UFC 112 judge Doug Crosby owes UFC management an apology
By Zach Arnold | April 12, 2010
OPINION
As Dana White noted in an interview with Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting after Saturday night’s main event debacle with Anderson Silva, UFC 112 was the company’s first impression not only in a new market but also with their new minority business partners, Flash.
“It’s all about first impressions and you know one of the things that I’ve always been proud of every time we go into a new market we always leave a good first impression. People always leave the event and spread what I call the virus, they infect 15 other people with what they saw that night.”
A lot of pressure was on the shoulders of Mr. White, Mr. Lorenzo Fertitta, and members of UFC management to get the job done right. One of those members who had to deal with the scrutiny of the event was Marc Ratner, who managed the regulatory side of the show for the Abu Dhabi card. As Marc noted in an interview with Ariel last week as the arena was being constructed at Ferrari World, he was in charge of bringing in the judges (a mix of USA and UK judges) and also for the rules, weigh-in, and drug testing of the fighters. Given that Abu Dhabi has no athletic commission, regulating the event went squarely on the shoulders of Mr. Ratner. Given his excellent track record, Marc deserved to get the very best out of the people he hired to do their job. From the referees to the judges to the adminstrators, everyone at UFC 112 was hired to do their job both at the arena and out of the arena in a professional manner. On shows where the territory has no commission, the spotlight is more firmly in place on Mr. Ratner.
Which is why Doug Crosby’s bizarre, troll-like rants online about his judging performance for the Frankie Edgar/BJ Penn UFC Lightweight title fight should be viewed as an insult not only to all MMA judges but also as a slight on the boss who hired Mr. Crosby in the first place.
By now you’ve seen Mr. Crosby’s online tirades about how he judged the Edgar/Penn fight. He wrote a post online stating that he would defend his scoring of the fight as 50-45 in favor of Mr. Edgar. Instead of explaining his rationale for why he judged the fight the way he did, he started trolling fans immediately. He started trolling UFC fans. He started trolling customers who bought the UFC PPV. Why? I don’t know and I don’t care. For troll jobs like these, use Occam’s Razor and come up with your own conclusion. The idea that Mr. Crosby decided to publicly show his contempt for MMA fans is not a new revelation for someone who works in the Mixed Martial Industry. There are plenty of people in the business who think the fans are nothing more than a bunch of marks and rubes and couldn’t give a damn about what they think, paying customers or not. Conversely, there are plenty of fighters, agents, and promoters who do care about what the fans think and do care what fans want to pay to see.
The problem for Mr. Crosby is not his contempt for MMA fans in general but the fact that he thinks he is no different than a random keyboard warrior on a message board. He’s wrong on this front and if he hasn’t realized it already, he better learn this lesson very quickly. He is a judge in Mixed Martial Arts. He is paid to be a professional — a professional who judges prize fights where fighters are putting everything on the line to win the fight, to win money, and to win titles. The last time I checked, trolling and insulting fans on the Internet is not part of the job description for being an MMA judge.
On this level, Mr. Crosby has tarnished not only his reputation but has also helped add to the laundry list of complaints that we often see fans express with both MMA judges and referees. Remember, it is Mr. Ratner’s job as UFC regulatory czar to not only make sure new states approve MMA legislation but also provide the proper training. It may not say in the rule book to act like a professional, but Mr. Ratner shouldn’t have to put that down in writing for Mr. Crosby. He should have known the standards that the fans, the media, and the fighters have for MMA judges in general. End of story.
Mr. Crosby owes Mr. Ratner an apology — one in private and one in public. In private, he should tell Mr. Ratner that he is sorry for his behavior and for the attention he has drawn to himself for his behavior. He should tell Mr. Ratner that he made a mistake and he will strive to do better in the future. After a private apology, he should issue a public apology to Mr. Ratner, UFC President Dana White, UFC management, and MMA fans for acting as foolishly as he has and by creating negative attention to the company’s event in Abu Dhabi. The apology should not be a half-assed one, either. Not the “I’m sorry if I offended you in any way” kind of apology, but a truly sincere one in which Mr. Crosby expresses regret for the comments he made and the way he has treated the fans. If he wants to be a keyboard warrior and not an MMA judge, then give up the job title of being a judge and ramble on to your heart’s content on The Underground Forum for as long as you want. If you want to be an MMA judge, develop a better sense of professionalism and a better sense of respect for the people you are talking with and for the people who you may impact based on your personal and public actions.
As for Mr. Crosby’s weak and almost non-existent defense of the way he scored the fight 50-45 in favor of Mr. Edgar, Mr. Crosby would be well served to provide a more coherent defense in regards to how he scored each round and why he scored each round the way he did. His initial defense of having fighters and staff cheer him on because he judged a fight and “not fighters” is an insult. His attacks on fans and paying customers who thought BJ Penn won the fight or lost a close decision is frankly beneath him and reflects poorly not only on his character as an MMA judge but also on his ability to intellectually defend his actions as a judge. Will we see Mr. Crosby apologize to fans and perhaps to Mr. Penn for his behavior? Highly unlikely, but he would be well-served to try to make amends very shortly.
It would be one thing if a random troll on a message board said something goofy or indefensible, but the words carry more weight and meaning when said by someone in a position of power. Mr. Crosby was in a position of power to influence the decision of a title fight. A fight featuring a prize title and big money. A fight featuring an underdog who was, at the minimum, a +550 underdog. Dana White pegged Frankie Edgar as a 7-to-1 underdog. With an underdog that big, the scrutiny on the officiating and the judging is that much greater. The last thing Mr. Ratner needs to deal with are accusations that a judge was “on the take” or that someone “made a lot of money” on the side. With so much on the line for UFC to make a first impression in Abu Dhabi in front of their new business partners, the last thing Mr. Ratner needs to deal with is an employee that he hired for the event to possibly create doubt into the validity of the judging process. Any action by an official or a judge that brings into question the integrity of the rules being enforced at the event is not only an attack on the validity of the fight process but also an attack on the integrity of Mr. Ratner.
Humans make mistakes all the time. Some mistakes are just bigger than others. This was not Mr. Crosby’s finest hour.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 3 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Want to write about MMA? Join me on the MMA Memories team
By Zach Arnold | April 12, 2010
MMA Memories is looking to recruit writers. Expectations:
– Write a column every week on a specific day (no excuses), minimum 750 words, with a secondary column each week on a second day of the week
– Interview content would be most wanted, but original op-ed commentary supplemented with quotes is also heavily desired. Simple recap articles aren’t needed.
No need to be intimidated. If you want to see samples of work, check out articles that I have written for MMA Memories and articles that Jim Genia has written for the site for examples. It’s a good chance for someone who wants to start writing on MMA to get their feet wet and make connections. If you are a veteran writer looking to expand your reach, it’s also a good site to sign up for and write on. We try to cover a lot of ground at MMA Memories with more opinion and long-form writing that you may not see on other sites. Unique content is a must and MMA Memories is looking to add new members to the staff.
Give Larry Goldberg a message at [email protected] to inquire about joining the MMA Memories staff.
Sponsors: Contact Larry to get hooked up with MMA Memories for advertising and also bringing fighters that you sponsor for interviews with the site. MMA Memories has an open door policy.
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Comments from UFC judge Doug Crosby who scored Edgar/Penn fight 50-45 in Abu Dhabi
By Zach Arnold | April 12, 2010
CompuStrike stats for Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn fight at UFC 112.
Jordan Breen says this is legitimate and it is Doug Crosby.
This is really a highly sober, rational and mature way for a judge to act after helping torpedo an athlete.
For those asking if it’s really Crosby, yes. He routinely posts on the UG. You can check his post history.
Let’s take a look at (supposedly) his comments:
THE JUDGING GENIUS RETURNS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST
So….Just returned from Abu Dhabi, and I haven’t been in my duplex more than 20 minutes, when the Doorman calls me on the intercom in a state of panic…
Seems there are hundreds of moaning, howling ghouls in “RVCA” and “Prodigy/Hilo Boy” T-shirts surrounding the building like extras from “Zombieland”…
And they’re chanting “50/45!” over and over, and trying to push their way into the lobby…..
Which gives me a little time to talk to you, my dear friends.
So I’m wondering…..Should I tell you how I scored Penn/Edgar, and why, right now, up front?
