Dana White and UFC Straining to Find Headline Fights for the Fall
by Kid Nate on Sep 8, 2009 11:43 PM EDT
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Zak Woods breaks it down:
Sprinkled throughout all the events were leaks and reports about the UFC's fourth quarter schedule, which appeared equally stacked. Shane Carwin became the number one heavyweight contender and will fight Brock Lesnar at UFC 106. UFC 104 still had a light heavyweight title fight between Lyoto Machida and "Shogun" Rua plus Ben Rothwell will make his UFC debut against Cain Velasquez.
But the schedule lost much of its luster in these past few days. B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez went from headlining a free event on Spike to being the main event of UFC 107; not to mention that the rumored network television deal they were suppose tot headline has all but evaporated. "Rampage" Jackson bailed on his fight with Rashad Evans for the A-Team and UFC 105 is still without a main event. Then there is Anderson Silva's sudden elbow surgery and the muddled welterweight division limping towards finding a number one contender for the injured Georges St. Pierre.
UFC fight cards were never suppose to be about star power but rather talent laden cards with exciting fights. Certainly the UFC will still put on excellent fight cards but the loss of a main event, television deal and other events takes some of the wind out of Zuffa's sails.
Dave Meltzer adds another woe to the litany:
Two of the company’s five champions are on the sidelines due to injury: Middleweight champion Anderson Silva is out until early next year with elbow surgery and welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is out with a torn abductor muscle, likely until February.
Just a few weeks ago Dana White was celebrating the downfall of Affliction and seemingly outmaneuvering his rival Scott Coker in acquiring their video library and fighter contracts. For a moment it seemed as if Dana White would lock up two of his long time targets: Fedor Emelianenko, the USAT/SBN Consensus MMA rankings' uncontested #1 heavyweight; and a network television deal.
One of those goals has definitively slipped through his fingers (for three fights anyway) and the other seems to be receding into the distance.
Honestly, with the run of bad luck the UFC has been hitting with their headliners lately, a network deal would only add to Dana's worries.
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Not really concerned. PPV buys do the talking. Every time the experts say we are going to have a bad card….BAMM a great card. The cards will still be 4 times deeper than anything any other promotion can put on.
I would take UFC events every weekend with super cards once a month. I just like watching fighters fight. I don’t need BJ/GSP or Lesnar/Fedor to be interested. I like fights, period.
by Riney on Sep 8, 2009 10:30 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
My opinion is this is all overblown by Meltzer.
106 will do huge numbers. 107 with BJ/Diego and maybe Mir/Nog 2 will do very well. They are trying to get Rampage to agree to be the main event of the New Year’s show with a UFC Primetime show, which would be another million buy + show.
They have to jump through a bunch of hoops to make it work, but they’ll be okay. It’s more just a lesson of what will happen if they really go to 3 shows a month. They can’t do it, too many injuries and unforseen situations.
I hope so!
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Sep 8, 2009 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions
It doesn’t do anything for their problems with main events. It just helps them fill out undercards, which isn’t their issue right now. Maybe it would make sense if they did a TUF season of 135 and 145 and could get all of WEC’s non-champ fighters to go in by paying them off.
by Michael Rome on Sep 8, 2009 10:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, way to jump to conclusions, get it? Jump…to conclusions!
Seriously though, Meltser is overblowing this. The UFC will be fine. 105 should be free if anything. Everything else is stacked.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Sep 8, 2009 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Meltzer only wrote the part about Silva and GSP being out.
Nov and early Dec will be lean, then the first quarter of 10 will be loaded again. Page/Evans, GSP returning, Couture ready to fight, Liddell returning in April or so.
Best laid plans of mice and men and all that stuff.
Nov and early Dec will be lean
If Brock Lesnar, Tito Ortiz, and BJ Penn (plus hopefully Mir/ Nog 2) is considered “lean” then I think they’re in pretty good shape.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
by ufc4 on Sep 8, 2009 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
exactly
whats all the fuss about? they’ll be fine… this isn’t that big of a deal
by cagefightonacid on Sep 8, 2009 11:53 PM EDT up reply actions
That was what I was saying all along. The logistics of putting 3 shows a month is just too much. Too many injuries, health issues, movies, etc, to make it all work how you want it to work. MMA is too erratic for that type of a turnaround.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Sep 8, 2009 11:39 PM EDT up reply actions
The logistics of putting 3 shows a month is just too much.
Hell, the logistics of putting on 3 shows in their entire existance was too much for your beloved Affliction.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
by ufc4 on Sep 8, 2009 11:42 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
Keep trying to kick that football Charlie Brown.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Sep 9, 2009 1:36 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
glad ur not going after me
I don’t think we are looking at a desert, but the winter was looking like it could be the hanging gardens of Babylon now its more like business as usual. Not necessarily a bad thing but the fact that there was build up and then a let down still sucks
watchkalibrun.com
The UFC isn’t straining to do anything, all you have to do is look at the actual card from UFC 103 t0 UFC 107 and you can see the UFC is trying to stack everything.
Some events will of course be more stacked and have bigger names than others that just how things are when you do so many events.
But the idea that with UFC 104 and 106 already set there is supposedly any bad news when it comes the rest of the year that’s simply wrong.
UFC 105
Date: Nov 14, 2009
Location: Manchester, England
Venue: Manchester Evening News Arena
Broadcast: Spike TV
•Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. TBA*
•Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang
•Dan Hardy vs. Dong Hyun Kim
•Matt Brown vs. James Wilks*
•Terry Etim vs. Shannon Gugerty*
•Ross Pearson vs. Aaron Riley*
•DaMarques Johnson vs. Peter Sobotta*
•Roli Delgado vs. Andre Winner*
If they get Nogueira a good matchup (Dan Henderson has been discussed) then it will be decent but I sure wouldn’t call it “stacked”.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
What i'm getting at is
It’s stacked for a free show. Certainly more so than any free strikeforce show ever.
I think it’s funny that this got posted shortly after the Davis/Saunders fight just got added to an already STACKED 106 card. I don’t think the UFC is really “straining” for much of anything, except finding a headliner for 105.
by Screwface on Sep 8, 2009 11:33 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
I think they mean UFC 107+.
106 is stacked to the brim. What are the title fights coming up after BJ/Diego? No GSP or A.Silva. No Rashad or Rampage. The three other title fights are taken care of. There are tolerable matchups out there, but none that could really do well after 107. Mir/Nog2, Hughes/??, Couture at 205. That’s all I can think of off the top of my head.
Well they are trying to get Rashad/Rampage for 108, then GSP should be ready for 109 and A Silva should be ready around that time too.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
Alan Belcher v Sexyama II could fit in nicely somewhere, too.
by Screwface on Sep 8, 2009 11:42 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I know, I actually had the fight 29-28 Belcher, but that’s neither here nor there. Akiyama and Maia might be intriguing, too, especially if Akiyama is considering being a challenger in the UFC.
by Screwface on Sep 8, 2009 11:59 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I was thinking about that also, I mean it’s not like Maia had a long, grueling fight against Marquardt. I think it would be a great matchup.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
Akiyama’s judo and wrestling top-control WOULD be a good matchup against Maia’s amazing BJJ. I’m already excited for a fight that doesn’t exist yet, as far as we know, anyway.
by Screwface on Sep 9, 2009 12:11 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Plus, the article references the fights upcoming for “Fall.” Anything after 106 is in the deep throes of Winter, not Fall.
by Screwface on Sep 8, 2009 11:46 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
R/R aint happening at 108. They were scheduled for 107 (December 12th) and Rome says a 2-3 month extension so that’s Feb-March. GSP-Kampmann or GSP-Swick is Bleh. I don’t know when Silva is coming back but they have to sort out Hendo/Marquardt too.
They are trying to get Rampage to agree to be the main event of the New Year’s show with a UFC Primetime show, which would be another million buy + show.
Quote from Rome, above. ^ ^ ^
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
3 week movie shoot? I’ve never shot a movie but that seems very little for a main character. Maybe they’ll shorten the training camp with a little extra $$.
Rampage is already in Vancouver for the shoot. UFC is working overtime to try to get it for 108. Again I don’t know why people worry about this stuff so much. If it doesn’t come together on that show, another show will end up being more stacked early next year. Sometimes things just don’t work out by certain dates.
Anyone worried for a company making money hand over fist should chill out a second. They are doing better than ever. I wouldn’t worry about it.
by Michael Rome on Sep 8, 2009 11:52 PM EDT up reply actions
We’re MMA fans. We like to follow the latest trends and news, play Fantasy Matchmaker,etc.. The fight is GOING to happen at some point. I’m just trying to think what the UFC’s plans are for 108 (Vegas 1/2) if they can’t book R/R. I’m sure they have Backups.
If they don’t have it, they have a couple options. They could try to get Machida to fight again, though 10 weeks is a tough rebound…they can always pay him off. Or they could shutter the Dec. 12 card and move Penn to the New Year’s. I think Randy will be the co-main, Rich Franklin and Matt Hughes may be around, and maybe GSP will be ready?
They’ll find a way to make it work.
by Michael Rome on Sep 9, 2009 12:00 AM EDT up reply actions
The shoot is going to be over in October. If they wanted to be real pricks they wouldn’t have even moved the original fight.
It will be very possible for Rampage to just jump into the gym and be ready for New year’s or teh Super Bowl with a normal training camp.
The movie will probably keep Rampage in some sort of shape, so I don’t think it’s asking too much to move the fight back a month or two.
Rashad/Rampage is going to be a bigger draw than any title match.
GSP’s manager says he’s back for Superbowl. And Anderson will be back in Feb, then Lesnar comes up, etc.
by Michael Rome on Sep 8, 2009 11:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Do you stack the Super Bowl Show?. That’s usually first week in Feb which puts it 2 months out of 107. I just cant get excited for a GSP-Kampmann/Swick fight even if it’s on the Super Bowl. From BJ(94?) to Swick is a big drop off.
It’s just a show. I don’t see why everything needs to be a year over year comparison. If you do that, Machida/Shogun blow Cote/Silva out of the water. Sometimes the timing doesn’t work out exactly the same year to year. Next year we may have a Lesnar defense in March as opposed to Rampage/Jardine this year. I don’t see why it’s something to worry about.
The days of “stacked” shows are over if they’re really doing 3 shows a month. They’ll be spreading out their main events.
by Michael Rome on Sep 8, 2009 11:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Kevin Iole Wrote this in a reply in mailbag
I spoke to Ed Soares, Silva’s manager, and contrary to published reports, Silva has not had surgery on his elbow and is not in any way incapable of fighting in November if he’s offered a fight.
Wow, interesting. That’s another option for New Year’s. Makes you wonder what the real deal is, and if Anderson just wants to avoid a UK show.
by Michael Rome on Sep 9, 2009 12:04 AM EDT up reply actions
Hmmmmmmmmm.............
Silva fighting on the card the UFC is planning to counter Strikeforce with?
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
It’s more than likely the latter. He doesn’t make a lot in PPV percentages if the card isn’t on PPV.
by Screwface on Sep 9, 2009 12:15 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Either they’re saving Anderson for new year’s, or they’re trying to get him on the rumored November network show we all assumed was dead? Who knows, this throws a wrench in everything.
Add another weightclass..
Seems like now is the perfect time to add a 195lb or 235lb weight class/championship, and absorb the WEC.
by Miketsi on Sep 9, 2009 1:21 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
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