are assigned completely at random but stay between ten and negative ten because I hate math.
The final Strikeforce event of the year featured the best fighter not in the UFC and the best female fighter on the planet and yet it felt like any random MMA event on HDNet. Maybe it was because the San Diego crowd was too busy getting prepared for the Chargers Sunday showdown with the Baltimore Ravens on NBC or the Showtime crowd was too busy getting prepared for Sunday’s Dexter and Homeland season finales, but things just didn’t feel important on Saturday night.
Lets go to the scorecard:
*While I didn’t turn it to Showtime at 10:30 because I watched the boxing fight, I’m sure some people did and they didn’t see MMA. I fully blame Showtime for poor time management, knowing that the Andre Ward vs. Carl Froch fight could run into the Strikeforce start time if it went to a decision but they still took 30 minutes to get the guys in the ring. MINUS FOUR
*I hate the Strikeforce highlight video that runs prior to all their events. Half the people they show in the video don’t even compete in Strikeforce anymore. Hopefully they update it or get rid of it next year. MINUS TWO
*According to Mauro Ranallo, Saturday was the biggest night in combat sports history due to the Super Six Final and Strikeforce. It wasn’t even the biggest night in combat sports in the last 2 months. November 12 (UFC on FOX & Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez 3) says hello. MINUS THREE
*Frank Shamrock’s braces. Nothing else needs to be said. MINUS TWO
*Big fan of the “Encore/Numb” mash-up by Jay-Z and Linkin Park so I salute Billy Evangelista for making it his walk out song. PLUS TWO
*K.J. Noons tops Evangelista though by using “All Eyez On Me” by 2Pac. You can never go wrong with 2Pac. PLUS THREE
*It’s not obligatory to mention Chuck Liddell on the Strikeforce broadcast but I’ll give them the obligatory points. PLUS THREE
*I think Pat Miletich provides great insight, but I’m not fully convinced that he knows how to score fights. MINUS ONE
*Fun scrap between Noons and Evangelista. I’m not very high on either guy but I take nothing away from what was a fun fight. PLUS FOUR
*Extra points to the fighters for putting on a nice scrap to kick off the main card. PLUS THREE
*”I have that fire back,” says Noons. Yes. That’s why you lost to Nick Diaz and Masvidal. It’s due to a lack of fire. MINUS ONE
*These backstage interviews always suck. The fighters never say anything important and you know they don’t want to do them. They should be done away with. MINUS TWO
*Really Ovince St. Preux, “We Fly High” by Jim Jones? That was cool five years ago. MINUS TWO
*Kudos to Mauro for working in a Tim Tebow mention during the broadcast even though Shamrock and Miletich completely no sold it. PLUS TWO
*Nice slip of the tongue by Mauro saying, “F*cking bronco” and not “bucking bronco.” PLUS FOUR
*I think the announcers only said “St. Pierre” and “GSP” twice during the OSP fight, so I’ll actually give them credit for not slipping more than that. PLUS TWO
*Even though I thought Gegard Mousasi vs. St. Preux was kind of lackluster, I give credit to Mousasi for really improving his wrestling. PLUS THREE
*That said, St. Preux clearly isn’t as good as people thought he was. His striking looked atrocious and he failed to capitalize on a number of dominant positions. MINUS TWO
*Although I appreciate Mousasi knowing that his performance wasn’t good, don’t ever pull out an excuse card. MINUS ONE
*What an awkward interview with Josh Barnett. However, it was refreshing change from his “I AM A WARLORD!” promo and I thought his analysis on the two title fights was good. PLUS TWO
*If you thought Cristiane Santos vs. Hiroko Yamanaka was going to go any other way, please stop reading. EVEN
*Mrs. Cyborg is a bad woman. I realize that her competition isn’t good (although Yamanaka was the #2 ranked woman in the division, if that means anything) but it still speaks volumes about her skill, power, and killer instinct that she dominates like she does. PLUS FIVE
*Extra point to Santos for getting that chick out of the cage quickly. PLUS THREE
*Also extra points to her for working on and improving her English. PLUS THREE
*Why hello there Ronda Rousey. PLUS THREE
*All the Social Media segments were utterly pointless and made worse by the fact that Heidi Androl isn’t very good. MINUS TWO
*I don’t know what it is, but Strikeforce main events never have that “big fight feel” that UFC bouts have. Gilbert Melendez vs. Jorge Masvidal should have felt like a big fight but it just didn’t. MINUS ONE
*Very impressive performance by Melendez. While Masvidal was very underwhelming, I give credit to Melendez for mixing up his attacks and really improving his striking over the years. PLUS FIVE
*Extra points to Melendez because he played Masvidal’s game for 25 minutes and cruised. PLUS FOUR
*That said, Masvidal brought nothing to the table except a jab until the final minute of the fight. MINUS THREE
*My favorite part of the entire fight was Miletich owning Mauro and Shamrock on commentary in the fifth round with the whole “Masvidal is marking up Melendez’s face and landing a better percentage of strikes” argument. PLUS THREE
*Not a good post-fight promo by Melendez. Maybe he was told beforehand not to go all Nick Diaz, but there wasn’t much passion in his voice about fighting in the UFC. MINUS FOUR
*According to sources, Showtime was going to show some preliminary fights if they had time. Unfortunately they didn’t have time, and you know why? Because they started the show 10 minutes late due to boxing. MINUS THREE
*And finally, Mauro and Pat fumble the ending with the stupid Facebook poll question. What a fitting ending. MINUS TWO
*Overall, I didn’t think the fights were bad, but everything just felt so underwhelming. It’s pretty clear that, no matter what anyone says, Strikeforce is the secondary promotion and to think otherwise is just stupid. An event should be judged by the fights though and none of the fights were terrible, so I’ll give them some positive points. PLUS FIVE
Final Score: 24
For a more in-depth look at this Strikeforce event, make sure to check out tomorrow’s Five Ounces of Podcast with Samer Kadi and myself.
PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE
Posted in: fight, strikeforce, ’t, event, masvidal
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainShowtime Exec Talks Scrapping 'Strikeforce Challengers,' Keeping 'M-1 Challenge'
Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsThe main difference with the old and new Strikeforce deal is the cancellation of the Challengers series in favor of quality fight cards from top to bottom, says Showtime Sports executive vice president Stephen Espinoza.
"Instead of having two stand alone events," Espinoza said Monday on The MMA Hour. "To make it into one huge night of MMA action."
Espinoza made the announcement last Thursday with UFC president Dana White and Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker that Strikeforce will continue producing events for Showtime.
Espinoza says it made more sense to focus on building both the main and preliminary portions of the Strikeforce cards. Previously, Strikeforce undercards were often non-televised/streamed and figured minimally in Strikeforce's long-term plans.
Starting with the Jan. 7 event headlined by Luke Rockhold vs. Keith Jardine, all the preliminary bouts will air on Showtime Extreme leading into the featured bouts on the primary Showtime channel.
Currently, the deal calls for Strikeforce to produce up to eight events in 2012. Showtime then has to make the decision to whether or not continue the agreement.
"We have an option to do additional events beyond that," Espinoza said.
In addition to working with the UFC, Showtime also carries M-1 Challenge events. Although UFC and M-1 are competitors, M-1 will likely continue producing events for Showtime as well.
"We are in discussions with M-1 to continue our relationship and we actually hope that we are going to be contiuning for at least another year," Espinoza said. "And things looks good that we are going to be able to do so." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, strikeforce, event, showtime, espinoza
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC Events Now Available Live on Xbox
Step into the Octagon® and get closer to the action of the Ultimate Fighting Championship® than ever before with your ultimate fight center on Xbox 360. Available for download today for all Xbox LIVE subscribers, UFC® on Xbox LIVE® allows you to experience the intensity and excitement of the world’s fastest growing sport from one central hub – your Xbox 360. To celebrate the launch, UFC on Xbox LIVE will make available UFC® 141: LESNAR vs. OVEREEM on Saturday, Dec. 30 for free to the first 25,000 fans that complete the order process.* These fans will be able to make predictions and prepare for a night of epic fights by watching the weigh-ins, pre-fight press conferences and other related videos live or via the on-demand library. **For the first time, Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE deliver all the heart-pounding UFC action you crave. Purchase Pay-Per-View events in stunning HD, compete with friends in an exclusive fight prediction game, measure your success via friends leaderboards, access the interactive Fight Card, and view pre-fight weigh-ins, press conferences and previews live or through an expansive on-demand video catalogue, only on Xbox 360. Check out the latest sizzle reel to see the application in action, and hear what UFC President Dana White and UFC Hall of Fame legend Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell are saying about UFC on Xbox LIVE. To watch the sizzle reel, click here.Broadcasting live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas at 10 p.m. EST / 7 p.m. PST on Dec. 30, UFC 141 is headlined by a title contender bout between former eavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and international superstar Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem. In addition, UFC 141 is set to usher in the New Year with an entire night of action-packed fights between the UFC’s most elite talent, including Nate Diaz, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Jon Fitch, Johny Hendricks and more. *UFC on Xbox LIVE Holiday Gift Promotion is a limited time offer good only to the first 25,000 Xbox LIVE members (Free (Silver) or Gold) in the United States and Canada age 18+ to order the UFC 141 Pay-Per-View event on Xbox LIVE. Valid credit card required for order. Limit one PPV event per account. Offer ends at 11:59pm PST on December 30, 2011, or while supplies last. This offer is not transferable, not redeemable for cash, and not combinable with any other offers. Microsoft will not be responsible for any late, lost, misrouted, or non-delivered e-mails—or any other network, Internet, or other computer- or communications-related failures—caused by events beyond the reasonable control of Microsoft. Sponsor: Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052.**Pay-Per-View events sold separately. Xbox LIVE Gold Membership required for video content and other premium features. Kinect for Xbox 360 required for voice and gesture controls.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, xbox, microsoft
Read the full article at UFCStrikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal - Live Results and Play-By-Play
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal. The event kicks off at 10:30 p.m. ET on Showtime, directly following the conclusion of the finals of the Super Six World Boxing Classic between Andre Ward and Carl Froch.
The main event for the card sees Gilbert Melendez defend his Strikeforce lightweight championship against Jorge Masvidal. In the co-feature bout, Cristiane Santos puts her women's featherweight title on the line against Hiroko Yamanaka. Scheduled to round out the televised broadcast is Gegard Mousasi taking on Ovince St. Preux in a light heavyweight bout and K.J. Noons squaring off with Billy Evangelista in a lightweight scrap.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down and stick around afterward as we recap all the action and fallout from this card.
SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal
Posted in: strikeforce, vs, event, masvidal, melendez
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowDissecting the new Strikeforce on Showtime deal
It was widely speculated that Strikeforce would fold following the purchasing of the organization by Zuffa and the conclusion of their Showtime deal, but rumors of their demise were greatly exaggerated.
Strikeforce will be sticking around on Showtime and things will be “business as usual” moving forward.
What does this mean for the world of MMA? Well, I’m glad I asked myself.
PRO: More MMA. I’m never going to complain about more MMA on my television. Unless there’s a Taylor Swift concert in town, I’ll cancel my plans to watch any MMA event. And even if there is a Taylor Swift concert in town, I have a DVR to record the event. More MMA can be a bad thing because it makes lesser events feel even less important, but as a hardcore fan and someone who covers the sport, usually from the comfort of my own home, I’m always happy when there is fighting on my TV.
CON: Fighters will want to be in the UFC and will be moved to the UFC. No matter what Dana White says about, “Strikeforce fighters will stay in Strikeforce,” we all know he’s lying. Just like when he said, “business as usual,” and then poached champions Dan Henderson, Alistair Overeem, and Nick Diaz from the organization. Fighters will be moved and they’ll want to be moved. Everyone sees UFC as the big time and they don’t want to be stuck on that second level. You really think Gilbert Melendez will stay in Strikeforce if he wins this weekend? Even if he does, he won’t be happy, because all the top lightweight talent is in the UFC. Muhammed Lawal has already expressed his interest in the UFC, as has Tim Kennedy. Dana says that Gilbert is, “very excited to stay in Strikeforce” and unless that means UFC will be sending over top talent like Clay Guida or Gray Maynard to fight Melendez, I think Dana and Gilbert might have different definitions of “excited.”
PRO: Women’s MMA has a home. Even though the talent pool isn’t all that deep, the women who compete in MMA are very talented and usually deliver exciting fights. Without Strikeforce, they would have been reduced to up-and-coming promotions or Bellator, if they decided to commit to higher women’s weight classes. With Strikeforce sticking around fighters like Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, Cris Santos, and others will have a chance to showcase their skills in front of a larger audience. It also gives younger or mid-level female fighters a goal as they’ll see Strikeforce as the top promotion for female MMA.
CON: Strikeforce won’t have top fighters and their shows won’t seem all that important. The next major Strikeforce show (not the one this weekend) is headlined by a middleweight title fight between Luke Rockhold and Keith Jardine. You read that right. A relatively unknown Rockhold and UFC wash out Jardine will be headling a major Strikeforce event. Strikeforce shows are going to suffer from what I like to call “WEC Lightweight Syndrome.” Every time there was a big WEC lightweight fight, it never felt important because, since Zuffa owned WEC just like they own Strikeforce, we always figured the top lightweights were in the UFC and if guys like Donald Cerrone and Ben Henderson were really that good, they’d be in the UFC. Rockhold might be a good fighter, but until he’s beating the middleweights in the UFC, he’s never going to the respect that he may deserve.
PRO: Showtime is behind the promotion. If they weren’t behind them, I’m sure they wouldn’t have re-signed with them. They aired a video package on the last Strikeforce Challengers show that no one watched, highlighting some of the bright spots in the promotion, this weekend the lead-in to the event is a big boxing match between Andre Ward and Carl Froch, and preliminary fights will start airing on ShowtimeExtreme. Obviously they could do a better job promoting the organization, but as a premium network, they don’t really promote any of their shows or events on regular networks. It’s not like I see ads for Dexter or Homeland, two of Showtime’s highest rated shows, when I’m watching ESPN or even ads for Showtime Boxing events.
CON: Zuffa is not behind the promotion. We all know that any resources that Zuffa has is going towards the UFC. They’re not going to commit extra funds or man power to the organization. The Zuffa employees are already going to be working hard with the five million shows that UFC is planning on running next year, they’re just not going to be able to give a 100% effort to Strikeforce. Zuffa could do little things to make Strikeforce look important like secure a DVD deal for the organization or even purchasing ad time on networks, but they’re just not going to do that and until they do, no one should be naive enough to believe that Zuffa really committed to Strikeforce.
PRO: More opportunities for fighters to fight and get paid. Besides money mark promotions that are willing to pay guys like Ben Rothwell $250,000 to be a punching bag, Strikeforce is the second highest paying promotion out there. So with them around, it gives fighters more income and more chances to fight. UFC already has an over-crowded roster, and while I’d much rather see guys like Jason High, Tarec Saffiedine, and Josh Thomson in the UFC instead of all the TUF wash-outs they keep around, they don’t have room for every fighter in the world.
The overall theory here is that Strikeforce sticking around is good for fighters and fans, but doesn’t seem like a very smart business move.
There are still a lot of unanswered questions surrounding this deal. Dana sounded very excited about things during yesterday’s media call, but he then proceeded to give a bunch of half, non-committal answers when asked things like, “will we see UFC/Strikeforce cross-over fights?”
Stephen Espinoza, Scott Coker, and Dana all said, “Strikeforce will not be a secondary promotion,” but I have my doubts. Does anyone really think that UFC will lend Strikeforce some of their top stars or best fighters, unless those guys are fighting for a title? And lets just say that we get Guida vs. Melendez in 2012 for the Strikeforce lightweight title and Guida wins, doesn’t that pretty much prove that Strikeforce is secondary if a guy who has failed to secure a UFC lightweight title shot can win the Strikeforce belt? Or if Melendez wins and people speculate, “could Gilbert beat the UFC champion?” does anyone really think Melendez vs. the UFC champion will take place on a Strikeforce event?
Strikeforce is already eliminating their heavyweight division due to “lack of depth.” Less than a year ago we all argued whether or not Strikeforce had a better heavyweight division than the UFC. Now, by the middle of next year, they won’t even have a heavyweight division.
This is definitely a “wait and see” deal for Strikeforce, Showtime, and Zuffa, but as it stands, I’m pretty skeptical.
Posted in: ufc, strikeforce, fighter, ’t, event
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainDana White Named Broadcasting & Cable Magazine 2011's Top Sports TV Executive
UFC President Dana White has been named 2011 Sports TV Executive Of The Year by Broadcasting & Cable Magazine and is on the cover of their December issue.
White has had quite a year, helping orchestrate the UFC's seven-year deal with Fox which will see the MMA organization run four events on "big" Fox with secondary programming featuring live events and compilation programs spilling over to FX, Fuel TV and other Fox family outlets.
Fuel will become the unofficial home of the UFC with over 2000 hours per year of original and archived programming, driving demand among MMA fans who don't yet have it.
He also helped facilitate a deal with Showtime to extend the Strikeforce brand for another two years in a deal announced Thursday, keeping another source of revenue alive while keeping competition off the pay-cable channel. In addition, Spike TV has one more year on their contract, giving the UFC more exposure on a major ad-supported cable network.
In the cover story (available online for subscribers), White addresses pay-per-view numbers being down and what that means for the future.
We are down, but not quite that much. We're in this funk right now. We are in this weird transition from Spike to Fox. If we were still deep in our Spike deal, I would be programming a lot of things on that network right now that I am not. So we are in this weird position between injuries and the transition period from Spike to Fox. We're not concerned. We had a lot of great main events lined up, and the list of injuries is crazy. We lost 10 main events [in 2011] to injury.
The 42-year-old White has never won the award before.
Posted in: fox, event, deal, year, tv
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 142 Loses Thiago, Nedkov, Broughton, and Bahadurzada
Four fighters have dropped off next month’s UFC 142 event, as Paulo Thiago, Stanislav Nedkov, Rob Broughton, and Siyar Bahadurzada have all been forced to withdraw from the January 14 event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Stay tuned…
Posted in: ufc, event, siyar bahadurzada, bahadurzada, janeiro brazilstay
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyFedor Emelianenko vs. Satoshi Ishii Poster and Promo Video on The Asian MMA Update
The biggest news coming on the Asian circuit recently was the Fedor Emelianenko vs. Satoshi Ishii fight being officially announced. They have also released a promotional video along with their poster. Check them out below:
As for the poster of the event, I think this might be the first time I'm going to say this, but I think the UFC completely outclassed them with their UFC: Japan poster:
Also not coming as a surprise, Tim Sylvia vs. Brett Rogers is cancelled because Rogers couldn't be granted a visa after recently being released from jail. It's still a pretty good card that features stars such as Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Bibiano Fernandes, along with Fedor Emelianenko and Megumi Fujii, two fighters who have been long time kingpins of their division.
Check out the card, along with a bunch of other news from the Asian MMA region after the jump.Oh, and don't forget to follow me on twitter - @antontabuena.
DREAM: New Year 2011 Fight Card:
- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Satoshi Ishii- Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Takeshi Inoue [Featherweight Championship]- Shinya Aoki vs. Satoru Kitaoka [Lightweight Championship]- Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kazuyuki Miyata- Ryo Chonan vs. Hayato Sakurai- Rodolfo Marques Diniz vs. Bibiano Fernandes- Antonio Banuelos vs. Masakazu Imanari- Yusup Saadulaev vs. Hideo Tokoro- Karla Benitez vs. Megumi Fujii
There are much more news from the Asian region, so here's a quick round up:
There's also this report saying that Cro Cop, or Mirko Filipovic will be on the NYE event against Jerome Le Banner. The two have faced off before, but this wouldn't be a rematch of sorts, as it might just be a prowrestling bout on IGF rules. This would be a treat for Japanese fans if it pushes through, although I personally don't like my MMA or Kickboxing bouts mixed in with my pro-wrestling.
DARE FC, a new and unique promotion from Thailand just signed Daiju Takase, a PRIDE and UFC veteran who is more known for submitting Anderson Silva, before he was, you know... ANDERSON SILVA. He will face Brandon "BK" Kesler on their January 7 event, as part of their middleweight tournament.
Chatri Sityodtong, the founder and head coach of Evolve MMA, got some great mainstream press coverage from MSN. He and Greg Jackson are the only representatives of MMA and were listed as 2 of the top coaches of 2011. The list includes Rick Carlisle of the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks, and top football (yes, real football) coaches, Pep Guardiola, and Alex Ferguson, among others.
Speaking of Evolve, have you seen my photo galleries from their beautiful gym?
The URCC will be hosting the finals of their Tribal Brawl this weekend. After battling it out on several legs of the tournament, this event will crown the best Amateur fighters from the country across several weight divisions. This could be an event that brings the next big thing in Filipino MMA.
The URCC have also met recently with Jessie Rafols, and Eric Kelly, who has been having some problems that caused him to pull out of the recent Black Tie Brawl event. This would presumably be about future international bouts for those stars.
Posted in: mma, vs, event, anderson silva, fedor
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 142 Fight Card: Aldo vs. Mendes
The UFC will return to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on January 14th after a very successful UFC 134 event earlier this year. This will be the first PPV after the Fox deal kicks in, and will see all six preliminary fights airing on FX. The main event will see Brazilian Jose Aldo defend his UFC featherweight title against top contender Chad Mendes. The co-main will feature arguably the most popular fighter in Brazil, Vitor Belfort, taking on Anthony "Rumble" Johnson in his middleweight debut. The main card is rounded out with three excellent matchups, and it should be an excellent event. Check out the current card below (preliminary card after the jump):
Jan 14th, live on pay-per-view from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:
Main Card:
Jose Aldo (20-1) vs. Chad Mendes (11-0) [FW Title]
Vitor Belfort (20-9) vs. Anthony Johnson (10-3)
Mike Massenzio (13-5) vs. Rousimar Palhares (13-3)
Siyar Bahadurzada (20-4-1) vs. Erick Silva (13-1, 1 NC)
Edson Barboza (9-0) vs. Terry Etim (15-3)
More SBN coverage of UFC 142
Preliminary Card:
Fabio Maldonado (18-4) vs. Stanislav Nedkov (12-0)
Felipe Arantes (13-4) vs. Antonio Carvalho (13-4)
Sam Stout (17-6-1) vs. Thiago Tavares (16-4-1)
Mike Pyle (21-8-1) vs. Paulo Thiago (14-3)
Rob Broughton (15-7-1) vs. Ednaldo Oliveira (13-0-1, 1 NC)
Yuri Alcantara (26-3) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (13-10-1)
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, card, janeiro brazil
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowTim Sylvia vs. Brett Rogers Off DREAM/M-1 New Year's Eve Event
The much-anticipated heavyweight dream fight of the year of Brett Rogers vs. Tim Sylvia is off the New Year's Eve DREAM/M-1 Global event. (What, did you think I was talking about Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem?)
Heavy MMA reported the news on Thursday that just two days after from being released from a Minnesota jail, Rogers was told he wouldn't be granted a visa and thus he can't travel to Japan for the event. Instead of booking a replacement, Sylvia has been dropped off the card as well.
The story also said that Sylvia was considered as an opponent for Fedor Emelianenko before Satoshi Ishii was slotted for that fight instead. The show will also feature Shinya Aoki vs. Satoru Kitaoka and Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Takeshi Inoue.
Sylvia (30-7) is in on a two-fight streak and has won six of his last seven fights. Rogers (11-4) has lost two in a row and was released from Strikeforce following his arrest for domestic violence.
SBN coverage of DREAM: New Year! 2011
Posted in: vs, event, year, roger, sylvia
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowStrikeforce on Showtime: Eight Events with Televised Prelims, Heavyweights to be Dropped
Strikeforce and Showtime officially announced their new deal on Thursday that keeps the UFC-owned promotion on the premium channel for eight events per year beginning with “Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine” on January 7, which will be available to more than 60 million households as part of a free preview weekend.Strikeforce will now be dropping its heavyweight division to focus on lighter weight classes and women’s divisions, but Daniel Cormier and Josh Barnett will still meet in the finals of Strikeforce’s heavyweight grand prix early next year and may fight one more time for the promotion before likely moving to the UFC.Strikeforce will also discontinue its prospect-focused Strikeforce Challengers series, but Strikeforce prelims will now air live on Showtime Extreme. New champions will be crowned in the welterweight and light heavyweight divisions in the coming months after Nick Diaz and Dan Henderson respectively returned to the UFC.Strikeforce and the UFC will combine for at least 40 events in 2012, not including live fights from The Ultimate Fighter on FX.Strikeforce returns on Saturday with lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez taking on Jorge Masvidal and women’s featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos facing Hiroko Yamanaka, while middleweight champion Luke Rockhold meets UFC veteran Keith Jardine in the Jan. 7 main event.For the latest Strikeforce news and Strikeforce rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.Pictured: Gilbert Melendez
Posted in: strikeforce, heavyweight, event, champion, division
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyStrikeforce to Sally Forth , Plans 6-8 Events on Showtime in 2012
Strikeforce will continue to appear on Showtime in 2012, broadcasting between six and eight live events on the premium cable network.
Posted in: strikeforce, event, showtime, network, premium
Read the full article at SherdogStrikeforce & Showtime Reach New TV Deal For 2012
It has been speculated for months, but it was finally made official today. Strikeforce and Showtime have reached an agreement to televise live MMA for 2012, starting with the January 7th event headlined by Keith Jardine vs Luke Rockhold, which will air during a free preview weekend for the premium network.
Showtime Networks Inc. and world championship mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion STRIKEFORCE® have entered into a new broadcast agreement to continue producing live MMA events on the premium television network, SHOWTIME. The agreement was announced jointly today by Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports®, Dana White, UFC® President, and Scott Coker, STRIKEFORCE CEO.
Under the new agreement, SHOWTIME will produce and televise up to eight live events. STRIKEFORCE athletes such as lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, women’s featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Santos, women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate and other world-class MMA fighters will continue to compete for the organization on SHOWTIME.
The new deal kicks off during the network’s Free Preview Weekend, Saturday, Jan. 7, as champion Rockhold defends the STRIKEFORCE 185-pound title against dangerous veteran Keith Jardine at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Notable STRIKEFORCE contenders such as Robbie Lawler, “King Mo” Lawal and Tyron Woodley are also set to compete on the televised card, which—as part of Free Preview Weekend—will be available in more than 60 million households nationwide across SHOWTIME, SHOWTIME HD™ and SHOWTIME On Demand®.
Beginning with the Jan. 7 card, SHOWTIME will also televise undercard fights for all STRIKEFORCE events live on SHOWTIME EXTREME. The live SHO Extreme preliminary telecasts will afford network subscribers with expanded live fight coverage by up to two hours and provide invaluable exposure for the sport’s next generation of STRIKEFORCE contenders.
Under the new deal, the World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament champion will be determined when Josh Barnett battles Daniel Cormier. The winner will compete again on SHOWTIME under the STRIKEFORCE banner in the months to follow.
“Since its advent on SHOWTIME in 2007, live mixed martial arts has always performed well with our subscribers, particularly in the younger demographics,” said Espinoza, who now heads the division of the network responsible for programming live boxing, studio shows from National Football League and NASCAR as well as multiple sports documentary series. “As the one and only premium network in the MMA business, we are proud to renew our commitment to the sport and to our partners at Strikeforce. This agreement ensures that we can continue to deliver the edge-of-your-seat programming that each live MMA event produces in the New Year and beyond.
“This exciting announcement could not have come at a better time,” he continued. “During our nationwide Free Preview Weekend a whole new crop of MMA fans will have the opportunity to sample the Strikeforce brand free of charge.”
“We’re excited about this renewal with SHOWTIME and I expect to put on some big STRIKEFORCE events next year,” White said. “I never thought I would say this, but I am very much looking forward to building STRIKEFORCE and working very closely with SHOWTIME.”
“SHOWTIME has been a great TV partner for us and we’re happy to renew our agreement with them,” Coker said. “Together, we’ve put on some really amazing events and we’re going to keep doing that with this new deal. We have a great core of talented fighters on our roster and MMA fans are in for a real treat.”
STRIKEFORCE®: MELENDEZ vs. MASVIDAL airs live on SHOWTIME this Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on West Coast) as lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez defends the title against hard-hitting contender Jorge Masvidal. In the night’s co-main event, women’s featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Santos meets gifted Japanese star Hiroko Yamanaka.
Posted in: mma, strikeforce, event, champion, showtime
Read the full article at MMA PayoutStrikeforce extends contract with Showtime until 2014
UFC President Dana White told us "Strikeforce lives" and he wasn't lying.
It was announced today that Strikeforce has reached a new broadcast agreement with Showtime to continue broadcasting events through the year 2014. From the press release:
Under the new agreement, SHOWTIME will produce and televise up to eight live events. STRIKEFORCE athletes such as lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, women's featherweight champion Cris "Cyborg" Santos, women's bantamweight champion Miesha Tate and other world-class MMA fighters will continue to compete for the organization on SHOWTIME.
Beginning with the Jan. 7 card, SHOWTIME will also televise undercard fights for all STRIKEFORCE events live on SHOWTIME EXTREME. The live SHO Extreme preliminary telecasts will afford network subscribers with expanded live fight coverage by up to two hours and provide invaluable exposure for the sport's next generation of STRIKEFORCE contenders.
Under the new deal, the World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament champion will be determined when Josh Barnett battles Daniel Cormier. The winner will compete again on SHOWTIME under the STRIKEFORCE banner in the months to follow.
More on this in just a bit. To get quotes and notes on this deal right away, check out the conference call live blog right here.
Posted in: strikeforce, event, champion, showtime, blog right
Read the full article at MMA ManiaStrikeforce and Showtime announce new deal with eight events and televised prelims
As expected Strikeforce and Showtime have inked a new deal that will keep the Zuffa-owned fight promotion on the premium-cable station.
Officials today the deal, which calls for up to eight events, though no timeframe was disclosed for the shows.
As part of the deal, main-card bouts will continue to air on Showtime, and preliminary-card fights now will be broadcast on sister channel Showtime Extreme.
Posted in: fight, event, deal, showtime, preliminarycard fights
Read the full article at MMA JunkieStrikeforce and Showtime Announce New Broadcast Agreement For 2012
It’s official. Strikeforce lives, at least for now.
Strikeforce and Showtime announced today that they have reached a new broadcast agreement that will kick off on Jan. 7 with Strikeforce “Rockhold vs. Jardine.”
According to the press release, the Showtime will produce and broadcast up to eight live events in 2012 with the prelims airing on Showtime Extreme. It was also noted that Strikeforce champions Gilbert Melendez, Luke Rockhold, Cris Cyborg, Miesha Tate and the heavyweight grand prix champion (Josh Barnett or Daniel Cormier) will continue to fight for Strikeforce in 2012.
Under the new agreement, SHOWTIME will produce and televise up to eight live events. STRIKEFORCE athletes such as lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, women’s featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Santos, women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate and other world-class MMA fighters will continue to compete for the organization on SHOWTIME.
Under the new deal, the World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament champion will be determined when Josh Barnett battles Daniel Cormier. The winner will compete again on SHOWTIME under the STRIKEFORCE banner in the months to follow.
“Since its advent on SHOWTIME in 2007, live mixed martial arts has always performed well with our subscribers, particularly in the younger demographics,” said [Stephen] Espinoza, who now heads the division of the network responsible for programming live boxing, studio shows from National Football League and NASCAR as well as multiple sports documentary series. “As the one and only premium network in the MMA business, we are proud to renew our commitment to the sport and to our partners at Strikeforce. This agreement ensures that we can continue to deliver the edge-of-your-seat programming that each live MMA event produces in the New Year and beyond.
“This exciting announcement could not have come at a better time,” he continued. “During our nationwide Free Preview Weekend a whole new crop of MMA fans will have the opportunity to sample the Strikeforce brand free of charge.”
“We’re excited about this renewal with SHOWTIME and I expect to put on some big STRIKEFORCE events next year,” White said. “I never thought I would say this, but I am very much looking forward to building STRIKEFORCE and working very closely with SHOWTIME.”
“SHOWTIME has been a great TV partner for us and we’re happy to renew our agreement with them,” Coker said. “Together, we’ve put on some really amazing events and we’re going to keep doing that with this new deal. We have a great core of talented fighters on our roster and MMA fans are in for a real treat.”
A conference call with Showtime Sports Executive Vice President and General Manager Stephen Espinoza, UFC President Dana White and Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker is scheduled for 3pm ET today. We’ll update this post with additional details following the call.
Posted in: strikeforce, event, champion, showtime, agreement
Read the full article at MMA ConvertThiago Alves-Martin Kampmann confirmed to headline UFC Sydney
The third UFC event to come to Australia has a main event, as, according to a press release by the UFC on Wednesday, Thiago Alves will meet Martin Kampmann in headlining action on March 3 from the Allphones Arena in Sydney and is expected to be the second event to be shown on the FX Network.
Alves (24-7) is a former contender to UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. Most recently “The Pitbull” stopped Papy Abedi with a first round submission at UFC 138, helping get himself back on track after losses in three of his previous four bouts.
Kampmann (18-5) was last seen barely outpointing Rick Story at UFC 139. Prior to the victory “The Hitman” had dropped two straight decisions at the hands of Diego Sanchez and Jake Shields, keeping him from avoiding the chopping block, as well.
“The UFC is thrilled to return to Sydney for its third live event in three years,” said Marshall Zelaznik, managing director of UFC’s international development division. “Thiago Alves and Martin Kampmann are two seasoned mixed martial artists who are sure to go to war in the Octagon. I’ve got no doubt that our Aussie fans will be just as excited about our March event, especially as they’ll witness UFC history with the introduction of the flyweight division.”
Along with Alves-Kampmann, the first two matches in the UFC’s flyweight tournament will take place on the card, as Demetrious Johnson meets Ian McCall and Joseph Benavidez takes on Yasuhiro Urushitani. More fights and an official announcement concerning the FX card are expected by the UFC in the coming weeks.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, event, kampmann, martin kampmann, sydney
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainStrikeforce, Showtime Announce Extension to TV Deal
Executives from Strikeforce and Showtime have announced a new contract that will keep the two sides partnered up in the television broadcasting business for at least the next year. Their original deal had been set to expire in early 2012. The new pact will see Showtime broadcast up to eight Strikeforce shows per year. Undercard fights will also air live on Showtime Extreme.
The announcement ends lengthy speculation about the future of the relationship, which seemed unsalvageable as recently as October.
In a joint teleconference including the two sides, UFC president Dana White, who has had an active role in negotiations since mid-October, said the tide turned after a regime change at Showtime.
Asked if a deal could have been struck without the regime change, White said probably not.
"I dont know," he said. "Obviously, it didn't go well [previously]. It probably wouldn't have. Listen, lets cut the b-------. Me and [former Showtime sports boss] Ken Herschman aren't fans of each other. He's not a fan of mine, I'm not a fan of his. He's not there anymore. I flew out there, I liked these guys, and we did a deal, period, end of story."
Stephen Espinoza, who now runs the division as executive vice president & general manager of Showtime sports, would not divulge the length of the agreement between the sides, but promised to continue the long relationship between the brands in presenting Strikeforce as a first-tier product.
White echoed that, saying that Strikeforce would look to sign top available talent, and that fans shouldn't expect it to be run as a "B-league" or feeder system for the UFC, as some had feared.
"Let's be real clear: Strikeforce is not a secondary brand," Espinoza said. "Luke Rockhold is not a secondary fighter, Cris Cyborg is not a secondary fighter, GIna [Carano] is not a secondary fighter, Gilbert [Melendez] is not a secondary fighter. This is a top-tier organization. It was a top-tier organization as a brand when Scott [Coker] was running it independently of Zuffa, and it will continue to be now that they're in partnership with Zuffa."
Among the few changes announced is the eventual abandoning of the heavyweight division. World Grand Prix finalists Daniel Cormier and Josh Barnett will meet in the final -- which is likely to take place before the end of the first quarter of 2012, according to Coker -- and then the winner will fight one more time in Strikeforce before the weight class is discontinued.
The reason? Lack of depth, according to White, who said the promotion will focus on all of its other existing divisions. He also reaffirmed that Strikeforce will continue to promote both the women's 135- and 145-pound classes.
For the first time, Showtime will also have a stake in the event preliminaries, as undercard fights will be aired live on Showtime Extreme.
The first event on 2012's Showtime-Strikeforce calendar will be on January 7, with an event from The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, and featuring Rockhold defending his newly won middleweight title against Keith Jardine. The event presentation will look similar to past offerings, with White promising a few tweaks. The announcing team is likely to stay intact, Espinoza added.
The extra events will bring Zuffa's 2012 total to over 40 live shows, making White's schedule a nightmare. "People don't even think it's going to be humanly possible, but I disagree," he said of the travel that will be required of him. But that doesn't mean he's not excited for the potential of Strikeforce, and he plans to offer the UFC's sister promotion as much of himself as is possible in the coming months.
"This is what I love to do," White said. "This is the s--- that gets me out of bed in the morning. The Showtime guys and Scott Coker, everyone will laugh but it's business as usual for these guys. They've had this relationship for a long time. I'm getting involved in this thing and I'm excited about it. I'm going to get behind it 100 percent. Like I said, we're going to get in, we're going to do some fun stuff, make some tweaks and see how big we can make this thing."
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: strikeforce, event, deal, showtime, fan
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 141: Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem Video Preview
UFC 141 takes place December 30, 2011 and is headlined by a heavyweight bout between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem. What the UFC is calling "the biggest fight literally in the history of the heavyweight division" is also expected to produce a new number one contender to Junior dos Santos' UFC heavyweight championship.
The UFC has released a video preview for the event which you can watch right here:
Lesnar:
He's in over his head, he doesn't really understand the beast he's going to step into the Octagon with.
Overeem:
I'm gonna beat up Brock Lesnar and it's gonna take me no longer than two rounds to do that.
We will, of course, have much more coverage of the event and the main event as it gets closer. But for now, let's get an early feel for how you all see the fight going.
SBN coverage of UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem
Poll
Who wins the UFC 141 main event and how?
Lesnar by decision
Lesnar by submission
Lesnar by TKO/KO
Overeem by decision
Overeem by submission
Overeem by TKO/KO
24 votes | Results
Posted in: ufc, overeem, event, brock lesnar, lesnar
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowShould Strikeforce go full chickfight?
I don't know who Josh Nason is - actually, I don't really know who any of the randos writing on BloodyElbow are any more. But I do like his idea on what the UFC should do with Strikeforce now that the UFC has decided to keep it around: turn it into an all WMMA league. Here's some of his reasoning:
We don't need more of the same MMA: Strikeforce's talent roster is thin and everyone knows it. There are guys fighting in the UFC solely because they're filling spots -- not because they're among the best fighters in the world. There's enough UFC events in 2012 to get the top Strikeforce talent action and create more exciting cards as a result. If they have to cut guys on either roster, so be it. Take aboard the best and let's get after it already. We simply don't need more of what we've seen this year: events for hardcore fans and constant questions of when the top talent like Melendez are going to shift over. Unless they move a hundred fighters from UFC over to Strikeforce to fill out the roster, what's the purpose in keeping it as is?It's a unique idea that hasn't been done on a national stage before: The UFC is on TV all the time. HDNet has hundreds of hours of live events a year. Bellator runs 25+ events a year. None of them have truly embraced women's MMA other than a scant few fights. If a promotion can actually focus solely on putting together the best women in the world, they will lead the pack in something new. Who doesn't want that?Zuffa has the money to do it: If there's any company in the world that can afford to take the risk, it's Zuffa. They also have the money and resources to do it right. Focus on two power divisions (130/140 or 135/145) and build from there. Sign everyone you can and make stars. Do what White has said there isn't and create depth by bringing all of this talent under one roof and pay them well to do so.
Unfortunately, this isn't exactly what I would call a likely scenario. Above everything else, Strikeforce is sticking around in zombie mode to block other MMA promotions from moving onto Showtime. Anything else that comes of this is a bonus. You can also expect Zuffa to use it to counter-program other events and stop promotions from snapping up any fighters who have the marketability but not the skills to hang in the UFC.The best we can hope for is that matchmaker Sean Shelby has an interest and an aptitude for putting together great women's fights. Great fights turn into more excitement which turn into more exposure and maybe we'll start seeing more than one WMMA match every 2-3 cards. Who knows how this is gonna turn out? The official announcement from Strikeforce and Showtime hasn't even been made. How long, how many events, show format, length, who handles production, all of this is up in the air. If Strikeforce gets 2 years on Showtime, that's long enough for women to make real strides forward in the world of MMA. Strikeforce doesn't have to be all WMMA to save WMMA. It just has to treat it with some fucking respect and enthusiasm. The rest will follow.
Posted in: ufc, world, strikeforce, event, year
Read the full article at FightlinkerUFC Officially Announces Return to Australia
Filed under: UFC, NewsFor the third straight year, the UFC will be going Down Under.
The organization officially announced its return to Sydney, Australia, Wednesday night. UFC Sydney, as it's being called, will take place on Saturday, March 3 at the Allphones Arena, formerly Acer Arena, in Sydney.
The event, headlined by Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann, will air on FX in the United States on Friday, March 2 due to the time difference.
Also scheduled for the event is the semi-finals of a four-man tournament to crown the first-ever flyweight champion. One side of the bracket will see Demetrious Johnson facing off against former Tachi Palace Fights flyweight champion Ian McCall. The other side of the bracket will feature Joseph Benavidez vs. former Shooto champion Yasuhiro Urushitani.
Tickets for the event go on sale next week. This will mark the third UFC event in Sydney. UFC 110 and UFC 127 both drew over 17,000 fans in previous years. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, event, ufc event, acer arena, sydney
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseStrikeforce and Showtime Reach New Deal for 2012
Showtime Networks Inc. and world championship mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion STRIKEFORCE® have entered into a new broadcast agreement to continue producing live MMA events on the premium television network, SHOWTIME. The agreement was announced jointly today by Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports®, Dana White, UFC® President, and Scott Coker, STRIKEFORCE CEO. Under the new agreement, SHOWTIME will produce and televise up to eight live events. STRIKEFORCE athletes such as lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, women’s featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Santos, women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate and other world-class MMA fighters will continue to compete for the organization on SHOWTIME.The new deal kicks off during the network’s Free Preview Weekend, Saturday, Jan. 7, as champion Rockhold defends the STRIKEFORCE 185-pound title against dangerous veteran Keith Jardine at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Notable STRIKEFORCE contenders such as Robbie Lawler, “King Mo” Lawal and Tyron Woodley are also set to compete on the televised card, which—as part of Free Preview Weekend—will be available in more than 60 million households nationwide across SHOWTIME, SHOWTIME HD™ and SHOWTIME On Demand®. Beginning with the Jan. 7 card, SHOWTIME will also televise undercard fights for all STRIKEFORCE events live on SHOWTIME EXTREME. The live SHO Extreme preliminary telecasts will afford network subscribers with expanded live fight coverage by up to two hours and provide invaluable exposure for the sport’s next generation of STRIKEFORCE contenders. Under the new deal, the World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament champion will be determined when Josh Barnett battles Daniel Cormier. The winner will compete again on SHOWTIME under the STRIKEFORCE banner in the months to follow. “Since its advent on SHOWTIME in 2007, live mixed martial arts has always performed well with our subscribers, particularly in the younger demographics,” said Espinoza, who now heads the division of the network responsible for programming live boxing, studio shows from National Football League and NASCAR as well as multiple sports documentary series. “As the one and only premium network in the MMA business, we are proud to renew our commitment to the sport and to our partners at Strikeforce. This agreement ensures that we can continue to deliver the edge-of-your-seat programming that each live MMA event produces in the New Year and beyond. “This exciting announcement could not have come at a better time,” he continued. “During our nationwide Free Preview Weekend a whole new crop of MMA fans will have the opportunity to sample the Strikeforce brand free of charge.” “We’re excited about this renewal with SHOWTIME and I expect to put on some big STRIKEFORCE events next year,” White said. “I never thought I would say this, but I am very much looking forward to building STRIKEFORCE and working very closely with SHOWTIME.” “SHOWTIME has been a great TV partner for us and we’re happy to renew our agreement with them,” Coker said. “Together, we’ve put on some really amazing events and we’re going to keep doing that with this new deal. We have a great core of talented fighters on our roster and MMA fans are in for a real treat.”STRIKEFORCE®: MELENDEZ vs. MASVIDAL airs live on SHOWTIME this Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on West Coast) as lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez defends the title against hard-hitting contender Jorge Masvidal. In the night’s co-main event, women’s featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Santos meets gifted Japanese star Hiroko Yamanaka.
Posted in: mma, strikeforce, event, champion, showtime
Read the full article at UFCWhat If: Strikeforce as a Women's-Only Fight Promotion?
Josh Nason has an interesting piece up over at Bloody Elbow suggesting that Strikeforce's future ought to be rooted in women's MMA. He argues, among other things, that it would distinguish the Strikeforce brand and open up MMA to a new range of fans and sponsors...
We don't need more of the same MMA: Strikeforce's talent roster is thin and everyone knows it. There are guys fighting in the UFC solely because they're filling spots -- not because they're among the best fighters in the world. There's enough UFC events in 2012 to get the top Strikeforce talent action and create more exciting cards as a result. If they have to cut guys on either roster, so be it. Take aboard the best and let's get after it already. We simply don't need more of what we've seen this year: events for hardcore fans and constant questions of when the top talent like Melendez are going to shift over. Unless they move a hundred fighters from UFC over to Strikeforce to fill out the roster, what's the purpose in keeping it as is?
It's a unique idea that hasn't been done on a national stage before: The UFC is on TV all the time. HDNet has hundreds of hours of live events a year. Bellator runs 25+ events a year. None of them have truly embraced women's MMA other than a scant few fights. If a promotion can actually focus solely on putting together the best women in the world, they will lead the pack in something new. Who doesn't want that?
Zuffa has the money to do it: If there's any company in the world that can afford to take the risk, it's Zuffa. They also have the money and resources to do it right. Focus on two power divisions (130/140 or 135/145) and build from there. Sign everyone you can and make stars. Do what White has said there isn't and create depth by bringing all of this talent under one roof and pay them well to do so.
Run smaller venues and less shows as you build: There's no reason to book 5000 seat arenas. Smaller 1500 seat venues like the Pearl or likewise are just fine, but price tickets accordingly. Book events in hometowns of main eventers like WEC did with Urijah Faber back in the day. Treat Strikeforce like a startup and focus on making six events a year as strong as you can.
Promotion to a new group: A women's only promotion would help in attracting a new audience to educate. Find appropriate sponsors. Play to all audiences. Find a way to build more draws like Ronda Rousey and Tate. If the sport is going to grow, its athletes need a major league to strive for, one that will allow women to train full-time and make some good money for competing. There are other potential stars out there that just need to have airtime to show their skills.
I think it's a fascinating idea, but I ultimately disagree with it, and it all comes down to his first point.
I've written on the subject already, but to summarize: the UFC simply can't support the entirety, or even just the best, of Strikeforce's roster. A lot of number crunching was done in the wake of the WEC merger, and the results revealed that while the UFC may be growing in terms of exposure and prestige, its roster isn't expanding all that much. What this means is that if Strikeforce were to become women-only, and you wanted to continue watching Gegard Mousasi, Ovince St. Preux, Mo Lawal, Rafael Feijao, Mike Kyle, and Lorenz Larkin, you'd have to find nearly just as many current UFC light-heavyweights to jettison to free up space. So who gets tossed?
Regarding his last three points, I'm in total agreement, but Strikeforce ought to be doing those things now, regardless of whether or not the organization promotes women's MMA exclusively.
Posted in: ufc, strikeforce, event, women, roster
Read the full article at Head Kick LegendUFC Sydney Tickets On Sale Next Week, Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann Official Headliners
UFC Sydney (aka UFC on FX 2) is official.
UFC Sydney “Alves vs. Kampmann” is scheduled to take place at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia on Saturday, March 3, and is expected to air live Friday evening on FX in North America. The card will be headlined by a welterweight showdown between Thiago Alves and Martin Kampmann.
“The UFC is thrilled to return to Sydney for its third live event in three years,” said UFC Managing Director of International Development Marshall Zelaznik. “We’ve had tremendous success with our two previous events, with last year’s UFC 127 remaining the equal fastest sell-out in the organisation’s history. I’ve got no doubt that our Aussie fans will be just as excited about our March event, especially as they’ll witness UFC history with the introduction of the flyweight division. The 125-pound contenders will absolutely put everything on the line is Sydney, knowing that the winners of those two bouts will then have a shot at the inaugural flyweight title. It’s going to be a great show!
“Thiago Alves and Martin Kampmann are two seasoned mixed martial artists who are sure to go to war in the Octagon. Both athletes are coming off recent wins and will be looking to continue their streak to climb the welterweight ladder.”
The card will also feature the semi-final round of a flyweight tournament to determine the UFC’s first-ever flyweight champion. Those match-ups include Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani.
Ticket info below.
UFC Fight Club Presale: Monday, Dec. 19, 10am AEDT
UFC Newsletter Presale: Tuesday, Dec. 20, 10am AEDT
Public On-Sale Date: Wednesday, Dec. 21, 10am AEDT
Ticket prices will range from $45 to $435. They can be purchased at Ticketek.com.
The latest UFC Sydney fight card and event info can be found in our fight cards section.
Posted in: ufc, event, card, flyweight, sydney
Read the full article at MMA ConvertSimpson vs. Markes, Brookins vs. Yahya Added to UFC on FUEL Event
Filed under: UFC, NewsThe inaugural UFC on FUEL event added two new matchups on Wednesday when the UFC announced middleweight and featherweight bouts that have been agreed to.
Aaron Simpson will put his three-fight win streak on the line when he faces Brazilian Ronny Markes in a 185-pound fight, while Ultimate Fighter season 12 winner Jonathan Brookins will face submission wizard Rani Yahya.
Simpson (11-2) has tried to work his way into middleweight contention with consecutive victories over Eric Schafer, Mario Miranda and Brad Tavares, wins that came on the heels of a two-fight losing streak.
To continue that run, he'll have to beat Markes, who made his octagon debut on short notice and out-worked Karlos Vemola to a decision win in an August event. That match was contested at light-heavyweight, and in this one, Markes (12-1) will attempt to stake out some ground in the UFC's 185-pound division.
The featherweight bout between Brookins and Yahya features a pair of fighters who prefer to look for victory on the ground. Brookins (12-4) has eight of his wins by tapout, while Yahya (16-7) has 14 submission wins. Both men are coming off losses.
UFC on FUEL 1 will take place on February 15, 2012, and though the venue isn't official, it is likely to emanate from CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska. It features a main event of Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, event, fuel event, marke, yahya
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseStrikeforce's Future Should Be Women's MMA Only
I was surprised as anyone to hear UFC President Dana White recently talking glowingly about the future of Strikeforce. I assume nearly all of MMA fandom thought the promotion was on its last legs, preparing for inevitable absorption like PRIDE and the WEC before it.
But White is boasting that the future is going to be bright, saying, "Just sit and wait and watch what I do." When pressed, he couldn't give any details and no extension with Showtime has been signed.
Thus the future of talents like Gilbert Melendez, Daniel Cormier, Tyron Woodley and others are still in limbo and we're still waiting to see if Miesha Tate and Sarah Kaufman will ever fight again six months after they last competed. 145-pound champion Cristiane Santos gets her first action in almost TWO YEARS this Saturday.
Since White's comments, I've thought a lot about how Strikeforce could continue. In its current state, it's pointless. The top male stars don't make the money of their UFC cousins and are constantly asked about leaving. There's no pay-per-view. Events draw next to no fans. The future has been in question since the UFC made the announcement this past March, which has hurt the name value they once had.
So how could Strikeforce 3.0 be different? How could they stand out? What could White do with it that would set it far apart from the UFC and make it unique? How could it make money and draw interest? The answer stood out to me like it should be in bold font, so it is: Strikeforce should become a female-only promotion.
Before you shun the idea completely, there's some legitimate reasons I really think this could work:
We don't need more of the same MMA: Strikeforce's talent roster is thin and everyone knows it. There are guys fighting in the UFC solely because they're filling spots -- not because they're among the best fighters in the world. There's enough UFC events in 2012 to get the top Strikeforce talent action and create more exciting cards as a result. If they have to cut guys on either roster, so be it. Take aboard the best and let's get after it already. We simply don't need more of what we've seen this year: events for hardcore fans and constant questions of when the top talent like Melendez are going to shift over. Unless they move a hundred fighters from UFC over to Strikeforce to fill out the roster, what's the purpose in keeping it as is?
It's a unique idea that hasn't been done on a national stage before: The UFC is on TV all the time. HDNet has hundreds of hours of live events a year. Bellator runs 25+ events a year. None of them have truly embraced women's MMA other than a scant few fights. If a promotion can actually focus solely on putting together the best women in the world, they will lead the pack in something new. Who doesn't want that?
Zuffa has the money to do it: If there's any company in the world that can afford to take the risk, it's Zuffa. They also have the money and resources to do it right. Focus on two power divisions (130/140 or 135/145) and build from there. Sign everyone you can and make stars. Do what White has said there isn't and create depth by bringing all of this talent under one roof and pay them well to do so.
Run smaller venues and less shows as you build: There's no reason to book 5000 seat arenas. Smaller 1500 seat venues like the Pearl or likewise are just fine, but price tickets accordingly. Book events in hometowns of main eventers like WEC did with Urijah Faber back in the day. Treat Strikeforce like a startup and focus on making six events a year as strong as you can.
Promotion to a new group: A women's only promotion would help in attracting a new audience to educate. Find appropriate sponsors. Play to all audiences. Find a way to build more draws like Ronda Rousey and Tate. If the sport is going to grow, its athletes need a major league to strive for, one that will allow women to train full-time and make some good money for competing. There are other potential stars out there that just need to have airtime to show their skills.
This whole idea may sound crazy but we need something more refreshing from Strikeforce in 2012 and beyond, assuming the Showtime deal is signed. I don't want Challengers events that feature male prospects as that's what UFC undercards and The Ultimate Fighter is for. I want different. I want a national all-women's promotion and I want Zuffa to lead the charge.
SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal
Posted in: ufc, strikeforce, event, women, there
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowThis UFC Japan poster is a thing of beauty
When one goes back through the folders of their MMA loving mind and tries to remember event posters from past fights, more than likely there are not many UFC posters that will stand out in your file cabinet of a brain. You will probably recall visions of posters like the floating light radiating angelic fighter of the DREAM 7 poster in 2009 or the sword wielding samurai warrior of Pride Bushido 5. Although Japanese haven't always been able to dominate decisively in the octagon as of yet, they have mastered the art of creating beautifully poetic event posters. Granted this is not Pride level poster artwork but the UFC does a good job creating a 'Pride' like feel on the event poster for the upcoming February 2012 UFC Japan event. Check it out.
Posted in: ufc, event, poster, event posters, event poster
Read the full article at Middle EasyM-1 Challenge 30 ratings: Event draws series-low 148,000 Showtime viewers
This past Friday's M-1 Challenge 30 event saw a slight dip in the size
of its Showtime audience, as the event drew a 0.4 household rating and
a series-low 148,000 viewers.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the figures with an industry source.
Featuring an M-1 Global welterweight title fight, M-1 Challenge 30 took
place Dec. 9 at The Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa
Mesa, Calif.
Posted in: event, challenge, rating, industry source, showtime audience
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 143 tickets on sale soon for 'Diaz vs Condit' at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on Feb. 4
Tickets for UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit," which was recently made official for the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., Feb. 4, 2012, will go on sale to the general public on Fri., Dec. 16, 2011, at 10 a.m. PT.
UFC Fight Club members and UFC Newsletter subscribers, naturally, will be able to scoop up tickets prior to them being available for public consumption.
UFC 143 will be headlined by former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz battling ex-WEC 170-pound kingpin Carlos Condit for the right to wear the division's Interim strap with Georges St. Pierre on the sidelines recovering from knee surgery.
In the co-main event, former welterweight number one contender Josh Koscheck will try to keep his spot among the 170-pound elite by taking on the venerable Mike Pierce.
Here is the UFC 143 tickets sales schedule (All times PT):
UFC Fight Club presale: Weds., Dec. 14, at 10 a.m.
UFC Newsletter presale: Thurs., Dec. 15, at 10 a.m.
General tickets sale: Fri., Dec. 16, at 10 a.m.
UFC 143 tickets can be purchased through StubHub.com (Note: StubHub often has seats available even if the event is "sold out"). It will also be available to watch on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET on fight night.
For more on UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit" be sure to hit up our event archive right here. See the current fight card and rumors here.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, event, ticket, condit
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 143 tickets on sale this week
Tickets for February's UFC 143 event, which features an interim
welterweight title bout between former Strikeforce champ Nick Diaz and
former WEC titleholder Carlos Condit, go on sale this week.
"UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit" takes place Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, though a pre-sale period begins on Wednesday.
Posted in: ufc, event, sale, ticket, week tickets
Read the full article at MMA JunkieYamasaki draws Lesnar vs. Overeem; Dean oversees Rockhold vs. Jardine
An afterthought to the drama surrounding Alistair Overeem's licensing
situation for UFC 141, the NSAC on Monday
handed out referee and judging assignments for his headlining fight, as well as the main event of "Strikeforce:
Rockhold vs. Jardine."
Veteran referee Mario Yamasaki has been assigned to Overeem vs. Lesnar
while Patricia Morse-Jarman, Glenn Trowbridge and Doug Crosby will judge
the UFC 141 main event.
Herb Dean, who recently was voted "Best Referee" at the 2011 World MMA
Awards, is the third man in the cage for Luke Rockhold vs. Keith
Jardine, and Adelaide Byrd, Marcos Rosales and Junichiro Kamijo will
serve as judges for the Strikeforce main event.
Posted in: vs, event, referee, doug crosby, junichiro kamijo
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC's TUF 14 Finale Draws 1909 For $450,000+ Live Gate
The final attendance numbers are in for the UFC's The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale show: 1909 passed through the turnstiles for a $452,700 live gate and average paid ticket price of just over $335.
Nevada State Athletic Commission head Keith Kizer emailed the numbers to Bloody Elbow today, also noting that 561 of the 1909 distributed tickets were comps with 233 unsold.The Saturday, December 3rd event was held at The Palms in Las Vegas, NV, and headlined by Michael Bisping vs. Jason Miller with John Dodson vs. T.J. Dillashaw and Diego Brandao vs. Dennis Bermudez in the bantamweight and featherweight finals, respectively.
By comparison, the June TUF 13 event at the Palms headlined by Clay Guida vs. Anthony Pettis brought in 2053 and a live gate of $440,150.
The event also did extremely well on TV, drawing an average of 2.5 million viewers, peaking at 3.4 million for Bisping vs. Miller. It is the UFC's final season of TUF on Spike as the show moves over to FX in March.
Posted in: ufc, gate, vs, event, tuf
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowRory MacDonald vs. Che Mills slated for UFC 145 in Montreal
Rory MacDonald will meet fellow welterweight prospect Che Mills in March at an event expected to be UFC 145.
The event is expected to take place March 24 at Montreal's Bell Centre.
MacDonald announced the fight while a guest on "UFC Central" with Joe Ferraro. MMAjunkie.com confirmed the planned matchup but couldn't confirm the event's date and location.
Posted in: ufc, event, macdonald, mill, events date
Read the full article at MMA JunkieFive Fights to Make After UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida
What's next for Jon Jones, Frank Mir and the winners from UFC 140? Jeremy Botter takes our customary look at five fights to make coming out of the latest UFC event.
Posted in: ufc, fight, jone, jon jones, event
Read the full article at Heavy MMAFedor Emelianenko vs. Satoshi Ishii Signed for New Year's Eve Event in Japan
Filed under: DREAM, M-1 Global, NewsFedor Emelianenko will face former Olympic judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii on a New Year's Eve event co-promoted by M-1 Global and DREAM in Saitama, Japan.
The promotions confirmed the fight's booking in a joint news release on Monday afternoon.
It will be the first time Emelianenko fights in Japan in exactly four years, since defeating Hong-Man Choi. That fight led to his arrival in the US and Affliction before he eventually moved on to Strikeforce.
Emelianenko (32-4, 1 no contest) recently snapped a three-fight win streak by defeating Jeff Monson in a unanimous decision at an M-1 event in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The fight with Ishii had been rumored for some time, but for a time it wasn't expected to happen until officials pulled it together during the past week.
Ishii will be at a severe experience disadvantage, having fought just six times in his career. He's 4-1-1 overall, and most recently fought at a independent show in Brazil where he fought to a draw with former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho. In 2008, Ishii captured an Olympic judo gold medal in the 100+ kilogram weight class.
The New Year's Eve event -- titled Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoko 2011 -- will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan and air on HDNet.
Among the other fights officially confirmed are a lightweight bout between Shinya Aoki and Satoru Kitaoka, and a featherweight bout pitting Tatsuya Kawajiri and Kazuyuki Miyata. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: fight, event, year, japan, ishii
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC on Xbox Live is more than just streaming fights, it's an all out experience
The big news broke a couple of months ago that fans would be able to order UFC pay-per-views (PPV) through their Xbox by year's end, streaming events straight from their video game console. It's Microsoft's latest step in making the their system more than a toy and transforming it into a bonafide multimedia entertainment center. Joining the likes of media giants Netflix and Hulu already available through Xbox Live, the UFC is poised to play a major role in the Redmond company's future plans to achieve that goal.
I was lucky enough to be invited to a preview of the service before it goes public on Dec. 20 just in time for UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem" so I've got the full skinny for my beloved Maniacs.
How was the video and audio quality? Were there any lags in the stream? What advantages does ordering a UFC PPV through XBox Live have order the usual manner of cable or satellite?
All of these questions and more will be answered after the jump.
Quality of stream: Running off a wired 10 megabyte download speed cable internet connection and your run of the mill high definition television, I could not see nor hear any discernable difference between the Xbox Live stream and what I usually experienced ordering PPVs through my cable box.
The picture was sharp, the sound was crisp, and there was no lag to be seen. Granted, this was a closed preview so the servers weren't as stressed as they will be once the service goes public. Whether or not any hiccups will pop up starting with UFC 141 will remain to be seen. The price point for the show remains the same across the board but if the quality holds up, there shouldn't be much to complain about there.
Fans are also able to replay the event an unlimited amount of times up to 24 hours later with the option of skipping ahead or fast forwarding to their favorite fights.
The only qualm I had with the stream was that it seemed to be a little over a full minute behind the action. When Mark Hominick and Chan Sung Jung were in their corners being asked by the referee if they were ready on my TV, my Twitter timeline was already being flooded with just about every exclamation you can think of after "The Korean Zombie" flattened his opponent in only seven seconds.
A minute might not seem like a big deal but it's a lifetime in terms of a fight. A tweet or a text message can ruin the ending of a fight in that time.
Presentation: This is where the Xbox Live experience begins to pull away from your basic mom and pop cable or satellite companies. During the event, pressing the Y button on your controller will pull up the fight card, complete with a "Tale of the Tape" for each bout. Also included are your fights pick if you made them before the event started as well as a leaderboard which keeps track of everyone else's picks.
Hitting the left and right bumpers or triggers will scroll through a series of options including the last three bouts -- and their results -- for each fighter. You also get a Fight Overview which is a little blurb about each combatant. It was pretty generic this time around, I wonder if it will get more in-depth as time goes on.
The final option is a listing of your Xbox Live friends' picks for the event. Bragging rights seem to be all that's at stake for now but I can't help but think Microsoft might throw out some prizes -- like Xbox Live points -- for those fight fans whose picks are spot on.
Extras: The fun isn't only for those who have committed to buying the PPV through their Xbox. Simply accessing the UFC application through the Live menu grants fans all sorts of awesome access. It's nothing you can't find anywhere else but having it all under one roof -- so to speak -- is fantastic.
Interviews with Tito Ortiz, Lyoto Machida, and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones are available as is a trio of videos from the open workouts. The weigh-ins are also available. I'm unsure if they were streamed live but they were available immediately afterwards. Hours later, highlights videos were editing out from the three big fights were also made available if you can't sit through the entire thing.
You can also watch a video of the pre-fight press conference as well as the entire Countdown episode for the event. Going further back, videos from UFC 139 are still available and going into the future, you can also watch a teaser for UFC 141.
As is, the entire UFC on Xbox Live experience is more immersive and a welcome change to the current method of ordering a PPV. There's a ton of potential there as well as Microsoft and Zuffa have only scratched the surface of what is possible. Live chat rooms and integration with UFC Undisputed 3 are only two of near limitless possibilities for the service.
One final note: it seems that while every Xbox Live user will be able to order the PPV, only Gold level members will get access to all those fun extras like the weigh-in videos, Countdown, etc.
Any Maniacs interested in ordering UFC 141 through your Xbox? Any others questions you may have that I didn't touch on?
Posted in: ufc, fight, video, event, xbox
Read the full article at MMA ManiaBest M-1 Challenge 30 Moments in Pictures
UFC 140 was not the only night of great fights this weekend, as M-1 Global celebrated its 30th Challenge card at the The Hangar at the O.C. Fair and Events Center in Costa Mesa, California. The event was headlined by the Yasubey Enomoto's M-1 Challenge Welterweight title victory over Shamil Zavurov, as the top prospect Alexander Sarnavskiy improved to 17-0 in his quest to becoming one of the best 155'ers on the planet.LowKick.com photography extraordinaire Scott Hiranow was ringside to capture some of the
Posted in: event, challenge, shamil zavurov, challenge card, events center
Read the full article at Low KickUFC Officially Adding Flyweight Class With Four-Man Tournament to Crown Champ
Before the weekend, UFC president Dana White said he expected to officially announce the addition of a flyweight division within days. It was a promise he kept.
During the UFC 140 post-fight press conference, White announced a four-man tournament that would involve current bantamweights Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez.
The tournament will eventually crown the division's first champion.
White announced a March 3 date for the tournament. Right now, the promotion has yet to officially announce the date and location of that event, but speculation has placed it in Australia, which would actually make it a March 4 event given its location to the west of the international date line.
Regardless, the fights are set.
Johnson will take on Ian McCall (11-2), who was the 125-pound division champ in Tachi Fighting Championship, and Benavidez will face Yasuhiro Urushitani (19-4-6), the Shooto 123-pound champ.
Johnson was last seen losing a decision to Dominick Cruz during an Oct. 1 UFC on Versus event. He's 9-2 overall. Meanwhile, Benavidez is 15-2, riding a three-fight win streak with victories over Eddie Wineland, Ian Loveland and Wagnney Fabiano. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, event, tournament, flyweight class, fourman tournament
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 140: Jones vs. Machida - Live Results and Play-By-Play for Pay-Per-View Card
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida. Our live coverage will start with the beginning of the Facebook prelim stream (5:45 p.m. ET), continuing through the ION TV prelim broadcast (7 p.m. ET) and finally through the pay-per-view broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
This post will cover live results and thoughts on the PPV broadcast.
Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones looks to defend his title against former champion Lyoto Machida in the evening's main event. In the co-main event of the evening, heavyweights Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira rematch. The "other Nogueira brother" in Antonio Rogerio Nogueira faces Tito Ortiz on the card as well. Rounding out the PPV broadcast is a welterweight bout between Claude Patrick and Brian Ebersole as well as a featherweight bout between Chan Sung Jung and Mark Hominick.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
SBN coverage of UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida
Posted in: jone, pm, event, broadcast, machida
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 140: Jones vs. Machida - Live Results and Play-By-Play for ION TV Undercard
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida. Our live coverage will start with the beginning of the Facebook prelim stream (5:45 p.m. ET), continuing through the ION TV prelim broadcast (7 p.m. ET) and finally through the pay-per-view broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
This post will cover live results and thoughts on the ION broadcast.
Four bouts are scheduled for the prelim broadcast. In the featured bout on the undercard, Krzysztof Soszynski takes onIgor Pokrajac in a light heavyweight fight. John Makdessi and Dennis Hallman square off while Jared Hamman will face Constantinos Philippou. Also on the broadcast, Yves Jabouin faces Walel Watson.
In the evening's main event, Jon Jones will take on Lyoto Machida on pay-per-view.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
SBN coverage of UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida
Posted in: jone, event, broadcast, prelim, machida
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 140: Jones vs. Evans - Live Results and Play-By-Play for ION TV Undercard
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida. Our live coverage will start with the beginning of the Facebook prelim stream (5:45 p.m. ET), continuing through the ION TV prelim broadcast (7 p.m. ET) and finally through the pay-per-view broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
This post will cover live results and thoughts on the ION broadcast.
Four bouts are scheduled for the prelim broadcast. In the featured bout on the undercard, Krzysztof Soszynski takes on Igor Pokrajac in a light heavyweight fight. John Makdessi and Dennis Hallman square off while Jared Hamman will face Constantinos Philippou. Also on the broadcast, Yves Jabouin faces Walel Watson.
In the evening's main event, Jon Jones will take on Lyoto Machida on pay-per-view.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
SBN coverage of UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida
Posted in: jone, event, broadcast, sbn coverage, walel watson
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 140: Jones vs. Machida - Live Results and Play-By-Play For Facebook Fights
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida. Our live coverage will start with the beginning of the Facebook prelim stream (5:45 p.m. ET), continuing through the ION TV prelim broadcast (7 p.m. ET) and finally through the pay-per-view broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
This post will cover live results and thoughts on the Facebook stream.
This card only has three fights that will air on Facebook thanks to a longer prelim broadcast on ION. On the webstream, Mitch Clarke takes on John Cholish and Rich Attonito squares off with Jake Hecht. The top fight on the stream will be when Mark Bocek takes on Nik Lentz in a lightweight bout.
In the evening's main event, Jon Jones will take on Lyoto Machida on pay-per-view.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
SBN coverage of UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida
Posted in: jone, event, facebook, machida, attonito squares
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 140 Main Event Won’t Be Shogun/Hendo, But It Doesn’t Have To Be
There's no possible way tonight's Jones/Machida main event could live up to the greatness of Shogun vs. Henderson, but it doesn't have to.
Posted in: ufc, ’t, event, doesn ’t, there
Read the full article at Heavy MMAM-1 Challenge 30 results: Last-minute sub earns Enomoto welterweight title
Yasubey Enomoto slapped on a fight-ending guillotine choke in the final minute of his five-round title fight and took the M-1 Challenge welterweight title from Shamil Zavurov.
The rematch headlined Friday's M-1 Challenge 30 event.
The event took place at The Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, Calif., and the night's main card aired on Showtime.
Posted in: title, event, challenge, shamil zavurov, fightending guillotine
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 140 weigh in video (full) for 'Jones vs Machida' in Toronto
UFC 140: "Jones vs. Machida" weigh-in event went down today (Dec. 9, 2011) at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where all 24 competitors tipped the scale to make their respective bouts official for tomorrow's (Dec. 10, 2011) historic event.
In the video above, the first fighter steps on the scale around the 14-minute mark.
Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and number one contender Lyoto Machida, who will main event tomorrow night's pay-per-view broadcast, both came in on point, making their 205-pound title fight officially official.
For complete UFC 140 weigh in results click here and for staredown pics click here.
Ready to rumble yet or what, Maniacs?
Posted in: ufc, jone, event, bouts official, fighter steps
Read the full article at MMA ManiaKendall Grove vs. Ikuhisa Minowa Headlines Next ProElite Fight Card
ProElite on Friday announced that its next event will take place on Jan. 21 at the Neal Blaisdell Center in Honolulu.
Posted in: proelite, vs, event, kendall, blaisdell
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyCrowe replaces Escudero at Legacy Fighting Championships 9, HDNet lineup set
With "The Ultimate Fighter 8" winner Efrain Escudero returning to the octagon as an injury replacement at UFC 141, Larry Crowe has stepped in as his replacement at next week's Legacy Fighting Championships 9 event.
Crowe takes on fellow welterweight Jeff Rexroad, Legacy officials confirmed with MMAjunkie.com.
The lineup for the Dec. 16 event, which includes an HDNet-televised main card, is now set with 11 fights.
Posted in: event, legacy, injury replacement, weeks legacy, crowe
Read the full article at MMA JunkieM-1 Challenge 30 weigh-in results: Headliners Zavurov, Enomoto on weight
All fighters competing at tonight's Showtime-televised M-1 Challenge 30 event successfully made weight for the show.
The weigh-ins took place Thursday.
Tonight's event, which features a welterweight title fight between champion Shamil Zavurov and challenger Yasubey Enomoto, takes place at The Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, Calif.
Posted in: event, challenge, weight, tonight, enomoto
Read the full article at MMA JunkieDana White Breaks Down Main and Co-Main Events for UFC 140 (Video)
UFC 140 is just 48 hours away and UFC president Dana White gave his thoughts on the main and co-main events on Thursday.
Posted in: ufc, event, dana, comain, comain events
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyStrikeforce Staying on Showtime, Jan. 7 Event Officially Announced
The UFC is keeping Strikeforce alive after striking a deal with Showtime to continue airing Strikeforce events after their current contract ends in February, UFC President Dana White announced Thursday.
“It’s staying, and hopefully I’ll have all the information for you next week,” White said at the UFC 140 pre-fight press conference (via MMAjunkie).
White hinted that the deal meant further changes would be coming to the promotion, which has already surrendered champions Nick Diaz and Alistair Overeem and former title-holder Cung Le to the UFC.
“Just sit and wait and watch what I do,” White reportedly said. “Trust me, it’s going to be just fine. Like I said last time I talked to you guys about this, I’m getting into this, and I’m going to handle it. Watch and see.”
Meanwhile, Strikeforce confirmed on Thursday that it will visit the Hard Rock in Las Vegas on January 7 for an event headlined by middleweight champion Luke Rockhold vs. Keith Jardine. Also announced for the Showtime card were Robbie Lawler vs. Adlan Amagov, “King” Mo Lawal vs. Lorenz Larkin, and Tarec Saffiedine vs. Tyler Stinson.
For the latest Strikeforce news and Strikeforce rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Pictured: Luke Rockhold
Posted in: ufc, strikeforce, vs, event, showtime
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyStrikeforce adds Robbie Lawler vs Adlan Amagov and King Mo vs Lorenz Larkin to Jan. 7 Showtime event
The Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" fight card is starting to come together with today's addition of Robbie Lawler vs. Adlan Amagov and Muhammed Lawal vs. Lorenz Larkin for Jan. 7, 2012, at "The Joint" from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The five-fight broadcast will air live via Showtime at 10 p.m. ET on fight night.
First up on the docket is the return of Robbie Lawler (18-8). The "Ruthless" one is on a rare two-fight consecutive losing streak for just the second time in his illustrious 10-year career.
He'll be looking to get back into the win column against the dangerous Adlan Amagov (9-1-1), who fight fans may remember from the pounding he put on Anthony Smith at the "Challengers" event just last month.
Which one of these middleweights gets their licks in during what could be the final days of the Strikeforce promotion?
Joining them in "Sin City" is Muhammed Lawal (8-1), who rebounded from his 205-pund title loss to Rafael Cavalcante with a thunderous knockout of jiu-jitsu wizard Roger Gracie back in September.
Looking to dethrone "King Mo" is undefeated prospect Lorenz Larkin (12-0).
"The Monsoon" rained on Nick Rossborough's parade earlier this year at the Strikeforce Challengers 19 event, his fourth win of 2011.
Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" is headlined by yep, you guess it, Luke Rockhold and Keith Jardine, which is worth watching for no other reason than it might see "The Dean of Mean" become middleweight champion despite going 3-6-1 over his last 10 fights.
Check out the current fight card and rumors for the Jan. 7 Showtime event right here.
Posted in: fight, strikeforce, vs, event, luke rockhold
Read the full article at MMA ManiaMatwork! 12/8/11
Recent happenings in the worlds of sambo, judo, Brazilian jiu jitsu, submission grappling and/or collegiate/freestyle wrestling. If it takes place on the ground and it's interesting, it should be here.
Last week was a busy one with all kinds of happenings globally and of course, that wonderful advice from Renato Laranja. This week was a bit slower, but we still have quite a few stories, pictures and videos that are worth a gander. Join me after the jump for some updates on the collegiate and international wrestling scene, some quick judo results, Brazilian jiu jitsu happenings and some amazing videos.
Let's start off with one of my favorite things ever: Rubens "Cobrinha" Charles baking some delicious pies in Abu Dhabi to a soundtrack of soothing reggae music. You would never figure that this sweet, talented man is a multiple time world champion in submission grappling and could dismantle your body piece by piece in less than thirty seconds... Or would you... Is the cake a lie?
If you have any links of your own, questions or comments, leave them below or get at me at DefGrappler on Twitter. Please let me know if I missed anything major.
A list of official crew Twitter accounts is right here for your pickings: BloodyElbow Twitter, Luke Thomas,Kid Nate, Brent Brookhouse, Leland Roling, Richard Wade, Jonathan Snowden, Chris Barton, Damon O, Scott Broussard, Tim Burke, Matt Bishop, Fraser Coffeen, Dallas Winston, KJ Gould, Matt Roth, Anton Tabuena.
Wrestling News:
December 5th was apparently the first annual National Wrestling Day, so if you missed that perfect excuse to celebrate, make up for it in whichever way you can (hint hint).
Last weekend, an Olympic Trials Qualifier was held in Vegas. The full results are here, but one story jumps out in a big way. Tyler Graff, a Wisconsin college sophomore taking a redshirt season to chase Olympic dreams, ended up being the 60 kg winner and was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. This is a big achievement, but remember that 100+ wrestlers will enter the trials and only a few will come out as winners or alternates. Some of the wrestlers we remember best from MMA history and the current landscape like Kevin Jackson, Randy Couture, Dan Cormier, Muhammad Lawal and Mark Coleman went through these grueling battles and eventually turned towards MMA. Who amongst these athletes can be turned away from the dreams of Olympic gold and Wheaties boxes?
The current U.S. Olympic squad is gearing up in a big way for the 2012 London Games and a Test event (a pre-event tournament held to "test" the facilities and so on) is being held on Sunday, December 11th. The U.S. will send a very strong men's freestyle team to this event, but will field no competitors in the men's Greco-Roman or women's freestyle divisions. Gary Abbott over at The Mat has the round-up. Note that the list of wrestlers going over to the UK includes Jordan Burroughs, the 2011 NCAA Division I champion, the 2011 Worlds champion and the 2011 Pan Am champion. And he's not the number one right now at 74 kg (Andrew Howe, another beast who was neck and neck with Burroughs for most of 2010-11 is competing as the number one).
The InterMat rankings for each collegiate wrestling division and the overall teams were updated on Dec. 6th. Iowa, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Minnesota and Cornell comprise the top five teams overall. The individual rankings usually feature a wrestler from the above teams inside the top ten, but so many different colleges are represented across all of them that I could see the eventual team title decided in mid-March being a squeaker.
A beauuuuutiful lateral drop from the Cliff Keen Invitational that just wrapped up:
Watch more video of Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational 2011 on flowrestling.org
Judo News:
On December 2nd and 3rd, a judo World Cup event was held in Jeju, South Korea. This event is not the World Championships, in which nearly every serious judoka competes, but nearly every division had at least a handful or two handfuls of the top 75 ranked judo players right now (the rankings can be found here, thanks to INTJEU).
A few storylines reveal themselves from the raw results (available here, courtesy of JudoInside). The Koreans dominated the event, winning eighteen medals overall, taking six out of the seven golds in the men's divisions and six medals in the women's divisions. The Japanese picked up second place in the medals table, but may have been resting competitors for next week's Grand Slam in Tokyo. I love it when the Mongolians do well and their team picked third place overall behind a gold medal performance from Tuvshinbayar Naidan (and seven silver/bronze medals from other competitors).
The Mongolians always win the best name competitions; my favorite from this event is "Boldbataar Chimed-Yondon". Tell me that's not a perfect futuristic sci-fi protagonist name right there.
The judo circuit is winding up its long 2011 season and two more international events are left before the end of the year with the Grand Slam in Tokyo that kicks off tomorrow and a Grand Prix in Qingdao. The Grand Slam is giving out 5k for gold in their divisions, which probably makes it a more interesting battle late in the season. I will bring you updates on those in future Matwork! columns.
In Olympic tune-up news, JudoInside has a cool fact: "At this moment 114 different nations will have qualified judoka at the [2012 London] Olympic Games judo event (excluding wildcards)." Given that judo generally doesn't pay as much as other forms of grappling, it's still good to see that so many different cultures and countries keep combat sports alive and strong in their traditions and athletes.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu news:
David over at The Jiu Jitsu Laboratory has a really, really good breakdown of Rodolfo Vieira's favorite guard passes. Vieira is the current Mundials Absolute division champion and is widely considered one of the best submission grapplers currently alive. The best part about this breakdown is that it is the first part of a duo. If you roll BJJ and do not click on this link, I will slap you. Or if you are way bigger/better than me, I will get my teammate Stan the ex-Division 1 heavyweight wrestler to slap you. Nobody messes with Stan and nobody should miss this breakdown.
Kid Peligro, one of the long-standing figures in BJJ news, has a regular short hits column that he does. In one of the recent pieces, he has a Rickson quote that is a little BJJ-centric, but really is applicable to all kinds of things in life beyond the sweaty mats.
"Where there's discomfort, there's fear," he said. "In these very tough positions, you're in a little piece of hell. And through this daily suffering, you learn to survive in these situations. You have to find comfort in the uncomfortable situations. You have to be able to live your worst nightmare. Jiu-Jitsu puts you completely in the moment where you must have complete focus on finding a solution to the problem. This trains the mind to build that focus, to increase your awareness, your capacity to solve problems. Sometimes, you don't have to win. You cannot win. But that has nothing to do with losing." - Master Rickson Gracie
Rafael and Guilherme, the Mendes brothers, spent a while in Hawaii with Mike Fowler and Tracey Goodell, training and doing photoshoots for RVCA (same brand that works with B.J. Penn). Check their Facebook fan page for photos and videos from their time there, as well as more recent updates from them.
The 2011 ADCC Russia Open was held over December 3rd and 4th in Moscow, Russia. Peep the results and a cool photo gallery of this no-gi event here.
Odds and Ends:
There is one last sambo event of the season in Armavir, Russia. It is being held tomorrow according to this calendar, but English language updates are extremely scarce. Maybe it's time I cultivate some Crazy Ivan friends and get my sambo fix that way.
This is a picture of Phillipe Nover enjoying a traditional Filipino snack three days ago in Quezon City, Phillippines after his recent bout at Bellator 59.
via https://twitter.com/#!/PhillipeNover/status/143664012452831232.
Yes, that is balut you're seeing right there. No, Phillipe is not trying out for Fear Factor, he told me genuinely likes this dish (out of training camp, of course). Nover is there visiting family after his - ahem - loss to Marcin Held and has been updating his Twitter with some solid vacation pictures of things like the Pacquiao store, bootleg Shogun t-shirts and lots of Filipino food.
This is probably old news to many of you nerds, but Jon Fitch leveled up his awesomeness by creating his own Skyrim-specific Twitter account. With the decent video blogs, the openness to almost any questions asked of him and now getting goofy cool with a game probably quite a few of you play, what more can you ask of the guy? He's succeeded in winning me over - even if I'll never play Skyrim.
Let me give some free advice to all you grapplers out there. Grip strength is important. Having super-humanly strong hands that can clamp onto an opponent's limbs with ease can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Or it can stop you from losing a tug of war to an orangutan...
As always, an awesome grappling-related video to end the column. Here's what I think Nik Lentz vs. Brock Lesnar really looked like:
Posted in: team, event, division, judo, olympic
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowCortez vs. Sarnavskiy added to Friday's M-1 Challenge 30 event on Showtime
Alexander Sarnavskiy will remain on Friday's Showtime-televised M-1 Challenge 30 event after all.
As MMAjunkie.com reported on Wednesday, Sarnavskiy's original opponent, Francisco Drinaldo, suffered an undisclosed injury and was forced off the card.
Now, officials have announced that fellow lightweight Sergio Cortez has taken his spot on short notice.
Posted in: event, friday, sarnavskiy, sergio cortez, wednesday sarnavskiys
Read the full article at MMA JunkieFor you Maniacs making the trip out to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for the upcoming "Jones vs....
For you Maniacs making the trip out to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for the upcoming "Jones vs. Machida" event set to go down on Dec. 10, 2011, at the Air Canada Center, the UFC has provided you with this handy-dandy schedule of events to work your weekend around. Who's heading up to the Great White North this weekend to enjoy the festivities? For a hi-res version of the UFC 140 schedule of events poster click here.
Posted in: vs, event, jones vs, canada, handydandy schedule
Read the full article at MMA ManiaONE FC 2: Igor Gracie, Ole Laursen, Kevin Belingon, Among Competitors on Indonesia Card
ONE Fighting Championship's next card will be on February 11, in Jakarta, Indonesia. As reported here earlier, the planned super-fight between Martial Combat Champion, Ole Laursen and CFC Champion, Bernardo Magalhaes has been called off because of a training injury suffered by the Australian. Laursen will remain on the card, but as of this writing, no replacement has been named.
Aside from Laursen, multiple sources have also confirmed several of the more high-profile participants on the card, such as Igor Gracie, DEEP welterweight champ Yuya Shirai, BJJ Champ Alex Silva, URCC Champion Kevin Belingon, and former boxing champion Yodsanan Sityodtong.
Although it's a huge possibility, it was unclear whether the two welterweights, Shirai and Gracie, and two bantamweights, Belingon and Yodsanan would be facing off against each other.
It was also suggested that the CFC bantamweight champion could also be on the card as part of the partnership they have with the Australian promotion. Gustavo Falciroli will be defending that title on tonight's CFC 19 main event bout, so if this is the case, they would be waiting and hoping that the participants to come out uninjured, and would be ready to compete just two months after.
As a treat for the locals, the promotion also picked up Youne Senduk, a recent silver medalist of Wushu / San Shou during last month's South East Asian Games held in his home country of Indonesia. Interestingly enough, the gold medal winner for that event is Mark Eddiva, who is also a Filipino MMA fighter, that is teammates with Folayang and Belingon at Team Lakay Wushu.
In relation to what we reported on earlier about a TV Deal, BloodyElbow.com has now confirmed that the promotion has finalized a deal that will air their events on free TV. Sources close to the situation have told us that ONE FC has reached an agreement with MNC, the largest television network on the country, and will begin broadcast events on their sports channel, Global TV.
As always, follow me on twitter, and stay tuned for more updates.
Posted in: event, champion, card, belingon, laursen
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 140 Round Table: Is Jon Jones' Lack Of Star Power to Blame for UFC 140 Not Being Sold Out?
Matthew Roth: Most major UFC cards are sold out weeks prior to the event. Does the fact that UFC 140 isn't sold out yet reflect on Jon Jones' lack of star power or should it be attributed to the UFC's inability to market events on a week's notice? Dallas Winston: I would definitely lean toward the latter and the risk of over-saturating the market with so many events. I'm not sure how much more marketable you can get than Jon Jones: he is virtually undefeated and one of the most creative and charismatic champions in UFC history. Even if you happen to dislike him -- which doesn't really make him any less of an attraction -- he definitely has that "What will he do this time?" factor that generally intrigues the audience.
The core foundation for my enjoyment of breaking down match ups at the granular level was back when UFC and Pride shows were several months apart. This left an enormous window between marquee fights that definitely built more excitement and anticipation. I spent those months watching a ton of film and absorbing myself in all the relevant elements of the match up, then discussing my opinions at length on the internet with others. I found that this process heightened my anticipation for the event dramatically and I'd be counting down the days 'til the show.I'd wager the high frequency and quantity of events is geared towards permeating the market strongly and attracting new fans or luring casual fans farther in, but the drawback is a feeling of almost monotony. I guess, if you take anything you absolutely love as an individual and completely indulge in it about once every week compared to once every month or so, the latter will typically make you savor and appreciate the finer qualities more. This version of "Deep Thoughts" on the human psyche as it relates to UFC buy-rates brought to you shamelessly by Dallas Winston.
Tim Burke: I don't think it's either, really. I think it's the UFC's inability to understand how to market cards in Canada when GSP isn't on them. Not having a Canadian on top is devastating to local ticket sales, especially in a fickle market like Toronto. It certainly doesn't help that the locals see this show as a bit second-rate considering the last one in town was the biggest UFC show of all time.
T.P. Grant: I feel it is a little of both.
Jon Jones is still a rising star, combat sports athletes are at their height of drawing power normally after their decline has started. Casual fans just aren't all that aware of him yet and the UFC hasn't put serious muscle into marketing him yet the way say Cain has gotten.
Also I think we are still in the post-UFC on Fox hang over, so much marketing energy went into that I think things are still getting back to normal with Zuffa.
Additionally Canada card with no GSP just isn't going to do as well, this is something we've seen several times.
SBN coverage of UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida
KJ Gould: Canadian cards can and have done well without GSP, but Toronto strikes me as a different market to Montreal. Not to be disparaging to either, but Montreal strikes me as more of a Fight town, and Toronto as a Sports & Event town. Name value may be more important to Toronto and Jones just hasn't connected with certain fans yet. I think just because you become champion doesn't automatically mean you can carry an event especially in new markets and it might have better served the UFC to develop Jones further on American soil before testing his ability to draw elsewhere.
The UFC's spat with Spike hasn't helped either, but the "weird transitional period" excuse already feels exhausted. Generally speaking too many events too close to each other is a factor, and flooding the market will decrease value no matter the commodity. It's especially true if cards are put on with more frequency featuring fights that have no meaning beyond short term entertainment. Dana White likes to counter the saturation argument with something like "You don't hear people saying there's too much Football", but Stick and Ball sports have seasons, and the leagues people care about involve teams competing to progress to a championship finale. It's pretty rare you'll find teams paired against each other just for the hell of it because it might produce an exciting game. Sports fans almost always want less sizzle and more steak.
David Castillo: Definitely the latter, rather than the former. It's easy for us to see what makes Jon Jones a star: he's talented, exciting, and violent. Plus he's very presentable, hence the appearances on the various talk shows. Media wise, he's diligent, so you'd think he'd slither his way onto GQ by now. The guy just has 'it', even if the MMA media has been hypercritical of just what 'it' means. But on paper, he's a star.
However, I don't think he's had an adequate amount of time for the public to think about him. It was only February of this year that he was choking the hell out of Ryan Bader in a fight many felt was 50/50 at the time. When he fought for the title, it was against a champion who was coming off a year long layoff. His 'exposure' to the masses has been brief. He's established himself as the dominant force in the division in less than a year (with this being his 4th fight of 2011). I'm not sure we can claim Jones "lacks star power", and certainly not by gauging how he draws in an indifferent market like Toronto.
Matthew Roth: Well then what does this say for next year when the UFC is running 34 shows plus however many for Strikeforce?
KJ Gould: It says they better do a better job of pacing their event schedule and make sure the PPV side doesn't have filler fights that have no business being there.
Dallas Winston: Further to KJ's point about seasons and "normal sports" teams progressing toward a goal, I've always thought the UFC direly needs some rough form of rankings or basic establishment of a divisional hierarchy. That's another advantage of hosting a Grand Prix, which they've been clear is not of interest.
Even we, the dedicated hardcore followers, don't always know who will get the next title shot or who's trying to break into the top five or ten of the weight class. I would love to see Rogan and Goldie discuss who the top guys are, their recent history of wins and losses and a graphic or some type of visual with a list of names. I know that the UFC publishing their own rankings could be messy, but it doesn't even have to really be a concrete ranking. It could just be a list they show of who the top guys in the weight class are and where they think they stack up as contenders.That's just been my idea for a long time that might break up the monotony of so many events. For example, anytime a fight is announced as a number one contender bout, it's immediately given a certain luster that makes it seem more important and also carries a storyline and continuity because the winner goes on to fight for the belt.
TP Grant: I agree with you Dallas. It is something I thought was odd when I first crossed over from traditional sports to first watching MMA that there was no rankings, not even a general these guys are contenders put out by the UFC. I think it is something that casual fans could use as to instantly understand who is important and who to watch.
Fraser Coffeen: Agreed about the rankings. What made K-1 so awesome during it's peak years was that there was this system, where the winner of THIS tournament moved on to here, who moved on to here, who then fought in the big Grand Prix. And at the end of every year, you knew definitively who the #1 guy in the world was. Come back K-1!
As for the original question - I think it's a bit early to say, as we may be confusing "lack of ticket sales" with "lack of PPV buys." Questions of burn-out or star power for the mass audience - let's revisit those after the buyrates come in.What I do think is a factor is the UFC in particular, and MMA in general, failing to capitalize on the regionalism that pretty much every other major sport uses as a massive marketing technique. 129 was huge largely because it was GSP fighting in Canada. Look at the great response live to the Rio show. Strikeforce used to get this when they would do great ticket sales business in San Jose with Cung Le and Frank Shamrock at the top. WEC even did a good job with this when they had Faber fighting in Sacramento. I'd like to see the UFC push this idea more.
Example: I live in Chicago, and I see Clay Guida on billboards, Clay Guida on TV ads - why when the UFC returns to Chicago am I not seeing Clay Guida FIGHT?
KJ Gould: UFC could do their own internal 'Power Rankings' based on who's been on a tear and who's been impressive in their run, have it as a fan interactive segment on their website to get their audience more involved (or at least make them feel more involved, which may be all that's needed). Because it's 'Power Rankings' it won't matter that much if it's at odds with independent rankings, as long as some case is made for the UFC's charting - even if it's just promotional fluff, that'd be better than Dana White saying something like "He's the best, end of discussion, I'm right, you're wrong, f**k you".
Fraser Coffeen: I really loved when the UFC used to do that in the early Zuffa days. I remember they would show a top 5 in the division that would even (gasp!) include Pride fighters. They weren't quite as cutthroat to all competition back in those days.
Matthew Roth: I think Jones may be falling into the same trap that Anderson Silva did for years. He's just too dominant of a champion that even legitimate challengers just feel like they're not in his league. The easy in which he defeated Bader, Shogun, and Rampage just makes it a hard sell. It's absurd to say that out loud but without the real chance that he can be defeated entering the fight, it just doesn't make sense to pay for his headlining bouts.
On the other side, it's not even the fact that the media just isn't there on the internet for this card. Based on reader responses, the local media just doesn't care. There's no advertisements. It's a tough sell when the pricing is different from 129 and you lack the Canadian champion at the top.
KJ Gould: The dominance of champions used to be what drove combat sports from a commercial standpoint. It seems pretty strange to think a similar dominance in MMA would turn fans off. The bigger issue is Jones not connecting with the audience. He's trying too hard with his wannabe role model Martial Artiste persona and many fans feel it's contrived. It's like Carlton Banks trying too hard to impress, instead of the Fresh Prince being cool and natural.
Yeah, I decided to squeeze some 90's pop culture in hear, so sue me.
Josh Nason: I'm surprised I haven't read more here about the lack of Machida being seen as a powerful contender. It's not like he's been on the path to this title through a dominant run. I don't think he earned it by any means and the only reason this fight is happening is because the UFC felt like this show needed a true main event. Live gate wise to this point, that doesn't seem to have helped. Dana White said that by far, Toronto is the strongest market they have and this has to shake that a bit.
I look forward to seeing him fight, but it's not like a true "I can't wait until Saturday" anticipation. I'd really like to see him in a tough fight. The greatest athletes are made through battling through adversity and he's just made it look too easy. That can work one of two ways and I don't think it's fully swung in his favor yet. Honestly, it won't until he fights Rashad Evans.
Matthew Roth: That's a good point. I think a lot of Machida's mystique is gone after the knockout against Shogun and losing to Rampage. The crane kick against Couture was awesome but it doesn't make him a top light heavyweight in the same sense that Dan Henderson, Rashad, Evans, and Jon Jones are. And yes, I do realize that Machida beat Rashad. That doesn't change the fact that Rashad is a better 205er than Lyoto. And it really goes back to my point, since Machida doesn't really seem like a legitimate challenge, why should anyone buy the card?
Josh Nason: I think there are some fun fights if you like names. No one is talking about Mir/Nogueira or Ortiz/Nogueira. Mark Hominick gets back on the road to be a contender again. Casual fan-wise, this is the same as a lot of cards recently. It's a dead horse story but they need perceived stars to help move the needle. I think we'll have the same discussion in January when Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes headline a PPV and everyone's like, "Huh?"
TP Grant: I think Dan Henderson is getting overvalued right now as the #2 LHW in the world and I actually think Lyoto is being underplayed. I still consider Lyoto in that elite contender's class of fighters at 205 lbs. I don't ignore his loss to Rampage, but also don't consider it a massive indictment against him either.
Not many complained about Rampage as a contender when his most significant win was in fact that iffy split decision over Lyoto since his 2007 win over Hendo. And Rahsad's biggest enemy is becoming inactivity. Shogun needs a big win or two to warrant a rematch. Holes can be poked in everyone's resume, I have no problem with Lyoto challenging for the belt.
Josh Nason: But what about the "win" over Rua that was really a loss and then, the KO loss to Rua in the rematch? The last time he really impressed was in that title win over Rashad Evans...which was May 2009. Yes, he beat Couture in April but it's not like he was an elite fighter at that point. Perhaps the reason Hendo is being pushed so heavily in circles is because the LHW division needs something extra at the top.
TP Grant: I said I don't ignore Rampage's win, but didn't hold it over him as a indictment of him as an elite fighter. I approached Lyoto/Rua I the same way.
Josh Nason: I'm curious and this may be off-topic: in your opinion, what makes one an elite fighter?
TP Grant: Consistent success, including against proven veteran gatekeepers, well rounded skills, and wins over Top 10 competition.
Posted in: ufc, fight, jone, event, doesnt
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowVideo: 'Countdown to UFC 140' full episode
With the pay-per-view event just four days away, "Countdown to UFC 140" is now available for online viewing.
The pre-event preview show debuted on TV earlier this week.
The one-hour special looks ahead to Saturday's UFC 140 event and its top
three fights, including a light-heavyweight headliner between champion
Jon Jones and ex-champ Lyoto Machida.
Posted in: ufc, event, payperview event, video countdown, lightheavyweight headliner
Read the full article at MMA JunkieMichael Bisping vs. Demian Maia confirmed for UFC on FOX 2
Ultimate Fighting Championship announced a stacked triple-headliner for its upcoming UFC on FOX 2 event, with Michael Bisping (LK: 6) vs. Demian Maia (LK: 9) being the latest addition to the card. "The Count" will look to extend his winning streak to 5, facing what many consider as his toughest test to date. The event will be headined by the Light Heavyweight division bout between "Suga" Rashad Evans and Phil "Mr. Wonderful" Davis, while after all the speculation Chael Sonnen (LK: 2) will take on Mark
Posted in: vs, event, bisping, phil mr, lk
Read the full article at Low KickMichael Bisping vs. Demian Maia added to UFC on FOX 2
Next month's UFC on FOX 2 event has another marque attraction.
UFC officials today announced that fresh off his victory at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale, Michael Bisping will meet fellow middleweight contender Demian Maia at the network-televised event.
"UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis" takes place Jan. 28 at Chicago's United Center.
Posted in: ufc, fox, vs, event, months ufc
Read the full article at MMA JunkieM-1 CHALLENGE XXX: Zavurov vs. Enamoto II LIVE on Showtime this weekend
Press Release:Friday, Dec. 9, 2011. Live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT From The Hangar at the O.C. Fair and Events Center, Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa, California (December 5, 2011) – M-1 GLOBAL’s final U.S. outing for 2011 features a rematch of what most consider up to this point the M-1 Challenge match of the year. The mixed martial arts (MMA) event titled M-1 Challenge XXX: Zavurov vs. Enomoto II takes place at The Hangar in Costa Mesa,
Posted in: event, showtime, challenge, ii, mesa
Read the full article at Low KickUFC 140 tickets still available for 'Jones vs Machida' fight in Toronto
The last time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) went north of the border to hit the "Queen City" for a fight card, it sold 55,000 tickets to the UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs. Shields" event on April 30 at the Rogers Centre.
This time? Not so much.
In fact, as the Toronto Sun notes, just four days away from UFC 140: "Jones vs. Machida," tickets are still available:
Despite the great line-up, there's been little hoopla over the city's second ever UFC event, which still has tickets available.
In reality, with so many cities around the world clamouring to host the UFC these days, Toronto should be counting its blessings. Only Montreal in 2010 and Las Vegas, where the UFC is headquartered, have ever held two events in the same year, Wright said.
The UFC will likely come to town at least once a year from now on, he said, adding the ACC show is more in line with a typical UFC event.
Wright said it would have been next to impossible to match the success of UFC 129, which had the benefit of months of debate over Ontario's MMA ban.
The difference between UFC 129 and UFC 140? No Canadian hero named Georges St. Pierre headlining the card. That might have a little something to do with the fact that the Air Canada Centre hasn't sold out just yet.
Still, "Jones vs. Machida" boasts one hell of a line-up.
The main event features the youngest champion in company history, Jon Jones, defending his light heavyweight championship against Brazilian buttkicker extraordinaire, Lyoto Machida.
What's interesting to note here is that Machida fought at UFC 129 and defeated Randy Couture in spectacular fashion via front kick to the face knockout. Whatever rub he got from that victory seems to have worn off in a big way.
Also on the card is the ever polarizing Tito Ortiz, who has ramped up his press tour in recent days, taking on Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in a 205-pound showdown.
Oh and former heavyweight champions Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will finally meet in a rematch three years in the making. Except it's not nearly as highly anticipated as it should be.
Even Mark Hominick, who fought and lost in his title shot against Jose Aldo at UFC 129, is on the card against "Korean Zombie," Chan Sung Jung. In short, there's plenty of incentive for Canadian fight fans to drop some coin to see a good show.
But they're just not doing it in the same fashion they did last time.
So, to reiterate: Georges St. Pierre in the "Great White North" means big bucks and sold out stadiums and everyone else falls short. Big breaking news on that front, right?
The good news? You can still snag a ticket and see a sweet show, Maniacs. Anyone rushing to pick one up?
Posted in: ufc, event, card, ticket, machida
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC Debuting In Sweden In March 2012
The UFC will be adding a new country to its 2012 passport as they'll be heading to Sweden for the first time in company history for a yet-to-be announced March event, according to a Swedish MMA site.The event is scheduled for Stockholm on Wednesday, March 28th, likely to be a Fight Night event on FX or Fuel TV. There are several options for arenas like the large AEG-run Stockholm Arena or the 16,000 seat Ericsson Globe. This will be the promotion's first trip to a Nordic country.
An interesting side note from Nordic MMA-centric site MMA Viking:
The newly rumored date of March 28 for a "Fight Night" may also help the fact that the Swedish MMA Federation (SMMAF) does not currently permit bouts over 15 minutes, so the main event may not be at the UFC’s newly established 5-round fights.
The UFC may be backtracking on their announcement earlier this year regarding all main events being five-round fights as the recently announced Jim Miller vs. Melvin Guillard main event for UFC on FX 1 will be three rounds.
The UFC already has trips to Brazil, Japan and Australia planned for the first quarter of the year.
Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, event, march
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 140 Still Not Sold Out A Week Out From The Event
submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [3 comments]
Posted in: ufc, week, event, mattyblayze
Read the full article at RedditUFC 140 Still Not Sold Out A Week Out From The Event
Eight months ago the UFC packed 55,000 fans into the Rogers Centre to watch Georges St. Pierre defend his welterweight title against Jake Shields. The atmosphere was electric and the Canadian fans showed up in droves to support the national hero. This week there is a completely different story. Instead of an enormous sold out crowd, Jon Jones and Lyoto Machida may do battle in front of a partially filled Air Canada Centre.
The Toronto Sun was the first to report on the ticketing troubles surrounding the event. When the UFC rolled into town for UFC 129, the city was abuzz with excitement and expectations. The first event was a huge success with local media doing their part in building up the supercard. For UFC 140, it would appear that they just haven't gotten on board with the promotion. The city is all but dead with the event just a week away. From the Toronto Sun:
Despite the great line-up, there's been little hoopla over the city's second ever UFC event, which still has tickets available.
In reality, with so many cities around the world clamouring to host the UFC these days, Toronto should be counting its blessings. Only Montreal in 2010 and Las Vegas, where the UFC is headquartered, have ever held two events in the same year, Wright said.
The UFC will likely come to town at least once a year from now on, he said, adding the ACC show is more in line with a typical UFC event.
As with most UFC events, they usually do a major marketing push the week of the fights so come Saturday the expectation is that the Air Canada Centre will be full. However, the fact that one of the last major cards of 2011 is not yet sold out may reflect on the general feeling that the UFC's schedule is having adverse affects on their revenue stream. It may also be asking too much for the local audience to get excited for MMA for a second time in the same year after such a huge first event.
SBN coverage of UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida
Posted in: ufc, week, event, city, ufc event
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowFans invited to this week's UFC 140 open workouts, press conference
The UFC returns to Toronto for the second time in 2011, as UFC light
heavyweight champion Jon Jones defends his belt against Lyoto Machida in
the main event of "UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida."
In anticipation of the pay-per-view event, UFC officials recently
announced that fans are invited to both a UFC 140 open workout session
and pre-event press conference.
Both events can be attended free of charge.
Posted in: ufc, event, lyoto machida, ufc returns, workout session
Read the full article at MMA JunkieThe Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale salaries: Bisping ($425,000) earns top payday
Main-event winner and "The Ultimate Fighter 14" head coach Michael Bisping was the big winner at this past weekend's TUF 14 Finale event, and he earned $425,000 for his efforts.
The payday, which included a $150,000 win bonus, accounted for the majority of the event's $708,000 payroll.
MMAjunkie.com today requested and received the list of disclosed paydays from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Posted in: event, winner, bisping, nevada state, payday
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBellator Moving To Friday Nights, Season Debut On March 2nd
The assumed move of Bellator off Saturday nights was confirmed Monday, but instead of a mid-week air time, the promotion will once again go head-to-head with the UFC quite frequently.Bellator will now air on Friday nights on MTV2, beginning on March 2nd when their sixth season begins. This next run will feature four tournaments (lightweights, featherweights, welterweights and middleweights) with a fifth to be announced soon, expected to be either light heavyweights or women's 125-pounders.In the press release, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said, "Our focus was to find the right night, where the largest number of MMA fans could enjoy the show. We’ve been discussing this move with our partners at Viacom for months. When we looked at the alternatives, we agreed that Fridays provided a great night for us to reach MMA fans with our live, real sport, tournament events every week."
However, one of Bellator's issues on Saturdays was running up against UFC pay-per-views and other major sports like college football. While they will be out of the college crosshairs for the most part, Fridays are not traditionally a strong TV night for viewership. Additionally, they will go head-to-head with both the newly-moved The Ultimate Fighter and UFC Fight Night events on FX, M-1 Global and Strikeforce Challengers events if both continue to be aired on Showtime, HDNet MMA events and WWE Smackdown on SyFy.No official start time or venue was announced for the March 2nd date.
Posted in: night, bellator, event, mma fans, friday
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowBellator moving to Friday nights for sixth season in 2012
Bellator Fighting Championships is moving its events from from Saturday to Friday nights beginning with the sixth season, which kicks off March 2.
USAToday.com's Sergio Non first reported the news.
According to Bellator chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney, several factors prompted the move. Most obvious, of course, is avoiding going head-to-head with UFC events and other high-profile sports programming.
Posted in: bellator, event, ufc events, bellator chairman, friday nights
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 140 Fight Card: Jones vs. Machida
The UFC 140 card is finally set. The event will take place on December 10th in the Air Canada Center in Toronto, Ontario. While it obviously won't draw as many fans as UFC 129 did, Toronto is a very hot market for MMA and this event should do very well, even without a Canadian in the main event. Speaking of the main event, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will fight for the fourth time in 11 months when he defends his title against former champion Lyoto Machida. Along with that, there will be a rematch between Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the co-main spot. Here is the card so far (preliminary card is after the jump):
Dec 10th, live on pay-per-view from Toronto, Ontario:
Jon Jones (14-1) vs. Lyoto Machida (17-2)
Frank Mir (15-5) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (33-6, 1 NC)
Tito Ortiz (16-9-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-5)
Mark Hominick (20-9) vs. Chan Sung Jung (11-3)
Claude Patrick (14-1) vs. Brian Ebersole (48-14-1, 1 NC)
More SBN coverage of UFC 140
Preliminary Card:
Mark Bocek (9-4) vs. Nik Lentz (21-3-2, 1 NC)
Dennis Hallman (50-14-2, 1 NC) vs. John Makdessi (9-0)
Igor Pokrajac (23-8) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (26-11-1)
Rich Attonito (10-4) vs. Jake Hecht (10-2)
Mitch Clarke (9-0) vs. John Cholish (7-1)
Yves Jabouin (16-7) vs. Walel Watson (11-2)
Jared Hamman (16-3) vs. Constantinos Philippou (11-2, 1 NC)
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, card, nc
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowCharles Oliveira drops to featherweight, meets Eric Wisely at UFC on FOX 2
With the top two fights on the second UFC on FOX event set, the rest of the card is starting to fill up. Today the UFC added a featherweight bout to the event as top prospect Charles Oliveira welcomes Eric Wisely to the Octagon in January. After spending their careers at lightweight, both men will be dropping to 145 in hopes of making a run at current champion Jose Aldo.
News of the bout was first reported by MMAJunkie.com.
After bursting onto the scene with 14 straight victories to start his career, including impressive submission wins over Darren Elkins and Efrain Escudero in his first two UFC bouts, “do Bronx” hit a speed bump by the name of Jim Miller at UFC 124, losing by way of kneebar in the first round. Following the first loss of his career, Oliveira defeated Nik Lentz in his next contest but the bout was changed to a no contest as an illegal knee by Oliveira led to the submission finish. In his last bout, Oliveira was finished by strikes in the first round by Donald Cerrone this past August.
Looking to push Oliveira further down the slope will be Wisely, a MMA veteran who has victories over the likes of Hermes Franca and Matt Veach. “Little Lee” is best known for his scrap against the gritty Pat Healy at Strikeforce Challengers 18 this past against. Despite losing to the bout, Wisely hung tough against a respected veteran and managed to last the entire 15 minutes.
UFC on FOX 2 is scheduled for January 28 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The night will be headlined by a pair of #1 contender’s fights as Rashad Evans takes on Phil Davis in the main event while Mark Munoz battles Chael Sonnen in the co-main event.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, bout, event, oliveira, jim miller
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainThe Sunday Morning Rumor Mill
In Hawaii, it's still morning so temporally, this 'Sunday Morning Rumor Mill' is highly appropriate. Throughout the week, nuggets of information pass through MiddleEasy and instead of disregarding these morsels, we occasionally publish them in our weekly rumor mill. It's the equivalent of two guys talking in a bar about stuff they've heard throughout the week, but in this scenario there is no cigarette smoke or readily available beers that can be consumed. It's just you and your computer. Have fun.
There is a 0% chance Fedor Emelianenko will fight at DREAM's NYE event. With that said, I still believe Fedor provides some serious problems for every heavyweight in the UFC.
One FC will not be co-promoting with DREAM in their NYE event.
ZUFFA and Spike TV planned for a five-round match between Bisping vs. Mayhem. Logistically, it didn't go as planned.
According to the infamous 'Hammers Hamill,' ZUFFA and Showtime have further renewed their contract for an additional two years. Showtime believed the Strikeforce product was devalued due to UFC removing fighters from their roster, therefore the contract was renewed at a discounted rate -- nearly half of what it was. UFC fighters will migrate to Strikeforce to show that it's not a 'b-level feeder' league.
Hammers Hamill also states that M-1's contract with Showtime is finished and will not be renewed after this year.
More from Hammers Hamill states the Strikeforce HW GP date will be announced this week and the company will plan more events in 2012. Also, it appears that a reality show is planned for Strikeforce in 2012.
Apparently Ronda Rousey's emergence in the MMA scene renewed ZUFFA's belief that Strikeforce and women in MMA is a viable product.
Immediately after last night's TUF 14 bout, I heard from a few sources that Michael Bisping's next opponent will be Brian Stann.
M-1 Global plans to have a TUF-like reality show based entirely in Russia at some point next year.
According to Dave Meltzer, the UFC doesn't plan to have a 125 lb division anytime soon.
Also according to Meltzer, a Spike.com writer had his credentials pulled just before the TUF 14 finale and was unable to attend the event.
Posted in: ufc, strikeforce, event, reality show, contract
Read the full article at Middle EasyCharles Oliveira vs. Eric Wisely targeted for UFC on FOX 2
Two lightweights are headed to the featherweight division.
Charles Oliveira and newcomer Eric Wisely have agreed to meet next in their new weight classes next month at UFC on FOX 2, event sources confirmed with MMAjunkie.com.
The event takes place Jan. 28 at United Center in Chicago, and at least three fights are expected to air as part of the night's FOX-televised main card.
Posted in: fox, event, weight classes, newcomer eric, nights foxtelevised
Read the full article at MMA JunkieStruve-Herman Headed to UFC's Feb. 15 Debut on Fuel TV
Heavyweights Dave Herman and Stefan Struve will collide when the UFC holds its first live event on Fuel TV.
Posted in: ufc, event, tv, stefan struve, fuel
Read the full article at SherdogLuke Rockhold vs. Keith Jardine title fight targeted for Jan. 7 Strikeforce event
Strikeforce appears to have its first fight of what appears to be an uncertain 2012 fight season.
Sources close to the event told MMAjunkie.com newly minted Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is expected to fight UFC veteran Keith Jardine in a Jan. 7 title fight.
MMAFighting.com first reported the likely bout.
Posted in: fight, title, strikeforce, event, rockhold
Read the full article at MMA Junkie2012 UFC programming in Canada still a wild card
With a number of UFC cards being aired in the early part of the year across many of the Fox network channels, it’s still unknown as to who will be picking up the cards in Canada.
Fuel TV is not available in Canada yet, and FX Canada has specific Canadian content guidelines imposed by the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) which may hinder their ability to live UFC events to their own schedule. They are required by the CRTC to play at least 15% Canadian content on their channel in the first year, and with the fact that they will be showing The Ultimate Fighter and its replays, it may be difficult to shuffle their schedule to allow for another three hours of US Broadcasting while maintaining their own original content and balancing the impositions placed on them. It should be noted this imposition increases to 25% in the third year.
A Look at the UFC’s Deal with FOX
In Canada, Rogers Sportsnet has normally picked up UFC Fight Night cards as they air, and have often aired events tape delayed for the US (such as UFC 138) live. However, they have never had to take on as daunting a schedule as the UFC plans to have in the 1st quarter of 2012 and beyond, especially on weekdays. One UFC card, for example, is planned for Wednesday, February 15, the same night that Sportsnet has committed to airing a Vancouver Canucks hockey game.
With the exception of the Ultimate Fighter, weekday commitments were never required. Rival Network The Score carried of the WEC events, and on the very rare occasion the UFC held an event on the weekdays, Sportsnet would usually pick it up and air it somewhere in their network.
With over 2000 hours of UFC programming scheduled to take place on the Fox contract in 2012, and Sportsnet airing much of it already, along with their own in-house MMA programming, it may not be long before you see a dedicated Rogers Sportsnet MMA channel in place to rival the Fight Network and The Score’s Fighting Series.
In the meantime, Sportsnet has confirmed they are looking into their scheduling, and will announce what they will be airing shortly.
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Posted in: ufc, event, card, canada, sportsnet
Read the full article at Fighters.comProgramming alert: 'Countdown to UFC 141' debuts Dec. 21 on Fuel TV
Countdown to UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem" will debut on Weds., Dec. 21, 2011, at 10 p.m. ET on Fuel TV to promote the upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) event scheduled for Dec. 30 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The network special will provide a glimpse into the preparation and training camps of the fighters set to headline the show, featuring former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and ex-Strikeforce 265-pound kingpin Alistair Overeem.
UFC.com currently lists replays of "Countdown to UFC 141" at the following times (ET):
Thurs., Dec. 22, at 1:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. Fri., Dec. 23, at 11:30 p.m. Weds., Dec. 28, at 2:00 a.m.
"Lesnar vs. Overeem" will also feature a co-main event pitting lightweight brawlers Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz in a 155-pound scrap as well as a welterweight brawl between former 170-pound number one contender Jon Fitch and the hard-hitting Johny Hendricks.
Here is the current UFC 141 fight card and line-up:
Main event:
265 lbs.: Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem
Main card (pay-per-view):
170 lbs.: Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks 155 lbs.: Nate Diaz vs. Donald Cerrone 145 lbs.: Jim Hettes vs. Nam Phan 205 lbs.: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
Spike TV Prelims:
145 lbs.: Ross Pearson vs. Junior Assuncao 155 lbs.: Ramsey Nijem vs. Anthony Njokuani
Preliminary card (May not be broadcast):
155 lbs.: T.J. Grant vs. Jacob Volkmann 170 lbs.: Luis Ramos vs. Matt Riddle 170 lbs.: Dong Hyun Kim vs. Sean Pierson 145 lbs.: Manny Gamburyan vs. Diego Nunes
MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 141, beginning with the PPV telecast at 9 p.m. ET on Dec. 30. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action much earlier on fight night.
To get up to speed on all the news and notes for UFC 141 check out our extensive event archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, lb, dec
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 140 preliminary fights headed to ION TV
With Spike TV essentially in the UFC‘s rear-view mirror, the preliminary pairings for UFC 140 will air on ION Television next Saturday as the lead-in to the night’s PPV event.
UFC 140 is headlined by a title-fight match between current light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former divisional king Lyoto Machida. Also in action at the show, Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will square off in the co-main event with Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira making up another of the evening’s highlights.
The ION prelim event will boast fights between Krzysztof Soszynski/Igor Pokrajac, Constantinos Philippou/Jared Hamman, Dennis Hallman/John Makdessi, and Yves Jabouin/Walel Watson. Action begins at 7:00 p.m. ET with the special running two hours instead of one hour as is normally the case.
This will be the third time ION has shown UFC fights as the network also televised the prelims for UFC 125 and UFC 127.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, ion, ion tv
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainBellator Viewership Remains Strong For Season Finale
The numbers are in and the final event of Bellator's fifth season on MTV2 remained strong for the second straight week.
Viewership for last Saturday's Bellator 59 event were reported as 265,000, a slight drop from the prior week's 269,000 and good for the third-highest viewership of the season.
The event was headlined by Eric Prindle vs. Thiago Santos in the heavyweight tournament finals and Eduardo Dantas vs. Alexis Vila in the bantamweight tournament finals.
Over 11 events, Bellator drew over 200,000 viewers four times with the lowest viewership at 103,000 for Bellator 53. The average for the season was just over 186,000 with the show-by-show breakdown below:
Bellator 49 (9/10): 235,000
Bellator 50 (9/17): 114,000
Bellator 51 (9/24): 158,000
Bellator 52 (10/1): 269,000
Bellator 53 (10/8): 103,000
Bellator 54 (10/15): 185,000
Bellator 55 (10/22): 168,000
Bellator 56 (10/29): 154,000
Bellator 57 (11/12): 129,000
Bellator 58 (11/19): 269,000
Bellator 59 (11/26): 265,000
The promotion struggled at times with competition from the UFC and college football with their slot on Saturday nights and tried occasionally airing at 7 pm EST to act as a lead-in for UFC pay-per-view events instead of head-to-head. 2012 will be Bellator's final year on MTV2 before moving to Spike TV with the sixth season expected to kick off in February or March.
SBN coverage of Bellator 59
Posted in: bellator, season, event, college football, viewership
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowAlessio loses opponent, out of Sarnia event
Canadian John (The Natural) Alessio has been scratched from an event Saturday in Sarnia, Ont., after his scheduled opponent was hurt.
Posted in: event, alessio, event saturday, sarnia ont, sarnia
Read the full article at sportsnet.caRashad Evans vs. Phil Davis to Headline UFC on Fox 2
After an injury cost him yet another title shot, former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans will return to the Octagon to face Phil Davis in the main event of UFC on FOX 2 on January 28th in Chicago, according to ESPN.
The pair were first booked to meet at UFC 133 in August, but Davis had to withdraw from the fight due to a leg injury. Evans went on to face replacement Tito Ortiz, defeating him via TKO in the second round.
During the fight, Evans (16-1-1) injured his hand, forcing him to postpone the opportunity to challenge Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title. Rather than waiting for Evans to heal, Jones decided to sign on to fight Lyoto Machida at UFC 140, which takes place December 10th.
Prior to the victory at UFC 133, Evans was set to challenge Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the title at UFC 128, but he had to withdraw from the fight due to a knee injury. Jones took his place, going on to defeat Rua for the championship.
Davis (9-0) has not fought since defeating Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in March at UFC Fight Night 24. Prior to this extended layoff, Davis fought five times in the span of thirteen months. The former All-American and NCAA national champion wrestler at Penn State is 5-0 in the UFC, including victories over Nogueira, Tim Boetsch, Alexander Gustafsson, and Brian Stann.
Evans and Davis are expected to be the main event of the UFC’s second event on FOX, after a rumored matchup between middleweight contenders Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz fell through. The expected co-main event was also moved, as Jake Ellenberger vs. Diego Sanchez is now headlining UFC on Fuel TV 1.
UFC on FOX 2 takes place January 28th at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Other matchups set for the event include Demetrious Johnson vs. Eddie Wineland and Jon Olav Einemo vs. Mike Russow.
For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 2, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Pictured: Rashad Evans
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, evan, davi
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyShowtime airs M-1 Challenge 30 on Dec. 9 with Zavurov-Enomoto title fight
Showtime will air the next installment of the M-1 Challenge series.
Officials recently announced that M-1 Challenge 30 will air on the premium-cable station on Friday, Dec. 9, from The Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, Calif.
Headlining the event is a championship bout and rematch between welterweight titleholder Shamil Zavurov and Yasubey Enomoto.
Posted in: event, showtime, challenge, championship bout, premiumcable station
Read the full article at MMA JunkieJake Ellenberger vs. Diego Sanchez Signed to Headline First UFC on FUEL Event
Filed under: UFC, NewsSurging welterweight contender Jake Ellenberger will attempt to capture his sixth straight octagon win and thrust himself into the No. 1 contender debate on February 15, and he'll need a win over Diego Sanchez to do it.
The UFC confirmed the two will square off in the first installment of the UFC on FUEL. Previously, UFC president Dana White had said all non-title main events going forward would be five rounds, the announcement noted that the main event matchup would be a three-round bout, but no explanation was given for the change.
Ellenberger (26-5) has vaulted himself into the division's top 10 with a series of dynamic recent performances. In his most recent bout, he knocked out former No. 1 contender Jake Shields in just 53 seconds. Prior to that, he'd stopped three of four opponents via KO or TKO.
Sanchez (23-4) has captured two straight since struggling in his return to welterweight after a run at 155. In his most recent bout, he earned the judges' nod in a controversial unanimous decision against Martin Kampmann.
The UFC said the inaugural FUEL event would take place in Ellenberger's hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, though they did not specify a venue. The likely landing spot is the CenturyLink Center Omaha, an 18,300-seat arena.
The new broadcast partner, FUEL, is a unit of FOX cable networks and is expected to host over 2,000 hours of UFC programming in 2012. According to TV by the Numbers, the channel is currently available in just over 32 million U.S. households, about 27 percent of available homes. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, ellenberger, event, fuel, fuel event
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseZavurov vs. Enomoto Headlines December 9's M-1 Challenge 30 on Showtime
Filed under: M-1 Global, NewsM-1 and Showtime will team up for the fourth time when the two sides air M-1 Challenge 30 live on December 9 at 11 pm.
In the headline slot is a rematch between M-1 Global welterweight champion Shamil Zavurov and Yasubey Enomoto, the promotion announced on Tuesday. The event will take place at The Hangar at the O.C. Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa, California.
Zavurov is 18-1 so far in his career, and in April defeated Enomoto by unanimous decision in a five-round fight. That victory extended his win streak to 13 straight bouts.
Meanwhile, Enomoto is 8-3 and coming off back-to-back wins since losing in his first crack at the belt. In that first encounter, Enomoto had just eight days' notice after replacing the injured top contender.
In the co-main event, undefeated Alexander Sarnavsky will put his perfect 16-0 record on the line against Francisco Drinaldo (10-1).
The rest of the main card is comprised of Tyson Jeffries (7-6) vs. Eddie Arizmendi (15-5), Jose Figueroa (10-5) vs. Artiom Damkovsky (9-6), and Alessandro Ferriera (10-1) vs. Bao Quach (18-10). Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: vs, event, zavurov, enomoto, event center
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseM-1 Global: 'Fedor vs. Monson' ratings hit 7.5 million viewers
No Zuffa, no FOX? No problem.
Despite not having the marketing monster that is the UFC and the support of one of the most dominate sports networks on the planet, M-1 Global's "Fedor vs. Monson" event, which aired live from Moscow, Russia, on Nov. 20, 2011, did rather well for itself in the ratings department.
Extremely well, actually.
The promotion announced today that the event, which marked the return and resurgence of the great Fedor Emelianenko, raked in an impressive 7.5 million viewers.The event drew better numbers than both the Russian Premier League and the English Premier League matches that took place on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
The M-1 Global event also broke the attendance record for the largest gathering of fans in Europe for a mixed martial arts event with a total of 22,153 attendees.
Who says Fedor has no drawing power anymore?
Here's a full breakdown of the numbers:
The report states that an exact number of 4.9 million watched the event live, which is about four million less than the 8.8 million viewers that watched the highly anticipated UFC on Fox 1. That event aired a week prior and featured a heavyweight championship fight that saw Junior dos Santos knocking out Cain Velasquez in 64 seconds to win the heavyweight championship. Here's more from the M-1 Global report, courtesy of LowKick.com:
It's important to note than 7.5 million is a "total number". According to the report, 4.9 million people watched the event live, 1.1 million on the same day replay, and nearly 3 million during another replay on the following day. The total number includes only the unique viewers, excluding those who watched the show more than once.
Impressive.
M-1 Global: "Fedor vs. Monson" saw Fedor return to his winning ways by defeating Jeff Monson via unanimous decision. After dropping three straight, it's safe to say the victory was career saver for "The Last Emperor."
For three rounds, Fedor battered and bruised "The Snowman" to the point that Monson needed assistance just to get out of the ring. The next day, it was reported that he had suffered a broken leg, courtesy of Fedor repeatedly landing vicious kicks.
One can only imagine what the numbers would look like if M-1, along with Fedor, of course, ever partnered up with the Zuffa marketing masterminds.
Anyone impressed with these numbers, though? Higher or lower than what you expected?
Posted in: event, number, fedor, monson, ratings department
Read the full article at MMA ManiaReport: Rashad Evans vs Phil Davis fight booked for UFC on FOX 2 main event on Jan. 28 in Chicago
Let's try this one again ... but on a much bigger stage.
Light heavyweight contenders Rashad Evans and Phil Davis have been re-booked to square off as the headlining fight of the UFC on Fox 2 event scheduled for Jan. 28, 2012, in Chicago, Illinois.
ESPN.com brought word of the pending match-up a short while ago.
More on this breaking news in just a bit.
Posted in: fight, fox, event, phil davis, chicago
Read the full article at MMA ManiaM-1 GLOBAL announces M-1 Challenge event to air live on Showtime Dec. 9
CHICAGO (Nov. 29, 2011) – M-1 GLOBAL welterweight (170 lbs.) champion Shamil Zavurov will defend his title in a rematch against Yasubey Enomoto in the main event M-1 Challenge XXX live on SHOWTIME on Friday, December 9 at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast) from The Hangar at the O.C. Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa, California.
Zavurov (18-1), a three-time world champion in Combat Sambo, two-time champion of the CIS in hand-to-hand combat, winner of international tournaments in wrestling and Wushu Sanda and champion of Dagestan in Wushu Sanda, Zavurov has accumulated more than 50 victories in combat Sambo and 50 victories as an amateur / semi-professional MMA fighter.
Flying under the radar of North American fans until recently, Zavurov has amassed a vault of experience and holds an impressive 18-1 record. After the successful defense of his belt last year Zavurov spoke about his opponent saying, "This was one of the most important fights in my career. Enomoto is a really good fighter and dangerous opponent. The stronger the opponent, the more you learn from the fight and the more you improve as a fighter yourself. It was a really hard fight for me and I am glad I came away with my belt."
Enomoto (8-3) is coming off two wins over Rafal Moks (Majority Decision) and Josh Thorpe (Submission, Triangle Choke). Prior to that, he stepped in as a last minute replacement for an injured Rashid Magomedov to compete against M-1 Welterweight champion Zavurov. Taking the fight on eight days notice, Enomoto lost via unanimous decision in a full five round battle.
"I’m going after that title one way or another", said Enomoto after the loss. "Zavurov has my belt. I asked him to give it to me once and he didn’t let me take it. Looks like I’ll have to work a bit harder to get to it." Enomoto knows this is his opportunity to become champion. He knows what to prepare for and that the win will not come easy under any circumstances.
In the co-main event, Francisco Drinaldo (10-1) will take on Alexander Sarnavsky (15-0) in a lightweight (155 lbs.) bout. Also featured on the televised portion of the event will be a rematch between Jose Figueroa (10-5) and Artiom Damkovsky (9-6) in a lightweight bout. In their first meeting this past July, Figueroa violently stripped Damkovsky of his lightweight title by second round TKO. Figueroa lost the title to Daniel Weichel in Moscow at M-1 Global’s "Fedor vs Monson" event.
Tyson Jeffries (7-6) will take on Eddie Arizmendi (15-5) in a middleweight matchup. And opening the evening of fights on SHOWTIME, Alessandro Ferriera (10-1) will take on Bao Quach (18-10) in a featherweight (145 lbs.) bout.
"This entire card is expected to be extremely entertaining from start to finish." said Evgeni Kogan, Director of Operations at M-1 GLOBAL. "We are very excited for these fights and excited to have our fourth event with SHOWTIME".
Mauro Ranallo will call the action from ringside with Pat Miletich serving as expert analyst. The telecast will be produced by Chuck McKean and directed by Craig Farrell. The executive producer of SHOWTIME Sports is David Dinkins, Jr.
For information on M-1 Global, go to the official M-1 website, www.M-1Global.com and M-1 Global Facebook fan page For information on SHOWTIME Sports programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please go to the SHOWTIME Sports website at http://www.sho.com/sports.
Posted in: fight, event, champion, showtime, zavurov
Read the full article at MMA ManiaVideo preview for Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal. The event will take place on December 17th in...
Video preview for Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal. The event will take place on December 17th in San Diego, CA.
Posted in: strikeforce, event, december, video preview, san diego
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowThiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann Confirmed For March FX Event
A quality welterweight fight that was rumored a week ago is finally official. It just doesn't have a home yet. As usual, UFC.com offers the explanation:
"A potential fight of the night candidate has been verbally agreed to as Martin ‘The Hitman' Kampmann will face Thiago‘Pit Bull’ Alves in a welterweight match early next year," confirmed UFC president Dana White today.
The event will be aired on the FX Network in early March of next year.
There is a card tentatively scheduled for March 4th in Australia according to MMA Junkie, but that is likely going to be a PPV so it won't be the home of this bout. Alves spoke about the potential fight last week to Tatame, but Kampmann tweeted at the time that he hadn't heard anything about it. Obviously that has changed and the top-10 welterweights will square off in what will likely be a main or co-main event bout. Both are coming off wins - Alves submitted Papy Abedi at UFC 138, and Kampmann decisioned Rick Story at UFC 139.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, alve, kampmann
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowJorge Lopez vs. Amir Sadollah added to UFC 143 in February
Wanderlei Silva protege Jorge Lopez takes his second
attempt at a UFC win when he meets Amir Sadollah at
February's UFC 143 event.
UFC officials today announced the new welterweight booking.
UFC 143 takes place Feb. 4 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las
Vegas. The event's main card airs live on pay-per-view while preliminary
bouts are expected to air on FUEL TV.
Posted in: ufc, card airs, event, las vegas, amir sadollah
Read the full article at MMA JunkieJake Ellenberger vs. Diego Sanchez To Main Event UFC Fuel TV Debut
As alluded to Monday on Bloody Elbow and reported by MMA Junkie and others Tuesday, Jake Ellenberger vs. Diego Sanchez will be the main event for a yet-to-be announced UFC event on Wednesday, February 15th. The show is expected for Omaha, NE, and will be the promotion's first event on Fuel TV.
Ellenberger (26-5) is on a five-fight win streak and is coming off a 53-second TKO win over Jake Shields in September, while Sanchez (23-4) has two wins in a row. His last victory was a controversial unanimous decision over Martin Kampmann in March, a fight that many saw going for Kampmann. He was scheduled to face Matt Hughes at September's UFC 135 but had to withdraw due to injury.The UFC has been starting to fill up cards on the Fox family of networks for the first quarter of 2011, adding Jorge Rivera vs. Eric Schafer, Ryan Jimmo vs. Karlos Vemola and Mike Brown vs. Vagner Rocha for UFC on FX 1 and Mike Russow vs. Jon Olav Einemo for UFC on Fox 2. To this point, none have been confirmed by the UFC.
If the Ellenberger/Sanchez fight and event on Fuel are indeed a go, it's interesting the UFC would put such a high-profile welterweight fight on a network that only reaches 32 million U.S households where FX reaches nearly 100 million. Perhaps this is the kickoff to a 'call your cable provider' campaign by the UFC and Fox for fans to demand increased Fuel TV distribution.
Posted in: ufc, fox, vs, event, fuel
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowCondit vs. Koscheck, Kuiper vs. Natal confirmed for UFC 143
A pair of bouts has been confirmed for the UFC's Super Bowl weekend event, UFC 143.
As MMAjunkie.com previously reported, a co-main
event between Josh Koscheck and Carlos Condit is official, as is a middleweight bout between Michael
Kuiper and Rafael Natal.
UFC 143 takes place Feb. 4 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las
Vegas. The event's main card airs live on pay-per-view while preliminary
bouts are expected to air on FUEL TV.
Posted in: ufc, bout, card airs, event, michael kuiper
Read the full article at MMA JunkieRafael 'Sapo' Natal welcomes newcomer Michael Kuiper at UFC 143
Undefeated middleweight Michael Kuiper is set to
make his octagon debut when he meets Rafael Natal at UFC 143.
MMAjunkie.com learned of the impending matchup from
sources close to the event, who said verbal agreements are in place.
Brazilian website SporTV initially reported the fight.
UFC 143 takes place Feb. 4 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las
Vegas. The event's main card airs live on pay-per-view while preliminary
bouts are expected to air on FUEL TV.
Posted in: ufc, card airs, event, las vegas, rafael sapo
Read the full article at MMA JunkieScore Fighting Series 3: Rich Clementi vs Chris Clements booked, Ryan Healy vs John Alessio scratched for Dec. 3 event
November 28th, 2011 – Score Media Inc. (TSX: SCR) today announces that MMA fans in Sarnia, Ontario will have one more reason to cheer at The Score Fighting Series event coming up this Saturday.
After losing his initial opponent to injury, local fighter Chris Clements has agreed to step into the cage with UFC® veteran Rich Clementi. This match up will be the co-main event alongside the previously announced John Fraser vs. Travis Reddinger fight.
In other news, Ryan Healy has been forced to pull out of his bout with John Alessio due to injury. The Score Fighting Series expects to reschedule the affair in 2012.
This will be a defining fight for Clements (9-4) who is on a three-fight win-streak including a brutal KO that ended the career of former UFC fighter Jonathan Goulet and a devastating spinning back-kick finish of Travis Briere. Clements is a true knockout artist with all nine of his victories coming via TKO or KO.
He currently lives in London, Ontario where he trains at the Adrenaline Training Center alongside UFC standouts Mark Hominick and Sam Stout but grew up just outside of Sarnia in the town of Dresden.
Clements knows that in order to fulfill his dream of signing a contract with a major American promotion that he must continue to score decisive wins over big name opponents so he will be looking to put an early end to Clementi’s night.
Clementi (42-20-1), however, is a 9-time UFC veteran and has plans of his own on getting back to the big show. He will have a considerable edge in experience over Clements and holds notable wins over Melvin Guillard, Anthony Johnson, Ross Pointon and Clement’s teammate Sam Stout.
Clementi usually competes at lightweight but will be moving up to welterweight for this bout. Clements was originally supposed to face another UFC veteran in Forrest Petz. The change in opponents will also bring a stark contrast in styles as Petz is most comfortable on his feet while Clementi is best known for his stellar ground game.
Nearly 60% of Clementi’s victories have come via submission which would appear to be a monkey wrench in Clement’s preparations. However, after having to deal with possibly not being on the card at all, Clements was relieved when event organizers found another opponent of Petz’ caliber if not the same style.
"I have been training for nine weeks for a right-handed striker and now a week away I find out I'm facing a left- handed grappler," says Clements. "But I don't see the end result any different. My arm will still be raised at the end of the fight."
The card will take place at the RBC Centre in Sarnia, Ontario. All ten fights will be streamed live on theScore.com with commentary by The Score Fighting Series’ broadcast team of Mauro Ranallo and Robin Black. The live stream will not be available in the Sarnia area. The fights will also air on The Score Television Network at a later date.
Tickets start at $40 and are available at the RBC Centre box office and online at www.rbccentresarnia.com.
Posted in: fight, score, event, clementi, clement
Read the full article at MMA ManiaPudzianowski vs. Thompson Changed to No-Contest After Dispute
The controversial decision for the Mariusz Pudzianowski vs. James Thompson main event from Saturday's KSW 17 event has been changed to a no-contest.
Posted in: vs, event, thompson, pudzianowski, nocontest
Read the full article at Heavy MMAUFC looks at Australia for March event, possibly Sydney, for UFC 145
The UFC's international-use octagon could be taking a swift trip south following the promotion's trip to Japan.
Sources close to negotiations today told MMAjunkie.com that Sydney is under consideration for an early March pay-per-view event, possibly UFC 145 on March 4.
If confirmed, the event would be the third to touch down in Australia's biggest city following two sold-out events, UFC 110 and UFC 127.
Posted in: ufc, event, march, japan sources, march event
Read the full article at MMA JunkieStrikeforce Plans First 2012 Show With Likely January 7 Event in Las Vegas
Strikeforce has requested a January 7 date to host an event at The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas that would be televised by Showtime.
A Nevada state athletic commission representative confirmed the Zuffa request on Monday.
Once approved -- and given parent company Zuffa's track record in Nevada, that is a near certainty -- the previously unannounced show would be the first Strikeforce event to be scheduled for 2012.
Until now, the only future Strikeforce event planned had been the upcoming December 17 Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal event in San Diego, California.
The move is yet another indication that Strikeforce will exist past its current deal with Showtime, which is set to expire around March 2012.
In the past, Zuffa executive and UFC president Dana White voiced doubt that Strikeforce and Showtime could salvage their relationship, but a change in Showtime's leadership structure allowed White to inject himself in negotiations, and recent talks have reportedly been far more productive.
While final word on an extension has yet to come from either side, the booking of events in early 2012 must be seen as a positive step towards a likely deal. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: strikeforce, event, showtime, zuffa, zuffa request
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseDiego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger Agreed for Early 2012 UFC Event
Welterweight contenders Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez have agreed to square off at an early-2012 UFC event, but an exact card hasn’t been determined and won’t be UFC on Fox 2 on January 28 in Chicago, according to Heavy MMA.
Ellenberger (26-5) knocked out recent title challenger Jake Shields in just 53-seconds in September for his fifth-straight win following a split decision loss to Carlos Condit in his Octagon debut in 2009. Sanchez (23-4) hasn’t fought since topping Martin Kampmann in March for his second-straight win after a hand injury forced him out of a September bout against Matt Hughes.
The UFC’s early-2012 schedule includes UFC on FX 1 on Jan. 20, UFC 143 on Feb. 3, and a March 3 event that could be the third UFC on Fox event.
For the latest UFC news and UFC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Pictured: Diego Sanchez
Posted in: ufc, ellenberger, event, sanchez, ufc rumors
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyDREAM, ONE FC Announce Deal to Co-Promote Events, Exchange Talent
Filed under: DREAM, News, Sports Business and Media, ONE FCOn the same day when the UFC officially announced its return to the Asian market with a press conference in Japan, two of the area's biggest promotions announced that they would team up to increase their visibility and bolster their star power.
DREAM and ONE Fighting Championship have declared an intention to co-promote events and exchange fighters between them, the heads of both promotions announced on Monday.
The change is effective immediately. In a press release, the sides said fighter exchanges are expected to happen quickly, and that a joint promotional effort has been tentatively scheduled for March 31 at Singapore Stadium with the name "ONE FC/DREAM in Singapore."
"DREAM and ONE Fighting Championship will work together to lead the sport of MMA in Asia to a better future," DREAM event producer Keiichi Sasahara said in a release. "DREAM has some of the best fighters in the world and we also have deep experience of putting on world-class events. ONE Fighting Championship has the largest media platform in Asia and many other assets. I see many great synergies with this partnership. It is certainly a new era for everyone in Asian MMA."
Of the two promotions, DREAM has the longer history, producing over 20 events in its 3+ years of existence. It also has the deeper roster, with highly regarded veterans including Shinya Aoki, Gegard Mousasi, Katsunori Kikuno and Gerald Harris. ONE FC has only been in business since early 2011 and produced just one fight card with other scheduled into early 2012. Thus far, however, ONE FC has swiftly penetrated the Asian market, reportedly signing deals that make its future shows available in 500 million households across Asia. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: dream, event, asian, exchange, asian market
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseNeuLion-UFC introduce new UFC.tv phone app
NeuLion, Inc. has introduced an all-access mobile phone app for the Android platform. The app allows Android users to stream UFC PPVs.
As one might recall, NeuLion and UFC entered into a partnership which would enhance UFC.tv.
Here are the features of the UFC.tv app via UFC and NeuLion joint press release:
-Live streaming of Pay-Per-View events, weigh-ins and press conferences
-Multiple live video and audio feeds during the broadcast: English, Spanish, Red Corner and Blue Corner
-Ability to score the fight in real-time and get an aggregate of every vote
-UFC fighter index sortable by weight class. Each fighter’s profile has key stats — wins/losses, height, weight, etc.
-Access to the UFC Fight Library of video
-Free videos including: event countdown shows, fighter interviews, press conferences, event previews, fighter workouts and other UFC free video content
TV schedule
-Video highlights and VOD events
-Constantly updated news section featuring articles about the latest UFC fighters, events, interviews and profiles of fighters
Payout Perspective:
The Android app makes sense considering Android made up 44 percent of mobile app downloads in 2010.. While this app definitely allows for continued growth for the UFC audience, the price points remain the same for PPVs. Unless you are on the road, paying for a UFC PPV on your phone for the same price as you would have to pay at home seems disproportionate. Still, it appears that there is access to free content which might make this app something UFC fans may seek to download.
Posted in: ufc, fighter, video, event, app
Read the full article at MMA PayoutUFC 140: Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida Extended Video Preview
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon "Bones" Jones will step inside the Octagon for the 10th time in his Mixed Martial Arts career, this time facing the former Champion Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida in the main event of UFC 140 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The event will feature a stacked top-to-bottom fight card, with a co-main event bout between Frank Mir and Rodrigo Nogueira, Tito Ortiz vs. Rogerio Nogueira, Claude Patrick vs. Brian Ebersole, and the Korean Zombie Chan Sung Jung vs.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, arts career, champion lyoto
Read the full article at Low KickPoll results: How many UFC events did you watch in the past four weeks?
It was one of the busiest stretches in Ultimate Fighting Championship history.
In the course of just four weeks, the UFC held two pay-per-view events, a
fight card broadcast on Spike TV and a one-hour FOX special - the
company's first live fight on network television.
But in this modern age of mixed martial arts, when some MMA pundits
claim "over-saturation" of the sport, how many of the UFC's four events
did you actually watch?
Posted in: ufc, event, ufc events, poll results, payperview events
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBrent Schermerhorn vs. Kaleo Gambill set for ProElite 3
Two ProElite veterans with recent knockout wins will meet at the promotion's third event.
A source close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com that Brent Schermerhorn vs. Kaleo Gambill has been added to
ProElite 3.
As MMAjunkie.com earlier reported, ProElite 3 is expected to take place
Jan. 21 at Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, and its main card is
expected to air on HDNet. A middleweight matchup between ProElite
veteran Kendall Grove and Ikuhisa Minowa has already been booked for the
event.
Posted in: proelite, event, ikuhisa minowa, middleweight matchup, honolulu hawaii
Read the full article at MMA JunkieReport: Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann Planned For March UFC Event
A welterweight clash between Thiago Alves and Martin Kampmann is in the works for an unspecified UFC event on March 3, according to MMA Weekly.
Thiago “Pitbull” Alves, fresh off his win over Papy Abedi at UFC 138 in England, faces Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann, who was himself just victorious at UFC 139 last weekend, in a fight set for March 3.
The new event has been rumored to be another UFC on Fox card, but no further details have been made available at this time. Location and details for the event should be released in the coming weeks.
Sources close to the match-up confirmed the pairing to MMAWeekly.com on Wednesday.
MMA Junkie also confirmed the news with their sources, and Thiago Alves spoke to Tatame about the match-up as well.
“It was the fight I asked and I know UFC fans will love it. He has just defeated Rick Story, who had beat me before, so it’s a good fight for me”, reveals the Brazilian, on a chat with TATAME, really liking the match-up. “He’ll go for the trade of punches, he’ll come for it, so it’s a fight on which the styles really combine”.
Martin Kampmann climbs the fight isn’t quite as set as the reports make it out to be, but it does look like this is the match-up the UFC is shooting for. Should be a pretty good scrap if it pans out.
Image via Dave Mandel for Sherdog
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, thiago alves, kampmann
Read the full article at MMA ConvertMartin Kampmann vs. Thiago Alves Planned for March 3 UFC Event
Fresh off November wins, welterweights Martin Kampmann and Thiago Alves are expected to square off at a March 3 UFC event that could be the third UFC on Fox card, according to MMA Weekly.
Kampmann (18-5) scored a decision win over Rick Story this past Saturday at UFC 139 to rebound from losses to Diego Sanchez and Jake Shields, while Alves (19-8) bounced back from a loss to Story marking his third loss in four fights with a first-round submission of newcomer Papy Abedi earlier this month at UFC 138.
No further details are known about the March 3 event, as the second UFC on Fox event is expected to take place on January 28 but has also not been made official.
For the latest UFC news and UFC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Posted in: ufc, loss, event, march, alve
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyXFC 'Tribute' fight card unveiled for live HDNet telecast on Dec. 2 in Tampa
(Tampa, FL) The largest MMA promotion in the Southeast United States, Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC), unveiled the fight card for the XFC 15 ‘Tribute' earlier today. The show will be held on Friday, Dec. 2 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, FL. ‘Tribute' will be broadcast live on HDNet and will feature some of the top prospects in MMA.
The event is being held in honor of former XFC fighter, Abi Mestre.
According to XFC President John Prisco, "Tribute will be one of the best cards we have ever done. Top to bottom this card is stacked. We have some seriously talented fighters on this show. Our main event features Jonatas Novaes and Eric Reynolds-I picked this fight as the main event for a reason. Noveas submitted the last four guys he fought in the first round. Then you have Eric Reynolds who has finished all 13 of his wins by TKO or submission. Someone is going to tap out or get knocked out and that's what everyone wants to see. "
The co-main event will feature a showdown between two of the most exciting female mixed martial artists. Decorated kickboxer, Felice Herrig, will face-off against two-time All-American wrestler Carla Esparza.
"What other MMA promotion puts women in the co-main event," asked Prisco. "We are going to shine a light on Women's MMA and feature the best fighters. Felice and Carla are two of the toughest out there. If you are a fan of Women's MMA, you don't want to miss this one."
*Denis Hernandez (3-3) vs. Nick Newell (4-0), Corey Hill (4-4) vs. Charlie Rader (15-4), John Kolosci (15-8) vs. Ryan Thomas (14-7), Shah Bobonis (12-6) vs. Jeremy Pender (7-2), and Imani Lee (2-2) vs. Brandon Sayles (2-0) round out the main card.
"There are a lot of blue chippers as well as a lot of familar faces on this card," exclaimed Prisco. "Corey Hill has fought in the UFC and was on The Ultimate Fighter. He's going to be facing Charlie Rader who was also featured on the show. Charlie didn't get to show what he could do when he was in the house but he's built a reputation forknocking guys out all over the southeast."
"John Kolosci vs. Ryan Thomas follows the same formula. Koloski was also featured on The Ultimate Fighter. Thomas, as most know also competed in the UFC. Last year he took Ben Askren to a decision in Bellator. Thomas is legit brother. I think this one could be a barn burner."
The feature bout of the evening epitomizes everything XFC ‘Tribute' is about. Seeking his fifth straight victory, Nick Newell will face Denis Hernandez. Newell will fight in place of his close friend and teammate Abi Mestre, who passed away earlier this year in a tragic motorcycle accident. Mestre was the winner of an XFC contract at the promotion's open tryouts in Danbury, CT last January. In honor of Mestre, Prisco decided to award the contract to Newell.
"XFC ‘Tribute' is really for Abi. We had such high hopes for that young man but we're handing the ball to Nick. I know he will take this opportunity and run with it. Nick has overcome so much in life already, from his physical handicap to the loss of his best friend.
December 2nd is going to be a big night for him. There's also going to be a lot of pressure, he's expected to go out and win one for his friend. But let me tell you something, Denis Hernandez has some sick submission skills. If Nick gets caught up in all the hype of the event and doesn't take Denis seriously, ‘Tribute' could get very interesting.
The MC and Announcer for XFC ‘Tribute' will be none other than the voice of the promotion, Christopher James. The always charismatic announcer will have no trouble keeping the fans in Tampa involved in the action throughout the night.
XFC ‘Tribute' is sponsored by Overthrow Gear and Sheets Energy Strips and will take place at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, FL, Dec. 2nd and will air live on HDNet. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster. VIP tables are also available through XFC Corporate. Please call 813-625-1672 for more information. To learn more about the XFC, please visit www.officialxfc.com, like them on Facebook and follow the promotion on Twitter.
Posted in: vs, event, xfc, card, lsquotribute
Read the full article at MMA ManiaAsian MMA Update: Folayang Bags SEA Games Gold Medal, Chonan Trains at Evolve, Kanehara Wins US Debut
As always, Here's a quick update on several news, notes, and topics coming out of the Asian MMA circuit.
Eduard Folayang and Mark Eddiva, who are also MMA fighters coming out of Team Lakay Wushu, once again established their dominance on their martial arts base. The Baguio natives took home Gold medals from the 26th South East Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, when they represented the Philippines on the Wushu SanShou 70kg and 65kg divisions respectively.
Ryo Chonan and Shinya Aoki are in Evolve MMA in Singapore training for their bouts at NYE. Aoki, as reported, is likely to face Satoru Kitaoka, while Chonan will be taking on Hayato Sakurai in what could likely propel him into contention for Marius Zaromski's welterweight crown.
Former Sengoku / SRC Champion, Masanori Kanehara won his first fight in US soil, when he submitted Brady Harrison to win the XFS Featherweight Championship.
Stemming from that ONE FC and DREAM partnership, fighters out of Evolve MMA, which is also part of that network, have been invited to compete in future DREAM and DEEP events.
B.J. Penn and Brandon Vera are both heading to the Philippines on this coming week for separate events. Penn will host an open workout in the Mall of Asia next wednesday, while Vera will be a guest for the PXC event this Saturday.
As we reported earlier, The URCC and ONE FC co-promoted event in Manila will be pushing through on July, and the venue has already been finalized. Obvious candidates for the event will be ONE FC fighters, Eric Kelly, along with the Team Lakay fighters they have signed such as Eduard Folayang, Kevin Belingon, and Honorio Banario among others. No opponent has been named yet, but sources tell us that former WBA Boxing Champion Yodsanan Sityodtong of Evolve MMA, will also be competing in the event.
Victor Cui, along with the key members and heads of the several promotions in the ONE FC Network are in an Asian MMA Summit that started last Monday in Singapore.
After the jump, check out more details from Brian Choi of Evolve MMA, DREAM's NYE event, and Jon Tuck who will headline PXC.
Details are sparse, but sources close to the situation tells us that Mark Fisher, the head of UFC operations in Asia, will by flying in to Singapore this week to meet with ONE FC CEO Victor Cui. It's worth noting that Fisher generally meets with everyone in the Asian MMA scene, so this might not really mean anything big is in the works.
DREAM just released the promo video for their NYE show that focuses on Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Takeshi Inoue. Check it out as they also feature several of their key featherweight bouts of the year:
Evolve MMA released a video blog that features Brian Choi as he prepares for his Road FC 005 fight against Bae Young Kwon. Barring any injuries, Choi's next fight is likely to be on the ONE FC card in Jakarta, this February. No opponent has been named as of this writing.
Jon Tuck, who will be headlining PXC 28 against Tristan Arenal this weekend, talks to Zike Sugawara about being absent from the MMA scene for the past two years, "I never took off from MMA. I was not able to land any fights. I kept active by dedicating more time to Jiu Jitsu by competing and exploring the world, evolving as a martial artist and as a person."As always, follow me on twitter, and stay tuned for more updates from the news coming out of the region.
Posted in: mma, dream, event, fc, asian
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowStrikeforce Challengers Ratings Hit All-Time Low
While there has still been no announcement regarding the future of Strikeforce, the ratings for last Friday night's Challengers event are in and they're not good.
The November 18th event -- headlined by Lumumba Sayers vs. Antwain Britt and Ronda Rousey vs. Julia Budd -- drew an average of just 143,000 viewers -- the lowest in the history of the series and a drop of 60,000 viewers from their September 23rd Challengers event that featured Lorenz Larkin vs. Nick Rossborough and Lavar Johnson vs. Shawn Jordan.
The Friday show featured Sayers knocking out Britt in just 28 seconds and Rousey submitting Budd in just 39 seconds. Of the five fights that made air, there were first-round finishes in four of them.The viewership is the lowest since the October 20, 2010, Challengers show headlined by Roger Bowling vs. Bobby Voelker and Lavar Johnson vs. Virgil Zwicker.
Strikeforce has one more event scheduled for 2011 with Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez vs. Jorge Masvidal and Women's Featherweight Champion Cris Santos vs. Hiroko Yamanaka scheduled for Saturday, December 17th. The promotion's contract with Showtime has been said to run out in February 2012 and UFC President Dana White revealed recently that he's taken over negotiations on whether Strikeforce will continue with the network past that date.
SBN coverage of Strikeforce Challengers 20
Posted in: strikeforce, challenger, vs, event, promotions contract
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowKendall Grove vs. Ikuhisa Minowa set to headline ProElite 3
ProElite has announced the main event of their next offering and it’s one that I’m sure many fight fans would have never dreamed about. Kendall Grove, who headlined the first ProElite event in August, will step back into the cage against long time veteran Ikuhisa Minowa, better known by some as “Minowaman.” The event is scheduled for January 21 at the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii with HDNet likely airing the night’s main card.
News of the bout was first reported by MMAJunkie.com.
Winner of The Ultimate Fighter 3, Grove was released by the UFC earlier this year following a loss to Tim Boetsch. “Da Spyda” compiled a 7-6 record inside the octagon, showing a lack of consistency when the cage door closed. Grove bounced back from his UFC pink-slip though to quickly submit Joe Riggs at ProElite 1 in a rematch of Grove’s first professional loss in 2004. Grove has victories over the likes of Alan Belcher, Jake Rosholt, and Ed Herman.
One of the most popular fighters in Japan, Minowa will be heading to the US for the first time in his career when he challenges Grove. Competing in nearly 100 professional fights during his 15 year career, Minowa has fought everyone from Mirko Filipovic to Bob Sapp and Don Frye to Giant Silva. He’s best known for taking fights against larger opponents and in 2009 he captured the Super Hulk title in DREAM.
PHOTO CREDIT – PROELITE/FEG
Posted in: fight, proelite, event, minowa, grove
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainWatch UFC 139 video replay online of 'Shogun vs Henderson' pay-per-view event from Nov. 19
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was back on pay-per-view this past Saturday night (Nov. 19, 2011) with UFC 139: "Shogun vs. Henderson," featuring Dan Henderson outlasting Mauricio Rua in a five-round classic main event that will forever live in mixed martial arts lore.
Wanderlei Silva also returned to the win column with a thrilling technical knockout victory over the debuting Cung Le that showcased all the old familiar traits of "The Axe Murderer."
And that's not even mentioning Urijah Faber, who earned another bantamweight title shot by choking out Brian Bowles.
In cased you missed any or all of it, you can watch the highlights in the video above. Or you can head right on over to UFC.TV and check out the complete replay of the event. Either way works, folks.
And if you want to get back up to date and everything that went down during one of the best events of 2011, make sure you click here for a complete guide to the madness.
Posted in: ufc, event, henderson, brian bowles, knockout victory
Read the full article at MMA ManiaProElite 3 scheduled for Jan. 21 at Blaisdell Arena; Grove vs. Minowa targeted
ProElite is moving on.
The promotion has targeted Jan. 21 for an event to take place at
Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, sources today told MMAjunkie.com. HDNet is expected to broadcast the event's main
card.
Additionally, ProElite 3 is expected to feature a middleweight contest
between promotional veteran Kendall Grove and Ikuhisa Minowa. Bout
agreements have been signed.
Posted in: proelite, event, middleweight contest, mmajunkiecom hdnet, blaisdell arena
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 140 Video Preview for Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida on Dec. 10
After Saturday’s UFC 139 event delivered one of the best fights in UFC history with Dan Henderson narrowly topping Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, it’s time to look ahead to UFC 140 on December 10 as the UFC has released a trailer previewing the UFC 140 main event between UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former title-holder Lyoto Machida.
Posted in: ufc, event, dan henderson, machida, ufc history
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyFedor Emelianenko, Shinya Aoki Added to DREAM’s 2011 New Year’s Eve Event
DREAM’s 2011 New Year’s Eve event is taking shape, as heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko and lightweight champion Shinya Aoki have joined the Dec. 31 card at the Saitama Super Arena, HDNet, which is expected to air the event, announced Monday.
Following his weekend win over Jeff Monson to snap a three-fight losing streak, Emelianenko is expected to face 2008 Olympic Judo Gold medalist Satoshi Ishii, while Aoki is rumored to meet former Sengoku champ Satoru Kitaoka.
The card also include featherweight champ Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Takeshi “Lion” Inoue, featherweights Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kazuyuki Miyata, welterweights Hayato Sakurai vs. Ryo Chonan, and the bantamweight grand prix semifinals of Bibiano Fernandes vs. Rodolfo Marques and Antonio Banuelos vs. Masakazu Imanari.
Pictured: Fedor Emelianenko
Posted in: vs, event, fedor, emelianenko, arena hdnet
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyFilho Out, ‘JT Money’ In Against Khalidov for KSW 17 Main Event
Concerns over the health of Brazilian middleweight Paulo Filho have forced event organizers from Poland’s Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki to shuffle the main event for KSW 17 “Revenge.
Posted in: event, ksw, filho, event concerns, event organizers
Read the full article at SherdogSix Thoughts From UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson
Matt Brown checks in with six things to take away from Saturday's UFC 139 event.
Posted in: ufc, event, matt, saturday, shogun
Read the full article at Heavy MMAStrikeforce Challengers 20 salaries: Amagov and Brunson top fighter payroll
Main-card winners Adlan Amagov ($10,600) and Derek Brunson ($9,000)
earned the largest disclosed paydays at this past weekend's Strikeforce
Challengers 20 event.
MMAjunkie.com today obtained the figures from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The total disclosed payroll for the Nov. 18 event was $97,500.
Posted in: challenger, event, nevada state, payroll, amagov
Read the full article at MMA JunkieLorenzo Fertitta discusses UFC lawsuit against State of New York
While fans may still be basking in the afterglow of UFC 139, another fight featuring UFC personnel continues to take place thousands of miles away in New York as the organization faces off with the Empire State in a battle featuring stakes much higher than a title-shot or championship belt. On the line is none other than the legalization of Mixed Martial Arts, a prize worth tens of millions of dollars and serving to further legitimize the sport in the eyes of many.
CEO Lorenzo Fertitta recently sat down with Capital Tonight where he discussed the UFC’s recent decision to file a lawsuit against the State citing a violation of First Amendment rights and why the company has had such a difficult time thus far getting approval from the powers that be to hold a live event there.
Fertitta Discusses the Future of MMA
“When we first started focusing on New York about five years ago we felt there was very strong argument that the ban that was put in place violated the Constitution,” Fertitta began on the topic. “What we decided to do was kind of take the legislative route – we’ve been up here in Albany a number of times, talked to the legislature. We’ve passed through the Senate twice. We’ve passed through the Tourism Committee and the Assembly but we’ve yet to be able to get a vote on the floor. We believe it would pass but until we get a vote we won’t know.”
“Because of that we decided we had to take a different route,” the Zuffa executive continued. “We believe that this ban violates the First Amendment rights of our athletes. All of our athletes are martial artists. And in martial arts there are key tenants that exist there, whether it be honor, discipline, courage…things that they’re expressing in the ring.”
Fertitta went on to describe the numerous positives legalization would create including an opportunity for role models to emerge, citing Matt Hamill as an example, as well as the economic impact a UFC event can have on the city hosting it. According to Fertitta, UFC 129 brought in $35 million in revenue to Toronto, and while New York City might be in good shape, he mentioned cities like Buffalo, Syracuse, and Albany as locations that could benefit from a UFC event in their neck of the woods.
He also replied to criticism that the UFC is opposed to working with unions stemming from the State’s Culinary Union vocal attempts to stymie the promotion’s success where legalization is concerned.
“We are certainly not anti-union,” said Fertitta who revealed the group’s real issue with the UFC has to do with his family’s business, Station Casinos, not using unionized workers and the Culinary Union trying to gain leverage over them to force a change. “When we do these events, our company, pretty much every single venue is a union venue. For instance in Toronto we paid over $3,000,000 in direct wages to union workers…people that set the place up, put up the lighting, did the camera work, did all the concessions.”
The UFC filed their lawsuit against New York less than a week ago meaning it’s far too early to see how things will unfold. However, if their attempt at litigation fails it could result in a crucial blow to the chances of MMA being legalized meaning fans’ desire to see a live event in Madison Square Garden remains little more than a dream at this stage.
PHOTO CREDIT – Cathleen Allison
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Posted in: ufc, event, union, fertitta, york
Read the full article at Fighters.comMMA weekend wrap up: Fedor wins, Ronda Rousey breaks arms, and Eddie Alvarez loses his title in classic
The UFC may have held an explosive event this past weekend, but they aren't the only game in town, folks.
Indeed, Strikeforce was in Las Vegas this past Friday night (Nov. 18) for its Challengers 20 event that featured fast rising lady ass kicking machine Ronda Rousey adding yet another arm to her growing collection of limbs.
Bellator staged an exciting show that was capped off with a "Fight of the Year" candidate when Michael Chandler stepped up to the plate and choked out Eddie Alvarez to win the lightweight championship.
M-1 Global invaded Mother Russia for an event that featured the great Fedor Emelianenko looking to get back to his winning ways against Jeff Monson, which he did with a dominant decision win.
But that's not all.
In case you missed any of the news or results from the weekend that was in MMA, don't worry fight fans, we've got you covered after the jump.
Strikeforce Challengers 20
Full results and a recap of the event, which was the usual affair for a Challengers show. Interestingly enough, the co-main and main event fights lasted a grand total of about one minute.
Video of Ronda Rousey breaking Julia Budd's arm. It's awesomely graphic, so give it a look. Plus, this woman may actually end up being the next face of women's MMA. She's got the goods, folks.
Bellator 58
Complete results and blow-by-blow coverage of all the night's action. This one culminated in one of the best fights of the entire year, but the rest of the card was solid as well.
Eddie Alvarez loses his lightweight title via rear-naked choke submission in the fourth round against Michael Chandler. Here's the recap of the bout.
Video of the Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler fight. The fine folks at Bellator decided it was such a thrilling affair that anyone who missed it can view it in its entirety. And you can do so right here on MMAmania.com!
M-1 Global
Complete results and live blow-by-blow of all the night's action. The main attraction was Fedor but he wasn't the only one in action.
Event recap, featuring a rundown of all the fights in all the fine detail that cannot be conveyed while running blow-by-blow.
Fedor vs. Jeff Monson fight video. It's the whole thing, folks; all 15 minutes of it. Word on the street is "The Last Emperor" broke one of "The Snowman's" legs with a kick.
Despite his win, some pundits, like Mr. Sergio Hernandez, don't believe we can officially declare Fedor as "back." A win over Monson does not a legacy make.
And there you have it, Maniacs.
A broken arm, a "Fight of the Year" candidate, and another victory under the belt of one of the greatest heavyweights to ever live. Your weekend that was in MMA.
What did you enjoy most?
Posted in: fight, event, eddie alvarez, weekend, fedor
Read the full article at MMA ManiaThe MMA Wrap-Up: UFC 139 Edition
Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, VideosUFC 139 might have been the event that flew under many people's radar, but the main event delivered in a big, big way. Now the MMA Wrap-Up returns to examine the questions of Dan Henderson and "Shogun" Rua's greatness, and ask where it falls among the great achievements of our time. Or, you know, something like that.
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Posted in: ufc, mma, event, dan henderson, peoples radar
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 139 results recap: A look back at the Dan Henderson vs Shogun Rua fight classic event
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has closed out another groundbreaking mixed martial arts (MMA) event, as UFC 139: "Shogun vs. Henderson" this past Saturday night (Nov. 19, 2011) brought the fans in attendance at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, some of the most exciting fights we've seen all year.
The main event, Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson, left the MMA world ablaze and had some fans proclaiming it to one of the finest fights in the history of the sport.
We saw one fight that some complained was stopped too early. We also saw a fight (between Chris Weidman and Tom Lawlor) that clearly was not stopped soon enough.
UFC 139 was packed to the gills with legends fighting to survive, top prospects looking to rise to the next level and fights that will be replayed for years to come.
After the jump, MMAmania.com takes a look back on the highlights that made UFC 139 one of the best MMA events of all time:
Coming off the inaugural UFC on Fox 1 event, the hype machine was a little low on "fuel." For this reason, the main event of UFC 139 may have flown under the radar.
Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua are MMA pioneers. They've done everything. They've fought everyone and everywhere. Yet, somehow, before Saturday night, the two had never faced each other.
All of that changed as "Hendo" and "Shogun" finally took to the Octagon together, giving fans a show that will forever live in the loving memories of all those who witnessed it.
Each fighter was sure they were winner. UFC President Dana White felt it should have been a draw. Ultimately, the judges' scorecard showed Henderson to be the winner by unanimous decision.
Read a full recap of the Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson fight at UFC 139 here.
The close decision left many to speculate as to what the future will hold for both fighters. Afterwards, Dana White was non-committal on the matter, stating that he believes Henderson could contend for either the 185-pound or 205-pound titles, depending on which he preferred.
Neither fighter was able to attend the post-fight press conference, as they were both forced to visit the local hospital to have their wounds attended to.
Watch the full "Shogun vs. Henderson" post-fight press conference video here.
The co-main event saw two more MMA legends collide as Wanderlei Silva looked to rebound from a tough knockout loss at UFC 132 to Chris Leben. His opponent, Cung Le, was making his UFC debut, after taking almost a year and a half off from fighting to pursue acting opportunities.
The fight went almost entirely as scripted. Le used his renowned martial arts skills and fancy kicks to keep "The Axe Murderer" on his heels for much of the first round.
But you can't keep "Wandy" moving backwards forever.
