UFC Thread

[D]

He'll be back after the movie but I agree with Rampage. It isn't like he went to do some shitty Straight to DVD flick
This is a big budget Summer blockbuster thing and u can't pass that up

[D]

I do hope Kimbo wins a fight or so but I dn't like how Dana is building the show around him

Rampage is **** HILARIOUS
when he picked the camera man instead of the last dude.

haha

[Hammy]

Like The Rock I think he is a guy with the skills, with the right role to be a big star.  Shame The Rock generally picks poor films (and he is still doing very well out of things...)

In interviews the dude is a real character, he has plenty of charisma, now that may not translate to films, but I sense a role like this is ideal for him, and by all accounts this movie is HUGE (it could flop but with the rest of the cast being very stellar I doubt it).

I guess its finding the right balance.  Dana generally demands 110% loyalty and at Rampage's end if somebody had said name 10 MMA Fighters who aren't that interested in the sport, Rampage's name would be up there.

[D]

Rampage has to secure his future after fighting though. If u have a chance to be in a huge Summer flick, u probably never get that opportunity again and this role can transition him to becoming a Rock like action star.

Rampage def can have a niche in Hollywood as the funny tough bodyguard type, he is a bigger bad ass and has more personality than Vin Diesel for instance.

[Gnrfan]

Family First..... Thats the rule of life.

You care for the ones that you love. Yeah you might think another Boxer/Wrestler/Fighter who thinks they'll make it in the movies and laugh! But you certainly don't make it in movies by not appearing in Movies.

Good luck to him. I just hope he has enough Money behind him for worst case scenario because a decsion that was intended to look after his family might end up doing just the opposite.

Dana White is a business first man..... bringing Tito back is proof of that and i find it a little bit hypocritical that he lashes out at Rampages decsion.

[Hammy]

Going to have to download the show this week, can't wait 'til saturday.

I'm really excited and intrigued by Kimbo Slice vs. Roy Nelson.  They definately aren't fixing him and easy route, Nelson is the favourite to win the show after all...

[Hammy]

The fight was a bit of a let down.

They really are milking Kimbo to, teasing the possibility of him fighting again on the show (just to keep ratings up)

[Rankin]

Say what you will about how Dana is using Kimbo but you can't argue the results - 6.1 rating!!!! (More than double the record rating prior to this season!)

From Kevin Iole at Yahoo Sports:

"Just like he did last year for CBS, Kimbo Slice delivered massive ratings on Wednesday for Spike TV. Slice’s much-heralded fighting debut on Season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” in which he lost by second-round technical knockout to Roy Nelson, drew 6.8 million viewers, said Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White.

White said an average of 5.3 million viewers tuned in for the initial viewing of the show, which aired at 10 p.m. Eastern Time. The immediate replay, which began at 11 p.m. ET, attracted an average of 1.5 million viewers. White said a normal 11 p.m. immediate replay draws “a hell of a lot less than 1.5 million.” Many of the show’s first-run episodes have not attracted that many viewers in recent seasons.

The sheer volume of viewers surpassed the amount Slice attracted for his May 31, 2008, bout with James Thompson on CBS. That live Elite XC card peaked at 6.51 million viewers during the Slice-Thompson fight.

The UFC had relentlessly hyped Wednesday’s episode, calling the Slice-Nelson fight the biggest match in the show’s history. The show’s final 15 minutes, when the fight was shown for the first time, did a 7.86 rating among males ages 18 to 34. Overall, the fight itself had 6.1 million viewers.

“These numbers are beyond huge,” White said. “I’m blown away. I honestly am blown away. I knew it was going to be big. This is massive. Do you understand how significant these numbers are, getting more viewers than CBS?”

Slice’s addition to the Season 10 cast has helped the show garner record ratings – more than three times their normal number – through the first three weeks. The one-time street brawler, who made his reputation with a series of videos on YouTube that drew tens of millions of views, has continued to attract viewers despite less than stellar fighting credentials.

In his last fight prior to facing Nelson on “The Ultimate Fighter,” Slice was knocked out in just 14 seconds by light heavyweight Seth Petruzelli on a fight broadcast live on CBS.

Just three days shy of a year to the day after his loss to Petruzelli, droves of viewers tuned in Wednesday to watch him fight Nelson on Spike in a match taped in June. The ratings were boosted in no small part by the UFC’s massive marketing push. White said Wednesday’s episode generated the highest number of males 18-34 and males 18-49 in the network’s history. It beat out the September 2007 UFC 75 card headlined by Quinton Jackson vs. Dan Henderson and an Ultimate Fight Night card that featured the third bout between Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock.

“It’s hard to say why, but some people have it and some don’t, and Kimbo definitely does,” White said.

White wasn’t impressed by Nelson’s performance in stopping Slice and hasn’t been pleased with the fights in any of the first three weeks. But he said that will change for the better soon.

“It’s a really good season,” White said. “The fight (between Slice and Nelson) sucked. I wasn’t happy with any of the fights the first three weeks, to be honest. I was disappointed by the way we came out of the gate in terms of the fights. But the fights really get better. By episode 8, believe me when I tell you, you’re going to be going wild.”

White wouldn’t say whether Slice will fight in December on either the show’s live finale on Dec. 5 in Las Vegas or at UFC 107 a week later in Memphis, Tenn. Slice alluded to such a bout during a promotional conference call on Monday.

White, though, hinted that Slice may return to fight again on the reality show, as was briefly suggested in the coming attractions.

“Hang in there, man,” White said when asked if Slice were going to fight for the UFC in December. “The season’s not over yet. Stay tuned is all I’ll tell you.”

Dave Meltzer contributed to this report. "

[Hammy]

If Tito Ortiz plans to make his much-anticipated return to the Octagon at UFC 106 on November 21, he’ll have to do it against someone other than Mark Coleman.

Mike DiSabato from MMA Authentics has confirmed that “The Hammer” has a second degree tear of his medial collateral ligament (MCL) and will be unable to compete at the upcoming event in Las Vegas.

While Ortiz “tweeted” earlier today that Coleman had “sissied out,” DiSabato contends that the “Godfather of ground and pound” asked to have the bout rescheduled for January 2 to allow the injury to heal.

At this time, the UFC has yet to announce any changes to the scheduled fight card or confirm the injury report.

[D]

Tito vs Forrest II Nov 21st

**** YEAH!

[Rankin]

Updated thread. (See first post)

[Hammy]

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues its quest for world domination after confirming that a future event will be staged from the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia, according to The Sydney Herald.

The venue, formerly known as the Sydney SuperDome, can seat up to 21,000 fans and was recently contacted by Zuffa about a possible date in February 2010, according to the report.

From UFC president of the British division Marshall Zelaznik:

“It’s going to happen, we’re coming. Planning is in effect, we’ve had a number of strategy meetings and we are on the verge of retaining some key partners in Australia.”

The arena is probably best known for playing host to gymnastics and basketball for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games as well as its frequent WWE wrestling shows.

Despite the recent confirmation, the Outback has long been on Zuffa’s radar. UFC President Dana White first commented on a possible trip down under to the boys at knucklepit.com during a media conference for UFC 84 back in early 2008.

Here’s a snip:

We’re focused on Germany, the Philippines and Australia next. The Philippines is definitely happening.  We’re working on that right now. Australia and Germany, those three are right now.

Germany played host to UFC 99 back on June 13 from the Lanxess Arena in Cologne while a Philippines show is currently in the works. If an Australian event comes to fruition by next year, one has to imagine that Brazil and Japan are not far behind for “The world’s fastest growing sport.”

Good to see the expansion is continuing, who could they put on the card for the home fans though?

George Sotiropoulos is the only one on the roster right now I think...

As far as "relevant" fighters go, I've got Jim York (Sengoku) and Mark Hunt (DREAM).

And for, well we feed him to everyone else value, Elvis Sinosic is a comedy possiblity.

[Rankin]

Hmm I'd say Kyle Noke & Adrian Pang would be alright for the card decent fighters that will never be challengers. But you don't really have to have tons of Australians on the card, just look at UFC 99 in Germany.

[Hammy]

Spike TV issued the following press release:

SPIKE TV TO TELECAST SELECTED FIGHTS FROM UFC 104 PRELIMS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24

Ryan “Darth” Bader vs. “Red” Schafer And Antoni Hardonk vs. Pat Barry To Be Featured

New York, NY, October 12, 2009 – Spike TV will telecast live undercard bouts from UFC 104 on Saturday, October 24 at 9:00pm ET/PT from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.  The fights on Spike TV will include “The Ultimate Fighter 8” winner Ryan Bader, a rising star in the light heavyweight division, taking on “Red” Schafer.  The one-hour telecast will run commercial-free.  UFC 104 will run on pay-per-view event at 10:00pm ET.

Recently, Spike TV telecast the prelims for UFC 103 on Saturday, September 19 drawing a robust 1.4 million viewers and placed #2 on cable with Men 18-34 in the timeslot.

A two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at Arizona State University, Ryan Bader, fighting out of Tempe, Ariz., is 2-0 in the UFC and a perfect 10-0 in his mixed martial arts career.  The 26-year-old light heavyweight, winner of the eighth season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” earned a unanimous decision win against veteran Carmelo Marrero in April.  He now faces another experienced grappler in “Red” Schafer.  Fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc., Schafer is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and on a four fight win streak, with two of his three UFC wins coming via submission.  His most recent victory came via TKO against Antonio Mendes at UFC 93.

Also featured, Dutch kickboxer Antoni Hardonk, a native of Amsterdam, fighting out of Los Angeles, has KOs in all four of his UFC wins.  The 6-foot-4, 245-pound heavyweight has won three of his last four fights and is looking to continue his hot streak against veteran Pat Barry, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc. A native of New Orleans, Barry looks to repeat the performance he put on against Dan Evensen at UFC 92, an impressive first round KO.

Other bouts on the card might air on Spike TV, determined by length of fights.

Hopefully, like last time, we get them on ESPN here in the UK 

[Rankin]

Updated with quite afew new fights added, including a very Brazilian filled huge end/start of year UFC 108.