Boxing and MMA Forum Random Comments 2014

[Chris2K 176]

Bellator are planning on trying to run a PPV again, because it went so smoothly last time. Headlining would be Alvarez/Chandler III where if Alvarez wins he joins the UFC as the Bellator champion. And if Alvarez loses he joins the UFC too.

 

I'm guessing they have to make it a PPV because Alvarez signed the contract Bellator offered with the hilarious idea of a PPV cut which he didn't get for his last fight when they cancelled the PPV. They're also doing a tournament with Quinton Jackson and Mo Lawal in alternate semi-finals with the hope they will meet in the final, because they have to do their wacky tournaments instead of just BOOKING QUINTON JACKSON VS. MO LAWAL.

[Guest John Hancock]

Anderson Silva has just said he IS planning on coming back to the UFC, but he wants to have a boxing match against Roy Jones Jr. first. Hmmmmmmmmmm.

[Guest The Beltster]

He's been yapping on about that for yonks. I think he's 2-0 in boxing, but thats against losers. I know Jones is old, but with Silvas once granite chin gone this might not turn out too well...

[Guest CMHunk]

I have absolutely zero interest in MMA/boxing transitions. They're worthless and prove nothing and are rarely even close to entertaining. We would never see the top people in both sports in their prime fighting against each other with some sort of compromised ruleset that stops one having a huge advantage. Good boxers beat MMA fighters in boxing matches, good MMA fighters beat boxers in MMA Fights.

 

also if Bellator didn't have the tournaments it would just be UFC-lite, and we know how that story ends.

Edited January 23, 2014 by CMHunk

[Guest The Beltster]

Anybody remember Ray Mercer vs Tim Sylvia? To be fair, that was fun to watch, all 10 seconds of it.

[Guest CMHunk]

anything that ends up with Sylvia hitting the deck is enjoyable :)

 

his own fault for throwing that kick, bought it all on himself

 

infinitely more enjoyable than Couture/Toney anyway.

[Chris2K 176]

I loved Couture vs. Toney purely because the fans weren't just supporting Couture, they were supporting the entire sport of MMA against this boxing outsider who had insulted what they love.

[Guest John Hancock]

The Toney thing was also great because he'd obviously come for the loss and the pay cheque and made no attempt to do anything. It was like Randy was fighting a giant, novelty teddy bear.

[Guest CMHunk]

Vitor has said he will ask for a Testosterone exemption for the Weidman fight and Overeem's not training with the Blackzillians ahead of the Mir fight....

 

Vitor Belfort told UFC Tonight's Ariel Helwani on Wednesday that he is going to ask for a therapeutic use exemption for testosterone for his next fight, which is expected to be against middleweight champion Chris Weidman later this year in Las Vegas.

 

The statement contradicted an earlier statement by manager Glenn Robinson, who said on The MMA Hour that he didn't think Belfort would apply for a TUE in Nevada.

 

Belfort said he regarded the testosterone use as medication that he needs. In theory, a TUE for testosterone should only be granted if someone's natural production of testosterone is at well under normal levels, and thus not having enough testosterone in the body is a health concern. Taking testosterone, an anabolic steroid, is otherwise prohibited in most major sports. Using testosterone signals the body to not produce it on its own, and it would continually weaken the body's natural production of it. Thus, an athlete, or anyone being prescribed the drug, would be expected to have to use it for life.

 

No date has been announced for the championship fight, but Lorenzo Fertitta, UFC's CEO, has previously stated they were looking for it either over Memorial Day weekend, or on July 5.

 

"I don't believe so," Robinson told Helwani, when asked if Belfort would be applying for a TUE. "It's something that him and I have not discussed."

 

Belfort (24-10) and testosterone use in Nevada is a hot button issue, because Belfort failed a steroid test, for testosterone on October 21, 2006, before a Pride fight in Las Vegas where he lost to Dan Henderson. No fighter who has previously tested positive for steroids has been granted a TUE in Nevada.

 

Keith Kizer, the Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission had previously stated that he didn't believe an athlete who had failed a steroid test would be granted an exemption, noting he didn't believe in granting exemptions if their low natural production was based on prior steroid use, which is illegal in MMA. However, Kizer will not be involved in the case, since he's leaving the commission on Monday.

 

Belfort was suspended for the test failure. While under a Nevada suspension, he fought in the United Kingdom for the Cage Rage promotion. All U.S. athletic commissions honor suspensions from other states, and promotions who have Nevada licenses also honor those suspensions. But a foreign promotion that has no intention of running in Nevada would not have to honor such a suspension.

 

Belfort hasn't fought in Las Vegas since his Feb. 5, 2011, loss to Anderson Silva in a middleweight title fight. For that fight, he did not request a TUE. Since that fight, he's gone 7-1, with the only loss coming on a short notice fight, moving up a weight division to challenge light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

 

Belfort, who will be 37 at the time of his next fight, has had a career resurgence while given an exemption for testosterone. On recent shows in Brazil, he's scored consecutive high kick knockout wins over Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson.

 

After Alistair Overeem parted ways with longtime fight team Golden Glory back in September of 2011 after legal-filled battles, it didn't take long for the former Strikeforce heavyweight champion to find a new place to call home.

 

"The Reem" joined up with the Blackzilians camp thanks in large part to his new manager, Glenn Robinson, CEO of Authentic Sports Management. But according to Robinson, that relationship is no more, as Alistair has parted ways with the Boca Raton, Florida - based team to take his training camp to Thailand.

 

While Glenn still serves as Alistair's manager, the former K-1 kickboxing champion is no longer a Blackzilian, for now.

 

Robinson broke down the situation during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour:

 

"No, Alistair doesn't train with us, he trains in Thailand. He's welcome back, but he's decided to do his camp in Thailand. It was a great camp. I talked to him last night, and it was a great camp and he said he feels fantastic. He's in really good spirits. He's welcome -- he's always welcome. It's always his home if he wants it to be, but right now he's not looking past the fight he has in a couple of weeks, that's the most important thing. And we'll see after that what he wants to do."

During his time with the all-star fight team, which includes the likes of Vitor Belfort, Rashad Evans, Anthony Johnson and Tyrone Spong, just to name few, Overeem went 1-2, which includes a victory over Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 along with his back-to-back losses at the hands of Antonio Silva and Travis Browne.

 

And with a potential do-or-die fight against a struggling Frank Mir at UFC 169 on Feb. 1, 2014 in Newark, New Jersey on the horizon, "The Reem," it seems, is looking to change things up as his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) career hangs in the balance.

 

Good move?

[Guest John Hancock]

Overeem moving his camp to Thailand to fight a grappler is a really, really strange move. I hope he knows what he's doing.

[Guest CMHunk]

from MMA H.E.A.T a few minutes ago, they're currently having lunch with Dana....

 

"Dana just confirmed a HUGE fight broke out between Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen today in Brazil. One of Wanderlei's team even sucker punched Chael. The UFC is dealing with it as we speak."

[Guest John Hancock]

Do you know if they ever sorted out how we non-Brazilian folk are ever going to see this season? It sounds fantastic.

[Guest The Beltster]

Torrents are your friends.

[Guest Frank Botch]

Las Vegas, Nevada – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® has confirmed that the eagerly awaited The Ultimate Fighter® Brasil: Team Wanderlei vs Team Sonnen season will be available exclusively on the organization’s new digital subscription service UFC® Fight Pass™.

 

The first episode of TUF Brasil will be available, on demand, on UFC Fight Pass from 7pm PT/10pm ET on Sunday, March 9, just hours after airing on Brazilian television. Each new episode will then be available every Sunday at the same time.

 

Filming has already begun in Sao Paulo, Brazil and the bad blood between coaches Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva has already resulted in incidents which UFC president Dana White could only describe as “crazy”, “nuts” and “absolute insanity.”

 

Bad blood has been on the boil between three-time UFC title challenger Sonnen and the legendary “Axe Murderer” for years and now that they are in close proximity to each other day-in, day-out, the pair is struggling to keep their mutual dislike in check.

 

Sonnen said: “I don’t quite know what to make of it down here. Wanderlei has already been an experience, to say the least. He’s like a cartoon character, he gets angry and runs out of words and steam starts to come out of his ears. He’s a caveman. But I feel sorry for him so I’m helping him get to where he wants to go – retirement.”

 

Former PRIDE FC world champion Silva said: “Sonnen messed with the wrong guy. Now his time has come. He’s fearful, afraid of me. For everything he said – now he has a payback. I’m here because of Brazil and the Brazilian fans. I’m going to give them what they want - the most exciting season of TUF ever.”

 

In addition to airing the entire series, UFC Fight Pass will also take subscribers behind the scenes with regular updates from Chael Sonnen, a teaser for which can be seen here.

 

UFC Chief Content Officer Marshall Zelaznik said the addition of The Ultimate Fighter Brasil makes UFC Fight Pass a must-have for all MMA fans.

 

He said: “We’re excited to confirm that UFC Fight Pass subscribers won’t miss any of the action from what is certain to be a crazy season of The Ultimate Fighter Brasil. Subscribers will be able to catch each installment on demand, within hours of the show airing on television in Brazil.

 

“March continues to be a huge month for UFC Fight Pass. On March 1, we have our second exclusive fight card, live from Macau, featuring top welterweight Dong Hyun Kim taking on the returning John Hathaway, a heavyweight battle between Matt Mitrione and Shawn Jordan and former No.1 featherweight Hatsu Hioki in a must-win fight against Ivan Menjivar.

 

“Then, on March 8, UFC Fight Pass will be the only place to see the stacked UFC London card, headlined by the No.1 ranked Alexander Gustafsson risking his title shot against knockout specialist Jimi Manuwa. The event will also feature a great flyweight fight between Ian McCall and Brad Pickett, Melvin Guillard taking on fellow TUF alumnus Michael Johnson and a battle between unbeaten welterweights with Gunnar Nelson taking on Omari Akhmedov.

 

“All that, plus the UFC Fight Pass Prelims, unrivaled access to the world’s biggest MMA fight library and now TUF Brasil - March is a huge month for UFC Fight Pass.”

 

UFC Fight Pass has already launched in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, with a $9.99 price point per month in all four markets. The service will be rolled out in other markets shortly, with content varying according to local television blackout rules.

 

Observer

[Chris2K 176]

I'm pretty sure the terms of the TV contract means the UK will get the London show on BT Sport even if Fight Pass is out in the UK by March, but I doubt we'll be getting TUF Brazil.

[Guest The Beltster]

You can download it every week literally an hour after it airs. I doubt we will be getting Fight Pass at all. Maybe you can join Fight Pass online in the UK and watch stuff on your PC, phone, tablet etc.

[dsrchris 190]

Sonnen said: “I don’t quite know what to make of it down here. Wanderlei has already been an experience, to say the least. He’s like a cartoon character, he gets angry and runs out of words and steam starts to come out of his ears. He’s a caveman. But I feel sorry for him so I’m helping him get to where he wants to go – retirement.”

 

:lol

 

Man, I love Chael. I just wish he'd win more fights to back his awesome promo skills up! :lol

 

Can't wait to see this season though, anything involving Chael in Brazil has to be a must watch for me.

[Guest John Hancock]

In highly distressing news, Ariel Helwani MIGHT have been fired from FOX and black balled from UFC. He wasn't on the last FOX post-fight show for the first time, and he wasn't invited to any of Dana White's media scrums. There's lots of rumours going around, some of which are he annoyed Dana by repeatedly comparing the UFC to WWE, he asks questions that are too hard to answer and that the UFC want exclusive journalists only, who don't give much attention to other promotions like Bellator. Helwani's only clue to what's going on has been,

 

It'll all make sense soon, but trust me, all's well on this side of the fence.

 

Although he did also give CM Punk some love, saying,

 

Sitting with media/fans for a UFC weigh-in for the first time since UFC 141. Great talking to everyone. This is fun! ... Hi Colt Cabana!

 

Considering he's the only actual journalist that gives any f*cks about MMA, if anything has happened, it's just more evidence of Dana at his mini-McMahon self-destructive best.

[Guest The Beltster]

Meltzer was talking about this a few days ago, he insinuated that it has all been smoothed over. Dana and Lorenzo did unfollow Helwani from Twitter if that means anything.

 

I used to like Helwani and I still think he's alright, but he definitely became a bit too big for his britches and seemed to consider himself quite a celebrity. He was also a massive shit stirrer amongst fighters, really pushing the he said/she said stuff. I know quite a few fighters think he's a twit.

 

I wouldn't say he's the only journalist who gives a shit, Kevin Iole is a far better, albeit way less charismatic journalist, then Helwani is.

[Guest John Hancock]

He's a shit stirrer, but that's one of the reasons I love him, he doesn't suck up and try to be all friendly and cool like all the other MMA journalists, you can always trust him to ask the questions you want answered, even if it make him unpopular. He's basically MMA's Louis Theroux.

 

The story seems to be that he's being punished for covering Bellator's big thing in New York a while back.