Tag: Multiple Sports

Dana White Video: Watch Face of UFC Call Out Floyd Mayweather’s Racism

Say what you want about Dana White as a business man, but this is a guy who has never attempted to hold back his emotions. He may be ruthless, but he is real. When White doesn’t like something, everyone around him knows it, and that’s how h…

Say what you want about Dana White as a business man, but this is a guy who has never attempted to hold back his emotions. He may be ruthless, but he is real. When White doesn’t like something, everyone around him knows it, and that’s how he gets things changed.

That’s where this UFC Presidential Address and the shoot on Floyd Mayweather idea comes from.

The first thing out of the UFC presidents mouth this time is the accusation that boxing champion Mayweather is racist for both his words about New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin and fellow boxer Manny Pacquiao. While the latter is understandable because of their business relationship, Mayweather’s words on Lin rang hollow.

And White called him on it.

While White acknowledges that it is unique to see an Asian guy in the NBA, he states that the credit he gets is well deserved. He also stated that if African-American players aren’t getting credit, he needs to stand back and show Floyd the praise dumped on the Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.

There aren’t too many times when I can say that I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the outspoken UFC president, but this is definitely one of those situations. Lin is popular because this is out of the norm for the NBA. There is no denying that part of the intrigue is his ethnicity, but most fans sit back and just watch Lin play some of the best basketball this season.

After telling Mayweather he was racist for suggesting that Pac-Man go make some sushi, White launches into a tirade about how the undefeated champion needs to focus on in-ring tasks and get this super fight underway.

White hit the nail on the head on what I feel is the most important part of this video—talking about the money.

The reports are now that Mayweather does not want to split the revenue from this fight 50-50, which is the reason it is being held up. This all adds up to Mayweather just running his mouth to look better.

White isn’t always right when he calls people out, but bravo, sir, for calling out a man who needs to be called out as the sham he is.

Fraud Mayweather. I like that better.

 

Check back for more on Mixed Martial Arts as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s UFC Page to get your fill of all things UFC/MMA. For more on MMA/UFC, check out Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Why WWE-Style Trash Talk Is Good and Bad for MMA

For most fans, there are two sides to the MMA: There’s the sport side, and there’s the business side.The people who favor the philosophy behind MMA being considered a sport, are generally seen as people who care just a little bit more about the warrior…

For most fans, there are two sides to the MMA: There’s the sport side, and there’s the business side.

The people who favor the philosophy behind MMA being considered a sport, are generally seen as people who care just a little bit more about the warrior spirit of a fighter inside the cage. They honestly do not pay a lot of attention to the outside forces that add to the hype of a fight. The only exception is the event of one’s background playing some sort of role in the fighting style of a certain Mixed Martial Artist.

The people who favor the philosophy behind the “hurt business”, are generally seen as people who look at the more corporate aspects of MMA, such as: The buy-rates of each PPV, the worth of fighters as far as what they’re getting paid, the type of numbers that certain fighters draw and above everything else—all the little things that are incorporated into the promotion of a fight.

Most people might think of the promotion aspect as the process most commonly connected with the business side of MMA, and to its credit—the business side is doing its best to end the “sport vs. spectacle” debate.

However, the most commonly debated aspect of this generation in MMA is the WWE staple of brash, original and hard-hitting trash talk that often adds to the hype and the promotion of a fight card—which is good because it makes people want to see the card more. They have also made fans pay their money to see some trash talkers in action, regardless of whether the fans want to see them win or lose.

It’s good that some guys build a reputation off of their words, but the over-the-top WWE-style of trash talk, while original, might not be as good for the sport of MMA as much as it is good for the business of MMA.

As a matter of fact, one might question if the constant trash talk adds a bunch of fluffed-up hype in order to distracts us from how completely one-sided some bouts are.

Truthfully, some fights can deliver with the right amount of trash talk. But more often than not, people try to say over-the-top things to the media just because it’s their job to let the public know that there is a fight card on an upcoming Saturday night—or whatever night the card is on for the public to see.

Sure, it makes people think that one guy might finish the other inside the cage. But sometimes, all some people really need to know is who can fight, and who’s just there to fill out a card.

As far as the references that make it up—leave that to the WWE folks themselves.

That product, while legendary in itself given its longevity in many global markets, likes to push envelopes and entertain fans by delivering on some heavy talking in order to draw people into their mostly-scripted confrontations (though some of those superstars really do not like each other backstage).

The WWE can feel free to cross lines, push buttons and get people talking with promo after promo.

As long as two guys are stepping inside the cage on any given night and preparing to deliver some sort of action, we can live with just hearing two guys saying they’ll hurt the other dude worse than he’s ever been hurt before—whether physically or mentally.

The sport of MMA might be able to do without it more often than not, but as it has achieved enough success to the point of keeping the business side booming—the trash-talking aspect of MMA is arguably a trend that won’t likely fade anytime in the near future.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

WWE News: Vince McMahon Lays the Hammer Down on CM Punk’s UFC Plans

As many are aware, WWE champion CM Punk was scheduled to accompany his friend and UFC fighter, Chael Sonnen, to the Octagon on January 28.The upcoming event—the UFC on FOX 2 special—will emanate from Chicago, the hometown of Punk.Given the …

As many are aware, WWE champion CM Punk was scheduled to accompany his friend and UFC fighter, Chael Sonnen, to the Octagon on January 28.

The upcoming event—the UFC on FOX 2 special—will emanate from Chicago, the hometown of Punk.

Given the location, Punk’s presence at the show was to simply show support and rally the crowd behind Sonnen before his bout with Mark Munoz.

In fact, Punk had already gotten approval from the WWE to make the appearance and everyone, especially him, was under the impression it was going to happen.

However, all it took was one man to curtail Punk’s plans to show up at the UFC broadcast—and one is more than enough if your name is Vince McMahon.

According to F4WOnline, McMahon’s refusal to allow CM Punk to attend the show, let alone show his face on FOX TV, came out of the blue:

Dave Meltzer writes about the situation in detail:

It is extremely unlikely that C.M. Punk will be walking Chael Sonnen to the octagon on the 1/28 show in Chicago.  Punk, in fact, has been told that he shouldn’t even be at the show.  Front Row Brian, a noted poster on message boards including ours, who broke all aspects of this story from the beginning, first noted yesterday that Punk was told by Vince McMahon that he couldn’t walk Sonnen to the ring and that he didn’t want him at the show.  Punk also confirmed to Ariel Helwani yesterday that he would not be allowed to walk Sonnen to the ring. 

We contacted two people very close to the situation, one who noted that officially nothing was 100% but that they would be surprised if it happened.  The other noted that Punk got the official word yesterday after pretty much being told on Monday and described it as Vince just being in one of his moods.  Punk and Sonnen had become friends, which makes sense given that Punk is a pro wrestler who overachieved from a marketing standpoint including by learning from MMA, and Sonnen is an MMA fighter who overachieved from a marketing standpoint from learning from pro wrestling.  Sonnen had asked Punk to accompany him since it was in Chicago and Punk and Sonnen both got it cleared.  But when it became a news story, WWE had a change of heart.

Being a consummate businessman, it is perplexing that McMahon would suddenly forbid Punk from escorting Sonnen to the Octagon.

Logically, there are only good things that would result from the current WWE champion hobnobbing with one of the UFC’s top stars.

The most invaluable benefit is the exposure—from both UFC die-hards and the casual mainstream audience—Punk would garner.

And more than just being highlighted on a hyped, nationally-televised event is the legitimacy the “Straight Edge” superstar would reap via his association with a “real” combatant in Sonnen.

In addition, any fears that Punk—and by extension, the WWE—would be undermined by the UFC announcers are unfounded. If such were the case, UFC president Dana White wouldn’t have allowed Brock Lesnar to partner with the WWE regarding the video game WWE ’12. In reality, White didn’t have to share his top draw with the WWE, but he did.

Consequently, the only possible reason for McMahon’s decision is that he does not want any member of his roster to transcend the WWE brand.

For example, after having to endure Steve Austin’s retirement, The Rock’s Hollywood dreams and Lesnar’s abrupt exit, McMahon may be paranoid about relying on his talent—and their whims—to carry the company.

Instead, by reinforcing the WWE global brand as a singular entity, superstars become relatively interchangeable in an organization wherein the whole exceeds the sum of its parts.

Follow me on Twitter @ImaanJK

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Melvin Guillard Predicts Saints vs. 49ers Matchup

Bleacher Report sat down and spoke with Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard for an exclusive interview for B/R’s “The Ultimate Show.” Guillard talks NFL with us and his support for the New Orleans Saints and how they really gave back to th…

Bleacher Report sat down and spoke with Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard for an exclusive interview for B/R’s “The Ultimate Show.”

Guillard talks NFL with us and his support for the New Orleans Saints and how they really gave back to the community following Hurricane Katrina.

Guillard is hyped up and ready for the Saints to take the field this weekend against the San Francisco 49ers. He thinks both teams are going to rack up the points, but does he side with his hometown Saints or does he shock everyone and pick the Niners?

Find out everything that the Young Assassin has to say in this exclusive interview with Bleacher Report!

 

If you like this video click here to check out more from Bleacher Report Productions.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

MMA: Joe Frazier’s Death Shows MMA Has a Ways to Go

While mixed martial arts gets ready for one of the biggest events in its history (UFC on FOX this Saturday night), the boxing world sits in mourning of one of its greatest legends.Smokin’ Joe Frazier, the first man to defeat the unsinkable Muhamm…

While mixed martial arts gets ready for one of the biggest events in its history (UFC on FOX this Saturday night), the boxing world sits in mourning of one of its greatest legends.

Smokin’ Joe Frazier, the first man to defeat the unsinkable Muhammad Ali, passed away Monday after a battle with liver cancer.

To the modern combat sports fan, the loss may seem less than what it is. Frazier, as a result of his victory over Ali and subsequent rematches—the second of which, the Thrilla in Manilla, was one of the most incredible displays of heart and athleticism the sport has ever seen—was inextricably linked to the man that most consider the greatest of all time.

However, he was much more than that.

He was an undersized heavyweight, an against-all-odds warrior who fought with such tenacity that he essentially forced himself into the conversation of best heavyweight boxers ever.

He never backed down, so much so that his trilogy with Ali took a permanent toll on both men that never allowed them to be the same in the ring again.

Those fights were cultural occurrences, personal battles as much as battles for sport, and Frazier fought them as such. It was the only way he knew how. Yes, he took on the likes of George Foreman and Buster Mathis, but it was the Ali trilogy that made him a legend.

And now he’s gone.

Sad, but how does that relate to MMA?

If one looks at mixed martial arts, the biggest heavyweight fight out there is happening on Saturday night. It’s happening on free television, the heavyweight championship of the world, just like it did when men like Ali and Frazier were stars.

Yet there is none of the transcendent feel of the glory days of heavyweight boxing. It’s not about culture, it’s not about beliefs, it’s not about a nation divided.  It’s purely about competition.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It simply shows how far mixed martial arts has to go, how much room there is for it to grow.

In fact, go beyond the heavyweights. What fight in MMA could transcend the sport and become a genuine cultural phenomenon? GSP-Silva? Silva-Jones? Edgar-Aldo?

No. None of them.

They’re all nice to think of as MMA fans, but they’re not fights that could literally divide a nation or divide the globe.

Furthermore, is there a realistic possibility that any mixed martial artist will cause grown men to shed tears upon news of his death 30 years from now, the way I’m sure Frazier’s death did over the past 24 hours?

Probably not.

This isn’t meant to romanticize boxing and pine for the good old days. I love boxing, but truthfully my love has come from watching tapes of fights that happened decades before I was born. It’s been dying as long as I’ve been living, and that saddens me.

What this is meant to do, though, is remind fans of mixed martial arts of where the sport can go and what the ceiling is. When Dana White says MMA hasn’t scratched the surface of going mainstream, this is what he’s talking about.

Joe Frazier hasn’t fought in 30 years, and got more press in a day with his death than Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos have in a month—and they’re fighting this weekend.

That’s mainstream.

So today, and going into the weekend, remember two things—remember what men like Frazier did for combat sports, paving the way for men like Velasquez and Dos Santos to do their thing today.

And remember that regardless of where MMA can go, it sure isn’t there yet. Losing Smokin’ Joe has proved that.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 137 Results: What Fight Fans Have to Look Forward to for Rest of 2011

MMA is growing, whether people choose to accept it or not, and it’s shown for most of 2011 so far. We’ve seen knockouts come forth in stunning fashion, we’ve seen legends take hard shots while other legends gave hard shots, we’ve seen non-traditional s…

MMA is growing, whether people choose to accept it or not, and it’s shown for most of 2011 so far. We’ve seen knockouts come forth in stunning fashion, we’ve seen legends take hard shots while other legends gave hard shots, we’ve seen non-traditional submissions win fights, and of course, we’ve seen Jon Jones’ “Bonejitsu”. The current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion is 3-0 in 2011 bouts, by the way.

The wild, crazy, insane, and unfathomable have all taken place in 2011, but we still have quite a ways to go before we’re done with the year, and as combat sports fans in some respect, we’re not just leaving it at MMA either—though, an entire section could be dedicated to what’s left in the boxing world in 2011. With all that being said, what exactly can we expect in the last few months of 2011?

Begin Slideshow