It seems the only people who think UFC 71 was a failure are the sort of mainstream national sports media columnists who never want to take a moment to learn something out of their wheelhouse, and wish mixed martial arts would simply go away.
We got a blowaway response to UFC 71, both in terms of page views and the sheer number of blog comments to our main event post. Nearly all of the feedback about the show has been positive, and MMA fans have never been shy to express their opinions when they don't like what they see. The show was entertaining from top to bottom, there wasn't a boring match, there was a near-perfect mix of submissions, KOs, and the two fights that went to decisions were filled with action.
But never mind. Some people were simply going to latch on to something to pick apart no matter what. I've been around long enough to know how this works: Find an easy angle, spit out clichés for 20 minutes, hit "send," then head off to the bar for the night.
And they had a cheap angle ready-made in the fact the main event only went 1:38, as Quinton Jackson TKOd Chuck Liddell to capture the UFC light heavyweight title. There it is: How can UFC expect to maintain a fan base when the main event is so short? One gets the impression they would have called UFC too boring if the fight went the distance, and would have come up with something else had it gone three.
But let's give the argument casual fans won't pay for short main events a look. Here are the results of UFC's pay-per-view main events in 2006:
UFC 57: Liddell KOs Randy Couture, Round 2 UFC 58: Rich Franklin decisions David Loiseau after five rounds UFC 59: Tim Sylvia TKOs Andrei Arlovski, Round 1 UFC 60: Matt Hughes TKOs Royce Gracie, Round 1 UFC 61: Sylvia decisions Andrei Arlovski after five rounds UFC 62: Liddell TKO's Renato Sobral, Round 1 UFC 63: Hughes TKOs B.J. Penn, Round 3 UFC 64: Anderson Silva KOs Franklin, Round 1 UFC 65: Georges St. Pierre TKOs Hughes Round 2 UFC 66: Liddell TKOs Tito Ortiz, Round 3
Four of 10 pay-per-view main events finished in one round, six went less than 10 minutes. Going into 2006, UFC had never done 200K PPV buys for a show in the Zuffa LLC era. Liddell-Ortiz did 1,050,0000. I would say a more-than-500-percent increase in business in less than one year doesn't quite qualify as "turning off casual fans."
Further, one fight not listed there was Ortiz and Ken Shamrock, the semi-main event of UFC 61, which was stopped in less than two minutes. Fans hated the decision at the time. But that match was parlayed into the biggest TV rating in UFC history for Ortiz-Shamrock III, and helped build Ortiz and Liddell, both of whom were coming off first-round wins, into the biggest buy rate in UFC history.
If anything, the evidence suggests fans get into fighters with first-round stoppage power. But then, the opinion kings weren't looking to do any research before jumping to conclusions.
Just for kicks, let's stretch this out into 2007:
UFC 67: Silva TKOs Travis Lutter, Round 2 UFC 68: Couture decisions Sylvia, five rounds UFC 69: Matt Serra TKOs St. Pierre, Round 1 UFC 70: Gabriel Gonzaga KOs Mirko Cro Cop, Round 1 UFC 71: Jackson TKOs Liddell, Round 1
UFC 70 was seen on Spike TV, meaning casual fans had the opportunity to sample the product on basic cable. And that they did: Among males aged 18-34, UFC 70 did better ratings than Red Sox-Yankees, the NBA playoffs, and NASCAR. They saw a first-round KO. And they still came back and helped make UFC 71 a show that will give UFC 66 a real run for the buy-rate record.
UFC has been roping in casual fans over the past 18 months without the approval of self-appointed opinion shapers. The people have voted with their dollars and will continue to do so whether or not the intelligentsia comes along for the ride.
(For a post-press conference column on the fight, CLICK HERE)
This is it, the big one, the fight which brought everyone here to the MGM Grand. Anyone who has even the slightest interest in mixed martial arts knows the story behind this: The UFC's biggest star, light heavyweight champion "The Iceman" Chuck Liddell, has lost three times in his stellar career. He has avenged his losses to Jeremy Horn and Randy Couture. Only Quinton "Rampage" Jackson remains.
Jackson (26-6) took it to Liddell (20-3) in a one-sided fight on a PRIDE show at the Tokyo Dome in 2003. But they were never able to rematch until Jackson became a part of the UFC when the company bought his contract as part of an assets sale for the struggling World Fighting Alliance late last year.
Liddell has won his past seven fights since losing to Jackson, all by the way of KO or TKO. He is the longest-reigning current champ in the UFC, holding the title since beating Couture in April, 2005. Rampage has won his past four, including his UFC debut, a second-round TKO of Marvin Eastman at UFC 67.
The fight closed on the MGM Grand books with Liddell as a -170/+150 favorite. More than 46,000 people voted in our FOXSports.com "Who will win?" poll, with 67 percent picking Chuck.
The lights go down. The noise is deafening and just about everyone in the building is standing. Memphis native Jackson's walk out to the octagon is slow and deliberate. Jackson gets a mixed reaction as he enters the octagon. He grabs the fence in his corner, looks down toward the mat, and stretches out his calves.
The lights go down again, and a huge roar comes from the crowd as Liddell makes his appearance. Liddell, who lives in Santa Barbara, CA, wastes no time on his way to the octagon, slapping hands with the fans as he comes down the aisle.
Jackson gets a mixed response in his introduction. He doesn't look happy about it, but Liddell represents the home team for UFC fans. Liddell gets another ear-splitting response in his intro.
Big John McCarthy is your referee.
Round 1: Rampage comes out and immediately establishes octagon control. Chuck throws a quick low kick. Jackson still at center octagon. Both fighters still circling, Rampage maintains octagon control. Rampage gestures with his hands, looking for action.
The two trade their first combo. And Rampage just floors Chuck with a devastating right to the jaw, Jackson jumps in with four big right hands with an elbow mixed in, and that's it. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is the new UFC light heavyweight champion. Chuck looks like he can't believe the fight is stopped at 1:53.
That absolutely was the correct call by Big John McCarthy in stopping the fight. Liddell was rocked by the first big right hand, and was not defending several huge, powerful right hands.
A sampling of raw quotes from today's UFC 71 teleconference featuring Chuck Liddell and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson:
Chuck Liddell
On the constant sniping at UFC from boxing types in the buildup to DeLaHoya-Mayweather: I think it is a sign of the times when a boxing show is taking shots at us to try to sell more pay per views. To promote their fight they're bringing us up. A couple years ago they wouldn't even mention us. …
On fighting at heavyweight: We've talked a bunch of times about it. If it is an interesting fight, if it is something the people want to see, I'm interested. I think I'm in one of the best weight classes, I'm walking around at 216. … We were talking about fighting (Mirko) Cro Cop, but I wouldn't mind taking a shot at Fedor (Emelianenko).
On whether he's concerned about the upsets of 2007: Not at all. We're all different people. People talking about jinx, I'm like if it's all coming from the same camp, that might be a curse, but these are independent events. It shows the diversity of the sport. Sometimes you get caught.
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
How has Rampage changed since he last fought Chuck: I'm more disciplined in the way I eat, my nutrition. Last time I ate fast food, I wasn't preparing right, I didn't know how to cook for myself. I used to have to cut 15 pounds the day before the fight. I don't like to cut 15 pounds.
On his big slams: I never look for the slam. People are mistaken. Most time it happens they make a mistake and boom, I pick 'em up and do it. Even in practice, I don't look for it. I don't train my slams. If they're there, I take 'em.
Who are Rampage's favorite fighters? BJ Penn and Fedor. I like the way they fight. I don't think anyone is unbeatable, but (Fedor) doesn't give a damn. ... Even if someone takes him down, he gets back up and he kicks your butt.
What most impressed him about Chuck: His Mohawk. I'm impressed with his Mohawk. How does he get his Mohawk like that every time? How does he do that? Does he do it himself? Does he have someone do it for him? Does he have something he puts on it to make it look good every time?
Notes
*Rampage says he has done the bulk of his training up at Big Bear with Cheick Kongo, James Irvin and Hector "Sick Dog" Ramirez.
*Rampage was asked a couple times about getting used to fighting in a cage as opposed to a ring. Jackson, of course, had extensive experience fighting in a cage before he joined PRIDE and both of his fights since leaving have been in a cage.
*Dana White did not participate in the press conference, reportedly due to a bad cold.
Every time you think the sport of mixed martial arts has turned the corner, that the public has been educated to what the sport is and what it isn't, the parade of ignorance begins anew.
While it still hasn't been officially announced yet, it is an open secret that UFC is about to hook up with Home Box Office.
The latest piece to reference the nearly completed deal was seen last week on the boxing site secondsout.com, reported by the great Thomas Hauser, biographer of Muhammad Ali.
Mr. Hauser's piece was a cogent analysis of the state of the boxing game. In it, Hauser mentions that HBO is near an agreement to broadcast three UFC shows in 2007. Former HBO Sports president Seth Abraham is quoted as saying:
"I think it's ridiculous for HBO to televise UFC. When I was at HBO, we had discussions once or twice a year about professional wrestling. We all agreed that it would get good ratings and we also agreed that it would tarnish our boxing franchise. I feel the same way about UFC. Boxing has a storied history. When HBO attaches itself to boxing, it attaches itself to Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Muhammad Ali. It attaches itself to history, achievement, and glory. UFC has none of those things, and it will tarnish HBO's boxing franchise. Will UFC get good ratings? Probably. But so would naked boxing."
Where do I start with this?
Maybe the fact UFC and wrestling have nothing to do with each other?
Or how about with Leavander Johnson? Don't know the name? Johnson was a lightweight fighter brutally beaten to death in front of friends and family in his own hometown of Atlantic City on an HBO broadcast in 2005.
So a network which telecasted what amounted to a snuff film live on television will have their image tarnished if they broadcast a sport that has never to date had a death in sanctioned competition? Really?
And I don't know about naked boxing, which also has nothing to do with UFC, but a simple look at HBO networks' schedule for last Saturday on their Web site reveals such gems as "Cathouse the Series 3: Girlfriends" and "Intimate Sessions 8: Janine." Yes, how dare they sully such high-brow entertainment by associating with UFC.
Then there's the "history" argument. It gets easier and easier to debunk MMA's naysayers by the day, so nonsequitors regarding MMA's relative lack of history are popping up more often for lack of anything else to bring to the table.
True, MMA doesn't have 150 years of history behind it. But the sport already has its first generation of legends from the early days, founders like Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock.
More important, though, is that this generation's stars are producing the sorts of rivalries and competitive drama that make championships important and leave historical legacies, right before our eyes.
Look no further than the UFC welterweight title, which Matt Hughes turned into one of the biggest-money titles in combat sports. Hughes won 19 of 20 fights and avenged his only loss in that span. His title loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 65 was so important specifically because it ended Hughes' run of dominance. Now it is GSP's turn to build off Hughes' legacy, including the rubber match of their series. If St. Pierre becomes the sort of titleholder Hughes was, whomever is the next great welterweight will carry the legacy created by Hughes and built on by GSP.
Or the UFC light heavyweight title, which already has built a tremendous lineage from Tito Ortiz to Randy Couture to Chuck Liddell. Liddell has made the belt UFC's marquee draw with his trilogy against Couture and rivalry with Ortiz.
If MMA does supplant boxing as the lead combat sport in North America, 30 years from now fans and writers will likely look back at the Hughes-St. Pierre, Liddell-Couture, and Liddell-Ortiz rivalries the same way boxing types get misty-eyed over Ali-Frazier. If such talk offends the sensibilities of boxing fans, so be it.
There's been a profound change in media coverage of MMA out on the West Coast since the sport became sanctioned in California last year. UFC has done major shows in Anaheim, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and the San Diego area, and smaller shows have gone up elsewhere.
Major West Coast media outlets, including FOXSports.com, now simply treat MMA like just another sport. The Los Angeles Times' Web site changed their boxing page to boxing/MMA. The rest of SoCal's dailies, and the Las Vegas Journal Review, give the sport regular, straight-up coverage. Local TV affiliates show up at UFC shows and do features on local fighters when a show's in town, instead of talking about pro wrestling and naked boxing and 1,000 other things that might make for a cutesy sound bite, but have zero to do with the sport.
The good news is, the example of MMA on the West Coast shows that once people actually getting around to understanding it, the stereotypes all but vanish.
The bad news is, until this happens all around the North America (and MMA has still yet to be sanctioned in major media markets like New York, Chicago, and Toronto), the more popular MMA becomes, the more likely people who don't like MMA are going to hyperventilate about the sport. And the more apparent it becomes that MMA is here to stay, the more ridiculous and desperate those arguments will get.
This is a first-time project. I'm not one of those reporters who thinks my words come straight from God or that my opinion is the final say on any matter. I'm open to suggestions for refining my criteria or other fighters you feel belong in future lists (now, if your suggestion is "you're a TUF noob" even though I've been watching since UFC 3, I'm going to take you less seriously than someone with a valid suggestion. But all comments are welcome).
And whether you agree or disagree with my list, feel free to hit me up with your own personal Top 10 in the comments section.
*The most amazing bit of news that came out of UFC 66 is the fact that Chuck Liddell handled Tito Ortiz with a torn medial collateral ligament. In the Nevada State Athletic Commission's post-show report, Liddell was listed as having an injured knee, without specifying which one, and the Iceman himself isn't saying which one was hurt. Liddell did confirm to Josh Gross of Sherdog.com in an Internet radio interview over the weekend that he hurt an MCL.
Liddell injured his knee in training for the fight, but didn't want to ruin the biggest show in UFC history by pulling out, and didn't even tell UFC president Dana White about the injury until after the fight.
*On the other hand, Georges St. Pierre suffered a knee injury in training for his Feb. 3 welterweight title defense with Matt Serra and has pulled out. This is the second time in St. Pierre's last three scheduled fights he's pulled out with a training injury. This means by the time he's back, GSP will have fought only once in the span of a year. Serra declined to take another fight on the show, not wanting to risk losing and blowing his guaranteed title shot.
Former champ Matt Hughes, who took his title-losing fight with St. Pierre just eight weeks after beating B.J. Penn, is expected to face Chris Lytle at UFC 68 in March. Hughes says on his website he asked for Diego Sanchez as his opponent, and while I have no reason not believe him, I haven't been able to confirm that with anyone associated with Sanchez.
*If UFC 66 hits its predicted buy rate of 1.2 million homes, Ortiz and Liddell would likely end up with somewhere around $3 million each when all is said and done. UFC reportedly pays out 25% of their share of the PPV gross (the amount left after the cable and satellite companies take their half off the top) as a bonus to their PPV headliners. Under this formula, Liddell and Randy Couture both ended up with about a million for their UFC 57 match, which drew about 400,000 buys. That doesn't include whatever sponsorship and endorsement money Ortiz and Liddell lined up.
*Why is Eddie Sanchez the first UFC opponent for Mirko Cro Cop? No one has told me this, but this is just a hunch: Sanchez, who is 8-0, is a strong, wild puncher. In his UFC debut on the undercard of UFC 63 against Mario Neto, the two slugged it out in the first and then Sanchez took it in the second with a devastating overhand right.
Styles make fights, and UFC wants to show off Mirko's skills to an American audience before they put him into the title picture. With Sanchez, there's a strong chance this turns into a standup slugfest, maximizing the opportunity for one of Mirko's highlight-reel left kicks. And at the same time, Sanchez, while not an A-list fighter, isn't a tomato can, either, and has a puncher's chance.
*It is about time for UFC to start cracking down on fighters grabbing the fence, which is supposed to be a foul. There have been several recent instances of fighters clutching the cage to interrupt the flow of the fight -- Ken Florian grabbing with both hands to avoid being slammed by Sean Sherk comes to mind -- but rarely has it been more flagrant than what Andrei Arlovski pulled in his win over Marcio Cruz. The rule is on the books, start enforcing it.
*Is the unbeatable aura of PRIDE heavyweight champ Fedor Emelianenko starting to crack a little? The Russian menace had some bad moments against Mark Hunt in his title defense on Dec. 31 in Saitama before finally winning with a kimura in 8:16. Granted, Fedor wasn't able to train at full speed due to a toe injury, but Hunt, while a respected vet, isn't considered a top-10 pound-for-pound fighter, and he had Fedor in trouble in several instances.
*No such questions for PRIDE lightweight champ Takanori Gomi. The Fireball Kid ran right over Mitsuhiro Ishida. Could Northern California's Gilbert Melendez be in line for a shot? It might be a bit soon for that, but with each succeeding fight, including his unanimous decision win over Tatsuya Kawajiri last week, he looks more and more like one of the top lightweights in the world.
*One thing you'll never see in UFC is an unconscious fighter being dragged back into action to absorb more of a beating, as happened to Hidehiko Yoshida in his loss to James Thompson at the PRIDE show. If the video of that one gets in the wrong hands and taken out of context it will set MMA back to about 1997.
*I'm going to moderate a forum titled "Mixed Martial Arts: Fighting Its Way into the Mainstream" on Wednesday at a meeting of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Sports Marketing Network at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. Panelists include UFC vice-president Craig Borsari, IFL founder Gareb Shamus, and XBox executive Bill Neilsen. For more information, go here.
*We're going through a few changes in our MMA coverage on the site. It will take some time, but the end result will be far more coverage of the sport. In the meantime, some time over the next couple days we'll unveil the first FOXSports.com MMA pound-for-pound Top 10 list.
Dana White: Tito Ortiz is a different person than he was back in the day. The boxing people know, there are those hanger-ons, I call them the cling-ons, the guys who latch on to up-and-coming stars, then when the fighter loses they all scurry like cockroaches in the light. Tito went through that. Tito has grown up and he showed a lot of heart tonight.
Tito Ortiz: I made a few mistakes. I thought I fought a smart fight, but Chuck hit me with a few overhand rights that I didn't see. Chuck doesn't get the credit he deserves as a wrestler, he fought off all my shots. Chuck is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now. I'll be back. He's beat me twice, I'll fight him 10 times if I have to. Liddell's 37, look what he does, he devastates people. I want to be the same way when I'm 37.
(on the stoppage) It could have gone either way. I wasn't really defending. I had my hands up to block that shots but that was about it. I could sit here and cry about it but I won't. Maybe I could have got out of it, but I didn't know where some of those punches coming from.
Chuck Liddell: I always go in confident. A week in, all my training's done and I'm ready to go. When it's fight night, all you have to do is execute. That's all I did. I think Tito's improved. I came out and he didn't give me any extra respect out there like the first fight. He fought a smart fight, but it wasn't enough.
Keith Jardine: My game plan was to put my head in (Forrest Griffin)'s chest and keep moving him back, and wait for an opening. It worked and I capitalized on it. A lot of people don't know what to thinkg of me because my fights are drawn out, up and down.
White on boxing promoters trying to get into MMA: Two years ago, the boxing types all said it can't last, they don't know what they're doing. Where are you now, boys? Now they smell the money and they're trying to get in. Good luck.
Andrei Arlovski: I am happy I bet Marcio Cruz. 2006 was not a good year for me. I lost two fights and my belt. I am glad to be back and want to be back in 2007 and I hope to get a chance to get my belt back.
Notes:
*Mikro Cro Cop is signed to a six-fight, two-year deal. Cro Cop's Feb. 3 fight will be against Eddie Sanchez.
*Filming of season five of The Ultimate Fighter begins on Jan. 20.
*UFC's first U.K. show is tentatively slated for late April.
*Liddell had the middle finger on his left hand in a splint, the rest of a torn tendon suffered in the fight. The splint will stay on for four weeks.
*Attendance at the MGM Grand was a sellout 14,607, with a gate of $5,397,000, the biggest North American MMA gate in history and nearly $2 million more than the previous mark.
Main event time, the biggest fight in UFC history, the one that brought the sellout crowd here to the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
One more time, the back story: "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz was the UFC light heavyweight champion from 2000-03. Through a convoluted series of events, the fight everyone wanted to see between Ortiz and Chuck Liddell didn't happen while Ortiz was the champ. After Ortiz lost the title to Randy Couture, the match with Liddell was finally made, and Liddell won on a second-round TKO in their 2004 showdown.
Ortiz left the UFC for a year, then returned in April and has set UFC pay-per-view buy rate and ratings records in each of his three fights, decisioning Forrest Griffin and beating Ken Shamrock twice.
Liddell, known as "The Iceman," is 19-3 and hasn't lost since 2003. Since beating Couture for the title on April 16, 2005, he TKO'd Jeremy Horn in the fourth round at UFC 54, TKO'd Couture in the second at UFC 57, and TKO'd Renato "Babalu" Sobral in the first at UFC 62.
Back in the day, Ortiz and Liddell trained together. Ortiz says they used to be close friends, Liddell claims otherwise.
The lights go down and Ortiz, as the challenger, comes out to the octagon first with Eminem music playing. Ortiz, who is half-Mexican, comes out carrying the Mexican and American flags. He's largely getting cheered by the crowd. Ortiz's entrances are usually drawn-out affairs filled with theatrics, but he's all business tonight. Ortiz, who has won five straight fights dating back to a decision win over Patrick Cote in 2005, came straight out to the octagon, head down, and is shadow boxing in his corner.
Our "who will win" poll on FOXSports.com, with nearly 42,000 responses, was 77 percent in favor of Liddell.
Lights go back down and it's the unflappable Liddell's turn to come to the octagon. The Iceman looks loose, slapping hands with the fans all the way out to the octagon.
Liddell is just standing in his corner. Ortiz (16-4) is jumping up and down in his corner. Bruce Buffer starts his ring introductions. Ortiz draws a vehement split reaction to his intro. Liddell is mainly cheered by the crowd.
Mario Yamasaki is the official. The noise is absolutely deafening as they get started.
Round 1: They both go for low kicks right off the bat. They stalk each other in center octagon. Big "Tito" chant, which Chuck's fans boo. Still stalking. The Iceman is the most patient fighter in the business. Liddell hits a right jab. Ortiz goes for a takedown, Liddell sprawls, and Tito gets up before Chuck can pounce. Tito dodges and weaves, hits a right jab. Tito tries to stay out of range, Chuck looking to avoid a takedown. Ortiz connects with a right, Ortiz throws big looping rights. Ortiz with a low leg kick, Liddell with a jab. Another combo. Another "Tito" chant, then more booing. Tito eats a Liddell combo. Liddell throws a right and misses. Liddell backs Ortiz near the fence, hits a right and cuts Ortiz open. Liddell has Ortiz on the defensive. Liddell with a left and a right but Tito gives it right back. Ortiz gets dropped by a monstrous right and goes down. Chuck moves in with a huge flurry to the grounded Ortiz, but Ortiz somehow withstands it and gets back up as the round ends. Ortiz just took Liddell at his nastiest. Round 1 to Liddell.
Round 2: Ortiz goes for a takedown and Liddell sprawls. Ortiz attempts a big kick as Liddell gets away. Big "Chuck" chant now. Not much doing. Ortiz with a wild haymaker, Liddell jabs. Ortiz with a body shot. Liddell doesn't even look winded. Chuck still controlling the octagon. Ortiz goes for another takedown, and Liddell again avoids it, but Tito scurries out of the way before Chuck can attack. Ortiz takes Liddell down, missing with the single leg, but getting a go-behind and getting him down. That's the first time Liddell has hit the mat in a long time. Liddell doesn't stay down, though, and hits an elbow in the clinch as they get up and the round ends. Edge to Liddell again, Ortiz is going to have to start taking chances. The UFC's Eddie Bravo gave round 2 to Ortiz, which the crowd jeers.
Round 3: Liddell blocks a kick to the head. Another "Tito" chant. Ortiz goes for a takedown, can't get it, and covers up as Liddell moves in for some punches. They're back up, with Liddell maintaining positioning in the middle. Liddell actually feigns a takedown, and throws a big roundhouse right that knocks Ortiz backwards. Ortiz is on the ground and covering up. Tito with a kick. Liddell moves back and lets Tito up. Big rise from the crowd. Liddell hits a combo with just under two minutes left. They're trading haymakers and Chuck gets the better of it, with Ortiz dropping to the mat after one of the shots caught him square in the face. Liddell's unleashing all his fury, Ortiz is covering up, and Yamasaki calls the fight at 3:59 as Liddell retains his title.
Liddell calls the victory the most satisfying of his career in his postfight interview. Ortiz doesn't make excuses and credits Liddell.
While Ortiz- Liddell is getting more attention than any fight in the history of sport in North America, UFC has actually been on a roll with their past few shows. September's UFC 63 featured a match consider by many the fight of the year, as Matt Hughes powered his way to a stirring third-round comeback win over B.J. Penn after looking down and out in the second. UFC 64 featured Anderson Silva's stunning coronation as middleweight champ with his quick takeout of Rich Franklin, and Ken Florian's valiant performance in a losing effort dropping a five-round lightweight title match against Sean Sherk. UFC 65 featured the changing of the guard at welterweight, as Georges St. Pierre took out Hughes via second-round TKO.
*The biggest rumor in Las Vegas this weekend is that PRIDE standout Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic is in town. The Croatian standout, who won PRIDE's 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix tournament, isn't just a fighter, he's also a member of Croatia's parliament. If you don't follow PRIDE Fighting, consider this being something like David Ortiz of the Red Sox suddenly showing up with the Yankees. All that said, no one has actually seen him yet, so if he's here, they're doing a hell of a job hiding him.
*The International Fight League held their big show Friday night in front of a near-capacity crowd at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Renzo Gracie beat Carlos Newton in the Superfight main event via split decision, a reversal of the result last time they fought, on a PRIDE show in 2003. Also, Pat Miletich's Quad City Silverbacks won the finals of the world team championships tournament by taking four out of five matches from Matt Lindland's Portland Wolfpack. A two-hour special of the show's highlights airs Sunday on FOX Sports Net, check your local listings for exact time in your market. For more on last night's show, check out sherdog.com
*I just want to take a minute to say thanks to some good people who have helped me along the way this year. These are folks who have been involved in MMA media a long time and could have resented the big mainstream media guy invading their turf, but were nothing but courteous to me at every turn: Dave Meltzer, Eddie Malone, Doug Jeffrey, Josh Gross, R.J. Clifford, Zach Arnold, Jeff Thaler, and others I might be forgetting. Likewise to some real hardcore fans with whom I've exchanged some rather spirited emails debating the sport, you guys and gals know who you are. Thanks.
Everyone made weight for their matches at UFC 66, with both Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz clocking in exactly at 205 pounds for their light heavyweight title match.
The rest (fighters are allowed up to one pound over the limit to account for minor discrepancies with the scale):
265: Anthony Perosh (236) vs. Christian Wellisch (235)
185: Yushin Okami (184) vs. Rory Singer (185)
265: Carmelo Marrero (220) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (244)
170: Tony DeSouza (171) vs. Thialgo Alves (170)
205: Eric Schafer (205) vs. Michael Bisping (205)
265: Marcio Cruz (235) vs. Andrei Arlovski (236)
185: Jason McDonald (184) vs. Chris Leben (186)
205: Forrest Griffin (205) vs. Keith Jardine (205)
FOXSports.com's UFC 66 preview will run tomorrow. But for starters, here's a sampling of reader opinion on who will win the main event between Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell. I received more replies for this than any fight all year, so if you don't see your response here, feel free to chime in with your opinion in the comment section:
Liddell wins - my head says because his long reach makes for great standup, my heart says because he has class, and doesn't act like a punk! -- Ed
Simply put, Tito is younger, faster, stronger, and more athletic than Chuck. Chuck has the advantage with the standup, but overall, Tito is at the top of his game right now. This could be another retirement party... think Ken Shamrock. Hopefully, this time there will not be three fights! An'dre, Bellingham, WA
Liddell will win! Not taking away from Ortiz, but with the championship-winning experience Liddell brings to the fight with having beaten several of the best numerous times over (i.e.: Couture) he will be hard to beat. Ortiz has never faced the someone as quick to adapt and overcome as Liddell. I do see Ortiz as the next champ in the near future, but it will not be due to his defeating Liddell. The Iceman will prevail. Chuck will win again. Tito's game plan is to get inside so he can use his power to get Liddell to the mat and start using his ground-and-pound. It is a strategy that he uses very well, but there are two problems with his plan. One, Liddell has proven numerous times he will not stay on the ground, no matter how strong Ortiz is. Second, in order for Ortiz to get Liddell to the ground, he has to come within striking range. Ortiz does not have the best chin as was shown when he fought Patrick Cote at UFC 50. Cote did not know how to follow up and finish or he would have knocked Ortiz out. Liddell has proven he is the best closer in the business. Once he stuns someone, he moves in for the kill. I see this fight going back and forth until the third round when Liddell catches Ortiz trying to come in one time too many. This time Ortiz will not be able to use the excuse of being thumbed in the eye. -- Jim, Travis AFB, CA
I have sat back and watched two things during the past year or so .... I have watched Tito's lackluster performances (He beat a washed up Shamrock twice. He received a gift decision over Forrest). I have also watched Liddell knock out quality opponents. The only interesting thing about this fight will be to see how violently Chuck will end Tito. -- Jason, San Diego
My prediction is Chuck Liddell winning by either a late round KO or TKO. I think that this fight is going to be similar to the second Liddell vs. Horn fight. Tito is going to be looking for every opportunity to take Chuck down and Chuck Liddell is going to sprawl and brawl his way to a fourth or fifth round knockout of his rival Tito Ortiz! - Matt, PA The "Iceman" cometh, the "Bad Boy" cryeth -- John, Ft. Worth
Tito wins because he has proven to be at a new level of fight preparation. He proved it in his coaching ability and his training techniques. All he's got to do is avoid Chuck's initial barrage, attack him, take him down and "Pound, pound, pound". Liddell is a great warrior but, he is due to loose and Tito's timing is right. See you at the fight. -- Big J, Baton Rouge
Chuck Liddell has the deadliest hands in the business. Tito wasn't able to get past the strikes the first time, Randy Couture failed twice, and Sobral also fell victim of Liddell's kick and punch in both of their fights. The only people that stand a chance of giving Liddell a run for his money and a pay-per-view worth purchasing will come from PRIDE. If the UFC is not successful in finding more light heavyweights of Liddell's caliber his reign can stretch up to another three, maybe four years. It's not like his fights go the distance, with him ending them in the first and second rounds he limits the punishment his body takes giving him a longer career. Tito hasn't fought anyone significant to challenge Liddell, he struggled against Griffin and beat a Shamrock who doesn't know when to retire. No doubt Liddell will knockout Ortiz and no doubt that Liddell is a Hall of Fame fighter, but for him to become the best in the world he will have to beat the best. I would like his international legacy to begin with seeking revenge on Quinton Jackson ,and then Silva if he wins. --David, Llamas, CA
Liddell wins by knockout yet again. Tito can not stand and trade with him just like every other light heavy weight in the UFC. Also he is not as good of a wrestler as Randy Couture was and we all know what happened the past two times Randy fought Chuck. I say bring on the Rampage rematch and Pride's Silva. -- Eric, Astoria, NY
This is hard to call, but I am going with Liddell. Tito tends to beat up on lesser foes. Then he can't step up to challenges. I figure Chuck's right hand, and his unbelievable take-down defense is what is the difference. I think it will be a 2nd round KO by the Iceman. -- Manuel, Phoenix
Liddell wins hands down. Forget about there first fight. Take a look at Ortiz-Griffin. Griffin gave Ortiz all he could handle and he's a standup fighter who's nowhere near as polished as Chuck. Chuck will be calm and confident and just avoid takedowns and wait for his opening while Tito, with anxious aggression will end up walking into something. Tito might as well stop working on his boxing skills because Chuck's been doing it for too long. -- Ben, Hesperia, CA Tito by KO or ref stoppage. To me it's pretty simple. If Liddell can't get his patented eye poke in when he's getting tired, he's done. Before you say it. Let's look at his last 4 fights (his last 4 real fights). Rampage stayed on him & punished him, result- lose. Tito 1 nice "accidental" open handed punch to the left eye. result cheap KO, on a 1/2 blind fighter. Couture 2 another "accidentail" open handed punch. result- another cheap KO. Hey wait a minute, didn't they change that rule after Tank Abbott? Couture 3, Couture was already retiring after the fight. I question if Couture even trained or wanted to win. He's a wrestler & didn't try to shoot after 20 sec. into the match, after a KO in the second fight. result - ko of a 1/2 hearted Couture. Now look at his other wins: no one, nobody, no chance, & how the hell did he get a title match?. I don't see Tito having many problems imposing his will on Chuck, unless McCarthy & Dana White let the "golden boy" oops I mean "Iceman" use the Rick Flair eye poke again. Liddell is OVER RATED!!!! -- Mike, Oklahoma City Liddell is going to knock Ortiz out. Ortiz got a big mouth. That gaves Liddell a bigger target to hit. Liddell second round KO.
-- Chris, Bronx-- Justin, Richmond If the fight is a stand up, the advantage goes to the Ice Man, but if TO can get in to the clinch and take CL to the ground, it will be over... All of CL losses came while he was on the ground.... To bad that RC wanted to stand up and fight, if he would of just do what he was strong at he would of beaten CL again... But that is history... We will just have to watch and find out soon.... -- Jeff, Illinois
This is definitely one of the toughest fights to pick in recent history. Even though I'm a fan of both Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, I'm gonna have to go with Tito. I believe Chuck might just take Tito a little too lightly, and I feel Tito is very determined to get his title back. There has been a real changing of the guard lately in the UFC, and I think UFC 66 just might follow suit. -- James, lives in Tampa but represents New Orleans
Liddell puts Ortiz to sleep before the end of the third round. Ortiz will try to get Chuck to the ground. Having failed, Ortiz' pride will get the best of him and he'll make his fatal mistake...going toe-to-toe with the best knock-out artist in the game. Sweet dreams Bad Boy. -- Paul, Holmen, WI
I have to give this one to chuck even though Tito has improved. Chuck takedown defense is at its best. Tito could not keep Randy Couture down so there is no way he can keep Chuck down. In the stand up battle I don't think Tito's striking has improved that well to knock out Chuck. I think with all the bad blood and anger Chuck has to Tito, I think Chuck will be in great shape and will go for the knock out -- Carlos, Houston
Although Chuck Liddell has great standup skills and the uncanny ability to defend the takedown, I look for Ortiz to exploit a major weakness in his game. In past fights Chuck has learned to better his footwork. He now likes to circle the octagon. He does this for several reasons: first to create better angles for his devastating punches/kicks and secondly so he can stay close to the fence. In the case of Liddell's takedown defense the fence serves as a tool to help him get back to his feet...and usually fast. Being a former wrestler, Chuck is not in the most comfortable position when he is on his back. Despite possessing the ability to defend from his back, it's not a good place to be with Tito. (After all, Tito is renowned for his ground and pound.) In past fights Chuck has used the fence in his favor. For instance in his second fight against Couture, Chuck was warned several times by Big John to not grab the fence. In my mind this came at a pivotal time in the fight. If Liddell had been unable to use the fence Couture probably would have been able to stage an attack where he was at his best-on the ground. This time around Tito has not only been doing his usual training at Big Bear but has also decided to include a new training regimen. One that in my opinion is overlooked and underestimated...watching film on your opponent. Watching former fights may have made Tito more aware of Liddell's tendencies. Couple this with a number of other factors and it seems as if Ortiz may not be such an underdog. Let's face it, nothing is more important to the former champ than the gold. Plus, the Bad Boy seems to have grown up. He no longer deals with as many personal issues. Whether or not we want to believe it...Jenna may be a positive influence. Who wants to lose in front of their infamous gal? On the other hand Chuck comes into the fight more confident than ever. I mean after all he has already beaten Ortiz. However, that may work to his own demise. Will Chuck look past Ortiz? Probably not, but Ortiz will certainly be looking to avenge his loss and regaining the coveted belt. This fight will actually be one that lives up to the hype. What has always been Liddell's antidote for putting opponents to sleep (a strong right hand) will ultimately be what causes his own nightmares. Tito Ortiz will avoid a right hand haymaker and find a way to get Liddell on the mat in the center of the octagon. This will be uncharted waters for Liddell and will push the "Iceman" to the limit. In the end, Ortiz will have to execute a flawless game plan. Also, he must not become frustrated when some of his takedowns are stuffed out. When all is said and done though, I believe Ortiz will work the fight to his advantage and test Chuck's cardio and ground game. Not to take anything away from Chuck but he isn't known for his later round expertise. Plus you can't win em all. (Refer to fight versus Quentin Jackson) All this will result in a decision win or late round KO for the Huntington Beach Bad Boy Tito Ortiz. -- Justin, Ashland, KY
I'm just getting over being sick. There's nothing quite like sitting next to someone who's coughing and sneezing all through a five-hour flight on a full plane.
*With about 3,500 votes, it looks like Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Hughes is the readers' choice for UFC match of the year in our Weekly Tapout poll, with 36% of the vote. Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture at UFC 57 is running second with 21%.
*Bodog's pay-per-view show in Vancouver, Canada on Dec. 2 features a USA vs. Russia theme. Let me say that again: A show in Canada features a USA vs. Russia theme. If you're wondering why I don't mention Bodog much, that about sums things up.
*According to the Nov. 27 Wrestling Observer, an anonymous cable industry insider pegged the buy rate for UFC 63, featuring Hughes vs. B.J. Penn, at 700,000 buys. If accurate, that would place it second behind UFC 61 as the most purchased show in UFC history. And UFC 63 didn't have nearly the mainstream buzz UFC 65 garnered. It could well be that Hughes is at least as big a draw as Ortiz and Liddell, even if fans are buying because they want to see him lose. If things proceed as expected, with GSP dispatching of Matt Serra in February, then the tentatively planned GSP-Hughes rematch in May will likely be the biggest show in UFC history, particularly if it takes place in Montreal.
*I got an email from a reader over in Iraq who said he was a part o####roup of about 25 MMA fans over there who followed my UFC 65 blog because it was the only way to track it live. Just want to say hello to all 25 of you, thanks for reading, keep your heads up and be safe.
So, rumor is going around that Vince McMahon is looking to break into the mixed-martial arts game, fueled in part by the fact that McMahon's son, Shane, was at Saturday's PRIDE show in Las Vegas, reportedly at PRIDE's invitation.
I doubt McMahon is reading this, but if he is, here's my advice: don't.
I'm a lifelong wrestling fan. When I was eight years old, I pretty much hounded my dad to take me to a show at the Boston Garden, because I was sure Jesse "The Body" Ventura was going to beat Bob Backlund for the WWF title (My dad relented; Jesse lost).
Over the years, I've noticed three things about Vince: 1. the obvious, that he knows how to promote wrestling better than just about anyone on the planet; 2. that he is never satisfied with simply being a wrestling promoter; and 3. almost every attempt he's made to branch out and do something else has been a failure.
Here's a partial list of McMahon's attempts to do something besides wrestling:
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, McMahon owned an arena in Hyannis, MA, called the Cape Cod Coliseum. In 1980 he started a minor-league hockey team called the Cape Cod Buccaneers. Both went under.
In the late 1980s, he attempted to break into boxing, which lasted all of one Sugar Ray Leonard fight before the idea was dropped.
In the early 1990s, he attempted to break into the Weider Brothers' bodybuilding business and started something called the World Bodybuilding Federation. Their only live pay-per-view event was one of the biggest duds in PPV history, with 3,000 purchases nationwide.
Around the same time, he created a line of nutritional supplements called ICOPRO. That didn't last long.
He opened a wrestling theme restaurant in Times Square that incurred an eight-figure loss.
Then, of course, there was the granddaddy of them all, the bomb by which all 21st century sports bombs will be measured; the XFL, which drew some of the lowest ratings in the history of prime-time television and created about a quarter-billion dollars of losses between the WWE and NBC.
Since then, we've had the advent of the WWE Films division. Perhaps you saw John Cena's movie sometime in the past couple weeks. Or more likely you don't even know what I'm talking about. That about sums it up.
So that's the impressive track record that would follow McMahon into this rumored venture. You can't blame the WWE for wanting to get in on the action. Some hardcore, longtime MMA fans understandably resent the intrusion of disaffected wrestling fans into their sport, but this year's boom has been in large part fueled by fans who like MMA's larger-than-life personalities and see MMA as being like wrestling, except real.
Instead of trying to break into another business he doesn't know, what McMahon should do is learn lessons about the changing tastes of his audience and then adapt them to his own product. I watched a bit of McMahon's Raw show on Monday night, for the first time in awhile. I felt like I stepped into some sort of time warp as I watched the same tired storylines; the same desperate attempts to be controversial and edgy for its own sake; and the same stale talent that was cutting edge so long ago. All that was missing was Limp Bizkit music and Friends clips and my time-machine trip back to 1998 would have been complete.
In 2006, McMahon continues to promote tall, overly muscled, airbrushed pretty boys who all look and sound alike. Meanwhile, 5-foot-9, 170-pound Midwest farmboy Matt Hughes, a former college wrestler, is doing gates and domestic PPV buyrates that are putting WWE to shame. If Hughes walked into WWE offices looking for a job today, he'd likely be laughed out of the building for not having the right look to be a star, at a time when he's personally responsible helping tons of money that used to go into WWE coffers end up in UFC's hands instead. Even someone like Chuck Liddell or Tito Ortiz would be considered "too small" by WWE standards, and that duo has a legitimate shot at knocking Oscar DeLa Hoya off his King of PPV throne come Dec. 30.
So instead of trying to get into the MMA business -- and given the core dishonesty of the wrestling business, I can tell you if McMahon does, my initial gut feeling is that I wouldn't touch his MMA product with a 100-foot pole, coverage-wise -- McMahon needs to focus his energies on adapting his own product to the times. The general public today understands that someone like 170-pound Georges St. Pierre is a total badass, and that McMahon's 300-pound monsters aren't. And maybe if McMahon geared his product more towards MMA style strikes, takedowns, and submission moves, instead of wrestlers taking 20-feet falls off the top of steel cages, wrestling wouldn't have a death and injury rate that makes coal mining look like a desk job.
Or maybe we'll just end up with the MMA equivalent of the XFL.
On a somewhat related topic, I've heard a lot of talk about PRIDE's product presentation. I'll have more in-depth thoughts on The Real Deal -- which was largely a success for what a debut show is supposed to achieve -- in the next Weekly Tapout. But my take on the stage presentation is, yes, it is spectacular, and yes, it is a part of what PRIDE fans expect when they see a PRIDE show. But I don't see it as a determining factor in whether fans will choose one product over the other in the long run. To me, the stage show is the equivalent of all the bells and whistles you get if you go to a baseball or football game. Some people like it if fireworks go off when someone hits a home run or scores a touchdown, some people don't, but I don't think many people base their decision one way or another whether to go to a game because of the "presentation." UFC used to have a stage, ramp, and so on for their big events, and when they got rid of them, I never heard anyone say "man, they don't have a ramp, I'm not watching UFC anymore." Personally, I just want to see good action. If they held Fedor-Mirko or Hughes-GSP in a dimly lit basement gym I'd be as interested in the fight as if it was done with the stage set.
New UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva was asked last night who he would like to face next. His answer, through his interpreter? "I wish I could clone myself and fight me."
Who could blame him for coming to such a conclusion after his dominant performance at UFC 64? Silva stunned the crowd at Mandalay Bay by dismantling someone thought to be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the game in Rich Franklin.
There will be lots of conjecture about Franklin's performance last night. Here are a couple things to ponder:
1. Was Franklin gun-shy after his long, injury-induced layoff? Franklin's match with David Loiseau was a war. Both came out of it hurt; Franklin tore a hamstring and broke a hand. Both Franklin and Loiseau looked tentative in their return fights.
2. Did Franklin let his ego get in the way in thinking he could match Silva toe-to-toe? Silva has never been knocked out or TKO'd in his career, but he has been taken down and submitted twice. Of course, this is easy for me to say sitting behind a computer screen after the fact.
As for what's next in the middleweight division, that's tough to say. The winner of the middleweight division in the Ultimate Fighter is guaranteed a title shot. Umm … good luck to him. Mike Swick is on the radar, but he didn't look ready for a title match in his win over Loiseau last month. Dana White was asked about the possibility of bringing Matt Lindland back, but, as White pointed out, Lindland is under contract to the IFL right now. Franklin, as the former champion, is deserving of a rematch. I think it is too soon to call Franklin overrated. Every fighter has his bad night, and the real test will come with how he responds to the setback.
*Ken Florian had one of those performances last night where you gain in stature by losing. No doubt Sherk won convincingly (I had it 49-46); but for a fighter with his experience level, Florian's jiu-jitsu was solid and he did his share of damage. Ironically, the cut over Sherk's eye ended up backfiring on Florian, as it may have enabled Sherk to slip out of his opponent's submission attempts. "It got me on that armbar," Florian said. "I thought I had it sunk in and I turned and he just slipped right out of it. The blood and sweat made it real hard to lock anything in."
*For new lightweight champion Sherk, the win was redemption. Not that long ago, Sherk walked away for nearly a year after giving his best and coming up just short as a welterweight. "I've been waiting for this moment for 12 years," said Sherk. "Ever since I saw the early UFCs and wanted to be a part of it, all the effort is worth it now."
*This is simply an observation and you can attach whatever meaning to it you wish. The following fighters were booed by a noticeable portion of the crowd last night: Yushin Okami, Kuniyoshi Hironaka, Cheick Kongo, Silva. It wasn't the majority of the crowd, and maybe these fans were simply rooting for American fighters, but either way, it was an ugly display.
*White talked about UFC's plans to run 26 shows in 2007, including five pay-per-views from the United Kingdom. UFC needs to guard against overexposure. Our reader response to UFC 64 was down from any PPV we've covered. That's not an exact science, but would seem to indicate with lots of shows to choose from in a short period of time, some people decided to skip this one.
Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, and Matt Hughes are the biggest draws in the UFC. UFC 64 came just three weeks after Hughes fought at UFC 63 and four days after Ortiz-Shamrock III. UFC 64 also happened with viewers knowing the next two PPVs feature highly anticipated showdowns with Hughes-Georges St. Pierre and Ortiz-Liddell, and with next week's PRIDE show on the horizon (incidentally, White said he will attend the PRIDE show).
*White also said the next season of The Ultimate Fighter will focus exclusively in the lightweight division.
*Finally, White in his upcoming three-round boxing match against Ortiz: "This is the stupidest thing I've ever done. I'm too old for this. I'm going to go ahead and do this because Tito insisted on this as part of his contract and I'm going to live up to my end of the deal."
