All Purpose UFC/MMA/That Kind Of Thing Thread

HeinekenMan · Mar 4, 2007

Re: "60 Minutes" piece on UFC/MMA

Mr7134 said:

Is this the Mike French you mean?

http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?FighterID=6774
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Yep. That's him. I don't know anything about the guy or about the sport. But that's him. It looks like he lost a fight last November. I'm assuming that the majority of these guys have other jobs to pay the bills.

Bruce_Shoebottom · Mar 5, 2007

Piotr Rasputin said:

Shoebottom keeps mentioning the papers which cover it. The LA Times has a guy, and I thought the Baltimore Sun was just using his stuff (they did once last November). Pugmire has been around, though I can't comment on the quality of his coverage.

But the Sun has this dude covering it for them, from the Sun's Web site:

"Pramit Mohapatra is a mixed martial arts enthusiast – a die-hard fan of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and PRIDE professional circuits and an amateur participant – who will be covering the sport for baltimoresun.com."

No comment, just got a kick out of this. Basically, it's a fanboy they contracted to cover it. Don't know if that's a commentary on the business as far as size of staff, or if it's more about not wanting to shuffle a staff that may not have wanted to be shuffled. Just thought that at a time when newspapers are trying to figure out what to do with this UFC thing, it's interesting to see how those that decide to pay attention will structure their coverage.
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So, now we scoff at the idea of hiring people with strong knowledge of the subject? I'd rather read something from someone who knows what they're talking about than something from some bitter hack who is going to grumble through a half-assed piece because his editor gave him no choice in the matter.

But, you do raise a good point on figuring out who to put on such a subject. I'm guessing there's at least one person on most decent-sized staffs who follows MMA and is snickering at their bosses behind their backs because they're missing the boat on UFC.

Inky_Wretch · Mar 5, 2007

Re: UFC beats boxing, crushes WWE in 2006 PPV revenue

GimpyScribe said:

After having a long, drawn out debate with Mert Windu on this topic, I've come to one conclusion: Both sides of this argument are mistaken with what the other wants.

Side A (pro MMA coverage) is seeking a presence in the section when there's an event. Not display or above the fold. Maybe 8-10 inches for the major events. It doesn't deserve much more than that, unless there's a local angle of some sort.

Side B (opposing view) Often says that MMA doesn't deserve the coverage that most proponents want, and it should be minimal at best. I think this group would agree that 8-10 inches for a major event would be fine, since there's some obvious interest out there for the growing sport.

However, and I made this mistake with Mert, when arguing, both sides get stuck on the polar opposite ends of the spectrum and Side A comes off like we want NFL-type coverage for the sport, while Side B comes off as MMA deserves NO COVERAGE AT ALL.
I think both sides are a lot closer to agreeing than not.

It'll be interesting tonight because there's word that tonight's event will be the first that ESPN will show highlights of on SportsCenter. If it's not this one, then most likely the next. Apparently there was a meeting not to long ago in Bristol on how they wanted to handle MMA, after the huge success of the Dec. 30 show featuring Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz.

No matter what side of the fence you're in, no one can deny it's going to be an interesting ride in regards to the future of this sport.
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I agree with that. There is a problem, however, in that the AP doesn't move coverage of it.

Also, how is ESPN going to show PPV highlights the night of the show? For boxing, they show stills but not footage. Since UFC tries to get people to order the PPV days after it happened, will UFC sign off on the knockouts or tap outs being shown for free?

Piotr Rasputin · Mar 6, 2007

Bruce_Shoebottom said:

Piotr Rasputin said:

Shoebottom keeps mentioning the papers which cover it. The LA Times has a guy, and I thought the Baltimore Sun was just using his stuff (they did once last November). Pugmire has been around, though I can't comment on the quality of his coverage.

But the Sun has this dude covering it for them, from the Sun's Web site:

"Pramit Mohapatra is a mixed martial arts enthusiast – a die-hard fan of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and PRIDE professional circuits and an amateur participant – who will be covering the sport for baltimoresun.com."

No comment, just got a kick out of this. Basically, it's a fanboy they contracted to cover it. Don't know if that's a commentary on the business as far as size of staff, or if it's more about not wanting to shuffle a staff that may not have wanted to be shuffled. Just thought that at a time when newspapers are trying to figure out what to do with this UFC thing, it's interesting to see how those that decide to pay attention will structure their coverage.
Click to expand...

