Skinny Science Coffee
Boresha Coffee
Boresha Tea
Boresha Bcreamy
Boresha ARG Matrix
Three years after they first stepped into the Octagon together, Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira are set to meet again. Mir vs. Nogueira 2 has been confirmed for UFC 140 on Dec. 10 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, with Mir finally getting his next opponent and Nogueira making a quick turnaround after his impressive victory over Brendan Schaub in August. In their first meeting, at UFC 92, Mir pulled off what was then an upset and became the first person ever to finish Nogueira, winning a second-round technical knockout. That fight came at the conclusion of their season coaching against each other on The Ultimate Fighter, gave Mir the UFC's interim heavyweight title, and set up Mir for his bout with Brock Lesnar at UFC 100. Mir has gone 3-2 since the first Nogueira fight, losing to Lesnar and Shane Carwin and beating Cheick Kongo, Mirko Cro Cop and Roy Nelson. Nogueira has gone 2-1 since losing to Mir, beating Randy Couture and losing to Cain Velasquez before beating Schaub. The UFC's heavyweight division is looking revitalized right now, with Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos and Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem set for November and December. The Mir-Nogueira rematch isn't quite as big a fight as those two, but it's another sign that we're going to see some big heavyweight action in the months ahead.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Skinny Science Coffee
Boresha Coffee
Boresha Tea
Boresha Bcreamy
Boresha ARG Matrix
Rumblings of Zuffa's union problems grew a bit louder today as the Culinary Union's Local 226, based in Las Vegas, sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission, urging them to investigate the company that owns the UFC and Strikeforce for anti-trust violations.
The letter, provided to Yahoo! Sports and dated Aug. 31, 2011, said that Zuffa has risen to the top of the MMA marketplace by buying up entities like PRIDE, World Extreme Cagefighting and Strikeforce. They estimate that Zuffa controls 80-90 percent of the MMA market, and because of that power, they can wield power over their fighters.
Some examples from the letter include:
-- The champion's clause, which automatically renews a contract for UFC champions.
-- Merchandising rights that give Zuffa rights to a fighter's image in perpetuity. This clause is what Jon Fitch had a problem with when he was briefly cut from the organization.
-- Restraints on athlete's mobility and pay, meaning that by buying up the marketplace, Zuffa can keep a fighter from engaging the marketplace for fair pay.
The letter distinguishes Zuffa, who is not a league, from a league like the NFL, because contracts within a league must have these sorts of restraints for competitive balance. Zuffa is not competing with anyone.
"The anticompetitive restrictions it imposes on athlete mobility serves no legitimate business justification beyond stifling competition and increasing Zuffa's already dominant position in the market."
The letter is concluded by urging the FTC to look into Zuffa's practices.
The Culinary Union is not without ulterior motive in this case, as they take issue with Zuffa's majority owners, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta. The Fertittas own Station Casinos, one of the largest non-union casino companies in the world.
But while their motive might be suspect, it doesn't soften who they are and what they have to say. Unions are meant to protect workers, and fighters are without union protection. Zuffa has made great strides in taking care of their fighters. Providing health insurance was a huge milestone in that, but all the benefits in the world doesn't mean that Zuffa can violate anti-trust laws.
Nuvo Gene Tea
Boresha Bsweet
B Latte
Boresha Argmatrix
Boresha Comp Plan
Three years after they first stepped into the Octagon together, Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira are set to meet again. Mir vs. Nogueira 2 has been confirmed for UFC 140 on Dec. 10 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, with Mir finally getting his next opponent and Nogueira making a quick turnaround after his impressive victory over Brendan Schaub in August. In their first meeting, at UFC 92, Mir pulled off what was then an upset and became the first person ever to finish Nogueira, winning a second-round technical knockout. That fight came at the conclusion of their season coaching against each other on The Ultimate Fighter, gave Mir the UFC's interim heavyweight title, and set up Mir for his bout with Brock Lesnar at UFC 100. Mir has gone 3-2 since the first Nogueira fight, losing to Lesnar and Shane Carwin and beating Cheick Kongo, Mirko Cro Cop and Roy Nelson. Nogueira has gone 2-1 since losing to Mir, beating Randy Couture and losing to Cain Velasquez before beating Schaub. The UFC's heavyweight division is looking revitalized right now, with Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos and Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem set for November and December. The Mir-Nogueira rematch isn't quite as big a fight as those two, but it's another sign that we're going to see some big heavyweight action in the months ahead.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Nuvo Gene Tea
Boresha Bsweet
B Latte
Boresha Argmatrix
Boresha Comp Plan
It seems like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira went from contender to card filler overnight. That really hasn't been the case, but for many there's a lot of doubt over what the PRIDE fighting legend has left in the tank.
"Big Nog" is only 35 years old, but he's battled injuries over the last three years and gone just 1-2. Now he's facing one of the UFC's young lions in Brendan Schaub. It's been a long battle against knee and hip injuries.
"Besides my physical and technical performance, I have the will to do anything. See four months ago, I couldn't walk. I recovered for several months to take this challenge to fight at UFC Rio," said Nogueira.
Nogueira said his rapid return was made possible by his high level training partners like Junior dos Santos, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, Rafael Cavalcante and Antonio "Big Foot" Silva.
Damon Martin from MMAWeekly and ProMMARadio's Larry Pepe joined Cagewriter to break down Big Nog's chances against Schaub.
Nuvo Gene Tea
Boresha Bsweet
B Latte
Boresha Argmatrix
Boresha Comp Plan
Nuvo Gene Tea
Boresha Bsweet
B Latte
Boresha Argmatrix
Boresha Comp Plan
Filed under: UFC
With the fight that could be the UFC's biggest pay-per-view event of the year less than two months away, Georges St. Pierre and Nick Diaz will meet the media on Wednesday for a press conference promoting their UFC 137 main event. Both St. Pierre and Diaz, along with UFC President Dana White, will meet the press at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, where their fight will take place on Oct. 29. The press conference begins at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday and you can watch it live here. MMAFighting.com will also have the archived video later this evening.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Nuvo Gene Tea
Boresha Bsweet
B Latte
Boresha Argmatrix
Boresha Comp Plan
Nuvo Gene Tea
Boresha Bsweet
B Latte
Boresha Argmatrix
Boresha Comp Plan