UFC president Dana White has pitched UFC 91 as the biggest potential pay-per-view sale in the company’s history. But the event doesn’t come without a bit of controversy and criticism. For one, former WWE superstar Brock Lesnar is getting a title shot tonight with only a one and one record in the UFC and two and one overall in MMA. But fans are split over Lesnar’s attempt at the heavyweight championship. A large percentage of fans cite Lesnar as the future of mixed-martial-arts while others hail Randy Couture as king.
Tonight’s title bout is Couture’s first fight in MMA following a turbulent year of lawsuits with the UFC where his heavyweight belt lay in limbo while seeing an interim title come to the surface. And such is the fuel that fires the furnace of disgruntle fans. Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira sits on the sidelines presently watching Lesnar get the shot while he waits for a fight with Frank Mir whom handed Lesnar his first UFC loss.
Regardless of the divide, the clash between Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar is definitely one for the ages. Whether or not Lesnar is popular with a portion of the MMA community, those who dislike him are still going to tune in to hopefully see his destruction. Win or lose, all things point to the potentially high sales numbers Dana White has been harking about for since as far back as UFC 88. And certainly if Lesnar wins, he’ll deserve a minimum of respect from his previous detractors. After all, a win is a win. Right? Especially a win over a legend of mixed-martial-arts.
Although many analysts and even several professional fighters have picked Lesnar to win, it’s hard to count Randy Couture out. Countless times Couture has defied the odds of age and size to come through in stunning victory. And Couture is absolutely famous for his amazing ability to design gameplans and execute such plans with authority. And statistically, whenever Couture goes into a fight as the underdog, he normally gets the win. And guess what? Tonight Couture is yet again an underdog.
One thing is certain. Although UFC 91 is a little thin in the middle not being the most stacked card in recent months, the main event is a monster. Two big monsters in fact. Dana White estimated 1.2 million pay-per-view buys earlier in the week. If this happens, not only is Mr. White and the UFC winners, but the sport of MMA comes back into the spotlight devoid of the same dirty laundry that has plagued the sport in the fallout of EliteXC’s October CBS debacle and even the latest round of drama and legal moves within the Affliction organization.
UFC 91 is available on pay-per-view through most cable and satellite services in the United States and Canada. Streaming is also available through Yahoo! Sports. The telecast begins at 9:30 p.m. eastern standard time.
Have you missed us? Hey, everyone needs a few days of vacation from time to time. Welcome to yet another edition of Full Contact Talk’s weekly MMA summary.
EliteXC Poised for Potentially Big Television Ratings
Jared Shaw of EliteXC is seemingly celebrating the success of this weekend’s third network television installment of MMA on CBS far before the ratings have even rolled in. And honestly, if the October 4th fight card featuring Andrei Arlovski, Gina Carrano, Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock brings in bad numbers, it’s safe to say that EliteXC is treading on seriously thin ice. But what’s to stop positive ratings? The show is free and televised to even those people in far off places without a cable connection.
As previously reported by FCT, Shaw had some daring words for UFC President Dana White last week. In an interview with MMARated.com, Shaw stated:
“This hits the mainstream, this hits the hardcore and, especially, this hits Dana White hard.”
MSNBC’s MMA Fight Weekly reports further in the following video where Dana White laughs off Jared Shaw’s words by citing the UFC as the corporate equivalent of McDonald’s fast food restaurants and mocking EliteXC’s $60 million of current debt.
As harsh as I have been towards EliteXC throughout the past, I’d be a bitter man to rain on its October 4th parade. In all honesty, I am actually motivated to see this Saturday’s night of fights. Mainly for the Andrei Arlovski and Roy Nelson bout that is being co-promoted by Affliction but the welterweight championship between Champ Jake Shields and Paul Daley could also prove to be an exciting fight. So why not a promo video for the Welterweight championship?
Now back to bitterness for a moment. As long as Kimbo Slice continues to be the cash cow for EliteXC, I guess I always have a problem with the struggling MMA organization. Slice possibly has the most padded record in professional mixed-martial-arts and the marketing campaign utilized to pitch Kimbo into the living rooms of middle America is one of both genius and swindle. P.T. Barnum comes to mind. Put a freakshow up on Main Street and the masses will follow.
Kimbo Slice has a 99.9% chance of knocking the old and tired shell of Ken Shamrock into the deepest sleep. It’s almost a given. Shamrock has lost his last five fights in basically the same fashion but at the same time he carries the monicker of “UFC Legend” upon his shoulders. And this is the great EliteXC sham on October 4.
Kimbo will more than likely overwhelm Shamrock with haymakers early in the first round. Then in the aftermath and celebration, EliteXC will pawn Slice off to MMA newcomers and the casual audience as a legitimate MMA contender who has disposed of two UFC fighters in his young career. But is an aging Ken Shamrock and an equally ancient Tank Abbott a contemporary representation of the UFC? How about a big, whopping “NO!”
In fairness, these easy fights are not the fault of Kimbo Slice. He’s simply riding a wave of cash and hype all the way to stardom and fame. And who can blame him? He does seem genuinely dedicated to training under MMA legend Bas Rutten and he does more than often take the high road of humbleness when in front of the media spotlight. But don’t go thinking for a moment that Rutten has not only coached Kimbo for the cage but the microphone as well. Can you imagine if Kimbo talked smack and called out legitimate champions? The backlash would rumble like the San Andreas Fault Line.
In the end, I am certain there are thousands of hardcore MMA fans hoping that Ken Shamrock will pull off an upset and derail the Kimbo Slice train. But the odds are impossibly high for such an event. Again, Shamrock has not had a good showing since possibly his fight against Limo Leopoldo at UFC 48 in 2004. But of course many analysts will argue that Shamrock has not shown respectable competitiveness since the middle of the previous decade.
Nothing is impossible as someone once said. Ken Shamrock could technically get Kimbo down and immediately go for a trademark toe hold, ankle lock or heel hook. But first he’s got to get past a swarm of fists that have proven to be his demise over the past several years. And of course, critics will yell loudly that Shamrock took the easy road out if he does catch Kimbo in any variation of the leg lock kind. So this fight is a losing scenario for Shamrock on a number of levels if the veteran does not beat Slice at his own game.
The Full October 4th EliteXC Card:
Main Card (CBS)
Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson vs. Ken Shamrock Andrei Arlovski vs. Roy Nelson
Champ Jake Shields vs. Paul Daley (for EliteXC welterweight title)
Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobold-Gavin
Benji Radach vs. Murilo “Ninja” Rua
Preliminary Card
Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos vs. Yoko Takahashi (could appear on CBS, time-permitting)
Edson Berto vs. Connor Heun
Seth Petruzelli vs. Aaron Rosa
Lorenzo Borgomeo vs. Mikey Gomez
Jorge Bouchat vs. Nicolae Cury
David Gomez vs. Brett Jackowski
EliteXC Saturday Night FIghts airs live on CBS, October 4 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
UFC Finishes 2008 With a Bang!
The UFC’s acquisition of the Pride organization in 2007 comes in handy as 2008 slowly comes to a close. Before year’s end MMA fans will be treated to a couple of Pride-era grudge matches as well as Pride-versus-UFC dream fights. UFC 92 on December 27 brings forth the rubber match between former Pride legends Quinton Jackson and Wanderlei Silva. And UFC 93 starts off 2009 with the same theme when former Pride champion Dan Henderson faces former UFC champion Rich Franklin. Shogun Rua meets Mark Coleman again in an attempt to avenge his controversial loss to Coleman at Pride 31 where the young Brazilian suffered a broken arm. The bad blood in the aftermath of the loss resulted in near riots from the Hammerhouse and Chute Boxe fight teams both in the ring and backstage.
Need a video reminder of this legendary feud between both Coleman and Rua’s camps?
And of course 2008 is packed with many other exciting fights from the UFC. There’s the controversial heavyweight championship bout between UFC legend Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 on November 15th and the battle of “The Ultimate Fighter” winners for the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 92 on December 27th when Forrest Griffin meets Rashad Evans in the Octagon.
Upcoming UFC Events:
Thanks to Ricky over at Ultimate-Fighter.ca for compiling the current fight card information.
UFC 89 Date: October 18th Location: NEC Arena in Birmingham, England
Main Card Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Luiz Cane
Keith Jardine vs. Brandon Vera
Marcus Davis vs. Paul Kelly
Paul Taylor vs. Chris Lytle
Preliminary Card Akihiro Gono vs. Dan Hardy
Jess Liaudin vs. David Bielkheden
Sammy Schiavo vs. Per Eklund
Sam Stout vs. Terry Etim
Shane Carwin vs. Neil Wain
David Baron vs. Jim Miller
UFC 90 Date: October 25th Location: Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois
Main Card Anderson Silva vs. Patrick Cote (UFC Middleweight Title)
Diego Sanchez vs. Thiago Alves
Fabricio Werdum vs. Junior dos Santos
Tyson Griffin vs. Sean Sherk
Spencer Fisher vs. Melvin Guillard
Thales Leites vs. Goran Reljic
Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Horwich
Hermes Franca vs. Marcus Aurelio
Pete Sell vs. Josh Burkman
Rich Clementi vs. Gray Maynard
UFC 91 Date: November 15th Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
Main Card Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar (UFC Heavyweight Title)
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Josh Hendricks
Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson
Demian Maia vs. Nate Quarry
Dustin Hazelett vs. Tamdan McCrory
Jeremy Stephens vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Matt Riddle vs. Troy Mandaloniz
Alvin Robinson vs. Mark Bocek
Amir Sadollah vs. Nick Catone
Travis Lutter vs. Joe Doerksen
Justin Buchholz vs. TBA
UFC 92 Date: December 27th Location: Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada
Main Card Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir (Interim UFC heavyweight title) Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans (UFC Light Heavyweight Title)
Quinton Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva
C.B. Dollaway vs. Jorge Rivera
Dean Lister vs. Yushin Okami
Mustafa Al-Turk vs. Cheick Kongo
Brad Blackburn vs. Ryo Chonan
Ivan Serati vs. TBA
UFC 93
Date: January 17th Location: o2 Arena – Dublin, Ireland
Fight Card(More TBA) BJ Penn vs. Georges St. Pierre (UFC Welterweight Title)
Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva
Dan Cramer vs. Matt Arroyo
And what would a week in review be without some cheap gossip news?
Celebrity gossip news site TMZ.com reported this week that MMA fighter Dean Lister was choked out by George Clooney. But of course it was all in fun.
According to TMZ: “Looking like Jason Bourne’s debonair uncle, everyone’s favorite bachelor George Clooney threw a mock choke hold on mixed martial arts fighter Dean Lister during a party at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego last week.”
Stay tuned for upcoming FCT Podcasts featuring Jeff Monson and Eliot Marshall from Spike TV’s The Ultimate FIghter Season 8.
MMABay’s Michael Pepper reports that Brock Lesnar injured a hamstring during training and will not be able to face Randy Couture at UFC 91 on November 15. There is currently no official word from the UFC but if Pepper’s report proves true this will be a massive blow to the UFC 91 fight card which was previsouly billed by UFC President Dana White as the biggest fight in pay-per-view history. Pepper continued by suggesting the Wanderlei Silva versus Rampage Jackson match as a potential replacement.
*UPDATE*
As we said earlier, “if this rumor proves true” it would be a tremendous blow to the UFC 91 fight card. But Sports Illustrated reports:
“It’s amazing the things people ask sometimes. Last Saturday at Strikeforce’s card at the Playboy Mansion, a spectator said he’d heard a rumor in the bathroom: Randy Couture had injured his leg and wouldn’t be able to fight BrockLesnar.
It seemed like one of those things you hear and generally dismiss. But there were a lot of industry insiders at the Mansion that night, and who knows what was going on in the bathrooms? So it was worth looking into.
Turns out, Couture was fine. In fact, he had a tremendous week of training and was taking the weekend off to hunt in the mountains of Colorado, according to his wife, Kim.
But, on Thursday, Kim Couture rang about another crazy rumor that was going around. Someone, doing his best Lorenzo Fertitta impersonation, called the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas. People inside Xtreme Couture scrambled when the fake Fertitta claimed Lesnar was injured, and the Nov. 15 fight was off. The rumor, however, was quickly quashed after confirming Lesnar, all 280 pounds of him, was fine.
There’s criticism flying around in some circles that Atlanta’s first UFC event is a bit lackluster. I have witnessed some say that the card is merely a collection of former champions tossed out into the economy as nothing more than an event to keep fans occupied until the return of Randy Couture at UFC 91. Couture’s return to the cage may have threatened to steal the wind from the sails of UFC 88, but nothing could be further from the truth. Especially from a local perspective.
UFC 88 is a stacked card built of one of mixed-martial-arts most famous stars in that of Chuck Liddell. Not to mention that massive popularity of fighters such as Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin. But in Atlanta, there’s the long history of civil rights movement and African-American fame. Especially in the sports arena. And it is this idea that paints in my mind a fact that not many seem to be acknowledging currently.
Rashad Evans will be the first African-American MMA fighter to headline a UFC event in the city of Atlanta. As unimportant as it may seem to some, this event is still a continuing part of sports history in the city of Atlanta. Rashad Evans can now be chalked onto the list below Hank Aaron and many others. And the UFC’s debut in the city of Atlanta can be chalked down as a massive success for Philips Arena.
According to Kevin Priest of Philips Arena, the UFC 88 event is the largest single day sporting event in the history of the venue. Such tremendous and positive impact on the downtown Atlanta venue should forecast a promising future for UFC events in the city. Earlier today found Philips Arena buzzing with fan enthusiasm over the opportunity to meet fighters such as Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira, Forrest Griffin and Shane Carwin among others.
Tomorrow will climax with fan excitement when the downtown streets crowd with people building up to the fights that start at 8:00 p.m. But there’s still additional moments of fan hype prior to the actual event. Local fight promoter, David Oblas is hosting a party at STATS sports bar on Marietta Street on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. This party will feature guests such as UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture and former PRIDE FC superstar, Wanerlei Silva. Not to mention the pre-fight parties tonight at the Leopard Lounge and Door 44 as well as Rashad Evans’ after party on Saturday night at Pure nightclub.
Now to the fights. Full Contact Talk previously made fight picks during the premier Podcast, but will toss out the following summary just for good measure.
Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans (Main Event)
This fight will be a test for Rashad Evans. And that’s putting it nicely. Coming in as a 3-to-1 underdog, it is no surprise that Evans is in for the fight of his life tomorrow night at UFC 88. The winner is all but promised a title shot at current champion, Forrest Griffin, but nothing is ever guaranteed in the world of big league MMA.
Liddell is historically one of the UFC’s most famous and widely marketed champions. The Iceman will almost certainly get a shot to clinch his belt again if his is triumphant on Saturday night. But Evans doesn’t carry the same marketing potential and fame. And if Rashad beats the odds and wins at UFC 88, he’ll then potentially find himself in a new fight for the title contention list.
Evans, previously a college wrestler, has receieved criticism over slow-paced and sometimes boring past performances. Evans is a strong workhorse of a fighter devoid of the reckless entertainment that brawlers such as Wanderlei Silva bring to the light heavyweight division. And Liddell has heavy, heavy hands and high-level wrestling sprawl. This might not only prove to be kryptonite for Evans in the fight tomorrow night — it may equally define why Liddell will probably win both the MMA fight and the popularity contest.
Full Contact Talk’s Official Pick – Chuck Liddell winner by third round TKO
Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill
Rich Franklin makes the move up to light heavyweight from the middleweight division at UFC 88 to fight not only a fellow Ohio resident but a personal friend in that of Matt “The Hammer” Hamill. Franklin helped Hamill become a member of SPIKE TV’s The Ultimate Fighter reality show.
Franklin commented during the UFC 88 pre-fight press conference that this particular fight is a tough fight for him personally. In fact, both Hamill and Franklin smiled and laughed during Wednesday’s staredown making the potential clash on Saturday night seem like an exhibition. But this will be no exhibition. Especially for Franklin.
Franklin answered a question from Full Contact Talk during the press conference regarding the idea that his fight against Hamill on Saturday night is a must-win scenario in order to keep his career afloat. Franklin responded adamantly about media criticism over his title loss and inability to defeat middleweight champion Anderson Silva and finished by stating that his career is fully alive because he creates exciting fights and the fans respond to such excitement.
It is probably safe to say that Franklin has the motivation and the obvious experience to overwhelm Matt Hamill. No matter the sales pitch on the matter. Franklin is a strong fighter that is clearly several steps ahead of Hamill in the world of MMA. Hamill is a great fighter with a bright future, but he is currently swimming against the current of deep, deep water on Saturday night at UFC 88.
Full Contact Talk’s Official Pick – Rich Franklin winner by second round TKO
Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares
Dan Henderson is a fighter’s fighter. A veteran of PRIDE FC who has fought some tough battles since his entrance into the UFC in 2007. But Henderson’s failure to defeat Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and loss to Anderson Silva at middleweight has placed him in a bit of career limbo. Henderson has massive punching power (as shown with his knockout of Wanderlei SIlva at PRIDE 33) and some of the best Greco-Roman wrestling skills in modern MMA. But Henderson is facing a Brazilian jiu-jitsu darkhorse at UFC 88 in that of Rousimar Palhares .
Pahlares is not currently on the radar of most casual MMA fans and thus he might be categorized as another victim for Henderson. But Henderson will face an immense challenge on the ground if the fights falls there. Palhares only has one decision loss on his professional record and devastated Ivan Salaverry with top-level jiu-jitsu at UFC 84 back in May.
Anyone who thinks this is sure-win for Henderson, much less an easy fight, will potentially be in for a surprise on Saturday night. This could be the fight of the night where wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu clash at a high level. Both fighter’s have hearts of lions and natural strength normally set aside for Olympic power-lifters.
Full Contact Talk’s Official Pick – “Upset Special!” Rhousimar Palhares winner by second round submission.
Martin Kampmann vs. Nate Marquardt
This fight could prove to be a back-and-forth battle. It should have fireworks and drama. Both guys need a win to advance through the ranks with sites on title contention. And this should prove to be proper motivation for a war. Kampman trains with current light heavyweight champion and former Georgia resident Forrest Griffin. He’s got a good camp and good motivation. But Marquardt has the edge in experience. This is possibly the closest fight on the UFC 88 card and a difficult one to call.
Full Contact Talk’s Official Pick – Nate Marquardt winner by split decision.
Karo Parisyan vs.Yoshiyuki Yoshida
As mentioned earlier in our news section, this fight has been cancelled due to an injury of Karo Parisyan.
And Full Contact Talk has one undercard pick:
Tim Boetsch vs. Michael Patt
Tim Boetsch is a heavy-handed wrestler who claims Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do philosophy as his fighting style. Please refer to FCT Episode 2 for a full interview with Boetsch. Previously with the International Fight League, Boetsch entered the UFC at UFC 81 where he destroyed David Heath via TKO in exciting fashion. Coming off of a recent loss to Matt Hamill, Boetsch is both prepared and motivated to precede up through the UFC ranks and Michael Patt is in his way. Patt, previously fought for BodogFIGHT and specializes in submissions. In this chess match, the heavy hands and sprawl of Boetsch should prove too much for Patt resulting in an aggressive and quick fight.
Full Contact Talk’s Official Pick – TIm Boetsch winner by first round KO
Rich Franklin makes the move up to light heavyweight from the middleweight division at UFC 88 to fight not only a fellow Ohio resident but a personal friend in that of Matt “The Hammer” Hamill. Franklin helped Hamill become a member of SPIKE TV’s The Ultimate Fighter reality show.
Dan Henderson is a fighter’s fighter. A veteran of PRIDE FC who has fought some tough battles since his entrance into the UFC in 2007. But Henderson’s failure to defeat Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and loss to Anderson Silva at middleweight has placed him in a bit of career limbo. Henderson has massive punching power (as shown with his knockout of Wanderlei SIlva at PRIDE 33) and some of the best Greco-Roman wrestling skills in modern MMA. But Henderson is facing a Brazilian jiu-jitsu darkhorse at UFC 88 in that of Rousimar Palhares .
This fight could prove to be a back-and-forth battle. It should have fireworks and drama. Both guys need a win to advance through the ranks with sites on title contention. And this should prove to be proper motivation for a war. Kampman trains with current light heavyweight champion and former Georgia resident Forrest Griffin. He’s got a good camp and good motivation. But Marquardt has the edge in experience. This is possibly the closest fight on the UFC 88 card and a difficult one to call.
