Stay Tuned…
December 3, 2008“Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken.”
Contest: Guess Dana White’s Huge Announcement
June 6, 2008
The MMA world is buzzing in anticipation over Dana White’s huge, gigantic and, don’t forget, mind-blowing announcement. For the uninformed, here is what the UFC president said in a recent interview with ESPN the Magazine with regards to said announcement:
“You have no idea some of the stuff that we have planned. I’m going to make an announcement next week that is going to blow people’s minds. That deal is done, but my employees don’t even know yet. I’m renting out a place next Thursday and I’m going to tell them. Then we’ll make the announcement later that day. It’s an indicator of where this business is going over the next five years.”
MMARated.com has been scratching its collective brain trying to guess what the announcement will be. UFC on FOX? Maybe. The return of Randy Couture? Yeah, right. Kimbo vs. Brock? Keep dreaming.
Truth be told, we have our suspicions (TUF going live?) but we would like to hand this one over the people. So, here’s the deal:
The person who correctly guesses Dana White’s announcement (or comes the closest) in the comments section will win a 5TH Round Randy Couture action figure signed by “The Natural” himself.
Don’t you just love the synergy involved in this contest? Dana and Randy together again.
Anyways, guess away and may the best predictor win.
Pollock’s POV: Capturing That Coveted Demo
June 4, 2008
When it comes to television ratings, we’re always hearing about that coveted 18-34 male demographic. It’s probably the most important demo for advertisers.
So why is professional wrestling ignoring this highly sought after group?
John Pollock looks at how the WWE can service this audience while also continuing their efforts of attracting the younger sector of society.
Pollock’s POV: Capturing That Coveted Demo
You can hear much more from John Pollock weekdays at 3 p.m. ET on Fight Network Radio on Sirius channel 186 or via Hardcoresportsradio.com not to mention every Sunday evening at 11 p.m. ET on Live Audio Wrestling.
George Lucas’ Daughter Fails In MMA Debut
June 3, 2008
(The following post originally appeared at MMARated.com)
I guess all that time hanging out on the set of “Star Wars” films must have lit a fire under young Amanda Lucas (left) as the daughter of legendary filmmaker, George Lucas, made her MMA debut in Auckland, New Zealand, this past weekend.
You read that correctly. George Lucas’ daughter is an MMA fighter.
First, Michael Jackson attends UFC 84 and now this? Who said MMA wasn’t mainstream?
Lucas, who actually appeared in three “Star Wars” films, was part of an all-female US team that took on an Aussie side for the Princesses of Pain MMA event held at the Auckland Boxing Association Stadium. She faced Kiwi kickboxer, Nicole Kavanagh, in a 73kg (161 lbs) bout.
In case you are pissed off that you chose to watch Kimbo vs. Thompson on CBS instead of trying to catch a bootleg telecast of this card on the Internet, fear not, as ABC’s “20/20″ was in the house filming it for a future story.
Now, if you’re a “Star Wars” freak and that photo of her doesn’t look all that familiar, I can tell you that she played the role of dancer “Diva Funquita” and the voice of Trade Federation battleship communications officer “Tey How” in “Episode I: The Phantom Menace,” Outlander Club patron “Adnama” in “Episode II: Attack of the Clones,” and “Senator Terr Taneel” in “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.”
I have no clue as to what I just wrote.
Sadly, Lucas came out on the losing end in her MMA debut but she’s no one-hit wonder as she’ll be back in action quicker than a lightsaber can cut through flesh. Ok, no more “Star Wars” references for the rest of the day.
Props: Deadspin.com by way of FanIQ.com by way of Stuff (NZ)
Radio Party
June 2, 2008
Behold the newest edition of “THE MMARated Radio Show.” Guess what we’re talking about this week? Oh, I don’t know, maybe the most historic weekend in mixed martial arts history.
Predictably, many MMA pundits are hating on Elite XC and loving the WEC show. Personally, I liked them both because as the title of this show mentions, there was something for everyone. This sport is called mixed martial arts for a reason and that’s exactly what we got this weekend: a mixture of all kinds of MMA.
Enjoy the show and if you agree and/or disagree with my views I would love to hear your thoughts.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW
Also, I will be appearing on FOX Sports Radio 910 in Virginia at approx. 4:30 PM EST to discuss this historic weekend. Should be fun.
Get Your Cageside Liveblog From The Elite XC Show Here!
May 31, 2008
Hey guys…it’s your boy AH, in case anyone is looking for a fun liveblog, I’m sitting cageside at the Elite XC show in newark so feel free to stop by and make yourself comfortable here.
Also, we will be posting some post-fight video interviews so stay tuned for that…enjoy the fights!
Pollock’s POV: I Love Working With Mauro Ranallo
May 27, 2008By now, you’ve surely seen this clip of Bill O’Reilly flipping out on set:
But as soon as I saw this clip, it reminded me of working with Mauro Ranallo!
Pollock’s POV: I Love Working With Mauro Ranallo
Future Stars In The Making?
May 27, 2008
by Alan Counihan, JarryPark.com contributor
Many have questioned the ability of World Wrestling Entertainment to produce future stars. Furthermore, WWE’s current developmental system has been strongly questioned. The system headed by Jim Cornette and Danny Davis in Louisville (which produced Cena, Orton, Batista and countless others) is now a thing of the past and a new system based in Florida is where the current crop of young WWE hopefuls are learning the ropes. The decision to scrap OVW has been criticized mainly because there are now 70+ guys being trained in one school, all learning the same in-ring style, cutting the same promos etc.
Thus, the output of the system will most likely be a lot of clones. I’m a firm believer that you need a wide variety of characters and wrestling styles on your roster and limiting yourself to just one developmental territory is a mistake when you could have had the Florida territory, the Louisville territory and who knows how many more all over the country. WWE just had one of their best financial quarters ever, so money does not appear to be a problem.
Now, I may be completely underestimating the current system. It may well produce the next generation of main eventers. But what if it doesn’t? In that case, one must look to the current roster and see what guys have the tools to break out and become bigtime players, guys who are only a push away from really making it.
I’ve picked out two wrestlers who fit this category: John Morrison and Lance Cade.
John Morrison:
Strengths: I don’t think WWE could ask for a guy with a better look than Morrison’s. He’s perfect for the character he plays with his movie star looks, Rick Rude-esque body, and, perhaps most importantly, he carries himself like he’s above everyone else. He also gets better every time I see compete in the ring. With the help of Joey (Mercury) Matthews, he became a good tag team wrestler several years ago and in recent years he’s become a great tag wrestler, as evidenced by his current run with The Miz. More important than his tag skills, though, is he’s development as a singles wrestler. He recently had a match with Batista which was, without a doubt, his best singles match ever. The bottom line is that the improvements Morrison has made in his solo efforts have been remarkable.
Weaknesses: His promo ability is still a little weak right now. He can definitely cut an entertaining promo but I’m not sure if he’s able to cut a “money” promo. There’s an important difference between the two.
Chances: Very good. I’d be shocked if Morrison didn’t get a chance to run with the ball at some point in the next two years. He’s got everything Randy Orton has minus the behavioral problems.
Lance Cade:
Strengths: Cade is, as Jim Ross would so eloquently put it, “a hoss.” Wrestlers as big as Lance Cade who move as well as he does are a rare breed. He has improved leaps and bounds as a worker over the last few years after initially not looking like anything special when he initially debuted on the active roster. He’s an underrated talker too.
Weaknesses: He has been stuck in mid-card status for so long that fans might forever view him as a second-tier performer.
Chances: Uncertain. A lot will depend on how his current program with former partner, Trevor Murdoch, pans out. The fact that the turn has been largely forgotten isn’t a good sign.
Get Your Radio Show Here!
May 26, 2008
Welcome, Ladies and Germophobes (that would be me), to the inaugural edition of “THE MMARated Radio Show.”
I have always struggled with the notion of whether I should put together an online show. The main strike against the idea was that I hated 99.99% of the shows out there because I thought most of them sounded way too campy and amateurish. Since I would never want to be viewed in that light I thought it would be better to just stick to the interviews.
Well, after experiencing UFC 84 weekend in Las Vegas, I had way too much on my mind so I thought, “hey, this might be a good time to record those thoughts.” The result is what you are listening to right now.
I’ll tell you this much, I thoroughly enjoyed talking to myself for 40 minutes. Reminded me of my college days.
Hope you enjoy the show and, as always, thanks for any and all feedback.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW
Merci GSP, You’ve Saved The Day Again
May 22, 2008
By now you’ve heard the news that Mark Coleman has been forced to pull out of his UFC 87 fight against Brock Lesnar due to a torn MCL. I guess that’s the risk in promoting a fight featuring a 43-year-old five months in advance.
While Coleman’s injury is certainly a bummer, the UFC did help turn our frowns upside down by announcing today that Georges St. Pierre will defend his newly-won welterweight title against Jon Fitch at UFC 87. I have a feeling this fight was going to take place on this card anyways but it certainly softens the Coleman injury blow by announcing both items on the same day.
This is the second-time in six months that GSP has been used to “save” a card. Of course, he recently stepped in to replace an injured Matt Serra at UFC 79 against Matt Hughes. It’s safe to say that he has officially paid the UFC back for pulling out of two major fights in the past; A September 2006 rematch against Hughes and a February 2007 fight against Serra.
Meanwhile, UFC 87 is shaping up to be the battle of the really nice guys and that might seem a little strange to us after a string of intense grudge matches. We’ve had GSP-Serra II, Penn-Sherk, Tito-Dana and, coming up, Jackson-Griffin. UFC 87 features St. Pierre, Fitch, Roger Huerta and Kenny Florian - four of the nicest fighters in the sport. Don’t expect a ton of trash-talking coming from these candidates (although, I must say that Huerta and Florian have been showing signs of fire as of late).
Mid-Evening Muesli: Rankings, 84, Regal…
May 21, 2008
A couple of notes to close the day with…
* Check out my latest Media & Cultural Rankings at MMARated.com. I really enjoy doing these and think it’s kind of different from what everyone else is doing with that ever-so-popular rankings concept.
* I’m headed to Las Vegas tomorrow to cover UFC 84 for The Rated Republic (aka MMARated.com). We’ve got some potentially interesting things planned so keep it locked all weekend (and beyond, of course) for the latest and greatest.
* Quite the interesting conference call starring Gus Johnson, Mauro Ranallo, Frank Shamrock and Karyn Bryant today. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, once again, that’s alredy the best announce crew in the combat sports world.
* I totally missed this one but, apparently, Versus is airing the Hatton-Lazcano fight this Saturday. Seriously, I had no idea but that’s pretty cool news. From HBO’s 24/7 to Versus…interesting. But, seriously, go to Versus.com, you’ll have to work pretty hard to find any mention of the telecast.
* What the hell happened to TNA? For the first time in a while, I am having a real hard time watching iMPACT! I was always able to stomach their stupidities in the past but I am simply bored by the current product.
* Preach on, Lovemore. Preach on.
* Finally, William Regal. I’m still not sure what he was suspended for but I don’t care to ever watch him on my television again. For a close friend of Chris Benoit’s to get suspended TWICE following that whole tragedy is a tragedy in itself. Actually, its a joke. How many chances is Regal going to get and what kind of monster push is he going to receive when he returns?
MMARated Radio: Where Have You Gone, Elvis Sinosic?
May 21, 2008
The last time we saw Elvis Sinosic compete was in December 2007 for Cage Rage. An eleven-year veteran of the sport, Sinosic has fought all over the world, including in his home-country of Australia.
So, where has he been? Well, that’s a good question, I was wondering the same thing.
“The King of Rock ‘n Rumble” has been looking for a good fight and may be on the verge of finding one too. He’s mixed it up with the likes of Tito Ortiz, Frank Shamrock, Forrest Griffin and Michael Bisping and is now itching to get back in there.
Thanks to our friends at Lojak Fightwear, we caught up with Sinosic to talk about his career and other topics:
* His stalker fan page
* His loyal fan base in Australia
* When is he looking to fight next?
* Which major promotions has he talked to recently?
* Does living in Australia make him less attractive to bookers?
* How popular is MMA in Australia?
* A look at some of his memorable opponents
All that and much more from the veteran fighter.
Who’s The Sexiest MMA WAG Of ‘Em All?
May 20, 2008
We’re doing some hard-hitting journalism over MMARated.com today while taking a look at the best MMA WAG’s around.
The good folks over at The Sun (UK) ran an interesting feature recently on the sexiest WAGs in MMA.
For the uninformed, “WAG” is an acronym for “Wives And Girlfriends.” It’s a popular term used to describe the countless number of beautiful soccer wives and girlfriends floating around Europe.
The paper’s website ran down their favorite MMA WAGs so I thought I would recreate the magic by posting their picks. As you can see, they, expectedly, made a plethora of mistakes along the way.
MMARated Radio: Patrick Schultz Reflects On His TUF Chances
May 20, 2008
Every season of the “The Ultimate Fighter” always seems to have a happy-go-lucky guy who comes off as just feeling blessed to be on the show. There’s also usually a guy who gets a second chance to chase his dream due to an injury or some kind of controversy.
Just so happens that Patrick Schultz played the role of both those guys on TUF 7. The Massachusetts-native lost a prelim bout to Luke Zachrich but after Paul Bradley’s herpes epidemic, he was quickly brought back because no one wanted to see Rampage get the “heeby jeebies.”
So, there was Schultz with a golden opportunity to advance to the quarter-finals with only Cale Yarborough standing in his way. That was also his biggest problem; Cale Yarborough was in standing in his way.
Schultz lost a tough two-round affair via decision with some even thinking the bout should have gone three rounds (I, on the other hand, thought the judges made the right call).
MMARated Radio spoke to the new father (his wife gave birth to a baby girl an hour before the interview!) about his experience on the show and a few other issues:
* Finding out that he had to fight his way into the house
* What happened after the loss to Zachrich?
* How did he find out that he was back on the show?
* The reception he received from his teammates when he returned
* Training with Rampage
* What went wrong against Yarborough
* The injury he sustained in the bout
Nice to hear how genuinely happy and excited Schultz was to be on the show.
Mick Foley Needs To Clean It Up
May 20, 2008
Very excited to see Mick Foley back in the WWE mix, especially in his current role. Of course, the hardcore legend is now the color analyst on Smackdown and, in case you haven’t been paying attention, he’s doing, expectedly, a masterful job. Foley seems to understand the business and, more importantly, the art of selling a storyline to the public better than most.
On a seperate Foley note, he appeared on MLB.com’s “The Dish” to talk about meeting Barry Bonds and a bunch of other things. I could have sworn that I saw him wearing the exact same leopard shirt outfit on Smackdown a couple of weeks ago (or was it last week?).
This certainly isn’t new territory for Foley as we all know his wardrobe cycle is quite limited but now that he is representing the sport on the other side of the camera, so-to-speak, I think he needs to clean up his act a little. Basically, the look worked as a wrestler but not so much as announcer.
And before you tell me wrestling announcers are supposed to have their own style (see: Ventura, Jesse) let me say that I completely agree with that notion. Except Foley looks more like the guy who hangs out at the corner of my street than a man wearing sunglasses and boa. I think it must be the hair. I am glad to see wrestling move on from the long hair, fanny pack days. That was a much need evolution. However, it appears as though Foley didn’t get the memo.
I will always love his work but, for some reason, his appearance in this video just sort of rubbed me the wrong way.
Gus & Mauro: A Match Made In Heaven
May 19, 2008
(The following entry appeared first at MMARated.com)
Anyone who’s listened to my appearances on Fight Network Radio knows that I am an unabashed Mauro Ranallo supporter. I have no problems saying that I think he’s the best play-by-play man in the combat sports world. Just my opinion, don’t get all worked up.
So, today’s news that Mauro has been (finally!) tabbed to call the 5/31 Elite XC on CBS card alongside longtime CBS Sports announcer, Gus Johnson, is probably the best thing I have heard all month.
Johnson gets his feet wet in the MMA world while the rest of the world is exposed to Ranallo. Sounds like a good deal. Johnson will handle the play-by-play duties alongside Ranallo, Frank Shamrock and Showtime boxing reporter Karyn Bryant.
As a longtime New York Knicks supporter (please hold the comments), I am well aware of Johnson’s wizardry on the mic. Someway, somehow he’s always calling the most exciting games and his reactions throughout said games are always tremendous.
Ranallo and Johnson might be two of the most easily-excited broadcasters in sports so this pairing will probably end up being the ultimate match or a colossal clash. I’m thinking, given the talent we’re dealing with here, it will be the former.
One thing to watch out for is how Ranallo handles being in the Stephen Quadros analyst role. This is certainly new territory for him.
For those who are somehow unaware of Johnson’s fantastic abilities, please take a look at the following video and then join me in getting really excited.
Update: I contacted Ranallo to get his thoughts on the announcement and this is what he had to say:
“Gus Johnson is doing the play by play, Frank Shamrock is doing the x and o’s. I will be humanizing the fighters with anecdotes and Ranallo flair. I’m the Max Kellerman of the crew, just better looking. Ha ha!”
Oh that Mauro, always a jokester. Of course, he was kidding about the whole Kellerman thing. Everyone knows Max is the fairest of them all.
MMARated.com: Dueling Penn & Sherk Interviews
May 19, 2008
It’s a busy morning at MMARated.com (and FOXSports.com too) because we’ve got dueling BJ Penn and Sean Sherk interviews.
Some of the highlights include:
Ariel Helwani: Penn has been very outspoken when the topic of your suspension, your appeals and steroids in MMA has come up. Basically, he’s not very happy with you right now. What do you think about all the stuff he has said leading up to the fight?
Sean Sherk: To be honest with you, I don’t even know what he’s talking about. I don’t really read up or follow any interviews online or anything, so I don’t know what kind of comments he’s made as far as him having a beef with the way I handled my situation. I didn’t take Nandrolone so I mean everything I did was pretty much all innocent. I’ve passed three lie detectors tests and then explaining all the mistakes that the California (State Athletic) Commission made in the process and the testing facility, I felt like there was plenty of evidence there to prove that I hadn’t taken anything. To be honest with you, I think BJ wants to keep bringing up that steroid stuff because maybe he feels like that’s what brings legitimacy to the belt that he’s got. I don’t think he deserves it. I think that if you want to be the champion, you’ve got to beat the champ. (That) belt was taken from me for something that I didn’t do. He wants to keep sticking the steroid stuff in my face, but for him to be talking about me like that, it’s kind of a hypocritical because I know he’s got some habits, some professional habits that professional fighters shouldn’t have. And he knows it just as well as I do, so he should maybe take a look in the mirror and think before he speaks.
AND
Ariel Helwani: I recently spoke to Sean Sherk and he’s still very adamant that everything he did was kosher. Obviously, you don’t believe him, right?
BJ Penn: Well, I asked him (on a conference call last week), ‘did you do steroids?’ He said no. I said, ‘did you do growth hormone?’ he didn’t answer. I said, ‘did you blood dope?’ He didn’t answer. Then somebody asked me, ‘so do you think he did steroids when he fought Hermes (Franca)? I said ‘well, if he didn’t do steroids then his test should come out the same way with his Nandrolone and testosterone level.’ The same thing because I’m sure he trained just as hard for this fight as he did for the Hermes fight. So, if he didn’t do anything, he should be exactly the same as last time. So, we’ll see. We know there’s more people than just him on performance enhancement drugs in the UFC. (But) you know what? It’s time to just focus on myself. A lot of smack talk has been going back and forth but come Saturday it’s all going to end the next time I get in the ring.
Pretty solid stuff from both combatants. Check out the Penn interview here and the Sherk interview here.
The Evolution Of The Iceman Should Not Be Televised
May 16, 2008
(The following post also appeared on MMARated.com)
As a long-time boxing enthusiast, I’m well aware of the ugly side of the sport. Mainly what happens to the guys who stick around a little too long. Brain damage, impaired speech…that kind of thing.
One of the worst examples of this is what has become of former Olympic Gold Medalist and welterweight champion, Meldrick Taylor. Take a look at the following clip courtesy of HBO Sports’ “Legendary Nights” series (fast forward to 4:42 of the clip):
Since MMA is fairly new to the sports scene (especially compared to boxing) we have yet to witness such effects on the sports’ top stars. However, that might be changing sooner rather than later.
I recently came across a startling interview featuring Chuck Liddell on “Last Call with Carson Daly” from 2004. Listen closely to how he sounds:
So, what’s so special about that? He sounds normal, right? Right. Now, take a listen to this recent interview with the UK’s “Daily Telegraph”:
MMARated Radio: The Week’s End Update
May 16, 2008
Another week is about to be put in the official record books so it’s time, once again, to look at the week that was and the weekend ahead in the world of mixed martial arts. It’s little thing we like to call “The Week’s End Update.”
Today, we welcome the editor-in-chief of the new-and-improved bloodyelbow.com, Luke Thomas, to help make sense of everything.
Some of the topics we delved into it were:
* Tonight’s IFL event
* How would Luke help revamp the IFL
* Roy Nelson vs. Brad Imes
* World Victory Road’s growth
* Sengoku match-making
* Roger Gracie vs. Yuki Kondo
* This week’s TUF 8 announcement
* The problems with TUF
* Will Andrei Arlovski sign with Affliction?
* Affliction’s future
And that’s just a taste so check ‘er out.
Haye To Klitschko: “Don’t Run From Me”
May 16, 2008The majority of boxing fans are excited about David Haye making the move to the heavyweight division. Is he good enough to hang with the big boys? Well, we’ll see about that.
However, one thing’s for certain, the man is doing a great job of selling himself as well as a potential showdown against Wladimir Klitschko.
Case in point: The following video of Haye confronting Wladi. The former cruiserweight champ has yet to fight in the heavyweight ranks but he is already my favorite big man out there. Screw building him, give us Haye vs. Klitschko now!
