By Jeremy Saks on October 15, 2009
When UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk tested positive for the use of the illegal steroid Nandrolone following his unanimous decision victory over Hermes Franca at UFC 73 in July 2007, he was suspended from MMA competition for a year (later reduced to 6 months) and never regained the title he lost during his absence. [...]
Posted in Exclusives | Tagged Exclusives, mma, steroids, supplements
By Gregory Saks on October 11, 2009
As evidenced by the action level during most WEC fights, competitors in the smaller weight classes can put on an incredible show. Despite this, the majority of MMA fans remain focused on heavier weight classes. The latest set of numbers show that 54% of all MMA fan interest is for fighters in the [...]
Posted in Rankings | Tagged fan interest, mma, popularity, weight classes
By Gregory Saks on October 8, 2009
A revolving carousel of fighters draws fan interest and buzz from month to month, depending on the marquee fights set to air. Brock Lesnar topped the rankings in July with his UFC 100 main event; Lesnar was then supplanted by Gina Carano’s Strikeforce megafight in August. Over the long term, however, a relatively [...]
Posted in Rankings | Tagged fan interest, mma, popularity, rankings
By Steven Kelliher on October 7, 2009
While former Sengoku Lightweight Champion Satoru Kitaoka has been rumored to be a part of the November 7th Sengoku 11 card at the Ryokgoku Kokugikan for quite some time now, Tapology’s Steven Kelliher has learned that Kitaoka’s opponent will be none other than American Top Team lightweight Jorge Masvidal. Masvidal is coming off of [...]
Posted in Events, Exclusives | Tagged Exclusives, mma, sengoku
By Steven Kelliher on October 7, 2009
When Ben Henderson faces off against Donald Cerrone on Saturday night at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, he will not only be fighting for the interim lightweight belt and a shot at current WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie Varner. To Henderson, Saturday night is all about earning respect and recognition, and a win over [...]
Posted in Exclusives | Tagged Exclusives, interviews, mma, wec
By Gregory Saks on October 7, 2009
The popularity of the fighters scheduled to compete is a key driver of the television ratings and pay-per-view performance of MMA events. WEC 43 takes place live this Saturday night on Versus, with Donald Cerrone against Benson Henderson in the main event. While all the participants are excellent fighters and competitors, a lack [...]
Posted in Events, Rankings | Tagged fan interest, mma, wec
By Steven Kelliher on October 6, 2009
WEC lightweight contender and fan favorite Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone looks to build off of his June submission victory over James Krause when he takes on powerful up-and-comer Ben Henderson for the Interim Lightweight title at WEC 43 this Saturday night in San Antonio, Texas. Tapology’s Steven Kelliher recently spoke to the Greg Jackson-trained kickboxer known [...]
Posted in Exclusives | Tagged Exclusives, interviews, mma, wec
By Gregory Saks on October 6, 2009
As mixed martial arts solidifies its place in the North American sports mainstream, fans increasingly look to professional oddsmakers for their predictions in major upcoming bouts. Tapology’s comprehensive analysis of betting lines over the past two years shows the sportsbooks are correctly calling the eventual winner in some 70% of fights. Their [...]
Posted in MMA Odds | Tagged favorite, mma, odds, ufc, underdog
By Gregory Saks on October 4, 2009
With her Strikeforce main event bout against Cristiane Santos in August, Gina Carano showed she has what it takes to ignite MMA fan interest and generate some serious buzz. Despite losing via first round TKO to the Brazilian powerhouse, Carano still jumped to the top of Tapology’s fighter popularity rankings for August. Pushing Brock Lesnar [...]
Posted in Rankings | Tagged gina carano, mma, popularity, rankings, strikeforce
