brashleyholland

DISAPPOINTING RUMOUR ALERT: Tito vs Franklin...

Dana said that Brock would be ready for the 1st a week or so ago...the rumour appears to stem from a website that quotes anonymous sources within Lesnar's camp, who have said that more than one doctor has told the big fella he should hang them up due to the stress training is having on his body. According to them, Brock is warming to the idea. As it stands it's a media conference call, so you Joe Public's wont be able to listen live. :-p Some sites record them and put them up....we used to, but they rarely got listened to. I think the FOX thing is more about hype than anything else. Brock is a natural fit, but they're a PPV company at the end of the day and taking a guy who may only have one or two fights left in him (if any) off PPV seems like a silly move. People WILL tune in to this show regardless of who fights. I expect the majority of people who do will only have a casual knowledge of the sport/UFC, and it'll be a case of watching 'that UFC fight' rather than anything specific. On that line of thinking, it makes sense to put The Reem in there, get a ton of eyeballs on him before the inevitable heavyweight title fight. Yep, first one is at UFC 138 in the UK. BUT...they've said that there will be two fights broadcast...you need about 25-30 mins to broadcast a 3x5 fight and about 40 for a 5x5 fight, so unless they literally do no intro's/interviews, I think we might see two 3x5's. Dana did say that they'd just be getting on with the fights though, so who knows? BendoHendo vs Guida underneath Overeem vs Mir...now that'd make a bang.

The UFC has sent out a press notification about a 'BIG (yes, it was capitalised) announcement' tomorrow. Dana has confirmed that it's the main event of UFC on Fox. I know for a fact that Overeem's people have been in Vegas today negotiating with the UFC. Just saying. Whether he fights on Fox or not I don't know, but either way, looks like he'll be with them by the years end, which will likely mean no K-1 (if it happens). There's also a rumour flying around that Brock Lesnar is retiring from MMA. Dunno what the deal with that one is yet though.

I guess that is his Achilles..erm...heel :-p

Not a Paul Harris fan then? :-p

So Paul Daley is fighting Jordan Radev at BAMMA 7. It wasn't the fight they wanted but with time running out it's the fight they got. Radev has a decent record (23-4) and is a former Olympic level wrester for Bulgaria. Gotta give Daley props for continuing to take fights against really good wrestlers. So BAMMA 7 is actually looking pretty sweet right now... Jimmy Wallhead vs Frank Trigg Paul Daley vs Jordan Radev Efrain Escudero vs Tim Radcliff Rob Sinclair vs Leonardo Santos (World lightweight title) Andre Winner vs Jason Ball Dean Amasinger vs Shah Huissein Carl Noon vs Jack Marshman (British middleweight title) All that plus six decent prelims. Matt Ewin vs Valentino Petrescu is off after Matt was injured in a recent fight and Val got spanked in a kickboxing match a couple of weeks ago. Not bad, not bad at all.

My two pence on Silva's next opponent(s). Stann/Sonnen winner is next up without a shadow of a doubt. Stann is very media friendly and if this Fox thing works out like they want it too, he'd be ideal as a 'Real American Hero' type. Stann/Silva TUF coaches on Fox? Sonnen fits as well for obvious reasons. Outside that, I expect to see the Bisping/Miller winner versus the winner of Munoz/Leben for a title shot. The UFC have been itching to give Bisping a shot for a long time now, but the time frame doesn't work out to give him the next shot even if he blows through Miller in 20 seconds. The Munoz/Leben winner will sort that little problem out. Then you have Belfort, who because of his name value is probably never gonna be more than a win or two away from a title shot. Also, I have never been more happy to be wrong about fight prediction than with Schaub vs Nogueira. Genuinely jumped out of my seat, shouting like a nutter! :-D

Does anybody here follow The Iron Sheik on twitter? Good lord, he is one hilarious, bat-poop crazy individual. I'm not going to link it here because it's pretty explicit and frankly shouldn't be viewed by anyone under 18, or with a bit of human decency left in them. But if you want to seek it out, Sheiky Baby can be found @the_ironsheik DO NOT follow him if you're easily offended or have no sense of humour...personally I think we should make him king of the world, or at least send him after Gaddafi, who he has threatened to suplex, camel clutch and...well, you'll have to read the rest on twitter :-p

A facebook page was set up suggesting that Brazilian fans give Chael a warm welcome by way of a tree and a length of rope. Sonnen was apparently going to either corner, or at the very least cagewalk Okami for the fight, and his sponsors weren't too keen on the idea of a potential lynching :-p There was also some fear that Chael might be punched/grabbed/have beer thrown at him on the way to the cage, which would be a distraction to Okami. The guy who set the facebook page up said it was a joke (apparently the tone of it was very light-hearted, but you know what the media/authorities are like for jumping to conclusions/blowing things out of proportion). Hopefully Chael recorded a video message they can play to the fans while they're busy carting Nogueira's lifeless body out of the cage, y'know, just to lighten the mood :-p

And Dana has since said they're not, even if Silva wins in 13 seconds. In fairness, Lorenzo never said they were trying to put the fight together. someone asked him if they'd do it, and he said he'd love to. Typical media question. It's sort of our job to ask sneaky questions like that then report them as wildly out-of-context facts :-D

Sonnen is absolutely taking his BJJ seriously, and always has done. He's one of the better 'students' of MMA out there. Just so happens he sucks at BJJ. The 'feeding carrots to a bus' thing is all fun and games, he's one of the most educated, honest and respectful people I've ever had the pleasure of talking to. 'Chael Sonnen' on the other hand, is a world clash douche bag who you should all pay lots of money to see get his ass kicked! Roll up, roll up!

Dayum, Marlon Sandro got ICED tonight!

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="ChrisWest" data-cite="ChrisWest" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="26660" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> </p><p> </p><p> The Fox deal looks good, but I do have a couple of questions. Is being on Fox (just talking about the main channel) as big as being on CBS? Is being on FX as good as being on Spike? Maybe better? Coming from Denmark I don't really know these tings <img alt=":)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Fox and Spike aren't even on the same playing field in terms of viewers. Fox I believe is basically in every home with a TV, whereas Spike is part of cable packages. I've heard from people in the US that they're expecting somewhere in the region of 14+ million viewers for their first Fox supercard...does that sound reasonable to anyone? </p><p> </p><p> Fox and CBS I believe are on a somewhat similar playing field, with CBS being slightly bigger. Someone in the US would probably have a better grasp of that though.</p><p> </p><p> EDIT: As for Brock...he had the op at the end of May...going on three months ago. If he was doing an 8 week camp he'd have another month before he'd need to start properly if he were to fight mid-November, two if he was gonna fight late December. Does that seem like a reasonable amount of recovery time?</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="damonster" data-cite="damonster" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="26660" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>anyboy else besides me following up with ufc undisputed 3?</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Man, I am itching to get my hands on that game. Told I'm getting a preview copy, can't wait. </p><p> </p><p> The 2003 Pride game is one of my all time favs, so I'm pumped to be able to play a bit of 'Pride' again. I'm just hoping we get some Pride legends in there and not just 'young' Wanderlei/Shogun/Cro Cop/Nog and Rampage in the stars and stripes shorts. I want Igor, Sakuraba, Royce in a Gi, Don Frye and Giant Silva...ok, maybe not Giant-o Silvaaaaah, but you get my point. </p><p> </p><p> I also thought the career mode last year was one of the most frustrating things I've ever played....never got more than a few fights into it, the whole losing stats thing just killed it for me...far too much hassle for the amount of time I was willing to spend on it. I'm hoping they go for more of a Fight Night model, which has always had decent career modes, and now has a story mode too. </p><p> </p><p> Imagine following a young fighter's story through the little leagues, up to a big UFC title fight. You win the belt, but get busted for steroids! Uh-oh, it's off to Pride you go. Eventually you find out that a corrupt/incompetent athletic commission official (lets call him Stu Mazzagatti) falsified/screwed up your drug test and you were innocent all along! You fight in a couple of small shows in the US, then you make your big UFC return as a craftey veteran to make one last run at the title! </p><p> </p><p> If THQ are reading, they can have that one for free.</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Hive" data-cite="Hive" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="31920" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>When I bring How Thor should have ended to the table, you'll both fold.<p> </p><p> </p><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/1DTgNkkX2eU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="How Thor Should Have Ended"></iframe></div></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Nah, I'm gonna have to go all-in with Revenge of the Fallen!</p><p> </p><p> </p><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/JEdZ-yjxHLI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="How Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Should Have Ended"></iframe></div></div>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Fantabulous" data-cite="Fantabulous" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="26660" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> It looks good on the surface but I don't see UFC having enough high-calibre fights to spread across so many TV shows <em>and</em> PPV.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I'm led to believe that there will be 3-4 less PPV's a year to counterbalance the additional 'Big Fox' shows. That's the plan for now at least.</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="damonster" data-cite="damonster" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="26660" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> </p><p> Edit: does the BAMMA tickets contest include airfare and hotel fee? <img alt=":)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Sure, why not. Or y'know, I could always swim over and carry you and a friend on my back? :-p </p><p> </p><p> We're gonna be looking to do some competitions for US/Canadian shows in the future as well, as even though we're a UK site, the vast, vast majority of our traffic comes from the US.</p>

<p>Now then you greedy lot...as promised, a chance to win some free tix to BAMMA 7. </p><p> </p><p> <a href="http://www.mmabay.co.uk/2011/08/18/win-bamma-7-tickets-with-lonsdale-and-mmabay/" rel="external nofollow">http://www.mmabay.co.uk/2011/08/18/win-bamma-7-tickets-with-lonsdale-and-mmabay/</a></p><p> </p><p> All you have to do is tell us why you think you deserve a pair of BAMMA 7 tickets. Extra points for blatantly untrue yet hilariously fantastical entries. </p><p> </p><p> Also terms and conditions state that you have to buy me a pint if you win. Just kidding. But maybe not :-D</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="djthefunkchris" data-cite="djthefunkchris" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="31920" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> </p><p> The truth is, the advertising alone can make enough to give just about any newspaper in any city, away for free. I'm sure (not 100%) that comic's make a similar good amount on advertising as well. This doesn't relate to just magazines (most magazines period, can and do make enough out of their advertisements, to be free). I'm sure there are some people here that can confirm the fact that some newspapers have already started going that route (or very close). </p><p> </p><p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> With newspapers, that's spot on. In fact, it seems that many papers and even glossy magazines are looking at free, ad-supported distribution as a way of maintaining viability in an age of digital content. </p><p> </p><p> Comic books, I'm told, not so much. It's apparently too niche of a market to attract the kind of advertising that would make reducing or removing the price-tag possible.</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="mike b" data-cite="mike b" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="31920" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>How iron man should have ended<p> </p><p> </p><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/adW46gsMTXM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="How Iron Man Should Have Ended"></iframe></div></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I see your Iron Man and raise you How The Dark Knight should have ended!</p><p> </p><p> </p><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/seBpXt8_6xs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="How The Dark Knight Should Have Ended"></iframe></div></div>

Well this is the funniest news I've heard all week... http://idontlikeyouinthatway.com/2011/08/hulk-hogan-reportedly-banged-another-wrestler-a-male-wrestler.html ...and it would certainly explain a lot.

We interviewed Alistair at the weekend as it happens, he was over in the UK doing a few seminars. We were told by his people that their offer to the UFC is dependent on either a title shot, or a fight with Brock Lesnar. Also, he wants to fight by the end of the year, or fight for K-1 in December...which kinda makes Lesnar the go to guy. What his health situation is, I don't know...but damn, a Lesnar vs Overeem bout would be absolute mayhem one way or the other.

I'm gonna say not much. We're used to our guys never making it to the top I think. Hatton was no less popular after getting spanked by Mayweather, and there was a huge movement for him to fight in the UK again after Pacquiao knocked his block off. Anderson is legit one of, or the actual, best in the world right now (but that's a debate for another day)...I think UK fans understand that and there would be no shame in Bisping losing to him. I'd actually give Mike a good three rounds with Silva based on his footwork alone. Actually surprised to see people ragging on his striking...technically speaking, he's one of the best strikers in the division, behind only Anderson in my book. It's just that my granny hits harder and has a better chin :-p Seriously though, most fighters speak to regard Bisping as one of the better strikers out there, on a technical level. But I digress. I don't think losing to Silva would kill Bisping's drawing ability (which I think has peaked already - I don't see the UFC running a stadium in the UK)...infact, hanging with the champ while getting smacked around for three rounds might actually go some way to getting rid of the anti-Bisping feeling that is building up in the UK and making him a bigger attraction.

With Bellator, it's really simple. If the UFC move off Spike, Bellator will in all likelihood get their spot. Bellator also are embroiled in some legal stuff with the UFC, and like to tie guys up in constricting contracts. They wanted Marquardt for three years, or something crazy. So that's Bellator. With BAMMA, it's different and more complicated. This is one of those, "I know something, but I can't tell you" moments, which I hate, because it makes me look like a smug douchebag :-p But when I'm told something off the record that's where it stays...professional courtesy and the fact that I don't abuse people's trust. All I'll say is that the UFC had some huge, huge plans for the UK market which recently fell through. If they hadn't, BAMMA, and anyone else vying for a decent share of the UK market, wouldn't have lasted long. Keep an eye on the UFC UK news over the coming weeks and months and you'll see some interesting stuff. Here's the thing with the UK market...there really isn't one. Fans complain that the UFC never comes over, yet they won't go to a British show, be it BAMMA, UCMMA, Cage Warriors, OMMAC, Chuckle Up or something smaller to help and support the UK scene. The market is there, but only for the UFC product. The UFC's problem with BAMMA is that it's presenting a very, very similar product. While OMMAC are content to run small, regular events with prospects and local talent and UCMMA play to the Troxy crowd every 8 weeks, BAMMA are coming out all guns blazing, getting world-wide distribution and signing "UFC guys". They're essentially cashing in, and offering a cheaper, more regular alternative to UFC events at a time when the promotion is struggling to get shows done over here. Sure, BAMMA and the UFC aren't in the same league, not by a million miles...but money is tight in the UK at the moment and the fact is that there is only a finite amount of it that people will spend on MMA in a year. The UFC's worry is that there will be a lot of people who will have spent their MMA money for the year by the time they come over. With BAMMA intending to up the schedule next year, and signing guys like Nate and Daley, that fear is only going to grow. That's why they had the plans they did, which would have crushed the likes of BAMMA.

I happen to know for a fact that Zuffa are absolutely concerned about BAMMA taking their market share in the UK while their signing 'UFC guys' like Escudero, Trigg, Daley, Marquardt etc. They're concerned about it to the point that they're doing things about it. They also don't want fighters they cut going to Bellator...the word amongst managers is that cut fighters are being told not to go their if they want a swift call back to the UFC after a couple of wins. Pretty much the same thing that happened with Hardy then, lol.