Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko: Who Cares?

There's been much written about UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture's abrupt resignation from the UFC, which stemmed at least partly over the UFC's inability to sign consensus top heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko. And there's plenty to talk about since the formation of M-1 Global and the announcement of their newest acquisition, the aforementioned Fedor Emelianenko.

• Could Couture and Emelianenko finally meet at an M-1 PPV event?
• Who would win the matchup between UFC's former champ vs. Pride's former champ?
• Can Captain America stop the Russian Cyborg?

The real question is: will anyone care?

Here's the deal: M-1 Global is going to fail. They'll probably go out of business before Fedor's two-year contract is up.

Here's a quote direct from Mitchell Maxwell, CEO of M-1 Global's parent company:

"A big part of the success of M-1 Global is that we've signed the No. 1 fighter in the world in Fedor. Our goal is to make him a household name (in the U.S.)."

Red Flag Alert: If you're building a new MMA company, do not bank your success on one fighter. In fact, don't bank your success on ANY fighters. All kinds of things can go wrong with this business plan.

Imagine if you started an MMA company in 2004 and you were lucky enough to sign rising superstar Frank Mir to a multi-year deal. Think about that for a minute...

Part of UFC critic's and fighter's gripes (including Couture) is that the UFC cares more about the UFC than the individual fighters. Well, guess what? They have to. If the UFC built its organization around fighters, it likely wouldn't still be around. Fighters get hurt. Fighters leave. Fighters come and go. You have to build a brand and keep the brand strong.

Having said that, you do need stars. There's no question that Couture was a star, drawing card, and ambassador for the UFC. But he won't draw anywhere else. Did you pay to see Randy's match against Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza during his retirement from the UFC? I didn't think so.

So what if Couture vs Emelianenko took place at an M-1 event? Who cares? What are they fighting for?

And even if the event did take place, UFC would offer a free UFC Marathon on Spike to counter the PPV. Bank on it. And bank on this: UFC could offer an event headlined by Matt Serra (or Pete Sell, or Rashad Evans, or anyone) for free on Spike, and more people would watch it than the Couture vs Emelianenko M-1 PPV.

Those are the facts.

MMA's popularity is built on "casual" fans, not hardcore fans. The casual fan has no idea that Couture left UFC. They don't even care. They watch UFC because it is cool, popular, and because it is something fun to do with their friends. And here's another thing - the casual fan has never heard of Fedor Emelianenko.

So congratulations, M-1. You've got the #1 ranked fighter in the World. Good luck with that.

• Watch Fedor in Action
• Watch Randy in Action

How to Make a Transformers Costume

Are you dreaming of stepping out this Halloween in your best Optimus Prime Costume? Perhaps you'd prefer a Bumble Bee Costume, or another of your favorite Transformer costumes for kids? While it's not a technically a guide to Transformer costume, here's a good guide to building a giant robot costume.

Just a few minor tweaks and you'll be Optimus Prime or Bumble Bee in no time. Looks fairly straightforward, right? OK, here's another idea: just go as Sam (Shia LaBeouf) or Mikaela (Megan Fox) and rent your own giant robot.

Here' s my favorite Giant Robot for Rent: Number 9 out of Greensboro, NC:

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His fee starts at $1,000 and up plus travel. It's a small price to pay for being the coolest kid (or adult) on the block. You can get a free estimate here.

No, he's not technically a Transformer. But who's going to make fun of you when you're flanked by a Eight-Foot-Tall Giant Robot?

Tags: Optimus Prime Costumes, Transformers Bumble Bee Costumes, Transformer Costumes For Kids, Transformer Deluxe Costume, How To Make a Transformer Costume

• Hasbro Transformers Optimus Prime Voice Changer Helmet
• Kids' Transformers Optimus Prime Costume

Do Women Hate Edyta Sliwinska from Dancing with the Stars?

Water cooler talk around these parts occasionally turns to reality TV. Someone might ask me “Who do you think will win Dancing with the Stars?” Truthfully, I have no idea. Nor do I have any idea who will win American Idol.

The reason I don’t know who is going to win is simple: I don’t know who is voting. If you gave me a demographic breakdown of the voters (age, gender, geographical location, economic status), I’ll bet you I could venture a really good guess.

Dancing with the Stars is unique because your success depends in large part with who you are “randomly” paired with. You need a good instructor, a good relationship, and a certain amount of chemistry. But is there more to it than that? Could the person you’re partnered with actually be a detriment?

Consider this: in four seasons of Dancing with the Stars, Cheryl Burke has won twice. The arguably equally as talented Edyta Sliwinska has only placed as high as 3rd – and that was with the enormously popular Joey Lawrence (and yes, I realize how ridiculous those last four words sound).

Is Cheryl that much better than Edyta, or is something more sinister in play? Could it be that the people voting dislike Edyta? Ask the ladies around here and you’ll get some pretty negative responses towards Mrs. Sliwinska. Women don’t seem to like the way she dresses, the ways she carries herself, or the way she looks at her partners. I guess in contrast Cheryl just seems more… well, likeable.

So is Edyta doomed? Is she destined to be voted off early simply because the people calling in don’t like her? Maybe so. If you find yourself partnered with her on the show, are you automatically regulated to not finishing well? Perhaps.

But don’t feel too sorry for the guys paired with Edyta. They do, after all, get to dance with Edyta. And that’s a fate certainly worth coming in 5th place.

• Edyta Sliwinska - Dancing Like the Pros
• Edyta Sliwinska - Fitness with the Pros