Saturday, April 9th, 2005.
It was a fantastic night, one I'll always remember. I was living in Calgary at the time, and sleeping in on a Saturday, I managed to catch the SPIKE marathon of its sleeper runaway hit "The Ultimate Fighter". Caught the episode from Josh Koscheck clowning around on Chris Leben until the very last episode.
When that episode concluded, we were treated to a night of fights live on Spike, featuring some fights involving many cast members, including Leben, Koscheck, Nate Quarry, Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian.
None of those fights are forever trenched in my mind, however, than the Light Heavyweight TUF tournament final contested between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar.
Through 15 minutes, we were treated to fantastic action, as both competitors never backed down, throwing combinations and leg kicks, both men dripping with sweat and exhaustion as the final bell rang. On a tiny 25" Television in Alberta, I was out of my seat going as crazy as the fans at the Cox Pavilion, as both fighters got a standing ovation and while Griffin won by unanimous decision, both had made enough of an impression to convince UFC president Dana White to give them permanent jobs, and the UFC revolution began in earnest.
I am only walking down memory lane today, because of the major announcement in regards to the very first UFC card on a cable outlet (FOX) announced today. That announcement, it was reported by numerous outlets, will feature what was to be the UFC 139 main event on November 19th, that being a Heavyweight world championship contest between returning kingpin Cain Velasquez, and current #1 contender Junior Dos Santos. In being on cable television, it will move a week up from its previously scheduled date, November the 12th.
In the press conference today, White maintained that he moved the fight up for one simple reason : He has the notion this tilt will have Griffin-Bonnar overtones, saying the fight is "now on a huge, massive platform, and we need to deliver", going onto say He's "literally betting everything" on an exciting heavyweight fight and that a snooze fest between the 2 juggernauts is just "not going to happen".
While it might be true we've never seen Dos Santos or Velasquez in a "boring" fight before, this is an incredible gamble. He's going to have a one hour time slot which will feature a title fight and nothing more or nothing else. Plus, there will be people who will tune into this event, given its advertisement on NFL pre-season games and the Saturday MLB game of the week on FOX, who have no idea of the rules or regulations of Mixed Martial Arts. White says "Some people are going to need to be educated on what the sport is, where it comes from. So we're going to need some time to kind of set up the whole, 'The UFC is on FOX' and what's going on. That's basically why it was done that way."
Velasquez will have been out of action for a year by the time he steps into the cage on November 12th. Dos Santos has been active meanwhile, dispatching of TUF winner Roy Nelson and taking out former title challenger Shane Carwin to secure his spot. While White is hyping up the tilt as a "barnburner" of a heavyweight fight, a lot will depend on the champion's match fitness. What will happen if Velasquez comes in out of shape, is able to take the Brazilian "Cigano" down at will and grind out a decision? Or, if Dos Santos floors the champion in the first 3 minutes, what will happen then? Will the fans be excited enough to tune in again, like they were after that historic light heavyweight contest?
For years I have watched Dana White spew words from his mouth, talking about everything from Anderson Silva's impending firing to the incredible drama what was the signing that wasn't (Fedor). He has said that he can count on one hand the amount of "bad" fights he's seen in 10 years, but I'm pretty sure more than one of those involved the man he is now calling the greatest Mixed Martial Artist ever (Anderson Silva). Of all the times, Brock Lesnar losing the title and being embarrassed by a true Mixed Martial Artist (Velasquez) was about the only time he looked to fall flat on his face....
Let's hope he's right this time.
-In other news, during the said press conference, MMAJunkie reported that White called an internet rumor circulating about former Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar's impending retirement "ridiculous". White said that Lesnar was working on a farm in Canada, and he expected him to be back "very soon". White didn't say when (like usual), but is banking on a late December card in Toronto or early 2012. Personally, I said in the last blog post that I'd like to see Lesnar get an easier fight this time around, hope White obliges.
-MMAFighting is reporting that Rampage isn't worried about the alleged Jon Jones spy he has in his camp. Jackson says that while he doesn't know who the alleged mole is, he hopes that they quote "Believe in Karma". I firmly hope that Jackson is in a well state, as I'm not sure why anybody would have to spy for Jones or give the champ any information. His lopsided victories are a testament to the skill he no doubt has, Spy or no spy.
-In time for the Rugby World Cup next week, ESPN UK is reporting that England star Matt Stevens considered a career switch to MMA during a 2 year drug ban. Stevens, a prop who will star for the English Rugby team, kept in match fitness during his exile by training with Roger Gracie, going onto say that MMA athletes are "the most well-rounded athletes in the world". Just exactly how big is this guy? I'd have paid money to see this Stevens dude and Brock Lesnar throw down.
-ESPN UK is also reporting that Brit Ross Pearson, fresh off his loss to Edson Barboza at UFC 134, is exploring a rematch. Pearson if you remember, tasted a close split decision loss in Rio. I said it while watching the fight that Pearson wouldn't win because the fight was in Rio, though I still feel Barboza did enough to earn the victory.
Questions? Comments? Leave one at the bottom or email me at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com You can also follow me on Twitter, at twitter.com/mmarmaggedon
Until next time, fight fans!
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