An update on Alistair Overeem’s future in the fight business
By Zach Arnold | September 11, 2009
Here is what Golden Glory has to say officially about Overeem’s upcoming future in MMA:
I talked with Bas Boon about Alistair Overeem starting his training again after his fight with 5 bouncers and his hand injury. Bas Boon told me that only a few months ago the agreement was made with Strikeforce, more then a year after Alistair became the heavyweight champion (he does not know why this offer came so late by Strikeforce). Alistair has a very good contract with FEG/K-1 and has been very busy fighting K-1 and dream fights in 2008. Strikeforce knew about this, but Alistair was allowed after negotiations, to fight in the USA as well in 2009. Unfortunately when the deal was finalized with Strikeforce we had to cancel the fight. Alistair was preparing for his first title defense for Strikeforce this summer, he sustained a very nasty infection on his hand as a result of a nightclubbrawl, were five bouncers were send to the hospital. This injury took longer as we anticipated and the result was the cancelation of two fights. The injury is healed now and the first fight of Alistair will be in Seoul against Peter Aerts for the qualification of the K-1 WGP on September 26th 2009!
I talked to Bas Boon on Friday and he said the following:
“There was never a contract after the Paul Buentello title fight. This contract came a few months before Alistair hurt his hands. So it’s not 22 months long, but only 3 months.”
Overeem gave comments to ESPN. He is expected to fight in the States in early 2010.
Topics: K-1, Media, MMA, StrikeForce, Zach Arnold | 21 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Bob Arum and Dana White draw big heat for their comments
By Zach Arnold | September 11, 2009
The Las Vegas Sun has a long article about the bankruptcy proceedings involving Station Casinos. This paragraph might get your attention:
With Station’s attorneys now doing the talking in court, it’s also unknown whether Station will stay in control by playing any of its numerous wild cards, which include cash raised from the sale of any of its numerous casinos, more than 500 acres of undeveloped land it owns or controls in Las Vegas, Northern California and Reno, or money raised from the Fertitta family’s Ultimate Fighting Championship franchise.
Frank Trigg, in this article by Kevin Iole, brags about his ability to brag. Then go sell some PPV buys for UFC 103, Frank.
Bob Arum, besides making inflammatory comments about MMA, is making a pitch to having boxing at Yankee Stadium. Here are some notes about the hype job coming up for Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto. The Sweet Science has a very long, but very good article on Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer and what he has meant to boxing.
If you missed Dana White’s comments about the upcoming Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight, here’s the transcript.
“Boxing is trying to sell you the fight that nobody cares about. People want to see Mayweather/Pacquiao, but they’re not giving you that fight. And the other thing in Floyd’s commentary, Floyd goes out there and says, you know, ‘Oh, no Mixed Martial Artist has ever done $250 million dollars in revenue, you want to see big money checks, I’ll show you big money checks’ because the fans, the fans keep doing it, boxing keeps doing it to them, you show up to see Floyd Mayweather not fight. This guy will run around in circles, OK, everybody wants to know why the UFC is becoming so popular is because they’re sick of boxers not fighting! You’re going to pay whatever it is, $55, $60 bucks to see Floyd basically you get to see Dancing with the Stars again with Floyd Mayweather except you have to pay for it this time, OK? You got to pay $60 bucks to watch Floyd Mayweater in Dancing with the Stars again.”
Now here’s the backlash.
In Canada (New Brunswick), the Moncton Boxing and Wrestling Commission has banned MMA for the next six months.
Melvin Guillard faces Nate Diaz next week and did a Q & A with USA Today to hype up the fight. Todd Martin at CBS Sports has an article about UFC’s experiment with a PPV lead-in on Spike TV for the 9/19 Dallas event.
Here is an interview with New Jersey boss Nick Lembo.
Topics: Boxing, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 33 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
The MMA clipboard for Thursday – Champagne wishes and Hollywood dreams for Wolfslair
By Zach Arnold | September 10, 2009
Shayna Baszler and Noah Inhofer are about to get eclipsed in South Dakota MMA lore by this man, Jon Madsen, who will be on next week’s Ultimate Fighter show. He wrestled against Brock Lesnar in High School.
A list sure to generate heat – the 10 best fighters not currently in UFC.
Is Michael Bisping ‘going Hollywood’ like Rampage Jackson?
Sean Sherk really did get hurt in training.
Andrei Arlovski wants back in MMA and wants to fight Tim Sylvia.
Boxing fans are getting pissed about Dana White bashing Juan Manuel Marquez.
Bob Arum says Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto could draw 1.5 million PPV buys.
Yoshihiro Takayama will face Naoya Ogawa in a cage death match at JCB Hall in Tokyo on 11/3. Josh Barnett, who will likely fight at Sengoku’s Ryogoku Kokugikan event a couple of days later, reportedly has an offer to work the IGF show.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 43 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
DREAM 11 (10/6 Yokohama Arena)
By Zach Arnold | September 9, 2009
- Super Hulk Tournament: Minowaman vs. Choi Hong-Man
- Super Hulk Tournament: Sokoudjou vs. TBA
- Lightweights: J.Z. Calvan vs. Daisuke Nakamura
- DREAM Lightweight Title match: Joachim Hansen vs. Shin’ya Aoki
- Featherweight GP: Hideo Tokoro vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
- Featherweight GP: Joe Warren vs. Bibiano Fernandes
- Featherweight GP Reserve match: DJ Taiki vs. Kazuyuki Miyata
DREAM announced that Gegard Mousasi will not fight Sokoudjou due to a left shoulder injury.
Topics: DREAM, Japan, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 17 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Ricardo Arona wants you to know that he can beat Machida
By Zach Arnold | September 8, 2009
But first he’s making his comeback fight this weekend. Meanwhile, Gegard Mousasi calls former Arona teammate Paulo Filho a little donkey.
Paul Daley comments on fighting at UFC 103 on 9/19.
Here are the details on UFC’s new UK TV deal.
With the news of Gina Carano filming a new movie, Steve Cofield says that it is time for women’s MMA to move forward without her. The problem with that theory is that it relies on Dana White promoting women’s MMA and he’s simply not interested in doing it. Someone asked the question about whether or not Gina really has movie star looks. I hope that’s a sarcastic remark.
Bjorn Rebney of Bellator says that if you don’t want to compete with UFC in the MMA business, you shouldn’t be promoting. He’s a good talker, but what he’s saying here is inaccurate. The goal should be not to compete with UFC on what they do. That said, when you promote MMA you have to understand that UFC is as paranoid as WWE and no matter if they try to compete with them or not, they will always look to take you out of your game.
The Hustle wrestling promotion announced that the theme for their 10/10 Tokyo, Ryogoku Kokugikan show would be called “Hustle Jihad.”
Topics: Japan, Media, MMA, StrikeForce, UFC, Zach Arnold | 30 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Putting the pieces of the puzzle together on UFC & Rampage Jackson
By Zach Arnold | September 4, 2009
When reports surfaced that BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez was being moved to the Memphis event on December 12th, there was chatter that somehow this meant that UFC couldn’t get a network TV deal once again.
But what if the matchmaking move dealt with something far more serious?
You’ve seen the reports now claiming that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will be filming the A-Team movie instead of fighting in front of home town fans against Rashad Evans on 12/12 in Memphis. If the reports are true, then Dana White’s frustration and anger in Portland over Rampage wanting to film the movie is completely and totally justified.
Since his arrival in UFC, something hasn’t totally clicked between Rampage and Zuffa. While Jackson has had some success, he hasn’t become that mega-superstar we were expecting. Chuck Liddell, Brock Lesnar, and Georges St. Pierre are all more popular than Jackson. The one upside for Jackson in filming the A-Team movie is that his name value will increase in the eyes of the general public. But that’s the only upside.
There are a lot of major downsides to this move. As a fight promoter, Dana White has invested a lot of time, energy, and money in pushing Jackson. I’ve criticized Zuffa’s tenacity in their push of Jackson on this site in the past, but I also recognize that this Fall was going to be the biggest push UFC was going to give Jackson yet. They set up their reality show around him fighting Rashad Evans and threw Kimbo Slice into the mix. The fight between the two men was set up perfectly for a ‘homecoming’ of sorts for Rampage in Memphis at the FedEx Forum, which is significantly bigger than the late Mid South Coliseum that Jackson used to watch wrestling taped at. If Rampage ends up picking the movie over UFC 107 in Memphis, it will be a move that costs him a lot. He will in essence be burning UFC by doing this, he will have wasted the time of a lot of people including Rashad Evans (who needs to bounce back after the Machida loss), and it will be a loss in terms of a fight with an opponent he can beat.
Steve Cofield asks why UFC is still going to Memphis if Rampage won’t fight on the card. The answer for this question is easy – it’s Memphis. Memphis is a town with a tremendous history for pro-wrestling and fighting. The crowd will be super-heated and will be 100% supportive of UFC.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 99 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Nick Lembo and NJACB issue public statement on Sean Salmon, announces replacement
By Zach Arnold | September 4, 2009
Here it is:
I have discussed this matter with Ohio Athletic Commissioner Bernie Profato today. Ohio has placed Sean on administrative suspension pending an October hearing. Although we do not have to honor the suspension, because is it not medical, we have chosen to do so. Promoter Lou Neglia has already been advised that Salmon needs to be replaced on the contest. Salmon will not be fighting on the Sept. 11 Ring of Combat in Atlantic City.
In an amazing twist of fate, Salmon is being replaced on the card by… Allan Weickert, the man he said he quit against in the fight he wrote about online. Well-played, Mr. Lembo and Mr. Neglia.
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 8 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
James Malec convicted of manslaughter of Justin Eilers
By Zach Arnold | September 4, 2009
Malec’s lawyer trotted out the self-defense card in regards to his client pulling a .45 on Eilers.
“He said, ‘I’ll kill you; I’ll do it,'” Malec testified.
Eilers made that threat after Malec drew the .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun he had in his pocket and pointed it at Eilers in a two-handed combat stance, Malec said. He said he ordered the 30-year-old Eilers to get down on the ground, but he stood his ground, made the threat and then started to move toward Malec with his hands raised.
Malec’s claim of ordering Eilers to the ground would have made sense if he was currently a police officer. He wasn’t. He, along with Eilers, were also drinking at the time of the fight. Eilers’ mother talked about Malec’s behavior when holding the gun that fateful night.
Malec was convicted for voluntary manslaughter. Prosecutors were looking for a second-degree murder conviction.
Quick thought/opinion: Now the question rests on Malec’s lawyer filing an appeal and whether or not he will use the judge’s refusal of airing Eiler’s UFC fights in court as grounds for a re-trial. “The UFC defense” was a cornerstone of Malec’s lawyer’s legal strategy.
“Never lose sight of the fact that Justin tried to make a living by pummeling people into submission,” Petrie said.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 9 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Sean Salmon admits to a criminal offense by saying he threw a fight
By Zach Arnold | September 3, 2009
After we wrote this post, we learned from a source that the New Jersey ACB has fired a pre-emptive strike and canceled Sean Salmon’s fight booking in the state.
Original post – September 2nd, 2009
It takes a special man to be so dumb to say this publicly, but hey, I guess we’ll take what we can get.
- Are you really surprised that fights are fixed or manipulated on smaller shows? (No.)
- Are you surprised that a number of MMA fighters are using one drug or another? (No.)
- Why is it accepted practice that fighters can bet on their own fighters or other fights when such activity is considered activity that could cause permanent exile (like in baseball)? The last question is the one that matters the most. We know the history of the mafia (in the States, in Japan) when it comes to betting on fights in MMA, boxing, and (yes) pro-wrestling. Hell, one of the big stories coming out of UFC 102 involved fighters rushing to place bets on Jake Rosholt after they found out Chris Leben supposedly didn’t train for the fight.
The Salmon article on MMA Junkie is amusing for several reasons. First, it comes off as if he’s trying to portray himself in a sympathetic light when it fact it does the exact opposite. Second, he’s bitching and moaning about the California State Athletic Commission, about Wolfslair Gym, and about anything else he can whine about as if it’s some sort of justification that he took a dive in a fight. Third, he has gotten himself booked in a fight in New Jersey where Nick Lembo runs the show and has publicly admitted that he (Salmon) took a dive in a fight. Think he will be fighting on the New Jersey show now?
