MMA FanHouse

Kimbo Slice vs. Roy Nelson Will Be Huge for 'The Ultimate Fighter'

Michael David Smith — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:30:00 EST

Filed under: IFL, UFC

Update: Kimbo Slice vs. Roy Nelson results.

UFC fans will finally see Kimbo Slice inside the Octagon on the September 30 edition of The Ultimate Fighter, and when Spike shows Kimbo taking on former International Fight League heavyweight champion Roy Nelson, it will be one of the most-watched fights in the history of mixed martial arts.

The Kimbo vs. Nelson bout, which was announced at the end of this week's Ultimate Fighter, matches the man who might be America's most famous MMA fighter with the man who was widely regarded as the most accomplished mixed martial artist of this season on the UFC's reality show.

The fight already happened, but the UFC has done a good job of keeping the result from leaking, which means millions of fans are going to tune in with great anticipation to see whether Kimbo can defeat the toughest opponent he's taken on to date.

How big is this fight? Consider that Kimbo's win over James Thompson was the most-watched MMA fight in American history, with more than 7 million viewers, and his loss to Seth Petruzelli had more than 6 million viewers. Kimbo also delivered The Ultimate Fighter its biggest ratings ever for the Season 10 debut. Nelson, though nowhere near as famous as Kimbo, is well-known to hard-core MMA fans as the former IFL champion. And Nelson also reached some of the casual fans when he battled Andrei Arlovski on CBS on the Kimbo-Petruzelli undercard. This is by far the biggest fight ever to take place on The Ultimate Fighter.

If bets had been taken on this fight, Nelson would have been the odds-on favorite. If this fight had taken place in an arena, it would have been packed, and Kimbo would have been the fan favorite. Instead it took place on The Ultimate Fighter, and when it airs next Wednesday, the favorite will be Spike TV, which is guaranteed massive ratings for one of the most-watched fights in UFC history.

Kimbo Slice vs. Roy Nelson Will Be Huge for 'The Ultimate Fighter' originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ultimate Fighter 10: Roy Nelson Is the Best, Who's Next?

Michael David Smith — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:33:00 EST

Filed under: IFL, UFC

Kimbo Slice is, of course, the biggest name on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. But every hard-core MMA fan I know is in agreement that the TUF 10 cast member who has accomplished the most in MMA is Roy Nelson, who was the last heavyweight champion of the IFL, has 13 professional victories and was competitive in all four of his losses.

But after Nelson, who's the next-best contestant on The Ultimate Fighter, which begins Wednesday on Spike? One web site may have the answer.

FightMatrix.com uses a statistical rating system for MMA fighters similar to the BCS computer ratings you see in college football, and this is how that rating ranks the 16 fighters on TUF 10:

1. Roy Nelson
2. Darrill Schoonover
3. Abe Wagner
4. Justin Wren
5. Kimbo Slice
6. Mike Wessel
7. Zak Jensen
8. Scott Junk
9. Brendan Schaub
10. James McSweeney
11. Wes Sims
12. Marcus Jones
13. Jon Madsen
NR. Wes Shivers
NR. Matt Mitrione
NR. Demico Rogers

Obviously, these ratings systems aren't perfect. For instance, I think McSweeney, whose MMA record is just 3-4, is a lot better than the Fight Matrix system would have you think. I've talked to multiple UFC fighters who have sparred with McSweeney and say his background as a professional kickboxer makes him a threat to anyone in the stand-up game.

But if you want a basic idea of how good the fighters on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter are, those Fight Matrix rankings are your best bet. Nelson is clearly the favorite.

Previously seen by Kid Nate at Bloody Elbow.

Ultimate Fighter 10: Roy Nelson Is the Best, Who's Next? originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roy Nelson Happy Taking TUF Road

Ariel Helwani — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:40:00 EST

Filed under: IFL, MMA Videos, UFC, FanHouse Exclusive

Roy Nelson may be one of the most decorated fighters to ever appear on "The Ultimate Fighter" reality show. The former IFL heavyweight champion, who holds a 13-4 professional MMA record, will be one of the 16 fighters competing for a UFC contract on the tenth season of TUF. The series premieres September 16 on Spike TV.

FanHouse recently spoke to "Big Country" about why he decided to appear on the show and living with Kimbo Slice. Check out the full video interview below.

Roy Nelson FanHouse Interview from Ariel Helwani on Vimeo.

Roy Nelson Happy Taking TUF Road originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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March Badness: Jeff Monson Beats Roy Nelson by Unanimous Decision

Michael David Smith — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:59:00 EST

Filed under: IFL, MMA Gossip

Former IFL heavyweight champion Roy Nelson lost a hard-fought unanimous decision to former UFC No. 1 contender Jeff Monson Saturday night at the March Badness event in Florida.

In terms of the credentials of the fighters, this was by far the best mixed martial arts fight on the card, which was promoted by Roy Jones and combined both boxing and MMA. Nelson entered the fight 13-3 and ranked the No. 19 heavyweight in the world in the Bloody Elbow meta-rankings, while Monson entered the fight 27-8 and ranked No. 20.

But the fans in attendance didn't sound impressed by what they were seeing. Much of the fight consisted of Nelson lying on top of Monson, and the crowd -- perhaps mostly there to see Jones box later in the night -- booed loudly. Nelson didn't do much damage when he was on top of Monson, but it was still a surprise that all three judges gave Monson the fight, 29-28. I thought Nelson won, as did the TV announcers and, from the sound of things, most of the fans.

The only opinions that matter, however, are those of the three judges. And those three judges unanimously gave the fight to Monson.

March Badness: Jeff Monson Beats Roy Nelson by Unanimous Decision originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Justin Levens 'Never the Same' After Suicide of Fellow IFL Fighter Jeremy Williams

Michael David Smith — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:35:00 EST

Filed under: IFL

The death of Justin Levens, a mixed martial arts fighter who was found in his home, along with his wife, in a possible murder-suicide, is bringing back painful memories of the suicide of another MMA fighter, Jeremy Williams.

Sports Deaths in 2008

Dec. 17: MMA fighter Justin Levens and his wife are found dead in their California condominium in what police believe is an apparent murder-suicide.

Jeff Gross, Getty Images

Sammy Baugh, Dec. 17: Perhaps the greatest Washington Redskin of all time and the last surviving member of the first Pro Football Hall of Fame class dies at the age of 94.

Chris Richardson, Dec. 11: The Harlem Globetrotter, and former standout at UNLV, dies in his sleep. It is believed he died of natural causes.

D. Clarke Evans, NBAE / Getty Images

Billey Joe Johnson, Dec. 8: The High school football star from Alabama dies at a police stop.

Rivals.com

Ted Rogers, Dec. 2: Rogers, the founder of Canada's largest cable company and the owner of the Toronto Blue Jays since 2000, dies in his home at the age of 75.

Adrian Wyld, The Canadian Press / AP

Pit Martin, Dec. 2: The 64-year-old four-time NHL All-Star dies after his snowmobile plunges into an icy lake near his home in Quebec.

Steve Babineau, Getty Images / NHLI

Armand Guidolin, Nov. 24: He was the youngest player to ever play in the NHL and went on to coach Boston and Colorado.

Will Barrow, Nov. 22: The rising lacrosse star was only 22 years old. A cause of death has yet to be released.

Jim Rogash, Getty Images

Bob Jeter, Nov. 20: The NFL cornerback, seen here late in his career with the Bears, started in Super Bowls I and II for the Packers.

NFL

Pete Newell, Nov. 17: The Hall of Fame basketball coach led California to a national championship in 1959 and the United States to Olympic gold in 1960.

Dino Vournas, AP

Mike Chiappetta of NBC Sports reports that Levens was devastated when Williams, his friend and International Fight League teammate, committed suicide last year:

An anonymous source that spent time with Levens in recent months told NBCSports.com that he was "never the same" after the suicide of one of his close friends, former IFL fighter and teammate Jeremy Williams.

Williams shot himself in 2007. Levens, who briefly appeared in the UFC, hadn't fought in more than a year, was not under contract to any MMA organization and was currently serving a suspension for testing positive for the painkiller oxymorphone.

Justin Levens 'Never the Same' After Suicide of Fellow IFL Fighter Jeremy Williams originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pat Miletich Will Fight Thomas Denny at December 11 Adrenaline MMA Show

Michael David Smith — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:40:00 EST

Filed under: IFL

Former UFC welterweight champion Pat Miletich will return to the MMA cage for the first time in more than two years on December 11 when he fights Thomas Denny in Adrenaline's second show on December 11 at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois.

As first reported on HDNet's Inside MMA, the 40-year-old Miletich will fight for the first time since losing to Renzo Gracie in September of 2006. Denny last fought in July when he lost to Nick Diaz in an EliteXC bout.

Miletich is well known in MMA circles, but in recent years he's become known more for being a coach and for founding Miletich Fighting Systems than for actually fighting. Miletich hasn't won a fight since he knocked out Shonie Carter in 2001.

Other fighters who will appear on the Adrenaline card include Ben Rothwell and Ryan McGivern.

Pat Miletich Will Fight Thomas Denny at December 11 Adrenaline MMA Show originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today in MMA: UFC 92, Mark Cuban Buys IFL, Eddie Alvarez, Urijah Faber, WEC on PPV

Michael David Smith — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:02:00 EST

Filed under: EliteXC, IFL, UFC, WEC

Here's the complete lineup for UFC 92, which features Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira-Frank Mir, Forrest Griffin-Rashad Evans and Wanderlei Silva-Rampage Jackson.

Mark Cuban's HDNet bought the remaining assets of the International Fight League for $650,000.

Says Eddie Alvarez of the demise of EliteXC, "It just sucks. It happens to companies like this a lot. I think if this was the first time I'd been through this, I'd be more shaken. I was with Bodog Fight when they went under about this time last year. I just have to keep my head up, keep training and fight whenever I can. I can't get down."

This weekend's Sengoku card is set.

Will Golden Boy promote a boxing show the same night as Affliction: Day of Reckoning?

Urijah Faber says WEC is heading to pay-per-view in 2009.

Who's better at jiu jitsu, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira or Vinny Magalhaes?

Says UFC's Dustin Hazelett, "I'm doing a lot of really unorthodox, wild stuff that could be potentially dangerous. It's kind of how I am outside of the cage too. I'm relaxed in the cage and don't try to waste too much excess energy. But I'm not afraid to try things that others may shy away from. It's how I am in real life."

Montreal-based TKO Championship Fighting's president and founder, Stephane Patry, has stepped down.

Today in MMA: UFC 92, Mark Cuban Buys IFL, Eddie Alvarez, Urijah Faber, WEC on PPV originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMA Live Chat: Elite XC in Honolulu

Josh Alper — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:35:00 EST

Filed under: MMA, MMA/Boxing, UFC, Elite XC, IFL, Affliction for MMA

Elite XC returns from its trip to network television tomorrow night with a card from Honolulu on Showtime. The main event will feature lightweight champion K.J. Noons against the veteran Yves Edwards. That match will be preceded by an undercard featuring Nick Diaz vs. Muhsin Corbbrey, Murillo "Ninja" Rua vs. Tony Bonello, Rafael Feijao vs. Wayne Cole and Dave "Pee Wee" Herman vs. Ron Waterman.

We'll be talking about that card at 1 p.m. today during a live chat. We won't limit the discussion to that show, however, so feel free to drop by to talk about Donald Trump's foray into the MMA world via a stake in Affliction, Dana White's still mysterious announcement, the potential demise of the IFL and anything else on your mind.

So drop by at 1 where we'll be chatting after the jump.

MMA Live Chat: Elite XC in Honolulu originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IFL Cancels Event, Could Declare Bankruptcy

Michael David Smith — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:51:00 EST

Filed under: IFL

The International Fight League announced today that it has canceled its next scheduled event, and there are ominous signs that the organization could go bankrupt.

In its announcement, IFL said it has canceled its August 15 event at the Izod Center in New Jersey, "in light of the company's current financial condition." It then adds, "the company may seek protection from its creditors through a court proceeding."

IFL tried to do some interesting things, like organize fighters into teams and brand itself as the rare American promotion that uses a ring, not a cage. But it was hemorrhaging money, and it's probably about to go belly-up.

IFL says it is working with other organizations to help find places for its fighters to stay active. IFL's biggest name, heavyweight champion Roy Nelson, is a talented but overweight fighter who has been mentioned as a possible opponent for Kimbo Slice. This makes that fight more likely.

IFL Cancels Event, Could Declare Bankruptcy originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMA Schedule: UFC, EliteXC, Affliction, WEC, IFL, StrikeForce, More

Michael David Smith — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: UFC, Elite XC, IFL, WEC, Dream, Affliction for MMA

Here's a look at the upcoming events in mixed martial arts:

Saturday, June 14
EliteXC: Return of the King, K.J. Noons vs. Yves Edwards, Nick Diaz vs. Muhsin Corbbrey, Honolulu, 10 p.m., Showtime.

Adrenaline: Jeff Monson vs. Mike Russow; Daiju Takase vs. Terry Martin Chicago, 7 p.m., no American TV.

Sunday, June 15
Dream 4: Shinya Aoki vs. Katsuhiko Nagata, Japan, HDNet.

Saturday, June 21
The Ultimate Fighter 7 finale: Evan Tanner vs. Kendall Grove, Diego Sanchez vs. Luigi Fioravanti, Las Vegas, 9 p.m., Spike TV.

Friday, June 27
Strikeforce: Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson, San Jose, 11 p.m., HDNet.

Saturday, July 5
UFC 86: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin, Las Vegas, 10 p.m., pay-per-view.

Saturday, July 19
Affliction: Banned: Tim Sylvia vs. Fedor Emelianenko, Anaheim, pay-per-view.

Monday, July 21
Dream 5: Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Joseph Benavidez, HDNet

Saturday, August 9
UFC 87: Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch, Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring, Minneapolis, 10 p.m., pay-per-view.

Saturday, September 6
UFC 88: Chuck Liddell, Atlanta, pay-per-view

MMA Schedule: UFC, EliteXC, Affliction, WEC, IFL, StrikeForce, More originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UFC President Dana White on Other MMA Promotions: 'They're the Farm League'

Michael David Smith — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:07:00 EST

Filed under: UFC, IFL, Dream, Affliction for MMA

UFC President Dana White gave an interview to USA Today in which he shared some interesting thoughts about other mixed martial arts organizations such as Affliction, the IFL, Dream and Mark Cuban's HDNet Fights.

Although White doesn't think highly of those rival groups, he says he tends to see them more as a feeder system than as a legitimate threat for fans' attention and dollars:

They don't compete with us for pay-per-view money. We're just competing for talent, no doubt about it. It's all good.

Listen, I can't have every fighter in the world under contract and I only want the best. I don't want the lower level guys.

All these guys who jump into this game, I need them. The IFL has spent a lot of money. These guys have spent upwards of high-20s to $30 million in the last year of half, we have these other guys coming in spending millions of dollars, Cuban's talking about spending millions of dollars. I love it. We need all these guys. Bring all your money and jump into this thing and spend it.

Because I need guys to get a bunch of experience. Got to keep guys getting paid. And whether they like it or not, they're the farm league.

Is White right about that?

I think White is basically correct that the other organizations aren't competing for pay-per-view money: No matter whether or not Affliction does well with Banned, its Fedor Emelianenko show, I don't think the people buying that show will be any less likely to buy UFC 86 two weeks earlier or UFC 87 two weeks later.

But I'm not sure I'd agree that the other organizations are farm leagues. After all, when you look at the guys fighting on that Affliction: Banned card -- Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Matt Lindland, Josh Barnett, etc. -- you see a lot of names who could be contenders or even champions in UFC. Dream also has some very good fighters.

What those organizations don't have is UFC's loyal fan base. White deserves a lot of the credit for the fact that UFC is at a point where any UFC card will get more pay-per-view buyers than even a card as good as Affliction: Banned. But if Affliction can consistently put together shows like Banned, no one will be calling it a farm league.

UFC President Dana White on Other MMA Promotions: 'They're the Farm League' originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 29 May 2008 16:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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