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Thursday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Thursday
3:00 a.m. ET Sportsnet Pacific: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
4:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
UFC 159: Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen - Preview of all the action for UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.
4:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 127
5:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 5 Episode 2: Not in the House
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Best Of Sonnen Chael Sonnen all-access account of his UFC on FOX; the greatest trash talker of them all; Sonnen mic'd up for his real time reaction to the legendary fight between Shogun and Henderson.
6:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Matt Brown's journey; the Signature Moves of Travis Browne; Miesha Tate mic'd up for the historic Ronda Rousey vs Liz Carmouche; Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar off the cuff about fight films.
7:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 126
7:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 127
8:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping Prelims
Ildemar Alcantara vs. Wagner Prado; Pedro Nobre vs. Yuri Alcantara; Lucas Martins vs. Edson Barboza; Nik Lentz vs. Diego Nunes; Andrew Craig vs. Ronny Markes; Milton Vieira vs. Godofredo Pepey. From Sao Paulo, Brazil.
4:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
UFC 159: Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen - Preview of all the action for UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.
4:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 127
5:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
UFC 145: Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans
8:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
UFC 159: Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen - Preview of all the action for UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.
8:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 127
9:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: Best of PRIDE Fighting Championship
Greatest Heavyweights Some of Pride's greatest heavyweights of all time.
10:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
EPISODE: 2 Jon Jones vs. Jake O'Brien; Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher.
11:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Countdown159: Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen
Leading up to UFC 159: Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen, UFC Countdown sets the stage.
12:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 5 Episode 2: Not in the House Read more -
Tuesday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Tuesday
3:00 a.m. ET Sportsnet Pacific: UFC Countdown
Lead up to UFC 157: Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche from Honda Center in Anaheim.
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
Lyoto Machida vs. Quinton Jackson; Joe Stevenson vs. Mac Danzig; Takanori Gomi vs. Clay Guida.
7:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
The best fights from the UFC archives, featuring Lyoto Machida vs Randy Couture, Vitor Belfort vs Yoshihiro Akiyama, Nam Phan vs Leonard Garcia, and Donald Cerrone vs Dennis Siver.
8:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
Rory MacDonald vs. Mike Pyle; Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim; Brendan Schaub vs Mirko Cro Cop; Rashad Evans vs Tito Ortiz.
9:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
The best fights from the UFC archives, featuring Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida, Nate Diaz vs Donald Cerrone, Bart Palaszewski vs Tyson Griffin, and Ryan Bader vs Jason Brilz.
10:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC From All Angles
Former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.
10:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Bad Blood
Bitter enemies Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz do battle in an outside of the Octagon.
12:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: Forrest Griffin: The Ultimate Fighter
A former Georgia police officer who became a UFC icon, and found fame as a professional athlete when he was just looking for a fight.
1:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: In the Moment
The Rise of Jon Jones, An all-access look at the rise of Jon Jones, as he trains, fights, travels, and works.
3:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
UFC 92: Forrest Griffin defends his Light Heavyweight title against Rashad Evans; Minotauro Nogueira fights Frank Mir for the Interim Heavyweight belt.
6:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
UFC 135: Jon Jones vs Quinton Jackson and Matt Hughes vs Josh Koscheck.
9:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
Featuring Mauricio Rua vs. Jon Jones; Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort; Donald Cerrone vs. Paul Kelly.
9:00 p.m. ET FX: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 17 Episode 5: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen: The Reflection of Perfection Mickey Rourke visits Team Sonnen to share insights from his days as a boxer; coach Jones wonders if a competitor is ready to fight; two fighters meet for the fourth preliminary fight.
10:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
preview of the action for UFC 157: Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche before their battle in Las Vegas.
10:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Primetime
Inside the day-to-day lives of first-ever UFC female champion Ronda Rousey, and her challenger Liz Carmouche.
11:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Countdown157
Lead up to UFC 157: Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche from Honda Center in Anaheim.
11:00 p.m. ET Sportsnet West: The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen
Season 17 Episode 5: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen: The Reflection of Perfection Mickey Rourke visits Team Sonnen to share insights from his days as a boxer; coach Jones wonders if a competitor is ready to fight; two fighters meet for the fourth preliminary fight.
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet Pacific: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet Ontario: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet East: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
11:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC From All Angles
Former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.
12:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
UFC 140: Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones faces former champ Lyoto Machida; the Nogueira brothers, Frank Mir and Tito Ortiz. Read more -
Thursday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Thursday
3:00 a.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage: Classics Vol. 9
A historic collection of matchups.
4:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Preview all the official news, views, and action for FOX 6: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson.
4:00 a.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage: Greatest KO's 8
The best collection of knock outs ever caught on camera and featuring some of today's biggest stars in MMA.
4:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 100
5:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
Featuring Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama; B.J. Penn vs. Matt Hughes; George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Lauzon.
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Best of 2012: The Year in Review
Relive the thrilling action of the best bouts, the greatest knockouts and submissions.
9:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Gray Maynard vs. Clay Guida Prelims
Longtime lightweight rivals Spencer Fisher and Sam Stout, and featherweights Ross Pearson and Cub Swanson.
3:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC's Road to the Octagon
UFC's main event fighters train for their upcoming bout inside the Octagon.
4:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Preview all the official news, views, and action for FOX 6: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson.
4:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 100
5:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
UFC 79: St-Pierre vs. Hughes Georges St. Pierre vs Matt Hughes; Chuck Liddell vs Wanderlei Silva..
8:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Preview all the official news, views, and action for FOX 6: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson.
8:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 100
9:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
Featuring Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama; B.J. Penn vs. Matt Hughes; George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Lauzon.
9:00 p.m. ET The Score: The Score Fighting Series
The Score Fighting Series (SFS) features fighters from North America and beyond with a focus on exciting match-ups and developing the next generation of great fighters. Tune in for non-stop action from events across the country.
10:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
Benson Henderson vs. Clay Guida from UFC on FOX; Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard from UFC 136.
10:00 p.m. ET SpikeTV: Bellator MMA Live
Season 1 Episode 2: EPISODE: 2 Ben Askren defends his Welterweight World Championship title against Karl Amoussou; Muhammed Lawal vs. Przemyslaw Mysiala, light heavyweight quarterfinal match . From Thackerville, Okla.
11:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 17 Episode 1: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen - Enter the OctagonTwenty-eight middleweights arrive in Las Vegas for a shot at a UFC contract; coaches Chael Sonnen and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones evaluate the winners of 14 elimination fights.
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet East: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet Ontario: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
12:00 a.m. ET SpikeTV: Bellator MMA Live
Season 1 Episode 2: EPISODE: 2 Ben Askren defends his Welterweight World Championship title against Karl Amoussou; Muhammed Lawal vs. Przemyslaw Mysiala, light heavyweight quarterfinal match . From Thackerville, Okla. Read more -
Chuck Mindenhall Joins Press Row
By: Jordan Breen
Every Wednesday, Administrative Editor Jordan Breen welcomes a member of the mixed martial arts media into “Press Row” on the Sherdog.com blog. This week, Breen is joined by ESPN.com's Chuck Mindenhall.
Read more
In the wake of UFC 144 in Saitama, Japan, Breen and Mindenhall discuss the outcome of Frankie Edgar-Benson Henderson and the MMA-wide discussions about scoring that the bout has instigated. The two discuss whether or not the climate of MMA regulation and judging has improved in recent years, and whether or not there are fundamental philosophical differences about fighting and judging that the sport can never reconcile.
Breen and Mindenhall also rap on video replay, open scoring, advice for Nevada Athletic Commission boss Keith Kizer and more.
Grab your credential and get a seat in “Press Row.” -
UFC 120 Postmortem: Bisping Accelerates, Hardy Parked
By: Jake Rossen
Michael Bisping file photo: Sherdog.com
The most brutal part of Saturday’s UFC broadcast on Spike? Unless your television had a TiVo filter, you were in for nearly an hour of commercials during a three-hour timeslot. Thirty-three percent of the time, your brain was being beaten into oatmeal and under duress from advertisements. I got two nosebleeds just from “Blue Mountain State” spots alone.
The filler -- that pesky actual ring footage -- was ostensibly an ad for UK fight talent, but not everyone wanted to follow the script: Mike Pyle had a terrific night as the foreign interloper, stopping the momentum of 14-0 John Hathaway and pulling off the neat trick of choking and punching someone at the same time. (Hint: it takes all four limbs to pull off.) Following Pyle’s embarrassing loss to Andrei Arlovski in “Universal Soldier 4,” this is a nice return to form.
Hathaway is a burgeoning British talent, and since an undefeated record is virtually impossible to pull off, he should probably enjoy the depressurized environment. Intentionally or not, his presence was one of three distinct stages in foreign-favored talent: the middle man, Dan Hardy, got his first stern test against Georges St. Pierre but didn’t get obliterated until he met Carlos Condit, who put him to sleep; the highest-level -- and highest-paid -- platform belongs to Michael Bisping, who did what most expected in defeating a gassed and undisciplined Yoshihiro Akiyama.
That the UK scene hasn’t grown to the point where we can see a waning fighter is both good and bad: good in that no one likes to see a favorite get beat up, bad in that the country might still be playing catch-up when it comes to skills across the board. (Condit, the night’s biggest American villain, isn’t known as a KO artist). Hathaway needs more wrestling time; Hardy needs to get opponents thinking about takedowns; Bisping needs a big win over a top-ten middleweight to prove his actions have caught up with his words.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a strong urge to purchase tickets for “Saw 3-D” on a night that won’t conflict with the Spike Scream Awards or purchasing a new flavor of Mountain Dew. Or a TiVo. Read more -
Brazilians Weigh In on Bisping-Akiyama
By: Gleidson Venga
Michael Bisping (left) file photo: Sherdog.com
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner Michael Bisping will meet Yoshihiro Akiyama in the UFC 120 main event on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London.
Sherdog.com tracked down a number of Brazilian mixed martial artists and asked them to weigh-in on the bout, which carries with it global implications. Read more -
Primer: UFC 120
By: Jake Rossen
Michael Bisping (top) file photo: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com
Jingoism -- that is, rooting for a fighter’s head to get bashed in solely because he’s not American -- is not something MMA has ever brought out from the viewing public. Just the opposite: if you can fight and the crowd likes you, they’ll root for you over the apple pie-fed athlete. Georges St. Pierre is a huge star; so is Anderson Silva. They’ve both been cheered over farmers and math teachers.
Michael Bisping is the exception. Roughly half of his 12 UFC fights have come outside of the U.S., where he’s welcomed by British fans who enjoy his status as a middleweight contender. But for reasons owing either to his attitude -- indignant, contentious -- or his revisionist thinking (some losses can be explained away by poor judging, or so he says), he remains one of the UFC’s few true villains in the States.
Maybe it’s Hollywood, where onscreen antagonists often have British accents, that’s conditioned audiences into thinking Brits are chilly and attitudinal; maybe it’s the self-confidence -- possessed by all fighters but something that takes on a twinge of arrogance when it’s coming from him; or maybe he really is that abrasive. But he clearly provokes a response, which is probably why he’s become one of The Ultimate Fighter’s highest-paid alumni athletes.
Like all good bad guys, Bisping doesn’t perceive himself as the heel: it’s everyone else who has the problem. Fighting in London Saturday, it would be hard to convince the crowd otherwise. Read more -
Akiyama Charges Manager with Embezzlement
By: Jake Rossen
Yoshihiro Akiyama file photo: Taro Irei | Sherdog.com
Proving once again that the sharks in MMA swim mostly outside of the ring, Bloodyelbow.com and GotMMA.com have unearthed that Yoshihiro Akiyama once accused his (obviously former) manager of embezzlement. Writing in his autobiography, “Two Souls,” Akiyama claims the unnamed party stole anywhere from hundreds of thousands to a million, representing nearly all of his career earnings. That’s bleak stuff.
As is usual whenever a tragic story is brought up, it’s probably valuable to take a lesson from it. Akiyama allegedly wrote that the manager was a “friend” who he had “become acquainted with” during Judo practice. In other words, it’s unlikely the man had an existing role as an adviser. This is standard Velcro-relations, where predators circle what they perceive as a lotto ticket and exploit them however they can. (Mike Tyson got so abused in this manner he should have bruises from his court cases.)
Mismanagement is an unfortunate side effect of MMA’s growth. Good fighters sit on the sidelines for over a year while someone whispers in their ear about better deals; aging fighters take horrible, sadistic fights when it’s perverse for any other reason but financially. An actual advocate for a fighter’s best interests is harder to come by: while it’s difficult to know about any unspoken friction behind the scenes, a guy like Ed Soares manages to keep his stable of fighters active, happy, and with none of the absurd stonewalling seen in other cases. Hope that MC Hammer can continue that proud tradition. Read more -
The 5 Best Moments from UFC 116
Chris Leben file photo: Sherdog.com
UFC 116 was like watching “Blade Runner” on mute with Faith No More playing in the background -- unvarnished gonzo awesomeness.
What follows is a collection of the five moments that sum up this doozy of an evening.
Lesnar Stands Up
After losing for the first time in some 10 years, Fedor Emelianenko famously said “The man who doesn’t fall, doesn’t stand up.”
On Saturday night, Brock Lesnar fell and he fell hard. Shane Carwin’s freakish punching power looked like it was too much for the supposedly unstoppable South Dakotan freight train. Both standing and on the mat, Lesnar ate everything Carwin had to offer for nearly five full minutes.
It was near the five minute mark that Lesnar did what no one had done after taking Carwin’s best shot -- he stood up. Now that this most unlikely of UFC heavyweight champions has secured his place atop the division, there is a certain poetic justice to him living up the words of his predecessor.
Leben Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop
He was out on his feet, tossed all over the cage and had the face to prove it, but Chris Leben did what he always does -- he kept coming forward. That almost inhuman ability to endure in the face of impossible odds was looking like it may not be enough however, as Yoshihiro Akiyama was inching closer and closer to a decision win.
With just a few scant seconds left on the clock, Leben lived up to his cardiac kid reputation by cinching a fight-ending triangle choke that sent a wildly partisan crowd into nationalistic hysterics. Considering his recent comeback win over Aaron Simpson, it was the perfect closing note to an impossible two-week run of heroics for the alumnus of the very first season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Read more -
UFC 100 Post-Mortem: Falling Hammers, Lesnar Lunch Boxes and More
By: Jake Rossen
A prizefight ring offers up a lot of truths, not all of them pretty. UFC 1, airing to a mostly-nauseated pay-per-view audience of 80,000 homes in November 1993, used a lot of cringe-worthy brutality to prove that fighting wasn’t what Bruce Lee had led us to believe; UFC 100, which played to unprecedented media coverage and perhaps over a million households on Saturday, used a lot of cringe-worthy brutality to prove that fighting wasn’t even what Royce Gracie had led us to believe.
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