MMA FanHouse

MMA Live on EliteXC, WEC, UFC 85

Michael David Smith — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:36:00 EST

Episode 4 of ESPN.com's MMA Live is another good one:

The crew started, of course, talking about the EliteXC show on CBS. Although analyst Kenny Florian did note that the quality of EliteXC's fighting was "sub-par," he bucked the UFC company line by saying, "Overall, I think it was a success. ... Any time we get more people watching mixed martial arts I think it's a good thing."

They then turned their attention to WEC 34, especially the great technical fight that Urijah Faber put together, and had Faber on as a guest. Faber said that he injured both hands against Jens Pulver, but that neither is broken and that he thinks they'll heal completely.

Matt Hughes then joined the show to promote his upcoming fight at UFC 85. Overall, yet another solid episode of MMA Live.

MMA Live on EliteXC, WEC, UFC 85 originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dana White Goes on ESPN to Rip EliteXC: 'What Happened on CBS Was Horrendous'

Michael David Smith — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:55:00 EST

Filed under: ESPN, UFC, Elite XC, MMA Videos, MMA Media Watch, MMA Gossip

After EliteXC had its debut show on CBS, UFC President Dana White appeared on ESPN to put EliteXC into what White views as its proper context within the sport of mixed martial arts:

"Mixed martial arts didn't put its best foot forward," White said. "What happened on CBS was horrendous."

The appearance was set up as a debate between White and St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bryan Burwell, who hates MMA, but Burwell really didn't have much of an answer for why he thinks it's OK to show violent entertainment programs like 24, and show sports like football, but not show MMA.

The closest Burwell came was when he said of football, "The object of the game is not to kick somebody in the head." True enough, but then again, MMA never has a 200-pound man getting drilled simultaneously by two 300-pound men. I have a hard time understanding how anyone who wants to ban MMA doesn't also want to ban football.

Dana White Goes on ESPN to Rip EliteXC: 'What Happened on CBS Was Horrendous' originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMA Live on Kimbo Slice, Robbie Lawler, UFC 84, WEC, Affliction and More

Michael David Smith — Thu, 29 May 2008 19:13:00 EST

Filed under: ESPN, MMA/Boxing, Elite XC, MMA Videos, MMA Media Watch, WEC, Affliction for MMA

I continue to be impressed with ESPN's MMA Live. Here's episode 3:

The show started with an examination of Kimbo Slice, and it was refreshing to see that even though Slice is the cover boy on the most recent ESPN Magazine, they didn't pretend that he's a great mixed martial arts fighter. Kenny Florian pointed out, correctly, that Robbie Lawler -- not Slice -- is EliteXC's best fighter.

They also went over some UFC 84 highlights, looked ahead to future UFC events, discussed the Randy Couture contract situation and previewed this weekend's WEC show and the July Affliction show.

MMA Live on Kimbo Slice, Robbie Lawler, UFC 84, WEC, Affliction and More originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 29 May 2008 19:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ESPN.com's Second MMA Live Runs Down Sean Sherk vs. B.J. Penn at UFC 84

Michael David Smith — Thu, 22 May 2008 19:32:00 EST

Filed under: ESPN, MMA, UFC, MMA Videos

I enjoyed ESPN.com's first MMA Live show, and I enjoyed the second as well:

They started with a good look at the UFC 84 main event, Sean Sherk vs. B.J. Penn, and analyst Kenny Florian had some interesting thoughts about the fight, as well as the possibility that he'll take on the winner if he beats Roger Huerta at UFC 87.

They also discussed the silly notion that Kimbo Slice might fight Mike Tyson, and Randy Couture's continuing legal battle against UFC. Overall the 30-minute show is very much worth a look for mixed martial arts fans.

ESPN.com's Second MMA Live Runs Down Sean Sherk vs. B.J. Penn at UFC 84 originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 22 May 2008 19:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Solid Debut for ESPN.com's MMA Live

Michael David Smith — Sat, 17 May 2008 10:19:00 EST

Filed under: Fighting, ESPN, MMA, MMA/Boxing

On yesterday's post about which fight various MMA writers most want to see, FanHouse commenter Drew asked, "MDS, you watched ESPN.com Original series MMA Live???? discuss it after viewing it."

Thanks for asking, Drew. I will discuss it, but first, here's the video:

So there you have it, the premier episode of MMA Live, a 30-minute show that appears to be taped in an ESPN studio in Bristol, just like SportsCenter and ESPN's other studio shows, but that is shown only on ESPN.com, not on television.

I liked it a lot. Host Jon Anik and analysts Kenny Florian and Franklin McNeil offered good analysis of all the major issues -- Fedor Emelianenko's upcoming Affliction fight, Tito Ortiz's upcoming final UFC fight, whether Randy Couture will ever have another fight, and so on.

I also like the fact that this is ESPN covering mixed martial arts as a sport and not as a spectacle. That is a very good sign that there are people at ESPN who "get it" when it comes to MMA.

Will the show succeed? Will it ever move off ESPN.com and onto TV? I don't know. There are three commercial for Toyota Trucks during the show, so I assume it's bringing in some revenue, but I also assume we're a long ways away from actually seeing regular MMA coverage on ESPN. Still, this is a big step in the right direction.

Solid Debut for ESPN.com's MMA Live originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sat, 17 May 2008 10:19:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ESPN Mixed Martial Arts Top 10 Video

Michael David Smith — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:50:00 EST

Filed under: Fighting, ESPN, MMA, MMA/Boxing

One of the best things ESPN.com does is post a lot of videos related to mixed martial arts. That's particularly surprising because ESPN doesn't televise MMA, and fans of other sports, especially hockey, have complained that ESPN simply ignores the sports it doesn't televise. But here it is, the latest ESPN MMA video, a rundown of the world's Top 10 pound-for-pound MMA fighters, according to Sherdog:

I think we've reached the point where it's obvious to anyone who follows the sport who the No. 1 fighter on the list is going to be, but what about positions 2-10? For those who don't feel like watching the video to find out, the list is after the jump.

1. Anderson Silva
2. Rampage Jackson
3. Georges St-Pierre
4. Fedor Emelianenko
5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
6. Urijah Faber
7. Takanori Gomi
8. Norifumi Yamamoto
9. B.J. Penn
10. Miguel Torres

ESPN Mixed Martial Arts Top 10 Video originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 08 May 2008 17:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ESPN Writer Calls Kimbo Slice 'Disgusting'

Michael David Smith — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:59:00 EST

Filed under: Fighting, ESPN, MMA, MMA/Boxing

ESPN's LZ Granderson has an interesting column this week about Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson who got somewhat famous by posting his street fights on the Internet and is now getting even more famous for fighting in legitimate mixed martial arts competitions.

And Granderson writes that he thinks the fact that Slice is going big-time is a big problem:

I don't know if he's necessarily stupid, because I've never met the man, but he certainly seems to be misguided. Why else would Slice disregard all sense of honor, pride and history to project an image that can best be described as a cross between Lil' Wayne and Kunta Kinte -- a runaway slave with a mouth full of gold teeth playing up every single stereotype of an African-American male in exchange for short-lived adoration from a soulless media with ADD. ... I find what Slice is consciously doing downright disgusting.

I think Granderson is one of America's best sports writers, and I share some of his concerns about the way Slice is sometimes portrayed. But I also think it's important to remember that Slice can't control how others portray him, and he demonstrates in all of his interviews that he's an intelligent and articulate person who takes his sport seriously. I think people who watch his first CBS fight will come away thinking highly of him.

ESPN Writer Calls Kimbo Slice 'Disgusting' originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 02 May 2008 11:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Before He Fought Georges St-Pierre, UFC's Matt Serra Fought in the Small Time

Michael David Smith — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:49:00 EST

Filed under: Fighting, ESPN, MMA, MMA/Boxing

UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra will fight Georges St-Pierre at UFC 83 this month in a bout that will get hundreds of thousands of pay-per-view buys. But in a sign of how far he has come, take a look at just how small time this 2000 fight featuring Serra was:

From fights in dimly lit VFW halls to selling out the Bell Centre in Montreal. Serra has come a long way.

And while we're on the subject of old-school Serra fights, I didn't realize ESPN had ever televised mixed martial arts until I stumbled upon this YouTube of an MMA match featuring Serra from several years ago. Some nice color commentary there by Frank Shamrock, back when ESPN2 was espn2 -- all lower case -- and they were trying to be "hip" and "edgy" and appeal to young people. Good times.

Before He Fought Georges St-Pierre, UFC's Matt Serra Fought in the Small Time originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UFC 82 Video: Silva vs. Henderson Preview

Michael David Smith — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 14:45:00 EST

Filed under: Fighting, ESPN, MMA

A treat for UFC fans, as the great Brian Kenny takes a break from boxing to interview Joe Rogan about Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson:

It's always a pleasant surprise to see Kenny talking about mixed martial arts, and the fact that he does so knowledgeably is another reason to hope ESPN puts together some type of deal to show MMA.

As for Rogan's commentary, he said, of course, that the Silva-Henderson fight will be great, but he deserves to be commended for bucking the UFC company line on the potential for a Randy Couture-Fedor Emelianenko fight taking place outside UFC.

Rogan said of Mark Cuban, "having him involved in MMA is only a good thing." Somehow I don't think Dana White agrees.

UFC 82 Video: Silva vs. Henderson Preview originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sat, 01 Mar 2008 14:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dan Henderson Prepares for Anderson Silva, Tells Jim Rome UFC Treats Him Well

Michael David Smith — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:45:00 EST

Filed under: Fighting, ESPN, MMA

I wrote this morning that UFC 82 has been almost completely ignored by the mainstream sports media. But one exception is Jim Rome, who did this tremendous interview with Dan Henderson on ESPN's Rome Is Burning:

Rome was impressive in the interview, coming across as well-prepared and knowledgeable about the sport of mixed martial arts, and not treating it like a sideshow the way that many in the sports media do. The most interesting part of the interview came when Rome asked Henderson -- who joined UFC when UFC purchased his contract with Pride -- about the claims from some quarters that UFC doesn't treat the fighters well.

"They've been great -- I've got no complaints whatsoever," Henderson said. "They take care of me. As far as I know, some of [the other Pride] fighters as well, they do a good job taking care of the other fighters as well."

As for the upcoming fight with Anderson Silva, Henderson said, "I'm not afraid of his hands. He's definitely more technical than I am, I'm not arguing that fact, but I have a little more power."

Dan Henderson Prepares for Anderson Silva, Tells Jim Rome UFC Treats Him Well originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser Agree: Kimbo Slice, MMA Represent 'Savagery'

Michael David Smith — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:55:00 EST

Filed under: Fighting, ESPN, MMA

On Pardon the Interruption today, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon compared Wladimir Klitschko to Kimbo Slice, and suffice to say, the PTI guys are not fans of Kimbo:

"The stuff that Kimbo Slice does, this mixed martial arts, I'm sorry, it looks like savagery to me," Kornheiser said.

To which Wilbon replied, "It is. It is savagery. ... It's so brutal, Tony, it is so savage, that when there's a knockout and somebody's on somebody pounding him and the refs have to come in, I can't watch it."

It's too bad that the PTI guys feel that way. I can live with it if prominent members of the sports media want to call Kimbo Slice's little corner of the MMA world "savagery." This is, after all, a guy who got famous beating people up in back alleys. But conflating Slice with the rest of MMA is silly, and MMA is no more savage a sport than boxing, which Kornheiser and Wilbon endorse.

Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser Agree: Kimbo Slice, MMA Represent 'Savagery' originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UFC 79: Wanderlei Silva on Chuck Liddell Fight: 'I Changed My Life for This Match'

Michael David Smith — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:15:00 EST

Filed under: Fighting, ESPN, MMA

At UFC 79 on Saturday night, Wanderlei Silva will take on Chuck Liddell in a fight that doesn't have anywhere near the appeal that it would have had a year and a half ago. But while fans might not see this fight as quite as big a deal as it could have been, Silva says in this ESPN-produced video that he's taking the fight very seriously:

"I changed my life for this match," Silva said, "moving for training here in Vegas, I and my family, I changed everything, you know, I changed my trainer, I changed my gym, I changed my system for jiu-jitsu training, all for this match."

After the jump, see what Liddell had to say about Silva.

We'll be live blogging UFC 79 here at FanHouse.

UFC 79: Wanderlei Silva on Chuck Liddell Fight: 'I Changed My Life for This Match' originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Has ESPN Made Kimbo Slice Legit?

Michael David Smith — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 20:13:00 EST

Filed under: Fighting, ESPN, MMA

ESPN's E:60 recently profiled Kevin Ferguson, better known as the underground fighting phenomenon Kimbo Slice. Part of that profile is here:

His trainer refers to Slice as "just a natural athlete," and this profile me wonder whether Slice really should be considered a legitimate athlete, not just some dude who got in some fights that got posted on the internet.

Although I think the top fighters in UFC would destroy Slice in any type of sanctioned mixed martial arts fight, I do think Slice is a real athlete. ESPN is such a dominant force in the American sports landscape that its decision to profile Slice legitimizes him. And that means we'll be seeing a lot more of him.

Has ESPN Made Kimbo Slice Legit? originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 13 Dec 2007 20:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ESPN Promotes UFC 78

Michael David Smith — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 16:57:00 EST

Filed under: Fighting, ESPN, MMA

ESPN takes a lot of criticism for its coverage -- or lack thereof -- of sports that it doesn't have the rights to. NHL fans, in particular, say ESPN essentially ignored the sport after it stopped showing hockey games.

But ESPN actually does quite a bit of promotion of UFC, considering that ESPN has no presence at all in the sport of mixed martial arts. One example is this video of Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg previewing UFC 78:

It's particularly interesting that that video focused so much on the fact that the fighters in tonight's main event, Rashad Evans and Michael Bisping, were both on The Ultimate Fighter, a reality show that's on Spike, an ESPN competitor.

We'll be live blogging tonight's UFC 78 show here at FanHouse.

ESPN Promotes UFC 78 originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sat, 17 Nov 2007 16:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Randy Couture Calls His Pay 'Insulting'

Michael David Smith — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fighting, ESPN, MMA

The great Brian Kenny interviewed Randy Couture on ESPN after Couture made the shocking announcement that he would retire from UFC, and as with everything Brian Kenny does, this interview was insightful and enlightening:

Couture reiterated that he's retiring for two reasons: First, Fedor Emelianenko is the guy he wants to fight, and Emelianenko isn't coming to UFC. And secondly, the way he's been paid by UFC, he says, is "kind of insulting."

"I've felt for a long time that I've kind of been swimming gainst the current with the management of the UFC, and I'm just kind of tired of it," Couture said. "I just don't feel that I've been respected the way I should be and treated the way I should be. ...The first way you show professional athletes that they're respected is by compensating them appropriately."

Couture is right: Expressed in terms of a percentage of the total revenue he brings in for his league, Couture was one of the most underpaid athletes in the world.

Randy Couture Calls His Pay 'Insulting' originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sat, 13 Oct 2007 12:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jenna Jameson, Tito Ortiz and Some Guy

Michael David Smith — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fighting, ESPN, MMA

Big ups to The Big Lead for finding this ESPN video in which Jenna Jameson sees whether she knows more about her boyfriend, UFC fighter Tito Ortiz, than his best friend does.

I'm kind of amazed that ESPN is using its web site to promote a porn star and an athlete in a sport that ESPN doesn't have a contractual relationship with, but I'm not complaining.

Jenna Jameson, Tito Ortiz and Some Guy originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 11 Oct 2007 15:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HBO-UFC Deal Falls Through, What's Next?

Michael David Smith — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 13:27:00 EST

Filed under: Fighting, ESPN, MMA

It has now been pretty well established that the long-awaited deal that would allow HBO to televise Ultimate Fighting Championship cards is simply not going to happen.

The bottom line is that UFC likes to have total control over everything it broadcasts -- UFC wants the announcers, cameramen, everybody to be hired by and supervised by UFC. HBO wants to have the same level of independence it has on its boxing broadcasts. It just wasn't a good fit.

So that probably means that HBO is going to stay in the boxing business and not get involved in the mixed martial arts business, at least not any time soon. But what about UFC? Will it find a higher-profile network than its current partner, Spike? Like, say, ESPN?

I still maintain that eventually, ESPN will be televising mixed martial arts on a regular basis. But I'm not sure if that means the Worldwide Leader will reach an agreement with UFC. I think it might be more likely that ESPN will become an investor in a rival mixed martial arts organization.

But in any event, there's just too much money to be made in mixed martial arts for ESPN not to have a hand in it.

HBO-UFC Deal Falls Through, What's Next? originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Wed, 10 Oct 2007 13:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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