ROC 20 Notes

Friday's Ring of Combat 20 did not feature Team Tiger Schulmann star Lyman Good wrecking opponent John Howard as promised (Howard apparently self-wrecked days before and couldn't compete). But despite this match-up getting scrubbed there were still two other marquee bouts atop a stacked card of locals. Some notes: -Vasilica Goian vs. Joey Camacho- It was Romanian national wrestling champ against Division 1 wrestler, and Camacho was getting the better of the switches and scrambles. Unfortunately, Goian did a great job tying him up when on the bottom. The split decision could've gone either way. -Dom Stanco- For Godsakes people, don't stand and trade with this guy. He. Will. Kill. You. -Ryan LaFlare, Eddie Fyvie and Costas Phillippou- Very, very bad dudes. -Nick Catone- Tough and skilled, but he still needs to be tested. -Tom Gallicchio vs. Doug Gordon- Two very talented fighters, with Gallicchio's dominant performance stealing the show. I want to see Gallicchio in EliteXC or in a WEC. I could see him ground-and-pounding the holy hell out of Carlos Condit for the WEC belt.

MFC Promoter Mark Pavelich Wants His Dignity Back

It's always amusing to watch a promoter lose his head. Case in point: the Mark Pavelich/Drew Fickett conflagration, which erupted this weekend when the Maximum Fighting Championship promoter blasted Fickett for even considering taking a Strikeforce fight five weeks before the UFC veteran's scheduled MFC bout. Would Fickett have been in breach of his MFC contract if he'd accepted the Strikeforce bout? Did the contract stipulate a five-week pre-fight prohibition? Who cares! Pavelich - who's been accused of douchebaggery in the past - went ballistic, and Fickett aired all the dirty laundry, including a purported Pavelich voicemail, online. Isn't the Internet great?

Fraternal Twins to Rematch at ROC 20

Fraternal twins Tom Gallicchio and Doug Gordon, who were seperated at birth and raised by different families, are set to clash at Friday's Ring of Combat 20 at the Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City. The bout, which pairs up two aggressive and experienced fighters for the USKBA welterweight title, is a rematch of their Cage Fury Fighting Championship 4 bout last year - a bout Gordon won via third round guillotine after a hard-fought battle. Most siblings refuse to fight each other. Why such a strong effort from these two? "Siblings are often very competitive," says psychologist Avry Ibrahim. "Whether they are competing for a parent's love, the last piece of chicken at the dinner table, or a mixed martial arts championship belt, brothers can - and will - push themselves harder to win. It's human nature." When Gallicchio and Gordon meet at ROC 20, fans can definitely expect more of the same this time around.

EliteXC Treads Dangerously Close to Credibility with July 26th Match-Ups

EliteXC's second primetime CBS extravaganza will tread dangerously close to the realm of credibility with the announced match-ups for their July 26th show. The number two MMA organization in the US revealed in a press release that, in addition to the Robbie Lawler/Scott Smith rematch for the middleweight belt, welterweight star Jake Shields will take on BodogFIGHT champ Nick Thompson for top 170-pound honors while Antonio Silva will scrap for the heavyweight belt (against Pride veteran Sergei Kharitonov, according to Sherdog.com). Whether this sudden and shocking change in direction by EliteXC matchmakers is indicative of a shift from the organization's Kimbo-centric "freak show" business model to one of legitimacy is unknown, but Gary Shaw offspring Jared gave the following statement on his Myspace page: "Lolz!!1 I rulz! Eat dat Dana u bald bich!!@"

Website Shout Out

Last week MMA Journalist mentioned a few websites the staff frequents for news. Add a few more to the list: Fight3r.com, japan-mma.com, f4wonline.com and TriStateFighter.com. Fight3r.com is an article link dump similar to FightOpinion.com, while japan-mma.com focuses on (duh!) the Japanese MMA scene. Veteran journo Dave Meltzer's rambling but informative Wrestling Observer is posted every week at f4wonline, and last but not least, TriStateFighter.com is a newcomer aimed at everything in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Check them out. Or don't. I don't care.

Most Depressing TUF Finale Ever

Saturday night's TUF 7 finale, which saw newcomer Amir Sadollah inexplicably armbar CB Dolloway again to capture the title of "Ultimate Fighter", also featured one of the most depressing bouts in UFC history. In the headliner between Evan Tanner and TUF 3 winner Kendall Grove, a tired and spent Tanner took three full rounds of punishment en route to a loss via unanimous decision. For fans of the former champ it was no doubt a sight that was hard to take, but to make matters worse, Tanner was taken behind the shed out back and shot immediately following the show - a move decried by many as heartless, as he could conceivably have been put out to pasture to stud. "He had a good run," said UFC matchmaker Joe Silva. "But it was his time. It was his time."

What's the Value of a TUF Contract Nowadays?

The seventh season of "The Ultimate Fighter" is in the books and the finale is slated for Saturday night. Unfortunately, market saturation and an increasingly stale product has turned what was once a prestigious and coveted title and contract into something far less appealing. What does it mean to be a TUF winner nowadays? What's the current value of a winner's contract? First-season victors Forrest Griffin and Diego Sanchez each garnered six-figure salaries and free Mustang GT convertibles for their efforts, while subsequent winners Rashad Evans, Joe Stevenson, Kendall Grove and Michael Bisping received a moped, a scooter, a skateboard and a pair of roller skates, respectively. But a steady decline in ratings saw TUF 5 winner Nate Diaz's prize reduced to a used 3-speed bicycle (with responsibilty for a newspaper delivery route attached), while TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig is now contractually obligated to work part-time in a Las Vegas car wash. And what will contestants Amir Sadollah or CB Dollawayget get when one of them wins on Saturday? According to sources within Zuffa, the winner of TUF 7 becomes an indentured servant and property of Dana White.

New York State Puts MMA Bill on Backburner in Favor of More Underground Shows

Taking a stand against the sanctioned MMA bouts that New Jersey, Nevada, California and others have embraced, the legislature in New York yesterday moved to the backburner the bill that would have allowed professional incarnations of the sport back into the state - a move that paves the way for more underground shows until the next legislative session in January. Why has the Empire State thus far resisted Zuffa's efforts to lobby for a lift on the pro MMA ban? "We're not ready to accept the economic benefits mixed martial arts events would bring," said Assembly page Alvin Kringle. "A UFC or an EliteXC or even a Ring of Combat would bring too much revenue to Madison Square Garden and various other venues, and it would create too many jobs within the Athletic Commission. Quite frankly, New York just isn't ready for the extra money."

Promoting 101

"Godz of War" is the latest upstart to shit the bed, which, after a glance at their proposed card and venue choice, should come as no surprise to anyone with even a passing knowledge of the industry. Come on, all you kids out there looking to put on an MMA show. You should know better! And if you don't know better, here are some simple rules.

Rule #1: Local fighters sell tickets. Regardless of your PPV deal, your big revenue stream is going to come from ticket sales. Period. And no one at your Atlantic City event is shelling out dough to see Joe Doerksen fight; therefore, his airfare, hotel, meals and purse are going to cost you more than you will make on him. No offence to Doerksen, but far more people are going to buy tickets to see local karate school owner Roger Dingbat compete than an accomplished UFC/IFL/WEC veteran. It's sad but true.

Rule #2: Don't spend more than you make. D'uh. If you fly in fighters from American Top Team, Brazilian Top Team, MFS or wherever, odds are that you're paying more for them than they will earn for you (see Rule #1). If you pay for a band to play in between fights, or some aspiring rappers, or some coke-addled dancing girls, is that really adding value to your show? Are those pyrotechnics really necessary?

Rule #3: Brand recognition only works for the UFC. The UFC could put together a card full of homeless men and orangutans and people will come to see it based on the UFC name alone. You are not going to have that same luck. Really. No one gives a crap that your show is called the "Mega Awesome Combat League" or "Totally Radical Championship". A small percentage of people will buy tickets because they want to see fights and the rest will buy tickets to see fighters they care about. That's your audience. Try to remember that.

These are just three basic rules, but there are more. To their credit, the folks behind Godz of War cancelled before their show, thereby saving themselves a ton in inevitable losses. Hopefully, if they come back, they'll approach things a little smarter - and keep these rules in mind.

From the Mailbag: "Dude, are you for real?"

"Dude, are you for real? Some of the things I read on your blog are way out there. You have some cool bits about the history of MMA and underground shows and stuff, but most of the time I can't tell if you're joking or not. Are we supposed to take you seriously or what?" -SanJoseUFCfan1968 Thanks for the email, SanJoseUFCfan1968. Yes, MMAJournalist is real. Your Internet browser took you to an actual webpage, didn't it? Geez. Listen, if you're looking for news, go to FiveOuncesOfPain.com, Sherdog.com, MMAPayout.com or FightOpinion.com - that's where I go when I want up-to-date info. But if you want a different perspective on the sport, a perspective rife with sarcasm and wit, well... you're screwed. So you might as well keep coming here.