More Info From US Bank Arena on Deal With Intimidation Cage Fighting

As I exclusively reported here, Intimidation Cage Fighting signed a deal with US Bank Arena to host events there during 2009.

Even though I broke this news through FightTicker, I wanted to go ahead and post the official press release I received from US Bank Arena.

Check after the jump for the full press release. Also, the picture you see with this post is the new ICF logo - I think it's pretty good.

From a Press Release:

Intimidation Cage Fighting Invades U.S. Bank Arena on Saturday, April 11th
Tickets on sale Saturday, January 31 @ 10:00am
CINCINNATI, OH – Intimidation Cage Fighting will present “ICF: Breakout” on Saturday, April 11th at U.S. Bank Arena. “ICF: Breakout” will feature former UFC fighters along with the areas top professional and amateur MMA rising stars. ICF will be the first regional promotion to bring professional mixed martial arts to U.S. Bank Arena.

“We are thrilled to be hosting ICF: Breakout,” said U.S. Bank Arena Vice President & General Manager Kristin Ropp. “The Tri-State region, particularly Cincinnati, has proven to be a strong hotbed of MMA fans. We were honored to host UFC 77 and feel that ICF will pickup right where the UFC left off.”

Since ICF’s inception just over 7 months ago, Intimidation Cage Fighting has also partnered with Northern Kentucky’s Turfway Park to bring 6 events to the venue in 2008-2009. Now, ICF will call Cincinnati, Ohio’s U.S. Bank Arena home.

Tickets, $78, $53, and $38, go on sale January 31st at the U.S. Bank Arena box office, all Ticketmaster locations including select Kroger Stores, call 1-800-745-3000, and online at ticketmaster.com. For more information about this event visit www.intimidationcagefighting.com.

For more information on all of U.S. Bank Arena’s events, visit www.usbankarena.com.

Keep Reading...

FightTicker Exclusive: Chad Hinton Becomes the First Pro Fighter to Sign Exclusively With Intimidation Cage Fighting

More exciting new from Intimidation Cage Fighting! From my role with FightTicker.com, I can exclusively report that professional Lightweight fighter Chad Hinton, co-owner of Cincy MMA & Fitness and member of Team Xtreme has signed an exclusive contract with Intimidation Cage Fighting. Hinton's first fight under this new contract is scheduled to be at the previously announced April 11th event at US Bank Arena.



Based on a conversation with Hinton last night and based on an email I received from Denver Cavins, Executive Producer of ICF Events, I can confirm that Hinton is the first fighter to sign an exclusive contract with Intimidation Cage Fighting for 2009. Hinton, 2-0 as a pro, fights at 155 pounds.

Hinton's first fight under the new contract will be at the previously announced ICF: Breakout, April 11, 2009, at the US Bank Arena. The ICF has released the information that this is a one-year contract, and that Hinton could fight up to four times in 2009.

Hinton told me last night that he spent a lot of time talking with his family and his team prior to making his decision and that he's excited for his prospects in 2009.

I've included a couple of pictures of Hinton's signing sent to me by Cavins. The other guy in the picture with Hinton is Steve Stanton, ICF promoter.





ICF will host its next event, ICF: Shattered, at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky on January 24th. For more details on upcoming ICF events, check out the post I wrote here.

You can find ICF on the web here.

For more info on Cincy MMA & Fitness and Team Xtreme, go here.

I was at Cincy MMA & Fitness last night as part of a profile I'm doing on the gym and Team Xtreme. Keep an eye out for that in the coming week. Chad gave me a full tour of the facility and I was able to speak to a number of Team Xtreme fighters, some of whom will be fighting at ICF: Shattered.

-PreView

Keep Reading...

FightTicker Exclusive: Intimidation Cage Fighting Signs Deal with US Bank Arena

Through my role as a blogger with FightTicker.com I can now exclusively report that Intimidation Cage Fighting has signed a deal to bring ICF events to US Bank Arena. The ICF's first show in this venue, "ICF: Breakout" is scheduled for April 11th.

In a phone call today with Denver Cavins, Executive Producer of Intimidation Cage Fighting events, I learned that the ICF has signed a contract with US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. You may remember US Bank Arena as the venue that hosted UFC 77. The UFC is the only other MMA promotion to have hosted an event at US Bank Arena.

Check after the jump for all the details, including some info on the ICF's two shows before the show at US Bank Arena.

Cavins informed me that the ICF's first show at the arena, ICF: Breakout, will be held on April 11, 2009. Tickets will go on sale, through Ticketmaster, on January 31st.

In speaking to Cavins about the contract, he informed me that the contract is structured to allow the ICF a right of first refusal on certain promotions that want to hold shows at the arena, with the exception of the UFC and WWE. In other words, if any promotion (other than the UFC or WWE) wished to host an event at the arena, US Bank Arena would first have to offer that date to the ICF, and the ICF could then choose to use the arena on that date, or let it be offered to the other promotion.

Cavins told me that with the seating set-up the ICF is going to use, they will initially sell approximately 6,500 seats.

Both local and national press releases with be forthcoming from the ICF and US Bank Arena.

You can find Intimidation Cage Fighting on the web here or on MySpace here.

In other ICF news, the ICF will host their next show, ICF: Shattered, at Turfway Park on January 24th. For details on that event, check out my previous posts here and here. I will be there doing a live-blog of the event.

Cavins also gave me a heads up on their next show: what he described as a "North vs. South" battle, as members of Highlander Louisville and Highlander Tampa have challenged Cincinnati teams Team Vision and Team Xtreme. The event is currently being billed as the "Un-Civil War". All teams have some extremely tough guys - there should be some marquee match-ups that night.

You can find Highlander on the web here, Team Vision here and Team Xtreme here.

Cavins also told me this is just the first big step that Intimidation Cage Fighting is taking in 2009 and that there is a lot more to come. I will be bringing you this news as it breaks.

-PreView

Keep Reading...

Insider Commentary on the New York MMA Situation

As some of you may or may not know, a fight has been brewing in New York for some time now. New York is one of the few states left in the U.S. that has not sanctioned MMA competitions. Sure, mma fighters can still train all they want, but there are no sanctioned events in that state; i.e. no UFC, no XFC, no ICF.

Over the last few years, the UFC, in its push to take over the world, has put a lot of money into backing legislation in various states seeking to sanction professional MMA matches. New York is one of the states at the top of that list, for obvious reasons. For those of you that like watching MMA, imagine a UFC Pay-Per-View happening at Madison Square Garden - that would undoubtedly be an amazing, record-breaking event. But, until legislation passes, that won't happen.

An MMA website I frequent just interviewed a New York Assemblyman on the committee that's overseeing the legislation. Check after the jump for an excerpt from the interview as well as a link to the full text.

MMAWeekly.com has posted an interview with New York Assemblyman Bob Reilly, one of those who opposes MMA legislation in New York. The New York State Assembly’s Tourism, Arts, and Sports Development Committee could vote on the bill in question as early as next week.

From MMAWeekly.com:

MMAWeekly.com: Can you tell me about your feelings on the current bill and about mixed martial arts in general?

Reilly: My feeling about the bill is that it’s a flawed piece of legislation. And my feeling about mixed martial arts is that there are many problems with it. It really is a glorification of brutality and violence. Many people believe that violence in the media, or any portrayal of violence, or violence itself as I think happens in mixed martial arts, in fact, makes people immune to violence and in fact promotes violence.

In New York State, we pass a lot of laws to stop violence, especially among young people in schools, but domestic violence (as well). I think that this basically is a glorification of violence, but it certainly promotes violence. In itself, I think it’s a very brutal sport that creates, obviously, physical harm to the participants, and I don’t think there’s any other sport who’s purpose is to harm your opponent. But we know that in mixed martial arts, that, in fact, is one of the purposes.

I think economically, it’s a very poor thing for New York State, that just the economics of it would not be beneficial to our state. It just draws money out of the state. I compare it to gambling and what happens in gambling. If you take Atlantic City for example, you have casinos that are going broke, surrounded by slums. If you look at Las Vegas, basically, the same thing is happening, where 20 months in a row gambling revenue has decreased, and Las Vegas and the growth there has created many slum areas in Las Vegas.

------
While well-spoken throughout the interview, I think Reilly only truly serves to reveal himself as one of those people many of our readers are all-too-familiar with - the uninformed.

He does bring up some interesting points, namely that some of the financial projections could be misleading in terms of the amount of money that is speculated that would actually go to New York. However, I think as many of you will realize from the brief excerpt I posted, he really doesn't know what he's talking about when it comes to MMA.

I do not believe that MMA promotes violence. I think it's the opposite -- that MMA actually works to oppose violence. I know I'm likely preaching to the choir here, but in my opinion, MMA is about promoting excellence in athletics through informed combat in a controlled environment. Sure, there are guys that do things that don't promote this ideal (anybody heard of Junie Browning's antics on TUF?), but there are plenty of fighters out there, day in and day out, that are true ambassadors for the sport (think Rich Franklin), that represent the actual reality of MMA -- guys who are well-spoken, thoughtful, and yeah tough and intense competitors.

I also think it was kind of a low blow to use the Kimbo vs. James Thompson fight in the way he did, to try and point out a colleague's misunderstanding of the rules. Not only is it obvious he had no real idea how the fight went down, but he's talking about a fight that happened in a now-defunct promotion. Maybe it would be more appropriate if EliteXC were leading the charge for the legislation, but it's not EliteXC, it's the UFC -- the world's leading MMA promotion.

(By the way, I still have my doubts about the doctor that cleared Thompson to fight. Even if Thompson had been cleared by the doctor at a UFC event, I don't think the UFC brass would have let him fight in that condition.)

I don't know what it would take to change Reilly's mind, and frankly, I don't know that anything could. But it's uninformed people like Reilly that hold the sport back for all of us, and hold their constituents back from maybe making some good money from the business the promotions would bring in, and definitely enjoying a good show.

-PreView

(For the full interview, check out MMAWeekly.)

Keep Reading...

New Contest on FightTicker for UFC 93!

FightTicker's new pick 'em contest is up for UFC 93.

Check out FightTicker here for the direct link to the contest. You do have to be a FightTicker member to sign up, but it's free to sign up.

The contest is sponsored by Tussle Fight Gear and the prize is a long-sleeved t-shirt. They've definitely got some cool stuff.

-PreView

Keep Reading...

XFC to Host First Regulated MMA Show in Tennessee

The XFC is reporting that they will host the first ever regulated MMA show in Tennessee on Friday, February 20, in Knoxville. TUF 6 alum Dan Barrera will be on the card as well as women's MMA fighter and former pro boxer Chevelle Hallback, in addition to up-and-coming Light Heavyweight Louisville, KY native CT Turner.

Check after the jump for details from the XFC press release.

From an XFC press release:

For the first time in Tennessee sports history, the state’s Athletic Commission has approved a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card. XFC, the Southeast’s largest independent MMA promotion and the company dedicated to launching the careers of the champions of tomorrow, is pleased to announce that XFC 7: “School of Hard Knox” will be held on Friday, February 20 in Knoxville, in Tennessee’s 21 thousand-capacity Thompson-Boling Arena. This will be the first-ever professional MMA event sanctioned anywhere in Tennessee.

“Rarely can a fight card be considered historic even before the first bell chimes,” said John Prisco, president of XFC, “but February 20 will signal a brand new era in Tennessee Mixed Martial Arts. And I’m so ecstatic that we’ll be able to offer Tennessee sports fans a night of outstanding cage fights that’s truly worthy of the historic moment. We’re going to be showcasing some of the greatest emerging talent in the entire world of MMA – and the next generation of superstars.”

The XFC show will happen approximately six weeks before the UFC makes their inaugural venture into the Tennessee MMA market. Seeing how the XFC managed to beat some of the UFC's attendance numbers in Florida, I'm interested to see how the two promotions will stack up when host events in such a close proximity to one another.

-PreView

Keep Reading...

Big News for FightTicker

As I mentioned in this post, FightTicker already has some big news for 2009. Initially, I was told the announcement wouldn't be posted until tomorrow, but as it was posted today, those of you that may not have seen it on FightTicker get a chance to check it out here, now. Check after the jump for the news.

From FightTicker:

MMABlips.com is a Web site that -- among other things -- ranks the top MMA Web sites out there. Their rankings include not only independent Web sites such as Sherdog.com and MMAWeekly.com, but also mainstream blogs such Yahoo's Cage Writer, as well as all the new media sites and blogs that many on this site are familiar with such as MMAJunkie.com. To date, I haven't seen any other comprehensive rankings of MMA Web sites like this one.

I am very happy to announce that in their initial rankings, MMABlips.com has FightTicker.com ranked #19 out of the 107 MMA Web sites listed (you'll notice that starting at #54, there are a lot of ties.)

....

I always believed that within a year this site could be a top 15-20 Web site. If you look at all the sites ranked ahead of FightTicker.com, you'll see sites that are either much older or much more heavily financed. But, this site is catching up!

So there you have it, folks - #19 out of 107. This is great news for FightTicker, just as Pramit said, because the few sites that are ranked ahead of us are either much older sites or are much more heavily financed.

