When the IFL announced it was canceling its August show during a conference call last Tuesday, it really did come as a surprise. Sure, there have been rumblings that the league was in having financial troubles. But little more than a month ago, the struggling promotion held a conference call in which they announced their […]
opinion and analysis
Undertones of MMA: Sport or Lifestyle?
On its best nights, the recipe for great MMA was real simple: equal parts pro-wrestling and boxing. The pageantry of the former, combined with the legitimacy and unscripted nature of the latter were thought to make for an intoxicating night of fights. However, Tuesday’s dichotic announcements are an indication that since its assumed all MMA […]
The Handling of Kimbo Slice
Kimbo Slice’s debut on CBS did solid ratings for EliteXC, but it also exposed holes in Slice’s MMA game. Slice is still a relative amateur on the ground, and lacks high level conditioning. Because he won he is likely to retain most of his drawing power, but he is one bad loss away from taking […]
Donald Trump Makes His Move
When the Affliction clothing line announced its Affliction: Banned pay-per-view event, there was a great deal of skepticism. To be blunt, there is no way that the show will be able to make a profit. Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Josh Barnett and Andrei Arlovski have big money contracts, and the ceiling for non-UFC MMA pay-per-views […]
What’s Wrong with The Ultimate Fighter?
The Ultimate Fighter has played a pivotal role in the popularity rise of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The television show has produced a host of major stars and big money fights in the past three and a half years. However, the current season of the show has produced a feeling of general malaise. Ratings are […]