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The MMA For Real Farewell Thread

2011-02-06T10:13:13Z

I'll get right to it for those that missed the radio show today. Tonight will be the last night that MMA For Real (www.mmaforreal.com) will be active. The site is shutting down and will be archived in a consolidation move by Sports Blog Nation Network. It's bittersweet in some respects. I mean this site was birthed from absolutely nothing back in August 2008 in an effort to shine the light on the local MMA scene in North Carolina. I think we accomplished that.

Just to give you a quick synopsis on how we have come to this I suppose...

You probably began to notice my absence from the site around June 2010 as my wife and I awaited the birth of twins, who were born in late July 2010. I simply couldn't devote the time into the site that I once had knowing what was coming with three kids under the age of 5...so I notified SBN that I would need to take a hiatus of sorts until we were settled with the twins. Matt Bishop stepped up to the plate to try and keep things going in my absence, and as I said on the radio show earlier today....I thank you for doing that Matt. However, I suppose during this time SBN decided to go another direction in regards to their MMA coverage. Would things have been different if I didn't have to take the leave of absence? Who knows... but you may have noticed that Watch Kalib Run was shut down about two weeks ago, so some of you may have seen the writing on the wall as things had slowed down quite a bit on this site.

Time changes things, but I certainly don't regret any of the literally thousands of hours I've put into this site. It was a blast and we've had well over 2 million pageviews in less than two years. We've interviewed local fighters, former UFC champions, TUF winners, and more. I think that's pretty incredible. There are some community members that have been with me since day one over at the old site. To you guys...I say thank you for the support...I won't name names in fear that I'll forget someone...but you know who you are.

To the SBN guys...I say thank you, and a special thanks to Kid Nate for vouching for me when nobody had a clue who I was.....and they still don't know who I am...lol.

To the local MMA folk that supported this site. I say thank you. To the guys that didn't? You lost.

To the local fighters that we've given shine too..I certainly hope we were helpful to your careers. Keep grinding, and if we can help in any way in the future...just holla.

To the guys that put in work for this site.

Charles Walker-Charles is the only guy I knew prior to starting this site and he was one of the first people I talked to when I thought of starting this site...Charles contributed when he could and when he did...it would always generate good discussion. Thanks man...and I'll see you soon.

Rich Wyatt-This guy came out of nowhere...and was a lifesaver with his infinite knowledge of the local MMA scene in NC and the surrounding areas. Son is a walking encyclopedia about local MMA! I had the pleasure of meeting Rich last year and we had a blast. Rich and I will still be updating the MMA For Real fan page on Facebook..we'll be updating the local rankings as we have in the past and so on...so you local fans can get your fix there. Thanks for everything, and I look forward to seeing you soon man.

Anthony Pace-Anthony joined the site last year as a contributor. I always enjoyed his pieces, and you can find him putting in work at HeadKick Legend. Thanks for your contributions man. Good luck with everything.

Erich Vowell-You have disappeared in the last 6 months or so. I don't know if you are alive or not. If so, thanks for your contributions man. You put in work down in Georgia for us. Good luck with everything.

Neil and Forrest(From the Radio Show)-Thanks for keeping Matt straight...lol...good luck to you guys in whatever you do in life.

As for me...well...I'll still going to be doing my thing. I'll be writing over at PROMMA Now(www.prommanow.com). So make sure you check me out over there as it's a great site that covers EVERYTHING MMA. You can still follow me on twitter (@MMA4Real) or (@KelvinHunt)...so check me out there as well or on Facebook. Feel free to shower us with praises or tell us how you really felt about us in the comments section.

With that said....on to the next chapter....peace.

[Note by Kelvin Hunt, 02/21/11 7:25 AM EST ]

Rich Wyatt and I will still be covering North Carolina MMA as we have done in the past. I've reached an agreement with PROMMA Now (www.prommanow.com) to post North Carolina MMA news there, so that will now become the home of North Carolina MMA. This is a HUGE deal as PROMMA Now is one of the largest and fastest growing MMA sites around, and is also content partner with USA Today. So coverage for you guys just got THAT much better, compared to what we were doing here at MMA For Real. All fighters/promoters feel free to contact me via twitter or at kelvinhunt@hotmail.com. Thanks.

A Fond Farewell...

2011-02-06T10:12:50Z

As we told everyone on Lights Out Radio on Friday afternoon, this is the end for MMAForReal.com. Kelvin already said it all in his post, but I want to thank him for the chance to bring my radio show to this web site and for the chance to write and report here which ultimately has led me to my new opportunity with Bloody Elbow, something I'm very excited about. I want to thank Kelvin for trusting me enough to turn his baby over to me at the end of June.

I want to thank Kelvin, Charles Walker, Rich Wyatt, Anthony Pace and Erich Vowell for their hard work during the past few months and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my radio show colleagues Neil Wagner and Forrest Lynn for their contributions and for the countless hours of entertainment they helped provide everyone. I want to thank all of our loyal readers and listeners for your comments and positive response to our products.

Going forward, you can find me at Bloody Elbow writing and hosting the brand new Bloody Elbow Radio with Forrest Lynn and Jonathan Snowden. This has been a fun ride, one I've been apart of for 20 months now (which is tough to believe). It's sad to see it go, but it's on to bigger and better things, hopefully.

Finally, I want to take the time to thank Neil for his contributions to the radio show. Neil has been my right hand man since I started Lights Out Radio in August 2007 and was instrumental in helping broker the deal between myself and Kelvin. Many of Neil's greatest contributions weren't on the air, but behind the scenes. I look forward to continuing to partner with Neil and his skills behind the scenes on Bloody Elbow Radio. I want to thank him for behind so understanding when I had to make a difficult decision regarding the show. It's been a great time and this is a sad day for me because this is the end of an era. How many MMA podcasts at our level have last this long? I bet not many. That's a testament to our hard work and what you helped put into it. We'll light it up one more time tonight for our UFC 126 review. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Neil.

Thank you everybody.

I've received goodbyes from Charles Walker, Rich Wyatt and Neil Wagner which you can read after the jump.

Charles Walker:

I would just like to thank Kelvin Hunt and Matt Bishop for running a great mixed martial arts site and doing so with such a passion. I know for a fact I am not a writer at all but I do appreciate the opportunity to share some of my thoughts and insane opinions from time to time. I also want to give a big thanks to all those that stopped by on a regular basis because really those were the people the site was for and I hope you guys stick around the SBNation. Also, to Rich Wyatt (who I want a rematch in Undisputed with) and Anthony Pace for helping out on a daily basis and giving some different sides and views to all the goings on in MMA. Can't forget the Lights Out Radio crew, Forrest Lynn and Neil Wagner, thanks guys for your insight and jokes and let me know where and how I can keep up with the LOR show. So with that, it's been a great run here at MMA 4 Real and I'm sure we'll continue to enjoy MMA wherever we may get our news and opinions from.

Rich Wyatt:

A couple of years ago I stumbled across MMA For Real. As a longtime MMA fan, I was ecstatic to see MMA legalized here in the Carolinas. This meant that folks around here could regularly enjoy the experience of watching fights live and in person. In my opinion, television doesn't do justice to MMA and boxing. There is an unmistakable electricity that exists when watching them in person, and whether that is in a gymnasium, night club or on top of a building (all spots where fights around here routinely take place), I'm glad the fans of MMA in this area are able to experience it. And so, what drew me to this site was the coverage of the local scene. Writing from a fan's perspective for this site was a blast. Another thing I always appreciated about this site is that it was a cool place to discuss the sport. Fans here were knowledgeable and fun to converse with. So I say thanks to each of you, the guys at LOR, Anthony, Erich, Charles and Kelvin. God bless!

Neil Wagner:

In the summer of 2007 I was propositioned to do a podcast, in which I would take part in a third of the program (it was two-thirds pro-wrestling, after all) as an "MMA insider". At the time, I figured it would end up as something to kill time until we got bored of it, but little did I know that it would take us well over three years, almost three hundred episodes, tens and tens of thousands (that we can substantiate, not including what I believe was approximately one bajillion hits on LightsOutRadio.com) of plays, and a quick shift in format to pure MMA talk. During that time, I chanced on the comments of a guy on FiveOuncesofPain.com (back in the Caplan era) who linked over to MMA4Real.net, which became a regular destination of mine. Eventually Kelvin (aka the man in charge) moved the .net over to SBNation's collection of sites, and he convinced me to sign up to start commenting, instead of just emailing him directly. Between the .net and the rise of the .com I also convinced Kelvin to come on to the show (and was successful far fewer times than I asked him to come on, by the way), and the bond between MMA For Real and Lights Out Radio was formed.

With time, the show became more integrated into the site, and Matt picked up the pen (digitally, of course) to add in some written content, eventually taking over primary writing duties, leaving us where we are today. Even though SBNation's "streamlining" of MMA content makes perfect business sense, it would be disingenuous of me to say I'm not remarkably bummed that the "small time" site I've been a part of since before it's current incarnation (.net 4 life, by the way) is going to go unattended, with its audience scattering to the winds. On the bright side, the tyrannical rule of RobertDowneySr is coming to an end. I'll never forget MMA For Real, if not for the ill-fitting Kimurawear T-shirt I won from an old pick'em contest, for the great community that accompanied it (and also, explaining to Wolfman how he is wrong about everything ever). However, I can say unequivocally that I'm excited for Matt's opportunity to write for a mainstream site, and maybe even inject a little bit of proper grammar and punctuation into it. Articles with journalistic integrity that aren't troll jobs on the audience at large? Big things are coming at BloodyElbow.com people, big things indeed.

Oh, even though Wagner@LightsOutRadio.com may not work anymore, you might just see a familiar face (or lack thereof) at twitter.com/DA_NeilW. Thanks to everyone who has listened to the show, and everyone who has in some way contributed; it's been one hell of a ride!

Lights Out Radio Presented by MMAForReal.com - Episode 280: UFC 126 Review, Final Episode

2011-02-06T06:20:47Z

Matt, Neil and Forrest will be LIVE! for one final time at 1:30 a.m. ET/10:30 p.m. PT to review "UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort" which is headlined by a UFC middleweight championship bout between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort. Also on the card are light-heavyweight clashes between Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin and Jon Jones and Ryan Bader.

The trio will break down all the fights that made air in the usual manner you've come to expect from them over the last 279 episodes.

To participate in the final edition of Lights Out Radio, dial (347) 202-0934, leave a question or comment here in the show thread or tweet us @MMA4Real.

SBN coverage of UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort

Lights Out Radio Presented by MMAForReal.com - Episode 279: UFC 126 Preview

2011-02-03T21:59:18Z

Matt, Neil and Forrest will be LIVE! at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT Friday for a very special edition of Lights Out Radio.

The crew preview Saturday's "UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort," which is headlined by a UFC middleweight championship fight between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort and light-heavyweight clashes between Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin and Jon Jones and Ryan Bader.

The show also will feature a very special announcement about the future of Lights Out Radio and MMAForReal.com that you will not want to miss. The crew also is scheduled to be joined by MMA For Real founder Kelvin Hunt at 4:30 p.m. ET.

To participate in what should be a very special show, dial (347) 202-0934, leave a question or comment here in the show thread of tweet us @MMA4Real.

SBN coverage of UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort

UFC officially announces fights for May's UFC 130

2011-02-03T19:00:20Z

MMAJunkie reports on the confirmation of several bouts for May's UFC 130 in Las Vegas:

Headlined by a third fight between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar (13-1-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) and Gray Maynard (10-0-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC), the May 28 card also features light heavyweights Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (31-8 MMA, 6-2 UFC) vs. Thiago Silva (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC), heavyweights Frank Mir (14-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) vs. Roy Nelson (15-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC), middleweights Brian Stann (10-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) vs. Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1 MMA 3-5 UFC), and welterweights Thiago Alves (18-7 MMA, 10-4 UFC) vs. Rick Story (12-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC).

Aside from Stann vs. Silva, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) previously reported all of the matchups, which recently were signed and made official.

UFC 130 takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The five above fights likely will comprise the pay-per-view main card.

This card is looking real good. Much like this weekend's UFC 126, this is another stacked main card.

Yamamoto/Johnson UFC 126 fight to stream via Facebook

2011-02-02T23:49:44Z

The UFC announced Wednesday it will stream the much-anticipated UFC debut of "Kid" Yamamoto via its Facebook page. Yamamoto will face Demetrious Johnson in a bantamweight clash.

From UFC.com:

Las Vegas, Nevada - In a move that further cements it as one of the most savvy social media organizations in all of professional sports, the Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced plans to stream a broadcast-quality live sporting event on Facebook® this Saturday.

In this exciting broadcast taking place on Feb. 5 at 8:25 p.m. ET/5:25 p.m. PT, sports fans are invited to watch the highly-anticipated UFC bantamweight clash between Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson and Japanese sensation Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto for free at www.facebook.com/ufc.

By simply "liking" the UFC Facebook page, fans will gain access to the live broadcast of the fight from the sold out Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, home to Saturday's UFC® 126: SILVA vs. BELFORT Pay-Per-View event.

This will be the second time the UFC has put preliminary bouts on Facebook. The first was two weeks ago at UFC Fight for the Troops 2. The company showed four preliminary bouts on Facebook that night.

UFC 126 is headlined by a UFC middleweight championship bout between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort and will air live at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view. The pay-per-view broadcast will be preceded by the one-hour "UFC Prelims Live" on Spike TV.

SBN coverage of UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort

'Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg' ratings average 561K viewers

2011-02-01T22:08:30Z

The ratings for "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg" are in and showed strong growth for Showtime, as the event's broadcast averaged 561,000 viewers, MMA Junkie reports.

The event peaked with 850,000 viewers for the Strikeforce welterweight championship bout between Nick Diaz and Evangelista Santos.

Industry sources confirmed that viewership on the premium-cable channel peaked during the evening's main event between Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz and Brazilian slugger Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos.

Overall, the event averaged 561,000 viewers, which is more than any single Strikeforce event broadcast on Showtime in the past year.

The peak viewership was the second-highest ever earned by a Strikeforce event on Showtime, ranking just behind 2009's female championship fight between Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos and Gina Carano, which drew a Strikeforce record 856,000 viewers during the main event and averaged 576,000 viewers for the card.

Obviously, Herschel Walker still is making a difference for Strikeforce, as the last card Nick Diaz headlined, against K.J. Noons in October, averaged 350,000 viewers. This is a good sign for Strikeforce as they head into what is going to be a crucial stretch for the promotion with the beginning of the Heavyweight Grand Prix in just over a week.

SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg

UFC 126 Preview: Rich Franklin Interview

2011-02-01T14:01:44Z

Rich Franklin spoke with MMA Scraps Radio in advance of his UFC 126 fight with Forrest Griffin. The former UFC middleweight champion speaks of his training for this fight, where he's training and much more.

Rich talks about what rematches he would and would not take and what it would take for him to retire.

SBN coverage of UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort