Beatings Galore at Strikeforce: “Miami”

If MMA events earned MPAA ratings like motion pictures do, then Strikeforce: “Miami” would’ve been stamped rated “X” – and not because of graphic sex or foul language. The latest installment of the number two “big show” in the United States featured stars Nick Diaz and Cris “Cyborg” Santos dispensing leather justice, a violent trend that was upheld by each and every other match-up broadcast on Showtime. There were strangely no submissions, nor were there decisions. It was all just beatings galore.

The most competitive of the beatings was Diaz’s championship tilt against DREAM import Marius Zaromskis. A champ within the Japanese organization, Zaromskis made a name for himself as a devastating, deadly striker, a fact which made itself apparent to Stateside fight fans when he charged right at Diaz and threw at him everything he had. It was a tactic that bore fruit, Zaromskis seeming to overcome his opponent’s reach advantage and land enough fists to send Diaz tumbling. But Diaz recovered, and when they were both upright he did what he does best: a nonstop stream of pitter-patter punches that eventually turns foes to jelly. By 4:38 of Round 1, the Lithuanian DREAM champ was done, and Diaz had himself the Strikeforce welterweight title.

Cyborg’s battle with Dutch fighter Marloes Coenen was competitive at well, at least at first, when the two came out with guns blazing and firing point blank in each other’s faces. But a pattern quickly emerged in this contest between the Chute Boxe rep and the Golden Glory rep: Coenen would land maybe one or two punches on the feet and go for one or two submissions while on the ground, while Cyborg would utterly plaster her. Gradually, as time ticked on, Coenen wore down, and by the latter half of the third she had little to offer by way of defense. The end via TKO came at 3:40 of Round 3, when the Strikeforce 145-pound female champ began banging away at the Dutch challenger and Coenen had no answer.

Ex-champ Robbie Lawler was getting completely battered by DREAM veteran Melvin Manhoef – a turn of events actually expected by pundits familiar with the Dutch kickboxer’s handiwork. For about three and a half minutes of Round 1, Manhoef chopped at Lawler’s legs with authority, mixing in punches as he stalked the American around the cage, and for all intents and purposes, it looked as if Lawler was well on his way to getting destroyed. But when Lawler’s heavy hands are involved in the equation, all it takes is one overhand right to turn the tide – and one overhand right did. Manhoef was unconscious on the canvas at 3:33 of the first round, a victim of the only meaningful strike Lawler threw in the bout.

Famed footballer Herschel Walker stepped into the cage a 47-year old in great shape but with no combat experience, but when he got done with the overmatched Greg Nagy, he was a veteran with a victorious one-sided beatdown and win by TKO on his record. For nearly two and a half rounds Walker put Nagy down and punished him from above, and aside from a few submission attempts here and there, Nagy had nothing. Wes Sims had nothing as well when he faced pro wrestler Bobby Lashley. From takedown to finish by ground and pound, Lashley was just too much for the last-minute opponent (Sims took the bout on only a few days notice), and referee stepped in at 2:06 of the opening round.

Jay Hieron continues fighting hard for a fair shake in Strikeforce

On a relatively bizarre fight card for this Saturday’s Strikeforce event in South Florida, one man’s struggles to make a big splash in Mixed Martial Arts continues to stand out. Overshadowed by pro-wrestler Bobby Lashley and 47-year retired football player Herschel Walker, MMA veteran Jay Hieron is once again struggling to try to make it to television for a major fight promotion.

The truth is that Hieron doesn’t deserve the treatment he is getting. With that said, Jay Hieron is proof positive that being successful in Mixed Martial Arts is often determined by how strong your political and business connections are as opposed to what your skill level is in the ring/cage.

Of all the IFL veterans who have latched onto other promotions since that group’s collapse last year, Hieron and Roy Nelson are the two most successful fighters so far. Hieron is a legitimate talent who has been constantly screwed over by promotions collapsing due to financial difficulties and fighters who can’t get their act together. The end result is that Hieron is left often on his own accord without a lot of political leverage. Hieron thought he had caught the break of a lifetime when he was scheduled to face Nick Diaz last year in California. Instead, Diaz flaked out of signing a contract and didn’t fight in California due to licensing issues. Naturally, the odor of marijuana issues reared it’s head in the media. Hieron was left to fight former Ultimate Fighter cast member Jesse Taylor in a dark match on Strikeforce’s event last August in San Jose. Hieron lost money from sponsors because his fight did not air on Showtime.

No one has been screwed over more than Hieron has been over the last couple of years in the business. He’s been stuck in a training camp for the last six months in Las Vegas. In a recent interview with Dave Farra of R a w v e g a s . t v, Hieron expressed gratitude to the fact that he’s been able to stick with everything despite all of the horrible luck he has had to deal with.

“Yeah, it’s been a blessing that it’s been this long because I’ve been training for a southpaw, which was supposed to be Nick Diaz and you know I’m still fighting a southpaw which is Joe Riggs.”

And don’t even mention the name Nick Diaz around him.

“No thoughts, I don’t even care about him, I mean he’s not even on my mind. Joe Riggs, I’m fighting him this weekend, so you know, after the fight we’ll sit down with Strikeforce and see what’s up.

“Of course, it’s a little frustrating you know, people don’t see that stuff we deal with behind-the-scenes but you know again I’m a professional and you know I can only control what I do and that’s Saturday night on the 30th, get out there and do what I do best. If I concentrate on that negative stuff, you know, I’m going to feel it in my training, I’m going to feel it when I fight so I try to be 100% positive and it takes work, man, I got to tell myself it’s all good, there’s a bigger and better plan for me, everything happens for a reason, so again it’s not the end of the world, I’m still on the card, I’m still fighting, you know, patience is my servant man, I mean, I’ll get my shot.”

They (Strikeforce) were waiting for Diaz to come to and to sign the contract and whatever. For some reason he didn’t sign the contract and now I’m not fighting him, so I’m not fighting for the title. Again, I’m not trying to feed into the negative and start worrying about why I’m not getting a title shot, why I’m not on TV, of course it hurts my pocket because of sponsors and fans that want to see me, they’re not getting to see me, but I don’t have any control of that. I’m still, I still think about the positive sides about it. I’m blessed, I’m healthy, I’m still here, I’m still in the sport, I’m still fighting, so I concentrate more on that.”

Hieron vs. Riggs will air on E A S p o r t s m m a . c o m and not on Showtime. Instead, fights involving Herschel Walker and Bobby Lashley will take center stage. A women’s match between Marloes Coenen and Cris Cyborg has also been completely overshadowed by the presence of Walker making his MMA debut. When asked about the strange matchmaking for the Florida event, Hieron put on his best face.

“If you look at it outside-looking-in, it’s good business by Strikeforce because there’s NFL, Super Bowl, so they’re getting all them football player fans you know for Herschel Walker so I mean if that’s what they want to do, put butts in the seats, they’re achieving that I believe.

Hieron is once again in a dark match position. Is it because he is perceived as boring? What about the fact that his opponent has a relatively decent following of fans in MMA?

“Of course, I mean you know I prepare myself every fight to go out and try to put on the best fight I can, the most you know exciting fight ever but you know I mean you know when I get out there and fight tough guys, you know I’m so sharp and I’m in tremendous shape right now. You know, it’s going to be an exciting fight no matter what.

“Tough guy you know, he’s been on the top show, he’s fought for the title in the UFC, so you know it’s a fight that I want to fight right now. This is a fight that makes sense for me and my career right now and just the kind of guys that I want to fight. Guys with name, so at the end of the fight, I have something to gain from. My stock goes up and you know bigger and better things.”

Hieron knows what is at stake on Saturday night. He has to win. Unfortunately for Jay, even if he wins, that doesn’t necessarily guarantee him a spot on television of a major card. It’s frustrating, but it’s not in his control right now.

“You know, time, it’ll come man, it’ll come. … I fight on Saturday, all steps in the right direction, we’ll site down after that, see what’s going on, but you know I do the hard work every day, I’m here every day, twice a day, all year round, I take a week or two weeks off so you know if you have that much drive, motivation and dedication, you know stuff’s going to happen, doors are going to open, and that’s you know I live by that. Hard work pays off.”

Jon Fitch tries to convince everyone that he deserves another title shot

UFC’s March 27th event in Newark, New Jersey is headlined by Georges St. Pierre defending his UFC Welterweight title against Dan Hardy. However, most of the media attention will be focused on the Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin fight to determine a #1 title contender for Brock Lesnar’s UFC Heavyweight title belt.

On the Newark undercard is a potential #1 contender’s bout in the Welterweight division between former #1 contenders Jon Fitch & Thiago Alves. Alves is coming off of a loss to St. Pierre last July at UFC 100. Fitch, meanwhile, is coming off of another unimpressive performance in which he (once again) couldn’t finish an opponent and decided to take it to the scorecards. It’s Fitch’s lack of ability and his constant need to go back to his comfort zone of wrestling that puts a ceiling over his potential to become the Welterweight champion.

Fitch has faced St. Pierre before a couple years ago in Minneapolis and got destroyed in the fight. Since that fight occurred, Jon Fitch has given the fans little reason to believe that he has improved to the point that he could take on St. Pierre in a re-match. Because of this belief, it’s very hard to book Fitch in the Welterweight division if you don’t believe that he can become the champion.

When Fitch and Alves square off on March 27th, all the pressure will be on Fitch. Not only does he have to win but he also has to finish Alves, which is unlikely to happen. In a recent interview with Inside MMA on HDNet, Fitch commented on the different paths the two men have gone on since they first fought each other over three years ago.

“You know, I think the biggest thing is mentally [Thiago]’s matured a great deal in that time period, I think he was pretty young when we fought, mentally and his wrestling has increased, his wrestling defense is much better, he’s harder to take down and he’s a little bit bigger and stronger. I think he’s matured also physically, so a little bit more power. Maybe he’s slowed a little bit, I don’t know, we’ll see.

“I’m peaking, you know, I’m in my prime. I plan on being in my prime for the next 10 years. I’ve changed my diet around, you know I got the fiancée, my future wife has been taking good care of me, so I feel younger now than I did a few years ago, you know I’ve been seeing a strength and conditioning coach, working a lot on speed and agility, I feel like I’m a much better athlete than I was a couple of years ago. So I mean I’m a much improved fighter than I was when we first fought and so he is so this makes for a really good match-up and we’re both fighting for another crack at GSP, so we both have something big that we want out of this fight.”

If Fitch beats Alves by decision and neutralizes him for three rounds, that will not win over fan support nor will it win him the #1 contendership in the Welterweight division. This reality is something that Fitch acknowledges.

“If I stop him, I don’t see how they can deny me a shot with GSP, you know, at that point I would have stopped somebody twice that GSP couldn’t finish in five rounds. So, I think that makes a very strong argument for me getting another title shot.”

With the rumors of St. Pierre considering a permanent move to Middleweight (185 pounds), Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves could only be so lucky if that move happens. Otherwise, the two men will forever have a permanent glass ceiling in the division. Neither man is beating St. Pierre any time soon. With this in mind, it makes it harder for both men to market themselves as the elite-level fighters that they really are.

In order to try to get the word out about himself and market himself in a positive light, Fitch was recently filmed for a new documentary called “Such Great Heights.” He believes that anyone who sees the documentary will become a fan of not only him but also the many fighters followed at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose.

“We just have to get it out there for everyone to see, so you know take advantage of the hard work all the guys did to put that movie together.”

On Inside MMA, clips from the documentary were shown. Fighters discussed why they do what they do and what motivates them to be the best that they can be.

“You have to live it. Simple as that. You got to live fighting. Daily. You’re going to get punched in the head.”

“It’s something that’s in you. You’re not normal to chose to be a fighter and put everything in the world on hold.”

Ironically, the centerpiece of the film is about the lead-up to Fitch’s biggest fight against St. Pierre in Minneapolis, which was an absolute mauling.

“This is the biggest thing that I’ve ever been a part of,” Fitch says when looking at promotional materials hyping up the St. Pierre fight.

Fitch was asked on HDNet to explain why “Such Great Heights” would be a different kind of MMA documentary than other ones already produced (like “Smashing Machine” featuring Mark Kerr or the new documentary featuring Jens Pulver coming out soon.)

“Yeah, it’s a very good movie without the train wreck quality that you get from most successful documentaries. It shows what it is to be a fighter, what it means to be a fighter. It shows a lot of different levels from myself to guys just starting in the sport, guys who have been around a long time and haven’t gotten anywhere yet. It just shows you what it means to be a fighter and why we’re doing this and what it means to us.”

As for how the documentary covered Fitch’s loss to St. Pierre, he puts it this way.

“Yeah, it shows the aftermath you know, the stuff immediately after the fight, the stitching in the ambulance. You know, back in the hotel room with my parents and fiancée and then family. So, it shows you a bit of the sport that a lot of people don’t ever really get to see.”

New York: Embracing Inevitability

New York Governor David Paterson has unveiled his proposed budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year, and one of the much ballyhooed provisions contained within is the acceptance of legalized mixed martial arts as a taxable revenue generator for the cash-strapped Empire State. This alone is a huge step forward. Last year, the bill that would’ve repealed the ban on pro MMA – a ban that’s been in place since 1997 – cleared every legislative hurdle and was ridiculously close to becoming law, yet an unforeseen and unrelated upheaval in the State Senate derailed that train. Now, however, it’s the surest of sure things, for when New York’s top executive goes so far as to “put money on it”, he’s not just throwing it out there. He’s embracing inevitability.

Part and parcel with Governor Paterson’s budget proposal is a brand-spanking new bill to make the sport legal, this one a bit different than last year’s “close but no cigar”. The salient details include: a broader scope of licensing powers for the athletic commission; a tiered fee structure based on event size; provisions for penalties; an 8.5% tax on gross ticket sales; and, a 3% tax on gross receipts for broadcasting (with a $50,000 cap). What does this all mean? Ultimately, it all translates into money for New York State, and the only eyebrow-raising points are the taxes, which are higher than those in other states and may prove to be a tough pill to swallow for promoters thinking of taking a bite out of the Big Apple. (Comparatively, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania charges a 5% tax, while New Jersey’s sliding scale ranges from 3% to 6%). But as a Garden State official put it, these high taxes will only push events out of New York City and into distant upstate locations, “where the venue will waive the site fee in exchange for keeping the money made on concessions.” Conversely, the high taxes won’t impede the big boys, like the UFC and Strikeforce, from coming to Madison Square Garden at least once or twice, nor will it stop any promoter looking to make a splash in what is arguably the media center of the universe.

Other notable aspects of Governor Paterson’s MMA bill include a statutory allowance for single-night eight-man tournaments (but a prohibition against 16-man tournaments; a fighter can only fight three times within 72 hours), a prompting for the athletic commission to approve more martial arts sanctioning bodies, and a definition of professional mixed martial arts competition that leaves the current amateur loophole wide open (it’s this loophole that permits underground shows). These are all game-changers in terms of altering the sport’s East Coast landscape.

This is, of course, all pure speculation until the bill becomes law, and it must first pass successfully through both the Assembly and the Senate before that can happen.

As we learned last year, anything can happen between when the bill gets introduced on the legislative floor to when the governor can legitimize it with his signature. Literally, anything.

Governor Paterson anticipates a recurring net revenue of $1.37 million from sanctioned MMA, and to snag that revenue, “Additional staffing is recommended for the Athletic Commission to regulate the conduct of professional mixed martial arts competitions in the State.” With a newly-minted legalization bill within his budget – complete with dollar amounts and predictions – plus the recommendation for more staff to handle the sanctioning legwork, it’s clear Governor Paterson has got his arms firmly around mixed martial arts. And he’s squeezing tightly.

What’s Going On In Michigan? A Promoter and a Commission Chairman Speak

When the Michigan Boxing Commission became the Unarmed Combat Commission back in 2008, an agency was created that was empowered to regulate and sanction professional mixed martial arts in the Great Lakes State. But the sport was alive and kicking there long before that, due in no small part to Joe Donofrio, a man with a decade of experience promoting boxing shows and the foresight to embrace the future. In the span of four years, Donofrio has put on 16 amateur events – until now, the only incarnation of MMA permitted since the UFC came and went in 1996. One such event last January packed 10,000 fans into the Palace at Auburn Hills (the home of the Detroit Pistons basketball team). Not bad numbers for an amateur show, or for even any MMA show in fact.

On January 30th, Donofrio’s Impact Fight League organization will take the pro MMA plunge, one of the first Michigan promotions to do so. The leap, however, is not without its bumps and scrapes – not the least of which is a new state-imposed $2,000 MMA promoting fee (compared to the standard $125 fee for a boxing show). Donofrio’s success in the industry may have given him enough financial freedom to absorb that cost, but he could be in the minority. “Between that $2,000, and the $4,800 for insurance and paying the fighters, there just isn’t anyone who can afford to do a pro show,” says Donofrio. “It’s just not going to happen. I talked to a guy in Arkansas today and he said, ‘Why you doing a pro show?’ And I’m beginning to feel that way.”

“There will be trepidation on the part of a lot of other promoters without deep pockets,” says Dr. James Weber, who heads the Unarmed Combat Commission, and whose recent appointment as chairman has been heralded as a step in the right direction for the growth MMA in Michigan. “When you start talking about professional venues, you start talking about the success being predicated on the economy. And quite frankly, the economy in the state is… I don’t want to say it’s a hindrance, but I think there is a tentative nature for anybody at a large scale to want to come and promote events.”

As Donofrio’s run with pre-regulated MMA resulted in zero mishaps (“Neither one issue nor concern at any show. We have a dedicated and experienced staff working.”), of course he bristles at some of the new rules. And he bristles even more at where they may have originated from. “It’s my understanding a majority of the legislature was in pre-written content adopted in partial form by the State of New Jersey and the UFC,” he says. “I can only verify what I was witness to when I appeared with the UFC in Lansing before the senate committee. I believe many of the recommendations were approved because of the success of the UFC and Nick Lembo of the Athletic Control Board in New Jersey. My concern is the $2,000.00 fee which is written in the bylaws. I would question the validity and the consent of this fee being so drastically exaggerated over the boxing event fee.” He adds: “Basically they suggested it was to cover the cost. But that doesn’t make sense, because you’re already paying the officials to be there.”

For his pro show, Donofrio is fielding fighters from all over the country instead of just using local talent. What of the amateur shows that saw such great success? Will they continue? “Amateur events are still allowed in Michigan and should continue to be,” says Donofrio. “As we do in boxing, we need to have a farm/apprentice-style system in place for mixed martial arts as well. Since we all recognize MMA as a qualified sport that is here to stay, we need to continue to implement this amateur program for the safety, experience and well-being of combatants looking forward to pursuing their professional goals.” There is, however, a state agency working to assume responsibility over what was previously an unsanctioned endeavor. “Michigan has a self-appointed and self-funded commission named MAMA (Mixed Amateur Martial Arts),” he says. “The goal of MAMA is to work closely with the State of Michigan to establish regulation for amateur MMA. MAMA is currently establishing the support with the state to be the governing body of amateur mixed martial arts.”

“I’m excited and optimistic, and yet quite realistic,” says Weber. “I think it’s going to be slow, I think there’s going to be growth, I think that some of the challenges we confront include a state-run agency that’s underfunded and short-staffed. They’re challenged with learning a new sport that’s quite different than boxing.” But, he adds, ending on a positive note, “I think mixed martial arts is a silver lining in the state, in terms of entertainment, and revenue, and advancing the sport.”

UFC Fight Night 20: Maynard Wins, But He Damn Sure Ain’t Ready For BJ Penn

Undefeated. Collegiate wrestler. Protégé of Randy Couture. Possessor of ever-improving boxing. Gray Maynard is all of these things, and when he squared off against Ultimate Fighter Nate Diaz at UFC Fight Night 20 in Fairfax, Virginia, these traits enabled him to edge out a split decision victory over an opponent who beat him via submission during the taping of TUF 5 (TUF bouts count only as exhibitions). Yes, Maynard was victorious, proving once more that he’s a seriously tough up-and-comer in the UFC’s talent-rich lightweight division.

Also, he damn sure ain’t ready to face champ BJ Penn.

Right now, the burning question on everyone’s minds is who should get a crack at Penn’s belt next. That’s right, Penn, the man who crushed Sean Sherk, destroyed Joe Stevenson, smoked Kenny Florian, and toyed with Diego Sanchez until he grew bored and ended it with a single kick. Right now, the only two names discussed are Frankie Edgar and Maynard. Are they worthy? Can they possibly dethrone the Hawaiian mixed martial arts king? Does either fighter truly pose a threat? By virtue of their ass-kicking status in the division, Edgar and Maynard are as worthy as we can hope for, and of course anything can happen in an MMA bout, up to and including Edgar out-boxing the champ and landing a surprising yet decisive left hand. But as to whether or not they truly pose a threat… after his performance against Diaz, Maynard gets the label of “not so much”.

Superior in wrestling and clearly the heavier puncher, Maynard came out and met the lanky Diaz head-on, throwing hard and with authority and avoiding going to the ground. Sadly, whatever stick-and-move ideas he had, they faded quickly when Diaz began leaning away, pawing at his face and spewing trash-talk. It was soon a give-and-take of wild fists, kicks and lots and lots of moving forward and moving back. Sure, Maynard came away with the decision when all was said and done, but it was far from the kind of performance we’d expect from someone soon to face the champ – especially when that champ is Penn. Maybe Maynard will be ready after a couple more wins, but he’s not ready now. Edgar, you’re up next!

UFC Fight Night 20 saw three TUF winners take to the cage, and Diaz wasn’t the only one of them to taste defeat. Efrain Escudero, the emerging star from TUF 8, came out strong against Evan Dunham, knocking him down and ground-and-pounding him in the opening round with the kind of fury that ends fights and makes fans. But Dunham proved to be one heck of a tough cat, and in Rounds 2 and 3 paid Escudero back in kind. The end came two minutes into the final frame, when, after a scramble, Dunham seized Escudero’s arm and extended it for the tap out.

Amir Sadollah, the winner of TUF 7, faired much better when he took on IFL veteran Brad Blackburn. Rocking his foe in the first and third and keeping up the pressure throughout, Sadollah’s Muay Thai had Blackburn on and off Queer Street again and again, and the Virginia-native’s positional dominance whenever it went to the ground only sealed the deal. He took the unanimous decision when time expired.

TUF 8 veteran Tom Lawlor came exceedingly close to finishing opponent Aaron Simpson in the first round after he tagged Simpson repeatedly in the dome, and though he slowed considerably in Round 2 and by Round 3 was exhausted, he seemed to have done enough to garner the decision. The judges inexplicably disagreed (sorry, but Simpson got his ass kicked), and awarded Arizona wrestler the split decision.

WEC’s move to PPV will likely be a bumpy ride

Everyone outside of Jamie Varner was all-smiles at WEC’s Sunday night event at Arco Arena in Sacramento. With a crowd of over 10,000 on a Sunday night, Sacramento delivered another excellent crowd for the return of Urijah Faber and the crowning of Ben Henderson as the WEC Lightweight champion. In the short-term, things look good for WEC. In the long-term, however, last night’s event displayed many future challenges the organization has in growing bigger from where they are now.

Reed Harris and matchmaker Sean Shelby, underling to UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, have made it clear that the organization will be on PPV in 2010. Strikeforce also intends to make its PPV debut later this year. In order to make a successful PPV, a lot of key ingredients are going to be needed to make it work. In addition to PPV, both promotions are going to be running many shows in new markets in hopes of creating and attracting new fans. Both promotions have major challenges, but WEC faces a much bigger uphill climb. Strikeforce is competing for market share with UFC, while UFC and those in the Zuffa family would love to see the public equate Strikeforce more with the smaller WEC.

The challenges for WEC’s long-term growth are going to be difficult, but not impossible to overcome. Last month, WEC’s telecast on Versus featuring Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliff drew roughly the same amount of viewers as Strikeforce’s telecast with Cung Le vs. Scott Smith on Showtime. For WEC on Versus to draw even with Strikeforce and Showtime, a pay channel, indicates that WEC has a lot of issues to address. There should be no reason whatsoever to draw the same amount of viewers as a pay channel. The ratings result indicated something alarming for both companies, which is that outside of the UFC brand right now there’s a limited amount of fans and those fans are going to be very picky about what they watch and why they watch it.

Which leads us to the many challenges that WEC faces in their expansion plans in 2010.

The first challenge deals with roster depth and the amount of quality fighters the promotion has. We’ve seen plenty of great MMA fights on free television over the last few years, but any promotion can book good-to-great fights using B or C-level fighters who have nothing to lose and will trade bombs left and right. It’s not exactly a nuanced position to state that there’s a difference between cultivating great fighters and booking fights that turn out entertaining. This principle was put on display perfectly with the UFC 108 event. The card was cursed and it wasn’t exactly a card that inspired fans to pay to watch it, but the fights themselves turned out to be fun to watch. UFC has a brand name and a track record, so they can get away with booking cards that are “entertaining” but don’t necessarily progress a lot of future storylines in matchmaking. With WEC, they are going to be an unknown commodity on PPV. There’s no PPV history there. The history of WEC in the Zuffa era is on Versus. So far there have been plenty of entertaining fighters on Versus telecasts, so why should people pay $30 or more to watch those same level of fights on PPV?

In a post-fight interview with Sherdog, Reed Harris was happy with the latest Sacramento event and tried to put a positive spin on the company’s future.

“Well, I was really happy with it. You know, at the end of the day it’s always about the fights. I mean, we can do everything we can as far as production and things like that but you know it’s up to the fighters to go out there and perform and I was very, very happy with the performances. I thought all the guys came in and you know nobody laid around, nobody just tried to you know eek out a win, everybody was going for it and that’s what we like to see.”

The second challenge with WEC is that the company puts on entertaining fights but you generally have to put up with some mediocre fights on the free telecasts to get the hot main event. As we’ve seen with UFC, there can be too much of a good thing and burn out becomes a real factor. WEC, at this point, does not have the volume of quality talent to be able to produce 4 PPVs a year. The company right now is dealing with challenges for putting on monthly cards on Versus, so you can only imagine the trouble that they will have with trying to produce stacked PPV cards. Unless, of course, UFC “loans” some fighters in their 155-pound Lightweight division and we can get some “super fights” featuring Urijah Faber vs. the UFC world.

Coming out of WEC’s event Sunday in Sacramento are the following programs: Ben Henderson as Lightweight champion (perhaps defending against Anthony Njokuani in the future), Donald Cerrone vs. Jamie Varner in a grudge match, and Urijah Faber vs. Jose Aldo for the Featherweight title. In March, there’s Brian Bowles vs. Dominic Cruz for the Bantamweight title. Looking on the outside-in are Mike Brown and Miguel Torres. Takeya Mizugaki lost in December and it was not good for matchmaking purposes. Chris Horodecki was going to be the young prodigy but he got his ass kicked by Njokuani in a humiliating fashion. Not since Kazuhiro Nakamura tried to remove his judo jacket during a fight with Wanderlei Silva have we seen a fighter lose a bout in such a dumb manner.

The problem with these programs is that outside of Faber, nobody on the roster is a fighter that you are willing to pay to watch on TV. Ben Henderson has provided some great highlights on Versus, but it’s doubtful that fans see him as a compelling main-eventer that they would be willing to watch on a similar level to Urijah Faber. Without Faber, WEC does not have a real crossover mainstream ace. Without Faber, they also don’t have hot markets in California to run in. Without Urijah Faber, they don’t have a hot Sacramento market — a market that is proving to be the one market so far that has made WEC look major league with big crowds. It’s only natural, then, that the company will have to center their first PPV around Faber vs. Aldo because it’s the only legitimate shot they have of making the business experiment work.

“I think Urijah’s certainly earned it,” exclaimed Harris on Sunday night. “I mean he lost to Mike Brown, obviously he broke both his hands and you know that was you know even though he took the loss I mean it was he sure put on a good performance and then tonight you know beating Assuncao, subbing Assuncao which we haven’t seen in WEC, I think Faber’s ready and I think the Aldo/Faber fight is what people want to see.

“I think that’s what we’re going to work towards, yeah, I think we’re going to try to headline that PPV show with Faber and Aldo, but again like I said at the press conference we want to have a deep card, we want to make sure that people really feel like they can’t miss and for that reason we’re going to build this card over the next couple months and when we announce it I think it’s going to be something that’s going to be very exciting to the public.”

It’s also going to be hard for WEC to sell #1 contender bouts like Donald Cerrone vs. Jamie Varner as PPV-worthy bouts, despite the fact that the two have natural heat with each other. It’s up in the air as to whether or not WEC pulls the trigger on booking that fight.

“Well you know without sounding evasive that is truly a call that Sean Shelby will make as our matchmaker. I would be OK with it. You know, when you’re, as a promoter, you know a lot of times there’s this angst created between fighters and things like that, with Cerrone and Varner there’s no creation there, I don’t have to do anything, all I have to do is step back and let them go at each other because they truly don’t like each other and so I would be more than willing to do that fight as long as Sean will give me permission to do it, so. Sean has to give me permission to do that fight, that’s right.”

With limited roster depth and a challenge of trying to make stars on the same level as Urijah Faber, WEC has enough challenges to deal with. However, the company’s bigger challenge is really their ownership. Their owners are Zuffa, the parent company of UFC. UFC at no point is going to allow WEC to overshadow them. WEC is an MMA property that has a contract with Versus and as long as WEC serves as a tool to keep Versus tied up with them for MMA programming, it means one less television outlet for Strikeforce or any would-be MMA competitor to strike a deal with. Reed Harris has plans for expanding WEC into Canada, Mexico, and possibly even Brazil. As a Trojan horse or a trial balloon, WEC does suit UFC’s needs just fine. However, WEC will never truly reach its potential unless they are removed from the Zuffa umbrella. It’s a catch 22 — WEC could really grow and become a giant player in MMA with Zuffa’s resources, but without Zuffa’s resources it would be hard for them to do the same thing as an independent promotion.

When you listen to Harris talk, he’s very excited and clearly he believes in what he is doing and what he is saying. He loves the fact that Sacramento is probably going to be WEC’s “home base” for Faber events in America. He feels like Canada and Mexico could be strong markets. As a salesman, Harris talks the talk as good as anyone.

“One of the things that I see is that California is I think a little ahead of the curve as far as MMA goes and then Sacramento is a little bit ahead of California even as far as MMA. We see really, really good crowds here. Obviously Urijah Faber’s very popular and I think the Sacramento area just of sports fans themselves, I mean they support the Kings. I was at the Kings game last night, they had a really, really good crowd so I think yeah we’ll make this a home and in this economy you know you are always looking for places you can you know hit in your tour of shows but the other thing we’re trying to do is we’re trying to go to Canada, you know we’re looking at doing a show in Mexico City, so we’re going to branch out but you want to always have those bases you can go back to.

“I know that there’s, I think about three places in Canada we’re looking at. I think Calgary, though, … is probably at the top of the list. Mexico City’s probably a little bit more difficult just because it’s you know obviously in Mexico and there’s issues with getting across the border, getting all the equipment, it’s more technical than really I think, as far as doing a fight there, we’d have a very successful fight. We have some of the greatest Hispanic fighters in the sport and I think if we rolled down there with Miguel Torres and some of those other guys, we’d do very well.

“With our new television deal you know we’re looking at doing some type of reality show at some point. I just see it growing, I mean, we only started doing the lighter weight fights in 2009 so it hasn’t been long and we’re already, we’re really truly known as the home of the best lightweight fighters in the world. I think we’re going to expand on that. You know, we talked about doing maybe another weight class (flyweight) at some point but I think we’re just going to focus on getting those lightweight guys out there and letting the public see them. Once they see them, I mean people that see the lighter weight fights really enjoy them and I had someone tell me the other day it’s like fast break MMA, you know, it’s like MMA fast-forwarded.”

It’s good that WEC has an identity. It’s good that WEC has at least one major-league ace with Urijah Faber. It’s good that the company wants to expand and grow the sport. The three major challenges they face are daunting. Two of them are not insurmountable. The third one may prove to be. Will Zuffa give WEC a fair amount of support or will WEC be forever stunted as a distant relative of UFC in business matters? With Zuffa’s resources, WEC has a shot on PPV. Without the full commitment and backing of Zuffa, it’s going to be impossible for WEC to make the push needed to grow as the #2 MMA company in the United States.

WEC 46: The Quest for Viability

There may have been a title on the line, a lightweight strap contested between two of the organization’s best 155 pounders, but really all eyes were on erstwhile ex-featherweight champ Urijah Faber, who was making his return to the cage after a six month hiatus brought about by two broken hands and a definitive loss to Mike Brown. At WEC 46 at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California, Jamie Varner found himself caught in the clutches of a Ben Henderson guillotine choke and was forced to tap out, and the man who took Faber’s belt, Brown, rebounded from his crushing defeat at the hands of 145-pound king Jose Aldo at WEC 44 to nail a choke of his own. But if the night was about anything, it was about hometown hero Faber, a fighter on a quest for championship viability, both of the superbout and pay-per-view variety.

It is, of course, no secret that pay-per-view is where the true money lies, and though the WEC has called the Versus channel home for some time now, talk of a business model that doesn’t rely on gate sales and broadcast rights fees has been tossed around seemingly forever. Yet the question has always been: who would headline the endeavor? Who among the top “little fighters” that the WEC specializes in would fans spend money to watch? As the promotion’s unabashed poster boy, “The California Kid” has almost consistently remained one half of the answer to that question – that is, until he lost his belt to Brown at WEC 36 and lost to Brown again at WEC 41. Three strikes may make you out in baseball, but two strikes in MMA is enough for fans and company executives alike to realize that Faber meeting Brown again would be pointless. But Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu master Jose Aldo’s addition to the equation breathed new life into those pay-per-view talks with his complete and utter destruction of Brown (actually, with his complete and utter destruction of everyone he’s faced). Going into WEC 46, facing highly-ranked Brazilian fighter Raphael Assuncao, the onus was then on Faber to make his potential role in a Faber/Aldo pairing viable.

It took him nearly three rounds to do it.

Wiser and less flamboyant with his risk taking, Faber engaged his opponent with his characteristic speed, throwing a panoply of strikes from every angle while Assuncao fired back with punches and tied former champ up against the cage. Round 1 was close, and although Faber managed to get Assuncao down in Round 2 and sink a tight guillotine, the Brazilian was quick to escape and remain a threat. It was the final frame, though, that proved to be the decisive one. With a lightning-fast scramble when Assuncao was rising to his feet, Faber took his opponent’s back, and in flash was securing the choke, the subsequent tap out over Assuncao – a quality foe – rendering Faber’s impending match-up with Aldo both a must-see superbout and a pairing worthy of pay-per-view. Faber’s quest for viability was successful.

It’s hard to accept the WEC’s lightweight division as anything more than second best with the UFC around, but it’s not hard to accept that Henderson has got skills – namely, submission skills, which he used to turn the tide of an arduous boxing match that Varner had the edge in. Halfway into Round 3 Varner ducked his head and shot, and that was all it took. One arm-in guillotine later and there was a tap out, and Henderson was champ.

Kamal Shalorus, an Iranian-born wrestler with raw power in his punches, proved to be too much for Team Quest rep Dave Jensen. Jensen may have wrestled in college, and may have possessed sharper hands, but he had nothing for Shalorus, who time and again rocked him with overhand rights and crosses and shucked off each takedown attempt with ease. Shalorus took the decision, and when time ran out, there was no debating whether he had earned it.

Brown got back on the winning track with a dominant performance over newcomer Anthony Morrison. Sporting a boxing and wrestling background and experience against some of the best in the business, Morrison is cut from a similar cloth as the American Top Team fighter. But Brown is the world’s number two-ranked featherweight for a reason, and in under two minutes he had Morrison down and tapping to a choke.

Deividas Taurosevicius is so tough and dangerous, opponents get injured just trying to pronounce his name. Mackens Semerzier – who pulled off a stunner when he triangled jiu-jitsu master Wagnney Fabiano at WEC 43 – did manage to avoid injury in that regard, but he had nothing when it came to Taurosevicius’ throws, and when time ran out it was two rounds of the former Lithuanian rugby player ground and pounding to one round of Semerzier returning the favor. The unanimous decision went to Taurosevicius.

Teleportation, Times Machines and Amir Sadollah

He entered into the competition with no fanfare, no fearsome reputation and no pro MMA bouts to his name, but unlike those who came before and after him – the credential wrestlers, the seasoned veterans and the King of the Cage and IFL champs –

Amir Sadollah won the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter” on pure moxie. And while some of the SpikeTV-broadcast reality show winners seem to have fallen by the wayside while others have shined, the jury is still out of the Richmond, Virginia native, who, thanks to injury, has only fought twice in the 18 months since the TUF 7 finale. What do we know of him thus far? Based on his submission wins on the show, we know Sadollah can grapple, and after his gutsy Muay Thai-heavy performance against Phil Baroni at UFC 106, we know he can strike. Perhaps after January 11th’s UFC Fight Night 20 in Fairfax, Virginia, where Sadollah is set to face IFL veteran Brad Blackburn, we’ll know more.

“For the most part, eighty-percent of the year I’m in Las Vegas, training and stuff,” says the 29-year-old, who now calls Xtreme Couture in Sin City his homebase – a fact that makes for one heck of a commute whenever he wants to see familiar faces. “I wish I had a teleportation device so I could go back and visit my family and friends instantly, but I don’t.”

Does Richmond’s proximity to Fairfax – it’s roughly a two-hour drive between them – mean more pressure to perform at UFC Fight Night 20? “I’m just excited to be fighting for the UFC anytime and anywhere it is,” says Sadollah. “I mean, I think there’s pressure in all fights, but not because it’s closer to home or anything. I will definitely have more family and my whole support network there.”

Other than shifting where he spends most of his time, has life changed much for Sadollah since winning the TUF competition? “A little bit. If I could go back in time and show myself what life would be like three years in the future, with the fights and Las Vegas and stuff…” and his voice trails off. “It changes things, to say the least. Not that I’m a celebrity or something, but people do come up and kind of talk to you on the street.” He adds, “I definitely have to be careful how I act in public.”

In Blackburn, Sadollah faces an opponent with over 25 fights on his resume, and his record includes knockouts over studs like Jay Hieron and Brazilian beast Delson Heleno and wars against Ryo Chonan and Chris Wilson. On paper, Sadollah should have his hands full. His thoughts on Blackburn?

“Tough guy. Should be a challenging fight, and I like challenging fights.”

What can fans expect from the man whose sambo skills enabled him to submit CB Dolloway twice with the same technique and whose striking skills saw him weather big punching Baroni’s best? “I don’t really go into fights with a mindset that I’m going to grapple or strike with someone,” says Sadollah. “I go into fights doing what I do better and go from there.”

Aside from a controversial loss at UFC 101 (a premature stoppage against Johny Hendricks), that modus operandi has worked for Sadollah. Time will tell if it holds up.

Urijah Faber lays out his 2010 plans

The tag line for WEC’s Sunday event at Arco Arena in Sacramento says “Varner vs. Henderson” for the WEC Lightweight Title. The truth is that the real main event of the evening is Urijah Faber’s come back in his hometown.

Local television ads during Maloof Production telecasts in the Sacramento market for Kings basketball games have focused on Faber’s return to the cage in his home area. Tickets are being promoted as being as “low” as $40. The building will absolutely be packed to watch Faber return for the first time since losing to Mike Brown last year in a re-match. That match saw Faber break both of his hands and yet string the fight out to a decision.

The WEC Featherweight division situation right now is fascinating. The top three fighters: Mike Brown, Urijah Faber, and Jose Aldo (champion), all seem like kryptonite to each other. Brown’s style is awful for Faber, Aldo’s style made Brown look like a chump, and Faber’s unique style could provide the big test that we have waited to see Aldo perform in the States. But first, Faber has to win his comeback fight and his opponent that night is Raphael Assuncao, who fights out of Atlanta.

On the various sportsbooks, Faber is a -510 favorite to win the fight. In other words, few people think Assuncao has a shot of winning. Faber admitted in a recent Sherdog interview that he is confident that he’s better than Assuncao but that the fight will be a war.

“Yeah, I’m really good man, I mean my hand is feeling great and Raphael is a tough dude but I’m ready for the battle, man, I can’t wait to get in there.

“I don’t think he’s going to be the guy who comes in and dominates. he’s extremely-well rounded, he’s a true mixed martial artist which you know he’s pretty good at everything and very good at some things but you know for me looking at him I think he’s pretty similar to me except I’m going to be a little bit better so I know he comes for a war all the time and I know that he’s always game wherever the fight’s at but I think I’m going to have a slight advantage in all the areas.

“Well, you know our strengths are grappling and then you know the stand-up and he’s got you know really good hands, really good kickboxing, but I think I’m a little bit faster and he’s not a big guy for the weight class like some of the other guys in the weight class so I think I might have a little bit of a strength advantage and when it comes to the grappling side of things he’s a jiu-jitsu guy and he’s had some really good wrestling but my wrestling’s top notch and I’ve added jiu-jitsu over the last six years and so I think I have an advantage there as well, so. Like I said, I think he’s a really good fighter and you know being ranked number 5 in the world is something that he’s earned but I think I’m going to be a great match-up and be a little bit better.”

There’s a lot at stake for Faber’s return in WEC. He had the option of going with Strikeforce but instead signed a new deal with Zuffa and had assurances made to him about the future of WEC in the next few years. Like most of the top WEC fighters, he wants to have more television and PPV exposure. There will be pressure on Faber to do well since he is fighting in Sacramento and conceivably, his fight with Assuncao is an eliminator to determine a new challenger for Jose Aldo’s Featherweight title.

Faber, in the Sherdog interview, denies that the pressure is on him because he’s fighting in Sacramento.

“No, just more motivation you know, the energy there’s awesome and being in my hometown is where I want to be. I think, you know, I don’t think it’s any more added pressure, just more motivation.

“I’ve stayed active the whole time I was injured and you know I was actually working on some different things … working on putting on some strength, and stuff like that, so I actually made some improvements in different areas and I came back to sparring you know better than ever. I was a little bit worried about my hands but it didn’t take long to test them out and they’re 100%.

“You know, I’m just kind of like an extreme optimist so I never even thought about that, I guess looking back at it it’s something that for some boxers has been you know could have been a career-ending injury but I never really thought about that and at this point I’m 100% recovered and things are looking good so but I didn’t let myself stress out about it.

“As far as the you know contenders out there, I think this is the fight that to see who is the number one contender and you know I had a very tough fight with Brown and faced some adversity in that fight and wasn’t able to do really have a 100% go on him with my hands beat up but at this point I think this fight is going to kind of determine the number one spot. I mean, I don’t know what the organization has planned for match-ups for Jose Aldo but I’d love to fight him and love to have the opportunity to get that belt back.”

Should Faber get a win over Assuncao, which he likely will, then all eyes will turn to a mega-fight against Jose Aldo. Aldo poses many problems to Faber — he’s just as fast, he’s just as quick, and he’s got knockout power and a great ground game. His tools are far different than the tools Mike Brown brought to the table and used to beat Faber. Brown used his wrestling and size to neutralize Faber’s physical style. Faber understands that Aldo will not only be the biggest fight of his career, but also his biggest challenge.

“Yeah, I think he’s another guy that matches up you know with me to make an exciting fight. He’s extremely fast and so am I and his stand-up’s incredible and we really didn’t get to see him too much on the ground but when we did see him he seems like he’s you dominant there as well so I think we’re both creative and we both come to fight so that would be another fight that the fans would be the winners in that one and as far as match-ups go, I think I’d be the guy that has the tools to get him.”

Faber has stated repeatedly that he wants Aldo and he wants to win back his Featherweight title. Despite the outcome of that fight, Faber’s options for opponents at Featherweight are getting thin.

“My goal is to get that belt and then I do think there’s some super fights for me out there (at 135 and 155 pounds).”

With potential fights against Jose Aldo, Miguel Torres, Brian Bowles, and WEC/UFC Lightweights, Faber is looking to make as much money as possible before the window on his career closes on him. The book on Faber is that he has trouble against bigger opponents, so moving down to 135 to fight Torres and Bowles might give him a better chance to win than jumping up to 155. Sure, there are some fighters at 155 pounds who are bigger names and bigger draws, but the risk of losing to them is also bigger than it would be fighting smaller opponents.

Given how strong and loyal his fan base is, Urijah Faber will have no trouble selling many fights in the next few years.

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