By Steven Kelliher on April 20, 2010
Antonio Banuelos, a longtime friend and training partner of UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell, has been a staple in the WEC’s bantamweight division since the pre-Zuffa days of the promotion. In his twelve fights with the promotion, Banuelos has fought–and defeated–some of the world’s best at 135lbs, but it was his rousing three-round war [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged bantamweights, wec
By Steven Kelliher on April 19, 2010
Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis is already an accomplished wrestler, having been an NCAA Division I National Champion while competing for Pennsylvania State University, and after trying his hand at Jiu-Jitsu, he discovered that he was pretty good at that as well, winning the blue belt, super heavyweight division at the 2009 No Gi World Jiu-Jitsu [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged light heavyweights, ufc
By Gregory Saks on April 19, 2010
Miguel Torres stayed atop the bantamweight divisional buzz rankings for March for the third straight month, holding off the charge of new champion Dominick Cruz who rose one more spot to second place following his victory over Brian Bowles at WEC 47. Bowles came in third in the rankings, while other contenders Joseph Benavidez and [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged bantamweights, buzz rankings
By Gregory Saks on April 16, 2010
“The California Kid” Urijah Faber remained the most popular featherweight fighter in MMA in March, holding his edge over fellow high-profile 145-pounders including Jens Pulver and champion Jose Aldo. While Faber will step into his April 24th bout against Aldo as the challenger, the buzz rankings demonstrate that it is the former divisional kingpin who [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged buzz rankings, featherweights
By Steven Kelliher on April 15, 2010
Last time we spoke with 2008 Olympic wrestler Ben Askren, the undefeated welterweight prospect was unsure which major U.S.-based mixed martial arts promotion he would be calling home in 2010. A few months later, as Bellator Fighting Championships began gearing up for its second season of eight-man tournaments, Askren was one of the first major [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged bellator, welterweights
By Gregory Saks on April 15, 2010
BJ Penn stayed atop the lightweight divisional buzz rankings in March, marking four straight months where he was the most sought after fighter in the division. Japanese fighters Takanori Gomi and Shinya Aoki took the second and third spots, respectively. While Gomi’s Fight Night 21 bout against Kenny Florian resulted in a loss for the [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged buzz rankings, lightweights
By Gregory Saks on April 14, 2010
Georges St-Pierre remained the most buzzed about welterweight MMA fighter for the fourth consecutive month in March, holding all other 170-pounders at bay including his UFC 111 challenger Dan Hardy. Hardy, who came up short in his challenge to St-Pierre, came in second, while Matt Hughes came in third just ahead of his UFC 112 [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged buzz rankings, welterweights
By Gregory Saks on April 13, 2010
Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva remained the two most buzzed about middleweight fighters for the third straight month in March. Fans remained anxious for “The Spider” to defend his belt against Demian Maia at UFC 112, and with the controversial and bizarre unfolding of events during the fight, Silva will likely stay the most discussed [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged buzz rankings, middleweights
By Gregory Saks on April 12, 2010
Jon “Bones” Jones became the most buzzed about light heavyweight fighter in MMA in March following his stunning TKO victory over Brandon Vera in the main event of the UFC’s first-ever card on Versus. The talented young prospect continued his impressive path to stardom and fans clearly are taking notice. Jones bumped the legendary Randy [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged buzz rankings, light heavyweights
By Gregory Saks on April 10, 2010
UFC 111 in New Jersey broke the trend of lackluster pay per views for the UFC with an estimated 770,000 buys. While Saturday’s UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi will not approach those levels, it is still poised to deliver a healthy follow-up on the heels of that card. With two title fights and notably strong [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged buy rates, ufc
