By Steven Kelliher on December 30, 2009
When UFC lightweight contender Joe Lauzon emerged from his February battle with Jeremy Stephens with severe damage to his ACL, his plans for a dominant 2009 campaign in the lightweight division were put on hold. What followed was a tedious recovery period. Since returning to hard training several months ago, Lauzon claims he feels 100% [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged lightweights, ufc
By Gregory Saks on December 29, 2009
The series of injuries and canceled bouts that have plagued this weekend’s UFC 108 card have been well-documented within the MMA press. What once may have been a blockbuster event to draw in giant pay per view numbers is now filled with replacement matchups that do not have the same gravity or buzz. Despite some [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged buzz rankings, ufc
By Steven Kelliher on December 28, 2009
Returning from hiatus following a serious knee injury, welterweight submission ace Dustin Hazelett was supposed to make his return on the main card of UFC 106 against Karo Parisyan last month. Unfortunately for “McLovin,” as Hazelett is known, Parisyan pulled out at the last minute, stranding Hazelett without an opponent the night before the event. [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged ufc, welterweights
By Steven Kelliher on December 25, 2009
After debuting in the UFC three years ago as the youngest competitor in the promotion’s history, Dan Lauzon suffered back to back losses for the first and only time in his professional career. After battling back on the local scene with seven straight wins–all by stoppage–Lauzon looked to be nearing the spotlight once again when [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged lightweights, ufc
By Gregory Saks on December 25, 2009
Interest in Russian MMA fighters surged in November following Fedor Emelianenko’s knockout performance over Brett Rogers in a CBS-televised Strikeforce event. Similarly, U.K. fighters received an increased share of the fan spotlight due to the UFC 105 event which took place in Manchester, England. Impressive victories from British fighters Michael Bisping and Dan Hardy helped [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged buzz rankings, england, russia
By Gregory Saks on December 24, 2009
The WEC and Dream promotions each enjoyed a boost in fan awareness and interest in November following their recent events in the United States and Japan. The WEC 44 event featuring Jose Aldo defeating Mike Brown for the featherweight title drew a strong buzz for the Zuffa-owned promotion, while the Dream.12 “White Cage” event in [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged dream, strikeforce, ufc, wec
By Gregory Saks on December 23, 2009
A long lineup of welterweight bouts from November helped push the division to higher prominence and fan interest during the month. Co-main event bouts including Anthony Johnson vs Josh Koscheck and Mike Swick vs Dan Hardy, plus a number of other high-profile welterweight tilts all drove the increase as compared to October. Heavyweights remained the [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged heavyweights, welterweights
By Gregory Saks on December 22, 2009
Miguel Torres remained the bantamweight MMA fighter with the most fan interest in November, staying atop the Buzz Rankings for the 3rd consecutive month. Despite having lost to current champion Brian Bowles in August, Torres has become one of the few WEC competitors to generate legitimate drawing power for his fights. Bowles, while champion, dropped [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged buzz rankings, wec
By Steven Kelliher on December 22, 2009
For Canadian middleweight Patrick Cote, 2009 has been all about the recovery. After suffering a disappointing third-round TKO loss to reigning UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva last year when his knee gave out, Cote has had a roller coaster ride through the turbulent and often painful recovery process. Having resumed training over the course of [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged middleweights, ufc
By Gregory Saks on December 21, 2009
Jose “Junior” Aldo stormed to the top of the Featherweight Buzz Rankings in November in much the same way that he won the WEC divisional championship against Mike Brown on November 18th. Aldo moved ahead of the most recognizable face of the division, Urijah Faber, to take the top ranking. Several other WEC featherweights also [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged buzz rankings, featherweights
