Tuesday, October 20 6:00 pm PT: After some months of gamely facing press with a “tell you later” shrug, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney has circulated that his upstart promotion -- previously on ESPN Deportes and YouTube -- has scored a multi-platform deal with three networks.
Beginning in April, Bellator’s second “season” of tournament-style fighting will air live on Fox Sports Net; a pre-digested package of highlights will circulate during NBC’s insomnia programming block Sunday mornings; Telemundo will carry footage for Spanish-speaking viewers.
All of this sounds important and impressive, and Bellator is one of the few promotions to crop up in the post “Ultimate Fighter” climate that doesn’t prompt fans to shake their heads in embarrassment -- but the idea of building a brand using the Fox Sports Net infrastructure as a crutch is suspect. FSN has never given birth to any cultural “event” programming -- unless you count Tom Arnold’s inexplicable multi-year employment on “The Best Damn Sports Show, Period” -- while prior broadcasts by UFC and Pride were frequently disrupted and stuttered by ball games. This is not a station that puts a lot of emphasis on a regular schedule, and that’s a fairly crucial component of drawing an audience.
But -- Bellator has respect for their cash flow, doesn’t distract itself with gimmick programming, and doesn’t appear to be treating its business model as a sprint. FSN may not be a ticket to sold-out arenas and public stock offerings, but it may be the right fit at the right time.
Tuesday, October 20 4:16 pm PT: Fresh off more retirements than Brett Favre, Dana White returns with a new edition of his popular video blog series just in time for UFC 104.
If you're not bothered by explicit language, you can check Dana out as he watches his cousin's MMA debut and interacts with loyal fans.
The UFC president also teases innovative advances forthcoming to his official twitter page. Are you a Twitter user? Follow Sherdog.com @sherdogdotcom now!
Minority report: I still think Andrei Arlovski is one of the most dangerous heavyweights in the sport. Slow down the fight footage of the Fedor Emelianenko bout and you can just about make out the slightest bit of frustration on Emelianenko’s face. (Could’ve been gas. I’m open to other theories.)
After getting knocked out by both Emelianenko and Brett Rogers, Arlovski is taking a ten-day sabbatical from Chicago to train with Greg Jackson in New Mexico: the first-day footage is now a YouTube destination. See Andrei close the distance against a heavy bag with an alarming proximity to a brick wall; see Andrei roll with Joe Stevenson; see Andrei collapse into a seriously dilapidated hotel room bed, surrounded by bags of ice, and about to be disappointed by Albuquerque’s pathetic cable line-up.
It’s a good move, though Jackson, for whatever reason, has never turned out a heavyweight who’s made as much of an impression as lighter-weight fighters like Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, or Nate Marquardt. But there’s a lot of malleable clay in Arlovski, who is still very capable of hurting a lot of people.
Tuesday, October 20 12:10 pm PT: After spending several weeks among the androgynous and be-feathered contestants of “Dancing with the Stars,” Chuck Liddell knows what he wants to do next: something incredibly macho.
The former light-heavyweight champion told Sherdog.com’s “Savage Dog Show” Monday that he has not abandoned the idea of returning to the ring. Liddell, 39, was stopped by Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in April. It was his third knockout in five fights.
“…I want to get back there and move around with some people and see how I feel,” he said. “If I feel good, I’m going to keep fighting to come back."
So, fine. We know what Liddell wants. What does his neurologist want?
Liddell could dance around the circuit for another few years, staying relatively healthy by taking fights against athletes unlikely to damage his brain any further. But that’s not the UFC’s MO: you’re either in it to win it or you’re not. And winning has not been Liddell’s specialty lately.
Tuesday, October 20 11:05 am PT: Former Xtreme Couture trainer to the stars Shawn Tompkins confirmed to Fighter’s Only this week that his split from the Las Vegas-based gym was amicable -- precipitated by the need to develop his own Team Tompkins brand.
“I resigned this week from the Xtreme Couture gym as the head trainer,” he said. “On good terms, there is no war or battle. The gym and the direction its going and the direction I am going are two different things. A few years back I set some goals for myself…one of those is to bring back the Team Tompkins brand and try to put together a bit of a legacy for myself.”
Makes sense. As successful as Tompkins as been coaching athletes, he has no claim to the Couture banner, a trademark that’s effectively benefiting from his status as a contracted employee. Not quite as catchy on a t-shirt, but what are you going to do?
Tuesday, October 20 5:15 am PT: His talent may be in question, but his marketability isn’t. And when the UFC negotiated an offer for
Kimbo Slice to demote himself to “Ultimate Fighter” status, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that there were a number of waivers in the contract.
In addition to Dana White admitting Slice’s UFC deal would be “different” financially than any other contestant’s, cast member Mike Wessel disclosed to Heavy.com that Slice’s entourage was in attendance for the Roy Nelson fight.
