Press Release: Good news for the movie “Bad Guys”
By Zach Arnold | July 16, 2009
http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/good-news-movie-bad-guys/
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Good-News-for-the-Movie-Bad-prnews-1129969.html?x=0&.v=101
MMA promoters-turned-movie-producers Frederico Lapenda and Bas Boon have scored big and gone theatrical with a rumored seven-figure deal for their award winning crime drama “Bad Guys.”
Pioneering founders of the wildly popular sport of ultimate fighting, Lapenda and Boon shifted gears and won three awards (Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Producer) at the Beverly Hills Film Festival for “Bad Guys” and were rewarded with a U.S. theatrical deal. Media reviewers such as Gladiator Magazine’s Todd Hester have already pronounced the movie “…an instant cult classic.”
The producers actually shot the film in 2005 and finished it in 2006, but waited three years to release the film in 2009. During this time, several key events happened which were instrumental in bringing “Bad Guys” to the big screen.
In 2008 the lead female star, Kate Del Castillo, hit it big with the Weinstein Company’s “La Misma Luna,” the highest grossing Latin movie ever which set a three-day opening weekend record for a Spanish-language film. Made for under two million dollars the film has earned over $22 million worldwide.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, an unknown cage fighter when the move was made, won the UFC championship and became known around the world for his colorful personality and savage fighting style. This fit perfectly with his role of chief bad guy in the film.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Media, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Independent World MMA Rankings – July 16, 2009
By Zach Arnold | July 16, 2009
From the office of the Independent World MMA Rankings
July 17, 2009: The July 2009 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. Some of the best and most knowledgeable MMA writers from across the MMA media landscape have come together to form one independent voting panel.
These voting panel members are, in alphabetical order: Zach Arnold (FightOpinion); Nicholas Bailey (MMA Ratings); Jared Barnes (Houston Chronicle); Jordan Breen (Sherdog); Jim Genia (Full Contact Fighter, MMA Memories, and MMA Journalist Blog); Jesse Holland (MMA Mania); Robert Joyner (MMA Payout); Todd Martin (CBS Sportsline); Zac Robinson (Sports by the Numbers MMA); Leland Roling (Bloody Elbow); Michael David Smith (AOL Fanhouse); Jonathan Snowden (Author of “Total MMA: Inside Ultimate Fighting”); Joshua Stein (MMA Opinion), Ivan Trembow (Freelance); and Dave Walsh (Total MMA).
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 5 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Quote of the Week – Hyping Brock Lesnar’s Importance
By Zach Arnold | July 16, 2009
From this week’s edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
It was the most eventful week in the history of North American MMA. It was the biggest show, the biggest gathering of fans, and by far the most publicity and media coverage.
When the dust cleared, Brock Lesnar became the most talked about fighter in the history of the sport.
Kazushi Sakuraba was just a figment of our imaginations. “Royce, can you hear me?”
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 29 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Shawn Tompkins responds to busted horse steroid user’s comments about a Gina Carano sex tape
By Zach Arnold | July 15, 2009
What a headline that is to write.
As everyone knows, Kit Cope (along with his buddies King Mo Lawal and Ariel Helwani) did a radio show together (audio here) in which he said that he had a sex tape of Gina Carano and that if Gina continued training at Xtreme couture that she would not be winning any time soon.
Enter Shawn Tompkins, the head trainer of Xtreme Couture, who gave a response to RawVegas.tv in regards to what Kit Cope said about him. As you might imagine, Cope is already backing off of what he said on the radio show.
Cope was suspended after an MMA fight for failing a drug test due to having traces of Boldenone in his urine sample. Boldenone is a famous horse steroid that is supposed to be only prescribed by veterans but is also a steroid used in bodybuilding circles.
Here is a transcript (that I did) of the RawVegas.tv interview between Dave Farra and Shawn Tompkins, right out of the goodness of my heart. Enjoy.
TRANSCRIPT
Dave Farra: “Standing next to a very angry Shawn Tompkins. This is the first time I’ve ever seen you actually angry.”
Shawn Tompkins: “I’m really not that angry. I’m a little frustrated that somebody like this is going to get some publicity off of my name.”
