Page 23 of 65

Strikeforce, Zuffa done with Fedor Emelianenko

August 4, 2011 / Drew Ellis

Fedor Emelianenko may not be ready to retire, but Zuffa thinks he probably should.

While the company didn’t specifically say that, it was made pretty clear that they have no more interest in Fedor when they decided they will not pursue a new contract with him.

According to MMAFighting.com, Dana White made his feelings about Fedor pretty clear.

Fedor Emelianenko will be cut from the promotion following his loss to Dan Henderson at last Saturday’s Strikeforce/M-1 Fedor vs. Henderson event.
UFC president Dana White — a co-owner of Strikeforce parent company Zuffa LLC — confirmed the news following the UFC 133 press conference on Thursday.
“He’s being cut, yeah,” White told the media. “Why? Do you think we should keep him?”
“You guys thought he was the pound-for-pound best in the world, but I thought he was overrated for years.”

After being unbeaten for 10 years, Fedor has now lost three straight, all by stoppage.

While he still seems competitive, it is clear the mystique behind “The Last Emperor,” has clearly dissolved. His drawing power is not what it was, and Zuffa is no longer interested.

You can’t blame Zuffa from a business stand point, as dealing with Fedor’s extra management of M-1 Global was hard enough when he was on top of the MMA world, it could be even more ridiculous now that he doesn’t have the same credibility.

Fighters, News, Strikeforce

Antonio Silva Dan Henderson Dana White Fabricio Werdum Fedor Emelianenko

Anderson Silva lands deal with Nike

August 3, 2011 / Drew Ellis

The UFC has clearly been working its way up the sponsorship ladder over the years.

Bud Light has been very visible in the octagon for years and AMP Energy, a product of Pepsi, has been making a big sponsorship push as well.

Just this past year, Gatorade has gotten their hands on Georges St. Pierre, and Under Armor has been adding more UFC names to its roster.

Well, the biggest brand has finally put its mark on the UFC, Nike.

According to Sherdog.com, Anderson Silva has landed a sponsorship deal with Nike.

When Anderson Silva enters the cage to defend his UFC middleweight title Aug. 27 in Rio de Janeiro, he will do so as the first Brazilian mixed martial artist to be sponsored by Nike.
The 36-year-old Silva, who meets Japan’s Yushin Okami later this month in the main event of UFC 134, recently closed a sponsorship agreement with the sports apparel mega-brand. Nike Brazil Director of Sports Marketing Luis Alexandre confirmed the deal to UOL.com.br Tuesday; exact terms were not disclosed.

Nike is the big dog in the athletic sponsorship world and it is a big deal for all of MMA for Nike to be on board with the sport.

While it is not surprising that Silva was the one to break through, because of his talents, it is surprising that they would go the international route to start. But, hopefully Nike Brazil can market “The Spider” well and it will lead to more sponsorships for other UFC and MMA stars.

Fighters, News, UFC

Anderson Silva Nike

Who is Chad Ochocinco kidding?

August 3, 2011 / Drew Ellis

Anyone who watches the NFL knows that Chad Ochocinco is a diva.

But, if you follow his Twitter you also know he has a propensity to call out members of the MMA world.

He has told Anderson Silva that he would destroy him and now, he has turned his attention to Georges St. Pierre in the video below.

I know Ochocinco was having some fun, but I pray that one day he steps into the octagon and gets the “James Toney” treatment. He seems like he could use a good a** kicking.

It is too bad his new Patriots teammate, Aaron Hernandez, let him have number 85 and didn’t make him look like an idiot with a name of Ochocinco and a number like 89.

Also, did you notice the narrator say the “2012-13 NFL season?” I guess he is able to travel through time.

Fighters, News, UFC, Videos

Anderson Silva Chad Ochocinco Georges St. Pierre

UFC 133 Opening Odds: Evans favored over Ortiz

July 31, 2011 / Drew Ellis

UFC 133 will take place this upcoming Saturday, and despite the number of changes in the lineup, the card still has some interesting fights.

Our friends at BetOnFighting.com have released their odds for UFC 133 and there aren’t many surprises.

In the main event, Rashad Evans is a clear favorite at -430 to beat Tito Ortiz, who has a money line of +330. These two fought back at UFC 73 to a draw where Ortiz was penalized a point, or else he would have won the contest.

Still, Evans has evolved a lot over the years and has a great combination of striking and wrestling. Ortiz seems to have a new fire with his submission win over Ryan Bader, but he is taking this fight on very short notice, with just a few weeks to prepare.

In the co-main event, Vitor Belfort is favored at -300 to beat Yoshihiro Akiyama, who has a money line of +240. These two middleweights are fighting for position in the division. Belfort is coming off a KO loss to Anderson Silva while Akiyama hasn’t fought since a decision loss to Michael Bisping last October and is currently on a two-fight losing streak.

For all of the odds available for UFC 133, check out the jump.

Betting Odds, Events, Fighters, News, UFC

Brian Ebersole Dennis Hallman Mike Pyle Rory MacDonald Rashad Evans Tito Ortiz UFC 133 Vitor Belfort Yoshihiro Akiyama

Fedor Emelianenko: The Fall of the Last Emperor

July 31, 2011 / Drew Ellis

With every great moment in sports history, there is typically one that is just as sad a little further down the road.

No matter how invincible we think people like Anderson Silva or Georges St. Pierre are, time will make a coward of them all.

Such is the case with Fedor Emelianenko.

From 2000-2010 Fedor was considered a god in MMA. He went 10 years without losing a fight. It seemed impossible, but he kept finding ways to win. Through PRIDE to Affliction to Strikeforce, he kept finding himself on top.

But, as time moved on, fighters kept improving, while Fedor has hit a standstill with his evolving in the sport.

Now, a loser of three straight after being stopped by Fabricio Werdum, Antonio Silva, and now Dan Henderson, “The Last Emperor” looks like someone that has been dethroned.

Is Fedor still a top-level fighter? Yes.

He is still someone that can compete with the best.

But, he is far from the legend that he created over the last 10 years.