On Friday, it was announced that Thiago Silva had to withdraw from his UFC 89 match with Machida.
http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/injured-silva-withdraws-from-ufc-89-14296
So, much for getting to watch 2 of the top 5 light heavyweights in the world fight for free, and probably fight for a title show.
But, that's ok because there's a free WEC event coming up this week, right? Wrong, that event had to be delayed until November.
http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2008/09/06/wecs-sept-10-event-postponed-until-nov-5/
In two days, we lost one of the best free MMA fights of all time and had a WEC event pushed back 2 months. Fuck
Monday, September 8, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
I didn't see that coming...
Damn, apparently Evans knocked Liddell way the fuck out of the title picture, or at least as out of the title picture as one of MMA's biggest names can be, and knocked himself off the "I won't pay to watch" list by Sean Salmon'ing Liddell.
Who now fights Forrest Griffin for the light heavyweight belt in December?
Liddell's out of contention, Machida has no name recognition & can't finish, Thiago Silva's injured (fuck, and more on that in a latter post), and Jackson isn't a viable champ until his criminal trial is over.
I'd say that leaves 3 people:
Evans who has the record and just gave himself some serious name recognition (fight could be billed as "UFC: Ultimate Ultimate Fighter")
Wanderlei has the history & is a decently sized name in the US (fight could be billed as "UFC: Generations")
Silva, assuming he beats Cote & doesn't get a medical suspension, has name recognition in the US & has the credentials. And, it is the easiest of these fights to sell, "UFC: Champion vs Champion."
Enjoy the real start of the NFL season tomorrow (1 game on Thursday night doesn't count as the start). Hopefully, it'll help ease the pain of today being the worst day in the history of free MMA (more on that later this week).
Who now fights Forrest Griffin for the light heavyweight belt in December?
Liddell's out of contention, Machida has no name recognition & can't finish, Thiago Silva's injured (fuck, and more on that in a latter post), and Jackson isn't a viable champ until his criminal trial is over.
I'd say that leaves 3 people:
Evans who has the record and just gave himself some serious name recognition (fight could be billed as "UFC: Ultimate Ultimate Fighter")
Wanderlei has the history & is a decently sized name in the US (fight could be billed as "UFC: Generations")
Silva, assuming he beats Cote & doesn't get a medical suspension, has name recognition in the US & has the credentials. And, it is the easiest of these fights to sell, "UFC: Champion vs Champion."
Enjoy the real start of the NFL season tomorrow (1 game on Thursday night doesn't count as the start). Hopefully, it'll help ease the pain of today being the worst day in the history of free MMA (more on that later this week).
Thursday, September 4, 2008
September PPV Battle: UFC 88 vs $45
Do you like lay & pray fighting? Do you think the most thrilling thing in MMA is watching a wrestler lay on top of someone for 3 rounds? If so, you'll love UFC 88. Otherwise, save your money.
Main Event:
Liddell vs Evans
The counter-punching face of the UFC vs an "I won't pay to watch" wrestler. If Liddell's sprawl holds up, he'll most likely KO Evans eventually. If not, Evans will lay on top of Liddell for the whole fight.
Main Card:
Frankln vs Hamill
Hamill is Evans, only slower, deaf, and white. Franklin is a guy other than Penn or Silva that's trying to fight above his weight class. Franklin's screwed. I doubt he's strong enough to keep Hamill off him, and he most likely doesn't have the power to stop a light-heavyweight. So, Hamill's going to lay on Franklin, early & often.
Parisyan vs Yoshida
Parisyan hasn't been the same since an injury forced him to withdraw from his title shot against Hughes. He's still a decision machine, they're no longer entertaining decisions. They're slow, uneventful decisions.
Henderson vs Palhares
Henderson was one of the best in the world. Is his 2 fight losing streak the result of him being over the hill or is it because he was fighting two of the best in the world (Jackson & Silva)?
But, more importantly, why the hell isn't he fighting Franklin? Henderson and Franklin are the 2nd & 3rd best 185 lb'ers in the world. Why the hell aren't they fighting each other?
If Henderson beats Palhares, he's probably 1 fight away from a rematch against Silva. If Henderson loses, he should consider hanging it up.
Kampmann vs Marquardt
Best fight on the card. Kampmann has looked fantastc lately & Marquardt is extremely talented. Winner of this could easily get to lose to Silva next.
Hmmm... lay & pray vs counter punch, lay & pray vs undersized, boring decision machine vs I forget who, finding out if some one has anything left, & a good fight. That equals save your money. Besides there's enough free MMA coming this month (WEC, Ultimate Fight Night, and a new season of the Ultimate Fighter) that there's no need to waste cash on this one.
Main Event:
Liddell vs Evans
The counter-punching face of the UFC vs an "I won't pay to watch" wrestler. If Liddell's sprawl holds up, he'll most likely KO Evans eventually. If not, Evans will lay on top of Liddell for the whole fight.
Main Card:
Frankln vs Hamill
Hamill is Evans, only slower, deaf, and white. Franklin is a guy other than Penn or Silva that's trying to fight above his weight class. Franklin's screwed. I doubt he's strong enough to keep Hamill off him, and he most likely doesn't have the power to stop a light-heavyweight. So, Hamill's going to lay on Franklin, early & often.
Parisyan vs Yoshida
Parisyan hasn't been the same since an injury forced him to withdraw from his title shot against Hughes. He's still a decision machine, they're no longer entertaining decisions. They're slow, uneventful decisions.
Henderson vs Palhares
Henderson was one of the best in the world. Is his 2 fight losing streak the result of him being over the hill or is it because he was fighting two of the best in the world (Jackson & Silva)?
But, more importantly, why the hell isn't he fighting Franklin? Henderson and Franklin are the 2nd & 3rd best 185 lb'ers in the world. Why the hell aren't they fighting each other?
If Henderson beats Palhares, he's probably 1 fight away from a rematch against Silva. If Henderson loses, he should consider hanging it up.
Kampmann vs Marquardt
Best fight on the card. Kampmann has looked fantastc lately & Marquardt is extremely talented. Winner of this could easily get to lose to Silva next.
Hmmm... lay & pray vs counter punch, lay & pray vs undersized, boring decision machine vs I forget who, finding out if some one has anything left, & a good fight. That equals save your money. Besides there's enough free MMA coming this month (WEC, Ultimate Fight Night, and a new season of the Ultimate Fighter) that there's no need to waste cash on this one.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Is this legal?
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has decided joined Wolfslair. Jackson joining a gym/team is a good sign of him getting things back on track.
There's just one problem: Wolfslair is located in England and Jackson is currently facing multiple felony charges. I don't mean to imply that Jackson is trying to pull an Ira Einhorn and permanently flee the country, but aren't you not allowed to leave the country while on trial, or between arraignment and trail.
Are there any lawyers out there, who read this blog, that can explain the situation? Most of my knowledge of the US legal system comes from Jack McCoy and the oh so lovely Angie Harmon so I'm far from an expert.
http://www.fightersonlymagazine.co.uk/news/viewarticle.php?id=974
There's just one problem: Wolfslair is located in England and Jackson is currently facing multiple felony charges. I don't mean to imply that Jackson is trying to pull an Ira Einhorn and permanently flee the country, but aren't you not allowed to leave the country while on trial, or between arraignment and trail.
Are there any lawyers out there, who read this blog, that can explain the situation? Most of my knowledge of the US legal system comes from Jack McCoy and the oh so lovely Angie Harmon so I'm far from an expert.
http://www.fightersonlymagazine.co.uk/news/viewarticle.php?id=974
Monday, August 25, 2008
World's Most Overrated Man
He hasn't won a MMA fight in 4 years.
He's an ex-professional wrestler.
He lost his last 5 MMA fights.
He turns his fights into embarrassing personal feuds.
He lost 8 of his last 10 fights.
If you complain after he cuts in front of you in line, he starts yelling about how you need to respect him.
He once tried to hide the fact that he tapped out after his opponent released the hold.
He hasn't made it out of the first round in 6 years.
He is Kimbo Slice's next opponent.
He is the World's Most Overrated Man.
He's an ex-professional wrestler.
He lost his last 5 MMA fights.
He turns his fights into embarrassing personal feuds.
He lost 8 of his last 10 fights.
If you complain after he cuts in front of you in line, he starts yelling about how you need to respect him.
He once tried to hide the fact that he tapped out after his opponent released the hold.
He hasn't made it out of the first round in 6 years.
He is Kimbo Slice's next opponent.
He is the World's Most Overrated Man.
"I don't always lose my fights, but when I do, I prefer referee stoppage followed by my complaining."
Olympic MMA?
As the Bejing Olympics ended on Sunday, people started speculating about the 2012 Olympics in London.
Could England top China's Opening Ceremony and event sites?
Could England spend anywere near the $40 billion that China supposed spent on the olympics?
Would England sentence any of its citizens to hard labor if they asked to protest?
Would softball and baseball be back for the 2012 games or would they be dropped from the Olympics?
What other sports are on the chopping block?
Will any sports be added, and if so which ones?
Could MMA become an Olympic sport? The Olympics have a long history of popular sports. Beach volleyball became an Olympic sport after the AVP established the sport's broad appeal. Snowboarding was added to the Olympics after the X-Games started being televised on network TV. BMX, another "extreme sport" just road the rising tide of the X-Games to Olympic exclusion.
There's no arguing that MMA is experiencing a meteoric rise in popularity (http://budgetmmafan.blogspot.com/search/label/general%20intro) or that Olympic MMA would help the medal counts of Brazil & Japan. And, many MMA elements are already in the Olympics (wrestling, boxing, Judo, etc.). The big question is whether or not MMA can be made Olympic friendly.
Can MMA be Olympic-ified, like boxing, so athletes can fight 5 - 6 times in a fortnight? I don't think it can be.Olympic-ifing striking disciplines like boxing and tae-kwon-do involves throwing on a bunch of pads/protective gear. Problem is you can't wrestle or use jui-jitsu if you and your opponent are covered in pads.
I'd love to see the additional free MMA of Olympic MMA in 2012, but we're more likely to get stuck with Olympic skateboarding than Olympic MMA.
Could England top China's Opening Ceremony and event sites?
Could England spend anywere near the $40 billion that China supposed spent on the olympics?
Would England sentence any of its citizens to hard labor if they asked to protest?
Would softball and baseball be back for the 2012 games or would they be dropped from the Olympics?
What other sports are on the chopping block?
Will any sports be added, and if so which ones?
Could MMA become an Olympic sport? The Olympics have a long history of popular sports. Beach volleyball became an Olympic sport after the AVP established the sport's broad appeal. Snowboarding was added to the Olympics after the X-Games started being televised on network TV. BMX, another "extreme sport" just road the rising tide of the X-Games to Olympic exclusion.
There's no arguing that MMA is experiencing a meteoric rise in popularity (http://budgetmmafan.blogspot.com/search/label/general%20intro) or that Olympic MMA would help the medal counts of Brazil & Japan. And, many MMA elements are already in the Olympics (wrestling, boxing, Judo, etc.). The big question is whether or not MMA can be made Olympic friendly.
Can MMA be Olympic-ified, like boxing, so athletes can fight 5 - 6 times in a fortnight? I don't think it can be.Olympic-ifing striking disciplines like boxing and tae-kwon-do involves throwing on a bunch of pads/protective gear. Problem is you can't wrestle or use jui-jitsu if you and your opponent are covered in pads.
I'd love to see the additional free MMA of Olympic MMA in 2012, but we're more likely to get stuck with Olympic skateboarding than Olympic MMA.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Where to go, Tito?
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.
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.
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