Blackman Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Lol. I've had it with Tournaments in MMA. It doesn't work. Remember UFC, what... 2/3? In the day they held tournaments over 1 night. In that particular tournament, they had to replace almost all participants by standins. In the end, Gracie won it, by beating 2 standins. Is that a tournament? No, it's a joke. It's just 3 consecutive MMA matches, nothing more. Seeing Overeem decided to pull out of the tournament, even though he knew the next tournament was taking place at that specific time, the whole thing just seems too risky for MMA promotions to set up. So why announce it as a tournament? Just have them fight each other at the events anyway and see where the entire thing is going... (for the record, it seems that it DOES have something to do with the time of the fight) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brashleyholland Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 Lol. I've had it with Tournaments in MMA. It doesn't work. Remember UFC, what... 2/3? In the day they held tournaments over 1 night. In that particular tournament, they had to replace almost all participants by standins. In the end, Gracie won it, by beating 2 standins. Is that a tournament? No, it's a joke. It's just 3 consecutive MMA matches, nothing more. Yeah, that never happened :-p Gracie beat Ichihara, LeLucia, Pardoel and Smith, none of whom were alternates, or had beaten alternates. The only alternate at UFC 2 was Fred Ettish, who stepped in for Frank Hamaker (who, fun fact, I've taken kickboxing lessons from) in the 1/4 finals. You might be thinking of UFC 3, which was won by Steve Jennum, who was himself an alternate, replacing Ken Shamrock in the final. He beat Harold Howard in the final, who had received a bye of sorts in his semi-final bout when Gracie came to the cage before deciding not to fight. Shamrock fought Felix Mitchel in the semi's, who was a replacement for Keith Hackney. So why announce it as a tournament? Just have them fight each other at the events anyway and see where the entire thing is going... This is exactly what I, and many others, said when this whole thing was announced. I can't be bothered going back to look for it, but I wrote an article saying that there was no way in hell that A) This thing would be finished in 2011 and B) With all it's original participants in place. I specifically stated that Fedor and Overeem would be the problems here...got that one half right I suppose :-p (for the record, it seems that it DOES have something to do with the time of the fight) I've said it before and I'll say it again - the timing of the fight is not the issue here. I know I sound like an ass saying that I know without actually saying what I know, but there are certain things I get told in my line of work that are told to me 'off the record'. When that happens, I literally don't tell my colleagues, my Mrs or my own mother. It's nothing crazy or sinister...completely the opposite in fact. It's just that with situations like this, it's bad form to discuss it in the press. There are also legal considerations - MMA contracts aren't historically the most water-tight things in the world (especially Strikeforce ones), but they're still contracts. Fighters, their managers and promoters have to be very careful what they say in public. Remember business as usual? :-p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fantabulous Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 The UK is getting UFC 138 this year. But it's a Spike TV show. And it's Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz in the main event. Urine. Taking The. So is it accurate to say that Overeem is somewhat justified in claiming he wasn't given enough time to prepare or is he just covering his track riddled ass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigpapa42 Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 The UK is getting UFC 138 this year. But it's a Spike TV show. And it's Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz in the main event. Urine. Taking The. So is it accurate to say that Overeem is somewhat justified in claiming he wasn't given enough time to prepare or is he just covering his track riddled ass? UK events that done as PPV typically do really poor PPV numbers, so the chances of getting a strong PPV card there is limited. I can see where Overeem's complaint comes from. I've heard he's also rehabbing a toe injury as well. Its definitely a short turn around time. But at the same time, Barnett is doing it, Cormier has agreed to do it, Anderson Silva did a similar turnaround heading into a title fight... so its not a completely unreasonable request, especially since there are apparently reasons for it (scheduling with Showtime). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingJoel Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 The UK is getting UFC 138 this year. But it's a Spike TV show. And it's Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz in the main event. I want to go so badly...But I have no money :| Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brashleyholland Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 The UK is getting UFC 138 this year. But it's a Spike TV show. And it's Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz in the main event. Urine. Taking The. This I really don't get...how is this taking the you-know-what? It's a great fight between two fringe title contenders. Just like every other Spike TV main event. People who are complaining about this fight...I really don't know what to say to them. If you like fights, you like this fight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brashleyholland Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 I want to go so badly...But I have no money :| You've got three months dude, start saving those pennies! :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shape Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Said to myself I'd do what I could to go to the next uk one and it being in Birmingham with leben on the card makes me want to more. How much do decent tickets typically cost? Must say I'm surprised these two are the first five round main event given the likelihood it doesn't go the distance, but hey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brashleyholland Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 Said to myself I'd do what I could to go to the next uk one and it being in Birmingham with leben on the card makes me want to more. How much do decent tickets typically cost? Must say I'm surprised these two are the first five round main event given the likelihood it doesn't go the distance, but hey. If I remember rightly, cheap seats for the last one in London were 75-80 quid. Lower tier were 120, floor were 250, cageside 500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shape Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 If I remember rightly, cheap seats for the last one in London were 75-80 quid. Lower tier were 120, floor were 250, cageside 500. Righto. How much better are the lower tier ones than the cheapest? Thinking I'm not gonna go to one of these things very often so might as well do as best as I can lol. On which note as it's the only UK visit of the year is there likely to be one of those expos? And when do they usually go on sale? And now I'll stop bombarding you with questions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brashleyholland Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 Righto. How much better are the lower tier ones than the cheapest? Thinking I'm not gonna go to one of these things very often so might as well do as best as I can lol. On which note as it's the only UK visit of the year is there likely to be one of those expos? And when do they usually go on sale? And now I'll stop bombarding you with questions Cheap seats aren't bad in places like the MEN, but I've only ever sat in them for the weigh ins. Lower tier are great though. Probably won't be an expo, as the last one they did over here was a total disaster financially. Tix usually go on sale 8 weeks-ish before the fight. Go sign up to the UFC newsletter and you get a pre-sale code. And no worries man, happy to help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shape Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Ah that's a shame, still gonna have to go though. Hope dan hardy beats lytlle and gets on this card, just for his entrance =D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fantabulous Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 This I really don't get...how is this taking the you-know-what? It's a great fight between two fringe title contenders. Just like every other Spike TV main event. People who are complaining about this fight...I really don't know what to say to them. If you like fights, you like this fight. I like the fight, thanks. And I do have a decent level of interest in seeing it even if I expect to see Munoz take a few hits early and promptly revert to being a wrestler and spend fourteen minutes taking Leben down and owning him on the ground. But we get one visit a year and it would be nice if we got a main event that feels like a Main Event. I know, it's a TV card and as a TV main event it probably is a strong one, but UFC visits us so sparingly that it would be nice if they gave us a Main Event fight once in a while. I think it's valid complaint to make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shape Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 To be fair, I think it kinda of balances out the fact we don't have to pay whatever ridiculous price it is for every PPV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fantabulous Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 To be fair, I think it kinda of balances out the fact we don't have to pay whatever ridiculous price it is for every PPV. I don't see things changing when UFC eventually migrate to Sky Box Office. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shape Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 I don't see things changing when UFC eventually migrate to Sky Box Office. Even then it'd be cheaper. And I don't think that'll ever happen. In fact I remember a discussion in this very thread that convinced me of that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brashleyholland Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 Even if they did go to Sky Box Office and started charging £30 a time (which is twice the going rate for PPV in the UK) we'd still be getting it cheaper than our American cousins. $900 to watch all 15 PPV events last year. In the UK you're looking at $190 for a year's ESPN subscription which gets you tons of sports and every UFC live event. Most people have it included in their TV package gratis anyway. I dunno, I see this every year...people moan that they don't come, then they moan that they don't come often enough, then they moan about the fight cards when they do come. Yet every time the arena's are pretty much full (far more tickets are sold percentage-wise than most US events)...so clearly fans are happy enough to buy a ticket. I agree, it would be nice if the UFC put title fights on over here, etc. My question is this: Why on earth would the UFC throw millions of dollars away by staging a PPV-worthy fight in the UK? Why would any company do that in the current climate? Because it'd be nice? They're running a business, not a charity. They don't owe us anything. Looks like Brad Pickett is going to be on the card as well btw, another great value for money fighter. I was at his last fight in Birmingham against Paul Reed...war is the only fitting description. Brutal, brutal fight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigpapa42 Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 That's just it - putting on an event that is pay per view caliber but isn't going to do a decent buyrate is bad business. Its throwing money away. The overseas cards that are shown on time-delay (so UK and Germany) do really poor PPV business. I can understand that frustration, but its not like that's limited to UK cards. I went to a Vegas show. After buying a "cheap" ticket ($200), airfare, hotel, and a car rent, the card went from good (HW title fight) to one of the poorest cars in a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brashleyholland Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 That's just it - putting on an event that is pay per view caliber but isn't going to do a decent buyrate is bad business. Its throwing money away. The overseas cards that are shown on time-delay (so UK and Germany) do really poor PPV business. I can understand that frustration, but its not like that's limited to UK cards. I went to a Vegas show. After buying a "cheap" ticket ($200), airfare, hotel, and a car rent, the card went from good (HW title fight) to one of the poorest cars in a long time. Was that Griffin/Ortiz 2? Or Evans/Silva? Either way, that sucks I remember when UFC 85 in London was supposed to be Liddell vs Shogun (back when Chuck was still a big deal). Then it was Liddell vs Evans. Then Chuck pulled out. Then Evans was supposed to fight James Irvin, but Irvin dropped out and Evans was scrubbed. Then Bisping's opponent (Leben) pulled out. Ryo Chonnan and Neil Wain also withdrew, and a bout between Paul Kelly and Jon Goulet was scrapped outright. We ended up with Bisping vs Jason Day and Matt Hughes vs Thaigo Alves, which was pretty cool...apparrt from when the news spread that Alves was injured and might not fight a few days before weigh-ins, and came in 4lbs over, which caused rumours that Hughes might bail. The card's name? Bedlam :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigpapa42 Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Griffin/Ortiz 2. 106. It was supposed to be Carwin-Lesnar in the main event, with the Griffin-Ortiz rematch as the secondary. I think there was also a pretty solid third fight that got scrapped as well. It fell apart after I got my tickets and it was too late to back out. Only one I've been to and it was still a pretty cool experience... but the card stunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackman Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 You might be thinking of UFC 3 Ya, I should've checked Wikipedia first. Well, perhaps timing isn't the issue. It's just that the sherdog article said the Dutchman wanted to rest more, which presupposes that the fight would be stalled. Therefore I assumed... Oh well, it doesn't really matter. He's axed, and that's that, unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedsRule Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Cruz-Johnson-Title-Bout-on-Tap-for-UFC-Live-6-34163 I am happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brashleyholland Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Cruz-Johnson-Title-Bout-on-Tap-for-UFC-Live-6-34163 I am happy. That's pretty cool for you guys, getting a title fight on free TV. First one since the Rampage vs Hendo Pride/UFC unification bout in 2007 if memory serves (which it often doesn't)? Makes no difference to us lot in the UK as the Versus, UFN and numbered events are all on ESPN anyway. In terms of the fight though, it should be an interesting one. We know that Cruz can handle speedy guys and wrestling machines (Faber and Jorgensen)...I'm not sure if Johnson is gonna be bringing anything new to the table in terms of skills. Brad Pickett had his number all night long and Cruz brings a similar challenge. Cruz takes this one by late (T)KO stoppage, and (assuming that Pickett beats Barao in Birmingham, which is no foregone conclusion) sets up a Cruz/Pickett title fight for the ages early next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brashleyholland Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 Also, my good friends at BAMMA have signed Nate Marquardt....interesting things happening here.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Ryland Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Also, my good friends at BAMMA have signed Nate Marquardt....interesting things happening here.... Do you think he'll be on the Birmingham show? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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