MMATORCH
THE TORCH: THE #1 WORLDWIDE BRAND IN COMBAT ENTERTAINMENT COVERAGE - OVER 250 MILLION VIEWS & LISTENS PER YEAR
REREACHING MORE FANS EVERY WEEK THAN ANY OTHER INDEPENDENT SOURCE • VIA THE WEB, MOBILE, PRINT NEWSLETTER, AND ITUNES
HOME | CONTACT USABOUT USFACEBOOKTWITTERLIVECASTPODCASTFREE IPHONE APPFREE AMAZON APPRSS
JUMP TO A LIST OF ARTICLES ABOUT ANY CATEGORY -




GET OUR FREE PHONE APPS FOR IPHONE, IPAD, ANDROID, AND AMAZON: JUST SEARCH "MMATORCH" IN YOUR PHONE'S APP STORE OR MARKETPLACE


MMA News : Other News
WEC QUOTABLES: Matchmaker Sean Shelby won't throw cupcakes to fighters at a high level, Faber a case in point

Email This Article - Click for Printer-Friendly Page
Or Spread the World Below...
__


Jan 10, 2010 - 4:25:43 PM

FaberUrijah_150_3.jpg
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

"I don't want to disrespect fighters at that level by giving them fights that fans can look at and say 'Okay, they are just throwing him another cupcake.' I won't do that to them. I think Urijah appreciates that. Truth be told, Urijah actually asked about Raphael first. I can't take credit for that 100 percent. I have to give credit to Urijah for that. I think that's a testament to what kind of fighter he is... My job is to find the best fighters in the world. Not only the best fighter, but the second best and the third best and the fourth best. The chips fall where they fall. That's my job. I'll let marketing and PR worry about the other stuff. It's pure sport."

-WEC matchmaker Sean Shelby talks to Heavy.com about his philosophy on putting fights together in the WEC in the context of Urijah Faber's difficult test tonight against Raphael Assuncao.

Penick's Analysis: Jonathan Snowden's entire piece over at Heavy.com is an excellent read. Faber is taking anything but the easy road in this fight after two losses to Mike Brown pushed him down the featherweight ladder a bit, and in a fight with a lot of downside for him compared to reward it is definitely a testament to his toughness and fighting spirit that he's not only taking this fight but that he requested it. And it's still absolutely a must win fight for him and the WEC in terms of his drawing power and their exposure, yet that's not the way anyone involved is taking it. It's an admirable move on their part, and for hardcore fans a great Faber performance will mean even more than it will to casual fans who may not know what Assuncao truly brings to the table.

[Urijah Faber art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch]

Please Recommend This Article at StumbleUpon...



MORE "Other News" ARTICLES
Bobby Lashley says he's in talks to face Fedor Emelianenko in 2012
Nate Marquardt granted release from BAMMA, once again a free agent
THIS WEEK IN MMA: Top MMA programming on television from 1/2-1/8
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays From MMATorch!
THIS WEEK IN MMA: Top MMA programming on television from 12/19-12/25
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Satoshi Ishii official for New Year's Eve in Japan


MMATORCH LIVECAST - EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT

ALERT: Every Tuesday night, listen to the MMATorch Livecast from 9-10:30 p.m. ET or listen now to the most recent shows by clicking here. Listen live this coming Tuesday as Jamie Penick, Rich Hansen, and Matt Pelkey discuss the latest MMA happenings. Online listen at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mmatorch or call into the show at 646-716-8090 to either just listen or participate.


CLICK TO RETURN TO MAIN LISTING



LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!

MMATORCH and USA TODAY
UFC VIDEO PRESENTATION


FEATURED MMATORCH EXCLUSIVES

GREG JACKSON ADDRESSES UFC 143 CRITICS

Greg_Jackson_80_1.jpg
"There's still a large contingent of people, that they just want to see these guys almost die, or the other guy almost die and come back, and sometimes fights are like that. Certainly they are. But sometimes you get technical masterpieces too, and to hate a beautiful, technical fight - you're not really a fight fan...

*CLICK TO READ ARTICLE

AMADI: WHY DIAZ FIGHTS LIKE HE DOES

Staff10Amadi_70_40.jpg
Diaz has a granite chin, possesses perhaps the best recovery in the sport, his pace and conditioning are second to none and he sets records with the volume of his punches almost every time he steps into the cage. Nick Diaz is simply designed to fight the way he fights, and not many other fighters are...

*CLICK TO READ ARTICLE

KOSCHECK EXPLAINS SPLIT FROM AKA

JoshKoscheck_150_5.jpg
"There was a lot of poison going on around there and I'm really disappointed because we had a good thing going. It was a good thing and I think people's egos got in the way. Well, not people just Javier, his ego got in the way, and too many cameras in the gym and him trying to build himself up and his brand, his AKA brand...

*CLICK TO READ ARTICLE

MMATORCH POLL

SEE PREVIOUS POLL RESULTS


10 HOTTEST MMATORCH ARTICLES
UFC 143 ROUNDTABLE: Should the UFC book a Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz rematch this summer?
ENNIS: Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down for UFC 143 - Carlos Condit, Fools/Crybabies, Bad Judging/Officiating, and more
AMADI: Why Nick Diaz Fights the Way He Does, and Why Carlos Condit Was Right to Avoid It
PENICK: UFC 143's Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit - A Round by Round Breakdown of What Actually Happened
PEREZ: The UFC 143 Highlight Reel - The Top 5 stories out of "Diaz vs. Condit" event in Las Vegas
UFC 143 "DIAZ VS. CONDIT" ROUNDTABLE: MMATorch staff and contributors rate and review Super Bowl weekend event
UFC 143 "DIAZ VS. CONDIT" PREVIEW: Penick's breakdown and fight picks for Super Bowl weekend event
UFC 143 ROUNDTABLE: Nick Diaz or Carlos Condit? Who has the better chance at defeating Georges St-Pierre?
PENICK: Notebook 1/30 - Chicago memories, UFC on Fox 2 BTS thoughts, Jon Jones on Evans-Davis and heavyweight aspirations
PENICK: UFC on Fox 2 notebook - In person thoughts from the United Center


ALSO: UFC PPV Reports: Results, analysis, fight ratings of all recent events
LATEST PRO WRESTLING NEWS FROM PWTORCH






HOME | CONTACT USABOUT USFACEBOOKTWITTERLIVECASTPODCASTFREE IPHONE APPFREE AMAZON APPRSS
PART OF THE USA TODAY UFC GROUP | © 2006-2011 TDH Communications Inc. • All rights reserved -- PRIVACY POLICY