X Games

Took a day off yesterday and went to the X Games. Very cool. They had moto-x practice, FMX jumping practice, Rally car runs, & mens halfpipe practice at Home Depot Center. It was my first time there and I can see why they have had X Games there for so many years in a row now. The place gets set-up like a mini-Olympic venue. There're separate areas for the halfpipe, moto-x & rally car, street and park. All of the events were more impressive in-person, especially the FMX jumping. 50-foot backflips are way more impressive live and in-person. Also the sense of scale for the halfpipe skating is better. Those guys are getting serious air. Rally car translates well to TV, but I got to stand next to the burnout corner (basically, a U-turn that the cars drift around) and you don't get the tire smoke and rubber smell on TV.

 

I also went to the Staples Center events that afternoon. I've been dying to see the mega-ramp in-person and finally did. That sucker is wild. Its cool to have a better sense of scale with the ramp indoors. These guys are basically launching down from the cheap seats. The ramp is at a 60-degree angle. I'm glad I experienced it. I took a ton of pictures with a new camera we JUST got. I didn't even consider that it would be delivered in time. The camera came within 48-hours of being ordered, must have been out of a local warehouse. Expect a link to pictures soon.

Deadline

Still no word from Red Bull.... 

Nervous

No word from Red Bull yet. Still don't know if my Soapbox Racer made the cut. I am supposed to get confirmation around the end of the month; that would be Friday. Keep your fingers crossed.

Here comes Fedor!

Well, Affliction Trilogy is an official bust. It was announced last week, that Affliction was cancelling the event. The bigger news is that the "T-shirt Guy" as Dana White called him, had agreed to work with the UFC, not promote their own fights, and have Affliction advertising back on the Octagon. Wild. So much is back to the future as far as the UFC is concerned. Randy Couture, Affliction and even Tito Ortiz has apparently made up with the biggest game in MMA. You can try to resist, but like the Borg in Star Trek, you will get assimilated eventually.

 

This means Fedor is a free agent?!! Well, kinda. I've read that M-1 Global, his managing partner, has put excessive demands on the UFC. Co-promoting the fight and building an arena in Russia are the common rumors. Sounds like extortion to me. The problem now is Dana White's ego. He doesn't appear ready to bow to anyone. This attitude made the UFC what it is today. But will it ultimately cost the heavyweight division?

 

 

 

Doh!

Well, it turns out that the rumors were true. Barnett tested positive for steroids and was not certified to fight next weekend. There is a fair amount of buzz about who his replacement opponent will be. I've heard anyone from Bobby Lashley and Tito Ortiz to Jeff Monson.

 

They say there is no such thing as bad publicity, but that's probably not true in this case. I think that Affliction has to be hanging on by a thread, in this economy, as a fight league/promoter. UFC fighters can't wear Affliction, so that takes away their signature line of merchandise as a clothing company. This is the last fight that Fedor has under his current contract with Affliction. Barnett has thrown a big wet blanket over the whole event; it has also shown that there aren't a whole lot of legit heavyweight fighters left for Fedor.

 

Vitor Belfort remains a strong possibility. I've already said he's undersized. So is Tito. Lashley is too green. Brett Rogers might be a good fight, but he probably has a exclusive contract with Strikeforce.

 

Ultimately, it's pretty bad for Affliction. Fedor is really the only draw for the promotion. Dana White is probably enjoying this (a little too much), he's already had an issue with Barnett and steroids. If this gets Fedor in the UFC, cool. I'd love to see him dismantle Lesnar.