Dave Farra: “Let’s bring it back for those of you who don’t know the story. Kit Cope is a fighter, he’s a mostly kickboxer, he’s fought a few times in Mixed Martial Arts, but yesterday he took to a radio show and said a couple of things that you found to be very offensive. One of them, he says he has a sex tape of him and Gina Carano from when they were dating. She’s of course terrified at this coming out, these are all his words. And then he went on to say that Gina Carano is never going to win a fight if she continues to train at “Xtreme Fashion,” which is what he called Xtreme Couture and he said that you were not a good coach, he said that you could work somebody out but you can’t actually teach anyone technique. I think it kind of sums it up in a nutshell so let’s start first about what he said about Gina Carano.”
Shawn Tompkins: “You know, the Gina Carano thing with him, that doesn’t really bother me a lot, that’s none of my business, that’s between the two of them. The fact that he’s a kind of person that keeps bringing her up, as far as I’m concerned I think they broke up like three and a half years ago. I don’t even remember what girl I was with three and a half years ago, you know it’s just that’s just him trying to do his once-a-year thing getting some publicity, what happens between him and Gina has nothing to do with me, nothing to do with Xtreme Couture, that’s their problem you know.”
Dave Farra: “Yeah, but isn’t this the most insensitive time to bring something like that up? Gina Carano is arguably at the peak of her career, she’s absolutely the most popular female fighter in the world. She’s got a huge fight coming up and to even introduce something like that to the public’s attention, it just seemed disrespectful.”
Shawn Tompkins: “I know Gina Carano very well, this kind of stuff won’t bother her. She’s got one thing in mind and that’s going out and beating Cyborg. She’s training harder than she’s ever trained, she’s got great coaches here, I mean everybody saw her at the press conference in New York City and everybody’s commenting how she’s got a brand new body. You know, he can say what he wants but the bottom line is Kit Cope hasn’t seen Gina Carano in a training session in probably three years. She’s been here, I’ve seen her every day, she’s dedicated and she’ll do what she does. What does he know?” (Fightlinker has a different take on Gina’s current physical condition.)
Dave Farra: “So Kit Cope called Xtreme Couture “Xtreme Fashion,” meaning that it’s just cool to come here, it’s not actually a good place to train. Your response?”
Shawn Tompkins: “Well, I mean, I take that as a compliment, you know, the proof is in the pudding. I got guys here that are you know out of 28 fighters on that floor in about 2 minutes most of those guys are in the top 10. A lot of them are champions in the biggest organizations in the world. He can say what he wants but I got guys that will fight him any day, any time, but he’s not even good enough to get in those organizations let alone be in the Top 10.”
Dave Farra: “OK, without having to toot your own horn I’ll just go ahead and ask you, could you go through some of the guys that you consider to be top fighters in Team Tompkins right now and here at Xtreme Couture?”
Shawn Tompkins: “There’s Jay Hieron, Mark Hominick, Sam Stout, Chris Horodecki, Vitor Belfort, Mark Coleman, Randy Couture, you know, I don’t even have enough breath to say them all you know and they’re great guys, they’re great people, they don’t represent themselves this way so if he’s such a great fighter, how come he represents himself like this?”
Dave Farra: “Shawn Tompkins trains some of the best guys in the world. One example that I like to use is Mark Coleman, who hadn’t had a win in the UFC in 12 years. He’s 44 years old, he comes out, he beats Stephan Bonnar and the first thing that he says as he’s walking through the tunnel covered in Stephan Bonnar’s blood is, “Thank you Shawn Tompkins for making this possible.” That’s says something.”
Shawn Tompkins: “It was a huge day for me, you know, I was such a fan of Coleman’s in the beginning like everybody else was. I’ve had the privilege of being able to be in the corner of two Hall of Famers, Randy Couture and Mark Coleman, so it’s a big night for me. I knew that all along and I put my dedication to a guy like Mark Coleman. I feel like I win with my fighters and I lose with my fighters, so it’s very important to me.”
Dave Farra: “You take a lot of pride in your training and so somebody’s saying they know nothing about technique. How do you respond to that?”
Shawn Tompkins: “Well, he can say what he wants but I have 28 of the best fighters in the world right now. As far as I’m concerned, he hasn’t fought in years and I don’t see him training anybody, so I don’t know where he gets this. I do remember this though… Wanderlei at the beginning of his camp against Rich Franklin, I was the one walking to the door where he’s the Muay Thai instructor and I was the one coaching the owner while he was watching, so that can tell you right there who’s the better coach you know and it’s not Kit Cope, let’s face it, you know, he’s doing what he always does once-a-year he jumps in front of a video camera, he gets excited, and he runs his mouth off.” (Kit Cope responds to the Wanderlei story here.)
Dave Farra: “Is it surprising to you that the sport is getting so big that now the trainers are going head to head a little bit and people are very interested in this, I mean, somebody who is I would say with Kit Cope one step removed from the sport, maybe that’s ignorant to stay that, but he seems like he’s one step removed because he’s not saying “I’m doing this or I’m doing this” but he’s pointing his finger at other people that are on the rise right now, but are you surprised that there’s this kind of attention on somebody’s statements on an Internet radio show?”
Shawn Tompkins: “What I’m surprised about is that an actual media group (Ariel Helwani) going to him to ask him about Gina Carano. That’s what I’m surprised about because if you’re in the media and you know anything about this sport you know that him and Gina have nothing to do with each other any more. You know they might be friends and pass by each other in a club sometime, he isn’t training her, they’re not training together so for them to go so low as to ask a guy like Kit Cope that’s their problem and they gave him the chance to make a name out of that.”
Dave Farra: “I’m going to pretend I’m Kit Cope for a second. Why would I want to offend Gina Carano and Randy Couture and everyone that trains at Xtreme Couture and you. Why? What’s the point?”
Shawn Tompkins: “And I thought about that, too, because I know Las Vegas and I come from a small town in Canada, 14,000 people, but since I’ve been out here I realize Las Vegas is a small city, everybody knows everybody, and in saying something about Xtreme Couture he just made a lot of great fighters angry and he better not want to see them or pass them on escalators or in hallways in casinos because I’m sure they’re not going to have things to say or do to him.”
Dave Farra: “So you’re saying that you’re going to push Kit Cope down an escalator if you see him?”
Shawn Tompkins: “I’m just saying on Friday when I saw him at the Expo and he was coming up when I was going down the other he was sure to quick to say hello and tell me how great I was.”
Dave Farra: “So you guys will never be friends again? Is this it?”
Shawn Tompkins: “Yeah, I mean, it is what it is. As far as I’m concerned after I go to bed tonight I don’t remember who he is any more.”
Dave Farra: “Wow, those are some pretty harsh words but I’ve got to say I like it, I like the fact that you’re standing up for your business, for yourself and for your fighters, I think that’s honorable.”
Shawn Tompkins: “That’s what the sport’s all about and that’s why guys trust in me and believe in me because I do the same to them. I’ve got their back and I know they’ve got mine and that’s a lot than Kit Cope will ever have.”
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 8 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Royce Gracie makes the media rounds at UFC 100
By Zach Arnold | July 15, 2009
He did a couple of interviews, so I decided to transribe what he said and give you a summary of what interviewers asked him.
First, he was interviewed on ESPN.com’s MMA Live show.
Could you imagine that MMA would blow up like it has when UFC 1 happened in Denver? “I knew it was going to get that big. Man, it’s an honor for my family to see this thing grow, not just in the United States but all over the world now.”
“I don’t have a chance to watch all the events, but I try to follow as much as I can. After all, I’m still in the business, c’mon man.”
What are you up to right now? “I’m just traveling a lot, I spend about six months on the road traveling, doing seminars, and then six months home with the family.”
What’s it like to make such an impact on so many fighters? “I mean, it’s a pleasure for our family, that was the goal to teach the world, it’s not just to keep it inside the family but to teach everybody what fighting is all about, we grew up doing this thing, but my father my uncles they all did that back in Brazil so now it’s a world type of business, it’s awesome.”
The motivation behind the creation of UFC? “Any given chance, that’s the whole idea, give a chance to us little guys to be able to defend and not to fight but to defend ourselves against somebody bigger and stronger.”
So who’s the best newcomer in the Gracie family? “Man, I’ll say my daughter. She wraps me around, she gets anything out of me.”
Thoughts on women’s MMA and if you would allow your daughter into MMA? “Oh yes, not a problem. I have a lot of students that want to compete, a lot of female students, and I tell them the time is now. About three, four years from now, the market’s going to be very crowded, it’s going to be harder. So right now is the time for the girls to get into this.”
Then Royce did an interview for the Versus web site.
Did you think UFC would grow this much? “Oh, I knew it’s going to make it this far man. That’s a easy one, people like fighting, everybody like the fights and everybody likes this kind of sport.”
Are you in fighting shape? “Man, I’m always in shape, I walk around 180 and I fight at 180.”
Did you want to fight at UFC 100? “I don’t look at it that way, I don’t look at the number to come back or to fight again, it’s whenever the body feels good, the body says ‘let’s do it’ I’ll do it.”