But that seems kinda like the Pope or the King back in the day, just writing down what he wants to say, and having one of his burly churls nail it to the door of the church for everyone to read…It seems a bit…distant, a bit ‘above it all’, don’tcha think?
Because God knows I have plenty to say and no shortage of burly churls; no dearth of hulking familiars to do my bidding have I….
Perhaps just announcing my presence is enough for now. Perhaps simply allowing some of you, my faithful friends and fellow MMA devotees, to say what YOU want to say is more….Democratic; more…..Enlightened.
A behaviour more consistent with a Progressive such as myself.
After all, isn’t that my job? Isn’t it incumbent upon me, as a Judge, to make myself available for your criticism? If I take the plane ride, and get to the venue, and score the fights, I have a kind of….Contract with the fans; a contract that specifically allows you to criticize me. And I will be glad to defend the terms of that agreement, even if it means I have to take the weight sometimes.
I knew this was coming as I scored the fight. I knew the inescapable inevitability of criticism was waiting back here. I saw the ride; and I bought a ticket.
So what I’m thinking is…… why deny you guys? You earned the right to say what you think by buying the PPV. Don’t I owe you a little time to say everything you want to say? Isn’t that a better way to continue to build a bridge to the fans? By giving them their say? Isn’t that what I owe you?
Shakespeare wrote
“THE TIME APPROACHES, THAT WILL, WITH DUE DECISION, MAKE US KNOW; WHAT WE SHALL SAY WE HAVE, AND WHAT WE OWE….”
And we all HAVE my scores…..
But what do we….OWE???
So allow me to cast up my accounts with you as equitably as possible, won’t you?
Interestingly, I’ve been slightly taken aback by the response my score for the Penn/Edgar fight has engendered…but not in the way (some of) you guys have responded….I kind of expected that.
What’s been surprising is how many people, at the event, in the hotel, at the airport, fighters, production staff, etc., have told me how glad they were that I scored the FIGHT, and not the FIGHTERS.
Are you guys with me on that, even just a little? Can you understand what I mean by that?
May I also mention that I forgive you?
For your anger, your insults, and your crassness? NOT all of you….You know who you are. Yes; YOU: Over there, with the purple Nikes on, waiting for the spaceship in the tail of comet to come take you to a world where everyone agrees with you….and YOU over there…the one who thinks his heroes never lose….
So yes, I forgive you. I started this thread knowing that a percentage of you would behave the way you have. I knew you would when I scored the fight as well. I forgave you then.
And even as I forgave you, I prepared myself to defend your right to criticize me, and make myself available for that criticism. Isn’t that something I kind of…started out by saying?
As fans, I owe you that. Remember me saying that….Pages ago? That you have the right to criticize me? Wasn’t I the person who brought that up? Wasn’t I the person who gave you the opportunity to be heard? By the person you are angry with?
Should I even mention that most of the virulent criticisms aren’t even consistent with each other? Or is that ‘condescending’? Which is to say…..are the things you’ve written in these last 7 pages available for criticism as well? Or does suggesting that constitute a similar heresy to my scoring in Penn/Edgar?
The reason last question is because I have to make bit of a decision…..Like I said pages ago; do I just lay out why I scored Penn/Edgar the way i did, and leave it at that? Or do I entertain a….dialogue with you (yes, YOU)? Do I go post-by-post and address your issues, both the rational and the ridiculous, for the sake of a democratic dialogue? Do I pick and choose among the posts for the ones (dissenting or otherwise) I feel are worthy of explanation, refutation, argument? Do I respond to ridicule with ridicule? Viciousness with viciousness? Do I pay each and every one of you with your own currency? Or do I just say what I think as far as that fight, and move on?
I posed that question pages ago. What direction would any of you be inclining towards, were you me? I wonder.
I just took a few moments to go back to the beginning of this thread and re-read everything I said, and the responses it engendered. I recommend it to all of you. My intellectual mentor, Dr. Jacques Vallee’, years ago told me “Seek out your enemies, Douglas, and listen to what they have to say. Than go think for awhile.”
Reading over what’s been said, in both tone and content, has been enlightening.
All of that being said…..
I’ve mentioned numerous times on other threads that the scoring criteria exist for a reason, just like the 10-point “must” system exists for a reason; and that the scoring criteria are guidelines within which Judges arrive at a decision on a round-by-round basis.
It is a Judge’s obligation to interpret the fight and use the criteria as guidelines. But a fight is an observed event that does require interpretation, observation, wisdom.
And, in my considered opinion, Edgar dictated the tone of the fight, successfully implemented and executed a strategy, landed better strikes, and basically outworked Penn.
And that is an interpretation by a ringside observer with an understanding and appreciation of MMA, who has Judged numerous (hundreds) of fights.
I re-watched the fight in my hotel in Abu Dhabi and saw nothing that would influence me to score it any differently.
I support and encourage your right to criticize my scoring. And I forgive you for your attacks of both a professional, and, regrettably, personal nature.
From commenter Mortality – “50-45 does not mean a fight was lopsided. Every round could have been razor thin but still had the same winner. Some of you don’t seem to understand scoring at all.”
I just printed this out and dropped it out my window. The RVCA/HILO BOY Zombies read it and they all just walked into the sea. Thanks! DC/NYC
Remember, this man was selected as a judge for the event by UFC management.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 27 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
UFC 112 reflections – quotes and links
By Zach Arnold | April 11, 2010
Dana White’s message to the media:
Just saw some of the media talking about things I say on twitter, lol! If you media pussies don’t like it then STAY OFF MY TWITTER!!!
My quotes and links notebook
- Frankie Edgar’s win over BJ Penn has everyone stunned (plus Dana talks to Fedor)
- The end of the line for both Matt Hughes & Renzo Gracie
- Anderson Silva sees nothing wrong with his fight performance
The notebook articles contains quotes and comments from all the fighters (except for Penn).
Event results:
- Jon Madsen defeated Mostapha Al-Turk after 3R by JD.
- Paul Kelly defeated Matt Veach in R2 in 3’42 with a guillotine choke.
- DaMarques Johnson defeated Brad Blackburn in R3 in 2’08 by TKO.
- Rick Story defeated Nick Osipczak after 3R by JD.
- Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis defeated Alexander Gustafsson in R1 in 4’55 with an Anaconda Choke.
- Mark Munoz defeated Kendall Grove in R2 in 2’50 by TKO.
- Rafael Dos Anjos defeated Terry Etim in R2 in 4’30 with an armbar.
Matt Hughes defeated Renzo Gracie in R3 in 4’40 by TKO.
- The National: Hughes plays waiting game in triumph
UFC Lightweight Title match: Frankie Edgar defeated BJ Penn after 5R by JD to win the belt. (50-45, 48-47, 49-46 scores.)
- The Honolulu Advertiser: BJ Penn has no answer for Frankie Edgar
- USA Today: Stats point to Penn edging out Edgar at UFC 112
- The National: Edgar provides the answer to take belt from BJ Penn
UFC Middleweight Title match: Anderson Silva defeated Demian Maia after 5R by JD. (50-45 twice, 49-46.)
- Michael David Smith: Anderson Silva should move to heavyweight
- Simon Head (The Mirror): Silva’s antics take the shine off of UFC 112
- Gareth Davies: Is Anderson Silva being moved and stripped of his title?
- Mike Fagan: Where are the pitchforks for Dana White’s booking?
- Gregg Doyel (CBS Sports): I want a refund and I want Anderson Silva to write me the check
- The National: Anderson wins but fans unimpressed with Silva patter
The National ran with the UFC event as the major headline and story for their Sunday newspaper.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 13 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
UFC 112: The Invincible road to Abu Dhabi
By Zach Arnold | April 10, 2010
News & Notes
Earlier in the week, I noted that you can check out which bars/restaurants in your area will be airing the UFC 112 Abu Dhabi event on Saturday. One of the trends that I’m noticing with UFC 112 is that fewer bars are picking up the tab to get this show. It’s a far cry from the huge demand there was for UFC 111 a couple of weeks ago (an estimated 750,000 PPV buys).
Speaking of UFC and programming distribution, there reportedly is a war going on between WWE and UFC in Europe.
Regarding the medical condition that Thiago Alves had corrected during his 8-hour surgerical procedure, he is dealing with issues related to arteriovenous fistula. Here is some more information on the surgery done to correct the matter. If you are wondering why the surgery for Alves took so long, read this for more details.
The event card line-up:
Dark matches
- Heavyweights: Jon Madsen vs. Mostapha Al-Turk
- Lightweights: Paul Kelly vs. Matt Veach
- Welterweights: DaMarques Johnson vs. Brad Blackburn
- Welterweights: Nick Osipczak vs. Rick Story
- Welterweights: Paul Taylor vs. John Gunderson
- Light Heavyweights: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis
Main card
- Middleweights: Kendall Grove vs. Mark Munoz
- Lightweights: Terry Etim vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
- Welterweights: Matt Hughes vs. Renzo Gracie
- UFC Lightweight Title match: BJ Penn vs. Frankie Edgar
- UFC Middleweight Title match: Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 128 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Independent World MMA Rankings – April 9, 2010
By Zach Arnold | April 8, 2010
From the office of the Independent World MMA Rankings
April 9, 2010: The April 2010 Men’s Independent World MMA Rankings have been released. These rankings are independent of any single MMA media outlet or sanctioning body, and are published on multiple web sites, as well as www.IndependentWorldMMARankings.com.
Some of the best and most knowledgeable MMA writers from across the MMA media landscape have come together to form an independent voting panel. These voting panel members are, in alphabetical order: Zach Arnold (Fight Opinion); Nicholas Bailey (MMA Ratings); Jared Barnes (Freelance); Jordan Breen (Sherdog); Jim Genia (Full Contact Fighter, MMA Memories, and MMA Journalist Blog); Jesse Holland (MMA Mania); Robert Joyner (Freelance); Todd Martin (CBS Sportsline); Jim Murphy (The Savage Science); Zac Robinson (Sports by the Numbers MMA); Leland Roling (Bloody Elbow); Michael David Smith (AOL Fanhouse); Joshua Stein (MMA Opinion); Ivan Trembow (Freelance); and Dave Walsh (Head Kick Legend).
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 12 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
UFC sets precedent with win over Ken Shamrock in court; UFC fighters legally find themselves substantially weakened
By Zach Arnold | April 8, 2010
We have discussed the Zuffa vs. Ken Shamrock court case repeatedly on this web site. (You can view all the court records related to this case in the 8th District in Las Vegas right here.) In short, Shamrock sued UFC over having one fight left on his contract and getting cut. UFC not only defeated Shamrock in civil court, but the judge in the case (Susan H. Johnson) awarded Zuffa’s motion to get all their court costs covered. That means Ken Shamrock is stuck with a $175,000 legal bill. For Shamrock, it’s a disastrous ruling given his reportedly perilous financial situation.
The lawsuit raises several issues. Attached to this article is a legal interpretation by Rob Maysey of the judge’s ruling in this case and what it means for anyone who signs a UFC contract. Below his summary is the full text from the judge’s initial decision to award the decision to the defendants (Zuffa) in the civil suit (around Valentine’s Day 2010).
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: All Topics, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 22 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Bellator’s scheduling problems on Comcast Sportsnet and how UFC is influencing Comcast
By Zach Arnold | April 8, 2010
I’ve had many people ask me this week how I was able to view the Countdown to UFC 112 hype show so early (I saw it on Monday on CSN). I was simply watching the network and it appeared. Normally, the hype specials are set for Spike TV, but they are now airing on Comcast. On Thursday, the same show aired on CSN affiliates.
In addition to the hype specials, Comcast has been airing non-stop barker blasts and ads for UFC PPVs. This started with the UFC 111 PPV and has been amped up significantly for UFC 112. The ads in essence tell people how to order the PPV on their Comcast system.
So why is Comcast amping up the hype for UFC on such a regular basis? Because Comcast and UFC are now television partners. It all started with the move to Versus. Being on Versus alone isn’t a big deal right now, but having access to Comcast’s advertising and marketing resources sure is. Which is why Comcast hyping up UFC is such a big deal. They have a big financial stake in how UFC does on PPV given the % cut that the mega-cable company makes in America off of those PPV events.
Which leads us to Bellator. The excruciating pain of trying to find the live Thursday Bellator events on CSN affiliates is proving to be a challenge to everyone. CSN has lots of programming — from basketball games to baseball games, the network affiliates have plenty of reasons to pre-empt airings of Bellator shows. In my case, if I can’t get access to the live Bellator shows, I will end up having to watch the edited versions on Telemundo each Saturday. (For the record, Bellator’s debut show aired on CSN Bay Area at 8 PM on Thursday night. I couldn’t find it in my TV guide, however.)
The only ray of sunshine I can give to anyone out there who wants to see Bellator events live on FSN/Comcast but can’t get access on cable or small satellite (DirecTV/Dish Network) is this — if you already have a Ku wave satellite set-up (with a C-wave conical scalar set-up) or a BUD (big ugly dish) with C-band LNBs in place, you can try to pick up the “wild feeds” each Thursday night on your satellite if your receiver has blind scan has an option. If you don’t have that option, then contact management at this site and ask them each Thursday to do a blind scan to get you the wild feed information on telecasts. Wild feeds = legal.
As for Comcast users/subscribers, I don’t know what else to say.
Topics: Bellator, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 11 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Bellator: Season Two (start of FSN, Telemundo/NBC promotional era)
By Zach Arnold | April 8, 2010
Over the course of their programming season on Fox Sports Net/Comcast Sportsnet and NBC/Telemundo (check your local listings), the promotion will be featuring fights from their Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight, and Middleweight tournaments. Here is how it looks on paper:
Featherweight tournament
Joe Warren vs. Eric Marriott (W1)
Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Bao Quach (W1)
Wilson Reis vs. Shad Lierley (W2)
Patricio Pitbull vs. William Romero
Lightweight tournament
Roger Huerta vs. Chad Hinton (W1)
Joe Duarte (W1) vs. Carey Vanier
Pat Curran vs. Mike Ricci (W2)
Toby Imada vs. Ferrid Kheder (W2)
Welterweight tournament
Ben Askren vs. Ryan Thomas (W2)
Dan Hornbuckle vs. Sean Pierson
Jacob McClintock vs. Jim Wallhead
Steve Carl vs. Brett Cooper
Middleweight tournament
Bryan Baker vs. Jared Hess
Sean Loeffler vs. Matt Major
Ryan McGivern vs. Eric Schambari
Luke Zachrich vs. TBA
As Kenny Rice said on HDNet’s Inside MMA program last week, “And you’ll need a roster to keep up, that’s the thing, there’s a lot of guys fighting.”
Taping schedule
4/08 – Hollywood, Florida at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino4/15 – Chicago Theatre- 4/22 – Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut
- 4/29 – Kansas City Power & Light District
- 5/06 – Citi Performing Arts Center, Wang Theatre (Boston)
- 5/13 – Monroe Civic Center in Louisiana
- 5/20 – not announced
- 5/27 – not announced
- 6/03 – taped program
- 6/10 – Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida
- 6/17 – not announced
- 6/24 – Kansas City Power & Light District
Josh Gross has a preview of this upcoming Bellator season.
Topics: Bellator, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 18 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Thoughts on the Countdown to UFC 112 show
By Zach Arnold | April 7, 2010
Free UFC 112 Picks Contest
The guys over at MMAbettingblog.com are running a free picks contest for UFC 112. They teamed up with BetUS and they’re giving out prizes for the event.
You can check the contest out here – or if you’re not interested, UFC 112 Odds.
Random thoughts on the Countdown show I watched
- It was interesting to see how they would try to put over the Anderson Silva/Demian Maia fight, given that it has the main event slot on the Abu Dhabi PPV. They went mostly with the Georges St. Pierre marketing template here with Anderson, putting him over a major star and having him talk about how his goal in UFC is to retire undefeated as a fighter in the promotion. There was footage of his father shown watching Anderson and Anderson’s kids train, with his father saying how proud he is of his son. Anderson called his father a “wise owl.” BTW, watching Anderson’s kids train has to be a scary proposition for future MMA fighters. That’s one motivated clan.
- UFC was put in an essentially no-win situation in trying to put over Demian Maia, so they did the only thing they could and put him over as “the best pure BJJ fighter in the game.” Ed Soares did his best to hawk the fight by saying that whomever makes the first mistake will lose the fight. Let’s just say that the stand-up issue is a really big problem here for Maia. You’re not marketing that publicly about him.
