MMA Junkie reports Gegard Mousasi announced a new sponsorship with Bridgestone tires as a brand ambassador. He wore the brand on his shorts Saturday against Costas Philippou. The Japanese tire manufacturer announced the deal prior to Mousasi’s fight on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 66. He becomes the brand’s first MMA ambassador. Recently, Mousasi has […]
UFC Fight Night 66 attendance and bonuses
MMA Junkie reports the attendance and bonuses from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 66 from Pasay, Philippines. The long-awaited company debut in the Philippines drew a sold-out crowd. Jon Delos Reyes, Roldan Sangcha-an, Neil Magny and Jon Tuck earned $50,000 bonuses. Fight of the Night honors went to Reyes and Sangcha-an while Magny and Tuck received […]
NSAC issues stiffer penalties for drug test failures
On Friday, the Nevada State Athletic Commission passed new drug testing measures which include enhanced punishments for test violations. The NSAC hopes that other state regulators follow suit. UPDATED: 4:07pm ET – MMA Junkie has a write-up on today’s hearing. One note is that the commission rulings are not mandatory and punishments will be handled on […]
Report: Buy rates for UFC 185 and UFC 186
The Wrestling Observer (subscription recommended) reports the PPV estimated buy rates for the last two UFC events. UFC 185 drew 275,000 while the much-maligned UFC 186 garnered somewhere between 100,000-125,000 buys. It also updates the estimate for UFC 184. The PPV estimates are based on information obtained from Dave Meltzer. UFC 185 featured two title fights […]
FTC reopens investigation on Zuffa business practices
MMA Junkie reports that the Federal Trade Commission has reopened its investigation against Zuffa and has contacted people within the MMA industry about Zuffa’s business practices. The government investigation occurred after Zuffa acquired Strikeforce. The agency evaluated Zuffa’s financial documents and talked to UFC execs but the investigation yielded nothing to command a further inquiry […]