MMA's 3'Rs 9.08.09: Rampage Out Of UFC 107, Dana Admits He Is Wrong, Don Frye Talks Mustaches, Brock Larson Gets No Respect, More

Posted by Larry Csonka on 09.08.2009

Rampage Jackson blows off UFC 107 so that he can join The A-Team, Dana White actually admits that he is wrong, Don Frye proves that he is a great man, Brock Larson continues to get no respect, Mark Kerr main eventing an MMA show in 2009 and Fedor and Mousasi play grab-ass! Check out the latest edition of MMA’s 3R’s for discussion of these topics and more!



* Welcome *
Welcome back! It's me again, helming the column as Matt has left the 411 to continue full time with his college career. I'd like to give Matt a BIG thank you for his time here at 411, as he always did a good job and his time was greatly appreciated. But with Matt gone, we are looking for a new author for THIS column! Here is the info:

411 is looking for new writers for our MMA section! If you love MMA and love to write, we want you on our team. Your writing needs to be spelling and grammar checked, be easy to read, and be well organized. You may also get the chance to interview MMA stars or represent 411 at live MMA events! It takes time (often a lot of time) and work (often a lot of work). We take this very seriously and so should you. Don't apply unless you are serious and plan to stick around.

MMA's 3R's Column - We want someone to take over the MMA's 3R's column. The column would be a weekly column breaking down the Right, wRong, and Ridiculous from the week in MMA. Topics covered each week would be a mix of news items, MMA shows (PPVs and TV shows from the week), fighters, etc. The author would determine which topics to cover each would and then would explain the Right, wRong, and Ridiculous of these topics. For an example, For an example, check out The 3R's of MMA.

* The Column Concept *
For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of the column, here it is. The column will look at events and or happenings in the world of MMA. They will be broken down into the three categories, the Right, the wRong and the Ridiculous. The Right will be the good and great fights or positive news items of the week. Perhaps even big fight announcements. The wRong will be bad fights, bad booking decisions and the like. Finally, the Ridiculous are the things that were just the worst of the world of MMA. They get grouped in their categories, and for a show, they will get a score from 1-10, based on the 411 ratings scale.


* And now, the 3R's of… MMA~!*


* The Topics *

THE RIGHT:



Randy Couture Locked Up With New Six Fight Deal: It was announced after UFC 102 that the fight with BIG NOG was the first fight on a new contract signed by Randy Couture. Couture and the UFC have come to terms on a new 6-fight or 28-month contract that will likely see the former multiple-time/two-division champion end his career in the UFC. This was an extremely smart move for both parties from a business standpoint. First of all, the UFC smartly locks up a man that is known to the main stream, and is a proven PPV draw. Couture, now 46, will be locked up through age 48. The UFC has essentially ended any hope of Strikeforce and or M-1 putting on a fight with Fedor under their banner. The UFC made a smart move here. They also pay respect to Couture, who said that this was a very good deal for all involved. For Couture, he shows his loyalty to the company that made him, and through that will also likely end up with a job after his fight days, as an ambassador and likely special commentator on PPVs. I think that this was a great deal for both parties, and I am glad that they came to such a deal.



Don Frye Blasts M-1 Global, Gives Mustache Growing Advice: I have not hid the fact that overall, I am not a fan of the M-1 promotion, and it seems as if I have good company because the man, the myth and the legend Don Frye hate them as well. Frye made several radio appearances over the last few weeks and discussed why he dropped out of the King Mo fight. First of all, he hated the event venue changes. It went from the Staples Center to the L.A. Convention Center. From the L.A. convention center to the Hilton in Las Vegas. From the Hilton in Las Vegas to an Indian casino on the Oklahoma-Texas border. From the Indian casino on the Oklahoma-Texas border to an Indian casino up in Tulsa, which is North Oklahoma. And from there up to Kansas City. Frye felt that this was VERY unprofessional, but h was still willing to work with them and fight. But the real story is that M-1 planned to spend right around $4 on promotion for the event, and didn't even plan to have pictures of Frye taken for posters, they planned to use old stock internet photos. Since Frye never officially had a contract, he bailed. M-1 CEO Joost Raimond then criticized Frye on the internet and questioned his motives for backing out, hinting that Frye may have been scared of fighting Lawal. Frye basically call him a douche bag and said that this should have never been discussed over the internet, instead, they should have dealt with it. I completely agree with Frye and support him pulling out, and this does nothing to make me change my mind about M-1. And if that is not enough, after discussing the situation on Wrestling Observer Radio, DEAR DON was on call, and was answering questions about life and love. Don was questioned about his magnificent mustache, and is he had any advice on growing such a great mustache. His answer was simple, "MUSTACHE RIDES." Why? Apparently pussy juice is his secret to getting that bad boy to look so good. Ladies and gentleman, Don FN Frye, a great man…



Dana White Admits He Is Wrong About UFC 102 Ticket Prices: UFC 102 ended up drawing 16,088 fans for a $1.92 million gate, the fifth largest gate in Oregon combat-sports history. Dana White had stated that due to the economy that he would be happy with 10,000 tickets sold. I do agree that they did do well for the first time in the market, but Dana White is also upset at himself for the structuring of the ticket prices…"I'm my own worst critic, and I got a lot of [expletive] critics, believe me. I'm a little disappointed that we missed the mark on this thing. I think as great as we did, we could have done better. I'm pissed off that we're not the No. 1 gate in the history of this place. That bums me out because I think we could have done it had we dialed it in right. But we're going a million miles an hour, jumping on all these things. I've got this thing priced, ticket-wise, for the same price I've got L.A. priced for. [Expletive] stupid. We messed up here. I'm a little bummed out about that."

I have to say, it is refreshing that Dana White can actually admit when he is wrong. He knew he was going into an area with lower income and a high unemployment rate, but the company still priced the show like a Vegas show, and that was obviously the wrong call to make. Leading up to the show, tickets, after a quick start, slowed dramatically, to the point that they actually made some deals for ticket purchasers. This is a very rare thing for the UFC to do. But as I said, the good news is that Dana and the company know what they did wrong, they admitted it, and hopefully they will change the sales appropriately in the future. I contend if they want to do a stadium show, they will easily sell out by offering the ultra cheap seats for $30 or so. A lesson was learned with UFC 102, and that is a good thing.

THE wRong:



RAMPAGE OUT OF UFC 107!: Quite possibly the biggest news item of the week was that Rampage is officially out of UFC 107. This is huge news because Rampage vs. Rashad was to be the big draw of the show, but instead of the huge fight, Rampage is joining The A-Team. Now let me get this out of the way, I have no problem with a dude trying to earn some major league bread, a man and his family have to eat. With that being said, I feel that Rampage slapped the UFC in the face and was extremely disrespectful in pulling out of UFC 107. Let's look at the situation. Rampage decided that he wanted to do the Ultimate Fighter again, because SPIKE loves him and he wants to make bank. Dana agrees, pairs him with Rashad as a coach and they are off and running. The Ultimate Fighter then becomes a 12-week or so hype special for Rashad vs. Rampage, which was to culminate at UFC 107. Dana also books the event in Memphis, RAMPAGE TERRITORY. So they make the fight, they have the perfect vehicle to push the fight, they are running into a new market with Rampage as the lead and look to do BIG BUSINESS. And then, Rampage essentially tells the company to screw off because of a movie role. Yes, Dana has every right to be upset. Yes Rampage doing the movie will get the UFC some press, and I have nothing against a guy making money, but he really did the promotion wrong here. While Rampage vs. Rashad will do fine when they eventually run it, it won't do nearly the money it would have in December. For shame Rampage, for shame, this is simply bullshit…





Dana White Not Interested In Five-Round Non-Title Fights: Five-round non-title fights have recently been approved, for special occasions, and it has been a hot topic discussion among MMA fans. Dana White commented on the possibility after UFC 102, saying… "I was saying [last week] I wish this was a five-round fight, Nogueira and Couture, and there's been other fights, too, that I've wished were five rounds," White said prior to UFC 102. "But I'm a purist, man. Title fights are five rounds. When you fight for the title, it's five rounds. My mom wouldn't want it at all. My dad would be all for it."

I understand and respect Dana's stance on this, but I disagree and think that he is wrong. I am all for this. I think that there are circumstances that present themselves that this will work for. First of all, I have always wanted the Ultimate Fighter Finals to be five rounds. Essentially they are fighting for a "title", sure it is a trophy, but I think that the finals could fall under this circumstance. Also, say we have a title match booked, and three weeks out, the champion falls and breaks a leg. You have the contender ready to go still and he wants to fight, and you have another contender willing to go. Instead of looking for an interim champion, I would use the special clause and use the five round fight to crown your undisputed #1 contender. Another circumstance that they could have used this would have been Royce Gracie vs. Matt Hughes. That was the definition of a special event, as was Couture vs. Big Nog. I think that if used sparingly, that this could be a great addition to the sport. The fact that Dana seems to not even want to consider this is a wrong in my book.



You Can't Choose Fights: I am a guy that hates when fighters try to pick fights. I don't want to hear that they are friends, that they train together or that they roomed together in college. You are a fighter, and fighters fight who they are told to fight, that's the deal. Joe Lauzon made me proud the other day when he talked about the possibility of fighting his brother in the UFC… "Me and Dan are so competitive anyway. We practically kill each other in the gym. I go way harder in the gym with Danny than I would with any of my other guys."

That's what I am talking about! None of that teammate shit or brotherly love, just let's fight! I want to see teammates fight. I want to see Rashad vs. Jardine. Hell, I want to see brothers fight. I want BIG NOG vs. LIL NOG, I want Lauzon vs. Lauzon, I want Diaz vs. Diaz. And let's spice it up, for brother fights, SPECIAL bonuses for KOs and submissions! Hell, buy me lunch and I will kick the shit out of my brother. Add a beer and I will kick my brother in law's ass! Thumbs up to Lauzon, but thumbs down to people trying to pick fights, fight who you are told and shut up. Lyoto, Silva, I am looking at you!

THE RIDICULOUS:



Brock Larson: No Respect: I am a fan of Brock Larson, and was extremely glad to see him brought into the UFC. I liked him in the WEC, but the man is ready for the UFC. The man is 26-2, and those losses were to Carlos Condit (22-5) in 2008, and Jon Fitch (19-3) all the way back in 2005! But since his arrival, the man has received no respect. RD1 submission on the PRELIM portion of UFC FN 18 and a RD1 submission on the PRELIM portion of UFC 98. You would think that he would be able to get some main card love, especially for a Fight Night card. He is fighting again at Fight Night 19, and once again, the man is on the PRELIM card. This is bullshit my friends. Who does this man have to kill to get onto a main card and get a real chance with the company? Brock Larson deserves more respect than he gets these days.



Fedor and Mousasi Grab-Assing: I touched on the idiocy of M-1 when discussing the greatness of Don Frye, and the last two items will deal with them. First of all, the "M-1 Breakthrough" event was a joke. Moved locations, fighters dropping off the card, and the general lack of star power hurt them. I had long said that if they were serious, they would have worked it out with Strikeforce to get a few of their guys and also had Fedor or Mousasi fight on the show. But instead of promoting the show, trying to get better fighters and or other stars besides King Mo, they decided that a 5-minute grab-ass session between Fedor and Mousasi was the way to go. And it was a joke. It was an obvious attempt to make Fedor look good as Mousasi was going so easy, like he was fighting Bablu again. There is a reason that the UFC didn't want to co-promote with these guys.



Mark Kerr Main Eventing An MMA Card In 2009: And to close things out, more fun with M-1 Global's Breakthrough event. I am sorry, but how sad is it when in 2009, you have MARK KERR main eventing an MMA event? At one time, Mark Kerr was THE SHIT. He was the Smashing Machine, a gladiator, and one bad ass dude as he started off 13-1-1. But since then, the Smashing Machine had gone 2-9 and had become a caved in ashtray and a shell of his former self. But the geniuses at M-1 decided that he would be a good choice to play can for King Mo.



I rest my case. Go away M-1 Global…

P.S.: Drop the shoes Mo, you're fighting in the U.S. now.


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KYRA says goodbye…