Video: Affliction 7/19 PPV trailer
By Zach Arnold | June 8, 2008
Topics: Affliction, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Quote of the Day – Professional Wrestling
By Zach Arnold | June 7, 2008
Wrestling writer Karl Stern criticizes author Matthew Randazzo V and his new book, Ring of Hell:
My criticism of your book can best be summed up as follows: You had an excellent opportunity to expose the problems within the business, many life threatening. You had a book with wide distribution where you could have championed reforms within the business. You had a chance to expose the many demons the wrestling business is plagued with. Instead you wrote an over-sensationalized book focused on name calling instead of problem solving.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Media, Pro-Wrestling, WWE, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Defending Matt Hughes
By Zach Arnold | June 7, 2008
Update: Total MMA thinks Kevin Iole’s column was off-base as well.
I’m going to step up the plate and defend Matt Hughes. Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports has an article stating that Matt Hughes should retire from MMA. I call bull*@*% on this premise.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 9 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
UFC 85 in London
By Zach Arnold | June 7, 2008
Reports: Sherdog | UFC HP | MMA Weekly | MMA Junkie | Bloody Elbow | Fightlinker | Kevin Iole | Total MMA | NBC Sports
I share the same sentiments as Leland Roling does about Thiago Alves.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 14 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Breakfast event this Sunday in Long Beach
By Zach Arnold | June 7, 2008
There will be a special Fightworks Podcast breakfast event on Sunday morning at 7:45 AM PST. It will take place at The Coffee Cup Cafe at 3734 E. 4th Street in Long Beach, California. If you are going to be in the area, show up and have a good time.
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Book review – Ring of Hell
By Zach Arnold | June 6, 2008
Name of book: Ring of Hell – The story of Chris Benoit & the fall of the pro-wrestling industry
Where you can buy the book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local bookstore
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Media, Pro-Wrestling, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Help wanted – MMACalifornia.net
By Zach Arnold | June 5, 2008
Erin Bucknell of MMA California fame is looking for any MMA writers located in the central California area (from San Jose ~ north of Bakersfield). If you’re in the region and go to MMA shows (such as Palace FC or Pure Combat) or cover the business, send Erin an e-mail and help her out.
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
UFC 85 this weekend in London
By Zach Arnold | June 5, 2008
Besides the mystery Sengoku III event at Saitama Super Arena, we have an under-the-radar UFC event in London with some pretty intriguing match-ups. Here’s a preview of upcoming attractions:
- MMA Betting Blog: UFC 85 odds – Matt Hughes vs. Thiago Alves
- MMA Junkie: Performify’s picks for UFC 85
- MMA Analyst: UFC 85 betting preview
- MMA Analyst: UFC 85 preview & predictions
- MMA HQ: UFC 85 – Bedlam preview
- UFC HP: Fantasy Preview – UFC 85 Main Card
- NBC Sports: Hungry Alves a real test for veteran Hughes
- MMA Opinion: Hughes should beat Alves by submission
- Canoe (Canada): What the UFC will look like in 2010
- The Telegraph (UK): David Haye supporting UFC’s Michael Bisping
- The Canadian Press: UFC 85 – injuries won’t slow the show
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 43 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
The Donald says yes to bankrolling Affliction
By Zach Arnold | June 5, 2008
Dana White recently mocked the upstart Affliction promotion, stating the obvious – how or why would a t-shirt guy start promoting MMA?
Well, maybe it’s because Donald Trump is financially backing him, that’s why. Which could lead to Tito Ortiz signing with this new promotion. That would be bad news for Gary Shaw & Elite XC.
It seems pretty clear that Affliction may end up reviving a sorry and moribund heavyweight MMA scene by casting top veterans with some fresh faces. A roster that could include Fedor, Josh Barnett, Andrei Arlovski, Ben Rothwell, Tim Sylvia, and crew sounds pretty damn good to me. It certainly would be competitive when compared to UFC’s current heavyweight roster, which does have some good upside in terms of young talent.
Make no mistake about it — you can argue until you are blue in the face that having a bunch of money marks throw cash around in MMA like the industry is their own play toy is a bad thing for the long-term credibility of the sport. I will certainly grant that argument to anyone who makes it, too. However, it is becoming crystal clear that the credibility of MMA right now amongst casual North American sports fans is growing leaps and bounds when you have names like Mark Cuban and Donald Trump associated with the sport. There’s no denying that point.
Topics: Affliction, Media, MMA, Pro Elite, UFC, Zach Arnold | 15 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Kimbo Slice vs. Brett Rogers is coming soon
By Zach Arnold | June 5, 2008
Trusty report here. I like it.
In bizzaro pop-culture world, Ray Ratto injects the name of Kimbo Slice into one of his articles.
- The Nevada Appeal: Forget about drafts and boxing, give us Kimbo-Tyson
- The Las Vegas Sun: Much ado about prime-time MMA
- The Sioux Falls Argus-Leader: Ultimate fighting’s network debut? Pass the popcorn
Topics: Media, MMA, Pro Elite, Zach Arnold | 4 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Dana White channels the spirit of Vince McMahon, once again
By Zach Arnold | June 5, 2008
From an interview with ESPN the Magazine:
I gotta tell you, I was very, very disappointed in ESPN this past weekend. A 15-minute feature on SportsCenter about Kimbo Slice? That is embarrassing. It’s so bad I can’t even tell you. Then that show goes off. That guy he fought is a joke, and he went three rounds with Kimbo in a fight that shouldn’t have been stopped. When the major media outlets would rather follow freak shows instead of real athletes, it’s embarrassing. It just makes my life and job a whole lot harder. It’s already been exposed. But getting that kind of coverage on ESPN, and BJ Penn doesn’t?
Well, except for the fact that on Monday, ESPN personalities took turns ripping apart the Elite XC show on CBS. Plus, ESPN.com’s MMA internet program is heavily-focused on UFC content.
Got to get those media marching orders in quicker, boss.
Topics: Media, MMA, Pro Elite, UFC, Zach Arnold | 5 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Feeding the beast: The media can’t stop talking about Kimbo Slice
By Zach Arnold | June 4, 2008
- Bryan Burwell (NBC Sports & St. Louis Post-Dispatch): With Kimbo-mania, CBS has jumped into the abyss of human cockfighting
- Mike Chiappetta (NBC Sports): Some MMA coverage deserving of beatdown
- The Missoulian (MT): Kimbo, CBS don’t put new sport’s best fist forward
- The Dayton Daily News (OH): The demand for MMA doesn’t justify airing it
- The Baltimore Sun: A plan for EXC to get out of the MMA game
- Eddie Goldman (audio): The belittling of the role of grappling in MMA
- Fox Sports: Flaws aplenty in MMA’s network debut
- Fox Sports: Q & A – Mark Cuban talks about EXC on CBS show
- The Telegraph (UK): Michael Bisping ready for Jason Day
- The Seattle PI: Going around the Matt Hughes-Thiago Alves horn
- Setanta Sports (UK): Marcus Davis on Mike Swick
- The Canadian Press: Mike Swick looks to put on a show against Marcus Davis
- Setanta Sports (UK): Michael Bisping says Jason Day’s making a big mistake
- Inside the Octagon: UFC 85 pre-fight analysis and predictions
- MMA Betting Blog: UFC 85 Vera vs. Werdum fight breakdown
- Jared Barnes (Houston Chronicle): UFC 85 predictions – picking Hughes, Bisping, Swick, and Marquardt
- USA Today: Affliction finally gets Andrei Arlovski, Donald Trump
- MMA Analyst: You’re Fired! Trump becomes a partner with Affliction, signs Arlovski to fight Ben Rothwell
- Kevin Iole (Yahoo Sports): Chuck Liddell moves on after injury
Topics: Affliction, Media, MMA, Pro Elite, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 9 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Mystery Sengoku show this weekend
By Zach Arnold | June 4, 2008
If you haven’t heard anything about the event, you’re not alone. Card line-up for the show:
- Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Maurice Smith
- Kazuo Misaki vs. Logan Clark
- Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Travis Wiuff
- Fabio Sliva vs. Yoshiki Takahashi
- Choi Mu-Bae vs. Marcio “Pé de Pano” Cruz
- Nick Thompson vs. Michael Costa
- Chris Rice vs. Sanae Kikuta
- Rodrigo Damm vs. Jorge Masvidal
Topics: Japan, Media, MMA, Sengoku, Zach Arnold | 4 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |