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Viewing 1 - 9 out of 23 Blogs.
Yes, I want to write about Saturday's EliteXC main event. Let me get the extraneous (and I think obvious) stuff out of the way first. I said a while back that EliteXC is pretty much finished. It might merge with someone to survive, but its stand alone life is near its end. Also, I am well aware that Ken is about 5 years past his proper retirement age. And that Arlovski vs. Nelson is a much more technically savvy fight that may deserve the headlining role. That's not what I want to discuss.
I do want to discuss what I think should happen in the Kimbo-Shamrock fight. Despite Ken's age, one-dimensionality and smaller size, he is a professional martial artist, one who has been in the sport of MMA since 1993. I believe that barring a lucky shot KO, Ken should dominate and win the fight. Kimbo is a fierce street fighter, has natural KO power and has been training in MMA for about a year. But none of this should present threats to someone of Ken's caliber. Aggression and power alone do not faze trained MMA players. Witness Houston Alexander's downfall. Kimbo's cardio is weak, and power fades quickly. Witness James "Glass Chin" Thompson lasting to 3rd round. Despite the training, Kimbo's ground game is not yet internalized and gets even worse as cardio fades (witness James Thompson's dominance in the second round). So, if Ken trains a bit, comes up with a strategy (I'd suggest weather the storm, take down, attack legs or neck) and has his head in the fight, it should be a walk in the park. I'd go as far as to say that if the fight goes into the second round (and Kimbo loses some steam), Ken should be able to toy with Kimbo a bit. The disparity in the skills is that wide. Alas, Kimbo does have one thing going for him--popularity (which equals ratings). So, in reality, I think Ken will lose, unless of course, "the night of the fight" he "feels a slight sting."
My previous blog was written toward the end of May and claimed that we may be on the verge of the biggest stretch of MMA action ever, with highest profile events and largest possibilities for mainstream popularity. I estimated a 7-week stretch culminating in the first Afflicition PPV, but EliteXC on CBS II, WEC 35 and UFC 87 delivered 3 extra weeks of high-charged action. So, we now hit a brief month-long respite, before going into "Round 2" of the UFC-Affliction-EliteXC battle which will likely take us to the New Year. Let's see where we are. There were many events and happenings over the past 10 weeks, but I identified 4 in my previous blog: Affliction's debut, EliteXC's CBS shows, Tito Ortiz' signing and quality of UFC events. Affliction Debut. This went rather well. It was a night of overall good fights and the production was not bad. Fedor, the only big name fighter to have never fought in the UFC (sorry Rothwell fans), dominated and won the WAMMA belt. In a way he personifies the anti-UFC movement, and his victory had a symbolic meaning. Other fighters also shined (Arlovski, Barnett, Blefort, Babalu), giving Affliction at least another really nice event possibility. The number of PPV buys is not known, but the live tickets were reported as sold out. The show generated lots of online chatter and was generally well received. In other words, Affliction debut was a success. EliteXC on CBS. The debut on May 31 garnered some of the highest TV ratings for an MMA event ever. But unfortunately, that was one of the few bright spots of this event. The fights were too amateurish, and hardcore MMA fans were disappointed. The production was better than EliteXC's Showtime events, but still far below the UFC standard or that of any other network TV sport. Since the event was geared to a casual fan or someone who's never seen MMA before, the question still remained whether EliteXC grabbed the attention of those people. The second CBS show on July 26 showed that the answer was, unfortunately, no. Despite improved production and fight quality, the ratings were sharply down, with CBS losing the time slot to various drama re-runs. Although EliteXC started off strong and had the biggest opportunities, it failed to deliver. Tito. This was pure speculation on my part. I figured 7 weeks would be enough to hear at least a rumor about his plans. It took a bit longer, but as of today, it seems that Tito is close to signing with Affliction (there have been at least 3 false rumors in recent weeks that he signed on to fight Babalu, but as of today, none of these seem to yet be true). If Affliction signs him, Tito will add a huge name to a list of already big names. And he can carry a show when Fedor is resting. I continue to believe that this is a big deal, and the prize goes to Affliction for coming closest. My guess is that they will succeed (although today's announcement that Babalu will fight for the Strikeforce title in September is a little odd). UFC. UFC's job was not to f**k up. They didn't. All of the planned events worked out well and the last one, UFC 87, was a great one. UFC "acknowledged" Affliction's threat by putting up an unplanned Fight Night event on Spike TV (i.e., free). It featured Anderson Silva's debut at 205, which he dominated in a brutal fashion. If Fedor was Affliction's stalking horse, Silva was UFC's, and both delivered resoundingly. But even more so, given Affliction's stable of top HW fighters, Lesnar's and Velasquez's strong performances were probably even more important than Silva's dominance. So, what does all that add up to? I think it's fairly straightforward. Affliction has set itself up nicely for about 2 more good shows. If they can keep the same fighters with lower payouts, they have a chance to last in the business. EliteXC failed and will fold within a year. UFC remains the top dog, but it may need to get a bit more inventive and take some risks if Affliction keeps putting on good shows. But, its future is quite bright. Take a breather now. Round 2 starts September 6.
Are we on the verge of the biggest weekend in the history of US MMA?
It seems like every busy stretch of MMA action brings the sport to new heights. And the current stretch, starting with UFC 84, is an impressive one. UFC 84 itself did not disappoint, BJ, Machida, Silva, Carwin and others looked awesome and exciting, promising us a good future (there is a tangent here about martial arts-trained talent, such as BJ, reestablishing their dominance of MMA that for a few years was dominated by non "martial arts" athletes of wrestling, ground and pound and brute force fame--this will be a separate blog).
We now continue with a big weekend--EliteXC on CBS and WEC 34 with the biggest featherweight bout ever. If you've read any of my other blogs, you can probably guess that I think WEC 34 is head and shoulders above the EliteXC event. Nonetheless, CBS reaches far more people than Versus. As also stated in my previous blog, this presents an enormous chance for EliteXC and the sport in general, but alas only a chance. Kimbo's headlining has been discussed broadly recently, and broadly disapproved (check out Yahoo! Sports and Inside MMA, as examples). Scott Smith vs. Robbie Lawler title fight is a much better headliner for the sport, and should be at least a co-main event (which it may be, by the way, as my DVR guide stated Smith-Lawler as the description of the program and didn't mention Kimbo).
Faber vs. Pulver is huge as well, but the "stretch" doesn't end there.
UFC 85 is in 1 week, EliteXC Hawaii (Showtime) and Adrenaline event (HDNet) is in 2 weeks and TUF 7 Finale is in 3 weeks. The breakneck stretch prbably ends there, but it can easily keep going--Strikeforce is in 4 weeks, UFC 86 is in 5 weeks and Affliction event is in 7 weeks. That only leaves July 12 weekend without a fairly big event (and I am sure HDNet will have something on).
Within this 7-week period, we are also likely to get more news on Tito Ortiz's future. Is that really as big as all the events? It can be, because Tito continues to be a huge draw, and is a prized free agent. EliteXC and Affliction can both greatly benefit from signing him.
Whether EliteXC capitalizes on the CBS event or not is up to them, but one thing is certain: the event will put a spotlight on MMA, and any announcement, success or failure in the weeks following the CBS event will be viewed with a closer scrutiny than normal. It will also be a different scrutiny from what MMA promotions are used to--that of a casual sports fan, rather than hardcore MMA fans. That amplifies everything that follows, and that's why the next 7 weeks will be very very interesting.
That means that the fact that UFC 85 card is weak can be a blow to UFC. Imagine the difference if a new viewer bought UFC 84 (which was a great card that almost exceeded expectations) vs. UFC 85. And in a funny way, all MMA promotions should share the same goal in the next 7 weeks. If WEC 34 is fun to watch, people might watch UFC 85. If UFC 85 is good, people may tune into next EliteXC or Adrenaline event, and so on. I hope the promotions understand this.
So, tune in and enjoy. I hope the spotlight brings popularity.
To those uninitiated to the mixed martial arts, a fighter taken down and laying on his back looks weak, vulnerable and sure to lose. When the bottom fighter pulls off a smooth submission, the new fan is shocked, and often chalks it up to luck. Something similar is happening in the business of MMA. The past few weeks (i.e., since UFC 82) have been filled with MMA news and rumors, most of which have centered on players other than UFC. EliteXC struck a network deal, which was closely followed by Strikeforce's own network deal. Many powerful players jumping into (or back into) the promotion business: former PRIDE owners (DREAM), Mark Cuban (HDNet Fights), Affliction (Matt Lindland is signed), former UFC owner (YAMMA), and so on. Some of these new promotions are also signing fighters who have left UFC, such as Mirco Cro Cop, or those that seem to be popular beyond belief, such as Kimbo Slice. Plus, Mirco is not the only who left UFC: Tito Ortiz (arguably among the most recognized names in MMA in the US) seems to be on his way out; Andre Arlovski is a free agent; Tim Sylvia is not happy. Even the name almost as old as UFC itself, Ken Shamrock, fought for another promotion. The much sought-after holy grail of MMA, the Fedor-Randy fight, seems to definitely have eluded UFC, and their legal battles with Couture seem petty and out of place. HDNet, in addition to its own shows, has live events literally weekly. The list can go on. To those who skim the surface, things surely aren't looking good for UFC. Yes, they still have some PPV pull, but they are clearly on their back, with vultures circling up in the sky. Drivel. By accident or design, some others have used one of the longest lulls between UFC events of the year to spread the word of their good fortunes. But, do not be fooled by the media frenzy. UFC rules the MMA kingdom, and does so with an iron fist. The smooth submission is just a few weeks away. And that "submission" will not be due to luck. Love him or hate him, Dana White is doing the right things. The TV deals are interesting, but only the CBS-EliteXC deal is truly a breakthrough. Strikeforce will run a mix between a UFC Unleashed and UFC Wired shows, in an after-midnight slot. If this is what UFC was offered by NBC, they were right to turn it down. EliteXC will get true live prime time exposure. Unfortunately, their headliner will be Kimbo Slice. I like the spectacle (I watched all of the YouTube videos), but how will Kimbo get MMA into the mainstream? (Someone made a good point--NFL is "allowed" into many households by the wives and girlfriends. Will they really buy into Kimbo?). As for all the other promotions, they are all great in their own right, but even when they get 1 or 2 stars, they cannot match them up with anyone of equal skill (Cro Cop won his DREAM debut in under a minute, but his opponent was simply outmatched, and the fight was a downer). Compare this to what's coming down the pike from Dana White & Co. The upcoming UFC match-ups are getting lost in the noise, but the fans will soon realize that they need to buy 3 or 4 PPVs before June and make sure they have SpikeTV, not HDNet (it's OK to have both of course). Here's some of the fights I am really looking forward to: I am not blind to the evolution of MMA. I do believe that Cuban's HDNet will somehow become a true force in MMA. EliteXC has a chance at this as well with the CBS deal, but to be honest, it is just a chance, and I am not sure I believe in ProElite more so than I do in Dana White and his team. But, I also think the UFC will be the dominant force in the sport for some time to come, despite the current appearances.
Another great night from UFC, and I'll try to blog about it in detail tomorrow (check out News for official results). I'll also blog about Anderson Silva, who demolished what was supposed to be an extremely tough test in Dan Henderson. Silva didn't just win, he submitted the former national champion wrestler (albeit after stunning him with his patented strikes). Everyone legitimately asked the most obvious question--what's next for Silva? That's how good he is. No other middleweight is even close. Yes, he'll probably fight Okami and maybe Marquardt again, but if you were really trying to build a legacy... where does Silva go next? At this late hour, I have just one thought--catch-weight fight with GSP. That's all I got for now. More in the near future.
MMAJunkie.com reports the following for the recent EliteXC: Street Certified event.
The total disclosed payroll for the event was $479,001.
Kevin Ferguson ($175,000) def. David Abbott ($126,000) Antonio Silva ($80,000) def. Ricco Rodriguez ($20,000) Scott Smith ($12,000) def. Kyle Noke ($3,000) Yves Edwards ($6,000) def. Edson Berto ($6,000) Brett Rogers ($4,000) def. James Thompson ($25,000) Rafael Feijao ($6,000) def. John Doyle ($2,5O0) Yosmany Cabezas ($2,000) def. Jon Kirk ($2,500) Dave Herman ($1,500) def. Mario Rinaldi ($2,000) Eric Bradley ($1,000) def. Mikey Gomez ($1,500) Lorenzo Borgomeo ($1,000) def. Mike Bernhard ($1,500) Moyses Gabin ($1) def. Jirka Hlavati ($500) (No one knows why Gabin got paid just a buck). Now, when I look at the above, all I can say is that if I were a fighter, I'd fight tooth and nail to be in the UFC. This is just one data point, but based on this, I cannot understand fighters complaining about unfairness of UFC pay. Look at the numbers! Tank got KFO'd, and deserves his six-figure retirment.. i mean, salary. Kimbo, well, I guess he is the main draw. But, the "top" heavyweight (by supposed skill), Silva, got almost $100,000 less than Kimbo. And, after Silva, no one topped $20k (and only a couple of fighters topped $10k). Below are the last 2 (reported) UFC event fighter salaries for comparison. Also, don't forget that fighers on UFC have more opportunities to make money off promotions, etc., which are not included in any official figures.
UFC 81: The total disclosed payroll for the event was $892,000.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira ($200,000) def. Tim Sylvia ($100,000) Frank Mir ($80,000) def. Brock Lesnar ($250,000) Nate Marquardt ($52,000) def. Jeremy Horn ($25,000) Ricardo Almeida ($40,000) def. Rob Yundt ($5,000) Tyson Griffin ($36,000) def. Gleison Tibau ($11,000) Chris Lytle ($24,000) def. Kyle Bradley ($4,O00) Tim Boetsch ($12,000) def. David Heath ($6,000) Marvin Eastman ($14,000) def. Terry Martin ($12,000) Rob Emerson ($16,000) def. Keita Nakamura ($5,000) UFC 79: The total disclosed payroll for UFC 79 was a hefty $1,199,000.
Georges St. Pierre ($160,000) def. Matt Hughes ($100,000) Chuck Liddell ($500,000) def. Wanderlei Silva ($150,000) Eddie Sanchez ($46,000) def. Soa Palelei ($5,000) Lyoto Machida ($60,000) def. Rameau Sokoudjou ($40,0O0) Rich Clementi ($28,000) def. Melvin Guillard ($10,000) James Irvin ($16,000) def. Luis Cane ($5,000) Manny Gamburyan ($20,000) def. Nate Mohr ($6,000) Dean Lister ($22,000) def. Jordan Radev ($5,000) Roan Carneiro ($10,000) def. Tony DeSouza ($7,000) Mark Bocek ($6,000) def. Doug Evans ($3,000) Even in televised Fight Night 6, 11 out of 18 fighters were paid more than $10k. And this was free cable channel Spike TV, not premium Showtime.
Yes, top dogs like Randy can go around in search of a million dollar pay day, especially when all they are looking for is 1 more fight. But, it would seem, at least just from the numbers, unfair to say that UFC takes care of its fighter to any lesser degree than others do. At least EliteXC doesn't, and they did claim for some time that they "treat" their fighters so much better than UFC. Maybe they give them a sponge bath after the fights...
The Tank-Kimbo fight lived up to expectations. As I wrote in my preview blog, it was like watching one of the old Kimbo street fights. Short, brutal and ending in a KO. I read an article that described Kimbo as taking the mantle from Tank, and that seems appropriate. In his prime, Tank was a brawler who did not use any fancy techniques and went toe-to-toe with the most skilled fighters of the day. The technical fighters have since caught up (and Tank is 42). Now in Kimbo comes a more vicious, more physical and younger version of Tank. One other thing--Kimbo electrified the Miami crowd like few other MMA fighters have in the past. But for Kimbo's future fights, that actually means the opposite of what you might think. It probably means we will see him fight some more lower level competition, because he alone will draw a crowd. It's only when the crowd starts getting tired of quick KOs that EliteXC will risk Kimbo's record in a fight with a top level MMA fighter. At least that would be the right business strategy. Perhaps EliteXC will give the fans what they want instead... While the Miami crowd loves Kimbo, MMA fans are still on the fence. The true MMA certification continues to elude Kimbo, although he is definitely more of a force now than he was before the fight.
I never thought that I'd excited for the Tank vs. Kimbo fight--it's not a good test for Kimbo, as Tank is a brawler who is slowly getting past his prime. But, after listening to Kimbo and Tank interviews, I am looking forward to this Saturday. I think we will basically get one of Kimbo's (in)famous internet fights shown in HD on Showtime... And, if nothing else, those internet videos are extremely exciting. You see raw, unbridled street power. And, although this fight may not test Kimbo's other skills, like a good wrestler or jiu-jitsu guy would, I think this will test his brawling skills. Tank may be getting over the limit, but he can probably bring it for 1 round at a much higher level than Kimbo's prior competition could. If Kimbo stops Tank like he did his street opponents, well, he will be scary anough to just about anyone stepping into the cage with him. Tank will also likely test Kimbo's chin. So, I am exited and will definitely watch this one. Anyone else have thoughts?
I am thoroughly satisfied with yesterday's WEC event. It's as if someone was reading my prior blogs on WEC events. 5 fights were shown, 2 titles changed hands and none of the fights disappointed. On top of that, during the event, a rematch of the controversial fight between Paulo Filho and Chael Sonnen was announced. This is something the fans were screaming for (although few expected to get).
The event overall looked more professional--Frank Mir improved his commentating skills a bit (although he still stumbles), and he just feels more presentable after his UFC win over Brock Lesnar. The title fights were excellent. Bantamweights were up first, with Chase Beebe defending his title against experienced Miguel Torres. After a quick bout of boxing, the fight went to the ground, where Torres displayed unreal ground skills against wrestler Beebe. Although Beebe escaped many submission attempts well, Torres was too good, and got him with a reverse rear naked choke (yea, you had to see it!) in the first round. Torres is the new champ. Lightweights then came on the stage. Rob McCullough, a dangerous striker, took on Jamie Varner (who has fought in the UFC, although he is only 23). Varner started off with a solid game plan of pin point strikes, followed by takedowns. However, when McCullough's ability to get up negated Varner's ground skills, Varner engaged Razor Rob on the feet. Surprisingly, Varner turned out to be sharper on his feet as well, and he looked to have won first two rounds on judge's scorecards. But, in the end it didn't matter, as Varner stunned McCullough early in the third round, and finished him off in an impressive flurry. Referee called a stop to the fight as Razor Rob was knocked down onto his behind for the third time. Varner is the new champ. That left Carlos Condit to take on Carlo Prater for the welterweight belt. This fight was short, as Condit quickly submitted the Brazilian Prater with a guillotine choke from the guard. Condit retains his title in front of his New Mexico home crowd.
The 2 shown undercards were fund to watch: Manny Tapia won a split decision over Antonio Banuelos in a stand up shoot out war and former UFC fighter Leonard Garcia earned a quick TKO (off strikes) over Hiroyuki Takaya.
Congrats to the WEC on a good event.
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