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Fox Sports: "Zach Arnold's Fight Opinion site is one of the best spots on the Web for thought-provoking MMA pieces."

Joe Rogan: Cain Velasquez sprained his knee in training & needed cortisone shots

By Zach Arnold | November 13, 2011


Watch my video at MMAFighting.com and watch the return of Fear Factor on NBC, December 12th, where women scream & cry while shaving their head & eat animal turds

JOE ROGAN: “Well, you could definitely feel the tension. Everybody was worried it wasn’t going to come off well and there was a lot of behind-the-scenes clamoring. There’s a lot of people that were really uptight about it. I think it all came together nicely. It was a great event, you know, the overall fights were great. I thought it would have been nice if they had showed the Henderson/Guida fight as well. That would have been a really good introduction to Mixed Martial Arts to people who hadn’t see nit before. The main event was really a perfect result for Junior dos Santos, exactly what he wanted to do — connect, land, hurt him bad, and finish him off. That’s what his game plan was, that’s what he did. I was surprised that Cain Velasquez didn’t try to either take him down or force him immediately into some sort of a grappling contest, force him to work hard and tire him out but… you know, who knows what the game plan was. There was a lot of rumblings about Cain Velasquez having a knee sprain, that he got shot with cortisone before the fight, so… who knows if that played a part in it, you know?”

ARIEL HELWANI: “Everyone in Cain’s camp was denying that but I’m wondering if you found out any more information, if that was in fact true.”

JOE ROGAN: “Oh, it is true, yeah, it is true. Yeah, I mean, I’m sure they denied it before the fight but I know for a fact it was true.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “So, when you were watching him, did you get the sense that this wasn’t the Cain Velasquez who beat Brock Lesnar 13 months ago?”

JOE ROGAN: “Well, you know, first of all, you know, he’s not fighting Brock Lesnar. Second of fall, he had a shoulder surgery that took him out for over a year, right? So, there’s that. And then on top of that, there was this knee issue and he came in at 249 pounds, which is heavy for him. I believe he’s usually around 240ish, somewhere around that. He looked a little soft. So, it could be that he has had issues training. It could be, you know, shoulder surgeries are very difficult, you know. The joint is an unusual joint. It moves all sorts of different directions and it’s notoriously hard to repair 100%. So, who knows if that was good. I mean, who knows what issues he had and who knows if Junior dos Santos would have done to a perfectly in-shape, perfectly healthy Cain anyway. Junior… if he hits him with that punch any time in Cain’s life, Cain’s going to be in big, big, big, big trouble, you know. It doesn’t matter if he’s in great shape or not, it’s the punch that landed. It’s why the punch landed. Did it land because Cain overestimates his chin? Did it land because Junior’s just that good? Did it land because of ring rust? Did it land because of knee problems or shoulder? Who knows. But for Junior, perfect result.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “What did you think of the stoppage?”

JOE ROGAN: “Perfect stoppage. Yeah, I mean, he was hurt. He was hurt bad. He went face down. When, you know, when he went down with the first punch you could tell his eyes were scrambled and then a couple of punches in, his face was down and perfect stoppage.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “A lot of talk online and in the media that this wasn’t what the UFC wanted. They would have rather it go a little bit longer. Do you share that sentiment or is this part of what makes MMA so great?”

JOE ROGAN: “Well, you know, if you want… every show to be the perfect show, it’s never really going to happen. What Mixed Martial Arts is is unpredictable and this sort of showcased that tonight. It wasn’t the best result in terms of getting the most viewers to watch. You know, if there was some crazy four-round war where eventually one man, you know, overcame the other one and he had to come through adversity to get there, then maybe that would have brought more viewers. But, I think ultimately Mixed Martial Arts is pretty much unstoppable. it’s too exciting, it’s too good, and it doesn’t matter if, you know, 1,000 or 100,000 less people tune into the next one because of tonight. Ultimately, it’s going to be gigantic, it’s going to be much bigger than it is. The fact that it’s now on broadcast television, the fact that it’s now available for free to millions of people that would have never watched it, the door’s open and the floodgates are open and it’s just a matter of time now.”

Heavy MMA: UFC on Fox JDS vs. Velasquez photo gallery

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 26 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

MMA Link Club: JDS blasts the hell out of Cain Velasquez to win UFC HW title

By Zach Arnold | November 12, 2011

Junior dos Santos blasted the hell out of Cain Velasquez in the R1 in 64 seconds, made me look foolish, but awesomely did so. That was so great. That’s the kind of story-book ending UFC & Dana White needed.

A lot of factors in the MMA business are changing, including what’s happening in the media world. Predictably, we are seeing the inevitable outcome of a field that had ‘no there there’ as far as independent cash was concerned. You either take a paycheck from Zuffa & their business partners or you get consolidated & bought out by a big media entity to work for them. Jon Anik left ESPN to work with Zuffa & FX. Replacing Jon at ESPN will be… former WWE commentator Todd Grisham. Larry Pepe is now handling radio duties for UFC events on Fox Sports Radio. SBNation bought out MMA Fighting. On Friday, MMA Junkie announced that USA Today purchased them. Middle Easy has purchased ad space on the trunks of Damarques Johnson. Scott Hastings of Rebellion Media is building his own empire as well.

Kids, they grow up so fast.

Here’s Mike Pierce talking about his fight with Paul Bradley w/ our friends from FightHubTV.com.

Member sites of the MMA Link Club

This week’s MMA Link Club featured stories

Five Ounces of Pain: UFC on Fox Breakdown of the main event

Dos Santos often mixes things up by going to the body during his combinations, and does so with remarkable efficiency. However, he has a nasty habit of throwing a single jab to the body with very little set-up, which in turn leaves him exposed to counters. Moreover, he generally tends to drop his left hand whenever he throws, making him quite the hittable target. And while the sheer volume with which he throws can often mask those defensive deficiencies, a gifted striker with good counter-punching skills could make him pay dearly.

MMA Fighting: Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, and the cardio question

To hear Velasquez’s teammates at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose tell it, simply surviving sparring sessions with the high-energy heavyweight is tough enough. That’s why those who are familiar with Velasquez’s pace say it could be the difference-maker in the UFC on FOX bout with Junior dos Santos — especially if the fight makes it to the later rounds.

Fightline: Why Cain Velasquez is gaining momentum in terms of people picking him to win on Saturday night

Mauro Ranallo thinks that JDS will win tomorrow.

Cage Potato: Gambling addiction enabler for Saturday’s fights

The Easy Bets: DaMarques Johnson, for starters. He’s never been one for consistency, but he is way too seasoned, and has more ways to win than Clay Harvison, who got absolutely dominated by Seth Baczynski in his last outing. Also, “Kid” Yamamoto is going to go apeshit on Darren Uyenoyama, who we’re not sure is ready for UFC level competition to begin with.

Keyboard warriros. Check out our own odds guide for Saturday’s fights and for the Bellator action on MTV2. Speaking of Bellator…

MMA Mania: Know your Bellator – interview with Roger Hollett

Brian does a great job with the various interviews he conducts. Give him some love on Twitter right here.

5th Round: Manny Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach anxious to test Nick Diaz’s boxing

How much of an impact has Omar Henry had on Nick’s stand-up game?

Bleacher Report: UFC is selling out by working with Fox, but you should embrace it

For years, the haughty members of mainstream media turned up their noses at the UFC. So the UFC circumvented them: They credentialed bloggers when nobody else would. They created a community around a fanbase that wanted something different, and packaged it around their likes. Now, they’re working for the same people who once wrote them off as a barbaric fringe sport. Selling Out 101. But you can’t hate. Every organization that rises up eventually does this. It’s not a sign of being weak or ditching your ideals; it’s a signifier of wanting continuing success. Every thriving enterprise has to change and adapt as it gets bigger, and this is no exception.

Middle Easy: Whoa, Minowaman was outgrappled by a comedian last month and we have the video

This is where the fight scene is now in Japan. UFC may have a free roll with a sold show at Saitama Super Arena, but Frankie Edgar vs. Clay Guida or Ben Henderson ain’t going to draw unless they’re fighting an Ologun in the cage.

Low Kick: MMA media members make their picks on the Velasquez/JDS fight

A lot of people think JDS will win and do so relatively early. I think part of this is because people are hoping to see Ben Henderson/Clay Guida air on the show. 🙂

The Fight Nerd: Review of ‘UFC Ultimate Fight Collection: 2011 edition’

Being a set as large as it is, no conventional DVD box could hold this many discs and not look like a concrete brick. Instead of going with the typical boxed set approach, Anchor Bay has opted for a more creative means of holding the discs. Measuring 11 3/4 inches long and 7 3/4 inches wide, the discs are held in a long rectangular book that holds two discs per each side of a page. It comes in a sleeve with the design you see above to keep the book safe, but even without the extra protection, this structure is sturdy and built to last. Anchor Bay has gone out of their way with their past UFC DVD releases to be creative with their packaging, but this one takes the cake. Rather than adding a bulky stack of DVDs to your collection, you instead have a nice centerpiece on your bookshelf, which saves space and just looks cool.

MMA Convert: Preview of Bellator 57 at Casino Rama in Ontario — wait, there’s another MMA show happening tonight?

Eight events since the beginning of September and now Bellator’s fifth season winds down. Thus far, we’ve seen a featherweight champ try to gain entry into the bantamweight mix and get smoked like a Cuban cigar, a light-heavyweight champ lose some of his luster, and enough heavyweight leather thrown around to kill a yeti. So, while the UFC on FOX prelims are playing out on whatever Internet outlet Dana White has lined up for the evening (MySpace? Tumblr? The Knot.com?), Bellator 57 will be giving us the finals of the current welterweight tournament and middleweight tournament. Who will earn a shot at 170-pound champ Ben Askren and be the next person to be planked upon? Who will be the next dude to be beaten stupid by champ Hector Lombard? I don’t know, but here’s a preview of the action.

MMA Payout: All the legalese about Alistair Overeem’s lawsuit against Golden Glory

I still can’t believe he paid 35% of his pre-tax salary (allegedly) for each fight to his management team. Or does that figure sound about right as standard operating procedure?

Topics: Bellator, Canada, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 37 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Protest & presser at UFC HQ scheduled for Saturday at 11 AM

By Zach Arnold | November 12, 2011

This popped into our e-mail box tonight in response to what happened this week with Forrest Griffin. Are you surprised?

*****

For Immediate Release:

“UFC is Unfit For Prime Time”

Nevada survivors of sexual assault, concerned mothers, and Las Vegas casino workers confront the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) over violent, misogynistic and homophobic language.

Las Vegas (November 12, 2011) — On Wednesday, a number of national media reported that prominent Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Forrest Griffin joked about rape on Twitter. “Rape is the new missionary,” Griffin tweeted, according to the Huffington Post.

This is the latest in a string of incidents involving violent, misogynistic and homophobic language among people associated with the UFC, which will make its debut on prime-time television on Saturday. (See www.UnfitForChildren.org)

On Saturday, Nevada survivors of sexual assault, concerned parents and Las Vegas casino workers will gather outside UFC’s headquarters at 2960 West Sahara Avenue. They are demanding that advertisers and FOX Sports “drop the UFC” until the UFC makes it evident to the public that it no longer tolerates violent, sexist and homophobic language, and adopts and enforces a code of ethical conduct similar to those that exist in other professional sports. They urge all concerned citizens to sign the petition calling on FOX to “drop the UFC”: http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-fox-to-drop-ufc

“As a mother of an 18-month old toddler and a survivor of sexual violence, it is deeply disturbing to me when I see professional athletes like Forrest Griffin joke about rape,” said Emmily Bristol, a board member of the Nevada Coalition Against Sexual Violence and founder of the nationally syndicated blog, The Sin City Siren (sincitysiren.wordpress.com). “But perhaps even more disturbing to me is that this is not an isolated incident within the UFC organization. The repeated incidents of homophobic hate speech and the blatant misogynistic overtones of several comments made publicly show a pattern of demeaning, bullying, and even retaliatory remarks that are unbecoming of professionals who are admired by thousands of fans, including kids. The UFC is unfit for prime time television.”

Leslie Lilla, a single mother and board member of the United Labor Agency of Nevada (ULAN), said, ”It is unimaginable to me that we could possibly tolerate the language of certain individuals in the UFC on any form of media, much less prime time television.”

Christine Kramar, a Nevada mother of four children and founder of the blog, VegasForTheFamily.com, said, “This language trivializes the violent, everyday reality of rape and sexual assault survivors across this country. I want my children to grow up in an environment that works against sexual violence, not one where rape and sexual assault are considered punch lines for public figures.”

Jennifer Reed, a doctoral student and instructor of Sociology at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) said, “Discourse has a powerful influence on behavior. If we as a society accept the use of language that makes light of and downplays serious issues such as rape (which, by definition, involves removing a person’s consent), we contribute to giving permission to the behavior. As a public sociologist and social activist, I believe it is our duty to take a stand against it.”

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

Forrest Griffin, Joe Paterno, and Penn State child sex scandal (updated w/ Dana White comments)

By Zach Arnold | November 11, 2011

SCROLL DOWN FOR FURTHER UPDATES

Joe Paterno, the king of the collegiate institution known as Penn State, was fired tonight after the arrest of his former football defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, who has been accused of raping multiple children. As Jay Bilas opined today on ESPN, a conspiracy of cowardice.

Memo to athletes and media personalities: this is a real sex scandal. Rape and child abuse are not issues to crack jokes about. This is not something to make light of, especially when it involves allegations regarding defenseless or impressionable children. Forrest Griffin, regrettably, didn’t get that memo. Let’s have Brett Okamoto of ESPN sum it up for you:

But (Griffin’s) recent tweets making light of rape during the emotional pitch of the Penn State situation fell flatly over to the side of poor taste. Griffin tweeted “rape is the new missionary,” after a series of other tweets to that end that have since been deleted. It must have struck him as witty, because he actually tweeted it twice. Funny never showed up, and he continued his tirade as the backlash rolled in. “Following me is a privilege” he wrote to somebody who unfollowed him. After offending at least one female follower, he apologized and tweeted, “I’m sorry I’m gonna go ahead and put myself on twitter restriction until next week.”

…

“I wouldn’t apologize because I didn’t do anything wrong, I don’t think. I didn’t commit a crime,” he said. “I didn’t kill anyone or rape anyone or anything like that. I mean, I stated my opinion, and it seems like you get more backlash for that than committing a real crime in some sense. I feel like I didn’t do anything wrong. I just said what everybody else was thinking.”

Child sex abuse is not a topic to joke about. Rape isn’t a topic to joke about. Period. The fact that anyone thinks this is a topic where you can find some sort of morbid humor is absurd. It’s also bad judgment and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that concept out, either.

And this is not the week to piss off Dana White. He’s in ultra-Vince McMahon mode right now and doesn’t need to deal with any more BS:

“People are always like, ‘How do you feel?’” White said. “I’m sick. I haven’t slept in four days. I’m a basket case right now. I’m more of a control freak than I’ve ever been.

“Ask me on Monday how I feel. Right now, it’s not good. If I don’t drop dead by Saturday, it’ll be a good thing.”

An admitted “control freak,” White is most concerned over the matters he has no control of. He literally shivered when asked what the promotion would do if Velasquez or Dos Santos managed to injure himself before Saturday.

Dana White has to make a major statement here with Forrest Griffin. He’s let slurs by fighters like Michael Bisping slide. However, we are dealing with an scandal involving one of the most disgusting situations you could possibly imagine and it’s drawing international attention. I believe in free speech, but I also believe that there can be consequences to what you say in regards to you say publicly while expressing those rights. I don’t care if you classify Forrest as an ‘independent contractor’ even though the relationship is more like employer/employee.

UFC signed a lucrative deal with Fox. Fox agreed to spend a significant amount of cash to sign, seal, and deliver a deal with a property where Zuffa’s edgy behavior has been rewarded in the past. Now we’ll see just how well that edgy behavior meshes with real corporate America. Forrest’s comments signal a test case in regards to what kind of tolerance Fox will have for this kind of behavior.

Update: Forrest Griffin apologizes for rape tweet, makes donation to rape crisis center

Meanwhile, Dana White addressed the situation with Mauro Ranallo during this media interview:

DANA WHITE: “It wasn’t a joke. No, it wasn’t a joke. So, I’m actually glad you asked me that question. What happened was, I contacted Forrest and Forrest is a mess now about this whole thing. And, believe me, take it from a guy who’s been in this situation… what happened was Forrest Griffin said he woke up that morning and turned on his television and the whole thing about Paterno and what’s going on over there at Penn State, he said he literally switched the channel to another channel and they were talking about a woman who had been raped. The third channel he went to was doing a story about rape. Every channel he went to, and his thing was rape is the new missionary, like it’s vanilla, like it’s absolutely normal when you change the channel it’s on every friggin’ channel.”

MAURO RANALLO: “You see how it could have been misinterpreted, though?”

DANA WHITE: “No, I know exactly how it was misinterpreted. You don’t go out on Twitter where you can only do so many characters and put something out there like that. Then, once everybody started attacking him, he started attacking back on Twitter, you know? It’s one of those situations.

