I’m intrigued…

Probably not. A lot of internet MMA fans (including myself) talk about how great the lightweight division is in Japan and the UFC but they don’t draw well. BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson didn’t draw. BJ Penn may be nuthugged all over the internet but I don’t think he’s a draw among casual fans exactly. Then again, I don’t speak to many casual fans of the sport so I can’t speak for them.

The thing though is that I think the “hardcore” MMA fan might have more of an impact on the UFC than we’re led to believe on the internet maybe. Notice how with every UFC, there’s always a minimum of 200,000 buys. The average UFC drew 460,000-ish. I’m thinking that the number of “casual” fans make up about 260,000-ish, maybe more, of that pie and “hardcore” fans make up around 200,000, maybe less. So the hardcore MMA fan probably contributes a lot to the UFC. And considering that the UFC did around 100,000 at best before TUF, about half of those 200,000 are probably post-TUF fans. Which defeats the logic that you can’t be a hardcore fan if you started with TUF.

FIOS has HDNet as part of the regular package, but you need to rent an HD box (apparently, as a result of the bell split back in the day, the phone companies that exist now are not currently allowed to sell you stuff. given that they seem to sell me wireless phones, I’m not sure how that holds up, but they claim to be working on it). Or you need to have a cablecard ready telelvision and a cablecard rental (which is a couple bucks, IIRC).

I don’t know what the deal is with comcast.

Personally, I can’t wait for Spike HD to finally come online. IIRC Verizon has a channel number set aside for it already, has for a couple years (815).

Are the lightweights a draw anywhere yet outside of boxing?

“It’s possible that despite K-1 attempting an image makeover to recreate a mini-PRIDE, there will be some old PRIDE fans who see through the charade and won’t accept K-1’s new creation.”

After seeing DREAM 1, I’ve started to think Zach may be on to something. But the main problem is more so that DREAM 1 was a weak PRIDE Bushido than anything. DREAM 2 will most likely turn out fine and it will draw better too (given the star power on that card and lightweights, being the focus of DREAM 1, just don’t traditionally draw) I’m a PRIDE fan but man, that event underwhelmed me. Three tomato can fights, a lw gp decision fest (minus Alvarez and Buscape) and the JZ/Aoki NC just making it all worse. Eddie Alvarez, who wasn’t a PRIDE fighter, was the most exciting fighter I saw on the card that night. The PRIDE matchmakers always had the better eye for gaijin talent so I take it that the PRIDE staff takes credit for bringing Alvarez in.

What happened to Aoki is exactly how you get a stinger (also called a burner). It’s a temporary nerve injury caused by compression to either side of the lower head/neck. Which ever side you get this compression, affects the arm on the same side as the nerve travels down from one side of the spinal cord down an arm.

Notice that he got hit on the right rear of the neck/head? And that it was his right arm that was affected?

Unless the doctor coached him to say he had numbness and minor paralysis of the arm, I doubt he just made up the nerve injury symptoms.