- It should be no surprise that the best talker on the preview show was Renzo Gracie. Matt Hughes was second-best, as he did a great job of being the natural heel that he is. I love watching Renzo fight, admittedly, and he is such a great talker and such an entertaining guy that I think this fight is the one I am most fascinated to watch on Saturday. I don’t care who wins or loses, as long as Matt Hughes doesn’t make it a grindfest it should be fun to watch. (Though I fear a grindfest is coming.) On the Countdown show, Renzo Gracie was put over as a great fighter (there was a Michiyoshi Ohara sighting), but as an even better trainer (which is entirely true).
- Renzo quotes: a) “I’m 43 years old, but I don’t have one gray hair!” b) Another fighter commented on Renzo, “His game was never based on athleticism. His game is based on pure technique.” c) When asked about Matt Hughes wanting to ground ‘n pound him in their UFC 112 fight, Renzo said that many fighters have tried but … “Look at this face, I don’t have a scar!”
- The biggest loser on this show? Forrest Griffin. That poor bastard had more footage of his fight against Anderson Silva shown than I could have possibly imagined. That knockout was shown on television about 20 times. Brutal.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 10 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
The heat-up begins for UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi (where Renzo Gracie is treated as a main eventer)
By Zach Arnold | April 7, 2010
If you have not read our Countdown to UFC 112 article, go read it. Then come back here to this post.
Regarding the media attention and fan demand for the Abu Dhabi event, it can be summed up in one word — big. A huge crowd showed up yesterday at Virgin Megastore in Dubai to do an autograph & photo session with UFC fighters. The Gulf News has a profile article on the show, including comments from both Anderson Silva and Demian Maia about how unique the event is going to be this weekend.
When the news first came out that UFC would be running an outdoor event in Abu Dhabi, I questioned whether or not they would be able to get the arena set up in time to make it happen. I’m pretty optimistic that everything will go smoothly, though I’m reading several articles with some handwringing about what should happen if there’s too much wind or rain or if something bad happens and there is “no Plan B.”
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Media, MMA, StrikeForce, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 2 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Transcript of Josh Barnett interview on Inside MMA talking about steroids
By Zach Arnold | April 7, 2010
Inside MMA can be seen each Friday on HDNet. When you read this interview transcript, keep this article in mind regarding Barnett waffling on whether or not he will appeal the drug test failure in California.
KENNY RICE: “You seem to have a shroud of controversy over you.”
JOSH BARNETT: “Hey, either be good or be good at it, right?”
KENNY RICE: “Well, OK, let’s start with the one. California. At this particular moment, you have no license to fight.”
JOSH BARNETT: “In California.”
KENNY RICE: “Can you fight elsewhere?”
JOSH BARNETT: “Absolutely.”
KENNY RICE: “So you’ve not been suspended, but you can’t fight in California.”
JOSH BARNETT: “Right. Well I just have, I don’t have a license in California.”
KENNY RICE: “If you go somewhere else, you’re going to have to take a drug test.”
JOSH BARNETT: “Sure. I actually, I’ve taken drug tests in California, in Nevada, in Japan, whatever. And you know as soon as they gave me a call the first time I said I’ll take a test right now.
‘Uhhhh, can’t do that.’
Really? I mean, normally they actually do their one section of testing before you fight. Actually before you fight like two days they all have us go to a hotel room and then they wait and then you can’t leave the room until you’ve actually finished peeing and they have inspectors and they all watch you.
…
It’s just the thing is, you know I complied to everything they ever asked for you know. I actually took the test on my own time, the first time, and then you know I could have waited like everybody else to take it and then whenever there was an issue, I said, we’ll take another one.
‘Uhhh, no, can’t do that.'”
KENNY RICE: “Now let’s go back. This was before the Affliction fight, we’re talking about. You come in to get your license, which is routine, and they give you a random drug test which they did, is that correct?”
JOSH BARNETT: “Right, I had my… Actually it wasn’t random, they just wanted me to do it for licensing purposes. I did it the first time when I fought, me and Sylvia both did it, um when we fought on the first Affliction show, they can ask that if they want to for licensing purposes in California. And so, when I need to get re-licensed, I just had my manager (Shannon Hooper) call them up and I go, “Well what do you need me to do? What tests do you want me to take?” I mean MRIs, CT Scans, whatever, besides blood, and what else do you want me to do?
“Oh, yeah, well, can you take the Urinalysis?”
Yeah, sure. Well, do you want us to go to Quest (Diagnostics) again?
“No, actually what we want you to do is we want you to go where there is commissioners so you have to go to an event.”
All right, well, when’s the nearest one, when’s the next one?
‘Well, there’s a boxing match going on. So go up to this Holiday Inn and do it.’
Whatever, fine.”
KENNY RICE: “So all this falls, you know, you don’t fight Fedor then as was much anticipated. First off, are you on steroids? Were you taking steroids at the time?”
JOSH BARNETT: “No. If I was taking steroids for one, why would I go take a test then? Why wouldn’t I wait until the end you know if I was going to try and you know outsmart a system, why wouldn’t I wait until before the fight or to take the test at the last possible second, you know, so I could give myself all the time to do whatever, why wouldn’t I do that?”
KENNY RICE: “What happened with the test, though? Why was the test a failure according to the California State Athletic Commission?”
JOSH BARNETT: “Well, you know what… I have a nice body of work and I’ve had a great team working on some things and you know it’s taking a long time partially because we’ve requested information and it took them actually a long time to get it to us. So we say, well you know we want this from the UCLA labs, we want this, we want that, you know it’s a very long process in actually getting the information actually to us. And then as of us last time when I had my own team fly out for a hearing and they said that apparently I needed to be there in person, which I don’t believe I was notified, I don’t have any letter but there could be a mistake.”
[Barnett was wrestling Bob Sapp in Tokyo, Japan for the IGF promotion on the day his team was scheduled to meet with the CSAC.]
BAS RUTTEN: “That urine test you had to do… Could you have done that a day before? Would they have allowed you? What if you would have said, because you know you’re telling us you know I could have played the system, I could have done it like a day before, would they have allowed you to do that?”
JOSH BARNETT: “Mmmhmm, yeah, normally that’s the case. Normally there’s like a timeline that they use and they might test you, they’ll test you before the fight, like a couple of days before, and then you might be selected also to test afterwards. Now I was in a championship bout so they probably would have tested me both times. But you know when I fought in Nevada for PRIDE, I actually had to do my own testing first. I mean I had to go and find a laboratory to get them results, which is not easy, let me tell you that. And then I ended up having to do it in Nevada at the end, so I ended up taking two tests or whatever, passed them both, then took a test for them afterwards, passed that one, and then, you know, not a problem. I took a test before and after at the first Affiction in California, I didn’t have any problem with those, either.”
BAS RUTTEN: “There’s probably they say that could a combination [contamination?] of supplements, right?”
JOSH BARNETT: “That’s possible. You know, it’s up as high as 20% of supplements on the market are tainted and it can be as simple as this. There’s a, I’m not going to name any companies that I don’t want to like throw under the bus, but they had some trouble with the FDA for some of their supplements including actual anabolics in them. But even if they are too close, it’s as simple as this — let’s say that company makes multivitamins, it doesn’t have anything to do with any sort of prohormone or anabolics, anything… if they run that multivitamin through the same hopper and it wasn’t cleaned well enough that they run the same stuff that could cause you to have a positive test, that stuff can now become contaminated within the same product.”
Topics: Affliction, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 8 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Do you support the idea of MMA having a Cruiserweight division?
By Zach Arnold | April 5, 2010
Big news item of the day involves the Ohio Athletic Commission creating a Cruiserweight division in MMA. It will start on a trial basis for amateur MMA fights.
Mayhem Miller has been booked for the Strikeforce 4/17 Nashville card. Here is the full card line-up. Dave Meltzer says that Gilbert Melendez will be the measuring stick to see how good Shin’ya Aoki really is. I have a new column talking about the challenges ahead for the Strikeforce vs. DREAM interpromotional series. UFC will air their 110 Australian event as counter-programming to the Strikeforce event on CBS.
Speaking of Strikeforce, where did Bobby Lashley go?
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Media, MMA, StrikeForce, UFC, Zach Arnold | 36 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |