Author: McKinley Noble

UFC Debut in China Features Korean Octagon Girl, Kang Ye-Bin

As the Ultimate Fighting Championship gears up for their first show in China, they’ll also be introducing Korean TV star Kang Ye-bin as their brand new Octagon girl.However, it’s not Kang’s first gig with the UFC.According to South Korean daily news gr…

As the Ultimate Fighting Championship gears up for their first show in China, they’ll also be introducing Korean TV star Kang Ye-bin as their brand new Octagon girl.

However, it’s not Kang‘s first gig with the UFC.

According to South Korean daily news group The Chosen Ilbo (via MMA Mania), Kang also hosts UFC Inside on the region’s popular “Super Action” cable channel. She has most recently gained some traction in the modeling circuit with a vampire-themed cover and photo-shoot for Maxim Korea’s October 2012 issue.

Kang tells Chosen Ilbo that she’s currently “working out hard to get in the best shape of her life” in anticipation of her Octagon debut during UFC on Fuel TV 6 this November:

“I’m thrilled to be Korea’s first Octagon Girl. I’m just a little anxious whether I’ll be able to do a good job, but I’ll try my best and hopefully I can raise the spirits of our three Korean fighters in the UFC,” she said.

“I’d like to look sexier and hotter than [Mexican-American Octagon girl] Arianny Celeste.”

UFC on Fuel TV 6 features a main-event match between former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin and international kickboxing-star-turned-MMA-fighter Cung Le. Aside from his combat sport credentials and notable career in Strikeforce’s middleweight division, Le is also a notable action star, with roles in films like Tekken and Dragon Eyes.

Zhang Tiequan, the only Chinese fighter employed by the UFC, is featured on the main card against Ultimate Fighter: Live competitor Jon Tuck. Zhang is 1-3 in his last four fights, with a 14-win streak coming to an end at the hands of former UFC lightweight Danny Downes.

Dong Hyun Kim (welterweight), Hyun Gyu Lim (welterweight) and Kyung Ho Kang (bantamweight) will be the only athletes representing South Korea on the card, with the latter two fighters making their UFC debuts against American opponents David Mitchell and Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres.

Not only is it Zuffa’s first event in China, but UFC on Fuel TV: Franklin vs. Le will also be the 10th event run by the UFC this year out of a planned 12 international fight cards for 2012.

It seems that “guest Octagon girls” will continue to be an occasional trend for the UFC as they promote future events around the world.

Earlier this year, Miss Japan 2008 finalist and former Sengoku ring girl Azusa Nishigaki took on the role during UFC 144 at the Saitama Super Arena. However, she’s not credited or mentioned as an Octagon girl on the UFC’s official website, which currently highlights the trio of Arianny Celeste, Brittney Palmer and Rachelle Leah.

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Bellator Looking to Hold onto UFC-Bound Eddie Alvarez

Hold on, Dana White. Eddie Alvarez isn’t going to the UFC that easily.Despite the assumption that the UFC will make an unbeatable offer for “The Silent Assassin” to join their ranks, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney aims to keep Alvarez in his roster.As Bella…

Hold on, Dana White. Eddie Alvarez isn’t going to the UFC that easily.

Despite the assumption that the UFC will make an unbeatable offer for “The Silent Assassin” to join their ranks, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney aims to keep Alvarez in his roster.

As Bellator’s first lightweight champion, Alvarez is a hot commodity well known for exciting title defenses and an inspired 2011 “Fight of the Year” performance against current champion Michael Chandler. He’s also one of the few men in MMA to have defeated Japanese legend Shinya Aoki.  

MMA Weekly spoke with Alvarez’s manager, Glenn Robinson of Authentic Sports Management, about the incoming 90-day negotiating period with Bellator. According to him, Bellator isn’t throwing in the towel on their former champion just yet:

Bjorn and Eddie had a great conversation and had some great talks. Bjorn has expressed interest in keeping Eddie, and talks have gone really well, and that’s all I can really say at this point.

Talks have gone really well with Bellator and Eddie just wants to fight the best fighters he can, and get a contract he feels is fair, but I can tell you Bjorn has gone out of his way to make Eddie feel welcome and talks have gone well so far, so we’ll see what the future brings.

If Bellator Fighting Championships is able to hold onto Alvarez and sign him to another contract, it’ll provide them with some critical drawing power for next year, when the promotion makes its transition from MTV2 to SPIKE.

Alvarez has been a “top-10” standout in the lightweight division for over four years, currently standing at a solid 24-3 record over roughly nine years.

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Anderson Silva: Is He Afraid to Face Jon Jones or Just Smart?

Is the greatest fighter in mixed martial arts history afraid of a 25-year-old prodigy?That’s been a huge question circling a potential Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones super-fight, a dream match that MMA fans have been feverishly calling for this year.UFC …

Is the greatest fighter in mixed martial arts history afraid of a 25-year-old prodigy?

That’s been a huge question circling a potential Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones super-fight, a dream match that MMA fans have been feverishly calling for this year.

UFC president Dana White wants to see it, fans want to see it and even elusive pay-per-view buyers are expected to turn out in droves for such a rare match-up.

Just about everyone wants to see that fight—except for Silva himself.

Until recently, Silva wasn’t open to the idea for a list of reasons: He’s tired of fighting at light heavyweight, he respects Jones’ legacy and he views the light heavyweight champion as a friend. But maybe the biggest reason of all is the most understandable one—he’s just plain scared.

Is that even possible? Does Anderson Silva, the longest reigning champion in UFC history, fear Jon Jones?

If he does, you can’t blame him.

In just a little over four years, Jones has arguably turned in a greater career than Silva, climbing to the top of the MMA rankings, virtually unbeaten, with five UFC champions lying at his feet. He’s a vicious fighter with a mean streak that translates into a rather dirty combat style.

Moreover, Jones is an elite wrestler and grappler—exactly the sort of opponent that Silva’s been reluctant to face during his career.

Former Strikeforce and PRIDE champion Dan Henderson’s been one of the few fighters to give Silva a struggle, and years later, he’s still waiting for his rematch. Blame that on an injured elbow suffered by Silva in 2010, which almost required surgery.

But was Silva ever really injured? Or was he just ducking Henderson?

At this point, it’s hard to tell. As “Hendo” pointed out to MMA Fighting‘s Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, Silva has a habit of turning up injured when there’s a fight lined up that he doesn’t want.

Most notably, the highly marketable Sonnen jumped through quite a few hoops himself before UFC 148, including two risky fights with Brian Stann and Michael Bisping. Even with Sonnen’s failed drug test, the UFC wanted to fast-track him to a rematch, but Silva stonewalled the idea for as long as possible.

Circumstantial evidence hints that Silva is simply fearful of a capable opponent who can give him trouble on the mat.

But on the other hand, Silva is also a smart business man who doesn’t take fights without making Dana White work for it.

Just a short matter of weeks ago during a UFC 153 media call, the middleweight champion all but killed the idea of a super-fight with Jones:

It’s something I’ve never wanted. I won’t be pretentious and say that I’d want to move up, especially because there are other guys in the weight class and on our team like Rafael Feijao (Cavalcante) and (Antonio Rogerio) Minotoro Nogueira, guys who could potentially face Jon Jones in the future.

What got me this far is that I’m grounded; my weight class is 185 and I’m 37 years old. I feel I need to be honest and continue to build what I’ve built and that is to keep defending my belt at 185.

At a glance, that excuse hits all the right talking points.

Defeating Jon Jones takes away the potential achievement from Silva’s teammates. That seems reasonable enough. After all, Silva is old within the context of MMA years. He could never face Jones and would still be regarded as the greatest fighter in UFC history.

And yet, the door on Silva vs. Jones still isn’t completely shut.

Only a few days after defeating Stephan Bonnar in Rio de Janiero, Silva’s tune suddenly changed as he talked to Brazilian news group SporTV (translation via Bloody Elbow):

My weight class is 185, my belt is of that weight class. But people are talking so much about this [fight], and we are employees of the UFC. Of course, I could be saying that I don’t want it, but what if [Jones] goes out and accepts the money Dana is proposing for him to fight? It will be hard [not to accept it]. It’s not the money that motivates me to fight, I fight because I like it. So, I don’t know. I wouldn’t like [to fight him]. But if it’s going to happen, it would have to be at a catchweight. The belt shouldn’t be at play. I already have mine.

Again, Silva makes it clear that he doesn’t want to fight Jones if he can help it, but he acknowledges that money may eventually tip their hands.

In the end, that just might be what all the posturing comes down to—money.

As the first MMA fighter to be sponsored by Nike and Burger King, Silva has the unique position of knowing exactly what he’s worth to the company. He’s likely the highest-paid employee in the promotion, and whenever “The Spider” puts pen to paper for a fight, the UFC is paying top dollar for the privilege of his presence in the Octagon.

Silva’s made it clear that he will put his reputation on the line, but not his belt.

Whether he’s fearful of maintaining his legacy or just angling for a huge paycheck, it’s nonetheless a step forward in the right direction—and hopefully one that leads to the biggest fight in UFC history.

[McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and FightFans Radio writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld and PC World. Talk with him on Twitter.]

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Chael Sonnen Takes to Twitter to Answer Rampage Jackson

Chael Sonnen is quickly becoming the most hated man in the UFC light heavyweight division.Not only has his upcoming title fight with Jon Jones drawn the ire of Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans and even mentor Dan Henderson, but Sonnen’s also taking time to …

Chael Sonnen is quickly becoming the most hated man in the UFC light heavyweight division.

Not only has his upcoming title fight with Jon Jones drawn the ire of Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans and even mentor Dan Henderson, but Sonnen‘s also taking time to trade trash talk with Quinton Jackson.

Jackson has been openly critical of Sonnen‘s unique brand of self-promotion, saying that the former middleweight title contender “sucks” and “practices his stuff in the mirror” between interviews.

Sonnen‘s responses to Jackson on Twitter were succinct, yet biting:

If I could understand a single word @rampage4real said about me I might be mildly offended.

Hard to hear @rampage4real all the way from the bottom of his pit of obscurity.

Ya know @rampage4real, I was wrong about your acting ability. Calling me out was your best performance yet.

Sonnen kicked off a media storm in the mixed martial arts world after the UFC announced that he would be coaching The Ultimate Fighter against Jones, despite not having fought in the 205-pound division since 2005 at UFC 55.

However, Sonnen‘s gift of gab has paid off, contributing to high pay-per-view buys at UFC 148 and UFC 117, with the former reaching the rare 1 million mark—successes that the UFC is clearly aiming to replicate with one of MMA‘s biggest grudge matches.

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UFC President Dana White Delays Ear Surgery Until Next Year

It seems Dana White’s ongoing battle with Meniere’s disease won’t end until 2013.According to the UFC president, his pending ear surgery has been pushed back to January due to a schedule conflict with available medical professionals.White confirmed the…

It seems Dana White‘s ongoing battle with Meniere’s disease won’t end until 2013.

According to the UFC president, his pending ear surgery has been pushed back to January due to a schedule conflict with available medical professionals.

White confirmed the news Tuesday with MMA Fighting: “My schedule and the doctor’s didn’t line up,” he said, via text message.”

According to MayoClinic.com, Ménière’s disease “is a disorder of the inner ear that causes spontaneous episodes of vertigo — a sensation of a spinning motion — along with fluctuating hearing loss, ringing in the ear, and sometimes a feeling of fullness or pressure in your ear.”

Although the UFC president is well known for closely managing nearly every UFC event in the past 11 years, symptoms of the disease prevented him from attending UFC on FUEL TV 3 this past May.

White suffered another attack during the week leading up to UFC 152 in Toronto, Canada, although it did not prevent him from performing his usual duties on fight night.

During an interview on Inside MMA, White described the disease as “horrible” and stated that his doctors wanted surgery to be a last resort. A previous solution was to have the damaged nerve in his inner ear cut, followed by weeks of rehabilitation.

After UFC 153, Dana White filled in MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani about an entirely different surgical procedure, involving inserting an artificial tube through the back of his inner ear. If it succeeds, the operation should render extended rehab unnecessary.

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Strikeforce: Is It Worth Keeping on Life Support or Not?

It’s odd to think that just a couple of years ago, regional promotion Strikeforce was considered a distant competitor to the UFC.Now, it’s a shadow of its former self, having been bought by UFC parent company Zuffa in March 2011. Most of Strikeforce’s …

It’s odd to think that just a couple of years ago, regional promotion Strikeforce was considered a distant competitor to the UFC.

Now, it’s a shadow of its former self, having been bought by UFC parent company Zuffa in March 2011. Most of Strikeforce’s best talent has been swallowed up by its bigger brother and injuries have killed off the remainder of the promotion’s 2012 events.

More than anyone else, the fighters in this league suffer the most.

Most of Strikeforce’s remaining stars (Gilbert Melendez, Luke Rockhold, Ronaldo Souza) fight twice a year, and that’s if they’re lucky. Heck, the promotion still doesn’t have anything lined up for their vacant light heavyweight title.

Even worse, Strikeforce’s female fighters are so desperate for events that they’re relegated to seeking out “talent sharing” options with Invicta FC and other regional promotions.

So with all that trouble and all that talent suffering in limbo, is there even a point to Strikeforce’s continued existence? Does it have anything valuable to offer to the MMA world?

Yes. Strikeforce can be saved.

As pointless, mismanaged and publicly weak as it appears, there is a value in Strikeforce that can be mined for the future. But it’ll take some huge steps to get there—steps that may seem crazy.

Step 1: Get Strikeforce Away From Showtime

Although much of the blame sits on the UFC for Strikeforce’s woes, an equal amount has to fall on cable network Showtime.

As reported by Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer (via Bloody Elbow), some Strikeforce fighters have contract stipulations that prevent them from jumping ship to the UFC. In essence, it’s a rumored blacklist that’s reserved for Strikeforce’s biggest stars.

Showtime Sports president denied to MMA Fighting‘s MMA Hour that such a list actually exists, but regardless of whether he’s telling the truth, the truth is just as problematic as the possible lie. No matter what, Strikeforce will suffer in a petty tug-of-war between Zuffa and Showtime as long as valuable talent remains in the mix.

To begin the healing, Showtime has to pull the plug on Strikeforce, or at least be compensated well enough to let the promotion go. Considering how far the UFC took their grudge with Spike TV, one would hope that cooler heads might prevail in that negotiation.

Step 2: Revive Strikeforce as an All-Women’s MMA Promotion

One thing that’s always set Strikeforce apart from the rest of the American MMA scene was its dedication to hosting female fighters.

Even when the women’s roster was little more than an excuse to serve up overmatched victims to former featherweight champion Gina Carano, the San Jose-based company put women’s MMA in the spotlight in a way that no one else really could.

If Zuffa and the UFC want to wrangle value out of Strikeforce at a minimum risk, they need to eliminate the men’s division altogether, absorb the best fighters there, and open up the women’s roster to at least three weight classes.

Invicta FC can run a semi-popular calendar of events with little more than good wishes and packing tape. Since that much is possible on such a small budget, it’s fair to say Zuffa wouldn’t be investing a ton of money on an all-women’s league.

Plus, it kills several birds with one stone.

Ronda Rousey gets to stay at the top of a well-known MMA promotion, it gives women’s MMA more time to evolve as a marketable product (before eventually getting absorbed into the UFC), and Zuffa can stick Strikeforce events on FX or FUEL TV to fill their lengthy calendar.

Step 3: Actually Start Giving a Crap About Strikeforce

One of the biggest problems facing Strikeforce is that it’s vastly under-promoted.

When your own champions lament the amount of empty seats at weigh-ins and press conferences, that’s a problem all around. Maybe getting Dana White to hype Strikeforce events is stretching the UFC president a bit too thin, but you need to have someone in the trenches getting things done.

That someone isn’t Scott Coker. As a figurehead, he’s harmless and dutiful—as a promoter, he’s more boring than Ben Askren’s fights.

If Strikeforce as an all-women’s league would have any chance to succeed, Zuffa would have to actually make a concerned effort to sell the brand to viewers. Invicta FC and their legion of mid-level talent can generate 200,000 viewers an event, so doing at least 500,000 with Rousey, Miesha Tate or Cyborg Santos in title fights on free TV can’t be much harder.

Believe it or not, Strikeforce is worth saving. Even on life support, it can hang on as a worthy niche success—it all just depends on Zuffa and the UFC bothering to make the effort.

[McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and FightFans Radio writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld and PC World. Talk with him on Twitter.]

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