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UFC News & Notes: Arlovski's next... (viewed 853 times)
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Both Yahoo! and MMAWeekly.com had correspondents in New Castle this weekend to cover UFC 80. Here are some of the bigger revelations to come out of the event, with my thoughts included. I've also added some other UFC-related news that came out over the weekend, in case you missed it:
- Arloski's next fight looking like O'Brien: Various sites are reporting that Andrei Arlovski is expected to face Jake O'Brien at UFC 82 in Columbus, Ohio on March 2 in a story we reported earlier this week. This match has yet to officially been signed but O'Brien is expected to sign a bout agreement soon. No word on what Arlovski's plans are but it looks like he might not have any other choice but to accept the fight if he still wants to become a free agent on April 15. Sounds to me that the UFC is resigned to the fact that Arlovski is unwilling to commit to the promotion long-term and the UFC wants to do everything they can to send him out with a loss. O'Brien's style will make it very tough for Arlovski to impose his will. It's good match making from a business standpoint for the UFC. O'Brien isn't a major name right now so if he loses to Arlovski then it means he got a win against someone that isn't one of the promotion's key players. And if O'Brien pulls off the upset, it hurts Arlovski's market value and makes O'Brien a more well known commodity.
- White confirms Oritz vs. Machida match speculation: UFC president Dana White reportedly said that Tito Ortiz will be fighting again in May, so long as he signs a bout agreement to face Lyoto Machida. Like Arlovski, it looks like the UFC will be pulling a power play of sorts with Ortiz. Ortiz has one fight left on his contract and is due to become a free agent in June. If he doesn't take the Machida fight then he runs the risk of not being granted free agency. All indications that I've heard is that Ortiz does not want this fight but may have no choice but to accept it. He'd like to fight more of a marquee name that will draw a bigger buyrate but with one fight left on his current contract, the UFC is unlikely to risk having a marketable fighter lose to someone who could potentially be fighting for another promotion soon.
- White says Cro Cop uncertain about next move: According to White, Mirko Cro Cop is undecided about his future. Huh? Didn't he just say on the Hustle show that he's committed to MMA and that he won't continue to disappoint his fans? Cro Cop's camp is continually saying he's re-focusing himself while White says Cro Cop is uncertain about fighting. What's the real story? Is Cro Cop not being sincere or is the UFC trying to re-negotiate with Cro Cop so they can schedule him for fights without having to pay such a bloated guarantee?
- Davis still wants a shot at Gomi: Marcus Davis has asked in the past for a match against Takanori Gomi and reportedly asked for it again last night. While their styles would mesh well, I'm not sure we'll see Gomi face Davis if he were to sign with the UFC. I'm not sure if he can make 155 pounds, but they money needed to bring him in wouldn't be well spent if he was simply going to be inserted into the UFC's crowded welterweight division.
- UFC awards lower bonuses after UFC 80: The UFC awarded several $35,000 bonuses after the show. Wilson Gouveia received knockout of the night, B.J. Penn got the bonus for submission of the night, and the fight of the night bonus went to Paul Kelly and Paul Taylor. No word as to why the bonuses were $35,000 as opposed to $55,000 but my guess is because the European shows are still losing money. That makes and everything, but if I'm B.J. Penn, why would I agree to fight in Europe again if I know my potential bonus won't be as much as it would if I were fighting in the U.S.? Twenty thousand dollars is a huge difference.
- UFC talking to Japanese stars: UFC color commentator Joe Rogan revealed during a Q&A session on Friday in New Castle that the UFC is not only speaking with Gomi but also Hayato Sakurai and Kid Yamamoto. No deal is believed to be imminent with either of the three fighters.
- UFC Fight Night 13 officially announced: The UFC officially announced UFC Fight Night 13 for Broomfield, Colorado on April 2. Karo Parisyan vs. Thiago Alves will take place on this card and not at UFC 84 as previously reported by other sites. Joe Lauzon vs. Kenny Florian will be the show's main event with Stephan Bonnar vs. Matt Hamill officially announced as well.
- White guarantees deal with network: In an interview with Pramit Mohapatra of SI.com, White guaranteed that the promotion will have a deal with a major network soon.
- Was UFC 83 really canceled? White also stated during the conversation that UFC 83 technically hasn't been canceled since it was never scheduled. The idea of doing a show on March 8 in Manchester was only discussed, and never finalized. No word on when and where UFC 83 will be held.
- Report: Goulet vs. Hironaka at UFC 84: The web site TKOXtreme.com is reporting that Jonathan Goulet will face Kuniyoshi Hironaka at UFC 84 on April 19 in Montreal.
- Stout vs. Clementi at UFC 84? UFCDaily.com is reporting that Sam Stout, who defeated Per Eklund via unanimous decision on the UFC 80 opener, will face Rich Clementi at UFC 84. There has been no confirmation from the UFC, Stout's camp, or Davis' camp. UFC Daily did not indicate the nature of its source for the news.
- UFC planning return to London: The UFC's next London show is expected to take place in June at the O2 Arena.
- UFC spreading itself too thin: Germany is expected to host a UFC event this year. Croatia, Ireland, and Scotland are under consideration as well. I wouldn't think that the UFC will hold shows in all four cities, probably just Germany and one of the other three choices. With at least four European shows slated this year in addition to the regular UFC PPVs and the UFC Fight Nights, it is obvious that the promotion is spreading itself thin. If they want to prevent more underwhelming cards on paper such as UFC 80, they are going to need to bring in more fighters if they want to be able to offer more than three intriguing matchups per show. The UFC has a deep talent roster for a promotion that wants to do 12 shows a year. But to do more than that, they will need more fighters if they don't want to be over-extended if they book as many shows as they are planning.
- Sanchez says he's fighting Carneiro at UFC 82: Diego Sanchez announced on his MySpace page that he'll be fighting Roan Carneiro at UFC 82 on 2/1.
- Tanner vs. Okami expected for UFC 84: Rogan also revealed that Evan Tanner and Yushin Okami are set to square off at UFC 84 in Montreal on 4/19.
- Arloski's next fight looking like O'Brien: Various sites are reporting that Andrei Arlovski is expected to face Jake O'Brien at UFC 82 in Columbus, Ohio on March 2 in a story we reported earlier this week. This match has yet to officially been signed but O'Brien is expected to sign a bout agreement soon. No word on what Arlovski's plans are but it looks like he might not have any other choice but to accept the fight if he still wants to become a free agent on April 15. Sounds to me that the UFC is resigned to the fact that Arlovski is unwilling to commit to the promotion long-term and the UFC wants to do everything they can to send him out with a loss. O'Brien's style will make it very tough for Arlovski to impose his will. It's good match making from a business standpoint for the UFC. O'Brien isn't a major name right now so if he loses to Arlovski then it means he got a win against someone that isn't one of the promotion's key players. And if O'Brien pulls off the upset, it hurts Arlovski's market value and makes O'Brien a more well known commodity.
- White confirms Oritz vs. Machida match speculation: UFC president Dana White reportedly said that Tito Ortiz will be fighting again in May, so long as he signs a bout agreement to face Lyoto Machida. Like Arlovski, it looks like the UFC will be pulling a power play of sorts with Ortiz. Ortiz has one fight left on his contract and is due to become a free agent in June. If he doesn't take the Machida fight then he runs the risk of not being granted free agency. All indications that I've heard is that Ortiz does not want this fight but may have no choice but to accept it. He'd like to fight more of a marquee name that will draw a bigger buyrate but with one fight left on his current contract, the UFC is unlikely to risk having a marketable fighter lose to someone who could potentially be fighting for another promotion soon.
- White says Cro Cop uncertain about next move: According to White, Mirko Cro Cop is undecided about his future. Huh? Didn't he just say on the Hustle show that he's committed to MMA and that he won't continue to disappoint his fans? Cro Cop's camp is continually saying he's re-focusing himself while White says Cro Cop is uncertain about fighting. What's the real story? Is Cro Cop not being sincere or is the UFC trying to re-negotiate with Cro Cop so they can schedule him for fights without having to pay such a bloated guarantee?
- Davis still wants a shot at Gomi: Marcus Davis has asked in the past for a match against Takanori Gomi and reportedly asked for it again last night. While their styles would mesh well, I'm not sure we'll see Gomi face Davis if he were to sign with the UFC. I'm not sure if he can make 155 pounds, but they money needed to bring him in wouldn't be well spent if he was simply going to be inserted into the UFC's crowded welterweight division.
- UFC awards lower bonuses after UFC 80: The UFC awarded several $35,000 bonuses after the show. Wilson Gouveia received knockout of the night, B.J. Penn got the bonus for submission of the night, and the fight of the night bonus went to Paul Kelly and Paul Taylor. No word as to why the bonuses were $35,000 as opposed to $55,000 but my guess is because the European shows are still losing money. That makes and everything, but if I'm B.J. Penn, why would I agree to fight in Europe again if I know my potential bonus won't be as much as it would if I were fighting in the U.S.? Twenty thousand dollars is a huge difference.
- UFC talking to Japanese stars: UFC color commentator Joe Rogan revealed during a Q&A session on Friday in New Castle that the UFC is not only speaking with Gomi but also Hayato Sakurai and Kid Yamamoto. No deal is believed to be imminent with either of the three fighters.
- UFC Fight Night 13 officially announced: The UFC officially announced UFC Fight Night 13 for Broomfield, Colorado on April 2. Karo Parisyan vs. Thiago Alves will take place on this card and not at UFC 84 as previously reported by other sites. Joe Lauzon vs. Kenny Florian will be the show's main event with Stephan Bonnar vs. Matt Hamill officially announced as well.
- White guarantees deal with network: In an interview with Pramit Mohapatra of SI.com, White guaranteed that the promotion will have a deal with a major network soon.
- Was UFC 83 really canceled? White also stated during the conversation that UFC 83 technically hasn't been canceled since it was never scheduled. The idea of doing a show on March 8 in Manchester was only discussed, and never finalized. No word on when and where UFC 83 will be held.
- Report: Goulet vs. Hironaka at UFC 84: The web site TKOXtreme.com is reporting that Jonathan Goulet will face Kuniyoshi Hironaka at UFC 84 on April 19 in Montreal.
- Stout vs. Clementi at UFC 84? UFCDaily.com is reporting that Sam Stout, who defeated Per Eklund via unanimous decision on the UFC 80 opener, will face Rich Clementi at UFC 84. There has been no confirmation from the UFC, Stout's camp, or Davis' camp. UFC Daily did not indicate the nature of its source for the news.
- UFC planning return to London: The UFC's next London show is expected to take place in June at the O2 Arena.
- UFC spreading itself too thin: Germany is expected to host a UFC event this year. Croatia, Ireland, and Scotland are under consideration as well. I wouldn't think that the UFC will hold shows in all four cities, probably just Germany and one of the other three choices. With at least four European shows slated this year in addition to the regular UFC PPVs and the UFC Fight Nights, it is obvious that the promotion is spreading itself thin. If they want to prevent more underwhelming cards on paper such as UFC 80, they are going to need to bring in more fighters if they want to be able to offer more than three intriguing matchups per show. The UFC has a deep talent roster for a promotion that wants to do 12 shows a year. But to do more than that, they will need more fighters if they don't want to be over-extended if they book as many shows as they are planning.
- Sanchez says he's fighting Carneiro at UFC 82: Diego Sanchez announced on his MySpace page that he'll be fighting Roan Carneiro at UFC 82 on 2/1.
- Tanner vs. Okami expected for UFC 84: Rogan also revealed that Evan Tanner and Yushin Okami are set to square off at UFC 84 in Montreal on 4/19.
--
Sam Caplan
Lead Writer/Editor - ProElite.com