Links Sort by: Date | Hits | Alphabetical"Fedor the Red Menace" in the LA Times
May 16, 2008 14:35:49
Ive argued for a while that Fedors previous failure to draw on PPV had to do with the lack of effective marketing around him and not with any inherent resistence to Fedor on the part of American MMA fans.
I refuse to believe that the archetype Fedor represents -- the implacable, seemingly unfeeling, and virtually invincible Russian -- isnt still planted deeply in the American psyche.
Obviously a match against Randy Couture -- aka "Captain America" -- is the fight that will be the great story to sell, its a classic Capt. America vs the Red Skull (yeah yeah I know the Skulls a nazi and not a red, but the image works).
Television will be the key to that great story reaching enough casual fans to make Fedor vs Randy a ppv hit. But todays LA Times story on Emelianenko shows that the print media is already showing more interest in Fedor than in any other foreign fighter.
As Luke pointed out , Jeff Osbourne is warning Affliction that theyre on the road to ruin by overpaying Fedor without the capacity to promote him. But if they can hang on long enough to put together the Randy vs Fedor fight pictured above....and IF Kimbo Slice draws on CBS and IF that spurs ESPN to start covering the sport and IF and IF and IF....
Ok, so dont hold your breath, but its still fun to think about and in the meantime, even if Affliction does die after one show, Ill still be stoked to see Fedor vs Sylvia.
- [Read more] |
"How Not To Punch" by Jason Lambert
January 21, 2008 19:53:08Its a slow news day and an American holiday to boot. So Im rewatching Saturdays fights to kill some time. The Lambert/Gouveia fight just ended and its just frustrating as all hell to watch. If youve been paying attention to our site since Saturday afternoon you probably read my live blog of UFC 80 where I said the following in regards to Jason Lambert getting knocked out by Wilson Gouveia: On the replay Lambert is shown breaking enough boxing golden rules to make me sick...dropping his hands, lifting his chin, telegraphing his next punch. Then when Nick Thomas posted the Knockout/Submission/Fight of the Night honors he also posted this GIF of the KO:  Lets break it down: Lambert has Gouveia against the fence, key to establishing distance when he drops both hands to his waist and starts to throw a long right hand from his hip pocket. Wilsons punch is also a little on the long and looping side but its thrown from higher up (right around nipple high) and as such gets there quicker. To top it off watch Lamberts head. Throwing a punch from your hip pocket naturally forces your chin away from your body and leaves it up to be knocked into the third row. If he throws the right hook from a more sound boxing stance the punch is delivered quicker, your right shoulder remains in place to partially protect your chin, and your left hand is available to come across your face and deflect the return shot. Chin down, hands up, and short, crisp punches. Thats how you box. You start breaking those rules and you can have a fight that is going your way turn on you very quickly. - [Read more] |
"Mo" Lawal Makes Moves Toward Mixed Martial Arts
March 12, 2008 15:04:54One of the best American wrestlers in the country has decided to begin cross-training MMA and will do so with Team Quest. To wit: Muhammed "Mo" Lawal, a 2008 U.S. wrestling gold medal hopeful has relocated from Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center to Team Quests Murrieta, Calif., complex to cross-train in mixed martial arts, Sherdog.com learned Tuesday evening. "Hes the most phenomenal wrestler Ive ever worked with," stated Team Quests Ryan Parsons, who has trained several collegiate grapplers turned MMA champions. Hailing from Murfeesboro, Tenn., Lawal wrestled at Oklahoma State and Central Oklahoma, where he captured the Division II national championship in 2002. More recently, "Mo" won first place at the 2006 U.S. Open and the 2007 Pan American Games. "Mo is an incredibly gifted athlete. He has a 42-inch vertical leap, a work ethic second to none and learns extremely fast," Parsons said. "His experience competing at the highest level in wrestling and his passion for the sport of mixed martial arts are great assets in his quest to become a champion." His first MMA match will be after the 2008 Olympic Games is Beijing. Peep a video of "Mo" tearing up a Russian in a freestyle competition after the jump. - [Read more] |
"Never Back Down" Tanks At Box Office
March 17, 2008 19:47:56It scored a number three spot at the box office for the weekend, totaling $8,610,000 in gross sales receipts. Thats mediocre by any standard, but is particularly bad when you realize the film was on 2,729 screens. That means the movie grossed about $3,155 per screen and if the average ticket price is $10, then each screen saw about 315 people watch the movie over the course of the entire weekend per screen. Very, very weak and very, very deserved. - [Read more] |
"Pequeno" Nogueira Coming to WEC
April 1, 2008 15:57:50Longtime Shooto 143lb champ Alexandre Franca "Pequeno" Nogueira (13-4-2) will be making his WEC debut on June 1. Hell be taking on fellow Brazilian Jose Aldo. That fight will be on the same card as the WEC featherweight championship is defended by Uriah Faber against Jens Pulver. Who ever wins the belt will want to keep an eye on "Pequeno" as I expect hell get a shot at the title soon. Especially since Leonard Garcia is going to be busy fighting the American justice system for the foreseeable future. Heres a nice Pequeno highlight reel: This is a clear signal that the WEC is becoming the worlds premier organization for the smaller fighters. - [Read more] |
"Strikeforce at the Dome" Weigh-ins
February 23, 2008 23:22:38
Bob Sapp (356) vs Jan Nortje (333)
The televised portion of the card begins at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 PT live on HDNet. 
