MMA Thread (UFC/Bellator et al)

[Bandit]

That's a drug for osteoporosis that athletes found out also builds muscle like a weak steroid. But since he'd go on WOR saying he was too afraid to take any supplements so just diets, it's pretty surprising.

[Bandit]

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Dr. Zoidberg]

And Conor wins pretty easily.

[Bandit]

And Miesha Tate retired. I'll miss her ass.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Bryan Alvarez on Observer Radio : Dave texted me saying that WWE very much wants McGregor.
Dave was still in NY and busy with the post fight presser and will give more details in Sunday's Observer Radio.

He will work out well in WWE. 5'9'' and he swears a lot, Vince is gonna love him.

[Bandit]

Vince will do what he did with Mayweather: barely let him talk even though their promos are what sold their fights. So then you're selling a short 150 pound guy against a giant wrestler.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Bandit]

I think he's trolling Floyd, this was one of the famous moments from the 24/7 episodes for the Robert Guerrero fight.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

-- A major announcement regarding the world of MMA is scheduled for Wednesday at 4 p.m. Eastern time. Those who will be there making the announcement are Georges St-Pierre, Cain Velasquez, T.J. Dillashaw, Donald Cerrone and Tim Kennedy as well as former Bellator promoter and founder Bjorn Rebney. If there are any clues, some believe this will be some sort of a union announcement. St-Pierre, Velasquez, Dillashaw and Kennedy are all represented by CAA, which is a rival talent group to WME IMG as far as talent representation. Cerrone has talked up the idea of a union of late.

[Bandit]

Ask Ken Shamrock how trying to Unionize the UFC goes. And except for GSP he made way more money then any of those guys. Yet he had his fight with Bisping suddenly given to Rashad Evans and was told his services were no longer needed.

[Big Boss Man]

[quote]UFC legend Georges St-Pierre heads up new MMA fighters’ association

Former three-time UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has joined four other high-profile MMA stars to launch a new fighters’ association.
The group will be called the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association (MMAAA) and will aim to protect fighters’ interests during their dealings with the UFC.

Tim Kennedy, Cain Velasquez, Donald Cerrone and T.J. Dillashaw have joined St-Pierre in setting up the new body, which will focus on three key areas.

The MMAAA will bid to earn a settlement from the UFC for current and past fighters, bring the revenue disparity from just 8 percent to 50 percent for fighters, and negotiate a collective-bargaining agreement with the UFC.

"Every time we fight, we're afraid," St-Pierre told MMAFighting.com. "This is a different fight. I know a lot of us are afraid. It's time to step up, do the right thing.

"I know a lot of fighters want to remain anonymous. I'm telling you guys, come see us. It's time to stand together."

Former Bellator President Bjorn Rebney will work for the group in an advisory capacity. He insisted the MMAAA is not a union, but said the unity of an association would give the fighters real power against the UFC, even if it's not recognized by America’s National Labor Relations Board.

Rebney said strike action was one option fighters could take if they weren't properly looked after, although Velasquez and Kennedy stressed that wasn't what they wanted.

"MMA was very good to me and it's an opportunity, I think, to dramatically improve the sport," Rebney said.

"We're not going to have MMA as a sport unless these things change."

St-Pierre's lawyer, James Quinn, is also part of the MMAAA team. He has previously worked on cases against both the NFL and NBA, leading to players earning free agency in both sports.

Creative Artists Agency (CAA), a rival talent firm to new UFC owner WME-IMG, represents St-Pierre, Velasquez, Kennedy and Dillashaw.

Rebney said that CAA is not backing the MMAAA, but is supporting its athletes. He blasted WME-IMG's treatment of fighters and said they were owed an apology.

He confirmed he had been working on the project for two years, but neither he nor any of the fighters had made contact with the UFC as yet.

The MMAAA is the third group set up to represent fighters’ interests, following the creation of the MMA Fighters Association (MMAFA) and the Professional Fighters Association (PFA).

The MMAFA wants to introduce the Ali Act, which protects boxers federally, to MMA, while the PFA is focused on the creation of an official UFC fighters’ union.

Source: https://www.rt.com/sport/368896-georges ... sociation/ [quote]

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Chuck Liddell & Matt Hughes among latest laid off by UFC

Two very surprising names were among those in yesterday's round of layoffs at UFC -- two of the building blocks of the promotion, Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes.

Both fighters were believed to have jobs for life, but were let go in cost-cutting measures by new owners WME IMG.

Liddell was UFC's top star after beating Randy Couture when UFC hit television in 2005, as light heavyweight champion. Liddell's fight with Tito Ortiz set a PPV record for the company at the time, and he continued to be a major drawing card until his retirement in 2010. At that time he was named Executive Vice President of Business Development.

Hughes was a two-time welterweight champion and perhaps the most dominant UFC fighter of his era. He had previously set a PPV record months earlier with his win over Royce Gracie, and was in one of the company's most classic fights with Frank Trigg.

Hughes, after retiring in 2013, was named Vice President of Athletic Development and Government Relations.

Ariel Helwani of MMA fighting first reported this news.

A number of employees were let go on Thursday, the second round of major layoffs in attempts by the company to increase the profit margin by greatly reducing costs.

The timing of Liddell and Hughes being let go comes just days after a number of UFC fighters, Cain Velasquez, Donald Cerrone, T.J. Dillashaw, Tim Kennedy, and Georges St-Pierre, who followed Hughes as the dominant welterweight, announced the formation of Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association, trying to pressure WME IMG into providing more benefits such as a pension and health care for former fighters.

Source: WON/F4W

[Bandit]

Watch Chuck go to Bellator to fight Tito a 3rd time. Dana kept him on the payroll just so he wouldn't fight. He even got knocked out by a guy with a broken arm, so his chin is gone.

[Bandit]

Mirko Cro Cop on Facebook called Wanderlei Silva a "scared homie" and claimed Silva had pulled out of their fight on 12/29 for Rizin at the Saitama Super Arena. There is no official word that Silva has pulled out of the fight but he has been battling injuries.

Now I really want to hear Cro Cop say "scared homie." That would be funnier than that time Bas Rutten interviewed him about "American institutions" like Applebees and Men's Warehouse and Cro Cop was just confused.

[Big Boss Man]

Watch Chuck go to Bellator to fight Tito a 3rd time. Dana kept him on the payroll just so he wouldn't fight. He even got knocked out by a guy with a broken arm, so his chin is gone.

Bellator is kinda reminiscent of latter day WCW in getting the older guys in. If Chuck/Tito does ever happen, then I think it opens the door for Tito/Ken again too.

Now I really want to hear Cro Cop say "scared homie." That would be funnier than that time Bas Rutten interviewed him about "American institutions" like Applebees and Men's Warehouse and Cro Cop was just confused.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Bandit]

I thought Meltzer broke it down very well. If MLB was paying 100% of salaries, Bryce "Hairflip" Harper wouldn't be demanding $400 million for his next contract (which is ridiculous. Bryce is amazing, but Babe Ruth coming out of a time machine from 1930 isn't worth that.) He'd make what Conor makes.

[Bandit]

That's some great heel work by Dominick Cruz.