* The sale of Pride to the Fertitta Brothers (essentially the UFC itself) has generated all kinds of talk in mainstream and MMA media. Is it bad or is it good for the sport?

There are many ways to break this down, so here’s a couple. This now means there is virtually complete global domination by one entity for the entire sport yet it seems as though the UFC, WEC and Pride will all maintain separate identities. The good? Unified rules which will eliminate “soccer” kicks and stomps, institute proper rounds and scoring, etc.

The bad? If everyone is kept separate, will we ever see true world champions? It’s a nice idea to pit for instance Pride’s Dan Henderson against UFC’s Anderson Silva, but if all organizations are separated it might not ever take place. That being said, the UFC wasted little time moving guys like Cro Cop and Quinton Jackson into their own title picture.

* But is global domination by one ownership group a good thing? Well obviously the Fertittas know what they’re doing based upon the enormous success and mainstream attention the UFC has earned in the past five years. On the flipside, though, there is the example of World Wrestling Entertainment which bought out its only rival and has since seen its product grow stale and earnings drop as live gates fell off (at least in the U.S. markets). Without competition, there is little left to strive for – a significant problem the UFC must be careful of.

* I would hope the Fertittas try to burn up a little more of their money (like Vegas billionaires would worry about that anyway) by making any offer towards Fedor Emelianko to lure him out of Bodog. How about the UFC’s suddenly superior heavyweight ranks with Fedor, Cro Cop, Couture, Sylvia and a more-than-likely-sorry-he-ever-said-anything Brandon Vera? From abysmal to sensational overnight.

* Oh, yes and before I forget, one very good thing about the UFC’s takeover – at least something I hope will take place. While I’m not a big fan of Bruce Buffer (a fine ring announcer but he seems to be a major face-time camera hog) he is still infinitely better than his ultra-annoying female counterpart from Pride whose act was only made worse when it was revealed on Pride’s first American show that she is in fact American and not Japanese. Her shtick is painful, much more cringing than nails down the chalkboard ever could be.

* Speaking of painful, was there anything both more hilarious and yet harder to watch than Chuck Liddell’s appearance on a Texas morning show promoting 300. Embarrassing. Now I’ve heard people say the UFC or the TV station itself should have never let this happen.

Maybe, but last time I looked Liddell is an adult. If you’re “sick” shouldn’t you personally realize that maybe it would be a good idea if you don’t go on live television? And if you’re over 18 you have a sense of responsibility and even moreso as a champion of a worldwide sports organization. Maybe it would be advisable to get a little shut eye before having to wake up at some early hour to make it to a TV appearance. Perhaps the only way Liddell will ever lose his UFC title is by beating himself.

* I noticed the other night a taped broadcast of some fights from Nevada. A well-known fighter was doing colour commentary and the bright bulb doing the graphics spelled his name wrong. Hey we all make mistakes, I surely know that from my own experiences. But that’s just a little too sloppy to let slide.

* Todd Fedoruk of the Philadelphia Flyers, a heck of a game scrapper, recently commented that maybe NHL tough guys should wear MMA-style gloves in the event they get into a fight. This in an effort to curb the concussion/broken bones epidemic currently harming these gutsy guys. And Fedoruk should know having suffered a broken cheekbone and being KO’d in two separate fights this season. Hockey purists shot down the idea, but think about it. Wouldn’t 4 oz gloves maybe make the difference? And how about the cross-promotion potential of Georges St. Pierre and the Montreal Canadiens, Jason MacDonald and the Edmonton Oilers, and other MMA/NHL combinations?

* A pat on the back goes to Sportsnet for getting onboard and airing stories about MMA. They’ve included a piece on Adam Braidwood’s debut in the MFC, Jason MacDonald’s fights with Chris Leben and Rich Franklin, and highlights from an Ultimate Fight Night card. There’s more and more interest in MMA and it’s about time guys like MacDonald are recognized by their “home” media. It’s just too bad that Don Taylor has disappeared from the morning Connected show. At least his humour is actually funny unlike his replacements’ sad efforts.

* Speaking of Braidwood, some whispers around Edmonton indicate several veteran Eskimos put some heat on Braidwood not to fight one more time before training camp for the 2007 season got under way. Not wanting to rock the boat (a dressing room that had to have been disjointed last season), Braidwood relented and will not fight but will attend the next MFC show as a fan. But was there anything that got Eskimo fans more hyped up in the off-season than Braidwood’s fight? Nothing even came close.

* And Braidwood’s fight, and specifically the brutal knockout suffered by teammate Mike Maurer, generated much hubbub as to whether pro football players should be allowed to fight during the off-season. It’s a non-starter I believe. Unless the CFL or NFL (or NHL for that matter) owners or league officials specifically have in their players’ contracts what they can and can’t do in their off time, Braidwood and others (I know for a fact, that yes there are more Eskimos interested) are free to pursue their interest.