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Bill Simmons rips into Bruce Buffer

By Zach Arnold | December 13, 2007

On the latest edition of The B.S. Report, ESPN personality Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal (from The Jimmy Kimmel Show) shredded Bruce Buffer.

Background information: Simmons and Sal were in Las Vegas to watch the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Ricky Hatton fight. After the fight, both men went to The Palms Hotel & Casino to play poker. Bruce Buffer ends up going to their poker table and a bunch of UFC fans recognize him (because the TUF 6 finale took place at The Palms). Simmons and Sal proceed to talk about all the bragging (they claim) that Bruce Buffer was doing at the table about his brother Michael, trademarking the phrase “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble,” and how that phrase has supposedly generated $400 million USD in revenue. Simmons claimed that Buffer, at the table, took a phone call asking him to make a personal appearance elsewhere in Las Vegas for $1,000 USD.

Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Yarennoka 12/31 Saitama Super Arena card (updated 12/13)

By Zach Arnold | December 13, 2007

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Choi Hong-Man
Kazuo Misaki vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Luiz Azeredo
Mitsuhiro Ishida vs. Gilbert Melendez
Hidehiko Hasegawa vs. Hayato “Mach” Sakurai
Shin’ya Aoki vs. JZ Calvan

K-1 announced Bob Sapp vs. Bobby Ologun for their 12/31 Osaka Dome event.

Topics: Japan, K-1, Media, MMA, PRIDE, Zach Arnold | 3 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

WEC 12/12 Las Vegas

By Zach Arnold | December 12, 2007

Event reports: MMA Weekly | Sherdog | The Fight Network | MMA Junkie | MMA Mania

All comments about the event go here.

I’m sure there is a lot to talk about regarding the finish of the Paulo Filho/Chael Sonnen fight. Plus, that was quite the showing for Jens Pulver.

According to Kevin Iole, Chael Sonnen said that referee Josh Rosenthal apologized to him for making a mistake. However, Keith Kizer isn’t buying into the stoppage being a bad one. Naturally, Iole also has comments from Dana White in his article. Iole also hinted in his article that Filho may move up to 205.

Dave Meltzer is reporting that a fight between Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver in 2008 could happen outside of Las Vegas and at a bigger-than-usual-WEC-show venue.

Topics: Media, MMA, WEC, Zach Arnold | 33 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Wednesday war room: WEC on Versus tonight

By Zach Arnold | December 12, 2007

Jeff Hamlin talks about Jens Pulver. Plus, everyone made weight for tonight’s WEC event. Check out this WEC event preview and make sure to get your fight predictions in at MMA Predictions.

Video of Kimbo Slice on ESPN’s E:60 show yesterday.

Two MMA HQ notes: 1) Go vote in the MMA HQ 2007 year-end MMA awards and 2) go to MMAHQ.net to vote in the latest round of Top 10 fighter poll voting.

Continue reading this article here…

Topics: IFL, Japan, Media, MMA, Pro Elite, UK, WEC, Zach Arnold | 15 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Report: BJ Penn avoids jail time

By Zach Arnold | December 11, 2007

The Honolulu Advertiser is reporting tonight that BJ Penn was sentenced to a year of probation and fined $2,000 for hitting a Honolulu policeman two years ago.

Penn pleaded no contest to the charges. He will be allowed to travel to England to fight Joe Stevenson on January 19th.

Here is a longer article on the story (plus this article).

Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 2 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Lingering in the Herd

By John Philapavage | December 11, 2007

“The first thing I thought was, ‘this is not good for MMA”.

That’s an actual quote from a fan who was at the show in the Toyota Center and saw Sammy Vasquez carried out of the arena on a stretcher. The fan called into Sherdog’s Beatdown Radio program the Wednesday after Vasquez passed away to share his story.

It sounds callous. Uncaring. Dismissive.

He wasn’t.

The man was obviously affected by what he saw. Shocked. Saddened, yet well spoken. But that was the first thing he thought, or at least that’s what he said. He’s not wrong, because there is no right answer. Another person who didn’t know or care about Sammy Vasquez until he died, and is now struggling with how to react to it. He’s one of the many confused people who find themselves in the herd.

Continue reading this article here…

Topics: All Topics, John Philapavage, Media, MMA | 12 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Quote of the Day – Dogfighting and MMA

By Zach Arnold | December 11, 2007

From The Bennington Banner in Vermont:

We live in a culture that has long been desensitized to human-on-human violence. Just 10 years ago, mixed martial arts leagues were considered highly controversial, were illegal in most states and available to fans only on pay-per-view. Today, sanctioned leagues like UFC and Pride are regularly shown on basic cable, and Sam Vasquez’s death on Nov. 30, which was the result of injuries suffered in a mixed martial arts league called Renegades Extreme Fighting, failed to make headlines in most newspapers.

Dogfighting, however, is a relative newcomer in American violence, and garners a rubberneck reaction for offering a sheerly unique brand of the grotesque. Before Vick’s indictment, dogfighting wasn’t part of the vernacular in the northern United States. Cockfighting we had all heard of, but only as a street game for impoverished Mexicans. We deem rich Americans who would enter such a world to be sadistic.

Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 7 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Tuesday chalkboard (12/11)

By Zach Arnold | December 11, 2007

Daniel Puder is teaming up with the Cops Care Cancer Foundation.

Some good news and bad news for the IFL’s 12/29 Mohegan Sun Arena event. The good news… it will air on Fox Sports World in Canada. The bad news? The promotion’s last event (11/3 Chicago) that aired on FSW drew 200 viewers, according to The Fight Network.

WEC notes… Franklin McNeil talks about Jens Pulver. Both MMA HQ and MMA Analyst have event previews for Wednesday’s show. Here is audio of a Cub Swanson interview with Fight Network Radio. Gregg Doyel has an interview with Jens Pulver. The Canadian Press has a profile article on Jeff Curran.

The Icon Sport 12/15 Hawaii event has been postponed.

Continue reading this article here…

Topics: IFL, Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, UFC, WEC, Zach Arnold | 7 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Updated K-1 12/31 Osaka Dome card line-up

By Zach Arnold | December 11, 2007

As of today:

Yosuke Nishijima (ex-boxer) vs. Melvin Manhoef
Zulu vs. Minowaman
Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Joachim Hansen
K-1 rules: Masato vs. Choi Yong-Soo
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Masakatsu Funaki
Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Rani Yahya
One-night U-18 tournament featuring HIROYA vs. Tsukasa Fuji and Kenji Kubo vs. Yudai

Topics: HERO's, Japan, K-1, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 19 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Bob Sapp to fight at Strikeforce Tacoma event

By Zach Arnold | December 10, 2007

According to a Strikeforce press release, Bob Sapp will headline the promotion’s February event at the Tacoma Dome. Also announced for the card is Maurice Smith vs. Rick Roufus.

Topics: Media, MMA, StrikeForce, Zach Arnold | 7 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Ring of Fire 12/9 event results

By Zach Arnold | December 10, 2007

I didn’t see any coverage of the Philippines event anywhere other than the Pancrase web site, so here you go:

Team Josh Barnett defeated Team Gokor Chivichyan 5-0.

Lightweights: Koji Oishi defeated Karen Darabedyan by a 3-0 judges’ decision.
Middleweights: Yuki Kondo defeated August Wallen by a 3-0 judges’ decision.
Light Heavyweights: Renato Babalu defeated Rodney Faverus in R1 by tap-out.
Heavyweights: Jeff Monson defeated Hakim Gouram by a 3-0 judges’ decision.
Women: Ginele Marquez won her fight by default.

More event coverage here. Mikeinformer found this news link.

Topics: Media, MMA, Pancrase, Zach Arnold | 5 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |