Report: Brock Lesnar and TNA are talking

Normally I try to avoid covering pro wrestling on this blog, but when it comes to Brock Lesnar, I’m willing to make an exception.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, Lesnar could resume wrestling on an active basis.

Kurt Angle is trying to broker a deal for Brock Lesnar to come to TNA. Dixie Carter and Lesnar have already begun talks.

In the months after his successful pro MMA debut at the K-1 USA Dynamite!! show in June, Lesnar has wrestled for Antonio Inoki’s promotion in Japan (the same promotion Josh Barnett has wrestled for), losing some sort of variation of the IWGP title to Angle.

I’m not sure what to make of the report that Lesnar is talking to TNA because it’s kind of surprising considering how much he’s denounced wrestling in the past. There’s also the fact that if K-1 was willing to pay him the same rate that he made fighting for them in June that if would be really hard for TNA to match that.

Hearing the news is kind of disappointing as I’m really excited about Lesnar’s prospects in MMA. My hope is that if he were to sign with TNA that he’d appear for them 4-6 days a month but still make MMA is primary focus.

It would be a dream come true though if Angle was trying to broker the deal to fight Lesnar in an MMA match that would be promoted by TNA. That’s the kind of aggressive business moves they need to make to grow their product, not doing business with a low-life such as Adam “Pacman” Jones.

Showtime to show portions of Dynamite USA!!

If you didn’t order the Dynamite USA!! show last week but were still curious, Showtime is going to be hooking you up if you’re a subscriber. Basically, they’re going to show you all the good stuff from Dynamite USA!! without making you sit through all the crap.

The one hour telecast will air this Saturday at 9 p.m. ET (right before the Antonio Tarver vs. Chad Dawson boxing match) and will feature Brock Lesnar’s MMA debut against Min Soo-kim, Royce Gracie vs. Kazushi Sakuraba, Don Sik Yoon vs. Melvin Manhoef (said to be very good), and Johnnie Morton vs. Bernard Ackah.

Hopefully they’ll be able to edit out the DJ.

Ayre comments on Fedor, Angle, and Lesnar

I’ve been trying to do some digging lately on the biggest free agent names in MMA right now and have been working the phone (I’d say “phones” but I’m only using one phone) and e-mail. Bodog Fight founder Calvin Ayre was kind enough to respond to some of my questions. I don’t have anything Earth-shattering to report, but thought some of you might still be interested in Ayre’s responses.

Here’s the mini-interview:

Five Ounces of Pain: First, it’s being reported by several outlets (including the Wrestling Observer) that Kurt Angle will be meeting with Bodog Fight officials this week. Can you confirm those rumors and possibly comment on interest in Angle?
 
Calvin Ayre: There have been conversations between Bodog Fight and Kurt Angle’s manager to discuss the possibility of working together. Kurt would be an amazing asset to our organization as a cross-over athlete with an Olympic wrestling pedigree. At this time, there are only discussions and no formal meeting is set to take place this week.
 
FOP: Second, Brock Lesnar is now a free agent following his win Saturday night for FEG/K-1. Has Bodog contacted his representatives yet? If not, is there interest in talking to him about possibly joining the promotion?
 
CA: Bodog Fight has not contacted Brock’s representatives. Cross-over athletes require a great deal of time to review and assess their performances in a new sport and matching them with appropriate opponents can be difficult. Brock was an incredible wrestler and phenomenal entertainer in the WWE; working together in the future may be a possibility.
 
FOP: Final question; is Bodog currently negotiating with Fedor Emelianenko?
 
CA: Working with Fedor and the Red Devil has been a rewarding experience for our organization. There is considerable interest in several of the Red Devil fighters, Fedor being one of them.

Dynamite USA!! thoughts

I have not seen the entire show but I have had an opportunity to watch the Brock Lesnar and Johnnie Morton fights from last night’s Dynamite USA show. 

First, I will give my thoughts on Lesnar. What else is there to say than he absolutely destroyed Min Soo-kim? Lesnar showed good technique and tremendous strength. Kim had no business being in the ring with Lesnar, considering he was just 2-5. Kim’s background is in Judo but throwing someone the size and strength of Lesnar would have been next to impossible. CSAC is so heavy-handed when it comes to licensing and match making yet they somehow allowed that match to be approved?  

The fight was so short and his opponent was so poor that it’s really hard to evaluate Lesnar. Some people are saying in message forums that he’s a threat to Fedor, while others are saying they aren’t impressed. My feeling is, how can you really form a true opinion? I really don’t feel like we have many answers to the questions about Lesnar and his conversion to MMA. I will say though that his debut last night went as well as it possibly could have gone. 

Lesnar, now a free agent, certainly helped his market value. There was a lot of talk that whether the Dynamite USA show was a financial success or failure would fall on the shoulders of Lesnar and affect the money offers he’d receive from fight promotions. But FEG did such a poor job in putting on the event that I think any fight promoter or executive of a major fight promotion will give Lesnar a free pass. His dominating performance in the ring will also make other fight promotions a lot more comfortable about offering big money for a commodity that is still relatively unproven.  

I think the sky is the limit for Lesnar when it comes to MMA and I can’t wait to see him fight again, but this time against legitimate competition. I expect Lesnar to sign with a promotion sooner rather than later, because the sooner he signs, the sooner he gets paid. His representatives will most likely be getting calls starting Monday (if they aren’t already calling). 

As for Morton, man, did that knockout look bad. He had no business fighting on a major show. Yes, he’s a tremendous athlete and football is a contact sport, but he had no combat sports background going into the fight. He hadn’t even competed on a high-level amateur event. CSAC should be ashamed of themselves for allowing that match to happen. Someone really needs to do an investigation in regard to that commission.  As if Morton’s performance in the ring wasn’t embarassing enough, he further humiliated himself by refusing to submit a sample for a post-fight anti-doping test (reports indicate that he did provide a sample for a pre-fight drug screening). CSAC suspended Morton on the spot. I’m not sure if they will withhold his purse or not, but Morton was scheduled to make $100,000 for the fight. 

UPDATE: Loretta Hunt from the Fight Network is reporting that Morton’s suspension is indefinite and that his purse is being withheld until both sides talk further. Also, Morton’s initial sample was to only be tested for steroids. Since he refused the post-fight test, the scope of testing of his original sample will go beyond steroids. Apparently the pre-fight test is for steroids and the post-fight test is to see if there are other illegal drugs in a fighter’s system. 

Morton’s refusal to submit to testing likely signals an end to his career in MMA. It’s likely he had no desire to step in the ring again so he probably saw no reason to submit to further testing. FEG did have long-term plans for Morton though, as they felt he might be able to become some sort of a draw in Japan because he is half-Japanese. Those plans are likely out the window. 

He had been saying that following the fight he wanted to pursue getting back into the NFL. The outcome of his fight will have no bearing on whether he resumes playing football or not, but his performance on the field in his final season makes it unlikely he’ll get another shot. Morton, a possession-style receiver, was not very productive towards the end of his career. He lacks the speed needed in the NFL to achieve separation from defenders and I don’t think there is an NFL team desperate enough to want to bring him back. 

In a strange twist of irony, Dennis Rodman was at the Dynamite USA show. While playing for the Lions, Morton at one point had tried to market himself at the NFL’s version of Rodman by going out and getting a lot of tatoos and trying to act quirky. It never went anywhere.  

Just like his fighting career.

Article: The Race for Brock Lesnar

By Sam Caplan 

One of the most anticipated debuts in mixed martial arts is scheduled for this weekend when former NCAA heavyweight and WWE champion Brock Lesnar fights Min Soo-kim.  

Kim represented South Korea in the Olympics and won a silver medal in Judo. Despite his strong amateur credentials, Kim’s conversion to MMA has not been a smooth one. Fighting exclusively for K-1, he is just 2-5 in seven lifetime bouts with his wins coming against Yoshihisa Yamamoto and Sean O’Haire.  

His two wins can hardly be considered quality ones, as Yamamoto is just 6-16. As for O’Haire, the name may be familiar to wrestling fans as he formerly wrestled in WCW and then the WWE before leaving to try his hand at MMA and kickboxing. The expirement was a total failure and O’Haire has already retired from combat sports. 

Kim’s losses have come against top kickboxer Semmy Schlit, Siala “Might Mo” Siliga (who will also be fighting on Saturday’s card), Ray Sefo, MMA legend Don Frye, and former Chicago Bears offensive lineman Bob Sapp. 

For lack of a better term, Kim is a tomato can. He’s not much different than the “jobbers” the WWE used in order to build up Lesnar’s reputation as a monster when he first started wrestling for the Vince McMahon-owned promotion. 

While Saturday will mark Lesnar’s first MMA bout, he’s been training dilligently for nearly a year. Working under the watchful eye of Greg Nelson in Lesnar’s home state of Minnesota, the former amateur wrestling champ has been receiving world class training. Nelson’s camp is home to some of the top mixed martial artists in the world, including UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk. 

In addition to working with Nelson, Lesnar spent some time early in his training with Pat Miletich at the Miletich Fighting Systems main training center in Davenport, Iowa. Nelson is good friends with Miletich and the ciriculum taught by both camps are very similiar. 

I had a chance to speak with Miletich about Lesnar on two separate occasions and his appraisals of Lesnar’s ability were glowing. At one point, Miletich referred to Lesnar as “Matt Hughes at 265 pounds.” Lesnar’s wrestling ability is unquestioned and he apparently picked up submissions with ease. The only question is his standup, although Miletich said that from what he saw of Lesnar, he looked light on his feet for such a big man and has a lot of potential in that regard. He’s apparently made major strides in his standup game while working with Nelson. 

Lesnar’s match this weekend will actually be the third time his debut has been scheduled. He was originally supposed to fight last fall but it was then re-scheduled for December before ultimately being re-scheduled once again for Saturday. His match was almost scratched once again after his original opponent Hong Man-Choi was denied a license by the California State Athletic Commission. In addition to Choi being denied a license, the card itself was in doubt until FEG (the parent company of K-1) was granted a temporary promoter’s license just late last week. 

In this day and age, it’s not easy to predict the outcome of a match. However, Kim is not a strong opponent and there seems to be little doubt within the industry that Lesnar will defeat him with ease. I would expect Lesnar to keep things simple by going for a takedown early and trying to win the match via ground and pound. 

Lesnar is contracted to FEG for just one fight so he will become a free agent at the conclusion of his bout against Kim. Once his match is over, he will become one of the most coveted free agents in mixed martial arts. 

It’s unknown what Lesnar will make for Saturday’s bout but he will be in line for a huge payday should he look impressive against Kim. How much he attracts on the open market was believed to be tied to just how well Dynamite USA!! did at the box office and on pay-per-view. However, due to FEG’s mismanagement, Dynamite USA!! is bound to be a dud when it comes to revenue generated. Fortunately for Lesnar, FEG’s troubles have been so transparent that Lesnar won’t be held accountable for bad ticket sales and a poor PPV buyrate. 

His suitors will be numerous, with EliteXC president Gary Shaw saying in the past that they have strong interest and UFC president Dana White recently claiming publicly that he is interested as well. Due to financial issues, the IFL will not be able to bid on Lesnar’s services but there have been rumors that Bodog Fight is interested in signing Lesnar with an eye towards a main event match against fellow former WWE wrestler and amateur wrestling standout, Kurt Angle. 

Let’s break down the field of potential suitors that will be pining for Lesnar after his match Saturday: 

FEG/K-1: Lesnar has a lot of market value to the Japanese audience. Japanese MMA fans place a great importance on amateur fighting credentials and there is also a fascination with size. Lesnar already is known very well in Japan based on his stint with New Japan pro wrestling, in which he held the much coveted IWGP heavyweight title. One could make the argument that Lesnar has more drawing power in Japan than he does in the States. However, the complete lack of organization exhibited by FEG in putting Dynamite USA!! has to be a turnoff to Lesnar. With his confidence in the company likely shaken, FEG would probably have to pay twice as much for Lesnar than the second highest bidder. 

IFL: As alluded to earlier, this has no chance of happening. In a recent SEC filing, the IFL acknowledged that right now they don’t have enough money to make it through the fourth quarter. They will probably offer a second round of stock in order to raise some more capital, but it won’t be enough to land Lesnar. Plus, he’s not a good fit for their business model. You couldn’t have Lesnar wrestle as a heavyweight for a team, leaving him as a “Superfight” attraction. But aside from Ben Rothwell, the IFL doesn’t have very many high-profile heavyweights on their current roster that could matchup well with Lesnar. Not to mention, with no PPV deals in place, it would be hard for the IFL to make their investment back. 

Bodog Fight: This company no doubt has plenty of money to spend, but I think even Calvin Ayre has a threshold he isn’t willing to cross. Bodog is not as financially strong as it once was. Ayre’s MMA promotion has been a huge money loser and his own personal wealth has dropped greatly in the last year because their core business, the online sportsbook, has suffered following a bill that was passed last fall in the United States making it illegal to place bets over the Internet. Bodog also paid a ton of money to Fedor Emelianenko to headline a PPV in St. Petersburg, Russia this past April and the buyrate was dreadful. With the promotion’s television ratings on the Ion network also doing poorly, will Bodog be willing to put all their chips on the table one last time?  

And in order to maximize Lesnar’s drawing potential they can’t just put him in with no-name cans. They will have to go out and sign other high-profile heavyweights that can be booked in marquee main events with Lesnar. Even if Bodog offers the most money, I don’t see Lesnar signing with Bodog on a long-term basis due to the promotion’s suspect image. Why go with a company that isn’t considered legitimate (yes, I know they treat their fighters great, but fighting for Bodog doesn’t carry the prestige that fighting for the UFC does) when you can sign with a promotion that has a better reputation and has more staying power? I could see Lesnar signing on for one match in order to increase his market value further, but there would still be risk involved in pursuing such a course of action. If he signs and headlines a PPV and it does a bad buyrate, his market value could actually decrease if he’s perceived as not being a big draw. 

EliteXC: EliteXC, with the backing of Showtime, certainly has the resources needed to meet Lesnar’s demands. I expect them to pursue Lesnar with tremendous vigor to not only enhance their talent roster, but to also block to UFC from enhancing their’s. One issue with EliteXC is that they don’t have an established heavyweight division. However, the company has made contact with Josh Barnett in the past and have also had brief talks with Kurt Angle, so while the potential opponents aren’t on the roster now, the company could definitely go out and get them. 

UFC: When Dana White said he intended to sign every big name fighter, he apparently wasn’t kidding. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko Cro Cop, Dan Henderson, and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua have all been signed away from Pride in recent months. Even though the acquisition of Pride has been completed, there is still uncertainty as to whether all of the Pride fighter contracts are transferrable. Leaving nothing to chance, the UFC is believed to be close to signing Wanderlei Silva to a new deal and negotiations with Fedor are ongoing. 

While the UFC just spent a lot of money to close the Pride deal and will be taking heavy losses by promoting cards in England, they are still strong financially and can afford to outbid any major MMA promotion for Lesnar’s services. The question though is value. Lesnar has unlimited potential and I believe he could one day emerge as the top heavyweight fighter in the world. His wrestling skills are tremendous and he has the athleticism needed to become a respectable striker. However, he won’t become the best overnight. It will take time and any promotion that signs him will have to initially protect their investment. The UFC couldn’t sign him and immediately throw him in the Octagon against Mirko Cro Cop, Andrei Arlovski, or Randy Couture. They’d have to protect him by putting him against other fighters with a wrestling background who aren’t on the same level as Lesnar. They could try putting him against strikers with no ground games such as Antoni Hardonk or Cheick Kongo, but there will still be risk in doing so because if Lesnar doesn’t get the fight to the ground, there’s the chance he could be knocked out. So the problem is that the UFC will initially be paying Lesnar large sums of money to fight in one-sided matches against inferior competition. 

Despite concerns about growing pains, the financial upside of Lesnar will be too strong for Zuffa to ignore. Not only could they build towards major money matchups against the likes of Cro Cop, Couture, and possibly Fedor, but by signing Lesnar they also hurt their competition in the process. If Lesnar were to sign with a company like EliteXC, which has good distribution and exposure in the U.S., the gap between the UFC and EliteXC could potentially tighten. 

Lesnar also has a lot of potential value to the UFC if they decide to rebuild Pride and run cards in Japan. As mentioned earlier, Lesnar is a big name in Japan and he’d be a huge drawing card. 

With all that in mind, I think the UFC is the odds on favorite to sign Lesnar with EliteXC the only other viable candidate at this point.

Another post-show article on Lesnar

Kevin Iole, who covered the UFC for the Las Vegas Sun for many years, has written an article about Brock Lesnar’s debut at Dynamite USA last night. 

Check it out here: 

http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=ki-lesnar060207&prov=yhoo&type=lgns 

The only thing I’m surprised about is Kevin claims Pride will be one of Lesnar’s suitors. He’s been covering MMA too long to know better that the Pride sale is done. I’m not sure where that came from. 

Also, if you want to see my article where I handicap Lesnar’s next career move, scroll down for my lengthy article.