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UFC Monday Night Invasion
By Zach Arnold | October 9, 2006
By Zach Arnold
To say that the UFC hype machine was in full effect on American cable television would be an understatement. Read the article in full-post view to read how much coverage UFC got on Monday night.
On Monday, UFC aired the weigh-ins for the Ken Shamrock vs. Tito ortiz III card on Spike TV. They tried to make a 30-minute tape-delayed weigh-in process look exciting, and for the most part I give them credit. They were taped at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino arena in Seminole, Florida, and it was hosted by Joe Rogan (w/ Mike Goldberg). All of the fighters made weight, and they aired a video package showing Kendall Grove on the day of weigh-ins. The entire process of him waking up in the morning, finding out how much weight he had to cut, then running a few miles, and then putting on a sauna suit to get down to 185 pounds. “Grouchy, hungry, it sucks. The day drags out, and minutes goes hours.”
After an ad for UFC 64, Dana White introduced Ken Shamrock (and later Tito Ortiz) for their weigh-ins and post weigh-ins promos. Shamrock looked relaxed, and he got a monster reaction from the live crowd. Tito Ortiz got a loud reaction to, although it was a mixed response. Tito was on fire with his interviews. This man is the best talker in wrestling or MMA right now.
After the 30-minute weigh-ins special, Spike TV aired the UFC All Access: Tito Ortiz show (taped from Big Bear, California).
Additionally, both Ken Shamrock & Tito Ortiz appeared on Stephen A. Smith’s Quite Frankly show on ESPN2 to hype up their fight. Both guys were talking each other a lot. Still two of the best promos in MMA. Even Stephen A. Smith recognized on TV that he wished all the fighters cut promos the way these two did. Shamrock called Tito a punk and a guy who didn’t appreciate Ken Shamrock and other legends paving the road for him to earn a living. This segment was highly entertaining. Far more entertaining than any of the interviews on the 3-hour edition of RAW (produced by WWE). After a commercial break, Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes appeared in studio to do a segment on UFC (the growth of MMA, Ken vs. Tito III). Hughes was a better talker than Chuck in this segment, but both guys did well for themselves. They both hate Tito. “He’s his best fan and best sponsor.” Hughes put over parts of the Zuffa myth (in regards to how the new owners of UFC took over and changed the rules). In response to a person from the audience asking a question as to whether or not the best fighters from Japan would fight the UFC guys, Hughes said that PRIDE didn’t want their champions to fight in the other promotion and lose. He also reiterated that he would like to fight at 185 pounds and win the title there, but not if Rich Franklin (his friend) was the champion.
Topics: All Topics, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 2 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
They had UFC 64 Countdown on Spike TV from 11:30-12:30 also tonight
Hughes can drop the belt to GSP and face Silva after he dings Rich on the chin for the win.