Tag: Bellator

Bellator FC: Is Spike TV Their Future?

The UFC has flirted with the idea of moving to a national television network for years, and now it’s official: the UFC is now partnered with the FOX network. Today, UFC and FOX jointly announced that they had reached a seven-year deal to distribute UFC…

The UFC has flirted with the idea of moving to a national television network for years, and now it’s official: the UFC is now partnered with the FOX network.

Today, UFC and FOX jointly announced that they had reached a seven-year deal to distribute UFC programming over their multiple networks beginning in January 2011.

As a result, the longtime romance between the UFC and Spike TV has come to an end.

UFC first joined Spike TV in January 2005 and both have helped one another to build their platforms since then with Spike helping launch “The Ultimate Fighter”, and we all know what that did for the company.

Almost six years later, Spike will air the final season of TUF featuring middleweight standouts Jason “Mayhem” Miller and Michael Bisping, as well as a group of bantamweight and featherweight talent.

With the UFC leaving Spike, it has caused a bit of a stir between fight fans as to whether Bellator FC will fill the void left by the MMA juggernaut.

Bellator have been in the fight game since 2008 and made a name for themselves by putting on high level, exciting action in a tournament format that has helped produce highly-ranked talent including Eddie Alvarez, Hector Lombard and Joe Warren.

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney has scratched and clawed to get his organization onto a quality network in MTV2 after jumping between stations for the first three seasons.

MTV2 is a division of the MTV Network who additionally owns Spike TV, which leaves plenty of individuals guessing as to whether Spike would look to pick up the number one MMA organization outside of Zuffa, LLC.

Spike has released a statement indicating that their six-year deal with the UFC is over and that they are dedicated to airing distinctive original series such as “Auction Hunters” and “Bar Rescue”.

However, in 2011 we live in a world where television series’ programming doesn’t score as high of ratings as it did in the past.

The main reason being that most households have a DVD-Recorder and with our busy lifestyles, it’s often easier to DVR your favorite television shows and watch them when you have a spare moment.

But this isn’t as much the case with live sport. Being fight fans, you will understand that there’s nothing worse than not being able to see the event live and someone gives away the outcome of the main event.

Most people prefer to watch their sports live, which adds advertising dollars to live sports and an importance to sporting action being on any network.

But at this time, Spike is looking to re-brand their network and cater towards both males and females instead of just the guys.

I think at this stage, with them looking to go in another direction, it lessens the chance of Bellator finding a home there.

If Bjorn Rebney and everyone involved in Bellator were able to pull off a deal with them, it would be a great boost in the right direction for their company.

Not only is Spike a more viewed network than MTV2, but for six-years fans have associated Spike and fighting together so bringing Bellator there would be a great fit.

For now, I’m just throwing gasoline onto the fire of discussion, but don’t be surprised if Bellator decides to set up shop on Spike TV in 2012.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Cole Konrad Looking Forward to Showing Off New Skills on Feet at Bellator 48

Filed under: MMA Fighting Exclusive, BellatorAfter fighting seven times total in 2010, Bellator champion Cole Konrad will be stepping inside the cage for the first time this year when he faces MMA veteran Paul Buentello this Saturday at Bellator 48 at …

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After fighting seven times total in 2010, Bellator champion Cole Konrad will be stepping inside the cage for the first time this year when he faces MMA veteran Paul Buentello this Saturday at Bellator 48 at Uncasville, Conn.

In this exclusive Q&A with MMA Fighting, the two-time NCAA wrestling champ and teammate of Brock Lesnar talks about improving his standup with Pat Barry, how he deals with fighters calling him out and how he partakes in his MMA fandom — without the luxury of a television.

Check out the interview below.

With this extended layoff, what are some of the areas you’ve been focusing on in your training?
I’ve been working extensively on my feet. I think I’ve come a long, long way since even my last fight to where I am at now. I’ve been very fortunate to have Pat Barry move up here and we’ve been working together daily. He’s helped me a ton on my feet and I feel like I’ve helped him a ton with the wrestling game. I think that’s the biggest area where you’ll see improvements out of me. Obviously, I haven’t neglected my ground game or my wrestling. I still train that just as much as I always have but I’ve really focused and tried to become more of a well-rounded fighter.

Are the improvements on the feet dramatic enough that people can expect a different fighter against Buentello?
I hope so. I think you’ll see a more confident fighter on the feet, as much sparring with high-level guys as I’ve done in the last ten months. I’m definitely not shy on confidence when it comes to standing up and exchanging punches. I think if you saw the fight go in that direction, I think people will be pleasantly surprised. I’m not saying what direction where the fight will go because you never know until you get out there, but I think there’s certainly a new attitude in me as far as my standup goes.
I’m definitely not shy on confidence when it comes to standing up and exchanging punches.
— Cole Konrad
Considering the addition of Pat Barry to the mix of your striking coaches along with the regulars Erik Paulson and Peter Welch and how different trainers can have their own specific detail to moves and techniques, how do you process everything you need to know when working with a variety of trainers?
I’ve been very fortunate in my career with both wrestling and fighting that I’ve been surrounded by numerous great coaches and what you learn from that is that you learn to pick up the things that work for you and incorporate it in your game. Bottom line is that I can’t do the same things that the guy next to me can do and he can’t do the same things that I can do. If I see 200 different techniques and I can pull six things that work for me, that’s a win. And fortunately having Marty Morgan as my main coach, he knows me. I’ve been with him since I was 18 years old, day in and day out with wrestling and now with fighting.

What do you consider to be Paul Buentello’s strongest asset, his striking or his experience?
I think it’s a combination. I think he’s an accomplished fighter. I think he’s fought numerous times and with that comes a lot of knowledge in the cage, that’s obviously a danger. Anybody that’s been out there a number of times — you learn so much when you’re actually in the cage. You can sit and practice all day but when that cage closes a lot of that stuff goes out the window and you’re relying on instincts and past experiences. That’s a big deal.

He’s a good standup fighter. He’s got quick hands and that’s where he’s going to want to take this fight I assume. I don’t see why he would want to take it to the ground where it’s obviously my strong point. His experience and his hands are two dangerous, dangerous combinations.

Returning to the topic of cage-time, would you say being Bellator champion limits the amount of fights you can get per year?
I wouldn’t say it limits the amount of fights. I think the higher up the food chain so-to-speak the more difficult it is to get competitive fights and fights that do make sense. So Bellator or not Bellator, I think it’s always a struggle get guys fights that make sense, that it draws and it’s an intriguing fight. For me this is a good fight for me. I’m going to be tested in areas I haven’t truly been tested before and I don’t think that’s a reflection of being so-to-speak “limited” in Bellator. I think once you get to a certain level there’s only a handful of guys you can turn to, to make that fight happen and fortunately Paul stepped up and took this fight and I think it’s a perfect matchup for me. I don’t think it matters what organization. I think when you get towards the top it’s difficult to get fights, relatively quick, anyways. Every six months you’re going to find a fight but not every eight weeks like I was used to last year.

As your career continues to progress, you’re going to become a target for other up-and-coming fighters. How do you react to a fighter calling you out?
I just ignore it. I’ve been in top of the world before as far as the wrestling world goes. If I paid attention to that, you’d drive yourself crazy. I don’t care what people say or what people do. When it’s time to fight, I’m ready to go. Honestly, I don’t follow it at all. I didn’t even realize I was called out until about a week later when someone told me about it because I just don’t follow it. I just don’t care what someone else says. Saying stuff doesn’t mean anything. Step up and put your money where your mouth is. I’m assuming you’re talking about the last guy I fought, Neil Grove, calling me out. I mean (Laughs.), put your money where your mouth is. Look at what happened the last time you stepped up. You just won a sloppy fight against a subpar fighter, I don’t understand the basis for the claims.
I love fighting and I do love to watch it but I can’t obsess over it or it’ll drive me mad.
— Cole Konrad
Did you get a chance to see that fight? It was a unique, to say the least.
I didn’t see the fight and I was told about it a week later so then I hopped on YouTube. I didn’t see it live. I actually don’t have TV.

Since you don’t own a TV, how closely do you follow the sport?
I’m well aware of what’s going on. I follow it close, it’s just I’m not obsessed with watching everything live. I catch a lot of things on the Internet. I’m aware of who’s who and what’s going on and things like that. When I’m out of the practice room and out of the cage, I kind of want to shut my mind out of it and not overthink it. You start doing that then personally, I start to overthinking it or start worrying about things I don’t need to be worrying about — like a guy calling me out. I don’t care to worry about it because it means nothing. I try to limit what I see to an extent and I’ve just found that it helps for me. It’s always helped me in wrestling and I’ve carried that over to the cage. Obviously, I love fighting and I do love to watch it but I can’t obsess over it or it’ll drive me mad.

When you’re watching a fight, what’s your experience like as a spectator? Do you envision yourself in there or can you enjoy fights simply as a fan?
A little of each and usually I try to sit back and enjoy it. But regardless of whether I’m watching a heavyweight or lightweight it doesn’t much matter. (Chuckles.) “Ooh, what would I do there?” It always clicking in my brain. “You should have done this, this or this. I would’ve done this or this.” Once you’re in the sport and you love the sport, you’re constantly analyzing things all the time and you’re working out solutions in your head.

It’s all but official that UFC is heading to FOX and if that’s the case, Bellator would presumably be a good match for Spike. Are you looking forward to the prospects of that happening?
If that’s the case, that’s great. I don’t know viewership or things like that. I don’t know if it’ll drive it up or down or whatever. If that’s a move up, that’s great. It’s great for the company and it’s great for me to get on TV and get more exposure. Bellator has really been taking off and it’s been fun to be with them this last two years.

It would and it would also be in HD, if you’re into all that.
Cool. Yeah, well, that’s sweet. I don’t have a TV. (Laughs.)

 

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Hump Day Headlines with Stephanie Ann Cook

Shawn Tompkins death ruled a heart attack. Tompkins’ manager, Gary Ibarra reveals family’s history of heart disease. Jon Fitch expected back in the cage at UFC 139 in San Jose, rumored opponent is Johny Hendricks..

Shawn Tompkins death ruled a heart attack. Tompkins’ manager, Gary Ibarra reveals family’s history of heart disease.

Jon Fitch expected back in the cage at UFC 139 in San Jose, rumored opponent is Johny Hendricks.

UFC on Versus 5 produces 6 indefinite medically suspended fighters including: Jim Miller, Amir Saddolah, Duane Ludwig, C.B. Dollaway, Kyle Noke, and T.J Obrien. Full breakdown of all 12 suspensions: here.

UFC on Versus 5 salaries and bonuses released. Chris Lytle highest paid at $200,000. More here.

UFC on Versus 6 to feature Fabricio Maldonado vs. Aaron Rosa.

Kimbo Slice knocked out James Wade in 10 seconds at his boxing debut. Jared Shaw claims to prosper from Dana White‘s mistake.

Martin Kampmann returns at UFC 139 against Rick Story, also on the card is Gleison Tibau vs. Raphael Dos Anjos.

Bellator signs Middlweight fighter Giva Santana to roster.

UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III on sale today!

Bellator Adds Another Impressive Prospect: ‘Arm Collector’ Giva Santana

Filed under: Bellator

Bellator Fighting Championships is continuing to sign some of the most promising fighters in mixed martial arts, with Giva Santana becoming the latest to step into the Bellator fold.

Santana has a 16-1 professional record, most…

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Bellator Fighting Championships is continuing to sign some of the most promising fighters in mixed martial arts, with Giva Santana becoming the latest to step into the Bellator fold.

Santana has a 16-1 professional record, most recently choking out former WEC light heavyweight champion Doug Marshall in just 29 seconds. Thirteen of Santana’s wins were first-round finishes, and his only loss was a split decision. Santana has 12 wins by arm bar, which is why he’s known as “The Arm Collector.”

“A lot of fighters like to go out there and try to knock their opponents out as soon as they can, and that’s the same way I am with my submissions,” Santana said in Bellator’s press release announcing the signing. “For me, to tap a guy out is the same feeling as the knockout. When a punch lands and you know you knocked your opponent out, I feel the same feeling when I lock up a submission on my opponent. I know right away that he’s going to tap, and it’s a great feeling.”

Bellator is in a precarious position within the MMA world, where the UFC is No. 1 by such a large margin that it’s sometimes hard to see No. 2. But it’s impressive that Bellator manages to keep signing legitimate fighters like Santana, who’s good enough that he could be fighting in the UFC.

Whether Bellator can survive for the long haul remains to be seen, but if the promotion doesn’t make it, it won’t be for a lack of identifying great talent and bringing that talent into the cage.

 

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Meet Bellator’s Jade Bryce and Take Her Picture!

Jade Bryce will be taking part in some event, I’m really not clear about what it is. But I’m guessing you can take her picture? I might be wrong. You should watch the video below.

Jade Bryce will be taking part in some event, I’m really not clear about what it is. But I’m guessing you can take her picture? I might be wrong. You should watch the video below and probably pay attention… I mean, if you want to meet her and all. I got the name of the event, it’s called Fashion In Action 2011 and the dates are September 26th -30th and you can sign up for it here. And it’s held in Puerto Vallarta which is apparently safer than Anaheim, CA. So maybe you can convince the wife and kids to skip Disneyland and fulfill your dreams of taking Bryce’s picture. Plus, it’s only $745 per person to attend the 5 day event which is also cheaper than 5 days at Disneyland. It’s really win-win.

MMA Top 10 Lightweights: Who Deserves the Next Shot?

Filed under: DREAM, UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator, Rankings, LightweightsThe UFC’s lightweight division is such a shark tank that it’s incredible that Jim Miller won seven fights in a row against 155-pounders in the Octagon, and won all of them convincing…

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Donald Cerrone gets his hand raised after a win.The UFC‘s lightweight division is such a shark tank that it’s incredible that Jim Miller won seven fights in a row against 155-pounders in the Octagon, and won all of them convincingly. Even if you’re not fighting the cream of the crop, you’re going to run into trouble at some point when you’re fighting UFC lightweights.

Trouble is just what Miller ran into at UFC on Versus 5, when Ben Henderson hammered him for three rounds on the way to a unanimous decision victory. The Henderson fight was Miller’s chance to earn the next shot at the lightweight title, but instead he gets dropped in the rankings, and it’s back to the drawing board for the UFC, which needs to figure out who’s next for the winner of the upcoming Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard fight.

So who will it be? We take a look at some of the contenders as we rank the Top 10 lightweights in MMA below.

Top 10 Lightweights in Mixed Martial Arts

(Editor’s Note: The fighter’s rankings the last time we ranked the lightweights are in parentheses.)

1. Frankie Edgar (1): The lightweight champion defends his title against Gray Maynard at UFC 136, and one way or the other, we can all hope for a decisive ending so that some new blood can fight for the lightweight strap.

2. Gray Maynard (2): One of the frustrating things about the lightweight division is that we’re going to go two full years with only three men competing for the belt: First Edgar beat B.J. Penn, then he beat Penn in the rematch, then Maynard and Edgar fought to a draw, and now they’re preparing for a rematch. There’s a long line of good lightweights waiting for a title shot.

3. Gilbert Melendez (3): Unfortunately for Melendez, he’s still stuck with Strikeforce, defending his belt against Jorge Masvidal next. Masvidal is a fine fighter, but he’s a step down for Melendez. The sooner Melendez is in the UFC, the better.

4. Clay Guida (6): Edgar, Maynard and Melendez are pretty well established as the Top 3 in the world, but watching the Ben Henderson-Jim Miller fight had me re-assessing the rest of the lightweight division, which is a big jumble of good fighters who are hard to separate from each other. I settled on Guida as the next-best of the bunch because of his current four-fight winning streak, in which he has looked particularly dominant, and especially for his impressive win over Anthony Pettis, who in turn had an impressive win over Henderson. If Kenny Florian or Diego Sanchez were still in the lightweight division, I’d rank either one of them ahead of Guida, as they both beat Guida before his current four-fight streak began. But as it is, I have Guida next in line at lightweight, and probably next in line for a title fight.

5. Anthony Pettis (9): The further we get into the world of the post-UFC-WEC merger, the more impressive it seems that Pettis was the WEC’s lightweight champion. When Pettis beat Henderson to win the WEC lightweight belt, we didn’t know that Henderson was capable of beating a Top 10 UFC lightweight like Miller. Now that we do know, it’s reasonable to re-assess Pettis’s standing in the lightweight division, and that’s what I’ve done in moving him into the Top 5.

6. Ben Henderson (NR): The best thing about Henderson as a fighter? His physical strength, especially in his lower body. He uses those tree trunk thighs to drive right through his opponents, and he completely overpowered Miller — something no one has ever done before.

7. Shinya Aoki (4): Aoki is going to have a tough time staying up high in the lightweight rankings if he doesn’t start beating higher-quality competition. The two guys he’s beaten this year, Rich Clementi and Lyle Beerbohm, are fine, but they’re nowhere near the level of opponents he’d be fighting in the UFC. I still think Aoki is a Top 10 lightweight, but I wish I could see him prove it in the Octagon.

8. Melvin Guillard (8): Guillard is currently on a five-fight winning streak, and if he makes it six in a row against Joe Lauzon at UFC 136, he’d have a good chance of earning the next shot at the Edgar-Maynard winner. It’s hard to believe now that Guillard was once viewed as an example of a guy who had thrown away his talent: Now he’s 7-1 since making his UFC return three years ago, and on the verge of a title fight.

9. Jim Miller (5): Miller is a great jiu jitsu practitioner who’s always looking for a submission, but what he found against Henderson is that he just wasn’t strong enough to deal with a bigger man pounding away at him from the top. He might want to consider a move to featherweight.

10. Eddie Alvarez (7): The longer Alvarez goes without fighting significant competition, the harder it’s going to be for him to stay in the lightweight Top 10. Alvarez is 7-0 since signing with Bellator, which is impressive, but none of his seven opponents is even close to the Top 10. And the last time he did face a Top 10 opponent, Shinya Aoki, he was submitted in 92 seconds. I’d love to see Bellator put Alvarez in the cage with someone who can really let him prove that he’s one of the MMA elite, but the reality is that won’t happen any time soon.

 

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