"The more things change, the more they stay the same."                                                                    -French Proverb

In my latest column for Heavy, I look at the ways in which UFC 106 channeled the world of pro wrestling, and why that's not the end of the world as we know it.

It began with Josh Koscheck. His fight with Anthony Johnson played out similar to any number of pro wrestling matches. Each fighter traded eye pokes, the climax of which didn't even happen. Johnson threw a knee to a downed Koscheck, an illegal technique. Koscheck fell to the canvas as if he'd been waylaid, grasping his left eye, causing the audience to wonder if the fight would continue. However, the replay would show not only that Koscheck blocked the knee strike with his forearm, but that it was his right eye that had been grazed in the exchange.

Of course, the fight was followed by one of the great promos in recent history, courtesy of Koscheck.

 

"...I know there's somebody here who thinks he's the number one contender," Koscheck proclaimed. "He thinks he's the number one contender, and I think he's hasn't fought anybody, and he's sitting right over there. The name's Dan Hardy. He ain't fought nobody like me. I guarantee, I'm the number one freaking contender in this weight division, right here. I'm fighting Georges St. Pierre in March, Dana White. You know it. February, I know they're looking for a card. Dan Hardy [versus] Josh Koscheck sells. Let 'em fight right here in the states first."

It was a brilliant performance by Josh Koscheck, and don't believe for a second that he wasn't putting on a show. Granted, it was a performance with its roots firmly planted in the truth, at least as Koscheck sees it. There's no doubt that Koscheck believes he is the top contender to Georges St. Pierre's Welterweight Championship. He almost certainly believes that Hardy hasn't fought anyone on his level, even if he's throwing teammate and recent loser to Hardy, Mike Swick, under the bus by extension.

I also discuss Tito Ortiz and his gamesmanship, convincing the world that he was "100%" for the first time in six years, only to immediately cite injures upon losing the fight. It's funny, many of you have rightly commented that, had Tito actually suffered a cracked skull, he would not have been cleared to fight Forrest Griffin last Saturday. Not only is that true, but looking at the medical suspensions from UFC 106, one name in particular is conspicuously absent.

Oh, Tito. Never change.

Ultimately, while I know that pro wrestling has developed a repuation that in most cases is rightly reviled, the promotional aspects that often cross over into MMA, as in the cases of Koscheck and Ortiz, do more benefit to the sport than harm. Sure, the source of that type of promotion may be somewhat regretable, but it's a tried and true method for drawing fans and earning money.

Realistically, the fact that Ortiz has been able to convince people that a third match with Griffin is worth their while speaks to the power of pro wrestling-style promoting. Ultimately, promotion is what this all boils down to rather that professional wrestling and all that it entails in 2009. This method of promotion certainly harkens back to pro wrestling, but it's not exclusive to the psuedo sport. It worked in boxing for Muhammad Ali, who drew his inspiration from Fred Blassie and Gorgeous George, as it does today for Floyd Mayweather Jr. It's worked for Ortiz and Koscheck, it worked for Ken Shamrock and Frank Shamrock, it worked to create and sustain the MMA industry in Japan, and it's worked for countless other performers in both MMA and boxing. While it may offend the delicate sensibilities of some MMA fans, this sort of promotion has proven its worth and it is a major reason why MMA exists today.

I'll leave you with a final thought: Coincidentally, these allusions to pro wrestling took place on the UFC event immediately following the meeting between the UFC brass and one Shane McMahon. 

To think that once upon a time, this event was to be headlined by former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar...

(art via Heavy.com)

"I think we have a real problem with judging in MMA" - Joe Rogan

My latest column for Heavy.com deals with the fallout from the Randy Couture's victory over Brandon Vera and the degree to which the decision was controversial.

This was not a decision on the level of last month’s Machida v. Rua decision, where one fighter had so clearly done more damage to his opponent that it raised questions about the competency of both the officials scoring the fight and the scoring system itself. Rather, the problem in the scoring of the Couture v. Vera fight was the weight carried by two of the key scoring criterion: damage done and Octagon control. On Saturday in Manchester, England, it appeared that Octagon control was the deciding factor.

It's a shame that the judging even came into question, because I can't help but feel that neither man is in a well defined position. Sure, Couture could be booked against Machida or one of the other top contenders, but did he really prove that he's up to that challenge in the fight with Vera? I really don't think so. 

The other side of the coin is that, questionable decision or not, Randy Couture earned a victory in his return to the Light Heavyweight division. This is likely a double-edged sword. On the one hand, Couture’s stock is such that a victory, any victory, should position him as one of the top two or three contenders to Lyoto Machida’s Light Heavyweight Championship. On the other hand, Randy is still a 46-year old fighter coming off a questionable decision against an opponent who many fans wanted to see Couture dominate. Although we may see Couture in the mix as a top contender in his next match, it’s difficult to say whether or not he can legitimately contend in the division. The questions about Couture coming into the fight with Vera have not been sufficiently answered.

What do you think: am I totally wrong about Couture?

As for Vera, I know I'm in the minority on this one, but the loss has me worried for Vera's position in the UFC. I'd like to think that he acquitted himself well enough that even the haters would give him his due, but let's be realistic. While a good showing against an MMA legend should mean something, the fact that Vera is passionately disliked by so many folks is an unfortunate circumstance that both he and the UFC have to deal with. Could that mean Vera's done with the UFC? Hopefully not, but I doubt anyone would be particularly surprised if that turns out to be the case.

"This does nothing to hurt your career," Rogan told Vera in an attempt to console him. That may not be true. The sentiment has always been that Vera, half-Filipino himself, is something of a star amongst the Filipino community. Still, he’s by no means Manny Pacquiao, nor does the UFC appear to have plans to put on an event in the Philippines in the next year. It would seem rather rash to cut Vera after this particular loss, but the fact remains that Vera has lost the fights he’s needed to win to become a contender, and his victories have not won over the fan base at large. It would be hasty to cut Vera after this particular decision, but the UFC hasn’t exactly shied away from making these sorts of personnel decisions in the past.

Check out the rest of the column, in which I talk more about how this outcome affected Brandon Vera as well as the likely tipping point in favor of Randy Couture.

(art via Heavy.com)

 

"If you would play the game even a little, you'd be in a position where you could change things around here."

- Dr. Benson, Scrubs

 

Tonight's Strikeforce on CBS event is arguably the biggest to date for Strikeforce, featuring the world's best fighter. Yet, as important as this card is for Strikeforce, the reality is that Fedor is not a fighter that's shown the ability to draw as a headliner. My latest column on Heavy.com addresses the unfortunate difficulties of promotion the world's best fighter.

It makes Fedor’s relationship with Strikeforce particularly compelling. They are the latest promotion to wind up in bed with M-1, on the hook for similar financial considerations as previous promoters who’ve worked with Fedor. There are a variety of reasons why the move makes more sense for Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, and to be brief, the decision has a greater potential for reward than it carried in the past. Still, we’re talking about a high-priced fighter with limited appeal being used as an international star for a promotion that has only just taken their business national. Calling it a recipe for disaster wouldn’t be entirely unreasonable.

Not that it's destined to fail in the same way that relationships with BODOGFight and Affliction were, but the problem is that Fedor's greatest potential to match his drawing power to his talent level is to be seen by the audience at large as the greatest in the world. Putting aside the fact that promoting a fighter as the greatest in the world has not yet been an effective strategy, Fedor has a very small talent pool in Strikeforce with which to prove his status as the best to a mainstream audience.

Let’s not forget the issue that looms over the entire Fedor circumstance: He’s not fighting the champ. Certainly the champ he should be fighting is Brock Lesnar, the sports biggest star and rightful challenger to Fedor’s proverbial throne, but it’s well documented that the fight won’t be happening. And yet, Fedor can’t even get a fight with Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem, who is unavailable due to commitments in kickboxing and with other MMA promotions. That would be fine if Overeem had defended his title, oh, say, at any point ever, but he has yet to do so in his more than two years as champion. Overeem has mentioned that he’d like to fight Fedor in the first half of 2010, but you’ll forgive if I don’t hold my breath for that one.

Of course, in the past couple hours we've learned that Fedor will fight Rogers for the phony baloney WAMMA Heavyweight title, which has about as much significance to anyone as Fedor's days in PRIDE do to the casual audience in 2009. And what's up with the announcement of the title being on the line being made less than 24-hours prior to the match? That's some low-rent stuff right there.

For more on the Fedor Conundrum, check out my full column at Heavy.com.

(art via Heavy.com)

 

"You were supposed to be this colossus. You were this great, legendary thing…" -Vizzini, The Princess Bride

 

My first column at Heavy.com is up, wherein I look at the pros and cons of Brock Lesnar being sidelined with the flu.

A cynic would argue that, had Lesnar not been so stubborn for so long and gotten himself some Tamiflu early on, we could all still look forward to watching him defend his title on November 21. That’s a reasonable position to take, but there is a silver lining to this cloud. It will, however, require some patience.

 

Fortunately, the re-match of Tito Ortiz v. Forrest Griffin features two high-profile fighters who have both come a long way since their first fight, in which Ortiz earned a split-decision victory.

Griffin, no longer the wide-eyed newcomer fresh out of the original "Ultimate Fighter" house, is a recent Light Heavyweight champion. Ortiz, on the other hand, is coming off of back surgery and returns to the UFC after an 18-month hiatus. Now the main event, the buy rate for Ortiz v. Griffin II will tell us whether or not Griffin’s recent meltdown following his loss to Anderson Silva will affect his popularity (probably not) and to what degree Tito Ortiz is still viable, both as a contender at Light Heavyweight and as a draw. 500,000 buys is a conservative estimate for the event.

Coincidentally,  when Tito Ortiz fought Forrest Griffin for the first time on UFC 59 in 2006, the match was billed as the "return of the Huntington Beach Bad Boy." Did you know that when they first fought, the event did a then-record 425k buys? By comparison, Dave Meltzer's latest trending numbers suggest Machida v. Shogun drew about that many buys. You can rest assured that Ortiz v. Griffin II will do better business the second time around.

Not only is the UFC is left with two shows that should generate a sum total of at least 1.5 million buys, but they are also left with a lot of options.

The UFC will have Silva v. Belfort, Machida v. Shogun 2, and ultimately St. Pierre v. Swick/Hardy at the ready. I know a lot of folks lately have been lamenting the lack of strong main events on UFC shows, but it sure looks like that won't be an issue, at least for the first few months, in 2010.

While it’s unfortunate that the UFC will end its year with more of a whimper than their previously scheduled bang, it’s difficult to shed a tear when thinking about the not-so-distant future. It’s ironic that this pandemic, this viral outbreak that’s causing so many people to lose their minds, is responsible for what may wind up as the most successful start to a year enjoyed by the UFC. To think that because Lesnar’s next title defense will be so early in the year he is all but ensured to fight at least three times in 2010, you can’t help but be optimistic.

It’s more than adapting to circumstance; it’s the taming of the flu.

For the rest of my analysis on the domino effect caused by Brock Lesnar's flu, check out the full article on Heavy.com.

(art via Heavy.com)

In what may be the greatest news in the yet young history of Mixed Martial Arts, a catchweight tournament "Super Hulk Tournament" has been added to May 26th, 2009's DREAM.9 event. It's a shame that this tournament, which is being called "the tournament to end all tournaments" will overshadow the second round of DREAM's catchweight ("featherweight") tournament, but it does, and how. Here is the line up, courtesy of Nightmare of Battle

Super Hulk Tournament 1st Round Fights:
Minowaman vs. Bob Sapp
Jan "The Giant" Nortje vs. Sokoudjou
Gegard Mousasi vs. Mark Hunt
Choi Hong Man vs. Jose Canseco

That's right: the man who outed the steroid problem in baseball, who famously played a ball off of his abnormally large dome to cost the Texas Rangers a home run, will reportedly fight Hong Man Choi in what would far and away be the greatest freak show match in this history of MMA. I say "reportedly," as I have great doubts about Canseco's involvement in this tournament. I'm sure he could use the money, but he's not promoting anything at the moment, and let us not forget the pounding he took in an exhibition boxing match against Vai Sikahema. What business, then, would Canseco have stepping into a ring with a K-1 fighter?

Perhaps that match won't happen. Perhaps it's all just a publicity stunt where Jose Canseco is much more popular in Japan than I imagine him to be. Or perhaps Minowman will just wind up fighting the seven cardboard cut outs. I'll take the cutouts by heelhook, round one.

Continue reading this post »

Promoted to the front page from the FanPosts by Luke Thomas. Editor's note: I have no evidence to suggest this scoop is manufactured, but I've had some concerns about the accuracy of some of the claims coming from MMABay. I am not trying to be adversarial, but until this story is corroborated by another source I have some suspicions.

Michael Pepper of MMABay has the rather large news on this relatively small competitor:

The UFC are set to sign one of the hottest free agents in MMA in KJ Noons, the former EliteXC lightweight champion, MMABay can EXCLUSIVELY reveal.

Noons was stripped of the title last year after refusing to defend it in a rematch against former UFC fighter, Nick Diaz. His contract expired last week, making him one of the most wanted free agents on the MMA scene.

Rumour has it that the former pro-boxer could debut at UFC Fight Night 18 against Melvin Guillard. With Noons one of the best strikers in the lightweight division, he could very well make a massive impact in an already stacked division.

Just a few months ago Noons was complaining that Gary Shaw had forgone an agreement to promote Noons boxing career, something which he seemed very serious about perusing after his falling out with EliteXC. With this announcement, it appears Noons has decided to go in a different route, throwing himself in the mix with some of the very best lightweight fighters in the MMA world.

It's no secret that Noons' strength is his stand up. Hence his stated interest in returning to boxing. Noons was able to force a doctor stoppage by bludgeoning Nick Diaz about the face, and earned a quick TKO victory over former UFC and EliteXC Lightweight contender Yves Edwards. Those, of course, are two solid wins for any fighter to have on their resume, particularly one who is still relatively new to the sport as is Noons, who holds just a 7-2-0 record in MMA competition.

Now that Noons has signed with the UFC, two very important questions come to mind. First, is Noons the truth, or was he merely a large fish in a small pond? Second, will the Noons/Diaz feud extend to the Octagon, leading to a match against Nate Diaz? The former we should find the answer to relatively quickly. Hopefully, the latter will be answered both quickly and affirmatively as well.

(art via www.fcfighter.com)

UPDATE: A source close to Noons says the rumors are false. Yet another reason never to believe anything from MMA Bay. And you can quote me on that, take it to the bank and cash it.

UPDATE 2: I am hearing from another source that the rumor of Noons fighting Guillard did not come from anyone within Noons' camp. Stay tuned.

Promoted to the front page from the FanPosts by Cannon Jacques.

When I asked Luke to discuss Flyweights, I did so thinking that it would be a good way for people to better understand a division in MMA that has little to no representation in the United States. My feeling is that aside from horse jockeys, you'd be hard pressed to find adult male humans who weigh 125lbs. or less in North America. Apparently, then, WEC is scouring racetracks (or, more realistically, SHOOTO), as MMAWeekly is reporting the organizations intention to introduce their own flyweight division this year:

MMAWeekly.com sources on Tuesday revealed that the WEC is adding a 125-pound flyweight division. With WEC 38 in San Diego just three weeks away, no 125-pound bouts are expected for that fight card. The promotion's next event, likely in March, is a more apt candidate to host the WEC's new commitment to flyweight fighters.

The addition of a flyweight division is interesting for a variety of reasons. While SHOOTO currently houses the world's best in the division, it's unlikely that the WEC will be able to build the division around a Shinichi Kojima or Mamoru Yamaguchi. This leads me to speculate that WEC's sights are set on 2008 Olympic Gold Medal wrestler Henry Cejudo, who competed in Beijing at 121lbs. Cejudo has reportedly been training at a boxing gym, however recent rumors suggested that Cejudo could have faced KID Yamamoto at the recent K-1 Dynamite event. Not only would Cejudo enter the UFC with the greatest wrestling credentials, he would also be an easier main-stream sell given his Olympic backstory and his ability to speak English fluently (a characteristic many of the division's early competitors will likely lack).

Regardless of Cejudo's involvement, the addition of the Flyweight division will add even more excitement to a brand known for entertaining cards, top to bottom. It will surely require a lot of promotion by ZUFFA to get the division off the ground, particularly if Cejudo is not involved, but the hardest of the hadcore fans are surely joining me in an ear-to-ear grin at the thought of some of the potential match ups we could see this year and beyond.

Promoted to the front page from the FanPosts by Luke Thomas.

Japan-MMA has the scoop:

Last minute changes to the Dynamite card! Jerome is out due to the flu and FEG has been working hard to find a replacement, it is announced now that Melvin Manhoef steps in!!

With the tremendous weight difference between Manhoef and Hunt, and the fact that Hunt has at least shown that he's heard of ground fighting, it's going to be a tough road to hoe for Manhoef. Regardless of the outcome, Manhoef deserves a tremendous amount of respect for taking this fight on a day's notice. Credit should also go to FEG for finding a replacement fans could actually care about on such short notice.

(art via www.mmatko.com)

The Fight Network has the scoop:

Alistair "Demolition Man" Overeem (27-11-0) has been confirmed as the opponent for Mark Hunt (5-3-0) at Dream 5 from Osaka, Japan this Monday. Overeem confirmed the heavyweight bout with The Fight Network on Friday.

Overeem, a veteran Dutch kickboxer, was victorious over Tae Hyun Lee (1-2-0) at Dream 4 in June. He holds notable wins over Vitor Belfort (16-8-0) and Paul Buentello (25-10-0), both of whom will be competing at Affliction: Banned this Saturday. The seasoned Pride Fighting Championships star looks to extend his winning streak to three in a row against another fighter who is no stranger to the defunct Japanese promotion.

While Hunt may only have eight fights under his belt, he holds wins over some of the most established names in the sport, including Wanderlei Silva (32-8-1) and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (23-6-2). Since then, however, Hunt has been on a two-fight losing streak, last suffering defeat at the hands of Fedor Emelianenko (27-1-0, 1 NC) and Josh Barnett (25-5-0), two top-five ranked heavyweight fighters. In his first appearance for the Dream promotion, Hunt looks to rebound when he takes on "Demolition Man" at Osaka Castle Hall.

Quite the match up to put together at the last moment. While Hunt has done well for himself in his still young MMA career, Overeem seems to be fighting as well as he ever has.

This is a tough one for both guys on short notice. On the one hand, Hunt had been preparing for a fight, despite not knowing who his opponent would be, on the DREAM 5 show, so he may be in better fighting shape that Overeem. On the other hand, this is Hunt's first fight since losing to Fedor on New Year's Eve 2006. Overeem is not a top heavyweight, which Hunt had become accustomed to facing in PRIDE, but he is a dangerous striker, which will likely make this an exciting fight for as long as it lasts.

It looks like we'll have to wait a few extra days to learn what Dana White has in store. Dave Meltzer breaks the news:

The announcement today of the UFC action figures deal with Jakks is not the big announcement that has been teased all week. According to the UFC, that announcement will be made a week from today, and not on Thursday.

It seems we'll have to wait a bit longer for that mind-blowing announcement. On the plus side, now I have more time to finalize the brackets for my UFC action figure tournament.

Photo courtesy of Ralph Fountain.

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

So much for the notion that Rogers wouldn't get a shot at Kimbo. Michael David Smith of AOL Fanhouse has the news:

If that was Rogers' attempt to hype himself up as the next opponent for Kimbo, it worked. Slice appeared on Dan Le Batard's radio show today and said he'll fight Rogers next, "probably in October."

"They called me out, and now they got the fight," Slice said of Rogers and his camp.

One rumor suggested that Kimbo would take on current IFL Heavyweight champion Roy Nelson his next fight. By comparison, Kimbo v. Rogers is absolutely the better booking as I'm concerned. If Kimbo loses to Roy Nelson, sure, it was his toughest test in his young career and losing to a champion is no indictment on one's abilities. However, Nelson then goes back to IFL, and where is Kimbo left? In EliteXC, battling low level competition for his next handful of fights as Shaw and co. try to rebuild the aura of Kimbo.

With Rogers as Kimbo's opponent, it's a win-win-win for Kimbo, Rogers, and most importantly, EliteXC. Regardless of who wins, Kimbo or Rogers would come out as a significantly bigger star than they entered the match as, and would be the face of the organization going forward. Rogers could even become the "new Kimbo," while Kimbo would have beaten not only his toughest opponent to date, but an undefeated fighter with more than twice as many matches as Kimbo to his credit. From EliteXC's perspective, this will be a grudge match, which has historically been the biggest drawing matches in MMA. While this won't appeal to audiences in the same way as Ortiz v. Shamrock, adding this level on intriguing to Kimbo's already massive, albeit subdued, aura could make this event even more successful for EliteXC than last Saturday's.

All that having been said, I think it's clear that Kimbo will come in as the underdog for the first time in his career. At the very least, Rogers has as much power in his hands as Kimbo. Unlike Kimbo, Rogers was able to stop James Thompson inside of one round. While Rogers isn't known for his ground game, he was able to prevent James Thompson from taking their fight to the ground, something Kimbo struggled with mightily. Questions arise when comparing the chins of each fighter. We have yet to really see Roger's chin tested, while it's understood that Kimbo has a very durable chin. It's a safe bet that Rogers will test it nonetheless in October.

 

Photo credit: Combatlifestyle.com

 

Some folks may remember several months back when rumors had Andre Gusmao signing with UFC to face David Heath. The rumors ultimately wound up being false, but it appears that Gusmao signing with UFC was only a matter of time. MMA Weekly is repoting that Gusmao, a former IFL fighter on Renzo Gracie's New York Pitbulls, will debut at UFC 87 on August 9.

After almost signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship earlier this year, it now appears capoeira and jiu-jitsu expert Andre Gusmao will finally make his debut for the promotion in August at UFC 87, as confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources inside Gusmao’s camp.

...

At this time no opponent has been named for Gusmao in his debut, but more fights for the Minnesota card are expected soon.

Gusmao brings an undefeated 5-0-0 record into the UFC, with all but one victories coming by TKO or submission. His addition to the UFC's roster brings yet another talented Light Heavyweight to an already stacked division.

According to Sportnavi.yahoo.co.jp, Yoshihiro Akiyama will return to competition at DREAM 5 on July 21. Akiyama will be competing for the first time since facing Kazuo Misaki at the Yarrenoka event on new year's eve. The match. initially declared a KO victory for Misaki, was later changed to a no contest, as it was determined that the kick Misaki used to end the fight was illegal.

No opponent for Akiyama has been announced.

The return of Akiyama in addition to the return of KID Yamamoto add to an already intriguing card, featuring a welterweight title fight between Nick Diaz and Hayato "Mach" Sakurai and the conclusion of DREAM's Lightweight tournament.

The full card, which looks to be one of the strongest of the year, below:

• Yoshihiro Akiyama (10-1-0) v. TBD

• Lightweight Tournament Finale - Participants:

Shinya Aoki (15-2-0) -or- Katsuhiko Nagata (4-2-0)

Eddie Alvarez (14-1-0)

Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-4-2)

Caol Uno (25-10-4)

• Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto (17-1-0) v. Joseph Benavidez (7-0-0)

• Nick Diaz (16-7-0) v. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (32-8-2) - Welterweight Title Match

HT: Japan MMA

 

According to a press release from Affliction, Donald Trump will be partnering with the clothing company turned MMA promoter in a capacity to be revealed at a press conference tomorrow. The full press releases comes courtesy of Five Ounces of Pain:

WHAT: "Affliction Banned" Press Conference

 

WHO: DONALD J. TRUMP
Chairman and CEO of the Trump Organization

WHEN: Thursday, June 5 – 12 PM/ET

WHERE: Trump Tower, 25th Floor, 725 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10022

WHY: To announce a partnership between Affliction and Donald J. Trump, who will outline his involvement with Affliction and "Affliction Banned," the star studded mixed-martial-arts show July 19th 2008 on pay-per-view television, featuring the return of Russian combat fighting icon Fedor Emelianenko at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

"Affliction Banned" will be distributed on Pay-Per-View and air live (9 PM/ET, 6 PM/PT) on cable and satellite viewing in the USA and Canada via iN DEMAND, TVN, Shaw Communications, Viewer’s Choice Canada, DirecTV, DISH Network, Bell ExpressVue and Star Choice for a suggested retail price of $39.95. The telecast will be available in both standard and high definition television.

Tickets for "Affliction Banned," ranging between $50.00 and $1,000.00, are on sale at the Honda Center box office and also online at Ticketmaster.com.

That would explain why the previous Affliction press conference was held at Trump Towers.

Trumps involvement in MMA is not surprising, as his interest in sports is well chronicled. Trump was the one-time owner of the New Jersey Generals of the USFL, and is an avid fan of golf, owning seven golf courses worldwide. However, Trump's most prominent forray into sports, or in this case sports entertainment, was "The Battle of the Billionaires" at Wrestlemania 23, where he chose recent AFL signee Bobbly Lashley to represent him with Trump's hair at stake. Trump had previously hosted Wrestlemanias IV and V at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, NJ.

A footnote to this story is that Trump is following in the footsteps of fellow billionaire Mark Cuban, who entered into the MMA business when Cuban's television network, HDNet, began broadcasting MMA programming and events in 2007. Trump and Cuban are somewhat of rivals, stemming from Cuban's reality show, The Benefactor, which some (including Trump) bore too close a resemblance to Trump's hit reality show, The Apprentice. Trump had this to say about Cuban, his show, and the Dallas Mavericks, which Cuban also owns:

“Mark Cuban was extremely embarrassed when he copied ‘The Apprentice’ and failed,” Trump raged. “They threw him off television like a dog.

“I wrote him a note and I said, ‘Mark, you have absolutely no television persona. I wish you would have spoken to me previously or before you did this. I could have told you it was gonna fail.’ And he failed.

“Same thing with the Mavericks. The Mavericks have a great team. They’ll never win with Mark Cuban as the owner because he is not a winner.”

Ironic, as Affliction was at one time rumored to be broadcast on HDNet.

Adam Swift of MMA Payout has posted a list of the five most watched fights in MMA history:

1. Kimbo Slice v. James Thompson - 6.51 million
   
2. Quinton Jackson v. Dan Henderson - 5.93 million
   
3. Tito Ortiz v. Ken Shamrock III - 5.89 million
   
4. Robbie Lawler v. Scott Smith - 5.53 million
5. Gina Carano v. Kaitlin Young - 4.68 million

These results aren't particularly surprising. We all recognize at this point that regardless of how we feel about the event, EliteXC on CBS was a success in the ratings.

To nobody's surprise, Kimbo carried the night, proving that, at least on a short enough time line that a compelling story is more important to the casual viewer than outstanding talent. Many observers, including the Miami Herald's Dan Le Batard   have suggested that Kimbo's appeal may diminish in light of his match with James Thompson. While that's certainly a possibility, I can say that anecdotally I have spoken to several casual MMA fans who were not only fine with the stoppage in Kimbo's fight, but they came away wowed by Kimbo. His drawing power will be put to the test in an upcoming EliteXC event on CBS, even if his abilities as a fighter are not.

Perhaps the most intriguing of the fighters included in the list is Gina Carano. On the one hand, her fight was viewed by nearly one million fewer viewers than the following match on the card, Robbie Lawler v. Scott Smith. On the other hand, the inclusion of Carano began the ratings spike leading up to Kimbo's match. Judging by the ratings breakdown for each half-hour of the show, Carano appears to be a bona fide star, sure due in no small part to her involvement in American Gladiators. The half hour in which Carano fought Kaitlin Young saw the largest gain in viewers from the preceding half-hour (1.02 million viewers) on the entire show. The next closest half-hour spike was for the Middleweight title match (0.85 million viewers), which immediately followed Carano v. Young.

Continue reading this post »

Jorge Masvidal v. Ryan Healy (picture courtesy of Sherdog)

The plethora of MMA action in June is not limited to the US, as DREAM and World Victory Road will be presenting shows on back-to-back Sundays. The first, Sengoku III, takes place next Sunday. Yesterday, two additional matches were added to the card according to Japan MMA.

Sengoku have announced 2 more fights for the event next week. This is a very special event for Sengoku, as it will be their first attempt at filling Saitama Superarena.

Today they have announced the opponent for Rodrigo Damm and also Sanae Kikuta will participate in this event. Their opponents will be Jorge Masvidal and Chris Rice, both very good fighters and these fights will be interesting. It also looks like Sengoku will go above the 8 fight barrier that both DREAM and Sengoku have been struggling with (I really think these events should have close to 10 fights, like DREAM 1 had)...

Rodrigo Damm v. Jorge Masvidal should be an exciting fight. I would point out that Damm is best known for his victory over Kultar "Black Mamba" Gill on the first episode of BODOGFight on ION, but come on, no one actually saw that. Masvidal, who once made his way as a street fighter, currently trains with American Top Team and is a contender in the Strikeforce lightweight division, with wins over Yves Edwards and Joe Lauzon.

Here is the updated card for Sengoku III:

Fights announced
Rodrigo Damm 7-1-0 vs. 13-2-0 Jorge Masvidal
Sanae Kikuta 26-6-3 vs. 12-5-0 Chris Rice

Previously announced
Hidehiko Yoshida 7-6-1 vs. 12-12-0 Maurice Smith
Kazuo Misaki 19-8-2 vs. 11-1-0 Logan Clark
Fabio Silva 9-4-0 vs. Kazuo Takahashi
Choi Mu Bae 7-2-0 vs. 3-2-0 Marcio Cruz
Kazuyuki Fujita 15-6-0 vs. 53-11-0 Travis Wiuff
Nick Thompson 35-9-1 vs. 9-3-0 Michael Costa

Participating
Duane Ludwig 16-8-0

Damm v. Masvidal certainly adds some excitement to a card that offers little to get excited about. Yoshida v. Smith offers a nostalgic flavor to the event, but it hardly matters in the grand scheme of things. Fujita v. Wiuff could be interesting with Wiuff coming off of his victory in the inaugural YAMMA tournament, but again, the stakes in this match seem limited. Kazuo Misaki's match against Logan Clark is somewhat intriguing, as Clark, a one-time UFC competitor, is coming off of a victory in the WEC over Scott Harper.

Now this is what we're talking about! Kid Nate

Lee vs Ricardo Morais via www.cdn.sherdog.com

The next round of DREAM's middleweight tournament is just under two weeks away, and Japan MMA is reporting that two new matches have been added to the event, including former PRIDE fighter and current Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.

DREAM have added 2 more fights to their event June 15. Added to the card is Dutch fighter Alistair Overeem, it will be good to see him back in Japan.

Also added it the very exciting Alavutdin Gaddzhiyev, who as been outstanding in his Pancrase fights, he has 7 wins in a row and most finished within the first minute of the fight. He is facing BTT's Alexandre Cacareco who is on a 5 fight winning streak. This will be a Lightheavyweight fight and I think Cacareco is slightly heavier than Alavutdin.

Overeem will face Tae Hyun Lee , whose 1-1-0 record makes him a curious opponent for the veteran of 37 fights. Still, this is standard operating procedure for Japanese MMA organizations, which tend to emphasize the entertainment value of their events more so than the competitive aspects. On an event featuring several of the top middleweights in the world against each other, a matchups like Overeem v. Lee and the previously announced grappling affair between Mirko Cro Cop and Ralek Gracie become more palatable to the hardcore audience.

 

Continue reading this post »

More goodness from the fanposts, promoted by Kid Nate.

According to NBCSports.com, it seems Frank Edgar will take on former UFC Lightweight contender Hermes Franca at UFC 87 on August 9:

Hermes Franca, currently serving a suspension for a positive steroid test from a match last July, is expected to return to the UFC shortly, a source told NBCSports.com.

Franca, who tested positive for drostanolone following his July 7, 2007 lightweight title decision loss against Sean Sherk, is expected to take on Frankie Edgar at UFC 87. Franca is currently still unable to fight in any states that sanction MMA, but his one-year ban will end on July 5, making him eligible for the August 9 event in Minneapolis.

Not only would this mark the return of Hermes Franca to action following a year-long suspension resulting from a positive steroid test, it would also mark the return of Franca to the UFC. Franca was released from his contract with the company at his request, citing the need to fight elsewhere in order to provide for his family. It was not until after he received his release that Franca learned that accepting a match while under suspension by a state athletic commission, in this case California, would see Franca's suspension converted from one year to indefinite.

Additionally, it is interesting that the UFC would bring Franca back at this time. Franca was summarily defeated by then champion Sean Sherk, who was himself dispatched by current champion BJ Penn last Saturday. With such a packed lightweight division, the UFC could have easily justified letting Franca sign with another organization, despite his typically exciting style. This may signify the end of the UFC's recent talent purge, which was said to trim the talent roster to the 150 fighter range, down from roughly 250.

This is fun. Promoted by Kid Nate

Head over to the official DREAM website to vote on the matches you want to see in both the Middleweight and Lightweight tournaments.

As the site is presented in Japanese, Japan MMA explains who exactly you are voting for:

Just to make it easier, here is how the names are written in Japanese:

Lightweight Tournament:
Caol Uno = 宇野　薫
Eddie Alvarez = エディ・アルバレス
Tatsuya Kawajiri = 川尻　達也
Winner of Aoki vs. Nagato = 青木　真也 vs. 永田克彦

Middlweight Tournament:
Kazushi Sakuraba = 桜庭　和志
Gegard Mousasi = ゲガール・ムサシ
Kiyoshi Tamura = 田村　潔司
Ronaldo Jacare = ホナウド・ジャカレイ
Zelg "Benkei" Galesik = ゼルグ"弁慶"ガレシック
Yoon Sik Dong = ユン・ドンシク
Taei Kin = 金　泰泳
Jason Miller = ジェイソン"メイヘム"ミラー

This diary entry was promoted to the front page by Luke Thomas.

According to a recent interview with MMA on Tap, UFC vetran and TUF 4 contestant Din Thomas is planning on continuing his MMA career at 145lbs.

"The UFC's lightweight division is the most complex division in the world," Thomas said. "There's like four different roads to a title shot going on right now and within any of the roads, no one can afford to lose. While I know I can win against any lightweight in the world on a given day, I fell twice in a row. Therefore, I'm going to bow out. Good luck to those guys. I'm going to drop down to 145 lbs and see if those guys down there will embrace me."