No Holds Barred: Raul Ramirez on Rampage Jackson-Tito Ortiz Bellator Press Conference and PPV‏

No Holds Barred: Raul Ramirez on Rampage Jackson-Tito Ortiz Bellator Press Conference and PPV

http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/entry/2013-08-07T04_57_45-07_00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with our correspondent Dr. Raul Ramirez of Catch Wrestling Los Angeles (http://kungfukulture.com).

He was in attendance at Monday's Bellator MMA news conference at the Bellator offices in Newport Beach, California, to announce their debut pay-per-view on November 2 featuring a fight between MMA veterans Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Tito Ortiz, with more fights to be announced. We discussed what happened there, and issues related to this fight, the pay-per-view, and Bellator's approach to MMA.

Both fighters had a lot to say at this news conference, insisting that they are not through as fighters. They praised the "positive environment" at Bellator, contrasting it to their rocky relations, especially in recent years, with UFC management.

"Actually, I really believe that this is the beginning of a possible change in labor relations in MMA, because that's basically what Rampage and Tito talked about the majority of the time," Raul Ramirez said in our interview, which was recorded by phone Tuesday.

"Hopefully other fighters, if they're feeling taken advantage of, so they also come out and speak up, and follow Rampage and Tito's examples."

We also play an excerpt from the media conference call part of this press conference, with questions for Rampage, Tito, and Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 All photos other than those specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Impress Photo-Studios♔ and KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Blog-Online Publication all rights reserved.

No Holds Barred: The Death of Strikeforce and the Rise of Bellator

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On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the death of Strikeforce and the rise of Bellator MMA.

We trace some of the history of Strikeforce, and how its first show in March 2006, featuring Frank Shamrock vs. Cesar Gracie, was directly related to the rebirth of this show. No Holds Barred. After slowly growing, culminating in the inception of the Heavyweight Grand Prix in 2011, Strikeforce was sold in March 2011 to Zuffa. After that, it was only a matter of time until it was closed down, which will happen following the final Strikeforce card on January 12, 2013. We thus discuss the some of the main lessons of the rise and fall of Strikeforce.

Bellator began running shows in April 2009, which were only televised live in the U.S. in Spanish on ESPN Deportes. After a year there and one on Fox Sports Net, where it was preempted numerous times amidst a different schedule in many markets, Bellator began to get more stability with a deal for weekly live shows on TV giant Viacom's MTV2 beginning in March 2011. Then, on October 26, 2011, Viacom itself announced the purchase of a majority stake in Bellator. Beginning on January 17, 2013, Bellator's live weekly shows will be shown in the U.S. on Spike TV, a cable powerhouse and former home of the UFC.

We thus also discuss the growth of Bellator, their tournament format for crowning champions and number-one contenders, their rebranding efforts as Bellator MMA, and their prospects now that they will be live on Spike TV. We also play an excerpt from a Bellator and Spike TV media conference call of December 11, 2012, with Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney and Spike TV President Kevin Kay about Bellator MMA's first season on Spike TV.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Bellator CEO Confirms Next Women’s Tournament at 125; Names Some Fighters

Immediately after the post-fight presser for Bellator 63 in Uncasville, Connecticut, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney confirmed that the promotion’s next women’s tournament would be held in the 125 pound division and that several of the ladies competing have already been decided on.

“I think that’s where the next one is going to be,” “Jessica Aguilar is looking to fight at 125. We already spoke to [Megumi Fujii] and she wants to do it…. Lisa Ellis-Ward is another one we’ll have to see about. If you look at her performance in her last fight with Jessica Aguilar, she looked really good in a loss against one of the better women out there.”

Among the women Rebney mentioned were being considered for the tournament was young up and comer Jessica Eye, who will face Aisling Daly at Bellator 66 at the end of the month. Presumably, the winner of that bout will be among the women to enter the bracket.

While the weight division for the tournament is confirmed and the major players are already being lined up, exactly when the next big women’s tournament will take place is still up in the air. There are currently several factors at play that influence the timing of the single-elimination tourney, not the least of which being the impending changeover from Bellator’s current broadcasting home at MTV-2 to other VIACOM owned channel Spike TV.

Read more about the women of 125 pounds and a potential Spike debut after the jump.

Bellator’s first season on Spike, scheduled for early 2013, was among the possible dates Rebney cited for the 125 pound female tournament debut. However, as attractive a first impression as such a debut would be, especially with the recent overall boost women’s MMA has gotten in the public image, the date itself is far from confirmed.

“[The tournament] is coming, it’s just a matter of where it will find itself,” said Rebney.

The state of the current and only female Bellator title holder, Zoila Gurgel, may also be a contributing factor to the timing of the tournament. A series of unfortunate events, culminating in a serious knee injury she sustained in October, has kept Gurgel inactive since her first and only fight for the organization after claiming the belt. The mere mention of Gurgel’s layup was enough to prompt a mournful sigh from the Bellator CEO. While Rebney did not discuss the champion sitting on the shelf any further, it has been Bellator practice in the past to know the state of its title holders before starting the next tournament bracket in that division.

A local undercard athlete by the name of Munah Holland made her first appearance as a Bellator 125 pound fighter that same night, scoring a brutal comeback knockout in the second round against Marianna Kheyfets. While a tournament spot would typically be reserved for more well-known ladies such as Ellis-Ward, Fujii, and Aguilar, with some space still open Holland has not yet been eliminated as a possibility.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.