Grabbing The Cage 02.16.08
Posted by Andrew Mellick on 02.16.2008
Andrew Mellick debuts 411's latest MMA news report, Grabbing The Cage! From Kimbo and Tank to DREAMS and Cro Cop, it's all inside and one click away!
Hello and welcome to the inaugural edition of Grabbing the Cage your weekend source for all things MMA. Now I know what your thinking, "Hey, its Saturday why am I reading?" Well, that's a very valid question. However, the answer to your question will soon be evident as you make your way through this masterpiece. You see I ain't ever been much on book learning as you will see through my writing. Thus I am relegated to the Saturday news slot.
"So why ‘Grabbing the Cage'?' you may wonder. Well, for starters it's Saturday morning (afternoon) and after the night you've had you probably could use a little assistance walking. But honestly the name has to do with my philosophy on life, no matter whether you're flipping burgers, working a desk job, or your an MMA superstar, nobody wants to be slammed brutally on their ass. It's what separates us from the animals. Alright, enough of your inane questions; on with the show!
The Week that was
Big Nog has no friends
The big news this week is the announcement of Mirko Crocop's exodus from the UFC. While his illustrious career garnered him a very lucrative contract to work in the octagon, his record since signing with Dana and Co has been a disappointing 1-2 with a recent loss to Cheick Kongo leaving people to wonder if he would retire.
However, retirement seems to be the last thing on the Croatian's mind as he has now emerged in DREAM, a new MMA outfit headed up by Fight Entertainment Group, the parent company of K-1. Rumor has it that the UFC wanted to renegotiate their contract with Crocop after his less than stellar start.
This leaves Antonio Nogueira looking around saying "Where did everybody go?" But don't worry Big Nog you still have Randy Cout…Fedo…Andrei Arlov…well you've got your health right?
DREAM a little dream
So what is the deal with Crocop's signing with an unknown fighting outfit? Well, DREAM as previously stated, is being headed up by FEG the parent company of K-1. Also in this DREAM mix are some of the top dogs from Pride. So even though they are new they definitely have some veteran experience in the fight game working for them.
The company has already planned out the first few shows, kicking off lightweight and middleweight tournaments with light heavyweight down the road. Crocop is also expected to debut March 15th.
Perhaps the biggest news is the partnership DREAM has worked with M-1 Global, the other upcoming MMA organization who has Fedor. Could this be the opportunity for a rematch between the two Pride superstars? I hope so, but I hope they give it a while and let Crocop get back on the winning track before they throw him to Fedor.
But the question remains, can these two organizations work together and revive the Japanese market? Only time will tell but there is a lot of knowledge and passion for the sport of MMA here. Couple that with the desire to see another fighting outfit fill the void in Japan that Pride left behind and we may just be on the cusp of a Pride revival...or a miserable failure.
If you ask me there is a sure fire way to catapult DREAM to the top of the food chain. That is to hire back the female announcer, who introduced fighters for Pride. Her shrill banshee cry is worth the price of a pay per view alone! Make it happen, DREAM!
Get Psycho or not
UFC light heavyweight and Nicholas Cage impersonator Stephan Bonnar had to pull out of his upcoming fight with Matt Hamill due to a complete tear of ligaments in his left knee. When reached for comment Bonnar said "Steroids, I need more steroids!" Too soon?
Am I the only one who finds it creepy that a guy nicknamed "American Psycho" is going to have his torn ligaments replaced with those from a cadaver? Bonnar should have played it up "Yeah, its no big deal, I'll just swipe the ligaments from that drug dealer I killed last night" then given the crazy eyes. He'd be way cooler in my book then.
Replacing Bonnar is Tim Boetsch, who served as a replacement facing David Heath at UFC 81. If you will remember, Boetsch made Heath look silly by beating the hell out of him and literally throwing him to the ground before picking up the TKO.
This should be an interesting fight, both of these guys have wrestling backgrounds and both of them have a propensity for violence. I think I'd give the early call to Hamill. While Boetsch looked impressive, Hamill looked leaps and bounds better in his fight with Bisping. In any event, it should be a hell of a fight.
Lonely in Lindland
In an interview with TAGG radio this week Matt Lindland, let the world know that the UFC has no desire to hire him back. If you remember back in August of 2005 Lindland was handed his walking papers by the UFC with the flimsy excuse of wearing a non sanctioned logo to the weigh ins.
Apparently this is not water under the bridge yet because when Matt contacted the UFC telling them he'd like to possibly negotiate a new contract, fight maker Joe Silva said "Dana is not going to make you an offer of any kind". So that shuts the door on that.
I'm not sure why the UFC has so much animosity for Lindland (I'm not buying the logo excuse). Maybe he isn't the most exciting fighter in the world, but he does have pedigree and that is something the middleweight division sorely lacks. Maybe its fear, maybe Dana fears Lindlands oversized head and alien type features. Whatever the reason, it doesn't look like Lindland will "phone home" anytime soon (ya get it?).
Cuban and Couture?
In an odd bit of news Mark Cuban is suing the UFC for a declaratory judgment concerning the contractual status of Randy Couture. Now I'm no big city lawyer (surprise!) but does this mean Mark Cuban is suing for information? Isn't that the legal equivalent of buying a Playboy to read the articles? Come on! You're suing them anyways; why not ask for some cash or tickets to a show or Melvin Guillard's email address!
I'm not sure what Cuban expects here. I really don't see Dana laughing this off "Ok, you got us, we have no legal recourse. Have fun with Couture!" I bet Dana and the Fertittas boys have all their lawyers on speed dial right before their mothers and right after Chuck Liddell (Oh no he di'int!)
I'm Street!
Elite XC is airing there next Showtime extravaganza tonight. The card is a pretty impressive collection of former UFC vets and other recognizable names in the sport.
But none of them matter because tonight we have the greatest match up since King Kong vs. Godzilla (it did too happen!). That's right, David "The Tank" Abbott vs. Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson! Now I've heard people say that Kimbo is an embarrassment to the sport. Well those people are idiots. The man had a handful of street fights, put them on the web and became an underground phenomenon. That's genius!
I don't care if the man doesn't have the finesse of a BJJ practitioner; he beats the crap out of people. He is tough as hell and deserves all the respect he gets. Tank Abbott on the other hand was a legend in the sport but he is on the downside of his career. I expect a thorough thrashing and the title of premier street fighter to rest solely on the massive beard of the great Kimbo Slice.
Oh yeah and here is the rest of the card…
Big time (televised card)
Tank Abbott (9-13) vs. Kimbo Slice (1-0)
Ricco Rodriguez (27-7) vs. Antonio Silva (9-1)
Kyle Noke (13-4-1) vs. Scott Smith (14-4)
Yves Edwards (32-13-1) vs. Edson Berto (13-4-1)
Brett Roges (7-0) vs. James Thompson (14-7)
A for effort (preliminary card)
Rafael Feijao (4-1) vs. John Doyle (6-2)
Jon Kirk (10-2) vs. Yosmany Cabezas (4-0)
Dave Herman (9-0) vs. Mario Rinaldi (6-2)
Eric Bradley (2-1) vs. Mikey Gomez (6-3)
Mike Berhard (3-0) vs. Lorenzo Borgameo (2-0)
Don't drop the soap(box)
This is where I sound off on whatever I deem soundoffable in the world of mixed martial arts. This week, I am examining the way the UFC treats its talent.
Crocop's exit is yet another sign that the UFC's strong armed tactics when it comes to contract negotiations are starting to wear thin. Dana can say what he wants about other MMA organizations being just farm leagues for the UFC, but those "farm leagues" have effectively siphoned away a good portion of the top heavyweights out there. It's going to be interesting to see if other fighters follow this trend. Not everybody can win all the time and if the UFC continues to low ball fighters who aren't hot at the moment, it's only a matter of time before we see more big names depart from the company.
The fact that the UFC wants to cut pay for fighters who aren't winning is downright insulting. You never hear about a fighter getting his contract raised after a few wins. This penny pinching is absolutely ridiculous. Could you imagine if the NFL wouldn't have raised player salaries over the last several years despite their growth and success? There would be no NFL.
The kind of culture that the UFC is creating is one that says it doesn't matter what your legacy is, what have you done for me lately? Dana will sing the praises of any fighter who will take a fight on short notice, fight with injury or the like. Look at Wanderlei Silva, Dana said that he would never sign with the UFC simply because the guy was moving and he needed two more months than what the UFC demanded to prepare. Bottom line, it isn't about your name your record or anything else, it's about absolute compliance.
The purchase of Pride had the whole MMA world believing that the UFC would be the dominant force in the sport. This should be their time to snap up the top fighters in the world, make all the matches the fans want to see, and start raking in the money. However, if they continue to piss fighters away because they are too cheap, there are more than enough MMA outfits that will be happy to pick them up. Who knows in five years we could be looking at the UFC as just another MMA organization. If something doesn't change within the UFC chain of command it almost seems inevitable.
Ok, moving on.
Deep thoughts with: Tank Abbott
This weeks deep thought comes from the philosophical lips of non other than Mr. Tank Abbott. When asked if he thought his upcoming fight with Kimbo would end in a quick KO of the internet brawler Abbott had this to say:
"I don't see it going any other way. I can do anything I want to him, but what fun is that? I like to knock people out. I can go 15 minutes holding my breath standing on my head. So it could be the 14th minute or the first minute, whenever he runs into one."
…ok.
This does shed light on Tank's game plan, basically just keep swinging at the same spot and eventually Kimbo will run into his fists. Kind of like playing with Haggar Final Fight! I have to say I really don't see this going Tank's way. But what do I know, if nothing else maybe Tank will flood the place with water and wait for Kimbo to pass out, seeing as Tank can hold his breath for 15 minutes and on his head no less!
What have we learned this week?
Well, we've learned that even American Psycho's get owies. We've also learned that it doesn't matter who you are unapproved logos are the kiss of death. Mark Cuban likes to sue people for very boring things, a DREAM is stirring in the ashes of Pride, and finally, we learned that Tank Abbott can hold his breathe well past the limits of what would make a regular man legally brain dead.
End scene
Well thanks for joining me on our fantastic voyage. Hope to see you all next week. Enjoy Kimbo vs Tank, it should be a real chess match of MMA prowess (insert heavy sarcasm).
