Saturday news slate
By Zach Arnold | December 29, 2006
Click on full-post view to see the media story links and the K-1 12/31 Osaka Dome card line-up in match order.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: All Topics, Japan, K-1, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 8 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
News round-up
By Zach Arnold | December 29, 2006
The Fight Network says that the NSAC has filed for visa paperwork to get Mirko Cro Cop’s work visa in time to fight on the UFC 67 event on 2/3.
At tonight’s IFL event at Mohegan Sun Arena, Pat Miletich’s Silverbacks faced off against Matt Lindland’s Wolfpack team. Event results here.
Topics: All Topics, IFL, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 7 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Mike Tyson arrested in Arizona
By Zach Arnold | December 29, 2006
By Zach Arnold
It sure looks like former boxing heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was undergoing rigorous training for his upcoming PRIDE fight in Macau, which was to be part of PRIDE’s triangulation plan to make inroads into the casino world.
OK, so Tyson got arrested early Friday morning in Scottsdale, Arizona on charges of DUI and cocaine usage. Tyson admitted to a cop as much that he is an addict.
Adding even more media-punch to this story is that Tyson was arrested in Maricopa County, home to notorious American sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio is known as a strict disciplinarian who has made inmates work in tents and wear pink uniforms.
I’m sure Tyson’s first phone call (other than to his lawyer) will to be PRIDE boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara, telling him how sorry he is and how sorry he is for the trouble created to the Japanese fight fans. 🙂
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: All Topics, Boxing, Japan, Media, PRIDE, Zach Arnold | 33 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Order of matches on PRIDE 12/31
By Zach Arnold | December 28, 2006
Full-post view gets you the ordered line-up.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: All Topics, Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, Zach Arnold | 7 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Early Friday media notes
By Zach Arnold | December 28, 2006
MSNBC aired the first in their Warrior Nation series of MMA documentary shows, with the focus being on Enoch Wilson vs. Urijah Faber. They showed footage of their fight that happened at the Malice at the Cow Palace event on 9/9 in San Francisco. The finish involved Wilson losing due to a doctor stoppage from a cut caused by an elbow strike. Intriguingly, the show closed on a person from the inimitable California State Athletic Commission medically suspending Wilson for 60 days due to the cut. Wilson’s trainer is shown puzzled beyond words on camera, as he says that he has never heard of any other state in America suspending a fighter that long for a cut.
Onto Friday’s media links and the busiest day of the year for English-based media coverage…
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: All Topics, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 13 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Thursday news and notes
By Zach Arnold | December 28, 2006
- MMA Weekly: UFC to HBO, WEC to The Versus Network (Versus is owned by Comcast)
- Atmore Advance: ‘Big Dream’ wins big (article about fighter Kerry Rothchild)
- Wave Magazine: Xtreme Training Center in San Jose
- Arizona Daily Star: Sierra Vista fighter (Don Frye) trains team in Tucson
- Los Angeles Times: Liddell is confident he’ll beat Ortiz
- Burning Spirit (Japanese): Josh Barnett teaches Mark Hunt new “croc head scissors” technique to use in Fedor fight
- Knoxville News Sentinel: Liddell vs. Ortiz preview
- Hall of Fame Magazine: Randy Couture – Natural Born Fighter
- The Huntsville Times: Extreme Combat VII at Von Braun Center Arena this Friday night
- Buddy TV: Kendall Grove interview
- MMA HQ: UFC 66 Preview
- UFC HP: Keith Jardine ready for a blue collar battle on Saturday
- MMA Ring Report: Mike Pyle signs three-fight deal with Showtime
- Eastside Boxing: Don’t ever tell me that boxing is a dying sport!
Topics: All Topics, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 3 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Report: South Korean station OCN pays big money for PRIDE TV
By Zach Arnold | December 27, 2006
Correspondent Yeo Jong-Hoon is reporting that Orion Cinema Network (OCN – cable/satellite) has purchased the rights to air PRIDE exclusively on South Korean cable & satellite TV, plus a non-exclusive South Korean IPTV distribution rights package totalling 11.8 billion won (around $12 million USD). The contract starts in 2007 and expires on May 30, 2011.
More details on the deal: The announcement was made to KOSPI (Korea Composite Stock Price Index) investors, in which OCN didn’t buy the rights directly from PRIDE but rather paid for the rights from IB Sports. IB Sports released the news publicly yesterday. Here is a Money Today report (in Korean) about the transaction.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: All Topics, Media, MMA, PRIDE, Zach Arnold | 22 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Wednesday weekly notes
By Zach Arnold | December 27, 2006
Poll results from our last site poll: The question was Gauge the prospects for the Showtime-Elite MMA project. Poll results:
- Not bad – should be fine, could be average – 46%
- Attrocious – this could be a disaster – 40%
- Fantastic – should be really good – 14%
A new poll on the right sidebar of the page.
