Column: Michigan MMA legislation not up to par
By Zach Arnold | June 8, 2007
By Zach Arnold
The Grand Rapids Press newspaper has taken a beating this week over an anti-MMA article published by writer Brian VanOchten, who has been ridiculed across-the-board by both MMA writers and fans. However, the newspaper has published a new article today by author David Mayo titled Safety ignored in rush to OK ultimate fighting. Once you get past the use of ‘ultimate fighting’ in the title, the article is very informative.
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Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 8 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Friday fight notes: Heat-up for Baroni/Shamrock
By Zach Arnold | June 7, 2007
Sam Caplan on the K-1 Dynamite attendance numbers. More notes at The Fight Network. More K-1 show numbers analysis from The Long Beach Press-Telegram. MMA Weekly breaks down all the information. In short, the amount of paid tickets not bought by K-1 was 3,674. The amount of paid tickets bought by K-1 to distribute was 39,083. Combine the two and that’s where you get the misleading number of 42,757. The documented number of people through a turnstile at the Coliseum was 18,340.
Jake Rossen on the war of words between Frank Shamrock and Phil Baroni.
Jackson vs. Henderson set for September 8th in London?
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Topics: Boxing, HERO's, K-1, Media, MMA, Pro Elite, StrikeForce, UFC, Zach Arnold | 16 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
The Ultimate Fighter Season 5, Episode 10
By Erin | June 7, 2007
Nate Diaz talks about how he likes Corey Hill, but is concentrating on winning. He feels that he needs to train with BJ’s team as the person that he is fighting, Corey, is on his Team Jens as well.
Corey seems to be losing his mind in the sauna, including talking to his alter-ego, Buddy. I admit that I talk to myself a lot, but I’ve never had an alter-ego. Also, the trash-bag sweat suits are soooo nasty.
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Topics: Erin Bucknell, MMA, UFC | 7 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Eating crow
By Adam Morgan | June 7, 2007
By Adam Morgan
Two days ago I ripped Dana White for allowing Noah Thomas and Marlon Sims to not only compete in the UFC but allowing them to fight one another as the live opener for The Ultimate Fighter Finale on June 23rd.
It now seems I owe Dana an apology. Whether or not Dana knew about the fight and approved it is up for debate. Either way, taking the fighters off the show and out of the UFC was the correct choice and validates what Dana said on the show about projecting a certain image. Was this due to the media backlash from the MMA community about allowing these hooligans to fight? Again, that’s up for debate.
However they came to the conclusion that these guys need to no longer be associated with UFC doesn’t matter. What does matter is the end result and this time Dana and the UFC have made things right. Don’t promote foolishness and meatheaded behavior because it makes the sport look bad.
Thanks for sticking to your word, Dana, and making a fool out of me.
Topics: Adam Morgan, Media, MMA, UFC | 12 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Rampage wins title, Liddell still garners attention
By Adam Morgan | June 6, 2007
By Adam Morgan
Hours after UFC 71, I posted at Sprawl ‘n Brawl the reasons why Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson is good for the UFC. To summarize, he is naturally marketable. Every interview he does is humorous. And as many have pointed out, he appeals to an African-American market that UFC has yet to tap into.
With all that being said, who has the UFC decided to put over?
Chuck Liddell.
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Topics: Adam Morgan, Media, MMA, UFC | 26 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Thursday trash talk: Bad behavior does not pay
By Zach Arnold | June 6, 2007
“The Stephen Quadros Show” on Sherdog makes its debut on Tuesday, June 12th at 12 PM PST.
Steve Sievert of The Houston Chronicle is reporting that Marlon Sims and Noah Thomas have been kicked out of the UFC. Read Steve’s post in its entirety. This has not been a good PR week for Dana White on various issues.
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Topics: BoDog, Boxing, IFL, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 19 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Claim: UFC rejects web site sponsorship for Jon Fitch
By Zach Arnold | June 6, 2007
By Zach Arnold
Related posts at Lay and Pray and Cage Today.
UFCMania.com announced that UFC has told Jon Fitch to cancel his sponsorship deal with UFCMania.com. If the facts in this story are true, it is an outrageous PR blunder on the part of Zuffa. UFCJunkie.com helped sponsor Sean Salmon and both parties in that deal did an excellent job with online coverage. If the UFC said no to the UFCMania.com sponsorship because the blogger has UFC in the title of his site, that would be incredibly backwards-thinking.
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Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 44 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Wednesday notes: Tito Ortiz talks (again)
By Zach Arnold | June 6, 2007
Post updated with Dana White’s comments made today on The Jim Rome Show on radio.
