By Steven Kelliher on March 31, 2010
When Pennsylvania native Charlie Brenneman enters the UFC cage for the first time tonight, he will be doing so with the singular goal of maximizing his potential on the night, win or lose. Before signing with the UFC, Brenneman transitioned from a successful collegiate wrestling career, to a successful Junior High School teaching career, and [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged ufc, welterweights
By Steven Kelliher on March 30, 2010
Prior to entering the UFC in September of 2009, Rafaello Oliveira had established himself as a legitimate fighter in the 155lb division, running his professional record to 9-1 with the lone loss coming to undefeated Strikeforce fighter Lyle Beerbohm. While Oliveira came up short in his UFC 104 fight with the gritty Nik Lentz, he [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged lightweights, ufc
By Gregory Saks on March 27, 2010
The first three UFC pay per view events of 2010 have delivered underwhelming buy-rates, but UFC 111 is set to break that trend. A main event title fight featuring one of the organizations biggest stars, Georges St-Pierre, plus an intriguing heavyweight co-main event are generating a significantly increased level of fan interest and attention as [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged buy rates, ufc
By Steven Kelliher on March 26, 2010
After building up a near-perfect record outside of the UFC from 2005 to 2008–with the only loss coming to current top lightweight contender Frankie Edgar–New Jersey native Jim Miller entered the UFC without a lot of hype. After putting together back-to-back wins over David Baron and Matt Wiman, Miller looked to be a serious contender [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged lightweights, ufc
By Gregory Saks on March 25, 2010
Boosted by continued representation in major fights, Brazilian MMA fighters continued to gain ground in February, slowly attracting a larger share of fan interest in the sport. While American athletes still command over 50% of MMA interest, Brazilians have slowly but surely been gaining ground, reaching 16.5% of all fan interest in February. With Antonio [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged brazil
By Steven Kelliher on March 25, 2010
When New Jersey native Kurt Pellegrino first came into the UFC in 2006, he amassed a respectable if unspectacular 3-3 record against top flight competition. Shortly after losing to TUF 5 winner Nate Diaz in 2008, Pellegrino moved back home to New Jersey, opened up his own gym, and began training in earnest to make [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged lightweights, ufc
By Gregory Saks on March 24, 2010
The UFC attracted over 63% of all fan interest in the sport of MMA in February, nearly 50 percentage points higher than its next closest competitor, Strikeforce. After holding two pay per view events in the month (UFC 109, 110) as compared to only a Strikeforce Challengers card on the 26th, the UFC was easily [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged bellator, dream, k1, strikeforce, ufc, wec
By Steven Kelliher on March 24, 2010
Casual fans may remember him as the man TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig defeated in a three-round dogfight back at UFC 83 in 2008, but Canadian Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master Mark Bocek is currently riding an impressive three-fight winning streak over notable fighters Alvin Robinson, David Bielkheden, and Joe Brammer. What’s more impressive is the fact [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged lightweights
By Steven Kelliher on March 23, 2010
When it was announced last year that former Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier would be making the transition to professional mixed martial arts competition, fans and pundits alike were abuzz with the seeming limitless potential the heavyweight phenom could reach in an increasingly hostile pool of young talent. While his inexperience showed in his professional debut [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged heavyweights, strikeforce
By Gregory Saks on March 23, 2010
The middleweight division benefited from a number of high profile bouts in February, placing extra emphasis on the weight class as champion Anderson Silva’s next title shot approaches. Chael Sonnen’s upset of Nate Marquardt at UFC 109 as well as Wanderlei Silva’s decision victory over Michael Bisping at UFC 110 helped fuel the 185lb fan [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged middleweights
