(Dana’s just excited about the matchup, that’s all.)
Dana White, Brock Lesnar, Alistair Overeem, Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz are scheduled to appear at a UFC 141 press conference today at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. You can watch the proceedings live in the video player after the jump, beginning at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT. Will Alistair insist on wearing a suit, even when everybody else will surely be wearing t-shirts? Will Cowboy and Nate make eye contact when they smush their foreheads together? Will the UFC continue to let the morons in the audience beg Dana for handouts? Answers inside!
(Dana’s just excited about the matchup, that’s all.)
Dana White, Brock Lesnar, Alistair Overeem, Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz are scheduled to appear at a UFC 141 press conference today at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. You can watch the proceedings live in the video player after the jump, beginning at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT. Will Alistair insist on wearing a suit, even when everybody else will surely be wearing t-shirts? Will Cowboy and Nate make eye contact when they smush their foreheads together? Will the UFC continue to let the morons in the audience beg Dana for handouts? Answers inside!
Got an hour to spare? Then check out the full video of yesterday’s UFC on FOX 2 press conference, which was held at the United Center in Chicago and featured all six fighters that would be headlining the show. Here are some of the highlights, most of which belonged to the Gangster From West Linn:
Chael Sonnen on his checkered past: “I actually held public office, and I left the only way a person should — in handcuffs.”
Sonnen on his illegal kneebar during a college wrestling match with Mark Munoz: “Mark’s explanation of ‘heat of the moment’, I appreciate that but I can assure you it was a calculated and premeditated event, and I offer no apology. And secondly, I don’t even remember college. I’m driving around in a car with no insurance, a pocket with no money and the biggest thing on my mind was which kid to sit next to on exam day, so as far as a wrestling match, that was about the fourth thing on my mind. I assure you on January 28th, I will be ready. It will be one more in the win column, one more above the mantle, and one more for the bad guy.”
Got an hour to spare? Then check out the full video of yesterday’s UFC on FOX 2 press conference, which was held at the United Center in Chicago and featured all six fighters that would be headlining the show. Here are some of the highlights, most of which belonged to the Gangster From West Linn:
Chael Sonnen on his checkered past: “I actually held public office, and I left the only way a person should — in handcuffs.”
Sonnen on his illegal kneebar during a college wrestling match with Mark Munoz: “Mark’s explanation of ‘heat of the moment’, I appreciate that but I can assure you it was a calculated and premeditated event, and I offer no apology. And secondly, I don’t even remember college. I’m driving around in a car with no insurance, a pocket with no money and the biggest thing on my mind was which kid to sit next to on exam day, so as far as a wrestling match, that was about the fourth thing on my mind. I assure you on January 28th, I will be ready. It will be one more in the win column, one more above the mantle, and one more for the bad guy.”
Michael Bisping on Dan Henderson’s recent tweet regarding Anderson’s injuries: “Well he’s just another person that had his shot, weren’t he? I seem to remember him getting tapped out just like Chael did, so both of these guys have a problem with submission defense. If he’s bitter about it, don’t talk shit about me about it just because you blew your shot.”
Sonnen on humility: “I think everybody up here is grateful to be on FOX. They say, ‘FOX, thanks.’ Everybody but me. I would say, ‘FOX, you’re welcome.’ You’ve been telling people for years you’ve got the American Idol and now you finally do.”
Sonnen on fighting Mark Munoz: “Everybody’s got guys they don’t want to fight, and Mark is definitely on the top of my list, and not just because I like him. Because he’s a hard match — I’ve competed with him before and I’ve never beat him. But look, we have to do this, and on top of that, Mark and I agreed to fight to set an example for the rest of the guys. This is just competition. Basketball players don’t not play each other because they’re friends, or they practice together, or any other excuse that guys have for saying no. The answer is yes, and we will compete and we will shake hands and we will live with the result.”
Rashad Evans: “I prefer to bring out the knockout [artist side of himself as opposed to the ground-and-pound side] because Phil, he needs to get knocked out.” Phil Davis: ”Glad you mentioned that because one of your buddies, Jon Jones, said you don’t have much of a chin.” Evans: ”You’ll have to find out for yourself, right?” Davis: ”I was already thinking that!” Evans: ”I bet you won’t be able to put your hands on me, though…I guarantee you’ll be the first one to take a shot…’cuz I’m gonna put those hands on you worse than that dude did to them other kids at Penn State.”
The audio fades out at the 1:10:20 mark, but if anybody knows what was said here, let us know…
(“Don’t call me homey, brah.” “Don’t call me brah, homey.” / For more photos from the presser, visit Lowkick.Blitzcorner.com)
A lot of interesting developments coming out of yesterday’s “UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz” press conference…
— UFC President Dana White confirmed that the first international edition of The Ultimate Fighter will be in Brazil, not the Philippines as previously reported. White described TUF Brazil as “a done deal,” though other details, including its host and where it will take place, haven’t been locked down yet. The series will air in Brazil, and possibly on FUEL TV in North America. White also said that the UFC will be actively working on booking “as many [events] as we possibly can” in Brazil.
— Meanwhile, the UFC is also working on putting together their first event in Hawaii, which is slated for 2012, and could be held at an outdoor venue. In the past, the UFC had been hesitant to promote a show in Hawaii due to an exorbitant promoters’ tax the state required, but that situation was later “fixed”, and rumors of a UFC show at the Aloha Bowl have circulated for the past two years.
(“Don’t call me homey, brah.” “Don’t call me brah, homey.” / For more photos from the presser, visit Lowkick.Blitzcorner.com)
A lot of interesting developments coming out of yesterday’s “UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz” press conference…
— UFC President Dana White confirmed that the first international edition of The Ultimate Fighter will be in Brazil, not the Philippines as previously reported. White described TUF Brazil as “a done deal,” though other details, including its host and where it will take place, haven’t been locked down yet. The series will air in Brazil, and possibly on FUEL TV in North America. White also said that the UFC will be actively working on booking “as many [events] as we possibly can” in Brazil.
— Meanwhile, the UFC is also working on putting together their first event in Hawaii, which is slated for 2012, and could be held at an outdoor venue. In the past, the UFC had been hesitant to promote a show in Hawaii due to an exorbitant promoters’ tax the state required, but that situation was later “fixed”, and rumors of a UFC show at the Aloha Bowl have circulated for the past two years.
— Has Chael Sonnen successfully trash-talked his way into a rematch with Anderson Silva on Super Bowl weekend? As White explained at the UFC 137 press-conference, “I am meeting with (Anderson’s camp on Saturday)…You know Chael’s position. And I think Anderson’s position is really the same as Chael’s. Anderson’s really pissed off about the stuff that Chael has said.” When asked if the fight could be set up for Super Bowl weekend, White replied, “I think it would make sense, yeah.”
— And get this: Strikeforce might actually survive into 2012. Said DW: “I met with Showtime yesterday and I had a great meeting with them. I’m jumping in [to the negotiations]. Lorenzo Fertitta and I divide and conquer. We’re both so busy and we’re working on so much stuff, so to get this deal moving we needed the kinder, gentler side of the UFC there in the beginning. Now, I’m going to go in there and close it…We had a great conversation. We moved the ball forward and we’ll see what happens. There is no deal done. I just think we had a great meeting… We have a chance that Strikeforce lives.”
Considering that Strikeforce has already been raided for its best fighters — Nick Diaz, Dan Henderson, and Alistair Overeem, with Gilbert Melendez on the way — it doesn’t seem like Strikeforce would be anything other than a feeder league. But with Bellator on the rise, diluting the MMA talent pool could be the end goal in itself.
(“Well at the very least, you’re paying me back for all this bottled water.”)
BJ Penn, Nick Diaz, Matt Mitrione, and Cheick Kongo were scheduled to participate in a UFC 137 media call at 2 p.m. ET today, and three of them called in on time. The other one, obviously, was Nick Diaz. According to twitter updates from Ariel Helwani, the UFC and Diaz’s manager/trainer Cesar Gracie began frantically searching for the former Strikeforce welterweight champ when he no-showed the call. Gracie was surprised by his fighter’s absence, but offered the explanation that he only found out about the media call 24 hours in advance and he wasn’t sure whether it was still on after GSP pulled out due to injury.
(“Well at the very least, you’re paying me back for all this bottled water.”)
BJ Penn, Nick Diaz, Matt Mitrione, and Cheick Kongo were scheduled to participate in a UFC 137 media call at 2 p.m. ET today, and three of them called in on time. The other one, obviously, was Nick Diaz. According to twitter updates from Ariel Helwani, the UFC and Diaz’s manager/trainer Cesar Gracie began frantically searching for the former Strikeforce welterweight champ when he no-showed the call. Gracie was surprised by his fighter’s absence, but offered the explanation that he only found out about the media call 24 hours in advance and he wasn’t sure whether it was still on after GSP pulled out due to injury.
So anyway, Diaz finally shows up around 2:45 and says he didn’t know about the call. (Oh, won’t somebody keep this man informed of such things?) Dana White blamed his own organization for the mixup, but what else is he going to do, take Nick off the main event again? By the way, the current poster for UFC 137 carries the tagline “Expect the Unexpected.” You said it, brother.
UFC 139 goes down November 19th at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, and the major players are convening at the San Pedro Square Market right now for a little press-conference action. Click “play” on the live YouTube player above to see Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Cung Le, and UFC president Dana White field questions from the media in attendance beginning at 1 p.m. local time.
UFC 139 goes down November 19th at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, and the major players are convening at the San Pedro Square Market right now for a little press-conference action. Click “play” on the live YouTube player above to see Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Cung Le, and UFC president Dana White field questions from the media in attendance beginning at 1 p.m. local time.
(“…In situations that the Planeteers cannot resolve alone, they can combine their powers to summon ‘Prime Sakuraba‘, a magical entity who possesses all of their powers magnified.” / Photo via BloodyElbow)
The UFC held a press conference earlier today in Tokyo, formally announcing their plans to host an event at the Saitama Super Arena on February 26th, 2012. No matchups were announced, but Japanese stars including Yushin Okami, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Takanori Gomi, Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, Hatsu Hioki, and Michihiro Omigawa were all mentioned as likely participants. Former PRIDE stars like Wanderlei Silva, Mirko Cro Cop, Quinton Jackson and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira are also possibilities.
Though the UFC held four events in Japan from 1997-2000, this will be the first Japanese show organized by the UFC while under Zuffa ownership. The prelims will begin at 10 a.m. local time (with the main card starting at noon) so that the event can be broadcast live at the usual time slot for North American viewers. It’s not clear yet whether UFC Japan 2012 will be a pay-per-view or “Fight Night” card, and no details were given regarding the event’s local broadcast plans.
Following a recorded video message from Dana White at the press conference, Zuffa LLC Asia Executive Vice President and Managing Director Mark Fischer addressed the media in attendance, saying:
(“…In situations that the Planeteers cannot resolve alone, they can combine their powers to summon ‘Prime Sakuraba‘, a magical entity who possesses all of their powers magnified.” / Photo via BloodyElbow)
The UFC held a press conference earlier today in Tokyo, formally announcing their plans to host an event at the Saitama Super Arena on February 26th, 2012. No matchups were announced, but Japanese stars including Yushin Okami, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Takanori Gomi, Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, Hatsu Hioki, and Michihiro Omigawa were all mentioned as likely participants. Former PRIDE stars like Wanderlei Silva, Mirko Cro Cop, Quinton Jackson and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira are also possibilities.
Though the UFC held four events in Japan from 1997-2000, this will be the first Japanese show organized by the UFC while under Zuffa ownership. The prelims will begin at 10 a.m. local time (with the main card starting at noon) so that the event can be broadcast live at the usual time slot for North American viewers. It’s not clear yet whether UFC Japan 2012 will be a pay-per-view or “Fight Night” card, and no details were given regarding the event’s local broadcast plans.
Following a recorded video message from Dana White at the press conference, Zuffa LLC Asia Executive Vice President and Managing Director Mark Fischer addressed the media in attendance, saying:
“We want to let everyone know that we will be bringing the same high level of UFC competition, the same world class show and presentation, and great fights and the greatest athletes in the world to Japan…Let me also say that while UFC Japan in 2012 will be the first event for Zuffa in Asia, it certainly won’t be the last. We hope to make UFC Japan an annual fixture on our calendar and we also have plans to follow-up with a series of high quality events across Asia.”
While the UFC’s return to Brazil last month represented a joyfully symbolic homecoming, the history of MMA in Japan over the last five years has been that of scandal, opposition, and a growing apathy among fans — and according to FightOpinion’s Zach Arnold, the UFC’s February show at the Saitama Super Arena won’t do much to change that:
“Think about how insulting it is to the Japanese fans to tell them that this show is going to start at 10 AM in the morning. The kind of people willing to show up for an event like that for that time frame are really hardcore fans. UFC does not have a substantial hardcore MMA fan base to work with in Japan and the hardcore MMA fans remaining in Japan have a very mixed opinion about UFC as a product…UFC cannot, with a straight face, look at the Japanese fans in the eye and tell them that the Saitama Super Arena show is all about them when you’re starting the damn event at 10 AM in the morning so Americans can watch it on PPV live…
Which reminds me of today’s UFC presser in which a VTR (video tape recording) of Dana White was played to the media. So, why wasn’t he at the Japanese press conference? Because he’s getting ready to do press in Las Vegas for the upcoming Georges St. Pierre/Nick Diaz fight in late October. In our opinion, Dana White sent the message to the Japanese fans that he wouldn’t even show up in Japan to do the presser for his own vanity show…
As I stated before, UFC has money to burn on a Japanese joy ride and what Dana wants, Dana gets. This is going to be his grand ‘ol party to say screw you to the ghost of PRIDE in PRIDE’s old home arena. This is his message to the Japanese MMA fans that what promoters served them was inherently wrong and that he’s going to show the fans ‘the right way’ to produce an MMA show…
You’re not going to build a foothold in the Japanese marketplace without a major broadcast over-the-air network in Japan pushing the product. UFC is not a Japanese company and they do not allow outsiders to control their matchmaking, two aspects which are mandatory in getting a network television deal with an outlet like Fuji TV. And that’s if a major Japanese TV network is even interested, which they are not right now because of what a dirty cesspool the fight game has truly become in the country. Unless circumstances change over the months to come, I don’t know how one can classify the current behavior of the UFC’s return to Japan as a serious long-term business proposition.”
Not every observer is going to be as cynical as this, but Arnold’s right to doubt how much of an impact this will have locally. The sport has officially fallen out of favor in Japan, and a card full of native fighters who have previously been smashed in the UFC isn’t going to generate the kind of rabid interest we just saw in Rio. Plus, the time-slot thing: Is a 10 a.m. show insulting for Japanese fans, or is the UFC right to put Western fans first?
