Comments on: Dan LeBatard talks about UFC 100 on ESPN

By: Ivan Trembow

Ivan Trembow — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:02:36 +0000

That’s a good point about Tony Hawk. He’s also a unique case in that the majority of his lifetime earnings came not from his winnings as an active skateboarder, but from his video game royalties after he was no longer a full-time competitor. The Tony Hawk skateboarding video game franchise has been huge for years and has made him a very, very wealthy man.

By: Jeremy (not that Jeremy)

Jeremy (not that Jeremy) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:46:28 +0000

The irony about Tony Hawk is that by the time most people knew who he was (I think in large part from the video game, maybe a little before that) he wasn’t an active skate competitor.

He’s the Royce Gracie of skateboarding.

By: Ivan Trembow

Ivan Trembow — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:34:49 +0000

Steve— At this point, you’re just disputing facts. The usual tactic of defending the UFC is “demonize the writer, defend the UFC, rinse, repeat.” But in Dave Meltzer’s case, this is someone who is in constant contact with UFC management, as evidenced by the fact that he’s constantly writing things with UFC management cited as his source. And Meltzer wrote that Zuffa wanted to get the word out.

If you don’t understand why a story that portrays the UFC in a less-than-flattering light wouldn’t appear on Yahoo Sports, then you don’t know very much about the MMA media landscape.

Josh Gross, Robert Joyner, and Dave Meltzer have all done reporting on this topic, independently of each other, each providing additional details and insight that the others didn’t.

You have no idea who any of their sources are, and the fact that GoldenBoy and Ken Pavia posted about it on the UG doesn’t mean that all of this reporting by Gross, Joyner, and Meltzer is coming from them.

By: Alan Conceicao

Alan Conceicao — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:40:03 +0000

People said the same thing about Holyfield. At some point you have to recognize what you got. Dude is not getting younger, he’s got a lot of personal issues right now, and he’s fighting someone who probably would have beat them in their respective primes. People used to say you can’t count Holyfield out either for a long time.

By: Steve4192

Steve4192 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:15:01 +0000

Couture has been written off before and proved everyone wrong. He whooped Sylvia & Gonzaga when both were ranked in the top 10, and was giving Lesnar everything he could handle prior to getting clocked behind the ear by one of those canned hams that Brock calls fists.

Until I see him on the wrong end of a one-sided beatdown, I will still have faith that the guy can compete with cream of the crop.

By: Alan Conceicao

Alan Conceicao — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:07:18 +0000

Couture is 46 and hasn’t won a fight in 23 months. Unless Nogueira is nearly unable to function neurologically, he will lose next month. And then, he’ll keep fighting.

Also, (and I know this will get merged as a single post – A-OK with me), you’re absolutely right. Dude, people get the journalism they deserve. People right now seem to demand endless reposting of rumors from message boards because they often have the most exciting stories. Remember: Floyd Mayweather to UFC? BJ Penn doesn’t want to fight on international cards because he gets paid less? Stuff like that?

This place had a 50 post thread about one of those guys citing that he was an insider. Not a single word said came to fruition. That’s how ridiculous this all is.

By: Steve4192

Steve4192 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:00:57 +0000

Agreed on Rickson-Sakuraba. I don’t have any problem with past-prime guys fighting as long as the fight each other. However, I wouldn’t put Couture in that group just yet. He is 2-1 since his return to HW and all of those fights have been very competitive against top notch competition. One loss to a gigantic freak of an athlete does not mean he is over the hill … yet.

Agreed on Goldenboy as well. He is generally pretty reliable. My only gripe is with the notion more articles equal more credibility, especially when those articles are lifting direct quotes from GB’s thread.

By: Alan Conceicao

Alan Conceicao — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:26:02 +0000

This I’ll say: Golden Boy’s news flashes are generally more reliable than a lot of the internet posters-cum-INSIDERZ~!. I’m down with Rickson/Sakuraba and I’m sure the Japanese public will eat it up. I’m sure the argument against it would be that the Japanese are trying to make money off old, washed up guys, but then I see Randy Couture’s fighting in a month and a half and I expect Chuck Liddell to romp on in any time after New Years to get his clock cleaned again. Big f’n deal.

By: Steve4192

Steve4192 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:47:11 +0000

On a happier note ….

Goldenboy’s most recent bombshell was that a certain superfight that people have been waiting for over a decade to see has finally been signed. Even though both guys are well past their expiration date, he is claiming that the Gracie Hunter will finally get his chance to fight Mr. 400-0.

By: Steve4192

Steve4192 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:39:37 +0000

“In fact, they “wanted to get the word out,” as Dave Meltzer wrote.”

Do you know who else wrote those exact words? Ken Pavia. On GoldenBoy’s thread. A few hours after it was posted and DAYS before anyone in the media picked up on it. I’ll guarantee you you that everyone who has written an article on this has contacted Goldenboy and Pavia as sources. Like I said. HUGE overlap in sourcing.

“if he had asked them about the story and they denied it, that would have been in his article”

You know what else wasn’t in his article? An official comment from his content partner. Also, do you know where the article in question is NOT published? Dave’s Yahoo account. Strange. It seems to me the only source we have for ‘they want the word out’ is Ken Pavia (aka … the unnamed source). It sure as hell doesn’t seem like the UFC is broadcasting the information.

Again, I believe the story, but I don’t think more articles being published equals more credibility. It just means another reporter hopped on the same bandwagon using the same sources.