Some random MMA (particularly UFC) news:
- UFC 72 from Belfast, Northern Ireland will be a live PPV rather than broadcast on Spike TV as originally planned. Spike declined to carry the show which surprises me and I’m sure could only be due to the UFC wanting to charge too much for broadcast rights. This can be confirmed by going to the UFC Event Page. One can only hope that this will be a cheap (I’m talking $20 at the most) PPV.
- HBO’s chairman and chief exec, Chris Albrecht, stepped down following an arrest stemming from assaulting his girlfriend in a parking lot following the de la Hoya/Mayweather boxing event. Albrecht is a recovering alcoholic and said that the event stemmed from taking up drinking again. This is MMA news as Albrecht was the main force from an HBO side pushing toward getting UFC events on the premium cable outlet. Hopefully the deal continues going forward. The NY Times ran an article on Albrecht’s arrest that can be found here.
- Dana White’s “UFC Challenge” for a pro boxer to face Sean Sherk has been answered by IBF World Welterweight Champion Kermit Cintron. Cintron is a very good boxer and was a decent high school wrestler who did receive scholarship offers from several major NCAA schools. I still figure Sherk would win the fight easily and I don’t really think there is much point to the fight ever actually happening. It would prove nothing just like Sherk facing Cintron in a boxing match would result in Sherk getting KO’ed would prove absolutely nothing. Were Cintron to do it as the start of an actual MMA career that would be one thing…but that is not what we’re talking about. I will get more into my feelings on White’s “challenge” and recent actions at the end of this post. MMAWeekly.com ran an article on Cintron as did SB Nation site (and my other home) BadLeftHook.
- As earlier reported Melvin Guillard was suspended after testing positive for cocaine. Follow the link to read some information.
Now…my opinion about Dana White’s recent actions.
Why did Dana feel the need to show up at Mayweather/de la Hoya and act like a moron? Why is he on this annoying “death of boxing” kick? Who cares if Mayweather took some shots at the UFC, it was just because he was forced to react to a constant barrage of MMA questions from the media.
I fail to see what MMA fans think the sport has to gain by trashing boxing. As my buddy Scott (SC at BadLeftHook) and myself have said several times, the sports are the equivalent of baseball and cricket…or basketball and that game that Aztecs used to play where they threw rocks through a hoop (you know what I’m talking about).
Only one element is the same in the two, punching. Everything else is different, even just footwork and defense. Shots take away the ability to use a boxing stance and generate the same level of power, blocking punches is different due to the size of the gloves…etc.
I just want Dana to grow up and act like a real businessman. He is carrying this image he has been sculpting on TUF a little too far at this point.
This whole “boss out of control” vibe reeks of Vince McMahon in the WWE. I would really prefer Dana not come across like such a walking boner when it comes to feeding into this boxing vs. MMA garbage. The success of one has little to nothing to do with the success of the other. Should Dana go to the Olympics and walk around like an asshole challenging every freestyle wrestler to come into the UFC to prove some macho point? He can then make his way over to the Judo finals and stomp around challenging everyone to a “real fight.” Then he can stand atop the medal stand, the majestic glow of the Olympic torch reflecting off his bald head, arms akimbo screaming “You wanna be a fucking fighter?! Thats what I thought!!! The Summer Games are dead you fuckin’ babies!”
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