Thursday, November 1, 2012

Reader rants: Cagereaders sound off on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ ratings, Benson Henderson and Strikeforce

Though there haven't been a ton of huge fights lately, the MMA news never stops. This keeps our Cagereaders talking all the time. They posted their thoughts on Cagewriter's Facebook page. If you want to show up in a future reader rants, like the page and then speak up. Thank you as always for reading and sharing your thoughts!

No one is particularly surprised that ratings are so bad on "The Ultimate Fighter."

The reason it is plummeting is because of the time slot. Why in the hell would you put it on a Friday night time slot when your core viewers are not usually at home. Dana White should have left it on Spike TV at the same time slot. -- Timothy Carlson

As the article states, it used to be must watch for me, because I needed a fight fix. There are so many events now, that I don't HAVE to watch TUF. I even miss many events, which use to be unheard of for me. -- Randy Huey

Benson Henderson said he was similar to Nick Diaz, but readers did not agree.

Only thing in common is that they are great mixed martial artists, as people. Probably night and day. -- Gabriel Martinez

Oh my GOD...not even close. For one, Henderson has CLASS, something the whole Diaz clan will never possess. -- Gavin McClements

After Gilbert Melendez was injured, the Strikeforce cancellation disappointed Cagereaders.

Strikeforce has become the joke of all MMA ... Titan is a more respectable organization.. They will be folded as soon as this Showtime deal ends.. They are done... You can't cherry pick 2/3 of the best fighters from an organization and expect it to survive... -- Jason Telier

It goes back to the depth problem in SF. They only have a few, and I mean very few, headline worthy stars. Melendez and Rousey have enough pull to get people to watch, but without them it's unfortunately a lot of unknown fighters who people won't be interested to watch. -- Gabriel Martinez

One reader is not pleased by the idea of a Silva-GSP bout, which has been floated recently:

It's disappointing to hear that the UFC is taking steps toward making a "super" fight between Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre. I just don't see how any reasonable fan could think that's a compelling fight, and I don't understand why they don't make more of an effort to get Jon Jones v. Anderson Silva to be a reality. They're the same size and they finish fights. Both are creative and effective strikers and both have shown they have great ground skills and submissions. Moreover, both have, but for one disqualification loss each, obliterated almost all opponents. I love Georges St. Pierre, but he can't finish like they can, plus I think there's plenty of stiff competition for him at welterweight. Further, the UFC would be asking him to fight at a weight he's never fought at before. Even if it's a catchweight it's still different. And who is the first person he's going to fight at a brand new weight? Anderson Silva. Are you kidding? He's giving up so much in size and wingspan it's almost laughable. Plus we all have seen how St. Pierre has turned into the ultimate strategist. He's a cautious fighter. And we've also seen how Silva reacts when a fighter is hesitant and doesn't engage: Silva starts dancing around and mocking them. Who wants to watch St. Pierre, the posterboy of the UFC, get mocked in the Octagon? I sure don't and I think Jones v. Silva, for all the above-noted reasons, makes the most sense and would be a true fight for the ages. -- Michael Angelo Ilaria

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/reader-rants-cagereaders-sound-off-ultimate-fighter-ratings-172100029--mma.html

Mauro Galvao Arman Gambaryan Manvel Gamburyan Sean Gannon Edgar Garcia

Chael Sonnen hints at rift with Dan Henderson following 'TUF 17' fallout

Occasional training partners Chael Sonnen and Dan Henderson probably aren't as close as they used to be.

During Tuesday's MetroPCS online chat, Sonnen said he hasn't spoken to the fellow Team Quest fighter ever since Henderson posted some critical tweets.

Sonnen, of course, recently leapfrogged Henderson in the pecking order of the light-heavyweight division and got a coaching spot on "The Ultimate Fighter 17" and a promised title shot with champion Jon Jones.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/ZRtZiZITIrk/chael-sonnen-hints-at-rift-with-dan-henderson-following-tuf-17-fallout.mma

Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan Kotetsu Boku  Tony Bonello Stephan Bonnar

NFL: Carolina vs Washington

Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/sports-vbookie/106489-nfl-carolina-vs-washington.html

Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague

Bryan Caraway replaces injured TJ Dillashaw in UFC on FOX 5 fight with Mike Easton

TJ Dillashaw has pulled out of his UFC on FOX 5 fight and will not be in the cage across from Mike Easton come showtime on December 8. Instead, the Ultimate Fighter 14 finalist will be replaced by one of his housemates on the season, Bryan Caraway.  The bout will mark Caraway’s second appearance as a bantamweight since stints at 155 and 145 pounds.

The change in lineup was confirmed today by UFC officials.

Caraway holds an overall record of 15-5 including wins in his last three tilts. At UFC 149, he was able to add to the streak when he submitted Mitch Gagnon in a Fight of the Night performance.

Easton (13-1) has also found success in three straight, remaining unbeaten as a UFC bantamweight. Fans last saw Easton in the cage when he took Ivan Menjivar the distance in July and was awarded the Unanimous Decision. His only career stumble involved an injury-related TKO in 2007.

UFC on FOX 5 is headlined by a lightweight title-fight between Benson Henderson and Nate Diaz with other notable bouts scheduled like BJ Penn-Rory MacDonald and Mauricio Rua-Alexander Gustafsson.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Source: http://www.fighters.com/10/30/bryan-caraway-replaces-injured-tj-dillashaw-in-ufc-on-fox-5-fight-with-mike-easton

Gabriel Gonzaga Lyman Good Gary Goodridge Gerard Gordeau Jonathan Goulet

TheSHOOT! Gilbert Melendez - Gilbert Melendez

Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez talks his new gym, and his upcoming fight, only on TheSHOOT! For more, visit SHOOTMedia.com and follow us on Twitter @SHOOTMedia

Source: http://mmalice.com/gilbert-melendez/theshoot-gilbert-melendez-video_9a34ceccc.html

Andrew Gardner Tiki Ghosn Dennis George Kultar Gill Allan Goes

'UFC Unrestricted' premieres Nov. 10 on FUEL TV, goes behind the scenes of UFC 148

FUEL TV next month will unveil a new special going in-depth at a UFC event.

"UFC Unrestricted" premieres Nov. 10 and will give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at "UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II," which took place this past July.

"UFC Unrestricted" airs at 1 p.m. ET on Nov. 10, immediately following the FUEL TV post-fight show for "UFC on FUEL TV: Franklin vs. Le," which takes place in Macau.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/kUDhvmE-_jA/ufc-unrestricted-premieres-nov-10-on-fuel-tv-goes-behind-the-scenes-of-ufc-148.mma

Jason Ellis Aleksander Emelianenko Fedor Emelianenko Yasubey Enomoto Mark Epstein

WWE takes a jab at “The Ultimate Fighter’s” plummeting ratings

The ratings for the 16th season of "The Ultimate Fighter" have plummeted from their very low debut. Last Friday was the lowest-rated show in TUF history, and the people over at WWE couldn't help but take a shot at the UFC.

Ouch. Though it's a petty shot to take, it shows that others are noticing how the show is faltering. The debut was the lowest-rated in TUF history with 947,000 viewers, and has dropped down to 775,000. It's just not catching on with fans.

Still, UFC president Dana White told "The Ultimate Insider" this isn't a make-or-break season.

"There are some things that we all did wrong. And we need to fix them. It's all part of running a business. The thing about us is we're not afraid of taking risks. If we were, we wouldn't be sitting here right now. This whole business has been a risk since day one."

While that's effective spin on White's part, it didn't really address that people just aren't tuning into the show the way they used to. With so many fights available throughout the month and the feeling that every season is just like the one before, there isn't as much of a need to watch the show for a fight fix.

Thanks, MMA Fighting.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/wwe-takes-jab-ultimate-fighter-plummeting-ratings-131310895--mma.html

Tomasz Drwal Joe Hybrid Duarte Aldrin de Jesus  Todd Duffee  Marvin Eastman