I'm proud to be a part of FightTicker, and I look forward to see what the rest of 2009 brings. Between this and our new affiliation with Sports Blog Net (more on that here) it's already shaping up to be a great year. I think this time next year, you'll be seeing a post from me talking about how we broke into the top 10, if not the top 5.

If you're an MMA fan and you haven't already joined FightTicker (memberships are free) head on over there and set one up - you'll be happy you did.

-PreView


Keep Reading...

FightTicker Radio Show # 3 is Now Archived

I just wanted to let you all know that in case you missed it, FightTicker Radio Show # 3, on which I was a guest, has been archived and is available for listening or downloading. Check after the jump for links on how to get to it.

I had a great time. It was my first foray into the world of being a radio show guest, and it was a lot of fun. The four of us discussed UFC 92, the upcoming UFC 93, and at the end, got briefly into Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's recent guilty plea stemming from a July incident in which he was charged with fleeing and evading a police officer, multiple counts of hit-and-run, and so on. For more on the Rampage situation, you can check out a recent post on FightTicker here.

As for today's radio show, it is now archived and available for listening, or download (free), and you can find that here along with the previous two episodes. If you haven't yet had the time to listen to any of the episodes, you should take some time to check them out. They've covered a lot of great current events and had some great guests.

Be on the lookout for future episodes of the show - I'll be posting updates as more shows are scheduled.

-PreView

Keep Reading...

FightTicker Radio Show - Thursday, 7pm et

FightTicker Radio Show is back! For the first show of 2009, Pramit has enlisted the help of three guests to discuss UFC 92, and the upcoming UFC 93. Check after the jump for more details on the show as well as how to listen in (via the internet) and call in you have questions.

For full details on the show, you can check out FightTicker here.

This week's guests include FightTicker.com bloggers "the_general", "Ironman", and....drumroll please....none other than yours truly - "PreView".

As I stated in the beginning, we'll be discussing the events that occurred at UFC 92, as well as predictions for the upcoming UFC 93 on January 17th.

The link above will take you to a post where you can find out just how to listen in, and what number to call if you'd like to ask questions. Don't worry, though, if you miss it, the show will be archived, and I'll be putting a link up to that as soon as it's done.

Make sure to listen in, it's going to be a great show.

Also, in case you don't remember, I wrote here that 2009 is going to be a big year for FightTicker. Well, something big has already happened. Check back on Friday for the announcement.

-PreView

Keep Reading...

Update on ICF: Shattered - New Main Event

As I previously reported here, ICF: Shattered is scheduled for January 24, 2009, in Florence, KY. When I posted that prior article, the main event was scheduled to be a pro match-up between Roger Bowling and Grant Sarver.

However, as I can confirm from an email I received from Steve Stanton (one of the ICF promoters) today, the Bowling vs. Sarver match has been cancelled and the main event is now an amateur Light Heavyweight Title fight between defending Champ George Oiler and challenger T.J. Ball.

For more details on the show, as well as ICF's announcement of a special guest referee, check after the jump.

From the ICF's website,

Current AFL and former UFC fighter Dan "The Sandman" Christison will be the special guest referee on Saturday January 24th.

At 6'8" and 270 lbs, Christison is a heavyweight who fights chiefly with a submission wrestling style. Dan was a contestant on the second season of The Ultimate Fighter. Nicknamed "Big" Dan Christison and Dan "The Sandman" Christison, he lost his first fight on the show, a quarterfinals match with Seth Petruzelli.

Christison has an MMA record of 15 wins, 6 losses, and 0 draws, with some of his losses coming to the biggest names in MMA such as Dan Severn and Frank Mir. He has won his last 6 fights, 2 of which were with ICF.

Both Oiler and Christison put on entertaining fights at the last show, and I'm looking forward to seeing Oiler fight again, and to talking with both of them after the event.

In case you missed my live blog from the ICF: Redemption event, you can check it out here.

If you want to check out the post-event commentary I did, including interviews with Christison and UFC fighter Jake O'Brien, go here.

For those of you wanting more information on Oiler, you can check out his FightTicker profile here, or you can find him on myspace here, or you can find the school where he teaches and trains, Beckley MMA, on myspace here.

Oiler had a hell of a fight last time, an amazing comeback after taking an illegal knee to the head. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing him defend his title against Ball.

ICF put on a great show last time, and I think this one is going to be even better. As I mentioned before, I'll be there do a live-blog and post-event article, so make sure to check back for them.

-PreView


Keep Reading...

Hazelett vs. Saunders on Tap for UFC 96 in Columbus

Sherdog.com is reporting that Dustin Hazelett and Ben Saunders are close to signing bout agreements for a match-up at UFC 96. This will mark a quick turnaround for both fighters, as Hazelett recently defeated Tamdan McCrory at UFC 91, and Saunders recently beat Brandon Wolff at UFN 17.

Full details and a link to Sherdog's post after the jump.

Barring any last-minute glitches, fast-rising welterweight prospect Dustin Hazelett will lock horns with unbeaten Ben Saunders at UFC 96 on March 7 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Bout agreements have been issued and are expected to be signed sometime this week, according to a source close to the negotiations.

Hazelett (12-4) dazzled in recent outings, as he has earned “Submission of the Night” bonuses in each of his last two appearances inside the Octagon. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Jorge Gurgel, the 22-year-old coaxed a tapout from Tamdan McCrory at UFC 91 in November, as he transitioned from an omaplata to a reverse armbar. Previous to that victory, he submitted Josh Burkman with a spectacular armbar at “The Ultimate Fighter 7” Finale in June. Hazelett has posted five wins in six bouts, losing only to Josh Koscheck in that stretch.

Based out of American Top Team, Saunders (7-0-2) raised some eyebrows last month when he battered Brandon Wolff with a series of knees from the Thai clinch at UFC Fight Night 17. The one-sided bout lasted only 1:49 and gave Saunders his seventh consecutive victory. A product of season six of “The Ultimate Fighter,” the 6-foot-2 former Combat Fighting Championships welterweight titleholder has finished six of his seven victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission.

I hope this bout does work out, because I think this would be a great match-up. Hazelett will look to continue on his streak to become the UFC fighter to earn the most "Submission of the Night" bonuses, and Saunders will look to see if he can top his win over Wolff, where he practically rearranged Wolff's face with some nasty knees from the clinch a la Anderson Silva. Saunders will definitely be looking to keep Hazelett at bay with his reach, but Saunders' reach is exactly what could get him in trouble with a guy like Hazelett.

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this match live.

-PreView

(For the full story, head over to Sherdog.)


Keep Reading...

Dana White the Humanitarian: The Exception to the Rule

I was posting an article on FightTicker tonite and decided I'd go ahead and post it here as well. Generally, I don't post all of my FightTicker pieces here because many of them are links to other news stories that can obviously be found on FightTicker. Also, as I'm writing certain posts on FightTicker, I often find a post on another MMA site I think should get more attention, I cut-and-paste a few paragraphs from that post, link to the original and then throw in a few sentences of commentary.

However, tonite was a little bit different. As I started writing my "few sentences of commentary" on the article I was linking to, I realized I had a little bit more to say than just a few sentences, mainly because the issue I was writing about is one I feel is at the center of problems that fighters have with promotions - coverage of fighters' medical expenses.

Check after the jump for the full post of what I ended up writing.


You can also find the post on FightTicker here.

From Sherdog:

White has a softer side, too, as he showed in wake of the gruesome injury suffered by lightweight prospect Corey Hill at UFC Fight Night 17 in December. Hill snapped his lower leg when he kicked opponent Dale Hartt early in the second round and had to be stretchered out of the cage. He later underwent surgery and was hospitalized for a number of days. UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta and White called Hill together at the Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, N.C., and wished him a speedy recovery. Their goodwill did not end there.

In addition to paying for Hill’s medical expenses, the UFC left one of its employees behind to stay with him at the hospital for the first six days of his stay. When Hill was released from the hospital a week and a half later, the UFC paid for Hill and his family to remain at a hotel, so he could visit with doctors again before leaving for home.

In short, White’s about as complex and interesting a figure as we have anywhere in professional sports. Where he falls on the good-versus-evil spectrum depends on the day.

I think Dana should get props for how he and the UFC have handled the situation, but as the title of my post implies, I feel their handling of this is an exception to the general rule on how fighters' medical issues are handled, and that is what is sad.

People shouldn't be championing Dana simply because he and the UFC stepped up and did the right thing - I feel Dana's way handling of this situation is something people should expect. I don't feel that the UFC should have to address every medical issue a fighter may face, and they shouldn't be responsible for dealing with every problem a fighter has; not even close. But I think that the generally accepted practice should be the handling of such medical expenses.

The fighters are Dana's employees - and I think everyone would agree that the happier the employee is, the more productive they are. Granted, Hill can't be very productive as a fighter in his current condition, but I don't think we'll be hearing him say anything negative about the UFC any time soon, and the UFC will get major P.R. points for handling this the way they did.

One might wonder if the UFC offered similar treatment to Razak Al-Hassan after Steve Cantwell injured Al-Hassan's arm at the UFC Fight For the Troops. Some might think that Al-Hassan does not deserve treatment similar to Hill's because Al-Hassan did not tap when many people thought he should have. However, I would argue that Al-Hassan does deserve the same treatment as Hill, because just like Hill, he got injured doing the work he was hired to do.

I do want to acknowledge that I'm not directly privy to how the UFC handles paying for fighters' medical expenses and things like that - however, given all of the fighters who have complained about treatment of such issues, I can only assume there is room for improvement.

I think if Dana and the UFC were to handle all injuries (non-minor ones) the way they did Hill's, they would find much more appreciative fighters, coaches, fighters' family members, agents....the list goes on.

I'm a realist, so I understand that to do this, the UFC would end up paying out a lot more money, they would have to deal with a lot more complaints, and inevitably, someone's request would get denied because the injury may not have been serious enough, and that would set off a whole new line of "The UFC doesn't take care of their fighters" arguments. However, in spite of that, I think adopting new policies to address medical issues would be in everyone's best interests.

I think it would also show some states that don't currently regulate MMA that the UFC does care about the fighters beyond the results they can produce in the cage. Clearly, the UFC isn't the only promotion out there, but if non-MMA states wanted, they could easily make laws that stated the promotion had to be responsible for medical expenses of a certain kind or amount. I do understand that an argument could be made here that this sort of legislation would discriminate against some of the smaller promotions, but states have a wide berth when making laws regarding health and safety issues.

So will the UFC start covering more medical expenses? Maybe, maybe not. Is is it in everyone's best interests for them to do it? Definitely. Is it possible for this to actually happen? Sure. I don't think it would happen in the short-term, because a lot of new company policies would have to be enacted, but I think if Dana hired a new committee, to examine and reform the company's policies on paying out for injuries, insurance and issues like that, something would actually get done. Not to mention, it would be smart for Dana to take this step, because it would mean one less reason for fighters to unionize because one major issue would be off the table, and Dana definitely doesn't want a union.

So come on, Dana, throw some more money out there and do the right thing like you did with Corey Hill. Set an example for the smaller promotions, and show them that you got to where you are not because you're a balls-to-the-wall businessman who can gracefully weave the f-word into any sentence in any social setting, but because you also care about the people putting it on the line every time they step in the cage.

-PreView

Assist: Bloody Elbow.

Keep Reading...

Big News for FightTicker in 2009

I know it sounds cliche to say that 2009 is going to be a big year, or that big things are going to happen in 2009 (at least I've thought it was cliche when I heard it about 2009 times over the past couple days) but even this early in the year, there are already big things happening for FightTicker, so I thought I'd give you all a heads up on what is going on.

Check after the jump for the full story and some links to the news.


As of today, FightTicker.com is now officially part of the Sports Blog Net.

From FightTicker:

After a great first year in 2008, FightTicker.com is happy to start 2009 by announcing that the site has joined Sports Blog Net, a network of fantastic sports blogs from all over the Internet.

FightTicker.com is the first MMA site on Sports Blog Net so please head over to the network's main site and check it out as well as all the other blogs covering the multitude of other sports out there. After reviewing their site and the other blogs on the network, I hope you agree that both FightTicker.com and Sports Blog Net are positioned well to grow together.

If you want to check out SBN, go here. You'll see an MMA tab - when you click on it, you'll find content exclusively from FightTicker. If you want to jump straight to the MMA content, go here. Once you've clicked on a particular MMA story, you'll see a "Full Story" link - that link will take you directly to the post on FightTicker.

SBN is currently a beta version, but I've been told a new site design will be completed soon. This is a great opportunity for members of both SBN and FightTicker due to the higher amount of exposure each site will receive. As I mentioned before, all of the MMA content readers on SBN will find is currently exclusively from FightTicker.

I think it's going to be a great arrangement for everyone involved, and I'm certainly not upset that the content I post will now reach a larger audience. That definitely helps me with my goal of hyping local fighters.

So, cliche or not, I'm going to say it - big things are going to happen in 2009 - this is just the first of many to come.

I wish you all a happy and successful year. Keep an eye out here on Previously Viewed - I have some plans of my own, mainly to increase the amount of articles written and interviews I complete.

I'm already scheduled to cover the ICF: Shattered show on January 24th, and I'm working to get credentialed for another show (different promotion) on January 31st, so check back for live blogs of those events as well as post-event commentary with various fighters and promoters.

-PreView


Keep Reading...