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Wednesday weekly media
By Zach Arnold | January 23, 2007
PRIDE markets Takanori Gomi vs. Nick Diaz as ‘PRIDE vs. top-class UFC fighter.’
- The Las Vegas Review-Journal (via UFC Junkie): Tito Ortiz says referee Mario Yamasaki stopped his fight against Chuck Liddell too early
- The Winnipeg Free Press: The Ultimate thrill
- Broadcast Newsroom: Versus signs deal with Chuck Norris’ World Combat League (which is labeled as MMA in the media)
- MMA On Tap: TKO 28 2/9 Canada event
- The MetroWest Daily News: Coach Kevin Kearns fires up Kenny Florian and everyday folks to Burn (Pounds) With Kearns
- UFC Mania: Interview with Nathan Marquardt
- MMA Weekly: Kevin Randleman in the hospital
- Gong Kakutougi (via Gryphon): Mirko says he wants to fight in PRIDE again (the Sherdog forum posters are already questioning the validity of this post, and the answer is it’s legitimate – so stop making fun of Gryphon’s English skills)
- The Eyeopener: Crackdown on the smackdown (about MMA and how Ontario has prevented it from being legalized)
- WCCO (Minnesota): Town of Red Wing, Minnesota bans MMA
- ESPN’s Page 2: Fight like a girl (article about a Pillow Fighting League emcee’d by Canadian voice Dan Lovranski, with a mention of PFL being like MMA)
- Sports Nippon (Japan): Gomi vs. Diaz on PRIDE 33 marketed as “Gomi vs. top class of UFC, Nick Diaz”
- UFC HP: Sean Salmon – MMA’s mystery man arrives in the UFC
- The Houston Chronicle: UFN 8 features key match between Fisher & Franca
Topics: All Topics, Japan, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 22 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Does any one know at what time is the weight ins tomorrow?
For UFN 8 I mean
I saw a commercial for the WCL on Versus a couple of nights ago and I got a very “Iron Chef” vibe from it. Chuck was sitting at a desk in a suit saying something along the lines of, “for years I’ve wanted to display the very best in martial arts.” Cue fighters standing on a stage with their arms crossed and some flashing lights and a camera that slowly pulls from the scene. I thought it was pretty funny.
Broccoli battle!
The WCL also has teams designated by cities, which is something the IFL should’ve probably done, but there’s no clinching or grappling of any kind. The actual fighting is done in something that resembles a bowl of some sort.
Is it really MMA without grappling?
I got comp tickets last Superbowl sunday weekend to the WCL. It was the night before the UFC show. Pete Spratt fought & lost a decision. The event was pretty lame. The highlight was me falling down a row of chairs onto my head, but saving my beer from spilling.
The Cro Crop story may be genuine but it’s also completely pointless – so he’s working the Japanese on the way out about wanting to work for Pride again?
Your carny radar detector is working at 100% capacity today, Rohan. 🙂
I don’t know how that WCL story made the AP wire as a new story given the fact that the WCL has been airing on Versus since last year. The renewal may be new, but just the fact that the WCL is on Versus is not.
MMA Critic said on the thread yesterday: “The IFL cancelled their show in Lakeland, FL for April.â€
According to the MMAWeekly rumors page for the IFL (http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=3279&z=14), the event in question has been moved from Lakeland, Florida to Las Vegas, Nevada.
Any reason for the move? Bad ticket sales? With Oakland show getting poor sales, and now this event moving on a shorter notice, things aren’t exactly peachy for the IFL. Plus, not they are going to UFC country. Let’s see how well the commission takes to them.
And the WCL is perfect example of how a TV contract doesn’t always matter. When you watch it, it just doesn’t feel like something I want to watch. They have great exposure through the Versus Network, but they are never going to become a big time league due to the quality of the fighters and the look and feel of the show. HINT HINT….. Not to say that the IFL will fail, but it shows that pure exposure alone is not enough……
Man, this sucks for Randleman and all. But gee, however would he have gotten kidney problems? I am simply stumped here, guys. Really.
the whole Mirko talking up PRIDE thing should translate in English to “hey, Dana, when I whoop that clown’s ass and win your belt, could you please send the Russian over to fight me? k thx bi”
Chuck Norris knows more about acting than real martial arts, and that ain’t much!!
Dude! Have some respect for Chuck Norris.
I said a few weeks back in a post here that I think the UFC and Pride are working together for the Ultimate NYE show… and now Crocop is hinting at it too!
Why would Cro Cop bother “working” the Japanese audience as he heads to fight for the UFC??
I’m assuming you’re concluding that the UFC plans on running shows in Japan and they don’t want him to be an uber heel sellout?
That would be my read on it. It’s called “Leveraged Negotiation Tactics.” And trust me on this, it’s all about the Benjamins, baby.
6-time world Karate champion…and I know he could kick MY ass…
Oh, and that was a really good treatment of the fight to legalize MMA in Ontario, Canada.
“I said a few weeks back in a post here that I think the UFC and Pride are working together for the Ultimate NYE show… and now Crocop is hinting at it too!”
Not going to happen, not unless the UFC buys Pride. As long as they are owned by separate companies (Zuffa and DSE), it will never happen.
zach, what do you think of new shukan gendai campaign against sumo champion? it seems you agree all of magazine’s big 2006 story, PRIDE-Fuji-yakuza. so is it true that asashoryu and other major sumo stars did yaocho?
also, sumo association says maybe use legal steps against false accusation. if it ends up association do nothing, is that like admitting that magazine is right?
As far as the yakuza connection in Sumo… there was an interesting article at the end of last year talking about how the police were giving seminars to both the fighters and the promoters/management about how to avoid shakedowns from the yakuza (this was for Ryogoku Kokugikan).
Usually with the scandal magazines in Japan, they often rely on leaks (a police source, a newspaper source connected to a prosecutor, etc.) So whether or not there’s a pure motive behind the leaking, that’s yet to be determined.
The more I hear about the Yakuza, the more legit American Boxing sounds. And that is saying something.
the Sumo Association will sue Shukan Gendai just like DSE and Sakakibara sued Shukan Gendai
its a bit hard to sue somebody for false allegations when they are printing the facts. remember, the truth is a full defense