Tito Ortiz's UFC contract has officially expired (there was a 60 day no compete clause in his contract that took effect after his fight with Machida).
Tito recently claimed to have signed a "ground breaking contract" with Affliction. But he hasn't he's still in negotiations with Affliction, and with almost every other MMA promotion in existence (except for Strikeforce oddly enough). http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/pro/2008/08/18/ddn081808spinside.html
Since, Tito's still on the market, let's take a look at his options:
Affliction
Pro's:
Affliction is the biggest MMA promotion that isn't the UFC.
Tito loves the spotlight Affliction is a big organization and can provide that.
Tito is still has name recognition with casual fans in the US. He'll bring in some extra PPV buys. Affliction needs those casual fans to buy their PPV's & see Fedor.
Con's:
Affliction has already gotten weary of giving out incredibly lucrative contracts and has already asked some fighters to take a pay cut.
Who would Tito fight? Affliction doesn't have much in terms of light heavyweight talent besides Sobral. Tito is no longer a top talent, and whoever signs him will have to be very "selective" in picking his opponents. So far, Affliciton hasn't given anyone easy fights.
EliteXC
Pro's:
EliteXC is built around an ex-street fighter & an American Gladiator. Having an ex-UFC champion will help EliteXC look more like a serious MMA promotion and less like a circus side show.
Tito's possibly more interested in being a celebrity than a fighter. EliteXC is the ONLY MMA promotion that can put him on network TV live in prime time. Tito signs with EliteXC had he's a main event on network TV. He signs with Affliction or the UFC and he's a main card fight on a PPV.
EliteXC has already shown that they're willing to give favorable match ups to their big names.
Word on the internet is EliteXC is done. EliteXC's October show on CBS is supposed to be a make-or-break event. EliteXC can't setup it's most legit fight (Noons vs Diaz) because Noons won't return EliteXC's calls http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116448/. EliteXC is considering pulling a Great White Hype http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116448/ with Kimbo by having him fight one of the guys that beat him as an "amateur" even though the guy isn't a MMA fighter. If Tito signs with EliteXC and EliteXC survives, Titos' the man that saved EliteXC. If Tito signs with EliteXC and EliteXC still fold, EliteXC was dead anyway, but Tito got to fight (and win, based on how EliteXC picks opponents) on network TV.
Con's:
Money
UFC
Pro's:
Tito still has enough name recognition to function as a gatekeeper. Put him in one or two fights against favorable competition. Then, put him in against an upcoming talent that needs a big name win to get some name recognition (ex. Thiago Silva).
Con's:
Tito & Dana White dislike each other.
Doubtful that Tito would settle for that role.
Ortiz vs Machida - Tito was supposed to be a big name win to give Machida some recognition with casual fans. The recognition Machida got was being the guy who won a boring fight against Tito.
AFL/other
Pro's:
Tito can be the main event.
Having Tito will slightly raise the profile of the organization.
Con's:
Money
No spotlight/publicity for Tito.
I've been waiting for Tito to sign with EliteXC ever since his last fight with the UFC. Its the perfect fit for Tito. Unfortunately, I doubt Tito will sign with EliteXC.
EliteXC and Affliction are the only two promotions that it makes sense for Tito. So, if Tito won't sign with EliteXC, Affliction is really his only other option.
Showing posts with label affliction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label affliction. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
The WAMMA Problem
WAMMA, World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts http://gowamma.com/index.asp, is a relatively new company that formed with the noble intention of crowning undisputed champions via the highly scientific and never controversial method of a media poll, a system that works fantastically for college football.
WAMMA has put together a ranking committee composed almost entirely of MMA reporters, and every month this committee comes up with the top 10 fighters in each weight class. The fighters voted #1 in their weight classes do not automatically become WAMMA Champions. WAMMA champions are crowned when the top ranked fighter in a weight class takes on a highly ranked opponent, in a fight that WAMMA approves.
Sounds like an interesting idea, right? There's just one major problem. WAMMA is not an MMA promotion, it has put on exactly zero fights, and it never plans on putting on a single fight. Instead, WAMMA tries to "partner" with MMA promotions where by the "partner" puts together the fight card & event, but WAMMA gets to give out the belt.
Oddly enough, Zuffa, which owns the UFC and WEC, told WAMMA to fuck off when WAMMA approached Zuffa. This was a smart move for the UFC. The UFC has developed into the best known MMA promotion/brand, and the UFC can promote Jackson vs. Griffin for the UFC light heavyweight championship just fine on its own without trying to explain to people that its WAMMA's top ranked light heavyweight versus WAMMA's #3 ranked light heavyweight for the WAMMA belt.
Since Affliction was a start up that hadn't put on a single event when WAMMA approached them, Affliction decided to "partner" with WAMMA. Hey, when you're a new promotion, you need all the additional publicity you can get.
So, Affliction was able to hype Affliction:Banned's main event as the battle for WAMMA's undisputed heavyweight championship. Which helped make Affliction: Banned look like a bigger event than it was and gave the event some added publicity.
We all know what happened. Fedor, WAMMA's #1, beat Sylvia, WAMMA's #4, and won the first ever WAMMA belt. Hooray, Affliction got to give out a belt at its first event and could have Fedor in a title defense in its second event, Affliction: Day of Reckoning against either WAMMA's #3 heavyweight, Barnett, or its #4, Arlovksi.
Unfortunately, Fedor can't/won't compete in Affliction: Day of Reckoning. Instead, the main event will be Barnett vs Arlovski in what WAMMA has decided will be Heavyweight Elimination Bout. That's fine and dandy because Affliction was planning on having the winner fight Fedor at its next event, right?
Wrong, there's a difference between having a plan as to how you'll run your promotion and having someone tell you how to run it. WAMMA just said that Fedor can only defend his belt against the winner of Barnett vs Arlovski. Think of the problems.
What if the winner ends up on a medical suspension and can't fight for a few months/until after Affliction 3? Too bad, that title defense will have to wait until then. If Affliciton wants Fedor to fight someone at Affliction 3, it'll have to be a non-title fight. That's always an easy sell, "come see the champion, fight someone in a non-title fight. No, he's not moving up a weight class or anything unique. We just can't call this a title fight because the champ isn't fighting the right guy."
The Barnett vs Arlovski winner could demand a new contract/crazy (make that crazier, I forgot how much Affliction is already paying them) money to fight Fedor, and Affliction will have to fold or there cannot be a title fight. For the first time ever, the contender will be as important to the title fight as the champ. The champ used to be way more important than the challenger because the champ was the only fighter you needed for a title fight. You could always grab a new challenger if the current one wanted too much money, and it would still be a title fight. Now, the champ and challenger are equally important to the title fight. I'm sure Affliction is pleased knowing that it'll have to appease 2 fighters in order to have a title fight.
Assuming there's no medical suspension problems or contract complaints and Affliction manages to have Fedor defend his belt against the winner of Barnett vs Arlovski at Affliction 3. And assume that Fedor wins, when can Fedor defend his belt again? If Fedor's opponent has to be ranked in the top 5 for it to be a title defense, Affliction is dependent on WAMMA's rankings for title defenses. Those WAMMA rankings will probably look something like this after that fight:
Champ: Fedor
#1: Noguiera (assuming he beats Mir, if he doesn't its even worse for Affliction because both Noguiera and Mir could potentially be in the top 5)
#2: Couture (if WAMMA was going to drop him for inactivitely/being retired it would have done so by now)
#3: Werdum (he's currently #5, and who's he going to lose to between now and January since he won't be fighting either Noguiera or Mir?)
#4: Barnett vs Arlovksi winner (the winner would have just lost to Fedor and I doubt WAMMA would drop them out of the top 5 for that loss)
#5: Sylvia (he's currently #6 & will probably leapfrog with loser of Barnett vs Arlovski due to his not fighting at Affliction: Day of Reckoning)
So, Affliction's options for a title defense could easily be either Sylvia, the guy Fedor walked through at Affliction: Banned, or the guy Fedor beat in Affliction: Day of Reckoning. Does either recycled main event sound like something that'll drive PPV buys?
WAMMA is bad news to any promotion. The little bit of added hype/publicity doesn't make up for losing control of your promotion, your fighters, and your championship belts.
Also, I wonder what would happen if a WAMMA champ lost in a fight that WAMMA didn't consider a title fight. Would WAMMA drop his ranking and strip him of his belt?
WAMMA has put together a ranking committee composed almost entirely of MMA reporters, and every month this committee comes up with the top 10 fighters in each weight class. The fighters voted #1 in their weight classes do not automatically become WAMMA Champions. WAMMA champions are crowned when the top ranked fighter in a weight class takes on a highly ranked opponent, in a fight that WAMMA approves.
Sounds like an interesting idea, right? There's just one major problem. WAMMA is not an MMA promotion, it has put on exactly zero fights, and it never plans on putting on a single fight. Instead, WAMMA tries to "partner" with MMA promotions where by the "partner" puts together the fight card & event, but WAMMA gets to give out the belt.
Oddly enough, Zuffa, which owns the UFC and WEC, told WAMMA to fuck off when WAMMA approached Zuffa. This was a smart move for the UFC. The UFC has developed into the best known MMA promotion/brand, and the UFC can promote Jackson vs. Griffin for the UFC light heavyweight championship just fine on its own without trying to explain to people that its WAMMA's top ranked light heavyweight versus WAMMA's #3 ranked light heavyweight for the WAMMA belt.
Since Affliction was a start up that hadn't put on a single event when WAMMA approached them, Affliction decided to "partner" with WAMMA. Hey, when you're a new promotion, you need all the additional publicity you can get.
So, Affliction was able to hype Affliction:Banned's main event as the battle for WAMMA's undisputed heavyweight championship. Which helped make Affliction: Banned look like a bigger event than it was and gave the event some added publicity.
We all know what happened. Fedor, WAMMA's #1, beat Sylvia, WAMMA's #4, and won the first ever WAMMA belt. Hooray, Affliction got to give out a belt at its first event and could have Fedor in a title defense in its second event, Affliction: Day of Reckoning against either WAMMA's #3 heavyweight, Barnett, or its #4, Arlovksi.
Unfortunately, Fedor can't/won't compete in Affliction: Day of Reckoning. Instead, the main event will be Barnett vs Arlovski in what WAMMA has decided will be Heavyweight Elimination Bout. That's fine and dandy because Affliction was planning on having the winner fight Fedor at its next event, right?
Wrong, there's a difference between having a plan as to how you'll run your promotion and having someone tell you how to run it. WAMMA just said that Fedor can only defend his belt against the winner of Barnett vs Arlovski. Think of the problems.
What if the winner ends up on a medical suspension and can't fight for a few months/until after Affliction 3? Too bad, that title defense will have to wait until then. If Affliciton wants Fedor to fight someone at Affliction 3, it'll have to be a non-title fight. That's always an easy sell, "come see the champion, fight someone in a non-title fight. No, he's not moving up a weight class or anything unique. We just can't call this a title fight because the champ isn't fighting the right guy."
The Barnett vs Arlovski winner could demand a new contract/crazy (make that crazier, I forgot how much Affliction is already paying them) money to fight Fedor, and Affliction will have to fold or there cannot be a title fight. For the first time ever, the contender will be as important to the title fight as the champ. The champ used to be way more important than the challenger because the champ was the only fighter you needed for a title fight. You could always grab a new challenger if the current one wanted too much money, and it would still be a title fight. Now, the champ and challenger are equally important to the title fight. I'm sure Affliction is pleased knowing that it'll have to appease 2 fighters in order to have a title fight.
Assuming there's no medical suspension problems or contract complaints and Affliction manages to have Fedor defend his belt against the winner of Barnett vs Arlovski at Affliction 3. And assume that Fedor wins, when can Fedor defend his belt again? If Fedor's opponent has to be ranked in the top 5 for it to be a title defense, Affliction is dependent on WAMMA's rankings for title defenses. Those WAMMA rankings will probably look something like this after that fight:
Champ: Fedor
#1: Noguiera (assuming he beats Mir, if he doesn't its even worse for Affliction because both Noguiera and Mir could potentially be in the top 5)
#2: Couture (if WAMMA was going to drop him for inactivitely/being retired it would have done so by now)
#3: Werdum (he's currently #5, and who's he going to lose to between now and January since he won't be fighting either Noguiera or Mir?)
