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« | Home | »

UFC 157 (2/23 Anaheim Pond): Ronda Rousey takes care of business

By Zach Arnold | February 23, 2013

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Urijah Faber was recently at Scott Stern’s Las Vegas Fight Shop for UFC 156 weekend, signing autographs for fans. Faber has a challenge on his hands at UFC 157 against Ivan Menjivar.

Date: February 23rd
Venue: Anaheim Pond (Honda Center) in Anaheim, California
TV: FX/PPV

The last show ever… at the Ford Center Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City (1/12/2013).

“This is the pinnacle of my career. I think we did some great work in mixed martial arts. It’s time.”

After uninspiring performance, Daniel Cormier calls out UFC Light Heavyweight champ Jon Jones

Daniel Cormier vs. Frank Mir on April 20th in San Jose?

Date: January 19th
Venue: Ibirapuera Arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil
TV: FX

Date: January 26th
Venue: United Center in Chicago, Illinois
TV: FOX broadcast network

UFC 156: Antonio Silva bigfoots Alistair Overeem out of title contention

Date: February 2nd
Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
TV: FX/PPV

Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 286 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

286 Responses to “UFC 157 (2/23 Anaheim Pond): Ronda Rousey takes care of business”

  1. RST says:

    “He is not a great technical striker–he has this expectation of being able to simply out-athletic his opponents.”

    I agree with that to a point

    He was never a LASER SHARP striker like a flamderson

    But he could be athletic enough to sneak a hot one in back when he used to boogaloo

    I thought that he became much more droll when he stopped dancing to cater to dude-bro’s who got upset because they cant dance

    But then they just didn’t like him because he wasn’t ghetto enough

    “cause he dont be mumblin like a balla like rampage be doin”

    Personally I didn’t think that he lost the fight,
    or lost at all

    I thought that he won in every way

    And I think that he should head over to Bellator and leave danajoel and his twitter posse to their own devices

    It aint that hard to figure out where you’re not appreciated or wanted

    • Vanderlei's New Face says:

      Any excuse to toss in a “Flamderson”, “Shmilva”, or “DanaJoel”. Man, does your gimmick suck.

  2. Mr. K says:

    No you sound like a whiny fanboy that doesn’t want anyone else to succeed. If you don’t work for ZUFFA personally you have serious issues.

    • 45 Hudle says:

      Fanboy? Hardly. I am very critical of White and company when they screw up.

      What I am is a long time fan who wants to see all of the best fight under one organization. When you see feeder leagues like Bellator try and hold onto fighters they shouldnt be…. it hurts the sport overall.

      Not to mention we all know they will go out of business. Let it happen sooner and be done with it.

      • Mr. K says:

        You’ve been saying that forever and it hasn’t happened. Just admit you were wrong and move on without being so bitter.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Every UFC competitor once they try and go big goes out of business.

          The only thing that saved Bellator was that SpikeTV got desperate for MMA content. It bought them a few more years. Still the same outcome.

          Take for example the upcoming reality show. They are going to be fights that go on fighters rankings. Based on the rules of the ABC, those fights need to be reported. So what does Bellator do? They go AC shopping and find an AC that will break the rules and withhold the results until the show airs. Pure garbage.

          How many fighters have they gone after in court already? They are more harm to the sport then good.

        • edub says:

          Calling it an exhibition isn’t much a difference.

          They’ve gone after less in court than Zuffa has.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          It makes all the difference in the world. The UFC is working within the rules of the AC’s. Bellator goes AC shopping in order to find out which one will break the rules.

          Who has the UFC gone after in court?

          The big last 2 would be Ken Shamrock and Randy Couture. Ken Shamrock sued the UFC and lost.

          Randy Couture breached his contract with fights still on it. Heck, Couture technically breached his contract a 2nd time when he didn’t do one more telecast for a UFC event, and Zuffa did not legally go after him.

          Those aren’t even comparable to the Eddie Alvarez or the Tyson Nam situations.

          Alvarez is done with his fights and Bellator is using a bogus claim of matching to bring him to court. The judge during the injunction even stated that he does not believe FOX and Spike are the same.

          And Tyson Nam never even fought for Bellator…. was released from his contract…. and only when he gets a good win outside of the promotion do they bust his balls.

          The “well, Zuffa also has been in court with fighters” argument is baseless and pure garbage. They aren’t even in the same category. Zuffa has been to court with fighters who have either sued them or have not fulfilled the fights on their contracts.

          Bellator is suing fighters who finished their fights and only get legal threats once they are shown interest from other companies.

          It is laughable that you would even compare the two.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          And don’t forget Jonathan Brookins & Dave Herman.

          And they have even sued Desert Rage Full Contacting Fighting.

          Bellator is scum.

        • edub says:

          No, it makes no difference.

          And you can make all the excuses in the world for Zuffa (which is nothing new). The fact remains they’ve still gone after many more fighters in court than Bellator has.

          Ken Shamrock lost in court, so would’ve Nam. Couture’s status didn’t even get to the actual court date, neither will Alvarez’s.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          In the last 4 years…. Name the number of fighters the UFC has sued….

        • 45 Huddle says:

          And I use that time period because since Bellator started I can give you a few fighters they have sued…

        • edub says:

          Why in the last four years? That’s not what I said. I said Zuffa has taken more fighters to court. Which is entirely accurate.

        • 45 Hudle says:

          Bellator has been in business for 4 years. During that time I cant think of one fighter the UFC has sued. Bellator has sued like 5 fighters from a much smaller roster during that time…

        • david m says:

          holy hell 45, stop trolling, you sound ridiculous.

        • 45 Hudle says:

          How is the trolling? He is saying they are the same. I am asking for examples…. he is providing none.

          This MMA hipster bs is garbage.

        • nottheface says:

          UFC was much more active in lawsuits back in the early Zuffa days. They sued BJ Penn trying to claim a breach of the championship clause (which is why their’s and Bellator’s are so draconian now) They sued Steve Tornabene and Keith Evans for “disseminating corporate secrets”. They sued Tito Ortiz for appearing with his belt when he was on the outs.

          You don’t see them suing as much now because the don’t have to, their leverage is overwhelming through their market share.

        • edub says:

          ^ That good enough for you 45?

          Or because it’s not in the last 4 years does it not fit your mold (although Zuffa doing it at their beginning and Bellator doing it at their beginning should provide many similarities).

        • 45 Huddle says:

          BJ Penn sued the UFC….

          http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/BJ-Penn-Sues-Zuffa-Over-Stripping-of-Welterweight-Title-1872

          The two guys who went to the IFL are not fighters…

          The Tito Ortiz thing was not for a MMA fight, it was for a boxing match based on a reality program.

          Getting too easy.

          Come one guys, you are better then this….

          Jonathan Brookins, Dave Herman, Tyson Nam, & Eddie Alvarez….. All in the last 4 years by Bellator….

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Plus, if you can’t see the difference between these two things…. I have no hope for you….

          Zuffa gets into legal battle with both Couture and Ortiz over fights they still had on their contracts….

          Bellator suing fighters they let go and then got mad when they signed with somebody else…. Or giving “matching” them with bogus terms.

          Those aren’t even in the same ballpark. But I guess to the MMA Hipsters, they become equal when they have to make their cases for garbage organizations.

          Even Dana White said he would have no problem with Bellator signing Eddie Alvarez…. As long as they pay him the REAL money he would be getting with the UFC. Make it a real match.

        • edub says:

          David M- It’s ok. He’ll change his opinion in about a year just like the PED’s stuff.

          He completely did a 180 on that going from PED’s don’t help that much, to its a big problem. The funniest part is I don’t even think he realizes. In his own mind, he’s always right.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          You are straight up changing the topic.

          I asked for fighters who the UFC sued and now you are talking about PED’s.

          Admit you were wrong and move along.

        • nottheface says:

          The UFC counter sued BJ for breach of contract.
          Tito, Couture, Shamrock, Penn. Those are some pretty big names and there might be more. The media was that interested in the minutea back in the earliest days.

