Yes I believe so
And Dana will put him in the Hall of Fame. Part of Dana's job is to stir things up and he knows exactly what he is doing even though he will make a few mistakes along the way.
Didn't Joe Silva say not too long ago that injuries have wrecked his career?? I do feel that has happened as o is not nearly as explosive as he once was. His last good win was against Forrest and he was injured in that fight as well. I do feel he has evolved as his standup is lightyears better than it once was and o is very hard to submit but his takedowns are not what they were i feel because of injuries. I am sure this is it for him in the UFC, hopefully he wins although i am thinking he is probably going to lose. I am betting he will have a re-match with Frank Shamrock soon and maybe 2 or 3 more fights before he retires. o has had a great career and he should go into the UFC hall of fame but that may not happen thanks to Dana asshole White.
Yes I believe so
And Dana will put him in the Hall of Fame. Part of Dana's job is to stir things up and he knows exactly what he is doing even though he will make a few mistakes along the way.
You mean like ing up the Randy/Fedor fight
Putting AA on the undercard
Debuting Brock against a submission specialist
Things like that
This one is extremely complicated and I think it is short sighted to only blame this on Dana.
Huge mistake and he has admitted this. If Arlovski does indeed fight for Affliction I would say this is the biggest mistake of his career.
I thought it was a good fight and a smart matchup...Every pre fight poll I saw had the projected winner at nearly at 50%. A matchup doesn't get better than that does it?
It answered a huge question about Brock right away. He can hang with the big boys.
That loss in no way hurt Brocks career.
And Joe Silva made that matchup, not Dana.
But take that list....assume all of it was wrong and multiply it by 100 and the guy has done way more right than wrong. MMA would still only be regional show in America without him.
And look...the longer this goes on the less I like him. You simply have to ignore what he says and just focus on what he gets done which like I said, is more right than wrong.
May 1, 2008
Top TV Execs Criticize CBS's Decision to Air MMA
Posted by Adam Swift at 11:09 AM
The most high profile push back against EliteXC on CBS was launched this week by Sumner Redstone, the highly influential and respected chairman of CBS and Viacom. According to a report by the The Hollywood Reporter:
"Les usually asks my opinion," Sumner Redstone said Wednesday when asked about the four mixed-martial arts fights that will begin airing soon on CBS. This time, the Viacom and CBS chairman said, Moonves did not.
Redstone said the deal, struck with Elite Xtreme Combat, probably was a mistake, not because CBS won't turn a profit from it but because it is not "socially responsible" to air the typically bloody bouts on free, broadcast TV.
"I'm a lover not a fighter," Redstone said. "I don't like the sport."
The comments were made during a panel discussion on the sports industry at the Milken Ins ute Global Conference. Redstone and Moonves have had a rocky relationship in the past, so perhaps some of Redstone's criticism can be attribute to their personal conflict. However, Ed Goren, President of FOX Sports, was also critical of MMA on network television, telling the audience "we don't need money that badly."
It is important to note that the UFC's rumored negotiations with FOX are with the entertainment division and not Goren's sports division.
Last edited by Evan; 05-01-2008 at 02:22 PM.
God. I love that picture of Redstone. P--I--M--P. You stay classy San Diego.
UFC tackles long-term growth issues
by Dave Meltzer on May 03, 2008 at 9:05 am ET
The success of the Ultimate Fighting Championship over the past three years has always carried with it one major question: Is this a long-term sport or a short-term fad?
After all, when what was essentially an underground sport suddenly becomes popular based largely on a reality show on a cable station, it's easy to question its longevity.
But as we've passed three years, it's looking more and more like "fad" is not the right word.
Short-term, most signs are very strong, particularly on recent pay-per-view numbers. But there are questions that remain before mixed martial arts can be declared a permanent, significant part of our sports culture. Can MMA create new headlining stars? And how will the UFC manage to improve its television profile?
On pay-per-view television, the company's most important revenue stream, the last five outings have produced three of the company's top 10 shows.
The run started with the Dec. 29 event with a Wanderlei Silva vs. Chuck Liddell top match (with a strong No. 2 match with Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Hughes); the Feb. 2 show featuring the debut of Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir; and the most recent April 19 show with St. Pierre vs. Matt Serra. It's the company's best run since late 2006, and that's throwing in a much-criticized price increase from $39.95 to $44.95 per show.
This surge in pay-per-view revenue has come during a time most believe the country is in recession.
The UFC does not release pay-per-view numbers, but all three events are believed to have fallen in the range of 525,000-650,000 buys. Dec. 29 and April 19 both did $5 million in live gates, ranking No. 3 and No. 2, respectively, in company history.
At $5.1 million in U.S. dollars, the St. Pierre vs. Serra set the Canadian record for the largest combat sports live gate in history, beating the record set by Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Duran in 1980.
Another good sign is that aside from Liddell, who was established as the company's biggest star when he beat Randy Couture just as UFC and e TV began their partnership, the company drew big numbers with new drawing cards.
Lesnar, who made his name first as a pro wrestler, was in his first UFC match and the show was marketed as almost a "What if a world champion pro wrestler fought for real?" type of event. He garnered more interest for his debut than any fighter in UFC history. But there are certainly questions whether or not he'll be a long-term drawing card.
Was it a one-time curiosity, or will people be interested in his second match, on Aug. 9 in Minneapolis, when he faces Mark Coleman, an aging MMA legend?
UFC also had the belief that Lesnar drew from a different audience than they usually attract -- specifically, pro wrestling fans -- which again brings into question whether that fan base will buy a second time.
People who didn't see the fight and heard about Lesnar losing in 90 seconds by submission to Mir may now consider Lesnar a joke. Most who saw the fight would have a different opinion since Lesnar, a former NCAA champion heavyweight in college, looked as impressive as anyone could look in a debut match with a quick submission loss.
The raw, athletic talent that some didn't want to accept because he came from the entertainment world was clearly evident. Lesnar made a mistake based on inexperience. Even if UFC is able to market the match around Lesnar looking for redemption and create an aura around Coleman's last shot, this time Lesnar has to win. If he does draw again, it's going to be difficult to promote him in a headline position with two straight losses.
If Lesnar doesn't work out, the match was still a success because Mir came out with more notoriety and popularity than at any point in his career. The former champion is now the probable next challenger for interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, in a match that should take place in late 2008.
You can certainly make a strong case that there are more worthy contenders from a win/loss standpoint than Mir. But barring an injury or something unforeseen, such as Randy Couture and UFC settling their legal differences, that win looks to have given Mir a shot at regaining the le he once held.
The success of St. Pierre is another strong long-term sign. At the age of 26, he figures to have significant longevity as a welterweight champion or leading contender. While Lesnar's ability to be a championship-level heavyweight is a major question, St. Pierre has looked unstoppable and whatever mental questions there were about him last year were seemingly answered when he withstood a tremendous amount of pressure in dominating Serra.
Of course, everyone thought that of St. Pierre in late 2006 after he beat Hughes for the first time. Then Matt Serra walked in, knocked St. Pierre out and opened up a whole line of questions that it seemingly took St. Pierre a year to fully answer.
Short-term business indicators are also good. The only negative this year is that while Lesnar did big numbers on pay-per-view, they had to heavily paper the Mandalay Bay Events Center, drawing barely 7,000 paid.
The probable answer is that Lesnar drew from the WWE audience, which is used to buying pay-per-view, but those fans aren't as used to coming to Las Vegas and paying UFC ticket prices for a live event.
Any worries it was a sign that Las Vegas, the company's home market, was burning out have been alleviated since the next show, on May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, has only a few hundred tickets left, as does London on June 7.
At this point, expectations for the July 5 show in Las Vegas is that the bout between Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin for the light heavyweight le will do high-end business. The two are building the match weekly as opposing coaches on the reality show, and light heavyweight championship has been the company's marquee division largely from the day it was created.
But there still exists a huge long-term question.
As strong as the UFC brand name is today, to remain that way, it needs a television vehicle. Without a television show that draws a significant audience to pump up the pay-per-view events, interest in those fights will quickly wane.
"The Ultimate Fighter" show has worked in that role up to this point. But as it starts filming its eighth season in a few weeks, it's fare to wonder if the shows format isn't getting stale. After all, there are only so many ways to frame 16 fighters in a house, watching similar training sessions, sound bites and fights in a gym with no spectators, before it gets stale.
Ratings have slipped the last few seasons, and the April 30 show hit a low point with a 0.91 rating and 1.2 million viewers. Whether the show can ride a few more cycles over the next few years, it's television, and thus, it's guaranteed that it will not last forever.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
Affliction 1 is going to be in California now, not Dallas.
best MMA desktop wallpapers on the net...
http://spawnedfighter.webs.com/wallpapergallery.htm
A very petty and childsish move by the UFC to take ratings away from EliteXC but genius business anyway. I don't think this will hurt them to much but it was take some away. Maybe half a point?
************************************************** ********
On the night Elite Xtreme Combat makes it network television debut on CBS, e TV and the UFC will counter with a night-long broadcast schedule of Chuck Liddell programming.
"EliteXC: PRIMETIME" airs from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT, and e TV's homage to Liddell begins at 8 p.m. ET/PT and runs for three hours.
The night includes the premiere of "Ultimate Iceman: Chuck Liddell," an hour-long do entary that chronicles the career of the UFC's former light heavyweight champion both in and out of the cage.
e TV will follow with a "Liddell vs. Silva: UFC Unleashed Special Edition" that includes Liddell's December 2007 main-event fight with Wanderlei Silva. It'll be the first time the UFC 79 fight airs on cable TV.
The night actually kicks off with "Ultimate Knockouts 4," which features Liddell's most memorable bouts.
CBS, meanwhile, will run its first "Saturday Night Fights" event the same night. Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson and James Thompson headline the event, and EliteXC middleweight champ Robbie Lawler defends his le against Scott Smith.
Hardcore Championship Fighting is officially out of business, CEO Keith Crawford has informed Sherdog.com.
The news comes after a period of great optimism for the Canadian organization. HCF was expected to announce this week that it had been purchased -- a move that Crawford hoped would put the promotion among the few legitimately vying for the No. 2 spot behind the UFC.
HCF had made waves since it started promoting last July, signing such high-profile fighters as Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pictures), Renato Sobral (Pictures), Gegard Mousasi (Pictures) and David Loiseau (Pictures).
Crawford would not speak on the record about the causes of HCF's demise. However, he said that both he and former partner Dave Houshiar will continue as MMA promoters, each with his own event.
Homage to Chuck...sounds boring as all to me!!
Would you be more impressed if he fought people in lower weight classes or people in higher weight classes with modified rules?Homage to Chuck...sounds boring as all to me!!
/hit-n-run
Watch out o...
Jason Day to replace Chris Leben against Bisping...
An homage to Fedor would be just as boring actually...Would you be more impressed if he fought people in lower weight classes or people in higher weight classes with modified rules?
/hit-n-run
Thats pretty solid and a good match up
hey
Noguiera And Mir Officially Announced As TUF 8 Coaches
Im guessing this will be a more "boring" season but alot more technical. should be interesting. All HWs?
HW's are almost impossible to find so me thinks LHW and HW...just a guess.
LW and LHW
UFC light heavyweight Matt Hamill will be the subject of an upcoming movie en led "Hamill" about his early life and wrestling career.
Hamill, who entered the UFC via the second season of "The Ultimate Fighter," discussed the flick in a recent interview with UFC.com's Thomas Gerbasi.
The movie, which stars Eben Kostbar, has been criticized by the deaf community because it features a non-deaf actor. Hamill confirmed that two casting calls for the film were canceled due to protests but sticks by he decision to support the actor.
Kostbar, who's appeared in a few television roles and in some smaller-budget movies, is fluent in American Sign Language and has wrestling experience -- and he helped co-write the script for the movie -- but he's been targeted by a segment of the non-deaf community that believes a deaf actor should be picked for the starring role.
"I was really shocked by the reaction," Hamill told UFC.com. "I thought the movie would receive positive feedback from the deaf community because this movie is based on a deaf athlete and the life surrounding his deafness. It hurt at first, but I've come to realize that this is a small portion of the deaf community. With positive things, comes the negative things. If anything, it has kept me grounded."
The movie, which is being promoted as "Million Dollar Baby" meets "Rudy," will feature sub les throughout the film in hopes the it'll appeal to deaf and hearing audiences.
"Hamill" is set for a 2009 release and is being filmed this fall in Los Angeles and Rochester, N.Y. The low-budget movie is produced by K'Dee Miller and will be directed by Joseph McKelheer.
Hamill (4-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) last competed at UFC Fight Night 13, where he posted a second-round TKO of Tim Boetsch. He's recently been working with Matt Serra and UFC vice president of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner to gather political support to legalize MMA in New York State.
wow....thats cool. I am assuming this is an independant movie.
Dana White Calls o Ortiz 'A F---ing Idiot. One of the Dumbest Human Beings I've Ever Met'
As he prepares to fight Lyoto Machida for what could be the last fight of his career at UFC 84, o Ortiz said this week that he would consider returning to UFC if its president, Dana White, would apologize to him and show him respect.
On a conference call to promote UFC 84 today, White made clear that that's not going to happen.
" o is a f---ing idiot," White said. "He's one of the dumbest human beings I've ever met. Everything that comes out of his mouth makes no sense."
White added that he doesn't think UFC needs Ortiz because he doesn't think Ortiz can beat any of UFC's top fighters.
"I put up with his s--- when he was a good fighter," White said. "He's not anymore."
White said he hasn't been impressed with any of Ortiz's last five fights, which include two wins over an aging Ken Shamrock, a split decision over a relatively inexperienced Forrest Griffin, a loss to Chuck Liddell and a draw with Rashad Evans.
"He's not in anybody's Top 10," White said. "I have no interest whatsoever in being in the o Ortiz business. ... I've never wanted to see anyone get their ass kicked worse than I want to see o get his kicked next Saturday night."
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