So, now we scoff at the idea of hiring people with strong knowledge of the subject? I'd rather read something from someone who knows what they're talking about than something from some bitter hack who is going to grumble through a half-assed piece because his editor gave him no choice in the matter.

But, you do raise a good point on figuring out who to put on such a subject. I'm guessing there's at least one person on most decent-sized staffs who follows MMA and is snickering at their bosses behind their backs because they're missing the boat on UFC.
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I didn't express an opinion either way. But I will say now that the second part of your post is why it is amusing that a major newspaper would just hire some fanboy to cover UFC.

It would be too bad if there were major newspapers who were populated completely with deskers and writers without an affection or clue regarding UFC. Or other niche sports.

lawrenceofalabia · Mar 6, 2007

HeinekenMan said:

So, if I mentioned Mike French, would anyone recognize him as one of the UFC fighters?

I understand that he's involved in this stuff. He's from my hometown. I remember him as a little cocky kid who liked to start fights. Ironically, he seemed to welcome fights. I recall him pushing people to the brink of hand-to-hand combat as if he enjoyed it.

I'm just curious as to whether he's considered a bad ass in the sport. I always thought I could pound the little guy into the dirt. Now, though, I'm not so sure I was right about it back then. And I'm absolutely positive that he could whip me now.
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but would he do it for free?

Mr7134 · Mar 6, 2007

From Dave Meltzer...

Nick Diaz tested positive for marijuana in his post-fight testing after his match of the year candidate victory over Takanori Gomi on 2/24 in Las Vegas at the Pride show according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission
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If that bout gets ruled a no contest then there is no justice in the world.

Mr7134 · Mar 9, 2007

An LA Times peice on Randy Couture's Rocky like victory.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/boxing/la-spw-mmacol9mar09,1,7988710.story

Mr7134 · Mar 11, 2007

From...

http://www.ivansblog.com/

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Mixed Martial Arts--- Tito Ortiz vs. UFC President (and now Professional Boxer) Dana White Sanctioned in Nevada

by Ken Pishna and Ivan Trembow
Originally Published on MMAWeekly

Dana White, President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, officially received his professional boxing license from the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Monday morning.

White was attempting to acquire such a license in order to fulfill a contractual promise that he made to professional MMA fighter Tito Ortiz when Ortiz re-signed with the UFC in 2006.

With the license in hand, White is now cleared to face Ortiz in an exhibition boxing match that will consist of three rounds of three minutes each. All of the standard ringside precautions will be taken, and the bout will take place under the auspices of a professional boxing referee, although there will be no judges or scoring of rounds due to the bout's exhibition status.

The bout is scheduled to take place on March 24th and will not be open to the public. There are plans to air the bout on UFC.com (though not live), with the majority of the financial proceeds going to charity. There will also be a documentary about Ortiz and White's training for the bout on Spike TV.

White received his license following a 3-1 vote by the NSAC to approve him. The lone dissenting vote was from Dr. Raymond â€œSkipâ€ Avansino, Jr. who after much discussion said that he could not justify granting a license to an 0-0 professional boxer to face a fighter with as much experience as Tito Ortiz, albeit as a mixed martial artist and not as a professional boxer.

At one point, White did say that he was doing this because he wanted to live up to the word that he gave when he promised the bout to Ortiz. Reassuring the commission, he said, â€œBelieve me, if I thought I was going to get seriously injuredâ€¦ I wouldn’t do it.â€

UFC Chief Operating Officer Kirk Hendrick also spoke on behalf of White, saying that he really has been training for this and is taking it seriously. â€œThis is not WWE wrestling. This is not Vince McMahon getting in the ring. We’re taking this seriously,â€ said Hendrick, addressing another concern of Avansino’s that this was some sort of â€œpublicity event.â€

At one point, when Dr. Avansino was saying that he couldn't justify voting in favor of granting White a license to fight Ortiz because he felt it was a mismatch in favor of Ortiz, Hendrick said that if anything it would be a mismatch in favor of White. Hendrick said to the athletic commission that White used to "dominate" Ortiz when they would spar together.

White was an amateur boxer from the ages of 17 to 24 (which would be 1988 to 1995) before turning to managing fighters and then to his current position as president of Zuffa, which is now the most successful mixed martial arts company in the United States, if not the world.

In the end, the argument for the bout to take place won out, and the 3-1 vote was cast in favor of newly licensed professional boxer Dana White.

White said towards the end of the meeting, "Believe me, I'm never going to fight again after this."
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Mr7134 · Mar 11, 2007

From...

http://www.pridefc.com/pride2005/index.php?mainpage=news&news_id=1019

Las Vegas Sun photographer Sam Morris received a first place award in the sports feature category of the Pictures of the Year International competition for his shot of Mark Coleman and his two daughters after his fight against Fedor at PRIDE.32 "THE REAL DEAL."

Photographers from around the world send in their works every year for entry in the highly esteemed Pictures of the Year International. It is the first time for the Las Vegas Sun to receive an award from this prestigious competition.

The winning photograph captures a beat-up Mark Coleman reassuring his daughters that "Daddy's OK." PRIDE fans from throughout the world were touched by this scene.
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Mr7134 · Mar 12, 2007

Sad news.

From...

http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/stories...ng.63ae447.html

Search continues for man at Lake Pleasant

The search continues today for a 29-year-old man who is believed to have drowned at Lake Pleasant yesterday.

The man has been identified as Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Gilbert Aldana of Chandler.

Aldana was just setting out on his boss' boat for a family outing Sunday morning when his shirt reportedly flew out of the boat and into the water. He dove in to try and grab it and started struggling. Someone dove in to help, but Aldana never resurfaced.

His aunt said they know he's gone, but it's hard to accept.

"It's terrible. It's awful just knowing that my nephew is in that water," Marlene Crespin said.

Sonar boats were brought in to try and locate Aldana.

"This water is very unforgiving," said Fire Marshal Howard Munding with the Peoria Fire Department. "What you see above the water is the same thing that's underneath it. There are trees, rocks, cliffs -- you don't know what you're diving into."

Munding said there were nine drownings in the city of Peoria last year. Eight of those were at Lake Pleasant.

"You need to be wearing a life jacket," Munding said. "People don't float, life jackets do. They have to wear a life jacket so if something does happen, you stay on top of the water, you don't go underneath it."

Aldana has a wife and two sons.
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Mr7134 · Mar 19, 2007

If this is true then it certainly changes the game somewhat.

From...

http://ufcjunkie.com/

Report: Fertitta Brothers Purchase PRIDE Fighting Championships for $65 Million

Posted by UFC Junkie on March 19, 2007 at 2:59 pm ET

Slow down. Take a deep breath. And promise me you won’t go overboard or take this as gospel.

I’m serious now.

Remember: this isn’t a report from UFCjunkie.com, and doubters shouldn’t direct their anger and criticism toward us. We’re just delivering the message.

According to today’s episode of Sherdog’s The Savage Dog Show/BeatDown, UFC majority owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta have purchased the Japenese-based PRIDE Fighting Championships for a startling-low price of $65 million. (You can find a heated discussion on the Sherdog Forums.)

The show is relying an anonymous source that is said to be â€œvery reliable,â€ and an official announcement is expected to come on Wednesday.

PRIDE, the UFC’s biggest competitor and perhaps the world’s most recognizable MMA organization, has reportedly suffered a variety of hardships during the past year. Rumors of its potential sale have circulated constantly in the past couple months, with current PRIDE USA Vice President Ed Fishman and the Zuffa LLC-owned UFC emerging as the two most-likely suitors.

The fact that the Fertittas, not Zuffa, are the rumored buyers is surprising at first take. Surely there’s more to the story, but we’ll have to wait.

PRIDE has publicly stated — numerous times — that the organization wasn’t for sale despite the reports saying otherwise. Today’s rumors would obviously hint otherwise.

So what would this mean for the UFC?

It’s hard to say without knowing the particulars. But of most importance would be the UFC’s access to PRIDE’s thoroughly impressive list of international fighters. The purchase could open the door for cross-promotion superfights that could destroy previous records for gates, attendance and pay-per-view revenue.

In any manner, I’ll have more news as it becomes available. For now, sit tight and try not to let the specualation get too far out of hand.
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Inky_Wretch · Mar 23, 2007

AP is moving a MMA package of stories for this weekend. Mainbar comes in at nearly 70-inches, sidebar on Nate Marquardt is nearly 30 and there's 20 inches of capsules on the alphabet soup of different organizations.

It's great the AP is moving this copy. But it sure puts SEs in a tough spot. Do you run the package knowing the AP isn't going to move results of UFC events?

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