dream
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The 12/29 show in Las Vegas sold 4,000 tickets to the public for $1 million, which is slower than Id have expected for such a loaded show with Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez on top. Its still going to end up full because in Las Vegas casinos buy a ton of tickets right off the bat. They are coming off a cancellation on 9/1 and historically its tough to sell tickets in advance on the next big show after a canceled date.
UFC and Ticketmaster have created an official UFC resale marketplace. This allows fans who are getting tickets on the secondary market to be able to be sure the tickets are real. Ticketmaster already has similar partnerships with the NFL, NBA and U.S. Tennis Association.
Stephan Bonnar and Dave Herman both failed drug tests administered by UFC after the 10/13 show in Rio de Janeiro. The UFC self-regulated the show since there are no athletic commissions in Brazil. They tested all 24 fighters. Bonnar tested positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanolone, after his loss to Anderson Silva. Drostanolone is usually used by fighters to maintain strength while cutting weight. It is recommended that the drug be avoided two weeks before being drug tested, but time frames vary by the individual. Bonnar was contacted before the test result was announced by UFC and he didnt deny using it. He was suspended for one year, although I dont know what that means given hes retired. I guess it means hes not going to be reconsidering for at least one year. Herman tested positive for marijuana after his loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. It is Bonnars second steroid positive, as he failed in 2006 before his second fight with Forrest Griffin, using Boldenone, which he said was in attempting to heal a late injury suffered two weeks before the fight. Herman also has a prior positive test for marijuana. No penalties were announced for Herman, but he lost to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on that card, which was his third loss in a row. Marc Ratner said that he would not be punished as harshly because the company sees a difference between positives for marijuana and performance enhancing drugs. Herman will be suspended, but it sounds like not as long. With three straight losses and two marijuana positives during his UFC run, his being cut wouldnt surprise me at all. It becomes an interesting issue. I dont believe Bonnar should be in the UFC Hall of Fame, because he never held a title, challenged for a title, beat a champion or even beat a really top guy in his entire career. He was in a very important fight, and a great fight, but thats the Don Larsen (so-so pitcher who pitched a perfect game in the World Series) argument. However, I suspect UFC would have put him in. With two steroid test failures in his career, that certainly would make one have to think about that decision. UFC released a statement, The UFC has a strict, consistent policy against the use of any illegal and/or performance-enhancing drugs, stimulants or masking agents. Both fighters have admitted taking the banned substances and have orally agreed to suspensions. Once the suspensions have been reduced to written agreements, the results of their tests and the agreed-upon suspensions will be sent to the Association of Boxing Commissions official record-keeper so other jurisdictions will be on notice.
Another fighter talking retirement is Kyle Kingsbury, 30. Kingsbury took a beating in the first round on 9/29 against Jimi Manuwa, and suffered multiple orbital bone fractures. He came back to win the second round, but the doctor seeing his eye swelling shut, stopped the fight. Kingsbury said his goal was to become a fire fighter. He said after college, he was training and fighting while working toward getting into the fire department. He was told when he showed up at an interview with a black eye, that it was possible the wrong person could see him with a black eye during his probationary period. So he made the choice to go into fighting until that career ends and go to the fire department. A fighter at Kingsburys level doesnt make big money fighting. The loss to Manuwa was his third in a row, but UFC didnt cut him because the fight was so exciting. Kingsbury said he was leaning toward retiring, but with his eye injuries, its going to be six months before he would fight again so he has plenty of time to make a decision. In a trivia note, Kingsbury is now living with former UFC ring girl Natasha Wicks.
The new UFC video game that EA is putting out began preliminary shooting on 11/5 in Burnaby, BC. The team in charge is taking great pains to avoid any kind of connection to the Strikeforce themed EA Sports MMA video game that EA put out a few years ago that didnt sell. Paul Lazenby, the stunt coordinator in the EA Sports game, who was strongly pushed for the position for the UFC game, but instead Brian Ho, a Kung fu specialist with only a basic knowledge of MMA, was given the position and Ho knew little more than he was doing a fighting game.
Chael Sonnen was on TSNs Off the Record and said how he and Dan Henderson were in cahoots, and that Henderson will be coaching during the currently taping TUF season and would be in Sonnens corner in his title fight with Jon Jones. It was notable because this was a day after Henderson said that Sonnen getting a title shot was bad for the sport. Henderson, when asked about being a coach for Sonnen and being in his corner for the fight, gave a vague response, saying, Possibly, if I can get away, and then, If he wants me there, Im sure I would be there.
Thiago Alves has said that due to his body being banged up due to various injuries, including surgery on his left knee for a damaged ACL and for a torn pec, he is going to takeoff until the summer of 2013.
Leonard Garcia vs. Cody McKenzie has been added to the 12/29 show in Las Vegas. Garcia comes into the fight with three straight losses, but hes the kind of guy they dont want to cut. Hes had a number of best fights of the night (four of his last seven fights) and he is a name fighter because of it, far more than his ability or record would indicate.
Besam Yousef pulled out of his 11/17 fight with Matt Riddle in Montreal, and John Maguire was tabbed as the replacement. Maguire is coming off a loss on 9/29 to John Hathaway by decision in a boring fight.
Pettis has been named a new business partner with trainer Duke Roufus and General Manager Scott Joffe in the Roufus Gym in Milwaukee, their North American Fighting Championships promotion that runs local area shows, and for a weekly TV show on Ch. 24 in Milwaukee which begins on 11/10 that will cover the local MMA scene.
Mike Pierce was tabbed as the replacement for Kyle Noke on 12/15 in Australia, facing Seth Baczynski.
John Cofer vs. Mike Rio has been added to the 12/15 show in Las Vegas. The decision has been made to keep very few guys from this season of Ultimate Fighter. There are ten fights already announced besides the finals. The two finalists will be on the show, but it looks like, at best, two of the other cast members will even get on the final show in the traditional battle of non-winners for a roster spot, and there may not even be that. Usually the final show will have everyone from the season on with most losers getting cut, unless they look impressive in losing. There are a couple of reasons why so few guys from the show this season are going to get a shot at the main roster. The first is that there are too many fighters on the roster for the number of shows the company is doing. The second is they are still feeling the effects of the cancellation of UFC 152, because moving all those fighters to later cards has meant that a ton of potential fighters, up to two dozen, who would normally be booked on the last few shows havent been booked so they need to get them work. This Las Vegas show will start giving them the work. The other is that so few of the also-rans from recent seasons have done well against UFC competition. There is a feeling that if they dont look like they have UFC potential, not to give them a roster spot because they may have some notoriety on TUF.
UFC and Ticketmaster have created an official UFC resale marketplace. This allows fans who are getting tickets on the secondary market to be able to be sure the tickets are real. Ticketmaster already has similar partnerships with the NFL, NBA and U.S. Tennis Association.
Stephan Bonnar and Dave Herman both failed drug tests administered by UFC after the 10/13 show in Rio de Janeiro. The UFC self-regulated the show since there are no athletic commissions in Brazil. They tested all 24 fighters. Bonnar tested positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanolone, after his loss to Anderson Silva. Drostanolone is usually used by fighters to maintain strength while cutting weight. It is recommended that the drug be avoided two weeks before being drug tested, but time frames vary by the individual. Bonnar was contacted before the test result was announced by UFC and he didnt deny using it. He was suspended for one year, although I dont know what that means given hes retired. I guess it means hes not going to be reconsidering for at least one year. Herman tested positive for marijuana after his loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. It is Bonnars second steroid positive, as he failed in 2006 before his second fight with Forrest Griffin, using Boldenone, which he said was in attempting to heal a late injury suffered two weeks before the fight. Herman also has a prior positive test for marijuana. No penalties were announced for Herman, but he lost to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on that card, which was his third loss in a row. Marc Ratner said that he would not be punished as harshly because the company sees a difference between positives for marijuana and performance enhancing drugs. Herman will be suspended, but it sounds like not as long. With three straight losses and two marijuana positives during his UFC run, his being cut wouldnt surprise me at all. It becomes an interesting issue. I dont believe Bonnar should be in the UFC Hall of Fame, because he never held a title, challenged for a title, beat a champion or even beat a really top guy in his entire career. He was in a very important fight, and a great fight, but thats the Don Larsen (so-so pitcher who pitched a perfect game in the World Series) argument. However, I suspect UFC would have put him in. With two steroid test failures in his career, that certainly would make one have to think about that decision. UFC released a statement, The UFC has a strict, consistent policy against the use of any illegal and/or performance-enhancing drugs, stimulants or masking agents. Both fighters have admitted taking the banned substances and have orally agreed to suspensions. Once the suspensions have been reduced to written agreements, the results of their tests and the agreed-upon suspensions will be sent to the Association of Boxing Commissions official record-keeper so other jurisdictions will be on notice.
Another fighter talking retirement is Kyle Kingsbury, 30. Kingsbury took a beating in the first round on 9/29 against Jimi Manuwa, and suffered multiple orbital bone fractures. He came back to win the second round, but the doctor seeing his eye swelling shut, stopped the fight. Kingsbury said his goal was to become a fire fighter. He said after college, he was training and fighting while working toward getting into the fire department. He was told when he showed up at an interview with a black eye, that it was possible the wrong person could see him with a black eye during his probationary period. So he made the choice to go into fighting until that career ends and go to the fire department. A fighter at Kingsburys level doesnt make big money fighting. The loss to Manuwa was his third in a row, but UFC didnt cut him because the fight was so exciting. Kingsbury said he was leaning toward retiring, but with his eye injuries, its going to be six months before he would fight again so he has plenty of time to make a decision. In a trivia note, Kingsbury is now living with former UFC ring girl Natasha Wicks.
The new UFC video game that EA is putting out began preliminary shooting on 11/5 in Burnaby, BC. The team in charge is taking great pains to avoid any kind of connection to the Strikeforce themed EA Sports MMA video game that EA put out a few years ago that didnt sell. Paul Lazenby, the stunt coordinator in the EA Sports game, who was strongly pushed for the position for the UFC game, but instead Brian Ho, a Kung fu specialist with only a basic knowledge of MMA, was given the position and Ho knew little more than he was doing a fighting game.
Chael Sonnen was on TSNs Off the Record and said how he and Dan Henderson were in cahoots, and that Henderson will be coaching during the currently taping TUF season and would be in Sonnens corner in his title fight with Jon Jones. It was notable because this was a day after Henderson said that Sonnen getting a title shot was bad for the sport. Henderson, when asked about being a coach for Sonnen and being in his corner for the fight, gave a vague response, saying, Possibly, if I can get away, and then, If he wants me there, Im sure I would be there.
Thiago Alves has said that due to his body being banged up due to various injuries, including surgery on his left knee for a damaged ACL and for a torn pec, he is going to takeoff until the summer of 2013.
Leonard Garcia vs. Cody McKenzie has been added to the 12/29 show in Las Vegas. Garcia comes into the fight with three straight losses, but hes the kind of guy they dont want to cut. Hes had a number of best fights of the night (four of his last seven fights) and he is a name fighter because of it, far more than his ability or record would indicate.
Besam Yousef pulled out of his 11/17 fight with Matt Riddle in Montreal, and John Maguire was tabbed as the replacement. Maguire is coming off a loss on 9/29 to John Hathaway by decision in a boring fight.
Pettis has been named a new business partner with trainer Duke Roufus and General Manager Scott Joffe in the Roufus Gym in Milwaukee, their North American Fighting Championships promotion that runs local area shows, and for a weekly TV show on Ch. 24 in Milwaukee which begins on 11/10 that will cover the local MMA scene.
Mike Pierce was tabbed as the replacement for Kyle Noke on 12/15 in Australia, facing Seth Baczynski.
John Cofer vs. Mike Rio has been added to the 12/15 show in Las Vegas. The decision has been made to keep very few guys from this season of Ultimate Fighter. There are ten fights already announced besides the finals. The two finalists will be on the show, but it looks like, at best, two of the other cast members will even get on the final show in the traditional battle of non-winners for a roster spot, and there may not even be that. Usually the final show will have everyone from the season on with most losers getting cut, unless they look impressive in losing. There are a couple of reasons why so few guys from the show this season are going to get a shot at the main roster. The first is that there are too many fighters on the roster for the number of shows the company is doing. The second is they are still feeling the effects of the cancellation of UFC 152, because moving all those fighters to later cards has meant that a ton of potential fighters, up to two dozen, who would normally be booked on the last few shows havent been booked so they need to get them work. This Las Vegas show will start giving them the work. The other is that so few of the also-rans from recent seasons have done well against UFC competition. There is a feeling that if they dont look like they have UFC potential, not to give them a roster spot because they may have some notoriety on TUF.
