Welcome to this edition of MMAterial Facts, where we feature articles from around the MMA community.
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This week’s MMAterial Facts:
– Report: UFC Show Not Likely for Vancouver in 2012 (MMA Fighting)
“The reason? The shows certainly weren’t financial failures. 2010’s UFC 115 did a $4.2 million gate, while UFC 131, held this past June, drew a $2.8 million gate. Instead, the problem is regulatory stalling. Both of the UFC’s events were held during a two-year test period held by the city after overturning a previous ban on MMA. That test period will end in the coming months and apparently, the prospects of sanctioned MMA will go with it.”
– Unite HERE letter to Anheuser Busch about UFC & gay slurs (Fight Opinion)
“Remarkably, we have yet to find evidence that any of the UFC athletes identified in this letter have been disciplined by the UFC or its owners for this contemptible behavior. By contrast, other professional sports organizations have taken a hard stance against anti-gay conduct and have held athletes accountable through suspensions and/or fines when athletes have used homophobic epithets.”
– Vinny Magalhaes responds to rumors of him training Fedor Emelienenko (MMA Mania)
“That happened before too. My manager tried to negotiate with them and at first they agreed to come, blah, blah, blah but then when it was time for me to go, they said, “A lot of guys will train with Fedor for free just because he’s such a legend,” but I was like, “I can’t go three weeks, not working. I have to pay bills. My son was 2-3 months old at the time. I couldn’t train there for free,” so I ended up not going. So this time, it’s gonna be the same way. If they’re not gonna pay for me to be there, then I’m not going. It’s not like I’m all about money, but if I’m not going to be working at Xtreme Couture, I’m not going to be holding my classes, I’m going to be leaving my family and my wife doesn’t work so I want to support my family. I have to be compensated.”
– Scott Coker Believes Zuffa and Showtime Want To Extend Strikeforce Contract (MMA Convert)
“Dana White hinted a couple weeks back that Strikeforce’s fate would be known soon. At the time, Lorenzo Fertitta was meeting with Showtime execs in New York to figure out whether or not Showtime wanted to extend Strikeforce’s contract. It sounded like it would be settled by now, however Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker revealed today that both sides are still talking and actually want to make a deal.”
– Alright, so Joe Son may have killed his cellmate… (MiddleEasy)
“The LA Times is now reporting (from a press release issued by The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation) that Joe Son is suspected of murdering his 50-year-old cellmate, who was found dead inside the Wasco State Prison Reception Center in Kern County on Monday night. The victim was a convicted sex offender that received two years in prison for failing to register as a sexual offender. “
– Is Chael Vegas Bound? (NBC Sports MMA)
“Chael Sonnen has paid his dues, has done his thing,” White said recently. “Floyd Mayweather fights in Nevada. This guy’s got 50 lawyers defending him right now and all that crazy stuff, and he’s fighting in Nevada. Don’t even get me going on that one.”
– The Argument For Banning Weight Cutting in MMA (Cage Potato)
“It’s kind of scary to say this but that fight almost killed me, making that weight. I had a really, really, really bad time and I still made the weight, but I’ll never ever be able to do that again,” Davis explained, revealing that the dehydration left him without his voice at weigh-ins and unable to urinate or have a bowel movement for the better part of a week.”
– Anderson Silva’s retirement closer than fans may think (Five Ounces of Pain)
“Ed Soares has done a lot of the speaking for UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva. That trend continued recently when Soares disclosed that “The Spider” has only a few fights left in his stellar career before he rides off into the sunset.”
– Roland Delorme’s TUF Blog (5thRound)
“Me and Stephen Bass had gotten into a heated argument about three or four days before his fight, so I didn’t feel bad about watching him lay on his back and get pumped like a hooker trying to pay the rent.”
– Ed Soares: Anderson Silva only has 4 fights left, why waste one on Sonnen rematch? (LowKick)
“Let’s see what the big boss is going to do. My opinion is that he had his chance and tapped, he should go back to the end of the line. The same thing is true with Vitor Belfort. They’re great fighters, but they had their chance. Sonnen would make a big fight, as would Dan Henderson and Georges St-Pierre, but we should recognize that Anderson only has around 4 fights left in his career.”
– WWE Superstar Vladimir Kozlov trains MMA (TheFightNerd)
“Training at Zealous Nation MMA with head coach Oleg Savitsky, Vladimir Kozlov comes through to his old friend’s gym to keep his Sambo skills up to par by hitting some mitts and practicing some submissions. Is a transition into the world of MMA in the future for Kozlov? Sounds like it, as both he and Savitsky voice their interest in competing in the sport! “
– Interview with Jorge Masvidal on his upcoming fight with Gilbert Melendez (BleacherReport.com/MMA)
“But, with such a meaningful rematch approaching that will change the look of the division for the foreseeable future, I find myself reflecting on previous rematches that had a similar effect. Fights that represented a fork in the road and created a new era.”
To clarify from the title, Anderson Silva fights twice per year so “around four fights” means two more years.
Machiel Van:
That’s very true, lol, although he will be 39 in 2 years. Sonnen will be 38. Time is ticking for these guys.
On the weight cutting subject. I read a little of the article and the journalist seems to not be very informed about the issue. He states he is against the practice. Well everyone is against it. The problem is there is no safe way to stop it. Non of the commissions want it to go on. But States have used same day weights to try to stop it. It is more dangerous to use same day weigh ins and most have abandoned it. The only think more dangerous than cutting massive amounts of weight is fighting while still dehydrated because you didnt have 24 hours to recover and hydrate. Fighters will still try to get every advantage as we see with the numerous failed PR tests. Even fighters manipulating the system for TRT treatment. They will do anything to get the edge. As of now a fighter can make a poor choice and maybe die during the weight cutting process. But that will reflect on that person. Forcing dehydrated fighters into the cage will increase the chance of them dying in the cage and it is the sport itself that will get the blame. It has been a part of MMA for a long time now with out serious problems. There is no reason to adopt a more dangerous polocy because a few fighters are under sized or because a few take it to the extremes.
There are many fighters who only cut a few pounds. They put athe 5 lbs back on and recover. Same days weight ins would force the small cutters to not only fight the same days as losing and gaining water weight but all the exhaustion from cutting. Current system is dangerous for the extremist cutters, Same day is dangerous for everyone.
Also no one wants to pay money to watch a bunch of sucked out sickly fighters dragging around the cage because they forced off the scales and into the cage. The system is fine. You cant chage because a few want to risk their health. Those types will always be able to do so one way or another and you cant prevent it.
Sonnen is 34, and Silva is 36, so in two years they’ll be 36 and 38, respectively, not 38 and 39.