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MMARated.com has a funny update on the Arlovski-Sylvia argument.....

photo via MMARated.com

Court Jester Commentary

What makes entertainers, using this term very lightly, think that we should listen to their social commentaries on our culture or the state of this nation? Why should I value your opinion over mine or any other educated person in this country? Just because you bummed around LA for while, whipped up a couple mocca Fraps on your way to working a job where you get paid to act like someone else for millions of dollars doesn't mean your opinion is more valid. In short, people like the people you portray not you, just because you act like a President in a tv show doesn't mean you are dialed into the politics of this nation. Why I am on going off on this rant? Well, turns out some idiot comic named Andy Daly thinks that the UFC makes the Armageddon(article is here). Andy, thank you for your thoughts, but I'd have to put our dependence on foreign oil, the subprime crisis and the worst housing market in our countries history ahead of what sports we choose to watch. Plus, if you really wanted to be creative you should have talked about all the transfat we eat and how we'll all eat so much that the country combusts into a sea fat. In short, get a new set of jokes or a new target to rag on because this audience won't deal with your misconceptions.

Roger Huerta is NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!

Huerta goes off on the UFC management and salary scale in this month's fight magazine. Fiveouncesofpain.com has the details here. Typically magazine interviews are done months in advance of publication, so I will be interested to see how he responds to the interview ahead of the biggest and most publized fight of his career. Somehow I believe that getting a headline fight against Florian has to make him feel more respected and let's face it the guy got the cover of SI over a number of more high caliber names i.e. Liddell, Couture, Ortiz, GSP, Hughes, etc when he was just making a name for himself in the UFC. How much more exposure and respect does he want? I understand fighters being mad about their salaries, but if your management can't take advantage of a magazine cover to get you income outside the Octagon that's your problem. Get an agent or a manager that can maximize the exposure you get and increase your sponsorship or ad dollars. This guy is a hit with the Hispanic population who loves fighting, why isn't he in more Hispanic/Latin focused ads? Get an agent with a clue and start making more money on the side, fighting creates exposure and exposure can be sold, so sell it and shut up. You signed a fight deal, honor it and when it's up the UFC will pay you what your worth.

Rampage and his kids

Checkout these pics of Rampage and his kids taken yesterday. Get better buddy, the UFC and hte sport need you back.

Yahoo! Sports has an update from Jeremy May(TUF Fame) on Rampage and the SI.com article

Jesse Taylor released by the UFC

Not surprising Jesse Taylor was released by the UFC. Aside from his out of the ring antics, the guy really wasn't entertaining to watch, he had no stand up game and all he did was lay on top of his opponents. Physically, the guy is a freak show and he has a lot of potential, but I think his lack of mental strength will work against him in the long run. Good Bye Coco, it was fun to have you around.....I am sure we'll see you in an Elite XC show soon.

Early News

Fight Salaries for Elite XC Unfinished Business and it appears the financial fall out for the lack of promotion may be big.

Kimbo will star in something other than porn and a children's movie no less. Only in America can a former porn bodyguard star in a kids film. What's next Miley Cyrus in a porn?

Shocking the Affliction bout in October between the Pitbull and Fedor is on hold......I guess that happens when you fight every fighter under contract in one show, medical suspensions tend to get in the way. The problem Affliction has is they started the car in fourth gear going downhill, now they have to go uphill, which means dropping in down a notch. Here are the medical suspensions as well.

New UFC contender Dan Miller gets his first shot at UFN 15, Miller is the middleweight champ of the now defunct IFL

You got to see this video, pretty much what makes everything that is Japanese MMA awesome. When do we get the camel toe shots of the UFC ring girls on PPV? More hot ring girls here

Brock Lesnar Interview

Regardless of what Heath Herring thinks he's going to have his hands full in two weeks. Dana White didn't give Brock all that money just to bring WWE fans into the the UFC. Interview is here

Playing Catch Up.....

The always entertaining Kevin Iole mailbag

Gary Shaw and company resign from ProElite, regardless of what you think abotu Gary he could promote fights something ProElite didn't do for last weekend's show

Chael Sonnen bags on Rampage, counting the days until he moves to the UFC to get pounded into retirement

Just what was it like to be at the fights on Saturday night, can I get a midget with a nacho hat please

What is up with MMA in Europe?

Today's Recap

The Sandman tests positive for pain killers

Ricardo Arona thinks the UFC is built for him

This idiot thinks MMA will never go mainstream....please email him and tell him otherwise

SPIKE TV ratings for Saturday night's replay of UFC 84.......numbers look good

Aleksander Emelianenko interview comments on Hep B rumors

Fabricio Werdum re-signs with the UFC for 5 fights

John Alessio signs with Elite XC

The Iceman isn't fired up about Lyoto Machida getting a shot at the 205 lb belt

More Rampage Rumors

Bloodyelbow.com is reporting that all of this is about money. Since Ramapage fired his manager Jaunito Ibarra and went nuts, rumors have been flying that Ibarra had been stealing from him. Apparently, Joe Rogan was quoted as saying this outside of a nightclub. More details here

Rampage UPDATE: NOVEMBER RETURN!!!!

Fightlinker.com is reporting that the UFC is considering a November return for Rampage and a bout against Wanderlei Silva. Are you kidding me? The guy is mental, there is no way he should be let back in the ring until he gets his head on straight, not to mention he'd get his head kicked in again by Wandy. Details are here, even more info from SI.com here

Tonya Evinger slams brews....

Tonya Evinger keeps it real. Check the progression from this interview with MMARated during the Elite XC event to her performance as the post fight interviews for Elite XC. The question is what booze was she drinking? I am guessing Jager Bombs, she's definitely not a Goldschlager girl.



Notice her in the Jake Shields interview, apparently they had some fun in the islands of southeast Asia or she could be hitting on him. If they got it on, would you call it sex or wrestling?

Today's News

Tito Ortiz talks to MMARated.com


Bloodyelbow.com has lots a fancy charts and pictures

Jake Shields talks Elite XC with MMA Weekly

The UFC's new video game is kicking ass at some conference for nerds

Dave Meltzer rounds up the last three weeks of MMA action

Babalu vs. Tito close to confirmed

Follow up from our post yesterday, it looks like Babalu vs. Tito is going to happen in October. For details go here

MMA Weekly catches up with Josh Barnett

“Coming here I’m used to the other crowds,” Barnett said. “I’ve always felt that the UFC had kind of a negative crowd aspect. I was really blown away by the fans. There was a little booing here and there, and that can’t be helped, I know what they’re weaned on. Those last fights really exploded…it was like a hand grenade going off. I only can expect bigger and better things from not only the show, but from the crowd as well.”(Interview here)

I am a huge Josh Barnett fan and if there is a fighter out there that can beat Fedor it is definitely the Baby Face Assassin. As to the dislike of US crowds, all I can say is that some fans here don't have respect for the total package when it comes to fighting, but they do add a great deal of passion and excitement to the events. Yes, Japanese fans are quiet and respectful, but the matches in DREAM or Sengoku seem like libraries at times. If the US fans could so how rid themselves of that old guard blood sport mentality, the events would definitely be much more appreciated by some fighters, especially those not willing to leave Japan. Personally, I find it annoying when fans boo just because a fight stays on the ground for an extended period, because it shows a lack of respect for the fighters. Additionally, the referees could help things out by restarting the action more often, something which they do in Japan quite a bit more than in the states.

Rampage Update: "He thinks he is GOD"

No longer content to destroy cities, Rampage now has his eyes set on world domination. According to inside sources who spoke to Cagepotato.com, the former light heavyweight champ is not on steady ground right now.

Article is here

Somebody wants a piece of Tito.......

“I want Tito Ortiz. I’m going after that motherfucker, I’ll fuck him (laughs)… But let them (Affliction) sign with him first”

- Renato Babalu Sobral

Article here

Today's News

Very slow news day today, but here are a couple tid bits. After an exciting three weeks of fights I guess it is not too surprising that news is non existent.

Some Canadian MMA guys had a rough weekend

I always get a chuckle out of these articles, because people love to attribute success to timing and luck. The Ferrtitta's also have this other company, Station Casionos, yeah it seems to be doing pretty well. What these people don't understand is that the best young talent is yet to come and they want to fight in the UFC. The business model of buying older, well known fighters will not work in the long run. The UFC business model is great get young guys in and let the old guys go get paid somewhere else. Mark stick to reporting on fighting and leave business to other people.

UFC 87 August 9th

UFC 87: Seek and Destroy Preview

This is going to be well worth the $40 PPV charge.......

Elite XC Unfinished Business gets 1.9 rating

Considering the lack of promotion, Kimbo Slice and Gina Carano, I think that is a great number. Everyone in MMA blogdom seems to be super disappointed and I am not sure why? Details from MMAPayout.com, they seem to have a more level head about things.......

Elite XC Unfinished Business Revew

It really is a shame this event was not promoted well because I thought it turned out to be excellent for the viewer. All the fights were entertaining and there were no strange decisions by the judges or unnecessary stoppages. Audience numbers have not been released, but I am guessing they will probably disappoint, which is a shame because I was impressed with CBS's second effort in MMA broadcasting. I thought the production was tight and crisp. Gus, Mauro and Frank worked well together. Gus was especially much improved as his excited style was matched by a much improved knowledge of the sport. Specifically, I thought the Smith-Lawler fight was even better than anticipated and the Baszler-Cyborg women's match was highly entertaining as well. Bigfoot and Diaz both dismantled fighters who probably had no business facing them, but at least they managed to finish them with TKOs. Overall, I thought it was a good show and a great second step for Elite XC. Unfortunately, they scheduled the event a week after the biggest MMA weekend this year and on the same Saturday as the Cotto-Margarito fight. My final take away would be I can't wait to see the Carano-Cyborg in October. Shocking I know, but trust me women's MMA is coming up.

More thoughts from other bloggers

MMAMania.com

Octagonbuzz.com

Bloodyelbow.com

Tharealness.com

Today's News

Kimbo and Carano will return to action Oct. 4th in Miami

Cro Cop provides us a status update from his blog

Cote-Silva to headline UFC 90 in Chicago

Urijah Faber filming Joseph Benavidez at Dream 5

This is video shot by Urijah Faber at DREAM 5. Up close and personal footage...

Quick Thoughts before the fights tonight

"So tonight we get to see how MMA does on network TV with no "mainstream stars" and a very weak marketing push. Is MMA a strong enough draw as a sport alone that it can pull meaningful ratings without the UFC banner or a Kimbo slice level attraction for the curious?"

- from the Bloodyelbow.com, the rest of the post is here

My thoughts exactly, I don't think tonight’s event hurts the sport, but it seems like a waste to put on a show with little press exposure. MMA is the fastest growing sport in America, but it has not reached the point where you can just throw up a card on Saturday night and it will be followed. Even if the UFC, with all it's street cred and popularity, put as little effort into this event as Elite XC has for this event they would not do well either. Take nothing away from the people on the card, because I think the fights will be exciting tonight, but they probably won't get the reception they deserve from the national audience. Gary Shaw has been conspicuously absent from this event and no one is really sure why he has suddenly taken a back seat. Say what you want about the guy, he knows how to promote fights, something the people in charge of this event clearly don't know how to do. Bottom-line, the sport deserves better and Elite is doing a disservice not only to their business, but to the sport in general by not bringing more attention to the event.

UFC 84: Penn v Shrek on Spike

Spike will be showing UFC 84 tonight at 6 pm

MMA Live Episode 11

Today's News

Great article from SI.com on Affliction

BJ Penn vs. GSP II in December?

MMAMania interviews Chris Leben

- UFC 89 free on SPIKE Tv?

More on Rumble Johnson, apparently the damage as a result of the eye gauge was enough to warrant surgery

Kimbo Slice and TapouT are now partners....he should fit in nicely on the show, maybe the milfhunter can make a cameo

Soooooooo hot

Elite XC predictions

Bloody Elbow

MMAMania

MMAPayout

Blogorama.....

Steve Cofield talks promoters on the Yahoo! Sports blog(Article 1, 2)

Not sure if I caught this earlier this week, but Rumble Johnson will appeal last weekends bout with Kevin Burns and he should. Bottom line: No Contest and I think Burns should receive a suspension for ignoring the refs repeated warnings

Shogun Rua to face off against the Hammer in a rematch of PRIDE 31, pretty sure Shogun wants payback for the dislocated elbow and melee that happened afterwards

Things aren't looking good for the Elite XC show on CBS......

Where does MMA go from here?

Thoughts on the CBS show to come later......

GSP Talks About Defending His Title

Gus Johnson speaks Gary Chuggs

I am not sure there is an announcer who puts as much heart and soul into a telecast as Gus Johnson. While, I don't think that he and Mauro Ranallo work well together on the Elite XC broadcasts, Gus could be on of the top announcers in the fight game if given time. Let's face it the competition isn't stiff once you consider the fact that the Mike Goldberg/Joe Rogan combo is considered the best in the business.

Check the interview out here

The Texas Crazy Horse Prepares for Brock Lesnar

Today's News

“We’ll end up to an agreement I’m sure,” St. Pierre said. “I like the UFC, I’m glad I’m champion, I want to represent the sport and also the UFC well.”

- GSP quickly squashed rumors that he might leave the UFC after his contract is up, details here

The IFL is officially sold, UFC engulfs another another North American MMA franchise

New hope for MMA in New York State?

Steve Cofield dials up Nick Diaz craziness

Brock Lesnar speaks to the UK's Sun, god that guy is freakishly big

Robbie Lawler has a great Matt Hughes story on his blog

MMAPayout.com speaks the truth about Brand backlash in the MMA community

Elite XC Unfinished Business Preview

Lost in all the hype about last week's showdown between Affliction and the UFC was this week's Elite XC show on Saturday night. Granted there will be no Kimbo Slice and the caliber of fighters will not come close to the level we saw last weekend, but it has been my belief that Elite XC fighters have put on a good show for fans even though they may not be the biggest names. There is no question that Scott Smith and Robbie Lawler will be as action filled as their first bout on national tv, because both fighters would rather get KO'd or submitted than have their fight got to a decision. Plus, they have the added pressure of holding this weekend's card on their shoulders and they won't want to disappoint. Additionally, I think Elite XC and CBS will learn from some of the mistakes they made last time in terms of show length and production quality which will add a lot of value to the viewer experience. Yet despite all those positives, Elite XC does face the challenge of following up last weekend's spectacular fights. Are fans going to be tired of watching MMA? This show will be the fourth major show this month and fans may want to take a break this Saturday night to do something else; like watch Cotto vs. Margarito.

Nick Diaz hates everyone.....

Dear U.S. fans

Thanks for buying a seat to see my fight this Saturday night and to all those fat ass trans fat sucking Americans who will be watching on CBS, have two hot dogs on me. Hopefully you all are coked up and drunk out of your minds so you can take in all the technical beauty that is my fight game. I mean it sucks that the fight is in a cage and all of you won't be Japanese, but whatever we'll make do because everyone that fights in the US has a wrestling background and juices daily. Sorry I can't say more, I've got to train for the triathlon I am in on Sunday. Yep, that's right. I am so healthy and in shape I do triathlons after I fight. I mean whatever I killed a mountain lion with a my bare hands once. Oh wait, Fuck KJ Noons

Later

Nick

For the full interview from cagepotato.com go here, it's worth the 15 minutes of self hate

Follow up: Aleksander Emelianenko

MMANews is reporting that Emelianenko has been cut from his Affliction contract because of the positive Hep B test. I am not sure where the guy will go from here as a fighter, because no legit operation will support him. It is a lot like the Tommy Morrison situation in that even if he finds a way to clear himself, he'll end up like Tommy fighting on some back country reservation for a few casino chips and a place to sleep that night. His story will forever be that of a fighter who had so much talent but wasted it. He never has had the work ethic of is brother Fedor and seems to be a bit of a loose cannon outside the gym, one would draw those conclusions based on his numerous prison tattoo's. I'll I can say is best of luck and you were entertaining to watch.

Fireball Kid returns to action on Aug 24th

Former PRIDE lightweight champ Takanori Gomi is set to take on DEEP lightweight champ Sung Hwan Pang in Sengoku IV on August 24th. U.S. fans will remember Gomi from his upset loss to Nick Diaz, which was ultimately termed a NC because Diaz was stoned out of his mind. It's too bad fighters like Gomi are so against fighting in the U.S. because he is entertaining as hell. I am not sure there is a fighter in the lightweight division in the UFC, Affliction or Elite XC that really compares to him. I would love to see him slug it out with GSP or take on BJ Penn in a rematch.

How strong is the UFC financially?

MMAPayout.com has two awesome articles that look at Zuffa in depth. Many of you out there probably don't know that Zuffa just had their corporate debt rating downgraded. Which is not surprising because the economy is heading straight for the tank meaning people will tighten spending habits, which ultimately will reduce the number of PPV dollars out there to be made. In short, the downgrade is less about the status of the company that it is the state of consumer spending, inflation, credit crunch etc etc. Here are the articles definitely good reads.

Article 1(Discusses Bond Rating Change)

Article 2(Discusses PPV Distribution)

Daddy Like......

This photo comes via mmafightgirls.com and shows the way they do MMA in Virginia, stripper-style. The productions name is Operation Octagon, aka soon to be sued by the UFC for copyright infringement. Why can't we get this trend going in the mainstream? Seriously, if the show is PPV who is to stop the UFC from taking it up a notch and making them topless. Butch is in favor of completely nude ring girls, but I had to remind him that we are Playboy not Hustler. If we take it much father then next thing you know they'll be bumping fuzzies between rounds, but hey whose complaining.

Today's News

Fight Rumors via MMAMania.com

Dean Lister vs. Thales Leites @ UFN 15 in Nebraska

Thiago Tavares vs. Kurt Pelligrino @ UFC 88 in Atlanta

Affliction may be working on an October show in Vegas

The Miller brothers sign with the UFC...more IFL defections

Affliction live gate numbers slightly fishy

Rampage Update 1, 2

Is the Affliction vs. UFC battle killing Elite XC?

Fedor vs. Arlovski in October?

Fighthype.com reports that the Pitbull will be taking on Fedor this fall in the Windy City. Definitely, a good second event for Affliction, it will be interesting to see how they fill out the rest of the card. I smell Tito Ortiz vs. Vitor Belfort....

Aleksander Emelianenko tests positive for......

Bloodyelbow.com reports that Aleksander failed his medical licence because he tested positive for Hep B. Not surprisingly, Hep B is can be transmitted through contact with infected blood, thus his fight career may be over.

Jardine vs. Vera in the works

Cagepotato.com is reporting the two will clash sometime this fall. Things aren't getting easier for Vera, Jardine is going to be a very tough opponent coming off that brutal KO he received from Wandy. A lot of people are putting Vera in the "must win" category after the lack luster victory over Andy Reese at UFN 14, but I think he's too talented a fighter to let go and despite how boring the fight was, he did dominate the entre proceeding.

UFC 88 is shaping up nicely

Rashad Evans vs. Chuck Liddell tops the card....also fighting will be Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson and Karo Parisyan. Check here for details

Today's News

Joe Rogan has a kid.......no seriously he has a kid now. Question is does the DMT usage go up or down? Personally, a baby constantly crying might make me want to be in an alternate universe. Just kidding Joe, congrats your lineage is secure.

MMAWeekly updates the fighter rankings......Despite what the rankings say, Rampage still world's craziest fighter

Kevin Iole's Mailbag......100,000 PPV buys for Affliction = mmmeeehhhh

CompuStrike has numbers for Affliction: Banned and UFN 14

From Matt Hughes blog, word on the street is he will be out 6-7 months

"I found out my results, I’ve got a totally torn MCL that is still attached to my femur. I’ve got a partially torn PCL. They really think that the PCL will repair itself and that MCL has a chance of repairing itself. So we’re going to hold off on surgery right now. I am going to get a second opinion this week, so that might change; but for now we’re going to hold off on surgery."

Did the Big Lead accept free stuff for positive coverage of UFC? What no comp'd run to Olympic Gardens?

Spider calls out GSP...successfully defend your belt once and then you can move up and fight me, Bushwhackers love it. Sorry George we still haven't forgotten all the money we lost on GSP-Serra 1.

UFC Fight Night 14 Averages 3.1 million viewers

According to Fiveouncesofpain.com, UFC Fight Night 14 averaged 3.1 million viewers and peaked with 3.8 million viewers.

According to Spike, UFN 14 was number one during its time slot compared to all basic cable and broadcast networks in the males 18-34 (903,000 viewers); males 18-49 (1,550,000); males 25-34 (622,000); and Male/Females 18-34 (1,326,000) demographics.

When comparing the UFN 14 rating to other programs that aired over the weekend, the event attracted more viewers that Fox’s baseball coverage on Saturday afternoon. According to Spike TV, UFN 14 also did better in the males 18-34 and males 18-49 demos than ESPN’s Sunday night telecast of the ESPY awards.

Those look like solid numbers to me and shows that MMA has very relevant viewership. It will be interesting to see Affliction's PPV numbers.

Elite XC "Unfinished Business"

Lost in all of the action last weekend is the 2nd Saturday Night Fights event on CBS. This event will feature fights on both Showtime and CBS.

Here are the event details:



Location: Stockton, Calif.
Venue: Stockton Arena
Broadcast: Showtime (8-9 p.m. ET), CBS (9-11 p.m. ET)

MAIN CARD (CBS)

* Champ Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith (middleweight title)
* Jake Shields vs. Nick Thompson (welterweight title)
* Thomas Denny vs. Nick Diaz
* Shayna Baszler vs. Cristiane Cyborg
* Jeremy Freitag vs. Anthony Ruiz (swing bout)

MAIN CARD (SHOWTIME)

* Justin Eilers vs. Antonio Silva (heavyweight title)
* Brian Caraway vs. Wilson Reis
* Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante vs. Travis Galbraith

There is competition.....

Affliction VP grades himself with an A for this weekend's event. Makes lots of bold claims, still not sure what he would do without Fedor and mentions a November event with no location. Interview is here

Props MMAWeekly.com

BJ Penn and Sean Sherk Photo Shoot Video

Check out this video courtesy of BJPenn.com


Find more videos like this on BJPENN.COM

UFC acquires IFL?

Fighter.com is reporting that the UFC has indeed purchased the IFL.....no official announcement has been made by Zuffa.

Spider vs. Fedor: Just the Facts

Before we get into the real debate, let's take a look at how these guys stack up numbers wise.

Career Stats from fightmetric.com

- Anderson Silva

If you look at all of his fights in the UFC, Silva has rated 100% twice and 89% or above% four times in his seven fights in the Octagon. His only black eye would be a 65% score in his win over Travis Lutter, although it should be noted Lutter rated out at 38%.

- Fedor

Fedor is equal as dominant, rating 100% twice, and 90% or better three times in his last three fights. His two poor performances(both wins), came against Mark Hunt(65%) and Mirko Cro Cop(58%), two pretty solid opponents.

That looks pretty even to me. The only thing I would say is that Fedor's competition has been very mixed over the past few years, but his most recent performance against Sylvia more than makes up for that. Tim hasn't been the most consistent fighter, but you saw him get rocked early by a shot from Couture and he recovered to last five rounds. In this fight Tim got rocked early and he was taping out before he could even gets his wits back.

Early News

The salaries for Affliction were frighteningly large, there is no way they can put an event like this on again.....$800,000 to Tim Sylvia? No wonder Dana gave him the boot. Check the live gate numbers, considering the magnitude of the card I am disappointed.

Compare those numbers to the UFC's and it is pretty clear why they are doing so well financially

MMAFrenzy.com breaks down Affliction's future in MMA, good article and follow up from the post yesterday on this site, if you haven't read it check it out and comment

MMAWeekly reports that Thiago Alves vs. Diego Sanchez is set for UFC 90 in Chicago, should be a great opportunity to put either fighter in the driver's seat for a shot at the title

Missed this piece from Yahoo! Sports on Sunday, but it is a follow up on how Rumble Johnson's eye is doing. For those that haven't seen the fight, it is the most poorly refereed fight I think I have see. Johnson was repeatedly poked in the eye and there is absolutely no question the intent was dishonorable. I wouldn't mind if the UFC dumped Kevin Burns tonight, it was that ridiculous.

UFC 87 Trailor

Affliction: Banned Luke's review

Does this whole Affliction thing really have legs? Short answer is yes, long answer is no. We'll go with the short answer first. Affliction will be here for now because it has Fedor and a stellar list of heavyweights to fight him. He hasn't ever faced Barnett or Arlovski, both of whom looked awesome in their respective bouts Saturday night. Not to mention, Randy Couture is a mere few months away from getting passed his legal situation and ready to fight the mad Russian. Strictly based on that they should be able to put on at a minimum three more shows based strictly on the content they have now. Plus, there are a few guys out there who could come in and give them a little more depth in other weight classes, most notably Tito Ortiz, who sat right next to The Donald the entire night. Despite the thoughts of Dana White, money should not be a problem because Trump recognizes that this sport has the ability to be much bigger than boxing or pro wrestling. In other less lucrative business he has shown no issue with losing a bunch of money up front if he thinks can make a buck later.


Now for the long answer. I don't see Affliction, in its current state, remaining as a long-term threat to the UFC for a number of reasons. First, they are a tee-shirt company trying to put on a MMA event. Red Bull has taken this approach to selling their energy drink, by buying up two soccer teams and I think it can be said it has not been a great investment on their part. Neither of the teams is successful and I am not sure people are buying more Red Bull because of it. The same goes for Affliction, if their end goal is to increase their brand name and exposure at a profit then get out now, because aside from the talent the production quality of their event sucked. Everything was off, from the previews, to the segment transitions, to the announcing, nothing seemed to mesh. They tried to go with the Japanese show format with over the top ring walks, the Megadeath show and Michael Buffer doing the ring announcing but no one seemed to know their place. The first televised fight started off in the second round!!!!!!!!!!! Granted, it was their first rodeo, but if you are going to pump the money into it get a good event co-coordinator and producer. It looked bush league. Thank god, the guys in the ring performed because if they hadn't it would have made the IFL shows look like the Super Bowl. Bottom-line: Production quality has to increase and they need to hire some professionals to do it right.

Second, the whole WAMMA thing is a joke. People hate boxing because of junk like this and they love the UFC because the market isn't segmented. Put on the shows but don't expect me to recognize a WAMMA champ in any other division as legitimate because Affliction doesn't have the fighters to back it up. The top ten fighters in the UFC, in the 205, 185, 170 and 155 pound categories would straight up murder the top Affliction guys in those respective weight classes. If you try an force feed me a WAMMA champ at 185 that isn't Anderson Silva I will laugh in your face and there is no way I am buying an Affliction PPV that headlines a belt that isn't in the heavyweight division, it just doesn't make sense. In short, broaden the spectrum of fighters otherwise you'll end up a one trick pony.

Third, the UFC brand is so strong that it can afford to let guys like Tito Ortiz, Arlovski and Sylvia go because there are younger, hungrier and probably more talented fighters out there clamoring to fight in the UFC even if it means starting out with a small contract. We haven't even come close to seeing the best this sport has to offer, in terms of talent. Dana White can spot young talent, maximize their ability quickly and he knows when to let the guys go. GSP, Forrest and Brandon Vera are young home grown guys with strong fan bases. Sylvia is a top notch guy, but it’s hard to argue after his performance Saturday night that Dana wasn't right to let him go. How many fights does Ortiz have left in him? Liddell smashed him and he put up mediocre performances against Rashad and Lyoto Machida. Where was he going to go from there? The UFC’s 205 lb division is too stacked, give a younger, hungrier and cheaper fighter a shot it makes sense. We can debate Arlovski for days, but I think you'll see him back in the Octagon because he'll realize that long-term it is better for him as a fighter. Affliction can’t rely on the older, expensive fighters; the business model just won't work because the fighters aren't as hungry and therefore not as entertaining.

The bottom line is that Affliction will only be around as long as Trump is willing to sink the money into it. Remember, the Fertitta’s bought the UFC $2 million then sunk in another $50 million before it turned around and that took four years. The UFC brand name is strong not only with fans, but with the corporate world as well. They have multiple streams of revenue to rely upon whereas Affliction and Elite XC need to prove their legitimacy every single show just to get the PPV and advertising dollars. Personally, I don’t see the production going much farther than a Fedor versus Couture match up, which will be a great event for the fans, but who do they fight afterwards?

Today's News

Long weekend, sorry for the lack of posts on Sunday, but we'll get you updated with our thoughts on the fights this weekend. First, here is what's up....

Sherdog's recap of Saturday night's incredible double-header

SI.com has thoughts on Fedor and WAMMA belt(however illegitimate it is)

LATimes article on the Affliction show

An update on Rampage's current condition

Jesse Taylor really good at blowing it big time....

Dana White more confident in himself than ever

Weekend Picks

UFC Picks

Silva 2nd round ko
Vera 2nd round ko
Edgar unamious decision
Taylor split decision
Velasquez 1st round ko
Johnson 3rd round ko
Credeur 2nd round submission
Farber 3rd round submission
Giboo 3rd round submission
Gugerty split decision
Loughran 2nd round submission

Affliction Picks

Fedor 3rd round submission
Barnett 2nd round submission
Whitehead unanimous decision
Rothwell unanimous decision
Lindland 2nd round submission
Hominick 1st round ko
Buentello 2nd round ko
Levens 1st ko
Lil Nog 2nd round submission
Pyle 1st round submission
Martin split decision

Dream 5

Overeem Unanimous decision
Aoki 1st round submission
Alvarez 2nd round ko
Hansen 1st round ko
Akiyama 2nd round ko
Hironaka 1st round submission
Yamazaki 2nd round submission

The MMA community looks into the crystal ball

MMAMania.com picks for Affliction: Banned

MMAWeekly UFN 14 Preview

MMAWeekly Affliction: Banned Preview

MMA Experts Picks for Affliction: Banned(how stupid is Tim Sylvia in that pic, does this guy not have a PR person working with him?)

Interesting that not many people in the blog community are talking UFN 14, but I guess it's not surprising considering the card it is up against. Personally, I am interested in watching UFN 14, but I will probably not do so live. The Bushwhacker plan of attack will work as follows; 1) Utilize DVR for Affliction prelims on FSN and UFN 14 on Spike Tv 2) Watch the Affliction: Banned PPV portion live 3) While all the bogus bullshit like the Megadeath concert and poor commentary is going on between flights flip to the DVR to check in on some action without commercial interruption. Oh yeah, we just got HDNet, so Monday night will consist of DREAM 5. Yes, I know we're meat heads, but that is why we're bringing back the Bushwhackers....

Cool Pic via MMAFrenzy.com

Dana White provides more answers....

Dear Rampage,

You cut weight before the fight not after. The water + energy drink diet is probably not a good way to go.

Signed

Fat Guy on the couch

UFN 14 Luke's Picks

UFN Spike TV 9pm Est/6pm PST

Light Heavyweight bout: Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin

- Unlike the Affliction Headliner, I am going with the favorite here. Silva is without a shadow of a doubt the best pound for pound fighter in the sport. I watched the Countdown to UFN 14 last night and the guy looks as quick and as fast at 205 as he does at 185. Irvin has some highlight real KO’s to his credit, but it’s going to take a lot more than a Superman punch or a flying knee to take out Silva. Frankly, Irvin’s game isn’t well rounded enough to take him out.

Lightweight bout: Hermes Franca vs. Frank Edgar

- Definitely an interesting match up, I like Franca to win coming off his year long drug suspension. Edgar has some legit wins under his belt but Franca is a tremendous fighter who is hungry to get back to a title shot.

Light Heavyweight bout: Brandon Vera vs. Reese Andy

- Brandon Vera looked fit and desperate on the Countdown show last night. That spells trouble for UFC newcomer Reese Andy. Look for sparks to fly in the first round. Definitely a KO victory for Vera.

Welterweight bout: Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns

- Rumble has the unenviable challenge of topping his 51 second KO of Tommy Speer, but I think he’s up for it. Rumble wins via KO.

Middleweight bout: Jesse Taylor vs. C.B. Dollaway

- Some people think this is a perfect match up for fight fans, I disagree. Jesse Taylor is tremendously gifted physically, but he’s really not entertaining to watch and used his raw ability to get through the show. CB is clearly the more polished fighter, but his over confidence has put him in bad places in the past. Fortunately for him, he isn’t facing a guy that is as patient or intelligent as Amir. If CB comes out and makes Jesse stand I think he wins easily. If they spend the fight on the floor, I still think CB wins, but it won’t be unanimous.

Heavyweight bout: Cain Velasquez vs. Jake O'Brien

- Everyone and their mom says Cain Velasquez is THE up and coming fighter in the UFC. Hopefully they are right because the Heavyweight division needs him badly. Cain wins and the legend grows.

Welterweight bout: James Giboo beats Brad Blackburn
Welterweight bout: Brodie Farber beats Rory Markham
Lightweight bout: Dale Hart beats Shannon Gugerty
Middleweight bout: Nate Loughran beats Johnny Rees
Middleweight bout: Tim Credeur beats Cale Yarbrough

Affliction: Banned Luke's Picks

Prelims are on FSN starting 8PM EST/5pm PST
PPV starts 9PM EST/6pm PST

WAMMA Heavyweight Championship bout: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia

- I am going with Tim in an upset. Fedor hasn’t fought a legit MMA fighter in two years and the two big guys that he has beaten in the past weren’t anywhere close to as talented as Tim. For as much crap as Tim gets from fans the guy is a legit fighter. You don’t hold the UFC heavyweight belt twice and not be extremely talented.

Heavyweight bout: Andrei Arlovski vs. Ben Rothwell

- Arlovski via KO. Rothwell has zero quality wins and a decision win over a fat rehab’d Ricco Rodriguez in September is less than impressive

Heavyweight bout: Josh Barnett vs. Pedro Rizzo

- Barnett via submission. Josh has got revenge on his mind, Rizzo half the man he used to be.

Middleweight bout: Matt Lindland vs. Fabio Negao

- Lindland shakes off a year and a half of ring rust and comes away victorious

Light heavyweight bout: Renato Sobral vs. Mike Whitehead

- Babalu via TKO

Heavyweight bout: Aleksander Emelianenko will KO Paul Buentello
Light heavyweight bout: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will Submit Edwin Dewees
Middleweight bout: Terry Martin beats Vitor Belfort
Featherweight bout: Mark Hominick beats Savant Young
Welterweight bout: Mike Pyle beats JJ Ambrose
Middleweight bout: Justin Levens beats Ray Lizama

Affliction Will Air Entire "Banned" Card

MMAJunkie is reporting that Affliction will air the entire "Banned" card. The PPV will utilize the full four hours and feature five of the eights fights. The other three preliminary fights will be broadcast on FSN starting at 5pm Pacific, which is an increase over what was originally expected to be two fights. Looks like Affliction continues to up the ante...

Early News

UFC 90 set for the Windy City on Oct. 25th

Dana White comments on the Rampage drama

LA Times has Trump vs. Dana, FYI check Ticketmaster there are more than enough tickets for Affliction to go around.....despite what the hair-pieced one says

Josh Barnett article from SI.com

Affliction Banned Final LA Press Conference - Part IV

Affliction Banned Final LA Press Conference - Part III

Rumors etc etc Russ it's very late

UFC to buy failing IFL....not really sure whats left for them to buy

MMAMania.com says that Jeremy Horn and Wilson Gouveia will touch gloves @ UFN 15

Urijiah Faber will battle Mike Brown on WEC 36 on Sept. 10th

Robert "Buzz" Berry calls it a career

Arlovski talks MMA, Boxing, Life and takes a pretty good shot at the end of this interview

Affliction Banned Final LA Press Conference - Part II

Affliction Banned Final LA Press Conference: Part I

Affliction held a press conference yesterday in Los Angeles and posted the video on youtube. Below is the first part of the press conference. I will post parts II-IV throughout this afternoon and evening.

Some People Enter with a BANG........

Others enter with a RUMBLE....after a 51 second blistering KO in his second UFC fight, people are expecting big things this weekend from Anthony “Rumble” Johnson at UFN 14. Checkout the preview here

More News

“It’s not like Rampage. He’s a good guy, he’s a law-abiding citizen. I’m very, very concerned for him."

- Mike "The Count" Bisping speaks to the UK's Sun about his friend and training partner Rampage Jackson

Sherdog debates UFN 14 vs. Affliction?

The LA Times has an article on Fedor

Can Sylvia beat Fedor? Sounds like this guy has it already settled...

The Next 10 Days Will be Epic!

Here is the upcoming schedule of MMA events (7/17-7/26)...


Thurs 7/17

* UFC Countdown: Silva vs Irvin - 11pm - Spike TV (premier)

Friday 7/18

* UFC Countdown: Silva vs Irvin - 11am - Spike TV (re-air)
* Inside MMA - 9:30pm - HDNet
* Best of DREAM 4 Middleweight Grand Prix - 10:30pm - HDNet

Saturday 7/19

* UFC Unleashed - 4pm-7pm - Spike TV
* UFC Countdown: Silva vs Irvin - 7pm - Spike TV (re-air)
* Ultimate Knockouts 5 - 8pm - Spike TV
* UFC Fight Night 14: Silva vs. Irvin - 9pm-Midnight - Spike TV (live)
* Affliction BANNED: Fedor vs. Sylvia - 9pm - PayPerView (live)
* UFC Fight Night 14: Silva vs. Irvin - Midnight-3am - Spike TV (re-air)

Monday 7/21

* Dream 5: Lightweight Grand Prix Finals - 2am - HDNet (live)
* Dream 5: Lightweight Grand Prix Finals - 10pm - HDNet (re-air)

Saturday 7/26

* CBS/EliteXC Smith vs. Lawler II - 9pm - CBS (live)
* UFC 84 Penn vs. Sherk - 9pm - Spike TV (re-air)

Buy a Piece of MMA History

From Craigslist via Cagetoday.com

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson Shredded Tire from Chase. Small pieces. Will send pics to serious inquiries.

My co-workers and I were driving back from lunch Tuesday, and almost got hit by this big a** truck being chased. His front tire landed in front of our car as pulled over to let the cops do there thing.

If your out of town, you will need to pay for shipping costs.

Unfortunately the post was taken off craigslist. So check ebay...

Rampage officially Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs

Rampage was apparently picked up by the cops again for being a danger to himself.....apparently Ashton wasn't involved my bad

Thanks to TMZ for peeping on every fuckup in America

Early News

Donald Trump on Howard Stern........dodges question about his ability to penetrate his wife's vagine


Three Great Takes from Steve Cofield of Yahoo! Sports MMA Experts blog. By the way ESPN should probably take note of the fact that their MMA coverage is an abortion, but that's just me
Take 1, Take 2, Take 3

MMAPayout.com looks at how things will shakeout following Rampage's....well....Rampage

Countdown to UFN 14 on Spike for listings see here

Current Betting Odds from MMAMania.com are here

Rampage's court date is set for August 15th more details here

More News to come later.....I got syrup on my Camo

Countdown to Affliction Part III

Here is the third and final clip in the countdown to Affliction Banned

Part III

The Dragon vs. Thaigo Silva set for UFC 89

Undefeated Lyoto "The Guy Nobody Wants to Fight" Machida vs. undefeated Thiago Silva. If Machida hasn't earned a title shot, I don't know if he ever will get one. Because of his defensive fighting style, no big name guys want to fight him. Fighters are worried they could end up being embarrassed like Sokoudjou or lose a close decision like Tito did in his last fight. Thiago is certainly a dangerous fighter, he has wins over James Irvin and Houston Alexander in the UFC, and he is undefeated in the cage, but he doesn't really have the report card to be facing a contender like Lyoto at this point. This fight has more downside risk for Machida than it has upside for Silva, if that really matters.

Details here at UFC.com

Countdown to Affliction Part II

Here is the second countdown to Affliction Banned clip


Part II

Video of Rampage's Arrest

Here are two clips of Rampage's arrest from mmamania.com via tmz.com(Scroll Down):

Arrest Video

Day before arrest