majesty95 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 World Series of Fighting Where the Best Prove They Are the Best Ring ring... My heart was pumping with anticipation. Ring ring. "Trump Organization. Christina speaking. How may I help you?" "Hi Christina. Patch me through to Don really quick. Thanks." "Ok. Umm. Just a moment." There was a brief pause. I hope that worked. "Hello?" "Mr. Trump. I'm John Serrano. I was referred to you by Al Berman. I understand that you are still interested in creating an MMA promotion to compete with the UFC." "Listen, I'm really busy." "Mr. Trump. I understand. Give me just a few seconds and I can explain how I plan to take market share from the UFC while creating a promotion that both fighters will want to compete in and the fans will want to follow closely." "I've tried this before with a large brand like Affliction and it didn't work." "That's right. I believe the key to Affliction failing was to directly come after the UFC and intend to be their rival. I want to create a promotion that doesn't directly seek to unseat the UFC but to carefully chip away at its market share by providing a unique format that fans and fighters alike can get excited about." "Isn't that what Bellator is trying to do?." "No sir. Bellator is trying to be its own brand and carve its own space. I don't think it truly feels it will ever compete with the UFC. At least it shouldn't. They are a niche promotion." "And you are different how?" "Let me explain. Think about poker and the competition that it has. Think about the World Series of Poker. The World Series of Poker is the pinnacle of the poker world. Every big name poker player wants to be a WSOP champion. The competition. The grind. Its not only the most played in poker event but also the most watched." "OK. Where are you going with this?" "Mr. Trump. I want to create the ultimate proving ground for MMA athletes. A place where the best come to compete against the best in a grueling tournament to be considered the definitive top ranked guy on the planet. I want to create the World Series of Fighting." There was a brief pause. "I'm listening." "I want to create a tournament structure that entices the best of the best away from the other top promotions to test their skills in this tournament format. We aren't trying to lure these fighters away permanently. We want to entice them to leave for a year and compete in our tournament. Eventually, we will have many of the top competitors in each weight class competing against each other in our tournament along with select up-and-comers to see who is really the best in each weight class. They can stay on and compete the following year or they can return to their promotion and go back to choosing their matchups. We may not get every top guy but these fighters have too much pride to walk away never having attempted our tournament." "OK. Listen. There might be something here. Be here Monday at 10am and show me your plan. But it better blow me away. Don't waste my time!" "No sir Mr. Trum..." Click. There was dead air. Wow. Did I just do that? Did I really get "The Donald" to agree to meet with me? My heart was pounding. That was amazing! I got his secretary to patch me through and then named dropped a former producer from his show The Apprentice that I had never met and got him to listen to my pitch. Phew! I'm not sure how I pulled that off but now I have to put together a killer presentation. Looks like it is going to be a busy weekend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffo Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Ha Trump has been there... didn't work so well but another WSOF story! I will be following Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majesty95 Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 They didn't have my man John Serrano! Lol. I'll try to keep it interesting. Wanted to do a real life mod but differ from real life. Thanks for following! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majesty95 Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 World Series of Fighting Where the Best Prove They Are the Best You got this. It's you're time. Beep. You know this will work. You're going to make it happen. Beep. Let's go! You own this! Ding. The elevator comes to a stop and the doors slowly open. I look out into a lobby that makes The Apprentice look amateur. There is so much gold and marble its unbelievable. I'm taken aback. "Hello." said the receptionist. "Who are you here to see?" "Mr. Trump." I replied. "OK. What is your name?" What? She doesn't know I'm coming? Did Mr. Trump forget? "John Serrano." I replied somewhat sheepishly. "OK. Have a seat." I sat on the most lavish leather couch I have ever seen. If it wasn't for my nerves I could have easily fallen asleep on it. A couple minutes passed by and the affirmations I had been repeating to myself were starting to turn into questions. Did he forget? Did he find out I didn't really know that producer? My knee started to bounce and I was getting fidgety. A few more minutes passed and finally the receptionist ended the internal dialogue I had going. "Mr. Serrano." she said. "Mr. Trump will see you now." Phew. OK. It's game time. Let's do this. I walked in and Mr. Trump was seated behind a large oak desk. He looked up at me. "Let's see your plan." "Yes sir." I replied. "Mr. Trump, as I mentioned. I don't want to try and do what the UFC is already doing. I want to create an event. A series of events. Events that get the fans excited. An event that the fighters want to be a part of." I pulled out a 30" x 30" piece of plastic that I had tucked away in my bag. http://www.mmabay.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/WSOF1.jpg "I want to create the World Series of Fighting. The penultimate competition in mixed martial arts." Mr. Trump looked at the logo and gave the slightest nod of his head. He appeared to approve. "Each World Series event will take one year to complete. There will be a separate event fort each weight class. We will start with 12 fighters and will fight our way down to the final two. Those two will compete for the World Series Championship trophy. No belts. This isn't something you defend. This is an event and you either win it or you don't. It is the ultimate competition in MMA." Mr. Trump leans forward in his chair slightly. "This competition will be renowned for its competitiveness," I continued. "It will be regarded as the ultimate proving ground for fighters in each weight class. Fighters who don't participate will be called out by fans and media. Those who do will be lauded for their participation. The winners will become legends." "OK. So tell me how we go about getting these fighters to leave the UFC to fight for us?" Mr. Trump interrupted. "That's the beauty Mr. Trump." I responded. "We don't have to go get them. They will come to us." Mr. Trump sat back in his chair. "We will start out with some of the bigger names that are available. Guys like Rampage Jackson and Josh Barnett. We will take guys that the UFC discarded and pit them against each other while mixing in some younger, up-and-coming fighters. We will create a mix that, when over, nobody can deny the winner's accomplishment. They will have won at least three fights in a row and against some of the best competition in their weight class. The winners will then likely be looked at by the UFC and singed by them. The confidence and experience they earned in our tournament will propel them to success in the UFC. Other fighters will take notice and want to try their hand. We will breed champions." "OK. So we take retread UFC fighters and give them a place to earn their spot back in the UFC. How long is that going to last?" "No sir. We start with retread UFC fighters. But we also develop new, young talent. We mix in up-and-comers. The UFC vets won't always win. The younger guys will make names for themselves. We will sign key free agents like Eddie Alvarez and they will win. Obviously, we will need to compete with the UFC financially to sign some of these fighters at first. However, as this grows, eventually these guys will want to come to us. As we add more and more top level fighters and as the aura and intrigue around our tournament grows these fighters will seek us out. They will want to compete in our events. They will want to be World Series champions." "That's sounds great but the UFC will just threaten to banish them. Dana White will trash us and talk about how we're second tier. The media and fans will buy in and we're left competing with Bellator but with way more overhead. I've been down this road before." "That's the beauty of this Mr. Trump. It's Dana proof. We aren't just going out and signing retread guys and trying to create UFC-like cards and steal fans. We are pitting these guys in a grueling tournament. Every three months they will be fighting in the next round. If they get hurt and can't make it, they're out and the next man is in. There's no waiting for guys to heal. There's no picking your opponent. You fight the next guy on the bracket or you start over. You have to be smart in training. You don't just get to re-book if you get injured. This is an all-or-nothing event." "OK. Let's say we get fighters in the UFC to want to leave and compete. What if Dana blacklists them. Berates them in public. Do they just keep competing in tournaments? Don't champions want to defend their belts?" "They do. To a degree. How many times have you heard Anderson Silva say he just wants to fight the best guys in the world? Super fights? We can make them. If the guy wins his side of the bracket he deserves to fight you. There are no immediate rematches or fighters coming off of losses talking themselves into title bouts. These guys earn their stripes. And yes, Dana will belittle us and threaten guys who defect. Great! We want him to! We're not significant if he's not talking about us. But eventually he will look arrogant and controlling. If he doesn't want to re-sign these guys? Great! They can just enter the next event and defend their title. After a guy wins this tournament twice in a row how does he deny their accomplishment? How can he say he has all the best fighters in the world if he doesn't sign the guy who won our tournament twice? Its perfect. He'll be in a position where he'll lose credibility and his quality of competition will be questioned if he doesn't try to re-sign our champions. That's when the paradigm shifts. He needs our guys to legitimize his competition and then his guys need us to legitimize their spot in the rankings. That's when we start seeing guys want to join us. Guys that are champions like Jon Jones or Cain Velaquez. They want to add to their legacy. They want to cement their spot in the history books. How do you do that without competing in the best tournament in the sport?" "OK. I think you're on to something here. Let's talk finances. How much is this going to cost? How do you make money? How do we compete for guys in the UFC?" "We start out by taking the guys that want out of the UFC or are free agents. We give these guys a platform to display their skills. We weather the storm. The first year or two we have a few decent names and we probably lose some money. But its all about building for down the road. Eventually the mid level guys, the guys trapped in the middle of the divisions but not considered contenders seek us out. Guys like Forrest Griffin or Rich Franklin. Either those guys win or new stars emerge from beating them. The fans clamor for those guys in the UFC and Dana has to oblige. Their experience leads them to success in the UFC and now we are legitimized. Now more and more guys seek us out to legitimize themselves. The aura of the tournament grows and eventually the top level guys want that notoriety." "So we're looking at 4-5 years down the road?" "Maybe. That doesn't mean we lose money for 4-5 years. We only have a few big money guys. The rest are mid-level guys and up-and-comers. Guys that would be on Spike or FX anyway. Guys with salaries that fit TV cards. The few big contracts are there to bring attention but as we grow so do our ratings. Eventually we move to network TV or pay-per-view." "So we start out on cable TV?" "Yes. I've looked at several options and the NBC Sports Network is looking for market share and to create its own unique programming. They would like nothing more than to compete with FOX in MMA. NBC created the Poker Heads-Up Championships to compete with the World Series. This fits that network perfectly." "OK. How much money do we need to get started?" "$20 million. That gives us negotiating power right off the bat and provides a cushion as we build. That will last me 2-3 years. That's my time frame to start turning a profit. That's also 2-3 full events at each weight class. Everything starts to culminate at that point." "I'll give you $10 million. Get some guys signed and I'll put you in touch with my guys at NBC." Perfect. "Don't let me down Serrano. I don't like to look dumb." "No sir. I'm going to make you look like a genius Mr. Trump." "You better." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CageRage Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Loving this so far! Good work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffo Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 This is what I thought the WSOF was going to actually do when I first heard their name. Great point with the Griffin/Franklin idea. BJ Penn is someone I could see doing it... he has never been that loyal to the UFC and would be a good name win for Alvarez (I might try and book that in my dynasty haha). I hope you use all the current WSOF guys, there is a heap of talent there that I can't wait to see in action. Good stuff you have me hooked I love it haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wshred13 Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 This will be the first dynasty I follow. It's very well written on top of just being an interesting concept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majesty95 Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 Thanks guys! Glad you are enjoying it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majesty95 Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 World Series of Fighting Where the Best Prove They Are the Best Beep Beep Beep Beep Man. The sound of the alarm in the morning is never a friendly one. I'm not quite sure who decided that was the appropriate way for one to end their slumber. Yet most of us refuse to change it. Its been a busy week for me. We signed a legion of fighters and are now trying to secure a deal with the NBC Sports Network. I'd be lying if I said I couldn't use a few days off. That's not the way it works in this business though and that's certainly not the way to the top. Last night we secured our biggest name fighter, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. The negotiations went down to the wire and I honestly thought we weren't going to sign him. I really think we overpaid for him but he was they key to the whole plan. Our light heavyweight tournament had very little meaning without him. I promised Mr. Trump I would get him and I did what I had to to keep that promise. I'm excited about our first tournament. A potential final of Rampage and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson could be very interesting. A potential re-match of Rampage and Ricard Arona has some intrigue as well. I am concerned about our first event though. We have it structured so that the first event is the first round of the light heavyweight tournament. Essentially, it is our 5 through 12 seeds fighting each other for a spot in the quarterfinals against Rampage, Rumble, Arona and Feijao. Those "play in" fights are the only fights on the main card. We sill have to sell it to NBC and then weather the storm without a marquee match-up to headline. Nothing like that has been done in MMA. We're making a huge leap in faith. We also have almost all of our heavyweight roster secure. The big name, of course, was Josh Barnett. I'm not sure our top 4 seeds (Barnett, Kharitonov, Abdurahimov and Monson) are quite as distinguished as our light heavyweights but we have a lot more young talent in that tournament. I'm excited to see guys like Tyler East, Jared Rosholt and Ruslan Magomedov compete. Heck, I even think Bobby Lashley could make some waves. I'm not quite as confident in our other weight classes yet but we have some time to work on those. I am thrilled that we got Eddie Alvarez though. I could actually see him sticking around for multiple tournaments. That could be a big push for us. Ok. Its 5:45. Time to get up and start the day. Let's own this day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffo Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Good signings! Looking forward to seeing your format Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majesty95 Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 World Series of Fighting Where the Best Prove They Are the Best "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending. I'd like to cover some details and then give you all the opportunity to ask questions. The World Series of Fighting is proud to announce that we have secured a deal with the NBC Sports Network for eight shows. The first show will be in March and will be the first round of our light heavyweight tournament. The first show will be held at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City and will be broadcast on the NBC Sports Network." The tournament format appears on the screen behind me. http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c24/majesty95/WSOF1LHW_zpseac671f1.jpg The first round will match the #5 through 12 seeds against each other. The four winners will move on to face the #1-4 seeds. They will proceed in a traditional tournament style bracket down to the final. The winner will receive the World Series of Fighting Championship Trophy which we will unveil at a later date. I'll now open it up to any questions." "Kevin Iole - Yahoo Sports. What do you see as being your biggest hurdle getting the first few tournaments off the ground?" "That's a great question. The honest answer is selling this to the fans. We need to sell them the big picture. They are not going to know all of the fighters on the first few cards. But it is very much like the NCAA tournament. You have to watch the early rounds to appreciate the teams, or fighters in this case, that are there in the later rounds." "Ariel Helwani - MMA Hour. Rampage is your top draw and you have to feel the tournament is riding on him. How does the tournament, and your plans, change if he loses?" "Ariel, the beauty of this tournament is that anyone can win. Even if Rampage were to lose in his first fight you would then have a new star for everyone to follow. Even if all four of the top seeds lost you would have four new guys to watch and root for. Fans will want to see how they develop. Were they a fluke or are they for real? That creates a lot of intrigue with this format." "Jordan Breen - Sherdog. You've indicated previously that you're not trying to compete with the UFC and that your format is different than Bellator. How do you see yourself carving out an identity in a sport that is all but dominated by one promotion?" "You know, its not about competing with the UFC or being different than Bellator. Its about building the best tournament on the planet and the place where guys from every promotion want to come and compete. I don't want guys leaving the UFC or any other promotion permanently to fight for us. We can all coexist together. The UFC is what it is and Bellator does what it does well. We are different. We are a place that fighters can go to test themselves in a completely different way than any other promotion." "Kevin Iole again. How long do you believe it will be before we start seeing guys defect to compete in this format. How do you keep the fan's interest in the meantime?" "I don't think its as much about keeping the fans and even the media's interest as it is getting it started. Seeing the big picture and watching to see which guys are advancing and then how they match up in later rounds is what will draw people in. As long as we have big names in later rounds people will be interested in seeing how they do. As far as a time frame, it all depends. We could be players for big names right now like we were with Josh Barnett and Eddie Alvarez. There's no waiting period. If there is a fighter we want we will pursue them. I wouldn't refer to it as 'defecting' though. Our tournament isn't designed to keep fighters here long term. Much like PRIDE's Grand Prix, this is a tournament to test yourself against the best in the world in a grueling format. Guys aren't going to want to do this year after year. That's perfect. It allows us to keep new guys moving in and out. We're more of an accent to other leagues than a direct competitor. " "Ben Fowlkes - MMA Junkie. You obviously have Josh Barnett and Eddie Alvarez as your top draws at heavyweight and lightweight. Have you targeted any individuals as the top seeds in the welterweight and middleweight tournaments?" "That really all depends on who becomes available. I don't know the contracts of all of the fighters out there. We want to be open to possibilities as they present themselves. We don't want to pigeonhole ourselves into one way of thinking. Everything is fluid. It will evolve as things transpire throughout the sport. One more question." "Maggie Hendricks - Yahoo Sports. You are currently planning tournaments at the five major weight classes. What are the plans for the lighter weight classes and for women's tournaments? "Right now there are none for either. Honestly, I just don't think there is enough competition for all of the leagues right now. So that really never registered. As we progress and things evolve in the sport that could change. As of right now, though, we are focusing on the five weight classes with the most depth. Thank you everyone for coming. We look forward to seeing you in Atlantic City next month. Have a great week." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffo Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 I'm backing Drysdale to make a run! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majesty95 Posted April 2, 2013 Author Share Posted April 2, 2013 WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING - PRESS RELEASE ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - The World Series of Fighting, hosts of the worlds toughest MMA tournament, have finalized the card for their WSOF 1 - Light Heavyweight Quarterfinals event. The event comprises the opening round of the WSOF 1 Light Heavyweight Tournament. The WSOF pits 12 of the best fighters in each weight class against each other for the ultimate prize in tournament MMA, the WSOF Championship Trophy. The tournament is expected to culminate in February of 2014. WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING 1 - LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT QUARTERFINALS March 2013 - Atlantic City, New Jersey - NBC Sports Network Main Card Jake O'Brien (13-4) vs Wes Combs (19-5) Ovince St. Preux (13-5) vs Aaron Rosa (17-5) Robert Drysdale (4-0) vs Hans Stringer (19-5-2) DJ Linderman (12-3) vs Artur Alibulatov (9-0) Prelims Marcos Rogerio de Lima (8-1) vs Bobby Rehman (7-1) Chad Griggs (11-3) vs Joe Cason (8-1) Krzysztof Piechota (7-0) vs Carlos Augusto Inocente Filho The WSOF also announced the seeding for their second event WSOF 1 - Heavyweight Quarterfinals. The official fight card will be announced at a later date. WSOF 1 - Heavyweight Quarterfinals will take place in Atlantic City and will be televised by NBC Sports Network. The first round of the tournament will take place in April and is expected to conclude in February of 2014. http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c24/majesty95/WSOF1HWQF_zpsf7c362f4.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffo Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Jake O'Brien (13-4) vs Wes Combs (19-5) Ovince St. Preux (13-5) vs Aaron Rosa (17-5) Robert Drysdale (4-0) vs Hans Stringer (19-5-2) DJ Linderman (12-3) vs Artur Alibulatov (9-0) Marcos Rogerio de Lima (8-1) vs Bobby Rehman (7-1) Chad Griggs (11-3) vs Joe Cason (8-1) Krzysztof Piechota (7-0) vs Carlos Augusto Inocente Filho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CageRage Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Main Card Jake O'Brien (13-4) vs Wes Combs (19-5) Ovince St. Preux (13-5) vs Aaron Rosa (17-5) Robert Drysdale (4-0) vs Hans Stringer (19-5-2) DJ Linderman (12-3) vs Artur Alibulatov (9-0) Prelims Marcos Rogerio de Lima (8-1) vs Bobby Rehman (7-1) Chad Griggs (11-3) vs Joe Cason (8-1) Krzysztof Piechota (7-0) vs Carlos Augusto Inocente Filho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majesty95 Posted April 3, 2013 Author Share Posted April 3, 2013 World Series of Fighting Where the Best Prove They Are the Best This event has been good so far. I think we're off to a good start. We definitely have some talent here. I've been impressed with the results so far. I was surprised how Rosa pretty much dominated St. Preux for three rounds though. I wasn't expecting that. Drysdale looked really good in his match too. He might be a competitor. I was shocked at how well Stringer fought off his submissions though. Griggs may have fought himself in as the top alternate too. He showed very good grappling and turned things around on Cason quick. He has good ground-n-pound power too. I like that guy. Ok. Here we go. Main event time. The crowd is pretty fiery. I think they've enjoyed the show so far. They seem pumped up to see tonight's finale. Here comes Combs. He's sporting his traditional mohawk. He's showing his military roots too coming out in full camo. He looks like a mean guy. He's actually pretty respectful outside of the cage though. I really think O'Brien is going to win this but you never know. Marines are a salient bunch. He climbs into the cage and sprints across it. He's ready to go. "Ring ding dong. Ring a ding ding dong." Here comes Jake. He's bumping to Dr. Dre. Looks like he's planning to make Wes' head ring tonight. Wouldn't surprise me. Jake's more traditional walking out. He's just got on his shorts and what looks like a custom walk out tee. We might have to get some of those and put them on wsof.com. Wes isn't really paying him any mind. He's loosening up and talking to his corner. Jake just peaked at him while getting patted down by the ref. He's got an air of confidence about him. It's impressive. OK. We're ready to go. They're going through the pre-fight introductions. I think Jake's UFC expereince has given him a slight edge in fans. Wes' military roots definitely help him though. Here we go! Jake comes out aggressive. Whoa! Big right! Wes is playing defensive. Jake is stalking him. I think that first right rocked him. Boom! Another right. Wes is wobbly. That's not good for him. OH! Down he goes. He's still alert. Jake's trying to get mount. Wes is fighting it. He keeps him in half-guard. Jake's working hard. Man he's active and got some nasty bombs from the top. Uh oh. He gets free. He's into side control. Looks like he's working an armbar. Oh! There it is! Wow! That was impressive. The fans are loud. They definitely enjoyed that. Sweet! That was a good night. I'm definitely excited by the first show. Hopefully the heavyweights can bring that same intensity. I'm going to go congratulate Jake and then check on the guys in the locker room before heading to the press conference. Man, that was exciting! WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING WSOF 1 - LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT QUARTERFINALS RESULTS Main Card Jake O'Brien (14-4, 1-0 WSOF) def. Wes Combs (19-6, 0-1) via submission (armbar) Round 1, 2:42 Aaron Rosa (18-5, 1-0) def. Ovince St. Preux (13-6, 0-1) via unanimous decision Robert Drysdale (5-0, 1-0) def. Hans Stringer (19-6-2, 0-1) via unanimous decision DJ Linderman (13-3, 1-0) def. ArturAlibulatov (9-1, 0-1) via TKO (strikes) Round 1, 3:39 Prelims Bobby Rehman (8-1, 1-0) def. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (8-2, 0-1) via submission (armbar) Round 2, 4:52 Chad Griggs (12-3, 1-0) def. Joe Cason (8-2, 0-1) via TKO (strikes) Round 1, 3:38 Krzystzof Piechota (8-0, 1-0) def. Carlos Augusto Inocente Filho (6-1, 0-1) via TKO (strikes) Round 1, 4:50 Predictions Griffo 5-2 CageRage 4-3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffo Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 If your doing a tournament format try to give each part of the bracket the same attention as the main event won't stand out as much like a usual card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majesty95 Posted April 4, 2013 Author Share Posted April 4, 2013 I might have to shift the first round to the prelims of a final or semi-final card to offset the lack of drawing power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majesty95 Posted April 4, 2013 Author Share Posted April 4, 2013 World Series of Fighting Where the Best Prove They Are the Best Brrrng brrrng "John Serrano" "Hi John, this is Dan Shulmann. I met you at Caesars last fall. We were there for Bellator." "Yes. I remember. How's it going?" "Good. Very good. I'm glad to see you got the WSOF up and going. I truly believed you would after we spoke." "Thanks. I really appreciate that. What can I do for you?" "Do you remember me telling you about a fighter I had training with me?" "Refresh my memory." "I have a kid here that's going to be a star. Guaranteed. This guy has the personality, the flare, the skills. He's got everything you are looking for in a young guy to develop into your poster boy." "He sounds impressive." "John, he is. He's currently the Ring of Combat middleweight champion. Actually, he's held the belt twice. The UFC wanted him in The Ultimate Fighter really bad." "What happened?" "I told him to wait. I told him about you and the WSOF. I told him that when you got this going that he could be the face of the promotion. I told him it would be a bigger leap for him and far less random than six weeks on TUF." "Wow. That was a big leap of faith. I'm glad you believed in this so much." "You have a great concept. Its a great avenue to pursue. I want to help you get it going. I want to give you your first homegrown star." "Ok. Tell me about this kid. What's his record?" "His name is Uriah Hall. He's currently 7-2." "7-2?" I interrupted. "Yes, his only losses were to current UFC fighters Chris Weidman and Costa Philippou. He's been steamrolling through much of his other competition." "So he doesn't have a notable win?" "Not yet. That's where you come in. I'm telling you John, this kid can be that guy that goes through the tournament and then leaps into the UFC and becomes a star. This guy can legitimize you now." "OK. Well, he sounds intriguing. Let me check with my guys and I'll call you back shortly." Hmmm. If this kid is even half this good this could be promising. Ring ring. "Hey John." "Hey Brent. Who do you have in mind at 185 right now?" "Nobody we haven't already talked about. There aren't any decent names available right now." "What about up-and-comers?" "Hmmm. You know, there is this kid in New York. He's the Ring of Combat middleweight champion. Ummm. Uriah something." "Uriah Hall?" I asked. "Yep. That's him. You've heard of him?" "No his manager just called me. Is he legit?" "Yeah, Dan Shulmann is his trainer/manager. I definitely think he's got some potential." "Why isn't he signed somewhere bigger yet?" I quipped. "Most likely only because he lost to Chris Weidman and Costa Philippou in back-to-back fights. Had he won either of those things could be different." "I'm going to sign him." "I think you should. He's definitely got a lot of raw talent. He just needs to shore up his game. He's got the talent to be a good fighter." "Ok thanks. I'll talk to you later." Brent is Brent Medley. He used to be the president and match maker at Shark Fights. He also fought in the 90's. I rely on him a lot. He's become my right hand man and keeps me tuned in to the regional MMA scene. Ring ring. "Hey John." "Ok. I'm going to sign him. You guys work with him to shore up those weaknesses. If he's the real deal, I want to make him a star." "Absolutely. We've been working a great deal on his game. He's growing daily." "Ok. Great. I'll fax over the paperwork. It's going to be our standard up-and-comer contract. I'll give him $1,200 a fight since you went out on the line to keep him for me. He'll also get a 100% win bonus and a $600 signing bonus. Remind him that this is just the start. If he performs, there is a lot more money waiting for him." "Fair enough John. I look forward to working with you going forward. Thanks again for giving Uriah a shot. You're going to be very happy you did." "Well, that would be great. Get him ready for summer. That's most likely when we'll kick off the middleweight tourney." "Will do John. Keep up the good work." "Thanks. You too." Well, either this goes swimmingly well or he just flames out like others will. I can't believe that guy kept him out of TUF for us. Belief like that is important to me. You can't get that many places. I'm going to keep an eye on his kids. He's certainly developed a pipeline with me. I just hope this Hall kid is the real deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majesty95 Posted April 4, 2013 Author Share Posted April 4, 2013 WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING - PRESS RELEASE ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - The World Series of Fighting, hosts of the worlds toughest MMA tournament, have finalized the card for their WSOF 1 - Heavyweight - Round 1 event. The event comprises the opening round of the WSOF 1 Heavyweight Tournament. The WSOF pits 12 of the best fighters in each weight class against each other for the ultimate prize in tournament MMA, the WSOF Championship Trophy. The tournament is expected to culminate in February of 2014. WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING 1 - HEAVYWEIGHT - ROUND 1 April 2013 - Atlantic City, New Jersey - NBC Sports Network Main Card Bobby Lashley (7-2) vs. Justin Wren (10-2) Sean McCorkle (15-2) vs. Smealinho Rama (5-0) Jared Rosholt (4-0) vs. Ruslan Magomedov (7-1) Shamil Abdurahimov (12-1) vs. Tyler East (11-3) Prelims Gabriel Salinas-Jones (5-1-1) vs. Levan Razmadze (5-0) Ajlin Ahmic (7-1) vs. Mario Rinaldi (11-5-1) David Oliva (6-1) vs. Mike Hackert (6-1) The WSOF also announced the seeding for their third event WSOF 1 - Lightweight - Round 1. The official fight card will be announced at a later date. WSOF 1 - Lightweight - Round 1 will take place in Atlantic City and will be televised by NBC Sports Network. The first round of the tournament will take place in May and is expected to conclude in February of 2014. http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c24/majesty95/WSOF1LWRd1_zps994bcdb3.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CageRage Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 Main Card Bobby Lashley (7-2) vs. Justin Wren (10-2) Sean McCorkle (15-2) vs. Smealinho Rama (5-0) Jared Rosholt (4-0) vs. Ruslan Magomedov (7-1) Shamil Abdurahimov (12-1) vs. Tyler East (11-3) Prelims Gabriel Salinas-Jones (5-1-1) vs. Levan Razmadze (5-0) Ajlin Ahmic (7-1) vs. Mario Rinaldi (11-5-1) David Oliva (6-1) vs. Mike Hackert (6-1) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffo Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 Bobby Lashley (7-2) vs. Justin Wren (10-2) Sean McCorkle (15-2) vs. Smealinho Rama (5-0) Jared Rosholt (4-0) vs. Ruslan Magomedov (7-1) Shamil Abdurahimov (12-1) vs. Tyler East (11-3) Gabriel Salinas-Jones (5-1-1) vs. Levan Razmadze (5-0) Ajlin Ahmic (7-1) vs. Mario Rinaldi (11-5-1) David Oliva (6-1) vs. Mike Hackert (6-1) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majesty95 Posted April 7, 2013 Author Share Posted April 7, 2013 World Series of Fighting Where the Best Prove They Are the Best WSOF 1 - HEAVYWEIGHT - ROUND 1 --- POST-FIGHT PRESS CONFERENCE John Serrano: Wow! Wasn't that great? Great night of fights tonight! We gave out a few bonuses tonight. Rosholt and Magomedov got Fight of the Night. Wren took Knockout of the Night and Ahmic got the Submission of the Night. Officially we had 1,254 in attendance and a gate of $90,288. Each of our main card winners are joining us tonight. Justin Wren and Jared Rosholt on my left and Smealinho Rama and Shamil Abdurahimov on my right. We will now field any questions you have. Media member: John, you took quite a bit of criticism for the main cards of each of these first two shows. How do you feel they went overall and what are you changing going forward to draw some more interest in the early rounds? Serrano: I think the fights went well. I knew there would be some criticism because of the early fights. These guys don't have the same name value as MMA fans are accustomed to. However, I figured fans would rally behind the format and get interested early on. These guys are going out and putting on some impressive shows. With that being said, we're definitely looking to add some more high level fighters for earlier in the tournaments. Our goal is to get the best fighters in the world to want to fight in these tournaments. We're already seeing some top levels guys out there competing. We just need a couple more guys that people are familiar with and that will hopefully draw more interest early on. You're going to see that on our next card with Dennis Hallman and Chris Horodecki. We've got a bunch of guys at middleweight now that fit that. So I think we'll see the interest level increase as we go on. Media member: You mentioned adding some more notable names to your roster. Anyone on the horizon? Serrano: We're always looking. We'll let you know when e figure out who's next. Media member: Justin, Bobby is obviously a noted wrestler but you looked to out wrestle him. What was the game plan going in? Justin Wren: You know, Bobby is a great wrestler but we thought he was kind of one-dimensional. Obviously if he can get you down and smother you he can be dangerous. We felt like he wasn't nearly as dangerous on his back so we wanted to get him on his back and either TKO him or submit him. Media member: Justin, you were the last seed in the tournament. Bobby, much less experienced was the top seed in this round. Did you feel disrespected by that and how do you feel about your matchup with Jeff Monson in the next round? Wren: (smiles) I don't know if I would say I felt disrespected but I definitely thought I was among the better competitors in this tournament. I certainly thought Bobby may have been over-seeded and I was under-seeded. But its a tournament so you just go out and fight who they match you up with. Jeff is a strong competitor. He's been around for a long time. He's fought some big names and definitely deserves a high ranking. We'll get to work preparing for him and look to come out victorious. Media member: John, the twelve and eleven seeds both won tonight and a guy you had a lot of hope for in Tyler East also fell. How does that change the landscape of the tournament? Serrano: Look, this is a tournament and this is MMA. Anything can happen. The seedings are a basis for the format but as we get better and better fighters there are going to be more and more lower seeds winning. It really isn't a negative or a detractor in anyway. Maybe it creates some more intrigue seeing how guys like Justin and Smealinho do. That's just going to be something we see in this format. Media member: Jared, you and your brother both get to compete in the inaugural season of these tournaments. How does it feel to get the first win and have you guys talked about possibly both winning your tournaments? Jared Rosholt: Ahh, you know, not really. You can't really look that far ahead. Sure, it would be great if we could both win our tournaments. That would be a great accomplishment. But we each have a tough road to get there and you just have to take it fight by fight. Media member: How do you feel about getting Josh Barnett in the next round? Rosholt: You know, its just another fight. He's obviously the top seed for a reason and we knew that possibility loomed if I won. I just have to train hard and get a good game plan together and show everyone that I belong up there with him. Media member: Having only five fights under you, how big of a disadvantage do you think you'll be facing? Rosholt: I mean, experience plays a role but so does talent and work ethic. I think I have both of those. Obviously guys like Brock Lesnar have come into MMA and done very well. Randy Couture started late in his career. There are definitely examples to follow. I'm not saying I'm in the level with those guys but I could be if I beat Barnett (smiles). Media member: Shamil, your win tonight sets you up against fellow Russian Sergei Kharitonov. How do you feel about going up a fellow countryman and how do you see the fight shaping up? Shamil Abdurahimov (through interpreter): Sergei is a great fighter. He's definitely one of the greatest Russian fighters. Its an honor to fight him. I really look forward to the opportunity. Serrano: OK guys, thanks for coming tonight. We look forward to seeing you guys next month. WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING WSOF 1 - LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT QUARTERFINALS RESULTS Main Card Justin Wren (11-2, 1-0 WSOF) def. Bobby Lashley(7-3, 0-1) via knock out (punch) Round 3, 1:10 (Average) Smealinho Rama (6-0, 1-0) def. Sean McCorkle (15-3, 0-1) via submission (guillotine) Round 1, 2:51 (Great) Jared Rosholt (5-0, 1-0) def. Ruslan Magomedov (7-2, 0-1) via TKO (strikes) Round 1, 4:27 (Great) Shamil Abdurahimov (13-1, 1-0) def. Tyler East (11-4, 0-1) via TKO (strikes) Round 1, 2:57 (Great) Prelims Gabriel Salinas-Jones (6-1-1, 1-0) def. Levan Razmadze (5-1, 0-1) via submission (guillotine) Round 1, 2:54 (Great) Ajlin Ahmic (8-1, 1-0) def. Mario Rinaldi (11-6-1, 0-1) via submission (rear naked choke) Round 2, 1:51 (Poor) David Oliva (7-1, 1-0) def. Mike Hackert (6-2, 0-1) via unanimous decision (Average) Predictions Griffo 6-1 (11-3) CageRage 2-5 (6-8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majesty95 Posted April 8, 2013 Author Share Posted April 8, 2013 WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING - PRESS RELEASE ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - The World Series of Fighting, hosts of the worlds toughest MMA tournament, have finalized the card for their WSOF 1 - Lightweight - Round 1 event. The event comprises the opening round of the WSOF 1 Lightweight Tournament. The WSOF pits 12 of the best fighters in each weight class against each other for the ultimate prize in tournament MMA, the WSOF Championship Trophy. The tournament is expected to culminate in February of 2014. WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING 1 - LIGHTWEIGHT - ROUND 1 May 2013 - Atlantic City, New Jersey - NBC Sports Network Main Card Efrain Escudero (18-5) vs. Din Thomas (25-8) Dennis Hallman (51-14-2) vs. Joe Ellenberger (12-1) Chris Horodecki (18-4-1) vs. Richie Whitson (12-3) Dan Lauzon (15-4) vs. Neilson Gomes(14-2) Prelims Kamal Shalorus (7-3-2) vs. Felipe Olivieri (11-3-1) Conor McGregor (12-2) vs. Calvin Kattar (13-2) Brayden Summers (4-0) vs. Dustin Akbari (5-1) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CageRage Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING 1 - LIGHTWEIGHT - ROUND 1 May 2013 - Atlantic City, New Jersey - NBC Sports Network Main Card Efrain Escudero (18-5) vs. Din Thomas (25-8) Dennis Hallman (51-14-2) vs. Joe Ellenberger (12-1) Chris Horodecki (18-4-1) vs. Richie Whitson (12-3) Dan Lauzon (15-4) vs. Neilson Gomes(14-2) Prelims Kamal Shalorus (7-3-2) vs. Felipe Olivieri (11-3-1) Conor McGregor (12-2) vs. Calvin Kattar (13-2) Brayden Summers (4-0) vs. Dustin Akbari (5-1) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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