The YouTube Conundrum
By Zach Arnold | March 26, 2006
By Zach Arnold
On our Fight Opinion forum, Al Yu points out a story about UFC contacting YouTube to remove a person’s multimedia video package featuring UFC fight footage. It’s pretty fair to say that YouTube has become an absolute nightmare for copyright lawyers and programming executives. On one hand, there is blatant copyright violation taking place. On the other hand, YouTube is exploding in popularity. In fact, so much so that the TNA pro-wrestling promotion used YouTube as a preview to put over an angle for their Saturday night Spike TV show. Nearly 20,000 hits!
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Topics: All Topics, Media, UFC, Zach Arnold | 2 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
UFC’s next targets: New York & Chicago
By Zach Arnold | March 26, 2006
By Zach Arnold
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Dana White has New York & Chicago penciled in as his next big media targets. It puts the hiring of Marc Ratner into perspective.
The article was originally a piece about Andrei Arlovski, but the quotes from White about UFC’s future plans are the bigger story. It appears that “softer” targets like Oregon, Washington, Mississippi (the Mid-South region), and other American regions are still up for grabs if someone wants to run those markets. Oregon is the real puzzling situation, because Matt Lindland has already proven that there’s a real demand for big-scale MMA shows in the state.
Topics: All Topics, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Big Saturday
By Zach Arnold | March 25, 2006
By Zach Arnold
Saturday night in America proved to be a good one for business in the MMA industry. In Atlanta, over 3,000 fans showed up (paying $50 and $75 for a ticket) for an MMA event. The Hook ‘n Shoot event at the Evansville Coliseum in Evansville, Indiana had a standing room-only crowd. Hook ‘n Shoot debuted their brand new 22-foot hexagon cage, built by Monster Wrestling Rings.
Tonight in Houston, Yves Edwards announced that he would be fighting Seichi Ikemoto on the Bushido 10 show (4/2 Tokyo, Ariake Colosseum). Listen to our interview with Yves from this week’s radio show.
Topics: All Topics, MMA, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |
Politicians versus the people
By Zach Arnold | March 25, 2006
By Zach Arnold
There was a level of negative feedback for the proposed MMA event in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 4/29. Then, Boxing Canada stepped in and announced their opposition to the event (mainly because it would hurt a local boxing card scheduled in May in Halifax). And now, according to The Chronicle Herald in Halifax, city councilman Bob Harvey is proposing a ban on MMA in Halifax on Tuesday.
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Topics: All Topics, MMA, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |
Tonight’s Hook ‘n Shoot event
By Zach Arnold | March 25, 2006
If you’re in the Evansville (Indiana) area, go see the show. The Courier Press in Evansville has an article previewing the show.
However, as predicted by the entire Fight Opinion staff (on the radio show this week), last week’s death of local boxer Kevin Payne has put the spotlight on MMA’s track record for safety. Read the Courier Press article to get a better sense of what we are talking about.
Topics: All Topics, MMA, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Japan’s hottest political scandal
By Zach Arnold | March 24, 2006
By Zach Arnold
For the last month, the biggest political story in Japan has revolved around a phony e-mail. Liberal Democratic Party politician Hisayasu Nagata made the claim that he had an e-mail implicating a financial link between the son of an LDP politician and former Livedoor President Takafumi Horie. See the reports in The Japan Times, Yomiuri Shimbun, and Mainichi Daily News for more information.
Nagata claims that he received the phony e-mail from a magazine editor named Takashi Nishizawa. Nishizawa has a background in MMA & pro-wrestling in the past. According to the Black Eye 2 web site (which I can’t find the direct archive link to the story), Nishizawa worked in a match in Shooto. In addition, Nishizawa has also reportedly had some run-ins with pro-wrestling people and dojo owners in the Japanese fight game.
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Topics: All Topics, Japan, MMA, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
A cozy relationship
By Zach Arnold | March 24, 2006
By Zach Arnold
Just how tight is the relationship between the UFC and the Nevada State Athletic Comission? Tight enough that the NSAC’s executive director, Marc Ratner, has now signed a deal to become a vice president for UFC.
John Ryan in the San Jose Mercury News equates Ratner working for UFC on a similar level to the NFL buying into the Arena Football League.
Jerry Magee of the San Diego Union-Tribune has an interview with Ratner about his new job in UFC. The Las Vegas Sun newspaper applauds the move on UFC’s part to hire Ratner.
Update: A columnist in the Reno Gazette-Journal praises the move.
Topics: All Topics, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 2 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
More mainstream dribble about UFC.
By Luke | March 24, 2006
I was just scanning the news-pack at wrestlingobserver.com today, and I came across a link to a poor mainstream piece regarding UFC, and its health issues compared to boxing. This is worth checking out. And, be sure to e-mail your feedback to the lazy ‘tard who wrote this.
Basically, it alleges that UFC is more dangerous than boxing, but it didn’t examine any injuries. It just used the finishes of all the fights that ended by strikes, and assumed all of them resulted in concussions. And, then based on the percentages taken from that, claimed that UFC was more dangerous. This is a pitiful excuse of a study that the British Journal of Sports Medicine should be ashamed of, and should never have published. (Credit: wrestlingobserver.com).
Although, Reuters did acknowledge the flaws in the study, it doesn’t excuse the fact that such a surface level look at something as complicated as head injuries is pretty lazy for a Medicine Journal.
Update: MMA Blogger weighs in on the issue.
Topics: All Topics, Luke Nicholson, MMA, UFC, UK | 3 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
IFL aims for free TV
By Zach Arnold | March 24, 2006
By Zach Arnold
Dr. J has done everyone a service by providing a summary of an interview that IFL co-owner Kurt Otto did with Eddie Goldman. In the interview, Otto claims that the IFL is on its way to securing a free TV deal for their 4/29 Atlantic City, NJ. show. Dr. J brings up the likely scenario of Fox Sports Net as the home for the IFL show.
Read further down for my thoughts about the TV strategy. In regards to Otto saying that he wants to work with DSE/PRIDE… well, let’s just say that Mr. Otto hasn’t been paying attention to what’s been going on in Japan lately, has he? Not necessarily the smartest goal to have right now, in my opinion…
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: All Topics, IFL, MMA, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Fight Opinion Radio: Episode 12
By Zach Arnold | March 24, 2006
Two special guests this week on Fight Opinion Radio, as Rob Sayers & Zach Arnold interview both UFC lightweight star Yves Edwards and PNWMMA.com‘s Eric Fredericks. Erin Bucknell joins us this week to talk about the latest situation in Cage Rage (fighters not being signed to contracts), the upcoming IFC 4/1 Sacramento show, and the controversy in Nova Scotia between Boxing Canada & MMA.
For more information on Mr. Yves Edwards, check out his web site at http://www.thugjitsu.com and also his new sponsor, Eskimo Hut.
For more information on Mr. Eric Fredericks, check out his web site at http://www.pnwmma.com for more information. If you are interested in writing material for his web site, please contact him via e-mail.
The 12th 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, podcasts, Rob Sayers, Zach Arnold | 5 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Cage Rage 4/22 Wembley show press release
By Zach Arnold | March 24, 2006
2006 Cage Rage events, all at Wembley Arena: 1st July and 9th Sept 2006
In a landmark move securing Cage Rage’s place as the undisputed King of MMA in the UK, promoters Andy Geer and Dave O’Donnell have secured a deal to hold all future Cage Rage events at Wembley Arena. After months of speculation Dave and Andy can confirm that Cage Rage 16 on 22nd April will be the last show held at Wembley Conference Centre.
“Over the last two events demand for tickets has exceeded the capacity at Wembley Conference Centre†says Cage Rage MD Andy Geer. “It’s great to have a sell out show but we feel the time is right to take Cage Rage and MMA to the next level.â€
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Topics: Adam Underhill, All Topics, MMA, Press Releases, UK | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
NPR report on California MMA scene
By Zach Arnold | March 24, 2006
By Rob Sayers & Zach Arnold
Shia Levitt of National Public Radio (USA) has a Thursday audio update (now available on the NPR site) about California legalizing MMA. If you cannot get the Real Media or Windows Media audio file from the NPR site to play on your computer, use this link. This MP3 file is strictly for the purposes of online users who cannot access the audio from the NPR site.
Here is a quick text summary of the audio report.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: All Topics, MMA, Rob Sayers, UFC, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |
Two HERO’s tournaments in 2006
By Zach Arnold | March 23, 2006
Akira Maeda announced two tournaments in HERO’s for 2006 – an 85 kg tournament and a 70 kg tournament. The tournament start will happen on 5/3 in Tokyo at Yoyogi National Stadium Gym I. This is the show that Akebono will also work. Tokyo Broadcasting System will carry the events on TV.
The 85kg tournament (called Light Heavyweight), starting on 5/3 in Yoyogi, will feature Yoshihiro Akiyama, Katsuhiko Nagata, and BJ Penn. The 70 kg tournament will start in August. The dates are: 5/3 in Tokyo at Yoyogi National Stadium Gym I, 8/5 in Tokyo at Ariake Colosseum, and 10/9 at Yokohama Arena.
Topics: All Topics, Japan, K-1, MMA, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |