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.
