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UFC 110 2/20 in Australia at Acer Arena
By Zach Arnold | February 20, 2010
Dark matches
- Light Heavyweights: James Te Huna vs. Igor Pokrajac
- Middleweights: CB Dollaway vs. Goran Reljic
- Welterweights: Chris Lytle vs. Brian Foster
- Light Heavyweights: Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
Main card
- Heavyweights: Mirko Cro Cop vs. Anthony Perosh
- Light Heavyweights: Keith Jardine vs. Ryan Bader
- Lightweights: Joe Stevenson vs. George Sotiropoulos
- Middleweights: Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping
- Heavyweights: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez
Event results: Sherdog | MMA Weekly | MMA Junkie
Comments on the event results START HERE.
About whether or not UFC does well with merchandise…
The show set the Acer Arena’s all-time merchandise record,which means beating numbers for a number of sold out WWE events. The old record was set by an Iron Maiden concert.
UFC, in fact, may have had more fans who bought merchandise than the total amount of cash Strikeforce made in merchandise sales (number: 8,000.)
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 178 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
I feel that this event signals the return of good UFC PPV’s. From top to bottom, the PPV card is solid. Really looking forward to the main event.
Agreed, I’ve not had a massive problem with the last few UFC’s, probably because we don’t have to pay for them here in the UK.
That said, this is the first card in a while that I’m making ‘plans’ for – getting the boys round, firing up the big screen etc.
Great main event, intriguing co-main event and a quality undercard. Shame there is no prelim show this time though…was quite looking forward to watching Haseman/Sinosic for old time’s sake.
Thirded. I boycotted UFC 109: AARP Attack but this is worthy of money.
I still won’t pay money to see it, but its a better card. I guess we’ll know where Cain Velasquez really is.
Good show. I ain’t paying for it either, just to keep the informal survey going.
Go Haseman!
“I feel that this event signals the return of good UFC PPV’s. From top to bottom, the PPV card is solid. Really looking forward to the main event.”
Pride guys = exciting cards
I think Cain Velasquez is going to win this one. Nogueira has slowed down enough that he is going to get grounded out on the losing side of a decision. It might not be as brutal as his losses to Fedor, but I believe it could look very much like those losses.
Looking at Zuffa’s upcoming schedule…. There isn’t a card for a few months that I’m not excited about. The downside?
From January 2nd to July 3rd…. They are running 10 PPV’s. That’s going to bite them in the ass by the end of 2010…. At least I think it is. When you have devoted fans like me willing to skip a few shows because it’s just too much money…. That means Zuffa isn’t doing it correctly…
Zack, according to other sites, the winner of Bisping- Silva is expected to fight Akiyama. If it is indeed Silva who wins and he fights Akiyama, would that be a potential main event for a card in Japan that Zuffa wants to hold later in the year according to some? Or is holding an event in Japan just something Zuffa will continue to say but in reality it won’t happen to to various factors?
I’m still confused as to why Zuffa thinks they need to run two UFC PPVs a month and more than 12 in a year. You’d think when they were devastated by poor cards because of injuries and too many PPV shows last year that they would have learned something. This really does come off as super greedy to run so many PPVs. Especially when these are cards with 1, maybe 2 interesting matches and a whole bunch of thrown together junk. If they stuck to 12 evenly spaced out shows we’d be talking about shows with top to bottom great cards instead of a lot of the filler they’ve been pushing on these shows.
Rp
“This really does come off as super greedy to run so many PPVs.”
I completely agree.
“Pride guys = exciting cards”
Man I thought Pride got bought up by Zuffa a while ago. Does Pride still have these guys under contract?
Really looking forward to the Stevenson vs Sotiropolous. That should be along the lines of when Joe fought Nate. If either can get a sub I will be very surprised. Unless Joe gets a guillotine. That wouldn’t surprise me at all.
You gotta love some mma fans they bitch about cards like UFC 108 supposedly not having enough names and star power for a buy then turn around and say the won’t pay for a card stacked like UFC 110.
I’m so glad that Zuffa basically just does what they do and ignore the seemingly never is able to be pleased minority of mma fans now adays.
Hell if they’d listen to then them, they would probably be out of business along with Pride. I’m glad they learned that these people’s opinions are irrelevant and that they should trust their business model because it’s the only one which has been succesfull and continues to break all sorts of records in the worst economy in decades.
In response to the UFC having so many shows,I think it has a bit to do with the fact that it allows Zuffa to carry more fighters. Which dilutes the talent pool that the other organizations have to pull from. Top that off with 55-65 dollars a buy and it makes holding more shows quite appealing. Greedy? yes. Smart business? Absolutely!
Ufc is still a joke, they cut Coleman but are keeping busted for roids Bonner? who was owned by colemans gnp?
Other legends like cout and Lid tito get the red carpet back when they \”look bad\” losing 2 in a row.
You gotta love some mma fans they bitch about cards like UFC 108 supposedly not having enough names and star power for a buy then turn around and say the won’t pay for a card stacked like UFC 110
What definition are we using for “stacked card” today? Is the basis comparing numbers of top ten fighters, or is it the competitive nature of the booking? LOL
Its an okay card, which is better than an atrocious card, and neither “okay” nor “atrocious” are going to bring in hellabuys. It will make money though, and you’ll probably love it, regardless of how competitive the fights end up being. So, uh, great for you!
I wish they would’ve let Nog vs Cain be for the interim title instead of Mir/Carwin. There’s a way bigger chance of that one needing five rounds, where Mir/Carwin probably won’t make it past the 1st or 2nd.
If either Nog or Cain lose a close decision, that really sucks.
I’m really looking forward to the Abu Dhabi card more than anything, just for the novelty of getting to watch UFC at 10am. I just gotta find a bar that gets it. The noon time UK PPVs are my absolute favorite.
The card looks a lot better than the last two.
In much funnier news, here is James Toney’s latest unintelligible rant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkZfHiHLR4g
“Its an okay card, which is better than an atrocious card, and neither “okay” nor “atrocious” are going to bring in hellabuys. It will make money though, and you’ll probably love it, regardless of how competitive the fights end up being. So, uh, great for you!”
How dare I enjoy the best fighters in the world facing each other in competitive fights. Remind me who is putting on better cards than these so called “okay” and “atrocious” ones you think the UFC is putting on?. Right, anyways keep on hating and propping up the competition it’s the thing you and your types are best at.
Good card, I’m looking forward to it. With the exception of Penn vs Sanchez, this is the most relevant main event since UFC 104, believe it or not. It’s been a rough couple of months.
I’m going to put some money on Velasquez, Bisping and Rothwell. I think Nog’s best days are behind him. He’s looked so slow and broken down in his past few fights. Wanderlei has gone 1-5, and this is his first fight at 185. I think Bisping will take it to the distance and win through strike volume. Crocop is shot, simply put. I’d happily take almost any top 20 HW against him at +120 without a second thought.
EJ: http://www.ufc.com
HTH.
How dare I enjoy the best fighters in the world facing each other in competitive fights. Remind me who is putting on better cards than these so called “okay” and “atrocious” ones you think the UFC is putting on?
There are Strikeforce, DREAM, and WEC shows with just as many ranked, high end fighters competing for free on my TV that I see no reason to buy a PPV to see the #4 heavyweight fight the #7 heavyweight and a bunch of fights that mean exceedingly little to me. I’ll watch the Cain/Noguiera fight sometime and maybe Bader/Jardine and Greeknamedude/Stevenson should the “prospects” win. Maybe Haseman/Sinosic. That is entertaining matchmaking.
Right, anyways keep on hating and propping up the competition it’s the thing you and your types are best at.
LOL, “propping up the competition”. Gimmick poster?
At a very minimum, of the 70 ranked fighters in the 7 weight classes being used, Zuffa has 50 of them. That is at the lowest possible estimate. Personally, I have it closer to 55 to 60.
The rest of those ranked fighters are spread out across multiple weight classes and in multiple organizations, which means thye really don’t get to fight each other.
The only real place to see consistantly high level fights is the UFC.
At a very minimum, of the 70 ranked fighters in the 7 weight classes being used, Zuffa has 50 of them. That is at the lowest possible estimate. Personally, I have it closer to 55 to 60.
The rest of those ranked fighters are spread out across multiple weight classes and in multiple organizations, which means thye really don’t get to fight each other.
The only real place to see consistantly high level fights is the UFC.
Its more consistent, sure. The cost is also a lot higher. I get CBS, Showtime, and HDNet already – The cost to me to see MMA on those channels? Negligable. And I still get fights at the level of this main event from time to time, whether its Fedor, the DREAM lightweights, whatever. This costs about the same as 4 months of Showtime, and there are still a bunch more PPVs to come. I’d rather save my money for a really excellent show like UFC 112.
It’s not going to be a high buyrate show. Number one, tape delays never are and I believe Australia is 15 hours ahead of America. So if they run the usual prelims 5-7pm, main card 7-10pm, that would mean results, Dailymotions and torrents will have been available starting after 1pm in America.
