UFC to Announce Strategic Partnership with PBS

Hot on the heels of EliteXC's deal with CBS and the recent news that Strikeforce and NBC have entered into a broadcasting arrangement, the UFC is expected to announce a strategic partnership with the Public Broadcasting Service later today, a partnership that will enable the MMA leader to finally break into network television. At this time, few details of the UFC/PBS deal have been revealed, although it is rumored that PBS will air four live two-hour UFC events in the coveted time slot following Sesame Street and preceding rerun episodes of "This Old House".

The Yin and Yang of Dana White

Like dew on a morning flower after a night's hard rainfall, Dana White is a man of contrasts. The UFC president is at times brilliant, and as spokesman for the sport, he is at times coarse and abrasive. He is all. And nothing at all. If one looks, one can see the philosophical path blazed by the man at the helm of MMA's flagship organization, the yin and yang to everything he says and does. MMA Journalist would like to take this moment to reflect on the tao of Dana White. -"Everybody thinks that the mixed martial arts market is so hot right now. The UFC is hot right now."- Oh Dana. The crowds who pack grassroots shows like the UCL or regional shows like Ring of Combat would say otherwise. It's undeniable that the UFC has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years, but so too have many other promotions. Really, only the ones that tried to operate with faulty business models have failed. -"I'm after all the best fighters in the world... I'll have Fedor someday."- Is Fedor one of the best or isn't he? Make up your mind, Dana, because in a subsequent interview, you stated: "People think he's the best - I don't." Does he become one the best once he signs a UFC contract? -Zuffa and White saved MMA by adding rules to protect the fighters- Ah yes, the infamous "Zuffa myth", which is still being propagated by ill-informed journalists today. Zuffa did indeed save MMA from "extreme sports" ignominy, but credit for the Unified Rules should go to the NJSACB and the IFC, which employed those rules at their New Jersey events before Zuffa even bought the UFC. -"Bud Lite tastes great."- Does it, Dana? Or is it less filling? Hmmm...

Underground Combat League: "Wargames"

Another day, another Underground Combat League event in New York City. Josh Candon took out the ultra-tough James Funaro, Ruben Rivera wrecked Sekou Mau Mau, and Peter Storm and Kirkland Campbell went to war.

Predictions for Ring of Combat 18

With one of the strongest Northeast fight cards ever assembled, the Ring of Combat 18 event tomorrow night promises a ton of action and thrills. Who will come out on top in the battle for the ROC lightweight belt? Which fighter will snag themselves the USKBA middleweight title? MMA Journalist has taken a close look at the roster and compiled the following predictions (which you can take to the bank!): -Chris Liguori vs. Jim Miller- In this rematch of their hotly-contested ROC 17 bout, someone is going to use grappling to their advantage. Believe it. -Tom Gallicchio vs. Igor Gracie- In this bout between a wrestler and a jiu-jitsu specialist, there will be clinching. At some point. Maybe. -Mike Guerin vs. Dan Miller- Watch for the takedown attempt. It could be a single-leg, it could be a double-leg, it could be an ankle pick. But it will be attempted by someone. -Jose Rodriguez vs. John Howard- Punching. Lots of it. -Alexis Aquino vs. Lyman Good- The ref is going to play an important role in this one. He'll either stop the fight because a fighter is unconscious, tapping out, taking too much punishment, or if it goes to the judges' scorecards, he's going to raise the arm of the winner. Definitely. -Nick Catone vs. Lance Everson- Since a 185-pound belt is on the line, either Catone or Everson is going to be sporting some shiny new hardware before the evening is done. No doubt about it!

Lesnar/Coleman Match-Up Set to Answer Some Important Questions

The announced UFC 87 match-up between pro-wrestling crossover Brock Lesnar and UFC 10 champion Mark Coleman is set to answer some important questions - namely, can the UFC create the bigger MMA spectacle and can Lesnar establish himself as "the man capable of beating anyone who hasn't fought in the UFC since 1999"? Obviously hungry for a bigger piece of the "spectacle pie", and still reeling from the promotion's failure to stop the rival EliteXC from building a name off the notoriety of bare-knuckle sensation Kimbo Slice, the UFC has shifted its focus from being the "Superbowl of Mixed Martial Arts" to "Please buy our pay-per-views and ignore those free events on CBS". Will it work? And will Lesnar, who got handled by Frank Mir in his UFC debut, find victory against one of the sport's pioneers? Only time will tell. But you can bet that these important questions will be answered at UFC 87 in August.

What's Next for Anderson Silva? Two Fighters at Once!

Hot on the heels of Anderson Silva's destruction of top contender Dan Henderson at UFC 82, the California State Athletic Commission announced today that it will allow the UFC to match its invincible middleweight champ against two fighters simultaneously. According to sources within Zuffa, Silva will face off against both former champ Rich Franklin and TUF 3 winner Michael Bisping in a title bout slated for UFC 88 (tentatively called "Double Team") in Sacremento, California. In the unlikely event that Franklin and Bisping win, they will split the belt. Said the Zuffa source, who spoke on the condition that he remain anonymous: "We're really out of options. If Silva beats two guys at once, what are we going to do? Have him fight a rhinocerous? Hey, wait a minute..."

YAMMA Pit Fighting: No Country for Old Men

Bob Meyrowitz is about to learn an expensive lesson. On April 11th, his return to the world of MMA promoting, YAMMA Pit Fighting, will debut at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, and the event will feature an single-night eight-man heavyweight tournament plus a pair of "Masters" superfights with Don Frye, Oleg Taktarov and Gary Goodridge. If Meyrowitz can pull it off, he has a potential goldmine with YAMMA's eight-man tournaments, for they both captivated fans and made stars in those early UFCs (as well as in events like the IFC's 2003 "Global Domination", which saw Jeremy Horn knock out Forrest Griffin and Renato "Babalu" Sobral submit Mauricio "Shogun" Rua before the two met in the finals). However, YAMMA's Masters superfights... um, not so much. The IFL threw away a ton of money putting old schoolers like Maurice Smith, Marco Ruas, Pat Miletich and Carlos Newton in the ring, and it's doubtful they saw any worthwhile returns on that investment. Meyrowitz is about to learn, at the expense of whatever pile of money he's throwing at Frye, Taktarov and Goodridge, that this is no country for old men.

EliteXC and CBS: There Will Be Blood

The Internet rumor mill sprang to life today, grinding out a doozy in the form of EliteXC teaming up with CBS for some live prime time shows. If this rumor is true, it means EliteXC will reach a greater number of viewers than the UFC ever has, and Gary Shaw's promotion will have a decent shot at usurping the long-standing industry giant as the face of mixed martial arts. Somewhere, Dana White is losing the last of his hair. Industry insiders (insiders who have been around longer than Zuffa themselves) have long held fast to the belief that White has done a great job getting MMA to where it is now, but that someone else needs to be at the UFC's helm to take the sport to the next level. Prime time television is without question the next level. If EliteXC is the first to make it to prime time on a major network while the UFC is left stubbornly clutching its creative control and ancillary rights... well, one thing is likely: within Zuffa's heavily-fortified underground lair a mile beneath Nevada's harsh desert, there will be blood. Oh yes, there will be blood.

The Top Bantamweights/Featherweights in the Northeast

Fighters that compete at 145 and/or 135 pounds are sparse around these parts, but as the sport has grown more popular, so too has the ranks of these bantamweights and featherweights. There are by no means a lot of the "little guys", and not enough to pick five in each weight class, so here are the best at both weights. -Wilson Reis- A jiu-jitsu warrior transplanted from Brazil to US soil, Reis is an aggressive grappler and rising star in ShoXC. Expect him to wind up facing a top fighter in the WEC sooner rather than later. -Zack Makovsky- Utilizing solid wrestling and strong striking, Makovsky has dismantled two Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts and earned a Combat in the Cage belt in the process. Reis submitted him at the last ShoXC, but it's doubtful any other fighter in the Northeast could repeat that feat. -Steve DeAngelis- Scrappy. Well-rounded. Frankie Edgar protege. BCX champ. DeAngelis is all of these things, and he's putting his belt on the line at the next BCX event against another tough fighter in Blair Tugman. -Tihn Tupy- A frenetic and fast-paced fighter, Tupy took out two solid opponents in 2007, and his exciting grappling style will serve him well when he graduates to the national stage.

The Top Heavyweights in the Northeast

The gap between the "good" heavyweights and the "okay" heavyweights is pretty vast. That said, among the good ones, nobody is undefeated, and each one could beat the other on any given day. -John Murphy- A boxer-turned-mixed martial artist, Murphy is a knockout artist and huge crowd-pleaser. His only loss came at the hands of UFC fighter Houston Alexander, and this Combat in the Cage champ and Extreme Challenge and ShoXC veteran has rebounded nicely. -Shane Ott- A teammate of Murphy, Ott is an enormous ground-and-pound and kimura machine. He's suffered a couple losses in the IFL, but those were against the league's best guys. -Carlos Moreno- Imagine Tank Abbott, only Latino. That's Moreno, who, with his sprawl and KO power, has established himself as a fan-favorite in New Jersey. Don't let the former ROC champ's two recent losses fool you, though: the man is a killer. -Bryan Vetell- Vetell is a Greco-Roman wrestling specialist and absolute behemoth, and like Ott, his losses have come from the top guys in the IFL. Honorable mention: Braden Bice, who usually manages to outlast his opponents and get the win.