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UFC on FX 7 is over and done with. Vitor Belfort shut the mouth of Michael Bisping with a titanic head kick and the C.B. Dollaway defeated Daniel Sarafian in a close split decision. However, there were other unheralded happenings throughout the ni…
UFC on FX 7 is over and done with. Vitor Belfort shut the mouth of Michael Bisping with a titanic head kick and the C.B. Dollaway defeated Daniel Sarafian in a close split decision.
However, there were other unheralded happenings throughout the night that were also important. They taught the MMA world important lessons and answered lingering questions that stuck in the craws of MMA fans.
What were these questions answered and lessons learned? Read and find out!
Bellator’s debut on Spike TV was resoundingly successful; their viewership on the network increased nearly 400 percent from their last season opener. Spike TV president Kevin Kay was pleased. “It is the most watched Bellator event in the hist…
Bellator‘s debut on Spike TV was resoundingly successful; their viewership on the network increased nearly 400 percent from their last season opener.
Spike TV president Kevin Kay was pleased.
“It is the most watched Bellator event in the history of Bellator. MMA fans clearly came home to Spike last night,” Kay told the media at a conference call at which Bleacher Report was present.
“We started the night in the first 15 minutes with 1.2 million viewers. The [Pat] Curran-[Patricio] Pitbull [Freire] fight, 1.1 million watched the Curran-Pitbull fight in the first half hour. Overall, we were up 394 percent increase over last season’s show premiere, and 938,000 viewers watched the entire broadcast.”
Such numbers are impressive for Bellator, which had heretofore always been the Luigi to the UFC’s Mario. That is to say, there was no illusion as to which promotion was the better and bigger one. In fact, most casual fans likely didn’t even know that Bellator existed.
The promotion had been stuck on ESPN Deportes, Fox Sports Net, and then MTV2. Being constantly shuffled from niche network to niche network hindered Bellator‘s ability to establish a consistent fanbase, as their ratings over the past few years demonstrated.
With Spike, Bellator finally has a home where it can undergo stable growth. It’s unlikely that Bellator will ever be forced off the network seeing as Viacom, which owns Spike TV, also owns a controlling stake in Bellator. Thus, Bellator and Spike are a match made in corporate heaven.
Kay is just happy and looking forward to more Bellator shows, specifically next week’s Bellator 86.
“We said this from the beginning, wherever we start we’re gonna build from so I couldn’t be more excited about next week with Mo [Lawal] and Ben [Askren] and Karl [Amoussou] and what you’ve just heard,” he said. “This is gonna be another tremendous card. Clearly, Bellator has some tremendous momentum on Spike.”
When asked about any more specifics on the future of Bellator and Spike, Kay was mum yet optimistic.
“We’re just happy with [the ratings]. That’s a great start. Those are really good numbers…Clearly, like I said, it’s 400 percent higher than what we were doing on MTV.”
Bellator will have a chance to make lightning strike twice on January 24th when Bellator 86—headlined by a welterweight title fight between champ Ben Askren and challenger Karl Amoussou—airs on Spike TV at 10 p.m. ET.
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Anthony Pettis was once guaranteed a title shot, now he’s coming off a one-year layoff and there’s no chance at UFC gold in the foreseeable future. He’s not too thrilled about that. “I mean it sucks where I ended up after the loss [to Clay Gu…
Anthony Pettis was once guaranteed a title shot, now he’s coming off a one-year layoff and there’s no chance at UFC gold in the foreseeable future.
He’s not too thrilled about that.
“I mean it sucks where I ended up after the loss [to Clay Guida],” Pettis told the media at a conference call at which Bleacher Report was present. Pettis was referring to a lopsided decision loss to Clay Guida at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale in 2011.
Pettis had just come in from the WEC, where he was the lightweight champion. He was offered an immediate title shot against the winner of Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard II, but the fight was a draw.
Unwilling to rot on the sidelines until after Edgar-Maynard III, Pettis took a fight against Clay Guida. He lost, and his career has yet to fully recover.
“I didn’t get the title shot. Here I am two years [later] still working my way up. But I think everything happens for a reason. Guida exposed a hole in my game. He made me work harder, made me a better fighter,” said Pettis.
However, losing to Guida was only minor setback. A shoulder injury that Pettis suffered in 2012 was the real culprit that stunted his the growth of his career, keeping him out of action for almost an entire year.
That’s in the past now.
“I feel ready. I had to get a surgery done. I took the proper long time off, and I’m feeling good,” Pettis said.
Not all people in MMA responded kindly to Pettis‘ injury and long absence from the sport. His UFC on FOX 6 opponent Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone was one of these people. Cerrone called out Pettis‘ “b*tch ass” and made other taunts towards Pettis.
The Wisconsin native was undeterred by Cerrone‘s provocations, and fervently denied that he was ducking Cerrone or anyone else.
“For him to be calling me out while I’m injured, it sucks,” he said. “I couldn’t really take fights. I had a surgery, took a while to recover. I want to fight. I come here to fight. I took a fight when I didn’t have to against Guida. I’m not a guy that runs—ever. I’m not afraid of anybody in the division. I’m gonna fight everybody in the division.”
Believe Pettis when he says that he’ll fight everyone in the division; he believes that he’s still the best there is at 155 pounds, despite the numerous changes that have happened at lightweight since he last fought in February 2012.
“The division has advanced so much…You got guys advancing, guys losing. I do feel like I am one of the best in the lightweight division. Come January 26, that question will be answered, if I’m at the top of the division,” he said.
Pettis will have a chance to prove this on national television, on the UFC’s sixth outing on Fox against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
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Former UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos doesn’t credit his loss at UFC 155 to Cain Velasquez being the better fighter that night. In fact, dos Santos offered a litany of reasons as to why he came up short in his second title defense. “…
Former UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos doesn’t credit his loss at UFC 155 to Cain Velasquez being the better fighter that night.
In fact, dos Santos offered a litany of reasons as to why he came up short in his second title defense.
“Really it was my head. I had some personal things going on, a bit of my attention was lacking because of it,” he told Brazilian news outlet Nagradedo MMA.
Aside from his purported psychological impairment heading into the fight, dos Santos had other, more corporeal problems: His creatine levels and his kidneys.
“Soon after the fight I went to the hospital and had a scan, which showed my creatine level was too high. The normal level is up to 300, mine was in 1400,” said dos Santos.
“I also had trouble in the urine and kidneys,” he said. “The explanation of the doctors is that I pushed over the line, I overtrained and problems could have happened even before the fight…I was so good that I ended up crossing the line.”
However, despite these physical maladies, dos Santos primarily blames the loss on his head being elsewhere.
“[The kidney and creatine issues] was the explanation of doctors. Mine is that I was not good with my head, was having personal problems and did not go well mentally in the fight.”
Angsty fans might be tempted to bash dos Santos for resorting to “excuses.” However, let’s remember the first fight between JDS and Velasquez.
Dos Santos knocked Velasquez out in 69 seconds. A Velasquez knee injury was the primary culprit for causing him to lose so decisively. After destroying dos Santos for five rounds in the rematch at UFC 155, everyone who hadn’t believed in the knee injury believed in it—Velasquez looked like an animal.
Thus, it’s totally possible that the reasons dos Santos offered for his poor performance were totally legitimate. Let’s not sacrifice him on the altar of public outrage just yet. After all, it’s totally possible that he earns a rubber match with Velasquez and crushes him just as badly as he did in their first fight.
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Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal: MMA fighter, pro wrestler…and boxer? If Lawal has his way, then yes. Recently, Bloody Elbow uncovered that Lawal actually had a boxing clause placed in his contract with Bellator Fighting Championships. When Bloody Elbo…
Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal: MMA fighter, pro wrestler…and boxer? If Lawal has his way, then yes.
Recently, Bloody Elbow uncovered that Lawal actually had a boxing clause placed in his contract with Bellator Fighting Championships. When Bloody Elbow writer Stephie Daniels (a.k.a. “Crooklyn”) asked Lawal to elaborate, he did—he also mentioned famed Internet brawler Kimbo Slice as a potential opponent.
“I got a boxing clause in my contract,” Lawal said. “[Bellator CEO] Bjorn [Rebney] said that he was going to get me fights. But the thing with the contract is that we gotta agree on the opponent. But someone like Kimbo Slice? I’d be alright. We could hype that up, they can get behind me.”
Slice—whose real name is Kevin Ferguson—had a 4-2 run in MMA before he turned to professional boxing, where he is currently undefeated at 6-0. His most recent win was in October 2012.
“I think King Mo vs. Kimbo Slice would be a good boxing match,” said Lawal. “I got good training, he’s got good training. I want to make it happen. So my main goal is to get through this tournament, win it, defend it, defend the belt once or twice and after that get that fight with Kimbo.”
This may be more than just errant daydreaming on Lawal‘s part. A recent report by Dave Meltzer of MMAFighting.com indicated that Spike TV was interested in expanding outside of MMA.
Perhaps Spike can achieve some sort of holy trinity as far as combat sports on TV is concerned. The network has adequate MMA programming with Bellator (and if Bellator‘s Spike TV debut on Jan. 17 is as good as it says it’ll be, then Spike will have more-than-adequate MMA programming), it may someday have kickboxing and if King Mo has his way, it will have a boxing match that’s sure to do well ratings-wise.
King Mo is an ambitious personality. Bellator is an ambitious MMA promotion. Spike TV is an ambitious network. The synergy of all three of these entities will be something truly memorable and unique. Don’t change the channel anytime soon.
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To Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler, main-eventing Bellator’s Spike TV debut opposite Rick Hawn isn’t that big of a deal. In fact, the lightweight champ is unimpressed with himself and his accolades. “It’s one of those thi…
To Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler, main-eventing Bellator’s Spike TV debut opposite Rick Hawn isn’t that big of a deal.
In fact, the lightweight champ is unimpressed with himself and his accolades.
“It’s one of those things where you gotta stay grounded,” he told the media at a conference call at which Bleacher Report was present. “You gotta realize—what I’ve accomplished so far is nothing compared to what to I want to accomplish as far as wins, as far as being able to go out there and put on great performances for the fans.”
Some MMA fans might forget the name “Michael Chandler” since he only fought once in 2012 (a 56-second destruction of Akihiro Gono in May).
But Chandler’s crowning MMA achievement was a spectacular upset victory over former champ Eddie Alvarez.
This is the same Eddie Alvarez who was UFC-bound before he became embroiled in a legal battle with Bellator that has been making headlines recently.
Chandler defeated a fighter good enough for the UFC in Alvarez, yet still, his name doesn’t carry more weight among fans.
Chandler was mum when asked about this unfortunate phenomenon.
“Obviously, as a young, young, hungry fighter, I’d like to be fighting three or four times a year…Since then I’ve done a lot of training…tried to get my name out there as much as possible…I really feel like I’ve grown a ton as a fighter and gotten a ton better,” he said.
For his sake, he better have grown as a fighter. Chandler’s Bellator 85 opponent Rick Hawn is no joke. Hawn is a judo Olympian who proved to be a knockout artist. He’s a dangerous opponent and one Chandler greatly anticipates fighting.
“That’s one of the best things about this fight, is the opportunity to fight a guy like Rick Hawn, a competitor like Rick Hawn,” said Chandler.
Concerning strategy against such a diverse opponent, Chandler was nonchalant.
“I don’t focus on how I’m gonna get the finish or how I would like to get the finish. I focus on just my gameplan that I’ve gone over with myself, my coaches. If the finish comes it comes,” he said.
“If not, you’re gonna see a 5-round war and I think the fans would love that. It’s gonna be an exciting fight no matter what from bell to bell, from round to round.”
An exciting fight would make many happy, especially Bellator and Spike TV brass since an entertaining scrap between the two men could a “Griffin-Bonnar” moment for Bellator, something that catapults them to the next level of popularity and brand recognition.
Michael Chandler will square off against Rick Hawn at Bellator 85 on January 17 at 10 p.m. ET on Spike TV. Chandler’s Bellator lightweight title will be at stake.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com