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Obvious comment of the day: Freddie Roach thinks the UFC is using James Toney

2010-03-12T00:28:12Z

Who doesn't love puppets

Freddie Roach has some thoughts about the UFC signing James Toney:

"I think they're using James as a way to say MMA fighters are better than boxers. If he fights a quality ground guy, once he goes to the ground he's gonna get killed. But If a guy chooses to stand up with James, James is gonna destroy him. That's why they call him "Lights Out". I really don't think there's one fighter in MMA that could stand with James."

What?!

The UFC using an out shape, over-the-hill fighter for their own gain? That will never happen...

Look, the UFC still doesn't even know what to do with James Toney an the more WKR thinks about the situation, the more likely it seems that Zuffa signed Toney as they didn't want to see him in Strikeforce. Why else would there be so much uncertainty from the UFC on what to do with James? To quote The Hunt for Red October "People from Zuffa don't take a dump, son, without a plan" (we changed a word, guess which one?). But in this instance there doesn't seem to be much of a prepared plan other than having Toney signed to a non-exclusive contract.

Perhaps the UFC was hoping to use Toney on the reported counter of Strikeforce this April but as there hasn't been any mainstream press regarding the Toney signing --like there was with Herschel Walker-- it is plausible that the UFC is unsure about pulling the trigger and would rather bluff about the March card in an attempt to get Strikeforce to switch dates.

The M-1/Strikeforce Co-Promotion Issue is actually with CBS?

2010-03-11T18:00:34Z

(Wait! This relationship is over unless our logo is featured. I want my M-1 logo!)

Dave Meltzer had this little gem of information about the behind-the-scenes dispute between Strikeforce and M-1.

Shockingly, the problem might not be between these two entities but rather CBS and M-1:

CBS promoted the November show more as "CBS Saturday Night Fights" as opposed to promoting the Strikeforce or M-1 Global brand names. "For us, this is a really big deal," Kogan said. "We’re concerned about our brand. For us, it’s an important piece of the big picture."

It's hard not to read that statement and think "M-1 wants their cut from the CBS pie" rather than just having the tagline "CBS brings you Saturday Night fights by Strikeforce and M-1 Global". Wow, that's a mouthful.

Countdown to UFC on Versus

2010-03-11T16:49:20Z

Countdown to UFC on Versus

Gamespot's UFC Undisputed Bonus Characters Leave Something to be Desired

2010-03-11T16:45:10Z

Marcus Jones and Brendan Schaub join James McSweeney as three of the four bonus fighters available for UFC Undisputed 2010 if you pre-order the game from GameSpot.

For those unfamiliar with the process of unlockable characters WKR previously broke it down:

The videogame retailer has been offering these "easter eggs" bonuses as a way of combating direct download purchases and the chain stores, e.g., Wal Mart and Target. Unfortunately someone needs to tell GameSpot that McSweeney isn't exactly a "must have" addition to your roster (unlike the mack daddy space armor for Mass Effect 2). Here's hoping that the other three bonus fighters, which will be announced on the 2nd, 9th and 15th of March, are a little better.

Damn it! We totally jinxed it.

It looks like all Undisputed bonus characters will always be the semi-finalist of whatever season of TUF just ended. Why can't they take a cue from IGN and have Dana White, Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg as bonus fighters?

The Ultimate Fighter 12 Tryouts in Charlotte, North Carolina

2010-03-11T15:30:15Z

While the UFC is in North Carolina for UFC Fight Night 21 the promotion will hold an open tryout for MMA fighters who are 21 years old or older with at least three professional bouts.

Details for the tryout are below:

WHEN:
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Registration opens at 8 AM ET; Tryouts at 10 AM ET
Fighters must arrive between 8 and 9 AM ET

WHERE:
Omni Charlotte Hotel
132 E. Trade Street Charlotte, North Carolina
28202 Phone: (704) 377-0400

Cagepotato has a guide for those would be UFC warriors.

Oh yeah, Dana White has one last requirement:

Do not show up for tryouts if you are NOT a real LW [lightweight] or LHW [light heavyweight]. LHW=walk at 225-230 LW=walk at 165-170.

The last thing the UFC needs is another TUF winner to immediately drop down in weight after the finale...

Early data on UFC 110 PPV Buy Rate is Bad, WKR might know why...

2010-03-11T14:45:10Z

Dave Meltzer brings us his early (and I stress the early) trending data for UFC 110 and it is not good (subscription only):

I don't have a number of buys, but based on trending data which has historically been pretty accurate, it could be in the 215,000 to 240,000 range, basically along the lines of the tape-delayed foreign shows. This was foreign, but wasn't tape delayed. One cable industry source gave an estimate of 215,000.

For those not familiar with Dave Meltzer he is the go to source for pay-per view data and if his early numbers point to a 250,000 buy rate then it will certainly lead to questions about what happened.

