Source: http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/2011/1/31/1966955/louisville-vs-georgetown-score
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Monday, January 31, 2011
Bigger role for Dunlap comes with greater expectations
Bengals DE Carlos Dunlap is likely to move into a starting role in 2011 after finishing his rookie season in exceptional fashion, notching 9½ sacks in his final eight games. Bengals DL coach Jay Hayes is interested to see how he handles such an increase in responsibility.
"Right now, the biggest thing he's going to have to do is, with the production he had, I know everyone's going to say, 'Hey, he's got to play every play,' so now he's got to transition from being a part-time player to a full-time player," Hayes told PFW at the Senior Bowl. "And that's going to be the issue. Can he go out there and play those types of numbers of plays going from 250 plays during the season to 700-and-some plays and do the things that he's still done and more?"
Hayes said the most significant improvement as a rookie for Dunlap, who turns 22 in late February, came in his approach.
"Just learning how to be a pro," Hayes described it. "Just understand now that, 'OK, it's time to practice' and how he practiced and those type of things.
"Because that was the biggest transition for him. He was always fine playing the game. It was coming out there and doing what we asked him to do in practice. He didn't have great habits."
The 6-6, 277-pound Dunlap will be counted upon to become a more complete end if he's to have a bigger role. Hayes wants Dunlap to be diligent and has the goal of him "becoming a guy that can play the run as well as the pass."
Of playing the run, Hayes noted, "(He) does it pretty consistently when he's in the games, but he needs to be able to work it during the week so there's no doubt that he'll do it right. And that's where we always had the rub with him — 'Well, if we put him in on run downs, what's going to happen?' "
Added Hayes, "He did well when was in there. It's just you're not sure all the time — is he going to be able to do it?"
Source: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/01/30/bigger-role-for-dunlap-comes-with-greater-expectat
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Devon Alexander vs. Tim Bradley: Live Round-by-Round Updates
Filed under: WBC, WBO, Boxing Rumors, HBO, FanHouse Exclusive
DETROIT -- FanHouse will have a live, round-by-round update of Saturday night's HBO televised junior welterweight (140 pounds) clash between southpaw WBC king Devon Alexander (pictured above, at right) and WBO counter part Tim Bradley (pictured above, at left).
The main event will start a little after 10:20 PM ET. Check out Alexander vs. Bradley live blog below.
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Source: http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2011/01/29/devon-alexander-vs-tim-bradley-live-round-by-round-updates/
Mike McCormack Frank Gatski Ozzie Newsome Joe DeLamielleure Gene Hickerson Joshua Cribbs
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Carr suddenly in mix for Niners' starting QB job
Was new 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh serious when he told members of the local media that he had not ruled out Alex Smith as his starting quarterback?
“I think he’s back in the picture only peripherally,” a team insider said of Smith, a free agent whom many considered a lock to be leaving the Bay Area after six maddeningly inconsistent seasons with the Niners. “It’s conceivable he could come back if he does not get any other offers, but I really think he’d prefer a fresh start somewhere else at this point.
“The fans are not behind him at all, and I think he’s tired of all the abuse he has been forced to take.”
Interestingly, it suddenly appears as if veteran David Carr, a backup this past season behind both Alex Smith and Troy Smith, who received minimal playing time, has a much better shot at being the first starter for the Harbaugh regime.
For one thing, the Niners’ ability to add a veteran via free agency or trade is dramatically hindered by the league’s labor impasse — a situation currently facing every team.
Beyond that, Carr had his best pro success in the two years in Houston when Greg Roman, the Niners’ new offensive coordinator, was his quarterbacks coach.
“If he actually started getting all the reps, it could make a difference,” the insider said of Carr, who like Alex Smith is a former No. 1-overall draft pick. “But I can’t forget (GM Trent) Baalke’s comment indicating that the next starter for the Niners will not be somebody currently on the team.”
Of all the possible free-agent or trade alternatives at quarterback, we hear Bengals QB Carson Palmer’s name probably generated the biggest buzz in Niners Nation.
“He would make some sense, considering his familiarity with the West Coast system. But you’d think he’d probably prefer to play for a team with a better chance to win right away,” the insider said. “And with the Bengals coming out and saying they had no intention of letting Palmer go, you have to wonder about him.”
Whether the Niners take their chances with a new starting QB via the 2011 draft remains to be seen.
“One thing the new guy will have to be is accurate,” the insider said. “Baalke has made that clear. It also appears the team is looking for a game manager-type, with the run game being counted on more.”
Source: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/01/29/carr-suddenly-in-mix-for-niners-starting-qb-job
Mike McCormack Frank Gatski Ozzie Newsome Joe DeLamielleure Gene Hickerson Joshua Cribbs
Zombie PRIDE rides again!
Hot on the heels of news that Strikeforce was talking with Real Entertainment about a Heavyweight GP event in Japan comes the news that Real is also planning it's own events, starting with a lightweight tournament in May. This is interesting because Real Entertainment is better known by the name we dubbed it three years ago: Zombie PRIDE.
Yep, the same people that rose from the grave of PRIDE are now bursting out of the chest of FEG, freeing themselves from their dying host organism's body to find new and fresh sources of sustenance. In that context, it's slightly worrisome that Scott Coker is so eager to spread his cheeks and say 'Hop on in, guys. It's warm up in here!'
On the other hand, who knows where everything went wrong? We all agree that PRIDE was generally pretty good while FEG's HERO'S and DREAM (always with the odd majuscules and punctuation, these Japs) could never seem to really get MMA right. But a lot of that had to do with lack of money and lack of stars - two things Real Entertainment isn't going to be able to suddenly pull out of thin air like magic.
There's also the teensy tiny problem that Real Entertainment was a large part of why FEG couldn't get combat sports back on FUJI TV. This is because Real is basically DSE and DSE was kicked off the network by FUJI for all that sketchy Yakuza stuff. Who knows what the connection between Real and the underworld are now? Suffice to say if Real Entertainment was a super hot bitch you'd still have second thoughts about banging her for fear that a mob boss's henchman might show up at your house and throw you off your roof.
Source: http://www.fightlinker.com/zombie-pride-rides-again
Bobby Mitchell Paul Warfield Mike McCormack Frank Gatski Ozzie Newsome Joe DeLamielleure
Herschel Walker vs. Scott Carson Fight Video
Filed under: Strikeforce
Herschel Walker improved to 2-0 as an MMA fighter with a first-round technical knockout victory over Scott Carson on Saturday night at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg. The fight video is above.
Walker, the former NFL star who was a Heisman Trophy-winning running back at Georgia and also dabbled in Olympic bobsledding, made short work of Carson, who could do little more than cover up and try not to get too badly hurt.
Walker indicated after the fight that he hopes to fight for Strikeforce again. At age 48, he's not ready to quit fighting.
More Coverage: Diaz vs. Cyborg Results | Diaz vs. Cyborg Pictures
Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/01/29/herschel-walker-vs-scott-carson-fight-video/
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Fisher: 'It was just time to move on' from Titans
Jeff Fisher held his closing press conference with reporters Friday in Nashville, a day after he and the Titans agreed to go their separate ways and end his 16-year-plus run as the team's head coach.
Fisher told reporters multiple times that he was "not going into specifics" on why he's leaving the team but added that he trusts the organization will rebound and be a successful one again soon. The coach had a 142-120 record in 16 full seasons as head coach, as well as six games to finish the 1994 season. Tennessee won four division titles in his time in charge, with a 5-6 mark in the playoffs. Fisher led the Titans to one Super Bowl — when it lost 23-16 to the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV, following the 1999 season.
"It was just time to move on," Fisher said. "I needed a break. There were some differences (between the coach and Titans owner Bud Adams). This is what's best for everybody."
Adams told PFW correspondent and The Tennessean reporter Jim Wyatt, "Unfortunately, organizations and coaches reach a point where it is time for change. This isn't personal."
Source: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/01/28/fisher-it-was-just-time-to-move-on-from-titans
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Saturday, January 29, 2011
Strikeforce Live Blog: Roger Gracie vs. Trevor Prangley Updates
Filed under: Strikeforce
SAN JOSE - This is the Strikeforce live blog for Roger Gracie vs. Trevor Prangley, a light heavyweight bout on tonight's Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg event from the HP Pavilion.Gracie (3-0) made his Strikeforce debut last May by submitting Kevin Randleman with a rear-naked choke. Prangely (23-6-1) took a fight outside of Strikeforce last September and won a split decision over Keith Jardine.
The live blog is below.
Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/01/29/strikeforce-live-blog-roger-gracie-vs-trevor-prangley-updates/
Bobby Mitchell Paul Warfield Mike McCormack Frank Gatski Ozzie Newsome Joe DeLamielleure
Chris Arreola Scores First-Round KO of Joey Abell
Filed under: WBC, Boxing Rumors, FanHouse Exclusive
Slimmed down heavyweight contender Chris Arreola of Riverside, Calif., scored his 26th knockout at two minutes, 18 seconds of the first round of Friday night's scheduled 10-rounder against hard-hitting Joey Abell of Coon Rapids, Mich., at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif.In victory, Arreola rose to 30-2 with his second straight win since losing April's majority decision to former light heavyweight (175 pounds) and cruiser weight (200 pounds) champion Tomasz Adamek (43-1, 28 knockouts) in April.
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Source: http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2011/01/29/chris-arreola-scores-first-round-ko-of-joey-abell/
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Relaxed and Rehabbed Vitor Belfort Ready for Anderson Silva
Few of his contemporaries are still fighting at a similar level as Vitor Belfort. When the Brazilian striker burst on to the UFC scene in 1997, he was just 19 years old. Today's mixed martial arts has only a passing resemblance to that previous incarnation, yet Belfort has evolved along with the sport.At 33 years old, he's one of few remaining fighters from those old days capable of still headlining a major card, let alone and fighting at a championship level. Next Saturday at UFC 126, Belfort becomes the next to attempt to dislodge Anderson Silva off the middleweight throne, a task that has so far proven impossible.
Despite the high-stakes matchup, Belfort says that he no longer lets the enormity of the moment overwhelm him.
Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/01/27/relaxed-and-rehabbed-vitor-belfort-ready-for-anderson-silva/
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Tim Bradley to go Old School on Devon Alexander
Filed under: WBC, WBO, Boxing Rumors, HBO, FanHouse Exclusive
DETROIT -- If Tim Bradley has his way, there will be a throwback, beat-down in Motown on Saturday night.
The WBO champion is planning to go old school on southpaw WBC counter part Devon Alexander when they meet for their HBO televised junior welterweight (140 pounds) title bout at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich.
Throughout his career, the 27-year-old Bradley (26-0, 11 knockouts) has idolized past fighters such as world champions, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Shane Mosley, Marvin Hagler, Aaron Pryor and Sugar Ray Leonard, to name a few.
Bradley plans to pay homage to Hagler and Leonard, who scored knockouts in the third, and, 14th rounds, respectively, in classic bouts against Thomas Hearns, when Bradley enters the ring against the 23-year-old Alexander (21-0, 13 KOs) wearing similar garb as his heroes did, according to his manager, Cameron Dunkin.
"Timmy's going to be wearing an outfit that is more like a throwback to the 1980s. High socks and short shorts. And he's going to come out like some of the fighters who were his idols in the 80s instead of the long trunks down to the knees," said Dunkin. "He's going to wear his shorts the way that guys like Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler wore them. It's his way of going back to the ways of the 1980s for this fight."
Dunkin said that it appears that Bradley's complete wardrobe will be comprised of the colors light and dark blue.
"He said that he liked Marvin Hagler. I think that he says that it was the Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns fight because he feels like he's going to be more like a Hagler against Alexander, because he's short and he's got to go after him. Timmy is a historian. He watches a lot of the old tapes and he really keeps track of them and he learns from the old tapes," said Dunkin.
"He feels that the other guy is going to be throwing bombs at him, and that's the way that he sees this fight," said Dunkin. "I think that he sees it as a parallel between the Hagler-Hearns fight and the Leonard-Hearns fight. I want to see a little more Leonard, but, you know, he wants to be a little more like Hagler."
Bradley also said that he most feels that his style resembles the short, but agressive Holyfield and Pryor.
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Source: http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2011/01/28/tim-bradley-to-go-old-school-on-devon-alexander/
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Titan FC 16 Weigh-Ins: Tim Sylvia Tips Scale at 311 Pounds
Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia weighed in at 311 pounds on Thursday prior to his Titan FC 16 fight against Abe Wagner. Wagner, a former cast member on the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter, weighed 265.2. Titan FC 16 takes place Friday night at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. The main card, headlined by Sylvia vs. Wagner, airs live on HDNet at 10 p.m. ET.
Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/01/28/titan-fc-16-weigh-ins-tim-sylvia-tips-scale-at-311-pounds/
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Friday, January 28, 2011
Victor Cayo Wants to Rematch Marcos Rene Maidana
Filed under: WBA, WBC, Golden Boy Promotions, Boxing Video, Boxing Rumors, HBO, FanHouse Exclusive
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos. Junior welterweight (140 pounds) contender Victor Cayo (28-1, 20 knockouts) of the Dominican Republic has scored knockouts in the second and first rounds, respectively, since, himself, being stopped in the sixth round in March by then-WBA interim titlist Marcos Rene Maidana (29-2, 27 KOs).
On Dec. 11, Maidana rose from a first-round knockdown and nearly stopped his opponent in the 10th round of their HBO televised, Golden Boy Promotions bout before losing a unanimous decision to WBA king Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KOs).
FanHouse caught up to Cayo during his training at the World Crown Sports Center in Oxnard, Calif., where he worked alongside southpaw former WBC middleweight (160 pounds) king Sergio Martinez.
Cayo shed his thoughts on Maidana, as well as rising lightweight (135 pounds) contender Brandon Rios..
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Source: http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2011/01/27/victor-cayo-wants-to-rematch-marcos-rene-maidana/
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Michael Blunda's Super Bowl prediction
Each day we'll post the prediction of a PFW editor for Super Bowl XLV. PFW associate editor Michael Blunda's prediction is the third of 10.
Packers 24, Steelers 20
Can anybody stop the red-hot run that the Packers are on? If any team can do so, it's the Steelers, the league's No. 1 scoring defense. That should make Super Bowl XLV an extremely intriguing one. But in the end, I think it's not Green Bay's offense but the defense that will be the reason the Packers hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Pittsburgh's porous offensive line will have all kinds of trouble stopping Clay Matthews and Co., especially if C Maurkice Pouncey can't go. That will make it a long night for Ben Roethlisberger, who will take a constant pounding and be forced into multiple turnovers. As long as Green Bay can contain Rashard Mendenhall, I think Aaron Rodgers will be able to do enough with his loaded receiving corps to lead the Packers to a narrow victory in what should be a tremendous contest.
Source: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/01/27/michael-blundas-super-bowl-prediction
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Gegard Mousasi Aiming for April Return Against Mike Kyle
Filed under: Strikeforce, News
Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi is hoping to return to action for the promotion in April against Mike Kyle. Mousasi informed MMA Fighting of his plans on Friday.The 25-year-old Mousasi said that he was originally scheduled to fight Kyle on the March 5 card in Columbus, Ohio, but Kyle needs more time to heal from the injuries he sustained in his December loss to Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva.
Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/01/28/gegard-mousasi-aiming-for-april-return-against-mike-kyle/
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Fisher's departure, QB search leave Titans in tough spot
The Titans, in a surprising move, announced Jeff Fisher would not be retained as head coach on Thursday.
Fisher was the NFL's longest-tenured head coach at the time of his departure, having completed his 16th full season with Tennessee. The news of the head-coaching change comes 20 days after owner Bud Adams said Fisher was going to be back for the 2011 season, the final one under his contract.
"We will be forever appreciative of Jeff Fisher's leadership and accomplishments through his time with our franchise," the Titans said in a team-issued statement Thursday. "We reached some of our greatest heights and experienced some unforgettable moments during his tenure.
"After the season was complete, we had numerous discussions on the direction of the team and were pleased that we were moving forward with Jeff at the helm. Since that time, it became evident that consensus was increasingly hard to find and reality wasn't matching the vision we discussed. It is unfortunate that this decision is coming at this juncture, but we believe that we have reached the point where change is in the best interest of both parties.
"We will start the head coaching search tomorrow. We expect to talk to a broad and diverse group of candidates. We are confident the coaching pool still has a number of quality candidates that can lead our football team."
In his own statement released by the team, Fisher thanked Adams, the organization and fans.
"We all did our very best and I think I can look back with fond memories and be very proud of what we accomplished," he said. "I want to wish the organization, the current players and the fans nothing but the best in the future."
Including playoffs, Fisher, 51, led the Titans to 147 victories, the most in franchise history. However, the Titans have missed the playoffs the last two seasons, and the 2010 campaign, after a promising start, turned disastrous. QB Vince Young and Fisher clashed, with Young walking out on the team after a loss to Washington. After a 5-2 start, the Titans went 1-8 the rest of the way.
On Jan. 5, Adams announced the team would be moving on without Young. Now, he is also looking for a new head coach.
The PFW spin
Fisher's departure could signal the start of a major rebuilding phase for the Titans. Were Fisher to have returned, he would have been coaching for his job; the Titans were very much in playoffs-or-bust mode.
Now what?
The timing of Fisher's departure is less than ideal for the Titans. They begin their coaching search after seven other clubs have either hired (or promoted) new head coaches. The search begins after Senior Bowl practices, a key part of the evaluation process, have wrapped up. If the Titans release or trade Young, as Adams has declared, the club lacks a clear-cut starting quarterback for 2011. The team also has a host of concerns on defense, with the team finishing near the bottom of the league in yards allowed the last two seasons.
Whomever Adams hires will inherit a roster with two key building blocks in RB Chris Johnson and WR Kenny Britt. If the Titans can draft, sign or trade for the right quarterback, they can be competitive in the AFC South.
Nonetheless, the Titans are in a challenging position. Their offseason changes will be major and potentially franchise-altering.
Finding a new head coach and quarterback clearly fall into those categories.
Source: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/01/27/fishers-departure-qb-search-leave-titans-in-tough
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Brock Lesnar on TUF, dos Santos: Roadblock on Way Back to Title
UFC president Dana White seems to have a way of always getting his man. Sure, there's a few exceptions, but for the most part, when White sets his mind to something, it gets done. His powers of persuasion aren't simply a product of his personality though. Just ask Brock Lesnar, who at first turned down a chance to coach the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter until the pot was sweetened with a rental house for his family, and some cold, hard cash.And so on Monday morning, like a good company man, the former UFC heavyweight champion walked into the UFC training center to his begin his duties on the upcoming season of TUF.
Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/01/26/brock-lesnar-on-tuf-dos-santos-roadblock-on-way-back-to-title/
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Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg Preview and Predictions
Filed under: Strikeforce
Two title belts are on the line, and the most famous fighter in the promotion will step into the cage, when Strikeforce returns to its home base of San Jose on Saturday night. We've got the full preview right here.What: Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg
Where: HP Pavilion, San Jose
When: The Showtime card starts at 10 PM ET on Saturday.
Predictions on the four televised fights below.
Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/01/28/strikeforce-diaz-vs-cyborg-preview-and-predictions/
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Fight for the Troops injury updates
I must have prayed in the wrong direction last week because God fucked up my injury requests. First Matt Mitrione's hand is fine...
As MMAjunkie.com reported earlier today, Mitrione currently is suspended indefinitely due to a hand injury. Mitrione said it's "a little jammed up and bruised," but he doesn't think it's broken. In fact, he returned to the gym this morning. And if he gets the needed medical clearance, he'd have no problem "being like Chris Leben" and taking a short-notice fight on the Feb. 5 or Feb. 27 cards (UFC 126 and UFC 127, respectively).
...while Mike Brown's hand is gonna need surgery:
?Thanks for the continued support. Wanted to let everyone know that I?m doing fine, but I tore a radial cruciate ligament in my left hand in the first round of the fight,? he posted on his official Facebook page on Tuesday night.
?Surgery tomorrow, a crazy month for sure.?
As for Mike Guymon, DeMarques Johnson's camel clutch really did jack his back up:
"I had a problem with the rib, and two vertebrae have a problem there too," he said. "It's ruptured discs and takes four to six weeks (to heal), the doctor says. I'll be fine. I don't need a wheelchair or anything like that."
All in all, a much lighter casualty list than the first Fight for the Troops event, which ended up a total horrorshow. Relive the carnage from 2008 via the magic of gifs after the jump.
Source: http://www.fightlinker.com/fight-for-the-troops-injury-updates
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Thursday, January 27, 2011
Mike Munchak A Candidate To Replace Jeff Fisher As Titans Head Coach, According To Report
What's in the New York MMA bill
There's been a whole lot of "Rah rah let's legalize MMA in New York" fervor lately, but it's interesting to note that very few people have taken a look at the actual MMA bill which is winding it's way through the glacial digestive tract of the New York Senate. Jim Genia's got nothing better to do at the moment, so he breaks down some of the more interesting parts of the bill and what they mean. A few selections:
??Professional combative sports match or exhibition? shall mean any match or exhibition that must be approved by the Commission where the professional combative sports participants receive consideration of any value or admission is charged.? ? Crap, someone told them about the ?amateur? loophole.
?Nothing in this subdivision shall authorize the Commission to intervene or prohibit a professional combative sports match or exhibition solely on the basis of the difference between the respective participants? martial arts disciplines.? ? Tai Chi vs. Muay Thai? Oh baby, it?s on.
?No participant shall be allowed to participate in more than three matches or exhibitions or compete for more than sixty minutes within seventy-two consecutive hours.? ? One night, eight-man tournament? Bring it, homeboy.
?A tax is hereby imposed and shall be paid upon the gross receipts of every person holding any professional combative sports match or exhibition in this state. Such tax shall be imposed on the gross receipts as follows: 8.5% of gross receipts from ticket sales, and 3% of gross receipts from broadcasting rights, except that in no event shall the tax imposed exceed $50,000 for any match or exhibition.? ? And once again, the ?little guy? promoter gets screwed.
8.5% is pretty high and it'll be the end of an era when they shut down all those crazy underground MMA shows that have been going on for years. But on the plus side, you can have a whole lot of fun with fighters being allowed 60 minutes worth of fighting in 72 hours. Time to throw a three day kumite in New York city!
Source: http://www.fightlinker.com/whats-in-the-new-york-mma-bill
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Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Don King: Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao 'Inevitable'
Filed under: WBA, WBC, WBO, Golden Boy Promotions, Boxing Rumors, Showtime, FanHouse Exclusive, Top Rank Promotions
Legendary promoter Don King (pictured above, at left) said during Tuesday's chat with Michael David Smith of FanHouse that he believed that a fight between six-time titlist Floyd Mayweather (pictured above, at right) and southpaw eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao was "inevitable," even as King has recently wooed Mayweather and worked alongside promotional rival Bob Arum, CEO of Top Rank Promotions, which handles Pacquiao.
Negotiations to make a mega fight between Mayweather (41-0, 25 knockouts) and Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) have twice failed over the issue of drug testing even though they were close to being completed, this when Mayweather was being promoted by Top Rank's bitter adversary, Golden Boy Promotions.
As recently as last week, however, the 79-year-old promoters, King and Arum, were shoulder-to-shoulder during a New York press conference touting a March 12, Showtime-televised bout featuring Arum's WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) champion, Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs), and King's ex-titlist Ricardo Mayorga (29-7-1, 22 KOs).
Tyron Woodley Believes He's No. 1 Contender and on Nick Diaz's Mind
Filed under: Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, News
Here's what we know is true about Tyron Woodley: he's 28 years old; he made his MMA debut two years ago; he's 8-0; and he just signed a new four-fight deal with Strikeforce.Here's what Woodley would like you to know: he should be fighting for the Strikeforce welterweight title as soon as possible.
"I think I'm the No. 1 contender at this point," the American Top Team member said on Monday's episode of The MMA Hour. "I think, realistically, from the communication I got from Strikeforce, me and Tarec [Saffiedine] wasn't just an irrelevant fight. It meant something. It meant that we were fighting for either the No. 1 contendership spot or to bang heads with [Paul] Daley, and I'm more than willing to go against Daley to solidify that I'm the No. 1 contender and I deserve a title shot.
"But quite frankly, I believe he don't want to fight a wrestler. He wants to fight KJ Noons. He wants somebody to stand in front of him and bang with him. He don't want somebody that can strike, somebody that can put him on his back, somebody that can dominate him."
Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/01/26/tyron-woodley-believes-hes-no-1-contender-and-on-nick-diazs-m/
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Dana White Squashes One-Night Tournament Concept
Part of what made the UFC successful when it first launched in 1993 was the one-night tournament format.But that doesn't mean UFC president Dana White has ever seriously thought about bringing that concept back, even for one event.
"My philosophy on that was, this many people want to see a crazy freak show, that many people want to see a real sport," White said at a question-and-answer session prior to the Fight for the Troops 2 weigh-ins last week. "We believe that's why the thing has grown as fast as it has and become as big as it has, because people want to see a real sport. So, no.
"Plus, we couldn't do that anymore; you could never do a one-night tournament. And to be honest with you, the one-night tournament thing never worked; it didn't make sense."
Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/01/25/dana-white-squashes-one-night-tournament-concept/
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Don King Chats With FanHouse
Filed under: HBO
Boxing promoter Don King will chat with FanHouse on Tuesday afternoon as he prepares to promote Saturday's fight between Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley.The fight, for the WBC and WBO light welterweight titles, will take place Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on HBO.
The chat starts at 4 p.m. ET Tuesday below.
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Source: http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2011/01/25/don-king-chats-with-fanhouse/
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With NFL thriving like never before, potential lockout unthinkable
I was born on Valentine's Day, 1953. In April of 1957, my dad took me to my first Cubs game at Wrigley Field, and that November he took me to my first Bears game at Wrigley vs. the Baltimore Colts. I won't pretend to remember any specifics about those two games — hell, I was 4. What I remember is that I was with this larger-than-life superhero, my dad, and if Wrigley was the only place he ever wanted to be, then it was meant to be my second home, too.
So, over the course of that spring, summer, fall and early winter of '57, my disease was born, the one that I've suffered with and cherished every day since. I was and am a Chicago guy, and my life became my family, my job and my teams, in that order, unless of course the Cubs, Bears, Blackhawks or Bulls have a particularly big game, in which case folks just have to understand my priorities may get reshuffled a bit for an hour or three.
I can't really explain it, but let's face it, folks: If you're reading this, you've got a strain of my disease that you live for every bit as much as I do; it just may be from a different city. No matter where you live, you had to marvel at the buildup to the NFL's 2010 conference title games, and if you just happen to have the Pittsburgh, New York or even the Green Bay bug, you spent the week in the same kind of Shangri-La us Chi-town folks did.
Perhaps the only thing a bit unique to me as it relates to this little tale I'm trying to weave is that my road took a strange turn in my teens, when my dad decided to make his passion his life's work and start Pro Football Weekly. He was always a journalist first, so those who wanted to join had to find a unique spot in their minds where the Bears could only be admired equally to the other 27 NFL teams at the time, and eventually all 30 and then 32.
Unfortunately, we were all cheated when my dad left us far too early in my mid-20s, and I chose to chase his dream. And things got really strange when, through a confluence of events I won't bore you with, I became part of the Bears' broadcast team in 1985 and a color commentator on the games on their radio network from 1987-2004. I know some of you are convinced I'm biased toward the Bears to this day, but the reality is that when I was finally fired in '04, about half of Bears Nation was thrilled to be rid of me for being such a homer, and the rest were convinced I got the ax for being too honest and hard on them during the broadcast and actually regretted my departure. It seems I got it fairly close to right, which I guess is how I got picked up by Westwood One Radio and ended up working national broadcasts of the league's biggest games many weeks ever since.
And that is how I came to be sitting in my hotel room in Pittsburgh the Saturday night before the AFC title game, preparing to work that contest, penning these thoughts and truly excited about the job at hand but unwilling to lie and not admit to being just a tad disappointed at being away from my beloved Chicago and the biggest sporting event in its history. Am I particularly qualified to find some perspective on just how the NFL built to its remarkable 2010 championship Sunday and prepared for Super Bowl XLV and all that might follow? Perhaps so, and finally I am to the real point of my essay.
The NFL, our NFL, is at its absolute zenith. Were it not for the New York Jets and, specifically, Joe Willie Namath, it's possible none of this ever would have happened. I'm not sure who coined the phrase "On any given Sunday" or when they did it, but it was Namath's Jets who proved it and changed pro football forever. To see them back within spitting distance of this Super Bowl and having traveled that road behind Buddy Ryan's boy, Rex, with the exact same swagger and bravado that old Joe Willie did has been flat-out scintillating. We can't take our eyes off them, and for all of us who aren't Jets fans, I'll bet you're as unsure as I am whether you're hoping for a jackpot or a train wreck.
We did know, however, as they headed into Pittsburgh, a clash of titans was upon us. If the matchup lacked some of the folk-hero aura of the NFC game — and any other possible matchup would have — it was made up for by the Steelers' legendary status as the most successful franchise in the modern era of the game. Nobody else has six rings, and no other team spells blood-and-guts football like the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Then there was Packers-Bears, the oldest rivalry in the history of America's runaway favorite sport between two of its two most successful franchises, Nos. 1 and 2 in world championships, Hall of Fame players, family feuds and neighborhood bar brawls. In the Midwest, this game arrived like Halley's comet, a once-in-a-lifetime event that burned brighter and brought more anticipation than any that Chicago and Green Bay fans had ever seen before. Since they will never meet in a Super Bowl, it offered the ultimate prize for the league's oldest and most heated rivalry, only the second time in the 91-year history of the league these two would meet in the playoffs, and the first time ever with so much at stake. No matter where you live or whom you cheer for, this was a game that every NFL fan wanted to see.
Now, we have the Packers and Steelers on a new collision course to what could very well prove to be the most anticipated Super Bowl in NFL history. Add to that the simple fact that 2010 was the most successful television season in the history of the game that public-opinion polls continue to show is widening its gap as the runaway favorite sport in America in every demographic. Ticket and merchandise sales are at or near all-time highs, and according to multiple highly regarded, independent financial monitoring publications and polls, revenues are at an all-time high, and every club is making money, some hundreds of millions of dollars a year. So why are we left with Armageddon right around the corner, and two very simple questions?
Realistically, there could be no 2011 and beyond, or at least a significant portion of the '11 season could be lost, because of the chasm between the owners and players in negotiations around a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. How is it possible these people are preparing to do serious damage to, if not slaughter, the most golden of geese in the American entertainment industry when it's never been healthier? And why don't we, the fans, the people who make the game what it is, seem to matter to any of them?
Labor negotiations are not football games, and in a successful negotiation there are no winners or losers. To be successful, both sides must give a little and get a little, and in the end there is compromise, from which both sides can benefit. In the same vein, there are no good guys or bad guys and no one for us to pull for, which has been pretty easy since neither side seems particularly interested in getting a deal done, with its only public focus being a need to blame the other guys for the lack of progress to date. Don't we all deserve better?
Here are the few things we do know, the first being that the reason this is happening now is 100 percent the NFL owners' fault. They had a perfectly good CBA, around which the game has flourished to its unprecedented heights and under which the players were happy to continue to perform. The players, according to all the evidence available to us, wanted no part of this, but the owners chose to opt out of the current CBA early, as was their right under the deal they negotiated in 2006, because it just "wasn't working for them."
What we don't know is how it's not working for them, since in spite of the mountain of circumstantial evidence — which is all that's available to us — indicating they are all getting fabulously wealthy from the game, the owners have steadfastly refused to open their books or offer any proof at all as to why they need help. What they have told us is that it's costing them a great deal of money to invest in the future of the game, building stadiums that in many cases are monuments to themselves among other investments, and that they believe the players should share in that investment by taking less of the revenue they are producing now and a smaller percentage of revenues going forward in the hope they'll eventually become whole and then prosper even more from the new revenues that will be produced. It sounds to me like a pretty one-sided deal, but again, without any details to support all the bluster, how are we to know?
Another major issue that absolutely must be addressed is finding a way to give back to the retired players who brought us to where we are today but are currently neglected, as today's players and owners become wealthier and wealthier. On this issue, both sides agree something must be done, and each has advanced rough outlines of big ideas that each would like the other side to pay for. Both the owners and players are clearly right to care, and both are wrong to be using this issue as a wedge, and in some cases a hammer, against the other while the guys who need help continue to suffer.
One other thing we do know is the roughly 2,000 players in the NFL today are absolutely the best football players in the world, and without them all of this would be meaningless. The owners, on the other hand, are basically 32 rich guys, all of whom I'm sure love the game every bit as much as we do and, in many cases, more. But how many of them actually mean something to the game? If they were all gone tomorrow, wouldn't there be a long line of rich guys dying to replace them and every bit as capable or possibly even more capable of running your favorite team?
Perhaps the owners need help. Most of them whom I know or have met, I like, and I've never found any of them to be dishonest. But if they do need help, it's time for them to prove it. We are the people they are getting fabulously rich off of, and if they're willing to risk destroying our game over their claims, they owe us that much. And if this proves to be really more about greed than need, they need to stop trying to win this mess and focus on a deal that is fair to all, especially their fans.
As for the players, stop whining about how all the owners are trying to do is screw you, get your butts to the negotiating table and refuse to leave until you have a deal. It feels like you have the high ground here, but at this point, that and a dollar will get you a lockout. We're not hearing anything about what you're doing to try to solve this mess, and we're well past the point where you need to prove to us you're as concerned about what you can give to our game as you are about what you can take from it.
These last few weeks — and, in particular, Bears-Packers and Steelers-Jets — have reminded us dramatically of everything that is great about the National Football League and why we as fans, media, players and owners love it, in many cases beyond all reason. It's been about fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, neighbors and friends, winning with grace and losing with class and, more than anything, about being together as communities and fans for all the right reasons and for just a few hours a week bringing real joy into our lives.
It's time all of the NFL owners and players realized that's what is really at stake here and it's up to them to do something about it — now. It isn't really all that hard and, should they fail, a pox on all their houses. Protect and save our game now.
This article first appeared in the Pro Football Weekly print edition dated Feb. 6, 2011, which previews Super Bowl XLV. The print edition breaks down the big game in North Texas, including how the teams match up, five keys to the outcome, which club holds the edge at each position, how the teams compare statistically and much more. The issue also includes Nolan Nawrocki's mock draft, PFW's Super 50 of top players in 2010, a feature on former Giants RB and Super Bowl XXV MVP Ottis Anderson, and our annual Griddy Awards honoring top NFL broadcasters. You can purchase a copy of the Super Bowl preview print edition at retail outlets across the country or online at PFWstore.com, where you can buy either a print copy or an electronic (PDF) version.
Source: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/01/25/with-nfl-thriving-like-never-before-potential-lock
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