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Monday, August 20, 2007
Georges “Rush” St. Pierre vs Matt “Terror” Serra
After a long awaited postponement, the anticipated Welterweight showdown will commence when UFC Welterweight champion, Georges “Rush” St. Pierre, faces challenger and TUF 4 Welterweight Winner, Matt “Terror” Serra. Also on the card is an epic clash of original TUF Welterweights, Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez and Josh “Kos” Koscheck, when they face off to see who will be next in line for the elite in the Welterweight division, or maybe even a title shot. All-in-all, this card is one to be watched when things heat up in Houston
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THOUGHTS???
THOUGHTS???
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History of UFC
The UFC, or Ultimate Fighting Championships, was off to a rocky start in 2001. The first pay per view special went overtime and the viewers did not get to see the end. Additionally, the early era, when rules were much less strict, was seen as spectacle instead of sport. This has completely turned around. The UFC was able to enforce standards, recast from no holds barred to MMA, or Mixed Martial Arts, and now threatens to KO boxing.
UFC is sanctioned in twenty states, and the current leadership intends to regularize it across the nation. The lucrative deal with Spike TV is certainly helping, and UFC fights and television shows are very popular. They are currently averaging 2.2 million viewers in the third season of the show “The Ultimate Fighter,” which has been picked up for at least two more years. Additionally, “UFC Unleashed” and “UFC Fight Night” are showing on Spike with first run and repeat fights. In the last quarter of 2006, UFC had four pay per view events averaging 482,000 viewers. UFC is now shown in 36 countries around the world. UFC is running shows in Canada and the UK, and intends to open a UK office to expand into the European market. The increased visibility provided by the television shows has allowed the UFC to market stars, creating a media draw in their own right.
While as late as 2004 the owners, Zuffa LLC, still had $34 million in losses. However, in 2006 the UFC generated $222,766,000 in revenue on pay per view, passing WWE and boxing with the largest events nearing 800,000 viewers. There is even an agreement with THQ for worldwide rights to develop UFC based video games.
While some still see the sport as if it were still no holds barred, the most dangerous moves have been rendered illegal, and the competitors require great training and skill to succeed. With elements from various martial arts, wresting and boxing, the sport really is mixed martial arts. Failure to provide a firm grounding in all three areas will result in defeat. While the typical UFC fighter will have a preferred style, it is utterly normal to constantly evaluate strengths against weakness, and to go with whatever style seems likely to play to an opponents weakness. Matches can feature a great deal of movement as fighters dance around the ring trading blows, or can be very still, as both fighters grapple and seek submission holds.
The current rules were established by the New Jersey Athletic Control Board, and have been adopted as the “Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts” by several other states.
On 27 March 2007 Dana White, president of the UFC, announced the purchase of Pride Fighting Championships, the main competitor for the UFC. The organizations will remain separate as organizations, they will cooperate and co-promote supercards with champions and top contenders from both organizations in the same event. It is being dubbed “The SuperBowl of MMA!”
UFC is sanctioned in twenty states, and the current leadership intends to regularize it across the nation. The lucrative deal with Spike TV is certainly helping, and UFC fights and television shows are very popular. They are currently averaging 2.2 million viewers in the third season of the show “The Ultimate Fighter,” which has been picked up for at least two more years. Additionally, “UFC Unleashed” and “UFC Fight Night” are showing on Spike with first run and repeat fights. In the last quarter of 2006, UFC had four pay per view events averaging 482,000 viewers. UFC is now shown in 36 countries around the world. UFC is running shows in Canada and the UK, and intends to open a UK office to expand into the European market. The increased visibility provided by the television shows has allowed the UFC to market stars, creating a media draw in their own right.
While as late as 2004 the owners, Zuffa LLC, still had $34 million in losses. However, in 2006 the UFC generated $222,766,000 in revenue on pay per view, passing WWE and boxing with the largest events nearing 800,000 viewers. There is even an agreement with THQ for worldwide rights to develop UFC based video games.
While some still see the sport as if it were still no holds barred, the most dangerous moves have been rendered illegal, and the competitors require great training and skill to succeed. With elements from various martial arts, wresting and boxing, the sport really is mixed martial arts. Failure to provide a firm grounding in all three areas will result in defeat. While the typical UFC fighter will have a preferred style, it is utterly normal to constantly evaluate strengths against weakness, and to go with whatever style seems likely to play to an opponents weakness. Matches can feature a great deal of movement as fighters dance around the ring trading blows, or can be very still, as both fighters grapple and seek submission holds.
The current rules were established by the New Jersey Athletic Control Board, and have been adopted as the “Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts” by several other states.
On 27 March 2007 Dana White, president of the UFC, announced the purchase of Pride Fighting Championships, the main competitor for the UFC. The organizations will remain separate as organizations, they will cooperate and co-promote supercards with champions and top contenders from both organizations in the same event. It is being dubbed “The SuperBowl of MMA!”
Friday, August 17, 2007
Rich Crunkilton to challenge Rob McCullough for WEC title
WEC lightweight champion "Razor" Rob McCullough will defend his title for the first time against UFC and WEC veteran Rich "Cleat" Crunkilton.
Team Oyama fighter McCullough won the title in January of this year when he beat world thaiboxing champion Kit Cope by submission in the first round. His impressive 14-3-0 record is topped off with a recent eight fight win streak including, seven of which have ended before the distance.
Crunkilton, from the American Kickboxing Acadeamy (AKA) holds a 14-1-0 record with his only loss coming against UFC lightweight contender Hermes Franca. He has amassed a six fight win streak since then, beating Mike Joy to earn his title shot.
Team Oyama fighter McCullough won the title in January of this year when he beat world thaiboxing champion Kit Cope by submission in the first round. His impressive 14-3-0 record is topped off with a recent eight fight win streak including, seven of which have ended before the distance.
Crunkilton, from the American Kickboxing Acadeamy (AKA) holds a 14-1-0 record with his only loss coming against UFC lightweight contender Hermes Franca. He has amassed a six fight win streak since then, beating Mike Joy to earn his title shot.
Randy Couture on Jim Rome Today
From UFC.com: ESPN’s Jim Rome is Burning will be running a feature on Randy Couture as he readies for his title fight against Gabriel Gonzaga. They show how Randy trains and how his regimen helps him in the cage. He takes a rare moment to reflect on his bout with Tim Sylvia and analyzes Gonzaga’s knockout of Cro Cop. The show runs Friday, August 17 at 4:30pm ET/1:30pm PT.
Man, Randy is everywhere these days. If he wins his upcoming fight the momentum will just continue to grow. However, if he loses, will that be a step back in coverage for MMA in the mainstream? Randy is so popular not only because he’s an amazing athlete but also because he’s well spoken and likelable. What if Gonzaga takes the title? He’s a great fighter and likeable guy, but not the most well spoken fighter out there. This fight probably has more implictions than most think.
Man, Randy is everywhere these days. If he wins his upcoming fight the momentum will just continue to grow. However, if he loses, will that be a step back in coverage for MMA in the mainstream? Randy is so popular not only because he’s an amazing athlete but also because he’s well spoken and likelable. What if Gonzaga takes the title? He’s a great fighter and likeable guy, but not the most well spoken fighter out there. This fight probably has more implictions than most think.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
By now, most sports fans are very familiar with the UFC and the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. In fact, the sport is rapidly growing to be more popular than boxing. The UFC Ultimate Fighting Championship) has become a household name in many countries around the world. The Cage Fury Fighting Championship is not as well known as the UFC, but they are doing a good job of drawing attention to themselves, because hardcore MMA fans across the globe are anxiously awaiting this weekends show, and the main even in particular. A topic that is often debated is whether or not a world-class boxer would be able to compete successfully in Mixed Martial Arts. Perhaps on Saturday, June 23rd 2007, we'll know at least how former world heavyweight boxing champion Ray Mercer performs in his MMA debut against an internet legend and brawler by the name of Kimbo Slice.
Ray Mercer has a very impressive boxing record, which includes a WBO World Heavyweight Championship, as well as an Olympic gold medal. During his boxing career, Ray Mercer has fought some of the best heavyweights of our generation, such as Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Larry Holmes, and Wladimir Klitschko. Since retiring from professional boxing, "Merciless" Ray Mercer has decided he wants to try Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), the fastest growing sport in the world.
Mercer’s opponent will be another big name making his professional MMA debut. Kimbo Slice is a big, scary looking heavyweight who developed a cult following on the internet due to his famous bare knuckle brawl videos that are posted on various internet sites. Kimbo has appeared very impressive in these fights, but I'm not sure about the quality of his opponents. Nonetheless, Kimbo's power seems unquestionable. Also, in 2003, Kimbo Slice squared off against Sean Gannon, a MMA practicioner who later fought (and lost) in the UFC. Sean Gannon won his fight against Kimbo, leaving Kimbo laying on the ground unable to continue. However, most of Kimbo's opponents were not as skilled. If you watch his videos online, you will see overweight and untrained fighters that use names such as "Afro Puff" or "Big Mac" and inevitably they get punched out by Kimbo.
Both Ray Mercer and Kimbo Slice are primarily stand-up fighters, preferring to slug it out with their fists. Most MMA fans don't believe either of the fighters have any ground skills, but Kimbo has been seen working on his grappling with Bas Rutten, a MMA legend. Ideally, fans would like to see a slugfest, but I won't be surprised if Kimbo tries to take this fight to the ground, considering Ray Mercer is a former boxing world champion with fierce punching power.
Age could also be a determining factor in this match. Kimbo is 31 years old, and Ray Mercer is 46, but that extra experience could be in Mercer's favor. I definitely give the advantage to Ray Mercer if this turns out to be a stand-up battle. Ray Mercer hits like a truck and is known to have an iron chin. Kimbo should try to take this fight to the mat as quickly as he can, unless he just feels confident that he can take Mercer's punches. Also, Kimbo should not make the mistake of underestimating Ray Mercer on the ground, as he has supposedly been training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and also has some background in wrestling.
My heart wants Ray Mercer to win this fight, but if you're going to guess who will win you have to consider which fighter has more desire to win. Kimbo is young, and may still feel like he has something to prove, whereas Ray Mercer has been champion and already established himself in the fight sports world. In 2005 Ray Mercer fought a kickboxing match in K1 against Remy Bonjasky, and quit after being kicked upside the head. I may be wrong, but I'm still going to say Mercer wins this. Regardless of the outcome, I just hope it lives up to the hype and is a legitimate, outstanding fight.
Ray Mercer has a very impressive boxing record, which includes a WBO World Heavyweight Championship, as well as an Olympic gold medal. During his boxing career, Ray Mercer has fought some of the best heavyweights of our generation, such as Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Larry Holmes, and Wladimir Klitschko. Since retiring from professional boxing, "Merciless" Ray Mercer has decided he wants to try Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), the fastest growing sport in the world.
Mercer’s opponent will be another big name making his professional MMA debut. Kimbo Slice is a big, scary looking heavyweight who developed a cult following on the internet due to his famous bare knuckle brawl videos that are posted on various internet sites. Kimbo has appeared very impressive in these fights, but I'm not sure about the quality of his opponents. Nonetheless, Kimbo's power seems unquestionable. Also, in 2003, Kimbo Slice squared off against Sean Gannon, a MMA practicioner who later fought (and lost) in the UFC. Sean Gannon won his fight against Kimbo, leaving Kimbo laying on the ground unable to continue. However, most of Kimbo's opponents were not as skilled. If you watch his videos online, you will see overweight and untrained fighters that use names such as "Afro Puff" or "Big Mac" and inevitably they get punched out by Kimbo.
Both Ray Mercer and Kimbo Slice are primarily stand-up fighters, preferring to slug it out with their fists. Most MMA fans don't believe either of the fighters have any ground skills, but Kimbo has been seen working on his grappling with Bas Rutten, a MMA legend. Ideally, fans would like to see a slugfest, but I won't be surprised if Kimbo tries to take this fight to the ground, considering Ray Mercer is a former boxing world champion with fierce punching power.
Age could also be a determining factor in this match. Kimbo is 31 years old, and Ray Mercer is 46, but that extra experience could be in Mercer's favor. I definitely give the advantage to Ray Mercer if this turns out to be a stand-up battle. Ray Mercer hits like a truck and is known to have an iron chin. Kimbo should try to take this fight to the mat as quickly as he can, unless he just feels confident that he can take Mercer's punches. Also, Kimbo should not make the mistake of underestimating Ray Mercer on the ground, as he has supposedly been training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and also has some background in wrestling.
My heart wants Ray Mercer to win this fight, but if you're going to guess who will win you have to consider which fighter has more desire to win. Kimbo is young, and may still feel like he has something to prove, whereas Ray Mercer has been champion and already established himself in the fight sports world. In 2005 Ray Mercer fought a kickboxing match in K1 against Remy Bonjasky, and quit after being kicked upside the head. I may be wrong, but I'm still going to say Mercer wins this. Regardless of the outcome, I just hope it lives up to the hype and is a legitimate, outstanding fight.
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