Identities of old gladiator and new face of the UFC revealed
The UFC is successful because of the promotion’s unique look and feel – something between a critical NFL game, and a…
The UFC is successful because of the promotion’s unique look and feel – something between a critical NFL game, and a rock concert, and a brawl. The look was honed over years and years, as every aspect of the production was tweaked.
One thing remained – that gladiator guy, with the background opera singing that sounds like “Vohhhhh-chenko volonariiii oooos.” Or something like that.
Using a gladiator was audacious opening, as critics had so often smeared the UFC as a modern day gladitorial contest. Fan everywhere were relieved that the UFC didn’t decide to go with human cockfighting theme.
Now UFC President Dana White has reported exlusively to the UG that the Gladiator guy is gone.
Who was the mysterious figure?
It was widely assumed at first that it was a fighter, or possibly a big A&F model. Since then a wide variety of names have been floated including Ken Shamrock, Russell Crowe, Cris Cyborg or course, a young Dana White, Sean Sherk, Bruce Buffer, and Nick Cage.
The Sean Sherk one was actualy plausible.
Elements of the UG were keen to expose this potential “fake gladiator.” “He claims to be a Roman warrior” they said, yet no one from Italy has ever heard of this guy. Others fumed that “he’s lying to customers buying the PPV and that’s just wrong, we need to teach him a lesson.”
Now the identity of this mysterious figure has been determined.
Gregory Howland is a now 34 year old, green eyed, 6′ 1″, 170 pound male model from Atlanta, Georgia.
Sorry UG, he reports that he does not do nudes, so “thanks but no thanks to those kind of projects.” He adds he does “wish you well on your journey.”
Although the Gladiator sequence is dead, word comes that a new opening is in the works.
MM-eh has learned that Torontonian Hovig Tchaderian has been cast by the UFC to be in their new Pay-Per-View opening sequence to be used starting in 2012. It will replace the Gladiator sequence that has been used for the better part of a decade.
According to the owner of Toronto’s Revolution MMA, Joel Gerson, when he received a phone call from a Los Angeles based casting agent looking for someone to play an MMA fighter in a dream sequence, Tchaderian was the first person to enter his mind.
The 28-year-old Tchaderian has been a kickboxing instructor at Revolution for years, and on Saturday night he will be filming inside the Air Canada Centre amidst the clamor of UFC 140.