Here’s a look at some of the business-related story lines to come out of The Ultimate Fighter Heavyweight Finale on Saturday:
– Payouts courtesy of MMAWeekly:
MAIN EVENT FIGHTERS
-Roy Nelson: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Brendan Schaub: $8,000
-Matt Hamill: $46,000 (includes $23,000 win bonus) def. Jon Jones: $20,000
MAIN CARD FIGHTERS
-Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson: $25,000 (no win bonus) def. Houston Alexander: $13,000
-Frankie Edgar: $46,000 (includes $23,000 win bonus) def. Matt Veach: $5,000
-Matt Mitrione: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Marcus Jones: $8,000
PRELIMINARY CARD FIGHTERS
-James McSweeney: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Darrill Schoonover: $8,000
-Jonathan Madsen: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Justin Wren: $8,000
-Brian Stann: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) def. Rodney Wallace: $6,000
-John Howard: $14,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus) def. Dennis Hallman: $15,000
-Mark Bocek: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) def. Joe Brammer: $5,000
ULTIMATE FIGHTER 10 FINALE DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $351,000
ULTIMATE FIGHTER 10 AWARDS & BONUSES
(Each fighter was awarded $25,000 per award, which is in addition to his disclosed salary.)
Fight of the Night:
-Frankie Edgar vs. Matt Veach
Knockout of the Night:
-Roy Nelson
Submission of the Night:
-Mark Bocek
– The disqualification of Jon Jones for his downward striking elbows on Matt Hamill marked the first time in MMA history that video replay was used to decide the outcome of a fight.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission utilized instant replay for the first time in mixed martial arts competition when referee Steve Mazzagatti disqualified Jon Jones at “The Ultimate Fighter 10” Finale on Saturday at the Palms Casino Resort.
NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer confirmed that Mazzagatti made his decision to disqualify Jones after looking at replays that showed the 22-year-old delivering three illegal downward elbows to the face of Matt Hamill. Kizer made it a point to back Mazzagatti’s judgment.
“At the end of the day, they were illegal elbows; the only call he can make is a disqualification,” Kizer said. “He made the call he had to make.”
– The Kimbo-Alexander fight looked to be an utter disaster for the first seven minutes, but Kimbo likely did enough in the final eight to be of further interest to the casual fan. He showed that his time at ATT has paid dividends, especially on the ground where he exhibited some semblance – even if it wasn’t much – of a ground game.
The ratings will likely be out later today or sometime Wednesday, and they’ll likely be very good. While Kimbo isn’t a main event fighter – and probably never will be in the UFC – he would be an option for the UFC on the main card of a future PPV. That option becomes particularly more interesting in the next few months where the UFC looks to be very thin in terms of headliners.
– Something tells me that if the UFC ends up with a new television distribution deal, Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan won’t be constantly pimping the next episode of “Manswers” or “1000 Ways to Die.” The references are par for the course on any network, but the type of show that these represent is the type of image that MMA and the UFC are also trying to shed.
Please, someone tell me why you writers are all saying that Kimbo’s training at ATT is showing dividends. The guy has been in MMA for nearly three years. How in the world could he have not picked something up by now, no matter where he has been training?
It’s almost like many people simply accept the first thing someone said about Kimbo and this fight: that he has shown marked improvement due to his involvement with ATT and/or the UFC. It’s simply not so, based on anything we’ve seen so far.
Yikes, that almost sounded like I’m agitated. 🙁 I’m really not. I promise.
Noone said he was any good on the ground. But he is improving. I think Kimbo is never going to be any good. People need to realize you have a bady type and mind set for everything. Kimbo can train BJJ for the rest of his life and never be effective at itin MMA. Its not what he is geared to do. Look at Tank Abbott for example. He wrestled all his life and boxed for a very long time. He trained BJJ in some capacity befvore he ever fought in the UFC. Even having friends and training partners like BJJ Black belts John Marsh and Dean Lister as well as other big name grapplers. He had a clear understanding of the ground game and could defend decently. But he was never ever going to pull off a submission from his back or any technical submission. He was like Kimbo in that he is an aggressive striker who uses instincts and physical abilities. His mindset in a fight isnt made for working the submission game.
Kimbo should work on learnign what he can of the ground game and how to defend. But spend most of his focus on wrestling and takedown defense. He also needs to change his striking to fit his needs. More mobility so to not be a stationary target for takedowns. He has small legs that can make him decent with kicks. Work some clinch to uses his strength verses other strikers.
Teaching a brawler hor to be a ground fighter in their mid 30’s is just a waste of time.
I actually think Kinbo lost to Houston. Houston landed the only punches, kicks, and knees the entire first round. I felt he won the 3rd also. BUt its was close enough that i wont complain about the decision.
I think putting to big striker who have a weak chin and on their way out fo the UFC against each other almost back fired. Both were gun shy and scared to get hit. It resulted in a 5+ , minute starring contest.