SB Nation User Blog: scottish_rage

Karo Parisyan Off UFC 88 Card

scottish_rage — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:22:45 -0000

According to MMA Mania a back injury has forced Karo Parisyan off of tomorrow nights fight card. His scheduled fight against Yoshiyuki Yoshida has been cancelled and UFC 88 will now feature 9 fights.

No word yet on whether this fight will be re-scheduled or how long Karo might be out of action. This hurts tomorrow nights card as Karo is a name that many people can identify with. Here's to hoping he didn't simply panic at the last moment as we now know that 'The Heat' does suffer from panic attacks.

Interview With Pete Rodley of Freedom Fights

scottish_rage — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:47:09 -0000

I recently had the pleasure of catching up with Pete Rodley of Freedom Fights and was able to ask him a few questions. Freedom Fights is the premiere mixed martial arts organization in the Ontario and Quebec regions and they have a stacked card lined up for July 26th at the Robert Guertin Arena. Though it is quite the read, Mr. Rodley was able to share great insight into the world of mixed martial arts and it is something that all fans should take the time to read.

Mike Moffatt: Mr. Rodley, thanks for taking the time to speak with us today, we all greatly appreciate it. Tell us a bit about yourself and your promotion, Freedom Fights.

Pete Rodley: Alright, well my name is Pete Rodley and I’ve been involved in MMA since 1996, so well over a decade. I’m presently working on my 21st event entitled Freedom Fight: Title Quest. The first event I worked on was the Universal Combat Challenge in Montreal and over time I’ve worked with such marquee names as Georges St-Pierre, David Louiseu, Jonathon Goulet, Joe Doerkson, Jens Pulver, and more. Though my first partner and I had put on a great show, the direction that he was going in was quite different than my vision for the sport. I took a year off after that show and then started Freedom Fights. Our events are held in the Gatineau area, due to the fact that MMA is not legalized in Ontario at this point. On July 26th we will be holding our fifth show in Hull since 2005.

MM: I want to talk about the event you have coming up in Hull on July 26th. What can fans expect and which fighters should they be looking out for in particular?

PR: Well I mean from top to bottom there are great fighters on this card. I like to say that the undercards of today are the main events of tomorrow, so I believe fans should be excited for all of these match-ups. Having said that, there are many elements to this show including the MMA debut of glam rocker Robin Black who is a former Much Music personality. Robin actually had his own show dedicated to his rise in MMA and the show culminated in his signing a contract with me to fight in July. In addition, former CFL great and ex-WWE wrestler Glen Kulka will be making his MMA debut and he is fighting a very tough cat in Wayne Xilon. We will also be featuring a triple main event with three titles on the line, a first for Freedom Fights. Jason ‘The Monster’ Bissonnette will also be appearing on this card and he has become a big name in this area following his last fight. After that bout he had a full page spread in the paper and the media and fans instantly took to the guy. We have a lot of exciting guys in this card and it features many veterans from Freedom Fights, as well as some new faces that fans should be very excited to see. In addition, we have a new partnership with the record label indiesolo.com and this is the first event that we will be working on together. Indiesolo.com will be providing the official Freedom Fights music for our events and this is something I am very excited about as well.

MM: This isn’t your first event, can you tell us about some of the annoyances and hardships that one might experience when trying to put together an event like this?

PR: Where do I start (laughs)? First of all I want to say that I love what I do. I love the people in the sport and that makes it a lot easier. Having said that though there are lots of issues to deal with. We have to deal with fighter relations, venue deals, media and interviews, and even minor details like the stickers on the corner pads. I would have to say that the biggest obstacle is the medicals that fighters have to go through prior to fighting. We have had some great fights scheduled in the past where the medicals aren’t done correctly so the fights don’t get to happen. Now, I’m a firm believer in safety and I obviously want the fighters to be able to come back again. But last minute cancellations and injuries suck. Fights get heavily promoted and then they get scrapped and that’s tough to deal with. This business is just a hefty workload and there are issues with everything, like every job really. I used to own a wine store and there were headaches with that as well, as in any business. To generalize, I hate it when people talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk. When I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it. When other people don’t follow though to their fullest that’s something that is tough.

MM: We all know of the difficulty that those in the mixed martial arts community are having when it comes to having this sport legalized in Ontario. In fact, recently New York State also has pushed back their next vote to legalize MMA to January 2009. Could you explain what needs to be done to solve this problem and perhaps offer any insight as to when you think progress might be made?

PR: Well it sucks about New York to be blunt. I reside in Ontario, but I was born and raised in New York City. As it stands right now I can’t do what I do to support family where I live or where I come from. That’s a real insult not only to me, but to the sport that I love and the athletes as well. MMA doesn’t have a dangerous track record like many of the other sports. I have provided the government with proven track records and still haven’t gotten this deal done. I’m not someone who is new to mixed martial arts. I’m not one of those ‘super fans’. Yes, I love this sport, but this is my full time gig and I’ve been dealing with people in charge of the athletic commission in Ontario for a long time. They have told me that the onus is on me to prove to them that it can be done safely and I’m the only promoter who resides in Ontario so I’m taking this seriously. Recently I put together an 85-page document that took me about five days. I have over 280 fights under my belt to this point in my promotion and I just broke them all down in this document and showed the medical history of all the fighters involved. When I got through this document I realized that we have an eight percent injury ratio, and I’m talking things like a broken knuckle or a couple of stitches. We have had one fighter spend a night in the hospital and that was because of dehydration. When I presented this document to them, they just sat on their thumbs and, later, they sent a letter back to me explaining that I needed to contact a different person because this is viewed as amateur mixed martial arts. Really all these ‘super fans’ have set this process back and instead of them trying to deal with the issue they should just sit back and let me do what I do. They have really only hurt the situation. Believe me, this is my business and I’m trying to make it happen.

Where it stands now is that they are saying that safety isn’t proven at this point. They have recommended the use of helmets and that simply won’t work. The fact is that if helmets were used and a fighter got caught in a choke, they would be less able to protect themselves. In addition, helmets would allow them to take more blows to the head and that’s not right. I’ll retire from this business before I promote a dangerous sport. These guys are my friends.

MM: Going back to the fighters themselves for a moment. How are the match-ups themselves made? Do you approach fighters about competing or do they approach you? Although I’m sure the process is different in many circumstances, what usually occurs?

PR: Freedom Fights is established now so there’s a big emphasis on including the fighters that I’ve been building. There are fighters that the fans are familiar with and going into a fight they know what their next step will be and how close they might be to a title shot if they win. I have a huge data bank with over 500 fighters good to go who want to fight in Freedom Fights. With only eleven or twelve fights per event it’s obvious that they can’t all be included, so I’d like to apologize to those who I haven’t been able to fit in yet. In addition, if I hear good things from other people or see good things out of other fighters I’m not afraid to pick up the phone and gauge their interest in fighting for Freedom Fights, but the majority of our fighters are guys that I’ve known forever.

MM: I’m sure everyone would love to hear your opinions on the world of mixed martial arts in the United States and, in particular, the larger organizations. What are your thoughts on the business model of the UFC and their treatment of fighters? Also, how do you think some of their competition will fare now that Elite XC has secured the CBS deal and Affliction has the financial backing of Donald Trump, as well as some big heavyweight names on their inaugural card?

PR: As a fan it’s awesome. I mean, you’re talking to a guy who had to scramble to find a bar with one of those huge satellite dishes to watch UFC 3 when one of his best friends was on it. Despite Dana’s personality, you’ve got to applaud what he’s doing. The better they do, the better we do. Having said that, however, I do think that they are saturating the market. There are too many events and they are featuring more and more fighters from The Ultimate Fighter. It gets really hard to properly promote that and, as a fan, I’m finding myself looking at cards that I’m really interested in and others that I’ll watch because I’m die hard. I mean, there are some shows where my kids know that they can’t talk when they are in the room and there are others where they can come in and play Yahtzee, you know what I mean? I like the model that the UFC is using, but I think they are pumping out shows just for the sake of doing it. They have to keep moving in a forward motion and focus on quality over quantity. I don’t want to read between the lines, but Lorenzo Fertitta might have made his recent move because he feels Dana needs to do better. Dana is competent in a lot of ways, but his business saavy is not close to what Lorenzo’s is. Dana’s ego can get in the way of television deals and Lorenzo might be more willing to work with others in the industry. Dana has turned a lot of people off. When people didn’t know what MMA was, it was the people on the Internet that kept it alive. Now they can’t cover the show anymore? How would that hurt the UFC? The truth is that it wouldn’t have. We will just have to wait to see where things go now. I’m a fan and I’ll continue to watch, but the better they do, the better everyone does.

As for competition, I don’t have an inflated ego. I’m not competing with the UFC and I know that. If Freedom Fights grows, then it grows and that’s great. I’m comfortable where we are at now though. My kids are going to college. Elite XC has some financial backing and could turn out to be a real force. They understand what the casual fan wants but have to be careful not to isolate the MMA core. So far they are doing a pretty good job I think, although the matchmaking leaves a bit to be desired. If you think back, however, some of the weirdest matches in Pride made the most exciting shows. I miss what Pride brought to the table and Elite XC might give back to the fans. In terms of advertising, I think the CBS deal is bigger than people think. It’s huge financially and can really help them explode. Gary Shaw has already said that he will work with other promotions and that might give Elite XC a real edge.

MM: In terms of the CBS deal, do you foresee any problems with your next event due to the fact that Elite XC has announced their next CBS telecast will take place on the same night?

PR: If I were a fan, and I always look at this kind of thing from a fans perspective, would I want to sit at home when I can be at a live event? We already have over 2300 tickets sold, so I’m not overly concerned. There might be a couple of fans that choose to sit at home, but we have our core fans and our advertising is doing real well. I really don’t foresee any problem.

MM: I don’t want to take up anymore of your time, but quickly tell the readers why they should attend on July 26th.

PR: People know when you come to a Freedom Fights event that you get huge bang for your buck. We have huge exciting fights from top to bottom and some really compelling match-ups. We have the curiosity factor going for us as well. People want to know how an ex-football player is going to fare against some stiff competition. They want to see if a glam rocker can transition into MMA. People want to see title fights and, most importantly, we have a great history. People left fulfilled last time and every fight on the last card was exciting. When was the last time a pay-per-view event had very good bouts top to bottom? We have great consistency and that is very important if people are going to spend their money to see this event. This card has also been together by a fan that has been at this a long, long time and I know what it takes to put together a great night of fights.

MM: Thank you very much for this Mr. Rodley. We look forward to hearing from you after the event to see how it went. Do you have anything else you would like to add or any sponsors you would like to thank?

PR: Good lord, where do I start? I have to thank the local businesses that support our show:

106.9 The Bear, The Ottawa Sun, The Best Western Cartier, Indiesolo.com, Ottawa Entertainment, 104.7 FM, 456 Fashions, The Ottawa Good Time Centre, Hard Rock Café, Max Media, Sinz Productions, Militant Fight Gear, The Ink Spot Tattoos and Piercing, Utan, Gym Max, Counterstrike Fight Wear, MMA Fight Shop.ca, Local Heroes, Divinitive Xtreme Fight Gear, Ambassador of Pain, and Blindside Gear

I would really like to thank the fans for supporting Freedom Fights. Other events have tried to come in and our fans know the difference. I want to thank the people in Ottawa, Gatineau, Toronto, and Montreal and from all over who support us and come in to see the events. I want to thank all of the athletes who are really all-pro. I mean these are the guys that put it all on the line. I deal with awesome fighters. Everyone has been great. (end)

I would like to again take the time to thank Mr. Pete Rodley for speaking with us and would like to urge you all to get out and show your support for his continued hard work in the industry. You can purchase tickets for the July 26th event here and can be assured that you will be treated to an incredible experience. There is nothing quite like live mixed martial arts action. We hope to see you all there.

Funniest MMA Moments

scottish_rage — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 01:56:29 -0000

Great video of some of MMA's funniest moments. It's great to revisit some of these classic moments in one video. And who can argue with the great soundtrack that is included? If this doesn't convince a few of Saturday's first-time MMA fans to stick around to see what else the sport can offer then what will? Besides actual great fights that is...The rest of you can "Just Beat It."

Joe Silva For A Day..Imagine

scottish_rage — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 22:00:39 -0000

How great would it be to be Joe Silva for a day? Furthermore, how great would it be to be Joe Silva for a day and be able to cross-promote, not worry about costs, and be able to create the card of your dreams? Imagine the possibilities..

For the purposes of this article let's stick only to the main card. What strategy would you implement? Would you match any fighters who are currently in the same promotion against each other or would you only cross-promote so we could see fights we thought not possible before? Would you create a card where classic rematches would take place? Would you create a card with great technical fights or some match-ups that may simply have great stories behind them? Would you focus on any weight classes in particular or would you try to spread it out and have a variety? How many fighters would change weight-classes to make new, exciting match-ups? So many questions and so many different answers...

Here are five match-ups that I'd love to see:

Urijah Faber v. Miguel Torres (140 Pounds)

BJ Penn v. Shinya Aoki (155 Pounds)

Georges St. Pierre v. Anderson Silva (180 Pounds)

Chuck Liddell v. Wanderlei Silva (205 Pounds)

Randy Couture v. Fedor Emelianenko (265 Pounds)

Obviously not everyone will agree with this list. In fact, I'm sure no one will have the same kind of card. That's the fun of it. What would your card look like..?

Kaitlin Young Weighs-In

scottish_rage — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:36:50 -0000

"My left cheek and area surrounding the eye are looking pretty ugly today, but there was no major damage. Though it may have looked like it on tv, I never actually had an open wound. What you didn’t see was that the doctor actually cleared me to fight the third round but the commission said ‘no.’ I wanted to continue, my corner wanted to continue. The cut likely would have opened in the third but it was under the eye. If I had to guess, I would say that they didn’t want the visual of a woman with a bloody face on CBS. They also chose not to do a post fight interview with me or to include me in the post fight news conference and after party. I think the reason for that was my beat up appearance after the fight because I was not seriously injured and was completely coherent. I am very disappointed about that but cant help but wonder how people would have responded to that, as stupid as it is."

via www.fightergirls.com

I feel bad for Kaitlin after hearing her side of the story, but could she have really expected a different outcome? Both these girls had to have known that it would look very bad for CBS and Elite XC for them to have been involved in a fight that left either of the fighters looking completely beat-up. Yes, this is MMA and yes, this does happen; Most of the general public is just not used to seeing this happen to women.

On the other hand I believe Kaitlin's opinion to be a bit misguided when she states that CBS did not want "the visual of a woman with a bloody face" on national television. While I believe this is the case, I think it goes deeper than this. The fact is that CBS did not want anyone on that card with a bloody face or to continue fighting with any visual injuries. There were many premature stoppages and many fights that were stopped by one party or another.

It's also interesting to hear that she was not granted access to the post-fight press conference. Sometimes only the winners attend these, but Phil Baroni was in attendance and he was unsuccessful in his bout. It is clear that not only did Elite XC protect it's 'stars', but that it did it's best to protect the notion that MMA is a safe sport and that no one gets hurt. It seemed that everyone who participated in the post-fight press conference was pretty much unscathed. Wouldn't it have been great if Kaitlin Young had the attitude of a Tito Ortiz?

It is interesting to hear Kaitlin's side of the story and to hear her call it how it is. One simply has to step back and realize that no matter how much we as fans believe we were robbed on Saturday night, many of the fighters were robbed even more. This is their livelihood we are talking about here, not just something they like to do on Saturday nights.

MMA Weekend Delivers Incredible Warriors

scottish_rage — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 04:08:11 -0000

In the wake of one of the most highly publicized weekends in the short history of mixed martial arts, I believe there is one thing that the hardcore fans already knew, those who gave the sport it's first chance learned, and those who are still sleeping on this sport are missing out on: these athletes are incredible warriors and their is no way to measure the heart that these men, and women, have shown.

Examine for a minute several of the match-ups that we had going into this weekend and dig a little deeper into what some of them meant for the fighters involved. Perhaps the most hyped fight of the weekend featured Kimbo Slice against James Thompson. Consider the position that both of these men were put in going into the fight and what courage it must have taken for both of them to perform. Ladies and gentleman, Kimbo Slice has never said he is the best fighter in the world and has never said that he deserves to be in the main event. This is a fighter who every time he is asked about it claims that he still has lots to learn and that he is taking this sport very seriously. What did we see from Kimbo last night? We saw a talented athlete who still has a lot to learn from this sport. Furthermore, we saw this relative newcomer perform in the main event during one of the biggest nights in mixed martial arts history. The pressure put on Kimbo Slice to be the face of an organization and perform like a veteran in this sport when he clearly is not would be enough to make anyone question themselves. The fact that all this man has done is what is asked of him says a lot about the competitors we have in this sport.

His opponent for the evening was a man who was said to simply be there to go down due to being knocked out less than 90 seconds into the fight. This man came with a game plan to defeat Kimbo and it nearly worked out. To have the odds so stacked against you and still accept a fight and come out and do your best to win says a lot about this man as well. No, these two are not the best that the sport has to offer and no, they never will be. But the heart that these men showed does speak to the warriors that participate in this sport.

In one of the more exciting bouts of the Elite XC card, Gina Carano went up against Kaitlin Young. Gina came in over weight, having to answer lots of questions about how she felt her performance would go, having only three weeks to prepare, and being labelled the face of female MMA. Hardly an ideal scenario coming into one of the biggest fights of her life. However, she got in the cage and risked her health and put on one hell of a performance for all of her fans.

Kaitlin Young too showed courage in this bout as she accepted the fight after finding out that Gina was almost five pounds heavier than her at weigh-ins. Was this a factor in the fight? I can't say for sure, but I do know that it is an advantage that Gina had going in. Kaitlin Young stepped up to fight the face of women's MMA and she too gave a performance that she and all her fans should be very proud of. This girl has a bright future in this sport.

WEC also delivered two instant classics. The two title fights that fans were treated to tonight showed us the incredible athletes that this organization has as well. How many times in these two fights could any one of the four fighters involved simply thrown in the towel and taken a loss and moved on? The fans were treated to brilliant displays of heart and courage in these two fights and none of the fighters involved disappointed. It's a shame that we had to have winners and losers in these fights. My congratulations to all.

Whether you believe these were some of the best fights you have ever seen, or if you believe that Elite XC had premature stoppages or huge mismatches in talent, the fact remains that it takes incredible heart to step into the cage in this sport. The fans should all take a moment to reflect on this and consider themselves incredibly lucky that we are able to watch some of the most talented athletes put their health on the line every time they walk into the cage to compete in the sport we all love. Hopefully this weekends events further showed this fact to the hardcore fans who knew it to be true in the beginning and that those who watched it for the first time have a new-found respect for the athletes who compete, whether they enjoyed the sport or not. It takes incredible guts to do what these men and women do and I for one am thankful and in awe of every one of them.

Kaitlin Young's New Found Fame

scottish_rage — Fri, 30 May 2008 21:07:13 -0000

As we all know by now Gina Carano failed to make weight - or even come close. Some people saw this coming, while others were sure that she would make weight and have a great performance come Saturday evening. As many people have pointed out, this is a very unprofessional move by Gina and as she is the face of female MMA, she must have expected this backlash, and probably has lost some fans.

Here is what I don't understand: How has Kaitlin Young managed to gain so many new fans? Congratulations Kaitlin, you made weight. This is what fighters do, yet suddenly, since she is a woman, we celebrate her for successfully completing such a small part of this entire process. Granted, it is very hard to cut weight, but my point is that every other fighter on the card, minus the obvious exception, made weight and none of us are celebrating this fact. Had Kimbo failed to make weight and Thompson successfully done so, does anyone here actually think that Thompson would suddenly have more fans and be celebrated for coming in under weight? Of course not.

Many people who are suddenly huge Kaitlin Young fans have probably never even seen the girl fight. Simply because she is a woman who is going about this fight in the right way she is celebrated. Every fighter on this card is taking their fights very seriously, and yes, I believe this does include Gina Carano. Both of these women are competitors and both should be celebrated for stepping into the cage Saturday night to give it their all. This can be said about every athlete on the card. Let's let the performance that Kaitlin Young puts forward on Saturday night be what gives her notoriety and a new fan base. Not the fact that her opponent failed to make weight and that she did. Placing the emphasis on the fight itself should be no problem for either of these women. I believe that both will come in ready to go and put on a great performance for the fans. Let's talk about what could have been done differently after that, shall we?

Dana White Taking Some Time To Get Used To

scottish_rage — Thu, 29 May 2008 22:09:13 -0000

Mixed Martial Arts is still at a stage of infancy and many of the progress the sport has made, mostly through the powerhouse that is the UFC, is thanks to the business practices of Dana White and the Fertitta Brothers. Over the course of time, many people have had various problems with Dana, though many of them warranted, and he seems to carry a bulls-eye on his back at every event held by the UFC. For the purposes of this article, I would like to stay away from arguments pertaining to Dana’s business practices and simply focus on one question: Does the way Dana White communicates hurt the UFC, as well as the entire sport of MMA?

You can find the man’s opinion everywhere and he is never running away from confrontation. In fact, he enjoys it and he welcomes it. He swears, ridicules some of his top fighters (see: Tito Ortiz), and simply does not carry himself like a president of a multi-million dollar corporation. However, is this a bad thing? Are we not watching MMA because it is different and you never know what to expect? Is it such a bad thing to have the excitement of the UFC carry on outside of the octagon where the fans never know what Dana might say next?

Many people take offense to the fact that Dana only wants the UFC to grow and fails to be making an effort for the sport in general to take major steps forward. I don’t recall the commissioner of the NFL being overly enthusiastic about the XFL of AFL when they were starting up? Of course Dana White wants the UFC to grow and for the competition to remain in his rear-view mirror. As business people, we all do. Take yourself for instance and think for a second. If you are a car salesman for BMW and someone mentions they may go and buy a Honda because it is cheaper and can still get them from point A to point B, would you turn around and tell them that is a good decision and that Honda has a lot to offer that BMW can not? Of course you wouldn’t. You would explain that BMW offers superior handling and comfort and that by choosing Honda, you aren’t really driving the best car possible.

The fact that Dana handles himself as he does definitely turns some people off of the sport, although I would argue that these people are not watching the UFC anyways. Those who do watch the UFC may tune in more regularly to press conferences and events to see what Dana White might say next.

I realize that there are many arguments to be made against the points that I have raised above, but it is my opinion that Dana is not hurting the UFC by the way he communicates with the media, his fighters, or the fans. Dana White is not David Stern or Roger Goodell, but then again, the UFC is not the NBA or the NFL. Isn’t that why we love it so much? Aside from the business aspect of the UFC, is there really someone else you would rather have on the podium after a huge UFC event?

Carano May Cause Backlash For CBS/Elite XC

scottish_rage — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:27:41 -0000

Much has been said about the first live mixed martial arts event to be shown on network television this Saturday. CBS is hoping to draw in a large amount of viewers who may not have been a fan of the sport in the past and simply wish to give it a chance on Saturday and see what they think for themselves. I'd imagine that many people who have heard this event is taking place and will be available for free on network television will be getting together with friends to watch a good night of fights and see if this sport is really as exciting as they have heard.

With Kimbo Slice headlining the event, it is sure to draw attention and we all know, whether you are a mixed martial arts fan or not, who Kimbo Slice is and what he's all about. Kimbo Slice is there to knockout James Thompson. It's as simple as that and anything less will be a disappointment for CBS, Elite XC, and the casual fan who may be tuning in for the first time.

As dedicated fans of this sport, most of us know who is on the undercard and the main card besides Kimbo and we know that there are many great matches to get excited about. How many casual fans can name anyone else on the card besides Kimbo? As as true fan of the sport, how many friends who may not be big fans know that Kimbo is fighting on CBS on Saturday night but can not even name his opponent, let alone anyone else on the card? How many people know that there are women on the card..?

It is my belief that many casual viewers will be completely turned off when they become aware that Gina Carano will be competing against Kaitlin Young this Saturday. Some viewers who are already turned off by mixed martial arts may tune in this Saturday and give it another chance but these viewers may turn it off the minute they learn that there will be women fighting on the card. The casual fan is simply not educated enough yet about this sport and do not understand that these women have put their hearts and souls into this training and take this sport very seriously. We have heard the argument that Kimbo is just a sideshow, so imagine what the casual fan will think when two women lock themselves in the cage and their fight begins.

I am a huge supporter of women in mixed martial arts. They train, sweat, and bleed just as much as the men do and they take their craft very seriously. However, if the (very) pretty face of Gina Carano is opened up on Saturday night and she is bruised and bloodied at the conclusion of the fight, CBS and Elite XC can expect some serious backlash come Monday morning.