Media heat-up for EXC 10/4 Florida event
By Zach Arnold | October 3, 2008
With both pro-football (Dolphins at home vs. San Diego Chargers) & college football (Florida State vs. Miami) dominating the Miami sports this scene this weekend, let’s see what kind of oxygen Elite XC can get with Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock.
Sherdog: The Kimbo Slice bubble
Stated plainly: EliteXC’s survival is contingent upon Slice in a way no other MMA promotion is reliant upon any of their stars. While EliteXC is possessive of a valuable if incomplete roster of fighters, none save female superstar Gina Carano are able at all to deliver ratings, DVD purchases or ticket sales. And while there is no doubting the power of Carano, it’s not at all clear she can carry the struggling promotion without Slice doing much of the heavy lifting (Slice is, after all, the main event).
USA Today: Words heat up for colossal Shamrock-Slice showdown
“Based on what I saw out of Kimbo’s last fight, Ken has the capability of winning this fight,” says Rich Franklin, who beat Shamrock in 2005.
Franklin cautioned that he’s not sure what kind of physical shape Shamrock’s in today. But Shamrock, one of five men in Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Hall of Fame, says he has let his body heal and is feeling better than he has in past years.
The Palm Beach Post: Gladiators star ‘Crush’ (Gina Carano) enlivens EXC card at BankAtlantic Center
“I’m kind of an extreme person, so I guess that fits me pretty well,” Carano says. “It seems natural.”
Maybe it does to her, but dad still cringes. He will Saturday, because Gina says Kobold (16-2-1) is her toughest opponent yet.
“She’s got a great smile and a great set of teeth,” Glenn says. “And let’s hope they all stay in place.”
The Long Beach Press-Telegram: EXC is sticking with what works
Three bouts into his professional MMA career, the 34-year-old Floridian is one of the most popular fighters in the game but also one who has yet to gain credibility within the MMA community with the lack of competition that has been put in front of him. But he said he doesn’t hand pick his foes.
“I fight whoever they put in front of me,” Ferguson said. “I have not turned down one name. My promoter lines them up, and I knock them down. I’ll fight anybody.”
You try to think about going in there and try to get a guy in a position where you’re going to end up stopping the fight or at least hindering him from performing in the fight. You want to go in to do some damage early and try to tap him out. You don’t think about trying to end somebody. At least I don’t. You hear it said all the time, like, ‘I’m going to end your career. I’m going to kill you. I’m going to break your leg.’ A lot of those things are said, but when you go in there you understand it is all mental. It’s a mental game and you’re just trying to get in a guy’s head. To make him think if you get his leg and you do put a hold on there, you’re going to break it. And he’s going to think about tapping a lot sooner. It’s a mental game. I don’t think about going in there and hurting somebody permanently. Because I wouldn’t want that to happen to me.
Topics: Media, MMA, Pro Elite, Zach Arnold | 15 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
K-1 10/1 Tokyo, Nippon Budokan
By Zach Arnold | October 2, 2008
Ratings news: 12.6% rating, with a peak rating of 18.5% for Masato vs. Yoshihiro Sato.
Claimed attendance for the show was 15,231.
Videos of the fights can be found here.
Topics: Japan, K-1, Media, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Crazy headline of the day
By Zach Arnold | October 1, 2008
Elite XC garners more press than the UFC.
a) no
b) Even if you buy into the author’s premise, the answer is that EXC continues to lose money at a big clip. There’s a difference between getting press coverage and getting effective press coverage.
Perfect example: Spike TV preview shows = good, Kimbo Slice PTI interview = train wreck.
With press like this…
Topics: Media, MMA, Pro Elite, Zach Arnold | 23 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Quote of the Week – Dave Meltzer on Affliction
By Zach Arnold | October 1, 2008
He claims that Affliction is paying the fight money for both Andrei Arlovski and Roy Nelson to fight on CBS this Saturday night. Seriously. From the latest Wrestling Observer newsletter…
It’s an expensive commercial for Affliction because they are paying for the fight and Arlovski will be earning in the range of seven figures if he wins.
Strangely, I think EXC may have stumbled onto an interesting pro-wrestling style concept here. They should have auctioned off CBS TV time for fights from other promoters in exchange for the promoters paying the fight money. It would have been ridiculously cheap, tacky, and brilliant to do.
Topics: Affliction, Media, MMA, Pro Elite, Zach Arnold | 12 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Quote of the Day – Ken Shamrock’s trainer
By Zach Arnold | October 1, 2008
Reno Gazette-Journal newspaper:
“When you’re a fighter, you’re a fighter and sometimes you don’t make all the good decisions, but you make them because of the desire to fight. You want to fight. You’re just not ready,” he said. “I’ve come to a point now where I said if I’m not healthy, I’m not going to fight.”
His trainer, Quentin Blue Horse, who is from Yerington, said Shamrock is ready for the 34-year-old Slice (3-0).
“He’s gotten in great shape in a short amount of time,” Blue Horse said. “If he’s standing up (against Slice) he’ll dominate.”
Plus, more Shamrock comments in an interview with Gary Herman.
Topics: Media, MMA, Pro Elite, Zach Arnold | 5 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
UFC 93 (1/17/09) news & notes
By Zach Arnold | October 1, 2008
Setanta Sports reports that Rich Franklin vs. Dan Henderson and Mark Coleman vs. Mauricio Shogun are fights booked for the promotion’s January 17th event at the O2 Arena in Dublin.
