MMA Hot Stuff

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 100 ON SPIKE TV KNOCKS OUT THE COMPETITION

Draws More Men 18-34 Than The PGA Championship On CBS And MLB On Fox

 

New York, NY, August 18, 2009 -- Spike TV’s telecast of UFC 100 (originally airing on pay-per-view July 11) drew more Men 18-34 (513,000) than anything else on television on Saturday, August 15.  Airing from 10:00pm-12:30am ET/PT, the telecast drew 2 million viewers, a 1.8 rating in Men 18-34, a 1.7 rating (950,000) in Men 18-49, and a 1.5 household rating.

The telecast bested heavy sports competition during the day in the advertiser-coveted demographic of Men 18-34:

 

UFC 100 (Spike TV) – 513,000

PGA Championship (CBS) – 479,000

MLB Baseball (FOX) – 242,000

Strikeforce (Showtime) – 181,000

 

UFC 100 Provisional Numbers

As confirmed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission's Executive Director Keith Kizer; here are the provisional numbers for UFC 100.

Live gate    $5,128,490
Tickets sold    9,793
Comp tickets    1,078
Unsold tickets    0
Closed circuit gate    $312,800
Tickets sold    6,256
Comp tickets    575

We knew UFC 100 was a success and now we see just how much of a success it really was. What I'd like to know is how much did the scalpers make off of the tickets that were resold.

Any Publicity Is Not Good Publicity For The UFC Or MMA

You can probably count on both hands the number of times MMA has been on the front of any major media site/newspaper or mentioned on any mainstream news outlet. And yet, it's been on the front of Yahoo a couple of times within the past two days. But sadly, not for the right reasons.

Yes, UFC 100 included Georges St Pierre defending his title (again) and Dan Henderson showcasing that the 38 year old is still on fire by knocking Mike Bisping out cold, that's not what is making the news. While the biggest weekend for the UFC met many milestones such as the first UFC Fan Expo, fastest sell out for a major UFC event, and UFC 100 it's been overshadowed by one specific incident.

Instead we have to continue to hear about the UFC being a 'circus'. Not exactly the adjective I was hoping would be used as a way of describing this last weekend.

I get so frustrated because I see these guys first hand train their butts off. Multiple times a day for hours at a time. Following strict diets, and mastering not just one sport but MANY.  They don't all act like such a fool. In fact that's the exception. The fighters I know personally are some of these most considerate and kind people I've ever met. Sure there are a few knuckleheads out there but aren't some of your own friends knuckleheads? Brock Lesnar is beyond a knucklehead. 

With Frank Mir's face looking like tenderized meat, he walked away the winner in my opinion. Brock didn't use many moves to gain position. He didn't change his guard or control but rather used his size and sort of laid on Mir to hold him down as he punched his face. Sure, it's legal, sure it worked. But when it was said and done and Brock walked away with the "win" Frank gave some undeserved respect to Brock and said semi nice things about him. He out-classed Brock ten fold. As if that was hard to do.

Brock's behavior after beating Frank was disheartening. At first I was disgusted. Then mad. Disappointed. And now I think I'm mad again. Seeing the words "Lesnar's circus antics" on the front page of Yahoo two days later, makes me feel as if his poor choices have set the sport back a few steps in the eyes of people that don't understand the sport. It's not a joke or a circus. It's nothing like WWE, with the exception of Brock Lesnar (aka Nacho Libre ). I've 'talked' to many of you who have told me I'm too harsh on Brock, but I don't think I am. He can apologize but I don't think he's sorry. He's only sorry that Dana White tore him a new ass hole. Remember his behavior after his fight against Heath Herring? Yeah, not classy. And here we are again. History repeating itself. He can apologize but when sponsors start leaving because of the crap he pulled on Saturday hopefully people will see he really isn't more than a 300 lbs WWE guy. What will it take for people to see what a joke he really is? A mask? A folding chair in the cage perhaps?

As someone that spends A LOT of time educating people on the sport, this makes me mad. He's NOT good for the sport. He's a big guy that wrestled and I'm guessing his size was only a benefit even then. I doubt his success was due to his skills. And even if his skills were as good as his college record, I can't see past his personality so it doesn't even matter.

And it also annoys me that everyone is so amped to see him face Fedor. Hello is this thing on... there are plenty of people left in the UFC he hasn't yet fought. I think Shane Carwin or even Cain Velasquez could put him in his place. Both are undefeated and in my opinion more than capable of taking Brock.

 

For those of you that are going to comment or email me saying I'm a bitch, I accept it. Feel free. But just remember, this behavior only means one thing: less overall acceptance as a sport = less advertising money + fewer fans and that means fewer events/fights.

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

UFC 100 Predictions Lesnar vs Mir

I've been looking forward to doing these predictions for this historic event, but managed to put it off until the last minute. And now I think I know why. I'm a huge Frank Mir fan. Huge. I think it's great to see his career and personal story evolve over the past few years. And the fact that he's the only person to have beaten Brock Lesnar, well that makes me love him even more. But the truth is, while I want to see him do it again at UFC 100, I just don't think he's going to.

I've had this bad habit of making my predictions based on who I want to see win rather than who I honestly believe is going to win.

For these few of you that read my predictions you know the drill... winners in green!

Brock Lesnar vs Frank Mir - Grrrrr I'm picking Brock to win this match up. I have him as winning by TKO in the 2nd round. (and I look at it this way, if I'm wrong and Frank wins well I'll still be happy because my loyal readers know how I feel about Brock (aka Nacho Libre)).

Georges St Pierre vs Thiago Alves -this is my upset pick. Hearing these guys on the media calls they have mad respect for each other and the skills they posses. It's great when two fighters go into a fight knowing it's going to be the biggest fight of their careers. While GSP is the defending champion, Thiago is the up-and-comer that wants that title more so than anyone else in that weight class right now. And the skills to make it happen.  I'm giving this fight to Thaigo by TKO in the 3rd. If it goes past the third round I think GSP would probably outlast Thiago. But I'm putting my shoe money on Thiago. Come on Thaigoooooooo! Ma'ma needs a new pair of shoes!

Dan Henderson vs Mike Bisping - This is a no brainer for me. Bisping doesn't stand a chance against Dan's wrestling skills (sorry mike). He'll never get in a position to take Dan down and when it comes to striking skills, again I give those to Dan. Dan Henderson for the win. TKO in the 2nd!

Jon Fitch Vs. Paulo Thiago  - while this will be a good fight (every fight that includes Jon Fitch is likely to be good) Jon will definitely give Paulo his first loss. Jon is also the huge favorite in this match up. I have Jon winning by rear naked choke in the 2nd.

Yoshihiro Akiyama Vs. Alan Belcher - Assuming there aren't any questionable "substances" used in this fight (that was sort of a joke), I give this fight to Yoshihiro by submission (arm bar) in the 1st. He's going to go in and get the job done early.

Mark Coleman vs Stephan Bonnar - Stephan is coming off a loss against Jon Jones (unanimous decision). I hate to say this (because I said it when he fought jon jones and see how that turned out) but I do think this will be a failry easy win for Stephan. In fact I'll say he wins by TKO in the 1st. I mean come on,  we are talking about The American Psycho!

So, tell me where you agree or disagree. Come on, I have thick skin.

Also, if you're wondering where you're going to watch the fights, check out this list of bars/restaurants showing the fight on PPV.ufc 100 ppv list

UFC 100 Odds Mir vs Lesnar

Okay okay, if I were a betting girl (and I AM), here are the odds  (as of 2:30pm pacific time thanks to BETUS) that I'd use to place my bets...
I'll post my predictions later this week,  and I'll also note who I'm putting money on while in Vegas. Although we saw how my last bet turned out (Serra). No new shoes for me on that one.

Who are you betting on?
Also have you made your ufc fantasy picks? fantasy.ufc.com

Heavyweight Title Match

Brock Lesnar (-240) vs. Frank Mir (+190)

Welterweight Title Match

Georges St Pierre (-300) vs. Thiago Alves (+220)

Light Heavyweight Match

Dan Henderson (-240) vs. Michael Bisping (+190)

Other Matches on Fight Card

Jon Fitch (-450) vs. Paulo Thiago (+325)

Yoshihiro Akiyama (-300) vs. Alan Belcher (+220)

Mark Coleman (+250) vs. Stephan Bonnar (-350)

Mac Danzig (+160) vs. Jim Miller (-200)

Jon Jones (-450) vs. Jake O'Brien (+325)

UFC 100 Pay Per View Locations

UFC 100 sold out before it even technically went on sale to the general public! But fear not, as usual you can watch the exciting fights from the best seats in the house - Pay Per View. I'll be supplying a list of bars/restaurants that will be showing the historic event.

It's the biggest event in mixed martial arts history, and for UFC 100, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is bringing out the big guns. Two championships will be on the line when UFC heavyweight title holder Brock Lesnar defends his crown against rival Frank Mir in their long-awaited grudge match, and UFC welterweight champion Georges "Rush" St-Pierre puts his belt up for grabs against Brazilian knockout artist Thiago "Pitbull" Alves. Also, The Ultimate Fighter coaches collide as Dan Henderson takes on Michael "The Count" Bisping in a pivotal middleweight showdown.

If you're in New York Matt "The Hammer" Hamill and Frankie Edgar will be hosting the UFC 100 Viewing Party at Radio City Music Hall. Tickets for the UFC® 100 Viewing Party at Radio City Music Hall  are on sale now and will be priced at $25 through July 3 (July 4 through the event they will be priced at $30). Tickets can be purchased at the Radio City Music Hall Box Office, Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, or online at www.radiocity.com.

Hey fellow San Francisco fans! Looking for a place to watch UFC 100 that also serves the best martinis in town?  The Dirty Martini has three 9-foot projection screens and 2 plasma tv's!  There will be a $10.00 cover charge if you buy your ticket in advance or $15.00 at the door for this event! Tickets will be available on line starting Monday (7/6/09) www.dirtymartinisf.com

 

See below for a complete list of bars/restaurants showing the PPV.

UFC 100 FanExpo - Who will be there?

Today the UFC® confirmed the fighters that will be attending the first ever UFC^® Fan Expo™. The two day expo will be held at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas July 10th and 11th. The fighters that will be at the expo for meet and greets will be UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida, UFC Hall of Famers Royce Gracie and Randy “The Natural” Couture,  and former world champions Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, “Suga” Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. UFC contenders Kenny Florian, Steve Cantwell, Shane Carwin, Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis, Tyson Griffin, Clay Guida, Dustin Hazelett, Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann, Josh Koscheck, Joe Lauzon, Junie Browning, Nate Marquardt, Gray Maynard, Karo Parisyan, Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez, Sean Sherk and Mike Swick will also be meeting fans, along with The Ultimate Fighter winners Nate Diaz and Efrain Escudero.

 Fans of the PRIDE Fighting Championships will have the chance to re-live the excitement of Japan’s classic organization as well, with MMA icons Renzo Gracie and Gary Goodridge being joined by “The Texas Crazy Horse”, Heath Herring, and Brazilian superstars Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

And if that’s not enough MMA star power, the premier fighters of the WEC will be on hand to sign autographs, with current champions Miguel Torres, Mike Brown, and Jamie Varner sharing the convention center floor with Urijah Faber, Jens Pulver, Brian Bowles, Joseph Benavidez, Donald Cerrone, Leonard Garcia, Ben Henderson, and Alex Karalexis.

For a list of bars/restaurants showing the historic UFC 100 Pay Per View event - check out this link.

UFC 100 Videos

Here's a group of UFC 100 videos worth watching if you haven't already done so.

Dana White talks about Dan "Hendo" Henderson



UFC 100 - Thiago Alves - Number One Contender For The Title World UFC Welterweight


Dana White talks about GSP



Dana White gives an analysis on Frank Mir