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MMA Link Club: What’s the next domino to fall after #UFC & Fox tie up for 7 years?
By Zach Arnold | August 19, 2011
A hearty congratulations to our old friend Tetsuya Sano, who won two fights this past weekend at Akira Maeda’s ‘Outsider’ event in Tokyo. Sano will face Keinosuke “Tattoo Man” Yoshinaga on 11/13 at Yokohama Bunka Gym.
And, yes, that is the extent of what is happening these days in Japan.
Josh Barnett was supposed to fight Jerome Le Banner on Inoki’s 8/27 Tokyo, Ryogoku Kokugikan event. This is going to be the ‘protest’ show running opposite the Tokyo Sports event at Nippon Budokan. However, IGF announced today that Barnett had to cancel at the last-minute due to Strikeforce having their Heavyweight GP set for September 10th. The focus on Zuffa owning Strikeforce now is the reason he had to back out of the IGF date.
Member sites of the MMA Link Club
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- MMA Fighting – http://www.mmafighting.com/rss.xml
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- MMA Mania – http://feeds.feedburner.com/sportsblogs/mmamania.xml
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- Bleacher Report – http://bleacherreport.com/articles/feed?tag_id=3007
- MiddleEasy – http://middleeasy.com/index.php?format=feed&type=rss
- LowKick – http://www.lowkick.com/newrss
- The Fight Nerd – http://www.thefightnerd.com/feed
- MMA Convert – http://feeds.feedburner.com/mmaconvert
- Fight Opinion – http://feeds.feedburner.com/fightopinion
- MMA Payout – http://feeds.feedburner.com/Payout
This week’s MMA Link Club featured stories
Five Ounces of Pain: UFC 136 press conference highlights
Lost in all the shuffle of the big news this week is the fact that UFC is ramping up the hype machine for their two huge shows in October. Kenny Florian is doing his best to convince everyone that he can beat Jose Aldo. Easier said than done.
MMA Fighting: Monumental TV Deal Expands UFC’s Reach, but Sport Remains the Same
Remember how your grandfather used to tell you about boxing’s heyday, when you could sit down on Friday night and watch Rocky Marciano or “Sugar” Ray Robinson duke it out on network TV in between commercials for shaving cream and hair tonic?
Yeah, this is kind of like that. Or at least, it could be, even if it probably won’t change the entirety of the MMA landscape the way some might expect.
NBC Sports (Mike Chiappetta): Underrated Joseph Benavidez awaits another shot
Of course, Benavidez would like a third shot at Cruz, but in the promotional landscape, it’s a hard sell, if not downright impossible. Even if you accept Benavidez as the No. 2 fighter in the division — most do — you can’t erase the fact that he’s already had two chances to beat Cruz, and failed both times. What, the critics ask, would a third time change?
Cage Potato: Dear Fox, please keep Gus Johnson away from your UFC broadcasts. Signed, everyone.
MMA Mania: UFC on Fox event November 12th show will feature two fights
The key here is that this will air before Manny Pacquiao’s fight, so that night is turning in a great one for everyone.
5th Round: UFC and Fox — awkward start to a great partnership
Joe Rogan in a suit is always bananas.
Bleacher Report: Who will headline UFC on Fox November 12th event?
The fight everyone keeps harping about is Tito Ortiz vs. Rich Franklin with Ben Henderson vs. Clay Guida as the opener. Better suggestions?
Middle Easy (Zeus): So, here’s every possible note that I could take during the UFC on Fox press conference…
Due to my innate paraonia, I arrived two hours early for the UFC on FOX press conference. A group of us waited in the lobby of the FOX studio, curiously looking at the wide-screen tube television that was set up on a white podium. Montell Wiliams was on, advocating the benefits of marijuana. Before we could all unanimously agree how right Montell was, we were whisked away by someone at FOX Sports. It’s important to note that every female staff member in the FOX studio was astonishingly attractive and dressed in either a moderately short skirt or a very tight skirt. There was no in between. Granted the event was held in Beverly Hills, but kudos to the hiring director over at FOX. You know how to appeal to my sexually deprived reality, sir (and I’m absolutely certain that it is a ‘sir’).
It’s important to keep your priorities straight.
LowKick: Brendan Schaub interview, says he will knock out Nogueira in R2
The Fight Nerd: Bellator heavyweight champion Cole Konrad discusses season five of Bellator FC
MMA Convert (Jim Genia): Upon reflection after UFC signs deal with Fox, a look at most important milestones
MMA Payout: Bellator remains committed to MTV2
If Bjorn Rebney won’t take a deal with Spike because it would mean altering his current matchmaking process, then there’s nothing anyone can say that will help him out. If T. Jay Thompson is able to get a deal with Spike TV, that would be saucy.
Topics: Bellator, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 13 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
1) Benavidez has no title future until the UFC opens up the Flyweight Division.
2) A one hour UFC special actually sounds good. Get all the kinks out for this one. The real stuff starts next year. Ben Henderson vs. Clay Guida is a perfectly logical fight. Lyoto Machida is a dangerous bet due to him potentially being boring.
3) If Bellator doesn’t sign with SpikeTV soon, they are gone. There is no future on MT2.
You can say the same about Clay Guida being boring as well. Not to shoot holes in that silly statement of yours.
Nov 12 is going to be a great night of fights. I love when there is boxing and MMA on the same night. Or multiple boxing matches. I get the DVR going and it’s like being a kid on Christmas again.
Damn right.
November 20th was a great night last year. UFC 123 and Sergio vs. Tall Paul on the same night. Two fo the best KOs of the year in both sports.
As much as I do not want to see this fight at all, would anyone honestly be surprised with a Chuck vs Tito main event(assuming he isn’t on a medical suspension or injured)? I’m honestly surprised we are not hearing more about a fight like that, rather than one that might mean something like Henderson/Guida, Machida/Hendo, or Ortiz/Franklin.
Chuck/Tito can be put to bed
“Of course, Benavidez would like a third shot at Cruz, but in the promotional landscape, it’s a hard sell, if not downright impossible. Even if you accept Benavidez as the No. 2 fighter in the division — most do — you can’t erase the fact that he’s already had two chances to beat Cruz, and failed both times. What, the critics ask, would a third time change?”
There’s pretty much one thing Benavidez can do in this situation, and it’s the one thing anybody who’s decisively lost to the champ can do to make the case for a rematch – Fight somebody the champ did, and beat him more convincingly than the champ did.
I’m convinced that the main reason Fitch has been kept away from a return shot at GSP is that they gave him the opportunity to do this against Thiago and he failed.
http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2011-articles/august/the-ufc-one-ups-boxing-once-again-signs-seven-year-deal-with-fox.html
Here’s another link if you want to add it to the list Zach.
Although I have no interest in seeing Gus Johnson glommed onto UFC by Fox suits, and it was creepy when the suits did it to SF, I dont know why all the MMA fanbois like to hate that guy so much.
It seems personal and as far as I can tell he seems like a acceptably decent guy.
He’s kind of like the nice cop IMO.
I’d still prefer to not be around him, but the personal hatred seems uncalled for.
It’s because he’s not good at his job. He’s very good at commentating during football games, and especially the NCAA tournament. But during boxing matches and MMA fights he’s out of his depths. He has little knowledge of what’s going on, and flat out ruins some big moments in fights. He’s an add on that isn’t needed.
It has nothing to do with him being nice or a decent guy. There are better options out there, Todd Harris being on of them.
I heard that he actually studies BJJ at a gracie gym. Does he really blunder technically much on MMA broadcasts? I hadn’t really noticed it, although I’m no authority on really technical myself.
As far as there are better choices, I’m sure there are.
But what for at all?
Whatever Goldie’s drawbacks have always been, I think him and Rogan make a perfectly good and comfortable team just they way they are.
Johnson wont improve that in anyway, except I guess to appeal to the football crowd or something.
I dont want to see him in the UFC or Strikeforce, I guess what I was referring to is mmatv and every mma blog insisting on posting articles regarding him with his picture Photoshopped as clown makeup, guaranteed to send the 13 YO fanbois into vitriolic frenzies.
“5th Round: UFC and Fox — awkward start to a great partnership”
^^
Wow, that was a few interesting/ominous observations.
I have to admit that I’ve never been a fan of the fox networks, and I’m not terribly impressed or enthusiastic about this partnership.
Hopefully its not the proverbial Faustian bargain.
“Whatever Goldie’s drawbacks have always been, I think him and Rogan make a perfectly good and comfortable team just they way they are.”
This is the thing I agree with most. Their rapport together just puts them a step above the rest IMO. The only thing I think will “add” to the already great broadcast is having people like Kenny and Randy stop by to add a fighter’s opinion from time to time.
“I dont want to see him in the UFC or Strikeforce, I guess what I was referring to is mmatv and every mma blog insisting on posting articles regarding him with his picture Photoshopped as clown makeup, guaranteed to send the 13 YO fanbois into vitriolic frenzies.”
Agreed. There definitely is people, and entire sites for a matter of fact, that take their dislike to an unprofessional level.
Sigh. If I never hear “like you said, Joe” ever again it will be too soon. Seriously, I wish I had the option to turn off commentary altogether over hearing Goldberg.