TUF 10 fights are bad and boring
(mmamania.com)...according to TUF 8 coach Frank Mir.
"I don't even know what's going on, I had to turn it off. I'm being serious. It was bad. Some of the fights were horrible. I haven't seen any fights in the WEC that could ever amount to being that bad, because the lighter guys are just more competitive. They're in shape, they're more strategic. Even when you go to a college wrestling match, typically, the heavyweights are boring to watch.... I'm a heavyweight and I'm saying... (the fights are) nowhere near as exciting as the lightweights."
WEC 44 Draws 1845 Attendees For $131,200 Gate
(mmajunkie.com)The NSAC today announced the attendance and live gate for last week's WEC 44 event. The event drew 1845 total fans to The Pearl At The Palms, of which 1132 paid and 713 comps were issued. 297 tickets were unsold/unused. The live gate was $131,200, but while that sounds low WEC likely received free use of the venue so that number likely is not a failure by any means.
UFC 106 Draws 10,529 Attendees, $3 Million Gate
(mmajunkie.com)The NSAC today announced the official attendance & live gate for UFC 106. UFC claimed 10,529 fans and that was confirmed, but it was revealed that the total included 3898 comps/free tickets. The total gate was $3,003,250, but the average comp ticket price was nearly $600 and thus those accounted for over $2.3 million of potential lost revenue for UFC.
Shine Fights Signs Murilo Rua
(mmajunkie.com)Sorry Rua fans, but Murilo won't be following brother Mauricio to UFC anytime soon, nor will he fight for Strikeforce. The older of the Ruas has signed an exclusive 3-fight deal with Shine Fights and should debut for them early next year, possibly against Falaniko Vitale.
Shane McMahon looking to buy financial interest in UFC
(pwtorch.com)WWE executive Shane McMahon is reportedly looking to buy a financial interest in the UFC promotion to enter the MMA industry. McMahon will officially leave his WWE position as VP of Global Media on January 1, 2010.
McMahon would bring to UFC the marketing know-how and relationships in the marketplace to expand UFC's reach as an international sports brand.
Ben Saunders wants another chance at Mike Swick after 'uncalled for' remarks
(mmamania.com)"After the [UFC 99] fight, (Swick) ended up coming to the back and talking for a bit. I was kind of feeling out if he was just trying to gloat or just trying to rub it in my face. What's going on here? I went with it. He seemed like it may have been he was more excited than gloating and I was like, 'Oh, that's cool man.' I went up to Bob Cook after, I was looking for my corner Paul Rodriguez and I said, 'Hey Bob, have you seen Paul? And he was like, 'Man, you're still smiling, huh?' I had nothing to be ashamed of. I got TKO'ed by Mike Swick and I'm fighting in the UFC living my dream and then they said something. Then as I was walking away his entire corner and Mike Swick were more like, 'Got knocked the f--- out,' or something like that. And I was like, 'Are you serious?' I thought that was ridiculous, arrogant and uncalled for. Mike Swick just was in the back with me trying to be cool with me and then you're going to act like that because you're with your crew and all laughing in my face as I'm walking away?"
Cote Wants Big Fights,Rematch With Anderson
(mmaweekly.com)“I want a big fight right away, with a good style for me,” he told MMAWeekly.com. “I don’t want to fight a guy like Ricardo Almeida for my comeback fight. For sure it’s going to be a boring fight. The style is just like that. I can beat the grappler, no problem, but for my comeback, I’m looking more for a fight like Wanderlei Silva, or Rich Franklin if he goes to 185, or I want to fight Michael Bisping.”
Leites ready for anything against Dean Lister
(tatame.com)“The expectation will be always good, even more now that I’m coming from two defeats, it’s a new start to me, actually. New event, new house... I’m training as if it were the most important fight of my life”, guarantees, preparing his game for a complete opponent. “I think that he may want to exchange a little bit, to surprise me. But, actually, both essences are Jiu-Jitsu, I think that this fight might go to the ground anyway, which is good for both of us”.
Michael Bisping Vs Wanderlei Silva Possible For UFC 110 In Australia
(fightersonlymagazine.co.uk)Wanderlei Silva’s next fight will be with Michael Bisping, a well-placed Las Vegas source has told Fighters Only. The fight may headline the UFC’s first event in Australia, which takes place in February 2010.
Verbal agreements for the clash have been given, although Fighters Only understands that bout agreements are not yet drawn up. The fight will not be official until these are signed and returned by both men.
Bisping is coming off a win over Denis Kang at UFC 105 while Silva is coming off a decision loss to Rich Franklin at UFC 99. That fight took place at a catch weight of 195lbs and while Bisping operates at middleweight now, he too is a former light-heavyweight, making a catch weight meeting a possibility.
Overexposure Potentially A Huge Problem For UFC
(bit.ly)If the lack of depth on last Saturday's UFC 106 card didn't alarm you, it should.
Sure, UFC has a giant roster of fighters that they don't have to pay unless they fight. However, the talent pool has shrunken considerably over the last year and it's due in part to injuries and an over-abundance of live events. For MMA fans like you and I, having more shows is fine with us. We love MMA and will watch anything - but we're also the hardcore fans. We're not the ones putting our money on the line to promote it.
Corey Hill Targeting January 23 Return
(mmamania.com)After being out one year due to a serious leg injury that was viewed as career-threatening, former TUF 5 contestant Corey Hill could be returning to MMA as soon as January. He reportedly plans to return January 23 for "Raging Wolf" in Niagara, NY. Hill is still under UFC contract but it appears he will be given similar treatment that they gave Houston Alexander, who was given permission to take a couple of fights in outside promotions while under UFC contract.
UFC 106 Prelims: 1.3 Million Viewers
(mmajunkie.com)Spike TV has released the ratings for it's broadcast of 2 UFC 106 prelim fights Saturday. The 1 hour broadcast drew 1.3 million viewers, down slightly from the first 2 such airings, which did 1.4 million viewers each. Spike did claim that the broadcast won the target men 18-34 and men 18-49 demos, beating a college football game on ESPN.
Getting to Know Lester Griffin
(cagepotato.com)Better Know a Judge: Lester Griffin, the Guy Who Scored It 30-27 for Forrest
UFC 106's Griffin/Ortiz rematch was a tricky one to judge, not just because the first two rounds were fairly even, but because it was contested both on the feet and on the ground — and as we've seen many times in the past, MMA judges can have vastly different opinions on the relative value of each aspect of a fight. In the end, Glenn Trowbridge saw it 29-28 for Tito Ortiz, while Marcos Rosales had it 29-28 for Griffin. The deciding vote was cast by a guy named Lester Griffin, who, from his angle, witnessed a one-sided shellacking. His 30-27 score for Forrest Griffin was later described as "crazy," "outrageous," and "insane" by Dana White.
Some interesting footage of "stick fighting" that I've never seen before...very interesting.
Bocek versus Brammer Announced for TUF 10 Finale
(mmaweekly.com)The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Monday announced a lightweight bout pitting Mark Bocek against newcomer Joe Brammer for “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” finale, confirming an earlier report from MMAWeekly.com.
Brammer takes the place of Matt Veach, who recently stepped into a feature bout position against Frankie Edgar when Edgar’s original opponent, Kurt Pellegrino, had to withdraw due to a back injury.
Josh Burkman returns from year layoff, picks up weekend KO win
(mmajunkie.com)Josh Burkman, a cast member from "The Ultimate Fighter 2" who was once one of the UFC's most promising welterweight prospects, returned from a 13-month layoff and posted a first-round stoppage victory over the weekend.
Burkman (19-8) defeated "TUF 5" cast member and fellow UFC vet Brandon Melendez (22-15) via first-round TKO at the Nov. 20 Throwdown Showdown 5 event in Utah.
Overeem, Rizzo, "Ninja," Monson and Speer part of Bitetti Combat 5
(mmajunkie.com)A handful of notables, including former UFC heavyweight title challenger Pedro Rizzo, one-time top UFC heavyweight contender Jeff Monson and PRIDE veteran Murilo "Ninja" Rua, have been announced for the next installment of Bitetti Combat.
Bitetti Combat 5 takes place Dec. 12 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Rizzo (17-9), who defeated Monson via unanimous decision at Bitetti Combat 4 in September, meets Dutch PRIDE veteran Valentijn Overeem (26-24) in the night's headliner.
Overeem, who's defeated the likes of Renato "Babalu" Sobral (2000) and Randy Couture (2001) during his 14-year career, is the older brother of Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.
Rua (17-10-1), who looks to build off a 39-second knockout of Alex Stiebling at the latest Bitetti Combat show, takes on M-1 Challenge vet Jason Jones (14-7).
In other bouts, Monson (31-9) meets WEC vet Glover Teixeira (7-2), veteran Travis Wiuff (57-13) looks for his fourth straight win when he meets Brazilian Fabio Maldonado (12-3), and "The Ultimate Fighter 6" runner-up Tommy Speer (13-4) meets Eduardo Pamplona (12-2), a winner of seven straight.
TUF 10's Darrill Schoonover Recalled To Active Duty (No Spoilers)
(cagepotato.com)Unfortunately it seems that the TUF 10 fighter affectionately nicknamed "Titties" by Quinton Jackson" will have to put his MMA career on hold after the show. Darrill Schoonover announced yesterday that after he fights on 12/5 at the TUF 10 Finale-of course he can't reveal his opponent yet-he has been recalled by the Army and will return to active duty. He's been out for nearly 2 years after 4 years active service, meaning he's within the window that he can still be recalled, and while he's not 100% sure where he's going, he says it's probably Afghanistan. He hopes to be back and resuming MMA in about a year.
Come back safely when it's over, big guy.
Spike TV confirms Kimbo Slice set for The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale fight card
(mmajunkie.com)Spike TV today confirmed that cast member Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson is scheduled to compete at the Dec. 5 live finale for "The Ultimate Fighter 10."
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) previously reported that Ferguson (3-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) meets Houston Alexander (9-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in a catch-weight bout, but Spike TV officials won't announce his opponent until after a two-hour, season-ending Dec. 2 episode of "TUF 10," which is the latest edition of the UFC's reality series.
Spike TV has teased the possibility of Ferguson, who lost an opening-round matchup to former IFL champion Roy Nelson in the third episode of the series, as possibly re-entering the competition as an injury replacement.
The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale takes place at the The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The night's main card, including a Jon Jones vs. Matt Hamill headliner, airs on Spike TV.
WEC 44 ratings: "Brown vs. Aldo" scores 414,000 viewers on Versus
(mmajunkie.com)This past week's broadcast of "WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo" on Versus scored a 0.5 household rating and averaged an audience of 414,000 viewers.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the ratings information with Versus officials.
WEC 44 took place Nov. 18 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Jose Aldo topped WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown in the night's main event, and Manny Gamburyan edged Leonard Garcia in the co-headliner.
The WEC 44 ratings were similar to those for WEC 43, which drew 419,000 viewers. The Oct. 10 event, which took place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, featured Benson's Henderson's decision victory over Donald Cerrone in the night's main event.
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