          But my point isn’t that Bellator are somehow saints. They’re not and Rebney really does come across as a sleazy. Or the UFC are evil. They’e not, Zuffa really has done a great job stewarding their company and with it mma. My greater point is that we fans have to stop treating promotions like professional sports teams. The UFC isn’t the Yankees hwere if you’re a fan you support whatever bullshit helps them. and if you’re not there is nothing they can do right.

        • edub says:

          Oh, no. John already proved my point (probably because he’s a lot smarter than me).

          I’m not changing the point. Just pointing out another topic that you did a complete 180 on after arguing so vigorously about before. Which is completely accurate as you literally used to argue PED’s don’t help fighters much.

      • Jay B says:

        Huddle you are so negative towards Bellator or anything thats not UFC its not even funny. You been doing this for years and everyone knows it. You would at least think to change up your act or stop the falsehood claims you make about other promotions after it takes years for them to shut down or move on.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Hmmmm…. I wonder why….

          These promotions dream big…. And the fighters suffer for it…

          Pride goes out of business and many fighters are stuck in limbo for months waiting for a fight.

          Affliction cancels a show…. Goes out of business…. Fighters are stuck waiting for fights.

          Strikeforce cancels 2 shows…. Some fighters don’t compete for almost a year….. Company goes out of business…. Fighters stuck waiting….

          How bad do you think it will be if Bellator doesn’t put on any more shows but legally tries to hold onto the fighters contracts or tries to sell them off one by one…

          These companies have done more bad then good for the sport overall. Anybody with a reasonable idea of the sport understands this. None have threatened Zuffa’s bottom line.

          All they have done is screwed over fighters and kept fans away from seeing the best compete against each other. Let’s cheer for that!!

        • Jay B says:

          Huddle, some of us have optimism and enjoy the competitive nature of two promotions versus just one. You gotta realize that.

          If they wanna dream big, why not. If they have aspirations, not a problem. Nothing wrong with aiming high. Bellator will remain around, this isnt Strikeforce with Coker here. One FC is around still too, but I dont know if you acknowledge them or not.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          I appreciate a positive outlook on life.

          Then there is a thing called reality….

          How many companies have to go out of business before fans just get sick of the next version stopping good match-ups from happening?

          I’ve been a fan for a long time…. I have seen so many companies who said they were the next big thing. Nothing ever changes…..

        • Jay B says:

          Huddle, you have no grip on reality. You wont admit that nor will you acknowledge it. SO lets just leave it at that. You dont even see just how negative of a person you are around here.

          Bellator is Bellator and will be around, face it.

  3. Mr. K says:

    Spike TV also created the fake tough guy Dana White persona and made it (the persona) not him into the biggest star in MMA.

  4. Mr. K says:

    45huddle sounds nervous

  5. 45 Huddle says:

    Josh Barnett declined the UFC’s contract offer.

    It either comes down to PPV Percentages or his ability to “compete” in Pro Wrestling between fights.

    He is 35. Even his manager has stated that this could be his last MMA contract he signs.

    If he goes with the UFC route, we will get to see him against the rest of the Top 25 fighters in the division.

    If he goes another route, his MMA career really becomes pointless and it is just for the money.

    Some people are saying he might go to SpikeTV so he can do Bellator and TNA. I just don’t see that happening. He doesn’t mesh with the American Pro Wrestling style.

    If he doesn’t end up in the UFC, he will either end up in One FC or WSOF…. And then do Pro Wrestling in Japan on the side.

    • Jay B says:

      Why did he turn it down? #1 Supported Theory: Because he probably wanted a deal where he could go to do pro wrestling on the side when he wasnt competing in UFC. Pretty sure that is the main reason why they couldnt come to an agreement. How would it look if White and company called up Barnett to take a short notice fight and he refused because he had a Inoki Genome show to attend? Bad…

      Bellator seems to not be too interested in him. He isnt marketable in the US. Could have been had he laid off the roids of course. Bellator would allow him to do that crap. Hell Bellator might even have spike give him a TNA contract. Alot of guys dont mesh with american pro wrestling, but they still end up on TV somehow. Sylvester Terkay is a prime example.

      • Mr. K says:

        UFC biggest PPV draw to date is Brock Lensar and that waa 100% because of his pro wrestling career.

        • Jay B says:

          Yeah Lesnar brought over fans temporarily. That is true. I dont think MMA fans are going to go over and watch Barnett perform a powerbomb or a german suplex. I wonder if Strikeforce fans even knew he performed in japan.

        • Jay B says:

          Also, Lesnar was not competing in UFC and WWE at the same time. If Barnett asked for Pro wrestling in his contract, it would be unprecedented. It would lead to more people asking to do the same if they had pro wrestling aspirations. Could you even imagine Chael Sonnen asking for a contract that would allow him to wrestle in WWE or ROH or some wrestling promotion? It would be a problem.

  6. Mr. K says:

    I like the way things are going with UFC and Bellator now because it kind of has that UFC vs PRIDE war feel to it. Right now you are kind of looking to see who is going to land the next punch. Bellator has landed a few good punches in the past couple of weeks and I am waiting to see what happens next.

    • The Gaijin says:

      SRSLY?!?

      No. These two orgs are not even in the same ballpark – hell they’re like “AAA” and MLB…or maybe Japanese Pro and MLB.

  7. Megatherium says:

    There are a pair of interesting fights in each of the two upcoming shows!

    Barao
    Swanson
    Machida
    Lawlor

  8. The Predictable Johnny Rodz says:

    Arena in Anaheim hasn’t been called the Pond since 2006.

  9. Mr. K says:

    Rumor has it Bellator is about to sign Josh Barnett after he turned down the UFC.

    • Jay B says:

      Yeah with a TNA stipulation I bet or just allows him to go wrestle in Japan on his off time from tournaments.

      He will provide something different for Heavyweights at least.

  10. Mr. K says:

    Zach Arnold can we get some separate Bellator related posts on the website for discussion.

  11. 45 Huddle says:

    Zuffa is officially renaming the Flyweight Title…

    UFC World Television Title….

    Johnson is defending his title against Moraga at TUF 17 finale.

    • The Gaijin says:

      LOL – For real?

      • 45 Huddle says:

        Well the fight is real. The name change is not.

        I actually think putting the Flyweight Belt on TV right now is a great idea. They are not able to sell PPV’s with them…. So mine as well pump up the free TV ratings.

        With 9 title belts, I think we are going to see a lot more free title fights.

  12. The Gaijin says:

    Huge WTF – Just read in the elevator that the IOC is dropping wrestling from the 2020 Olympics and keeping the f—–g modern pentathlon!?!?

    Only glimmer of hope is that it can reapply for the one open spot against, baseball and softball, karate, squash, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding and wushu.

    Seriously? The sport that has been the part of EVERY Olympics in some form, both ancient and modern.

    Lay down the Diaz stash IOC.

    • 45 Huddle says:

      At least the Pentathlon is a legit athletic competition.

      Equestrian & Table Tennis are bigger jokes…. But are still part of their “25 Core Sports”.

      This could benefit MMA long term… Some wrestlers stick around for a few more years because the Olympics are more important to win then just the World Championships. Without the Olympics, I can see athletes coming over to MMA quicker.

  13. 45 Huddle says:

    UFC 157 Cut List Predictions….

    Yuri Villafort, Jon Manley, Brock Jardine, Caros Fodor, Anton Kuivanen, Lavar Johnson, & Josh Neer.

    I don’t think Koscheck gets cut because he is a big enough named fighter. But Koscheck certainly won’t be in title contention anymore…. He is like Fitch…. Getting older and now on the tail end of his career.

    The rest of the guys/gals on the top of the card should be safe no matter what the outcome is…

  14. 45 Huddle says:

    What a completely horrible fight between Machida/Henderson.

    I do not agree with Rogan at all. Machida is not a master of anything. He freaking stalls. He runs. He should of gotten 2 or 3 points taken away during that fight.

    • RST says:

      “He freaking stalls.”

      I suppose its a matter of perspective

      Some people only like slugfests

      Thats why I usually watch ufc’s with the sound off these days

    • 76.171.37.88 says:

      “Machida is not a master of anything.”

      LOL. A black belt = lack of mastery?

  15. RST says:

    If Lavar Johnson isn’t knocking you out, he’s losing a decision

    Lawler/Koscheck was stopped too fast

    But that was dumb matchmaking by joel again in the first place

    If you want to get the skill that Robbie has to offer in the cage,
    dont put him in there with a wrestler nitwit!

    So I’m glad it didn’t end the way joel silva apparently intended it to
    However that end was achieved

    Urijah may have looked better then I’ve ever seen him
    (Although I’ve never followed him closely)

    Hendo/Lyoto was fun
    Of course

    Lyoto’s brief GNP at the end of the first was fascinating
    I’d like to see more of that

    Lyoto is just too fast for Hendo
    Hendo is fast in a phonebooth if he can force you to flurry with him, but Lyoto is the last guy who’s gonna allow that

    But other then the power flurry, Hendo generally plods along which usually works to his advantage because it takes an opponent by surprise when he sidles up close enough and suddenly goes into wolverine mode

    But Lyoto doesn’t allow anyone to get that close to him

    Well,
    thats the last fight on the card for me

    Okay show

    B-

    • Vanderlei's New Face says:

      It’s Joe you numbskull. JOE. The matchmaker for UFC is Joe Silva. Not “Joel”, not “danajoel”. Joe. Your gimmick sucks. It’s a shame, because your adherence to your moronic nickname gag prevents people from taking your comments seriously, regardless of how good a point you make.

      • RST says:

        “because your adherence to your moronic nickname gag prevents people from taking your comments seriously”

        Lol
        Its cute how 13 year olds always imagine that they are the voice of the “people”

        Please dont take take me seriously little joel,
        dont read my posts at all

        I’m very firmly against childhood high blood pressure

  16. 45 Huddle says:

    And a star was born….

    I don’t know if that will mean PPV Buys…. Or will end up being higher ratings on FOX…. But Rousey definitely brings that IT factor that very few people have in the fight game.

    • Mark says:

      The answer to that question may be answered by that other Fox Sports property NASCAR. Did Danica Patrick, who had far more media hype this week than Rousey (it wasn’t even close) boost ratings for the race Saturday? We’ll see when their ratings come out.

      But the problem is, a non-typical kind of person coming into a sport doesn’t have great longevity once people get used to it, unless they can transcend that position. Rousey probably can, since she’s charismatic and can always find some kind of bikini photoshoot somewhere to get publicity. But if she ever gets dominated by somebody, or people aren’t impressed by her level of competition (which we saw a little of with Gina in the “Gary Shaw is protecting her” internet meme), then you’ve got a flash in the pan on your hands.

      You also have the problem of so much riding on this buyrate. If it comes in flat, then the mainstream media might say “Well, nobody cares about her after all” and move on. And it’s very possible the buyrate can be lousy and Dana will be beaten up by MMA bloggers for not putting her first fight on FOX. But we’ll see.

      • Mark says:

        But at least they can talk about her victory, which NASCAR certainly doesn’t have with Patrick making a dumb mistake to disqualify her from the race (wrongly believing she had a blown engine and taking her car back to the garage when it actually worked fine) and also got overshadowed by the fans getting injured in the crash. Ronda gets to be 100% of the UFC 157 fallout story.

    • RST says:

      By “IT” do you mean armbar?

    • The Gaijin says:

      Yup, put her in a SQUASH match showcase and watch her pry open those cans.

      • Steve4192 says:

        I’d hardly call Carmouche a ‘can’.

        She was ranked 6th in the world entering this fight and only two of the women ranked above her (Alexis Davis, Sara McMann) had not faced Rousey already.

        Would it have been better if the UFC had booked Rousey versus one of those two? Absolutely. But it’s not like Carmouche was some waitress they pulled out of the local Denny’s.

  17. 45 Huddle says:

    Jose Aldo is one scared fighter!!

    He is refusing to fight Anthony Pettis. This will not end well for him. He either takes a fight he thinks he will lose…. Or he is going to get stripped of the belt. I don’t see it ending any other way.

    Dana said that his manager… Andre Pederneiras just said they don’t think he deserves the shot. Didn’t even offer up an alternative.

    I guess it was okay to fight Frankie Edgar who was coming down in weight on a 2 fight losing streak…. But it is not okay to fight Pettis is who is coming off of 3 straight fights.

    As a fan, I have a huge problem with guys like Diaz (off a loss) & Sonnen (loss and up in weight) getting title shots. But I have always thought if a guy is proven in a higher weight class…. I have no problem with them dropping DOWN in weight to get a quick title shot.

    Plus, Pettis is a former WEC Champion with a win over Ben Henderson…. He has proven himself enough for a title shot with Jose Aldo…

    • RST says:

      “Jose Aldo is one scared fighter!!”

      You’re a funnny guy 45!
      Thats why I like you

      • RST says:

        I dont think Aldo is going to realistically try very hard to avoid Pettis
        (At least I hope not)

        But I can see his management trying to emulate shmilva and avoid any hard comp after getting to the top

        Aren’t they even on the same team?

        I’ve seen a certain nationality tend to do that before,
        but shmilva has made a career and been hailed as the GOAT for it

        Once again going back to the TRT thing,
        if you reward bad behavior then you encourage it

    • Steve4192 says:

      It has nothing to do with being scared.

      It has everything to do with trying to squeeze a few more dollars out of Zuffa.

      When push comes to shove, Aldo will take the fight. But not until his management has exhausted every last avenue for getting him a little extra something-something.

  18. david m says:

    I really dislike Dan Henderson. He always makes douchey comments after he loses. After Silva beat the fuck out of him, he was saying how Anderson didn’t want to fight him again because it was obvious Dan would beat him in a rematch. Last night after Machida clowned him for 2 rounds and Dan “won” the third round off of a slip turned into a takedown, Henderson again reverted to being a petulant prick. He said something to the effect of “Machida did a good job not fighting”, as if fighting just means taking steroids, running forward with your right hand, and having no other striking skills to fall back on. Dan looked horrid for 2 rounds, and if he weren’t allowed to take testosterone, his one weapon, the right hand, would be a lot less potent. Perhaps Machida should start taking testosterone and I bet he would do a lot less moving around and a lot more walking forward.

    • RST says:

      “He always makes douchey comments after he loses.”

      I think that has more to be with Dan just being a dude

      He’s just talking jazzy
      There may even be a bit of truth to it
      But he enjoys saying things just to be provocative as much as anybody

      Although I agree that he does get a bit off the reservation sometimes

    • edub says:

      Dan probably would have won the first too if it wasn’t for machida’s takedown at the end.

      He outstruck him in the round.

  19. Vanderlei's New Face says:

    Bermudez-Grice was awesome. I Watched the prelims with my father, who is near 70 and not an MMA fan, and his friend, who trains BJJ, but is not a hardcore UFC fan. That fight sold them on ordering the PPV. My dad even knew who Rousey was, due to seeing her on ESPN and HBO. The two of them overcame their reluctance to accept women fighting in the cage and enjoyed the main event, and I suspect they aren’t the only ones. I have to imagine 400,000-500,000 buys.

    Also, Carmouche has a star quality of her own. She was amazing at the post-fight press conference. She was funny at times, poised, and displayed a ton of personality. She looked good in the fight despite losing and I could see her drawing interest in her next fight. There’s definitely $$$ in a rematch down the road should she string together a couple of wins.

  20. Bellator Fan says:

    That PPV was an abortion.

    • Megatherium says:

      Yeah, I also felt it was a really shitty UFC ppv. Bellator 90 last Thursday, though, was amazing. I thought it was easily the best mma event I’ve seen in ages, a night of exciting fights and impressive finishes. Thursday night is quickly becoming fight night for me.

      • 45 Huddle says:

        The MMA Hipsters have arrived.

        Grice vs. Bermudez was more exciting then anything Bellator has done all season.

        Rousey vs. Carmouche had the feeling of a big time fight…. Probably the biggest of the year so far.

        Bellator has a lot of finishes because they have a low level of talent and a lot of mismatches…. Hardly make for exciting TV.

        But hey…. If your thing in MMA is a company where both Ben Saunders and Doug Marshall are Top 5 in their divisions…. Then I guess Bellator is your home for MMA.

        Ed. — It’s hard to see how anyone can make the argument that the UFC Anaheim show was not a success. It was a huge win for everyone.

  21. Bellator Fan says:

    Yeah Grice and Bermudez are clearly elite!!!!!

    • 45 Huddle says:

      Hardly elite. They are near the bottom of the UFC Talent pool. But the fight was amazing.

      And both fighters would be Top 10 in Bellator without blinking an eye.

      Look, I enjoy watching a weekly MMA program on Thursday nights as well. But lets be honest with what we are all watching in Bellator. For every Top Tier fighter they have (like Curran), the majority of the telecast is filled with mediocre (at best) talent.

      Once again, Ben Saunders & Doug Marshall are Top 5 in their Bellator weight classes. So is Marcos Galvao…. The talent just isn’t there in Bellator right now.

      And if their recent actions are any indication…. There won’t be anytime soon.

  22. Bellator Fan says:

    I would rather see them build their own stars than go after UFC’s combatsportsentertainment retreads. Chandler, Askren, Shlemenko can compete with anyone.

    • 45 Huddle says:

      Shlemenko got beat by Lombard who is 1-1 in the UFC.

      Askren struggled against Jay Hieron, although he has potential if he improves. His big weakness is still his striking. The UFC has a lot of guys who can’t be taken down easily and can strike very well.

      Chandler is still hard to determine. He got beat up for a few rounds against Alvarez but looks to be still improving.

      Curran is their best fighter…. And Featherweight is their best division.

      Some their champions aren’t the problem. It is the rest of the guys below them.

      Lima/Saunders is a finals rematch. Which means the rest of the 6 fighters in that tournament were not an improvement over last time. So this idea of them building their own stars is BS when Ben Saunders can be a 2 time finalist in their tournaments.

      And Lima will beat Saunders again and then lose to Askren again. Not enough time between fights for him to improve enough to beat Askren.

      I’ve been to I think 4 live Bellator shows. I watch them when they have a decent fight scheduled. But you are kidding yourself if you think they are really building stars there…. Almost 90 events and they have built up like 5 good guys on their own….

      • 45 Huddle says:

        Plus, look at their format…. Douglas Lima is a perfect example of what is wrong with their current format.

        The guy is 25 years old and without question a solid talent.

        After he beats Saunders again, he will get a rematch with Askren. That rematch will probably happen in the fall of this year and he will lose again.

        He started in Bellator in Sept 2011.

        Which means in basically 2 years he will have gone 7-2…. Won 2 Tournaments…. He then be ABSOLUTELY WORTHLESS TO BELLATOR.

        Think about it for a second. After he loses to Askren a 2nd time, there is no purpose of him going back into the tournament because nobody is going to want to see Lima/Askren 3. Which means he has no place in Bellator.

        Their format uses fighters up and spits them out. It pushes rematches before the fighters are ready.

        For the few fighters who can rise above…. They are in awesome in shape. They will either sign back with Bellator for more money or get a solid contract offer by the UFC.

        For the rest, it is gigantic black hole…

        • Tomer says:

          “Which means he has no place in Bellator.”

          I’m not sure about that – they could probably tell him to either cut to 155 or go up to 185. Of course, at 170 he’ll be finished (at least until Askren either leaves Bellator or loses the belt).

        • The Gaijin says:

          I hear ya there – they’re starting to see a few guys who will likely be “Jon Fitch”‘s or homeless man’s Rich Franklin’s. Good enough to kill off other contenders, but not good enough to ever beat the champ.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          And it is bound to happen… Heck it even happens in the UFC.

          But it is much worse when it happens in Bellator. There isn’t much room for “fun” fights like Franklin has done.

          Plus, it happens so much quicker in Bellator. 2 years and 9 fights later…. Douglas Lima is in purgatory. That is far too quick for a good prospect to be become useless….

          Tournaments are great for getting unknowns established. But to continue it as the core of an organization has such negatives that it really hurts the fighters themselves.

        • Bellator Fan says:

          UFC Huddle you would never say ANYTHING positive about another promotion so your opinion has no merit. The UFC’s format pushes far more rematches than Bellator does. I think Lima will have a better chance against Askren this time around. He knows what he has to do in order to win at this point and it’s not Bellator’s responsibility.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Actually I have given praise to some of their champions.

          So I have said something positive about Bellator…

      • Bellator Fan says:

        “Almost 90 events and they have built up like 5 good guys on their own….”

        The fact that they had little to no exposure until recently had a lot to do with that. Without exposure you can build anything regardless of the talent you might have.

      • The Gaijin says:

        “Chandler is still hard to determine. He got beat up for a few rounds against Alvarez but looks to be still improving.”

        I don’t really feel like that should be a black-mark on anyone’s resume, particularly if they ultimately won the fight.

        Eddie is a top 5 LW.

        • edub says:

          Plus, it’s not even accurate. Every round was back and forth. This wasn’t some type of come from behind victory. Chandler would have been up on the scorecards anyway.

  23. Bellator Fan says:

    Douglas Lima is also outstanding he just failed to beat Askren.

  24. 45 Huddle says:

    The Ronda Rousey PPV did over 400,000 PPV Buys. Which means she is a bigger draw then everything Lightweight and below and either on par or below for everything Welterweight and above.

    Figuring that each champion fights 2 times a year…. The UFC now has an automatic 10 PPV Main Events that can draw decent numbers. Which means Lightweight and below will now have one of 3 roles.

    1) Fill in the rest of the PPV Main Event Slots.

    2) Be Co-Main Events

    3) Be TV Main Events.

    Title fans draw in fans…. And I assume every single FOX card moving forward will now have a title fight…. Along with some of the FX cards…

    • edub says:

      Very good draw.

      Lets see what the UFC does in the future for her Co-main slots. I’d have to imagine they won’t wanna put people with a PPV % claim before her on the card each time.

      She was definitely the biggest draw here, but Hendo-Machida was quite hyped both to the hardcores and casual fan base.

  25. nottheface says:

    Regarding Ronda’s ppv sales
    1) Not sure yet if we shouldn’t be giveing Machida/Hendo a lot of the credit for the sales. Machida avgs over 500k a ppv
    2) With Hollywood already calling her it now makes more sense to me now why they were so intent on putting her on ppv. They need to make sure she’s making enough not to be tempted away.

    Overall I don’t care if she or Machida drew those fans, or even if they have to prop her up with a really strong co-main every time out. the attention she brings from traditionally non-mma media sources alone is grea for business. She’s worth more to the UFC brand and image than even 500k ppv sales.

    • The Gaijin says:

      Who are they going to find next is going to be the interesting question. IMO, Carmouche was a total squash match to showcase her on PPV. That’s all fine and good, it was obviously a pretty big fight, big risk and a lot at stake, but they’d better be willing to actually go out and find top quality contenders for her now that she’s an “established” draw. I wonder if we’ll see them get Gina to come back down the road.

      It’s also no wonder DW went out of his way to trash Cyborg – black mark re. steroids, Brazilian with bad english, not particularly attractive and is a beast who already destroyed Gina’s star. There was so much more to the story than about the weight-cutting/catchweight, etc. but we saw what story got the oxygen and legs from the “media”.

  26. 45 Huddle says:

    Johnson is out of Flyweight Title fight with an injury.

    Matt Riddle has been cut for testing positive for weed for a second time. Not a shock.

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