Michael Rome
UFC 117: Chael Sonnen Re-Teaches the Lesson We Already Knew: Anderson Silva Can’t Wrestle
It’s been quite a while since Anderson Silva fought a wrestler. As Sonnen took Silva down again and again with shots he did not bother to set up, I was not surprised in the least. Anderson Silva has never been difficult to take down. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen him on his […]
UFC 117: Does Chael Sonnen Even Have a Chance Against Anderson Silva?
Note: We are reposting this piece, which originally ran August 7, 2010. Enjoy. Nate We are hours away from Anderson Silva’s most anticipated middleweight title defense since his fight with Dan Henderson in March of 2008. Since that fight, Silva has looked spectacular in two appearances at light heavyweight, and less than inspiring in three […]
Dana White: The People’s Executive
Just over a week or so ago, Dana White was doing a PR appearance at a Dave and Buster’s in San Diego to promote UFC on Versus 2. In the midst of shaking hands and talking to fans, one fan approached Dana and told him that in his excitement to meet Dana, he got a […]
2010: MMA Strikes Back
This post kind of got buried in the avalanche of Fedor coverage so I wanted to give it a little more exposure. Kid Nate. At the end of 2009, the MMA championship scene looked a bit…dull. The sport had such dominant champions in each major weight class that it seemed like nobody could challenge them. […]
The Rodney Dangerfield Fighter: Rich Franklin “Can’t Get No Respect”
Rich Franklin has lost to four men in his career: Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort, and Dan Henderson. The loss to Dan Henderson, in my view, was one of the worst decisions of 2009, but we’ll leave that for another day. Rich Franklin is intelligent, well-spoken, highly skilled, and exactly the type of spokesman […]
MMA Live Report Card
MMA Live made its ESPN 2 debut on Saturday night, and for the most part I thought the shows were very good. The association of MMA with ESPN graphics is very beneficial to the sport. ESPN simply lends a certain legitimacy to MMA. I found the post-show better than the pre-show. We typically only hear […]
Looking Back at Shogun Rua’s Second Fight Against Mark Coleman
Why did Shogun have trouble with Mark Coleman just 9 months before going 25 minutes with Lyoto Machida? It’s an interesting question that begs multiple viewings of his fight with Coleman. Throughout the fight, Coleman has no problem taking Shogun down. For all his skill, one of Shogun’s flaws is that he tends to let […]
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua Underwent Major Surgery on His Appendix Two Months Before UFC 113
The rumors about Shogun’s injury were incorrect, but he was not 100% for tonight’s fight against Lyoto Machida. Shogun came down with Apendicitis a few months before the fight, and had to undergo major surgery. The procedure was kept under wraps, but Shogun confirmed it tonight on MMA Live. According to UFC sources, the UFC […]
Breaking: Franklin Mcneil Reports That Shogun’s Left Knee Is Injured on MMA Live
MMA Live is currently doing a live pre-fight preview show on ESPN 2 for the first time. Franklin Mcneil checked in to analyze a few fights, and then broke the news that he’s learned that Shogun’s left knee is less than 100%, and that it affected his training camp. It’s hard to know how much […]
The Redemption of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
In September 2007, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua made his much-anticipated UFC debut against Forrest Griffin. In 2007, the big debate among MMA fans was not over who the best pound for pound fighter in the world was. Rather, it was over which stable of fighters was better: Pride fighters or UFC fighters? Heading into UFC 76, […]
Quote of the Day: Joe Rogan Speaks to Keith Kizer About Giving Judges Monitors
“I think one really important thing we need is monitors…there are certain positions the judges are in where they can’t see what’s going on. It happens all the time with us too, where a camera man will be in front of me or a referee will be in front of me, and I can’t see […]
Walking the Walk: A Proposal to Fold the Bantamweight and Featherweight Divisions into the UFC
Early patterns indicate a strong showing for Aldo vs. Faber on PPV. Say what you will about Dana White, the man knows how to promote and has the infrastructure to do it well. I think the key lesson coming out of this show is that the UFC’s fans are willing to pay to see smaller […]
Quote of the Day: BJ Penn Tells an Interesting Story About Dana White
K-1 was offering me $187,500 per fight – five times what the UFC was offering – and I was still willing to stay with them for one-third of that amount. This was when the relationship took a turn for the worse, and my view of White changed drastically. From that point on, I knew when […]
Quote of the Day: Chael Sonnen Says Nobody Cares About Anderson Silva
“It was hard to watch…I didn’t watch the whole thing, but I tried. I saw the beginning and I saw the end. I was having plenty of conversations during it, I’m in the same boat as the rest of the world. Who cares? Nobody cares about Anderson Silva.” “He talked about retiring and nobody cared. […]
The UFC’s Refusal to Promote Georges St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva Is More Offensive Than the Collapse of Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather
When the negotiations for a “Superfight” between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. fell apart, MMA fans smirked and nodded. The general reaction was something like this: “You see, this is exactly what is wrong with boxing. They finally get a big fight that everyone wants to see, the fighters agree to all of the […]
Why Should We Care What Anderson Silva Is Thinking?
Anderson Silva has defended his title three times since defeating Dan Henderson at UFC 82. Each time, we’ve seen the same thing. He dominates his opponents, but lets them hang on just so he can put on an extended show. Each time this has happened, we go through the same charade after his fight. Is […]
Will Strikeforce Crown the Number One Lightweight in the World on CBS?
At UFC 112, the unthinkable happened: BJ Penn lost to Frankie Edgar. After a relatively uneventful five rounds, the judges came back with a unanimous verdict in Edgar’s favor. Say what you want about the decision, but BJ let a close fight go to the judges. He looked like a broken and beaten man after […]
Anderson Silva, UFC 112, and “Disrespect”
I’ll admit it: I like a little showmanship in my fighting. When Silva started juking and jiving, I was laughing along at first. Then I really wanted Maia to hit him. And then it got…weird. There’s no defending what Anderson Silva did tonight, though I’m sure some will try. For all the talk about St. […]
Reflections on Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, and Potential Weight Shifting
Prior to UFC 94, Dana White was in favor of an Anderson Silva vs. GSP superfight. After St. Pierre destroyed BJ Penn with ease, White’s tune began to change. He’s retrospectively justified his attitude change by pointing to Anderson Silva’s performance against Forrest Griffin, but the real reason he is opposed is a business reason. […]
Anderson Silva’s Mysteriously Successful Ground Game
At this point, it’s close to a cliché. All discussions about beating Anderson Silva sound something like this: person A claims the key is getting him to the ground, and then person B scoffs at the idea that Silva has a poor ground game. Both points are valid. The key to beating Anderson is getting him to […]
Did Over 16 Million Americans Really Watch UFC 100?
In this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription only), Dave Meltzer reports on a very interesting internal survey commissioned by the UFC: UFC has done extensive studying regarding its PPV buyers and there were some interesting things that it showed. The average number of viewers per household at a UFC PPV show is ten…The research showed that it […]
Can Kenny Florian Overcome the “Number Two” Curse?
Over the past few years, we’ve seen a number of situations in which a fighter works his way up to the number one contender spot, loses the title fight, and then spends the next few years proving that he can beat anyone in the division except the champion. Jon Fitch and Rich Franklin come immediately […]
What’s Next for Frank Mir?
After screaming in horror at Dan Miragliotta’s decision to allow Shane Carwin to repeatedly punch a man laying face down with his arms out, it struck me that Frank Mir’s career is once again at a crossroads. Having lost two of three fights at heavyweight, he once again finds himself in a position where he […]
UFC 111 Business Expectations
UFC 111 is the biggest UFC show in a long time. Georges St. Pierre, their biggest star outside of Brock Lesnar, finally makes his return after 8 months on the sideline, and an interim heavyweight champion will be crowned. The show is already a success at the gate, having sold out to a tune of […]
Put Jon Jones on the Fast Track
As a long time proponent of using the slow track for developing fighters, I am willing to admit when an exception should be made. Jon Jones is so uniquely talented that I see virtually no reason to put him on the slow path to stardom. He’s been in the featured fight of the last two […]
UFC 111 vs. Wrestlemania: The Fight for Canada
UFC 111 takes place on March 27, a day before the WWE’s biggest event of the year, Wrestlemania. Competing with WWE on PPV is nothing new for the UFC, they do it all the time. The most interesting story of the weekend is whether Georges St. Pierre can draw a bigger number in Canada than […]
Will Tiger’s Return Affect UFC 112?
Over the weekend of April 10, Tiger Woods will return to golf for the Masters. I’m not going to waste anyone’s time here with analysis of Tiger’s situation, but needless to say this will be among the most-watched golf tournaments in the modern history of Golf. The media attention on Tiger will be obscene, which […]
Why They Can’t Hang Up the Gloves
A lot of sports fans have trouble figuring out why their favorite athletes can’t call it quits at the peak of their game. These fans say they want to remember their heros at their best, not as faded shells of their former selves, and watch with sorrow as their icons become mere mortals. Why does […]
Kimbo Slice Will Not Headline the Hypothetical April 17th UFC Show
Via Dave Meltzer: UFC just sent a release confirming Kimbo Slice vs. Matt Mitrione for 5/8 in Montreal. The match had been on the schedule for that night for some time. There had been serious talk of making a change in plans and having Slice, the most proven television drawing card in the sport, headline […]
SportsBusiness Journal: UFC Sets Company Merchandise Sales Record in Australia
SportsBusiness Journal(subscription required and highly recommended) has a story today on the UFC’s successful trip to Australia. The article provides previously unknown information on both the gate and the merchandise sales at the event: UFC 110, headlined by the Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez heavyweight bout, grossed $540,000 in merchandise sales at Acer Arena […]