Weigh-ins for this weekend’s UFC 86 event took place at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas today. All fighters on the card successfully made weight and are primed to take the cage tomorrow night.
The weigh-in results are as follows:
Televised Card
Preliminary Card
Pay-per-view coverage of UFC 86: “Jackson vs. Griffin” starts tomorrow night at 10pm E.T.
What: UFC 88
When: Sept 6, ‘08
Where: Phillips Arena; Atlanta, GA
Watch: Pay Per View
Here’s the latest on UFC 88:
Fight card subject to change; bouts will be added as we confirm them.
Check out more UFC 88 content on Five Ounces of Pain
A UFC event appears destined for Oklahoma City in the next six-to-eight months, according to a published report.
UFC President Dana White is quoted as confirming the news in an article on NewsOk.com.
“We’re working on bringing a live event there,” White reportedly said at last Thursday’s Associated Press Sports Editors’ convention in Minneapolis.
It is uncertain at this time whether the Oklahoma City show would be televised on pay-per-view or would be a Spike TV special. The Ford Center, with a seating capacity of 19,599 is the venue most likely to be booked for a UFC event.
Oklahoma City has proven to be a growing hotbed for mixed martial arts, as former Oklahoma State wrestlers and current Team Takedown fighters Jake Rosholt, Shane Roller, and Johny Hendricks have all performed in front of large crowds when competing locally for the Masters of the Cage promotion.
The market also turned in one of the highest ratings for EliteXC’s debut CBS telecast on May 31. The show’s main event between Kimbo Slice and James Thompson drew an 11.1 share during the 10:30-10:45 p.m. ET time slot. It was the highest rating of all CBS affiliates.
Our fearless leader Sam Caplan is in Las Vegas right now, minutes away from getting his hands the unreleased UFC 2009 video game.
Sam was invited by the gamemaker THQ to fly to Vegas, preview the game, interview key people involved with the making of the next-gen video game, and provide the readers of FiveOuncesofPain.com with an exclusive preview.
Sam will provide his preview, commentary, interviews and more throughout the weekend. Keep checking back for the latest!
In the meantime, here is a preview video of the UFC 2009 game:
Check FiveOuncesofPain.com for more UFC 2009 content!
When: July 19 ‘08 (same night as Affliction: Banned PPV)
Where: Las Vegas, NV @ The Palms Casino
Watch: Spike TVHere’s the latest on the UFC Fight Night 14 event:
Main Card
Fight card subject to change; bouts will be added as we confirm them.
Check out more UFC Fight Night 14 content on 5 Oz. of Pain.
UFC President Dana White has been quoted in several interviews this year as saying that the sport of mixed martial arts will become regulated in the state of New York and that a show at Madison Square Garden was possible before year’s end.
Well, unless the UFC has plans on running an underground show, a New York event is not expected to happen until 2009, at the earliest.
FiveOuncesOfPain.com reported last week that the Committee for Tourism, Arts, and Sports Development in the State of New York voted against a proposed bill that could lead to the legalization of MMA in the state. Several committee members tried to change their votes after the official session had come to a close and it was decided that the bill would go up for a re-vote on Wednesday, June 18.
However, a source informed Five Ounces of Pain earlier this afternoon that the vote in fact did not take place as scheduled and that the bill to legalize martial arts has been tabled and likely won’t be re-introduce until early-2009.
Our source indicated that the bill is now expected to be subject to a public hearing, which is perceived to be a step back.
When asked why the vote never took place as had been anticipated, the source indicated that it is believed that lingering labor issues between Station Casinos in Las Vegas and Local 54 “Unite Here” could be a culprit.
Several other sources have revealed to Five Ounces of Pain in recent days that the UFC had been working on several deals pertaining to potential regulation in New York, including the expansion of the promotion’s offices in New York as well as a possible long-term agreement with Madison Square Garden.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, UFC president Dana White announced to the promotion’s employees today that UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta is resigning as president of Station Casinos, the casino business that he co-owns with brother Frank Fertitta.
The report indicates that Fertitta will now work for the UFC on a full-time basis with the goal of expanding the company’s overall business. Meltzer also states that Fertitta and White will be the “co-heads of the UFC.”
As president of Station Casinos, Fertitta earned $113.8 million in 2007, according to Meltzer. The total made him the second-highest paid casino executive in Las Vegas last year.
Frank Fertitta III is now solely in charge of Station Casinos as the company’s CEO.
It is unclear whether today’s announcement is the same one that White had hinted at several weeks ago during an ESPN.com interview or if he had something else in mind at the time that ultimately fell through.
“There’s something no one else has heard,” White began to state during the interview. “You have no idea some of the stuff that we have planned. I’m going to make an announcement next week that is going to blow people’s minds. That deal is done, but my employees don’t even know yet. I’m renting out a place next Thursday and I’m going to tell them. Then we’ll make the announcement later that day. It’s an indicator of where this business is going over the next five years.
After using strong language to describe the forthcoming announcement, White attempted to downplay its impact in recent interviews after the announcement had been postponed twice.
In an article published today by Yahoo! Sports, White felt a need to take a proactive approach in addressing potential criticism that his announcement may not have been all that he initially promoted it to be.
“The Internet may not consider this huge news, but what the people on the Internet think is huge and what I think is huge are two different things,” White is quoted as saying in the article. “But you know what? I think I have a pretty good track record. I think this is maybe the biggest day in UFC history. I’m so excited, I can’t begin to explain it to you. This is an historic day for me and this company.”
I have a confession to make, which is that I sometimes lurk on some of the more popular message forums out there just to see how people are reacting to certain things that are taking place in MMA.
I was especially curious to see what people were saying about the UFC’s decision to hastily put together a UFC Fight Night card to be televised live on Spike TV on July 19, directly opposite the Affliction: Banned pay-per-view that has been scheduled for that day for several months.
Most of the posts I’ve seen have been critical of the UFC and its President, Dana White, for going ahead trying to take the steam out of Affliction’s inaugural event. Some of the posts I have seen have contained a ton of angst, almost accusing White of being an MMA anti-Christ.
The UFC’s decision to run opposite Affliction is a low blow, but it’s not illegal. Furthermore, there’s no written or unwritten agreement that says promotions cannot hold cards on the same day of each other.
With that said, I actually think what the UFC is doing it’s smart business. Some people are claiming White is being a hypocrite because he’s said in the past that he welcomes competition but then does something like this. But I don’t see how he’s being a hypocrite? He said he welcomes the competition but has never said he was going to roll over for it.
Lest we forget that two recent UFC heavyweight champions, Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia, are set to appear the Affliction PPV. While Sylvia was released with one fight left on his contract, the specter of Affliction’s involvement of MMA no doubt hurt the UFC’s leverage at the negotiation table.
Whether the UFC wanted to keep Sylvia around at the right price is debatable, but I don’t think it’s even a question that the UFC did not want to lose Arlovski. Not to mention, if Affliction succeeds, they could potentially recruit and sign many other stars that the UFC had a hand in building.
Seriously, did the same people that are crying now about the UFC’s decision say they felt it was unfair when Affliction signed Arlovski out from under the UFC?
MMA Payout has the juicy details on this rumor:
In what would fit the bill as an industry changing 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.
Bertelsmann is a publicly traded company with a market cap in excess of $1 billion euros. The multinational media company owns Random House and a 50% stake in Sony BMG Music among a host of other media holdings. Sources have told MMAPayout.com that the company’s interest in acquiring Zuffa dates back to last fall.
And the plot thickens. Will this be Dana White’s announcement? Only time will tell and tomorrow can’t get here soon enough to put this speculation nonsense to rest.
FiveOuncesOfPain.com has spoken with a well-placed source speaking on the condition of anonymity that an agreement between the UFC and Spike TV for a live special on July 19 has been finalized.
The UFC and Spike TV have yet to issue an official comment about the special but one is expected to be made shortly.
Update: Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that UFC President Dana White has announced the main events for the show will feature Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin at light heavyweight and a lightweight bout between Hermes Franca and Frankie Edgar.
Plans remain in motion for a live UFC special on Spike TV scheduled for July 19. According to Ariel Helwani of MMARated.com, the main event for the show will feature the debut of UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at light heavyweight.The site is reporting that Silva’s debut at 205 pounds will come against James Irvin.
Sherdog.com reported on Monday that a light heavyweight main event consisting of Wanderlei Silva vs. Brandon Vera had been on the table. However, recent indications are that Silva declined the bout because it was on such short notice.
The UFC is believed to be looking to run a show on such short notice as a way to counter-program Affliction’s inaugural MMA show the same night on pay-per-view.
According to Pramit Mohapatra of FightTicker.com, UFC officials have informed him that their huge announcement to be made to the company’s workforce has been postponed for a second time.
Instead of the announcement coming today, it will now apparently come Wednesday.
FiveOuncesOfPain.com has spoken with a well-placed source speaking on the condition of anonymity who has confirmed that plans for a July 19 UFC special on Spike TV are “heating up.”
Sherdog.com first reported earlier in the day the possibility that the UFC and Spike TV would counter-program Affliction’s inaugural event on pay-per-view. According to the Sherdog report, the main event of the UFC special could feature an intriguing light heavyweight bout between Brandon Vera and Wanderlei Silva.
Neither the UFC or Spike TV has yet to officially comment on the reports.
Sherdog.com is reporting this morning that the UFC and Spike TV are considering a live special that would take place Saturday, July19.
Sherdog is citing multiple unnamed sources within the television industry as indicating that the event is a possibility.
If the July 19 date rings a bell, it is because it is the same date as Affliction’s first-ever Mixed Martial Arts event, to take place in Anaheim, Calif. at the Honda Civic Center.
According to the report, Brandon Vera and Wanderlei Silva have been approached about facing each other in the main event of the possible special. The bout would be contested at light heavyweight.
If the UFC moves forward with such a show, it could spell doom for Affliction on pay-per-view. In spite of an impressive lineup, the promotion has not done a good enough job of getting the word out about the event. Die-hard fans are looking forward to the show but there is virtually no buzz amongst the sport’s casual audience.
In order to have any chance to break even on the event, Affliction must entice casual fans to buy the PPV. That task will become insurmountable if there is a free UFC event competing head-to-head in the same time slot.
Update: An official from Spike TV was contacted by Five Ounces of Pain earlier this morning. The representative for Spike would neither confirm or deny Sherdog’s story but stated that the only live UFC events currently on the schedule are this Saturday’s live season finale of “The Ultimate Fighter” and the UFC Fight Night event scheduled for Sept. 17.
The boys over at MMA Payout report this latest nugget of information from Dave Meltzer in the newest print edition of The Wrestling Observer:
“UFC is going to do a new reality show. I don’t know the details of the show itself, but my impression is it involves Matt Hughes in a big way.”
Lord knows all that this world needs is another reality show. Matt Hughes? Really? I mean, sure the guy is a polarizing figure. Many fans love him and many fans hate him but his stock is at an all-time low right now considering the devastating losses at the hands of Georges St. Pierre and most recently Thiago Alves. I just don’t see Hughes being able to carry a reality show that gets a lot of viewers.
Also, what kind of premise might they be thinking about? What could they possibly do for a reality show besides what they already have? “The Ultimate Ring Girl”? “The Ultimate Deer Hunter”? The premise that the UFC has now with TUF is just about the only thing that I think works for the UFC product. I just don’t see what kind of show this thing might be unless it’s completely unrelated to fighting whatsoever.
I got the chance today to speak with Tim Credeur, the most recent fighter to be ousted from The Ultimate Fighter 7. In last night’s episode, we all saw Credeur drop a unanimous decision loss to finalist Jesse Taylor.
Tim had a bunch of thoughts regarding the fight itself, the show in general, his upcoming fight at the TUF finale show on June 21, and the upcoming fight between coaches Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Forrest Griffin.
Paul Balsom: After waiting a long time, you finally got to see last night’s episode. What are some of your thoughts?
Tim Credeur: I thought the fight was… a lot better than I thought it was. I think from my vantage point in the fight, on the bottom eating elbows for fifteen minutes, that fight was pretty difficult and I thought it was a lot more one-sided. When I was watching the fight, I feel like I did a lot better than I thought I did. I threw pretty much every submission I knew, but it was tough. Training with a guy like Jesse, who’s big and strong, for six weeks, he knew a lot of my game by then. It was just tough to catch him in anything. I think the fight, all in all, was pretty exciting, and the show was pretty exciting. I think America got to get a firm understanding of Jesse Taylor and his intensity. But yeah, I enjoyed the whole time I was on the show; it was unbelievable. So, all in all, I think the season went much better than I thought it would.
PB:There was one scene in the show last night where you were telling Jesse how to defend the triangle, and you got a little bit of flack for that. After fighting him, would you take that back, or do you stand by what you did?
TC: Jesse is my friend, and I’m probably a better instructor than I am a fighter. If I see a friend of mine doing something wrong, I’m going to let him know. I’m going to give him my best advice on how to help him. It may be that that did backfire on me during the fight, but I don’t care. If I’m going to beat a guy, I want to beat a guy doing his best. I don’t want to beat a guy that keeps doing the same stupid stuff in practice everything then catch him with it. It sounds stupid because it is a six-figure contract with the UFC on the line, but my integrity can’t be bought. I’m going to be the guy I am regardless of any of that other stuff. I was friends with Jesse before, and I’m going be friends with Jesse for the rest of my life. So no, I don’t take it back. I didn’t really think about what I was saying, or what I was telling him at the time, but that’s just the kind of guy and the kind of coach that I am. I definitely don’t regret it, and I don’t take it back. During the fight, he did get out of a lot and he did manage to get out of a couple triangles, so maybe it backfired on me, but I don’t really care.
FiveOuncesOfPain.com was informed by an anonymous source earlier this afternoon that the committee for Tourism, Arts, and Sports Development of New York held a vote on Wednesday to decide whether the state should regulate Mixed Martial Arts.
According to the source, the bill was voted down in overwhelming fashion.
An anonymous member of a major state athletic commission confirmed the information that was provided to Five Ounces Of Pain by our initial source.
This web site has also learned that the possible legalization of Mixed Martial Arts in the state of New York was the planned announcement that UFC president Dana White had hinted at during an interview that was published on ESPN.com last week.
According to a source, White was confident that the vote was going to pass and believed he had assurances that the proposed bill would be approved by the committee for Tourism, Arts, and Sports Development of New York. However, the proposal was unexpectedly voted down for reasons that are not yet clear. In a strange turn of events, it is believed that the chair of the committee, Assemblyman Steve Englebright, who introduced the proposal, ended up voting against it.
UPDATE: Five Ounces exclusive - New York approval delayed. Click to read.
Dave Meltzer at the Wrestling Observer website is confirming that the UFC’s merchandising deals announced Tuesday on CNBC are in fact not the huge announcement promised by UFC President Dana White last week during an ESPN.com interview.
However, those anticipating that the announcement will be made tomorrow will be disappointed to hear that Meltzer has also confirmed that the announcement in question now is not expected to be made until next Tuesday.
So earlier today, our Sam Caplan discussed several theories about what the “huge announcement” will be made this Thursday by UFC president Dana White… and today the man himself took a squat on pretty much everything we at Five Ounces of Pain thought might be revealed.
Dana White and Brock Lesnar appeared on CNBC’s Power Lunch show to talk about the new licensing deal the UFC just signed with JAKKS Pacific (read the press release here).
More interesting, is the list of rumors Dana put to rest:
So loyal readers - what’s going to be revealed on Thursday is ANYONE’S GUESS.
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