Five Ounces of Pain: Legends of MMA
Posted by Sam Caplan on 01.11.2007
Baseball's Hall of Fame just recently announced the latest inductees into their hallowed shrine. The announcements prompted Sam Caplan to devote this week's Five Ounces of Pain to a proposed "Legends of MMA" PPV that would feature many mixed martial arts Hall of Famers. Sam also has news on the UFC on HBO, Randy Couture possibly fighting Tim Sylvia, PRIDE 33, an extensive update on Fedor, and much more!
Last week we took a dip in the water of "fantasy booking" by recommending ten names that Elite Xtreme Combat should attempt to sign. This week we're going to take a dive in the deep end of "fantasy booking" by planning an entire promotion and its first fight card.
Perhaps you remember several weeks back when we suggested that some of the companies attempting to cash in on the mixed martial arts bandwagon try something unique by running a "Legends of MMA" pay-per-view. We thought we might expound on that novel idea in this week's column.
The pay-per-view market already seems oversaturated with Zuffa running more scheduled shows combined with PRIDE's plans of running more shows on U.S. soil. I simply don't know if there's room in the marketplace for promotions such as the IFL, EliteXC, BodogFIGHT, and the Gracie Fighting Championships.
If companies not named UFC or PRIDE want to succeed they are going have to do something different that's also compelling enough to make people want to part with hard earned cash. Professional golf has already shown us that a senior circuit can work with the PGA's "Champions Tour" so why can't the concept work in MMA?
The IFL has done an excellent job of incorporating many legends into their product as coaches but many of the names they employ can still fight. Maybe guys like Ken Shamrock and Bas Rutten can't fight against top competition, but they can still fight each other and put on a damn good show.
Nobody wants to see their favorite fighter from back in the day get destroyed by a fighter currently in their prime. However, people might be willing to pay to see some of their favorites fight one more time in a match they stand a chance of winning.
Let's take this idea a step further with an example of what a "Legends of MMA" card just might look like:
Main Event Match:Ken Shamrock vs. Bas Rutten
Comments: One key aspect overlooked in Ken Shamrock's two losses to Tito Ortiz during '06 was the condition Shamrock showed up in for each bout. While he lost both times in quick fashion, Shamrock showed up ready to fight. He might be over the hill in today's World of mixed martial arts but he could still kick the ass of just about anyone not among the sport's elite.
Rutten last fought in July on a WFA PPV against Ruben "Warpath" Villareal. "El Guapo" showed up for the fight shredded and disposed of Warpath with a vicious leg kick in the first round of the fight.
Based on their performances in each of their last fights, many might consider Rutten the favorite over Shamrock in spite of the fact that Ken holds two wins over Bas.
Co-Main Event Match:Royce Gracie vs. Randy Couture
Comments: This would obviously be the co-main event on the Legends card. Fighting someone like Gracie makes more sense for Randy at this stage of his career than coming out of retirement to fight a heavyweight champion in his prime (for more on that check out our News & Notes).
Randy would be the overwhelming favorite in this bout but just getting to see these two guys in the same ring or cage would be a treat considering they've never fought before.
Match:Mark Coleman vs. Don Frye
Comments: Coleman and Frye last fought at UFC 10 in 1996 with Coleman winning via strikes. I'd love to see another match between two of the greatest amateur wrestlers ever to transition over to mixed martial arts.
Match:Pedro Rizzo vs. Gary Goodridge
Comments: Goodridge doesn't have an impressive MMA record, with 22 wins against 15 losses and one draw. But his kickboxing background and sterling record in K-1 needs to be taken into consideration. In my mind, Goodridge belongs on any list of mixed martial arts legends.
Meanwhile, the new generation of MMA fans likely just missed out on Rizzo in his prime. One of the hardest hitters ever to step into a ring or an Octagon, he holds wins over the likes of Anderi Arlovski, Dan Severn, Mark Coleman (in his prime), Josh Barnett, and Ricco Rodriguez.
Match:Dan Severn vs. Mark Kerr
Comments: Is there a fighter in MMA that suffered a bigger fall from grace than Mark Kerr? If they did, at least they can say their fall wasn't chronicled for the World to see in an HBO documentary. A victim of rules changes and his own demons, Kerr was unstoppable in his prime. He recently attempted a comeback at an IFL event in November, losing to Mike Whitehead in the first round so the desire to compete is still there. The desire to compete is also still there for Severn. The UFC Hall of Famer and occasional pro wrestler still fights professionally at age 52. Severn is finding it hard to get licensed to fight so a "Legends" circuit would be perfect for him.
Match:Pat Miletich vs. Carlos Newton
Comments: The two former UFC Welterweight Champions fought each other at UFC 31 in 2001 in a match that people still talk about. Newton won via bulldog choke in the third round and Miletich never got a rematch. They are currently coaching separate teams in the IFL with both also fighting under the company's banner in 2006. Out of all the matches on this list, Netwon vs. Miletich is the one with the most chance of actually happening.
Match:Kimo vs. Tank Abbott
Comments: Kimo and Tank are two of the most controversial figures ever to participate in MMA and were also big time bad asses back in their day. Just think about how many new mixed martial arts fans have yet to experience the spectacle that is David "Tank" Abbott. The two have fought once before but a rematch between them would be quite a throw down.
The "Legends of MMA" concept just makes too much sense. According to various media reports, over 600,000 households and bars purchased UFC 60 this past May in order to see Royce Gracie take on Matt Hughes. The fact that so many were interested in seeing that fight is a prime example of how the nostalgia aspect of MMA has yet to be fully exploited. When a major company decides to use this concept just remember where you heard about it first.
News & Notes:
• Last week we told you Randy Couture was getting ready for a fight. However, we didn't know whether it meant another grappling tournament or if he would come out of retirement to fight in a mixed martial arts bout. Well, Couture confirmed on Wednesday via the Brawl Sports blog at the Houston Chronicle web site that he's indeed coming out of retirement. According to Couture, a match for the Heavyweight Title against Tim Sylvia will officially be made in the coming days. The match is expected to take place at UFC 68 on March 3 in Columbus, Ohio.
This is a bad idea on the part of Couture for several reasons. First, fighters the size of Sylvia is why Couture, a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, dropped down from Heavyweight to Light Heavyweight in the first place. It's just a bad matchup, as attempting to take down the 6'7'' Sylvia will be no picnic. Trying to stand with him isn't a smart option either, considering the current champ's reach.
There's also the issue that this is the busiest news cycle in the history of MMA that I can recall. Something as special as Couture coming out of retirement deserves the whole specter of the spotlight.
If this is what Couture wants then he would have been better served waiting until the summer to announce a comeback against a notable light heavyweight fighter such as Tito Ortiz or Renato "Babalu" Sobral.
• Also scheduled for UFC 68 is a match between Rich Franklin and Jason MacDonald. The card could be strong with matchups between Matt Hughes vs. Chris Lytle, Karo Parisyan vs. Josh Koscheck, and Mike Swick vs. Yushin Okami also rumored to be taking place. Martin Kampmann and Joe Stevenson are also likely to be added to the card in separate bouts.
• The PRIDE Fighting Championships announced on its web site Monday that Fedor Emelianenko has signed a long-term extension with the company. The announcement puts to rest any rumors that Fedor might sign with the UFC.
• Ads appeared this past Sunday in the print editions of the Orange County Register and Los Angeles Times for PRIDE 33, scheduled to take place on February 24 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The advertised main event is Dan Henderson vs. Wanderlei Silva II for Silva's PRIDE Middleweight Title. Henderson confirmed the match via his MySpace page on Tuesday.
• Cung Le was signed four-to-six weeks ago to fight at PRIDE 33. It doesn't appear as though Le signed a long-term contract with the company.
• According to MMAWeekly.com, Cage Rage British Welterweight Champion Zelg Galesic has signed a multi-fight contract with PRIDE. Galesic still has one fight left on his contract with Cage Rage.
• In addition to Le and Galesic, it's also rumored that PRIDE has signed James Te Huna. Te Huna could debut at PRIDE 33.
• Boxing writer Thomas Hauser of SecondsOut.com reported late Monday that HBO will televise at least three UFC cards in 2007. It's believed HBO has the option for at least three more additional telecasts.
• UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell was a recent guest on "MMA Weekly Radio" and corrected reports claiming he sustained an ACL tear while training for his UFC 66 fight against Tito Ortiz. Liddell said he suffered an MCL tear, not an ACL tear. He also confirmed that he suffered a finger injury prior to the fight as well. Both injuries will not require surgery and should heal with proper rest. Liddell indicated he plans to take the next four-to-six weeks off before attempting to resume training.
• According to the Houston Chronicle, UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk believes he'll be able to return from surgery to his right shoulder in time to defend his title in June. Sherk indicated he's anticipating fighting either Joe Stevenson or Spencer Fisher.
• BodogFIGHT's "superfight" between Fedor and Jeff Monson in Russia is believed to have been postponed. The fight was originally scheduled to take place on March 3 but is now expected to happen on April 7. UFC 69 has been scheduled for the same date in Houston, Texas.
• Another reason to believe that the Fedor vs. Monson fight has been moved from March to April is the fact that Monson has been booked to fight Wes "The Project" Sims at the Gracie Fighting Championships on January 20 in Miami, Florida. Sims was originally scheduled to fight Mario Sperry, who had to pull out due to injury. Also scheduled for the card is Nick Diaz vs. Thomas Denny, Frank Trigg vs. Ivan Jorge, and Jake Shields vs. Renato "Chrauto" Verissimo.
• The first WEC card under Zuffa ownership scheduled for January 20 in Vegas gained some momentum last week with the official announcement of the card. Urijah Faber vs. Joe Pearson for the vacant Featherweight Title and Kit Cope vs. "Razor" Rob McCullough for the vacant Welterweight Title were both confirmed. Josh Smith vs. Casey "The Underdog" Olson (lightweight), Carlos Condit vs. Alex "The Russian Nightmare" Serduykov (welterweight), and Alex Karalexis vs. Olaf Alfonso (welterweight) were also announced. A rumored match for the vacant Heavyweight Title between Jorge Oliveira and Doug Marshall has yet to be confirmed. Lodune Sincaid has also been rumored for the card but might not be able to fight due to personal issues.
• According to Dan Henderson, his training partner Jason "Mayhem" Miller was a part of the WFA buyout by Zuffa. Henderson claims that Zuffa wants Miller to be a part of the WEC. Miller reportedly has one fight left under his contract with Honolulu-based Icon Sport.
• The full debut card for EliteXC and their initial broadcast on Showtime on February 3 was officially announced last week. Frank Shamrock vs. Renzo Gracie is still scheduled. Other notable fights include David Loiseau vs. Joey Villasenor, Charles Bennett vs. K.J. Noons, and Wesley "Cabbage" Correia vs. Antonio Silva. Female fighter Gina Carano has been booked for the main card against an opponent that has yet to be determined. Meanwhile, Javier "Showtime" Vazquez is scheduled to appear on the undercard in his first MMA fight in three years.
• Speaking of EliteXC, one name I left off my list of recommended fighters they should sign last week is Eddie Alvarez. Maybe I am biased because like Alvarez, I'm from Philly too. He has the KO power and standup game that the promotion seems to favor. There aren't many welterweights out there that hit as hard as Alvarez.
• I received a lot of e-mail this past week inquiring about the current status of Brandon Vera. He has not signed with EliteXC or PRIDE, as was rumored on several message boards last week. That's not to say he won't sign with either company, simply that he has yet to sign a new deal with anyone. Vera and the UFC are at an impasse, due to a demand for a lucrative signing bonus. Right now the plan is to keep him on the shelf as long as possible before allowing him to finish out the final fight on his deal in a non-televised preliminary match. There's still a chance he could re-sign with the UFC. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if Vera lowers his demands as soon as the Couture vs. Sylvia title fight at UFC 68 is officially booked.
• Paul Buentello recently revealed on MMAWeekly.com's "SoundOff Radio" that a fight with notorious street fighter Kimbo Slice is in the works. The fight, which started out as an online joke, has a 60 percent chance of taking place, according to Buentello. The "Headhunter" also said he'd like return to the UFC once his Strikeforce contract is up and expressed a desire to fight Mirko Cro Cop.
• We loaded up on news this week because the sense I'm getting is that's what the readers want. If you liked the "supersized" version of our news & notes, e-mail me at SCaplan8@comcast.net. We also update news on a regular basis at: caplanmma.blogspot.com
Sam Caplan is a Philadelphia-based sports talk show host and freelance sportswriter. He's also an amateur mixed martial artist (and we do mean amateur) who trains out of the Mixed Martial Arts Academy of Philadelphia. Sam can be reached via e-mail at SCaplan8@comcast.net or you can check out his blog at: caplanmma.blogspot.com
