Good news, everyone: Ratings are up!UFC on Fox 6 delivered some solid ratings Saturday night (via Zap2it.com), and the UFC brass is undoubtedly tickled by the recent jump in viewership.With an impressive rating of 1.8 and over 3.75 million viewers, the…
With an impressive rating of 1.8 and over 3.75 million viewers, the Octagon shone brightest in the coveted 18-49 age bracket, beating out figure skating, “NCIS” and “48 Hours” for top honors.
To compare, UFC on Fox 5: Henderson vs. Diaz drew a rating of 1.6, 13 percent lower than last night’s fights, which featured the flyweight title fight between Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and John Dodson.
That point is incredibly important to consider when analyzing the numbers.
Many supporters of the UFC feared that the “little guys” could not carry a card, that their drawing power was not strong enough to command an audience.
This, though, proved false, and the ratings indicate a very strong showing by the UFC’s finest at 125 pounds.
A co-main event featuring MMA legend Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and a marquee matchup between two of the sport’s top lightweights in Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Anthony “Showtime” Pettis probably affected the numbers as well, but the fact remains that the card did not suffer due to a flyweight main event.
Look at it however you like—the numbers do not lie. People tuned in to UFC on Fox 6, and the company’s appeal continues to grow.
For fans of the UFC and future key matchups on prime-time television, this is beautiful news.
Anthony Pettis made a statement on Saturday night, knocking Donald Cerrone to the mat with a body kick and then finishing him with follow-up strikes. Pettis, the final WEC lightweight champion who looks scarier than ever as he enters his prime at 26 ye…
Anthony Pettis made a statement on Saturday night, knocking Donald Cerrone to the mat with a body kick and then finishing him with follow-up strikes.
Pettis, the final WEC lightweight champion who looks scarier than ever as he enters his prime at 26 years old, has every claim in the world to a crack at UFC gold in his next outing.
That outing could in fact be a title fight, or it could be another contender. Here are some of the options for Joe Silva and the fight booking department.
Glover Teixeira did exactly what he needed to do to defeat mixed martial arts legend Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC on Fox 6.Teixeira caught Rampage early and often with hard punches, and he took his opponent down at will.While executing this game pl…
Glover Teixeira did exactly what he needed to do to defeat mixed martial arts legend Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC on Fox 6.
Teixeira caught Rampage early and often with hard punches, and he took his opponent down at will.
While executing this game plan, Teixeira also avoided Rampage’s power and never found himself in serious danger for the bout’s duration.
His aura as an utter destroyer is now gone, and for that, one has to conclude his stock has fallen.
If he had finished Rampage soundly, fans and critics would be clamoring for a title shot, but now he becomes just another top-10 light heavyweight who probably can’t beat Jon Jones.
With how much he’s complained about everything from money, to respect to the way his opponents fight, combined with all the jerky things he’s done in recent years (take. your. pick), it can be difficult to remember that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is an all-time great and future hall of famer. A humble and touching interview that he gave to Fuel TV after losing a decision to Glover Teixeira in Chicago at the UFC on Fox makes it easier to appreciate Quinton as the hard fighting, fan-friendly guy that he has been for so long.
The interview also makes us worry for him a bit. First, the good things.
Jackson gave his opponent credit for beating him without making silly excuses. “Glover was just the better man tonight,” Jackson said.
“Glover did what he had to do. He took it to me standing up and he took me down a few times. He did what he had to do to win…Fighters like Glover is what makes MMA.”
With how much he’s complained about everything from money, to respect to the way his opponents fight, combined with all the jerky things he’s done in recent years (take. your. pick), it can be difficult to remember that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is an all-time great and future hall of famer. A humble and touching interview that he gave to Fuel TV after losing a decision to Glover Teixeira in Chicago at the UFC on Fox makes it easier to appreciate Quinton as the hard fighting, fan-friendly guy that he has been for so long.
The interview also makes us worry for him a bit. First, the good things.
Jackson gave his opponent credit for beating him without making silly excuses. “Glover was just the better man tonight,” Jackson said.
“Glover did what he had to do. He took it to me standing up and he took me down a few times. He did what he had to do to win…Fighters like Glover is what makes MMA.”
Jackson also said that his body felt great during the fight and didn’t blame his coaches for the loss. He was sullen but honest with his audience and himself, it seemed.
“Its hard to swallow when you get your ass kicked but its part of the job,” he said.
And fighting is a job that Jackson says that he still has a desire to hold. “I still want to fight. Its still in my heart,” the former champ said.
The fighter openly expressed doubt as to whether, thirteen years into a legendary career, he could still compete with “the top-level people anymore.” Usually when a competitor realizes this, it is a good time to walk away and retire.
Self-doubt and diminishing returns do not make for safe and graceful career endings. Jackson said that he still wants to fight, but may have to just be rolled out for one-off fights, for entertainment.
“I think I just have to listen to my reality and see,” he said. “I’ve been fighting for thirteen years, the game has changed a lot and maybe I’ll just be one of those fighters that comes and excites the crowd – be like Gary Goodridge, one of those guys that comes and puts on a great show. Gary Goodridge is a great ambassador for our sport.”
Goodridge is a warrior and indeed a fantastic ambassador for MMA and sports in general. He is also a cautionary tale.
Goodridge, still just a young man, is already suffering through the effects of serious brain damage sustained over the course of a fighting career that he extended on for too long. Promoters will always be willing to give cash to exciting, great fighters like Jackson and Goodridge but hopefully “Rampage” doesn’t walk willfully into exploitative situations like he seems content to do.
What do you make of Jackson’s fight Saturday and his interview above, nation?
Anthony “Showtime” Pettis has a lot of celebrating to do on his 26th birthday.At UFC on Fox 6, he finally earned his long talked-about shot at UFC gold, as well as a $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus, with his liver kick TKO of Donald Cerrone.That’s …
Anthony “Showtime” Pettis has a lot of celebrating to do on his 26th birthday.
That’s a nice chunk of change that should be enough to cover even the most lavish bar tab.
Pettis vs. Benson Henderson II would produce epic ticket sales for whatever event it is announced. After all, Pettis was the last man to defeat Henderson, and “Bendo” has gone 6-0 inside the Octagon ever since.
Can Pettis beat Henderson again without hitting the infamous “Showtime Kick” once more? That seems to be the million-dollar question regarding the UFC’s lightweight division.
However, there is one perspective many fans and analysts aren’t considering: Pettis being assured a title shot when Henderson already has a fight booked may be the best way to derail this rematch from happening.
How could that be possible?
First off, Henderson has been salivating to get another crack at Pettis ever since that fateful night at WEC 53 in Dec. 2010. It’s hard to blame him for that.
The hulking lightweight was nearly in tears at the post-fight conference after the loss, probably because he knew he could have won if he hadn’t let Pettis springboard off the cage and Matrix kick him in the face.
He also had to realize the kick would live in infamy as one of Zuffa, LLC’s top fight highlights for the rest of eternity. To say Henderson was disappointed is a gross understatement.
Case in point: It’s quite feasible that Henderson will be so focused on getting his sweet revenge on Pettis that he will lose to Gilbert Melendez at UFC on Fox 7 in April.
We can all scream at the top of our lungs that “El Nino” deserved to lose his rubber match against Josh Thompson this past May or even argue that he’s a huge wuss for backing out of two Strikeforce title fights with Pat Healy.
However, the bottom line is that Melendez beat Thompson via split decision and cited a lingering shoulder injury for never fighting Healy (even if it was bogus or overexaggerated).
More importantly, Melendez is pretty good in his own right. He is extremely well-rounded with vicious striking and ground-and-pound, solid takedowns and expert submission defense.
It’s easy to write off the California native for two reasons.
First, he’s never fought in the UFC.
Second, he trains at Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
Nate Diaz, a training partner of Melendez, was absolutely embarrassed by Henderson at UFC on Fox 5 in December. That makes it easy to jump to the conclusion the same thing is going to happen to Melendez.
However, styles make fights, and Melendez doesn’t fight much like Nate Diaz. Melendez has far better takedown defense and is a lot more versatile with his striking.
Both Cesar Gracie fighters love to scrap and never quit, but that’s basically where the similarities end.
Melendez will beat Henderson at UFC on Fox 7 this spring because the champ will look past the challenger, making Henderson vs. Pettis II one of the greatest fights that never was.
When someone does what Anthony Pettis did to Donald Cerrone on Saturday night, that someone deserves an opportunity to prove he is the best in the world. In case you happened to miss what Pettis did the Cowboy during UFC on Fox 6, here’s a look at…
When someone does what Anthony Pettis did to Donald Cerrone on Saturday night, that someone deserves an opportunity to prove he is the best in the world.
In case you happened to miss what Pettis did the Cowboy during UFC on Fox 6, here’s a look at the highly anticipated fight and quick finish:
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you embarrass an opponent.
Not only did Showtime make work of Cerrone in short order with a kick to the liver that everyone in attendance probably felt themselves, but he dominated the rest of the fight from start to finish.
Pettis connected on a slew of early punches and just barely missed with an Earth-shattering kick in the fight’s first minute. Meanwhile, Cerrone, who was coming off the Knockout of the Night against Melvin Guillard back in August, was rendered completely useless, as he failed to make even a blemish on Showtime’s face.
Pettis, who became the first fighter to knock out Cerrone, has already beaten Henderson, the current UFC Lightweight Champion, before. Back in December of 2010, the two went to decision at WEC 53 where Showtime was crowned with a unanimous victory.
Still, though, both fighters are much improved since that fight and if we are indeed given a rematch—”Smooth” will be a favorite against Gilbert Melendez in April—it will undoubtedly be a must-see battle.
And after Saturday’s dominant performance by Pettis, a truly deserved matchup, too.
Anthony “Showtime” 
