SB Nation User Blog: filipinomix2oo0

Request for Cofield interview with TJ Simers

filipinomix2oo0 — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:36:08 -0000

I was wondering if anyone can provide a link to the interview that Steve Cofield did with TJ Simers earlier this afternoon on ESPN Sports Radio 1100 AM in Las Vegas. I'd be very interested in hearing that particular interview especially after Simers blasted the UFC in his LA Times article. I don't know if this is the correct place to ask this, but I figure someone must know how to do this or must have listened to this particular interview. So if anyone has listened to it, can you maybe provide a quick summary of how the interview went down? Thanks.

My first Preview and Predictions post for UFC 100

filipinomix2oo0 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:56:23 -0000

Hey guys, this is one of my first fan posts in awhile. I decided to post my UFC 100 Preview and Predictions from my wordpress blog at anthonykrzyzak.wordpress.com I wrote it with the more casual fan in mind, so it is quite lengthy as I try to give a little background on each of the fighers. Feel free to skim if you don't feel like reading the whole thing. Any feedback would be great!

Main Card Bouts:

Undisputed Heavyweight (206-265 lb) Championship: Brock Lesnar (3-1 Overall, 2-1 in UFC) vs. Frank Mir (12-3 Overall, 10-3 in UFC)

This is the main event of the evening as Heavyweight Champ Brock Lesnar who recently TKO’d MMA legend, Randy Couture at UFC 91 in the 2nd Round to gain the title takes on Interim Heavyweight Champ (2 Heavyweight Champs? I know, long story..) Frank Mir who recently TKO’d another MMA legend, in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 92 also in the 2nd Round to gain his title. This is a huge bout between 2 men who may not be in the best heavyweights in the world (that distinction belongs to Fedor Emelianenko, who isn’t in the UFC), but are probably two of the top 5 heavyweights. These two men have history as at UFC 81 in Feb. of 2008, they faced off. It was Brock Lesnar’s debut in the UFC and his 2nd fight overall. In that fight Brock Lesnar was putting a beating on Frank Mir in the first minute of the fight before Mir caught Lesnar in a kneebar submission to escape with the victory. Ever since Lesnar has been claiming that he made a mistake and has been clamoring for a rematch, while Mir has been talking a whole lot of trash about Lesanr, which brings us to this epic rematch.

I honestly don’t know who is gonna win this fight. Lesnar has shown great improvement in his last 2 fights against Herring and Couture. He was able to use his lunchboxes for hands to pound both men. Mir displayed greatly improved boxing in his last fight against Nogueira, and his jiu-jitsu is top notch. I see this fight coming down to Lesnar’s strength and great wrestling vs. Mir’s improved Muay Thai and great jiu-jitsu. Mir is a threat to Lesnar in every area of the fight, standing and on the ground, yet I believe Lesnar can win this rematch if he’s patient on the feet and lands one of his huge fists on Mir’s chin. I believe Lesnar’s rapid improvement will shine through as he keeps this fight on the feet and takes down Mir sporadically. He will drag this fight into the later rounds where Mir’s suspect cardio and inability to deal with punishment will fail him. Prediction: Brock Lesnar 3rd Round TKO

Welterweight (156-170 lb) Championship: Georges St-Pierre (18-2 Overall, 12-2 in UFC) vs. Thiago Alves (22-4 Overall, 9-2 in UFC)

This is the co-main event of the evening and a fight I am very excited to see. Georges St-Pierre who has looked like the prototype for the new wave of MMA takes on a guy who has looked like a killer in his last few fights in Thiago Alves. This is arguably the toughest fight of St-Pierre’s career as Alves is a vicious Muay Thai striker unlike anyone St-Pierre has ever faced. St-Pierre is quoted as saying something along the lines of, “when you face a guy like Thiago, you’re not only afraid to lose, you’re afraid to get HURT,” which is what he has done to his last few opponents. Alves is no pushover as he is very legitimate threat to St-Pierre. Despite all this, I still think this is St-Pierre’s fight to win. I feel he can win this fight on the feet or on the ground. St-Pierre comes from a great camp and I believe his strategy will be to stay out of Alves’ range on the feet as St-Pierre will have the longer reach, and when St-Pierre is in close he will smother Alves against the fence and put his ass on the ground. Once St-Pierre is on top of you, its over as he has some of the most smothering, devastating top games in MMA. Alves only chance will be to use his great takedown defense to keep the fight on its feet and knock out St-Pierre. I don’t see that happening. Prediction: Georges St-Pierre 4th Round TKO

Middleweight (171-185 lbs) Bout: Dan Henderson (24-7 Overall, 4-2 in UFC) vs. Michael Bisping (18-1 Overall, 7-1 in UFC)

In a bout that is the other co-main event of the evening, The Ultimate Fighters coaches from the last season of the reality show collide as Team USA’s head coach and former Pride Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Champion Dan Henderson takes on Team UK’s head coach and Ultimate Fighter Season 3 Light Heavyweight Winner Michael Bisping. If Bisping wins this bout he will get a title shot at Middleweight Champ, Anderson Silva in Manchester, England. Henderson is a legend in the sport who possesses Olympic caliber wrestling and huge right hand. Bisping is a solid all-around fighter who hasn’t broken to the next level in the sport, yet. Bisping is a huge underdog in this fight, as Henderson has taken on and beaten most of the best fighers in the game. Henderson has never been knocked out, yet Bisping claims to be the first guy to do it on the 11th. For Henderson to win he’s gonna have to do what he always does and make this an ugly fight. He will have clinch with Bisping, dirty box him, pound him on the ground and just make it an all out brawl. Bisping will have to stick and move, circle to his right to avoid Henderson’s big punch, and scramble back to his feet if he gets taken down. I don’t see Bisping knocking out Henderson, but I do see this as his breakout performance as he puts a striking clinic on Henderson en route to a decision victory. Prediction: Michael Bisping Unanimous Decision

Welterweight (156-170 lb) Bout: Jon Fitch (22-3 1 NC Overall, 9-1 in UFC) vs. Paulo Thiago (11-0 Overall, 1-0 in UFC)

Former Welterweight Title Challenger Jon Fitch looks to avenge the loss his teammate, Josh Koscheck suffered to Paulo Thiago. Thiago knocked out Koscheck with a huge uppercut, but before that he was getting his ass kicked on the feet. Thiago supposedly has great jiu-jitsu, but we have yet to see it in the UFC. I see this fight only going one way, Fitch mauling Thiago throughout the fight. Fitch will put Thiago on the ground up against the fence and put a beatdown on him to show that Thiago’s last win was the closest thing to a fluke that you will see. Prediction: Jon Fitch Unanimous Decision

Middleweight (171-185 lb) Bout: Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-2 2 NC Overall, UFC Debut) vs. Alan Belcher (14-5 Overall, 5-3 in UFC)

Yoshihiro Akiyama makes his highly anticipated UFC debut. You may not know him, but this man is hugely popular in both South Korea and Japan. He’s loved in South Korea as he is a native Korean and is known as “Sexyama”, and hated in Japan as he allegedly cheated in defeating a Japansese legend. Some say he hasn’t been the same since his knockout loss to Misaki over in Japan, but he’ll need to be at the top of his game against Alan Belcher who has already spoiled the debut of Denis Kang back at UFC 93. Akiyama has Olympic-level Judo and pretty good power in his hands while Belcher has pretty good Muay Thai and decent submissions. Fighters that have fought over in Japan and transitioned to the UFC haven’t fared well, and Belcher has already spoiled one Korean’s debut. I see Belcher pulling off the upset as he lures Akiyama into a kickboxing bout. Prediction: Alan Belcher 1st Round TKO

Undercard Bouts:

Light Heavyweight (186-205 lb) Bout: Mark Coleman (15-9 Overall, 6-4 in UFC) vs. Stephan Bonnar (14-5 Overall, 5-4 in UFC)

UFC Hall of Famer and MMA Legend Mark Coleman takes on hugely popular Stephan Bonnar. This fight is a gimme for Bonnar. The only way I see Coleman winning is by wrestling Bonnar to the mat and holding him there for 3 rounds. That won’t happen though as Coleman has always had suspect cardio, plus at 44 years old he is on the wrong side of Father Time. Bonnar wrecks Coleman standing up before submitting him in the 2nd round. Prediction: Stephan Bonnar 2nd Round Submission-Rear Naked Choke

Lightweight (146-155 lb) Bout: Mac Danzig (19-6-1 Overall, 2-2 in UFC) vs. Jim Miller (13-2 Overall, 2-1 in UFC)

Ultimate Fighter Season 6 Winner Mac Danzig takes on the tough, scrappy Jim Miller in a bout in which both men are desperate to win. Both men are coming of losses, but Danzig will most likely be cut from the UFC is he loses this fight which would be his 3rd in a row. The UFC is certainly not doing Danzig any favors here as Miller is tough fighter and a decent prospect in the Lightweight Division. Miller certainly has the same sort of relentless style that trouble Danzig in his last two fights against Guida and Neer. Despite this, I see Danzig rising to the occasion in this fight and barely defeating Miller. Prediction: Mac Danzig Split Decision

Light Heavyweight (186-205 lb) Bout: Jon Jones (8-0 Overall, 2-0 in UFC) vs. Jake O’Brien (11-2 Overall, 4-2 in UFC)

This is a fight I’m really looking forward to and hope we get to see on the pay-per-view this Saturday. Mark my words, I believe Jon Jones will eventually be UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and might be the guy to defeat Lyoto Machida. I believe he is that good and is one of the more exciting prospects to come along in the Light Heavyweight Division. His arsenal of unorthodox strikes such as spinning back elbows, spinning back kicks, and side kicks combined with his top notch Greco-Roman throws make him extremely exciting to watch. Jake O’Brien has pretty decent boxing and good wrestling, but this fight is tailor-made for Jones. I see a spectacular, dominating victory for Jones here. Prediction: Jon Jones 1st Round TKO

Welterweight (156-170 lb) Bout: Dong Hyun Kim (11-0-1 1 NC Overall, 2-0 1 NC in UFC) vs. TJ Grant (14-2 Overall, 1-0 in UFC)

South Korea’s own Dong Hyun Kim takes on the Canadian TJ Grant. Kim was a pretty good looking prospect coming out of South Korea with his debut win over Jason Tan back at UFC 84, but he has looked less than impressive in his last two fights against Matt Brown and Karo Parisyan. He was able to destroy a lower-level fighter like Tan, but hasn’t look good when he’s stepped up in competiton. Despite this he’ s still undefeated and will be taking on a tough wrestler/BJJ guy in TJ Grant who’s coming off a good win over Ryo Chonan at UFC 97. Like I said, Kim has struggled against upper-tier opponents, but I don’t believe Grant is a top-tier guy. I see Kim using his judo well enough to stay on top of Grant in a ground battle. Prediction: Dong Hyun Kim Unanimous Decision

Middleweight (171-185 lb) Bout: CB Dollaway (8-1 Overall, 2-1 in UFC) vs. Tom Lawlor (5-1 1 NC Overall, 1-0 in UFC)

Ultimate Fighter Season 7 Runner-up CB Dollaway takes on another TUF Alumnus in Tom Lawlor. This will be Lawlor’s first fight at 185 in the UFC as he previously fought at 205. Lawlor didn’t impress me too much on the Ultimate Fighter, but neither did Dollaway. With that said, I feel Dollaway will be too athletic with wrestling and striking for Lawlor en route to a victory. Prediction: CB Dollaway 1st Round Submission Peruvian Neck-Tie

Lightweight (146-155 lb) Bout: Matt Grice (10-2 Overall, 1-2 in UFC) vs. Shannon Gugerty (11-3 Overall, 1-1 in UFC)

In the first bout of the evening Matt Grice takes on Shannon Gugerty in a bout in which the loser will probably be cut from the UFC. Grice is a relentless type of wrestler who is always coming forward while I have to admit I still don’t know too much about Gugerty other than he tapped Dale Hartt back at a UFC Fight Night. I’ve seen Grice fight a few times, and I believe his style is very enjoyable to watch. Based off that and nothing else really, I pick Grice to win. Prediction: Matt Grice 2nd Round TKO

FITCH is BACK in the UFC Less than 24 hours after being cut

filipinomix2oo0 — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:28:10 -0000

According to mmarated.com:

Less than a day after being reportedly ousted from the UFC in a contract dispute Jon Fitch is now back with the company, the top welterweight contender confirmed to MMARated.com on Thursday afternoon.

After speaking with UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta via phone, Fitch said the two had managed to clear the air, that the fighter would sign the company’s much-maligned video game licensing agreement and was cleared to fight Akihiro Gono at UFC 94, as previously planned.

Fitch added that he still hasn’t spoken to UFC President Dana White and admitted that he didn’t like the way he’d been treated by White during attempts to negotiate a deal involving rights to his name and likeness for the upcoming “UFC Undisputed 2009” video game.

“Communication kind of broke down with Dana (White) so we talked with Lorenzo,” Fitch told MMARated. “(I) just got off the phone with him and we came to an agreement. We’re going to move ahead and I’ll be back in the UFC. We’re going to sign off on the video game and I’m back. It was never even about the agreement or the contract. It was the approach that we felt Dana was being a little bit hot-headed and was threatening us right off the bat. It didn’t seem like a professional way of doing things.”

-Looks like everyone hopefully came to their senses in this whole fiasco after all.

MMA Live on ESPN or ESPN2?

filipinomix2oo0 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:12:06 -0000

Fronted by Luke Thomas.

"Florian discussed the show's future while a guest on Monday's edition of TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com) the official radio partner MMA Junkie":

So when exactly could the deal be done?

"I don't want to let the cat out of the bag, but soon," Florian said. "The next couple of month, we're hoping to get [MMA Live] on ESPN or ESPN 2, and the sponsors are getting on board as we speak, so we should have a deal very, very soon. We're all very pumped."

The 30-minute studio show, which launched in May, is hosted by Jon Anik with Florian, boxing/MMA writer Franklin McNeil and other guest hosts as analysts. With stellar production values, video footage from all the top organizations (including the UFC) and the backing of the sport's world most powerful news oulet, "MMA Live" has garnered a strong following despite being distributed only on the web.

"It's a fun time," said Florian, who awakes at 4 a.m. to tape the show in Bristol, Conn., each Thursday. "The producers are awesome to work with. Everyone over there is cool."

"MMA Live" airs Thursdays at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN.com.

I don't know why any other blog hasn't covered this yet, but this is potentially one of the biggest things to happen to the sport. ESPN is the Mecca of sports television and for MMA to possibly get its own show and stand side-by-side with other shows such as NFL Live, Baseball Tonight, and NBA Live is a huge deal. If this happens, I think its safe to say that MMA will have finally broke into the mainstream. It's never been a better time to be a fan of MMA.

More proof EliteXC protecting its fighters

filipinomix2oo0 — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 05:09:59 -0000

On mmarated.com, Ariel Heilwani posted a Post-Fight Interview with Gary Shaw, and you can check it out here.

http://mmarated.com/users/video/163/538.html

Basically Shaw says he won't let Kimbo fight Rogers yet, because he hasn't built himself up to fight a name like Kimbo, even though clearly both guys want this fight after that press conference. Shaw also admits it's about the money. Pretty much Shaw has just told everyone, yes I am protecting Kimbo, and no you will not see Kimbo fight anyone dangerous to him. Oh and isn't ironic that he'd rather make Rogers face Antonio Silva, probably so that he could shut Rogers up from wanting to call out Kimbo and expose EliteXC's golden boy. What a slimy prick.

EliteXC does well in the ratings

filipinomix2oo0 — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 22:58:44 -0000

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, he reports:

Elite XC a huge success

The show did a 2.7 rating in prime time. The final rating will be higher because that number only counts 9-11 p.m. The peak half hour was a 4.7 for Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson and that was after 11 p.m. Full ratings will be out on Tuesday but it's likely to be in the 3.0 to 3.1 range.

The overall number isn't through the roof but the growth was outstanding. It was No. 1 for the night in 18-34 and 18-49 as well as all male demos.

http://wrestlingobserver.com/wo/news/headlines/default.asp?aID=23023

It will be interesting to see the ratings on the next show. Hopefully this convinces the networks to give UFC a shot and show everyone what real MMA looks like.