- Manitoba defending health care after bashing by UFC champ Brock Lesnar
- EA to Promote EA Sports MMA at Madden Bowl XVI During Superbowl Week
- Zelaznik interview: Gravel area soon to be UFC 112 ‘arena’
- ED GRANEY: For better or worse, Lesnar key to UFC
- GetFugu Signs Agreement with TapouT
Manitoba defending health care after bashing by UFC champ Brock Lesnar
Manitoba does not provide “Third World” medical care, provincial health officials said following a public bashing from UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.
Health Minister Theresa Oswald said she’s willing to listen – and act on – criticism of the provincial health-care system. But she said she’s a little more skeptical about comments from a self-proclaimed “conservative Republican” speaking out against the socialization of American health care.
“I will listen to critics and learn from critics but also evaluate the point of view from which they’re coming,” she said Thursday. “This is more about partisan American politics and bashing American health-care reform, and I’m not particularly interested in getting engaged in that. Canada has lots to be proud of in terms of providing health care for everyone. (Winnipeg Free Press)
EA to Promote EA Sports MMA at Madden Bowl XVI During Superbowl Week
NFL players will walk the red carpet to compete for a title in the popular Madden NFL 10 video game Feb. 4 at the Clevelander Hotel in Miami Beach…
EA Sports, which developed the Madden game, will promote its mixed martial arts game at the event, so professional MMA fighters will be attending.
Last year, Sports Illustrated said the Madden Bowl got the “prize for best party of the week.” And even bigger things are expected this time around, considering the locale.
“When people think of over the top and parties, they think of South Beach,” said Rob Semsey, a spokesman for EA. (Sun Sentinel)
Zelaznik interview: Gravel area soon to be UFC 112 ‘arena’
The UFC really hits the road this year with an aggressive international expansion that include shows in Sydney, Australia and Abu Dhabi. The Aussies are ready for UFC 110. Boy, are they ever. The Acer Arena, configured for 17,300, is already sold out. The UFC’s U.K. president told Cagewriter the promotion will be adding a closed circuit seating venue adjacent to the arena. The event in Abu Dhabi is a little more tricky. The “arena” is far from sold out. That’s because there is no arena and yet the event is tentatively scheduled for April 10. What gives?
Zelaznik scouted the area last week and said the plan is moving forward. The UAE is experienced at holding big events.
“The majority of the events are held outdoors. The opportunity for us would include the building of an outdoor arena.”
He said it’ll be similar to Las Vegas superfight venues of the ’70s and ’80s.
“You’d have some sort of covering on it. You’d have a pretty intimate live setting. In our current planning, we’d look to have 10,000 seats or more depending on the configuration we go with.”
Zelaznik said the thought that Flash Entertainment and the UAE would have a standard 20,000 seat arena finished by April is far-fetched.
“Make no bones about it, the area we’re looking at is gravel currently. It will be built for a UFC event. It will be dressed in a way that it will feel very special. With the exception of walls and a roof, it will be an arena with raised seating, coliseum-style seating where you have people very close to the action.” (Cage Writer) … [MMAPayout Perspective]
ED GRANEY: For better or worse, Lesnar key to UFC
In a weird, twisted way, this is part of why he is the sport’s biggest draw. He is Notre Dame football to the mixed martial arts fan. Love him. Hate him. People pay to watch Lesnar.
You can’t discount the power of an entertaining heavyweight champion, whether you support his beliefs or are the out-of-work family man hoarding pennies to cover medical insurance premiums and would like nothing more than for Lesnar’s next opponent go all Rocky Balboa on the champ’s face.
Lesnar won the heavyweight title with a second-round knockout of Frank Mir at UFC 100 in July and promptly addressed the Mandalay Bay crowd with both middle fingers. The heat began to rise that evening as to the lengths he could be marketed. Then he fell seriously ill.
However he healed, from the time spent at a Canadian hospital that he fled like Usain Bolt from a starting block, to a facility in North Dakota and then the Mayo Clinic, to losing 40 pounds, to the antibiotics and holistic measures and more disciplined eating habits he insists saved him from major surgery and wearing a colostomy bag, to what he and UFC president Dana White were terming a miracle Wednesday, Lesnar is prepared to fight again.
That will probably happen in July against the winner or Mir-Shane Carwin, scheduled for March 27 in Newark, N.J.
“I know one thing,” Lesnar said. “All those guys are (bleeping) their pants right now. Brock Lesnar is back.” (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
GetFugu Signs Agreement with TapouT
GetFugu, Inc., the next generation mobile search tool, reportedly has entered into an agreement with TapouT, LLC, a mixed-martial arts apparel, gear and lifestyle brand, to provide GetFugu’s “See It, Say It, Get It” technology to enhance MMA fans’ interactive experience on their iPhone, Android and BlackBerry through TapouT’s new MMA “mobile center” exclusively available on GetFugu.com.
According to GetFugu officials, TapouT’s MMA mobile center will showcase a seamless way to purchase TapouT clothing, accessories and gear in real time using the company’s vision, voice and location recognition software.
The company officials said that users can also access MMA content on the fly including fighter profiles/stats/bios/news and videos. GetFugu will also be offeringFacebook ( News – Alert) widgets and other social networking integration in the near future.
“This is an opportunity for TapouT to provide a mobile interactive experience reaching MMA fans, old and new, across the globe,” said Dan Caldwell, CEO, co-founder, TapouT, in a statement. (TMCnet)
QUICK HITS
- UFC 108 Draws 13,318 for Near $2 Million Gate (MMAWeekly)
- UFC Fight Night 20 scores record $753,962 live gate with 8,078 attendees (MMAJunkie)
- Lesnar shouldn’t rush into mega-fight (Fox Sports)
- Bravo TV to Televise Strikeforce Miami on Jan. 31st at 10 PM (UK TV Guide)
- MMA: Corvin Signs with UFC (The News Enterprise)
- Carano’s ‘Knockout’ film to start shooting Feb. 2 in Ireland (USA Today)
- Frank Trigg ‘still kind of desperate’ about making a living from MMA (USA Today)
- MMA Fighters Come Out In Support Of Haiti (FightLine)
- Roxanne Modafferi returns in ‘King of the Cage: Toryumon’ (MMAMania)
- Y! exclusive: UFC to announce Abu Dhabi card (Yahoo! Sports)
- Strikeforce’s Nick Diaz: Marius Zaromskis fight isn’t about ducking Jay Hieron (MMAJunkie)
- Kaufman Confirms Hashi Title Fight In February (MMARising)
- Women’s MMA: That’s How Strikeforce Can Compete With The UFC (MMA for Real)
- UFC’s Abu Dhabi debut nearly official (ESPN)
- MMA added to New York state budget (ESPN)
- Spider, Cain, Arianny, more in new UFC Magazine (UFC)
- Florian-Gomi Targeted as UFN 21 Headliner (Sherdog)
IMAGE OF THE DAY
TV LISTINGS
- HDNet Fights Presents K-1 Classics (Asian GP 2008) at 8 PM ET on HDNet (01/22/10)
- InsideMMA (Ed Soares, Jose Aldo, Jon Fitch, & Randy Couture) at 9 PM ET on HDNet (01/22/10)
- HDNet Fights Presents Best of 2009 K-1 World MAX at 10 PM ET on HDNet (01/22/10)
- Best of Pride FC at 10 PM ET/PT on Spike (01/22/10)
UPCOMING EVENTS
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