UFC fighter Anderson Silva dancing with Justin Bieber

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via Steve Cofield of Yahoo!

Dana White: “Fuck ESPN”

Fresh off his organization’s new tv deal with Fox, UFC President Dana White boldly proclaimed on his Twitter page this weekend, “Fuck ESPN.”

White also Tweeted that ESPN “always hated” the UFC.

Fox lands UFC

The UFC has finally landed a network tv deal. The Ultimate Fighting Championship and Fox reached agreement on a seven-year deal Thursday. The new contract allows Fox to televise four UFC cards per year. The deal also allows Fox properties FX and Fuel TV to show an additional 32 events.

The deal is worth a reported $100 million and leaves previous network Spike TV out in the cold. Spike will air Season 14 of the UFC reality tv series “The Ultimate Fighter” in September before the show moves to FX with live Friday night fights according to Steve Cofield of Yahoo! Sports.

Joe Rogan is not going to win this year’s “Alan Alda Male Sensitivity Award”

JOE ROGAN

Last week we brought you the story of UFC fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and his faux motorboating controversy. Yahoo! Sports blogger/columnist Maggie Hendricks was one of several writers to hammer Jackson for his sordid history of inappropriate treament towards female journalists.

Over the weekend, it was Hendricks who was attacked. Following her criticism of Jackson, UFC announcer Joe Rogan went online and made some comments about Hendricks that were in incredibly poor taste. For instance, Rogan actually referred to Hendricks as being “cunty,” whatever the hell that means.

In addition to pointing out that Rampage Jackson is NOT A FUCKING DENTIST, Rogan added that even though the fighter occassionly gets “out of line,” that’s just “part of his charm.” Rogan also dropped two c-word bombs on Hendricks and referred to her as “ugly.” Classy! (even for a guy from Fear Factor.)

Rogan’s comments were so over the top that UFC president Dana White was offended. Wow! I didn’t even know that was possible. White made Rogan apologize to Hendricks.

Rogan returned to the same same chatroom and wrote:

“Never did I imagine that so many people would get their panties in a bunch about the use of the word “c*nty” to describe a female blogger, but in this “gotcha” age of online “journalism” we find ourselves in any controversy that can be expolited to fill headlines…”

Jesus, man! Worst…apology…ever.

UFC to get into New York the old fashioned way: bribing politicians

 

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has been trying for years to be licensed in the state of New York. They have tried repeatedly to get the New York State Assembly to legalize MMA fighting in general and the UFC in particular. The UFC has been met by failure after failure in these attempts.

Now UFC president Dana White is more hopeful than ever about getting his sport approved in New York. The reason? Zuffa, UFC’s parent company, donated $75,000 to New York governor Andrew Cuomo’s election campaign.

White recently whined to the Chicago Sun-Times that, “We’ve gone into other countries faster than we’ve gotten to New York.” The UFC has held events in Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Ireland and Dubai.

IS THIS THE YEAR UFC AND MMA ARE LEGALIZED IN NEW YORK?

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is trying yet again to get their sport legalized in the state of New York. Representatives of UFC met with Madison Square Garden officials yesterday. There are also reports that state politicians and the president of MSG had lobbied new governor Mario Cuomo earlier. As the New York Post reports, Madison Square Garden is going “to the mat” for UFC.

UFC and Mixed Martial Arts have been banned in New York since 1997, primarily under the canard that it is “human cockfighting.” The sport has been regulated and repackaged for over a decade. It is now sanctioned in 44 states. UFC also hired former Nevada State Athletic Commission head Marc Ratner as a vice president in 2006. Ratner is one of the most respected figures in boxing history and is even in the sport’s Hall of Fame. He is a man of impeccable character despite coming from a sport (boxing) that is filled with scumbags.

With Ratner’s hiring, UFC thought it would be able to convince the New York state boxing commission to legalize their sport. After five years of lobbying, no luck.

UFC has already commited to two events within the next twelve months if the New York legislature legalizes the sport. That would bring in an estimated $23 million to the state and create over 200 jobs. Right now that money and those jobs are going to nearby states like New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts where UFC is legal.

UFC 128, featuring Rashad Evans versus Shogun Rhua for the sport’s light heavyweight title, takes place in Newrk, New Jersey. Freakin’ NEWARK!

COMING TO A THEATER NEAR YOU: UFC

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has just reinvented itself in terms of marketing. The UFC announced Monday that it had signed a deal with over 300 movie theaters around the country to show their monthly main events live  on the big screen.

The deal starts with UFC 111 March 27th. UFC president Dana White called the arrangement “a new way to get UFC to people.” UFC fighters will also make live appearances at movie theaters around the country in conjunction with the screenings. Chicago and Minneapolis are two cities that the UFC announced are involved in the promotion.

TITO ORTIZ CALLS CHUCK LIDDELL “AN ALCOHOLIC”

CHUCK LIDDELL AND TITO ORTIZ

Steve Cofield of Yahoo! Sports reports that Tito Ortiz made a fleeting reference to fellow UFC fighter Chuck Liddell as “an alcoholic.” Ortiz made his comments in an interview with MMAJunkie.

There is no love lost between Liddell and Ortiz. Liddell defeated Ortiz twice-by a tko at UFC 47 in April of 2004, and another technical knockout at UFC 66 in December of 2006. The pair also coached against each other in the UFC based reality tv series The Ultimate Fighter.

BROCK LESNAR: “THIRD WORLD,” COMMIE, CANADIAN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM ALMOST KILLED ME

UFC PRESIDENT DANA WHITE AND BROCK LESNAR

The Ultimate Fighting Championship held a press conference Wednesday to announce the return of heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. However, the fighter’s return to The Octagon and improved health wasn’t the big news as UFC had planned.

Instead, Lesnar, the former WWE wrestling star, managed to make news by pissing off the entire nation of Canada. Lesnar, a self-described “conservative Republican” described how his stomach injury was misdiagnosed in Canada. He went on to say how much better the American health care system was comparing the treatment he got at the Mayo Clinic compared to rural Manitoba. Lesnar even used the phrase “Third World” in describing the  Canadian health care system. He also talked about fleeing Canada to get medical treatment across the border in North Dakota, which Lesnar says “saved my life.”

Lesnar’s “Third World” comments were carried in Canada from Edmonton to Toronto to Kelowna. He also used the press conference to bash President Obama.

Lesnar will take on the winner of a Frank Mir/Shane Carwin fight later this summer for the UFC heavyweight championship. Mir and Carwin will battle for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 111 which takes place in March.

Audio by Steve Cofield of ESPN Radio Las Vegas:

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LESNAR “MAY NEVER FIGHT AGAIN”

BROCK LESNAR

The Hollywood gossip website TMZ.com doesn’t usually cover sports stories, but today they broke a doozy. UFC President Dana White admitted to the site that Brock Lesnar, his organization’s heavyweight champion, may “never fight again.”

Lesnar is enroute to the Mayo Clinic and is suffering from “a serious intestinal problem” and will undergo “major”  surgery. White also revealed that Lesnar had been in “dire condition” after collapsing while on vacation in Canada last week.