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The stakes for UFC on Fox couldn’t be higher

by Mark Daniels on November 12, 2011 2:50:57 PM in Features | No Comments »

Dana White is counting on his heavyweights to plow the UFC into the mainstream on Fox. (Photo courtesy of Paul Thatcher/Fight! Magazine)

(Courtesy of BostonHerald.com)

Tonight’s UFC on Fox, which features UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos, is a show so monumental it could forever change the landscape of mixed martial arts.

If everything goes right from Anaheim, Calif. at 9 p.m., the UFC will be one step closer to establishing themselves as major players in the sport industry. UFC president Dana White has never hid the fact that he wants his brand to be on par with the NFL, a lofty goal but getting the sport on network television is a step in the right direction.

Tonight, of course, has to go off without a hitch. It’s easier said than done when you’re only showing one fight. Granted, the fight between Velasquez and Dos Santos is perfect for this because quite frankly, everyone loves heavyweights. And tonight, fans from all over will be able to watch the top two best heavyweights in the world fight and fight for free.

“This is without a doubt the biggest fight in UFC history. This thing started as a small fringe sport and has grown to what it is today,” White said. “(Tonight) as we step out onto Fox, millions of people will see UFC who’ve never watched before. As we take this step forward into what we call ‘mainstream,’ we were much more fortunate in that we were able to hand pick a fight that we wanted to put on Fox. If I had to do it all over again, this is still the fight I’d pick to put on network television.”

White has already said that even if tonight’s fight gets over early, no other fights will be shown. There are multiple things that could go wrong – a quick knockout, a disqualification, a boring five round affair or even a fight being stopped due to a cut. But it’s a risk White and Fox executives are willing to make.

Though this is a first for the UFC, to be on a major network, it’s not a first for MMA. Elite XC had three shows shown on CBS in 2008 and the results were interesting to say the least. Though viewers peaked at 6,510,000 making it the most watched MMA event in history, the main event was subpar. Elite XC’s grand idea to try and build around Youtube sensation Kimbo Slice, in hindsight, was poor planning.

Now the UFC will do it right. Not with a gimmick fight, but with one of the most intriguing MMA match-ups in the world. And though White has his sights set on the NFL, it’s still boxing who they’re going head-to-head with. And tonight couldn’t be a better test as one of boxing’s biggest draws, Manny Pacquiao, takes center stage.

“We’re obviously stoked (to have this event on FOX),” said Fox Sports Chief Executive David Hill. “We’re all huge boxing fans and I think with the death of Joe Frazier, it made people realize that everyone remembers what a great boxer and competitor he was, and the will to win Joe Frazier had. Everyone started talking about the golden days of boxing and what happened to it. To be coming back on primetime with a fight like this, it’s kind of like the dawn of a new era. It’s like a phoenix coming from the ashes.

“What boxing was to my generation, UFC is to my son’s. By the end of these seven years, UFC will be mainstream.”

Tonight’s prelims can be seen on Facebook or Foxsports.com, starting at 4:45. The UFC on Fox: Pre-Fight Show starts at 7 p.m. on Fuel TV, which will also host the post-fight show at 10 p.m.

Kimbo Slice makes professional boxing debut in August; to face James Wade

by AidanOConnor on July 15, 2011 11:41:23 AM in News | No Comments »

www.mmaweekly.com

Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson to enter professional boxing; debut scheduled for August 13

by AidanOConnor on June 30, 2011 11:24:41 AM in News | No Comments »

www.mmajunkie.com

Kimbo Slice quits boxing, reportedly set for pro wrestling tournament

by Jason Kelly on January 18, 2011 3:07:34 PM in News | No Comments »

http://www.mmafighting.com

Matt Mitrione: “Either way, people want to see me.”

by Rob Tatum on September 25, 2010 8:04:13 AM in Features, Fighter Features | No Comments »

photo courtesy of Hector Castro/MMADieHards.com

Heading into a heavyweight collision with Joey Beltran at UFC 119, heavyweight Matt Mitrione is excited to be on “free” TV as part of the event’s televised undercard on Spike.

“I’m extremely excited about that,” said Mitrione. “It makes me feel good that Spike wanted to take a chance on me. That’s a big deal.”

Perhaps most famous for his stint on Season 10 of the The Ultimate Fighter, Mitrione agitated his opponents and teammates alike during the show, which earned him a unique fan base.

“I’m fortunate that I went on TV and acted like an asshole,” proclaimed a candid Mitrione. “At least I have some kind of fan base (laughs). People want to see me lose, some want to see me win, but either way, they want to see me.

Entering just his third professional fight (and third fight in the UFC), Matt was forced to change up training and camp for this bout, as training partner Pat Barry is still recovering from a broken hand suffered at UFC 115 in June.

“There weren’t too many heavyweights up there (at Duke Roufus’s camp), so I kind of had to bounce. I actually ended up here in Indiana and working with some other heavyweights, so it ended up being a really good thing. I got a lot of wrestling in. And I got some jiu-jitsu and standup work in as well.”

Mitrione’s opponent, Joey Beltran has been using Twitter to make some claims toward Mitrione’s actions leading up to the fight. Stating that Matt refused to shake his hand in the lobby. And also claiming that Matt was putting on a tough guy attitude in interviews.

“To be honest, I didn’t even see the dude in the hotel,” responded Mitrione. “I was told by someone else who saw the situation that I was walking back from breakfast with my training partner on the mezzanine and he was hanging out with family with his back to me.”

“I like Joey. He’s pretty nice guy. I wouldn’t snub him. If he’s into that, so be it, but I have absolutely no reason to snub him.”

When asked for his thoughts on the upcoming fight and whether fans should expect a standup war, Matt exhibited a bit of uncertainty toward his opponent’s gameplan, but spoke confidently of his improving skill set.

“I really don’t know what Joey is going to bring to the table. I know he likes to trade ‘em up a bit, but a lot of people like to say they want to stand up and trade with me until I punch them in the face,” stated Mitrione.

“Once they start feeling my kicks dig into them, their ideas going to change a little bit. We’ll see. If Joey wants to stand up the whole time, great. I love standing up and working.”

“At the same time, I definitely think there’s a chance he’ll try to be a wrestler and bring it to the ground. If he wants to do that, cool. I think my ground game is pretty good too. I’ll get something on him. A punch, a kick, a choke, a joint manipulation, I’ll get something.”

In Matt’s previous fight, he took on street fighting and internet sensation, Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson. The fight saw Mitrione dominate from bell to bell, and exhibit aspects of his ground game that weren’t there during TUF. Matt’s victory actually cost Ferguson his job. Mitrione realized that his performance may have changed the perception about him for the casual fans, but that doesn’t concern Matt.

“I don’t know if Kimbo’s really that much of a statement. I think I need a couple more victories to see where I’m at and see where I’m going,” claimed Mitrione.

“I don’t really need anyone else to evaluate how good I am or how much better I’m getting. I know how much better I’m getting. My training partners know how much better I’m getting. And I’m going to go out there and show it.”

“I have an idea (of how I’m going to fight), but so far I haven’t fought anything like I do in practice. So I need to find a way to make that happen. I’m pretty damn good in practice. I think I’m going to do that in this fight here.”

An honest Mitrione opened up, “Then again, I could go out there and completely shit the bed and fight like an idiot (laughing).”

Matt couldn’t hide his excitement for the opportunity to fight in Indianapolis at UFC 119. As a former football played at Purdue University, the former Boilermaker sees the fight as a homecoming and expects the crowd to be behind him.

“I’ve got about 300-400 family and friends that are going to be out there. It’s going to be a pretty ruckus crowd. It’s going to be a lot of fun. A damn good time.”

Kimbo reported to make boxing debut

by Paul Delos Santos on August 27, 2010 12:11:00 PM in News | No Comments »

http://mmajunkie.com/news/20449/ex-ufc-fighter-kimbo-slice-reportedly-to-make-pro-boxing-debut-by-years-end.mma

What’s On Tap for UFC 116

by Rob Tatum on July 1, 2010 5:03:21 PM in Features | No Comments »

After the overwhelming success of last July’s UFC 100, the UFC returns to the Vegas heat yet again to present the “biggest” title fight in the company’s history. UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin will unify Lesnar’s heavyweight strap with Carwin’s interim belt. Perhaps lost in the hype of the main event is a vastly diverse card that features everything from a Japanese, judo gold medalist and model to a full time firefighter from Indiana.

PRELIMINARY CARD (Un-aired)

Kicking off the night is a heavyweight bout between UFC newcomer Karlos Vemola and Ultimate Fighter Season 10 cast member Jon Madsen. Madsen is one of eleven (yes, eleven) former TUF cast members fighting on the 116 card. Madsen brings his strong wrestling pedigree into the bout and looks to continue his undefeated run in the UFC. Vemola is a relative unknown to the UFC, but the Czech brings an undefeated record (largely fighting in the UK based Cage Fighting Championships) into his debut. He trains in London with UFC welterweight John Hathaway and DREAM welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis.

In the night’s second matchup, Daniel “Ninja” Roberts looks to bounce back from his UFC debut knockout loss to John Howard at UFC on Versus 1 as he takes on a returning Forrest Petz. Roberts will look to implement his strong grappling skills and submission game. Petz, on the other hand, returns to the Octagon for the first time in nearly three years after rolling off four straight wins. Petz is a late replacement, as Julio Paulino had to pull out due to injury.

The third fight of the night features TUF Season 7 alum Gerald “Hurricane” Harris meeting up with undefeated UFC newcomer and Renzo Gracie BJJ black belt, Dave Branch. Harris has racked up nine straight victories (two in the UFC), since an ill-fated run in the IFL in 2007. After losing to TUF 7 Champ Amir Sadollah, Harris had to fight his way back back to the UFC. Now training at Grudge Training Center in Denver, Harris will look to neutralize the Bellator veteran Branch. Branch will try to continue his run of six straight stoppages (3 by submission, 3 by TKO).

In the final, un-aired bout of the evening, Ultimate Fighter Season 3 Champion Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove takes on Croatian fighter, Goran Reljic. Grove is coming off a loss to Mark Munoz at UFC 112 and has alternated wins and losses over his last four fights. Reljic, on the other hand, is coming off his first professional defeat at the hands of CB Dollaway at UFC 110. This will be Reljic’s second fight in the middleweight division after starting his career at light heavyweight. He will have to overcome a significant reach advantage over the 6’6” Grove.

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

The evening’s first televised fight will feature the return of TUF alum Seth “The Silverback” Petruzelli to the UFC as he takes on yet another newcomer in Ricardo Romero. Petruzelli has won four straight over the past three years, including the infamous 14 second destruction of Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson under the EliteXC banner. The heavy handed Petruzelli picked up his first submission victory in his last fight just six weeks ago fighting in the BAMMA promotion. Romero makes his UFC debut after eleven fights in the Ring of Combat promotion. Four of his last five wins have come by submission.

Completing the free portion of the evening’s televised card is heavyweight clash between TUF Season 10 finalist Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub and two-time Division II wrestling All-American Chris “The Crowbar” Tuchscherer. Schaub, the former University of Colorado fullback spent time on the practice squad of the Buffalo Bills. He also possesses a Golden Gloves championship. Fighting out of Grudge Training Center in Denver, Schaub trains with the likes of UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin, Nate Marquardt, and Rashad Evans. Tuchscherer, on the other hand, trains with UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. After a tough loss in his UFC 102 debut to Gabriel Gonzaga, where he was on the receiving end of the one of the worst groin shots in MMA history, Tuchscherer bounced back with a close, majority decision over Tim Hague at UFC 109.

MAIN CARD

The pay-per-view portion of UFC 116 will start with a lightweight battle between two contenders looking for a title shot. Australia and TUF Season 6’s George Sotiropoulos takes on New Jersey’s Kurt “Batman” Pellegrino. Both fighters are riding win streaks and will look to knock the other out of the title picture. Sotiropoulos recently defeated Joe Stevenson at UFC 110, utilizing superior control to win by decision. The Eddie Bravo trained BJJ black belt will look to implement his submission game on the well rounded Pellegrino. “Batman” brings four straight UFC victories into the bout and will utilize strong wrestling, fast hands, and his own BJJ black belt to counter the Australian.

In a rematch of their UFC 110 war, TUF Season 1 finalist Stephan Bonnar looks for revenge against TUF Season 8’s Krzysztof Soszyński. Their initial bout ended when an inadvertent headbutt left Bonnar with a massive cut and led to a controversial stoppage. Bonnar will enter his 12^th contest in the Octagon and is trying to halt a three fight skid dating back to UFC 94. The Polish born, Canadian raised Soszyński trains at Team Quest and holds wins in four of his five UFC fights. Both fighters will look to end any doubt left by their previous clash.

Another rematch, and potential fight of the night candidate awaits as TUF Season 4 member Chris “Lights Out” Lytle takes on TUF Season 7’s Matt “The Immortal” Brown. Lytle holds a 2007 submission victory over Brown in the defunct UFL. Lytle is perhaps best known for receiving seven fight night bonuses during his time in the UFC. Currently, he has received four straight and looks to make it five. The full time Indianapolis firefighter and former pro boxer showed his slick ground skills after submitting Brian Foster by kneebar at UFC 110. Brown saw his three fight win streak snapped at UFC 111 by Ricardo Almeida and looks to get back on track by avenging his previous loss to Lytle. The Judo brown belt possesses eleven finishes in his eleven victories.

On paper, the co-main event might not have as much appeal as it once did. After Wanderlei Silva had to pull out due to broken ribs and an injured knee, the UFC scrambled to find a suitable opponent for Japanese superstar Yoshihiro Akiyama. Luckily, TUF Season 1 alum Chris Leben, fresh off a victory over Aaron Simpson on June 19^th, was willing and able to step up to the plate. Leben, without a doubt, would love to stand and trade with anyone. With an iron chin and granite fists, Leben is a dangerous opponent for any middleweight. Akiyama, the well-rounded judo gold medalist and model, has been on the shelf since last July after his split decision victory over Alan Belcher. Look for Akiyama to utilize his judo and superior ground game to neutralize Leben’s heavy hands.

In the main event of the evening, the UFC Heavyweight championship will be unified as Interim Champ Shane Carwin takes on Heavyweight Champ Brock Lesnar. This larger than life matchup will be the first time that an event is headlined by two fighters pushing the upper limit of the heavyweight division, as both will be cutting to 265 lbs. (Note: the UFC 111 bout between Carwin and Frank Mir was only the co-main event). With over 500 lbs. of pure power in the cage, only destruction can ensue.

The Interim Champ, Shane Carwin, brings an unblemished record of 12-0 into the fight, with every fight ending in the first round. The full time mechanical engineer from Colorado will look to use his powerful strikes to end the fight. Yet another fighter from Grudge Training Center in Denver, Carwin will come in as prepared as ever. After his destruction of Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 96, Carwin was promised a title shot at Lesnar’s belt. After nearly a year of preparation (and an interim title fight against Frank Mir), Carwin will finally get his crack at the belt. The former Division II national wrestling champion and two-time football All-American will be able to match Lesnar’s athleticism like no opponent before.

Heavyweight Champ Brock Lesnar returns to compete for the first time in nearly a year. After a significant health scare involving diverticulitis, Lesnar has returned to health and looks to defend his belt. The former Divison I national wrestling champion, WWE superstar, and Minnesota Viking will look to impose his athleticism as he did against Frank Mir and Randy Couture. While questions might remain about the Champion’s condition after such a long layoff, one thing is for certain, once the cage door shuts on July 3, prepare for what might be the most explosive heavyweight clash in the sport’s history.

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