Don Hyun Kim vs. Sean Pierson set for UFC 141 in the Las Vegas, December 30th. Dana White gives In-Depth interview on his childhood, acquiring the UFC promotion and respecting Donald Trump. Lyoto Machida tweets.
Don Hyun Kim vs. Sean Pierson set for UFC 141 in the Las Vegas, December 30th.
Dana White gives In-Depth interview on his childhood, acquiring the UFC promotion and respecting Donald Trump.
Lyoto Machidatweets he is likely not fighting for rest of 2011.
Dana White says Brock Lesnar is 100 percent healthy and quite pleasant these days.
The UFC originally had plans for Kurt Angle versus Kimbo Slice on a pay-per-view card?”It’s true! It’s damn true,” claims Angle.The 42-year-old former WWE wrestler recently spoke with The Void about the proposed MMA bout that never came to be.”The firs…
The UFC originally had plans for Kurt Angle versus Kimbo Slice on a pay-per-view card?
“It’s true! It’s damn true,” claims Angle.
The 42-year-old former WWE wrestler recently spoke with The Void about the proposed MMA bout that never came to be.
“The first time I met (Dana White), he wouldn’t let me wrestle and fight, and I had just signed with TNA, and I didn’t want to go back to TNA and say, ‘Hey, I’m not doing this now…’ so he said ‘call me when you’re done wrestling,'” said Angle.
“I called him a couple of years later—I was getting a little tired of wrestling—I said ‘Hey, I’m ready,’ so we had another meeting and he had me do a physical, and he threw a great offer at me, but said ‘I need you in four and a half weeks.'”
This would’ve shortened any potential camp for Angle, who had virtually no MMA fighting experience outside of training.
Angle dreamed of one day competing inside the UFC octagon, but if his dream was destined to unfold, he wanted to be at his best. A fighter, especially one with Angle’s age and limited experience, can hardly compete at his best with such a short training camp.
“I said ‘I can’t do that. You’ve gotta give me three to six months,’ but he said ‘I need you in four and a half weeks,’ so I said ‘Well then, we’re not going to be able to do this,'” Angle stated.
“The reason Dana White wanted me so quickly though is because he wanted to put me in the next available pay-per-view against Kimbo Slice.
“I could’ve done it in four and a half weeks, but I wanted to be at my best. I didn’t want to start training, almost be at my best, but not quite. No matter who it is, I knew I wanted to take them down and pound them, but I wanted to be 100-percent ready, I didn’t want to just train for four weeks.”
“In fact, I couldn’t have trained for four weeks anyway,” Angle continued. “I would’ve trained for two weeks, and then tapered down for two weeks to get ready. It didn’t even make sense. Two and a half weeks of training? Who does that? Also, I hadn’t even trained in MMA for at least a year and a half.”
Angle wished things could’ve turned out differently, but he understands the window has closed on a potential career in MMA. As a former Olympic gold medalist, Angle and fans will always ponder the possibilities.
What would an in-shape Angle at optimum condition look like in the UFC octagon?
MMA fans will never know the answer to that question.
“My MMA career is over. I always wanted to do it, but I think going back to wrestling at the Olympics will fill that void, that ‘what if…'”
Angle is expected to try out for the 2012 U.S. Olympic team. If he earns a spot, he would be the oldest member ever to make the team.
UFC President Dana White hasn’t confirmed any of Angle’s comments.
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…
– BJ Penn: The UFC Forced Me to Say Things About Nick Diaz (MMA Mania)
– Jason “Mayhem” Miller Explains Alleged Assault on Sister (5thRound)
– The Truth About Fighters and Sponsors (MMA Fighting)
– Strikeforce Ratings Way Down for ‘Barnett vs. Kharitonov’ (MMA Payout)
– Roger Ebert Reviews New MMA Movie, “Warrior” (TheFightNerd)
– Rich Franklin Done for 2011 With Torn Shoulder Labrum (Five Ounces of Pain)
– Photo Report: Alexander Shlemenko Training With Michael Bisping for Bellator 50 (LowKick)
– Rampage Jackson Wants His UFC/PRIDE Unified Light Heavyweight Belt Back (MMA Convert)
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…
– BJ Penn: The UFC Forced Me to Say Things About Nick Diaz (MMA Mania)
– Jason “Mayhem” Miller Explains Alleged Assault on Sister (5thRound)
– The Truth About Fighters and Sponsors (MMA Fighting)
– Strikeforce Ratings Way Down for ‘Barnett vs. Kharitonov’ (MMA Payout)
– Roger Ebert Reviews New MMA Movie, “Warrior” (TheFightNerd)
– Rich Franklin Done for 2011 With Torn Shoulder Labrum (Five Ounces of Pain)
– Photo Report: Alexander Shlemenko Training With Michael Bisping for Bellator 50 (LowKick)
– Rampage Jackson Wants His UFC/PRIDE Unified Light Heavyweight Belt Back (MMA Convert)
Matt Brown replaces injured Pascal Krauss to face John Hathaway at UFC 138. Former Strikeforce Director of Communications, Mike Aframowitz explains in a detailed interview the purchase of Strikeforce by Zuffa, the catch 22 of.
Matt Brown replaces injured Pascal Krauss to face John Hathaway at UFC 138.
Former Strikeforce Director of Communications, Mike Aframowitzexplains in a detailed interview the purchase of Strikeforce by Zuffa, the catch 22 of signing Fedor Emelianenko and the Jason “Mayhem” Miler–Jake Shields–Gilbert Melendez–Diaz Bros brawl that brought down the promotion.
UFC 133 announces medical suspensions with Forrest Griffin, Stanislav Nedkov, Raphael Assuncao and Ian Loveland getting 180 days.
UFN 25 has two competitors pull out. Welterweight, DaMarques Johnson will no longer face Clay Harvision. Seth Baczynski will take Johnson’s place. Featherweight, Mackens Semerzier also withdrew from his fight against Mike Lullo with no replacement yet set. UFN 25 takes place in New Orleans on September 17th.
Lester Caslow vs. James “Binky” Jones set for Bellator 49 on September 10th.
Eddie Yagin vs. Junior Assuncao booked for UFC 135 on September 24th.
Dana White and pro-wrestler Kurt Angle are in disagreement over Angle’s claims he almost signed with the UFC but at the time they underpaid their fighters in comparison with the WWE. White simply responded to the claims via Twitter: “love Kurt, but not true.”
“I actually contacted Dana White again after the movie. I flew out to meet him once and got a great offer. I contacted him again, I was thinking about dropping out of [TNA] Impact Wrestling, and there were some personal problems with my marriage and I just wanted to get away,” he explained. “I contacted Dana White, I flew out, and he had me take the UFC physical. I passed it, thank God, and he gave me the offer.”
(Rear-naked-choke to the ankle: If done right, no can defend.)
Kurt Angle appeared on a recent episode of MMAWeekly Radio and dropped a bombshell that he was very close to coming to terms with the UFC recently.
“I actually contacted Dana White again after the movie. I flew out to meet him once and got a great offer. I contacted him again, I was thinking about dropping out of [TNA] Impact Wrestling, and there were some personal problems with my marriage and I just wanted to get away,” he explained. “I contacted Dana White, I flew out, and he had me take the UFC physical. I passed it, thank God, and he gave me the offer.”
He says that some of the clauses in the deal were stifling to his wrestling career and his counter terms, which likely were financially-related weren’t a positive fit for either party.
“The terms weren’t good, I mean not for me, and the terms I gave him weren’t good for him. He wanted me ready in four-and-a-half weeks; I wanted three to six months,” he pointed out. “So I respect Dana White and I love him to death, very good friend. I knew I was capable of winning in four-and-a-half weeks, but I wanted to be at my best.”
The UFC president responded to the 42-year-old former WWE champion’s claims via Twitter with a short, but concise reply: “love Kurt, but not true.”
“Warrior,” the new feature film from Lionsgate, starring Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Morrison, opens in theaters nationwide on Sept. 9. Gavin O’Connor, director and screenwriter, recently took some time in between screenings to…
“Warrior,” the new feature film from Lionsgate, starring Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Morrison, opens in theaters nationwide on Sept. 9. Gavin O’Connor, director and screenwriter, recently took some time in between screenings to talk with BR about the movie.
BR: There have been a few MMA movies, but there isn’t really a “signature” MMA film. How can “Warrior” fit that definition? GO: My hope is that it is because the story works. I never envisioned it as an “MMA movie.” MMA is the backdrop. Like “Rocky” uses boxing as a character study. I had these two brothers who grew up communicating through violence, whose lives come together in the cage. One had to surrender to be reborn. That’s what I aimed for in making the movie. I love the sport of MMA so much and thought it hasn’t been utilized that way in cinema. I wanted to be the first to do it in a way that introduces the sport to an audience that doesn’t necessarily know it. In many ways, it’s a love letter to the sport.
BR: You produced “The Smashing Machine,” the documentary on fighter Mark Kerr. Was that how you became interested in MMA? GO: It was. I knew nothing about MMA, just peripherally. When I became involved with “The Smashing Machine,” it had already been shot but not cut. We had hundreds of hours of footage. It was kind of an introduction to the sport for me. I got hooked. And, after that, I followed the sport.
BR: Do you see parallels between “Miracle,” which you also directed, and “Warrior?”
GO: What we tried to do in “Warrior” is you know who you are rooting for throughout the film. There are two different entities, then the challenge is to ask the viewer who you are rooting for at the end [among the two]. That’s unusual in cinema. In “Miracle” we had the added challenge that everyone knew the outcome.
BR: The MMA crowd is tough to please when it comes to representing their sport—but in this case, reaction has been overwhelmingly positive? What aspects of the film do you think appeal most to those die-hard fans? GO: I’m just speculating here, but I think it probably has to do with being a big fan of the sport and surrounding myself with people who are involved in the sport. Everyone loved the sport so much we were rigorous about capturing the true essence. We didn’t want fighting to seem forced. People feel the reality of the way we staged the fighting, making it hopefully seem authentic. We took great care in making it authentic.
BR: Who are some of the MMA people who you consulted in putting the film together? GO: The technical adviser, Greg Jackson, to begin with. Greg was instrumental in forming not only fighting, but also the corner with “Frank.” Everything Frank said in the corner, we ran by Greg, asking, “What would you say now?” He was always signing off on whatever we did. And Greg is into classical music, that’s how I got the idea to include that in the film. Greg uses music in his own training. He was big. All the fight coordinators are MMA guys. And Sam Sheridan, as the announcer, is so knowledgeable. We had people that love the sport.
BR: What would you say to movie-goers who are not MMA fans? Can this movie still be for them? GO: The lesson that we keep learning at screenings is that people, women especially, are saying that although they have no interest in MMA, they are not fans of the sport, now that they’ve seen the movie they will not only recommend it, but they will go watch UFC fights. They had a preconception of the sport, and we’ve dismissed that, which makes me really happy.
BR: Were there any MMA fighters that you had in mind when creating the characters in the movie? GO: No, not at all. The only one in mind was Fedor, a little bit. But there is no one else they are based on.
BR: Did you have any cooperation or were you interested in working with the UFC or any other organizations? GO: No. I give a nod to them because I have respect for the UFC, but I wanted this to be very different from the UFC, not to take them on. A Grand Prix tournament is a one-weekend affair, and the way I lit it and staged the tournament, down to the girls with beach balls, everything is different from what the UFC does. I didn’t in any way want to step on their toes or compete with them. And I didn’t want their help and didn’t know if they’d even be interested.
BR: Will there be a “Warrior 2?” Three? Seventeen? GO: I talked to the studio before we made the film and said I think there’s a trilogy in the story. If people like it and we have the time to do it correctly, maybe it will happen. I wouldn’t want it to become like “Rocky,” where after “Rocky 2,” they just started to become exploitative. I never want to do that.
See the trailer and learn more about “Warrior” at WarriorFilm.com.
Jerry Milani is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained first-hand.
The UFC originally had plans for 
