concur. rest of the trilogy and PJ's subsequent movies have been fucking trash.
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concur. rest of the trilogy and PJ's subsequent movies have been fucking trash.
parrotbeak
Member
If Makler gets his title shot, he should come out to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsWgG5v7A3A
Also why is William Katt in your vernacular? I forgot that show existed until you mentioned him.
TheKaeptain
Banned
Three
I liked how they edited Fellowship. Tom Bombadil has got to be about the worst character in all of fiction so im glad he got cut. It also takes way too long for the book to get going. I really think the movie version is better edited.
GungHo
Single-handedly caused Exxon-Mobil to sue FOX, start World War 3
I have an amazing memory for competely useless shit.
Is the new batman any good? The previews made it look like a pretentious piece of shit, and the batman sequel with ledger didn't really hold up for me upon repeats.
for reference i liked begins best.
Begins is still my favourite, in fact I would say Begins > TDK > Rises. Still good though and very much worth your time.
parrotbeak
Member
People think it is pretentious because they want it to be more complex than it is. It's a goddamn Batman movie.
I think BB>TDK>TTDR for me, but I only saw TDK and TTDR once each. TTDR has more characters and subplots, so seems busier and more complicated than I remember the other 2 being.
I think BB>TDK>TTDR for me, but I only saw TDK and TTDR once each. TTDR has more characters and subplots, so seems busier and more complicated than I remember the other 2 being.
I'm not sure I agree. I think the movie takes itself so seriously for being a goddamn batman movie. At least that was my impression from the trailer, I think it was the combination of the visuals and the overly dramatic trailer music.
maybe I'm still overcome with shock that joss whedon of all people made the superhero movie GOAT.
Host Samurai
Member
Vitor is gonna whoop Belchars ass bad.
People are expecting Rampage to get his ass destroyed, but I would crack up if he KO's Glover in dominating fashion. Than we will see posts "Rampage is back". It would be terrible for the UFC if Page destroys him.
People are expecting Rampage to get his ass destroyed, but I would crack up if he KO's Glover in dominating fashion. Than we will see posts "Rampage is back". It would be terrible for the UFC if Page destroys him.
parrotbeak
Member
I don't know what Nolan's intentions are, but I guess you could say Memento is a pretentious mystery, Inception is a pretentious caper movie, Prestige is another pretentious mystery, and Batman is a pretentious comic book trilogy. I just think they are highly stylized and well crafted, but at their hearts they are genre movies and not to be dissected like masterpieces. That's how I enjoy them anyway. I decided that after trying to watch Memento in chronological order in college.
I'm sure if Page wins, the "Rampage is back" posts will be tongue in cheek.
I forgot to finish my post like how Rampage might forget to finish his contract. Is this his last contracted fight? I'm not sure how to take all his anti UFC talk, if that's kayfabe or real.
I'm sure if Page wins, the "Rampage is back" posts will be tongue in cheek.
I forgot to finish my post like how Rampage might forget to finish his contract. Is this his last contracted fight? I'm not sure how to take all his anti UFC talk, if that's kayfabe or real.
parrotbeak
Member
Without giving anything away, I really enjoyed the reinterpretations of certain supporting characters in TDKR, more than in the first two. But that's from someone who never read a Batman comic and only saw cartoons and the old tv show.
Host Samurai
Member
Bane was a can crusher, thats for sure.
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
It's a sequel in the truest sense of the word. Just like the first two movies it deals with the same stuff (the idea of symbols, will, Bruce's inner conflict), a smart supervillian who wants to destroy Gothan, some thinly veiled current events politicization, and moments of levity and eye-rolling unrealism. It's a Nolan Batman movie just like the rest, no different.
I've only seen it once so I'm not sure where to rank it yet. I'm of the belief that TDK > BB (thought not by the large margin most people think, I rewatched BB recently and it's pretty damn underrated) for what it's worth.
Host Samurai
Member
Its kinda weird that Nolan didn't try even try to give Gotham City any distinctive look like in the past movies. He just used NYC and didn't even hide it.
He had to. You aint gettin those shots in chicago. =)
TheKaeptain
Banned
He used four cities in the movie.
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
Yeah really. It was a good action movie but that's about it.
mjpopcorneating.gif
As opposed to other superhero movies that are intellectual masterpieces?
I honestly thought they meant that Paul Harris' friend Rogers would take his place :/
Re: PJ
I like the trilogy, but the first is vastly superior to the sequels. I stopped watching king kong in the bug cave. Dis he make something called Funny Bones, or something? Either way, haven't seen it!
As for Nolan, haven't seen Rises so kinda scared reading about it here! Dunno which I prefer between BB and TDK, didn't find Inception all that special, but I really like the prestige and memento
Re: PJ
I like the trilogy, but the first is vastly superior to the sequels. I stopped watching king kong in the bug cave. Dis he make something called Funny Bones, or something? Either way, haven't seen it!
As for Nolan, haven't seen Rises so kinda scared reading about it here! Dunno which I prefer between BB and TDK, didn't find Inception all that special, but I really like the prestige and memento
avengers is the best because it revels in being big dumb fun. it was the best popcorn movie since the matrix, which was the best popcorn movie since terminator 2.
deal with it.
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
Believe it or not superhero movies can be more than either "pretentious" or popcorn flicks. Some can even be comedies and mixed-genres.
And they are terrible.
Avengers is the best superhero movie out there because it's not awful, a hollow victory.
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
Let's play a game. Let's make up some fake names and see if there's an unknown fighter in the Ultimate with that name. I'll start first, Jack Hunt and Mike Willis.
avengers is the best because it revels in being big dumb fun. it was the best popcorn movie since the matrix, which was the best popcorn movie since terminator 2.
deal with it.
It's ok to be wrong
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
Aluminum American?
parrotbeak
Member
I had to piss really badly during the last 40 minutes of Avengers and so hated every minute of the predictable final battle. The Hulk Loki part was cool, and I'm sure under different conditions I would have enjoyed the rest for what it was.
With Big Ben out, that is 2 of 7 2012.5 fights of interest to me that have been cancelled just today. Let's see if all of them can be cancelled before August.
Bendo vs Frankie 2
Kos vs Ellenburger
Struve vs Stipe
Hapa vs Big Ben
JLo vs Varner
Cowboy vs Young Melvin
Okami vs Harris
Stephen Miller
With Big Ben out, that is 2 of 7 2012.5 fights of interest to me that have been cancelled just today. Let's see if all of them can be cancelled before August.
Bendo vs Frankie 2
Kos vs Ellenburger
Struve vs Stipe
JLo vs Varner
Cowboy vs Young Melvin
Carlos Barao
Stephen Miller
That's because nothing happens throughout the movie. That movie is pretty average upon a second viewing.
I was in NYC when they were filming on Wall St, was my first day there and pretty much enforced why it's an awesome city.
Didnt see anyone famous, just lots of GPD cars and crew.
Here's what I am interested in:
Machida v Bader (FOX 4 - Aug. 4)
Bendo v Edgar 2 (UFC 150 - Aug. 11)
Cerrone v Guillard (UFC 150 - Aug. 11)
Jones v Henderson (UFC 151 - Sep. 1)
Koscheck v Ellenberger (UFC 151 - Sep. 1)
Bisping v Stann (UFC 152 - Sep. 22)
Penn v MacDonald (UFC 152 - Sep. 22)
Belfort v Belfort (UFC 153 - Oct. 13)
Jackson v Teixeira (UFC 153 - Oct. 13)
Aldo v Koch (UFC 153 - Oct. 13)
Hendricks v Kampmann (UFC 154 - Nov. 17)
St. Pierre v Condit (UFC 154 - Nov. 17)
Carwin v Nelson (TUF 16 Finale - Dec. 1)
parrotbeak
Member
Good list. I forgot about Nelson/Carwin and for laziness I'm not adding fights that were announced after I first halfassed my way through the future announced events. Belcher/Belfort is very interesting to me too.
TheKaeptain
Banned
GungHo
Single-handedly caused Exxon-Mobil to sue FOX, start World War 3
TheNatural
My Member!
dream
Member
Its funny looking back at UFC 149, because there have been few shows in recent memory to have gotten such a negative response both from the live crowd and those watching on PPV.
The 7/21 show, the companys debut at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, opened with one good match after another before what appeared would be a great enthusiastic crowd, based on Canadian vs. foreigner matches. There were spectacular knockouts by Oshawas Antonio Carvalho, who got a huge pop in Calgary by coming out to Bret Harts entrance music; and a record-tying performance by Edmontons Ryan Jimmo in his UFC debut, knocking out Australias Anthony Perosh in 6.04 seconds. Officially, the time of the match was recorded at :07, and officially is now listed as tying the record set by Duane Ludwig in his January 16, 2006, knockout of Jonathan Goulet, also listed at :07 (the time was changed by UFC officials since there was a timekeeper error that night which timed it at :11). Ludwigs time was actually 6.06 seconds.
Seven fights in, this was a great show, and it looked to be cant miss, because stylistically, there appeared to be no way the two main matches, Urijah Faber vs. Renan Barao, and Tim Boetsch vs. Hector Lombard, could be bad fights.
After an impressive submission win by Matthew Riddle opening the PPV, it came down for Brian Ebersole vs. James Head. Ebersole, who just fought on 6/22, came in flat. His game plan was to take Head down. Except he couldnt do it, so the three round fight consisted of Ebersole taking telegraphed shots that Head was able to sprawl out of. Ebersole, who is skinny at 170 pounds, was dieting down to get to 155, where he decided hed have more success, when he was called about being a late replacement. That fight sucked even though Ebersole is usually entertaining.
Next was Cheick Kongo vs. Shawn Jordan, a battle of heavy hitting heavyweights. The problem here was Kongo came in with a dislocated shoulder. He was too experienced for Jordan, but evidently either he was in too much pain or not good enough condition, because his game plan was to beat Jordan to the punch, and then move in and clinch against the fence. The crowd hated that one.
Lombard vs. Boetsch was supposed to be two guys with powerful punches who are both aggressive. But somehow, they went three rounds with little happening, with Boetsch taking a split decision.
The crowd was furious at this point. Faber and Barao were next, and Barao broke Fabers rib with a kick about 2:00 into the fight. Faber couldnt get any offense going, but Barao never hurt him again in winning an easy decision for the interim bantamweight title. It was by no means a great fight, but it was two highly skilled and fast guys out there doing a stand-up battle with Barao winning most exchanges. Perhaps Faber, the crowd favorite being unable to find any answers led to the crowd booing and turning on the fight.
It was a weird night to be sure. The show sold out immediately when tickets were put on sale, with 16,089 fans and a city-record setting gate of $4.1 million Canadian ($4.01 million U.S.), breaking a record set by the Rolling Stones. It was also the largest UFC gate ever in a market of that size.
The crowd arrived early, with the place 85% full for the first prelim, and they were hot, strongly cheering the Canadians in all prelim matches. There was some negativity locally because virtually the entire card ended up being rebuilt after tickets were put on sale, with injury after injury. The card people bought tickets for was Jose Aldo Jr. vs. Erik Koch for the featherweight title (Aldo Jr. injured, Koch pulled from the show), Shogun Rua vs. Thiago Silva (Silva injured, Rua moved to 8/4 in Los Angeles), Michael Bisping vs. Tim Boetsch (Bisping pulled due to minor knee surgery); and Cheick Kongo vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Nogueira pulled from the show because his arm wasnt recovering as fast as he had hoped for after it was torn up by Frank Mir in January). Many felt, and rightly so, that the company should have issued refunds. The reality is its good P.R. and its doubtful many would request them given the long wait fans in the province have had in waiting for a live UFC and the citys history of being one of the best markets, per capita, for PPV in the world.
But through the prelims, anyone watching would have come to the conclusion this was going to be one of the companys best markets. At the end of the night, with chants of Bullshit, one wonders if they should even return in less than a few years because of the negativity.
Nobody was arguing that the three bad fights in a row ruined the show. It was nobodys fault. They werent boring fighters matched up. Ebersole has always been entertaining. Kongo vs. Jordan wasnt expected to be a high skill level fight, but two big guys who hit hard. And Lombard comes out as fast, and hits hard, specializing in first round knockouts. Fabers fights are always exciting. White compared the show to UFC 33, a 2001 show generally considered the worst major event of the last decade.
The earliest PPV estimates are 235,000 buys, which is along the lines of what would be expected. Once again, keep in mind this is early and we should have a better number in a couple of weeks. Its a low number, but nobody expected different going in. It was probably helped because whenever UFC runs in Canada, they get so much mainstream media in that country that the PPV numbers do well in that country and make a difference if the U.S. numbers are so-so. A PPV being from Canada doesnt hurt the U.S. numbers. Normally, that would be considered a disappointment, but coming two weeks after a monster show and being the third PPV in four weeks, if thats where it winds up, nobody should complain. I think its a lot better than Aldo vs. Koch would have done.
But the other real story coming out of the show, besides the outright negative reaction, was that this is really the end of the line for Faber as a world title contender. Faber was the fighter whose charisma and exciting fight style with multiple match of the year candidates put the smaller weight division on the map as WEC featherweight champion. Because he was the only under 155 pounder who had ever shown an ability to draw, PPV, TV ratings and at house shows, it gave him a leg up in getting title fights. But since losing the featherweight title to Mike Brown, hes had four chances at the belt, losing all four via decision. And while Faber did come close to winning rounds three and five, there was no question who won the fight and it didnt seem like there was anything Faber could do to get an advantage on Barao.
Granted, breaking a rib is going to change the fight. But going in, Baraos takedown defense appeared to be too good, and he was quicker and had more weapons standing. He threw combinations of both punches and kicks whereas Faber was, when he could land, hitting single shots. Even though both were listed at the same height, and Barao only was listed having a one inch reach advantage, seeing the two battle made both those numbers seem like a mockery. My belief is the lighter weight classes are going to be dominated by younger men, because they are quickness divisions, and at those weights, younger men are also going to have more pound-for-pound strengths. Faber looks younger than 33, and hes in great shape, and is plenty fast. He can still beat most people, but his wrestling hasnt been strong enough to take down his recent opponents, and hes improved his stand-up, but its not world class. But at his age with younger guys with the talent of Cruz, Barao and Michael McDonald in the division, his age is going to work against him and hes going to have to be in that awkward position of a big name former champion who is supposed to give credibility to new title contenders as opposed to eliminate them. Fabers ground game is creative and he excels in scrambles, but that means nothing when he cant get the fights to the ground. Its going to be hard to focus on him as a main eventer because he cant possibly get another title shot unless he goes on a lengthy win streak, and his match with Cruz is out the window unless Barao wins the title from Cruz. He was looking drawn and perhaps weak this time at 135, and said there was no way he could cut to 125.
Barao vs. Dominick Cruz looks to be the new big bantamweight direction. McDonald, who was originally chosen by UFC to be Fabers opponent in the interim title match, only to suffer a hand injury in his first day of training for the fight, expects to be ready around November. Realistically, Cruz isnt going to be ready until next spring. Barao indicated wanting to sit and wait for Cruz, but with so many UFC shows, any healthy champion is going to be pressured to defend, and thats the most obvious direction. Its hard to tell what level McDonald is at because except for Miguel Torres, who he ran through, he hasnt fought guys at the top level. Barao vs. Cruz is going to be all about which guy can control the flow of the fight. Its probably going to a decision and Barao will win unless Cruzs movement can take him out of his game. But Cruz has succeeded in doing that with everyone hes faced in recent years.
Lombard, coming in with a 25 fight unbeaten streak, was signed to a big money contract as Bellator champion and with a strong win here, would be groomed for Anderson Silva. While Boetsch won via split decision in a fight where neither man had any significant offense, to any fan watching, the match eliminated both men as contenders. This would seem to leave Chris Weidman, who had an impressive win on 7/11, at the head of the pack of contenders.
There is still the Bisping vs. Brian Stann fight on 9/22 in Toronto. In addition, just about finalized is Vitor Belfort vs. Alan Belcher on 10/13 in Rio de Janeiro. What is likely to happen is theyll make a call on either Weidman or the Bisping vs. Stann winner after Toronto, or wait three weeks and have the Belcher vs. Belfort winner in the running. There were plans for an early 2013 show in Brazil, which Silva could headline since they kind of owe him a Brazilian fight.
There were three close fights on the show. Nick Ring got a very questionable decision over Court McGee. That was a rematch that had a story. Ring and McGee fought on the Ultimate Fighter reality show, with Ring winning a decision. Ring then blew out his knee, and since McGee showed so much heart in losing, he was brought back in. McGee wound up winning the tournament. This time, McGee appeared to win the first and third round solidly. The second round was close, but I gave it to Ring.
All three judges gave the fight to Ring, 29-28. Joe Rogan outright called it a home town decision, and Dana White said he not only thought McGee won, but thought the third round could have been a 10-8 round. What was amazing was how much the crowd booed when Ring was announced the winner, since Ring was possibly the most popular fighter on the show. Ring was the only fighter from Calgary on the show. He also made front page headlines several weeks back to seeing a mugging, breaking it up, chasing down the perpetrators and calling police which led to several men being arrested. In addition, he came out with Bret Hart. But even the locals couldnt accept that as a win. Our poll had 59% for McGee, 28% for Ring and 13% even.
In Ebersole vs. Head, Head scored a split decision win. I had Head winning rounds one and three. However, our poll was almost dead even with 49% for Head, 46% for Ebersole and 6% even. In Lombard vs. Boetsch, I honestly was surprised Boetsch won. Lombard was more aggressive, landed more punches and got more takedowns, although he did nothing with them. Boetsch couldnt take Lombard down when he tried. He did land more leg kicks than Lombard did punches. Boetsch hardly landed any punches, although as far as volume, with the low kicks, did land more strikes. Our poll has 46% for Lombard, 42% for Boetsch and 12% even.
The bonuses were $65,000 each with Bryan Caraway vs. Mitch Gagnon as the best fight, Jimmo with the best knockout and Riddle with the best submission.
The 7/14 Strikeforce show did a 1.25 rating and 420,000 viewers. Thats a lot more than I expected out of that show. While less viewers, that was actually a higher rating than the Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate fight did. The previous time Luke Rockhold had headlined a Strikeforce show, in January, when drawing ratings was easier, the show did an 0.94 rating and 344,000 viewers.
Just to clear everything up, Dana White this past week said that all fighters currently in Strikeforce, if their Strikeforce contracts expire and they become free agents, can not go to UFC due to the stipulations in the contract UFC and Strikeforce signed at the end of last year. The contract runs out in late 2013, but there are two option years on the deal. As far as what will happen, who is to say. But the rating for the last show is hardly going to encourage Showtime to not try and renew the deal. Showtime spent nearly two years building the Super 6, spending millions of dollars on it, and the finals, which had an American clean-cut never swearing real-life gold medalist (Andre Ward) winning, did a 1.35 rating, which isnt all that much higher than what Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Kennedy pulled with far less pub and name value. I cant see Showtime dropping MMA. There are a few smaller promoters who are hopeful the deal falls through so they can get on Showtime, but Showtime would be risking its ratings and interest level with another promotion, plus it would seem a waste of time building these fighters. The key from each side is that for UFC, keeping Showtime keeps a rival promotion from getting a valuable TV time slot that pays decently well (from all accounts, Strikeforce as a separate company isnt making money because of the high talent contracts theyre paying, which is one of the reasons they havent added the performance bonuses that UFC fighters get) and can put them on the map. For Showtime, they keep the talent theyve been using and they are solid in the sense as long as that talent is valuable, they are unlikely to go anywhere. Some have talked of the idea that when, say, Gilbert Melendezs contract expires, he could go to Bellator or One FC, and he could, but the reality is, the top Strikeforce fighters mostly have very good deals. If they sign with Zuffa, they will remain in Strikeforce as long as the current Zuffa/Showtime/Strikeforce deal is in effect.
Bellator isnt going to offer them close to what theyre making, at least unless Spike and Bellator decide to pony up money and go all out to compete, but if they do that, youd want to target UFC fighters more than Strikeforce fighters. And that is a possibility in 2013, but Bellator did not attempt to match Hector Lombards deal when he became a free agent and he was their middleweight champion. If UFC and Showtimes deal ends, the expectation would be to fold Strikeforce and bring the talent to UFC.
White also said that if Cung Le is healthy in time (he suffered a bone bruise in his foot in his win over Patrick Cote), that he would headline the 11/10 show in Macau against Rich Franklin. That would be a five-round fight. Man, I hate that fight. Just a ridiculous size difference, but Le also would have the choice to make 170 if he wanted to.
The 7/21 show, the companys debut at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, opened with one good match after another before what appeared would be a great enthusiastic crowd, based on Canadian vs. foreigner matches. There were spectacular knockouts by Oshawas Antonio Carvalho, who got a huge pop in Calgary by coming out to Bret Harts entrance music; and a record-tying performance by Edmontons Ryan Jimmo in his UFC debut, knocking out Australias Anthony Perosh in 6.04 seconds. Officially, the time of the match was recorded at :07, and officially is now listed as tying the record set by Duane Ludwig in his January 16, 2006, knockout of Jonathan Goulet, also listed at :07 (the time was changed by UFC officials since there was a timekeeper error that night which timed it at :11). Ludwigs time was actually 6.06 seconds.
Seven fights in, this was a great show, and it looked to be cant miss, because stylistically, there appeared to be no way the two main matches, Urijah Faber vs. Renan Barao, and Tim Boetsch vs. Hector Lombard, could be bad fights.
After an impressive submission win by Matthew Riddle opening the PPV, it came down for Brian Ebersole vs. James Head. Ebersole, who just fought on 6/22, came in flat. His game plan was to take Head down. Except he couldnt do it, so the three round fight consisted of Ebersole taking telegraphed shots that Head was able to sprawl out of. Ebersole, who is skinny at 170 pounds, was dieting down to get to 155, where he decided hed have more success, when he was called about being a late replacement. That fight sucked even though Ebersole is usually entertaining.
Next was Cheick Kongo vs. Shawn Jordan, a battle of heavy hitting heavyweights. The problem here was Kongo came in with a dislocated shoulder. He was too experienced for Jordan, but evidently either he was in too much pain or not good enough condition, because his game plan was to beat Jordan to the punch, and then move in and clinch against the fence. The crowd hated that one.
Lombard vs. Boetsch was supposed to be two guys with powerful punches who are both aggressive. But somehow, they went three rounds with little happening, with Boetsch taking a split decision.
The crowd was furious at this point. Faber and Barao were next, and Barao broke Fabers rib with a kick about 2:00 into the fight. Faber couldnt get any offense going, but Barao never hurt him again in winning an easy decision for the interim bantamweight title. It was by no means a great fight, but it was two highly skilled and fast guys out there doing a stand-up battle with Barao winning most exchanges. Perhaps Faber, the crowd favorite being unable to find any answers led to the crowd booing and turning on the fight.
It was a weird night to be sure. The show sold out immediately when tickets were put on sale, with 16,089 fans and a city-record setting gate of $4.1 million Canadian ($4.01 million U.S.), breaking a record set by the Rolling Stones. It was also the largest UFC gate ever in a market of that size.
The crowd arrived early, with the place 85% full for the first prelim, and they were hot, strongly cheering the Canadians in all prelim matches. There was some negativity locally because virtually the entire card ended up being rebuilt after tickets were put on sale, with injury after injury. The card people bought tickets for was Jose Aldo Jr. vs. Erik Koch for the featherweight title (Aldo Jr. injured, Koch pulled from the show), Shogun Rua vs. Thiago Silva (Silva injured, Rua moved to 8/4 in Los Angeles), Michael Bisping vs. Tim Boetsch (Bisping pulled due to minor knee surgery); and Cheick Kongo vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Nogueira pulled from the show because his arm wasnt recovering as fast as he had hoped for after it was torn up by Frank Mir in January). Many felt, and rightly so, that the company should have issued refunds. The reality is its good P.R. and its doubtful many would request them given the long wait fans in the province have had in waiting for a live UFC and the citys history of being one of the best markets, per capita, for PPV in the world.
But through the prelims, anyone watching would have come to the conclusion this was going to be one of the companys best markets. At the end of the night, with chants of Bullshit, one wonders if they should even return in less than a few years because of the negativity.
Nobody was arguing that the three bad fights in a row ruined the show. It was nobodys fault. They werent boring fighters matched up. Ebersole has always been entertaining. Kongo vs. Jordan wasnt expected to be a high skill level fight, but two big guys who hit hard. And Lombard comes out as fast, and hits hard, specializing in first round knockouts. Fabers fights are always exciting. White compared the show to UFC 33, a 2001 show generally considered the worst major event of the last decade.
The earliest PPV estimates are 235,000 buys, which is along the lines of what would be expected. Once again, keep in mind this is early and we should have a better number in a couple of weeks. Its a low number, but nobody expected different going in. It was probably helped because whenever UFC runs in Canada, they get so much mainstream media in that country that the PPV numbers do well in that country and make a difference if the U.S. numbers are so-so. A PPV being from Canada doesnt hurt the U.S. numbers. Normally, that would be considered a disappointment, but coming two weeks after a monster show and being the third PPV in four weeks, if thats where it winds up, nobody should complain. I think its a lot better than Aldo vs. Koch would have done.
But the other real story coming out of the show, besides the outright negative reaction, was that this is really the end of the line for Faber as a world title contender. Faber was the fighter whose charisma and exciting fight style with multiple match of the year candidates put the smaller weight division on the map as WEC featherweight champion. Because he was the only under 155 pounder who had ever shown an ability to draw, PPV, TV ratings and at house shows, it gave him a leg up in getting title fights. But since losing the featherweight title to Mike Brown, hes had four chances at the belt, losing all four via decision. And while Faber did come close to winning rounds three and five, there was no question who won the fight and it didnt seem like there was anything Faber could do to get an advantage on Barao.
Granted, breaking a rib is going to change the fight. But going in, Baraos takedown defense appeared to be too good, and he was quicker and had more weapons standing. He threw combinations of both punches and kicks whereas Faber was, when he could land, hitting single shots. Even though both were listed at the same height, and Barao only was listed having a one inch reach advantage, seeing the two battle made both those numbers seem like a mockery. My belief is the lighter weight classes are going to be dominated by younger men, because they are quickness divisions, and at those weights, younger men are also going to have more pound-for-pound strengths. Faber looks younger than 33, and hes in great shape, and is plenty fast. He can still beat most people, but his wrestling hasnt been strong enough to take down his recent opponents, and hes improved his stand-up, but its not world class. But at his age with younger guys with the talent of Cruz, Barao and Michael McDonald in the division, his age is going to work against him and hes going to have to be in that awkward position of a big name former champion who is supposed to give credibility to new title contenders as opposed to eliminate them. Fabers ground game is creative and he excels in scrambles, but that means nothing when he cant get the fights to the ground. Its going to be hard to focus on him as a main eventer because he cant possibly get another title shot unless he goes on a lengthy win streak, and his match with Cruz is out the window unless Barao wins the title from Cruz. He was looking drawn and perhaps weak this time at 135, and said there was no way he could cut to 125.
Barao vs. Dominick Cruz looks to be the new big bantamweight direction. McDonald, who was originally chosen by UFC to be Fabers opponent in the interim title match, only to suffer a hand injury in his first day of training for the fight, expects to be ready around November. Realistically, Cruz isnt going to be ready until next spring. Barao indicated wanting to sit and wait for Cruz, but with so many UFC shows, any healthy champion is going to be pressured to defend, and thats the most obvious direction. Its hard to tell what level McDonald is at because except for Miguel Torres, who he ran through, he hasnt fought guys at the top level. Barao vs. Cruz is going to be all about which guy can control the flow of the fight. Its probably going to a decision and Barao will win unless Cruzs movement can take him out of his game. But Cruz has succeeded in doing that with everyone hes faced in recent years.
Lombard, coming in with a 25 fight unbeaten streak, was signed to a big money contract as Bellator champion and with a strong win here, would be groomed for Anderson Silva. While Boetsch won via split decision in a fight where neither man had any significant offense, to any fan watching, the match eliminated both men as contenders. This would seem to leave Chris Weidman, who had an impressive win on 7/11, at the head of the pack of contenders.
There is still the Bisping vs. Brian Stann fight on 9/22 in Toronto. In addition, just about finalized is Vitor Belfort vs. Alan Belcher on 10/13 in Rio de Janeiro. What is likely to happen is theyll make a call on either Weidman or the Bisping vs. Stann winner after Toronto, or wait three weeks and have the Belcher vs. Belfort winner in the running. There were plans for an early 2013 show in Brazil, which Silva could headline since they kind of owe him a Brazilian fight.
There were three close fights on the show. Nick Ring got a very questionable decision over Court McGee. That was a rematch that had a story. Ring and McGee fought on the Ultimate Fighter reality show, with Ring winning a decision. Ring then blew out his knee, and since McGee showed so much heart in losing, he was brought back in. McGee wound up winning the tournament. This time, McGee appeared to win the first and third round solidly. The second round was close, but I gave it to Ring.
All three judges gave the fight to Ring, 29-28. Joe Rogan outright called it a home town decision, and Dana White said he not only thought McGee won, but thought the third round could have been a 10-8 round. What was amazing was how much the crowd booed when Ring was announced the winner, since Ring was possibly the most popular fighter on the show. Ring was the only fighter from Calgary on the show. He also made front page headlines several weeks back to seeing a mugging, breaking it up, chasing down the perpetrators and calling police which led to several men being arrested. In addition, he came out with Bret Hart. But even the locals couldnt accept that as a win. Our poll had 59% for McGee, 28% for Ring and 13% even.
In Ebersole vs. Head, Head scored a split decision win. I had Head winning rounds one and three. However, our poll was almost dead even with 49% for Head, 46% for Ebersole and 6% even. In Lombard vs. Boetsch, I honestly was surprised Boetsch won. Lombard was more aggressive, landed more punches and got more takedowns, although he did nothing with them. Boetsch couldnt take Lombard down when he tried. He did land more leg kicks than Lombard did punches. Boetsch hardly landed any punches, although as far as volume, with the low kicks, did land more strikes. Our poll has 46% for Lombard, 42% for Boetsch and 12% even.
The bonuses were $65,000 each with Bryan Caraway vs. Mitch Gagnon as the best fight, Jimmo with the best knockout and Riddle with the best submission.
The 7/14 Strikeforce show did a 1.25 rating and 420,000 viewers. Thats a lot more than I expected out of that show. While less viewers, that was actually a higher rating than the Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate fight did. The previous time Luke Rockhold had headlined a Strikeforce show, in January, when drawing ratings was easier, the show did an 0.94 rating and 344,000 viewers.
Just to clear everything up, Dana White this past week said that all fighters currently in Strikeforce, if their Strikeforce contracts expire and they become free agents, can not go to UFC due to the stipulations in the contract UFC and Strikeforce signed at the end of last year. The contract runs out in late 2013, but there are two option years on the deal. As far as what will happen, who is to say. But the rating for the last show is hardly going to encourage Showtime to not try and renew the deal. Showtime spent nearly two years building the Super 6, spending millions of dollars on it, and the finals, which had an American clean-cut never swearing real-life gold medalist (Andre Ward) winning, did a 1.35 rating, which isnt all that much higher than what Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Kennedy pulled with far less pub and name value. I cant see Showtime dropping MMA. There are a few smaller promoters who are hopeful the deal falls through so they can get on Showtime, but Showtime would be risking its ratings and interest level with another promotion, plus it would seem a waste of time building these fighters. The key from each side is that for UFC, keeping Showtime keeps a rival promotion from getting a valuable TV time slot that pays decently well (from all accounts, Strikeforce as a separate company isnt making money because of the high talent contracts theyre paying, which is one of the reasons they havent added the performance bonuses that UFC fighters get) and can put them on the map. For Showtime, they keep the talent theyve been using and they are solid in the sense as long as that talent is valuable, they are unlikely to go anywhere. Some have talked of the idea that when, say, Gilbert Melendezs contract expires, he could go to Bellator or One FC, and he could, but the reality is, the top Strikeforce fighters mostly have very good deals. If they sign with Zuffa, they will remain in Strikeforce as long as the current Zuffa/Showtime/Strikeforce deal is in effect.
Bellator isnt going to offer them close to what theyre making, at least unless Spike and Bellator decide to pony up money and go all out to compete, but if they do that, youd want to target UFC fighters more than Strikeforce fighters. And that is a possibility in 2013, but Bellator did not attempt to match Hector Lombards deal when he became a free agent and he was their middleweight champion. If UFC and Showtimes deal ends, the expectation would be to fold Strikeforce and bring the talent to UFC.
White also said that if Cung Le is healthy in time (he suffered a bone bruise in his foot in his win over Patrick Cote), that he would headline the 11/10 show in Macau against Rich Franklin. That would be a five-round fight. Man, I hate that fight. Just a ridiculous size difference, but Le also would have the choice to make 170 if he wanted to.
Well I doubt I'll ever watch it again, so I think I'm safe.
WTF at Franklin and Le being a main event.
What the fuck am I reading?
I refuse to believe this is credible. Even the back up plan of Machida vs. Bader is ridiculous.
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