In Hockey-Crazed Vancouver, UFC 131 Not Exactly a Hot Ticket

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CanucksVANCOUVER, British Columbia - In retrospect, the timing could have been better. Or maybe it just couldn't have been worse.

UFC 131 marks the second time in as many years that the world's biggest MMA organization has visited this city, and unfortunately for the UFC, all eyes are not exactly on the Octagon this weekend.

With the Vancouver Canucks tied in a 2-2 Stanley Cup finals series against Boston - and Game 5 headed here on Friday night - Saturday's UFC event seems to be almost an afterthought for most of the city's sports fans.

"It's tough. The UFC couldn't have come to Vancouver on a tougher day, or at a tougher time," says Shawn Tompkins, a Canadian-born MMA trainer now living in Las Vegas.

One of his best lightweights, Sam Stout, is fighting on Saturday's card, but he knows that getting people's attention with anything other than hockey this weekend is no easy sell.




"The fact that it's their hometown team in the Stanley Cup finals? The Stanley Cup, in Canada, is everything," Tompkins adds.

If you don't believe him, just take a quick walk around downtown Vancouver. On the afternoon of Wednesday's Game 4, Canucks flags hang from windows everywhere you look, and fans are already sporting their temporary Canucks tattoos on their faces hours before game time.

And once the puck drops at 5 p.m. local time, you can forget about talking to anyone here about any sport other than hockey.

Take the four fans decked out in Canucks jerseys, waving a Canucks flag and screaming indiscriminately at passing cars on the corner of Hornby and Smithe, for instance. Clearly, these are people who love pro sports - or at least one pro sport. But are they even aware that there's a fight in their town this weekend?

"Who cares about that?" one of them shouts at me when I ask. "Where's your jersey?!"

But to his friend, this sounds familiar.

"Oh yeah, what's his name, Carwin?" he ventures.

That's right, I tell him. Shane Carwin. One half of Saturday night's heavyweight main event. He's heard of him?

"Not really. My boss mentioned it on Facebook."

Inside Earl's restaurant and bar downtown, where a standing-room crowd has gathered to watch the game, the sentiment is the same.

26-year-old Vancouver resident Jamil Sunverji remembers hearing about the fight, but he never considered going, he says. Not with a game in Vancouver on Friday night, and then another on Monday.

"You don't want to waste a night out on that," he says, adding that once he heard the fight card had lost Brock Lesnar from the main event, that's when his interest really waned.

"I pretty much only watch [Georges St. Pierre] and Brock Lesnar," he adds.

Sean Sanbanjin, 30, mostly shares this attitude.

"People here only care about hockey," he says, though he isn't exactly wowed by the turnout or fan enthusiasm tonight.

"I'm from Montreal. There, it'd be way crazier, way more people in a place like this. And the girls would be hotter, too."

The lack of interest is reflected in online ticket sales on sites like StubHub.com, where UFC 131 tickets were going for as little as $38 on Thursday morning. According to a report in the Vancouver Sun, that figure is expected to fall even farther as fight night approaches. It makes for a great deal for bargain-seeking sports fans, and somehow, several of the people I talk to in Earl's during Game 4 know only one thing about the fights, and it's that tickets are suddenly cheap.

"All I heard is that tickets are going for below face value," offers one man, who says he still won't buy them because he'd probably just end up spending twice that in beer and food at the venue.

Not that anyone seems to be thinking about their bar tab at the moment, however.

As the Boston Bruins go up by two goals, then three and then four, the once jovial mood in Earl's sours. The vuvuzelas stop blowing, and the drinking goes from fun to angry, with shots replacing beers. Still, few people are headed for the door midway through the third period.

"It's hockey," says Sunverji. "You can score three or four goals in a couple of minutes."

The Canucks don't, however. They score none, and late in the game the only excitement comes when the game turns more violent than usual. Players drop their gloves and sticks and take their frustrations out on one another, and the crowd here - which ironically has professed little interest in the type of professional fighting that doesn't happen on ice skates - suddenly comes to life.

The enthusiasm is short-lived, and the bar begins emptying out as soon as the game ends. The series comes returns here on Friday night for a pivotal game five. Good luck trying to interest that crowd in coming back the next night for several hours worth of fights.

But then, there's not much the UFC can do about it now. It's bad luck, and bad timing, but all it can do is make the best of it.

Tompkins knows all about it, since he and Stout will be hosting an anti-bullying awareness event at the Vancouver Players Chophouse on Friday night, trying to use a mixed crowd of MMA personalities and NHL players to draw attention to their cause. If they can generate interest on the day of the game, he reasons, the UFC will make do with whatever local attention it can get.

"It's a tough time for them to come, but I'm sure the UFC will persevere," he says. "We've got some great Canadian fighters on the card. At the end of the day, UFC fans are UFC fans, whatever else is going on."

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/06/09/in-hockey-crazed-vancouver-ufc-131-not-exactly-a-hot-ticket/

Roman Zentsov Zhang Chuanlong Zhang Tiequan Igor Zinoviev

"The Ultimate Fighter 13" Medical Supsensions, Salaries, Bonuses, Gate Receipts, And Attendance Figures

So, how successful was ?The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale?? If you?re judging solely on the quality of the show, there seems to be a very mixed reaction from most of the MMA fanbase. But what about pure dollars and cents? How much money did Anthony Ferguson receive for achieving his dream, what did Anthony Pettis [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/06/06/the-ultimate-fighter-13-medical-supsensions-salaries-bonuses-gate-receipts-and-attendance-figures

Gesias JZ Calvancante  Luiz Cane  Dos Caras Jr   Phil Cardella

New Seagal action figure flying off the shelves

Leave it the Internet to come up with another brilliant MMA action figure. With Steven Seagal being in the news so much lately, someone came up with the Seagal action figure.

You have to love the haberdashery items. The Seagal doll comes with all the "hats" in his life - the beanie, the emergency hair triangles, and in his constant effort to keep that buff body, a chef's hat.

Of all the accessories, we particularly love the "Judo" Gene Lebell restraining order. We always love reminding people of the rumored showdown between Seagal, in his action-movie prime, and a then 59-year-old Judo Gene.

Lebell, a legend of hardcore fighting in the old days, was on the set of "Out for Justice" serving as a stuntman when Seagal, 39, decided to talk a little trash. He claimed Lebell couldn't choke him out. He was wrong.

Lebell did it twice and, on the second occasion, Seagal allegedly had an accident in his drawers. SI.com's Jon Wertheim told the story to Deadspin (1:58 mark - NSFW).

Check out the entire line of "Masato Toys" action figure photoshops. We're big fans of the Cecil Peoples' doll.

Tip via MMAMania

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/New-Seagal-action-figure-flying-off-the-shelves?urn=mma-wp2873

Vitor Belfort  Robert Berry David Bielkheden Michael Bisping 

Former UFC Champion Tito Ortiz's Nude Photo Scandal: Does It Really Matter?

Tito Ortiz has always been a controversial man. Once one of the most-dominant fighters in the UFC, Ortiz?s flamboyant personality and take-no-prisoners fighting and interview style led to him becoming one of the UFC?s biggest draws. In recent years, however, Ortiz has struggled to recapture even a fraction of that lofty once-held status. Things have [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/06/04/former-ufc-champion-tito-ortizs-nude-photo-scandal-does-it-really-matter

Rodrigo Gracie Roger Gracie Rolles Gracie Royce Gracie

HANSEN: Transparency in MMA Rankings - My Top 25 in the Lightweight Division

By: Rich Hansen, MMATorch Columnist

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Everybody loves rankings. Well, everybody loves their own rankings, and loves dumping on rankings from everybody else, especially on the internet. Sensing an opportunity to catch flack from the entire internet, I'm going to start publishing my own rankings. Every week I'll rank one division, from 1-25.

About My Methodology:

My rankings are 100% subjective, with personal biases fully included. I'll consider all objective and tangible evidence, but at the end of the day, I'll use my gut and my heart just as much as my brain. And yes, easy cheap shots about my brain are welcome below.

That said, I do have some firm guidelines. If a fighter hasn't fought in the last 10 months, and doesn't have a fight scheduled, I'm not ranking him. Also, if a fighter is under suspension by a commission (or if he consistently lies to commissions and isn't technically suspended but is unlicensed, he's not getting ranked. Heartbreaking, I know). Also, if I've never seen a fighter fight, I'm not ranking him. Sorry, Jadamba Narantungalag.

Scheduling:

I'm going to try to pick which division to rank in a given week based on how busy, or stagnant, that division is. Meaning, it doesn't make much sense to rank the Heavyweight division right now because in the next two weeks we're going to see fights involving Junior dos Santos, Shane Carwin, Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, Josh Barnett, Brett Rogers, and several more.

I'm starting off this series with the lightweight division. The LW division is about to hit a lull coming off of Clay Guida's victory over Anthony Pettis on Saturday night. This seems like a good time to take a step back and take stock.

Here's the schedule for when I'll be covering each division, along with a note or two.

June 7: Lightweights - no big LW fights on the horizon
June 14: Featherweights - Ken Florian debuts at FW on June 11
June 21: Heavyweights - Immediately after several huge HW fights
June 28: Welterweights - Nate Marquardt debuts at WW on June 26
July 5: Bantamweights - Immediately after UFC BW title fight
July 12: Light Heavyweights
July 19: Middleweights

Lightweight Rankings as of June 7, 2011

- note, Kenny Florian would rank #5 on my list, but since he's heading to FW this weekend, I'm considering him a featherweight, and will rank him as such in the featherweight rankings.

1.) Frankie Edgar - I know he lost to Gray Maynard, but that loss was three years ago. He also beat B.J. Penn twice in a row. Let that soak in. Next fight: versus Gray Maynard, TBA

2.) Gray Maynard - Flip a coin between Maynard and Melendez. Beating Edgar, even three years ago, is enough to place him second. Next fight: versus Frankie Edgar, TBA

3.) Gilbert Melendez - I believe he, Edgar, and Maynard are no more than a whisker apart. Edge goes to the UFC fighters, sorry. Next fight: vs. Jorge Masvidal or K.J. Noons, TBA

4.) Shinya Aoki - Huge drop off from three to four. Aoki might not be able to beat half of the next ten guys on this list, but he has a resume that easily surpasses all of them. Next fight: TBA

5.) Jim Miller - Missing a signature victory, but credit for never losing, other than to numbers one and two on this list. And those losses were in 2006 and 2009. Could jump Aoki with win over Ben Henderson in August. Next fight: versus Ben Henderson, August 14

6.) Clay Guida - Some people love him, some people hate him. Can't deny the results. He wins fights, period. He's been reborn under the tutelage of Greg Jackson. Could even be next in line for a title shot after Maynard if Jim Miller loses in August. Next fight: TBA

7.) Eddie Alvarez - Cautionary tale for all fighters debating whether to sign with Zuffa or with Bellator. Once top three, but hasn't fought a top opponent in years. Next fight: versus Michael Chandler, TBA

8.) Melvin Guillard - Another fighter who has seen a career renaissance training with Greg Jackson. Best athlete in the division, and probably the hardest puncher as well. Personally, I would love to see him fight Dennis Siver again. Next fight: versus Shane Roller, July 2

9.) Dennis Siver - Shocked the world, or at least the southern hemisphere, when he defeated George Sotiropoulos in February by showing takedown defense for the first time ever. Don't know if he's really this good or not. Ranking him this high could be a mistake. Next fight: versus Matt Wiman, July 2

10.) Sean Sherk - Controversial victory over Evan Dunham looks less impressive by the day. Dunham might not be as good as we thought, and Sherk (who hasn't fought in nine months), has no fight set. Next fight: TBA

11.) George Sotiropoulos - Eight-fight win streak snapped on home turf by Dennis Siver back in February. His best win is over Joe Lauzon, so is he really this good? Time isn't on his side. Next fight: versus Rafael dos Anjos, July 2

12.) Tatsuya Kawajiri - The Crusher has been crushed by Aoki and Melendez within the last year. Will continue to drop unless he fights more in the States. And wins. Next fight: versus Willamy Friere, July 16

13.) Anthony Pettis - The hottest prospect in the world one week ago was knocked down a peg by Clay Guida last week. Too much too soon? Sure. But he'll rebound. Too smart and too athletic not to. Next fight: TBA

14.) Jeremy Stephens - Has been destroying opponents while winning four of his last five fights. Has scary power, and developing ground skills. More experience than most guys his age. How did his fight with Guillard suck so hard? Next fight: TBA

15.) Ben Henderson - Most intriguing fighter in the middle of this list, by far. Opened some eyes (especially mine) with the way he handled Mark Bocek. Has all the tools, other than KO power. Looks to play spoiler in August. Next fight: versus Jim Miller, August 14

16.) Gleison Tibau - Has more UFC fights than anybody since 2007. Seems like he always wins when booked to a prelim fight, and always loses when on TV. I suppose that says all you need to know. Next fight: TBA

17.) Jorge Masvidal - Not getting knocked out by the much larger Paul Daley last year opened my eyes. Looked fantastic against Billy Evangelista in March. I might be a little high on him, but I think he's a tough out for K.J. Noons on June 18. Next fight: versus K.J. Noons, June 18

18.) Donald Cerrone - Another Jackson lightweight who took a major step up recently. For Cerrone, it was when he stuffed Jamie Varner with his own wrestling game at WEC 51. Looking for his second UFC win on June 11. He's being spoon fed opponents; clearly the UFC thinks he's a star in the making. Next fight: versus Vagner Rocha, June 11

19.) Nik Lentz - Everybody's least favorite lightweight, and that includes Dana White, because of his dreadful victory over Andre Winner last year. The guy hasn't lost a fight in four years, and could become very relevant if he can add something to his top game. Next fight: versus Charles Oliveira, June 26

20.) K.J. Noons - Best hair in the division, and maybe the best boxing as well. A win over Jorge Masvidal will propel him to a shot at Gilbert Melendez' belt. Next fight: versus Jorge Masvidal, June 18

21.) Joe Lauzon - Wasn't surprising that he lost to George Sotiropoulos, but the way that he was dominated left a lot of questions. Fortunately he'll be able to start answering them in a couple weeks time. Next fight: versus Curt Warburton, June 26

22.) Matt Wiman - Holds wins over Omigawa, Danzig, and Cole Miller. Getting his first chance at the big time against Dennis Siver next month. Is one of several Ultimate Fighter lightweight contestants who are starting to realize their potential. Next fight: versus Dennis Siver, July 2

23.) Cole Miller - Gets overlooked because he doesn't look like a fighter, but he's got a wicked ground game, just ask Jorge Gurgel, Junie Browning, Dan Lauzon, and Ross Pearson. Inconsistent, every time he builds momentum he loses an upset. Next fight is most important of his career. Next fight: versus T.J. O'Brien, August 14

24.) Ross Pearson - Victory over Dennis Siver looks even better in retrospect. Loss to Cole Miller killed and buried any momentum the Siver win should have given him. No easy fights for Pearson, as he's fighting Edson Barboza, in Rio, next. Hard to figure out what the UFC thinks of Pearson based on the fights he's been given. Next fight: versus Edson Barboza, August 27

25.) Edson Barboza - UFC debut vs. Mike Lullo was a thing of beauty, if you like seeing someone's soul destroyed by leg kicks, that is. A pure striker, his fight against Anthony Njokuani was thrilling to watch. His next fight with Ross Pearson is on my short list of must see fights. Next fight: versus Ross Pearson, August 27

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/richhansen/article_9555.shtml

Quinton Rampage Jackson Jaime Jara Keith Jardine Antoine Jaoude

QUOTABLES: Shane Carwin - "I don't have a doubt in my mind that I'll beat Junior Dos Santos at UFC 131"

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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"I just happen to be really good at fighting, and I make a living doing it. I like Junior Dos Santos, I respect Junior Dos Santos, but I'm gonna knock him out, or I'm gonna tap him out, and I'm not going to feel any remorse for it... Junior Dos Santos can't match my wrestling skills. I've been wrestling since I was six years old... This is real simple. I'm not paid by the round, I'm paid to win. My whole dream is to be the UFC champion, and to get that title shot I've got to go through Junior Dos Santos... I don't have a doubt in my mind that I'll beat Junior Dos Santos, and then I'm going after the title."

-Shane Carwin talks to ESPN UK about his fight this Saturday with Junior Dos Santos at UFC 131.

Penick's Analysis: This is a huge fight for Dos Santos. After nearly a year on the sidelines due to neck surgery, Carwin can get right back into a title shot with a win over Dos Santos in this fight, and it makes for a massive opportunity. He fell short against Brock Lesnar, but he's got power in his strikes and a wrestling game that can stifle Dos Santos, and if he can avoid the adrenaline dump he had against Lesnar at UFC 116, he just might pull it off as well. Dos Santos hits just as hard, and is a dangerous all-around opponent, but Carwin can absolutely win this fight. This is a big chance he's got on Saturday in Vancouver; he's coming in with the mindset that he's absolutely going to take it, and that's the way it should be.

[Shane Carwin art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9554.shtml

Daniel Moraes Scott Morris Johnnie Morton Ben Mortimer

Another Japanese import could be on the way, can Hioki compete?

In the early 2000s, Japan was considered an equal to the U.S. on the MMA scene. The top end of PRIDE's roster was arguably better than what the UFC was offering. That started to change when the UFC bought PRIDE. At the same time, MMA's popularity spread across the U.S., more top notch athletes got involved in the sport and training methods in Japan didn't keep pace.

As a result, many of the Japanese fighter imports in recent years have been pretty disappointing. That might change if Hatsu Hioki decides to sign with the UFC. The 27-year-old is ranked No. 2 in the world at 145 pounds by the USA Today/Bloody Elbow rankings.

MMAjunkie reports Hioki passed on a recent off to fight at DREAM 17 and his manager announced the he's vacating his Shooto lightweight title. Hioki is going to attend UFC 131 next week in Vancouver.

"I think he's going to have a sit-down with (UFC matchmaker) Sean Shelby and try to work out a deal," Hirata said. "There is ... pride in wearing the Shooto world title, but I think that in the near future I would like to challenge a new stage of pride."

Hioki needs to break the recent slide by Japanese fighters who've come stateside. Of all Japanese-born fighters, Yushin Okami has probably had the most success in the U.S. over the last five years. Okami is scheduled to challenge Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight title in Rio de Janeiro in August.

Shinya Aoki is incredible, but looked lousy last June in losing to Strikeforce 155-pound champ Gilbert Melendez. Aoki has won five straight since, including a victory over Lyle Beerbohm in the U.S., but is still seeking that signature win. Tatsuya Kawajiri was destroyed by Melendez in April. Takanori Gomi, 1-2 in the UFC, has had a little success in the states and Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto is still looking for his first UFC win. He lost his debut against Demetrious Johnson and is now sidelined with an injury.

Hioki is 24-4-2, winning nine of his last 10 fights. His recent win over Marlon Sandro was an eye opener, but he also lost a 2009 fight to Michihiro Omigawa. Omigawa tried the UFC recently and was beaten easily by Chad Mendes.

Will Hioki help restore Japan's fighting reputation or find the same fate so many of his fellow countryman have in recent in years in the U.S.? The search is on for someone to dethrone UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo. Maybe Hioki can be the guy.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Another-Japanese-import-could-be-on-the-way-can?urn=mma-wp2876

Lyoto Machida Mauricio Rua Dave Menne Murilo Bustamante

Georges St. Pierre on Jake Shields, UFC Undisputed His Round 5 Action Figure - UFC 129

*** Watch Complete 1/2hr HD Episodes on http://www.MMAheat.com ***MMA H.E.A.T.'s Karyn Bryant spends a few minutes with UFC Welterweight Champ Georges St. Pierre, right after his photo shoot and scanning session with Round 5. Georges talks about having his own action figure, and also admits to us the one thing in this world he's not good at: video games. The conversation turns to his title defense against Jake Shields at UFC 129, and Georges lets us know what this fight means to him and how he prepared for his biggest challenge. The champ also tells us about his workout DVD set "Rush Fit," and whether or not it's possible to actually complete it.Be sure to visit http://www.MMAheat.com for more interviews and archived episodes of our 1/2 hour TV show. Nós falamos Português! * We're on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MMAheat * Follow MMAheat on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MMAheat * Follow Karyn on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KarynBryant

Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc-129/georges-st-pierre-on-jake-shields-ufc-undisputed-his-round-5-action-figure-video_2a389fc16.html

Forrest Griffin Tyson Griffin Karn Grigorian Karen Grigoryan

UFC 131 Dana White Video Blog ? Day 1

The first video blog of the week has Dana going behind the scenes at UFC 130, speaking at the E3 conference and getting UFC 131 picks from TUF 14 coaches Michael Bisping and Jason “Mayhem” Miller. UFC 131 Dana White Video Blog – Day 1 is a post from: MMA Interplay UFC News

UFC 131 Dana White Video Blog – Day 1 is a post from: MMA Interplay UFC News

Source: http://www.mmainterplay.com/ufc-news/ufc-131-dana-white-video-blog-day-1-54753/

Marco Ruas Rodrigo Ruas Gabe Ruediger Mikko Rupponen