The Tuesday Takedown 01.15.08
Posted by Adam Morgan on 01.15.2008
In this week's edition of The Tuesday Takedown we'll take a look at UFC on the verge of signing up with a big sponsor, Ken Shamrock signing with EliteXC, Frank Shamrock taking on Cung Le, and much more!
Ken Shamrock and his son, Ryan, have been signed to EliteXC
Wow. Give it up, Ken. The only fight Ken Shamrock should be thinking about at this point is a potential fight with his adopted brother, Frank. It would be a nice payday and a swell send-off from the world of MMA. Any other fight than that is a huge risk for Ken Shamrock at this point in his career. He hasn't been putting on game performances as of late. He's been getting his ass handed to him. His last win of note was over Kimo in 2004. Ken's days in MMA should be over outside of one novelty fight with his brother and it's a waste of money for EliteXC to spend the kind of money they likely spent for Ken Shamrock.
Mac Danzig vs. Mark Bocek at UFC 84
That's the word according to Monte Cox. I like Bocek but he hasn't really developed an all around mixed martial arts game yet. He's a black belt in BJJ and has decent wrestling but beyond that he doesn't have much else as of yet. He's one of these young guys who is trying to "grow up" in the UFC. That's a very tough feat unless you're a phenomenally gifted young fighter. A fight against Mac Danzig at his natural weight class of 155 lbs. will be a huge test for Bocek. It's likely that Danzig will take this one due to his overall experience and skill set, setting him off on the right foot in the UFC's stacked lightweight division.
UFC close to signing a sponsorship deal with Budweiser
Adam Swift of MMAPayout is reporting that several sources within the industry have told him that UFC is one the verge of singing a deal with the King of Beers. Budweiser's initial interest apparently had to do with UFC being on CBS but the CBS deal has since stalled. It should speak volumes about the UFC's product that Budweiser is still interested despite the lack of network television exposure. This could be the consolation prize for the stalling of the CBS deal and it's one I'd happily take.
WCO tries to pay fighters $100 guaranteed
The WCO event that was scheduled for this past Saturday was an absolute disaster. Apparently the CSAC found out at the 11th hour that there wasn't enough money available to pay the fighters and had to cancel the event. A report from Yahoo! Sports mentions the following:
With Garcia on the verge of canceling the show, Bellocchi had a meeting with the fighters, where he asked at least some of them if they would tear up their contracts, and sign new contracts that would only guarantee them $100 to fight, promising he would then pay them the rest of their promised purses later in the month. Bellocchi claimed to Garcia and Bassman that all of the fighters had agreed, but Bassman said when he called fighters, the ones he spoke with claimed they never agreed.
How shady does it get in this business? Unbelievable. Try to con a bunch of fighters to fight and risk their lives in a cage for you for $100 measly dollars? Is money really all that matters to some of these fucking promoters? It makes me sick. Some of these fighters, like Joe Riggs, have children to feed and mortgages to pay. They aren't full time fighters. Sometimes shows like this are what they depend on to help feed their children.
And a promoter is going to shit on them by asking them to fight for $100 and promise that they'll get their money later? Amazing what some people will do to make the show go on. At least because the commission cancelled the event, the WCO will be required to pay 20% of the fighters' purses.
Phil Baron signs with World Victory Road, wait, no he hasn't, wait, yes..yes he has
Who knows what the hell is going on with Phil Baroni right now. First we hear that WVR has signed him to fight Sanae Kikuta at "Sengoku," WVR's first show. Then Baroni's agent, Ken Pavia, comes out and says no, Phil has several offers and the offer from Japan is nice, but hey, we gotta weigh our options. Then yesterday we hear that not only is Phil Baroni back with American Kickboxing Academy but that he's also fighting for WVR at "Sengoku" and the fight was brokered by AKA.
Slap in the face to Ken Pavia? Why would Baroni have an exclusive manager and then go through his fighting camp's management to get him a fight? Was Ken Pavia just not getting the job done? It will be interesting to watch that situation unfold to see if Baroni's involvement with Pavia dissolves or if Pavia was indeed a part of the process.
Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le in March
While this is a big marquee matchup for the Strikeforce promotion, especially in San Jose where both fighters are a huge draw, it looks to be a lopsided fight on paper. Cung Le has yet to be truly tested on the ground, a place where Frank will surely look to take the fight. Frank is a submission wrestling master and could submit or ground and pound his way to a victory. Cung Le is as proficient as they come on the feet and brings Bruce Lee moves to life inside of the cage. Le has to be wary of throwing as many kicks against Frank as he does his other opponents for fear of Frank taking him down. If it stays on the feet, Cung has a chance. It's highly unlikely that the fight will stay standing for the duration, however, and Shamrock will most likely get the better of Le on the ground.
And, as always, I leave you with
Off The Beaten Path
Ladies and gentlement, prepare for your minds to be blown by the power of one Pedro "Stony Hands" Santos, a Rio Heroes fighter. One event after this fight, Stony Hands fought the entire second and third fight with a closed left eye and won the tournament. Perhaps now you can see why he is a legend in Michael Huckaby's eyes:
