SB Nation User Blog: Blackout612

SEC Charges Mark Cuban With Insider Trading

Blackout612 — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:07:08 -0000

Fronted by Luke Thomas.

Mavericks owner and HDNet founder Mark Cuban was charged this morning with insider trading, as filed by the SEC. He is accused of selling his stock in mamma.com when receiving insider information, which reportedly saved him over 750 thousand dollars. This could have major implications on the world of MMA in that Cuban's HDNet could be facing troubling times, with this charge piling on to a shaky economical situation. Cuban may also never be allowed to pursue his own MMA organization, as he likely would not be allowed to be involved in gaming or promoting a sanctioned sporting event after this is all said and done. He is also looking at serious jail time. And even though Dana White seems to spare him while smearing his competitors, this latest development may put a little smirk on his face.

An article about the situation is available at Sportsline.

Denis Kang to Face Alan Belcher in His UFC Debut, Jan. 17th in Dublin

Blackout612 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:10:06 -0000

This Fan Post was promoted to the front page by Nick Thomas.

MMA Weekly reports that Denis Kang, nearly a week after signing a four fight deal with the UFC, has already been booked for UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland. Kang will face 13-5 Allen "The Talent" Belcher. Belcher is coming off of a split decision victory over Ed Herman at UFC Fight Night 15, and has won three of his last four fights. Stylistically, this should be a dynamic fight that is unlikely to go past the first round (three of Belcher's four victories in the Octagon have come by way of finishes and Kang is fresh off of two straight first round stoppages).

This fight is added to a January 17th card that already contains the return of Mauricio Shogun Rua vs. Mark Coleman, and will be headlined by Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin (the victor of which is reported to become the US coach on the upcoming US vs England edition of The Ultimate Fighter).

UFC: Fight for the Troops Card Officially Announced- Koscheck/Yoshida Headlining

Blackout612 — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:08:12 -0000

The UFC Fight Night: Fight for the Troops card has been officially announced, and it is better than expected. There was a great deal of speculation as to whether or not Josh Koscheck would still be able to fight Yoshiyuki Yoshida, as originally scheduled, after his grueling decision loss to Thiago Alves at UFC 89. Koscheck is apparently up to that task, as the two are headlining the card live on Spike TV, on Wednesday December 10th. Other fights include Mike Swick vs. Jonathan Goulet and Matt Wiman vs. Frankie Edgar. Steven Cantwell will still see action on this card, despite Brian Stann's injury; though now it will be against newcomer (and 5-0) Razak Al-Hussan.

Full card after the jump.

Main Card:

Josh Koscheck 13-3-0 Vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida 10-2-0

Mike Swick 12-2-0 Vs. Jonathan Goulet 22-9-0

Steve Cantwell 4-1-0 Vs. Razak Al-Hussan 5-0

Tim Credeur 11-4-0 Vs. Nate Loughran 9-0-0

Frank Edgar 9-1-0 Vs. Matt Wiman 10-3-0

Undercard:

Luigi Fioravanti 13-4-0 Vs. Brodie Farber 13-4-0

Steve Bruno 12-4-0 Vs. Johnny Rees 10-1-0

Ben Saunders 6-0-2 Vs. Brandon Wolff 7-2

Corey Hill 2-1-0 Vs. Dale Hartt 5-1-0

Eddie Sanchez 10-2-0 Vs. Justin McCully 8-4-2

BJJ Champ Rodrigo Comprido Discusses Brock Lesnar's Training; National Champion Wrestler Cole Konrad in Camp

Blackout612 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:56:41 -0000

Fronted by Kid Nate.

Former two time Absolute BJJ World Champ Rodrigo Comprido has been traveling between his gym in Illinois and Minneapolis to train privately with Brock Lesnar predating his fight with Heath Herring at UFC 87. He will be deserving of a great deal of credit if the rumblings of Lesnar's BJJ game rapidly advancing prove to be true in his bout with Couture on November 15th at UFC 91.

GRACIEMAG.com: How is Brock Lesnar’s training for the Couture fight?

COMPRIDO: Brock has a new training center. He still has the same training partners he had in Minneapolis: Greg Nelson and Marty Morgan, but now he lives in Alexandria. He invited me for the second time to help him with his ground game. The fact that my academy is located in Chicago helps a lot because its pretty close to him

GRACIEMAG.com: Isn’t that change bad for him?

COMPRIDO: I believe it's the other way around. He is even more focused now and training is very tough, Chris Toucherer ,Kirk Klosowsky , Neil Cooke, Cole Konrad ...just to name a few of the guys that are working with us.

GRACIEMAG.com: Isn’t Cole Konard a 2-time National champion and 3-time All-American?

COMPRIDO: That is what I’m saying, the training is great, Marty Morgan is one of the best wrestling coaches in the country. I have also been learning a lot with those guys.

I find the reports of Brock Lesnar training with Cole Konrad particularly promising, both for Cole Konrad's potentially promising MMA career, and as an indication that Brock is not overly confident in his abilities to control the 45 year old Couture. Lesnar is certainly covering all of his bases with his camp, and both fighters should be well prepared for what could be a highly competitive five round war.

Comprido Brushes Up Lesnar's Ground Game - Gracie Mag

Paulo Filho Does Not Surrender WEC Middleweight Title to Chael Sonnen as Promised

Blackout612 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:35:23 -0000

Fronted by Luke Thomas.

MMAWeekly reports, in an interview with Sonnen, that Filho never handed over the title after their match, as reportedly promised after the fight was changed to a three round non-title bout:

After officially weighing in four pounds over the 185-pound limit, Filho allegedly commented that he'd give Sonnen the belt if he lost. He lost, but the belt wasn't handed over. Asked about the situation, Sonnen said, "I did hear that rumor. I heard he said he would surrender it, that he would count this as a championship match. Of course that wouldn't be official, but just something between the two of us. And I would have accepted. I'm that desperate for the championship and to have that goal fulfilled that I would have humbly accepted that belt from him. But no, he didn't offer it to me."

In the last three days Filho has done a lifetime of damage to tarnish his image as a top five middleweight, an honorable opponent and as a mentally stable human being. I had waited anxiously after the announcement of the victor for Filho to cross the cage with the belt in hand and present it to Sonnen, who dominated (however not exciting) their three round contest. Having already been vehement at Filho's behaviour, the pre-fight interview with Sonnen, where he recounted a story of promising his dying father that he would win the title, really tipped the scales for me.

Filho canceling their original rematch due to addiction was marginally acceptable. His tipping the scales was the last straw. The fiasco regarding his offer to hand over the belt, in a symbolic gesture, and his eventual refusal to do so, is irreparable to my opinion of him.

Affliction Tries to Broker Deal With UFC to Cease MMA Operations

Blackout612 — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:36:24 -0000

Fronted by Luke Thomas.

The story is available at MMAWeekly, and cites several sources in the world of MMA. Allegedly, Affliction and the UFC were discussing a scenario in which Affliction would partner with the UFC for exclusive apparel. The UFC would then buy out the contracts they desire and cut the extra fat. Affliction is also reported to have been the one to reject the deal, which I can imagine may not have been as generous as they expected, given that this appears as a giant white flag to Dana White and Zuffa.

A meeting took place between UFC and Affliction executives on Sept. 26, where the idea was first openly discussed. Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio was present, in addition to UFC president Dana White. According to a source, Randy Couture and his lawyers may have attended the meeting as well. Talks were cordial, and Affliction executives agreed to come up with a proposal of their own. All agreed the group would reconvene in a short time period to sort through the issues of a potential deal.

Communication began to deteriorate, though, with Affliction’s ad campaign for EliteXC’s “Heat,” on Oct. 4. The airing of several ads trumpeting Fedor Emelianenko’s return reportedly made UFC executives wary the deal was not being taken seriously.

The scoop at MMA Weekly.

Jake Shields Wants in With UFC

Blackout612 — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 01:17:31 -0000

Fronted by Luke Thomas.

"The UFC's the most likely option," he said. "That's where I'm certainly leaning. I haven't had any talks with them yet; I have to get my contract released. That's definitely the number one option I'm looking at. I was on good terms with them before I signed this last contract, so I don't think there should be any problem."

The UFC was clearly the most viable option for Shields, who will also benefit (both personally and Zuffa) from his exposure on CBS as one of the primary promotional components of Elite XC. I am personally curious to see what kind of turn around can be expected. Elite XC's promoters and organizers could save some face (what very little remains) by offering their fighters immediate releases. But then again; are they even in control of the contracts at this point?

The whole scoop is available at MMAWeekly.

My Take on the Aftershock of Kimbo/Petruzelli

Blackout612 — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:21:36 -0000

There's no universal impression of Kimbo's defeat-- there will be those fans, casual and otherwise, that no longer tune in to his fights on Saturday nights. That night is already pretty important real estate for the 18-35 year old male demo to begin with. Quite frankly, EXC is more in danger of the casual fan averting his/her eyes than the hardcore. I, for one, will watch ANY MMA that is on free tv, and I realize there are many of you that are like-minded.

For me, Kimbo's loss was an affirmation. I have been saying for a long time that this guy is not a mixed martial artist and I've loathed EXC to pump him up as such. I've been indignant at his handlers, who have made him fight sub-standard, unqualified and washed out competition and then billed him as progressive, over-powering and adaptive beyond his years of training. I could not have been any happier to see him taken to task on Saturday night; a supposed modern day Goliath, though David only struck him with a grape in a sling (on one foot, no less). Will I stop watching him? No, of course not. I will continue to watch in the hopes that he is beaten again. I've been validated; it's too late to hope he improves when this is what I wanted all along. But yes, I will continue to watch. After Saturday's program, I care enough about EXC to give them my viewership to support the likes of Benji Radach, Antonio Silva, Gina Carrano and (to a suddenly lesser extent, but I digress) Jake Shields. I just wish it were those mixed martial artists I could be cracking my most important beer for at 9:45-10:00, with all the fervor and anticipation that is associated with the main event. Not some glass-jawed, over-hyped, glove-handled, former street fighter who has been improperly and deceptively marketed as a bastion of our growing sport.

Give us back our flag and go dwell on the undercard..

Was Matt Hamill Incapable of Fighting his Mentor?

Blackout612 — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:52:05 -0000

There is a very well put together piece up at MMAFightline regarding the Matt Hamill fight, in which Hamill's trainer Duff Holmes conjectures that Matt was incapable of fighting his friend and mentor, Rich Franklin. He elaborates on a very detailed and precise gameplan to which Matt clearly did not adhere. It bares heavy consideration, given the recent news regarding Anderson Silva's and Paulo Filho's insistance that they cannot fight one another as close friends. Should Hamill have made the same motions, to save his trainers and fans the grief associated with his seeming refusal to aggressively attack his close friend?

"I practically begged Matt to take Rich down," said a clearly frustrated Holmes. "I was screaming at him to stop fighting Rich's fight and fight his fight. I can't explain it. He just had this blank look on his face. I don't know where he was, but the Matt Hamill that I know and trained for the past 11 weeks was not in that octagon on Saturday."

Exclusive: Matt Hamill's Trainer Duff Holmes Takes Issue With His Fighter's Performance

Thiago Silva out of UFC 89 vs Lyoto Machida

Blackout612 — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:19:22 -0000

More disappointing news in the world of MMA, as Thiago Silva has also suffered a back injury that will keep him out of his highly anticipated contenders bout with Lyoto Machida, The fight was set to take place at UFC 89 on October 18th in England. Fortunately, for this particular bout, there is still time to replace Thiago with another fighter. I would argue that the replacement fighter will be a less threatening opponent, due to the short notice.

A truly disappointing development for a hotly anticipated fight.

Update: Link to MMAWeekly story