Saturday, March 31, 2007
UFC Buys Paris Hilton by Eddie Goldman
PARIS, FRANCE, April 1 -- Speaking before a packed press conference at the Hilton Paris hotel, a stone's throw from the Champs-Élysées and the Eiffel Tower, with over 2000 fans, fighters, media members, and showgirls in attendance, UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta announced his latest purchase today.
"We weren't sure of the difference between the Hilton Paris hotel and the supermodel Paris Hilton, so we have bought them both," Fertitta said, smiling broadly.
Added UFC president Dana White, "She's my kind of chick -- rich and dumb. She definitely is a @#$% and appeals to the male 18-34 *&^%$#'s who are our target audience and who watch our shows on Spike TV right after pro wrestling and before being sent to bed by their mommies."
Then Paris Hilton, heir to the Hilton empire which had previously owned the Hilton Paris hotel, was introduced to the crowd. She came out wearing a hot pink Tito Ortiz beanie with a matching tank top and hot pants. Plus, to everyone's surprise, she was flanked by Ortiz himself as well as French actress Katsumi.
Ms. Hilton, while pointing her left index finger in the direction of both Fertitta and White, said, "Listen carefully, boys. I am Tito's new manager. Nobody, especially any owner of some third-rate Las Vegas casino, owns me. And when Tito gets you in the ring, White, I guarantee that he'll tackle you and knock you up -- er, I mean out."
White responded, "&^%$!!! You @#$%!!!"
Ortiz, wearing a Tyson-Holyfield 2 T-shirt, next opened his jaw widely and then started to approach White. At this point, several fat bodyguards wearing lapel pins imprinted with the letter Z separated them.
While still restrained by the bodyguards, Ortiz shouted, "Let me tell you something, brother! You can't get out of our fight that easily! We'll fight in Japan where there is no athletic commission running MMA and which you now also own! Woooooo!!! "
White again replied, "&^%$!!! You @#$%!!!"
At this point Fertitta took the microphone and called for order.
"First of all," he began, "you should have realized by now that this is all an April Fools' joke by Eddie Goldman. You know we don't want media guys like him at our press conferences or even speak with him or send him press releases. We like the ones who report that we wrote the unified rules for mixed martial arts in 2001 when we bought UFC, and are too lazy or compromised to do any research. "
Added Eddie, "Yeah, and I've never even been to France, although I did send a MySpace friend's request to Katsumi."
Happy April Fools' Day, y'all!
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"We weren't sure of the difference between the Hilton Paris hotel and the supermodel Paris Hilton, so we have bought them both," Fertitta said, smiling broadly.
Added UFC president Dana White, "She's my kind of chick -- rich and dumb. She definitely is a @#$% and appeals to the male 18-34 *&^%$#'s who are our target audience and who watch our shows on Spike TV right after pro wrestling and before being sent to bed by their mommies."
Then Paris Hilton, heir to the Hilton empire which had previously owned the Hilton Paris hotel, was introduced to the crowd. She came out wearing a hot pink Tito Ortiz beanie with a matching tank top and hot pants. Plus, to everyone's surprise, she was flanked by Ortiz himself as well as French actress Katsumi.
Ms. Hilton, while pointing her left index finger in the direction of both Fertitta and White, said, "Listen carefully, boys. I am Tito's new manager. Nobody, especially any owner of some third-rate Las Vegas casino, owns me. And when Tito gets you in the ring, White, I guarantee that he'll tackle you and knock you up -- er, I mean out."
White responded, "&^%$!!! You @#$%!!!"
Ortiz, wearing a Tyson-Holyfield 2 T-shirt, next opened his jaw widely and then started to approach White. At this point, several fat bodyguards wearing lapel pins imprinted with the letter Z separated them.
While still restrained by the bodyguards, Ortiz shouted, "Let me tell you something, brother! You can't get out of our fight that easily! We'll fight in Japan where there is no athletic commission running MMA and which you now also own! Woooooo!!! "
White again replied, "&^%$!!! You @#$%!!!"
At this point Fertitta took the microphone and called for order.
"First of all," he began, "you should have realized by now that this is all an April Fools' joke by Eddie Goldman. You know we don't want media guys like him at our press conferences or even speak with him or send him press releases. We like the ones who report that we wrote the unified rules for mixed martial arts in 2001 when we bought UFC, and are too lazy or compromised to do any research. "
Added Eddie, "Yeah, and I've never even been to France, although I did send a MySpace friend's request to Katsumi."
Happy April Fools' Day, y'all!
Thursday, March 29, 2007
NO HOLDS BARRED: UFC-Pride Deal Commentary, and Kelly Perdew, President of ProElite.com
On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, the second this week, host Eddie Goldman begins by commenting on the purchase this week of Pride, the largest and heretofore most successful mixed martial arts promotion in the world, by the owners of UFC, the largest and heretofore most successful mixed martial arts promotion in the U.S. An analogy is drawn about what to expect from this arrangement with the deleterious effects on boxing by its monopolization by the notorious International Boxing Club (IBC) in the 1950s. The IBC was later broken up by the U.S. federal government.
We also highlight a major attempt to continue independent promotion of MMA. The web site ProElite.com is inviting fans, fighters, and all involved or just interested in MMA to uses its site for social networking, similar to what MySpace does for the general public.
ProElite.com is also providing a free live webcast of the Icon Sport "Epic" show from Honolulu, Hawaii, this Saturday, March 31. That card features a title fight between Frank Trigg and Robbie Lawler. Also on that card are Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Charuto Verissimo.
We speak at length about all this with Kelly Perdew, President of ProElite.com.
To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click here or here or here and just press the play button on the player. (Please note that if one of these sites has a technical problem, please use another one.) You can also listen to it through my blog and my MySpace page, also by pressing the play button on the player. (And if the player does not display the latest episode, please go directly here or here or here.)
Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes.
The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.
The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter.
NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
IFL, the International Fight League, the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) in the U.S. and to check your local listings for dates and times. You can also catch the IFL's newest show, "IFL Battleground", every Monday on MyNetworkTV from 8-10 PM. An encore presentation will run each Saturday night from 8-10 PM. Check out the IFL web site, ifl.tv, for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
NO HOLDS BARRED: Tadashi Tanaka on Pride, the Yakuza Scandal, the Expected Sale of Pride, and MMA in Japan -- Parts One and Two
On this special two-part edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our long-time colleague and friend, the Japanese journalist Tadashi Tanaka, who is the top mixed martial arts and puroresu (Japanese pro wrestling) journalist in the world.
Tadashi is the journalist who broke the story in the Japanese magazine Shukan Gendai (Weekly Gendai) containing allegations that Pride was actually owned by the Yakuza, Japanese organized crime. Shortly after that last year, and despite very high television ratings, Pride shows were dropped by Fuji TV, a major national broadcast network in Japan similar to NBC, CBS, and ABC in America. Now Pride is expected to announce in Japan this Tuesday that it is being sold to a new ownership group which will include major investors who also are owners of Zuffa, the parent company of UFC.
We discuss with Tadashi the allegations made against Pride, how these allegations and the Yakuza scandal have affected Pride, and what to expect with Pride's expected sale.
To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click here or here or here and just press the play button on the player. (Please note that if one of these sites has a technical problem or only displays one of the parts of this interview, please use another one.) You can also listen to it through my blog and my MySpace page, also by pressing the play button on the player.
Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes.
The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.
The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter.
NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
IFL, the International Fight League, the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) in the U.S. and to check your local listings for dates and times. You can also catch the IFL's newest show, "IFL Battleground", every Monday on MyNetworkTV from 8-10 PM. An encore presentation will run each Saturday night from 8-10 PM. Check out the IFL web site, ifl.tv, for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
SecondsOut Radio: Jill Diamond on Women's Boxing and World Boxing Cares
On this week's special edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Jill Diamond. She is the chair of World Boxing Cares, which does charitable and humanitarian work with children around the world. She is also chair of the NABF Women's Division and a member of the WBC Female Championship Committee. We discuss both the work of World Boxing Cares as well as the state of women's boxing today.
It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
NO HOLDS BARRED: John Perretti, Parts One and Two
On this two-part edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman speaks with a true pioneer and legend in mixed martial arts, and an old friend: John Perretti.
For those new to the sport, John Perretti was one of the founders and the matchmaker of Battlecade Extreme Fighting, which ran from 1995 to 1997, and put on some classic shows. After that, he became the matchmaker for the UFC until January 2001.
In this lengthy two-part interview, we discuss what he has been doing for the past few years, his views on the state and growth of the sport he helped start, how he helped take it from a spectacle to a sport, how he developed many of the key rules now in place in MMA, his favorite fights of the past, if he wants to enter the MMA business once again, and much more.
To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click here or here or here and just press the play button on the player. (Please note that if one of these sites has a technical problem or only displays one of the parts of this interview, please use another one.) You can also listen to it through my blog and my MySpace page, also by pressing the play button on the player.
Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes.
The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.
The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter.
NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
IFL, the International Fight League, the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) in the U.S. and to check your local listings for dates and times. You can also catch the IFL's newest show, "IFL Battleground", every Monday on MyNetworkTV from 8-10 PM. An encore presentation will run each Saturday night from 8-10 PM. Check out the IFL web site, ifl.tv, for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
Monday, March 19, 2007
SecondsOut Radio: John Duddy, Gerry Cooney, Dmitriy Salita, Maureen Shea
On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman begins by discussing how most of the boxing industry, especially in the U.S., is missing out on using video on the Internet in a year which many media professionals have called "the year of Internet-driven TV, film and broadcasting."
We next focus on the "Erin Go Brawl" card held on the eve of St. Patrick's Day, Friday, March 16, in The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
In the main event, undefeated middleweight contender John Duddy (19-0, 15 KOs) pleased his many fans by scoring a ninth-round technical decision over Anthony Bonsante (29-9-3, 17 KOs). We spoke with John Duddy at a postfight news conference shortly after his victory.
We also spoke with former heavyweight contender Gerry Cooney, who was part of the television announcing team for this show, about John Duddy's performance as well as his take on the current crop of heavyweights.
Also on that card, the undefeated Maureen Shea (10-0, 5 KOs) won by a third-round TKO over Eva Lidia Silva (4-7, 0 KOs). We spoke with Maureen Shea about that fight and her plans.
This coming Thursday, March 22, junior welterweight prospect Dmitriy Salita (26-0-1, 15 KOs) takes on veteran Grover Wiley (30-8-1, 14 KOs) in the main event of the latest edition of Broadway Boxing at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. We spoke with Dmitriy Salita about this fight and his plans on a recent media teleconference call.
It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
NO HOLDS BARRED: Kurt Otto Discusses IFL Battleground Controversy
On this special edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, the second this week, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Kurt Otto, the commissioner and co-founder of the International Fight League (IFL), about the controversy surrounding the debut episode Monday of their new TV show, "IFL Battleground", on MyNetworkTV.
To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click here or here and just press the play button on the player. You can also listen to it through my blog and my MySpace page, also by pressing the play button on the player.
Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes.
The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.
The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter.
NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
IFL, the International Fight League, the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) in the U.S. and to check your local listings for dates and times. You can also catch the IFL's newest show, "IFL Battleground", every Monday on MyNetworkTV from 8-10 PM. An encore presentation will run each Saturday night from 8-10 PM. Check out the IFL web site, ifl.tv, for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
Journalists Make NCAA Div. I Wrestling Predictions
Earlier this week, I had the privilege of being asked by TheMat.com to participate with a group of top wrestling journalists in making predictions for the 2007 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which take place Thursday, March 15, through Saturday, March 17, at the Palace of Auburn Hills in suburban Detroit, Michigan.
Those predictions have now been posted.
For a variety of reasons, I really did not and could not devote the time required to cover the world's oldest sport properly during the 2006-07 college season. I imagine that will be reflected in the accuracy (or, rather, lack thereof) of my picks, but hopefully that can be corrected beginning in the fall.
Also, on my NO HOLDS BARRED show, we did speak with veteran wrestling journalist and photographer Bob Mayeri, who will once again be covering this event from matside.
To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click here or here or here and just press the play button on the player. You can also listen to it through my blog and my MySpace page, also by pressing the play button on the player.
Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes.
The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.
The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter.
NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
IFL, the International Fight League, the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) in the U.S. and to check your local listings for dates and times. You can also catch the IFL's newest show, "IFL Battleground", every Monday on MyNetworkTV from 8-10 PM, starting Monday, March 12. An encore presentation will run each Saturday night from 8-10 PM. Check out the IFL web site, ifl.tv, for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
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Those predictions have now been posted.
For a variety of reasons, I really did not and could not devote the time required to cover the world's oldest sport properly during the 2006-07 college season. I imagine that will be reflected in the accuracy (or, rather, lack thereof) of my picks, but hopefully that can be corrected beginning in the fall.
Also, on my NO HOLDS BARRED show, we did speak with veteran wrestling journalist and photographer Bob Mayeri, who will once again be covering this event from matside.
To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click here or here or here and just press the play button on the player. You can also listen to it through my blog and my MySpace page, also by pressing the play button on the player.
Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes.
The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.
The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter.
NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
IFL, the International Fight League, the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) in the U.S. and to check your local listings for dates and times. You can also catch the IFL's newest show, "IFL Battleground", every Monday on MyNetworkTV from 8-10 PM, starting Monday, March 12. An encore presentation will run each Saturday night from 8-10 PM. Check out the IFL web site, ifl.tv, for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
SecondsOut Radio: Sultan Ibragimov, Roman Greenberg, Bernard Hopkins, Pete Quillin, Edgar Santana
On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman begins by reviewing some of the latest spinning of the wheels in the heavyweight division, as it sinks deeper and deeper into the mud of oblivion. We discuss IBF heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko's second-round blowout of mandatory challenger Ray Austin in Germany, as well as the continuing unmet need for heavyweight title unification.
Unbeaten heavyweight contender Sultan Ibragimov was supposed to have faced WBO champ Shannon Briggs this past Saturday, March 10, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, but Briggs had to pull out, reportedly because he was suffering from pneumonia. The show did go on, however, with Ibragimov stopping late replacement Javier Mora in just 46 seconds of the first round. Ibragimov is now 20-0-1 with 18 KOs, while Mora falls to 21-4-2 with 17 KOs. So far, no date for the Briggs-Ibragimov fight, still the WBO mandatory, has been scheduled or announced.
We did speak with Sultan Ibragimov after his victory Saturday night to get his thoughts on this fight and what lies ahead from him.
We also spoke with former undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins in his role as an executive at Golden Boy Promotions, which co-promotes Ibragimov, about his thoughts on heavyweight title unification. And we spoke with three rising prospects who also were victorious on this card: heavyweight Roman Greenberg (25-0, 17 KOs), middleweight Pete "Kid Chocolate" Quillin (10-0, 9 KOs), and junior welterweight Edgar Santana (21-2, 13 KOs).
It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.
Monday, March 12, 2007
NO HOLDS BARRED: Bob Mayeri and NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships Preview
On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman previews the most popular event in America which features the world's oldest sport: the 2007 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
We speak with veteran wrestling journalist and photographer Bob Mayeri, who will once again be covering this event from matside.
It all takes place Thursday, March 15, through Saturday, March 17, at the Palace of Auburn Hills in suburban Detroit, Michigan.
The finals will air live in the U.S. on ESPN Saturday night, March 17, starting at 8 PM EDT. TheMat.com and InterMat both will have extensive coverage of this event.
To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click here or here or here and just press the play button on the player. You can also listen to it through my blog and my MySpace page, also by pressing the play button on the player.
Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes.
The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.
The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter.
NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
IFL, the International Fight League, the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) in the U.S. and to check your local listings for dates and times. You can also catch the IFL's newest show, "IFL Battleground", every Monday on MyNetworkTV from 8-10 PM, starting Monday, March 12. An encore presentation will run each Saturday night from 8-10 PM. Check out the IFL web site, ifl.tv, for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
NO HOLDS BARRED: Randy Couture
On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Randy Couture about his inspiring and historic victory this past Saturday night over Tim Sylvia at UFC 68 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The 43-year-old Couture recaptured the UFC heavyweight belt from Sylvia to give him a record five UFC titles. We discuss this fight and what it means for his legacy in the mixed martial arts.
To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click here or here or here and just press the play button on the player. You can also listen to it through my blog and my MySpace page, also by pressing the play button on the player.
Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes.
The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.
The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter.
NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
IFL, the International Fight League, the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) in the U.S. and to check your local listings for dates and times. You can also catch the IFL's newest show every Monday on MyNetworkTV from 8-10 PM, starting Monday, March 12. An encore presentation will run each Saturday night from 8-10 PM. Check out the IFL web site, ifl.tv, for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
SecondsOut Radio: Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Health and Safety Controversies
On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman begins by offering a commentary on several recent controversies related to health and safety issues for fighters. Discussed are fighters quitting in their bouts, open scoring, doping, boxing regulation, and the role of the boxing media.
We next begin to preview what will undoubtedly be the biggest fight of the year, the May 5 showdown in Las Vegas between the WBC 154-pound champion Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr., widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing today. We got comments from both of them during the New York stop of their recent 11-city media tour.
It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.
