by Michael David Smith
Last week it was revealed that Gus Johnson‘s contract with CBS had expired, and on Tuesday morning it was reported that Johnson has accepted a job at Fox. But that doesn’t mean he’s done as the voice of mixed martial arts on Showtime, the sister network of CBS.
Sources told MMAFighting.com that Johnson’s contract with CBS was for basketball and football, and that his deal to call fights (both MMA and boxing) for Showtime was a separate contract. That contract is still in effect, and Johnson will call Saturday night’s Andre Ward-Arthur Abraham boxing match for Showtime. Although Showtime hasn’t yet announced who will broadcast its next MMA show (a June 18 Strikeforce card), Johnson is expected to call that event as well.
Theoretically, it’s even possible that Johnson could be back on the CBS airwaves if CBS ever aired another Strikeforce fight: When Johnson called EliteXC and Strikeforce fights on CBS in the past, that was part of his Showtime deal. It’s probably a long shot that we’d see Johnson back on CBS, however.
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Jermaine AndrèÂ
LAS VEGAS — Cashing UFC tickets may not be an task this weekend. The top of the card at UFC 143 features some difficult calls.
The underdog price of plus-175 on Carlos Condit makes him an inviting play, but Nick Diaz is on a 11-fight win streak dating back to 2007. He’s pretty much destroyed or broken every opponent along the way.
On paper, Josh Koscheck (minus-265) should be a bigger favorite over Mike Pierce. So why isn’t he? Are the sports books and sharp bettors onto something?
Roy Nelson versus Fabricio Werdum features grappler vs. grappler. Does that mean we don’t see any dangerous scenarios unfold on the ground? Can someone pull off a submission? Or do we see a plodding stand-up battle? Werdum is a small favorite at minus-155.
Listen here as Frank Trigg, Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole and myself made picks during our “MMA Insiders” show on ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas.
UFC 143 betting odds:
Best plays in bold
Carlos Condit (+175) vs. Nick Diaz (-210) – Welterweight
Scott Jorgensen (+210) vs. Renan Barao (-250) Bantamweight
Josh Koscheck (-250) vs. Mike Pierce (+210) – Welterweight
Roy Nelson (+135) vs. Fabricio Werdum (-155) – Heavyweight
Matthew Riddle (-380) vs. Henry Martinez (+315) – Welterweight
Matt Brown (-340) vs. Chris Cope (+280) – Welterweight
Alex Caceres (Even) vs. Edwin Figueroa (-120) – Bantamweight
Dustin Poirier (-525) vs. Max Holloway (+415) – Featherweight
Ed Herman (-300) vs. Clifford Starks (+250) – Middleweight
Stephen Thompson (-300) vs. Dan Stittgen (+250) – Welterweight
Rafael Natal (-170) vs. Michael Kuiper (+150) – Middleweight
Eric Butterbean Esch Efrain Escudero Rashad Evans Urijah Faber Wagnney Fabiano
Forgive me for my next statement, as it could be considered blasphemy to some, but I actually thought last night?s RAW was far superior to Sunday night?s Royal Rumble PPV. The action was great, there were a handful of nice twists/turns, the booking made sense, and a handful of storylines were either progressed or developed. [...]
Edwin Dewees Nick Diaz Tadhg Steamfist Dixon Joe Doerksen Chris Dolman
The internet exploded after UFC 143′s fight between Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz. Many fans were upset with the decision, to put it mildly, and Diaz’s talk of retirement in his post-fight interview made the eagerly anticipated grudge match w…
Joe Doerksen Chris Dolman Edson Drago Tomasz Drwal Joe Hybrid Duarte
Image: http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/000/796/852/jones-belt_medium_display_image.jpg?1300460341
*Name:* Jon Jones
*Nick…
Rich Franklin Ian Freeman Don Frye Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita
Strikeforce bantamweight contender Ronda Rousey has done an excellent job drawing attention from fans and media based on her outspokenness on a number of topics including fellow female fighters Cristiane Santos and Miesha Tate, the latter of whom she faces in headlining action at a Strikeforce event on March 3 in Columbus, Ohio. The organization?s [...]
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This year the UFC will hold its annual events honoring Memorial Day and July 4th in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand. While the organization has not officially announced either show given the amount of time remaining before each holiday, the Nevada State Athletic Commission confirmed the UFC had requested the dates of May 26 [...]
Shinya Aoki Andrei Arlovski Ricardo Arona Noboru Asahi Marcus AurelioÂ
by Michael David Smith
With the first round of fights all out of the way on this season of The Ultimate Fighter, Ramsey Nijem has advanced to the quarterfinals and learned on this week’s episode that he’ll be taking on Clay Harvison next. In his weekly interview with MMAFighting.com, Nijem said that was a matchup he liked — but not the matchup he requested.
Nijem talked about his game plan for Harvison, which member of Brock Lesnar‘s team he would have preferred to fight, and how he felt about the wild card fight between Chuck O’Neil and Javier Torres.
Nijem also weighed in on the annual coaches’ challenge, which this year meant Lesnar and Junior dos Santos going through an obstacle course on Fertitta Field at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas.
The full interview is below.
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Murilo Bustamante Grant Campbell Gesias JZ Calvancante Luiz Cane Dos Caras Jr Â
While conversations are still raging in regards to last weekend?s lineup at UFC 143, the UFC?s production team has turned its attention towards the next major event. Set for February 26 in Saitama, UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson marks the organization?s return to Japan after an extended absence from the Far East and boasts a [...]
Royce Gracie Royler Gracie Ryan Gracie Peter Graham Forrest Griffin
After Monday’s announcement that Rashad Evans would in fact headline UFC 145 opposite light heavyweight champ Jon Jones (Pictured), 11 fights have now been confirmed for the April 21st show. Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia hosts the UFC?s return to the Peach State. The card’s official bout order has yet to be confirmed. Furthermore, because [...]
Dean Amasinger Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen Alex Andrade Jermaine AndrèÂ
