In August 2012, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones signed a landmark, worldwide deal with Nike—the first of its kind for a mixed martial arts athlete. Now Jones’ first Nike apparel is set for release on Friday with a line of shirts and shoe…
In August 2012, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones signed a landmark, worldwide deal with Nike—the first of its kind for a mixed martial arts athlete.
Now Jones’ first Nike apparel is set for release on Friday with a line of shirts and shoes hitting Nike.com as well as NikeTown in New York and Las Vegas, according to manager Malki Kawa, who confirmed the news to Bleacher Report on Thursday.
Jones sent a picture of his new signature shoe out via Twitter on Thursday with a Friday release date for his new line of apparel with the company.
While other athletes in the UFC—such as middleweight king Anderson Silva—have signed deals with Nike as well, Jones will be the first to have his own line released in the United States.
The release coincides with Jones’ next title fight, which happens next Saturday at UFC 159 in New Jersey when he clashes with Chael Sonnen in the main event.
Jones’ deal with Nike was brokered through manager Malki Kawa along with famed agent Ari Emanuel, head of William Morris Endeavor.Emanuel, who was the basis of the popular TV character Ari Gold from the HBO series Entourage, was also an instrumental figure in the UFC’s television deal with Fox in 2011.
Kawa spoke to MMAWeekly.com about the Nike deal last year:
I’ve always said that if we can do the right thing for Jon, and help Jon get there, it’s going to open doors for everyone else. So now Jon gets the first deal in MMA like this, well tomorrow there might be another type of guy that comes along that’s not Jon Jones, and that’s going to open up opportunities for them.
The Nike brand is synonymous with sports clothing. The company is currently valued at over $10.7 billion, according to Forbes.
Jones now joins athletes such as New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and Miami Heat forward LeBron James as Nike branded athletes with signature lines of clothes and shoes being released.
Kawa also confirmed with Bleacher Report on Thursday that the initial run of his client’s first Nike shoe will be limited in numbers so sales are expected to go fast in the first hours after the release on Friday morning at 9 a.m. ET.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report.
UFC on Fox 7 fighter Matt Brown got the call no fighter wants to receive just a few weeks out from a scheduled bout—his opponent was out due to injury. Former title contender Dan Hardy was forced out of his scheduled bout against Brown due to an …
UFC on Fox 7 fighter Matt Brown got the call no fighter wants to receive just a few weeks out from a scheduled bout—his opponent was out due to injury.
Former title contender Dan Hardy was forced out of his scheduled bout against Brown due to an irregular heartbeat caused by Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, and for safety precautions the UFC opted not to let him compete on this weekend’s card.
It didn’t take UFC matchmaker Joe Silva long to find a replacement, however, as former Strikeforce competitor Jordan Mein got the call and accepted on the spot, just a few weeks after blasting through Dan Miller in his Octagon debut.
Heading into UFC on Fox 7, Brown was anticipating a showdown with one of the sport’s most popular and magnetic fighters.When he was presented with Mein as an alternative, some of those closest to him told him the fight became all risk with low reward, and it might not be a good idea to accept the replacement.
That’s just not how Brown operates, however.
“You can’t let it bug you.You kind of just roll with the punches and just keep your mind focused on your goal and that is to win your fight no matter who is standing in front of you,” Brown told MMA‘s Great Debate Radio in an interview that airs on Thursday.“A lot of people were telling me not to even take this fight.That’s not what I do, and here I am.”
While Mein is a very tough challenger, he’s still relatively unknown in most circles and definitely doesn’t carry a household name around MMA like Hardy.Brown won’t deny that the replacement changed a lot of things for him going into this fight, but he’s a professional and his job is to beat whoever is standing in front of him—whether his last name happens to be Hardy or Mein.
One thing Brown knows for sure is that Mein won’t be making his name in the UFC by beating him on Saturday night.
“I’m here for one reason. I’m just going to fight and it doesn’t matter who’s standing across from me in the Octagon,” Brown said.“All of that stuff doesn’t change a single thing when it comes down to it.I’m here just simply to fight the best that I can, and if he wants to make a name off of me, that’s his mistake.”
Mein doesn’t come to the fight without experience despite only having one fight in the UFC.His bout with Brown will be his 36th professional fight, and he’s faced some tough challengers throughout his career.
Despite his UFC experience, Brown actually sees Mein as a tougher challenge than Hardy would have been.Mein brings a much different kind of arsenal to the fight. Add to that, Mein‘s record is impressive, but until his recent move to Strikeforce and then to the UFC, finding footage on the young Canadian wasn’t nearly as easy as locating tape on Hardy.
“I see him as more dangerous than Dan Hardy in the sense that for one he’s more unpredictable. I don’t know as much about him,” Brown stated.“I can get probably 15 or 20 fights on Dan Hardy right now if I wanted them.With Jordan Mein I’m looking at maybe three or four fights.Like I said earlier Jordan, he’s an up and comer whereas Dan Hardy’s talking about retirement.
“You’ve got a guy that’s ultra hungry and probably trying to make a run for the title. Where Dan Hardy has probably accepted that he’s not going to be in the title picture and he’s moved on in his career.So, those are two completely different mentalities that you’re dealing with.It’s not taking anything away from Dan Hardy, it’s just a different mentality.”
It doesn’t matter to Brown what Mein brings into this fight—he’s planning on sending Mein packing with his first UFC loss and the experience of tasting defeat on national television for the first time.It may not be the way Mein hopes the fight goes, but Brown will be happy to disappoint him.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
There is not a fighter currently in the UFC that doesn’t aspire to be featured on the main card of any televised event whether it’s pay-per-view, Fox, FX or otherwise. The main card signifies recognition from the UFC in a number of ways for a fighter.&…
There is not a fighter currently in the UFC that doesn’t aspire to be featured on the main card of any televised event whether it’s pay-per-view, Fox, FX or otherwise.
The main card signifies recognition from the UFC in a number of ways for a fighter.It means a fighter is climbing up the ranks and should be seen by a wider audience.It means the fighter is somebody fans want to watch or should take notice of when they compete.
For the fighter, beyond recognition from the UFC, it also means larger paydays and bigger sponsorships because the more eyeballs on a fight translates into better opportunities.
Several high-profile managers confirmed when speaking to Bleacher Report that the difference for a fighter competing on the main card versus the preliminary show can mean huge sums of money.Some fighters can draw rates up to 600 percent higher when showcased on a pay-per-view or a Fox card.
There are also situations where a fighter can benefit from being featured on an FX card depending on the selling power of a pay-per-view, but typically across the board every manager agrees it’s better for a fighter’s career to be on the main card versus any other slot on a show’s lineup.
This weekend, like most UFC events, a mix of fighters will be showcased on either FX or Facebook as the preliminary bouts that essentially serve as a warm-up to the main card.The preliminary fights are kind of like the opening band at a big concert.They are there to get the crowd ready for the big act that’s about to hit the stage.
It’s not a bad spot to have by any means because millions of fans still have access to watch the fights worldwide, and on a network like FX, as previously mentioned, it could mean potentially bigger numbers than even a pay-per-view might draw.The goal, however, is to make it to the main card, and there are several competitors this weekend fighting at UFC on Fox 7 who are battling for wins and a little bit of recognition.
Former Ultimate Fighter finalist Ramsey Nijem will be looking for his fourth win in a row this weekend since dropping down to 155 pounds. Nijem doesn’t mind the slow and easy approach to his career when it comes to fighting on the preliminary portion of the show.
He’s also realistic about where he fits into the pay scale of the UFC as he still serves out his original contract from being on the reality show. Typically, fighters coming off of the Ultimate Fighter are set at a certain level, and once they complete that deal then they can renegotiate for a different contract.
“Taking it one fight at a time, and they keep matching me up with similar guys as me in the lightweight division right now.I’m okay with that because I don’t want to go fight a guy that’s making ten times the money I’m making while I’m still under the Ultimate Fighter contract,” Nijem told Bleacher Report recently.“I want to just build my name and reputation and then when I’m out of it I can start taking bigger fights.I’m still developing as a fighter, I don’t want to rush into anything yet.
“I’m in like an entry way job.I’m still making entry wage pay.So it’s not like I’m going to fight a guy making $200 grand and pay-per-view cuts and I’m making $10,000 or $14,000 whatever I’m making this next fight.”
Nijem‘s opponent Myles Jury finds himself in a similar situation after competing on the 15thseason of the reality show.Jury is 2-0 since exiting the show but also understands that he has to earn his way to the main card.
While there’s no set of rules the UFC sets forth on how a fighter can make the main card, sometimes it’s about the matchup, and other times it’s about they style of fighter and how exciting they can make a bout.A little personality goes a long way as well when a fighter is willing to talk and promote a card.
Jury plans on being himself and not portraying some over-the-top character just to get featured on television.He figures getting there the old fashioned way with hard work is a better approach.
“I’m not like ChaelSonnen or some of these other guys that like to talk their way up to big fights. I just do me.I stay true to myself, I stay original to myself.I’m my own unique person.I’m not going to change no matter what.I’m just going to keep being me and as long as I keep winning, people will respect that,” said Jury.“Sometimes I’ll just be zoning out and I’ll think it would just be cool to fight on the main card of a pay-per-view or what not.
“On the main card you get more sponsors and more opportunity, more exposure, all that stuff. At the end of the day, I feel like fighting in the UFC’s a gift. Honestly I could really care less.I don’t know if that’s bad to say.”
Being employed by the UFC is another thing just about every professional fighter desires, so Jury is correct in that regard. But that doesn’t mean advancement isn’t possible.It’s no different than landing a dream job with a company and then climbing up the ranks.
UFC featherweight Darren Elkins is another preliminary fighter with main card dreams, but he’s also gunning for a title shot this weekend.
A winner of five fights in a row at 145 pounds, Elkins seized the opportunity to face No. 1 ranked Chad Mendes this weekend at UFC on Fox 7 on short notice when his original opponent, Clay Guida, dropped out due to injury.Like any fighter, Elkins wants to be recognized for his victories on the way to the top, but his goals take him to the height of the sport with a gold belt wrapped around his waist in the near future.
“I look at this as a situation to put me where I want to be at,” Elkins said in an interview with Bleacher Report.“It’s a guy that’s going to put me in a title shot position. In everyone’s rankings he’s either one behind Jose Aldo or one behind that, he’s No. 2 or 3 in all the rankings.His only loss is to the champion.There’s no doubt this is a great opportunity to shoot up the rankings.
“If I put on a great performance I think that’s going to be the key. We have to go out there and show who deserves a title shot.”
A title shot in the featherweight division would also guarantee Elkins his first trip to the main card of a UFC show.Through seven fights, Elkins has never tasted what it’s like to be featured on the main card, but he hopes to change all that with a win over Mendes this weekend.
Of course every fighter is going to approach the opportunity to fight in the UFC differently, whether it’s on the main card or the preliminary portion of the show.
Nijem is just showing patience, and he knows that if he keeps winning there’s no denying him a spot in a big fight down the road.He looks at this fight and however many more he has to take while competing on the prelims as a chance to get better and improve.
When the time is right, Nijem knows he’ll get the call up to the big show and then he’ll have his chance to shine.
“Once I’m on a good streak and can renegotiate and everything like that, I feel like I’m fighting guys at the same tier as me right now,” said Nijem.“I want to keep building my name as a top lightweight.”
His opponent tries to ignore all the talk about main cards and prelims because he has no control over where he’s placed.Sure, there are times Jury wonders why one fight or fighter is on a main card, but ultimately he trusts UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby to make the right calls.
“What really helps me to not even think about that stuff is I really have no control of it,” said Jury.“I see some guys get on the main card and I’m like they definitely deserve that. Then I see other people and I’m like how did they get there?You’ve just got to go out there and be yourself.I really have no control over there.”
All three fighters will try to stake a claim this weekend on the UFC on Fox 7 prelims.Depending on the outcome, it could mean a trip to the main card the next time they step foot in the Octagon.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.
The Ultimate Fighter was rejuvenated this season on FX with a new night and time slot and the results showed in the series finale that aired on Saturday night. The long-running reality show had struggled to gain a foothold at its new home on FX over th…
The Ultimate Fighter was rejuvenated this season on FX with a new night and time slot and the results showed in the series finale that aired on Saturday night.
The long-running reality show had struggled to gain a foothold at its new home on FX over the last couple of seasons, buried at a 10 p.m. time slot on Friday nights. The finales, which are live fight cards, have pulled in better than average ratings, but haven’t hit a home run like many of the pay-per-view preliminary cards or other events held on FX.
This time around, however, a very good season for the show resulted in a great ratings for the finale that featured former cast member Kelvin Gastelum beating ultra-hyped favorite Uriah Hall by split decision.
The ratings, according to Fox officials, came in at 1.71 million viewers, the highest of the three Ultimate Fighter finales held on FX since the show shifted there last year. The debut edition called Ultimate Fighter Live, pulled in one million viewers, while last season’s TUF 16 finale averaged 1.3 million viewers over its broadcast.
The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen was hailed as a ratings and critical success all season long after moving to Tuesday nights and featuring a new documentary style format.
Fans stuck around for the whole season with consistent ratings week in and week out, and the finale pulled in even higher numbers.
According to the press release emailed to Bleacher Report on Tuesday, the TUF 17 finale ranked No. 1 in the coveted 18-34 male demographic and finished second in the 18-49 male demographic behind only Fox, which aired NASCAR on Saturday night.
Those numbers are very solid considering the appeal of that particular demographic and the fact that the Ultimate Fighter finale bested both cable and broadcast networks on Saturday night in the key categories.
The entire season of the Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen averaged 1.32 million viewers overall, which is a 45 percent increase over season 16 of the reality show that aired in 2012.
“This was a great way to end The Ultimate Fighter’s run on FX,” said Chuck Saftler, Executive Vice President, FX Networks. “I want to thank Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta and Frank Fertitta, as well as Craig Piligian on three amazing seasons of the series. I wish them all nothing but the best in their move to FOX Sports 1.”
The next season of the Ultimate Fighter will move yet again as the show shifts to the new Fox Sports 1 network that launches on August 17. The new season features UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and new top contender Cat Zingano as coaches overseeing a cast made up of both men and women competing at 135 pounds.
The new show debuts on Wednesday night, Sept 4 at 10 p.m. ET.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report
MMA’s Great Debate Radio is back, with special guests from this weekend’s UFC on Fox 7 card, Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson, along with the best debate in all of MMA. Gilbert Melendez will look to capture the UFC gold this Saturday when he takes on …
MMA’s Great Debate Radio is back, with special guests from this weekend’s UFC on Fox 7 card, Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson, along with the best debate in all of MMA.
Gilbert Melendez will look to capture the UFC gold this Saturday when he takes on lightweight champion Benson Henderson in the main event.
It’s been a long time coming for Melendez, who just a year ago was stuck in Strikeforce with little chance of ever battling the best of the best in the UFC.Now Melendez has his chance and he’s out to prove that he belongs with the elite lightweights in the world.
On today’s show, Melendez will discuss the injuries he has dealt with over the past year, the end of Strikeforce and finally getting his crack at UFC gold.
Also on the show, Josh Thomson stops by to preview his fight against Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox 7.
Thomson is targeting a title shot if he can overcome Diaz and on today’s show he’ll explain why he believes he’s the man for the job.He’ll also talk about the last nearly nine years he spent in Strikeforce and what it was like when that promotion closed its doors earlier this year.
Furthermore, MMA’s Great Debate wouldn’t be anything without all new debate topics today swirling around last weekend’s TUF 17 finale from Las Vegas.
—Did you agree with the stoppage in the Miesha Tate vs. Cat Zingano fight?
—How do you anticipate the ratings and reception for TUF 18: Rousey vs. Zingano to go?
—Travis Browne knocks out Gabriel Gonzaga—but were the shots he landed legal?
—Did Uriah Hall fall to the pressure or was Kelvin Gastelum just that much better?
—Do you believe Uriah Faber will earn another title shot in the next year?
This is MMA’s Great Debate Radio for Tuesday, April 16, 2013
(If embeddable player does not load, listen to the show directly here or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes)
UFC lightweight Josh Thomson has been around the block and back during his MMA career, and he’s not planning on wasting any time now that he’s returning to the Octagon. It’s been nearly nine years since Thomson called the UFC home. The last…
UFC lightweight Josh Thomson has been around the block and back during his MMA career, and he’s not planning on wasting any time now that he’s returning to the Octagon.
It’s been nearly nine years since Thomson called the UFC home.The last time Thomson was in the promotion, he lost his job only because the UFC decided they were going to drop the lightweight division altogether.
That sent Thomson packing over to Strikeforce where he became lightweight champion at one point, and while he’s battled injuries and time off on several occasions, he’s managed to always stay in the peripheral vision of anyone spotting top-ten fighters.
Now Thomson gets his chance to come roaring back in the UFC with a fight against former title contender Nate Diaz this weekend at UFC on Fox 7.He’ll be featured on the main card in a showcase fight against one of the top names in his division.
As honored as he is to get this spot on day one back in the UFC, Thomson isn’t returning to the promotion for main card slots and fun fights.He’s gunning to get back to the top of the sport in a hurry.
“I’m not content with just ‘I’m on the main card in the UFC on Fox.’I’m not settling for that,” Thomson told Bleacher Report’s Great Debate Radio recently.“I feel like with a big win here, I’m looking forward to being the person who gets the next title shot.I’m looking at the bigger picture. The big picture is to get this win and to basically settle a lot of those minds because there was a lot of controversy about me and Gil in our last fight and that should be me fighting Benson (Henderson).
“So with a big win here, I think that puts me right in the position where I want to be to get my next title shot.”
Thomson’s last fight in May 2012 was a razor-close split decision loss to his old rival and former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez. Following that fight, Melendez is now fighting UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson, and Thomson is ready to win against Diaz and secure his spot atop the contender’s race.
Thomson is savvy enough to know that the UFC rarely places a fighter in a title bout off of one win, but he also sees the landscape of the lightweight division right now. There is no clear cut No. 1 contender behind Melendez currently, especially now with former WEC champion Anthony Pettis venturing down to 145 pounds to face Jose Aldo in August.
“Honestly, I would have seen had I fought Nate and get a win maybe they’d put me against (Anthony) Pettis before the title shot, but now Pettis is dropping to 145.There really is no one,” Thomson stated.“Not only that, but like Gray (Maynard) would be the next one, but Gray has just fought twice for the title against Frankie (Edgar).
“I really could be wrong. They could throw him right back in there especially with a big win over T.J. Grant.But I’m really just putting myself in the best position that fits me and my career and that’s getting a big win and leaving it up to them on hopefully putting me in for the next title shot.That would be the best situation possible.”
Thomson’s title shot aspirations go nowhere if he doesn’t get past Diaz this Saturday, and he knows that’s going to be a daunting task.Always a student of the game, Thomson has watched a lot of fights lately where people seemed to have figured out the Diaz style of fighting.From Nate’s loss to Henderson in December to his brother Nick’s defeats at the hands of Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit, Thomson has reviewed plenty of tape to see where he can best Diaz this weekend.
“I looked at the Benson fight, I also looked at the Carlos Condit fight, and the Georges St-Pierre fights with his brother,” said Thomson.“All three of those fights, you can take a little bit of each one and really try to focus in on all the high points of each fight and try to use those to my benefit.”
He also knows that the Diaz brothers are notorious for dragging their opponents into their game with some in-fight taunting.To combat that, Thomson literally had training partners shouting at him and trying to goad him into a fight just like Diaz will do on Saturday.
The preparation he hopes will pay off because he’s going to follow the rule of tuning out whatever Diaz does inside the cage, that way he can unleash his best attacks to thwart the Stockton native from doing much, if any, damage at all.
“That’s the key with all three of those guys—they didn’t let that stuff get to them,” Thomson said referring back to the fights he watched where the Diaz brothers lost.“When they started doing that, they really tried to capitalize when the showboating started.Once the fighters came in with the mentality of, ‘I’m not going to let you get to me like that,’ I think they had pretty much already won the fight.”
Thomson wants to employ a similar strategy to beat Diaz and then target the winner of Henderson and Melendez, which happens to be the main event of the same card he’s competing on Saturday night.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first-hand unless otherwise noted.