Joe Riggs(184) vs Cory Devela (184)
Maurice Smith (235) vs Rick Roufus (207) 
Eddy Ellis (168) Steve Berger (172) 
Jorge Masvidal (159) vs Ryan Healy (158) - [Read more] |
*SIGH*...Akira Kikuchi Retires
January 25, 2008 16:11:54Who knows why hes doing this, but he is: Shooto fans will bid farewell Saturday to one of Japans best talents in recent years. The organization will hold a retirement ceremony at its Jan. 26 Korakuen Hall card for former Shooto world champion Akira Kikuchi. An All Japan amateur Shooto champion in 2001, Kikuchi quickly emerged as one of the best up-and-coming talents in the pro Shooto ranks. The biggest victory of his pro career came in his rematch with the highly regarded Jake Shields in December 2004. In that bout Kikuchi took a commanding and impressive decision to avenge the first loss of his pro career and to become the seventh world middleweight champion of pro Shooto. Kikuchi would go on to lose the title to Shinya Aoki and later took a beating from recent UFC welterweight signee Yoshiyuki Yoshida. But Kikuchi is a fantastic talent and his rematch with Shields is a brilliant display of mixed martial arts skill. He will be missed. - [Read more] |
*SIGH*...Mark Hunt Signs With Hustle
February 6, 2008 15:48:27 This is some terribly sad news:
Mark Munt signs with Hustle. As you might remember, Mark Hunt was a guest of the Pro-wresting organization last year. Now he has signed with them, and will make his debut as a pro-wrestler later this year. In Japan, you can do both pro-wrestling and MMA at the same time. However, Id MUCH rather see him devote his energies to fighting in the heavyweight division, perhaps against Fedor again. I dont know if that will happen anytime soon. And, once again, Fedor continues to let his legacy and image crumble for reasons only he will ever really understand. - [Read more] |
25 Fighters Get the Second Call for TUF 8
April 14, 2008 21:37:14According to an article from the Boston Herald about the tryouts in Boston: More than 250 fighters came from all over the country to the Sheraton Boston Hotel. The fighters came in all shapes, sizes and ages. Some were ruled out for being too young, including a 20-year-old from New York who didnt meet the age minimum of 21. Others - perhaps 40-somethings - didnt quite fit the UFCs demographic. Tattoos were everywhere, as were interesting hairstyles - including one hopeful who had a skull shaved into the back of his head. The eighth season will feature 16 contestants in both the lightweight (155-pound) and light heavyweight (205-pound) divisions. Woody Weatherby (pictured on the right) was one of 25 fighters from the casting call to be invited to Las Vegas for the second leg of tryouts this week, as Spike looks to begin taping next month for December airdates. A 6% chance to get on The Ultimate Fighter actually doesnt seem that bad.    - [Read more] |
3 IFL Titles on the Line Feb. 29
January 8, 2008 19:56:31The IFL just sent out a press release to announce the following: Below is todays news that Matt Horwich, Roy Nelson and Ryan Schultz will be the first IFL athletes to defend their titles, at the leagues opening event at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Friday, February 29. Title bouts include: Matt Horwich vs. Tim Kennedy, 185 lbs.
Roy Nelson vs. Fabiano Scherner, 265 lbs.
Ryan Schultz vs. John Gunderson, 155 lbs. ... The Las Vegas event also marks the debut of two new IFL squads, Team Xtreme Couture and Mario Sperrys MMA Top Team. Im glad to see that the IFL isnt wasting time having people defend titles. Titles help to create the "big fight atmosphere" that is usually missing from IFL shows. - [Read more] |
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