Strikeforce/UFC news & notes plus thoughts on Pacquiao vs. Margarito
By Zach Arnold | July 24, 2010
Congratulations go out to Sarah Kaufman, who powerbombed the hell out of Roxy Modafferi to retain her 135-pound women’s title last night at the Comcast Arena in Everett, Washington. The commentary during this fight, however, was insanely annoying and Miletich bickering about calling the finish a ‘power bomb’ was tedious.
As for the upcoming four-woman one-night tournament on 8/13 in Phoenix, I hate the format. I dislike the set-up with a passion, especially the concept of not having matches determined until the day before the actual tournament takes place. Instead of training for one opponent specifically, all four women involved will have to prepare for three fighters mentally before finding out who they will fight against. Furthermore, the winner of this tournament will have to sit on the sidelines and wait for Marloes Coenen to get her title shot against Kaufman. Gee, wonder if the winner of the women’s tournament will get a ‘title’ so that we can get the champion’s clause?
Here’s a note that Roxy posted on her Facebook account this morning:
I lost and it sucked. It helped that I really like Sarah as a person.
The worst thing is feeling that she was better than me. Much physically stronger and a crisp striker, right? I hope for a rematch one day, but I have to improve my skills.
Yes, I cried….one time. That time was when I got out of the shuttle bus at the hotel and was suddenly surrounded by a crowd of people, congratulating me and shaking my hand and telling me how well I did.
They were Sarah’s Zuma people. They were so nice to me! I know they were happy because their girl beat me….but they were so nice and telling me that I had a nice fight even though they were rooting against me…and just…I cried. I was so touched.
Thank you. Thank you everybody who supported me, and us, and…I won’t be like “I let you down” because I know I’m not going to lose any fans over this. I wish I had come out the victor, but you know. Stuff happens….like getting DROPPED ON YOUR HEAD……………
yeah. I had a lot of fun on this trip. I met a lot of people.
and But I still love MMA.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Boxing, Media, MMA, StrikeForce, UFC, Zach Arnold | 22 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Strikeforce 7/23 Comcast Arena in Everett, Washington
By Zach Arnold | July 23, 2010
This show will air live on Showtime East (11 PM EST) and will air delayed on the West Coast (11 PM PST).
Dark matches
- Wendel Horton vs. Keith Mortuiccio
- Frankie Orr vs. John Elam
- Jamen Olney vs. Levi Alford
- Drew Brokenshire vs. Mike Minniger
- Scott McDonald vs. Doug Kay
- Chris Inman vs. Joe Hernandez
- Taurean Washington vs. CJ Marsh
- Brent Knopp vs. Ryan Hayes
Main card
- Caros Fodor vs. Thomas Diagne
- Mike Kyle vs. Ron Humphrey
- Cory Devela vs. Bobby Voelker
- 135-pound women’s title fight: Sarah Kaufman vs. Roxy Modafferi
- Heavyweights: Shane Del Rosario vs. Lolohea Mahe
** The winner of the Kaufman/Modafferi fight will face Marloes Coenen in a title fight. After that happens, then the winner of the 8/13 Phoenix 4-woman one-night tournament will get a title shot. The women in the tournament include Miesha Tate, Carina Damm, Hitomi Akano, and Maiju Kujala. Match-ups for that tournament will not be determined until the day before the event.
Topics: Media, MMA, StrikeForce, Zach Arnold | 10 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Notes from the latest Association of Boxing Commissions meeting in New Orleans (MMA news)
By Zach Arnold | July 22, 2010
Take note of Jeremy Lappen’s presence.
This year’s annual convention of the Association of Boxing Commissions held at the Royal Sonesta in New Orleans concluded last evening.
During this week’s convention overseen by ABC President Tim Luekenhoff of Missouri, the following MMA related matters were addressed:
This past Saturday, Yves Lavigne conducted a full day’s referee seminar.
This past Sunday, Nelson Hamilton conducted an eight hour judging seminar.
On Monday, Hamilton gave a two hour presentation on his half-point scoring system.
JT Steele and Jeremy Lappen spoke regarding their amateur sanctioning organization, CAMO.
