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Friday, November 6, 2009
UFC Main Events Premiers on Spike TV Saturday Night
 Spike TV will air a stacked two-hour block of "never-before-seen on cable (non-pay-per-view)" counterprogramming to the Nov. 7 telecast of Saturday Night Fights on CBS.
"UFC Main Events" airs head-to-head with "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers," both events starting at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Fedor vs. Rogers marks Strikeforce's debut on CBS and Fedor Emelianenko's first fight for the promotion.
Spike and the Ultimate Fighting Championship have lined up four of the UFC's most highly regarded fights of the year from its three most recent pay-per-view events, highlighted by Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria.
The fights airing in the UFC Main Events telecast include the following:
UFC 102: RANDY COUTURE vs. ANTONIO RODRIGO NOGUEIRA
This highly-anticipated battle featured UFC legend and former heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Randy Couture against former Pride heavyweight and then UFC interim heavyweight king Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
UFC 103: VITOR BELFORT vs. RICH FRANKLIN
A battle of veteran former UFC champions featured former light heavyweight champ Vitor Belfort returning to the Octagon against former UFC middleweight champ Rich Franklin.
UFC 101: B.J. PENN vs. KENNY FLORIAN
Lightweight champion B.J. Penn, in his second title defense, took on top contender Kenny Florian in a battle of Brazilian jiu-jitsu experts.
UFC 101: FORREST GRIFFIN vs. ANDERSON SILVA
UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva moved up in weight class for a non-title bout against former UFC light heavyweight champ and "The Ultimate Fighter 1" winner Forrest Griffin.Labels: Spike TV, UFC, UFC Main Events
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 1:14 PM
Monday, October 19, 2009
Video Preview for Monday Night's Countdown to UFC 104
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 5:07 PM
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Spike TV To Show UFC 100 Bouts, Countering Strikeforce
 PRESS RELEASE:
Spike TV will present a special cable telecast of some of the most exciting bouts from UFC 100, one of the biggest nights in the history of mixed martial arts, on Saturday, August 15 at 10:00pm-12:30am ET/PT. Featuring Brock Lesnar's coronation as heavyweight king and Dan Henderson's must-see knockout over Michael Bisping, the Spike TV telecast marks the first time that bouts from this landmark event will be televised off of Pay-Per-View.
Emanating from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV on July 11, 2009, UFC 100 was a milestone event in the 16-year history of the UFC organization. The Spike TV telecast of UFC 100* includes the following fights:
Heavyweight Championship Bout
Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir
Middleweights
Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping
Middleweights
Alan Belcher vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
Light Heavyweights
Stephan Bonnar vs. Mark Coleman
Lightweights
Shannon Gurgerty vs. Matt Grice
Light Heavyweights
Jon Jones vs. Jake O'Brien
*(due to time constraints- not all fights from UFC 100 can be shown)Labels: Carano vs. Cyborg, Spike TV, Strikeforce, UFC 100
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 10:00 AM
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Amir Sadollah Video Blog: Training for UFC 101
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 3:33 PM
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Spike TV Top 100 UFC Fights Countdown Begins Sunday Night
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 12:32 PM
Friday, May 1, 2009
Vote on Top 100 UFC Bouts of All Time on Spike.com
 PRESS RELEASE:
In celebration of UFC 100, Spike TV will present a 5-part special, highlighting the best 100 bouts in UFC history, as voted on by the fans. Voting will begin on May 1 on Spike.com (Ultimate100.spike.com) where fans can choose their top 100 fights from an extensive list of bouts selected by the UFC and Spike TV.
Each episode of "UFC's Ultimate 100: Greatest Fights" will count down the top 100 with action-packed moments from each contest. The first one-hour installment will premiere Sunday, July 5 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, with the next three episodes airing Monday July 6-Wednesday, July 8 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. The final episode airs Saturday, July 11 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, which will conclude a re-broadcast of the entire voted UFC bout.
UFC 100 will air Saturday, July 11 at 10 p.m. live on pay-per-view from the Mandalay Bay Events Center, in Las Vegas.Labels: Spike TV, Top 100 UFC Fights, UFC, UFC 100
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 3:24 PM
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Spike Tops UFC's Top Warriors as New Series Debuts Tuesday
 In support of its new series, Deadliest Warrior, which premiers Tuesday night, Spike TV has opened the discussion on the top 7 UFC Warrior's of all time. Who's the top UFC warrior: Royce Gracie, Randy Couture, Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, B.J. Penn, Chuck Liddell, or Matt Hughes?
Each week, a new episode of Deadliest Warrior will pit two of the most feared warriors civilization has ever known against each other. Highly-anticipated showdowns this season include: Pirate vs. Knight, Taliban vs. IRA, Yakuza vs. Mafia, Viking vs. Samurai, Green Beret vs. Spetznaz, Maori vs. Shaolin Monks, William Wallace vs. Shaka Zulu and Ninja vs. Spartan!Labels: Deadliest Warrior, Spike TV
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 7:38 PM
Friday, March 27, 2009
Ultimate Fighter 3 Marathon Saturday on Spike
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 5:05 PM
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
UFC Fight Night 17 Reaches Average of 1.7 Million Viewers
 PRESS RELEASE:
Spike TV’s live “UFC Fight Night” in Tampa, FL, the first UFC card in the city’s history, served as a showcase for some of mixed martial arts’ rising stars, and garnered strong ratings in the process. UFC Fight Night on Spike TV ranked #1 in Men 18-49 and Men 18-34 among ad-supported cable for its time period.
The card, which featured Joe Lauzon submitting Jeremy Stephens via armbar in the main event, affirming his spot as a top contender in the lightweight division, drew an average audience of 1.7 million viewers. Overall, the telecast, which emanated LIVE from the USF Sun Dome peaked with a 2.00 rating in M 18-34 and a 1.51 household rating for an average of 2 million viewers during the 10:30 – 10:45 PM quarter hour, which featured the main event.
Overall, the Spike telecast reached 1.7 million people with a 1.60 rating Men 18-34 (462,000 viewers), a 1.55 rating in Men 18-49 (869,000 viewers), and a 1.3 HH rating. It bested huge college basketball matchups on Saturday in key demographics, including ESPN’s men’s college basketball telecasts of Indiana against Michigan State, as well as UConn’s showdown with Michigan.
Versus the same time period from a year ago, UFC Fight Night was up triple digits in key demographics; +319% in Men 18-49, +203% in Persons 18-49, +214% in Men 18-34, and +152% among average audience.Labels: Spike TV, UFC Fight Night 17
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 5:19 PM
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
UFC Primetime GSP vs. B.J. Penn Final Episode Tonight, Ratings Solid
 The third and final installment of the new UFC Primetime -- Georges St. Pierre vs. B.J. Penn 2 -- episode airs tonight on Spike TV at 10 p.m. ET/PT. If you missed it so far, the series gives fans an inside look at the lives and training of St. Pierre and Penn as they ready themselves for their UFC 94 mega-fight Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The series launched two weeks ago to what Spike officials felt were very good ratings. Each episode airs twice on Spike back-to-back. The first episode debuted to an average of 880,000 viewers during its first airing, followed by a repeat performance that averaged 614,000 viewers, according to Spike TV.
Last weeks episode -- the second installment in the series -- stayed steady on its initial airing with an average viewership of 825,000, while the repeat immediately afterwards drew 435,000.
It will be interesting to see how many fans tune in tonight as excitement for the fight has started to build across the board.Labels: B.J. Penn, Georges St. Pierre, Spike TV, UFC 94, UFC Primetime
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 11:02 AM
Saturday, January 24, 2009
UFC 91 Couture vs. Lesnar Replay Saturday Night on Spike
In line with its usual counter programming tactics, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is scheduled to air a replay of the UFC 91 Couture vs. Lesnar pay-per-view on Saturday night on Spike TV.
 Labels: Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, Spike TV, UFC 91
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 12:02 PM
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Oleg Taktarov Is Huge In Russia (Who Knew?)
"The Russian Bear" Oleg Taktarov was on hand for Affliction's "Day of Reckoning" press conference in Los Angeles, taking in the action from the sidelines of the press area.
The UFC 6 tournament winner has kept quite busy with acting projects in recent years, with major roles in studio films "Righteous Kill," "We Own The Night," and "National Treasure."
Recently, he worked on a reality series set in Atlantic City for Russia's biggest television network. Titled "Back on Track," the show takes ten down-on-their-luck fighters who need a second chance at glory. He enjoyed the experience, but the gambling city soon wore on him.
"I got bored a little bit," he said. "I want to get more excitement."
Spike TV has already offered to carry the show in America, but Taktarov says the producers are not interested.
"It's not just about fighting, it's about accomplishing something in life," he told MMAInsider.
Taktarov, 41, says he is injury-free and is playing soccer in his spare time. Fighting is not on the horizon, but could be...for the right price. He fought twice in 2008, ending a nine-year layoff from the sport.
"Once I get good offer in the right time," he said. "Those two fights, they came at just the right time, they were good money."Labels: Affliction, Oleg Taktarov, Spike TV
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 11:28 PM
UPDATE: B.J. Penn Shuts Down Filming Prior to Tonight's UFC Primetime
The second installment of UFC Primetime -- featuring a behind the scenes look at Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn leading up to their mega-fight next week at UFC 94 -- airs tonight on Spike TV, although not without a little more controversy than might have been planned.
During recent taping for the "up to the minute" series, Penn apparently became disenchanted with the way he was being portrayed on the show, according to a report on MMAJunkie.com, and cut off filming in the middle of an interview segment, denying further access to his gym.
(UPDATE) MMAWeekly.com on Wednesday spoke with Penn's press representatives who did confirm the report with J.D. Penn, the fighter's brother/manager. J.D. verified that it is true that B.J. was unhappy with his portrayal on Primetime and cut off access to himself and his gym. Neither J.D. nor B.J. would comment any further, other than verifying the fallout.
The ratings for the first episode -- which is scheduled to air on three consecutive Wednesdays on Spike TV -- drew an average of 880,000 viewers for the initial airing and followed with 690,000 viewers in its repeat performance.
The rift with Penn may be another headache for UFC President Dana White to deal with, but Spike TV officials have to be salivating with the added drama to the fiery relationship between White and Penn, which is likely to drive further interest in the new series.Labels: B.J. Penn, Georges St. Pierre, Spike TV, UFC Primetime
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 1:39 PM
Monday, January 12, 2009
UFC Primetime Kicks Off Wednesday Night on Spike TV
UFC Primetime premieres on Spike TV on Wednesday, January 14th at 10pm. More than just a countdown show, the series will air in three parts on the three Wednesdays leading up to the fight and take fight fans behind the scenes and into the lives of Georges St-Pierre and B.J. Penn like never before. For the UFC, there was no better time than now and no better fight than GSP-Penn to kick off the series. GSP vs. Penn takes place on Jan. 31 at UFC 94 in Las Vegas.
Labels: B.J. Penn, Georges St. Pierre, Spike TV, UFC 94, UFC Primetime
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 1:16 PM
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Spike TV Gets in on GSP-BJ Penn 2 with UFC Primetime
 In anticipation of one of the most prominent mixed martial events of all-time, "UFC 94" featuring welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and lightweight champion BJ Penn, Spike TV presents "UFC Primetime," premiering Wednesday, January 14 10:30 - 11:00pm, ET/PT.
"UFC Primetime," produced by the UFC, delivers an unprecedented portrait of the lives of two of mixed martial arts' biggest stars, Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn, as they prepare for their epic clash of titans in late January. Spike TV will present three special weekly installments that will take viewers from the cliffs of Kailua to the streets of Montreal in an unfiltered look at two great warriors heading into battle for what promises to be one of the greatest match ups of skill in UFC history.
Christopher Martello of Spike TV serves as executive in charge of production of "UFC Primetime."
"UFC 94" will air live on Pay-Per-View Saturday, January 31 from MGM Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas at 10pm ET/7pm PT.Labels: BJ Penn, Georges St. Pierre, Spike TV, UFC 94, UFC Primetime
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 7:05 PM
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Spike Offers Five TUF Fights for Kimbo
 Taking their cue from UFC President Dana White, who recently said Kimbo Slice was more than welcome to be a loser on "The Ultimate Fighter" reality show, Spike TV recently released a list of TUF fighters they believe should be the first to introduce Slice to the UFC--or at least its leather glove as it smashes his face.
Here are the former reality show contestants that could put a beating on the bearded one:
1) Michael Bisping
2) Matt Serra
3) Nate Diaz
4) Rashad Evans
5) Amir Sadollah
Commentary on the list pulls no punches, so check it out if you want an entertaining read. It's not hard to tell where Spike's allegiances lie. But then again, they're pretty much spot on. And watching Nate Diaz submit Slice--that would be pure entertainment.Labels: Kimbo Slice, Spike TV, The Ultimate Fighter
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 9:23 PM
Saturday, October 18, 2008
How The Hell Was Junie Allowed to Stay on The Ultimate Fighter?
 Junie Browning's drunken exploits and out of control behavior has been the prominent focus of The Ultimate Fighter season eight. After his alcohol induced tirade attacking several housemates, most, including Browning, thought he would be kicked off the popular reality show on Spike TV. The decision to keep Browning in the house was made solely by UFC president Dana White, and according to White, "It had nothing to do with ratings."
White explained he got the call from the producer alerting him there was a problem in the house. White then viewed the tapes of the multitude of incidents that transpired that night. The Spike TV producer was prepared to send Browning packing.
"That day that I got there, she (the producer) said, 'okay, so we've got his plane ticket home. We've got everything set.' And I went in and said, 'I don't if I'm going to kick him off the show,'" explained the outspoken UFC president. "She was like, what? Everybody knew for a fact that I was kicking him off the show. They knew."
"I went to the house that day and said, I don't know if I'm going to kick him off," added White. "She said, 'what do you mean you don't know?' I said, 'I don't know. I don't know what is going on. I just don't know if I'm going to do it.' I wanted to go inside and see how he was going to act. If he was a punk, I was going to kick him off the show. I went inside. He was upset. He looked like he was going to cry. He was apologetic about it, so I didn't do it."
When Browning remained in the house after shattering a glass off of Kyle Kingsbury's forearm, causing a laceration, push kicked Tom Lawlor to the ground, while trying to start fights with Ryan Bader and Krzysztof Soszynski, the only rational explanation was he remained due to ratings. White said, "It had nothing to do with the TV ratings. It had nothing to do with it."
Either way, Browning remains and ratings continue to rise.Labels: Dana White, Junie Browning, Spike TV, UFC, UFC President, Ultimate Fighter 8
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 3:00 PM
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
UFC Hits the Blu-Ray Market in November
 The UFC is heading to Blu-ray disc, according to High-Def Digest. The release of "UFC: Ultimate Comebacks" marks the promotions debut on the Blu-ray format, which earlier this year knocked out the competing HD DVD format.
UFC: Ultimate Comebacks will be released on Nov. 18 alongside the DVD edition of the title. It features highlights of fights that originally aired on Spike TV.
The disk is produced by First Look and will carry a list price of $24.98 for the Blu-ray version.
Blu-ray is basically the next generation in DVDs. It offers at least five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs making it much more suitable for high-definition video, according to Blu-ray.com.Labels: Blu ray, Blu-ray, Blu-ray.com, High-Def Digest, Spike TV, UFC, Ultimate Comebacks
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 2:35 PM
Friday, October 10, 2008
Ultimate Fighters Plot To Send Junie Home!
 Junie Browning has become the focus of The Ultimate Fighter 8 and has turned the Spike TV reality show house upside down with his antics, drinking and aggressiveness toward his housemates. Light heavyweights Ryan Bader and Eliot Marshall confirmed on MMAWeekly Radio Thursday night that a plan was launched to rid The Ultimate Fighter house of Junie Browning.
"Krzysztof was like, 'You know what? We're going to make him go home for sure. I'm going to get him to swing on me and just try to rile him up a little bit,'" Bader told MMAWeekly Radio. "Junie thought he was out. You throw a glass at somebody and break it on somebody, you think you're out. He was trying to go out and bring people down with him."
"Kristof said he would take a punch just to get Junie out of the house so we didn't have to put up with him anymore," added Bader.
Fellow house guest and Junie Browning teammate Eliot Marshall confirmed Bader's statements. "That was our plan. We kind of had all set that up. After Junie threw the glass at Kyle and was walking around with a bottle, we were all like, he needs to go. Lets get him to punch us in the face. We were all kind of egging him on that way to try to get him to go home.
"Our plan was to get Junie to fight, fight somebody, punch somebody. That way he would get kicked off. That was the plan," added the Colorado fighter.
Efrain Escudero also confirmed the plog against Junie Browning.Labels: Efrain Escudero, Eliot Marshall, Junie Browning, Ryan Bader, Spike TV, UFC, Ultimate Fighter
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 11:48 AM
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