Thursday, June 25 7:29 pm PT: Whether it takes days or years, fighters eventually figure out that promoters make the real money in the sport. Continuing a weeklong series on athletes who decided to erect their own ring rather than toil in someone else’s:
Frank Shamrock Resume: Former King of Pancrase and UFC middleweight champion; legendary hype man. Brand: ShootBox, a contest held in a concave circular bowl with no walls that was every bit the hot mess it sounds; loose inspiration for the Yamma Pit, an idea that didn’t grow any better with time. Life span: approximately three hours in 2003. Evaluation: Shamrock’s self-promoting prowess is second to none, but it didn’t translate into the branding of an entire event. You can, however, still buy the T-shirt. Own a piece of history. Like silverware from the Titanic.
The promotional banner -- Ultimate Cage Fighting Challenge -- may appear creatively bankrupt, but at least it knows how to sell to locals: Former Steelers lineman Carlton Haselrig will headline.
Naturally, Assemblyman and professional kook Bob Reilly makes his requisite appearance in local press, this time with fresh crazy: He now claims the sport has hosted up to 14 deaths to date.
It’s absolutely true, Bob. Organizers have a mass gravesite hidden from view. It’s up in the Catskills. Here’s a flashlight and a map. Call when you get there.
Update: Honors for being Pennsylvania’s first professional MMA event should be attributed instead to Cage Fight 1, a June 12 event held at Scranton’s Riverfront Sports Complex. (Thanks to Alan Vannan)
Thursday, June 25 3:36 pm PT: The impressive hustle of MMAJunkie has unearthed some pleasant news for fans looking for a mainstream pat on the back: Both Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva are up for ESPN’s ESPY Award this year in the Best Fighter category.
It seems inevitable the award will go to Manny Pacquiao, a Filipino boxer who defied his size and expectations this year to throttle Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton -- though the revenge of karate is obviously way, way cooler. Fans who agree can cast a vote at ESPN.com.
Rich Franklin joins the MMA Live panel to discuss the results of the “TUF 9” finale, Strikeforce Challengers, and Bellator XII.
In addition, Bobby Lashley joins the program to talk about his upcoming fight against Bob Sapp and Bellator C.E.O Bjorn Rebney checks in to discuss the completion of the first season of the BFC.
Thursday, June 25 10:36 am PT: Roger Huerta and Gray Maynard are being eyed for a lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 19 on Sept. 16 at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Sherdog.com has learned from a source familiar with the plans. UFC Fight Night 19 will serves as a lead-in for season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter” on Spike TV.
Huerta (20-2-1, 1 NC) turned down a new five-fight contract with the UFC in January to pursue a career in acting. The popular bilingual fighter -- who was the first mixed martial artist to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated -- has been missing in action ever since.
Thursday, June 25 10:12 am PT: He’s made millions in his career and can’t walk across a Japanese street without getting mobbed, but there are apparently limits to the benefits of being Bob Sapp: the super-heavyweight tells Larry Pepe of ProMMARadio that
he’s down to 320 pounds after breaking a toilet seat.
The good news: 320 pounds means Sapp will require a hell of a lot less oxygen than usual to function against Bobby Lashley during Saturday’s “Ultimate Chaos” program in Biloxi.
The bad: He’s still 320 pounds.
Sapp, as anyone who’s spoken to him can attest, is a good guy who did what anyone in his size 15s would do: take the endorsement money for being a Japanese attraction, train when time allowed and show up for a fight. But if you expect anything beyond a minute or two of puffing haymakers, you’re probably buying the wrong show.
Thursday, June 25 8:27 am PT: Soothing fears of hunting sponsors everywhere, Monte Cox informed MMAWeekly Wednesday that embarrassed former UFC heavyweight Tim Sylvia has no plans to retire following his abrupt KO loss at the decaying hands of Ray Mercer on June 13.
“He’s an MMA fighter, that’s what he does for a living,” Cox said. “He’s got to keep fighting -- he’s too young to quit.”
I don’t think anyone was calling for his retirement -- post-fight fallout was more a concern over showing up for a fight at 300 pounds when he wasn’t exactly a marbled statue at 260. A serious Sylvia will forever be a problem for smaller heavyweights due to his size and reach; where he runs into problems is when he ambles into a fight looking gooey. Mercer, decrepit as he is, deserved more respect than that.
B.J. Penn will defend his lightweight title against Kenny Florian on Aug. 8 at UFC 101. After competing at 170 pounds against Georges St. Pierre, he’s on his way to 155 for Florian and weighted 166.8 on Wednesday.
Penn said on BJPenn.com he’s surprised the weight is coming off so quickly and that he better slow down.
Thursday, June 25 12:00 am PT: In a strange story destined to get stranger, former MMA fighter and reputed master criminal Lee Murray has been released from a Moroccan prison, per ESPN’s Shaun Assael.
Murray, you may recall, enjoyed his first bit of infamy in 2002, when he and Tito Ortiz allegedly got into a street scrap during a UFC UK trip; Murray allegedly put Ortiz on his butt. Allegedly. He would later lose a one-sided decision to Anderson Silva, suffer multiple stab wounds and find himself chairing a bank heist near London that was worth $92 million. (Not bad for a few hours’ work.) Wisely, Murray fled to Morocco, where he claimed citizenship and was locked up until his status could be resolved. Now, apparently, it has.
Murray joins Kimbo Slice as a fighter whose Internet notoriety and personal charisma probably outweighs his in-ring talents. If Guy Ritchie doesn’t film this within the year, something is very wrong.
Update: There was apparently a clock ticking on that fresh air: Murray is now back in Moroccan custody after British officials asked he be arrested and charged with the heist there. Dates for his trial and inevitable escape attempt are both TBD.
