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Media notes: Who got axed for Kimbo Slice on TUF, UFC legislation in New York moves forward
By Zach Arnold | June 4, 2009
The Vancouver Sun wasted no time in talking about three Canadian fighters allegedly getting axed from The Ultimate Fighter in favor of building a new season of the show around Kimbo Slice and 15 other heavyweights.
In an effort to focus the show on Slice’s quest, the UFC killed the light heavyweight and middleweight portions of the show and started firing off last minute invitations to assorted heavyweights – including a host of former NFL football players – to join him on the show.
That spelled doom for Canadian MMA fighters Nick Hinchliffe, Marcus Vinicios and Luke Harris, who had made it past several auditions and were looking increasingly likely to make the final cut.
Someone else who got the thumbs down yesterday was Bob Reilly, the New York state assemblyman who tried to keep MMA legislation from passing. Yesterday, he failed miserably:
Reilly’s bruising defeat followed 45 minutes of talk that nearly resembled a debate. The next committee waiting to use the meeting space had complained that the Assembly’s Committee on Tourism, Arts, Parks and Sports Development had run over its 30-minute allotment. That forced chair Steven Englebright, a tall and languid Democrat from Suffolk County, to admonish Reilly twice to wrap up his speech and to cut off other members who wished to speak.
After being reviewed in the Codes committee, the 15-page legislation, which grants regulatory authority over mixed martial arts to the state athletic commission, will go to a full vote on the Assembly floor later this session.
More local coverage on the story: Capital News 9, New York Newsday, The Post-Star, and The Associated Press
Someone who isn’t failing miserably right now is Michael Bisping and he now (reportedly) has a new UFC contract to prove it (or does he?). Let’s see him fight in New York soon, preferrably in a grudge re-match against local Utica fighter Matt Hamill. What a tailor-made storyline that would be.
Topics: Canada, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 7 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Jon Fitch got cut from a TUF Show and ended up getting a world title shot. Good fighters find a way to the top no matter what.
As for Bisping, he is just another one of the proven TUF guys who has been nicely rewarded. Griffin & Evans have also gotten nice big contracts. I’m not sure Bisping will ever win a title, but he is worth whatever they are paying him. They need good UK Talent, and there aren’t many of them (just watch TUF this season, yikes!)
MMABay is perhaps the worst site for reporting out there. I wouldn’t trust anything they say.
I hope Bob Reilly gets a primary challenger. Congrats to Bisping. He’s everything the sport should be
Look at the quote in the Bisping story on MMABay. Does that really sound like a paragraph he would come out with?
It’s either horribly mis-quoted or just an outright lie. Either way it’s poor.
The last thing New York city needs are more upstate New Yorkers. While I would love to see Hamill beat Bisping again, there would have to be a huge match up on that card. The way DW has been booking things lately, I would expect no less.
Looks like the boys finally made some connections in New York. It was only a matter of time. NYPD is going to have their work cut out for them.
“Jon Fitch got cut from a TUF Show and ended up getting a world title shot. Good fighters find a way to the top no matter what.”
Thats what I was about to say. Since they have gotten the attention of UFC, they’ll be back.
Quite possibly next season since Kimbo is a sure seller and has pretty much guaranteed this season and one more after it IMO.
And Alans very correct about MMAbay also.
Lol.
🙂
Canadian guys cut = meh. I’ve seen all three guys fight and they’re nothing special.