“Let me tell you what, man, and I’m the first guy that always say people will make mistakes and this and that will happen and all this stuff. Forrest Griffin is a very, very good human being and I’m not talking just to people and everything else… there’s this, uh, there’s this, uh, charity in Las Vegas called (Three Square) and I guess something crazy like 300,000 kids in the Vegas area go to school without eating every day, right? The only meal they eat every day is lunch at school. So, on Friday, when they go home, they don’t eat again until Monday’s lunch, right? So, we were getting involved in this charity and seeing how we could help and the lady who runs it says, you know Forrest Griffin, right? And we’re like, right, of course, we know Forrest Griffin. She says, well, he came down and he would come in and came down to volunteer, would start cooking and pack lunches and do all this stuff and every time he would leave he’d write a check. He goes in there and works for free, would write a check every time he’d leave, and then they ended up finding out that he was from the UFC and he was a UFC fighter because they’re not all big UFC fans over at that place.

“So, uh, just the small glimpse of the type of person that Forrest Griffin is and I talked to him as soon as I saw this thing and I’m telling you, I’m not jumping out and sticking up for my guy, that is what he meant. He chose the wrong platform to do it on and, um, and he is, he’s pretty busted up over it. Do we need to be more careful? Yes we do. Choosing Twitter as a platform to say something in three words, you know, that can be COMPLETELY misunderstood the way that it was… I mean, if you look at it for what it was, when he says that rape is the new missionary, it doesn’t even make sense. It makes no sense. But when I explain to you on what he meant, then you’re like, OK, I get it now, it makes sense. Yes, you need to be more careful in some of the decisions we make and some of the, uh, you know, some of the things that we say.”

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 24 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Ben Henderson remains a 5-to-2 favorite over Clay Guida

By Zach Arnold | November 11, 2011

Clay Guida is very confident (ask Showdown Joe) about his chances of beating Ben Henderson. Extremely confident. Ben Henderson is also very confident, so much so that he pulled the Razor Ramon toothpick routine during his media session.

The folks at MMA Mania are discussing the rumor of the Guida/Henderson winner facing Frankie Edgar for the UFC Lightweight title. That fight would be the main event of the UFC Japan 2012 show. I’ll leave that item for you to comment on.

If you forgot who is fighting on Saturday’s card, here you go. All the talk about Guida/Henderson is why the fight isn’t airing on Fox TV. Even if it doesn’t air on television Saturday night, Dana White says he will find a way to get that fight on television ASAP. Speaking of TV, Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area will have a post-fight UFC 119 show (UFC 119 is in San Jose at HP Pavilion) w/ Josh Thomson. That’s a first for the network.

Courtesy of our friends at FightHubTV.com, here are some fighters making their predictions on how the Cain Velasquez/JDS fight will turn out. My prediction — Cain wins by decision after five rounds. I’m feeling slightly confident in this pick given that Dana White didn’t shoot down the fact that Cain got hurt a little bit during training.

A look at the rest of the odds for Saturday’s UFC fights:

Media note: First, Jon Anik leaves ESPN to work for the UFC & FX. Now, Larry Pepe will do work for Fox Sports handling pre-fight and post-fight duties on radio.

If you’re interested in non-UFC fights on Saturday, there’s always Bellator on MTV2 & Spike.com. Here’s what’s on tap for that event at Casino Rama in Ontario:

The company’s new tagline is ‘where title shots are earned, not given.’ Joe Warren will defend his Featherweight title against Pat Curran soon.

Topics: Bellator, Canada, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 13 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

How injured are Cain Velasquez & Junior dos Santos headed into their UFC fight?

By Zach Arnold | November 10, 2011


Click on my face to hear how excited I am for Saturday’s show on Fox network

DANA WHITE: “We made this choice for this fight. We put this fight on Fox. I don’t know if you’ve ever been in the arena early, you know, before we open doors… but I’ve been doing this show for 10 years, we rehearse and rehearse and rehearse and rehearse because I’m, I’m, you know, crazy about making sure that everything is perfect and we nail it. Um… this show, we’re going to rehearse for two days but it’s, it’s… so different because we got the Fox Sports side and our side and we need to blend them and make this thing come off and nail it perfectly on television, so… that’s the uh… you know, that’s what goes through my head.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “When you announced this deal, you said you would have control, production control, that’s very important to you. So, now, it seems like you have to sort of play with the other side and they have a say as well. How’s that going?”

DANA WHITE: “It’s not that we have to play with the other side, you know, we’re definitely, I mean, we’re on their network, we’re partners in this deal and… it’s a Fox Sports presentation, you know, it’s being presented by Fox Sports, so it’s going to have the Fox Sports feel to it but when it comes to the fight and the elements that matter to me in the way the fights at broadcast and the way the fights are shot… that’s what we do.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “Can you give us a hint as to how it may look different than the typical UFC event?”

DANA WHITE: “Um… it’s going to have a different, the show opener’s going to be completely different. The broadcasting is going to be completely different until the fight starts. When the fight’s… and talks about who’s coming out, it’s all UFC, man, 100%.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “There’s a pre-show on Fuel but there’s also a pre-show sort of on Fox, as well, with Curt Menafee of the NFL on Fox hosting and you’re going to be an analyst with Brock Lesnar, is that correct?”

DANA WHITE: “True, yeah.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “What’s that like for you to be in that role? Because now we’re like 20 minutes before the fight and I”m sure that, if you’re anxious now, I can’t imagine how you’re going to be feeling then.”

DANA WHITE: “Yeah, no, I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine then. It’s just these next couple of days that I got to get through. We got a lot of stuff that we’re still putting together… things that need to be finalized and, you know, the finishing touches need to be done and they’ll be done by Friday. Saturday, we’ll go in and we’re walk through what we’re going to do and as far as me being an analyst… I wouldn’t necessarily call myself an analyst on this show. I’m sure that’s what Fox is calling me. You know how me and Rogan get on there before the PPVs and we talk about the fights? That’s what I’m going to do. We’re going to get on there, we’re going to talk about the fight, Lesnar’s going to talk about the fight, Alistair Overeem’s going to be there. … But at the weigh-ins on Friday, normally there’s a Q & A… it will be a press conference with Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar at the weigh-ins this Friday, um… in Santa Monica.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “And the winner of that fight will obviously will fight the winner of Saturday night’s fight, right?”

DANA WHITE: “Right.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “Now, what are the next hours looking like for you? Can you give us some insight into your world? not, obviously, releasing too much but what are you doing in the next couple of days?”

DANA WHITE: “Other than all the press that I’m doing over the next two days, it’s all production, going through all the production. We’re still working on, like I said, finishing touches on things that need to do be. You know, we pump out viral pieces the week of the event, we put together… there’s still things that I’m working on as far as advertising and promotion of the event but a lot of it, the majority of it, is production.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “Any new sponsors for this show?”

DANA WHITE: “Tons. Yeah, I mean…”

ARIEL HELWANI: “Blue chip ones that we haven’t seen?”

DANA WHITE: “Fox has sold this thing out like that, it has been very successful for Fox’s first fight, so… yes.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “None that you could say beforehand?”

DANA WHITE: “I wouldn’t even know off the top of my head, that’s their world.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “People have been joking about keeping the guys healthy and how crazy it would have been… I wanted to ask you a question. I heard some rumors… we haven’t really, you know, run with it because nothing happened, obviously, but there was a report that I had received that Cain did get injured at some point. Did you hear that?”

DANA WHITE: “Yeah, but nothing that, uh… neither guy has been injured in a way that would, in any way shape or form, effect the fight.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “So, you didn’t get a minor heart attack a few weeks ago hearing…”

DANA WHITE: “Not even close, no. I haven’t… you know, have I thought, God, I hope nothing happens to either one of these guys? Absolutely, but… yeah, no, nothing to… nothing to worry us.”

(later on…)

DANA WHITE: “Everything that I’ve done with this company over the last 10 years has come from… the feelings that I had being a fight fan when I was younger. There’s nothing more fun. For example, like the thing that you guys saw on the Internet with me going to the Rage Against the Machine concert… I’m such a huge RATM fan and… you get to a point in your life, especially, I’m 42 years old, you know what I mean? I’ve done a lot of things. It’s so fun to be a fan of something, you know, and when you get excited for it and you look forward to it and I remember what that felt like when I was a fight fan and that’s what I try to, um, create here at the UFC and deliver for our fans.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “Is that the future or is PPV still always going to be a part of your business model?”

DANA WHITE: “Yeah, no, PPV is definitely our business model. But I think that when you ask fans to buy 12 to 14 fights a year… you got to give them back a lot of free fights and that’s what we do. I mean… we do 12 to 14 PPVs a year but next year we’re going to do 34 fights. So, the rest are all free, you know? I think that’s another fun thing about being a UFC fan and about being a fight fan. Listen, back in the days when boxing was just PPV… me and my friends, we figured out how to pay for these things. We all get together and everybody would chip in, everybody kicked in their $5 for the PPV, but man, we didn’t miss a fight and we always figured out how to watch it and that’s one of the things that we do here at the UFC, too, you know… now that, uh… technology is so much better than it was when I was younger, you know, you got satellite, you got cable, you can go to a bar and watch it, you can watch it on your computer, you can watch it on your iPad, I mean there’s just so many different ways to receive the product now. It’s just, there’s never been a better time to be a fight fan. We just… it just keeps getting better and better.”

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Nick Diaz: “You don’t always come off the way that you want to”

By Zach Arnold | November 7, 2011

NICK DIAZ: “It’s been embarrassing, you don’t always come off the way that you want to or look the way you want to. I go out there and, you know, just act up and, you know, become the evil villain and, you know, calling out guys and stuff and, you know, but it seemed to have worked. I’m getting the fights that I want. *laughs*

“Yeah, so, you know… I can’t complain right now.”

KENNY RICE: “Yeah, there’s no reason to. You know, I think it’s turned out to be… I’ve said this, I think you’re one of the most misunderstood guys out there. And I mean that, as you know, we were talking about a lot of different things backstage, had nothing to do with MMA fighting. You might also be a master public relations guy, I think I just put this together. You might be the king of PR, man, because you’ve gone from leaving Strikeforce to be a boxer to now getting a shot at GSP.”

NICK DIAZ: “Yeah, I was going to go ahead and go down that road with the boxing but uh… you know, they gave me that fight and, you know, that’s the fight that I was asking for from the beginning. But you know, I was here first, really. I’ve been a UFC fighter for longer than Georges St. Pierre has. Not a lot of people realize that. I’ve been fighting in the UFC, you know, before all them so I’ve been here first. I’ve had more fights and, you know, I’ve fought the bigger names. You know, I don’t have nothing against Georges personally but for him not to, you know, want the harder fight and to expect to really just, you know, think Carlos Condit is a hard fight is just… it may be the case but, you know, not on paper. So, got to recognize that.

“It’s all about how you come out and fight. It’s a little bit different. I can go out on bottom a lot but are going to be able to advance position? Are you going to be able to do damage from there? You going to stall or are you going to fight, you know, there’s a lot… you know, a lot of different stuff can happen and it’s up to me to try to kind of make some stuff happen and five rounds is a lot of time work with him in this one and I enjoy fighting five rounds. I work hard to be in good condition to fight for five rounds. Going back to three rounds was kind of an obstacle, you know, changing your plan up for three rounds instead of five rounds just a little bit, you know, make sure you come out on top in that first round is really important in three rounds, you know, five rounds fight…”

BAS RUTTEN: “You a game planner? You really work and look at this fighting?”

NICK DIAZ: “You know, I think it’s important to, you know, to plan everything, you know, and… my plan is to, yeah, plan for everything and that’s always… I think that’s what I’m good at, that’s what I bring to the table here so we’ll see how that goes. Now he’s fighting somebody that does everything.

“You see either GSP go out there and finish this fight, you know, go for the finish or you’re going to see me have an answer for this stalling and laying around. But, you know, I’m the one that’s in this division that’s mouthing off and talking the most… so if anybody’s, you know, in for a good whooping or it’s time for a good whupping I’m probably that guy. So, who better at, you know, not to be than the UFC champion? So, I’m ready to get this show on the road. I’m not getting any younger, yeah, right?”

Here’s BJ Penn talking about whetehr or not he is retired for good. He says that his coaches had pleaded with him to take an extended break from MMA after the first fight with Frankie Edgar. As for what he thinks Nick Diaz’s chances are of beating Georges St. Pierre… he’s not exactly bullish.

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

What should the realistic expectations for UFC on Fox 1 be?

By Zach Arnold | November 7, 2011


Over 265,000 have watched this promotional video clip…

Saturday night’s the big night on Fox network. Fox has pushed the Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos fight hard during both college and football games on their various platforms. It’s a Heavyweight title fight with two guys that we want to see fight, but are we going to see the champion at 100%? Recovering from a torn rotator cuff is no joke and Velasquez hasn’t fought in over a year. He’ll be fighting JDS in the same building that he beat Brock Lesnar in last year. However, Cain has largely been off the radar in terms of making a splash in the media. Yes, there have been conference calls a plenty and a few pressers (including one on Wednesday at the Nokia Theatre), but I wouldn’t exactly call his media presence ‘magnetic’ by any stretch of the imagination.

Kelvin Hunt (Pro MMA Now): Will UFC on Fox ratings be a true barometer for future shows?

So, what kind of rating should the fight draw? Elite XC drew, what, 3.6 million viewers on CBS? I would say that the over/under rating here for the show would be a 4, given that it’s UFC, it’s a heavyweight title fight, and people will be in ‘fight fan mode’ because Manny Pacquiao is fighting late Saturday night. The only real network competition the UFC show faces is ABC airing Stanford vs. Oregon, a game that has big BCS implications and also is headlined by ‘The Next Peyton Manning’ in Andrew Luck versus an Oregon team that always scores a lot of points. There will be a smattering of other college football games on ESPN, ESPN2, and various regional outlets… but the competition, overall, is not particularly stiff for UFC in terms of whether or not they can appeal to the masses.

Sergio Non (USA Today): Junior dos Santos says that the world is ready for mainstream MMA fights

My biggest interest for this show is to see just how much Fox will be helping out UFC in terms of adding additional heft to the production values. If this show looks like the same ‘ol vanilla cookie-cutter Zuffa production, I’ll be disappointed. Fox likes to give bells & whistles with big sporting events, so I’m expecting at least better video promos & backstage access. I’d be interesting in some new camera shots as well.

As for Fox choosing to air one fight on the card… I think it’s a mistake. The network should have allowed UFC to put Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson on as an actual advertised TV fight. Two reasons: first, it’s going to be a good fight with actual meaning for the Lightweight division. Second, it would be the perfect “TV opener” for people who forgot about the broadcast or are watching for the first time to get pumped in preparation for the Heavyweight title bout.

I do not have high expectations in regards to this event being the kind of ‘statement show’ that will propel UFC to super-duper business heights. I think it’s a good benchmark for the organization and hopefully a much bigger preview of things to come under the Fox banner. I’m still not sure what to make of the Jon Anik hiring, even if he’s relocating to Las Vegas and working closely with Zuffa.

As for Fox Deportes, Fuel TV, so on and so forth… I don’t get those channels and I’m not paying extra money to go out of my way to get them. If Fox was smart, they’d allocate Fuel and some of their smaller TV networks as digital subchannels so that you can pick them up with rabbit ears (similar to what NBC does in bigger markets with Universal Sports). Fox Deportes will be airing the preliminary fights from Saturday night’s Anaheim Pond event. As far as UFC’s continued push of Cain Velasquez to the Mexican market, I don’t see it panning out. He does appeal to English-speaking Mexican-American households in the States but not to the public at large in Mexico (right now).

Nate Wilcox (SB Nation): Will UFC ever produce its own Smokin’ Joe Frazier?

I want to hear from you in the comments section in regards to what kind of rating you think the show will draw, how you think the HW title fight will pan out, and what positive/negative influences you see Fox adding to the UFC network broadcast (if any). I hope the network doesn’t overload us with Jay Glazer 24/7…

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 41 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Sunday reading: Jim Genia’s “Raw Combat”

By Zach Arnold | November 6, 2011


Click on the book cover to purchase Raw Combat on Amazon

We have been spoiled with some great MMA books this year, including Jake Shannon’s book on Catch Wrestling, Blake Northcott’s Vs. Reality eBook, and Loretta Hunt’s book on Big John McCarthy. He, appropriately, will be the referee for the UFC on Fox title fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.

So, when Jim Genia approached me about sending me a copy of his new MMA book Raw Combat, I was intrigued. Because of the rising quality of books covering MMA, the standards have been raised. I can honestly say that Jim’s book met and exceeded my personal expectations. Anything that involves covering the history of MMA, I’m all-in. Jonathan Snowden has also written some great encyclopedic material.

Instead of me doing a hard-sell here for Jim’s book, I will let him tell you what his book is all about and why you should be interested in reading it. At $10 on Amazon, it’s a bargain. If you’re looking for a Christmas stocking stuffer that’s an MMA-related gift, you should definitely pick up a copy of Jim’s book.

“It’s about the underground fight scene in New York City. There is such a thing. New York doesn’t allow sanctioned Mixed Martial Arts right now, so fighters either have to go New Jersey to fight where it’s sanctioned or they have to do it underground in New York City. And this book is an exploration of that whole underground scene. It examines the fighters, the fights, the denizens, the people who surround the whole scene and, you know, an up-close look.”

THE FIGHT NERD: “What drove you to do this topic?”

JIM GENIA: “Well, I’ve been covering the underground fight scene in New York since 2003 and, to me, it’s always been extremely fascinating. I love sanctioned MMA, I love watching the UFC, going to all the sanctioned shows in New Jersey, but… whenever there’s an underground show in New York, I’m there.”

THE FIGHT NERD: “These are kind of top-secret things. How did you find out about these underground shows in the first place?”

JIM GENIA: “In 2003, a local fight coach named Steve Katz had a bunch of fighters that were going to fight on an underground show and he told me about it. He said, ‘Jim, you want to come with us?” So I said, sure, and I paid the ticket at the door and didn’t tell anyone that I was a journalist, took secret notes, took secret pictures, and wrote about it. Ever since then, I’ve been welcomed at these shows.”

THE FIGHT NERD: “What’s been the reaction so far to this book? It’s a topic that’s a little bit controversial, underground MMA, but how have fans and people reacted so far to it?”

JIM GENIA: “People that have read advanced copies love it. Surprisingly, people like Nick Lembo who’s the commissioner in New Jersey… because the book isn’t just about the underground fight scene in New York, it’s also about the development of sanctioned MMA on the East Coast and, according to Nick Lembo, this is a great historical text on the growth of the sport here. So… so far, everyone’s loved it. No one’s sent me death threats. Time will tell.”

THE FIGHT NERD: “As you mentioned, the story of underground MMA and sanctioned MMA go kind of hand-to-hand together in this book.”

JIM GENIA: “Yeah, in New Jersey there was a show called bamma fight night which was run by Big Dan Miragliotta, who’s a referee for the UFC and for the New Jersey commission right now. And his show was the only show around for the longest time. There weren’t sanctioned events in the Northeast. So, Big Dan would hold these underground shows and people like Matt Serra, Nick Serra, Phil Baroni, they had their first fights at these events. So, there’s a great tradition of underground, unsanctioned fighting in the area and… the scene evolved. Eventually, New Jersey sanctioned MMA and New Jersey’s got one of the most vibrant MMA scenes in the country and there are parallels between that and New York. New York, right now, is where New Jersey was back in 2001, 2002. So, hopefully, New York will get on board and… you know, you’ll see an even further evolution.”

THE FIGHT NERD: “Do you think that underground MMA hurts MMA in New York getting legalized?”

JIM GENIA: “Absolutely not. I think people… the people in charge, the legislators and the lobbyists… look at underground MMA as an example of why it should be sanctioned. No one’s really gotten hurt in the underground fight scene but… it still should be regulated. It’s a viable sport. It’s regulated just about everywhere else in the country. So, I don’t think these underground shows hurt it. I think it helps the cause.”

THE FIGHT NERD: “What do you think is holding back MMA from being legalized in New York?”

JIM GENIA: “Just politics. Stupid politics. I think it’s inevitable, it’s a matter of time before it is sanctioned.”

THE FIGHT NERD: “Why should they check out this book?”

JIM GENIA: “Well, it’s not like they can check out any other book on the topic. And also because, you know, it’s a labor of love. It’s well-written and it provides insight because I’ve had access that no one else has ever had. So, if you’re curious about MMA, curious about the underground fight scene, curious about a subculture that exists in New York, this is it.”

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

UFC 138: The mystery UK show that was better than not-advertised

By Zach Arnold | November 5, 2011

Location: November 5th at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England
TV: Spike TV

Dark matches

Main card

Takeaways

Thoughts on Dana White booking Josh Koscheck against Carlos Condit on the 2/4 Las Vegas main card headlined by St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz? When will Anderson Silva fight next?

Where exactly does Mark Munoz fit into the Middleweight picture? He celebrated after the stoppage like he won the title. Leben showed up more muscular (the last time that happened in the UK…) but gassed out quickly after Munoz kept smothering him.

I thought the UK crowd was great at UFC 138. Very surprised at the superstar-like reaction they gave to Thiago Alves. ESPN actually gave results for this show on their news ticker, which means they promoted the show about as well as Spike TV did. What a deal that turned out to be.

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 18 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Mixed signals of sportsmanship in Mixed Martial Arts

By Zach Arnold | November 5, 2011

By Julien Solomita (StreetMade.com | @streetmadeteam)

The fire in the eyes of two opponents standing toe-to-toe and flipping through their arsenal of attacks to win a fight is the last place for amiability. Of course, it’s only just a sport and once the fight ends… the hostility usually does, too. For every fighter touching gloves for a ‘touch of respect’, there are fighters with smiles on their faces while trying to rip limbs off in submission holds. It can be confusing sometimes. Has MMA reached the crossroads when it comes to the age-old value of sportsmanship?

Continue reading this article here…

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 16 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

MMA Link Club: Would you be willing to pay $70 for the Pacquiao/Mayweather PPV?

By Zach Arnold | November 4, 2011

So, Bob Arum went on ESPN 710 in Los Angeles yesterday and said two things: a) Floyd Mayweather teasing that he wants to fight Manny Pacquiao on May 5th is ‘a sick joke’ and b) if the fight was to happen, the price tag would be at least $70 on PPV. How much cold water would that put on your burning passion to watch the fight live (legally)?

Why am I reminded of this article on Dave Meltzer claiming that piracy is a big factor in UFC’s declining PPV buy rates?

Member sites of the MMA Link Club

This week’s MMA Link Club featured stories

Five Ounces of Pain: Fedor vs. Jeff Monson getting PPV treatment

$29.99 is the price tag. Click the link for more details. I’m awaiting Pat Miletich to be the special guest referee. He hates communism and Jeff Monson’s political views, which automatically would make him ‘neutral’ in this fight. Impartiality is what we care about, after all.

MMA Fighting: Chris Leben and Mark Munoz say it will be ‘bombs away’ in UFC 138 main event

It’s interesting that Spike TV has not bothered to promote the show at all. They are willing to cut their noses off to spite Zuffa. Wonder how it will do in the ratings?

As for the fight itself, definitely record-worthy to watch later on. LSU/Alabama airs on CBS in prime time. I think that will be the top priority for most sports fans on Saturday night.

Fight Line: Shane Carwin refutes retirement rumors

He had his fight in Vancouver against Junior dos Santos, things didn’t go so well for him, and then he quietly has been on the sidelines since. Where does he fit into the Heavyweight picture now?

Cage Potato: Video — Jerry Millen is back with another attack on Dana White and this time he brought Dana’s psycho mom for back-up

Need I say more? I demand you click on this link and check out the content.

MMA Mania: UFC 138 – odds and betting guide for Leben vs. Munoz in Birmingham, England

There’s some lopsided fights on the card, but the main event has some curious odds. Munoz is a 13 to 5 favorite, nearly 3 to 1 to beat Leben. At 2-to-1 underdog, Chris Leben makes an interesting underdog play. Thiago Alves as a 3 to 1 favorite?

5th Round: PRIDE fighters for UFC Undisputed 3 video game revealed

I love the reaction from a commenter who said that the PRIDE roster for the video game is more interesting than the UFC roster.

Bleacher Report: UFC on Fox press conference notes for JDS vs. Cain Velasquez heat-up

The fight is only one week away. Cain is still recovering from the torn rotator cuff and the healing process is what you would expect it to be for such a lousy injury.

Middle Easy: Last weekend, we drank booze out of an ice block and then soccer-kicked each other in the head while reviewing UFC Undisputed 3

A really great, colorful review that you should most definitely check out. This is the kind of content where Zeud and crew at Middle Easy really have fun.

Low Kick: Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson — karate lives! (exclusive interview)

Labeled by Mixed Martial Arts experts as “GSP’s secret weapon”, Kickboxing veteran Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson (56-0 with 40KOs) recently started his journey in the world of Mixed Martial Arts, with sights on becoming the next big thing. Currently training at the world-famous Tristar Gym in Montreal, Canada, Thompson has all the necessary conditions to make his dreams come true.

MMA Convert: UFC 138 preview — ‘unloved and unwanted in the UK’ edition

Part of what makes this UFC a “throwaway” is the fact that in the grand scheme of things, none of the bouts matter. Yet what should make people tune in is the fact that Leben and Munoz will be more than ready to leave it all in the cage.

The Fight Nerd: Video of Bas Rutten on his new show ‘Punk Payback’ and self-defense

We discussed the show at length, explaining what the concept is, how much of the self-defense that Bas shows is improv or scripted (along with the craziness that he says), and what is ahead in Bas’ acting career. We also discuss the real-life implications of some of these scenarios, and what is legal to do if you need to defend yourself.

MMA Payout: S & P says Zuffa maintains ‘BB” credit rating, ‘stable’ is key

The absolute must-read review on Zuffa’s financial condition and how they are burning/cashing out money. Our friend Jose Mendoza is terrific when it comes to writing these kinds of articles.

Topics: Boxing, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 9 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Japan 2011: The more things change, the more they stay the same

By Zach Arnold | November 3, 2011

While the Fertitta family faces some nagging troubles over Xyience…

Two articles of importance for you to read today:

Most fascinating is that news about K-1 and new ownership is getting zero mainstream press traction in Japan. It’s a dead story. Most incredible.

What’s not incredible or shocking is that there will be yet another attempted New Year’s Eve event at Saitama Super Arena this year, promoted by Real Entertainment. The former employees of PRIDE will work in conjunction with Antonio Inoki as the front man, just like he was last year. The show title will be called “Genki desu ka!” which is Inoki’s trademark slogan. It’s a sweetheart deal for him. The discussion is that there will be 20 matches on the card and that IGF aces Peter Aerts & Jerome Le Banner will be on the card. There is some hope of getting the telecast on broadcast television, but nobody is sure how things will play out given that it’s already November and it’s short time for a TV network to get an ad agency working at the last-second to make the numbers work.

Shin’ya Aoki & Tatsuya Kawajiri are also rumored to be fighting on the show. I thought Aoki was supposed to fight Eddie Alvarez in the States in January? Perhaps they fight here on this card… or Aoki gets an easy opponent and sets up the fight with Eddie in the States for Q1 2012.

The most depressing takeaway from what’s currently happening in Japan is that it’s the same old players. There’s no true, new blood entering into the space. In America, we see how UFC & Bellator are positioned. There isn’t even a promotion like Bellator in Japan at this point that could be bought as a real turnkey operation. Sengoku’s dead, K-1 is persona non grata in media circles, the magazines are dying, newspaper publications are fortunate to cover other sports, and TV backing is gone which means it’s really hard to create new stars. The UFC Japan sold show in February is by no means any threat to whoever is remaining standing in Japan, but that’s not really saying much at all.

I have lots of friends in Japanese media circles who are moving into other professions or just scaling back tremendously their activities in the sport. It’s predictable and inevitable, but it still hurts.

As for Kazuyoshi Ishii still hanging around K-1, I’m 100% not surprised. Even if he’s still a front man and/or getting a cut of the action, he’s a man who would never let go of the K-1 name. It’s his whole social identity. With that said, his social identity is supposed to mean soemthing… in Japan. Running shows in Hong Kong or mainland China isn’t going to attract a lot of interest amongst the Japanese sports public at large. Plus, Ishii’s got a notorious history with contracts and legal matters. When he and agent Ken Imai were buddies a decade ago, it was Imai who handled the paperwork and Ishii who was the social hustler. As Tony laid out in his Sherdog article, we all saw what happened when Ishii got busted by the authorities.

Furthermore, the size & scope of the Japanese fight game is entirely dependent on how much illegal cash is available. Given the renewed efforts of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police to deal with the various gangs, it will be interesting to see if the fight game can still active the money marks or if the sport has lost so much value in terms of social credibility that people who would normally blow cash on it no longer see much value in doing so.

Topics: Japan, K-1, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

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