In the second round, Silva began to stalk Le, unloading on him with flurries of vicious combinations. It was only a matter of time before Le's face was hardly distinguishable.
Silva was able to notch an impressive second round TKO victory and bought himself and his career a little more time.
For a full recap with detailed analysis on the "Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le" fight, click here.
World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) veterans Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles had it out in a number one contender eliminator match that saw "The California Kid" return to his form of old.
Bowles was simply no match for Faber and his arsenal of weapons as he fell prey to a guillotine choke in the second round that forced him to tap.
Faber will now move on to get the trilogy fight against current Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz that he has loudly been requesting.
For an in-depth summary of the "Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles" fight, click here.
In the bonus department, Dana White mixed things up a bit by doling out the "fight of the night" award to two fights instead of the usual one. "Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson" and "Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le" received the prestigious honors.
the "Submission of the Night" bonus went to Urijah Faber. "Knockout of the Night" was awarded to Michael McDonald, whose quick KO of Alex Soto made a statement heard loud and clear all over the MMA community.
Bantamweights beware.
It doesn't have to end there. We want to hear your favorite fond memories from UFC 139.
For complete UFC 139 results and a detailed recap of all the action click here. To check out a recap of the UFC 139 prelim fights that were seen Spike TV, click here and here. Want to know what happened with the UFC 139 Facebook Prelims portion of the card? To read a full recap click here.
And just in case you want to get up to speed on the entire UFC 139 fight card from top to bottom click here.
Posted in: ufc, fight, vs, event, henderson
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 140 Fight Card: Jones vs. Machida
The UFC 140 card is finally set. The event will take place on December 10th in the Air Canada Center in Toronto, Ontario. While it obviously won't draw as many fans as UFC 129 did, Toronto is a very hot market for MMA and this event should do very well, even without a Canadian in the main event. Speaking of the main event, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will fight for the fourth time in 11 months when he defends his title against former champion Lyoto Machida. Along with that, there will be a rematch between Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the co-main spot. Here is the card so far (preliminary card is after the jump):
Dec 10th, live on pay-per-view from Toronto, Ontario:
Jon Jones (14-1) vs. Lyoto Machida (17-2)
Frank Mir (15-5) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (33-6, 1 NC)
Tito Ortiz (16-9-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-5)
Mark Hominick (20-9) vs. Chan Sung Jung (11-3)
Claude Patrick (14-1) vs. Brian Ebersole (48-14-1, 1 NC)
More SBN coverage of UFC 140
Preliminary Card:
Mark Bocek (9-4) vs. Nik Lentz (21-3-2, 1 NC)
Dennis Hallman (50-14-2, 1 NC) vs. John Makdessi (9-0)
Igor Pokrajac (23-8) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (26-11-1)
Rich Attonito (10-4) vs. Jake Hecht (10-2)
Mitch Clarke (9-0) vs. John Cholish (7-1)
Yves Jabouin (16-7) vs. Walel Watson (11-2)
Jared Hamman (16-3) vs. Constantinos Philippou (11-2, 1 NC)
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, card, nc
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowFighters discuss action-packed UFC 139 at post-event press conference
Not everyone made it to the UFC 139 post-fight press conference, signifying just how intense and hard-fought the night was.
Main event fighters Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua were forced to skip the event and head directly to the hospital after battling for five full rounds. The two took home “Fight of the Night” honors on a card that featured thrilling bouts from start to finish.
However, Urijah Faber, Stephan Bonnar, Wanderlei Silva, UFC president Dana White and a few others from the evening shared their thoughts with the public following what is being hailed as one of the best cards of the entire year.
Check out the UFC 139 post-event presser below:
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, conference, event, year check, postevent
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC 139 Shogun vs Henderson Results: Winners, Losers, and Other Thoughts
It's that time again. As with every major MMA event, I'm going to break down the biggest winners and losers of the night at UFC 139. It was a great night of fights from the UFC. The only real bummer is that with the absurd schedule they've been maintaining since August, the event fell through the promotional cracks with most of the focus being placed on the UFC on Fox card.
Winners:
Dan Henderson - At 41 years old, Hendo has been looking better in his 40s than he did in his 30s. There are still questions about his gas tank but last night's performance was spectacular. He isn't ready for a title shot against Jon Jones or Anderson Silva but he can put on some fun fights with high level guys.
Mauricio Rua - Like Dan Henderson, he put on one of the best career performances last night. The guts and heart displayed in the third round are things of legend. The fact he almost won after the absolute drubbing shows that he's still one of the toughest fighters in MMA.
Urijah Faber - Earning another title shot after just losing to the champ may seem like a crazy thing to say but last night Faber looked better than he ever has. He sat down on his punches and generated the power needed to put a hurting on Brian Bowles.
Stephan Bonnar - I've criticized Bonnar for his apparent lack of desire to continue fighting. He's kept a minimal schedule to explore other ventures and it's a shame he takes up main card spots. But last night he looked solid against a solid Kyle Kingsbury
Michael McDonald - I don't know what the future holds for the 20 year old but he's extremely well rounded for his age. Does Joe Silva continue to develop him slowly or will he be tossed to the wolves?
Chris Weidman - Awesome win against a difficult opponent. He's still got a ways to go but the d'arce choke and set up was slick.
The Fans - Was that one of the best events or was that one of the best events? If you tuned in you were treated to the best card on paper and in practice of the year. You also got to see one of the best fights of all time. If you didn't tune in then you missed out on so much and there's no reason to even talk to you.
Losers and additional thoughts after the jump...
SBN coverage of UFC 139: Henderson vs. Rua
Losers:
Cung Le - Showed up out of shape. Looked terrible in his fight and left the HP Pavilion with a broken nose. I have legitimate doubts that we'll ever see him fight again.
Wanderlei Silva - Yes, a win is a win. But last night he looked terrible. He looked slow and he was hit by numerous spinning back fists. The time is right for retirement. He got the win. But looking at the top 25 of the division, who has the name and skills to make this a competitive fight for Wand without causing him more brain damage?
Eddie Alvarez & Michael Chandler - Before the PPV card started, these guys had the fight of the night. Everyone was buzzing on twitter about how great this fight was and how it was a Fight of the Year candidate. It's now an afterthought because of Henderson and Shogun.
Other Thoughts:
People calling for an immediate rematch of Henderson and Shogun last night was a little ridiculous. Those men left everything he had in the cage. The rematch would never live up to the first fight and neither man deserves to ever take that kind of damage again. It was a once in a lifetime type fight. Cherish that memory and move on.
It really is a shame that this card won't do major PPV numbers because it honestly was the best the UFC has offered in 2011. From the first fight to the main event, I was entertained and on the edge of my seat. I can't remember feeling such an adrenaline high from fights but last night was the perfect event to explain why I love watching MMA. I said it last night and I'll say it again. There's no place I'd rather be on a Saturday night than with you guys on this site.
An interesting point that Strikeforce welterweight Jason High brought up last night is that five round non-title fights aren't for the fighters, they are for the fans. He was pretty down on the fact that both men put their bodies through so much for our entertainment. It was the kind of fight that could take years off a man's life. I hope that puts things in perspective that while this is a sport, it takes its toll on the human body. We love spouting off the fact that there aren't any long term effects of MMA and that it's safer than boxing. Last night may prove that theory incorrect.
Posted in: ufc, fight, night, event, henderson
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowM-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson - Live Results and Play-By-Play
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Henderson. Fedor remains one of the best fighters to ever grace the sport so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event starting at 7:30 a.m. ET when the PPV gets underway.
The card is headlined by a bout between MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko and former UFC heavyweight title challenger Jeff Monson. In the co-main event the M-1 Challenge lightweight title is up for grabs when Jose Figueroa takes on Daniel Weichel.
Full PPV card and weigh-in information:
Fedor Emelianenko (238.3 pounds) vs. Jeff Monson (238.1)Daniel Weichel (154.5) vs. Jose Figueroa (155.4)Alexander Yakovlev (169.8) vs. Juan Manuel Suarez (169.5)Joshua Thorpe (155.4) vs. Mairbek Taisumov (155)
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
SBN coverage of M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson
Posted in: vs, event, fedor, monson, jose figueroa
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowWanderlei: Victory Over Le ‘Came at the Right Moment’
The stakes were high for Wanderlei Silva on Saturday night, and “The Axe Murder” came through in vintage fashion, knocking out Cung Le in the UFC 139 co-main event.
Posted in: saturday night, event, wanderlei silva, wanderlei, wanderlei victory
Read the full article at SherdogWhite confirms two-hour broadcast, four fights for UFC on FOX 2; says Sonnen possible
SAN JOSE, Calif. - As expected, the UFC returns to Chicago for the company's second FOX-broadcast event.
UFC president Dana White confirmed the plans following Saturday night's UFC 139 post-event press conference.
And in addition to confirming a previously reported date and location
for the event, White also laid out the planned parameters for the show.
Posted in: ufc, event, saturday, ufc returns, twohour broadcast
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 139: Shogun vs. Hendo Photo Gallery
Exclusive photos from UFC 139's epic all-time classic main event between Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Dan Henderson.
Posted in: ufc, event, shogun, photo, epic alltime
Read the full article at Heavy MMAUFC 139 fight card: Mauricio Rua vs Dan Henderson a classic MMA matchmaking masterpiece
Mixed martial arts (MMA) nostalgia is in the air ... can you smell it yet?
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) booked a classic pay-per-vew (PPV) event tonight that hearkens back to the heyday of the sport, presenting an old school fight card that features two former Pride FC superstars -- Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson in the main event -- and its most menacing marquee mauler, Wanderlei Silva, in the co-featured fight of the night.
Even the opponent for the "Axe Murderer" in the co main event, Cung Le, is a well-known, marketable former champion from an entirely different promotion, Strikeforce.
It's a delicious melting pot of MMA talent. However, the main course between "Shogun" and "Hendo" is the true tasty treat.
Both fighters have competed side-by-side for more than half a decade in the same promotion; however, somehow, someway, the pair have yet to lock horns. Of course, those parallel career tracks finally crisscross tonight (Nov. 19, 2011) at UFC 139 from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.
No titles are at stake, even though both men have had their share of championship success.
Both men are former champions -- Rua in the UFC and Henderson in Pride FC and Strikeforce -- and both men have won grand prix tournaments. In the case of Henderson, he has several such accomplishments tucked impressively under his belt, whether it's at 185 pounds or more.
Sure, a potential number one light heavyweight contender case can be made for the winner, but Rashad Evans still lurks in the shadows. It's not a clear-cut assumption. At least not now, anyway. On the contrary, the chefs in the UFC matchmaker kitchen have cooked up a classic contest that is much more profound.
And it smells oh-so sweet.
Posted in: ufc, event, henderson, prix tournaments, championship success
Read the full article at MMA ManiaWatch UFC 139 online tonight! 'Shogun vs Hendo' live video stream/PPV details for Nov. 19
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will once again air an entire fight card TONIGHT (Nov. 19, 2011), this time it's UFC 139: "Shogun vs. Henderson," which will begin around 6 p.m. ET with a live video stream on Facebook.
Once the Facebook stream ends, two additional bouts from the undercard -- Ryan Bader vs Jason Brilz and Michael McDonald vs Alex Soto -- will air live on Spike TV at 8 p.m. ET.
There are tons of ways to watch the pay-per-view (PPV) main card tonight, which will begin at 9 p.m. ET sharp, featuring the "better late than never" collision of mixed martial arts (MMA) greats, Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson, in the main event of the evening.
You can call up Comcast or your local cable and/or satellite provider and order the PPV on your television. For the Internet folks among us, you can also stream the event on your computers using UFC.TV, Yahoo! Sports or UStream, among others.
And if you're really in a pinch, you can watch UFC 139 on your mobile phone via the Android Market or even now on YouTube.com.
However, if you need your UFC 139 results as soon as possible, for free, MMAmania.com will deliver up-to-the-minute results and live fight coverage, including round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of all the UFC 139 action before, during and after the event right here.
More details on the UFC 139 fight card, who is fighting who, as well as how to keep yourself updated, after the jump:
Main event:
205 lbs.: Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua
Main card (Pay-per-view):
185 lbs.: Cung Le vs. Wanderlei Silva135 lbs.: Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles205 lbs.: Stephan Bonnar vs. Kyle Kingsbury170 lbs.: Rick Story vs. Martin Kampmann
Spike TV "Prelims:"
205 lbs.: Ryan Bader vs. Jason Brilz135 lbs.: Alex Soto vs. Michael McDonald
Preliminary card (Facebook stream):
185 lbs.: Tom Lawlor vs. Chris Weidman155 lbs.: Gleison Tibau vs. Rafael Dos Anjos135 lbs.: Miguel Torres vs. Nick Pace170 lbs.: Matt Brown vs. Seth Baczynski155 lbs.: Shamar Bailey vs. Danny Castillo
To watch the UFC 139 "Prelims" on Facebook, (if you have a Facebook profile) simply "Like" the UFC Facebook page and check out the "UFC Live Streams" tab on the left-side menu.
Again, remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 139, beginning with the Facebook "Prelims: at around 6 p.m. ET TONIGHT (Sat., Nov. 19, 2011). In addition, we will be your one-stop-shop for all the post-event coverage and highlights immediately following the show.
To get up to speed on all the news and notes for UFC 139: "Shogun vs. Henderson," be sure to hit up our event archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, facebook, lb
Read the full article at MMA ManiaStrikeforce Challengers 20: Britt vs. Sayers - Live Results and Play-By-Play
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for Strikeforce Challengers 20. The live blog will start with the beginning of the Showtime broadcast (11 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
The event is headlined by a bout between Antwain Britt and Lumumba Sayers, the bout marks Britt's debut at 185 pounds. Co-headlining the show is a great women's bout between Ronda Rousey and Julia Budd. The three fights that round out the rest of the televised card is Adlan Amagov vs. Anthony Smith, T.J. Cook vs. Trevor Smith and Derek Brunson vs. Nate James.
It should be a fun night of action as most of the Challengers cards are.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
SBN coverage of Strikeforce Challengers 20
Posted in: bout, challenger, vs, event, lumumba sayers
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowFriday Link Club: UFC 139 Preview, Junior dos Santos Receives Hero’s Welcome In Brazil
Junior dos Santos received a hero’s welcome when he returned to Salvador, Brazil with the UFC heavyweight championship belt.
UFC 139 Main Event Breakdown: Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua | MMA Fighting
When you look at the tale of the tape for UFC 139′s main event, the only difference that really jumps out at you is age. For Dan Henderson, it’s probably going to be that way for the rest of his career. In fact, at 41 years old, he is the oldest fighter on the UFC roster. By comparison, his opponent, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is 29.
UFC 139 Fight Card: Final Main Card Predictions | Bleacher Report
We all know Henderson is going to come out looking to connect with his deadly right hand. The biggest question of this bout is which Shogun will show up?
UFC 139 Breakdown: The Undercard | Five Ounces of Pain
Despite being rendered to a mere afterthought in light of last week’s momentous UFC on FOX event, this Saturday’s UFC 139 carries a robust main card capped off by a main event that is perhaps the best excuse for a five-round non-title fight. Bidding to earn a potential second crack at the man who dethroned him earlier this year, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will square off against one of the most successful athletes to ever grace the sport, former PRIDE and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson. But before the two light heavyweights exchange blows, another legend, Wanderlei Silva, looks to rediscover his winning ways when he takes on the always-entertaining Cung Le. Top bantamweights are also in action when Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles work for a vital step towards settling the score with champion Dominick Cruz.
Georgia on his Mind: MMAmania interview exclusive with UFC 139′s Brian Bowles | MMA Mania
“Oh man, I totally expect to get booed. I would be disappointed if I didn’t get booed, you know what I mean? It’s not like I’m expecting them to boo me, they’re just booing whoever he’s fighting, no matter who would be walking out, they’ll be booing. It’s not personal to me. That type of stuff has never bothered me so it’s just gonna be a fight. I know what’s going on. I know where I’m at so it doesn’t really matter.”
Hot Potato: MMA Ring Girl Laura Moro’s Stunning New Photos | Cage Potato
BabesofMMA just alerted us to a new photo shoot from Louisiana model/ring girl Laura Moro, and there isn’t much to say outside of hnnnnng.
Media/insider fallout from UFC’s debut on Fox | Fight Opinion
Fascinating takeaway is that the biggest markets in support were not New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Tampa/Orlando, or Chicago. A heavy amount of UFC’s support remains on the West Coast and Midwest. It’s still “a West Coast sport” in the eyes of people in the Eastern part of the States.
Rampage Jackson has a public service announcement for all of you | MiddleEasy
The only thing that makes me happier than finding out Kim Kardashian’s marriage is over is that I can finally have lunch in Zuccotti Park again (without accidentally tripping on some liberal hippy tent). October is over, and the ‘occupy movement’ has come to an end just in time for the holidays. That means it’s time to start preparing for the annual holiday spending spree that is ‘Black Friday’. While lots of retailers will have special sales, Quinton Jackson wants you to think very carefully before you buy your gifts this season.
UFC on FOX Network Debut: Payout Perspective | MMA Payout
Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective! This week we’ll be taking a look at the UFC on FOX network debut headlined by the UFC Heavyweight Title bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos.
The Daily Line: BJ Penn’s Pound-For-Pound Legacy | Fightline
Though you could probably legitimately call in to question some of Penn’s career moves and lament his inconsistency amidst casually brilliant performances, The Prodigy is best thought of as a fiery battler who was willing to forego championship glory to test his abilities against the best fighters in the world, regardless of weight class. Though he may not have allowed himself to always be as good as he was in the first Hughes fight or the majority of his run as UFC lightweight champion, the fact is that Penn was (and still could be) that good, often, against the best in the world. He embodies the kind of bold, fighting spirit that is rarely seen and possesses one of the most unique, effective styles of any competitor, ever; for both, he deserves commendation.
Fedor Emelianenko: I think Jeff Monson is a game opponent | LowKick
“I don’t like to talk about other fighter’s weaknesses. That’s something we’ll be able to find out during the fight,” he said. “Jeff Monson is physically strong, and has a very good ground game, with both wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He’s a game opponent.”
More Bouts Added to “Dream: New Year! 2011″ Event | 5thRound
A day after officially announcing “Dream: Fight for Japan. How are you! New Year! 2011″ would take place inside the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, the promotion added three bouts to the December 31st show.
Remember when Joe Rogan was on the cover of “Black Belt” Magazine?
| TheFightNerd
Rogan was interviewed by Ryan Schneider for “Black Belt Magazine” in 2002, mainly to promote Rogan’s then-new reality show, “Fear Factor.” Much of the article focuses on how martial arts helped to shape Rogan’s life and work-ethic, and also to discuss this budding sport called “mixed martial arts.”
Posted in: ufc, fight, bout, event, rogan
Read the full article at MMA ConvertCaution: this ONE FC highlight reel might make you sell all of your belongings and move to Singapore
Most of us reading this did not get to witness in person the greatness of the the first ever ONE FC event held on September 3 of this year. Zeus did and if you somehow missed his play by play of the event you can still go back and check it out here. ONE FC has recognized our misfortune and released a highlight of the event that could possibly cause you to sell off all of your belongings on craiglist and move to Singapore. This might cause some massive exodus of people from countries all over the earth to converge upon the poor unsuspecting Singaporeans.
This convergence of salivating MMA junkies might resemble what a second wave of the Dancing Plague of the middle ages might look like today. Back in the middle ages it was ergots that probably caused this plague of 'collective hysterical disorder' or 'mass madness' that included 'nervous spasms, psychotic delusions, spontaneous abortion, convulsions and gangrene.' Damn. Forget the evils of cocaine-ergots was one hell of a drug it seems. Luckily the effects of this ONE FC highlight reel don't involve any flesh rotting illnesses that we are aware of. They might make you dance around your living room spastically though, so please do put all of your grannies breakable tchotchkes away before you press play and enjoy.
Posted in: event, fc, room spastically, dancing plague, mass madness
Read the full article at Middle EasyUFC on FOX Network Debut: Payout Perspective
Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective! This week we’ll be taking a look at the UFC on FOX network debut headlined by the UFC Heavyweight Title bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos.
The event took place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California and featured the HW title fight between Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos. This was the only fight scheduled to air on the FOX network (60 minute time slot reserved from 9:00 pm-10:00 pm ET). The prelims portion was headlined by Ben Henderson vs Clay Guida, which aired on Facebook, FOXSports.com, and on Fox Deportes in the USA. FOX Deportes aired Velasquez vs Dos Santos, Guida vs Henderson, and Garza vs Dustin Poirier. Facebook.com and FOXSports.com aired the rest of the prelims.
Fighter Disclosed Payouts
Note: that the money reported below is only the money required to be reported by the commission, which does not take into account undisclosed bonuses or “locker room” bonuses, as they are referred to in MMA.
Courtesy of MMAJunkie:
The total disclosed payroll for the event was $666,000.
Junior Dos Santos: $220,000 (includes $110,000 win bonus)
def. Cain Velasquez: $100,000
Ben Henderson: $60,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus)
def. Clay Guida: $40,000
Dustin Poirier: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Pablo Garza: $8,000
Ricardo Lamas: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Cub Swanson: $15,000
DaMarques Johnson: $28,000 (includes $14,000 win bonus)
def. Clay Harvison: $8,000
Darren Uyenoyama: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus)
def. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto: $15,000
Robert Peralta: $16,000 (includes $ win bonus)
def. Mackens Semerzier: $8,000
Alex Caceres: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Cole Escovedo: $6,000
Mike Pierce: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus)
def. Paul Bradley: $18,000
Aaron Rosa: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus)
def. Matt Lucas: $6,000
Attendance and Gate
MMAJunkie reports that UFC on FOX held at the Honda Center in Anaheim officially drew 11,607 in attendance for a $1.07 million gate. 1,700 tickets were unsold and 1,743 were comps. The average paid ticket price was $108.70.
It was not a great event in terms of gate and attendance, but that was to be expected as the UFC purposely lowered the ticket prices to try and pack the event as much as they could to give the UFC on FOX event a great atmosphere. In terms of gate and average paid ticket price, it will probably be one of their lowest numbers for a domestic event with the caliber of fighters on the card. These numbers reflect what typical Ultimate Fight Night or UFC on Versus events would do, though those have a considerably lower payroll and don’t typically have title fights with much smaller venues. This event also had the benefit of being held in Southern California where Cain Velasquez won the HW title against Brock Lesnar and had the novelty of being the UFC’s first network TV event, so by those standards, not selling out has to be a bit of a disappointment. On the other hand, the main event was going to be televised for free on Network TV and all prelims were streaming for free on Facebook, so it may not be as bad of a number as it seems.
Ratings
MMAPayout reported this weekend that the UFC on FOX event on Saturday night averaged 5.7 million viewers (3.1 rating) and peaked at 8.8 million viewers. The demos were: M18-34: 4.3 (peak rating 7.19) and M18-49: 4.0. This was the largest audience ever to watch an MMA event in the United States, breaking the record of 5.3 million (3.7 rating) by The Ulitmate Fighter episode on Spike TV which featured Kimbo Slice vs Roy Nelson back in 2009.
Other notable high rating MMA shows include Ken Shamrock vs Tito Ortiz on Spike TV in 2006 which averaged 4.3 million viewers (3.1 rating) and UFC 75: Henderson vs Rampage in 2007 on Spike TV did 4.7 million viewers (3.1 rating). The reason why the rating numbers don’t match the viewers is due to the increase of reach Spike TV has increased in the past few years.
On Network TV, the previous rating champ was the EliteXC Primetime event which featured Kimbo Slice vs James Thompson, which avaged 4.85 million viewers (3.0 rating).
FOX TV Rating Breakdown (Quarterly):
- UFC on FOX (9:00 pm-9:15 pm): 5.25 million viewers
-UFC on FOX (9:15 pm-9:30 pm): 5.48 million viewers
-UFC on FOX (9:30 pm-9:45 pm): 7.09 million viewers
-UFC on FOX (9:45 pm-10:00 pm): 4.88 million viewers
- Overall: Average of 5.7M viewers watched the fight live or via DVR playback within the same day. (Nielsen)
FOX TV Rating Notes:
- If you combine the FOX and FOX Deportes telecasts (one in Spanish, one in English), it would have received close to a 3.5 rating with 6.2 million viewers and a peak of 8.8 million and a M18-34 rating of 4.7. It is believed a peak close to 9 million was achieved combining both.
- The 4.3 rating in Males 18-34 beat every college football game this season except the LSU vs Alabama game on CBS.
- The 4.3 rating in Males 18-34 beat 65% of the playoff and World Series baseball games this season on FOX.
- The 4.3 rating in Males 18-34 was the third highest rated television show of the year for FOX Deportes.
- The show drew 1.7 million women over the age of 18.
- The median age of viewers for the telecast was 35 years old.
- The 5.7 million viewers was the most watched fight in broadcast on US television since HBO’s Lennox Lewis vs Vitali Klitschko back in 2003
- UFC programming delivered a total of 6.7 million impressions across all FSMG television networks.
- The peak of 8.8 million lasted as long as the fight did, which was 1 minute (fight started at 9:40 pm).
- By 9:45 pm, the viewership had dropped to 5.9 million. Kimbo Slice vs James Thompson peaked at 6.51 million and lasted for 10 minutes and 38 seconds. (Sports Illustrated) … about 25% of the audience had left at the end of the main event.
- UFC on FOX began with 5.2 million viewers and dipped as low as 4.4 million before viewership started to climb around 9:36 pm, as the fighters were starting to make their way to the Octogon. (Sports Illustrated)
Fuel TV Ratings:
- Two Hour UFC Pre-Fight Show (4:00 pm-6:00 pm ET) averaged 77,000 viewers (0.21 rating) making it Fuel TV’s highest rated program of the year. The prefight show also drew an average of 58,000 viewers in the M18-49 demo, the largest since the network become nationally rated.
-The UFC prefight show ranked as a top 20 show in the time period for Men 18-34 (.29), performing about as well or better than widely distributed networks like History Channel (.31), USA (.25), SyFy (.19) and AMC (.13). FUEL TV also performed well in the Men 18-49 demo (.31), close to or matching ubiquitous networks like Discovery (.36), Comedy Central (.35) and MTV (.31).
- The One-Hour UFC postfight show (7:00 pm – 8:00 pm ET) drew 37,000 viewers.
FOX Deportes Ratings:
- Nearly 500,000 average viewers watched the event on FOX Deportes.
- The quarter-hour from 9:30 to 9:45 did about 900,000 viewers on Fox Deportes in Spanish.
- The Velasquez-dos Santos fight delivered a 3.9 coverage area HH rating, 487,000 viewers, and 352,000 A18-49 making it the highest-rated fight of any kind in Spanish language cable history.
- Saturday’s undercard coverage ranks as the second highest-rated fight-event in FOX Deportes history with a 3.4 HH rating, 365,000 viewers, and 237,000 A18-49 viewers.
- Saturday’s fight ranks as FOX Deportes’ highest-rated program since the Manchester United vs. Chelsea Premier League soccer match (5.0) on Sept. 18.
Spike TV Counter Programming Ratings:
- Spike TV’s Saturday night telecast of “Dos Santos vs. Velasquez: Unleashed for the Heavyweight Title” between 9:00-10:00 pm ET drew 719,000 viewers and a 0.6 rating with Men 18-34. List of ratings for “Unleashed” episodes pre and post UFC on FOX are listed below:
- At 8:00 pm: Before UFC on FOX went live, “Unleashed” drew 923,000 viewers .
- At 10:00 pm: After the UFC on FOX had gone off air, “Unleashed” drew 787,000.
FOXSports.com:
- Tallied 257,000 total live streams for the nine undercard matches, while all the UFC content during and around the event generated over 1 million streams.
- Other than Super Bowl related content, this was the biggest video event in FOXSports.com history.
Top Rated MMA Shows (Average Viewers):
- 5.7M viewers (8.8M peak), “UFC on FOX: Velasquez vs Dos Santos”, FOX (11/12/2011)
- 5.3M viewers (6.1M peak), “The Ultimate Fighter: Kimbo Slive vs Roy Nelson”, SPIKE TV (09/30/2009)
- 4.9M viewers (6.5M peak), “EliteXC Primetime: Kimbo Slice vs James Thompson”, CBS (05/31/2008)
- 4.7M viewers (5.9M peak), “UFC 75: Dan Henderson vs Rampage Jackson”, SPIKE TV (09/08/2007)
- 4.2M viewers (5.7M peak), “UFC: Ken Shamrock vs Tito Ortiz 3″, SPIKE TV (10/10/2006)
Top Rated MMA Shows (Ratings):
- 3.7 Rating, M18-34: 6.9, “The Ultimate Fighter: Kimbo Slive vs Roy Nelson”, SPIKE TV (09/30/2009)
- 3.1 Rating, M18-34: 6.0, “UFC on FOX: Velasquez vs Dos Santos”, FOX (11/12/2011)
- 3.1 Rating, M18-34: 6.0, “UFC: Ken Shamrock vs Tito Ortiz 3″, SPIKE TV (10/10/2006)
- 3.1 Rating, M18-34: 5.7, “UFC 75: Dan Henderson vs Rampage Jackson”, SPIKE TV (09/08/2007)
- 3.0 Rating, M18-34: 3.2, “EliteXC Primetime: Kimbo Slice vs James Thompson”, CBS (05/31/2008)
- What we can take from these numbers is how impressive Spike TV has performed over the last several years with UFC content. The 3.7 rating with a 6.9 M18-34 rating is almost unheard of at the moment, and even the UFC on FOX couldn’t top that, although FOX has a bigger reach than Spike TV, which is the reason why viewership is higher for FOX with the same or lesser ratings.
General Rating Notes:
- FOX scheduled the Velasquez vs Dos Santos bout to start at 9:40 PM, which was exactly when Stanford vs Oregon – a top 10 college football game – was going into halftime in order to acquire some extra viewers who may have been flipping channels.
- By starting at 9:40 p.m., if the fight went passed 3 rounds, it would go well past 10 p.m., when the local news was scheduled to start for FOX affiliate stations. At that point, a ton of new viewers would be watching the final rounds of what on paper expected to be an exciting fight a bump the ratings. A five round fight would have ended past 10:10, not accounting for reading the decision, nterviews, and wrap up, which would take you closer to 10:20.
- FOX was selling ads based on predictions of 4.5 million viewers, which means they easily met their goal (5.7 million).
- The strongest markets for the show were Las Vegas, Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio, Tulsa, San Diego, Greensboro, New Orleans and Los Angeles. It aired in Las Vegas, San Diego and Los Angeles out of prime time.
Storylines
- FOX Flexes Promotional Muscle for UFC
Sports Business Daily did a great story on the FOX’s promotional efforts heading into the UFC on FOX event.
The early returns have been strong, Fertitta said. The “UFC Primetime” preview show that Fox aired after its NFL telecasts two Sundays ago drew a 1.3 rating, which equates to about 2 million viewers. That about doubled the audience for similar UFC preview shows on Spike. Saturday night’s prime-time debut was close to sold out shortly after it hit the street, Fertitta said. Fox typically gets about $50,000 for a 30-second spot during its Saturday night programming, according to survey results published by Ad Age. ABC gets about $85,000 for spots on Saturday night college football.
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While Fox Sports co-President Eric Shanks would not discuss specific rates for the one-hour, one-fight show, he said they exceeded expectations.
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“The first fight out of the gate, there is tremendous interest,” Shanks said. “We had no problem selling at a good rate. And we haven’t even started the seven-year clock yet.”
- Not Airing Guida vs Henderson Proves Costly for the UFC. Did they Have A Choice?
Guida vs Henderson was exactly the type of fight that would have drawn plenty of viewers for the UFC before the big HW Title matchup. It had all the ingredients needed to build up a viewing fanbase and could have possibly served as their new version of Griffin vs Bonner, which propelled their popularity over on Spike TV. It was an exciting and technical fight, which breath-taking back and forth between the two which resulted in a Fight of the Year candidate. It also lasted 3 rounds, which is exactly what was the dynamic needed to show to the new MMA spectators tuning in: a fight can last all 3 rounds or 1 minute, but it will be exciting either way.
The question is who’s call was this and did they have a choice? According to Ben Grossman from Broadcasting and Cable, “For those wondering, Fox did not have the rights to show the rest of the fights Saturday night on air, as Spike TV technically still owns those rights until the end of the year, so what turned out to be the best fight of the night – the one before the main event — was only available online.” I believe this is the reason why prelims, including the Guida vs Henderson fights were only shown to international viewers and on FOX Deportes, a Spanish broadcast.
- Culinary Workers Union Picketing UFC Headquarters During Weekend
Over the weekend, the Culinary Workers Union was picketing UFC headquarters in Las Vegas and trying to mobilize people to send messages to FOX to cancel its TV contract with the UFC. They have already made their voice clear sending a letter to the FTC regarding the UFC’s practices and also creating multiple websites highlighting Dan White’s past rants and vulgar language as well as “Unfit for Children” propaganda. The has also been activity by the union to back the anti-MMA legislators in New York as well as sending letters to major UFC sponsors encouraging them to drop the MMA promotion.
- Critiquing UFC on FOX Broadcast
Luke Thomas of MMA Nation had a great article on some of the things UFC and FOX can tweak in order to improve future broadcasts (10 Steps To Improving UFC On Fox Broadcasts) … Loretta Hunt gives her own opinions and suggestions on SI.com (Three thoughts on UFC on Fox 1). Having Dana White as an analyst in the post-fight wrap-up provided some cringe-worthy moments for fans, as both Thomas and Hunt mentioned. It has been a common complain heard from within the MMA media circle, how Dana White criticized Valasquez plan and questioned Dos Santos stamina, as he appeared nervous and angry at the outcome.
- Social Media Activity Backfires on the UFC
FightOpinion has done a great job documenting the Penn State sex scandal and how Forrest Griffin’s jokes on Twitter were not taken very kindly by various media outlets and anti- sex and child abuse organizations. The Culinary Workers Union was also quick to point the controversy out on their anti-UFC website. Loretta Hunt was invited to NPR to talk about the matter. The segment’s title was “Misogyny in the UFC” (45 minute mark). Since
Odds and Ends
- The UFC painted over the blood on the Octogon before going live on FOX, per FOX’s request. Dana White said they wanted to go on air with a nice clean presentation package and that it had nothing to do with FOX reacting negatively towards blood on the mat.
- For a brief moment at the beginning of the UFC on FOX broadcast, FOX flashed the following message: “The following might be the most exciting live sporting event in the history of television, and it’s our duty to say: VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED”
- The next UFC on FOX event has been scheduled for January 28th, 2012 being held in the United Center in Chicago.
- The first UFC on FX event will take place on January 20th and will be headlined by Jim Miller vs Melvin Guillard. Sydney, Australia and Nashville Tennessee have both been rumored as potential sites to host the event.
- FOX Sports Media Group Chairman David Hill stated that FOX specials would be 90 minutes, airing from 8:30 to 10 p.m. on Saturday nights with two or three fights. The UFC on FX live cards will take place on Fridays and would be 2 hour shows. Fuel TV events will be 3 hours in length and will also air all prelims.
- UFC 2012 Target Schedule: 14 PPV events, 4 UFC on FOX events, 6 UFC on FX events, and a minimum of 6 UFC on FUEL TV events. The Ultimate Fighter will also have around 24 live events on FX on Friday nights.
Mainstream Thoughts on UFC on FOX
- Notes And Thoughts About UFC On Fox (Broadcasting & Cable)
UFC on Fox could have gone better but it definitely could have gone much worse. The fact of the matter is Saturday night showed that Fox is exactly what UFC needed, and UFC can be a major player for Fox, FX and whatever Fuel ends up being down the road, for a long, long time.
- Quick KO good or bad for UFC on Fox? (ESPN)
Fox Sports chief executive David Hill admitted he and president Dana White discussed the “tactics” of booking a single, heavyweight fight in hindsight, but added he was overwhelmingly satisfied with the product.
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“It absolutely delivered everything I hoped it would,” Hill told ESPN.com. “I spoke to Dana and maybe, tactically, Dana didn’t play it the right way. But this is what you get in this sport. This is world heavyweight champion action.”
- UFC’s Fox debut neither home run nor strikeout (Yahoo)
Saturday night was a similar step, just on a larger scale. Instead of Spike TV, it was the Fox network. Instead of two unknown scrappers, it was the two best heavyweights in the sport..
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Unfortunately, MMA is unpredictable. As president Dana White said over-and-over in promoting the Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos heavyweight title match, the company’s live network TV debut on Fox, it could end in 30 seconds, or it could go five rounds.
- UFC’s network TV debut a success, despite lasting all of 64 seconds (Sports Illustrated)
That doesn’t go just for the Fox telecast, either. While the early undercard was playing out to a smallish crowd of diehards inside the arena, there was a brightly lit red carpet set up outside, where celebrities from MMA to the TV B-list — most from Fox programs, naturally — passed through a gauntlet of cameras, asked the same questions by every microphone wielder, smiling the same smiles for every lens. Inside, once the preliminaries were out of the way, the building had filled with a deafening roar, the octagon mat was cleaned of undercard blood stains. Don’t want to make a bad first impression with squeamish new viewers.
- UFC on Fox: What the Media Is Saying (Hollywood Reporter)
The bout lasted a little over a minute, with Dos Santos knocking Velasquez to the ground with a punch to the temple and a beat down that followed until the referee stopped the fight.
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Reaction to the broadcast ranged from the humorous to the general consensus that Fox has a winner with the franchise.
- A few thoughts about tonight’s UFC fight … (San Francisco Chronicle)
No mercy, indeed. The heavyweight Junior Dos Santos/Cain Velasquez fight ends with Dos Santos knocking out Velasquez after just over a minute in the first round. I would say that was the second-worst case scenario with UFC’s historic first fight on network TV. (Worst case scenario by far was a gruesome injury.)
- Fight Night in America (Esquire)
The hype on Fox was nothing short of lunatic. Dana White, the bald genius UFC president and probably the smartest sports executive in the country, wore a black suit. So did Brock Lesner, and so did Alistair Overeem when they cut to him octagon-side, which doesn’t sound so good, as if we were going to look back in thirty years on them as the new Ali and Frazier, which doesn’t either. Junior Dos Santos made his ring walk to “Gonna Fly Now,” which is the theme from Rocky. Cain Velasquez walked into the cage, petrified, and they stared at each other and they kicked some little kicks and then, a minute into the kicking and the staring, Dos Santos sent a loopy and rather laughably slow right hook to Velasquez’s left ear. Velasquez dropped to the canvas and then Dos Santos went and hit the shit out of him eleven times. The referee took his sweet time to stop it. It was over. There was no blood. It wasn’t very exciting.
- Ultimate fighting is too brutal to be considered a sport, even if it’s on TV (Washington Post)
Excuse me, but ultimate fighting is not safer than cheerleading. I’ve watched some ultimate fighting. It’s a brutal sport. In fact, I don’t think ultimate fighting is a sport at all. It’s violence presented as entertainment..
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By showing fights on Fox, UFC is trying to turn ultimate fighting into a regular sport and to make kicking someone in the face as normal as shooting a free throw. Close to 6 million people watched the Saturday night fight. Fox plans to show more ultimate fighting in the next few months.
- Ultimate fighting is too brutal to be considered a sport, even if it’s on TV (Deadspin)
I’d planned to write something about the Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos fight today. But the fight lasted all of 64 seconds. Gotta feel for anyone who sat through eons of buildup only to make for the suds and miss the action. The UFC’s debut on Fox was a flop. A disappointment on a grand scale. A few leg kicks from Velasquez, one overhand right from Dos Santos and that was the end of it. Dunzo. The card in its entirety.
- UFC proves it’s here to stay (The Globe and Mail – Canada)
Rarely sticklers for journalistic purity, Fox used White himself as an analyst (Imagine Gary Bettman as the star of Coach’s Corner). Even as the main card tanked with headliner Cain Velasquez succumbing in just 64 seconds to challenger Junior Dos Santos, White and co-analyst Brock Lesnar kept pitching the gospel. White savaged Velasquez’s passivity. “I don’t understand why Cain wouldn’t go in for the shot, pressure him and not stay in his range. But what the hell am I? I’m not anybody’s coach or trainer.”
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Right. Resistance is futile. UFC is here to stay. Or, as our mother used to say, until somebody loses an eye.
- UFC Was Never Meant For Network Television (IBTimes – New York)
It’s not the management of the UFC that will prohibit the sport from moving forward. The UFC will continue to expand its brand name recognition, and people will continue to tune in and watch the big fights. Mixed-martial arts isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and, therefore, UFC won’t be going anywhere either. But as for UFC being part of a dinner conversation in most American homes, that will never, ever happen. The sport is too volatile on too many levels.
- Dos Santos claims Velasquez’s UFC belt in Fox show (Chron)
The brief fight was the only event on a one-hour broadcast on Fox, which signed the UFC to a seven-year broadcast deal earlier this year. Any newcomers to the sport who tuned in got a taste of MMA’s violence, but not much else — particularly if they returned late from a commercial break.
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Or even if they blinked.
- All Up in the Videos (The Classical)
And that’s how a typical display of MMA’s chaotic nature and dos Santos’ signature power were recast as a bad, stupid thing—the natural result of Velasquez fighting foolishly against a one-dimensional foe—which in turn recast a heavyweight title fight as an anti-climactic scuffle pitting an idiot against some non-athlete. At the risk of belaboring things, the person doing this was the president of the UFC, whose job is supposed to be spinning any result into a story that makes the viewers care. I’ve followed the sport for over a decade, and even I was starting to wonder if I should keep caring.
Social Media – Sports Business Circle Reactions After KO
- Michele Steele: “Huge night for UFC debut on Fox — hard to believe that UFC started w $2M investment 10 years ago, now $2 BILLION brand”
- John Ourand: “Wow. A knockout in the first minute?? Bad news for Fox. … What’s Fox’s filler programming now?”
- Bill Simmons: “UFC loses its network virginity to Fox and it’s over in under 90 seconds. Just like real life!”
- Darren Rovell: “UFC had the same problem years ago when ESPN put Chuck Liddell on SportsCenter & ESPN Mag. Then he lost in minutes.” … “If you’re a UFC newcomer, how do you feel after tonight? 46.2% less likely to watch, 32.4% more likely to watch, 21.4% have to see more.”
Twitter and Google Trends
Social Media on that Saturday was quite peculiar. There were literally no sporting events trending on that day (usually some of the hottest trends occur during sporting events). “Bendo” and “Clay Guida” were all trend topics for the night. In fact, airing all of the prelims on Facebook seemed to have hurt the buzz for the show as these were the only two topics to trend before the UFC on FOX broadcast. During the event, #UFCONFOX, “Cain Velasquez“, and “Dos Santos” were all trending along with “Pacquiao” and “Marquez“.
In Google under the “Hot Searches” section, “Cain Velasquez vs Dos Santos” (#17) and “UFC on FOX” (#20) were the only two items in the top 20 relating to the event on November 12 while “Manny Pacquiao” and “Marquez” were 4th, 8th, 10th, 11th, and 14th on the list. College Football’s “Oregon vs Stanford” was #16.
From looking at some of these social trends, it can be speculated that having no fights on some form of TV platform with a combination of the boxing match and the college football game affected some of the UFC’s buzz going into the event. It can also be assumed that although the ratings were good for Fuel TV’s standards, it did not help build up and carry momentum into the UFC on FOX event. Facebook fights still appear to have very little effect on getting more viewers to order or watch the fights at this point.
Airing the fights on FX and carrying the audience over to FOX on their next event should pay dividends for them and create more social media buzz that could bring more eyeballs into their next broadcast. Social Media was heavily underutilized for this event.
Sponsor, Promotion and Marketing Watch
- UFC on FOX Sponsors in the Cage: Uncharted 3 (PS3 Video Game), Muscle Pharm (Supplements), Xyience (Sports Drinks), SafeAuto (Insurance), Marines, G’zOne (Casio Phone), Bud Light (Anheuser-Busch), UFC Undisputed 3 (Video Game- THQ), and the main sponsor of the event was Dodge (US Automobile).
UFC on FOX TV Spots: Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (video game), Tapout (with kids practicing MMA inside a cage, which was an interesting choice of a spot to expose to the mainstream audience considering recent debates on that subject), Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (movie), UFC 139 promo, Jack in the Box, AMPM, & a good amount of local spots.
Cain Velasquez Sponsors: Dethrone (apparel), Milwaukee Tools, MicroTech, Oak Grove Technologies, Lugz (footwear), BSN (supplements), California Wheels, and AKA (gym).
Junior Dos Santos Sponsors: TOTVS, Gillette, Renato Saraiva, Analise, Team Nogueira (gym), Pretorian (apparel), Siciliano, Bony Acai (sport drink), and his own brand Cigano.
Posted in: ufc, fight, fox, event, viewer
Read the full article at MMA Payout'Countdown' to UFC 139 full video for 'Shogun vs Henderson'
Countdown to UFC 139 full video is now available for your consumption to promote the upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) event scheduled for the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011.
The network special provided a glimpse into the preparation and training camps of the fighters set to headline this weekend's event, featuring former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio Rua and the returning Dan Henderson.
Also getting a closer look was the "Shogun vs. Henderson" co-main event pitting middleweight maulers Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le, as well as 135-pound brawl between former WEC champions Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles.
For more on UFC 139 be sure to hit up our complete news archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, henderson, training camps
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 139 pre-fight press conference photos gallery for 'Shogun vs Henderson'
UFC 139: "Shogun vs. Henderson" may have flown under the radar, what with the lack of major fight hype just days away from the Nov. 19 pay-per-view event in San Jose, California, but there's still a veritable triple main event on tap for the HP Pavilion this weekend.
The show is headlined by a potential title eliminator, as Mauricio Rua continues to climb back to the light heavyweight championship while Dan Henderson makes his return to the Octagon looking for a 205-pound title bout or even a middleweight shot.
Either will do.
In the co-main event, Wanderlei Silva is basically putting his career on the line for a showdown against exciting Karate kicker and former Strikeforce middleweight kingpin Cung Le.
Oh, and former WEC champion Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles will do battle to determine who gets to rematch Dominick Cruz sometime in 2012. So there's that.
Each fighter hit the stage at the UFC 139 pre-fight press conference (full rundown with quotes here, complete video here, staredown pics here) and you can check out a photo gallery (via UFC.com) after the jump.
Posted in: ufc, event, henderson, mauricio rua, fight hype
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDana White interview: UFC on FOX 2 main event will not be a title bout, event will feature four fights (Video)
The UFC on FOX 1: "Velasquez vs. Dos Santos" event was a "beautiful sports production" and a "100-percent successful home run show" according to UFC President Dana White.
This despite his post-fight complaints regarding the performance of Cain Velasquez, who lost the heavyweight championship that night (Sat., Nov. 12, 2011) to Junior dos Santos in Anaheim, California.
The event broke the record for the most-watched fight in mixed martial arts history, averaging 5.7 million viewers for the hour long primetime broadcast and peaking at 8.8 million viewers for the 64 second fight.
One of the many criticisms of the event is the fact that there was far too much talking, far too little fighting. Naturally, there's always room for improvement.
We'll get to find out exactly how different things will be with the UFC on FOX 2 show, which has been announced for Jan. 28, 2012, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. White confirmed this to Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com, as well as offering up a couple more details of the second network television broadcast.
For starters, the main event will not be a championship fight as it was on the first show. It will be "a real exciting fight" but a title will not be up for grabs.
Secondly, the main card will feature four bouts. White did not indicate how long the broadcast is scheduled to run but if each fight is slotted a half hour of time and you adjust for commercials, that should land the show right around the previously rumored two and a half hours.
All this sounding good to you, Maniacs?
Hear more from White in the full entry, including his thoughts on the folks who were picketing the UFC offices during the first FOX show, the upcoming UFC 139 fight card and a when the date might be for Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen part deux.
Posted in: ufc, fight, show, fox, event
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC Launches New Android App
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) and NeuLion, Inc. (TSX:NLN), the true end-to-end technology service provider for delivering live and on-demand content to any Internet-enabled device, today announced the debut of a new UFC mobile app for Android. Fans of the UFC can stream live Pay-Per-View events via UFC.TV, Roku and now Android. This announcement deepens the UFC’s partnership with NeuLion and extends the reach of the organization to the mobile marketplace and will enable the UFC to capitalize on the continued growth of the Android platform. Android commanded 44 percent of mobile app downloads in 2010, according to a study released by ABI Research and Nielsen in September. In addition, twice as many consumers in the U.S. purchased Android smartphones compared to Apple’s iPhone in 2011*. “We’re always trying to stay ahead of the curve with technology and the UFC TV Android app is just another example of that,” UFC President Dana White said. “With our new UFC TV Android app, fans can keep track of their favorite fighters and watch UFC Pay-Per-Views live. We’re leveraging NeuLion’s streaming capabilities for live sports events and continuing to give our fans unique access to the UFC.”Developed by NeuLion, the UFC TV Android app features:• Live streaming of Pay-Per-View events, weigh-ins and press conferences• Multiple live video and audio feeds during the broadcast: English, Spanish, Red Corner and Blue Corner • Ability to score the fight in real-time and get an aggregate of every vote• UFC fighter index sortable by weight class. Each fighter’s profile has key stats – wins/losses, height, weight, etc. • Access to the UFC Fight Library of video • Free videos including: event countdown shows, fighter interviews, press conferences, event previews, fighter workouts and other UFC free video content • TV schedule• Video highlights and VOD events• Constantly updated news section featuring articles about the latest UFC fighters, events, interviews and profiles of fighters“Major sports brands and sports leagues understand that delivering mobile access for their content is key towards continued growth,” said Marc Sokol, Executive Vice President at NeuLion. “The new UFC TV Android app showcases how a dynamic sports brand can utilize mobile to further their relationship with their fans.” Visit the Android Market to download the UFC app for your Android device today. *For the three months leading up to the study.
Posted in: ufc, fighter, event, app, android
Read the full article at UFCUFC on FOX 2 could be coming as soon as January 2012
It appears the UFC isn’t done organizing events for the opening stretch of 2012 after already announcing their debut on FX and a stop in Rio de Janeiro for January. According to multiple sources, the world’s foremost MMA organization is also looking at Chicago for a January 28 return to FOX.
The UFC is coming off a massively successful inaugural show on the network with a broadcast peaking at nearly nine million viewers, the most ever for a MMA event, even though the only televised bout lasted 64 seconds.
A Look at the UFC’s Debut on FX
News of UFC on FOX 2 first surfaced in a report from Yahoo with other outlets having since come forward with information confirming the story.
Though it’s still too early to know for sure who would headline the card, it looks like Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva II is the desired pairing. Given the magnitude of the match-up it would certainly make sense considering the FOX label.
For those keeping score, assuming things unfold as expected, the UFC will hold events on 1/14 (UFC 142), 1/20 (UFN 26), 1/28 (UFC on FOX 2), and 2/4 (UFC 143).
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
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Posted in: ufc, fox, event, january, opening stretch
Read the full article at Fighters.comAlex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa added to UFC 143
Fresh off an impressive victory over Cole Escovedo, Alex Caceres is booked for Super Bowl weekend.
The veteran of "The Ultimate Fighter 12" is slated to meet prospect Edwin Figueroa at UFC 143, officials today announced.
UFC 143 takes place Feb. 4 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The event's main card airs live on pay-per-view.
Posted in: ufc, card airs, event, las vegas, bowl weekend
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC on FX: Melvin Guillard vs Jim Miller booked for main event on Jan. 20 in Nashville
Better late than never.
Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller flirted with the idea of a match-up all throughout 2011 but, for various reasons, the bout never came to be. Not the case in 2012.
That's because the two have been paired off for a lightweight battle on Jan. 20 as the main event of the UFC's debut effort on FX in Nashville, Tennessee.
That's according to the promotion itself, which announced the contest on Twitter earlier today.
Both Miller and Guillard were on the fast track to a title shot before suffering heartbreaking losses in their last fights. The former dropped a unanimous decision to current 155-pound title challenger Ben Henderson while the latter was submitted in short order by Joe Lauzon.
Despite the losses, the division still has plenty of room for advancement and delivering an exciting slugfest in the main event of the UFC's debut on FX would go a long way for either man.
The FX card has already lined up a heavyweight battle between Pat Barry and Christian Morecraft as well as a welterweight slugfest that pits Josh Neer against Duane Ludwig.
Barry is coming off back-to-back losses to Cheick Kongo and Stefan Struve. The stocky and cocky kickboxer may not be on the chopping block just yet, but a third consecutive loss certainly won't do him any favors, either.
Matt Mitrione entered the "World of Morecraft" and left with a knockout win back at UFC on Versus 4, dropping Morecraft to just 1-2 inside the Octagon. A loss in "HD" and it's likely curtains on his Zuffa career.
Also fighting for a spot on the roster -- albeit a much higher one -- is Josh Neer. The welterweight "Dentist" has strung together five straight wins, all of them stoppages, including a technical knockout finish over Keith Wisniewski just last month.
He'll get his favorite type of opponent after the new year, someone who likes to stand and "Bang," as Duane Ludwig is riding high after outperforming Nick Osipczak and Amir Sadollah in recent bouts.
Four tough competitors, two great fights. And now one seriously explosive main event.
Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more details on the UFC on FX debut, which is part of the promotion's seven year, $100 million broadcast agreement with the FOX network, as they become available.
Posted in: ufc, fx, loss, event, guillard
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDana White: UFC on FOX 2 Set for Jan. 28 in Chicago
Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, NewsThe UFC's second outing on FOX will land in Chicago, UFC president Dana White confirmed to MMA Fighting on Thursday.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani, White said that the event will take place on January 28. Although he didn't specify the venue, it is expected to take place at the United Center.
White said he is expecting to put together a four-fight main card, and has several fights in mind, but would not divulge any details until speaking with his FOX partners on Monday. He said that he is not expecting to include a championship fight on the card.
The event will mark the UFC's first time in Illinois since UFC 90 in October 2008.
The addition means that the promotion will produce four events in four weeks spanning from January 14 to February 4. In addition to the UFC on FOX show, the stretch includes UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, UFC on FX in Nashville, and UFC 143 in Las Vegas.
The UFC's first foray on to network television was last Saturday, with an event that drew an average of 5.7 million viewers and a peak of 8.8 million to watch Junior dos Santos knock out Cain Velasquez to capture the heavyweight championship. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, las vegas, ufc mma
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseMelvin Guillard vs. Jim Miller headlines UFC on FX 1 event
The UFC's first FX-televised event has its headliner.
UFC officials today announced the debut UFC on FX event will feature a three-round lightweight main event between contenders Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller.
As MMAjunkie.com recently reported, the event is expected to take place Jan. 20 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., though officials haven't formally announced the details.
Posted in: ufc, event, nashville tenn, officials havent, fxtelevised event
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC on FOX 2 targeted for Jan. 28 in Chicago
The UFC's second network-televised event could take place early in 2012.
Event sources today told MMAjunkie.com that the FOX-televised event, UFC on FOX 2, is expected to take place Jan. 28 at the 21,000-seat United Center in Chicago.
Yahoo! Sports' "Cagewriter" blog first reported the likely event details.
Posted in: ufc, event, chicago, jan, networktelevised event
Read the full article at MMA JunkieWith Attonito vs. Hecht official, UFC 140 lineup again complete with 12 fights
The lineup for next month's UFC 140 event is again official.
As MMAjunkie.com recently reported, a welterweight bout between newcomer Jake Hecht and Rich Attonito is a late addition to the card.
With that bout now official, the event boasts a total of 12 fights, including a light-heavyweight title fight between champion Jon Jones and ex-titleholder Lyoto Machida.
Posted in: fight, event, welterweight bout, official, hecht
Read the full article at MMA JunkieMelvin Guillard vs. Jim Miller Set for UFC on FX Main Event
Filed under: UFC, NewsThe main event is set for the first UFC fight card to be televised on FX: Melvin Guillard vs. Jim Miller.
The UFC announced on Twitter Thursday evening that a lightweight battle between Guillard and Miller will be the main event of the FX card, which will represent the promotion's debut on its new basic cable home. Beginning in 2012 FX will carry much of the programming that had previously appeared on Spike TV, including Fight Night events and The Ultimate Fighter.
Guillard and Miller were both thought to be closing in on lightweight title contention this year, although both of them lost their most recent fights: Guillard was submitted by Joe Lauzon in October, while Miller lost a unanimous decision to Ben Henderson in August. For the winner of the Guillard-Miller fight, a victory will represent a big step toward getting back into lightweight title contention.
The UFC's tweet said that Guillard vs. Miller will be a three-round fight. It's not clear whether main events on FX cards will generally be three or five rounds going forward. The UFC has indicated that future main events will be five-round fights regardless of whether or not a title is on the line.
The UFC on FX card is expected to take place on January 20 in Nashville, Tennessee. Other fights planned for the card include Charles Oliveira vs. Robert Peralta, Josh Neer vs. Duane Ludwig and Pat Barry vs. Christian Morecraft. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, miller, guillard
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC on FOX officially draws 11,607 attendance for $1.07 million gate
This past weekend's UFC on FOX event officially drew an attendance figure of 11,607 and a live gate of $1,072,187, California State Athletic Commission officials today confirmed with MMAjunkie.com.
Those figures are down slightly from the announced fight-night estimates (14,019 and $1.1 million).
Additionally, with approximately 1,700 unsold tickets, the event fell short of sellout status.
Posted in: figure, event, fox event, weekends ufc, attendance figure
Read the full article at MMA JunkieGrappling with Issues – 11/17/11
Is Cain Velasquez destined for another title-shot in 2012? Should the winner of this weekend’s main event between Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua jump Rashad Evans as #1 contender? Will Fedor Emelianenko‘s fight flop on PPV? Could UFC 139 mark the final time Wanderlei Silva steps into the ring?
Keyboard warrrrriors….come out to plaaaay-yay!
Welcome to Grappling with Issues, our site’s regular weekly feature highlighting insight and opinion from myself and resident workhorse Jeremy Lambert whose general contributions and “Scorecard” event-breakdowns can be regularly found on Five Ounces. As always, just because we staffers get the fancy set-up, please don’t hesitate to offer your own take on the topics in the “Comments” section below.
Will Cain Velasquez earn his second shot at the title in 2012?
Lambert: This is tough because you never know how things will play out with injuries, but I’m going to say that Cain might earn another title shot in 2012 though might not fight for the title until 2013. The way I see it, he’s going to need at least two wins before he gets another title shot, get through those fights healthy, and hope the champion is also healthy during that stretch as well. I’m just not convinced that will happen, especially given how the bug has gone around the UFC this past year.
Conlan: Yes. If recent history has shown us anything it’s that a guy like Velasquez, who has been hyped to death as an uber-talented fan-favorite, only needs to win a single time before receiving another crack at the championship. Brock Lesnar got fast-tracked to one, as will Chael Sonnen apparently, so why wouldn’t Velasquez too as long as he picks up a win over a reputable contender like Cheick Kongo, the winner of Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, or even the loser of Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem (all of whom I could see him beating)?
True or False – You knew there was a Strikeforce Challengers event Friday night before reading this line.
Lambert: True, but only because I put the MMA on TV schedule together every Sunday, which allows me to know every MMA event, no matter how small, that ends up on television. That said, I can’t tell you who is fighting other than Antwain Britt, Ronda Rousey, and Derek Brunson, and I know that none of them are fighting each other. Of course I’ll watch it, but it’s pretty clear that Strikeforce is dead in the water and the Challengers series has been dead for awhile now.
Conlan: Also true, though with an added caveat in line with Lambert’s in that I wrote something earlier this week blasting Strikeforce for the lack of promotion where Challengers events are concerned. For whatever reasons, the company has ignored basic, simple marketing strategies like sending out press releases or holding conference calls. Last week there was a single original article on the Strikeforce website selling the event and literally 3/50+ Tweets mentioned the actual event. The Strikeforce Challengers Series could be used as an excellent tool to introduce up-and-coming fighters, much like WEC was, yet for whatever reason Zuffa chooses to bury it through their relative indifference. It’s truly no wonder the shows have been tanking as of late.
Do you expect Wanderlei Silva to retire if he loses to Cung Le at UFC 139?
Lambert: Should he? Yes. Do I expect him to? No. This is an extremely winnable fight for Silva because, lets face it, Le isn’t all that great of a fighter. He’s very flashy and has entertaining fights but he hasn’t fought good competition and he’s almost exclusively a kicker. If Silva loses, and even worse gets knocked out, it’ll pretty much signal the end for him as a competitive fighter. That doesn’t mean he’ll retire though. Given Silva’s mentality, he’ll want to keep fighting until he can’t walk and if UFC wants nothing more to do with him after Saturday, he can always head back to Japan.
Conlan: No, not in the least bit. Silva himself has said he feels healthy and wants to keep fighting, explaining in a conference call this week that every fighter gets caught, citing Velasquez’s loss to Junior dos Santos, but that it doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the road for that particular athlete. Like Lambert, I can absolutely see Silva wowing the fans in Japan putting dents in a few tomato cans even if the UFC refuses to let him grace the Octagon ever again.
Should the winner of “Shogun” Rua vs. Dan Henderson jump Rashad Evans for a title-shot?
Conlan: Should – no. Will – yes. Since “Sugar” ‘Shad hasn’t been booked for a bout yet he’ll essentially be in the same position as Rua/Henderson as far as being ready for Jon Jones/Lyoto Machida in the first quarter of 2012 and he’s been in line for another crack at a championship since last year. The primary difference will relate to activity since Rua/Henderson have fought more frequently in 2011, in part due to Evans’ decision to wait for an injured “Shogun” to recover only to ultimately get hurt himself. The notion Evans fought in August after fifteen months off and would be sidelined for another 4-6 months while waiting for his crack at the belt probably won’t sit well with Zuffa brass, hence the reason the winner of this weekend’s main event will draw a title-shot next rather than Rashad.
Lambert: I have to agree with Bren. The winner of Rua and Henderson shouldn’t jump Rashad, but they most likely will. We know Dana is great at holding grudges and I think he holds a huge grudge against Evans for waiting for his title shot. Why else would he have Rashad fight in August when Jones was ready to fight in September or why else would he have Jones fight at UFC 140 when Rashad was ready to fight at UFC 141? It’s not like the winner of Shogun vs. Hendo wouldn’t be deserving, although if Shogun wins I’m not sure how many fans will be clamoring for a third bout against Machida or a second bout with Jones given how their previous fights went.
Over/Under – 25,000 buys for M-1: Fedor vs. Monson…
Conlan: I don’t know a ton about buyrates but I’ll say “under” because, as I recall, Affliction was happy to draw 100,000 and they had the added benefit of MMA’s popularity skyrocketing, the hype of their brand, a much better card, and a start-time more conducive to watching MMA than watching the sun rise. There is nothing appealing about M-1’s offering, even in the context of Emelianenko having lost his last three fights and taking on a solid but not necessarily “sexy” opponent, so I have a hard time believing more than a few thousand people will bite the bullet to watch things live on PPV at the crack of dawn rather than wake up at a normal time and rely on the internet for results/video. Of course, I know my counterpart in this argument will be one of them…
Lambert: Amazingly, I won’t be purchasing this PPV, because according to my cable provider, this PPV isn’t even available for me to purchase. I strongly believe that this event will be lucky to do 100 buys. Not only does it not appear to be available to all cable subscribers, but, as Bren mentioned, the time slot (7AM EST on a Sunday) is an absolutely terrible time slot given that people like to sleep in on Sunday or, if they do get up early, it’s probably because they’re heading to church. Furthermore, it’s coming on the same weekend as UFC 139 and WWE Survivor Series, so if you’re a person that can only afford one PPV a month, you’re definitely choosing one of those two over M-1. And normally a WWE PPV wouldn’t take away from a MMA PPV, but because Survivor Series marks the wrestling return of “The Rock”, that’s one PPV that could take away buys from not only M-1, but UFC as well.
Will Eddie Alvarez retain his Bellator lightweight title this weekend against Mike Chandler?
Conlan: Yes, though I can see Chandler going five rounds against him based on mental toughness and a wrestling base opening up the possibility of stalling on the ground to recover if needed. In my eyes Alvarez is easily a “Top 5” lightweight, while Chandler may be there one day but is still polishing his game rather than entering his prime. Alvarez has handled grapplers before and his boxing is some of the best in the sport. It should be a great fight for sure but one with Alvarez ultimately exiting the ring as champion.
Lambert: I’m giving Chandler a better chance than most because I think Alvarez is a flawed fighter, especially on his feet where everyone praises him, but at the end of the day, Alvarez is the better fighter. He’s well rounded and should be able to stuff the takedowns of Chandler. He’s actually vulnerable on the feet because he’s not a good defensive striker, gets hit a lot, and his chin is a bit questionable, although he does recover well. If Chandler can mix things up, score some takedowns, and keep Alvarez off balance on the feet then I like his chances but I think Alvarez’ experience will pay off and he’ll take a highly competitive decision.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, alvarez, lambert
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC on FOX salaries: Dos Santos ($220K), Velasquez ($100K) lead payroll
Headliners Junior Dos Santos ($220,000) and Cain Velasquez ($100,000) were the top earners at this past weekend's UFC on FOX event.
MMAjunkie.com today requested and obtained the list of official disclosed paydays from the California State Athletic Commission.
The total disclosed payroll for the event was an evil-sounding $666,000.
Posted in: fox, event, california state, weekends ufc, payroll headliners
Read the full article at MMA JunkieFirst UFC on FX event targeted for Jan. 20 in Nashville
The UFC's first event on FX is expected to take place Jan. 20 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
MMAjunkie.com confirmed the tentative plans with event sources. Yahoo! Sports' "Cagewriter" blog first reported the event details.
However, a representative from the Tennessee Athletic Commission told MMAjunkie.com no event officially is on the books (though that's not unusual with the being two months away).
Posted in: event, mmajunkiecom, fx event, event details, bridgestone arena
Read the full article at MMA JunkieYear-end 2011 DREAM event adds Takaya-Inoue title fight, Kawajiri-Miyata
DREAM officials today announced two fights for its annual year-end event, dubbed a mouthful as "DREAM: Fight for Japan. How are you! New Year! 2011." (For simplicity's sake, we'll call it "DREAM: New Year! 2011.")
Official MMA bouts includes DREAM featherweight champ Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Takeshi "Lion" Inoue and featherweights Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kazuyuki Miyata.
The event takes place Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. North American broadcast plans haven't been announced.
Posted in: fight, dream, event, yearend event, simplicitys sake
Read the full article at MMA JunkieParks replaces Berry, meet Spang at Friday's Strikeforce Challengers 20 event
Friday's Strikeforce Challengers 20 event has undergone a small lineup change, officials announced.
Promotional newcomer Willie Parks has replaced Keith Berry, who was forced off the card for undisclosed reasons, and now meets fellow middleweight Andreas Spang.
Strikeforce Challengers 20 takes place at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
Posted in: strikeforce, challenger, event, spang, keith berry
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 139 open media workout photos gallery for 'Shogun vs Henderson' on Nov. 19
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) photographer Josh Hedges was on the scene at the Heroes Martial Arts Gym in San Jose, Calif., on Nov. 16, 2011, to shoot several of the UFC 139 combatants during the pay-per-view (PPV) event's open media workouts.
Naturally, the dynamic duo who will be featured in the main event of the evening -- Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson -- were on the scene to promote their clash, as well as work up one of the last few real sweats prior to fight night at the HP Pavilion on Saturday evening (Nov. 19, 2011).
But, the two Pride FC legends were not alone.
Co-main event participants, Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le, as well as the contenders who will likely compete for the next 135-pound title shot, Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles, were also in attendance.
Check out more great pics from the UFC 139 open media workout after the jump:
"Hendo"
"The Axe Murderer"
Cung Le
Urijah Faber
Brian Bowles
To check out the complete UFC 139 open media workout photos gallery from Hedges, which includes 60 images, click here.
Remember, too, that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 139, beginning with the preliminary card bouts on Facebook scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET. In addition, we will also provide LIVE, real-time results of the main card action as it happens throughout the evening this upcoming weekend.
See you Saturday!
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, media, workout
Read the full article at MMA ManiaFight Day: Shogun Rua Pre-Fight Interview
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua talks to Megan Olivi about his UFC 139 main event bout against the returning Dan Henderson.
Posted in: event, shogun, event bout, rua, megan olivi
Read the full article at Heavy MMAFor you Maniacs making the trip out to San Jose, Calif., for the upcoming "Shogun vs. Henderson"...
For you Maniacs making the trip out to San Jose, Calif., for the upcoming "Shogun vs. Henderson" event set to go down on Nov. 19, 2011, at the HP Pavilion, the UFC has provided you with this handy-dandy schedule of events to work your weekend around. Who's heading out to the "Shark Tank" to enjoy the festivities? For a hi-res version of the UFC 139 schedule of events poster click here.
Posted in: event, hp pavilion, san, handydandy schedule, shark tank
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC PPV numbers aren't looking so hot lately
Now that UFC on FOX ratings have been re-evaluated into an acceptable range, we can all breath a little easier. MMA fans tend to hyperventilate a lot about the business side of things. I think it's because we're secretly afraid that our sport is a fad and we're just waiting for everything to go the way of pro wrestling. Or worse: the way of Japanese MMA. And when you hear numbers like this, it's hard not to get a little anxious:
The latest PPV estimates we’ve gotten from cable sources are about 225,000 buys for UFC 136 (Maynard vs. Edgar III) and 280,000 for UFC 137 (Diaz vs. Penn). I should also mention that sources close to UFC claim the 136 number is considerably higher and 137 is identical to our estimates, and that both numbers are likely to end up in the same ballpark.
Remember back in those salad days of 2009 where the worst numbers you were seeing were 300,000 for some rinky dink show in the UK that really should have been on Spike? Now we've got fights like BJ Penn vs Nick Diaz in Vegas failing to crack that number. There's been a lot of talk about the effect of piracy on PPV numbers and I don't doubt that it's a factor. But I also think the UFC got greedy with the number of PPVs it was running, and then got bitchslapped extra hard by the injury gypsy curse.Back in the day, a fan would buy every single PPV event there was because that's just what you did. But after a year of Evans vs Ortiz and Rampage vs Hamill cards, that inherant value placed upon PPV events has gone away. Fortunately, as surly as UFC brass might get when put on the spot about these issues, they do seem to recognize the problem. PPV events are being scaled back from 16 in 2011 to 10 in 2012. Even if half the company's superstars blow their knees out, they should be able to put together cards that are actually worth what the UFC is charging.
Posted in: ufc, ppv, vs, event, number
Read the full article at FightlinkerUFC 143 fight card and rumors for 'St. Pierre vs Diaz' on Feb. 4 in Las Vegas
Event: UFC 143: "St. Pierre vs. Diaz"Date: Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012, at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV)Location: Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada
Main event:
170 lbs.: Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz
Main card (pay-per-view):
170 lbs.: Carlos Condit vs. Josh Koscheck155 lbs.: Erik Koch vs. Dustin Poirier
Preliminary card (May not be broadcast):
TBA
**Fight card and line up subject to change
For more on UFC 143: "St. Pierre vs. Diaz" be sure to hit up our event archive right here.
Posted in: vs, event, pierre, st, card
Read the full article at MMA ManiaErik Koch vs. Dustin Poirier added to February's UFC 143 event
Two exciting featherweight prospects are set to clash at UFC 143.
Officials today announced that Erik Koch and Dustin
Poirer have been inked to meet at the Super Bowl
weekend event, which takes place Feb. 4 at the Mandalay Bay Events
Center in Las Vegas and airs live on pay-per-view.
Poirer requested the fight after very recent win. Both fighters are undefeated inside the octagon.
Posted in: event, las vegas, erik koch, payperview poirer, featherweight prospects
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBellator 57 ratings: Numbers slide again, event draws 129,000 viewers
For the this straight week, ratings for this past weekend's event decreased, and Bellator 57 drew 129,000 viewers on MTV2.
Seven of Bellator's nine season-five events now have drawn fewer than 200,000 viewers.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the ratings information with an industry source.
Posted in: event, ratings information, viewer, weekends event, seasonfive events
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson Twitter Guide
Your complete Twitter guide to all of the fighters and personalities for Saturday's UFC 139 event in San Jose.
Posted in: ufc, event, twitter, guide, twitter guide
Read the full article at Heavy MMAFedor vs Monson has a trailer
The preview for Russia's Fedor vs Monson fight at 7:30AM next Sunday. Other than the stuff they lifted from Strikeforce, this is up there with your standard motocross / truckasaurus level event.
Posted in: vs, event, fedor, monson, motocros
Read the full article at FightlinkerHow to Watch 17 MMA and Boxing Events In 7 Weeks
I love that I get paid to watch men punch each other in the head. And I'm certainly glad that I'm doing it at this point in history, when it seems like there isn't a week that passes without some sort of major combat sports event. As I was sitting in front of my laptop last night it occurred to me just how great the end of the year is set to be for both sports.
Then I realized what I must do.
I must watch the 17 "major" MMA and boxing events left on the calendar before 2011 comes to a close.
That means it's gameplan time:
November 181. Watch Live - Strikeforce Challengers 20 (Showtime) - Julia Budd vs. Ronda Rousey is the real main event of the card, even if it's listed as Antwain Britt vs. Lumumba Sayers. Not the best Challengers offering, but these cards have a tendency to deliver.
November 192. Watch Live - UFC 139 (PPV) - Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua is a great main event even if it won't draw a ton of buys. Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le is a really strange but also fascinating fight. Add Brian Bowles vs. Urijah Faber and a Stephan Bonnar fight (I love Stephan Bonnar fights) and you have the recipe for a fantastic night of action.3. Watch on DVR - Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. vs. Peter Manfredo, Jr. (HBO) - Chavez is more hype than anything, living off his dad's name. But he is also a hugely popular fighter because of that name. This will also feature a replay of Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez. I'll let Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook explain a bit about the Chavez/Manfredo fight though:
Chavez has not been taken seriously outside of Mexico, and it's easy to see why. He's been babied every step of the way, and things like failed drug tests have been treated as though it was Chavez facing some dire medical emergency that left him unable to turn down the diuretic that turned a win over Troy Rowland into a no-contest in November 2009, with the WBC vowing to find the best nutritionists to assess his situation.
...
He's on HBO not because he's a great fighter, or even a particularly good fighter. He's on because he's worth money and there are a lot of people who will watch him fight. His bout with Zbik did strong numbers in June, comparable to that of more credible young Mexican superstar Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, proving that even if his talent doesn't belong in an HBO main event, his audience does.
...Here's the upside: Chavez vs Manfredo should be a good action fight. For as much criticism as Chavez's career does deserve, I think that stuff overlooks that the kid comes to fight and can be fun to watch.
4. Watch on DVR Next Day - Bellator 58 (MTV 2) - Eddie Alvarez, Hector Lombard and Jessica Aguilar. Good enough.
November 26
5. Watch Live - Saul Alvarez vs. Kermit Cintron (HBO) - This is actually an HBO triple-header which also features Adrien Broner vs. Vicente Martin Rodriguez and Gary Russell Jr. vs. Dat Nguyen. It's a showcase event for Alvarez, Broner and Russel Jr. as each is a prospect of differing quality. Alvarez is already a huge star with a 38-0 (28 KO) record at 21 years of age, he has a loyal Mexican fanbase and after Cintron may face either James Kirkland or Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. in a young Mexican mega-fight. He's a guy really worth checking out. Broner is talented but something about him seems "off" to me. Russell Jr. is featherweight prospect with upside but maybe a little more flash than substance.
6. Watch on DVR - Bellator 59 (MTV 2) - I'll watch it because it's on.
December 27. Watch Live - Anthony Dirrell vs Renan St-Juste (Showtime) - I'm not a huge fan of the Dirrell brothers but I'll take Anthony over Andre. It's a Friday night and it's not like I'm going to have anything else to do.
December 38. Watch Live - Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito II (HBO PPV) - People keep getting annoyed with me, but I'll keep saying it: this is the best action card of the year (on paper anyway). Cotto/Margarito is a great rematch of a great fight even if Margarito's "problems" added a taint to the original fight (he was never found to have loaded gloves in that fight). Brandon Rios, a man I don't think can be in a bad fight, faces the brawling John Murray on the undercard. If that wasn't good enough, add in a rematch of the incredible fight from earlier this year between Delvin Rodriguez and Pawel Wolak. Oh, and then throw in the talented Mike Jones against Sebastian Lujan in what should be another action battle. Yeah, this card is really great.
9. Watch on DVR - Abner Mares vs. Joseph Agbeko II (Showtime) - Their first fight saw Mares go low...a lot. It's still a great fight and now we get a chance to hopefully see a better conclusion without all the low blows. There's also another intriguing bantamweight fight between Anselmo Moreno and Vic Darchinyan. Too bad they put it head to head with the HBO PPV.
10. Watch on DVR Next Morning - The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale (Spike) - I want to see Michael Bisping vs. Jason Miller, but that'll probably be the only fight I truly care about on any level even close to the boxing offerings that same night.
December 1011. Watch Live - UFC 140 (PPV) - Jon Jones returning to action against Lyoto Machida is a dream style match-up. My favorite mixed martial artist of all time, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, trying to get revenge over Frank Mir is a decent but not great co-main event and then it's a pile of "meh." Jon Jones is one of the top "must watch" guys in sports as far as I'm concerned though, so it'd be impossible to not check this one out as your #1 option on December 10.
12. Watch on DVR - Amir Khan vs. Lamont Peterson (HBO) - This will kick of with the replay of Cotto/Margarito II as is HBO's tradition the week after a PPV. Khan is turning into a great fighter in his own right though and given Peterson's home field advantage, this should have an interesting atmosphere.
December 1713. Watch Live - Andre Ward vs. Carl Froch (Showtime) - After what feels like a decade, the Super Six comes to an end when Ward and Froch meet. Ward is one of America's best boxers but he has yet to become a guy people are dying to watch fight. If he beats Froch and then fights Lucian Bute we may see him take a step toward legitimate superstardom.
14. Watch Live - Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal (Showtime) - We go right from Ward/Froch into Strikeforce this night on Showtime, which is pretty awesome and probably something Showtime should be a little more willing to toy with. Even if it's leading into a Strikeforce Challengers show with a ShoBox, you have a chance to use the two sports together, do it.
December 3015. Watch Live - UFC 141 (PPV) - Come on now. It's Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem. I can't even wrap my head around what that atmosphere is going to be like seconds before the bell to start the fight. I don't understand anyone who complained about Donald Cerrone vs. Nate Diaz in the co-main event slot, that fight is going to be an incredible watch.
16. Watch on DVR - Jermain Taylor vs Jessie Nicklow (Showtime) - I hate that Jermain Taylor is fighting again and I worry about his long-term health, but fighters are going to fight I suppose. Jessie Nicklow doesn't have a ton of power though, so not a huge worry in that department.
December 3117. Tavoris Cloud vs. Zsolt Erdei (Showtime) - Good on someone for putting a fight show on New Years Eve in America finally. This is a good main event between undervalued fighters and there's a second title fight on the undercard as Rico Ramos and Cuba's Guillermo Rigondeaux square off.
And that's how you watch 17 MMA and boxing events in 7 weeks.
Posted in: fight, vs, event, december, chavez
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowAsian MMA Update: Tristar Gym Opening In China, BJ Penn Set for Philippine Press Tour
Tristar Gym, headed by Firas Zahabi and is home to several MMA stars including Georges St. Pierre, Miguel Torres, and Rory MacDonald, will be expanding to Asia. They will be opening a huge facility in China, and plans to put up more gyms in the region.Zahabi, along with Michael Zeid and Stéphane Vigneault will be spearheading this expansion, and will definitely help further develop the growing MMA scene in China. Check out as they talk about the move:
As reported here earlier, Jon Jones was supposed to do a PR tour in the Philippines, but had to cancel at the last minute when the UFC booked him to face Lyoto Machida in December. ABS-CBN, the parent company of Balls channel, which handles UFC broadcasts in the country, has now finalized the replacement for the planned event. After having earlier worries it would get cancelled after he lost at UFC 137, the company was still able to eventually secure a deal to bring in the two division champion, B.J. Penn.His full-schedule has yet to be released, but among a myriad of press duties, Penn is set for a huge open-workout at the SM Mall of Asia on November 30. This is the same venue where Georges St. Pierre held a similar event which drew thousands and thousands of Filipino fight fans last year.BloodyElbow.com will be on hand for that event, along with his other plans when he goes around the Philippines, so as always stay tuned for a ton of updates and interesting stuff.
Quick Hits:- Here's an interesting interview with Mark Sangiao, head coach of Team Lakay Wushu, which is home to some of the best fighters in Asia, including Eduard Folayang, Kevin Belingon, Roy Docyogen and Honorio Banario among others.- In case you missed it, here's our exclusive gallery from URCC XX, which has a ton of awesome photos taken by my brother, Paolo Tabuena.- Lee Li has a pretty cool 'behind the scenes' look at Legend FC 6.Upcoming cards this month: - URCC Rogue Black Tie Brawl, November 19, Philippines. It's a strictly formal event, which will be headlined by Eric Kelly's title defense. The show will be streamed on URCCMMA.com at around 7am ET. Hopefully it will be better than their URCC 20 stream.- PXC 28, November 26, Philippines. Guam's biggest promotion heads to the Philippines again with an event headlined by Jon Tuck, a BJJ Blackbelt, and the only guy to ever defeat the Philippines' own Folayang.
Posted in: event, urcc, philippine, asia, steacutephane vigneault
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowBAMMA, HDNet Announce Multi-Year Partnership, December Kickoff
On Monday's edition of Inside MMA, it was announced that HDNet has signed a multi-year agreement with European-based BAMMA with the first event in the deal set to air in mid-December.BAMMA (short for British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) debuted in the summer of 2009 and has put on seven events in England since then with various free agent talent from around the world. The company recently made news by signing former UFC welterweight contender Nate Marquardt, who will debut in February 2012 against Yoshiyuki Yoshida.
HDNet will air BAMMA 8 live from Nottingham, England, on Saturday, December 10, featuring Jim Wallhead vs. Joey Villasenor and former UFC/TUF competitor Andre Winner vs. Diego Gonzales. The event will also feature Jimi Manuwa vs. Antony Rea and Jack Marshman vs. Lee Barnes. Earlier this year, Manuwa was ranked third in BE's World MMA Scouting Report at 205 pounds.
BAMMA is the latest MMA addition to a growing roster for HDNet which already included several Strikeforce prelims events, ProElite, Titan Fighting Championships, DREAM, Maximum Fighting Championship, K-1, King Of The Cage and more. They also have been working with the UFC since September 2010 and will be one of the outlets airing the UFC 139 Countdown special this week.
Posted in: vs, event, hdnet, bamma, mma addition
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 140 Fight Card: Jones vs. Machida
The UFC 140 card is finally set. The event will take place on December 10th in the Air Canada Center in Toronto, Ontario. While it obviously won't draw as many fans as UFC 129 did, Toronto is a very hot market for MMA and this event should do very well, even without a Canadian in the main event. Speaking of the main event, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will fight for the fourth time in 11 months when he defends his title against former champion Lyoto Machida. Along with that, there will be a rematch between Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the co-main spot. Here is the card so far (preliminary card is after the jump):
Dec 10th, live on pay-per-view from Toronto, Ontario:
Jon Jones (14-1) vs. Lyoto Machida (17-2)
Frank Mir (15-5) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (33-6, 1 NC)
Tito Ortiz (16-9-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-5)
Mark Hominick (20-9) vs. Chan Sung Jung (11-3)
Claude Patrick (14-1) vs. Brian Ebersole (48-14-1, 1 NC)
More SBN coverage of UFC 140
Preliminary Card:
Mark Bocek (9-4) vs. Nik Lentz (21-3-2, 1 NC)
Dennis Hallman (50-14-2, 1 NC) vs. John Makdessi (9-0)
Igor Pokrajac (23-8) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (26-11-1)
Rich Attonito (10-4) vs. Jake Hecht (10-2)
Mitch Clarke (9-0) vs. John Cholish (7-1)
Yves Jabouin (16-7) vs. Walel Watson (11-2)
Jared Hamman (16-3) vs. Constantinos Philippou (11-2, 1 NC)
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, card, nc
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowFollowing Pacquiao vs. Marquez, Arum Says UFC's One-Hour Fox Debut Helped Boxing
Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez will go down in the history books as a success. The two men put on a bout filled with drama and a level of evenness that befit their legendary trilogy perfectly. The scorecards led to controversy as many (most?) scored the bout for Marquez, but in the fight sport business a little controversy makes for good water cooler talk and the kind of buzz an "event sport" needs.
Of course, there was another little combat sports event going on the same evening with the UFC making their Fox debut with a heavyweight title fight. Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum gave his thoughts on the UFC and Fox's decision to air the same night. Via the New York Post:
"They thought they would hurt us," Arum said of the UFC. "Instead they got hurt because they got buried. But I think the fact they're just on for an hour helps us."
I actually seriously doubt that this was any attempt to "hurt" the boxing event. If anything, the fact that the UFC followed up their show by putting the Pacquiao and Marquez fight on every TV at their post-fight event is an indication that it had little to do with any sort of animus toward boxing. Not to mention Dana White never once mentioning that anyone should skip the Pacquiao/Marquez show and instead pushing the idea that they'd be off the air in plenty of time to catch the majority of the boxing card.
Similarly I don't think that the UFC got buried. I think that the buzz in the days following is tilted in boxing's favor in terms of mass media and interest (trust me, the traffic between the events is not even close). But that's more a product of the Fox event lacking enough time to build properly. You had a lot of talking, a minute of action and more talking. It was a great moment for Junior dos Santos and a great moment for the UFC, but it was what it was in terms of overall starpower and action. That still doesn't constitute the UFC having been "buried."
We have enough years of data at this point to fully embrace the idea that the growth of MMA has had little effect on boxing and boxing's big events don't have any impact on the UFC's bottom line.
Boxing is actually in a healthier place than it has been in years and it seems like 2011 has seen an inordinate amount of great fights in the sport. The Main Events deal with NBC to return boxing to network TV as well as hold events on Versus was a big step as has been much better matchmaking. Every PPV of the past year for boxing has included some great fights and the upcoming Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito card is the best combat sports card of the year as far as I'm concerned with tremendous action fights up and down.
In the end, Arum is just doing what Arum does. He's talking up his product like any promoter. He can't help himself but take his little shots at the UFC because he's a creature of ego butting heads with one of his own in Dana White.
Posted in: ufc, fight, boxing, event, arum
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowWeekend Results: Bobby Lashley Wins Belt, A. Emelianenko Suffers Quick Loss
Filed under: NewsFormer WWE superstar Bobby Lashley became a titleholder in MMA on Friday, beating Karl Knothe to win the Shark Fights heavyweight title at Shark Fights 21 in Lubbock, Texas.
Lashley, who had to endure four opponent changes for his promotional debut with the Texas organization, won by keylock submission over Knothe (20-7) at three minutes and 44 seconds of the first round.
With the win, Lashley improved to 7-1 and is on a two-fight win streak since losing to Chad Griggs at a Strikeforce event in August 2010. Lashley has two more fights with Shark Fights.
In addition to the historic UFC on FOX event on Saturday, other MMA action took place over the weekend. We'll take a look at some notable fights after the jump.
-- PRIDE veteran Aleksander Emelianenko was knocked out in 23 seconds by Magomed Malikov (4-1) on Saturday in the main event of M-1 Challenge 28 in Russia. In his first punch of the fight, Malikov timed an overhand right to level Emelianenko against the ropes.
The setback put Emelianenko (17-5) in a position of back-to-back losses for the first time in his eight-year career.
Aleksander's older brother Fedor, 35, fights this Saturday against Jeff Monson in Moscow.
-- UFC veteran Rich Clementi bounced back from his May loss to Shinya Aoki in DREAM by defeating Ronnie Rogers Saturday at a Victory Promotions event in Lowell, Mass. The 34-year-old Clementi won with a rear-naked choke in the second round.
-- Also on Saturday, Douglas Lima earned a title shot against Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren by stopping Ben Saunders in the second round with strikes at Bellator 57 in Rama, Ontario, Canada.
-- Alexander Shlemenko won this season's Bellator middleweight tournament and will rematch Bellator champion Hector Lombard at a later date. Shlemenko took a unanimous decision over Vitor Vianna on Saturday. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: fight, bellator, event, saturday, lashley
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC On FOX Scores Big, Most-Watched UFC Event Ever
UFC’s highly anticipated network debut took place Saturday night, as challenger Junior Dos Santos defeated Cain Velasquez to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion of the world. The fight only took 64 seconds, but it was enough to become the most-watched
UFC event ever.
History was made last night as the UFC made its broadcast television debut on FOX, and a record audience tuned in as the challenger, Junior dos Santos defeated defending champion Cain Velasquez in a first round knock out to claim the coveted heavyweight crown. It was the most-watched UFC event ever and the most-watched professional fight of any kind in eight years, according to fast national ratings made available by Nielsen Media Research.
The hour-long UFC on FOX premiere scored a 3.1/5 household rating/share, with 5.7 million viewers making it the most-watched UFC event ever and the most-watched professional fight of any kind on any network since 2003 when 7.0 million tuned in to watch Lewis-Klitschko on HBO. Velasquez-dos Santo is also the highest-rated and most-watched professional fight of any kind on a broadcast network for OSCAR DE LA HOYA’S FIGHT NIGHT on FOX. (4.3/6, 5.9 million viewers) in 1998.
FOX Research projects that last night’s UFC on FOX premiere broadcast to win the 9:00-10:00 PM time period across key demos including Adults 18-34 (3.2), Adults 18-49 (3.0); Men 18-34 (4.3) and Men 18-49 (4.0). Competitive fast national ratings for other networks are currently unavailable.
The UFC on FOX debuted strong opposite significant college football competition last night. ABC’s primetime Oregon-Stanford broadcast averaged a 6.0/11, while NBC’s Maryland-Notre Dame primetime broadcast averaged a 1.4/3 and ESPN averaged a 1.5/3 in prime for Alabama-Mississippi State (college football ratings are overnights – overnight for UFC on FOX event was 3.5/6). The three games combined to total 8.9/17 in primetime. Interestingly, among the Men 18-34 demographic, the UFC on FOX premiere posted a 4.3, strong enough to out-rate every college football telecast this season on any network with the exception of last week’s No. 1 vs. No. 2 LSU-Alabama match-up (through 11/5).
The most recent mixed martial arts programs on broadcast television were a series of EliteXC events on CBS in 2008. The premiere of UFC on FOX attracted an average audience +16% higher than the premiere of EliteXC on CBS (5/31/08), their most-watched EliteXC event (5.7 vs. 4.9 million viewers). UFC on FOX also out-performed the EliteXC show in household rating (3.1 vs. 3.0) and across key male demos: Men 18-34 +34% (4.3 vs. 3.2); Men 18-49 +33% (4.0 vs. 3.0); and Men 25-54 +23% (3.8 vs. 3.1).
Las Vegas led all local markets with a 5.3/9, followed by Dallas (5.1/10), Phoenix (5.1/9), San Antonio (5.1/8), Tulsa (4.9/8), San Diego (4.8/9), Greensboro (4.6/6), New Orleans (4.5/6) and Los Angeles (4.3/8).
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, broadcast, mostwatched
Read the full article at MMA PayoutUFC on FOX ratings: Initial estimates give event 4.64 million viewers
The very-early ratings are in for Saturday's UFC on FOX event, and the one-hour special drew an estimated 4.64 million viewers, according to tvbythenumbers.com.
More complete and accurate ratings information will be available on Monday.
But based on initial estimates, the UFC on FOX broadcast (and Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos title fight) scored similar ratings as "EliteXC: Primetime," a 2008 CBS-televised event with a "Kimbo Slice" vs. James Thompson headliner that scored 4.3 million viewers and a peak of 6.5 million.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, rating, fox event
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC on Fox 1 ratings draw 4.5 million, fail to top Kimbo Slice on CBS
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White optimistically declared a few months ago that the first ever foray for his promotion on network television on Nov. 12, 2011, would blow the previous ratings record for a mixed martial arts (MMA) event "out of the water."
He was wrong.
The ratings are in for UFC on Fox 1, which was an hour-long historic event for the promotion, featuring a heavyweight championship bout between Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos that White declared was an homage to the good 'ole days of boxing and Muhammed Ali, George Foreman and Joe Frazier, among others.
Despite White's nostalgia and best intentions, UFC on Fox 1 reeled in about 4.5 million viewers last night, which is about 2 million less than the sport's very first taste of terrestrial television three years ago (May 31, 2008) on CBS, when Miami bareknuckle brawler Kimbo Slice took on James Thompson in the Elite XC: "Primetime" main event.
Oh well.
It certainly didn't help that the UFC on Fox 1 main event lasted only 64 seconds, with dos Santos drilling Velasquez upside the head early and finishing off the Mexican fighter shortly thereafter to become the division's latest champion. Had it been more competitive, or at the very least lasted longer, the telecast would more than likely performed better.
What's more, the trilogy fight between Manny Pacquaio vs. Juan Manual Marquez later in the evening certainly didn't help the situation.
Regardless, it wasn't a total flop. The pre- and post-fight shows (for reviews of both click here and here) were entertaining, and the actual pomp and circumstance leading up to the fight was a treat to watch even if it lasted less than one minute.
It certainly gives the promotion and the network a base on which to improve. And if Brock Lesnar defeats Alistair Overeem later this year at UFC 141, it's a pretty good bet that we'll see him and dos Santos locked inside a cage in primetime sometime in early 2012.
That's a record breaker.
For complete UFC on FOX 1 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here and here.
Posted in: ufc, promotion, fox, event, blowbyblow coverage
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUpdated Ratings: UFC Pulls in 5.7 Million Viewers to FOX Debut
Filed under: UFC, News, Sports Business and Media, UFC on FOXSaturday night's UFC on FOX debut drew in an average of 5.7 million viewers during the one-hour show in adjusted ratings released Sunday afternoon by Nielsen Media Research through FOX.
Preliminary overnights initially suggested an average of 4.6 million viewers for the event, which saw Junior dos Santos knock out Cain Velasquez in the first round, but those estimates were expected to change as more information became available. The final number suggests an audience that was around 20 percent larger than originally thought.
According to FOX, it was the most watched professional fight since boxing heavyweights Lennox Lewis and Vladimir Klitschko drew 7 million viewers to their HBO fight in 2003. The network also says it projects the hour to win its key demographics, including the coveted 18-to-34-year old age group.
While the event was the first time ever for the UFC on broadcast television, it wasn't the first time for MMA on a network platform. In 2008, an EliteXC event was the first to pull off the feat, airing an event featuring Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson that drew an average of 4.3 million viewers. That event, which lasted more than two hours, peaked with over 6.5 million viewers to watch Slice knock out Thompson. The match went into the third round, likely helping the broadcast draw viewers as it went along. That's a stark contrast to dos Santos-Velasquez, which lasted just 64 seconds.
The one-hour special was extremely strong among the male 18-34 demographic, as it out-rated every college football game this year with the exception of November 5's LSU vs. Alabama game, a matchup that featured No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the national rankings.
Among local markets, Las Vegas led the nation in ratings. Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio, Texas and Tulsa, Oklahoma rounded out the top five. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, viewer, fox debut
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC on FOX 1 results recap: The broadcast offers a glimpse into future production of events
Consider this evening's historic broadcast as "UFC for Dummies."
With a name indicating a tongue planted firmly in its cheek, the "... for Dummies" line of instructional books have been a mainstay in every bookstore for several years now and became so popular that copycats began to spring up almost immediately. Let's say someone wanted to start growing their own tomatoes and carrots in the backyard but didn't have the foggiest idea where to begin. The "Gardening for Dummies" entry in the series would be the ideal choice to help add a healthy shade of green to their thumb.
And UFC on Fox 1 was exactly that for the Las Vegas fight promotion.
While pay-per-view (PPV) events add a little bit of backstory to each fight and its participants, it's minimal since the production largely assumes that if someone if paying good money to watch the show, they likely know their way around the Octagon and its fighters. They probably know that Josh Koscheck has solid wrestling and pretty good knockout power while also recognizing that Nate Diaz is just as likely to tear a limb off with a submission as he is pound his opponent out with excellent boxing.
But this show wasn't for those fans. It was carefully crafted to introduce the sport -- scratch that, the UFC -- to someone who had never seen an Octagon fight before or perhaps had only seen one or two in passing. It was set up to highlight the longtime money division in combat sports -- the big boys at heavyweight -- and two fighters -- Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos -- who promise to be a major part of it for years to come.
But we shouldn't expect the exact same treatment every single time the UFC shows up on Fox.
Why? Well, I'm glad you asked.
As Dana White has said almost every time he's had a microphone in front of him in the past week, Fox has been the best partner the UFC has ever had. In fact, their deal doesn't officially start until the turn of the new year but this event was scheduled for one particular reason. It was designed -- top to bottom -- as an introduction to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) and in particular, the top dog in the business.
The format of highlighting only one fight -- the heavyweight title bout which was won by the Brazilian -- despite a lightweight tilt between Ben Henderson and Clay Guida which promised to provide fireworks -- and did -- was the most obvious anomaly. When the deal proper begins in 2012, the UFC will begin airing events on Fox more in line with that of a pay-per-view (PPV). It won't be a five fight card as is the norm with their numbered events but two -- possible three -- fights should be expected on each of the four scheduled events in the next year.
Having to allow time for that many punches, kicks, knees, and submissions won't afford the production team the opportunity to treat every show like a UFC primer. They will of course likely continue using Fox's visibly superior HD cameras as well as ariel shots provided by blimps but don't expect extended video packages for each and every fighter like the ones dos Santos and Velasquez received tonight.
The production leading up to and after the bout was what differed radically from a typical UFC show. In a commentary booth were Curt Menefee, Dana White, and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar providing analysis, insight, and predictions. The NFL on FOX theme -- at least I thought it was exclusive to NFL, perhaps it's the FOX Sports theme -- segued the show in and out of commercials.
But once the two titans started to make their way to the Octagon, the production felt very familiar. There was little deviation at that point from what fans would expect from the usual PPV offering from Dana White and company.
Tonight's production likely won't be replicated in full and was a one-time occurrence for an event that served to introduce the UFC to a much wider audience. It did, however, give us a glimpse into what the future of the UFC on Fox holds for us.
And I, for one, can't wait.
Posted in: ufc, fight, fox, event, production
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on FOX: New Champion Crowned, Debut Event Success
Lights, red carpets, a polished Brock Lesnar calling the commentary before the main event. Everything leading up to the heavyweight championship bout was promised and much more. FOX started the program by showcasing their other big name sports events on the channel (World Series, Daytona 500, NFC Playoffs and more) educating the new MMA audience [...]
Posted in: fox, event, brock lesnar, lesnar, event everything
Read the full article at Fighthub TVJoe Rogan Recaps UFC on FOX Debut, Surprised Velasquez Didn't Wrestle More
Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, News, VideosANAHEIM, Calif. -- MMA Fighting caught up with UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan to recap the organization's first event on FOX, the outcome of the main event, his thoughts on the broadcast and much more.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, mma, event, fox debut, velasquez didnt
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC on FOX 1 Live Results and Coverage
It didn’t seem possible years ago when the UFC was struggling to remain on PPV, but tonight the worlds largest MMA organization takes that next step into the mainstream when they make their debut on network television. Coming to us from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California; it’s UFC on FOX: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos. As always, Five Ounces of Pain will provide complete results along with a round by round recap of the main event fight.
The action kicks off at 4:45 PM EST on Facebook.com or FoxSports.com with nine preliminary fights. Then at 9 PM EST, the UFC goes live on FOX with the main event.
UFC on FOX 1 is headlined by Cain Velasquez, the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world, taking on knockout artist Junior dos Santos in a fight guaranteed to deliver fireworks. While that will be the only fight airing live on FOX, the co-main event features a lightweight showdown between Ben Henderson and Clay Guida, in a battle to determine the #1 contender to the title.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Aaron Rosa vs. Matt Lucas
Mike Pierce vs. Paul Bradley
Alex Caceres vs. Cole Escovedo
Mackens Semerzier vs. Robert Peralta
Kid Yamamoto vs. Darren Uyenoyama
Clay Harvison vs. DaMarques Johnson
Cub Swanson vs. Ricardo Lamas
Dustin Poirier vs. Pablo Garza
Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson
MAIN EVENT
Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos
Posted in: ufc, fight, fox, vs, event
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC on FOX 1 fight card: Cain Velasquez vs Junior dos Santos feels right
It just didn't feel right.
Walking through the Mandalay Bay Events Center casino to watch Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir collide in the UFC 100 main event in July 2009, it was clear that the promotion was hanging its hat on the former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) star.
Lesnar was everywhere, staring at me and every other fight fan in town to watch the biggest pay-per-view (PPV) event in the promotion's relatively short history. His likeness and/or image was wrapped around everything, from taxi cabs to blackjack tables to beer bottles.
He was inescapable.
It wasn't hard to figure out the reason: Lesnar was and still is a massive box office draw. He was fresh off the biggest win of his newfound mixed martial arts (MMA) career -- a technical knockout of UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture -- and he was on the verge winning the division's undisputed title in a rematch against Mir.
Still, it didn't feel right.
Especially considering that perhaps the best fighter in the sport, Georges St. Pierre, was relegated to co main event status. In hindsight, I theorized, this would be viewed as a major blunder. Lesnar -- a WWE goon and NFL drop out -- headlining the UFC's centennial event?
He ultimately proved me wrong, defeating Mir handily and then defending the title once more against Shane Carwin one year later. Lesnar trains hard, leveraging his natural-born gifts and freakish athleticism to excel in a sport in which most fail. He's earned my respect (not like it matters much) over time with his exploits inside the Octagon.
Nonetheless, his "fake" past haunts me because of how others -- mainstream, fringe fans -- might view it as a knock on MMA. If Lesnar can do it, so, too, can "The Miz" or John Cena. That's clearly not the case -- Lesnar is the impressive and determined exception, certainly not the rule.
The good news as we head into yet another historic moment in MMA time is that Lesnar is no longer the division champion. On the contrary, Cain Velasquez whooped him in Oct. 2010 to claim the title. Meanwhile, a dangerous Brazilian, Junior dos Santos, climbed his way up the ranks, winning two number one contender eliminator matches to literally earn his date with destiny tonight (Nov. 12, 2011) in the UFC on Fox 1 main event.
Velasquez and dos Santos certainly aren't the marketable forces like Lesnar. No, they are talented, humble fighters who have worked diligently, quietly, to get to where they are today, which is likely the most important fight in the promotion's history. No colorful pasts rooted in kayfabe or over-the-top antics that would make new, unsuspecting fight fans think twice about the legitimacy of MMA today.
"Velasquez vs. Dos Santos" is an important fight. One with long-term significance and ramifications of the future of the sport. One with two fighters who represent themselves, as well as the sport, with dignity and respect.
One that feels right.
REMEMBER: MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC on FOX 1, beginning with the preliminary card bouts on Facebook scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET. In addition, we will also provide LIVE, real-time results of the heavyweight championship bout as it happens later this evening at 9 p.m. ET.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, velasquez, lesnar
Read the full article at MMA ManiaAleksander Emelianenko rides again!
While Aleksander Emelianenko totally 100% cleared all suspicion that he had hepatitis from our minds with his Italian clinic paperwork, there's one thing we don't get. If he really is clean, why isn't he fighting for bigger promotions? As it stands he's a hot commodity in the Azerbaijan fight scene, but nowhere else. What gives?Whatever does give, M-1 Global has added Aleks to a card that is taking place in a few days:
M-1 GLOBAL announces the full card for the mixed martial arts (MMA) event titled M-1 Challenge XXVIII: MAGOMED MALIKOV vs. ALEKSANDER EMELIANENKO. The bouts will take place at the "STARS" Sports Center in the city of Astrakhan and will air LIVE on PPV via Ustream http://www.ustream.tv/m1global on Saturday, November 12 with the FREE undercard streaming live on Facebook....The main bout features Magomed Malikov (Highlander) 6-1 vs Aleksander Emelianenko (AE Tea) 17-4. The highly anticipated return of Fedor's brother Alexander Emelianenko to M-1 ring has been the talk of the day. When M-1 Challenge Welterweight Champion Shamil Zavurov was forced to pull out of his title fight scheduled to headline the event, M-1 announced that Alexander Emelianenko had agreed to fill one half of the main event. Many felt the task of finding an opponent for Emelianenko could be a daunting one, after all, the event was 10 days away, and facing Alexander Emelianenko is no easy feat. Enter 6-1 Highlander team member Magomed Malikov.
While I'm not about to gush over the return of a potentially contagious fighter to the cage, I have to admit I do get a weird kick out of watching new youtube vidoes of Aleksander Emelianenko fighting. It's a little bit like that time an AIDS'd out Tommy Morrison tried to get into the sport. It's just so creepy and fascinating that stuff like this can happen. I guess when you compare it to other creepy things that probably happen in Astrakhan, Aleks barely makes a blip.
Posted in: event, emelianenko, aleksander, aleksander emelianenko, alexander emelianenko
Read the full article at FightlinkerUFC Sells Out Advertising Space for Debut on Fox, Attracts Big Name Sponsors
When the UFC's new deal with Fox was first announced, one of the concerns that was raised by analysts was whether the promotions could attract new advertisers. The UFC had already signed major brands such as Harley Davidson and Burger King as sponsors, but could they bring in bigger fish? Could Fox demand big money for prime time advertising space connected to mixed martial arts on network television?
According to an article published by Adweek, the UFC has sold out all of the advertising space for the prime time UFC on Fox show this week, going so far as to turn a few advertisers away:
Despite the potential for mayhem, Fox has had no trouble selling ads in and around the fight. "We sold out all 15 units in a week," says Todd Siegel, executive vp, Fox Sports Cable Sales. "In fact, we could have sold more units, but people came to us a little late. We had to turn down a couple movie studios as well as an automotive client."Media buyers say a 30-second spot in The UFC on Fox cost just north of $100,000. Among the marketers advertising are Anheuser-Busch, the Casio G'zOne Commando smartphone, and the U.S. Marine Corps. Two studios--20th Century Fox and Warner Bros.--have also made buys.Velasquez and Dos Santos will begin trading blows at 9:35 p.m., following a half-hour setup by host Curt Menefee, UFC president Dana White, and announcer Joe Rogan. Fox will not throw to commercial between the first and second rounds, electing instead to keep its cameras on the octagon.
Advertisers likely see this as a major opportunity. It's the UFC's first foray into network television, and the event will feature a bout for the UFC heavyweight title. Naturally, the spectacle of the event should create some allure for casual sports fans in general. Fox's promotional push for the event should have a dramatic effect as well. Those factors likely contributed to the hefty asking price, which is normally around $50,000 according to a report at MMAPayout.com.
SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 1: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, network television, advertising
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowReport: UFC 137 draws 280,000 pay-per-view buys compared to 225,000 for UFC 136
For longtime mixed martial arts fans, UFC 137: "Penn vs. Diaz" featured a "must-see" main event, pitting former welterweight champions B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz in a 170-pound contender's bout for a crack at Georges St. Pierre in early 2012.
For the general public? Not so much.
That's because UFC 137 drew an estimated 280,000 pay-per-view buys back on Oct. 29, 2011, for the event held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Those numbers are courtesy of Dave Meltzer (via Bloody Elbow):
The latest PPV estimates we’ve gotten from cable sources are about 225,000 buys for UFC 136 (Maynard vs. Edgar III) and 280,000 for UFC 137 (Diaz vs. Penn). I should also mention that sources close to UFC claim the 136 number is considerably higher and 137 is identical to our estimates, and that both numbers are likely to end up in the same ballpark.
Why so low? MMA Payout examined the troubled fight card prior to the "Sin City" event:
The top of this card was hurt first by Diaz’s no-shows, the card reshuffle and GSP’s injury. The UFC first touted UFC 137 as being Champion vs. Champion. Despite the removal of GSP from the main event, the UFC indicated that the show was a sell-out. After GSP’s injury, the card took a big star power hit despite BJ Penn in the main event. The co-main event featured mid-card level talent (Nelson, Mitrione, Kongo and Cro-Cop). Cro-Cop is past his prime while the other 3 are not top of the card caliber. It would be hard to foresee the buys for this card exceeding 350K.
It can be difficult to see outside the inner circle when talking about fan appeal. For the vets, this was a attractive card. For the casual fan, there wasn't enough star power to convince them to open their wallets.
Which is probably why it was only separated from UFC 136, headlined by Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard III, by 75k buyers.
Anyone want to lay a guess as to the range for the next big pay-per-view? UFC 139: "Henderson vs. Shogun?" Check out that fight card and line-up here and then take your best guess.
Posted in: ufc, fight card, vs, event, card
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 139 weigh-ins set for Nov. 18; Josh Koscheck hosts Q&A session (MMAJunkie.com)
Weigh-ins for this month's "UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson" event take place Friday, Nov.
Posted in: ufc, event, shogun, nov, weighin
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsUFC on Fox one of many MMA television milestones
Fox the home to the World Series, Super Bowls, Daytona 500 and other major sports properties will broadcast UFC on Fox 1 on Saturday November 12, 2011. For MMA, a sport once happy just to be on a pay per view, a Saturday night Primetime slot on a major US television network caps off a strange nine year trip across various television platforms. The circular journey for MMA on TV actually began with the UFC's debut on basic cable in 2002.The enormity of UFC on Fox 1 both in potential audience size as well as marketing push shows how far the young sport has grown in only nine years. With inclusion of the UFC heavyweight title tilt between Cain Velasquez (9-0) and Junior Dos Santos (13-1) booked for UFC on Fox 1, below are eight more milestone moments in MMA's history on TV. June 22, 2002- UFC 37.5A thrown together event one month after UFC 37 and one month prior to UFC 38, UFC 37.5 was part of a Fox Sports Net's "Best Damn Sports Show Period" summer television event. The six fight card was headlined by a light heavyweight number one contenders bout between Chuck Liddell (21-8) and Vitor Belfort (20-9). FSN producers would select a undercard welterweight fight between Robbie Lawler (18-8-1) and Steve Berger (21-21-2) to be the first official MMA fight to air on US cable TV. April 9, 2005- The Ultimate Fighter 1 FinaleAfter a successful first season of the UFC and Spike's Ultimate Fighter reality show "The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale" was the cherry on top of a new era for the UFC. A Hail Mary pass for a MMA organization struggling on the books and desperate for a TV presence, The Ultimate Fighter 1 surpassed rating projections for the UFC as well as Spike TV. The event also provided the UFC with a talking point fight in Forrest Griffin versus Stephan Bonnar that would epitomize the type of athlete the UFC wanted to promote. October 10, 2006- Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3 The Final ChapterAt the time the final fight in the Tito Ortiz-Ken Shamrock trilogy was the biggest fight the UFC had put on Spike TV. The made for TV event was thrown together after a controversial end to Ortiz-Shamrock 2 and the reality that a third bout may not be the best fit for pay per view. The UFC and Spike broke records for MMA on TV with The Final Chapter with a peak of 5.7 million viewers and the Ortiz-Shamrock main event bringing in a 4.3 rating. February 10, 2007- EliteXC: DestinyEliteXC was the first MMA promotion to broker a deal with the premium cable channel Showtime. Headlined by Frank Shamrock (23-10-2) vs. Renzo Gracie (13-7-1), EliteXC Destiny also featured the promotion's future stars Gina Carano, K.J Noons and Antonio Silva. The five fight main card pulled in a 1.62 household rating. September 8, 2007- UFC 75: Champion vs. ChampionNot only a UFC title fight for free on Spike TV but also a Pride versus UFC showdown headlined UFC 75. Both former Pride stars, UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson (32-9) squared off with champion Dan Henderson (28-8) in a five round title fight. The taped delayed broadcast in North America set the MMA ratings barometer at a total of 4.7 million viewers with 5.93 million at its peak. May 31, 2008- EliteXC: PrimetimeThe rapid ascent of MMA promotion EliteXC peaked with deal to broadcast events on CBS. EliteXC: Primetime was headlined by YouTube star and fringe heavyweight contender Kimbo Slice (4-2) versus former Pride FC big man James Thompson (16-14). EliteXC's premier card on CBS brought in the company's highest ratings with a peak of 6.51 million viewers and overall 4.85 million average. September 30, 2009- The Ultimate Fighter 10 episode 3The signature MMA reality series the Ultimate Fighter ratings peaked in season 10. Aided by the casting of internet sensation Kimbo Slice (4-2) episode three of TUF 10 was promoted as a must see event by the UFC and Spike TV. Slice's one and only fight on the show shattered the Spike reality shows previous benchmarks with peak of 5.3 million viewers who tuned into his fight with Roy Nelson. November 7, 2009- Strikeforce / M-1 Global: Fedor vs. RogersThe consensus number two MMA organization in 2009 was Strikeforce which debuted on CBS with the number one heavyweight in the world Fedor Emelianenko (32-4-1) vs. unlikely challenger Brett Rogers (11-4). Ratings for the event were deemed a success with a peak of 5.46 million viewers and a overall average of 4.04 million viewers. Strikeforce's next event on CBS would be its last on network TV as low rating buried the promotion's chances for a long term broadcast partnership. November 12, 2011- UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. Dos SantosThus far the pinnacle of MMA on network television as the top promotion and two top ranked fighters highlight the UFC on Fox 1. A UFC heavyweight title scrap, in what has always been combat sports big money weight class, features champion Cain Velasquez (9-0) versus challenger Junior Dos Santos (13-1) as the one and only booked for the one hour broadcast.The first event in a seven year partnership between Fox and the UFC may set the standard for what both fans and TV executives view as realistic expectations for the landmark deal.
Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, event, tv
Read the full article at UltMMAUFC on Fox: Brock Lesnar, Alistair Overeem Targeted by UFC, Fox Marketing Push
Last week during an interview with USA Today's Sergio Non, UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta conveyed the perfect message of what fans can expect from their new deal with Fox. "It's a huge commercial.", stated Fertitta when asked about whether the deal was a marketing strategy. The obvious beneficiaries of the hour-long "commercial" are Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, but as UFC President Dana White pointed out to MMAFighting.com's Ariel Helwani in an interview yesterday -- Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem are heavily involved in the promotion's push to rake in bigger revenues.
Most notably, Lesnar and Overeem will participate in a press conference on Friday prior to the UFC on Fox weigh-ins. The presence of mainstream media outlets makes this a no-brainer, especially if the UFC can get coverage of the upcoming bout from some of the outlets that normally never cover mixed martial arts. White also mentioned that Lesnar and Overeem would participate in the pre-fight analysis show alongside Fox NFL Sunday's Curt Menefee.
What's the UFC's reasoning behind targeting Lesnar vs. Overeem, an event that's a little over one month away, as the fight they want to push to the UFC's newest audience? The first thing that comes to mind is... well, It's Brock Lesnar! He's the most recognizable fighter in the promotion among casual sports fans, so getting the word out about his upcoming pay-per-view fight will surely increase his appeal and the event's bottom line.
The promotional push will also allow the UFC to build up an aesthetically-pleasing fighter like Alistair Overeem, who will undoubtedly appeal to the masses with his Adonis-like physique and brutal striking game. He's a guy, in my mind, that the UFC can count on to remain in the upper-tier of the promotion for a long time, especially if we consider how shallow the division has become.
The move does steer clear of predictions that the promotion would attempt to drive pay-per-view buys for events that followed shortly thereafter. In this case, UFC 139 is one week away and features a stacked main card headlined by Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs. Dan Henderson and Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le. It's somewhat surprising considering the gloomy numbers that UFC 136 and UFC 137 have reportedly done.
We can't look at it as a bad move however. Lesnar's presence alone makes it an easy decision considering his transcendent appeal to fans outside of the sport. He's going to draw in more fans if the UFC can find a way to make his presence more known. The UFC on Fox marketing push should provide that platform.
I imagine we'll see a similar trend for future UFC on Fox events. Both Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta have spoken about the importance of a lengthy promotional push for major events to succeed. Since the goal of the network portion of the Fox deal is to market the brand and its fighters in order increase the UFC's bottom line in the long haul, it makes perfect sense that they would use their biggest promotional tool with the idea that big fights need a longer marketing push. It will be interesting to see which fights the UFC tries to push next on the network platform, but I imagine some of the UFC's most prominent champs will be among the names for consideration.
SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 1: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos
Posted in: ufc, overeem, fox, event, lesnar
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 137 officially draws 10,313 attendance and $3.9 million gate
This past month's UFC 137 event officially drew a 10,313 attendance figure and a $3,900,650 live gate.
UFC 137 took place Oct. 29 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas with a Nick Diaz vs. B.J. Penn pay-per-view headliner.
Of the 21 events the UFC has held to date at the Sin City venue, the gate figure ranks third all time.
Posted in: ufc, gate, figure, event, las vegas
Read the full article at MMA JunkieWatch EFC Africa 11 LIVE right now!
It's that time of the day to lock your door, turn off your cell phone and watch some African MMA streamed live in the comfort of your own home (or office). Results will be updated live, however be sure to read our handy guide on the event. It's written amazingly. In fact, whoever wrote that should receive a complimentary meal at a local Thai restaurant in Hollywood, California today.
Check out the event below, which starts at 11:30am PST / 2:30pm EST and be sure utilize the chatroom. It's awesome.
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Posted in: event, office results, thai restaurant, african mma, cell phone
Read the full article at Middle EasyWatch EFC Africa 11 LIVE right now! (Broadcast over)
It's that time of the day to lock your door, turn off your cell phone and watch some African MMA streamed live in the comfort of your own home (or office). Results will be updated live, however be sure to read our handy guide on the event. It's written amazingly. In fact, whoever wrote that should receive a complimentary meal at a local Thai restaurant in Hollywood, California today.
Check out the event below, which starts at 11:30am PST / 2:30pm EST and be sure utilize the chatroom. It's awesome.
Update: Broadcast over, thanks for everyone that joined!
Posted in: event, office results, thai restaurant, african mma, cell phone
Read the full article at Middle EasyQuinn Mulhern: I'm fighting David Hulett at next week's Strikeforce Challengers 20
Next week's Strikeforce Challengers 20 event apparently has a new addition.
In recent tweet, former King of the Cage champion Quinn Mulhern said he's "officially" fighting fellow welterweight David Hulett at the event.
Strikeforce officials have not announced the fight, and MMAjunkie.com could not immediately confirm the bout.
Posted in: strikeforce, challenger, event, david hulett, quinn
Read the full article at MMA JunkieAsian MMA Update: Eric Kelly Defends URCC Title at Rogue Black Tie Brawl
On November 19, URCC Featherweight Champion, Eric Kelly, will be defending his title on Black Tie Brawl. For those unfamiliar with the yearly affair, this event produced by Rogue Magazine and the URCC definitely won't be your typical MMA show.
As the name suggests, the Black Tie Brawl is a strictly formal event held at the Grand Ballroom of the New World Hotel. These dressed up fans and patrons will also get a fancy sit-down 3-course dinner, champagne, and an open bar courtesy of Chivas. All that, plus 6 top notch MMA bouts will guarantee different kind of experience for fight fans in the country.
As mentioned, one of the top Asian featherweights will be headlining the event. Kelly, who is coming off a big win over Evolve MMA's Mitch Chilson at ONE FC, will be defending his URCC title against Ricardo Sapno. All of the undefeated champ's victories has come by submission, although he might have to rely more on his striking this time, as he's taking on a talented Judo fighter in Sapno.
Also on the card, are two of the top stand outs from last weekend's URCC XX. 6-foot-4 Bantamweight, Will 'The Kill' Chope and Reydon 'The Filipino Bolo Punch' Romero are both going to have quick turn-arounds as they will be stepping back in the ring on separate featherweight bouts exactly two weeks after they picked up huge wins on that milestone URCC event. They'll be taking on Miguel Alo and Michael Dan Rubio respectively on key bouts that could determine the next title challenger.
Check out the full fight card, along with other Asian MMA news after the jump.
URCC Rogue Black Tie BrawlNovember 19, 2011 - New World Hotel Grand Ballroom
- Eric Kelly vs. Ricardo Sapno [URCC Featherweight Championship]
- Melchor Cases vs. Mitch Malii
- Michael Dan Rubio vs. Red 'The Filipino Bolo Punch' Romero
- Miguel Alo vs. Will Chope
- Rendel Camensi vs. Keiff Mangusan
- Mario Sismundo vs. Bong Garchitorena
Pictured: Eric Kelly celebrating his victory over Mitch Chilson, at ONE FC's debut event last September. Photo by Anton Tabuena.
As for your other MMA news from around the region, here are a few tidbits coming out of the various Asian promotions:
- Shooto has announced a top notch bout between their former bantamweight champ, Masakatsu Ueda (14-1-2), and undefeated 21-year-old prospect, Kyoji Horiguchi (6-0). Ueda is coming off four straight wins, with the latest one being a move up to lightweight where he retired Royler Gracie at AFC 1. Horiguchi, on the other hand, is the former Shooto Rookie champ, and is one of the youngest brightest prospects on their roster.
- Here's the poster and promo video for the PXC 28 event which will happen on Nov 26, in Pasig, Philippines. For more details on the event, check it out here.
- Road FC 5, which happens on December 3 has been finalized, and as reported earlier, the more notable names include, UFC vet Dennis Kang, and ONE FC fighter Vuyisile Colossa, and Evolve MMA's Brian Choi. (HT: Nightmare of Battle):
- Here's the intro video for Legend FC 6. The show will also have be aired on November 19, at 8 PM, on Kix channel.
Posted in: mma, vs, event, urcc, kelly
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowThe Face Off: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos
Two HeavyMMA writers debate the UFC on Fox main event between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.
Posted in: ufc, event, do, velasquez, heavymma
Read the full article at Heavy MMAUFC on FOX: With 2000 hours of programming in 2012, FUEL to (basically) become UFC channel
When UFC President Dana White proclaimed that fans would need FUEL TV in order to keep up with his company, he wasn't lying.
When the world's largest fight promotion hits the FUEL airwaves in 2012, it will do so by comprising 25-percent of the cable channel's total programming. That equates to 2000 hours worth of UFC action.
George Greenberg, the General Manager of FUEL, comments on the massive commitment:
"It's going to be represented in primetime. You're also going to see it in late night, and you're going to see it on the weekends and key day areas. It will be the wind in our sails for sure."
Indeed, plans currently call for FUEL to become the home for international versions of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), weigh-ins specials, "Countdown" and "Primetime" shows, and even specialty programming like the two-hour special leading into this Saturday night's (Nov. 12, 2011) UFC on FOX 1: "Velasquez vs. Dos Santos" event.
In addition, non-pay-per-view overseas events will air live on FUEL and will run for three hours. This in contrast to events airing on FX, which will run two hours, and events airing on the main FOX channel, which will run for 90 minutes.
There are quite a few changes in store for the UFC in the year 2012. Time will tell whether or not they're good or bad. FUEL TV is currently in only 30 million homes. FOX is hoping the UFC can become the catalyst to change that and drive subscribers to the channel.
Anyone rushing to make sure you get the channel before the new year?
Posted in: ufc, hour, event, channel, fuel
Read the full article at MMA ManiaAfter Saturday's one-fight debut, FOX likely to air more bouts on event nights in 2012
UFC and FOX officials believe Saturday's one-fight TV card, UFC on FOX, is the best introduction to an audience that may not be familiar with MMA.
Of course, those familiar with the sport and the UFC's product are conditioned to watch major events with a four- or five-fight main card on PPV and a two-fight Spike TV card bolstered by preliminary-card bouts on Facebook.
Among the big changes on the horizon when the UFC's partnership with FOX formally begins in January 2012 is a 90-minute timeslot for major events broadcast on the network.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, card, events broadcast
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 138 ratings: Event draws 1.8 million viewers on Spike TV, wins key demos (MMAJunkie.com)
This past weekend's UFC 138 event drew an average audience of 1.8 million viewers (and a 1.2 household...
Posted in: ufc, event, spike tv, viewer, demos mmajunkiecom
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsUFC Not the First on Network TV, but Can It Learn From Others' Mistakes?
Filed under: UFC, UFC on FOXMake no mistake: the UFC on Fox is a landmark event, and it is a very, very big deal for the UFC and its fans. But it's not quite an industry pioneer. Not by a long shot.
A live MMA event on network TV? Sorry UFC, but it's been done. Not particularly well, but still.
Before there was the UFC on FOX, there was EliteXC: Primetime. Before Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos agreed to meet for the UFC heavyweight title on network TV, Kimbo Slice and James Thompson introduced America to their own interpretation of MMA on CBS. Like many trailblazing efforts in other fields, this was an imperfect foray into the unknown. Let's just say mistakes were made, lessons were learned, and both EliteXC and CBS found out that sometimes it hurts to go first.
This was late May, 2008. Compared to today's MMA landscape, the field of battle was positively littered with would-be competitors to the UFC. The IFL had a pre-taped weekly spot on MyNetworkTV -- at the time one of the consistently lowest-rated English-language networks -- airing weeks-old fights and highlight reels. Strikeforce had a similarly pre-taped, extremely late-night (or, more accurately, early morning) show on NBC at 2 a.m., following "Poker After Dark." Even clothier-turned-promoter Affliction was getting ready to jump into the MMA scene with a bloated payroll and a recklessly ambitious business plan.
And then there was EliteXC. First announced in 2006, the upstart organization put on its first fight in 2007 at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, Miss. It wasn't the most auspicious of beginnings, particularly for an event entitled "Destiny" -- the main event ended in a disqualification loss for Frank Shamrock after he illegally kneed Renzo Gracie in the head several times -- but with a main card on Showtime and an undercard streaming on Pro Elite website, it was perhaps a sign of things to come for the MMA industry as a whole.
More Coverage: UFC on FOX Fight Card | UFC on FOX Results
On May 31, 2008, EliteXC brought a live MMA event to primetime network television for the first time in American TV history. The aptly named "Primetime" event went down in Newark's Prudential Center, and was loaded with EliteXC's most marketable stars, including Kimbo Slice, Gina Carano, Robbie Lawler, and Phil Baroni.
From the very beginning, the big network debut wasn't exactly a Swiss watch. Carano missed weight badly for her fight with Kaitlin Young, and didn't seem especially thrilled about being on the card at all. The event was headlined by former internet brawler Kimbo Slice (who had just two pro MMA fights at the time) taking on journeyman heavyweight James Thompson (who was riding a two-fight losing streak and had been knocked out in five of his last eight bouts).
The main event pairing was panned by many fans and pundits, particularly since the undercard featured a legitimately attemtion-worthy middleweight title bout between Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith, but the rationale behind it seemed obvious enough. Here was Slice, an internet novelty act who had sprang into a sudden, bizarre form of fame capable only in the age of the internet, taking on a Brit with a glass jaw who at least looked the part to people who didn't know better. Slice would knock him out in front of millions of new viewers, all of whom would be instantly hooked on this new-fangled MMA stuff, and CBS and EliteXC would both scoop up their enormous piles of money and go home.
As you probably already know, it didn't go down like that.
The good news was, the millions of viewers showed up. The bad news was what they saw when they got there. Dancing girls, some not quite primetime-worthy performances, and, strangely, not all that much action. As Yahoo! columnist Kevin Iole pointed out later, "after the show had been on the air for 32 minutes, there had been 61 seconds of actual fighting. When it was 70 minutes into the show, there had been just 2:12 of fighting."
CBS would have reason to regret that, since the Slice-Thompson main event didn't even get underway until well after the show was scheduled to end. By the time the sloppy heavyweight affair finally ended -- and with a highly questionable stoppage that gave Slice the victory, no less -- EliteXC had run over by nearly an hour in its network debut. It also hadn't made too many friends.
Newspaper columnists and radio hosts around the country heaped various amounts of scorn on CBS for airing the spectacle. Even then-governor of New York David Paterson admitted to listening to the broadcast over the radio, though he was apparently unimpressed with descriptions of Thompson's cauliflower ear popping as a result of a Slice punch. Perhaps least surprisingly, UFC president Dana White slammed the effort as "disgusting."
Said White: "You can hate me, you can say whatever you want about me. I've been busting my ass for the last ten years in this sport, and there's a lot of great athletes in this sport...and last night was a [expletive] joke. Did it set us back? I don't know. I did Sportscenter today, where some guy's saying this stuff shouldn't even be on television. I agree. What happened last night should not be on [expletive] television, especially network television. But you can't say that about the real fighters in this sport."
Of course, that wasn't the death knell for MMA on network TV or even for EliteXC on CBS. On went the show(s), and America hadn't yet seen the last of Kimbo Slice. It's worth noting that then, just as now, the MMA community had high hopes for what network exposure might help the sport accomplish. The Baltimore Sun's Mark Chalifoux said it would be a "moment of truth" for EliteXC and MMA, writing that the "entire MMA-world has a lot riding on this event as it will be the first exposure to MMA for a lot of casual sports fans."
Sound familiar?
EliteXC promoter Gary Shaw promised it would be "the biggest thing ever to happen to MMA." After "Primetime" on CBS, Shaw said, fighters would be as big as American Idol contestants. "They'll be recognized at airports and Burger Kings," he added.
Somehow, I doubt that if James Thompson walked into a Burger King right now his biggest problem would be fending off autograph-seekers.
So what's different for the UFC's debut on FOX? In short, everything. Better fighters, probably better production values, and much better pre-fight promotion. While CBS seemed tepid in its support of MMA both with EliteXC and later with Strikeforce, FOX has already thrown its weight behind the UFC, plugging the Velasquez-dos Santos fight on NFL games and World Series broadcasts. If you were eating wings and watching the Packers beat the Chargers on Sunday, there's simply no way you didn't catch at least a half-dozen promos for the UFC on FOX.
This event also has simplicity on its side. With just one fight to get done inside of one hour, running long won't be an issue, nor will an overburdened slate that asks new viewers to try and differentiate between multiple fighters and weight classes.
If EliteXC's network debut was a three-hour variety act designed to introduce new fans to the sport, the UFC's first FOX outing is more like a band showing up to play its hit single and then getting back on the tour bus. Whether it will leave fans wanting more or simply leave them confused and/or disinterested remains to be seen, and a lot depends on whether Velasquez and dos Santos can live up to the hype and the pressure.
At least the UFC chose its fighters based on skill rather than fame. At least it has a partner that really believes in it enough to want to put its name on the product all the time, rather than only when it's convenient. At least it has the experience to pull something like this off, and the promotional savvy to do it right. The UFC might not be the first to make the leap to network TV, but it could still be the best. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, mma, event, network, elitexc
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseShark Fights Main Event Finally Settled After Three Changes
Shark Fights has finally found an opponent for former WWE star Bobby Lashley for their event coming up on Friday night.
Posted in: fight, night, event, shark fights, shark
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyPat Miletich gives us his expert pick: Cain or JDS?
Now that the anticipation for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 has been sated and the lines have disappeared from the front of cold, wet videogame retailers, we can now move on to the next big thing: UFC on Fox featuring Cain Vs. JDS. Technically, the event this Saturday has one of the greatest preliminary cards in the history of the sport: Guida vs Bendo, the MiddleEasy adorned Damarques Johnson, Chicago's own Ricardo Lamas Vs. Cub Swanson...Dustin Poirier, Pablo Garza, Kid Yamamoto and on and on. Yeah, there is no main card, just the prelims and the main event, 'You are a silly fool, Jason' is what you are probably thinking, but I love deeming things 'the greatest'- so let me have this one thing OK? The UFC has an amazing undercard this Saturday and the main event is incredible...but aside from that there is nothing much to speak of.
I ran into Pat Miletich at the Pro Elite event last Saturday, so I shoved a camera into his face and asked him the burning question: Cain or JDS?
Posted in: vs, event, saturday, thing, jd
Read the full article at Middle EasyUFC 142 fight card and rumors for 'Aldo vs Mendes' on Jan. 14 in Rio
Event: UFC 142: "Aldo vs. Mendes"Date: Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV)Location: HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Main event:
145 lbs.: Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes
Main card (pay-per-view):
185 lbs.: Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson155 lbs.: Thiago Tavares vs. Sam Stout155 lbs.: Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim
Preliminary card (May not be broadcast):
TBA**
**Fight card and line-up subject to change
For more on UFC 142: "Aldo vs. Mendes" be sure to hit up our event archive right here.
Posted in: vs, event, lb, card, aldo
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDespite Large Audience Expectations, UFC on FOX 1 Will Be Money Loser for UFC
Filed under: UFC, NewsFor months, UFC president Dana White has said that it is the only thing he cares about. His concentration on UFC on FOX 1 has bordered on obsession. You can understand his focus, as the event will potentially put his product before the eyes of millions who have never seen it before. The Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos matchup might draw the largest television audience in UFC history, but that is simply a guess. One thing we know for sure is that it will be a money loser.
The quest to get the UFC on primetime network TV had been a long-held goal for years for White, and an idea that stemmed from his youth. White could remember becoming a boxing fan while watching ABC's Wide World of Sports and realized that broad exposure was a logical route for expanding the UFC's fan base. For now, though it will be a costly one.
That is because the UFC budgets each event as though it is a stand-alone business. It has its own marketing and advertising budget, and revenue expectations.
According to Sports Business Daily, the UFC forecasted that if it was on pay-per-view, a Velasquez vs. dos Santos heavyweight title fight would have brought in about 800,000 pay-per-view buys.
That would have made it a huge success and financial windfall. By those estimates, the event would have raked in about $40 million in revenue, money which is shared by cable and satellite pay-per-view distributors in splits which are not public record but believed to be near 50/50 with some variations. That would have meant around $18-20 million in revenue for the UFC. Even if the event did 400,000 buys -- a number which SBD suggested was more likely given the results of recent similar fights -- the promotion still would have earned something around $8-10 million in revenue.
The FOX deal is believed to pay the UFC an average of around $100 million annually, but some sources have indicated that the figure starts a bit lower than that average and increases each year over the length of the deal.
This show, however, is not part of that contract, negotiated independently and according to White, it is being written off as a loss-leader with an eye towards the future.
"It's an investment in the company," he recently said. "In no way, shape or form do we come anywhere close to making our money back. You don't go on free television and make your money. That's just not how it works. We're going to get smashed on this fight, but it's an investment in the future of the business."
According to SBD, the UFC also reportedly had to dig into its pockets to pay Velasquez a bonus to offset the pay-per-view cut he lost when the company decided to feature him on free television.
It's not all bad news though. In addition to arena gate and merchandising revenue for the historic show, the FOX deal is expected to bring in new advertising dollars. Though usual sponsors like Dodge and Bud Light are likely to be the more prominent ones for the premiere, FOX executives have indicated that new sponsors will be on board for the first event in 2012.
With FOX's mainstream audience and ability to reach the target demographic of 18-34 year old males, the UFC sees the network as a driver for more explosive growth, the same way it helped push the rise of NASCAR. UFC chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta told SBD that he believes the company could create 100,000 new pay-per-view buyers from the early exposure alone. So while the promotion expects the first event to be a short-term money-loser, they are banking on the belief that it will eventually increase the company's bottom line.
It's a strategic move that brings the product its widest exposure, with the hope that a fan-friendly platform turns into fan dollars.
"Our goal has always been to bring big, free fights back to network television," White said. "Now that we have a network deal, we're looking at it as, obviously we're going to take a hit on the pay-per-view side for a big fight like this, but we're thinking long-term for the future of the sport and making the sport bigger. That's why we're going to do it, and continue to do it." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, fox, money, event, payperview
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseDana White UFC on Fox Video Blog (Episode 1)
Dana White’s first video blog for Saturday’s UFC on Fox event goes behind the scenes of the recent UFC 137 and UFC 138 events along with highlights from the UFC on Fox press conference.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, video blog, fox event
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyCSAC Executive Officer George Dodd comments on the selection of John McCarthy for the UFC on FOX main event
For the perhaps the biggest fight in UFC history, the man who has been there since the beginning and is still the face of MMA refereeing, "Big" John McCarthy, will be in charge of overseeing the Octagon during the promotion's inaugural network TV debut in the main event, a heavyweight title fight between champion Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.
The event will take place in Anaheim, California, which means the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) had the final say in who the judges and referees of the event will be. MMAmania.com spoke with CSAC Executive Officer George Dodd today about the selection of McCarthy and he confirmed the initial report that came out late last week about McCarthy's selection.
"It's 99 percent still. There's always that last minute thing that could always change something. Obviously something could happen to John or whatever the case may be but for right now, until he steps in the cage, it's 99 percent sure."
"Big" John McCarthy has been a part of the sport for a longer period than any other referee, making his debut in the cage at UFC 2. He played a huge part in helping innovate the sport to make it safer as well as educating athletic commissions to help mixed martial arts get legalized. The celebrity referee is more than qualified and Dodd explained his selection:
"It's kind of based off of who I think will have the best opportunity to do well in that event so based off their skills and ability. In California here, I have the availability to use a lot of highly qualified officials and John for this event, I thought was the best qualified but again, Herb Dean is also on the card as well as Larry Landis so they're both qualified at this time to do that event but I just am 99 percent sure that John's gonna do the fight."
The internet is always a hotbed for rumors and they began swirling after the announcement because Dana White had recently stated that he hoped Herb Dean, a referee he's often referred to as "the best MMA ref out there," would officiate the main event. Dodd put a quick halt to the rumors when asked directly.
"There's no truth to that. Herb Dean did the last fight in Anaheim down there. I believe it was between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez. Josh Rosenthal did the last big fight up here in Oakland and so it's based off their skills and ability and also a little rotation. John is the next up and he's quite capable of doing this fight."
Well, there you have it. Barring a freak accident, "Big" John will be in charge of officiating the main event between Velasquez and dos Santos in a fight that can absolutely not afford to have anything go wrong, and it's simply a matter of regular main event rotation, no bias involved.
Sound good to you, Maniacs?
Posted in: fight, event, john, mccarthy, herb dean
Read the full article at MMA ManiaTank Abbott and Kimo Leopoldo box, surrounded by midgets, sword swallowers, and Ron Jeremy
Tank Abbott has had quite a string of adventures of late. Last week, we watched Abbott and Scott Ferrozzo fight in someone’s backyard, continuing white culture's fine tradition of stealing everything black people do. And this past weekend, he boxed Kimo Leopoldo at a celebrity boxing event in Hollywood. Well, if your use of the word “celebrity” is as loose as a 25-cent hooker.
Allegedly, the totally serious and dignified event featured midgets, sword swallowers, a half naked Ron Jeremy pretending to be a ring girl, and the one and only Octomom, who's huge titties were matched only by the massive gloves she wore.
Funny, that's how boxing gloves always look to me as an MMA fan. Check out 8CountNews’ description of the event:
As if the card couldn’t get any odder, Tank Abbott and Kimo Leopoldo squared off for three, one minute rounds wearing head gear and some hefty looking gloves. In the end, it wasn’t even clear who won, but the fans in the crowd appeared to be the big losers of the night.
To cap off the foul language broadcast, there was also a scantily clad Ron Jeremy acting as a ring girl, a sword swallower, midgets, and the largest boxing gloves ever seen.
Perhaps the biggest disgrace of the night though was that the broadcast actually announced both Abbott and Leopoldo as former MMA champions…..guess I slept through those title reigns, which is something most fight fans probably did through this event. On the bright side however, we did get to see Lou Bellera (Amy Fisher’s Current Husband) beat up Joey Buttafuoco, Jeremy Jackson (Hobie from Baywatch) abuse Coolio, and a bunch of other C list celebrities like Amy Fisher and Octomom slug it out.
One interesting note is that part of the money from the event will go to the FilmOn Charitable trust, which will forward the money to children’s charities. So just like the Anderson Silva and Justin Bieber debacle, even though this event makes us throw up a little in our mouths, we happily choke the vomit back down and smile it off when we realize that it’s all for the children.
Posted in: event, jeremy, glove, abbott, kimo leopoldo
Read the full article at FightlinkerProElite's Weekend Blunder Isn't Their Only Problem Moving Forward
It's difficult to remember a time when former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski wasn't the butt of a joke or considered a walking punchline. After suffering four consecutive losses, three of them by way of knockout, the adjectives "fierce" and "dangerous" quickly exited our mental definition of the Belarussian, replaced by phrases like "glass-jawed" or "chinny".
Despite the prevalent social convention, at least among MMA fans, to add insult to injury, Arlovski still has appeal to some fans, mainly those hoping for one final glimpse at the knockout artist who was once crowned champion of the world. On Saturday night at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois, Arlovski gave fans that small glimpse into the past, brutally knocking out Travis Fulton with a kick to the head with one second left in the fight.
Unfortunately, the preceding fourteen minutes and fifty-eight seconds of the bout proved definitively that Arlovski doesn't possess the killer instinct that once propelled him to the top.
The rest of the card was bizarrely similar, featuring a bevy of boring affairs that had one man screaming at the top of his lungs "You suck!" during Tim Sylvia's clinch-ladden main event showdown with Andreas Kraniotakes. As Sylvia's hand was raised in victory, the man once again let the pipes go, adding another layer of confirmation that the bout did, in fact, suck.
ProElite head T. Jay Thompson wasn't pleased with the event. There wasn't any celebratory handshaking afterwards among ProElite's brass. The event was undoubtedly one of the worst in recent memory, making a strong case for one of the worst in 2011.
The obvious flub of relying on a stable of heavyweights to produce a great event is a mistake that's easy to see, but it's difficult to predict the terrible performances put forth by both Mark Ellis and Reagan Penn. Those issues aren't a part of the macro problem that ProElite needs to solve in order to succeed however.
Obviously, those mistakes need to be avoided in order to succeed on an event-by-event case, but ProElite's progression, while still in its infancy, makes one cringe, mainly due to their antiquated thinking in the face of a changing environment.
One trend that's becoming more prominent with the growth of the UFC and Bellator is the reduced reliance on name recognition to carry regional events. Many smaller promotions use UFC veterans to fill seats, but the unappealing scraps that the UFC is kicking to the curb these days aren't names many fans recognize or want to see.
Promotions like Ringside MMA, W-1, and Championship Fighting Alliance seem to have an understanding of what it takes to succeed regionally. While main event match-ups still run parallel with the idea that a marketable name can bring eyes, there isn't a waste of time or capital trying to fill entire cards with the scraps of other organizations. Prospects are profiled, pitted against one another, and tested, and in many cases -- those prospects are eventually showcased against veteran competition, usually promoted heavily alongside their veteran opponent.
In order to promote within this new environment, talent acquisition is key, and ProElite enlisted Mark Ellis and Reagan Penn as two perceived top-flight talents they could promote. It wasn't a bad beat by any stretch of the imagination as Ellis' wresting pedigree and the history of success that NCAA champions have had in MMA are good indicators that he would be a future star. Penn is the brother of former UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn, thus he already has a name attached to a successful and popular fighter. Sounds like a recipe for success.
We found out Saturday night that it isn't always the right recipe. Both Penn and Ellis lost, and it's more than likely attributed to their novice status as mixed martial artists and the learning curve of fighting. They'll have time to build themselves into better fighters.
What worries me the most, however, is the heavy reliance on UFC veterans. Kendall Grove, Joe Riggs, Drew McFedries, and Andrei Arlovski all made their way on ProElite's inaugural card, and the second card this past weekend featured Arlovski and Sylvia as the main attractions. Five years ago, I could see the logic, but the amount of money that both Arlovski and Sylvia garner could have bought lower profile veterans and highly-touted prospects.
A change in the aged philosophy that veterans can sell in the regional scene needs to happen with a promotion like ProElite. Titan Fighting Championships could take a hint as well, although they are doing a nice job with Anthony Gutierrez. Blowing a bunch of money on veterans nobody is interested in isn't helping the bottom line. Invest in prospects, promote in regional hotbeds, bring in worthy local talent, and spend some time scouring the landscape of the sport to find talent. If ProElite had done that, perhaps Saturday night's event in Moline wouldn't have been so unbearable to watch.
Posted in: ufc, proelite, arlovski, event, veteran
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowThe Scorecard – UFC 138: Leben vs. Munoz
The Scorecard hits the highs and lows of the latest big event offering in MMA. Points are assigned completely at random but stay between ten and negative ten because I hate math.
For those that don’t know, there was a UFC show this weekend, i.e. UFC 138. Despite the fact that the event was in England, the biggest UK star on the card was either Brad Pickett or Terry Etim, and the UFC did absolutely nothing to promote the event; it was actually a pretty damn good event. If you missed it, I’d actually recommend that you check it out and then I’d recommend you to tweet the UFC and let them know that it would have been nice of them to tell you that there was an event this past weekend.
-Notes- I did not watch the show live or on Spike TV. I caught the event the next day, it was the UK version of the show, and I skipped through a lot of the nonsense. However, I did make sure to briefly listen to the walk out songs because if you expect one thing from this column, you expect the best breakdown of walk out music in MMA. Also, I wasn’t able to watch the preliminary fights.
Lets go to the scorecard:
*It didn’t take long for our first Eminem walk out song of the night as Eddie Faaloloto entered to “Bagpipes from Baghdad”. I give him credit for going with an original Eminem joint. PLUS TWO
*I give the England crowd credit for not only showing up to this event, but for reacting better to Etim vs. Faaloloto than last weeks Vegas crowd did for BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz. PLUS FOUR
*Great performance by Etim. Crisp strikes and a nasty guillotine. Granted it was a designed win for him given Faaloloto’s recent performances, but he took care of business. PLUS FIVE
*That said, shame on Joe Silva for even making this fight. MINUS THREE
*Anthony Perosh has terrible stand up and isn’t a great wrestler, yet he’s a monster on the ground. PLUS TWO
*Cyrille Diabate looked really good on the feet, but once again his grappling was his downfall. MINUS ONE
*Extra points to Perosh for his control on top. It really was a thing of beauty. PLUS TWO
*I love Rashad Evans’ reaction every time he’s shown on screen. While I’m not a huge Rashad fan because of UFC 88, I’d probably like the guy if it wasn’t for that moment. PLUS ONE
*Nice to see a prelim fight shown. Great job by Che Mills, who destroyed Chris Cope. Some picture perfect knees that had Cope saying, “owwwwww” instead of “wooooo.” PLUS THREE
*While Mills’ victory was impressive, Joe Rogan’s reaction to the win was a little over the top. Mills beat Chris friggin Cope, the absolute lowest level of a UFC fighter. MINUS TWO
*Any man who walks out with a cigar in his mouth is awesome. Props to you Papy Abedi. PLUS ONE
*The usually bouncy and excited Thiago Alves looked extremely focused during his walk out. He also dropped the T.I. music for John by Lil Wayne, which is the same song Daniel Cormier used when he beat Antonio Silva. PLUS TWO
*ALVES CAME OUT THROWING KICKS! PLUS TWO
*That was the Thiago I fell in love with. A straight up killer with great finishing instinct. His elbows from the mount were nasty and he had no problem taking the choke. PLUS FOUR
*I give credit to Abedi. Alves is a very tough first fight and he looked pretty good until Thiago was able to catch and overwhelm him. PLUS TWO
*You shouldn’t be allowed to use All I Do Is Win if you have a loss on your record. Sorry Renan Barao. MINUS TWO
*Rogan kept wanting to talk about all the great fighters that have come out of Nova Uniao and could only name Jose Aldo. Come on Joe. MINUS THREE
*I assume Pickett’s walk out was some ode to England. I didn’t quite get it, but I give him credit for originality. I wonder if the paper he was reading mentioned anything about Kim Kardashian’s divorce. PLUS ONE
*Barao vs. Pickett was pretty awesome while it lasted. Both guys just swung for the fences and finally Barao rocked him with the knee. PLUS FIVE
*The finishing sequence by Barao was outstanding as well. Dropped Pickett on the feet, pounced on him with strikes on the ground, quickly took the back, and sunk in the choke. Very well done. PLUS FOUR
*The only thing not smooth about Barao’s performance was his post-fight celebration. MINUS TWO
*Maybe Pickett should have spent less time reading and more time training. MINUS ONE
*It’s still a shame that Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz was the first ever 5-round non-title UFC fight. MINUS THREE
*”Mad World” by Gary Jules is a tough walk out song to pull off and Leben failed to do it. He was a little too excited and jumpy for such a slow and depressing song. MINUS TWO
*If Munoz doesn’t have the most vicious ground and pound in MMA, I don’t know who does. PLUS FOUR
*The doctor in the Leben vs. Munoz fight looked exactly like Vince Masuka from Dexter. I was just waiting for him to try and feel up Arianny Celeste when he left the cage. PLUS ONE
*What an anti-climatic ending to the main event. While I don’t blame Leben or his corner for wanting out if he couldn’t see, I never thought I’d see Leben go out like that. MINUS THREE
*Munoz did the worst title shot call-out in history. Did he learn nothing from Diaz last week? I think Munoz is “in the mix” as Dana White likes to say, but he’s not next in line and I want to see him fight for the title less after that call-out. MINUS FOUR
*Rogan says Leben is “constantly evolving and improving” despite how bad he looked in this fight. He reverted to his “swing for the fences” style on the feet and defended takedowns with a guillotine instead of a sprawl. MINUS THREE
*Despite the fact that no one watched this event, it turned out to be a really great show with a lot of really great performances. No fight was all that spectacular since they all ended in 10 minutes or less, but you can never complain about devastating finishes. PLUS SIX
*Again though, it’s a shame no one watched this event and I blame the UFC for putting together a card that no one wanted to see and then failing to promote it. MINUS FOUR
Total Score: 18
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, fight, ’t, event, leben
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainBellator 57 fight card official with eight bouts, including two tourney finales
The fight card is set for this weekend's Bellator 57 event.
As previously announced, the event takes place this Saturday, Nov. 12, at Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario, Canada.
The co-headlining spots feature tournament finales with welterweights Ben Saunders vs. Douglas Lima and middleweights Alexander Shlemenko vs. Vitor Vianna.
Posted in: fight card, vs, event, casino rama, tourney finales
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC on FOX 1 poster: Cain Velasquez vs Junior Dos Santos on Nov. 12 in Anaheim
As far as historic events go, UFC 100 may have been the biggest pay-per-view event in the history of MMA. But the world's largest fight promotion -- along with the sport -- will reach the pinnacle of success when it holds the UFC on FOX 1: "Velasquez vs. Dos Santos" event this coming Sat., Nov. 12, 2011, in Anaheim, California.
Live and free on network TV.
The primetime special may only be an hour long and may only feature one fight, but the match-up is nothing short of scintillating. UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez will put his title on the line for the very first time against number one contender and Brazilian knockout artist Junior dos Santos.
It truly doesn't get any bigger than this, folks. Two giants. One title. No mercy.
To check out the latest UFC on FOX 1 fight card and rumors click here. To check out our complete UFC on FOX 1 event archive click here.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, fight promotion, velasquez
Read the full article at MMA Mania
Pickett loses fight but wins fans
Brad Pickett was devastated after his loss to Renan Barao on Saturday night.The two formed the co-main event of UFC 138 and lit the arena up by going to...
Posted in: event, renan barao, pickett, comain event, saturday nightthe
Read the full article at Fighters OnlyUFC 138 results: Joe Silva is the greatest matchmaker in MMA
Stop me if you've heard this one before.
Every time fans complain about the UFC putting together an event that has next to no star power, UFC President Dana White tells them to stop whining because "we always deliver."
Whether or not that's the norm is irrelevant. White's case was only bolstered with last night's (Sat., Nov. 5, 2011) UFC 138: "Leben vs Munoz" event in Birmingham, England, which delivered five finishes in all five main card fights with none of them making it to the third round.
Speaking at the post-fight press conference, White gave the credit to his matchmaker, Joe Silva:
"It always drives me nuts when people complain about a card that hasn't happened yet. This card sucks? None of these fighters up here suck -- these were great fights. Joe Silva is the greatest matchmaker in the business and these guys came out and performed like they always do. No matter where we go or what show it is, or what card it is, these guys always deliver. When I talk about what we do at the UFC, the promoters, we go out and put on all the bells and whistles, and these guys always deliver. And man did they deliver tonight. It was an awesome card."
Part of the problem, of course, is the fact that White and company neglected to successfully promote the event, to the point that plenty of fight fans weren't even aware a show was happening.
Still, anyone feel like contesting his points here? Or is there nothing to actually argue with?
Hear more from a glowing White in the full entry.
Posted in: ufc, event, card, card fights, whites case
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 138: gate, attendance and bonuses
MMA Junkie reports that attendance for UFC 138 drew 10,823 for a gate of $1.5 million. In the main event, Mark Munoz stopped Chris Leben due to a cut after two rounds.
According to the report, without an athletic commission governing, the figures will not be verified by an independent party.
In addition to the attendance and gate, the UFC announced its bonuses for the night. Each received $70,000.
Knockout of the Night: Che Mills
Submission of the Night: Terry Etim
Fight of the Night:Renan Barao vs. Brad Pickett
Payout Perspective:
It was interesting that the UFC chose to start its five round main events with this one. Munoz and Leben are heavy hitters and brought the action in the first two rounds. I didn’t think that they could continue the pace for five rounds. The crowd was hot for the main event and clearly behind Leben.
One observation of the main event last night was the doctor checking on Leben’s eye during the round. It appeared that the doctor stated they would stop the fight if he couldn’t see out of his eye. Then, it appeared that there was no tests to check his vision. They merely asked whether he could see or not. Of course, Leben would say yes with the alternative being ending the fight.
Posted in: ufc, night, round, event, leben
Read the full article at MMA PayoutUFC 138 and the Trouble with Tape-Delay
Well, I tried. I did my best to honor the sanctity of tape delay, to make it an entire day without spoilers so I could sit down to watch UFC 138 on Saturday night as if it was a live event. In my hubris, I thought it would be easy. I thought I could, through sheer force of will, make the Spike TV tape delay a non-issue. I thought I'd be able to enjoy UFC 138 like it was any other event. I was so, so wrong.
I didn't go into this without a plan. I knew the internet would be a minefield, and that if I so much as opened my web browser my homepage (MMAFighting.com, naturally) would spoil it for me.
Twitter was totally out of the question. Facebook? I have way too many British and European fight fans as friends. Since the entire world seemed to be getting the event live, I knew I'd have to avoid entirely the very medium that connected me to the world.
And I did it. I watched the Facebook prelims, and then I resolved to shut my laptop until the Spike broadcast started some five hours later. Thus disconnected, I thought I was home free. Then my phone buzzed with a text message from a friend. I should have thought twice before checking it, but habit got the better of me. That's about when my day was ruined.
The text was, let's just say, unnecessarily unkind to Chris Leben. The text also assumed that I'd been following the action live and had seen the cut stoppage already. When I replied that I had not, along with a few choice obscenities for my fight-spoiling friend, the next text was unnecessarily unkind toward me, with even more choice obscenities in response.
So there it was. Now I knew, and I could not un-know. I still had to wait a couple hours for the broadcast on Spike TV, when I would tweet along with the action for the other sad sacks who were seeing it for the first time on tape delay, but I admit that I felt like the one kid in he neighborhood who was still clinging to a hollow belief in Santa Claus.
The weird part was, only the main event had been spoiled for me. I still didn't know what happened in the Brad Pickett-Renan Barao fight. I'd even maintained an impressive degree of ignorance with regards to the fate of Thiago Alves. So why couldn't I enjoy it as if it was live?
Maybe it was just the fact that other people knew. Maybe it was that half the fun of watching fights is the idea that anything can happen, and none of us can know for sure how it will end. Unless, that is, some of us get to watch it live while others get tortured by the same few commercials on Spike TV hours after the fact.
Over the years, I've gotten up ridiculously early and stayed up ridiculously late to watch live MMA events on foreign soil. Neither is especially fun, but I've come to the conclusion that it's better to be a zombie for the rest of the day and get your results as they come in rather than be well rested and intentionally ignorant.
And sure, you could argue that no one can complain about seeing the event a little late as long as it's on free TV, but stay with that reasoning and see where it goes. If Spike TV showed UFC 138 the following day, is it worth complaining about then? How about a week later?
As the difficulty in avoiding real-time results tells us, we live in the age of instant information. The UFC knows it, as does Spike TV. So why go through the sad charade of tape-delayed events? Wouldn't it be better to broadcast live to an interested audience in the afternoon than to a ghost town in the evening?
Maybe the boxing fans of 80 years ago could wait weeks to see the moving pictures of a fight, but they didn't have Twitter. They didn't have "friends" who would text them unsolicited live commentary. Instead they had polio and fireside chats. All things considered, I'd rather live in our age than theirs. I'd also rather watch my MMA live, no matter what time of day it is, than get a warmed-over broadcast in primetime. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: event, spike tv, tv, spike, id
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 138 results: A fun night of fights should have been a fun afternoon
The argument is made every single time. If a card looks horrendous on paper, it will probably end up being amazing.
The argument has legs simply because more often than not, it's true. It's not always the case (UFC 119, I'm looking right at you) but there's just something about those cards that lack star power and are under promoted that brings out the fun of watching fights.
Maybe it's the expectations of us, the fans, watching the event. We're so convinced that it will be horrible that even the slightest bit of entertainment seems momentous. We take off our mixed martial arts (MMA) crown and put on our fight cap and enjoy ourselves.
Maybe it's the fighters who don't live in a bubble and can't help but realize they're stuck on a lackluster card. Hoping to be the person to provide the "the card was awful but did you happen to check out" moment for all the post-fight recaps and discussion, they go all out.
Whatever the reason, UFC 138 was exactly that.
What it lacked in big names it made up for in fireworks. All five fights on the main card ended before the third round and the main event was a fun 10 minute war between winner Mark Muñoz and his opponent Chris Leben.
The fights aired on tape delay several hours later on Spike. Due to the time difference between Birmingham, England and the US, the fights took places from mid- to late-afternoon here in the states.
But I ended up seeing "The Crippler" on my TV this afternoon. How, you ask? Because Spike was airing a special episode of UFC Unleashed with some of the heavy-handed fighter's best bouts.
So the question should be asked: why wasn't UFC 138 aired live?
I can understand the argument that Spike wouldn't be keen on airing a card like tonight's live. It was looked at like a card not fit to be numbered alongside great events like UFC 84, UFC 100, and UFC 116. It was a glorified Fight Night headlined by longtime Fight Night headliner Chris Leben. In fact, the only time "The Crippler" main evented a numbered event was during another jaunt across the Atlantic for UFC 89.
Mark Muñoz had never headlined an event before and the only other big name on the card was that of Thiago Alves who had only won once in the past two years going into his fight with Papy Abedi.
But the channel was airing UFC programming anyway during the time Alves, Leben, and Muñoz was were plying their trade inside the Octagon. Hour upon hour of UFC Unleashed dominated the afternoon programming for the channel leading up to its airing of the Birmingham event.
Why didn't they use three of those airs to air the show live? They would still be able to air it again that night as planned but would also satisfy the hardcore fans that wished to see it as it unfolded. There's nothing quite like live sports and removing the "watch it as it happens" quality also removes some of the drama and intrigue.
I believe that's a big reason why Dana White and company have opted to air every single preliminary fight on Facebook.
Another reason a live showing would seem imperative is the college football game between #1 LSU and #2 Alabama. For many fans, the national championship won't be decided in January, it was decided tonight in Tuscaloosa. It was a can't miss game and when presented with the prospect of watching either that or a tape delayed UFC with a weak card, it's not hard to figure out what choice many 18-49-year old males made.
I know the relationship between the UFC and Spike has soured beyond repair by this point. There was little to no promotion for tonight's card while I'm pretty sure even my grandmother knows that Cain Velasquez is taking on Junior Dos Santos next week (Nov. 12) on Fox.
It reeks of contractual obligation but the treatment of the show does nothing for either company and only serves to hurt both.
It's 2011. If I want to watch my beloved Red Devils play live from Manchester, I can. If I wanted to check out the 2011 Cricket World Cup finals from all the way in Mumbai live as it happened, it was easily possible. Live sporting events from across the globe are available on any cable or satellite provider and also through several legitimate websites.
The term "tape delay" is archaic and shouldn't be uttered with the technology we have at our disposal.
MMA fans -- some of the most passionate across the sports spectrum -- deserve and should demand better.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, fan, card
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 138: Leben vs. Munoz Results - Discussion Post for Spike TV Broadcast
For those of you who were unable to watch UFC 138: Leben vs. Munoz live, feel free to discuss the event as it airs on Spike TV here in the U.S. The main card provided plenty of explosive action and will likely be watched a second time by many who watched it the first time around.
On the main card Chris Leben and Mark Munoz clash in a middleweight bout which may have implications for a future title shot for the winner. Bantamweights Brad Pickett and Renan Barao meet in the co-main event of the evening. Thiago Alves tries to get back on track when he faces Papy Abedi, Terry Etim squares off with Edward Faaloloto and Cyrille Diabate fights Anthony Perosh in the remaining bouts.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
We'll have much more on the event in the coming days as we also prepare for the debut of the UFC on Fox.
Posted in: ufc, event, spike tv, middleweight bout, comain event
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowProElite 2 Live Coverage and Discussion
Join us tonight at Bloody Elbow for live coverage of ProElite's second card since they rose from the ashes earlier this year. The event will take place in the iWireless Center in Moline, IL and will be aired live on HDNet starting at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The main event sees former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia facing off with Andreas Kraniotakes in Sylvia's first bout at 265 in over three years. The co-main event features another former UFC heavyweight champ, Andrei Arlovski, facing Travis Fulton. In addition, BJ's brother Reagan Penn will compete in his second pro MMA fight, and ProElite will kick off a heavyweight grand prix tonight. Here's the full main card:
Andreas Kraniotakes vs. Tim SylviaAndrei Arlovski vs. Travis FultonEvan Cutts vs. Reagan PennMark Ellis vs. Ryan Martinez Ed Carpenter vs. Jake Heun Cody Griffin vs. Justyn Riley Richard Odoms vs. Rodney Housley
More SBN coverage of ProElite 2: Big Guns
Posted in: heavyweight, proelite, vs, event, coverage
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowMunoz stops Leben due to cut at UFC 138
Mark Munoz stopped fellow American middleweight Chris Leben at the end of the second round in the main event in UFC 138 on Saturday night at LG Arena.
Posted in: ufc, saturday night, event, leben, munoz
Read the full article at sportsnet.caUFC 138 main-card results: Munoz wins via corner's stoppage, Barao wins 27th straight
BIRMINGHAM, England - With perhaps his biggest win yet, Mark Munoz is convinced he's ready for a title shot.
Following a two-round beating of fellow middleweight Chris Leben that forced the fighter's corner to call it quits before the third, Munoz was declared the TKO winner of the main event of Saturday's UFC 138 event.
The event took place at LG Arena in Birmingham, England. The main card airs via same-day delay on Spike TV in the U.S., and it aired live in other countries.
Posted in: event, lg arena, munoz, birmingham england, fighters corner
Read the full article at MMA JunkieChat starts at 1:30PM EST
Remember, tonight's UFC 138 event is a wonky Brit show so start times are all effed up. Prelims start on Facebook at 1:40PM EST, followed by the event in some areas. We'll leave the chat up all day and into the Spike broadcast at 8PM EST. Keep in mind the internet will be a minefield of spoilers and fight results by then. So if you decide not to come, I won't be mad atcha.
Posted in: pm, event, chat, spike broadcast, fight results
Read the full article at FightlinkerUFC 138: Leben vs. Munoz - Live Results and Play-By-Play for Main Card
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC 138: Leben vs. Munoz. Our live coverage will start with the beginning of the Facebook prelim stream (Scheduled for 1:40 p.m. ET), continuing through the main card broadcast (4 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
This post will cover live results and thoughts on the main card.
On the main card Chris Leben and Mark Munoz clash in a middleweight bout which may have implications for a future title shot for the winner. Bantamweights Brad Pickett and Renan Barao meet in the co-main event of the evening. Thiago Alves tries to get back on track when he faces Papy Abedi, Terry Etim squares off with Edward Faaloloto and Cyrille Diabate fights Anthony Perosh in the remaining bouts.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
Posted in: event, card, renan barao, comain event, edward faaloloto
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 138 fight card: Chris Leben vs Mark Munoz to make history in Birmingham
Middleweights Chris Leben and Mark Munoz will go toe-to-toe later today (Nov. 5, 2011) in the UFC 138 main event, which is scheduled to take place at the LG Arena in Birmingham, England.
The 185-pound bout, one that will likely inch the winner closer to a future title shot against division champion Anderson Silva (behind Chael Sonnen and perhaps Michael Bisping, of course), signals the beginning and the end of two important eras.
First, it will mark the first-ever five-round, non-title fight in the history of the promotion. Will it last 25 minutes? Probably not; however, it's the launch of yet another marketing measure that the promotion can unleash at any point moving forward to sweeten the pot and make its championship-less main events more attractive.
Second, "The Crippler" and the "Filipino Wrecking Machine" will hope to finish what Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar started, serving as the final fight inside the Octagon to be aired on Spike TV. It's been six long years of action-packed brawls, but it will all come to an end later today.
And despite their differences, UFC and Spike TV officials would undoubtedly like to go out the same way they came in -- with a BANG!
It's impossible to duplicate the performance and significance of the fight between Griffin and Bonnar back in 2005. That epic slobberknocker can't be touched for so many reasons.
In addition, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos -- who collide in the promotion's first-ever foray onto network television next weekend in their UFC on FOX 1 main event -- will have to assume the enormous responsibility of carrying that torch whether they like it or not.
Leben and Munoz, meanwhile, are expected to give fans an exciting, memorable fight. Both men hit hard and can finish fights at any moment. Leben has dynamite in his left hand, while Munoz's savage ground and pound can turn out anyone's lights quickly. Each fighter, especially Leben -- who admits he's closer to the end of his fighting career than its beginning -- is also motivated to move further up the divisional ranks.
On paper, it may not be the sexiest main event ever. But under the historical circumstances, Leben and Munoz have the opportunity to make magic happen one last time on the Spike TV airwaves.
Here is to hoping they're successful.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, leben, munoz
Read the full article at MMA ManiaSPOILER WARNING: MMAjunkie.com's live UFC 138 coverage begins at 1:40 p.m. ET
WARNING: MMAjunkie.com will provide live coverage of today's "UFC 138: Leben vs. Munoz" event.
While the event airs live in most parts of the world, it airs via same-day delay in the U.S. on Spike TV at 8 p.m. ET/PT. However, our event coverage will be posted live beginning at 1:40 p.m. ET and continuing throughout the day.
To avoid spoilers, steer clear of MMAjunkie.com and our Twitter feeds until you've watched the event.
Posted in: pm, event, coverage, event airs, event coverage
Read the full article at MMA JunkieFans invited to next week's UFC on FOX 1 press conference in Los Angeles
It's finally here.
While UFC officials are currently in Europe for today's "UFC 138: Leben
vs. Munoz" event, the company's network-television debut is looming, and
UFC on FOX 1 pre-fight activities kick off on Wednesday.
UFC brass has begun to line out the events, which include Wednesday's open-to-the-public pre-fight press conference.
Posted in: ufc, event, los angeles, ufc officials, weeks ufc
Read the full article at MMA JunkieFilipino MMA: URCC XX Live Results and Discussion
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results for the Philippines' biggest show, in URCC 20. Anton Tabuena is on hand at the World Trade Center, in the Philippines, and you can also catch the event as it will be streamed live on their website URCCMMA.com starting at around 7 a.m. ET. As always, make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
The event will be headlined by a bantamweight super-fight between Jessie Rafols and Reydon 'The Filipino Bolo Punch' Romero, along with 5 other title fights that features popular fighters competing such as Honorio Banario, Froilan Sarenas, Chris Luna, Nicholas Mann, Igor Subora, Pete Brooks rounding out the rest of the card.
The decade long promotion will also be announcing their first Hall-of-Fame inductee on their milestone event.
Don't forget to follow @antontabuena as he gives behind the scenes notes, photos, and details from the event.
- Reydon Romero vs. Jessie Rafols (c) [Bantamweight Super-Fight Championship]- Nicholas Mann vs. Christian Luna [Vacant Light Heavyweight Championship]- Ryan Palinawan vs. Igor Subora [Vacant Heavyweight Championship]- Robin Jose vs. Froilan Sarenas (c) [Middleweight Championship]- Will Chope vs. Jerson Estoro- Lando Espinosa vs. Adam Cacay- Honorio Banario (c) vs. Patrick Manicad [Lightweight Championship]- Andrew Benibe vs. Sulpiano Laurio- Frank Navarro vs. Pete Brooks [Vacant Cruiserweight Championship]- Rodel Orais vs. Jilmar Tangayan
Posted in: vs, event, championship, jessie rafols, website urccmmacom
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowMMAterial Facts (11/04/11) : UFC 138 Unloved, The U.K. Market, & Undisputed 3 Coverage
Welcome to this edition of MMAterial Facts, where we feature articles from around the MMA community.
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This week’s MMAterial Facts:
- UFC Hopes for Two Shows in UK in 2012 (MMA Fighting)
“Since making the UK market a priority a few years ago, the UFC visited the country eight times between 2007 and 2010. And even though shows there have tended to do big business, 2011 nearly came and went without a return, until the promotion managed to wedge one into the final stretches of a hectic schedule.”
- Japan 2011: The more things change, the more they stay the same (Fight Opinion)
“What’s not incredible or shocking is that there will be yet another attempted New Year’s Eve event at Saitama Super Arena this year, promoted by Real Entertainment. The former employees of PRIDE will work in conjunction with Antonio Inoki as the front man, just like he was last year. The show title will be called “Genki desu ka!” which is Inoki’s trademark slogan. It’s a sweetheart deal for him. The discussion is that there will be 20 matches on the card and that IGF aces Peter Aerts & Jerome Le Banner will be on the card. There is some hope of getting the telecast on broadcast television, but nobody is sure how things will play out given that it’s already November and it’s short time for a TV network to get an ad agency working at the last-second to make the numbers work.”
- Interview with UFC 138 main eventer Mark Munoz (MMA Mania)
“I’ll take a submission victory or a knockout. I will take that for sure. I don’t see this fight going five rounds at all. I think we’ll see a guys that come in there swinging and there’s just gonna be fireworks happening. We fight to finish and not just score points so I don’t see this fight going to the end of the fifth round at all.”
- UFC 138 Preview – ‘Unloved and Unwanted in the UK’ Edition (MMA Convert)
“Part of what makes this UFC a “throwaway” is the fact that in the grand scheme of things, none of the bouts matter. Yet what should make people tune in is the fact that Leben and Munoz will be more than ready to leave it all in the cage.”
- Preview of UFC Undisputed 3 (MiddleEasy)
“First off Lenne Hardt is in the game and it’s awesome. The PRIDE production values are ridiculously spot on. You will have confetti swirling around you as you celebrate victory (or wallow in defeat) in the Saitima Super Arena. PRIDE’s home is represented along with a host of other real life locations (like Mandalay and the other usual suspects). Everything about UFC 3 screams ‘more’. More licensed referees, more weight classes, more fighters, hell, more MMA organizations. You can tell that the extra time they took paid off in the presentation department, I felt like in was 2005 all over again. I must note that Layzie and I never left PRIDE mode and after a few scans of the room (although influenced by the soccer kick drink) I think literally every monitor had a PRIDE match going down. What can I say, the media loves it when one person kicks another person in the head.”
- UFC UK Vice President: We’re Committed To The UK Market (FightLine)
“I think that in a perfect world we would be here more times a year, but as you know – you’ve heard our mantra: we’re trying to get everywhere. There’s a lot of pressure to bring the event everywhere around the world. It was a struggle just getting this event into the calendar. You may remember back in the day, there was a lot of discussion about whether we were coming back at all. We were able to, through the hard work of the office here and with the arena here, make this event happen. There’s actually an event in the arena the night before that we’re actually setting up, so it’s not ideal for us but we were committed to coming back to the market.”
- Dan Severn Still Wants Coleman and Shamrock, Will Likely Retire Next Year (Cage Potato)
“I want specific fights right now. I’ve had some verbal offers but haven’t had the opportunity to bring some of these matches to life. Two particular matches I’m still interested are ones with Mark Coleman and Ken Shamrock. Realistically, I think that 2012 will be my final year as an MMA competitor. So whatever gets done gets done; whatever doesn’t, I’ll have to learn to live with I guess.”
- “Big” John McCarthy likely to referee UFC on FOX main event (Five Ounces of Pain)
“Big” John McCarthy is the most famous referee in MMA, he’s been a part of the UFC organization since the beginning, and he’ll be in the octagon when the company makes their network TV debut on November 12. CSAC Executive Officer George Dodd informed the UFC that, “there is a 99% chance” that McCarthy will be the referee for the UFC on FOX main event between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.”
- M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson” Comes With $30 Pay-Per-View Price Tag (5thRound)
“This was a big decision for me, I took my time looking for the right management and I found it in Glenn Robinson and Authentic Sports Management,” said Shields. “ASM feels like a family environment. It has good people who are working hard, and he seems to really care about the fighters.”
- UFC Undisputed 3 photo coverage (LowKick)
“Liddell and Rampage were not the only fighters to play UFC Undisputed 3. Chad Mendes, Anthony Pettis, Erik Koch, and the People’s Champion Chael P. Sonnen all tested their gaming skills, as the rumor says Chael Sonnen played Anderson Silva, while Erik Koch played Chael Sonnen in their own version of the upcoming (or not) “Biggest Rematch in the UFC History”.”
- Bas Rutten on his new show “Punk Payback” and self-defense (TheFightNerd)
“The Fight Nerd spoke with Bas Rutten, whose new show on FUEL TV, “Punk Payback” debuts tonight, which is a show that has the former UFC Heavyweight Champ and King of Pancrase breaking down real-life self-defense situations caught on tape, and showing you at home what to do if you were in that situation (think of his “Lethal Street-Fighting” DVD, but more!). We discussed the show at length, explaining what the concept is, how much of the self-defense that Bas shows is improv or scripted (along with the craziness that he says), and what is ahead in Bas’ acting career. We also discuss the real-life implications of some of these scenarios, and what is legal to do if you need to defend yourself.”
- The 100 Greatest Moments in UFC History (BleacherReport.com/MMA)
“At this point, it’s safe to say the UFC’s popularity is snowballing. Even that may be a mild analogy. With the UFC and its fighters finding newer and wider avenues into the mainstream seemingly every day, MMA’s premier promotion is more like a magnet in a river of paper clips, or a molten ball of caramel careening down a mountain of chopped walnuts. You get the idea. These are heady times for the UFC.”
Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, event, year
Read the full article at MMA PayoutUFC 138 weigh ins photos gallery for 'Leben vs Munoz' in England
UFC 138: "Leben vs. Munoz" is all set to pop off tomorrow (Sat., Nov. 5, 2011) from the LG Arena in Birmingham, England.
The event features the very first five round main event non-title fight in the history of the promotion, as Chris Leben attempts to catapult himself to the front of the middleweight line at the expense of Mark Munoz.
Also on tap is a welterweight mash up pitting Thiago Alves vs. Papy Abedi as well as bantamweight brawlers Brad Pickett and Renan Barao going to war.
Check out the photo gallery from today's (Nov. 4) weigh-in event (via CombatLifestyle.com) after the jump. Click here for complete weigh-in results, click here for staredown pics, and click here for staredown videos.
Posted in: war check, middleweight line, event, renan barao, jump click
Read the full article at MMA ManiaIs it Right to Make Female Boxing Competitors Wear Miniskirts in the 2012 Olympics?
The historically beautiful city of London will be hosting the 2012 Olympics. Making next year’s events even more exciting for fighting fans worldwide is that this time they will also be hosting a monumental effort by placing women on the Olympic Boxing events. For decades, female fighters have watched the boy from afar competing curious as to when they too will get their own shot. Now, that time has deservedly arrived and not without controversy.
The AIBA has announced that their own officials have requested that the female competitors wear miniskirts during their events. There are several problems with this suggestion, while some men may assume “Hey, what’s the big deal?” just imagine for a moment if the same officials requested that all the males competing get themselves a spray tan before competing? It’s equally as hideous as asking the women to wear skirts. The AIBA has an interesting explanation for their actions…they claim they wanted the Olympic fans to know they were watching women boxing versus men. That certainly clears it up for millions of viewers, since the announcers reviewing the ladies’ names and stats wouldn’t be able to convey they were females entering the ring. Or the actual fights displaying two women may have some challenges to viewers trying to depict the sex of those fighters?
As one can imagine, this has many fans and fighters in an uproar. It isn’t exactly an episode of a weekly sports show on ESPN, this is the 2012 Olympics where one would assume those types of barbaric thinking would be long gone. There will be 250 men competing in the Boxing event, to a total of 36 women to begin with. It’s fair to say the ladies have worked their fair share of time sparring in the gym to get to this Olympic level, they should be permitted to wear shorts as they always have when competing.
Needless to say, this will continue to gain coverage as it gets closer to the big events. One fighter that will be competing during the events in the UK had this to say:
“It’s a disgrace that they’re forcing some of the women to wear those mini-skirts. We should be able to wear shorts, just like the men. I won’t be wearing a mini-skirt. I don’t even wear mini-skirts on a night out, so I definitely won’t be wearing mini-skirts in the ring.”
That coming from Ireland’s boxing candidate Katie Taylor. Some of the ladies have remarked on being uncomfortable should they be required to wear something other than what they are accustomed to. It will continue to be debated until next summer, but the way it appears thus far the officials will most likely make the right decision.
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Posted in: boxing, event, women, olympic, miniskirt
Read the full article at Fighters.comAre you one of the many who are panning UFC 138: "Leben vs. Munoz" as a throwaway event that isn't...
Are you one of the many who are panning UFC 138: "Leben vs. Munoz" as a throwaway event that isn't much more than a gigantic waste of time and resources? Well, boo-hoo, folks, this is a much better fight card than anyone is giving it credit for. At least that's what MMAmania.com Founder Thomas Myers is arguing over at MMANation.com. Read it here and give him the old what for if you disagree.
Posted in: fight card, vs, event, isnt, boohoo folks
Read the full article at MMA ManiaPictures: UFC 138 Weigh-ins
UFC 138 headliners Chris Leben and Mark Munoz faced off Friday in Birmingham, England, to put the official stamp on Saturday’s Spike TV-televised event.
Posted in: ufc, event, mark munoz, birmingham england, official stamp
Read the full article at SherdogUFC 138: United Kingdom Left Out in the Cold as UFC Expands Internationally
Believe it or not, UFC 138 will mark the UFC's first visit to England in 2011. The emerging market once spearheaded the UFC's efforts to expand internationally back in 2007 as it housed three major events. In the last two years, however, the country has been put on the back burner by the UFC's efforts to test other markets and the discovery of new, fruitful economies that are receptive to the sport.
At Thursday's UFC 138 press conference, UFC executive Marshall Zelaznik spoke to MMAJunkie.com about the hurdles of trying to get an event back in the UK this year:
On Saturday, UFC fights will takes place in the U.K. for the first time in more than a year. But Marshall Zelaznik admits the fight to get back the octagon started long before.
"There's a lot of pressure to bring the event everywhere around the world," the UFC's managing director of international development told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "It was a struggle just getting this event in the calendar."
Moving the UFC's pieces to expand internationally while traveling to successful markets and maintaining a base stateside is a chess game of overwhelming scope. It's hard to please everyone while also keeping in mind that positive revenue is the goal. Unfortunately, the United Kingdom doesn't fit into that criteria.
The most significant problem the UFC must overcome in the UK is the reliance on the U.S. audience to help create revenue. The deal with ESPN in the UK is over exaggerated by the media in the U.S. because the network reigns supreme on stateside television. That isn't the case in the UK, and there isn't an equivalent to Spike TV in the UK yet. Brits aren't being bombarded by endless marathons of UFC Unleashed or Countdown shows, thus the brand is having a hard time saturating and driving interest with casual fans.
An emerging market like Brazil also factors into the UFC's options for the future. Obviously, striking a deal with Globo TV and entering a market in which combat sports is a cornerstone of the culture will bring the UFC massive appeal. Brazil also sits in a timezone that allows the UFC to put on live events without a problem. UK events are always on tape delay, hurting the event's appeal for hardcore fans.
There is strong evidence supporting the UFC's choice in traveling to other markets over the UK. The good news is that the UFC's Fox deal stateside could snowball into a similar deal in the UK, making a stronger argument for Britain in the future:
With the UFC's broadcast deal with FOX set to kick full steam in 2012, and the ESPN deal set to expire in August 2012, the promotion hopes to find a permanent home for its programming on FOX's U.K. counterparts, FX and Sky. "The Ultimate Fighter 14" has already found a temporary home with FX.
A deal like that could be what the UK scene needs to get into more homes and add more revenue streams. The faster that the UFC can convert larger revenue streams to UK sources, the easier it is for them to travel to the UK. While Americans hate the fact that these fights are on tape delay, they aren't vital to the success of the promotion in England. That's up to the fans in Britain, and there is a history of combat sports that the UFC has tapped into there along with a strong regional presence.
The UK may be on the back burner for now, but that could all change by the fall of next year. Will a new TV deal be enough to convince the UFC to begin traveling to the UK more often? It would, but the real question is whether the UFC can create a highly-profitable, international hot spot in the UK that makes it worth it to spend the money to travel there. I'm still skeptical at this point.
Posted in: ufc, event, deal, uk, market
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowMake Picks Now for 3-Event Season at MMA Salary Cap Challenge
After testing with a few single event games, we're starting our first mini-season at MMA Salary Cap Challenge. The season will run for three events: UFC 138, UFC on FOX, and UFC 139. The person with the highest point total at the end of three events will be the winner. Keep in mind that you won't be able to join the season in-progress, so if you want to play for these events, you have to get your picks in before UFC 138. Also remember that strategy shifts when multiple events are in play. If you're ahead, pick conservatively. If you need to make up ground, it might be time to make some riskier plays.If you need help making some picks for UFC 138, check out the new advice column on the blog:Cyrille Diabate $21 - There's not many fighters Diabate could fight at 205 pounds in the UFC that would inflate his unit price to $21, but here we are. Anthony Perosh has this fight because he stepped in on short notice to fight Mirko Cro Cop, and the UFC found him a body to beat up in front of a hometown crowd in Australia. Diabate is an accomplished kickboxer, and his 11.18 points for significant strikes is the best three-fight average on the card. You can expect him to land on Perosh, who will be giving up six inches of reach.Check out the whole column for more picks at UFC 138.
Posted in: ufc, event, season inprogress, event games, fighters diabate
Read the full article at Fight MetricPro Elite 2 weigh in results LIVE from Moline 'Big Guns' on Nov. 4
The official weigh-in event for ProElite 2: "Big Guns" will take place today (Fri., Nov. 4) at 5:00 p.m. ET, LIVE from the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois.
Both the main event and co-main event fights feature former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) former heavyweight champions, as Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski will square off, but not against each other.
Sylvia will take on German Judo practitioner Andreas Kraniotakes. Arlovski will go head-to-head with grizzled journeyman Travis Fulton. The card will also feature the first four fights of the Pro Elite heavyweight grand prix (which does not include Sylvia or Arlovski).
Additionally, mixed martial arts (MMA) newcomers Mark Ellis and Reagan Penn will try to stay perfect as they each will be participating in their second professional bout, respectively.
MMAmania.com will have the full results as soon as the athletes are done weighing in. Be sure to check back here to see if all the fighters made weight.
Complete ProElite 2 weigh in results after the jump:
MAIN CARD
265 lbs.: Andreas Kraniotakes ( ) vs. Tim Sylvia ( )265 lbs.: Andrei Arlovski ( ) vs. Travis Fulton ( )170 lbs.: Evan Cutts ( ) vs. Reagan Penn ( )265 lbs.: Mark Ellis ( ) vs. Ryan Martinez ( )265 lbs.: Ed Carpenter ( ) vs. Jake Heun ( )265 lbs.: Cody Griffin ( ) vs. Justyn Riley ( )265 lbs.: Richard Odoms ( ) vs. Rodney Housley ( )
Remember that MMAmania.com will have full recaps of the fights and post event coverage from ProElite 2, tomorrow night (Sat., Nov. 5). Don't forget that you can watch all the action LIVE on HDNet, starting at 9:00 p.m. ET.
For more on ProElite 2: "Big Guns" click here.
Posted in: arlovski, vs, event, lb, sylvia
Read the full article at MMA ManiaFOX family unveils ambitious programming lineup for UFC on FOX 1 on Nov. 12
FOX will use its many assets for an ambitious day of programming geared around next week's "UFC on FOX 1: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos" event.
The Nov. 12 event takes place at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., with a championship main event between heavyweight titleholder Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos.
FOX-owned FUEL TV, FOX Deportes and FOX Sports Radio also plan event-related programming.
Posted in: fox, event, honda center, programming, fox family
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 138 Promotion, Fighters Suffering From UFC Vs. Spike Feud
What once seemed like a happy marriage now resembles that of a messy, bitter and public divorce. For the UFC and Spike TV, the latest casualty of the finality of their relationship is taking place in front of our very eyes this week.
The "kids" that are suffering from all the vitriol between the two mainstream MMA parents are the fighters competing on Saturday's UFC 138.
You remember UFC 138, don't you? That's the event on Spike featuring Chris Leben and Mark Munoz in the main event. Remember Thiago Alves? He's on the card too! That fancy British bantamweight with the cool hat...what's his name? Oh, Brad Pickett! He's taking on someone in Renan Barao who hasn't been defeated in 27 straight fights!
These and more stories have been waiting to be told, but in case you haven't noticed, there's been zero attention placed on UFC 138 all week. Sure, we're right at the halfway point of four events in four weeks, but every show is an important one, right? Well, apparently not if it airs on Spike TV these days.
The Card That Didn't Exist
Here's a few things that stuck out this week about the non-promotion:
- On Wednesday's The Ultimate Fighter, there wasn't a single mention/ad for Saturday's event. There were two promos for UFC 139: Henderson vs. Shogun, two deceptive spots for the Cain Velasquez/Junior dos Santos 11/12 Spike marathon, a UFC Best of 2011 DVD set ad and a promo for Ultimate Knockouts 2. To repeat, the show is on Spike TV THIS SATURDAY and there was nothing done on a UFC show aired on Spike to promote it.- There was no UFC 138 media conference call this week or even last week. I can't remember the last time that happened in recent memory. I realize the fighters are in London and there's a time difference, but that hasn't stopped these from happening before.
- Dana White took most of the week off Twitter. There was no 'FIIIIIGHT WEEEEEEEK!' tweet to get people excited and no activity at all until Thursday. White, Twitter and fight promotion go together like the Kardashians, paparazzi and dumb people caring. He lives and breathes UFC especially in a fight week and suddenly he goes silent on his favorite social media platform? That doesn't compute.
A scan of UFC.com Thursday night tells the user all they need to know: the November 12th UFC on Fox date is all that matters. Between the ads running to three of the top six lead story slots devoted to Cain Velasquez, UFC 138 is already an afterthought before it even begins.
It's obvious that since the Fox deal was announced (and really even before that), things have gotten increasingly ugly from both sides. Recent glaring examples are Spike's decision to run the aforementioned Velasquez/dos Santos marathon against the Fox show and the decision to air Bellator prelim fights on Spike.com. The UFC countered by not listing Spike as a place to watch events, directing people to UFC.tv instead.Just think of that for a minute. When's the last time you heard of a broadcasting relationship where an entity didn't list on their website where to watch the event on TV for free? How this bodes for the TUF finale in early-December is anyone's guess.
Do It For The Kids
While the pissing match between the two is a sad end to a once-fruitful relationship, the ones getting punished are the "kids" -- aka the fighters competing Saturday. Leben and Munoz didn't ask to be flown to London to main event a star-lacking show. Pickett didn't ask the promotion to run four straight Saturdays of shows when he's co-main eventing in the biggest fight of his career in front of his countrymen. The near-sellout crowd at Birmingham, England's LG Arena that has already set an arena record for revenue didn't ask for any of this. They want a great show and want to feel like they're seeing a great show. If the UFC doesn't seem to care, why should they?
Even if this card is viewed as a dog, there are still 20 men competing that deserve the UFC and Spike's best effort in telling people they should watch this show. This is one of two final live events both sides have to co-produce and then, they can go their separate ways (minus the footage Spike can air throughout 2012).
Things may be difficult, but the fighters and the fans shouldn't be the ones that suffer the brunt of the punishment as a result. As long as those three letters are on the marquee, it's in both parties' best interests to swallow some pride and represent like any other show.
SBN coverage of UFC 138: Leben vs. Munoz
Posted in: ufc, show, week, event, spike
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowAfter Long Absence From UK Market, UFC Hopes for Two Shows in 2012
Filed under: UFC, NewsSince making the UK market a priority a few years ago, the UFC visited the country eight times between 2007 and 2010. And even though shows there have tended to do big business, 2011 nearly came and went without a return, until the promotion managed to wedge one into the final stretches of a hectic schedule.
While some in those parts have claimed they've been neglected, UFC executives say they have already planned another event for the UK in 2012, and possibly a second.
"It's still a work in progress but it's a work we're prepared to do, committed to do," UFC managing director of international development Marshall Zelaznik said on Thursday. "Dana and Lorenzo are coming. We're committed to this market. We love coming here. The fans have been very supportive ... We're not giving up on this market and you can expect to see us here next year and I hope more times in the years to come."
The UFC has faced some troubles in the market due to unstable television contracts that have "disjointed" programming in Zelaznik's words, but each time they've brought the show to town, fans have turned out in droves. During the UFC 138 pre-fight press conference, he announced that Saturday's UFC 138 event, headlined by Mark Munoz vs. Chris Leben,at the LG Arena in Birmingham, would set a gate record.
Because of time zone differences, North American TV audience sizes are often affected by events held in Europe as well, though Zelaznik did not mention that as a factor in their scheduling decisions.
The UFC's ambitious international schedule -- Scotland and Italy are two European nations they've spoken of visiting in 2012 -- is ultimately to blame, according to the company. There are only so many shows they can produce, leaving someone, somewhere disappointed as a result.
"In a perfect world we'd be here more times a year, but as you know, you've heard our mantra, we're trying to get everywhere, and there's a lot of pressure to bring the event everywhere around the world," he said. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, time, event, year, market
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseAsian MMA Update: URCC 20 In-Depth Preview and Predictions
The Philippines' biggest MMA promotion, the URCC has been running for almost a decade now, and with their 20th major event happening this weekend, they're pulling out all the stops. To get you hyped, here's an excellent looking intro video of the 'URCC 360' that previews the milestone event. (Filipinos can catch the entire show tonight at 9:30 PM on Solar Sports):
For people outside of the Philippines, you can catch the actual event as it streams on their website on Sat, Nov 5, 8AM ET.
After the jump, more preview videos, plus predictions and analysis on the event that features six title fights.
There will be 6 title fights on the card that features 10 events, so let's focus on those. Headlining the event will be URCC interim bantamweight champion, Jessie Rafols and Reydon "The Filipion Bolo Punch" Romero. Here's the preview video of the bout:
Jessie Rafols vs. Reydon Romero [Bantamweight Super-Fight Title] - 'The Filipino Bolo Punch' is a talented featherweight contender that will be making the drop to bantamweight to take on Rafols, who is the interim URCC bantamweight champion. Romero is a good striker who has heavy hands, but Rafols is one of the most talented bantamweights in the Asian region, and I expect him to dominate and to live up to his monicker, "The Finisher". This is guaranteed to be exciting as both fighters are very gritty, but I think it's going to be Jessie Rafols by Submission.
For the co-headlining bout of the evening, it's going to be a light heavyweight championship bout between Australian fighter, Nicholas 'The Apprentice' Mann, and Chris Luna of DEFTAC. Here's the preview video of the bout:
Nicholas Mann vs. Christian Luna [Light Heavyweight Championship] - This is an excellent fight stylistically, which makes it very hard to predict. Both guys are well rounded fighters, but Hybrid Yaw Yan's Nicholas Mann, who also has black belts Kuk Sool Hapkido and a taekwondo black belt, will probably have the edge standing up, while Chris Luna, a DEFTAC fighter who is a purple belt in BJJ, will probably be better on the ground. The move to light heavyweight would be good for Nicholas, as he has faced larger men in the past, even competing against HW title contender, Igor Subora, who outweighed him by almost 50 lbs. Chris Luna has been working a lot on his stand up, but will it be enough when he takes on the bigger and more experienced fighter in Mann? Will he be able to take things to the ground and apply his BJJ game? This fight could go either way, and while most pundits are picking Luna to take this, I'm leaning slightly towards the Australian on this bout. Nicholas Mann by Decision.
Next up, the heavyweight championship bout. Check out the video preview:
Igor Subora vs. Ryan Paglinawan [Heavyweight Championship] - Igor Subora is a large heavyweight fighter from Ukraine, he has good strikes and good takedowns that stems from his Sambo background. As with all heavyweight fights, things can get a bit sloppy, but I do expect this to be very explosive and quick, with Subora getting his hand raised after a brutal mugging. Igor Subora by TKO.
Froilan Sarenas vs. Robin Jose [Middleweight Championship] - Sarenas is the current URCC middleweight champion, coming out of Submission Sports Philippines, which is an Atos affiliated team. Atos, as some of you might already know, is the best grappling team in the world, and is home to guys like Ramon Lemos (Anderson Silva's BJJ coach) and Andre Galvao among others. That is where his strength lies, as he effectively uses his BJJ base to quickly clinch up and submit guys. His opponent, Robin Jose, is a late replacement coming in on short notice, and going against a guy as talented as Sarenas, that certainly isn't a good thing. Froilan is a bit undersized for middleweight, and he's probably looking to drop at least 1 weight class for future events, but I still think he outclasses Jose here. Froilan Sarenas by Submission.
Honorio Banario vs. Patrick Manicad [Lightweight Championship] - Honorio Banario is from the famed Lakay Wushu camp that is home to other top Asian champions such as Eduard Folayang, Kevin Belingon, and Roy Docyogen. He's the youngest on the group, but he also has a lot of potential. He was supposed to take on MFC veteran, Sabah Fadai, but the Canadian had to pull out due to injury, so Manicad steps in against the Wushu fighter. Banario is young, and he's still learning, but I fully expect him to extend his perfect record to 6-0 after this. Honorio Banario by TKO.
Frank Navarro vs. Pete Brooks [Cruiserweight Championship] - Brooks is long and lanky with his 6-foot-6 frame, and he trains on high altitude in Baguio, as he prepares to secure the vacant cruiserweight belt (199 lbs.). Unfortunately, his original opponent, Mac Sabiano, was in a motorcycle accident that forced him to pull out of the fight on less than a week's notice. Although frankly, I would've picked Brooks against either guy, and even if his new opponent, Navarro, had a full training camp. Brooks takes this and improves to 5-0. Pete Brooks by Submission.
Videos from Headrush Productions
Posted in: fighter, bout, heavyweight, event, championship
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowBAMMA announces November card, Marquardt title fight
BAMMA has today announced the full card for its December 10th event in Nottingham, England. The event, which takes place at the Capital FM Arena, will...
Posted in: event, card, arena, bamma, nottingham england
Read the full article at Fighters Only“Big” John McCarthy likely to referee UFC on FOX main event
“Big” John McCarthy is the most famous referee in MMA, he’s been a part of the UFC organization since the beginning, and he’ll be in the octagon when the company makes their network TV debut on November 12. CSAC Executive Officer George Dodd informed the UFC that, “there is a 99% chance” that McCarthy will be the referee for the UFC on FOX main event between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.
The news was first reported by MMAJunkie.com.
McCarthy, who retired from being a UFC referee after The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale in December 2007, returned as the third man in the cage at UFC 117 in August 2010.
UFC President Dana White had previously stated that he wanted Herb Dean, who he believes is the best in the business, to oversee the main event title fight. Dean, along with Larry Landless will also be referee’s at the event although they have not been given fight assignments as of yet.
Posted in: ufc, event, mccarthy, referee, ufc referee
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainFor you Maniacs making the trip out to Birmingham this weekend for the upcoming "Leben vs. Munoz"...
For you Maniacs making the trip out to Birmingham this weekend for the upcoming "Leben vs. Munoz" event set to go down on Nov. 5, 2011, from the LG Arena at the National Exhibition Centre in England, the UFC has provided you with this handy-dandy schedule of events to work your weekend around. Who's heading across the pond to enjoy the festivities? For a hi-res version of the UFC 138 schedule of events poster click here.
Posted in: event, weekend, lg arena, handydandy schedule, exhibition centre
Read the full article at MMA ManiaReferee John McCarthy '99 percent' likely to ref UFC on FOX 1 main event
You can't always get what you want.
The California State Athletic Commission has earmarked "Big" John McCarthy as the referee for the main event of UFC on FOX 1, which features a heavyweight title fight between champ Cain Velasquez and challenger Junior Dos Santos.
It's the UFC's first event on major network television.
Posted in: ufc, event, john mccarthy, california state, ref ufc
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBellator 56: 154,000 viewers
MMA Junkie reports that Bellator 56 earned an average of 154,000 viewers. This marked the second straight week in a row Bellator’s ratings decreased in its Saturday night spot on MTV2.
Via MMA Junkie:
The event again faced stiff competition from the UFC. UFC 137 took place the same night in Las Vegas, and the event’s Facebook, Spike TV and pay-per-view fights overlapped with Bellator 56′s broadcast and stream.
Payout Perspective:
This week’s decrease in ratings was probable considering it went up against UFC 137, college football and Saturday night Halloween activities. Its a shame considering the Askren-Hieron fight was a matchup that many casual MMA fans would have been interested in. Arguably, Askren is one of the faces of Bellator and its unfortunate that this fight did not get more publicity…or a better night to run this event.
Posted in: fight, night, bellator, event, mma fans
Read the full article at MMA PayoutUFC 143 on Super Bowl weekend likely bound for Mandalay Bay Events Center
The UFC's annual Super Bowl weekend event appears to have a home.
The Feb. 4 show, which is likely to be UFC 143, is expected to take place at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, sources close to the event told MMAjunkie.com.
However, as of today, an official request for the event date and location has not been registered with Nevada State Athletic Commission, and UFC executives have not made an official announcement.
Posted in: ufc, event, ufc executives, bowl weekend, official request
Read the full article at MMA JunkieDana White: UFC Getting Closer to Producing Ultimate Fighter 'World Cup'
Filed under: UFC, NewsThe UFC continues its expansion at a blistering pace, recently signing a major television deal with Brazil's Globo, and planning a February show in Japan, an event that will mark the first event there under Zuffa ownership. But according to UFC president Dana White, that's just the tip of the iceberg.
On a Wednesday teleconference to discuss the UFC on FOX premiere, White discussed some other worldwide plans, including an Ultimate Fighter "World Cup" that would take the winners from several international editions and match them against each other to produce one champion.
The idea has been a long-held one for White, and though its production remains off in the future, steps towards making it a reality are in the here and now.
A deal to produce the UFC's first international edition, has been struck, and the show will soon begin taping in Brazil, likely in the spring of 2012.
"It's really spread like wildfire all over the world," White said of MMA. "There literally isn't a country that you could point your finger on the map that we couldn't get a fighter from. I think we've done a great job finding and cultivating talent from all these different countries."
White said he expected a "phenomenal" amount of talent to emerge from the new Brazil edition of the show, which will probably air in the US on FUEL.
Of course, to pull off a World Cup-type of event, the UFC will have to produce several more versions of the show around the globe. The next likely destinations include Canada, the Philippines and the UK.
"We're getting closer and closer to this dream I've had for the last five years," he said.
As an example of the promotion's growing appeal, White noted that the upcoming UFC on FOX event would air live in 19 countries, including some places not thought of as MMA hotbeds like Italy, Korea, Croatia and Greece. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, world, show, event, country
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseBellator 56 ratings: Numbers decrease again, event draws 154,000 viewers (MMAJunkie.com)
For the second straight week, ratings for this past weekend's event decreased, and Bellator 56 drew 154,000...
Posted in: bellator, event, rating, week ratings, weekends event
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsVitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson Set for UFC 142
Just one day after UFC 142 was announced as the UFC’s latest event in Brazil featuring featherweight champion Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes, another Brazilian will be making a homecoming trip to Rio de Janeiro on January 14.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort will welcome welterweight slugger Anthony “Rumble” Johnson to the middleweight division for the event that is expected for the HSBC Arena, which also hosted UFC 134 in August.
Belfort (20-9) last fought in Brazil at the UFC’s most-recent visit before UFC 134 in 1998, knocking out Wanderlei Silva in under a minute. After fighting for a number of notable promotions, “The Phenom” returned to the UFC in September 2009 with a win over Rich Franklin then challenged fellow Brazilian Anderson Silva for the middleweight title in February, but suffered a first-round KO.
He was previously scheduled to welcome Cung Le to the UFC at UFC 139, but withdrew from the event due to injury.
Johnson is also a longtime UFC veteran with ten fights inside the Octagon all at welterweight. Johnson has struggled cutting to 170 pounds on a few occasions, missing weight by as much as 7.5 pounds in 2007. At 6’2″, he is taller than even most middleweights, so he will not be giving up much size with his move up.
It has not been announced whether this is a permanent move to middleweight, or a one time trial for Johnson.
Both fighters won their most recent fights less than three minutes into the first round. Belfort knocked out Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133 in August in just 1:52, while Johnson stopped Charlie Brenneman with a head kick in only 2:39 at UFC on Versus 6 in October.
UFC 142 has just one other official matchup, as Aldo defends the UFC featherweight title for the third time against Mendes.
For complete coverage of UFC 142, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com
Posted in: ufc, event, johnson, middleweight, belfort
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyVitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson Set For UFC 142 In Brazil
Two men coming off very impressive knockout victories will face off in Brazil. Anthony Johnson is set to make his middleweight debut against a very tough opponent in Vitor Belfort at UFC 142 on January 14th. UFC.com shares the news:
A second Brazilian mega-star is set to fight at home at UFC 142. "Verbal agreements in for what should be an explosive matchup as powerhouse Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson moves up to middleweight to face ‘The Phenom’ Vitor Belfort at the event," UFC president Dana White said.
The news had been rumored yesterday, and the UFC finally confirmed it today. Johnson is coming off his KO win over Charlie Brenneman at UFC on Versus 6 and a move to middleweight was bound to happen sooner or later. Belfort had been scheduled to face Cung Le in the co-main event at UFC 139, but was forced to withdraw due to an injury and was replaced by Wanderlei Silva. He last competed at UFC 133 where he knocked out Yoshihiro Akiyama.
The UFC 142 card, which currently doesn't have a set location, will also feature a UFC featherweight title fight between champion Jose Aldo and challenger Chad Mendes in the main event.
More SBN coverage of UFC 142
Posted in: ufc, event, johnson, vitor, belfort
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowManvel Gamburyan vs. Diego Nunes booked for UFC 141
The UFC has announced they’ve booked a featherweight fight between Manvel Gamburyan and Diego Nunes. The fight is slated for UFC 141 on December 30 in Las Vegas. The event’s main event I scheduled to be a heavyweight No.1 contender fight between Brock Lesnar and Strikeforce defectee Alistair Overeem.
Both Gamburyan and Nunes will be looking to get their UFC careers back on track after both stumbled short on their debuts with the promotion. Nunes hasn’t fought since June when he dropped a unanimous decision to featherweight debutant Kenny Florian. Nunes was out-struck by ‘Ken-Flo’ on the way to the decision. Gamburyan is riding a two fight losing streak after losing to Tyson Griffin at a UFC Live event in June.
Gamburyan Comes Up Short Against Jose Aldo
Other fighters scheduled to face off on the New Year’s Eve Weekend card include lightweights Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz, as well as Jon Fitch and Johny Hendricks.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
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Posted in: ufc, fight, event, nune, gamburyan
Read the full article at Fighters.comFive Fights To Make After UFC 137
UFC 137 is in the books, and we're going to play fantasy matchmaker. Check out the five fights we'd like to see coming out of the event.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, fantasy, matchmaker
Read the full article at Heavy MMAAldo to Defend Title in Brazil
After the success of UFC Rio in August, UFC officials promised that they would stage another event in the country as soon as possible. That return has now been confirmed as UFC 142, to be held January 14 in a to-be-named Brazilian city. Besides the date, a title-fight main event was also confirmed.Pound-for-pound superstar Jose Aldo will fight in Brazil for the first time since 2007 when he defends his UFC featherweight title against unbeaten powerhouse Chad Mendes. Read more about the matchup on Fox Sports.
Posted in: ufc, event, brazil, ufc officials, ufc rio
Read the full article at UFCUFC 137: Georges St-Pierre Discusses Diaz/Penn and More
UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre discusses his thoughts on the Penn vs. Diaz main event, his injury status and more.
Posted in: ufc, event, george, stpierre, injury status
Read the full article at Heavy MMAUFC 137 Post-Fight Interviews: Kongo, Nelson, Jorgensen, and many more
UFC 137 delivered an exciting night of fights last night from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Several of the event's biggest stars were available immediately following the Post-Fight Press Conference to discuss their bouts, as well as the next steps in their mixed martial arts career.
Posted in: ufc, night, event, postfight, art
Read the full article at Low KickWith UFC champ St-Pierre livid, Condit gives way to Diaz for Super Bowl weekend fight
LAS VEGAS - Once again, Nick Diaz proves to be just the right kind of crazy.
Moments after defeating MMA legend B.J. Penn in the main event of
Saturday night's UFC 137 event, Diaz told a Mandalay Bay Events Center
crowd he thinks UFC champ Georges St-Pierre faked an injury in order to
avoid a fight.
The move earned St-Pierre's attention, and UFC president Dana White said
Carlos Condit has agreed to step aside in order to make the fight it
seems everyone now wants to see.
Posted in: ufc, fight, diaz, event, stpierre
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 137 draws a reported 10,313 attendees for $3.9 million live gate
LAS VEGAS - Saturday's "UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz" event drew a reported
10,313 attendees and generated a live gate of $3.9 million.
UFC president Dana White revealed the figures at the evening's post-event press conference, which MMAjunkie.com attended.
Featuring a welterweight contest between former Strikeforce champ Nick
Diaz and former UFC titleholder B.J. Penn, UFC 137 marked the company's
first event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas since this
past February's UFC 126 contest.
Posted in: ufc, event, las vegas, la, welterweight contest
Read the full article at MMA JunkieGeorges St-Pierre Makes His Pick in the UFC 137 Main Event
GSP was supposed to fight at UFC 137, but an injury knocked him out of the main event. Instead, he tells MMAWeekly.com who he believes will win between BJ Penn and Nick Diaz.
Posted in: ufc, bj penn, event, georges stpierre, event gsp
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyUFC 137: BJ Penn vs Nick Diaz video 'behind the scenes'
Ride along behind the scenes with UFC 137 event headliners, B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz, as they go through their final duties and preparations for their bout tonight (Oct. 29, 2011) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Take a peek at what things look like from their point of view, from the pre-fight press conference to the weigh-ins to the final dinner before fight night. Enjoy! It's almost time.
Posted in: nick diaz, nick, event, fight night, scene
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz - Live Results and Play-By-Play for Pay-Per-View Fights
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz. Our live coverage will start with the beginning of the Facebook prelim stream (6:15 p.m. ET), continuing through the Spike TV prelim broadcast (8 p.m. ET) and finally through the pay-per-view broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
This post will cover live results and thoughts on the pay-per-view broadcast.
The solid night of action is headlined by a welterweight bout between B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz. Two heavyweight fights are on the main card as Cheick Kongo faces Matt Mitrione and Mirko Filipovic squares off with Roy Nelson. Bantamweights Scott Jorgensen and Jeff Curran and featherweights Hatsu Hioki and George Roop round out the card.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
Posted in: diaz, result, pm, event, heavyweight fights
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 137 videos: 'The Hangover' featuring Nick Diaz
The UFC once again gets viral with its latest online effort to promote tonight's (Oct. 29, 2011) UFC 137: "Penn vs. Diaz" pay-per-view event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
What do you think of this one, Maniacs? The best yet?
Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick diaz, event, tonight
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 137 Donald Cerrone Autograph Giveaway
Any fight-fans out there who like free stuff related to MMA?
If so, and I suspect there may be, on behalf of Fighters.com I’m proud to announce a new and interactive social media giveaway featuring all sorts of exclusive Topps MMA trading cards. As an avid sports card collector for over twenty years, I can attest to there being few things more exciting than acquiring cards of your favorite players, fighters or teams.
Over the next few events, we’re going to be piloting a new giveaway system over Twitter. For future UFC events, starting this weekend, the site will be trying giving away something related to somebody fighting on the card that night. It could be an autograph, it could be a memorabilia card (a piece of the fighter’s walkout shirt or shorts from a previous event,) or it could be a package of different cards.
We’re going to kick off our giveaways with the help of a “Cowboy”. To commemorate his fight on Saturday against Dennis Siver, this week’s UFC 137 giveaway will be this 2011 UFC Finest Autograph of Donald Cerrone.”
How do you enter these giveaways? It’s simple. If you have a Twitter account, you’re already eligible. Follow these accounts:
Fighters MMA: Follow (@FightersMMA) on Twitter
Me: Follow Matt Paligaru (@paliontology) on Twitter
Then, when you see my event previews with a giveaway, Tweet me your main card predictions, and the way you see the MAIN EVENT ending (i.e. Jon Jones via KO). If you beat my picks, you win! If more than one person beats me, the tiebreaker is your main event fight ending. If there’s still a tie, I’ll take all the entrants and do a random draw. (EXAMPLE – Roop – Curran – Nelson – Mitrione – Penn by Submission)
There’s never any cost to enter or win, and it’s our way of thanking you, the readers, for your continued support of what we do.
I hope to have more giveaway news, and possible partnerships as the weeks and months go by, both here, and on our other sites.
See you cageside!
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Posted in: ufc, event, card, twitter, giveaway
Read the full article at Fighters.comUFC 137 Wrap-Up: Diaz, Penn, Cerrone, Palaszewski take home $75k
UFC 137 promised and delivered an absolute war tonight from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz went toe to toe for the duration of the 15-minute headliner, leaving one another battered and bloodied en-route to a unanimous decision victory for "The Stockton Bad Boy." In the co-main event, Cheick Kongo extended his unbeaten streak to four, outworking Matt Mitrione to hand the up and comer his first defeat, while Roy Nelson scored a third-round TKO stoppage over
Posted in: nick diaz, event, decision victory, roy nelson, unbeaten streak
Read the full article at Low KickUFC 137 changes: Georges St. Pierre and the anatomy of another cursed fight card
Tonight (Oct. 29, 2011), UFC 137 will invade Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event was originally slated to be a massive card, headlined by a "unification bout" (of sorts) between UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre and Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz.
It was going to be epic. St. Pierre was said to be facing one of the biggest tests of his career. But before fans could "rush" out and place their wagers on the fight, Diaz, staying true to form, missed an important press conference, ticked off his new boss, Dana White, and was pulled from the main event.
We were left with a new main event between "GSP" and former WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit, who had previously occupied the co-main event slot opposite B.J. Penn. That left "The Prodigy" out in the cold, of course, until White made him an offer he couldn't refuse, setting him up in a new fight with Diaz, the former co-star of the original main event.
Head spinning yet? Well, hold on, it gets better (or worse, depending on your perspective).
Shortly after the new fight card was announced and finalized, St. Pierre suffered a sprained knee in training. The injury forced him to withdraw, which subsequently forced Condit to do the same, leaving Penn vs. Diaz as the new main event.
If you're a fan of "musical chairs," have we got the pay-per-view event for you.
In addition to the aforementioned changes to UFC 137, we've also witnessed the following occur:
- Sam Stout decided to pull out of his fight with Denis Siver to take some time to mourn the loss of his trainer, brother-in-law and close personal friend, Shawn Tompkins. Donald Cerrone decided to "Cowboy Up" and take his spot, thus adding some new repercussions to the lightweight division, in general.
- The loss of the Georges St. Pierre vs. Carlos Condit fight and the promotion of the Nick Diaz vs. B.J. Penn to "main event" status caused the Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione bout to be moved up to the "co-main event" slot.
- Brad Tavares suffered an injury which forced him off the event and his opponent, Dustin Jacoby, off the main card. (It was later announced that Jacoby would be taking on Clifford Starks in one of the Facebook preliminary fights.)
- Due to the Tavares injury, the Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran fight was bumped up from its previous Spike TV preliminary fight spot to the pay-per-view main card.
This new card barely resembles the original lineup. Clear comparisons could be drawn between this card and the UFC 108 card on Jan. 2, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada (which featured a total of nine fights that had been pulled from the card or modified in some way). UFC fans are certainly hoping for better results this go-round.
Different doesn't always mean worse. UFC 137 is still set to showcase a multitude of potentially very exciting fights. By all rights, this event could shape up to be full of fireworks.
One can only hope.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, pierre, card
Read the full article at MMA ManiaMotocross combined with MMA, this isn't insanity, this is Montana
As my overly hot actress neighbor who drunkly stumbled into my apartment this Friday night said about this event: 'It's like Cage vs. Cons, but for the suburbanites that lost their virginity to Korn.' She's somewhat right in her impaired state. This hybrid event was called 'Backflips & Beatdowns' and it was held in Billings, Montana, a place where time flicked onto the metaphorical wall and forgot about, like a miscellaneous booger.
It all went down yesterday and it featured quads and motorcycles jumping off an incredibly high ramp that was placed directly next to an MMA cage. See, it's like the start of a really great and novel idea -- but exactly the opposite. We're assuming all fighters on the card had to sign an agreement acknowledging the risk that there was a moderate chance of a flying human being atop a vehicle crushing them at any point of the fight. It's like an unintentional obstacle dictated by the laws of gravity. Sir Issac Newton would have been proud.
Since there's nothing else you want to do aside from watch this video over a cool cup of 'WTF,' check out footage of last night's 'Backflips & Beatdowns' event. Props to Darren J. for the find. [Source]
Posted in: event, theres nothing, wtf check, actress neighbor, korn shes
Read the full article at Middle EasyMayweather-Ortiz receives 1.25 million PPV buys
ESPN’s Dan Rafael tweeted that the official PPV buys for September’s Mayweather-Ortiz fight at 1.25 million. The numbers were provided by co-promoters for the event, Golden Boy and Mayweather Promotions.
Via Ring TV:
Mayweather-Ortiz generated buys from 1.25 million homes with a value of $78,440,000 in pay-per-view revenue, according to statements released on Friday.
Mayweather has now appeared in the three biggest non-heavyweight pay-per-view events in the sport’s history, including Mayweather vs. Oscar De La Hoya ($136,853,700), Mayweather vs. Ortiz ($78,440,000) and Mayweather vs. Sugar Shane Mosley ($78,330,000).
Bad Left Hook notes that the PPV revenue may be skewed considering the PPV price was $10-$15 higher than the norm: $69.95 (HD) and $64.95 (non-HD).
Payout Perspective:
The strong buy rate and revenue shows that the event’s title, “Star Power,” was directed primarily to Floyd Mayweather. With Mayweather reaping the rewards of the event based on the unique payout from the fight, Mayweather likely cleared the estimated $40 million he would earn from the night.
Based on these numbers, I would argue that this would make a fight with Manny Pacquiao harder to make. Further, Mayweather would be in no rush to broker a fight with Pacquaio as he’s sitting on a $40 million payday. Both sides would want to take more than a 50-50 split and the fact Mayweather can point to his drawing power is evidence that he should claim more than Pacquiao. Then, there’s the fact that he would risk the chance of losing his undefeated record. Pacquiao would counter that his worldwide likeability would claim an international audience. Despite the skepticism, hopefully the sides can agree to a split and the fight will happen sooner than later.
Posted in: fight, mayweather, ppv, event, payperview revenue
Read the full article at MMA PayoutUFC 137 weigh in video highlights for 'Penn vs. Diaz' in Las Vegas
The UFC 137: "Penn vs. Diaz" weigh-in event went down today (Oct. 28, 2011) in Las Vegas, Nevada, where all 22 competitors hit the scale to make their respective bouts official for tomorrow night (Oct. 29, 2011) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
For complete weigh in results click here, for staredown pics click here, for video of the main event staredown click here, for a complete photos gallery click here and for an update on Tyson Griffin missing weight click here.
Ready to get these fights rolling or what, Maniacs?
Posted in: event, click, tyson griffin, weight click, bouts official
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 137 weigh-in photos: An MMAjunkie.com image gallery
LAS VEGAS - MMAjunkie.com was on scene for today's official "UFC 137: Penn vs.
Diaz" weigh-ins, where out of the 22 competitors, Tyson Griffin was the
only fighter who did not successfully make
weight.
Today's entertaining festivities, which featured a brief dust-up between
main event competitors B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz, took place at the
Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The same venue hosts Saturday's
pay-per-view event.
Check out images of all the fighters, including Penn, Diaz and the largest Roy Nelson ever seen on the scales.
Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, event, las vegas, roy nelson
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 137 Preview Video
Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, VideosLAS VEGAS -- The ever-evolving UFC 137 event finally takes place Saturday night in Las Vegas. MMA Fighting's Mike Chiappetta and I look at the interesting storylines heading into the event in our UFC 137 preview video. Check it out below.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, video, event, ufc mma, videoslas vegas
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 137 Weigh-In Highlight Video
Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, VideosLAS VEGAS -- The UFC 137 weigh-ins took place Friday afternoon at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Check out the highlights below.
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Posted in: ufc, video, event, mandalay, weighin
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseMMAFrenzy Podcast: Pre-UFC 137, Bellator 56, and More
MMAFrenzy.com presents its latest podcast, where host Steve “bsbiz” Barnes is joined by writers Chris Leslie and Bryan Robison providing analysis of this week’s MMA news and recaps of recent events.
Click link to play, “right-click” and “Save as” to download. 05 Episode 5 [10_28]
Podcast Markers:
UFC 137 -
Hatsu Hioki vs.George Roop (2:04)
Donald Cerrone vs. Dennis Siver (5:20)
Brandon Vera vs. Eliot Marshall (10:21)
Matt Mitrione vs. Cheick Kongo (15:45)
BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz (19:59)
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Roy Nelson (30:44)
Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran (37:19)
Weight Classes
bantamweight (40:03)
featherweight & lightweight (44:53)
Bellator (47:44)
Bellator 56 (58:22)
Posted in: bellator, vs, event, podcast, bryan robison
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC Smartly Nixes Plans for UFC Japan to Lead Into U.S. Pay-Per-View
According to a report from MMAFighting.com's Daniel Herbertson, the UFC has finally wised up to the realities of promoting an event in Japan. It was originally suggested by UFC President Dana White that the UFC Japan card, scheduled to take place at Saitama Super Arena on February 26, would act as a prelude to a stateside pay-per-view, but sources have confirmed that the UFC has nixed that approach:
The UFC's long-awaited return to Japan on Feb. 26, 2012 will be a full pay-per-view level event, sources have confirmed to MMA Fighting as initially reported by Dave Meltzer. Zuffa has thus abandoned its controversial plan to have the UFC Japan event act as a free-to-air lead-in to a Las Vegas PPV event.
With a 10 a.m. local start time, the possibility that the Feb. 26, 2012 Japanese UFC event would act as a lead-in to a Las Vegas pay-per-view event, and the lack of local network TV deal, many were quick to criticize the first Japanese UFC event of the Zuffa era.
Although Japanese fans will still be forced to make the morning commute to Saitama Super Arena, MMA Fighting has learned that significant progress has been made towards ensuring the success of the first UFC event in Japan since Dec. 2000 as along with the elevation to PPV for the UFC Japan event, Zuffa has signed a marketing and promotional deal with local advertising giant Dentsu Inc. and a lucrative broadcast deal is currently being negotiated.
I wrote about the obstacles the UFC would face in Japan, concluding that the event was a vanity act. When White suggested that the event act as a lead-in to a stateside pay-per-view, it only added fuel to the fire, making it even more difficult to see what the actual goal was for the card.
Interestingly enough, the UFC has signed an advertising deal with Dentsu, which is a major step in the right direction. Dentsu isn't widely known, but they have helped companies like Skype and Facebook market to Japanese customers. They are the #1 advertising agency in Japan by a long shot, and they should add some muscle to the UFC's plans to land a better TV deal.
Is it enough? I have a hard time believing it matters. Unless the UFC can somehow spark interest among MMA fans in Japan to a brand that is fairly unknown, the card won't matter at all unless they can gain a network deal. If this leads to a bigger TV deal, by all means make the moves. The real question is whether spending the money on this deal is the smart thing to do long-term in a market that has lost interest in MMA for the time being. I don't think it is.
Posted in: ufc, event, deal, japan, payperview
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 142 booked for Rio de Janeiro's HSBC Arena on Jan. 14
The Ultimate Fighting Championship won't wait long to return to spiritual home of mixed martial arts.
Following this past August's ultra-successful UFC 134 event, the UFC
will return to Rio de Janeiro's HSBC Arena on Jan. 14 for an event
expected to serve as UFC 142.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the booking with UFC officials.
Posted in: ufc, event, rio, jan, janeiro
Read the full article at MMA JunkieMMAterial Facts (10/28/11) : UFC Japan PPV, UFC on FOX Prelims, and Will Strikeforce Live?
Welcome to this edition of MMAterial Facts, where we feature articles from around the MMA community.
***
This week’s MMAterial Facts:
- UFC Japan Will Be PPV Event; Doubleheader Plans Abandoned (MMA Fighting)
“The UFC’s long-awaited return to Japan on Feb. 26, 2012 will be a full pay-per-view level event, sources have confirmed to MMA Fighting as initially reported by Dave Meltzer. Zuffa has thus abandoned its controversial plan to have the UFC Japan event act as a free-to-air lead-in to a Las Vegas PPV event.”
- Bjorn Rebney: Viacom buying Bellator is a major statement about MMA’s future (Fight Opinion)
“It speaks volume to the strength of what I believe is the greatest sport on the face of the Earth. And, you know, we’re going to be transitioning to Spike in 2013. In the interim, we’ll be building out the brand and increasing and improving every element of what we do on MTV2 and EPIX & Spike.com. It just gives us an incredible opportunity to work with really smart people who understand our sport backward and forward to build this out and to continue to build traction around our tournament format, our objectivity and some of the greatest fighters on the face of the Earth. So, it gives us every tool to build this out for many, many, many years to come.”
- Interview with Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren (MMA Mania)
“Yeah he was a national champion in junior college but Jay [Hieron] is significantly overrating his wrestling ability. What you have to realize is that people who win national junior college tournaments, I pin them in 30 seconds. That’s no big deal. I mean, even at the highest, highest level at the NCAA tournament my senior year, in five matches I probably got 40 takedowns and that’s against the best of the best of the best guys in the United States in wrestling and Jay was never on that level”
- Dana White Talks UFC 137, Strikeforce, Viacom, Plus Other News & Notes (MMA Convert)
“Dana White announced at the beginning of the press conference that they have hired MMA Live anchor Jon Anik away from ESPN to commentate on the FX and TUF broadcasts. Anik will also have a role in other programming. MMA Weekly is reporting that Anik has signed a three-year deal with the UFC. Dana White said they’ll be working him so much, he’ll regret leaving ESPN.”
- Thailand Floods – A Setback for MMA? (MiddleEasy)
“Thailand has recently joined the mixed martial arts foray, really hitting the ground running in 2011. The sport was slow to get going in Thailand where a majority of the combat sports fans are more apt to enjoy Thai boxing than mixed martial arts, regardless of the fact that it is part of the “mixed” in MMA. As new players have arrived, the sport is beginning to catch on. DareFC, the biggest player in Thailand has enjoyed the early successes of mixed martial arts, showcasing some of the regions talented strikers and grapplers. Their business model is very unique, although one that works very well for the region.”
- Nelson Getting A Little Help From His Friends (NBC Sports MMA)
“Nelson told NBCSports.com that this isn’t the first time the casual friends have trained together — Nelson said he helped Mir prepare for a few fights “three-to-four years ago” — but this is the first time Nelson has called upon Mir for a training camp”
- Video Timeline: MMA’s Greatest Techniques of the Year, 1993-2011 (Cage Potato)
“Over the last two decades, MMA has evolved so consistently that fighters are still finding new and unexpected ways to destroy their opponents — while causing fans to spit their beers in shock. We decided to take a lil’ spin through MMA history and identify the single most awe-inspiring technique from each year since the sport’s modern inception.”
- UFC on FOX prelims to air online (Five Ounces of Pain)
“Everyone wanted to see the lightweight showdown between Ben Henderson and Clay Guida on November 12 and now they’ll be able to. No, the bout won’t air live on FOX prior to the heavyweight main event, but the entire UFC on FOX preliminary card will air online on Facebook.com and Fox.com.”
- Jake Shields Signs with Authentic Sports Management (5thRound)
“This was a big decision for me, I took my time looking for the right management and I found it in Glenn Robinson and Authentic Sports Management,” said Shields. “ASM feels like a family environment. It has good people who are working hard, and he seems to really care about the fighters.”
- Akira Corassani – Behind The Screen (Exclusive Interview) (LowKick)
“Few days before Nick Diaz and BJ Penn square off inside the Octagon, TUF 14 bad boy Hamid “Akira” Corassani stops by for an exclusive interview with LowKick.com. Corassani currently entertains the Mixed Martial Arts fans around in his SpikeTV-documented quest for contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, representing Team Bisping somewhere in Nevada’s deserts (I don’t really know where the TUF Gym is).”
- Jim Genia on NY Underground MMA scene (TheFightNerd)
“New York doesn’t allow MMA right now, so fighters have to go to New Jersey to fight where its sanctioned or they have to go underground in New York city… but the book isn’t just about the underground fight scene in New York, it’s also about the development of sanctioned MMA in the east coast… In New Jersey, tehre was a show called BAMA Fight Night run by Big Dan Miragliotta. His show was the only show for the longest time, there weren’t sanctioned events in the North East, so Big Dan would hold these shows and people like Matt Serra, Nick Serra, Phil Baroni, they had their first fights at these events.”
- Dana White: There Is a Chance That Strikeforce Lives (BleacherReport.com/MMA)
“I met with Showtime yesterday, and I had a great meeting with them,” White told Helwani. “I’m jumping in. The way that it works, and I’ve explained this before, is that Lorenzo and I divide and conquer. We’re both so busy. We’re working on so much stuff and I think sort of to get this deal moving, you needed the kinder, gentler side of the UFC in there. Now, I am going to go in there and close it.”
Posted in: ufc, fight, mma, sport, event
Read the full article at MMA PayoutUFC 137 Donald Cerrone Autograph Giveaway
Any fight-fans out there who like free stuff related to MMA?
If so, and I suspect there may be, on behalf of Fighters.com I’m proud to announce a new and interactive social media giveaway featuring all sorts of exclusive Topps MMA trading cards. As an avid sports card collector for over twenty years, I can attest to there being few things more exciting than acquiring cards of your favorite players, fighters or teams.
Over the next few events, we’re going to be piloting a new giveaway system over Twitter. For future UFC events, starting this weekend, the site will be trying giving away something related to somebody fighting on the card that night. It could be an autograph, it could be a memorabilia card (a piece of the fighter’s walkout shirt or shorts from a previous event,) or it could be a package of different cards.
We’re going to kick off our giveaways with the help of a “Cowboy”. To commemorate his fight on Saturday against Dennis Siver, this week’s UFC 137 giveaway will be this 2011 UFC Finest Autograph of Donald Cerrone.”
How do you enter these giveaways? It’s simple. If you have a Twitter account, you’re already eligible. Follow these accounts:
Fighters MMA: Follow (@FightersMMA) on Twitter
Me: Follow Matt Paligaru (@paliontology) on Twitter
and when you see my event previews with a giveaway, tweet me your main card predictions, and the way you see the MAIN EVENT ending (i.e. Jon Jones via KO.) If you beat my picks, you win! If more than one person beats me, the tiebreaker is your main event fight ending. If there’s still a tie, I’ll take all the entrants and do a random draw.
There’s never any cost to enter or win, and it’s our way of thanking you, the readers, for your continued support of what we do.
I hope to have more giveaway news, and possible partnerships as the weeks and months go by, both here, and on our other sites.
See you cageside!
Tweet
Posted in: ufc, event, card, twitter, giveaway
Read the full article at Fighters.comr/mma I'm pissed of and need to rant!
Hello r/mma, as the title says, I'm pissed off. I was scheduled to fight in my first semi-pro mma fight this Saturday and on Wednesday night my coach calls me to inform me that the event has been cancelled. This is an even that was originally scheduled for the 15th of October but due to logistical reasons the date was changed to the 29th. This would have been my first fight at 65kg but I normally walk about at 75kg. I dropped 10kg for this fight and have been training hard since May and made a lot of sacrifices in order to make 65kg which I have done (twice) now for two different dates which have both been changed/cancelled. The reason this event was cancelled? well because 7 of the 16 fighters participating pulled out. I don't know all of their reasons for pulling out but it better be because of injury. One guy fighting, pulled out because he couldn't get the day off work when he has know or a while that he would be fighting said date. It's just really frustrating that I have put all this effort in to dropping down to 65kg only to find out that the event is not going forward 2 days before the weigh-ins! The one good thing thats come out of this is I now for the first time ever, I have visible abs! (i used to weigh 88kg 3 years ago). Has anyone else who competes in any sport been in this position before? How did you guys deal with it? Anyways, sorry about this but I just need to rant. submitted by makmachismo [link] [3 comments]
Posted in: fight, event, kg, guys deal, abs i
Read the full article at Reddit"UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz" live and official weigh-in results
LAS VEGAS - MMAjunkie.com is on scene and reporting
live from today's official UFC 137 fighter weigh-ins, where all 22
competitors will look to make weight for their respective contests.
Today's festivities take place at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center, which also hosts Saturday's pay-per-view event.
Among those weighing in are main-event competitors B.J. Penn and Nick
Diaz, as well as co-feature fighters Cheick Kongo and Matt Mitrione.
Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, event, la, competitor
Read the full article at MMA JunkieDana White talks Nick Diaz, BJ Penn, Cro Cop, Silva-Sonnen and much more
UFC President Dana White shared thoughts about this weekend's UFC 137 fight card in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event will be headlined by Nick Diaz's return to the Octagon against BJ Penn, after a long history of missed press conferences, media calls and speculations whether Cesar Gracie's product is going to make it into the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Dana White also related to the potential rematch between Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva, claiming that he's still working on putting this fight together.
Posted in: bj penn, event, dana, anderson silva, chael sonnen
Read the full article at Low KickBJ Penn - Almost Like Looking in the Mirror
It's been 10 years, 25 fights, and two UFC championships in two weight classes, but BJ Penn has a confession to make. At 32, things don’t get easier for him in the moments before the opening bell.“I think the butterflies are getting worse with the years,” he chuckles. “I’m surprised on that. I thought it would get easier and easier. I guess it was getting easier for a little while, but now I’m up in my thirties, and I don’t know if it’s because I’ve got kids or what, but it seems like the butterflies get worse. I don’t know why. I’m comfortable, I’ve got a lot of experience, but it just seems that way.”So when Saturday rolls around once again for “The Prodigy,” he will expect those nerves to kick in, the adrenalin to start flowing, and for the 11th time, he will make the walk to the Octagon as a main event fighter. And that part of it never gets old.“I remember back when I main evented my first UFC fight against Jens Pulver ten years ago,” said Penn of his UFC 35 title fight with “Lil’ Evil.” “That meant the world to me then. I guess everybody in life, they want to feel self-worth in whatever they decide to do, and it’s the recognition and the excitement. I remember the first time I got that main event, (UFC vet and former Penn coach) Renato Verissimo said ‘whoa BJ, you’re the main event?’ ‘Yeah, can you believe that?’ What a ride. And when I got the news that I’d be main eventing this fight, I thought ‘man, what a great career, what a great life and opportunity I’ve had over the years.’”It’s almost as if Penn’s getting sentimental about his career and what he’s accomplished in the sport over the last decade. But don’t mistake that trip down memory lane for an exit strategy. Penn, who is coming off a February draw with Jon Fitch, isn’t ready to head to the beach in Hilo just yet.“I’m 32 and if I could keep winning fights and all that stuff, I think I’m addicted to being in the UFC and I want to try and make this last as long as I can,” he said. “As long as I’m happy. I know it’s easy to get burned out and I’ve talked about retirement and burning out all the time, but I’m trying to enjoy the ride.”And when you’ve been to the proverbial mountaintop like Penn has, the key to keeping things fresh is to constantly receive the type of matchups that not only make you want to sacrifice and train, but that force you to. Penn’s original foe for this Saturday’s card was former WEC champion Carlos Condit, a fighter on a hot streak who certainly fit the mold of dangerous opponent. But after a crazy series of events that saw Condit elevated to the main event against Georges St-Pierre after Nick Diaz no-showed two press conferences, Penn was without an opponent for the show’s original co-main event.“At first when it all happened, I thought that Nick was gone from the UFC,” said Penn, “so I was talking to them about maybe putting me and Jon Fitch back together. (UFC President) Dana White told me that Jon Fitch was hurt and out until December, and he said if you want to fight, give me a call. If not, just let me know.” Then things got even more interesting.“Then Dana calls back and we end up putting the Nick Diaz fight together,” said Penn, who was now going to face the former Strikeforce welterweight champ who was quickly brought back into the UFC fold. “I know Nick, he’s been a training partner of mine and I get along great with him and his brother. But everybody’s trying to put fights together, and at the end of the day they were looking at their options and we were looking at our options, and the best thing for each guy’s career was to fight each other. This is a job – nothing more, nothing less – and that’s what ended up happening.”But UFC 137’s musical chairs weren’t finished yet, as St-Pierre got injured, forcing his bout with Condit to get scrapped. What happened next? Penn vs. Diaz was the new main event.“I always felt that me and Nick Diaz was the main event fight,” said Penn. “Me and Nick is a great fight, and I knew we were gonna draw some followers.”Oh, they’ve drawn some followers, as the buzz for the main event is getting louder and louder as the countdown to the opening bell continues. Yet oddly enough, it’s not Penn - the usual lightning rod for some prefight drama – who is getting the lion’s share of the attention. It’s Diaz who is the talk of the town, with every utterance from his mouth drawing tweets, message board posts, and fevered analysis. For his part, Penn seems comfortable in this unique role, and as he explains, the fans and media aren’t the only ones with a microscope on the Stockton, California native.“I’ve kept a very close eye on Nick Diaz’ career,” said Penn. “He’s one of my favorite fighters that I love to watch out there and I think right now, he’s probably the best boxer in mixed martial arts today. He certainly has some fights to prove it. He spars with Andre Ward, he was signed to fight Jeff Lacy, he was considered to fight Roy Jones Jr., and with accolades like that and with the performances that he puts on in the ring, with a high volume of punches and all those things, I definitely think that he’s probably the best boxer in the sport today.”But when you’re able to deliver praise like that to a future opponent, it usually means one thing – you’re pretty confident in your own ability to defuse your foe’s attack and score the victory. So where does Penn’s confidence come from? Maybe it’s because he’s looking in the mirror.“We’re similar in a lot of the same ways,” said Penn. “With the boxing, with the jiu-jitsu and with the way are careers have gone. Once in a while we end up clashing with the powers that be, and it just ends up going that way for some reason. There are a lot of similarities between me and that guy.”
Posted in: ufc, fight, ’t, event, penn
Read the full article at UFCUFC Japan to be a PPV Event; Double-Header Plans Abandoned
The UFC's long-awaited return to Japan on Feb. 26, 2012 will be a full pay-per-view level event, sources have revealed to MMA Fighting. Zuffa has thus abandoned its controversial plan to have the UFC Japan event act as a free-to-air lead-in to a Las Vegas PPV event.
With a 10am local start time, the possibility that the Feb. 26, 2012 Japanese UFC event would act as a lead-in to a Las Vegas pay-per-view event, and the lack of local network TV deal, many were quick to criticize the first Japanese UFC event of the Zuffa era.
Although Japanese fans will still be forced to make the morning commute to Saitama Super Arena, MMA Fighting has learned that significant progress has been made towards ensuring the success of the first UFC event in Japan since Dec. 2000 as along with the elevation to PPV for the UFC Japan event, Zuffa has signed a marketing and promotional deal with local advertising giant Dentsu Inc. and a lucrative broadcast deal is currently being negotiated.
In an effort to breach the notoriously Japanese market, Zuffa has acquired a significant ally as MMA's leading promoter has signed an undisclosed deal with Dentsu Inc., Japan's leading advertising agency, to assist with ticket sales, marketing, sponsorship and acquiring a larger TV deal in Japan.
Currently UFC content is only broadcast in Japan on WOWOW private satellite TV or through NTT Plala's Hikari TV. History has shown though that these relatively small subscription TV audiences have not been enough to support even the most popular local MMA promotions. For the UFC to grow a significant fan base in the East, a mass distribution TV deal is required.
Although a deal is yet to be reached, Zuffa and Dentsu have recently made significant strides towards securing wider TV coverage, possibly paving the way for more lucrative sponsorship options and most importantly, local news and talk show coverage.
Bouts and ticketing information for the Feb. 26 UFC Japan event are scheduled to be announced in late November. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, event, deal, tv, japan
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 140 Fight Card: Jones vs. Machida
The UFC 140 card is finally set. The event will take place on December 10th in the Air Canada Center in Toronto, Ontario. While it obviously won't draw as many fans as UFC 129 did, Toronto is a very hot market for MMA and this event should do very well, even without a Canadian in the main event. Speaking of the main event, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will fight for the fourth time in 11 months when he defends his title against former champion Lyoto Machida. Along with that, there will be a rematch between Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the co-main spot. Here is the card so far (preliminary card is after the jump):
Dec 10th, live on pay-per-view from Toronto, Ontario:
Jon Jones (14-1) vs. Lyoto Machida (17-2)
Frank Mir (15-5) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (33-6, 1 NC)
Tito Ortiz (16-9-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-5)
Mark Hominick (20-9) vs. Chan Sung Jung (11-3)
Rory MacDonald (12-1) vs. Brian Ebersole (48-14-1, 1 NC)
More SBN coverage of UFC 140
Preliminary Card:
Mark Bocek (9-4) vs. Nik Lentz (21-3-2, 1 NC)
Dennis Hallman (50-14-2, 1 NC) vs. John Makdessi (9-0)
Igor Pokrajac (23-8) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (26-11-1)
Rich Attonito (10-4) vs. Claude Patrick (14-1)
Mitch Clarke (9-0) vs. John Cholish (7-1)
Yves Jabouin (16-7) vs. Walel Watson (11-2)
Jared Hamman (16-3) vs. Constantinos Philippou (11-2, 1 NC)
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, card, nc
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowWhite says 'TUF: Brazil' a done deal, will hold 'as many events as possible' in country
LAS VEGAS - Canada and the Philippines' loss will apparently be Brazil's gain.
UFC president Dana White, who has long teased an international version
of "The Ultimate Fighter" today said a Brazilian edition of the
long-running reality series is "a done deal" and will debut in the near
future.
And while White insists the company has not yet confirmed when it will
return to Brazil for a live event, he said the UFC is actively working
on booking "as many (events) as we possibly can."
Posted in: event, brazil, brazilian edition, fighter today, tuf brazil
Read the full article at MMA JunkieAll UFC on FOX Fights Before Title Bout Will Air on Facebook, FOX.com
Filed under: UFC, NewsLAS VEGAS -- One fight on the UFC's debut outing on network television is likely to be the most watched fight in North American TV history. The others going on that same night though won't even find their way on to broadcast television.
UFC president Dana White on Thursday said that every fight under the main event heavyweight title match will air on Facebook and FOX.com.
That means that even the possible No. 1 contenders fight pitting Ben Henderson and Clay Guida won't find its way on to TV. White said that the promotion considered putting the fights on ION, but ultimately decided against it.
"The way that we looked at this thing as we sat down and figured it out, it just made sense to do this fight on FOX and put the prelims on the internet," he said.
The UFC's deal with FOX doesn't officially kick in until January 2012, but the November 12 event will function as an introduction to the UFC, as a big audience is expected to tune in and watch heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez attempt to defend his crown against Junior dos Santos.
Meanwhile, because the UFC's current deal with Spike has yet to expire, they can not air fights on a competing cable network. That left few options, and while ION was considered, the UFC ultimately has chosen to put all its efforts behind the major main event. In related news, FOX will air a "UFC Primetime" on Velasquez and dos Santos this Sunday following their scheduled broadcast of NFL football.
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Posted in: ufc, fight, fox, way, event
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseKraniotakes Cleared to Compete; ProElite Main Event in Tact
It seems ProElite has finally caught a break with its second main event
Posted in: proelite, event, kraniotake, tact
Read the full article at SherdogUFC 137 The Face-Off: BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz
Heavy MMA writers Duane Finley and Spencer Kyte go head-to-head in their analysis of the UFC 137 main event.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, event, spencer kyte, spencer
Read the full article at Heavy MMAIllinois Commission Reverses Course; Andreas Kraniotakes Remains Tim Sylvia's Opponent at ProElite2
Filed under: News, ProEliteIt's nothing short of a soap opera script.
Less than 24 hours after main event heavyweight Andreas Kraniotakes was denied a license to fight Tim Slyvia in the ProElite 2 main event on Nov. 5, Sylvia has his new opponent.
After his fight with Pedro Rizzo was scrapped due to an injury, and Kraniotakes wasn't approved by the Illinois State Professional Athletic Commission just Wednesday, Sylvia's new opponent will be ... Andreas Kraniotakes.
In a somewhat surprising reversal, the Illinois commission, according to sources close to ProElite, took another look at the fight and decided to grant Kraniotakes a license after all. In a story first reported by MMA Fighting, the commission had initially denied Kraniotakes a license because of a lack of sanctioned fights on his 12-4 record, many of which have taken place in his native Germany, which has only a short history with legalized mixed martial arts.
Sources told MMA Fighting that ProElite had indeed lined up a replacement fighter for Slyvia on Wednesday and anticipated that new opponent being approved by the Illinois commission on Thursday for a fight on just nine days notice. Now that won't be necessary, and Sylvia-Kraniotakes is back on.
In addition, HDNet Fights CEO Andrew Simon took to his Twitter feed on Thursday to say the fight would indeed remain as the main event of the show, which will take place at the iWireless Center in Moline, Ill., on Nov. 5. The main card will air live on HDNet. MMA Fighting first reported last month that the card moved from Atlantic City to the Quad Cities area in western Illinois and would feature a main event between Sylvia and Rizzo with a co-main event of Andrei Arlovski vs. Travis Fulton.
But less than two weeks ago, Rizzo pulled out of the fight with an injury and Kraniotakes, who has cracked the Top 100 heavyweights in the world in some rankings, was tapped as the replacement.
Early Thursday, Kraniotakes, who has been training for the Sylvia fight in San Diego, took to his official website to voice his disappointment in being pulled from the card.
"Eventually, the commission wouldn't give me a license for some reasons no one understands," Kraniotakes said. "I think the people making those decisions probably don't know anything about the sport. I did everything I could do, my management did everything it could do, ProElite did everything it could do to make the fight happen. But the commission just said no."
Perhaps everything that could be done eventually was enough, even if it is a day later.
A message asking for comment left for the Illinois commission's director of athletics, Ron Puccillo, was not immediately returned on Thursday. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: fight, event, commission, illinoi, kraniotake
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseIllinois commission nixes Andreas Kraniotakes' participation in ProElite 2 main event
The same day Andreas Kraniotakes took to MMAjunkie.com Radio and discussed his long-awaited big-show opportunity at next month's ProElite 2 event, the heavyweight was scratched from the event.
On Wednesday, Kraniotakes posted a video message saying he was forced out of his headliner with ex-UFC heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia.
According to a report from MMAFighting.com, an unidentified replacement fighter has been selected and awaits commission approval.
MMAjunkie.com could not immediately reach commission or ProElite officials for comment.
Posted in: proelite, event, commission, kraniotake, wednesday kraniotakes
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 137 press conference LIVE updates today (Oct. 27) for 'Penn vs Diaz' in Las Vegas
Ultimate Fighting Championship will hold a public press conference today (Oct. 27, 2011) to promote this weekend's UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz event, which is scheduled for Oct. 29, 2011.
The conference will begin at 4 p.m. ET live from The Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, the home city of the event.
Scheduled to attend will be UFC president Dana White, as well as the headlining fighters of the evening, B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz.
B.J Penn is one of only two multi-divisional champions in UFC history, having captured both the welterweight and lightweight titles in his time with the promotion. He's currently embarking on a career renaissance at welterweight, having won his trilogy with Matt Hughes and drew with number two ranked Jon Fitch earlier this year.
On the opposite side of the podium will be Nick Diaz, the former Strikeforce welterweight champion who vacated his belt to sign with the UFC and challenge Georges St. Pierre. The GSP fight was scrapped but Diaz is currently riding a 10-fight win streak, which includes three successful title defenses in Strikeforce. He wants to impress the UFC brass and earn a shot at UFC gold..
New co-main eventers Cheick Kongo and Matt Mitrione will also be in attendance . Kongo is coming off one of the craziest comebacks of 2011 against Pat Barry at UFC on Versus 4 earlier this summer while Mitrione has continued his undefeated streak, moving to 5-0 in the UFC with a recent second round knockout of Christian Morecraft at the same event.
We'll have complete updates of the UFC 137 press conference after the jump:
Brian Hemminger here. The conference is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. eastern time. The big question is, will Nick Diaz show up this time?
Posted in: ufc, diaz, conference, event, penn
Read the full article at MMA Mania'Countdown' to UFC 137 full videos for 'Penn vs Diaz'
UFC 137: "Penn vs. Diaz" is right around the corner, emanating from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Oct. 29, 2011.
B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz will serve as the replacement main event after the fight between Georges St. Pierre vs. Carlos Condit was recently scrapped because a knee injury to "Rush." The "Countdown" video above aired earlier this week on Spike TV to promote the pay-per-view (PPV) event this weekend. It featured commentary from Cesar Gracie, Matt Hughes and others who weigh in on the 170-pound clash.
Check out the segment from the UFC 137 "Countdown" show that features the co main event participants, Matt Mitrione vs. Cheick Kongo, as well as another heavyweight scrap, Mirko Filipovic vs. Roy Nelson, after the jump:
Posted in: vs, event, spike tv, countdown, knee injury
Read the full article at MMA ManiaWe went to Take On Productions' TKO XII and all we have to show for it is some mindblowing Muay Thai
I've got to admit the idea of hopping on a Greyhound bus and traveling to Atlantic City has never been on my top ten list of things I'm really interested in doing before I die. Actually it has never even been on my list of things to ever contemplate doing in my life. I would have probably thrown going to Atlantic City on my list of things I'll be happy to never do. Fortunately my good buddy Bauzen used some jedi mind trickery and dangled some Catvonc style kryptonite in front of my face and convinced me to cash in some travel vouchers and head to the Jersey shore for the weekend. I say fortunately because had Bauzen not exploited my weakness I might not have gone out of my way to attend what in my opinion was one of the most well run, classiest and amazing combat sports events I've ever attended.
The show that Take On Productions puts on is a well oiled machine and I can only hope they continue to grow and their show is able to expand throughout the country. From the local favorite talented ring announcer Larry Legend to MuayThaiislife.com owner Eric Rivera handling the fight commentary, to the promotors and fighters-this is a professional and entertaining show. I know from personal experience, we've got nothing that even comes close to their level of production quality here in Atlanta. Take On's event truly made me fall deeper in lust with the sport of Muay Thai and if you ever have the opportunity to go to one of their shows I say you had better jump on it. I'm not even mad that I somehow lost an earring, a ring, a phone charger and a flat iron in the post fight celebrations. I'll blame all of that on sharing too many watermelon rock rancher drinks with Bauzen's girlfriend.
The West Coast has always boasted about having the creme de la creme of Muay Thai fighters on American soil but I think the gyms on the East Coast are ready to give them a run for their money. Gyms like Sitan NY, Phil Nurse's The Wat, Cool Hearts from Philly and Boston Muay Thai just to name a few-have trained and assembled crews of skilled and exciting fighters that combat sport junkies need to start paying close attention to. From the ammy fights to the pro debuts and full rules title fights-there was not one moment where I felt the action was lagging. Here's some of the highlights of the night:
Amateur fight Rich Brattole of Weapons 9/Strategic Combat Gym vs Tim Scmeier of Sitan NY
These guys were both obviously not used to wearing headgear, which is a New Jersey athletic commission rule and not a requirement where the fighters normally fight in their home state of NY, but despite that they went to war with each other trading blows back and forth for the entire 3 round contest.
Amateur fight Caitlyn Dempsey of Impact Martial Arts vs Christina Rodriguez of Girl Fight MMA NJ
The ladies brought the first blood of the evening and the first extremely loud crowd response of the night. Caitlyn Dempsey won her debut fight and the crowd erupted in excitement.
Amateur fight Tianna Urman of The Wat vs Prarie Ruglio of Girl Fight MMA
Prarie came at Tianna Urman raging with unrelenting fists for one full minute before her right hand shut Urman down for good. Girl Fight MMA fans in the crowd went absolutely bonkers and let's be honest, Bauzen had a momentary fear of being trampelled by a mass of angry lesbians.
Main event Justin Greskiewicz of Cool Hearts Muay Thai Philly vs Eddie Martinez of Sitan Gym NY
Another really great fight featuring one of the Sitan gym fighters Eddie Martinez versus the always fun to watch purple haired Justin Greskiewicz. Justin took full advantage of the NJ elbow allowance and used those along with some kicks and punching combos to take the very close split decision win over Eddie Martinez.
Pro fight Jay Matias of Sitan Gym NY vs Jake Mainini of Boston Muay Thai
Saving the best for last here-this was the pro debut for both of these fighters and most of the media in attendance agree it was hands down the fight of the night. These two stole the show and put on an amazing display of technical and precise Muay Thai from round one all the way to the end of the fifth round and never once looked fatigued. Jay Matias gave the crowd a show that they will talk about for years afterwards with his arsenal of kicks and unrelenting combinations that ultimately won him the unanimous decision over an also very skilled Mainini. Here's a small video clip from this fan favorite fight to help fill your hungry Muay Thai bellies.
I know right now you are sitting there dying to watch the rest of that fight. As a matter of fact, I'm certain you want to watch the whole event and you are now angrily axe kicking your little sister into your mom's plastic covered couch because you missed out on all the action this weekend. Well calm down and stop being an angry bully. You can go check out the whole event on GFL.tv right now. The full event results on TakeOnProductions.com and don't forget to follow TakeOn Muay Thai on Twitter and like them on Facebook for all the information you are going to need about their upcoming shows.
Posted in: fight, show, event, muay, thai
Read the full article at Middle Easy(Pic) NIck Diaz made it to Las Vegas to fight B.J. Penn in the UFC 137 main event on Oct. 29, 2011....
(Pic) NIck Diaz made it to Las Vegas to fight B.J. Penn in the UFC 137 main event on Oct. 29, 2011. But that shouldn't come as much of a shock because "you know he always shows up to fight." Either way, it's good to know he's already in "Sin City," fresh cut and all, after all the madness that ensued over the last six weeks.
Posted in: fight, event, sin city, las vegas, pic
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDREAM New Years 2011 Event Will Happen
submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [1 comment]
Posted in: dream, event, year, mattyblayze
Read the full article at RedditIs piracy on the rise hurting the UFC?
Dave Meltzer talks about piracy on the rise and what it means for the UFC:
“I don’t think that there’s one specific reason. I think that there’s probably about 10 different reasons. But the key ones… I think the increase in piracy is one of them. I think too many shows and the effects of… this last one, it’s two weeks between shows. That’s always going to be tough unless you got something incredible. Running a PPV two weeks after your last PPV, I mean we’ve seen it with pro-wrestling… it’s always been, you know, a major effect on it, that’s just too quick. And, you know, just… just so many shows, it’s hard to get people ‘up’ for so many shows. I think those are all factors and also, you know, the different champions as compared to last year. “I have too many friends who started (streaming) in recent months. It’s picked up steam in recent months. How much? It’s impossible to say. I did a poll on my site and last year it was kind of like a 1:1 ratio and now it’s a 1:2 ratio in the sense of buying versus streaming. Now, it’s double the streaming versus the buying, that’s pretty significant.“I think it’s also affecting boxing, too, because the one thing I’ve noticed… you notice they never did announce that Mayweather/Ortiz buy rate and the reason is obviously because I think they were embarrassed of it and, you know, Mayweather’s drawing… Mayweather hasn’t had a bad PPV number since he had the fight with Oscar De La Hoya four years ago and he doesn’t fight so often that it’s overexposure, either.”
It's been a bad year for the UFC, no doubt. 2011 is set to have 15 PPV events, and thus far the only huge fights they had for so many shows was Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort and Georges St Pierre vs Jake Shields. Between too many shows, too little talent, and that pesky recession, they've done some damage to their bottom line. Add in the de facto price hike for HD, and it's no surprise that piracy is only growing as a problem. The number of streams for events is growing, and it's getting easier for people to send those streams right out to their televisions.Fortunately, the UFC seems to be paying attention and is dropping the number of PPV events down to 12, which should help not only with the timing issues and wallet fatigue, but weak cards as well. People don't mind paying for UFC events, but I think there's a certain quality level they expect that has been ignored over the past two years as non-title events have become way too regular.
Posted in: ufc, ppv, event, year, piracy
Read the full article at FightlinkerIs rising piracy hurting the UFC?
Dave Meltzer talks about piracy on the rise and what it means for the UFC:
“I don’t think that there’s one specific reason. I think that there’s probably about 10 different reasons. But the key ones… I think the increase in piracy is one of them. I think too many shows and the effects of… this last one, it’s two weeks between shows. That’s always going to be tough unless you got something incredible. Running a PPV two weeks after your last PPV, I mean we’ve seen it with pro-wrestling… it’s always been, you know, a major effect on it, that’s just too quick. And, you know, just… just so many shows, it’s hard to get people ‘up’ for so many shows. I think those are all factors and also, you know, the different champions as compared to last year. “I have too many friends who started (streaming) in recent months. It’s picked up steam in recent months. How much? It’s impossible to say. I did a poll on my site and last year it was kind of like a 1:1 ratio and now it’s a 1:2 ratio in the sense of buying versus streaming. Now, it’s double the streaming versus the buying, that’s pretty significant.“I think it’s also affecting boxing, too, because the one thing I’ve noticed… you notice they never did announce that Mayweather/Ortiz buy rate and the reason is obviously because I think they were embarrassed of it and, you know, Mayweather’s drawing… Mayweather hasn’t had a bad PPV number since he had the fight with Oscar De La Hoya four years ago and he doesn’t fight so often that it’s overexposure, either.”
It's been a bad year for the UFC, no doubt. 2011 is set to have 15 PPV events, and thus far the only huge fights they had for so many shows was Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort and Georges St Pierre vs Jake Shields. Between too many shows, too little talent, and that pesky recession, they've done some damage to their bottom line. Add in the de facto price hike for HD, and it's no surprise that piracy is only growing as a problem. The number of streams for events is growing, and it's getting easier for people to send those streams right out to their televisions.Fortunately, the UFC seems to be paying attention and is dropping the number of PPV events down to 12, which should help not only with the timing issues and wallet fatigue, but weak cards as well. People don't mind paying for UFC events, but I think there's a certain quality level they expect that has been ignored over the past two years as non-title events have become way too regular.
Posted in: ufc, ppv, event, year, piracy
Read the full article at FightlinkerBellator 55 ratings dip slightly with 168,000 viewers tuning into MTV2
The Bellator Fighting Championships ratings rollercoaster continues, and
this past weekend's Bellator 55 event saw a slight ratings slide. The
Oct. 22 event drew 168,000 viewers on MTV2. That accounted for an nine
percent decrease from the 185,000 who tuned in for Bellator 54.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the ratings information with an industry source.
The event took place at Cocopah Resort and Casino in Yuma, Ariz., and
featured the semifinal round of the season-five bantamweight tournament.
Posted in: bellator, event, rating, ratings slide, percent decrease
Read the full article at MMA JunkieAsian MMA Update: ONE FC Announces First Three Shows for 2012, URCC 20 and Road FC 5 Fight Card Additions
There's a bunch of news coming out of the Asian MMA scene lately, so let's get right to it:
ONE Fighting Championship had their debut event last September, a few months later, and the promotion breaks their silence and announced the official dates for their next three shows for 2012. It's going to happen on three different countries, with less than a month apart in between them.
Their first destination for 2012 will be on February 11, at the The BritAma Arena (also known as the Kelapa Gading Sports Mall) in Jakarta, Indonesia. That's a 4000 capacity indoor arena that's usually used for basketball games.
Second destination for the year will be on March 31, back in their home base of Singapore, and it will be hosted at the same venue as their debut event, the Singapore Indoor stadium.
Third destination would be on April 27, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event will be on Stadium Negara, an arena with a capacity estimated at 10,200 people. One of the obvious choices as a feature bout of that night would be Malaysian star, Adam Kayoom, who is coming off an impressive submission victory over Seok Mo Kim, a guy who even Gregor Gracie couldn't submit after dozens of attempts.
As reported earlier, there are also plans for them to host co-promoted events with the URCC and Road FC for shows the Philippines and Korea respectively. This was penciled in to happen at back to back months around July and August.
I'm not sure if hosting that many shows on different countries every month would be good for business, but it's certainly a very bold and ambitious goal for a new promotion to undertake.
After the jump, several more news and updates from URCC, Road FC, Legend FC, and more.
Road FC 5 is shaping up really well. Earlier it was reported that UFC vet Denis Kang will take on Shungo Oyama as part of their middleweight tournament, and Evolve MMA's Brian Choi will make his featherweight debut against Bae Young Kwon. If that wasn't good enough, just recently added to the card, is a lightweight bout between dangerous Muay Thai striker, Vuyisile Colossa and Legend FC vet, "The Korean Bulldozer" Yui Chul Nam.
URCC 20, on November 5, also had a lot of changes and updates recently with the URCC finally releasing a bunch of fights for their milestone event. Multiple title fights will still be on the line, but with injuries to Kevin Belingon and Sabah Fadai forcing them to pull out of their respective title bouts, the URCC brass had to shift things around to produce this fight card.
- Jessie Rafols vs. Reydon Romero [Bantamweight Super-Fight Title] - Igor Subora vs. Ryan Pagalinawan [Heavyweight Title]- Nicholas Mann vs Chris Luna [Light Heavyweight Title]- Patrick Manicad vs Honorio Banario [Lightweight Title]- Dexter Mistades vs Froilan Sarenas [Middleweight Title]- Pete Brooks vs. Mac Sabiano [Cruiserweight Title]- Lando Espinosa vs Adam Cacay- Will Chope vs Jerson Estoro- Rodel Orais vs. Jilmar Tangayan
Sabah Fadai, who lost his MFC debut, gave this statement to Zike of MMA Orient: "I was suppose to fight November 5th for the title but I have suffered an injury in my last fight so I’m pulling out. Would have been nice to take Banario's belt though"
The URCC Bacolod Brawl 2011 was concluded last week. Check out the results here.
There are two big events in the region this week. On October 29, in Guam, it's PXC 27 which will be headlined by a bantamweight title fight between former URCC champion, Justin Cruz, and Trevin Jones, along with a featherweight championship bout between Guam's most popular fighter, Joe Taimanglo, and their current lightweight champion, Harris Sarmiento.
The following day, it's Legend FC 6, which will be headlined by an excellent lightweight title bout between the champion, Adrian Pang of Australia, and Sengoku vet, Jadamba Narantungalag. The event will be available on PPV in Canada, Australia and the US.
Speaking of Adrian Pang, here's training footage from his camp. (HT: MMA Orient)
Posted in: title, vs, event, urcc, fc
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowDon't forget, One FC will host at least three more shows before the world ends in 2012
So it looks like the world is about to end in 2012, bummer. According to many scientists, philosophers and the Mayans, a cataclysmic event will shake us to the very core on December 21, 2012 destroying the earth as we know it and sending our civilization back into the proverbial stoneage. Terrance McKenna, a psychonaut from the 1970s, created a computer program after consulting with the I-Ching and of course a few late-night magic mushroom and DMT binges. He came up with his doomsday theory called "Timewave Zero" which graphs all of the world's major events over a 25,000 year period. Of course the kicker is that everything stopped in December of 2012. It's kind of like Terminator 2, he came up with a time period for when machines would start making machines for the purpose of the machines.
Luckily the world will see at least three more One FC shows before we all hit that cosmic singularity we all will eventually call home. On February 11th, One FC will throw their second card, this time in Jakarta, Indonesia. The following month on March 31st, the Singapore Indoor Stadium will be selected for One FC's third show and on April 27th the promotion will venture over to Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for their fourth event. As many of you know, I had the opportunity of attending One FC's inaugural show, and if you weren't up at 4:00am to watch it live, you can read my account of the event here.
Posted in: world, event, machine, fc, dmt binges
Read the full article at Middle EasyI just realized we have 4 straight weekends of UFC events. And 6 of the next 7 weekends have a UFC event.
submitted by ImaG [link] [4 comments]
Posted in: ufc, event, ufc events, weekend, ufc event
Read the full article at RedditReminder: 'Countdown to UFC 137' debuts tonight on Spike TV
As a reminder, "Countdown to UFC 137" debuts tonight on Spike TV.
The half-hour preview show, which airs at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT, focuses on
Saturday's UFC 137 event, a lineup that's undergone numerous changes prior to the live pay-per-view airing from Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center.
The welterweight main event features recent Strikeforce titleholder Nick Diaz vs. ex-UFC champ B.J. Penn.
Posted in: event, spike tv, reminder countdown, lineup thats, event features
Read the full article at MMA JunkieONE FC Announces Three Events in Three Countries for Early 2012
Filed under: ONE FCAfter an impressive first showing back in early September the self-proclaimed "Asian major leagues", ONE FC, has been dormant. The upstart Singapore-based promotion broke their silence on Monday evening however, announcing an ambitious schedule of three events in three countries over three months for early 2012.
Jakarta will host Indonesia's first large-scale MMA event on Feb. 11, 2012 as ONE FC heads to the 4000-capacity Kelapa Gading Sports Mall. On Mar. 31 the promotion will return to the home of the debut ONE FC event in September: the 12,000-capacity Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. Finally, ONE FC will also host Malaysia's first large-scale MMA event on Apr. 27 as the promotion heads to the 10,000-capacity Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur.
Although no bouts have been announced for the upcoming events, the promotion is expected to announce a number of new signings in the coming week. ONE FC has been publicly quiet since their debut event on Sept. 3 but behind the scenes the young promotion has been hastily forming alliances across the continent - recently forging relationships with South Korea's Road FC, the Philippines' Ultimate Reality Combat Championship and Thailand's Dare FC.
Although no broadcast details have been announced, the upcoming ONE FC events are expected to air on ESPN Star Sports in Asia and via an online stream. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: promotion, event, fc, capacity, fc event
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC to Show Four Live 3D Pay-Per-Views in Theaters in 2012
The UFC has tried to keep pace with technology when it comes to broadcasting their events. Whether it was offering HD broadcasts of their pay-per-views or using social networking sites to offer undercard fights, it's hard to fault them for the commitment to offering what fans want. They've apparently taken this to the next level starting with their annual Super Bowl weekend card next February, where they will offer a live 3D airing of the pay-per-view in select theaters across the United States. Variety has the info:
February's event will be shown in 120 theaters in the U.S. -- a good starting point for the series, Cinedigm chairman-CEO Chris McGurk told Variety. "The important thing is to fill up those theaters, and I don't think that's going to be a problem," he said.
The UFC experimented with 3D technology earlier this year by offering a broadcast of UFC on Versus 3 in 3D, but they haven't tried again for reasons unknown. They've also experimented with showing UFC events in theaters in the past and they weren't very successful either. It will be interesting to see if this can be profitable, and I'm curious to see what MMA looks like in 3D.
Posted in: ufc, event, theater, offering, payperview
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowVideo: 'M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson' event preview
In less than a month, veteran heavyweights Fedor Emelianenko and Jeff Monson headline an M-1 Global event in Russia.
The event, dubbed "Fedor vs. Monson," takes place Nov. 20 at Olympic Arena in Moscow.
Check out a video trailer for the pay-per-view event, which recently included a well-attended kickoff event at a mall in Moscow.
Posted in: event, fedor, monson, olympic arena, payperview event
Read the full article at MMA JunkieRob Emerson out, Luiz Firmino headlines against John Alessio at Superior Cage Combat 3
Rob Emerson has been forced to withdraw from November's Superior Cage
Combat 3 event, and Luiz Firmino has been tapped for the evening's main
event opposite John Alessio.
MMAjunkie.com today learned of the change.
Alessio vs. Firmino now headlines the Nov. 4 event, which takes place at
Las Vegas' Orleans Arena. An official announcement is expected shortly.
Posted in: event, firmino, alessio, john alessio, luiz firmino
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC goes 3D in 2012
Variety reports that the UFC has partnered with digital cinema company Cinedigm to bring four events to movie theaters in 3D in 2012. The first event will be Super Bowl weekend, February 4, 2012.
Via Variety:
February’s event will be shown in 120 theaters in the U.S. — a good starting point for the series, Cinedigm chairman-CEO Chris McGurk told Variety. “The important thing is to fill up those theaters, and I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” he said.
Cinedigm’s goal is to make movie theatres “appointment programming.”
Payout Perspective:
The last time the UFC flirted with 3D was for UFC on Versus 3. This experiment will be interesting considering the push for 3D in sports. It seems a little early for this but the UFC has always been on the cutting edge when it comes to new forms of media. The price point will play a big role in deciding whether to pay to go to a theatre to watch an event. The February 4th UFC event could have Chael Sonnen facing Anderson Silva in what will be a much hyped match.
With 34 events scheduled for 2012, it seems hard for consumers to consistently purchase UFC PPVs. This can be an interesting alternative than going to a bar. I have always been skeptical about live events playing in theatres so we will see how this will be marketed and how many people take advantage.
Posted in: ufc, event, chael sonnen, movie theaters, price point
Read the full article at MMA PayoutBellator 55 weigh-in results: Bantamweight semifinalists all on weight
All four bantamweight tournament semifinal fighters competing at
Saturday's Bellator 55 event today successfully made weight for the
show.
Today's weigh-ins took place at Cocopah Casino in Yuma, Ariz. The same venue hosts Saturday's event.
The season-five middleweight semifinalists included Marcos Galvao
(135.5) vs. Alexis Vila (134.75) and Eduardo Dantas (135) vs. Ed West
(135).
Posted in: vs, event, saturday, yuma ariz, cocopah casino
Read the full article at MMA JunkieNew UFC 137 video trailer for 'Penn vs Diaz' on Oct. 29
Expect the unexpected.
With UFC 137 little more than one week from today (Oct. 29, 2011), the promotion cut its latest promo video for the upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) event that lost the main event between welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre vs. Carlos Condit because of a knee injury that "Rush" sustained earlier this week.
B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz now serves as the main event, with the heavyweight clash between Matt Mitrione vs. Cheick Kongo being pumped up to the co-featured fight of the night.
UFC 137 is scheduled for the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. To check out the latest UFC 137 fight card and rumors click here -- it has changed quite a bit since originally announced.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, promo video, cofeatured fight
Read the full article at MMA ManiaXFC 14: Resurrection Live Results
Once again, there might not be a UFC event this weekend but there is still plenty of MMA going down. Tonight marks the return of Xtreme Fighting Championships, a local promotion in Florida that hasn’t run an event since December 2010. Coming to us live from the UCF Arena in Orlando, Florida it’s XFC 14: Resurrection. As always, Five Ounces of Pain will provide complete results including a fight recap of all the live fights.
The event will air on HDNet starting at 9PM EST.
XFC 14 is headlined by former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner, possibly on the brink of retirement, looking to fight his way back to the big stage against Nate Jolly. In the co-main event, UFC veteran Carmelo Marrero battles Scott Barrett in a heavyweight bout.
MAIN CARD
Bruce Connors vs. John Mahlow
Mike Bernhard vs. Mikey Gomez
Nicolae Cury vs. Elijah Harshbargar
Josh Clark vs. Reggie Pena
Molly Helsel vs. Marianna Kheyfets
Scott Barrett vs. Carmelo Marrero
Nate Jolly vs. Jamie Varner
Posted in: fight, vs, event, xfc, ucf arena
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC coming to 3D theatres next year
Variety Magazine reported today that the UFC will broadcast four pay-per-view events per year in 3D theatres, starting with the February 4th event. The broadcasts will happen in 120 theatres across the US, which means that Canada might get shafted just in time to miss the 3D skull-bashing action during Georges St. Pierre's fight with Carlos Condit. The theater broadcast will hopefully be have better production than UFC on Versus 3, the UFC's previous foray into 3D broadcast; that event had poppy-outy infographics and fight footage, but it also featured us being force-fed the dog shit taco of Kenny Florian's big 3D nose in the commentary booth along with annoying WEC announcer Todd Harris. Because it’s in a theater, the events will not fall victim to the resolution halving that can take place on TVs. A few questions remain to be answered, such as, will the octagon girls finally take off their tops in honor of this occasion? Will they rip us off mercilessly for one of the theater tickets, and how hard will the tickets be to get? And finally, will the theatres also add Smell-O-Vision just in case another fighter craps his pants? (via MiddleEasy, where they also link to pictures of a cute girl in a 3D glasses dress.)
Posted in: ufc, event, theater, broadcast, theatre
Read the full article at FightlinkerReport: UFC 136 Did Just 250,000 Pay-Per-View Buys
The UFC’s stretch of poor pay-per-view buys reached a new low for its most-recent event, as UFC 136 scored just 250,000 buys despite featuring a stacked fight card that included a pair of title fights, according to an early estimate from The Wrestling Observer.
The Oct. 8 event featured UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar facing Gray Maynard for a third time and UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo taking on Kenny Florian, as well as outspoken middleweight Chael Sonnen’s return to the Octagon against Brian Stann.
UFC 136 quickly followed UFC on Versus 6 on Oct. 1, featuring bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson, and UFC 135 on Sept. 24, featuring light heavyweight champion Jon Jones vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
UFC 135 did nearly 500,000 buys, driven largely by the popularity of its headliners, while UFC 136 reportedly marks the fewest buys for an event featuring a title fight since 2005.
For the latest UFC news and UFC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Pictured: Frankie Edgar
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, ufc news, title fights
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyThe other side of MMA: An MMAmania interview exclusive with Matt Lindland (Part one)
At 41 years old, Matt Lindland may not be fighting, but he's sure keeping busy.
The 2000 Olympic silver medal winner in Greco Roman wrestling was at one time standing at or near the top of the MMA middleweight division but has since entered a state of semi-retirement after a rough stretch of fights that included the likes of Vitor Belfort, "Jacare" Souza and Robbie Lawler.
Lindland is still the head of Team Quest, a wrestler's paradise up in Portland, Oregon that has been home to fighters like Randy Couture, Chael Sonnen, Chris Leben and Yushin Okami over the years and he's also been in charge of his own promotion, Sportfight, which holds events regularly in the Pacific northwest.
"The Law" has experience fighting, coaching, managing and he even took a stab at politics in his native Oregon. His experience has given him the opportunity to advise up-and-coming MMA businesses. Look no further than his recent role he's taken with the upstart Takedown Fight Media, who will be filming his event Sportfight 30 and trying to turn it into a pilot series for future MMA endeavors.
Sportfight 30, which will be headlined by a lightweight bout between Ryan Healy and Paul Kelly, will be taking place tomorrow night (October 22, 2011) and Lindland took the time to speak with MMAmania.com about his upcoming show, his new advising role with Takedown Fight Media and how Takedown can change the way people view regional MMA events.
At 41 years old, Matt Lindland may not be fighting, but he's sure keeping busy.
The 2000 Olympic silver medal winner in Greco Roman wrestling was at one time standing at or near the top of the MMA middleweight division but has since entered a state of semi-retirement after a rough stretch of fights that included the likes of Vitor Belfort, "Jacare" Souza and Robbie Lawler.
Lindland is still the head of Team Quest, a wrestler's paradise up in Portland, Oregon that has been home to fighters like Randy Couture, Chael Sonnen, Chris Leben and Yushin Okami over the years and he's also been in charge of his own promotion, Sportfight, which holds events regularly in the Pacific northwest.
"The Law" has experience fighting, coaching, managing and he even took a stab at politics in his native Oregon. His experience has given him the opportunity to advise up-and-coming MMA businesses. Look no further than his recent role he's taken with the upstart Takedown Fight Media, who will be filming his event Sportfight 30 and trying to turn it into a pilot series for future MMA endeavors.
Sportfight 30, which will be headlined by a lightweight bout between Ryan Healy and Paul Kelly, will be taking place tomorrow night (October 22, 2011) and Lindland took the time to speak with MMAmania.com about his upcoming show, his new advising role with Takedown Fight Media and how Takedown can change the way people view regional MMA events.
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): This is your 30th event with Sportfight, but is it different now that your priorities have shifted a bit in your career?
Matt Lindland: I don't know about that. I've always taken this pretty serious as far as the way I put on shows and I represent it and the quality of fights I put on, the quality of production. I don't do all the work, I'm an organizer. I'm a manager. I do a lot of work especially when you're just starting out and you don't have the finances and the resources to go out and hire to get the stuff done so you're doing a lot of the labor-intensive stuff. The longer you've been doing it, I've been doing over 40 shows now. The longer you've been doing it, the more organized it gets, the simpler it gets. There's no less work to do, you're just more organized now.
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): It seems like this event in particular, Sportfight 30 has gotten more attention. How big do you want this to get? Do you want to remain on the regional scene and help fighters develop or do you want to be a bigger player?
Matt Lindland: My goal is to be the leader in the northwest, the premier fighting organization for all the guys in the northwest. I consider the northwest the entire territory from northern California, Idaho, Washington and Oregon, even up into Canada as far a British Columbia. That's really where we draw most of our talent from. From Vancouver all the way over to northern California and over to Idaho. We have a pretty big region and a lot of talent up and down this corner of the continent. There's so many great fighters that have come out of the northwest.
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I'd like to talk about this Takedown Fight Media deal. I know you advise for them but what does it mean for you that they chose your show to film their pilot episode?
Matt Lindland: Yeah, I think they're doing important things and going to continue to do important things for promotions around North America. They're giving a voice to a lot of the MMA that's going on out there. It's an honor that they decided to use Sportfight to film that pilot. They understand the level of fighters we use, the type of show we put on and we're honored to be that show that they use as the pilot
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): So are you going to advise for them for just the Sportfight shows that they film or for everything as they go around the country?
Matt Lindland: I'm an adviser for them for everything and I've been an adviser for a lot of promotions. The difference between Takedown and what you've seen in the past is we've only ever really seen one business model in MMA where the promoter goes out and puts on fights and he goes and takes the product to broadcasters and the broadcasters deliver that product. The thing for promotions though is you get caught up with everything. You're matchmaking, you're promoting, you're taking care of every single detail and filming.
You're marketing that to broadcasters, you're delivering that content. The UFC does a fantastic job of doing that but look at the size of their staff, what it takes to do that. The difference with Takedown is they film it for you, they help put the venue together, they produce and they make a television show out your event. Takedown is basically a TV company. We're putting together TV shows. We're working together with fight promoters hand in hand and after a live product, we take that live product and we show it to networks.
What no promoter in the country is capable of doing is putting on consistent programming 40+ weeks a year. Nobody can do that. The size of your staff you'd have to have to do that kind of show, film that and deliver it to a broadcaster would be enormous but what Takedown can do is they have their own staff that comes in and films, shoots this product and you've got another small staff that's out marketing and developing and selling it to broadcasters and we let the fight promoters do what they do best, which is put on live events. We just turn it into a TV show.
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Are you planning on moving directly from your show to another event or are you going to wait to move on to a network before you begin going to these shows ever week?
Matt Lindland: We're gonna sell our product first. We're gonna sell this pilot. Things change, keep that in mind. Things change and we're not gonna stop moving forward but what we are gonna do, the plan right now is to take this pilot and go out and sell it to broadcasters and get a broadcast partner with it as well. Takedown is not a network.
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Is the plan to pretty much go to a new event around the country every week if and when you do get picked up by a network?
Matt Lindland: Absolutely. We're gonna sell them North America which is a terrific MMA market and the biggest audience that we have. We're gonna stick with North America right away. Of course we've got plans for global expansion with Europe and Asia and of course South America but you've got to start somewhere. The first year in 2012, it's gonna be North America. We're gonna pick up the cream of the crop, the best shows.
We've signed over 50 organizations to letters of intent. Unfortunately not all of those shows will be a broadcast partner with Takedown. We're gonna have to pick and choose. There's gonna be opportunities to use some of that content in other formats though, maybe streaming internet, other plans of delivery besides broadcast on networks but our main priority will be getting a network, something like a weekly show, like an American Idol of fighting. At the end of this series, whether the fans want to see a particular fighter, there's a lot of those details to be worked out. But really, every story needs a beginning, a middle and an end. You can't just keep showing fights, fights, fights with no end. The season will end after 40 weeks and we'll start over next year.
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I think a lot of people will also appreciate giving a voice to the shows that people normally wouldn't get a chance to see on television on the national scale.
Matt Lindland: You know, we've done some broadcast deals with HDNet in the past. They were a great partner. They put out a great television show and they own the network themselves. This is a different model though. They were trying to film the content, edit the content and deliver it on their own network. In this business model, everybody does what they do best. Promoters promote fights, broadcasters broadcast fights and networks distribute fights. This is the way that business is done. You let everybody get a piece of the pie and everybody wins. The promoter wins, Takedown wins and the networks win. Guess who else starts winning? The fans. They want to see the fights, they win. Sponsors win, advertisers. If you build a relationship where everybody wins then we're all in a team together.
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): And the fighters should win too, right?
Matt Lindland: Absolutely. more opportunities to fight, bigger purses, bigger sponsorship opportunities for the fighters, for the athletes. Absolutely.
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Has working with Takedown allowed you to increase the fighter purses of your own show, if I may ask?
Matt Lindland: Yeah because there's a licensing fee for the content. If you look at some of our recent shows, we were only able to do 4-5 professional fights and fill the undercard with some of the up-and-coming amateur guys or lower level professionals. This card, I believe we've got I know for sure seven and we might have added and eighth professional fight and purses are going to go up. When we sign the broadcast partner there will be more money and with sponsorship dollars rolling in, those purses will continue to climb. An organization like Sportfight can start doing longer term contracts too.
I've never done long term contracts with my fighters because frankly, I don't want to keep them from making a good living. If they can showcase their skills in Sportfight, give us a great fight for our fans and then move on to a bigger show, I want that. I've been an athlete, I understand that. You want to get paid for your efforts. You want to get promoted on a bigger stage so I've never tried to tie anybody up with long-term contracts but with this deal, we might be able to do some multi-fight contracts with athletes if we're able to pay them bigger purses.
Join us for part two later tonight where we talk about coaching, Yushin Okami, the deal with Anderson Silva and of course, Chael Sonnen.
Posted in: fight, takedown, show, event, sportfight
Read the full article at MMA ManiaFighters on weight for tonight's XFC 14 event, Varner and Jolly meet at catchweight
All fighters taking part in tonight's "XFC 14: Resurrection" event today made weight.
The event takes place at UFC Arena in Orlando, Fla., and the main card airs live on HDNet.
Former WEC champion Jamie Varner and fellow headliner Nate Jolly agreed to meet at a catchweight of 159.6 pounds, the weight both fighters logged at today's weigh-ins.
Posted in: fighter, card airs, event, weight, ufc arena
Read the full article at MMA JunkieFormer TUF Contestant Jamie Yager Fighting His Way Down to Welterweight
Jamie Yager is preparing to headline a show on Oct. 21. The main event stands as part of the former TUF competitor's journey down to welterweight from middleweight.
Posted in: event, welterweight, tuf, jamie, yager
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyUFC 141 fight card and rumors for 'Lesnar vs. Overeem' on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas
Event: UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem"Date: Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV)Location: Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NevadaMain event:
265 lbs.: Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem
Main card (pay-per-view):
170 lbs.: Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks170 lbs.: Dong Hyun Kim vs. Sean Pierson205 lbs.: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
Preliminary card (May not be broadcast):
NA*
**Fight card and line-up subject to change**
For more on UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem" be sure to hit up our event archive right here.
Posted in: vs, event, lb, card, lesnar
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC's Marc Ratner: Monitors for Judges Now a Staple at Stateside Events
As a follow up to a September 2010 interview regarding the UFC's trial of cage-side monitors for MMA judges, I contacted Marc Ratner, the UFC VP of Regulatory Affairs, for a status update.
The original report revealed the genesis of the UFC's cooperation with prominent state athletic commissions, beginning with Executive Officer George Dodd of the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC), to install video monitors for each of the three judges to improve visibility. At the time of the previous interview, the UFC had supplied monitors for three events in California: UFC Live on Versus 2, UFC 117 and UFC 121.
One year later, Marc Ratner confirms that monitors have become standard for most UFC events on American soil.
"We're using the monitors pretty much wherever the UFC goes domestically," Ratner told BloodyElbow.com. "Haven't heard from any Commission that we can't use them. We used them in Texas, Colorado, D.C., California and Nevada [with] no problems at all. Have had no negative feedback from judges."
George Dodd of the CSAC, who worked with Ratner to lead the charge for the test run with monitors, also lent his thoughts on utilizing technology to improve MMA judging.
"This is just another tool to allow the judges to have a better way to analyze a fight more effectively," Dodd said. "It allows everyone to see better angles with no obstructions. Comparing the visibility of a cage versus a ring, you have 6 posts to look through. We now get a better angle than before with no visual obstructions."
Dodd confirmed that monitors would be in place for the two upcoming UFC events in California -- the UFC's debut on the Fox network in Anaheim and UFC 139: Shogun vs. Hendo in San Jose -- as well as the Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal show from San Jose in December.
As of now, the technology is only a mainstay for stateside UFC events. "Out of the country," Ratner explained, "we need a little more time on."
In California, Dodd commented on the challenge of using monitors for some of the smaller shows. "I think it would be impossible because it's such a burden on promoters. If we can do it for all of MMA, I'd like to do it, but we don't have that availability for smaller promotions."
Posted in: ufc, event, california, monitor, ratner
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowFans invited to next week's UFC 137 press conference in Las Vegas
Next week's UFC 137 event took a major blow when UFC welterweight
champion Georges St-Pierre was forced to withdraw from the evening's
main event, but the blockbuster card still features many prominent names.
With the event rapidly approaching, UFC officials recently announced
that fans are invited to next Thursday's UFC 137 pre-event press
conference.
The fan and media event takes place Thursday, Oct. 27, at Las Vegas'
Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino beginning at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT local
time).
Posted in: ufc, event, fan, ufc officials, blockbuster card
Read the full article at MMA JunkieM-1 Global Challenge 27: 185,000 viewers
MMA Junkie reports that ratings for M-1 Global Challenge on Showtime Friday night scored an average of 185,000 viewers. The event drew a 0.6 household rating.
Via MMA Junkie:
The event was the third M-1 Challenge show to air on Showtime. M-1 Challenge 24 drew 189,000 viewers earlier this year, and M-1 Challenge 26 drew 161,000 viewers in July. The three shows now have averaged 178,000 viewers on the premium-cable channel.
By comparison, the Strikeforce Challengers series on Showtime has averaged 207,000 viewers per event in 2011.
Payout Perspective:
Good numbers for the promotion especially with its Friday night time slot. Still lower than Strikeforce Challengers average numbers, but as pointed out by readers, the M-1 average matches Bellator 54. It will be interesting to see what Showtime will do with Ken Hershman leaving for HBO and Zuffa in talks with the network about its future on Showtime. M-1 could be an alternative for Showtime if Zuffa leaves and it decides to remain in the MMA business.
Posted in: mma, event, showtime, challenge, viewer
Read the full article at MMA PayoutGet the popcorn ready, UFC is coming to your nearest theater...in 3D
Does anyone remember when I broke down what it would be like to watch an MMA event in the tenth dimension and no one even cared? Well needless to say, that won't happen again. I will keep my spatial/temporal opinions to myself this time. There's no need to share my beliefs on added dimensions when all you guys probably want to know is who the chick in the banner is. Damn your hormones, just...damn them. Her name is Nicole Linder and she is no longer selling her 3D glass dress on the internet due to the massive amounts of spam she received about it. There, now take a cold shower.
According to Variety Magazine, the UFC has signed a contract with Cinedigm to offer UFC events that will be shown in movie theaters in illustrious 3D. Here's a snippet from the Variety article.
Cinedigm has pacted with Ultimate Fighting Championship to bring four UFC events a year to theaters in live 3D.
Initial event in the series, set for Feb. 4, will mark the first 3D pay-per-view for UFC.
The card has not yet been determined.
February's event will be shown in 120 theaters in the U.S. -- a good starting point for the series, Cinedigm chairman-CEO Chris McGurk told Variety. "The important thing is to fill up those theaters, and I don't think that's going to be a problem," he said.
I will devote every waking minute of my life to defeat King Zarkon. That's a statement I would make if my first name began with 'Voltron' and ended with 'Defender of the Universe.' If I was in 3D, that statement would be changed to 'I will devote every waking minute of my life to defeat King Zarkon -- in 3D.' [Source]
Posted in: ufc, event, theater, variety, nicole linder
Read the full article at Middle EasyUFC 137's B.J. Penn responds to Cesar Gracie: 'Put your money where your mouth is'
B.J. Penn isn't scared, homie.
The former champion today responded to the 25-minute gauntlet that Cesar Gracie, the trainer responsible for Nick Diaz, laid down yesterday when news broke that Georges St. Pierre injured his knee and was forced out of his UFC 137 main event fight against Carlos Condit.
Penn vs. Diaz, which was scheduled to serve as the co main event, was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. And to make the situation more interesting, Gracie immediately upped the ante, urging "The Prodigy" to agree to a five-round, non-title fight.
Diaz was on board. So, too, was White, according to Gracie. All Penn had to do was follow suit and they would "make it happen."
Check out Penn's response to the challenge after the jump:
B.J. Penn isn't scared, homie.
The former champion today responded to the 25-minute gauntlet that Cesar Gracie, the trainer responsible for Nick Diaz, laid down yesterday when news broke that Georges St. Pierre injured his knee and was forced out of his UFC 137 main event fight against Carlos Condit.
Penn vs. Diaz, which was scheduled to serve as the co main event, was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. And to make the situation more interesting, Gracie immediately upped the ante, urging "The Prodigy" to agree to a five-round, non-title fight.
Diaz was on board. So, too, was White, according to Gracie. All Penn had to do was follow suit and they would "make it happen."
Check out Penn's response to the challenge after the jump:
"I want to be compensated accordingly. That's it. I'm more than willing to do a five-round fight. If Dana wants a five-round fight, just give me a call and we can put it together right now. Or if Cesar wants to make it a five-round fight and he wants to compensate me personally, he can put his money where his mouth is, it's that easy. I've been training to fight. I'm ready to fight."
White, who was not on the UFC 137 conference call today immediately take up Penn on his offer, previously indicated that he wasn't going to force the issue because both fighters trained to fight for three rounds.
And with the pay-per-view (PPV) event, which will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, less than two weeks away, it wasn't reasonable to ask them to fight any longer than the 15 minutes to which they both agreed six weeks ago.
Makes perfect sense.
However, considering the extenuating circumstances, as well as Diaz and Penn willing to raise the stakes for a little extra scratch, White might want to consider making the Hawaiian another offer he can't refuse.
It worked the first time. Chances are it will work again ... if the price is right.
Posted in: fight, diaz, event, penn, gracie
Read the full article at MMA ManiaGSP emotional over UFC 137 withdrawal
Georges St-Pierre said he "cried" when the decision was finally made for him to withdraw from next weekend's UFC 137 main event.
Posted in: ufc, decision, gsp, event, stpierre
Read the full article at sportsnet.caUFC 137: Five Questions to Ask Following Georges St. Pierre's Injury
Without a doubt, this has been one of Zuffa's worst years on record. Low pay-per-view numbers have been connected to everything from oversaturation of the market, low quality main events, and a lack of stars, but the most visible reason has been the bevy of injuries that have sunk a few potentially high revenue events.
Most notably, a planned UFC 133 main event between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans, a fight fueled with a mutual dislike between the two fighters, was canceled due to an injury to Jones' hand. NCAA champion wrestler Phil Davis stepped in to take on Evans, only to suffer an injury himself. He was replaced by Tito Ortiz, and the event only pulled in an estimated 310,000 buys.
A heavyweight title showdown between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos at UFC 131 in June suffered a similar fate. Velasquez suffered a torn rotator cuff, excluding him from the event and allowing Brock Lesnar to fill his role. Lesnar's placement on the card made it a sure-fire million buy show until he was removed due to the reemergence of his diverticulitis. Shane Carwin stepped in, sinking the expectations greatly for the show's success. It only drew 325,000 buys.
The business end of the sport has been the main focal point of the analysis surrounding yesterday's news, but it isn't the only pertinent question to ask in the aftermath. Here are five questions to consider:
What can we expect from UFC 137 following the loss of the headlining fight ten days from the event? Lower buys. Obviously, Georges St. Pierre is one of the UFC's biggest draws in the sport, and his absence from the card is going to turn off some fans. B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz is far from a terrible replacement however, so I don't anticipate a steep decline in the expectations for this card. Some analysts predicted buyrates north of 800,000, possibly 1,000,000. That's obviously not going to happen unless fans are completely ignorant to the news. I still think the card can do numbers greater than 650,000 buys, and that's a very successful card despite being well below the expected number with Georges St. Pierre headlining
Will Nick Diaz be available for media appearances now that he's in the main event?Unless you've been living under a rock, most fans know that Diaz was booted from the UFC 137 main event with Georges St. Pierre for not showing up to two consecutive press conferences. He has historically hated doing press for events, so it was no surprise that he didn't show up in Vegas after ditching out on a Canadian appearance because he lost his passport. White responded by giving him the boot and awarding Carlos Condit the job. Now that Diaz is back in the main event role on the event he was previously booted from, will Dana expect him to do press to pump up the card? I'm not holding my breath. The UFC has only ten days to drum up more interest in their new main event, and spending a ton of money attempting to push Diaz isn't going to affect the interest all that much. Diaz's challenge to B.J. Penn to make this fight five rounds may be the only thing that can stir up some beef between the two men, and it's too late for that sort of beef to get the spotlight it needs to fuel interest. That leads me to my next question.More questions after the fold...
Will B.J. Penn accept the five-round challenge from Nick Diaz, and does it add any intrigue?Five rounds has been a tough proposition for B.J. Penn in the past. Historically, he's faded in the late rounds against opponents who can press him, and Diaz fits the mold of a fighter who could survive Penn's early onslaught and maintain the pressure to win in the late rounds. It certainly adds a layer of intrigue for the hardcore fans who know how these two stack up stylistically.
Will Carlos Condit suffer the same fate as Rashad Evans by waiting?Remember when Evans decided to wait for his title shot when Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua pulled out of their scheduled UFC 128 showdown? It didn't work out so well as Evans got injured himself, allowing Jon Jones, his former training partner, to swoop in and take the title. Jones won the title, then Rashad got his chance once again... only to have Jones suffer a hand injury in the lead-up to the fight. The entire fiasco sidelined Evans for 15 months.From all indications, Georges St. Pierre's injury should only require a month or two off before he can return to training and get back into shape for an early 2012 showdown with Condit. That is, unless, something dramatic happens in the meantime. What happens if Nick Diaz pummels B.J. Penn in incredible fashion? Will he get his second chance? What if Georges St. Pierre suffers a setback, or Condit gets hurt? Rumors were swirling that both Josh Koscheck and Anthony Johnson were options for Condit on one-week notice. Time will tell whether this was a good decision or not.
Why was Brad Tavares vs. Dustin Jacoby promoted to the main card over Siver vs. Cerrone?The strangest decision the UFC made yesterday was the promotion of Brad Tavares vs. Dustin Jacoby to the main card of the UFC 137. The fight has zero interest among fans, and the only logical explanation is that the UFC wants to give fans not tuning into the pay-per-view a treat with Dennis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone. Perhaps it's a move to create some hype around Cerrone. If he can win in impressive fashion, that's possible.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, event, card, evan
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowM-1 Challenge 27 ratings are strong, event draws 185,000 Showtime viewers
M-1 had another strong showing on Showtime, and this past Friday's M-1 Challenge 27 event drew a 0.6 household rating and 185,000 viewers.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the figures with an industry source.
Featuring a pair of M-1 Global title fights, M-1 Challenge 27 took place Oct. 14 at Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix.
Posted in: event, showtime, challenge, rating, industry source
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUpdate on Bellator-Desert Rage litigation
Last week we reported that Bellator had sued Arizona promotion Desert Rage Full Contact Fighting claiming the Arizona-based promotion interfered with contracted Bellator fighters for its upcoming event in Yuma on October 22nd as Desert Rage was set to hold its own event nearby on the same date.
The most recent movement in the case has Desert Rage filing a jurisdictional challenge to Bellator’s lawsuit. As a company in Illinois, Bellator filed its claim in Illinois. However, Desert Rage has opposed the filing and is requesting that the lawsuit either be dismissed or transferred to the district court in Yuma, Arizona. The hearing date to determine the jurisdiction issue will be held in December which is interesting considering that its well after the October 22nd events of both companies.
In its motion, Desert Rage includes the affidavit of Chance Farrar, the individual Bellator alleges to be the central person to have had contact with Bellator contracted fighters and had knowledge of its contracts as Farrar worked with Bellator this past spring. In his affidavit Farrar claims not having a contract with Bellator and worked as a “fight coordinator” for Bellator’s April 2011 event in Yuma. Notably, he states, “I did not have any written contract with Bellator in relation to this (April 2011) event.” He also states that Desert Rage had planned its October 22nd event in July which would trump Bellator as it claimed it started planning for its event in August.
Based on the affidavit, its interesting that Bellator did not have Farrar sign a non-disclosure, non-compete agreement prior to having him work with the company. Obviously this is Monday-morning quarterbacking and perhaps Bellator did not have a reason to suspect this could happen. But, as a fight promotion, planning is everything. Its interesting that some sort of instinctive relief (a request from the court to stop a party from doing something) was not requested by either party as both promotions are set to hold its events this Saturday. The hearing date for the motion is set well after the events and the effect of that would make the lawsuit about money. Or, just a moot point.
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The information in this post is opinion only. In addition, and because this is my opinion, it is not intended to be (and is not) legal advice or an advertisement for legal services. This post provides general information only. Although I encourage interested parties to contact me on the subjects discussed in the article, the reader should not consider information on this site to be an invitation for an attorney-client relationship. I disclaim all liability in respect to actions taken or not taken based on any contents of this post. Any e-mail sent to me will not create an attorney-client relationship, and you should not use this site to send me e-mail containing confidential or sensitive information.
Posted in: bellator, event, desert rage, rage, desert
Read the full article at MMA PayoutAfter issues with 10-second warning at M-1 event, Arizona commission makes changes
Arizona has learned its lesson: What works for football, basketball, soccer and the like does not work for MMA.
Following this past weekend's "M-1 Challenge 27: Magalhaes vs. Zayats" event, the Arizona Boxing & MMA Commission has decided against using a whistle to mark the 10-second warning that accompanies the end of a round.
Commission assistant Matthew Valenzuela informed MMAjunkie.com of the decision.
Posted in: event, commission, changes arizona, arizona, warning
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 137: Cheick Kongo vs Matt Mitrione fight new co-main event for Oct. 29 in Las Vegas
George and Weezie aren't the only ones movin' on up.
Hard-hitting heavyweights Cheick Kongo and Matt Mitrione have been promoted to the co-main event of UFC 137: "Penn vs. Diaz," now that welterweight fighters B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz are headlining the pay-per-view event on Oct. 29, 2011, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In case you haven't heard, or just refuse to accept it, Georges St. Pierre blew out his knee and was forced to withdraw from his "Sin City" title fight against Carlos Condit, who will take a seat and ride this thing out.
Those are some pretty big shoes to fill.
The last time Kongo was in action, he was involved in one of the craziest and most memorable comebacks in Octagon history at UFC on Versus 4. After getting repeatedly rocked by Pat Barry, the French sensation landed a big right hand that stunned "HD" and finished the job with a monster uppercut.
Now, once again, he's got a perfect style match-up that could lead to consecutive memorable performances.
Mitrione also competed the last time UFC invaded the Versus cable network channel and had his way with over-matched heavyweight brawler Christian Morecraft.
In fact, if not for the Kongo comeback, "Meathead" likely would have won himself "Knockout of the Night" honors for his walkaway kayo in the second round.
If he wants to settle that up with the Wolfslair kickboxer, now's his chance.
With Kongo vs. Mitrione moving up in the order, the empty pay-per-view slot will be filled by a middleweight mash-up between Brad Tavares and Dustin Jacoby.
Click here for all the updates and changes to the new UFC 137 fight card.
Posted in: ufc, kongo, mitrione, event, comain event
Read the full article at MMA ManiaGeorges St. Pierre was forced to pull out of the UFC 137 main event after hurting his knee. Deja...
Georges St. Pierre was forced to pull out of the UFC 137 main event after hurting his knee. Deja Vu? The UFC has been forced to cancel a half dozen major pay-per-view headliners in 2011 and you can see the entire list right here.
Posted in: ufc, event, list right, payperview headliners, half dozen
Read the full article at MMA ManiaEfrain Escudero vs. Cesar Avila added to Saturday's Bellator 55 event
A notable name has been added to Saturday's Bellator 55 event.
"The Ultimate Fighter 8" winner and recent regional-show regular Efrain Escudero meets fellow lightweight Ceasar Avila on the event's preliminary card.
Bellator officials alerted MMAjunkie.com of the addition on Tuesday night.
Posted in: bellator, event, saturday, ceasar avila, efrain escudero
Read the full article at MMA JunkieGSP out for UFC 137
Dana White tweeted this afternoon that Georges St. Pierre is out of the UFC 137 main event due to injury. As a result, Nick Diaz ironically steps into the main event versus BJ Penn while Carlos Condit is taken off the card completely as he wants to wait for GSP.
Dana White tweeted (via ESPN):
“I just landed in New York City, and what do I always say? I have to deal with bad [stuff] every day,” White said on Twitter. “GSP is out with an injury.”
Diaz originally taken off the main event with GSP for no-showing media obligations now is in the same place he would have been had he not decided to skip the pressers. Condit now must wait for the GSP title shot, as we assume he still gets a shot at GSP.
Payout Perspective:
Second to the Fox deal, the biggest happening in the UFC this year are the injuries to key fighters. Losing GSP will definitely hurt the PPV buy rate for 137. Fortunately, having BJ Penn on the card helps save some viewers. With the UFC planning an ambitious 34 events in 2012 and starting a new partnership with Fox, this year’s rash of injuries is a reminder of one of the realities with the sport: injuries can force out marquee names. Just this year, Cain Velasquez, Brock Lesnar, Rashad Evans and GSP have had to be replaced due to injury. Not to mention Jon Jones taking time off for an injury. Certainly, the latest injury to GSP had to have Dana White making calls to the fight camps of Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez to make sure that nothing happens to each prior to the biggest night in the UFC’s history.
GSP’s injury definitely hurts the welterweight division and creates a backlog for welterweight contenders waiting for a shot at the title.
Posted in: ufc, bj penn, gsp, event, injury
Read the full article at MMA PayoutArizona commission retires its whistle
The final whistle has blown for MMA matches in Arizona.The move follows a debacle in the main events of this weekend’s M-1 Challenge event...
Posted in: event, arizona, arizona commission, arizonathe move, whistle
Read the full article at Fighters OnlyKnee Injury Forces Georges St. Pierre Off UFC 137, BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz New Main Event
I just land in NYC and what do I always say!? I have to deal with bad shit everyday!! GSP is out with an injury!!! #oneofthosedaysabout 2 hours ago via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite@danawhiteDana White
In another unfortunate turn of events, the UFC 137 main event has changed once again.
Dana White broke the news earlier this afternoon on Twitter that Georges St. Pierre is off UFC 137 with a knee injury. GSP’s lead trainer in Montreal, Firas Zahabi, told MMA Junkie the injury occurred when GSP sprawled during a sparring session.
“After he cooled down, I knew he couldn’t fight anymore,” Zahabi said. “I’ve been around, I’ve seen injuries, and I know that that kind of injury is going to take at least two to five weeks of not standing on it for it to be really good (and) sturdy to fight. That’s just me estimating with what I’ve seen in the past.”
“I don’t know what the medical term is,” Zahabi said. “I don’t know which tendon, or ligament, or whatever is sprained. I’m not a doctor, but I know he’s [had] an MRI, he got tested, and he won’t be able to fight.
“I think we all had mixed feelings,” he said. “Some guys were pissed off. Some guys were disappointed. But at the end of the day, it’s sparring. There’s nothing you can do to predict those things, and the sparring was not out of control. It was well within control. But when you’re fighting, you push yourself. Georges has been pushing himself a lot and just pushed himself a little too far.”
Rather than give Carlos Condit another fight, it looks like he’s going to wait until GSP is healed up and ready to go. Dana White told Dave Meltzer that it doesn’t look like GSP will need surgery and hopes to reschedule the fight for later this year or early 2012. Zahabi told MMA Fighting however that GSP can’t train for at least a month, so early 2012 seems more likely.
As you can imagine, Condit was pretty disappointed when he heard the news.
“Oh, shut the [expletive] up,” a flabbergasted Condit told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) when told the news. “I’m pretty disappointed, man. That’s, wow. Just disappointed, that’s all I can say. But I gotta go, brother.”
So what does that mean for UFC 137? Well, just like BJ Penn’s been saying all along, his fight against Nick Diaz will be the main event. On his official website, Penn said he was excited to be in the actual main event and wished GSP a speedy recovery.
“I wish GSP a healthy recovery and I’m very excited to be competing in the main event. We wish the champion well with his recovery!”
As for GSP vs. Condit, bummer. Major bummer.
Posted in: fight, gsp, event, injury, condit
Read the full article at MMA ConvertNick Diaz camp issues five-round UFC 137 main event challenge to B.J. Penn
Nick Diaz is right back where he started ... in the UFC 137 main event.
Sure, the opponent, B.J. Penn, isn't the same as Georges St. Pierre. And the former Strikeforce welterweight champion won't attempt to unify the two belts. But one thing the Stockton, Calif.,-bred fighter wants to remain the same is the duration of the fight.
With news breaking today that St. Pierre was forced out of the pay-per-view (PPV) event with a knee injury, and that Carlos Condit -- who was inserted into the top slot after Diaz flaked several times on his promotional obligations -- will wait for "Rush" to recover, Cesar Gracie has a bright idea that could help soften the massive blow to the fight card:
Make the new main event, B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz, a five-round fight.
In fact, Gracie, who is Diaz's long time trainer and mentor, has already informed UFC President Dana White that his boy is down to bang for 25 minutes. In addition, he encourages "The Prodigy" to do the same, telling him, "Don't be scared, homie. Let's make it five rounds."
More from Gracie (via MMAFighting.com) after the jump:
"If they can't fight five rounds against each other, how are they going to fight five rounds against GSP?... Dana is good with it. We've agreed to it. If BJ agrees to it, we'll make it happen.... These guys have to prove they are ready. These guys are fighters. BJ has always said he's a warrior. ... The old school days of MMA, back when it was NHB, they fought forever."
No word yet on whether or not Penn, a former two-division champion who has prepared for several five-round fights throughout his illustrious career, has and/or will accept the challenge.
White, for his part, is not pushing the issue with UFC 137, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, less than two weeks away (Oct. 29, 2011). He is quoted as saying the neither man should be forced two fight for potentially 10 extra minutes because, "they haven't trained for five rounds."
Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more on this developing story.
Posted in: fight, diaz, round, event, bj
Read the full article at MMA ManiaGSP out of UFC 137, Nick Diaz vs. BJ Pen becomes the headliner, the universe just balanced itself
Let me tell you a story about a guy that was promised a headline slot at UFC 137, but missed a few public appearances and was punished by being relegated to the co-main event. Now that same guy has been re-bumped to the main event as a reward from the universe for apparently making this incoherent video.
Roughly three hours ago, GSP tweeted a pic of himself training in a ring with the words 'Very focused right now' attached. Now literally minutes ago, Dana White announced that Georges St. Pierre is out of UFC 137 with a knee injury and Nick Diaz vs. BJ Penn has been bumped up to headline the event, a fight that some already believed should be the headliner of the card.
Naturally, there's a lot of drama surrounding the news and as it breaks, we'll try to keep you updated. According to Sports Illustrated's Josh Gross, Malki Kawa stated Carlos Condit will no longer fight at UFC 137 due to GSP dropping out. Now the argument is some people believe Malki is talking his fighter out of the event because it's not a title shot and he doesn't want to risk Condit losing to another opponent. Dana White has stated that he will most likely shelf Condit until GSP gets healthier, which should be around three months. The main event between BJ Penn and Nick Diaz will be a three-round bout.
Posted in: ufc, gsp, event, risk condit, people malki
Read the full article at Middle EasyGSP out of UFC 137, Nick Diaz vs. BJ Penn becomes the headliner, the universe just balanced itself
Let me tell you a story about a guy that was promised a headline slot at UFC 137, but missed a few public appearances and was punished by being relegated to the co-main event. Now that same guy has been re-bumped to the main event as a reward from the universe for apparently making this incoherent video.
Roughly three hours ago, GSP tweeted a pic of himself training in a ring with the words 'Very focused right now' attached. Now literally minutes ago, Dana White announced that Georges St. Pierre is out of UFC 137 with a knee injury and Nick Diaz vs. BJ Penn has been bumped up to headline the event, a fight that some already believed should be the headliner of the card.
Naturally, there's a lot of drama surrounding the news and as it breaks, we'll try to keep you updated. According to Sports Illustrated's Josh Gross, Malki Kawa stated Carlos Condit will no longer fight at UFC 137 due to GSP dropping out. Now the argument is some people believe Malki is talking his fighter out of the event because it's not a title shot and he doesn't want to risk Condit losing to another opponent. Dana White has stated that he will most likely shelf Condit until GSP gets healthier, which should be around three months. The main event between BJ Penn and Nick Diaz will be a three-round bout.
Posted in: ufc, gsp, event, people malki, comain event
Read the full article at Middle EasyNick Diaz vs. B.J. Penn Officially New Main Event for UFC 137, Condit Still Gets GSP Next
Well Nick Diaz may not be fighting for the UFC welterweight title any longer, but he will still get his chance to be the main event for UFC 137.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick diaz, nick, event
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyGeorges St. Pierre out of UFC 137 with a knee injury
A year plagued by injuries to top fighters continues as UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre has pulled out of the UFC 137 with a knee injury. He was scheduled to defend his welterweight strap in the main event of the evening against top contender Carlos Condit.
UFC president Dana White tweeted the bad news moment after he landed in New York to promote the upcoming UFC on FOX event.
The co-main event between BJ Penn and Nick Diaz will now headline the show while Condit has been pulled from the event and will face St. Pierre at a later date. White expects his 170 lb champion to be ready in a couple of months although he concedes that it’s, “too early to tell.” The new main event between Penn and Diaz will still be a three round fight and have title implications.
UFC 137 is scheduled to take place on October 29 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Posted in: ufc, event, st, injury, knee injury
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainGeorges St-Pierre Out of UFC 137 Main Event, BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz Now Headlines
A knee injury has forced UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre out of next Saturday’s UFC 137 main event against Carlos Condit, UFC President Dana White announced today.
A welterweight matchup between BJ Penn and Nick Diaz, previously scheduled for the co-main event, will now headline the Oct. 29 card in Las Vegas, but will remain a three-round fight.
Condit will wait to challenge St-Pierre, who is expected to be ready to fight in a “couple months”.
The moves put Diaz back into the UFC 137 main event just over a month after the UFC swapped him and Condit when he failed to appear for a pair of press conferences. White initially suggested that Diaz could be cut, but quickly booked him to fight Penn instead and recently said he could still earn a shot at the title with a win.
Diaz (25-7) scored a first-round TKO of UFC veteran Paul Daley in April to defend his Strikeforce title and earn another shot in the UFC with his 10th-straight win, while Penn (16-7-2) returned to 170-pounds following a pair of losses to Frankie Edgar with a 21-second KO of Matt Hughes in November before fighting Jon Fitch to a draw in February.
For UFC 137 results and complete UFC 137 coverage stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Pictured: Georges St-Pierre
Posted in: ufc, diaz, event, penn, stpierre
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyGeorges St-Pierre Out of UFC 137 Main Event, BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz Now Headlines
A knee injury has forced UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre out of next Saturday’s UFC 137 main event against Carlos Condit, UFC President Dana White announced today on Twitter.
A welterweight matchup between BJ Penn and Nick Diaz, previously scheduled for the co-main event, will now headline the Oct. 29 card in Las Vegas, but will remain a three-round fight.
According to White, St-Pierre is currently expected to be out only a “couple of months” and Condit will wait for his title shot, but GSP will apparently see a doctor soon that should confirm the timeline for his return barring any setbacks.
The moves put Diaz back into the UFC 137 main event just over a month after the UFC swapped him and Condit when he failed to appear for a pair of press conferences. White initially suggested that Diaz could be cut, but quickly booked him to fight Penn instead and recently said he could still earn a shot at the title with a win.
Diaz (25-7) scored a first-round TKO of UFC veteran Paul Daley in April to defend his Strikeforce title and earn another shot in the UFC with his 10th-straight win, while Penn (16-7-2) returned to 170-pounds following a pair of losses to Frankie Edgar with a 21-second KO of Matt Hughes in November before fighting Jon Fitch to a draw in February.
For UFC 137 results and complete UFC 137 coverage stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Pictured: Georges St-Pierre
Posted in: ufc, diaz, event, penn, stpierre
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyTim Sylvia faces new opponent in November after Pedro Rizzo tears tricep
“The Maine-iac” has a new opponent to prepare for in the main event of ProElite’s November 5 event, a card also boasting former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski in action as well as Reagan Penn and a heavyweight Grand Prix featuring up-and-coming talent.
Regarding Sylvia’s scrap, the 35-year old had been scheduled to face fellow UFC veteran Pedro Rizzo in the show’s headlining tilt until “The Rock” revealed he had been forced to withdraw from the event due to an arm injury sustained while training for the fight. Sylvia will now mix it up in Moline with 12-4 Andreas Kraniotakes, as 12-4 German who has finished every single adversary he’s beaten thus far in his six-year career and is currently on a three-fight winning streak.
Sylvia is also coming off a successful performance and has had his hand raised in five of six appearances since his embarrassing loss to Ray Mercer in mid-2009. The former multi-time UFC heavyweight title-holder holds an overall record of 29-7 including past wins over Arlovski, Paul Buentello, Ricco Rodriguez, and Jeff Monson.
Sylvia Answers the Call with Big Knockout of Buentello
On the subject of Arlovski, “The Pitbull” will look to pick up a second straight victory after notching a third round TKO of Ray Lopez in late August at ProElite’s inaugural show since the organization was re-formed earlier this year. He will take on Travis Fulton, a competitor most notable for having more than 300 professional fights with an insane 91 TKOs and 150 submissions under his belt.
Check out a preview of “ProElite: Big Guns” below…
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
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Posted in: ufc, proelite, event, sylvia, maineiac ”
Read the full article at Fighters.comGeorges St-Pierre Off UFC 137 Due to Injury; Penn vs. Diaz New Main Event
Filed under: UFC, NewsGeorges St-Pierre has been forced to withdraw from his UFC 137 title fight against Carlos Condit due to a knee injury suffered in training on Tuesday, MMA Fighting has confirmed with St-Pierre's head trainer Firas Zahabi.
UFC president Dana White broke the news earlier in the day via Twitter.
According to White, who spoke to MMAFighting.com via text message after making the announcement, Nick Diaz vs. BJ Penn will now main event next week's pay-per-view event from Las Vegas. The new main event will remain a three-round affair.
Carlos Condit has been removed from the card, and according to Condit's manager Malki Kawa, Condit will receive his title shot against GSP as soon as the champion is cleared to fight again.
"He's out for a month," Zahabi said of GSP. "I would say at least a month he can't train. So unfortunately, he's out of the fight, that's for sure.
"He's not in any condition to fight, that's for sure. No doctor will clear him." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, condit, fight thats
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseBellator open to moving from Saturday night in 2012
Bellator could move from its current Saturday night slot according to Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney. MMA Junkie reports that “it remains to be seen” where the promotion will place its sixth season which starts in the first quarter of 2012.
Via MMA Junkie:
Bellator, which has promoted 54 shows since its 2009 debut, now airs on MTV2 on Saturday nights. But those events frequently face competition from the UFC, Strikeforce and other weekend-loving promotions. And though it’s hard to determine if it’s solely that competition that’s affecting ratings – season-five Bellator events have peaked with up to 269,000 viewers and recently bottomed out with 103,000 – MMA fans often are forced to make a choice.
Bellator’s move could depend on whether it will move to Spike TV. And that move will depend on whether the UFC will purchase the rights to its library from Spike as Spike has retained the rights to it for 2012. The network cannot feature another MMA promotion so long as it has the rights to the UFC library.
Payout Perspective:
A move to another night is not as simple as one might think. Rebney points out the ease of selling tickets to a Saturday night event as one reason Bellator remains on Saturday night. However, viewers would have a better chance of watching Bellator programming if it moved to another night when it does not go up against the UFC. Of course, without the NBA, Bellator has one less competitor on Saturday nights the first quarter of 2012. It would mainly have to work around UFC PPVs.
Another option could include holding events on another night and giving away the event tickets to ensure attendance while finding other ways to recoup the gate revenue. It could also just move its start times on nights of the UFC PPVs although that move could become confusing since it could lose viewership if people are confused about the start times.
Posted in: ufc, night, bellator, event, saturday
Read the full article at MMA PayoutAfter Plenty of False Starts, UFC Ready for Primetime Network Debut
Filed under: MMA Media Watch, UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, NewsThe UFC's head man, as always, has plenty on his plate. He recently completed an exhausting series of four events in four weeks, the first such stretch in UFC history. It won't take long to duplicate. Another four-week, four-event stretch begins on October 29. In between, he's flying around the world for press conferences, meeting with fighters, managers and agents, and putting out the everyday fires that come along with trying to accomplish so much in so little time.
When you ask Dana White about any of this stuff, it seems almost mundane for him. He shows the same passion for his product, but after a decade in the trenches, there is a sense of routine to it all.
After years as a micro-manager -- White is the first to admit he hates giving up control -- he has built a staff that he trusts, leaving him more time to focus on big picture issues. And that's a good thing, because the scope of what's in front of him is a dizzying expanse, the one world White has yet to conquer. If you were to say he is obsessed by his new primetime network platform, he might not disagree.
"The only thing I care about right now is this first FOX fight on November 12," White told MMA Fighting in an exclusive interview. "We've been on cable television with Spike since 2005, and that was huge for us, but this is a whole other game. A whole other level. This is the time when everything changes."
While 2005 is widely regarded as the first mainstream television breakthrough for the UFC, there was actually an opportunity before that.
In 2002, White thought he was ready. Two years into Zuffa's ownership of the UFC, the promotion had just booked two events when Fox Sports Net agreed to air one fight in June during a series of summer specials. There was only one problem. The first event White booked was in early May, and the results would be known far in advance of the airing. And the second event was in July, too late. So White booked a third event in June, solely for the opportunity to air on Fox Sports. The event became known as UFC 37.5, and it marked the first time in company history promoting three events in three months.
The show took place on a Saturday afternoon at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, and the plan was for Fox to air one full fight on Tuesday, three days later. While the main event pitted Chuck Liddell against Vitor Belfort, the UFC still planned to air the show on pay-per-view at a later date and could not give that fight away for free. So instead, UFC and Fox Sports Net decided on featuring Robbie Lawler vs. Steve Berger.
The ensuing broadcast would be a huge success for the UFC, which saw its biggest audience ever. Mainstream legitimacy seemed around the corner. And then? Nothing.
At the time, it was a monumental letdown for White and the Fertitta ownership group, who thought they were about to begin a fruitful relationship.
"It was like, f---, we should've got that deal then," he said. "It should've happened. But it wasn't time. It didn't happen because it wasn't time. We weren't ready for that. We're ready now. Now we're ready, all our ducks are in a row. We're the best and what we do, and now we're going to go out there and f------ nail this in the next two years. But this next year is real important."
For White and UFC senior VP of production and operations Craig Borsari, that has meant constant contact with FOX executives. It's meant regular, daily phone calls, and frequent flier miles to Los Angeles. White said either he or Borsari -- sometimes both -- has traveled to L.A. at least once a week every week since signing the new deal in August.
"Thank God it's not New York," White said.
If that seems like a lot of work for one, one-hour show (the Nov. 12 FOX TV offering will feature only one fight: a heavyweight championship match pitting Cain Velasquez against Junior dos Santos), White said it's extremely significant because the first show will be lay the groundwork for the entire seven-year relationship to follow. The Nov. 12 show is not officially part of the announced deal, which goes into effect on January 1. It's actually a bonus event worked out between the companies, and White feels it necessary to make that first network impression an indelible one.
"They're not like any other network to deal with," White said. "They don't operate like any other networks do. They're so badass, it's really crazy. They do everything top-notch, first-class. They're innovative, they take risks. Being with these guys -- and I'm not complaining -- I just don't know how the f--- we didn't do this sooner. It's crazy.
"FOX revolutionized football, NASCAR and all these other sports," he continued. "[FOX Sports chairman and CEO] David Hill has literally revolutionized how sports is filmed and broadcast. They have a lot of ideas for us, too, and I'm open to them."
White is so focused on UFC on FOX 1 that many questions relating to surrounding issues can not yet be answered. Where will the rest of the card be broadcast? White doesn't know. Will subsequent network shows also be just one hour? That's still to be determined. What kind of viewership numbers are expected? Though FOX sold out its advertising allotment, no one offers a guess for that, either.
Recently, White seemed to tip his hand on the last question. While discussing Spike counter-programming UFC on FOX 1 with a special "UFC Unleashed" featuring Velasquez and dos Santos, he told MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani, "I hope I pull 10 million on FOX and 2 million on Spike. Believe me, I'll be a happy camper that next day.
But in a subsequent interview with MMA Fighting, White said that number was just off the top of his head.
"I have no idea what the possibilities are on a Saturday night for free TV," he said. "FOX hasn't given us any expectations or any number that they expect. I'm going to be happy no matter what. The way I look at this first FOX fight, we're introducing the sport to everybody. I don't know what that number's going to be, but whatever it is, we're going to build off that. When we did our last Fight Night in New Orleans, 1.8 million people tuned in on Spike. How many people are going to tune in on FOX? I don't know the answer, and neither do they. This thing is an experiment."
For both sides, it's an expensive experiment. FOX will be paying a reported $700 million over seven years, with rights fees starting lower than the average $100 million at the beginning and escalating each year. Meanwhile, the UFC is expected to lose money on the first show, with broadcast fees not likely to make up for the revenue that would have come from a pay-per-view offering.
In the long run, though, the UFC has the cash coffers to withstand a loss-leader on such a high-profile platform. The upside is without question. FOX's multi-channel deal with the UFC will eventually put the promotion not only on FOX, but also on FX, which finished in the top five for cable ratings in the most recent week. In addition, UFC will become staple programming on FUEL, with the possibility of event pre- and post-shows, live undercards and foreign versions of The Ultimate Fighter.
For the last few years, even as pay-per-view business exploded and the sport surpassed boxing and professional wrestling in revenue, White has always contended that the UFC and mixed martial arts had yet to hit mainstream. To get there, he's always said he needed network TV. The time is fast arriving.
It's going to be a challenge for all of Zuffa, and it will certainly take its personal toll on White. The next year, he says, is going to "beat the living s--- out of me." The travel, the expanded schedule, the stress, it's all just going to continue to increase. But after waiting 10 years for this opportunity, there's no hesitation about what's to come. In the words of octagon announcer Bruce Buffer, it's time.
"Next year, 2012, is going to be the biggest year for mixed martial arts," he said. "It's the one that's going to change everything. I know what I need to do. We're going to reach people who would have never watched us in a million years. We're going to kick it off and get a lot of buzz and a lot of hype, and we're going to grow off of it. We have a great partner. We're ready. Now we're going to take it to a whole other level." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, time, fox, event, year
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseProElite Signs Broadcast Deal With HDNet
Filed under: MMA Media Watch, ProEliteProElite is back on cable television.
The organization announced late Monday night that it had signed a multi-fight broadcast deal with HDNet to air its events live on the cable network. As a result, ProElite: Big Guns will air live on HDNet on Nov. 5 from the iWireless Center in Moline, IL.
"Our multi-fight agreement with HDNet elevates the ProElite brand to a national MMA audience with a preeminent broadcast partner," said Paul Feller, President and CEO of Stratus Media Group, the parent company of ProElite, and Chairman of the organization. "This strategic partnership offers new opportunities for corporate sponsors and advertisers looking to reach this passionate and rapidly growing audience of ProElite fans."
The co-main event for the organization's second card under new ownership will feature Andrei Arlovski vs. Travis Fulton and Tim Sylvia vs. Andreas Kraniotakes, plus the start of eight-man heavyweight tournament.
EliteXC, a subsidiary of ProElite, debuted on Showtime in Feb. 2007 and subsequently folded in Oct. 2008. In Aug. 2011, the new ProElite launched, with its first event airing online. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: proelite, event, broadcast, hdnet, organization
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseUFC 137 Spike TV Prelims special to showcase Cerrone vs. Siver, Griffin vs. Palaszewski on Oct. 29
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will once again return to Spike TV for its upcoming UFC 137 "Prelims" telecast featuring bouts between Donald Cerrone vs. Dennis Siver and Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski.
UFC 137: "Champion vs. The Killer" is scheduled to take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., Oct. 29, 2011.
Cerrone, who is fresh off a "Knockout of the Night" performance over Charles Oliveira at UFC on Versus 5, once again stepped up on short notice when Sam Stout was forced off the card. Siver, meanwhile, registered another "controversial" decision win over Matt Wiman back at UFC 132, which marked the seventh win for the German striker in his last eight trips inside the Octagon.
With these talented strikers both looking to crack into the division's elite once and for all, expect them to come out guns blazing and leave it all inside the cage.
In the other featured bout, it's a featherweight fight with significance for two fighters who are looking to return to form and get back to their winning ways. Griffin recently snapped a three-fight losing skid with a majority decision over Manny Gamburyan, while Palaszewski dropped a split decision to Kamal Shalorus late last year.
Injuries have prevented "Bartimus" from making his promotional debut, which will be no "gimme" when he finally does make it going up against a hungry, motivated veteran like Griffin.
UFC 137: "St. Pierre vs. Condit" will feature welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre putting his 170-pound title on the line when he goes head-to-head against number one division contender Carlos Condit. The co main event will highlight the recently demoted Nick Diaz taking on B.J. Penn, while Pride FC legend Mirko Filipovic will attempt to outstrike The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 winner Roy Nelson.
For all the latest UFC 137 news and notes -- and there are plenty -- be sure to check out our event archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, griffin, palaszewski
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC PPV Start Time Comparison
News broke last week that the UFC was planning to move the its PPVs back to a 7pm/10pm start time starting with December 30th’s UFC 141. In April at UFC 129, the UFC moved the start times up to 6pm/9pm to accommodate the east coast viewers.
In Jason’s perspective yesterday, he asked the question, “It would be interesting to know if the breakdown in PPV buys this year led the UFC to conclude that the 6pm start time did not influence PPV buys“.
I wondered the same thing, so I though I’d take a closer look at the numbers and try comparing buyrate averages leading up to the April 30th change to the subsequent events that followed.
So here I compared the buyrate averages from the 7 events prior to the change to the 7 events that followed.
UFC 121 to 128 covered the period between November 23 2010 and March 19 2011. The estimated average number of buys over this stretch was approximately 576,000. In comparison, UFC 129 to 135, which covered a time period between April 30 2011 through to September 24 2011 had an estimated 414,000 buys. That’s a decrease of 28% after the start time was moved up to 6pm/9pm at the end April.
It’s hard to say for certain if this is the primary reason for the drop. There was a rash of injuries and health issues in the spring which effected main events and many argue that an over saturation of the product is causing consumer fatigue. But the move by the UFC signals they feel strongly that the change is having enough of an impact on their product that they are willing to revert back to the original start time less then a year after making the change.
Posted in: ufc, time, event, buyrate averages, change
Read the full article at MMA PayoutProElite 2: Pedro Rizzo Out of Nov. 5 Main Event Against Tim Sylvia
ProElite 2, ProElite’s second event since relaunching in August, takes place on November 5 in Moline, Illinois, but is in need of a new main event after an arm injury recently forced Pedro Rizzo out of the scheduled headliner against fellow UFC veteran Tim Sylvia (pictured).
Heavyweights are also slated to meet in the co-main event, as Andrei Arlovski looks to build on his August win that snapped a four-fight win streak when he meets journeyman Travis Fulton.
Before the matchups were announced, it was rumored that Sylvia and Arlovski could meet for a fourth time in the main event following their trilogy in the UFC, which Sylvia came back to win 2-1.
An eight-man tournament featuring heavyweight prospects is also expected to take place at the event.
For the latest MMA news stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Posted in: proelite, event, sylvia, andrei arlovski, moline illinois
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyMFC 32 Slated for January 2012, Kicks Off New Year with Lightweight Title Fight
The Maximum Fighting Championship on Sunday announced that MFC 31 brings the promotion’s year to a close. MFC 32 will mark the company's first event of 2012.
Posted in: title, event, year, title fight, mfc
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyVancouver loses UFC in 2012
MMA Fighting and TSN report that Vancouver is likely out of the UFC’s rotation of events for 2012. It announced 2012 events in Montreal and Toronto and another “surprise” Canadian city according to UFC’s director of operations Tom Wright.
Wright indicated that the lack of regulatory movement, not financial success was the reason that it would not return in 2012.
Via MMA Fighting:
The shows certainly weren’t financial failures. 2010′s UFC 115 did a $4.2 million gate, while UFC 131, held this past June, drew a $2.8 million gate. Instead, the problem is regulatory stalling. Both of the UFC’s events were held during a two-year test period held by the city after overturning a previous ban on MMA. That test period will end in the coming months and apparently, the prospects of sanctioned MMA will go with it.
Via TSN:
“And the disappointing thing for our sport is that after a two-year test period, they’ve had two tests — ours,” Wright said Wednesday. “Because no other promotion could afford the indemnification or the insurance costs or the other things — or actually have the perseverance to get an event to be held there.
Payout Perspective:
A disappointment to MMA fans in the Pacific Northwest. Last June’s event was set to be the return of Brock Lesnar. Unfortunately, due to Lesnar’s health issues, Lesnar’s late scratch likely affected the attendance for the show (yet, it still did pretty well). Taking Vancouver off of the schedule is a sign for the need of uniform regulation in Canada. This is something the UFC has lobbied for in Ottawa. Bloody Elbow was critical of Vancouver for granting the UFC the opportunity to hold events in its city but not doing anything to ensure a lasting relationship with the sport of MMA. BE argues that Vancouver officials made unreasonable monetary requests of the UFC to cover for insurance, extra police security, etc. while not creating laws which would regulate the sport in the province. Certainly, this would be the UFC’s point of view as well.
Notwithstanding Vancouver’s loss, there are other Canadian cities more than willing to hold a UFC event and work with the UFC regarding regulating MMA.
For Pacific Northwest MMA fans, perhaps Seattle will be a new destination for a UFC PPV. It had the highest attendance for a UFC Fight Night and the Seattle media embraced the sport. With the Key Arena dormant except the random concert and the WNBA’s Storm in the summer, Seattle has a great venue to house the sport.
Posted in: ufc, mma, sport, event, vancouver
Read the full article at MMA PayoutThis week on UFC Central
The Ultimate Fighting Championship officially announced UFC 140 in Toronto and we sat down those involved to discuss the main event.
Posted in: ufc, toronto, week, event, championship
Read the full article at sportsnet.caUFC/FOX offer sneak peek at upcoming event
The UFC and FOX have turned the marketing machine up another notch for the MMA organization’s November 12 debut on network television and produced the first of what is sure to be many promotional videos hyping the event!
As you likely know unless you’re a fan stuck somewhere in the Arctic Circle, UFC on FOX 1 features heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez putting his gold up for grabs against hard-hitting Brazilian Junior dos Santos. The card will also serve to possibly determine the next contender for Frankie Edgar’s lightweight title with non-stop grinder Clay Guida facing the “Smooth” stylings of Ben Henderson.
UFC on FOX 1 will mark a preview in itself, as multiple UFC events are scheduled to be shown in 2012 including live events next year and a re-formatted Ultimate Fighter.
Here is the preview for UFC on FOX 1:
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, ufcfox offer, marketing machine
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainKikuta Leads Charge, Sasaki Steals Show at Grabaka Live 1
TOKYO -- It was a good night for Grabaka leader Sanae Kikuta, who in the main event of the gym's inaugural MMA event “First Cage Attack” at Differ Ariake, blasted 1999 UFC Japan tournament winner Kenichi Yamamoto to a first-round stoppage.
Posted in: event, first-round, first-round stoppage, grabaka, kikuta
Read the full article at SherdogVancouver is Unlikely to Host a UFC Event in 2012
As a resident of Greater Vancouver, nothing annoys me more than the false idea that the city of Vancouver is interested in hosting MMA events within the city limits. Two UFC events, UFC 115 and UFC 131, have taken place in GM Place. This is true. But the UFC has had to deal with unreasonable demands from the city all the way throughout the process, whether it was asking the promotion to provide ridiculous amounts of insurance, or telling them to pay for an increased police presence, or just plain not supporting the idea in the first place. And to the shock of approximately no one, Tom Wright says the UFC probably won't be coming back to Vancouver in 2012 (via the Canadian Press):
And the disappointing thing for our sport is that after a two-year test period, they've had two tests -- ours," Wright said Wednesday. "Because no other promotion could afford the indemnification or the insurance costs or the other things -- or actually have the perseverance to get an event to be held there.
"Will we go back to Vancouver in time? Yeah. Will it be next year? I doubt it."
The two-year test he's referring to was the city's way of trying to make some coin while not actually passing any real laws. They knew it was up to the provincial government to deal with this sort of thing, so they passed this "test period" to get the UFC into town while avoiding any real push for legislation, and despite their unreasonable demands, the UFC obliged them. Twice. No one else could afford to run shows in the city, and that was by design.
I could write a novel on the situation, but the basic point for Pacific Northwest MMA fans is that UFC isn't coming back to Vancouver any time soon. And with good reason. Should Vancouver be happy and feel lucky they've hosted two UFC events? Maybe. I'm sure New Yorkers aren't feeling much sympathy for us right now. But the fact that the city (and the province) doesn't understand what it's dealing with and despite two passes through the city, it still doesn't get it. They're more concerned with the almightly buck than cultivating anything resembling a sports culture in the city. And they wonder why they're forced to fend off riots.
Posted in: ufc, event, test, city, vancouver
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowM-1 Global 26 Live Results
You may think there is a shortage of MMA events this weekend but you’d be wrong because M-1 Global returns to Showtime tonight. Coming to us live from the Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Arizona it’s M-1 Global Challenge 26. As always Five Ounces of Pain will provide complete returns including a fight recap of all the television action.
The event kicks off tonight at 11PM EST on Showtime.
M-1 Global 26 is headlined by a light heavyweight title fight as former TUF finalist Vinny Magalhaes battles Mikhail Zayats. In the co-main event, Maxim Grishin takes on Kenny Garner for the interim heavyweight strap.
MAIN CARD
Yasubey Enomoto vs. Josh Thorpe
Tom Gallicchio vs. Daniel Madrid
Arthur Guseinov vs. Eddie Arizmendi
Kenny Garner vs. Maxim Grishin
Vinny Magalhaes vs. Mikhail Zayats
Posted in: vs, event, co-main event, television action, mma events
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainBellator 54 weigh-in results: Middleweight-tourney semifinalists on weight
All four middleweight tournament semifinal fighters competing at
Saturday's Bellator 54 event today successfully made weight for the
show.
Today's weigh-ins took place at New Jersey's Caesars Atlantic City. The nearby Boardwalk Hall hosts Saturday's event.
The season-five middleweight semifinalists included Brian Rogers (185.5)
vs. Alexander Shlemenko (185.5) and Bryan Baker (183) vs. Vitor Vianna
(185.2).
Posted in: event, saturday, weight, weigh-in, middleweight-tourney semifinalists
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 137 weigh-ins set for Oct. 28; Frank Mir hosts Q&A session
Weigh-ins for this month's "UFC 137: St-Pierre vs. Condit" event take
place Friday, Oct. 28, at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center.
The same venue hosts the following night's pay-per-view event, which
features a welterweight title fight between current champion Georges
St-Pierre and former WEC champ Carlos Condit.
Additionally, former heavyweight champion Frank Mir hosts a special
Q&A session for UFC Fight Club members prior to the weigh-ins.
Posted in: ufc, event, host, venue hosts, mir hosts
Read the full article at MMA JunkieDan Hardy Training In Las Vegas…For Zombie Apocalypse!
As December 21, 2012 fast approaches many people around the world are expecting doom! As they believe a cataclysmic event will strike the earth. Scenarios being discussed by these certain peoples are comets or asteroids coming from the heavens and crashing into the earth, E.T.’s finally make first contact with us or the spread of [...]
Posted in: event, people, december, earth scenarios, earth
Read the full article at Fighthub TVW-1 'Reloaded' live stream video preview for 'Davis vs. O'Neil' on Oct. 15
After four weeks in a row of stellar Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events, the big dog of mixed martial arts (MMA) is taking a week off.
Don't worry though, Maniacs. No need to go into total withdrawal.
On Sat., Oct. 15, Warrior One MMA will keep the good times rolling as W-1 MMA: "Reloaded" takes place at BankUnited Center, located at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.
The card features a main event between former UFC banger Marcus Davis and Ultimate Fighter (TUF) contestant Chuck O'Neil. In the co-headliner, former XFC Featherweight Champion Luis Palomino will square off against Edson Berto.
Fans will be able to stream the event LIVE at GFL Combat Sports Network (GFL.tv) for only $9.95, beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET by clicking here.
Originally, everyone's favorite anarchist, Jeff Monson, was set to take on Gabriel Gonzaga in the headline fight before he withdrew from the event recently. Davis and O'Neil were ready and willing to fill in as the main event of the night.
After losing to Jeremy Stephens at UFC 125 on Jan. 1 in Las Vegas, Nevada, "Irish Hand Grenade" was cut from the UFC and forced to re-invent himself. Davis is currently riding a three-fight win streak, most recently submitting Travis Coyle by guillotine choke at Global Fight League 13: "Heavy Hitters" on Sept. 23 in Portland, Maine.
Davis, who began boxing at the age of 14, has been involved in some classic bloody exchanges during his 28-fight MMA career. He'll be looking to give fans another exciting display of fireworks on Saturday night.
