UFC Fans Vote Brendan Schaub as the 19th Recipient of the Tequila CAZADORES Spirit Award
Tequila CAZADORES, Official Spirits Sponsor of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), is proud to announce the 19th recipient and repeat winner of the Tequila CAZADORES Spirit Award – heavyweight fighter Brendan Schaub, known for his well-rounded fighting abilities.
Tequila CAZADORES and UFC invited fans (21+) to decide the Tequila CAZADORES Spirit Award winner for UFC 128. Consumers had the opportunity to vote online at UFC.com for the fighter they thought demonstrated social responsibility, dedication to their art form, and good sportsmanship; the core values behind the Tequila CAZADORES brand and its sponsorship with UFC.
Brendan’s win was announced LIVE on March 16, 2011, at UFC 128 in Las Vegas, Nevada as well as on Pay-Per-View® during the fighter’s walk out to the Octagon™. Tequila CAZADORES congratulates Brendan on his win and would like to thank the increasingly growing number of fans for voting and supporting the Tequila CAZADORES Spirit Award.
Brendan attended the University of Colorado, where he received a full athletic scholarship and played four years as a fullback on the football team. After college, he played professional football in the Arena Football League and spent time on the practice squad in the NFL. Brendan was introduced to mixed martial arts by his father who is a 2nd degree black belt in Karate and Tae Kwon Do. As the winner of the Tequila CAZADORES Spirit Award, Tequila CAZADORES presented Brendan with a plaque and a check for a $1,000 donation made in his name to the Colorado Humane Society & SPCA.
“Brendan’s tenacious spirit and drive make him a model recipient for the Tequila CAZADORES Spirit Award,” said Fannie Young, vice president and brand managing director, Tequila CAZADORES, “Brendan has a deep commitment to mixed martial arts and his community and truly embodies the core values of our brand.” Read more
K-1 and K-1 MAX kick off 2010 Seasons on HDNet
Network to Feature the World’s Best Strikers in Two Exclusive Broadcasts This Weekend
HDNet will kick off the 2010 K-1 and K-1 World MAX seasons this weekend with two exclusive broadcasts featuring the best kickboxers in the world.
“HDNet Fights: K-1 World MAX 2010 Japan Tournament” premieres on Friday, April 2 at 10:00 p.m. ET, and then, early Saturday morning, HDNet features the LIVE broadcast of “HDNet Fights: K-1 World GP 2010 in Yokohama” at 4:00 a.m. ET – with an encore presentation scheduled for next Friday night, April 9 at 10:00 p.m.
“This Friday night K-1 double feature is going to be a real treat for fight fans,” said Andrew Simon, CEO of HDNet Fights. “If you’ve never seen the fast paced, knockout action of K-1 and K-1 MAX, this is your chance to find out why these fighters are widely regarded as the best all-round strikers in the world.”
The K-1 World MAX 2010 debut features an exciting one night, 8-man tournament to crown the best 154 pound kickboxer in Japan. The Japan tournament is traditionally considered the toughest of the K-1 MAX qualifying tournaments and typically produces the most knockouts. The action continues into the late night as HDNet presents LIVE coverage of “HDNet Fights: K-1 World GP 2010 in Yokohama.”
In the main event of the evening, the reigning K-1 World GP Champion and one of the most dominating fighters in all of combat sports, Semmy Schilt (32-3-1, 16(T)KOs) puts his K-1 Super Heavyweight Title on the line against Errol Zimmerman (7-3, 3(T)KOs). Plus, K-1 legend Peter Aerts (63-23, 48(T)KOs) challenges Kyotaro (8-3, 4(T)KOs) for the K-1 Heavyweight Title, Badr Hari (16-6, 14(T)KOs) looks to avenge a 2003 loss to former top 10 K-1 fighter Alexey Ignashov (25-9, 16(T)KOs), and Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem (3-3, 2(T)KOs) faces off with Dzevad Poturak (K-1 debut).
HDNet to debut new original MMA series Fighting Words with Mike Straka
Network to launch this first-of-its-kind MMA series with Dana White as the premiere guest – Friday, March 26 at 8:30 p.m. ET
HDNet announced that it will add the new, original series “Fighting Words with Mike Straka,” to its Friday night lineup. The 30-minute one-on-one weekly interview program will feature revealing conversations with the top stars in mixed martial arts. “Fighting Words with Mike Straka” is scheduled to debut on Friday, March 26 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The premiere episode will feature a rare, 30-minute interview with one of the most influential people in Mixed Martial Arts – UFC President Dana White.
In the following weeks, host Mike Straka will present unique insights into the sport’s most interesting personalities including King Mo, Gegard Mousasi, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, Matt Hughes, Frank Shamrock and Bobby Lashley.
“This show has been years in the making – I wanted MMA fans to get an unprecedented view, from the biggest names, of what it takes to be in this business,” said Andrew Simon, CEO of HDNet Fights. “The MMA world produces the most intriguing personalities in professional sports and this program is designed to give Mike a full half- hour to ask the tough questions – the real questions fight fans want to know.”
“I am proud to join HDNet as the newest piece of the network’s already impressive MMA lineup,” said Mike Straka. “I am excited about the opportunity to present a side of these amazing athletes that the fans haven’t seen before.”
Mike Straka was previously the host of “FOX Fight Game.” He has covered MMA since UFC 30 in February 2001 and is widely recognized as one of the first mainstream journalists to begin reporting on the sport.
HDNets broadcast of Dream 12 to make history in Japanese Mixed Martial Arts
Network to deliver LIVE coverage of the debut of the ‘White Cage’ from Japan – Sunday, October 25
History will be made when the “White Cage” makes its debut on Sunday, October 25 as “HDNet Fights Presents: OLYMPIA DREAM 12″ LIVE from Osaka-jo Hall in Osaka, Japan. For the first time, a major Japanese MMA event will take place in the cage as DREAM forsakes its traditional ring for a one-night-only extravaganza! The action airs exclusively throughout North America on HDNet beginning at 2:00 a.m. ET.
The event features a trio of champions as Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Allistair Overeem (29-11) faces James Thompson (14-10), consensus top-five lightweight and Bellator Fighting Championship Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez (18-2) squares off with Katsunori Kikuno (12-1-1), and DREAM Welterweight Champion Marius Zaromskis (12-3) meets Myeon Ho Bae (8-4). In other action, MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba (25-12-1) tangles with Zelg Galesic (9-4), former WEC Bantamweight Champion Chase Beebe (12-5) takes on Yoshiro Maeda (25-7-2), and former WEC Middleweight Champion Paulo Filho (18-1) faces Yoon Dong-Sik (4-7).
HDNet Fights CEO Andrew Simon said, “The MMA world is watching to see what the ‘White Cage’ really is! There has been wild marketing around the cage in Japan which adds intrigue to a stacked card featuring 3 champions from 3 different organizations.”
HDNet’s live presentation of “HDNet Fights Presents: OLYMPIA DREAM 12″ begins early morning Sunday, October 25, 2:00 a.m. ET/Saturday, October 24 at 11:00 p.m. PT. An encore presentation is scheduled for Friday, October 30 at 10:30 pm ET.
Source: HDNet
5.3 million viewers tune in to see Kimbo Slice-Roy Nelson fight on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights on Spike TV
Easily Beats The Competition On Broadcast And Cable, Drawing Both Young Men And Women
Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” is the undisputed ratings champ on Wednesday nights. The most recent episode of the tenth season of “The Ultimate Fighter” drew 5.3 million viewers, peaking at a staggering 6.1 million viewers on Wednesday, September 30 (10:00pm-11:00pm ET/PT). Featuring a fight between contestants Kimbo Slice and Roy Nelson, the telecast ranks as the most-watched episode of an original series in the six-year history of the channel* and the most-watched program of any kind in Men 18-34 and Men 18-49.
“The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” was clearly the top-rated program on television on Wednesday with men in all key demographics including Men 18-34, M18-49, M18-24, and M25-34. It also was the most watched program among Persons 18-34 with a 4.7 rating (2.7 million), illustrating co-viewing among young men and women.
The episode also drew more Men 18-34 than anything else on television this week thus far, except Monday Night Football on ESPN. Also of note, only seven series in all of television this fall season drew more men 18-34, despite “The Ultimate Fighter” being in its tenth season.
Overall, the record-breaking telecast drew a 6.9 in Men 18-34 (2 million), a 5.4 in M18-49 (3.1 million), a household rating of 3.7 and 5.3 million total viewers.
The 6.1 million viewership peak at 9:45pm for the Kimbo Slice- Roy Nelson fight trumps any UFC programming ever on Spike TV. The previous mark was 5.9 million viewers for Rampage Jackson-Dan Henderson fight at UFC 75 in September, 2007. Also, the repeat at 11:00pm drew an impressive 1.5 million viewers. Thus, the combined audience of both telecasts reached 6.8 million viewers.
“The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” features former UFC light heavyweight champions “Suga” Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson as coaches and is the only installment in the show’s history to include only the heavyweight weight class (206+ lbs). The cast includes a list of notable athletes with impressive and diverse pedigrees including four former NFL players, UFC veterans, a former IFL heavyweight champ and a highly-publicized former EliteXC fighter, Kimbo Slice, who gained prominence through his non-sanctioned bouts on YouTube.
*the previous record was 4.1 million viewers for the premiere of “The Ultimate Fighters: Heavyweights” was set September 16, 2009.
Source: Spike TV