UFC official press release here.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Report: UFC 93 set for Ireland
By Zach Arnold | September 30, 2008
Eurosport UK is reporting that UFC 93 will take place on January 17th at the O2 Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Proposed main event? Rich Franklin vs. Chuck Liddell or Mauricio Shogun.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 16 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Perception or reality about EXC
By Zach Arnold | September 29, 2008
It feels like there is zero heat for this Saturday’s EXC show in South Florida with Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice. Fair assessment or inaccurate?
Meanwhile, here’s an interesting SEC filing by Pro Elite today:
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
September 3, 2008
ORDER GRANTING CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
ProElite, Inc.
File No. 000-31573 – CF#21957
_____________________
ProElite, Inc. submitted an application under Rule 24b-2 requesting confidential treatment for information it excluded from the Exhibits to a Form 10-K filed on April 15, 2008.
Based on representations by ProElite, Inc. that this information qualifies as confidential commercial or financial information under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4), the Division of Corporation Finance has determined not to publicly disclose it. Accordingly, excluded information from the following exhibit(s) will not be released to the public for the time period(s) specified:
Exhibit 10.15 through April 14, 2013
For the Commission, by the Division of Corporation Finance, pursuant to delegated authority:
Rolaine S. Bancroft
Special Counsel
Topics: Media, MMA, Pro Elite, Zach Arnold | 29 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Interested in Xande Ribeiro vs. Hidehiko Yoshida?
By Zach Arnold | September 29, 2008
Sengoku is teasing that this match could be booked soon. Interestingly enough, the gimmick for the match may revolve around an old “Showa” Japanese pro-wrestling match stipulation from the 1970s era — a ‘jacket match.’ Only back then, they were called Judo Jacket matches.
Topics: Japan, Media, MMA, Sengoku, Zach Arnold | 5 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
King Mo and his umbrella
By Zach Arnold | September 28, 2008
The pro-wrestling gimmick assigned to him by Sengoku involves him having a ‘beautiful Japanese queen’ at his side at all times. (a King must have a queen. See? See?)
Topics: Japan, Media, MMA, Sengoku, Zach Arnold | 10 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Sengoku 9/28 Tokyo, Yoyogi National Stadium Gym I event results
By Zach Arnold | September 28, 2008
No attendance was given for this show (this is becoming a tradition for Sengoku).
- Jorge Masvidal defeated Ryan Schultz in R1 in 1’57 by referee stoppage.
- Kiuma Kunioku defeated A Sol Kwon after 3R by a 3-0 judges’ decision.
- Middleweight GP Series 2008: Siyar Bahadurzada defeated Evangelista Cyborg in R1 in 0’25 by tap-out (injury).
- Middleweight GP Series 2008: Jorge Santiago defeated Logan Clark in R2 in 3’35 by submission.
- Middleweight GP Series 2008: Kazuhiro Nakamura defeated Paul Cahoon after 3R by a 3-0 judges’ decision.
- Middleweight GP Series 2008: Yuki Sasaki defeated Yuki Kondo in R2 in 1’08 with a choke sleeper hold.
- King Mo defeated Travis Wiuff in R1 2’11 by referee stoppage.
- Xande Ribeiro defeated Takashi Sugiura (NOAH) in R3 in 4’18 by referee stoppage.
Josh Barnett made an apperance as a media heat-up for Sengoku’s 1/4 Saitama Super Arena show. We know Josh is likely going to fight at Sengoku’s 11/1 Saitama event. If Fedor works in Japan on NYE and Josh fights on 1/4… where does Affliction stand in the mix?
Videos of the fights can be seen here.
Topics: Japan, Media, MMA, Sengoku, Zach Arnold | 5 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
K-1 South Korea ratings report
By Zach Arnold | September 28, 2008
Report by Yeo Jong-Hoon
K-1 aired live at XTM & TVN this past weekend.
PM 4:00 ~ 9:40. almost 5 hours.
XTM & TVN are popular cable tv channels. CJ Media owns both channels.
XTM rating = 3.39% (share 14.79%) No.1 at that time on cable.
Peak: Choi Hong-Man vs Badr Hari 3 round’s last 1 minute = 7.40% (rating 29.35%)
XTM + TVN = 5% (share 22%)
Men & women ratings both no.1 on cable.
People were disappointed in Choi Hong-Man’s surrender, but Choi is still make money & ratings.
K-1 ratings without Choi (such as the Hawaii GP) was a nightmare for CJ Media.
So, Tanigawa will never give Choi up.
DREAM 6 GP rating : 2.29% (share 11.05) no.1 cable rating at that time.
Peak rating: Choo Sung-Hoon (Yoshihiro Akiyama) match 3.42% (17.25%)
All UFC, K-1, Dream, Affiction, and Sengoku events air in South Korea.
Rating power:
K-1 with Choi Hong Man > DREAM with Choo Sung-Hoon > UFC with Kim Dong-Hyun > Affliction > Sengoku > M-1 Challenge.
CJ Media paid 30 billion won for FEG’s content rights, but the ratings are going down.
Choi Hong-Man’s debut match in March of 2005: 5.08
K-1 World GP Osaka in September of 2005: 6.483
K-1 World GP Tokyo in November of 2005: 10.392 (peak 22.8% which cable ratings record)
Now 3.x.
Topics: K-1, Media, MMA, South Korea, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
K-1 9/27 Seoul World GP 2008 results
By Zach Arnold | September 27, 2008
All match results here. Claimed attendance was 15,729. This site has videos of the Seoul fights.
12/6 Yokohama Arena (final eight) GP card line-up: Peter Aerts vs. Badr Hari, Ewerton Teixeira vs. Errol Zimmerman, Gokhan Saki vs. Ruslan Karaev, and Remy Bonjasky vs. Jerome Le Banner.
Topics: K-1, Media, South Korea, Zach Arnold | 7 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |