Sneak peak at The Ultimate Fighter 10 - Heavyweights

Meet The Heavyweights | UFC | SPIKE.com

The Ultimate (Fighting Championship) good news-bad news situation

Former UFC champ Rampage Jackson in Vancouver, set to star in new A-Team movie as BA Baracus

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship world light heavyweight champion Quinton (Rampage) Jackson is in Vancouver to star as BA Baracus in an upcoming movie version of The A-Team.

Jackson has been removed from the UFC 107 card where he was set to face Sugar Rashad Evans in an Ultimate Fighter finale showdown, so he can appear in the film. He was spotted on Robson Street Friday afternoon, signing autographs for fans.

The good news is that this could make Rampage a mainstream star. The bad news is it screws over the UFC 107 card big time, and turns the new Ultimate Fighter season building up that fight into something more of an anticlimax.

Where to watch UFC 102 in Edmonton and Calgary

Sorry this is so late. I actually forgot the PPV is tonight. Link is here.

Some random thoughts

• I've biked three times to work this week, at 10 miles per one-way trip, which works out to 60 miles on my bike. That's 100 kilometres. That's pretty good, I think.
• I purged about 80 people from my Facebook friends list yesterday (which amounted to abut a third of my total friends). It's nothing personal. My newsfeed was becoming unmanageable and cluttered, filled with quizzes, contests, and other crap that I needed to cull. Not to mention Facebook seemed to promote my more obscure friends to my newsfeed page at the expense of, you know, my family. So I cut back on people, and now my newsfeed is far easier to follow.
  
• UFC's title history page has what I can only assume is a really bizarre error on it, and that's the declaration that Brock Lesnar beat Randy Couture "to become an interim UFC Heavyweight champion." It's compounded by the further declaration that at UFC 100, "The two interim Heavyweight title holders, Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, will fight to determine the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion." Um, no. Randy and Brock were the actual UFC champions, not the interim champions. The UFC had a linear, undisputed champion for four years at that point, and the title only became split again when Randy walked out and Big Nog beat Tim Sylvia to become the interim champion. When Randy came back, he came back with THE BELT, not an interim championship. It's mindboggling that UFC would mess up their own title history like this. Not to mention, the page hasn't been updated in a few months.
  

UFC 106: Tito Ortiz vs Mark Coleman ‘confirmed’ for Nov. 21

UFC 106: Tito Ortiz vs Mark Coleman ‘confirmed’ for Nov. 21: "

Former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz is set to make his return to the Octagon opposite the first-ever heavyweight champion for the promotion, Mark Coleman, at UFC 106 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Nov. 21.

Mike Disabato, founder of MMA Authentics and long-time friend/training partner of Coleman, today “confirmed” the rumored 205-pound match up via Twitter.com.

More on this breaking news in a bit.

"

Apparently, it's 1996 all over again in UFC.... (Note, if neither of these guys actually fought in UFC in 1996, please pick an appropriate year. I'm too lazy to look it up right now.)

Preach it, brother Dave!

Lesnar backlash brims with double standards - UFC - Yahoo! Sports

There have been 61 fighters in Ultimate Fighting Championship history whio were pro wrestlers at one point or another. There are nine on the current UFC roster. Of the six fighters in the UFC Hall of Fame, three – Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn and Mark Coleman – dabbled in wrestling.

But UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is the only one vilified for it.

Brock vs. Fedor!?

Dana White says Fedor Emelianenko will fight in the UFC, Brock Lesnar fight imminent | MMAjunkie.com

"This Fedor thing has gone on and on and on," White said in the post-UFC 100 press conference. "Eventually, Fedor's going to be here. I want Fedor. I want him to come to the UFC and everything else.

"This guy (Brock Lesnar) just won the heavyweight title, and we'll end up getting that deal done. And then we'll do Brock vs. Fedor, and it'll be a huge fight."

How soon could we such the fight?

"Who knows," White said. "He's obviously contractually obligated to fight (with Affliction). Once that's over, we'll figure it out."

The sport of Brock Lesnar

Good showing for Brock last night, and a pretty good night of predictions for me. I called all the winners, and got two of the three outcomes almost exactly right. I'm not sure what was more satisfying: seeing Michael Bisping get knocked into next week, or watching Frank Mir's face get repeatedly jackhammered by Brock.

UFC 100 is going to be huge

How huge?

Well, here's the top end keyword analysis of the last 500 hits on my website. It's almost all UFC 100 related.

Num Perc. Search Term
drill down 30 8.60% ufc 100 edmonton
drill down 24 6.88% ufc 100 calgary
drill down 12 3.44% ufc 100 in edmonton
drill down 12 3.44% where to watch ufc 100 in calgary
drill down 11 3.15% ufc edmonton
drill down 11 3.15% where to watch ufc 100 in edmonton
drill down 8 2.29% edmonton ufc 100
drill down 8 2.29% edmonton ufc
drill down 5 1.43% where to watch ufc in edmonton
drill down 5 1.43% ufc 100 edmonton bars
drill down 4 1.15% where to watch ufc 100 edmonton
drill down 4 1.15% ufc schedule edmonton
drill down 4 1.15% EDmonton bars showing ufc fight
drill down 4 1.15% ufc 100 in calgary
drill down 4 1.15% ufc 100 picks
drill down 3 0.86% ufc 100, edmonton
drill down 3 0.86% calgary alberta ufc 100 bars
drill down 3 0.86% Watch UFC 100 Edmonton
drill down 3 0.86% watch UFC 100 calgary
drill down 3 0.86% ufc 100 edmonton bar
drill down 3 0.86% where to watch ufc 100 in alberta
drill down 3 0.86% edmonton bar ufc 100
drill down 2 0.57% ereader for ipod nano
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 pay per view edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% "UFC 100" calgary
drill down 2 0.57% where watch ufc 100 edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 in edmonton alberta
drill down 2 0.57% where to watch ufc 100
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 ppv edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% UFC where to watch edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 edmonton ab
drill down 2 0.57% ufc in edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 calgary locations
drill down 2 0.57% edmonton bars ufc 100
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 edmonton ppv
drill down 2 0.57% calgary bars showing ufc 100
drill down 2 0.57% ufc pay per view edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% edmonton ufc 100 showings
drill down 2 0.57% UFC 100 Time in alberta?
drill down 2 0.57% where can i watch ufc 100 in edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% edmonton ufc ppv
drill down 2 0.57% what time is ufc 100 in edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% watching ufc 100 in edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% watch ufc 100 in edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% WHERE CAN I WATCH UFC 100
drill down 2 0.57% locations showing ufc100 in edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 where in edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% who is playing UFC 100 in Edmonton?
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 ppv calgary
drill down 2 0.57% where to watch UFC 100 calgary
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 calgary bars
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 ppv calgary locations
drill down 2 0.57% ufc ppv edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 watch edmonton
drill down 2 0.57% ufc pay per view edmonton area
drill down 2 0.57% ufc 100 start time in alberta

UFC 100 picks

Here's my entirely non-scientific picks for the three main events of UFC 100. I'm going to do this two ways: my "heart" pick (what I hope to happen) and my "head" pick (what I think will actually happen).

Check back late Saturday night for an opportunity to laugh at my lack of prognostication abilities.

Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir for the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship
Heart pick: BROCK SMASH LITTLE MAN!
Head pick: BROCK SMASH LITTLE MAN!

Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves for the UFC Welterweight Championship
Heart pick: GSP by submission in second round
Head pick: GSP squeaks out a five-round decision

Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping
Heart pick: Henderson by knockout in round one
Head pick: Henderson by split decision

Where to watch UFC 100 in Edmonton and Calgary

My (semi) regular post on where to find a bar to watch the UFC 100 PPV. The link is here.

UFC 100: We're Just Getting Started

Commercial for the new Ultimate Fighter

Shame that my eagerness to see this means by the time it comes, winter will be at our doorstep.

Where to watch UFC 99 in Edmonton and Calgary

My (semi) regular post on where to find a bar to watch the UFC 99 PPV. The link is here.

The next season of Ultimate Fighter just got awesome

Because Kimbo Slice is part of the cast!

The coaches for the next season of Ultimate Fighter are ...

Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans.

Umm ... what?

Rashad Evans embarks on a new career

Where to watch UFC 98 in Edmonton and Calgary

My (semi) regular post on where to find a bar to watch the UFC 98 PPV. The link is here.

UFC 100 poster

Tremendous.

UFC 101: Forrest Griffin vs. Anderson Silva

The MMA world is abuzz today with the news that the August UFC PPV will be co-main evented by UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva moving up to 205 lbs to take a (non-title) fight with former lightheavyweight champion Forrest Griffin.

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only person who isn't excited by this fight, but surely I'm in the minority. Here's my problems with it:

• It puts Silva's middleweight title on ice until at least late fall, and more likely until the end of the year. Sure, Silva's coming off two boring fights and needs his marketability rehabbed pronto, but that's no excuse for forcing middleweight contenders to sit on the sidelines, waiting for Silva to defend his belt again.
• There's no upside to Forrest taking this fight. It's a non-title fight. If Griffin wins, it's not like he's moving down to 185 lbs. to fight Silva for the title. If Griffin loses, it makes it harder for UFC to put him back in the 205 lbs. title picture.
  
• There's little upside in Silva taking this fight. If he loses, UFC's beaten their middleweight champion (who really isn't much of a draw at the best of times) with no return match in the offing. In the meantime, he has to then take that loss into a title defence against a long-suffering middleweight contender in, likely, December. If he wins, well, he wins. But will it help his drawing power in the long run?

Frankly, I'm way more excited about the Kenny Florian-BJ Penn match on this show, if only because I want to see Florian take BJ's 155 lbs. title from him.

The WWE hates Montreal, part MXVIII

London Bound...Bret Hart...Chuck Liddell...Retirement Rumors Galore...Awesome Midnight Express Book | J.R.'s Family Bar-B-Q

The fans booed the amazing Anderson Silva Saturday night for not brawling with his opponent which showed how many casual/uninformed fans were in attendance.

Where to watch UFC 97 in Edmonton and Calgary

My (semi) regular post on where to find a bar to watch tonight's UFC 97 PPV. The link is here.

GSP vs. BJ Penn on Spike a big fat failure turtle

So ... Spike has spent weeks hyping up the free showing of the January PPV last night by saying, "It was the fight that was supposed to settle the score ... and ended in controversy. Did Georges. St. Pierre use illegal grease to score his victory over BJ Penn? See for yourself as UFC presents UFC 94 ... blah, blah, blah" And they even used still photos of the cornerguy holding a jar of Vaseline near GSP's back.

Then, during the broadcast last night, they cut out all the between round stuff to air commercials. They never aired the commission guy telling GSP's corner to wipe him off. They never showed any of the "breathing techniques".

In short, they built this up as your chance to determine for yourself whether GSP cheated or not, and then NEVER SHOWED ANY OF THE SUPPOSEDLY INCRIMINATING FOOTAGE that happened between rounds.

Seriously .... this was as bait and switch as it gets. Fine - you got to see a PPV card for free on TV. But if you hadn't seen the original PPV and bought the hype from Spike on this and went to watch it determined to catch GSP's corner cheating, well, you were entirely out of luck, because UFC and/or Spike never showed any of that on TV.

Fail.

(And, for the record, I think BJ Penn's complaints about this fight and the "greasing" are ludicrous.)

Chuck Liddell hypnotizes UFC audience

The Ultimate Fighter - USA vs. UK

The new season of The Ultimate Fighter starts tomorrow (Wednesday), and it's proceeded by the usual Spike TV Ultimate Fight Night special.

I'll watch all of it, and I'll probably enjoy it as well. But there's nothing about this season of The Ultimate Fighter that I'm particularly looking forward to: I like Dan Henderson, and Michael Bisping is fine, but it's not like I'm chomping at the bit to see them fight each other. So the lure of the coaches fighting is "meh" at best. And the quality of the guys on TUF in recent seasons has declined dramatically, so there's little reason to emotionally invest in a bunch of fighters when there's little chance that any of them will actually leave a lasting impression in the UFC. The days of the UFC finding the next Forrest Griffin or Rashad Evans (or Michael Bisping, for that matter) from TUF are almost certainly over.

Not to mention, being Canadian, the whole USA vs. UK angle on this season is not exactly a patriotic lure.

But, as I said, I'll watch all of it. Because it's still going to be more compelling than the WWE has been of late.

The May 23 UFC main event is ...

Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida for the title.

Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir it is not.

Latest on UFC main event picture

According to Dave Meltzer at wrestlingobserver.com, the Frank Mir-Brock Lesnar fight is being moved to UFC 100 on July 11. Dana White would like the May 23 main event to be Rashad Evans defending against Rampage Jackson, but Quinton isn't sure if he wants that fight on such short notice. If he doesn't accept, Lyoto Machida would get the title shot.

Frank Mir injury update

The latest update courtesy of Figure 4 Weekly Online is that Frank Mir did undergo a knee scope during the week, but the match against Brock Lesnar has not been officially cancelled yet. One poster on the F4W messageboards said that UFC would announce the new main event for the May show tonight during the Jackson-Jardine PPV.

UPDATE: Frank Mir is telling people that he can't spar for four to six weeks, and wants the match moved to the summer.

Frank Mir injured? May fight with Brock off?

MMA reporter Oliver Copp is reporting on the Figure 4 Online messageboards right now that Frank Mir is injured and his May fight with Brock Lesnar to unify the UFC Heavyweight and Interim Heavyweight titles is off.

If true, this is terrible news. That was easily a million buys PPV.

Updates and links as they become available.

UPDATE: MMA Weekly says Mir's already had knee surgery.

I guess the question now is whether UFC knew about this before they started selling tickets to UFC 98 and officially announcing the fight?

SECOND UPDATE: Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports says Mir did have knee surgery, but the fight is still on for May. As of now, UFC boss Dana White is claiming ignorance.

THIRD UPDATE: Several posters on the F4W messageboards have pointed out that Dana White's protests of not knowing anything about Mir's knee surgery before putting tickets on sale yesterday ring hollow. Mir, after all, was conspicuous by his absence at the announce booth at the WEC show on Sunday night. That doesn't necessarily mean White knew he could be pulling out of the fight, but the timing is certainly strange.

FOURTH UPDATE: Bryan and Dave at Figure 4 Online/Wrestling Observer are reporting that Mir's knee still needs to be operated on, and May main event is touch and go, and possible fight could be moved to UFC 99 or 100. Still, it begs question of whether UFC knew this yesterday when they put tickets on sale for UFC 98. The credibility of UFC as honest promoters could take a big hit on this one. UFC has always been up front with fans about state of cards.

UFC 96

Sorry, I just can't get excited about Keith Jardine fighting Rampage Jackson. Well, I can get kinda excited about the Jackson part of it, but not the Jardine part of it. It may turn out to be fight of the year, but I'm not buying this show.

My next UFC PPV will be the May show, with Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir for the undisputed heavyweight title.

Weight classes? What weight classes?

When Diego Sanchez, making his debut in the UFC's lightweight, 155 lbs. division, admits after the fight that he walked into the fight at 172 lbs. - two pounds over the welterweight limit - it's time for UFC and the athletic commissions to take weight classes a little more seriously.

Dear Dana White

If your Montreal show falls through because of the stupid athletic commission, please consider moving the show to Edmonton. It would be an instant sellout.

BJ Penn Welcome Home Rally

In case you're in Hawaii this week and want to celebrate the biggest four-round one-sided butt-kicking in UFC history. Why BJ would want a party to mark his beating is beyind me, but, hey, Ala Moana is quite the nice place, so it's not all bad.

GSP! GSP! GSP! GSP!

I've never been more satisfied with the end of a fight. It was soooooo good to see Georges. St. Pierre leave BJ Penn beaten, broken and humbled. Maybe next time BJ will train more than his mouth for a fight.

Where to watch UFC 94 in Edmonton or Calgary

My semi-regular public service announcement on where to watch UFC pay-per-views in Edmonton or Calgary (or anywhere else in Alberta). Details on bars and restaurants showing the PPV are here.

Tonight's show should be awesome. GSP! GSP! GSP!

Trouble in paradise? B.J. Penn cuts short "UFC Primetime" taping | MMAjunkie.com

Despite solid ratings for Spike TV's first installment of the three-part "UFC Primetime: St. Pierre vs. Penn II" series, at least one participant was apparently unhappy with how he was portrayed in the piece.

A source close to the show on Tuesday told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) B.J. Penn recently shut down a taping and interview session for the series and no longer wants involved in the project.

In wrestling terms, this smells like a "work" designed to continue the build for the match. Or maybe BJ just threw a fit.

And watch this show. It's really good!

Another report here.

Where to watch UFC 93 in Edmonton and Calgary

My semi-regular public service announcement on where to watch UFC pay-per-views in Edmonton or Calgary (or anywhere else in Alberta). Details on bars and restaurants showing the PPV are here.

UFC 94 poster brings the awesome

Even Jim Ross is more interested in UFC than WWE these days ...

MMA/UFC Thoughts...Radio Daze...Jeff Hardy face paint...Legends Roundtable back on tap... | J.R.'s Family Bar-B-Q

It looks as if the UFC might soon be cleared to promote events in New York state which, as a UFC fan, I perceive to be a good thing. The UFC would bring in much needed new revenue into the state and under these current economic times I can't see why any state would take steps to prevent the UFC from promoting and adding to the economy.

Click the link for the rest of Ross's latest blog, which is always a good read.

Back home

So we're back from our week-long excursion to Manitoba for Christmas with my wife's family and then my family. Good times were had by all, although we're all coming back a little under the weather. Good thing I have most of the rest of the week off.

I got to see the UFC show on Saturday at my brother and sister-in-law's condo (complete with 42-inch widescreen TV). Very good show with both title matches having surprise endings with new champions. However, it sets up Brock vs. Mir II later this year, so it's all good.

History of the UFC title belts

Courtesy BeltFanDan, AKA PawNtheSandman.

UFC 94 poster

Oh yes ...

UFC champ Anderson Silva denied entrance into Canada

UFC champ Anderson Silva denied entrance into Canada

UFC champ Anderson Silva denied entrance into Canada
Kenny Florian attends autograph session in Kamloops; Silva turned away at border
Catherine Litt, Kamloops Daily News
Published: Friday, November 21, 2008

KAMLOOPS - Last summer, it was a troupe of dancers from Papua New Guinea who were turned away by Canadian border agents.

Now it's a mixed martial arts fighter from Brazil.

A planned visit to Kamloops by UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva was abruptly halted Friday when Canada Border Services denied the athlete entrance into Canada.

The era of Brock!

BROCK WINS! BROCK WINS! BROCK WINS!

Where to watch UFC 91 in Edmonton or Calgary

It's time for my regular public service announcement on where to watch UFC fights in Edmonton, Calgary or elsewhere in Alberta. All that info can be found at this link right here.

UFC 91: Couture versus Lesnar!

The big fight is this Saturday, and here's my entirely unscientific look at why (insert fighter's name here) will win.

Randy will beat Brock because:

• He's Randy Freaking Couture. He always finds a way to win.
• He's way more skilled and talented in the Octagon than Brock.
• Did I mention he's Randy Couture?

Brock will beat Randy because:

• Have you seen this man?
• No, seriously. Did you see him destroy Heath Herring?
• He's HUGE and POWERFUL and will rip Randy's arms off his body and beat him into submission WITH IS OWN ARMS.

As far as my own personal prediction, I'm sitting entirely on the fence on this one. I can see Brock bull rush Randy, clock him, take him down and pummel him. I can also see Randy keep his distance, run Brock ragged for five rounds and win a decision.

Where to watch UFC in Edmonton

I normally don't post this until Saturday, but my site stats are showing the search strings appearing much earlier than normal, so what the heck. Here's my semi-regular public service posting on where to watch UFC pay-per-views in Edmonton.

I have to say, if the number of search strings looking for info on UFC 90 is indication of overall interest in Anderson Silva versus Patrick Cote, this PPV may do surprisingly good numbers.

How did Michael Bisping win that fight?

Apparently, backpedaling and getting hit amounts to a win in UFC these days ...

The UFC October continues

UFC has a three-hour free show on Spike TV tonight, headlined by Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben. The show is from the UK, so Bisping is going to be a huge crowd favorite ... which makes me want to see Leben upset him and cut a big heel promo afterwards.

Couture vs. Lesnar

Oh yes.

October: All UFC, All The Time

There's another UFC pay-per-view rerun on Spike TV tonight. This is the one with George St. Pierre's title defence against Jon Fitch (Spoiler: GSP won). But more importantly, it featured Brock Lesnar beating the holy you-know-what out of Heath Herring. (Spoiler: Duh.)

Definitely worth putting on the DVR and burning to DVD.

Saturday Night Fights ... and more fights

It's all fights all night long tonight with Elite XC's third (final?) CBS prime-time special featuring Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock in what may be a 9-second destruction of poor Ken. And UFC is countering on Spike TV by showing the recent Rampage Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin title fight PPV that sent poor Quinton for a time out.

Fortunately, staggered feeds and digital cable means I get to DVR both of them and don't have to choose one or the other.

And I have to say, I'm loving the fact that UFC is giving me all these PPV shows for free. It's saving me a bundle of money, and I can burn them to DVD before deleting them, saving me having to purchase the DVD as well.

Lesnar-Couture rumors appear to be untrue

Lesnar-Couture rumors appear to be untrue

Posted using ShareThis

There were a lot of panicked people in the MMA world yesterday as rumors were floated by a usually reliable poster on the Internet that Brock Lesnar was injured in training and his Nov. 15 Las Vegas match with Randy Couture would be canceled.

UFC Widget

I love UFC. But scroll through the schedule for October. Too many shows!

The Ultimate Fighter returns

The new season of The Ultimate Fighter kicks off tonight. Unfortunately, I won't be around to watch it due to another commitment, but I'll DVR it and watch it eventually. My thoughts on the first show (if any) will be posted at a later date. I will say going into it that I don't have high hopes for this season, and I think that the TUF format has run its course.

There's also an Ultimate Fight Night show before the new TUF, of which I know almost nothing except that it's on. I don't expect it to do a very good rating.

Rashad Evans granted title shot after knocking out Chuck Liddell

That's the sound of a $6 million buyrate getting flushed down the toilet.

Poor Chuck. He's gone from the UFC's poster boy to Jobber to the Stars.

Where to watch UFC shows in Edmonton

Due to the number of Google searches leading to this site that ask a variation of the title question, I provide as a public service this link.

Randy vs. Brock?

So the big rumour in the MMA world these days is that Randy Couture will end his legal battle with UFC, return to Zuffa-land and battle Brock Lesnar at the November PPV.

Randy vs. Brock would be a money fight. I would love to see Brock win, but after just 3 professional fights, that's not happening.

His belts are awl the rage

His belts are awl the rage | www.azstarnet.com ®

A nice article on Reggie Parks, one of the belt makers for UFC and the former WWF belt maker.

There's a video up, too that's really good.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson arrested

This is a weird one.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, former light heavyweight champion of the Ultimate Fighter Championships, was arrested on suspicion of felony evading, hit-and-run and reckless driving Tuesday after he allegedly led police on a pursuit from Costa Mesa to Newport Beach, police said

Click the link for the full story.

Where to watch UFC PPVs in Edmonton

It's UFC PPV night, so here's my semi-regular public service posting on where to watch UFC pay-per-views in Edmonton.

Quick thoughts on The Ultimate Fighter Finale

• I learned my lesson from previous TUF finales. I DVR'd this show, and started watching it about 60 minutes in. By the time the main event was over, I had caught up to the live broadcast. So I watched a 3-hour show in 2 hours. That made it bearable.
• I was happy that Amir won the TUF title, but it looked more like CB's hand slipped onto Amir's leg and not a tap. It was very interesting that during the post-fight interviews, there was not a single mention of the controversial (non)tap despite the fact that CB was obviously upset about it.
• Amir's got a ton of charisma and he's funny as heck. Let's now see what he does against real competition. Remember, he's now just 1-0 in MMA.
• OK, the judge who scored the main event 29-28 in favor of Evan Tanner should never be allowed to judge again. Particularly when the other two judges had Tanner losing one round 10-8.
• All in all, a thumbs in the middle show. Nothing terribly exciting but nothing awful. I'm not sure if I would have felt the same way, though, had I watched it live without being able to fast-forward through all the commercials, interviews, etc.
  

The UFC's big announcement is ...

... kinda underwhelming.

Ah, well, I await listening to Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez's audio update from earlier this afternoon to explain it all to me.

Is this UFC's big announcement tomorrow?

MMAPayout.com: The Business of MMA: Update on UFC's Major Announcement

MMAPayout.com has learned that Bertelsmann Media, a German based international entertainment company, is rumored to have had advanced discussions about acquiring a controlling interest in Zuffa.

Hmmm ... if this is it, I have decidedly mixed feelings about it. The plus side would be Bertelsmann would likely have way more leverage to get UFC a major TV deal. But as we've seen in pro-wrestling (Hello, Ted Turner's WCW!) just having a big corporate media owner doesn't necessarily guarantee huge success.

The most shocking twist in Ultimate Fighter history!

There are no words

MICHAEL JACKSON LOVES THE UFC

Where to watch UFC shows in Edmonton

There's a UFC pay-per-view tonight, so time for my monthly post on where to find a bar to watch UFC in Edmonton.

We stand on guard for thee!

UFC® : Ultimate Fighting Championship®

The link above is to a UFC news release on its new closed-circuit PPV agreement with Canadastar to broadcast UFC PPVs in Canadian bars and restaurants.

The announcement is notable for the following quote right at the bottom:

Canadastar has been established as a household name to sports oriented bars, restaurants and casinos throughout the dominion.

I have to admire any news release that for whatever reason, references Canada as a Dominion.

Every UFC should be in Canada

Great show last night! And what a crowd! We Canadians provide such great crowd atmosphere.

Best fight: Tough to pick. I'm going to say Mac Danzig vs. Mark Bocek just for the war it became, and for Bocek leaking like a faucet.

Worst fight: Nate Quarry vs. Kalib Starnes ... although Quarry redeemed the fight somewhat with his Running Man and Fighting Robot antics at the end.

Kudos to Kenny Florian, who really impressed me as a commentator. He's got a second career when the fight game is done. He was good enough to not even make me miss Joe Rogan.

GSP turned in a dominant, if not earth-shattering, performance. Sorry, Matt Serra, but you got lucky the first time. That much was made apparent.

I really hope UFC does a show in Calgary or Edmonton soon.

Where to watch UFC shows in Edmonton

Due to the number of Google searches leading to this site that ask a variation of the title question, I provide as a public service this link.

And a clip from Dana White from Off the Record.

The Ultimate Fighter Most Brutal Knockout

Let's see how long this stays on YouTube before it gets taken down.

The UFC Wednesday Night Marathon of Doom!

Sorry, but four hours for the two UFC shows last night was just too long, particularly after the kind of weekend the WWE just gave us.

I mean, it's one thing to make Mania four hours long, but last night was NOT Wrestlemania. While the Fight Night matches turned out to be (mostly) really good, the show had zero buzz going in. And after the star-studded Mania weekend, Fight Night came across as a bunch of UFC PPV opening match geeks fighting for free on TV.

It would be like the WWE giving us a three-hour Wednesday night broadcast of Heat - the workrate may be great, but there's so little star-power, why bother to watch?

I'll be really interested to see the rating for last night's show.

That said, Ultimate Fighter was really good. I like the new format of making 32 guys fight their way onto the show to become the 16 who make it into the house. However, now guys who go on the show will be expecting to fight right off the bat, so they may have to change it up again really soon. This should be the best season ever in terms of the coaches being entertaining. I suspect Forrest will completely out-coach Rampage ... and then get stomped by him at the PPV.

Ultimate Fight Night - Ultimate Fighter

UFC has a three-hour Ultimate Fight Night tonight, followed by the premier of the new Ultimate Fighter series featuring Rampage Jackson and Forrest Griffin as the two coaches, which should rule the Earth.

But that's FOUR HOURS of UFC programming tonight!

FOUR HOURS!

Seriously ... who has time on a Wednesday evening, the middle of the work week, to watch FOUR HOURS of MMA.

Sure, Wrestlemania was four hours long. But it was Sunday afternoon. And it was WRESTLEMANIA!

This is no Wrestlemania.

UFC 82: I'm wrong again

I predicted Henderson over Silva. Oops.

Where to watch UFC shows in Edmonton

Due to the number of Google searches leading to this site that ask a variation of the title question, I provide as a public service this link.

UFC 82: TOO MANY EVENTS!

There's another UFC PPV tonight. I'm out at a soccer tournament, so I won't be ordering it. Although even if I was at home, I probably wouldn't get it, as I'm planning to get next month's Montreal debut instead.

As for tonight's show, I really want to see Dan Henderson beat Anderson Silva for the middleweight title. I've been watching some of Hendo's Pride matches of late, and - yes, based on three-, four- and five-year-old fights - he's really impressive. I think he can take Silva.

Thanks to DaveMillicanBelts.com for the picture of the UFC championship belt!

This could be HUGE for MMA

There's talk today that EliteXC, probably the closest thing the UFC has to a rival in North America as far as MMA promotions go, is going to get a TV deal with CBS.

If this happens, this is huge for the sport of mixed martial arts. It's obviously great for EliteXC, which would go from being the distant second-place promotion in the U.S., to being a legitimate threat to the UFC overight.

It will be good for fighters, too, as a rising EliteXC is going to be trying to lure talent from UFC, and bidding wars are going to erupt for top talent.

It could even be good news for Dana White, the combative UFC president who has been acting more and more like Vince McMahon recently than ever before (and that's not a compliment). Dana has tried to get on HBO ... and failed. He tried to get on CBS ... and apparently failed.

Sure, Spike TV probably saved UFC from bankruptcy, but UFC needs to take the next step in growth, and Dana's reported insistence on maintaining total control over his product (including how it is broadcasted) has hindered that growth and kept him from signing those deals with HBO and CBS.


Maybe this will be the kick in the pants that Dana White needs to realize he's not the only game in town and that it's time to loosen up on the controls in order to take his company to the next level.

EDIT: More info on the pending deal here.

Thanks to Jason Genegabus, a columnist with the Honolulu Star-Bulletin for the use of the great photo of the Elite XC title belt!

UFC 81 - I'm wrong!

Judging from reviews I'm reading on the Net, last night's UFC card was quite entertaining and bordering on "awesome." (Which is a word that is massively overused, but that's another blog entry.)

Ah, well, I can't win them all. And neither can Tim Sylvia! Good for Big Nog beating Sylvia to win the UFC heavyweight crown. I'd love to see Nog vs. Randy Couture to unify the UFC titles. I will not be getting my hopes up, however.

Based on the clips I've hunted down this morning, Brock Lesnar was done in by inexperience, but was absolutely brutalizing Frank Mir before getting tapped by a knee-bar.

UFC 81

Tonight is UFC 81, featuring the very hyped debut of former WWF champion Brock Lesnar, who is facing ex-UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir.

This was a show that for the longest time I had planned to buy. About a week ago, I changed my mind and decided I would skip this show.

It basically boiled down to deciding that watching Brock Lesnar's first UFC fight wasn't worth $45.

I have absolutely no doubt that I am in the minority on this one, because the buzz for tonight's show is gigantic, and UFC has very smartly cross-promoted the fight to WWE fans to get them to buy the show.

Bully for UFC. But I'm not plunking down $45 for a one-match show ... particularly when that match has the high potential to be a three-round snoozefest.

The secondary consideration in skipping the show tonight was that the only title fight is Tim Sylvia facing off against ex-Pride heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - and it's for the interim UFC heavyweight championship. (Interim, of course, because of the contractual standoff with Randy Couture, who remains the official UFC heavyweight champion for the time being.)

I have and will continue to pay for UFC title fights - even interim titles on occasion. (I bought the December show, which featured the interim welterweight title match of GSP and Matt Hughes.) But Tim Sylvia is hardly the most entertaining fighter in UFC, and this match is nearly guaranteed to be a five-round snorer.

Bottom line for me: I'm figuring there's not going to be $45 worth of entertainment out of this show. And if I'm wrong, I can buy the DVD for $25 in a couple of months.

Now ... the April show in Montreal featuring George St. Pierre unifying his interim welterweight title against welterweight champion Matt Serra ... nothing will stop me from watching that show on pay-per-view.

Ultimate Fight Night ZZZzzzzz...

It's a good thing that the Invading Peruvian Missionaries were watching last night's UFC Ultimate Fight Night with me, or else I probably wouldn't have made it through to the end of the show. Not the best Fight Night ever - some pretty dull fights that featured a bunch of pretty dull fighters.

OK, maybe that's not fair. I didn't hate it as I watched it. Some of the show I really enjoyed. But writing this now, less than 24 hours after it was over, I remember almost nothing about it - except the one guy with the hole through his lip. And that's all I remember about it - not his name or anything; just the image of him showing the camera the giant hole where part of his lower lip had been a few minutes before.

Otherwise, it was completely forgettable - the fights, and the fighters.

Sure, the Fight Nights are supposed to spotlight lower-level guys and give them some exposure and experience. And, unlike wrestling where everything can be planned out, UFC President Dana White can't be telling fighters, "I want a knockout 1:32 into round one, and make it dramatic!"

It's live TV. If it's dull, that's the risk they take.

But even at the best of times, Fight Nights can be pretty frustrating.

The big problem with Fight Night shows is that they contain about 1 minute of fighting for every 9 minutes of promotional material, commercials, or extended previews of the show's sponsoring movie or video game (or, like last night, both).

Normally I just tape them and watch them using the FF button to skip past the extraneous stuff. No such luck last night watching it live.