Is there still an itch to fight? “I know where the itch lives, I just… not feeling right now. I know where it lives, I have the itch’s address, whenever/if the right time comes I will knock on the itch’s door and take it out for a date.”
“I still got it, I still got it man.”
Want to repair your image (given what happened against Sakuraba at K-1 and the failed drug test)? “I have nothing to hide, man, not because of that, no. No, if I come back it’s not because of that.”
What’s your best UFC memory? “Man, fighting four fights in one night, it’s unreal.”
Could the new breed of fighters hang with the older MMA stars under the NHB rule set? “There’s only one way to find out, that’s why we create the fight show.”
“Man, on the street you don’t pick opponents, you don’t pick size and the weight, you don’t pick how many fights you’re going to have to fight, so today’s more like a sport. Back then, it was raw, you had to fight and come back and fight again and come back and no gloves, no time limit, no weight division.”
What’s it like to be recognized all over the world? “Oh yes, everywhere man, they heard about it, they’ve seen it, they practice and I travel all over the world teaching.”
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 10 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Crusher Kawajiri vs. Masato booked for K-1 MAX; Kid Yamamoto also booked
By Zach Arnold | July 13, 2009
7/13 in Tokyo at Nippon Budokan. K-1 rules match.
FINAL 8 Tournament
- Drago vs. Yuya Yamamoto
- Giorgio Petrosyan vs. Albert Kraus
- Artur Kyshenko vs. Andy Souwer
- Nicky Holtzken vs. Buakaw Por Pramuk
- Reserve fight: Yoshihiro Sato vs. Joeri Mes
- Reserve fight: Kidoyasu vs. Leroy Kaestner
- 62 kg: Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Jae Hee-Cheon
- 60 kg: Atsushi Yamamoto vs. Kazuhisa Watanabe
- Hinata vs. Dzhabar Askerov (U.A.E.)
Kid Yamamoto’s no-good, very-bad-year became worse.
The talk coming out of the show is that Masato may end up having his K-1 retirement fight against Andy Souwer on NYE. The promotion claimed 16,555 paid at Nippon Budokan.
The TV rating for the show was in the 15% range, with Kawajiri vs. Masato drawing a 19.8% ratings mark.
Topics: Japan, K-1, Media, Zach Arnold | 16 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Ariel Helwani: All the criticism towards Brock Lesnar shows ignorance
By Zach Arnold | July 13, 2009
He went on a tirade on Steve Cofield’s radio show about Mirko Cro Cop telling Dana White he was going to DREAM after fighting at UFC 99 (after fighting on a verbal agreement). Remember the story told in the media about how Mirko approached White after the fight and delivered the news? Apparently, those antics are bad for the sport.
So you’d think that Brock Lesnar’s antics would also receive criticism from the Versus MMA writer. After all, he did rip a corporate sponsor. Nope.
I heard other members of the media throw around words like “disgraceful,” “embarrassing” and “bad for the sport” immediately following Lesnar’s post-fight celebration. I couldn’t help but wonder if these individuals “get it.”
How many times do we criticize athletes for being too bland or packaged? Have you ever heard a semi-interesting post-game interview on an NBA or NFL telecast? I sure haven’t. Yet here was Lesnar, just moments after unifying the UFC’s heavyweight title, showing some raw emotion and I’m supposed to think it’s disgraceful? Sorry, no can do.
So we are supposed to believe that this is all ‘raw emotion’ but we’re also supposed to believe Lesnar (who Helwani quotes in his post, BTW) when he says that this was just adding some ‘salt and pepper’ and a pro-wrestling flavor to the festivities. Which is it?
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 26 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Quote of the day – skepticism about UFC
By Zach Arnold | July 13, 2009
Still have suspicions about UFC, and Brock Lesnar only added to ’em. Went straight wrestling villain. Felt staged. Proceed at own risk.
This is the other edge of the dual-edged sword in terms of having Lesnar as the face of your company and as the face of MMA. And I’m not talking about that tattoo on his chest, either.
In other words, Lesnar knew what he was doing, and thought this would take the UFC over the top, as though beating the viscera out of people laying on their backs isn’t over the top enough.
White, though, is playing for bigger stakes, and that includes a bigger piece of the mainstream market.
And as it turns out, they’re both right, and therefore both wrong.
MMA has found its niche, and UFC 100 was the top end of that. It was as big a card as could be constructed, and White had months to make it right. By most analyses by MMA fans, he did. For those who aren’t MMA fans, it doesn’t matter.
Kevin Blackistone at AOL Fanhouse:
“I was so jacked up [because] I’m used to selling pay-per-view tickets,” Lesnar, who was a professional wrestler on the WWE circuit until a few years ago, told reporters. “I come from a business that is purely entertainment. I screwed up, and I apologize.”
Wow. Call me underwhelmed.
There isn’t a sports commissioner worth his or her suit coat who would take Lesnar’s mea culpa as enough punishment for the superfecta of fouls Lesnar just committed. They’d have him on indefinite suspension as I write and getting ready to cough up part of his purse as restitution.
But that isn’t what the UFC is all about. It’s not about being spectacular; it’s about being a spectacle.
John Ryan in the San Jose Mercury News:
“That’s not who Brock really is, and what he did out there is not real,” White said. “You don’t have to act like someone you’re not. This isn’t the WWE. I’m not trying to get someone to act all crazy so we’ll do more pay-per-views. That’s not what this sport is about.”
No, not at all, not what this sport is about. This is the same Dana White whose previous foray into mainstream sports media was a homophobic and sexist rant, in the most vile terms possible, against a reporter who had gotten a story entirely correct but in a manner that displeased White. So, yeah, White apologizing for etiquette doesn’t carry a whole lot of truth.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 31 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
A few questions to ask about Brock Lesnar
By Zach Arnold | July 13, 2009
I’m mostly done gathering the material to write the articles on the aftermath of UFC 100, but I wanted to bring up a few points about the position Brock Lesnar is in right now business-wise with UFC given his antics at UFC 100.
I am writing an article soon on why I think people who support Lesnar’s ascension to the top are so devoted to him, no matter how good or bad of a person he is. For discussional purposes, I’ll throw a few questions out there and see if anyone is on the same wavelength as I am.
- Ask yourself why are pro-wrestling fans and wrestling-friendly MMA fans so enamored and so emotionally dedicated to defending Brock Lesnar’s antics online. Think about the psychology of this in relation to professional wrestling compared to MMA.
- What does history tell us about Brock Lesnar and what he represents not just as a fighter but the way he handles his affairs outside of the ring or cage?
- After you answer the first two points, put your answers together and take a look historically at MMA since the 90s and think to yourself, what kind of template are Lesnar supporters trying to put him into and who are they modeling his success after in an attempt to make what he’s doing more important than it truly is? (There’s a certain fighter that Lesnar boosters, given his pro-wrestling background, are trying to emulate him against. If you can figure out who it is, then suddenly the psychology of why these boosters are so invested in Lesnar’s success becomes very clear.)
It’s funny to watch a lot of pro-wrestling writers and media types defend Lesnar very hard. Not only are they defending him hard, they are mocking all of Lesnar’s critics and the valid criticisms being raised against a man with his kind of track record business-wise. I don’t have a horse in the race — Lesnar’s a great athletic talent, but he’s always bored me personally-speaking so I can’t really get too angry or get excited about him. What I am intrigued by is playing psychologist in watching how people react to him and why they do.
I’ll explain later in written form what I mean with these specific questions and who I think Lesnar boosters, fans and media, are trying to model him after from MMA’s past (but it won’t work because Brock doesn’t have the specific personality to make it work). Focus on more than just money here. Read the comments section to find out the answer to these questions up above. I’m issuing an open challenge to any MMA writer to take on this topic and to focus a post on the theme that is revealed in the comments section about who Lesnar’s biggest supporters are trying to compare him to and why they are doing so (and whether or not it’s a legitimate line of thinking). Step up to the plate and take your best swing.
I was talking with someone in China who is well-plugged into MMA and understands the martial arts climate there in the mainland. He is someone who saw PRIDE live during the boom period and has been to UFC events before. He saw UFC 100 and said that the image created by Lesnar and Henderson is cringe-worthy and likely not helpful at all on a political level. He noted to me that UFC wants in China within the next couple of years, but that the landscape is tough and that what happened over the weekend will make it that much more difficult.
Articles covering post-UFC 100 aftermath
Just getting started. Will have several articles written over the next day or two.