WEC drew a 0.39 rating on its live debut on The Versus network.
Hey, look, another energy drink sponsoring an MMA company. Actually, the fact that Steele Cage Promotions thinks they should create a sanctioning body within a promotion (the “IFO”) may be more offensive than another energy drink sponsorship.
The Sydney Morning Herald in Australia has a critical article on the UFC. All the stereotypes rolled up into one piece.
It’s interesting to note that no one really in the English MMA media is picking up on K-1’s attempts to excuse Kazushi Sakuraba’s loss to Royce Gracie via the ‘vaseline’ explanation.
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Topics: Boxing, IFL, Media, MMA, UFC, UK, WEC, Zach Arnold | 21 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Dana White: Coke needs us, we don’t need them
By Zach Arnold | June 5, 2007
By Zach Arnold
Yesterday, I wrote a post about the situation with sponsors in the UFC. The primary focus was to point out that two of the four main UFC sponsors, Amp’d Mobile and Xyience, are in reported trouble. The other two, Toyo Tires and Mickey’s malt liquor, are not the biggest of corporate names to jump onboard a product that appeals heavily to an 18-34 year old demographic.
Today, Dana White did an interview with NBC Sports and was asked about the issue of corporate sponsorships in UFC.
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Topics: Media, MMA, PRIDE, UFC, Zach Arnold | 50 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Street Fights: The new way to promote MMA?
By Adam Morgan | June 5, 2007
By Adam Morgan
In this video please notice the advertisements for Cage Fury Fighting Championship (CFFC) before and after the Kimbo Slice street fight. This really strikes a nerve with me. I understand that CFFC has to promote their fighters and I understand that Kimbo is best known for being a street fighter. But does CFFC need to promote their MMA card by attaching their advertisements to Kimbo’s latest street fight?
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Topics: Adam Morgan, Media, MMA, UFC | 25 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Media notebook: The evils of MMA
By Zach Arnold | June 5, 2007
All the latest on the IFL here and here.
Frank Warren (British boxing promoter) claims that the UFC offered a commentating job to BBC personality (and boxing writer) Steve Bunce, but he turned it down due to it not being enough money. Read the post for Warren’s anti-UFC rant as well. Luke Thomas at Bloody Elbow thinks that the fighter payroll for the WEC 28 show this past Sunday stinks.
Everyone’s new favorite sports writer, Brian VanOchten, has his own blog. Despite many MMA writers and fans writing e-mails to The Grand Rapids Press in regards to VanOchten’s drive-by anti-MMA column yesterday, the newspaper published zero letters in response to VanOchten’s article. Keep sending the e-mails in ([email protected], [email protected], and [email protected]). VanOchten’s name is now making the rounds on MySpace blogs. He really picked on the wrong audience.
Read on…
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Topics: IFL, Media, MMA, UFC, WEC, Zach Arnold | 26 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Canadian MMA backyarders gone wild
By Zach Arnold | June 5, 2007
The Chronicle Herald’s Josh Visser (e-mail) in Halifax, Nova Scotia is reporting that East Coast Street Fights, an outlaw group of individuals who do backyard-style MMA brawls in parking lots and lawns, has found a ‘millionaire’ money mark that will convert them into a ‘legitimate’ promotion. The Halifax RCMP is not amused.
The article also throws in The Zuffa Myth for good measure, talking about how Zuffa LLC introduced weight classes and other regulations when they bought the company in 2001. Another example of the Myth on display today. Furthermore, the article finds a university professor to say the following about MMA: “”My sense is, it’s still a marginalized activity.”
Update: The Minneapolis Star-Tribune talks about backyard MMA run amok.
Topics: Canada, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 11 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Another UFC/dog-fighting analogy
By Zach Arnold | June 4, 2007
I warned about this topic on the latest edition of Fight Opinion Radio. The Newark Star-Ledger quotes New York Giants MLB Antonio Pierce on the issue of Michael Vick and allegations of dog-fighting (he hates it). Unfortunately, Pierce made the dreaded UFC/dog-fighting analogy:
Pierce, who said he knew a few individuals involved in dog fighting while growing up in Compton, Calif., has a suggestion for those owners.
“If you want to put a dog in a position, put yourself in it,” he said. “Go put yourself in the Ultimate Fighting Challenge and see if you come out alive. That’s not what (owning a dog) is about.
The Seattle Times — “Their quarterback hasn’t been accused of creating a new UFC — Ultimate Fighting Canines.”
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 3 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |