Pride Still Behind UFC

Pride 33: Second Coming, was one hell-of-a show. I enjoyed every second of the event, which is unfortunately more than I can say for the last UFC. With Pride's second trip to Vegas, they still came up short of UFC's audience standards. But with that said, Pride 33 saw good numbers.

Here's a insert from MMA Weekly breaking down some of the numbers from Pride 33:

In the case of Pride 33: The Second Coming, Pride announced that the total attendance was 13,180, which is slightly higher than the legitimate total attendance figure of 12,911. While The Second Coming performed slightly better at the live box office than The Real Deal, both events paled in comparison to the live event business that the UFC consistently generates in Las Vegas.

Just three weeks prior to Pride's Second Coming, UFC 67 took place in Las Vegas. While the UFC lamented the fact that the event did not fill the 11,000-seat Mandalay Bay Events Center at the post-fight press conference, the event still handily out-drew Pride: The Second Coming.

While Pride: The Second Coming generated $2,033,098 in ticket sales, UFC 67 generated $2,767,130 in ticket sales. The UFC's higher live gate figure was caused not only by higher ticket prices, but also by the fact that UFC 67 had a slightly higher paid attendance figure, with 8,700 fans paying to attend UFC 67 (compared to 8,334 for The Second Coming). UFC 67 also had 1,527 fans in attendance who had free "comp" tickets, making the total attendance 10,227, which is slightly lower than the UFC's publicly announced figure of 10,787.

The UFC has held eleven live PPV events since the beginning of 2006, and eight of those events were able to exceed Pride: The Second Coming's live gate of $2,033,098. The only UFC PPV events from the past year that Pride: The Second Coming out-drew at the live box office were UFC 58 (which took place in Las Vegas and drew a live gate of $1,758,450); UFC 63 (which took place in Anaheim and drew a live gate of $1,582,370); and UFC 64 (which took place in Las Vegas and drew a live gate of $1,790,490).

After last weeks show in Vegas, Pride will likely exceed these numbers at their next box office event. I was very impressed with the fights as a whole. I wasn't that impressed with their champs, but good fights and an overall good show will make me purchase the PPV again. Look for Pride to get a foot hold in the U.S.

Pride 33 Pay Scale

Main Event Fighters-Wanderlei Silva: $150,000
Dan Henderson: $50,000
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua: $50,000
Takanori Gomi: $20,000
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: $20,000
Nick Diaz: $15,000
Joachim Hansen: $15,000
Hayato Sakurai: $10,000
Frank Trigg: $10,000
Kazuo Misaki: $10,000
Sergei Kharitonov: $10,000
Alistair Overeem: $10,000
Travis Wiuff: $10,000
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: $10,000
Mac Danzig: $10,000
Jason Ireland: $10,000
Mike Russow: $10,000
James Lee: $10,000
Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $430,000

Looks like Pride pays their people better than the UFC. The UFC is still paying off debit, but they need to get on the ball and put on a show like Pride does. Take for instance James Lee. This was his first fight in Pride and he took home $10,000. Should have been more since he won, but still not bad for a first timer.

One thing that suprises me is Dan Henderson's salary for the fight. He should have gotten a bonus. What I see is that if you REALLY good, go to the UFC. Because the champs make more fighting for the UFC than Pride. But if you an up-n-comer you might want to look up Pride. No one on their card made less than ten grand.

Dan Henderson Shocks Silva In 3rd

Dan Henderson used a barrage of punches in the third round to knock out champion Wanderlei Silva. Most of the MMA world had Silva winning this fight and staking claim to be the world's best 205 pound fighter. Henderson had a great ground game and strategic fighting strategy to make sure THAT didn't happen.

Silva took the ring in style, but as the first round came to a close, many of us saw something different in his eyes. That something was a look of concern and fear. Dan Henderson was taking the fight to Silva. The champion (205) was back peddling most of the fight. And a couple of minutes into the third round, he was flat on his back. It was a looping left hand that found it's target and found the 205 pound belt on the 185 pound champ's waist.

Dan Henderson becomes the first Pride Fighter to hold belts in two different weight classes. Wanderlei Silva goes home to start training for a defiant "rubber" match against Henderson in the near future. Silva will hope to re-group and win back the belt he defended for so, so long.

Forrest Griffin Set For UFC 70

One of my favorite websites to find MMA information is MMA-HQ. Today I read that Forrest Griffin is going to face off against Ryoto Machida in UFC 70. It was posted on Forrest Griffin's MySpace. I can't believe I didn't find it first, since Forrest is on MY friends list. (You would be surprised how many MMA fighters have MySpace accounts).

The UFC 70 card is turning into one hell of a card! I am excited to see the next 3 UFC's. As long as no one drops out because of injuries, we'll all be in for a treat.

I'll be posting my UFC 68 predictions later this week. They will also be on MMA-HQ.

Pride 33

Scroll down to see my Pride 33 predictions. I finally finished the article at the last minute, but "Blogger" published it the day I started writing it. So scroll down to see a new article...

Texas Crazy Horse Back For UFC 69

UFC 69 card keeps on growing as it was announced on UFC.com that Heath Hearing will face off against Brad Imes. Brad is making a comeback after being off for almost a year. Heath, on the other hand, is trying to find his spot in the UFC after being dismantled by Jake O'Brien in UFC's Fight Night (Evans vs Salmon).

You'll have to excuse me if I'm sometimes a little byast, but I'll be frank with you. I don't like Heath Hearing and I think his time as a fighter may be coming to an end. I was one of the only one's to predict O'Brien to beat Hearing. Most MMA fans disagreed with me due to the fact that if you look at his record; he looks to be a good and experienced fighter. Hearing isn't growing as fast as the other fighters in MMA. I just don't see a well rounded fighter when I watch Heath fight

But with all that said, I think he will win this fight. Everything is in his favor. Brad Imes loves a stand-up battle, but lacks the kind of power that Hearing has. Going back in the history of MMA, a person coming back from a layoff of any type often comes back to lose. When all is said and done, I predict Heath Hearing to win by TKO.

Henderson Heads Back To America

Dan Henderson is ready to try and become the first to hold belts in both the 185 pound division and the 205 pound division. Henderson will square off against Wanderlei Silva in Pride 33 in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 24th. Dan is excited to try for the 185 title in America.

“It’s an ideal situation for me,” he commented. “I was surprised they were going to let me do it for a title.” MMA WEEKLY

Both Henderson and Silva have showed great stamina in all their MMA fights. They both enjoy a good slug fest and have anything but a glass chin. This fight is good for American fans because most follow organizations based only in the U.S.

Many hardcore MMA fans agree that Pride has the better fighters. The rules are different than those in the UFC. Knees to a downed opponent are legal where as elbows are not. But the biggest difference from the UFC to Pride is the scoring. The UFC scores on aggression, take downs, and over all Octagon control. Pride judges more on a fighter trying to END a fight. The scoring differences make for a more high paced fight.

I'm looking forward to Pride 33. In fact, it will be the first one I've purchase on PPV in quit some time. Pride is making a push in the U.S. They see how well the UFC has done and they're looking to grab some attention from an American audience. They've made a wonderful card and I look forward to a wonderful night of fights come February 24th.

Liddell vs Jackson

Chuck Liddell's next fight is rumored to be against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in UFC 71. I found these rumors out on MMA HQ.com. Quinton only had 2 fights on his contract and his manager commented that Quinton needed a few warm up fights before facing the UFC's champion. The UFC must have put a lot of money on the table for Jackson to except an offer. In my opinion, he won't be as ready as he could be come UFC 71. He needed those "warm-up" fights before taking on someone like Chuck Liddell.

My early perdiction... Iceman by KO in the 2nd round.

Pride 33 Just Around Corner

Pride 33 is on fire in Los Vegas, Nevada. Over 400 taxis are carrying the Pride transporting people all around Vegas. Not to mention that Pride has a HUGE truck with the likes of Wanderiel SIlva and Dan Henderson on either side. Yes, Pride has officially seen the market in the U.S. and they seem to like it. Their not leaving anything to chance as they flood the advertising with Pride logo's, etc.

You can find out more about the event by visiting Pride's official website. But for now, lets just concentrate on who will win these fights...

Wanderiel "The Axe-Murderer" Silva vs Dan Henderson
What better way to attract an American audience than to have Pride's poster boy match-up against an American hero in Dan Henderson. This fight may really live up to the hype. After all, Pride doesn't like to bring a bad show to the U.S. I see Henderson feeding off the American crowd and getting an extra round in, but overall Silva will be too much for him to handle. Winner-Wanderiel Silva

Takanori Gomi vs Nick Diaz
This should be another compelling fight. Diaz was offered a contract extension by the UFC, but decided to explore different avenues. One of those avenues brings him to the undercard fight in a town that he feels more than at home at. Lots of American fans (mainly UFC buffs) see Diaz winning this fight due to his submissions. I, however, do not. Gomi is one heck of a MMA fighter, and his home is in the Pride ring. Unlike Diaz, he knows nothing else. Gomi versus Diaz could be the show stopper, but Gomi will leak out a victory. Winner-Takanori Gomi

Here's the rest of the card with my projected winners in italic:

Kazuhiro Nakamura vs Travis Wiuff
Hayato Sakurai vs Mac Danzig
Kazuo Misaki vs Frank Trigg
Mauricio Shogun vs Alistair Overseem
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs Sokoudjou
Joachim Hansen vs Jason Ireland

Cro Cop Returns in UFC 70

Looks like we won't have to wait long before we see Mirko Cro Cop step inside the Octagon yet again. Cro Cop's road to the heavy weight title will pass through UFC 70 as he faces Gabriel Gonzaga. You can read more about this fight in The Republican where Gonzaga confirmed his fight with Mirko.

Gonzaga looks to be a more formidable fighter than Eddie Sanchez was for Cro Cop in UFC 67. With that in mind, I still don't see Gonzaga lasting more than a couple of rounds with Mirko's power. But I'll give my official predictions when the fights a little closer.

Mirko Cro Cop Highlight Videos

If your as impressed with Cro Cop as I am, you'll love this clip...

Want more? Here's another...



In my opinion, Mirko is the un-crowned champ. Don't beleive me? Just wait!

Brandon Vera Contemplates Leaving UFC

Since the addition of Mirko Cro Cop, many of you have been asking about Brandon Vera. Most MMA fans saw a lot of potential in the 29 year old fighting out of San Diego, CA. But his days in the Octagon may be numbered.

It wasn't a secret that Vera was unhappy with his current contract with the UFC. In a recent interview with the Los Angelas Times, Vera and his manager commented on his future with the UFC. It is widely speculated that Brandon his seriously thinking of crossing over to Elite XC. Vera's manager was quoted as saying, "...people like [Elite XC], who have money and a platform like Showtime, will compete for fighters now."

Vera's manager claims that the UFC no longer has a "monopoly" over the MMA world in America. Even with Elite XC's upcoming deal with Showtime, I don't see them as the premiere organization in North America. The UFC (in my opinion) is and will remain, the top dog for MMA fighters looking to get on top.

So where would Brandon Vera like to fight? "Whoever wants to take care of me the best," commented Vera.

Stay where you are Brandon. How many millionaires do you see fighting out of Elite XC? You have a marketable look and the KO power everyone seems to love. If you stick with the UFC you could become the next poster boy. Although you would have to go through Cro Cop to get there. And you may see an easier road away from the "Croatian Sensation".


Brian