Your MMA News, My Views 6.29.07
Posted by Larry Csonka on 06.29.2007
I have been looking forward to this all week.
INTRODUCTION~!
Welcome once again to another edition of Your MMA News, My Views! You guys have no clue how much I have been looking forward to this all week. Anything other than writing about, posting about, and or doing radio appearances about the Double Murder-Suicide involving the Benoit family. As Co-Webmaster of 411 I would like to apologize for any downtime issues you have had with 411 this week. As you can imagine by the mainstream coverage, 411 experienced web traffic the likes of which we have never seen. This led to the site being slow or for people being unable to log on at all, and the forum being shut down at times to properly divert resources. Again, we apologize for this inconvenience, and thank you for sticking with 411 through this.
And to pay back my MMA brethren, I will do some MMA links first because they deserve it as they have been working just as hard regarding MMA as we have been with this tragedy. Show them some love!
MMA LINKZ~!
Tons of great stuff to read this week from the 411 MMA crew!
ZUFFA (UFC/WEC/PRIDE) stories, scuttlebutt and rumors:
Your News: In an interview with the Oregonian, a Portland-based newspaper, Dana White uttered a handful of words many fans have been waiting to hear. The UFC President stated Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, charismatic Chute Boxe star and PRIDEFC ace, will be making his Octagon debut on September 22nd at UFC 76. For those keeping record, UFC 75 is also in September, so prepare for a double-dose of action this Fall. White had the following to say about Rua...
"He's signed and ready to roll...You couldn't meet a classier guy in your whole life."
White also touched on the subject of Fedor Emelianenko, saying the PRIDE Heavyweight Champion is moving "close" to inking a deal with the Zuffa enterprise. Fedor is thought by many to be the best fighter in the world and would be a obviously be a huge signing for the UFC.
My Views: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua is a name people have wanted to see in the confines of the UFC for a long time. He is 16-2 and his last loss came to Mark Coleman in 2006, due to him suffering a broken arm. In his 16-wins, he has 13 by (T)KO. Rua is a very exciting addition to the UFC, I just wonder where he will fight weight class wise. He usually weight in at 201, so he could be a small light heavyweight, or a big 185 fighter, depending on how he wants to cut. As for FEDOR, I would love nothing more than to see him in the UFC. FEDOR is 26-1 in MMA and has not lost since 2000! People have wanted it, they have always wondered how he would do in the UFC environment and hopefully we shall see this, and soon.
Your News: MMA on Tap is reporting that Joe Doerksen will face PRIDE star Paulo Filho, scheduled to take place August 5th at WEC 29. There has been a lot of speculation where Filho would land, with the WEC projected as a likely destination.
My Views: Paulo Filho is 14-0 and comes from the Brazilian Top Team camp. Of his 14 wins, 7 of them are in PRIDE with 4-wins by submission and 3-wins by submission. I feel that Filho is a great acquisition for the WEC, and obviously is he shines there, it will not be long before we see him in the UFC.
Your News: Good news today for MMA fans hoping to see the Ultimate Fighting Championship cement itself in the mainstream as a legitimate sport! Earlier today, ESPN announced nominations for their annual ESPY Awards, as well as a new category - "Best Fighter". The event, held since 1993, allow fans to vote for individuals/teams they feel have represented excellence in sports-related performance.
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture were amongst five names nominated in the "Best Fighter" category. Each of the charismatic fighters have had a year to remember both personally and in the fans' minds. Couture captured Heavyweight gold this past Spring, the third time in his career, in an awe-inspiring five round decision win over then-champion Tim Sylvia. The fight capped off a thirteen-month retirement on the heels of losing by knockout to Chuck Liddell and was truly a "Disney" moment. "Rampage" Jackson scored a decisive victory on May 26th over the afore mentioned "Iceman", taking the title in only his second UFC fight.
Other fighters nominated in the "Best Fighter" category are boxers Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Manny Pacquiao. The ESPY's will be televised on Sunday, July 15th from the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Check your local listings for the time of broadcast.
My Views: This is a very big deal. As we discussed before, MMA getting play on ESPN in and of itself is a big deal. But now, when you add into it that they will be included in the ESPY awards, it is just another shot in the arm for MMA as a whole and a great accomplishment for Rampage and Randy. Now they have some stiff competition in Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Manny Pacquiao; but the MMA movement is huge, with the large online following. If you are a fan of these men, they get your vote on. For the first time in the 14-year history of the ESPY's you have the chance to vote on MMA. Make it count kids; this is really big.
Your News: The marquee match-up featuring baseball's two most talked-about players, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez, was no match for Spike TV's telecast of the much-anticipated rematch between former UFC champions BJ Penn and Jens Pulver amongst young men on Saturday, June 23.
The Ultimate Fighter 5 finale on Spike TV drew 300,000 more Men 18-49 and 261,000 more Men 18-34 on Saturday, June 23 than the coverage of the Yankees and Giants on Fox earlier that day. In fact, during primetime, the 3-hour Spike telecast (9:00pm-Midnight) outdrew anything else on television – cable or broadcast -- with Men 18-34 and 18-49.
"The reason our UFC programming consistently beats all other sports on broadcast, cable and pay TV is The Ultimate Fighter's ability to build stars like Manny Gamburyan and Nate Diaz who resonate with our audience, stated Kevin Kay, General Manager, Spike TV.
Overall The Ultimate Fighter 5 finale reached 2.6 million people with a 3.0 rating in Men 18-34 (834,000), 2.6 rating in Men 18-49 (1.4 million), and a 2.00 HH rating. The telecast peaked with 3.4 million people at 11:30pm for the Penn-Pulver fight.
The UFC event also knocked out HBO's boxing telecast of Ricky Hatton vs. Jose Luis Castillo, which aired head-to-head that evening. Despite it being HBO's most watched fight of the year for Men 18-34, Spike drew 153% more Men 18-34 and 106% more Men 18-49. Overall, the Spike finale drew 800,000 more total viewers.
Spike TV's UFC ratings easily ran over competition from NASCAR on ESPN 2. The Ultimate Fighter 5 drew 393% more Men 18-34 and 195% more Men 18-49 than the live coverage of the Busch Series AT&T 250.
In the main event on Spike TV, Penn submitted Pulver in the second round of their hotly contested rematch. In the co-main event, Nate Diaz became The Ultimate Fighter 5 victor as his opponent Manny Gamburyan tapped-out in the second round with an injured shoulder.
My Views: It is just more and more proof that MMA is sweeping the nation. When the UFC is out gaining "America's past time" baseball ratings wise, then that is a major deal. It is also a great thing because it was a 3-hour show, a show that was on from 9-midnight and honestly a show that drug a bit. But it as a good show, action, controversy (which people love) and in the end they looked to make some new stars. All in all, this is good stuff.
Your News: Dana White confirmed that they have released Ken Shamrock, who has one fight left on his contract. White felt Shamrock couldn't compete at the UFC level any longer.
My Views: I have to disagree with this move. Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz are the main reason that MMA is getting the mainstream coverage they are. I say this because it was the ratings and demo breakdowns coming from their TV match, along with the PPV numbers UFC had done that got them this. Ken Shamrock, while I agree that he is not able to compete at the level that the UFC is at right now, is still a draw and releasing him with one fight still inked is foolish. While he should not be in a title fight anytime soon, or even against a contender for various reasons, you can still use him for a fight and for his name. You can try to bring someone in, Gracie before his steroids suspension, BAS and or what not. But now with him out of the UFC, I would fully expect Elite XC and or Strikeforce to ink him to a deal. Maybe Strikeforce could try and promote Shamrock vs. Shamrock? Anything, but I think that UFC missed the boat for a good TV rating and or some padding to a buy rate. UFC's throwaways could be someone's gain.
I Need a Laugh~!:
Again I bring you UFC 75: Unacceptable!
AND How the mighty have fallen aka Bob Sapp defeats himself...
Other MMA News…
Your News:PRIDE veteran Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou has signed what is called a "lucrative" four-fight deal with Elite XC. Sokoudjou had previously mentioned that he was in talks with the UFC over a contract that he felt was less than stellar and rumored to be in the $20,000 per fight range.
My Views: Sokoudjou, a Judo specialist, made a name for himself with back-to-back KO wins over top 10 LHW fighters Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona at back-to-back PRIDE events in early 2007. This is a HUGE pick up for Elite XC, who seems to have things going very well thus far. They are not trying to run too many shows, are picking up good talent and that is good for MMA as a whole, especially with PRIDE as we know it gone.
Your News: Armando Garcia explained what wouldn't be allowed during the Elite XC/Strikeforce show; including swearing, lewd gestures, antagonizing T-shirts and hats, face paint in the ring carrying an opponent and entertaining the crowd or anything that isn't a 100% in earnest effort to win at all times.
My Views: Well face paint was no issue since "Warpath" wasn't on the show, insert laugh here. Anyway, while I appreciate the work of Armando Garcia and the CSAC, dude, come on, stop trying to take the fun out of fighting. Don't get me wrong, I want to see fighting, but Frank Shamrock mimicking that Baroni was going to sleep and then doing it was nothing short of tremendous. I wonder if HE will be fined?
Your News: Edson Berto replaced Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett in his match with Victor "Joe Boxer" Valenzuela. Bennett was actually released from Marion County Jail in Ocala, FL early that morning, but missed the last flight that would get him to San Jose in time for weigh-ins. He claimed he was stuck in traffic.
My Views: Berto won the fight via Submission in the 1st Round, with a heel hook. This was not what they wanted to happen as they were hoping that Joe Boxer would win so that they could build to the rematch with Bennett, who is coming off of a win at the last Elite XC Show. They can still do the fight and probably will, but it will have some of the luster gone from it.
Your News: The California State Athletic Commission released official numbers today regarding the June 22nd Strikeforce/EliteXC event emanating from San Jose, California. The event headlined by Frank Shamrock taking on Phil Baroni from the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship also featured Murilo "Ninja" Rua successfully defeating Joey Villasenor to become EliteXC Middleweight Champion.
The arena's capacity is listed as 12,632 with 8,584 tickets sold and 1,088 "exempt" seats filled. This made for an attendance of 9,672 with the box office claiming $721,210 in gross receipts.
My Views: Damn fine numbers for a company that not many know about, with a lot of fighters people don't know about. They don't have the UFC exposure, sure they run the Showtime hype specials, but not everyone has Showtime. I feel that they are doing well, and it may be in their interests to keep working together, although I highly doubt that.
Your News: Graciefighter.com is reporting that Nick Diaz, who is signed with ProElite, has requested to face Frank Shamrock as soon as possible. After a spectacular win against Takanori Gomi, Diaz seems intent on enrolling himself for higher profile fights. With both fighters fighting in the same organization this fight seems the logical next step in what would be as an MMA fan's dream come true.
My Views: When asked for comment, Diaz stated, "I watched his last fight and no disrespect intended but I think I would whoop his ass. A formal offer of intent has been delivered to the promoters to set this fight up and now we await their response." That is awesome! Crazy Diaz is cool with me. Now some feel that there is no way that Shamrock will take the fight. First of all they think there is no money is the fight, because Diaz isn't "a big name." Also, there is the fact that Diaz is a skilled guy that could be a dangerous opponent for Shamrock. If they do the fight, the promos will be WACKY and that will be great!
Your News: The Hollywood Reporter, a popular entertainment publication, has released information stating mega-producer Mark Burnett is teaming up with ProElite to develop a new "primetime reality television series" focused on MMA. Burnett is perhaps best known for his role in creating Survivor (as well as a number of other successful shows using the "reality television" format). The agreement states Mark Burnett Productions will produce the series and the fighters involved would be signed by ProElite Inc. (who owns EliteXC). The companies then plan to share revenue from the series and related PPV events. Part of the deal also states Burnett "gets the right to buy up to seventeen million shares of ProElite".
Burnett has stated his interest in combat sports before, attempting to create a MMA-based reality show in 2002 and also having produced NBC's "The Contender".
My Views: Now THIS is very, very interesting. Mark Burnett has a track record with his reality shows, and basically if he has a sound idea he will get a shot at producing a show. Add his track record in with the fact that MMA is blowing up and this has a chance to be very interesting. Now Mark Burnett is going to work with Elite XC, and this, if it goes forward could be HUGE for Elite XC. Of course this is all speculation, but something like this could really, really push Elite XC into a brighter light, and if that happens that will be great for MMA as we could actually have some competition for the UFC, and we all know that competition is GREAT for business. I an very intrigued by this.
For more interesting information on wrestling and MMA, check out Bryan Alvarez and Figure Four Weekly Online!
