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Fox Sports: "Zach Arnold's Fight Opinion site is one of the best spots on the Web for thought-provoking MMA pieces."

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Melvin Guillard displays electric power at UFC Fight for the Troops 2

By Zach Arnold | January 22, 2011

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They raised money for the Intreprid Fallen Heroes Fund on tonight’s show and I thought the company did a fantastic job overall with the production and presentation.

Melvin Guillard is starting to put together all of his tools now (thanks to Greg Jackson) and did he blast Evan Dunham in the main or what. Thought it was interesting how going into the fight the promotion pushed the fact that despite losing to Sean Sherk on the score cards last September in Indianapolis that he was still undefeated in the minds of many, which he was. Which made Melvin’s dismantling of him all the more eye-catching. What power. He called out for a title shot after the fight, but I think his goal of staying undefeated in 2011 is something he should focus on more. The title shot will come if he keeps winning.

I thought the crowd reactions tonight were kind of strange. They didn’t boo Mark Hominick (who’s from Ontario) but they made sure to chant “USA!” at Tim Hague who’s from Edmonton. To display the relevance and reach of The Ultimate Fighter still in 2011, Cody McKenzie got by far the loudest cheers of anyone on the show. (At least it seemed that way to me.)

Speaking of Mr. Hominick, what an interesting set of circumstances coming out of his fight with George Roop. He was technically crisp and clean and got the job done in a hurry. And yet, rightfully so by the way, Joe Rogan really gave debuting UFC referee Don Turnage a hard time for not holding up George Roop after the stoppage. Nice save there by Shawn Tompkins. Somewhere, Keith Kizer was thankful that the show didn’t place in Las Vegas tonight. What was interesting about the fight is that the promotion did talk about the winner getting a title shot against Jose Aldo, but curiously the promotion did not push Hominick hard on TV. Let me rephrase that — they didn’t push the fact that his win meant that he would face Aldo in April on his home turf in Toronto on a really, really big show. I’m surprised by that. They have plenty of time to build up Hominick/Aldo in the near future, but interesting that they missed the chance for the hard sell here (something they usually don’t do). I still think Aldo will be a favorite going into that April fight, but Mark’s turning it on big now at the right time. I hope they show his fight with Yves Jabouin over and over on television leading up to the April show. I loved that fight.

The Pat Barry/Joey Beltran fight was kind of weird. I was expecting Barry to take him out much faster, but he was more cautious and actually got tangled up a lot. Mr. Beltran took a hell of a beating in there by the time the fight was done and he rightfully deserves some respect for being able to go the distance. Pat Barry introduces Joey Beltran to K-1 level striking.

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 54 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

54 Responses to “Melvin Guillard displays electric power at UFC Fight for the Troops 2”

  1. Well, its free. Aside from that, you could slap “Gameness Fighting Championships” on most of this show and I’d believe you.

    Seriously though, Jung getting his leg torn off is gonna be pretty awesome. Aside from that, I dunno. Guillard gets tapped in 1:30? Maybe less? Wiman/Miller will be inoffensive. Maybe even good!

    • edub says:

      No not really. This is packed with guys that have graduated from shows like that to fight in the lower tier of the UFC (except maybe Matt Mitrione).

      What you wanna bet Guillard gets Dunham in trouble on the feet in the first round?

      • That its a slight upgrade to your average GFC or Tachi Palace show still isn’t saying much for the SUPER BOWL OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS~!

        He might. I’m sick of betting on Guillard to ever “figure things out” in the cage, so I’m naturally picking Dunham to win by some form of twisting. Probably earlier rather than later.

  2. Garrett Bailey says:

    Why even do this event if they aren’t gonna give the soldiers decent fighters to watch? No one knows who these guys are outside of regular UFC fans. The place is gonna be packed anyway, but still, throw a top 20 guy in there at least!

    • edub says:

      Regular “UFC” fans completely outnumber the amount of any other kind of fan you want to name.

      Evan Dunham is borderline top 10 let alone top 20. Guillard, while getting a few favorable decisions on the way, is on a 3 fight winning streak. Mark Hominick is easily in the top 20. This is a typical Ulitimate fight night card…

  3. 45 huddle says:

    These are likely to be exciting fights, which is what the troops probably need more then high level fights.

    Not justifying the card…. Just saying if that is people’s argument, it’s a bad one.

    I was really looking forward to Florian/Dunham. Not so much for any Guillard fight.

    This card isn’t very good, but January is always a slow month for MMA. I’ll watch it, but not be that interested.

    Dunham, Mitrione, Hominick, Barry, & Miller.

    Oh and I will be rotting for Hominick. I think it would be cool to see 2 Canadians in title fights in Toronto. And I think Hominick…. for all his grappling faults…. Is a good stylistic test for Jose Aldo.

  4. EJ says:

    I don’t get the complaining about this card at all, there are several good fights and fighters on this card. It really does amaze me how much of a double standard there is when it comes to the UFC. I’ve seen alot of shows get hyped up featuring lesser talent and fights on here yet people want to complain about this card smh.

  5. edub says:

    Wanna pick Guillard, but just can’t pull the trigger. Even though I think he’s gonna get Dunham in trouble on the feet I gotta go with Dunham. History usually doesn’t lie.

    Dunham by sub rd. 2
    Mitrione by Dec.
    Hominick by dec.
    Barry by KO
    Miller by TKO

  6. robthom says:

    Eeew…

    I know that UFC are star makers and trend setters, but I have small interest in these dudes.

    Even for free.

    Give me one or two attractions.

  7. Bryan says:

    I am also picking Charlie Brenneman to wear down Alves with his wrestling but I am biased.

    • Alan Conceicao says:

      As far as the main card goes –

      -I already said Dunham above. I still say that. Submission, round 1. Probably a choke.

      -Hague by TKO. He’s not a particularly good fighter but neither is Mitrione, and Hague isn’t going to be outmuscled here.

      -Hominck UD. The thing about Hominick is that people think he is some sort of no hoper with Aldo, and I have no idea why. We’ve not seen Aldo have to fight someone who is technically proficient standing. Hominick would be such an opponent, and I don’t think Aldo could simply overwhelm him.

      -Barry TKO Beltran. I don’t really care. Neither guy is going anywhere. Barry posting lots on the internet ensures that people like him, but the guy is still not that great a striker (K1 past or not) and he’s too small.

      -Cole Miller UD. Reach advantage plays a big part in this fight with Miller dictating the distance in rounds 2 and three. I think he may end up on his back a couple times but his activity level will be helpful on the cards.

      Elsewhere, I think Edwards and Brenneman win with ease. Guymon/Johnson and Brown/Yahya are “who cares” fights to me.

  8. 45 Huddle says:

    Facebook feed now starts at 7pm instead of 8pm and the UFC will now being showing 4 fights live.

    This is obviously a way to get more people to follow them on Facebook. Smart, internet savy move.

    The 4 fights being shown are now….

    Lowe/Freire, Brown/Yahya, Johnson/Guymon, & McKenzie/Edwards.

    I’m interested in seeing Brown/Yahya. A tiny bit interested in McKenzie/Edwards. Really couldn’t care about the other 2…

  9. EJ says:

    Good job by Melvin tonight derailing the Dunham hypetrain, I was beyond tired of people claming he was still undefeated since he lost to Sherk imho.

    Hominick looked incredible and destroyed Roop, it’s going to be interesting to see if go up against Aldo for the title next.

    Meathead continues to improve and needs a real test next, i’d love to see them give him someone like Nelson and sends his ass out of the UFC.

    Nice to see Edwards pick up a win and get himself in the mix again it’s been a long time since that was the case.

    I thought Barry lost against Beltran and was baffled by the 30-27 score seriously what the hell was that.

    And finally it was great to see Cole Miller get beat up and outclassed by Wiman. I’m sick and tired of these mean mugging, loud mouth, fight to finish idiots and love seein them get beat and exposed.

    Overall a good night of fights for a great cause, hopefully this will become a yearly event from the UFC.

    • The Gaijin says:

      “Meathead continues to improve and needs a real test next, i’d love to see them give him someone like Nelson and sends his ass out of the UFC.”

      LMAO…yeah sorry Nelson said some meany fo feeny things about Brock Lesnar, but you\’re back on your fantasy planet again here bud.

      Mitrione has terrible, terrible wrestling for one thing. He’s a total brawler/slugger that can hang in the low-to-mid tier of HWs with the Joey Beltrans, Tim Hagues and Kimbos of the world…fighting Nelson is 900x above where he’s at right now and most likely ever. Speaking of Beltran (and Hague), those fights show (again) that for all the hyping and love he gets, Pat Berry is just not that good of a fighter.

      I like Hominick a lot and he’s really improving/maturing as a fighter, but leaving openings like he did last night against Aldo is probably something he’ll pay for when they fight.

      • The Gaijin says:

        Oh and Guillard looks light-years different these days…really maturing as a fighter and employing a smart gameplan that harnesses all of that natural ability and athletic talent (no surprise since he’s with Yoda) – I really hope that can hush the “Greg Jackson fighters are boring” crowd. He’s still got wilting power and great finishing ability…hopefully he can get a fight with G-Sot or Pettis (while he’s waiting) or someone else in the mix.

        Glad to see Yves doing well and sad to see MTB look lost and useless out there again…where’s all his strength? Why was he grappling with a very 1-D fighter like Yahya? Was anyone else immediately reminded of Salaverry-Frylund in the Guymon finish? That was the first thing I thought of when he tapped to a body triangle…weird.

  10. Chuck says:

    I hope I wasn’t the only person who was laughing his balls off for the point of the charity UFC was promoting. Here was a COMBAT SPORT company (with punches, kicks, knees, etc. to the head a-plenty) raising awareness for soldiers suffering head trauma. Way too funny.

    Overall, decent enough fight event. No real complaints. Nothing spectacular beside Guillard’s and Hominick’s performances. Good free on TV event.

    • Zach Arnold says:

      I hope I wasn’t the only person who was laughing his balls off for the point of the charity UFC was promoting. Here was a COMBAT SPORT company (with punches, kicks, knees, etc. to the head a-plenty) raising awareness for soldiers suffering head trauma. Way too funny.

      That was also the first thing that popped into my brain. I didn’t think it was funny, but I will say that it was nice to see fighters who really appreciated being there and helping the cause out.

    • Mr. Roadblock says:

      How’s that funny? Are you a fucking moron or something? Are you comparing a sport with all sorts of safety regulations to the trauma suffered by a human brain that ends up on the wrong end of a bullet or explosion?

    • edub says:

      I think it shows how are society pays attention to certain hot button issues, when certain comments get deleted, and get users warned scornfully and others that are probably worse have the author agree with them 2 seconds afterwards.

      I’m in no way bitter at all about my joke about rhadi ferguson getting deleted. It was the right decision. I also see that chuck meant nothing by him saying he lol d at tonights program about horrific injuries to war veterans and heroes. I even can understand zack posting right afterwards because the irony is clear in the event.

      However the discrepancy definately is there. Joking about someones race- can’t be done. Joking about a charitable event giving money to military heroes- ok?

      • Chuck says:

        This will be to both edub and Roadblock.

        Roadblock, I won’t even stoop to your level with any sort of flame. And yes I am comparing the two. You need to learn a lesson in “irony” and “satire”. Edub and Zach got what I was getting at. They didn’t think the comparison was funny (that’s fine. I didn’t even say a joke or anything) but they saw what I was getting at. I will explain. This was a combat sport event, with guys that suffer from head trauma, where they were raising awareness and money towards a charity that treats SOLDIERS (not the fighters) that suffered awful brain damage. And these are guys who usually have health insurance and a military pension. Most fighters (even with “Obamacare”) don’t have health insurance, and sure as hell don’t get any sort of pension or regular paycheck (unless they have a job outside of the fight game). UFC won’t do anything about fighters (including their own or formerly their own) who suffer any sort of debilitating head trauma. A horrible hypocrisy. And no Roadblock, I didn’t think it was funny that soldiers suffered awful brain trauma. It was the irony and hypocrisy of it all. Me and my dad were laughing at it. And don’t say anything about “well, it was the fighters’ decision to be a fighter!”. There is no draft, people willingly join the military and know the consequences. Most of them are hardly victims.

        Edub;

        I remember the joke you gave. It wasn’t that bad (I thought it was pretty funny), but I can see why Zach won’t allow anything race related when it comes to jokes. I think my comment wasn’t quite a controversial topic such as yours. And as you mentioned, Zach agreed with the irony and hypocrisy that I was pointing out.

        • mr. roadblock says:

          Chuck,

          There’s no irony in it. I at first thought you were saying it’s funny funny the whole thing.

          I get you think the head injury part is ironic. But it isn’t really.

          Fighters can get punchy from head injuries. But it’s completely their fault. They became fighters because they wanted to and they hung around beyond the point their skills deteriorated and kept getting knocked out. That’s how you get punchy as a fighter. One IED goes off or one bullet bounces off your helmet and your brain is toast.

          Say what you want about there not being a draft and people volunteering for the service, and having a chance to avoid combat. It’s the same thing with the fire department, should we not help burn victims? What a preposterous, hateful argument you’re making. You must be one of these hate the military types. The people that join the military are doing something better for themselves and country than people who become fighters, in most cases.

          The UFC is doing great work here. The Pentagon and VA Hospitals have pretended for decades that TBI and PTSD are not real conditions. Because you can’t ‘see’ brain injuries. Finally attention is being brought to how serious TBIs are, money is being raised and real work is being done to improve the lives of the service members affected and the families of their loved ones.

          We’re talking about people who have all the information on their frontal lobes erased by impact. You have people who can’t remember their names, how to read and write, how to tie shoes. Other guys who get overcome by daymares and can’t risk driving or doing other normal things.

          If you want to learn more about TBI and PTSD and some of the things being done to help those affected, National Geographic did a great piece on the topic a few years ago.

        • Chuck says:

          Hateful argument? Anti-military? Naw, not at all. I have much respect for military people. I won’t call someone who joins the military “heroes” like everyone else does. Many of them are heroes. Not all of them.

          Anyway, of course there should be lots of word to do to help them. I agree that Zuffa is doing a great thing with this charity. But why aren’t they helping out with former fighters and current fighters with head injuries? Shouldn’t they count too? And what about everyone else with head injuries? Maybe not that last one, but you get my point.

          Zuffa isn’t the only one guilty of hypocrisy of whatever sorts. Currently TNA Wrestling is doing a “Stop The Bullying!” campaign. Which is also silly because these are MEAT HEAD WRESTLERS, many of whom are/were probably guilty of hazing and whatever else, telling the people watching Impact to STOP THE BULLYING! And there are heels (or bad guys) in the PSA, also breaking kayfabe (which is pro wrestling talk of making everything realistic, or something like that).

          How many football or baseball players go to public schools to talk to the students about the dangers of drugs, whereas most of them shoot anabolic steroids in their asses, and probably do cocaine? Trust me on this, I would much rather accept life lessons from a Cartel drug lord than most athletes.

          I absolutely agree that it the fighters’ faults that they get into the fight game and suffer head trauma, usually well past their primes. I absolutely agree. But something should still be done with it. Just like there is somethingh being done with these soldiers (and rightly so).

        • mr. roadblock says:

          I’m in full agreement that I’d like to see more done for guys in fighting, both boxing and MMA after they’re done.

          Let’s see what UFC does going forward in that regard. I like to see them do some sort of revenue sharing or set a pool of say 2% of revenues aside for helping guys after their careers are over. Either through scholarships or paying for them to attend vocational school or low interest business loans.

          UFC is in a different position from the boxing promoters because it functions more like a league than the one event at a time boxing model.

        • Chuck says:

          That sounds reasonable. Let’s see if UFC (or someone else) goes though with it.

  11. edub says:

    On to fights!

    -Hominick showed tonight that he has the technical ability to give aldo a little competition in the stand up department. Alan said a few months back that hominick my be the best option against aldo at the moment because of his stand up. He was right. I really wanna see that amazing bjj outta aldo in the fight.

    -Speaking of alan, I told ya melvin would give him trouble! Its been interesting to see guillard mature over the past year and a half, and a fight with kenflo I think makes sense next. Dunham falls down a little bit now. I agree with ej (a lil atleast) that the sherk fight was close enough that this undefeated talk was starting to get annoying. I think his standup has been overrated, because he’s pretty slow for a lw. It’ll be interesting to see him comeback.

    -Am I crazy, or does mitrione’s stand up look exceptional for a guy who’s been training for 2.5 years? Hague is’nt amazing or anything, but meathead was damn impressive.

    -the hype job for anderson-vitor was TERRIBLE.

    • 45 Huddle says:

      I’m a Mitrione fan. I still think he gets crushed against the better wrestlers of the division…. But he is sure fun to watch.

  12. 45 Huddle says:

    The event did exactly what a “Fight Night” is supposed to do. Set up the future.

    Mark Hominick is now the #1 contender at Featherweight.

    Melvin Guillard is now in the discussion of getting a title shot.

    Matt Mitrione showed he is ready for the next level of competition.

    Overall it was a fun show to watch…. And ended up having more meaning then I thought it would going into the show.

    • The Gaijin says:

      What’s your thoughts on Mitrione’s ceiling?

      I honestly don’t see him being above mid-level gatekeeper (and there’s nothing wrong with that) in the UFC that has some name value due to TUF and quirky personality. I kinda see him being a present day Justin Eilers/Buentello-type fighter. Tough brawler, KO power who will be in some exciting undercard slugfests but not really going to be an upper level guy due to not really having a background/skillset from the usual foundational base(s).

      • 45 Huddle says:

        He might be able to beat the Cheick Kongo’s of the world. But that’s as far as he can go.

        The elite will trash him and make him look average.

        • The Gaijin says:

          I’m with you, I’m with you. And that’s not an insult to say the elite would beat him either…he just doesn’t have the background that would help speed up his development. He’s got the obvious physical attributes and the athleticism from football, but he just doesn’t have the time and he’s going to be doing it on the big stage as well.

          Oh well – if he’s a 3rd/4th fight on PPV or semi-main on free TV giving a good ol’ fashioned slugfest (nothing wrong with that once and a while) for the audience, I’m sure he’ll carve out a decent career.

  13. bluerosekiller says:

    I continue to be impressed with the development of Matt Mitrione. I think if moved right, he can eventually become a real contender in the UFC.
    But, that said, he’s in an odd place right now.
    He’s proven he’s passed the prelim level opponents now after just 4 contests, but I think it’s too soon for him to begin mixing with the Kongos, Nelsons or even Rothwells just yet. So, who does he fight?
    I see a lot of folks are mentioning a match up with Pat Barry as being the next obvious step, but they’re friends & stablemates so I doubt that either one of them would be too eager to go there.
    But, money talks & Dana’s the boss, so we’ll see…

    I suppose, upon further thought, that match ups against men like Sean McCorkle & Travis Browne would be the next logical step. Then, if Mitrione gets past them they can step him up against the mid-level guys mentioned above.

    • The Gaijin says:

      “I continue to be impressed with the development of Matt Mitrione. I think if moved right, he can eventually become a real contender in the UFC.”

      Absolutely not. He may be around as a recognizable and enjoyable fighter to watch, but he will never be a “contender” in the UFC. He’s 33 years old, has 4 fights against bottom of the barrel competition, NO wrestling game and doesn’t he already have concussion issues from football?

      I agree with the fact that he’s fun to watch, he looks like he’s progressing and he’s ready for the next level of competition but he’s probably going to get trashed by anyone in the top 30 of HWs. If he started at 23 and not 33 I could see the logic, but time is not on his side and it’s what he’d need in spades to develop to that level given his background.

      • mr. roadblock says:

        I think Mittrione could be a Chris Leben like fighter at HW.

        More importantly I think he’s a harbinger for the type of explosive athletes to come in the future. So is Guillard for that matter. Both guys are top flight athletes with superb fast twitch muscles. Guillard is taking his rare top .01% athleticism and pairing it with an understanding for the sport and good coaching. He could be unstoppable with his speed and power at 155 if he learns not to get frustrated and fall into traps when he’s taken down.

        Mittrione on the other hand may not be able to make up the difference in grappling due to his age and the size/skill combo of some of the top HW’s who are grapplers.

        Put Mittrione in there with Stephan Struve and let’s see what happens. He’s only had 4 fights. If he can become competent stopping the take down or neutralizing bad positions on the ground, who knows what his ceiling is.

        I think the future of MMA is guys like him and OSP leaving football in their early to mid 20’s and picking up MMA.

  14. Fluyid says:

    “…debuting UFC referee Don Turnage…”

    He reffed some fights at the Dallas UFC in ’09. 🙂

    Ed. — Thanks.

  15. David M says:

    LOL at Zach talking about K1 level striking. Does that encompass Tom Erikson who beat K1 legend Mike Bernardo, Rampage who beat Abidi twice, and Sapp who beat the GOAT, Hoost?

    • The Gaijin says:

      Err…Tom Erikson never beat Mike Bernardo to the best of my recollection.

      http://www.k-1sport.de/en/database/show_fighter.php?id=88

      And I know people love to use the Sapp-Hoost example to say how K-1 isn’t really that great but that second fight was some of the most shady refereeing I’ve seen in any K-1 fight (and that says something).

      • Dave says:

        Don’t let this dude troll you, he has done this before and used the same example of Tom Erikson beating Mike Bernardo. Plus, who cares? Bernardo fell off pretty rapidly and Sapp’s super shady win was over an end-of-career Hoost during K-1’s dark days.

        • The Gaijin says:

          Touche – I guess that’s the equivalent of saying Wakakirin beat up Mark Coleman, so I guess MMA is a joke or some other ridiculously and outlandishly biased statement.

          Moving along…

  16. PizzaChef says:

    Any truth to the rumor that Greg Jackson was upset with Melvin with how he won the fight?

    I heard Greg didn’t want Melvin to win like that. He told Melvin to grind it out to a decision.

  17. Fluyid says:

    Fun night, if a little chilly.

    Probably didn’t come across on TV, but the hangar was only about 2/3 full at the most and probably a little less than that. I was really surprised at that.

    • Oh Yeah says:

      You could see sometimes when they showed the hangar from outside. Otherwise, the empty seats near the top were dark and not visible.

    • edub says:

      It seemed like there was more troops there earlier in the card. Ex: The Yves Edwards-Cody Mckenzie fight looked absolutely packed, and by the time the main even rolled around it looked thin.

      Is that accurate? Did some soldiers leave during the broadcast? It would make sense to me if that happened. 0545 is a hella early for formation.

      • Fluyid says:

        Actually, it remained pretty consistent throughout. I kept expecting more to show up, but it stayed the same from the start to finish. That part actually makes sense, though, since they were all bused in from some other parts of the base. I don’t believe that the hangar was walking distance for anyone.

        Maybe the fact it started early and they had to get there early had something to do with the attendance. I’ll say this: the guys there were totally into it and loved it. It was fun to be there.

        But to answer your question, it was never more than about 2/3 full (or less) the entire night.

        • edub says:

          I don’t know if you got to talk to any of the organizers on either the military side or Zuffa’s side, but if you did were they happy with the turnout? Was the smaller turnout expected?

        • Fluyid says:

          Nope. I don’t know anything about any expectations on the turnout.

          I do very much want to emphasize that it was a really fun and good event and everyone there had a really good time. Good vibes all the way around. There’s nothing but positives to report all the way around on this.

          .
          .
          .
          .
          .
          .

          [But don’t ask how many that the WWE recently drew to Ft. Hood by comparison. 😉 ]

  18. I missed the card, but I’m glad to see that Melvin Guillard is finally starting to reach some of his potential.

    Looks like midnight has long since dinged and Mike Brown’s carriage is back to being a pumpkin. He got tooled by a 135lb grappler with zero standup? ROFL. Might as well just cut him.

  19. The Gaijin says:

    http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/1/24/1953191/comcast-nbc-merger-will-a-new-sports-media-empire-emerge#storyjump

    For those of you who are unawares – Mark Zuckerberg did a really bad job of running NBC…probably because all his attention was focused on Facebook. LOL

    • 45 Huddle says:

      Bob Arum is trying to push his boxing via more “mainstream” ways. Which is why he is using CBS/Showtime.

      I just think that both boxing and MMA are niche sports. Decently popular, but still niche sports.

      Showtime/CBS….. Versus/NBC…. HBO/TNT…. ESPN/ABC…. FX/FOX….. Are all potential options in the future. I just don’t think there is enough interest to make it happen. Not in boxing. Not in MMA. Not on a large enough scale to matter really.

      Sure Manny will have a countdown show on CBS. But will CBS really get back into the boxing business? Probably not.

      Could the UFC get on NBC? Perhaps. But it’s more likely to be 4 times a year with little impact for the long term. Not to mention that network TV is cuthroat and ratings need to be produced or they would be gone.

      The UFC is in a great position right now with SpikeTV. Sure Network TV would be nice, but I doubt it would improve things much.

      The only thing that I could see the UFC doing would be switching over to Versus for a weekly live show…. With a good timeslot and live Saturday shows….. IF…. And that’s a huge if….. Versus gets rebranded to NBC Sports…. And that channel gets either MLB or NBA…. Which would put the channel on the map and make it a good option for the UFC at that time.

      • Fluyid says:

        You’ve been making some good, reasonable comments for a while now, 45 Huddle. I think you’ve gotten smarter or something. 😉 (That’s a joke!)

        • 45 Huddle says:

          A 2nd major sports channel player helps out the UFC because it means there is more money to go around…. And more available TV time on networks that fans are familiar with.

          Now…. Here’s a less reasonable comment…. Just so I don’t disappoint you….

          If Showtime makes REAL play at taking the big names in boxing from HBO…. Then Strikeforce is gone.

          There…. I said it.

          And here is my reasoning. HBO has more money then Showtime. If Showtime wants to compete with HBO in a full out war on the boxing front…. Then they are going to need as much money as they have to do so.

          It’s so easy to look at Strikeforce…. Which is costing them probably between $8 to $10 Million in fees alone…. And not getting ratings that boxing would get…. And allocating that to their boxing instead to help them compete on getting the bigger fighters to move over.

        • Tomer says:

          According to Thomas Hauser, Top Rank (and other promoters) are legitimately pissed at HBO and appear to be moving their business to Showtime. We’ll have to see how well Ken Hershman et al can handle the inflow of business (as they may crash and burn, making the promoters crawl back to HBO), but there very well may be cut backs on Strikeforce in the near future.

        • The Gaijin says:

          I…don’t…completely…disagree.

          I guess we’ll see how the whole GP plays out in terms of ratings, PPV potential, etc. But if they haven’t shown marked improvements and SHOW does make the strong move towards boxing, I could see them walking away once the contract is up in 2013. Equally unreasonable…does HBO make a play at Strikeforce? With the old foggies and Jim Lampley’s of the world hanging around, I think the answer is no.

        • mr. roadblock says:

          Very interesting development in boxing. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

          HBO has shown extreme favoritism to Golden Boy in dates and promotion for years now. Oscar is finally starting to do something with it. He’s starting to act like UFC or an MMA promotion. Where he signs a large group of fighters and pairs them with each other. The Club Nokia shows are pretty good. If he can get his Solo Boxeo shows on an English language network he’d have a full fledged pipeline for the up and comers.

          I was about to cancel Showtime last month. The SF GP and the announcement of some interesting boxing cards kept me through February.

          If King, Arum and Dibella can work together in a reasonable way they can build something on Showtime.

          The main thing that boxing has been missing for years and should copy from UFC is momentum. UFC keeps its product in front of the fans and keeping people up to date on what it has planned, what show is next month, etc. Boxing has been fly by night for years.

          If they could figure out away to do Tuesday Night Fights again on one of CBS’s networks, I would be a real happy camper.

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