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« | Home | »

Pat Curran kicked Marlon Sandro so hard, he might send Bellator off MTV2 & to Spike TV

By Zach Arnold | August 20, 2011

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Pat Curran has been looking to rebound since his decision loss to Eddie Alvarez. On Saturday night, he delivered in ways Cole Konrad could only dream of.

Marlon Sandro was winning the stand-up war against Pat Curran and looked to be primed for a decision or a late finish. Instead, he got caught moving backwards and Pat blasted him with a career-defining kick that knocked Sandro out cold. It was a brilliant finish for the promotion’s Featherweight tournament. Whether he actually gets his title shot against Joe Warren, who knows. (Warren has to first deal with Patricio Pitbull.)

Warren wants to fight in the promotion’s Bantamweight tournament and win that title. He may have to defend his 145 pound crown first and, barring hideous judges, Curran will likely be the man to take the Featherweight title away from him.

The immediate screaming about Sandro being overrated because of the hype from his Japanese bouts is warranted, but not too much so. Hatsu Hioki is Zuffa bound and Curran is starting to build a nice career resume at age 23. Curran’s knock out of Sandro was a much-needed outcome to wash the bad taste out of everyone’s mouth over Cole Konrad’s three round decision win over Paul Buentello. The only highlight of that fight was listening to Neil Grove on commentary, who I thought did a solid job as the third man in the booth.

Seth Petruzelli dispatched of Ricco Rodriguez and says he wants to fight at Light Heavyweight. He was sporting the Tri-Coasta name, headed up by the lovely Michelle Lee and Korean Zombie nation.

Jack Encarnacao said that he saw a Spike TV presence at the Mohegan Sun event. If there was any doubt that Spike is ready to make the move into Bellator’s camp, those doubts should be erased. For MMA fans, Bellator obtaining a great slot on Spike TV is a good development for the business. It means Bjorn Rebney will be able to make some money and not have fighters stuck in contractual limbo (like they would be if the promotion went bankrupt).

It means that Sam Caplan and company will be able to develop new talent Stateside and either keep the stars they create or watch them move up to Zuffa. No matter how you slice it, Bellator heading to Spike TV would be a very solid move for both parties and for the sport of MMA itself.

Somehow, I don’t think Mr. Rebney will be saying things like ‘fuck ESPN‘ in negotiations. The idea of UFC getting $100 million USD/year from Fox one week and Bellator signing a deal with Spike TV the next week would really cement the stability of the sport. There’s no other way to state it. I’m all for Bellator moving to Spike TV… and I don’t think they’ll need Ari Emanuel’s help in brokering a deal.

That, and watching Spike TV run non-stop Bellator ads during upcoming UFC telecasts.

Topics: Bellator, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 37 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

37 Responses to “Pat Curran kicked Marlon Sandro so hard, he might send Bellator off MTV2 & to Spike TV”

  1. EJ says:

    “There’s no other way to state it. I’m all for Bellator moving to Spike TV.”

    Yeah you’ve made that clear many times before but it doesn’t change that we’ve seen this story before with WWE and TNA. You can’t replace one for the other no matter how much money you put into it and at this point it’s clear that Spike is moving away from what made them sign both in the first place. Spike isn’t the answer for Bellators problems and Bellator sure as hell won’t be the answer for what will be Spike’s now that Zuffa is done with them.

    • Zach Arnold says:

      Bellator as a profitable but solid #2 group that develops and feeds new talent for future UFC shows? How is that a bad thing?

      Nobody sits here and says that TNA grooms guys for WWE. If TNA had played it smart, they would have done that. But they aren’t smart and haven’t demonstrated any awareness over a decade.

      I suspect Rebney’s a little smarter than that, especially if it means he can get out of a financial sinkhole to do it.

  2. Nepal says:

    “The immediate screaming about Sandro being overrated because of the hype from his Japanese bouts is warranted”

    Is that you 45? Just kidding.

    But really, he was winning every minute of the fight up until he got caught. It only proved Curren isn’t at that level. Sandro got caught but he did show he is the superior striker overall.

    It’s the same kind of backward logic that Condit supporters use. He’s won 12 of 13 fights but was clearly not as good as a 20 year old kid until the 20 year old gassed in the 3rd. Not that I have any problem with Condit, if he beats BJ, sure throw him at GSP for a sound thrashing. GSP will still need a new face to beat up.

    My point is giving the winner of the fight too much credit when he was clearly losing the fight until… he wasn’t.

    • Zach Arnold says:

      That thought on Sandro being overrated because he’s a product of the Japanese hype machine is more common than you suspect amongst the writer class, and I saw it flowing on social media Saturday night.

      • smoogy says:

        If Sandro is overrated and not really all that good, then there are approximately 3 featherweights in the world who are worthwhile.

      • Dave says:

        If by flowing you mean Luke Thomas got the ball rolling and people fell in line with his opinion, sure. I think that Sandro is a legit good fighter and he was winning the fight until he messed up. Curran is a great fighter and if Sandro was doing good against him it is hard to proclaim him a failed product of Japan.

        I guess the big problem is we won’t get to see Sandro against anyone in the UFC, so nobody will know where he stands. I think it’s safe to say he could hang in the mid-range of UFC at least.

    • Spyglass says:

      Wow you are a complete idiot.

    • edub says:

      “But really, he was winning every minute of the fight up until he got caught. It only proved Curren isn’t at that level. Sandro got caught but he did show he is the superior striker overall.”

      No he wasn’t. The first round could have gone either way, and Curran was missing barely with big counters in the second. There were two overhand right counters when Sandro was coming in blindly that hit the top of his head instead of his chin. There were head kicks that were just glancing off his head. Having a back and forth first round, a good 3 minutes in the second, then getting knocked out cold, doesn’t prove you’re the better striker.

      “He’s won 12 of 13 fights but was clearly not as good as a 20 year old kid until the 20 year old gassed in the 3rd.”

      So Condit hitting him hard with knees and punches throughout the entire fight did nothing to make Rory gas? The second round was very close in their match, and Condit turned it on to flatten him in the third. He beat Rory into not fighting anymore. Macdonald showed no signs of gassing against Diaz.

      • Nepal says:

        Edub,
        The 1st round could not have gone either way unless you were Curren’s girlfriend. It wasn’t domination but it was very very clearly Sandro’s round. Missing on shots just doesn’t count.

        The truth is Sandro got caught and that’s it, he lost. This is MMA, people get caught, I’m just saying that striking wise until the KO kick, Curren didn’t look good (compared to Sandro).

        With regards to Rory, it would be a leap of logic to say that the knees and punches Condit was hitting him with caused him to wilt in the 3rd. Rory was a 20 year old kid, he improved in leaps and bounds by the time he fought Nate. His size was significantly bigger, he used more tools, he was a different fighter. Were Rory to fight condit later this year, I suspect Rory would stop him in the 1st or 2nd round.

        Again, the point I’m making is, it’s not logical to say fighter A is better than fighter B after losing most of the fight and then hitting a home run.

        By that logic, Russow is a better fighter than Todd Duffee. Just doesn’t make sense.

        • fd2 says:

          So I take it you think Chael Sonnen is a better fighter than Anderson Silva?

        • 45 Huddle says:

          I was at the fight live with a pretty close seat. And Curran was a lot more technical. He was just having a hard time adjusting to Sandros wild style, but even before the KO it was obvious he had started to figure him out.

          Sandro did not look world class live. Despite taking some shots in the first, Curran did look Top 10 quality based on the things he was doing.

        • edub says:

          “The 1st round could not have gone either way unless you were Curren’s girlfriend. It wasn’t domination but it was very very clearly Sandro’s round. Missing on shots just doesn’t count.”

          No, it wasn’t “very, very, cleary Sandro’s round”. It was a round in which he threw more shots, Curran landed the better percentage of shots, neither got a takedown, and neither did much damage. And I’m not Curran’s girlfriend.

          “This is MMA, people get caught, I’m just saying that striking wise until the KO kick, Curren didn’t look good (compared to Sandro).”

          Yes, and what I am saying is your opinion of what you saw isn’t the reality of the situation. Sandro was landing more, but open for counters that were barely missing. If your game plan is to be patient, counter effectively, wait til he gets wild and turn it up later in the fight; then you knock out somebody in the middle of an exchange, you’re the better striker.

          “With regards to Rory, it would be a leap of logic to say that the knees and punches Condit was hitting him with caused him to wilt in the 3rd.”

          Yes it would be a leap in logic to say that a guy with known power, and great kickboxing, landed hard shots that added up in a fight. Just ignore the fact that he landed twice the amount of strikes that Rory did in the first two rounds. It meant nothing.

