The Tuesday Takedown 12.18.07

Posted by Adam Morgan on 12.18.2007

In this week's edition of The Tuesday Takedown, we'll take a look at Randy Couture's statements from the weekend, UFC PPVs going up in price, the return of Evan Tanner, some big news for the IFL, a possible fight between the Shamrock brothers, and much more!

Randy Couture says the earliest he could fight Fedor is in October

Unfortunately, October's not going to cut it for most MMA fans. By that time, Fedor will have fought at least two fights against less than stellar competition in Hong Man-Choi and Pedro Rizzo. The matchup between Randy and Fedor is something that needs to be capitalized on right now. Strike while the iron is hot. Fans are beginning to question Fedor Emelianenko's status as the #1 pound for pound fighter in the world due to the competition that he's going to face in his first two fights under the M-1 banner.

What if Fedor loses? The chances of that happening are slim, but what if? A fight between he and Randy doesn't look so hot if Fedor gets caught by Choi or Rizzo. Even if he wins, fans will continue to question his status. As Fedor's allure wanes, the big money prospect of this matchup dwindles as well. It would be in the UFC's and M-1's best interest to make this fight happen sooner rather than later. What's the likelihood of that happening? Not very good.

The UFC is increasing PPV prices

Yep. Starting with UFC 80 in January, UFC PPVs will now be $44.95. How long will it be until superfights like UFC 79 are $60 PPVs? Oh well, I guess we can't complain too much. The UFC usually shows 5 or 6 good fights, which is more than I can say for boxing. Boring undercards are industry standard in boxing. Not in MMA. Sometimes an undercard fight will be the most anticipated fight on the card. You can't say that about boxing. Plus, we're hardcore MMA fans. Of course we're going to buy them or what the hell else would I have to write about?

BJ Penn has some choice words for Sean Sherk

From an interview with Steve Sievert of the Houston Chronicle:

That's what he is; he's a 'roider, huh?
The guy has been cheating for how many years? At least everybody knows now what everybody had suspected the whole time.
But honestly, I can't worry about Sean Sherk right now. I can't look past Joe Stevenson. I've got to beat him, or there won't be any fight with Sean Sherk, there won't be any fight with Matt Hughes.
As far as Sherk goes, he's going to have to sit on the side and wait while the two people fight for the real lightweight championship, not the 'steroid championship.'

Whoa. Is it just me or is BJ selling the shit out of this fight already? Even though he says he can't look past Stevenson, there's a lot of trash talking going down between him and Sherk. As much as I like Joe Stevenson, BJ needs to win so he and Sherk can settle this battle inside of the cage. Let's hope he takes care of business and we get to see these two battle.

Evan Tanner to fight in Columbus, Ohio in March

Really? I won't believe it until I see Evan step foot inside the Octagon. This whole time that everyone's been talking about his "comeback," I've always thought that Tanner was simply a charity case for the UFC. Would I like to see him come back? Absolutely. The middleweight division is in shambles right now and he brings excitement and a high motor to the Octagon. When Evan Tanner gets into the cage, you know you're going to be entertained. However, from what Evan's told us on his personal blog, he's not in any kind of shape to be fighting. Not physical shape, either. Mental shape. Tanner is a self-proclaimed alcoholic and said so himself no longer than one month ago. He told us on his site that he has spent far too much money on booze and has almost no money left at all. And now he's going to get inside the Octagon?

I've been thinking that the UFC is just helping Tanner out and getting him on his feet but that we'd never see him inside the cage again or at least not for a very long time. If he's able to come back, fight, and live a healthy and stable lifestyle in such a short amount of time, then good for him. I just hope he's making the right decision for himself. Evan Tanner is a good guy and one of the true gentlemen of the sport. To see him fall back into the same patterns as before would be a shame.

In other MMA news…

Ryan Gracie found dead at age 33

In a prison cell, no less. Sad to hear that such talent has been wasted. Reports are saying that Gracie stole a car, crashed it, and then tried to steal a motorcycle to evade the cops. He was found dead in his prison cell on Saturday. He tested positive for cocaine, marijuana, and crack cocaine. On top of that, while in prison, a doctor in Sao Paulo injected him with a concoction of medication that probably contributed to his death. The list is pretty extensive: Haldol (a powerful antipsychotic), Fenergan (which has a side effect of sleepiness), Topamax (for Migraines), Dienpax (tranquilizers), and OmniPlex (relaxant).

Wow, that's a pretty extensive list of some very powerful drugs. It's not a surprise that he didn't wake up from that concoction of drugs. Ryan Gracie, brother of Renzo, was never a huge superstar in the world of mixed martial arts but he was a talent. He had run ins with the law before, so this is nothing new for him. Too bad that this time it led to his untimely death. I'll remember Gracie for the talent that he was inside the ring and what he accomplished in BJJ and mixed martial arts. He was obviously a troubled soul but I only know of him what I saw in the ring and that's how I'll remember him. Rest in peace, Ryan.

IFL strikes a deal with HBO Latin American Division

The IFL has finalized a deal with HBO Latin America to broadcast IFL programming in 2008. That's big time, folks. While it may only be HBO Latin America right now, don't be surprised to see HBO as you and I know it begin to broadcast IFL programming sometime next year. The IFL is in a different situation than the UFC was when it comes to an HBO deal. The UFC had the leverage to demand what they wanted, for better or for worse. The IFL, however, is in a situation where they have to take what they can get. If that means giving up control over production of the product then so be it.

Jay Larkin, the new CEO of the IFL, used to run Showtime's boxing division so he knows a thing or two about premium cable sports broadcasts. The fact that it's in a ring also helps the IFL's cause. A lot of people are afraid of the look of the cage because, let's be honest, it looks barbaric. It adds different elements to a fight, sure, but for your 60 year old Dad watching at home, two guys fighting in a cage looks barbaric, plain and simple. The ring adds more humanity to the sport, something I'm sure HBO factored into their decision. Don't be surprised if this is a test run for HBO to see how the IFL does in Latin America. If it does well, expect to see the IFL on HBO sometime soon. Looks like the UFC fucked this one up.

Ken Shamrock says he's going to fight Frank Shamrock

At HDNet Fights this past weekend, Ken Shamrock said that he would be fighting his brother, Frank Shamrock. When and where, Ken didn't say, but made it clear that he was going to fight Frank. Do we really need to see this? Sure, there's the element of bad blood and everybody loves a good dramatic storyline, but chances are that Frank will beat Ken and beat him badly. Ken is well past his prime in mixed martial arts. If Tito Ortiz can destroy him three different times, what do you think Frank will do to him? Besides, as far as we know, Frank is fighting Cung Le in March to headline Strikeforce's event. Why would he risk not being healthy for that fight by entering a fight with his brother? It really doesn't add up. Ken's been known to say some off the wall shit on an almost monthly basis and I have a feeling that you can chalk this one up as one of those "WTF" moments that Ken always provides us with.

And, as always, I leave you with…

Off The Beaten Path

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's been a lot of videos recently. People like videos, though, so I keep bringing them to you. Anwyays, here's the trailer for a new mixed martial arts movie by the name of Never Back Down. Great. Anyone else surprised that Paul Walker isn't in this movie? I mean, fuck, it seems so fitting a movie for him to be in. Will I probably see it? Yes. Will I hate myself for it later? You betcha. Call it a guilty pleasure.



Adam Morgan is a site writer for Five Ounces of Pain.