On Tuesday, Stitch Duran gave a demonstration on hand wrapping and gloving.
On Wednesday, John McCarthy gave a detailed presentation on fouls and submissions.
Also on Wednesday-
Mario Mendez of the Amateur Pankration League spoke on pankration tournaments.
Jason Neff of MMA Ally spoke about his website and its goals.
Dr. Sheryl Wulkan gave a detailed presentation on pre-fight medical testing and exams, the need for standardized medical testing, common injuries, unusual medical issues, MRSA and weight cutting.
Nick Lembo announced the names of referees and judges whose training courses have been reviewed and approved.
Nick Lembo spoke about the need for Commissions to regulate and oversee amateur mixed martial arts.
Nick Lembo updated the ABC on the status of the Muay Thai committee.
Topics: Boxing, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 5 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
StubHub doing promotional contest to give away an “Ultimate Fan Experience” at UFC 118 in Boston
By Zach Arnold | July 22, 2010
Press Release
For UFC 118, StubHub is giving away a package for four ultimate UFC fans to sit front row at the prefight weigh-in and press conference, watch UFC 118 from great seats at TD Garden, meet the fighters and Octagon girls and attend the first ever UFC Fan Expo in Boston, Aug. 27-28.
All transportation and hotel accommodations are provided – all you have to do is go to www.stubhub.com/fans for additional info and to enter to win by submitting a photo and caption describing their best fan experience and why they deserve to win (deadline to enter for UFC 118 is 7/31/10).
StubHub Celebrates Milestone 10th Anniversary with Ultimate Fan Experience Contest
Commemorating a decade of fan service and innovation, once-in-a-lifetime StubHub prize packages put fans front and center with some of the hottest sports teams and artists in the nation
July 7, 2010 – SAN FRANCISCO – StubHub, the world’s largest ticket marketplace, will celebrate its milestone tenth anniversary this summer by giving fans a hands-on, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take part in some of the most memorable experiences in sports and entertainment. From throwing out the first pitch at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, to leading USC onto the field against Notre Dame, fans 18 and over are eligible for their chance to get up close and personal with some of the hottest sports teams and artists in the nation.
As the world’s first and largest fan-to-fan marketplace, StubHub reinvented the ticket space ten years ago and created a safe means for tickets to change hands – allowing fans the opportunity to choose where they want to sit. StubHub has pioneered the acceptance and adoption of secondary ticketing; among its many milestones and innovations during the past decade, StubHub:
- Introduced a FanProtect™ Guarantee, providing safeguards and protections for fans
- Developed interactive seat maps, making it easy for fans to find the seats they want at the price that’s right for them
- Partnered with teams in all four major sports as well as Collegiate athletics, NASCAR, UFC, and Boxing
- Provides the highest levels of customer satisfaction in ticketing
“From StubHub’s humble beginnings as a scrappy startup ten years ago, to the world’s leading secondary ticket marketplace, we’re proud to have served millions of loyal and happy customers” said Chris Tsakalakis, President of StubHub. “We are thrilled to celebrate our anniversary by offering our fans an opportunity to win a full slate of priceless sports and entertainment experiences with their favorite teams and artists.”
The StubHub Fan Experience Contest kicks off on July 7 and will run through Sept 10. For complete rules and to enter, fans can simply visit www.stubhub.com/fans and submit a photo of their best fan experience to date, along with a short caption describing why they deserve to win. Nine fan experience winners will be announced over 10 weeks throughout the summer, with the tenth and final grand-prize winner receiving the opportunity to create their own unique fan experience through the StubHub Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Stubhub). From hobnobbing with Yankee royalty, to obtaining VIP passes to one of the hottest sold-out concert events of the year, all fan experience prizes will include travel and accommodations as necessary.
New fan experience opportunities will be unveiled each week throughout the summer, involving a variety of our team partners:
- First Pitch at Wrigley Field
- Lollapalooza VIP Trip
- UFC Ultimate Fan Experience
- Dream Day at Yankee Stadium
- USC Fight On! Fantasy
- Redskins Ultimate Fan Experience
- ESPN College Football Experience
- Unforgettable Dodgers Day
- Mavericks All Access Game Night
To cap off the contest with the tenth and final prize, StubHub is enabling one grand-prize winner to choose and submit their dream fan experience. Whether it’s 50-yard line tickets to the Super Bowl, sitting on the sidelines by “Jack” at a Lakers game, or sitting front row at a U2 concert, the opportunity is almost limitless. Finally, the contest will culminate with a fan appreciation giveaway on StubHub.com on 10/10/10, to be announced later.
About StubHub
StubHub is the world’s largest ticket marketplace, enabling fans to buy and sell tickets to tens of thousands of sports, concert, theater and other live entertainment events. StubHub reinvented the ticket resale market in 2000 and continues to lead it through innovation. The company’s unique online marketplace, dedicated solely to tickets, provides all fans the choice to buy or sell their tickets in a safe, convenient and highly reliable environment. All transactions are processed and delivered by StubHub and backed by the company’s FanProtect Guarantee™. Company partners include the New York Yankees, Washington Redskins and the University of Southern California along with nearly 60 teams in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and NCAA, complemented with companies such as ESPN and AOL.
StubHub is an eBay company (NASDAQ: EBAY). For more information on StubHub, visit www.stubhub.com
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Some shake-my-head level stories brewing in MMA
By Zach Arnold | July 22, 2010
The MMA scene in Vancouver is all but dead. No, the fan demand isn’t dead — it’s ridiculously strong. What’s dead, however, is regulation. Josh Gross of Sports Illustrated said the insurance cost for UFC to run in Vancouver was in the $20 million range. That’s right, $20 million dollars.
Speaking of Josh, he now says that Scott Coker is open to booking the rematch between Fedor & Fabricio Werdum in Russia. We’ve heard for weeks from Strikeforce complete denials that a fight would happen in Russia and now all of a sudden things are changing fast. The gang that can’t shoot straight on any level. Actually, I laugh at the idea of this fight happening in Russia because Scott Coker on Monday said that there were only ‘material issues’ to be addressed regarding Fedor fighting against in SF. If by material you mean running a show in the land of Putin, then sure, why not? It was Evgeni Kogan of M-1 who told Eddie Goldman that a rematch would not be happening in Russia, but rather in the States… Where’s Calvin Ayre and the Bodog babes in the military tanks in St. Petersburg when you need them?
Mike Chiappetta at MMAFighting.com reports that Tito Ortiz will face Matt Hamill on October 23rd at the Anaheim Pond (Honda Center) as the likely semi-main event for the Brock Lesnar/Cain Velasquez card. For Matt Hamill’s camp, this is a great fight to take. He’s got a very good shot of winning. So, I don’t shake my head at that. I do shake my head at someone calling this a 50/50 fight. What I do shake my head at is Tito’s camp (and maybe UFC). For Tito, I can understand the allure of this fight — it’s in his home area and everyone will be watching, which in turn means a lot of money. If he wins, then he continues to keep the image as a major star. If he loses, this is probably it — his swan song. For UFC, it’s a curious match to book because I’m not sure what their future plans are for Matt Hamill. If this is a vote of confidence for Matt in hopes to build him up again, OK. All indications were that Tito would either face Forrest Griffin in a rematch or Rich Franklin. Rich is recovering from injuries, so that fight was unlikely to happen in 2010. I guess without Forrest, they were left with this, but it’s a very curious selection.
One moment that won’t cause you to shake your head is Massachusetts eliminating their double weigh-in policy for MMA. Shouldn’t have been on the books in the first place.
Topics: Media, MMA, StrikeForce, UFC, Zach Arnold | 14 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
The man who beat Roy Jones in Australia finds himself with a new kind of spotlight
By Zach Arnold | July 22, 2010
If you haven’t seen this video yet, it’s Danny Green (the man who beat Roy Jones Jr.) and now a major controversy over whether or not his opponent took a dive. Jim Murphy takes note that Australian betting agencies are getting nervous about what’s going on.
Topics: Boxing, Media, Zach Arnold | 16 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Should Jake Shields get a UFC title shot if he beats Martin Kampmann?
By Zach Arnold | July 22, 2010
Related: Is it right for promoters to not push winning fighters because they are viewed as ‘boring’?
A conversation between Steve Cofield and Dave Meltzer:
STEVE COFIELD: “How good of a deal do you think he got? How does it compare to some of the other, you know, elite fighters that are in UFC if it was… is he in the Top 15 or is he kind of just a mid-level guy?”
DAVE MELTZER: “I DON’T KNOW! I don’t know what kind of a deal he got. Part of the thing is that I don’t think he… it wasn’t the bidding war that he may have hoped for because I think Strikeforce, from talking to people at Strikeforce, it was clear to me that they had decided they weren’t going to go into a bidding war even though he was their champion. They felt that he had not proven himself to be marketable, so… if it got to be big numbers they were going to just let him go and that’s what happened.”
STEVE COFIELD: “So, you know, I was reading some of the comments from the Wrestling Observer. You have pretty strong thoughts on Jake Shield. I think you’re kind of along of the same lines that you don’t think he’s that marketable, right?”
DAVE MELTZER: “Um… I mean the thing is that if you become a UFC champion, you’re going to eventually become marketable. I mean, that’s just the thing of being in the UFC. … Lyoto Machida, at first, wasn’t marketable but you know he won so many fights that he became marketable but right off the bat? No. I think it’s going to take some, you know I don’t think that he was that marketable coming off of the CBS exposure even though he won a lot of fights on Strikeforce. The people really didn’t take to him. So… if it wins his fights, he’ll be a star, but I don’t think he’s walking in like say someone like Fedor would walk in or someone else you know would walk in and is already a ready-made star.”
STEVE COFIELD: “Do you go as far as kind of saying that they almost have to be careful in the way they promote him to the point where maybe they have to bury him on cards because they don’t want to create false expectations that he’s kind of a boring fighter?”
DAVE MELTZER: “That depends because you know again he’s going to get a chance, he’s going to start with Martin Kampmann who’s… Martin Kampmann usually has good fights, so he’s got the opportunity to go in there and have a good fight and I think wins. You know it’ll move him up so that’s a good one. If he’s in there with a wrong opponent, he can have really boring fights and they’ve done this with you know even with like you know Fitch and Yushin Okami, guys that are winning fighters with great records, they put them on undercards for various reasons for fear of slowing the pace down on the live show and with the wrong opponent, Jake definitely can be a guy like that so they have but whatever, they’re not dumb, you know got to you know you got to make sure he’s got the kind of an opponent that he’s not going to be able to do that to.”
STEVE COFIELD: “You know, I kind of like the signing because I think from if you’re looking ahead for future Georges St. Pierre opponents, I like the fact that Shields is a guy who will force Georges to stand up. Now that may not be good for Shields but I think Shields is one of the only guys out there who’s kind of close to the same level on the grappling front as GSP.”
DAVE MELTZER: “Well, GSP told me himself that he thinks that Jake Shields is better on the ground than he is. I mean that might be the only, that’s the only time I’ve ever heard him say that about anyone so that tells me that you know he would, his smart fight is to stand up with Jake Shield and yeah that would be, if nothing else, it would be a very different St. Pierre fight and you know it’ll probably test him because I think at some point that fight is going to the ground but I don’t think Georges is going to do what he’s been doing with other people which is immediately take them down and make sure to keep it down and that’s the goal the whole fight. I think the goal with the fighter with (Shields) is a little bit of everything. I don’t think that you know, he’s going to want to keep it standing, maybe go to the ground when he thinks the guy is tired, but not that whole ground fight, so yeah… again it’s a new, fresh opponent. If Shields wins like… to me I think it’s two good wins and Georges is still the champion, you know, that’s a good new opponent because again you know Fitch and Alves, the winner of that fight really should get a shot but we’ve seen Georges against both of those guys and he won every round against both of them so a new opponent would be, you know, and he probably beats Koscheck, a new opponent would be really good. So, I think Shields is coming in for him at a pretty good time.”
