 UFC
Faces Tough
Competition with
BodogFight
Sports911.com had an
opportunity to cover
the taping of
BodogFight's third
season Mixed Martial
Arts reality series
and as a media
organization that
has followed the
Bodog Entertainment
Group since
practically Day One
of its emergence, we
can say without a
shadow of a doubt,
the UFC better watch
closely.
What impressed us
most during taping
in Costa Rica this
past weekend?
The joy in nearly
every fighter's eyes
when discussing the
BodogFight concept.
They all expressed
absolute gratitude
for the opportunity
afforded them and
the belief that
BodogFight will
become a leader in
the Mixed Martial
Arts arena.
Those close to the
sports already
concede that
BodogFight is a
pivotal player.
"They are already
huge in the world of
MMA," confessed one
marketing guru we
met with Monday
night while in Costa
Rica. "Their
name is out there
and BodogFight is
really going to
emerge as a major
brand in the Mixed
Martial Arts
market."
The proof is in the
pudding.
BodogFight is about
to be seen in more
households then
SpikeTV can provide
via the
ION Cable Network
which reaches more
US households than
SpikeTV and any UFC
event.
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Tuesday, Feb. 20 and Saturday, Feb. 24 at 11/10c
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MMA
Fight
Night -
Jackson
vs.
Samoliov
Tyler
'TNT'
Jackson
- 5'8" -
170lbs -
MMA
record 7
wins, 3
losses
and a
draw
Dmitri
Samoliov
- 5'8" -
170lbs -
MMA
record 1
win and
no
losses
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MMA
Fight
Night -
Masvidal
vs.
Berger
Jorge 'Gamebred'
Masvidal
- 5'11"
- 161lbs
- MMA
record 9
wins and
2 losses
Steve
Berger -
5'10" -
161lbs -
MMA
record
18 wins,
14
losses
and 3
draws
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LEARN MORE HERE |
Pictured left to right:
BodogFight Founder Calvin
Ayre, Sports911.com founder
Christopher Costigan, MMA
legend Royce (pronounced "Hoyce")
Gracie
Then there is the fact
that the legend, Royce Gracie, spent an entire
weekend observing the BodogFight event, taped in
Playa Tambor, Costa Rica. Royce Gracie, for
those of you not familiar with the man, was recently
profiled on 60 Minutes. He is to MMA what
Muhammad Ali is to boxing. He is also one of
the most nicest men you will ever meet.
But more
importantly to those of us at Sports911.com was the
loyalty and sincere appreciation from the talented
fighters displayed towards the Bodog Organization.
Sports911.com has
followed Bodog as an online gambling venture since
its first year in business. We were
practically laughed off the Internet as one of the
few supporters of Bodog, only to have the last
laugh. Bodog.com soon became one of the most
revolutionary brands in the world of online
gambling.
What we witnessed this week is that Bodog.com will
become an even bigger force in the world of MMA.
The writing is on the wall and we're already making
our daring prediction: BodogFight is fast
becoming
a bigger name than the UFC over the next year.
Those close to the UFC
suggest that they are
beginning to take notice.
In additional to
peaking the interest of the legend Royce Gracie,
BodogFight has forged a pivotal partnership with the
formidable K1 Organization, which is now bigger in
Japan than a more household brand, Pride Fighting.
The K-1
organization is currently headed and promoted by
Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) of Japan. FEG
also promotes HERO's mixed martial arts events, with
headliners such as Genki Sudo, Royce Gracie, Bob
Sapp, Kazushi Sakuraba and Don Frye.
"We don't treat our
fighters like a piece of meat," said Calvin Ayre,
founder of the Bodog Entertainment Group and
BodogFight.
Injuries do occur
though and we witnessed this first hand with one
female fighter's ankle bone being ripped right from
the skin and another fighter breaking his nose to
the point where he painted the mat with his own
blood. He fought with the broken nose and won.
We are not permitted to discuss fight outcomes and,
as such, cannot discuss the brave men and women
fighters by name until a later date.
Tara LaRosa vs Shanya
Bazler (both of the USA)
The Bodog organization
in general is among the most professionally run
companies, regardless of industry. Key people
have been with the firm for well over five years and
Ayre has taken good care of his professional staff.
Fighters can expect the same, including the bubbly
and resilient female fighter from New Jersey, Tara
LaRosa.
LaRosa has gone 13-1 over her career as an MMA
fighter. She will be appearing in Dubai in the
weeks to come as part of a grappling match.
"I want to help in
any way possible with the Bodog organization
including its charity arm, The Bodog Foundation,"
Ms. LaRosa said.
LaRosa is easily
the "personality" within the BodogFight family.
Her vibrant personality came through in the ring
during the fight that will be shown on the upcoming
Season 3 of BodogFight. Both her and opponent
Shanyza Bazler, got a good laugh in early on during
their fight. This was an excellent fight we
might add and have been forbidden from revealing the
results. You will need to watch for the
premiere date.
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Matt
Lindland Pay Per View April
14 9/6 PM
ORDER
HERE The fighters were
all so appreciative to Calvin Ayre. His head
actually didn't explode at all the whole time we
were with him. He seemed like one of the boys
the entire time. Already, Ayre has taken a bit
of a beating in MMA forums, where he's been called
every name in the book. This is reminiscent of
Ayre's first two years making a name for himself in
online gambling. And that is not a bad
thing....In fact, this suggest to us that Calvin has
a solid foundation here.
We counted some dozen people
asking for fighter
autographs, quite a few
individuals in their 40's
and 50's. The smile on
their faces said it all.
The popularity of Mixed
Martial Arts was propelled a
few weeks ago by the
well-produced report
featured on 60 Minutes, a
story that profiled the
Gracie dynasty.
BodogFight will play a
pivotal role (and in fact
already is) within the world
of Mixed Martial Arts.
"UFC has got to be
concerned," said one fighter who wished to remain
anonymous.
They need to be.
We are already witness to what Calvin Ayre has
accomplished.
Throughout the
week, Sports911.com will be previewing upcoming
fights, analyzing BodogFight MMA fighters and
introducing our readers to the self-proclaimed "New
MMA". ----
Christopher Costigan,
Sports911.com
Originally published
February 20, 2007 12:20 am ET |
