The MMA News Report 07.30.08
Posted by Morgan Marx on 07.30.2008
Big changes within the ProElite hierarchy, Affliction targets a major free agent, and a UFC main event fighter tests positive for banned substances. All this, plus thoughts on this Sunday’s WEC event headlined by Condit v. Miura!
THE READERS QUESTION
I knew training jiu jitsu would be tough. We've all heard the amount of dedication it takes to succeed at the art. I was fortunate enough to get a quote from BloodyElbow.com's Luke Thomas for a journalism final story and when talking about BJJ training he cautioned me that the first six months would be hell.
Still, I didn't expect to escape my first class battered, bruised, and bleeding. All right, bleeding might be a little strong, basically my knuckles, feet, and knees were scraped up. It still hurts.
But one class in, I love it. Sure, I couldn't escape my partners guard without rolling into mount or (somehow) a triangle. Sure, I spent the first 30 minutes getting tossed on my back with relative easy. But overall, it was a tremendous experience. I was convinced enough to come home and throw down cash on the most affordable gi I could find. No more borrowed training gear for me.
If any MMA fans have been thinking of taking up training some portion of the sport, I couldn't recommend it more. Find yourself a comfortable, positive school and go for it. I seriously doubt I'll ever become a threat to the bantamweights out there, though at 6' tall I could pose trouble. But so far, the experience of just trying has been great.
The Reader's Question: Any of you 411 readers train some portion of MMA? Anyone have some great first class stories?
NEWS LEG KICKS
Shaw, DeLuca Step Down from ProElite Positions
Both Gary Shaw and Douglas DeLuca have resigned from their positions on the Pro Elite Board of Directors, according to a SEC filings statement made by the company. Additionally, both Shaw and DeLuca have traded their titles at ProElite to assume consultant positions with the company.
Rumors of Shaw's impending departure from ProElite have swirled since the boxing promoter accepted a reduced role within the organizations due to health concerns. In June 411 reported that Adam Swift of MMAPayout fame was predicting Shaw's removal as president of Elite XC live operations. DeLuca's decision comes as a slight surprise. In the absence of Shaw, DeLuca was the most visible ProElite executive over past months.
Much of the coverage of Elite XC's recent Stockton event mentioned that Shaw was not to be found on the premise. Now we know the reason behind that decision. It will be interesting to see what influence Shaw's son Jared still holds within the organization.
Shaw remained a controversial figure in the MMA world. Some fans alleged that Shaw spoke negatively about MMA back when his boxing promotions were still thriving. However, Shaw successfully navigated Elite XC onto network TV and developed several major stars within the sport. While Shaw's decisions can be questioned, there's no doubt that he was a major player within the industry.
Stay tuned for continuing coverage of Elite XC and ProElite and what these changes mean for the organizations.
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz, currently an MMA free agent, may next fight under the Affliction banner. Ortiz is being tabbed as an opponent for Renato Babalu Sobral, according to Yahoo MMA Expert Steve Cofield.
One of the biggest stories to emerge from the Affliction: Banned post-event press conference was Sobral's apparent calling out of Ortiz. When asked about a potential fight with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Sobral replied that Affliction had promised him another fighter. While Sobral refrained from using Ortiz's name, the general consensus was that Sobral was referring to The Huntington Beach Bad Boy.
Current reports suggest that Ortiz v. Sobral would co-headline a fall Affliction date alongside Emelianenko v. Arlovski. While recent PPV and attendance figures from Affliction can be questioned, one has to assume that the generally positive reception of Affliction's first event, coupled with Ortiz's drawing power as a fighter, would make for a more successful second endeavor.
Ortiz is currently riding out the no-compete portion of his expired UFC contract. Much like Andrei Arlovski before him, Ortiz must wait before announcing his next fight destination. While Ortiz's in ring skills have certainly diminished, his almost-upset of Lyoto Machida served as reminder that the controversial fighter still has something to offer. While his price tag may be high, the added attention Affliction may receive from Ortiz's participation might be worth it.
UFC main event fighter James Irvin tested positive for both methadone and oxymorphone following his loss to Anderson Silva July 19. Nevada State Athletic Commission Director Keith Kizer confirmed Irvin's test result with MMAJunkie.com.
For Irvin, the positive test result continues a string of bad luck that included a severely injured knee, a foot injury that scrapped a bout with Rashad Evans, and a DQ victory over Luis Cane due to an illegal knee. While Irvin viewed his fight with Anderson Silva as a potential windfall, the UFC Middleweight Champion easily dispatched of Irvin via strikes in the first round.
At this point, the reasoning behind Irvin's test result is unknown. Perhaps injuries during training caused Irvin to rely on banned medication to prepare for the fight. Whatever the case, Irvin is likely facing a lengthy suspension and a fine for his transgression.
You thought you could catch your breath. You could take out the girlfriend, mow the lawn, or reconnect with your so-called social life. After weekends packed with MMA events – UFC, Affliction, Elite XC, Dream – you could finally take a break. Unfortunately, you forgot that the WEC is presenting yet another live card this weekend. Centering on three title fights, the organization returns to the Versus Network Sunday night. So ignore those upset text messages. Forget about yard upkeep. And remember we here at the 411Mania MMA zone are all the friends you need.
Let's take a look at some key issues surrounding Sunday's card.
1. Will MMA over saturation sink the WEC? The biggest factors that affected the sub par Elite XC ratings centered on poor promotion, lack of stars, and the sheer amount of coverage directed at the UFC and Affliction. Several of those same complaints can be levied at this WEC card as well.
Without a doubt, Urijah Faber has become the breakout star of the organization. Any event lacking his participation can be viewed as a secondary card. While homegrown stars like Carlos Condit and Brian Stann are developing into marketable names, neither has the presence of Faber.
The WEC's last offering shattered previous ratings records, based largely on the strength of Faber's name. The fantastic promotional video that introduced viewers to the showdown between Faber and challenger Jens Pulver also helped boost the audience. This Sunday's event is lacking in both departments.
Now, there's a big difference between the WEC and Elite XC. The WEC has already firmly established itself as a ratings draw for the lower-profile Versus Network. The Faber v. Pulver fight drew a 1.4 rating, a number very similar to what Elite XC ended up scoring. However, a 1.4 for Versus was seen as a coup for the organization, while a similar number for Elite XC has been portrayed as the first sign of a death rattle.
WEC 35 has probably suffered in the promotion department due to the packed MMA schedule. While a typical WEC event would garner a lot of Internet chatter, I haven't seen too many posts about Condit, Stann, or the other fighters on the card. However, the hardcore WEC fans (like myself) will be tuning in. The numbers may tumble a bit, but the WEC won't be seeing the same sort of backlash that greeted Elite XC employees Monday morning.
2. Has the WEC done enough to build credible title challengers? One area the WEC has succeeded wildly in is turning its champion into stars. Faber and Condit have both seen their profiles rise dramatically and both sit firmly ensconced in divisional top 10 rankings. Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres has gone from cult figure to breakout fighter, rising as high as sixth on some pound-for-pound rankings. Lastly, Brian Stann has become the WEC's crossover star, combining an intriguing (if sometimes over hyped) back-story with good in ring ability.
Unfortunately, the WEC is in the same boat with several other smaller promotions when it comes to title contenders. It's difficult for the organization to build up credible opponents with any sort of name value. Just look at the promotion for this Sunday's card. The event posters feature all three titleholders with no mention of the challengers. People will tune in to watch the titleholders defend their belts, not to see an opponent make good on his challenge.
Hiromitsu Miura is a solid contender, but nothing more. He impressed many with a game performance against Jason Miller in his WEC debut, and has improved with each successive victory after. But is he really the kind of fighter to be challenging a worldwide top 10 welterweight? The only thing making people question Carlos Condit's legitimacy is the depth of the WEC's welterweight division.
Brian Stann is in a similar spot. One could argue the weakness of the WEC's light heavyweight division based on Stann's ability to capture the title while still being relatively green. The fact that his first title defense comes against an opponent he defeated just last year (by first-minute KO) seals the deal.
Marcus Hicks might represent the "best" challenger on the card. Hicks has been featured on several episodes of WEC Wreckage and holds an undefeated record coming into his lightweight bout with Jamie Varner. Built like a mini Marvin Eastman (or mini-er I suppose), Hicks has a good back-story, great submission skills, and should be at least slightly familiar to WEC fans. Taking out Ed Ratcliff, a flashy fighter being groomed for a title shot, certainly helped raise his Q rating.
In the end, one has to assume that the WEC is hoping these three titleholders hold on to their belts. Of the three fights, the lightweight clash might represent the best chance for a new champion to be crowned. It's also the fight WEC officials would be most comfortable in seeing an upset occur. Losing the PR machine that comes with Stann, or the hardcore fan base that supports Condit would be detrimental to the WEC's cause.
3. The rest of the fights Overall, this is a pretty standard WEC card: some of the fights might not leap out at you, but by the end of the night, I'm sure we'll all be talking about the sheer entertainment value of the organization. While Stann defends against Steve Cantwell at 205, no other fights feature opponents over 170. The emphasis remains on the lighter weights, and I for one couldn't be happier.
The one fight that does intrigue me is a featherweight showdown between young fighters Micah Miller and Josh Grispi. Both fighters enter the event with impeccable records (Grispi is 8-1, Miller 9-1), loads of talent, and an outside shot at Urijah Faber's title somewhere down the road. Faber has faced a slew of short fighters, many featuring wrestling backgrounds. It might be interesting to see Faber taking on a fighter five or six inches taller than the California Kid.
Grispi is explosive and looks like a bright star, but Miller will present an interesting challenge. Miller trains with arguably the best camp in the world (ATT) and has great submission skills (especially a triangle). His lone loss in the WEC came when Cub Swanson ground out a victory, taking the fight down and surviving numerous submission attempts. It will be interesting to see just how developed Grispi's submission game is.
Elsewhere, Damacio Page and his awesome nickname ("The Angel of Death"? How great is that) face off against Brian Bowles in a bantamweight tussle. Miguel Torres will need challengers, and the winner of this bout may move into that position.
Brock Larson also appears on the card, taking on fellow Condit victim Carlo Prater. I'm still waiting for Larson to regain the momentum he carried into his title fight. While his fight appears on the "may not be televised" portion of the event, if Larson steamrolls through Prater in speedy fashion, I wouldn't be surprised to see it pop up at some point.
Terrible Fight Picks
Condit over Miura
Stann over Cantwell
Varner over Hicks
Page over Bowles
Miller over Grispi
Larson over Prater
Terrel over Avena
CONCLUSION
Next week we'll take a look at the UFC's Minnesota debut event. Can Jon Fitch be stopped? (Probably) Is Brock Lesnar for real? (I think so) Will I stupidly pick against Kenny Florian again? (I still haven't learned my lesson).
I have a great idea for the WEC to introduce title contenders, and almost marquee matches - if Zuffa does in fact buy the IFL - more fighters should go there than UFC. Guys like Hoidecki and Matishenko are already as big, if not bigger names than pretty much anyone in the WEC who does not hold a belt - maybe they could even do title unification matches.
Posted By: Jamie (Guest) on July 30, 2008 at 07:59 PM
