A half-dozen shows litter the dial in the month of June. Grudge matches? Check. Two formerly high-profile boxers begin sprawl training? Check. Cable bill that will require a second mortgage? Check.
Continuing the cursory looks:
With this live broadcast, Versus -- formerly the Outdoor Life Network, formerly the Channel for Somnolent Fly Fishermen -- supplements Zuffa's SpikeTV product by becoming only the second non-premium cable station to feature live MMA bouts. Ostensibly a showcase for the lighter weight classes, the event will be headlined by 145-pound
Urijah Faber (Pictures) and welterweight
Carlos Condit (Pictures) defending their respective WEC belts.
Slotted athletes contradict suggestions that the WEC is for cast-offs of its bigger brother, the UFC: in Hawaii, Condit dispatched of Ultimate veterans
Frank Trigg (Pictures) and
Renato Verissimo (Pictures); undercard performer
John Alessio (Pictures) dropped the thinnest of decisions to
Diego Sanchez (Pictures).
Faber has been on a perpetual fantasy collision course with fellow featherweight star Kid Yamamoto, but Yamamoto's outsized compensation in Japan would seem to preclude his participation in a lower-profile show.
With a cage five feet smaller than the UFC's, action is encouraged … not that the kinetic Faber needs the hint. If any sub-170 pound fighter has a chance of putting himself on the mainstream map, he's it.
Apparently,
Chuck Liddell (Pictures)'s Nyquil-fueled appearance on a Dallas morning show inspired more than just random giggles: after Liddell slurred that he wanted a shot at "Tommy Morrison and
Vernon White (Vernon White' class='LinkSilver'>Pictures)" before simply falling asleep, a sober Morrison has agreed to a freestyle fight in the obtuse debut venue of the Cliff Castle Casino.
Unfortunately, Morrison's stature as former contender will be overshadowed by his exit from boxing. After testing positive for HIV in 1996, the emaciated pugilist spent time in prison and railed against conventional drug treatments for his condition.
In late 2006, a blood test revealed that Morrison was HIV negative, and he resumed his boxing career. Considering the continued controversy over his health, it seems unlikely the UFC would ever invite that kind of attention. Tackling 340-pound John Stover, a reputed veteran of eight fights, none with entries in the Fight Finder, Morrison is going to struggle making his MMA debut more of a story than his latest blood work.
With three events in June, the UFC is inviting overexposure; relative to the other entries, their tenth Fight Night card is short on attractions.
Sam Stout (Pictures), who was submitted by
Kenny Florian (Pictures) one year ago, will attempt to sustain momentum from two TKO promotion wins as he tackles
Spencer Fisher (Pictures). "The King" is coming off a loss to
Hermes Franca (Pictures) but carries an impressive 5-2 record in the promotion.
On the undercard, only
Jon Fitch (Pictures) and
Pete Spratt (Pictures) are likely to stir interest from casual viewers.
Beefy for a SpikeTV telecast, UFC 72 is a thin pay-per-view attraction, marking the first time since 2004's UFC 47 that a premium offering held no title defenses.
In his final step before facing
Anderson Silva for his lost title,
Rich Franklin (Pictures) opposes
Yushin Okami (Pictures), who sports an impressive 4-0 run in the promotion having not faced anyone with the technical ability on the feet of Franklin.
While Okami will likely try to work a ground advantage, the probable slugfest is
Hector Ramirez (Pictures) and
Forrest Griffin (Pictures); a lightweight contender for
Sean Sherk (Pictures)'s title could emerge in the winner between
Tyson Griffin (Pictures) and
Clay Guida (Pictures).
The most substantial result to come out of the card should be how UFC pay-per-view buy-rates hold up on their most diluted offering yet, and whether the brand name appeal of the promotion can offset a sea of unfamiliar faces.
P.T. Barnum has nothing on
Frank Shamrock (Pictures), a fighter who has managed to stir up the kind of love (and loathing) in fandom second only to the mythology of
Rickson Gracie. Should the two ever meet in the ring, some kind of time/space rift would result.
Despite his bravado, Shamrock has not managed to face an opponent in the 21st Century that posed any substantial threat to his skull. (
Renzo Gracie (Pictures), for all his mat skill, is not likely to crack any orbitals.) That changes with
Phil Baroni (Pictures), a moody, vicious fighter who rarely bends against top competition.
Observers are fond of noting that no amount of gym time in the world can substitute for in-ring activity; Baroni has logged action, Shamrock hasn't, and that failure to exchange punches with a live body motivated by money could be his downfall here.
To Shamrock's advantage, promoters have expanded the meeting to a five-round fight under the guise of vying for a hastily created middleweight title. It seems obvious Shamrock will look to drag Baroni into a war of attrition, one that favors the former's legendary cardio conditioning.
In a middleweight title tilt,
Joey Villasenor (Pictures) faces
Murilo "Ninja" Rua (Pictures).
Cung Le (Pictures) meets
Tony Fryklund (Pictures) on the well-constructed undercard; like Shamrock, Le has been starved for credible opposition. He'll get it here.
Five years ago,
Jens Pulver (Pictures) was insulted that oddsmakers marked him a 2-1 underdog against
B.J. Penn (Pictures). Motivated by spoiler status, he went on to win a decision and retain his UFC lightweight title.
A no-brainer return engagement was delayed by Pulver's exit from the promotion and Penn's urge to contend for the welterweight title, which he held briefly before following Pulver to Japan. There's a slight stench of this rematch being past its expiration date, but it should be interesting to see if Penn's questionable cardio can be helped by the limits of the 155-pound class.
Pulver, who dropped his return bid to
Joe Lauzon (Pictures), isn't likely to be bullied in either range. Penn is an explosive and dangerous fighter, but if Pulver can hold his ground in the first, B.J.'s enthusiasm is likely to dampen.
The month's guilty pleasure is undoubtedly the prospect of seeing an aging pro boxer take on an Internet-bred street fighter -- the kind of pay-per-view you watch with the blinds closed.
Incredibly, the legend of
Kimbo Slice continued even after he was handled by mediocre MMAer
Sean Gannon in a seedy dojo fight last year. Despite lumping Gannon's face, Kimbo was undone by shrunken lungs and a smaller heart. In an effort to rebuild interest, the charismatic Miami native resumed his pummeling of street toughs in boat yards.
Now he's headlining a MMA card against
Ray Mercer, a once-credible boxer who displayed questionable gameness in a short K-1 stint. (Absorbing his first leg kick from Musashi, you could practically hear Mercer's "Oh, sh-t" reaction.)
The bizarre pairing is homage to the free-for-all days of the early UFC, one that promises to be full of sloppy exchanges and ignoble ground work. It's the fight equivalent of the big, dumb summer movie; you're entertained in spite of yourself.
For comments, email jrossen@sherdog.com
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