UFC 110 was scheduled on Sunday to fit the North American pay-per view audience and featured several meaningful bouts with several big name fighters. So why are the numbers worse than UFC 108? Perhaps fans aren't interested in seeing aging legends fight like Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop? Maybe fans weren't sold on Cain Velasquez or George Sotiropoulos? It could be that there was no real meaning attached to any of the fights as the winner of Nogueira-Velasquez would be, at best, an "on deck" challenger in the heavyweight division.

The nightmare scenario is that the core audience is shrinking. However with the UFC's recent injury blight it is far more likely that the audience is being more selective. Ultimately, we will need to see how UFC 111, 112, 113 and 114 do as these cards represent the return of many top-tier fighters and draws.

However, It could be something else.

As UFC 110 was located in Australia, there were serious geographic and time barriers that prevented the typical credentialed MMA media from attending. This prevented the typical information dump that has become typical at major UFC events. Perhaps the lack of on-site reporting, which in turns disseminates through blogs and forums, affected the perception of the card, or, rather, failed to create any perception of the card, which in turn caused a poor showing. In other words the lack of MMA media coverage resulted in less hype for a good card thus a bad pay-per view showing.

For more on this listen to our podcast with Jonathan Snowden.

In all reality it was probably all of these issues working in congruence (though to what degree?), which caused the early data to be so poor.

SBN coverage of UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez

UFC Primetime: GSP vs. Hardy Episode 1

2010-03-11T13:30:13Z

(Here are some of the outtakes)

The first episode of UFC Primetime: GSP vs. Hardy showed off some memorable imagery, beautiful cinematography, good music and decent interviews, which totally got WKR pumped for UFC 111. Here are some of the highlights:

- Georges St. Pierre starts his interview with a quote from Michelangelo. Clearly he is the most sophisticated fighter in the UFC.

- Dan Hardy rise was described as "meteoric". Goldie got his hands on this script.

- "it's just so sweet proving people wrong." ~ Dan Hardy

- Why is it that the image of a young Dan Hardy running around the playground kicking kids is so amusing?

- Dan Hardy's gameplan: GSP can't take a punch so hit him really hard.

- Good god! Dan Hardy's mohawk gets Buckingham treatment.

- Is Georges training with Renzo because he wants to train with Renzo or is it that Zuffa wants the casual fans to know who Renzo is or are we just being conspiracy theorists due to being doped up on NyQuil?

- "Hungry goes a long way but not as much as preparation." ~ Firas Zahabi

- Whose Dan Hardy's mystery training partner? Could it be Matt Serra? Oh my god! That is what we call a cliffhanger.

Update: The first episode of 'Primetime' drew a million viewers.

SBN coverage of UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy

Cage Cast 75: Talking about the Arnold and WEC 47 with MMA Junkie

2010-03-10T13:05:56Z

On this episode of Cage Cast WKR is joined with Ohio native, Dann Stupp, to talk about WEC 47, the Arnold Sports Festival and the evolution of Zuffa's presence at the mega fitness event. You might know Dann as the editor-in-chief of this website called MMA Junkie.

You can download the episode here, subscribe to our RSS feed here and check us out on iTunes. The streaming version is below and you can open up a new window to listen here. Send feedback to watchkalibrun@gmail.com.

SBN coverage of WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz

Mauro Ranallo in the UFC? Sorry IGN, this doesn't make up for that interview with Dana White.

2010-03-11T01:50:14Z

Mauro Ranallo in the UFC?

Sorry IGN, this doesn't make up for that interview with Dana White.

Guess whose back?

2010-03-11T00:51:48Z

Yep, Rachelle Leah is back!

The hottest ticket in New Jersey just got hotter, as it has been announced that Playboy cover model and UFC All-Access host Rachelle Leah will be returning to her old gig as Octagon Girl for one night only on Saturday, March 27th at UFC 111 in Newark, New Jersey's Prudential Center.

Welcome back Rachelle!

Now we won't feel guilty about posting pictures of Leah for no reason other than...our...enjoyment...

SBN coverage of UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy

UFC 111 in Newark, New Jersey is a sell out. I wonder if 'The Situation' will be there...

2010-03-11T00:16:38Z

UFC 111 in Newark, New Jersey is a sell out.

I wonder if 'The Situation' will be there...

WEC 47 Ratings: No Urijah, Lower Ratings

2010-03-10T23:55:40Z

(Even the cast of Dollhouse is confused how this is still on the air)

WKR had a blast attending WEC 47 and the card fundamentally reshaped our understanding of the bantamweight division. Unfortuantely, outside of the true believers, few people tuned in to watch the fight card.

MMA Junkie reports that WEC 47 drew an audience of 373,000 viewers.

That's somewhat concerning as WEC 47 featured a title fight, Miguel Torres and Jens Pulver (two fighters considered to be bright stars in the WEC). Yet, the Ohio card was only able to outdraw WEC 45, which was headlined by Donald Cerrone and Ed Ratcliff.

Average Viewers
- WEC 47 - 373,000
- WEC 46 - 640,000
- WEC 45 -330,000
- WEC 44 - 414,000
- WEC 43 - 419,000
- WEC 42 - 670,000 DirecTV pulled Versus from their feed after this card

WEC 47's weak performance will reinforce several beliefs about the organization and MMA at large. First, that outside of Urijah Faber, only the die-hards care and, as Zach Arnold points out, Strikeforce is drawing a comparable if not better ratings on Showtime, a premium pay channel.

Note: If we consider the "die-hards" as the core MMA fanbase I wonder how many of us there really are? A million? Half a million?

Second, WEC 47 was filled with the promotion's top bantamweight fighters and a title fight. Yet a comparable audience to the last bantamweight title defense at WEC 42 failed to materialize. That would lead cynics to state that little interest exists for the lighter weight fighters. Perhaps the WEC will be a little more gun shy about adding that rumored flyweight (125lbs.) division.

Also the drop off viewers calls into question Torres' and Pulver's drawing power.

It should be noted that ratings have slipped since the DirecTV-Comcast dispute began but a deal was reportedly reached that will find Versus back on the satellite provider sometime this week.

Finally, Zach Arnold takes his analysis a step further pointing out that Comcast has had trouble branding Versus as a "must have" sports network. Despite adding the NHL, some college football and basketball the network is seen as niche commodity with specialized programming (hence the dispute with DirecTV). While Arnold doesn't believe the UFC will draw well in their Versus debut later this month, WKR looks at that debut as an interesting metric to the true brand power of the UFC when compared to the WEC. As well as the star power of mid-level UFC fighters when compared to WEC title fights. Though that comparison won't be 100% accurate if the DirecTV-Comcast compromise ends up occurring.

SBN coverage of WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz

Shinya Aoki ready to make transition from Ring to Cage

2010-03-10T20:00:31Z

(Whether ring or cage Aoki will deliver a submission)

Shinya Aoki, current DREAM lightweight champion and Consensus #2 ranked lightweight, will make his U.S. debut this April and the Japanese fighter will have to make several adjustments from eastern MMA to western MMA.

For instance, Aoki won't be able to wear his technicolor grappling pants though he will be able to wear shorts, spandex shorts, knee and ankle sleeves. So basically, pants that don't cover the shins.

But there are other differences, like ring girls vs. cage girls. Speaking of cages and rings, Shinya will be fighting in a cage for the first time, which, according to Aoki, is no big deal.

"This is my first time fighting in a cage, but I've watched more cage matches than any fight fan out there," Aoki said. "I think I'll be able to put the pressure on. There's actually no difference to me. ... One difference is that in Dream since you're surrounded by five ropes, you're not allowed to stick your leg or anything out. But when you're in a cage, you won't be able to stick anything out anyway so there's probably not much difference."

It should be noted that Strikeforce doesn't allow elbows on the ground. Too bad they don't allow 'knee stomps' either...

Win or lose Aoki will probably fight Tatsuya Kawajiri in DREAM next but if Shinya wins the Strikeforce title it will be up to the Japanese promotion to decide when Aoki would return stateside to defend the belt.

Not so fast on Cruz vs. Benavidez II...

2010-03-10T18:30:18Z

Immediately after WEC 47 the post-fight chatter pointed to a rematch between newly crowned bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz, and Joseph Benavidez. Both fighters came out of Saturday with dominant performances over the top two bantamweights in the WEC. Thus, on the surface, a rematch makes sense.

However, WEC matchmaker, Sean Shelby, seems less than enthused about the idea of championship rematches. Especially ones where one fighter was handily defeated. Plus there is news that Dominck Cruz has a fractured foot, which may sideline the newly crowned bantamweight champ.

What oh what is a matchmaker to do?

Luckily, Kevin Iole talked to Sean Shelby who said that Scott Jorgensen, Antonio Banuelos and Damacio Page are all under consideration as potential contenders. Conveniently, the last two are fighting on the main card of WEC 48...hmm...

The immediate future of the bantamweight division ultimately depends on Cruz's health but if Dominick needs some time to recover it is quite possible to imagine Benavidez fighting for an interim title against any of the above named fighters this June.

WKR would say that Jorgensen is the front runner unless the winner of Page vs. Banuelos has a spectacular finish.

SBN coverage of WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz

Scott Coker: Everything's Cool

2010-03-10T17:15:11Z

Scott Coker talked to MMA Junkie about, well, everything that has happened over the last year. The interview is a must read but here is what WKR took from it.

CBS and Showtime are AWESOME and they really, really like MMA.
Strikeforce's growth spurt was a success just please don't comment on their stretch marks.
Fighter's are in the loop even if they keep commenting that they have no idea what is going on.
Strikeforce never planned to sign Fedor, but whad'ya know, he became available and now he is in Strikeforce to ask for more money after fights.
Who would've ever thought that a top UFC fighter would leave the promotion for Strikeforce? That's why Dan Henderson is cool.
Strikeforce is here to stay!

Scott Coker did make one point that stuck out to us as particularly important.

Coker argued that Strikeforce has almost all of their benchmarks from 2009 and that they surpassed those goals as well:

"There's a lot of benchmarks that I can check off and move forward," Coker said. "But if you were to say a year ago, before that first fight, 'Scott, you'll have Fedor, Gina Carano and 'Cyborg' Santos will be the highest-rated show in the history of MMA on Showtime - bigger than even 'Kimbo Slice' - you're going to develop new stars like Gegard Mousasi and 'King Mo,' DREAM is going to come to fruition, and that relationship is going to go and really work,' I would have said to probably half of it, 'No way,'" Coker said. "It's an exciting time.

"Think about this: Aoki vs. Melendez, how many people could have pulled that off? I feel very fortunate, and it's going to be an honor to have Aoki to fight Gilbert and to test our guys against their's and see what happens. That's what should be happening everywhere."

Scott does have a point. Strikeforce hit several significant marks and they are now sharing top level talent with DREAM. Then again, Carano is off filming a movie, there has been only one CBS card, the Fedor, M-1 hybrid are doing their 'Iron Curtain' thing and the promotion has tapped Herschel Walker to be the ambassador.

Those facts have some fans believing that Strikeforce is headed to a date with Chapter 11. But Coker has something to say about that:

"The difference between our company and the other companies that went out of business before us is that this is our core business. We've been doing this for 25 years, and I think we're very good at it. My partners that are with me now have made us 10-times more efficient, and they're very good at what they do, and they bring very smart business prowess to Strikeforce."

Strikeforce in the year 2011. Sounds like a 70's sci-fi show...

Programming Reminder: UFC Primetime ‘St. Pierre vs Hardy’ Premieres Tonight

2010-03-10T16:00:35Z

High production quality? Stunning visuals? The MMA version (read as: over-dramatic) of Liev Schreiber narrating? That can mean only one thing--UFC Primetime is back!

Zuffa hasn't gone to the Primetime well since UFC 94 for St. Pierre vs. Penn II and now the documentary series that helped build hype for HBO boxing bouts and Jimmie Johnson (who is he again?) gets to work its magic for the first of what will be several mega UFC cards.

The first episode will be broadcast at 10pm ET on Spike TV. Episodes are planned for each week leading up to the fight on March 27th in Newark, New Jersey.

SBN coverage of UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy

Bonnar Loses Australian Appeal

2010-03-10T14:45:09Z

(That's not an appeal. This is an Appeal!)

Bad news for Stephan Bonnar.

Bonnar lost his appeal to overturn the TKO loss to Krzystztof Soszynski. The fight was stopped due to a cut but the referee ruled that the laceration was from a strike though replays clearly showed it was due to an accidental head butt.

MMA Junkie spoke to the Combat Sports Authority of New South Wales, which stated that they didn't want to interfere with the referee's decision. If commissions are unwilling to overrule their referees several weeks after a bout then instant replay systems need to be put in place, to get the call right on the night of the fight.

SBN coverage of UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez

Recipe for Disaster: Eye Gouge, Debt and Groin Shots

2010-03-10T01:13:13Z

Want to see a local MMA fight go from "perhaps this wasn't a smart idea" to "insane sh*tshow"?

Then follow this simple recipe:

- Take two former training partners
- One fighter owes the other $1500 (may be labeled as "bad blood').
- Add a dash of "groin shot"
- Two pinches of "gouged eye"
- Place in cage at 350 degrees and bake for two minutes.
*If baked longer than two minutes beware of rioting.
Serves live audience of 500 or audience of millions on youtube

HT: Cagepotato

Evening Matchmaking Wrap Up

2010-03-10T00:36:01Z

Busy day in the matchmaking department. Plus we had another boxing jump into the MMA pool.

Kampmann vs. Thiago the fight that jumps off the screen and would be an intriguing match-up. Both fighter's have room for improvement on their feet (Thiago throwing punches, Kampmann dodging punches). The fight also makes sense for both fighters current status within the division. Paulo desperately needs to refine his skills before being thrown back in with the top-five welterweights and Kampmann needs a big win to solidify his position within the top-ten.

Your WEC 47 "hype highlights"

2010-03-09T23:52:13Z

Your WEC 47 "hype highlights"