- Kimbo Slice talks about being on The Ultimate Fighter (some funny exchanges between Kimbo and Cofield)
- Undercard fighters deliver big action and upsets at UFC 100
- Mark Coleman lays the Hammer down on Stephan Bonnar’s UFC career (the quotes from Coleman are worth the read)
- At UFC 100, Georges St. Pierre solidified himself as pound-for-pound king
- “Dirty” Dan Henderson adds to his KO collection with brutal win at UFC 100 (Henderson was in rare form in some of the quotes he said)
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 44 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
UFC 100 (7/11 Las Vegas)
By Zach Arnold | July 11, 2009
Reports: Sherdog | Observer | Jake Rossen | MMA Torch | MMA Weekly | MMA Junkie | Bloody Elbow
Post UFC 100 editorial note
I have to go through about 20-25 audio and video clips to analyze and transcribe comments and remarks. Hang with me and I promise I will get some new articles and material here and at MMA Memories in the next couple of days. It’s not hard work but it’s work that takes some time to get done in a meticulous fashion.
One favor needed — I wanted to play the audio from Off The Record in Canada with Dana White. However, when I went to the web site of the show and tried to play the clip, it gave me a message that it couldn’t play ‘in my region.’ I’m just looking to download or play the audio so I can transcribe anything news-worthy said in the interview. If you can help out on this front, please contact me personally. Thanks.
Personal thoughts on the show – thought it wasn’t a bad show overall. Although I will say that right after the PPV telecast ended, I did receive a few messages from people (casual, hardcore, across the spectrum) who thought the show sucked. I disagree with that notion, but then again I’ve spent the last couple of weeks writing articles on most of the fights on the card so I’ve had tunnelvision, admittedly.
As for the commentary on Brock Lesnar and his antics in the cage, look… this is a guy who used dogfighting references on the UFC 100 Countdown show on Spike TV and no one blinked an eye. (If you recall, he was talking about being taken off a leash when describing how he would go after Mir.) You know what you’re going to get with Lesnar. He’s the company’s ace right now, with St. Pierre as the second biggest ace. Everything has fallen right into place for Zuffa.
UFC’s RSS feed is broken
Which is why headlines from their web site aren’t showing on the left sidebar.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 140 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
AOL Fanhouse makes a deal with MMAFighting
By Zach Arnold | July 11, 2009
We know that Michael David Smith and crew are writing articles at Fanhouse, but now Fanhouse has made a deal with MMAFighting.com to have their headlines appear on the sidebar (it’s a straight RSS embed) and have other coverage on the site.
I’m curious as to why there wasn’t a syndication deal (like Yahoo does with MMA Junkie) as opposed to a straight out advertisement of the site. Nevertheless, it seems that some MMA sites are linking up with big media outlets, but it’s in ways that you normally don’t see big media outlets make deals with other sports sites.
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Arturo Gatti found dead in Brazil
By Zach Arnold | July 11, 2009
He died in a bathroom while he was with his wife and one-year old son in Brazil on vacation. The CBC has more details.
Topics: Boxing, Media, Zach Arnold | 10 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Steve Cofield and his rebuttal to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk
By Zach Arnold | July 10, 2009
Mike Florio wrote an article on Friday night talking about Dana White’s assertion that UFC would gain more market traction than other sports, including the NFL on a global basis.
Steve Cofield of Yahoo Sports, who has provided more audio and video clips for UFC 100 coverage than anyone could possibly imagine, made his rebuttal to Florio here. He said this in closing:
Good for Mike, he got himself some links and hits. I bought into it. And there is zero going on in the NFL right now except waiting for Roger Goodell’s disciplinary rulings on the many crums who pollute the game.
It’s definitely true — with Steve McNair dying in a murder-suicide, with Donte Stallworth out of prison only after 24 days for manslaughter (he has two years of house arrest), with the Plaxico Burress shooting debacle in NYC, with Kevin & Pat Williams having problems with the Starcaps suspension situation that is lingering in the court system, Roger Goodell has a lot on his plate. (Not to mention the Michael Vick re-instatement situation.) And yes, Goodell didn’t help out matters by getting caught flat-footed with the McNair situation while he was hiking Mount Rainier in Washington for charity. There wasn’t anything Goodell could do about the McNair situation, but the visual wasn’t great.
MMA has had it fair share of criminals and fighters who have been in trouble with the law recently.
And if we are talking about UFC in terms of disciplining fighters who have gotten into extra-curricular trouble, well then things aren’t so hot there. Rampage Jackson, given his driving escapades, is the ultimate example of not receiving much punishment from the promoter. Then there’s Josh Neer and what he got involved in with a police chase (as Ivan Trembow points out Neer was recently given a four-fight contract), and don’t forget about Chris Leben who is still pushed as a ‘good guy’ by the promotion despite his legal record and getting busted for performance enhancers while being given the biggest push of his career in a top fight on a UK show. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson also is in some reported legal trouble.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 18 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |