Posted by Tommy Hackett on 10th January 2009
Yeah, I know we say it a lot, but it’s still amazing how far this sport has come.
Many of us here in the Pacific Northwest remember the days when Randy Couture & Maurice Smith (and later, Couture & Josh Barnett) were fighting each other for the UFC title while training out of our local gyms. It was a source of pride for us that many of the biggest names in this sport made our area their home. Unfortunately, our local media totally ignored the phenomenon.
Times have changed. This week, the story of Cindy Hales, the local BJJ phenom who fought Megumi Fujii in MMA last year, made the front page of Seattle Weekly. This is a story that sadly flies under the radar of even most MMA fans here, and yet it becomes a cover story for one of our better outlets. Now, that’s more like it. In Spoiling For a Fight, Hales expounds on her triumphs in jiu jitsu and MMA — and her struggles. She has sustained knee injuries which her boxing coach Mike Gavronski thinks have ended her fighting career, and suffered through a massive same day weight cut against Fujii.
Whether or not Hales gets the rematch with Fujii that she seeks, there’s no doubt the attention she gets from this article is well deserved. Whatever happens next, kudos are in order for Hales on her fine career, and respect goes to Seattle Weekly for recognizing it.
Posted in MMA, Media, Tommy Hackett, jiu-jitsu | 4 Comments »
Posted by Dave Walsh on 20th July 2008
On July 19th, Affliction, the company known for its rather gaudy clothing line launched a Holy War against the world of Mixed Martial Arts, the UFC in particular, led by Megadeth and the world’s best heavyweights. While it wasn’t their intention originally to jump right in to rivaling the UFC head-to-head, it was UFC that immediately fired back planning their own show with easily the best pound for pound fighter in the world, Anderson Silva headlining. Affliction Banned looked a lot like their clothing looks: rough around the edges, disorganized and not for everybody. The card that they assembled was epic in proportions, with three huge heavyweight fights, featuring a former PRIDE Heavyweight Champion, four former UFC Heavyweight Champions and a former IFL Heavyweight standout. This was undoubtedly huge.
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Posted in Affliction, Dave Walsh, Media | 6 Comments »
Posted by Dave Walsh on 1st June 2008
By Dave Walsh
Really, what were you expecting from EliteXC on CBS? I am looking around the net right now, and it is actually kind of distressing the level of insanity that is coming with the inaugural MMA event on broadcast television and the coverage that it is getting. A lot of the mainstream media is giving this event some positive or simply complacent reviews, while most of the net is going absolutely livid over it. What I see is a whole different level of understanding, and it isn’t in the way which you would think.
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Posted in CBS, Dave Walsh, Elite XC, Gary Shaw, MMA, Media | 9 Comments »
