UFC 95 draws 1.6 cable rating
By Zach Arnold | February 24, 2009
Not bad for a main event with Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Stevenson. Check out UFC’s ratings over the last six months on Spike TV. Nothing to sneeze at. Here’s the press release from Spike TV on UFC 95 ratings.
Glad to see that HGH InFusion had 1.6 million eyeballs watching their sponsorship of Dan Hardy pay off without any media criticism in MMA circles. Because, you know, nobody in the general sports media would have said anything if a baseball player had wiped sweat off his face during a Home Run Derby contest with a towel saying “Signature Pharmacy, get your HGH InFusion here”… or if a basketball player had a “powered by HGH InFusion” logo on his jersey during the Slam Dunk Contest…
Way to step up your game, MMA media.
Addendum: I find the reaction to the non-coverage to be interesting. This is not a case of manufacturing a scandal. What it is a case, however, is highlighting the hypocrisy and selective outrage that sports fans have when it comes to athletes taking performance-enhancers (as far as which ones should get villified and which ones people determine to be sob stories.)
We came off a week where the sports media was absolutely hysterical about Alex Rodriguez and steroids. If any athlete from one of the ‘major’ US sports or in soccer was sponsored by a company with HGH in the name, that athlete would have been crucified. However, because MMA is still under the radar of so many in the broadsheet sports media, incidents like this with Hardy go unnoticed. Therefore, the onus should be on the people actually covering the business. The MMA media. And what have we gotten so far? Predictably, crickets. Silence.
- “It’s not a big deal.”
- “It’s not real HGH!”
What fan watching at home seeing a fighter with a “HGH” sponsor is going to sit there and think, “That’s fake HGH!” Of course not. The message being sent here, by the media and by those in the business, is that the issue of performance-enhancers really doesn’t matter. When a fighter fails a steroid test, everyone starts screaming, “That’s deplorable!” Yet, we have a fighter who is sponsored by an “HGH” product, and nobody says a word. Selective outrage. And hypocrisy at its worst.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 23 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Quick news items to read in a post-UFC 95 world
By Zach Arnold | February 24, 2009
- There will be a new edition of Fight Opinion Radio in a day or two available online. Yes…
- This is Nottingham has an article on Dan HGH Hardy wanting to face Marcus Davis next.
- Mike Chiappetta, who covers/covered MMA for NBC Sports, has a new article on ESPN.com about the growing influence of black fighters in the sport.
- Muhsin Corbbrey, who fought in Elite XC, will start his boxing career.
- How does a company who sponsors fighters in MMA manage to make ends meet? An interview with MMA Warehouse management.
- Zac Robinson has the latest on New York Assemblyman Bob Reilly’s political shenanigans to keep MMA from being legalized in the state. Get this — he commissioned a poll of 438 people to determine whether or not MMA should be legalized and 312 said no. As a former statistics geek in college, the absurdity of using a sample size of 438 for a political discussion on the possibility of a state regulating a multi-million dollar industry scares the hell out of me.
- MMA agent Ken Pavia has now signed Jon “War Machine” Koppenhaver into his army.
- BJ Penn’s camp is not interested in fighting Kenny Florian… on June 13th in Germany. Penn’s management wants the fight set for a later date.
- Michael David Smith has an interesting interview with Leonard Garcia about his upcoming fight against Mike Brown this Sunday night. Yes, there is a WEC event this Sunday night… here is the card line-up for that event.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, UK, WEC, Zach Arnold | 22 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
A note on the Pennsylvania athletic commission…
By Zach Arnold | February 23, 2009
With the news that Pennsylvania has now passed legislation to regulate Mixed Martial Arts, let us take a look at who exactly is running the show in the state.
The main boss of the athletic commission is a man named Greg Sirb. Sirb is a well-known name in boxing circles and the (public) reaction to him is all over the place (good, bad, ugly).
In terms of media articles on Greg Sirb, investigative writer Charles Jay has a series of articles on Sirb and the ABC in boxing. The articles from CJ take some time to read, but lay out a pretty negative attack against Sirb.
Inside Boxing has an article detailing the role of the ABC (Association of Boxing Commissions) in relation to safety in professional boxing. Here is a transcript of when Sirb appeared on ESPN’s Outside the Lines several years ago to talk about Greg Page.
Topics: Boxing, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 3 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Dan Hardy sponsored by HGH InFusion at UFC 95 – will anyone in the media notice or care?
By Zach Arnold | February 22, 2009
With the Alex Rodriguez debacle in baseball over steroid usage (primabolan, testosterone levels), what exquisite timing it was to see Dan Hardy being openly sponsored by HGH Infusion at UFC 95. (His other sponsors were Tapout and Pirahna Water.)
So, what is HGH Infusion? According to its manufacturers, it’s “homeopathic growth hormone” as opposed to, well, normal old Human Growth Hormone. Take a look at their marketing pitch:
- “Contains the highest grade growth hormone available.”
- “Increase muscle recovery and tissue repair.”
- “Naturally increases energy and weight loss.”
The HGH InFusion product contains high-grade Somatotropin, which is something that the company boasts on their corporate web site.
On Friday, we posted an article from Gabriel Shapiro on the issue of performance-enhancing drugs in sports (particularly in MMA) and what should or shouldn’t be done about such usage. We know that in the past that UFC has approved/disapproved of certain sponsorships for fighters, so I find it a little curious that given the heat someone like Alex Rodriguez is taking that they allowed Hardy to be sponsored by HGH InFusion, which is an American operation. Plus, UFC does their own drug testing for foreign events. While not stating on the telecast that Hardy was sponsored by HGH InFusion, UFC didn’t negate the sponsorship and they did not bother to censor or pixelate the HGH InFusion logo on TV when displayed on television.
Some questions that should be asked to the parties involved:
- Does Dan Hardy use HGH InFusion or is he merely being sponsored by the company?
- What is the reasoning for UFC approving of this type of sponsorship for a fighter in the semi-main event of a big show in London? Or did UFC not know about the specific sponsorship in question?
- Will other UFC fighters be allowed to be sponsored by HGH InFusion? If so, will this sponsorship be allowed for all events (including American shows) or simply for foreign events?
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 25 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Quick thoughts on UFC 95
By Zach Arnold | February 22, 2009
I will send out an update tomorrow to those of you on the mailing list with media links covering the aftermath of UFC’s London event from last night. If you haven’t signed up for the mailing list, go sign up.
OK, onto some quick observations:
- I like the editing on the UFC foreign shows that air on Spike TV. You get more action and the pacing feels much better than the live TUF or Fight Night events. If Spike TV made an offer of airing UFC shows on a delay in exchange for editing and better pacing, I think I’d be fully happy to accept a delayed broadcast as opposed to a live telecast that drags.
- That London crowd was sure fickle and yet easy-to-please once you threw them a bone. Very pro-wrestling-ish type audience. Dan Hardy was right — the UK fans love MMA. Do they ever.
- Is there drug testing of the referees? Just curious…
- If UFC hasn’t exceeded PRIDE’s quotient for the vast amount of top Brazilian talent booked, then they’re awfully close to that level.
- Do you believe Wanderlei Silva when he says that Demian Maia could beat Anderson Silva?
- None of the ex-WEC and ex-IFL fighters seem to be doing very well in the UFC cage…
- Joe Rogan can go off on tangents sometimes, but there is no substitute for having a color commentator who not only knows what he is talking about but actually trains with some of the active fighters in the UFC. The knowledge really translate well in terms of the commentary during the broadcast.
- Was Joe Silva (I think that was him) doing his best Gary Shaw impersonation by trying to be seen as much as possible on camera after every fight was over? Sheesh. I heard him say, I think to Evan Dunham, “Welcome to the UFC,” after his win over Per Eklund.
- Slowly but surely, UFC is building up regional armies (the Brazilian contingent, the UK contingent, the Canadian contingent) and it will serve them very well in terms of foreign promotion over the next decade. The blueprint really is being established right now. If they could do business with Bas Boon and Golden Glory, that would really bring more competition into the fold. I am sure that UFC is interested in a Japanese army with Kid Yamamoto, Kaoru Uno, etc. but UFC’s tastes for Japanese fighters does not exactly translate with fighters that the Japanese fans want to see. Can the promotion establish Japanese and Russian armies soon?
- There seems to be an invisible glass ceiling for Josh Koscheck. If you bet on Paulo Thiago to win, you won the sucker bet of the year so far in MMA with odds of around +550 or higher. It was interesting to note that Koscheck said before the fight that he had not watched any tape of Thiago’s past fights.
- I expected a louder pop for Dan Hardy than what he got on the show. Wonder if he lost any fans over his repeated comments about Joe Calzaghe…
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 36 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
UWC show claims 6,248 for Patriot Center event
By Zach Arnold | February 21, 2009
The independent promotion drew a big house at George Mason University’s Patriot Center near Washington D.C. The promoter’s press release emphasize that Matt Hughes, Robbie Lawler, Amir Sadollah, Chris Cooley (Redskins), Alexander Ovechkin & Mike Green & Nicklas Backstrom & Donald Brashear (Washington Capitals), and ESPN’s Tony Reali were in attendance.
Event results:
- Kris McCray defeats Manny OKorie (Tap Out, 4:51)
- Kyle Baker defeats Levon Maynard (Strikes, 2:57 2nd)
- Iman Acchal defeats Felice Herrig (split decision)
- Cody Donovan defeats John Doyle (Strikes, 2:33)
- Ron Stallings defeats Herbert “Whisper” Goodman (KO, 4:56)
- Richie Hightower no-contest Marcus Foran (accidental foul)
- John Dodson defeats Jose Villarisco (unanimous decision)
- Jamal Patterson defeats Antwain Britt (Tap Out, :44)
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 2 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
(Boxing) Bob Arum relives Wrestle Mania 2
By Zach Arnold | February 21, 2009
Tonight, Top Rank promoted two seperate events (one at MSG with Miguel Cotto vs. Michael Jennings and the second in Youngstown, Ohio with Kelly Pavlik vs. Marco Antonio Rubio). The MSG show went first and afterwards fans in NYC watched on closed-circuit the Ohio event.
Cotto won by TKO in R5 in a lopsided fight and Pavlik won by TKO after 9R when Rubio said ‘no more.’
Thanks to our friends at CompuBox, here are the stats for the following fights from Saturday night: Cotto vs. Jennings, Duddy vs. Vanda, and Pavlik vs. Rubio.
Topics: Boxing, Media, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
UFC 95 (2/21 London) card line-up
By Zach Arnold | February 21, 2009
Dark matches
- 155 pounds (Lightweights): Terry Etim vs. Justin Buchholz
- Heavyweights; Junior Dos Santos vs. Stefan Struve
- Heavyweights: Mike Ciesnolevicz vs. Neil Grove
- 155 pounds (Lightweights): Per Eklund vs. Evan Dunham
- 170 pounds (Welterweights): Paul Kelly vs. Troy Mandaloniz
Main card
- 170 pounds (Welterweights): Josh Koscheck vs. Paulo Thiago
- 185 pounds (Middleweights): Demian Maia vs. Chael Sonnen
- 185 pounds (Middleweights): Nathan Marquardt vs. Wilson Gouveia
- 170 pounds (Welterweights): Dan Hardy vs. Rory Markham
- 155 pounds (Lightweights): Joe Stevenson vs. Diego Sanchez
The event will air on Spike TV in America.
Results: Oliver Copp | AOL Fanhouse | MMA Weekly | Sherdog | MMA Junkie | Five Ounces | MMA For Real | MMA Frenzy
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 56 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
London media asks Dana White questions about Penn/GSP vaseline situation
By Zach Arnold | February 20, 2009
And, interestingly, made a comparison between ‘greasing’ and Antonio Margarito’s wrap job that got him suspended from California for a year:
White says the greasing was “no different” than the illegal wraps discovered on the hands of boxer Antonio Margarito prior to his recent fight against Miguel Cotto. Margarito and his trainer, Javier Capetillo, both had their licences revoked for at least a year by the California State Athletic Commission.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |
Quebec backs down and UFC shows big strength
By Zach Arnold | February 20, 2009
The near-debacle in Quebec demonstrates what kind of financial power and momentum is currently on the side of Zuffa. At a time when the economy has hit all sports hard, it is not affecting UFC. With three straight domestic PPVs drawing 800,000 or more buys, the company is on rock-solid footing at the moment. Every day, sports fans read about bad stories in basketball (15 teams reportedly had to take out $12M USD loans from the NBA) or football (teams such as the Carolina Panthers laying off 20 employees). However, there’s no bad news in the land of Dana White.
Topics: Canada, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 4 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
(Boxing) Not-so-tasty: Humberto Toledo DQ’d for biting
By Zach Arnold | February 20, 2009
If you didn’t watch ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights tonight, you didn’t miss much… until the end. Breidis Prescott manhandled Humberto Toledo in the main event (scheduled for 10 rounds). With Toledo losing virtually every round, he started bending the rules. First, he lost a point for grabbing the back of Prescott’s head. Second and most memorable, however, came a round later when Toledo bit Prescott’s left shoulder and left a vampire mark (two teeth punctures). The referee in the fight initially deducted two more points from Toledo and then issued a disqualification.
Within seconds on the ESPN2 telecast, both Teddy Atlas and Joe Tessitore brought up Tyson/Holyfield from a decade ago (the infamous ear-biting incident). Atlas pleaded for security to get into the ring and the referee urged both fighters to get out of the ring.
The fight took place in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Prescott is known for his quick win over UK star Amir Khan last September in Manchester. How lopsided were the odds going into the Prescott/Toledo fight? Prescott was a -4500 favorite.
Topics: Boxing, Media, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Chase Beebe no-shows weigh-in for UWC fight
By Zach Arnold | February 20, 2009
From press release
Chase Beebe Fails to Show for Official Weigh-in; Scratched from MAN “O” WAR Card
Mike “The Hulk” Easton to face H.I.T. Squad’s Justin Robbins for UWC Bantamweight Championship Title
Fairfax, VA — Chase Beebe failed to show for today’s weigh-in and is officially out of Saturday’s UWC – MAN “O” WAR Bantamweight Championship title bout against Mike “The Hulk” Easton at Patriot Center. Beebe has been replaced by H.I.T. (Hughes Intensive Training) Squad’s Justin Robbins for the Main Event’s title fight.
Beebe allegedly sustained a knee injury that hampered his training and ability to reduce his weight to the contractually-set limit of 135 pounds. However, the former WEC champion failed to provide medical records regarding his injury and did not appear at today’s official weigh-in, resulting in the UWC finding a last-minute replacement.
“We are extremely disappointed that Chase failed to show up today to compete at MAN “O” WAR and equally frustrated by the way this entire situation has played out,” said Ultimate Warrior Sports Development CEO Marcello Foran. “We were aware that he was having troubling cutting weight earlier this week, but never received any official medical documentation about the severity or extent of an injury that would force him to pull out of the show which is required in his contract.”
Beebe missed his Thursday morning flight from Illinois to Washington, DC and failed to post at today’s official weigh-in. He has not communicated directly with any UWC official to alert them of his decision. UWC plans to hold Beebe legally accountable and Virginia’s sanctioning body, the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, plans to impose sanctions against the fighter.
“While this situation is certainly disappointing to everyone, I promise that MAN “O” WAR will live up to everyone’s high expectation as the biggest and best MMA show to hit the National Capital region,” continued Foran about the UWC’s third Washington DC area event. “Every single fighter participating tomorrow will give 100-percent and my hat certainly goes off to Justin and Mike for their professionalism for agreeing to the championship fight at last minute.”
Beebe’s camp through trainer Marc Fiore informed UWC officials this past Tuesday night that the 24-year old fighter was having trouble making weight due to an apparent knee injury suffered in training camp. Beebe’s camp asked Easton’s team if they would be willing to allow Beebe to fight at a higher weight of 145 pounds, mentioning the possibility that Beebe might not be able to compete at 135 pounds on Saturday. A one pound concession to 136 pounds was granted to Beebe by UWC officials. Beebe’s contract with the UWC requires the fighter to be medically evaluated by a UWC-approved physician in the event of injury that would prevent him from participating. At mid-week, UWC officials began working on a contingency replacement as a result of their conversations with Beebe’s camp.
Topics: All Topics, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Heat-up for UFC show tomorrow in London
By Zach Arnold | February 20, 2009
Some reading material for you to catch up on and check out today.
- The LA Times: Main event of UFC’s international setting – Southern Californians
- Tim Leidecker: UFC 95 Breakdown – the undercard
- The Canadian Press: Diego Sanchez says he has been reborn as UFC lightweight
- Ben Fowlkes: Who’s got the edge, who’s got the experience at UFC 95?
- MMA Junkie: UFC 95 official weigh-in results — all 20 fighters make weight
- Pirahna Water: Hey, we’re sponsoring Dan Hardy — check us out
- The Sun (UK): Dan Hardy – Brits as good as Yanks
- The Sun (UK): Joe Stevenson – I could quit 155 pound division
- Setanta Sports (UK): Wanderlei says Demian Maia is the man to dethrone Anderson Silva
- Mike Coughlin: What Diego Sanchez will bring to UFC 95 remains a mystery
Sportsbooks
Covers: UFC 95 betting – Stevenson in tough against Sanchez
Bet US odds for UFC 95 (free picks):
- Junior Dos Santos (-350) vs. Stefan Struve (+250)
- Terry Etim (-260) vs. Brian Cobb (+200)
- Mike Ciesnolevicz (-120) vs. Neil Grove (-110)
- Paul Kelly (-350) vs. Troy Mandaloniz (+250)
- Per Eklund (-170) vs. Evan Dunham (+140)
- Demian Maia (-300) vs. Chael Sonnen (+220)
- Rory Markham (-110) vs. Dan Hardy (-120)
- Nathan Marquart (-300) vs. Wilson Gouveia (+220)
- Josh Koscheck (-500) vs. Paulo Thiago (+350)
- Diego Sanchez (-350) vs. Joe Stevenson (+250)
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 9 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |