Tag: Mike Tyson

Was the UFC Simply in the Right Place at the Right Time?

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has only existed since November 1993. In its current Zuffa-owned form, it has only been around since 2001.That is a relatively minuscule amount of time for a sport to develop, yet the UFC has grown so much since 2001 …

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has only existed since November 1993. In its current Zuffa-owned form, it has only been around since 2001.

That is a relatively minuscule amount of time for a sport to develop, yet the UFC has grown so much since 2001 that the product is barely comparable to that of yesteryear.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Boxing dominated the American sports landscape and it produced stars such as Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, Roberto Duran, Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Mike Tyson.

But by the 1990s, the sport was losing steam and the American sports landscape was ready for something new.

Rorion Gracie, brother of Royce, devised a tournament to find out what fighting discipline was the best.

Could a boxer beat a karate master?

Would a jiu jitsu fighter beat a kickboxer?

The world wanted to know and Gracie knew this. It exploded in popularity and a sport was born.

If we fast forward to 2005, the first season of the Ultimate Fighter (TUF) aired on Spike TV and millions of new fans were introduced to mixed martial arts.

The timing and the great list of fighters could not have come at a better time.

The UFC was badly in debt before season one of TUF. After the now-legendary bout between Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin at the TUF season one finale, the world took notice of the peculiar sport that mixed striking and submissions.

Was the UFC in the right place at the right time?

I would say that it was.

Boxing had badly lost its luster by the time Zuffa and UFC President Dana White took ownership of the UFC in 2001. And the decision to start the Ultimate Fighter reality show in 2005 was a genius move by the UFC.

However, I do not think the UFC simply got lucky.

There were many factors that lead to the success it has today.

Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta and all of the UFC’s hard-working staff have made it happen through toil, tribulation and true grit. The UFC connects to its fans better than any other sports organization and they try harder to cater to us.

We appreciate them for this.

The UFC comes off like the underdog. It’s pretty damn cool to be a fan of the UFC. Us UFC fans are like our own little club. We get it and others don’t and that is perfectly fine with us.

The UFC is the blue collar sport to the white collar sport of the NFL. Most athletes in the UFC are accessible, friendly and pretty darn awesome.

I can vouch because I have been lucky enough to meet a few of them.

Even though the UFC benefited from the decline of boxing, the fact that MMA is unique compared to other sports and the TUF reality show, the UFC did not luck into this.

It was in the right place at the right time to an extent, but this is no more a truth than the fact that the first Super Bowl was held at the right time.

The UFC benefits from great and giving athletes, hard-working employees and fiercely loyal fans who, combined, go above and beyond to do their part to help the sport grow.

The UFC caught a few breaks, however it was not simply lucky. There is way too much that has happened for this to be luck.

One thing is certain: The UFC is here to stay!

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Slim, Articulate and Even-Keeled Mike Tyson Talks New One-Man Show [VIDEO]


(“It’s actually a Robin Givens voodoo bear.”)

Mike Tyson is one of, if not THE most polarizing figure in combat sport history, which makes his upcoming one-man show something we’re very interested in seeing.

Regardless of what you think about the once dominant and troubled former boxing champ, you can’t deny that he is an interesting person to listen to talk.

What’s amazing is that Tyson, unlike a lot of his counterparts, has actually become a much more thoughtful, articulate and seemingly more intelligent person through his self-education and quest for personal betterment after his retirement. Part of that stems from the fact that he didn’t incur much head trauma during his career as he was typically the one inflicting it, but the biggest factor in Tyson’s turnaround is maturity and the influence his wife and family had on his life.

According to “Iron Mike,” the introspective show will focus on anecdotes and stories from his life and will include the good, the bad and the ugly including his tumultuous relationships with Don King and Robin Givens and the infamous ear-biting incident in his fight with Evander Holyfield.

Check out an interview the healthy-looking Tyson did with USA Today about the upcoming show after the jump.


(“It’s actually a Robin Givens voodoo bear.”)

Mike Tyson is one of, if not THE most polarizing figure in combat sport history, which makes his upcoming one-man show something we’re very interested in seeing.

Regardless of what you think about the once dominant and troubled former boxing champ, you can’t deny that he is an interesting person to listen to talk.

What’s amazing is that Tyson, unlike a lot of his counterparts, has actually become a much more thoughtful, articulate and seemingly more intelligent person through his self-education and quest for personal betterment after his retirement. Part of that stems from the fact that he didn’t incur much head trauma during his career as he was typically the one inflicting it, but the biggest factor in Tyson’s turnaround is maturity and the influence his wife and family had on his life.

According to “Iron Mike,” the introspective show will focus on anecdotes and stories from his life and will include the good, the bad and the ugly including his tumultuous relationships with Don King and Robin Givens and the infamous ear-biting incident in his fight with Evander Holyfield.

Check out an interview the healthy-looking Tyson did with USA Today about the upcoming show below:


(Video courtesy of USA Today)

Laura Prepon and Forrest Griffin Talk Apocalypse and Fighting Co-Workers and Mike Tyson Names His Favorite Fighter on Inside MMA

(Video courtesy of YouTube/HDNetFights)

HDNet only had to use one of six degrees of separation when adding “That 70’s Show” actress Laura Prepon to the Inside MMA guest list this week alongside former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin.

An avid MMA fan who is often seen on camera during pay-per-view events, Prepon is rumored to have dated former UFC and Bellator heartthrob Roger Huerta. Moving on.

In the segment above Fo-Griff and Donna take some reader questions about preparing for the apocalypse and who “The Red Dragon” would fight if she had to pick one of her former co-stars.

SPOILER: No, it wasn’t Mila Kunis.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/HDNetFights)

HDNet only had to use one of six degrees of separation when adding “That 70′s Show” actress Laura Prepon to the Inside MMA guest list this week alongside former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin.

An avid MMA fan who is often seen on camera during pay-per-view events, Prepon is rumored to have dated former UFC and Bellator heartthrob Roger Huerta. Moving on.

In the segment above Fo-Griff and Donna take some reader questions about preparing for the apocalypse and who “The Red Dragon” would fight if she had to pick one of her former co-stars.

SPOILER: No, it wasn’t Mila Kunis.

Also on the same episode, they caught  up with massive mixed martial arts fan Mike Tyson to get his thoughts on the current state of MMA vs. boxing and who his favorite fighter is.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/HDNetFights)

PSA: If You Loved Me, You’d Follow BuzzerBeat on Facebook

(Internet personality Mike Tyson‘s latest brilliant cameo.)

We try to keep the begging to a minimum around here. But I could really use your help today. Me and our homeboy Fidel from TuVez have joined forces to launch a new site called BuzzerBeat.com. It’s a really simple concept: The best sports videos, delivered daily. So I’m gonna cash in that favor you owe me, and ask you to do the following…

1) Take five seconds and “Like” BuzzerBeat’s Facebook page. Just one click is all we ask.

2) If you have some time to kill at the office, why not actually browse through the site? You’ll find the latest game-highlights, bizarre sports-related viral videos, and classic clips featuring newsmaking athletes. We vow to become the Internet’s #1 source for Gronk.

And hell, let’s make it interesting — I’m going to select a commenter from the BuzzerBeat facebook page at the end of the day and hook him/her up with the latest version of our CagePotato Devil’s Horns t-shirt, the one with the fist on the back. (Yeah, you didn’t even know those existed, huh?)

Any questions, let me know in the comments section. Thanks, guys.
BG


(Internet personality Mike Tyson‘s latest brilliant cameo.)

We try to keep the begging to a minimum around here. But I could really use your help today. Me and our homeboy Fidel from TuVez have joined forces to launch a new site called BuzzerBeat.com. It’s a really simple concept: The best sports videos, delivered daily. So I’m gonna cash in that favor you owe me, and ask you to do the following…

1) Take five seconds and “Like” BuzzerBeat’s Facebook page. Just one click is all we ask.

2) If you have some time to kill at the office, why not actually browse through the site? You’ll find the latest game-highlights, bizarre sports-related viral videos, and classic clips featuring newsmaking athletes. We vow to become the Internet’s #1 source for Gronk.

And hell, let’s make it interesting — I’m going to select a commenter from the BuzzerBeat facebook page at the end of the day and hook him/her up with the latest version of our CagePotato Devil’s Horns t-shirt, the one with the fist on the back. (Yeah, you didn’t even know those existed, huh?)

Any questions, let me know in the comments section. Thanks, guys.
BG

Video of the Day: The Mike Tyson Quote Song

(Video courtesy of YouTube/JustDaveMusic)

When you’re humming this later, don’t blame us.

Who knew that some of Mike Tyson’s greatest lines would fit so seamlessly with basic chords on an acoustic guitar?

I’m as big of a Mike Tyson fan as anybody, but he is narrowly behind Tito Ortiz as the most phonetically challenged fighter in combat sport history and this song proves it.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/JustDaveMusic)

When you’re humming this later, don’t blame us.

Who knew that some of Mike Tyson’s greatest lines would fit so seamlessly with basic chords on an acoustic guitar?

I’m as big of a Mike Tyson fan as anybody, but he is narrowly behind Tito Ortiz as the most phonetically challenged fighter in combat sport history and this song proves it.

A few tidbits from the former heavyweight boxing champ for those of you who can’t watch videos at work:

“Hannibal rode elephants into cartilage…” I guess I’ll fade into Bolivian… I’ll eat your asshole alive, you bitch…

And the hits keep coming from “Iron” Mike.

Video: Rashad Evans’ Fight Club Q&A Session from UFC 138

(Video courtesy of YouTube/StudioMMA)

Studio MMA’s Bobby Cavian was on hand at Friday’s UFC 138 Q&A with former UFC light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans and he was good enough to record the entire session for us.

In the nearly 60-minute question and answer period Rashad touched on a number of topics from how he broke his hand and where he is in his rehab to who he think s will win against Machida and his former teammate and current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. “Suga” also gives an update on his tumultuous relationships with his former nemesis Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and his former coach Greg Jackon.

Some spoilers are after the jump.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/StudioMMA)

Studio MMA’s Bobby Cavian was on hand at Friday’s UFC 138 Q&A with former UFC light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans and he was good enough to record the entire session for us.

In the nearly 60-minute question and answer period Mike Goldberg and Rashad touched on a number of topics from how he broke his hand and where he is in his rehab to who he think s will win against Machida and his former teammate and current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. “Suga” also gives an update on his tumultuous relationships with his former nemesis Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and his former coach Greg Jackon.

Some spoilers:

• Mike Goldberg is sensitive about all of the people who point out his mistakes

• He broke his hand with one of the first overhand rights he threw against Tito when his thumb connected with the top of Ortiz’s head

• Goldberg says Tito could make 185 if his melon were normal-sized

• He feels that Anderson Silva would beat Jones

• He says Anthony Johnson is bigger than he is and likely walks around at 220 lbs

• Says that his former college roommate Gray Maynard used to be yoked and weighed around 205 after college

• Says the Brazilians he trains with at Imperial Athletics on the Blackzilians call him “Hashad” and they call Johnson “Humble”

• Rehab is going slowly because he damaged some of the nerves and tendons in his injured hand by not moving it for so long

• He went to Rampage’s after party when he lost to Jones to pay his respect and they had a drink together, before trading barbs like old times

• The last time he spoke with Greg Jackson was the day he told him he would fight Jones soon after he won the belt

• Says he’ll fight whoever they throw in front of him while he waits for the winner of Machida and Jones

• Says Jones is “sneaky” and “grimy” for the way he told reporters he would fight Rashad in spite of the Team Jackson pact

• If he had to pick it would be Jones because of the way he betrayed him than Machida to avenge the loss

• He loves Diaz’s mindset and anger he channels into his fighting, but is riding with his teammate GSP

• Says people would REALLY hate him if he went WWE like Chael Sonnen

• Says the UFC handled the Marquardt situation fairly and that he thinks he could come back the the promotion

• Feels he’s hated by many because he beat a lot of fans’ favorite fighters

• Can’t stop being who he is, so he’s stopped trying to prove the haters wrong

• Wants to be an analyst after he’s done fighting

• Doesn’t want to fight until he can’t

• Says when fighting stops being fun, he’s done

• Thinks Chael says things just to get a reaction

• Goldie says they are looking at 35 shows next year, up from 25 this year

• Mike also says Jon Anik will be a part of the “B” broadcast team similar to the WEC team

• Rashad doesn’t feel that Condit got screwed by losing his shot at GSP to Diaz

• Evans was starstruck by Denzel Washington when he met him

• Besides impeccable impersonations of his mom and Denzel, Rashad does a spot-on Mike Tyson at the 51:17 mark

• Says he would have liked to fight Randy before he retires

• Would love to fight either Hendo or Shogun next