Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tank Abbott vs. Butterbean : 'Alabama Pride
It was the fight that needed to happen. Well, maybe needed is too strong a word, but vodka bottles and turkey legs don't grow on trees, and it's either this or substitute teaching. That's right, freak-fight-fans: UFC pioneer Tank Abbott (10-14) and beach-ball-shaped knockout artist Eric "Butterbean" Esch (13-7-1 MMA, 77-7-4 boxing) will be getting it on at a Thunder Promotions MMA event called "Alabama Pride," which will go down December 12th at the BJCC Arena in Birmingham. Amazingly, both men are coming off wins. Abbott snapped a four-fight losing streak in February with his KO via rabbit punches of Mike Bourke. Butterbean last competed ten days ago, defeating Tom Howard by RNC in a fight that looked like it might have been a work; either that, or Tom Howard really is a belly-flopping pussy (no offense).
Now, Butterbean and Tank will finally get to see who has the better haymakers. But don't be surprised if Bean tools Tank on the ground; he's honed his grappling at American Top Team, and his last four wins have come by submission. "Alabama Pride" also promises a celebrity fight between rapper DMX and Eric Martinez, who's so famous that Wikipedia has never heard of him. If anybody can shed some light, please do so in the comments section.
After the jump: The event poster, and why Tank vs. Bean probably won't be decided by leg kicks.
cagepotato
DMX VS ERIC MRTINEZ
The rapper DMX is scheduled for a fight against Eric Martinez on the same card where Butterbean will take on Tank Abbott.
Go ahead, read that sentence again, and let it soak in.
Thunder Promotions, who is putting on this card in Birmingham, Ala. on Dec. 12, must not have been satisfied that the Butterbean/Tank Abbott bout was enough of a freak show fight. Eric "Butterbean" Esch, at 5'11", 350 lbs., will likely outweigh the veteran Abbott by nearly 100 lbs.
But nothing screams freak show fights like a celebrity bout. DMX, the rapper who once was a part of Ruff Ryders, has become better known for his run-ins with the law than his musical talents. Cocaine and marijuana possession, theft, animal cruelty, criminal weapon possession, DUI, parole violations and giving a false name and social security number at a hospital are all part of his past.
In a recent interview, DMX said that he is working on two albums now because "the streets need him." He didn't mention any training for MMA, but hey, who needs to train for a fight? The good news for DMX is that MMA is not regulated in Alabama, which is why freak show fights like this can happen. Drug testing is usually under the control of the state regulatory commissions, so DMX will most likely not have to take a drug test.
Reality TV star Spencer Pratt and baseball player Jose Canseco have also dipped their toes in the MMA pool. With Canseco, his fight ended in 77 seconds. Let's see if DMX can last that long.
Thanks to Bloody Elbow
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Joe Rogan vs Heckler (Belfast : June 2007)
At the pre-UFC 72 comedy gig Joe encounters a particularly noisy drunk guy. So he invites him up on the stage. This guy was really hammered, and had made the mistake of shouting out stuff about Mike Bisping as well... not good considering Mike was sat two rows in front of him, and was not happy.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
INSIDE XTREME : [RANDY COUTURE]
Watch Randy Couture's wife, Kim Couture, Puts on Night Of Combat 2 on RawVegas.tv
Watch Randy Couture and the Xtreme Couture Team Response to Gina Caranos Fight at Elite XC Heat on RawVegas.tv
Watch Randy Couture and the Xtreme Couture Team Response to the Kimbo Slice Fight at Elite XC Heat on RawVegas.tv
Friday, September 25, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic To Retire
This week Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic announced he is currently planning on retiring when his contract expires following 4 more UFC fights. His next fight will be on September 8th in London at UFC 75.
This is not the first time rumors had surfaced regarding the fighters retirement. Earlier this year the same rumors surfaced adding to the legitimacy that he will in fact stop fighting in MMA when his contract expires which will likely happen late next year or early 2009.
Among his career accolades are wins over Josh Barnett, Wanderlei Silva, Kazushi Sakuraba. He was also the 2006 Pride heavyweight grand prix winner.
Famous for his high kicks, Cro Cop was dealt a taste of his own medicine at UFC 70 when Gabriel Gonzaga knocked the Croatian fighter out with a kick of his own, earning a shot at Randy Couture’s heavyweight title in the process.
Of course things can change over the course of the next 2 years until his contact comes up, namely how much money can the UFC throw at the top fighter to convince him to continue fighting. Before the UFC will commit to signing him to another long term deal he will need to prove the high kick KO was a fluke and that he is a contender in the octagon and not only the ring.
mmafrenzy
Dana & Rashad React to Rampage's Retirement
Well, nobody's calling for his head yet, but it's clear that Dana White and Rashad Evans are more than a little disappointed by the latest chapter in the Rampage Done Lost His Mind saga. During an appearance on the Carmichael Dave Show, White claimed that his criticisms of Quinton Jackson's acting pursuits were only done with Jackson's best interests in mind:
"What did I do to Rampage? I talked to him as a friend and tried to talk him out of making a bad decision. He doesn’t think it is, he thinks he’s gonna have a movie career but there’s so many fighters I’ve met over the years who thought they were gonna have movie careers. It’s not like he was going after Machida because he wanted the belt — he didn’t want the belt! He said the belt causes too many problems and he just wanted to fight and make money and feed his family — that’s exactly what he told me. All he’s been telling me since he got into the UFC is that he wants to fight in Memphis in front of his hometown. We make the fight in Memphis and then he pulls out of the fight because he wants to go make this movie because it has so much sentimental value to him.
He’s a fighter, that’s what he does for a living. Now I’m going through all this crap where I got another fighter saying ‘You know what, this isn’t what I wanna do for the rest of my life, I wanna make movies, I wanna be a movie star, this is just a second career for me.’ Like I haven’t seen this one before. Rampage is a grown man. He’s acting like a baby right now but he’s a grown man. He wants to be in the movie business? Rampage, good luck to you man. I hope you make it big — and I’m not being sarcastic because Rampage Jackson is a guy that I do like. But Rampage Jackson is a guy that doesn’t always make the best decisions.”
And once again, as with Chuck Liddell, Dana White is trying to play the role of the Great Father, protecting his big, dumb fighters from themselves. Maybe there's something admirable in that, though as every child knows, it doesn't feel good to hear the word "no" when you really, really want something. As for Rampage's TUF 10 rival coach — hey, episode 2 is on tonight! — Rashad Evans told CageWriter that Jackson should take a breath and reassess the situation with a cool head:
I think that him coming out and saying stuff like that was a bit premature. He's jumping the gun a little bit. Rampage is a very emotional fighter, a very emotional person, and he just let his emotions take over his rational thinking. I think that him and Dana White just probably need to talk it out, and get past it. I think it's just a breakdown in communication. Dana's the kind of guy who is going to say what is on his mind, maybe without thinking it through all the way, before he [says it]. Rampage is a hothead, as well. You get two tempers like that, go at each other like that, it makes the situation hard to work through...
I'd be disappointed not to fight him. It would be a good fight, a fun fight, but mostly because he talked trash. He got me really angry, and I want to fight him just because of that alone. It's a fight that people want to see. You get your mind wrapped up, and you get your mind so psyched up about fighting a fighter, and then it doesn't happen, it's disappointing. That's why I hate making a fight personal. At the end of the day, we're professional athletes, and we get paid to do a job. But when you get to fight someone you really want to fight, that's like a bonus. You'd almost do it for free.
I'd be particularly pissed off if I was Rashad, because the Rampage fight gave him a clear purpose — without Jackson, Evans's next move is uncertain. Will he be the next light-heavyweight victim of Anderson Silva? Does he take on the winner of Couture vs. Vera? There are options, but none as perfect as a high-profile grudge match to cap off a wild season of TUF, and establish a true pecking order in the light-heavyweight division.
cagepotato
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
St.Pierre Trainer working w/t GSP Clone
Tri-Star Gym continues to add good fighters. The latest are Kenny Florian and Jon Jones. Florian has dumped longtime friend Mark Della Grotte. He'll be working with Faras Zahabi, Georges St. Pierre's head trainer, in Montreal. The 22-year-old Jones is also heading north from upstate New York to work on his game. Zahabi raves about the former JUCO wrestling star (4:55 mark) in this conversation with Ariel Helwani.
Helwani also pushes for GSP against Anderson Silva, saying there's no one at 170 and 185 to fight the champs. I beg to differ, I'd like to see Silva fight Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt at 185. GSP rematching Josh Koscheck and facing Mike Swick should be next on the horizon.
Helwani also pushes for GSP against Anderson Silva, saying there's no one at 170 and 185 to fight the champs. I beg to differ, I'd like to see Silva fight Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt at 185. GSP rematching Josh Koscheck and facing Mike Swick should be next on the horizon.
FRANK TRIGG : NOT CUT AFTERALL...
Maybe it was a change of plans. Or a change of heart. Or simply a matter of the Ultimate Fighting Championship again listening to what the fans overwhelmingly wanted.
Whatever the reason, one thing is certain: Frank Trigg will get another UFC fight.
As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported on Monday, UFC president Dana White on Saturday suggested Trigg would be dropped by the organization following his weekend UFC 103 loss to Josh Koscheck in Dallas. But on Monday, the veteran fighter learned he'll get another UFC fight.
"They said I'll get one more shot, another fight, to prove I belong here," Trigg told MMAjunkie.com. "If I win, they've got to keep me around. If I lose and it's back-to-back losses, they'll probably drop me, rightfully so."
After a four-year absence from the organization, Trigg posted a 7-3 record (including a 4-1 mark after dropping to welterweight) in outside organizations to earn his way back. However, he faced a stern test in that first fight back when he took on Koscheck, a fighter widely regarded as one of the 170-pound division's best.
In their main-card bout on the UFC 103 pay-per-view broadcast, Koscheck caught Trigg with a right hand early in the fight, and the former University of Oklahoma All-American wrestler was tagged with the TKO stoppage loss seconds later.
"No disrespect to Koscheck, but the fight only went a minute (and) 40 (seconds), and he only got in one good shot," Trigg said. "In my mind, nothing really happened. I got caught. We could fight again, and I think it would be an entirely different outcome."
Trigg was first notified of White's post-fight comments when contacted by MMAjunkie.com on Monday, and he said he was surprised for a few different reasons.
"My understanding when I signed my deal – well, at first, they offered me a fight with Johny Hendricks," Trigg said. "But I didn't want that fight because I know Johny and used to train him. A couple weeks later, they offered me Josh Koscheck. They said, 'We gave Josh a couple options, and he chose you too.'
Based on skill level and the fact that Hendricks is still fairly new to the MMA game, that fight would have been an easier one for Trigg. But after being told he wouldn't be dropped if he lost to Koscheck, Trigg said he was willing to take the fight.
"They basically said, 'If you lose, we have to keep you for one more fight since Josh is a top-five guy and it's such a tough fight," he said. "That's why I was so surprised that Dana said that I was being cut."
Now with the reprieve, though, Trigg is looking ahead to his next fight. The former ICON Sport middleweight champ said he prefers a bout sooner rather than later. He would like to fight in his hometown of Las Vegas, which hosts UFC cards in December and January. And he'd be ready for either since he'll be back in the gym and training on Monday, he said.
If not one of those cards, though, Trigg said he'd love to compete on a rumored February 2010 event in Australia, which would mark the UFC's debut on the continent.
"I've never been there," he said. "If that card comes to fruition, that'd be a great one."
Trigg also wanted to clarify comments he made in our first report. The 37-year-old fighter said that if the UFC drops him, he'd likely retire from the sport because he doesn't want to fight in MMA's minor leagues again. Although some fans took that to mean he's ready to retire now, Trigg said that's not the case.
"I'm ready to fight, and I want to fight," he said. "But I just want to fight in the UFC."
mmajunkie
UFC Fight Night 19 officially draws 9,490 attendees for $577,997
Last week's UFC Fight Night 19 event officially drew 9,490 spectators for a live gate of $577,997. It was the second-largest crowd ever to watch a UFC Fight Night event.
The Oklahoma Professional Boxing Commission released the figures from the Sept. 16 event, which took place at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City.
UFC officials initially announced an estimated attendance of 7,500 and a $650,000 live gate for the Spike TV-televised event.
Both official figures are technically state records for the UFC, which ventured to Oklahoma only once before (for UFC 4 in 1994).
Of the 9,490 UFC Fight Night 19 attendees, 6,687 paid for their tickets and 2,803 were issued complimentary seats.
The attendance figure is the second-largest in UFC Fight Night history and trailed only UFC Fight Night 18, which drew 10,267 earlier this year.
HIGHEST-ATTENDED UFC FIGHT NIGHT EVENTS:
1. UFC Fight Night 18 (Nashville, Tenn.): 10,267
2. UFC Fight Night 19 (Oklahoma City, Okla.): 9,490
3. UFC Fight Night 15 (Omaha, Neb.): 9,103
4. UFC Fight Night 16 (Fayetteville, N.C.): 8,500*
5. UFC Fight Night 17 (Tampa, Fla.): 7,596
* - Approximated figure. The event was held for military personnel, who received free tickets.
UFC Fight Night 19, which featured Nate Diaz's submission victory over Melvin Guillard in the night's main event, served as a lead-in for the debut episode of "The Ultimate Fighter 10." The event broadcast drew 2.5 million and peaked with 2.9 million viewers; it was the second-largest audience ever to tune in for a UFC Fight Night installment.
mmajunkie
Rampage : "I'm Done with the UFC & MMA" ?
In a blog post today on his official website, Jackson outlined a series of events that began with his signing with the UFC, carried on until his recent decision to play B.A. Baracus in a feature version of “The A-Team,” and ended in his decision, at least for now, to walk away from MMA.
The full, unedited post is included below. The original post can be viewed on Jackson’s official website, though a brief sign-up process is required.
The UFC has done a lot for me but I think I have done more for them. The UFC bought WFA to get my contract & they saved my life, so I felt loyal to them. They pushed me into a fight with Chuck Liddel even when I clearly stated I wasn’t ready to fight for the belt because the American fans didn’t know me but I took the fight and didn’t complain & after I won the American fans booed me for the first time which changed the way I saw them & it hurt me deeply.
Then before I can even get out of the cage they announced that I was fighting Dan Henderson without even asking me. After I beat Dan Henderson, I made history in becoming the first undisputed champion in MMA but was never even given the pride belt in the cage & I was never promoted as the undisputed champ. Later Anderson Silva was.
Then they had me coach TUF season 7 and fight Forrest and the fight was very controversial & normally when a fight is that close & controversial there is normally an instant replay. I can name a couple of instances. Instead they offered me the Vanderlei Silva fight which I gladly accepted even though I know it was a very risky fight for me to take because of all the drama that was happening to me at the time. I fought that fight with a jaw injury and then a couple weeks later Dana called me and asked me to fight Rashad. For the first time I said no, I didn’t want to fight because it was such short notice & I wouldn’t have had a long break between camp. Dana talked me into fighting Rashad anyway but Rashad refused the fight and so I had to fight Jardine as a favor to the UFC instead of getting my belt back (which wasn’t even worth it to me financially).
Then I reinjured my jaw in the fight with Vanderlei & Jardine. Frank Mir gets hurt so they wanted to switch my fight from UFC 100 to the fight Frank couldn’t make it to but I couldn’t fight cause I needed jaw surgury. So they give Machida the fight against Rashad & they told me they want me to coach TUF season 10 against Rashad. That’s why I wanted Rashad to win so bad but when Rashad got knocked out I told them I wanted to fight Machida for the belt but Dana told me if I coach TUF against Rashad that I could fight Machida afterwards cause this was a different type of ultimate fighter show they were doing. After I signed the contract Dana then changes his mind & says I have to fight Rashad & even told me what to say in the press & so my fans think I was scared to fight Machida. After all that I still never complained & I did it all.
Then this movie role came about that I have been trying to get for over a year & as soon as I found out I was close to getting it, I called Dana right away & asked to push the Memphis fight back just a month or so. I told him what this movie role meant to me. I told him that I used to bond with my father watching the tv show as a kid when my parents where still married & it represents the memories I had with my father when we lived together. My dad became an alcohalic & addicted to drugs & we grew apart. But after my dad got his life back together, I was so proud of my dad & I told him I would always take care of him in the future & make him proud of me. My dad & I are still very big fans of the show & I am basically doing this for the childhood memories I had spending time in front of the tv with my dad. Dana went on the internet & mocked me because of that & I still did nothing. Dana & I finally talked & we made up & then after that he went back on the internet & said some bullshit & he was talking bad about the movie when information is not even supposed to be released & talking about payments which is not even true could really hurt my future acting career, which could very well last longer than my fighting career. I’m not like Randy Couture. My body has been getting so many different injuries that I wont be able to fight until my forties & neither do I want to fight that long. So I feel like my second career could be in jeopardy.. so I’m done fighting. I’ve been getting negative reviews from the dumb ass fans that don’t pay my bills or put my kids though college. So I’m hanging it up. I’m gonna miss all my loyal fans but hopefully they’ll follow me to my new career & I will gain more loyal fans along the way. & all you hater fans out there can kiss my big black hairy ass! & anybody that don’t like what I just said can come try to kick my ass!
I still feel the UFC is a great organization and I felt like I was very loyal to them but they didn’t respect my loyalty but I wish the UFC the best. I did a lot of things for them. I wish no bad blood between us but I have kids & a family back in Memphis to provide for & thats all that matters to me!
mmahits
Monday, September 21, 2009
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