Radio: Eddie Goldman has had it with American MMA
By Zach Arnold | October 25, 2008
Has MMA become the dumbest sport in America?
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 8 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Quote of the Day – T. Jay Thompson
By Zach Arnold | October 25, 2008
In an interview with Sam Caplan:
Jeremy Lappen’s name comes up. And again, I don’t necessarily feel he was the right person for the job he was in. But Jeremy Lappen is a hard worker and an honorable person. (ProElite CEO) Chuck Champion, I think, came in too late. Chuck Champion had some potential. He and I didn’t get along on a business level. I had a number of times where I wanted to take more control and help out more and he didn’t agree with my decisions and didn’t necessarily go the direction I had hoped he would go. But we got along on a personal level and he’s another guy that I think is an honorable guy — I don’t know him well enough. But even with them included, I still think they are responsible for the direction that the company went. Chuck Champion is last because he took over later and where there was already so much trouble. There were people that worked hard inside the company but I didn’t see anyone that should be running a major MMA organization.
On the Elite XC stand-up scandal involving Kimbo Slice & Seth Petruzelli:
I was told by two executives at cageside when I showed up — and I don’t have exact quotes and this definitely isn’t a smoking gun — but I was told, “We don’t have to worry about that. The fight is going to stay standing.” And it was said in a way so that I understood what it meant. And I didn’t have ask any other questions.
This is quite the interview to read.
Topics: Media, MMA, Pro Elite, Zach Arnold | 3 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Mark Davies: If Elite XC was paying for stand-up fights, what is the UFC paying for?
By Zach Arnold | October 24, 2008
By Mark Davies
Dana White exceeded his 2008 hypocrisy quotient when bashing Pro Elite over the pay-to-stand scandal. This is Zuffa calling the kettle black. The UFC has been using a bonus structure to reward fighters for ‘good’ stand-up fighters for years. The only difference is that they do it, in part, by cutting good but boring fighters. Matt Lindland, Ivan Salaverry, and the whole lightweight division after Penn/Uno are all good examples.
To the UFC, and most fans, exciting equals lousy kickboxing and that’s what Zuffa pays for. Assuming we take the UFC’s business practices at face value, it’s fair to say the UFC financially rewards fighters who are willing to stand and trade even if it impedes their chances of winning. Even when they possess only marginal skills in any or all areas. Chris Leben just main-evented for goodness sake. The market leader also financially punishes fighters who insist on grinding out dull decisions by making them scrape out a living in the minor promotions and Japan. That’s why Jorge Rivera has a place in the UFC and Matt Lindland does not.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Media, MMA, Pro Elite, UFC | 44 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Satoshi Ishii: Not aiming for 2012 London Olympic games
By Zach Arnold | October 24, 2008
Well, there’s still some hope for K-1 and Sengoku to snag the judoka for their big NYE events coming up (K-1 12/31 Saitama Super Arena & Sengoku 1/4 Saitama Super Arena). Maybe. At an imperial garden party today in Akasaka, Tokyo, the 100 kg Beijing gold medalist from Kokushikan University indicated that he wasn’t aiming to participate in the next Olympic games.
Topics: Japan, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 4 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Keith Kizer of the NSAC confirms Sam Caplan’s reported source on Elite XC stand-up scandal
By Zach Arnold | October 23, 2008
Sam Caplan wrote the following on Five Ounces of Pain a couple of days ago:
Petruzelli’s comments on 104.1 FM in Orlando that he had financial incentive not to take Slice to the ground that led to such a public outcry that officials in Florida launched an investigation into the incident were just the tip of the iceberg, as there also appeared to be more to the story. For instance, separate sources informed Five Ounces of Pain last week that there was also a possibility that a deal had been struck preventing Petruzelli from using “Thai-style kicks on Slice, since he had not prepared for them leading up to the fight.”
Combine this report with the comments T. Jay Thompson made to MMA Weekly last Tuesday:
“I don’t have a smoking gun, (but) I’ve been around long enough, I’ve talked to enough people that were there, I won’t name names of executives in the company that I know—Seth was paid to stand up. I’m confident of that. If the commission wants to talk to me, I’ll tell them what I know.”
On Thursday, the Florida DBPR ‘cleared’ Elite XC of any wrong-doing in the stand-up scandal involving Kimbo Slice and Seth Petruzelli. Unfortunately for the DBPR, someone powerful in the fight industry has managed to back up what Sam Caplan claimed he was told by a source regarding the issue of ‘no Muay Thai kicks’ in the Kimbo/Petruzelli fight.
Keith Kizer of the Nevada State Athletic Commission told MMA Weekly the following:
“Someone affiliated with ProElite told me that the fighter or his camp said that he had not been training to fight a Muay Thai specialist and thus he had not trained to defend Muay Thai-style kicks, so that he would agree to fight the proposed opponent if the opponent agreed not to use any such kicks, and that information was told to that opponent.”
Eventually, more parties involved in Elite XC will start talking now that the company is out of business. The more talking that occurs, the more embarrassing it will likely end up being for the Florida DBPR. Perhaps they don’t care. Maybe.
Topics: Media, MMA, Pro Elite, Zach Arnold | 7 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Reports: Station Casinos is in big financial trouble
By Zach Arnold | October 23, 2008
- October 19th – Going private hasn’t saved companies from slump (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
- October 19th – Station Casinos will seek some reprieve from its banks, though the company’s debt costs will likely go up (Las Vegas Sun)
- October 20th – Station Casinos confident business model will best economic worry (online casino advisory)
- October 23rd – Is Station Casinos going out of business? (Fightlinker)
When Dana White announced a while back that Lorenzo Fertitta was making a 100% commitment to UFC and moving away from actively managing Station Casinos, it was heralded as a move that was going to forever change the MMA business. Much to the credit of Fight Opinion Radio lead host (Jeff Thaler), Jeff never bought into the initial explanation given as to why Lorenzo Fertitta would give up such a lucrative position in Las Vegas to go to UFC — a profitable company, but nothing close to the money-making machine that Station Casinos had been over the past decade.
Addendum: In addition to the Station Casino troubles, MMA Payout claims that there are problems between UFC and Walmart. Ironic, given the stances that both Station Casinos and Walmart have taken in regards to worker’s unions.
Update: This sounds not-so-good.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 63 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Of course: Florida DBPR ‘clears’ Elite XC of stand-up scandal
By Zach Arnold | October 23, 2008
Reports: NBC Sports | MMA Convert | Sherdog
Reminds me of what happened to the Kanagawa police investigation into Mr. I (aka Mr. Ishizaka) when PRIDE closed up shop in Japan and he was reportedly stuck in South Korea…
Meanwhile, Yahoo writer Dan Wetzel (why is he assigned to go to all the UFC shows now?) has a gushing article on Dana White burying Elite XC in the press for good.
Update: Franklin McNeil of ESPN has read a copy of the Florida DPBR report, including comments from Seth Petruzelli. Smoothie King Seth continues to say that “the radio show misconstrued his comments.”
Jonathan Eckrich has further comments on the history of Elite XC.
Topics: Media, MMA, Pro Elite, Zach Arnold | 2 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Dana White’s admission that will likely not get much attention but really should
By Zach Arnold | October 22, 2008
Three months ago, I wrote a post about how The Big Lead claimed that Spike TV paid their way to go to Las Vegas to cover one of the UFC events. The post didn’t receive much attention at all, and nobody really blinked an eye about it.
Now, The Big Lead is considered one of the larger ‘sports blogs’ that’s not necessarily MMA Media-related.
In his latest YouTube vlog, Dana White went on a rant about Scott Ferrall. Ferrall is a sports radio host on Sirius Satellite Radio and has bounced from a ton of radio stations in the States. Calmlessly and seemlessly, White talks about how UFC paid Scott Ferrall to come to their shows and cover the events. He further claimed that Ferrall was holding him up for more money to cover the events and that UFC balked at doing so.
I find it fascinating that UFC has no problems publicly admitting that they buy and pay off the media. And, of course, you won’t find too many MMA Media writers talking about this because, hey, the UFC is the only game in town. Get on that gravy train when you can. What was it that I just wrote about fight writers being bought and paid for? Sounds to me like Japanese fight writers may not have as much to worry about as they first thought.
Between the way certain members of the MMA media (elaborated further upon here) covered the PRIDE yakuza scandal and the Elite XC stand-up scandal, I’ve already had a cynical opinion of certain media outlets covering the fight game. I just find it intriguing that when you point out that UFC is admitting they buy and pay off members of media and that there are media outlets like MMA Rated where an agent in the business is buying off MMA writers, nobody seemingly cares or blinks an eye. Who will watch the watchmen?
Addendum: Promoters are promoters. Buying off members of the media isn’t a new practice, just a smart and sleazy one. The bigger issue should be the lack of disclosure from members of the MMA media as far as who is or isn’t paying them off. In other words, a disclosure form on each of these sites about individual writers would be a nice start in addressing the issue head-on. For the record, I have never been paid any money whatsoever from a promoter to cover a story.
Speaking of politics, UFC reportedly is having more trouble with yet another sponsor of fighters.
Update: Jim Genia adds his two cents to the discussion. Allegedly, Dave Meltzer has responded to the Total MMA post on the MMA Media.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 27 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Will Thiago Alves be able to make weight?
By Zach Arnold | October 22, 2008
Not such a stupid question, given that he failed to make weight in his fight against Matt Hughes (and was totally given a pass for doing so in most media circles). He’s at 181 pounds now — can he make weight for the fight against Josh Koscheck?
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Fight Opinion Radio #92: Delivering our eulogy for Elite XC
By Zach Arnold | October 22, 2008
Strangely, it always seems that our best work comes around stories involving scandals in the fight business. The implosion of Elite XC is no different, as we are on our A-game this week covering the destruction of a second major MMA company within the last three years. In this one-hour edition of Fight Opinion Radio, we take a look at the history of Elite XC from start to finish and give you an easy-to-understand timetable as to when things started to fall apart for the company. Simply put, Elite XC was created and based on a lot of potential and management in the company failed to deliver on that potential. How? Why?
Plus, we have found some warning signals in the implosion of Elite XC that may portend to some shaky events down the road for UFC in the future. (Hint: It has to do with what CBS was considering doing and may still do.)
In addition to our eulogy for Elite XC, we bring back the world-famous grab bag and discuss two marijuana-related stories that you have to simply hear to believe. Get a contact high from the highest quarter-hour rated segment in all of MMA radio.
The 92nd edition of Fight Opinion Radio is now online and available to download. Download this week’s show here.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Fight Opinion Radio, Jeff Thaler, Media, MMA, podcasts, Pro Elite, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 8 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Video: Affliction announces Fedor Emelianenko for their January 2009 MMA fight card
By Zach Arnold | October 22, 2008
You’ll notice right away what makes this ad both effective and ineffective.
Topics: Affliction, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 14 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
UFC: Dana White’s newest Youtube vlog to find the next big British MMA star
By Zach Arnold | October 22, 2008
Other news/headlines
At least we know that KJ Noons will stick to boxing.
- MMA Payout: UFC 89 drew a 1.7 cable rating
- Five Ounces of Pain: Dana White wants 155-pounders, not 185-pounders for the next season of The Ultimate Fighter
- The Globe and Mail (Canada): UFC fighter Pete Sell lives and learns
- TSN (Canada): Matt Serra thinks Patrick Cote can upset Anderson Silva
- The Chicago Sun-Times: Dana White’s work ethic, intensity fuel UFC’s explosion (an interview with Dana White)
- The Vancouver Sun (Canada): Lack of regulation forces local MMA scene underground
- ESPN: It’s sink or swim for UFC veteran Sean Sherk
- 15 Rounds (Gary Herman): Petruzelli ratted out Elite XC’s management
- Setanta Sports (UK): Josh Koscheck picks Jon Fitch’s brains
Topics: Boxing, Canada, Media, MMA, Pro Elite, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |
Kamipro writer: UFC can’t do business their own way in other countries
By Zach Arnold | October 21, 2008
There’s a reason why WWE will never have major, long-term success in Japan. UFC is about to find this out for themselves.
It’s not just the heavy entrenchment of the yakuza into the Japanese business world. It’s also the inherent racism that exists on a much deeper level inside the fight business there as opposed to the Japanese culture and population in general. In the Japanese fight business, they are paranoid about foreign bosses and having foreigners as the front men for their respective fight companies. Not as warm and fuzzy as the nationalistic yakuza-types, I suppose.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, UFC, Zach Arnold | 7 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |