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Saturday news snippets
By Zach Arnold | February 23, 2007
Your comment of the day from Sherdog writer Mike Sloan:
It’s pretty much common knowledge that the some MMA fans here in America aren’t too keen on the growing number of superb fighters born and raised in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Now where have I have seen this reasoning of logic before…
Onto today’s headlines.
- The Lexington Herald-Leader: Amateur MMA taking extreme measures in Kentucky (notice the name Larry Bisig, you’ll recognize that name if you’re a long-time reader of this site)
- Sports Navigator: Jerry Millen really selling the ‘pull-apart’ between Frank Trigg & Kazuo Misaki
- BBC News: Police seek Securitas extradition (more details on the Lee Murray story here)
- FoxNews.com: New edition of Fight Game
- Observer: IFL 2/23 Atlanta event results
- Fight Report: IFL 2/23 Atlanta show results and run-down
- The Pahrump Valley Times (Nevada): Gracie students learn discipline, defense
- Gambling 911: Nick Agallar goes from UFC to BodogFight
- The Canadian Press (via CBC Sports): Canadian John Alessio to fight for WEC title
- PR: Randy Couture exclusive clothing line now available at TheFightNetwork.com
- Covers: PRIDE 33 - The Second Coming
- UFC HP: 4/21 Manchester, UK card line-up
- UFC Mania: Chuck Liddell is insane
- MMA Weekly: Ed Fishman challenges UFC to $40 million USD tournament
- The Houston Chronicle: Mirko Cro Cop gets top billing at UFC’s UK return
Topics: All Topics, IFL, MMA, Media, PRIDE, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | | Permalink | Trackback | Share This
I read gambling911.com’s MMA articles to get my daily dose of humor.
I’m sure that the UFC is really fretting that BodogFIGHT picked up a B/C-level fighter who they used as a late replacement to fight Yves Edwards almost four years ago.
I was dissapointed with Bodog this week. Why? The stand up rule, again. Bodog has the ability to make their own rules and they choose to turn their MMA into c level kickboxing. I am on the verge of becoming a Pride-only fan if Bodog and the US based promotions continue this nonsense.
How about warning a fighter for stalling? How about taking away points? How about giving the other fighter the option for a stand up or an improvment in position? How about letting them fight on the ground a bit!!!
I really think we have crested the hill of ignorance in regards to the public’s knowledge of groundfighting. The public can and does appreciate it. The promoters and the athletic commisions don’t seem to.
Ed Fishman seems like a joke to me, why should the promotions battle for the big money? Give the money to the fighters instead, they deserve it more. This isn’t Rome where you own the gladiators.
Keep in mind that most of the commission folk are from boxing ties and/or backgrounds and are usually hardkore. In order for groundfighting to be excepted more fully, we as a “community” have to heavily lobby for more people who understands the whole of combat sports and not just one area. Either that, or lobby for grappling specialists to balence them out.
Regarding the $40 million winner-take-all challenge, if the UFC accepts the offer, here is what the eight match-ups might be… this is based on each organization’s top two fighters in the MMAWeekly Rankings in the four weight classes that both promotions have. Also included is an alternate option for each promotion based on their #3-ranked fighter in each weight class.
Please note I’m not saying that I think this challenge is going to come to fruition, this is just from a fantasy match-up standpoint of “what if” it did happen.
Heavyweight Fight #1: Mirko Cro Cop (UFC) vs. Fedor Emelianenko (Pride)
Heavyweight Fight #2: Tim Sylvia (UFC) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pride)
alternate options: Andrei Arlovski (UFC) or Josh Barnett (Pride)
205-pound fight #1: Chuck Liddell (UFC) vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (Pride)
205-pound fight #2: Renato Sobral (UFC) vs. Wanderlei Silva (Pride)
alternate options: Quinton Jackson (UFC) or Ricardo Arona (Pride)
185-pound fight #1: Anderson Silva (UFC) vs. Paulo Filho (Pride)
185-pound fight #2: Rich Franklin (UFC) vs. Kazuo Misaki (Pride)
alternate options: Nathan Marquardt (UFC) or Dan Henderson (Pride)
160-pound fight #1: Sean Sherk (UFC) vs. Tananori Gomi (Pride)
160-pound fight #2: Hermes Franca (UFC) vs. Hayato Sakurai (Pride) — the UFC only has one lightweight fighter in the top ten, but Franca is the current #1 contender in the UFC LW division
alternate options: Joe Stevenson (UFC) or Gilbert Melendez (Pride) — Stevenson is probably the #2 contender in the UFC LW division behind Franca
So Murray’s back in? Oh man, talk about being dumb
I just hope that he’ll be extradicted sooner or later, and gets what he deserves. I can’t understand how anyone in their right mind can justify what he did (like dozens of Sherdoggers). The man’s a crook, plain and simple…
[...] Here are the unreal match ups we might get to witness, according to Ivan Trembow in the FightOpinion.com comments section: Heavyweight Fight #1: Mirko Cro Cop (UFC) vs. Fedor Emelianenko (Pride) Heavyweight Fight #2: Tim Sylvia (UFC) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pride) Alternate options: Andrei Arlovski (UFC) or Josh Barnett (Pride) [...]
@ Ivan
Why are you even entertaining this ludicrous idea?
This is the realm of fantasy bookers.
UFC is in such a superior position right now, they can simply cherry pick top Pride fighters and have them fight under the UFC banner. Why on earth would they put themseleves in a position to be perceived as equal to, or inferior to Pride.
The only circumstances I can see this card happening under is if UFC buys Pride. And even then I think such a star-studded card (while great from a buyer’s perspective) is foolish from a promoter’s perspective.
This is the year where UFC proved that it’s the top fight on a acard that draws. One fight, two stars, and a lot of lower-level fights in the undercard. Our days of “supercards” are ending with Pride’s apparent demise.
Anyway, there’s no way it’s happening, so the less we entertain this, the better.
@Royal B.
I 100% agree, It would be nice if the UFC started doing those short segments again in the middle of matches explaining jujitsu techniques. Some promotion should bring that type of thing back.
What was it, On the mat with Marc Laimon?
Didn’t they have something like that on old Ultimate Submissions special with Ricco Rodriguez? They could reuse that clip.
One of the positives about IFL is segments like that.
Tony, I said that in this part: “Please note I’m not saying that I think this challenge is going to come to fruition, this is just from a fantasy match-up standpoint of “what if†it did happen.”
God I love IRC…look at these quotes (names withheld)
“This arenas is more bare than Brittney Spears head!!!!!!!!!!”
“stupid japan dont know enligh”
Notice the spelling mistake in the last quote, and finally this one:
“grow up, we’re subjected to ebonics and we can’t tolerate a japanese man trying to speak proper english? get over it.”