Your weekly MMA TV Schedule update Posted by Drew Ellis (04/17/2011 @ 7:12 pm) It is Sunday night, so that means it is time for your weekly MMA on TV update.
Here is a look at the MMA content that will be airing this week: – On Wednesday, the fourth episode of The Ultimate Fighter will air on SpikeTV at 9 p.m. ET. Team dos Santos took a 2-1 edge in the prelims last week and regained control of the fight picks. This week, Lesnar brings in fellow wrestler Matt Hughes to work with his team. – On Thursday at midnight (so to some that is Wednesday night) UFC 129 Primetime airs its second of three episodes. The show is following Jake Shields and Georges St. Pierre as they prepare for their UFC 129 welterweight championship showdown on April 30. The second episode airs on SpikeTV and will be replayed at 1:30 a.m. and 11 p.m. – On Saturday, Bellator 42 takes place from the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Okla. The show will air live on MTV2 at 9 p.m. ET. This event features a main event of heavyweight champion Cole Konrad taking on former UFC heavyweight contender, Paul Buentello. The fight will be a non-title contest. The light heavyweight tournament semifinals will also take place as Tim Carpenter faces off with Christian M’Pumbu and Richard Hale squares off against D.J. Linderman. Posted in: Bellator, Events, Fighters, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC Tags: Bellator, Brock Lesnar, Cole Konrad, Georges St. Pierre, Jake Shields, Junior Dos Santos, Matt Hughes, MMA, Paul Buentello, The Ultimate Fighter, TV Schedule, UFC
Break out the Bengay: Old Fighters want to challenge Royce Gracie Posted by Drew Ellis (04/17/2011 @ 11:50 am) The rumors have been swirling in the MMA community that Royce Gracie will be taking part in the upcoming UFC 134 event that will be held in Brazil.
With the Hall of Famer gearing up for the bout, the question has been, who will be fighting Gracie? Gracie hasn’t competed since June of 2007 and his most notable fight came in May of 2006 when he was dominated by Matt Hughes at UFC 60 If the UFC is really going to trot Gracie into the octagon in his home country, they need to give him an opponent he can beat. Well, have no fear UFC, as plenty of elderly fighters seem to want that fight. It started with Art Jimmerson tossing his name into the hat. You remember Art Jimmerson, he was the guy that fought Gracie at the first UFC with one boxing glove on. A game plan that sharp hasn’t been seen since. Gracie quickly submitted Jimmerson and began his Hall of Fame legacy. Now, former UFC champion, Dan Severn, wants a piece of the action. Severn, who is now 52-years-old, has been competing regularly in smaller MMA shows. He is requesting a retirement match with Gracie at UFC 134. Gracie submitted Severn at UFC 4 and the wrestler has been looking for a rematch ever since. This situation has become a bit of a mess. I respect the UFC wanting to pay respect to Gracie, but he is simply not a fighter that is capable of fighting at a high level, and his opponent surely won’t be able to either. A fight featuring Gracie can still draw as he is a legend with a fan base, but hopefully the UFC won’t be looking to make any more of these bouts any time soon. Evans fires back at Jones, let the war begin Posted by Drew Ellis (04/16/2011 @ 8:00 pm) Did you really think Rashad Evans was going to bite his lip?
After Jon Jones decided to remark that he didn’t finish Evans in training out of respect, Evans decided to take to Twitter and give his thoughts on Jones’ comments. -@jonnybones u ain’t forgot what I can do 2 u! Dont believe your hype! As your coaches! I’m gonna introduce the world 2 the real u! -@jonnybones must b high! Cuz remember him looking at me begging me 2 let him up cuz he couldn’t get back 2 his feet in training.. -@mattmitrione I’m just annoyed how he said he couldve finished me in practice.. R u kidding me?! Lol This dude is nuts!! -@Jonnybones it’s been on!! Get off your own fan bus cuz nobody is driving!! U ain’t as raw as u believe & I’m gonna show ya!! -@jonnybones is a Swagger Jacker! -@jonnybones will b mma’s version of Milli Vinilli.. Wait until the curtain comes down cuz it will!!
Jones didn’t have much to say in return, but did tweet the following – @SugaRashadEvans #cmonson
This is probably going to be the first in a line of twitter arguments between these two. I don’t know if this fight can wait until the fall. It is going to get ugly fast. Poker Site Shutdowns Could Impact MMA Posted by Drew Ellis (04/16/2011 @ 11:45 am) In an interesting development in the business-side of MMA, three major poker websites were shut down on Friday due to federal indictments.
According to a report by MMAWeekly.com, poker sites PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker received indictments for illegal gambling and money laundering. “These defendants concocted an elaborate criminal fraud scheme, alternately tricking some U.S. banks and effectively bribing others to assure the continued flow of billions in illegal gambling profits,” Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said in a statement. The poker sites have been shut down by the government, and while some people may still be able to access them currently, it will only be a matter of time before they are shut down completely and inaccessible.
The online sites were once a prominent sponsor of the big MMA promotions like the UFC, but those days have passed. Despite the UFC avoiding these sponsors, they are still vital to smaller promotions that have to rely on their sponsorship dollars to stay afloat. Also, despite the organization not allowing the sponsor, fighters still use sites like these for their own sponsorship. Time will tell what these indictments will do to the fighters’ bankroll. Read the rest of this entry » Posted in: Bellator, News, Strikeforce, UFC Tags: Dana White, Frank Fertitta, Lorenzo Fertitta, online poker, poker, poker and MMA, poker sponsorships of MMA, Sponsorship, UFC
Jones not shy about saying he can beat Evans Posted by Drew Ellis (04/15/2011 @ 10:31 pm) When the UFC decided to have a Jon Jones-Rashad Evans title fight take place in the future, I think every level-headed fight fan knew the hype for this fight would get ugly quick.
Clearly there is more bad blood between these two than meets the eye. The pre-fight talk has now begun and it is Jones throwing the first verbal jab. During an interview with ESPN’s Josh Gross, Jones talked about his superiority over Evans when they trained together. Jones won’t need to go out on a limb to earn his share of media coverage over the summer as a showdown with Rashad Evans, 31, looms. The bout, Jones’ first scheduled title defense, is likely to take place in September, and puts former training partners and friends in the cage together. The champion, almost brazenly, claims an advantage in style, preparation and experience. “We fought each other in practice,” said Jones, who pushed his record to 13-1 with last month’s triumph. “A finish has been possible several times and it has always been me finishing him. I never did it out of respect that he was the elder of the school. It’s against protocol in a way. Some people would do it but I believe in tradition. “He has a lot to study. I have a lot to study, but I get to study[ing] more in-depth. He gets to study[ing] and gets a headache.”
I am not one for bickering about training and fighting, but the more this story plays out, the more it seems Jones instigated the problems. He was the first to say he would fight Evans when Evans was willing to step aside and now he is the first to degrade Evans and his abilities. Maybe Jones has reasons to be upset, as Evans isn’t shy with his trash talk either. I am sure there is a lot of back story to this fight that we may never know about. All I know is, I can’t wait for this fight to take place. |