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Tuesday news turnover: UFC dominates headlines

By Zach Arnold | April 2, 2007

Dana White, quote machine: “Or, even better, I’ll put up a million dollars of my own money if Floyd Mayweather can sell more than 10 tickets without Oscar De La Hoya.”

Jake Shannon has set up a new web site called UWF Bushido that will have all 75 episodes of the UWF-International documentary “Bushido: Way of the Warrior” online. Check it out.

For those of you who watched the IFL Battleground show on My Network TV last night, what were your thoughts on the show overall? The IFL has two big house shows coming up (4/7 Moline, Illinois & 4/13 Mohegan Sun Arena) and I’ve heard very little buzz for either event.

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Topics: All Topics, Boxing, IFL, Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, UFC, Zach Arnold | 23 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Quote of the Year

By Zach Arnold | April 2, 2007

Dana White quoted by The Fight Network (in regards to PRIDE):

Though it was announced at last weekâ€™s press conference in Japan that the newly-formed PRIDE Worldwide Holdings LLC. would be run separately from the UFC, White conceded heâ€™ll have some say in its direction. â€œI run everything,â€ White quipped, explaining the company will keep its Japanese employees and remain Japanese-run, though he would â€œamp up the American side.â€

I hope Dana takes as much responsibility if things go badly with PRIDE in Japan. Such as if the Japanese fans don’t like the ‘new’ PRIDE. Or if Kanagawa police would be interested in talking to them about the transaction in which Zuffa purchased the PRIDE assets from DSE.

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Topics: All Topics, Media, MMA, PRIDE, UFC, Zach Arnold | 22 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Good cop, bad cop

By Zach Arnold | April 2, 2007

By Zach Arnold

Yesterday, we alluded to Dana White playing ‘good cop’ in Daily Sports newspaper by openly discussing PRIDE needing their own rules. Today, we have Marc Ratner playing ‘bad cop’ in MMA Weekly by openly discussing how PRIDE fighters will need to adjust to the Unified rules (10-point must scoring system, no more 10-5-5 time limits, no soccer ball kicks or stomps or knees to the head while on the ground).

Simply speaking as an MMA fan, I enjoy the PRIDE-style rules. Take this aspect of PRIDE away from the Japanese fans and you’re essentially telling them to go watch K-1’s HEROs promotion if they want to see some similar rules to the ‘old’ PRIDE.

Changing to the Unified rules will not go over well with the Japanese PRIDE fans. UFC does not need more PRIDE-related PR nightmares in Japan right now.

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Topics: All Topics, HERO's, Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, UFC, Zach Arnold | 28 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Monday mayhem: Thoughts on Shukan Gendai article

By Zach Arnold | April 2, 2007

By Zach Arnold
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Printable version over at BoxingScene.com

First, if you haven’t listened to the brand new edition of FOR, go listen. It is an entertaining show that should fly by for 2 hours when you hear it. Everyone did great on the show.

Second, make sure to read the latest Shukan Gendai article about UFC’s purchase of PRIDE assets from DSE. This includes all of our MMA industry readers (especially in America). Take five minutes and read the translated article.

Then come back here in full-page view mode and read my thoughts on what the article’s implications are.

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Topics: All Topics, Boxing, Canada, IFL, Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, UFC, Yakuza, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Shukan Gendai: Yakuza owner & problematic employee

By Zach Arnold | April 1, 2007

By Zach Arnold

Printable version over at BoxingScene.com

Kakutolog also read the Shukan Gendai article. Motoichiro Takasu also has thoughts about the subject (in Japanese).

Today’s edition of Shukan Gendai (pages 34-37, no author byline) has a three-page article about the sale of PRIDE assets by Dream Stage Entertainment to Zuffa LLC/UFC. The title of the article is Acquisition of PRIDE assets = boryokudan (yakuza) owner & problematic employee of Fuji TV. That employee is former Fuji TV chief producer Kunio Kiyohara, whose father is a major figure in the FujiSankei conglomerate and supposedly helped his son get a job with the Fuji TV network.

Kiyohara (and his alleged desire to get PRIDE back on Fuji TV) is the focus of the Gendai article, with the article having three main pictures. The first is a main picture of Kiyohara walking in a suit with a briefcase, the second is an image from the Roppongi Hills Arena press conference with Nobuhiko Takada, Kazuyuki Fujita, Lorenzo Fertitta, Jeff Monson, and Dana White on stage posing to the cameras, and the third a picture of Nobuyuki Sakakibara. The Roppongi Hills Arena picture is juxtaposed to a picture of an apartment complex that Gendai claims is where Kiyohara lives.

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Topics: All Topics, Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, UFC, Yakuza, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |

Press Release: Operation Cleanup 3

By Zach Arnold | April 1, 2007

http://www.thefightpage.com

Charles Jay
OPERATION CLEANUP 3 – IT’S HAPPENING, WITH “FOR WHOM DiBELLA TOLLS”
April 1, 2007

“I won’t let the bastards beat me.” — Promoter Lou DiBella, as told to Thomas Hauser of SecondsOut.com – July 4, 2005

Yeah, we’ll teach those bastard people a lesson.

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Topics: All Topics, Boxing, Media, Press Releases | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |

Fight Opinion Radio #44: Judo chop

By Zach Arnold | April 1, 2007

Two interesting interviews and guests this week on our two-hour program. First, the legendary “Judo” Gene LeBell stops by to talk about his Judo career, how he transitioned into pro-wrestling, and his world-famous encyclopedic hold books. Second, ProElite.com CEO Kelly Perdew stops by to talk about what plans Pro Elite and Elite XC have in store for MMA fans in 2007.

In addition to our two interviews, we have a comprehensive look at DSE’s asset sale of PRIDE to Zuffa LLC and also discuss all of the major happenings with UFC in the month of April. Our guest co-host this week is Scott White of MMAOnTap.com.

Add us as your MySpace friend.

Potential sponsors (web sites, fighters, teams, companies) – if you want to have ads on our show (paid or barter), e-mail us immediately. Use the e-mail also if you Want to write guest op-eds for the site.

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Podcasting Links

iTunes subscribers – click here.
Yahoo Podcast subscribers – click here.
Podcast Alley subscribers – click here.

The 44th edition of Fight Opinion Radio is now online and available to download. Here are your options for listening to the show:

Broadband (MP3) | Dial-up/Streaming

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Topics: All Topics, Erin Bucknell, Fight Opinion Radio, Japan, Jeff Thaler, Luke Nicholson, Media, MMA, podcasts, PRIDE, Pro Elite, UFC, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |

April Fool’s: Dana wants PRIDE rules?

By Zach Arnold | April 1, 2007

By Zach Arnold

Does anyone have an event report or results from the Panther Fight League Genesis event that happened in Miami on Saturday?

Dana White gave an ‘exclusive’ interview with Daily Sports newspaper in Japan on Saturday. The theme was a “kakutougi (MMA) Super Bowl.” The article says that Dana wants UFC and PRIDE to have the same weight classes and create a universal standard on that front. Dana suggested that Mirko Cro Cop should face PRIDE Heavyweight champion Fedor at this year’s PRIDE Man Festival (Otoko Matsuri) event.

He mentioned that he would like to see a 5 vs. 5 UFC vs. PRIDE series of fights (with the five matches based on the 5 different weight classes under Unified rules).

The most interesting item in the interview is Dana discussing the need for PRIDE to have their rules in Japan and UFC to use the Unified rules in the States. Are we going to see Rumble on the Rock-style rules for PRIDE?

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Topics: All Topics, Canada, Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, UFC, Zach Arnold | 15 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Video of the day – early history of PRIDE

By Zach Arnold | March 31, 2007

Topics: All Topics, Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, Zach Arnold | 3 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Link mania

By Zach Arnold | March 31, 2007

Time to get everyone to advertise their own MMA-related blogs or sites that they visit. Post URLs, RSS feed links, etc. right here.

Topics: All Topics, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 12 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Saturday side suplex: Contracts not assignable for you!

By Zach Arnold | March 30, 2007

The Sioux City Journal reports that Marc Ratner is not happy about the Iowa Senate’s decision to deregulate MMA. The bill’s top sponsor says he passed it because politicians couldn’t agree on whether or not to ban MMA in the state.

A very interesting card lined up by DEEP for their 4/13 Korakuen Hall show in Tokyo. Top matches include Satoru Kitaoka vs. Fabricio “Pitbull” Monteiro, Ryuta Sakurai vs. Murilo Bustamante, and Yasuhito Namekawa vs. Yuji Sakuragi.

Josh Barnett discusses his feelings about the UFC/PRIDE deal. Audio here (it starts at the 1 hour mark).

What did you make of the comments made by Josh Barnett? When he was asked on the audio show if there was a chance that he could become a free agent, his first response was “perhaps.” Barnett then added that there are some things that tie him to the PRIDE company.

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Topics: All Topics, Canada, IFL, Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, UFC, Zach Arnold | 34 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |