Other MMA Shows

[jimufctna24]

If we ignore some of the commentary, I still think Strikeforce/Showtime had the best production values in North American MMA history. It was not grimy, nor did it feel like a sub-culture. It was very colorful and modern.

 

 

 

The below video is the intro they used for their shows. Compare that to "Face the Pain". The FOX robot still reminds me too much of NFL, it feels so out of place. Maybe I just miss Strikeforce, I liked how they presented MMA. Helwani used to agree that Strikeforce presented MMA better than the UFC, even in the days when he was accused of being a UFC suck-up.

 

If UFC got into bed with Showtime or HBO (which is about as likely as me getting into bed with Miley Cyrus tonight), I think the UFC's production would feel fresh again. It is all subjective though, I am sure there are many who think MMA is defined by "Face the Pain" and Gladiator Man.

Edited May 19, 2014 by jimufctna24

[Egg Shen]

the biggest problem with the UFC's production is that its too familiar. I dont think there's much wrong with any of it (save for Face the Pain) its more a case of it being the same every time.

 

Saying that, i love Bellator production too, its different but i like it. Saturday didnt really stray too far from the usual path save for the backstage interviews (which id like to see more off across the board).

 

We had this discussion not long ago and i dont think i ever got an an answer but why does the UFC continue to use Face the Pain? there must be a reason.

[wandshogun09]

That's another thing about the FOX presentation, that fucking music. This fucking music;

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&a...p;v=uwO2hwk9TyM

 

Does that get stuck in your head as much as mine? It's in there again now I've clicked on that video. It'd be fine if it was just played once at the start of the show but it's played again and again and again all night. Sometimes it's a six hour show. And that little FOX jingle plays every time there's an ad break. Which is loads on FOX/FS1 shows. There's breaks during the fighter entrances, breaks after a fight ends, breaks before the decision is announced, breaks after the decision is announced. Pissing thing must play at least twenty times during the show. At least. And then I'm humming it all the next day.

 

 

Fuck it off. Leave the metal bastard in the rain to go rusty for all I care, and take his annoying music with him.

 

We had this discussion not long ago and i dont think i ever got an an answer but why does the UFC continue to use Face the Pain? there must be a reason.

 

Like with a lot of things UFC related, I think the answer is 'just Dana being a twat'. People have been shitting on 'Face The Pain' for years. He's just so fucking stubborn. I don't think I've ever heard a defender of it staying, except Dana himself. I always take it as him saying 'fuck you' because people keep moaning. Why I don't know. The UFC should have moved on from that early 2000s nu-metal shit like most of the rest of the world did years ago. He persists with it out of stubbornness is all I can think. Maybe it's a nostalgia thing for him for some reason. But it's so shit.

 

It's not even like they really need to replace 'Face The Pain' with something else either. It's as simple as just taking it out of the PPV opening. That other montage they spent a fortune on would do just fine as the PPV intro. Then just have Goldberg and Rogan run down the PPV card at the top of the show. All they've got to do is highlight 'Face The Pain intro' and hit fucking delete.

Edited May 19, 2014 by wandshogun09

[Guy Bifkin]

That's another thing about the FOX presentation, that fucking music. This fucking music;

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&a...p;v=uwO2hwk9TyM

 

When I hear it, I imagine sports guys hanging out together playing volleyball at the beach, or sprinting across the surf in cut off t-shirts and tight soccer shorts, or flicking each other's marbled glutes with wet towels in the locker rooms after 5 hard rounds of ground and pound. So yeah, I think it's pretty ace.

[Carbomb]

That's another thing about the FOX presentation, that fucking music. This fucking music;

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&a...p;v=uwO2hwk9TyM

 

When I hear it, I imagine sports guys hanging out together playing volleyball at the beach, or sprinting across the surf in cut off t-shirts and tight soccer shorts, or flicking each other's marbled glutes with wet towels in the locker rooms after 5 hard rounds of ground and pound. So yeah, I think it's pretty ace.

 

For me, it sounds like something Jim Johnston could've come up with for a major PPV in the late 80s, early 90s. So I quite like it too.

[jimufctna24]

I just think of cold winters in front of the fire watching NFL when the Fox theme comes on. If I am honest, it just makes the UFC seem second rate when I hear it on their broadcast. It just feels like the UFC have been given "hand me downs" from Fox.

 

Face The Pain is quite liked by some people (mainly casual fans, but not the type that recognizes how low-budget it is). Maybe Dana just feels it is now tradition. It probably is a case of overly familiar with UFC's production. Rogan who I used to really like has been annoying me lately.

 

I did always prefer how Strikeforce presented MMA though. Pride's production was superb, but it would never translate to the Western World (although I did enjoy their production for their US shows, which were different from their Japan shows)

[wandshogun09]

Rampage was fined $10,000 for the shove at the weigh in and was nearly pulled from the PPV. Imagine that? They'd already lost Eddie Alvarez, imagine if they had to yank Rampage from the show as well? Disaster.

 

King Mo's still pissed;

"To be real with you, Viacom has been cool. Viacom are my people. Spike TV have been cool. But Bellator, they haven't been that cool. Look how they promoted me. Look at everything Bjorn said in the promotion.

 

'Rampage is God. Rampage, man, he could blow and make things fall down. Rampage is a black superman. No one can beat Rampage. Rampage this, Rampage that.' He's like a cheerleader. And he just kind of downplayed me. Everything in the lead up to this fight, he never said one thing positive about me. Everything positive was about Rampage, and then he was like, 'oh yeah, we have Mo right here.' So I felt disrespected a little bit."

 

Mo on the post-fight press conference and more on Rebney;

"You know what, at first I was trying to be cool. I was listening to my music. But then -- I'm going to be real with you -- when someone asked [Rebney] 'do you agree with the judges' and he said 'yes'... man, the n-word in me was about to come out and just put some hands on him.

 

I had to think about different things because I was like, this dude is just out there bullshitting. After the fight (before the official decision), I looked over at him, he looked like he was distraught.

 

And then after the judges gave the fight to Quinton, I looked at him and saw him kind of like do a fist-pump type of thing, clap his hands a little bit. I was like... this dude. That when I was like, gimme the microphone.

 

I'll give him the rematch. Because really, I should be giving him the rematch because I won that fight. He came up and asked me for the rematch. 'We've got to do this again.' He came up and asked me for it, so I'll give him it.

 

But I just want to get paid and treated with respect. And if Bellator can't do it, maybe someone else will. It is what it is."

 

Good luck if he wants out of his Bellator contract. His manager Mike Kogan even said as much. Helwani asked Kogan how many fights are left on Mo's contract...

 

"I don't know. A lot, probably. We're going to die in Bellator unless they cut us."

[jimufctna24]

That has to be grandstanding. No way in hell they were going to pull Rampage from the PPV

 

There does seem to be a gulf between Bjorn and Viacom. As Coker and Spike have previous form in providing the goods, I hope they win out. As I stated, Bjorn seems to be a nasty piece of work behind the scenes, and a P.R nightmare.

 

Either way Rampage wins, Spike love him for past glories, and if Mo is right Bjorn has a Rebney over him.

 

Edit: Just read it was the athletic commission who fined Rampage. Fair play to them.

Edited May 19, 2014 by jimufctna24

[wandshogun09]

That has to be grandstanding. No way in hell they were going to pull Rampage from the PPV

 

I thought that at first but the conmission were considering it because apparently, after Rampage was told he was being fined, he proceeded to act like a big 205lb bellend and throw a tantrum.

 

From MMAFighting.com

 

According to Jon Lewis, head of the Mississippi Athletic Commission, who spoke to MMA Fighting on Monday, Jackson's push of Lawal is outside the boundaries of permissible pre-fight conduct between licensed combatants.

 

Lewis clarified Jackson was to simply be given a fine for the act, but when he informed Jackson after the weigh-ins he was to be charged for the act, Lewis said Jackson became extremely irate.

 

Lewis described Jackson as an "out of control individual to the nth degree."

 

In his alleged belligerence backstage at the Landers Center in Southaven, Miss., following the weigh-ins, Lewis said Jackson '"got very heated. More so on his side. I'm not going to let him push me over."

 

Lewis claims Jackson then used a number of expletives in close physical quarters to communicate his displeasure with the commission decision. "He got very irate and at this point was f-bombing me pretty bad," Lewis said.

 

Lewis said it was bad enough, by his estimation, that removing Jackson from the card altogether was explored as an option. Ultimately, Lewis declined to exercise that option after speaking with the promoter. In addition, Jackson later apologized at the venue. "Rampage was very apologetic," Lewis said. "He said he deserved the fine and he was assessed one for it."

 

What an overgrown child he is. Pushes and shoves happen from time to time at weigh ins, whatever. But to go mental backstage like that, he's in his mid 30s for fucks sake. His immaturity nearly fucked the PPV right up.

[Gooner]

Has King Mo ever beat anyone of note? Rampage is completely washed and oh no, Ortiz suddenly thinks he is special again for beating a guy who weighs 20lbs less than him. I thought the show overall was good, I don't watch much Bellator but they done well here.

[Egg Shen]

Mo beat Mousasi.

[wandshogun09]

Has King Mo ever beat anyone of note?

 

He dominated Gegard Mousasi in 2010. That was his best win. I think the thing with Mo is, people feel like he's more talented than he shows. You see brief flashes of it but he never seems to be able to put it all together. Add to that his horrible history of injuries and health issues. Plus some questionable career choices (going mental at that commission lady and calling her racist, the disjointed camps and moving around gyms etc) he's just never seemed to be able to find consistency.

 

Ortiz suddenly thinks he is special again for beating a guy who weighs 20lbs less than him.

 

Ah let him have his moment...actually fuck that. Did anyone see the post-fight press conference? Jesus Christ. Fair enough, it was a nice moment and a lot of fans are happy for him, but fuck me, his little speech at the presser. I say little but it went on forever. I forgot how much bollocks he talks when he wins. It's been so long.

 

One thing I've noticed as well - for all the shit Dana gets (a lot of it justified), one thing I like about him is at least he says a decision was dodgy when a decision was dodgy. Rebney at the presser was acting like the Rampage-Mo and Brooks-Chandler decisions weren't even controversial. You could hear an audible groan when someone asked how he had the main event and he said 'I had it how the judges had it'. I mean, maybe he really did score it the same but it seems like if he gets the result he wants he'll go along with bad judging. There's just something not genuine about Rebney. He's got the feel of a conman when you hear him waffling. And when he's so readily going along with ropey judging like this, it only adds fuel to the fire of conspiracy nuts claiming dodginess from Bellator to set up the Rampage vs Tito fight or a Mo rematch for the next PPV. I don't think that's the case but it doesn't help when Rebney acts like two controversial decisions weren't controversial.

 

Saw this in a Meltzer article as well;

 

The unique circumstances make the logical fight also the stupid one for the promotion.

 

Alvarez is obligated for one more fight with Bellator before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, and can sign with UFC.

 

If he fights and beats Brooks, he's the clear-cut champion, has beaten Bellator's two best lightweights and his value to UFC is even stronger. Keep in mind he was guaranteed a title shot in his first UFC fight even though he was no longer Bellator champion, having lost to Chandler. There would be nothing worse for the company than Alvarez beating both Chandler and Brooks and leaving for UFC, as both two will be battling for a title that would mean far less.

 

If he were to fight Chandler, and beat him again, at least Bellator can crown Brooks as champion if Alvarez leaves, and Alvarez won't have beaten him.

 

So expect Rebney to push for the Alvarez vs Chandler rubber match for Bellator's next PPV.

 

It really would be disaster for them if Alvarez beat Chandler and Brooks back-to-back then went to the UFC. Especially since Bellator's 155 division has been the one they've almost built the company around. This is why they'd have been smarter to just let Alvarez go to the UFC last year when Chandler was 1-0 over him. They've backed themselves into a corner with this.

 

I hope they, and Alvarez, do go with the Chandler rubber match. It'd be better for Bellator plus it's the fight I want to see more. As much as I want to see Alvarez in the UFC, it'd be shit if for some reason we never got the Chandler trilogy settled and they remained at 1-1 forever. It needs settling.

 

Only thing is, it's a bit fucked up. Brooks beats Chandler but Chandler gets the title shot at Alvarez anyway? I know it was a dodgy decision but still. Fuck it, I don't care. Let's have Alvarez vs Chandler 3. Do Brooks vs Pitbull or something in the meantime if Brooks wants to stay busy.

[jimufctna24]

I am surprised people get legit annoyed by Tito. How anyone can take him seriously is beyond me, the man is a walking cartoon character. He was the man who described Babalu as "one of the greatest Light Heavyweights of the night" He is also the man who said on Saturday "I will retire when I start to talk retarded", with no sense of irony.

 

I still like the big lug.

 

I do not think anyone threw a fight on Saturday, but I would not put it past Rebney to try such a thing. His credibility has gone down the tubes this past week.

Edited May 20, 2014 by jimufctna24

[lambyUK]

I just wish Ortiz stopped with his 207 surgeries spiel. It really is tiresome.

 

And I still love this video, Tito Ortiz, the worst interviewer of all time. Apparently Vitor Belfort is 131 years old and weighs 105 llbs!!!

 

 

In relation to Jackson, it may be poor behaviour, but I have to admit, if some guy came up to me after a weight cut and try to fine me for a shove (that's common in the promotion of any combat sport) I would be livid too. However Wand, in reality you are right, Jackson should have just brushed it off and said to Bellator "you pay for that with the extra buys I just generated"

Edited May 20, 2014 by lambyUK

[Egg Shen]

yeh, i'll give Rampage a pass on that one. Unproffesional maybe, but people tend to forget that fighting's a very emotional business and when shit gets heated not all guys can flip that switch to stay calm, especially when you've just finished a weight cut. Anger makes people do irrational things...Rampage by all accounts was very apologetic later on and made amends.