Setanta Sports headed towards financial collapse
By Zach Arnold | June 7, 2009
I wrote a short article about this topic that should be appearing at MMA Memories soon.
Will European MMA fans not be able to watch UFC 99 from Germany? That’s one of the many questions coming this week.
If you hear the phrase “headed towards administration,” it means collapse for the network.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 15 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
More on the Juanito Ibarra lawsuit against Tito Ortiz and MMA web sites
By Zach Arnold | June 6, 2009
Read my initial post on the story here.
According to the lawsuit filing, here are the following people Ibarra sued: David Carpinello, Justin Bolduc, Punch Drunk Gamer, Yahoo Sports, Cage Potato, Serge Marches, Darragh Creamer, Fight Sports Magazin, Kris Karkoski (MMA Frenzy), Jim Bankoff, Tyler Bleszinski, Lauren Fisher, Bloody Elbow (SB Nation), Josh Kampschmidt, Robyn Lass, Ballhype, Pramit Mohapatra (Fight Ticker), Matt Boone (MMA News), Chris Howie, Sam Caplan (Five Ounces of Pain), and The Houston Chronicle. The boilerplate statement made in the lawsuit about the defendants is that the defendant “is, and at all times herein mentioned was, an individual, residing and/or transacting business in the State of California.” The filing also claims that Ibarra’s lawyers believe that some of the people they are suing used fake names (alter egos) and will be revealed whenever possible.
Here is the crux of the lawsuit filing claim:
At the time of Defendants’ publications of these false and defamatory statements, implications and meanings, Defendants knew of their falsity or were made with reckless disregard as to their truth or falsity and failed to use reasonable care to determine the truth or falsity of each statement set forth above.
The statements made above would be highly offensive to the reasonable person.
Plantiff is a private citizen and his reputation is not a matter of public concern.
Defendants’ false and defamatory campaign of self-promotion was published continously over the internet twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and continues unabated to this day.”
- How is Ibarra’s legal team going to be able to prove malice here?
- How is Ibarra a private citizen given his public profile and the multiple interviews he has done over the years?
In the lawsuit filing (point 32 in the introduction), the filing itself shoots down the fact that Ibarra is a ‘private citizen.’
32. During the last 28 years, Plaintiff has been engaged in the pugilist and the mixed martial arts industries. Plaintiff has trained and/or worked with more than fifteen world champions in such fields and both Olympic Gold medal winners and Amateur champions. In addition, Plaintiff is the founder of USA MMA, Inc., a non-profit organization that organizes amateur MMA shows nationwide, the co-founder of the National Trainer and Cutman Association, the founder of the World Class MMA and Boxing Inc. fitness club and has been the recipient of numerous awards in the industry.
33. During the period from July, 2005 through July, 2008, Plaintiff was the trainer and manager of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (“Jackson”), a well known mixed martial artist and a prominent figure in the Ultimate Fighting Champion industry. During this period, Jackson obtained six straight wins, including a UFC championship. On his sixth win, Jackson became the first and only undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world.
He’s a public figure and the standard of libel/defamation shoots up significantly in the legal system here in the States.
Most MMA web sites, if they operate like I do, probably would have given a chance for Ibarra to get his side of the story out if he wanted. His legal team is going to have to prove that the bloggers and web sites he has named in this case somehow refused to give his (Ibarra) side of the story. In this day and age, you can hire any sort of PR firm who will give out statements to all sorts of writers to refute charges made against you. To file this lawsuit at this time considering when Tito Ortiz’s remarks were initially made, I mean…
IF YOU ARE ON THIS LIST OF DEFENDANTS, I want to hear from you personally. Also, if you are a lawyer out there reading this on the West Coast (I’m looking at you, Todd) and would like to comment on this case in-depth, I’d like to hear from you as well.
After reading this laundry list of defendants in the Ibarra lawsuit, all I can say is that this is not the way I would have handled this situation.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 20 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Strikeforce 6/6 St. Louis (Scottrade Center)
By Zach Arnold | June 6, 2009
TV: Showtime (Saturday night, 10 PM EST)
Dark matches
- Welterweights (170 pounds): Jesse Finney vs. Josh Bumgarner
- Welterweights (170 pounds): Tyron Woodley vs. Sal Woods
- Middleweights (185 pounds): Scott Ventimiglia vs. Lucas Lopes
- Lightweights (155 pounds): Pat Benson vs. Dave Cochran
- Welterweights (170 pounds): Booker DeRousse vs. James Wade
Main card
- Light Heavyweights (205 pounds): Kevin Randleman vs. Mike Whitehead
- Middleweights (185 pounds): Phil Baroni vs. Joe Riggs
- Catch weight (180 pounds): Nick Diaz vs. Scott Smith
- Heavyweights (up to 265 pounds): Andrei Arlovski vs. Brett Rogers
- Middleweights (185 pounds): Robbie Lawler vs. Jake Shields
Topics: Media, MMA, StrikeForce, Zach Arnold | 35 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Juanito Ibarra sues Tito Ortiz and MMA Media outlets
By Zach Arnold | June 6, 2009
Ibarra is suing Tito and all the blogs and publications that ran Tito’s interview for defamation, invasion of privacy and emotional distress.
As a word of advice, suing blogs and web sites is usually not a very good idea. For starters, most web sites and bloggers in MMA are more than willing to post comments from multiple parties in a story. Meaning, if Ibarra wanted to get his side of the story out against Ortiz, he could easily have done so in a public manner to clear his name. 5th Round has the comments that Ortiz made that Ibarra is likely suing him over. By Ibarra suing these individuals in such a public manner, it will ensure on various search engines that some of the first stories that will pop up when you search for “Juanito Ibarra” are about the comments Ortiz made about him. In essence, if Ibarra had just let this go, you would have had to search out specifically to find Tito’s comments. Now, because TMZ and other media outlets are covering this lawsuit, Tito’s negative comments about Ibarra will gain more exposure than could have been imagined. Here’s a perfect example of this effect in a real life case that happened two years ago.
Plus, if there are any former clients of Ibarra’s that are disgruntled, they may come out of the woodwork and negatively comment about him in the press. The lawsuit is a questionable, at best, public relations strategy.
Second, once you start suing the media, then the media takes it very personally and can make things difficult in terms of follow-up posts and negative attention. Plus, by naming specific clients (allegedly) in his suit, all Ibarra is doing is giving these people more attention and recognition. Plus, creating a lot of headaches for yourself. University of Tennessee law professor Glenn Reynolds explains why it’s a bad strategy to launch libel & defamation lawsuits against bloggers. Some tangible examples of this in action can be found here.
Third, the majority of writers and media covering MMA are not rich. There isn’t a whole lot of money to obtain via a lawsuit. Going after Tito Ortiz, someone who has fame and money, is one thing — but going after someone who makes $30-40,000 USD a year (or around that salary range) is another.
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that two of the media outlets Ibarra is suing are Yahoo Sports and MMA News.
It’s one thing to legally sue someone who has money (Tito Ortiz & Yahoo), but it’s another thing to have a situation where the defendants in this case can use their financial resources to get together and build a strong legal defense in court. In a case like this, how do you prove ‘intent’ as far as: a) publishing something false and b) doing so with malice?
If anyone gets a hold of this lawsuit filing, please send it my way. Thanks.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Japanese media reports: Expelled Russian sumo wrestlers receiving fight offers
By Zach Arnold | June 6, 2009
Soslan & Bartaz Boradzov (Boradzov Soslan Feliksovich & Baradzov Batraz Feliksovich), two Russian Sumo fighters who faced explusion from Sumo for failing a drug test issued by the Japanese Sumo Assocation, have reportedly been made an offer to get into the fight game. The two men were banned from Sumo after testing positive for marijuana. The two men fought under the ring names of Roho & Hakurodzan.
