Tuesday MMA Blog: Silva Extends Invitation to Rivals
May 12, 2009
’The
Juggernaut’ Talks 8-Second KO
By Mike Fridley ([email protected])
Britt discussed the quick bout with Sherdog.com and his future plans in the cage.
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HDNet
Schedules, Broadcasts Train Wreck
By Jake Rossen ([email protected])
Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. ET: You can’t blame them for giving the public what they want: HDNet has formally announced intentions to broadcast Dream 9 live on May 26 at 3 a.m. ET. The card -- beaming from Kanagawa, Japan -- will feature the mixed martial arts debut of Jose Canseco. (Who knew that sentence would ever need typing?)
While the card is top-heavy with an open-weight tournament of nonsense that would give P.T. Barnum the shakes, Dream isn’t completely neglecting talent: MTV mascot Jason "Mayhem" Miller will take on Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza in a rematch of an entertaining ’08 bout, while celebrated featherweight Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto will return from a 17-month absence to tackle 2006 Greco-Roman World Champion (at 132 lbs.) Joe Warren.
Warren is green in the sport -- he won his debut against Chase Beebe
in March -- but his wrestling pedigree is more than enough to give
Yamamoto fits. It should be a dynamic, fast-paced fight, with
Yamamoto looking to get an edge standing before Warren ties him up.
And if for some reason it fails to deliver, a bout between Gesias "JZ"
Cavalcante and Tatsuya
Kawajiri should pick up the slack nicely.
Not that any of this will matter to mainstream outlets, which appear predestined to snicker over a likely-horizontal performance by Canseco and ignore the actual competitive bouts.
To understand Canseco’s motivations to get dribbled by 7’2” ox Hong-Man Choi, you’d do well to read this Deadspin piece on his numerous fiduciary troubles. Its author, Pat Jordan, was also author of “Bad,” the 1989 Playboy magazine profile on Rorion Gracie that piqued the interest of Art Davie and indirectly led to the creation of the UFC.
Pretty good writer? Yeah. Pretty good writer.
Spin City:
Bellator Hosts Potential KO of the Year
By Jake Rossen ([email protected])
Tuesday, 4:30 p.m. ET: Patron saint of the spinning backfist Shonie Carter would be proud. Bellator’s sixth installment on Friday netted the second consecutive highlight-reel finish in company history when Yahir Reyes nailed a 360 and clocked Estevan Payan upside his unsuspecting head.
Backfists, theatrical and crowd-pleasing as they can be, don’t often land with enough concussive force to put a stamp on things. Payan was kissing canvas like he had just taken it to prom.
Reyes will go on to meet Joe “The Hammer” Soto in the featherweight tournament final, while Payan will presumably go on to hope another viral video comes along really, really soon.
UFC 100 Adds
Grappling Tournament to Schedule
By Jake Rossen ([email protected])
Tuesday, 4:15 p.m. ET: Recognizing that not everyone enjoys getting punched in the face, the UFC has announced a two-day grappling tournament with open registration will be held July 10 and 11, the day before and day of UFC 100 in Las Vegas.
Wisely, event staff -- which has no prior experience promoting no-strikes competition, unless you count Anderson Silva’s last two fights -- has partnered with Grappler’s Quest to organize the proceedings; prize money will be offered throughout various weight and gender divisions.
Now if only they could convince Royce Gracie -- who claims his travel schedule won’t allow him to make the event -- and Ken Shamrock to do a no-time-limit submission grappling bout to commemorate the occasion.
Nostalgia without the possibility of serious injury … what’s not to like?
Pointless
Challenges to Roy Jones: Special Frank Trigg Edition
By Jake Rossen ([email protected])
Tuesday, 3:45 p.m. ET: God only knows what Roy Jones Jr. actually said to manager McGee Wright last month -- it could’ve been some half-mumbled, sleep-deprived sorta-commitment to the bats--t idea of fighting Anderson Silva in an Octagon -- but it’s resulted in this industry showcasing its serious inferiority complex.
You’ll recall Nick Diaz’ camp declared he’d fight Jones; now Frank Trigg has circulated word he’d be willing to take the fight absolutely no one was asking for.
“If you want to be taken seriously in the MMA game, step into the cage with me and see where you stand -- literally,” Trigg said. "We have a promoter in Roy's home state of Florida that is very interested in making this fight happen –- my manager has been in contact with his people at Square Ring. There is no reason why this can’t go forward.”
I can think of a few: Jones has no interest in fighting anyone not named Anderson Silva; Jones has no interest in fighting anyone with a better-than-average chance of dropping him on his head; Jones realizes that the UFC’s promotional machine could net him a great payday, a non-existent possibility anywhere else; Jones is maybe interested in the historical value of fighting an all-time UFC great but not anyone else.
This is reaching epidemic proportions. If Jason Thacker issues a press release challenging Hasim Rahman, I’m going to go jab a fork in my toaster.
Cung’s Reality
Check
By Jake Rossen ([email protected])
Tuesday, 3:30 p.m. ET: A new Cung Le interview at MMAWeekly has Le trying to make the case that he isn’t about to ditch fighting for acting, but inaction speaks louder than words: Le is eyeballing 40, hasn’t fought in a year, and could offer no idea on when he’ll be returning.
It’s strange that no promoter -- particularly one as well connected as Le’s own Strikeforce -- hasn’t yet explored the possibility of network synergy with a hyphenate like Le. Stick him on a primetime series -- boxing in David Caruso’s ears on “CSI: Miami,” for example, or perhaps punting Charlie Sheen in the groin -- and then pump his real fight that same night.
Hell, while you’re at it, stick Nick Diaz on “Survivor.”
Silva Extends
Invitation to Rivals Arona, Filho
By Marcelo Alonso ([email protected])
Tuesday, 4:15 a.m. ET: The times they are a-changin.
After declaring war against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva on Sherdog.com a few weeks ago, the always controversial Wanderlei Silva, dropped another bombshell on the Brazilian MMA scene this week.
In an interview published in May edition of Tatame Magazine, the “Axe Murderer” invited his biggest Brazilian Top Team rivals, Paulo Filho and Ricardo Arona, to train with him at his gym in Las Vegas.
“They are amazing athletes who should be fighting in the best events,” Silva told Tatame. “Today, everybody is professional. I had my rivalry with them, but it’s part of the past. Today, everything has changed and it would be a pleasure to have them training with me.”
There was an era when Brazil’s greatest fighters were split between two distinct camps in Chute Boxe and BTT. However, Silva’s thirst for knowledge now seems to outweigh any grudges that existed in previous years.
Silva even advised the 30-year-old Arona, who hasn’t stepped into the ring or cage since his April 2007 loss to Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at Pride’s final event in Japan.
“The time is passing and we are getting old,” said Silva. “Arona should fight in smaller events like Strikeforce and win five or 10 fights. If he wins, I believe he will be invited to [the] UFC.”
Filho, Silva’s very public enemy in the past, also got some pearls of wisdom from the Pride and UFC superstar.
“He is having a personal battle and I hope he can learn from that bad moment and recovers soon,” said Silva. “If he wants to come to Vegas and bring his trainers or train with my team, it will be an honor to me.”
Sherdog.com checked in with Arona and Filho on their invitations.
“I was happy with his invitation and it would be a honor to me,” said Filho. “Wanderlei is a legend of our sport; he is coming down to 83kg and I’m going up to 93. I’m sure we have a lot to teach to each other. Tell him to wait for me, that I’ll be arriving soon.”
Arona, however, thanked Silva for his advice and invitation, but said he’d rather stay training in Brazil for next edition of the Abu Dhabi World Submission Championships in September.
“I’m confirmed for ADCC in September, but I really would like to fight in some MMA event before [that]. I’ve heard Affliction will have an edition in July. It would be great to fight there,”said Arona.
Arona also apologized for his strong statement made towards Dana White and the UFC, in which he said the promotion’s president wouldn’t offer him a bout because he could beat all of the organization’s fighters.
“I have nothing against Dana White,” Arona said. “If I gave some statement which was misunderstood, I apologize to all UFC fighters. I respect all of them. Regarding Dana White, I’ll repeat [it] once again. If he thinks I’m [a] nobody, I’m a bad fighter, he should put me in [the] UFC. Inside the Octagon, I believe I can give him the answer.”
Guilherme Cruz contributed to this report.
Week of White
Continues: Career Opportunities
By Jake Rossen ([email protected])
Tuesday, 4 a.m. ET: ESPN’s all-angles profile of Dana White continues tonight with a backstage-access feature on “E:60” (ESPN, 7 PM ET).
During the segment, White discusses his original plan of becoming a boxer -- in terms of risk-to-reward ratio, second only to being an unmasked coal mine worker. Had he adhered to that goal, it’s more than likely MMA as we know it would still be stuck in what can only be articulated as the “crapper.”
Because when you think “ESPN blog” you think “speculative fiction,” three alternate career paths for White and their possible outcomes:
One: Boxer
Much is made of White’s background in boxing, by all accounts more a prospective career than anything—there’s no easily-obtained record of amateur bouts, and White appears to have been more preoccupied with training Boston locals and the occasional celebrity (Mark Wahlberg among them) than getting bloodied in a ring. As he tells “E:60,” a random gym encounter with a punchy 30-something never-was cemented his decision to abandon the goal.
If he hadn’t? Statistically speaking, the odds were stacked against him: success in boxing is an elusive goalpost, and the reward for mediocrity is slurred speech and a bankrupt pension plan. A road wisely not traveled.
Two: Boxing Promoter
Before colluding with the Fertittas to purchase the UFC, White’s original plan was to get into boxing promotion.
Like Don King and Vince McMahon before him, White understands the business of shill. It’s about being loud, assertive, and convincing in attempts to make people believe the next fight is [i]the[/i] fight—and that only Bellevue residents would contemplate missing it.
With King winding down, that kind of bravado is missing from boxing. A lack of bombastic hype men could be one of the many reasons it’s become a muted media presence. Filling that gap could’ve meant White making just as much money in that sport as this one, though he might’ve had only half as much fun.
Three: Television Producer
Cozy with Spike thanks to the success of “The Ultimate Fighter” franchise, White has been executive-producing “Black Souls,” an upcoming hour-long drama about the Boston Irish mob.
Can White make for an effective primetime series head, or is this a vanity position? I’d bet on the former: prizefighting is drama unfiltered, and helping orchestrate the basest of human conflict for nearly a decade has to have taught him a thing or three about pulling emotional strings.
One risk: if the show’s fight sequences suck wind, he’ll never hear the end of it.
Check the blog all day for more entries.