Number two it’s a solid show but nobody there is a megadraw. And stacked shows with people perceived as B-level fighters by the non-hardcores don’t sell. Cro Cop never drew a dime in UFC, Keith Jardine has no star power, Stevenson-Sotiropoulos will be great but both are MMA fanboy heroes and not draws, Wanderlei and Bisping aren’t draws and neither is Nogueira without a name in the fight with him (and Cain isn’t.)
“There are Strikeforce, DREAM, and WEC shows with just as many ranked, high end fighters competing for free on my TV that I see no reason to buy a PPV to see the #4 heavyweight fight the #7 heavyweight and a bunch of fights that mean exceedingly little to me. I’ll watch the Cain/Noguiera fight sometime and maybe Bader/Jardine and Greeknamedude/Stevenson should the “prospects” win. Maybe Haseman/Sinosic. That is entertaining matchmaking.”
Nice job the way you keep moving the goal posts, it’s pretty entertaining watching you trying to portray yourself as somesort of unbiased guy when you’re as biased as they come.
I’ll ignore the fact that the only reason many of those orgs like SF even boast any top ranked fighters is because of the usual overhyping non-zuffa fighters that has made those rankings a joke for years now.
Now as far as free mma goes, no one gives you more free mma fights than Zuffa so either way you look at it your arguments as usual don’t hold.
EJ’s killing the writer.
The ref looks like hes gonna step in any minute.
Coleman was a Pride guy too.
Nice job the way you keep moving the goal posts,
You’re right. I, the guy who wants the UFC to run Strikeforce out of business, clearly want Strikeforce to succeed and be a viable second company. You have outed me! I simply don’t love Big Brother enough/the right way.
I’ll ignore the fact that the only reason many of those orgs like SF even boast any top ranked fighters is because of the usual overhyping non-zuffa fighters that has made those rankings a joke for years now.
Ah, yes, over-hyped fighters like Fedor and Dan Henderson. If only Dan Henderson had proven himself in the Octagon against the likes of Rich Franklin or Michael Bisping….
I’m not really going to argue about the rankings garbage. Aren’t you the same guy who thinks that Chael Sonnen is a proven elite fighter? Obviously being in the UFC imparts special value to you. Great!
Now as far as free mma goes, no one gives you more free mma fights than Zuffa so either way you look at it your arguments as usual don’t hold.
Is UFC 110 free in the US? No? So how is this relevant?
Like I said; hope you like UFC 110. Actually, do I need to even hope? I’m sure you will adore it.
I was gonna play around and give you the win at the argument writer but,…
“Aren’t you the same guy who thinks that Chael Sonnen is a proven elite fighter? Obviously being in the UFC imparts special value to you. Great!”
How do you call your argument valid when you try to discredit Chael Sonnen. This isnt 2006. He didnt just get subbed by Jeremy Horn for the 8th time. I guess you didnt watch him demolish Nate on Saturday, or Okami and Miller before that. Who do you rank ahead of him at 185 besides Hendo and Silva?
As a matter of fact your whole argument seems pretty bad now.
Congratulations! You got destroyed in an internet battle. I would say go cry at home, but the way your responses seemed more and more forced your probably already doing that.
“Ah, yes, over-hyped fighters like Fedor and Dan Henderson. If only Dan Henderson had proven himself in the Octagon against the likes of Rich Franklin or Michael Bisping….
I’m not really going to argue about the rankings garbage. Aren’t you the same guy who thinks that Chael Sonnen is a proven elite fighter? Obviously being in the UFC imparts special value to you. Great!”
Yeah how dare I call overated guys who take off years from facing top competition or decide to take easier fights in lesser promotions. And rank highly the guys who actually face the best fighters and have proven they belong to be at the top of their division silly me.
“Is UFC 110 free in the US? No? So how is this relevant?
Like I said; hope you like UFC 110. Actually, do I need to even hope? I’m sure you will adore it.”
Honestly you really need to step back and look at what you’re posting because you’re really coming off like a fanatical Sherdogger.
btw you’re right I will enjoy UFC 110, the question is why won’t you?. See that’s why i’ll never take you seriously you have lost any sense of impartiality and just come as a bitter and angry hater it’s sad really.
Who do you rank ahead of him at 185 besides Hendo and Silva?
Probably Belfort. I could even see an argument for Khalidov or Maia too. I’ve been through this before; He beat guys he was good style matchups for – IE people who aren’t good strikers (Marqhardt isn’t historically) and can’t submit him. He still loses to Thales Leites, Maia, Jacare, and probably to Ricardo Almedia at 185. Oh, and of course Anderson Silva.
Yeah how dare I call overated guys who take off years from facing top competition or decide to take easier fights in lesser promotions. And rank highly the guys who actually face the best fighters and have proven they belong to be at the top of their division silly me.
Who has proven that they belong at the top of the heavyweight division more than Fedor in the UFC? Heck, how is this even relevant? None of the absolute top fighters in the UFC are on UFC 110. The winner of the main event gets a title shot only in case someone gets hurt. Other than them, there’s a couple prospect/gatekeeper fights, a washed up legend vs. failed prospect, and a pair of top 15 middleweights fighting for a last chance at legitimacy for each.
btw you’re right I will enjoy UFC 110, the question is why won’t you?
Because it’s $50, that’s why. If it was free like, say, UFC 105, I would have nothing to complain about. But it isn’t, so I’m not watching.
While I think Grape and I are on the same page with regards to Sonnen, lemme more throughly explain this for those who don’t get it: Historically, guys who are not elite fighters sometimes get the right fights and find big time success, even greater than Chael Sonnen. Who here rememebers the first 185lb champ in the UFC? Remember who Paulo Filho beat to become the “linear #1 185lb fighter” back in PRIDE?
Look at boxing; Oleg Maskaev beat the #2 heavyweight in the world and claimed a belt when he was near 40 after rising to be the #1 WBC contender. Was he an elite and specially skilled heavyweight? Not really. He just had the right fights at the right time in his career. Carlos Baldomir was a career journeyman/gatekeeper – he became undisputed welterweight champion of the world. Was he an elite fighter? No. He even defended the belt successfully against a guy the bookies made him a 3-1 underdog against. When Simon Brown beat P4P #1 Terry Norris, did he usurp his claim? Did Lloyd Honeyghan become an elite, world class fighter when he beat Donald Curry?
What Sonnen has done isn’t as impressive as what any of those guys did. Now, I hope he gets the title shot he works hard for and makes some good money as a result…but it doesn’t change who Chael Sonnen is.
I think the assumption that this is even a stacked show is a false one.
This probably speaks more to the low quality of the 8 PPVs before this one than anything else. Even dirty, fetid water will taste delicious when you’re in the desert.
Both Maskaev were voted comeback fighter of the year.
I would put what Chael accomplished near to what they did. Trying to diminish what Chael has accomplished in the past year by saying that…”What Sonnen has done isn’t as impressive as what any of those guys did”… doesn’t hold merit. Its just your opinion, and frankly it just makes you look even more like a fanboy trying to hate on a fighter for no particular reason.
So what if they were favorable style matchups. He still fought and won those fights, and the last two were against top five competition.
It might not be a stacked card for UFC standards, but it is much better than anything SF or Dream has put together recently.
“Both Maskaev and Baldomir were voted comeback fighter of the year.”
Both Maskaev and Baldomir were voted comeback fighter of the year.
Right. Hey, Glen Johnson was once given Fighter of the Year honors. Was he a P4P level guy or a good story? I think most people know how to answer that. So Chael is a good story. I’m fine with that.
I would put what Chael accomplished near to what they did.
I would too, ergo the comparison. I think he’s a strong contender for “Comeback Fighter of the Year” win, lose, or draw against Silva. Not that any such parallel exists in MMA. Either him or Nick Diaz.
But, and I can’t stress this enough, BUT, it still doesn’t make him a P4P, elite, supreme level talent. Baldomir went on to lose to Floyd Mayweather, Vernon Forrest, and then disappeared into the ether and away from American consciousness. Maskaev ended up getting smacked around by Sam Peter in Mexico. Glen Johnson has had staying power, and that’s about the best that Sonnen can aspire to be, IMO. I just don’t see Silva as ending up like Tarver on the wrong end of a split decision should they fight.
Glen Johnson:
Your gonna lose some more points with that because Glen Johnson has been a top three lhw for the last 6 years in boxing. Whatever argument you wanna make about the decision fine, but I watched the fight many times and I’ll still score the first fight Glen Johnson’s way. He gave Tarver two very rough fights. Kod RJJ. Has been avoided like the plague from two greats such as Hopkins and Calzaghe, and gave top 5 pfp Chad Dawson his two toughest fights. The first he probably won.
Your running away from mma comparisons, and trying to go to boxing because it seems like you think we don’t know enough to discount the information you are giving. Trust me alan your doing it with the wrong guy.
“I would too, ergo the comparison.”
“What Sonnen has done isn’t as impressive as what any of those guys did.”
Thats kind of a contradiction wouldn’t you say.
Oh and Diaz is one of my favorite fighters but the fighters he has beat are not the caliber of Sonnen’s wins.
Compare wins over Shamrock, Smith, and Zaromskis to Sonnens wins over Miller, Okami, and Marquardt. Sonnen’s definately are more impressive.
And lastly no one is saying he is a pfp great. We’re saying he should be the third ranked MW in the world. Which he is. You keep arguing this, and your not doing a very good job.
I’m not arguing he isn’t a top ranked middleweight. I’m arguing the ranking is largely irrelevant; he’s at the same level as a bunch of other guys even with that ranking. He’s strung together some good wins. That’s great! I don’t think it makes him particularly special.
Your gonna lose some more points with that because Glen Johnson has been a top three lhw for the last 6 years in boxing.
Calzaghe had no reason to fight him, nor did Hopkins need to rematch him after their first fight years and years ago. Glen hasn’t been a “top 3 light heavyweight for the last 6 years”. He’s been in the top 10 for sure, but after his loss to Tarver in the rematch, the Clinton Woods fights took clear him out of the top 3. He didn’t return there until a short span of time recently with the good showing against Dawson – until then, most everyone was ranking him below a number of other fighters like Zsolt Erdei.
“Who has proven that they belong at the top of the heavyweight division more than Fedor in the UFC? Heck, how is this even relevant? None of the absolute top fighters in the UFC are on UFC 110. The winner of the main event gets a title shot only in case someone gets hurt. Other than them, there’s a couple prospect/gatekeeper fights, a washed up legend vs. failed prospect, and a pair of top 15 middleweights fighting for a last chance at legitimacy for each.”
We can play the disparage fighters card all day and when it comes to Fedor it would be a snap. But that would be ignorant just like your breakdown of the fighters on the UFC 110 card. Honestly you continue to amaze me with the bs that comes from each of your post.
“Because it’s $50, that’s why. If it was free like, say, UFC 105, I would have nothing to complain about. But it isn’t, so I’m not watching.”
Come on even if it was free you’d still find something to complain about it’s what you do best.
We can play the disparage fighters card all day and when it comes to Fedor it would be a snap.
Okay: How is Noguiera’s resume better than Fedor’s? How about Cain Velasquez? They’re the only ranked fighters on the card.
Come on even if it was free you’d still find something to complain about it’s what you do best.
LOL. Its the only thing people remember!
Didn’t we already cover the rankings argument?, I swear it’s like you can’t even bother to defend your points almost all your posts end up with you moving the goal posts.
Didn’t we already cover the rankings argument?
Yes. Done it numerous times. Not sure what needs to be clarified about how I feel.
You’re wasting your time, Alan. These guys (assuming that EJ, Roadblock and 45 aren’t the same person) aren’t interested in the truth. They are acting as Zuffa lawyers who will defend their client by whatever argument they think will work.
Well, it’s entertaining to me and maybe you so I guess it’s not a total waste of time.
How is Bonnar still allowed in the UFC if ZUFFA comes out and states that Coleman has nothing left and has to retire?
LOL – I just this same example in the rankings thread about Semenzer or however you spell his name
Look at boxing; Oleg Maskaev beat the #2 heavyweight in the world and claimed a belt when he was near 40 after rising to be the #1 WBC contender. Was he an elite and specially skilled heavyweight? Not really. He just had the right fights at the right time in his career.
Disparaging Fedor’s record is a snap lol.
Fedor lost to TK and Frank Mir could beat TK!
“You’re wasting your time, Alan. These guys (assuming that EJ, Roadblock and 45 aren’t the same person) aren’t interested in the truth. They are acting as Zuffa lawyers who will defend their client by whatever argument they think will work.
Well, it’s entertaining to me and maybe you so I guess it’s not a total waste of time.”
Man you guys really dont even listen anybody else’s arguments besides your own or someone who thinks like you. Face it your in the minority for the way you think because you are a hater. What thoughts did you even contribute to this discussion to judge it in the first place. At least Alan is backing up his arguments with facts and his opinion on certain aspects of the fight game.
All you do is come in with this elitist attitude saying people won’t listen to the truth!!!! I got news for you genius this is all opinion related.
To Alan:
You think Showtime moved the fights to April 24th because of the scheduling conflicts they are talking about, or because HBO is puting the Pavlik/Bute doubleheader on the original night?