Dewey's Diva
04-17-2006, 12:27 PM
A few results, as well as a mention of US events expansion to the East Coast and Texas (Ollie and TSOM, they just might be coming to you!!!)
http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/ci_3718542
Article Launched: 4/16/2006 11:36 PM
UFC's debut was California cool
By James Melroy, Staff writer
Inside SOCAL
As I sat inside The Pond in Anaheim Saturday night, the lights dimmed, and Eminem music blared through the arena's sound system as over 17,000 people rose to their feet to watch Tito Ortiz make his way to the Octagon, a weird thought popped into my head.[ep The character, Damone, from the movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."
Yeah, I know it's weird, but hang with me for a moment.
There's a scene where Damone is coaching his friend on how to impress a date. One of his tips was the following:[ep "Act like, where ever you are, that's the place to be."
UFC 59: Reality Check was definitely the place to be.
You can ask the celebrities in attendance, including Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile), Jaime Pressley (My Name Is Earl) and Kevin James (The King of Queens). You can ask the Lakers' Kwame Brown. Or you can ask all Ken Shamrock, Chuck Lidell, Matt Hughes, Royce Gracie, Quenton Jackson and Dan Henderson ? mixed-martial arts stars who were at the arena, not for a fight, but just to take in Ultimate Fighting Championship's debut in California.
The normal fans even seemed glamourous. I felt like I was finally allowed to hang out with the "cool kids."
Why do all these people show up for something that's not yet considered a mainstream sport?
Because UFC personifies sport. Two men in a cage. They engage in a 1-on-1 battle and the better man on that night usually wins.
Sure, there are upsets. Tim Sylvia's TKO of Andrei Arlovski in the final fight of the night was proof of that. There are also controversial decisions, such as Tito Ortiz's split-decision victory over Forrest Griffin.
Upsets? Controversy? Yep, that sounds like sports, which I pretend to know and genuinely love.
On May 27, UFC returns to Southern California, this time at L.A.'s Staples Center.
I can guarantee you I won't be in awe of the celebrities, the fighters or are not competing or even the glammed-up fans that night.
My focus will be on the Octagon, where welterweight champion Matt Hughes will be defending his belt against mixed martial arts legend Royce Gracie ? the fighters inside the Octagon.
They are the real stars. ?
-- Tito Ortiz, a native of Huntington Beach, as met with more than a few jeers when he was shown on the The Pond's video screens before his fight. While he came out to a number of cheers, by the end of the fight, most of the 17,100 fans were in Forrest Griffin's corner.
That surprised me a little, until I considered that most people in attendance are probably loyal to UFC and that Ortiz had a very public squabble with the organization for over a year.
-- It was revealed after the fight that Ortiz had suffered a serious knee injury a few weeks before the fight and he has been ordered out of the Octagon for at least 90 days. Ortiz has a fight scheduled with Ken Shamrock in July on the season finale of The Ultimate Fighter 3 on Spike TV. However, it appears that the injury is serious and I question whether Ortiz will be ready to step into the Octagon by then.
-- The clear fan favorite on the night was Andrei Arlovski. Whenever he was shown on the video screens, the arena filled with cheers, the ladies enjoying his rugged good looks, while male fans seem to like his "Pit Bull" persona.
Despite losing the heavyweight title to Tim Sylvia on Saturday, UFC has a star in Arlovski who has the kind of appeal to draw in casual fans. I look for Arlovski to avenge his loss to Sylvia whenever their rematch takes place as Sylvia was close to being KO'd by the native of Belarus before he catching Arlovski with a flash punch that put him on the canvas.
-- UFC's first event in California appeared to come off without a hitch, due in large part to Loren Mack and Jennifer Wenk, whose efforts in the weeks leading up to UFC 59 and during the actual event helped everything to run smoothly.
-- Quenton Jackson, who had been up in Big Bear helping Ortiz prepare for his fight with Griffin, remained mum on his future as rumors continue to swirl as to whether he's signed with UFC.
-- In the post-fight press conference UFC president Dana White announced that UFC is looking to expand to the East Coast as well as Texas.
http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/ci_3718542
Article Launched: 4/16/2006 11:36 PM
UFC's debut was California cool
By James Melroy, Staff writer
Inside SOCAL
As I sat inside The Pond in Anaheim Saturday night, the lights dimmed, and Eminem music blared through the arena's sound system as over 17,000 people rose to their feet to watch Tito Ortiz make his way to the Octagon, a weird thought popped into my head.[ep The character, Damone, from the movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."
Yeah, I know it's weird, but hang with me for a moment.
There's a scene where Damone is coaching his friend on how to impress a date. One of his tips was the following:[ep "Act like, where ever you are, that's the place to be."
UFC 59: Reality Check was definitely the place to be.
You can ask the celebrities in attendance, including Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile), Jaime Pressley (My Name Is Earl) and Kevin James (The King of Queens). You can ask the Lakers' Kwame Brown. Or you can ask all Ken Shamrock, Chuck Lidell, Matt Hughes, Royce Gracie, Quenton Jackson and Dan Henderson ? mixed-martial arts stars who were at the arena, not for a fight, but just to take in Ultimate Fighting Championship's debut in California.
The normal fans even seemed glamourous. I felt like I was finally allowed to hang out with the "cool kids."
Why do all these people show up for something that's not yet considered a mainstream sport?
Because UFC personifies sport. Two men in a cage. They engage in a 1-on-1 battle and the better man on that night usually wins.
Sure, there are upsets. Tim Sylvia's TKO of Andrei Arlovski in the final fight of the night was proof of that. There are also controversial decisions, such as Tito Ortiz's split-decision victory over Forrest Griffin.
Upsets? Controversy? Yep, that sounds like sports, which I pretend to know and genuinely love.
On May 27, UFC returns to Southern California, this time at L.A.'s Staples Center.
I can guarantee you I won't be in awe of the celebrities, the fighters or are not competing or even the glammed-up fans that night.
My focus will be on the Octagon, where welterweight champion Matt Hughes will be defending his belt against mixed martial arts legend Royce Gracie ? the fighters inside the Octagon.
They are the real stars. ?
-- Tito Ortiz, a native of Huntington Beach, as met with more than a few jeers when he was shown on the The Pond's video screens before his fight. While he came out to a number of cheers, by the end of the fight, most of the 17,100 fans were in Forrest Griffin's corner.
That surprised me a little, until I considered that most people in attendance are probably loyal to UFC and that Ortiz had a very public squabble with the organization for over a year.
-- It was revealed after the fight that Ortiz had suffered a serious knee injury a few weeks before the fight and he has been ordered out of the Octagon for at least 90 days. Ortiz has a fight scheduled with Ken Shamrock in July on the season finale of The Ultimate Fighter 3 on Spike TV. However, it appears that the injury is serious and I question whether Ortiz will be ready to step into the Octagon by then.
-- The clear fan favorite on the night was Andrei Arlovski. Whenever he was shown on the video screens, the arena filled with cheers, the ladies enjoying his rugged good looks, while male fans seem to like his "Pit Bull" persona.
Despite losing the heavyweight title to Tim Sylvia on Saturday, UFC has a star in Arlovski who has the kind of appeal to draw in casual fans. I look for Arlovski to avenge his loss to Sylvia whenever their rematch takes place as Sylvia was close to being KO'd by the native of Belarus before he catching Arlovski with a flash punch that put him on the canvas.
-- UFC's first event in California appeared to come off without a hitch, due in large part to Loren Mack and Jennifer Wenk, whose efforts in the weeks leading up to UFC 59 and during the actual event helped everything to run smoothly.
-- Quenton Jackson, who had been up in Big Bear helping Ortiz prepare for his fight with Griffin, remained mum on his future as rumors continue to swirl as to whether he's signed with UFC.
-- In the post-fight press conference UFC president Dana White announced that UFC is looking to expand to the East Coast as well as Texas.