bigg jay

They won't go that route but if they did, they wouldn't even need to go overseas. The UFC put this fight in Ohio for a reason and Texas approved the weight difference between Gracie & Shamrock so they would probably approve that one too! There are a few commissions that kind of do their own thing and are usually avoided like the plague (if you noticed, none of the well known refs like Big John or Herb Dean worked 203 because of Ohio's reputation).

Did you even read the article you linked?

Well that article only says he appears in the movie & the main villains will be the Reavers & Weapon X so this might just be their way of introducing him and then having him in a bigger role in future movies.

They've had 2 sub 300k PPV's in the last year. 201 (Woodley vs Lawler) had 240k & 192 (Cormier vs Gustafsson) had 250k. There was a 3rd (195 Lawler vs Condit) that was right on the 300k mark so the actual numbers could have been less. The early estimates for 203 are between 650-800k. If the predictions hold true for the 203 numbers, then I don't think you can deny Punk had a huge affect on that. Even Meltzer says he under estimated the wrestling crowd and that's his business. The problem for the UFC is that it's a one time bump and with Punk's performance, it won't happen again so how do they keep those numbers going? Outside of Rousey & McGregor, nobody is pulling in those kinds of numbers.

Punk also didn't make a great choice in training camps. He should have gone somewhere more well-rounded. Duke Roufus is a great striking coach but wrestling (or even just takedown defense) is not what they are known for. Duke, it would seem, knew Punk wasn't ready but basically shrugged his shoulders and said why not let him live out his dream?

Toney also trained very little (if at all) for that fight... Punk had been training for 2 years for his fight.

100% not a dive. Just a guy who had no business whatsoever being in there. Gall is a legit bjj brown belt while Punk would be a white belt and it showed. If you saw any of the footage of Punk sparring, his "technique" left a lot to be desired. This was going to be the result 10 out of 10 times. Training at a gym known for their stand-up and having wrestling as their kryptonite (see Anthony Pettis) didn't help much either. You are correct that James Toney also received 500k though. He also tapped before he took a beating while Punk took some solid shots before the choke.

I'll go with Messam.

Because this is said mob...

Casual fans or wrestling fans maybe... legit mma fans were watching because you had 4 of the top 8 heavyweights ( the 1, 2, 4 & 7 ranked fighters) all fighting on the same card.

I think he fits in just fine!

Taylor Reed cut by the Stamps

He'll be listed in the record books as Phil Brooks. The UFC can call him whatever they think will get the most attention. When the Rock went Hollywood, he tried dropping The Rock part for a while at first but went back to using it occasionally. It's all about what sells.

I didn't watch last night but saw this clip this morning. Wonder if Punk has seen it yet! lol

At least Buzz stayed in character.

Penton is just twisting the words to suit his POV.

That's my feeling. Too many good db'so around. A trade with Sask makes sense now that we're done with them for the year.

As expected, CM Punk was horrible and got his ass handed to him.

Way to go Quinn. Making the league punish you completely ruins the conspiracy theory that only goes after the Riders.

from the article in the Free Press http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/setoguchis-road-to-ruin-392834081.html

I just assumed this is how Kane "poured it out".

I find Craig is more of a Jason Bourne-type Bond where it's previously been more of suave stylish character (regardless of who the actor was). I'm a fan of both styles but just find them completely different takes so it's hard to compare them.