Welcome to this week’s edition of MMAterial Facts, where we feature articles from around the MMA community.
***
This week’s MMAterial Facts:
– UFC Hopes for Two Shows in UK in 2012 (MMA Fighting)
“Since making the UK market a priority a few years ago, the UFC visited the country eight times between 2007 and 2010. And even though shows there have tended to do big business, 2011 nearly came and went without a return, until the promotion managed to wedge one into the final stretches of a hectic schedule.”
– Japan 2011: The more things change, the more they stay the same (Fight Opinion)
“What’s not incredible or shocking is that there will be yet another attempted New Year’s Eve event at Saitama Super Arena this year, promoted by Real Entertainment. The former employees of PRIDE will work in conjunction with Antonio Inoki as the front man, just like he was last year. The show title will be called “Genki desu ka!” which is Inoki’s trademark slogan. It’s a sweetheart deal for him. The discussion is that there will be 20 matches on the card and that IGF aces Peter Aerts & Jerome Le Banner will be on the card. There is some hope of getting the telecast on broadcast television, but nobody is sure how things will play out given that it’s already November and it’s short time for a TV network to get an ad agency working at the last-second to make the numbers work.”
– Interview with UFC 138 main eventer Mark Munoz (MMA Mania)
“I’ll take a submission victory or a knockout. I will take that for sure. I don’t see this fight going five rounds at all. I think we’ll see a guys that come in there swinging and there’s just gonna be fireworks happening. We fight to finish and not just score points so I don’t see this fight going to the end of the fifth round at all.”
– UFC 138 Preview – ‘Unloved and Unwanted in the UK’ Edition (MMA Convert)
“Part of what makes this UFC a “throwaway” is the fact that in the grand scheme of things, none of the bouts matter. Yet what should make people tune in is the fact that Leben and Munoz will be more than ready to leave it all in the cage.”
– Preview of UFC Undisputed 3 (MiddleEasy)
“First off Lenne Hardt is in the game and it’s awesome. The PRIDE production values are ridiculously spot on. You will have confetti swirling around you as you celebrate victory (or wallow in defeat) in the Saitima Super Arena. PRIDE’s home is represented along with a host of other real life locations (like Mandalay and the other usual suspects). Everything about UFC 3 screams ‘more’. More licensed referees, more weight classes, more fighters, hell, more MMA organizations. You can tell that the extra time they took paid off in the presentation department, I felt like in was 2005 all over again. I must note that Layzie and I never left PRIDE mode and after a few scans of the room (although influenced by the soccer kick drink) I think literally every monitor had a PRIDE match going down. What can I say, the media loves it when one person kicks another person in the head.”
– UFC UK Vice President: We’re Committed To The UK Market (FightLine)
“I think that in a perfect world we would be here more times a year, but as you know – you’ve heard our mantra: we’re trying to get everywhere. There’s a lot of pressure to bring the event everywhere around the world. It was a struggle just getting this event into the calendar. You may remember back in the day, there was a lot of discussion about whether we were coming back at all. We were able to, through the hard work of the office here and with the arena here, make this event happen. There’s actually an event in the arena the night before that we’re actually setting up, so it’s not ideal for us but we were committed to coming back to the market.”
– Dan Severn Still Wants Coleman and Shamrock, Will Likely Retire Next Year (Cage Potato)
“I want specific fights right now. I’ve had some verbal offers but haven’t had the opportunity to bring some of these matches to life. Two particular matches I’m still interested are ones with Mark Coleman and Ken Shamrock. Realistically, I think that 2012 will be my final year as an MMA competitor. So whatever gets done gets done; whatever doesn’t, I’ll have to learn to live with I guess.”
– “Big” John McCarthy likely to referee UFC on FOX main event (Five Ounces of Pain)
“Big” John McCarthy is the most famous referee in MMA, he’s been a part of the UFC organization since the beginning, and he’ll be in the octagon when the company makes their network TV debut on November 12. CSAC Executive Officer George Dodd informed the UFC that, “there is a 99% chance” that McCarthy will be the referee for the UFC on FOX main event between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.”
– M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson” Comes With $30 Pay-Per-View Price Tag (5thRound)
“This was a big decision for me, I took my time looking for the right management and I found it in Glenn Robinson and Authentic Sports Management,” said Shields. “ASM feels like a family environment. It has good people who are working hard, and he seems to really care about the fighters.”
– UFC Undisputed 3 photo coverage (LowKick)
“Liddell and Rampage were not the only fighters to play UFC Undisputed 3. Chad Mendes, Anthony Pettis, Erik Koch, and the People’s Champion Chael P. Sonnen all tested their gaming skills, as the rumor says Chael Sonnen played Anderson Silva, while Erik Koch played Chael Sonnen in their own version of the upcoming (or not) “Biggest Rematch in the UFC History”.”
– Bas Rutten on his new show “Punk Payback” and self-defense (TheFightNerd)
“The Fight Nerd spoke with Bas Rutten, whose new show on FUEL TV, “Punk Payback” debuts tonight, which is a show that has the former UFC Heavyweight Champ and King of Pancrase breaking down real-life self-defense situations caught on tape, and showing you at home what to do if you were in that situation (think of his “Lethal Street-Fighting” DVD, but more!). We discussed the show at length, explaining what the concept is, how much of the self-defense that Bas shows is improv or scripted (along with the craziness that he says), and what is ahead in Bas’ acting career. We also discuss the real-life implications of some of these scenarios, and what is legal to do if you need to defend yourself.”
– The 100 Greatest Moments in UFC History (BleacherReport.com/MMA)
“At this point, it’s safe to say the UFC’s popularity is snowballing. Even that may be a mild analogy. With the UFC and its fighters finding newer and wider avenues into the mainstream seemingly every day, MMA’s premier promotion is more like a magnet in a river of paper clips, or a molten ball of caramel careening down a mountain of chopped walnuts. You get the idea. These are heady times for the UFC.”
It’s great to see Big John get his props after all these years.
mmaguru:
Seeing Big John ref the UFC’s debut on Network TV is only fitting. 100% agree with you.