"Reloaded" will also feature MMA legend Randy Couture's ex-wife, Kim Couture, in a fight versus Suzie Montero as "Sugar Free" seeks to avoid her third straight loss.
Holding a professional record of 3-5, Couture has often taken criticism for possibly getting attention more for her last name than her actual abilities in the ring and cage. She will be looking to quiet the critics and get her career back on track
Make sure to check in with MMAmania.com during the event for LIVE updates and results. Get here a few minutes early to get involved in the usually witty banter between the Maniacs.
Posted in: ufc, mma, event,  , davi
Read the full article at MMA ManiaM-1 Challenge 27 weigh-in results: Showtime fighters all on weight
All 10 fighters competing on the Showtime-televised main card of
tonight's "M-1 Challenge 27: Magalhaes vs. Zayats" event successfully
made weight at Friday's official weigh-ins.
The weigh-ins took place at Metro Sportz Bar in Phoenix.
Tonight's event takes place at Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix
with M-1 Global light heavyweight champion Vinny Magalhaes taking
on Russian challenger Mikhail Zayats in the evening's main event.
Posted in: event, weight, weigh-in, official weigh-ins, showtime fighters
Read the full article at MMA JunkieReport: Vancouver Likely Not on UFC's Calendar in 2012
Filed under: UFC, NewsAfter bringing MMA's biggest traveling road show to Vancouver in both 2010 and 2011, the UFC is unlikely to return to the picturesque British Columbian city in 2012.
That news comes from the UFC's director of operations in Canada, Tom Wright, who told The Canadian Press that the promotion would visit three of the country's cities next year, and Vancouver isn't expected to be one of them.
The reason? The shows certainly weren't financial failures. 2010's UFC 115 did a $4.2 million gate, while UFC 131, held this past June, drew a $2.8 million gate. Instead, the problem is regulatory stalling. Both of the UFC's events were held during a two-year test period held by the city after overturning a previous ban on MMA. That test period will end in the coming months and apparently, the prospects of sanctioned MMA will go with it.
"And the disappointing thing for our sport is that after a two-year test period, they've had two tests -- ours," Wright said. "Because no other promotion could afford the indemnification or the insurance costs or the other things -- or actually have the perseverance to get an event to be held there."
While the MMA events were both financial boons for the city and promotion, UFC officials navigated a rocky road with Vancouver officials over several issues, including insurance costs. Most recently, before the UFC's scheduled June 11 event, Vancouver police chief Jim Chu requested that the promotion contribute to policing costs "to prevent what might occur in terms of neighborhood problems."
The UFC refused the request, saying they weren't prepared to be treated differently than other events held there. Ironically, at the time, Wright told MMA Fighting that he explained to Chu, "If I were the Chief, I'd be more worried about Canuck fans (celebrating or crying in their beers) than UFC fans."
The UFC event came and went with no problems, but just days later, after the hometown Canucks lost in the Stanley Cup Finals, over 100 people were arrested as riots erupted on the city's streets.
According to Wright, Toronto and Montreal will see major UFC shows in 2012, but the third Canadian host city remains undetermined. It's possible the third show will be a smaller "Fight Night" event. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, mma, event, city, test period
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseM-1 Challenge XXVII Magalhaes vs Zayats Official Weigh-In Results
All fighters on the M-1 GLOBAL Challenge XXVII event scheduled for tomorrow, October 14, 2011, at the Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Ariz., have successfully weighed in for their bouts. The weigh-ins took place at the Metro Sportz Bar in Phoenix. The event will air live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). M-1 Challenge XXVII: Magalhaes vs. Zayats will feature two title bouts from the new 5,500 seat Arena . The event is headlined with the five-round,
Posted in: event, challenge, west coast, challenge xxvii, xxvii
Read the full article at Low KickUFC in Fox Card
I just checked out the full card for Fox event. It seems kind of small. Does anybody know if they are going to add more fights? There are between 10-12 fights per event. The Fox event only has 6 submitted by rryguy1978 [link] [3 comments]
Posted in: fight, fox, event, fox event, fox card
Read the full article at RedditAll M-1 Challenge 27 Competitors On Weight
Only days after an injury to M-1 heavyweight champion Guram Gugenishvili altered the M-1 Challenge 27 main event, all 14 fighters competing on the card made their contracted weights.
Posted in: event, champion, challenge, weight, competitor
Read the full article at SherdogBellator Announces Eddie Alvarez Vs. Michael Chandler For Mid-November
While some fans may malign Bellator for its lack of champions actually defending their titles, the promotion announced Thursday that Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez will put his title on the line in mid-November against Michael Chandler.
Alvarez (22-2) will face Chandler (8-0) in the main event of Bellator 58 on November 19th in Hollywood, FL -- a fight that was originally scheduled for this Saturday but was delayed to an Alvarez injury.Chandler earned the title shot by winning Bellator's Season 4 lightweight tournament, beating Patricky Freire by unanimous decision in May. Alvarez last competed in April in the first defense of his gold, besting Pat Curran in a unanimous decision. He carries a seven-fight win streak into the event.
In the co-main event, Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard faces Trevor Prangley in a non-title fight announced last week. Jessica Aguilar vs. Lisa Ward and Marlon Sandro vs. Rafael Dias round out the main card.
Posted in: bellator, vs, event, alvarez, michael chandler
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowCyborg Santos vs Hiroko Yamanaka set for Strikeforce event on Dec. 17 in San Diego
Looks like they finally found another victim opponent for Cristiane Santos.
"Cyborg" (10-1), who somehow managed to escape serving a life sentence for the murder of Jan Finney, has been booked to defend her Women's 145-pound title against Hiroko Yamanaka (12-1) at the promotion's upcoming Showtime event scheduled for the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif., on Sat., Dec. 17, 2011.
Santos hasn't been seen since smashing "Cuddles" back in June 2010, when she threw a frightening 158 total bombs in the opening frame alone and finished with a total of 141 out of 236 total strikes (60-percent) including 63 "power strikes" and six knockdowns.
That's one strike every 3.3 seconds.
Hoping to avoid the Brazilian's relentless attack is Yamanaka, who has been kicking the crap out of the Japanese scene under the Jewels banner, last submitting the unpronounceable Bolormaa Erdenebileg back in July.
"Cat's Eye" will need more than just a feline's retina, she'll need all nine of its lives as well.
Strikeforce: "Melendez vs. Masvidal" will feature lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez putting his 155-pound belt on the line against a very dangerous, and hungry, Jorge Masvidal in the main event of the evening.
Former Strikeforce light heavyweight and 2008 DREAM middleweight grand prix champion, Gegard Mousasi, will look to get back into the promotion's win column in more than a year when he takes on former University of Tennessee defensive standout Ovince St. Preux.
For more on this upcoming fight card click here.
Posted in: strikeforce, event, strike, san diego, yamanaka
Read the full article at MMA ManiaStrikeforce Main Card Official for “Melendez vs. Masvidal” on Dec. 17
Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez will defend his title at least one more time before a likely move to the UFC as “El Nino” is set to face Jorge Masvidal in the main event of Strikeforce’s Dec. 17 event on Showtime from San Diego, California, the promotion announced today.
Filling out the main card are women’s featherweight champ Cris “Cyborg” Santos vs. Hiroko Yamanaka, Gegard Mousasi vs. Ovince St. Preux, and KJ Noons vs. Billy Evangelista.
The event could be one of the promotion’s last on Showtime as their broadcast deal ends in early 2012 unless an contract extension is executed by the channel.
Posted in: strikeforce, vs, event, ovince st, masvidal ”
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyShark Fights 21 features Lashley-Schoonover, Bonello-Roberts title fights (MMAJunkie.com)
The Texas-based Shark Fights promotion has announced a pair of championship bouts for next month's event.
Posted in: fight, event, championship, shark, championship bouts
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsPayout Analysis: The Strikeforce Death Knell ?
Zuffa created a subsidiary called Forza LLC to control Strikeforce who was taken over from Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment in March of this year. Since then, there’s been much debate as too whether Zuffa/Forza will continue to operate the promotion or just kill it off. Strikeforces’ television contract with Showtime expires mid-February 2012 and both sides have been relatively quiet as to the future the promotions programming on the network. However, UFC President Dana White recently commented on the Strikeforce/Showtime situation at the UFC 135 pre-fight press conference:
“Who knows what’s going to happen? The way this thing works is, it depends on Showtime. The ball’s in their court. They need to decide whether they want to keep Strikeforce around or not”
Showtime has yet to comment on their plans moving forward. They do have an option to extend the deal through 2014, however, the ball that’s been left in their court doesn’t have much of a bounce left.
Over the past 5 months Strikeforce had their top draws cherry-picked by the UFC, an impressive list that includes former Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem, former welterweight champ Nick Diaz and Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Dan Henderson. It’s almost certain the Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez will join them. By hollowing out the promotions champions, Zuffa’s actions speak louder then words and Showtime should be getting the message now loud and clear.
So is there even a business case left for keeping Stikeforce around in 2012? Using the publicly available data we took a closer look at the performance of the two Strikeforce ownership groups, Silicon Valley, and Zuffa/Forza. We sampled data from the last 9 events under Silicon Valley ownership, between October 9 2010 to March 25 2011 that included 5 major tier 1 events and 4 smaller tier 2 Challengers events. We compared the average TV Ratings, Attendance, Gate and Payroll to the first 9 events under Zuffa ownership, between April 1 2011 and September 23 2011 that included 4 major tier 1 events and 5 tier 2 events.
Payout Perspective:
In the midst of losing their top talent, the rough estimation is that Strikeforce has seen TV ratings dip 5%, attendance drop 32%, live gate profits down 11% and an increase of 26% in fighters payroll since Zuffa took control in March 2011.
From Showtimes point of view, the ratings are stagnant and Zuffa is (or has) impeded the ability for Strikeforce to improve upon their ratings. Showtime is drawing approximately 2.5 times more viewers with boxing programming then with Strikeforce. M-1 Global, who also broadcasts MMA events on Showtime will air their next to last event on October 14th. With no word on a Showtime/M-1 contract renewal, perhaps Showtimes focus will shift solely back to boxing leaving the MMA programming by the wayside.
For Zuffa, they’re in a position were they have just signed a huge network television contract for the UFC with FOX, which includes distribution on the cable channels FX and Fuel TV. Plus, Spike TV appears set to continue broadcasting UFC content, counter-programming or not, throughout 2012. So for Zuffa’s primary brand there’s no shortages on the television front. There has been zero push for Strikeforce since the ownership change and none look to be in sight. The numbers aren’t terribly good and there is no momentum, I see little benefit for Zuffa to continue their support for Strikeforce. It’s plausible they would continue to broadcast Strikeforce on Showtime in an attempt to help limit potential competition but I think if Showtime is to continue with MMA programming, it won’t be under the Zuffa/Forza/Strikeforce banner.
Posted in: ufc, strikeforce, event, showtime, zuffa
Read the full article at MMA PayoutCage Warriors sets 2012 schedule with nine international events
The U.K.-based Cage Warriors promotions will continue its international expansion with an aggressive 2012 schedule that includes trips to at least six different countries.
The schedule includes stops in England, Jordan, Ireland, Turkey and Hungary, officials today confirmed with MMAjunkie.com.
The promotion, which launched in 2002, recently held its 46th event, which streamed live on MMAjunkie.com.
Posted in: event, warrior, officials today, mmajunkie.com, schedule
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBellator's Roller Coaster Ride Exacerbated by MTV2's Poor Decisions
In February, Bellator, the consensus #2 mixed martial arts promotion in North America, signed a three-year deal with MTV2 to air live events. Understandably, fans following the promotion became giddy with excitement. No longer would they have to wait for tape-delayed broadcasts or other fans in different markets to upload the events to the Internet. The deal guaranteed live events and easy accessibility with the hope that it would bring higher ratings and more revenue.
The initial numbers drew heavy criticism from the ignorant segments of the fanbase, mostly because comparisons were being made with the averages of other promotions on television. MTV2 doesn't have the pull or reach of Spike TV and it isn't a subscription-based network like Showtime, thus Bellator 35's 200,000 viewer debut was seen as a success for the network. It was a 83% increase in viewership in the 18-49 demographic for MTV2.
As the year has progressed however, those ratings haven't been steady. In fact, one could make the comparison that the ratings' trend is a roller coaster ride with no stability in sight. The culprit of Bellator's lows? The UFC.
From Bellator's debut with the network at Bellator 35 to their most recent event this past Saturday at Bellator 53, ten of those shows have fallen below the debut mark of 200,000 viewers. Of those ten events, five of those events went head-to-head with the UFC while one of the events shared a weekend:
Event
Viewers
Notes
Bellator 53
103,000
UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard, NCAA Football
Bellator 50
114,000
UFC Fight Night 25
Bellator 41
132,000
Warren vs. Galvao, Freire vs. Reis
Bellator 38
150,000
UFC Fight Night 24
Bellator 51
158,000
UFC 135: Jackson vs. Jones
Bellator 37
173,000
UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones
Bellator 39
174,000
LW Title: Alvarez vs. Curran
Bellator 43
182,000
Hieron vs. Hawn
Bellator 46
185,000
Same weekend as UFC on Versus
Bellator 42
199,000
LHW Semifinals
The data includes all head-to-head match-ups with the UFC with the exception of Bellator 52. Not surprising, Bellator 46 is included on the list, which didn't go head-to-head, but shared a weekend with a UFC on Versus card. It was the lone Bellator event in a six-event stretch that dipped below the 200,000 mark. Even when they aren't on the same night, they can't win due to the media focus on the UFC.
I imagine many of you will look at this data and say "This won't matter once they move to Spike TV". You're wrong. It will matter, although the number will be inflated to an average more suitable for Spike TV's reach in the market. That move is still up in the air due to the chess game between the UFC and Spike TV over library rights. If the UFC won't buy back the library rights, Viacom, MTV2's parent company, can't move Bellator over to Spike TV. Spike TV can, however, counter program UFC events with their own library. From every indication, Dana White has no intention of buying back the library, thus Bellator will stay on MTV2 in 2012.
Bellator's uphill climb will only get steeper in the coming year. The UFC is increasing their event output to 34 events, plus adding live The Ultimate Fighter fights weekly on Friday nights for a majority of the weeks throughout the year. Where exactly does Bellator go if the historically prime spots for MMA are taken by the world's largest organization?
Sherdog.com's Jordan Breen suggested that any day but Saturday would suffice, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Friday night will be filled with The Ultimate Fighter live shows and HDNet's MMA programming, not to mention the fact that the male demographic on those nights is more prone to leaving the house over sitting in front of the television. Sunday nights have become mainstays for other professional sports. Sunday night football and baseball will take viewers away.
Breen later suggested Thursday. It shouldn't be a suggestion however. I think that's the best night for Bellator to stabilize their ratings' roller coaster. Limited competition from other sports, a late week time slot, and the move could easily transition to Spike TV if they move TNA wrestling to a new time or a new day. Attempting to move start times on Saturday, as Rebney stated to MMAJunkie radio back in February, isn't going to work, not when the UFC takes up the entire evening with Facebook prelims, Spike TV prelims, and then the pay-per-view.
Media coverage is another major issue, and it isn't going to get any better by publicly stating that media outlets need to give Bellator a fair share. It's absurd and delusional to think that every media site is going to devote equal time to both promotions, especially when every single shred of evidence points to the UFC being the more prominent brand. That's exactly why Bellator 46 saw a ratings' dip, and everything needs to be done to avoid those conflicts.
There are other minor issues like the fact that there is a very limited HD option for the shows. I don't get Epix HD, and there is a large number of fans out there who have no idea what it is or how to get it.
We can't blame CEO Bjorn Rebney here. Obviously, they are restricted to MTV2's decisions. The staff in charge of programming at MTV2 might be a group of college dropouts for all I know. According to these geniuses of the television world, Rob & Big marathons are worthy of the Thursday time slot and Bellator is stuck getting eviscerated in the ratings' game against the UFC on Saturdays. It's time to show MTV2 or their parent company, Viacom, the raw data and persuade them that the ratings will increase with a move. If they can't do that, Bellator may not make it to Spike TV in 2013.
Posted in: ufc, bellator, event, nbsp, spike tv
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 140: Jones vs. Machida - Live Video of Press Conference
The press conference for UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida gets underway today at 1 p.m. ET today and we'll have your live video right here on Bloody Elbow. UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and challenger Lyoto Machida will meet in the main event of that event in a bout for Jones' title. Co-headlining the event is a heavyweight rematch between former champions Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
The event takes place December 10, 2011 from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Full UFC 140 Card
Main Card:
Jon Jones vs. Lyoto MachidaFrank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo NogueiraRory MacDonald vs. Brian EbersoleTito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio NogueiraMark Hominick vs. Chan Sung Jung
Preliminary Card:
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Igor PokrajacJohn Makdessi vs. Dennis HallmanClaude Patrick vs. Rich AttonitoMark Bocek vs. Nik LentzMitch Clarke vs. John Cholish
Live streaming video of the press conference can be found after the jump.
Video:
Posted in: ufc, jone, press conference, vs, event
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowFlint MMA "Riot" Not the Real Reason Regulation is Needed for Michigan Amateur Events
Last Saturday, an amateur MMA event in Flint, Michigan saw a "riot" break out as people from the audience stormed the cage and punches were thrown. It's just the latest in a string of dangerous situations taking place at amateur events in the state.
Here's the video:
As a Michigan resident, this is something I care about deeply.
Promoters will kick and scream when the idea of regulating amateur MMA in the state is brought up. Often they cite that the lack of ease with which to put on a show will lead to fighters being forced to either drive out of state or turn professional too early because no one is presenting amateur bouts under increased regulation.
But there are ways to regulate and license events in ways that simply ensure promoters operate their shows safely in accordance within the established guidelines. If a promoter meets the fighter safety requirements, has proper security and has proper medical staff ringside, then they can operate with a state issued license. If they fail to operate safely, they lose their license and their right to promote events.
The funny thing is, Greg Ahrens was involved with putting on the show that saw the riot take place. Ahrens has been one of the leading voices in Michigan pushing for amateur regulation. An article on MLive.com about the situation quoted him:
"I thought about putting out a press release saying someone died at one of my shows, but we weren't sure who it was," Greg Ahrens said. "So, when the state showed up, I would say ‘Yeah, the guy died, but since you don't require us to keep any paperwork, we don't know who it was, and his guys just hauled him out of there.'
"Think that would get some politicians' attention?"
...
"Young people are going to be put at risk," without regulation, Ahrens said. "And it becomes a matter of not if, but when, somebody will get killed."
I've never attended one of Ahren's shows so I can't comment too much on how they are run, but I've heard decent things. And there is a possibility of a brawl like we saw in the video happening at any event really.
But it is a moment like this that can provide the motivation to get things moving in the right direction to handle the issues present throughout all these promotions.
I've been to local amateur events where I've seen:
Fighters showing up to the "arena" with their fists already taped. What is to prevent someone from loading their wraps for a little advantage?
The only medical staff present being a man described as a local "diet doctor."
Teenagers who brag about not really training anywhere being given fights against experienced fighters out of legitimate camps.
Events run by local gyms where they intentionally book mismatches that favor their fighters so that the event works as an advertisement for their gym.
I've seen those same promoters who are also local gym owners stand fights up when a fighter they train has been mounted and is getting pounded on. I asked one such promoter to explain the stand-up and she explained that the fighter on bottom's mouthpiece was about to come out.
I've seen a "security team" which consisted of whichever fighters weren't in the bout taking place at the time.
There are some local promotions which basically book their fight cards based on requests for fights on their facebook page. Throwing together thirty fight cards with little idea of the quality of the fighters involved.
My former trainer has a professional record, having fought at least three fighters who spent time in the UFC, yet I've seen him compete with some regularity on local amateur shows. Just more of the danger in careless matchmaking.
These are the kinds of issues that really demand oversight in amateur MMA. It's easy to get up in arms over a brawl with the crowd jumping over the cage. Everyone can see that and it causes an easy emotional reaction. But it's the stuff that doesn't get talked about that happens every week in the state that is the concern.
Plenty of these events are safe, but enough of them aren't that it's simply worth the extra cost to ensure the long term viability of the sport. A few deaths at poorly run amateur events and we'll find ammy event made illegal altogether.
Posted in: fight, fighter, event, state, amateur
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowExamining the Cost of Being a UFC Fan
Following a sport that sees the majority of events placed on pay-per-view can be pretty expensive. That's probably no secret to anyone reading this site. We drop money month after month to watch events, especially if you're not one of the people that feels that being a fan entitles you to steal events via illegal streams.
But I've never been struck with the inspiration to sit down and do the math on exactly how much it costs to keep up with the promotion. Luckily, Ben Fowlkes at MMA Fighting did it for me:
If you had stayed home all by your lonesome and paid for every single event without any friends or even sympathetic, MMA-loving acquaintances to pitch in, you'd have spent $800 just on UFC events in 2011. Of course, that doesn't count the cost of monthly cable (which you need in order to watch those Spike TV or Versus events, not to mention the prelims before each pay-per-view) or monthly internet access (which you need in order to watch the Facebook prelims and, you know, read this article).
But let's be realistic. Very few people are laying down the dough for each and every pay-per-view all by themselves. For the sake of argument, let's say you had three friends who were just as fanatical about seeing every single pay-per-view. Let's say the four of you split each one equally. Then you're looking at $12.50 a pay-per-view, and $200 on the year (not counting snacks, drinks, and carpet cleaner for when your friends inevitably get drunk and spill some snacks on your floor)
There is much more in the piece. Including going on to mention the cost in terms of time also. It's really incredible (sad?) to realize just how much time a hardcore fan like those who frequent this site (and those who run it) invest into the sport.
Day after day, dollar after dollar, it all adds up before you even have time to let it sink in.
Posted in: event, friend, cost, mma-loving acquaintances, events  
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC returning to 10 p.m. ET pay-per-view slot with UFC 141
After a brief stretch in which the UFC moved up its pay-per-view start times an hour early, the organization soon will return to its 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) timeslot.
The PPV events return to the timeslot beginning with the year-end UFC 141 event.
UFC officials confirmed the switch overnight following an initial report from f4wonline.com.
Posted in: ufc, event, ufc officials, year-end, timeslot
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 137 poster for "St. Pierre vs. Condit" on Oct. 29 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las...
UFC 137 poster for "St. Pierre vs. Condit" on Oct. 29 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event also features former lightweight and welterweight champion B.J. Penn locking up with former Strikeforce kingpin Nick Diaz in the co main event of the evening. For the complete UFC 137 fight card and line-up click here.
Posted in: ufc, event, las vegas, pierre vs, line-up click
Read the full article at MMA ManiaReport: UFC PPVs Moving Back to 10pm ET Starting with UFC 141 on Dec. 30
The UFC will return to a 10pm ET start time for its pay-per-view events beginning with December’s UFC 141 event, the promotion confirmed to USA Today on Tuesday after an initial report from f4wonline.com.
UFC 141, a rare Friday PPV taking place on Dec. 30 to avoid New Year’s Eve, is headlined by former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar’s return to the Octagon against former Strikeforce title-holder Alistair Overeem.
The move to a 9pm ET start time beginning with UFC 129 in April allowed events to end by midnight for East Coast viewers instead of 1am, but meant the broadcasts began at 6pm on the West Coast.
With pay-per-view buys lower than expected after nine months of 2011 amid a busier schedule of events, the UFC is apparently returning to its old start time in hopes of recapturing some viewers.
For the latest UFC news and UFC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Pictured: Brock Lesnar
Posted in: ufc, time, pm, event, ufc news
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyUFC releases preview for UFC 137
UFC 136 is freshly behind in the rear view mirror and the largest MMA organization in the world has wasted little time promoting UFC 137, another major event taking place at the end of the month. Company officials released the first promotional video for the event headlined by welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre once again looking to defend his belt against the always dangerous Carlos Condit. Also featured in the video are welterweights B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz, who are slated to scrap in the co-main event of the evening.
UFC 137 promises to be one of the most exciting cards of the year as not only are four of the best welterweights in the world in action, but also on the card is a heavyweight showdown between Cheick Kongo and Matt Mitrione along with another heavyweight battle between Mirko Filipovic and Roy Nelson. Plus featherweight grappling expert Hatsu Hioki makes his UFC debut against George Roop to round out the PPV card.
Check out the video below:
Posted in: ufc, video, event, mirko filipovic, welterweights b.j
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainWhat Does It Really Cost to Be a UFC Fan?
Filed under: UFCIf you've been feeling like the UFC is occupying a lot of your free time lately, it isn't your imagination. The world's foremost MMA organization is coming off a stretch of four straight events -- two of them pay-per-views, and all of them on Saturday nights -- before going into the briefest little two-week hibernation leading up to UFC 137 at the end of the month.
After that, it's UFC 138 from England on November 5, then the UFC's FOX debut the weekend after that, and then UFC 139 in San Jose the weekend after that. Once we hit 2012, the UFC calendar only gets busier.
It makes you wonder, between the UFC's pay-per-view offerings, cable TV events, and regular reality show installments, what's the true cost in both money and time for hardcore fans who simply have to see it all?
For starters, take a glance at the pay-per-views. If everything proceeds according to schedule, the UFC will have put on 16 of them in 2011. They run you abut $55 a pop in HD ($45 in what I like to call "regular D"), so let's split the difference and call it $50 per event.
If you had stayed home all by your lonesome and paid for every single event without any friends or even sympathetic, MMA-loving acquaintances to pitch in, you'd have spent $800 just on UFC events in 2011. Of course, that doesn't count the cost of monthly cable (which you need in order to watch those Spike TV or Versus events, not to mention the prelims before each pay-per-view) or monthly internet access (which you need in order to watch the Facebook prelims and, you know, read this article).
But let's be realistic. Very few people are laying down the dough for each and every pay-per-view all by themselves. For the sake of argument, let's say you had three friends who were just as fanatical about seeing every single pay-per-view. Let's say the four of you split each one equally. Then you're looking at $12.50 a pay-per-view, and $200 on the year (not counting snacks, drinks, and carpet cleaner for when your friends inevitably get drunk and spill some snacks on your floor).
That's no small chunk of change, but most of us probably spend at least that much per year on coffee or junk food, so it's not unreasonable, either. To put it in perspective, compare the cost to other entertainment expenditures.
UFC president Dana White likes to tout his pay-per-views as being a relatively cheap form of entertainment, assuming you can get a significant number of people to chip in. The average price of a movie ticket in the U.S. now hovers around eight dollars, which means you could see about 25 movies per year for the same price as splitting 16 UFC pay-per-views among you and your three friends.
Or, at $18 per month, you could pay for almost an entire year's worth of Netflix (assuming you want DVDs in the mail and instant streaming -- and be honest, you do), which would allow you to stay home and watch a theoretically unlimited number of movies (even if you have to wait an extra few months to see Real Steel).
If you're the type who feels like Hollywood never measures up to real-life sporting events, however, you could buy tickets to about eight major league baseball games or about four NFL games, depending on the team, the seat, and how you go about acquiring them. Of course, that doesn't factor in parking, refreshments, or stadium pickpockets, though it does get you out of the house in a way that UFC pay-per-views don't.
But it's not just money that fight fans invest in order to keep up with the UFC -- it's also a great deal of time. Those 16 pay-per-views in 2011? Those clock in at around three hours each, which adds up to 48 hours -- two whole days -- spent watching grown men beat each other up.
Add up this year's Fight Nights, UFC Live events, TUF Finales, and UFC 138 on tape delay from England, and there's another 10 events at two hours each, including commercials. Then there's the one-hour UFC on FOX, for a total of 21 hours spent watching the UFC's free events. Add in another 22 hours spent watching two full seasons of The Ultimate Fighter, plus the one hour prelims before each pay-per-view event, and what you're looking at is 107 hours spent watching the UFC alone in 2011, and that doesn't even include little extras like Facebook prelims or Countdown shows.
If you're curious, that's almost four and a half full days in front of the TV. But as general sports fandom goes, that's not even necessarily so extreme.
For instance, over the course of the NFL's 17-week regular season, you could easily watch three full football games every Sunday, plus another one every Monday night. At around three hours per game, that's 204 hours a year. Factor in three weeks of playoffs, plus the Super Bowl, and you're up to about 237 hours, or nearly 10 full days.
One major difference is that the 10 days of NFL viewing is packed into about five months, whereas the UFC's 4 1/2 days is spread out across the entire year. But then, NFL games take place mostly on Sundays, when people are more likely to be home anyway, whereas UFC events are almost exclusively on Saturday nights, when people are more likely to go out in search of some form of social life. The NFL is also almost entirely free to watch, if you don't count the toll that sitting through all those commercials takes on your mind and spirit.
So what does it all mean? That depends on your perspective. If you're a lonely but dedicated fight fan doing it all by yourself, it means you could be taking a date to the movies almost once a week for what you're spending to watch the UFC alone at home on Saturday nights, and in the end you'd still have about seven extra hours to spend perusing online dating sites or improving your personal hygiene (perhaps some combination of the two would be best).
If your UFC fandom goes hand-in-hand with your social group, you might only spend as much on pay-per-views as you do on pizza every year, and at least it's in the company of friends who will tell you if you have sauce on your face.
Whatever you're spending, and however long it's taking you, get ready to put in more time and money next year. The UFC isn't slowing down. Not as long as its fans are still willing to do what it takes to keep up. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, hour, event, year, pay-per-view
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseW-1 fight card for 'Reloaded' set for BankUnited Center in Miami this weekend
Miami, FL (USA) – Warrior One MMA® (W-1®) unleashes a powerful lineup for its next event – "W-1: RELOADED" – to be broadcast live on GFL Combat Sports Network (GFL.tv) Sat., October 15, 8:00 p.m. ET. from the BankUnited Center located at the beautiful University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.
Warrior One MMA® (W-1®) is pleased to announce the exciting addition and new co-main event bout between top-rated Miami lightweight Luis "Baboon" Palomino and his Orlando counterpart Edson "Little Tiger" Berto. This match was originally to happen under the Bellator banner.
Through good relations and working closely with many of Bellator’s counterparts, Miami fans will now experience this explosive matchup close to home with W-1.
After the disappointing news that Jeff Monson had to withdraw from the bout with Gabriel Gonzaga, Marcus Davis, moves to main event status as he takes on fellow Massachusetts native and TUF/UFC contender Chuck O’Neil. Presented for Fox Sports Net, this nationally televised epic battle promises to live up to the hype as it replaces the former main event.
Mr. Gonzaga will now headline the next W-1 event on Feb. 25, 2012.
Tickets for "W-1: RELOADED" are on sale now and will be priced at $225 (VIP Ringside), $150, $75 and $25. Tickets are available at BankUnitedCenter.com, Ticketmaster.com, charge-by-phone (800-745-3000) and all Ticketmaster retail locations.
ABOUT WARRIOR ONE MMAWarrior One MMA (W-1) is an MMA production company headquartered in Toronto, ON, Canada. Founded in 2008 by successful entrepreneur and MMA specialist Jack Bateman, W-1 features experienced MMA athletes as well as up-and-coming talent. W-1's goal is to bring world class MMA events to North America while promoting the fastest-growing sport in the world (MMA). W-1 is unique to most other MMA organizations in that it was founded by a former mixed martial artist. This unique perspective has led to W-1's "Fighters First" philosophy. With this in mind, W-1 fighters are treated and respected as the epitome of professional athletes; training and performing at a level unparalleled in most other sports. W-1 believes that this concept will distinguish its fighters on a national level and create opportunities globally. With both a first-class track record and reputation, W-1 continues to grow in popularity in Canada and the United States. Continuing to build upon a strong base, W-1 is quickly rising to the top of MMA productions in 2011 and has ambitious plans for 2012 and beyond. With the recent addition of key executives, W-1 has created a new and exciting event structure, which will showcase new MMA athletes at regional events, providing them with a development opportunity to gain much-needed professional experience before elevating them to W-1's nationally televised event stage.
Posted in: mma, event, miami, bankunited center, mma ®
Read the full article at MMA ManiaExhausted Dana White: 'I will [expletive] die' making sure UFC gets to next level
All told, the UFC has booked 27 events this year.
In 2012, it's aiming to put on 34 shows, a 22 percent increase. In 2005, the year in which the promotion broke onto basic cable, 10 events filled the calendar.
This upcoming year is the one "that's going to change everything and take it to the next level," an exhausted Dana White said.
Posted in: ufc, event, year, level, change everything
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 137 fight card and rumors for 'St. Pierre vs Condit' from Las Vegas on Oct. 29
Event: UFC 137: "St. Pierre vs. Condit" Date: Sat., Oct. 29, 2011, at 9 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV)Location: Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada
Main event:
170 lbs.: UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre vs. Carlos Condit
Main card (Pay-per-view):
170 lbs.: B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz265 lbs.: Roy Nelson vs. Mirko Filipovic265 lbs.: Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione145 lbs.: Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop
Spike TV "Prelims:
155 lbs.: Donald Cerrone vs. Dennis Siver145 lbs.: Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski
Preliminary card (May not be broadcast):
185 lbs.: Dustin Jacoby vs Brad Tavares135 lbs.: Jeff Curran vs. Scott Jorgensen205 lbs.: Brandon Vera vs. Eliot Marshall185 lbs.: Tim Credeur vs. Brad Tavares 170 lbs.: Danny Downes vs Ramsey Nijem185 lbs.: Chris Camozzi vs Francis Carmont
*Fight card and line-up subject to change.
For UFC 137 news and notes be sure to check out our complete event archive by clicking here.
Posted in: vs, event, lb, las vegas, pierre vs
Read the full article at MMA ManiaVideo: Douglas Lima vs. Chris Lozano at Bellator 53 tourney fight
Nearly every event, Bellator gets to boast about a highlight-reel
knockout. And this past weekend's Bellator 53 event is no different.
The event featured the semifinal round of Bellator's season-five welterweight tournament.
In the co-headliner, Douglas Lima punched his ticket to the finale - with a vicious second-round punch of Chris Lozano.
Posted in: bellator, event, semifinal round, chris lozano, highlight-reel knockout
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 136: Ten Things We Learned
We take our routine Monday morning trip through the talking points from the weekend's UFC 136 event in Houston, TX.
Posted in: ufc, houston, event, monday, tx
Read the full article at Heavy MMA‘Doomsday’ Cruises to Decision in CFA 3 Main Event
MIAMI -- In his first appearance since being released by the UFC, John Howard took a unanimous decision from Dennis Olson in the Championship Fighting Alliance 3 main event on Sunday at the Century Bank Arena.
Posted in: decision, event, john howard, dennis olson, alliance
Read the full article at SherdogUFC looking to run Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Silva vs. Sonnen 2 could headline
Last night at UFC 136 marked the UFC‘s fifth trip to Texas in the organizations history. The next time they return could be the biggest as UFC President Dana White is hoping to run Cowboy’s Stadium in Dallas, which holds 110,000 seats.
“We’ve been talking to (Cowboys owner) Jerry Jones for a while about doing a fight there,” said White at the post-fight press conference. “It’s just got to be the right fight. We’re definitely going there. It’s just a matter of when.”
So what’s the right fight? It could be a middleweight title rematch between champion Anderson Silva and his greatest rival Chael Sonnen, who returned after a 14-month layoff to submit Brian Stann at last nights event. When asked if that fight could headline the event, White responded by saying, “”I think it could. I think we could do a big, big venue for that one.”
UFC set their attendance record earlier this year at UFC 129, running Rogers Arena in Toronto, Canada. The event, which was headlined by Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields for the welterweight title, housed 55,724 fans. At UFC 134, the promotions first event in Brazil since 1998, the show sold all 14,000 seats in just 74-minutes. White admits he made a mistake not running a bigger venue for the event, and vows to learn from it.
“We knew Toronto was going to be big, so we went for the big stadium there. We f***** Brazil up last time we went there. We didn’t nail that one, but we won’t make that mistake twice.”
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
Posted in: ufc, fight, jake shields, event, right fight
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainUFC 136 draws reported 16,164 attendance for $2.23 million gate (MMAJunkie.com)
HOUSTON – Saturday's UFC 136 event drew an announced attendance of 16,164 fans and a live gate of...
Posted in: attendance, ufc, gate, houston, event
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsUFC 136 Sets Record for Longest Event in UFC History
Depending on how you see things, those who watched the entirety of UFC 136 either got more than their money's worth or too much of a good thing. In total, the 11 fights at the event comprised 158 minutes and 32 seconds of fight time. That makes it the longest event ever in UFC history, breaking the previous record of 149:50 set at UFC Fight Night 20. Both events had 11 fights and both had eight go to decision. The difference here was the two title fights, one that went that distance and the other that at least lasted into the fourth round.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, fight time, ufc history
Read the full article at Fight MetricBellator 53 Live Results
Oklahoma and Texas battled today on the football field and they battle again tonight in the cage. While most eyes will be focused on the action going on in Houston, there is a pretty significant event going on in the land of Sooners. Coming to us live from the Buffalo Run Hotel & Casino in Miami, Oklahoma it’s Bellator 53. As always Five Ounces of Pain will provide complete results of all the action.
Things kick off at 7PM EST with the preliminary card streaming live on Spike.com. Then at 9PM EST the main card hits your television on MTV2 and EPIX.
Bellator 53 is headlined by the two welterweight semifinal fights. First Chris Lozano tries to snap the seven fight win streak of Douglas Lima in the co-main event of the evening. Then, in the main event, the always entertaining Ben Saunders battles MMA veteran Luis Santos. The two winners will meet in the finals of the tournament to fight it out for a shot at the Bellator 17-pound championship.
PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike.com
Darryl Cobb vs. Giva Santana
A.J. Matthews vs. Rudy Bears
Raphael Davis vs. Myron Dennis
Emanuel Brooks vs. Greg Scott
MAIN CARD (MTV2/EPIX)
Josh Burns vs. Thiago Santos
Kenny Foster vs. Ronnie Mann
Chris Lozano vs. Douglas Lima
Luis Santos vs. Ben Saunders
PHOTO CREDIT – BELLATOR
Posted in: bellator, vs, event, card, douglas lima
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainMMAterial Facts (10/08/11) : Fedor/Monson Press Conference, Edgar vs Maynard, UFC on XBOX
Welcome to this edition of MMAterial Facts, where we feature articles from around the MMA community.
***
This week’s MMAterial Facts:
- Fedor vs. Henderson Caricature (LowKick)
“The arena will be open for 22,000 people. Right now we have certain difficulties with tickets, simply because our partners at Kassir.ru are unable to cope with such a high demand for tickets. But I want to assure everyone that the issue will be solved and everyone will have an opportunity to purchase a ticket.”
- Jon Jones Explains Why He Is Fighting Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 (MMA Fighting)
“To [Rashad's] surprise, I took the fight, and after I took the fight, he decides that his hand isn’t ready, and he’s going to need more time. So, with me already agreeing with Dana that I would take a fight at UFC 140, Dana called me back and said, ‘Hey, listen, Rashad decided that he can’t compete at UFC 140, what would think about fighting Lyoto Machida?’ And I said ‘absolutely’.”
- All kinds of messages sent by UFC with second show on same day as Japan event (Fight Opinion)
“By UFC running a show in Las Vegas on the same day as their Japanese event, it will allow them to give the media a cue to bury the importance of the Japanese event and to hype the Vegas show as the A-show. The flip-side of this, of course, is that the Japanese fans are smart customers. Already telling them to show up for a main card at 10 AM at Saitama Super Arena is a joke and now telling them that the Japanese show is essentially a B-level show is basically waving the white flag at this point. Sure, UFC could conceivably book Rampage Jackson vs. Shogun if Shogun loses to Dan Henderson, but that’s not a main event that’s going to draw a huge crowd in Japan. However, it would allow UFC to split the difference and give their American fans a reason to downplay the struggles of the Japanese show. You run Shogun/Rampage in Japan as the Japanese main event but have it air on American PPV as the semi-main event fight for a big Vegas PPV card.”… Matt Hume, on Mauro Ranallo’s radio show yesterday, claims that Softbank is supporting UFC’s Saitama event.”
- UFC 136: Brian Stann only needs five seconds to knockout Chael Sonnen (MMA Mania)
“I think people are underestimating me. I’m a difficult guy to wrestle to the ground. I’m also a difficult guy to hold on the ground. Chael’s the best at doing those things so we’re gonna find out quickly. People forget that I train with the best guys in the world. Obviously, I wouldn’t be confident if I was losing every single second of every day at the gym.”
- Jon Jones Buys First New Car, A $190,000 2012 Bentley (MMA Convert)
“Today was a good day for Jon Jones. Actually, “one of the best days of [his] life,” as he put it. Jones bought himself his first new car — a very expensive first new car in the form of a 2012 Bentley Continental GT. Jones didn’t say how much he paid for it, but the sticker price for that particular model comes in at a whopping $190,000. It’s good to be the champ.”
- Rejoice, The UFC will soon be on your Xbox dashboard (MiddleEasy)
“Wow, the promises made at E3 are coming to fruition: The UFC is coming to your Xbox dashboard in a big way on December 1st. Finally you will be able to order UFC Pay Per Views through the Xbox in HD (UFC 140 is the first available live show), you will be able to view what I assume to be an extended back catalog of Zuffa owned fights, and even predict live UFC matches and compare your fight prediction record with your friends. “
- Can Fedor right the ship? (NBC Sports MMA)
“The UFC’s breakneck stretch of four events in four weeks ends this Saturday in Houston, with arguably the promotion’s best card since it invaded Toronto’s Rogers Centre in March, wowing a record 55,000 fans. Instead of limping to the finish line, the UFC boasts a show that features two title fights, a true No. 1 contender fight, and a possible No. 1 lightweight contender in the making.”
- MFC 31 Results: Jimmo Wins 16th Straight, Judges Test Half Point Scoring (Cage Potato)
“If last night’s MFC 31 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada , which utilized the half-point scoring system that Doc Hamilton proposed would improve MMA judging, taught us anything it was that half-point scoring is just as flawed as whole point scoring.”
- Frankie Edgar is looking for an answer against Gray Maynard tomorrow night (Five Ounces of Pain)
“That (trash talk) always get the people going and it sells fights, but for myself, and being the kind of person I am, I’d rather do my work in the cage,” Edgar explained in a conversation with the UFC’s website. “Gray’s a pretty reserved dude, and so am I, and I think our fight will speak for itself.”
- Third Time’s the FINAL Charm for Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard (5thRound)
“If posting a 2-1-1 record against Maynard is Edgar’s lifelong goal, which it likely isn’t, UFC president Dana White (Pictured) professed there will not be a fourth tango between the two – regardless of what goes down during their trilogy this Saturday.”
- Culinary Workers Union creates anti-UFC website (TheFightNerd)
“Maintained by the Culinary Workers Union, Local 226, the website uses the acronym of UFC to stand for “Unfit For Children” instead of the “Ultimate Fighting Championship.” Dana White’s many rants are listed in detail on this page across a series of sub-categories, including “Obscenities”, “Slurs” which features many of the comments DFW directed at Loretta Hunt among others, “Cheap Shots” which focuses on remarks about random people involved in entertainment and sports, and “Other $#@%!!!” which documents rude comments that UFC fighters have said about others, including Chael Sonnen’s negative thoughts on Brazil. On the sidebar of the page, the Union also lists companies that promote and support the UFC, including TapouT, Xyience, Bud Light, and Harley Davidson. “
- UFC 136: The 5 Most Pivotal Rematches in UFC History (BleacherReport.com/MMA)
“But, with such a meaningful rematch approaching that will change the look of the division for the foreseeable future, I find myself reflecting on previous rematches that had a similar effect. Fights that represented a fork in the road and created a new era.”
Posted in: ufc, fight, show, japanese, event
Read the full article at MMA PayoutUFC 140 tickets on sale next week, fans invited to Wednesday presser in Toronto
Tickets for December's UFC 140 event go on sale next week, and fans are invited to a Wednesday press conference in Toronto to promote the event.
As UFC president Dana White announced this past week, UFC 140 takes place Dec. 10 and features a championship headliner between UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Lyoto Machida.
Both the event and presser take place at Toronto's Air Canada Centre.
Posted in: ufc, toronto, week, event, championship headliner
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBosse KO's Alexander in Instinct MMA debut
Former hockey tough guy Steve Bosse knocked out former UFC fighter Houston Alexander on Friday in the main event of the Instinct 1 MMA event
Posted in: mma, event, instinct, bosse, bosse ko
Read the full article at sportsnet.caEdgar-Maynard 3 Doesn’t Resolve Lightweight Congestion
Saturday's main event will put the lightweight title back in play, but there is still a collection of contenders to sort out.
Posted in: title, event, saturday, contender, sort
Read the full article at Heavy MMAUFC 140: Lyoto Machida the Only Option After Jon Jones, Rashad Evans Near Miss
The UFC dropped word on Thursday afternoon that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones would face former champion Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 in Toronto, Canada on December 10th. The news contradicted an earlier report by MMAFighting.com's Mike Chiappetta that Jones could face Evans on the same card. The long-awaited showdown between the squabbling former teammates hinged on whether Evans' hand injury would be cleared by doctors. Unfortunately, Evans stated that he needed three weeks rest following a procedure to remove pins from his hand on Wednesday before he could begin training again.
Naturally, shelved former champion Lyoto Machida, whom White stated in multiple interviews this past week had nobody to fight, moved into the role of contention due to the UFC's lack of a main event for UFC 140. The move bred mixed emotions from fans, many citing that Evans has once again been wronged by the UFC. Others loved the intrigue behind a showdown with Machida, a fighter who has an elusive style that could challenge Jones. Jones himself focused Evans, telling Ariel Helwani that Evans is "ducking the fight".
Understandably, some fans agree. Evans has been a thorn in Jones' back for months. Jones stepped up to the plate with nine weeks to train, and Rashad was unable to fulfill his end of the bargain. Evans had already previously stated that Jones would find a way to get hurt or say no to a proposed match-up. Jones proved him wrong.
Evans may have failed to put his money where his mouth is, but it isn't exactly his call. The implication that he had a choice was the furthest from the truth in this case. He had to be cleared to fight, and having pins removed from your hand the day of the proposed announcement isn't a good sign. Evans could have waited the three weeks to get back in the gym, putting himself and the UFC at a disadvantage. We want to see the best possible version of both fighters, correct? Rushing that fight as a UFC 140 main event showdown shouldn't happen then.
Even more perplexing in the aftermath of the change is the disgust among fans in White's choice of Lyoto Machida. It isn't a consensus opinion by any means, but it seems ludicrous to suggest Machida isn't an intriguing match-up. His 1-2 record in his last 3 appearances doesn't scream title contention and kicking the consciousness out of UFC legend Randy Couture is far a win that puts him into that role. Stylistically however, there is value in that fight.
Why didn't the UFC move Jones vs. Evans back to UFC 141 on December 30th? It gives Evans the three weeks he needs to recover and makes this inevitable showdown the headliner for the last event of the year. Historically, the last event garners high revenue, hitting 800,000 buys last year at UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck II, a respectable 620,000 buys at UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez in '09, and over 1 million buys at UFC 92 in '08. Surely, pushing that fight back would guarantee a spectacular end of the year event.
Brock Lesnar, who will headline UFC 141 against Alistair Overeem, is going to bring in buys despite going up against a relatively unknown fighter to casual fans. The supporting cast doesn't need to compensate for anything, and we're still a long ways out from the event. Marquee match-ups can still be made for the event that aren't on the level of a Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans showdown. Why waste a perfectly good main event match-up that can produce serious heat on a card that already has enough drawing power?
UFC 140, on the other hand, needs help. With most of the star power locked up or hurt, there aren't any other options. Jones vs. Evans would have been fantastic, but it isn't possible at this point. Save it for an early event next year or a UFC on Fox card.
Complain all you want about the flawed logic in the progression of your new title challenger, it doesn't change anything. Machida offers an interesting style match-up, only lost to top five opponents, and is the only legitimate test available at this moment. Name another legitimate option. There aren't any.
Posted in: ufc, jone, event, evan, machida
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowFight Now TV airs tonight's Instinct MMA event with Alexander-Bose, Cote-Wallace
Fight Now TV, the television partner of MMAjunkie.com and MMAjunkie.com Radio, airs another live event tonight with its presentation of Instinct MMA.
The broadcast, which begins at 7:30 p.m. ET, features co-headliners of light heavyweights Houston Alexander vs. Steve Bosse and middleweights Patrick Cote vs. Crafton Wallace.
The organization's debut event takes place at Centre d'Excellence Sports Rousseau in Boisbriand, Quebec, Canada.
Posted in: event, instinct mma, tv airs, features co-headliners, crafton wallace
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 136 Preview & Predictions
Check out our complete preview of tomorrow's big event.
Posted in: ufc, event, prediction, preview, tomorrow
Read the full article at Heavy MMAUFC Calendar to Grow to 34 Events in 2012
Filed under: UFC, NewsHOUSTON -- Saturday night's UFC 136 marks the fourth event in four weeks for the Las Vegas-based promotion.
Get used to it.
The schedule continues to grow at an exponential rate, according to UFC president Dana White, who said that the organization has already penciled in dates on its 2012 calendar.
The final tally? Thirty-four events. That's a serious increase from 2011, which will see 27 live events by the time Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem close out the UFC's year in Las Vegas on December 30.
That increased number of shows will come as welcome news to fans in markets that have been promised events but were shut out in 2011, like Sweden and Ireland. Though no locations are yet set in stone, the increased frequency of events will at least provide additional opportunities to visit more parts of the world as the UFC continues to grow its global footprint.
White also reiterated his plan to host two events on the same day at least once next year, with their first experiment in dual productions tentatively planned for late February, with shows in Las Vegas and Japan.
In 2011, the UFC re-opened what they believe will be a huge market for them, hosting a show in Brazil to great fanfare. It was the organization's first venture there since 1998. Afterward, UFC CEO and chairman Lorenzo Fertitta was so pleased with the reception that he voiced a hope the promotion could bring as many as four events there in 2012.
Aside from that, entering the Japanese market would be something of a coup for the UFC, which has not brought fights there under the Zuffa banner.
The expanded schedule is just one of many planned and/or official UFC initiatives and changes to roll out in 2012. Also among them, a move to network television on FOX, a departure from longtime cable home Spike, the addition of a flyweight division, and a revamping of The Ultimate Fighter to include live weekly fights. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Posted in: ufc, event, las vegas, flyweight division, fights . 
Read the full article at AOL FanhouseShowdown on UFC 136: Who has The Edge?
Showdown Joe breaks down each fight heading into Saturday's UFC 136 event.
Posted in: ufc, fight, break, event, showdown
Read the full article at sportsnet.caRashad Evans 'fully understands' decision to book Jones-Machida UFC 140 headliner
He may not like the decision, but he understands it.
While Rashad Evans was next in line for a shot at UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones' title, he wouldn't be healed in time for a planned UFC 140 main event on Dec. 10.
So he "fully understands" why the UFC instead went with Lyoto Machida for the Toronto event.
Posted in: ufc, event, rashad evans, lyoto machida, toronto event
Read the full article at MMA JunkieJon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida Set for UFC 140 Main Event
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will headline UFC 140 after all, but will face former champion Lyoto Machida, not rival Rashad Evans, in the main event of the December 10 event in Toronto while Evans recovers from hand surgery, UFC Preisdent Dana White announced today.
More to come on this breaking news shortly…
Posted in: ufc, event, rashad evans, lyoto machida, hand surgery
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyWelterweight prospect Jordan Smith versus Josh McDonald headlines Showdown Fights on November 18th
Press release Showdown Fights presents "Evolution" November 18th 2011 at 7:00pm live from the UCCU Events Center in Orem, Utah. An exciting mixture of veteran fighters and top performing new prospects will be rounded out by a main event that will feature Utah's own Jordan Smith (16-2-1) and Josh McDonald (8-4).Jordan Smith is fresh off a unanimous decision victory over UFC veteran Karo Parisyan in Brazil on the 14th of September and looks for his 17th win in his young career. Jordan splits training time between "One Hit MMA" in Clearfield Utah and the world famous "Blackhouse" in Los Angeles, California. A former 7th grade science teacher, Smith retired from that profession so he could focus full-time on his MMA career.WEC, ShoXC, and Strikeforce veteran Josh McDonald trains at the Fairtex Academy in San Francisco and with the Cesar Gracie/Scrap Pack group. A recent win over Ron Keslar brings McDonald one-step closer to his goal. Fireworks will fly when the cage door shuts behind these crafty fighters that look to move up in the rankings.Showdown Fights "Evolution" November 18, 2011 Doors open 5:30 pm first fight at 7:00pm Another bout on the card that has all the makings of "Fight of the Night" pits two unbeaten fighters, Ohio's own Tim Ruberg (6-0) will face Utah's Jason South (7-0) in battle that many think will lead the winner to the "Big Show". Many of the local favorites will be also be featured on the fight card including the highly anticipated Pro Debut of former BYU standout Jan Jorgensen, Local female fighting superstar Tandi Schaeffer, along with Brandon Melendez, Jerome Hatch, and Dayne Aristizabel.To make our fights more accessible, Showdown Fights will offer ticket prices starting at $15.00 for general admission. Upper tickets will be $25, lower seating will be $40.00, table seating will be $100.00, and ringside tables will be $150.00. Tickets and tables are available by calling 866-788-9195 or at SMITHSTIX.COM.The opportunity to purchase tickets in advance will be available for those that "like" the facebook page, www.facebook.com/showdownfights. Friends on facebook will have the chance to purchase tickets before they are available at UCCU Event Center box office (1-800-8888-TIXX) or SmithsTix (866-788-9195).Additionally, Showdown Fights is proud to announce the continued strategic relationship with GoFightLive.tv "Evolution" will be available live on the GFL.tv network the night of the event and On Demand from the following day. GFL now offers full access to over 5,000 fights for the low monthly price of $9.99. Subscribe now.For additional information, go to official SHOWDOWN FIGHTS website, www.showdownfights.com, and SHOWDOWN FIGHTS Facebook fan page, facebook.com/showdownfights.About Showdown FightsWe are pleased to put on quality and entertaining fights while delivering an experience that is exciting and fan friendly. For more information about upcoming shows and dates log onto showdownfights.com.About the UCCU Event CenterUCCU Event Center is located at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. It is an 8,500 seat Multi-Purpose venue, which opened in 1996. It is home to the UVU Division 1 Wolverine Athletic Teams, Utah Flash, of the NBA development league, Orem Owlz, and the Pioneer League rookie team for the Los Angeles Angels. For more information log onto www.uccueventscenter.com.About GoFightLive.tvGFL is a pioneer in Internet Sports Broadcasting. Over the years GFL has broadcast more than 1,000 live events with over 5,000 combat sports videos in 196 countries. GFL is especially proud to have served greater than 1.8 million public viewers last year with now over 150 combat sports related website affiliates in its network. GFL combat sports genres currently include Boxing, MMA and Professional Wrestling. GFL offers expanded programming to include: Daily News & Radio Shows with feature interviews and industry updates along with great Fight Photos, Fighter Videos and a Calendar of Upcoming Fight Events.If Combat Sports is your game...Go Fight-Every Night with GFL Combat Sports Network Join us at: www.GFL.tv
Posted in: fight, event, quot, showdown, utah
Read the full article at UltMMAJon Jones vs. Rashad Evans targeted for UFC 140 headliner in Toronto
UFC 140 appears to have a main event.
UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones and top contender Rashad Evans are expected to headline the December event in Toronto.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the tentative plans with a source close to the event. MMAFighting.com first reported the planned booking.
Posted in: ufc, event, mmajunkie.com today, rashad evans, december event
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 140: Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans Likely for Main Event in Toronto
According to a report from MMAFighting.com's Mike Chiappetta, the UFC is targeting UFC 140 as the event to host a light heavyweight title bout between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans:
The UFC is targeting December's UFC 140 for the long-awaited Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans light-heavyweight title bout, MMA Fighting has learned from sources with knowledge of the situation.
The fight is not yet official, but appears likely to be announced within the next 24-48 hours. UFC president Dana White told MMA Fighting that he could not yet announce a UFC 140 main event, but might possibly be able to do so by the end of the day.
Before that can happen, at least one hurdle must be overcome. Evans has to be cleared from a hand injury suffered in his recent UFC 133 win over Tito Ortiz. That injury required pins to be inserted into his hands, but Evans' coach Mike Van Arsdale told MMA Fighting that he was scheduled to visit the doctor on Wednesday and expected Evans to be cleared.
The grudge match has been in the making ever since Evans and Jones exchanged barbs following a falling out as teammates under Greg Jackson. The heated animosity between the two men hasn't softened one bit as Evans has consistently talked about how Jones is fake publicly. Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, Jones' latest victim, had similar comments for the young champion in the lead-up to their UFC 135 showdown two weeks ago. The 'beef' should provide the perfect background for an attention-grabbing, action-packed main event.
Posted in: ufc, jone, event, rashad evans, evan
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC on Versus 6: Payout Perspective
Welcome to a Payout Perspective of UFC on Versus 6. The event, coming from Washington D.C. this past Saturday, featured Dominick Cruz defending his Bantamweight title against Demetrious Johnson.
Ratings
MMA Junkie reported that an average of 729,000 viewers watched UFC on Versus 6 this past Saturday night. The average drew higher than UFC on Versus 5 in June.
Via MMA Junkie:
The UFC on Versus 6 ratings remained above average for MMA programming on Versus, which averaged a little more than 601,000 viewers for the 18 WEC events it aired between 2008 and 2010, though the numbers often fluctuated wildly depending on the depth of the fight cards. In fact, just two events in WEC history (WEC 41 and WEC 34) drew more viewers than UFC on Versus 6.
However, the figures still fall short to those generated by the UFC’s usual cable partner, Spike TV, which generally draws in the 1.5 million to 2 million viewers range for events of similar prominence.
Bonuses
MMA Fighting reports that bonuses for the night were $65,000 each and were awarded as follows:
Submission of the Night – Stefan Struve for his triangle choke of Pat Barry
Knockout of the Night – Anthony Johnson for his head kick of Charlie Brenneman
Fight of the Night – Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig
Attendance and Gate
As we noted, attendance and gate set records for the Versus series.
Sponsorships
The usual octagon sponsors were present in the ring: Bud Light (center), Toyo Tires, Dodge, Xyience and SafeAuto. Notably, the UFC.com Store and the UFC Personal Trainer were present in the Octagon.
A rundown of fight wear is here courtesy of our friends at Fighterxfashion.com
Matt Wiman was once again sponsored by PETA-inspired MeetyourMeat.com
Which main event fighter has the better sponsor deal?
Although he lost, Demetrious Johnson probably has one of the stronger sponsors: XBox 360. It was his sole sponsor on his fight shorts and t-shirt and hat entering the octagon. Johnson also wore a Sounders FC soccer kit during the pre-event press conference. The MLS Sounders are sponsored by XBox as well. Dominick Cruz’s fight shorts were adorned with numerous sponsors including SafeAuto Insurance, MusclePharm, Jaco, Famous, West Coast Authentics and Tilted Kilt. Also noticed that even though he didn’t wear the hat during the post-fight, Cruz held up his SafeAuto hat for the camera. Good job of remembering your sponsors Mr. Cruz.
As an aside, rewatching UFC on Versus 6, I believe that Dominick Cruz gave a shout out to rapper Paul Wall. It didn’t make sense until I noticed this on the Famous web page.
Conclusion
A nice swan song for the UFC on Versus. The ratings were surprisingly good considering there was lukewarm interest in this card as it was sandwiched between two UFC PPVs. It also did well on a night that Bellator had a good ratings night. The main event featured a good example of what fans can expect of the lighter weight divisions. Although he lost Demetrious Johnson is a budding star at the 125 and 135 divisions.
Right now, the UFC is doing a good job of featuring the lighter divisions. TUF 14 is getting solid reviews and time will tell whether that equates to ratings success. Still, its ratings are on par with TUF 13 and that featured top draws Brock Lesnar and JDS. The free championship bout also helps viewers check out the difference in fighting styles of the lighter fighters. Finally, this weekend, Jose Aldo will defend his 145lb title against Kenny Florian in a co-main event.
Posted in: ufc, night, event, rating, sponsor
Read the full article at MMA PayoutUFC 137 Closed Circuit Seats Go On Sale Today
Las Vegas, Nev. (USA) – When the overwhelming demand for event tickets for UFC® 137: ST-PIERRE vs. CONDIT resulted in an immediate sellout, the Ultimate Fighting Championship® and Mandalay Bay needed to create the next best thing to being inside the Events Center. Thus, the companies announced today that they will host a closed circuit viewing event with large projection screens in the South Seas Ballroom at Mandalay Bay on Saturday, Oct. 29.UFC® 137: ST-PIERRE vs. CONDIT features the can’t-miss welterweight title fight between champion Georges St-Pierre and knockout artist Carlos Condit, as well as former two-division champion BJ Penn battling the fiery and unpredictable Nick Diaz. With action inside the Mandalay Bay Events Center, as well as in the South Seas Ballroom, the resort now has become the ultimate destination for fight fans to witness this epic card.Tickets for the closed circuit viewing party are $50 and go on sale TODAY at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets are available for purchase through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com, www.mandalaybay.com or the Mandalay Bay box office. Doors for the viewing party will open at 4 p.m. PT, with the preliminary fights being aired on SPIKE TV at 5 p.m. PT. At 6 p.m. PT, the live UFC 137 Pay-Per-View card will be televised.For more information on UFC 137, or additional UFC fight news, visit UFC.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
Posted in: ufc, event, pt, seas ballroom, bay
Read the full article at UFCMichael Bisping vs. Jason Miller to be a five-round fight
Not only will Ultimate Fighter 14 coaches Michael Bisping and Jason Miller meet on the Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale event rather than on PPV, but they’ll do so in a five-round fight. The event is scheduled to go down on December 3 at the Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada and will air live on SpikeTV.
UFC sent out a press release earlier today confirming the details.
TUF 14 marks only the second time that the coaches will square off on free TV rather than the usual PPV event with the first being TUF 5 when BJ Penn and Jens Pulver fought on SpikeTV as well. However, this will be the first time that two coaches will be involved in a five-round fight that wasn’t for a UFC championship. Earlier this year, UFC declared that all main events, both title and non-title, would be 25-minute affairs starting with Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz at UFC 138.
Winner of TUF 3, “The Count” has never competed in a 25-minute bout while “Mayhem” went five rounds with Jake Shields in November 2009, losing a unanimous decision in a Strikeforce middleweight title contest. The victor will be in the mix to fight middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Bisping has won three straight bouts and is 7-2 at middleweight while Miller is in a two fight win streak and has only been defeated twice in his last ten contests.
Along with the five-round main event, the Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale will feature the finals of this seasons featherweight and bantamweight tournaments.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, miller, jason miller
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainTUF 14 Finale Between Bisping and Mayhem a Five Round Main Event, Tickets on Sale This Week
The upcoming battle between 'Ultimate Fighter' season 14 coaches Michael Bisping and Jason 'Mayhem' Miller will be a five round main event set for Dec 3 in Las Vegas.
Posted in: round, event, bisping, las vegas, mayhem
Read the full article at MMA WeeklyUFC on Versus 6 sets event series' attendance and live-gate records (MMAJunkie.com)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Saturday's UFC on Versus 6 event proved a record-setting show in the event...
Posted in: ufc, event, record-setting show, live-gate records, – saturday
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsDana White reveals "Two Cards On One Night" plans for Japan event in February
A short time ago UFC President Dana White said that at some point the promotion would hold two events on the same day in different parts of the world. Well, it seems as if some day may take place early in 2012.
Following Saturday’s UFC on Versus 6 fight card, which was held at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C, White said that the first two event on the same night could take place with fights in Japan and the United States in late February of next year.
White speaking to NBCSports.com said,
Posted in: washington d.c, event, japan, verizon center, japan event
Read the full article at Low KickJapan and Las Vegas UFC shows to air live on same night
MMA Junkie reports that the UFC plans to hold a “doubleheader” in February 2012 as it will air an event in Japan and Las Vegas on the same day. UFC head Dana White confirmed that the shows will air live on TV with the Japan event airing live on free TV and the Vegas event being the PPV.
Via MMA Junkie:
As White previously announced, the UFC, which hasn’t promoted a show in Japan since UFC 29 in late 2000, heads to Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on Feb. 26, 2012. To accommodate the traditional live North American broadcasting on Saturday night, Feb. 25, the event takes place Sunday morning at 10 a.m. local time.
Payout Perspective:
The UFC does not believe there will be a logistical problem with holding simultaneous shows per the UFC’s multi-team approach. The question is whether fans are willing to watch 5 or 6 hours of mixed martial arts. It seems like the UFC may be hurting its own product by having two events in one night. First, the fact that it will have a show on free TV and then a PPV. Certainly, people watch the Spike Prelims and then the PPV but not sure if fans will want to watch a full show and then pay $55 for a pay per view. Second, holding an event Sunday morning seemingly hurts the chances of attendance and gate in Japan. While there will be buzz for the return to Japan, the starting time seems to hurt the chances of its success. Thus, it appears that the UFC return to Japan will be in name only. While there are likely business reasons for holding the show Sunday morning, it should not go over well with Japanese MMA fans. Finally, the inference taken from the announcement that the Las Vegas show is the PPV show is that the show in Japan will not have the same quality of talent. Although we just saw a title bout on free television and will see another on November 12th, the caliber of fights on free television are usually not on par with PPV fights.
Another result of having two shows in one night is the bigger reality of Strikeforce folding and its competitors coming to the UFC. With the announcement that Gilbert Melendez will be in the UFC soon, it almost spells the ending of the organization. Also, we can also see the debut of the Flyweight division on the dual cards.
Posted in: ufc, ppv, show, event, japan
Read the full article at MMA PayoutUFC on Versus 6 results: 'Cruz vs Johnson' event photos gallery from Washington D.C.
UFC on Versus 6: "Cruz vs. Johnson" went down last night, Oct. 1, 2011, from the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. The event featured bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz successfully defending his title for the second time inside the Octagon by gutting out a unanimous decision victory over Demetrious Johson despite a broken hand.
Ouch.
The co-main event featured a giant and a dwarf and while Stefan Struve started slow against Pat Barry, he finished strong with a sweet transition from a guillotine to a triangle choke for the win in the second round.
He even took a powerbomb slam and kept on choking.
In other main card action, Anthony Johnson kicked Charlie Brenneman's head off while Matt Wiman proved once and for all that he's a better fighter than Mac Danzig by working his way to a bloody decision.
Photo gallery from the event (via UFC.com) after the jump.
Stefan Struve vs. Pat Barry
Anthony Johnson vs. Charlie Brenneman
Matt Wiman vs. Mac Danzig
Yves Edwards vs. Rafaello Oliveira
Paul Sass vs. Michael Johnson
Mike Easton vs. Byron Bloodworth
TJ Grant vs. Shane Roller
Josh Neer vs. Keith Wisniewski
Walel Watson vs. Joseph Sandoval
Posted in: washington d.c, vs, event, johnson, cruz
Read the full article at MMA Mania(GIF) Pat Barry powerbombs Stefan Struve before submitting to a triangle choke in the co-main event...
(GIF) Pat Barry powerbombs Stefan Struve before submitting to a triangle choke in the co-main event of UFC on Versus 6 last night (Oct. 1) in Washington D.C.
Props: IronForgesIron.com
Posted in: washington d.c, event, co-main event, gif, barry
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on Versus 6: Is too much of a good thing bad for the sport?
Last night mixed martial arts (MMA) fans were treated to an extremely fun night of fights capped off with a fantastic title bout which saw Dominick Cruz defend his bantamweight championship against a very game Demetrious Johnson.
Cruz's performance was particularly impressive as his usual strategy of using his unorthodox striking to take control of the bout was stifled by "Mighty Mouse's" quicker hands. Having to adjust on the fly, the champion began to outgrapple the wrestler and proceeded to earn a shutout on two of the three judge's scorecards en route to a unanimous decision victory.
And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the two beautiful belly-to-black suplexes "The Dominator" busted out that would have made Mitsuharu Misawa proud.
The evening saw a little bit of everything that makes up the sport we all love: highlight reel head kicks, slick submissions, and wars of attrition.
It's just too bad that not many people actually saw it. And that may be the UFC's fault.
How? Well, read on!
The buzz going into UFC on Versus 6: "Cruz vs. Johnson" was minimal; its pulse was like that of a man on his last legs. There were a lot of factors going into this. Historically, cards on the Versus network haven't exactly glued eyeballs to TV sets.
The first and second Versus events were able to pull in a little over and a bit under one million viewers respectively but the ratings dropped dramatically soon after. The lowest point was only 681,000 people watching Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann's Fight of the Year candidate.
The ratings aren't helped by the constantly rotating schedule the UFC Live series receives. Last night's event obviously took place on a Saturday while the two events that preceded it were held on Sundays. The aforementioned Sanchez/Kampmann bout was mid-week on a Thursday.
Another problem is the network itself. Almost every basic cable package includes Spike -- which would get fight fans access to Fight Nights, The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), and at least a couple of pay-per-view (PPV) prelims -- but often, Versus is part of an additional sports package that adds another five or 10 dollars to the cable bill.
For hockey fans and bull riding fans (are there any?), this might seem like a sound investment. For someone who is only interested in watching the UFC, forking over that dough for one event every two months might end up being the deal breaker.
The biggest reason for the anemic ratings on UFC on Versus, though, has to be oversaturation. This is the third event in a four week stretch that has live UFC fights each and every Saturday. Beginning with UFC Fight Night 24: "Shields vs. Ellenberger" and ending with next weekend's (Oct. 8) UFC 136: "Edgar vs. Maynard III" event, we've had MMA crammed down our fight holes whether we like it or not.
It's not a matter of finance either. Two of the four cards were free (or free-ish), only the numbered events were on PPV. It's simply a matter of perspective. Last night's fights just didn't feel important. And that's a shame especially for Cruz and Johnson.
Several of my friends who I had watched the fights with last week weren't tuned in last night. Baseball playoffs, date night with the wife, or not having the Versus channel were all culprits in their absences. Their line of thinking was likely that they saw the fights last week and they'll see the fights next week so missing one card won't be too bad.
With this many events airing, casual fans begin to pick and choose which events they want to see. PPV has already been a problem -- especially in this economy -- with that train of thought but now it's extending to the cable TV events.
And despite a title bout headlining the show, there was little to no promotional push from the UFC. The last Fight Night suffered the same fate but that was more because Dana White and company wanted to stick it to soon to be ex-partner Spike. Even though their contract doesn't end until the end of the year, Spike recently started airing Bellator Fighting Championships prelim fights on its website. Not exactly the most subtle move to indicate its desire to bring the young promotion under its umbrella.
Perhaps -- after signing a multi-year deal with Fox -- this is more of the same. Versus' parent company NBC is a direct competitor of UFC's new bedfellow.
What's the solution?
As odd as it may sound, more events.
But I'm not talking random Fight Nights or UFC Live cards. I'm thinking about a weekly fight show that airs live at the same time of the same day every week.
UFC is all about brand recognition. If you walk into a bar on fight night, using the phrase "MMA" will likely only get you blank stares. What they need to do is have one day a week become synonymous with fighting much like they've had their company become the de facto term for the sport.
That way, fans will know exactly when and where they can see fights. Promotion for the most part won't be necessary. The appeal of an important fight will almost be totally lost -- the fights are every single week, after all -- and the ratings would likely reflect that but that's actually a good thing.
The UFC wouldn't need to dump title fights on those cards in order to boost ratings and instead could save them for a PPV or a Fox card. A fight like last week's main card title between Travis Browne and Rob Broughton wouldn't even sniff a numbered PPV. No longer having to spread out "headliners" over numbered events, Fight Nights, and UFC Live cards, every single time you pay 50 or 60 dollars for fights, you'll see a card chock full of fights that could serve as the main event.
The idea isn't entirely new. Boxing already did it with Tuesday Night Fights for nearly two decades. It helped that sport reach new heights during that period. A similar concept could do the same for UFC.
Posted in: ufc, fight, night, event, card
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC on Versus 6 sets attendance, gate record for series
MMA Junkie reports that UFC on Versus 6 set both attendance and gate records for the UFC on Versus series. 9,380 attended the event at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. for a gate of $706,775.
The previous highs for the Versus series occurred in March 2010 (gate $568,125) in Broomfield, Colorado which featured Jon Jones in a match where he broke Brandon Vera’s face. This past March (8,319 attendees), Diego Sanchez defeated Martin Kampmann in a bloody match in Louisville, Kentucky.
UFC on Versus 6 marked the last event in the series which will appear on the channel as the UFC will move to the Fox family in 2012.
Payout Perspective:
These are good number considering the wealth of sports that was available tonight: MLB playoffs, college football and boxing. On Thursday, Reed Harris told the Washington Post that ticket sales were “going well” although he did not disclose the amount. Although the DC Boxing and Wrestling Commission has yet to confirm the numbers, this is a positive sign considering this event was sandwiched between two big UFC PPVs. Its also another indicator that there are still untapped regions that are hungry for the UFC to come to their area. On another note, It will be interesting to see if the television ratings correspond with the attendance figures.
Posted in: attendance, ufc, gate, event, series
Read the full article at MMA PayoutUFC on Versus 6 sets event series' attendance and live-gate records
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Saturday's UFC on Versus 6 event proved a record-setting show in the event series' history.
The show, which took place at Washington, D.C.'s Verizon Center, set UFC on Versus records for both attendance (9,380) and live gate ($706,775).
MMAjunkie.com learned of the figures at the night's post-event press conference.
Posted in: event series, ufc, event, record-setting show, live-gate records
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC on Versus 6: The Title Fight that Everyone Forgot About
It seems like forever ago that the UFC announced that the title fight between Dominick Cruz and Demetrious Johnson would be aired on Versus. The overall reaction was one of total rejoicing where fans felt that the UFC would be giving a great fight away for free. Hindsight being 20/20 it was all part of the ongoing negotiations between the UFC and NBC to purchase a controlling interest in G4. The talks broke down and the UFC signed a monumental deal with Fox to air events on the main network as well as FX and FuelTV.
The Versus card was supposed to be a major event. Washington, D.C. is one of the wealthiest locations of the country and whenever the WWE holds an event in the city or surrounding area, they have major success at the gate. The UFC's event was filled with fighters from Team Lloyd Irvin and the bantamweight title fight at the top of the card. With even the smallest amount of promotion, the card could be a successful show for the UFC. However, even with the first fight starting in just under 7 hours, there is almost no promotion for the card. The interest is minor with most promotion shifted to next week's UFC 136 in Houston. What went so wrong that the UFC hasn't sold this show at all to the local and national audiences?
The first thing to consider is that once those negotiations fell apart, the UFC had no stake in trying to market any events on the NBC owned network. The relationship with Versus began with the WEC but it took years for the station to really get behind mixed martial arts. They have more success with the PBR bull riding shows and hockey, two events that have a far greater return on investment and production.
There is no reason for the UFC to build up the branding of Versus, especially at this point. The original deal with Versus was to prevent the IFL from gaining access to the network. The UFC provided the WEC as the promotion and Versus was off the table as an available cable network. The WEC at times was able to bring solid ratings but the reality was that it suffered from the lack of the UFC's branding. It would be easy to pass the buck off on Zuffa and say that they just needed to promote a show as the UFC. The fact though is that even the UFC shows promoted on the network only found moderate success.
Another issue is that despite being an extremely dominant champion, Dominick Cruz just hasn't captivated the core UFC audience. He's not flashy and doesn't have highlight reel knockouts on his record. He isn't a talker like Chael Sonnen or Josh Koscheck nor is he willing to take one to deliver one like Chris Leben. He's just a humble guy with technical striking that allows him to handily defeat everyone that Sean Shelby and Joe Silva can find to put across from him in the cage. Tonight's fight with Demetrious Johnson is the very definition of unmarketable. Johnson doesn't have the big knockouts or submissions on his record. He just has the ability outwork everyone in the division with his wrestling prowess. The fact that many fans feel that he lost the fight with Miguel Torres doesn't exactly help his case either.
The argument we've been hearing is that the UFC is using this show to establish Dominick Cruz as a legitimate champion for the casual fans. It makes sense since he really hasn't been able to connect with them. This goes back to fans being told that the lighter weight classes aren't marketable or a draw. The UFC is using this fight to try and build the division. That would be a valid argument had the UFC promoted this event even at the slightest. It's easy to continue to push the feather and bantamweights to the undercard if it can be proven that the man at the top of the division can't draw fans or interest in the fights. Cruz is in an awkward situation where he's too dominant yet doesn't dominate in a way that draws eyeballs to his fights.
The card tonight is the last on Versus. The overall line up isn't awful but it isn't great either. The UFC is running on such a busy schedule that they aren't able to stack cards anymore. A title fight should never be co-mained by a fight between Pat Barry and Stefan Struve. Neither fight has really gained a foothold in the division, nor will they ever challenge for a title. The remaining fights on the main card are solid but just not up to par with what fans have come to expect from the UFC's title defenses. The fights between Anthony Johnson and Charlie Brenneman and Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig have legitimate divisional relevance. The Facebook fights are being used to work out some sort of a internal ranking system at lightweight. It's not a terrible card but the UFC just doesn't care enough about it to put any marketing behind the fights. It's a shame but the reality is that it is business as usual.
SBN coverage of UFC on Versus 6: Cruz vs. Johnson
Posted in: ufc, fight, title, event, card
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC hints at two events in one night
Yahoo! Sports reports that the UFC may hold two events in one night according to UFC president Dana White. The UFC would rely on multiple UFC teams to logistically handle events on the same night.
While promoting UFC 139 in San Jose earlier this week, White let it be known of his vision for two UFC events in one night. “When we go to Japan next year, we are going to be putting on a show at the same time in Las Vegas,” he said.
White indicated that the UFC would be running multiple shows in the future. However, White did not elaborate on the details.
MMA Junkie reports that the UFC would have the capability to have two teams cover each event. Former WEC head Reed Harris hosted the UFC on Versus 6 pre-event press conference and touted the fact that the UFC’s multi-team approach makes hosting two events in one night possible.
There is still the question of airing both shows. The UFC wants to air both live and same-day-delayed shows in prime time slots. UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi is an example of this. While the PPV played in its usual prime time slot, it was offered live during the day.
Payout Perspective:
PPV saturation or a forward looking plan for global expansion of the UFC? At this point, holding a show in the US and in Japan seems to be hedging its bets. Simply put, if the Japan shows does not go well, it could be overshadowed by the US show. And if Japan does well, then that’s the story. But, it seems like the plan is to expand the brand globally. The question is whether holding two shows in one night is too much. Will the UFC have two PPVs in one night or will it have one event free and the other on PPV? For an average UFC fan on a budget, purchasing two events in one month is expensive. Will we see a day where we may pay over $100 for one night of PPVs? The other question is whether its too much. There is not hing being made about the fact that in three straight weeks, there will be three UFC title defenses. It seems like it may be too much for the casual UFC fan as there is lukewarm interest in UFC on Versus 6 and much skepticism in the PPV buy rate for UFC 136. Time will tell to see how the UFC executes two events in one night.
Posted in: ufc, night, ppv, time, event
Read the full article at MMA PayoutShowdown on UFC: Going with Cruz
Showdown Joe makes his predictions for Saturday's UFC Live 6 event on Sportsnet ONE.
Posted in: ufc, event, showdown joe, showdown, prediction
Read the full article at sportsnet.caBellator CEO: Thiago Santos' Bellator 52 tourney scratch due to 'bureaucratic hurdles'
A bureaucratic nightmare will keep Thiago Santos out of Saturday's Bellator 52 event and the organization's eight-man heavyweight tournament.
Santos was slated to fight Blagoi Ivanov in an MTV2-televised main-card bout at Saturday's event at L'Auberge du Lac Casino Resort.
However, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney today told MMAjunkie.com Radio that "Big Monster" couldn't leave Brazil because of "bureaucratic hurdles."
Posted in: bellator, event, mmajunkie.com radio, hurdles '., bellator ceo
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC exec says simultaneous events in Japan and Las Vegas won't be a problem
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The fact that Reed Harris was hosting UFC on Versus 6's pre-event press conference instead of Dana White is all the proof you need that the UFC could simultaneously host a show in Japan and Las Vegas.
Harris, the UFC's director of community relations and the former head of the WEC, told MMAjunkie.com that the company's multi-team approach to hosting events makes it possible.
His comments came a few days after a report in which White said the UFC is planning to host simultaneous events both in Japan and in Las Vegas.
Posted in: ufc, event, las vegas, japan, la
Read the full article at MMA JunkieThe Top Ten Alterations to MMA History That 100% Occurred in a Parallel Universe
The Parallel Universe Theory dictates the current universe we reside in is surrounded by a seemingly infinite amount of other universes, all filled with a seemingly infinite amount of possibilities. In short, whatever combination of actions that accumulate into a scenario can be found in at least one parallel universe. We don't know how to traverse these universes because humans are idiots. We can't even cure the common cold. However, those universes are out there and I've created a list of The Top Ten Alterations to MMA History That 100% Occurred in a Parallel Universe, only at MiddleEasy.com.
A couple months ago Bas Rutten appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast/Ustream, which is undeniably the greatest free entertainment of our generation. On the show, Bas retold a now infamous tale of an incident that occurred inside a Swedish nightclub sometime in 1997. If you're too lethargic to redirect your cursor to the video below, I'll attempt to retell Rutten's tale in the best Dutch accent I can possibly pull off.
Bas gets drunk one night and stumbles into a Swedish night club. Nothing about that sentence should surprise you. Rutten is known to occasionally get down in random countries. The story goes Bas was restrained by security guards and was told to leave the club because he was entirely too boisterous. Bas agreed, but wanted to find his friend who was still inside in the place. Apparently the bouncers were in the mood to pick a fight with El Guapo and begin to shove him around the hallway. Within seconds, Bas was throwing enough hooks to level all security personnel within the vicinity. After Rutten knocked out essentially everyone in the hallway he was trapped in, he realized that eventually the same guys he KOd would gain consciousness and continue to pursue him. Bas ran down the hall to make his escape but was cornered by the police department. That night he ended up in prison and he later discovered the court wanted to give him nearly a year behind bars. Fortunately, Bas Rutten had a friend in Sweden that eventually got him free.
However, in a parallel universe, the outcome to the story is vastly different and changed the course of MMA as we know it. As Bas mentioned on Joe Rogan's podcast, the reason why the court imposed such a lengthy sentence was due to one of the bouncers in the club serving as an actual police officer. That's right, Rutten clean-clocked a cop (try saying that five times fast, you can't do it). Under the Swedish Penal Code, gross assault comes with a minimum sentence of a year attached, and as of July 1st 2010, it will get you anywhere from four to six years in the slammer. Let's assume that in this alternate universe, Bas Rutten's friend never helped him. The officer (along with the fleet of security guards) pressed charges. Rutten faced nine months in prison but his sentence was extended by six months for sending five fellow prisoners to the hospital in a good, old-fashioned jail brawl. This would mean that Rutten's legendary 28-4-1 record would drastically change. Actually, his record would never have a draw being that he was imprisoned when he fought Osami Shibuya at Pancrase: Alive 3. In fact, his last six fights in Pancrase would have never gone down and his title shot with Kevin Randleman at UFC 20 would never have materialized. This would have also meant Bas never suffered the series of injuries that forced him to retire in 2006. The knee, bicep and neck injury would have never happened -- resulting in Bas Rutten continuing his MMA career for two additional years. After grabbing a few wins in Pride FC (shortly before their collapse in 2007), Bas Rutten was contacted by Tom Atencio to compete in their inaugural Affliction event, 'Affliction: Banned.' This would be Bas Rutten's retirement fight, so M-1 Global and Affliction decided to match him up with the former Pride FC title holder (and current WAMMA champion) Fedor Emelianenko.
