Anything MMA, except thumb wrestling

[Cooked Crack]

BTW, here is the card for UFC 70 so far:

-Mirko Cro Cop (#2 Heavyweight in the World)* vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

-Andrei Arlovski (#7 Heavyweight in the World)* vs. Fabricio Werdum (#8 Heavyweight in the World)*

-Ryoto Machida vs. Forrest Griffin

-Michael Bisping vs. Elvis Sinosic

-Assuerio Silva vs. Cheick Kongo

-Dennis Siver vs. Jess Liaudin

-Alessio Sakara vs. Victor Valimaki

-David Lee vs. TBA

Out of the top 3

I got Cro Cop, Werdum, Machida.

[Sebowski]

looks like Liddell-Rampage is on!!!

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news.asp?n_id=7015

May 16th.

If anyone hasn;t seen their last fight (Chuck's last loss) here it is:

Edited with English commentary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoMzRLGukxA

Full fight in Japanese

http://www.dailymotion.com/visited/search/liddell%2Brampage/video/x68cu_chuck-liddell-vs-quinton-jackson

I think it will be a good fight, but I have Chuck winning by KO. He is just too good right now. The only guy I see beating him is Shogun.

[herrmag]

looks like Liddell-Rampage is on!!!

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news.asp?n_id=7015

May 16th.

If anyone hasn;t seen their last fight (Chuck's last loss) here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoMzRLGukxA

I think it will be a good fight, but I have Chuck winning by KO. He is just too good right now. The only guy I see beating him is Shogun.

Actually, I think it is going to be a pretty fast fight. Rampage is no longer the "old Rampage". Wandy made him look silly in their last fight, and I think Chuck could KO Wandy in the first, so I don't really expect this fight to go past that round. Now, if Rampage decides to actually study his opponent, he might last to the second, but unlikely. He's going to get grazed or stunned once, and make the same mistake all of Chuck's opponents make; charge and get KTFO.

As for Rua; I honestly believe he'll lose to Chuck as well. I don't think anyone can beat him right now. Granted, his age is a factor, so if and when his body starts to degrade, it may happen quickly. After the 'page fight, he needs to do one of 3 things: Fight Wandy, fight Shogun, or move up to HW. Anything less would be a waste, and Dana would be a moron for not pushing him to do one of the three, and not setting up either the Rua/Silva fight.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Actually, I think it is going to be a pretty fast fight. Rampage is no longer the "old Rampage". Wandy made him look silly in their last fight, and I think Chuck could KO Wandy in the first, so I don't really expect this fight to go past that round. Now, if Rampage decides to actually study his opponent, he might last to the second, but unlikely. He's going to get grazed or stunned once, and make the same mistake all of Chuck's opponents make; charge and get KTFO.

As for Rua; I honestly believe he'll lose to Chuck as well. I don't think anyone can beat him right now. Granted, his age is a factor, so if and when his body starts to degrade, it may happen quickly. After the 'page fight, he needs to do one of 3 things: Fight Wandy, fight Shogun, or move up to HW. Anything less would be a waste, and Dana would be a moron for not pushing him to do one of the three, and not setting up either the Rua/Silva fight.

I agree it will be a fast fight, but it's because Rampage loses all his fights due to his mid-2nd round nap time. Even when he parries shots he throws those fists around like he's Roy Jones Jr. or something. This "blowout" everybody uses to describe his fight with Silva is a simple product of Rampage wanting to take a nap in the middle of the fight. He just decided to take it on the knees of Wanderlei. It was quite hilarious, actually. Rampage basically gave up.

You bring up a great point about Rampage and studying opponents. It's like his gameplan is to "go in there and BE RAMPAGE". Well, it's too late to figure out that it doesn't work when you're breathin from throwin missed bombs and getting kneed in the gut. It's really like he just gives up after his basic plan has been neutralized.

As far as Shogun, he is a very technically sound fighter. But I have yet to see him get his dome blasted around. Not sure of his record, but all I've ever seen from him is him coming out of the gate throwing a plethora of different strikes and takedowns. I'd like to see him walk to the other side of the ring one day like he owns it and get popped like Sylvia did against Couture. Shogun to me, is a quietly arrogant fighter. He knows he's talented and that only comes back to hurt you. One of those Karate Kid switch kicks are gonna get caught one day and he's gonna get punched. I'd like to see how he responds. He may be a true champion, or just hasn't been figured out yet.

As for Chuck, I'd hate to see him move up to heavyweight. The toll that would take on the longevity of his career would be large. It's hard on the body to move up in weight class, and it becomes a different game. I'd like to see him fight Silva and Shogun then have Rampage 3 as his swan song. That may just be me dreaming but hey, talk about a storybook ending...providing Chuck could win them all.

[herrmag]

As far as Shogun, he is a very technically sound fighter. But I have yet to see him get his dome blasted around. Not sure of his record, but all I've ever seen from him is him coming out of the gate throwing a plethora of different strikes and takedowns. I'd like to see him walk to the other side of the ring one day like he owns it and get popped like Sylvia did against Couture. Shogun to me, is a quietly arrogant fighter. He knows he's talented and that only comes back to hurt you. One of those Karate Kid switch kicks are gonna get caught one day and he's gonna get punched. I'd like to see how he responds. He may be a true champion, or just hasn't been figured out yet.

He's part of chutebox. He's an arrogant ****, though a talented arrogant ****. However, he's better served to fight Chuck in a cage than a ring. I don't think there's a fighter alive that can out punch Chuck right now. However, there may be a few (very select few) that can outstrike him with every facet (e.g. not just punches). Granted, Randy handled him in their first fight.....And might be able to again. There's something he's got that very few fighters have though. Supposedly after he finalized his divorce, he went back to training like he did just before Lidell/Couture I.

As for Chuck, I'd hate to see him move up to heavyweight. The toll that would take on the longevity of his career would be large. It's hard on the body to move up in weight class, and it becomes a different game. I'd like to see him fight Silva and Shogun then have Rampage 3 as his swan song. That may just be me dreaming but hey, talk about a storybook ending...providing Chuck could win them all.

Unless he's going to fight the best in the world at LHW, he has no business fighting as a LHW. He owns the UFC. Period. There are NO up and comers that have a shot. If GSP moves up, I still think he'll get KO'd, though I'd love to see it. Franklin has no shot ever. Anderson Silva moving up would be interesting, but I don't think he can do it and still be AS EFFECTIVE. I see him either fighting Rua, Wandy, Filopovic, Couture, or as his first HW match, Sylvia. He's had a stellar career. Go out in a blaze of glory!

[Cooked Crack]

I'm still riding for Page. Rampage might not be the same guy but it aint like Chuck has been fighting the best. Plus all the people he fights are wrestlers. Hopefully he gets of them drugs and gets serious about this fight.

[Cooked Crack]

From MMAWeekly.com:

MMAWeekly has confirmed with our own sources, including sources in Japan that are extremely close to the situation, that the deal has indeed been reached. From what we understand, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta have come to an agreement that would put Pride in their hands. But remember, that is an agreement, not a finalized transaction.

So Pride is suppose to be "officially" sold tomorrow to the Ferritas.

[herrmag]

From MMAWeekly.com:

MMAWeekly has confirmed with our own sources, including sources in Japan that are extremely close to the situation, that the deal has indeed been reached. From what we understand, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta have come to an agreement that would put Pride in their hands. But remember, that is an agreement, not a finalized transaction.

So Pride is suppose to be "officially" sold tomorrow to the Ferritas.

I really hope this isn't true, but unfortunately, THIS TIME, I think the rumors are. This kinda sucks, as UFC will have no legitimate competition. However, it's cool because now maybe we'll see Chuck/Wandy/Rua in the near future. I assume they'll keep the organizations separate (ala WEC), but I'm curious how they'll determine who fights whom under which org.

[Sebowski]

Looks like this is going to happen!

Sherdog:

PRIDE CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara informed staff inside the Japanese promoter's Los Angeles office Wednesday that he was stepping down as part of an agreement to sell the company to Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, who own the UFC.

According to a report by Dave Meltzer at wrestlingobserver.com, Sakakibara suggested only minor points separate the deal, which Sherdog.com first rumored on Monday, from reaching its conclusion. No contract has been signed, the report said.

While Sakakibara appears to be leaving a company he's been a part of since its inception in 1997, the man who stepped in as PRIDE CEO after Naoto Mori****a committed suicide told his staff that the company would remain intact and autonomous from the UFC, but that hurdles no longer remain between UFC versus PRIDE cards, Meltzer reported.

-----------

This is unbelievable news and I am very excited.

Heavyweight implications:

Hopefully this does not soil a Fedor Barnett fight that I have been waiting a long time for.

Love to see Nog-Randy

Love to see Hunt-Sylvia. Both Super Heavywieghts. Tim wouldn;t have to worry about cutting weight.

Love to see Sylvia got killed by Barnett and Nog.

Aleks-Arlovski would be great.

Light Heavyweights:

Chuck vs any of these guys: Shogun, Silva, Henderson, Arona

Middleweights:

Anderson Silva and Rich Franklin against: Kang, Filhio, Baroni

Edit: This is also great news for Pride GP fans. The talent pool for thise tournaments just doubled

[Chachie]

This is unbelievable news and I am very excited.

Heavyweight implications:

Hopefully this does not soil a Fedor Barnett fight that I have been waiting a long time for.

Love to see Nog-Randy

Love to see Hunt-Sylvia. Both Super Heavywieghts. Tim wouldn;t have to worry about cutting weight.

Love to see Sylvia got killed by Barnett and Nog.

Aleks-Arlovski would be great.

Light Heavyweights:

Chuck vs any of these guys: Shogun, Silva, Henderson, Arona

Middleweights:

Anderson Silva and Rich Franklin against: Kang, Filhio, Baroni

Edit: This is also great news for Pride GP fans. The talent pool for thise tournaments just doubled

The matchup possibilities are awesome!

[Jaded-Dragon]

Wow. Just wow. I did not see that one coming at all. I agree that the prospects for fights just became incredible. The only real question is, are they going to change Pride rules to not allow stomps and things of that nature? And like someone else already asked, if we are to see a match up like Fedor vs Sylvia or something of that nature, what determines the rule set used and the venue? Pride ring or the Octagon?

[Cooked Crack]

<- Not a fan of MMA monopoly. If they change Pride rules then I'll be even more mad. The UFC needs to be trying to get those type of rules.

Oh yeah, how does Diego Sanchez fail a drug test (marijuana) in Dec and we only hear about it now? (http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=3653&zoneid=13)

[Baculus]

This has been rumored for months, but perhaps indeed this will actually take place. The deal has yet to be 100% completed, so we will see what will happen.

I actually prefer PRIDE's rules and ring format, so I hope they do not make any changes. But I don't see PRIDE actually being changed that much - that fighting organization has too many fans for drastic changes to be made.

And as someone mentioned, just think about the fantasy MMA match-ups. Wow. This will be either the best or the worst thing that has ever happened for Mixed Martial Arts.

[SkinsOrlando]

I prefer the cage to the ring, something about the fence makes it better for me. Pride rules in the cage would kick ass, wait and see at this time though.

[Jaded-Dragon]

I prefer the cage to the ring, something about the fence makes it better for me. Pride rules in the cage would kick ass, wait and see at this time though.

That's what I would say too. Pride rules in the Octogon. But, the UFc is already being attacked for being so brutal, I can only imagine the backlash that would occur after someone gets their teeth stopped down their throat.

[Chachie]

I don't care how they sort it out. I just want to see better matchups. One would think Don King has been running UFC.

How about a 16-man battle royal?

[Chachie]

BTW- has anyone been checking out The International Fight League? There are a few good prospects there.

[Sebowski]

That's what I would say too. Pride rules in the Octogon. But, the UFc is already being attacked for being so brutal, I can only imagine the backlash that would occur after someone gets their teeth stopped down their throat.

Sale is official. Looks like the rules will be unified to match the UFC (NSAC approved) rules, but everything else will stay the same. Pride will keep their ring and their scoring system when fighting in Japan.

[Jaded-Dragon]

Sale is official. Looks like the rules will be unified to match the UFC (NSAC approved) rules, but everything else will stay the same. Pride will keep their ring and their scoring system when fighting in Japan.

Well, that's only mostly lame. They should at the very least look to change the rules about kneeing a downded opponent. I think that rule bugs me the most. I can deal with the stomping thing.

[Cooked Crack]

Sale is official. Looks like the rules will be unified to match the UFC (NSAC approved) rules, but everything else will stay the same. Pride will keep their ring and their scoring system when fighting in Japan.

That is so lame. No more knees? This is a step in the wrong direction.

[Chachie]

here is the new ESPN reprt about it:

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/news/story?id=2814235

NEW YORK -- The majority owners of Ultimate Fighting Championship have agreed to buy their biggest mixed martial arts rival, Pride Fighting Championships, in a deal that will establish megafights among the outfits' titleholders and possibly attract huge pay-per-view audiences.

"This is really going to change the face of MMA. Literally creating a sport that could be as big around the world as soccer. I liken it somewhat to when the NFC and AFC came together to create the NFL."

-- Lorenzo Fertitta, one of UFC's majority owners

Company executives declined to comment on the sales price, but a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that brothers Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta will purchase the Japan-based Pride for less than $70 million. The person was not authorized to speak to reporters and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The deal was completed Tuesday and was announced during a news conference in Tokyo, where Lorenzo Fertitta has been negotiating with Nobuyuki Sakakibara, the majority owner and chief executive of Dream Stage Entertainment Inc., Pride's owner.

"We have been talking to Pride for probably about 11 months," Lorenzo Fertitta said. "It's been a long, drawn-out process but we finally were able to put the two brands together."

To buy the company, the brothers created a new entity called Pride FC Worldwide Holdings LLC. The newly formed company will take over Pride assets, including its trademarks, video library and valuable roster of fighters, from Dream Stage. The Fertitta brothers, who own Las Vegas-based Zuffa LLC, the parent company of UFC, intend to keep the well-known Pride name and promote fights under that brand.

The acquisition marks a new phase in the brothers' quest to dominate the burgeoning world of mixed martial arts since they bought the struggling UFC in 2001.

"This is really going to change the face of MMA," Lorenzo Fertitta said. "Literally creating a sport that could be as big around the world as soccer. I liken it somewhat to when the NFC and AFC came together to create the NFL."

The deal allows the Fertitta brothers to broker the biggest MMA fights possible in the near future, increasing their influence in this sports entertainment business.

"We will be able to literally put on the fights that everyone wants to see," Lorenzo Fertitta said. "It will allow us to put on some of the biggest fights ever."

In the past, there has been at least one case in which Pride and UFC couldn't hammer out a deal to put their top fighters in the ring together. With Pride in their pocket, the Fertitta brothers intend to ensure that never happens again.

The sale gives Pride more financial backing to expand the business internationally after suffering a recent financial blow.

Major sponsor Fuji Television Network Inc. dropped Pride in June after a tabloid linked Pride to the Japanese mob -- something Sakakibara has denied vigorously. To help bolster Pride, the company staged two PPV fights in Las Vegas. Neither was a financial success. The fights gained exposure for Pride but lost money, making the sale of Pride more likely.

"I think it certainly weakened their position," Lorenzo Fertitta said. "One of our goals is to get back on a major platform back here in Japan."

Lorenzo Fertitta said he'll be looking to expand Pride internationally.

Buying Pride is the latest in a series of acquisitions that the brothers have made in the last six months. Zuffa snapped up World Extreme Cagefighting and World Fighting Alliance last year.

Similar to Pride, buying WFA gave UFC the rights to a popular fighter named Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Jackson will face UFC's most popular fighter, Chuck Liddell, the current light heavyweight champ in Las Vegas, on May 26 on PPV.

In the combat world, the Pride deal leaves a fragmented group of upstarts and K-1, another Japanese company that promotes fighters skilled in various forms of kick boxing.

Thanks to a surge in popularity, the brothers' investment in UFC and MMA in general has begun to pay off.

Last year, UFC cracked $200 million in PPV revenue, putting it on par with World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.

UFC stages fights in arenas across the country and airs a clutch of successful television shows on Spike TV. It has also opened an office in London, looking toward establishing itself internationally.

The brothers also run Station Casinos Inc. in Las Vegas. Lorenzo Fertitta is president and Frank Fertitta is chairman and chief executive of Station Casinos, a public company that was recently agreed to be purchased by a private equity investor group that includes key members of the Fertitta family.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

That is so lame. No more knees? This is a step in the wrong direction.

Pride and UFC let you knee your opponent. Do you mean knees on the ground? Kneeing on the ground can be brutal, but I hope UFC doesn't start softening up the brutality 10-fold.

[Cooked Crack]

Pride and UFC let you knee your opponent. Do you mean knees on the ground? Kneeing on the ground can be brutal, but I hope UFC doesn't start softening up the brutality 10-fold.

I think people know what I mean when I said no more knees. Kneeing on the ground is essentail. If you're going to go for the takedown, you're going to have to work for it instead of just putting your knees on the ground.

[Sebowski]

Well, that's only mostly lame. They should at the very least look to change the rules about kneeing a downed opponent. I think that rule bugs me the most. I can deal with the stomping thing.

The goal is is to unify the rules. That is the priority, and it makes sense. Dana White is on record as saying he likes knees on the ground. However he and the UFC are bound by whatever the Nevada Athletic State Commission asks, and they don;t like knees on the ground because they are a boxing association that does MMA on the side and they don't know what they are doing. Until these athletic commissions start getting educated on MMA there won't be knees to the head in the US which means that in order to maintain a consistency in rules, Pride can't allow them either. It sucks, but I think it will eventually change.

here is the new ESPN reprt about it:

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/news/story?id=2814235

Just a pet peeve of mine: It is an AP report, not an ESPN report. They are just putting it on their site (which is good news).

[lovetoaster]

BTW- has anyone been checking out The International Fight League? There are a few good prospects there.

I have been watching it from time to time. I was skeptical at first as to what the quality would be, but from what I have seen, it has been pretty good.