« Fight Opinion Radio #45: The funeral of PRIDE | Home | PRIDE 5/20 Saitama show postponed »
Evening headlines: Focus on Fedor
By Zach Arnold | April 13, 2007
The writer who was hounding Xyience & UFC online is apparently back.
One question I would like to get your answer on: If Bodog is in fact taking bets on their own BodogFight show, are you comfortable or uncomfortable with this taking place?
- Press Release: IFL 4/13 Mohegan Sun Arena event results
- Fight Report: Diego Sanchez in the Depression Chamber
- Mad Squabbles: A word about Fedor
- Click Press: Solis releases Liddell affliction signature tee
- The Canadian Press: Dana White sends shout-out to Canadian MMA fans
- BodogBeat: Lindland and Fedor weigh-in for BodogFight
- BodogBeat: Fedor ready to break “The Law” at BodogFight
- Gambling 911: Fedor speaks to Sports911: Still negotiating with BodogFight and PRIDE
- UFC Junkie: Jeremy Stephens to make UFC debut against Din Thomas at UFC 71
- The Baltimore Sun: TUF 5 episode two recap and more
- The Bristol Herald Courier (Tennessee): UFC champion Matt Serra will be in Abingdon tonight
- Komikazee: Finding the right MMA gym
- The Belfast Telegraph (UK): Ulster medics warn of dangers of MMA contests
Topics: BoDog, Canada, IFL, Media, MMA, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 21 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Nice use of Badstreet USA.
Thanks for the audio show.
1 comment: Whoever suggested the Don Frye fight was staged is nuts. Frye is an aging dude, not in best shape. Frye was just rocked and the sadistic referee wouldn’t stop the fight. I hope he’s suffered nothing permanent. I really could have done without that match-up. Frye should keep his dignity and coach IFL.
That was Jeff who suggested the fight was a work, and that was me and Luke rebutting back.
Results for Bodog are being posted at Sherdog.com
I can’t justify buying this PPV. Not enough fights get me interested.
*****SPOILER******
*****SPOILER******
*****SPOILER******
Aleksander Emelianenko KO’d Eric Pele in the first round.
1. Why in hell would Sherdog postb the results right on the front page? Somethingis wrong over there. Maybe they have something against Bodog, but they are only taking away the enjoyment of it for their readers.
2. I thought Zach’s streak of perfect predictions on Pride’s business dealings would come to an end with the closure of the sale to the fertittas. Hmm, maybe I thought too soon and Zach may just turn out to be right. Still I think the deal has or will go through officially if for no other reason than to prevent K1 from taking over.
I always felt the fertittas had a plan B involving taking the fighters and running back to the US. Now I am beginning to think Plan B may be Plan A and they will only atick around long enough to see if they can get lucky with a jaoanese TV contract.
3. On the subject of bad journalism. I agree, the so called MMA journalists did not do their job. That includes both internet and print media. Those magazines are a joke and are more interested in showing bikini girls than doing real investigative journalism.
In their defence, for some, it is just a hobby, and they don’t have the knowledge or resources to do a real news site. And theend of Pride was sad for the fan of fights and spectacular productions, both of which were incredibly done under Saki, even if they were tainted by his business practices.
4. I didn’t think the Monson-Fujita or the Swick-okami fight were especually boring. I enjoyed the Monson fight. It wasn’t Lil Nog and Shogun, but it was interesting. We even saw a soccer kick, which is always a thrilling moment.
5. I think you guys were way too generous giving the IFL a year or more to live. I say 6 months. I was really starting to get into it too. Last night I was actually rooting ofr the Wolfpack over the Pitbulls and NOT for the individual fighters, even though I really like Leopoldo on Renzo’s team.
I think the IFL was a concept that could have worked, they just didn’t find the right approach soon enough. they blew through a ton of money early and made and continue to make some bad decisions. I am sure though, that the main reason always given for the IFL’s failure–the team concept–is not the reason for their failure. It is just a bad business plan.
6.. As for the California Athletic commision, what responsibility do they have to publicise the results of the tests? The tests are still made available to the public, it is up to journalists or anyone else to ask for them. I thought there was, however, a network agrement of sorts between the state commisions, so that Nevada and others would have been sent the results even if they weren’t deliberately publicized.
7. Does anyone think Frye’s MMA fights were stiff works? I heard one person raise doubts about the Thompson fight, but does anyone think his other fights were suspect?
“Why in hell would Sherdog postb the results right on the front page? Somethingis wrong over there. Maybe they have something against Bodog, but they are only taking away the enjoyment of it for their readers.”
As a staff member, I can tell you that the ideology behind it is simply that you report news when it happens. As for “the enjoyment of it for their readers”, Sherdog has millions of readers from all over the world, and most of them outside of North American have zero access to watching the BodogFIGHT PPV, and are therefore interested in live results and updates.
Also, the IFL’s hype has pretty much evaporated, and it’s own dilution has began to kill it. The almost their entire cards now are mismatches with guys like Wojtek Kaszowski getting trotted out there to get beat down by decently skilled fighters.
So you’re saying that Josh Gross complaining on Sherdog radio about BodogFight telling them they couldn’t report results live, thus angering Sherdog is not a motivating factor? 🙂
FWIW, a message to the US MMA media – the Japanese media is told all the time by TV networks and promotions to withhold results and coverage until 3 AM the next day after an event takes place so as to not provide spoilers.
Jordan,
That is a horrible excuse. You can easily put a link from the front page to the results with a warning. You would be doing your job as journalists and doing a service to the many readers who are waiting for the PPV. There is no either/or here. A perfectly good solution that makes everyone happy is possible.
This isn’t hepling the fans, the sport, the promotion, or the fighters. This isn’t war reporting. we aren’t in danger of being nuked by a foreign power. There is no need to put the results in big letters on the front page.
I do hope no fighters have contracts guaranteeing them a percentage of the PPV.
“So you’re saying that Josh Gross complaining on Sherdog radio about BodogFight telling them they couldn’t report results live, thus angering Sherdog is not a motivating factor?”
Nah. He did something he wanted to do initially, and complained about when he couldn’t do it. It’s not like Bodog’s wishes altered The Fatcat’s course of action in any way.
“FWIW, a message to the US MMA media – the Japanese media is told all the time by TV networks and promotions to withhold results and coverage until 3 AM the next day after an event takes place so as to not provide spoilers.”
It’s not just the Japanese media, it’s ALL fight media. PRIDE and K-1’s wishes have always been respected by Sherdog. I once had to pull results off the FightFinder, updating while I watched, simply because I forgot about it.
I think what’s at stake in this case is the length of the spoiler embargo in conjunction with the fact that a HUGE amount of international MMA fans don’t have the ability to watch the event anyway, so it differs somewhat from PRIDE and K-1.
“That is a horrible excuse. You can easily put a link from the front page to the results with a warning. You would be doing your job as journalists and doing a service to the many readers who are waiting for the PPV.”
I agree completely.
Josh Gross on the radio show has said that if they are to be taken seriously as journalists, then they have to cover the results when they happen.
I actually think it makes them look like jokes in the world of journalists.
1. THE OLYMPICS – Results are often held back on mainstream news media to allow for coverage by NBC.
2. BOXING – Once in a while when an international event is shown on HBO through a slight tape delay, the results are not reported on until the showing.
3. WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC – ESPN would typically have the results, but they wouldn’t post them on their main page. They made you work for it, so if you really wanted to find out, it was there. But you knew what you were clicking on before you found out.
Having the results on the main page is pathetic. It is poor journalism at it’s worst.
It goes down with Gross reporting TUF4 results on the media page and saying if people didn’t want to know, then just don’t listen. And then completely missing out on the fact that anybody who goes to a message board somehow found out about the results whether they wanted to or not. Baseball writer’s will often times know the results of the MVP ballots before MLB announces it. Out of the RESPECT FOR THE SPORT THAT THEY COVER… They don’t report on it.
It is no different then baseball reporters not reporting on any trades or baseball talk during the World Series. This is out of respect for the game.
Sherdog.com (in general, and not directed at Mr. Breem) consistently shows an unprofessional attitude when it comes to this.
“FWIW, a message to the US MMA media – the Japanese media is told all the time by TV networks and promotions to withhold results and coverage until 3 AM the next day after an event takes place so as to not provide spoilers.”
This happens all the time, with many sports.
I didn’t mention it, but Tennis Results from Australia are also withheld in America until Prime Time has a chance to show it. So are Rider Cup results in Golf.
This isn’t something new. A good journalist knows the majority of fans want to wait until prime time to watch their sport. Parading the results is actually one of the main reasons why Sherdog.com isn’t invited to many MMA sporting events. They don’t even respect the sport they cover.
Please… you should know better and not visit Sherdog or any other MMA sites the same day as the event. It’s your own damn fault if you where spoiled.
“Once in a while when an international event is shown on HBO through a slight tape delay, the results are not reported on until the showing.”
This part isn’t true, really. Take for example the Kessler/Andrade fight which was the last Boxing After Dark telecast. All major boxing outlets reported on it live from Copenhagen, while the event was on tape delay later that night. This is the standard.
Yeah I wasn’t impressed at all that Sherdog ruined the Fedor-Lindland fight. As mentioned before, you can say you’ve got the results, but putting the spoilers right on the front page … I’m pretty pissed off.
For most of the day all it had was the link to the results. It’s silly that they would now just spoil it.
I’m not sure what’s more annoying … the media sites that are ignoring the Bodog show, or Sherdog for effing things up for people who were looking forward to the show. If it was a Pride show they wouldn’t scream the result on the front page hours before the show airs.
Dude they always do this.
Sherdog.net = forums that are spoiler free.
Sherdog.com = news site with all the up to date info no matter what.
I’m always super careful if I know I’m buying the ppv.
Maybe my memory is failing me, but I seem to recall them just linking to spoilers on the home page in the time between Pride shows actually finishing and their U.S. pay per view. Either way, OK, so “I should have known” it was coming, but it killed my mood to watch the show. Thanks for nothing sherdog.
By the way that Nastula and CroCop article has been translated.
http://ufcmania.com/2007/04/13/ufc-70-cro-cop-training-with-nastula-and-corletta-for-gonzaga/
CroCop as a BJJ Black Belt for the win!