We were #1 on all of cable with M18-34 and M18-49. We also beat out the US Open and the Detroit vs. Red Sox MLB game. This is all part of the building process. We’ve made a commitment to work with FOX to build this network. If you look at all the other networks we’ve ever been on, we consistently pull strong ratings.
The first time we put our prelims on FX, we pulled 880K viewers and it grew, depending on the fight, up to 1.9 million viewers for UFC 156. Also, the TUF season with Carwin and Big Country averged 822K viewers, then Jones vs. Sonnen averaged 1.3 million viewers.
We currently hold the top 4 most watched telecasts on FS1 since the network launched. To be honest, our Prelim and Fight Night numbers weren’t bad considering we started on the west coast at 2pm in the afternoon on a Wednesday. The most important thing is last nights fights were awesome and this season of TUF is great.
Yes, we didn’t pull 1 million+ but we will. But, we also fucked up last night by not starting the main event later so that we could get a live lead into TUF. The bottom line is FOX couldn’t be happier with the UFC and the ratings we’re pulling and we couldn’t be happier with the way we have been treated by the network.
That’s some hit, man. (I’m so sorry.) PicProps: Esther Lin / MMAFighting
So BG is gone this week, I assume to yet another wedding, because once he bought the tuxedo he was determined to get the mileage out of it. Seriously, he’s got the whole bit: natty little straight cane with the white tips, monocle, top hat, the whole nine. It’s dashing, but apparently it’s expensive as hell. That or he’s running some kind of scheme where he collects disposable cameras and plastic champagne flutes? What the fuck are you building in there, Goldstein?
So anyway, I’m poking around his office here at CP headquarters, kick over a box of CagePotato Hall of Fame t-shirts, and damn if i didn’t stumble over the ol’ arbitrariest of MMA supercomputers: the Potato Index.
Turns out it’s been hooked up this whole time, so I decided to pull up the numbers on UFC’s Fight Night 27, just for old times’ sake.
The Octagon Girls +16
The new Octagon Girls are lovely. Chrissy Blair is the archetypal California Girl; think Christie Brinkley in a Ferrari, but blonder. And the new brunette one getting tattoos exactly like Brittney Palmer’s was a nice touch.
Kansas City fighters + 42 Zak Cummings [+19] and Jason High [+23] both picked up their first UFC wins with good-looking performances. Jason High had previously lost to Erick Silva in June and Charlie Brennamen back in 2010, mostly because Joe Silva likes to call High on short notice for not-easy fights. The Kansas City Bandit gets a big bump with a quick win.
Abel Trujillo +11
Trujillo picks up the best kind of No Contest: the kind that comes from a foul that is both uber-agressive and debatable. Attacking grounded fighters with knees will always stir the passions; if Trujillo were a savvy marketer, he would start coming to the cage in a Hannibal mask and a straight jacket. A straight jacket covered in sponsor patches. Dana White would get a visible boner.
Roger Bowling -5
Unfortunately, according to (arbitrary) opinion, it’s better to take the loss in the cage and get the NC declared later. But enjoy your short-term memory and normal brain function. (Pussy.)
That’s some hit, man. (I’m so sorry.) PicProps: Esther Lin / MMAFighting
So BG is gone this week, I assume to yet another wedding, because once he bought the tuxedo he was determined to get the mileage out of it. Seriously, he’s got the whole bit: natty little straight cane with the white tips, monocle, top hat, the whole nine. It’s dashing, but apparently it’s expensive as hell. That or he’s running some kind of scheme where he collects disposable cameras and plastic champagne flutes? What the fuck are you building in there, Goldstein?
So anyway, I’m poking around his office here at CP headquarters, kick over a box of CagePotato Hall of Fame t-shirts, and damn if i didn’t stumble over the ol’ arbitrariest of MMA supercomputers: the Potato Index.
Turns out it’s been hooked up this whole time, so I decided to pull up the numbers on UFC’s Fight Night 27, just for old times’ sake.
The Octagon Girls +16
The new Octagon Girls are lovely. Chrissy Blair is the archetypal California Girl; think Christie Brinkley in a Ferrari, but blonder. And the new brunette one getting tattoos exactly like Brittney Palmer’s was a nice touch.
Kansas City fighters + 42 Zak Cummings [+19] and Jason High [+23] both picked up their first UFC wins with good-looking performances. Jason High had previously lost to Erick Silva in June and Charlie Brennamen back in 2010, mostly because Joe Silva likes to call High on short notice for not-easy fights. The Kansas City Bandit gets a big bump with a quick win.
Abel Trujillo +11
Trujillo picks up the best kind of No Contest: the kind that comes from a foul that is both uber-agressive and debatable. Attacking grounded fighters with knees will always stir the passions; if Trujillo were a savvy marketer, he would start coming to the cage in a Hannibal mask and a straight jacket. A straight jacket covered in sponsor patches. Dana White would get a visible boner.
Roger Bowling -5
Unfortunately, according to (arbitrary) opinion, it’s better to take the loss in the cage and get the NC declared later. But enjoy your short-term memory and normal brain function. (Pussy.)
Darren Elkins +14
Elkins survived a vicious body attack in the first and a dangerous grappling attack in the second and third. “Surviving” does not tend to lead to big gains in esteem, as witnessed by Elkins being bounced to the prelims despite a 7-2 UFC record, and minimal gains here.
Hatsu Hioki -27
Attacking Hatsu Hioki on the ground, with a leg lock, should be like picking a fight with Iron Man while wearing your own home-made power armor. But that’s exactly what happened, after Hioki had failed to put away a visibly hurt Elkins in the first round. Hioki is now 0-3 in the UFC, so don’t expect to see him before the organization returns to Japan.
Brandon Thatch +38
There’s a first appearance, and then there’s a debut. One you need to look up, and one just stands out. In 1 minute and 23 seconds of full-blown Tekken button-mashing mode, Thatch introduced himself to a whole bunch of new people.
Justin Edwards: -23
Poor Justin Edwards. Where previously he was always being mentally associated with this guy, now people are always going to mentally associate him with 82 seconds of gloriously violent interpretive dance. Expect Edwards to get another chance to redeem himself, but that’s a harsh beating to take.
TUF 18: Rousey vs Tate: +8
The latest incarnation of the Ultimate Fighter competition show continues to draw buzz with its first female inclusion, while Cat Zingano [-4] has been effectively forgotten. At least the UFC has a legitimate challenger after Tate suffers her second disarticulation loss.
Dylan Andrews: +18
Andrews looked to be losing a grappling match until he uncorked an economy three-pack of Aussie brand Uppercut that tucked Papy into Abedi in the third round. [Ed. note: The computer is unable -or unwilling – to apologize for this.] Carrying that kind of power late into the fight, even when injured, makes Andrews a scary opponent. Andrews lost points for calling his uppercut his “money shot”, because human fluids are disgusting.
Papy Abedi -11
Abedi kept his grappling attack entertaining, with some slick trips and a high-amplitude slam. His chin looks to be suspect, but that shouldn’t stop him from getting a call again, particularly when friend Alexander Gustafssen is on the card, or the UFC is visiting Europe.
Brad Tavares +17
Tavares showcased some powerful strikes without going complete Manhoef, possibly pacing himself for a tough fight. It was a good performance in that it showed potential, but it was outshone by a card packed with stoppages.
Bubba McDaniel -19
If your name is Robert, but everyone calls you “Bubba”, you have to be a tough SOB and you have fight to scare people [See also: “Tank”, “Barbie”]. McDaniel is not living up to expectations – late rally notwithstanding – and he’s only a couple of wins away from being “Rob”. If he taps to strikes he goes straight to “Bobby”.
Takeya Mizugaki +17
Mizugaki gets a bigger bump than the judges would indicate, with an intelligent performance that affirms his place in the bantamweight elite.
Erik Perez -6
No shame in a loss to Mizugaki, but it will slow the hype train. Perez stayed predictable enough for Mizugaki to counter sharply, and this should be an excellent learning opportunity for the 23 year old Perez.
Court McGee +5
Reports of McGee’s demise are greatly exaggerated. He is still very much alive and active, and earned a slim split decision in a very close fight. This fight is notable in that scores vary wildly from all sources, including the official judges, who scored the bout 30-27, 29-28, and 27-30. The notable aspect is that none of these official scores are indefensible. It is a curious, aberrational result that indicates a different scoring protocol should be investigated.
Robert Whittaker -5
Whittaker was on the losing end of a curious, aberrational result that indicates a different scoring protocol should be investigated, so now would be an opportune time for someone to approach him with a petition. The close result would seem to make the two interchangeable in the rankings for the near future.
Kevin Gastelum +36
Gastelum steps out at welterweight for the first time, and steps up on the Index with a convincing showing of boxing offense to augment his touted wrestling base.
Brian Melancon -21
Melancon was a late replacement for Paulo Thiago, which is enough to by him enough goodwill for another fight. That said, anybody at 170 pounds (always a packed division) that came from Strikeforce is on thin ice to begin with.
Rafael dos Anjos +34
Any winner over Cerrone puts the division on notice. A matchup against a convalescing T.J. Grant has been suggested, and seems entirely appropriate later this fall.
Donald Cerrone -16
Donald Cerrone has solidified his role the gate keeper at 155, which is not terrible by any stretch. He’s solidly in the Top 10, and he’s 584% more entertaining than a “You must be this _______ tall to fight the champ” sign.
Carlos Condit +37
A convincing win that completely erases any previous loss, Condit is riding high. Future Twitter fights or a well-phrased YouTube video could cause another slide on the Index, however. Like Cerrone, Condit is a perfectly-placed yardstick at 170 pounds — there doesn’t appear to be anyone not named St. Pierre* better than Condit.
Martin Kampmann -21
Look at Kampmann’s face when Dean waves the fight off. He’s not arguing, he’s bewildered – Kampmann’s just hoping someone got the license plate of that low-flying gang of ninja monkeys that just attacked him. (His face after the fight wasn’t much better.) Expect the Danish Hitman to come back with a vicious win after this, possibly rocking a different look going forward.
*Or Hendricks, as reader Scott Johnson rightly points out. Clearly, the Potato Index Super Computer IS BUGGY AFTER NOT BEING USED FOR SO LONG GAH. Asshole.
Handling the play-by-play for the FOX Sports 1 main card is George Shunick, who will be providing live results after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and toss your own thoughts into our comments section. Thanks for coming.
Handling the play-by-play for the FOX Sports 1 main card is George Shunick, who will be providing live results after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and toss your own thoughts into our comments section. Thanks for coming.
Welcome to the live-blog, Potato Nation. We’ve got a solid card for your viewing (err, reading) pleasure tonight, headlined by a rematch between Martin Kampmann and “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit. Both fighters are strong offensively, both on the feet and on the ground. Condit’s probably got better striking defense while Kampmann has the edge in wrestling. The last fight was pretty close, and while the potential for a finish is rather high, this one should be equally well-contested. In addition, we have Donald Cerrone taking on Rafael Dos Anjos, and TUF 17 champion Kelvin Gastelum sees his first action at 170. Suffice it to say, this card shouldn’t lack on action.
Brad Tavares vs. Bubba McDaniel
For all the crap McDaniel – perhaps justifiably – got for his personality on TUF 17, he’s still a decent fighter. He’s not nearly the underdog he’s been made out to be in this fight. Doesn’t mean I think he’ll win. But hey, don’t be surprised if he does. As for Brad Tavares… well, the man has the best takedown defense in UFC middleweight history, so that counts for something.
Round 1
Fighters touch gloves. Low kick from Tavares. And another. They’re in opposite stances. Tavares goes high, then goes for an inside leg kick. McDaniel circles and Tavares lands yet another outside leg kick. 1-2 from McDaniel who clinches Tavares against the fence. But Tavares maintains his excellent takedown defense and escapes from the clinch. McDaniel lands a cross as he backs Tavares up. Tavares lands another low kick, McDaniel attempts to counter with a cross as Tavares throws another kick, and McDaniel briefly ends up on his back. Tavares lets him up. They exchange and both land. Tavares almost takes McDaniel down but McDaniel grabs a double leg and gets tavares against the fence. McDaniel lands an accidental low blow and they are separated by Dan Miragliotta. McDaniel’s leg is looking red and rather tender. Tavares slips a cross and clinches McDaniel against the fence. Tavares gets underhooks but can’t do much with them. They separate. Tavares lands a nice body kick before the bell. 10-9 Tavares.
Round 2
Another low kick from Tavares to McDaniel’s lead leg to start. Tavares lands a nice hook to the body after a jab-cross combo. A hook drops McDaniel, but mostly because he was off-balance. He stands and eats another kick to his lead leg. Tavares with a cross counter that lands. McDaniel seems befuddled, but he lands a takedown as Tavares rushes in with sloppy punches. Tavares has butterfly guard and uses it to stand. McDaniel has a front headlock but loses it quickly. They separate. Low kick Tavares. Counter jab drops McDaniel as he was kicking. He stands. More kicks from Tavares. McDaniel simply isn’t doing anything to deter Tavares from abusing his legs. McDaniel lands a left hand lead and almost lands a takedown but Tavares reverses. Tavares stands and kicks McDaniel’s legs as he stands. McDaniel is stood up. Round ends, 10-9 Tavares.
Round 3
Turns out McDaniel’s lone knockdown in the last round came from a headbutt. It’s that kind of night for him. But he tags Tavares with a left that wobbles him! However, he immediately clinches and Tavares quickly has him pinned against the cage. Not terribly smart. They break. McDaniel eats a shot to the groin and goes down. They pause the action but soon resume. McDaniel beginning to push forward now. He finally manages to land a double in the middle of the ring. McDaniel passes to half guard almost immediately. Tavares works from the open half guard and regains half-butterfly guard. McDaniel passes back to half-guard as Tavares half-heartedly pursues a kimura from the bottom. There’s a scramble, and Tavares ultimately regains guard. Tavares looks for a triangle to no avail. McDaniel passes to half-guard, and he needs a submission quickly. He’s not looking for one, though. He passes to side control, but he’s put back in half guard. McDaniel simply can’t get separation as the round ends. 10-9 for McDaniel, but it comes too late to save him. Should be 29-28 Tavares.
The judges concur. Brad Tavares is your victor by way of unanimous decision. No surprises there.
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Erik Perez
Mizugaki is coming off a justly deserved split-decision over Bryan Caraway. (Just savor that for a moment, will you?) Perez is coming off a victory of Byron Bloodworth, who has unfortunately never managed to quite live up to how epic his name is. Who wins this fight? In a year, I’d definitely say “Goyito.” Right now? Who can say. Mizugaki is a legitimately tough human. It’s a sizeable step up for the Mexican prospect. Should be interesting to see how he responds.
Round 1
They touch gloves. Both men land hard shots in the center of the ring. Big left hook from Perez following a leaping Mizugaki cross. These guys are throwing heat, if not necessarily connecting most of the time. Big right from Mizugaki lands. Flying knee from Perez. His nose is already bleeding. Counter hook from Perez lands. Big right from Mizugaki as Perez goes from a flying knee. After an exchange, Perez runs through Mizugaki with a takedown. Mizugaki tries to wall-walk with his shoulders against the cage, but Perez is keeping him down. Goyito lands a knee to the body as Mizugaki stands. Perez quickly lands another takedown and they’re in the same position. Mizugaki stands again and reverses position. Perez catches a low kick and pushes Mizugaki back into the fence. He’s able to land a takedown, again in the same position. Again Mizugaki stands. Big double leg from Mizugaki, who finds himself in side control. Goyito looks to stand, but Mizugaki sinks one hook in and looks to take Perez’ back. Now he lets him up against the cage, and Perez reverses position. He lands a knee and works for a single. Mizugaki goes to a knee, then stands as the round ends. 10-9 Perez in an excellent round.
Round 2
Mizugaki counters a kick with a cross. Then a flying knee with a hook. He lands a cross-hook ombo on Perez. Another hook lands. Perez misses a spinning back kick. Mizugaki misses a big overhand, but he lands a counter right off a kick attempt from Perez. Mizugaki stuffs a double leg attempt. Mizugaki lands a knee as Perez shoots for another. Mizugaki escapes and they reset. Perez is beginning to slow. Mizugaki lands two counter left hooks in quick succession. He shoots for a double, but lands a shot as he returns to his feet after being stuffed. Perez returns with an overhand of his own. Big counter left hooks from Mizugaki. That’s been his money punch this round. He stuffs another Perez takedown against the fence. Mizugaki is down to his knees, but he’s still not down. Perez lands a nice knee to the body as Mizugaki stands. Big counter cross to Perez’ teep. Uppercut from Mizugaki as Perez shoots. Mizugaki sprawls as the round ends. 10-9 Mizugaki, who’s beginning to take over this fight.
Round 3
Low kick from Perez. Mizugaki lands a counter overhand. He’s dominating these exchanges. Perez lands a teep. Mizugaki slips a Perez cross and lands a big counter hook. He uses the momentum to land a takedown, before they stand again. Perez goes for a takedown, but Mizugaki quickly stands. Perez grabs a guillotine, Mizugaki drops to the ground before returning to his feet. They alternate positions on the fence before Mizugaki lands a takedown off double underhooks. He tries to pass, but only ends up in half-butterfly guard. Mizugaki looks to take Perez’ back after Perez tries to stand. Mizugaki looks to secure an RNC, but Goyito somehow manages to position himself out of harm’s way. They exchange as Perez stands, and then attempts a takedown of his own. Mizugaki is trapped on the fence, and manages to stand again. Mizugaki achieves the dominant position on the fence. They swing to the bell. Close round, but I’d go 10-9 Mizugaki.
Split decision, all 29-28′s, for Takeya Mizugaki. He deserved it. Perez has plenty of time to improve, though. And if both men keep fighting like this, they won’t have to worry about their jobs any time soon.
Court McGee vs. Robert Whittaker
Court “Matt Brown 2.0″ McGee (don’t worry Matt Brown fans; Matt Brown is something like “Matt Brown 7.0″ right now) looks to get some momentum going after ending a losing streak in his last fight. That said, I’m too impressed with Whittaker’s recent finish of Colton Smith to think that’s gonna be the case. I’ve got Whittaker by decision.
Round 1
McGee comes out firing kicks. He lands a low kick and shoots for a clinch. Whittaker separates. McGee clearly looking to push the pace early. McGee lands a right and then a body kick. McGee lands two hard leg kicks. Counter jab from Whittaker lands. Then a lead jab lands. Lead right lands. Whittaker beginning to loosen up. He lands a short counter left hook. McGee lands a cross, thena low kick. Whittaker lands a lead right. Whittaker drops McGee with a counter left hook as McGee shoots for a takedown! But McGee quickly recovers. But Whittaker really beginning to land his jab. McGee answering with kicks, most of which are blocked. McGee lands a takedown, but Whittaker easily stands and separates. McGee is cut on the side of his head. Whittaker with a teep. Whittaker lands an over the top elbow as McGee enters to land a combination. Whittaker with a coutner left hook. McGee’s shot is stuffed, but he lands a nice body kick. 10-9 Whittaker, who landed the cleaner shots.
Round 2
McGee again sets the pace. He looks for a spinning backfist, but it’s blocked. Whittaker goes down from a McGee counter, but it’s just a slip. BUT NOT THE SECOND TIME! McGee lands a straight right that drops Whittaker. Whittaker stands, but McGee is constantly pressuring him and lands a nice uppercut. Now McGee clinches and lands a nice upward elbow as they separate. McGee lands a takedown and goes to take Whittaker’s back. Whittaker escapes. He lands a nice elbow in an exchange. Jab from McGee. Inside elbow from Whittaker. McGee shoots for another takedown, but its stuffed on the fence. McGee lands some uppercuts as they separate. Whittaker is slowing. Nice counter left from Whittaker. Now a counter elbow. Then a counter hook. Whittaker’s lead hand is his best weapon. Whittaker doubles up on his elbow. Whittaker making up for lost ground in this round. They exchange jabs. Whittaker checks a low kick and follows up with a cross-jab combo. They exchange. 10-9 McGee for the knockdown, but Whittaker closed in the end of the round.
Round 3
Right-left from Whittaker. He lands a jab. Doubles up on the right with an elbow then a backhand. McGee lands a nice hook. Spinning back kick to the body from McGee. A jab stuns Whittaker as the latter rushes in. Cross lands from McGee. Both men land jabs. Whittaker lands another one, more forcefully. Whittaker rushes in with hooks and crosses that land. But by and large, the pace has slowed. McGee’s takedown attempt is stuffed. Whittaker lands a hook and uppercut. Both men are throwing, but not landing as much. Whittaker lands two solid counter hooks, though.Both men throw inside elbows. McGee really bringing the pressure, but he’s not landing much. Whittaker lands a nice inside elbow. Low kick and jab from McGee. Another elbow from Whittaker. Cross lands for McGee. Big exchange by both men at the end. Much like the fight, Whittaker seemed to land the cleaner strikes, at the expense of McGee’s sheer output. I favor the former. 10-9 Whittaker.
30-27, 29-28, and 27-30 (ugh), for the winner, Court McGee. I disagree, but not with any significant amount of vehemence. Let’s move on…
Brian Melancon can strike! Kelvin Gastelum can wrestle! Which will win?! If I had to hazard a guess… I’m going with Gastelum here. But Melancon’s Fedor-esque finish of Seth Baczynski should be fresh in Gastelum’s mind here.
Round 1
Touch of gloves. Melancon flashes leather. He lands a cross as Gastelum enters his personal space. But the second time, Gastelum lands the takedown. Melancon uses the fences to stand. He escapes. Cross to the body from Melancon. Gastelum lands a double leg, but Melancon stands immediately. Right hook lands for Kelvin. Left hook misses for Melancon. Knee to the body from gastelum. BIG COMBO from Gastelum! He drops Melancon, takes his back and gets the RNC. Takes about one second for Melancon to tap. It’s over. Gastelum rushes him with straights before dropping a dazed Melancon with a left uppercut. He smelled blood and finished instantly. An impressive performance from Kelvin Gastelum.
Oh look, it’s a Matt Brown – aka Matt Brown 7.0 – sighting! Clearly, he was unimpressed with Court McGee’s performance.
Donald Cerrone vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
This one should be “Cowboy” Cerrone’s to lose. He’s got the advantage in striking, wrestling, and quite possibly submissions as well. Rafael Dos Anjos has a shot if he gets on top and passes Cerrone’s guard. That’s no easy feat. Frankly, I think Cerrone manages to either garner a finish or a dominant decision. Either way, Dos Anjos’ face won’t look too pretty in the morning.
Round 1
NO GLOVE TOUCH! Low kick from Cerrone. He goes high but Dos Anjos evades. Dos Anjos returns with one of his own, which is blocked. Cerrone misses a knee. nice jab from Dos Anjos. Body kick from Anjos, then an overhand. Cerrone with a knee. Front kick from Cerrone. Then a teep. (Yes, there’s a difference.) Body kick from Dos Anjos. Knee from Cerrone. Dos Anjos with a hookk as they break. Cerrone catches a kick and returns with a low one. Body-head combo from Dos Anjos. Dos Anjos’ kick is blocked. Teep from Cerrone. BIG HOOK DROPS CERRONE! Dos Anjos lands a takedown. Cerrone goes for a triangle, but Dos Anjos escapes, scrambles, and ends up in half-guard. Cerrone regains guard and works for submissions. Dos Anjos tries to pass, but ends up in guard. He lands some nice elbows from the top. Now he works some punches. BIG ELBOW to the head. He is tooling Cerrone with those. Round, 10-9 Dos Anjos.
Round 2
Low kick checked by Dos Anjos. he lands a body kick. Another body kick. Cerrone lands a leg kick. Then a jab. Dos Anjos barely misses a right hook. He lands a low kick. Cerrone returns with one of his own. Knee lands from Dos Anjos. Then another body kick. He’s working those. Thena nother. Front kick to the body from Cerrone. Cerrone shoots for a takedown! He lands it and sets up in half-guard. Dos Anjos controls his posture though, and looks to sweep. Cerrone survives the scramble, however, but Dos Anjos manages to stand. Now Dos Anjos shoots for a double. Cerrone defends against the cage, and they exchange knees as they break. Jab lands from Cerrone. Body kick from Dos Anjos is blocked. Elbow from Dos Anjos. Dos Anjos lands a double off the fence. Cerrone has butterfly guard, now full guard. Dos Anjos doesn’t land the same type of ground and pound as he did at the end of the last round, but he still takes this one. 10-9 Dos Anjos.
Round 3
They touch gloves. Dos Anjos kick sails over Cerrone’s head. A leg kick drops Dos Anjos. That sounded hard. He stands. Cerrone’s takedown attempt is stuffed. He misses a knee as Dos Anjos looks to counter with that right hook. Cerrone with a straight to the body. Front kick to the body again. Body kick from Cerrone. Another one lands, but Dos Anjos catches it and looks to land a double. Cerrone defends, however, and is positioned against the cage. He escapes. Cerrone has two minutes to finish. He lands a low kick, but subsequently eats a right hook. Low kick from Cerrone. Then a switch head kick that lands. Dos Anjos looks for a single but nothing comes of it. Cerrone lands a knee to the body. Cerrone mocing forward. He lands a straight to the body. Another low kick lands. Dos Anjos lands a big right hook. Dos Anjos circles away as the round ends. 10-9 Cerrone, but it won’t be enough. Rafael Dos Anjos should take this fight.
Well, I look stupid. Dos Anjos took advantage of Cerrone’s upright posture and capitalized by hitting Cerrone with body kicks and turning the stand up into boxing exchanges when possible. The judges concur that Dos Anjos was the superior fighter, awarding him an unanimous decision with 29-28′s across the board. Alright; time for the main event.
Martin Kampmann vs. Carlos Condit
There’s no way this fight will suck. No way. I don’t care that I just jinxed it. It’s jinx-proof. I’ve got Condit here. Dude’s improved in the years since he’s faced Kampmann. Kampmann hasn’t. That said, I’m wary of Kampmann’s takedowns and submission ability. Condit’s got great submissions and submission defense, but Kampmann’s guillotine is a weapon that Condit doesn’t really have a comparable answer for. Condit survived a few of those in the first fight, but it only takes one. That said, I think Condit will be able to wear Kampmann down and finish him late, in the fourth or fifth round.
Round 1
Kampmann immediately shoots for a double. Condit resists, but Kampmann lands a trip. Condit working high guard, looking for submissions. Now he’s going for a leglock. Kampmann escapes. We’re back in Condit’s guard. Kampmann stands and lands some middling ground and pound. Condit’s guard is dictating the action, though. Condit attempts to stand, but gets tossed back to the ground. Kampmann looking for Kampmann’s back. But Condit escapes and ends up in Kampmann’s half-guard. Kampmann stands but eats an elbow. Kampmann turns him around and pushes Condit into the fence. He lands yet another takedown and Condit immediately works for a kimura. Condit working from open guard, but there’s not much going on. Kampmann considered a leglock, but Condit uses this opportunity to stand. He lands a few elbows and they separate. Condit misses a spinning back kick, but lands a left hook. Kampmann answers with a single leg, however. Condit works for a triangle as the round ends. 10-9 Kampmann.
Round 2
Jab from Kampmann lands. High kick from Condit is blocked. Kampmann misses a single leg, and Condit misses a spinning back kick. Both land jabs. Jab from Kampmann. The jab is landing for him consistently. Condit can’t close the distance. Condit lands some punches, but Kampmann clinches and looks for the takedown. It’s unsuccessful, but he lands some shots as they separate. Condit lands a 1-2-3 however. Now Condit clinches and tries to take Kampmann down. It doesn’t work. Still, he’s beginning to find his range. He lands a hook and an uppercut. Kampmann lands a hook of his own. Then a cross. Kampmann is bloodied. Wading in, Kampmann eats a big right. Jab from Condit. Then a cross lands. He’s taking angles, while Kampmann is fighting strictly linearly. A high kick is barely blocked by Kampmann. Kampmann lands a cross. Then another. Spinning back fist from Condit. Kampmann shoots for a double. He can’t get it, and Condit almost takes his back. They separate. Low-high kick combo from Condit. Condit stuffs a takedown and lands a knee. Bell sounds, 10-9 Condit.
Round 3
Jab from Kampmann. Front kick to the face from Condit, but it doesn’t faze Kampmann. Kampmann wades forward with strikes, clinches, but Condit escapes and lands a right. High kick from Condit blocked. Kampmann shooting for a single and he gets it. Condit immediately postures up from bottom, though. He uses the cage to stand. Condit with a flurry as they separate. Switch low-high kick combo. Condit tees off on Kampmann against the fence. He stuffs a Kampmann takedown. Jab lands for Condit. Low kick Condit. Then a jab-cross combo. Condit is taking over. Left hook lands on the bloody Kampmann. Jab lands. Uppercut. Kampmann misses a high kick. 1-2 from Condit. Condit’s brining the pressure. He’s landing at will. Kampmann is beginning to wobble. Flying knee lands from Condit. Kampmann clinches and looks for the takedown. Condit almost has a front headlock choke! But Kampmann somehow spins out! But Condit takes his back and sinks in an RNC! But Kampmann escapes! Condit maintains position, though. Now he mounts him. He lights Kampmann up as they stand. 10-9, perhaps even 10-8 for Condit even without a knockdown.
Round 4
Kampmann lands a brief takedown, but Condit immediately stands and escapes. Left hook rocks Kampmann! Condit unloads on him against the fence! The muay thai clinch spells Kampmann’s doom, as knees drop him and Herb Dean steps in. Carlos Condit takes his revenge in brutal fashion.
Carlos Condit proves he’s still just short of the best in the welterweight division. He’ll get another title shot eventually. On a more personal note, I’d just like to thank him for finishing Kampmann when I predicted, saving my fragile ego from my previous terrible prediction. Anyway, that’s that for tonight. Fox Sports 1 gets another excellent card, the fans get another excellent card, Martin Kampmann gets another migraine. Enjoy your Wedesday nights, Potato Nation.
Preliminary card results:
– Dylan Andrews def. Papy Abedi via KO, 1:32 of round 3
– Brandon Thatch def. Justin Edwards via TKO, 1:24 of round 1
– Darren Elkins def. Hatsu Hioki via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Jason High def. James Head via submission (guillotine choke), 1:41 of round 1
– Zak Cummings def. Ben Alloway via submission (D’Arce choke), 4:19 of round 1
– Roger Bowling vs. Abel Trujillo ended in a no-contest at 4:59 of round 2. Trujillo landed an illegal knee and Bowling was unable to continue.
(That awkward moment when you realize you jumped ship way, way too soon.)
I imagine that after receiving the ratings numbers for Fight Night 26: Shogun vs. Sonnen this morning, Dana White calmly asked everyone to get the fuck out of his office, closed the door, threw on some Rage and did the following…
It would be hard to blame him if he did, because early figures for the UFC’s debut on the FOX Sports 1 network are nothing short of astounding. According to a press release sent out this morning, Saturday’s main card at the TD Garden averaged over 1.7 million viewers, shattering the UFC’s previous FUEL ratings like they were Corey Hill’s leg:
FOX Sports 1, driven by UFC FIGHT NIGHT: SHOGUN VS. SONNEN, posted an average audience of 1.71 million viewers in prime time (8:00-11:00 PM ET), a more than 10-fold increase compared to that which SPEED, FOX Soccer and FUEL TV combined to deliver on the comparable night a year ago (141,000). Among younger demographics the comparisons are even more significant. FOX Sports 1 viewership was over 25 times greater than SPEED/FOX Soccer/FUEL TV among both Adults 18-49 and Men 18-49, and 40 times greater among Adults 18-34 and M18-34.
(That awkward moment when you realize you jumped ship way, way too soon.)
I imagine that after receiving the ratings numbers for Fight Night 26: Shogun vs. Sonnen this morning, Dana White calmly asked everyone to get the fuck out of his office, closed the door, threw on some Rage and did the following…
It would be hard to blame him if he did, because early figures for the UFC’s debut on the FOX Sports 1 network are nothing short of astounding. According to a press release sent out this morning, Saturday’s main card at the TD Garden averaged over 1.7 million viewers, shattering the UFC’s previous FUEL ratings like they were Corey Hill’s leg:
FOX Sports 1, driven by UFC FIGHT NIGHT: SHOGUN VS. SONNEN, posted an average audience of 1.71 million viewers in prime time (8:00-11:00 PM ET), a more than 10-fold increase compared to that which SPEED, FOX Soccer and FUEL TV combined to deliver on the comparable night a year ago (141,000). Among younger demographics the comparisons are even more significant. FOX Sports 1 viewership was over 25 times greater than SPEED/FOX Soccer/FUEL TV among both Adults 18-49 and Men 18-49, and 40 times greater among Adults 18-34 and M18-34.
40 TIMES GREATER?! On a network I still can’t find with a remote, a TV guide and a homeless guy I dragged off the streets to watch the fights with me?
But wait, MORE NUMBERS:
FOX Sports 1 averaged a 1.33 household rating last night in prime time, and ratings were particularly strong among younger demographics. Remarkably, FOX Sports 1 out-rated all four major broadcast networks among Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34, Men 18-49, and Men 18-34 based on impressions within each demo.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: SHOGUN VS. SONNEN was the most socially-active English-language show in all of television yesterday, with 46,520 commenters, producing 124,635 Tweets, based on the number of commenters not Tweets. For the entire day, FOX Sports 1 was the third-most socially active English-language network (52,209), as ranked by number of unique commenters after NFL Network (116,253 unique commenters) and FOX Broadcast (104,365).
So you’re saying that if you actually put a decent fight card together, fans will tune into said card even if it’s on a previously unheard of channel? QUICK, SOMEONE ALERT LORENZO OF THIS DISCOVERY FORTHWITH.
It’s safe to say that the UFC knocked this one out of the park and is off to a great start on the FS1 network. Perhaps most telling of all was this email sent from White to Dave “The Doom and Gloom F*ckstick” Meltzer that we obtained (hacked in and stole) from his Blackberry:
Dearest Dave,
1.71 MILLION. 1.33 RATING.
F*ck you, you no-longer-working-at-Yahoo piece of sh*t. – DW
Lets hope the UFC can boast similar numbers with their second event, Condit vs. Kampmann II, which goes down from Indianapolis, Indiana on the 28th. Based on the card alone, we’re going to make the wild prediction that they won’t.
(The Institute for Boring Ass Fighters – Run by Joe Lauzon & Chael Sonnen | Video via Tommy Toe Hold)
UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon has a lot going on in his life. He’s got a kid on the way, a new gym that he owns and operates and a huge fight tonight that will launch an entire 24/7 cable sports television network at UFC Fight Night 26 in front of his home town in Boston.
Luckily for fight fans, Joe is crazy accessible and is letting fans inside his life for all of that through his twitter account, website, facebook page and his signature Fight Week Video Blogs. This week, Lauzon has produced and released a new vlog each day of the week taking fans through his final workouts, media events and the crazy human science experience that is a UFC weight cut.
Seriously, the guy loses over ten pounds in just two hours in the fifth episode (below) simply by sitting in a tub and letting salt do it’s nausea-inducing and water-sucking work. Enjoy all five episodes that have been released thus far after the jump, and then tune in to Fox Sports 1 tonight to watch perhaps the most stacked cable TV UFC card eva.
(The Institute for Boring Ass Fighters – Run by Joe Lauzon & Chael Sonnen | Video via Tommy Toe Hold)
UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon has a lot going on in his life. He’s got a kid on the way, a new gym that he owns and operates and a huge fight tonight that will launch an entire 24/7 cable sports television network at UFC Fight Night 26 in front of his home town in Boston.
Luckily for fight fans, Joe is crazy accessible and is letting fans inside his life for all of that through his twitter account, website, facebook page and his signature Fight Week Video Blogs. This week, Lauzon has produced and released a new vlog each day of the week taking fans through his final workouts, media events and the crazy human science experience that is a UFC weight cut.
Seriously, the guy loses over ten pounds in just two hours in the fifth episode (below) simply by sitting in a tub and letting salt do it’s nausea-inducing and water-sucking work. Enjoy all five episodes that have been released thus far after the jump, and then tune in to Fox Sports 1 tonight to watch perhaps the most stacked cable TV UFC card eva.
Just a few days ago, tens of millions of fight fans might have been wondering if they’d be able to watch Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 26 event. The fight card will help launch the new all-sports cable channel Fox Sports 1, but the new network had yet to reach deals with major television distributors like Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, and the Dish Network.
At the 11th hour, however, FS1 has reached a distribution deal with all of those providers, expanding the reach of tomorrow’s “Shogun vs. Sonnen” card by about forty million viewers. MMA Junkie has more details.
“You can check FOX Sports 1’s availability in your area at foxsports1.com. The channel now will be available in approximately 90 million homes for its heavily promoted launch.
“The channel, which will become the primary cable home of the UFC (along with the also-launching FOX Sports 2), replaces the organization’s previous broadcasts on FX and FUEL TV. The UFC will contribute to 5,000 annual hours of live programming, which also will include NCAA basketball and football, NASCAR, soccer, boxing and other sports.”
This news hits home for this writer. Before the announcement, I was facing the horrible prospect of either having to go watch the fight with people outside of my basement lair or being forced to actually make other plans for a Saturday night other than watching fights *shudder*.
Close call. How many of you taters does this development affect and what were you planning to do if you couldn’t have watched Shogun, Chael, Alistair, McGregor, JLau, Urijah, Cole and the rest of ’em?
Just a few days ago, tens of millions of fight fans might have been wondering if they’d be able to watch Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 26 event. The fight card will help launch the new all-sports cable channel Fox Sports 1, but the new network had yet to reach deals with major television distributors like Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, and the Dish Network.
At the 11th hour, however, FS1 has reached a distribution deal with all of those providers, expanding the reach of tomorrow’s “Shogun vs. Sonnen” card by about forty million viewers. MMA Junkie has more details.
“You can check FOX Sports 1′s availability in your area at foxsports1.com. The channel now will be available in approximately 90 million homes for its heavily promoted launch.
“The channel, which will become the primary cable home of the UFC (along with the also-launching FOX Sports 2), replaces the organization’s previous broadcasts on FX and FUEL TV. The UFC will contribute to 5,000 annual hours of live programming, which also will include NCAA basketball and football, NASCAR, soccer, boxing and other sports.”
This news hits home for this writer. Before the announcement, I was facing the horrible prospect of either having to go watch the fight with people outside of my basement lair or being forced to actually make other plans for a Saturday night other than watching fights *shudder*.
Close call. How many of you taters does this development affect and what were you planning to do if you couldn’t have watched Shogun, Chael, Alistair, McGregor, JLau, Urijah, Cole and the rest of ‘em?