          “Again, the point I’m making is, it’s not logical to say fighter A is better than fighter B after losing most of the fight and then hitting a home run.

          By that logic, Russow is a better fighter than Todd Duffee. Just doesn’t make sense.”

          Those things would be the case if they occurred, but what happened Saturday, or in Macdonald-Condit, isn’t like what happened in Duffee-Russow. Hell, it’s not even in the same realm. The first two were competitive fights. The Duffee-Russow fight wasn’t close until the KO.

        • Nepal says:

          fd2, you’ve missed the point…. however if Anderson and Chael did not have an extensive previous body of work versus high level competition then you could make that arguement. Otherwise that does not follow.

          I rewatched the fight with a better quality of video and actually do feel the fight was closer than I first thought. I was probably biased by Sandro’s big punches that did not land as often as I thought. Living in Asia I don’t have the luxury of viewing high quality versions of the fights until I get my .mkv hi def file down.

          45, I have often wondered how the view is live through the Bellator circular cage vs. the UFC octagon? I also see the camera men are on the turnbuckles at Bellator as opposed to in the middle of 4 of the 8 sides of the octagon. How much of the live action do you view through the cage vs viewing via the monitors?

        • 45 Huddle says:

          If the UFC is a below average live viewing experience, then Bellator’s is a BAD viewing experience live. It was my 4th Bellator event, so I’ve had various viewpoints. I’ve been to 6 UFC events by comparison.

          The poles coming up from the ground have much larger pads around them which make huge blind spots. And the lighting is darker which just makes it harder on the eyes for the entire event. I try not to watch the big screen unless I really have to…. But Bellator makes it tough….

          The other thing that drives me crazy at the Bellator events is that there was never a quite moment. The music is going the entire time unless the fight is going on. And I’m talking about during introductions to as soon as the fight is over. It’s sensory overload. I had a bad headache that night and the next morning.

          Now, with those complaints, why have I still been to 4 Bellator Events? For $50 tickets (which includes $15 of Ticketmaster Fees), I can get within 10 rows of the cage. And that’s a good deal for watching Sandro, Curran, Rodriguez, Petruzelli, Konrad, & Buentello.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          And when I say the UFC live is below average, I purely talking about from a viewing perspective. The cameramen and the cage get in the way.

          But the rest of the UFC live experience is pretty awesome….

        • Nepal says:

          Thanks for the comparison 45. One last question is: Which makes for better viewing of the action? The octagon shape or the circular cage?

        • 45 Huddle says:

          You would think the circle cage would be better, but it’s not. The Octagon for some reason works better. I think it gives the refs a better angle to not be in the way. It just works better.

          The IFL ring was great for viewing. But the restarts make that useless.

  3. 45 Huddle says:

    1) That was eventually going to happen to Sandro while fighting in the states eventually. He is far too wild to not get caught.

    2) Jason Chambers on the UG said his source inside Viacom is against Bellator coming to SpikeTV. Take that for what it’s worth.

    3) Petruzelli looked to be taking something extra compared to his last few UFC days….

    4) Bellator will never be a feeder system. Rebney wants fighters for life basically. And that will always scare away the bigger prospects from the better camps who know the situation.

    5) Why would SpikeTV make a deal with Bellator when they know Zuffa could just buy them out once the transition is made to?

    6) ESPN has a long track record of basically ignoring sports they don’t have a contract with and overhyping some of the remedial ones they do (X Games???). Hence the frustration coming from Dana White’s mouth.

    • Zach Arnold says:

      There’s too many instances of suits from Spike at Bellator shows. They are feeling out the landscape and want to promote something.

      Sure, if they promoted Strikeforce, it would be smooth and easy. However, they clearly seem to have hard feelings and would rather deal with someone like Bellator. Who else are they going to get, Shark Fights?

      Bjorn Rebney may not want to run a feeder system, but that’s exactly what would happen once he hits Spike. And he should be thankful if they are willing to pay him to do it.

      @SportsByBrooks and @AwfulAnnouncing have done quite the job chronicling the various scandals ESPN has been involved in lately, so I understand why UFC might be frustrated (besides the fact that seemingly every Dana White interview on that channel consists of questions about how Shaq would do in MMA) with ESPN.

      • edub says:

        They’ve been promoting each other off and on for the last six months or more. Bellator shows adds for Spike TV shows, and Spike has aired adds for Bellator in the past.

        A relationship with both of them makes sense.

      • 45 Huddle says:

        Doesn’t really matter what the SpikeTV guys want. If Viacom wants to push the channel in a different direction, they are out of luck.

        • Kelvin Hunt says:

          This is true…if Viacom says nope…it’s a wrap…and while I’m here..I thought Sandro was clearly winning the fight againt Curran. Anyone saying that Sandro is overrated is basically not smart…and that is all.

      • Steve4192 says:

        “Bjorn Rebney may not want to run a feeder system, but that’s exactly what would happen once he hits Spike”

        I don’t understand your logic here Zach.

        Why would signing with Spike change Bellator’s contract structure and business model? If anything, it would make them MORE committed to keeping their top talent.

        • Zach Arnold says:

          Spike won’t pay him $30 million USD like they did for UFC, perhaps a few million bucks at most? At that level, he simply won’t be able to count on matching UFC dollar-for-dollar.

          Which means if he’s willing to be happy making money as a feeder group on a nice TV platform, he should run with it.

        • Steve4192 says:

          I agree that Spike won’t pay him UFC, but I think it is safe to say they will pay him more than MTV2 is paying him.

          Bellator has guarded their talent like crown jewels. The only two guys I can think of who have ‘graduated’ from Bellator to the UFC are Brookins and Herman, and Rebney sued both of them for breach of contract before finally letting them go. Getting out of Bellator cleanly seems nigh impossible. Rebney is going to sick a pack of lawyers on anyone who tries.

          I don’t see any reason to expect that to change.

        • Chris27 says:

          yeah I dont get that, only a handful of guys have fought in Bellator and then UFC and none of them were top guys.

          If I remember correctly Bellator locks up champs for 18 months with teh champ clause but also tournament winners and runner ups, so Sandro is locked into that clause so he cant leave for a long time unless they release him.

          Sure when Eddie or Askren’s deals are up, when the champ clause after 18 months or whatever is over and they are free to sign with UFC then yes UFC can outbid Bellator but since Bellator has come up no champ or top guy has left.

          I hope to hell they do, I hope Eddie and Askren and Lombard can leave Bellator for the UFC but Bellator does a good job signing prospects and keeping the guys they sign.

    • edub says:

      6) Don’t forget the WSOP.

  4. RST says:

    “Petruzelli stops Rodriguez…”

    How the mighty former potential has fallen!

    I’ve always hated Ricco, but not this bad…

    • Mr.roadblock says:

      I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know Ricco pretty well over the years. He’s a really wonderful guy. Down to earth, eager to give advice and help others. I think a number of old school fans think he’s a douche from his association with Tito when Tito tried to act like they were the MMA version of the nWo. But Ricco’s a standup dude.

      • edub says:

        First time I saw him was in the Smashing machine. After that I always remember Bas beating the shit out of him in sparring.

        His weight always seemed to hold him back.

  5. Vic Mackey says:

    Patricio Freire

  6. Mr.roadblock says:

    The idea that so and so was winning a less than two round fight before losing and is somehow still better than the opponent is laughable at best.

    Are you going to say the Steelers were winning the Super Bowl until they weren’t anymore? And that somehow they are better than last year’s Packers? C’mon.

    • Steve4192 says:

      The ‘he was winning until he lost’ excuse has been around forever. My favorite is hearing people claim that Overeem was whooping Chuck Liddell …. right up until Chuck knocked him out at three minute mark.

      • Kelvin Hunt says:

        ehh…if a guy shoots 100 3 point shots..missing all of them…then makes 2 in a row…is he a good 3 point shooter?

        Point being…Curran landed the strike that put Sandro away.no doubt about it…but…if they fought ten times..who would win the most? No way you could put Curran at more than 50% based on Saturday night..so it’s not ‘laughable’ to say that Sandro is better just because Curran won IMO.

        • edub says:

          Yes, I would put Curran at more than 50%.

          As I pointed out above, he stayed in the pocket and threw hard counters the whole fight, that just barely missed the chin. Marlon Sandro is a wide open fighter. It makes a hell of a lot more sense thinking Curran would knock out Sandro more than not, over Sandro fighting a disciplined fight to get a decision.

        • edub says:

          And also, I want to point out I don’t think Sandro is overrated either. Unless someone went into the fight thinking Sandro was a top three or four fighter.

          He’s good, Pat Curran is just better.

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