In the first six months of this year it looked like the UFC were an unstoppable force.
UFC 100 in July in particular appeared to have raised the bar significantly, gaining widespread media coverage and bringing in record breaking pay per view numbers. When the next event in August also exceeded expectations it looked like they were ready to welcome in the next decade in style.
Since then their luck has changed however. The last few months has seen the worst injury crisis in the company’s history, including four of their five champions (Georges St.Pierre, Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and Brock Lesnar) being forced onto the sidelines due to illness and injury. An unprecedented number of other fighters on the roster have suffered a similar fate.
Problems with other big name stars have complicated matters. Topping the list was undoubtedly Quinton Rampage Jackson who pulled out of a blockbuster fight with fellow Ultimate Fighter season 10 coach Rashad Evans to star as B.A Baracus in The A-Team.
A contract dispute with Dan Henderson, who would eventually leave for rival promotion Strikeforce as a result, further limited the promotions ability to put on the kind of star-studded events fans had become accustomed to.
Meanwhile Strikeforce have stepped forward as a potential challenger to the UFC. Along with the recent acquisition of Henderson, the promotion also managed to sign one of the world’s best pound for pound stars, Fedor Emelianenko ahead of the UFC, formed an alliance with Japanese promotion DREAM and had a successful debut on network television via CBS in november, pulling in an average of 4 million viewers.
The contrast in fortunes between the two promotions in recent months has led to criticism for the UFC from some fans, but is it really justified?
While Strikeforce have undoubtedly had an impressive six months, it could be argued that the the UFC’s recent woes only further highlights their status as the sports market leader.
To see why lets look at some of the affected events in recent times:
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UFC 105 – UFC 108 (Originally scheduled headline fights):
* UFC 105: BJ Penn Vs Diego Sanchez (lightweight title fight)
UFC 106: Brock Lesnar Vs Shane Carwin (heavyweight title fight)
UFC 107: Rampage Jackson Vs Rashad Evans
UFC 108: Anderson Silva Vs Vitor Belfort (middleweight title fight)
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If these bouts had went ahead as originally planned the UFC would have been on course for a stellar end to the year (UFC 108 airs on Jan 2nd of next year, but we’ll include it here for the sake of argument).
Penn – Sanchez would have given UK fans the chance to see a title fight on their own turf, and those in the US would have been able to watch the fight for free on Spike TV.
Meanwhile Lesnar – Carwin was a title fight that had been widely predicted to be a major ratings winner for the UFC, while the hype emerging from the 10th season of TUF 10, which brought record ratings on Spike, suggested that Rampage – Evans was also set to be a major success.
Though Anderson Silva isn’t as bankable a star as some of the others mentioned, his title fight with Belfort certainly had all the makings of a high quality match-up that would be well received among fans.
Of course with the exception of the Penn Vs Sanchez fight, all of the above bouts ended up being canceled due to unforeseen circumstances. Let’s take a closer look at their replacments:
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UFC 105 – UFC 108 (Re-arranged headline bouts):
* UFC 105: Randy Couture Vs Brandon Vera
UFC 106: Forrest Griffin Vs Tito Ortiz 2
UFC 107: BJ Penn Vs Diego Sanchez (lightweight title fight)
UFC 108: Rashad Evans Vs Thiago Silva
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While certainly a step down from the planned fights, considering the chaos going on behind the scenes this is a respectable line-up. In each event they have a recognized star who has headlined a UFC event before, and at least one former champion.
It’s also worth pointing out that in the case of UFC 106 and UFC 108 they didn’t even have to look far to find a solid replacement – these fighters were already scheduled to fight in the co-main events on the cards in question.
Bearing in mind this is the UFC at what many would consider to be their lowest ebb in recent times, it’s hard to be overly critical about how they have performed.
Consider how Strikeforce would fare under similar circumstances.
For example, what would happen if Fedor, like Brock Lesnar, had pulled out of his fight with Brett Rogers in November at short notice and was now out indefinitely? Strikeforce’s relationship with CBS is still at a fragile stage and with so much of the success of the event hinging on the Russian star, it would have been a disaster for the promotion.
Also consider if they had to abandon three of their next four headline bouts and find replacements at short notice. Would they fare any better than the UFC has? I think most people would acknowledge that they would not.
It’s also worth remembering we’re only talking about the major fights here. The UFC’s recent injury troubles stem far beyond that, yet they have been able to make the necessary replacement and continue on regardless.
Strikeforce on the other hand have a smaller roster, though they are doing an admirable job of trying to fill it out. Even so, when Trevor Prangley pulled out of his bout with Robbie Lawler due to injury at short notice, the bout was scrapped altogether, meaning only four main card fights aired instead of five.
Along with a deeper roster, the UFC also still holds much of the talent as well, which they have built up over a number of years.
For instance, while Strikeforce have the best heavyweight fighter at their disposal in Fedor Emelianenko, they do not have a long list of top quality opponents for him to fight, as is highlighted by the fact that Fabricio Werdum is now being lined up as his next opponent.
Alistair Overeem hasn’t fought for the promotion in over two years and is apparently in no hurry to return, while Dan Henderson has his hands full contending both the middleweight and light heavyweight titles in the near future.
Contrast that with the UFC’s heavyweight division where Shane Carwin, Frank Mir, Antonio Nogueira and Cain Velasquez are all standing in line for either a shot at current champion Brock Lesnar if he recovers fully from his recent illness, or a run at the interim title if he does not.
It’s perhaps telling that the fighter who appears to be just out of the title picture at this stage in the UFC is Junior Dos Santos, who took just over a minute to defeat Fabricio Werdum when they fought under the UFC’s banner in 2008.
Strikeforce has wisely acquired some fighters who could be the stars of the future in the sport, such as Gegard Mousasi, ‘King Mo’ Lawal and Bobby Lashley, but only time will tell whether they can reach their full potential where they are, and if they do, whether Strikeforce can hold on to them.
In the mean time Strikeforce have proved that they can put on a good show, like the Evolution event which provided plenty of entertainment on Saturday night. The trick now is to maintain that quality and consistency over an extended period of time, and look to improve upon it as they go along.
2010 will be a big year for both promotions. Strikeforce will hold 20 events via Showtime, CBS and Pay Per View which will be a major test for them, and give a good indication of how robust their roster actually is. Their next event on CBS is scheduled for April, and good ratings their are vitally important to their longer term plans.
Meanwhile the UFC are set to expand into new markets like Australia and The Middle East, and will welcome back a number of their major stars back from injury in the early months of the year.
That should lead to several stacked cards from the promotion, and the opportunity to remind people why they are still the biggest show in town.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is a heavyweight legend looking to climb to the top of the mountain one more time following his win over Hall of Famer Randy Couture in August. Unbeaten rising star Cain Velasquez has moved rapidly up the ranks, but he needs one more win to get a shot at the belt. On Saturday, January 2nd, the main event of UFC 108 will see these two heavyweight standouts meet to determine a future challenger for the title. Also, former UFC light heavyweight champion ‘Suga’ Rashad Evans begins on his road back to the title as he attempts to avenge his teammate Keith Jardine’s loss against Brazilian knockout artist Thiago Silva at UFC 108: Nogueira vs Velasquez, presented by “Bayonetta” and live on pay-per-view from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Nogueira vs. Velasquez is a great matchup between the present and the future of the heavyweight division,” said UFC President Dana White. “Nogueira showed in the Couture fight that he still has plenty left to offer at the top level of the game, and Velasquez was devastating in his win over Ben Rothwell, so with both guys in top form, we’re definitely going to see a number one contender emerge from this fight to take on the winner of the Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin title fight.”
Tickets for UFC 108 are priced at $600, $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50, not including applicable service charges, go on sale Saturday, November 14 at 10 a.m. at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at UFC.com, www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Thursday, November 12 at 10 a.m. PT via the website UFC.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Friday, November 13 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
UFC 108 will be available live on pay-per-view on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, BellTV, Shaw Communications and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.95 for standard definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available).
One of the sport’s legendary heavyweights, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) always seems to fight his way back into the title picture. With an outstanding 32-5-1, 1 NC record that includes wins in three of his first four UFC fights, the 33-year-old parlayed a unanimous decision victory against Heath Herring into a UFC interim heavyweight title shot where he submitted former UFC champion Tim Sylvia. At UFC 102 in Portland, Nogueira earned an exciting unanimous decision victory over hometown favorite and UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture. But now the only man to hold UFC and PRIDE heavyweight championship belts looks to stop the ascension of the sport’s newest rising star.
“I’m very excited to face an up-and-coming fighter such as Cain Velasquez,” Nogueira said. “I’m looking to get right back in the title picture. It will be interesting coming off that great win against a legend such as Randy Couture to now face a fighter who’s at the beginning of a promising career and who’s looking for that same success.”
Fresh off his dominating TKO victory against respected contender Ben Rothwell at UFC 104 in October, Cain Velasquez (fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) remains perfect in the UFC and has inched that much closer to a UFC heavyweight title shot. With only one fight going the distance, a unanimous decision victory over Cheick Kongo at UFC 99, the former two-time NCAA All-American wrestler from Arizona State has finished each of his other UFC opponents within two rounds. And as the owner of a professional MMA record of 7-0, it’s clear that there are very few heavyweights that can match Velasquez’s quickness or stop his takedowns.
“I am excited to fight a legend like Nogueira. He’s one of the fighters I watched growing up and admired – he’s definitely one of the greats, and a win over him is what I need to set me up for my shot at the title,” said Velasquez. “I have a lot respect for Noguiera and look forward to facing him in the Octagon.”
Ready to get his UFC light heavyweight title back, Rashad Evans (fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) has notched wins over some big names in the division, including consecutive knockout victories over Chuck Liddell and then champion Forrest Griffin. The Niagara Falls, New York native and former Michigan State University wrestler has won 18 of his 20 pro fights, including a draw against former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz. A skilled grappler that has tremendous knockout power, Evans will need all of his well-rounded abilities when he takes on Thiago Silva, the man who knocked out his teammate and training partner Keith Jardine.
“Thiago’s a hard puncher and a very good fighter, and I respect him,” said Evans. “But I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want to get a little payback for Keith on January 2nd. This is gonna be a great fight for the fans, but I think I’ve got too many tools for Silva to deal with.”
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt that can get the knockout as easy as the tap out, Thiago Silva (fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) has won 14 of his first 15 pro fights. His 95 second KO victory over Jardine at UFC 102 was his fifth win in the UFC, with four coming via KO/TKO and one by submission. The 26-year-old has put away his opponents within two rounds in all of his UFC wins and he looks to throw his name in the UFC title contention hat with a win over former world titleholder Rashad Evans.
“Rashad Evans is a former UFC champion and one of the best light heavyweights in the world,” said Silva. “But he’s never faced a fighter like me, and once I hit him, I have no doubt that a victory is going to follow for me soon after.”
For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com, UK.UFC.com, GERMANY.UFC.com, UFCJapan.jp or UFCEspanol.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brock_Lesna…
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