ManMMA 211 Post-Fight Press Conference

[The Sandmen]

Tonight's attendance was 17,000, and PPV totals exceeded 4 million. We think this might be a record, but we have our stats people looking into that, and we'll get back to you.

Initial word on Arlovski is he will be out of action until early next season. That might be a rather big blow to Camp Cannon come Grand Prix time, as his Heavyweight division is a bit light. But we'll see.

We're growing concerned about Felice Herrig, who has been severely neglected for several seasons now, and is sitting at a dismal 5-13 after tonight's loss. We'll need to see some effort at improvement in her if she wants to keep fighting here in this organization.

Q&A time.


Questions?

[Ferocity]

Love this new feature. Keep it up!

[The Sandmen]

Will do!

Any other questions?

[The Rocketmen]

Was the break immediate to Arlovski, causing the end of the fight, or was it possible it was injured earlier in the bout which led to the break and stoppage later on?

Randy Couture is heading to his second straight Heavyweight tournament finals. What is in the fold for him this time around to capture the win and get a title shot? Last season, he excelled through Liddell, but couldn't get the finish. Does that fight still weigh on him?

Hansen returns to capture his second title. It's been a long road back to the top. Is there any immediate contenders that are on the horizon for his first challenge, or would Fisher receive a rematch for his long-time service with the gold?

Ben Askren has been on the cusp for such a long time, to out-wrestle Chael Sonnen - one of the best wrestlers on ManMMA, does he look to battle in his own field, or look for a weakness to exploit in his opponents. Does he think he can match up well against Silva?

[Ferocity]

huh. real questions. well I certainly can't help there.

[The Sandmen]

Apr 23, 2014 8:06:38 GMT -5 The Rocketmen said:

Was the break immediate to Arlovski, causing the end of the fight, or was it possible it was injured earlier in the bout which led to the break and stoppage later on?

President
Reports indicate the break was definitely the cause for the stoppage of the fight, and was immediate. Whether the arm was injured before-hand remains uncertain, though Arlovski did claim he was "100% heading into this one".

Apr 23, 2014 8:06:38 GMT -5 The Rocketmen said:

Randy Couture is heading to his second straight Heavyweight tournament finals. What is in the fold for him this time around to capture the win and get a title shot? Last season, he excelled through Liddell, but couldn't get the finish. Does that fight still weigh on him?

President
The way I see it, the difficulty of the up-coming HW tournament seems to depend a fair bit on Anderson's future. Should he stay at HW, he could provide quite a challenge for Couture. If he drops down, then it appears, tentatively, the biggest threat for the new and improved Randy would be Jon Jones. In terms of Chuck, reports indicate Randy has "moved on, but has not forgotten," the Chuck fight and has "learned a great deal from that fight and will undoubtedly be the better fighter next time around".

Apr 23, 2014 8:06:38 GMT -5 The Rocketmen said:

Hansen returns to capture his second title. It's been a long road back to the top. Is there any immediate contenders that are on the horizon for his first challenge, or would Fisher receive a rematch for his long-time service with the gold?

President
Hansen's next fight is Mike Chandler. Insiders indicate he is not looking past Chandler, but feels the challenge he is most looking forward to is a rematch with BJ Penn. He hopes BJ can get his consistency in order and earn a title shot.

The Sandmen
Though Hansen doesn't really want to fight his teammate again, The Sandmen are excited about the future of Conor McGregor, and hope Hansen will be around for a Conor-Joachim rematch.

Apr 23, 2014 8:06:38 GMT -5 The Rocketmen said:

Ben Askren has been on the cusp for such a long time, to out-wrestle Chael Sonnen - one of the best wrestlers on ManMMA, does he look to battle in his own field, or look for a weakness to exploit in his opponents. Does he think he can match up well against Silva?

President
Ya know, Ben's a funny guy. He can walk through a lot of guys in this division, but when it comes to the big fights, he routinely falls short. I donno what's in store with this guy. And truth be told, if he doesn't make some dramatic improvements, I don't see much hope for him against Wandelei.

Ben Askren
"I can beat anyone, any time, any where. Whine-derlay is no exception. I'm coming for that belt, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

[The Rocketmen]

Best. Addition. To ManMMA. Ever.

[Lord Byron's Conquistadors]

wats next for don frye? i think ill swap him soon tho. anyone on my team in danger??? whose ken shamrock fight next???

[xx - Former Phoenix Fight Club]

lol That's a great thing to announce at a press conference Byron. The guys wins his fight tonight and the response is: "i think ill swap him soon tho." wtf?!

[xx - Team GAP]

Can you see a possible opprutunity for Sanchez-Hansen fight in the near future? If so then when could you see that happening? If not then who do you see Sanchez fighting soon that could earn him a chance for gold?

You mentioned Jon Jones being the biggest threat for Randy Couture. Why do you think Jon Jones is a bigger threat for Couture than Rasahd Evans?

[xx - The Broad Street Bullies]

With Askren winning the number one contender match, how is Silva preparing for the upcoming match? Is he worried about this opponent?

With a new lightweight champion crowned, who are the biggest threats to the new champs title? Can we expect to see them take part in the next number one contender tournament?

How is Coleman preparing to defend his title against the winner of the Couture - Evans fight?

[The Sandmen]

Apr 23, 2014 23:12:18 GMT -5 Lord Byron's Conquistadors said:

wats next for don frye?

President
We have a couple interesting people in mind for Don, but after this win, it's possible he could find himself in the next HW tournament. Possible, but not guaranteed. He's relatively safe here with this company, but we would like to see some more improvement or work on his part so we know he is taking this opportunity seriously.

Apr 23, 2014 23:12:18 GMT -5 Lord Byron's Conquistadors said:

anyone on my team in danger???

President
Though no one on your team is in danger, per say, we're hoping Evan has a better showing this time around, as he is currently sitting on a 10 fight losing streak, and it would be nice to have that rectified. I'd also keep watch on Eddie ALvarez, who, though not in danger at the moment, also has a dismal record and a history of neglect behind him.

Apr 23, 2014 23:12:18 GMT -5 Lord Byron's Conquistadors said:

whose ken shamrock fight next???

President
Like Don, we have a couple people in mind here, but depending on how the next HW tournament pans out, Ken may or may not be a part of that. Before making any decisions, we'll need to see how the pieces of that tournament fall. We are interested to hook Ken up with a more experienced low-level opponent to see if he really is getting better, or if Minakov is just not that good yet.

[The Sandmen]

Apr 24, 2014 2:35:16 GMT -5 xx - Team GAP said:

Can you see a possible opprutunity for Sanchez-Hansen fight in the near future? If so then when could you see that happening? If not then who do you see Sanchez fighting soon that could earn him a chance for gold?

President
Diego's a monster. One of the best here. But he's coming off of 2 straight losses now, so he's got to work his way back into a tournament before getting a title shot. As I said, the guy's a monster, so I don't see this being a problem for him, to be honest. Penn, Diego, Fisher, and now Chandler moving up fast, the LW division is just stacked right now. It's a very exciting time to be a ManMMA fan.

Apr 24, 2014 2:35:16 GMT -5 xx - Team GAP said:

CYou mentioned Jon Jones being the biggest threat for Randy Couture. Why do you think Jon Jones is a bigger threat for Couture than Rasahd Evans?

President
YOu are correct; my mistake. I was thinking Couture had won his way INTO a tournament, and am Brain-GAPing all over the place. The Rashad fight is one I am actually really looking forward to, personally, as both fighters have come a long way. I misspoke before, and Jones is not anywhere near Randy at this time. Rashad will make for a worthy challenge, and has proven himself capable of taking damage and not losing his composure with his Griffin fight, so he will be a tough one. I think Vegas oddsmakers will still see this for Randy, particularly because he has been a bit more consistent in the past. That said, Rashad has a win over Anderson Silva and is walking through his second straight HW tournament now, so he is no slouch. Tune in to the PPV for this one; it could be a title fight in the future.

[The Sandmen]

Apr 24, 2014 10:57:52 GMT -5 xx - The Broad Street Bullies said:

With Askren winning the number one contender match, how is Silva preparing for the upcoming match? Is he worried about this opponent?

President
For the particulars on Silva's preparation, we'd have to ask his camp. When you are at the absolute peak of your game, like Wanderlei is, I don't think you need to change that much to stay at the top. And truth be told, Askren is still a strong, but unproven contender. He'll be the underdog here for sure. I think Wanderlei knows this, and doubt he is very afraid of what Ben brings to the table. Now, that said, we have seem some wrestlers upset some strikers as of late, with ANderson falling to Coleman, so you never know. That's the fun of ManMMA, is it not?

Apr 24, 2014 10:57:52 GMT -5 xx - The Broad Street Bullies said:

With a new lightweight champion crowned, who are the biggest threats to the new champs title? Can we expect to see them take part in the next number one contender tournament?

President
Great question. I answered this partially above, but I'll repeat. I think the biggest threats at LW are Diego, BJ Penn, and Spencer Fisher. We have yet to see what Michael Chandler can do against the big boys, but he has been working hard and has come a long way. The same can be said with Conor McGregor. Guys like DOminick Cruz and Benson Henderson are also perpetual tough challenges, but both have had some rough patches lately, so they might be considered less of a threat than the aforementioned 3. The division is deep.

Now, as for the next tournament, currently, we only have BJ Penn and CLay Guida booked into the next tournament. Once we sit down with the matchmakers, we'll get the particulars of the upcoming LW tournament sorted out, I believe for ManMMA 212 actually. I think because of the way the schedule and fights have panned out, the majority of the names above will be looking to fight their way into the NEXT tournament, however, so Vegas is probably pushing the odds for BJ. But we'll see.

Apr 24, 2014 10:57:52 GMT -5 xx - The Broad Street Bullies said:

How is Coleman preparing to defend his title against the winner of the Couture - Evans fight?

President
For the particulars on that, we'd have to talk to Coleman and his camp. I would think the preparation would depend a lot on who wins the Couture-Evans fight. They both bring different strengths to the table, and present unique challenges to Coleman and his title.

[The Sandmen]

Test post to try to fix strange glitch (ignore this post)