Sean Sherk is set to make his UFC return later this year, but he isn’t looking to fight any chumps.The former UFC lightweight champion hopes to jump right back into the mix of contenders seeking a world title shot. After months of silence regarding his…
Sean Sherk is set to make his UFC return later this year, but he isn’t looking to fight any chumps.
The former UFC lightweight champion hopes to jump right back into the mix of contenders seeking a world title shot. After months of silence regarding his fighting career, Sherk recently took to Twitter to officially announce his UFC return:
“I will be coming back before the years end but I need a good fight not some chump who needs some fame!”
Sherk hasn’t competed since his controversial split decision victory over Evan Dunham in September 2010. After the win, he went on an extended hiatus to rehab several injuries.
At 38 years of age, Sherk can still make some noise in the lightweight division if he’s able to return to form. He’s a formidable striker and one of the best wrestlers in the world at 155-pounds.
Unfortunately, some will knock Sherk for his performance against Dunham, but people tend to forget that Dunham was on his way up the contender’s ladder before being knocked off by “The Muscle Shark.”
With that said, the lightweight division has seen a major growth in talent in the past couple of years. There are hardly any “chumps” at 155 pounds competing in the UFC.
An interesting return bout for Sherk would be against former title contender Gray Maynard. Since losing to Frankie Edgar at UFC 136, Maynard has been relatively quiet, and the UFC has yet to announce any future opponents.
Like Maynard, Sherk’s last professional loss came at the hands of Edgar in May 2009.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship could soon join the NFL, NBA, MLB and NASCAR in shedding its current pay-per-view module and existing primarily as a network entity.In an interview with MMAWeekly.com, UFC President Dana White talked about the possibi…
The Ultimate Fighting Championship could soon join the NFL, NBA, MLB and NASCAR in shedding its current pay-per-view module and existing primarily as a network entity.
In an interview with MMAWeekly.com, UFC President Dana White talked about the possibility of a UFC future without pay-per-view.
“Yeah, I do believe there will be a day when there probably isn’t pay-per-view. With this FOX exposure, we’re only a few months into this deal, but yeah, as we continue to put on shows and showcase talent over the next several years, the fan base is going to grow bigger and bigger and bigger.”
The possibility of the UFC existing without relying on pay-per-view revenue is a gargantuan step in pushing MMA as a mainstream sport.
White has done a tremendous job in increasing the number of free events every year. In 2011, fans were treated to 11 free fight cards.
While the UFC is certainly on the right track in making more fights available to the general public, hardcore fans are still expected to shell out 45-55 bucks for every major event, which is usually a deal breaker for casual fans.
Without pay-per-view, the biggest names and events in the UFC will be exposed to the world on a consistent basis, which could setup other deals and more sponsors for fighters.
The future of the UFC is bright, but as stated by White, the promotion is “several years” from a move of this magnitude.
“As the landscape in television continues to change – a lot of people believe that everything is gonna go to the Internet. Like now, when you buy your cable, and there’s basic cable and you can add other stations. We’re probably gonna get to the point where you can just pick exactly what you want. I want this channel, I want that channel, and I want that one, and that’s it. It’s very interesting to see where all this goes over the next several years, but I think the UFC is definitely gonna be a power player in the sports world.”
Jordy McElroy is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can follow him on Twitter @JordyMcElroy for breaking news, updates and an occasional laugh here and there.
For the longest time, Bellator FC was thought of as a distant third when put up against both Strikeforce and the UFC. In 2011, the groundwork was laid for a seismic shift in that power structure thanks to two key events: Strikeforce being sold to the U…
For the longest time, Bellator FC was thought of as a distant third when put up against both Strikeforce and the UFC. In 2011, the groundwork was laid for a seismic shift in that power structure thanks to two key events: Strikeforce being sold to the UFC, and the UFC moving from Spike TV to Fox. With a move to Spike more or less confirmed, Bellator’s potential has never seemed higher. With almost all of its champions and stars gone, Strikeforce has never looked weaker.
Here’s five reasons why Bellator should soon surpass Strikeforce and become the number-two MMA organization in the world.
5. Strikeforce will probably never add a Bantamweight and Featherweight Championship.
Perhaps this is an argument best served for another discussion, but I’ve always felt that lighter-weight fighters are easily as entertaining and even sometimes a good bit more entertaining than their higher-weight counterparts. I love the UFC’s 135 and 145 divisions; some of my favorite UFC fighters are Bantamweights and Featherweights. I’m even glad to see Flyweights in the Octagon.
In Bellator specifically, the lighter-weight tournaments (especially Featherweight!) constantly produce amazing, highlight-reel moments. And Strikeforce? Nothing.
As a Strikeforce fan and former Strikeforce super-fan, I admit that I was very interested and maybe even a little excited when UFC President Dana White said that he would start taking a much more active role in Strikeforce. That opens up a whole lot of interesting possibilities…or at least, it would have. White’s sudden interest in Strikeforce seems to have stopped just as quickly as it started. In a Twitter post, White even went as far as to say that Showtime would be running Strikeforce from now on and that he was “100% UFC”.
3. Does anyone know how long Strikeforce will go on?
This has a little bit to do with Dana White’s Tweet that effectively shows him giving up on Strikeforce, but there’s more to it than that. Strikeforce will continue onward for a while…but what then?
It’s a feeder league in every sense of the word, except no one (not Zuffa, not Showtime) wants to officially brand it a “feeder league” because most sport fans don’t care one bit about feeder leagues. Lying that it isn’t a feeder league just makes its status as a feeder league more obvious.
Unluckily for Zuffa and Showtime, MMA fans are many things. We’re brash, we’re outspoken, we’re defensive, and we’re easy to anger. But we are not stupid. At least, most of us aren’t, especially the hardcore fans. And with the exodus of almost all of its top talent (more on that later), it’ll be the hardcore fans that keep Strikeforce afloat.
Will that be enough? Maybe. Possibly. Hopefully! But then again, when was the last time a TV show, any TV show, was able to remain on the air for more than a few seasons when its audience consisted solely of a small-but-dedicated group of hardcore fans?
2. The Spike TV audience is the MMA audience, and Spike TV and its audience should welcome Bellator and their audience with open arms.
I’ve always (and I do mean always) said that I can’t think of a single Spike TV show that I watch other than the UFC. Spike TV, as a channel, was practically built by the UFC. Bellator will have to wait a year until Spike loses the rights to broadcast UFC events, but the memory of an MMA fan isn’t so short that he’ll forget that Spike TV has been the home of MMA for many, many years.
When Bellator makes the switch to Spike TV, they’ll be mixing their hardcore, dedicated audience that knows Spike TV is where you watch MMA with with the audience they pulled from MTV2. And there’s a strong possibility that such a melting pot of audiences will propel Bellator to become bigger and better than it’s ever been.
1. The UFC has decimated Strikeforce’s ranks, while Bellator’s biggest stars remain in Bellator.
I hate to say this, but I’m just going to come out and say it: the only Strikeforce champion I give a crap about right now is Gilbert Melendez. There’s no Welterweight Champion. Luke Rockhold isn’t exactly known for the quality of his fights, although I can admit he has a whole lot of potential. There’s no Light Heavyweight Champion. And not only is there no Heavyweight Champion, the Heavyweight division itself will soon be gone from Strikeforce.
The UFC has picked the bones clean from Strikeforce, and all that remains is a rotting carcass. The only good thing about this situation is that Strikeforce was so good before it died that its ghost can still produce some good events. As much as I love the women’s division and Gilbert Melendez…this is not Strikeforce.
On the other hand, Bellator is still Bellator. You can complain that Bellator doesn’t keep its champions active enough, and there’s been some rumors that Hector Lombard could be coming to the UFC. But, at this point in time, Bellator’s champions are still firmly committed to Bellator.
That could all change when/if the UFC begins considering them enough of a threat to start poaching their talent, but if all else fails, the tournament format results in an ever-increasing talent pool for Bellator, with many tournament finalists and winners going on to become some of Bellator’s biggest stars.
Point blank: Strikeforce is on the way down and Bellator is fast on the rise. Go watch Bellator.
If you’re a Twitter user and want to get in on the discussion and/or offer up your own insight, feel free to use #gowatchbellator in your tweets to help spread the word.
Sometimes the best way to get a little attention is to cause an argument.As a fan of Bellator Fighting Championships, I had a very positive reaction when it was announced months ago that they would be switching to Friday nights.The general consensus, h…
Sometimes the best way to get a little attention is to cause an argument.
As a fan of Bellator Fighting Championships, I had a very positive reaction when it was announced months ago that they would be switching to Friday nights.
The general consensus, however, seemed to be that Bellator would still run into stiff competition from “The Ultimate Fighter Live,” which recently debuted on FX and is also being aired on Friday.
Now that both “season openers” have aired, Bellator FC has emerged as the obvious choice.
Here are five reasons why you should go watch Bellator and save TUF Live for the TiVo.
5. Preliminary fights before and even after the event.
Maybe it’s a bit of a bizarre concept to have “post-event” prelims, but they’re still live MMA fights available for the low, low cost of free.
All you need is an Internet connection and you can watch at least four additional fights from Bellator.
The question is simple: Which is better, an entire episode of build-up for one live fight, or at least eight live fights spread across Spike.com and MTV2?
The answer is simpler: go watch Bellator.
4. Amazing fighters (Bellator) vs. people you’ve never heard of (TUF).
One of the goals of the UFC is to introduce you to an ever-revolving cast of characters that hopefully you end up caring about for a prolonged period of time.
It’s a noble goal, and it’s led to the creation of some amazing stars.
But Bellator simply has much more going for it.
While it’s interesting and fun to get to know someone you’ve never met through his actions on television, ask yourself this: As an MMA fan, shouldn’t the fights take top priority?
Not only do you get more fights with Bellator, you get bigger fights featuring a lot of top-ranked (both in Bellator and in the world) stars.
And they almost always produce unforgettable highlight-reel moments.
3. “The Ultimate Fighter” is still very much a reality TV show with “reality TV drama.” The drama in Bellator is as real as it gets.
This point could be argued until you realize that several notorious “TUF bad boys” have both indirectly and directly stated in interviews that they were playing a role and just did the “bad boy” gimmick so people could notice them.
On “The Ultimate Fighter,” you get your 15 seconds of fame by being a drunken loudmouth that everybody absolutely loathes.
In Bellator, you get your 15 seconds of fame by catching people in Inverted Triangles or knocking people into next week.
Once again the choice is obvious: go watch Bellator.
2. Live fights mean better fights? Maybe for Bellator, not for TUF Live.
This is numbered so high for one reason: the UFC did everything in its power to ensure that the “TUF Live” debut would be full of action—and I still saw several boring fights.
You couldn’t ask for a better formula (one five-minute round fought live) and it still couldn’t motivate some fighters to fight for a finish.
In general, the fight quality of any “Ultimate Fighter” season can be all kinds of hit-and-miss, and the debut episode proved that not even the live concept can guarantee the fights will always be exciting.
Of course, there’s always next week. But even if you take that viewpoint, you’re still saying “maybe next week” for one fight, while Bellator is broadcasting an entire night of live fights.
1. It’s been 15 seasons and, compared to Bellator, nothing has changed.
Even on a new network and with a live concept anchoring the show, TUF still felt very much like TUF.
Is that a good thing?
Maybe not after 15 straight seasons. The term “stale” has been used to describe the TUF format for several seasons now.
Meanwhile, Bellator FC continues to see champions rise and fall while world-class competitors fight in Bellator tournaments for their shot at the gold.
Who knows what the next Bellator tournament will bring?
I’ve seen TUF for so long that I know what to expect, and even if it’s on a different network, it’s still TUF.
Bellator, meanwhile, continues to surprise me on a per-event basis. A little stability is nice, but unpredictability is what got me into MMA.
If you’re a Twitter user and want to get in on the discussion and/or offer up your own insight, feel free to use #gowatchbellator in your tweets to help spread the word.
Oliver Saenz, also known as PdW2kX, is a freelance journalist, opinion columnist, hardcore MMA fan, and lifelong video game nerd. For more news, views, previews, and reviews on all things Mixed Martial Arts as well as video games, be sure to visit FightGamesBlog.net.
One year ago to the day, Zuffa shocked the MMA world by buying Strikeforce, their top competitor and a promotion on the rise. Strikeforce and Showtime had set records on the network with their Heavyweight Grand Prix and the sky seemed the limit for the…
One year ago to the day, Zuffa shocked the MMA world by buying Strikeforce, their top competitor and a promotion on the rise. Strikeforce and Showtime had set records on the network with their Heavyweight Grand Prix and the sky seemed the limit for the San Jose, Calif.-based promotion.
Suddenly they were the UFC’s little brother, a promotion with no identity. UFC President Dana White told a skeptical press it would be “business as usual.” Has it? Take a look at all the craziness that has gone down in the last year and decide for yourself.
In the wake of Rampage Jackson’s recent request to be released by the UFC, the former light-heavyweight champion seems to have found a new career—as a rapper.Following in the footsteps of Shaquille O’Neal and Bob Sapp, Rampage looks to become the…
In the wake of Rampage Jackson’s recent request to be released by the UFC, the former light-heavyweight champion seems to have found a new career—as a rapper.
Following in the footsteps of Shaquille O’Neal and Bob Sapp, Rampage looks to become the next athlete turned mediocre music star as he awaits the release of his not so highly anticipated first album entitled “A.L.F.A. (Appreciate Large Female Asses).” In the video above, Rampage gives the Japanese fans a taste of what’s to come.
“I’m in a studio—you know I make music as a hobby—I am in the studio right now with my friend who produced all my tracks,” Rampage told Fighters Only magazine. “We made a big hit actually, people will be really surprised when I release this because I have been making music for like six or seven years but never released anything. Now I am finally comfortable to actually release something.”
Surprisingly, this is not the first time Rampage has attempted to make a record.
“A lot of American fans won’t know that I nearly had a record deal with Pride,” Rampage said, “the company that ran Pride was called DreamStage and they did fights, movies and music…It’s my life and my career and I want to have fun and entertain people.”
According to CagePatato.com, Rampage’s first single off his debut album will be called “Doggy Style” and will feature a non-singing, cameo appearance by Arianny Celeste.
For the longest time, Bellator FC was thought of as a distant third when put up against both Strikeforce and the UFC. In 2011, the groundwork was laid for a seismic shift in that power structure thanks to two key events: Strikeforce being sold to the UFC, and the UFC moving from Spike TV to Fox. With a move to Spike more or less confirmed, Bellator’s potential has never seemed higher. With almost all of its champions and stars gone, Strikeforce has never looked weaker.