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By Anthony De Franco  March 11, 2010, at 3:31 pm  Whenever someone is cut from the UFC, the first thing out of their mouth is normally, “I’ll be back before you know it.” The reality is that most of these guys won’t be seen on the big stage again. However, when someone does deserve a second chance, I think it’s important that we highlight it and take notice.
Yves Edwards made his UFC debut at UFC 33 against Matt Serra. He fought 10 times for the promotion with a record of 6-4. He ended his run on a two fight losing streak and the final straw was a loss to Joe Stevenson. Since then, Edwards has been busy, and I think that it’s time that Dana White and Joe Silva start thinking about bring the master of Thug-Jitsu back.
He is 6-4 since leaving the octagon. Of those four losses, Mike Brown, Jorge Masvidal, KJ Noons and Duane Ludwig all are top level talent. Are they elite talent? No, but these are guys who are on, or above Edwards talent level. More recently, he is has won his last three and has won all of them via stoppage.
Should we run to bring Edwards back because he is going to be a champ anyday now? Nope. However, in a world where Zuffa is putting on more and more cards and needs talent, they should be taking a look at some of these “retread” guys that they left behind. Some of them can fight, and if nothing else, Edwards could put on an exciting undercard on a Spike TV card. No one is saying is a going to beat B.J. Penn, but there is room for Edwards on the roster.
If Edwards wins two more, than I say we bring him back.
losses, champ, left behind, thug, second chance, tv card, stoppage, octagon, losing streak, joe stevenson, ufc, jorge masvidal, spike tv, final straw, matt serra, kj noons, yves edwards, joe silva, dana white, duane ludwig,
By Jason Comack January 18, 2010, at 6:47 pm News is coming in fast and furious today. The long rumored UFC 112 card in Abu Dhabi now seems to be all but offical as a venue has been secured for the event.
Marcus Mera of Cagefashion.com has the scoop via Twitter:
UFC has a location for Abu Dhabi event! I just confirmed it!! Renzo heading out for media tour next week!
Not sure how reliable the source is but all signs were pointing in this direction anyway. The exact venue remains to be seen. Dana White in an interview with Ariel Helwani had suggested that his new found investors would be building a stadium for him.
By Jason Comack January 6, 2010, at 9:41 pm Sometimes, a fighter hits a point in his career where he just can’t seem get any momentum going. Sometimes, it’s a couple of losses that buries him. Sometimes, it’s a string of decision victories. In the Career Crossroads series, we’ll take a look at how these fighters can break out of their funks.
How can the fighter I consider the number two welterweight in the world be at a career crossroads?
Simple.
He can’t beat GSP and more importantly he’s not getting any better.
At 31 years of age, Fitch shouldn’t be at his peak. Hell, Randy Couture improved well into his late 40’s. For some reason Fitch has hit a glass ceiling that he can’t breakthrough. He’s a great wrestler, as Joe Rogan likes to remind us he was the captain of the Purdue wrestling team, and he has great jiu-jitsu (both offensive and defensive.) He’s big, strong, with off the charts cardio, but his striking game has never caught up to his wrestling. In lot ways he’s Matt Hughes V 2.0 and simply put in modern MMA that doesn’t get you as far as it use to.
So what do you do if your Jon Fitch?
- Stay The Course.
Fitch currently trains with ‘Kos, Swick and the rest of the American Kickboxing Academy crew and keeps taking toughest fights possible. And staying the course certainly isn’t a bad option but I’m not sure its the most sensible. If your Jon Fitch are you really learning anything new from Bob Cook? Are ‘Kos and Swick teaching you anything new? Are they able to push you to the next level? Fitch’s last few fights prove the answer to the question is a resounding “no.”
If Fitch continues on the path he’s on I’m not sure it ends well. His last few fights have been lackluster. Yes, he’s won but it feels like another day at the office when Fitch fights. He grinds out a decision and plays it safe. While that’s a sound strategy its not going to endear him to the fans or the UFC brass. Guys like Matt Lindland, Yushin Okami and others were denied big time fights because of their fighting style. Think about it from Joe Silva or Dana White’s perspective. Why are you going to book Fitch in fights against top contenders? What’s the point in having Fitch keep knocking off your top prospects? No one is going to be interested in GSP/Fitch II, especially if Fitch gets the dreaded lay-n-pray label. Why would you let him kill the title hopes of a prospect. Call it the Dan Hardy corollary. Its no coincidence Hardy never fought Fitch and its because Fitch would most likely win.
So what can Fitch do?
- Find a new camp.
If you don’t believe that training camps matter you aren’t paying close enough attention. Watch Joe Stevenson pre and post Greg Jackson. Look at the difference in Kenny Florians game after just one training camp with Firas Zahabi. The difference is insane. Fitch needs to get with a real boxing coach like Peter Welsch, Mark DellaGrotte or even Freddie Roach.
- Move To 185.
If Fitch moved to 185 where would he rank? I think he’d easily be in the top 10 and probably around Chael Sonnens level. Moving to 185 would be easy for Fitch as he’s already a big strong wrestler. There would be be tons of interesting fights for him (Maia, Sonnenn, Marquadt, Miller) and even a potential showdown with Anderson Silva. It’s rare that moving up in weight can re-invent a fighters career but in a lot of ways Fitch’s situation is similar to the one Rich Franklin had.
- Leave The UFC.
Once upon a time this seemed crazy…now it doesn’t. Dan Henderson has already set the precedent. If Fitch went to Strike Force he would immediately be their best welterweight and one of their best middleweights. He could match up with Sheilds, a great fight, Heiron, Nick Diaz and even Dan Henderson. Don’t forget it was not too long ago that Fitch was cut from the UFC in a dispute over retaining his likeness if the UFC Video Game.
Regardless of what option he chooses its clear to me that Fitch needs to shake things up. If he doesn’t he’ll always be number two.
By Jason Comack January 5, 2010, at 11:03 pm Back in December Lorenzo Fertitta testified before a house judiciary committee that streaming video was directly affecting UFC pay-per view buys.
“Just last month, the broadcast of UFC 106 from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, had over 271 unauthorized streams with over 140,000 views, and those are only the ones that our anti-piracy team and consultants identified,” Fertitta told the committee. “There were likely more streams that we simply couldn’t find.”
It doesn’t take a math major to realize that 140,000 people at $50-$55 a pop is a lot of lost revenue. The bigger problem is what can the UFC do about it? It’s hard to shut down the hosting website because technically speaking that site doesn’t directly host the illegal stream.
Justin.tv, was represented at the hearing by its CEO, Michael Seibel. Justin.tv maintains that it doesn’t attempt to facilitate illegal Internet piracy, and that it works with copyright owners to take unauthorized streams down.
It’s a lot like Youtube in that sense, it’s just a home for user generated content. Like Youtube, when copyrighted content appears it just as quickly disappears. No one is going to make the case that Youtube, which is as recognizable an entity as Google, is a pirate friendly website.
The Internet is a giant gray area and there is really no precedent for anything happening with technology these days. The closest thing we have to go on is Napster. When Napster was shut down it changed the way people downloaded music. It brought along I-Tunes as well as the “torrent” era. It also brought along the era of individual persons being sued for their illegal downloads.
But streaming copyrighted video, say streaming a UFC, is different then downloading a song on Napster…isn’t it?
Not if the UFC has it’s way.
MMAJunkie.com posted a story earlier today outlining White’s plan to go after individuals who stream UFC events.
Mixed martial arts fans who watch pirated internet content could soon be pressed against the cage says the president of an industry-leading fight promotion. In a move that could signal a sea change in the viral presence of MMA — the burgeoning sport of caged pugilism — Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, said his company is readying a legal assault on individuals and websites that deal in unauthorized content.
“When people start going to jail, people will stop doing it,” White said.
“It’s going to be a battle, man,” White said. “It’s going to be a battle, but I’m ready to [expletive] fight.
“We’re gonna go after them, we’re gonna go after them hard, and we’re gonna hurt them.”
Lawrence Epstein, the UFC’s general legal counsel, said the company could subpoena websites that carry illegal content for the IP addresses and user information of people who watch and download UFC fights, though he declined to say when that would happen.
“We’re looking at all of our legal options, and I wouldn’t rule out anything when it comes to fighting this problem,” Epstein said.
White said the UFC’s anti-piracy team monitors illegal streams during events and aggressively pursues offending websites, though he admitted suing websites and individuals would be a costly effort.
“[Piracy] hasn’t cost us anything compared to what it’s going to cost us to go after these guys,” White said. “It’s gonna cost us a lot of money, but guess what — it’s gonna cost them a lot of money. It’s gonna get to the point where it’s like, you know what, [expletive] it, maybe we shouldn’t pirate MMA any more.
Now I can understand the urge to take on sites like Justin.tv, Veelte.com, Channelsurfing.net among others. Where things get hairy is when White says he’ll attack the individual. Now this could very well be an empty threat but it’s one I found very interesting. The legality of streaming a UFC event is greatly different then hosting or downloading a UFC torrent. On a website like Veetle.com you are streaming from a users Web-cam or TV Card. Can you, the viewer, be held directly responsible for what that person is streaming? If I go Veetle.com right now I would have the option of streaming the Orange Bowl. But what if the person controlling that channel put on a PPV stream suddenly. Is that my responsibility?
Of course Veetle.com has a Terms Of Use that covers things on their end:
- B. The Veetle Website may contain links to third party websites that are not owned or controlled by Veetle. Veetle has no control over, and assumes no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third party websites. In addition, Veetle will not and cannot censor or edit the content of any third-party site. By using the Website, you expressly relieve Veetle from any and all liability arising from your use of any third-party website.
- C. Accordingly, we encourage you to be aware when you leave the Veetle Website and to read the terms and conditions and privacy policy of each other website that you visit.
- G. You understand that when using the Veetle Website, you will be exposed to User Submissions from a variety of sources, and that Veetle is not responsible for the accuracy, usefulness, safety, or intellectual property rights of or relating to such User Submissions. You further understand and acknowledge that you may be exposed to User Submissions that are inaccurate, offensive, indecent, or objectionable, and you agree to waive, and hereby do waive, any legal or equitable rights or remedies you have or may have against Veetle with respect thereto, and agree to indemnify and hold Veetle, its Owners/Operators, affiliates, and/or licensors, harmless to the fullest extent allowed by law regarding all matters related to your use of the site.
Sifting through the Veetle.com legal mumbo-jumbo was an adventure but what I gathered is that Veetle is protected from legal action in the event of copyright infringement but the host of said video isn’t. In no explicit terms does it ever really discuss the viewers responsibility other then “you can’t sue us if the shit hits the fan.”
Justin.tv has a similar terms of service that includes an interesting line:
- 8. Prohibited Conduct: BY USING THE JUSTIN.TV SERVICE YOU AGREE NOT TO
8.1 use the Justin.tv Service for any purposes other than to disseminate or receive original or appropriately licensed content and/or to access the Justin.tv Service as such services are offered by Justin.tv;
Again a gray area because while streaming a UFC is illegal how do you, the viewer, explicitly know what is licensed content or not. It’s never stated when you go to start to stream a UFC “this is copyright Zuffa” because technically unauthorized content isn’t suppose to appear on the website at all.
Channelsurfing.net had by far the most interesting terms of service:
- 1.3 The material on the Website is designed to comply with Swedish law and we cannot be held responsible for any non-compliance with applicable local laws in any other jurisdiction.
Sounds a lot like offshore betting or poker websites to me. The government has been trying, unsuccessfully, to shut those down for years. How the UFC would get around this is beyond me.
While the UFC may save money in the short term by attacking individuals they may end up alienating their hardcore fan base in the long run. The roots of the UFC are in the internet, in the Sherdog and MMAWeekly forums. Without those places MMA dies 5 years ago. The so called “keyboard warriors” that Dana White hates so much are the same people that kept MMA alive.
Is it such a shock that a lot of people streamed UFC 106? A card headlined by Tito Ortiz, coming off a loss and 6 month layoff, versus Forrest Griffin, coming off the most embarrassing loss in UFC history, wouldn’t sell? I can’t imagine that all the people who streamed if would have bought it otherwise. I bet you a lot of people streamed UFC 108. I also bet you that not as many people streamed UFC 100 or will be streaming UFC 111. Quality cards will still do monster pay-per-view numbers for the UFC.
By Anthony De Franco December 3, 2009, at 4:42 pm Mark Bocek v. Joe Brammer
Bocek is 3-2 in the UFC, with his losses coming to Frank Edgar (a good loss) and Mac Danzig (Bad loss.) None of the wins are of any quality, and even if he wins this one, he is never really going to make any splash in the loaded 155 division. He does train with American Top Team, and is a BJJ black belt, so he’s got that going for him.
Brammer is making his UFC debut and doesn’t have a signature win on his resume. He is an accomplished grappler, having five wins by submission. He’s got to make a splash in this fight, because while he’s 7-0-1, this is a huge step up in competition.
Prediction: Bocek via unanimous decision
John Howard v. Dennis Hallman
Howard is an alumni of our personal favorite regional MMA promotion, Ring of Combat. He’s 2-0 in the UFC, with wins over Tamdan McCrory and Chris Wilson. He’s got a very balanced game with a specialty in Muay Thai. Six of his twelve wins have come by submission, so look for that in the fight.
Hallman is returning to the UFC for his second stint. He fought in the UFC as early as UFC 29, where he beat some guy named Matt Hughes. Now 34 years of age, he comes back for one last shot at glory. He’s got 28 submission victories to his credit, so expect that to be his gameplan against Howard.
Prediction: Howard via Submission
Brian Stann v. Rodney Wallace
Stann is famous for two things: His trio of fights with Steve Cantwell, and his military service. Like a lot of other fighters, he is a former marine, which garners him a ton of support from the fans. Since coming over in Zuffa’s acquiring of the WEC, he’s 1-1, losing to Krzysztof Soszynski and winning the rubber match against Cantwell. His forte is throwing hands, and don’t expect anything else.
Wallace is another prospect making his UFC debut. He’s 9-0, but hasn’t really fought anyone of note yet. The most I can tell you about him is that before taking up MMA, he was a division II running back. Besides that, not a ton about him is known. He hasn’t finished six of his nine wins, so I have a sneaky suspicion that he may be in over his head. But, hey, judge for yourself. Just found this on Youtube.
Prediction: Stann via TKO
Jon Madsen v. Justin Wren
Madsen’s fights on TUF were less than impressive. In the first, he defeated Abe Wagner, who is barely a viable fighter. He did open a hell of a cut on his head though. The second was against eventual finalist Brandon Schaub, and he was just overmatched. The ground and pound specialist from Matt Hughes’ H.I.T. Squad camp will have his chance to impress Dana and the boys and get a shot in the UFC.
Wren was one of the more impressive fighters on TUF in my opinion. He arm triangled Wes Sims and then lost to Roy Nelson in a fight that should have gone to a third round. I love his ground game and think that he has the advantadge standing as well. And none of this has anything to do with the fact that he’s our friend on Twitter.
Prediction: Wren via submission
Darill Schoonover v. James McSweeney
Schoonover is famous for being called “Titties” by Rampage on TUF, but he did win a fight which is more than most of Rampage’s team can say. He was 10-0 heading into TUF and defeated Zak Jensen in the first round. In the second round, he was overpowered by Marcus Jones and knockout out cold. Something to remember, Schoonover has been stop-lossed and is being sent to Afghanistan as part of the Army. He was discharged four years ago, and now he will be going back after Saturday. I don’t know about you, but that would effect my training.
McSweeney is a couple of things. First off, he’s a douche. Second, he is a decent fighter. He is part of the Greg Jackson camp, which means he’s got some of the best in the world to train with. He’s a strong wrestler who made it to the semi-finals before being stopped by Roy Nelson and the apparently unstoppable “fat-in-the-face” crucifix. He’d like to stand in this fight, and will get the chance to against Schoonover.
That being said, his spot on the show still should have went to ROC heavyweight champ Ricardo Romero, who holds a victory over McSweeney.
Prediction: McSweeney via TKO
By Jason Comack November 15, 2009, at 12:17 am The list of injured UFC super stars is currently bigger then the list of healthy ones.
Brock Lesnar is out of action indefinitely. Dana White shed light on Lesnar’s illness:
“He’s in a hospital up in North Dakota somewhere right now,” said White. “He went to Canada and some bad stuff happened to him, so we’ve got to figure it out.
“He doesn’t want to talk about it publicly, but he’s in bad shape. He’s not well and he’s not going to be getting well anytime soon.”
In a word that’s very cryptic.
“He has other problems too,” continued White, fielding a question about his diagnosis of mononucleosis. “He is not good. He is very, very sick and he’s going to be out for a while.”
White went on to indicate that the creation of an interim title might be necessary.
In a word WOW. God knows what’s wrong with Lesnar but White’s words almost make it seem…life threatening almost?
“You know, I can’t really talk about it right now, but he’s in rough shape. He’s in really bad shape … and we’re going to have to do some stuff to take care of this guy. He is not well and he’s not getting any better.
I hope Lesnar can beat whatever this is. Despite my distaste for him as a fighter he’s still a big part of what makes MMA so great, The David trying to beat the Goliath. This of course puts the UFC in a big bind. Lesnar/Carwin sapped UFC 106 of a main event then UFC 108 of a main event. Now it would be easy to have Velasquez/’Nog be a for the interim heavyweight title and have that headline UFC 108, except for one giant problem. ‘Nog has a staph infection and has withdrawn from the fight.
“White said the infection had become serious after entering Nogueira’s blood stream and that the Brazilian might need to be hospitalized and fed an intravenous antibiotic to combat it.”
Awesome. Now the next logical step would be to put Carwin against Velasquez, a fight that was originally suppose to go down way back when and have it be for the interim title. Of course there’s only one giant problem.
“White said an alternate pairing between Velasquez and Carwin would not be possible, as Carwin recently underwent knee surgery while waiting for Lesnar to recover. Carwin posted on his Twitter account Saturday that he should be “ready to fight by Feb.”
So what now?
It looks like someone will be fighting Cain Velasquez for the interim title on January 2nd the question is who…
Already Ruled Out: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Shane Carwin, Brock Lesnar
Frank Mir: Scheduled to fight Kongo at UFC 107. However, coming off a loss in his last fight (Lesnar) can you put him in an interim title fight right now? Can you also afford to take him off the already weak 107 card?
Junior Dos Santos: Already scheduled to fight Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 108 so the timing works out. 3-0 in the UFC with dominant wins over Werdum, Struve and Cro-Cop justify his spot in a title fight.
Other then those two no one else really deserves a chance. Cro-Cop has been awful, Rothwell just got killed by Cain, Gonzaga is a solid fighter but recently lost to Carwin, Kongo lost to Velasquez in his last fight and Struve lost to Dos Santos.
To me there’s only one option and that’s Dos Santos vs. Velasquez for the interim title at 108. You can find a live body to replace Dos Santos in his fight against Gonzaga (someone like Chase Gromely.) 108 is deep enough that you can push that fight off the main card without trouble.
The UFC certainly is having a rough end of the year.
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