Edgar gets rematch versus Henderson
March 11, 2012
Frankie Edgar announced via twitter last week that he will receive his rematch against Ben Henderson. Dana White has tentatively scheduled the fight for this summer.
Via Edgar’s twitter:
Rematch anyone??…….it’s on!! Thanks to @danawhite @lorenzofertitta. Me and Henderson 2. Here we go!!
— Frankie Edgar (@FrankieEdgar) March 6, 2012
Payout Perspective:
Once again Anthony Pettis is put on hold. Its likely the right call and shows that certain fighters have some weight when it comes to making career decisions. It appeared that Edgar was being pushed into the Featherweight division without much say. But, to Edgar (and his camp’s) credit, he was able to convince White he deserved a rematch. For Showtime, the change in course has to be frustrating. He will have to take another fight before his title shot. And, as we know, he lost to Clay Guida. Also, the Nate Diaz-Jim Miller fight for UFC on Fox 3 will likely be for a top contender spot instead of a title shot at Henderson. The contenders to Henderson’s title reflect the dept of the lightweight division.
Edgar gets title shot if he moves to Featherweight
March 1, 2012
MMA Junkie reports that Dana White will offer Frankie Edgar an immediate shot at the Featherweight title if he drops down to that division. Edgar indicated that he wants a rematch at Benson Henderson for the lightweight title.
Via MMA Junkie:
White, who today promised Edgar an immediate shot at the featherweight title if he’s willing to make the drop, still believes “The Answer” should be at 145 pounds. That said, he’s still not going to make anything a requirement.
Thus far, Edgar has balked at White’s offer. But the UFC boss said the two have remained in close contact since UFC 144, and he hopes the former lightweight champ will eventually share his point of view.
Payout Perspective:
Its interesting that although Edgar and Henderson won Fight of the Night honors, there’s no desire on the part of White to have a rematch between the two. The Edgar move could be seen as more of a way to bolster the Featherweight division where Aldo has basically had his way with the division. The lightweight division is shaping up to be one of the more competitive divisions in the UFC. On the other hand, aside from Hatsu Hioki, there are no legitimate challengers to Jose Aldo’s title. Frankie Edgar dropping down would help the division and gain interest in it overall.
Certainly an Edgar/Aldo fight would be great to watch and the immediate shot at the title is the extra carrot for Edgar. Yet, its a pretty big career decision. I can see the reasons Edgar wants a rematch at lightweight. While having an immediate title shot at Featherweight is enticing, it would be the first time Edgar would have to cut weight in some time. Yes, its only 10 pounds, but he is fighting one of the best in Aldo. This seems to be discounted by many who want Edgar to jump at the shot.
GSP out of UFC 143 with knee injury
December 7, 2011
Dana White announced via twitter that Georges St. Pierre will be out for 10 months with a knee injury. As a result, Carlos Condit steps in to face Nick Diaz for the interim Welterweight title for the Super Bowl Weekend card February 4th.
Condit was slated to fight GSP at UFC 137 and then was bumped from the card when GSP went down with an injury. After Diaz defeated BJ Penn, Diaz was awarded the title shot at GSP instead of Condit.
Payout Perspective:
The injury is a tough blow for the UFC as the Super Bowl weekend show is a big draw due to the amount of traffic in Vegas for the weekend. Condit-Diaz is a tough main event to sell as many casual viewers do not know Condit and Diaz is not the best at selling a fight. The rest of the card for UFC 143 is devoid of major names which is a problem. A part of this is due to the second Fox card on January 28th. But, without one of the UFC’s biggest stars (GSP), the UFC will have to scramble to make this card appealing.
In addition, the GSP injury hurts his marketability as the UFC moves to Fox. Certainly GSP is one of the company’s top draws and it looks like he won’t see the Octagon until the fall of 2012. Its definitely disappointing for GSP and puts the UFC in a position to market behind others in the Welterweight division.
The only bright spot here is that Condit gets his shot at the title. Hopefully, the UFC will give him a nice push in front of the February 5th card.
Jones vs. Machida set for UFC 140
October 6, 2011
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones will defend his title next against former champ Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 on December 10th. Dana White announced the fight via twitter.
The fight comes as news spread that Rashard Evans injured his hand in training. Once again, Evans is shelved and misses out on another title shot. For his part, Evans understood the decision and took the news with grace despite the likely frustration.UFC 140 will be held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In the co-main event, Frank Mir will face Big Nog in a rematch from 2008 in which Mir won the interim Heavyweight championship. Also, Tito Ortiz will face Little Nog on the same card.
Payout Perspective:
Its a little disappointing that we will not see Jones vs. Evans considering the genuine bad blood and intense staredown in the Octagon at UFC 135. It seems soon for Jones to defend his title again but Jones does not seem worried about it. The UFC needed a big title match-up considering the great fans in Canada. Mir vs. Noguiera just isn’t a top draw main event. Machida was the best opponent available although you may argue that Shogun Rua could have received a rematch after Rua KO’d Forrest Griffin in Rio. It will be interesting to see if Machida is a big enough name for the casual MMA fan. Also, we will see if Jones will improve as a PPV draw.
Diaz rebooked for UFC 137 against B.J. Penn
September 9, 2011
In a headscratcher, MMA Junkie reports that the UFC has rebooked Nick Diaz to fight against B.J. Penn as the co-main event for UFC 137.
This match was made after Diaz skipped out on his media obligations for UFC 137 and was replaced by Carlos Condit to fight GSP for the title. It was claimed that Diaz had missed several flights to the UFC pressers and could not be found. Diaz’s coach, Cesar Gracie, even added to the drama by calling White at the Vegas press conference stating Diaz was nowhere to be found. The pic of White at the dais on the phone was a nice “photo-op” as well. Gracie expressed dismay at Diaz’s failure to show. Yet, White was not committal on if Diaz was cut from the UFC altogether.
With Diaz’s reappearance in his YouTube video, the UFC promoted the video (via twitter) and murmurs of a shocking opponent for B.J. Penn began to stir. White announced the matchup on his twitter account.
Payout Perspective:
Why?
While Diaz-Penn should be an entertaining fight the booking for this card does not make sense. Why didn’t the UFC just fine Diaz for no-showing the press conferences instead of retooling the card? There is the issue that perhaps Diaz no-shows the fight and UFC 137 is a failure. Yet, here he is back on the same card with the same concern, and perhaps more, that he no-shows the fight.
If Diaz wins, doesn’t it mean that he should receive a shot at GSP? What happens then? For Diaz, its a career cluster. He had a title shot and now he doesn’t and has a chance of not getting it if he loses. Basically, he’s in an Anthony Pettis situation but Diaz did this to himself.
For the UFC, Nick Diaz has been an additional financial expense it was not planning on considering the $15,000 in plane tickets it spent on Diaz and the probable extra monetary compensation it gave Penn to take the Diaz fight. If you read into Penn’s tweet about being offered a “deal” he couldn’t refuse its likely Penn was given more money to take on Diaz last minute. Also, will Diaz be paid the same for the Penn fight as he would for GSP?
In pro-wrestling speak, this is known as a “work” or “swerve,” as we were sold on one matchup and given another. How soon did the UFC know it was doing this? There were many signs via twitter and internet that something was going to happen even after Diaz-GSP was called off. The disdain for Diaz not attending a press conference and one day later promoting him again seems a little weird.
Overeem out of Strikeforce HW Grand Prix
July 20, 2011
News came out Monday that Alistair Overeem was removed from Strikeforce’s Heavyweight Grand Prix set to continue in September. Overeem, appearing on the MMA Hour this week, acknowledged that he was scheduled to fight Bigfoot Silva on September 10th, but thought that the date was too soon.
He tells MMA Fighting that he was promised a date in October or November and planned his training accordingly. Then, he was told September. He also stated that he was threatened with being cut from the tournament if he didn’t agree to the September fight date with Bigfoot Silva. Zuffa later announced Overeem’s removal from the card and announced Daniel Cormier as his replacement.
Payout Perspective:
The latest lineup change may be the final nail in the coffin for the Strikeforce HW Grand Prix. While the initial buzz for a HW Grand Prix was positive, the execution behind the tournament has been a disaster. Strikeforce intended this to begin and end in 2011 and include the top HW in its division. But, logistics with attempting to hold a show in Japan, the trouble in licensing Josh Barnett, the purchase of Strikeforce and the delay between cards have prevented any positive momentum for the tournament. Bigfoot Silva’s upset of Fedor and now Overeem’s removal makes the grand prix less appealing to fight fans. One might have speculated that the tourney was set so we would see a Fedor-Overeem final.
It appears that with the purchase of Zuffa, the tournament has less appeal. The only thing that would regain fan interest would be if the winner would receive a shot at the UFC champion. However, its unlikely that this would happen. Its too bad for Overeem. He could be a big star for Zuffa. However, his first fight with Fabricio Werdum was disappointing.
Davis out, Evans waits again
July 13, 2011
The injury bug continues as Ariel Helwani reported that Phil Davis is out of his main event matchup with Rashard Evans for UFC 133. Davis was a replacement for Jon Jones and now Evans must await another opponent.
Lyoto Machida, rumored to have been offered the fight is reported to have turned down the Evans rematch. Tito Ortiz, coming off his stunning upset of Ryan Bader has turned down this fight as well. Evans, who has not fought since Memorial Day 2010, awaits a yet to be announced opponent.
Six of the past nine UFC main events have been changed due to injury.
MMA Fighting analyzes the situation:
Think about how long it’s been since Evans fought Jackson. The UFC has had 27 events since UFC 114. Jackson is far from the most active of UFC fighters, but he’s already fought twice since then. Chuck Liddell has fought more recently than Evans. Jon Jones has gone from not even in the mix for a light heavyweight title fight to becoming the light heavyweight champion in the time since Evans last fought.
Payout Perspective:
The old adage of patience being a virtue has not helped Evans. After waiting for Shogun Rua to recover from injury, he sustains an injury and watches Jon Jones capture the Light Heavyweight title. Then, comes news that Jones is injured and Evans must take Davis in lieu of a title shot. With Davis out, Evans opponent is uncertain and so is his fight choices.
From the UFC standpoint, injury replacements is a part of the business. Yet, the ever-changing main events are difficult to promote/create buzz. Evans is (or was) a top-notch draw and it will be interesting to see how UFC 133 will be handled. What’s interesting is that if Ortiz would have taken the fight, the buzz would have been more on Ortiz than on Evans since Ortiz now has some momentum. With Machida reportedly declining the fight, it will be interesting to see who will Evans fight
Sonnen-Stann set for Showdown in Houston
July 6, 2011
Heavy.com reports that Chael Sonnen is set to return to the UFC Octagon against Brian Stann at UFC 136 in Houston. The middleweight bout could decide the next in line to challencge for the middleweight title.
Although Sonnen has had issues with the state athletic commissions in Nevada and California, it is expected that Sonnen will have no problem getting cleared by the athletic commission in Texas.
The UFC will hold its second Fan Expo of the year at UFC 136. The fan festival and trade show will be held the weekend of the event.
Payout Perspective:
A very smart booking decision here as it pits a fan favorite in Stann with the return of the controversial Sonnen. For his part, Sonnen is a master of self-promotion and fans listen when he grabs a microphone. Whether you like him or not, he is someone that will draw interest and putting him on a card the same weekend as the Fan Expo is a good idea. The bout is set to be a co-main event with Jose Aldo defending his title against Kenny Florian rumored to be another main event. Initially, I had expected Cain Velasquez to defend his title on this card but perhaps this was too soon for the heavyweight champ. With Sonnen on the card, expect a lot of talk…and a lot of interest.
Marquardt dismissed from UFC on eve of main event
June 25, 2011
The UFC abruptly fired Nate Marquardt the day before he was to fight in the main event of UFC on Versus 4 on Sunday night. The reason for the dismissal is unknown although a definitive word should be released prior to the event.
Via MMA Fighting:
“Not only is he out of this fight and out of the main event on Versus, he will no longer be with the UFC,” White said.
Rick Story, a late fill-in, will now fight Charles Brenneman. And the fight has been demoted with the Pat Barry-Cheick Kongo fight being elevated to the main event. This is disappointing for Story since he was hoping that a win over Marquardt would build his resume with hopes of facing the GSP-Diaz winner. A win over Brenneman is not the win Story wanted.
Payout Perspective:
The firing of Marquardt comes with many questions but little answers. Issues with making weight were dismissed as a reason which leads one to believe there are bigger reasons. A longtime vet of the UFC (and former contender) usually receives a better farewell. Was it a quick trigger considering White’s disappointment with Marquardt after his loss to Yushin Okami? One might recall that Marquardt’s performance lead to White’s criticism of Greg Jackson fighters.
From a PR perspective, it would help if the reason for the dismissal was made known. The fact that no reason was given allows the media to go wild with speculation. While the UFC is one of the top organizations in social media, something of this magnitude should have been addressed immediately before (or after) the weigh-ins via press conference. A simple tweet does not help.
The news makes the ratings between the Nate Marquardt marathon on Spike TV and the UFC on Versus 4 live event much closer. The Barry-Kongo feature bout is not that intriguing a fight considering its between two mid-card fighters nowhere close to fighting for the title.
It will also be interesting to see how fans react to the news. The Marquardt firing may hurt attendance as well as television ratings for the event.
GSP vs. Nick Diaz this year?
May 21, 2011
MMA Weekly reports that a Champion versus Champion match is in the works featuring Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz. The match-up may be announced as soon as next week.
The fight was rumored as soon as GSP dispatched Jake Shields at UFC 129. Talks likely accelerated when Jeff Lacy announced that he had signed on to fight Nick Diaz later this year. In order to appease Diaz, the UFC likely had to set up this fight so that Diaz would not go through with the boxing match.
Via MMA Weekly:
Nick Diaz is likely to face St-Pierre for his next UFC welterweight title defense in 2011, with all signs pointing towards a December showdown in Montreal.
Payout Perspective:
This potential match-up has huge implications in and out of the Octagon. Even without knowing the rest of the card, the event would do great business in Montreal. With the potential of fighting in front of his hometown crowd for the second year in a row, Diaz will be another heel to oppose GSP. Unlike Josh Koscheck, Diaz poses more of a danger with his BJJ skills. Of course, this could have been said of Jake Shields. Yet, it is still a compelling match-up.
If this fight happens, will this equate to a unification of the titles? Does a cross-promotional fight open the door for more fights featuring UFC vs. Strikeforce. Moreover, does this mean the beginning of the end for Strikeforce?
