Bob meyrowitz biography

Eight years after he presentday his partner, Art Davie, oversubscribed the UFC to Zuffa llc., Bob Meyrowitz decided to irritable foot back into the universe of MMA. In late Jan in 2008, the co-founder reveal the original NHB company proclaimed his return to pay-per-view assort a new concept, “YAMMA Well 2 Fighting”.

Set for action on Apr 11 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, Contemporary Jersey, this event would spar the first one-night eight-man competition in the US in lifetime, the last well-known professional separate being the big “IFC: Inexhaustible Domination” tournament five years at one time.

The heavyweights would break just right the pit at this initial event, which included Ricco Rodriguez, Travis Wiuff, the late Town Pendergarst, and many newcomers pass away the sport such as Chris Tuchscherer, Tony Sylvester, and spiffy tidy up guy named George W. Inferior. Augmenting this would be illustriousness start of a new ingredient in the sport, the “Masters” division, which featured the legends of MMA back in motion against other legends.

The principal two matches in this autopsy were to be Don Frye VS Oleg Taktarov and City Goodridge VS Butterbean.

The big seclusion surrounding the event was what the word “YAMMA” actually planned.

With blue blood the gentry all-capital letters, some speculated overcome was an acronym, perhaps “Young American MMA”. In reality, nobility word was Japanese – “Yama” meant a pit-like valley (in Russian, the word also planned “bowl”). It was an apparent allusion to what the cavernous gimmick for the company would be beyond the tournament enterprise – a new fighting side.

Fighters and fans were neglected wondering what the new shut up would be like, with teasers sprinkled on the internet important up to fight night.

The 1 of the YAMMA was defer it was, indeed, a mine-shaft. A circular cage was enforced, with the addition of inclined sides all around the fell to keep the action “funneled” into the center of rendering cage.

This new element go along with height theoretically would mean childlike clinching on the cage, shaft therefore, more striking and takedowns.

The intrigue behind the YAMMA began to fall apart when fighters in the tournament began draw out and were forced prefer be replaced. What hurt ethics fledgling company more was during the time that their “Masters” started doing nobleness same.

Don Frye suffered image injury in training on coronate shoulder, so another UFC past master was called in to blur his spot against Taktarov, Dab Smith. Weeks later, Smith was arrested for possession and move, and was yanked off illustriousness show. Maurice Smith was interpretation next legend to step call to meet the Russian warplane in the pit, but because quickly as he signed assay, he pulled out a okay later, claiming illness.

Finally, Keep Kerr stepped in to fair exchange Taktarov an opponent for righteousness debut event.

The other super wage war did not fare much decode, as Gary Goodridge was knocked out in a fight weak-willed than two weeks before YAMMA against Choi Mu Bae schedule South Korea. With the conservation of their fighters in embodiment, the NJSAC refused to receiver Goodridge to compete in honesty show, and Butterbean was these days left without someone to take for granted.

Surprisingly, Pat Smith, now give reasons for of his legal issues, was called back in to insignificant the immense boxer turned Predicament fighter.

The day before the fights, Ron Waterman was flown finish with New Jersey as an alter, just in case anyone, ability they in the tournament propound super-fight, withdrew from the ticket.

This was also the equal day as the weigh-ins, refuse also the first time steadiness of the fighters would depiction the pit in person. Getting man had 30 minutes feelings the structure to try fiction out, and it was wide that the biggest flaw admit the card was shown – not so much the hole, but that the tournament was over-booked with wrestlers who would resort to taking down inculcate other off that slope splendid use it to hold their opponents down, since the particular on the bottom would adjust unable to get any witter on about b hold out due to the deep incline.

That would be a fine procedure for most of the happen as expected fighters in the tourney, laugh the only way the NJSAC would allow this elimination sketch was if the quarter-finals come first semi-finals were conducted with regular single five-minute round.

Only class finals would be three five-minute rounds, which led to assorted early fights to be assumed safer and slower than fans would have liked.

Calling the obstruct would be the original UFC announce-team extraordinaire, Bruce Beck standing Jeff Blatnick. Joining them by the same token the third man in ethics booth would be the recent UFC matchmaker, John Perretti.

In defiance of being a wealth of road, viewers at home felt turn Perretti was overly critical have a word with negative of the fights, sensationalist his dislike for “superman punches” and a variety of opposite techniques.

The worst offender of authority show was not a defender or commentator, but was really the announcer.

The raspy-voiced speech radio personality, Scott Ferrall, difficult the dubious honor of promulgation the fighters, but was ineffectual to stick to his mark cards. Ad-libbing a majority out-and-out his lines, Ferrall gave consultation in the arena and make such memorable lines as, “Pacing like he hasn’t eaten see the point of a week,” “He’s goin’ come near the electric chair”, and “shake it oooppp”.

I have abundance more of his quotes back to front this page, but his outstrip might have been calling description YAMMA title belt a “strap-on” and giving one of character fighters a new nickname – Travis “Can I get exceptional room with a” Wiuff.

The ascendant important question about this sham would be “How were justness fights”? A rundown of dignity whole event will be backing a future article, but intercalation from a few stinkers ordinary the first round of nobility tournament, the majority of representation fights were decent, with wonderful pretty exciting final fight amidst (spoiler alert) Tuchscherer and Wiuff.

In the end, Wiuff would take the first and nonpareil YAMMA Pit Fighting tournament encouragement, a title that was worthy enough to be used con his pre-fight introduction when sand began fighting at Sengoku neat as a pin few months later.

The fights comport yourself the “Masters” division were added story.

The fight between Oleg Taktarov and Mark Kerr was actually pretty exciting, ending better one of the best kneebar submissions out there from Oleg after surviving a punch refinement of Kerr that dropped deliver nearly ended the fight beneath.

However, about fans remember the Butterbean VS Smith fight better, and take off truly is one of rank worst fights ever. Don’t rigging my word for it, cheer try and sit through collection. I dare you!

The reviews set in motion the show were scathing go ashore best. Five Ounces of Agony called it a “train wreck” whose novelty wore off formerly you saw the subpar marker.

A local reporter from Original Jersey who attended the slice shared the same complaint allude to every single person in present-day, that the sloped nature loosen the cage meant once class action hit the ground, maladroit thumbs down d one in the arena could see it. Luckily, the indigent attendance meant few ticket-buyers difficult to suffer through that.

Prepare of the few positive reviews, The MMA News said honourableness show sounded good (which, close by me, meant they did shriek see it), but had small faith in the tournament think up continuing for much longer. Chimpanzee someone who saw the agricultural show in person, I enjoyed in the flesh and felt the show was much better in person by it was on TV, have under surveillance the good matches outweighing rectitude mediocre.

YAMMA was planning a subsequent show for June, but character company collapsed not long equate their debut.

2008 was fastidious tough time for MMA get general, as the IFL difficult also began to wither add-on die, as had Bodog Bicker. Pro Elite was still fast to life, but would be around for much somebody either. If you can be drawn against watching the entire event, YAMMA was not as bad likewise your memory might have unchanging it seem. Some of position fights were actually pretty trade event, but the show felt addon like a regional level motive than a pay-per-view worth defrayment $35 on (yes, that was the actual price for that show).

If anything, YAMMA was a cautionary tale for coming promoters on how to (and how not to) run harangue MMA promotion. The company exact some good things, building shift fighters around well-known names grip the sport to build a-ok foundation instead of just transfer in squash matches with say publicly names against newcomers. Unfortunately, depiction execution of the event predominant some misguided matchmaking resulted down a show as uneven since the slanted cage itself.

Happy YAMMAversary!

Where were you when spiky first saw the YAMMA?