| 27/02/09 | Fedor’s WAMMA belt arrives at Round 5 offices |
Considered by many to be the best fighter in the sport of mixed martial arts today, Russian star Fedor Emelianenko’s WAMMA Heavyweight Championship belt recently arrived at Round 5 offices for duplication as a possible accessory for his forthcoming figurine announced in January 2009.
All of us at Round 5 are working diligently alongside Fedor and M1 in developing a Fedor figure that is true to his likeness.
| 24/02/09 | Gina Carano joins Round 5 Roster |
A FIGURE WITH “CONVICTION”: CARANO TEAMS WITH ROUND 5 TO CREATE COLLECTIBLE
Face of Female MMA Latest Star To Develop Figurine
MARKHAM, Ontario, Canada, February 24, 2009 – Known to many as the “face of female mixed martial arts,” Gina “Conviction” Carano has parlayed great ability in the cage and a glamorous look out of it to burst onto the MMA scene and in many ways transcended the sport. Now, the unbeaten star has announced she will be working with Round 5, the leader in collectible MMA figurines, to produce a figure that reflects her stardom. Carano joins an All‐Star lineup of 13 MMA standouts who currently work with Round 5.
Carano, 26, gained notice for her success in the cage and has earned additional attention with appearances as “Crush“ on the NBC television series “American Gladiators“ and by serving as a mentor/coach on the Oxygen network series “Fight Girls.“ She is also in many ways a pioneer in womenʹs MMA, competing in the first‐ever sanctioned bout in Nevada in September 2006 and in the first female bout (boxing or MMA) on the Showtime Network in February 2007. She currently owns a 7‐0 record in MMA competition.
“Gina Carano has emerged as a star, not just in MMA but in the mainstream,” said Damon Lau, Round 5 President. “As the first female in the Round 5 line, we expect her figurine to be popular among the sportʹs enthusiasts as well as those who have seen her on TV or in magazines.”
“Iʹm incredibly blessed to be a part of so many wonderful opportunities and to now be included in Round 5ʹs line up of gifted fighters is another exciting privilege,” said Carano. “When I was a little girl my dad always joked about making a ‘Gina doll’ and I smile when I think it has become a reality. It is both humbling and invigorating to consider this is just the beginning with so many other gifted women whose figurines are yet to be made.”
The Carano figurine is tentatively scheduled to be released as part of Series 4, which is planned for a summer 2009 release. As in the earlier Series, Carano will maintain creative control of her likeness, including the pose, facial design and shorts. She will have a major hand in creating the final design and will benefit from a royalty agreement that gives her a considerable portion of the proceeds from the sale of her unit.
Round 5 has announced partnerships with 13 mixed martial arts stars to date, with eight figurines already available: Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, Quinton ‘Rampageʹ Jackson and Tito Ortiz (Series 1); and Rich Franklin, Sean Sherk, Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva (Series 2). Series 3 figurines are scheduled to be available in April, featuring Andrei “The Pit Bull” Arlovski, “Big John” McCarthy, Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira. International superstar Fedor Emelianenko has also signed on and will be in a future Series in 2009.
| 23/02/09 | Sneak Peek: Andrei Arlovski Sculpting Prototype |
Check out sneak peak images of the prototype sculpting for Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski’s forthcoming figurine. Art directed and approved by Arlovski himself, this figure will be 6″ tall and will be launched alongside Big John McCarthy, Frank Mir and Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira in the World of MMA Champions: Series 3 available this April.
| 18/02/09 | Big John McCarthy Featured on AOL FANHOUSE |
Big John McCarthy, the referee who has been one of the most prominent faces in mixed martial arts for almost as long as the UFC has existed, talked to me Tuesday for a wide-ranging interview in which he discussed his feelings about returning to MMA after a long layoff, and his thoughts about his 15-year career in the sport.
McCarthy, who sat out most of 2008 while working as a commentator for The Fight Network, says he didn’t feel any ring rust when he got back into the cage. I also asked him about working last month’s Fedor Emelianenko-Andrei Arlovski fight, about the chances that he could work again as a referee in the UFC, about becoming famous enough that Round 5 has made figurines in his image, and about his own choice for the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. The full interview is below.
Michael David Smith: Now that you’re getting back to refereeing after taking time off, how much ring rust have you felt?
John McCarthy: I haven’t felt any ring rust. I’d been teaching classes and doing a lot of things for referee education, and teaching has helped me a lot. I also did some refereeing for the U.S. Army for an event they had down at Fort Hood. So it felt very comfortable for me to get back in. I didn’t feel any nervousness or ring rust or anything like that I’m just back to doing what I enjoy doing.
You’ve developed a high profile first through your years in the UFC and then working as a commentator and even having a merchandising deal to have your own figurines. Is it good for a ref to have a high profile or are there problems that can arise from that?
There are a lot of problems that can arise from that. I don’t know if it’s ever good. When the UFC was growing and I was the only referee, everyone recognized me as the one person consistently in there. A lot of people recognize me from the early days of the UFC, but I tell people all the time, no one watches the UFC because of the referee. I think the UFC realizes that and I realize it.
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| 18/02/09 | Round 5 Figures shown on ESPN |
See images of Round 5’s figurines shown on ESPN’s Mike and Mike Morning show.
