Sunday, July 31, 2011
The next events are getting closer
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Overeem out of Strikeforce HWT GP, but still fighting for Zuffa
Zuffa, looking to speed things along, scheduled the semifinals for Sept. 10. Alistair Overeem says he can't fight in September, so now in a surprising move, Zuffa has dumped him from the tournament.
It's a shocking development, involving the guy who most still felt was the favorite to win the whole thing and eventually secure a fight with UFC champion Cain Velasquez down the road.
Instead, it'll be Daniel Cormier who steps up and faces Antonio "Big Foot" Silva.
The story picked up steam this afternoon when Overeem appeared on AOL.com's MMA Hour.
"What's going to happen next? I don't know. I've had some threats of cutting me out of the tournament if I don't participate. I don't know if they're going to do it. Personally, I don't like to be threatened. If people start talking like that then?be my guest, but then I'm really not going to sing to their tune," Overeem said.
"For them to unilaterally declare, okay, [September 10] is going to be the second round, which I never agreed on, and then threaten me if I don't want it, it?doesn't really show a lot of respect,"
It was more than "a lack of respect," there were actions behind the words. Overeem is out, but that doesn't mean he's getting booted from the Strikeforce roster. He's the Strikeforce heavyweight champ and UFC president Dana White pointed out that Overeem's still with the company.
"Sept. 10 was the date Showtime wants us to go, so it's the date we've got to go. It's unfortunate that Alistair is unavailable, but situations like this are why there are alternates in the tournament," White told MMAjunkie. "Overeem is under contract, and when his pinky toe heals up, we'll get him another fight," White said.
Strikeforce done with Overeem, heavyweight champ reportedly dropped by Zuffa
There's a new sheriff in town and he's not messing around. Strikeforce fighters were sent a message tonight by their new boss Zuffa - play the game or play it elsewhere.
Back on July 18, the promotion's heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem got in a public beef over a fight date. Overeem said he wasn't available to fight on Sept. 10 on Showtime. It took less than 12 hours for Zuffa to pull him from the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix. Now less than two weeks later, he's a free agent as Zuffa released Overeem from his contract according to HDNet's "Inside MMA."
Sources close to the situation have told "Inside MMA's" Ron Kruck that Strikeforce has exercised its right to eliminate the one remaining fight on Overeem's contract effective July 22nd.
Also according to the source, Overeem has been dealing with more serious injuries than originally reported, including a broken toe and rib and elbow problems. Overeem will fight next in October in Russia for the promotion United Glory. �No word on who his opponent will be.
This is a terrible blow for MMA fans. Overeem is certainly one of the top five heavyweights in mixed martial arts. Fights against the likes of Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Josh Barnett, Antonio Silva or even Brock Lesnar would've been big sellers. It seems unlikely Overeem will be fighting under the Zuffa umbrella anytime soon.
Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, purchased Strikeforce back in March. The organization immediately got an overhaul in the front office and with some of the support staff.
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? The worst contracts in sports history
? Kobe to play in soccer benefit game
? MLB teammates argue in front of 30,000 fans
In Memoriam: Aaron Robinson
I first met Aaron Robinson in Farellones, Chile in 2009—we were down there for a catalog shoot with K2, and it was the first day of two weeks on the road. We spent the afternoon shaking off jet lag and searching La Parva for something to ride with a crew 10-deep, but it was pretty bleak—the infamous Andean wind had scoured the mountain to sketchy hard pack and rocks. Still, we rode until 4pm to get our legs back and get to know each other, jibbing a little gully ‘til the pomas closed.
Upon returning to the hostel for dinner, Aaron was missing. Former K2 Team Manager Kevin Winkel set to stressing out about his whereabouts for several hours before Aaron appeared out of the alpenglow, a huge grin on his face. He had hiked the imposing chute of McConkeys, and returned with point-and-shoots of amber-hued powder spray, evidence of his first real turns in Chile. It was indicative of Aaron’s approach to life—always finding a reason to smile, always making the most of the day. Throughout that trip, he stayed positive despite sometimes suspect conditions, approaching every day eager to make most of it, learning how to talk to the senoritas in their native tongue, throwing himself into local culture with genuine interest and enthusiasm. With a positive outlook comes positive experiences—Aaron knew, more than anything, how to enjoy his place in the present, and it rubbed off on everyone around him.
Through the past several years, I was lucky enougn to ride and travel with Aaron in his home state of Montana, the Cascades and beyond. The positive energy never waned—with an innate sense of speed and terrain, his effortless flow on the mountain matched his effortless flow in life. Indeed, Aaron was a great ambassador for snowboarding, for freeriding, and for humanity as a whole.
The news of Aaron’s passing today while snowboarding in Chile, in the land he had grown to love, weighs heavy on us all. Snowboarding has lost one of its most genuine, talented individuals—the world at large has lost one of its most kind hearted souls. Today, our thoughts are with the Robinson family and everyone whose lives he touched around the globe.
Send in peace, A-Rob. We’ll miss you.
Great October sessions
Lombard to Marquardt: ?Let?s make it happen, brother?
Nate Marquardt's suspension has been officially lifted by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission. Earlier this week, Bellator middleweight Hector Lombard doubted that a fight between him and the maligned former UFC star would happen, but now he has another message for Marquardt:
That's right, Lombard would like to welcome Marquardt to Bellator as well as "whoop him up."
It's a fight that makes sense for both men, as Lombard's biggest problem in Bellator has been a lack of challenges. For Marquardt, it's the best fight available after being cut publicly from the UFC just after his suspension messed up the main event for UFC on Versus 4.
Fertitta interview Part 2: Expanding the schedule and big television deal on the horizon
This is a huge year for the UFC. Unlike 2004 and 2005, when the promotion was basically begging television executives to work with its product, the UFC's in a position of strength.
Back then, the UFC would run events every few months. The schedule has expanded to the point where its approaching 30 events each year. Another five years from now, there may only may only be a few weeks a year without an event.
"I could definitely see potentially a fight a week. There's only so much we can push on the pay-per-view side of it. there's only so many big fights we can ask the public to pay for, " UFC president Lorenzo Fertitta told ESPNRadio1100's "The MMA Insiders" show. "But if you're getting it on free TV, I don't see why people wouldn't want to watch."
If the UFC has that many fight cards, it'll be looking for more outlets. or control of its own network.
"The reality is as the sport continues to grow, not just here in North America, but around the globe ... there's going to need to be dates to cultivate that talent as well," said Fertitta.
Fertitta joined Kevin Iole and myself on ESPNRadio1100 on Friday. In Part one of the interview, Fertitta was critical of the Culinary Union for blocking MMA's legalization in New York.