MMA Hot Stuff

ESPN MMA Live's Major Milestones and Fancy Ties

For those that have read my previous posts you know my dad brought me up to be a sports enthusiast. My sports closet is probably better stocked than most guys', and heck I can even throw a decent spiral (for a girl). My dad and I had a tradition of watching ESPN SportsCenter as often as we could. SportsCenter seemed to spark situations, controversies or just conversations for my dad to explain to me and therefor I learned the sport(s). Nothing says main stream sport more than ESPN. They're the Worldwide Leader in Sports! To me, the brand signifies reputable and official reporting. And it's always a good day anytime I can throw in a Chris Berman rendition of "He...could...go...all...the...way!"

As a MMA fan (sometimes blogger-and-all the time supporter) imagine my delight when I found ESPN MMA Live on the internet. MMA Live debuted on ESPN.com and ESPN Mobile TV in May of 2008 and airs every Thursday at 3 p.m. ET. It consists of Jon Anik as the host, Kenny Florian, Franklin McNeil and Molly Qerim. They also pull in special guests now and then that are so big even my mom knows who they are. Again, like SportsCenter the topics they discuss on MMA Live make me think about things and form my own opinion or look up the information to make my opinion. To see ESPN 'embrace' the sport of MMA and give it a dedicated team to produce the webisodes every week made me think the sport was definitely taking steps in the right direction. 

Those steps continued when MMA Live made their first live appearance at UFC 91 and covered the weigh-ins as well as had pre and post fight specials.

Tomorrow (or today, depending on when you read this) marks yet another milestone for the MMA Live team as they film their 100th episode. And,it's great to see the progress the show has made. Now, they wear shoes and ties (I'm kidding about the shoes, although we never see their feet so who really knows). Oh and the ties themselves have gotten better. I like to think my feedback had a direct impact on that. Anik gets smoother with every show. He has a way of maintaining control, giving direction and yet being likable all at the same time. That's hard to do in real life never mind in front of a camera. Just when you think Ken-Flo is at the height of his game, whether it be behind the MMA Live desk or in the cage, he proves us wrong. To say he's top notch is an understatement and I think he's great face for the sport. Mcneil has shown the most growth. For someone who at first seemed a little squeamish in front of the camera, now thrives. He clearly enjoys it. He's articulate and very knowledgeable. He's someone who is highly respected in the sport. Qerim's reports and features have included in field reports from Kenny's gym as well as interviewing some of the big names in MMA. Her class, poise and knowledge makes every woman want to be her. 

The news started to leak a couple weeks ago about ESPN MMA Live going to tv but details were sparse. I was able to get a few minutes of Anik's time to gather more information...

ESPN MMA Live will debut on ESPN2 on Thursday night May 6th 10pm/1amET. The show will air Thursday nights in May (actually Friday morning east coast time) on the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th. They will also do several shows on location from UFC 113 and UFC 114. The preview show for UFC 113 will be live from Montreal and will air Saturday May 8th from 9-10pm ET. They will also do a one hour post-fight show for ESPN2 from UFC114 in Las Vegas and will air 1am-2am ET on Sunday May 30th. The show will be shorter than the webisodes due to commercials but they expect to have longer versions for ESPNUK, ESPN PacRim and ESPN.com.

Their relationship with the UFC has never been stronger, and they look forward to continuing to build upon it. Expect to see them at more and more live events.

When I asked Jon Anik what this means to him he said "Well, after two years at this thing, it's just so gratifying that our hard work and dedication has led to an opportunity on ESPN2. It was always a personal goal of mine to get MMA Live to the network(s), and I feel blessed to be a part of a great team. We definitely feel a sense of responsibility to expose the masses to MMA, which we believe to be the greatest sport in the world. Even though there is a sense of accomplishment, there is plenty of work to be done. I am hopefully that this i just the beginning, and that MMA Live becomes a bigger part of the ESPN line-up going forward. The sport is certainly worthy of the coverage, and we just hope we are doing right by the sport and it's great fans."

As exciting as all of this is, and I can't wait to see the crew in HD, I still want more. No offense, but I want it on ESPN. I want a permanent slot and especially one that isn't past my bed time. And while we're at it I want MMA Live more than once a week. It's up to us to continue the momentum. For ourselves, for the fighters, and the future fans. Please do you part in supporting the great work the MMA Live team has done by tuning into the show on ESPN2, watch the extended show on ESPN.com, send in your questions, follow them on Twitter and join Jon's weekly chat.

The MMA Live crew on Twitter:

Jon Anik Molly Qerim

Kenny Florian Franklin McNeil

 
 

Strikeforce: Fedor VS Rogers Predictions

Here we are, only a few days until MMA returns to primetime television on CBS and Fedor makes his debut with Strikeforce! We're also treated to a title fight for the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship, vacated by Cung Le, between Jake Shields and the always colorful Jason "Mayhem" Miller. We also get to see Gegard Mousasi and Fabricio Werdum return to the cage in action against Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva respectively.

So you know the drill... my predicted winners in GREEN! 

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers

Does Rogers have a chance? Yes, just like all 31 of Fedor's previous opponents had a chance, and only one of them came away with a win (by TKO / Cut, hardly a win). You don't pick against a 97% winning percentage, and I'm not picking against Fedor.

Fedor is technically superior everywhere. Even though some say his striking isn't very technical (which it may not be by boxing or muay thai standards), he puts it all together so well that for MMA it is technical when you give consideration to takedown defense and set up. Rogers has power, and in a sport of 4 ounce gloves and multiple ways to finish a fight he certainly has a shot. As Mark DellaGrotte said in Kevin Iole's article on Yahoo! Sports "A perfectly placed punch can knock anyone out. Anyone". The problem is that Rogers has to land a perfect or near perfectly placed punch, which will be tough to do on Fedor given his footwork and agility. Ultimately I think this fight will go to the ground where the experience gap will shine through. Fedor wins by TKO / Referee Stoppage on the ground.

Disclaimer: Now if we're talking about betting the spread with my new shoe money, I'd bet on Rogers. I like the long-shots for the big payout! According to betus.com the current spread is Fedor -550 and Rogers +375! OH and because I AM a girl, I count my chickens before they're hatched/shoes before they're purchased: Here's what I want to get. Aren't they gor(geous)?LOVE!

Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Jake Shields (for vacant Strikeforce middleweight title)

Miller is a funny guy, the problem is Shields isn't laughing. Miller has proven that he can go the distance avoiding submissions against some of the best (see Jacare fight in DREAM), but Shields' isn't your typical Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He's all about pressure, passing guard, and making your life miserable if you're under him. The knock on Shields has always been his lack of ability on his feet, but in his fight against Robbie Lawler he showed he's not afraid to be there. Miller could use his reach and striking to avoid the takedown, but he will only be able to keep Shields at bay for so long. Look for Shields to secure the takedown, pass the guard, and finish Miller via submission.

Champ Gegard Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (non-title match)

Mousasi will dominate. Did you see Babalu? Out cold. Mousasi is a stud (at multiple weight classes). Technically sound. I see this one ending by TKO. Look for Mousasi to hurt Sokoudjou on his feet and finish him on the mat.

Antonio Silva vs. Fabricio Werdum

Even though Silva has a chin the size of a Rhode Island, look for Werdum to finish this one on the ground. His Jiu Jitsu is just too good. 

So gents, there's no need to leave your girls at home to hit the bar to watch this event on PayPerView. Since it's on CBS, throw a Strikeforce party at your house and get your girl engaged. Show her the shoes above and I promise she'll be hooked. On my site and the sport. Tell her more shoes with next week's predictions for UFC 105. 

While Roger's win against Fedor would allow those shoes to come home with me, I also have a bet consisting of bragging rights with Franklin McNeil! If you're not following him on twitter you should be. Did you see who he picked to win this weekend? If not, check out his picks on today's ESPN MMALive!

Friendly reminder, follow me on Twitter!

 

Nominations for 2009 World MMA Awards closes on Wednesday

Who do you think was the BreakThrough Fighter of the Year? Best MMA Promotion? 

As a reminder, the nomination stage for the 2009 World MMA Awards closes this Wednesday (tomorrow), Sept. 30. 

The World MMA Awards, which is operated by Fighters Only magazine, is viewed as one of the most prestigious awards for the sport, awarding in 18 different MMA related categories

Nominees will be announced on Oct. 5, and final voting will then run until Dec. 5. Winners will be announced at a Dec. 30 "Oscars-style" black-tie ceremony, which streams live on Versus.com (and throughout January on Versus) from The Joint at The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. 

"Response to the World MMA Awards has been huge this year with thousands of fans worldwide taking part," Fighters Only CEO Rob Hewitt recently stated. "Nominations have been very diverse, and ... most of the categories are still wide open." 

The categories range from Fight of the Year to KO and Submission of the Year to Best MMA Brand and best MMA Media Source. MMA equipment manufactures also vie for a variety of categories. 

But before you place your vote I encourage you to take a minute and think about things. What makes someone the Best Fighter of the Year? Is it the number of wins? Is it the most vicious KnockOut? The biggest upset? Or is it because of heart and dedication?

Another category is Best MMA Journalist. I've thought a lot about this one (for obvious reasons). Always keep in mind the best Journalist may not be the one that breaks every 'story'... Sadly, fact checking has taken a back seat more often than not over being the first to the party. And then there are times the stories are known weeks before the story actually gets out but can't be discussed for confidential reasons. I personally take pride in the fact that while I consider many Fighters (UFC, WEC & Strikeforce) my personal friends, a lot of the information I hear I keep to myself. I'm so proud of what my friends have accomplished and there are times I know the information is just best left unsaid or unwritten. I want them to have time to train in private for a fight before it's publicly announced who their next opponent is. Who do you consider to be a Journalist that writes funny or interesting stories? Gives a different perspective than the 12 other sites that covered the same thing the day before.

So now that I've given you something to think about, please hurry and vote. 

Also, feel free to follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/MMAHotStuff

UFC 102 Breakdown By Jon Anik And Kenny Florian

While I'm not going to be happy until I see this type of recap on SPORTSCENTER (hello ESPN aren't you listening to me?) this will have to do for now.

My friends Jon Anik and Kenny Florian did a quick break down of the Couture/Nogueira fight and the Jardine/Silva fight from UFC 102.

One quick note, as they mentioned Randy was coming to an end to his contract, however as Randy announced tonight during the post-fight press conference, he has just signed another contract with the UFC for 6 more fights over the next two years. RAD!

To support Jon, Kenny and the rest of the ESPN MMA Live crew, please follow them on twitter!

twitter.com/kenny_florian

twitter.com/franklin_mcneil

twitter.com/jon_anik

twitter.com/mollyqerim_espn

twitter.com/espn_mmalive

oh and me!

twitter.com/mmahotstuff

Roy Jones Jr joins the ESPN MMA Live crew at UFC 101

Roy Jones Jr stopped by ESPN's MMA Live set at UFC 101 to talk boxing, Anderson Silva and other topics with Jon Anik, Randy Couture and Stephan Bonnar. Will Jones and Silva ever meet in the boxing ring? And what does Jones think about the boxing skills of MMA fighters in general (this is the best explanation by a professional boxer I've ever heard, finally someone that realizes MMA fighters are not suppose to be experts at boxing). A great interview and makes me really like Roy!

UFC Media Call Updates - Dana White talks Tito, Fedor and more!

Here are some updates from Dana White today about the UFC!

1. No deal with Fedor.

"We offered this guy an amazing deal, we were open to everything but a co-promotion".

"We tried everything to make this happen. We didn't hold back anything. To turn down a deal like this, you don't care about proving your the best in the world, you don't care about competing against the best talent, you don't care about money. Why in the world would I let these guys come in and promote wtih us?"

"Also the Fretita brothers have a gaming license, you don't just come in and jump right into it. You have to go through background checks and all kinds of sh*t, it just doens't happen."

"I went out and tried to make this happen, I did everything we could possibly do, and they didn't want to do it. They just don't want to sign with the UFC... I garauntee you he will not be offered a better deal in MMA."

"It's not about competition for this guy. The heavyweight class in the UFC is stronger than it's ever been before with Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Randy Couture, Shane Carwin..."

What does co-promote mean?

Dana essentially said that M-1 had nothing to offer. What were they going to co-promote? What would they bring to the table? Nothing. "Maybe that shit works in Russia, but it doesn't work here".

Is Dana done trying to sign Fedor?

"I want to make a deal! I wanted this thing so bad and I was so confident this was gonna happen. If they want to make a deal they can call me right now and we'll make a deal."

If co-promotion was off the table would you have a deal with Fedor?

"We'd be done. We'd be announcing a fight for him right now".

Dana reiterated MULTIPLE times, Fedor's people can call him RIGHT NOW and they can do a deal. He was miserable that this deal didn't get done. But the UFC is still open to a deal (other than co-promotion obviously).

This is great... Dana states, "I wasn't a dick at all in these negotiations. I was the nicest Dana White ever in these negotiations... we went in there to make this deal. I went down to Huntington Beach and walked into Tito's front door to make a deal. There were a lot of emotional and financial sh*t to work through. When I tell you we caved on EVERYTHING with Fedor to make this deal, I mean we caved on everything to make this deal. I can tell you that this deal didn't fall through because of me and Lorenzo."

"We have a standing offer out to Fedor. We have not pulled anything back. I'm ready to roll. The fans want to see this fight, it's my job, it's my job to make this happen."

"For anyone to call this guy the best fighter in the world is insanity. He got offered an assload of money, he can go fight in Sambo every Thursday night if he wants to. We held nothing back. The guy doesn't want to fight the best in the world".

"We have 300 guys that want to fight the best in the world 3 times a year, a guy that doesn't, f*ck him, I don't even want to talk about him anymore".

2. Vitor Belfort signs with the UFC, will headline UFC 103

"When we announced Franklin VS Henderson for Dallas, fans were pissed."

Rich Franklin VS Vitor Belfort headlines Dallas show, UFC 103

Dan Henderson is still next in line for a shot at Anderson Silva

3. UFC 101 will be free for English and Irish fans via ESPN

UFC signs a 3 year deal with ESPN for England and Ireland

Is there a bigger deal with ESPN in the US in the works?

"Once we get the right offer, we will be on network television. We haven't gotten the right offer yet."

"If we get a network deal, we're putting serious fights on TV. That's what's wrong with the boxing model. If we get a network deal, it's gonna be good for the fans, good for network, and good for the UFC."

4. Tito Ortiz joins the Conference Call and is back in the UFC!

"Tito is a guy fans still want to see fight..."

"One way or another people give a shit about him, so he's back... "

"Tito Ortiz will retire in the UFC."

Tito says:

"For me personally it was about competition. My fans deserve the best Tito Ortiz. It's not about the money, I'm fine there... Competition was my biggest factor."

"I'm healthy, I'm 100%. I'm very excited. The hell with all the money, it's about competition. I look at the past UFC champions. Forrest Griffin, I beat. Rashad Evans, they called it a draw but I felt I beat him. Machida, I gave him the best fight of anyone out there."

"The best fighters are in the UFC, it's the best promotion, and that's why I'm here."

"Dana and I are like boyfriend / girlfriend, Dana being the girlfriend."

"I just started working last week, I'm looking towards November / December. I want to fight before end of the year. It's up to Dana. I'm excited to be back in the UFC, and I know my fans are."

"You will never hear anything about money out of my mouth again." (WHAT???? Someone please file this quote away for future use)

How far away from title contention is Tito?

"Tito's not getting an easy road. We're talking about him fighting Mark Coleman for his first fight."

"Ring rust is real, and Tito's gonna have it..."

Will Tito and Chuck possibly fight again?

Dana says "I don't know, I just don't know. Chuck hasn't asked me for it". Tito says "I asked Dana about that when I first signed and he said "no way", so since he's now saying "I don't know" that's huge for me. Thank you!"

Does Tito have any interest in moving up to heavyweight?

"If I dominate the light heavyweight class like I once did, and have run through everyone in that weight class, then I'd consider it".

Tito wants another 4 to 5 years of competition, so he's not going to rush into a comeback. He'd love to fight in his hometown of LA, but he's not going to rush back before he's ready and risk injury that might cots him his career. He's willing to hold off another month or two if it means gaining another 4 to 5 years of competition for his career.

Does Dana think Tito is still only interested in being a movie star, and that he's not a fighter? "The best in the world to me are the guys that compete 3 times a year against the best in the world. These guys challenge themselves 3 times a year against the best in the world. Tito Ortiz, no matter what I've said about him over the years, he's got his surgery done, he's gonna come back and fight the best in the world. Tito's gonna come back right now and he's gonna go for it. He's coming into the UFC and he's gonna fight the best 205 pounders in the world. PERIOD".

Tito says... "I'm gonna get that belt back. People forget I was the longest reigning champ in UFC history."

5. Affliction Fighters

Dana mentions quite a few names of Affliction fighters that are now with Zuffa and will be going to the UFC and WEC. They are still working with 8 or 9 fighters.

Dana has no interest in Arlovski or Tim Sylvia.

6. Dan Henderson

Where does this leave the winner of Nate Marquardt and Damien Maia?

Hendo is definitely next in line for a shot at Anderson Silva, and Marquardt and Maia are in the mix. This is a good problem to have according to Dana, Silva has been so dominant for so long that it's good to have a group of guys lined up that pose a threat.

How soon will Henderson and Silva fight?

According to Dana it depends in what happens between Silva and Griffin next week. If he doesn't get too busted up, it should be fairly soon.

Brothers From Different Mothers

Just a funny post to get us through hump day...

Don't these two look like they could be brothers from different mothers?

Jon Anik (ESPN MMA Live Host)                          Matt Lauer (Today Show Host)

UFC 100 Results

UFC 100 did not disappoint, it was full of great fights, rowdy fans and a little bit of drama. Here are the results at a glance.

Jon Fitch beat Paulo Thiago via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Brock Lesnar beat Frank Mir via technical knockout at 1.48, round two

Georges St Pierre beat Thiago Alves via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-45)

Dan Henderson defeated Michael Bisping via knockout at 3.20, round two

Yoshihiro Akiyama defeated Alan Belcher via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Mark Coleman defeated Stephan Bonnar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Jim Miller defeated Mac Danzig via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Jon Jones defeated Jake O'Brien via submission (D'Arce choke) at 2.43, round two

Dong-Hyun Kim defeated T.J. Grant via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

Tom Lawlor defeated CB Dolloway via submission (guillotine choke) at 55 seconds, round one

Shannon Gugerty defeated Matt Grice via submission (guillotine choke) at 2.36, round one

The drama came in a couple different fashions. Dan Henderson worked Michael Bisping and a few fans thought that last punch he landed after Bisping was already out was a bit uncalled for. If you ask me it was just his way of getting the last word in. Bisping sort of set it up by running his mouth a little too much before the fights.

I had picked Thiago Alves to beat Georges St Pierre. I really thought he was going to be the upset pick. While it did go the distance, unfortunately Thiago wasn't able to win even one round. I am happy to see he was able to go the distance and look forward to seeing their next opponents. In my opinion, the 170 lb weight class is a bit shallow compared to the other weight classes.

Yikes the drama-rama of the night award goes to Broke Lesnar (aka Nacho Libre). After beating Frank Mir Brock managed to showcase the WWE still left in him by running his mouth. He said something about a horse shoe up the bum, flipped off the 11,000 or so fans that were booing him and then proceeded to say he was going to go drink a Coors Light not a Bud Light because Bud Light won't pay him. And if that weren't enough he closed his speech by saying something about getting on top of his wife...

The lesson learned tonight my friends is there is always a winner and a loser. But in some cases even the winners are losers. Behavior like Brock's will only tarnish the image of a sport that has been fighting for so long to be more mainstream. It's a shame when a publication as great as MSNBC doesn't really showcase MMA and yet when it does it's highlight is Brock's bad behavior.

To be fair, Brock did apologize during his post fight interview with ESPN MMALive. I'm guessing he got a good talking to after his stupidity. I was also reminded by a fellow MMA writer who said "Don't forget he's new to the sport, give him time." Point made but Brock needs to remember he's no longer in the WWE. MMA/UFC fans are a little smarter and a smidgen classier.

I pushed UFC Fantasy all week. How did you guys do? I ended up at 112 out of 24865...

I can't wait for UFC 101. Philly bound. We should have a tweet up! Don't forget you can follow me at twitter.com/mmahotstuff

ESPN MMALive

Here's today's ESPN MMALive episode..

Miguel Torres filled in for Kenny but fellow tweeps (twitter peeps) you can still get your Kenny fix by going here: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4231291

First up was the big news about Kimbo Slice joining the cast of TUF 10. Seems everyone agrees this is a great move by Dana White by bringing Kimbo on the show. As you may know Dana hasn't been shy about his opinion of Kimbo. Seems to me Kimbo will definitely bring the more casual fans to the sport
and of course us MMA Addicts will tune in to see this one time street fighter YouTube sensation try to prove himself. Also as part of the cast are  four ex NFL players. The loser in this may be Strikeforce for not being able to come to an agreement with Slice. Love him or hate him Slice definitely brings viewers!

Stephan Bonnar via satellite says it shows Kimbo has character by joining TUF cast.  Saying Dana has been critical of Kimbo from he beginning but Kimbo is showing he has character by accepting this challenge from Dana.

We can't forget that Kimbo is coming in with options. He has expressed his desire to box so if this doesn't pan it out he has that back up plan! TUF 10 will debut  Sept 16th.

Also discussed:
Rua and Lyoto may meet in October

This Sunday Mike Brown will defend his title against Urjah Faber. Urijah was on the show via satellite saying he knows Brown is a tough opponent. He said he made one small mistake in their last fight. Migel asked how he expects to win this sunday and Urijah's response was " Anyway. My hands are good and I've proven that before. I can submit guys as well. I'll be bringing my A game."

Also this weekend, Robbie Lawler and Jake Shields will face each other at a catch weight of 182lbs. Robbie was on MMALive via satellite and said he won't leave anything behind. Not impressed or worried about Jake moving up a weight.  Jon Anik picked Jake to win this fight.

Pulse question this week: Is Quinton making the right decision by not fighting Lyoto and coaching on TUF 10?  What are your thoughts?

Buy or Sell - Kimbo will win his first fight on TUF.

ESPN MMA Live

Here is this weeks installment of ESPN's MMA Live. Can I just say that I love this weekly show? Great job ESPN for putting this out there for the fans.

This week's show spends some time on the controversial topic of Kyle Maynard's MMA debut. You may Kyle as a congenital amputee that found success in wrestling and then went on to pursue his dream of fighting. His dream has been met with mixed reviews. Hear what Kenny and the crew think of Kyle's achievement and future in the sport. Also, Kyle joins the crew live to discuss his love for MMA and why he wants to fight. What does Kyle have to say to the naysayers out there? Find out!

Say what you will about Kyle's place in MMA, but you must admit he's got heart and courage and you have to admire his determination.

The crew discusses the addition of Anderson Silva VS Forrest Griffin to the UFC 101 card. And apparently Kenny read my post about fighting styles, because he agrees this will be an exciting one given Griffin's aggressiveness and Silva's counter-punching style.

We hear about updates to the June 6th Strikeforce card. Jeff Sherwood joins to discuss the Sherdog top 10 pound-for-pound fighter rankings.

And Kenny takes us to Cambridge Culinary School of Arts for some tips on "healthy living" through turkey chili. I'm a little disappointed that we didn't see Kenny and Keith demonstrate the "chicken wrist", but the chili recipe looks GOOD!