bolleje Posted February 13, 2012 Report Share Posted February 13, 2012 (edited) Koscheck vs. Hendricks added to the next FOX show. That should be a fun one. And Palhares vs Belcher has been added too. Full main card is: Miller Vs Nate Diaz Koscheck Vs Hendricks Palhares Vs Belcher Barry Vs Laver Johnson Three potential n°1 contender bouts and a hopefully fun heavyweight bout. Should be a good card! I like btw how the welterweight division used to be GSP, Fitch and everyone else. Now we have a potential GSP vs Condit-bout,Ellenberger vs Sanchez and Koscheck vs Hendricks. Maybe Nick Diaz will be back in a year. And let's not rule out Fitch either... That's a great division. EDIT: and then there's Shields, Penn, Kampmann and Rory MacDonald too... Edited February 13, 2012 by bolleje Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazz Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 UFC 144 (Japan) is now a 4 hour, 7 fight card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mr. potato head Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 UFC won't be using their A-team or B-team of announcers tomorrow, instead we get the (presumably) C-team of Jay Glazer and Brian Stann. I don't look forward to the days when we're down to the Z-team of Rachelle Leah and Matt Hamill. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieG Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 Brian Stann? Rather have Frank Mir! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 UFC, on their facebook page are offering a free 3 month subscription to UFC tv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieG Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 Where? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 Go to their facebook page and click on the valentines day thing on the menu below the picture on the left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieG Posted February 15, 2012 Report Share Posted February 15, 2012 Ah,cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asuka's Gonna Kill You Posted February 15, 2012 Report Share Posted February 15, 2012 Not sure if it's been mentioned yet but does anybody have an idea if the show is airing live in the UK? Doesn't seem to be down anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMarrio Posted February 15, 2012 Report Share Posted February 15, 2012 It's meant to be airing on the UFC website for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieG Posted February 15, 2012 Report Share Posted February 15, 2012 UFC.tv (Y) Anik and KenFlo on the Facebook prelims, I doubt they'd be downgrading from that for their tv show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxx Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Wonderful first fight, I love Bantamweights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunnar hendershow Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Can't get UFC.TV to work, prelims are on there til 9 right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxx Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Nah, main card started at 8. We're up to Simpson/Markes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieG Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Struve. Good card overall, including the prelims. Main event was great as well, that's one of those fights that made the UFC say "We should have non-title 5 round fights" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asuka's Gonna Kill You Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Article for UK viewers. The Ultimate Fighting Championship's rocky relationship with ESPN has been well documented over the last six months. The sports network aired a negative feature on fighter pay at the beginning of this year, which resulted in the UFC and Dana White responding with their own version of the piece and a few not-so-kind words for ESPN. The problems between the UFC and ESPN are also evident in the United Kingdom, where the sports giant broadcasts the majority of Ultimate Fighting Championship events. With the UFC's current contract with ESPN due to expire this August, what's next for MMA's leading organisation in the United Kingdom? ESPN began broadcasting UFC programming in 2009, beginning with UFC 101 in August, headlined by BJ Penn vs Kenny Florian. The deal came to fruition as a result of Setanta Sports, the UFC's former broadcast partner, going into administration shortly before the landmark UFC 100 - the organisation's biggest show to date. With the new deal came many firsts for UK MMA fans, namely the addition of popular US talk show 'MMA Live' and high definition broadcasts of all UFC events. The network was providing UK fans with unrivalled UFC coverage, all live and in glorious HD - so, where did it all go wrong? In the Summer of 2011, the UFC announced that UK favourite Dan Hardy would headline a card to be broadcast on US sports network 'Versus', fighting against Chris Lytle. Fans were somewhat confused when the event did not appear on ESPN's television schedule. Days later, the company posted the following message on their Facebook page: “Over the past two years, ESPN has shown UFC main events & preliminary bouts for our viewers & fans of the sport. We have recently been informed that we are not able to continue to show some live UFC content on our channel. “We & the UFC are working to find a solution to this as we understand your concerns. ESPN continues to televise UFC main events and provides coverage of UFC and mixed martial arts online at ESPN.co.uk & ESPN.com, & on TV via MMA Live. Thanks for your patience.” ESPN did not reveal specifically who they were informed by in being unable to show all live UFC content. Was it a case of the UFC looking for more money for rights coverage and ESPN saying no? Was ESPN looking to simply cut back on MMA content? The UFC later confirmed the original deal with ESPN included the rights to air pay-per-view and Spike TV fight night events only and that the UFC and ESPN had been negotiating other events, including the those broadcast on the Versus network, on an event-to-event basis. ESPN were unwilling to pay anymore for extra UFC broadcasting and as a result, UK fans were left out in the cold. The UFC were quick to come to the rescue of their fans by striking a deal with television network Premier Sports to broadcast the aforementioned Hardy vs Lytle card, making the event available to fans in the United Kingdom. In addition to this, at what has likely come at a large expense to Zuffa, subsequent events not picked up by ESPN have also been broadcast on Premier Sports, showing the UFC's commitment to the market. However, the arrangement is far from perfect, with Premier Sports offering none of its programming in high definition and only being available on the Sky television platform, leaving Virgin Media and Freeview subscribers with no access to some of the UFCs biggest events. In September of 2011, it was time for another UK MMA superstar to be in the spotlight, as Michael Bisping stepped into the role of coach on season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter reality series against Jason 'Mayhem' Miller. Once again, the show was not picked up by ESPN and UK fans were left wondering if they would even be able to watch the series. The UFC, however, didn't make fans wait long for an answer. As a result of a milestone seven-year deal being reached between the UFC and media giant FOX, the series was instead broadcast on a 24 hour tape delay basis on FX UK, with the finale being broadcast live and in high definition on the same network. In recent months, ESPN appeared to take more of an interest once again in mixed martial arts, opting to broadcast the UFC's second FOX venture and their first live Fight Night card on FX. UK MMA fans again were offered a glimmer of hope for the UFC's television situation in their country, however, they were to be let down once more with the announcement ESPN would not carry the organisation's first fight broadcast on Fuel TV between fan favourite Diego Sanchez and up and comer Jake Ellenberger. Again, the UFC were quick to offer a solution by giving fans the entire event for free via it's UFC.tv online service. While it's hard to complain about free fights, watching on a small laptop or computer screen is certainly no match for lying back on the couch with your 52-inch HD plasma and 5.1 surround sound blasting the sights and sounds of the Octagon through your living room. So, where does the UFC go from here? During a recent fan Q&A session via Twitter, Lorenzo Fertitta stated that he was “not happy” with the ESPN and when asked about the new partner after the current contract expires in August, Fertitta said that they want "something big.” When asked to elaborate on why the UFC is unhappy with ESPN, Fertitta tweeted, “ESPN is stopping MMA gaining maximum traction in the UK. Need a station with more views, gain traction then big fight PPV,” indicating that the organisation's aim for the UK market is to have fights broadcast on pay-per-view. It seems then that all signs currently point towards a deal with FOX's UK counterpart, Sky television, after the ESPN deal expires in August. Despite moving away from the pay-per-view business, 'Box Office' movies and events are still big business and as the most established sports network in the UK, Sky certainly have the resources required to push MMA (and the UFC brand) into the mainstream outside of the United States. Despite an unstable television situation, it is clear that the people of Great Britain are hungry for mixed martial arts. Even with initial criticisms of the card, fans sold out the LG Arena in Birmingham this past November for UFC 138 – the only UFC event held to be held in the UK last 12 months. If the UFC do reach a deal with BSkyB, could we see a similar television situation to what Sky have with World Wrestling Entertainment, where the number of events broadcast on Sky Sports and Box Office are split between the two platforms. One possible option is that Sky broadcast US pay-per-view events on Sky Sports and European cards on Box Office. This would avoid fans having to cough up £15 for a card that wouldn't even begin until 3am in the UK and would hopefully allow the UFC to stack British cards with big names, who normally fight on pay-per-view. One major criticism that fans have had with UFC events held in the UK is the lack of title fights or 'big draws' such as Anderson Silva or George St Pierre. Of course, this is down to British cards not being broadcast on pay-per-view and the UFC understandably not wanting to sacrifice a fight that would pull in a solid buy-rate on free television. Traditionally, the pay-per-view model does not work in the United Kingdom, but if the UFC were to put on an event at the O2 Arena featuring a big title fight and a couple of the most popular fighters on the roster, fans would almost certainly be willing to part with their hard earned cash to tune in. On top of live fight cards, if you include The Ultimate Fighter, UFC Tonight, UFC Central, Ultimate Insider, UFC FX and Fuel TV cards, which would more than likely end up spread across the various Sky Sports or Sky Entertainment channels, it could end up being the perfect scenario for the UFC. If Lorenzo Fertitta's tweets are anything to go by, don't be surprised to see the UFC work towards this type of deal beginning this summer. Of course, this all depends on whether Zuffa's programming even ends up on Sky television – after all, negotiations with terrestrial broadcaster channel Five have previously taken place. But what fans can be sure of is that no matter what happens, there will be a number of networks interested in acquiring the biggest brand in MMA. The only thing that is for certain right now is this… ESPN UK's cancellation line will be very busy come August. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMarrio Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Pretty much the only reason I have ESPN is for the football (Which I only watch when Liverpool are on ESPN) and the UFC so when UFC goes I wouldn't see the point of keeping ESPN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus Drags Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 I have ESPN for the American sports mostly (not including NHL anymore for some stupid reason), the UFC was always a bonus. Not sure I like the idea of suddenly having to pay for cards though, unless as it suggests, it's just the European cards.What's the source for that article? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asuka's Gonna Kill You Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 http://www.fightersonlymag.com/ Hopefully it doesn't come to paying for certain cards, even if it is just European cards. It would be great if they could work a deal to having it airing across Sky Sports though (barring any box office nonsense). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunnar hendershow Posted February 26, 2012 Report Share Posted February 26, 2012 Oh shit! Pettis! TIM BOETSCH!!!! One of the 2 or 3 greatest comebacks I think I've ever seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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