It was a monumental fight, but Bas Rutten squeezed out the unanimous decision over The Last Emperor, effectively stealing the title of 'G.O.A.T' from Fedor. He retired as the linear heavyweight champion and WAMMA went out of business by the end of 2008. In this parallel universe, Bas Rutten is the measuring stick to determine the skill of all heavyweights for the remainder of mixed martial arts history.
It's important to note the inspiration of this entire list is 20% my undying passion for quantum physics and 80% Loretta Hunt's 'Let's Get It On' book. If MMA history had a religious manuscript, this would undoubtedly be it. Midway through composing this list, I called Loretta to fact check a few lingering items. A lot of brain cells have been murdered from the time I read 'Let's Get It On' till now, so props to Loretta Hunt for being my personal Google.
In the book, Big John mentions that Michael Buffer was invited to a few of the earlier UFC events due to his stellar work with Bob Arum's 'Top Rank' and his famous 'Let's get ready to rumble!' trademark. Art Davie propositioned Michael Buffer to announce all future UFC events, a decision that he played with for a while. As we all know, Michael Buffer chose WCW over UFC, and Michael's brother, Bruce, was pegged for the slot as the official UFC announcer. However, we're talking about an alternate universe in an alternate timeline that has already happened. Things are just a little bit different over there.
MMA would have undergone a drastic reconstruction if Michael Buffer chose to go with the UFC instead of WCW. In this parallel universe, Michael Buffer's association with UFC legitimized the sport of MMA. The public saw Buffer's participation as validation for a new combat sport and cognitively, people could now easily relate it to boxing. John McCain's crusade against 'Human Cockfighting' would have never occurred. The UFC would have never gone through its infamous 'Dark Ages' which means that it would have never been sold to the Fertitta brothers in 2001. The company would have continued to scoop in revenue and the future of UFC would have gone in Art Davie's direction -- so essentially everything would be XARM.
That's right, the UFC turned into an arm-wrestling organization that forced two fighters to strap their left hand to each other on a podium and fight until a person was knocked unconscious, tapped out, or won the arm-wrestling match. We're serious here. The UFC would have been XARM, and Michael Buffer would have been announcing the whole thing.
In fact, it would have looked something like this.
It's a moment that will forever live on in MMA lore, proof that The Monster was just too much of a beast for himself. There's a few variations of the story, but let me start with the most popular one. Backstage before Kevin Randleman's first title defense which was scheduled at UFC 24, Team Hammerhouse (which at the time consisted of Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman and an old, heavybag on Coleman's porch) was acting like a pack of enchanted wildebeests in order to get Randleman prepared for an up-and-coming undefeated Brazilian fighter known as Pedro Rizzo. Apparently Kevin Randleman was sprinting from one end of the hallway to the next and at some point he lost his footing over a rug, smacking head-first into the concrete floor. Another version of the story doesn't have Kevin sprinting, but suggests he was doing his patented jump when he slammed his head on a low-lying pipe, then collapsed to the ground, hitting his head once again on the concrete floor.
Regardless of the details, Kevin Randleman ended his night inside Lake Charles Memorial Hospital on March 20th, 2000 as the medical personal attempted to revive him. He was diagnosed with a concussion and the bout was rescheduled three months later at UFC 26 where Kevin Randleman won a unanimous decision, handing Pedro Rizzo his first career loss. There's no video footage of the incident, but a member of The UG attempted to recreate the Kevin Randleman slip using MS Paint.
That scenario happened in this universe, but those course of events would be entirely different in a parallel universe. Kevin Randleman warmed up backstage with Mark Coleman and he eventually slipped and slammed his head on the concrete floor. Instead of being knocked out, Kevin Randleman received a 'walking concussion' and was helped to his feet by Coleman. Not recognizing the symptoms of a concussion, Mark Coleman slapped Randleman in his face a couple times, screamed at him to focus and starting ranting about Chute Box being a 'cheap [expletives]' for no apparent reason.
Kevin Randleman stumbled in the cage and was quickly TKOd by Pedro Rizzo in the first round. Pedro Rizzo went on to be the new UFC heavyweight champion and improved his record 10-0. According to Rizzo's actual record, he went on to finish Josh Barnett and Dan Severn, but if he was the champion in this parallel universe, those two fights would have been title defenses.
Who knows if he could have defeated Randy Couture at UFC 31 with his newly found confidence, but the fact remains that for the duration of 2000-2001, Pedro Rizzo would have been considered the greatest heavyweight in the world and the first Brazilian champion in the UFC.
However, in all available universes, Big John McCarthy still finds the entire ordeal hilarious.
Most people are unfamiliar with the story of Pride FC nearly signing a lucrative deal with the G4 network, so throw that popcorn in the microwave and grab a seat. Don't burn it either, I don't want this place smelling like four-week old ramen.
In 2007, Nobuyuki Sakakibara promoted Jerry Millen to the Vice President of Promotions of Pride FC in the US and placed him in charge of getting a television deal for the Japanese organization. Millen wanted to find a network to reach that coveted 18-35 male demographic so he chose to negotiate with the G4 Network, owned by NBC Universal. G4 was already in talks with King of the Cage to air events from the promotion, but just before they were going to pull the production trigger, Jerry Millen presented them with a enticing package from Pride FC. They were in talks four roughly a three-month period and the executives at G4 were pretty receptive to the form of entertainment Pride FC had to offer.
A verbal agreement was struck to create a 'TUF-like' show which would take place in Japan and include fighters from across the planet. Instead of living in houses, these fighters would use modified old-school Japanese dojos for accommodation. Both companies also agreed on airing 'Pride Countdown shows' leading up to the PPVs and hosting 'specialty fights' that would air exclusively on G4. At the time, Pride FC was king. The UFC even loaned their fighters out to Japan in order to compete in those now legendary cards. It's been reported that the UFC deal to buy Pride FC came down just a few hours before Sakakibara flew to Los Angeles to meet with G4 executives. The deal happened so fast that Jerry Millen didn't have time to break the news to G4, they found out on the internet.
From that moment on, ZUFFA disassembled Pride FC, only bringing a handful of fighters to the UFC. They went on to be the colossal juggernaut they are today due to literally buying out their competition. However, in a parallel universe, things went just a bit different.
In this parallel universe, Sakakibara made it to the G4 meeting in Los Angeles and eventually signed a four-year deal with NBC Universal to not only air Pride FC on G4, but to even air a Pride event in a primetime slot on NBC in 2008. This would have incited the start of two separate MMA wars -- Pride FC would be involved in both.
First, CBS and NBC would be going head-to-head with their monthly 'Saturday Night Fights' broadcast. Instead of choosing separate weekends to air the events, both networks felt the need to counter-program their rival, effectively 'piggy backing' off the advertising and buzz of their counterpart. The North American public would have been presented with cards like Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock on CBS for Elite XC going against something like 'Pride FC Openweight Grand-Prix' on any given weekend in NBC. The term 'freak show' would be so incorporated into the MMA lexicon that its negative connotation would be expunged. It would be the norm to have televised matches that focused on entertainment and shock-value over rankings and advancing in weight divisions. MMA transformed into an entertainment driven entity.
The continued existence of Pride FC in the MMA world also meant that it would be in direct competition with UFC. Let's face it, Pride FC finding an American television partner is the only point of time in which the MMA landscape would have changed forever. With Pride FC and UFC competing for viewers, the war would have been reminiscent to the old WWF vs. WCW battle that happened in the mid-90s. In this parallel universe, the sport of MMA grew ten-fold solely because there was competition going on at the main stage of entertainment. Both companies were vying for legitimacy in the sports world, and the public took note.
You may think UFC was created as a competitive arena to display the functionality of various martial arts, but in reality, it was manifested to show how much Gracie Jiu-Jitsu kicked ass. Seriously. Rorion Gracie wanted to take the Gracie Challenge one step further and invite fighters from all disciplines to be schooled by this new form of combat. That's not even an exaggeration. When Rorion linked up with Art Davie to host the first UFC, Rorion made it abundantly clear that the UFC would be a platform to launch Gracie Jiu-Jitsu to a nationwide audience. Art Davie liked what he heard and on November 12, 1993, the UFC had their inaugural event.
Within the family, it was widely known that Rickson Gracie possessed the greatest skill level and even Royce Gracie went on record to state 'Rickson is 10 times better than me. He's the only one who can beat everybody.' In reality, that's exactly what the Gracie's wanted; someone that can step inside the cage with any person and have a 100% success rate at defeating the opposition. It was clear that Rickson would be the premiere choice to represent the family name at UFC, but Rorion had other plans.
Royce trained with Rorion in California and he knew that if he granted Royce with a slot in the first UFC show, he would literally become an overnight celebrity, which ultimately meant more people would train at Rorion's academy. While most of the Gracie family disagreed, Royce was pegged to be the sole representative of the Gracie name at UFC 1, and history was made.
At the second UFC event, it was rumored that Rickson Gracie was offered to be included in the tournament, but priced himself out of negotiations with a ridiculously high sum of money. But what if Rickson Gracie was the first and only Gracie to represent jiu-jitsu in the early days of UFC? You don't have to ask that question because according to the laws of quantum physics, that scenario already happened.
To this day, Rickson Gracie still claims that he's 400-0 in MMA. With him competing at UFC 1 in an alternate reality, that record would have only inflated to epic proportions. In 1993, Rickson would have been thirty-five-years old, a full eight years older than his younger brother Royce. One would assume that Rickson Gracie would have easily disposed of Art Jimmerson, Ken Shamrock and Gegard Gordeau at UFC 1, but 1993 is also the same year when Rickson Gracie received his first official loss in his thirty-three year long career. The defeat was against Ron Tripp at the US Sambo Nationals in Norman, Oklahoma, although Rickson suggested the loss should not count since he was allegedly misinformed of the rules before the event.
In a parallel universe, Rickson signed the UFC contract to compete at the inaugural event, the failed bout against Ron Tripp never materialized. However, in this timeline, Rickson was destined to have one loss on his record in the year 1993, and it just so happens that it occurred in the UFC tournament against Ken Shamrock. The tournament failed to place the Gracie name on the map and the 'Gracie Challenge' no longer existed. Shamrock went on to compete in future events, and ultimately gained name recognition early within the budding sport. The Gracies were only known as the family that failed at introducing their family secret to combat sports. While Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was still practiced in small gyms across California, the true fighting style everyone wanted to learn was classic shootfighting, which enabled Ken Shamrock to prevail at the very first UFC card.
ProElite, the company that received second place in the 'Buy Strikeforce' marathon.
In the Summer of 2011, we interviewed Paul Feeler, the CEO of Stratus Media Group (the organization that purchased ProElite's assets) and inquired about the rumor that ProElite offered to purchase Strikeforce for the sum of $40 million:
It's rumored that you offered $40 million for Strikeforce, can you clear this up?"I can tell you that we were in significant discussions to acquire a large portion of Strikeforce and it did not materialize."
So...what happened? "Well, it's well known that UFC came and acquired things."
That was all we could get out of him regarding the failed deal, but leave it to MMAPayout to fill in the gaps of the entire story. According to MMAPayout, ProElite did in fact offer Strikeforce something in the vicinity of $40 million, but it was 'paper deal' meaning ProElite would take over Strikeforce by offering Scott Coker shares in the company followed by a smaller monetary offer. At the time, ProElite's stock was trading at $0.01 so one could either look at the stock trading glass as half-empty, half-full or half-what the hell is someone doing offering me stocks at $0.01 for a multi-million dollar company? Granted, as of September 29th 4:00pm EST, ProElite (PELE) is trading at an even $0.20, representing a 20x return on the deal that Scott Coker never made. Of course now we know that Coker never made the deal with ProElite because ZUFFA swooped in and offered him the same $40 million amount, but this time around it was tangible currency.
The deal was agreed upon in January 2011 and on March 12th, 2011 Dana White announced that UFC acquired Strikeforce -- and thousands of heads simultaneously exploded and magically reassembled after the earth-rattling announcement. ProElite lost, UFC won -- again.
But this feature isn't about what occurred in this universe. Not at all. We're in the business of discussing the top ten alterations to MMA history that 100% occurred in a parallel universe, and that's exactly what we'll do.
In a parallel universe, the UFC deal never went through. Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (the main investors of Strikeforce) decided to go with ProElite's paper deal and Strikeforce became a ProElite asset in 2011. Paul Feeler reopened communication with Strikeforce's television partner, CBS, and it was agreed the promotion would return to their Saturday night slot with Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on April 9th, 2011. This marked the first time the organization returned to network television after the now infamous Strikeforce brawl at Strikeforce: Nashville in 2010. As you may remember, Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley was friggin' bonkers.
The main card started with Shinya Aoki submitting the previously unsubmittable Lyle Beerbohm. The next bout was a somewhat uneventful one when Gegard Mousasi going the distance against Keith Jardine to receive an unexpected and strange draw from the judges' score cards. After that, we were treated to a 155lb domination as Gilbert Melendez went ravenous on Kawajiri to retain the Strikeforce lightweight belt. In the main event, we all witnessed perhaps the most entertaining round in MMA this year when Nick Diaz and Paul Daley stood in the pocket and traded strikes like suicide bombers. Diaz was ultimately the last man standing and the crowd inside the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California went absolutely bananas.
The UFC still had forward momentum despite not acquiring Strikeforce, and the UFC on FOX deal was struck, with their first event, UFC on FOX: Velasquez vs. Don Santos, slated on November 12th, 2011 in Anaheim, California. Now in direct competition with another primetime network, CBS announced they would counterprogram UFC on FOX with their very own Strikeforce card: the conclusion of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand-Prix featuring Josh Barnett vs. Alistair Overeem (remember, due to ProElite acquiring Strikeforce, Overeem never made the UFC transition) and the winner would not only be awarded with the Strikeforce GP belt, but also the Strikeforce heavyweight title. Amazing stuff, these parallel universes.
Yes, real live alligators surrounding the cage, swimming inside a make-shift moat. That was the plan going into UFC's first event until a doctor placed a seed of logic within Art Davie, advising that medically it's a really, really bad idea to have potentially man-eating creatures just a few feet away from humans. In retrospect, it seemed like such a frivolous concept, but it took a doctor's opinion to convince event planners to remove wild alligators from their itinerary. It was never included, and the UFC went on to be the brand that it is today.
That's what happened in this timeline, however in the next -- the scenario played out just a tad bit differently. The medical doctor called in sick on the day of the event planning and the executives at the newly formed UFC office decided to go with the alligator/moat idea in order to get mainstream media outlets talking about the event. The word got out that UFC would be using live animals in their first event and PETA staged a massive protest, with a plethora of women removing their clothing in the name of animal rights. It never makes any sense, but whenever PETA is involved, the world expects random acts of unsolicited nudity. Despite the misguided protests, the first UFC event goes as planned and a year later at UFC 2, the alligators were reintroduced and have now become synonymous with UFC. From event to event, the UFC hired animal handlers and assigned the arduous task of lugging giant alligators across the country to new venues.
With the persistent appearance of alligators at events, the general public now considered UFC as a 'gimmick' more than a sport, which opened the political playing fields for any career politician to throw dirt on the organization. Now embracing its badboy image and understanding they have fully sinked the sport of MMA in the US, UFC resorts to a new sport to attract everyone's attention: Alligator wrestling. Here's a brief video of how it played out in a parallel universe.
Take a moment and digest the greatest MMA picture of 2010, captured by our bud Esther Lin.
The raw emotion, confusion, relief and anxiety -- it's all there, and it's damn hard to miss it. Just thank whatever higher power you believe in for enabling you to be alive through July/August of 2010. We all witnessed some of the most exquisite and eloquent smack-talk that ever emerged from a human being. Chael Sonnen wouldn't even call it selling a fight, but simply 'telling the truth' and 'exposing Anderson Silva for who he is.' You could literally taste the energy surrounding the event, and it resembled the flavor of a handful of sunflower seeds. I managed to create the following video of Chael Sonnen's greatest quotes from a UFC 117 press conference, and I'm sure many of you are already familiar with the clip.
The elements were in place for a grandiose Anderson Silva performance or a heart-thumping upset from the hands of Chael Sonnen. There would be no middle ground. We all knew the outcome of the fight would end in a remarkable fashion, and it did. The main event of UFC 117 began with Chael Sonnen advancing on Anderson Silva like some autonomous being, impervious to all pain. Sonnen put hands on The Spider, some would even say that Chael dropped Anderson in the opening rounds. Regardless of what happened in the stand-up, the fight always ended on the ground, with Chael controlling Silva for the better part of the rounds. An upset was imminent. All of the trash-talk, Brazil bashing and the awkward staredowns seemed like it finally paid off for the self-proclaimed 'fastest white Republican in MMA.' After being dominated for over twenty-three minutes, Anderson Silva threw a hail mary triangle up and it landed snuggly around Sonnen's neck. With the UFC middleweight title just two minutes away from being strapped around his waist, Sonnen was forced to tap out inside the Oracle Arena at Oakland, California. We emphasize the religious term 'hail mary' because according to an interview in Gracie Magazine, even Anderson Silva believed his victory was attributed to divine intervention.
"I feel we learn in all our fights, in victory or defeat. We learn from everything, in every way, whatever the situation may be. What people sometimes forget is that God is above it all. I didn't stop thinking of him for a moment, and he didn't let me down. Of course, we have to train and all, but it's really important to have faith. I remember having looked up between rounds and asked him to guide my movements and he enlightened me. It's even hard to say something like that to a magazine like Gracie. A lot of folks will read it and think I'm playing to the media. But anyone who watched the fight could see all was lost and there were just two minutes to go. I felt a very strong presence from God there and that was important."
At the end of the night, Anderson Silva remained champion and Chael Sonnen remained another unsuccessful challenger to the UFC middleweight title.
Yep, you guessed it. In an alternate universe Chael Sonnen was never triangled by Anderson Silva in the fifth round and went on to dethrone the greatest MMA fighter of our time. Chael Sonnen wrapped the belt around his waist and went on a roaring media rampage, doing a potpourri of 'I told you so' interviews. Sonnen even returned to be a guest on the panel of FOX News in order to discuss not only being the newly crowned champion, but also to serve as a political analyst to argue against Obama Care.
Everything was going as planned until the California State Athletic Commission accused Chael Sonnen of testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. Actually, the drug test denoted that Chael's testosterone levels were abnormally high, indicative of steroid use. He faced a year-long suspension, but the news surfaced that Chael Sonnen actually informed the CSAC before the fight that he would test for high amounts of testosterone. The hammer finally came down, resulting in Chael Sonnen being suspended a year from MMA. Chael appealed the decision, claiming he had hormone replacement therapy prior to UFC 117. His charges were somewhat dropped in an overly complex, roundabout way. However, just a few months after his hearing, Dana White suspended his UFC contract so that he could 'deal with personal issues.'
Keep in mind that in this parallel universe that we all find ourselves in, Chael Sonnen was still the UFC middleweight champion throughout the post-fight ordeal. Being that the CSAC never officially suspended him, the belt remained under his control and even though he had to wait nearly a year to get back in the cage, he was still the champion. While Chael Sonnen was away, Anderson Silva felt that he simply didn't have it anymore and retired from the sport at the age of thirty-six. Dana White then created a UFC middleweight interim title match between Vitor Belfort vs. Brian Stann at UFC 126. Stann grabbed a unanimous decision over The Phenom and earned a chance to unify the titles as headliners in UFC 136.
As far as UFC: Rio, the event materialized but without Anderson Silva in the mix, the card was simply a shadow of what it could have been. Due to Anderson Silva's absence from MMA, Burger King never got involved in the sport and we would have never seen video of Silva serenading a Double Whopper.
Very rarely does one fight determine whether a MMA organization will survive or be another victim to the iron giant that is ZUFFA. When we say 'very rarely' we actually mean 'quite often'. We've seen it with EliteXC and everyone remembers the warm fuzzy feeling we had just before Barnett was accused of taking PEDs before Affliction: Trilogy.
We all would like to forget the day in which Tom Atencio broke the news that Fedor/Barnett was canceled along with their entire MMA promotion. We all were left with handfuls of non-refundable plane tickets and pre-paid hotel rooms. MiddleEasy was all dressed up and had no where to go -- so we got drunk instead. Absolutely, mind-bending, time-traveling paraletic drunk. When we woke up the next morning, DirecTV decided to poop in their hands and rub it directly in our face via satellite signal with this nonsense.
The entire ordeal was a traumatic experience, so I decided to create a permanent reminder of my pain in the form of this video of Affliction's eerie final phone call to the media. If you're a necrophiliac and a student of MMA history, then you can appreciate it. It's filled with scary accurate predictions from MMA journalists as well as highly contradictory statements from a variety of sources.
The MMA world was on Defcon 4 at the end of July 2009. Couple that with OMA's prank of Kimo Leopaldo that ended up as the lead story of nearly every mainstream media outlet and you have a community of people that was suddenly placed on 'high-blood pressure alert' by their doctors. As we all know, the fight between the number one and two heavyweight in MMA never occurred and Affliction collapsed within just a few hours after the cancellation of Affliction: Trilogy. Barnett ended up suspended for an entire year while Fedor eventually moved to Strikeforce. UFC, DREAM and Sengoku picked at the corpse of the remaining Affliction contracts and it was 'business as usual' in the MMA world.
That's the version you may remember, but in a parallel universe, everything changes.
In this reality, Josh Barnett was never accused of using performance enhancing drugs prior to facing Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction: Trilogy. The show went on, and the PPV numbers reached well over 250,000. Josh Barnett managed to TKO Fedor through the use of oppressing ground-and-pound and became the linear heavyweight champion of the world. Due to the rampant success of the third show, Affliction received more financial backing from core investors like Donald Trump, Oscar De La Hoya and Mark Cuban. With its legendary million-dollar paydays, an influx of fighters tried flocking to Affliction in order to become a part of the high-paying fighter stable.
With Fedor still under contract with Affliction and Dan Henderson now a free-agent that was leaning towards signing with Affliction, Strikeforce never had the opportunity to take their promotion to the main stage. CBS couldn't justify placing a card in a primetime slot on the network without a notable heavyweight headliner and the November 7th, 2009 show never happened. Showtime remained the home of Strikeforce and ZUFFA eventually let the promotion slowly die out instead acquiring it in 2011.
As far as Affliction, with event payrolls topping $3.3 million, over twice as much as the live gate, the organization was doomed to self-destruct. At the end of the year, Affliction collaborated with FEG to deliver a monumental Dynamite!! 2009 New Year's Eve event that was on par with the attendance at 2002's Pride Shockwave. Under the impression that Affliction could garner those same monumental numbers in the US, the organization held another event on April 2010 entitled Affliction: Dominate. The card was insanely stacked, and even featured talent from DREAM and the upcoming Bellator FC. In the main event, Badr Hari took on Alistair Overeem in a mixed rules bout. The first round was all kickboxing while the second was entirely MMA. Each round lasted a total of ten minutes. Unfortunately, the bout ended in a draw, and the remainder of the card was filled with rather uneventful decisions. This was due to Affliction offering a $100,000 win bonus for each fight. The fighters were competing not to lose, finishing or knocking out their opponent was a secondary concern. On July 2010, Affliction could no longer sustain their daily operations and reverted to being just a clothing company.
In this alternate universe, Dana White collected the remnants of another failed organization and assembled the parts to form the Voltron that we all know as the UFC.
Another gem from Loretta Hunt's 'Let's Get It On' tells the tale of Rorion Gracie nearly creating his own MMA organization that would have undoubtedly rivaled UFC in the mid-90s. After UFC 5 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Rorion Gracie and Art Davie sold their portion of UFC to Semaphore Entertainment Group, an organization that worked with UFC since their initial start in 1993. While Art Davie chose to work with SEG as UFC's matchmaker, Rorion had other plans to create his own MMA organization that would attempt to overtake UFC.
From the beginning, Rorion was never a fan of these things called 'rules.' For Rorion, fighter protection was just an annoying aspect that got in the way of pure physical combat. During UFC's beginnings, he was a huge advocate of removing all rules, rounds and officials. It appeared that Rorion was attempting to recreate the same fighting environment that his father thrived in back in Brazil. Rorion believed that when in danger, a fighter's natural bushido spirit would kick in and out of compassion for their opponent, fighters would stop on their own will and proclaim they are the winner.
I don't think I have enough pens in my office to write down the ways in which that model would completely deteriorate within seconds of an actual MMA bout. It was Big John McCarthy that invented the term 'intelligently defending,' a concept that Rorion Gracie loathed. So when Big John informed Rorion that he would continue to officiate the UFC after April 1995, Rorion gave Big John an incredible ultimatum: Either get on board with the Gracie family and work for us in our soon-to-be formed MMA promotion, or leave us alone and stick with your UFC. With kids to feed at home and the steady income he received being a referee, Big John chose to go with the UFC and the rest is history.
That actually happened.
Due to Big John's lack of involvement in Rorion's idea of a new MMA promotion, it never came to fruition. However, we're operating on the plane of multiple universes, and in one universe, Big John chooses the red pill.
He leaves UFC and gets on-board with Rorion and the rest of the Gracie family. They eventually create an MMA organization fueled by the Gracie Challenge and its appeal of a truly 'No Rules' sport. They host their first event in Anaheim, California and it features a group of relatively unknown fighters. The event is filled with elements of ultra-violence. Arms get broken, a fighter loses his eye-sight due to finger pokes -- by the end of the event, a fighter goes into a coma due to severe blood loss. With time, all the fighters eventually recover from their injuries and all but one resigns to compete in the next event. Pirated tapes of the card spread like a highly infectious disease and with just one event under Rorion's belt, the UFC is viewed by fight fans as an inferior product.
Eventually, politicians begin to create legislation outlawing the events in certain states. This doesn't bother Rorion, however. He takes the event from state to state, completely mystifying live audiences until the US government permanently shuts down the events and MMA all together. Rorion takes his promotion to Japan and eventually merges with another young MMA organization called Pride FC. The Japanese audience consumed the newly created sport and with attendance records topping the 70,000 mark, it was clear that our civilization had an unquenchable thirst for ultra violence.
People were killed inside the ring, limbs were severed from bodies, but the blood-lust simply fueled the fans. Dying meant nothing to a fighter, but it was the journey to death that mattered. In a long enough time span, Pride FC (led by Rorion Gracie) consumed the planet. There were no reality shows or package television compilations. Only guaranteed live deaths on television, a growing fad among the 18-35 male demographic. Rorion eventually parlayed the success he had with Pride FC into a endeavor: a live-action game show reminiscent of 'The Running Man.'
Humanity's future was a bleak one, and it all can be directly attributed to that faithful day in Rorion Gracie's office when Big John made a pivotal decision that changed the course of humankind.
Posted in: ufc, mma, event, gracie, universe
Read the full article at Middle EasySylvia-Rizzo, Arlovski-Fulton headline ProElite 2, eight-man HW tourney on tap (MMAJunkie.com)
The resurgent ProElite has inked Nov. 5 for its next major event, and two ex-UFC heavyweight champions have...
Posted in: heavyweight, proelite, event, champion, inked nov
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsBoardrooms and Backstabs: The Coming Battle Between the UFC vs. Spike
It’s always hard to make the good things last.
The UFC and Spike TV have had a great relationship for a number of years, one where both parties have benefited tremendously from the other’s involvement. Spike was still struggling to establish it’s identity and it’s place in the cable landscape when they took a chance on a reality show featuring the UFC. At the same time the UFC was putting on great fights, but they needed help expanding their audience.
There have already been plenty of words written about how much of a game-changer The Ultimate Fighter was when it premiered. It allowed Spike to fully establish it’s own identity, as here was something unlike all of their other original programming. Of course the UFC found plenty of new fans thanks to the fighting styles of Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar. I can’t even really fully imagine where this sport would be had it not been for “TUF.” That’s how much of an impact it had.
Now this relationship that worked out so well in the past is coming to a close. The UFC is taking their fights, their fighters, and their “Ultimate Fighter” and getting in bed with FOX. There’s no time for foreplay either, as the company has chosen to put a heavyweight title fight live on broadcast television on November 12th when Cain Velasquez defends his belt for the first time against Junior Dos Santos.
That very same night Spike will run a marathon of UFC Unleashed featuring the two men fighting for the belt that same night. They can do that because Spike retains control of the UFC’s broadcast library throughout 2012. They are even going so far as to name this marathon “Velasquez vs. Dos Santos: Unleashed for the Heavyweight Title,” a name that was expertly crafted by the think-tank at Spike to be as confusing as possible for the casual fan.
I know it seems kind of silly to think that anyone would confuse a marathon of old fights with an actual live title fight, much less a title fight that’s taking place on a broadcast television. Yet the fact is that not everybody is as smart and handsome as you, dear reader. There are plenty of casual UFC fans who have no idea that the company is parting ways with Spike next year. If these same people aren’t big fans of football or Glee then they might not know about the big title fight in November.
Regardless of the counter-programming efforts of Spike executives, I think it’s safe to say that the UFC’s premiere event on Fox will do pretty well for itself. Let’s not forget though that Spike still has old UFC fights for an entire year. Once their current deal expires I expect Spike will take the gloves off completely, and begin airing more UFC marathons at the same time as PPV events. That’s when the UFC starts to run into some danger.
Consider this – A UFC PPV event is this Saturday (it’s not, but play along here) and the main event is a somewhat mediocre non-title fight. That same evening Spike airs a marathon of old Fight Nights or Unleashed episodes. Given the choice between new fights that may or may not be good and classic fights you know are good, is your wallet going to let you pick the new fights every time? If Spike decides to show a few older Fight Nights or TUF Finales that you haven’t seen in a while, would that entice you to tune in?
Time can only tell how the bitter battle between the UFC and Spike will play out over the next year. Of course, there is a way for the UFC to get out of this situation: they would simply need to buy back the rights to their own library from Spike. The only reason they aren’t doing it is because that then opens up Spike to start airing events from Bellator, who have become the nations de facto #2 MMA promotion since Zuffa purchased Strikeforce. Spike clearly wants Bellator on their network, as otherwise the fact that they’re streaming Bellator pre-lims on their website makes no sense at all. Spike and MTV2 are owned by Viacom so it would be an easy move to slide those events from one channel to the next.
The question then becomes this: does the UFC stand to lose more viewers from showings of their old fights, or are they in greater danger from Bellator coming to Spike? Considering the fact that everything Dana White has done for the past ten years has been in service of growing the UFC brand, I’d say it’s the former.
Bellator probably won’t see that big of a Spike for their ratings if they shift from one network to the next (save for the fact that Spike is available in more homes than MTV2). At the same time the fact that Spike has free reign to counter-program whatever the UFC does for a whole year has to be considered a problem heading into what could potentially be the biggest year in history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
If I was one of the owners of the UFC, I’d be living a wildly different lifestyle. But also I would be telling anyone who would listen that we need to buy back those rights from Spike. It doesn’t matter if they’re not ‘honoring the spirit of the deal;’ cut them a check and cut those ties for good. We need to move forward, and we can’t do that if some cable station is running old Brock Lesnar fights in between episodes of Manswers and reruns of CSI.Similar Posts:
32 live events starting in November, new TUF format with live fights, and more from the UFC/FOX presser
Versus extension will include 2 live UFC events.
MMA on TV
MMA on TV
TUF 1 marathon and reunion show scheduled for Saturday
Tweetgovernment,politics news,politics news,politics
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, year, spike
Read the full article at Five Ounces of PainSylvia-Rizzo, Arlovski-Fulton headline ProElite 2, eight-man HW tourney on tap
The resurgent ProElite has inked Nov. 5 for its next major event, and two ex-UFC heavyweight champions have taken co-headlining fights.
Five-time champ Tim Sylvia meets Pedro Rizzo in the main event while three-time champ Andrei Arlovski, who headlined the promotion's first event in August, meets journeyman Travis Fulton.
ProElite 2 takes place at the 12,000-seat iWireless Center in Moline, Ill., which is a stone's throw from part-time cop Sylvia's home.
Posted in: proelite, event, pedro rizzo, co-headlining fights, cop sylvia
Read the full article at MMA JunkieDana White hints at possibility of running two UFC events on the same day from Las Vegas and Japan
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) plans to return to the "Land of the Rising Sun" for the first time in more than a decade with a major event penciled in for Feb. 26, 2012, at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
As if that endeavor wasn't big enough, company president Dana White recently revealed that the promotion is thinking about running another event on that same day from Las Vegas, Nevada.
White alluded to the unprecedented possibility during a recent press conference in California to promote UFC 139, which will feature one of Japan's most popular mixed martial artists from the Pride FC heyday, Wanderlei Silva.
Yahoo!Sports.com has the skinny:
"When we go to Japan next year, we are going to be putting on a show at the same time in Las Vegas," he said. When asked how the company was going to handle a dual-show evening from a television standpoint, White just smiled and said, "You’ll see."
The report points out that because of the time difference with the two locations literally a world apart, the Japan show would take place in the early afternoon, airing stateside in the usual 9 p.m. ET pay-per-view (PPV) time slot. That means the UFC would likely have to leverage its other television partnerships, including FOX and Versus, to make a two-fight night dream come true.
With Scott Coker of Strikeforce and Reed Harris from World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) still on the Zuffa payroll, the promotion has more than enough experienced professionals at their disposal who can run an event without the presence of White.
Production, coordination and on air talent, on the other hand, are entirely different animals. From a fan perspective, however, those are lots of good problems to have.
Posted in: ufc, time, event, las vegas, japan
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC Veteran Sean McCorkle Back in Action October 15
UFC veteran Sean McCorkle will be back in action in October. McCorkle will headline Chicago Cagefighting Championship IV on October 15 in Villa Park, IL.
McCorkle came into the UFC in 2010, immediately making a name for himself with a victory over Mark Hunt at UFC 119. With a 10-0 record, McCorkle was moved up to the semi-main event of UFC 124, where he was stopped by Stefan Struve in the first round. He then lost to Christian Morecraft, and was subsequently cut. He's 2-0 since, and has his eye on a return to the UFC.
His opponent on the 15th will be Justin Grizzard, who has a 7-13 record and is coming in off a loss to Abe Wagner. The fight will be contested in the Super Heavyweight division. McCorkle vs. Grizzard is the new main event for the card. The original main event, War Machine vs. Gideon Ray, was cancelled due to injuries suffered in training to both men.
Also on the card will be Carson Beebe (seen last week on the debut of The Ultimate Fighter) and Bellator veteran Josh Shockley. The complete card follows:
Sean McCorkle vs. Justin GrizzardChico Camus vs. Jared McMahanJosh Shockley vs. Michael SantiagoDan Gilbert vs. Ryan BixlerMike Correy vs. Herman TorradoCarson Beebe vs. Danny Aguirre
Bloody Elbow will be covering this event live. Come join us and support your local MMA.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, stefan struve, mccorkle
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC Planning Simultaneous February Events in Japan, Las Vegas
The Ultimate Fighting Championship apparently has big plans for February, as promotion president Dana White revealed Tuesday that the organization will attempt to hold two events simultaneously in early-2012.
Posted in: event, las vegas, february, february events, ufc planning
Read the full article at SherdogBrazilian Billionaire Interested In Entertainment Company Responsible for Bringing UFC Back to Brazil
Brazilian billionaire entrepreneur Eike Batista – who has made a good portion of his wealth from resource companies – such as mining, energy, petroleum, logistics, real estate and off-shoring – wants to get involved in the Sports & Entertainment industry, seeking to purchase “Brasil1″, the company responsible for bringing the UFC back to Brazil last month.
Batista, who is listed by Forbes as the 8th richest person in the world in 2011, has many companies under his ownership. Batista’s IMX group – which is a partnership of IMG Worldwide inc. and Batista’s EBX Group Co Ltd – is said to be closing the deal to purchase Brasil1, which is a Sports and Entertainment company specializing in consulting, content development, and major event management.
The purchase was first reported by Veja Magazine, a respected media source in Brazil. UFC Rio was not only a huge success for the UFC, but also for Brasil1 and the city of Rio de Janeiro. The event drew more than 14,000 fans to the HSBC Arena for a gate which is believed to be in excess of $4M. Not only was the event a huge success as a live attending event, but it is also speculated that “Nearly 30 million Brazilians” likely watched UFC 134 from their homes.
Due to the UFC’s 13-year absence and the sports boom in the last few years, their return last month caught the attention of many high profiled figures in the country such as soccer legend Ronaldo and MMA pioneer Royce Gracie. Politician’s including Rio de Janeiro’s governor Sergio Cabral, and a cast of other rich and famous socialites were ringside as well. One of those high profiled figures in attendance was Eike Batista.
Due to the success of UFC Rio, the UFC stated shortly after the event concluded that it would return to Brazil with multiple events in 2012. With Batista’s purchase of Brasil1, it’s no doubt that through IMX and Brasil1, those groups will be involved in future UFC events scheduled for Brazil.
Batista’s IMX group is also getting involved with the upcoming FIFA 2014 World Cup, trying to sell luxury box seats for the event as it negotiates a potential deal with Match Hospitality AG, who has an exclusive contract to sell tickets for FIFA-organized events.
Posted in: ufc, event, company, batista, brasil
Read the full article at MMA PayoutReport: ProElite Returns in November in Illinois, Possibly With Andrei Arlovski vs. Tim Sylvia IV
ProElite is in the planning stages for their second event, according to a report on Cage Potato. Word is they’re looking at staging the event in Moline, Illinois on Nov. 5 and possibly reigniting an old UFC rivalry in the main event.
CagePotato.com has learned that ProElite’s second show under its new ownership and management will happen November 5 at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois. Although no announcements have been made regarding the event, which is tentatively dubbed “ProElite II” or the show’s fight card, there is strong indication that the promotion is working on a third meeting between former UFC heavyweight champions Tim Sylvia (29-7) and Andrei Arlovski (16-9) and that the bout could be the main event.
To add fuel to the fire, Sylvia tweeted last week that he’s fighting on Nov. 5 in Hawaii (the location ProElite originally planned to hold the event).
If Arlovski and Sylvia meet in the main event, it would actually be their fourth encounter. Arlovski took the first one at UFC 51 while Sylvia won the last two at UFC 59 and UFC 61. No one is really clamoring for a fourth fight, but both fighters have wanted the rematch for awhile now ever since they shared a girlfriend which led to Ariel Helwani’s breakout interview with Arlovski where he muttered the infamous line “How’s taste my pee-pee?” to Sylvia.
Image via Sherdog
Posted in: ufc, proelite, arlovski, event, sylvia
Read the full article at MMA ConvertUFC Could Host Two Events on Same Day in 2012
If you thought the UFC’s current schedule of one event nearly every weekend was busy, just wait until 2012, when the promotion could begin hosting two events on the same day, possibly beginning on Feb. 25 alongside the UFC’s return to Japan.
“When we go to Japan next year, we are going to be putting on a show at the same time in Las Vegas,” UFC President Dana White recently told Yahoo Sports.
The UFC’s first event in Japan since 2000 takes place at the Saitama Super Arena in the morning on Feb. 26 to allow it to air live in the UFC’s regular Saturday pay-per-view slot at 9pm ET.
If plans for the second event move forward, the UFC would likely split the main card between the events, but air them as one pay-per-view broadcast, which has previously been done in boxing, including the recent Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz card.
White added that details of the plan have yet to be finalized.
For the latest UFC news and UFC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Posted in: ufc, event, japan, ufc news, ufc rumors
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyDana White: UFC Planning Simultaneous Events Next Year
Dana White: World Conqueror
Many people have questioned if the UFC overexposes themselves by running too many events. After all, hardly a weekend goes by anymore when there isn’t a UFC or Strikeforce event happening somewhere.
Well, no matter what the critics say, Dana White thinks that idea is preposterous. Every time someone asks him that question, he says they need more, more, more, not less.
So much more in fact, Dana told Yahoo! Sports that they’re going to start running two shows in two separate parts of the world on the same night as early as next Feb. when they go to Japan.
“When we go to Japan next year, we are going to be putting on a show at the same time in Las Vegas,” he said.
While he didn’t confirm the date, UFC is scheduled for a show on Feb. 26 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. The show would take place in the early afternoon in Japan, so it would air in the U.S. on Feb. 25, a Saturday night, live in the usual 9 p.m. Eastern pay-per-view time slot.
When asked how the company was going to handle a dual-show evening from a television standpoint, White just smiled and said, “You’ll see.”
“We’ll be doing a lot of that in the future,” White said.
I’m not gonna lie, I’m already pretty burnt out by all the shows Zuffa is running now, so this simultaneous events idea really doesn’t excite me. But, I also have to cover all these shows (with Jim’s much appreciated help), so I’m coming from a different perspective than the average fan.
So I’ll ask you: Is two UFC shows in one night overkill? Or the more the better?
Posted in: ufc, event, dana, japan, feb
Read the full article at MMA ConvertDana White Announced Lyoto Machida vs. Phil Davis at UFC 140, Then Took It Back
I jumped the gun on Machida vs Davis. Just found out Davis is still recovering from knee surgery. Sorry about that!about 4 hours ago via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite@danawhiteDana White
Dana White revealed UFC 140′s main event to MMA Weekly today. Then he took it back.
According to Dana, the UFC was intending to book Lyoto Machida and Phil Davis in a five-round main event at UFC 140 in Toronto, but then learned that Davis was still recovering from knee surgery and wouldn’t be ready to go for the Dec. 10 card.
It’s unclear if Machida will stay in the main event and face someone else or if they’ll postpone the bout to a later date. If he stays, their options are rather limited. Rampage might be ready to go by then, but will he want to? After coming off the hardest training camp of his life in a unsuccessful title bid, chances are Rampage just wants to hang out for awhile. As CagePotato points out, the only other option is bringing someone over from Strikeforce like King Mo, but putting relatively unknown Strikeforce fighters in pay-per-view main events would likely hurt buy rates. With most of the light heavyweight division’s elite booked or injured, chances are the UFC will look at other weight classes for the UFC 140 main event.
Below, Dana White gives MMA Weekly his thoughts on Shogun Rua vs. Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le and the potential for a rematch between Shogun and Rampage.
Posted in: ufc, vs, event, phil davis, davi
Read the full article at MMA ConvertIt's Showtime announces December 17 event: Petrosyan vs. Ngimbi
[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div]
While It's Showtime's "Fast & Furious 70MAX" event was going on yesterday, they quickly announced an event for December 17th in Amsterdam. The event will take place at The Sand, a venue It's Showtime has visited prevously this year and last year.
A somewhat long awaited match, Giorgio Petrosyan vs. Chris Ngimbi was confirmed for the card. In making this fight, it looks like It's Showtime is now trying to legitimize their world title at 70kg. Giorgio Petrosyan is easily the undisputed number one fighter at the weight. Chris Ngimbi won the belt in December, with, many people including myself thinking that he should've lost. Ngimbi hasn't done much to convince anyone that the It's Showtime 70MAX World Title is a legitimate "world" title, and losing in the 70kg tournament yesterday doesn't help his cause. Having Petrosyan as the champion would help a lot in getting the belt recognition. Mind you, if Ngimbi wins then the title is legit since he beat the number one fighter at the weight. (But let's be real here. What are the chances of Ngimbi winning?)
Read More...
Posted in: event, showtime, ngimbi, chris ngimbi, petrosyan
Read the full article at Middle EasyBellator 51 ratings: Audience size up 39 percent but just 158,000 viewers
Ratings for this past weekend's Bellator 51 event were up 39 percent from the week prior, but the Sept. 24 event still drew just 158,000 viewers, ranking it 14th out of 17 events that have aired on MTV2 to date.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the ratings with an industry source.
Bellator 51, which took place at Ohio's Canton Memorial Civic Center, faced stiff competition from UFC 135, one of the biggest MMA pay-per-view events of the year.
Posted in: bellator, event, mmajunkie.com today, canton memorial, industry source
Read the full article at MMA JunkieLenne Hardt: Behind The Microphone
She is one of the most polarizing figures in mixed martial arts - Lenne Hardt thrills audiences with her energetic, one-of-a-kind ring introductions that have garnered her a huge cult-following.
Hardt made the huge leap from New York to Japan in the late 80's and since she was fluent in both English and Japanese did a lot of work in radio and television.
"Acting and voice overs in New York City transplanted to Japan to use my language skills when offered a job here in radio and it snowballed from there." Lenne said.
Outside of her announcing she has also worked as a voice actress for popular video games titles as Tekken, Rumble Roses, Silent Hill and Virtua Fighter.
Additionally, Lenne has her own Jazz Cabaret band that she has been in for eleven years now.
"We are a funky, funny, sexy, naughty, dramatic, enthusiastic, jazzy, R&B-style five- piece show band consisting of drums, piano, stand-up bass and a wicked trumpet player," She said. "And oh yeah! That screaming jazz lady"
Her career took a different turn in January of 2000 when her agent put her in touch with the officials at Pride Fighting Championships to announce an event.
"I got a call from my agent two days before saying they needed a bilingual announcer who wouldn't be shy in front of 40,000 people at the Tokyo Dome. I knew I fit that bill!"
What was considered to be a one off event turned out to be a full-time gig as she worked for them all the way up to their final event in April 2007.
She joined the organization at the ideal time because the Open-weight tournament would be the starting point for the boom PRIDE would have for the early part of this century.
Fight fanatics over the years have affectionately dubbed her "The Crazy PRIDE Screaming Lady" although she isn't the biggest fan of the title.
"It's a bit of a misnomer," She said. "I'd like to think that listeners realize what I do involves a hell of a lot more technique and inspiration and style and thought than mere screaming!"
"What about matching the music and personality of the fighter in my tone and rhythm? Or the mood of the crowd in pitch and volume? And how can you miss rolling the R's?" Lenne continued.
Just as Bruce Buffer is a huge part of the UFC production today Lenne was equally as important, if not more so to the PRIDE product.
When PRIDE was sold to the UFC in 2007 Lenne was left without an avenue to announce mixed martial arts events until DREAM, the unofficial second-coming of PRIDE opened its doors in 2008.
Although Japanese mixed martial arts doesn't have the same level of popularity it once did she remains optimistic that it will turn around.
"The worldwide poor economy and some bad business deals had already taken a toll when the earthquake and tsunami did a number on Japan" She said. "So all forms of business and entertainment are in a valley now. But that means the only way is up And JMMA fans are fierce and loyal!"
Lenne last got the chance to captivate an audience this past weekend when DREAM hosted their DREAM 17 event from the Saitama Super Arena featuring the quarter-finals of the bantamweight world grand prix.
If you've never heard Lenne Hardt do her thing as an announcer, you are missing out.
Posted in: event, pride, lenne, hardt, lenne hardt
Read the full article at Head Kick LegendUFC 140 Fight Card Shaping Up
UFC 140 may be a couple of months away, but the card is almost set already. The event will take place on December 10th in the Air Canada Center in Toronto, Ontario. While it obviously won't draw as many fans as UFC 129 did, Toronto is a very hot market for MMA and this event should do very well, even without a Canadian in the main event. It's not set in stone yet, but it is expected that the main event of the card will be a rematch between Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Mir won the first fight at UFC 92, stopping Big Nog for the first time in his illustrious career. Nogueira said afterwards that he was suffering from a bad staph infection, so some of the significance of the win has been taken from Mir. He'll look to make lightning strike twice. Here is the card so far:
Dec 10th, live on pay-per-view from Toronto, Ontario:
Frank Mir (15-5) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (33-6, 1 NC)
Tito Ortiz (16-9-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-5)
Mark Hominick (20-9) vs. Chan Sung Jung (11-3)
Rory MacDonald (12-1) vs. Brian Ebersole (48-14-1, 1 NC)
Mark Bocek (9-4) vs. Nik Lentz (21-3-2, 1 NC)
Dennis Hallman (50-14-2, 1 NC) vs. John Makdessi (9-0)
Igor Pokrajac (23-8) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (26-11-1)
Rich Attonito (10-4) vs. Claude Patrick (14-1)
Mitch Clarke (9-0) vs. John Cholish (7-1)
More SBN coverage of UFC 140
Posted in: ufc, nogueira, vs, event, card
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowStrikeforce Challengers 19 salaries: Larkin and Couture top fighter payroll
Headliner Lorenz Larkin ($10,000) and main-card winner Ryan Couture ($10,000) earned the largest disclosed paydays at this past weekend's Strikeforce Challengers 19 event.
MMAjunkie.com today obtained the figures from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The total disclosed payroll for the Sept. 23 event was $92,500.
Posted in: event, mmajunkie.com today, larkin, fighter payroll, nevada state
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 135 draws reported 16,344 attendance for $2 million gate (MMAJunkie.com)
DENVER – Saturday's UFC 135 event drew an announced attendance of 16,344 fans and a live gate of $2...
Posted in: attendance, ufc, gate, denver, event
Read the full article at Yahoo! SportsUFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage Results - Event Doesn't Provide Enough Bang for the Buck
UFC 135 got off to a fun start on the Facebook preliminary stream. James Te Huna left Ricardo Romero out cold on the mat, punishing him for lazy, long-distance takedown attempts. Next came the fight that should have won fight of the night, a fun scrap between Takeya Mizugaki and Cole Escovedo. Mizugaki's boxing was on full display as he survived a close first round only to turn up the heat in the second round and get a TKO win.
Ignoring the miserable first two rounds of Eddie Yagin vs. Cole Escovedo, the Facebook and Spike prelims presented plenty of interesting and entertaining action.
But then the pay-per-view hit and the event seemed to stall out.
Nate Diaz put on a show against Takanori Gomi, but I couldn't help but feel like I was watching a bit of a pointless fight. The once dangerous Gomi was looking at the floor, flailing with hooks while Diaz drubbed him. While Joe Rogan screamed that Diaz had arrived, I felt hollow as my brain couldn't get past thinking "no, Gomi has gone."
Then the heavyweights hit and the show legitimately got bad for a sustained period. Travis Browne was clearly being overhyped even before stepping into the cage. His UFC career consisted of beating a sub-UFC quality fighter in James McSweeney, getting a draw via a point deduction of Cheick Kongo and knocking out the fragile chinned Stefan Struve. Being intrigued by Browne's future is one thing, but he hadn't shown enough potential for the push the UFC crew was giving him. Basically being set up to fail, Browne labored to a one sided but uninspired and quite hard to watch decision win over Rob Broughton.
Mark Hunt and Ben Rothwell put on a fight that was certainly not as bad as the Browne/Broughton affair but featured much flailing about and an eventual complete failure of cardio for both men. It's easy to blame the altitude and talk about them being heavyweights, but there were points where it looked like Rothwell might honestly pass out. The end of the second round saw Rothwell's corner run out and carry him back to his corner. In the fight world I live in, a guy who can't make it back to his corner under his own power loses by TKO.
Now, I'm not saying Hunt/Rothwell was terrible. But it was a fight that you were effectively paying to watch, and it featured two very borderline UFC level fighters who could hardly make it to the final bell.
Josh Koscheck and Matt Hughes put on a decent one round affair that seemed to get the event back on track. Back and forth for one round before Koscheck left Hughes out cold on the mat, it was a good way to lead into the main event.
But that main event saw Quinton Jackson dominated by Jon Jones. I was talking to Scott Christ of Bad Left Hookduring the event and talked about how much it felt like Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley. Pacquiao/Mosley led to a lot of complaining that Mosley simply had nothing for Manny and stood hoping to land the occasional power hook, and that's really all Jackson had. Rampage was yesterday, a fighter who has not evolved his game for years and paid the price.
Jones is a special fighter, and like Pacquiao he is so dynamic and ahead of the majority of his opponents that it actually can make for bad fights. Your entertainment in the main event had to come from watching Jones leave Rampage looking lost and ineffective.
And that begs the question, do fight fans want to pay to watch a brilliant fighter or a brilliant fight?
Jones should not be faulted, he reduced a legendary fighter to little more than a punching bag. But I'm left feeling a little like paying the rather hefty PPV price tag should get you more than gassed heavyweights and fighters from the last era being pounded on by the new breed.
Posted in: ufc, fight, fighter, round, event
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage - Live Results and Play-By-Play for Main Card
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage. The live blog will start with the beginning of the Facebook prelim stream (6:40 p.m. ET), continuing through the Spike TV prelim broadcast (8 p.m. ET) and finally through the pay-per-view broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
A UFC light heavyweight championship bout between Jon Jones and challenger Quinton "Rampage" Jackson headlines the event with a co-featured bout between former welterweight champion Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck. Also on the PPV broadcast, rising heavyweight star Travis Browne takes on Rob Broughton, Nate Diaz takes on Takanori Gomi and heavyweights Ben Rothwell and Mark Hunt collide.
It should be a fun night of fights with some long term ramifications.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
If you want to read another take on how the fights go down, check out Kid Nate's instant analysis over at MMA Nation.
Posted in: ufc, rampage, heavyweight, event, broadcast
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage - Live Results and Play-By-Play
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage. The live blog will start with the beginning of the Facebook prelim stream (5:45 p.m. ET), continuing through the Spike TV prelim broadcast (8 p.m. ET) and finally through the pay-per-view broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
A UFC light heavyweight championship bout between Jon Jones and challenger Quinton "Rampage" Jackson headlines the event with a co-featured bout between former welterweight champion Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck. Also on the PPV broadcast, rising heavyweight star Travis Browne takes on Rob Broughton, Nate Diaz takes on Takanori Gomi and heavyweights Ben Rothwell and Mark Hunt collide.
Last season's winner of The Ultimate Fighter, Tony Ferguson battles long time veteran of the sport Aaron Riley and Nick Ring does battle with Tim Boetsch at middleweight on the Spike broadcast.
All that plus three fights on Facebook should make for an action packed evening.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
Posted in: ufc, rampage, heavyweight, event, broadcast
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC 135 Video Blog with Dana White (Episode two)
Check out all of MMAFrenzy.com’s UFC 135 pre-fight coverage while you wait for tonight’s event, and stop back for live UFC 135 results and complete UFC 135 coverage.
Posted in: ufc, event, episode, coverage, mmafrenzy.com
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyCountdown to UFC 135 full video for 'Jones vs Rampage' on Spike TV
UFC 135: "Jones vs. Rampage" is set to go down tomorrow night (Sept. 24, 2011) from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. It will feature a main event -- Jon Jones vs. Quinton Jackson -- and co main event -- Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck -- that will begin to air on pay-per-view (PPV) at 9 p.m. ET. Join us tomorrow night for complete UFC 135 results and all the coverage you can handle right here. In the meantime, definitely check out our complete UFC 135 event archive for all the news, notes, videos and pics you can handle right here.
Posted in: ufc, jone, vs, event, tomorrow night
Read the full article at MMA ManiaStrikeforce Challengers 19: Larkin vs. Rossborough - Live Results and Play-By-Play
As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results, play by play and commentary for Strikeforce Challengers 19. The live blog will start with the beginning of the Showtime broadcast (11 p.m. ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.
The event is headlined by a bout between one of the most exciting prospects on the Strikeforce roster, Lorenz Larkin, and Nick Rossborough. Rossborough is a late replacement for Virgil Zwicker who had to pull out due to injury. Co-headlining the card is Lavar Johnson vs. Shawn Jordan. Ryan Couture, son of Randy Couture, looks to rebound from a loss in his last bout as he takes on Maka Watson. Also in action is former Affliction, DREAM and UFC fighter Jason High as he goes to battle against Todd Moore.
Make sure to come back during the event and share your thoughts as the event goes down.
Posted in: strikeforce, lorenz larkin, event, rossborough, maka watson
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC bringing Ultimate Fighter (TUF) to Sao Paulo as part of 2012 return to Brazil
The UFC is headed back to the "motherland" of mixed martial arts.
Following the promotion's successful return to Brazil with UFC 134 back in August, which inluded top Brazilian fighters Anderson Silva, Mauricio Rua and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, the world's largest fight promotion already has the gears in motion to debut in Sao Paulo in 2012 with another event and a possible edition of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF).
Tatame.com has it straight from Lorenzo Fertitta:
"We underestimated how popular it was here," he said. "If we could do it again, we would do it in a big soccer stadium, you know? But when we put the tickets on sale, we really didn't know. But it's been amazing the amount of support, it's unbelievable."
TATAME learned today that UFC plans an edition of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter in the city of São Paulo. And Fertitta, on an interview with TATAME, had confirmed their true intentions.
"We're working on that, we're really close to get something done," he told TATAME in August. "We think it's gonna be very successful - a Brazilian Ultimate Fighter, all Brazilian fighters. One thing that is great about this country is that you have so many great fighters, finding talents is easy. There are some many good kids."
Following the record sellout of UFC "Rio," which left many disappointed fans who could not get their hands on event tickets, the UFC is considering to hold its next event at Cicero Pompeu de Toledo stadium, which can accommodate up to 100,000 fans.
Filling that would be a record-breaking achievement.
UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs Shields," which was held at The Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, currently holds the record for the most attendees for a UFC event which stands at 55,000.
Given the success of UFC 134, next year's event could shatter that record.
How about it Maniacs, who would you want to see square off in what will be an epic stadium show -- and who would you like to see as coaches for The Ultimate Fighter Brazil?
Posted in: ufc, fighter, event, brazil, sao paulo
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC 137: Dana White ready to work with Nick Diaz again (take two)
Time heals all wounds -- even if it's just a couple of weeks.
UFC President Dana White is ready to work with Nick Diaz again, only this time he undertsands that he has to "handle him different than every other guy in the UFC."
The former Strikeforce welterweight champion, who was pulled from his main event fight opposite Georges St. Pierre earlier this month, has been re-inserted into the UFC 137 line up to take on B.J. Penn at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Oct. 29, 2011.
Diaz no-showed several mandatory press events to promote his former clash with the Canadian. His absence, as well as inability to communicate his whereabouts -- even to his right-hand man and trusted trainer, Cesar Gracie -- compelled White to switch gears.
Just 24 hours removed from his public spanking, Diaz was "punished" with a co main event slot against "The Prodigy," sending Carlos Condit into the headliner. It was certainly a far cry from being released, which was an option that White had to consider based on Diaz's bizarre behavior.
Now White (via ESPN.com) has come to the conclusion that they can "work together," he just has to find a different way to do it.
"I believe, and maybe I'm a little goofy, that I have a good rapport with this kid and we can work together. Here's the thing about Nick Diaz -- he's just a different guy. I'm going to have to handle him different than I do every other guy in the UFC. But that's cool. I can do that. I can figure this out where I can work with Nick and we can make this happen. It's very clear why he missed (the news conferences). He didn't want to go. He's fought in smaller organizations where the inmates run the asylum. When you come over here, it's a whole other ballgame. You don't run the show. I do."
Perhaps Diaz got the message, grew up or offered another sideways apology. On the other hand, perhaps White feels he may have overreacted after finally speaking with the Stockton slugger.
Time will tell.
UFC 137 features a re-worked main event between St. Pierre and Condit. In addition to the Penn-Diaz co-featured fight of the night, two heavyweight clashes -- Roy Nelson vs. Mirko Filipovic and Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione -- are also scheduled for the main card pay-per-view (PPV).
For the latest UFC 137 news, notes and rumors check out our comprehensive archive right here.
Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick diaz, nick, event
Read the full article at MMA ManiaDREAM.17 weigh-in results: All fighters on weight
All fighters taking part in Saturday's early-morning DREAM.17 event made weight for the event.
Today's weigh-ins took place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, which also plays host to Saturday's event.
The show, which features the opening round of a world bantamweight grand prix and a non-title headliner between DREAM lightweight champ Shinya Aoki and Rob McCullough, airs on HDNet at 3 p.m. ET (midnight PT).
Posted in: dream, event, midnight pt, world bantamweight, non-title headliner
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage Preview & Predictions
Breaking down the full line-up of fights for Saturday's event in Denver.
Posted in: ufc, rampage, event, rampage preview, line-up
Read the full article at Heavy MMAVlad Matyushenko matched with Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 141
The UFC has announced well-rounded veteran Vladimir Matyushenko will meet rising 24-year old Swede Alexander Gustafsson on December 30 at UFC 141 in a bout that was originally scheduled for early August before Matyushenko was forced out due to injury.
Though “The Mauler” and Matyushenko ultimately didn’t throw down at UFC 133, the 12-1 Gustafsson still saw action at the event as the result of Matt Hamill stepping up to fill the vacancy. The performance was easily the finest of the young fighter’s career, stopping Hamill with strikes a little more than midway through the second stanza, and marked his third consecutive finish inside the Octagon. Overall eleven of his twelve total victories have ended before the involvement of scorecards including wins over Cyrille Diabate and Jared Hamman.
Gustafsson’s UFC 133 Win Among Event’s Top 5 Moments
Comparably, Matyushenko is 26-5 and has only fallen to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Jon Jones in the last eight years. Among the competitors “The Janitor” has mopped the canvas with are a number of respectable adversaries such as Nogueira, Pedro Rizzo, Travis Wiuff, Igor Pokrajac, Eliot Marshall, and Tim Boetsch.
Though still far from complete, thus far UFC 141 is set to feature a main event between former heavyweight champions Brock Lesnar (UFC) and Alistair Overeem (Strikeforce) as well as perennial welterweight contender Jon Fitch facing 11-1 Johny Hendricks.
PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
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Posted in: ufc, event, matyushenko, gustafsson, pedro rizzo
Read the full article at Fighters.comBrett Cooper to take on MMA veteran Joe Doerksen in main event of theScore Fighting Series in Hamilton
TORONTO, September 21st, 2011 - Score Media Inc. (TSX: SCR) today announces that the main event is now set for theScore Fighting Series (SFS) October 14th card at the Hamilton Place Theatre. Canada's most experienced mixed martial artist Joe "El Dirte" Doerksen will take on hard-hitting Bellator veteran Brett Cooper in a middleweight showdown. Two other fights have also been approved with Lyndon Whitlock set to take on Tristan Johnson and Eric Moon facing Rory McDonell.
Doerksen (47-15) has competed in many of the world's biggest MMA organizations and is a nine-time UFC veteran. He is coming off a win over Luigi Fioravanti in a slugfest at the June 10th SFS event in Mississauga.
Cooper (14-7) is one of the middleweight division's most exciting young fighters and is the definition of a knockout artist with his last nine wins coming via KO or TKO. He trains out of California's Reign Training Center alongside Mark Munoz, Jake Ellenberger, Emanuel Newton, Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Krzysztof Soszynski. Fresh off a victory over Valdir Araujo on Saturday's Bellator 50 event, Cooper knows he will be in tough against Doerksen but will look to press the action. "Joe is a really experienced veteran with good skills," says Cooper. "But I am still going to go in there and look for the finish like I always do."
The Whitlock-Johnson match-up has many buzzing about a potential "Fight of the Night" candidate. Johnson fights out of Halifax and is renowned for his slick boxing skills. He is coming off a hard fought victory over Whitlock's Iron Tiger teammate Will Romero at the last Score Fighting Series event. Whitlock (5-1) is on a three fight win streak where none of his opponents have made it out of the first round. His last victory came via TKO over Jason McKay by virtue of a series of brutal leg kicks. A Hamilton native, Whitlock has competed on the city's two previous MMA cards and is looking to keep his perfect home turf record intact.
One fighter will go above .500 and one will go below when Eric "The Monster" Moon (6-6) meets Rory McDonell (5-5). Moon fights out of Detroit's Mash Fight Team and has won his last two fights. McDonell fights out of Pura BJJ in Hamilton and Mississauga's Evolution MMA. All five of his victories have come via submission.
Tickets for the October 14th event at Hamilton Place Theatre will range from $30 to $65 and are on sale now through ticketmaster.ca and the Copps Coliseum box office. The event will be shown live on theScore.com and air on theScore Television Network via tape delay.
Posted in: fight, event, hamilton, cooper, veteran
Read the full article at MMA ManiaVitor Belfort Injured; Wanderlei Silva Now Set to Face Cung Le at UFC 139
The recently announced matchup pitting Vitor Belfort against Cung Le at UFC 139 has been canceled, according to UFC President Dana White. Belfort has withdrawn from the bout, and will be replaced by fellow Brazilian Wanderlei Silva. The extent of Belfort’s injury was not announced.
Le (7-1) will be making his UFC debut at the San Jose event. San Jose is his adopted hometown, and the location of all eight of his fights under the Strikeforce banner. Le is the former Strikeforce middleweight champion, as well as an accomplished kickboxer, touting an undefeated record at 17-0. His only career loss was to Scott Smith at Strikeforce Evolution in December of 2009. He avenged that loss to Smith in June 2010, which happens to have been Le’s most recent fight. He has devoted his time to acting in the past 15 months, participating in such films as Fighting, Dragon Eyes, and the upcoming The Man with the Iron Fists, which will also feature Russell Crowe.
Silva (33-11-1) last fought at UFC 132, losing to Chris Leben via TKO. This was Silva’s first action since UFC 110 in February 2010. Silva then underwent multiple surgeries, most notably for his knee. With the loss, Silva now sits at 2-4 since returning to the UFC just under four years ago. This will be Silva’s first career fight in California.
The combined age for Le and Silva is 74, one of the oldest combined ages for a fight in UFC history.
The UFC recently announced the main event for UFC 139, which will feature Shogun Rua and the return of Dan Henderson in the five round main event.
Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for complete coverage of UFC 139 and all other UFC events.
Posted in: ufc, fight, event, silva, belfort
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyThe UFC 135 main event, a light heavyweight title fight between Jon "Bones" Jones and Quinton...
The UFC 135 main event, a light heavyweight title fight between Jon "Bones" Jones and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, will be decided by how effectively each fighter is able to implement their gameplan across five different categories. To see those categories, and how they affect the Sept. 24 headliner in Denver, click here.
Posted in: title, heavyweight, event, quinton ...., category
Read the full article at MMA ManiaFor you Maniacs making the trip out to Denver, Colorado, for the upcoming UFC 135: "Jones vs....
For you Maniacs making the trip out to Denver, Colorado, for the upcoming UFC 135: "Jones vs. Rampage" event set to go down at the Pepsi Center on Sat., Sept. 24, 2011, the promotion has provided you with this handy-dandy schedule of events to work your weekend around. Who's heading out to "Mile High City" to enjoy the festivities? For a hi-res version of the UFC 135 schedule of events poster click here.
Posted in: ufc, event, pepsi center, jones vs, ., sept
Read the full article at MMA ManiaUFC Fight Night 25 Averages 1.8 Million Viewers
The ratings are out for last Saturday's UFC Fight Night 25: Battle on the Bayou,. and they're slightly below average. While the event was number one on cable among men 18-34 and number two among men 18-49 (behind college football) with a 1.6 rating, it didn't do as well as recent episodes of the show. UFC Fight Night 23 averaged 1.85 million viewers, and UFC Fight Night 24 which did an average of 2.2 millon viewers.
The event opened with 1.438 million watching Alan Belcher defeat Jason MacDonald, and peaked at 1.948 million about halfway through the broadcast. The main event fight between Jake Ellenberger and Jake Shields drew 1.902 million. Ellenberger stopped Shields via TKO in just 53 seconds.
This was the last Fight Night event that will air on Spike TV due to the UFC's new broadcast deal with Fox. They will continue to show prelim specials through UFC 141, and will air UFC 138 live from England.
Posted in: ufc, fight, night, jake shields, event
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowReport: Ovince St. Preux To Meet Gegard Mousasi At December 17th Strikeforce Event
Ovince St. Preux and his management team asked to fight Gegard Mousasi last month, and Mousasi recently said he'd be cool with that. Strikeforce has apparently booked the fight for their yet-unannounced December 17th event, according to a report by MMA Junkie.
OSP has looked quite impressive lately, rattling off five straight wins in Strikeforce and eight overall. His last win was a 72-second TKO of Joe Cason at Strikeforce Challengers 17 in July. Mousasi was last seen in Strikeforce when he went to a controversial draw with Keith Jardine at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley in April. Most observers felt that Mousasi handily won the fight. He has fought once outside of the promotion since then, defending his Dream light heavyweight title successfully against Hiroshi Izumi at Dream: Fight For Japan in July.
The event has no rumored location yet, but it will likely be headlined by a Strikeforce lightweight title fight between champion Gilbert Melendez and Jorge Masvidal. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, Gina Carano, and Jardine's middleweight debut are also expected for the card.
Posted in: fight, strikeforce, event, mousasi, ovince st
Read the full article at Bloody ElbowUFC on FOX Event Sells Out Ad Inventory for Network Debut
During today’s UFC on FOX press conference, FOX Sports President Eric Shanks announced that all ad inventory has been sold as of yesterday (9/19) for the November 19 event scheduled to take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
The event sold out out it’s ad inventory just one month after announcing the event (two months before it’s scheduled to take place) when the newly signed seven year TV deal between the UFC and FOX was announced. MMAFighting reports:
The quick sellout is a positive sign that blue-chip, corporate sponsors are willing to test the waters. In turn, that should mean new opportunities for fighters as well.
…
“We’ve gotten more credibility now because we’re on FOX with all these big sports leagues,” UFC president Dana White said. “The fact these guys are reaching out to these other sponsors and they’ve had a great response is big not only for us, but for the fighters, too. This will trickle down to everybody. It’s a big deal and yes, it’s been great and it’s only going to get better.”
Payout Perspective:
A few weeks back, AdWeek.com, summarized the past relationship between blue-chip sponsors and the UFC perfectly:
“Given the bloodshed and controlled violence that are hallmarks of mixed martial arts events, advertisers understandably have been skittish about aligning themselves with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. But in the run-up to the UFC’s national broadcast TV debut, media buyers say demand for Fox’s new sports property should be fast and furious.”
Kevin Collins, director of national broadcast buying for Initiative, said the following regarding UFC and mainstream sponsors:
“Content is definitely an issue, but no one’s going into this with their eyes closed…You’re not going to get your traditional Sunday NFL audience, but I expect you’ll find a lot of theatrical dollars, as well as QSR and beer.”
According to FOX Sports chairman David Hill, FOX did it’s due diligence – 10 years worth of research data – before signing the TV deal with the UFC, they are not worried about the sponsorship aspect of the deal. “There might be a few companies that have a ‘Do Not Buy’ on the UFC, but there are a hell of a lot of companies that have a ‘Do Buy.’ If you look at the history of the Fox sports media group and what we do, we didn’t go into this with our fingers crossed” said Hill.
UFC President Dana White also shared his thoughts with MMAWeekly:
The hope is that the ad revenues will continue to grow across the board, and the trickle down will hit everything from the UFC itself to the fighters competing on the show.
…
“Us getting this Fox deal has already taken us to another level,” said White. “We’ve gotten more credibility now because we’re on Fox with all these big sports leagues, and the fact that these guys are reaching out to these other sponsors and they’ve had a great response is big. Not only for us, but for the fighters too.”
SPONSOR QUOTES FROM ADWEEK:
- “One national TV buyer who represents a client that has bought time on Spike TV’s UFC programming said he wouldn’t be at all surprised to see more mainstream brands begin to line up for MMA events.”
- “It’s not going to work for everyone,” said one entertainment buyer. “Some clients are more skittish than others. But we have good relationships with the Fox Sports guys, and we trust that they won’t burn us if we decide to test the waters.”
…
According to MMAPayout sources, big name sponsors such as Nike, Under Armour, and others who typically sponsor major sporting events (NFL, MLB, NASCAR, etc) on the network have stepped in to purchase the ad slots. As CBS has told us in the past, ad sales and ratings are the two most important criteria in terms of gauging a successful network debut for MMA events. After this week, FOX and the UFC now only need to focus on providing a quality event and attain a good viewership number which will get these sponsors back for the next show.
NOTE: One key point to make here is that although the UFC on FOX event sold out all of it’s inventory in about a month after announcing the event, the time ad slots they were selling were only for a one-hour show, unlike the CBS shows which were two-hour slots. UFC on FOX only had to sell half the ad time slots as a typical two-hour MMA network event would have available.
Posted in: ufc, fox, event, sponsor, ad
Read the full article at MMA PayoutOvince St. Preux vs. ex-champ Gegard Mousasi booked for Dec. 17 Strikeforce event
A bout between former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi and fast-rising Ovince St. Preux has been booked for later this year.
The intriguing 205-pound contest will be part of a currently unannounced Dec. 17 event.
MMAjunkie.com recently reported Mousasi's expected participation in the event, though his opponent wasn't known at the time.
Posted in: event, mousasi, ovince st, preux vs, opponent wasn
Read the full article at MMA JunkieBellator 50 rating: Event scores MTV2-worst 114,000 viewers
This past weekend's Bellator 50 event scored just 114,000 viewers, which ranks it dead last in MTV2-Bellator's 16-event history.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the ratings with an industry source.
Bellator 50 event took place this past Saturday, Sept. 17, at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. The MTV2-televised main card featured the opening round of the season-five middleweight tournament.
Posted in: bellator, event, mtv, mmajunkie.com today, rock hotel
Read the full article at MMA JunkieProgramming news and notes on this weekend's K-1 and It's Showtime events
[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div]
We have a very busy schedule coming up for us after a bit of downtime. First off, DREAM.17 marks the return of live Japanese MMA to HDnet on September 24th.
That isn't the end of the action for fight fans, though. Not by a long shot. For kickboxing fans there are two huge 70kg tournaments happening in the two kickboxing hot beds of the world. It's Showtime puts on their Fast and Furious 70kg MAX tournament. The Fast and Furious tournament is shaping up to be the biggest tournament of the year, hands down, in any weight class in the kickboxing world. The event will be streamed on It's Showtime's website, ShowtimeFights.com for the usual 10 euros live, and according to Andrew Simon from HDnet, there are plans of airing the event on the 14th of October.
On top of that, It's Showtime has promised today that on Friday they will announce the fight card for the January 28th It's Showtime event, including the location and they've promised "REALLY breaking news."
Read More...
Posted in: event, showtime, tournament, kickboxing, class
Read the full article at Middle EasyDan Henderson re-signs with UFC, meets Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139
Dan Henderson's long-anticipated return to the UFC is now a reality.
Henderson has verbally agreed to fight former UFC
light heavyweight champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC
139. Sources close to the event today confirmed the news to
MMAjunkie.com following an initial report from
MMAWeekly.com.
UFC 139 takes place Nov. 19 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. While
it's likely that Henderson vs. Rua will take main event or co-main event
status on the pay-per-view card, the position of the bout could not be
confirmed.
Posted in: ufc, event, san jose, henderson, rua
Read the full article at MMA JunkieUFC Fight Night 25 Medical Suspensions Issued
All fighters who competed at last weekend's "UFC Fight Night 25" event in New Orleans have received medical suspensions, including main event fighter Jake Shields.
Posted in: ufc, fight, night, fighter, event
Read the full article at Heavy MMA10-Bout Lineup Set for Dream 17; Aoki-McCullough Headlines
Shinya Aoki will be back in the headlining slot for the first time in 14 months this Saturday when the spindly submission artist tangles with “Razor” Rob McCullough in the main event of Dream 17.
Posted in: dream, event, shinya aoki, spindly, month
Read the full article at SherdogUFC 135 Video: Jon Jones vs. ‘Rampage’ Jackson Main Event Trailer
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones puts the 205-pound title on the line for the first time against former champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in the main event of UFC 135, which also features Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck on Sept. 24 in Denver.
For UFC 135 results and complete UFC 135 coverage stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Posted in: ufc, josh koscheck, vs, event trailer, event
Read the full article at MMA FrenzyFormer WEC champion Jamie Varner and heavyweight prospect Scott Barrett in action at XFC 14
Tampa, Florida promotion the XFC will return to the HDNet airwaves on Friday October 21st. XFC 14 will take place at the University of Central Florida Arena in Orlando and will be the promotion's first event of 2011. In the main event former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner (17-5-1) will take on longtime Ohio fighter Nate Jolly (10-3). Varner is 1-0 since being released by the UFC in December 2010. The underdog Jolly is coming off a loss to Minnesota lightweight prospect Zach Juusola in April. Heavyweight prospect Scott Barrett (12-2) will share the co-main event headlines with four time UFC fighter Carmelo Marrero (13-5). Barrett is 2-0 with two first round stoppages since a 2010 run into the Bellator FC heavyweight tournament semifinals. An impressive victory over a veteran like Marrero could propel Barrett into a shot with the UFC in 2012. Barrett is ranked as the number four unsigned heavyweight prospect in MMA according to ULTMMA.com. The Georgia heavyweight also makes appearance in the 2011 edition of the ULTMMA50 at number 35. The ULTMMA50 is a top 50 ranking of the pound for pound best unsigned prospects in MMA. Press releaseThe largest MMA promotion in the Southeast United States, Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC), recently announced that former WEC champion Jamie Varner will take on Nate Jolly in the main event of XFC 14 Friday, October 21st at the UCF Arena in Orlando, Florida. In addition to this exciting main event "Resurrection" will also feature some of the best MMA prospects from around the country looking to make a name for themselves live on HDNet.According to XFC President John Prisco, "We are very excited about XFC 14. Jamie Varner and Nate Jolly is going to be a war. Those are two of the most explosive lightweights in the world and I think it could be the fight of the night. In addition to the main event I believe we have some of the most dynamic fighters from all over the United States on our undercard. I think from top to bottom this is probably the best fight card we have ever put together and I'm sure the fans in Orlando and those watching on HDNet will agree."In the co-main event of the evening, Heavyweight prospects Scott Barrett (12-2) and Carmelo Marrero (13-5-1) will collide in the XFC cage. Barrett is looking to show the MMA community he is one of the top heavyweights in the world but will have to get through the tough UFC veteran to do so.*Marianna Kheyfets (3-0) vs. Molly Helsel (8-12-1), Josh Clark (5-1) vs. Reggie Pena (8-5), Elijah Harshbargar (6-3) vs. Charles Blanchard (9-2), Mike Bernhard (9-2) vs. Mikey Gomez (11-8), and Bruce Connors (8-3) vs. Lawson McClure (7-2) round out the main card."I'm really excited to have Marianna Kheyfets back," exclaimed Prisco. "Marianna destroyed Kim Couture at XFC 11 and submitted her in the first round. We also have Josh Clark on the card. Josh has been running through everyone in his path on shows in Kentucky and we are going to really test him against a kid who knows how to finish fights, Reggie Pena. Charles Blanchard is another fighter I'm excited to have on the card. Charles is best known for being on The Ultimate Fighter but a lot of people don't know that he also defeated Douglas Lima. We have Charles matched up with Elijah Harshbarger, a slick BJJ practitioner from Virginia."Announcing XFC 14 will be none other than the voice of the XFC, Christopher James. The charismatic sports announcer, known for his ability to get the crowd into the action, has been with the promotion since 2008.XFC 14 "Resurrection" will take place on Friday, October 21st at the UCF Arena in Orlando, Florida. Doors open at 5:00pm and fights begin at 7:00pm. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster (http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/22004721982252AA?artistid=1220910&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=830). VIP tables are also available through XFC Corporate. Please call 813-625-1672 for more information. To learn more about the XFC please visit www.officialxfc.com, like them on Facebook, www.facebook.com/officialxfc and follow the promotion on Twitter, www.twitter.com/officialxfc.
Posted in: heavyweight, event, xfc, barrett, prospect
Read the full article at UltMMAM-1 Challenge: Guram vs. Garner II booked for Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Arizona
Press releaseM-1 GLOBAL announced today an upcoming mixed martial arts (MMA) event titled M-1 Challenge: Guram vs. Garner II featuring the rematch between current M-1 Global Heavyweight (265 Lbs.) Champion Guram Gugenishvili (11-0) and 2010 M-1 Selection Americas Tournament heavyweight winner Kenny ‘Deuce' Garner (7-3). The bouts from the new 5,550 seat Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Arizona will air LIVE on SHOWTIME on Friday, October 14 at 11 p.m. ET/PT (Delayed on the West Coast).In co-main event action, Light Heavyweight (205 Lbs.) Champion and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu specialist Vinny Magalhaes (8-5) will make his first title defense against versatile Russian fighter Mikhail Zayats (14-5). Tickets are priced at $35, $45, $75 and $100 and can be purchased at www.GCUArena.com, charge by phone at 602-639-8999 or visit the GCU Arena Box Office located at 3300 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85017"Our Champions are hungry to defend their titles and this is shaping up to be our strongest, most exciting card of the year." said Vadim Finkelschtein, co-founder of M-1 GLOBAL. "This marks our third event with SHOWTIME; there's no better TV network for M-1 than SHOWTIME and no better market to seriously compete in than the U.S.""Garner has been extremely vocal about wanting a rematch with Guram and he's put the work in to get this opportunity," said Evgeni Kogan, M-1 Global's Director of operations. "This is a great title fight between two fierce opponents."Ranked as the sport's #1 Heavyweight prospect by Bloody Elbow, Gugenishvili has left a long list of opponents in his wake of destruction since coming on the scene in July, 2009. The winner of the inaugural 2010 M-1 Selection Eastern European tournament and Europe's leading MMA promotion's reigning heavyweight champion, Guram's most notable characteristic is his agility; at 6'4" and 250lbs, he moves around the ring lightly, maintaining precise offensive ring positioning.Gugenishvili was sidelined from his July title defense after suffering a wrist injury during a training session; now recovered and ready for action, Guram is more than accepting of Garner's challenge, "Garner knows where to find me if he wants my belt; I will defend it."Kenny ‘Deuce' Garner's first run-in with Guram was in October 2010 and it ended unpleasantly, being choked unconscious via standing guillotine in the second round. Since then Garner has won back-to-back bouts via knockout.Garner is best known for his relentless self-marketing which he backs up with one-punch power as evidenced by his five knockout wins. Hidden behind the heavy leather is also a potent submission arsenal and solid wrestling base which makes this rematch a potentially explosive outing for both men."I always said I'd get another chance to claim MY belt!" said Garner. "I made a mistake in my last fight with Guram and I know it. It cost me my title. This time out - no mistakes! This is my opportunity to chase down my belt! I've been training hard and I'm not losing to Guram; he's not making it out of the first round."For information on M-1 Global, go to the official M-1 website, www.M-1Global.com and M-1 Global facebook fan page.Mauro Ranallo will call the action from ringside with Pat Miletich serving as analyst. The telecast will be produced by Chuck McKean and directed by Craig Farrell. The executive producer of SHOWTIME Sports is David Dinkins, Jr.For information on SHOWTIME Sports programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video, photos and much more, please visit http://sports.sho.comAbout M-1 Global:Founded in 1998, M-1 Global (www.M-1Global.com) has established itself in the realm of mixed martial arts (MMA) as the premiere entity for discovering and developing the world's next-generation of superstar fighters. With offices in St. Petersburg, Amsterdam, New York City, Washington DC, Los Angeles and affiliates in Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Tokyo and Paris, the M-1 brand has staged over 100 events worldwide including the M-1 Selection and M-1 Challenge events and its co-produced Strikeforce events in the United States. Captivating the live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 events boast some of the sport's top names including Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Roman Zentsov, Stephan Struve and rising stars Shamil Zavurov, Guram Gugenishvili, Alexander Sarnavskiy and Vinny Magalhaes. 2011 marks a breakthrough year with two Selections tournaments across Eastern & Western Europe, North America and Asia and a full calendar of Challenge events fuelled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global's Champions amongst the greatest in the sport.M-1 Global's greatest asset is renowned heavyweight fighter, Fedor Emelianenko. With daily coverage on all MMA-related websites in the world, and articles in Time Magazine, LA times and New York Times, Fedor and M-1 Global make a lifetime match serving as the catalyst to grow MMA in the 21st century.About Showtime Networks Inc.Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNELTMTM, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNELTM XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HDTM, THE MOVIE CHANNELTM HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNELTM ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian ChannelTM. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®. and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2About HYPE Enterprises:HYPE Enterprises, LLC ("HYPE") is a sports and entertainment promotional company based in Phoenix, AZ, founded in 2011 by 5-time US Masters judo champion and former Dutch soccer star Werner Van Hees. HYPE partnered with Gemini Sports President Rob Yowell to co-promote and handle all sponsorships and event marketing. HYPE promotes mixed martial arts events forM-1 Global in the US and Canada.
Posted in: event, showtime, ®, guram, quot
Read the full article at UltMMA