STEVE COFIELD: “So, if you were the UFC, you just mentioned two fights to help build Shields. If he, you know, goes out there and you know 3 or 4 minutes just takes down Kampmann, twists him up, finishes him, can he get the GSP fight that quickly? Can he do it based on one fight or they need more time or lead time to build him?”
DAVE MELTZER: “It depends on the circumstances of… I tell you, if he goes in there and wins in like two minutes, you know I would think that actually I would have him, I would… if it works out I might ahve him sit at that point because he’ll ready-made. If he goes in there and he struggles and it’s a win but it’s not an impressive win, I think he might need, I think he would need another win at that point. It depends. You know that St. Pierre’s fighting Koscheck next and that’s December, so and St. Pierre doesn’t want to fight that often so we’re really talking about next, late Spring, early Summer so I think he may have to get two fights in there no matter what really and again, if Fitch wins, it’s really hard for me to justify Fitch not getting another shot just because it’s so many wins in a row and beating Alves, who’s you know such a top contender, I mean you know the flipside is if Koscheck wins and Fitch wins, then we’ve got a real interesting thing because they should be offered that fight and there’s a good chance that they’ll turn down, certainly there’s a chance they’ll turn it down because nobody from AKA is going to fight anyone, and that may springboard Shields into a match with Koscheck, actually, quicker. If things go in a certain way, you know, it’s all I hate to go so far in advance because the UFC there are so many variables in every single match but I could see, you know it’s possible he could it in one (fight), but more likely it’s going to take two wins. If he doesn’t win both, then he’s going to have a longer trip to get there because you lose in UFC, you lose your place in line.”
STEVE COFIELD: “Do you agree with what Strikeforce did? Clearly their attitude is that losing their Middleweight champ, the guy who beat their big free agent signing Dan Henderson, isn’t going to cripple them.”
DAVE MELTZER: “Um… I think that right now you know I mean I don’t know of the finances, the financial situation of Strikeforce, but given that almost everyone in Strikeforce was kind of seemed to be on the same page on that one, I think that they probably all felt that. I mean, breaking the bank to keep Jake Shields… even though he had a big win, I don’t think he had that much momentum so I would say… I think they probably did the best thing… the problem is that you certainly don’t want it to look like that you are the feeder system and you know this guy beating you know your second most popular fighter and then going on to UFC, I wouldn’t like to have win-at-all-costs but there’s a financial number where you just go, hey, it’s just not worth it to us and clearly the fact that they didn’t chase him that hard… the deal was over that number.”
Topics: Media, MMA, StrikeForce, UFC, Zach Arnold | 9 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
A sneaky tactic that Strikeforce is considering with their upcoming tournaments
By Zach Arnold | July 21, 2010
If you thought the debate over “the champion’s clause” was a big issue in negotiations between Fedor and Strikeforce, wait until Strikeforce negotiates with top-level talent for upcoming ‘tournaments’ they want to promote.
During a Sherdog radio interview on Monday, Strikeforce boss Scott Coker was asked why the promotion went ahead with a Middleweight title fight between Tim Kennedy & Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza as opposed to a tournament. Mr. Coker said that ‘his team’ decided that it would be better to have a title fight first as opposed to having a tournament while leaving the MIddleweight belt vacant. He noted that the promotion plans an 8-man Middleweight tournament, with the opening round in October and then a one-night tournament in December. The winner of the 8/21 Houston fight will face the December tournament winner in a title fight at the end of January.
However, the big takeaway from the Sherdog interview is that Scott talked about the idea of ‘tournament titles.’ It was brought up in a larger context as to whether or not it was a good idea for Strikeforce to have titles and if they were important. Mr. Coker said that titles were important.
In a very clever way, Strikeforce using ‘tournament titles’ will allow them to double-down on the ‘champion’s clause’ and, in essence, guarantee that tournament winners and promotional champions will have to face each other. It’s like taking the old PRIDE format where you had GP titles and the winner would face the champion, but in this scenario you apply the champion’s clause and legally try to force the fight to happen.
