A large swath of Americans have loved grappling of one sort or another for decades, whether it was the pro-wrestling version with Gorgeous George, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan and the Undertaker or the UFC version that’s gotten hot in recent years. 

There will soon be a new game in town—at least it will be new for Americans. For Latin Americans, Lucha Libre has been around for nearly a century. Now the sport, showcased to the U.S. public by the 2006 Jack Black film Nacho Libre and a kids' cartoon called ¡Mucha Lucha! that ran from 2002-2005, is planning to make its mark on U.S. culture and shed its cult status as a fringe sport.Continue reading...

If music indeeds soothes the savage beast, the folks over at Ultimate Fighting Championship missed that Shakespearean memo. The organization has turned to the world of pop music to try and stoke more fire-breathing fans and tap into the crossover audience of house music-crazed youths. As USA Today points out, UFC already dominates the world of mixed-martial arts, but, just as its stars do, UFC would love to crush anything it has in its path and expand its fan base exponentially. 

Once they become fans, there are plenty of DVDs, books, collectibles, and clothing to suck cash from their wallets, but how does something like UFC maximize its exposure to fans who may not be aware of its subtly and grace? Music, it turns out, is the channel UFC has turned to with the help of Canadian house-music DJ, performer, and producer Joel Zimmerman, who performs as Deadmau5 (pronounced "dead mouse") sporting a giant mouse-head mask.

Thanks to a partnership with UFC, Deadmau5’s video for his new single, “Professional Griefers,” features the musician controlling a robot that takes part in an MMA battle against a robot controlled by My Chemical Romance lead singer Gerard Way.Continue reading...

Ancestry.com acquires Archives.com for $100 million.

Anheuser-Busch warns UFC about fighters' inappropriate comments.

Apple now gets one-fourth of its revenue from China as CEO emerges from Jobs's shadow.

Bausch & Lomb shifts focus from contact lenses.

Bottega Veneta launches personalized fashion.

Burberry passes New York Times critique of designer lines for kids.

Burger King faces higher costs after decision to go cage-free.

Chrysler quadruples first-quarter profits and slow-walks investment in China.Continue reading...

The Ultimate Fighting Championship finally made its way to mainstream television on Saturday Nov. 12, drawing 5.7 million viewers to FOX to watch a much-hyped fight that only lasted 64 seconds.

While the mixed martial arts (MMA to fans) tussle may have been a disappointment for UFC fans and its chief, Dana White, there shouldn’t be too much to worry about since the organization signed a seven-year, $700 million deal with FOX back in August. The terms of the deal call for four fights a year on broadcast television, and the hope is that UFC's Chicago fights in January will deliver a little more oomph for FOX viewers in search of such things.

Anyone looking for such a thing live, though, shouldn’t be searching in New York State, one of three states to ban the sport. That law passed back in 1997 and UFC has been trying to find ways to get it overturned for four years now, coming close in June when the State Senate overturned the bill but the Assembly didn’t vote on it, according to the New York Times.Continue reading...

Amazon ships Kindle Fire and Kindle Touch early.

Apple searches for next retailing genius, recalls first-generation iPod Nano devices.

Audi A7 wins car of the year nod.

Barbie links with Stardoll for premium collection.

BMW promotes sustainability with China roadshow.

Boeing cements wide-body lead over Airbus with biggest ever deal, with Emirates.

Borders demise parsed by Bloomberg Businessweek.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 launch smashes records.

China 'ready' to allow foreign companies to issue stock.

Chevrolet woos Sonic buyers with perks program, while GM slows Chevrolet Cruze production.

Citrus Australia introduces new seal of authenticity.

Crowne Plaza tilts makeover toward young travelers.

Deutsche Boerse defends NYSE Euronext deal.

Disney buys Babble.com for $40M to reach 'hipster parents.'

Estee Lauder co-founder Evelyn Lauder dies, lauded for launching Pink Ribbon campaign for breast cancer research.

Facebook nears U.S. privacy settlement that would make public sharing opt-in, not opt-out.Continue reading...

When it launched in 1983, it was known as The Nashville Network or The National Network or, simply, as TNN. It’s come a long way.

Since the summer of 2003, Spike TV (which subsequently dropped the "TV" part of its monkier) has been solely focused on landing the 18-34 year-old male demographic through the broadcasting of action sports and adventure programming such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and its latest hit show, Deadliest Warrior.

Now the word is that the Viacom/MTV Networks-owned Spike is planning to rebrand again and go after both men and women in the 18-42 year-old set.Continue reading...

BP now says Rosneft deal is really dead.

Citigroup confirms data breach.

Exxon unveils major oil and gas find in the Gulf of Mexico.

Financial Times circumvents Apple sales system with app.

L’Oreal heiress saga continues.

Nokia sees departure of chief technology officer.Continue reading...

Accenture expands Saudi business.

Groupon sees 1,500% growth.

NBCUniversal may sell "struggling" G4 network to UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship).

Oceana embraces mobile on World Oceans Day.

Quaker Oats hits the road with Nick Jonas for Quaker Chewy.

Starbucks expands alcohol sales.

Tesco CEO pitches hybrid online/offline retail experience.

THQ and adidas bring miCoach interactive training to video game consoles.

Weinergate woes continue: Anthony Weiner's wife is expecting.