#4: Barnett vs Arlovksi winner (the winner would have just lost to Fedor and I doubt WAMMA would drop them out of the top 5 for that loss)
#5: Sylvia (he's currently #6 & will probably leapfrog with loser of Barnett vs Arlovski due to his not fighting at Affliction: Day of Reckoning)
So, Affliction's options for a title defense could easily be either Sylvia, the guy Fedor walked through at Affliction: Banned, or the guy Fedor beat in Affliction: Day of Reckoning. Does either recycled main event sound like something that'll drive PPV buys?
WAMMA is bad news to any promotion. The little bit of added hype/publicity doesn't make up for losing control of your promotion, your fighters, and your championship belts.
Also, I wonder what would happen if a WAMMA champ lost in a fight that WAMMA didn't consider a title fight. Would WAMMA drop his ranking and strip him of his belt?
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
He made how much?
The payouts for Affliction: Banned and UFC: Silva vs Irvin have been released. You can see the full payouts on http://www.mmapayout.com/
Highlights/Thoughts:
Affliction: Banned
$3.3M of total payouts? Damn, you better start selling out arenas.
A lot of people are complaining about Sylvia being overpaid at $800k. I mostly disagree. Sylvia would be overpaid if he was making $800k for a normal fight, but this wasn't a normal fight. Affliction was using this fight to establish its MMA brand and to build up its center piece, Fedor. Think of it this way, Affliction didn't pay $800k for Sylvia, Affliction paid $800k to get Fedor a big name opponent with a credible resume (2 time UFC champ) who's a top 5 or 10 heavyweight (no Sylvia isn't particularly skilled, but his size, and lack of heavyweights, do enough to earn him the ranking). If Affliction ever pays Sylvia this much again, its crazy, but it made sense for this fight.
Fedor's number is a joke because it doesn't include any PPV share or other revenue. Its not a complete number.
$500k base for Arlovski is overpaying. Unless, you signed him to be Fedor's next opponent (assuming Couture can't get out of his UFC contract). If Affliction's paying, Arlovski this much to wrap up another big name, big resume, big talent opponent for Fedor, this makes complete sense.
Barnett's close to being overpaid at $300k base because I doubt he's a big draw. But, this makes sense if he was Affliction's backup plan in case Arlovski lost. Affliction secured a big talent another big talent opponent for Fedor.
Rothwell's $250k is a bit of a head scratcher. It may have taken this much to get him to fight Arlovski. But, even if he won, he's at least 3 fights away from being a bookable opponent for Fedor, and that's a big salary to carry for that many shows.
I got nothing to justify Lindland's $225k base. I like him, but this is crazy money.
Affliction paid huge money for the top guys, but it doesn't look like it gave anyone else a raise. The lowest guys that fought are making $5k, and most of the other salaries seem in line with the rest of the industry.
UFC: Silva vs Irvin
$723k of total payouts. Do you see a difference between the UFC & Affliction?
After looking at those Affliction payouts, Silva seems completely underpaid at $200k. Even without looking at Affliction's numbers, I'd argue that Silva's underpaid. He's a guy you can build/center your promotion around. He can fight at multiple weight classes (185, 205, and possibly 170, based on rumors). He's the best fighter out there, and I have to believe that this UFC run is making him into a size able name.
Vera's practically stealing money at $200k. I know he's supposed to be the future & started out entertaining. But, I think one or two more performances like the last 2 and he'll be out of the UFC.
Aside from Silva & Vera, no one made too much.
I'd say Velasquez is definitely due to for a raise. He looks very promising, and the UFC needs to lock up heavyweights before Affliction signs them all.
Highlights/Thoughts:
Affliction: Banned
$3.3M of total payouts? Damn, you better start selling out arenas.
A lot of people are complaining about Sylvia being overpaid at $800k. I mostly disagree. Sylvia would be overpaid if he was making $800k for a normal fight, but this wasn't a normal fight. Affliction was using this fight to establish its MMA brand and to build up its center piece, Fedor. Think of it this way, Affliction didn't pay $800k for Sylvia, Affliction paid $800k to get Fedor a big name opponent with a credible resume (2 time UFC champ) who's a top 5 or 10 heavyweight (no Sylvia isn't particularly skilled, but his size, and lack of heavyweights, do enough to earn him the ranking). If Affliction ever pays Sylvia this much again, its crazy, but it made sense for this fight.
Fedor's number is a joke because it doesn't include any PPV share or other revenue. Its not a complete number.
$500k base for Arlovski is overpaying. Unless, you signed him to be Fedor's next opponent (assuming Couture can't get out of his UFC contract). If Affliction's paying, Arlovski this much to wrap up another big name, big resume, big talent opponent for Fedor, this makes complete sense.
Barnett's close to being overpaid at $300k base because I doubt he's a big draw. But, this makes sense if he was Affliction's backup plan in case Arlovski lost. Affliction secured a big talent another big talent opponent for Fedor.
Rothwell's $250k is a bit of a head scratcher. It may have taken this much to get him to fight Arlovski. But, even if he won, he's at least 3 fights away from being a bookable opponent for Fedor, and that's a big salary to carry for that many shows.
I got nothing to justify Lindland's $225k base. I like him, but this is crazy money.
Affliction paid huge money for the top guys, but it doesn't look like it gave anyone else a raise. The lowest guys that fought are making $5k, and most of the other salaries seem in line with the rest of the industry.
UFC: Silva vs Irvin
$723k of total payouts. Do you see a difference between the UFC & Affliction?
After looking at those Affliction payouts, Silva seems completely underpaid at $200k. Even without looking at Affliction's numbers, I'd argue that Silva's underpaid. He's a guy you can build/center your promotion around. He can fight at multiple weight classes (185, 205, and possibly 170, based on rumors). He's the best fighter out there, and I have to believe that this UFC run is making him into a size able name.
Vera's practically stealing money at $200k. I know he's supposed to be the future & started out entertaining. But, I think one or two more performances like the last 2 and he'll be out of the UFC.
Aside from Silva & Vera, no one made too much.
I'd say Velasquez is definitely due to for a raise. He looks very promising, and the UFC needs to lock up heavyweights before Affliction signs them all.
Monday, July 21, 2008
That was a lot of Free MMA
Thoughts on Saturday's free MMA (in order that the fights aired):
Buentello def Goodridge via unanimous decision: At least it was free. Goodridge has the excuse of taking the fight on 1 day's notice. Buentello, what's your excuse? No, I don't buy changing opponents at the last second as an excuse for a performance like that.
Belfort def Martin via TKO: You think Martin would have gotten better at avoiding flying knees after his fight against Irvin. Belfort put together an effective Machida-esque backing away & countering first round. Martin showed that he doesn't know how to cut off the ring & can only chase.
Dollaway def Taylor via Peruvian necktie: Dollaway lived up to his ASU/Hot Chicks with Douchebags lineage with an insanely illegal "how-the-hell-wasn't-that-a-1-point-deduction" knee to Taylor when Taylor was practically laying on the ground. Dollaway then submitted a still stunned looking Taylor later in the first.
Burns def Johnson via TKO: Burns gave a shining example of a Pyrrhic victory in a fight that probably won't set Johnson back, but might end Burns's career.
Why Johnson will be fine: Mazzagatti was the only one that mistook the eye-poke for a knock-down, and Johnson was winning the fight at the time. UFC management will probably consider it a win in future matchmaking and not set him back. He probably won himself a bunch of new fans because 1) fans like guys then think got screwed 2) he handled himself really well after the fight (eg. criticising the crowd for booing Burns).
Why Burns could be in trouble: Its one thing unintentionally poke someone in the eye during a fight. Its bound to happen when using MMA gloves. Its another thing to do it 4 times during a fight. It doesn't look good, but as long as you don't make a habit of it, people won't hold it against you or claim that you're a dirty fighter. Its yet another thing to admit after the fight that you have to throw your left hand as an open-palm strike (with your fingers near your opponents eyes) because you've broken that hand so many times. You've now admitted that you'll probably land one or two eye pokes a fight. Congratulations, you're now a major eye injury waiting to happen.
Velasquez def O'Brien via TKO: That was dominant. I'd say Velasquez has solidified his standing as a legit heavyweight.
Edgar def Franca via unanimous decision: Edgar reminded everyone that he's one of the UFC's elite, up-tempo lightweights that can't finish. Just like Guida & Griffin, he's fun to watch, but he just can't finish. Meanwhile, Franca learned that the lightweight division has changed a lot since he took on Sherk for the title.
Vera def Any via unanimous decision: I won't be using the word entertaining or any of its synonyms to describe Vera for a very long time. I think Vera and his bloated salary have earned a trip to the undercard after his last 3 fights. Its not a completely impossible idea, the UFC has sent big salaries down to the undercard before (ex. Gonzaga & Sokoudjou). Al tough, it was nice of Goldburg & Rogan to spend the second half of the fight making excuses for Vera.
Silva def Irvin via TKO: Damn! I expected Silva to win, but I didn't think he'd steamroll Irvin that badly. Damn! It was almost enough to get me to start pulling for Evans to beat Liddell just so there'd be a chance of Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin, Champion vs Champion (what better way to show that you have the best fighter in the world than by giving him a chance at 2 belts).
Markham def Farber via KO: Farber showed some very nice stand-up & dominated the first 95 seconds. Then, he dropped his hands too much, and Markham dropped him with a high-kick that you'll be seeing on highlight reels for years to come.
Buentello def Goodridge via unanimous decision: At least it was free. Goodridge has the excuse of taking the fight on 1 day's notice. Buentello, what's your excuse? No, I don't buy changing opponents at the last second as an excuse for a performance like that.
Belfort def Martin via TKO: You think Martin would have gotten better at avoiding flying knees after his fight against Irvin. Belfort put together an effective Machida-esque backing away & countering first round. Martin showed that he doesn't know how to cut off the ring & can only chase.
Dollaway def Taylor via Peruvian necktie: Dollaway lived up to his ASU/Hot Chicks with Douchebags lineage with an insanely illegal "how-the-hell-wasn't-that-a-1-point-deduction" knee to Taylor when Taylor was practically laying on the ground. Dollaway then submitted a still stunned looking Taylor later in the first.
Burns def Johnson via TKO: Burns gave a shining example of a Pyrrhic victory in a fight that probably won't set Johnson back, but might end Burns's career.
Why Johnson will be fine: Mazzagatti was the only one that mistook the eye-poke for a knock-down, and Johnson was winning the fight at the time. UFC management will probably consider it a win in future matchmaking and not set him back. He probably won himself a bunch of new fans because 1) fans like guys then think got screwed 2) he handled himself really well after the fight (eg. criticising the crowd for booing Burns).
Why Burns could be in trouble: Its one thing unintentionally poke someone in the eye during a fight. Its bound to happen when using MMA gloves. Its another thing to do it 4 times during a fight. It doesn't look good, but as long as you don't make a habit of it, people won't hold it against you or claim that you're a dirty fighter. Its yet another thing to admit after the fight that you have to throw your left hand as an open-palm strike (with your fingers near your opponents eyes) because you've broken that hand so many times. You've now admitted that you'll probably land one or two eye pokes a fight. Congratulations, you're now a major eye injury waiting to happen.
Velasquez def O'Brien via TKO: That was dominant. I'd say Velasquez has solidified his standing as a legit heavyweight.
Edgar def Franca via unanimous decision: Edgar reminded everyone that he's one of the UFC's elite, up-tempo lightweights that can't finish. Just like Guida & Griffin, he's fun to watch, but he just can't finish. Meanwhile, Franca learned that the lightweight division has changed a lot since he took on Sherk for the title.
Vera def Any via unanimous decision: I won't be using the word entertaining or any of its synonyms to describe Vera for a very long time. I think Vera and his bloated salary have earned a trip to the undercard after his last 3 fights. Its not a completely impossible idea, the UFC has sent big salaries down to the undercard before (ex. Gonzaga & Sokoudjou). Al tough, it was nice of Goldburg & Rogan to spend the second half of the fight making excuses for Vera.
Silva def Irvin via TKO: Damn! I expected Silva to win, but I didn't think he'd steamroll Irvin that badly. Damn! It was almost enough to get me to start pulling for Evans to beat Liddell just so there'd be a chance of Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin, Champion vs Champion (what better way to show that you have the best fighter in the world than by giving him a chance at 2 belts).
Markham def Farber via KO: Farber showed some very nice stand-up & dominated the first 95 seconds. Then, he dropped his hands too much, and Markham dropped him with a high-kick that you'll be seeing on highlight reels for years to come.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Even more free MMA in July
My apologies to Affliction. When I listed July's free MMA, I neglected to mention that 3 of Affliction: Banned's preliminary card matches will be broadcast on FSN (8 pm et/ 5 pm pt).
Aleksander Emelianenko vs Paul Buentello and Anotion Rogerio Nogeuira vs Edwin Dewees will definitely be shown along with one other undercard fight. 2 confirmed fights feature guys best known for being the other Emelianenko or other Nogeuira taking on journeymen fighters, and the other preliminary card fights are less compelling. But, I'll watch them for free.
July really could be greatest month of free MMA ever. That's why all MMA fans should be pulling for Affliction: Banned to be, at least, a relative success. Its almost guaranteed that Affliction will lose money on the show due to the payroll of their card and the difficulty of starting a new promotion, but it can still succeed if it gets enough PPV buys. If it succeeds, we'll see more Affliction shows in the future (Fedor vs someone that isn't painful to watch, please) which will create more competition in the MMA world. Which should lead to more free MMA or at least keep companies from raising their PPV price, and maybe lower them (I'm looking at you UFC charging $55 for a PPV vs Afflicition's $40).
Aleksander Emelianenko vs Paul Buentello and Anotion Rogerio Nogeuira vs Edwin Dewees will definitely be shown along with one other undercard fight. 2 confirmed fights feature guys best known for being the other Emelianenko or other Nogeuira taking on journeymen fighters, and the other preliminary card fights are less compelling. But, I'll watch them for free.
July really could be greatest month of free MMA ever. That's why all MMA fans should be pulling for Affliction: Banned to be, at least, a relative success. Its almost guaranteed that Affliction will lose money on the show due to the payroll of their card and the difficulty of starting a new promotion, but it can still succeed if it gets enough PPV buys. If it succeeds, we'll see more Affliction shows in the future (Fedor vs someone that isn't painful to watch, please) which will create more competition in the MMA world. Which should lead to more free MMA or at least keep companies from raising their PPV price, and maybe lower them (I'm looking at you UFC charging $55 for a PPV vs Afflicition's $40).
Thursday, July 10, 2008
July Free MMA
July is a fantastic month for budget mma fans.
The main card for UFC Silva vs Irvin has been finalized. It'll feature 6 fights (including the main event). Its the 2nd best free MMA card ever (UFC 75: Champion vs Champion is the best free MMA card ever. Main Event: Jackson vs Henderson & main card fights included: Alexander vs Sakara and Congo vs Cro Crop).
Here's the UFC Silva vs Irvin main card:
Silva vs Irvin - Anderson Silva's fights are always worth watching. And, James Irvin's pretty good too.
Vera vs Andy - Vera finally fights at light heavyweight.
Franca vs Edgar - 2 top tier lightweights
Velasquez vs O'Brien - A highly touted heavyweight making his UFC main card debut (unfortunatly, O'Brien's an "I won't pay to watch" fighter, but its a free event).
Johnson vs Burns
Taylor vs Dollaway
Thank you Affliction for deciding to put on Affliction: Banned, and thank you UFC for trying to kill Affliction: Banned by putting on a free event.
The week after that, we get EliteXC: Unfinished Business on CBS which will feature a solid 4 fight main card.
Lawler vs Smith - Does this count as a rematch since the first fight ended in a "No contest"?
Shields vs Tompson
Denny vs Diaz
Baszler vs Cyborg
I'll buy that card for $0.
Additionally, the UFC folks are "nice" enough to provide counter programing once again (http://www.cagepotato.com/page/2/). The UFC's counter-programing isn't nearly as good this time around, but its still solid. The UFC will rebroadcast UFC Silva vs Irvin & UFC 84 on Spike that night. If you didn't buy UFC 84, its definitely worth DVR'ing (as long as your DVR allows you to record 2 shows at once so you don't miss the live event.
We get all of this for free in addition to the regular free MMA, IFL & Strikeforce's weekly shows.
Here's to Affliction, EliteXC, UFC, IFL, and Strikeforce for making July arguably the greatest month of free MMA ever.
The main card for UFC Silva vs Irvin has been finalized. It'll feature 6 fights (including the main event). Its the 2nd best free MMA card ever (UFC 75: Champion vs Champion is the best free MMA card ever. Main Event: Jackson vs Henderson & main card fights included: Alexander vs Sakara and Congo vs Cro Crop).
Here's the UFC Silva vs Irvin main card:
Silva vs Irvin - Anderson Silva's fights are always worth watching. And, James Irvin's pretty good too.
Vera vs Andy - Vera finally fights at light heavyweight.
Franca vs Edgar - 2 top tier lightweights
Velasquez vs O'Brien - A highly touted heavyweight making his UFC main card debut (unfortunatly, O'Brien's an "I won't pay to watch" fighter, but its a free event).
Johnson vs Burns
Taylor vs Dollaway
Thank you Affliction for deciding to put on Affliction: Banned, and thank you UFC for trying to kill Affliction: Banned by putting on a free event.
The week after that, we get EliteXC: Unfinished Business on CBS which will feature a solid 4 fight main card.
Lawler vs Smith - Does this count as a rematch since the first fight ended in a "No contest"?
Shields vs Tompson
Denny vs Diaz
Baszler vs Cyborg
I'll buy that card for $0.
Additionally, the UFC folks are "nice" enough to provide counter programing once again (http://www.cagepotato.com/page/2/). The UFC's counter-programing isn't nearly as good this time around, but its still solid. The UFC will rebroadcast UFC Silva vs Irvin & UFC 84 on Spike that night. If you didn't buy UFC 84, its definitely worth DVR'ing (as long as your DVR allows you to record 2 shows at once so you don't miss the live event.
We get all of this for free in addition to the regular free MMA, IFL & Strikeforce's weekly shows.
Here's to Affliction, EliteXC, UFC, IFL, and Strikeforce for making July arguably the greatest month of free MMA ever.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
July Dream Card
What's your dream card based on the guys fighting this week?
Take the fighters competing this month in any of the 4 size able MMA events this month (UFC 86, Affliction: Banned, UFC Silva vs Irvin (aka Fuck Affliction), & Elite XC Unfinished Business), and put together a 5 fight card (1 main event and 4 main card fights). You have to keep the fighters at whatever weight they're fighting at this month.
My card:
Main Event: Quinton Jackson vs Anderson Silva
I was tempted to keep Jackson vs Griffin, but I can't pass on the chance to see Silva fight. For my money, Silva's the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now. Also, he's the one and only guy who's PPV's I'll definitely buy. It doesn't matter what the rest of the card is, I'm buying the event if Silva's in it (yes, this is hyperbole because I'm sure the UFC could come up with an event, I'd pass on, but you get the point).
Anyway, best light heavyweight in the world vs best pound-for-pound, oh yeah.
Main Card:
Fedor Emelianenko vs Josh Barnett
I want to see Emelianenko, and Barnett's the 2nd best heavyweight fighting this month (Emelianenko being the best).
Renato Sobral vs Forest Griffin
Is Griffin really as good as his last fight suggests? Also, both guys typical have very entertaining fights.
Brandon Vera vs Ben Rothwell
2 upcoming heavyweights. Both are highly regarded & a win in this one would be huge for their careers. And we get to find out how Rothwell does against better competition & whether or not Vera can get by in the heavyweight division or if he really needs to drop to light heavyweight.
Correction: Vera is finally dropping down to lightweight for his fight this month. While that's probably a good career move, it disqualifies him from fighting Rothwell. I'll change this one to Gabriel Gonzaga vs Ben Rothwell
Joe Stevenson vs Hermes Franca
2 very good lightweights coming off losses in title fights. Did Franca benefit from being a lightweight when the division wasn't very deep & had just been reformed?
Fights that just didn't make it:
Rothwell vs Gonzaga
Any combination of Stevenson, Griffin, Aurelio, Franca, & Edgar
Lytle vs Johnson
Take the fighters competing this month in any of the 4 size able MMA events this month (UFC 86, Affliction: Banned, UFC Silva vs Irvin (aka Fuck Affliction), & Elite XC Unfinished Business), and put together a 5 fight card (1 main event and 4 main card fights). You have to keep the fighters at whatever weight they're fighting at this month.
My card:
Main Event: Quinton Jackson vs Anderson Silva
I was tempted to keep Jackson vs Griffin, but I can't pass on the chance to see Silva fight. For my money, Silva's the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now. Also, he's the one and only guy who's PPV's I'll definitely buy. It doesn't matter what the rest of the card is, I'm buying the event if Silva's in it (yes, this is hyperbole because I'm sure the UFC could come up with an event, I'd pass on, but you get the point).
Anyway, best light heavyweight in the world vs best pound-for-pound, oh yeah.
Main Card:
Fedor Emelianenko vs Josh Barnett
I want to see Emelianenko, and Barnett's the 2nd best heavyweight fighting this month (Emelianenko being the best).
Renato Sobral vs Forest Griffin
Is Griffin really as good as his last fight suggests? Also, both guys typical have very entertaining fights.
Brandon Vera vs Ben Rothwell
2 upcoming heavyweights. Both are highly regarded & a win in this one would be huge for their careers. And we get to find out how Rothwell does against better competition & whether or not Vera can get by in the heavyweight division or if he really needs to drop to light heavyweight.
Correction: Vera is finally dropping down to lightweight for his fight this month. While that's probably a good career move, it disqualifies him from fighting Rothwell. I'll change this one to Gabriel Gonzaga vs Ben Rothwell
Joe Stevenson vs Hermes Franca
2 very good lightweights coming off losses in title fights. Did Franca benefit from being a lightweight when the division wasn't very deep & had just been reformed?
Fights that just didn't make it:
Rothwell vs Gonzaga
Any combination of Stevenson, Griffin, Aurelio, Franca, & Edgar
Lytle vs Johnson
Monday, June 30, 2008
July PPV Battle Main Card: UFC 86 vs Affliction: Banned
The 2 big questions remaining in the in the UFC 86 vs. Affliction: Banned PPV battle are whether or not Affliction: Banned has a better main card than UFC 86 and, if so, whether that makes up for UFC 86 having a better main event.
When looking at the 2 cards, 1 thing immediately stands out in Affliction's favor. Affliction: Banned has 5 main card, non-main event fights vs UFC 86's 4.
The fights:
Cote vs Almeida or Barnett vs Rizzo
Cote vs Almeida - Cote has managed to shed his "big talent, but can't win in the UFC" label by winning his last 3 UFC fights, all of which were against quality competition. Cote has looked better with each fight, and the last 2 have shown off the heavy hands he was always hyped as having.
The only thing I know about Almeida is that he returned to MMA after a 4 year lay-off and managed to score an impressive first round submission.
I'm really interested in this fight. Its a big fight for both guys. If either guy scores a big, decisive (ie. non-decision) win, he might leap-frog Yushin Okami for a title shot.
Barnett vs Rizzo - Barnett is a rarity, a heavyweight with a ground game. He's one of the top heavyweights in the world (#4 if you believe WAMMA's rankings http://www.gowamma.com/rankings.asp).
Rizzo is your more typical big striker heavyweight. He used to be one of the top heavies in the world, but, at 34, he's starting to move past his prime.
I can't get that excited about this fight. Partially because I'm not a big fan of the heavyweight division (slow & one-dimensional).
Edge: UFC 86
Stevenson vs Tibau or Arlovski vs Rothwell
Stevenson vs Tibau - Stevenson is probably near the top of the lightweight ladder in the UFC. He faired as poorly against BJ Penn as most lightweights which ended his fairly impressive 4 win streak.
Tibau is also coming off a loss that snapped a win streak. Only his loss was to Tyson Griffin, and his win streak was only 3 wins.
I'm not that interested in either fighter. However, this fight should remind people how entertaining the ground game can be.
Arlovski vs Rothwell - Rothwell completely dominated the IFL's heavyweight division, and I'm really interested in seeing him take on higher level competition. Unfortunately, he's fighting Arlovski.
Going into Sylvia vs Arlovski 2, Arlovski had walked through he last 6 opponents and looked poised to dominate the heavyweight division for years. Then, he drops Sylvia with a big overhand right & moves in to finish Sylvia off, only his hands are a bit too low & Sylvia rebounds and finishes Arlovski with strikes. Since that fight, Arlovski has moved onto my "I won't pay to watch list" with uninspiring decisions against Sylvia & Werdum where he's looked extremely hesitant. Granted he's also stopped Cruz and O'Brien, but neither of them are top tier fighters.
WAMMA considers this to be a battle between the #6 & #9 heavyweights in the world, and I'm interested in how Rothwell will fair against top tier competition and whether or not Arlovski can regain his championship form. But, I can't bring myself to get excited about this fight. I can't shake the feeling that its going to be a lot of circling & jabbing.
Edge: UFC 86
Koscheck vs Lytle or Lindland vs Nascmento
Koscheck vs Lytle - Koscheck is the inaugural member of my "I won't pay to watch" list. He's getting better & moving away from his lay & pray roots, but he's still on the list.
Lytle's been fighting with a sense of urgency lately. He's 33 which means if he wants to make a title run, he needs to do that now. He seems to not only understand this, but to also realize that the fastest way to move up the ladder is to finish fights.
Lytle very entertaining fighter, Koscheck an "I won't pay to watch" fighter.
Lindland vs Nascimento - What can you say about Lindland? He's been fighting for over 10 years. He's a middleweight, but he'll fight anyone, anywhere. Hell, his last fight was against Fedor Emelianenko. He's a main card (& occasional main event) fighter that constantly bounces from promotion to promotion.
I've got nothing on Nascimento. I couldn't even find the guy on Wikipedia.
Edge: Affliction: Banned. That's how serious I am about the "I won't pay to watch" list. I'll take a fight with someone I know absolutely nothing about over a fight with someone on the list.
Griffin vs Aurelio or Nogueira vs White
Griffin vs Aurelio - This fight should exemplify my love/hate relationship with the lightweight division. It should be a very exciting, fast paced fight which will end in a decision.
Nogueira vs White - A very good light heavyweight who had a fantastic run in Pride vs a journeyman with a losing record. Why is a fight this lopsided on paper a part of Affliction's first PPV? My guess, Nogueira's there to provide star power & White's there because people know who he is and Nogueira needs an opponent.
Edge: UFC
Praying for undercard matches or Sobral vs Whitehead
Sobral vs Whitehead - This could be my favorite fight on the Affliction: Banned main card. Whitehead dominated the IFL and it'll be interested to watch he take on higher level competition. Sobral is a very good light heavy and proves that even guys weighing over 200 lbs can have a great/entertaining ground game.
Edge: Affliction: Banned
When looking at the 2 cards, 1 thing immediately stands out in Affliction's favor. Affliction: Banned has 5 main card, non-main event fights vs UFC 86's 4.
The fights:
Cote vs Almeida or Barnett vs Rizzo
Cote vs Almeida - Cote has managed to shed his "big talent, but can't win in the UFC" label by winning his last 3 UFC fights, all of which were against quality competition. Cote has looked better with each fight, and the last 2 have shown off the heavy hands he was always hyped as having.
The only thing I know about Almeida is that he returned to MMA after a 4 year lay-off and managed to score an impressive first round submission.
I'm really interested in this fight. Its a big fight for both guys. If either guy scores a big, decisive (ie. non-decision) win, he might leap-frog Yushin Okami for a title shot.
Barnett vs Rizzo - Barnett is a rarity, a heavyweight with a ground game. He's one of the top heavyweights in the world (#4 if you believe WAMMA's rankings http://www.gowamma.com/rankings.asp).
Rizzo is your more typical big striker heavyweight. He used to be one of the top heavies in the world, but, at 34, he's starting to move past his prime.
I can't get that excited about this fight. Partially because I'm not a big fan of the heavyweight division (slow & one-dimensional).
Edge: UFC 86
Stevenson vs Tibau or Arlovski vs Rothwell
Stevenson vs Tibau - Stevenson is probably near the top of the lightweight ladder in the UFC. He faired as poorly against BJ Penn as most lightweights which ended his fairly impressive 4 win streak.
Tibau is also coming off a loss that snapped a win streak. Only his loss was to Tyson Griffin, and his win streak was only 3 wins.
I'm not that interested in either fighter. However, this fight should remind people how entertaining the ground game can be.
Arlovski vs Rothwell - Rothwell completely dominated the IFL's heavyweight division, and I'm really interested in seeing him take on higher level competition. Unfortunately, he's fighting Arlovski.
Going into Sylvia vs Arlovski 2, Arlovski had walked through he last 6 opponents and looked poised to dominate the heavyweight division for years. Then, he drops Sylvia with a big overhand right & moves in to finish Sylvia off, only his hands are a bit too low & Sylvia rebounds and finishes Arlovski with strikes. Since that fight, Arlovski has moved onto my "I won't pay to watch list" with uninspiring decisions against Sylvia & Werdum where he's looked extremely hesitant. Granted he's also stopped Cruz and O'Brien, but neither of them are top tier fighters.
WAMMA considers this to be a battle between the #6 & #9 heavyweights in the world, and I'm interested in how Rothwell will fair against top tier competition and whether or not Arlovski can regain his championship form. But, I can't bring myself to get excited about this fight. I can't shake the feeling that its going to be a lot of circling & jabbing.
Edge: UFC 86
Koscheck vs Lytle or Lindland vs Nascmento
Koscheck vs Lytle - Koscheck is the inaugural member of my "I won't pay to watch" list. He's getting better & moving away from his lay & pray roots, but he's still on the list.
Lytle's been fighting with a sense of urgency lately. He's 33 which means if he wants to make a title run, he needs to do that now. He seems to not only understand this, but to also realize that the fastest way to move up the ladder is to finish fights.
Lytle very entertaining fighter, Koscheck an "I won't pay to watch" fighter.
Lindland vs Nascimento - What can you say about Lindland? He's been fighting for over 10 years. He's a middleweight, but he'll fight anyone, anywhere. Hell, his last fight was against Fedor Emelianenko. He's a main card (& occasional main event) fighter that constantly bounces from promotion to promotion.
I've got nothing on Nascimento. I couldn't even find the guy on Wikipedia.
Edge: Affliction: Banned. That's how serious I am about the "I won't pay to watch" list. I'll take a fight with someone I know absolutely nothing about over a fight with someone on the list.
Griffin vs Aurelio or Nogueira vs White
Griffin vs Aurelio - This fight should exemplify my love/hate relationship with the lightweight division. It should be a very exciting, fast paced fight which will end in a decision.
Nogueira vs White - A very good light heavyweight who had a fantastic run in Pride vs a journeyman with a losing record. Why is a fight this lopsided on paper a part of Affliction's first PPV? My guess, Nogueira's there to provide star power & White's there because people know who he is and Nogueira needs an opponent.
Edge: UFC
Praying for undercard matches or Sobral vs Whitehead
Sobral vs Whitehead - This could be my favorite fight on the Affliction: Banned main card. Whitehead dominated the IFL and it'll be interested to watch he take on higher level competition. Sobral is a very good light heavy and proves that even guys weighing over 200 lbs can have a great/entertaining ground game.
Edge: Affliction: Banned
Thursday, June 26, 2008
July PPV Battle: UFC 86 vs Affliction: Banned
July features 2 big pay-per-view events, UFC 86 Jackson vs. Griffin and Affliction: Banned. Which PPV should the MMA fan with a budget buy?
Main Event: Jackson vs. Griffin or Emelianenko vs. Sylvia
Jackson vs. Griffin is guaranteed to have better post fight interviews, but what about the fight itself?
Quinton Jackson is a very talented and very entertaining fighter. His fights are typically exciting whether he's standing & throwing (see either Liddell fight, but preferably the first one in Pride) or picking guys up slamming them & working his ground & pound (see the insane highlight of him powerbombing Ricardo Arona). Yeah, its been 10 months since his last fight, and that would worry me, if I was betting on him (which I still might do, depending on the line). But, he's had long lay-offs before fights before & been ok.
Forrest Griffin is a very entertaining fighter. With the possible exception of the second fight against Stephen Bonnar, his fights are fast-paced & entertaining. He's not unskilled. I didn't refer to him as very talented because I'm still trying to get a grasp as to how good he is. I thought I had his skill level pegged, good enough to be a mid-card fighter in a top tier promotion/good enough to be a champion with a smaller promotion, but then he beat Mauricio Rua. Now, I think he might be good enough to be a champion in a top-tier promotion.
Fedor Emelianenko is the fighter I'm the most interested in watching. Lot's of serious MMA fans swear he's the greatest fighter ever, and he has a fantastic record. I've only seen his fights that made it onto Foxsport's Pride FC Fedor Emelianenko Special (the episode of the now defunct show on Foxsports showing highlights from Pride that was dedicated to Fedor). Truthfully, I was unimpressed with Fedor. Maybe, I was expecting too much because I'd heard so much Fedor hype. Fedor looked very good, but not greatest ever good. So, I really want to watch him fight. Unfortunately...
Tim Sylvia currently resides at the top of my "I won't pay to watch" list. Sylvia's record indicates that he used to be an interesting fighter to watch. But, after the 2nd Andrei Arlovski fight (or possibly after the Tra Telligman fight) he switched to an "effective"/cautious style. He uses his reach/size to outpoint his opponents either by keeping them at a distance with his jab or wearing on them against the cage. Of his last 5 fights, 4 have gone to decision. And, only one of those decisions didn't draw lots of boo's/criticism for its slow pace (the loss to Couture). Hell, during the Vera fight, Joe Rogan because completely biased, screaming for Vera to circle to his right. Tim's new philosophy on fighting can be summed by his post fight interview after his uninspiring 5 round unanimous decision over Jeff Monson. He was asked about people booing him/booing during the fight and his reply was, and I'm paraphrasing, "it doesn't matter, I won."
Despite my interest in watching Fedor fight, UFC 86 definitely holds an edge in the main event.
That's it for this week. Next week, I'll break down the rest of the pay-per-view main event cards & decide on the winning PPV.
Main Event: Jackson vs. Griffin or Emelianenko vs. Sylvia
Jackson vs. Griffin is guaranteed to have better post fight interviews, but what about the fight itself?
Quinton Jackson is a very talented and very entertaining fighter. His fights are typically exciting whether he's standing & throwing (see either Liddell fight, but preferably the first one in Pride) or picking guys up slamming them & working his ground & pound (see the insane highlight of him powerbombing Ricardo Arona). Yeah, its been 10 months since his last fight, and that would worry me, if I was betting on him (which I still might do, depending on the line). But, he's had long lay-offs before fights before & been ok.
Forrest Griffin is a very entertaining fighter. With the possible exception of the second fight against Stephen Bonnar, his fights are fast-paced & entertaining. He's not unskilled. I didn't refer to him as very talented because I'm still trying to get a grasp as to how good he is. I thought I had his skill level pegged, good enough to be a mid-card fighter in a top tier promotion/good enough to be a champion with a smaller promotion, but then he beat Mauricio Rua. Now, I think he might be good enough to be a champion in a top-tier promotion.
Fedor Emelianenko is the fighter I'm the most interested in watching. Lot's of serious MMA fans swear he's the greatest fighter ever, and he has a fantastic record. I've only seen his fights that made it onto Foxsport's Pride FC Fedor Emelianenko Special (the episode of the now defunct show on Foxsports showing highlights from Pride that was dedicated to Fedor). Truthfully, I was unimpressed with Fedor. Maybe, I was expecting too much because I'd heard so much Fedor hype. Fedor looked very good, but not greatest ever good. So, I really want to watch him fight. Unfortunately...
Tim Sylvia currently resides at the top of my "I won't pay to watch" list. Sylvia's record indicates that he used to be an interesting fighter to watch. But, after the 2nd Andrei Arlovski fight (or possibly after the Tra Telligman fight) he switched to an "effective"/cautious style. He uses his reach/size to outpoint his opponents either by keeping them at a distance with his jab or wearing on them against the cage. Of his last 5 fights, 4 have gone to decision. And, only one of those decisions didn't draw lots of boo's/criticism for its slow pace (the loss to Couture). Hell, during the Vera fight, Joe Rogan because completely biased, screaming for Vera to circle to his right. Tim's new philosophy on fighting can be summed by his post fight interview after his uninspiring 5 round unanimous decision over Jeff Monson. He was asked about people booing him/booing during the fight and his reply was, and I'm paraphrasing, "it doesn't matter, I won."
Despite my interest in watching Fedor fight, UFC 86 definitely holds an edge in the main event.
That's it for this week. Next week, I'll break down the rest of the pay-per-view main event cards & decide on the winning PPV.
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