Saturday, March 29, 2008
Finally! I really don't care that he's gone. Too bad the HW division is weak in the UFC
Former UFC heavyweight champion, Tim Sylvia, and the organization have mutually agreed to part ways, according to a recent interview that just aired on “Inside MMA” on the HDNet network.
The “Maine-iac” had one fight remaining on his existing deal.
During the announcement, he also revealed that he has signed a non-exclusive contract with the former M-1 Global promotion, which has been renamed to “Adrenaline MMA” after a recent split with its Russian counterpart.
In addition, Monte Cox — the head of Adrenaline MMA and Sylvia’s long-time agent — broke news that former IFL heavyweight stand out, Ben Rothwell, has also been inked to a deal.
Adrenaline MMA has targeted its debut show for June 14 at the Sears Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Sylvia mentioned that the split was amicable and that he intends to return to the Octagon later in his career.
The Miletich-trained fighter first debuted with the organization back in 2002, stopping Wesley “Cabbage” Correira via technical knockout at UFC 39: “The Warriors Return.”
Sylvia later went on to capture the heavyweight title on two different occasions when he stopped Ricco Rodriguez in 2003 and later Andrei Arlovski in 2006.
Monday, March 17, 2008
OK guys...
| April 2, 2008 | ||
| 7:00 pm |
Event: UFC Fight Night 13
Date: Wednesday, April 2, 2008, at 7 p.m. ET on SpikeTV
Location: Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colorado
Main event:
155 lbs.: Kenny Florian (7-3) vs. Joe Lauzon (16-3)
Main card (televised):
170 lbs.: Karo Parisyan (18-4) vs. Thiago Alves (13-3)
205 lbs.: Matt Hamill (the DEAF GUY we love) (3-1) vs. Tim Boetsch (7-1)
155 lbs.: Nate Diaz (8-2) vs. Kurt Pellegrino (11-3)
155 lbs.: Frank Edgar (8-0) vs. Gray Maynard (4-0)
205 lbs.: Houston Alexander (8-2) vs. James Irvin (13-4)
Under card (may not be broadcast):
155 lbs.: Marcus Aurelio (15-5) vs. Jim Miller (10-1)*
155 lbs.: Din Thomas (20-7) vs. Josh Neer (23-6-1)
155 lbs.: Manny Gamburyan (7-2) vs. Jeff Cox (9-4)
155 lbs.: Clay Guida (22-9) vs. Samy Schiavo (10-4)
170 lbs.: George Sotiropoulos (8-2) vs. Roman Mitichyan (5-1)
170 lbs.: Tommy Speer (9-2) vs. Anthony Johnson (4-1)
“I’m more ready than I ever have been in any MMA fight. I’m a lot stronger. I’m a lot faster. It might be scary.”
– Houston Alexander tells MMAWeekly.com to expect a scary good performance against James Irvin at UFC Fight Night 13 at the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colo. “The Nebraskan Assassin” will look to redeem himself after a loss to Thiago Silva, which he attributes to making a mistake.
Props: EvanTanner.net
Quoteworthy:
“Just talked with Joe Silva, the UFC matchmaker. He gave me a date and an opponent. Looks like I’ll be back in the Octagon this summer. It’s good to have a fight scheduled. The last two weeks have been really rough. I’ll tell the story on that in the next few days.”
Former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner is ready to get back in the saddle in the next few months after a knockout loss to Yushin Okami at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” earlier this month. Should be interesting to see who he’s matched up against — the list of notables is short with 12 185-pound fighters slated to compete in April alone.
Welterweights Jess Liaudin (12-9) and Paul Taylor (8-3-1) are booked to scrap on the UFC 85 fight card, which takes place at the O2 Arena in London, England, on June 7, according to a recent MySpace message from “The Joker.”
The 170-pound match up is actually a rematch — the two went toe-to-toe under the Cage Rage banner back in 2003 with Taylor pulling out a decision win.
Here’s a snip from Liaudin:
“On the 7th of June i will be doing my 4th fight in the UFC and will be fighting against Paul Taylor at UFC 85. I fought Paul about 6 years ago and lost a controversial decision (the fight is available on youtube) so it s a rematch. Paul is a well rounded fighter with good cardio, strength and a big heart. This fight is very important for me as my actual record in the UFC is 2-1 so another loss may mean that i can get booted out.”
Liaudin will look to rebound after a first round knockout loss to Marcus Davis at UFC 80: “Rapid Fire” earlier this year. Prior to the defeat he was on a five-fight win streak that included two victories inside the Octagon.
His upcoming opponent, Taylor, also has a loss to Davis on his record — a first round submission via armbar in a sensational fight. He followed up that performance with another loss to Paul Kelly via unanimous decision at UFC 80.
It’s safe to say that this fight is also extremely important to Taylor if he wants to remain a UFC fighter.
UFC 85 features the main even between former light heavyweight champion, Chuck Liddell, and undefeated challenger, Rashad Evans. To check out the remaining UFC 85 card click here.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Check out the schedule
UFC Fight Night 13
Time Wednesday, April 2, 2008, at 7 p.m. ET on SpikeTV
Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colorado
Main Event:
Kenny Florian (7-3) vs. Joe Lauzon (16-3)
Undercard:
170 lbs. Karo Parisyan (18-4) vs. Thiago Alves (13-3)
205 lbs. Matt Hamill (3-1) vs. Tim Boetsch (7-1)
205 lbs. Houston Alexander (8-2) vs. James Irvin (13-4)
155 lbs. Nate Diaz (8-2) vs. Kurt Pellegrino (11-3)
155 lbs. Frank Edgar (8-0) vs. Gray Maynard (4-0)
155 lbs. Spencer Fisher (20-4) vs. Marcus Aurelio (15-5)
155 lbs. Din Thomas (20-7) vs. Josh Neer (23-6-1)
155 lbs. Clay Guida (22-9) vs. Samy Schiavo (10-4)
155 lbs. Manny Gamburyan (7-2) vs. Jeff Cox (9-4)
170 lbs. George Sotiropoulos (8-2) vs. Roman Mitichyan (5-1)
170 lbs. Tommy Speer (9-2) vs. Anthony Johnson (4-1)
*Fight not yet officially confirmed by UFC.com.
UFC 83: “Serra vs. St. Pierre II”
Time Saturday, April 19, 2008, at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV)
The Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada
Main Event:
UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra vs. Interim UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre
Undercard:
185 lbs. Rich Franklin (22-3) vs. Travis Lutter (9-4)
185 lbs. Kalib Starnes (8-2-1) vs. Nate Quarry (9-2)
185 lbs. Michael Bisping (15-1) vs. Charles McCarthy (10-4)
155 lbs. Mac Danzig (17-4-1) vs. Mark Bocek (5-1)
185 lbs. Alan Belcher (12-4) vs. Jason Day (15-5)
185 lbs. Jason MacDonald (19-9) vs. Joe Doerksen (39-11)
155 lbs. Sam Stout (13-3-1) vs. Rich Clementi (30-12-1)
185 lbs. Ed Herman (14-5) vs. Demian Maia (6-0)
265 lbs. Cain Velasquez (2-0) vs. Brad Morris (10-2)
170 lbs. Jonathan Goulet (21-9) vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka (11-4)
*Fight not yet officially confirmed by UFC.com.
UFC 84
Time Saturday, May 24, 2008, at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV)
MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
Main Event:
UFC Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn (12-4-1)
vs.
Sean Sherk (32-2-1)*
Undercard:
205 lbs. Tito Ortiz (15-5-1) vs. Lyoto Machida (12-0)
205 lbs. Thiago Silva (12-0) vs. Antonio Mendes (14-2)*
205 lbs. Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1) vs. Keith Jardine (13-3-1)
205 lbs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-2) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-7)*
185 lbs. Rousimar Palhares (7-1) vs. Ivan Salaverry (12-5)*
205 lbs. Goran Reljic (7-0) vs. Wilson Gouveia (10-4)*
170 lbs. Jon Koppenhaver (5-1) vs. TBA*
170 lbs. Dong Hyun Kim (9-1-1) vs. Jason Tan (5-2)*
155 lbs. Terry Etim (10-1) vs. Jeremy Stephens (13-2)*
265 lbs. Shane Carwin (8-0) vs. Christian Wellisch (8-3)*
*Fight not yet officially confirmed by UFC.com.
UFC 85
Time Saturday, June 7, 2008, on pay-per-view (PPV)
The O2 Arena in London, England
Main Event:
Chuck Liddell (21-5) vs. Rashad Evans (11-0-1)
Undercard:
265 lbs. Brandon Vera (8-1) vs. Fabricio Werdum (10-3-1)
170 lbs Mike Swick (11-2)* vs. Marcus Davis (14-3)*
185 lbs. Martin Kampmann (15-2) vs. Jorge Rivera (15-6)*
185 lbs. Nate Marquardt (26-7) vs. Thales Leites (12-1)*
170 lbs. Roan Carneiro (12-6) vs. Ryo Chonan (14-8)*
155 lbs Thiago Tavares (13-1) vs. Matt Wiman (9-3)*
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Important for the future of the Sport and of the UFC
by Dave Meltzer [dave-meltzer] on Mar 13, 2008 at 11:18 am in - News -
The May 24 match between Tito Ortiz and Lyoto Machida at UFC 84 from Las Vegas is among the most important matches of 2008.
Ortiz is a key component of a battle that ends with the last man left standing.
That battle isn't in a ring or a cage, but a business war for supremacy of the mixed martial arts industry.
Ortiz is the biggest of a host of name fighters whose UFC contracts will be expiring at a time in which a slew of new rival promotions are in desperate need of big-name fighters.
For groups such as EliteXC, which debuts soon on CBS, and Mark Cuban's HDNet Fights, the key to challenging the UFC's supremacy in the marketplace is having the right television exposure, the right stars, the right business sense and a degree of long-term planning and patience.
It is generally believed that barring a miracle reconciliation, Ortiz and UFC will part company when his contract expires. UFC will be gambling by airing Ortiz's match live on pay-per-view. Ortiz is a big enough name to help sell orders. The former UFC light heavyweight champion's contract calls for bonuses far beyond his $210,000 reported per-match figure, so the feeling is it's too much to pay without getting market value through heavily promoting his fight.
Machida should be favored to win the fight, but it's hardly a lock. It's a win the undefeated Machida needs if he's going to work into position for a shot at the light heavyweight title, and connect with an audience that has seen him win many times against lesser-known fighters, but has yet to react to him as a star.
But if Ortiz wins, he'll be a free agent at a time he's at the top of the list of the most famous mixed martial artists in the country, in a business with many potential suitors who are all in need of a recognizable star.
By himself, no one fighter is going to make a difference in a promotional war. But Ortiz, former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski, Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick and two-time former heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia all have contracts that have either run out or are close to expiration. Losing most at the same time will give the public the impression the UFC must not be the be-all and end-all of the industry, particularly if several are seen shortly on a major television station with a competing promotion.
Ortiz, if he can pull off the right kind of a win, and then walk, is as strong a name to build around from a marquee standpoint as is out there, having headlined the two biggest pay-per-view events in history. He's been plagued by back problems for nearly five years, and Machida will be a real test of what he still has in the tank.
There may be plenty of fighters as good as Ortiz, but only two current fighters, Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture, have his star power and name value. When building a company, that means a whole lot more than having ranked fighters that the general public has never heard of on your roster.
None of the other four are locks to be re-signed either. Koscheck has publicly stated he wants to stay. UFC has offered him a substantial raise from the $10,000 base pay with a $10,000 winning bonus he was getting from the long-term deal he was given in 2005 when he was an unknown fighter signing to do the Ultimate Fighter reality show. But a better offer could come from elsewhere.
Swick faces an altogether different situation. While he beat Josh Burkman by decision in his last fight in January, he fought tepidly and the fight was terrible. He is the third of three fighters from the same American Kickboxing Academy team in UFC's welterweight division, with Koscheck and current No. 1 contender Jon Fitch. None of the three will fight each other, which makes keeping all three a potential problem. Of the three, Swick would be the lowest on the priority list.
Negotiations haven't gotten close with Arlovski, who is seen as a star by the UFC audience, and is a fighter one would think every U.S. promotion would be interested in as an athletic heavyweight with great takedown defense and good hands. But fans have waited more than two years for the return of the Arlovski who destroyed people in 2004 and 2005. That fighter hasn't been seen since he was brutally knocked out by Sylvia at UFC 59.
Sylvia, on the other hand, has never been popular with the UFC audience, but has been a fixture on top of the heavyweight division for five years.
UFC is attempting to replenish the heavyweight division by building around three projects, all decorated college wrestlers, Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, an Arizona State All-American who debuts on April 19, and Shane Carwin, a Division II national champion who starts on May 24.
Last year brought three major players, the IFL, EliteXC and Bodog Fight, all of whom burned through tens of millions of dollars. IFL had a weekly Monday night television show in prime time nationwide on Mynetworktv, but didn't have or make the right stars, nor did they seem to have long-term planning. IFL no longer has that TV outlet and they have completely revamped their presentation.
EliteXC had a deal with Showtime, bought smaller promotions all over the world, and with a CBS prime time television deal have a shot at making a great impact this year. Bodog had a television show on Ion that nobody watched, spent millions in advertising, failed on pay-per-view, lost their TV and are no longer even running shows.
This year's key new players include Mark Cuban's HDNet Fights, looking to become a major player by using MMA as a key sport in building a new television station and seemingly having the best chance of promoting the elusive Fedor Emelianenko vs. Randy Couture fight. Affliction, the makers of the T-shirts that are a fixture in the world of MMA, is starting a company tentatively scheduled to debut in June, and is making a big play for a number of free agents, reportedly making big offers to the likes of Matt Lindland (who has signed with them), Josh Barnett and Ben Rothwell among others, for non-exclusive contracts and numbers far beyond what they would be earning in UFC.
Cuban has stated many times he's not interested in getting into a bidding war over the top talent. UFC has not talked publicly, but privately, their philosophy based on recent negotiations is to also not get caught up in bidding wars for talent.
