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« | Home | »

Monday news & notes (2/25/08)

By Zach Arnold | February 25, 2008

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Jan “The Giant” Nortje makes quick work of Bob Sapp

For those of you in the Reno area, supposedly there is going to be an MMA event at the Grand Sierra Resort on April 5th. The promoter is High Roller Productions. Anyone have details on this show?

Tomorrow in Clark County court (Las Vegas), judge Jennifer Togliatti will have a hearing in the Zuffa LLC vs. Randy Couture case regarding Zuffa’s motion for a preliminary injunction. It will happen at 1:30 PM PST.

While UFC will have a major MMA event on 4/19 in Montreal, HBO will be running a boxing card promoted by Golden Boy Promotions from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas that same night.

If you missed our new radio show posted online this past weekend, go listen to it.

  1. The Sun Star (Philippines): Why I can never be an MMA fighter
  2. Pramit Mohapatra: Q & A with the TapOut crew
  3. MMA Payout: Birds of a Feather – Zuffa’s future in light of WWE’s 2007 financial results
  4. Charles Jay: The obligations of Randy Couture
  5. Japan MMA: K-1 2/24 MAX Asia tournament results
  6. The Houston Chronicle: Silva vs. Henderson pits contrasting styles
  7. The Western Standard (Canada): John McCain vs. MMA
  8. The Dayton Daily News (OH): Fans asked for deliver — Evan Tanner is finally ready to deliver with a return to octagon at UFC 82
  9. Luke Thomas: Why regulation is critical to MMA
  10. Adam Morgan: Gary Goodridge says Kimbo Slice is the 2008 version of Mr. T
  11. Fightmetric: We need volunteers
  12. Fightlinker: Mark Cuban is Pokemon master of MMA – wants to ‘catch ’em all’
  13. MMA on Tap: Cuban and McMahon – match made in MMA heaven or hell?

Topics: Boxing, K-1, Media, MMA, Pro Elite, South Korea, UFC, WWE, Zach Arnold | 19 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

19 Responses to “Monday news & notes (2/25/08)”

  1. Ultimo_Santa says:

    Thanks a lot for posting that video. I forgot that the Nortje vs. Sapp fight was even happening.

    Bob Sapp looked considerably less toned and muscular. His performance was very sad, but not at all unexpected.

    He should quit with his millions of dollars and get out of fighting before he makes a joke of himself (moreso than he is now), or gets permanently injured.

  2. Chuck says:

    I always found it funny that for such a muscular, big, husky man Bob Sapp can’t take a strike to save his life. He is just afraid to get hit. I agree with Ultimo, even though I am not one to tell a grown-ass man what to do with his or her life Sapp should just retire from fightingh and just do acting and pro wrestling. He’s not a good wrestler but it’s fake and a talented jobber can make a broom look good.

  3. Grape Knee High says:

    Poor Bob Sapp.

    I can’t say that I’ve seen all of Sapp’s fights, but I don’t recall him ever fighting anyone physically larger than him. Seems to me like it was a poor match-up from the start, at least from the promoter’s point of view if the goal was to have Sapp win.

  4. Zack says:

    Didn’t he fight Hong Man Choi in K-1?

  5. Dave2 says:

    Yes he did and he lost. You put him in with a guy around his size but with more talent and he’s going to lose.

    How much does Sapp make in MMA anyway? Didn’t Zach (or Meltzer?) say that Sapp routinely makes about $35,000 per show for HUSTLE? That’s very good for a pro wrestling salary so he should stay in Japan doing HUSTLE pro wrestling and that’s it. Hard Gay does well enough with his pro wrestling gig considering that he’s a huge celeb over there. Bob also probably still gets paid well for appearances in Japanese TV I bet. Even if Bob Sapp is washed up and not quite the mega celebrity he used to be.

    Speaking of Hard Gay, HUSTLE might as well pair up with M-1 Global and FEG to make him Fedor’s opponent for NYE 2008. If M-1 Global is going to handpick cheap competition for Fedor, might as well try to aim for a big money making freak show.

  6. liger05 says:

    sappvof the juice or something. he looked smaller. i swear he just gives up. he has no desire at all. sapp in hustle is ok but thats it. remember him in new japan and he was awful. the joke promotion hustle is right for sapp.

  7. Grape Knee High says:

    Linda McMahon was just on CNBC’s Fast Money and they asked her about the Floyd Mayweather thing and then asked her if she would bring an MMA fighter over and co-promote them in the WWE.

    Her answer was: “Well, we’ve already sent one of our guys over there to the UFC, so yeah, we’d consider it.”

    What was really shocking to me was how professional and informed she was. (I don’t know who she is or what her role in the company is, but she sounded like a CEO or CFO.) Anyone want to make a guess as to whether Dana White knows what free cash flow means?

  8. Dave2 says:

    Linda McMahon is the professional one in the McMahon family. Vince is more off his rocker but he’s more professional in public than Dana at least.

  9. Grape Knee High says:

    OMG, this shit on Wikipedia (in the entry for Linda McMahon) is awesome:

    Linda feuded with Vince throughout mid-1999. At one point, she and Stephanie supposedly gave their WWF stock to Stone Cold Steve Austin, granting him a great deal of power. Austin lost these powers to Vince and Shane McMahon in a handicap ladder match.

    then…

    Later, Mick Foley returned to the WWF as Commissioner with the blessing of Linda McMahon. At the same time, Vince McMahon went on a hiatus, claiming that he had realized why Linda was opposing him – she wanted another baby. Dubbing himself the “genetic jackhammer,” Vince left for several months.

  10. 45 Huddle says:

    Not sure if I can ever get use to the 6 sided cage. The circle cage that EliteXC uses is hard enough as it is. But the 6 sided cage just plays tricks on my eyes and detracts from the fight.

    Is it safe to say that Bob Sapp is off the juice?

  11. 45 Huddle says:

    Diego Sanchez was on Sherdog Radio, and they announced he signed a new 6 fight UFC contract.

    My guess he is making at least $75,000 per win.

  12. Dave2 says:

    Diego Sanchez’s TUF winner contract was up right? He won TUF April 2005 and because the TUF contract is 3 years/9 fights, I’d take it that his term would be up April 2008. Wouldn’t this be the same for Forrest Griffin as well?

  13. 45 Huddle says:

    I believe Forrest Griffin is up. I’m sure he will get a fat paycheck, especially now being in line for a title shot. Josh Koscheck is up. Chris Leben’s was up, and he signed back on for $25,000/$25,000, which is much better then his previous $10,000/$10,000. not sure about Stephan Bonnar because he got busted for roids and is now injured. He likely hasn’t gotten his 9 fights out of the way, but I’m not sure how the contract is structured.

    And I imagine Kenny Florian’s is up. But he is a company man, and he likely signed back on for them to be main eventing him on the next card.

    And I think the only other one is Mike Swick, who is fighting Marcus Davis, so there he likely is back on.

    So the only real question mark is Josh Koscheck.

  14. Zack says:

    “Not sure if I can ever get use to the 6 sided cage. The circle cage that EliteXC uses is hard enough as it is. But the 6 sided cage just plays tricks on my eyes and detracts from the fight.”

    LOL

  15. 45 Huddle says:

    what’s so funny about my comment?

    Heck, just looking at the still picture in the video, two of the sides appear to be much longer. Either they are or they appear to be. Either way, it’s a mind messer….

  16. PizzaChef says:

    I find it funny that on that Western Standard article someone named “Fact Checker” is posting completely misinformed and biased “facts” about MMA, and showing their support to John McCain. And that when someone tells him his mistakes, he ran off like a bullshit coward.

  17. Luke says:

    I agree completely with the Charles Jay piece on Randy Couture’s obligations. I would suspect that he’ll prevail in the fight over the non-compete clause, but I can’t see how the courts can rule that a fighter who signed for four fights, can simply run out the clock, after only two of those fights.

    I think Couture winning that suit would be seen in the short-term as being in the best interest of the sport because the fans would get to see a fight they want to see, but long term I think Zuffa losing the contract-expiration portion of the lawsuit would be very harmful to all promoters.

  18. Zack says:

    “what’s so funny about my comment?”

    I didn’t want to get insulting but you sound like a child sometimes. Let me know if you want me to come warm you up a glass of milk and tuck you in so you can get to sleep.

  19. Chuck says:

    “Not sure if I can ever get use to the 6 sided cage. The circle cage that EliteXC uses is hard enough as it is. But the 6 sided cage just plays tricks on my eyes and detracts from the fight.

    Is it safe to say that Bob Sapp is off the juice?”

    Naw man, you are just not used to a cage that ISN’T eight sides. Just keep watching EliteXC and Strikeforce, you will get used to the different sides (or in the case of EliteXC no sides at all, it is a complete circle).

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