- UFC Junkie: Where to watch UFC 66 this weekend
- UFC Mania: Tim Sylvia gets no respect
- Times-Herald Record: It’s all business for Tito Ortiz
- Deadspin: This is now a mainstream sport (you won’t be surprised to read that this is how general Internet sports fans react to MMA – similar to the sports media)
- Vecernji List: Mirko Cro Cop wears UFC gear, fans online go crazy
- Daniel Island News: Sensei says UFC only stresses violence
- Canadian Press (via CBC Sports): Edmonton Eskimos defensive end looks to add MMA to his resume
- UFC HP: The MMA resurrection of Jason MacDonald
- Orange County Register: Tito Ortiz ready for Chuck Liddell (w/ audio interview)
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: All Topics, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 37 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Tuesday media notes
By Zach Arnold | December 26, 2006
- Link: Evan Tanner creates his own web site
- Vecernji List: Mirko will make an announcement next Monday regarding his fighting career in America
- The Eagle-Tribune (Massachusetts): Eric Bradley signs contract with Showtime for Elite XC 2/10 event
- Canadian Press (via SLAM! Sports): UFC looks to expand chokehold on MMA
- No Holds Barred (radio): Meet the New York Pitbulls of the IFL
- Jake Rossen: Holiday Letters
- UFC HP: Andrei Arlovski begins on the road back
- GBRing (Japanese): Choi Yong-Soo out, Satoru Suzuki in as Masato’s opponent
Topics: All Topics, Japan, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 18 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
New K-1 12/31 Osaka Dome card
By Zach Arnold | December 25, 2006
- HERO’s rules: Tokimitsu Ishizawa (Kendo Ka Shin) vs. Kin Tai Ei
- Badr Hari vs. Nicolas Pettas
- Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
- Masato vs. Choi Yong-Soo
- Hideo Tokoro vs. Royler Gracie
- Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto vs. Istvan Majoros
- Musashi vs. Randy Kim
- Ken Kaneko vs. Andy Ologun
- Katsuhiko Nagata vs. Shuichiro Katsumura
- HERO’s rules: Akebono vs. Giant Silva
- Genki Sudo vs. Jackson (Damacio) Page
- HERO’s rules: Choi Hong-Man vs. Bobby Ologun
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: All Topics, HERO's, Japan, K-1, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 8 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Final card for Man Festival
By Zach Arnold | December 25, 2006
- Hidehiko Yoshida vs. James Thompson
- Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Eldari Kurtanidze
- Akihiro Gono vs. Yuki Kondo
- Josh Barnett vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
- Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
- Takanori Gomi vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida
- Mauricio Shogun vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
- Shin’ya Aoki vs. Joachim Hansen
- Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Gilbert Melendez
- PRIDE Heavyweight Title match: Emelianenko Fedor vs. Mark Hunt
Topics: All Topics, Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, Zach Arnold | 13 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Merry Christmas~!
By Luke | December 25, 2006
I was sitting here on this glorious day – better known as Christmas Day – and was suddenly struck that nobody associated with this website posted a Christmas message.
So. Merry Christmas to all the readers of FightOpinion.com, listeners to Fight Opinion Radio, and contributors to this website and radio show. 2006 was a special year for many reasons – both for MMA and other reasons. Here’s to 2007 being even better for everyone involved with Fight Opinion, and all the people who read and participate on this website.
Topics: All Topics, Luke Nicholson | 2 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
PRIDE boss talks about UFC
By Zach Arnold | December 25, 2006
Nobuyuki Sakakibara interview notes: ‘If PRIDE wants to keep its No. 1 status, we all have to move to America.’ Of course, don’t tell the morons on the Sherdog forum that it was an interview done for Kami no Puroresu magazine (which is a clearing house for a lot of PRIDE information) and translated by Gryphon. The broken English is really not that hard to understand at all. Seriously.
The fact is that as far as the major players in the Japanese fight business (both MMA and wrestling), they were behind the curve in the 1990s in regards to the US scene and it’s almost 2007, and they’re still behind the curve. It goes back to the old theme that the Japanese promoters love to push the concept of kokusai-ka (internationalization) without really investing a lot in doing so. The Japanese fans have been conditioned by promoters to believe that the ‘world’ will come to them in terms of the best talent (New Japan Pro-Wrestling did this very well in the 1990s), so once the ‘world’ starts eclipsing what happens back home in Japan, the promoters don’t know how to respond appropriately to the challenge.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: All Topics, Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, Zach Arnold | 10 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |