The show begins with Team Rashad training.  Rashad is very proud of the fact that his team is 4-0 and that coaching is superior in his camp.  Cut to Matt Mitrione asking for a cortisone shot in his "injured" left shoulder, which Coach Rashad doesn't seem to agree with.

Team Rampage rolls in, as Team Rashad is wrapping up training, and they get hold of Marcus Jones.  In all the back and forth banter, Marcus believes that Team Rashad will be calling him out for the next fight, which he's excited about.

Rampage isn't very happy about being 0-4 and he's voicing his displeasure.  In drilling, the focus is Zac Jensen and his apparent lack of ability.   He comes from a wrestling background but doesn't have much of a ground game, but, if possible, they're going to try to make it work.  What choice do they have?

Back to the show and Wes Sims is claiming to have stepped on a mess of "Jensens" in the shower.  Not cool, man.  It appears that Jensen is the verbal "punching bag" of the house.  All are having fun at his expense.

Back to training for Team Rashad and, again, we're focused on Mitrione's "injuries" and how Rashad believes the injuries are a cover for Matt's desire for attention or his unwillingness to train or fight.  The disdain is growing with the coaching staff for Team Rashad.  They believe him to be the weakest link between them and running the table on Team Rampage.

 Hits: 191   Post/Read Comments (2)

UFC 104 is a couple of weeks away and the WEC event that went off this past weekend, has sparked a lot of debate as to whether or not the smaller Zuffa owned organization will be absorbed by the UFC. Already, we have seen the light heavyweight, middleweight and welterweight divisions be consolidated, with a few fighters making the move and more sent down the road. Rumors have been swirling, with talk of the remaining weight classes being added to the UFC and the dreaded pink slip being handed to fighters perceived to not be at the high level needed for the jump.
 
So, how do they do it? The murmurs I am hearing, tell me that Zuffa intends to make this move within the next year and probably sooner than later. A major sticking point is TV contracts, with the WEC airing on Versus and the UFC being tied to Spike. The UFC just extended their relationship with Spike, but also has had serious talks with HBO and ESPN, amongst others. UFC cards now air on ESPN in the United Kingdom and I get the feeling they would love to expand that relationship into the USA and beyond. ESPN has shown growing acceptance of MMA, airing weigh-ins, covering events, putting "MMA Live" on the web and featuring Bellator on ESPN Deportes. The rumor that has passed my way, is, that Zuffa intends to put the WEC into bankruptcy and have the UFC take it over. There is a possibility of getting out of the Versus contract if they do this, allowing them the opportunity to expand their Spike coverage or seek out a deal with a higher profile network. The dropping of Versus by Direct TV has also added a lot of fuel to the rumors. I am far from a bankruptcy expert, but I did find that sports teams and leagues have used bankruptcy to change their positions in the past, so it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Zuffa do the same.
 
With the possibility of global expansion looming for the UFC, such a move would be almost essential for continued success. Dana White has promised that the promotion will return to Japan and countries like South Korea, Brazil, the Philippines and Australia are also on the list. The coveted Asian market is ripe with lighter weight fighters and this absorption could provide a showcase for some of the extremely popular fighters like "Kid" Yamamoto and many others. Matching these guys with the likes of Urijah Faber, Miguel Angel Torres, Mike Brown, Brian Bowles, Donald Cerrone, Jose Aldo and WagneyFabiano, would be invaluable for the "invasion".  This would also provide the WEC fighters with added coverage, exposure and popularity, which would, in turn, put them on a higher pay scale than they currently are. Can you imagine a PPV card with something like Anderson Silva vs Randy Couture and Faber vs Brown 3? Or how about the possibility of viewing the added excitement that WEC fights almost always provide, alongside fighters like GSP, BJ Penn and Brock Lesner? The possibilities are mouth watering!
 
We have seen some great fights in the UFC, but we also occasionally run into some lackluster PPV cards or less appealing Fight Nights. Now the UFC would have higher probability of showing some very exciting fights and the opportunity to load the Fight Night cards like never before. Additionally, we the fans would enjoy a higher percentage of exciting fights and probably a larger number of free cards, as the UFC would likely need to do something like a PPV and a free card each month, in order to accommodate the added fighters. We would also see 3 to 4 more titles to defend, featherweight, bantamweight, possibly the rumored "cruiserweight" at around 195 pounds and who knows what else. Then there is The Ultimate Fighter, where we would have an additional two weight classes to draw upon.
 
The only negative that I can see, is, the fact that several fighters will be released and sent packing. Even with that, there are a lot of job opportunities with promotions like Strikeforce, Bellator, Dream, Sengoku and others. So, overall, I see this as a mostly positive move by Zuffa.
 
What do you think? Is this a move you want to see happen? Would it be good for the fighters? Will we see better, more exciting cards from the UFC? Is this a smart move relating to global expansion? Or is it bad and losing another promotion will hurt MMA? What is your opinion on using bankruptcy as a tool to absorb the WEC?
 
No matter what happens, I look forward to seeing even more fast-paced, exciting fights from the lower weight fighters that currently call the WEC home.

 Hits: 160   Post/Read Comments (1)

images/s5_nd_5.jpg

Over the past decade, we've witnessed the explosion of mixed martial arts (MMA) throughout North America and the rest of the world. As MMA grows, so does interest in all things directly related to the sport, be it martial arts, such as Brazilan Jiu-Jitsu, or promotions, like the UFC. Interest and awareness in all, and for all,  has skyrocketed. With greater interest comes greater coverage and greater coverage leads to greater exposure. That's where we, at UltimateFightSource, come into play.

There are numerous, online sources for commentary and coverage related to MMA, and all do a very good job. These sources provide their own personal, unique perspective on events related to the sport. We here at UltimateFightSource hope to do even better. We believe there's room for improvement and this improvement starts with you, the reader. UltimateFightSource will look for the input and perspective of our readers to supplement the views and commentary of our staff.

With that said, let’s get into the layout of the site by Section…

That’s it as far as the site goes. Beyond that, I can tell you that we’re extremely excited about the opportunity of working with you to provide quality, original content that you'll only find on UltimateFightSource.com.  We’re even willing to get out and hit the road. If your academy or gym is making magic happen, we’d like to drop in and train and learn, then write.

To summarize, no matter what’s happening or where it’s happening, we want to be there. If we can’t be there, we need you to be there. If we can be there together, even better. Let’s make it happen!

Thank you and be sure to follow us on Twitter (@ultfightsource) and on our Facebook Fan Page (ultimatefightsource.com).

The Staff - UltimateFightSource.com

 Hits: 620   Post/Read Comments (0)