FOX Phantom Cam Makes MMA Debut Saturday Night During UFC on FOX 5 Live from Seattle

FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES

FOX PHANTOM CAM Makes MMA Debut Saturday Night During UFC ON FOX 5

AMERICA’S GAME OF THE WEEK: Saints & Giants Clash Sunday at 4:00 PM ET

HENDERSON/DIAZ BATTLE FOR TITLE UFC ON FOX 5 – UFC on FOX 5 invades primetime broadcast television this Saturday, Dec. 8 (8:00 PM ET) live from KeyArena in Seattle, WA. FOX Sports Media Group’s FOX Sports, FUEL TV, FOX Deportes, FOXSports.com and FOX Sports Radio have fans covered for this quadruple header of fights on the broadcast network highlighted by UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson facing top challenger Nate Diaz to determine the world’s greatest 155-pound fighter.

First unveiled during FOX Sports’ coverage of the 2012 World Series, FOX PHANTOM CAM makes its UFC debut when the network brings the state-of-the-art technology to the Octagon. These cameras are mounted on the truss frame near the ring and during an indoor UFC event are capable of shooting up to 5,000 frames per second.

UFC announcers Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan call all bouts on FOX Sports including preliminary matches airing live on FX.  Host Jay Glazer, Kenny Florian and Brian Stann offer analysis for preliminary bouts on FX with host Curt Menefee, Stann and Randy Couture handling analysis for fights on FOX Sports.  Both shows originate from the FOX Network Center in Los Angeles, CA.  Additionally, preliminary bouts air live on FSMG’s Spanish language network FOX Deportes with the UFC on FOX’s four fights airing live on MundoFOX. The UFC Postfight show on FUEL TV immediately follows UFC on FOX 5 on Saturday, Dec. 8 (10:00 PM ET), hosted by Glazer alongside analysts Stann and Florian with on-site interviews by Ariel Helwani.

UFC ON FOX 5: FSMG PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE

STANN & FLORIAN PREVIEW UFC ON FOX 5 – HENDERSON HAS SIZE, WRESTLING ADVANTAGE – According to FUEL TV’s UFC TONIGHT analyst Kenny Florian and UFC on FOX analyst and current UFC middleweight Brian Stann, Henderson has a size and wrestling advantage. “Benson Henderson’s larger size, strength, and wrestling skills will enable him to take Nate Diaz to the ground and neutralize his submission skills,” says Stann. “He’ll take a close, close decision. Nate looked like a guy on fire in his last couple of fights, but has struggled in the past with big guys.” Adds Florian: “These are two southpaws going at it who actually are very similar in styles, but they go about it a little differently. Henderson kicks often, where Diaz is a high volume boxer who likes to go forward. Both are excellent in the transition, with their jiu-jitsu, on the ground. Both are well known for their guillotines, and both are very hard to submit. Look for a 25-minute nonstop battle back and forth. Nate brings an extra amount of nasty every time he fights, but the difference will be Henderson’s wrestling.”

STANN ON RUA/GUSTAFSSON – “I’m picking Alexander Gustafsson. His reach and footwork will frustrate Shogun and earn him a decision victory. He’s a talented striker, who is hard to hit. And Gustafsson’s reach means a lot. Shogun’s style is devastating with guys who don’t use their footwork but Gustafsson’s footwork is too good. Shogun figured out Lyoto Machida, so we’ll see if he can figure out Gustafsson.”

FLORIAN ON PENN/MACDONALD – “This is going to be a beast of a fight. BJ can win, but it has to be early in the fight, either in the first round or early in the second. He says he’s had the best camp of his career and sees this as a make-or-break fight. BJ, at 170 pounds gets tired as the fight goes on but he has knock-out power. MacDonald will have to be careful, especially in the first round. MacDonald’s size and youth will be too much. MacDonald will grind it out in the third round.”

A TIGHTENING NFC TAKES CENTER STAGE IN WEEK 13 – The holiday spirit and playoff races are in the air as FOX Sports presents doubleheader coverage of seven matchups, all with possible playoff implications, on Sunday, Dec. 9. The action kicks off in Cincinnati, where Tony Romo and the Cowboys find themselves one game off the pace in the NFC East as they take on Andy Dalton, A.J. Green and the Bengals. In Minneapolis, the Vikings host the Bears in an old-fashioned rivalry game. Play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson and analyst Charles Davis are joined by Kristin Pink to call this NFC South matchup between Cam Newton and the Panthers Matt Ryan and the 10-1 Falcons. The first half of doubleheader action closes with Josh Freeman and the Bucs hosting the Eagles and the Rams and Bills battling in Buffalo. In New York, Eli Manning and the Giants look to shake off their recent poor play as they host Drew Brees and the high-flying Saints. Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver call America’s Game of the Week from MetLife Stadium. Also, rookie QB Russell Wilson and the NFC West leading Seahawks welcome the Cardinals to Seattle for an intra-division matchup.

Coverage begins at 12:00 PM ET with America’s No. 1 pregame show, FOX NFL SUNDAY. Terry Bradshaw and Curt Menefee co-host the Emmy Award-winning program and are joined by analysts Howie Long, Michael Strahan and Jimmy Johnson.  NFL Insider Jay Glazer breaks the latest league news and scoops from the FOX NFL SUNDAY studio while NFL rules analyst Mike Pereira discusses the previous week’s important impactful calls and points of emphasis in officiating. Comedic prognosticator Rob Riggle provides his weekly picks segment.

This week on FOX NFL SUNDAY, Strahan reveals his top-five pass rushers under the age of 25. Also, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and QB Russell Wilson discuss the rookie sensation’s 2012 season in the Pacific Northwest and why Wilson should be in the conversation with RGIII and Andrew Luck when talking about sensational rookie quarterbacks.

For instant updates during the week and games from the entire NFL on FOX crew, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NFLONFOX. Fans can gain more access to exclusive FOX Sports content by logging on to www.facebook.com/foxsports.

GAME                                                                                    PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST/SIDELINE            COV.                      TIME 

Dallas Cowboys at Cincinnati Bengals                        Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick                     56%                       1:00PM 

                                                                                                & Laura Okmin

Paul Brown Stadium – Cincinnati, OH

MARKETS INCLUDE: Albany, Albuquerque, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dallas, Dayton, Denver, Hartford, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Portland, Providence, Richmond, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tulsa, West Palm Beach

Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings                           Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston                         17%                       1:00PM

                                                                                                & on-field analyst Tony Siragusa

Mall of America Field – Minneapolis, MN

MARKETS INCLUDE: Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, Phoenix

Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers                           Gus Johnson, Charles Davis                          11%                       1:00PM 

                                                                                                & Kristina Pink

Bank of America Stadium – Charlotte, NC

MARKETS INCLUDE: Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, Knoxville, Raleigh

Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers      Dick Stockton, John Lynch                                  4%                       1:00PM

& Jennifer Hale

Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, FL

MARKETS INCLUDE: Fort Meyers, Philadelphia

St. Louis Rams at Buffalo Bills                                       Ron Pitts, Mike Martz                                           3%                       1:00PM 

                                                                                                & Krista Voda

Ralph Wilson Stadium – Orchard Park, NY

MARKETS INCLUDE: St. Louis

New Orleans Saints at New York Giants                     Joe Buck, Tory Aikman                                    91%                       4:25PM 

                                                                                                & Pam Oliver

MetLife Stadium –East Rutherford, NJ

MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Dayton, Denver, Detroit, Greensboro, Greenville, Hartford, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Mobile, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Raleigh, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, St. Louis, Tampa, Tulsa, Washington, West Palm Beach

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks                      Chris Myers, Tim Ryan                                         6%                      4:25PM 

                                                                                                & Jamie Maggio

CenturyLink Field – Seattle, WA

MARKETS INCLUDE: Phoenix, Portland

BILLICK: RUNNING THE BALL: IS IT THAT IMPORTANT? – For as long as many football fans could remember, the hallmark of successful teams was a strong running game. As NFL on FOX analyst Brian Billick points out, in the modern NFL teams not only do not need strong running games to win it all, they don’t even need mediocre ones. “The diminished need for a powerful running game has been well documented in recent years,” Billick writes. “Of the past four Super Bowl champions, only New Orleans was a top 10 rushing team the year they won it all. In fact, the others were not simply mediocre — they were more like dreadful: the Giants ranking last in the NFL in rushing yards in 2011, Green Bay ranking 24th in 2010 and even the Pittsburgh Steelers finishing 23rd in the league in rushing in 2008.” Billick also notes that the leading rushing teams of 2012 can hardly be described as the cream of the crop. “When you look at the top teams in the NFL in rushing so far this year, you see a few that do that one thing well, but little else. Minnesota, Buffalo and Kansas City rank 3rd, 4th and 5th, currently in rushing yardage in the NFL, and none have winning records. Meanwhile, at the top of the standings, several Super Bowl contenders — Green Bay, Denver, Baltimore, Atlanta — rank in the bottom third of the league in rushing yards.”

To read more from Wednesday’s with Billick click here: http://on-msn.com/XrfNbR

LYNCH:  RG3 MAKES YOU CRINGE WHEN HE RUNS THE BALL – NFL on FOX analyst and 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist John Lynch joined Colin Cowherd’s radio program earlier this week and talked about Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III’s impressive start to his professional career. “In the pro game, a guy like Robert Griffin III, is a little more maddening for defensive backs because you want to have an answer for everything,” said Lynch.  “When you have a guy like RG3 that can throw and is mobile, coupled with an offensive mind like Shanahan’s that is creative in how to utilize him, you just can’t have an answer for everything.”  Lynch feels RG3 needs to be sure to protect himself when scrambling out of the pocket.  “Long term sustainability, you’ve got to be able to throw the ball and we’ve see that.  You get this nervous sensation every time RG3 is running the ball that he’s going to get knocked out because he’s a smaller guy…He’s doing a terrific job but you do just cross your fingers each time he holds the ball because he takes some hellacious hits.”

A CITY DIVIDED AS MANCHESTER UNITED VISIT MANCHESTER CITY ON FOX SOCCER – On Sunday, Dec. 9 (8:00 AM ET), FOX Soccer sets the stage for “The Battle for Manchester” when Manchester City hosts cross-town rival Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League derby of the season. The first-place Red Devils will lean on Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie to extend their led in the BPL, while second-place Manchester City will look to bounce back from an early exit from European competition play.

DIVERSE COMPETITION FOR SEVENTH ANNUAL MARIO ANDRETTI TROPHY – In one of the strongest and most diverse fields in the history of the award, 16 racers from 13 different series have been nominated for the seventh annual presentation of the Mario Andretti Trophy as the SPEED Performer of the Year.  “This might be one of the most difficult decisions to date,” said Andretti, the only driver to win the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500 and Formula One World Championship. “Every year, a few racers seem to elevate themselves above the rest, but this is a season loaded with extremely strong and passionate performances that all deserve consideration.”  Nominees include 2010 SPEED Performer of the Year Sebastian Vettel (F1), Fernando Alonso (F1), Brad Keselowski (NASCAR), Jorge Lorenzo (MotoGP), Casey Stoner (MotoGP), Ryan Hunter-Reay (IndyCar), Antron Brown (NHRA), Kyle Larson (USAC), Sammy Swindell (WoO), Sebastien Loeb (World Rally), Andre Lotterer (WEC), Max Biaggi (World Superbike), Scott Pruett (Grand-Am), Donny Schatz (WoO), Josh Hayes (AMA Pro Superbike) and Ryan Villopoto (Supercross).  Andretti presents the trophy, a 100-pound sculpture created by bronze artist Elie Hazak, as part of a SPEED Center special airing Sunday, Jan. 27.  Representing both four-wheel and two-wheel efforts across the globe, the Mario Andretti Trophy goes to the racer who puts a premium on winning races, shines on the sport’s biggest stages and does it all with a measure of sportsmanship and class.