- Chuck Liddell among those suing over Gearhart deals
- UFC’s Abu Dhabi connections extend to Gracie family
- Is UFC 112 really going to happen in Abu Dhabi?
- Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney: MMA Trumps Boxing. “There’s Not Much Of A Comparison”
- Strikeforce’s Afromowitz Looks Back On 2009
- Sherdog’s Story of the Year (Strikeforce)
Chuck Liddell among those suing over Gearhart deals
In the suit, Liddell, who lives in San Luis Obispo, claims he lost $1.5 million, and U2 alleges the company is out $1 million, from a fraudulent deal over property in Paso Robles owned by Gearhart…
According to the suit, around August 2007 Liddell entered into an agreement to buy three lots for $500,000 each and U2 spent $1 million on two lots there intended for commercial property…
Hutkin claims that Gearhart wasn’t using the money he received from investors to develop property; instead, he claims Gearhart operated a Ponzi scheme.
The plaintiffs accuse Gearhart and his business of paying other investors who previously invested funds with them, pocketing money or diverting the money to other development projects…
The lawsuit also alleges that the title company, acting as escrow holder for two additional investors who are unidentified, used the Vista del Hombre lots to collect more than $12 million in loans for the developers without the knowledge of Liddell and U2… (The Tribune, SLO)
UFC’s Abu Dhabi connections extend to Gracie family
Considering the extent of the relationship with Tahnoon, a heavy investor in Gracie’s academies in the New York area, it’s no surprise that Renzo was signed to a six-fight deal with the UFC.
Before agreeing to fight again, Gracie said he spent two years on the couch eating potato chips and ballooning to 210 pounds. He’s already down to 185, and shouldn’t have a problem making the contracted limit at 170. He could even fight at lightweight if he wanted. The past two months were spent getting back in shape and building a base for the Hughes training camp, which will see him work with Igor, Gregor and Rolles Gracie as well as his students Ricardo Almeida and Frankie Edgar, who joins Renzo on the Abu Dhabi card for a UFC lightweight title shot against B.J. Penn. (Sports Illustrated)
Is UFC 112 really going to happen in Abu Dhabi?
The news of Abu Dhabi and its UFC purchase has come fast and furious. The UAE government now owns 10 percent of the fight promotion and an Apr. 10 event has been rumored for months. It makes sense and there seems to be plenty of money in Abu Dhabi to draw a nice crowd. One problem, where are they going to watch these fights? That seems to be a huge unanswered question…
One source with the UFC suggested that the arena notion is puzzling and the only other possibility is holding the fights outside. That could be an interesting proposition with the average April temperature in Abu Dhabi sitting at a steamy 102 degrees…
A U.K. source said Dublin may be the only real possibility. The 02 Dublin Arena served as a great venue for UFC 93.
Iole also mentioned Las Vegas as a backup for UFC 112 but that could be complicated by the fact that Strikeforce is also looking at Sin City on Apr. 10 or 17 at the Thomas & Mack Arena for its CBS card. He said Strikeforce needs to hustle and get in its promoter license with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, a process that takes a minimum of 4-6 weeks.
Iole estimated that the Flash Entertainment/UFC deal was in the $125 million range. He also stated that UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta said none of the money can or will be diverted to his struggling gaming company Station Casinos. (Cage Writer)
Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney: MMA Trumps Boxing. “There’s Not Much Of A Comparison”
“My vision for Bellator involved two factors. One, to reach as many people as humanly possible. With our television alliance including NBC, FoxSports Net, and Telemundo, I think we’ve done that,” Rebney said. “The TV deal we needed to to get done to move forward ended up taking more time then we’d anticipated…I knew we needed to have the television alliance first. We needed to be seen in as many homes as possible if we want to be here in two, four, or ten years from now. Two, I wanted the fighters, through our tournaments, to truly and honestly control their own destiny.” (Heavy)
Strikeforce’s Afromowitz Looks Back On 2009
“I think (2009) was a banner year,” said Afromowitz. “I think we accomplished a lot of things. Getting the opportunity to partner with Showtime and CBS was a tremendous step…
“It’s a great feeling, especially when a company like EA, which has accomplished so much in the game world comes along and says, ‘Let’s make an MMA game,’ and integrates our fighters and brand into their game,” stated Afromowitz.
“I was blown away when I got a first look at it before the Fedor vs. (Bret) Rogers fight. I couldn’t believe the detail that’s gone into the game as far as the development of the fighters and techniques. I can’t wait because it looks like a ton of fun.”
With a year that saw unparalleled growth for Strikeforce in 2009, he feels they’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what the company is capable of doing and looks forward to 2010 with a great sense of anticipation and excitement.
“We’re going to be back on CBS and Showtime for 16 shows, so I think there’s going to be a lot of great fights in store,” he concluded. “Starting in Miami I think there’s going to be a lot of excitement and we really appreciate the support the networks have given us, and the efforts the fighters have made to put on really great shows. (MMAWeekly)
Sherdog’s Story of the Year
For its staggering growth, which included cable and network TV deals, as well as the signing of the world’s most coveted fighter, the rise of Strikeforce has been voted Sherdog.com’s 2009 Story of the Year…
Owned by Silicon Sports and Entertainment and 20-year-plus kickboxing promoter Scott Coker, Strikeforce had held California’s first regulated MMA event in March 2006 to a record 18,000-plus attendance. By keeping overhead costs low and catering to its sports-hungry San Jose, Calif., market, Strikeforce had a reputation for turning profit, something not easily obtained in the industry…
In addition, a distribution deal with Shine International, which represents “The Biggest Loser” and other hit programming in over 150 countries, has already yielded soon-to-be-announced deals on Bravo TV in the UK, Latin America and Australia, which will provide a widened revenue stream.
Strikeforce also struck a licensing agreement with video game juggernaut EA Sports in the latter part of 2009 and will be the “premier” fight organization featured in its EA Sports MMA game due out later this year.
With 16 Showtime and four CBS-broadcasted events slated for 2010, on all fronts, Strikeforce’s future looks bright. (Sherdog)
QUICK HITS
- Alvarez Undergoes Knee Surgery, Back in April (Sherdog)
- Controversial Easton-Beebe Decision Stands (Sherdog)
- Sherk scratched; Gugerty to face Guida at UFC on Versus 1 in March (MMAJunkie)
- Tekken Movie Trailer featuring MMA Fighters Cung Le and Roger Huerta (YouTube)
- Strikeforce Working on Streaming Hieron vs Riggs Live for Strikeforce Miami (Strikeforce)
- Buzz Builds for Herschel Walker’s MMA Debut (Hispanic Business)
- Bellator Adds Featherweight Bao Quach (MMAWeekly)
- WEC Still Planning a Reality Show (MMAWeekly)
TV LISTINGS
- HDNet Fights Presents K-1 Classics (Ruslan Karaev’s, Asia GP 08′) at 8 PM ET on HDNet (01/15/10)
- InsideMMA (Dan Gable, Guy Mezger, Scott Casber & Pat Miletich) at 9 PM ET on HDNet (01/15/10)
- HDNet Fights Presents Best of 2009 K-1 World MAX at 10 PM ET on HDNet (01/15/10)
- Best of Pride FC (Wanderlei Silva vs Rampage Jackson) at 10 PM ET/PT on Spike (01/15/10)
UPCOMING EVENTS
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