Their lawyer, Yasuo Shionoya (the same lawyer for convicted rapist & murderer Joji Obara who mutilated Lucie Blackman), is fighting on their behalf to get the two men reinstated into Sumo. He’s in Tokyo District Court arguing that the procedures used for taking the drug tests and the chain-of-custody for evidence gathering was not done properly. Shionoya said that his clients’ main goal is to get back into Sumo, but that the two men have allegedly received fight offers from both Japanese and foreign organizations.
Topics: Japan, Media, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |
MMA Live (June 4th, 2009) show recap
By Zach Arnold | June 5, 2009
If you want me to continue doing these recaps, please leave a comment on this post. Even if you aren’t interested in the recaps, at least let me know if you have no interest. I need to gauge the interest level here. Thanks.
This week’s show hosts: Jon Anik, Miguel Torres, and Franklin McNeil
The lead story on this week’s show is about Kimbo Slice going on The Ultimate Fighter. Not a negative word said at all about this situation. (For negativity and criticism on the situation, read this and this). Franklin says that he did a double-take when he first heard the news, but he’s very excited about it and thinks it is a great move by Dana White. Regardless of what you think about Kimbo Slice, he is a huge attraction and will bring a ton of casual fans to UFC. Franklin goes as far as to say that Kimbo will help bolster MMA’s appeal in the State and internationally. Miguel says that he doesn’t like Kimbo too much, but he will watch The Ultimate Fighter with him on it. Kimbo doesn’t have many skills but has big star power.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Media, MMA, StrikeForce, UFC, WEC, Zach Arnold | 15 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Satoshi Ishii signs with World Victory Road (Sengoku)
By Zach Arnold | June 4, 2009
The Olympic gold medalist could make his debut as soon as August 2nd at Saitama Super Arena. Here’s the photo op today in Tokyo. The deal could reportedly be a two-year contract.
Update (6/4): Sengoku’s upcoming schedule includes dates on 9/23 at Saitama Community Arena (building at the Saitama Super Arena facility) and 11/7 in Tokyo at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Topics: Japan, Media, MMA, Sengoku, Zach Arnold | 34 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Media notes: Who got axed for Kimbo Slice on TUF, UFC legislation in New York moves forward
By Zach Arnold | June 4, 2009
The Vancouver Sun wasted no time in talking about three Canadian fighters allegedly getting axed from The Ultimate Fighter in favor of building a new season of the show around Kimbo Slice and 15 other heavyweights.
In an effort to focus the show on Slice’s quest, the UFC killed the light heavyweight and middleweight portions of the show and started firing off last minute invitations to assorted heavyweights – including a host of former NFL football players – to join him on the show.
That spelled doom for Canadian MMA fighters Nick Hinchliffe, Marcus Vinicios and Luke Harris, who had made it past several auditions and were looking increasingly likely to make the final cut.
Someone else who got the thumbs down yesterday was Bob Reilly, the New York state assemblyman who tried to keep MMA legislation from passing. Yesterday, he failed miserably:
Reilly’s bruising defeat followed 45 minutes of talk that nearly resembled a debate. The next committee waiting to use the meeting space had complained that the Assembly’s Committee on Tourism, Arts, Parks and Sports Development had run over its 30-minute allotment. That forced chair Steven Englebright, a tall and languid Democrat from Suffolk County, to admonish Reilly twice to wrap up his speech and to cut off other members who wished to speak.
After being reviewed in the Codes committee, the 15-page legislation, which grants regulatory authority over mixed martial arts to the state athletic commission, will go to a full vote on the Assembly floor later this session.
More local coverage on the story: Capital News 9, New York Newsday, The Post-Star, and The Associated Press
Someone who isn’t failing miserably right now is Michael Bisping and he now (reportedly) has a new UFC contract to prove it (or does he?). Let’s see him fight in New York soon, preferrably in a grudge re-match against local Utica fighter Matt Hamill. What a tailor-made storyline that would be.
