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Bob Arum, one of the most well known promoters in the boxing world, did his best in a recent interview with AOL Fanhouse's Ariel Helwani to characterize MMA, and UFC in particular, fans and fighters, as the worst common denomanator in combat sports.
"UFC fans are a bunch of skinhead white guys who are watching a bunch of people in the ring who also look like skinhead white guys," said Arum. "For me and people like me, it's not something they ever care to see... guys rolling around like homosexuals on the ground. It is not a sport that shows great, great talent. The guys who throw punches can't throw a punch to save their ass. When the punches land, the guys have no chins.
"(The Fertittas and Dana White) have done a marvelous job promoting UFC, but for me it's junk, it's garbage."
(Below is the video interview that Helwani conducted. The UFC comments begin about 4:10 into the interview.)
Kimbo Slice is in-studio to talk about the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. In addition, a breakdown of UFC Fight Night 19 and all the latest news from around the world of Mixed Martial Arts.
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic doesn't know why the world's largely regarded top heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, refuses to fight in the UFC, but he did make it clear that he thinks Fedor and every other top fighter should focus their efforts on the MMA juggernaut.
"I don't know if somebody controls (Fedor), if he has the power to express his wishes to go wherever he wants. Maybe he has to do what some other people tell him to do, I don't know situation," said Cro Cop during a UFC 103 media conference call on Tuesday.
"I really don't why he doesn't want to enter UFC. Definitely UFC offered him, I know for sure, they offered him the best possible deal today, much more than Dream can offer or Strikeforce can offer, but he's just refusing to go there.
"I think that every true fighter should fight in the UFC today because UFC definitely the only worldwide organization today."
Cro Cop says his own reasons center on competition, wanting to prove that he is still to be feared among the world's best, the way he was in his heyday while fighting for Pride Fighting Championships.
"I liked Pride more than anything, but those days are gone and UFC is the main on the MMA market today. I think my place is to fight in the UFC and that is it," he told reporters.
"I don't think that (Fedor is) afraid of someone and maybe he just wants to keep his perfect score... I don't know."
Fedor recently signed with Strikeforce. He will face Brett Rogers in his first bout for the promotion, but a date and venue have yet to be revealed.
(Audio courtesy of Steve Cofield - ESPN Radio 1100)
The Phenom, former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort, makes his long-awaited return to the Octagon to face UFC superstar Rich Ace Franklin in the main event of UFC 103. Also featured on the biggest MMA event to ever hit Texas will be perhaps the most explosive heavyweight battle of the year when one of the sports most feared strikers, Mirko Cro Cop, takes on Brazilian knockout artist Junior Dos Santos.
Wanderlei Silva releases the first video blog episode talking about his facial surgery, his new tattoo, the upcoming tryouts to become a part of his team and more. More info at: www.wandfightteam.com
Spike TV has released an extended preview of "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 10, which debuts Sept. 16 at 10 p.m. following Ultimate Fight Night 19 in Oklahoma City.
MMA fighters all seem to be clamoring for a shot at the silver screen as just on the heels of the news that former UFC light heavyweight champion, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, would likely star in the upcoming film remake of the 80's TV series, "The A-Team", women's MMA superstar, Gina Carano, has signed on to be the lead in director Steven Soderbergh's latest opus.
The film will be called "Knockout" and Carano will play "a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who is given a second chance to use her skills for constructive purposes" according to Variety.
Carano is no stranger to stepping out of the cage for various roles including her stint as "Crush" on the NBC series "American Gladiators."
Now it looks like the face of women's MMA will get the chance to measure acting chops against some of Hollywood's best, and one of the industry's top directors.
Soderbergh has been known to look outside of traditional Hollywood ties for his actors and actresses. His last effort called "The Girlfriend Experience" cast adult film star, Sasha Grey, in the lead role in her first mainstream acting effort.
The film is slated to start filming in late January which brings up the question of Carano's fighting career, who lost her first professional fight in August, dropping by TKO to new 145lb women's champion, Cris "Cyborg" Santos.
With the movie filming all over the world including Ireland and Turkey, the expectations for Carano to be out of action for the first part of 2010 is very likely, and no reports have surfaced leading to her return in 2009 either.
