- UFC takes off in Australia
- The Ultimate Fighter Down Under A Possibility
- Search for recognition has UFC bosses fighting for Olympic inclusion
- Ultimate violence may escape on to street
- UFC issues response to Ontario premier’s comments
UFC takes off in Australia
Marshall Zelaznik, managing director of the UFC’s international development, said he had been “blown away” by the speed of the 16,500 ticket sell-out, and the interest in mixed martial arts in Australia.
UFC 110 is headlined by a mouth-watering heavyweight clash between the Brazilian Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cain Velasquez, a rising force in the UFC heavyweight division. Victory for Velasquez could see him move two fights away from a shot at UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.
The contests on the card include several Australian fighters including George Sotiropoulos, from Geelong, who meet experienced American lightweight Joe Stevenson.
University graduate Sotiropoulos, 32, turned his back on a career in the financial sector to pursue his dream of fighting in the UFC. He relocated to the United States.
Sotiropoulos explained: “I think Australians are going to welcome the UFC with open arms. There are some small MMA shows in Australia, but nothing on the size of the UFC. There may be some opposition from minority groups, but it’s nothing the UFC haven’t experienced before. You have to remember that even America was against mixed martial arts only 16 or so years ago.” (Telegraph)
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Ticket frenzy has UFC eyeing return trip Down Under
It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but there is simply no disputing the growing appetite for the world’s leading mixed martial arts organisation.
Even before this visit, UFC programming, headlined by the hit reality show “The Ultimate Fighter”, was attracting in excess of 500,000 television viewers every week in this country.
Similarly, DVD sales of UFC events were the equal of any country in the world and the popularity of this modern form of gladiatorial combat, fought out between two competitors in what can only be described as an intimidating cage known simply as “The Octagon”, was ratified with tickets to the event at Sydney’s Acer Arena on Sunday selling out in a matter of hours.
In fact, it sold out before any of the fighters on the card were announced. By comparison, the Danny Green-Roy Jones Jr bout in the same arena failed to sell out at all.
Asked about future events, White was adamant this would be the first of many.
“If you see our track record when we go somewhere and it is a success we make it an annual event,” White said.
“That happened in Montreal, it happened in Columbus. This will most likely be an annual event.
“This has been a huge success. We know how crazy the Aussies can get, so we are pumped for the fights on Sunday.” (The Australian)
The Ultimate Fighter Down Under A Possibility
The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first trip to Australia has been so successful that even before the UFC 110 event takes place there’s been talks of an annual date in the land down under, and the continent hosting a season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
“It’s absolutely possible,” UFC president Dana White told members of the media at the UFC 110 pre-fight press conference.
“We’ve been talking about taking ’The Ultimate Fighter’ internationally, and we’re working on that right now in a couple of different countries,” said the UFC president.
Currently filming it’s eleventh season, the ninth season of the Spike TV reality show, based on a number of fighters competing for a six-figure UFC contract while living under the same roof, pitted the United States against the United Kingdom. A move to host the reality show in countries the organization plans to later hold events in seems like a logical transition for the popular television series.
“It’s been so big here (in Australia) I could definitely see it happening here,” added White. (MMAWeekly)
Search for recognition has UFC bosses fighting for Olympic inclusion
ULTIMATE FIGHTING Championship officials will support a move for mixed martial arts to be entered as an Olympic sport.
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UFC president Dana White said while his company would not actively lobby the International Olympic Committee, he supported rumours that MMA authorities would make a play for the Games.
”It would be a huge benefit to us if mixed martial arts became an Olympic sport. It would create instant awareness around the world, and it would be huge,” White told the Herald.
”I would support it 100 per cent. I personally am not out there trying to get mixed martial arts as an Olympic sport – I got enough to do, somebody else can figure that out – but if it popped and they said, ‘Yes, we’re thinking about it,’ I would go guns ablazing and try to make it happen. It would change the game forever.”
Marshall Zelaznik, the UFC’s managing director for international development, said the Olympics would experience a surge of interest among young viewers with the addition of MMA. ”The fans would grow from it, the IOC is ultimately in the sports programming industry and they generate a lot of money from networks who are willing to pay for the rights,” said Zelaznik, whose background is in television programming.
”Putting MMA in the Olympics would no doubt drive a whole lot of interest all across the board, from a very young demographic.” (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Ultimate violence may escape on to street
There is to be no eye-gouging, no spitting, no pulling hair, no ”putting a finger into any orifice or any cut or laceration of an opponent”. No kicking the head of a grounded opponent.
But mixed martial arts lets just about anything else go, combining tactics from combat sports including punching, elbowing, kneeing, kicking, wrestling, choking and grappling.
It is taking off worldwide and comes to Sydney for the first time on Sunday, with the arrival of the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UCF). Tickets for the event at the Acer Arena sold out within hours in December – all 16,500 of them – the second-fastest sale since UCF started in 1993. Antonio Rodrigo ”Minotauro” Nogueira and Cain Velasquez will fight it out. Wanderlei Silva will feature in a long-awaited showdown with Michael ”The Count” Bisping.
Those watching on television will see blood flowing and clearly distressed combatants dropping to the canvas, and then having blows rained onto their heads. The fighters are in a cage, almost dehumanising them. It seems to be a regression to the true blood sports, the gladiatorial contests in the Colosseum.
By contrast, boxing is properly controlled. The possibility of brain damage through concussion is well recognised and referees intervene at the first sign of genuine distress. Opponents are not to be hit when they are down and must always be allowed to get up again. (Western Australia Today)
UFC issues response to Ontario premier’s comments
Amid a pre-fight public-relations blitz for Saturday’s UFC 110 event in Sydney, Australia, the promotion on Wednesday evening issued a swift response to recent comments by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty that the idea of legalizing mixed martial arts in province to create jobs and tax revenue is “just not a priority.”
“We are working very closely with the various levels of Canadian government, including the Province of Ontario, to ensure the highest levels of safety for all of (MMA) participants,” Marc Ratner, vice president of regulatory affairs for the UFC, stated in a prepared statement.
McGuinty’s comments came as an apparent setback to the UFC’s promise to hold an event in Toronto within the year.
“We respect the fact that the Premier has indicated that MMA regulation is not a top priority; however, we are confident that our efforts in educating Canadian officials, including members of the provincial cabinet, will eventually result in regulation of the sport in Ontario,” Ratner stated.
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The UFC statement said a recent economic analysis suggested that more than 42 percent of the spectators who attended the Montreal event (UFC 97) in April 2009 came from the province of Ontario with an estimated $5 million of immediate economic impact to the city of Montreal. (MMAJunkie)
QUICK HITS
- ROTHWELL OUT, PEROSH IN; HASEMAN/SINOSIC CANCELED (MMAWeekly)
- TIM KENNEDY VS. JOEY VILLASENOR ON TAP FOR APRIL (MMAWeekly)
- RUMOR OF THE DAY: Strikeforce 4/17 Show may be held in Nashville, TN (MMAPayout)
- HDNet and UFC a winning combination (Brawl Sports)
- “Countdown to UFC 111” debuts March 17 on Spike TV; UFC 110 debuts tonight (MMAJunkie)
- White Details How Maia Was Selected for Title Shot (MMAFighting)
- Shad Lierley Returns to Bellator for Featherweight Tourney (MMAFighting)
- Trainer Expects Vintage Wanderlei at UFC 110 (Sherdog)
- How will UFC 110 perform versus 108 and 109? (Cage Writer)
- George Sotiropoulos a Real Contender at 155 Pounds (Heavy)
- The Perspective of Bobby Lashley (FiveOuncesOfPain)
- Dana White talks “UFC Undisputed 2010” and his rivalry with EA Sports (ESPN)
VIDEO OF THE DAY
- MMA Live: 2-18-10: A preview of UFC 110 as Cain Velasquez meets former champion Minotauro Nogueira in Australia. Was Demian Maia the right choice to replace Vitor Belfort at UFC 112? Phil Davis checks in as he readies for a quick turnaround in the Octagon.
TV LISTINGS
- UFC 111 Countdown at 11 PM ET/PT on Spike (02/18/10)
- HDNet Fights Presents K-1 Classics (HMC, Nortje, Schilt, LeBanner) at 8 PM ET on HDNet (02/19/10)
- InsideMMA (Eddie Alvarez, Greg Nelson, Mark Decascos) at 9 PM ET on HDNet (02/19/10)
- HDNet Fights Presents Champions & Challengers Vol. 3, at 10 PM ET on HDNet (02/19/10)
- Best of Pride FC at 10 PM ET/PT on Spike (02/19/10)
UPCOMING EVENTS
- UFC 110: Nogueira vs Velazquez at 10 PM ET on PPV (02/20/10)
- Strikeforce Challengers: Prangley vs Amoussou at 11 PM ET/PT on Showtime (02/26/10)
- WEC 47: Bowles vs Cruz on at 10 PM ET on Versus (03/06/10)
- UFC on Versus: Vera vs Jones at 10 PM ET on Versus (3/21/10)
- Strikeforce Challengers: Johnson vs Mahe at 11 PM ET/PT on Showtime (03/26/10)
- UFC 110: GSP vs Hardy at 10 PM ET on PPV (03/27/10)
- UFN 21 : Florian vs Gomi at 10 PM ET on Spike (03/31/10)
- The Ultimate Fighter 11 Debut after UFN 21 on Spike (03/31/10)
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