Tag: Showtime

Showtime Exec Expresses Interest In Partnership With UFC

The whirlwind that was the Aug. 26 boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor may have come and gone, but the partnership between the UFC and Showtime, which broadcasted the fight live on pay-per-view (PPV), may not be over. Speaking on a recent edition of The MMA Hour, Showtime Executive Stephen Espinoza said that […]

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The whirlwind that was the Aug. 26 boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor may have come and gone, but the partnership between the UFC and Showtime, which broadcasted the fight live on pay-per-view (PPV), may not be over.

Speaking on a recent edition of The MMA Hour, Showtime Executive Stephen Espinoza said that once the UFC’s deal with FOX expires, Showtime and the UFC will have a ‘conversation’:

“Whenever they’re free of their obligations there will be a conversation,” Espinoza said. “Dana and I have disagreed on some things, but my relationships over there are strong. He and I have had disagreements, which is fine. The NFL and I have disagreements sometimes. It happens.”

Prior to the match between Mayweather and McGregor, the UFC had never done business with Showtime, nor had they done any business of that kind before. And while the sides disagreed at times like Espinoza mentioned, the process seemed to be smooth overall.

The UFC’s deal with FOX, which was signed in 2011, will expire at the end of next year, and multiple networks are expected to join the race to land the UFC next.

What network do you expect the UFC to end up on at the end of 2018?

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MMA-Based ‘TOUGH GUYS’ Coming to Showtime Next Week

Showtime will debut an MMA-based documentary on Friday, September 15 entitled “TOUGH GUYS.” The series, produced by Academy Award winner Ross Kauffman and Morgan Spurlock, airs at 9 p.m. ET. Based on the loosely regulated MMA competitions of the 1980s in Pittsburgh, the feature lengthy documentary explores the grassroots of the sport. “When I was […]

Showtime will debut an MMA-based documentary on Friday, September 15 entitled “TOUGH GUYS.” The series, produced by Academy Award winner Ross Kauffman and Morgan Spurlock, airs at 9 p.m. ET. Based on the loosely regulated MMA competitions of the 1980s in Pittsburgh, the feature lengthy documentary explores the grassroots of the sport. “When I was […]

Stephen Espinoza Says Showtime Open to Broadcast Deal With UFC

Showtime and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) may have not seen the last of each other. The two organizations worked together to make Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor a reality. Despite some differences between Showtime Sports executive vice president Stephen Espinoza and UFC President Dana White, the two ultimately had a smoother experience than expected. […]

Showtime and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) may have not seen the last of each other. The two organizations worked together to make Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor a reality. Despite some differences between Showtime Sports executive vice president Stephen Espinoza and UFC President Dana White, the two ultimately had a smoother experience than expected. […]

Video: Watch Nate Diaz Flip Off ‘B***h’ Brendan Schaub Backstage At MayMac

Last night’s (Sat., August 26, 2017) massive Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor boxing match from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., obviously elicited a wide range emotion from the collective combat sporting world. Mayweather won the bout by tenth round TKO (watch highlights here), but not before McGregor impressed with his unorthodox abilities in the ring, […]

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Last night’s (Sat., August 26, 2017) massive Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor boxing match from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., obviously elicited a wide range emotion from the collective combat sporting world.

Mayweather won the bout by tenth round TKO (watch highlights here), but not before McGregor impressed with his unorthodox abilities in the ring, as he actually won at least one early round and as many as four overall (depending on who you ask) before gassing and succumbing to the vast experience of the undefeated “Money.”

The fact that McGregor found any semblance of success has more boxing-focused onlookers speculating that Mayweather has indeed lost a step despite his win over McGregor, however, and apparently, UFC lightweight Nate Diaz is among them. A video surfaced on Twitter of Diaz arguing that Mayweather “wasn’t even trying” with SHOWTIME Sports analyst and retired UFC fighter Brendan Schaub, which ended with Diaz flipping Schaub off and stating, “Well, I’m just saying you’re a bitch.”

Check it out:

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Tinfoil Hats: Top 10 MMA Conspiracy Theories

Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you, so grab your finest tin foil hat and join us as we take a deep dive into the weird, wonderful and wacky world of MMA conspiracy theories! Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice Was A Work: Bellator’s decision in 2015 to put on a […]

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Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you, so grab your finest tin foil hat and join us as we take a deep dive into the weird, wonderful and wacky world of MMA conspiracy theories!

Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice Was A Work:

Bellator’s decision in 2015 to put on a fight between 51-year-old Ken Shamrock and 41-year-old former backyard brawler Kimbo Slice seemed like a terrible idea, and the resulting fight was indeed painful to watch.

On paper, Shamrock was the superior grappler, but despite taking Kimbo’s back and flattening him out early in the first round, his attempt to apply a rear-naked choke not only failed, but resulted in his opponent managing to escape, get back upright and then TKO him with strikes with just 2.22mins on the clock.

Fans took to social media to call the fight a fix, FOX Sport’s Katie Nolan questioned its validity and then Joe Rogan added fuel to the fire.

”That fight looked fake as f**k,” Rogan stated on his ‘Fight Companion podcast.

Rogan noted how Shamrock looked too relaxed during his walkout, suggested it was “suspect” that the two fighters were both, “mouth to ear for a long f*cking time” during a prolonged clinch early in the fight, and was left perplexed that Shamrock hadn’t landed a single punch after getting in an extremely dominant position on the mat.

It’s not the first time Shamrock has been the subject of fight-fixing allegations, but he has since angrily rejected Rogan’s insinuation.

“Don’t be hiding behind your mic and saying things that are not true,” Shamrock warned Rogan during an interview at the time, while also complaining that unfounded speculation like that could ruin his career.

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Showtime Exec Responds To Conor McGregor’s Presser Comments

Yesterday (July 12, 2017), Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor faced off in Toronto, Canada on the second stop of a four day world tour to promote their Aug. 26 boxing match. McGregor once again spoke before Mayweather, and as expected, he didn’t hold back. In fact, the “Notorious” one even called out Showtime executive Stephen […]

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Yesterday (July 12, 2017), Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor faced off in Toronto, Canada on the second stop of a four day world tour to promote their Aug. 26 boxing match.

McGregor once again spoke before Mayweather, and as expected, he didn’t hold back. In fact, the “Notorious” one even called out Showtime executive Stephen Espinoza. The Irishman believes Showtime shut his microphone off in Los Angeles earlier this week, and he took his frustrations out on Espinoza, calling him a ‘weasel’ and a ‘b*tch’.

Speaking to MMAFighting.com after the event, Espinoza admitted that he was a bit surprised by McGregor’s comments:

“I’m not sure whether it’s part of the show,” Espinoza said. “I’m not sure how much is a put on. It seemed more than that. It certainly wasn’t a wink and a nod. And it wasn’t backstage saying, ‘Hey, I’m doing it for the good of the show.’ The reality is you see what some athletes — whether combat sports or otherwise — the need to invent enemies and invent opponents to motivate. He’s obviously got that in Floyd. If this is part of his process of imagining the world against him and motivating himself, then that’s his his process.

“I’m a big boy. It’s certainly not somebody that has come after me as a network. It did take me a little bit by surprise, but it’s part of the entertainment value of the McGregor business.”

Espinoza then said Showtime wouldn’t attempt to discuss the issue with McGregor or his team, but he did say that he still has multiple opportunities to respond if need be:

“I don’t think so,” Espinoza said. “He’s a grown adult, I’m a grown adult. If that’s the way he wants to conduct himself, we as the network or me personally are not gonna change it. It’s one of the things that you appreciate Floyd for. Floyd certainly has his flaws like we all do, but there’s always been a sense of professionalism in everything he’s done. That isn’t always the case with some of his opponents.”

“I’d like to sleep on it, but it took me by surprise,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m a big boy and I still got two more opportunities to respond if I need to.”

What do you make of the situation?

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