Topics: Canada, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 7 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Kimbo Slice, The Ultimate Fighter, and White America
By Zach Arnold | June 3, 2009
This guy is really bitter and jaded:
For all of the smack talk about Gary Shaw that Dana White has spoken over the last couple of years, White ultimately has decided that Shaw wasn’t so dumb after all in pushing a guy whose act never seems to get tired — especially to folks in White America. Spare me the angry messages and catcalls for stating the obvious, which is that Kimbo Slice’s gimmick is all about being ‘that big, Black scary guy’ who is a backyard street fighter. Throw in a Tito Ortiz-style angle where you have The Powerful White Boss vs. That Angry Black Guy and, tah dah, you have ratings. Throw in Rampage Jackson ’standing up the for Black man’ and I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry.
There’s also a second article on this topic that addresses more points (read it here).
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 30 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Dana White and his mysterious new ‘big business deal’
By Zach Arnold | June 2, 2009
Here’s what he said last night (June 1st) in video form:
“So today, I told you guys that I had a bunch of big news for you. Obviously, you heard Kimbo Slice is in the ultimate fighter season 10 which we started filming today and Lorenzo and I had a killer, killer meeting in Los Angeles today, and uh I was hoping I’d be able to tell you about it today but the way deals go, they take time, so I can’t tell you today but I can tell you it was a great meeting, and I’m feeling very confident that we’re going to get this deal done, and it’s literally going to change the UFC forever and mixed martial arts.”
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 31 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Lisa Olson profile article on Bob Reilly
By Zach Arnold | June 1, 2009
The man who wants to stop MMA from being legalized in New York state makes his case:
He says in Albany’s city schools and on its streets, “the fights among young people, half the time it’s girls, which I find a little more disturbing. That might sound sexist, excuse me. But it’s no different than ultimate fighting, when I see one woman grab another woman by the head and knee her in the stomach.”
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
UFC finds a reason for you to watch TUF and his name is Kimbo Slice
By Zach Arnold | June 1, 2009
From CBS headliner to reality show scrub, Dana White gets his biggest coup of all. If Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans end up as the coaches for the season that Kimbo is competing on, you will have the three highest-profile African American MMA fighters on an important cable television program. Kimbo will be the face for next season’s all-heavyweight show.
So much for Gary Shaw pushing Kimbo as his newest boxing sensation… which begs the question, why didn’t Kimbo Slice take K-1’s big money offer for New Year’s Eve last year? It’s not as if losing there would have damaged his stock any more if he was going to end up doing The Ultimate Fighter.
Now… one important issue to note. Steve Cofield says Gary Shaw is Kimbo’s manager. If true, that means Dana White is working with Gary Shaw… which brings us to Dana’s infamous promo on Shaw when the whole Kimbo/Petruzelli incident went down in Florida.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 75 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
A few random thoughts (news & notes)…
By Zach Arnold | May 28, 2009
- Machida vs. Shogun is now a reported possibility – what would you see the odds line for the fight if you were a bookmaker?
- Affliction will have two months to market Barnett vs. Fedor. How effective of a hard sell can they make in your estimation?
- Frank Trigg has signed a new contract to fight in UFC. Interesting that UFC has decided to sign him. One last big run for him. Are you interested in Hughes vs. Trigg 3 happening?
- Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson as the next TUF coaches? It might draw some more heat to their feud, but not a significant amount.
- There were claims that Strikeforce’s June 6th event in St. Louis would draw 10,000 fans. Legitimate or not? I’m not all that interested in Andrei Arlovski vs. Brett Rogers.
- Are you excited for Bragging Rights in Birmingham? Are you?
- Yahoo Sports: Chuck Liddell’s former friend/business partner accuses him of HGH use
- Do I know Valentina Arnold?
Topics: Media, MMA, StrikeForce, UFC, Zach Arnold | 43 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |