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The heat-up for UFC 100 begins right now
By Zach Arnold | July 6, 2009
I spent all day yesterday transcribing a ton of audio related to the UFC 100 event this weekend. For the record, UFC Countdown is on Tuesday night and I will do my best to get as much audio transcribed as possible. It’s going to be a lot of material to pour through. Keep your eyes open at MMA Memories for some articles. I will also try to work on transcribing some audio from a recent Urijah Faber interview where he discussed his displeasure with money right now as the ‘ace’ of WEC. He makes a pretty cogent case, actually.
- The last few weeks, I’ve gotten hardly any reaction for MMA Live recaps. If you don’t want them, I won’t do them. Simple as that. I put aside Thursday nights to recap them, but if nobody is interested then there’s no reason for me to continue doing them.
- If Inside MMA was available in downloadable form online by HD Net, I’d be transcribing that show every week. Unfortunately, it’s not, so hopefully this answers the question as to why I don’t cover that show (even though I’d like to).
- Yoshihiro Akiyama is in Hawaii and headed to Las Vegas. He looks to be in great training shape, which is different than his previous couple of fights (including the Denis Kang fight in South Korea). Alan Belcher will no doubt be a tempting underdog for MMA bettors, but Akiyama is a favorite going into the fight (around -300) for a good reason.
- I realize that fighters who fight at a high level are supposed to be confident, but Frank Mir sounds incredibly overconfident. I spent the weekend listening to about 6 different interviews with him and my goodness, he sounds like he is going into the fight as the champion. The more I hear Mir talk, the more I start to favor Lesnar in the fight. My opinion last week was the opposite of this.
- Michael Bisping’s schtick going into the fight against Dan Henderson is that Henderson is old and can be stopped. I’m not suggesting that Bisping doesn’t respect Henderson, but some of his comments have been unique to say the least.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 22 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
I do read your MMA live recaps, but if its at the expense of your quality reporting and opinion pieces, I’d much rather have the latter.
Mir vs Lesnar. Never would’ve guessed this fight for the belt even 2 years ago.
Lesnar, maybe, just maybe. But Mir? I just don’t really buy that he’s changed drastically from the guy who Ian Freeman destroyed. I can’t stand Lesnar and the Redneck USA that he represents, but Mir’s face is going to look like ground beef after this fight.
Akiyama is a favorite because of Japanese MMA fanboys. Despite his sexyness, he’s going to look like a midget against Belcher and I think will have severe reach issues if he can’t get it to the ground. I’m rooting for Akiyama, but I think Belcher’s a solid underdog bet here. Akiyama should be fighting at 170.
Also, LOL at F1’s Bernie Ecclestone for his recent Hitler comments. For all Dana White’s idiocy, I doubt he’d ever be so stupid as to say Hitler “knew how to get it done”.
I think Mir is going to get beat. Lesnar will know enough submissions now to avoid and he will hurt him like the first fight.
I think Bisping will win. Henderson is not a consistent fighter.
But don’t forget… The biggest card of the year is Carano/Cyborg. Hunt said it, so it must be true!!
As for Faber, the guy is dead wrong. He isn’t making the WEC that much money, yet he wants Rashad Evans type of money. It is comical
The fight will come down to one thing — if Belcher gets punched hard, he will fold like he has in past fights.
Akiyama can punch hard. Very hard.
Why should Mir be expressing any amount of doubt going into this fight?
If he were, wouldn’t we then be questioning his confidence?
Why is it OK for Lesner to put himself over as the favorite, but not Mir? Especially since Mir came out on top in quick fashion the first time around less than two short years ago?
Me?
I’m betting that Mir’s grown more as a fighter over his past three fights than has Lesner & I expect him to come out on top again in an even more impressive way this time around.
Actually, there is not much talk about UFC 100. I didn’t even know it was this weekend. Many thought it was the 4th of July weekend.
In MMA Gomi in Affliction and Werdum vs Overeem for HW Title is getting a lot of press. In the overall media stream, McNairs death, MLB All Star Game, Manny Ramirez returns, and Artest Signs with Lakers; Shaq Joins Lebron, not the mention Wimbledon is getting tons of media coverage. Gina vs Cyborg is getting a good amount of coverage as well.
Zach, I say ditch the write-ups. I never watch the show so its cool to see what goes on, but at the same time, I could live without.
Faber’s talking pretty high for a guy who’s lost two of his last four, and the two wins were against a guy who’s basically being forced into retirement. Probably not the strongest bargaining position for a raise.
In fact, it’s the worst position he’s been in during his entire career.
I’m rooting for Mir of course.
i said it before the first time you did the MMA Live writeups, they’re alright, but really long. by the time i finish, i could have watched a significant portion of the show. and secondly, you have so much other topics that you can write about that it almost seems a waste that you are writing these summaries.
I agree with Zach, Mir sounds way too overconfident. It is not simply that he is talking up his own skills, you would think he is fighting Wes Simms instead of Lesnar.
Hell, he has even said he thinks he is as strong in many areas (even saying he feels his legs are stronger and that he would beat Lesnar in a leg press competition WTF?).
This could be Mir playing the heel, but he sounds like a clueless fool.
Zach, with the Inside MMA shows, I know Sherdog pretty much kept posting entire shows in the video section but stopped April 18th.
Also with MMA Live, would it be easier to just embedded the ESPN player in a post and let people comment on it?
“I do read your MMA live recaps, but if its at the expense of your quality reporting and opinion pieces, I’d much rather have the latter.”
Seconding this.
God, I hope so. I’d be pretty friggin’ happy if this happened.
To clarify my statements, I do think Akiyama *should* win. Belcher is, after all, a journeyman fighter. But, I do think Belcher has a higher chance of winning this fight than the betting odds give him, which is why I think he’s a good underdog bet.
I will always find it funny how Mir being confident can make so many people so uncomfortable. Mir has the experience the skill and most importantly has already beaten Lesnar. There is no reason for him to feel confident after destroying Nog he’s on top of the world and will continue to be so after UFC 100.
EJ, I think you’re right, it’s almost like people don’t like Mir for some reason. What’s with the “heel” talk? Frank Mir is probably one of the top ten most likeable guys in the UFC with a fantastic storyline to his career.
I say ditch the MMA live recaps and for those of you who dont have HD net with inisde MMA your not missing much
unless you find Kenny Rice and Bas’s banter entertaining
Doesn’t Sherdog still put up downloadable WMVs of Inside MMA? If not, there are “other avenues” to acquire it.
I know we’re all prone to some hyperbole here and there, but really?
Replace “likable” with “supremely arrogant” and you’re probably on to something.
I’d reserve supremely arrogant for someone like Anderson Silva or maybe Sean Sherk (he still strikes me as arrogant, even with the losses).
Lesnar is far more arrogant – and much less intelligent – than Mir.
Sherk strikes you as arrogant?
How so?
I’ve never heard the guy say anything that I found to be even remotely arrogant. He’s always struck me as the quintessential working class wrestler who had to scrape and claw for everything he has.
LOL at all the “who’s arrogant and who’s not” talk.
Obviously you’re not pro wrestling fans, but Frank Mir probably was at one point. He knows EXACTLY what he’s saying, and how to sell a fight.
Frank is pretty good at it, because nearly everyone eats it up – casual and hardcore fans alike.
Former ECW owner Paul Heyman even wrote an article for the Sun UK after the first Lesnar/Mir fight, praising Frank for his excellent mic skills, and his ability to sell himself before a fight.