UFC 79: Georges St-Pierre Vs. Matt Hughes III & Chuck Liddell Vs. Wanderlei Silva

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Great Rampage interview, this guy is the best.

Rampage Jackson is known for his punishing stand up and wrestling inside the cage and his down right hilarious demeanor outside of it. Check out some excerpt from a recent interview conducted with Jesse Holland at MMAmania.com:
Jesse Holland (MMAmania): What’s up Rampage, how’s the hand? When are we going to see you back in the Octagon?

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson: It feels good, I should be ready to start punchin’ in a few weeks. I’m gettin’ back to training and all that. As far as my return I don’t know what the hell’s goin’ on. You guys will probably find out before I do.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania): Dana White mentioned that he’s got “big plans” for you in the near future. What’s he alluding to?

Quinton ”Rampage” Jackson: I love Mexicans. I love tacos, burritos…I don’t know man, I don’t know what the hell Dana’s talkin’ about.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania): So you’re not prepared to announce your role as coach on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter?

Quinton ”Rampage” Jackson: I can’t announce none of that. I can’t announce the new Rampage energy drink that’s coming out, I can’t announce my new deal with Affliction, I can’t announce the Rampage rims for your ride. I can’t announce nothin’.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania): How would you do in that type of role as a guy who notoriously loathes training?

Quinton ”Rampage” Jackson: I hate training. I’m not sayin’ I don’t train - I’m the hardest training guy in this sport but I don’t like it. I hate it. That’s why I have to whoop so much ass. That fool standing across from me in the Octagon made me train for so long just to fight them. Now they have to pay. It’s punishment dammit.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania): What’s your prediction for the Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva fight at UFC 79?

Quinton ”Rampage” Jackson: I think it’s gonna be a good fight. (Yawns) Damn I need a Rampage energy drink right about now. I wish they would have done it a few years ago back in the day. They both lost two fights but they were against good people - well, Chuck lost to Jardine let me check that - it don’t matter. Two fights don’t end a career.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania): How do you feel about fighting a friend? What if they offered you Tito?

Quinton ”Rampage” Jackson: I might not want to do it, but I guess I would fight a friend if they wanted the belt or if they needed the money that comes with fighting the champ. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t? I’ll do anything for my friends. Well, almost anything. I ain’t dyin’ for them. I ain’t Jesus Christ man, I got kids.

Hurry up with those questions homeboy I gotta take a mean crap. You wanna come into the bathroom and finish this?

Jesse Holland (MMAmania): Uh, no thanks!

mookie blaylock 10

thanks for posting that, lbc.

ReleasH

Since I know mooks is a Tanner fan ...

Evan Tanner Rethinking the Sponsorship Model
Posted by MMA Junkie on December 2, 2007 at 12:51 pm ET
Tired with the current model of fighter sponsorship, former UFC middleweight champion and 10-year MMA veteran Evan Tanner has developed a new way to generate sponsorship dollars.

Tanner (32-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC), who made his octagon debut nearly nine years ago at UFC 18, recently signed a new four-fight deal with the organization. The 36-year-old hadn’t competed professionally since April 2006, but he’s now planning a return to the UFC in early 2008.

But when he does, he won’t take the normal approach toward his sponsorship. Although he’s been pleased to see the sport grow from an underground club to a mainstream sport, he’s turned off by one byproduct of its success.

“I feel the sport is being overly commercialized,” Tanner wrote on his official site, evantanner.net. “I don’t like the idea of stepping back into that game, begging companies for sponsorship, negotiating the size and placement of logos on my shirt and shorts, the plugs during interviews, and finally selling out to the highest bidder regardless of whether or not I use their product. That is the standard game most MMA athletes are obligated to play.

“Playing that game doesn’t suit me.“

Instead, Tanner is taking his sponsorship directly to fans — in a program he calls “Team Tanner.” And despite the nearly two-year layoff, Tanner remains one of the sport’s most popular fighters, so he has a huge pool of potential sponsors.

Tanner has developed “sponsorship packages” that range from as little as $50, which includes special access to online resources and an autograph card, all the way up to $4,000, which promises a smorgasborg of merchandise and a unique opportunity to train with Evan Tanner, attend a UFC event and hob knob with MMA’s elite around Las Vegas.

Starting at the $100 level, all sponsors get a limited-edition, high-quality “Team Tanner” T-shirt (the T-shirt design will change from fight to fight).

Additionally, Tanner has a special package available once per fight for an individual sponsor who essentially becomes a cornerman for Tanner. The sponsor will accompany the Tanner to the weigh-ins the day before the event, and on fight night, he or she will be in the dressing room and accompany him to the octagon for the fight. The sponsor gets all the goodies from the other sponsorship packages, as well.

“I don’t want to cash in on the fans, but money is necessary to cover training expenses,” Tanner stated. “It’s extremely important to me that everyone who becomes involved is completely satisfied with their investment in the team. It is important that this is something that everyone can be proud to be a part of.“

mookie blaylock 10

some tragic news, as sammy vasquez succumbs to his injuries sustained in october. my thoughts are with his friends and family.



MMA fighter Vasquez dies weeks after fight

By Dave Meltzer, Yahoo! Sports
December 2, 2007


Sam Vasquez of Houston may have become the first fighter to die from injuries sustained in mixed martial arts competition in North America.

A report by The Fight Network cited the Harris County (Texas) medical examiner's office confirming Vasquez's death at 8:15 p.m. Friday. The cause of death was not released.

Vasquez had been battling for his life since taking a hard right to the chin from 21-year old Vince Libardi on Oct. 20 during a Renegades Extreme Fighting show at the Toyota Center in Houston. The blow knocked Vasquez out and he was rushed to St. Joseph Medical Center, where he stayed until moving to hospice care on Monday.

The 35-year-old Vasquez was competing in the featherweight division (145 pound weight class) in the third match of a 12-match card promoted by Saul Soliz, the longtime boxing coach of Ultimate Fighting Championship superstar Tito Ortiz. The show was overseen by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Calls to the department on Sunday were not immediately returned.

After taking a flurry of punches from Libardi, Vasquez collapsed in the ring and the fight was waved off at 2:50 of the third round. Emergency medical technicians worked on him in the ring for several minutes until he suffered what appeared to be a seizure and was rushed to the hospital.

Vasquez's condition worsened from there. On Nov. 4, two weeks after being admitted, he underwent the first of two surgeries to relieve the pressure of a large clot in his brain, then had a massive stroke on Nov. 9 and was placed in a medically induced coma.

Vasquez, who had a seven-year-old son, came into the match with a 1-1 record, and had not fought in 13 months. Libardi, 14 years Vasquez's junior, entered the match with seven pro fights and 10 rounds of action over three fights in the time since Vasquez had last fought in Sept. 2006.

"There was nothing out of the ordinary," Paul Erickson, who was at ringside taking photos, said in an interview with The Fight Network. "They scrambled and hit the cage. Sammy stood up and looked a little wobbly. Then he went down and the referee called the doctor in. It didn't seem like anything was out of the ordinary. Sammy was winded and looked exhausted, but he wasn't unconscious when they carried him out. Everyone was puzzled at the time because no one could tell when or where he was injured."

MMA had until recently been considered highly controversial, and a group of critics led by Sen. John McCain caused it to be banned in several states in the mid-to-late 1990s and pressured cable companies to not air its pay-per-view events.

In the past two-and-a-half years, though, the sport exploded in popularity due to television exposure of UFC, the sport's major league franchise. UFC's success has spawned hundreds of smaller promotions around North America with many states now holding more MMA events than boxing events.

Mixed martial arts officials and fans have long noted that there had never been a death in a sanctioned MMA match, a statistic no other combat sport could claim.

The only confirmed death prior to government oversight came when 31-year-old Douglas Dedge of Chipley, Fla. passed away on March 18, 1998, from severe brain injuries suffered in a match two days earlier at a non-sanctioned event called World Super Challenge in Kiev, Ukraine. Dedge had passed out in a training session leading up to the fight, but went through with the match anyway.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_ylt=Ag_v1zKgJ91ESnM_92XwAr89Eo14?slug=dm-fighterdeath120207&prov=yhoo&type=lgns


edit: Texas MMA Fight Shop is taking donations for sammy's wife and children...



For those of you wanting to help out Sammy and Sandra Vasquez, we here at TEXAS MMA FIGHT SHOP are going to collect funds to help out with their hospital bills, etc. Sandra is very Thankful. Please stop by 5720 Mobud, in San Antonio, Texas. There will be a place where you may make your contributions. Thank you for your help and support. Keep Sammy in your thoughts and prayers. You may make checks out to Sandra Vasquez and we will mail them to her. http://www.texasmmafightgear.com


Sammy Vasquez Fund
C/O TEXAS MMA FIGHT SHOP
5720 Mobud
San Antonio, Texas 78238
210-842-3667


M- 4:40-8:30
T-F 11:00-2:00 re-opens 4:40-8:30
Sat. 11:00-7:00

mookie blaylock 10

ReleasH wrote:

Since I know mooks is a Tanner fan ...

Evan Tanner Rethinking the Sponsorship Model
Posted by MMA Junkie on December 2, 2007 at 12:51 pm ET
Tired with the current model of fighter sponsorship, former UFC middleweight champion and 10-year MMA veteran Evan Tanner has developed a new way to generate sponsorship dollars.

Tanner (32-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC), who made his octagon debut nearly nine years ago at UFC 18, recently signed a new four-fight deal with the organization. The 36-year-old hadn’t competed professionally since April 2006, but he’s now planning a return to the UFC in early 2008.

But when he does, he won’t take the normal approach toward his sponsorship. Although he’s been pleased to see the sport grow from an underground club to a mainstream sport, he’s turned off by one byproduct of its success.

“I feel the sport is being overly commercialized,” Tanner wrote on his official site, evantanner.net. “I don’t like the idea of stepping back into that game, begging companies for sponsorship, negotiating the size and placement of logos on my shirt and shorts, the plugs during interviews, and finally selling out to the highest bidder regardless of whether or not I use their product. That is the standard game most MMA athletes are obligated to play.

“Playing that game doesn’t suit me.“

Instead, Tanner is taking his sponsorship directly to fans — in a program he calls “Team Tanner.” And despite the nearly two-year layoff, Tanner remains one of the sport’s most popular fighters, so he has a huge pool of potential sponsors.

Tanner has developed “sponsorship packages” that range from as little as $50, which includes special access to online resources and an autograph card, all the way up to $4,000, which promises a smorgasborg of merchandise and a unique opportunity to train with Evan Tanner, attend a UFC event and hob knob with MMA’s elite around Las Vegas.

Starting at the $100 level, all sponsors get a limited-edition, high-quality “Team Tanner” T-shirt (the T-shirt design will change from fight to fight).

Additionally, Tanner has a special package available once per fight for an individual sponsor who essentially becomes a cornerman for Tanner. The sponsor will accompany the Tanner to the weigh-ins the day before the event, and on fight night, he or she will be in the dressing room and accompany him to the octagon for the fight. The sponsor gets all the goodies from the other sponsorship packages, as well.

“I don’t want to cash in on the fans, but money is necessary to cover training expenses,” Tanner stated. “It’s extremely important to me that everyone who becomes involved is completely satisfied with their investment in the team. It is important that this is something that everyone can be proud to be a part of.“

hey releash, thanks for sharing this. there have been a lot of good responses from the fans, but from reading a few of the reactions on message boards and some responses to the article, i get the feeling that a handful of people are missing the point of the whole thing, or haven't read evan's blogs about it. i hope that the respect that has gone back and forth from evan to his fans over the years will make this a success for him.

obviously, i'll be a member of "team tanner", so it will be cool to see evan thank the fans and supporters only, not companies, after he wins in his return to the octagon!

civ_eng_girl

Tanner has developed “sponsorship packages” that range from as little as $50, which includes special access to online resources and an autograph card, all the way up to $4,000, which promises a smorgasborg of merchandise and a unique opportunity to train with Evan Tanner, attend a UFC event and hob knob with MMA’s elite around Las Vegas.

Starting at the $100 level, all sponsors get a limited-edition, high-quality “Team Tanner” T-shirt (the T-shirt design will change from fight to fight).

Additionally, Tanner has a special package available once per fight for an individual sponsor who essentially becomes a cornerman for Tanner. The sponsor will accompany the Tanner to the weigh-ins the day before the event, and on fight night, he or she will be in the dressing room and accompany him to the octagon for the fight. The sponsor gets all the goodies from the other sponsorship packages, as well.

wow!! that's really cool! that $4000 package seems like good value! i mean, good tickets to the event can run you almost half of that... and then all the goodies, and the training, and a chance to hang out with other athletes? if one had the extra cash, i'd say that sounds like a fun time!!

mookie blaylock 10

i hadn't really thought of it that way ceg, but now that you mention it, it's a pretty decent deal. if there are people out there who are willing to spend as much as some do for tickets, then surely there are a few out there who would pay the extra amount for what would probabaly be a once in a lifetime experience.

there's a "best of 2007" show on spike tonight at 9 eastern that's slated for three hours! i'm hoping to get to see an unaired match or two. i'm sure they won't fill any space with commercials and video games previews...:D

civ_eng_girl

mookie blaylock 10 wrote:

there's a "best of 2007" show on spike tonight at 9 eastern that's slated for three hours! i'm hoping to get to see an unaired match or two. i'm sure they won't fill any space with commercials and video games previews...:D

tuned in after House last night.... caught the very end of the Huerta/Garcia fight (again)... best ending ever, the two of them kneeling and hugging in the ring...

saw Mirko get kicked in the head :(, but had to turn it off after seeing him twist his ankle eight times on replay... *shudders*

also getting ready to leave for Calgary for the weekend... so had to do dishes and put laundry away... blah!

mookie blaylock 10

there was a fantastic picture of that moment after the fight that i've been trying to find since i saw it posted in a news article / blog...i should have thought to save it, but didn't. there are ither great shots of it, but this one captured the moment very well.

i think if you could use an image to answer someone asking what the competition of mma was about, you would use that image to explain it.

sorry again that you won't be joining us for the finale, but at least you'll see the final episode tonight. the preview says that someone walks away from the show, so maybe there us no injury involved?! i happened upon a spoiler for the show about who the replacement is...but i won't say who so as not to ruin it...:D

edit: then again, the spoiler could be totally false, too. i may have, however, just figured out how one of the rumours that has been ongoing got started, but i won't know if my theory is correct until after tonight...;)

mookie blaylock 10

if my preview guide is correct, and sometimes it is , it looks like there's a good episode of releashed on tonight...a couple of miracle comebacks with nogueira vs. herring and marcus davis vs. paul talylor, then perhaps the most transitions from submission to submission attempt i can recall with matt serra vs. kelly dulanty (granted, dullanty is not in serra's league with jiu-jitsu, but this is a crazy display of what a good bjj guy can do to someone who has a lower level of knowledge on the ground)

oh, and one of wanderlei's silva's wins in the ufc. they had not much to choose from.

mookie blaylock 10

well, the spoiler i read was right, and so was ceg. my apologies for having doubted you. :D jon kolosci steps in for matt arroyo and there's a rematch with mac already! i really didn't think he'd be cleared to fight after the damage from the last fight. i guess it was mostly superficial. with a cracked rib, i'm not sure how arroyo would have been cleared anyway.

mookie blaylock 10

new fight, same outcome. mac wins with a rear naked choke in the first. at least john didn't look nearly as bad in the post fight interview. a few less bruises...:)

so mac has made it to the finals!

the rumour for most of the season had been that war machine was fighting george at the finale. when i read the spoiler about john kolosci being the substitute, i started thinking maybe he upset mac or tommy in the semi's and made it in to fight george, and that people had been confused about john and jon...so there goes my theory. it was a bit of a stretch.

mookie blaylock 10

shitty. certainly not the finale fight i was hoping to see. tommy wins by ko over george but "i was not impressed by his performance." he looked terrible going for the clinch and takedowns, but was actually throwing some good punches from the outside. he lands a right that i'm not sure george could see and puts him down.

mac vs. tommy in the final.

danzig!

ACCBootlegGoddess

mookie blaylock 10 wrote:

shitty. certainly not the finale fight i was hoping to see. tommy wins by ko over george but "i was not impressed by his performance." he looked terrible going for the clinch and takedowns, but was actually throwing some good punches from the outside. he lands a right that i'm not sure george could see and puts him down.

mac vs. tommy in the final.

danzig!

Even if there was no thumb to the eye, I still think Tommy woulda won that fight. George was just not himself from the opening bell. I like both fighters but I have to admit I was going for Tommy.
The finals is a nice Fuck you to That arrogant prick Matt Serra!

Lets go Mac!!!

ohh and on the 29th...Lets go JSP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

civ_eng_girl

mookie blaylock 10 wrote:

well, the spoiler i read was right, and so was ceg. my apologies for having doubted you.

ahhh... i'll let it slide.... this time!

yay!! I love Kolosci! what a great guy... so enthusiastic... i was so excited when Dana gave him the fight! but then I was totally torn between him and Mac!! I didn't want either of them to lose. However, when it came down to it, it's Danzig all the way, and I agreed with Mac's irritation over the fact that the guy he just beat could take his place in the finals....

btw... are Kolosci's tattoos multiplying??? i swear, every time he takes his shirt off, they get bigger.... i think they're spreading! :eek:

mookie blaylock 10 wrote:

shitty. certainly not the finale fight i was hoping to see. tommy wins by ko over george but "i was not impressed by his performance." he looked terrible going for the clinch and takedowns, but was actually throwing some good punches from the outside. he lands a right that i'm not sure george could see and puts him down.

yah... that sucks about the thumb to the eye.... is it possible to come back from that??? (seriously... do people often win after that happens?) trying to hit a guy when you dno't have any depth perception is damn near impossible! it would have been a waaaay different fight if that hadn't have happened.... although, George did look a little nervous going in.


Well...... i hope you guys enojy the finale!! i realize now that since it's on Spike, i may be able to watch it at the hotel in Banff, if we aren't still out for dinner... i might be able to talk my best friend's husband into watching, but i'm not sure she'd like it herself... she'd need a Curious George to get through it...


oh! Mookie, can you try looking for one of the Huerta/Garcia pics for me? i'd love to have one... i couldn't find any yesterday, but most of the MMA sites are blocked here are work due to "violence".... hehehe...

ReleasH

It was torture waiting until tonight to watch the TUF episode. I somehow managed to show some restraint and not come by the thread for spoilers.

Yay Danzig!! I'm not surprised that John was the only one who was enthusiastic about fighting Mac. At least he got a chance to redeem himself. Mac showed some patience in waiting for that RNC.

Wow, what happened to George in that fight? He didn't look right from the beginning. +1 Ceg on the effects of Tommy's thumb to George's eye! I'll have to call you next time I need an opthamologic consultation. Too bad for George, who I think is the better fighter.

Interesting finale with Mac v. Tommy .... obviously I'm rooting for Mac. Tommy's a bigger and possibly stronger guy, but unless he has learned a lot of technique in his months off, Mac is going to pick him apart.

mookie blaylock 10

ceg, i can't even find a picture of it, let alone the good one i mentioned before...i'll keep looking. good luck catching the show in calgary, and to you too, acc in vegas. have fun!

i've gone and got meself too psyched for the huerta vs. guida fight! i'd be over the top if it was george and mac, though. i thought tom vs. matt a. would work out as another good main card match, too. the way it turned out, i don't find it as interesting as if it had panned out as hoped, as i think george and mac were the best in the house.

two more days until fight of the year. i hope mac wins the contract, and that jonathan gets a quick ko on paul just so they'll show it.

releash and i will maintain control here while you are away, ceg, have fun.

mookie blaylock 10

wait a tic, forgot the predictions!

Main Card:

Roger Huerta Vs. Clay Guida - huerta by split decision
Mac Danzig Vs. Tom Speer - danzig by tko
George Sotiropoulos Vs. Billy Miles - sotiropoulos by submission
Jared Rollins Vs. Jon Koppenhaver - koppenhaver by tko

Pre-lims:

Dan Barrera Vs. Ben Saunders - saunders by ko
Matt Arroyo Vs. John Kolosci - arroyo by submission
Paul Georgieff Vs. Jonathan Goulet - goulet by ko
Troy Mandaloniz Vs. Richie Hightower - hightower by decision
Roman Mitichyan Vs. Dorian Price - price by submission

mookie blaylock 10

just watching the best of 2007 show again and i forgot to say before that during the forrest griffin vs. shogun fight, they muted the sound on randy couture's voice in forrest's corner in between the first and second round. then they cut out the part directly after when joe rogan comments about randy saying if forrest gets underhooks, shogun cannot take him down.

something i noticed the first time and meant to mention in case someone else caught it. a petty thing to do, i thought. there's mention of him at other times, but they chose to block that out for whatever childish reason...rather odd.

ReleasH

mookie blaylock 10 wrote:

wait a tic, forgot the predictions!

Main Card:

Roger Huerta Vs. Clay Guida - huerta by split decision
Mac Danzig Vs. Tom Speer - danzig by tko
George Sotiropoulos Vs. Billy Miles - sotiropoulos by submission
Jared Rollins Vs. Jon Koppenhaver - koppenhaver by tko

Pre-lims:

Dan Barrera Vs. Ben Saunders - saunders by ko
Matt Arroyo Vs. John Kolosci - arroyo by submission
Paul Georgieff Vs. Jonathan Goulet - goulet by ko
Troy Mandaloniz Vs. Richie Hightower - hightower by decision
Roman Mitichyan Vs. Dorian Price - price by submission

My predictions for Saturday ...
Main Card:
Roger Huerta Vs. Clay Guida - Huerta by tko
Mac Danzig Vs. Tom Speer - Danzig by submission
George Sotiropoulos Vs. Billy Miles - Sotiropoulos by submission
Jared Rollins Vs. Jon Koppenhaver - Rollins by decision ... but I might change my mind at the last second on this one

Pre-lims:
Dan Barrera Vs. Ben Saunders - Barrera by tko
Matt Arroyo Vs. John Kolosci - Arroyo by decision
Paul Georgieff Vs. Jonathan Goulet - Goulet by tko
Troy Mandaloniz Vs. Richie Hightower - Hightower by submission
Roman Mitichyan Vs. Dorian Price - Mitichyan by tko