But wait, there’s more.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Media, MMA, StrikeForce, Zach Arnold | 33 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
More yakuza scandal action in Sumo and get ready for Rampage/Machida
By Zach Arnold | July 21, 2010
- Kyodo claims ex-sumo champion Takanohana met Ehime Prefecture gangster in June – sources
- Stablemaster rents building with ties to yakuza for Osaka sumo tournaments
Well, look at the bright side. At least we haven’t heard about any yakuza loan sharking scandals in Sumo…
A funny story – the edited ‘digest’ tape-delayed version of this month’s Nagoya Sumo tournament is drawing better TV ratings than past Sumo events that aired live on NHK.
The bad news is that ticket sales have completely bombed for the Nagoya event and there is a lot of financial pain.
Misc. news and notes
Sarah Kaufman, who headlines Strikeforce’s weekend event in Everett, Washington against Roxy Modafferi in a 135-pound title fight, has posted the first of many coming entries as she has landed in Everett.
I have a new article at MMA Torch about the K-1/Puji Group tie-up and what it means. After you read that article, check out this web site on Puji.
I’m sure by now you’ve heard about the MMA Junkie report on Rampage Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida being verbally agreed to as an upcoming UFC fight this November.
UFC UK President Marshall Zelaznik told ESPN UK that UFC is aiming for 4 ~ 6 British “Fight Night” Spike TV events in 2011.
The return of HEROES in MMA… in Hawaii between Niko Vitale and Kala “Kolohe” Hose at Blaisdell Arena on September 11th.
Ray Sefo is helping out Randy Couture in training as a ‘fake James Toney.’ Ray is/was an excellent kickboxer, but I’ve watched him straight up box and…
Topics: Japan, Media, MMA, StrikeForce, UFC, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |
UFC 118: 8/28 TD Garden in Boston
By Zach Arnold | July 20, 2010
Dark matches
- Welterweights: Mike Pierce vs. Amilcar Alves
- Welterweights: Nick Osipczak vs. Greg Soto
- Welterweights: Phil Baroni vs. John Salter
- Lightweights: Andre Winner vs. Nik Lentz
Spike TV matches
- Lightweights: Joe Lauzon vs. Terry Etim
- Middleweights: Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara
Main card
- Welterweights: Nate Diaz vs. Marcus Davis
- Middleweights: Nate Marquardt vs. Rousimar Palhares
- Lightweights (eliminator): Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard
- MMA vs. Boxing: Randy Couture vs. James Toney
- UFC Lightweight Title match: Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn
As far as Couture/Toney being in the semi-main event slot, I don’t know if that’s the right match position or not. I understand that there’s a possibility that the Maynard fight will go the distance, but if Couture loses to Toney then the arena will be buzzing about that during the main event.
If you are wondering whether or not that fight will be marketed as MMA vs. Boxing, the answer is yes. Pick up a copy of UFC’s newest magazine and you’ll see this: “Who’s afraid of a boxer?” then “RANDY COUTURE” and “Captain America settles the MMA vs. boxing debate.” I personally think seeing “PRIDE 20 Greatest Moments” on the UFC magazine front cover is funny.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 9 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Dave Meltzer: UFC should limit how much they show Jake Shields on TV and PPV
By Zach Arnold | July 19, 2010
(Tip of the cap to Keith at Cageside Seats.)
Jake Shields has a tough time attracting an audience for his fights. On the other hand, Jake is respected by a lot of people in the MMA world.
(Maybe not so much for his recent antics with Scott Coker, but not a lot of fighters have shown Scott enough respect lately.)
This is a real sport. As much as I’m sure ABC or other networks didn’t want to air New Jersey Devil NHL games when they were the masters of the ‘neutral zone trap,’ they aired the games because, hey, it’s a sport.
Dave’s pro-wrestling and business sense here is the foundation for this logic (reg. req’d to view):
“They’d better match him with a good stand-up fighter with no takedown defense or submission defense. At least then you know the match will be over quickly. If not, there is a lesson already out there about putting him on live TV.
“Honestly, the less they show of him the better. You showcase people to their strengths and hide their weaknesses. You look at that for every person and then expose them accordingly. Either a guy with no sub defense and takedown defense, or hide him on the undercards where nobody can see him except the local ticket buyers, preferably on a Vegas show where nobody shows up until late. Having people sleep through Jon Fitch fights does less to make them want to see him against GSP again. However, if they never saw those fights, and marketed a 15 fight winning streak and had people talk him up, they wouldn’t know enough to not want to see him.
