Andy Geer: The Fall of Cage Rage

<p>In this episode of the MMA History Podcast, Cage Rage co-founder Andy Geer returns to cover the promotion’s final chapter. Elite XC and parent company ProElite arrived with cash and television promises, American names poured in, and a run of Wembley Arena cards mixed British regulars with imported stars before the brand collapsed after ProElite failed in 2008.</p><p><br></p><p>Geer talks through Kimo Leopoldo’s British debut at Cage Rage 18, where the Pride and UFC veteran lost by guillotine to Dave Legeno, and addresses the talk that followed that fight. He also tells the Cage Rage 21 story in full: Bob Sapp was booked, recorded promos and did the usual cage walk, then pulled out midweek after claiming threats tied to his earlier walkout in Holland; Tank Abbott took the main event on a few days’ notice, flew in, drank the night before, promised a short burst of chaos, and was stopped by Gary Turner. </p><p><br></p><p>Also discussed are the UFC dispute over the eight-sided cage and the phrase “ultimate fighting,” the deal Geer says was worth ten million dollars with four million paid in cash, Sky Sports live television, last-minute replacements, and the budget cuts and culture clash that followed the sale.</p><p><br></p><p>Cage Rage shut its doors but left a lasting mark on European MMA.</p><p><br></p><p>Subscribe for more first-hand interviews with the people who built the sport.</p><p><br></p><p>0:00 start</p><p>0:37 MMA History Podcast Intro</p><p>1:10 Joey Venti’s guest introductions</p><p>1:21 interview start </p><p>1:34 brawl at the mall 2</p><p>3:12 Dan Hardy trained by the Shaolin monks</p><p>4:00 Robbie Olivier vs Brad Pickett</p><p>5:34 Alexandru Lungu vs Mark Buchanan</p><p>6:23 experience with Kimo Leopoldo</p><p>9:17 Kimo Leopoldo vs Dave Legeno </p><p>10:18 Cabbage Corrreira mugged on the street </p><p>15:21 Butterbean in MMA</p><p>17:23 Jason Barrett </p><p>19:27 cage rage 20 fight card </p><p>19:53 Mark Kerr hotel story </p><p>22:20 Anderson Silva detained at customs </p><p>23:13 Bob Sapp at Cage Rage </p><p>27:27 Dan Severn vs Dave Legeno</p><p>28:25 copyright issues with the UFC</p><p>34:50 broadcasted live on Sky Sports</p><p>36:08 Cage Rage 21 highlights </p><p>36:53 Tom Watson vs Xavier Pokam </p><p>38:21 Murilo Rua vs Alex Reid</p><p>38:38 Cyborg Santos vs James Zikic </p><p>40:07 Vitor Belfort mental issues </p><p>41:29 choosing Wembley stadium as a home </p><p>44:06 Mario Sperry vs Lee Hasdell </p><p>46:00 Butterbean helping mark