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Tickets for Strikeforce: "Los Angeles" at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif., on Wednesday, June 16, will go on sale to the general public beginning Saturday, May 1, at 10:00 a.m. PT.

However, "Strikeforce Insiders" e-newsletter subscribers will be afforded a special pre-sale ticket purchase opportunity that begins Thursday (April 29) at 10:00 a.m. and ends on Friday (April 30) at 10 p.m. PT.

Strikeforce Insiders will receive a special e-newsletter with the pre-sale code. The Showtime televised event will mark the promotion’s first ever trip to the "City of Angels."

Confirmed for "Los Angeles" is heavyweight prospect Bobby Lashley as well as middleweight Robbie Lawler and lightweight KJ Noons. Their opponents are expected to be announced at a later date.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more details on this recently announced fight card as they develop.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

World Extreme Cagefighting tonight (April 24, 2010) pulled the trigger on its inaugural pay-per-view (PPV) event from the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California.

And if the great action -- and tremendous crowd turnout -- is any indication, it certainly won't be the last.

Hometown favorite "The California Kid" Urijah Faber was tasked with derailing 145-pound champion, Jose "Junior" Aldo, in the main event of the evening and reclaiming the top spot as the best featherweight in the world.

Unfortunately, Aldo, and his brutal leg kicks, were just too much for Faber to handle.

Aldo chipped away at Faber's front leg with vicious precision for three straight rounds, hobbling the former champion and sapping him of his explosive mobility. In fact, Faber's cornerman carried him to the corner at the end of the third round because Faber was so injured.

It was a calculated and patient dissection from the champion, chopping Faber down from the bottom up and then beating him up from the top down.

Finally, in the fourth round, Faber had no other choice but to pull guard and hope to somehow pull off a come-from-behind victory from his back. All that got him, however, was in the wrong side of a mounted crucifix position. Faber was able to hang on to the fifth in final round, basically, on sheer guts alone.

It was that close to being stopped.

The fifth round was a mere footnote in an otherwise lopsided fight. Aldo coasted to a dominant unanimous decision win over a very good and talented Faber. Aldo is so good that in the end he didn't look remotely tired or even touched for that matter.

And he's just 23 years young. Scary business.

WEC Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson and Donald Cerrone rematched in the co main event of the evening, hoping to somehow recapture the epic action that earned them one of the best fights of 2009.

Not tonight.

Henderson proved that their first encounter was no fluke, sinking in a tight guillotine choke just minutes into the first round that had the "Cowboy" tapping furiously to escape.

It almost seemed incredulous because Cerrone has never been finished in his career. But he must have been in deep trouble to submit so quickly. The Hasim Rachman/Elephant Man-esque growth on Cerrone's forehead from a Henderson knee more than likely didn't help the situation.

Huge win for Henderson. He set himself apart from the rest of the division tonight with such an impressive (and decisive) performance ... or is an Octagon debut in his near future?

Former featherweight champion Mike Brown was looking to put away Manny Gamburyan tonight and challenge the winner of the main event between Jose Aldo -- the man who took the belt from him -- and Urijah Faber -- the man who he defeated twice to keep the title.

It didn't happen.

Gamburyan landed a crushing short right hook in the first round that stunned Brown, as well as most of those watching ringside and on television. He capitalized quickly and basically had the super tough Brown snoring on the canvas shortly thereafter.

Brown initially disputed the stoppage, but it was just. He was out and Gamburyan was landing several unanswered blows.

What an upset. And not just because Gamburyan pulled off the win, but the way in which he did it.

Time will tell if it's impressive enough to get him a title shot some time soon. It would certainly be nice to see him get at least one more big win, but three straight consecutive victories over Brown, Leonard Garcia and John Franchi are nothing to sneeze at.

Lethal kickboxing extraordinaire Anthony Njokuani wanted to make Shane Roller his fourth "Knockout of the Night" victim, but the decorated collegiate wrestling standout had other plans.

Roller implemented his gameplan to a tee, taking down the lethal Njokuani seconds into the first round. Njokuani tried his best to get to his feet, but Roller's skills on the ground were just too much to overcome.

It was academic from that point forward, as Roller smothered Njokuani, took his back twice and eventually sunk-in a fight-ending rear naked choke.

Njokuani looked totally out of his element on the ground. And if Roller were more skilled in the jiu-jitsu department, it could have been over sooner than it was.

Regardless, it was a huge win for Roller -- his third straight -- and a reminder to Njokuani that he needs to work on putting a little more mixed into his martial arts.

Antonio Banuelos and Scott Jorgensen had the insurmountable task of following the absolute war between Leonard Garcia and Chan Sung Jung to kick off the promotion's first-ever televised match on PPV.

It clearly wasn't able to match the ridiculous action, but it was entertaining to watch nonetheless.

Jorgensen, on relatively short notice, was out to avenge a controversial split decision loss from last June. And despite a hairy first round in which he was dropped with a big left, he was able to recover and thoroughly beat up a game Banuelos for two full rounds.

He went on to earn a unanimous decision from all three judges sitting ringside, but Banuelos did anything but roll over and hand it to him. Jorgensen had him hurt and in a few very bad positions, but he just didn't quit.

With three straight wins -- and five out of his last six -- Jorgensen has set himself up to take on the best in the division. With a win over former champions Brian Bowles or Miguel Torres in his next fight (is that's what happens), don't be surprised to see Jorgensen getting his shot at Dominic Cruz's 135-pound title sometime soon in 2010.

That’s enough from us — now it’s your turn to discuss "Aldo vs. Faber" in the comments section below. Sound off, Maniacs.

Who on Earth can possibly usurp Aldo's crown at this point? Is Henderson ready for UFC competition? Was the UFC-style production much-improved over the WEC we've come to know and love or do you want to see it go back to the way it was/normally is?

Lot's to talk about -- Let’s hear what you have to say in the comments section below.

For complete WEC 48 results and detailed blow-by-blow commentary of the televised main card fights click here.

Below are the official weigh-in results for Saturday's Aldo vs Faber event, which features the WEC featherweight title bout between Jose Aldo and Urijah Faber, as well as the return of the championship rematch between Ben Henderson and Donald Cerrone. This card will air live on Pay-Per-View (10pm ET / 7pm PT) from ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. Fans can also tune in to Spike TV at 9pm ET / 6pm PT to see live Aldo vs Faber preliminary bouts between Alex Karalexis and Anthony Pettis and Chan Sung Jung and Leonard Garcia.

Las Vegas, NV (USA) - The UFC® today announced it is teaming up with Findlay Customs and Modern Muscle Las Vegas to release 10 Limited Edition UFC Chevrolet Camaros. The very first car, "#1" will be auctioned to benefit the Intrepid Fallen Heroes fund, a charity dedicated to providing financial support for the dependents of United States military personnel lost in performance of their duty.

CAUTION: SPOILERS INCLUDED - It's a doubleheader on this week's episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs Team Ortiz, so two fighters will move forward in the competition, while two more will be forced to the sidelines to hope for a wild card berth.

Gritty UFC lightweight veterans Spencer Fisher (23-5) and Dennis Siver (15-7) have inked a 155-pound showdown for the Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 Finale on June 19 at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

KO Dynasty's Mickey Dubberly confirmed the upcoming match-up with MMAmania.com earlier today.

More on this in a bit.

Rumor has it the post-fight melee is a Gamestop exclusive.

• Dan Henderson duels the UFC
• Strikeforce banks on Temecula’s Henderson
• With win, Shields can write his own ticket
• Strikeforce’s Shields, Smith Lend Helping Hand At Nashville Make-A-Wish Dinner, Assist PETA
• EA Sports MMA: Pranks, Mayhem, and Strikeforce

Dan Henderson duels the UFC

A rematch with Silva was on the negotiating table as part of Henderson’s re-signing with UFC, he said, and so was a special deal to allow him a cut of first- and second-year profits from the UFC’s popular video game that featured his likeness.

“I never saw a dime,” Henderson says of the video game money. “Where do you think the money should go? The fighters are asked to sign away their likeness rights, and [the UFC] tries to get it forever.”

UFC President Dana White said he had “no interest” in responding to Henderson’s comments.

Another UFC business stance that irked Henderson was the company’s interest in charging apparel sponsors, like Henderson’s own Clinch Gear, a fee, such as $10,000 for four months of unlimited appearances in the UFC octagon. “It’s like UFC is sticking their hands in our pockets,” Henderson said.  (LA Times)

***

MMAPayout Notes:  This is a great read by the LA Times.  In the interview, Dan Henderson claims that he received a $650 weekly stipend for being a coach on TUF.  Henderson also states that Dana White told him he would write a $25,000 check for public appearances connected to a future bout after UFC 100, which he never received.  Another interesting note is that according to Henderson, being bumped from UFC 100 as the co-main event probably cost him around $1 million dollars.

Strikeforce banks on Temecula’s Henderson

But that doesn’t mean he won’t shy away from non-contact fights. Henderson criticized UFC recently for all their “red tape …” concerning the difficulties fighters have attaining sponsorships. He also chastised his former organization for not providing health coverage or retirement plans for fighters, saying that “there probably should be a fighters union.”

But Henderson signing a 16-month deal with Strikeforce went beyond differences with the UFC, his being denied a rematch with UFC superstar Anderson Silva or the fact that he’s now better paid.

He said the big attraction to Strikeforce was the chance to compete in front of what may be his largest audience yet.  (The Press Enterprise)

Strikeforce’s Shields, Smith Lend Helping Hand At Nashville Make-A-Wish Dinner, Assist PETA

STRIKEFORCE World Middleweight Champion Jake Shields and middleweight star  Scott “Hands Of Steel” Smith participated at former Tennessee Titan Kevin Carter’s Ninth Annual “Waiting For Wishes” Celebrity Waiter’s Dinner at The Palm on Tuesday night in Nashville, Tenn.

The event, which benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Middle Tennessee, included a silent and live auction and was attended by NFL players, professional athletes from all sports, and countless celebrities.

Shields and Smith were among those who served as waiters. (Strikeforce)

***

Strikeforce champ Shields is a vegetarian and proud of it

When getting down to fighting weight for his bout with Dan Henderson, Jake Shields won’t have to cut steak out of his diet. The Strikeforce middleweight champion is a vegeterian, and is the latest to star in an ad for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).

…

“My last fight, I fought Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller,” he said in a PETA press release. “He came into the press conference with his fur coat … [s]o it was nice to go out there and kick his [expletive].”  (CageWriter)

With win, Shields can write his own ticket

Shields’ contract with Strikeforce is near its end. Technically, he still has one fight left after Saturday, but Shields says he has no championship clause like those in UFC deals, where the contract extends as long as you hold a championship. But he noted that the contract is running low on time, and that it’s doubtful he’ll get that last fight in before it runs out. At that point, he’ll be a free agent.

With UFC aggressively attempting to counter Strikeforce, and with a win over Henderson in a CBS main event on his resume, Shields couldn’t be in a better place at a more perfect time. Signing up a champion coming off a win over an established star on CBS would be lure enough, but with Shields, a win over Henderson would make him the most attractive potential opponent for UFC’s most popular fighter, Georges St. Pierre.  (Yahoo! Sports)

EA Sports MMA: Pranks, Mayhem, and Strikeforce

EA Sports MMA will use a modified version of the Fight Night engine, so it’s natural to assume that the game will have the striking game down cold. But, according to Jackson, the complexity of the sport of mixed martial arts has resulted in a lot of work to that engine in order to properly replicate what happens in the octagon. “The striking controls are pretty naturally mapped,” Jackson said. “They feel good on the sticks. The one thing that was a weakness when [Fight Night Round 4] came out was their lack of button controls, and a lot of people ripped them apart for them. We knew that from the very start, too, that we wanted button controls in there, so we’ve added that. We’ve also had to do a lot of different things. In the boxing AI, there are only so many things you can do. You have a few main stances and so many punches you can throw out of it. The world opens up to a whole different level in MMA, and so a lot of different AI hooks had to be added and different ways to teach the AI how to fight.”   (GameSpot)

VIDEO OF THE DAY

• MMA Live: 4-15-10 – MMA Live recaps UFC 112. Why is Anderson Silva feeling the heat? B.J. Penn offers his explanation on losing the lightweight gold. Dan Henderson and Gegard Mousasi stop by in advance of the Strikeforce card this weekend on CBS.

IMAGES OF THE DAY

QUICK HITS

• Video: Strikeforce ‘Nashville’ Weigh-ins (Sherdog)
• Mousasi Re-Signs 2-Year Deal with Strikeforce (Sherdog)
• Strikeforce Notebook: Kid Yamamoto, ‘Jacare’ Souza Fights Targeted (MMAFighting)
• Strikeforce Set for June 16 in LA, Possibly Featuring ‘Mayhem’ vs. Lawler (MMAFighting)
• Strikeforce confirms June 16 event at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles (MMAJunkie)
• Lightweight Roger Huerta returns at Bellator 17 on May 6 in Boston (MMAJunkie)
• Matt Lindland vs. Kevin Casey in the works for Strikeforce Challengers 8 (MMAJunkie)
• ARCO Arena hosts “Aldo vs. Faber” weigh-ins, autograph sessions on April 23 (MMAJunkie)
• RAMPAGE AND RASHAD GO UFC PRIMETIME ON SPIKE (MMAWeekly)
• KING MO NOT LACKING CONFIDENCE VS. MOUSASI (MMAWeekly)
• STRIKEFORCE EXPECTS LOTS OF OVEREEM IN 2010 (MMAWeekly)
• “EA Sports MMA” Preview (Heavy)

TV LISTINGS

• Fighting Words with Mike Straka (feat. Mousasi and King Mo) at 8:30 PM ET on HDNet (04/16/10)
• HDNet Fights Vault: Affliction Day Of Reckoning at 8 PM ET on HDNet (04/16/10)
• InsideMMA (Thiago Alves, Tyson Griffin) at 9 PM ET on HDNet (04/16/10)
• HDNet Fights: KOTC Bad Boys Too at 10 PM ET on HDNet (04/16/10)
• Strikeforce Nashville: Henderson vs Shields at 11 PM ET/PT on CBS (04/17/10)

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Strikeforce Nashville: Henderson vs Shields at 11 PM ET/PT on CBS (04/17/10)
• Bellator Fighting Championships XV at 7:30 PM ET on FSN (04/24/10)
• WEC 48: Aldo vs Faber at 10 PM ET on PPV (04/24/10)
• Bellator Fighting Championships XVI at 7:30 PM ET on FSN (04/29/10)
• Bellator Fighting Championships XVII at 7:30 PM ET on FSN (05/06/10)
• HDNet Fights: MFC Vindication at 10 PM ET on HDNet (05/07/10)
• UFC 113 : Machida vs Shogun 2 at 10 PM ET on PPV (05/08/10)
• Bellator Fighting Championships XVIII at 7:30 PM ET on FSN (05/13/10)
• Strikeforce St. Louis: Overeem vs Rogers at 10 PM ET/PT on Showtime (05/15/10)
• Bellator Fighting Championships XIX at 7:30 PM ET on FSN (05/20/10)
• UFC 114 : Rampage vs Evans at 10 PM ET on PPV (05/29/10)

"He’s the one who is arrogant and cocky. I’m just me and trying to have some fun.... I am a little anxious but totally prepared and not worried. Fighting five rounds, if it goes that long, will not be a problem. There is absolutely no pressure.... I’m confident and really looking forward to Saturday. After our fight, the city of Nashville is going to be known as 'Mo-Town.'"

-- "King" Mo Lawal today put the finishing touches on his entertaining smack talk at the final pre-fight press conference for Strikeforce: "Nashville," which is scheduled to take place at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., this Saturday night (April 17) on CBS. Lawal's sharp tongue, love it or hate it, has been the lone promotional bright spot in a stacked event that appears to have no real momentum heading into this weekend. Main eventers Jake Shields and Dan Henderson, as well as co-featured fighters of the night Gilbert Melendez and Shinya Aoki, all (for the most part) have taken the traditional high road with their remarks. Lawal, meanwhile, has done just about everything to push the buttons of Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi and, in turn, sell it as his coming out party. Mousasi, meanwhile, admitted that all Lawal's talk has made him grow to not like him as a person and he intends to shut him up in front of a nationwide audience. I can't wait to see him try ... wish we could say something similar for the other "big two" fights.

Dana White announced on ESPN’s “Jim Rome is Burning” that Anderson Silva’s next opponent will be UFC middleweight and former WEC middleweight champion Chael Sonnen.

“He’s got a real tough fight coming up. His next fight’s going to be against Chael Sonnen, and Chael Sonnen’s one of these guys who’s not going to lay back, not do what these other guys (did),” White told Rome.

 

He believes that Sonnen’s style will not allow for any showboating or avoidance, as Silva showed in his last fight with Demian Maia.

 

“When he’s been in this position when these types of fights have happened, it’s been against real good jiu-jitsu guys, guys that want to get the fight to the ground. Well, Chael Sonnen’s going to want to take this fight to the ground, but he’s going to double leg him and bring him down,” said White.

Payout Perspective:

I think I’m having a slight change of heart where Anderson Silva at 185lbs. is concerned. In this week’s UFC 112: Payout Perspective I stated that I didn’t believe there was much interest left in Anderson at middleweight, and while I still believe that’s the case today, I could see that changing in the next couple of months.

Yesterday’s announcement that Silva will defend against Sonnen over the summer likely gave fans an ugly flashback to last Saturday’s performance – it’s too soon! – but Sonnen’s comments immediately after the announcement have given me hope. This main event could sell very well on the combination of Sonnen’s hyping prowess, the UFC’s fan bases growing disdain for Anderson Silva, and the fact that UFC will likely throw a ton of money into promoting this bout.

The UFC has a very obvious play here and that’s to remind everyone just how much Silva pissed them off – he’s this uber talented enigma that just refuses to fight sometimes – and here’s their chance to see him get what he’s got coming to him. Sonnen obviously plays a role in that.

I’ve talked previously about how guys like Dan Hardy and Chael Sonnen are pioneering the trash talking PR strategy for fight hype, but there’s a distinct difference between Sonnen and Hardy: attitude and demeanor. Dan Hardy is a prankster with a quick whit – somewhat of a cheeky Brit – but he doesn’t quite have that believability about him. Sonnen, though, has this straight-faced, cut-to-the-chase, and conservative attitude that is absolutely convincing; if he tells someone they’re an idiot and he wants to whoop their ass, he means it.

That’s effective in and of itself, but even more so now that people are naturally more inclined to believe him, simply because they really want to see someone take the fight to Anderson after his performance at UFC 112.

In addition to being a special contributor to MMAmania.com, Jeff Meyer is a California attorney and CEO of MMA Incorporated, a full-service management and marketing firm representing pro MMA fighters including Urijah Faber, Chael Sonnen, Scott Smith, and Mark Munoz.

In the wake of Ken Shamrock being ordered to pay a reported $175,000 in attorney's fees to the UFC, many people have asked me about how legal fees are awarded in such cases.

While I am not privy to the underlying facts and circumstances surrounding the civil action between Shamrock and the UFC, this article will explain how attorney's fees are typically awarded.

Generally, there is no common law right to recover attorney's fees in a civil action. The parties to a lawsuit usually pay their own costs and expenses associated with the case. However, the law provides some exceptions to the general rule.

They are:

Statutory Attorney's Fees: Some state and federal statutes specifically provide that the prevailing party in certain types of actions may recover their attorney's fees. In the case of fraud, for example, most jurisdictions have statutes providing that the defrauded party may recover his attorney's fees.

Contractual Agreement: The parties to a contract are free to negotiate their own terms and conditions with regard to the recovery of attorney's fees. The contract will typically state that should a legal dispute arise among the parties related to the contract, the prevailing party will be entitled to recover its reasonable attorney's fees and costs.    

Attorney's fees provisions are very common in business contracts. In fact, it is rare to find a business contract that does not contain an attorney's fees provision.

At signing, each party knows (or should know) what to expect in the event of a legal dispute. Attorney's fees provisions often help to avoid litigation because the parties do not want to chance being ordered to pay the other side's fees.

This encourages parties to work out their disputes prior to filing a lawsuit. Likewise, attorney's fees provisions often help foster settlement of pending lawsuits as one side may offer to waive its accrued fees in exchange for a final settlement.

If the parties cannot settle their case prior to trial or motion for summary judgment (a trial on paper), then each side accepts the risk of having to pay the other side's attorney's fees. Like a decision in MMA, the parties have chosen to "leave it in the hands of the judges." As with every decision, someone is going to be disappointed. However, that is the risk the losing party accepted by continuing with the lawsuit.  

I have read criticism that an award of attorney's fees "adds insult to injury." I do not agree with this sentiment as it implies that an award of attorney's fees is unexpected by the losing party. This would be analogous to a fighter wondering why his arm is broken after refusing to tap while caught in an arm bar.

In every lawsuit involving an attorney's fees provision, both sides threaten to seek their fees and costs from the outset. The threats are typically contained in every letter between the parties, the pleadings, and the various briefs. This goes on for months, if not years. Both sides are well aware of the fact that they will likely be obligated to pay the other side's fees if they lose the case.

It is also inaccurate to believe that an award of attorney's fees constitutes some sort of punishment against the loser or a windfall to the prevailing party. The award represents actual expenses incurred by the prevailing party in bringing or defending the action.

The award must be "proved up," meaning that the party seeking the award must provide documentation showing it actually incurred such expenses. This documentation is reviewed by the judge and the other party has the opportunity to oppose the claim. The judge makes the final determination as to the amount of the fees.

In any legal dispute, the parties must seriously consider their likelihood of success before squaring off in court. When an attorney's fees provision is involved, the parties must consider the potential of paying their opponent's legal fees (in addition to their own) in the event the case does not go their way.

In short, the parties must choose their fight wisely.

For more information on Jeff Meyer and the services provided by MMA Incorporated, visit www.mmaincorporated.com.

Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective! This week we take a look at UFC 112: Invincible, which was held at The Concert Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE on Saturday, April 10th. The event marked both the UFC’s debut in Abu Dhabi and its first-ever outdoor show. UFC 112 was headlined by two title fights: Anderson Silva took on Demian Maia at 185 lbs. while BJ Penn fought Frankie Edgar for the lightweight strap.

Silva decisions Maia, disappoints again

There’s no sugarcoating this performance: Anderson Silva made a mockery of the sport at UFC 112. Silva’s playful toying with Maia quickly turned into crass and disrespectful taunting; his unwillingness to engage in the latter rounds also displayed an utter disregard for the sport, the fans, and the promotion that have so fiercely supported him in the past.

I don’t have any interest in hypothesizing why Silva fought like he did, but I am keen on exploring what are likely to be the consequences of his actions.

I’ll first say that it’s not the end of the world. Fights like Silva’s are simply part of the growing pains that this sport is going to have to endure in order to progress. It’s all one big learning curve where the promotions and fighters struggle to figure out what the fans want and how they can deliver a product that meets those requirements on a consistent basis.

Every sport has gone through similar embarrassing moments of unsportsmanlike conduct or utterly incomprehensible performance – no one is immune. There’s no need to panic.

There seems to be a tendency amongst many MMA fans – especially the hardcores – to watch and critique every event as if the future of the sport depended on the outcome. Yet, despite the sports precarious position within the sports landscape – especially on the regulatory side – there’s simply no need to view the sport from this perspective.

Certainly, the fans have a right to be mad after UFC 112 – they paid good money to watch Silva dick around for five rounds and disrespect the sport they love and support – but MMA isn’t going to fall off a cliff just because of this one event or any single event.

Is there a cause for concern? Sure, there’s no denying that Silva’s performance will reflect poorly upon his own stock, that of the UFC’s, and MMA in general. It’s not going to crush the sport, though.

The UFC has gained a reputation for putting on great fights on a consistent basis and Silva’s fight will challenge that notion; a notion, I might add, that’s already been put to the test in recent months with events like UFC 103, 106, 109, and 110. Again, the fight was the type of main event that can overshadow the rest of the card, which was fairly good.

Luckily, the non-domestic nature of the event likely ensured that the event was purchased by only the more devout of MMA fans – and they already know the story with Silva. He’s hit-or-miss.

The most significant consequence of the fight is probably the affect it will have on the entire UFC middleweight division and the way the UFC is able to schedule its fight cards in the future. Title fights push sales and because there’s going to be very little interest in Silva fighting at 185lbs again, the UFC is effectively down to four titles. That makes it much more difficult to spread the wealth and ensure that events are headlined properly (which is where things got rough for the UFC last fall).

So, what do you do if you’re the UFC? Silva’s not going to draw very well at 185lbs, but there are still some fights left for him at the weight class with Chael Sonnen and Vitor Belfort. He would, however, still draw very well against a George St-Pierre or contender at 205lbs, and that’s because the fans understand it would be the type of challenge he’s most likely to respond to.

The ironic thing is that had Silva simply dispatched of Maia in the first round like he demonstrated was possible, the UFC would have brought GSP into the Octagon and announced a title fight at 170lbs on the sport. They didn’t fly Georges all the way to Abu Dhabi just to sit cage side.

Edgar earns controversial decision victory, unseats Penn

The Penn-Edgar fight ended in such controversy that it might not be such a bad thing that the Silva fight managed to overshadow everything else that happened on the entire card. The flipside, of course, is that the more press the controversial decision receives, the better sales opportunity the UFC will have in any potential future rematch.

From a matchmaking standpoint, the controversy has given the UFC’s lightweight division a needed shot in the arm. Not only will the division retain BJ Penn – its most popular fighter – for the foreseeable future, but the gap between the best and the next has just been narrowed considerably. The number of interesting match-ups between the likes of Frankie Edgar, BJ Penn, Gray Maynard, Tyson Griffin, and Kenny Florian are enormous.

Dana White loses his Twitter cool

Dana White, like most, was a fan before he became involved in the business. He’s also the emotional type that wears his heart on his sleeve and always says what he feels. While that’s admirable and the source of much of his popularity with UFC fans, it can also be a detriment when he loses his cool and over-reacts to certain situations.

Leadership is about many things, but one in particular is setting an example. White is the sport’s foremost representative and there’s a certain responsibility that comes with that in the sense that sometimes he can’t just say what he’s thinking. Especially if he wants to be the guy that takes this sport to the next level, because where he and the Fertitta brothers want this sport to go, there’s very little tolerance for the sort of profanity-laced tirades against the media or the fans that White has exhibited in the past 24 months.

Moreover, when White is visibly shaking during a post-fight press conference and ranting in post-fight interviews about Anderson Silva, it helps to induce the sort of panic amongst fans that really isn’t necessary. Yes, the Silva fight sucked and the fans are disappointed, but it’s not the end of the world – the message coming from the UFC needs to be one of reassurance, not panic.

The situation is quite analogous to customer service in any sort of goods or services industry. The customer that has a complaint handled by a calm, confident, and thorough representative will come away reassured about the value of their purchase. The customer that deals with an angry, depressed, ranting lunatic is likely to take their business elsewhere.

UFC’s first outdoor event goes off without a hitch

The Silva controversy also overshadowed the fact that UFC 112 was the UFC’s first-ever outdoor event and everything more or less went according to plan from an operational perspective. The concerns surrounding heat, humidity, and/or wind really never materialized.

There are a few kinks that the organization needs to work out on the press side – e.g., finding adequate bandwidth to supply their digital channels with more fight week content – but those are small in nature and should be rectified by the time the UFC returns.

UFC 112 shown for free in Germany on UFCLive.com

The UFC may have been banned from television in Bavaria, but the UFC made sure its fans in Germany were able to watch the event for on UFCLive.com. Users logging on with a German IP address were able watch the event for free.

It’s definitely interesting to see the UFC continuing to ramp up its use of online distribution mediums – not unexpected. J

Sponsorship Watch

UFC 112 was devoid of any sponsorship from the alcohol category – namely Bud Light and Tequilla Casadores. I’m inclined to believe that this is likely because of the strict alcohol consumption laws in the UAE. However, it could also simply be a function of the anticipated buyrate for the event.

Lumber Liquidators made its debut on the UFC canvas, which is perhaps further support that there was less demand from the UFC’s traditional sponsors than for a domestic event. Edge Shave Gel was also given a canvas placement and that usually doesn’t happen for a bigger event (even though Edge has invested a good amount of time and money on the activation side of its partnership; check out the UFC Vault contest they’re running).

There weren’t a ton of new fighter sponsors for the event, but the fact that we’re seeing Mom and Pop type sponsorships for some of these guys is further indication that the rumours about the$100,000 sponsorship tax aren’t 100% accurate.

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