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| Old School Beatdown: MMAmania.com exclusive interview with Tito Ortiz Posted: 10 May 2008 08:20 AM CDT
When given the opportunity to talk to former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, I jumped at it. I knew there were some definite questions that I wanted to ask him — not only about his upcoming opponent Lyoto Machida, but also about one of the hottest topics in MMA today, and one that he's been very outspoken about in recent months: Fighters' pay. Knowing Tito would never back down from a question, I fired away, and what came out of it was nearly 35 minutes of pure Tito Ortiz. I asked him about holding the fence against Rashad Evans at UFC 73; how he plans to close the distance on Machida; if he's concerned at all about needing to readjust to fighting outside the Octagon, once he presumably leaves the organization this summer; and if he thinks he can use his wins over Forrest Griffin and Wanderlei Silva as leverage to get back in. Tito surprised me. He even commented on a few fighters who might not be as happy as you'd think with the UFC. While it's a long interview, I just couldn't bear to cut it down. So read what you want of it. It never gets dull talking to Tito. "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz (15-5-1) faces Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida (12-0) at UFC 84: “Ill Will” just two weeks away on May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It will be the last fight on his contract, and reportedly the last time you will see Tito Ortiz in the UFC Octagon.
Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You'll be fighting Lyoto Machida at UFC 84 on May 24 for your last contracted fight in the UFC. Machida's undefeated and is a noted counter striker. How have you been preparing for this fight, particular in preparation for his style? Tito Ortiz: I really just think about being a great champ, you know. I don't think Machida's ever fought anyone like me — someone who's aggressive, someone who pushes the pace, and I'm going to be that person. He's had some tough guys that he's fought, but it was a B.J. Penn at 175 pounds or a Rich Franklin who was a 185 pounder who was maybe 202, 203. So when he has someone on him who's 220 fight time — I mean, I'll make weight at 205 without a problem at all, you know, coming from a wrestling background, but I'll be 220 fight time — so let's see if he can handle a bigger man on top of him. Let's see if he can be as elusive as he has in his fights. I have a lot of guys up here who are great wrestlers, great strikers — southpaw guys too — who really mimic what Machida's fight style is — elusive, always circling out, always running away. I'm going to push the pace, man, like all my fights. I bring the fight when it's fight time. That's why so many fans watch pay-per-view (PPV) of Tito Ortiz, because they want to see a fight, and I bring the fight every time I fight. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): That they do. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I'm pretty sure you still have the two most watched UFC PPVs as well as being the coach on the highest rated The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) series, Season 3. So there's no doubt that you have a huge fan base. Machida's manager, Ed Soares, was quoted as saying that he doesn't think there's any area where you are better than Lyoto, from striking to on the ground. He said that you were bigger, but not necessarily stronger. I'm assuming you disagree with his assessment. What's your take on how the two of you measure up? Tito Ortiz: You know, I really think that Machida is a 185 pounder at 205. I think he's a lot lighter than most 205 pounders that I fight. I really think that it's going to come down to pressure — can he handle the pressure, let alone just the fight, but being in front of 16,000 fans and over a million PPV buyers that are going to be watching this fight? There's going to be a lot of pressure on him. I have nothing to lose. I'm healthy, my back's 100 percent. He's undefeated, he has everything to lose, and I know he doesn't want to lose. I don't want to lose, so it's going to make a great fight. And with his manager saying the things he says … I mean, who's he? He manages some Brazilian fighters because they don't have no management that speak English, I mean, that's about as far as it goes. Ed Soares is a scumbag. He's just a leach among the rest of the managements. That's the way it just happens. And every fighter will find that out, especially with the Brazilian fighters — they'll find out how much of a leach he really is. He can say what he wants about me, and it's fine. Like I say, there is no other fighter in the UFC, no other fighter in mixed martial arts that is like Tito Ortiz, that can mimic myself. And when it's fight time for Machida, I hope he's ready. I know he's training hard. I know he doesn't want a loss, but I'm gonna give him his first loss. I'm excited, man, I'm challenged. I'm challenged by Dana White, I'm challenged by Machida, I'm challenged by his management, and I'm challenged by all the naysayers. You know, for me and from this point on it's all about the positive reinforcement I have from my great fans. And I have some great fans. If it wasn't for my fans, I wouldn't be where I am right now, you know. I probably wouldn't still be fighting if it wasn't for my fans — the ones who support me and are in love with the way I fight and the intensity that I bring when it's fight time. And I'm healthy, that's the biggest. The key word is health. My body's very healthy, my back injury's gone. I really did the core strength with my trainer, Paul Lacanilao, who is a strength coach, who's really got me strong with my stomach strength and my back strength where I don't have problems with my back anymore. It's been a long time since that's happened. The last time this has happened was when I fought Vitor Belfort, and I came away with a win on that one. And I'm in the same shoes that I was when I fought Vitor Belfort. I'm fighting a southpaw, it's the last fight on my contract. And I have nothing to lose, I have everything to gain. So it's just one of those things that the more positive my outlook on this fight, the better I feel about it, the more excited I feel about it. We're doing six six-minute rounds with 30 seconds of rest at 7,000 feet of altitude. So you can only imagine what type of shape I'm in. I haven't been in this great of shape for a long, long time. I'm excited, like I say, I've been challenged. I don't want to let any of my fans down, and I want to make sure that they know that this fight means the world to me, as I know it means the world to them. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well, given that Machida isn't exactly known for finishing fights — I think seven of his 12 fights have gone to a decision, which is pretty much the opposite of you … you're known for your ground and pound and for finishing fighters via TKO — how do you see this fight developing? Do you think it's going to be a three-round fight that goes to a decision. Clearly, you're going to want to try and finish it, but do you think that you're going to have a problem — frustration-wise — with him trying to keep distance from you? Tito Ortiz: Well I think that's the key word there is distance. Can he keep the distance from me? He's never fought anybody who has put the pressure on him. He's always sat back and picked his punches, picked his strikes, picked his kicks. It's not going to be that type of fight. The way Tito Ortiz fights is I bring it, man, I bring it every time I fight. If it goes to a decision, that means he's a tough kid. If it gets stopped, as I plan on stopping him, because of the pressure, because of the striking, the ground and pound, and on our feet and everything — it's just going to be a mixture of everything. We'll see how tough he really is. We'll see what type of heart he has (because) I'm going to test it. He's an undefeated fighter, he's ranked 5th in the world. And he's one of the best fighters right now in the UFC and one of the best fighters in the world. So it's just going to put me where I need to be, and that's on top of him. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): In your last fight with Rashad Evans, the fight ended up being a draw, most likely due to the point you were deducted for grabbing hold of the fence to prevent a takedown. Do you regret that decision, or did it happen so quickly that it was difficult to control? Tito Ortiz: Yeah it happened really quick and it was difficult to control. It was just one of those things that was just reaction, you know, I reacted. I was used to doing it in training, so when it came to fight time, I did it in the fight also. I made the mistake, you know, I was trying. You can't bag on me for trying, I was trying my ass off. I didn't want to be taken down. In that round, I had a guillotine, and I swept him and mounted him, so it still could've been a 9-9 round, a tie round. So it's just one of those things. I look at it as I won the fight. In my mind, I know I won the fight. Rashad has a draw on his record, and I have my first draw on my record, but to me, I felt like I beat Rashad. I dominated the fight, I put on the pressure, I was in his face. The two or three takedowns that he did get, he scored on. But I think I caused as much damage or more than he did. There was just a lot of positions, you know, the takedowns that I had too. But it was an exciting fight, you know, Rashad's no pushover. He's undefeated, and he's a great fighter. He brought the best out of me, but with me being only 75 percent, not 100 percent, he got a draw out of a 75 percent Tito Ortiz. Can you imagine if I was 100 percent? Machida's gonna get 100 percent of Tito Ortiz. So we're going to see how tough Machida is. And like I said, I'm going to push the pressure, I'm going to push the pace. This is just going to be an old school beatdown. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): I want to talk a bit about your future. You've fought just one time outside of the UFC, back in 1998. With as many memorable fights as you've been in in the UFC's history, I would imagine you feel pretty comfortable in the Octagon. You've built a huge fan base. But since you could be moving on from the organization after UFC 84, unless of course Dana White steps down, are you concerned at all about finding your comfort level in another organization—especially one that might use a different type of cage or ring, or might not have the same amount of fans packing a venue? How's your comfort level in that respect? Tito Ortiz: I think my comfort level will be exactly the same, you know. I'm going to have exactly the same fans. Just because I'm going to go somewhere else, doesn't mean my fans are going to stay with the UFC. I've gotten emails from (all) over — to my MySpace and TitoOrtiz.com and Punishment — from fans going, "No matter where you go, Tito, we're going to back you." And I think that's the most important thing. Me fighting in an Octagon … I've been fighting in a cage for the last 11 years, so I'm very, very comfortable no matter where it's at. It's always nice to fight in Las Vegas, but hey, it really doesn't matter, man, just as long as I'm as competitive as I am now. I think it'll spark a new fire underneath me, knowing that there's a company that's going to push me, and not really hinder me on my image or talk smack about me, or say how much of a moron I am, or … just negative stuff that's around me. I want to go somewhere that's all positive, you know. Where people care about me and people are going to support me like the champion that I am. I mean, I held the Light Heavyweight World Title for five consecutive times — no other Light Heavyweight has ever done that in UFC history — but yet I get bagged on it because of things like this, because there's a president who has hatred towards me, who dislikes me, and who doesn't want to see me as a superstar, and is jealous of me, completely. Just because I'm a smart businessman, and I know what I'm worth, and I know what I deserve. Then they sit there and they hinder my image by talking smack on me. It bums me out, but I think it really bums out my fans. I want to make sure at the end of this that me and my fans make it to the top of the mountain no matter what. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Two notable UFC Light Heavyweights that you hold wins over are Forrest Griffin and Wanderlei Silva, as well as your draw with Rashad — which I agree had it not been for that one point, I think you won that fight. Do you see these as bargaining chips for you later on down the road, whether it be for you to get back in the UFC or to get one of these fighters, like Griffin or Rashad or Silva, to sign with whatever organization you end up signing with? Tito Ortiz: I really think that a lot of fighters are going to pay attention and see where I go. I'm gonna break the mold. I'm gonna be the fighter who fights for the fighters' payment. In the very beginning when Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture made over a million dollars, it wasn't because they spoke out and said something, it was because I spoke out and said something, and then once I said something, they were like, "Oh, maybe I should say something now." Everybody else is doing it now. Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski, Randy Couture. I break the mold on everything. When I go somewhere else, I think fighters are going to understand that they are commodities and they gotta be paid for what they're worth. Forrest Griffin's a great fighter, Rashad's a great fighter, Wanderlei Silva's a great fighter. But I think they need to break the mold and stop being a puppet of a company. They sit there and say what (the company) wants them to say, they don't say what they themselves want to say. And I really think it comes down to being businessmen and thinking outside the box. A lot of fighters say, "Oh, I want to be a superstar, and I want a lot of fans to know who I am." Well, that's going to happen no matter what because of the fighting that we do. We're doing the six days a week, eight hours a day, for nine months out of the year of hard training. Fans are going to see that no matter what. What I'm really paying attention to is in the future when we do retire. Is there going to be any sort of revenue always coming in, because they're always going to show our replays. They're always going to sell DVDs, they're going to sell video games, they're going to sell merchandise. And no UFC fighter sees any of that. I want to break the mold of showing that each one of the fighters are businessmen, and each one of the fighters are their own companies themselves, and they got to understand that. They have to work like that and think like that to make that happen. I'm the person who is breaking outside that mold to have that happen. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): So are you saying that a lot of these fighters who we see on television as the faces of the UFC, do you think that behind the scenes, they are commenting on that type of thing but are just afraid to say it? Tito Ortiz: Of course they're commenting on it. There are all kinds of guys … Georges St. Pierre, I know he's very disgusted with the UFC, but it's just one of those things where they give him little small things that he thinks are great. He gets a brand new Hummer, like "Wow, I get an awesome new Hummer" (and it) costs 50 grand, and all of a sudden I gotta pay taxes on it, and I gotta pay for gas, and dutta-dutta-duh. These little small things they give them to make fighters happy because they know they've never had those things before. Well let's think about when fighters have their cars and have their houses, and now all of sudden, they're like, "Well I want to start paying bills. I want to start paying for all this stuff, because I'm not gonna be able to fight for the rest of my life," you know. I can't be the president of a company and say what happens and say what goes here and what goes there. I want to be a fighter. You got to think outside of the box, and not just think as a fighter, but think as a businessman. That's what it really comes down to, because there are other fighters who are screaming as loud as they possibly can … under their own tone. And they can't say anything, because the UFC holds a thumb over them. If they speak out, they'll squash 'em. Just as they did with Randy Couture, they squashed him. He's a Heavyweight World Champion — one of the greatest Heavyweight World Champions, and you don't see him on any UFC stuff, he's not mentioned on any UFC stuff. His Xtreme Couture line isn't shown anywhere. His gyms aren't shown anywhere in the UFC. And that's how they squash 'em. The UFC's a big monster and they'll squash anyone who tries to speak out. There's a lot of guys who don't have voices as big as mine, and who want to speak out, but they don't. Tim Sylvia, he kept hush hush and then he left. And he's getting his $800,000 a fight. And you would never even imagine that in the UFC. But other companies see the gross revenue that they make on a fighter, and they say, "Well maybe if we cut them in on this, they'll be happy." And that's what it's really about, making the fighters happy. That's what I'm going to do when I leave, I'm going to go somewhere where I'm going to cut the fighters in on a part where they're happy always, and they have nothing to worry about for the future for their families. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well let's talk about those future opportunities. You have a loss to Frank Shamrock. How badly do you want to avenge that loss? Tito Ortiz: I would love to avenge that loss with Frank Shamrock. It kind of bummed me out that he lost to Cung Le. That really kind of bummed me, I expected Frank to beat him with ease. And Cung Le just showed that he's a tough warrior. He's great at standup, as everybody's always known, and Frank never took it to the ground. I think that was just kinda ignorant on Frank's part. Frank's a great fighter … you never know, man, that fight could happen in the future — I would love that fight to happen in the future, and I know a lot of fans who would love that fight. So we'll see what happens and where I end up going. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): There are very few fighters who have your kind of drawing power. But I can think of two current or future free agents who come close: Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko. I know there is a difference in weight classes between you and them, but that's never stopped the Russian before, and you've fought Couture at 205 in the past. Seeing as how you could be a free agent soon, is there any interest in setting up a mega fight with Fedor or a rematch with Couture? Tito Ortiz: I would love to do a rematch with Couture. That'd be an awesome fight — it'd be at 205 of course. You gotta understand, I walk around at 215, 212. After drinking as much as possible, I can get my heaviest at 220. But these guys, they walk around 230, 240. And that weight's pretty heavy. I know Fedor weighs 224, 225 fight time. So he should have no problem making 205. That'd be great, that'd be an awesome fight, I would love to fight him. To me, it really don't matter who I fight, man. Just as long as in the long run, the paycheck is paying for my bills, that's all I care about. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You appeared on "Celebrity Apprentice." When you were eliminated from the show, Donald Trump said that he was particularly fond of you and gave your charity an extra $50,000. What I was surprised about was that Trump didn't do this for any other player in the contest, including Trace Adkins, who took 2nd place overall. Knowing how business savvy the two of you are, do you and the Donald have an upcoming joint business venture lurking in the wings that we weren't aware of when you guys taped the show? What was the 50 grand about? Tito Ortiz: Actually, that 50 grand was just more of him showing respect to me. Showing that I'm an honest businessman, I think. I'm not a cutthroat kind of guy — I could have been, you know, I could have thrown Omarosa underneath the bus, like she did me. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Hell yeah, she did. Tito Ortiz: But I wasn't going to be that type of person. That's just the way I am, man. In the Octagon, I talk shit and I back it up when it's fight time because it's a fight. Business-wise, I really think you want to surround yourself with great people, people that you respect, who you will go out of the way for and they'll go out of the way for you. (The $50,000) was just Donald Trump showing his character and showing what type of person he really is. And I'm really thankful. St. Jude's Children's Hospital — I was trying to raise awareness for them, and I did. We raised over $70,000 dollars for them. I'm very fond of working with children, and for Mr. Trump to donate that much money, it just put bigger smiles on a lot of younger kids' faces, and that's what made it worth it. The whole story, this whole life that I try to live is really about giving back. Yeah, being the badass fighter in the Octagon fighting … I think that's not really what it's really about. I think what it's really about is changing some lives. Put some smiles on some kids' faces and showing them some self-worth. My book that just came out, “This is Gonna Hurt” … I hadn't really had a great life until I started wrestling in high school, and I had a second chance at life … (I was around) drugs, around gangs and so forth. And my mother left my father, and she gave me a second life. I'm very thankful for my mother, she went through a lot of bad things because of my father, and really gave me a second chance by leaving him and bringing me back to Huntington Beach. And I'm very thankful. So with Mr. Trump donating that money to me, it was just to help with kids. That's my biggest thing, to help with kids, because I was one of those kids out there who came from a drug-abusive family and lived on the streets and was in gangs, you know, I lived that life before. I just want to make it better for children in the future. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): I don't want to get in to what you make per fight or anything like that. I know you have stated numerous times that you feel you are underpaid. Given that you have huge drawing power, how much do you think you should get paid per fight by a promoter? Tito Ortiz: I think it just comes down to percentage. I think it comes down to what we deserve and what we put our lives into. You know, 30 percent, 40 percent of the gross revenue of what they make … that's fair. You know, 30 percent is perfectly fair. It's not a factor of getting paid a bunch of money, it's just a factor of getting little pieces of everything. Anything that my name's on, I should get a piece of. DVDs, I should get a piece of. Merchandise, I should get a piece of. They make a video game and I'm in the video game, I should get a piece of it. Because they're selling it! They're using my name to sell it! How come I'm not going to get any revenue because of it? They put all the money up, but I'm putting my ass in the Octagon, and I'm putting my life on the line. I could get seriously injured, you know, paralyzed, my eye poked out. There's some really serious injuries that can happen in the Octagon, and people don't take that into consideration. The training, the hard training we put into it. How much is an eyeball worth? Is it worth a million? Hell no. Is it worth 10 million? Now you're starting to talk when you're talking 10, 15 million. I have a back injury. If I have bulging discs and all of a sudden a disc slips and I get paralyzed from the waist down, is that worth a million dollars? Hell no. None of that shit's worth a million dollars. I want to be able to run with my son when I'm 40 years old and throw a football with him. Be a healthy man. I have to make sure financially that I take care of myself. It's a business, it's strictly a business, and no more than that. Yeah, the fighting's fun, and it's all great when your hand's raised and the tears when you lose, but the biggest thing is it's all about the family at the very end. When I can sit in my house and not worry about bills because I put my life on the line for 15 years in the Octagon, showing fans how hard I work, and entertaining them. You know, I'm not asking for more money from the fans at all. I'm asking the company that's taking all the money from the fans and pocketing it for themselves, how much richer can they really be? How much richer can they get? Us fighters, we put our lives on the line when we go out there and fight. And it's strictly for entertainment value, and that's what I try to do when I fight. But I gotta make sure that I'm respected. I look at the Fertittas, and I respect the Fertittas 1,000 percent. I'm very thankful for Lorenzo Fertitta, I'm very thankful for Frank Fertitta. But they didn't get to where they are as billionaires by being pushovers, by being sellouts. They didn't get to where they are by letting people have their name for free. They got where they are by being smart businessmen. I'm just trying to walk in the same steps as them, by being a smart businessman, and not be taken advantage of as a stupid fighter, because I'm not a stupid fighter. I'm a very intelligent man. I went to college, I got educated. I want to make sure that this fight career I'm doing right now, I want to leave a legacy, knowing that I done right not just for myself but for other fighters who are coming up. And I think that's the most important thing. Try and put a price on each one of my fights? I can't put a price on my fights. What I can do is put a percentage. Knowing that I should be making a certain percentage of what they're making. That's the biggest dollar amount I could say. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Can you give us any hints as to what your t-shirt is going to say for the Machida fight? Tito Ortiz: Yeah, I can tell ya it's going to be a really, really good one. It's not going to be nothing towards Dana White, it's not going to be nothing towards the UFC. But it's all going to be about my career, that's for sure. On where I am after this. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You recently signed a deal with Mickey's to develop promotions, events and packaging featuring you, as well as in cross-promotional ventures with the Team Punishment clothing line. Can you tell us about how that developed? Tito Ortiz: They actually approached me. They went to my management, saying, "How can we get Tito for a year?" And I was like, "Oh, Mickey's, they're with the UFC." And (my management) was like, "No, they're not with the UFC no more. The UFC pretty much pushed them to the curb, and now they signed with Budweiser." I was like, wow. That's pretty sad for Mickey's for putting so much money into the company, and all of a sudden they are just throwing them to the curb. So I think it was more of kinda getting back at the UFC and saying, "No, I'll sign with Mickey's." Growing up, I've always been a Mickey's drinker. I've always drank their 22 ouncers. So I can't really say that I don't drink alcohol. That was one of my malt liquors of choice, so why not get free alcohol also? They're gonna do a great job of promoting me. I'm excited to work with Mickey's because they've done such a great job helping the UFC get where they are, and vice versa. I'm really excited to be working with the company. They actually came up to my camp last week. We shot a bunch of video that'll be on Mickeys.com, I believe. I'm really excited to work with them. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well, Tito, I can't tell ya how much I appreciate you taking the time to talk with us. It's a real honor to talk with you. I've followed your career, and I've listened to a lot of your interviews and a lot of times I don't think that I really grasped fully where you were coming from. But tonight you've shed some good light on fighters in general and what they deserve when it comes to payment from promotions. Lastly, I know you have a ton of fans who frequent MMAmania.com and they're looking forward to this interview. Do you have any parting words for your fans, or would you like to thank any sponsors? Tito Ortiz: Well I want to thank all my fans, you know, all the ones who have been there since the very beginning — on May 30, 1997 when I started my career. I didn't know what I was getting into. I just thought that this was going to be kind of a hobby for me. I didn't know it was going to be a business for me. I fought free the first time I competed, because I was an amateur wrestler. It only took me a year and a half to become a world champion. And the more I fought, the more I loved it, the more I understood that there's a lot of fans who followed me, a lot of fans who see the hard work that I put into training and into the fights. And they respect me for it. The newcomers who have just came on because of The Ultimate Fighter who don't really understand the very beginning of my career, they'll learn in time. I gotta be very thankful to my fans. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be where I am right now. The ones who hopped off the trailer and hopped back on, you know it's just one of those things that I'm gonna have great fans forever. They're going to follow me wherever I go because I bring excitement when I fight. That's just the way I fight — I fight to entertain. I'm not fighting just to win a fight, I fight to entertain. I leave everything on the line always, and that's the way I've always fought. As far as sponsors, I have to thank Punishment Athletics, one of the best clothing companies in mixed martial arts right now. Trinity Clothing, AMG and Auto Sounds from California. Thanks. And This is Gonna Hurt is now in bookstores. I know that Chuck Liddell came out with his book, and Matt Hughes came out with his book, and it was all about fighting. This book is about the fight that I've gone through in my life — it's not just my fight career but my life. If it wasn't for the things I've gone through, I wouldn't be the man I am today. It's been challenging. I let everything go. There's nothing that I held back. That's why I came up with the title This is Gonna Hurt, because it hurt when I was saying it, and it hurt when I got done with the book. I didn't hold any punches, man. Everybody wants to know who Tito Ortiz is; read my book and you'll really find out. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well, again, thanks for talking with us, Tito. Tito Ortiz: Right on, Adam, thank you much. MMAmania, thanks for your support. |
| Affliction MMA show debut official for July 19 Posted: 09 May 2008 10:30 PM CDT Affliction — one of the most recognized and popular clothing brands out right now — made its bid to become the latest mixed martial arts promoter official today during an episode of “Inside MMA” on the HDNet network. It’s been known for some time now that Affliction would throw its hat into the MMA ring. In fact, the UFC and Elite XC recently banned their fighters from wearing Affliction gear during events because of the looming competition. And if the proposed inaugural pay-per-view (PPV) fight card slated for the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. on July 19 is any indication of things to come, then Affliction will indeed pose some stiff competition. Here’s what we can expect thus far:
That’s one hell of a star-studded line up … and there’s more than likely still more to come. Of course, it will be interesting to watch this all unfold — successful MMA promotions are a dime a dozen. It must also be noted that Affliction will have to clear a few regulatory hurdles, too, which the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) is mandating for the show to go on. In particular, according to SportsIllustrated.com, the “CSAC requires a bond that covers twice the fighters’ costs.” That’s no small feat, considering some of the unconfirmed salaries that are being tossed around (Fedor is rumored to be making more than $1 million guaranteed and Sylvia is set to pocket at least $800,000). Do the math … and that’s just the possible main event purses. In addition, the CSAC will request urine tests from Sylvia and Barnett — both fighters have tested positive for the banned performance enhancer earlier in their careers. Regardless, if Affliction can get all its ducks in a row — and not blow its wad straight out of the gate — this could be something special. Let’s just hope those in charge realize this is a marathon and not a sprint. Check out a video snip of Affliction Clothing Vice President Tom Attencio on “Inside MMA” after the jump.
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| BJ Penn: ‘You cant confuse steroids with heart,’ Sean Sherk Posted: 09 May 2008 09:39 PM CDT
Props: HardcoreSportsRadio.com Quoteworthy:
A fired up UFC Lightweight Champion, BJ Penn, talks about his upcoming title defense against Sean Sherk at UFC 84: “Ill Will” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 24. “The Muscle Shark” tested positive for steroids after his win against Hermes Franca at UFC 73: “Stacked” in July 2007 and has not competed since because of a six-month suspension. Penn doesn’t like steroids or steroid users very much … this one is personal. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Friday Night Throwdown: UFC 84 fight preview part II Posted: 09 May 2008 04:32 PM CDT
A "Dragon" looks for his coming out party while a “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” looks to be the spoiler in this week's edition of the Friday Night Throwdown. In the second part of this three-part series, we will look at the other light heavyweight battle between Lyoto Machida and Tito Ortiz at UFC 84: "Ill Will" at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 24. This fight could be the fight that could reshape the rankings of the light heavyweight division in the UFC and possibly send Ortiz riding off into the free agent sunset in search of his pot of golf at the end of the rainbow. It's time to breakdown this fight for both fighters.
Machida's coming out party? There is no question that Lyoto Machida is one of the most unorthodox fighters in the sport of mixed marital arts today. His style is more of a defense-first, counter-attacking in-and-out style, which throws off most if not of his opponents (he's undefeated). He is very patient on the feet and waits for all of his opponents to make the first mistake. Once they do, he unleashes a great balance of kicking and striking that just frustrates anyone he faces. The knock on Machida, up until his utter destruction of Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at UFC 79: "Nemesis" in December 2007, was his inability to finish fights. He without question laid to rest that myth as he derailed the "African Assassin" hype train in quick fashion. From the opening bell, Machida took the fight to Sokodjou and dominated the entire bout on the feet and on the ground. It was on the ground, however, where he just about put the Team Quest member to sleep via arm triangle. It's because of that brilliant performance that he was given the chance to make a name for himself by fighting the popular, whether you like him or not, former champion in Ortiz. Let's not get it twisted here: Machida has beaten quality fighters during his undefeated streak. For example, he knocked out Rich Franklin and defeated others talented stars such as BJ Penn and Stephan Bonnar. Yet many The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) generation fans don't know much about him unless they are diehard MMA fans. This fight with Ortiz could be the springboard that could launch Machida into stardom and easily in the top five in anyone's light heavyweight rankings. I would go as far and pick Machida over at least half of the fighters in the top 10, including the likes of Forrest Griffin, Wanderlei Silva, Keith Jardine and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Of course, I'm going to catch some heat with that last statement but I stand by it. I would even be nervous for Rampage if he were to fight Machida. Put simply, Machida has defeated several of the best fighters in the world during his reign of terror — his record isn't padded with journeymen or gatekeepers, folks. In fact, he knocked out Franklin in only his third fight! Machida is battle-tested and will be a significant player in the light heavyweight division for years to come. All he needs right now is the fight that will put him over the top. Enter a former UFC light heavyweight champion and easily of the biggest draws in MMA history. Enter Tito Ortiz A chance to stick it to Dana White and the UFC? It's no secret by now that this is Ortiz's last fight on his current contract with the UFC. He's also made it clear that he plans on leaving the UFC after this fight and explore his free agent options. Ortiz will clearly be the biggest free agent on the market and the UFC would be hard pressed to try and resign him. Therefore, Tito has to be thinking that if he's going the leave, he's going to leave with a bang. And what better way to do that than defeat Lyoto Machida at UFC 84? The problem that Ortiz will face is to try to take Machida to the ground. Machida is a fighter like I've said earlier, will let his opponent make the first mistake. Throughout his career, I've seen no big improvements in Tito's overall game. He's a one trick pony: take it to the ground and GNP (ground and pound) from there. His striking is still above average and isn't going to knock anyone out anytime soon. I'll give him the benefit of a doubt that he is one of better ground fighters in the world but it won't mean a damn thing if he can't take Machida down. Ortiz will simply have to press the action and force Machida to the fence. From there, he will hopefully get the takedown and start to work on Machida. If that doesn't happen, Ortiz will have no other choice but to try and get the best of Machida on the feet. That's where his chances to win will diminish in a big way. Unless Ortiz has some tricks up his sleeve, Ortiz is the heavy underdog in this fight. I won't count out Ortiz in this fight even though it seems like he has no chance in hell of winning. Love him or hate him, Ortiz will at least make this fight exciting. He may be training as hard as he ever has in Big Bear as we speak … or being Jenna Jameson's "Huntington Beach Boy Toy" at the club or something. My theory is that Ortiz has to win this fight so that the price in signing him will have to be very substantial to leave the UFC. It's clear that promotions like EliteXC or even Affliction will be chomping at the bit to sign him. Ortiz will have to bring his A-game in order for him to win. If he does, boy I can only imagine his post fight interview if he's allowed on the mic … that's must see TV right there! Considering everything we covered, I've got to admit that this fight is the one I'm looking forward to the most. Machida is looking to get a shot at the belt while Ortiz will be looking to get paid. Who's going to win this fight? Check out the site later in the month for my prediction on this fight. Either way, this could the upset special (hint…hint). MMA news and other notes Chris Leben gets 35 days in jail and fight with Bisping is off: It's unfortunate that Leben was sentenced to 35 days in jail yesterday. After serving the sentence, it's been reported right here that he would only have less than two weeks of training, which is just not enough time to prepare for a fighter like Bisping. But the man did his part to finish up his probation so that he could be cleared to fight Bisping. The good news is maybe they could add this fight as the co-main event of UFC 86: “Jackson vs. Griffin.” Unfortunately, since this fight was scheduled to be fought in London there is no way Bisping is being pulled from the card. In fact, we just learned that he’s fighting Jason Day — a very solid Canadian fighter. It’s not Leben, but it could be worse. The IFL "Hex:" I'm sorry but with the IFL revealing its new plan for a six-sided ring, I've officially considered the IFL to be as good as dead before the year is out. I was supporting the company for the sake of MMA, but this whole six-sided ring is too much. It only tells me that they probably think the UFC is the WWE and they'll be TNA or something. I mean, I had no problem with a four sided ring for the IFL. But seriously six?! I don't know how much more I can take with the IFL. Good as dead, folks. The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) wasn't that bad this week: Although I ripped this season of TUF, I must admit that I'm guilty as charged because I'm still watching it. And this week's episode was by far the best one this season and it just wasn't because of Jeremy May. I mean the whole, "I predict Matt Brown is going to win … by murder" prediction by Amir was down right hilarious. And how he finished off May as well, you might have thought it was downright murder. But in all seriousness, Brown is some character but has to be considered one of the favorites to win the show. His attitude in the Octagon is the same attitude when he's not in it, showing he's determined to win at all costs. He did look lethargic the first couple minutes of the fight but as the fight wore on, he took total control. From there, he ended the fight with a beautiful head kick that would make even Gabriel Gonzaga happy. He's all business and you have to feel sorry for whoever's in his way in the semifinals. My favorite part of the show was the Cramer-Zachrich fight to end this week's episode. That fight wasn't the most technical form of striking I've seen but it was just pure entertainment. These guys were swinging from the fences until they had nothing left. It was back and forth action that left me on the edge of my seat. In the end, Cramer took Zachrich down in the second round and won the fight via technical knockout (strikes) to give Team Rampage control of the next fight. Best fight of the season by far and I'm definitely looking forward to next week. Couldn't help but notice that we could see the blowup between Rampage and Forrest next week as well. Got to love when the coaches get angry and all hell breaks loose. Hopefully it puts the Ken-Tito confrontations to shame, but then again it's just for entertainment purposes sometimes right? That's about it for this week's edition of the Friday Night Throwdown here on MMAmania. Next week's will be the third and final part of my three-part series on UFC 84. We'll look at the main event between BJ Penn and Sean Sherk for the UFC Lightweight Title. Agree or disagree with anything I said in today's column? Be sure to reply in our comments section below (and THANKS for all the responses last week, I was overwhelmed by the support!) or e-mail me at the address right here. |
| James Irvin training at Fairtex Bangplee in Thailand for UFC 85 Rashad Evans fight (Video) Posted: 09 May 2008 04:15 PM CDT (Thanks to a certain MMAmania.com for the assist … you know who you are.) |
| Michael Bisping vs Jason Day UFC 85 fight confirmed Posted: 09 May 2008 02:58 PM CDT
This time it’s Jason Day who has been asked to step up and fill-in for the incarcerated Chris Leben and fight hometown favorite, Michael Bisping, in a middleweight showdown slated for the main card. Talk about one hell of an opportunity for the Canadian native to step up big against one of the promotion’s most marketed fighters, eh? Day is an extremely tough — albeit relatively unknown — fighter who wowed fans and critics alike with his knockout of Alan Belcher at UFC 83: “Serra vs. St. Pierre 2″ on April 19. He was an underdog heading in to the bout, meaning most did not expect him to win … especially the way that he did. It was an impressive Octagon debut, and in the UFC world where no good deed goes unpunished, Day has been rewarded with a high profile fight against the charismatic The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 3 205-pound champion. Bisping is fresh of a dominant performance at UFC 83 himself, putting it on Charles McCarthy for the majority of the first round. “Chainsaw” could not answer the bell for the second frame because of an arm injury and Bisping secured his first win at 185. This is actually a very tricky fight for Bisping — Day is a very well-rounded fighter who appears to improve fight after fight. This can and will more than likely be a very competitive bout. He is not a “can” or some other sacrificial lamb who the UFC is “feeding” Bisping. Day has got some nice skills and will look to capitalize on a great opportunity. While the Leben fight had fireworks written all over it, don’t write this one off too quick … it should be an entertaining scrap. For the most recent UFC 85 fight card click here. |
| The Hex: IFL six-sided ring to allow for ’strategic benefits’ Posted: 09 May 2008 02:04 PM CDT |
| UFC President Dana White wants 250 guys like Wanderlei Silva Posted: 09 May 2008 12:02 PM CDT
Quoteworthy:
UFC President Dana White talks about Wanderlei Silva, indicating that it doesn’t matter if he loses more fights because “The Axe Murderer” always puts on a show. He has dropped three straight, however, and has a tough test against Keith Jardine at UFC 84: “Ill Will” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 24. The interview addresses the possible move to middleweight after the bout — Silva walks around at 210 pounds (just five pounds more than the light heavyweight division limit). But as he puts it, he does own two wins over the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Rampage Jackson. This fight with Jardine will more than likely determine a lot for his fighting future inside the Octagon in regard to weight class. |
| Roger Huerta wants UFC 155- and 170-pound titles (Video) Posted: 09 May 2008 11:48 AM CDT (Thanks to MMAmania.com reader “Starr” for the assist.) |
| UFC Quick Quote: Chris Lytle hopes Josh Koscheck doesnt pull a Matt Hughes at UFC 86 Posted: 09 May 2008 10:52 AM CDT
– Welterweight Chris Lytle shares his thoughts with FCFighter.com on his upcoming bout with Josh Koscheck at UFC 86: “Jackson vs. Griffin” at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 5. Koscheck is perhaps a more dominant wrestler than Hughes. And in his fight with Hughes, Lytle spent a majority of the 15 minutes on his back defending submissions. It was boring. |
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