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 23 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Frank Mir continues to call Nogueira a crybaby and an excuse-maker
By Zach Arnold | September 2, 2009
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is one of the nicest men you will ever meet in the MMA business. He’s 100% class and he is a true legend. Rarely do you ever hear anyone say a bad word about him and there’s a good reason for that. Nogueira has spent his entire professional career fighting the best fighters in the world and is the last guy you would ever accuse of being a wimp, a pussy, and a crybaby.
Which is clearly why Frank Mir seems to be angling for a re-match against him and is ready to play the heel here against the lovable Nogueira. What makes it interesting is that usually you don’t see winners in first-time fights basically cry out for a re-match against the loser.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 36 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Josh Barnett expected to fight for Sengoku on 11/7 in Tokyo
By Zach Arnold | September 2, 2009
Original article date – August 1, 2009
Today was the heat-up press conference for the 8/2 Saitama Super Arena show and the main topic in the media ended up being… Josh Barnett and his failed drug test in California. Barnett is expected to fight for Sengoku on 11/7 in Tokyo at Ryogoku Kokugikan, the same show that Satoshi Ishii is expected to make his MMA debut on.
At the press conference, Takahiro Kokuho (the main boss of Sengoku) said that he was skeptical about what happened with Barnett’s test result in California given the problems J-ROCK had in California with Kazuhiro Nakamura testing positive for marijuana and what he deemed a lack of transprency with the way drug testing is handled in California. Kokuho said that he wants Sengoku to be the ‘standard bearer’ for anti-doping practices in Japanese MMA with the help of the JADA (Japan Anti-Doping Agency) and WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency).
As for how the media is portraying Barnett, the answer is they are continuing to play it straight. This time, they mentioned his failed drug test(s) in Nevada and then the failed test in California. This is going to become a bigger issue for Barnett and he needs legitimate help in terms of finding a manager or agent who is based in Japan who knows how to handle PR. Using the same old PR methods to handle the issue of failed drug tests will likely prove to be a mistake here. History has shown that Josh rarely changes tactics on this front…
Sherdog will have more coverage of today’s press conference on their web site.
Update (9/2): Antonio Silva all but confirms a fight being set up against Josh Barnett for the Ryogoku event. No surprise.
Topics: Japan, Media, MMA, Sengoku, Zach Arnold | 40 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
The fur is flying between DirecTV and Comcast over Versus
By Zach Arnold | September 2, 2009
USA Today says Versus is paid 30 cents per subscriber by DirecTV for the channel and that they want to jack it up 20%. Variety reports that DirecTV is not only arguing with Comcast over money for Versus, but wants to bury Versus on a separate pay-tier which would slice DirecTV viewership of the network in half. The LA Times notes what is at stake if the two sides can’t come to an agreement.
From an MMA perspective, a weakened Versus channel all but makes WEC a liability than an asset for Zuffa. From a general sports perspective, the NHL is the major loser here (what a surprise under the leadership of Gary Bettman). Other big losers include the UFL (which is set to launch this Fall) and the Tour de France.
Topics: Media, MMA, WEC, Zach Arnold | 7 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
The UFC Middleweight title situation
By Zach Arnold | August 31, 2009
Naturally, one would think that Nathan Marquardt would get a shot at Anderson Silva’s Middleweight title after his dominating performance against Demian Maia at UFC 102. You’d be wrong.
And you’d be wrong too if you thought Yushin Okami would get a title shot in the near future.
Lots of interesting happenings going on with Anderson Silva these days. Dave Meltzer said that Silva’s camp isn’t keen on a fight with Dan Henderson for November (either for the UK show or the Las Vegas event) and that all Middleweight booking is up-in-the-air right now in UFC.
Okami, who is the legitimate #1 contender in the Middleweight division, has been sitting at home in Japan. The closest he’s getting to UFC these days is doing color commentary for their shows on WOWOW (which he did for the UFC 102 event). Marquardt, meanwhile, also deserves a Middleweight title shot and may not end up getting it against Silva.
The big question for Silva is what’s next for him? If he isn’t all that interested in a fight against Marquardt or Henderson, then who at 205 pounds interests him? Rampage Jackson wants to do a movie and Rashad Evans is ‘married’ to him in terms of matchmaking, so what’s next?
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 55 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |