Give Affliction VP Tom Atencio some credit. He put his money where his mouth is and ponied up the big cash to pay for some of the best heavyweights in the world. In the States, the heavyweights have always been the main marquee attraction in fighting. Bigger is better, right?

Atencio, along with front man Donald Trump, have made a big splash after one show by building a card that featured at least five of the world’s top heavyweights in MMA. While their Trump card (pardon the pun) is Fedor Emelianenko, the promotion is also blessed to have the charismatic Andrei Arlovski and well-spoken Josh Barnett under their umbrella as well. In one single MMA show, Affliction did a better job establishing their heavyweight division bonafides than UFC has in the past couple of years.

The idea on paper sounds solid. Build it and they will come. Get the best fighters in the world and hope that those fighters can carry the day for you. It’s the old fighters vs. brand argument. Plus, run shows quarterly as opposed to every single month and perhaps you have a fighting chance against the MMA behemoth known as UFC.

The problem, however, for Affliction is momentum and money.

The budget on paper is ambitious. The fighter payouts after the first show were enormous and blew away anything UFC has ever offered on a static payscale. Tim Sylvia was paid over $800,000 USD for getting destroyed in 36 seconds, or about $20,000 USD/second in his loss to Fedor. Who wouldn’t take that kind of payday? Sylvia won’t have to worry so much about his retirement, after all. Yet for all of the money that Affliction paid out to their fighters, now we have keyboard warriors who are complaining about the promoters paying out too much cash. These same critics are the ones who whine and complain that UFC doesn’t pay their fighters enough money.

You can’t have it both ways.

With that said, the critics have a point. Compared to other MMA promotions (including the ghost of PRIDE and K-1), the payouts by Affliction to their fighters on the debut show blow away salary figures seen elsewhere. The question remains: how much is too much?

The media has been asking Mr. Atencio non-stop about the company’s finances. When you have to spend as much time talking about your show’s payroll as you talking about the show quality itself, it becomes a double-edged sword. If people aren’t complaining about the fight quality on the show, then it’s something else (in this case, money spent).

There is a fair question to ask Mr. Atencio, however. Is the price tag for Affliction getting into the MMA promoting business too high?

One of the interesting x-factors to take a look for the rest of this calendar year is to see whether or not merchandise sales skyrocket for Affliction gear. As the company’s brand name becomes more synonymous with the fight business in the eyes of your casual American fight fan, will Affliction gain brand power in a unique way that UFC can’t combat?

We know all about UFC’s strong brand name. That brand name delivered big time for Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin on the 19th when the live Spike TV telecast drew a 2.1 cable rating. People believe UFC is king and are willing to accept what the company is marketing. Pretty impressive branding on Zuffa’s part. However, Affliction is going about the branding game a different way and the avenue that they are using to accomplish this brand expansion is backwards to what UFC is all about.

The question is whether or not Affliction can afford the high price tag that comes along with this expansion of their company’s name. Their first event was more successful than other MMA start-ups that we’ve seen over the years, but can the company withstand the financial onslaught that UFC is going to unleash on them over a long period of time?

Can Affliction make up money that they may loss at live events through extra merchandise sales?

Can Affliction successfully turn a profit on a show without having to rely on a 40% cut of PPV receipts?

Can Affliction pull off a free-to-air broadcast television deal to give them the kind of exposure that Elite XC has?

It’s a high-stakes game of poker that Tom Atencio is playing. The odds are against him, but he seems to have a big-enough bankroll to hang around for a long time. Even rich people get tired of losing money quickly, so all eyes are on Affliction to see if they can minimize their future financial risks in the promoting game.

He just better pray that having Fedor as his company’s ‘ace’ doesn’t bankrupt him like it has for RINGS, PRIDE, BodogFight, and other countless shows (Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye, Yarennoka, etc.) It’s amazing that as scary as Fedor’s track record is in the ring, his track record of working for promotions that have shut down in dramatic fashion is just as eye-opening.

This week should have been time to celebrate two really good MMA shows (presented by both UFC & Affliction). Instead, a lot of MMA fans are confused and saddened by what is happening with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

After he was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly being involved in a hit-and-run accident, a friend of Jackson’s flagged a policeman in Irvine, California on Thursday and asked the officer to get help for Jackson. Jackson is currently undergoing a mental evaluation.

Those are scary and ominous words.

This is not a situation to take lightly, but rest assured that there are plenty of media outlets like MTV, TMZ, and your national Hollywood tabloid that are starting to pounce on this story. The Rampage story this week has all of the elements of a Britney Spears psycho-drama. Maybe we should consider ourselves lucky that cable channels didn’t do screaming ‘breaking news’ chyrons with live footage of Jackson being chased by the cops on the highway.

There are a lot of questions that need to be answered. Right now, there’s simply too much speculation and innuendo about the situation.

What we do know is that Jackson is a father, and right now his son needs his dad in a good state of mind.

What we do know is that Jackson, as a fighter, has taken some hellacious beatings in both the PRIDE ring and UFC’s Octagon. Given what happened last year with Chris Benoit and the head trauma he suffered throughout his career, there is rampant speculation online from concerned fans that perhaps Jackson is suffering after-effects from post-concussion syndrome.

What we don’t know is whether or not Jackson has any mental disorders and if he does, whether or not they were ever diagnosed before. It’s easy to laugh at someone having mental problems, but it’s not a laughing matter if you have a family member or a friend who has to deal with a constant, daily struggle just to wake up in the morning and function normally throughout the day.

There is a serious human element to this story that seems to be stripped away by the tabloidish coverage in the media. After all, how do you expect the mainstream media to cover the story given that Rampage’s traffic accident involved him riding around in a monster truck with his image plastered on the side of the vehicle? It’s surreal. It’s bizarre. It’s why so many people are interested in the story from afar.

MMA is a violent sport. There are certainly many fighters who have taken some beatings and need to either retire or be medically supervised before ever fighting again. To deny that MMA is violent is to not be honest with ourselves and honest with critics of the sport.

The unfortunate part about the Rampage Jackson story is that he may in fact emotionally suffering due to the losses and beatings he has endured throughout his fight career. No one wants to see him go to jail or, even worse, commit suicide or die. Forget trying to protect the image of MMA and show some concern instead for a troubled human being who has entertained so many people for a long time. He’s put his body on the line for our entertainment, so the very least all of us can do is keep an open mind on the latest developments and say a prayer for Jackson. He obviously needs a lot of support from a lot of people right now.

It is incidents like these that remind us about both the good and bad aspects of combat sports. I happened to watch Oscar Diaz fight Delvin Rodriguez on ESPN2’s boxing telecast of Wednesday Night Fights. The boxing match took place in San Antonio and was promoted by Star Boxing. As the 11th round was ready to take place, Diaz slumped and collapsed in his corner. The referee tried to hold up Diaz, but he fell to the mat and was immediately taken out on a stretcher. After being taken to Santa Rosa hospital in San Antonio, Diaz underwent brain surgery and is in a coma.

Yes, it is another gruesome and unfortunate injury in boxing. However, MMA fans should not be jumping for joy and celebrating that another tragic incident that has taken place in boxing and not MMA. This is not the time or the place to get into another ‘boxing vs. MMA’ debate in regards to fighter safety issues. What we should be focusing on instead is continuing to improve fighter safety as much as we possibly can in *both* sports. The focus should be on both issues relating to physical and mental trauma. Right now, there are various state athletic commissions who are trying the best they can to keep fighters safe, but many of these commissions are understaffed and/or overworked.

We owe those who put their lives on the line to entertain us more than empty platitudes and false medical assurances. Just because the fight business is a profession that many men & women have chosen on their own doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be more people watching out for their safety and security. This week’s events are grim reminders of the industry’s dark side.

A month after Zuffa LLC purchased the assets of PRIDE and held a press conference in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, to announce their business deal, the company lost their long-time television deal in Japan with the WOWOW network.

WOWOW had been a partner for UFC programming in Japan since April of 2002, and the network told its viewers that the last telecast would feature Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko Cro Cop from England. The much anticipated Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Chuck Liddell fight would not air on the pay channel, due to what network representatives said was UFC’s request for higher rights fees to air programming. UFC programming on WOWOW was limited to the major PPVs and not any of the Spike TV shows.

The lasting image that hardcore UFC fans in Japan have of the company involve PRIDE icon Mirko Cro Cop getting his head kicked in by Gonzaga. It was a symbolic and ironic ending of the UFC/WOWOW relationship that a PRIDE icon got blasted by a relatively unknown fighter.

Now comes word that UFC has reached an agreement with WOWOW to start broadcasting PPVs again on the pay channel. To put WOWOW into perspective, it’s long-been Japan’s answer to HBO except nowhere near the subscriber base. WOWOW has a long history of airing fight-related programming. The network first got in bed with SWS, which was a big-money pro-wrestling gamble led by Gen’ichiro Tenryu (who left All Japan to go to the new promotion). SWS and then-WWF worked together on shows and WOWOW aired those events. The TV coverage simply didn’t translate into good business for SWS and the promotion closed its doors within a couple of years.

However, the crown jewel of all combat-related programming on WOWOW was RINGS, the promotion owned by Akira Maeda. RINGS started in 1991 and had a decade-long relationship with WOWOW. When Akira Maeda held his retirement show at Yokohama Arena a decade ago (his fight was against Aleksandr Karelin), he stayed with WOWOW and let the network air the show. There had been several rumors that big free-to-air broadcast networks in Japan were interested in airing the show, but Maeda reportedly turned those offers down due to his loyalty with WOWOW. After Maeda’s retirement from RINGS, RINGS went into more of a shoot-mode with their King of Kings tournament. However, there wasn’t enough support for RINGS from WOWOW and the promotion would soon collapse.

Given all of this back history, what does UFC’s new deal with WOWOW mean for business in the Japanese marketplace? Not a lot.

While it’s not a 100% accurate analogy, the best comparison to describe UFC being on WOWOW is K-1 having DREAM shows air on HDNet Fights. If anything, the only real benefit UFC is getting by airing on WOWOW involves rights fees. Nothing more, nothing less, would be our best guess.

In an interesting way, UFC re-upping with WOWOW is (in our view) the equivalent of throwing in a white towel on the Japanese MMA marketplace. Remember, Zuffa LLC got burned over the PRIDE deal and they never even managed to run a single show there. With all of the aggressive talk from both Dana White & Lorenzo Fertitta about expanding their business operations, you never hear them address the Japanese marketplace these days, do you? Wonder why?

Let’s say that for argument’s sake that UFC did, in fact, want to run in Japan within the next five years. What kind of promotional options would they have on the table if they wanted to run a show in Japan?

a) Cut a deal with K-1 to do a 50/50 revenue split involving a co-promotional UFC/DREAM event

This is likely the most solid option for doing business. K-1 would be able to get UFC fighters over with the mainstream Japanese audience by using their free-to-air TV deals to put over the foreign stars. K-1 handling the promoting-end of the house show would alleviate a lot of pressure on UFC’s end to have to deal with questionable or shady characters trying to screw them over.

The flip-side to this option is that many ex-DSE employees work under the DREAM banner… the same ex-DSE employees that Zuffa LLC failed to keep around when they tried to run shows under the ‘shinsei’ (newborn) PRIDE banner.

b) Cut a deal with Total Sports Asia to do a sold-show (w/ or w/o % split) in Japan

This is the option that WWE chose to use for several years this decade in Japan. When Smackdown aired on Fuji TV (free-to-air television), WWE had a platform to basically run cookie-cutter sold shows in the Japanese marketplace. By allowing TSA to handle the promoting end of the deal, it was a simple business transaction. Very much cut-and-dry.

The problem with this kind of deal is that UFC likes to have total control over their promotional operations. Sure, if the numbers made sense and added up for a small-scale event (like a Spike TV special), UFC would be foolish not to work with TSA. However, UFC has no free-to-air TV deal in Japan and there may not be enough money on the table for TSA to spend energy promoting a UFC event in Japan.

By Zach Arnold

In the era of YouTube, viral marketing is becoming a key advertising component for fight promoters. It’s free, it’s accessible on your computer, and it appeals to a tech-savvy younger audience that may have some non-gambling related disposable income at hand.

If I asked you which sport, boxing or MMA, is doing a better job of viral and grass-roots marketing in 2008, which sport would you pick?

95 out of 100 of you would pick MMA. And you would be right.

It seems the only steady marketing boxing can get these days on cable (outside of pay-TV like HBO or Showtime) is re-runs of old 1980s fights on ESPN Classic or Top Rank remix shows on Versus. Rubbing salt into the wound, Zuffa’s second-tier promotion WEC does better ratings than the live club boxing shows featuring Nick Charles & Wally Matthews.

You would think that given boxing’s aging demographics and a need to get more exposure for their product that promoters in the sport would head online and try to capture some of the magic that we’ve seen MMA catch. However, it simply hasn’t happened.

The route in which MMA became grass-roots and viral marketing-oriented came into fruition after the sport was driven off of PPV in the States. The lifeblood of MMA during the ‘dark ages’ came in the name of internet news & file sharing web sites. When no newspaper in their right mind would touch the topic of MMA without calling it ‘human cockfighting’, it was the Internet that was the place to be to get your news and information on the MMA scene.

It should be duly noted that only a year or two did newspapers actually want to start covering UFC and MMA events. Think about how far and how fast media coverage for MMA has come… and then think about how fast media coverage for boxing has fallen.

Today, most MMA promoters (including UFC, Elite XC, and IFL) have their own YouTube channels. A preview video for Rampage Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin (UFC 86) drew nearly 230,000 views in four days. Tell me the last time you saw a boxing promoter or TV entity use viral marketing like MMA has so effectively in this decade.

The answer: you can’t.

There’s no question that MMA is attracting a younger audience than boxing, while boxing continues to attract high-rollers and events that casinos will pay site fees for. However, boxing has fallen into its own trap in America – marketing to an older audience that is strictly casino-based. You can see that there’s plenty of life left in boxing when you watch promoters like Frank Warren (Joe Calzaghe) work their magic with stadium shows. However, that marketing sense has not translated well at all in the States and the sport of boxing is paying a price for it.

Think about how and why viral marketing works with MMA’s audience. It’s primarily an audience younger than 50 and one that is receptive to technology. Watching video on a computer screen or transferring that video via a hook-up to a TV is not looked down upon.

Let’s put the YouTube model into comparison here for a second. Both HBO (boxing) and UFC (MMA) have their own YouTube channels. Both were created in 2006. HBO’s YouTube channel has 5,964 subscribers and 195,588 channel views. UFC’s YouTube channel has 13,233 subscribers and around a million channel views. In other words, UFC’s YouTube channel has more than double the subscribers and nearly five times the channel views. That’s not to say that HBO Boxing YouTube videos don’t attract viewers, because a Miguel Cotto video package drew over a million views. However, it’s clear that YouTube users themselves are not searching out HBO’s YouTube channel to look for clips. UFC, meanwhile, is making a concerted and aggressive effort on this front to market their product and grab eyeballs of younger fight fans. It’s working.

Look at the booming online scene for MMA web sites. It’s reminiscent of what happened with the hot American pro-wrestling scene in the 1990s, where you had an explosion of web sites. The difference with the MMA boom in the States is that the Internet has seen technological advances and there is more money at stake. There’s podcasting, vlogging, blogging, video sharing sites, and social networking services like Facebook. While boxing promoters in North America continue to be content doing business the old way, a lot of promoters in MMA are pushing the envelope and are challenging the way business is normally done.

Simply put, boxing has failed to make an outreach to a younger audience and part of that outreach involves the use of viral marketing. It involves learning and understanding grass-roots marketing. Bob Arum calls this ‘applying elbow grease,’ but that’s not an accurate description of what this kind of marketing entails.

While Arum complains about shows not drawing for various excuses he comes up, his audience continues to skew older. Variety magazine recently reported that the average age for a viewer of broadcast network TV in America is 50. You wonder why CBS was desperate in making a deal with Elite XC to attract MMA’s younger audience?

Boxing as a sport is not dying and will not die – but its current audience is aging fast and certainly dying off. Part of the regeneration process involves reinventing yourself and how you market your product. So far, we haven’t seen many players in the boxing game step up to the plate and accept the challenge at hand. There is a blueprint for boxing promoters to study, but they have to first come to terms with their counterparts in the MMA world and stop bashing them at every turn.

STATUS: MMA Heavyweight fighter and former UFC Heavyweight champ has career wins over Randy Couture, Minotauro, Jeff Monson, Yuki Kondo. Will take on Pedro Rizzo on July 19 at the Affliction Banned show in California. It’s a rematch of an exciting brawl won by KO by RIzzo in 2001.

HT: 6-3 WT: 250

DOB: November 10, 1977 IN: Seattle, Washington

CHILDHOOD HEROES: “I always looked up to my dad (Larry). Growing up I had a high school football
coach named Fred Sato that influenced me a lot into learning judo and martial arts.”

NICKNAMES: Baby Faced Assassin, Otaku - from Japanese fans.

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: “I love building muscle cars, computers, I’m really big into Japanese animation, guns, video games. Basically my hobbies are being a huge geek [laughs].”

FAVORITE MOVIES: “Ah well, Bladerunner still. Rollerball 1975. And I’ll pick one that I saw recently - No Country For Old Men. And the book was incredible too.”

FAVORITE TV SHOWS: “Let’s see…what have I been watching…Battlestar Galactica is a huge one of mine. I know some of the people on that are fans as well. So it’s sort of a mutual relationship there. Super Natural. Metalopalypse. Almost anything on Adult Swim cartoons.”

MUSICAL TASTES: “Everything except country, Fear Factory, 311, Led Zeppelin, DMX, Cream, Savoy Brown, I could go on and on.”

FAVORITE WEBSITES: “Homestarrunner.com, Pennyarcade.com, lethalperformance.com - because they’re my sponsor and I’m a car guy, so I’m always checking, you know, putting together what I’m gonna put on my rig.”

FIRST FIGHT MEMORY: “Against an AMC guy named Chris Charnos who fought Jerry Bohlander in SuperBrawl and did very well. And he was already a pro and I took the fight on 11 days notice, and I was like, Sure. I was 19, on Christmas vacation from school. And I went in there and I choked him completely unconscious with a front choke. And I’m doing the throat cut thing and I’ve got my back to him and I turn around and look and the guy is passed out. Drooling. And I’m like, Oh, crap! What did I do?! Here I am cutting my throat and the guy looks like he’s dead. I’m like, What the hell did I just do?!”

FAVORITE MEAL: “Ribs with greens, turnips.”

FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR: “Peanut butter.”

FIRST JOB: “Doing landscaping under tha table. I was making money so I could go to nationals for freestyle Greco-Roman wrestling.”

FIRST CAR: “1978 orange Ford Courier.”

CURRENT CARS: “In L.A. I drive a Chrysler 300 SRT 8. In Washington, I switch between an ‘07 Mustang GT California Special and my ‘04 Mystichrome SVT Cobra.”

LAST BOOK READ: “Finished? Or in progress? (Both.) I’m in progress now of reading Descent of Angels by Michael Scanlan. The one before that would’ve been Faith and Fire. I’m a big sci-fi fan.”

PRE-FIGHT FEELING: “Think about imposing my will. And there’s nothing the guy can do to hurt me. Or stop me from throwing punches.”

GREATEST CAREER MOMENT: “Winning the King of Pancrase from Yuki Kondo (by rear-naked choke in 3rd-round in Tokyo in 2003).”

MOST PAINFUL MOMENT(S): “Dislocating my shoulder - combined with losing to Mirko Cro Cop three times. And always just having the worst luck in terms of fighting that guy.”

EMBARRASSING FIGHT MEMORY: “I don’t think we have enough space for that [smiles]. Would be jumping over the top rope in SuperBrawl and rolling my ankle - before my finals match against Bobby Hoffman.”

FAVORITE FIGHTERS TO WATCH: “That is a huge list. But I’ll talk about guys like Babalu, Fedor, I’m a big fan of Megumi Fuji of course. She’s my student and yet she’s just amazing the way she goes out there. Shayna Baszler. And Ginelle Marquez.”

TOUGHEST MAN FACED: “Everybody I get into the ring with is a pretty bad ass. But I think my training partners are the toughest men I face on a daily basis. Because they get me in the worst scenarios and then take pleasure in giving back to me what I do to them [smiles].”

FUNNIEST FIGHTERS ENCOUNTERED: “Erik Paulson’s friggin’ hilarious.”

PEOPLE QUALITIES MOST ADMIRED: “What impresses me is anyone who puts the heart, will and determination into making their dreams reality. That sticks out to me no matter who they are. And helps to drive me to succeed.”
www.thebiofile.com

When Dana White gets a chance to sit down in front of the media tomorrow to discuss Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card in Las Vegas, he is going to be hoping and praying that the media spends their time talking about the actual fights taking place in the Octagon at the show rather than Rampage Jackson’s escapades in Orange County.

So, let’s oblige the UFC President and take a look at some of the storylines heading into the show.

One-and-done for Anderson Silva at 205 pounds

So much for UFC’s “best pound-for-pound fighter in the world” staying at 205 pounds after his fight with James Irvin.

If you need a bigger statement that screams that this Saturday’s event is nothing more than counter-programming for the Affliction show, please let me know.

Silva is a beast at 185 pounds and is running out of competition. At 205 pounds, suddenly his whole world opens up in terms of new opponents and new fights to get booked in. So why the backtrack by UFC? Are you thinking that they weren’t serious about Silva floating between both the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight classes? Say it isn’t so.

If Silva fighting at 205 pounds is nothing more than a one-time stunt, then what is the point? What if he gets hurt against a guy like James Irvin who has some real power? Only time will tell if UFC’s gamble is worth it or not.

Nothing to lose for James Irvin this Saturday night

He has to be feeling pretty good. Sure, he’s facing only one of the best fighters in the world. Sure, he’s a massive underdog. Sure, he’s coming off of an injury.

But, hey, look at the bright side — there’s no pressure being placed on him to win the fight. What if he wins? What if he hurts Anderson Silva? Irvin can make history on Saturday night if he fights a smart game plan and doesn’t really buy into his own talk that he is going to make the fight a stand-up war only.

If that happens, Irvin will be lucky not to get carted out on a stretcher.

For the sake of argument, let’s say James Irvin decides to try to take the fight to the ground. Even if Silva neutralizes his submission attempts, it’s still a much lower-risk strategy to employ than acting as a sitting duck during a stand-up battle. By taking the fight to the ground, that is Irvin’s only realistic shot of winning this fight.

Sure, Irvin could catch Silva with a punch. Maybe. Maybe not. Okay, likely not. Highly unlikely.

One of the most exciting 155-pound fighters in the world is fighting on Saturday night

His name is Frankie Edgar. You’ve seen some of his wars against the likes of Tyson Griffin and Gray Maynard. How can you not love the guy?

Edgar brings everything he can to each fight and pours his heart out in his fight style. A never-say-die attitude, his performance against Griffin was a very memorable one due to his pain tolerance while having some nasty submission holds being applied onto his legs.

You have to love someone who is aggressive and brings the action, which is exactly what Frankie Edgar does in his each fight. This is why he is a favorite to win his fight Saturday night against veteran Hermes Franca. Edgar is a powerful wrestler and has plenty of room to improve his MMA game. Imagine that. He beat Tyson Griffin by decision, which is the only loss in Griffin’s 11-1 stellar career.

And, oh yeah, Edgar’s opponent on Saturday is an admitted steroid cheat.

Welcome back to UFC, Hermes Franca

Sean Sherk fought… and fought… and fought for his innocence with the California State Athletic Commission for failing a CSAC drug test for steroids. Hermes Franca, who ironically fought Sherk at an event called “UFC 73: Stacked,” failed a CSAC drug test as well.

Franca, unlike Sherk and boxer James Toney, was honest enough to admit that he took a banned substance. Franca served the entire year-long length suspension, while Sherk was reinstated earlier to return to MMA competition.

And now Hermes faces a formidable opponent in Frankie Edgar.

Hermes brings a lot of good things to the table. He has experience, he’s an excellent BJJ player, he has a weird punching style, and he’s fought a lot of tough fighters during his career. Despite all of these positive factors, Franca is considered the underdog in the fight. It is a mistake to underestimate Hermes, and I think a lot of people could be in for a rude awakening this Saturday night.

Make no mistake about it — Franca vs. Edgar has the most potential of any of the fights on this card of not only living up to the hype, but exceeding it. It has “best bout” written all over it. That alone is a good reason for you to watch UFC’s event this Saturday night on Spike TV.

Where is Brandon Vera’s career headed?

That’s a big question right now on the minds of many UFC fans.

He lost to Tim Sylvia late last year, then followed it up with a controversial loss to Fabricio Werdum in the UFC Heavyweight division. Now, Vera is making the transition to Light Heavyweight.

It’s been a rough period for Vera since his arbitration fight with former manager Mark Dion of City Boxing.

Vera will be facing IFL fighter Reese Andy, and admitted in a UFC.com article that the video he has seen of Andy fighting is from YouTube. What?

Despite the fact that he is facing an opponent that he knows little about, Vera continues his PR battle against Fabricio Werdum and is more than willing to tell anyone willing to listen to him how he got robbed in his last fight.

The invasion of IFL fighters

Vera’s opponent, Reese Andy, is no joke. Yes, he hasn’t faced the level of competition that Brandon Vera has, but he’s a tough fighter who brings good amateur wrestling skills to the table.

But don’t blame Vera or anyone else for not necessarily knowing what to think about the invasion of IFL fighters coming to UFC. How will they stack up against the top-level competition in UFC?

Rory Markham will prove to be an excellent test case, as he faces Brodie Farber on the Fight Night undercard. Markham has had an up-and-down career in the IFL, but always has been a very exciting fighter to watch.

Is Anthony Johnson ready to step up to the next level?

We’re about to find out the answer this Saturday night.

Johnson is an explosive striker who has decimated a couple of his opponents in UFC. He is charismatic, a great talker, and brings plenty to the table. Except experience.

His opponent, Kevin Burns, is a BJJ expert who will automatically be looking for the submission win.

If Johnson can beat Burns, the win will prove to be a real credibility-booster. If he loses, he’s the next Houston Alexander. Unfortunately, that’s not much of a compliment these days.

This Saturday night, Affliction will makes its official entry into the world of promoting MMA at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. There are so many storylines to consider when discussing this show, notwithstanding the fact that the main event is headlined by MMA’s greatest heavyweight fighter ever against one of UFC’s best ex-Heavyweight champions of all time. A lot to digest there.

If you are looking for the fight odds on this event, head over to MMAOnline.com right now.

Fedor? Who?

That’s what a lot of casual MMA fans may be asking when they see a main event headlined by him versus a relatively famous ex-UFC Heavyweight champion in Tim Sylvia. Fedor Emelianenko, the PRIDE Heavyweight champion and unstoppable Russian monster, is the ultimate rorschach test. In the eyes of some fans, he is the greatest. Or he’s a myth and an overrated fighter who never faced serious UFC competition. Or he’s good, but not really as great as made out to be. Or nobody knows who he is in the United States.

The one thing we know for certain is that he is an extremely mysterious figure who comes with a ton of hardcore credibility. However, that credibility has not translated in big box office business in the States. His BodogFight PPV fight versus Matt Lindland drew under 15,000 buys. His match against Mark Coleman, which was dramatic for a lot of reasons, didn’t generate much PPV box office excitement, either.

So what to do with Fedor? Match him up against someone who American MMA fans know and respect, that’s what you do.

Sylvia on the rebound

Tim Sylvia is coming off of a lost to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in UFC. There’s no shame in losing to Nogueira, but it is ironic that Sylvia lost to Fedor’s #1 rival in PRIDE. Nogueira fought Fedor tough many times, but never won a single fight against the Russian.

Sylvia is a respectable heavyweight who presents some physical challenges to Fedor. Let’s just say that he’s not Choi Hong-Man when it comes to mobility, thankfully. At 6′8″ and over 265 pounds (after weigh-ins), Fedor is going to be facing a very big and powerful striker who has an excellent trainer in Pat Miletich and is smart enough to use the Unified rules to his advantage.

Somewhat neutralizing Sylvia’s strengths is that the fights on the Affliction show will be taking place inside a ring and not a cage. If this fight was in a cage, I think a few more MMA fans would be comfortable in predicting an upset with Sylvia winning.

Will a loss to Fedor hurt Sylvia’s career? Highly unlikely. It is a good fight for the Maine-iac to take, and it’s a fight that we’ve heard internet fans talk about for well over a year. Remember all the silly “Fedor is afraid of Tim” posts on various MMA message boards?

We know that the key for Sylvia having a shot at winning this fight is to avoid takedowns and avoid getting caught in bad submission positions. Randy Couture showed the world the gameplan on how to conquer Sylvia and was roundly cheered for it. How will Sylvia adjust to a similar gameplan from Fedor?

A guaranteed knockout

That’s the best way to describe the upcoming fight between Paul Buentello and Aleksandr Emelienanko.

It should be quick, fast, and decisive… unless both men tire out fast and then we get a stalemate, but that seems highly unlikely.

It’s interesting that UFC, for one reason or another, hasn’t brought back Buentello into the heavyweight fold. He’s a crowd-pleasing striker who always seems to energize a crowd with his fighting style. How is he not marketable in today’s UFC-dominated era?

If Buentello is a knockout artist, then how would you describe his Russian opponent? A scary, awesome monster, that’s what.

This fight is the equivalent of giving cotton candy to an MMA fan. You know something violent is likely to happen, but who knocks out whom is the big question that everyone is asking.

I’m sure many hardcore fans will be picking Aleksandr in this fight, but Buentello is being ridiculous underrated going into this fight. Plus, he trains at AKA (American Kickboxing Academy), which is a great fight camp.

Will the Babyface Assassin make a big splash in the States?

Josh Barnett is exactly the kind of prototypical heavyweight that a promoter would draw on a piece of paper — he’s charismatic, a great speaker, tall, blonde, and has a crowd-pleasing fight style.

Naturally, since he’s not going to be fighting in UFC, Affliction is as close of a platform as he will get to becoming a star in America outside of the Zuffa/Elite XC promoting system.

Barnett will face an old nemesis in Pedro Rizzo… the same Rizzo that had a remarkable slugfest with Mr. Babyface many years ago in UFC. For some reason, I don’t see this weekend’s fight being as close as their first contest earlier this decade.

Barnett is an elite heavyweight fighter who is a mad genius when it comes to game planning. Then again, when you train and work with Erik Paulson, you are talking about one of the smartest and most intellectual trainers in Mixed Martial Arts.

Rizzo is a tailor-made opponent for Barnett to finish in spectacular fashion. This fight is highly unlikely to go to the judges.

A politician with power-punching skills

These days, Matt Lindland seems to be making more news outside of the ring than inside of it due to running for local political office in the state of Oregon.

Lindland is an extremely talented and smart fighter. He is very intelligent, very dedicated, and very tough. He is one of the best 185 pound fighters in the world.

So why isn’t he fighting Anderson Silva? Unfortunately, that fight will never happen due to the structure of UFC contracts that demand exclusivity and Lindland works on a per-fight basis.

Given all of this, it is always a pleasure to watch Lindland fight in MMA because he always brings his A-game. This is a man who stepped up and fought Fedor Emelianenko when others didn’t step up to the plate.

On Saturday’s fight card, Lindland is facing a young fighter named Fabio Negao who is 8-3. Negao has never faced anyone like Lindland before.

Choking out the competition

Renato Babalu is going to get his chance to make a name for himself once again in the States, as he faces TUF alumni member & IFL fighter Mike Whitehead in what should be a really fun fight to watch.

As most of you remember, Babalu won his fight against David Heath in UFC and then found himself kicked out of the promotion due to holding onto a choke hold for a few seconds after the referee asked for the hold to be released.

Since then, Babalu has struggled to get consistent bookings. He’s fought in the Philippines, was scheduled to fight in Canada and didn’t, and now finally has a home with Affliction. Babalu is part of the same training camp as Erik Paulson and Josh Barnett. If you take away the two losses Babalu has to Chuck Liddell, his record in the fight game is pretty damn impressive.

Whitehead should be a very game opponent for Babalu. With that said, the table is set up for Babalu to win and move on. He should do so, and it will be another fun fight to watch.

Which seems to be the entire theme of this Affliction card. The more you look at it, the more you realize that this is likely going to be a very entertaining show. As long as you don’t get your hopes up too high or try to compare Affliction to UFC, then accepting Affliction’s fight promotion for what it is is pretty enjoyable.

We’re used to seeing our favorite celebrities pulling off wild stunts in the tabloids. Fake marriages, painful divorces, drug rehab stints…

And, oh yeah, car chases. A favorite pasttime of Southern California residents.

How does it feel to be a fan of a sport that’s hit the big time? Well, you take the good with the bad, and in the case of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, he went on quite an ugly rampage in Orange County.

You’ve seen the reports on sites like TMZ & Yahoo Sports. Rampage was arrested in Costa Mesa, CA. after a wild police chase, caused allegedly in part because of a traffic accident. When the phrase “felony hit-and-run” crosses the news wire, generally it’s not good news at all for the person behind the wheel of such an incident.

UFC President Dana White has long wanted the mainstream media to glowingly cover MMA. He has his wish now, and the coverage is not-so-glowing for his former UFC Light Heavyweight champion.

When Quinton Jackson defeated Chuck Liddell in May of 2007 to win the Light Heavyweight title, it seemed as if UFC was ready to drag Liddell onto the Career Rehabilitation Tour circuit. Rampage, meanwhile, found himself largely promoting himself on sites like TMZ and sites covering the party scene in Las Vegas. TMZ sure is more than happy to give Rampage all the digital ink they possibly can.

What made the showdown between officers and Rampage so bizarre is the fact that Jackson was riding around in a truck that UFC gave him, featuring an image of Rampage wearing his chain on the side of his truck. How could anyone possible drive a truck with their own likeness and the logo of Toyo Tires (a big UFC sponsor) and expect to escape an alleged hit-and-run incident? To top off the wacky happenings, UFC President Dana White reportedly flew to Orange County to post the bail to get Rampage out of jail.

What tabloid wouldn’t love this story? And, to think, what timing for UFC!

Here we were, getting ready for the UFC/Affliction weekend showdown of events, and both are being upstaged by a charismatic UFC superstar whose most famous tagline is “respect the black man!”

You think Dana White’s looking forward to answering all sorts of media inquiries at this Saturday’s event in Las Vegas? You remember Anderson Silva, the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world? There may be more action outside the ring for Dana White this week than in it.

Despite the fact that Rampage likely won’t serve a big jail sentence if he’s found guilty or pleads out his case, the reality is that this story is exactly the kind of nightmare scenario that someone like Dana White desperately wants no part of. What’s his defense going to be for Rampage?

How do you think Toyo Tires feels now about all sorts of photos of their logo on a big truck that was involved in a high-profile hit-and-run accident?

The traffic accident allegedly involving Rampage Jackson serves right into the hands of MMA critics like Thomas Hauser who think the sport is barbaric and encourages anti-social behavior. Sure, boxing has had a litany of troublemakers and rabble-rousers (like Mike Tyson & James Toney), but name me a case where an MMA star as high-profile as Quinton Jackson got into a standoff with police. There isn’t one.

Which makes what is happening a very delicate balancing act for both Dana White & Lorenzo Fertitta. You can hire all the public relations firms you want to, but the reality is that a man who was a former champion in your promotion and headlined your last PPV just got himself into hot water with the law. How do you spin this to corporate America?

As one astute MMA fan online pointed out, traffic offenses rarely generate major buzz. Unfortunately for UFC, this story has generated buzz and TMZ is the barometer to use to judge what kind of interest there is with the mainstream American audience about this incident. Judging from the boatload of comments and web site traffic, there’s plenty of interest in what happened on Tuesday in Costa Mesa with Rampage Jackson.

What an ironic and perfect name for a man who has found himself in a world of trouble. He lost a controversial decision to Forrest Griffin on July 5th, lost his UFC Light Heavyweight title, and now finds himself plastered all over the major tabloid sheets for being in trouble with the law. You want to root for Rampage because he always seemed to be a good guy, always seemed to be a cool character, but the operative word is ’seemed.’

The story of Rampage’s personal life, his entry into MMA, and his trials & tribulations in the sport are the stuff of legend. I should know; I was part of a radio interview several years ago when Rampage announced that he had found God, telling the radio show about an exorcist-type incident involving his son and how his life was soon changing. There never seems to be a dull moment with Rampage, but Tuesday’s event in Costa Mesa may be an unfortunate turning point in both his career and his personal life.

We all should be thankful that no one was killed in the incident.

It seems everywhere you turn these days, there’s a negative story about boxing and MMA in the sports press.

Sure, we have Bob Arum spouting off about why he couldn’t get a full-house in Las Vegas for Manny Pacquiao vs. David Diaz. In one of his now traditional anti-President Bush screeds, Arum blamed Bush for the fight not selling out in Las Vegas due to high gas prices. Arum’s excuse reminded me of the excuses that independent promoters in pro-wrestling make when they can’t draw a good crowd at a show. After 9/11 happened, some promoters blamed poor houses on fans’ fears of terrorism. Some promoters use other traditional excuses like bad weather or concerts or sporting events happening in the same town as a fight show.

And then there are those in boxing who fear that MMA events are eating away at their audience base, despite the fact that there seems to be no signs whatsoever of boxing dying (you can thank Sports Illustrated last year for pushing that meme onto the mainstream public during the time of De La Hoya vs. Mayweather).

This week’s culprit of fear and loathing – famed boxing writer Thomas Hauser.

Hauser, in a sit-down interview with Eddie Goldman for Mr. Goldman’s June 30th, 2008 edition of No Holds Barred radio, unloaded on Mixed Martial Arts. The interview consisted of all of the anti-MMA remarks that you’ve grown to and are accustomed to loving in the mainstream media. The difference this time is that Mr. Hauser, who is a very talented writer and talker, found himself using twisted logic and diplomatic language to try to make boxing sound as if it was a higher-class combat sport than MMA.

“Boxing is allowed to exist as an exception to the laws against assault and battery,” explained Mr. Hauser. “It has a long, sometimes glorious, sometimes inglorious tradition.” He then further elaborated and said that boxing was a central part of American culture.

So how is MMA worse than boxing?

“It glorifies a lot of the things that we as a society abhor,” lectured Mr. Hauser. “What we’ve seen in recent years has been a brilliantly-engineered marketing plan by UFC. … “I don’t like it. I think it’s debasing.”

There’s no question that the drunken antics on UFC’s reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter are annoying and useless. TV viewership of UFC’s landmark reality show has declined due to the program’s stale format. There’s nothing wrong with letting the marketplace decide what is ‘debasing’ and what is on the up-and-up.

For a sport that is supposedly so debasing, MMA supporters have watched circus act after circus act get second, third, and even fourth chances in boxing.

Of course, maybe Mike Tyson is not as bad for society as James Thompson. At least that is, if you believe Mr. Hauser.

“We saw that Elite XC show on CBS recently where the guy (Thompson) had that grotesque cauliflower ear that opened up in the middle of the fight and start spurting blood. To me, that’s a metaphor for MMA.”

At which point, this exchange broke out between Hauser and Goldman.

“No reputable boxing commission would allow a fighter to step in the ring with a cauliflower ear like that.”

“New Jersey, that’s one of the better…”

“Well, I said no reputable commission. I think it was a disgrace they allowed that to happen.”

As Mr. Hauser continued to play fast and loose on the standards that MMA should live up to as opposed to boxing, he brought some twisted logic.

“MMA might be less dangerous now, but it’s going to be significantly more dangerous in a few years. The reason I say that is that up until now, most MMA fighters haven’t understood how to really punch with force. And the way you position your body in MMA to avoid takedowns actually detracts from your ability to throw a punch with good leverage. But more and more MMA fighters now are training and studying and learning how to throw punches with greater impact. And you’re going to see some very unfortunate results from that in the next few years.”

As MMA fans have seen in the last couple of years, an improved stand-up game makes a difference (just ask KJ Noons and Diego Sanchez). However, to buy into Hauser’s argument, you have to believe the following premises:

1) Those who train in MMA are generally poor strikers and with improved striking, they will become more dangerous even if they have to watch for takedowns.
2) The boxing skills needed by MMA fighters to improve their stand-up is going to result in MMA being more dangerous, even though Mr. Hauser believes that boxing is less dangerous while having the best-trained punchers in the world.

Huh?

One valid point that Mr. Hauser made during his interview with Mr. Goldman is that UFC controls the camera work at their TV & PPV events, meaning they get to control what the audience sees at home. Hauser alluded to past incidents (think: Tre Telligman) in UFC where a fighter was ‘severely disabled’ after a KO and not shown at all on TV, only to be brushed under the proverbial rug.

“UFC sort of propagates the idea that, well, it’s like professional wrestling. Yeah, yeah, it’s real unlike professional wrestling but when it’s over, everybody’s going to be happy and walk away and go home healthy. No!”

Hauser wants a serious study of injuries in MMA before New York approves MMA legislation.

“I don’t think MMA is any safer than boxing. Might become more dangerous in the long-run. And look, boxing’s a dangerous sport. I’m not suggesting it isn’t. It’s inherent in the nature of the sport that some people are going to take a beating and worse. But, to my way of thinking and I think the statistics will prove that out over the next few years, MMA will be just as dangerous particularly as guys learn and women learn to throw punches with full force.”

If MMA is going to be “just as dangerous” as boxing and shouldn’t be sanctioned in a state like New York, why should boxing be sanctioned then in the first place?

“I don’t like opera, but when people go to the opera, whether they’re singing (unintelligible) or Madam Butterfly, they’re not suffering brain damage. When you have a sport that that people are suffering, the type of short-term and long-term physical injuries that you see in MMA, you have to examine it very closely. And I ask, should society encourage this?”

That’s a question a lot of people have asked about boxing, a sport where many combatants have suffered crippling injuries and have died due to head trauma.

Then again, when the best remark you have to support boxing and trash MMA is that boxing should be the ‘only’ violent combat sport allowed to exist, well, then you run into some logical problems.

“We should not be expanding the exceptions to the laws against assault and battery. If anything, we should be minimizing them. To me, MMA runs in the face of that.”

“Might be a business advantage to boxing, but that’s not where I’m coming from on it. I just, I don’t like it. I think it sets a bad role model for kids, and by kids I don’t just mean 8 year olds, but adolescents and people in their teens and early 20s. I don’t think we should be encouraging street fights, whether there on the street or in an Octagon.”

So now we go back to Mr. Hauser’s old assumption, which is that MMA is already dangerous enough as it is, but once fighters are actually ‘trained’ it will become more dangerous.

Somehow, I don’t think he’s paid a visit to Matt Serra’s gym on Long Island to find out what kind of training MMA fighters endure in preparation for fights.

We get it. MMA and boxing do not share anything in common… allegedly. So, if you make that argument in public, then how can you use this analogy with a straight face?

“Sumo wrestling has a long and honorable tradition. Obviously, people have a great affinity for it in certain parts of the world. Now, you know, if somebody came to me and said we’ve got a new sport and we’re going to have Gary Shaw and Lou Duva belly bump each other and see who gets knocked out of the ring first, you know I’d say well I’m not quite sure I understand the thrill of it.”

The fear and loathing of MMA didn’t start amongst those in the boxing industry until it actually started making money. Unfortunately, it’s reduced talented writers like Mr. Hauser of ESPN.com and SecondsOut.com to resort to these analogies:

“Why not allow, uh, you know, fencing with real swords without the points and no masks and let people kill each other? Have duels?”

“If you took college wrestling and you jazzed it up, you know, with some of the personalities you see today in MMA, and you the smoky entrances and all the rest, that could get more exciting. Do I have a problem with college wrestling? No. Just my personal preference that I do not like MMA the way it’s practiced today. I don’t like UFC.”

You’re not helping out the credibility of your sport, Mr. Hauser. It’s a sport that you made your living in, and that is something I respect greatly. However, when it comes to going on a crusade against MMA, you’re better than that. So are a lot of others in the boxing industry who should know better, too.

Wrestling icon turned MMA gladiator Brock Lesnar took time out to talk about his next opponent Heath Herring, his training, why he made the transfer from pro wrestling to the UFC, and much more…

MMAMemories.com: Heading into your UFC fight against Frank Mir last February, there was a lot of anticipation by fans in regards to how you would do in your MMA debut. Even though you lost the fight, were you happy with your performance?

Brock Lesnar: “When you lose a fight, it is difficult to be happy with your performance. There were some things I did right and some things I did wrong. I felt like I rushed the fight a little bit from the start. I made a mistake and put myself in a dangerous position, and Frank was able to capitalize on it. Still, I was happy that at least the fight was exciting and I think the fans enjoyed it.”

MMAMemories.com: In hindsight, is there anything that you would have done differently in training and preparation for facing Mir now that you know what you do?

Brock Lesnar: “No. I had a great training camp and we did all the right things. Looking back, there really isn’t anything I would have done differently prior to the fight.”

MMAMemories.com: Would you be interested in having a re-match with Mir? Do you think fans would be interested in seeing it booked?

Brock Lesnar: “I would certainly be interested in a rematch. I hope I get that opportunity down the road. I think the fans thought it was an exciting fight and it was not without controversy, so I think people would really like to see what would happen if we did it again.”

MMAMemories.com: Despite the fact that you lost your debut fight in UFC, it seems as if a lot of the fans that were booing you before the fight now take your very seriously. What do you think of the new-found respect that some MMA fans are showing you?

Brock Lesnar: “I appreciate it.”

MMAMemories.com: You are now training with two very good trainers in the business, Erik Paulson and Greg Nelson. What are some of the similarities and differences between the two men in terms of the training sessions that you’ve had with both men?

Brock Lesnar: “Greg and Erik have trained together, and have trained fighters together, for a long time and share the same general training philosophy. Both guys have an incredible amount of knowledge and I am fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from them.”

MMAMemories.com: Training with Greg Nelson, you also have access to some very impressive training partners. What is it like to train with someone as talented as Sean Sherk?

Brock Lesnar: “Minnesota Martial Arts Academy is an excellent place to train. While Sean Sherk and I don’t frequently train together directly because of the size difference, Sean has been very helpful since I started training at MMAA in 2006. I have been able to surround myself with a talented group of heavyweight training partners, including Jesse Wallace, Kirk Klosowsky and Chris Tuchscherer, and we have been able to bring in a number of additional training partners to work on specific areas.”

MMAMemories.com: When UFC fans watched some of your training sessions on the All Access show on Spike TV, people were blown away by the regimen that you put yourself through. Is there such a thing as over-training and do you think your training regimen is optimally suited for the kind of cardio you need to be competitive for three round and five round MMA fights?

Brock Lesnar: “I work with Marty Morgan, the assistant coach for the University of Minnesota wrestling team, to constantly evaluate my training. Marty is remarkable when comes to helping athletes peak at the right time for competition. I don’t think there is anyone better. You have to train smart. There is always a risk of over-training or training beyond what your body is able to recover from, and that leads to injuries. Marty knows when I need to be pushed or when I have pushed too hard and the workouts are adjusted as needed.”

MMAMemories.com: Your entry into MMA is fascinating because we are clearly seeing a trend of collegiate amateur wrestlers who are now bypassing professional wrestling and are heading straight to MMA. You went into pro wrestling because of money and now you have made the transition to MMA. What are some of the challenges that you have faced that maybe a lot of fans wouldn’t think about when looking at how your fighting career has evolved?

Brock Lesnar: “Considering that I have only a couple minutes of actual MMA fight experience, I don’t know that my fighting has really had a chance to evolve yet.”

MMAMemories.com: Why did you decide to make the transition from professional wrestling to MMA? Obviously, there are factors like traveling and money at stake, but were there other reasons for making the career transition?

Brock Lesnar: “I’m a really competitive person. Professional wrestling is competitive in many ways, but I missed being involved in real athletic competition. All things being equal, I would have gone right from amateur wrestling to MMA. Back in 2000-2001, however, that wasn’t really a viable option compared to professional wrestling. After a few years of professional wrestling, I needed to get back into something competitive.”

MMAMemories.com: There has been a lot of talk that some power brokers in WWE are interested in getting into the MMA business. If Vince McMahon was to invest money in the MMA scene and promote events, do you think he could successful at it? Would people take it seriously?

Brock Lesnar: “No Comment.”

MMAMemories.com: You are facing a tough opponent in Heath Herring this August in your home state of Minnesota. Herring has been in some wars, including his recent UFC fight against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. What is the most critical aspect of Herring’s skill set that you are training for?

Brock Lesnar: “Herring is very experienced and he’s fought some the best fighters in the world. When you train for a guy like Heath, you have to train to be ready for anything and that’s probably the most critical aspect of his skill set - he’s unpredictable.”

MMAMemories.com: Right now, the heavyweight scene in UFC is controlled by one man and that’s Minotauro Nogueira. When you watch Nogueira in action, is he someone that you view as beatable? If you are able to beat Herring, how far down the road do you see yourself fighting Nogueira for the UFC belt?

Brock Lesnar: “I don’t think anyone is unbeatable in this sport, but I’m really focused on beating Heath Herring at the moment.”

MMAMemories.com: What kind of pressure do you feel, if any, fighting on your home turf? Obviously you have worked before some big crowds in WWE, but this is a very high-profile fight for you in front of a lot of your peers.

Brock Lesnar: “I’m really fortunate to get the chance to fight in front of my hometown crowd on such a big stage. I’ve wrestled at the Target Center not only with WWE, but also as an amateur. Fighting at home doesn’t add any pressure - they call it ‘home-field advantage’ for good reason. I don’t have to travel. I get to sleep in my own bed the night before the fight.”

MMAMemories.com: What fighters in MMA do you enjoy watching the most? Is there a certain weight class of fighters that you are a big fan of?

Brock Lesnar: “I’ve always enjoyed watching the heavyweights, particularly, fighters that came from the amateur wrestling scene - Dan Severn, Mark Coleman, Randy Couture. Guys like that.”

MMAMemories.com: . You have several fights left on your UFC contract. Do you see yourself sticking to the MMA scene long-term or do you other ambitions that you want to fulfill in the fight game?

Brock Lesnar: “This is something I want to do long-term. There is no back-up plan. My goal is to be the best fighter in the world, UFC Heavyweight Champion.”