« Anderson Silva: “Sometimes the fans don’t understand exactly what’s going on inside the Octagon” and “I’m a very humble person” | Home | Have the balls to name names, Dana White. »
Truths and consequences for Showtime, GSP, Tito Ortiz. and Rampage Jackson
By Zach Arnold | June 1, 2010
According to this intriguing Sherdog interview, Showtime boss Ken Hershman wants you to believe that he thinks Dana White is irrelevant (his words) and that Scott Coker is doing a wonderful job. What’s funny is reading Ken trying to minimize the impact Showtime has had in running the show so far and to try to hype up Strikeforce’s involvement so far. After all, they’re dream partners!
The consequence of Georges St. Pierre playing it safe and fighting to win on points and not get hurt seems to be eroding fan support for him… but just a little bit. He is certainly starting to hear some boos, though. When I heard the news that his title fight versus Josh Koscheck might happen in Koscheck’s old stomping grounds of Pittsburgh, my immediate reaction was… even in Pittsburgh, Josh Koscheck is going to get booed very loudly.
Jenna Jameson manages to say something goofy on Twitter all the time, including bashing Tito Ortiz “for partying in Las Vegas” and leaving her behind. Of course, she ended up in Las Vegas mugging the paparazzi cameras with Tito in ridiculous fashion.
A few days ago on the web site, I said that either the UFC or the Nevada State Athletic Commission should stop Tito Ortiz from fighting again — despite what he’s saying right now. MMA Junkie’s doctor won’t come out and directly say it, but you get the feeling he wouldn’t recommend Tito fighting again nor should he. Tito is saying the exact same things coming off of this surgery that he said after he had the back surgery from NuVasive. He may only be 35 years old, but the consequences of him fighting in the cage against high-level competition at this point could put him in a wheelchair in his 40s or 50s.
Jake Rossen says that Rampage believed that fighters could have an off-season and he found out the consequences of this last Saturday, though Dana White thought that Rampage looked good.
Fighting as a part-time investment, both physically and emotionally, is a recipe for disaster, and nowhere is that on more grueling display than in the UFC. There are no “warm-up” fights to coddle fighters coming off a layoff, injury-induced or not. Virtually every fighter in the organization is a stone-cold mercenary who would rip your head off if it meant more sponsorship deals and a title shot. Clocking in for half-days could work in Japan, where you can alternate legitimate fights with circus tours; in the States, it’s suicide.
Topics: Media, MMA, StrikeForce, UFC, Zach Arnold | 15 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Rampage looked slow and old against Rashad. But it’s because Rashad is faster and a better athlete.
Rampage was the same slow speed he was against Forrest, Jardine and Wanderlei. It’s the same guy. He can’t hang with the younger/better guys.
There is a generational shift going on in MMA right now. The headliners from 2002-2008 the guys like Chuck, Randy, Tito, Rampage, Wandy, Forrest, Franklin, Hughes, Nog, Cro Cop (likely Fedor too), aren’t as good an athlete as the guys coming into the sport now.
They’re slower and the younger guys are using better S&C techniques at a young age to maximize their potential. They’re also adapting to changes in the sport with less bad habits built up over time.
The Rashads of the world are about to start getting creamed by the Jon Joneses of the world.
In the next 2-5 years all the kids who were 15 when they saw TUF 1 and got into MMA are going to come on board. You’ll get kids who are stud athletes that learned HS wrestling, plus went to boxing and jiu jitsu lessons through HS & college. They will murder what is left of the current generation.
If you want to see ‘the old Rampage’ then book him against Randy or Rich Franklin or do a rematch with Forrest.
Another thing about Rampage that’s always made me a bit suspect is that he was the biggest snitch and crybaby about the “everyone BUT ME was using PEDs in PRIDE…”…yet he’s one of the guys whose game and style has changed the most.
Granted there’s a lot to do with training to tighten up his game and become a power punching boxer (with Ibarra especially) and part of it was that he was fighting guys like Minowa, Satake, Matsui and Ishikawa. But when was the last time you saw him using his slams and really just manhandling top fighters like he used to? He put legit slamfests down on Liddell, Arona, Busta, Vov, Saku (in his prime) and he just never ever does that anymore…and he just looks much slower than he ever did.
Most likely a lot of it has to do with the years trickling away, focuses changing and fighting bigger guys (with better wrestling games)…but that’s always kinda hit with me…just saying.
“When I heard the news that his title fight versus Josh Koscheck might happen in Koscheck’s old stomping grounds of Pittsburgh”
God I hope this happens, I’m moving there in a couple months! Fingers crossed
Why was I able to predict that Loretta Hunt did the Strikeforce interview before I clicked on the link? Not only does she seek these articles out…. But then she purposely asks 1 sided questions to help her subjects out instead of asking the tough questions. She makes Iole on the UFC side look semi-respectable by comparison.
There are some wonderful quotes in this article….
“We’re doing our events as individual, high-production level shows that can stand alone” – And that is exactly the problem. He treats MMA like boxing. MMA cannot be treated like a stand alone event.
“We bring to this sport a level of production quality that’s second to none,” he said. “I defy anybody to watch our show next to anybody else’s shows from a production, lighting, directing, announcing standpoint and say that ours isn’t, by far, the best.” – Mauro and video game pre fight videos. Nuff said.
“To me, I feel that we’re giving the fans what they want in the prelims with our Challenger series and I think we do that at a very high production level,” – WOW!!
“I think there’s a place for those prelim fights,” he said. “Maybe streaming them on the Web will ultimately become more viable and cost effective.” – Yes, because that will get about 1,000 viewers for those fights.
“I don’t think we’ve had one disagreement about what should be on Showtime,” – He is either flat out lying or Scott Coker is bad for the sport. There is no middle ground to that quote.
Honestly, I don’t care. I don’t give a second’s thought to Dana White, ever. He’s irrelevant.” – Yeah, he is just about ready to sign over your Middleweight Champion. And your Welterweight and Lightweight Champions have already talked about moving over there.
Especially at the end, Hunt basically is writing a press release for his guy…. The best Hunt line is: “He went on to argue that Showtime offers not only MMA but also boxing, original series and movies.” WTF!!
I’ve said it many times, Loretta Hunt is a horrible writer and not a journalist. Just flat out terrible.
I dagreed with a statement like this a couple weeks back, that you had put down.
I now offer my apologies because it does now seem to me that she is just not that good of a writer, and that’s not even talking about her biases towards certain companies.
I still don’t understand how you can argue Gina vs. Cyborg as a main event is bigger for MMA than the UFC 100 show.
“I still don’t understand how you can argue Gina vs. Cyborg as a main event is bigger for MMA than the UFC 100 show.”
Drugs.
It would be nice to see GSP get booed out of the building, if for no other reason than the fact that he is a cheater and should have been stripped of his title and suspended a year for his actions in the rematch with BJ Penn.
Then you should have the event in Hawaii. Home field advantage would help with getting your oppenent booed. BJ Penn is just a big baby for getting beatten so badley in his last fight with George St. Pierre. The issue should be dead after the Las Vegas ruling.
If Ortiz can get approved by a commission, then I don’t care. No one gives a hot damn if Thiago Alves gets the commission to sign off on him and he has a history of brain bleeds. Hell, they cheer for it.
I know what you’re saying, Alan. I just hope that someone doesn’t have to die due to negligent commission clearance before the commissions start doing their jobs a little better.
You guys both know the dirty little secret though. The Commission is just there to make sure the State gets its cut of ticket sales. And to give the State plausible deniability if/when one of these guys does die.
I just watched the ESPN 30 for 30 special ‘Muhammad and Larry’ this week. I’ve been meaning to watch that for about 8 months now.
That fight was before my time. I got into boxing as a kid with my dad and grandpa watching Mike Tyson unify the belts. The first fight I really clearly remember watching live was him vs Larry Holmes on HBO.
I remember my grandpa who was friends with Floyd Patterson telling me Tyson could be the greatest ever.
Anyways not to start rambling. I always thought Ali was fine until Holmes beat him up. Then I watched the ESPN piece. He was completely punch drunk leading up to that fight. There is no way in hell that should have been allowed to take place. Every one of those jerks in Ali’s camp, the promoters, head of the NSAC at the time and casino should be in jail for letting him get his health destroyed. That is, if anyone cared.
No wonder Howard Cosell said he didn’t want anything to do with boxing after that. What a disgrace.
The AC’s aren’t any different now. In fact they’re letting Antonio Margarito fight. He should still be in jail (where he never actually went) for loading his gloves. The guy should never have a license again.
As long as Ortiz can put one foot in front of the other these jerks will let him fight. They always say the same thing, ‘how can you keep a man from making a living?’ The irony is that you do keep a man from making a living when you let him get his brains beaten into tapioca.
“I always thought Ali was fine until Holmes beat him up. Then I watched the ESPN piece. He was completely punch drunk leading up to that fight. There is no way in hell that should have been allowed to take place. Every one of those jerks in Ali’s camp, the promoters, head of the NSAC at the time and casino should be in jail for letting him get his health destroyed. That is, if anyone cared.”
I was absolutely stunned and disheartened when I saw that ESPN show and saw how bad off Ali was.
Those ESPN documentaries have been outstanding.
I thoroughly enjoyed “Kings Ransom” about Gretzky (being the Canuck that I am, and the devastated 8 year old I was at the time that the last true NHL dynasty died), the “U” about the Miami Hurricanes football program and the USFL one was also fascinating.
…so basically all of them…lol