Tag: Dana White

UFC 134: Will an Anderson Silva Main Event Disappoint Again?

Anderson is the top pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the world today in my opinion. In fact, I agree with the assessment of UFC President Dana White. I also think he is the best ever in the short history of this sport.These kinds of comparisons …

Anderson is the top pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the world today in my opinion. In fact, I agree with the assessment of UFC President Dana White. I also think he is the best ever in the short history of this sport.

These kinds of comparisons are much harder to make in boxing which has a much longer history of great fighters. MMA is still very new and greatness stands out in stark contrast to its surrounding parts.

The one glaring sour spot in Anderson Silva‘s UFC tenure is his three bouts where he seemed to decide to joke and showboat instead of engaging or damaging his opponent.

In 2008, I met my cousin in Chicago for UFC 90. It was the first (and only) time the UFC has ever been to Illinois. I basically drove all that way to see Anderson Silva. It is not often that one can witness such brilliance in the fight game and I wasn’t going to miss it.

What I ended up getting was a great UFC debut from Junior dos Santos and a very uninspired performance from Silva in his bout. Silva showboated and mocked Cote for two rounds and then Cote suffered a knee injury ending the bout. Needless to say I was not very happy considering the $100 spent for a nosebleed seat.

The second Anderson Silva bout where he exhibited this strange behavior was against Thales Leites at UFC 97. In this bout Leites refused to engage for the most part and Silva finally got to the point where he just decided to mostly dance around and retain his belt and move on. Luckily, he rebounded with an amazing jab knockout of Forrest Griffin at UFC 101.

The third bout took place at the first ever UFC event in Abu Dhabi. In this match Silva hurt Demian Maia in both of the first two rounds but never moved in to finish. He spent the last three rounds being very arrogant and attempting to make the challenger look like a fool. Silva infuriated many of his fans and the UFC brass. It also marked the first time that I literally walked out of a restaurant before the end of a UFC fight.

So, will this main event be a repeat of the middleweight champion’s previous strange outings? I think there is very little chance of it being a bad fight. In the three bouts I mentioned above Silva seemed to have little respect for the men he was facing and it showed in the way that he acted like a modern day Muhammad Ali, dancing and belittling his opponents.

Not only do I think Silva knows that Yushin has earned his shot at the title and will take him seriously, but the fact that he was disqualified in their first bout five years ago will give him the motivation he needs to want to finish. Not only do I think he will finish this fight, I see him doing so in brutal fashion. His only worry is the wrestling of Okami which is quite good. However, Anderson showed against Chael Sonnen that he can finish off of his back even when he is in trouble.

So, will this main event be a good fight? I think it will be. It really is up to Anderson Silva to determine the outcome. Its his fight to win or lose.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

MMA: Will the UFC Continue to Prosper as Aging Stars Begin to Retire?

Most professional sports rise and fall with the success of their biggest stars. Mixed martial arts and the UFC will most likely continue with this trend.The boxing world had periods of growth followed by years of recession and is currently in the …

Most professional sports rise and fall with the success of their biggest stars. Mixed martial arts and the UFC will most likely continue with this trend.

The boxing world had periods of growth followed by years of recession and is currently in the biggest flux in the history of the sport. This is happening, especially in the heavyweight division, because there are no fighters that spark the interest of the general population. There are no more fighters like Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, George Foreman and Muhammad Ali to keep the audience coming back for more.

As the headlining MMA stars of today’s UFC begin to retire, will the UFC be able to progress at its current pace?

Unless multiple stars begin to rise and bring something new and exciting to the sport, look for ratings and overall interest to decrease.

Randy Couture, 48, and Royce Gracie, 44, have most likely seen their last moments in the ring. Both are UFC legends and hall of fame members who helped give the UFC national acclaim.

Chuck Liddell, 41, is one of the most recognizable power punching legends of the sport and recently retired in late December 2010.

UFC Hall of Fame member Matt Hughes will turn 38 in October, Rich Franklin and Tito Ortiz are both 36, Quinton Jackson and heavyweight legend Brock Lesnar are both 33. BJ Penn will turn 33 in December and Rashad Evans will turn 32 in September.

The most important fighter to the UFC that is nearing retirement is current UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, who is currently 36 years old.  

Where will the sport be without these names?

Most of these fighters only have a handful of fights left in the UFC, and as these superstars begin to fade away, Dana White and the rest of UFC need to promote the upcoming stars more than they ever have and hope they can gain as much popularity as the fighters of the past decade.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC President Dana White: "We’re Not a Monopoly. We’re Just the Best."

Ever since the UFC’s parent company, Zuffa LLC, purchased the promotions largest competitor, Strikeforce, the organization has heard the cries of “monopoly.” UFC president Dana White claims that the people that use that term to describe the UFC are far…

Ever since the UFC’s parent company, Zuffa LLC, purchased the promotions largest competitor, Strikeforce, the organization has heard the cries of “monopoly.” UFC president Dana White claims that the people that use that term to describe the UFC are far from correct.

“People always say ‘monopoly.’ The people who say that don’t know enough about the sport,” White told USA Today. “If you go state to state and called the athletic commission in every state where we’re sanctioned and ask them how many MMA events were held there this year and how many times did the UFC come, the answer is going to be once or zero. We’re not a monopoly. We’re just the best. We do what we do the best.”

White makes a good point, there are numerous local MMA events that are presented by small local promotions.

Just because one promoter is bigger and has more capital to invest in their promotion does not make them a monopoly.

Strictly defined, the UFC is not even close to being a monopoly, they don’t have exclusive ownership, nor do they have exclusive possession. As White and UFC chairman Lorenzo Fertitta said during a recent media call, anyone can get in the business. 

The UFC is doing all it can to become the face of MMA and that just boils down to good business.  When you think football, do you think NFL or football?  It’s the same with baseball and basketball, you think MLB and NBA and White wants you to think UFC instead of MMA.

As much as some would like you to believe otherwise, White is correct, the UFC is not a monopoly.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Keyboard Warriors #3: The Ream

If you missed Keyboard Warriors Monday, hey thanks. Nice to know someone actually appreciates all I do to entertain you jerkfaces. For the rest of you: hey guess what i did?

Yup, prepare yourselves for KBW #3! In the aftermath of the weekend’s Strikeforce action, Dana takes the time to address the heavyweights, evaluate their performances, and fill them in on his short terms plans. And his long term plans. Say what you will, but Big Daddy White dreams big, son.

If you are interested in 100% made up conversations between characters that are mostly fabrications, come on in and enjoy. Feel free to comment your little hands off. If you don’t like comedy … well, i’ve got nothing for you.

Why do you keep coming here again?

[RX]

If you missed Keyboard Warriors Monday, hey thanks. Nice to know someone actually appreciates all I do to entertain you jerkfaces. For the rest of you: hey guess what i did?

Yup, prepare yourselves for KBW #3! In the aftermath of the weekend’s Strikeforce action, Dana takes the time to address the heavyweights, evaluate their performances, and fill them in on his short terms plans. And his long term plans. Say what you will, but Big Daddy White dreams big, son.

If you are interested in 100% made up conversations between characters that are mostly fabrications, come on in and enjoy. Feel free to comment your little hands off. If you don’t like comedy … well, i’ve got nothing for you.

Why do you keep coming here again?

As always, thanks to Christopher and those jokers at WithLeather.

[RX]

 

Wednesday Morning MMA Link Club

(M-Bone is Dougie’ing in his grave right now. Props: Ariel Helwani)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

– Team Gina Carano Updates Strikeforce on Health Condition via Vague Email (5thRound)

– Pete Sell Returns to Competition After Two-Year Absence, Wins Ring of Combat Welterweight Title (TheFightNerd)

– The New CEO of ProElite Explains to Us How the Company Plans to Be the Number Two MMA Organization in the World (MiddleEasy)

– Werdum and Gloom: The Politics of Pulling Guard (NBC Sports MMA)

– Chad Griggs vs. Daniel Cormier Could Be ‘Logical Next Step’ for Strikeforce (MMA Fighting)

– Ring Girls Round-Up: Ashleigh Marley (LowKick)

– 28 Reasons We’d Love to Have Dana White’s Job (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

– ‘UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber 2’ Conference Call Highlights (Five Ounces of Pain)

– UFC 133: Jorge Rivera Is Too Old to Keep Getting Punched in the Head (MMA Mania)

– Fedor Emelianenko: ‘Two Mistakes In A Row Cannot Be Coincidence’ (MMA Convert)


(M-Bone is Dougie’ing in his grave right now. Props: Ariel Helwani)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

– Team Gina Carano Updates Strikeforce on Health Condition via Vague Email (5thRound)

– Pete Sell Returns to Competition After Two-Year Absence, Wins Ring of Combat Welterweight Title (TheFightNerd)

– The New CEO of ProElite Explains to Us How the Company Plans to Be the Number Two MMA Organization in the World (MiddleEasy)

– Werdum and Gloom: The Politics of Pulling Guard (NBC Sports MMA)

– Chad Griggs vs. Daniel Cormier Could Be ‘Logical Next Step’ for Strikeforce (MMA Fighting)

– Ring Girls Round-Up: Ashleigh Marley (LowKick)

– 28 Reasons We’d Love to Have Dana White’s Job (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

– ‘UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber 2′ Conference Call Highlights (Five Ounces of Pain)

– UFC 133: Jorge Rivera Is Too Old to Keep Getting Punched in the Head (MMA Mania)

– Fedor Emelianenko: ‘Two Mistakes In A Row Cannot Be Coincidence’ (MMA Convert)

UFC on Versus 4 Preview: Is Dana White Spoon-Feeding TUF Alum Matt Mitrione?

Over the years we’ve seen a select few UFC fighters spoon-fed competition that wasn’t exactly up to their skill levels.Michael Bisping and Kim Dong-hyun immediately come to mind.Don’t get me wrong, the UFC is head and shoulders above boxing when i…

Over the years we’ve seen a select few UFC fighters spoon-fed competition that wasn’t exactly up to their skill levels.

Michael Bisping and Kim Dong-hyun immediately come to mind.

Don’t get me wrong, the UFC is head and shoulders above boxing when it comes to promoting competitive fights. And when a fighter is helping to grow the sport in another part of the world, it’s in the best interest of all involved that they continue to win.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, UFC fans in different countries get new heroes to cheer for and young future fighters get someone to aspire to.

But there have been a few cases of spoon-feeding in the UFC that has nothing to do with developing the sport globally. Some Ultimate Fighter contestants have had an easy go of it as well.

Diego Sanchez’ first five fights after winning TUF 1 (until Josh Koscheck publicly called him out) immediately comes to mind.

Now it looks like the latest Ultimate Fighter alum to be getting soft opposition just might be Matt Mitrione.

Mitrione will be stepping into the Octagon for the fifth time at UFC On Versus 4 this Saturday night, and once again he’s fighting a sub-par opponent.

This time Joe Silva decided that Christian Morecraft would be a safe match-up for “Meathead” to maintain his unbeaten streak and continue to bring in the football fan demographic into the UFC.

Just to compare. By the time Brock Lesnar got into the Octagon for the fifth time he was defending his title for the second time. Shane Carwin’s fifth fight in the Octagon was for the belt, and by the time Junior dos Santos had his fifth UFC fight he had already fought Cro Cop, Struve, Ivel and Werdum.

Matt Mitrione is fighting a guy who would be 0-2 in the Octagon if he hadn’t punched Sean McCorkle in the groin before slapping on a standing guillotine choke.

So now we have to watch a fight where an up-and-comer is a negative-260 favorite. How does this do anything to elevate Mitrione in the UFC heavyweight rankings?

It doesn’t.

What a Mitrione win does do is get a dozen or so pro football player’s faces in the stands so that the nationally televised cameras can close in on them between fights.

I don’t think it will happen, but I’m cheering for the Morecraft upset in this one, just for principal’s sake.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com