UFC Ongoing Thread (1 Viewer)

[Mikah Cerucco]

One thing that's taking me some time to get used to is how they announce what stars will be fighting without saying who they'll be fighting. "Come see Matt Hughes fight!" Um, who? I'd like to think the interest would be greater for, say, Hughes vs GSP 3 (as an example) than Hughes vs the first fighter eliminated from The Ultimate Fighter Season 4.

 

[Andres Munoz]

UFC 68 is looking good!

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

Keep in mind that UFC 68 is not until March 3 and this was a press release announcing the vent location. In due time you'll know exactly who Matt Hughes is fighting and you'll probably know it before UFC 67 next month.
You'll never see a deal where UFC says, Matt Hughes is fighting, pay $40 to find out against whom. It is likely at this point that they don't even have the opponents lined up for Hughes and Franklin and maybe not even Sylvia.

Hughes wanted Diego Sanchez on this show but that is not going to happen and its a good thing because had UFC booked that they would've been so foolish.

 

[Andres Munoz]

Casey, I agree re: Diego Sanchez. He needs to get a title shot and even though fighting Hughes would be great, he's not the current champion.

To me, Sanchez is the next logical contender for the title, even over Serra. But they need to honor what they promesed on the Ultimate Fighter TV show.

 

[Robert Anthony]

Hey guys--

--I'm gonna have Randy Couture and Matt Lindland in studio this friday. Anything you wanna toss at em, lemme know, I'll try and work it in. I've got some stuff I wanna ask Randy, especially regarding Cro Cop, ESPN and Liddell (who I think is nigh unbeatable for the forseeable future) but if there's anything else you want fleshed out, lemme know.

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

WEC's Vegas Debut beginning to take shape I'm familiar with a few of these names.

The reason a Hughes/Sanchez match would be a mistake is because of the 2 possible outcomes neither does as much for UFC as having them wait until after Hughes/GSP 3.

If Hughes wins then you've sacrificed Diego's momentum for a man that doesn't really need the rub of being the first guy to beat Diego.

If Diego wins then you've hurt Hughes/GSP 3 because now GSP's not the only guy that can beat Hughes at this point in his career.

Sure, Hughes/Diego will draw money but not as much as if the scenario plays out like this.

Hughes fights in March and wins.
GSP fights Serra in April and wins.
Diego fights in May/June and wins.
Hughes fights GSP in July.
Loser fights Diego in October.
Winner of October fight faces champion in December or February.

By the time you have Diego fight either GSP or Hughes, you've already had the third fight between them so you don't risk killing that fight off if Diego walks out the winner. At that point with another win or 2 Diego has more momentum and so it doesn't stall him as bad with a loss to either guy.

So compare the 1 payoff of them fighting in March to the 3 potential payoffs by waiting. Sure, maybe a loss to Diego wouldn't hurt Hughes so bad going in to a rematch with GSP but I'd be willing to bet that it would and I'd also say why even risk it in the first place? Especially if you don't have to.

 

[Andres Munoz]

Robert, just curious, is your interview for a radio or tv show?

We've discussed this topic amonst ourselves here but it'd be interesting to hear it from someone working directly for the UFC. It has to do with wrestler Kurt Angle. Can you ask Randy what are his thoughts about Kurt Angle wanting to fight in the UFC and what the chances are of this really happening?

Thanks.

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

Robert let me think on this and I'll get back to you if I think of anything.

I feel the opposite of Andres in that I don't think you should ask him about Kurt Angle at all. Why encourage Angle's insane rantings? Yes, Kurt Angle recently said that he would fight Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture or Daniel Puter in an MMA fight in 2007. Kurt Angle has also said that TNA would soon be the biggest wrestling company on earth, that he was involved in every single 1 of the top 10 matches in WWE history and that he quit painpills cold turkey with no trouble.
Andres, angle will not fight in UFC, Dana White has answered this question already. Yes, they talked about bringing Angle in but that ended when Kurt Angle signed with TNA. White said that he wanted people who were interested in real fighting and not doing pro wrestling. Story over, no matter what Angle says. I just don't want anymore attention devoted to it for Kurt Angle's own good. Please, don't take this as me coming down on you Andres because I'm really not wanting for this to come off that way. I just think it best to stop encouraging Kurt Angle's insanity by giving it any kind of media attention at all.

However, if you want Robert to ask about a former WWE champion with MMA aspirations, Robert you should really ask about Brock Lesnar. Former NCAA champion, currently training for his MMA debut much younger than Angle, healthier than Angle and unlike Angle someone that will eventually be fighting.

 

[Robert Anthony]

Man, I didn't even know about EITHER of those angles. (Pun not intended)

I'll broach the Angle subject as a set up to ask about the Lesnar subject, how bout that?

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

That's a good idea.

Yeah, when I look back at 2006 1 of the saddest parts of the year is watching Kurt Angle lose his mind.

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

I would also ask Couture about what might be in the offing for some of the guys at 205.

Chuck Liddell: What happens if he gets past Rampage?
Tito Ortiz: Who would be a good next opponent for Tito, and what about the rumor that he might have a fight with Renato Babalu Sobral?

I'd also toss out to him Keith Jardine and Forrest Griffin's names.

Also for Lindland, ask him about the IFL and the difficulties facing that promotion and their need for a better TV deal than what they have.

Another possible question for Randy Couture is on his thoughts about UFC having the coaches for TUF season 5 fighting each other on the season finale as opposed to a Pay Per View. How did that come about, does he think its a good idea? Really, asking either guy about the influence television now has on their sport as compared to the past few years would be a good idea. Because really this is a sport that went from getting little or no TV exposure a few years ago to a booming sport in 2006 and television had a lot to do with it.

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

Sorry to flood the thread, but news from WrestlingObserver.com

Tonight on Inside the UFC, the guests will be Tim Sylvia and Quentin Rampage Jackson. This program airs at Midnight on the East Coast right after 2 hours of Unleashed which follows TNA iMPACT.

Also it seems Tim Sylvia's 3/3 opponent has been named. It will be Gabriel Gonzaga according to Dave Meltzer.

More info on the Lesnar deal is that he has what I believe is a 1 fight deal with Heroes and he is being trained by Royce Gracie.

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

Robert:

A friend of mine, Ric Gillespie of CanvasChronicle.com passed on this question.


Also, he's willing to plug their appearance on your show if you'd like. you can email him at [email protected] and tell him you know me, and that'll get the first class treatment, lol.

 

[Andres Munoz]

See? That's a much better way of expressing your opinion.

Robert, as you can see, some of us are interested to hear about Kurt Angle's interest to fight in the UFC. Some of us aren't. I am in the former camp. It's just a suggestion for your interview.

BTW, you didn't answer my question about what this interview was for (radio/TV). Is there anyway for us to listen to it?

 

[Andres Munoz]

Brock Lesnar in the UFC. I'm really liking the sound of that.

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

Follow the link in Robert's signature for more about his show.

 

[Andres Munoz]

Oh, I missed that. Thanks Mikah.

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

Andres, please let me ellaborate a little bit more on this particular comment so you know where I'm coming from.

I've had the misfortune to hear a lot of Kurt Angle's interviews. Its not just that I have read recaps, deemed him insane and made some determination that this would be for his own good. I make the determination off of the fact that I've heard him give these interviews.

I have heard:
Multiple versions of his WWE release and what really happened.
Multiple versions of what his problems were and weren't when it came to painkillers.
Multiple versions of how badly his neck is really damaged.
Outlandish claims that he would fight Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz or Randy Couture in 2007.
Outlandish claims about being in the top 10 greatest matches in WWE history.
Outlandish claims that he was faking poor health to be fired from WWE so he could go to TNA.

But, that's not so bad people make outlandish statements all of the time. What makes this especially troubling was a particular radio appearance I heard from some where in the DC area. Angle was incoherent. He was having trouble stringing sentences together and he was slurring his spech lik nobody's business. Angle has a real huge problem and needs some serious help. He's at the very least delusional and at worst completely out of touch with the real world. He has had good matches with Samoa Joe in TNA but it doesn't stop the queezy feeling that people have whenever they see him. He has no business being in the ring right now, and it was so bad in WWE that Angle needed a personal handler just so the WWE could make sure he safely arrived at the arenas without getting lost.
So they're not just statements on an internet site to me. I've heard them from Angle's own mouth and that's how I know something is wrong. Its not something that is a matter of opinion for me at this point. I know something is horribly wrong with the man. This is why I don't think people should take anything he says as a serious topic and actually discuss his claims in a serious way with someone else. Discussing his claims as a sign of how badly he needs help is a different matter entirely.

As to him fighting in UFC, again think of it like this. Say Dana White was willing to let a pro wrestler fight in UFC while doing pro wrestling which will never ever ever ever happen. But even if he made an special acception for Kurt Angle, do you really think Kurt Angle would pass a physical from a commission Dr? He has a badly injured neck and nerve damage that causes numness in 1 of his arms. So it would end there, but even if it continued to be a miracle and he found a commission approved Dr. that passed him on his physical, do you think he'll pass the drug test? I'm saying no way in hell that happens, but even if he experienced more miracles than the 1980 Olympic Hockey team and passed the drug test and could fight...do you really want to see it? Its morbid enough watching him do worked pro wrestling, let alone what could happen to him in a real fight.

So to me, asking Randy Couture about Kurt Angle in UFC is as relevant as asking Randy Couture how I would do in the UFC. If this were 1999 and Angle's body wasn't mangled beyond all measure then it would be a fun topic. At this point, its just very very sad.

So maybe what I said came off or could come off as holier than thou. But its not just because I'm expressing an opinion, I could make a clip of Angle slurring his words beyond all recognition and post it as an MP3 if I knew how to do that sort of thing but I don't. However, if I did you might feel much different about giving any serious consideration to what Kurt Angle says maybe it wouldn't change your mind at all I can't presume to know how you think. All I know is what I've heard and everything I've heard makes me worry about the man's well being.

Edit: Though if Robert still thinks/thought it was a good question I could understand him asking it. I guess knowing what I know, it would be like starting off an interview with a celebrity and going: "So, I just read in the national enquirer that you've got an alien in your stomach...what's that like?" That's roughly how serious I take Kurt Angle's words these days.

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

UFC 68 - The Uprising begins to take shapeThiago Alves fails drug test

Sucks to be Chris Lytle matched up with a Matt Hughes with something to prove.

I will be the world's biggest Gabriel Gonzaga fan for at least one night.

Rich Franklin Vs. Jason MacDonald could be a fun fight but I'm not sure this is the time for it to happen.

Jon Fitch returns to the Octagon I'm down with this. His entrence music is awesome, and he's a good fighter.

 

[Robert Anthony]

Thanks again, guys. It might not be the most intensive interview you've heard, but I've got my questions, and once it's all done and made available for download after broadcast, I'll send your boy an email, Casey, and see if he digs it.

Again, thanks. Randy's a real cool guy, so is Matt, and they're always fun to yap with.

Also, I'm amped as hell to see Cro-Cop next time out.