UFC Ongoing Thread - Page 40

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

On Anderson Silva. The plan is for him to compete in both weight classes.

It is sort of a make-good because they wouldn't let him fight Roy Jones Jr., this is their way of keeping him happy because he has said he wants to fight more. Assuming no injury coming out of this fight, he could be fighting and defending his Middleweight title as soon as Sept. 6 in Atlanta against Okami.

The plan is to eventually do Silva-Liddell and after Liddell-Jackson IV it is probably the company's most marketable match and after Liddell-Jackson IV it would probably do the best on PPV.

GSP never was anything more than cool to the idea of facing Silva. He's a smart guy, he knows that Silva would be a terrible match for him due to his size advantage and overall skill level. I'm sure that if the UFC wanted to do so, they could talk him in to it but it hasn't been anything he's ever campaigned for.

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

I only see 2 matches between Quinton and Chuck. Do you mean Liddell-Jackson III?

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

Yes, I mean Liddell-Jackson 3. That was typed either on a severe lack of sleep or shortly after waking up from a prolonged one.

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

Michael Bisping Vs. Chris Leben at UFC 89 in October

It is pretty quiet in MMA circles, a Strikeforce show tonight on HDNet and then UFC next weekend. The main event of tonight's Strikeforce show between Josh Thompson and Gilbert Melendez has the potential for greatness.

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

I've been gone over the past few days and even when I was around, I was heavily distracted. However, got back at it earlier today and rather than link the some 20 plus stories I posted today, all of which are MMA, I'll just suggest you browse the [url=http://combat-hooligans.com/category/mixed-martial-arts/">MMA category[/url] of the site. Lots of WEC, UFC and other MMA news.

Anyway, UFC 86 is tonight. I think that Forrest Griffin does have a chance to beat Rampage. Griffin trains with Randy Couture and if recent memory has taught us anything it is that Couture knows how to gameplan for an opponent.
Plus, the longer this fight goes, the more it favors Griffin because I think he's better conditioned but then again Jackson did go five rounds with Henderson in September.
So, while I think Forrest can win, I'm going to predict a victory for Rampage tonight.

Other picks:
Almeida over Cote
Koscheck over Lytle
Griffin over Aurelio
Stevenson over Tibau
Gonzaga over McCully
Miller over Gurgel
Siver over Casey's least favorite person in MMA
Hill over Buchholz

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

Wow. A totally different look for the site from the last time I was there. I like it.

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

Rampage vs Forrest... one of the most exciting fights in a long time, but that seems to be par for the course where Forrest is concerned. It definitely lived up to the hype around here. Rampage is packing guns in those arms. Forrest has a chin out of this world. I thought Rampage might do better on the ground given his wrestling background, but Forrest seemed to have just enough Jui-Jitsu to keep him off guard. Jui-Jitsu isn't Rampage's strong suit. On the other hand, Forrest didn't seem to want any part of being body slammed (I wouldn't either). Just a really smart fight.

I'm still sitting here wondering how you get hit like that and keep coming. One thing's for sure -- it's not something you can teach. I'd never have a chin like that.

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

I appreciate that considering there was way more work involved in that than should have been necessary but we thought it was time for a new look for awhile and with the site turning 1 year old this month, it seemed like a good time.

UFC 86, I'm finding it hard to talk about this show just because I just finished recording a post-game audio show on this event but I wanted to offer this thought.

Tonight, Forrest Griffin became a mega-star. I believe that the only guy in the UFC that is a bigger star than Forrest now is Chuck Liddel, Yes, I think Griffin passed GSP. Forrest isn't the best fighter but Anderson Silva isn't the most marketable star.
Anyway, this was the best of all possible outcomes for the UFC.

1. Forrest Griffin has become a Mega-star.
2. Rampage and Forrest rematch will do huge numbers on PPV.
3. Forrest Vs. Chuck is now a real money match.
4. Chuck and Rampage is still a money match.
5. The Ultimate Fighter concept has now been validated because you can't call Forrest Griffin a reality TV star, he's a true fighter.

It really couldn't have been more appropriate because Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar are the reason a lot of people are fans of this sport and it is like the fanbase has grown along with Forrest's talent and skill level.

Just a perfect main event to cap off a really really fun show.

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

Congrats to The University of Georgia's own Forrest Griffin!

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson arrested for felony hit and run -- in a truck with his picture on it. I couldn't make this up.

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

Sorry I haven't been around much since the last PPV, it has been...hectic and I've got a lot of irons in the fire these days so to speak.

Anyway, we've got a big weekend with Affliction running head-to-head with the UFC tomorrow night. If you order the Affliction show you'll get your money's worth as for the $39.95 pricetag you're getting a 4-hour show with 8 bouts. Add in the 3 on FSN before hand and you're getting 5 hours worth of MMA just from Affliction. UFC is a 3-hour special and will reair immediately after the live broadcast ends so one could actually get Affliction and watch the UFC replay once that is over for 8 hours of MMA. I will not be doing this myself, Affliction just isn't in the budget at this point.


Also, Dream 5 is on early Monday morning with the finals of the Lightweight grand prix and that could be an amazing show if the Lightweight matches are as good as I hope/expect them to be.

Fight Night 14 betting odds
Affliction 'Banned' Betting Odds

UFC 90 is set for Oct. 25 in Chicago.

Thiago Silva and Lyoto Machida will meet in a somebody's O must go bout at UFC 89 on Oct. 18.

One last thing, does anybody here watch the TapouT show on Versus and are you planning to watch season 2 on July 30?

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

Weigh-in Results: Affliction ‘Banned’ « Combat-Hooligans.com: Pro Wrestling, MMA & Boxing News and Commentary

Affliction 'Banned' Weigh-in Results.

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

I've never watched Tapout and never really read anything that led me to believe I should be watching it.

This weekend is MMA overload. I'll be recording quite a bit. I can't even usually watch a single UFC event from beginning to end (I normally record it so I can watch the portions I don't watch). I can't imagine sitting through affliction live. Still, given the choice between Affliction and UFC Fight Night, I'm choosing Affliction. IMO, Affliction has done everything to put together a card a true MMA fan can appreciate, and I'm going to reward them financially for doing so. I say that, but the way my viewing will break down is watching Fight Night with a bunch of people Saturday evening, then watching my recording of Affliction Sunday. It'll be fun to see how I do with color commentary.

And while I'm here, I'll send out public prayers for Rampage. I don't know what is going on with him, but it doesn't sound good.

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

I ask about TapouT because we're doing some promotion for season 2 which starts next week. I saw parts of season 1 and was entertained and the show has gotten good reviews from most everyone I've talked to about it.

Anyway, our site is doing live coverage of both shows tonight.

UFC Fight Night

Affliction 'Banned'


and the best part is that even though I am doing preliminaries, I'm not doing the play-by-play on either. This is good news for me.

My predictions for each show are linked in both the posts I just linked to but the short of it is I didn't pick any real upsets on either show.

If I could afford it, I'd be watching Affliction then UFC but I'm the guy who last month sat through Adrenaline, then EliteXC and then Dream with no real break and I'm also the guy who learned I'm never doing that trick again.

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

I would've thought this thread would be more active given what happened on Saturday with Fedor/Sylvia, Silva/James Irvin and a few other things.

I need to say one thing before I get to the point of this post. The decision in the Kevin Burns Vs. Anthony Johnson fight was wrong, absurd horrendous and had better be overturned on appeal or I may consider refusing to acknowledge Nevada as a state.

Anyway, on with the point Zuffa to purchase assets of IFL

The little promotion that couldn't was sold to a big company that can.

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

hey guys, lets get this thread hopping again!!

I did both shows this weekend....

First, the Fight Night was ok...The Johnson call was terrible, can a referee not change his mind after he sees the facts? Once he calls off the fighter in a typical TKO? Brandon Vera was boring...this fight should have ended Rashad Evans/Sean Salmon like in the 1st round. Hopefully it was just the weight cut down to 205.

Now, Anderson Silva!! Wow!! I thought he would win but I thought Irvin might hang for a bit. Wrong!! One caught leg and one blow to the chin and this was pretty much over. If Silva fights Forrest tomorrow..."THE NEW LIGHTHEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION, ANDERSON "THE SPIDER" SILVA". It will be interesting to see who gets a crack at Forrest first. I hear Cote is going to fight Silva next for the MW title.

Second, Affliction was pretty sollid. They did have a lot of technical glitches and the production was a little off but it is just their first show. The Megadeath and all concerts/dancers(a la Elite XC) need to go!

Three great fights, JoshBarnett just cracks Rizzo. Great fight. It was simply fantastic to see the old aggressive Arlovski back. He was just flat out exciting. I thought Rothwell might have a good chance in this one.

Same thing with Fedor/Sylvia. I dont know who can stop this man. Big Tim didnt have a chance. Fedor has power and submissions, tough bit to beat.

I read Fedor is fighting Arlovski in Oct/Nov and then Barnett next spring. I am sure that depends also on the status of Couture. I loved it when they were interviewing Fedor in the ring and they ask Fedor about his next fight and he gives an answer in Russian and you hear "Couture" and the crowd exploded. THE FANS WANT IT!! MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

Andres, they are re-airing the fight night on spike tonight. Definitely worth watching just for Silva fight alone.

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

- Big Jon McCarthy retired as a UFC (MMA?) referee. Herb Dean has a non-exclusive contract with UFC.

- Anderson Silva went up to fight Irvin in a rushed event, but has stated he plans to continue to defend his belt in his "real" weight class. I didn't consider Irwin a top tier LHW, so I wasn't impressed by the win. However, the method of the win was YouTube material.

- I'm still not quite feeling Fedor yet. I don't know that I'd feel him if he beats Randy Couture, mostly because of how long Randy's been off and his age. I need to see him fight real top tier talent on a consistent basis.

- I enjoyed seeing Arlovsky.

I'm a fan of what Affliction is trying to do, so I hope it works out for them. They're targeting ... (I forget) Oct/Nov for their next event. I'm in.

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

On the referee situation.

The referees aren't employed by the promotions themselves they are assigned by the commissions. John McCarthy only worked UFC/WEC events by his own request, he asked the commissions not to assign him to other events. The UFC will hire guys like Mazagatti and Dean and others when they go over to the U.K. but otherwise they have no control on referees working specific events.

McCarthy retired from being a referee because he wanted to get in to broadcasting and is now a executive at the fight network. He was told by the Nevada State Athletic Commission that it would be a conflict of interest for him to continue refereeing UFC shows while broadcasting for other events, so he walked away from being a referee.

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

EliteXC 'Unfinished Business' weigh-in Results

I'm DVRing tomorrow's show so that I can view it later. I'll be busy watching Miguel Cotto Vs. Antonio Margarito!

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

UFC does essentially the same thing, but with video outtakes throughout the event, not announcements. I prefer UFC's video outtakes. I'm not sure Affliction could do the same thing UFC does as they keep it so dark in the arena.

Speaking of darkness, that brings me back to production values, which is something I think UFC rules at. Why are other promotions so dark? UFC always seems to be well lighted and shot with great cameras. There were moments watching the Affliction event where the fighters were in the ring facing each other about to fight, and the lights still weren't up yet. You can barely see the fighters, let alone people in the audience.

BTW, I know Affliction is trying to cross-promote as they get into concerts, etc. but I could have done without the intermission concerts.

But on to the real reason I came here to post. I was sitting reading the payouts for Affliction:Banned and I had a reaction. If I got it right, Tim Sylvia made $800k for the fight and Fedor Emelianenko made $300k. What? I could see if Fedor came in as the underdog, but he was already regarded as the top heavyweight and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. I thought Affliction was all about being "fair" (good luck determining what that means) financially to the fighters. What's the justification for paying Sylvia almost 3x what Fedor made?

And to leave on a humorous note... I'm watching Inside MMA and they're asking Urijah Faber about his one loss and he describes how he lost, and Bas asks him if it was stopped due to cuts, and Urijah says, "No, due to a heavy punch." Maybe you had to be there. I like that guy.

There seems to be a noticeable lack of news concerning Rampage lately. I think UFC put the clamps on.

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

Mikah, Fedor made well more than the $300,000 listed by the California State Athletic Commission. It is widely believed his real number is at minimum $1.5 million.

The thing to remember about those salary payouts listed by California and Nevada is that they're not complete.

They don't:
figure in licensing costs or taxes
Figure in amount paid to a fighter by his sponsors
reflect best fight/knockout/submission bonuses
include the pay-per-view bonus that won't even be calculated until much later
it may not include money paid to a fighter in advance of a show. At the last Strikeforce show, Anthony Ruiz who fought for the Light Heavyweight title was listed as having gotten a $700 salary for the event because the vast majority of his purse was paid in advance per his request.

So be mindful of that because I know people were crying foul when they saw Keith Jardine only make $10,000 for UFC 84 even though he was in a co-feature bout. Let me assure you he walked away with way more than $10,000.

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

I didn't know anything about money paid in advance. It would seem money paid in advance would be even easier to include. I don't normally look at payout numbers since mostly it's between the fighter and promoter. I only look when some special event happens. For instance, when some UFC fighters claimed they aren't being compensated fairly, I looked a bit. Most recently, I'm looking at the Affliction:Banned payouts because I'm curious if this type of event makes financial sense. From a fan standpoint, I was in paradise to a degree. A DREAM guy said he doesn't think it makes financial sense to do mega events like that. He said it'd make more sense to have Fedor headline and let some lesser fighters undercard. Then maybe you couild have Josh Barnett headline a separate event, Arlovsky another, etc. You get more events out of showcasing the top fighters. He may be right financially, but then again, I sought out Affliction:Banned whereas I don't seek out DREAM (or care much if they continue to exist).

So yeah, I wanted to see some numbers and was shocked at Fedor's stated pay. Upon reflection, I'm sure his people aren't stupid and I'm sure he was paid well. My first reaction was "Oh, the American ex-UFC guy gets 800k and the Russian most Americans haven't heard that heads most lists as the best fighter out there gets $300k." I'm glad to see it wasn't that way.

Now I'll comment on the other side. Tim Sylvia got $800K? That has to be more than he was making in the UFC.

While I'm here, time to comment on the Randy/Fedor situation. How frustrating for fans. If I understand correctly, Fedor is fighting under non exclusive contracts, so he could, in theory, join the UFC for one fight (Randy). I think Casey has outlined before why the UFC wouldn't want to do this from a business perspective (in brief, neither would be around to defend the UFC HW title afterwards).

So strip Randy of the title already and just let them fight a non-title event. Then Randy can retire and Fedor can go on about his business. Also no go. If Fedor wins, it kind of certifies him as the best MMA HW fighter, and that fighter wouldn't be in the UFC. Dana is intent on the image of the world's best MMA fighters being in the UFC. Bah. Somebody figure out a way to make this happen in a way that benefits all parties. It's supposed to be a sport where the best compete. Surely there has to be a way to accomplish that. But it's business, so maybe no.

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

I saw the Dream executive's interview on Inside MMA that you referenced and that interview made me think that Dream will be in business long after Affliction has figuratively lost their shirts and gone away.

Booking a promotion to please the hardcore fans is the most short-sited and retarded way to try and grow a company. The most hardcore MMA fans were going to buy Affliction anyway just because it was an MMA show. The next level were going to buy the show for Fedor and maybe a few others but the point is that if you promote for the hardcore fan it would be like if Harley Davidson spent a million dollars on an add campaign targeted specifically toward people attending a Harley Davidson rally. A campaign like that would reach the Harley Davidson target audience but they could have accomplished that feet for a lot less than $1 million.

Simply put, targeting existing fans doesn't solve the problem of attracting new ones.


The UFC isn't built off of the hardcore fans, EliteXC didn't draw a huge rating on CBS because of hardcore fans. Affliction could have likely cut that payroll in half for show number 1 and still done about the same number of buys among hardcore fans if they had just kept the Sylvia-Fedor and Arlovski-Rothwell fights and filled out the rest of the card with cheaper talent.

Think of it like this, there is a reason that UFC 92 in December won't look like:
Chuck Liddell Vs. Forrest Griffin
B.J. Penn Vs. Georges St. Pierre
Anderson Silva Vs. Wanderlei Silva
Matt Hughes Vs. Matt Serra
Rich Franklin Vs. Dan Henderson

A lineup like that is one the hardcores would be all over but then what do you come back with in January or for whenever the next show is supposed to be? Especially when one or two of those fights by themselves can be enough to attract the hardcores, you can fill out the show with the Chris Lytle types and do another one or 2 of those big hardcore pleasing bouts that first Saturday PPV in February and get even more of the hardcore fight fan's money?

Even a top ranked Affliction executive said that while they had to put on a big splash for the first show, they can't continue to put on those high payroll shows or else there can at most be one or two more shows before they go broke.

The point that I think the Dream executive was trying to make is that if you give the hardcore fans a fight or 2 that they can sink their teeth in to then they're going to buy your show whether it is Josh Barnett in the third fight or a Roy Nelson type.

Dana White is the smartest of all of the MMA executives because he won't book his promotions to the whims of the people posting on the Sherdog.com forums. If EliteXC had listened to the hardcores than Kimbo Slice wouldn't have been booked on CBS and that show wouldn't have drawn a rating strong enough to merit a second show.

Affliction's first card was like trying to put 10 gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket. They could've taken Matt Lindland and Fabio Negao off of that card put Lindland on a second show and brought 2 cheaper middleweights in for show one and it wouldn't have resulted in few if anyone deciding against a purchase and they wouldn't have lost so much money.

I can't put it any better than to say this. The promotional graveyard is littered with groups who tried to appeal to a hardcore fan base.

Re: UFC Ongoing Thread

Did I see something on Spike about an announcement from Dana on tonight's replay of Ill Will? What is the announcement?