“they should talk about his win streak, have other fighters talk about him, never air him on television (unless they sign Melvin Manhoef) and show him training. The thing is, GSP will get him over on promos but if people actually saw him fight, they won’t believe GSP when he talks about what a threat he is.”
It’s a very fine line here, especially with the rumors that Martin Kampmann will be Jake’s first opponent in UFC. Martin Kampmann is not a pushover and this will be a tough fight for Jake. I thought that UFC would give Jake an easier opponent to start out with at Welterweight. Is that a 50/50 fight to guess on who wins?
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 15 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Who will Floyd Mayweather fight next? Plus, what to do with Ken Shamrock?
By Zach Arnold | July 19, 2010
If you have not read my article already on the top 5 MMA fights so far in 2010, go read it. I should note that when you click on the article link, you can vote/rate on any of the fights there. You can also find any fight using the Event Search tool on that page’s sidebar.
Manny Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz says ‘we’ll move on’ from the fight with Floyd Mayweather. I still don’t know who Mayweather will fight next, if even he fights someone else before eventually giving in to fighting Pacquiao. Erik Morales?
The Daily Telegraph in Australia says that Vic Darchinyan wants to train for MMA.
Jamie Penick has a brand new interview with Rich Franklin today, in which Rich explains why he doesn’t really care who he fights next and for the rest of his career in the UFC. He also talked about being open to fighting Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz.
Jeremy Botter says that Ken Shamrock’s sad decline is not easy to watch. He’s referring to Ken getting beat up by Pedro Rizzo. My take from that fight is that Pedro Rizzo will just never quit and he will continue to knock out opponents. God bless him if he can continue getting the pay days as long as he stays healthy. My amigo Dave Walsh says that Ken Shamrock is imitating Randy the Ram from The Wrestler. The truth is that Ken does need the money. As Jonathan Snowden put it, an aged legend dances for nickels down under.
Count both Vitor Belfort and Shawn Tompkins in the camp of fighters rooting against Chael Sonnen to win his fight against Anderson Silva? I’d love to see Vitor fight Anderson, no question about it. The bigger question remains for Chael Sonnen — what happens if/when he loses to Anderson? Where do you go from that point forward?
A very long and extensive interview with Ariel Helwani. During the interview, he says that no one in the sport of MMA can replace Brock Lesnar as a draw. Ariel also talks about how pro-wrestling fans have ‘graduated’ into becoming MMA fans and that MMA should learn from the mistakes of pro-wrestling with the massive amount of PPVs being booked each year.
Topics: Boxing, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 15 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
MMAFA web site launch today; Fighters Association vs. Union
By Zach Arnold | July 19, 2010
MMAFA.TV was launched today and will be a clearing house of not only stories from various web sites but also a compilation of content that highlights some of the themes that Rob Maysey is looking to do with his attempted creation of a fighter’s association.
The biggest challenge for Rob is to try to explain to people what the difference between a fighter’s association and a union is. Eight questions for the Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association (MMAFA). That’s about as clear of a definition as to what the mission statement of the MMAFA is as you can possibly get.
Leave it to the MMABay radio show to describe attorney Rob Maysey in this manner:
The entire show includes coverage from MMA explosion last night. Guests interviewed this week include “rob” who was a crappy guest with an odd website, Ryan Couture, Roy Nelson, Jeremy Horn and Mike Goldberg! Very packed show from start to finish including horrible tech issues which are resolved on the fly and gives us a complete and very entertaining show this week with over 3 hours of MMA content.
The interview with “rob” is described by Rob in these terms:
Today’s radio show—that I thought was a little bizarre right after.
Asks what I do—I briefly answer. Asks if it’s a union. I say no, explain the difference.
Next question was, “Oh, so it’s the first organized fighters union?”
I explain again—No, its not a union.
They were uninterested after that.
What is your take on the value of having a Fighter’s Association in MMA? Is it more feasible in your mind than creating a union?
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 2 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |