Tag: FOX

And Chael Sonnen’s FOX Replacement Is…


(Something tells me they won’t be using this as Lytle’s profile photo, but I want them to anyway.)

Ever since Chael Sonnen’s untimely departure from FOX, MMA fans have been waiting on baited breath to see who would be hired as the next Guy Who Awkwardly Shouts Things At Us Between Fights (I believe the official title they use is “UFC Analyst”). Would it be the recently fired Brandon Vera, who holds a wealth of UFC experience and knowledge of home invasion defense techniques? Or maybe MMA legend BJ Penn (when he finishes crying)? Dear God, could it be BAS RUTTEN?!

Well as it turns out, FOX’s newest analyst is…beloved UFC veteran, legendary bonus-hunter and one-time Indiana State Senate hopeful Chris Lytle! According to a press release sent out earlier today, “Lights Out” will join Daniel Cormier, Kenny Florian and host Karyn Bryant in the FS1 studios starting with next week’s Fight Night 45: Cerrone vs. Miller:

UFC on FOX analysts Kenny Florian, Daniel Cormier and host Karyn Bryant welcome former UFC welterweight contender Chris Lytle to the analyst desk as he makes his debut at the UFC FIGHT NIGHT WEIGH-IN on Tuesday, July 15 and works the PREFIGHT and POSTFIGHT coverage on FOX Sports 1 as well. Jon Anik and Brian Stann call the fights on FOX Sports 1 live from the Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, while Victor Dávila and Fabricio Werdum call the action for FOX Deportes.

Wednesday night coverage begins with the UFC FIGHT NIGHT PREFIGHT SHOW at 6:00 PM ET, with Bryant, Cormier, Florian and Lytle previewing the evening’s action. Heidi Androl interviews fighters in Atlantic City. The two-hour UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS begin on FOX Sports 1 (7:00 PM ET) and feature four exciting bouts. FOX SPORTS LIVE offers extended postfight coverage immediately following the conclusion of UFC FIGHT NIGHT, with interviews of the fighters.


(Something tells me they won’t be using this as Lytle’s profile photo, but I want them to anyway.)

Ever since Chael Sonnen’s untimely departure from FOX, MMA fans have been waiting on baited breath to see who would be hired as the next Guy Who Awkwardly Shouts Things At Us Between Fights (I believe the official title they use is “UFC Analyst”). Would it be the recently fired Brandon Vera, who holds a wealth of UFC experience and knowledge of home invasion defense techniques? Or maybe MMA legend BJ Penn (when he finishes crying)? Dear God, could it be BAS RUTTEN?!

Well as it turns out, FOX’s newest analyst is…beloved UFC veteran, legendary bonus-hunter and one-time Indiana State Senate hopeful Chris Lytle! According to a press release sent out earlier today, “Lights Out” will join Daniel Cormier, Kenny Florian and host Karyn Bryant in the FS1 studios starting with next week’s Fight Night 45: Cerrone vs. Miller:

UFC on FOX analysts Kenny Florian, Daniel Cormier and host Karyn Bryant welcome former UFC welterweight contender Chris Lytle to the analyst desk as he makes his debut at the UFC FIGHT NIGHT WEIGH-IN on Tuesday, July 15 and works the PREFIGHT and POSTFIGHT coverage on FOX Sports 1 as well. Jon Anik and Brian Stann call the fights on FOX Sports 1 live from the Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, while Victor Dávila and Fabricio Werdum call the action for FOX Deportes.

Wednesday night coverage begins with the UFC FIGHT NIGHT PREFIGHT SHOW at 6:00 PM ET, with Bryant, Cormier, Florian and Lytle previewing the evening’s action. Heidi Androl interviews fighters in Atlantic City. The two-hour UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS begin on FOX Sports 1 (7:00 PM ET) and feature four exciting bouts. FOX SPORTS LIVE offers extended postfight coverage immediately following the conclusion of UFC FIGHT NIGHT, with interviews of the fighters.

Excuse me while I whip this out…

While typically, I couldn’t care less what the FS1 team has to say about how so-and-so looked on the scale or they keys to victory for whatshisface, the addition of Lytle to the booth has me intrigued to say the least, and not just because I’ve been hugging the dude’s nuts since back in the day.

Most fighter-analysts on FS1 serve little other purpose than bringing the momentum of a fight card to a grinding halt with the same rote advice and friendship-based predictions we have heard a thousand times over. Lytle, on the other hand, possesses a unique understanding of the game — with his professional boxing background, ridiculously underrated submission skills, and knowledge of how to turn every fight into an epic brawl — and could become a valuable member of the FS1 team if properly utilized. I say slap a “Fight of the Night Analyst” title on him and have Lytle dole out advice on what each fighter could do to make their fight not suck so much, for starters.

DC: “After a rocky first round against Thales Leites, Francis Carmont evened things up in the second with some solid takedowns and top control. What should he do heading into the third, Chris?”

CL: “Well, if I was him, I’d abandon this whole takedown bullshit and just start heaving right hands at Leites like my fists were baseballs, you know what I’m saying?”

……..

DC: “Back to Mike and Joe, who are calling the action.”

–J. Jones

And Now He’s Fired: Chael Sonnen Axed by FOX For Being a No Good, Steroid-Using Double Cheater


(Yep, we’re sticking to our *guns* with this photo. BA-DUM-TSH!)

How about some actual news for a change?

On the subject of Chael Sonnen‘s second straight drug test failure, I believe Old Dad summed it up best when he said that the American Gangster had a “cheater’s dream cocktail” flowing through his veins. And indeed, Sonnen tested positive for not trace amounts of HGH, EPO, WWE, TRL, HSN, and BET when retested, which made his previous failed drug test prior to UFC 175 all the harder to swallow.

It’s important to note that Sonnen’s second test was administered before the results of his first test were made public, meaning that he was still technically competing while loaded to gills with a veritable pharmacy heading into UFC 175. Following his all but forced retirement shortly thereafter, the question quickly became not where Sonnen’s fighting career was headed, but if the UFC/FOX would continue to employ a multiple time steroid cheat simply because he was charismatic in front of a camera. It would send a hell of a mixed message to the rest of their fighters in their roster, that’s for sure.

Well today brings an answer, and that answer is “Eff no.”(via a UFC-FOX press release sent out this morning):

The UFC and FOX Sports organizations announced today the termination of their respective broadcasting services agreements with analyst Chael Sonnen. This decision comes in light of Sonnen failing a second test conducted by the Nevada Athletic Commission for banned substances in June. Sonnen was previously under temporary suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission for failing an initial test conducted in May.

I guess this means Sonnen won’t be given the opportunity to defend himself via a laughably rushed interview on America’s Pregame, then?


(Yep, we’re sticking to our *guns* with this photo. BA-DUM-TSH!)

How about some actual news for a change?

On the subject of Chael Sonnen‘s second straight drug test failure, I believe Old Dad summed it up best when he said that the American Gangster had a “cheater’s dream cocktail” flowing through his veins. And indeed, Sonnen tested positive for not trace amounts of HGH, EPO, WWE, TRL, HSN, and BET when retested, which made his previous failed drug test prior to UFC 175 all the harder to swallow.

It’s important to note that Sonnen’s second test was administered before the results of his first test were made public, meaning that he was still technically competing while loaded to gills with a veritable pharmacy heading into UFC 175. Following his all but forced retirement shortly thereafter, the question quickly became not where Sonnen’s fighting career was headed, but if the UFC/FOX would continue to employ a multiple time steroid cheat simply because he was charismatic in front of a camera. It would send a hell of a mixed message to the rest of their fighters in their roster, that’s for sure.

Well today brings an answer, and that answer is “Eff no.”(via a UFC-FOX press release sent out this morning):

The UFC and FOX Sports organizations announced today the termination of their respective broadcasting services agreements with analyst Chael Sonnen. This decision comes in light of Sonnen failing a second test conducted by the Nevada Athletic Commission for banned substances in June. Sonnen was previously under temporary suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission for failing an initial test conducted in May.

I guess this means Sonnen won’t be given the opportunity to defend himself via a laughably rushed interview on America’s Pregame, then?

Honestly, this is an unfortunate, if fitting end to Sonnen’s professional career. Controversy has followed “The American Gangster” both inside and outside the cage since he first popped onto our radar back in his WEC days, and mainly as a result of his own damn arrogance. Despite being able to talk his way into fight after fight, Sonnen’s reputation as a cheater will undoubtedly be the one thing he will never be able to talk his way out of. The irony is almost poetic.

But fret not, grappling aficionados, Sonnen will still be competing at Metamoris 4 in his much talked about match with Andre Galvao despite his recent drug issues, so sayeth the promotion’s official Twitter account:

You hear that, Chael? If there was ever a time to start injecting PCP into your eyeballs to gain a competitive edge, it’s now.

–J. Jones

The ‘FOX Boost’ Is a Myth: There’s No Formula to Create New UFC Stars


(Benson Henderson peers warily at the buyrate for UFC 164. / Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

By Matt Saccaro

Congratulations are in order for FOX and the UFC. They took a terrible draw in Benson Henderson and made him into merely a bad draw.

Henderson was partially responsible for one of the worst pay-per-view buyrates in recent UFC history — an estimated 190,000 buys for UFC 150 against fellow failure-to-move-the-needle Frankie Edgar. Henderson was so bad that the UFC kept him off PPV for an entire year after UFC 150, instead preferring to use their shows on FOX to build him up. After these shows, the UFC decided to put Henderson back in a PPV main event at UFC 164, presumably in order to see if FOX turned the ho-hum fighter into a star.

I noted the importance of UFC 164’s PPV performance in a previous article:

If UFC 164 can boast a decent buyrate, then the theory that the UFC can use FOX to create the next generation of stars will be proven true, and the UFC’s future will be a little more secure. But if UFC 164 fails as hard as UFC 150 did — if promoting a fighter TWO TIMES on one of the biggest networks on television failed to make that fighter a draw — then the UFC is in trouble. That would mean one champion who would be dead weight on a card, in addition to the champions from the lighter men’s weight classes who have all yet to establish themselves as major PPV draws.

UFC 164 didn’t perform as poorly as UFC 150. It drew an estimated 270,000 buys.

“That’s great! It’s about a 42% increase over last time,” you say? Yeah, that’s true, but let’s look at it another way.


(Benson Henderson peers warily at the buyrate for UFC 164. / Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

By Matt Saccaro

Congratulations are in order for FOX and the UFC. They took a terrible draw in Benson Henderson and made him into merely a bad draw.

Henderson was partially responsible for one of the worst pay-per-view buyrates in recent UFC history — an estimated 190,000 buys for UFC 150 against fellow failure-to-move-the-needle Frankie Edgar. Henderson was so bad that the UFC kept him off PPV for an entire year after UFC 150, instead preferring to use their shows on FOX to build him up. After these shows, the UFC decided to put Henderson back in a PPV main event at UFC 164, presumably in order to see if FOX turned the ho-hum fighter into a star.

I noted the importance of UFC 164’s PPV performance in a previous article:

If UFC 164 can boast a decent buyrate, then the theory that the UFC can use FOX to create the next generation of stars will be proven true, and the UFC’s future will be a little more secure. But if UFC 164 fails as hard as UFC 150 did — if promoting a fighter TWO TIMES on one of the biggest networks on television failed to make that fighter a draw — then the UFC is in trouble. That would mean one champion who would be dead weight on a card, in addition to the champions from the lighter men’s weight classes who have all yet to establish themselves as major PPV draws.

UFC 164 didn’t perform as poorly as UFC 150. It drew an estimated 270,000 buys.

“That’s great! It’s about a 42% increase over last time,” you say? Yeah, that’s true, but let’s look at it another way.

First, 270k buys for UFC 164 is still way below the 2013 average. Just because Henderson can draw flies to shit now, whereas before he couldn’t, doesn’t mean FOX is a star maker.

Second, Henderson main-evented two FOX shows: UFC on FOX 5 and UFC on FOX 7. The former drew 4.4 million average viewers and the latter garnered 3.7 million average viewers. Together, that’s 8.1 million people that saw Benson Henderson fight for free on FOX.  But the vast majority of these same people still refused to pay for a PPV headlined by Benson Henderson, a UFC “superstar” and world champion.

Again, there was a difference of 80,000 buys between UFC 150 — Bendo’s last PPV appearance before UFC 164 — and UFC 164 itself. And around 8 million people saw Bendo on free TV after UFC 150, but only 80,000 more people ordered UFC 164 than ordered UFC 150.

You know what that means?

It means that only 1% of the combined viewers of UFC on FOX 5 and UFC on FOX 7 were converted into PPV buyers.

That’s bad no matter how you spin it — unless you’re taking the “nearly 50% increase in buys!” angle which is the only way to look at the situation positively. Of course, the numbers given are estimates, so the actual percentages may be slightly higher or lower.

However, that doesn’t mean that the story the estimates convey is inaccurate. Placing a fighter on FOX doesn’t automatically make him or her a Brock Lesnar-level draw, or even an average-level draw. FOX can amplify a fighter’s reach and fan base but it can’t make viewers pay to see a fighter. FOX isn’t a panacea for a fighter that’s not selling PPVs. The only “stars” FOX will help make will be the ones who would’ve drawn well anyway due to their natural charisma or fighting style or simply because they have “it.”

So let’s put this talk of the vaunted FOX boost to rest, OK?

In Case You Missed It: Homeless Bum Dana White Helps Rob Riggle Make Week 13 NFL Picks

Skip to the 1:45 mark for Dana’s appearance. Props to reader Alan K for the video.

While the rest of you were watching football today (the American version, aka the one worth watching *chugs beer, initiates U-S-A! chant*), you may have noticed a familiar face in this week’s edition of Riggle’s Picks. No, it wasn’t one of us. It was UFC President Dana White, satirizing “Exclusive Access” sports websites alongside Rob Riggle.

Riggle hits all the standard punchlines about these types: Improbable rumors, Rex Ryan is a fat mess, that these sites are only in it for the money, Richard Simmons, the webmasters live with their mothers, Jewish guilt- you know the drill by now. But Dana White steals the show with his masterful performance as a homeless drunk, who serves as an incarnation of “Guy who can’t possibly have inside information spreading outlandish rumors that only internet trolls are dumb enough to believe.”


Skip to the 1:45 mark for Dana’s appearance. Props to reader Alan K for the video.

While the rest of you were watching football today (the American version, aka the one worth watching *chugs beer, initiates U-S-A! chant*), you may have noticed a familiar face in this week’s edition of Riggle’s Picks. No, it wasn’t one of us. It was UFC President Dana White, satirizing “Exclusive Access” sports websites alongside Rob Riggle.

Riggle hits all the standard punchlines about these types: Improbable rumors, Rex Ryan is a fat mess, that these sites are only in it for the money, Richard Simmons, the webmasters live with their mothers, Jewish guilt- you know the drill by now. But Dana White steals the show with his masterful performance as a homeless drunk, who serves as an incarnation of “Guy who can’t possibly have inside information spreading outlandish rumors that only internet trolls are dumb enough to believe.”

Dana White is perfect for this role, and not just because it helps promote the upcoming UFC on Fox card. The Baldfather has certainly made his frustrations known about the way that many media outlets cover his sport, so one has to imagine he really enjoyed the opportunity to portray them as money-hungry attention whores who listen to homeless drunks for advice.

And the best part? There is absolutely no way that this can possibly be directed at us. So suck on that, world, and enjoy the video.

@SethFalvo

Josh Koscheck vs Johny Hendricks Prediction

The Co Main event features Josh Koscheck vs Johny Hendricks. Koscheck is at the stage of his career where he is near the bottom of the todom poll when it comes to title shots after.

The Co Main event features Josh Koscheck vs Johny Hendricks. Koscheck is at the stage of his career where he is near the bottom of the todom poll when it comes to title shots after having been outclassed by the current champion GSP twice. He is coming off rather unimpressive wins over Matt Hughes and Mike Pierce and seems to be only fighting for a paycheck. Jonny Hendricks is coming of a huge first round knock out win over former number 2 ranked welter weight fighter Jon Fitch. Despite being a major underdog Hendricks was able to pull off a 12 second KO and launch himself a large new fan base and into potential contender status. Hendricks is a Division 1 wrestling champion so his wrestling may neutralize Koschecks take downs. Koscheck seems to only have an overhand right along side a questionable chin where as Hendricks has ko power in both hands and slightly more technical striking. Prediction Hendricks 1st round KO.

-Andrew Smiley

Miller Handles Diaz on May 5th

On Saturday May 5th Nate Diaz will battle Jim Miller for a potential number one contender title fight. Both fighters are coming off impressive wins as Nate Diaz was able to out class and hault.

On Saturday May 5th Nate Diaz will battle Jim Miller for a potential number one contender title fight. Both fighters are coming off impressive wins as Nate Diaz was able to out class and hault the hype train that Donald “The Cowboy” Ceronne was ridding by dominating his way to a unanimous decision win back in December. Jim Miller is currently 10-2 in the UFC with his only losses being form of decisions to the current champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson and former title challenger Gray Maynard. Miller is coming off a first round submission win against the always explosive Melvin Guillard. Nate Diaz has drastically improved his boxing to an elite level but has always lacked in the wrestling department. While he is a Caesar Gracie Black belt he will have a very tough time trying to pull off a submission off of his back against a former collegiate wrestler and a Jamie Cruz BJJ Blackbelt in Jim Miller. Nate Diaz is very tough and crafty but he will most likely be neutralized by the superior wrestling and strength of Jim Miller. Prediction Jim Miller via unanimous decision!

-Andrew Smiley