Disappear? TUF S**t!
By John Philapavage | December 18, 2007
I wish The Ultimate Fighter would just disappear. That’s right. Cease to exist. I don’t want to hear how it’s declined, or how it never was, any more. I don’t want to hear how it built the sport, or how it builds a mainstream fan base anymore. Let’s just cancel the contracts, go our separate ways, and three years down the line we can figure out if the show had any value in making new stars or not.
These are the kind of thoughts I have anytime I sit and read the net, or turn on my I-Pod and listen to an MMA podcast. It’s a big sticking point with the five percent nation –you know, you the hardcore reading this right now – that Dana White and UFC have become the devil, and the signature show of this evil ministry involves these poor kids with limited experience on Spike TV.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: All Topics, John Philapavage, Media, MMA, UFC | 15 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Esquire magazine profile article on Fedor
By Zach Arnold | December 18, 2007
The publication has a new article out today called The Red Menace. It may very well be the most significant media piece on Fedor in terms of broad exposure to the general public in America.
Topics: M-1, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 9 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Updated K-1 12/31 Osaka Dome card (as of 12/18)
By Zach Arnold | December 17, 2007
- Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Hideo Tokoro
- K-1 rules: Musashi vs. Bernard Ackah
- Melvin Manhoef vs. Yosuke Nishijima
- Zulu vs. Minowaman
- Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Joachim Hansen
- Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Masakatsu Funaki
- K-1 rules: Masato vs. Choi Yong-Soo
- Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Rani Yahya
- Bob Sapp vs. Bobby Ologun
- K-1 U-18 tournament
Topics: HERO's, Japan, M-1, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 13 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Spin doctoring the Mayweather-Hatton PPV buyrate number
By Zach Arnold | December 17, 2007
Do a search on Google News right now for the Mayweather vs. Hatton PPV buy rate number and you’ll see a litany of boxing sites doing a hard sell for the buyrate number the 12/8 event drew (a reported 850,000 buys). “Massive PPV numbers released” was the headline at Doghouse Boxing.
These sites must think that their readers have short memories.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Boxing, Media, Zach Arnold | 20 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Monday afternoon chalkboard (12/17/07)
By Zach Arnold | December 17, 2007
This will be played up in the US gossip media, so get prepared for it:
Matthew McConaughey ended up getting stitches after cutting his face while training for his role as a fighter in an upcoming movie.
The rep said the actor has been doing “UFC training,” which is based on the principles of Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Make sure to tell the people at your local MMA training facility that they’re practicing “UFC training.”
CNBC’s Blood Sport to Big Time special on UFC last Thursday drew good ratings. I wasn’t impressed with the show at all.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 4 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Quote of the Year – Minneapolis Star Tribune
By Zach Arnold | December 17, 2007
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune is no stranger when it comes to trying to psycho-analyze why people like MMA. Today, a columnist in the newspaper tries to make a corollation between angry racism & anti-social behavior with the entertainment and lifestyle choices Americans make.
Granted, CNN et al will use any excuse to turn a tragedy into a documentary, complete with logo and dramatic music. But that doesn’t mean we should ignore antisocial behavior. That would send the message that no one is paying attention anymore, and it would encourage the vermin to think that they can get away with anything. That the tide has turned. And that along with the yahoo culture heralded by NASCAR, the WWF and Ultimate Fighting, the South and its hateful double — the nativist North — has risen again.
It only takes a small percentage of Americans to make this country unlivable for many others. Judging by the incredible vitriol — not to mention the appalling spelling — on the Internet and elsewhere, aimed primarily at people of color and immigrants, we are fast becoming a nation of semiliterate haters.
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 15 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Art of War 12/23/07 Beijing card
By Zach Arnold | December 17, 2007
Press Release
Art of War® Fighting Championship X
Sunday, December 23, 2007
FINAL CONFLICT
#1 Anding Road, Anwai Xiao Guan
National Olympic Sports Center
Training Gymnasium
Chaoyang District, 100029
Beijing, China
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Media, MMA, Press Releases, Zach Arnold | 4 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Pancrase 12/22 Differ Ariake card
By Zach Arnold | December 17, 2007
- Featherweights: Tatsuya So vs. Hayato Shimizu
- Lightweights: Takumi Yano vs. Yuichi Ikari
- Featherweights: Miki Shida vs. Jameel “The Sargeant” Massouh
- Middleweights: Masahiro Toryu vs. Gadzhiev Alavutdin (Russia)
- Lightweights: Kenji Arai vs. Kaku Sajin
- Catch Wrestling: Hikaru Sato vs. Josh Barnett
- Lightweights: Takafumi Ito vs. Shoji
- Light Heavyweights: Ryo Kawamura vs. Kei’ichiro Yamamiya
Topics: Japan, Media, MMA, Pancrase, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Monday chalkboard (12/17)
By Zach Arnold | December 17, 2007
For Internet Explorer users, we’ve added a feature on the top menu called “set as your HP.” Simply put, if you would like to make our site your browser’s starting page every time it loads, you can click on the link. I can’t find code that will work in Firefox and Netscape browsers, so this will have to suffice for the time being. If you do not use IE, I still encourage you to make Fight Opinion your browser’s start-up home page.
Leland Roling takes a look at UFC’s marketing for their 12/29 Las Vegas event.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: HDNet, IFL, Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, Pro Elite, Pro-Wrestling, UFC, Zach Arnold | 13 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Fight Opinion Radio #71: Renato Babalu & Wallid Ismail
By Zach Arnold | December 16, 2007
A big 100-minute show this week, so make sure you are subscribed to either our radio show RSS feed or our iTunes feed. We have three interviews on this week’s show.
First, we have an interview with Jeffrey Tennen (of the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion in the USMC). He stopped by to tell us about Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s recent visit to Camp Pendleton in Southern California.
Second, we have an interview with Renato Babalu, who is back in America after his recent fight in the Philippines. Babalu talks about his controversial UFC fight with David Heath and his reaction to what Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports had to say about him.
Third, we have an interview with Wallid Ismail (who is currently in Brazil) talking about the death of Ryan Gracie.
We close out this week’s show talking about the upcoming NYE MMA cards in Japan.
The 71st edition of Fight Opinion Radio is now online and available to download. Download this week’s show here.
Or you can use the great flash player to listen to it streaming (without having to use an external program). Check it out (down below).
[audio:http://www.fightopinion.com/podcasts/foradio-12-16-2007.mp3]Podcasting: Use http://feeds.feedburner.com/fightopinionradio. This link should work for all RSS programs and podcatching programs. You’ll never miss another show again.
If you have iTunes, do the following:
- In your iTunes program, go to Advanced. Then choose the Subscribe to Podcast option.
- Type in http://feeds.feedburner.com/fightopinionradio.
- The newest edition of Fight Opinion Radio will be automatically downloaded and future editions of FOR will download for you as well, hassle-free.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Brazil, Fight Opinion Radio, HERO's, Japan, Jeff Thaler, K-1, Media, MMA, podcasts, PRIDE, UFC, WEC, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Another MMA scare article in the media
By Zach Arnold | December 15, 2007
Herald Sun columnist Shannon Deary is not happy about MMA coming to Melbourne, Australia:
Overseas, fighters have had arms and legs smashed, ankles snapped and some have been killed.
Instead of protective gloves, combatants wear small mitts to allow them to grab opponents in headlocks and submission holds in front of baying crowds.
(Hat tip: Mikeinformer.)
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 3 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Detroit Free Press columnist attacks Michigan MMA legislation
By Zach Arnold | December 15, 2007
The media backlash in the state of Michigan towards the new sanctioning of MMA is picking up steam.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Graciemag reporting death of Ryan Gracie
By Iain Liddle | December 15, 2007
News to make the fighting world tremble. According to news carried by Globo TV, the black belt Ryan Gracie was found dead in the cell where he was being held at a police station in Sao Paulo after having been accused of car theft yesterday in the city of Sao Paulo. According to the Sao Paulo State Secretariat of Public Safety, Ryan was alone in the cell.
The originally-sourced articles in Portuguese (here and here).
Topics: Brazil, Iain Liddle, Media, MMA | 9 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |