Josh Barnett vs. Gilbert Yvel is an embarrassing fight to book in Affliction
By Zach Arnold | December 3, 2008
Words cannot describe my first emotions when reading this report that Josh Barnett, one of the world’s best heavyweights, is going to face the useless Gilbert Yvel on January 24th for the Affliction 2 event in Anaheim, California at the Honda Center.
First off, you could not book a more worthless fight for Barnett than this encounter. Gilbert Yvel, as I alluded to in an earlier post, meant something in 1997 when he was fighting in RINGS. He has never meant anything in the American MMA scene and never will mean anything in the American MMA scene. Barnett/Yvel is such a pointless fight. The only motive I could see in terms of Josh taking this fight is money and that’s it. You’re not going to elevate your career one bit by facing Gilbert Yvel.
Second, was the signing of Yvel some sort of condition for Affliction to get Emelianenko Aleksandr or others from Red Devil on the fight card?
Third, I would be surprised if the California State Athletic Commission goes ahead and sanctions this fight.
Fourth, the idea that Affliction would pay out money to even book this fight shows that they do not have a serious matchmaking philosophy right now, in my opinion. No one is interested in seeing Barnett/Yvel — not a casual fan, not a Sherdog message board poster, not anyone who is inside the business. What a waste of money and time this situation is.
Topics: Affliction, M-1, MMA, Media, Zach Arnold | 52 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback | Share This
D-Day for Antonio Silva coming up - Sengoku or US MMA career
By Zach Arnold | December 3, 2008
Undoubtedly, there is financial pressure on Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva to take Sengoku’s offer to fight on January 4th at Saitama Super Arena and risk losing his license to fight in America due to his drug suspension.
I have no idea what kind of money Sengoku is offering Silva, but there’s not a lot of momentum heading into the January 4th event in Saitama. Sengoku has never officially released any attendance figures for past shows at Saitama Super Arena, so the houses are not exactly setting the world on fire business-wise.
Combine Sengoku’s lackluster live gates with news that Zombie Elite XC may become shinsei (newborn) Elite XC and Silva’s in a real rut. He was Elite XC’s heavyweight champion, after all, and if Elite XC finds new ownership and the CBS TV deal is revived… suddenly Silva may be needed to fight for the promotion. Why is this development important? Because if you believe past media reports, Silva was making over $100,000 USD a fight for Elite XC. Is Sengoku going to be able to match that kind of offer? Maybe they offer Silva $50,000 USD maximum to appear, but what opponents is he going to face in Japan? The only semi-marketable match-up on the table for him is a fight against Josh Barnett, a fight in which he’ll likely lose. Then what?
The situation for Silva would be different if he was fighting on the K-1 show at Saitama Super Arena, because that event will be carried on Tokyo Broadcasting System and have a very large audience on NYE. The Sengoku show, which will air on TV-Tokyo, will not nearly have the same audience size as K-1’s big event.
Let me close by stating the following… Antonio Silva will certainly bring more value to Sengoku (if he works for that organization) than Gilbert Yvel will ever bring to Affliction. It’s absurd that Affliction is even considering negotiations with Yvel at this point. Maybe if it was 1997 and we’re talking about his RINGS days…
Topics: Japan, MMA, Media, Pro Elite, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback | Share This
WEC 12/3 Las Vegas fight card line-up
By Zach Arnold | December 3, 2008
- WEC Bantamweight Title match: Miguel Torres vs. Manny Tapia
- Brian Bowles vs. Will Ribeiro
- Waggney Fabiano vs. Akitoshi Tamura
- Joseph Benavidez vs. Danny Martinez
Undercard
- Johny Hendricks vs. Justin Haskins
- Mark Munoz vs. Ricardo Barros
- Bias Avena vs. Kevin Knabjian
- Diego Nunes vs. Cole Province
- Bart Palaszewski vs. Alex Karalexis
- Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Cub Swanson
- Shane Roller vs. Mike Budnik
You may recognize the name Joseph Benavidez because he was supposed to face Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto last July in the DREAM ring, but Yamamoto canceled due to claiming a knee injury. Benavidez is a highly-regarded prospect who trains with Urijah Faber in Sacramento.
Topics: MMA, Media, WEC, Zach Arnold | 10 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback | Share This
UFC’s Dana White: Movie director in South Boston
By Zach Arnold | December 3, 2008
The Boston Globe has an article today talking about a Mob Scene in Southie, which refers to filming of Dana White’s two-hour TV pilot that he’s filming based on the mafia scene in Boston. There are some unintentionally humorous quotes by White in the Globe article, including this gem:
And don’t even get him started on NBC’s ill-fated organized-crime series “The Black Donnellys.”
“You see that? The kids looked like [expletive] Abercrombie & Fitch models,” he said. “If they ever tried to extort money from you, you’d kick the [expletive] out of them.”
Extort money? Bad guys? Why am I mysteriously reminded of UFC’s deal with Dream Stage Entertainment for the PRIDE assets? Wasn’t PRIDE a tarnished brand in Japan due to yakuza allegations? How about that lawsuit in Las Vegas court against DSE right now?
“I’m pushing the envelope big time,” he said, “but I want to make sure we’re delivering what we’re selling.”
Maybe the UFC President can make a movie about the rise and fall of PRIDE on Spike TV, since revisionist history will probably claim that UFC brought them down… right?
Friday is D-Day in Las Vegas court in terms of a discovery conference in the PRIDE FC WW Holdings LLC vs. DSE lawsuit.
It’s hard being the UFC President, filming movies, and dealing with wild and crazy antics on The Ultimate Fighter.
Topics: MMA, Media, PRIDE, UFC, Zach Arnold | 4 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback | Share This
UFC 93 (1/17 Dublin) fight card line-up
By Zach Arnold | December 2, 2008
Undercard
- Tom Egan vs. John Hathaway
- Light Heavyweights: Tomasz Drawl vs. Ivan Serati
- Middleweights: Jeremy Horn vs. Rousimar Palhares
- Welterweights: Marcus Davis vs. Chris Lytle
Main card
- Lightweights: Dennis Siver vs. Nate Mohr
- Light Heavyweights: Antonio Mendes vs. Andre Gusmao
- Middleweights: Alan Belcher vs. Denis Kang
- Light Heavyweights: Mark Coleman vs. Mauricio Shogun
- Light Heavyweights: Rich Franklin vs. Dan Henderson
Update: Here is an interview with Marcus Davis in The Irish Times.
Topics: MMA, Media, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 29 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback | Share This
UFC 92 (12/27 Las Vegas) fight card line-up
By Zach Arnold | December 2, 2008
Undercard
- Heavyweights: Dan Evensen vs. Pat Barry
- Welterweights: Ryo Chonan vs. Brad Blackburn
- Light Heavyweights: Matt Hamill vs. Reese Andy
- Heavyweights: Antoni Hardonk vs. Mark Burch
- Middleweights: Yushin Okami vs. Dean Lister
Main card
- Heavyweight: Cheick Kongo vs. Mustapha Al-Turk
- Light Heavyweight: Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson
- Middleweights: CB Dollaway vs. Mike Massenzio
- Heavyweights: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir
- Light Heavyweights (title match): Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans
Topics: MMA, Media, UFC, Zach Arnold | 20 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback | Share This
Press Release: WEC announces first ever event in San Diego
By Zach Arnold | December 2, 2008
WORLD LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP JAMIE VARNER vs. DONALD “COWBOY” CERRONE AND URIJAH FABER VS. JENS PULVER 2
Live From San Diego Sports Arena, Sunday, January 25
Tickets Start at $35 and Go on Sale Thursday, Dec. 4 at 10AM PT
Las Vegas, NV (USA) – World Extreme Cagefighting® today announced that for the first event of 2009, the cage will head west to the hotbed of mixed martial arts - California - to hold the first ever WEC® event in San Diego. Two blockbuster matchups will lead the main card, with the World Lightweight Championship fight between Jamie Varner and undefeated Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone as the main event, and the mega-rematch pitting Urijah Faber against Jens Pulver in the co-main event. World Extreme Cagefighting, featuring Varner vs. Cerrone and Faber vs. Pulver 2, takes place live from the San Diego Sports Arena on Sunday, January 25, 2009.
World Extreme Cagefighting will be televised live nationally on VERSUS beginning at 9:30 pm ET/6:30 pm PT. All live WEC events will be presented in Hi-Definition (HD) where available. For more information and how to find VERSUS in your local viewing area, visit http://www.versus.com/findversus.
Tickets for World Extreme Cagefighting go on sale at 10 a.m. PT Thursday, Dec. 4 and will be priced at $175, $125, $75 and $35 (not including applicable services or taxes). Tickets will be available for purchase through the San Diego Sports Arena Box Office, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 619-220-8497.
Don’t blink when WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner (15-2, 1 NC) meets up with No. 1 contender Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (9-0, 1 NC). Varner has finished his last four opponents, and now the Tempe, Arizona fighter will face his greatest test in the red hot Cerrone.
“I have a lot of respect for Cerrone, but I consider him just one more undefeated fighter that I have to put in his place,” said Varner. “I think it’s awesome to have this fight in Southern California; there is a huge MMA following there, so I think this event will be huge, and a big step for the growth of WEC.”
Undefeated lightweight contender Cerrone ( 9-0,1 No Contest) is one fight away from securing his place as the new champion of the WEC, and he plans on doing everything in his power to get there. The Albuquerque, New Mexico trained mixed martial artist, who is known for his relentless stand-up attack and equally effective ground game, most recently scored a Fight of the Night win against world class striker and former champ “Razor” Rob McCullough.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to fight for the title, and to take on Jamie Varner,” said Cerrone. “He’s well rounded and very athletic, but I’m going to work hard in training camp and on my game plan to win the title. I’m looking forward to fighting in San Diego, and to headline the first WEC event there.”
Urijah “The California Kid” Faber (21-2) is the former WEC Featherweight Champion, a title he has owned since March of 2006. Faber was upset by Mike Brown in November, but he is on a mission to reclaim his status as best featherweight fighter in the world. But first, he has to fight his way through a rematch with Jens Pulver. The two first met in June 2008, fighting toe-to-toe in a five round battle that became one of the best WEC fights to date.
“I know this is going to be another classic for the fans,” said Faber. “Jens is always ready to fight, he’s a competitor, and I expect a tough battle, but I’m going to try to finish it this time - I don’t want it to go the distance.”
Former UFC® lightweight champion Jens Pulver (22-10-1) looks to rebound from two consecutive losses at the expense of Faber. And with a new team behind him, the 33-year-old with the legendary left hand is refocused and ready to continue on his road back to the top.
“Now that I train with Matt Hume, I’ll be doing things a lot differently,” Pulver said comparing his first fight with Faber. “Did I show it against Leonard Garcia? No, it takes time. But I know I’m still competitive…Great fights are still in me.”
All bouts subject to change. For more information about current WEC fight news, visit www.wec.tv.
Topics: MMA, Media, WEC, Zach Arnold | 5 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback | Share This
Bob Arum: Our next great hope… Dubai
By Zach Arnold | December 2, 2008
Bill Dwyre in the LA Times today has a fun column talking about the heat-up for Oscar De La Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao and how Ricky Hatton stands to profit handsomely by facing the winner.
The most interesting part of the article involves quotes from Bob Arum, who claims that if Pacquiao beats De La Hoya that a mega-fight between Pacquiao and Hatton will take place… in Dubai.
“I just got back from Dubai. It’s like Fantasyland. Huge, new, spectacular buildings everywhere.
“Think of Pacquiao-Hatton. There is a large Filipino population in Dubai, and the biggest tourism comes from England. Because I’m Pacquiao’s promoter, I got recognized as much there as Michael Jordan would in the States.”
Given Arum’s recent statements over the past year about needing to run bigger boxing shows outside of Las Vegas, combined with the success of UFC 91 in the town, and it’s clearer than ever that Zuffa’s managed to make Las Vegas their town in a big way.
Maybe a trip to Ontario, Canada is necessary? I hear Anderson Silva & Royce Gracie will be in Hamilton this weekend.
Topics: Boxing, MMA, Media, UFC, Zach Arnold | 4 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback | Share This
UFC fighter Jason MacDonald talks about Jon Fitch/Dana White situation
By Zach Arnold | December 2, 2008
From his column today on Sportsnet (Canada):
As for Jon Fitch, I’m glad to see he finally did sign the exclusive video-game agreement, which could have cost him his spot in the UFC had he not. I didn’t have any problem with signing it, even if it was exclusive. From my standpoint, why wouldn’t I want the UFC to use my name and my likeness in a video game for my lifetime? It’s not like there are other opportunities like that out there. Is Affliction going to be putting out a video game down the road? I doubt it.
The counter-argument from Ivan Trembow:
It’s also interesting to note how the UFC is preying on fighters’ lack of knowledge about other potential video game deals. We’ve seen multiple fighters, including Fitch, say something to the effect of, “Come on, who else is going to be want to put ME in a video game?” This demonstrates that they are completely unaware of the fact that the biggest video game publisher in the world, Electronic Arts, also has a mixed martial arts game in the pipeline, and unlike Zuffa/THQ, they are willing to pay fighters to be a part of it. It’s not like it would be a huge amount of money, but it shows the fighters not being aware of what they’re signing away.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Snowden has an interview with Georges St. Pierre.
Update: Nicholas Bailey rips apart Dan Lambert of American Top Team for recent comments Mr. Lambert made about UFC contracts in relation to fighters signing away the rights to their image & likeness.
Topics: Canada, MMA, Media, UFC, Zach Arnold | 56 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback | Share This
Missouri battles youngsters in cage fighting
By Zach Arnold | December 1, 2008
Video here. I would have embedded the video clip, but the news channel didn’t provide that option.
Topics: MMA, Media, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback | Share This
The power of UFC’s brand online
By Zach Arnold | November 30, 2008
Did you know that Versus has their own YouTube channel for WEC videos? While some fans online know about it, many other fans do not know about it. A recent WEC ad for Miguel Torres vs. Manny Tapia drew 2,700 hits in a week.
What a lot of MMA fans do know about, however, is UFC’s YouTube channel. Look at the sheer amount of hits that videos such as Dana White’s vlogs are getting (well over 50,000 hits per video). That same Torres/Tapia ad on the Versus WEC YouTube channel that drew 2,700 hits… has drawn over 97,000 hits in the same time span on UFC’s YouTube channel.
Granted, UFC’s videos do not draw the same massive amounts of hits that videos from musicians like Katy Perry or Sara Bareilles draw, but the company is certainly seeing tangible results in terms of its viral reach online.
You can analyze this situation from a few different angles, but one thing is very clear — MMA fans are primarily UFC fans and they only care about the UFC brand, much in the same manner that American football fans only care about ‘The Shield’ first and foremost. The flipside to the argument, however, is that Zuffa LLC has done a lackluster job of consistently building the WEC brand. WEC hit its stride for the Urijah Faber/Jens Pulver match in Sacramento last Summer, but since that point the company has continued to draw ratings in the 0.4-0.6 range on Versus and WEC’s online presence is weak.
Topics: MMA, Media, UFC, WEC, Zach Arnold | 10 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback | Share This
Report: K-1 interested in Kimbo/Petruzelli re-match on NYE
By Zach Arnold | November 30, 2008
Original posting date: October 29th
Sharon Robb in The South Florida Sun-Sentinel has a report featuring comments from Richie Guerriero of the American Top Team in regards to Elite XC closing up shop. However, the biggest note from Robb’s article is this:
Slice, who spent Thursday at one of his children’s school career day, is weighing his options with his agent Mike Imber. He may fight on the DREAM K-1 New Year’s Eve show in Japan, possibly a rematch with Petruzelli.
If you recall, Petruzelli was telling Orlando media after his fight with Kimbo Slice that he had received an offer to fight in Japan.
As far as Kimbo Slice vs. Seth Petruzelli having any drawing power in Japan… you could dip Seth Petruzelli in glue, drag him through Fort Knox, and he wouldn’t draw a single dollar. Kimbo, on the other hand, could draw very well in Japan. However, putting him in a re-match against Petruzelli is a stupid idea… unless, of course, K-1 paid off Petruzelli to take a dive in the fight. Why not.
Update: Omasuki Fight has a note from a Tokyo Sports mobile news update, which claims that Kimbo Slice could appear at K-1’s 12/6 Yokohama Arena event to announce his future participation for the organization (starting in March of 2009). The name of Slice’s first opponent being floated? Badr Hari.
Topics: DREAM, Japan, K-1, MMA, Media, Zach Arnold | 30 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback | Share This
The press talks to Enson Inoue’s former wife about his drug arrest
By Zach Arnold | November 29, 2008
Original post date: October 24th, 2008
Miyu Yamamoto, the sister of Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and ex-wife of Enson Inoue, made an appearance Friday at the opening ceremonies for an event called “EAT JAPAN in Tokyo Marunouchi.” Naturally, the press started to ask her questions about Enson Inoue’s arrest last weekend and, according to a wire report in Japan, she did not want to answer any questions and supposedly left the media area briskly.
In addition to Inoue’s recent arrest, Kid Yamamoto and associates have been reportedly targeted by Tokyo Metropolitan Police in relation to marijuana drug raids (this according to Shukan Gendai last July).
Update: Enson Inoue is interviewed by MMA Junkie. He is speaking out for the first time to the media.
Topics: Japan, MMA, Media, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback | Share This